obli.net

Dear possibly existing feed subscribers,

I've migrated to Wordpress now. The new feed is located at obli.net/feed and offers exciting features such as:

Images

That's all really, now you won't have to visit my site again just to see the images. Ever. :)

Oh, and as you may have guessed:
old blog: http://obli.net/index2.php
new blog: http://obli.net/

What did I ever do to deserve this? :(



Does this mean fewer people will leech images from my server?

I woke up today, craving for some Half-Life 2, especially because I didn't get a chance to finish it. So I booted my computer. Linux. Linux doesn't run games, at least it's not very good at it if you try to force it into doing so.

The only backup I had to do before waving Ubuntu goodbye was to sync my bookmarks for Firefox, highly recommended if you value your bookmarks. Formatting and installing went on during breakfast and shower, after the formalities like passwords and time zones, the Windows CD was the last one I used, and here's what struck me: Everything's become so convenient:

Steam - Downloads, updates and even defragments your game files, all tied to your steam account

Google pack - Everything I was going to scavenge old CDs for was on there, and a little more, including google desktop, my personal grade-saving Jesus.

Google sync - already mentioned, the biggest feeling discomfort coming from a fresh install is the uncustomized browser, mine's instantly pimped out again now:)

iTunes - Don't remind me of last time I had to migrate my mp3s, iTunes picked all my music off my iPod (the iPod renames files to random sequences of letters because apple is evil) and renamed them according to the ID tags, done over lunch.

Last but not least, my iPod finally saw it's first sync in 3 months!

Naturally, there's always something that ruins a perfect streak of get-along-with-a-computer; Microsoft's genuine advantage spyware thingie, who wouldn't let me install DirectX. What's the point of protecting DirectX from distribution when it's on every game CD out there since 1995?

Also, it just struck me that Microsoft software integration about as seamless as Anna Nicole Smith...

50 SEK is about $7, but it's ok, I like surveys, I'm actually the personification of a demand characteristic, I'll answer any questions you've got about my car, my golf set, or what I think about your virtually unknown product (yes, I'm looking at you, fanta, no one cares about oranges anymore). A small but important fact is that I neither know nor own many of these products.

Anyways, I like surveys, checkboxes have a hugely underestimated therapeutic value, just try it:

I

love

checkboxes

whee...

Most companies that you'll find searching for 'surveys' on Google will be scams, so don't bother, here's what I've tried:

Cint - Swedish, some kind of consumer intelligence service, review products and stuff like that, makes a deposit to your bank account when you reach 100 SEK (takes about 2 years :)). Signup through web site.

TEMO - Swedish, The Gallup poller of Sweden, you get a triss scratcher for every third or fourth survey on average. SIgnup seems to be limited to those who are (un?)fortunate enough to be called by them for a thorough questioning about your opinions about papier mache hats and interest in yodeling competitions.

Testandvote - Seems nice, their surveys won't work in Firefox, though.

As I've said before, IB exams are horribly overrated, but if you're still feeling bad about next year's exams (this year's are almost over now), here's the essence of the exams:

English B
Students will be awarded marks for stating the obvious, if you are, like a great part of the overqualified English B population unable to do this properly, simply hold your breath until appropriate oxygen deprivation has been attained, this will allow you to perform at the low levels required for English B.

Do not pull any fancy tricks in paper 2, the examiners will be outraged by writing skills that exceed their own level and mark you down just to 'show em', stick to making it look like you're trying really hard to wedge a verb, noun and adjective into your sentences.

Psychology
A high mark (Festinger 1986) in psychology is easily achieved by namedropping (Kohler 1934) until you have depleted the world's reserve of parentheses (Loftus 1974). Regardless of it being effective or not, psychology examiners will get aroused by the parantheses (Cooper and Blakemoore 1950) and mark you up (Bandura 1977).

Despite what your teacher might have told you on the subject, do not maltreat schizophrenics (Thorndyke 1948), stick to talking about how your dogs tremble at the mere sight of your shoes as a result of operant conditioning (Stewart 2005).

Biology
Be prepared for silly questions that do not at all test your knowledge in any way, don't be afraid to state the obvious, like for example, "the graph told me to do it!".

Math
Surrender your soul to your calculator, become one with it and pull out the answers without considering using that blasphemous pen, write "I used the calculator" as motivation, leave 1 hour early and go reward yourself with an ice cream.

Swedish A1
You just read the worst book ever. Show your undying love for it and its nonexistent deeper meanings (I shit you not, Jan Guillou is about as deep as a Frisbee)

Chemistry
Remember that thing about how SN1 reactions work? Me neither, good luck!

Alternatively, streak naked through the examination room claiming your Gibbs free energy became too negative and hope for points for creativity.