Listening to Super iTunes on Ising Morning

So I was asked recently why are you using Winamp? My response was 'because it has a neat jump feature', that's about it. Sure it is good for videos but I find it isn't. VLC works with the videos, even more so. So therefore I've switched. Planning for my future, I'm using iTunes, it seems okay, has a jump feature that may not be as good as Winamp's but I can change. Part of the switch was influenced by my Sister's iPod, they are quite nice little machines; love the click wheel.

Santa came, dropped off a family game. Super Scrabble. 'More tiles, More points, More squares, More fun' I thought there was too many tiles in the first one, it takes forever especially with me playing, But I must say quadruple word score is a nice tile to get.

On the topic of games, Island Morning apparently has a yearly phone-in about boardgames, card games, and hobbies. I heard this on my way to town last week. I felt obligated to spread my families Actionary experiences to the world, sorry maritimes. Let me regale you in the instructions

1. Just like Pictionary except act instead of draw.
2. Refer to Pictionary rules.

Some may say, 'Oh it's like Charades'. NO, NO, NO, NO. While sharing characteristics of charades it is fundamentally different. It is like comparing C to Java, sure both are programming languages but whoever says they're the same should be shot. (This is beneficial since they probably are a Java programmer and don't know the difference, one less Java programmer is always good :) ). You don't have to act out tough clues like Yugoslavia and Wilt Chamberlain in Charades. Anyway, needless to say we didn't play this Christmas, I think that it starts fights in our family, we don't play it to save Christmas :) this may be linked to me not hearing "Evan, you ruined my whole Christmas" this year, maybe I am just growing up :) , nah.

I did something fun over Christmas. I programmed a simple Monte Carlo simulation of the Ising model of a ferromagnet. (See picture) a red surrounded by blue switches to blue, and vice-versa. But what happens if a blue is surrounded by two red and two blue, or even all blues. Well the corresponding Boltzman factor is compared to a random number. Eventually the system ends up is the most probable configuration. Pretty cool, nice pic too.

I've dug this out of the archives

You will never have a period because you are a man ... with titties.
Says God to Stan on News Year 2000

Have a great 2006