Now appearing...

Hey all! The Dark Man is now on myspace!! Check it out. http://www.myspace.com/thedarkmanpiano

My favorite 4 piano songs are there. The rest are still available at my site. The link is at the top of this page.

Until next time, remember: Every answer has a question.

---TDM

The Phoenix Has Risen

After long hours and days of searching for the right phrase, I found it. It occurred to me last night, and just a few hours ago I put it in the song (the violins start that melody towards the end). And now it's finally finished!

Therefore may I now present to you..."Rise of the Phoenix"! Go ahead, click above to get to my site, then listen to it! I'd like to know what you think.

The piece includes violins, violas, cellos, a doublebass, and timpani. There are a few good solos throughout the work, and in the end, the phoenix rises.

I hope you enjoy it.

Until next time, remember: Amidst the destruction, the phoenix shall rise.

---TDM

The Phoenix

A big song is coming. Entitled "Rise of the Phoenix", it's already well underway. I could actually leave it where it is right now, but I think it needs a really big, stirring solo to emphasize the phoenix rising.

I hope you'll like it when I finish it.

Stay tuned for more updates about anything.

Until next time, remember: Those of us who dream can find the way to accomplish our greatest goals.

---TDM

Anger

I've finished another piano song, called "Rage", after I lost my temper (again), sadly. But the song does convey such a change in emotion.

Unfortunately, it may be the last song I put on my site for a while, since I'm just now having problems with converting to mp3 (I originally recorded the songs as WAVs, then converted them so they would fit online). I have to figure this thing out before you get to hear any more songs. (Doesn't mean I won't stop writing, though. :) )

Nothing new on any other front.

Until next time, remember: The future was not made specifically for you. So make it yours.

---TDM

Stormwind

I've finally finished that orchestra piece, now entitled "The Inner Storm". After listening to it several times, I settled on that name, as it accurately describes my inner turmoil while writing it. I don't actually have time right now to describe what was going on, but suffice it to say that my life hasn't been all that great recently.

The song should be on the site soon.

Until next time, remember: Don't feel bad if you fail. Rather, look at it as another chance to succeed.

---TDM

Inspiration

If you noticed my last post has no option for comments...it's because several people chose to use the comment space as spam receptacles! I can't believe it! That was weird.

Anyway, for those of you paying attention, I've recently finished another piano song, called "My Ghost". It's uploaded on my site if you wanna listen. Currently I'm working on a string piece. No title yet.

No programming has been done. Many things have been sacrificed in my mad rush to apply for colleges. I'm applying early to Harvard. All that I have left is the common app's essay. We'll see how that turns out...

I have found time to continue writing my main novel. I'm actually making more progress than I have for many months. I've found it actually harder to sit at a computer and write the story, since I have so many handwritten notes, and on paper I write whatever is in my mind, but on the computer it's sorta organized (in order), and I'm often at a loss as to what should happen next, or if I have enough for this chapter.

There's plenty of other stuff I need to do this year. I guess my work will never end.

Until next time, remember: Be like the machine, unrelenting and without remorse, as you complete your task.

---TDM

Intolerant of Intolerance

This makes me sad: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1220284
I know that there are people in this country that hate anyone who's not like them, but it still makes me sad to see intolerance like this (I mean the marchers, the ones who call themselves the American Nazi Party). The protesters do have a right to want to keep these kind of people out of their community, but there is a part of the Constitution that allows peaceable assembly.

Violence is not the way to keep these people out of our towns. Ignore them, show them how to make peace with those who are different. They're like bullies; if you don't give them the response they're looking for, they'll move on and find someone else to harass. Eventually they'll find a home in one of the Republican states.

Until next time, remember: Keep peace in one piece.

---TDM

The Final Thought

A true cause for celebration! (maybe)

 

So I just finished my notebook. There's no more room in it. Every page has been filled with some of the most random things ever. Some things are secret, pertaining to the books that I'm writing, some things have to do with music, and some are just random thoughts. Like this one: I looked in the mirror and I saw myself!

 

And here's something that I would probably say (but may or may not have actually done so): "I have been pushed to the edge of sanity, and I...will...not...return!"

 

There are some really good quotes in this...too bad I can't share them all with you. Perhaps someday in the future I will publish them...

 

Until next time, remember: Don't think; act! Opportunities are fleeting.

 

---TDM

No Looking Back

Until next time, remember: What doesn't kill you makes me try harder.

 

---TDM

The Lies They Tell Us

I realize now the future may not be what we hope it to be. The past is so alluring, yet so deadly if we dawdle, pausing too long to reflect. The present, of course, has never been worse, and possibly may not get better. Thus we have only our imaginations left to hold onto, for only in other worlds may we find peace.

 

But if you really think about it, if you could actually live in one of those other universes, would it really be better? We always long for different circumstances, in the false belief that they would somehow be better than our own. But they're not. Just be happy with what you have. You won't be getting anything else.

 

---TDM

Notebook.random()

Random Tidbit from my Notebook:

 

No matter what you say I will not let you go.

No matter what you say I will not turn from you.

No matter what you say my love for you won't fade.

No matter what you say my love is no charade.

 

---TDM

The Sounds of Life

I finished another piece of music, and it's ready to be heard by those people who care! It's another piano piece, entitled "Dead Men's March", and it's shorter than "Tears". Click away to my website to download it. The link is at the top, as always.

 

Until next time, remember: If you don't listen, then you won't hear.

 

---TDM

Back Online

It seems Evil-Dog has his site back up, but under a new name. You can see his work at http://www.evil-dog.com

 

Until next time, remember: You can influence people you don't know just as easily as those you do.

 

---TDM

Stuffing

Since school doesn't start for a few weeks, I'm just hanging out at home doing random things. I managed to finish one piece of music, and I posted it and a previous song I hadn't posted before on my website. The link (to my site) is at the top if you want to hear them.

 

Nothing else to add today.

 

Until next time, remember: Boredom is simply life's way of telling you that you need to get a life.

 

---TDM

A Good Feeling

So I have returned from my "vacation" (actually a six-week summer program), and now that I've had time to sort my thoughts, I can post here again.

 

My life is filled with regret and unhappiness. I was alone for a large part of it, and I believed that I would always be alone, that I was fated to be this way. I never considered change really possible, and I used the phrase "Nothing ever changes" quite often.

 

But change occurred just a few weeks ago. I found someone with whom I find I don't feel sad. She gives me reason to be happy. I never thought I could feel happy like this. But what a feeling it is!

 

I've shown this girl a large part of myself that I'm not proud of. And she hasn't abandoned me for it. She hasn't condemned me for it. No, she sticks by me, and I feel happy. I would not trade that feeling for anything.

 

We had to part when the program ended, and of course I already miss her.

 

My notes in the notebook I carry around with me have noticeably changed. Fewer and fewer are melancholy, and many now deal with better things. Here's one saying that I must now live by:

 

Live each day as if you would see her tomorrow.

Live your life as though you never had to leave.

 

Until next time, remember: Never doubt the impossible.

 

---TDM

The End is Closer

Well, it's been just about five weeks so far here, and so there's one left. It feels like I've been here forever, yet no time at all.

 

I'm busy most of the time, so that's why I've only been able to post once here. But it's a lot of fun, still.

 

I brought my some of my writing, programming, and music here, though I haven't been able to work on the programming at all. I did a little bit on the writing, but since I don't have all my notes, I felt kinda lost when I tried to continue. I made one change in the music, though I still haven't been able to play it, though I really want to.

 

But I'm happy here. I've made friends, whom I'm going to miss (but still keep in touch, of course). And, of course, leaving here means going back to school. Which means I have to do my homework.

 

But at home, I can certainly continue my work much better. Maybe I'll even finish. Who knows? It remains to be seen.

 

Until next time, remember: Progress cannot be made without an attempt to find a solution.

 

---TDM

So I have access to a computer here. That's good. That means that I can still
update here, though there's not really much to talk about. Since I'm away from
my computer, I can't do any programming, but I do have some of my writing, and I
can always scribble notes down on paper.

But it's unlikely that I'll do very much. I'm very busy here. You're lucky that
I even get to post this.

The shuttle launches later today. I hope to see it (on TV. I'm not there!). And
there's nothing else even worth mentioning.

Until next time, remember: Your work can never be finished.

---TDM

Boring Stuff

So, summer vacation has officially started (I wonder who makes it official...). I'm just hanging around, playing video games, computer games, trying to figure out how to use these weird music writing programs, and such. I know I should really be writing my books, but I'm just...lazy.

 

And just so you know in advance, between July 3 and August 13, I will be far away (on my vacation). I might be able to access a computer occasionally, but don't expect me to update here. I will be back after then, so don't worry too much.

 

My AI language API project isn't moving along very well. I sorta don't know what I'm doing. There is a lot involved, with getting the computer to understand a sentence, and having the computer generate a response. [Memory is a whole 'nother deal.]

 

I'm gonna go be unproductive for the rest of the day.

 

Until next time, remember: All play and no work and you might not earn decent wages.

 

---TDM

A New Tune

First piece of news today: my site has moved (once again) to http://www.sitesled.com/members/thedarkman/index.html. Go ahead and check it out. It has some of my songs and magic cards, and perhaps I'll put other stuff up there.

 

Furthermore, one song that I added is new: "Echoes of Civilization", a new dual song created with Punk-o-Matic.

 

And in programming: Nothing. I haven't done anything halfway decent since last time. I should get on that right now. (Nah...)

 

I am working on some non-POM songs, but none of them are ready yet for posting. I'll let you know.
So that's all for now...

 

Until next time, remember: If you put your mind to it, anything is possible.

 

---TDM

Work is Play...

...and play is work. I really want to finish my AI language API, but I keep thinking up new problems that I need to solve regarding the computer's interpretation of an entered sentence, and I haven't actually done any work on the computer itself.

I've decided to start taking private viola lessons again. Hopefully it'll be good.

I'm still writing music, though I still need a better program. I'm going to put up the one I've already done on my website, once I get a better site. I'm trying to get a site on sitesled.com, but I keep encountering problems when I sign up.

I signed up again for AIM, so now I can chat with people who want to chat with me...but no one knows it yet...

Nothing else...

Until next time, remember: A villain cannot exist without a hero. A hero cannot exist without a villain. The forces of good and evil are always in balance.

---TDM

The Hassle

I know it's been a while since I last posted...I kinda hoped this problem would have been solved by now...but I guess not. (I figured out what was the problem with my computer...turns out it's the place on Blogger where I write my post.) Right now I'm typing this up in Notepad so I can do it quickly.

I haven't done much work on any programming...maybe I'll get to work on that later. What I've been doing is composing music. The only thing is...I don't have a very good program for it. One program allows me to print it, but with shorter notes (like 16th notes), I get one measure per line and 4 lines on a page. It also gives me a hassle when I try to make notes of odd lengths (like a dotted whole note). My other program tends not to play the song back correctly, and though I can fit the whole song on 3 pages (and not 7 with the other), it repeatedly obscures parts of the song with the message that it's a sample printout from an unregistered version of the program.

There haven't been any important world events recently for me to harp upon...that I pay attention to, anyway.

Saviors prerelease this Saturday...I hope I do better than before. 4-0 would be nice...nicer than 3-1.

Until next time, remember: The problem contains the solution.

---TDM

The Age of Unsatisfaction

We live today in the Age of Unsatisfaction. People are not happy with themselves as they are, and so they seek to change themselves, to hide behind an illusion. Whether it's their eye or hair color that they're changing, or they wish to remove part of their body through liposuction or surgery, they believe that these changes are good. But what we are really doing is destroying ourselves, choosing to wear masks instead of showing the faces we believe are horribly disfigured. We think so low of our current state that we are always thinking of ways to improve ourselves, often at the cost of others. But there's beauty in nature, and as we have learned to appreciate that beauty, so must we learn to appreciate our own beauty, without resorting to artificial means to inducing change in our bodies.

It is now time to remove our masks and proudly display our individuality instead of conforming to the accepted social norm.

Until next time, remember: What we are and what we are not are the exact same thing.

---TDM

A New Way

So, Evil-Dog has finally released a new song! Join me in celebrating by listening to it. It's available at http://www.evildog.type-cast.com, and it's called "A Darker Soul". It's sweet!

I've been working on my own music for a while now, but I don't think I'll be finished very soon. Besides, the program I'm using is a 35-day trial, and I don't really want to pay the money to register it too soon, before I really know what I want to do (there are some areas of the program that I wish could be improved).

This Ad-Watch program on my computer is really sapping my speed (like an adware program would do...hmm...). Just here, though, so I'll have to check my settings.

Until next time, remember: Just keep your cool, and you won't have to adjust the thermostat too often.

---TDM

News for Nothing

Hello again, random people who read this publication regularly (yes, both of you).

It has been a long time since I've done any actual work on any of my projects, but recently I got a program that allows me to write music, so I'll be doing some of that. Other than that, there really isn't anything new on this end.

If I ever get something good done, maybe I'll put it on my other site (at the top). Check it out occasionally. There's some music there already.

There seems to be something wrong with my computer, so I'll have to end here.

Until next time, remember: The future becomes what you will it.

---TDM

Further Along

I've ceased work on the cards API, primarily because I finished it. I did a version of Solitaire called Klondike as a card game, but I didn't program in how to display it and play it (the GUI is what I left out). I didn't feel like doing that just yet...

So instead I've been working on a language API, for a future artificial intelligence. My goal is to have the computer string together words to form sentences, in response to things I say to it. Right now I'm just doing the basis of languages, the parts of speech. More later if anything develops.

There really isn't anything else to report quite yet on my front...

And the Pope is dead! I can understand why so many people are sad, distraught, and considering who to elect as the next Pope, but he's a religious figure! Why is every flag I see at public institutions lowered to half-mast, signaling that the state (meaning: government) is mourning? Whatever happened to the separation of church and state? If the president is shot (like JFK), then sure, by all means, lower the flag. If planes are hijacked and crash into the World Trade Center, killing lots of people, then yes, you may lower the flag. But the Pope is not affiliated with the USA, so the flag should not be lowered as such.

And why the heck does the president want to attend his funeral?

This is why people were afraid of electing a Catholic president: they thought America would become an instrument of the Church. Well, good ol' George Dubya Bush has made that all possible now. After all, all elections are based primarily on religious morals, and the attempt to interfere with Terri Schiavo proves it. Now, Bush is making decisions based on his religion, which is clearly against our Constitution. He has cut stem cell research, and is attempting to outlaw abortion and take away the rights of homo/bisexual human beings, because his religion forbids such practices, while all Christians believe in the saying:

"Love thy neighbor as thyself."

Isn't it interesting how Americans interpret this as "Love thy neighbor, who is like thyself, as thyself"? You exclude other human beings, saying that they are not human, or less than human. You discriminate against any not like yourself. This is why there were so many Civil Rights movements that still are around, because you still deny people rights. And you seek to deny even more rights to people who are not like you?! This is all I have to say to you:

You are the root of social injustice.

Until next time, remember: "All animals are equal, though some are more equal than others."--George Orwell, Animal Farm

---TDM

Nothing Really

Almost finished with Solitaire. Just gotta make the GUI.

I read in Wired magazine the other day a strange definition: narcipost - "a shamelessy egocentric blog post that's of little interest to anyone besides the person who posted it".

When I read that, I immediately knew that they were talking about me. So perhaps I should start writing more relevant material to the world. Like Terri Schiavo, the political stepstool. Or the tsunami from last December which...was in last December.

Or should I talk about government corruption, how church isn't really separated from state, the ever-ridiculable G.W. Bush, or how reality shows are all rigged? Like American Idol, how last week they took a revote because the results didn't match well enough with the one they wanted.
To me, though, all these topics are dead. They're not really relevant to my life, because they don't affect me as much as they affect the people who love to argue their larynx out over it. I suppose the only things in this vein I could take an interest in are television show depicting smart people. To name a few: The Pretender, John Doe, and NUMB3RS.

The Pretender used to be on NBC, as a living show (as in they made new episodes). A few years ago it moved to HBO and since I didn't have cable then, I couldn't watch it anymore. Then it got canceled. John Doe was on FOX two years ago. It ran one whole season, and the last episode (dubbed the "season finale") was a major cliffhanger. But it didn't come back for another season. (NUMB3RS is still running, but probably because it's primarily a crime investigation show, and adds the mathematical genius as a side order.)

These canceled smart people shows and the fresh crop of dumb reality shows and half-baked, short-lived attempts at sitcoms (FOX has a few new ones which sound really stupid) just go to show that syndicates believe that "smart" shows don't attract viewers, but "stupid" shows are quite popular. I say that's prejudice! If stupid people want to watch other stupid people, then so be it! But smart people want to see other smart people! We don't want to feel alone, like everyone else on the planet is stupid beyond reason (although most people are). Why must you segregate intelligence as if it implies inferiority? (although the opposite is more true)

The problem, as I see it, is that kids are taught from a young age that each person is different. Then we say to them: "Treat everybody equally." (There really is a lot of hypocrisy in the education system.) It's self-perpetuating, because if one person does it, then he/she would probably teach his/her kids to do it, too (whether intentionally or subconsciously). There doesn't seem to be a way to eliminate prejudice completely.

As a society, we need to advance greatly. The problem is that people don't like change. (That's why everybody pays using bills. Ka-ching!) Take Bush for example. He's against stem-cell research, which could very well provide great advances in medicine and science. This kind of research is a harbinger of change. If we ever find what we're looking for in stem-cell research, you can bet your ass that there'll be some changes. (Donate a kidney without having surgery.)

Then there's me. Yes, in some way, I, too, oppose change. Procrastination is a great sign of resistance to change. But that's not all. I'm not good at starting conversations. I can end them rather quickly, since I don't elaborate on my responses. I find myself unable to ask girls out, afraid of what that would entail. I can't even say anything regarding relationships to them. I'm afraid of the future, unsure that I'm heading in the right direction with my life, afraid to try new things. Many times I decide to change my character, my outlook, and yet I find myself regressing into the same patterns, the same routine. But change is necessary, and so I know I must press on, or I shall remain nothing. Perhaps one day I will be able to garner the courage to change something, but for now, I can do nothing.

---TDM

Thought for the Day

I've been thinking about 4-dimensional volume recently, mostly: What units would we use? My best guess is m⁴, like Volume is m³ and Area is m².

But I can't keep referring to it as 4-d volume, so I'll call it Occupation (on the basis that the four dimensions are length, depth, height, and duration), with a symbol of j (those truly keen will understand why). So:

j = l * d * h * t

But duration is measured in seconds, normally, so the equation above would get me units of m³-s (meter cubed-seconds). I certainly can't leave it like that! If I wanted to know the surface area of a table that was 20 inches long and .5 meters wide, I certainly wouldn't say that the area was 10 meter-inches. I would convert either the 20 in to meters, or the .5 m to inches. So I should change the units of j so that it is simply m⁴, and that leads to this question:

How many meters are in a second?

If the answer to this question was known, then one could find the Occupation of an object, when one knows its volume and duration.

Some people might say that the velocity of the object answers the question. But velocity is variable; the answer to the question should be a constant, like how many meters are in a mile (approx. 1619 meters in a mile).

Until next time, remember: Think on tangents--you'll go farther than those who stay with the curve.

---TDM

Mr Fascinating

I haven't actually been programming my maze stuff yet, sorry to disappoint you. I have been working on the Cards API, though, but I think eventually I should try to start the maze thing.

Only problem is...in order to fully convey my vision of these mazes, I would need the java 3-d API, which isn't finished yet (plus I would need to understand it). I think I would need to take more classes...maybe an animation course sometime in the future would help.

If I could use Flash...but I don't know how...

Well...I've been writing, too, but I have very little to show for that.

...yeah...

Nothing further.

Until next time, remember: The future may be promising, but if you don't keep your promises, neither will the future.

---TDM

Yes, again

I'm so proud of myself. Today I was inspired. I came up with a new joke. All on my own.

And it's funny, too. (sorta) (at least it's better than the other ones I've tried to pass off as funny.)

Here goes:

The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is just one of many groups of people that oppose capital punishment. (You know, the death penalty.) They organize protests at various places, like the White House or maybe even actual judicial courts, saying things like "No More Capital Punishment".

Anyway, one day the central organization of the ACLU fires the chairperson of a local chapter. Of course, the people in that chapter are upset, because they really liked the guy. They decide to peacefully protest his dismission, and argue to reinstate him. They even go to the headquarters of the ACLU and protest waving signs about. What do the signs say?

"Bring Back The Chair"!

Well, that's all I have for today. Join me next week, when I do something I haven't done since...I last posted...(here's a hint: nah I don't feel like giving you a hint)

Until next time, remember: Never say "always"--Always say "never".

---TDM

More of the Same

So I've been working on the Cards API for awhile now, but it's kinda difficult to see what I really should do...I feel like abandoning this project and working on a game for my mazes. (They're really strange mazes.)

That brings my total of Java projects to 4: 4 total, and 0 finished.

Wow, I'm lazy. But that's life. Maybe later.

Until next time, remember: Humanity naturally resists change, but not just us; Sir Isaac Newton discovered that all particles in the universe have inertia (the noun meaning "resists change").

---TDM

Ideal Ideas

Well, I still haven't done much work on Chess, only a bit on Cards.

I got this great idea for a real AI: make speech objects (like Word, Verb, Adjective, Sentence, DirectObject, IndirectObject, Preposition, etc.) I could program the rules for building a sentence into the AI, and teach the computer how to speak English! This could be a lot more work than I've ever done, but if it works, it'll certainly pay off! (Maybe I could an open-source project on java.net!)

I'm getting excited by one of my ideas again, so now I have to go work.

Until next time, remember: An ideal idea is something every thinker strives for. It is an idea that can be imagined and realized independently of the time period in which it is thought up.

---TDM

Cubed

I'm busy trying to solve Rubik's cube. I'm so close...

Anyway, a while ago I saw one of my friends had a "Rubik's pyramid"--I'm not sure of the actual name. If anyone knows where I can get one, be sure to let me know via a comment. (I might google it later, too.)

Haven't done any work worth mentioning here. So I will sign off here.

Until next time, remember: Less, though it may be worth more, tends to cost more.

---TDM

What a Day[s]

It says I haven't posted since last week...I thought I did...

Anyway, no progress on Chess since last time. I have instead been working on the card project I was telling about before (and is mentioned on my home site, which I'm sure none of you have seen yet (click the link at the top (What? You're lazy? Fine. Here's another link. ))).

I finished my Italian skit, and just in time; it's due tomorrow. My topic? (Did I already tell you this?) Well, I was having such a hard time coming up with an idea that I did a skit on that. In my skit, I'm an Italian student who can't come up with an idea for his Italian skit, until he gets an idea to do a skit based on an Italian student who can't come up with an idea for his Italian skit, until he gets an idea to do a skit based on an Italian student who can't come up with an idea for his Italian skit, until he gets an idea to do a skit based on an Italian student....etc....infinitely...

Sounds like fun, huh? The best part is: I only have to film each scene once! and I just record it multiple times on the VHS tape I have to submit it on.

And I've finally arrived at a decision to not attend SIG this year as I have done for the past 4 years. For those of you who knew me at SIG and somehow found this site and figured out who I am, sorry I won't see you again this summer. :P

Nothing else happening.

Until next time, remember: If you wait until the last minute on a big project, you'd better hope it's a looooooooooooonnnnnnnng minute.

---TDM

Much Clamor About Nothing

What are Mondays for, huh?

Anyways, I have done absolutely nothing as far as programming or writing for some time now. i suppose I really should, but I just can't seem to find the time, energy, or impetus to do any work.

Yeah, get this: instead of that, I'm composing music. Composing music?! I just had a new idea (er, inspiration) for a piano song (as most of them are, even though I play the viola). So now I'm up to...[counts on his fingers]...at least 18 different projects that are not finished (and might never be finished, at the rate I'm completing them): 5 fiction projects (one comprised of seven novels), about 10 pieces of music (which I could ostensibly merge into one viola/piano piece (which I might actually do), and 2 programming projects, not to mention all the other ideas I have floating around in my head on or the quadrillions of pieces of paper I've written on and kept somewhere around here.

I'm just so tired all the time...I guess being depressed is exhausting.

Until next time, remember: Expand your horizons, but don't spread yourself too thinly.

---TDM

Excess Information

Sorry for the long delay. My net service went down and it was such a difficult task to bring it back up. It finally got fixed on Wednesday, but I was too busy then and yesterday to post.

So, on Chess: I believe I have finished the AI, including the promotion logic (although there seems to be a problem with the AI choosing a new piece). There may not be enough files for all the board states. There tend to be other problems during running, but I can't recall all of them. If I have two AIs face each other, the GUI won't update until the game is over or a break occurs. (And the AI is so stupid that almost all games against itself are stalemates.)

I've got a lot more work to do.

And for my Italian skit, I've finally come up with an idea: in my skit, I have to do a skit for Italian, but I can't come up with any ideas. Eventually I get an idea--this very idea! (and it repeats for infinity...)

Yeah...

That's all I have to say for today.

Until next time, remember: Interruptions will distract you from your work, and distractions will interrupt your progress.

---TDM

Advancements

Last night I saw The Phantom of the Opera (the movie). It was a great movie--I highly recommend it to anybody. It really made me reflect on myself. The ironic thing is that I never saw Phantom in any form before last night, and yet I knew the story as if I had told it myself. (Well, at least the basic, underlying concepts.) In my imagination, a long time ago, I had created a character (actually several characters) that did many things similar to the Phantom--making grandiose appearances, lurking in the shadows and secret lairs, being very mysterious, threatening, and evil, etc. These character were very similar to the Phantom, except for the mask and costume and general background. The similarities lay in their actions. These characters had many different names. One of them was The Dark Man (more recent than my original villain, who I will not name here).

Well, anyway, I've got an idea for the Chess AI that might work--I'll use one file as a "map"to point out the other files--one of each possible board state. Those files contain the required information for the move (other than the board state).

Um...there's not really anything else to explain...

Just a quick anecdote: as I was leaving the theater last night, I checked to make sure I had everything. My mental checklist sounded somewhat like this: "Wallet--check, notepad and pen--check, left glove--check, right glove--check, hat--check, sanity--(well...checking for that would take much too long...maybe later...besides, if I don't have it now, I probably didn't have it when I came in, anyway)." That's right. Sanity is a sneaky little devil.

Until next time, remember: Be suspicious of all sane people; they are firmly planted in the present, never looking forward, never looking back.

---TDM

Recession

I've done absolutely nothing for the past few days. No Chess work, no writing (well, not much). I've just been playing games and surfing the web.

I got a book on Ruby (programming language) out of the library. Maybe I'll try to learn that. It'll be better if I know many languages.

I really have nothing more to add. Maybe by the next time I post I'll have done something I can tell you about.

Until next time, remember: Doing nothing accomplishes nothing.

---TDM

Victory is Mine!

Okay, I'm back from the prerelease. I had a great build, with an Oyobi, Iwamuri, Keiga, and Disrupting Shoal. I played green, white, and blue, and did well enough to come away with 5 prize packs of Betrayers. I lost only one match. My deck was powerful enough that getting Oyobi out was practically a victory condition in itself.

I know most of you probably don't have experience with Magic, or know the least bit about what I'm talking about, so I'll just leave it at that.

Well, no major progress on the AI problem yet. I haven't really done any work for awhile, though I did do some work on the original novels I had. I'm going to continue working on that for now.

Nothing else...

Until next time, remember: Never try. Accomplish.

---TDM

To Excesses

The main problem I'm facing right now is how to make the AI memory file work. Right now I'm using a single RandomAccessFile to hold all the data, but the data may have varying lengths (in reference to the state of the Board before the move, and games won, lost, stalemated using the move) and if I have to update a move, I might overwrite part of another and corrupt the file.

If I use Object Input and Output, the entire file will be rewritten after every game, and that may become extremely time-consuming when the AI gets experienced.

Alternately, I could do separate files: one for each player, or one for each possible state of the Board (which would be a lot of files). But then the same questions arise... Or: I make a different folder for each possible move (of each possible board state), and they contain the numerical data which I don't have to worry about (ints are always 32-bit). What should I do?

Until next time, remember: Answers exist, even to the unanswerable questions.

---TDM

The Solution

I think I've found the problem with the AI: somehow it thinks that its pieces don't belong to it (or they really don't!). I'm not sure why, but I believe it's because of some places that check for players specifically. Since the AI variable is different from the Players, I need to rewrite some areas to include the AI objects.

...And that's it, really. See ya later.

Until next time, remember: wrong= not right. not right=left. Therefore left=wrong? Therefore you should only make right turns onto streets you don't know.

---TDM

Specially Revised!

I finished the AI enough for testing. I remember reading somewhere, somebody was looking forward to the day when a human Chess player would make his/her first move, and the computer he was playing against would calculate furiously, and finally print "I resign."

Well, I got that. I move my King's Pawn one space forward, and immediately I get a message that "Black has resigned." Except in this case, the AI is incorrectly judging that all its moves are illegal. (My debugging code set up so far reveals that (2,-1) is "not on Board"). I'm looking into the problem now.

And I relaunched my site onto Angelfire, and now it is possible to download the songs I wrote on Punk-o-Matic. However, each song is about 1.83 megabytes, and I'm only allowed 20 MB of storage, so I can only have 10 songs on there at a time. Eventually, I'll start looking again for another provider so that I can post more. You can reach my site by clicking the link at the top of the page.

And that's all the news for this update!

Until next time, remember: Change is a good thing, except when it's bad.

---TDM

Workmanship

Well, my Internet service went down on Friday, so I was cut off from the rest of the world for the weekend. Luckily they fixed it so I can surf and post again.

There was one good thing about it, though. I was able to get much work done on Chess, since I didn't have the Net to distract me from my work. I still have more to do, but it's moving along now. I should work on that today, too.

I finished as much as I could on that short story, but I'm still not satisfied with it. It still needs more work to balance it out, and that'll be just the first draft. I'll set it aside and return to something else. I've got more ideas, but I know I should finish one of them first. (I've a running total of 11 ideas/possible novels--and that's not counting the short story!)

And Betrayers prerelease is on Saturday. I think I already told you that.

So until next time, remember: The man who journeys seeks the end, while the man who has found the end seeks the journey.

---TDM

All that Is is Not

The week passes by so slowly...

I still haven't come up with any good ideas for my skit...

The only thing I'm actually getting done is the writing of my short story. And even that...is a long way from finished.

Chess is not a priority at this point. Perhaps when more time is available, I could work on it.

In other news, Betrayers prerelease is coming up next week. If you happen to be going to the same one as I am (but I won't tell you for security purposes), then I might see you there.

I finished reading Timeline by Michael Crichton a few days ago, and it was really cool. But the ending made me shiver a bit, because it's kinda sad. Nowhere near as sad as Stephen King's short story "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet" (which can be found in Skeleton Crew), though.

So...

Until next time, remember: The reciprocal of 0 is infinity, and the reciprocal of infinity is 0.

---TDM

Ingenuity?

Well, nix on the short story thing...my teacher says I can't do that...I have to do something original. I'll just have to figure something else out...

And I have an essay to write for Wednesday (I don't have any time tomorrow to do it), called "How to Procrastinate". Guess I gotta get moving on it.

And the short story itself? I'll get around to that later.

Until next time, remember: Don't do today what you can put off till tomorrow.

---TDM

A New Story

This morning I woke up with a great idea for a short story, but it was about 6:30, so I wanted to go back to sleep. I was afraid I'd forget the idea, but if I got up to write it I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

I lay in bed for a while, thinking about the story, and since I wasn't going to sleep, I sat up (it was about 6:50 at that point), and I began writing it. I finished it at about 9:00.

I've still got some editing to do on it before I can submit it for publication somewhere (maybe I'll have it copyrighted first...), but still...I actually finished something!

I like it so much that maybe I'll translate it to Italian and read it for my skit. The only problem is the names in the story. Some of them are the same as people in my class, and I might feel uncomfortable saying those names. (I'm afraid they might think that I'm talking about them.) I suppose if I don't get a clear answer anytime soon, I'll just have to flip a coin.

I did get some work done on the Chess AI, but it's a long way from finished. At least it's in motion.

Well, that's all for now.

Until next time, May your goals be within reach.

---TDM

Better Left Unsaid

Hello again! Well, we've made it through another week in mostly one piece. I have to do a skit for Italian (in Italian, obviously), and it seems that I'll be working alone again. I've been racking my brain for ideas, and the few I've come up so far that have a single role don't really pan out well (I can't come up with a good ending).

The only good idea I've had so far--to do the Parrot Sketch from Monty Python in Italian--requires two people, besides the fact that I didn't write it.

I had hoped to do something serious, but I can't think of anything! I may have to go with comedy, but the problem is that I'm the most advanced student in my class (probably my grade, but I don't want to brag that much), and it's likely that most of the humor will be lost on them.

I tried writing out one of my ideas--it turned into an idea for a novel. (I may even be able to work it into the one I'm currently working on...)

I think I should stick to Java and writing novels. One-man skits...not good.

So far I think the writing's going really well. Whenever I start a section, I just write. The ideas come as I write, or before, and it just flows onto the paper.

Sometimes it works here, too.

Have a nice weekend, everybody.

Until next time, remember: What you put into your writing is what the readers will get out of it.

---TDM

Greatness

Completely bored today.

Maybe I should work more on the Chess AI, but the games call to me...Some other time, then.

...Not really anything else that's new.

Until next time, remember:

---TDM