11. Kissed their WoW avatar at midnight.
10. Watched the BIOS date change years.
9. Hoped for a Y2K+8 bug.
8. Too busy playing nethack to notice.
7. Listened to Auld Lang Syne on their iPod.
6. Popped open a bottle of caffeinated champagne.
5. Updated their New Year's Resolution database to reflect the passing
year.
4. Defragmented their hard drives.
3. Stayed up for 24 hours to wish all their online friends in different
time zones a Happy New Year at the appropriate hour.
2. Had to come in to work to upgrade and reboot servers all night long.
1. Nothing. Real Klingons don't celebrate puny holidays like New Year's
Eve.
Κυριακή 30 Μαρτίου 2008
Gary Gygax's death (funny)
Καθως δεν εχω πολυ σχεση με το D&D δεν εχω πιασει πολλα απο τα αστεια.
Ειμαι σιγουρος οτι θα εχετε πολυ μεγαλυτερα ποσοστα επιτυχιας απο εμενα
Ειμαι σιγουρος οτι θα εχετε πολυ μεγαλυτερα ποσοστα επιτυχιας απο εμενα
When referring to Gygax's death, you can say he:
1) Started a new character sheet.
2) Is looking for a ninth-level cleric.
3) Failed his save vs. death magic.
4) Is food for purple worms.
5) Immediately became an NPC.
6) Finished the Doritos.
7) Has gone pips up.
8) Is pushing up shriekers.
9) Cashed in his gold pieces.
10) Took the first step to lichdom.
11) Went ethereal.
12) Kicked on the end of a spear.
13) Didn't make his system shock roll.
14) Bought the farm in Hommlet.
15) Is taking a dice nap.
16) Has gone to meet Zagyg.
17) Rolled his last natural 20.
18) Went against the giants.
19) Joined the gaming table invisible.
20) Is sleeping with the sahuagin.
21) Drew the Void.
22) Ended the campaign.
23) Kicked the dice bag.
24) Retired Mordenkainen.
25) Got screwed by the DM.
What does your poo tell about you?
Το παλικαρι τα εχει πει ολα... δεν ξερω τι να πω... εχω δακρυσει.... μια
αδελφη ψυχη στον ακαρδο αυτον κοσμο που νιωθω οτι κανεις δεν με
καταλαβαινει...
αδελφη ψυχη στον ακαρδο αυτον κοσμο που νιωθω οτι κανεις δεν με
καταλαβαινει...
March 12, 2008 | I looked, all right? This morning, I took a long and
unflinching gaze. How do I say this without sounding boastful? There in
the bowl was a real beauty, my reward for yesterday's hearty oatmeal
breakfast and black bean and rice dinner. It was the kind of (how do we
settle on a comfortable euphemism?) ejecta that would make Mom proud.
I consulted "What's Your Poo Telling You?" my handy field guide to human
stools, and discovered that mine had an ideal shape, sinking nicely to
the bottom of the bowl. Because of its textbook-perfect hue -- no
alarming green, red or yellowish tinge proving my bile is diseased -- I
can be reassured that I and my hardworking colon are healthy. I can
proudly say I'm an excretion achiever!
I am hardly alone in poring over "What's Your Poo Telling You?" Not only
does poo have a lot to tell you, but lately scores of Americans seem
anxious to listen. Last spring, Chronicle Books printed 20,000 copies of
the little brown book, mostly to be sold as a novelty in Urban
Outfitters. Today it has sold more than 225,000 in big-box bookstores
nationwide. Apparently its success is proof that at long last poo has
come out of the water closet.
Indeed, what the book's coauthors, Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, M.D.,
say was once regarded as "malodorous waste" can now be openly regarded
for what it is: a miracle of creation, a crystal ball of intestinal
health, a feng shui of the derrière. "Like a snowflake, each poo has a
wondrous uniqueness," they write. They deconstruct specimens such as the
"log jam," "a cruel reminder of your inability to perform," and "hanging
chads," "stubborn pieces of turd that cling."
And for those who aspire to leave behind a shameful history of faulty
stools? "The ideal poo is a pillowy soft, singular bolus of stool that
exits the body with minimal effort," says Sheth. And that paragon of poo
is achieved by consuming plenty of fruits, vegetables and fiber
superstars: beans, peas, seeds and nuts.
But wait, there's more on the fecal front. Author Danielle Svetcov is
set to publish "The 'Regular' Gourmet Everyday: Sumptuous Recipes for
the Gastro-intestinally Challenged." Tens of thousands of Americans are
signing onto the Cleanse diet, a sort of spiritual-cum-vegan Roto-Rooter
for the intestines. "Functional foods" like Activia yogurt aren't
selling by the cases because they are low-fat. That's so 20th century.
They are being hyped for how they "maintain digestive health."
Cutting-edge Japanese toilets can read your droppings for dietary
deficiencies. But there's a far more convincing sign that poo has hit
the big time.
Much as they did with eating disorders and sex obsessions, viewers of
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" are being invited to stop withholding about
this most intimate and private act. Encouraged by the charismatic Dr.
Mehmet Oz, a cardiovascular surgeon who appears regularly on the show,
we are being told to look before we flush, to study what we've produced
as a talisman of health. When it comes to diet, we need to make "number
two" our "number one priority."
On "Oprah," women are pouring out their troubles on the toilet. Susan
talks freely about her constipation. Maureen, a mother of four, lets
loose entirely. "My hemorrhoids feel so bad that it's like grapes
hanging out of my rear," she confesses. "Sometimes they hurt so bad, I
can't get out of bed for two days."
Clearly, says Oz, Maureen and Susan, like millions of
white-flour-addicted Americans, aren't listening to what their stools
are telling them. (Really, who knew the intestinal tract was so chatty?)
"'Help! Help!' Their big colon is saying, 'I need something from you,'"
says Oz. If Maureen and Susan stop eating their children's leftover
Happy Meals and start eating more lima beans, oh, the satisfaction,
wastewise, they would realize.
"You want to hear what the stool, the poop, sounds like when it hits the
water," Oz instructs. "If it sounds like a bombardier, you know, 'plop,
plop, plop,' that's not right because it means you're constipated. It
means the food is too hard by the time it comes out. It should hit the
water like a diver from Acapulco hits the water." Oz makes a "swoosh"
sound -- the sound of an Olympian excrement champion.
So why poo, and why now? Well, when it comes to the success of "What's
Your Poo Telling You?" there are two good reasons that two men in their
30s, who were potty-trained with the children's scatological classic
"Everyone Poops," would grow up to write an adult version that speaks to
their generation. No. 1, now that baby boomers are decidedly
middle-aged, they're becoming ever more aware of physiological changes
that make poop an important topic of conversation. No. 2, we're
experiencing a baby boomer boomlet, with millions of new parents
focusing, as new parents will, on their wee ones' output.
Moreover, this is the natural progression of a nation obsessed, and
browbeaten, about eating healthy. So we've moved from mouth southward,
from fretting over what goes in our mouth to what comes out the other end.
The moment is ripe to come clean about our inner workings, say coauthors
Sheth and Richman, who met when they were undergraduates at Brown
University (where else?). Sheth, along with other collegiate pastimes,
developed what he calls the PQI, or Poo Quality Index, that he and
fellow students would use to compare the superiority of their bowel
movements. Years later, the pair reconnected when Richman, who works in
Silicon Valley to develop clean-energy technology, got back in touch
with Sheth, who'd since become a gastroenterologist fellow at Yale
University School of Medicine. "Poo has been in a societal sewer," says
Richman. "It's something people didn't feel comfortable talking about
outside a small circle of friends. What we're seeing is a cultural
evolution where it's no longer a taboo subject."
Reading Richman and Sheth's book is similar to pulling an enormous ball
of wax out of your ear. Although you know you should be disgusted, you
can't stop looking at and obsessing over it. Quite simply, theirs is a
fascinating read. ("Two thumbs up! Gripping and loaded!") You feel
relieved to get to the bottom of so many rectal mysteries, to find out
that certain bathroom experiences -- sometimes seemingly weird and
extraordinary -- are not signs that you're a freak of nature.
When a kernel of corn makes its rear exit and comes out perfectly
intact, it's not a personal failing that proves you're a bad child who
didn't listen to his mother and failed to chew properly. Instead, this
common phenomenon, "deja poo," refers to certain foods like corn that
have insoluble fibers that are difficult for even the most efficient
digestive tract to break down. "Regularity" spans the range from three
times a day to three times a week. And a case of nerves -- whether
before an important business meeting or a performance -- can induce
"performance enhancing poo."
"With so many of these experiences, we've had a lot of people come up to
us and say, 'I thought that was just me,'" says Richman. He adds that
since the book came out, people are so anxious to talk about their
stools that almost every dinner party discussion descends into potty
talk, conjuring up a scene straight out of a Buñuel film.
Who knew it's better to squat than sit? Or that because of a heavy fiber
diet, the national average for detritus in southern Asia is three times
that of the waste-makers in England. Then there's the rarely discussed
form of toilet elation, "poo-phoria."
"This poo can turn an atheist into a believer and is distinguished by
the sense of euphoria and ecstasy that you feel throughout your body
when this type of feces departs your system," write the coauthors. "To
some, it may feel like a religious experience, to others like an orgasm,
and to a lucky handful it may feel like both. This is the type of poo
that makes us all look forward to spending time on the toilet."
Going to the john is no longer simply a process of elimination. No, the
"unbridled elation that results from releasing the perfect poo" is now a
transformative act, bringing the conscientious fiber-eating toilet
sitter to a spiritual or sexual high.
Unsettling connections between defecation and sexual pleasure aside,
health may be one of the book's biggest benefits. An interesting point
when you consider that Urban Outfitters shoppers aren't exactly the
Ex-lax crowd, paying close attention to their colon's health.
Even for a relatively young and fit person, the book makes the reader
want to achieve a healthier dump. After this bathroom read, you find
yourself reaching for that binding banana or drinking loads more water;
and to prevent those punishing pebble poos (they can, uh, hurt on the
way out), an indicator of a low-fiber diet, you opt for that sensible,
grandmotherly bran muffin over the constipating chocolate croissant.
On a serious and somber note, the book advises taking a look before you
flush for indicators of serious internal trouble including liver disease
(white or gray feces), pancreatic disease (yellow poos) and more.
(Unless you've been eating beets, the proper response to any deep red or
black stools is an immediate check-in with your doctor.)
A snarky yet smart book like this -- a "Colbert Report" of bowel
movements -- is in sync with today's Web-savvy population. "With the
advent of the Internet, people want to know a lot more about their
health," says Sheth. "Gone are the days people go to their doctor and
take everything on blind faith. As it's obviously intermeshed with one's
diet, the whole aspect of taking health into one's own hands has
trickled down to poo."
Getting to know your poo may also improve your mental health, says New
York City child psychologist and parent educator Lawrence Balter, author
of "Dr. Balter's Child Sense." More openness, and less repressiveness,
about our bodily functions are a good thing, he believes, although he
pooh-poohs resorting to such infantile words as "poo" rather than the
more forthright "bowel movement." "These words give the impression that
there's something wrong or unacceptable," he says. "The fact that an
adult book would use a word like 'poo' suggests it's a childish leftover
and a childish reaction to these things."
What would Freud say? We may have a way to go to grow out of our
childish anal stage; getting beyond fourth-grade humor and cutesy
euphemisms may take years. But being more serious about studying our
stools may be a sign our country is growing up.
Oz says that in old-world countries like Turkey, where he has spent much
of his life, the connection between overall health and healthy bowels is
part of the culture. Indeed, the practice of taking an informed and
forthright look at one's waste as a vital sign of good or ill health is
hardly new, practiced by societies worldwide for hundreds of years. In
his recent Harper's essay, "Wasteland," about sewage treatment,
Frederick Kaufman tells of the great Kamchatka god Kutka, who created
the world and every living being, "then fell in love with his excrement
and wooed it as his bride." Now, that's poo love.
In the United States, alternative-health practitioners have proved to be
ahead of the intestinal curve, looking at the health of the gut as an
indicator of systemic problems. "This kind of awareness is a critical
first step in taking better care of ourselves," says Daphne Miller, a
San Francisco-based integrative family physician and author of the
upcoming book "The Jungle Effect: A Doctor Discovers the Healthiest
Diets From Around the World -- Why They Work and How to Bring Them Home."
"When I do an initial assessment of someone's overall health, I really
focus on their digestion and I often find myself getting down to the
nitty-gritty when it comes to bowel movements," she says. Seemingly
unrelated health problems, including skin rashes, allergy symptoms and
hormonal imbalances, can have their root in the gut, an assertion that's
supported by recent mainstream biomedical research. "Over and over
again, I find that by fine-tuning someone's digestion, other health
issues can improve dramatically," Miller says.
Yet can so much fecal gazing be a bad thing? Absolutely, says James
Dillard, medical director of Columbia University's Rosenthal Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine. "All the neurotics are going to
think this is wonderful," he says. "The whole alternative side of life
is a little bit self-obsessed. If you're reading a book that has you
focusing on your poop, you need to get out more. Instead of looking at
your butt, you might want to look more at the vegetable aisle."
Dillard says that focusing on excrement is "an irrelevant distraction"
from necessary health habits, including a good diet, regular exercise,
sleep and stress management. "There is no such thing as the 'ideal'
stool," he says. "This is a nonsense, pre-science concept. Obviously, if
someone is eating only McDonald's, they will get stopped up." Otherwise,
says Dillard, even the most laudable diet will show enormous variation
in what comes out, all dependent on multiple factors like what you had
for lunch, the amount of soluble and insoluble fiber you've eaten,
hydration and -- given that the gut is inextricably linked to the
nervous system -- your mood.
Dillard also points to the current fad for "detoxing" the body by
regularly getting high colonics as an obsessively unhealthy one. "This
is a manifestation that a part of you is dirty," he says. "The colon has
been around million of years and the wisdom of the colon predates us.
This notion that we can somehow always intervene in some way so we can
be intellectually or psychically or physiologically superior to this
part of the body is kind of foolish."
What's more, obsessive stool reading may be a sign of an emotionally
unhealthy culture. Since the turn of the 21st century, says
private-practice psychologist Susan Lipkins, we're increasingly panicked
over the inability to control factors like terrorism, global warming and
the government. "As Americans' anxiety increases, it makes sense that
we'd try to control everything," says Lipkins, an expert on toilet
training. Our recent enthusiasm for stool perfection may be yet another
manifestation of Americans' "obsessive, narcissistic" behavior, she
suggests.
"Parents are trying to control their children, corporations are trying
to control workers, and on an individual level, we're trying to control
our bodies, including our poop: when we poop, how often we poop and what
we poop, including the right size, consistency and color." As with all
fads that strive toward the perfect body -- be it the face, the pecs or
the wardrobe -- Lipkins says we're missing something essential.
"You can be perfectly shaped and have perfectly shaped poops and still
be an unhappy camper." What's more, says Lipkins, obsessing is not good
for overall health, and certainly not for one's bowel movements, since
to poop with ease, it's essential to relax. "But Type A people don't
have an hour to relax, so they take fiber to make sure they poop, so it
fits into their schedule. Giving yourself time in the morning is a lot
better than taking something so you can poop."
In the end, as with all health practices, balance is key. "I don't think
there's anything wrong with analyzing one's excrement," says Dillard.
"But if this is the center of your life, you need to consult a mental
health practitioner."
Clear Type fonts
Ασχετο θεμα με το ταξιδι... διαβαζοντας καποια μπλογκ βρηκα εναν τροπο, επισημο και με τη βουλα απο τη microsoft να βελτιωσουμε τα φοντς σε μια πιο ευαναγνωστη μορφη. Κατεβαζετε τα clear type fonts (γινεται εγκατασταση δικου τους εικονιδιου στο control panel) και τα ενεργοποιειται. Προσωπικα βρηκα μεγαλη διαφορα στην ευκολια αναγνωσης κειμενων για αυτο και το λεω και σε εσας. Το αρχειακι που κανει την εγκατασταση ειναι 2,47 μεγα οποτε δεν ειναι τιποτε το τρομερο. Το κατεβασα απευθειας απο το σαιτ της μαικροσοφτ γιατι το λαπτοπ εχει αυθεντικο λειτουργικο συστημα αλλα ειμαι σιγουρος οτι και καπου αλλου θα μπορειτε να το βρειτε.
To σχετικο σαιτ της wikipedia ειναι http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClearType . Οσοι απο εσας χρησιμποιειται internet explorer 7 και πανω ξερετε τι ειναι αυτα τα φοντς. Οπως γραφει και το αρθρο της βικιπεδιας στον ΙΕ7 ειναι ενεργοποιημενα αυτα τα φοντς ακομα και οταν δεν ειναι ενεργοποιημενα στα windows. Ειχα εντυπωσιαστει σε καποιες φασεις που ανοιγα τον ΙΕ για να σερφαρω και σκεφτομουν σοβαρα να εγκαταλειψω τον πολυαγαπημενο firefox. Τελικα βρηκα το control panel των φοντς και τωρα σε ολο μου το λειτουργικο ειναι ενεργοποιημενα.
To σχετικο σαιτ της wikipedia ειναι http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClearType . Οσοι απο εσας χρησιμποιειται internet explorer 7 και πανω ξερετε τι ειναι αυτα τα φοντς. Οπως γραφει και το αρθρο της βικιπεδιας στον ΙΕ7 ειναι ενεργοποιημενα αυτα τα φοντς ακομα και οταν δεν ειναι ενεργοποιημενα στα windows. Ειχα εντυπωσιαστει σε καποιες φασεις που ανοιγα τον ΙΕ για να σερφαρω και σκεφτομουν σοβαρα να εγκαταλειψω τον πολυαγαπημενο firefox. Τελικα βρηκα το control panel των φοντς και τωρα σε ολο μου το λειτουργικο ειναι ενεργοποιημενα.
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