Listen all you *bleep*

Finally I found out what the amazing intro song of Splinter Cell is: Name of the Game by Crystal Method. The title of this post is partly from it, excluded the bad language (m*****f***er, fill in the blanks if you want to).

Some updates. A friend of mine, Fritz, told me he had problems with the fancy JavaScript pop-up window thingamabob on LGM (my alien collection). So, I added normal links, too. The pictures will open in the frame and if you have a smart browser like Mozilla or Mozilla Firefox they’ll also resize if the pictures are too big.

Alas, I read in an article my Grandma sent me that Stephen King is retiring. I can’t see nothing on this on the official site, nothing apparent at least.

Getting closer to the Dark Tower

I bought Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah today. Unfortunately I could only find Hodder & Stoughton’s copy. My sister got me the Grant copy of DT V for Christmas so I would’ve wanted to get a similar looking book. Oh well, H&S’s version is more beautiful (and it’s the same series than my DT I-IV box set).

That means I updated TGWLSK: there’s a picture of the spine of SoS in the Bookshelf.

Tomorrow is the enrolling to computer studies courses. I have to wake up before 9 am for that. Luckily I have to go no further than my computer because the enrolling is done via their website. Also, on Monday I have to enrol to Monako (translation stuff) courses and that too is computerized nowadays.

This autumn is very bad course-wise. There’s really not much to take. The spring however is packed and I probably have to give up on some of the courses I’m drooling over now. Oh well, I’ll do some book exams, and a silly computer course (mandatory) at home.

I don’t understand why there has to be so many courses to be done by book exams. I don’t want to read books and answer questions about them, I want to attend lectures!! That’s why I am at the university — for the lectures!

Last night (after being scared s***less by a moth that bumped into my bed lamp and flew crazily around only to be crushed between my sheet (ewww) and a magazine) I finished reading Douglas Adams’s The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide. I started it gawd knows how long ago so I’ll probably read the Finnish version soon. The Ultimate guide includes the Hitchhiker trilogy (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy + The Restaurant at the End of the Universe + Life, the Universe, and Everything) and three other stories (So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish + Young Zaphod Plays It Safe + Mostly Harmless). I enjoyed the book because of it’s crazy humour (nutty names) and of course the wonderful, and surprising, playing with language. I don’t know how on earth the Finnish translator has been able to transport the word plays to the translation — but I will find out soon.

I had removed the month abbreviation from the calendar (template-functions-general.php, line 385 fwd) but now it turned out that the long word ‘September’ causes the arrows (») to go to the next line. So, I put the abbreviation back. I still will have ‘June’ and ‘July’ in their full form cause I’m just used to it. Why abbreviate words that are so short already? (A bit like b for ‘be’, u for ‘you’, 4 for ‘for’ etc. etc. etc.)

Yesterday I noticed that my hostess Shirasade had changed from Movable Type to WordPress. YAY! :mrgreen:

Zombie-like demeanour

Feeling a bit like this I woke up 15 minutes + 4 minutes (my alarm clock is 4 mins early) ago and I don’t feel so peachy. And now the bloody system says I can only enrol to exams!

@ 9:07
Good, “Basics to databases” checked. Now I’m going back to sleep.

Static

Inspired by the idea presented at Digitus, Finger & Co. I installed MooKitty’s Show Categories plugin and modified it with the code in a comment by Paul.

“Static pages” are posts but hidden from the index page, archives, and category listing. They can be found by search, however. I “staticised” my booklog and the page about me already but I still have some more work to do. I decided to keep commenting on for the static pages. I removed “lots” of things, though. It’s easy: Just add

<?php if ($cat != x) { ?> HIDDEN STUFF HERE <?php } ?>

around the bits you want to hide (x being the ID number of the category you are hiding). That bit of code means “if the category number does NOT equal x, show the bit between { and }”.
I hid the date, time posted, and word count.

The breadcrumb code is located outside the WP loop so at first I didn’t know how to get the category info for if-clauses (for hiding the breadcrumb from static pages). I found a function in_category(x) where x is the number of the category. It returns true or false. So, I put a

<?php if ( !in_category(x) ) { ?> HIDDEN STUFF HERE <?php } ?>

around the breadcrumb code and now it’s gone from the static pages just as I like it.

Making static (or more like non-entry) pages this way makes it easier for them to keep up with the modifications I make to the index page. I used to have the static pages as php pages where I had copied the “header” and “footer” of each page.

Toothpaste and vampires

The other night in my dream Ewan McGregor had lost his teeth-whitening toothpaste and asked if I had any. I had just the sort of paste he wanted so I promised he could borrow mine.

Tell me about your weird dream.

Did a quiz just to kill time:

You are Form 9, Vampire: The Undying.
“And The Vampire was all that remained on the blood drowned creation. She attempted to regrow life from the dead. But as she was
about to give the breath of life, she was consumed in the flame of The Phoenix and the cycle began again.”

Some examples of the Vampire Form are Hades (Greek) and Isis (Egyptian). The Vampire is associated with the concept of death, the number 9, and the element of fire. Her sign is the eclipsed moon.

As a member of Form 9, you are a very realistic individual. You may be a little idealistic, but you are very grounded and down to earth. You realize that not everything lasts, but you savor every minute of the good times. While you may sometimes find yourself lonely, you have strong ties with people that will never be broken. Vampires are the best friends to have because they are sensible.
Which Mythological Form Are You?

If I were something else like, I don’t know, a hairy ogre or a pink fairy, I probably wouldn’t have made this public. :mrgreen:

Kick yer MTs and Bloggers to the curve

I’m always thinking “now, where’s that page that looked like this and this and this” (or any info I need: “what did the text say under the picture on page so-and-so, on the right hand side corner below the title such-and-such” A slight case of photographic memory I guess. Only I don’t always *remember* the things I can see in my mind’s eye.)

WordPress references for me and you:

I installed a Breadcrumb plugin. I was going to add headers on the category pages but remembered this and thought it could be niftier. It doesn’t show on the main page but if you go to different archives or categories it shows where you are. On a single post’s page it shows all the categories the post belongs to in a comma separated list.

I also hacked a forget user info (from Scriptygoddess) option to the comments. I don’t like forms remembering my information and WordPress sets a cookie as a default.

Joined David Copperfield fanlisting. Today there was a “David Copperfield — Greatest escapes” on TV (Gawd, he’s cute! And funny). In 1997 I saw Copperfield in Finland (and he’s coming here again this December). After the show I’d written in my diary that I was feeling very unreal. It was a wonderful performance with his flying and getting-sawn-in-two and others that I can’t remember. In the tv show he said that after some outsider had shouted “move your feet” after the saw had cut Copperfield in two, they had a crew member shout the same thing in every show after that. I can’t remember if that was in the performance I saw.

The tour then was called Dreams and Nightmares and I started my dream diary soon after that. Named it “Dreams and Nightmares”.

Single power

Yesterday I heard that a friend of mine from high school is having a baby in November (awwwww). Another friend of mine has been together with her boyfriend for over six years (they’re really cute). Another is living with her boyfriend. I could go on and on. All are the same age as myself (younger, to be exact, but same year). I’m trying to smile through it all, but sometimes it gets really really difficult. (Not too often, though.)
(Luckily there are “single power” (cf. girl power) programs like S&C. :smile: )

Yesterday I bought Dolores Claiborne (the book by Stephen King) and saw Shrek II (original version of course! Kiddies’ version is dubbed). It was a wonderful movie and it had lots of allusions to other movies etc. (as movies of that genre tend to do). I won’t list them here openly (someone *could* blame me for spoiling the film), but read the rest of this post if you want. Of course I don’t remember many of them, but maybe I’ll find some reminders some place else.

Updates: University stuff converted to new static page form.
Note to self Posts showing changed from “7 posts” to “7 days” (because of the static pages there are only a few actual posts on the index page)
Continues »

Quizzies

BBC has very interesting science section with lots of quizes and games.

I’m a Moderate Owl

Like Extreme Owls, Moderate Owls love staying up late and sleeping late into the morning. Their body clocks tend to be more flexible than a Larks, making it easier for them to adapt when their sleep pattern is disrupted. Like most people, Moderate Owls body clocks are set within the standard range – they’re likely to be most alert in the morning and early evening and have a period of low alertness in the afternoon.

Tips for owls:
* Sleep with blinds or curtains open. Let daylight wake you naturally. Its much nicer than an alarm clock — but set the alarm anyway!
* Walk outside as soon as possible after waking up. Exposure to daylight in the morning can make you more alert earlier in the day.
* Get up at the same time every day including weekends and holidays. This will anchor your biological clock at the desired time.
* Prepare the breakfast table the evening before. A morning routine helps owls function smoothly without having to think about what they’re doing.

I’m also Almost an alien expert!

I was very bad at putting muscles, bones, and organs into place…

At Tickle (formerly known as Emode) I am a…
— perfectionist

Appearance
Like what you see when you look in the mirror? We thought so — with every hair in place and every crease in line, you have every reason to. Looking well-put-together is important to you, so you take great care with your appearance and maintain your excellent hygiene with a very consistent regimen. Since you take pride in how you appear to others, you don’t feel comfortable leaving the house unless you think you look properly groomed.
Possessions
Looks like you take very good care of your possessions — without obsessing about them. Since you probably take pride in the condition of your things, you like to keep your surroundings in a relatively neat, organized state. But you know that every little thing doesn’t necessarily have one spot it has to be in at all times, and you’re just fine if everything isn’t always in peak shape. That’s a great attitude — being aware of, but not overly concerned about, your possessions is an effective way of extending the lifespan of your things without causing yourself undue stress.
Work
Whether a task is large or small, you always turn in top-notch work. How could you not? After all, you have a lot of pride invested in everything you take on, and you won’t sign your name to anything unless it represents your best work. You’re willing to burn your candle at both ends to get the job done and like to have your projects organized and carefully planned out. Although being a perfectionist at work guarantees a job well-done, it can sometimes make it hard to be flexible and open-minded. So, make sure to leave room for a little leeway.

— Sharp at Sunset

That’s right, when the sun goes down, your energy and creativity go way up. This is your on time, when you’re most inspired thoughts come pouring in and when you’re most motivated to venture out. Are you into sports, dinner parties, or just hanging out with friends as the sun sinks out of sight? We thought so. Because that’s the time of day that really empowers you and makes you feel alert.

You’re especially dynamic at dinner, cocktail parties, and early evening functions, when your persistent wit and wisdom are at their finest. And after dinner, when everyone else is putting on their jackets and preparing to head home, you’re the kind of person who stays alert, inquisitive, and ready for more world-changing conversation.

Being such a superstar at sunset has its drawbacks too. Right when you’re coming up with your most fantastic ideas, most of the world is too tired to listen. Sure, this might leave you with a limited audience from time to time, but when you’re on, you’re on, and those lucky enough to be around value your enthusiasm. But even superstars hit a slump at some point in the day. That’s when you need to remind yourself that there are tricks to get you through. Like grabbing an extra cup of coffee, getting some fresh air, or taking a power shower to rejuvenate you. And when that happens, there’s no stopping you. Every hour can be your power hour!

OK, that’s enough. I did more tests than that (I’m practical pumps (the shoes), my room is classical (NOT), I’d be a ground-breaking document (barely), my monster personality is Devil (eh…), and I’m Eric from That 70s Show…). Am I bored or am I bored? No, actually… I finished a course today. I just haven’t mailed my work to the teacher yet. I’ll double check it tomorrow and send it off.

Now, I think I’ll catch up on my Dark Tower.

Wiping cold sweat

For a moment I was panicking. The database connection didn’t work on my or my hostess’s site (so the problem was with the server) and it seemed to go on forever. I updated my index page already, telling about problems, but then suddenly everything works. Phew.

Now, what was I supposed to write before I was cruelly denied access.

First of all, my sister spotted a silly sight while playing Splinter Cell:

Screenshot from Splinter Cell

That handsome chap there is Sam Fisher — the one in black. There’s a slaughter house at one point in the game, and one of the soldiers my sister (or Sam Fisher) shot, froze with his hands still holding the gun. Also the grimace is awfully funny but you probably can’t see it well. You can see the other corner of the mouth being darker and thus being drawn downward. (speak of the devil: Splinter Cell music just started playing on Winamp)

I saw two episodes of Dr. Phil this week. He’s supposed to be some really popular tv “shrink” but I don’t know… He sounds exactly like the guidance counsellor, Mr. Mackey, in South Park!! Hoookay? Sorry, it’s more like “m’kay” with Mr. Mackey but “hookay” with Dr. Phil. They sound the same, nevertheless.

I wanted to show the last update on my Booklog, but I’d removed the date of the post from my static pages. Well, running php from a post is not possible on WP. I found a wonderful plugin by Mark.

Also, “installed” Customizable post listings plugin (from Coffee2Code; wonderful site and wonderful name!!) and put a list of 5 most recently updated posts (including static pages, which is actually really good) and 5 most recently commented posts (currently there are only 2 though… :???: ) on the menu.

Fanlisting checkup

[A quick-check list for myself so I don’t always check the ones that are ok]
I don’t dare mail/fill in a form so many times but my url has been different since January and many still lists my old info. I don’t know what to do :sad:

Still with my old/faulty info:
HTML
Classic adventure games (probably not active)
Brendan Fraser
The Ring
Matrix Reloaded (old fl)
Teachers (probably not active)
Naked Chef (Jamie Oliver’s show)
XF Game
Dark Tower (no http:// in front of my url so it gets added to the site’s base url)

Site not working:
Staying up late
xD smiley
IE
Old url NEW URL: Max Payne 2 [OK; 6/10]
WordPress [OK; 18/9]

Hopefully pending:
Dawson’s Creek

Not too shabby, considering I’ve joined quite a few…

Re-joined The Matrix fanlisting (it had moved so often that I didn’t have the correct url (the url I had seemed to be having MySQL problems) and so I had been kicked out, I’d imagine :mrgreen:)
Also, re-joined Jamie Oliver fanlisting

I’ve been wanting to join the Mozilla fanlisting but the site hasn’t been working for ages… at least not for me.

A little woo hoo to top this all off (off topic, though): only a little over a week to wait and then Dark Tower VII is published!!! \o/

@ 1:14
I just remembered. This morning when I woke up, I had just got a little folded note in my dream, and it had said “Get help.” The extreme subliminal message? *cracks up*

@ 1:25
I know I know, it’s getting late and I should go to sleep (I have a lecture at 4 pm tomorrow, mind you). Just this last thing…
Blogging Personality Quiz

I am The Pundit!
I like to blog about a specific topic of interest that I am passionate about – be it business, politics, technology, law, education, entertainment, or literature. I blog regularly and I welcome relevant discussions about my topic. I have a constant thirst for knowledge.