Georgia Pok Guy

LAX now has a new strategy for protecting itself against terrorism: randomization.  This is definitely a very interesting application of AI; I mean, who would have thought that randomizing procedures would be an effective counter measure?  Yet, it fits well with the current world we live in.  So much of society is based on information, and war is no exception.  Sun Tzu’s bit about knowing your enemy (as well as yourself) is of increasing importance, and by denying your enemy information you increase your chances of winning.  However, it can only go so far.  The article mentions how humans, even when trying to be random, tend to be rather predictable.  How truly random does this system make the airport guards?  Is it possible for that day’s positions to be leaked?  Does the tendency to want to guard more important areas of the airport lead to patterns forming?  Overall, I would say this is a very interesting strategy that should work well, as long as it is used properly.  I wonder how much more of everyday life will be relegated to algorithms?

This weekend I did something I haven’t done in a while: sleep for 12 hours.  I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be fully rested, since I only got 7 hours of restless sleep on Friday night.  It was a welcomed change, since I have been pretty stressed out recently about getting this project done at work.  And then the preparations for moving to the new office and what not is no where near as smooth as I had hoped.  I am finding that the various offices at work can be really territorial, and the idea of losing talent (I mean that in a general sense, not that I have much talent for my job) is hard for them to stomach.  So, I’m not exactly relaxed at the moment, even after a weekend of inundating myself with visual entertainment (Spartacus, Rome season two, Code Geass, FMP! TSR, Civ 4).  Defnitely, I am not looking forward to this next week, although I am looking very forward to getting this over with.  Which is a great motivator, I assure you.

I love this photo I found on the BBC today:

And no, that isn’t Coca-Cola in a foreign language.  It says Free-Kosova, referring of course to the Kosovo independence movement (note: for some reason the Firefox spell checker doesn’t recognize “Kosovo”).  The thing I find interesting about this piece of graffiti is that it effectively draws the onlooker’s attention using a recognizable corporate trademark.  I’m sure that Kosovo has plenty of other examples of graffiti demanding independence, but a couple of words on a wall rarely jump out at the individual (unless you live in a place with little graffiti).  By using the Coca-Cola font, the creator has produced graffiti that even westerners can associate with, if even on a superficial level.  I guarantee that more Americans, Brits, &tc will take note of this style of graffiti than the Albanian equivalent.  It is quite interesting, and I think the creator must be a rather clever individual.  I am sure there must be psychological studies of this sort, where people are naturally drawn to things that are familiar.  Regardless, graffiti like this must bring at least a modicum of attention to the cause.

Someone at my place of employment happens to drive a Land Rover. Not a new one, mind you. One of the old ones. It is a faded blue and the interior looks like it has been trashed. And yet, for some reason beyond my own comprehension, I am enamored with this vehicle. I think a part of me associates this vehicle with off-roading adventure, barreling through jungles and coasting around savannas. This connection is made, in part, due to a trip I took to Nepal in my impressionable youth, where we rode around in open topped Land Rovers when we went on safari (as well as elephants, but, thankfully, I don’t want to get one of those). And so my heart pines for this vehicle, for the adventures it truly promises, even though my brain knows that will never happen and that this particular piece of machinery is unreliable and completely impractical for everyday use. “But! But!” screams my heart. “I can fix it up! I can make it run just fine. And besides, you’ll never have adventures in a Honda Accord.” My brain knows better. It knows that it knows next to nothing about cars (it can check the oil). It knows that if I ever purchased one with the caveat that it needs to be fixed up, that it would sit in the garage and gather dust.

So, if you ever see me driving an old type Land Rover around, you’ll know that I probably hit my mid-life crisis…

I’d be lying to you if I said that. Because my little brother is in Tokyo right now, as the first leg of his two week sojourn in Japan. So, what is a recent college graduate with no current prospects back home and an unlimited JR pass to do? What ever his little heart desires, I suppose. Personally, I’d be all over Honshu like the monsoon rains. I suppose I can’t really complain, since I did spend twenty days in Europe when I graduated from college. Still! I wouldn’t mind visiting ol’ Nippon again. Next year, maybe?

Ever wanted to see one of the world’s oldest continuously-inhabited cities?  Ever wanted to visit the site of a major battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III?  Ever wanted to visit a slice of Iraq that hasn’t been completely blown to hell?  Why not do it all in beautiful Iraqi Kurdistan?

In all seriousness, what I’ve heard about Iraqi Kurdistan lies in stark contrast to the experience of the remainder of Iraq.  It seems that the relative peace and stability it has experienced since 2003 has allowed it to take advantage of foreign investment and really improve life for Iraqi Kurds.  It truly is a tragedy the rest of Iraq isn’t more like it.  I’ll be interested to see tomorrow exactly what General Petraeus has to say about the situation in Iraq.  Who knows if it will be in anyway honest…

is it so impossible to buy a bulb of garlic where I don’t have to throw away half of the cloves because they’re sprouting leaves or they’re moldy?  Or is this a phenomenon restricted entirely to the Old Line State?

Today I added another thing to my things-to-do-before-I-die list: attend a Hanshin Tigers game for the sole purpose of singing their fight song:

Rokkō oroshi ni sassō to
Sōten kakeru nichirin no
Seishun no haki uruwashiku
Kagayaku wagana zo Hanshin Tigers
Ō-ō-ō-ō Hanshin Tigers
Fure-fure-fure-fure

Tōshi hatsuratsu tatsu ya ima
Nekketsu sude ni teki o tsuku
Jūō no iki takaraka ni
Muteki no warera zo Hanshin Tigers
Ō-ō-ō-ō Hanshin Tigers
Fure-fure-fure-fure

I could also kill a couple other birds with this eccentric stone by eating okonomiyaki and greeting someone with the phrase “maido!”

Granted, it isn’t mine, but it’s still friggin’ boss… I am wanting one soooo badly right now…