» This is the first entry I've ever written without an Internet connection. Feels weird. We're moving, so the ISP account was cancelled. Later I will find a connection and post this.
Early last night I was wandering the neighborhood, laptop in hand .. checking the strength of the various wireless signals I found there.
Lots of them. Only one was unsecured, but it's signal was too weak to sustain a connection.
So I started knocking on doors & ringing doorbells. You know .. like the neighbor who comes looking for a cup of sugar.
"Excuse me. I live right over there and we're moving next week, so our internet was canceled. Do you happen to have a wireless connection I could piggy-back on for a few days?"
Everybody seemed eager to help, but nobody could remember where they put their WEP password. I finally gave up waiting while they looked.
One guy said he gave his password to his neighbor. He called her to ask if she still had it, but she wasnt home, so he left a message. Lets hope.
Guess I could just run a 100-foot length of CAT5 network cabling over the fence from the neighbor's house. But I'm not that desperate. (Yet.)
None of the connections were very strong. And even the ones identified as 'good' (while standing in front of their house) .. would fluctuate.
Anyway, it feels weird to write this with no internet connection. I will not be able to search for and add related graphics & images. With writing, I've found .. you need to stay in practice .. to keep the gears oiled. Or they start to rust. So writing seems more important than posting. But an audience always adds the thrill of exposure.
Guinness Book of Records
I have moved (so far) 25 times since my 18th birthday. I grew up in the same house my whole life .. but after that » on the move. A rolling stone gathers no moss. This will be move 26.
Do you know anyone who has made more moves (.. since turning 18)? Nobody I know does.
I'm gonna call the folks at Guinness. Perhaps I qualify for an entry in their book of records. The Dog may have me beat, but the only 'Guinness' he cares about flows out of a chrome tap.
Every time I move, I gain more admiration for Gandhi .. who, when he died, had only 7 possessions. A bowl, a robe, a holy book, pair of sandals, bifocals and a couple other things.
Julie would limit her belongings to the things she could carry in 1 trip with her convertible VW bug (.. I thot that was cool) .. 'til she got that couch .. that green couch she loves.
••• today's entry continues here below •••
Easy to accumulate junk. Too easy. Especially in our consumer society. Dead weight. The things we own start to own us.
I have an impressively small 'footprint' .. especially by Orange county standards (OC). Heck, if they knew how little I actually have, they might escort me to the LA county border. =)
Feels good to jettison. I jettison junk every move. Liberating. Out with the old, in with the new. I'm much more reluctant now .. to accumulate 'things'. [ You'd be too, if you had to move everything you own 26 times. =) ] Speaking of which.
The Rhino Arrives
My Rhino book arrived. Surprisingly well written. At least the first few chapters that I've perused so far.
Refreshing to read a well-written technical book. I mean, programming, especially at first, can be dry. Because all programming books start with syntax. And there is nothing remotely creative about syntax.
[ Remember studying about verbs & predicates & direct objects? Just shoot me now. ]
That is a picture of a *Javan* rhino on the cover, btw. Flanagan dedicates his book »
To all who teach peace and resist violence.
That's definitely the coolest dedication I've ever seen.
The good thing is that JavaScript syntax & operators & data-types are nearly *identical* to those in PHP. And I took the time to learn PHP syntax & operators well. Both upside down and inside out.
So most of the introductory Rhino chapters have been a pleasant review of sorts .. with only a little new stuff. But this is definitely real programming. JavaScript (Flanagan claims) is the "most ubiquitous programming language in history." (JavaScript interpreters are included on all modern browsers, game consoles, tablets & smart phones).
JavaScript not Really JavaScript
I found it interesting to learn that .. what most people call 'JavaScript' .. is not really JavaScript. What we call JavaScript is really ECMAScript (the standard licensed by the European Computer Manufactures Assn).
JavaScript is actually Mozilla's "implementation" of ECMAScript (.. horrible name. Sounds like something your doctor might prescribe to cure a nasty skin rash.).
The interpreter found in IE is called JScript. The one in Google Chrome is called V8. There are many implementations, but only one standard. So unless you're using either Firefox or Seamonkey, you're not really using JavaScript.
Version 5 was approved December 2009. Flanagan's book cover ECMAScript version 5. (Wonder why they didnt apply for standardization with the W3C.) Prior to ES5, the language was stable and browser implementation was interoperable for nearly a decade.
ES3 came before ES5. There is no ES4, which was in development for years, but proved too ambitious and was never approved.
One of the reasons I like programming is cuz it takes no space .. other than say, a laptop. Easier for a programmer to move than say .. a blacksmith (and all his hammers). ■
For more along these lines, here's a Google search preconfigured for the query » moving tips .. another for » moving sucks .. and lastly, for the query » learn javascript ecmascript 5.
