Category Archives: Uncategorized

BNF grammar for espresso beverages?

Requesting canonical names of everyone’s favorite espresso beverages over on my technical blog.

BNF grammar for espresso beverages?

Anyone out there know of a BNF grammar for espresso beverages? I really want to see one. If I don’t find one, I may just have to write one. I know that my drink of choice is a “double tall non-fat not-too-hot latte”, but why do the words go in that order? What options do [...]

My name in Malay

I was looking for one of my common user names ("sblom") in some web query earlier today. I noticed that it sure came up a lot in Malaysian blog postings. I asked a friend of mine from Singapore what it means. He told me it’s probably a colloquial contraction of "sebelum", which means "before".

Not without editorial bias, but…

…entertaining nonetheless. http://grnvlteach.typepad.com/buttsville_usa/2005/05/democrat_vs_rep.html I’d, of course, love to see the "best of" from the other side of the aisle as well.

I want a helicopter!

Let’s count degrees of freedom. Trains have one degree of freedom: they can move forward or backward along their longitudinal axis (1). They’re stuck on their line. Cars have two degrees of freedom: they can move forward or backward along their longitudinal axis like a train (1) or rotate their longitudinal axis about their vertical [...]

Stopsign dance

The other night on Microsoft campus, I got stuck doing that repeated start/stop thing that you do at a stopsign when you and another driver can’t decide who’s going to go first. I ended up "winning". We were both headed the same direction. The other driver pulled up next to me at the next stopsign, [...]

What the hell is that smell?

Jennifer and I had been struggling since last Monday to determine the source of a mild to moderately strong rotting-like smell that has been developing in the downstairs part of our house. We first noticed it in the rec room, and spent days scratching our heads and searching the room for a possible source. It [...]

My first flight as a private pilot

The missionWent flying yesterday for the first time since I got my private pilot license. It was intended to be a practice flight for me, with three goals to plan around: 1) build time toward the 50 hours of cross-country experience required for my instrument rating, 2) get in three night landings and takeoffs to [...]

To work or to camp?

Some of Jennifer’s friends organized a camping trip over near Liberty, WA this weekend, and some of the campers made plans to make the short trip from there to The Gorge Amphitheater near George, WA to attend some concert called Sasquatch Festival. I was looking forward to going camping with them, but I ran into [...]

Non-rabid political editorial!

This young writer doesn’t like our President, but makes her case with a level head. If only every editorial were written rationally instead of rabidly. I guess rabies sells! Oregon Daily Emerald – University of Oregon news and sports – 10 reasons not to kill Bush