Trekkie goes bankrupt

This attention whore transformed his own home into the starship while accumulating £100,000 in debt. I've got nothing against Trekkies (well I probably do), I just never understood their fascination with Star Trek. I was never able to sit through an entire episode. Never seen it, but I think I'd enjoy the older ones with Shatner... maybe (watch him on Boston Legal!).

The only time I got through an entire plot was when I watched Nemesis with friends at the theatres. I probably would have walked out had I not paid for the popcorn.

Anyway, even with my view against Star Trek and Trekkies, I gotta say the apartment doesn't look too bad... but I doubt it was worth going bankrupt for.

One thing that caught my eye was the microwave in the kitchen. It instantly got me thinking, 'Do they even eat on Star Trek?' I don't recall ever seeing anyone eat in the movie or the few minutes I've spent watching some episodes. Probably wouldn't heat it up in the microwave though, right?

I read that he was planning to get other Trekkies to pay him to transform their living quarters in this fashion. Make a career out of it. He tried to sell his apartment for $2 million on eBay. It's unfortunate that he thought other people might want to live in a place they couldn't bring their girlfriends to at night.

By the way, tomorrow is Valentine's. The fake holiday when you buy your better half lots of gifts, yet are forced to go to work or attend class, or in my case write a midterm.

Source article
Images shamelessly stolen

AD is over

Yes that's right fans, Fox aired the last four episodes of Arrested Development Season 3 last night. I add that "Season 3" bit because it is possible for AD to be picked up by another network to continue the series.

I really didn't like how they ended Season 3 though. It doesn't seem like there's much of a story to continue. I'm not going to spoil the ending here. Granted, most of the deeper plots never got wrapped up and the writers of the show are geniuses that can come up with brilliant ways to start new ones, but I just don't see a nice transition from Season 3 to a possible Season 4.

I was never a creative genius though. I'd love to see a Season 4. Arrested Development was one of those shows that got my life going. Something to look forward to every week (meaning that the last few weeks have been hell for me). For now though, AD is over and I'm not going to keep my hopes up that there will be a fourth season.

Now there are three shows I'll be watching each week: House M.D., The Office, and Boston Legal.

I haven't mentioned Boston Legal, but I'll be fair to ABC right now. Boston Legal is a brilliant show about a firm. It's a spin off from The Practice. I've only watched a few minutes of The Practice (when it was just starting out) and I can't even connect the two shows together. The Practice seemed like a really serious Law and Order type of lawyer show. Boston Legal is more of a light comedy. William Shatner is fantastic in it. It's just a really great show. Currently in Season 2.

P.S. Please support AD by buying Season 3 when it becomes available on DVD! Buy the other seasons if you haven't already! (Buy them even if you already have them)

Game 2: *Yawn*

So tired these days. It'll be even worse come next week. I've got 4 midterms in a span of 3 days.

I should be studying right now, but I'm playing go. I've been playing really well lately. Got most of my accounts to 4k or higher on kgs. I really ought to try and get them higher but oh well (I'll just let them drift up a bit). Here's a game that got one of my accounts to 4k:

My opponent is 7k and this was a 2 handicap game.

Moves 1 - 50

After 50 moves, the board is clearly in Black's favour. Two very solid corners and a large right side. I estimate about 60 points for Black if his positions are simply reduced and not invaded. White has roughly 55 points counting the same way but Black's positions are much more solid. Also note that the life of White's group on the left hangs on a ladder. White can choose to play lightly against that stone should it run, but White would be left with a group with no eyes and Black is already one up against it on both sides.

Moves 51 - 100

I played 51 in preparation of a corner invasion or to cut off the stone and chase it around while securing my left group. Black didn't take the bait though and didn't start running with it. Instead, he landed in at 54, a reduction. I think it would be better placed one lower as an invasion and take away all that white territory. White never had any prospects for the outside anyway with that black thickness on the right. After the double hane at 59, 61 was almost too perfect for white to miss. White then cut off the group from the right and started his own in the middle. Black played 82 in gote so white invaded deeper into the right with 83, hoping to attack Black's lower right or upper right. Black played 88 to defend the bottom right and a huge attack ensued on the upper right group.

Moves 101 - 150

Black made out with his group while leaving White without two eyes in the middle. Black probably could have gotten out better and attacked the attacker. White captured 2 stones with 139 and Black played a safe connection move with 140. White then began a large ko with the sequence from 141 to 145 (to the right of 134). Black made a huge mistake with his ko threat, not realizing the worth of this ko fight. White filled the ko at 147 (at 132) and killed Black's middle group while Black had to kill White's left group with one more move. Black has roughly 62 points while White has roughly 90 points. White was already in the lead and once again had sente.

Moves 151 - 185

After 161, Black must secure his corner. Black got careless and played the gote sequence 164-166. White killed the corner with 167 and was now over 60 points ahead. After 185, Black lost by time and I was promoted to 4k.

I thought Black played well at first, but played too many slack moves and gave away sente too much. Of course, this is expected in handicap games, but I didn't expect so much in a 2 handicap game. Black missed his chance to attack white's middle group and that was his biggest mistake. It wasn't a great game for me either but this game was 3:00/25 which is about 7 seconds per move and I really suck at blitz.

P.S. I won't tell you what my accounts are.

Objective view

The tough thing about go when you're starting out (mid kyus and even up to dans) is that it is hard to judge a position objectively. Most of the time, you'll think you're way behind or the position is better for your opponent. It'll look like your opponent's territory is bigger and more solid even when the situation is equal for both sides. It's that thing about the grass being always greener on the other side.

This is especially confusing when you're starting to learn josekis. After you play it, it seems like you're in a far worse position than you really are. Why? Josekis are supposed to lead to equal results. It should be good for both players. The fact is, the result is equal for both. The situation is bad for both players.

The phenomenon is pretty simple to explain. The flaws in your positions are always on your mind. This is because most players have a defensive view of things. Even attackers need to keep in mind the weaknesses of their groups. You always want to make sure that your opponent can't attack your groups strongly. What you don't notice are the flaws in your opponent's positions. Sure, you'll be figuring them out as you play, but you will prioritize your groups first, your opponent's second.

If you're struggling to get stronger because of this simple phenomenon, do what Apple says. Think Different. Prioritize the weaknesses of your opponent's groups first, your groups second. Always be on the offensive. You'll start seeing all the weaknesses in your opponent's position and when you switch back to your original style, you'll know from experience that your positions are both not as great as you thought.

Another way to get over this hurdle is to play a lot of games. Don't play the same joseki over and over again unless you play it from the other side from time to time. Play like your previous opponent. Find out what they were thinking when playing against you. Eventually you'll be able to know what they're thinking while they're playing against you.

Always take a look at things objectively. Don't let your colour cloud your judgment.

Funny thing is, this applies in real life too. This isn't so surprising since I've already used that grass is greener line already. Always think things through in an objective view. A lot of mistakes can be avoided. Do things right, think different.

P.S. I hate Apple.

House M.D.

I must seem like a real loser, blogging two Friday nights in a row... but you know, even pimps work Friday nights. Anyway...

While the Leafs won a game against Florida to end their losing streak, another one is beginning. They're playing Washington today, and while I expect them to win, I've got a strong feeling they'll lose. Pat Quinn was on Leafs Lunch today and was talking about a bunch of things like Stajan getting less ice time, how he's had to make a lot of changes due to injuries and pairing up Sundin with Lindros. Because of the way he answers hot topic questions, it was interesting and not interesting at the same time.

Enough about the Leafs...

I haven't gotten much sleep this week. Been pretty busy with school and watching House M.D. season 1.

House is a great show. If I had a medical degree I'd confidently say as a doctor, "This show is da bomb!" with emphasis on being a doctor. You should watch it. It probably helps to know what they're saying, but some people (not me I swear) just like to hear people say medical terms like "stat!" and "CT scan".

It was funny when House said something about afternoon delight which instantly reminded me that this show is on the same network as the other show I've recommended to others in the past, Arrested Development.

What makes this show great (at least in Season 1) is Dr. Cuddy. A brilliant woman, who's the head of the entire hospital. House just loves to make trouble for her and she loves to make him miserable. They have duels of wits in every episode and it's really enjoyable to watch. However, they both respect each other and the great chemistry between them really makes this a wonderful show... and I haven't even mentioned the main plot of the show or the comedic displays of the protagonist.

Other cast members include doctors Cameron (an emotional trainwreck), Chase (who loves his job but hates the work) and Foreman (a juvenile gone clean). Also making frequent (more than once per episode) appearances is his best and only friend Dr. James Wilson.

It's been on a long break, but Fox will start airing new episodes next Tuesday.

Another show to watch out for is The Office. It seems to be a very low budget show, but it's definately better than 99% of other shows. It's on NBC on thursdays. (Now you can't say I'm a FOX fan [which is funny because I have a beanie from FOX the racing gear company])

I'd recommend more shows to watch, but I don't watch that much TV.

C'mon Leafs!

It's only been an hour, but I feel I need to post this rant.

The Leafs are on a 7 game losing streak. Lost every game since McCabe's been out, which kind of tells you how much the team needs him. What should be done? Well, a few players out with injuries should not lead to a whole team malfunction. Even if they are key players. The coach's job is to fill in the gaps with capable players and keep the team from breaking down.

Pat Quinn has this 'stick with experienced players' mentality and I think he's relying too much on them. Sure, experience is important and they are your better players most of the time. However, when you don't give ice time to the relatively inexperienced players, they'll never get on your list of "experienced players". When your key players get injured (which happens more when you give them more ice time) and your inexperienced players are the only ones you can depend on, how do you think they'll handle a surge in ice time?

Here's how he should be thinking: Only let players play if you'd normally let them play. Now before you start thinking about the issues with injuries and not enough men, read deeper. The key to solving the issues is to change your definition of normal. This means that he should plan on people being injured and regardless of the injury combinations, he should be able to go on as if nothing happened. Of course, you can't plan for all injury combinations.. but he should be able to at least get by when 3 key players are injured.

Another thing Pat Quinn likes to do is match up the opponent's best with his best. Unless you've got favourable match-ups in other lines, this is a bad approach. Sure, it sounds cowardly, but you should be getting more ice time than your opponent where your 5 men are better than theirs.

Right now, the Leafs are just lucky the No.8 team in the conference is doing as badly as them. The Thrashers have yet to pull away with it, staying just a point ahead, while the Leafs are in their biggest slump in a while.

The Raptor's GM recently got fired (probably undeserved [or deserved, but very late]). If you look at the records of the Raptors and the Leafs the past 8 weeks, you'll see that the Raptors have been doing a lot better. Will we see something done to this team by the MLSE? As a Leaf fan, I sure hope so.

Happy new year!

Yeah! I know it's late. I've been busy. Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted... not that anyone reads this.

The Conservative party won the election a few nights back... Feels odd since the Liberals have been in power since I came to Canada.

Did I vote? No. I'm with Hiko Seijuro when he says that a user of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu shouldn't take sides in any political affair. It would cause a tragedy... (Yes, I am a master of the sword)

So what have I been doing if I wasn't voting? Well, first of all, voting takes less than a day so that wouldn't even begin to be a reason for not posting. I've been holding back on posting here and have been writing in a little book every now and then. I won't share what I write in there though.

I recently quit playing Team Fortress Classic. I used to play in the range of 40-60 hours a week. It was just a useless addiction that probably won't take me anywhere in life.

I just started a new school term and have been going to most of my classes. Here are stats for the period of Jan. 3 to Jan. 27:

• Gone to scheduled class: 55/57 (96.5%!)
• Total number of hours in class: 69.5
  
• Average number of hours in class per (5-day) week: 18.3 (look at the calendar before e-mailing me)
  
• Submitted assignments: 8/8 (100%!)
  

This is not so bad for someone who used to go to less than 10% of all classes and submitted less than 40% of all assignments in previous terms.

Add in the fact that I actually have to spend time working on the assignments and going to client and group meetings and you'd think I could wrap it and hurl it at your face as an excuse for not posting... but you're forgetting about December! Well I've been busy then with exams and not having an internet connection. So there.

Anyway, like I said, we have a new prime minister. Mr. Harper has been very public and just three days in as the big man, he's already standing up for Canada about the waters in the north.

An article predicts that Canada will be a bigger producer than Saudi Arabia one day. Look around you right now. You might be in the presence of an undercover American pretending to be Canadian, just ready to strike some major cities in the US once Canada finds those fields in an attempt to make Canada out to be a terrorist nation! Yes, you read that crazy long sentence correctly. Your mother or father or even little Billy could be a terrorist of tomorrow!