RIP, J.D. Salinger

J.D. Salinger died today at age 91.

I read Catcher in the Rye when I was 15. It was not really the best time in my life, and I felt that much of Holden Caulfeid's sentiments strongly resonated with me. Thank you, Mr. Salinger for that story and its insights. I guess it is appropriate to close with something from it:

"Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them — if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry."

I never know what to write on these things. So, here is an interesting and funny review of an article on AE.

Gosh, guys are absolutely silly sometimes. Does it not occur to them that are zillions of straight and bi women they could be dating rather than chasing after lesbians? Ai ya.

Horrible Earthquake in Haiti - Taiwan Helps Out

As we all know by now, there was a 7.0-magnitude quake in Haiti. Thousands are feared dead (source: BBC)

In this, Taiwan has stepped up efforts to help out Haiti:

Taiwan sends rescuers to Haiti

Related Story: Taiwan ambassador to Haiti taken to hospital, embassy destroyed

Note, embassy, ambassador. Haiti is one of only 23 countries to have official diplomatic ties to Taiwan (the Republic of China). Regardless, we should help out our fellow human beings (diplomatic ties or not) in times like these.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Apparently, BioWare is hoping to have it out next Spring:

MTV's Multiplayer blog reports on comments from BioWare employee Sean Dahlberg, which indicate that they are aiming to release the game in spring 2011. He said, "While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars: The Old Republic. We've got a lot of exciting updates and reveals planned throughout 2010, including the first-ever hands-on testing for the game. ... We can't wait to share more about the game with you as we progress through the year, so make sure you stay tuned to the official website for details." Recent posts to the game's developer blog provide details on the Imperial Agent and the Jedi Knight. They also released a video which gives insight into their design process for the Dark Side.

from Slashdot

Personally, I have not decided if I want to play it yet or not. While it does look and sound cool and BioWare definitely makes wonderful games, I am unsure about getting into an MMORPG. I tried that with WoW, and I got tired of it. I enjoy playing single player RPGs more and games that I can play with friends in real life, with us sitting on the couch, laughing, joking, and so on (and this is why it has of course been so important to corrupt get my girlfriend into playing games!). Still, we will see.

Oh, and BioWare, we also want Return to Ostegar for Dragon Age, still. Pretty please? :)

Dear John Doe & Dear Jane Doe

Dear John Doe,

Hi, you do not know me, but you drove around me this morning in order to pass both myself and the school bus with its stop sign out. I hope you do not have kids, and if you do, I hope people are more careful around them than you were around the children this morning. Is it really worth 5 minutes off of your commute? I realize that you may think you are very important, driving in your fancy Mercedes, but other people are important also, especially children trying to cross the street to get on the school bus.

~Sarah~

Dear Jane Doe,

Hi, you do not know me, but you pushed in front of me at Jose's today during the noon lunch hour. You were also very rude to the girl working behind the counter. Did it not occur to you that her first language might not be English and that she is doing her best? Please, learn some manners and practice some compassion. You looked very young, but that is not an excuse. You were also wearing a shirt that said "SL_T All I need is U." That makes me a bit sad, and I hope you do not feel that you have to project that image solely to please guys.

~Sarah~

Could a cat do this? I think not.

Okay, something substantial too. A dog that recognizes over 340 words:

A seven-year-old dog in Austria called Betsy has amazed scientists by being able to recognise more than 340 words.

Most dogs can recognise about 15 commands.

Betsy's skills were recorded as part of the BBC's science programme Horizon.

It examined the increase in scientific investigations into canines, their unique relationships with people, and how they are helping to identify the causes of some human diseases.

from the BBC

It reminded me a little of the story of Clever Hans, but it is not quite the same. Murphy, my Australian terrier, does not know so many words. I think all he knows are treat, walk, Murphy, and the generic sound of food being prepared in the kitchen. I wonder what makes Betsy such an outlier. Probably some combination of breeding and intense training, I suppose.

Regardless, the “The Secret Life of the Dog,” linked to from the BBC site is definitely worth watching.

Hello World

I used to keep one of these years ago. Perhaps I'll actually be motivated to write in it! Granted, I do not have a plan for specific writing topics, but it is best to take things as they come along, right?