Today my son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.

I’m quite content that now there is a going to be a BarCamp in Croatia. The have their own site, but there is also the wiki version. It’s been over a year since my departure, so I regret that I’ll be unable to attend. I wish them well.

It’d be nice to be in Las Vegas this weekend for Interbike, however I wait and pray that Dirt Rag will do a good job of covering the deal. What would one do if they were there anyway?

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, for they, too, have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keeps peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

Found in Old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore: dated 1692

It’s father’s day this weekend and I will be with neither my boys nor my father. I will miss them terribly, just like I do every day.

I’ve had a copy of the PAS 78 since 27 June 2006. Had Derek Featherstone not mentioned anything, I would not have taken this photo. The terms and conditions aside, I couldn’t resist to show off my two copies.

At that @media 2006, there was this guy, Jeremy Keith. And he starts to explain, and then he elucidates, emanates, JavaScript really well and here he is giving us the recap. Somewhere in his melee of banter, he explains the Kobayashi Maru scenario and starts asking people where that comes from and if they answer it right they’ll get a book. I need/want that book, so I raised my hand because I was going to answer it but thank goodness I didn’t answer it because I was going to say something about Keyser Soze and Pete Postlethwaite come to mind from some other movie and not the movie that I ought to have known about, because I’m half mentally impaired, or something. What’s my point? Give us words all you want, but without emotions behind them, they’ll take us nowhere. Look it up. [I ended up buying the book and getting him to sign it to honour the emotion behind his words. Although a better preface would have made for a better forward.]

I found myself defending Shakespeare today after nearly ten years of not caring for the man, or his works.

Originally written in Spring 1996

Alice definitely has something against authority figures or something against the fact that they are authority figures, when in fact they are no smarter then she. She finds that she doesn’t want them, however she finds that when one appears by themselves she gives them the respect they deserve. She may think them odd after parting with them, yet she cares for their company. When new characters are introduced, if they are by themselves, they tend to gain Alice’s respect by helping her find her way through Wonderland or Through The Looking Glass. The Mouse in the Pool Of Tears, ignores Alice at first and then helps her only to find her a waste of his time and then leaves. The caterpillar helps her but has other matters to attend to. The Cheshire Cat helps Alice as needed and then disappears. And then the Duchess, who at first is introduced to Alice within a group setting, warms up to her wanting to be her mentor only to be ran off by the Queen who then takes Alice under her wing. The Queen has been very nasty with Alice while amongst a crowd, but now showers Alice with attention. The Queen then hands Alice over to the Griffin. Alice enjoys the company of the Griffin until she is introduced to the Mock Turtle, when the Griffin starts chortling very oddly with the story of the Mock Turtle. After this Alice is never alone with anyone until she comes out of her dream in the lap of her sister.

However, when characters are introduced in groups, there is always mass confusion. This stems from the fact that the characters involved are very mismatched.

Perhaps the exception to all of the previously stated observations is the White Rabbit. From the very beginning, the White Rabbit has no concern for nobody but himself. At first Alice scares him but then he mistakes her for his maidservant and sends her off on a mission. She instantly attends to the Rabbits demands only to find herself growing in his house which causes an uproar with the Rabbit. Then W. Rabbit brings his other servants in the picture only to cause the confusion of missed logistics on the part of Bill the lizard.

When Alice comes across the Duchess’s house, she immediately meets a messenger from the Queen and the Duchess’s doorman who is very depressed and no help at all due to the confusion inside with the Duchess, the cook and the baby. She leaves only to find herself stumbling into a very mad tea party. That explains itself. All of this is only in the first part of the stories.

Dodgson is interpreting Alice’s perception of the authority figures she comes into contact with everyday of her life. She sees adults by themselves very confident on matters of intellect, however when adults come together, they can never agree to make sense on anything. So Alice is seeing adults one moment being one way and then the next moment being another way. Constantly contradicting themselves making Alice believe that she is equal to them if not better then them at this point in her life, so there is no need for her to stay young anymore and might as well be a grownup. After all, this is what Alice’s sister is pondering after Alice tells her of her dream of Wonderland.

Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise. -the Duchess