Your Most Personal Book. CERANDOR 2 Contents 1 2007 7 1.1 January . 7 1.1.1 A New-ish Year (2007-01-02 10:43) ..................... 7 1.1.2 Music and Habit (2007-01-02 21:08) .................... 7 1.1.3 Status Report (2007-01-07 15:49) ...................... 8 1.1.4 The return of... (2007-01-08 12:40) ..................... 8 1.1.5 Settled In (2007-01-08 21:14) ........................ 9 1.1.6 Whose Future is it Anyway? (2007-01-09 22:30) . 11 1.1.7 January is the Cruellest Month (2007-01-15 22:52) . 11 1.1.8 No Wonder I’m Conflicted... (2007-01-19 10:38) . 13 1.1.9 A Quiet Week? (2007-01-22 17:39) ..................... 14 1.1.10 Sci-Fi Meme (2007-01-28 14:53) ...................... 14 1.1.11 Big Brother’s Ancient Athenian Antecedent (2007-01-29 23:10) . 15 1.1.12 Gamer/Scientist T-Shirt Slogans (2007-01-31 11:16) . 16 1.2 February . 17 1.2.1 Sunrise, sunset and what comes after... (2007-02-02 23:47) . 17 1.2.2 Writing Report (2007-02-05 21:09) ..................... 18 1.2.3 Passing the Buck (2007-02-12 21:15) ................... 20 1.2.4 A Joy in Untold Stories (2007-02-16 19:45) . 21 1.2.5 It’s a nice place to visit... (2007-02-20 22:46) . 22 1.2.6 Thoughts on Structure (2007-02-28 00:02) . 23 1.3 March . 24 1.3.1 Useful to know... (2007-03-05 10:39) .................... 24 1.3.2 The inevitable conclusion... (2007-03-06 09:58) . 25 1.3.3 Other Things (2007-03-07 00:31) ...................... 26 1.3.4 Watching from the safety of another country... (2007-03-09 13:39) . 29 1.3.5 Good Evening, Bad Ending (2007-03-14 22:52) . 31 1.3.6 Music helps. Sometimes. (2007-03-15 10:07) . 31 1.3.7 Force of Habit (2007-03-21 00:45) ..................... 32 3 1.3.8 Because expanding your vocabulary is a good thing... (2007-03-22 10:22) .............................. 33 1.3.9 Mixed Feelings (2007-03-23 20:35) ..................... 33 1.3.10 A Quiet Weekend (2007-03-25 22:56) .................... 34 1.3.11 Sunburned (2007-03-27 11:27) ....................... 34 1.3.12 Chapter 23: In which my faith in humanity takes a kicking... (2007-03-28 23:30) .............................. 38 1.3.13 Chapter 24: Stress-Induced Headaches (2007-03-31 10:00) . 39 1.4 April . 40 1.4.1 Something Lighter (2007-04-03 09:18) ................... 40 1.4.2 Writing Report (2007-04-03 23:18) ..................... 42 1.4.3 Nomad Computing (2007-04-10 23:38) ................... 42 1.4.4 Great Out-of-Context Quotes of Our Time (2007-04-15 11:04) . 43 1.4.5 Message in a Bottle (2007-04-17 09:50) . 44 1.4.6 300 (2007-04-18 00:05) ............................ 45 1.4.7 The Perils of Poor Interface Design (2007-04-20 10:08) . 49 1.4.8 Something to Take My Mind Off It (2007-04-20 10:30) . 50 1.4.9 Dead Authors (2007-04-26 21:56) ...................... 51 1.4.10 The Right Sunday (2007-04-29 21:28) ................... 52 1.5 May . 53 1.5.1 First of Summer (2007-05-01 18:47) .................... 53 1.5.2 New Shiny (2007-05-04 14:08) ....................... 54 1.5.3 Poking Fun (2007-05-06 19:50) ....................... 54 1.5.4 Why? (2007-05-07 23:18) .......................... 55 1.5.5 A Pre-digested Life (2007-05-14 14:46) ................... 55 1.5.6 Racing to Roma (2007-05-20 23:21) .................... 57 1.5.7 The Brain, It Does Not Work! (2007-05-22 23:17) . 58 1.5.8 Departure (2007-05-24 09:58) ........................ 58 1.5.9 Chased by the Terminator (2007-05-31 00:32) . 59 1.6 June . 59 1.6.1 (2007-06-03 22:11) . 59 1.6.2 Savage Eating (2007-06-06 12:28) ..................... 60 1.6.3 Mellowed by the Domestic (2007-06-08 23:35) . 62 1.6.4 From Rest to Work (2007-06-10 23:46) ................... 63 1.6.5 Italy: Part One (2007-06-12 18:45) ..................... 63 1.6.6 Italy: Part Two (2007-06-13 18:42) ..................... 70 1.6.7 One for the Fans (2007-06-16 20:41) .................... 78 1.6.8 Decompression (2007-06-21 23:34) ..................... 79 4 1.6.9 I’m So Ashamed (2007-06-22 10:20) .................... 79 1.6.10 Perils, both Off- and Online (2007-06-26 10:11) . 80 1.6.11 This is Your Brain on Zen (2007-06-27 20:49) . 81 1.7 July . 81 1.7.1 This Sporting Life (2007-07-03 11:26) ................... 81 1.7.2 Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: In Technicolor! (2007-07-06 15:36) . 82 1.7.3 The Tether and the End (2007-07-07 02:05) . 84 1.7.4 Refresh the Screen (2007-07-09 00:15) ................... 84 1.7.5 Two Things (2007-07-12 11:04) ....................... 84 1.7.6 Sunshine and Showers (2007-07-15 23:57) . 86 1.7.7 Wanton Destruction (2007-07-16 10:44) . 86 1.7.8 Writing about Writing (2007-07-18 00:05) . 89 1.7.9 Your personality flaws... (2007-07-20 10:44) . 89 1.7.10 An Answer to the Old Question (2007-07-20 15:53) . 93 1.7.11 An Embargo Lifted (2007-07-22 23:48) ................... 96 1.7.12 Painful Decision Time (2007-07-23 23:59) . 99 1.7.13 The Zen of Harry (2007-07-29 23:37) . 100 1.8 August . 101 1.8.1 In the midst of nothing... (2007-08-05 19:48) . 101 1.8.2 Gone (2007-08-08 10:45) . 102 1.8.3 A little something for the brain? (2007-08-09 11:21) . 102 1.8.4 Another Infliction (2007-08-10 09:58) . 103 1.8.5 Some Writing Things (2007-08-13 23:54) . 104 1.8.6 Gogglebox Tyranny (2007-08-15 10:41) . 106 1.8.7 Wedding Dominoes (2007-08-20 23:31) . 106 1.8.8 There and back again (2007-08-22 20:52) . 108 1.8.9 Notebook Scribbles (2007-08-24 23:21) . 108 1.9 September . 110 1.9.1 I am returned! (2007-09-07 19:13) . 110 1.9.2 After Holiday, Before Work (2007-09-09 12:01) . 110 1.9.3 That iPod Thing (2007-09-13 12:48) . 112 1.9.4 Return to the Grindstone (2007-09-16 17:54) . 115 1.9.5 Word’s Dietary Habits (2007-09-19 14:53) . 115 1.9.6 The Time Draws Closer (2007-09-21 14:38) . 117 1.9.7 Phase Two (2007-09-23 19:20) . 117 1.9.8 Something old... (2007-09-30 22:50) . 118 1.10October . 119 1.10.1 Three Books and an Ambition (2007-10-03 23:19) . 119 5 1.10.2 Books (2007-10-05 09:50) . 120 1.10.3 The Joys of Family (2007-10-07 21:56) ................... 124 1.10.4 The Great Exposition of ’07 (2007-10-17 15:22) . 125 1.10.5 Shoelace Secrets (2007-10-22 10:52) . 127 1.10.6 (2007-10-26 12:33) . 127 1.10.7 Outbursts of Humor (2007-10-29 19:05) . 128 1.10.8 Get Up and Go (2007-10-31 17:43) . 129 1.11November . 130 1.11.1 Acting on Impulse (2007-11-02 23:29) ................... 130 1.11.2 Dumb Animals (2007-11-04 23:25) . 130 1.11.3 A Monstrous Carbuncle (2007-11-07 10:18) . 134 1.11.4 Brainwasted (2007-11-11 21:38) . 135 1.11.5 That Whole Computer Thing (2007-11-15 12:54) . 135 1.11.6 Paine the Foresighted (2007-11-19 15:58) . 137 1.11.7 Filling in the Gaps (2007-11-22 16:14) . 139 1.11.8 Multiplying Memory (2007-11-23 12:15) . 139 1.11.9 Bitter Orange (2007-11-26 15:49) . 140 1.11.10 Belated (2007-11-29 09:29) . 142 1.12December . 142 1.12.1 Suffer the Little Children (2007-12-04 23:58) . 142 1.12.2 Ham-roll Hill (2007-12-09 23:11) . 143 1.12.3 First Frost (2007-12-11 12:49) . 144 1.12.4 Scratch Week (2007-12-17 14:31) . 145 1.12.5 Apocalyptic Visions (2007-12-18 16:20) . 145 1.12.6 Dealing With The Backlash (2007-12-20 10:49) . 147 1.12.7 Two Reasons Why History Rocks (2007-12-21 12:04) . 148 1.12.8 Sounds of SF (2007-12-23 01:48) . 149 1.12.9 Christmas Eve and All That (2007-12-24 21:45) . 149 6 Chapter 1 2007 1.1 January 1.1.1 A New-ish Year (2007-01-02 10:43) Been neglecting this journal for the last week, which is not unheard of, mostly because there hasn’t been too much crossing my mind. The Christmas break proved fun, especially in get- ting to spend time with the family, but having to work three days in the middle of it was an unfamiliar and unwelcome change. Still, the payoff for that effort is a trip to Belgium this weekend, so all’s well that ends well.