Well, I am back home, and it's kinda nice to be back.
In the last few days I've decided to learn PHP (a web scripting language used to make all sorts of neato things on websites). Ironically enough, to be able to do this I had to make my computer into a webserver, something I had planned to do eventually anyway.
For those not in the know, a webserver is merely a computer that "serves" websites to viewers on the internet, the files for the website reside on the webserver, and server allows them to be viewed, and interprets more complex programming (scripting like php, perl, or others) to give visitors a nice website they can easily view and interact with. At the same time, it makes sure those visitors don't have access to other files on the computer, of course, only those the owner wants available.
Anyway, I'd been planning on getting my own server running in the near future, both as good practice in computer science, and to host the guild website for our new Guild Wars guild, as well as a voice chat server for the same game. Now, with this webserver installed and running, I can offer a website directly off my hard drive, without the hassle of uploading to who knows where.
Many thanks to Comcast for being so lenient in what they block their customers from doing, as this was not fully working from my college dorm. Comcast doesn't "allow" you to use their cable service to serve websites... but they don't physically prevent you from doing so, and I have been told they don't really care as long as you're reasonable about the sort of site you host.
That's enough boring crap, here's some (hopefully) neato tests and examples of basic php stuff I've done since yesterday. Please take a look at it when you get a chance, and let me know what you think of my earliest attempts at server-side scripting, heh heh.
First on the list is a couple of pages called Input and Input 2. These little pages basically allow you to make some choices or enter some text, and generate a little html page with the input you chose on the fly. Pointless but a nice example of simple things php can do.
Next, we have a page called simply Test 1. This simple page illustrates a dynamically generated page with content that changes based on the day of the week. The background color on this page changes every day, the time at the top changes on the fly as the page is refreshed, and lastly, a different picture is loaded on each weekday as well. This one is utterly pointless, but neat, and has some very nice pictures of the only fake person (celebrity and the like) I vehemently admire.
Lastly, the most complex little php app I've done so far, "Table" let's you choose the number of rows and columns to generate in a table, and then does just that when you hit the submit button, alternating color schemes between rows for what is scientifically proven to be higher readability. I read that somewhere on the internet, so it must be true.
Well, if anyone has a chance to check any of these things out, please leave a comment saying.... whatever you feel like saying. I've progressed beyond online tutorials and bought a nice book that will help clear up the last part of making "professional" websites that is still foreign to me: interaction between scripting and databases. Sounds exciting huh?
In non-geek news, I am reading the first volume of the His Dark Materials trilogy, a response of sort by Philip Pullman to the Christian propagnada aspect of the Narnia novels by C.S. Lewis. Far from being just atheistic propaganda, however, this trilogy has won a number of awards, and even 50 pages into it or so I am already quite absorbed into the story. The writing is most excellent, and the characters thus far compelling. The setting is also intriguing, a parallel Earth of sorts, where everyone's soul manifests itself as a sentient creature, a daemon that accompanies it's "owner" and changes based on the sort of person one becomes. Very cool stuff.
I do regret not attending Acen this year, but it's better for my wallet, and it's not like I had any real reason to go this year, with nobody to go with (Kyal and Dale gave me an invite but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go then either, and in the end apparently they waited too late and don't even have a room, and commute instead), no costume to show off, and no real motivation to go apart from buying crap in the dealer room. Oh well, I only got back home today anyway, so it really wouldn't have been workable, and on the bright side, I'm using this time to learn php instead ;).
Well, I am out. Good night to all.
Listen to 1 Bottled Fairie - Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
May 11th, 2005. 20:26. Well, it's beautiful out.That's right, it's freaking beautiful outside. All afternoon has been cool, and cloudy, though with a bright sky, and with a wonderful wind blowing. Now it's lightning-ing outside, and about to rain, to could that be any more awesome?
I have two finals left, one tomorrow and one Fri. I am not too worried about these.
I had dinner at the Bread Company tonight, cheese fondue. It was delicious.
Tori Amos is awesome, I love the song Cornflake Girl.
I'm going for a walk now. Adieu.
Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
March 6th, 2005. 15:35. Damn...Well, tonight is off. Her parents are going to be in town and wanted to have dinner with her, so she had to cancel. Being busy Monday and Tuesday, she said she'd let me know Tuesday in class when she'd be free to reschedule.
Having gotten all enthused about it, I'm rather disappointed to have to wait, but I'll just hope everything still turns out okay.
Let what happens happen I suppose.
Current mood:
disappointed.
Listen to 4 Bottled Fairies - Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
March 6th, 2005. 3:39. Late againYeah, I said I'd be a-updatin' and then I haven't, typical me.
Anyway, that girl I was talking about? Having talked to her on Tuesday, I was pretty sure she has no boyfriend. Pretty sure.
Anyway, I said "Fuck it," and asked her if she wants to get coffee sometime. I talked to her on Thursday, and we're gonna have coffee at the most excellent Cafe Kopi tomo... later today, and we exchanged numbers and all that.
Woo! Good times!
Current mood:
tired.
Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
February 26th, 2005. 22:08. Dammit...Yeah... I haven't updated in a long time again, sorry. I've been busy, and things have been going on that I wished to write about, but I've been both too busy and lazy to actually do so.
Maybe I'll do a writeup of last week later, since it was relatively eventful and would make up for some of my recent laziness at least, but I don't feel like it now, except to say I'm feeling down again, just now.
There's this girl in my blowoff Philisophy class who seems really cool and she seemed to like me, so I was going to try to get know her and maybe ask her out. I actually got quite excited about the prospect, but then today when I was at Biaggi's with Nic I saw her come in with some guy, so there goes that idea.
Worst of all, there's just enough of a sliver of doubt (as to whether or not she's in a relationship) to make me wonder and beat myself up over what I should do. I mean there're many reasons she could have been there with that guy, maybe he's but a friend or her brother or something but... yeah, I doubt it somehow.
Ugh, why must life always fuck with me. I wish there was a god so I could blame him for being a fucker.
Current mood:
disappointed.Current music: None.
Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
January 15th, 2005. 18:12. It's here!So a couple days ago, the Penny Arcade newspost included an announcement about a limited edition run of 500 laser cell prints of Twisp and Catsby: Tea With The Moon, an image of the popular surreal characters originally inspired as parody of Kevin Smith's proclamation that Jersey Girl shouldn't be criticised because "it's not for critics".
What are these prints? Well, Gabe posted the explanation that:
Laser Cels are a lithograph technology where the image is actually printed on industrial grade Mylar. Unlike traditional animation cels and paper; Mylar will not fade, chip, crack or deteriorate. Additionally, this synthetic is immune to heat, light and moisture. However, similar to its counterparts, images printed using this process still retain the same high quality and brilliant colors found in any animated cell. To complete the presentation and further define each piece as collectible, the Laser Cell prints are mounted in a double mat. Each print has a uniquely numbered laser etched medallion, as well as a signature card embedded within the mat itself. The result is a limited edition, pre-matted print that excels in beauty and quality.
I also happened to recently get a very small cell like this with the collector's edition of Resident Evil 4.
Anyway, the point is, being who I am (and absolutely loving "Tea With the Moon" it's on my Desktop rotation, and it always makes me smile when it comes up), I immediately ordered one. Fuck the cost (which was high), I had to have one of these.
An lo and behold, today it hath come.
I expected a little thing, maybe the size of a sheet of paper, but this thing is huge, like poster-size. It also looks absolutely awesome, comes signed and numbered (since there are only 500 of them, and no more will ever be made), and is actually worth the money I threw at it. A rare occurance.
I'd post some pictures of the thing itself, but I've no digital camera or other way of doing so. I'm not going to insult it by taking camera phone pictures. I won't be taking it to school with me (it's too big and I don't want it damaged) but if you're curious, chances are I know you and you'll see it in person at some point.
I'm really impressed with this thing, it is absolutely sweet.
Current mood:
cheerful.Current music: Hound Dog - Rocks (1st Naruto Opening).
Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
January 14th, 2005. 7:21. And now...And now, I feel a hell of a lot better. It's amazing what a good shower can do, washing away not only the grime of yesterday, but also the imagined sorrows.
Whew... better times. I think regardless of people, I have to go out for a bit today, if only drop by Borders and peruse some books or manga or something, or investigate the newest from at Best Buy or something. Getting out of this fucking house should do me some good.
Okay, I'm off to play WoW now.
>_>
Current mood:
rejuvenated.Current music: My dad's obnoxious alarm clock.
Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
January 14th, 2005. 6:15. Couldn't stay asleep...I went to bed quite early last night, in accordance with my goal of switching to a daytime lifestyle, and I woke up like half an hour ago, unable to fall back asleep. I guess I've had enough sleep though, I feel a little better than I did last night, if still not great.
Okay, I'm going to eat something and then take a shower, I think a shower will do me some good, get me fully awake and feeling a little better.
A good day to all.
Current mood:
okay.Current music: None.
Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
January 13th, 2005. 21:55. StuffI'm not feeling particularly enthusiastic right now, as the last few days have been incredibly boring and tedious. I've not seen anyone for a while again, and it bothers me, and so I've mostly just been shut in at home, too lazy to go out even for a drive. I've also been tired, especially since I've been attempting to switch back to a daytime lifestyle, by staying up as long as I could before passing out, trying to fall asleep around midnight so that I woke up the next day rather than the next evening.
In the time that I have been up, I've been playing WoW but that would end up exhausting me and making my eyes hurt, so mostly I've just been reading random crap on message boards.
I played some Resident Evil 4 earlier today too. I've had the game for two or three days, but I somehow didn't feel like setting hooking up my GameCube to play. I did today though, and the game is good, though not the sort I usually play. I think I'll thoroughly enjoy it once I seriously get into it, but the way I've been feeling lately, I just can't do that.
I actually rather look forward to school starting back up, and especially going horseback riding again. That was always the perfect break from my life, where I could just forget about all the crap troubling me, be it schoolwork or otherwise.
Anyway, sorry that my attempt at posting again just end up with a whiny post, I'm sure I'll be fine soon enough, once I'm back at school and have things, and people, to keep me occupied.
Current mood:
depressed.Current music: None.
Leave a Chirping Fairie in a Bottle
December 31st, 2004. 23:32. Of Dinner and SmokingWell, I had a huge dinner at Yanni's, the Greek restaurant on Algonquin, next to Mitsuwa. It was pretty damn good as usual.
My parents got a table in the smoking section, since they smoke, and at one point, after we'd been there for a while, they began to smoke. Next to us was this table filled with old people, probably about 6-7 old men and women, and one of the women proceeded to tell my parents that this was the no-smoking section. Of course, that was untrue, since the reservation had been made specifically for a smoking section, we'd been given an ashtray, and people at a table on the other side of us were smokers.
Anyway, my mom told them as much, and though their quarrel with us seemed to be over, they started acting like they were horrified, like someone had just spit in their faces, and made a big deal of asking for their check and leaving right away. One old man in particular, got up and started yelling all over the place, they all started to leave, and this old man stopped along the way, screaming at the top of his lungs at the entire restaurant, and at the staff, about how he had wanted the no-smoking section and how he "can't abide this smoking business." The whole staff were trying to pacify this guy while he screamed about what a great disservice he'd been served.
It was kind of surreal. I mean everyone knows the expression "making a scene" but it's relatively rare that you get to see a clinical example of people flipping out and making a scene. I mean hell, I hate smoking, but there's a decent way to complain about mistakes in service and then there's the douchebag way, and the latter should be socially unacceptable, free speech or not.
Anyway, that's my story, and I felt like relating it since it was just such a bizarre thing to happen, and now, I'm going to go drink champagne and duly celebrate the start of yet another odd-numbered year (even-numbered years are far superior, though I suppose 5 may be an exception, being half of 10 and all that).
Current mood:
amused.Current music: None.