gdp's Comments

Atomic Toasters : User Input: Creative Repurposing

Tue, 5 Jun 2012 23:03:42 +0000

[youtube Nn__9hLJKAk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn__9hLJKAk youtube] "Dearthair's Dental Dungeon" Or whatever requires twisting and turning, hmm, can opener, or! one those wind-up flashlights, though I suppose that would defeat the purpose of it being more environmentally friendly...

Atomic Toasters : Gimli Glider: Darn the Metric System

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 03:13:51 +0000

I love this story. I learned of it watching the Air Crash Investigations episode; they really brought it to life. I think the best part is (aside from the no one died part) that he was practically DRIFTING(!!) A FREAKIN 767(!!) *Controls rattling, cabin shaking "I'm going to slip it." *Stunned stare from co-pilot *BAM SIDEWAYS Then I saw the animation of it sideslipping. I got about as excited as the first time I watched Initial D. Which is to say freakin awesome-excited. Yeah! ... They should make a movie.

Atomic Toasters : What Ever Became of...TV Trays?

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 18:27:52 +0000

We still eat together as a family around the table and not in front of the TV, but when I have snacks I consume them on the desk which my laptop is also on. We didn't have TV trays, but we used to have a set of small coffee tables to have ice cream on while everyone's watching TV and we'd sit on the floor stuffing our little faces full. Now, if there's a snack with a strong aroma/is messy it's easier to unplug the laptop and bring it into the kitchen.

Atomic Toasters : User Input: Non-Negotiable

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:22:28 +0000

Second the heated seats, especially now. I try to wean myself off it, purposely leaving it off on some days, but my butt-skin must have gotten thinner; on colder days I shiver and shake and I just have to hit that button.

Atomic Toasters : User Input: FROM THE FUTURE!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:37:37 +0000

Wireless internet connection. From, oh, five-seven years ago when we had a clunky D-link router and a clunky USB receiver of the same brand for the desktop...oh, that thing was a pain. I am convinced that the connection depended on the angle of the plastic antennae, metallic objects in the vicinity and wandering human flesh. It would drop the connection, plus sometimes the phone company would have problems during peak hours, or sometimes it would Just Not Work, which would end up with me calling the phone company to diagnose my network. Ugh. Not to mention the stack of "faulty" routers (some are refund receipts) in the cabinet right now who have failed to grant even wired computers access. To now, where my laptop finds the nearest connection automatically and gee, wifi! I could walk into a public space and have the internet to my disposal. No issues with connectivity on either end. On a level much, much bigger then two home computers going through a router. Now that, is the future!

Atomic Toasters : First Person View flying, the ultimate RC plane.

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:01:39 +0000

Well, at least you manage to didn't crash it; an RC car will accidentally careen towards a wall, but an RC plane can end up in pieces on the ground. And some of those beautiful multi-jet-engined behemoths are so well done, you'd think they'd be crazy to fly it. Then they do. Crazy. I'd just settle for building a large scale Boeing 777 and sit it somewhere as a conversation piece.

Atomic Toasters : First Person View flying, the ultimate RC plane.

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 21:57:36 +0000

I will need one of these things. I always mix up my rights and lefts just playing on the horizontal plane (rc cars.) and I've seen plenty of model airplane crashes on Youtube. As for those people who build huge models of jumbo passenger jets with actual jet engines and then landing them without these goggle things? Massive respect. (brb gonna fire up flight sim)

Atomic Toasters : TechSpeak: Sound impressive saying ordinary things.

Sat, 1 Oct 2011 20:41:16 +0000

iPod > Soundal Device > Portable soundal device > Portable mechanical-wave oscillational device > Portable precision-calibrated mechanical-wave oscillational device. Oh, yeah!...

Atomic Toasters : The Deceptively Simple Limerick

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:18:05 +0000

Gah, I didn't get the multi-line mutisyllabic part of the challenge. Hey, does that mean your first accented syllable on the third line should rhyme with the one on the fourth? Her husband had gone, For Gus turned her on (something, something that rhymes with the second line. I need to use the rest of class to think about it.) I'm still proud of mine, though.

Atomic Toasters : User Input: A Brief Aside

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:15:27 +0000

I've just written a limerick about poo, if that will make you feel any better. But seriously, sorry for your loss. Your uncle might not be here anymore, but your memories of him are for yours to keep.

Atomic Toasters : The Deceptively Simple Limerick

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:09:59 +0000

Challenge Accepted! There once was a man from Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, He barged through the door and needed to shite a bit. "You buy something first, Before-a-you burst" Rejected, he made it as far as the London Bridge. /bows

Atomic Toasters : Startup: What's In A Face?

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:58:47 +0000

I'm in design, so inevitably I come across fonts. I know the basics, but it takes a trained eye to start modifying stuff, and apparently amateur additions are very easy to see...it's crazy the amount of detail and balance this subsection of graphic designers analyzes. I use this handy chart to guide me, but I don't have all the fonts (though it might be out of date...whatever, good jumping-off point): http://julianhansen.com/files/infographiclarge_v2...

Atomic Toasters : Shutdown: Scenery and Class

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:31:36 +0000

Thanks for the reply, now I have some reference points viewing their photos. Also, westwards ho!

Atomic Toasters : Shutdown: Scenery and Class

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:45:02 +0000

This is oddly fitting with both the post and the site itself...I mean, a relevant, cohesive promotion and a girl from the virtual world? Okay, I'm only here because I think Dearthair and someone else was talking about which is the more beautiful side of the Rockies and I kinda want to find that exchange again. I'd love to go someday, but a friend just did! I'd like to pretend to be somewhat knowledgeable in addition to the excitement...

Atomic Toasters : User Input: The Hard Candy Shell

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:08:26 +0000

Since this is Atomic Toasters, it'll appropriate for The HQ to house one of these: <img src="http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/5839/mactoaster.jpg" width="300/"> Actually, it's kinda been done, as I've found out when looking for toaster images: http://www.homeserverhacks.com/2008/05/real-home-... Still, this has got the pop-up cd/toast thing going on (but it's probably not a good idea to get the computer running hot enough to make actual toast in the other slot. *Toast for illustrative purposes only)

Atomic Toasters : Viva la France!

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:00:58 +0000

Was about to say something about the lack of Frenchiness in the pictured Staedtlers, but for the life of me I can't find a current French-manufactured pencil brand. I've got German, American and Chinese in my drawers right now.

Atomic Toasters : Startup: The Abject Failure of Technology

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 01:09:15 +0000

I do that, but my mapquest is the main course; the "Golden Horseshoe" is the backup. I'll study the map on the computer, take mental notes on the configuration of the more difficult on-off ramps, and bring the notes. Usually I have a co-driver so I hand it to them and ask for confirmation along the route.

Atomic Toasters : User Input: A Good Pun Is Its Own Reword

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:37:50 +0000

I had your name in the running, but there was no way OA5599 could be punned; Kowalski's cool is just unpenetrable ;)

Atomic Toasters : User Input: A Good Pun Is Its Own Reword

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:36:41 +0000

Credit to my high school physics teacher for the idea; he took the attendance sheet and made a story out of all our first and last names. I've forgotten how he handled "Vethanayagam" but it was pretty epic. Anyway: “That’s Dmilligan! You’ve driven past d’mill twice already!” “Shit! I must be goingincirclez.”(Where is he anyway??) "(md)HARREL!!" Charles’_Barrett had a knack for not shutting up in these critical moments. Anyway, they continued driving like a Zombee Racer; too bad the aastrovan's not engineerd like a Boeing B72. “Did you just run over that programmer like he was a CardboardTube?” “Yeah, I think Techie(‘s)InHell now!” “Enough about the manslaughter! Whoever built these roads’ on a goddamn PowerTryp. I swear if I ever see-hey, there it is!” “Dearth(o’er th)air into that little driveway-thing!” *SCREECHWHOA!! “We’re there!” “Whew, Tonyol(s)a Lotte to your sharp eyes, but damn Tony you must have IronBallsMcG handling a car like that. At least we’ve found the Beer Store...oh muthalovin christ here comes the Feds_II. Somebody must've called (P161)911."

Atomic Toasters : User Input: A Little Tenderness

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:50:54 +0000

And now the mushy personal back story for those interested: Recently, I’ve gone on a first date with nothing but a preliminary plan to go to a popular tourist attraction (The Peak in Hong Kong). It was the top of a tall hill that overlooks pretty much the whole city. Gorgeous. Anyway, we met up at a subway station midway between where we live, and proceeded to hike the whole thing. Got lost on the way through the urban maze, date almost got ran over by a car when I held her hand as I bolted across, then it was my turn shortly after when she saw a gap in traffic (seriously, don’t hold hands crossing, you’ll always be thinking the opposite action of the other person…) Found the proper way, up the hill, scenery, cool breeze in the hair not a care in the world etc. etc. then “Hey, you know what would be fun? If we hike it to (somewhere quite far from where we were) there’s some bike trails that we can ride on.” Set arbitrary destination (with paper maps, too!) and go. Without the interconnected network of trains, bike paths, and sustenance along the way, this would have been completely impossible to do, since it was already about midday; we’ve basically made two days’ activities into one! Got off the train, wandered lost some more (this is great to test how tolerant you are of each other…), found some bikes, and away we went! Thanks to roads, conveniently placed convenient stores, and a Proper public transportation network, we were able to chase the falling sun, racing to get the bikes back to the rentals because we just spent entirely too ~~much~~ little time at the sea’s edge watching the sun set. “Oh, I don’t think we’d make it. Well…(10 minutes pass) we better get going!” Oh, and we ended up on a dam, so I guess that also counts as an essential technology for me…