Author: Dan Q
Dan Q is a software engineer, a director of a voluntary organisation, a trainee counsellor, a keen geocacher, and an amateur magician. He lives with his partner and her husband in a polyamorous triad, and occasionally finds time to blog.
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MEng Dissertation - Hamster Music
No, I'm not talking about that god-awful de-da-de-da-de-do-do-do de-da-de-do do thingy: I'm talking about this ingenious MEng dissertation project, in which the student hooked up six hamsters to a MIDI device and, with some clever hardware and software, used their movements to compose music. If you look at the site, be sure to download the …
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Now That’s Customer Service
Do you remember in the middle of last week I finally discovered that I could make Firefox have all the features I loved in Opera, using plugins? Well; I'm honoured to report that my comments haven't gone un-noticed: I've recieved a comment on that post from Jonny Axelsson, dude who does standards-related stuff for Opera. …
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Photopia, Again
I wrote the other day about Photopia, one of the most brilliant and unusual pieces of interactive fiction I've ever experienced. Finally, JTA gave it a go, and loved it too - and he and I have been spending the last few days discussing some of the really, really clever bits and putting our own …
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Rejected Crayons
You won't find these from Crayola...
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Stop… Think… Listen…
What the fuck.
People are stressed. People are angry. People are being complete bastards to one another.
Well, shit... worse things honestly do happen at sea.
I feel sorry for everybody who's on the recieving end of any of this glasspaper-buggery-of-the-mind; and I've heard more than enough already to get a pretty clear picture. And the thing I … -
Fire On The Beach
This is what makes Aber great: that somebody can suggest a fire and a couple of hours later there are over a dozen people huddled round a pile of wood, separating burgers.
We had some difficulty getting the fire lit to begin with - perhaps something to do with the fact that it had been snowing … -
Table For Sale
The photograph, above, appeared on an eBay auction: the item for sale was the table and chairs - a full dining set (not including the things on the table, of course). However, there's something about the photo that suggests that the seller is a man. Can you tell what it is?
Don't read the comments until … -
Wiki Scissors, Stone, Paper
Thanks to Matt for the idea for this one - on the RockMonkey wiki, it's now possible to play Scissors, Stone, Paper! For some reason, I keep losing, but it's supposed to play fair! See for yourself.
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Star Wars: Episode III Pictures
Geekiness ahead. Some folks have been posting stills from the upcoming Star Wars film, Episode 3, to the web. Most of the mirrors are getting shot down by too-much traffic, but I've managed to get the pictures and they're hosted here (in a way that only my friends will be able to access). About 80 …
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Igneous bMotion
I've set up a chatbot called Igneous on the RockMonkey ChatRoom. I installed bMotion 0.09: emotions for bots, and some conversation topics (based on the RockMonkey site itself)... and it's coming up with some classic lines. I lifted this exchange between Sian and Igneous from the log:
<chocorifi> Are you accusing me of sexual harassment Iggy?
<Igneous> … -
Think Anal Sex Hurts?
Not everybody who reads my blog also reads Jon's blog, but people who read my blog might want to take a look at the picture on Jon's recent entry: Think Anal Sex Hurts? Try Having A Kid!
It made Jon and I giggle, but not Claire. Take it as you will. -
Photopia
Ever played a text-based adventure (interactive fiction) before? If so, this is a must-see. If not, now's the time to start. I've just finished playing a short IF called Photopia, which won two prestigious (in IF circles) XYZZYnews awards back in 1998.
It's not... great as an adventure game, but it's amazing as a story. It's... … -
A Weekend Of Lockpicking
Following up the arrival of my new lockpicks, I've spent the weekend picking pretty much every lock I've come across (and helping to teach JTA and Bryn how to do it for themselves). The result: six of nine attempted locks picked, feeling significantly more well-practiced, and very, very sore fingers. I need to get some …
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I Can Still Do It
My new lockpick set arrived today. I haven't played with picks in years and years, and so, when I started clumsily fooling around inside a chunky padlock that Claire found behind some furniture yesterday, it felt like I was about to have another half-hour of footing around before I could even count the number of …
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The Revenge Of Zanatoth
The Revenge Of Zanatoth is a new WikiGame on the RockMonkey wiki. And for those of you who remember me publicising TromaNightAdventure, my first adventure-based WikiGame... well: The Revenge Of Zanatoth kicks it's arse. It's a wonderful little (heh) WikiGame that sends you on a quest to save Peter Hain from Zanatoth. During your travels, …