Hey! This is the old a broken mold. Newer stuff is at abrokenmold.net.
That being said, feel free to rummage through the archives over here. Also feel free to leave comments; we're still keeping an eye on this.

I guess it's time time to get this post out, seeing as Matthew has posted twice about his reading list.

I don't really have a reading list, and don't actually read as much as I used too, but I want to share a few good things I have read lately/am reading.

Very Good, Jeeves! - currently in the middle of this. Wodehouse is great.
Eragon - First book in the Inheritance series. Read it in December and maybe through January, I think. If you didn't already know, Paolini was only 15 when he started writing it. A good work for being so young, I would say.
Eldest - Second book in the Inheritance series. Really liked it. Fortunately, Elliot got the book for Christmas while we off vacationing on the west side, so I was able to continue the series without much interruption.
The Book of Jeremiah - I'm deviating from the Bible reading schedule I have to read through Jeremiah. I kind of really discovered Jeremiah last year when I was doing an paper on the exile and redemption of the Israelites. I was intrigued; I had never really read the story before. He's a pretty amazing guy, you know… he prophesied judgment for 20 years. But they ignored him. And just reading it was cool… it was something I didn't really know about before… somewhat like reading through the early history of the United States; it's stuff that really happened, long enough ago, but it really happened.

And here is a meager offering of books I want to read, or am at least thinking about reading:

Brisingr - Third in Inheritance. This is easily enough gotten from the library and I am looking forward to it… just tied up with Very Good, Jeeves! right now.
Inkheart and following - I might read these. Have heard good things about them from Elliot and Claus over at Grand Stream Dreams.
And maybe one other that I have forgotten at the moment.

And finally to bounce off Matthew… what I have read in your lists:

The Princess and The Goblin (I think… if I did, it was a long time ago)
The Princess and Curdie (same as above)
The Silmarillion (parts)
Farenheit 451
Watership Down (read the sequel, too. Kind of weird, being from a rabbit's perspective, as I remember)

Here are some additions to my reading list as seen here. I know... it's embarrassing I haven't read some of these.

Farenheit 451
To Kill a Mockingbird
Great Expectations
Catcher in the Rye
Bleak House
War and Peace
Crime and Punishment
Anna Karenina
The Kite Runner
Count of Monte Cristo
Watership Down
Animal Farm
1984
Brave New World

Last Friday, Hugh Donovan and I put together the computer parts that he had researched and ordered. Below is a rough reproduction of the email he sent out about it. We took plenty of pictures, and kept a log as we worked. From the time I got there to the time I left, it was about eleven hours!

Computer build number two, again educational, and entertaining.

Specs:
Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad 2.4GHz Kiensfield
Gigabyte EP45-UD3R Motherboard w/ onboard sound
4 GB Crucial Memory
640 GB Western Digital SATA HDD
Sapphire ATI 4850 Graphics
LG 19" Flatron Monitor


The log of events:

4:58:18pm Figured out we were trying to mount PSU upside-down. Thinking of case modifications. LOL!!!

4:59:50pm Mounted PSU.

5:05:53pm Busted out rear I/O panel.

5:10:00pm Synchronized watches.

5:20:36pm Pictures of GPU.

5:22:56pm Removed motherboard from antistatic bag.

5:31:55pm Cut out ethernet port from Gigabyte I/O panel.

5:34:30pm Installed Gigabyte I/O panel.

5:37:30pm Marked paper with motherboard ground holes.

5:58:50pm Decided the discrepancies in standoff type didn't matter.

6:07:09pm Installed motherboard.

6:16:55pm Mounted motherboard screws.

6:21:53pm Figured out how to remove front plate.

6:25:10pm Removed drive bay cover.

6:28:25pm Mounted optical bay and went to eat biscuits.

6:48:23pm Hard drive mounted.

6:49:25pm CPU removed from box.

7:00:00pm CPU clamped into place, despite useless Intel manual.

7:00:15pm Heat sink removed from case; Hugh went to get a plastic bag.

7:07:00pm Applied Arctic Silver thermal compound to heat sink.

7:09:08pm Applied Arctic Silver thermal compound to CPU.

7:18:06pm CPU fan connector installed.

7:19:21pm CPU heat sink mounted.

7:24:09pm First memory module installed.

7:24:29pm Second memory module installed.

7:25:55pm Discovered CPU and heat sink mounting instructions in motherboard manual. (Nice going, Intel.)

7:28:59pm 24-pin motherboard power connector installed.

7:41:14pm Front panel indicators completed.

7:45:20pm Front panel communications completed.

7:57:18pm Video card installed and connected to power supply unit.

8:11:02pm Serial ATA cables installed.

8:14:38pm The zip-tie attack begins.

8:38:00pm Called Gavrik for final check.

8:43:29pm CPU power connector installed... (might be a good idea)

9:02:53pm POST!!!!!!

9:14:27pm Booted Ubuntu, discussed hard drive status.

9:18:03pm Terminated call with Gavrik.

9:34:54pm Hugh attempts to boot hard drive diagnostics.

9:46:55pm Left to get fresh air after starting extended hard drive test.

11:04:09pm Transferring drivers to USB disks for installation.

[Played Wolfenstein for one hour.]

12:05:58am Drivers installed.

12:53:06am Basic applications installed.

12:55:54am Rearranged component wires.

1:30:34am Desk setup initiated.

1:49:43am Desk setup completed.

1:56:24am Network connection established.

1:59:46am Test page printed.

2:03:27am Sound successfully tested.

2:04:35am Computer clock set.

2:16:52am The Witcher installed!!!












































































































































































































































Battered. Whispered screams from every side. Hissing failure. Preaching darkness, emanating it, killing you alive. Reach for hope and knives at your throat. Fall back, hope fades, the end seems pleasant, a tree of refreshment, yet somehow, somewhere, knows it is false.

About to give in, pushing away what light you saw, for it surely cannot bring rest… surely not. Sink down, beaten down, fallen rose. Where is anything? Where is where I was? None of this can be… why not a story, yes… this isn't me… is it? Curse, rise again, to fall. To fall… what? This too, unbelievable.. is this the way out? You really came to me? Surely not… for look at me… I couldn't be worthy. Yet I'm picked up and lead back… and now know what seemed right was false and what seemed impossible was true. And I never was there… this is somewhere new… Still not standing on my own… but finally I have risen. Turn eyes and thank him who did the impossible. And make the choice.

end

I wrote that last July… it talks about deep despair but then hope through the sacrifice of Christ, He who makes the crippled walk, the deaf hear, the blind see, the dead alive. It's somewhat poetic, but I wouldn't call it a straight poem, perhaps artistic prose. Maybe it means something to somebody out there.

No, seriously, check this out. This is bad.

I had this premonition that Facebook had an ulterior motive...

I'll start this post with a brief overview of some work I did on my computer, mainly over Christmas break. Vista was beginning to feel a bit sluggish, and since I had some time to mess with it, I decided to plunge into the adventure of tinkering with partitions, boot flags, installations, and so forth. I was also planning to try, once again, to get my Dell Media Direct button to boot Ubuntu. I removed Media Direct a long time ago (it's not all that useful, and takes up more space than a Linux distro), so the button didn't do anything, except maybe bring up the MD flash screen. I had tried this process before, following this guide, and failed then. It didn't work this time either, but don't stop reading; this could still be informative. Here is a thread on the Notebookreview.com forums that details my progress, since I don't feel like recounting it all here.

I now have a running computer, resplendent with the most recent version of Ubuntu, and a fairly customized version of Vista, even if I didn't get it vLited like I wanted too. Maybe next time... I'd need a DVD, a DVD burner, a lot of time and patience, etc. And I've set my MD button to turn off my screen in Windows! See this thread (I use Monitoroff.exe instead of the provided utility). Pretty smooth, and I think it's actually more useful than having it boot Ubuntu. GRUB does a good job.

Our local Radio Shack is been going out of business, so they recently had a liquidation sale, with prices half off. At the sale, I got a Sandisk Sansa 2GB Clip, a Vanguard MP-4 Monopod, a CB radio, and some electrical components that were purported to, if assembled correctly, act as a wireless FM microphone that transmits at (legal) low power with a 45ft range, to frequencies between 91 and 97 MHz, depending on the tuning of the coil and the frequency picked up by the microphone. Wicked awesome, I thought! However, the assembly was another matter. That PCP chip was smaller than I thought, my soldering skills are less than satisfactory, and I think I need a new tip for my soldering gun. However, somehow, when I finally got things put together late at night, it worked. I had to add a SPST toggle switch and 'N' battery and holder to the kit. Pictures below.












































































Oh yes, and I've also uploaded my first Youtube video. I was trying to get Youtube to automatically include a High-Res option, but it's not really worth it anyways, since the video isn't high-res to begin with, and the Youtube version isn't too bad. Just don't watch it in fullscreen.

A couple more things... more along the politics and art veins. This may make an interesting read, if for no other reason than to expand and circulate thoughts on economy and the principles that apply. It should be noted that the creator of this program is a successful entrepreneur. The other thing is about the band mewithoutYou. I could talk for quite some time on the subject, but the telos of what I have to say is really that their aesthetic is much more subtle, poetical, and powerful than a lot of what passes as art or music. Their lyrics and instrumental style portray a much broader, deeper, more sober and yet more beautiful picture of life than just about any current buzz songs that come to mind. Here are the lyrics to a song by mewithoutYou called "Silencer".

Don't waste your lips on words I've heard before
Kiss my tired head.
And each letter written wastes your hand, young man
Come and lead me to your bed
You gave me hope that I'd not lost her
And then thought it rather strange to see me smile-
as I don't do too much smiling these days.

She put on happiness like a loose dress
Over pain I'll never know
"So the peace you had, " she says,
"I must confess, I'm glad to see it go."
We're two white roses lying frozen just outside his door
I've made you so happy and so sad,
But which should I be more sorry for?

Come kiss my face goodbye,
that space below my eye and above my cheek
Cause I'm faint and fading fast, I see a darkness
And I shall be released.
I'll pass like a fever from this body,
And softly slip into his hands
I tried to love you and I failed,
But I have another plan.

My Lord, how long to sing this song?
And my Lord, how much more of this pretending to be strong?
When she stands before your throne
Dressed in beauty not her own
All soft and small, you'll hear her call
"you brought me here, now take me home."

I think they evidence a profound grasp of theological principles, the struggle of life, pain, beauty, and the true source of strength. At any rate, listening to a song like this gives me a whole lot more contemplate than many songs I could think of.

And finally, for what it's worth, here is a list of what I've read, am reading, and will be reading for a while.

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance
Call it Courage
A River Runs Through It
All the Pretty Horses
Camp 4
Royal Robbins: Spirit of the Age
The Great Gatsby
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Man Who Knew Too Much
My Name is Asher Lev
The Ball and The Cross
The Red Badge of Courage
The Princess and The Goblin
The Princess and Curdie
The Liberated Imagination
A Tale of Two Cities
Hans Brinker/The Silver Skates
The Silmarillion
Les Miserables

Well, actually, I know what it means, but I wonder what the implications are. Here are my thoughts.

The iTunes Store is already very popular among those who buy music by the file. But, it ties into the Apple system: iTunes (the app) and iPods. Nota Bene: the majority of mp3 players/DAPs out there are iPods. Not hard to notice.

Enter a DRM-free movement that puts pressure on Apple. Apple eventually concedes; at first part of the Store, and then they're going DRM free (I don't know if it's happened yet). Seems like a smart move to me. After all, why should we buy from Apple's closed system when we can buy from the myriad of other digital music sellers, torrent it, or rip it off a friend's CD? Two things that spring to my mind are convenience and the very wide range of materials available in the iTunes Store (to my knowledge).

Now what? Two venues: DRM free downloads from the Store and conversions of previously purchased material to DRM free.

It seems to me that new DRM free downloads will have the bigger impact. I don't know how well the news will spread, but I can guess that among average users, they might not hear about it for a while, if ever. Or if they even knew there was DRM, or even what DRM is (perhaps thanks to Apple's successful integration scheme). When an already popular source offers a sweeter deal, maybe it'll go boom even bigger. I can't really see it hurting Store sales. Now, the second part to this venue: the format. No longer will people have to use the notoriously clunky iTunes to play their purchased music. Heeello Foobar, Winamp, Amarok, Banshee, Songbird, and everything else that can handle .m4a. And this also means players; I have it in my head that some players out there do handle that format and I know that Rockbox does (Sansa e200 v1 FTW!). So, because of the last two things I mentioned, some people who didn't like the iTunes system before may now join up/come back.

The second venue is conversion of your old Store goods to the new DRM free format. Actually I suspect they're not so much conversion involved; I think Apple may be doing some file modding that just removes the DRM, as has been done before by, umm, certain tools. So how many people are going to pay Apple's fee to convert their collection? I can't say. But it would be interesting to get some statistics on it, or even some feelings from the public on converting their stuff.

One note here: I've assumed in this post that the conversion involves videos, and I'm assuming they are DRMed. I don't know either for sure; in fact, I've never bought anything from the iTunes Store, only witnessed a purchase once. I don't even have iTunes installed right now (Safari, though… free Lucida Grande font and I should use it a lot more for webdev testing, but then again, Chrome has WebKit, so… sigh).

And, on a somewhat related note, I find the lyrics of this song somewhat funny. It's about pirating music and bucking the system, I think. Lolz. Take a listen for you health.

MewthoutYou is releasing a new album in May! Suh-weeeet!!!!!!

It's called It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright.

Pending track listing according to aholidayathesea on Last.FM:

  1. Cattail Down
  2. The Fox, The Crow, & The Cookie
  3. A Stick, A Carrot, & A String
  4. Bullet To Binary (Pt. Two)
  5. Timothy Hay
  6. The Angel of Death Came To David's Room
  7. A Fig With A Belly Ache
  8. Goodbye, I
  9. The Beetle King On The Coconut Estate
  10. Every Blade of Grass
  11. Whatever Goes, Let It Go

This is going to be sickness, 11 new tracks of mewithoutYou! If it's true… as of right now it looks like it just popped up very recently; I'd say it's still rumor status.

I really like Catch for Us the Foxes, so… sweetness. Oh yeah, and I like what I've heard of [A→B] Life. Less sure about liking Brother, Sister from what I've heard so far, but maybe I'll change my opinion once I own the album (whenever that is).

P.S. Release date cite: here.