Powermac G5 for sale

Another item for sale - I'm really loving this eBaying thing right now. Yes, I need more space around my flat and can't really haul this baby around either, as much as I'd want to.

1.6 Ghz PowerMac G5 with 17" Apple Studio Display, Final Cut Express, iWork, 1.25 GB RAM, 160 GB HD

Sights> Stonehenge - the best henge since 2500 BCE

Here are photos from the Stonehenge trip yesterday. I'd imagine that it still looks pretty much the same.

Stonehenge

Aug 28, 2006 - 10 Photos

Log> +380 miles on the clock today

I gave the VFR an acid test today, and it tested me in places too. A little ride to the coast got detoured after I discovered Stonehenge was on the route - the stones in the middle of the field just popped up after a curve - and after a major route was closed due to an accident. I saw a handful of Devon coastal towns, ate terrible junk food and tried as many different riding positions as I could think of. My neck is absolutely killing me right now, and the backside is a bit sore too. I'll upload the photos tomorrow, not now no.

First, the bike is an absolute gem. I didn't really get even close to the upper limits of performance but learned so much about how it behaves and what it likes when. Taking off from London the winds were very gusty and strong, and I just tried to hug my tank pad as well as I could. The neck started to feel like someone was hammering marlinspikes through the spinal discs already after 30 miles, and doing on average something like 78 mph. Not good.

I started to get the hang of it later, after having gone nearly numb to the pain. Frequent short stops really are key, and by the time I got to the beautiful winding B-roads, I was feeling better.

The way back was surprisingly better, although the neck was fatigued and hurting. The winds weren't too bad at all and I started hitting high speeds comfortably without any vibrations. At around 90 mph, the wind blowing over the double-bubble windshield supports the head nicely, and you can actually just lean forwards, letting the wind support the head. Except when it gets dark, and you start hitting the moths. I thought at first a bird had flown against my visor, but the yellow smudge was instead the insectoid kind, but it still managed to completely block of my right eye.

And this is where the VFR VTEC only starts to show what it's made of. The VTEC engine has been called bad names by the biking press, but I can't really see why. The extra kick delivered by the VTEC opening the two additional valves at around 6,500 rpm (I'd say around 6,800 in my case) is smooth and welcome. Going in 6th gear on the motorway, I found it to kick in right on time to take the speedometer to 100 and above.

Netgear Gigabit Router For Sale

(apologies for using my blog for these purposes, I just needed a quick page to test a new product idea. No, you can't figure it out just by the fact I'm selling a router on eBay.)

This is on sale on eBay. No reserve price. Please go and grab it.

Netgear Gigabit Ethernet hub / switch, 1-to-5


NETGEAR’ s GS605 5-port Gigabit Ethernet Switch connects your network with the dual advantages of performance and convenience. As a fast, auto-switching Ethernet connection, the GS605 integrates both Fast Ethernet and Gigabit devices into your network—supporting both Windows and Macintosh platforms at speeds up to 10 times faster than Fast Ethernet.

NOTE: bought in FRANCE, so will likely have a continental European power plug !!

Highlights

* 5 10/100/1000 Mbps ports offer a high-speed, auto-sensing Ethernet connection
* Auto Uplink™ functionality automatically adjusts for straight through or crossover cables
* Supports 802.1p priority tags – ideal for VoIP applications
* Noise-free operation for a peaceful work environment
* Ideal for home and small office environments

Science> Thoughts> On the Happiness of Mice and the Last Man

Our gallant friends, The Scientists, have alledgedly bred a mouse that is perpetually happy, as detailed in this giddy Slashdot post. The technique will of course be sought to be applied to humans at some point, and the genetic modification of the TREK1 channel is maybe sufficient to achieve this.

Oversimplified, I think the mechanism is similar as with newer antidepressants (SSRIs - selective serotonin uptake inhibitors). The released serotonin doesn't get absorbed and stays floating between the synapses, enabling faster transmission of chemical information in the brain. Mechanisms are of course of little importance - it's the application that counts. For me, this would be the biggest ethical question human sciences have yet faced. The fundamental question is "Should we be allowed to breed happy people?"

This begs definitions. Happiness is to a large extent relative, I think we can agree. If every day were Christmas, Santa Claus wouldn't be special at all. Thus, it can be argued that this would in fact make no difference to the person modified in this manner, because they wouldn't know the difference - arguably, they wouldn't know what being depressed feels like. The same argument can be used from the other perspective as well - if there is no change, then the only negative effect (other things equal) would be the effort invested in modifying an organism this way.

Moving on, would this be something that would be made available to people on a case-by-case basis (to children born into demographics with higher likelyhood of depression, for example) or to all equally? In the long run, provided that the modification makes a difference, only the latter option would be genuinely equal.

One of the effects of SSRIs such as Prozac is that they diminish sexual drive. For me, this makes immediate sense - I bet if every depressed person got more sex, we'd all be happier. Moving on (quickly indeed), the reports that link the antidepressant trace contents in rivers to reproductive problems in fish (and the feminization of young male fish) would suggest that to this armchair neurobiologist (I'm armchair everything, really).

Before suggesting permanently high serotonin levels to signal the extinction of the human race, let's take a step back and look at the whole philosophical picture. This invention would at first seem to be in conflict with evolution - but making such a statement would be to assume that evolution itself had a goal, a meaning, a destination. And even if it did, maybe intelligence negating and erasing the instinctual animalistic behaviour - this burden our race carries from our past millenia in the oceans, the jungles, the savannas - would be in the "interest of evolution". Intelligent Design fans, rejoice (yes, both of you). I read too much Nietzsche as a kid, but this scenario does ring to me like a part of the human development from the camel into the lion into the child.

But man's search for meaning has been the driving force behind many innovations, advances of science and discoveries about the principles governing our existence. Arguably, this same search for meaning has also stagnated us, bound us to books some believe to be the word of god and stopped others from inquiring beyond these ultimate truths. Depending on what the balance turns out to be, perpetually happy people would perhaps not strive for such discoveries: they would be complacent, happy with the status quo. There is certainly evidence that depressed people treated with SSRIs are able to remain in the productive workforce better than depressed people not treated with comparable medication. But are there studies about the effect of serotonin levels on creativity, scientific inquiry or innovation? What if such aspirations are culled by higher serotonin levels resulting from antidepressants?

I tried to find a quotation to end this on high note, but the all the ones I found about achievement, happiness, suffering or innovation assumed that overcoming difficulties is a virtue in itself, not because of the end result. That is a leap of faith I cannot take - so there's no quote here, only the notion of a singular, absolutely fulfilled and complacent being in the void, going nowhere.

Log> 6 Western states on two wheels

The tickets have been reserved, the bikes and riders insured and the routes have been fleshed out. The only remaining questions are relatively minor - such as should I carry an open-face helmet or a full one? In the former case I'd get to resort to a bandana to cover the face in colder mornings. There's plenty of desert ahead and over 40 hours of riding in 8 or 9 days, going through canyons, national parks, ghost towns and hick villages. We'll end up in Vegas at the end of our treck on the Vulcan and Mean Streak cruisers we're riding, and I'll be sure to write down the revelations, visions and break-downs.

In other but very similar news, my new baby is of Honda make, VFR 800 VTEC model. A true beast in all black - the only thing missing are fangs. I'll be sure to sign up for BikeSafe trainings, track days and tours around this beautiful country.

I used Mapquest's new route option for the picture above, but unfortunately the beta doesn't allow to link to the route, so I had to do this Photoshop patch work.

Testing videos

Here is a video we just made in 3 minutes, exported and uploaded to Google Video.

Honda Varadero XL125 for sale

I'm selling my Honda XL125 Varadero after rolling in a VFR 800 and not having the space to keep two bikes. The XL125 is in good condition, a 2004 model with a low 5,700 miles and new tyres - and 3 months of dealer warranty left on it. Safe buy. There's an eBay auction here, and loads of photos below here too. Do bid on it.

Honda XL125

Aug 15, 2006 - 9 Photos

Sounds> Sons of Rother

Is Sons of Rother by Death in Vegas the best instrumental song ever written? Right now, for me, it is. I recently acquired everything by DIV and found Satan's Circus to be a really solid package, a true album fan's album. The retro touch though led me to assume that it was one of their earlier albums, but no, it's 2004. So - all is not lost after all, and good music is being made even in this millenium. Ahh. Art is getting better.

Here's a link to Sons of Rother in iTunes Music Store. The 30 second clip doesn't do justice to the song, but you get an idea of the hypnotic, semi-organic loop in the tune.

Tech> Sights> Picasa Uploader for Mac

A wonderful little product just came out from dear Google - the Picasa Web Albums Exporter for the Macintosh. The iPhoto plugin has already improved my photo-sharing abilities greatly, and I'll continue to advocate it to friends and family, so that I'll get to see their photos more too! Here's the blog post on the release.

Art> Sights> Maailmanmiehet

The cultural culmination of my latest Finland foray was a play called Maailmanmiehet, put on by a touring troupe of thesbians by the name Teatteri Laine & Rämö. The group includes strong acting by my brother, so I'm obviously biased, but the text was damn good too. I posted nearly 40 (damn good) photos for your perusal here.