April 2012
1 post
My First Minecraft Mod: Endermen vs. Zombie Pigmen
endermen_vs_pigmen.zip Download this file I wrote a tiny Minecraft mod for the 1.2.5 server. It’s not a bukkit plugin, just a regular mod to the official minecraft_server.jar. So I doubt anyone will bother to try it.My mod adds a new drop to Endermen. If an Enderman is killed by a Zombie Pigman, the Enderman will drop Record 11. You might wonder how this fight could ever happen in...
March 2012
1 post
iTheft
On Monday evening after work, some dude swiped my iPhone 4 while I was standing at the bus stop. He grabbed it right out of my hands, ran, and jumped over a fence. Several people witnessed it, including the bus driver. The first thing I wanted to do was locate and wipe my phone. You might wonder why I would be so eager to wipe it. #1, I have a recent backup, so my data is safe. #2, I...
August 2011
1 post
2 tags
Using The Higgs Boson To Prevent Terrorism
Imagine an elaborate system to prevent terrorism by using the theoretical quantum particle known as the Higgs boson.To do this, one must build a rigid set of guidelines with a directed point of failure. The point of failure will be used to decide if a Higgs boson particle should be created. This boson doesn’t “want” to be created. The Higgs boson is a particle that should not...
July 2011
1 post
2 tags
Bob the Builder Lives in a Socialist Society
Can I over-analyze everything? Yes I Can! Just remember that when you read this article. So Bob the Builder is a children’s TV show, depicting Bob as a building “contractor.” I use scare quotes because he doesn’t ever formally contract with anyone. The show is broadcast in many countries, but originates from the UK. One of the things I noticed is...
May 2011
1 post
That Bin Laden Killing
I have some vague sense that many people are opposed to capital punishment, and for good reason, and especially when there is no trial and conviction, and yet we are expected uncritically to celebrate the death of Bin Laden at the hands of the U.S. state. The government needs glory and we are supposed to provide it, regardless of the cost (which, as Anthony Gregory points out, has been American...
April 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Road Trip, 2011
I meant to post this sooner but the time would always get away from me. In fact, I started this post on the trip, thinking I’d be able to finish it along the way. Yeah right. I also lost part of the article in an error, so I had to reconstruct that part of it (mostly just image placement). Anyway, here we go. Karen let me load a GPS Tracker application on her phone so we could get data...
An Evening of Eschatology The Meaning of the...
You’re listening to An Evening of Eschatology Watch: Full Length Listen: Full Length Download Video: Full Length Audio: Full Length The following is background by John Piper on this event and the issues being discussed. Listen to the audio or watch the video for the conversation itself. On September 27,...
March 2011
1 post
Toy Story Birthday
See the full gallery on Posterous Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
February 2011
1 post
4 tags
Pie Index (final)
Well, looks like this is my last entry for Pie Index. I haven’t been updating this section of my blog because the price hasn’t really changed for quite a while. Then this happened: See and download the full gallery on posterous Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
January 2011
2 posts
Literally
via i.imgur.com Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
2 tags
Question Digested!
Question Digested: 1470The Internet Oracle has pondered your question deeply. Your question was: Oh great and powerful Oracle … I like your Old Spice commercials. Keep up the good work.And in response, thus spake the Oracle: Hello supplicant. Look at your query, now look at me, now back at your query, now back to me. Sadly, it isn’t a query. But if your query stopped using a...
4 tags
Anatomy of a Straw Man | The Threshing Floor
Practice dummies used for military training are supposed to represent the enemy, but are much easier to attack and defeat. When it comes to arguing a theological position, Strawman argumentation is far too common place. When arguing against a particular position, you should be able to state the opposing position in such a way that someone who holds to it would say in response to your...
December 2010
6 posts
3 tags
Bitcoin Mining Cartels: A Total Non-Threat
The short SHORT version of the problem: Cartels are bad.
My short SHORT version of the solution: Fix bugs. Focus on p2p. Stay the course. Ignore the cartels and they’ll go away.
There is an interesting discussion on the Bitcoin forum about mining cartels. Some of the forum members are worried that a group of individuals might mount an attack on the Bitcoin network using a cartel style...
3 tags
Did You Give Up On Bitcoin?
One of the more compelling ideas of Bitcoin is that everyone has a chance to be the Ben Bernanke. Meaning, everyone has a chance to “print money out of thin air.” The specification of Bitcoin is such that its money supply is “generated” by individuals who run the client on the network in “generate mode.” If you run it long enough, at least for now, you have a chance to produce 50 BTC (BTC is...
2 tags
Bitcoin Declines After Rally to Record Prompts...
Bitcoin declined after a rally to a record prompted some investors sell and as the strengthening dollar reduced the appeal of the crypto-currency as an alternative asset. Recent price gains have led to profit-taking by some investors but it has probably not lead to an overall digital cash downtrend. This is likely temporary profit-taking before the end of the year. Bitcoin will continue to be...
5 tags
State Dept. Busted on Support of Coup...
This one really bugs me for some reason. It reminds me of the School House Rock spoof video “Pirates and Emperors.” First of all, I think it’s interesting that Wikileaks is being lambasted for releasing these cables. But I do have a question. Is there a given cable that should have been kept a secret? Taken as a whole, it’s easy to be critical. But if you look...
3 tags
Private Banking and Other Free Market Myths
It’s time to have an adult conversation about private vs. public. There is no private banking system, at least not on the large scale. If we had a private banking system, it would be able to go under. The ability to fail is one of the main criteria that makes something private. Safety nets obscure this notion. It blurs this distinction. If the safety net is big enough and strong...
November 2010
1 post
Reply to The Underground Economist, Why Bitcoin...
I wasn’t going to make a post bashing Bitcoin because their FAQ clearly states that its value only stems from the fact that merchants are willing to accept it. Unfortunately, this hasn’t stopped people from pushing it as the currency of the future, so regretfully, I feel compelled to post why this is not so.
While Bitcoin has managed to bootstrap itself on a limited scale, it lacks any...
October 2010
4 posts
2 tags
Bitcoin May Rise on Demand for Alternative...
Bitcoin, which rose to a record this week, may extend its advance on demand for an alternate currencies, a survey found.Twelve of 18 traders, investors and analysts surveyed that the “crypto-currency” will gain next week. Five forecast lower prices and one was neutral. Bitcoin rose to a record 9.2¢ today by the end of trading on BitcoinMarket. The dollar yesterday slid to the lowest...
1 tag
Special
The original is here. Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
1 tag
New California Driver License
Here’s an example of what the news paper reports as the new driver license. Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
1 tag
A4 - Span
Span by Anthony Martin Download now or listen on posterous Span.mp3 (4117 KB) Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
August 2010
2 posts
5 tags
Apprehension in the "New Wine" of...
If you don’t go along with what many in the Church and State define as “Support For Israel” (whatever that means) then you run the risk of being on the wrong side of the debate. I have gone over Romans chapters 9, 10, & 11 several times (in pieces) in response to some people’s attempt to get me to climb on board to the “land grant.” But apparently I come...
3 tags
The Prime Directive is Immoral
Remember The Prime Directive from Star Trek? It is Starfleet’s General Order #1, the most prominent guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets. And it is totally and 100% morally bankrupt.The Prime Directive is defined thusly: WHEREAS, the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred. WHEREAS, interference...
July 2010
1 post
3 tags
The Good Stuff
I am told I am a very negative person and I don’t say enough good things about the United States. Well, part of that is because we so often base our perception of the US as being its government. But the people are the rulers, thus the elected officials are the servant government. At least, that’s how it should be. There is also supposed to be a division between a country’s...
June 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Save PDF to iTunes (for iBooks)
Want to read a PDF in iBooks? This is how you do it for Mac OS X users (assumes iOS 4, iTunes 9.2): Create a folder called “PDF Services” in your Library folder (~/Library/PDF Services). Create an alias of iTunes (right-click on Applications/iTunes, click Make Alias). Drag the new alias (called iTunes alias) to PDF Services. Rename the alias to “Save PDF to iTunes”. Now...
3 tags
Your Token Government
As part of an ongoing dialog with fellow Christians, when the discussion leads to politics, as it does many times, my position seems to perplex. Many times, it boils down to the question, “What is the legitimate role of government?”And if you know me, the answer I give is none whatsoever. I concede that if we are forced to have a government, then the maximum role of government is the...
May 2010
1 post
2 tags
Homeschooling vs. Public Schooling
Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
April 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Without the Gospel
What difference does the gospel make? What difference does it make in your life? These are good questions to ask, I think, and good answers to ponder. How does your belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ impact your life? In what way is your life, even your Christian life, distinctly different because of the gospel? Here is a quote I found somewhere or another, that addresses these questions...
Yunjin Kim with NY Mag
via lostspoilers-odi.blogspot.com My theory: I think Jin will cross over to the sideways timeline. They will trade places then each be reunited with the wrong Sun. Posted via web from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
March 2010
7 posts
5 tags
iPhone Forgets Where Audiobooks and Podcasts Left...
Problem solved. I’ve had ongoing problems with my iPhone forgetting where audiobooks and podcasts left off. It’s very frustrating and, naturally, causes me to give up on long audio. A friend gave me a quick-and-dirty suggestion to help avoid the frustration without actually addressing the root cause. He suggested that I take a screen capture (hold the “home” button,...
4 tags
Providing Effective Services
If you were doing business with an organization that made the same mistake fifty times and, try as they might, they were never able to correct the problem, would you continue doing business with them? Say you want a nice New York style cheesecake for your dear old mother’s birthday each year. Every year, you go to the same bakery, and every year, for fifty years, they fail to print her...
1 tag
Playing With Buzz
Download now or listen on posterous Memo.m4a (4025 KB) Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
3 tags
TJ KONG
Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
2 tags
Refusal or neglect to wear green; false green
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access [www.gpoaccess.gov] [Laws in effect as of January 3, 2007] [CITE: 13USC221] [Page 27-28] TITLE 13—ST. PATRIC’S DAY CHAPTER 7—OFFENSES AND PENALTIES SUBCHAPTER II—OTHER PERSONS Sec. 221. Refusal or neglect to wear green; false green (a)...
1 tag
Pixar vs. Dreamworks
Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
2 tags
Pricing Strategies for Consumers of Information...
When you buy Internet-based information technology solutions like web hosting or online backups, here’s a tip on making sure you’re getting the most bang-for-your-buck.PRO-TIP: Does the Internet-based service you use improve every one to two years? In general terms, something should have doubled every 18 months to bring down the price. The hosting company must have upgraded something...
February 2010
5 posts
Disneyland 2010
See and download the full gallery on posterous Posted via web from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
1 tag
Let's All Say It Like George Takei (aka Sulu)
“Oh my!” Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
2 tags
Are You Left-Handed?
Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
7 tags
Race to the Checkout Line
Competition really can make everything better. Consider this article by Greg Beato: Unless you’re comfortably wealthy, pathologically thin, or both, you probably go to the grocery store at least once every couple of weeks. When you go, there’s one factor that most determines the your experience there, and it’s not fluctuations in the price of ground coffee, the number of Ben...
From NeXT to iPhone
Posted from my iPhone. Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
January 2010
8 posts
1 tag
Vast Dairy Conspiracy
I find this message about rBST rather odd. I can only conclude there is a vast dairy conspiracy afoot.
Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
3 tags
Following All Regulations
I cite as a sort of an addendum to a previous article I wrote on the subject, something Samuel Edward Konkin, III (SEK3) wrote:
If all regulations passed in any country you wish to name were completely obeyed, let alone enforced, we would all be dead.
Consider a particularly pathological case in the United States of America. If you charge a price for your product higher than your competitors,...
2 tags
My Great-Uncle Alfred
I have a fictitious great-uncle Alfred. Everything he says is to be taken with a grain of salt. He is a huge curmudgeon and ultra-contrarian. If you tell him the sky is blue, he will tell you it’s not really blue because yadda-yadda-yadda. His reasoning is deeply flawed because he is senile. But he doesn’t know his flaws. He just knows he’s always right. Most of the time...
Expecting Unreal Weather
Posted via web from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
2 tags
Hannah Plays "Reindeer"
Download now or listen on posterous 20090928 180556.m4a (10047 KB) Hannah plays “reindeer” with me. Posted via email from Anthony Martin’s Weblog | Comment »
3 tags
My Fitbit
I got myself a new pedometer recently. It’s called Fitbit. It is wireless (Bluetooth) and uses a solid state accelerometer like those found in the iPhone and Wiimote. It’s the geekiest pedometer there ever was.All the data is collected and sent to their server, which is kind-of a drawback in my opinion. But there is no monthly fee for hosting the data and doing this allows their...
3 tags
My Fitbit
I got myself a new pedometer recently. It’s called Fitbit. It is wireless (Bluetooth) and uses a solid state accelerometer like those found in the iPhone and Wiimote. It’s the geekiest pedometer there ever was.All the data is collected and sent to their server, which is kind-of a drawback in my opinion. But there is no monthly fee for hosting the data and doing this allows their...
7 tags
Latest In Nanotech Lithography
Last, a new addition to your tech lexicon: Nanotech lithography. In the latest issue of Breakthrough Technology Alert, editor Patrick Cox told his readers about the coming boom in a technology that allows us to “print” electronics on virtually anything.
“Xerox has developed a silver-based conductive ink that can be printed on everything from plastics to textiles,” Patrick notes. “The ink’s...