• Chinese Google Against the World
• Use rotateme.org to rotate any website (here's this blog rotated) (Note: Doesn't work with Opera)
• Nicovideo redirector (can be used to view videos without logging in or having an account at NicoNico Douga)
• Self-heating baby bottle
• Best origami with Japanese money, ever
• cornholio

In exactly one week, we will have additional babyage (in case you can't tell, that is).

December 6th, here we come!

It's a bit hard to believe, even as the truth protrudes further every day. Meanwhile, Max is learning new things every day and is showing incredible understanding for a 1.6 year old.

The bizarro chikara (力) tattoo!

The Blueprints Database

I can look at blueprints all day. Unfortunately the majority I saw there were simple sketches with little or no markup.

LOLZR!

• It looks just like the Hotmail layout. I only know what the current Hotmail looks like because I saw a noob using it in the wild the other day.
• Holy shit it's unintuitive
• The difference between nested/unnested replies is, for the most part, totally fucking unclear
• I feel like one of the cool kids now

Hit me up in the blog comments, send an email, or think about me hard enough to set off my spidey-sense.

Note: I plan on giving away a couple; the rest are for family.

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My Wave invite (and Gmail as well) came from Osaka Bill, so anybody who gets an invite should feel compelled to sign the petition for The Cure to play live in Japan (except that the actual signing page seems hosed. Oh, and the deadline passed 2 years ago..).

UPDATE: Invitations have been reserved to be sent to a couple lucky winners; Google says that they aren't always sent out immediately. Also, the Cure petition ended because they actually played at the Fuji Rock Festival in 2007 after a 23-year absence from Japan. Duh.

Thinking between metric, imperial, and traditional Thai/Japanese units is not so easy for a math wimp like me, so I rely on unit converters to do heavy (and sometimes quite light) lifting:

For a dedicated Windoze app I use Converber. There are many like it, but this one even has some Thai measurements in it.

A good online unit conversion utility can be found here: Online converter

I selected colors, he ownz0rr3d the canvas:

Most excellent.

It is currently 14.6°C (58.64°F). The news is reporting that many people have died in their beds overnight because they were unprepared for the cold.

Tekito Salada:

• A bag of mixed lettuce Nam bought on sale yesterday


• Onion


• Bell pepper


• Thick-cut ham slices


• 2 processed cheese slices

Special Tekito Salada Topping:

• Canned tuna


• Kewpie mayo


• Spike seasoning


• Pepper

Tekito Salada Dressing:

• Balsamic vinegar


• Olive oil


• Salt


• Pepper


• Sesame seeds

* Note that tekito (適当) means "whatever works" in Japanese.

Prepare and toss all of the Tekito Salada ingredients after dribbling on a suitable amount of Tekito Salada Dressing, then top with a scoop of Special Tekito Salada Topping. If your seasoning mojo is spot on, like mine was today, you will have created a perfect salad.

Possible improvements (if they happen to be in the fridge next time): Tomatoes, Borabu apples (or jicama), jerked cane frog powder

This story was great, but the first comment just made my head explode: Lost in the Waves

Swept out to sea by a riptide, a father and his 12-year-old son struggle to stay alive miles from shore. As night falls, with no rescue imminent, the dad comes to a devastating realization: If they remain together, they'll drown together.

Max and I have an ever-evolving game of kickball that we play inside the house at night. It's evolving so well, in fact, that last night I kicked the ball off the wall and it smacked directly into a tempered glass bowl sitting on the counter on its rebound, which of course slid off and broke on the kitchen tile in a hundred little pieces (luckily, it was tempered, so it wasn't a thousand little pieces). And of course, I did this in full view of my wife, who was too angry for words, but also (luckily for me) too pregnant to get up and slap me silly... Max thought this was all just hilarious, which made Nam even more apoplectic.

I am a bad role model, and I really suck at soccer.

At least I'm reasonably good at breaking things, otherwise I'd be a total failure!

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On a side note, I've gotten in several arguments with various people, mostly at work, all this week, so I need to chill a bit, maybe. Sometimes it's just hard when you feel like your true calling in life is being a mushroom cloud-laying m0th3rfuck3r, m0th3rfuck3r.

I haven't touched Linux since Ubuntu 7, but recently, a good friend recommended Linux Mint. I think I'll try it out and see how far things have progressed.

The crown princess is coming to Rajabhat Mahasarakham University for some kind of contest to be held at our new indoor event hall. This means I saw the first helicopter since the last time a member of the royal family came (last year, when another princess landed on our track to be taken by motorcade to preside over the graduation festivities for the sports college next door, where I exercise every day). Our building's parking lot has been declared the space for motorbikes, so there are probably a thousand parked out there so far.

In an hour or so when I leave for my workout, I hope I can get my car out. I parked it under some trees far away, but even those spaces might fill up.

Luckily, it's awesome.

I was horrified today when my personal trainer (male, 20) started massaging my legs with floral scented lotion instead of the sports liniment I'd been expecting... Horrified, yet silent.

Note: With this entry, I'm starting a new category of posts called Around Mahasarakham (AKA Around Maha Sarakham). People have been asking exactly what the town we live in is like, so I'll try to document it better in the future.

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Built to fail just last year, the OTOP marketplace is already sliding into moldy disuse, and the unmistakable stench of broken loser dreams permeates the entire area. It's one of my favorite places to hang out as its right down the street from work, it's always deserted, and my old rusty car just belongs in the parking lot.

Also, I buy bottled water in bulk there for half what it's sold for at Big C or Tesco (that's saying a lot), and occasionally look at the farm tools, 4th rate electronics, and used Korean black market shoes sold at various loser stores there just for fun... This place is cool because it's a horrible pit of failure and wasted tax dollars, and everybody there knows it. Most of the shops some how manage to make enough to keep going it seems, but I just don't know how. I've been there 35 or 30 times, and the most cars I've ever seen in the huge parking lot (not counting the ones they used to sell secondhand out front) was still less than 10.

Anyway, the various shops and stalls that comprise the marketplace just aren't very interesting, so I've never taken photos of them. A month ago, though, I came across a strange sight behind the administrative office building where I'd parked my car in the shade:

Of course, Max thought this was totally hilarious but didn't appreciate his mother swatting his hand away when he tried to goose them...

Currently Mr. Max's favorite words, accompanied by firm waving off with arms and violent shaking of head. Can be applied to people, objects, or actions, but especially to unwanted food, baths, and authority figures. Has recently been found to actually mean "yes", probably because Max can't yet say yes.

Mafia Wars CEO Brags About Scamming Users From Day One

Sadly, this is probably not the exception for viral Facebook apps.

These vids were taken at the teacher's accommodations we rented (House 109) at Khao Yai National Park from November 9 to 11, 2009. It rained every day, which brings the leeches out in great numbers. I had a few actually on my feet during different times, but none were on long enough to feast on my ambrosial blood. Too bad.

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Part 1 is very blurry and hard to see, but contains brutal leech burning imagery as an added bonus:

Thai language note: These leeches, on land, are called "taak." Ones in the water are "prin" (pronounced like pudding in Japanese without the hard "r") The hand-sized ones in the water are called "prin quai" (buffalo leeches).

Max is on my lap helping to go through the email backlog (actually, he's singing to Gonzo's Jamboree vid just now). Two things stand out about our trip this year: Our school's secondhand Fuso 2-ton truck and the infamous leeches of Khao Yai.

More to follow.

Tomorrow at 6:00 we leave our university for our International Camp at Khao Yai National Park. Max and Nam will take care of each other at home! The baby isn't due for another month!! I'll be back in a few days!!!

Tomorrow is Nam's birthday!!!!

(bang bang bang) (!!!)

Here's another great Facebook thread:

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Previous colors of Max:
yellow max
purple max
green max
monokuro max
red red max
orange max
sepia max
coppermine max
blue max

Mommy can barely get any sleep at all these days. Too heavy to sleep comfortably. Daddy wakes up at strange hours to rub her legs and shoulders. Mommy barely sleeping = daddy sleeping less, too. It's only fair.

Plus, if I complain she might sit on me.

Subtract 543.

That is all.

However, if you want to further convert that to Japanese Imperial calendar dates, this site sure comes in handy: NengoCalc

This year, 2009 AD, is also 2552 B.E. (Thailand) and Heisei 21 (Japan).

I think I have enough calendar systems in my life.

I had the gnarliest gas at the gym today, but I made it seem like it was this old guy that everybody hates by following him around from machine to machine.

Karma may be a bitch, but I'm pretty sure God thought it was pretty amusing and should kick me down bonus juju points for it or something.

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On less shocking notes, the new term has started at our uni, the weather has suddenly turned cool (21ºC/69.8ºF), Max has become a screamer unsuitable for taking shopping, and we didn't partake in any Loy Krathong festivities this year because Nam is full of baby and I hate people.

Japanese fishing trawler sunk by giant jellyfish

No word if tentacle rape was involved.