In Zappa news… Zappa Chess Engine

Zappa is not named for the great Frank Zappa, or at least not directly. Frank rather quixotically named his daughter “Moon Unit”, and Mike Myers used this in Austin Powers 2: there is a scene where Dr. Evil talks about how he has divided his moon base into “Moon Unit Alpha” and “Moon Unit Zappa”. I had just finished reading a book by Bruce Pandolfini, “Chess Openings: Traps and Zaps”, and I thought that Zappa had a nice sound to it. I have never actually listened to a single song of Frank, although I am quite fond of several of his quotes.

via robotwisdom

Chicken suits on _Lost_ and _The West Wing_.
Mentions of Grand Guignol on both robotwisdom and _The West Wing_.
Ice cream in my hand and on _The West Wing_ within 10 minutes.

If I were a tinfoil hat wearer I’d say that TWW were trying to send me a message over the past three days.

_Naaaaaaaaaah._

Well, maybe.

Lovely day today. Swap Meet in Goleta (just outside Santa Barbara), then a trip to Fry’s in Oxnard. Lovely day.

Lyrics of the day, via an ancient mix tape by my friend Erin:

Cemetery Gates, by The Smiths

A dreaded sunny day
So I meet you at the cemetery gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
A dreaded sunny day
So I meet you at the cemetery gates
Keats and Yeats are on your side
While Wilde is on mine

So we go inside and we gravely read the stones
All those people all those lives
Where are they now?
With loves, with hates
And passions just like mine
They were born
And then they lived
And then they died
Which seems so unfair
And I want to cry

Click here

It’s raining like a big dog out here.

Last night we had a flash flood of ants show up in the kitchen. Literally, one minute, no ants, and 10 minutes later they were making a beeline for the potted plants on the bartop above the sink.

Wait, can ants make a beeline?

Anyway, we dispatched the ants tout suite.

We keep getting eruptions of ants, for a while we had them coming up through the drain in the dishwasher! We poured vinegar down there, then later bleach, then more soap. Eventually they stopped. We’re pretty much sick of the ants. Though it could be worse — namely — mice or roaches. I suppose we’re lucky with regard to varmints.

But it’s raining again, I think it rained all night. It’s nice, though a bit chilly.

Busy lately. Not enough sleep. But things are pretty good. I should have news soon on some things. Not much news for now though.

For now, rain.

ASP.net, disgruntled clients, ungruntled clients, flooding, Blue Angels overhead, trips to hairdresser, ants that come and go, trashcans that need bringing in, job resignation, new free metal desk, SQL Server, OO PHP4, shopping carts, new MySQL databases, exporting JPEGs, lack of a whiteboard, couch-sleeping.

It’s a good day, but another busy one.

missewon sent me this link: Talking Heads DualDisc Brick:

The first complete artist catalog released on DualDisc! This specially packed boxed set contains all eight of Talking Heads’ studio albums, expanded and remastered as two-sided DualDiscs featuring audiophile DVD-A sound, rare and previously unreleased material, and video tracks. Packaging includes an outer white molded plastic box with raised song titles, housing eight individually packaged white jewel cases, each containing liner notes, rare photos, and song-inspired art pieces.

Formed in New York in the mid-’70s by David Byrne, Chris Franz, Tina Weymouth, and ex-Modern Lover Jerry Harrison, Talking Heads transcended their humble CBGB beginnings to become one of the most adventurous and influential bands of all time. Their visionary, polyrhythmic stew combined funk and punk with African beats, avant-garde minimalism, and pure pop. From their 1977 debut to their Brian Eno-produced classics to their 1988 swan song, Naked, Talking Heads consistently pushed creative boundaries while delivering smart radio hits like “Once In A Lifetime,” “Burning Down The House,” and “Wild Wild Life.” In 2002 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I have no idea how I would even play a DVD-A. But that’s definitely something I’d like to have in the distant future. Real distant.