Archive for category Uncategorized
A succinct summation of my experience working at Netflix
Posted by pzer0 on 03.27.12
The steady hum of conversation is almost unbearable, just this constant cacophony of keyboard clicks and murmured voices.
Just shared that with a coworker at my new job. I am really enjoying my new company, I feel like I am appreciated and valued as a member of the team. It’s also nice to have health insurance and vacation, just like a real grown up.
Wrote a new song
Posted by pzer0 on 03.11.12
I wrote a new song. It’s been awhile, so please be gentle. I have a music page on my site here, but I almost never use it.
I seem to be uploading anything new to Soundcloud. I do like their interface, but I wish it wasn’t a pay site.
This song is sort of a big deal for me. First of all, it’s short. The recorded version is about 3:45, but I actually played it a bit slow so the actual version is closer to 3:15. It also uses more symbolism lyrically than what I usually write, and does not use the word “I” once. It’s also very science-y, referencing the double slit experiment and the duality of light. Enjoy? If you’ve listened and feel like leaving feedback, feel free!
Thoughts on Android as a platform
Posted by pzer0 on 02.10.12
So I just switched back to an iPhone, after a 5 month experiment with an Android phone. I had the Samsung Nexus S, which was previously the Google flagship device. I liked it enough, although I had the Sprint version and had to go searching for the Ice Cream Sandwich update. It was definitely an improvement over Gingerbread, but I still had issues, mainly with battery life and usability of the GPS. When I switched to Android, it was done out of frustration with several things that have since been corrected in the iDevice ecosystem, the poor notification system being my main complaint.
After using a Nexus S since October, I am now gladly back to the iPhone. The Nexus, while having some cool features like NFC (though I never used it) and deep integration with Google products, especially Voice, ultimately left me yearning for a more consistent experience. In general, I find that Android as a platform does not have the UI cohesion that the iPhone has. It’s hard to put it in to words but, at the risk of sounding like a paid marketing shill, “it just works”.
Most of the issues I had with the iPhone were resolved with iOS 5, but it is definitely odd going back to a smaller screen and not having 4G. The screen difference, though minimal, is noticeable, but I find that I rarely use 4G, so I doubt I’ll miss it. I’d like to see a larger screen in the next iPhone. I hope that if Apple implements 4G in the next iPhone they use a low power chipset. Battery drain on the Nexus S with the 4G radio turned on was markedly worse than with it off, and I got really tired of playing the constant game of toggling off wifi/bluetooth/4G and using a process manager to make sure unnecessary processes weren’t draining excess juice. To me, a smartphone isn’t worth anything if it doesn’t last a full day of moderate use.
Lastly, there is a vast difference between iPhone and Android applications. Use the same app on an iPhone an and Android and you’ll see what I mean. This has nothing to do with Google as a company, or Android as a platform, and is almost entirely indicative of how developers and companies view iOS versus Android. This is not true in every case, but as a general rule iOS apps seem to be more polished and consistent. There are many things that are less than ideal about how Apple runs the iOS ecosystem, but you have to credit them with maintaining high standards when it comes to the end user experience. They have entire documents about button placement and tend to attract the sort of people that debate things like kerning and typeface choices. It’s tedious and a bit anal retentive, but it produces an unparalleled output to which people have really responded, and that includes developers.
I think that there are some really cool Android devices. I think Ice Cream Sandwich is a really cool operating system. I still really love my rooted Kindle Fire– honestly a bit more than the iPad I used to have, though that may be mainly due to the smaller form factor. I will probably try another Android phone in the future, and look forward to continued competition between all the smartphone OSes. For now, I have to go with the iPhone. It provides me with the most consistently pleasant user experience, and operates well enough with 3rd party services like Google and Dropbox that I can use it with all my other devices.
What’s your favorite phone, and why?
Is This Thing Still On?
Posted by pzer0 on 01.13.12
Testing, testing, 1 2 3. Yep, still here, still being fucking rad. I live in Oregon now, it’s sweet. I get to see a mountain fairly often in the distance, and I haven’t seen one god damn drop of snow– a true miracle for someone used to Ohio winters. I really enjoy it out here, although my employment situation leaves a bit to be desired. In a way, I’m just happy I have a job, since I know there are many folks who’d kill to be in my position. That said, I am the very definition of under-employed, and it simultaneously stresses me out and bores me to tears. I hope all of you are doing well. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I updated this blog. I’ll update more soon, promise.
Great Dawkins Quote
Posted by pzer0 on 02.08.11
We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state, from which the vast majority have never stirred.
- Richard Dawkins
What It’s Like When The World Burns
Posted by pzer0 on 02.07.11
I know that some days will be better than others, but I feel really down today. I’m not even entirely sure why– I had a good evening last night with some excellent friends and I’ve been getting enough sleep. For some reason I just feel morose. I’m having a hard time focusing on things, and I am more easily irritable than usual. I think it may have something to do with Katy’s birthday being this Friday, at least in part. Everything just feels so void without her.
I’ve never been one to derive my sense of self or purpose from my significant other, so I’m not having some earth-shattering crisis where I feel like I have no value or worth; instead, I am finding it difficult to take pleasure and joy in anything, whether it’s my puppy being cute (which is a near-constant occurrence) or even just in seeing friends for an evening and having a good time. I feel like an automaton, smiling and laughing only because I’ve been programmed to do so. I think there is a part of me that feels guilty for enjoying myself– like I am somehow dishonoring Katy’s memory by forgetting, even for fleeting moments, that she is gone. Of course, I recognize that I am not forgetting, that by enjoying good times with people I love I honor Katy by doing what I think she would want me to do. It’s little consolation, though. I am struggling to maintain a tenuous connection between what I recognize intellectually and what I feel emotionally.
I am an atheist. I believe that when we die, we cease to be except for in the memories of others and in the impact we leave on the world. I have always framed this in a very selfish point of view– I am not bothered by the idea of someday not existing, as I did it for billions of years before I was born, and I feel like it strengthens the meaning of my life by making me value every day I have. I have felt this way for over a decade. Now, in some ways for the first time ever, I am realizing that I believe it means that death is the end for everyone, not just myself. I have no comfort in thoughts of eternal heaven, where I will be reunited with my Katy and the rest of my loved ones for ever and ever. Of course, I had thought about it in passing, but now I have been presented with a very personal reminder of the implications of my belief system. While I do believe Katy is in a better place, I mean that only in the sense that she is not in pain, rather than the common usage meant to suggest she is spending eternity in heaven. It is something that has been in the back of my mind, despite attempts to force it away. I will never see her again. As much as I try to be a positive and upbeat guy, and having on the whole what I consider to be a healthy psyche and outlook on the world, I really fucking hate this thought. It twists in my gut like a knife, this blade of finality that does not offer any sanctum or serenity. There are not words to express how much I hate what has happened, how angry I am, and how much I miss her. I’m going to try and find a grief counselor this week, mainly because I think the reason I keep writing these long blog posts is because I have things that I need to say… and I think it would probably serve me better to say these things to a licensed professional instead of you, my dear readers.
To wrap this up, I think I am going to be moving to Portland, OR. I really feel like it’s the last step in my quest to become a douchey, vegan, prius-driving, hippy. You can look forward to me getting all snobbish about local micro-brews, fair-trade coffee, and actual usable public transit. I may also grow a beard big enough to house a flock of birds, and I’ll curbstomp you for using plastic bags. For real. In all honesty, I think I am drawn to the Pacific NW because of its natural beauty, the people I’ve known that live there have all been very laid back and accepting, and it’s so unlike this part of the country. I feel that a change of scenery could be exactly what I need, and Portland seems like the place to do just that. I’ll still be around for awhile, so don’t you go worryin’ that I’m gonna up and vanish… Been there, done that, not ever doing it again. I’ll make sure to post more once I have more solid information.
Thanks for reading.
What Happened To Katy
Posted by pzer0 on 01.27.11
I apologize for not posting this sooner, there has been a lot going on in my life and to be honest my head still hasn’t stopped spinning. To say that my world has been hectic as of late would probably be the understatement of the century.
For anyone who doesn’t know (and I apologize for this being how you find out, but I’ve tried reaching out to as many people as I can think of to let them know), Katy passed away on Friday, January 14th at around 2:15AM. It was a really shocking and terrible timeline of events, and I’m going to do my best to tell the entire story as best I can. I really miss her, and I’m hoping that by putting my thoughts down it may help in the process of healing and provide me some sense of closure.
What follows is the story, uncensored and in as much detail as I think Katy would want it to be, so that people know what the hell happened to her, and what she was forced to endure. It may be TMI for some people, but I will do my best to not make it overly or unnecessarily graphic. It includes discussion of lady stuff, so if you’re squeamish or uncomfortable reading about such things, I would suggest you stop reading here.
Waiting In The Atrium
Posted by pzer0 on 01.12.11
We’re waiting in the Atrium on the 5th floor at OSU. The last time I was in this room was in 1998, when my friend Chad was here in the ICU. It’s odd, because that is what started me on the path to becoming an atheist. This is the room where I decided that I was going to spend the summer reading the entire bible from cover to cover. By the time I finished, I was an atheist. Coincidentally, I just ordered this yesterday. I have decided that I am going to read the bible again, and then holy books from several other major religions (the qur’an and the bhagavad gita at least, I’m not sure what else). The last time I read the bible, I viewed it as the infallible word of god when I started reading. Needless to say, I do not hold this view anymore, and am interested to see how reading it from a different perspective may change my view of it as both literature and as a religious text.
If you identify as christian, have you actually read the entire bible? If you’re not a christian, have you read the holy books of your religion? What other religious texts do you think would be interesting to read?
What’s Going On With Katy
Posted by pzer0 on 01.12.11
Katy is here at OSU hospital for surgery. For those who may not know, she has been dealing with increasing pain for the last month and a half. We have been through a terrible ordeal to get it taken seriously. What started as an inconvenient pain had become excruciating to the point that she had a difficult time getting out of bed, moving, or breathing. Taking her on a car ride made me feel awful, every time we would hit a bump I would hear her gasp in pain. We ended up having to go to an urgent care on Christmas Eve. They gave her percocet, which helped manage the pain for a bit, but it proved ineffective about an hour after taking the pill.
It finally progressed to the point where we went to the hospital. They did an ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI, and said that it looked like she might have a pinched nerve and a pelvic infection. They sent her home with about 8 different prescriptions, and said, “take these pills, they’ll make you better.”
Needless to say, that did not happen. Her pain continued to get worse, so we went back to the ER. They chastised us for coming in, and basically treated us like we were just there to get pain meds. She had been throwing up her pills, so they gave her a prescription for anti-nausea meds and sent her home. She began to throw up her anti-nausea meds, so we went to the ER for a third time (this time to Riverside, the previous two times we went to Dublin Methodist). They gave her a shot of morphine, and told us to go see our family doctor. Our family doctor ordered a CT scan with contrast, and called us in the next day to tell us that they found a tumor. We have since been to two different doctors, and they both confirmed this diagnosis. Katy is in surgery today to attempt to discover the extent and nature of the tumor. They are going to do a biopsy to determine whether or not the tumor is cancerous. They also may do a laparoscopy, which would involve making a small incision to insert a camera, which will then allow them to get a better view of the tumor and how it’s attached. The oncologist also said that they are going to attempt to remove the tumor, as long as doing so will not endanger Katy’s life.
She’s been in the OR for about an hour at this point (since 8:30AM). They’re going to do a biopsy while Katy is on the table, and that will let us know whether or not it is cancerous. If they’re unable to remove the tumor, Katy will be going through chemo. The oncologist said she recommends chemo even if they ARE able to remove the tumor, because that will ensure there are no cancerous cells anywhere else in her body.
I would like to thank everyone that has offered their assistance and well-wishes during this arduous journey, it’s very appreciated. I’m sorry we’ve been vague about what has been happening, we didn’t want to say anything until we actually knew what was going on. I’ll try my best to keep everyone updated.
Is It Offensive To Call Religion Silly?
Posted by pzer0 on 01.04.11
I had a conversation earlier today with someone that accused me of being offensive because I said that her beliefs are silly and akin to magic. While I can definitely see why someone might take umbrage at this statement, I’d like to actually break this down and see if calling religion silly is offensive in and of itself. Before we get in to that, let’s start with magic.
Definition of Magic (bold emphasis and [ ] comments mine)
1 a : the use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces
b : magic rites or incantations [such as prayer]
2 a : an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source
b : something that seems to cast a spell : enchantment [again, like prayer... a series of words spoken in order to achieve a desired result]
As we can see, it is far from a stretch to equate religion with magic. Religion, like magic, invokes supernatural powers to explain our creation, attribute miracles to their god, ask for rewards (both in this life and the afterlife), and even to explain the supposed resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not offensive to equate religion with magic, it is at best a semantic argument– and a poor one at that.
What about calling religion silly? While I will admit a poor choice in words, I stand by my assessment. If I had thought about it, perhaps illogical or irrational would be a word better suited to describe my thoughts on religion. However, as these are synonyms of silly (albeit slightly less loaded), I still believe it is a fair term to use to describe a belief system that trades logic for faith. This is not to say that I believe religious people are stupid, obviously quite a few intelligent people are people of faith. I do believe that, regardless of intelligence, there is a disconnect between rational thought and religious fervor. This is considered offensive because people do not like to be called irrational.
However, the fact of the matter is that our society constantly validates belief in god. It is on our money, it was added to our pledge of allegiance during the red scare, and it permeates our culture so deeply that seeing references to christianity, faith, or religion in news, media, music, and even advertisements is a daily occurrence if you’re paying attention. An atheist saying that he or she does not believe in god and that those who do are illogical is offensive, but saying that you believe in a literal interpretation of John 14:6 and that everyone who does not agree with your religious beliefs will burn in hell somehow gets a free pass. It’s mind-bogglingly hypocritical. If you get to believe that I will burn in hell for all of time after I die, then I get to believe that you’re a bit unbalanced when it comes to your religious beliefs. I consider that a reasonable trade-off.
I’m not entirely sure where the religious persecution complex comes from– barring minor quibbles over methods and timeframes for baptism, predestination vs. free will, and whether or not statues of saints are a form of idolatry, the VAST majority of this country are in agreement that there is a personal, loving god who sent his son Jesus Chris to die for their sins. The war on Christmas, ridiculous anecdotal chain emails about religion or the bible being “banned” from public schools, the “secularization of society”– it truly seems that christians feel they are constantly under attack. No one is feeding you to lions, no one is forcing you to accept the mark of the beast in order to partake in commerce, no one is burning down your church.
That would just be silly.
Recent Comments