Russian: штурмовщина, IPA: [ʂtʊrmɐfˈɕːinə], last-minute rush, lit.storming
Shturmovshchina was a common Soviet work practice of frantic and overtime work at the end of a planning period in order to fulfill the planned production target. The practice usually gave rise to products of poor quality at the end of a planning cycle.
The nonprofit Mental Health America recently ranked Oregon the worst in the country for mental illness rates and little access to help for it. That study says we have some of the worst rates for homelessness, high school graduations and child abuse. All of which contributes to mental illness.
Sadly, it is not surprising when you see the masses of homeless camps and mentally ill and drug addicted homeless wandering the streets in downtown Portland. The famous movie ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest’ was filmed in Salem Oregon – which some said was one of the big nails in the coffins for state-sponsored mental health services.
Read some of the sad history of Oregon’s Mental Health services here:
http://www.mentalhealthportland.org/about-2/oregons-mental-health-history/
Other sources:
Near the end of his life, while exiled on the rock of St. Helena, Napoleon called Count Montholon to his side and asked him, “Can you tell me who Jesus Christ was?” Upon the Count declining to respond Napoleon countered,
I know men, and I tell you Jesus Christ was not a man.
Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist.
There is between Christianity and other religions the distance of infinity.
Alexander, Cæsar, Charlemagne and myself founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon sheer force. Jesus Christ alone founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men will die for Him. In every other existence but that of Christ how many imperfections!
From the first day to the last He is the same; majestic and simple; infinitely firm and infinitely gentle. He proposes to our faith a series of mysteries and commands with authority that we should believe them, giving no other reason than those tremendous words, ‘I am God.’
The Bible contains a complete series of acts and of historical men to explain time and eternity, such as no other religion has to offer.
If it is not the true religion, one is very excusable in being deceived; for everything in it is grand and worthy of God.
The more I consider the Gospel, the more I am assured that there is nothing there which is not beyond the march of events and above the human mind. Even the impious themselves have never dared to deny the sublimity of the Gospel, which inspires them with a sort of compulsory veneration.
What happiness that Book procures for those who believe it!
The folks over at 8-bit workshop have some neat resources. Learn to write 8-bit code for a ton of old standup arcades and tv console systems – right from your browser.
I’m personally a big fan of the 6502 Vector systems, but these are available for you to try out
Handy technique for saving texture space! There are various tools to do this, but the basic scheme is to split up a large texture into much smaller chunks, individually trimming these chunks, and seamlessly reconstructing the sprite in the viewport.
Sharlee Armitage Howard, a librarian at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library in Idaho, decided to turn this 110-year-old tree stump on her property into a miniature library.
I went to a recent UX Book Club Meetup (Calagator) given by Amber Case. She spent two years as a fellow at MIT’s Center for Civic Media and Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society studying the interaction between humans and computers.
First off, the talk was given in a really cool spot I’d not been before. A converted 1900’s fireboat house turned into the Boathouse Microcinema. It’s located under a waterfront overpass heavily cross-crossed with active rail lines and inside a non-descript red door in a sketchy industrial neighborhood surrounded by homeless camps.
Inside were the artist spaces for a number of film, music, and art productions.
This talk, however, was focused on her recent co-published book on the use of sound in modern appliances and technology.
She covered a lot of interesting topics.
Links:
Every Halloween the Friends of the Lone Fir cemetery put on a ‘Tour of Untimely Departures’ where volunteers would dress in period garb and guide you through the cemetery to hear stories about some of the deceased buried there.
It appears that this tradition may be at an end, but hopefully it comes back. Until then, maybe check out some videos of older trips.
It’s no secret that I have enjoyed both sabbatical trips I made to Japan. Here’s some good links.
Here’s a good link on how to use Suica cards to get to/from the airport and some general guides. Great if you have 12-48 hours in Tokyo and want to see as much as you can in a short time.
https://gojourny.com/stories/journy-concierge-106/journy-s-must-read-guide-to-tokyo-japan?utm_source=01101898
Tokyo’s Piss Alley
Every time I go to Tokyo, I end up eating at Piss Alley as often as I can get over there.
While there, I always try to drop into this place that serves amazing eel skewers. The old man appears to have more or less retired, but his daughter is there now running the show and was great to talk with.
Owl Cafe – I went to Owl Village and had a great time. They seemed to genuinely want to take care of their Owls and treat them well. Still, I can’t say as I would ever do it again.
Kyoto
While in Kyoto, don’t get scammed by overpriced tourist kimono places. Also, it’s very hard for men to find yukata and kimono. Turns out, however, there are some amazing resources. Here’s some links that discuss places to pick up quality and used kimono for men and women.
Here’s some of the suggested places:
Sources:
Hakone
Hakone is known for its hotsprings and as a favorite getaway for Tokyo city residents. It’s a bit of a resort trap in my opinion, but worth the trip as it’s good quality and affordable prices. Bonus points for riding the crazy boats across Lake Ashi, seeing an Edo period taxation and border control station, and taking the Hakone Ropeway cablecar over an actively smoking volcanic Mt Hakone.
At the border control station, there are lots of wooden puzzle boxes. I bought a Karakuri Creation Group NS-2-2 (New Secret Box Ⅱ) box and have enjoyed its wonderful high quality construction.
Finally, there’s the hot springs themselves. Mingled among the hundreds of hotels, ryokans, and resort spots, there are some amazing experiences.
How about bathing green tea, sake, in a wine bath? Yeah – I did those, and they’re 100% real:
Or coffee?
Or the Doctor Fish which are tiny fish nibble at your toes:
Osaka and Yakiniku/Wagyu and Kobe Beef
Here’s a really good guide on how to cook/eat and enjoy Wagyu and Kobe beef. Trust me, there is a difference between good Wagyu/Kobe beef and the low grade stuff most Americans get. Do not hit any of the tourist-trap looking places. Do some research and get a recommendation for high quality places that locals go to. If you’re not paying around $100 for a meal of about a 6-12 pieces, you’re probably not getting the real stuff. Once you do, you’ll never have realized how beef can taste. Meat that literally melts on your mouth is a real thing and worth having once in your life.
Miscellaneous
Hard-off, Home-off, and their affiliates are great places to get Playstations and other Japanese electronics at rock-bottom prices. Way better than the astronomical tourist prices in Akihabara.
If you ever watch GameCenter CX, then you are familiar with Arino’s attempts to beat old video games. One of the things he uses are cooling pads. Last time I was in Japan, I bought some. Here’s what they are.
If you are further south, check out the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace at Hiroshima. I went to mass here and prayed that we never see nuclear weapons used in war again.
In the spring, the Wisteria bloom along with the Sakura. Check out the most famous Wisteria tunnels at Kawachi Fuji gardens