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 Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 4:48 pm
Xumbra Kyonie: There's a note in the beginning of the book that explains the currency, colloquialism related to it (yellow cards apparently refer to prostitution), and things like that. 'Cept I didn't bother to pay much attention to it.
The writing by the author, and also by Leo Tolstoy (who wrote War and Peace), is quite boring yet interesting. The story gets delves into the character's mind and his every action with minute detail which, as it often does, makes for a five-page description of the main character performing a simple act, such as leaving his apartment room. On one hand, you get to examine everything about the main character: his attire, the reason behind his delusional thinking, the way he speaks to himself (for pages and pages), etcetera; on the other hand, the sheer length of the description begs me to play Ragnarok Online. I cannot stand a single chapter without some serious concentration.
Hooray for private servers! I hear that there's an open-source project for Ragnarok Online. I haven't completely scoured the website yet, but it still seems pretty interesting to me. Maybe through that, we can have legitimate free gaming. Mm. Legitimate.
Yeah, I understand what you mean, but at a smaller scale. When I was in 4th grade, they had us read a pretty lengthy (back then) book. I don't remember what it was, but I had to take it home for reading and I had to tell myself to keep reading whenever my eyes wandered because I would have definately left it unfinished otherwise. XD And even in my previous class, we had to read a few boring books, but I could usually get through them without too much trouble of being distracted by the fact I had a computer next to my bed. <_<
I skimmed through that and the new Ragnarok looks so cool. D: Er, from the screenshots in the forums. 'Course, it's similar to FlyFF, but the graphics are a bit better and I'm sure there will be a ton more 'lands' to journey to. o.o
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 7:24 pm
Xumbra Mousy: Doesn't having the air conditioner on all the time mean massive electricity bills? 'Cause it means power outages in California. In the summer, everyone turns on their air conditioning and fans at the same time -- which is why the summer is also known as blackout season. There's California for you.
But really, I think Californian heat is tolerable. Everyone else is just being wusses.
Whoa, you speak Cantonese? Sweeet. My parents (mainly my dad) are trying to teach me Mandarin. I know that I can't read pinyin at the rate I'm learning, but at least I'll be able to recognize certain words by sound. In fact, we're just concentrating on speaking alone...and I learn incredibly slow. I do speak Cantonese...it's what I natively am, methinks. I think Mandarin is like a weird ripoff from Cantonese. Mandarin sounds weird when you compare it with Cantonese (comparing words like ice water and apple). I have MSN, but I can only use the microphone when I'm on my Windows computer. On the other hand, I can use Skype on my Linux.
Oh, and since I'm in California and you are in Sydney, we'd have to account for the difference in time zones. You are currently seventeen hours ahead of me. I just hope my embarrassment doesn't prevent me from speaking.
Dang, you should have an accent! It would be awesome! ...please?
You'd be surprised at how many people fail the CAHSEE. The education here in the United States, especially California, is quite horrible. The CAHSEE is initially administered in our tenth year of high school. If a student fails the CAHSEE, he is given the chance to retake the test for the next two years until he passes. Seriously, it's horrible. People fail, people don't care. The average student spokes weed in our school. That's why my valedictorian status doesn't mean much to me. It did add a lot to the electricity bill, but I had the air conditioner on all the time anyway, my parents didn't mind. Well, I didn't have the same one on all the time. I'd have it on in my room for a while and then turn the one in the living room on and go out there, just so I can turn off the one in my room and let it have a break. Are the air conditioners in California strong? The ones in Hong Kong are very good, but the one I have in my Sydney home (it's a central air conditioning system) isn't so good. It takes a long time to start up, and it's not much use even if I turn it all the way to the coldest. Oh wow, you use Linux? Is that better than Windows? I've heard about it, and I want to try it. I tried to install it on my computer in Hong Kong and the boot manager didn't work properly so I couldn't even go back into Windows. sweatdrop I have Skype too. My username is the_mousy_spell_checker. (If you see a "the_mousy_spell_checker" or some similar variant anywhere on the internet, it might just be me. I don't think I've saw anyone else using that name yet.) Add me if you want to. If you have a different username there, make sure you tell me who you are. We can probably talk on the weekends if you go online during the evening. If in California you do the CAHSEE in year 10, what do you do in years 11 and 12?
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The MoUsY spell-checker Crew
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 10:24 pm
Miku: Oh, so the parish job thing is like an off-hand thing? That's great. We still don't have anything like that in the United States. Ugh. American is too capitalist to do anything for its people.
I'm too lazy to do a lot of things. I told myself many times that I would read two chaptesr of Crime and Punishment and outline one section of AP Government everyday...but I haven't really done so. I also haven't been working on my short story. I finished the basic skeleton: all the plot is figured out, the events are fleshed out, and the characters are there. However, when you read it straight from beginning to end, the story doesn't flow.
Oh, and college applications? I know I'm supposed to do my applications in the summer! Last year's seniors regretted not starting on theirs beforehand...with probably more than eight colleges to apply to, I'm going to have a lot of work before me. Well. Maybe half of that work will be cut off because of the common application...
Kyonie: I don't like reading the introduction stuff. It's usually the editor's point of the view of the story and what his little criticism or praises or whatever...I just like to jump into the story.
Huckleberry Finn was a good picaresque novel. Finn is just too funny with his accent and talks with Jim. Jim was a cool guy. I don't know how to explain it, but I like the book.
If you ever need help on your math homework, you can always ask me on IRC. [smiles]
The new Ragnarok Online reminds me of Final Fantasy XI. I was laughing at that one video of the novice trying to kill a Poring. It took forever! Oh well, can't blame him for dealing zero damage. [blinks] It is much prettier, yes, than the older Ragnarok Online. If that's what the open-source game is going to be like, then I give Gravity a pat on the back. Those are pretty good graphics for open-source. Free games for everyone, mm...
Mousy: Oh right, multiple air conditioners. I forgot about that. The apartment room we stayed in at Guangzhou had air conditioning in one of its rooms -- the one I slept in. 'Twas great. I sort of felt bad for everyone else, though, because they had to sleep where it was hot.
The air conditioning in here is not bad. It takes perhaps about five minutes to cool down the entire house. Well, it is impossible to cool the kitchen and dining room because the air vent in the kitchen is blocked by my dad's toolbox, and hot air seeps into the dining room from the kitchen. The ones in China seemed stronger, maybe because we closed the door while we turned on the air conditioning. Oh, we had a remote to that thing! That was awesome!
Linux is...not for the faint of heart. You have to be very willing to work with your computer in order to use it. I can't exactly say if it's better than Windows, but I can tell you some differences between them:
Linux is open-source; Windows is closed-source. That means that you are legally allowed to take the source code of any Linux program, edit it, make it better, and redistribute it. Windows won't let you touch its programs.
Speaking of closed-source, when you first install your Linux computer, you will find that you will be unable to play mp3, wma, wmv, etc. Those are licensed -- you must get a codec or something that will let you play those on your computer.
The world readily accepts Windows; Linux is not usually supported by other companies. Chances are that if you want to install a program you bought at a store, it will install on a Windows. As a Linux user, you will primarily use free programs, although there is some commercial software you can buy. Oh, and there currently is no Flash 8 for Linux, in case you're wondering about Flash.
Oh, and you usually cannot run .exe programs in Linux. That way, you defend your computer against viruses -- who knows, you might accidentally install a virus on your computer. Also, you are mainly the user account on Linux, as opposed to the administrator. What I mean is this: the administrator, or root, can install and remove programs and basically do whatever he wishes with the computer. Users can only use existing programs and work with what is on the computer. This is also a mechanism to prevent the user from accidentally installing a virus. However, you can log into a root account to install programs. Root is the most dangerous user: remember that.
This is my desktop. It makes me giggle. It's pretty, methinks.
The thing is that although I can go online on the weekends, I'm not sure if I can go on Skype. I am a bit afraid of my parents finding out -- they already know, actually -- about me talking to people on the Internet. They...don't welcome the idea very much, unfortunately.
If you pass the CAHSEE in your tenth year, then you don't need to do anything. If you fail the CAHSEE in your tenth year, then you have your eleventh year to take it again. It you do fail it again, then you have your twelth year. It's sad, really.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:44 am
Xumbra maybe because we closed the door while we turned on the air conditioning You mean that people in other places don't close the door when the air conditioner is on? At the art centre that I used to go to (no time for art classes this term), there's a door with a sign that tells people to keep the door closed "otherwise the air conditioner will overheat and we will too". xd Xumbra Linux is open-source; Windows is closed-source. That means that you are legally allowed to take the source code of any Linux program, edit it, make it better, and redistribute it. Windows won't let you touch its programs.
Speaking of closed-source, when you first install your Linux computer, you will find that you will be unable to play mp3, wma, wmv, etc. Those are licensed -- you must get a codec or something that will let you play those on your computer.
The world readily accepts Windows; Linux is not usually supported by other companies. Chances are that if you want to install a program you bought at a store, it will install on a Windows. As a Linux user, you will primarily use free programs, although there is some commercial software you can buy. Oh, and there currently is no Flash 8 for Linux, in case you're wondering about Flash. Well, I knew that. smile Xumbra Oh, and you usually cannot run .exe programs in Linux. That way, you defend your computer against viruses -- who knows, you might accidentally install a virus on your computer. Also, you are mainly the user account on Linux, as opposed to the administrator. What I mean is this: the administrator, or root, can install and remove programs and basically do whatever he wishes with the computer. Users can only use existing programs and work with what is on the computer. This is also a mechanism to prevent the user from accidentally installing a virus. However, you can log into a root account to install programs. Root is the most dangerous user: remember that. Knowing me, I'll probably mess everything up while I'm in root. I like experimenting with the computer. I'm technical support for my friends, and the only reason why I know enough to do that is because of all the experimenting I did a few years ago. My first computer was a complete mess after three years. EVERYTHING makes you giggle. xd Xumbra The thing is that although I can go online on the weekends, I'm not sure if I can go on Skype. I am a bit afraid of my parents finding out -- they already know, actually -- about me talking to people on the Internet. They...don't welcome the idea very much, unfortunately. I'd be more surprised if your parents are completely fine with you talking to people on the internet. Mine know that I have internet friends, but hearing someone's voice will surely get their attention, and they'll ask me everything about you, and then I won't even know enough about you to answer all their questions. Xumbra If you pass the CAHSEE in your tenth year, then you don't need to do anything. If you fail the CAHSEE in your tenth year, then you have your eleventh year to take it again. It you do fail it again, then you have your twelth year. It's sad, really. Does that mean you can go to university after you finish year 10?
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The MoUsY spell-checker Crew
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:36 pm
Some places don't have doors to close. The only doors (that when closed, will have a huge effect on the room temperature) in my house are the bedroom doors, the doors leading outside (which are closed by default) and the glass sliding door to the sunroom. The air flows through the air vents into all places of the house at once. There are many air vents: two in the living room, one in the dining room, one behind the TV, one in each of the bedrooms, and one in the kitchen; it is not concentrated from a single source.
That's a funny sign, hehe.
And sorry about droning on and on about Linux and whatnot -- it was just in case you didn't know. But you do, so that's taken care of.
If you do experiment with the computer, chances are that, if you're serious, you would write down or record what you do before you change default settings. In other words, you would know exactly what you did before you changed the computer in any way. If you install that new program and now the computer is running funky, you should know what's causing the problem. Luckily, installing and uninstalling programs is easy with apt-get and yum for Ubuntu/Kubuntu and Fedora Core, respectively.
I experiment a lot with the computer. I installed a new desktop environment, Enlightenment. I ran some Windows programs on Linux. I reformatted my computer twice for fun. Fun. Everything was free in Linux, anyway, so I always had a way to get everything back. The programs, like the GIMP, Firefox, and XChat, are always in the Ubuntu repositories, so I don't need to worry about reinstalling them.
And you're right. Everything makes me giggle. Well, most things, and I'm certain that everything cannot possibly make me giggle. I mean, there will always be things that will make me laugh hysterically...
And natural suspicion from our parents is what we get for being Asian. Gah. My mom and dad always read what's on my computer screen. They read my chats on IRC...ugh...I have no privacy. I can't even close doors in the house, like the door to my bedroom. See my journal for my rant.
If you pass the CAHSEE in your tenth year...nothing happens. You just don't need to retake the CAHSEE in your eleventh and twelth years. I passed in my tenth year, easily. Right now, I'm a senior. I wish I went to a university after I passed that thing. like I said, it's sad, really.
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:46 am
Xumbra Some places don't have doors to close. The only doors (that when closed, will have a huge effect on the room temperature) in my house are the bedroom doors, the doors leading outside (which are closed by default) and the glass sliding door to the sunroom. The air flows through the air vents into all places of the house at once. There are many air vents: two in the living room, one in the dining room, one behind the TV, one in each of the bedrooms, and one in the kitchen; it is not concentrated from a single source. Is that central air conditioning? I have central air conditioning here, and that's the reason why it takes a long time to start up. Also, it can either be on for the whole apartment or just the living room, but not just the bedrooms. I think it would be better if I can have it on in just the bedrooms. My mum said it's because Westerners designed it, and they generally don't like to sleep with the air conditioner on as much as Hong Kong people do. Xumbra And sorry about droning on and on about Linux and whatnot -- it was just in case you didn't know. But you do, so that's taken care of. That's OK. At least it's something that I asked about. I used to drone on and on about things that my friends (more specifically, the ones at the school that I used to attend) didn't care about. Not surprisingly, they didn't talk to me much after a while because they knew that I'll talk about something that they aren't interested in. (I still keep in contact with these people, but it's only a few times in the year because I never had much in common with them.) Xumbra Luckily, installing and uninstalling programs is easy with apt-get and yum for Ubuntu/Kubuntu and Fedora Core, respectively. I have no idea what these are. (In a way, this is a good thing because I now have a starting point and I can start looking up what you're talking about.) Xumbra And natural suspicion from our parents is what we get for being Asian. Gah. My mom and dad always read what's on my computer screen. They read my chats on IRC...ugh...I have no privacy. I can't even close doors in the house, like the door to my bedroom. See my journal for my rant. It used to be that I'm not allowed to lock my bedroom door "for safety reasons", as in, just in case I fell over and passed out or something like that - this is back when I still lived in Hong Kong; the rooms in my current home don't even have locks on the doors (except for the bathrooms). Ironically (because Asian parents have more natural suspicion), the reason why the rooms don't have locks (according to my mum) is because bedrooms with locks is something that Hong Kong people like, and it's not the norm here in Sydney. Xumbra If you pass the CAHSEE in your tenth year...nothing happens. You just don't need to retake the CAHSEE in your eleventh and twelth years. I passed in my tenth year, easily. Right now, I'm a senior. I wish I went to a university after I passed that thing. like I said, it's sad, really. Is there some other test that you do in years 11 and 12? By the way, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I'm in year 12 (senior year, just like you) and I will turn 17 in September.
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The MoUsY spell-checker Crew
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:44 am
Yes, we have central air conditioning. That's why it's not concentrated into a single air conditioning machine, like that one machine in that room I stayed at in Guangzhou. And no, we don't like to sleep with the air conditioning on. The main reason is that we live in California, and we're in the blackout season, which occurs in the summer. Basically, because it's so hot, everyone turns on their air conditioning and fans and whatnot. When everyone uses electricity at the same time, a great stress is put on the power and electrical companies, and if the machinery that powers up Los Angeles can't handle the stress, it gives out, causing our blackouts. Oh, and sleeping with air conditioning on is a waste of money. (And there's central air conditioning in the classroom I'm in right now.)
Sorry if I explained this before. I can't remember if I previously did or not.
I don't like to talk to my peers either. It's mostly because I don't share many things in common with them. They're mostly interested in a thing we call gossip...I was particularly repulsed by them on the last day of school in our junior year. They wanted in on the dirt about everyone's first kiss and, frankly, that's something I would like to keep private. Why would that be anyone's business?
There are several distributions of Linux. Each distribution shares the same core idea Linux has (root, system infrastructure, mounting/unmounting devices, etcetera), but yet, each distribution has its own unique qualities. I do know that Ubuntu/Kubuntu is among the most popular distibutions because there are many pre-compiled binaries built and widely circulated on the Internet. Ubuntu/Kubuntu and Fedora Core have apt-get/yum, which allows the users to automatically update their computers with a single command. Also, it allows the users to install and uninstall programs without worries -- it handles finding the prerequisite programs. I personally have tried Fedora Core and Ubuntu/Kubuntu and like Kubuntu the best, but you might think differently when you see Gentoo, Slackware, Debian...you should try them.
Oh and in case you do try them out, make sure to back up your files.
The "safety reasons" that my parents refer to are me fainting (although it is extremely unlikely), any other type of emergency, and eliminate of privacy. I guess I've gotten used to that, since I mainly work in the living room.
I'm older than you! Wewt! I'm seventeen already. [bows] And no, there is no other test we do...at least for tests that let us pass high school. But we do have California state standards tests (once again, depressingly easy), just to measure our aptitude in the classes we take. Each school takes the test and the results of its students determines its API (Academic Performance Index). Each school has to meet a certain API in accordance with its individual performance on the standards tests. Any school that does not meet its API is subject to relinquishing its control to the state. To us, this usually means school uniforms.
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:09 pm
Xumbra Oh, and sleeping with air conditioning on is a waste of money. In Hong Kong it's usually so hot in summer that I can't fall asleep without the air conditioning on. It might be a good idea if it has a timer, but then I usually take a very long time to fall asleep. Xumbra There are several distributions of Linux. Each distribution shares the same core idea Linux has (root, system infrastructure, mounting/unmounting devices, etcetera), but yet, each distribution has its own unique qualities. I do know that Ubuntu/Kubuntu is among the most popular distibutions because there are many pre-compiled binaries built and widely circulated on the Internet. Ubuntu/Kubuntu and Fedora Core have apt-get/yum, which allows the users to automatically update their computers with a single command. Also, it allows the users to install and uninstall programs without worries -- it handles finding the prerequisite programs. I personally have tried Fedora Core and Ubuntu/Kubuntu and like Kubuntu the best, but you might think differently when you see Gentoo, Slackware, Debian...you should try them.
Oh and in case you do try them out, make sure to back up your files. One of these days I'll get around to trying them. Xumbra I'm older than you! Wewt! I'm seventeen already. [bows] Well, I'm actually younger than most people in my year at school. In fact, I'm young enough to be in the year below. There's actually a girl in my school with the exact same birthday as I do in year 11 now. In Sydney, year 12 students are supposed to turn 17 before the 30th of June in that year. My last term of year 12 will actually end before I turn 17, although the exams are after that. (My first HSC exam is on the 20th of October. I turn 17 on the 30th of September.) Xumbra And no, there is no other test we do...at least for tests that let us pass high school. But we do have California state standards tests (once again, depressingly easy), just to measure our aptitude in the classes we take. Here, the HSC determines university admission. That's why it's a big deal for everyone. Xumbra Any school that does not meet its API is subject to relinquishing its control to the state. To us, this usually means school uniforms. Here, we have to wear school uniform anyway. In the school that I used to attend (in Hong Kong), the year 12 and 13 students don't wear school uniform, everyone else does. At my current school, year 10-12 wear a different uniform, but it's still a uniform.
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The MoUsY spell-checker Crew
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Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:00 pm
Xumbra Kyonie: I don't like reading the introduction stuff. It's usually the editor's point of the view of the story and what his little criticism or praises or whatever...I just like to jump into the story.
Huckleberry Finn was a good picaresque novel. Finn is just too funny with his accent and talks with Jim. Jim was a cool guy. I don't know how to explain it, but I like the book.
If you ever need help on your math homework, you can always ask me on IRC. [smiles]
The new Ragnarok Online reminds me of Final Fantasy XI. I was laughing at that one video of the novice trying to kill a Poring. It took forever! Oh well, can't blame him for dealing zero damage. [blinks] It is much prettier, yes, than the older Ragnarok Online. If that's what the open-source game is going to be like, then I give Gravity a pat on the back. Those are pretty good graphics for open-source. Free games for everyone, mm...
Mhm. Authors tend to leave a bit of themselves in their books. Some of the books I've read were full of life and they had a unique spunk to it--unlike some of the more dull and boring ones I've read.
Hah. Help with math homework. That'd be so schweet. XP
I haven't seen that video of the novice just yet--I've only see some demo-video-thing. And yes--the graphics somewhat reminded me of Kindgom Hearts. @.@ Except, Ragnarok-y? XD Yay free games!
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:08 pm
Mousy: My dad made us turn off the fan when we sleep. That happened recently. Oh well. I guess we could sleep with the fan off after all.
The cool part is that getting the Linux distributions are usually free. Red Hat Enterprize, I believe it's called, is a pay-version for Linux. But Ubuntu, Fedora, Gentoo, and all the others are normally free.
Our CAHSEE does jack s**t. College applications, which I should be starting on, determine university admittance. We have to include a copy of our transcripts, SAT scores, AP scores, and include them with the university application form.
Kyonie: Yes, I can help you with math homework, as long as it has nothing on matrices or series.
Yes, hooray for free games! Open-source, all the way!
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