Do you know what the difference between talent and skill is? Talent is raw ability, unmodified by external forces. It's your natural capability to do a task. Lots of folk skate through life on talent alone. I've been, and somewhat still am, guilty of that too.
Skill, though, is different. Skill is the time spent hammering away at your craft, countless hours of grinding away at obtaining the mastery required to talk with the people at the upper echelons in your field without feeling like an idiot. The Imposter Syndrome, which I might have talked about previously, is a symptom of being aware that you are approaching the limits of how far talent alone can take you. The people that get though life on skill are the ones that are willing to chain themselves to the treadmill and die, if necessary, in order to improve.
I've been internalizing something over the past few weeks, which is that while I am good enough, what I know is insufficient to the task. So I'm going to work harder at it. I'm going to find some papers and chapters that are good and talk about them here. I'm going to gear back up and get in there and swing again. I really doubt I'll get many hits through google this way, but that's alright. Maybe one of these days my peers will frequent this site, and they'll see there's more to me than just reading a few books and being pissed at politicians (and who isn't?).
Friday, November 30, 2012
Book Review: Zoro's Field (Slightly Incoherent Edition)
Hey look, it's Chris Christopherson Thomas Rain Crowe!
Thus ended my reading Zoro's Field, which I allowed to lay fallow in my Kindle for approximately three and a half weeks before devouring it in a single sitting last night. Thomas Rain Crowe is a pretty good writer, despite the sheer awkward awfulness of his beatnik style poetry at the end of each chapter. Take Walden, mix in a third of "Woo Woo" by volume, and you get Zoro's Field. I think I'd like Crowe if I met him in real life, but I think I'd have to keep eye-rolling to a minimum when he starts talking about being neighbors with deer and being in communion with Mother Nature.
Or perhaps I'm just being cranky because of only getting three hours sleep.
At any rate; this is in fact the second time I've read the book. I once had a paperback copy that I passed on to a friend and fellow warrior in the good fight for self-sufficiency. I missed having a copy of my own, though, and since we're all kinds of new-fangled up in here I ordered a replacement in kindle format last year. I actually requested it to be put in Kindle well before then, so I was pleased to see the publisher release it on Amazon (Thanks UG-Press!).
I'm giving Zoro's Field a solid 90 out of 100 on my scale. There's some parts I gloss over because he delves too much in the Beatnik stuff for my taste, but the book overall is another one of those "living deliberately" experiences that I'm so covetous of. Perhaps one of these days I'll get my own cabin in the woods to live simply, albeit in short bursts, to watch nature parade by in.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Log Cabins and Zombies?
Since I'm on my break at work, I'd best make this pretty quick:
I spent most of my lunch reading this article on how to make a log cabin on the cheap. That's so awesome I can't stand it! Really want my own little cabin some day. My better half wants a bigger place than what we have, but I'd be pretty happy with something just like this.
One of these days I'm going to build one and just call it an office.
---------------------------
My better half and I often have.. synchronized bladders, so I'm used to rushing out of the bathroom and/or waiting (mostly rushing out). Today, though, at the office it's more like everyone's got the same idea. I've been by five bathrooms in 40 minutes and they've been busy every time, which is novel around here. What gives?
Hope it's not some bug going around; there's a lot of coughing in the office.
(Jesus, this sounds like the plot of a bad zombie movie or something)
I spent most of my lunch reading this article on how to make a log cabin on the cheap. That's so awesome I can't stand it! Really want my own little cabin some day. My better half wants a bigger place than what we have, but I'd be pretty happy with something just like this.
One of these days I'm going to build one and just call it an office.
---------------------------
My better half and I often have.. synchronized bladders, so I'm used to rushing out of the bathroom and/or waiting (mostly rushing out). Today, though, at the office it's more like everyone's got the same idea. I've been by five bathrooms in 40 minutes and they've been busy every time, which is novel around here. What gives?
Hope it's not some bug going around; there's a lot of coughing in the office.
(Jesus, this sounds like the plot of a bad zombie movie or something)
Monday, November 26, 2012
C'mon Colorado. Get Serious.
UC Boulder has established separate living quarters for those who wish to utilize their second amendment rights. So far, there's been no takers. I sure as hell wouldn't move into one. Then again, I just wouldn't live in a dorm so that problems been nipped already.
There's two things that I see wrong in this article. First, it's idiocy to segregate the students that want to have the ability to defend themselves. Ignoring the argument that armed students help keep the unarmed students safe (which is huge), the idea that it's a valid policy to segregate students for practicing their constitutionally protected rights is absurd.
Oh, you want to vote? Move down the street, we'll need to see five forms of ID first. You want freedom of speech? Better move into the Thomas Paine dorm down the road, just don't talk in the public areas.
Universities used to be bastions of freedom, with students fighting the hardest of all for their rights not to be trampled on. Nowadays, students can't protest, can't have unplanned speechs, can't defend themselves, are exposed to unlawful search and seizure by campus authorities, and get ostracized for their political views constantly. What's happening at UC Boulder is hardly a local issue.. such abuse of civil rights is systemic across the board at Universities around the nation. And it's a damned shame.
There's two things that I see wrong in this article. First, it's idiocy to segregate the students that want to have the ability to defend themselves. Ignoring the argument that armed students help keep the unarmed students safe (which is huge), the idea that it's a valid policy to segregate students for practicing their constitutionally protected rights is absurd.
Oh, you want to vote? Move down the street, we'll need to see five forms of ID first. You want freedom of speech? Better move into the Thomas Paine dorm down the road, just don't talk in the public areas.
Universities used to be bastions of freedom, with students fighting the hardest of all for their rights not to be trampled on. Nowadays, students can't protest, can't have unplanned speechs, can't defend themselves, are exposed to unlawful search and seizure by campus authorities, and get ostracized for their political views constantly. What's happening at UC Boulder is hardly a local issue.. such abuse of civil rights is systemic across the board at Universities around the nation. And it's a damned shame.
Bonus; Don't Trust Politicians, Either.
The good people up at I-O9 have had a list (for quite a while, actually), of the top 12 moments of pure scientific idiocy committed by standing members of our governmental representation. Please read through these, watch the videos, and remember their names come the next election.
To Serve 10 Year Old Boys Police Brutality
Jesus, just when I thought that the 5.0 couldn't look any worse, some jerk in Santa Fe goes and pulls this crap. For those not keeping score by reading the news article, the offending cop is Officer Chris Webb, hereby dubbed Officer Jerk-Face by me for the remainder of this article.
I can think of folks that might need a good tasering now and then. Folk that actually, you know, break the law. Shoot one of those punks with a taser and let them be on the 50,000 volt roller coaster for 30 seconds, I'm okay with that. But you know what, Officer Jerk-Face? I'm sure that little boy learned a real lesson about police authori-tah.
I'm still having difficulty wrapping my head around how police in general seem to think about under what circumstances is the deployment of force necessary. Little girls sleeping in a bedroom? Chuck in a flashbang. Little boy won't clean the cruiser? Taze'em. The annals of recent history are filled with honest, normal people who weren't doing anything at all and get clubbed by the bluntest instruments of the police force. There's no doubt in my mind that the vast number of cops are decent folk who are simply trying to enforce the laws given the system we live under.. Don't they have a vested interest in weeding out folk like Officer Jerk-Face and his ilk? Just so that the rest of the people/sheep out there trust the police more?
Don't get it twisted, though. I'm all about folk questioning authority and not trusting those in charge, so I'm not dissatisfied that this boy, as an adult, will absolutely not trust the police. Still, I could have managed a similar effect with a 10 minute slideshow; voltage high enough to stop hearts is not necessary to convince people.
Look, there's two options on how I see this playing out in my idealized world composed primarily of common sense and hard work; Officer Jerk-Face thought that the tazer wouldn't seriously injure the kid and discharged it to be "funny". In this case, Officer Jerk-Face should get canned because he's grossly incompetent and can't be trusted to hold a tazer, much less a standard issue side-arm (!). Option 2 is that Officer Jerk-Face is a sadist who gets his jollies by tazing ten year old boys, in which case he should get canned because you shouldn't employ sadists to protect people. In either case, he should get canned.
Real World Version/Prediction: Officer Jerk-Face will get put on paid, administrative leave while there is an internal investigation. During this he'll get slapped on the wrist and scolded, and he'll re-enter the police force quietly in another city a year from now. Because that's how our system currently works.
I can think of folks that might need a good tasering now and then. Folk that actually, you know, break the law. Shoot one of those punks with a taser and let them be on the 50,000 volt roller coaster for 30 seconds, I'm okay with that. But you know what, Officer Jerk-Face? I'm sure that little boy learned a real lesson about police authori-tah.
I know cops hate this parody, which is why it's necessary. Don't want to see it? Weed out dumbasses like Officer Jerk-Face.
I'm still having difficulty wrapping my head around how police in general seem to think about under what circumstances is the deployment of force necessary. Little girls sleeping in a bedroom? Chuck in a flashbang. Little boy won't clean the cruiser? Taze'em. The annals of recent history are filled with honest, normal people who weren't doing anything at all and get clubbed by the bluntest instruments of the police force. There's no doubt in my mind that the vast number of cops are decent folk who are simply trying to enforce the laws given the system we live under.. Don't they have a vested interest in weeding out folk like Officer Jerk-Face and his ilk? Just so that the rest of the people/sheep out there trust the police more?
Don't get it twisted, though. I'm all about folk questioning authority and not trusting those in charge, so I'm not dissatisfied that this boy, as an adult, will absolutely not trust the police. Still, I could have managed a similar effect with a 10 minute slideshow; voltage high enough to stop hearts is not necessary to convince people.
Look, there's two options on how I see this playing out in my idealized world composed primarily of common sense and hard work; Officer Jerk-Face thought that the tazer wouldn't seriously injure the kid and discharged it to be "funny". In this case, Officer Jerk-Face should get canned because he's grossly incompetent and can't be trusted to hold a tazer, much less a standard issue side-arm (!). Option 2 is that Officer Jerk-Face is a sadist who gets his jollies by tazing ten year old boys, in which case he should get canned because you shouldn't employ sadists to protect people. In either case, he should get canned.
Real World Version/Prediction: Officer Jerk-Face will get put on paid, administrative leave while there is an internal investigation. During this he'll get slapped on the wrist and scolded, and he'll re-enter the police force quietly in another city a year from now. Because that's how our system currently works.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Survival Knife Considerations; Multi-tools
In the second part of this series on survival knives, let's pivot and consider the benefits of carrying a multi-tool in addition to a standard EDC folding knife. Multi-tools are exactly what they sound like; compact tools that increase the capabilities of the user disproportionate to the volume that they displace and by how much weight they encumber the user.
Said simpler, a multi-tool should punch way out of its weight. Not all tools packed into a multi-tool are equal; Saws, Scissors, Screw Drivers, and Pliers tend to be the most useful of the bunch. Things like files and leather-punches can be useful, but generally they just take up space. In my book, corkscrews, package carrying hooks, and fish scalers are pretty stupid. Heaven help you if your multi-tool has a lemon zester on it, because you'll need more help than a multi-tool can give you. I once heard tale of a fella bringing a corkscrew with him into the woods. I think the bears laughed him out, or ate him.
Bear in mind what MTs actually are, though; compromises. You're compromising on strength, and ultimately on performance. Why? Because a special, single purpose tool will inevitably do whatever job better than a MT, period. That little saw is no match for a bow saw, that little can opener will be slower than a kitchen can opener etc. Just bear that in mind when judging performance in your head.
There are some aspects towards multi-tool selection that are universal; consider weight, construction, steel type in the blade and tools, tools included, and locking mechanisms in your considerations. There are two basic types of multi-tool here, the Swiss Army Knife (SAK) type, and the Leatherman (LM) type. Each has it's own pros and cons.
The SAK type of multi-tool was around first and is perhaps the best known by the general public. Boy Scouts have been carrying a version of this practically since their inception. The Pros of the SAK type are low weight, low(ish) cost, and slim profile. The SAK pictured above weighs less than 3 ounces, costs about $40, and takes up very little space in the pocket. BUT, it punches way out of its weight by packing a useful saw length, multiple screwdrivers, a leather awl, tweezers, and several knives into a tight package. If I could find one built similarly, with Scissors but without a corkscrew, that would be awesome. The cons on a SAK type are similarly straight forward; *generally* no pliers, weaker construction, and generally they take two hands to access the tools. They are also prone to getting grit and dirt in the tension springs, which doesn't hamper things all that much but does make for annoying operation. The steel in a SAK is generally going to be 440A, which is not exactly great. SAKs are also a touch old school, which may be why they've got a special place with me. I carry the one pictured above, along with my SOG Aegis Mini, as my EDC.
Leatherman type MTs are the current king of the hill. The mere inclusion of a good set of pliers pretty much establishes that. Note that there are only really two manufacturers of SAK type knives (Victorinox and Wenger), while there are tons of Leatherman-type manufacturers out there (Leatherman, Gerber, SOG, Buck etc.). Hell, even Victorinox has made their own version. The S2 pictured above is a damned good example of a mid-sized Leatherman type MT. It has all the basics you want, no frilly stuff. The problem with this model is that it's also two-handed open (mostly). You *can* open the blade one-handed, but that's an experiment that deserves a handy supply of band-aids. The larger type MT's generally have options for one-handed opening tools (or at least on the important ones), so those are more desirable for inclusion in survival kits and for general woods use. When selecting a Leatherman type MT, consider how you want to carry it; these things can be bulky and heavy. Do you want it to sit in a pocket, or clip on the outside? Are you okay carrying it in a holster on your belt? Will it sit in a purse or in your car's glove box? Think about how weight and size affect those things.
One last note on MT's in general; don't go for the top-end, bells and whistles edition. Generally you are getting more stuff, but are they necessary? Think about the tools you have use for, and go from there.
Said simpler, a multi-tool should punch way out of its weight. Not all tools packed into a multi-tool are equal; Saws, Scissors, Screw Drivers, and Pliers tend to be the most useful of the bunch. Things like files and leather-punches can be useful, but generally they just take up space. In my book, corkscrews, package carrying hooks, and fish scalers are pretty stupid. Heaven help you if your multi-tool has a lemon zester on it, because you'll need more help than a multi-tool can give you. I once heard tale of a fella bringing a corkscrew with him into the woods. I think the bears laughed him out, or ate him.
Bear in mind what MTs actually are, though; compromises. You're compromising on strength, and ultimately on performance. Why? Because a special, single purpose tool will inevitably do whatever job better than a MT, period. That little saw is no match for a bow saw, that little can opener will be slower than a kitchen can opener etc. Just bear that in mind when judging performance in your head.
There are some aspects towards multi-tool selection that are universal; consider weight, construction, steel type in the blade and tools, tools included, and locking mechanisms in your considerations. There are two basic types of multi-tool here, the Swiss Army Knife (SAK) type, and the Leatherman (LM) type. Each has it's own pros and cons.
Swiss Army Hiker; My Personal Favorite in SAK type multi-tools.
The SAK type of multi-tool was around first and is perhaps the best known by the general public. Boy Scouts have been carrying a version of this practically since their inception. The Pros of the SAK type are low weight, low(ish) cost, and slim profile. The SAK pictured above weighs less than 3 ounces, costs about $40, and takes up very little space in the pocket. BUT, it punches way out of its weight by packing a useful saw length, multiple screwdrivers, a leather awl, tweezers, and several knives into a tight package. If I could find one built similarly, with Scissors but without a corkscrew, that would be awesome. The cons on a SAK type are similarly straight forward; *generally* no pliers, weaker construction, and generally they take two hands to access the tools. They are also prone to getting grit and dirt in the tension springs, which doesn't hamper things all that much but does make for annoying operation. The steel in a SAK is generally going to be 440A, which is not exactly great. SAKs are also a touch old school, which may be why they've got a special place with me. I carry the one pictured above, along with my SOG Aegis Mini, as my EDC.
Leatherman Juice S2; the medium multi-tool champ!
Leatherman type MTs are the current king of the hill. The mere inclusion of a good set of pliers pretty much establishes that. Note that there are only really two manufacturers of SAK type knives (Victorinox and Wenger), while there are tons of Leatherman-type manufacturers out there (Leatherman, Gerber, SOG, Buck etc.). Hell, even Victorinox has made their own version. The S2 pictured above is a damned good example of a mid-sized Leatherman type MT. It has all the basics you want, no frilly stuff. The problem with this model is that it's also two-handed open (mostly). You *can* open the blade one-handed, but that's an experiment that deserves a handy supply of band-aids. The larger type MT's generally have options for one-handed opening tools (or at least on the important ones), so those are more desirable for inclusion in survival kits and for general woods use. When selecting a Leatherman type MT, consider how you want to carry it; these things can be bulky and heavy. Do you want it to sit in a pocket, or clip on the outside? Are you okay carrying it in a holster on your belt? Will it sit in a purse or in your car's glove box? Think about how weight and size affect those things.
One last note on MT's in general; don't go for the top-end, bells and whistles edition. Generally you are getting more stuff, but are they necessary? Think about the tools you have use for, and go from there.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Book Review; Cryptonomicon
After only a month of sporadic reading, I've finally vanquished the beast! Jeez, what a long book. In paperback format, just north of a thousand pages in small print, filled to the brim with convoluted conspiracies and plots stretching across 50 some odd years. And when there wasn't action to be had, at least some high powered math could be discussed.
No, I'm not kidding.
I found that the chapters that centered on the Marine went by fast, and were easy to understand and fun to read. The chapters focused on the modern time cryptographer went by the second fastest, but could focus on corporate politics and other such intricacies and be a little slower to understand. The slowest chapters focused on the cryptographer in WWII, where tons of high math and statistics are thrown out, making it harder to read and completely understand. Several times I had to look up some math stuff just to sort it out in my own head before I kept trudging on. There were sections written in the perspective of a Japanese soldier, which I devoured simply because it was a novel perspective which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Despite my grumblings here, I liked that the narration changed not only in style, but also in vocabulary, and humor between the three main characters. That really made it feel like you were in those character's heads instead of an omniscient third party ghostly following them around. The Marine's sections were the parts that I found to be the funniest, which makes sense given my own personal sense of humor. The other parts were not devoid of humor, just that they had different perspectives on what exactly was funny.
This is not to say that Cryptonomicon is an expressly funny book. It's not written to tell jokes, but rather a very complex story. It does this well, I just wish Neal Stephenson could have laid off the math a little bit. It works, but it does kind of slow things down.
On my scale, Cryptonomicon is perhaps a 78 out of 100. It's a really good read, but perhaps I should have brushed up on my math skills before picking it up. I think one day I'll read again, after I've done so.
No, I'm not kidding.
I found that the chapters that centered on the Marine went by fast, and were easy to understand and fun to read. The chapters focused on the modern time cryptographer went by the second fastest, but could focus on corporate politics and other such intricacies and be a little slower to understand. The slowest chapters focused on the cryptographer in WWII, where tons of high math and statistics are thrown out, making it harder to read and completely understand. Several times I had to look up some math stuff just to sort it out in my own head before I kept trudging on. There were sections written in the perspective of a Japanese soldier, which I devoured simply because it was a novel perspective which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Despite my grumblings here, I liked that the narration changed not only in style, but also in vocabulary, and humor between the three main characters. That really made it feel like you were in those character's heads instead of an omniscient third party ghostly following them around. The Marine's sections were the parts that I found to be the funniest, which makes sense given my own personal sense of humor. The other parts were not devoid of humor, just that they had different perspectives on what exactly was funny.
This is not to say that Cryptonomicon is an expressly funny book. It's not written to tell jokes, but rather a very complex story. It does this well, I just wish Neal Stephenson could have laid off the math a little bit. It works, but it does kind of slow things down.
On my scale, Cryptonomicon is perhaps a 78 out of 100. It's a really good read, but perhaps I should have brushed up on my math skills before picking it up. I think one day I'll read again, after I've done so.
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