CharmingGeek.net Funness

How about some real competition with the iPod nano? Finally, here’s some.

Slated for release on March 5, the Samsung YP-Z5 boasts 2 and 4 GB flash versions. With a larger 1.8″ screen (as compared to the nano’s 1.5″), battery life exceeding 30 hours (better than doubling iPod’s)and a price point almost exactly the same as the comparable Apple-branded player, Another plus, this sturdier player probably won’t look like it’s been run over after carrying it in your pocket for a few days.
Although the Samsung has the same profile as the nano, the Samsung is about twice as thick. (Samsung: 3.54″ x 1.66″ x .45″ ; Apple: 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27)
Verdict: This is going to be a direct competitor to the nano, and a very viable one. Unfortunately, it’s too close to the same thing. Right now, the nano is thinner, the Samsung has better battery life, which one looks better is a matter of personal preference I guess. Looks like Samsung has a solid foundation here. What they need right now, though is a one-up on Apple, and as the maker of the same flash memory that Apple uses for the iPod, I expect either an 8GB version or a considerable price-cut coming from Samsung in the near future.

Also, keep your eye out for more details on the Sansa e200, a sleek (3.5″ x 1.7″ x 0.5″) new model from flash-memory mogul SanDisk, which is poised for release in late March or early April. It also features a 1.8″ screen, slim size, and 2 or 4GB versions, but this little monster will also be available with up to 6GB memory installed PLUS a microSD expansion slot. Other features: a removable, replacable, rechargable battery, video playback, FM tuner, and voice recording. Priced for competition with the iPod, I could be seen carrying one of these in the near future.

Not really. Some details on the deal. [Time.com] Maybe some members of congress should read this before turning US foreign relations into an oportunity to make a name for themselves. (Am I the only one that smells 2008 approaching?)
For all the talk about turning over control of US ports to foreigners, I feel like I should point out that:

In Los Angeles, California, companies from China, Denmark, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan lease operations. [CNN.com]

foreigners own almost 30% of US port terminals [Iranian.ws]

This second article, from Iran, offers a very interesting outlook on the situation. The opinionist argues against foreign-owned ports. Of course his primary modivation is protecting closed Muslim countries like Iran from western influence. I think he makes my point for me.

It’s an exciting time to be alive, what with all the breakthroughs in food technology we’re experiencing lately.

That’s right, food scientists have finally broken the cheddar barrier. For centuries it was thought that cheddar and more cheddar could not be combined … But somehow, the good folks at the Sunshine bakery have figured out a way to put both cheddar and more cheddar in the same snack.

There’s not much worse than waking up, looking at the clock, and realizing it’s five minutes before your alarm goes off. Not only do you have that impending sense of doom, but that five minutes of sleep is also completely lost. I guess you can imagine how my morning started today.
So now I’m at work, feeling increadible empathy for Dilbert. I’ve always thought Dilbert was funny. Now it’s almost scary.

I’m off to Bog’s hitching ceremony tomorrow, so that means lots of ironing tonight. Ironing shirts is hard. It’s the pleats in the sleaves that really get me. Hooray for easy-care sateen.
In other news, it’s Brad’s immune system:1; Disgusting virus with aspirations for destroying humankind:0.

After reading an article on the planet’s population reaching 6.5 billion this Saturday, when I started getting sick yesterday, I was sure that nature was culling the overpopulated human race, starting with me. Unfortunately for you population control advocates out there, I think I’ll survive. Thank you so much, Rachel, for being my angel and bringing me a little get-well kit.
My goal for today is to eat something, so I’ll be feasting on Ritz crackers and Sprite, then maybe some soup tonight if I can lift a spoon. I actually walked down to the bottom floor and back up to my room this morning without getting winded. Still, I feel like I’ve been hit by a slow moving yet persistent truck. Most bothersome is my right wrist. It’s terribly sore, and I’m going to say that’s because of the pain-killer / sleep-aid I took last night. Although it did allow me to get some sleep, it also made me completely unaware of the awkward position my arm was in.
Well, if you need me, I’ll be right here.

With Answers from the Shoeblogger published daily in the Express, I may actually learn something about fashionable shoes. Well, more about fashionable shoes.

“Manolo says, the Manolo he personally knows many of the brianiac scientists, and he would have to say that sartorially they are the sorry lot, perhaps second only to the mechanical engineers and the German fashion designers in terms of fashion faux pas per minute.”

You should go ahead and bookmark Monolo’s Shoe Blog.

And now for something completely different.
Scampi! Check out this flash animation about SUBVERSIVE ESPIONAGE going on right under your nose.
This video is from weebls-stuff. But that site is overwhelmingly scary. Don’t go there.

You know, working on that Sudoku solver has really helped me when I’m solving these things by hand. Working out the algorithms for solving these puzzles has made more more meticulous when I’m doing it on paper. Not only does that keep me from making mistakes, but it keeps me from overlooking possible solutions. I also discovered a few new tricks while writing the solver. I’m still working on jsudoku solver 3, because what I’ve got is still kinda ugly and slow. But I actually like that it doesn’t solve instantaneously. It’s fun watching the numbers populate in the order that they’re solved. In case you didn’t notice, part of my algorithm involves making guesses when there’s not an obvious solution. After guessing one number, the solver will try to solve from there. If it runs into a problem, it’ll back out and try again. That’s my favorite part!
Anyhow, solving by hand.
People have different methods for solving. Personally, I have a male brain. This means I can only think about one thing at a time, so if I don’t write down every step in the solution, i get distracted by …oh, look, something pretty!
Where was I? Oh yeah. So I use the “grid of dots” method. I just made up that term. It’s like this: I imagine each unsolved box in the Sudoku is a 3×3 grid. The top row represents 1-3, next row 4-6, bottom 7-9. As I eliminate possibilities from a box, I put a dot in that box’s corresponding grid location. For example, I know that box X cannot be a 5, 7, or 9 because I’ve already used those numbers in the row, column, or 3-by-3 square. So in box X, I put a dot in the center, the bottom left, and the bottom right. When box X has 8 dots in it, I know that the solution is the number corresponding to the missing dot.
Of course, if i can’t tell a dot from a crumb, then I end up blowing the whole thing and solving it with my program. But if I’m really meticulous, this works for me, and is really the only way I can make it through one of these numbers.
Congratulations for reading this far in my ramble! Now it’s your turn for participation.
What’s your Sudoku style, trick, or method?

(Because I have to do everything in javascript)
I slapped together a web-based sudoku solver a while back, and it pretty much stunk.
I’ve updated it, included new algorithms. In most cases, this new version will work much faster. It actually uses the same type of solution method that I would use with pen and paper. The difference is, the JavaScript sudoku solver will actually get the correct solution. Still the algorithm isn’t as smart or as efficient as a human would be, but it is much faster and less prone to mistakes. This is the reason I own a computer. I’m talking too much. Here is the sudoku solver.