Author Archives: d4vid

Essence

Posted on April 11, 2019 by d4vid

Introversion aside, I’ve tried to be judicious with how much time I’ve spent around actors.  Which may be why I had never heard of Sam Christensen until Dan Harmon made a couple of passing references to Christensen’s concept of an actor’s … Continue reading →

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Passive

Posted on April 2, 2019 by d4vid

This essay by Anna Borges really resonated with me.  (No one freak out, please.  Like her, I’m trying to explain a feeling here, not express an intention.) The notion of “passing driftwood” was something I particularly identified with.  Looking forward … Continue reading →

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Legacy

Posted on April 2, 2019 by d4vid

As I wade through two decades of legacy code at work, I’m constantly reminded of two things: The Homer quote above and the madness-inducing Book from Neal Stephenson‘s Anathem.

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Population III

Posted on April 1, 2019 by d4vid

I once made a list of the most populous cities in China here. But way better is this amazing, animated chart of the most populous cities in the world from 1500 to 2018: https://observablehq.com/@johnburnmurdoch/bar-chart-race-the-most-populous-cities-in-the-world

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Megatall VI

Posted on March 30, 2019 by d4vid

Eric and I also went to the top of the Freedom Tower.  The walls of the elevator were floor-to-ceiling video displays showing a CG representation of the island of Manhattan from the 16th century to the present. Despite the nauseating … Continue reading →

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Carly

Posted on March 30, 2019 by d4vid

My oldest friend Eric was in NYC for work. One of the days we were hanging out, we took the Staten Island Ferry. Because free. Please note that neither of us sang Carly Simon.

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Rhyme

Posted on March 21, 2019 by d4vid

These lines from Seamus Heaney‘s poem The Cure at Troy stir me: “History says, Don’t hope On this side of the grave, But then, once in a lifetime The longed-for tidal wave Of justice can rise up And hope and history rhyme.”

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Counterproductive

Posted on March 21, 2019 by d4vid

Life in Early 21st Century Middle Class America Life on Earth Nature Have my genes equipped me to survive in this culture? Have my genes equipped me to survive in ANY culture? Nurture Has my upbringing equipped me to survive … Continue reading →

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Doctor

Posted on March 20, 2019 by d4vid

I stumbled on these strange but lovely Chinese Dr. Who posters. Apparently, the Chinese title is 神秘博士 (Shénmì Bóshì) which translates to something like “Mysterious Doctor”!

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Disneyfication

Posted on March 19, 2019 by d4vid

At the stroke of midnight, I shall magically transform into a Disney employee.

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Watching

Posted on March 19, 2019 by d4vid

Sometimes I feel like the only thing to do is stay on top of what’s happening in the world by watching a huge bank of video monitors like Ozymandias in Watchmen.

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Homesick

Posted on March 17, 2019 by d4vid

Finally had a chance to see How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.  Like the first two, it’s pervaded with a sense of wondrous beauty and aching loss.  The villain, Grimmel the Grisly, is a dragon hunter.  As a boy, … Continue reading →

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Mad

Posted on March 10, 2019 by d4vid

My friend Debbie & I went to see a stage adaptation of Network on Broadway starring Bryan Cranston (in the Peter Finch role) and Tony Goldwyn (in the William Holden role.)  Only afterward did I remember that those two had already … Continue reading →

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Numb

Posted on March 6, 2019 by d4vid

Ordered some doubanjiang so I could try my hand at making my Sichuan favorite, mapo doufu. Hadn’t added quite enough ground Sichuan peppercorns yet, which cause both a numbness and a sensation of vibration (around 50 Hertz!)

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Holy

Posted on February 24, 2019 by d4vid

I used to refer to Academy Awards night as High Holy Day (although it’s lost most of its luster for me over the years.)  Thinking back to where I’ve watched the Oscars has been like a roadmap of the last … Continue reading →

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