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Name: arcadiagt5
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7th-Jul-2008 06:44 am - First Law of Game Design
Arcadia
Any rule that can be rorted will be rorted.

This is as inevitable as radioactive decay and here is a good soccer example courtesy of Snopes.
28th-Jun-2008 05:09 pm - A Weekend!
Arcadia

Have to say its nice to have a weekend at the end of a twelve day week, and a long weekend at that.

Basically did nothing today which was nice but I found a collection of Larry Niven's Draco Tavern stories which is even nicer.

27th-Jun-2008 11:12 am - Beware the superficially profound. :)
Arcadia

Disclaimer: I am not a mathematician so what follows is more in the line of philosophy. And I may have completely missed the point.

It occurred to me recently that computer systems, and in particular the software components, are in essence mathematical systems* and that Godel's Incompleteness Theorems may well apply.

ie: Every computer system has to have a fundamental assumption that is unprovable, and may well be unchangeable without a total re-write..

From a Business Analysis perspective this is yet another reminder to make your assumptions explicit otherwise a hidden axiom of the system may well bite you down the track.

Oh, and in the unlikely event of anyone being interested I've added a business analysis tag to classify my ramblings on related topics. :)

24th-Jun-2008 08:53 pm - Oh really?
Arcadia
Based on the lj interests lists of those who share my more unusual interests, the interests suggestion meme thinks I might be interested in
19th-Jun-2008 06:00 pm - Sarcasm Alert
Arcadia
I've been hearing these unsubstantiated rumours that there's this useful thing that cyclists enjoy riding in. I believe it's called "daylight". I don't suppose there's any evidence to support this rumour anywhere? 

[/Sarcasm]
17th-Jun-2008 08:49 pm - Linkage for want of the energy to write a more interesting post
Arcadia
For anyone planning a wedding comes this list from John Scalzi on how to enjoy the wedding and the marriage. Beautiful stuff

I will note that as an entirely impartial observer, Patrick and Clare seemed to get everything right. :)

Courtesy of Steveg comes this link to an exceedingly cool steampunk recumbent trike.

Yes the thing would be damned heavy but even so, WANT! :)
16th-Jun-2008 01:21 pm - The Perfect Australian Bird
Arcadia
They're loud, raucous, practical jokers and inveterate litterbugs.

Of course I can only be talking about the The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo!

At lunch today I was walking along a tree lined path watching a rain of twigs etc fall from the trees on a clear windless day. The reason for this was obvious once you saw the swarm of cockies on the ground picking through the debris. 

Raark!
15th-Jun-2008 10:19 pm - Priceless!
Arcadia
kitty
more cat pictures
15th-Jun-2008 10:00 pm - Brevity is the soul of wit
Arcadia

Via [info]stephbg it appears to be one of my few virtues

Do you talk too much in your blog?
Created by OnePlusYou

I suspect it only looks at recent posts which means some of the epics like the trike or anime reviews were omitted.

11th-Jun-2008 05:47 pm - Well, that explains a lot.
Arcadia

Cane toads appear to be invulnerable. 

It also appears to be the case that Sudoku is more interesting than jury duty.

7th-Jun-2008 02:50 pm - Cycling is good for you. Maybe not so much for the environment though.
Open Road!
Courtesy of ecovelo's comes some evidence of what should be obvious: cycling is good for you.

In particular this Australian study, and this Danish one show that even with the risks of cycling in traffic, you're still better off in terms of longevity.

Of course, longevity is good for the economy in terms of productivity but also increases the duration of your carbon footprint* so there may well be environmental penalties from cycling as well.

*In case you're wondering, yes, I have used this link before, and there was some interesting discussion last time around.
2nd-Jun-2008 04:38 pm - News of the weird...
Arcadia
Idiot survives using a revolver as a backscratcher. 

Meanwhile, someone else gets fined for assault with a hedgehog.

30th-May-2008 07:39 pm - Business Process vs System Requirements Modelling
Arcadia

In addition to dealing with a wide range of target audiences, the challenges for a Business Analyst include dealing with a wide range of target purposes. Switching your thinking, your headspace, to meet the type of modelling required for a given purpose can be difficult.

One of the biggest jumps is between business process and system requirements modelling because the goals (and often the audience as well) are so different. The two disciplines require different writing styles, and different tools.

( Long and you probably don't want to look that closely into my head anyway... )

27th-May-2008 03:30 pm - Chuckle
Arcadia

Courtesy of Snopes Daily comes this little gem.

Oops...

27th-May-2008 12:47 pm - Riding in Fog
Open Road!
Yesterday morning involved much fog over Canberra. 

Oddly I found it both relaxing and nervy at the same time. Fog can be beautiful and I have some Welsh and Norse ancestors that it sings to. On that level I find it soothing.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, I also have to deal with the reduced visibility. Both my ability to see cars (and judge distances) and that of the drivers who might not see me. So some degree of caution applies on mornings like those.
25th-May-2008 10:24 pm - I thought I'd invent a LJ Surfing meme. :)
Arcadia
How the game works:

1. Start with the first entry on your friends page that isn't a community or feed.
2. Summarise the post in a single line
3. Move to the his/her friends page and repeat to 5 degrees of separation

Tonight...
1. [info]callistra has just made a superb word count for the day.
2. [info]dalekboy is feeling quotable tonight
3. [info]crankynick didn't seem too impressed by the new Indiana Jones movie (judging by the "meh" although I didn't go behind the cut to find out for certain).
4. [info]strangedave seems to be enjoying eurovision, apparently there are pirates (maybe I should have watched).
5. [info]stephen_dedman is also feeling quotable tonight (these meme things get around). 

No major surprises there but occasionally when I've done this I've ended up in some strange places...
  • Tags:musings
  • Mood:bored
  • Music:Elvis Costello - Olivers Army
25th-May-2008 08:54 pm - Reducing car use... gradually
Arcadia
Oh I'm so glad I set up the [info]ecovelo feed. The latest post is a well thought out piece on reducing reliance on cars without jumping the whole way at once.

Whilst it's true that I'm currently living car-free, it is also true to say that this was as much an accident as it was deliberate decision.
  • Tags:cycling, musings
  • Location:Canberra
  • Mood:contemplative
  • Music:They Might Be Giants - Fingertips - Wreck My Car
21st-May-2008 01:14 pm - New Cycling Feed
Arcadia
Snaffled from 'BentriderOnline:

"For those of you that missed it, Alan Barnard has decided to shut down The Recumbent Blog.  The site will remain up but his cycling interests have moved beyond recumbents.  While his still a confirmed recumbent fan, his interests have begun to focus more on trasportationally-oriented cycling.  His new Ecovelo site reflects that.  Expect the same insite and stunning photography that made The Recumbent Blog so popular. "

Lazy fellow that I am I've just created a LJ feed for it. If you're interested it can be found at: [info]ecovelo.

21st-May-2008 08:34 am - It's moments like these...
Open Road!
That I'm glad to be alive. The trike is always fun but sometimes you get moments of pure beauty that are just wonderful to experience.

Picture if you will a straight downhill stretch of a wide tree-lined road in Yarralumla with the autumn leaves carpeting the verges in an orange-brown carpet, with a whiff of smoke from someone's fireplace in the in the misty and foggy air.

It is early enough in the morning that there's no traffic so there's almost no noise (not even from the Arcadia since I lubed the chain last night) so I'm cruising downhill in silence through an almost magical scene.
19th-May-2008 04:22 pm - I've got how much music?
Anura

I ran a little experiment with my iPod recently. I basically avoided doing anything that would reset the playlist (shuffle albums) and found out how long it takes me to get through the entire set.

Allowing for interruptions like cycling or anything else requiring attention, the answer is just over a week.

And it isn't even close to full yet...

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