After a long interlude, I've decided to attempt a return to purple hair (although not a mohawk this time). In preparation, Katy bleached the hell out of my hair this weekend. The result, while just an intermediate stage, looks rather amusing:

I just got a 1U rackmounted server that I'm planning to colocate for ~$70/mo, which I can then use for all sorts of exciting high-bandwidth always on applications. I've had lots of ideas about fun things to do with net servers that just ain't practical over DSL. Getting unix running on it is somewhat stretching my technical abilities, which is a little frustrating but at least its proving a useful learning experience.

Two of my plans for the summer involved visiting Costa Rica and taking Spanish classes. It seems I can combine them by going to an immersive language school in San Jose, Costa Rica for 1-4 weeks. Since its in the capital, I'd also be able to play in the juicy local no-limit poker game a few days a week. A positive addition to my thoughts on moving to CR is the success of their libertarian party in the latest election, (6 out of 55 members of congress). I am still torn about expatriation, as I wrote to a friend recently:

I am torn between being deeply bothered by supporting things that I find repugnant, and the fact that my whole life is here: my friends, my family - my community. I vacillate between feeling as though I cannot, in good conscience, remain here, and feeling as though I can't leave. Reading newspapers always puts me in in the first mode, and time spent immersed in my life and ignoring world events in the second. I have seriously considered moving to Costa Rica, but as yet I have not found the strength to actually do so. Do I not have the courage of my convictions, or am I being realistic and practical?

For now I am taking steps to make an eventual move possible, but doing so fairly slowly.

The annual Burning Man festival is coming up at the end of august. Last year my friend Brian and I decided that we would return this year if and only if we had a cool project. Inspired by the Cluster Ballooning website, our plan is to bring enough helium and balloons to lift a person and some ballast into the air, using a paragliding harness (with integrated parachute). The person would be tethered for safety, of course. Since the theme this year is the desert as ocean, we are thinking of using EL wire to decorate the cluster as a giant jellyfish (running a power line up the tether). Carl & I did some preliminary investigation and think it could be done for $5K or so. I just hope those F-16's don't buzz the camp low again this year, that could be dangerous...

I spent 2 weeks this month at the annual World Series of Poker in vegas, where I played 4 tournaments, reaching 11th (out of ~420) in one of them, my highest WSOP finish to date. Woohoo! The championship event starts monday, wish me luck!

After a period of more than 6 months without a major project to work on, I've reluctantly admitted that I should get a job. Being a dilettante is great fun, but I could use some more structure in my life, to help me get work done. I'm going to try to get a half-time job this fall, something that I can telecommute to which involves fun programming and/or working on something whose goals I approve of. Until then, though, I'm gonna stick with the usual mishmash of missions, potluck of projects, and tons 'o travelling :).

<< Is ketosis from a low-carb diet bad? (5/23/02) << || >> Alternative Drugs for ADD/ADHD (3/24/02) >>