Ancient Greek computer? Wow.

[snorkackcatcher]

Mysteries of computer from 65BC are solved

A differential gear astronomical computer two millennia old. Talk about rewriting the history books ...

Sigh. I'm feeling ancient myself -- how come you can go from feeling young and relatively positive to old and very negative so quickly? I know, I know, usual reasons -- extra birthdays, depressing job, depressing family events, they catch up on you. Doubtless it doesn't help you feel young at heart when you look back and remember you fucked up your entire twenties. (What? Look, everyone else rants randomly on LJ, so why not me? When in Rome and all that.)

Lyrics: Hmm, haven't done one of these for a while. The last one was the Cream classic Badge from 1969, spotted by a_t_rain and junediamanti. For some reason this next one has been playing in my head for like the last week, so let's see if anyone else knows it:

They talked to the sister, the father and the mother
With a microphone in one hand and a chequebook in the other
And the camera noses in to the tears on her face
The tears on her face, the tears on her face
You can put them back together with your paper and paste
But you can't put them back together, you can't put them back together

What would you say, what would you do?
Children and animals two by two
Give me the needle, give me the rope
We're going to melt them down ... (1980s)

Comments

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Not one of my favourites. I'm with the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne, if you get my drift. It's a professional career...

remember you fucked up your entire twenties

No offence, but I wish I'd done that. The only things I regret are the things I didn't do.

[snorkackcatcher]

That's the one. :)

No offence, but I wish I'd done that. The only things I regret are the things I didn't do.

Unfortunately, doing nothing worthwhile was how I fucked them up. Mitigating circs, but still not something I'd recommend to anyone else. General dissolution would actually have been an improvement. :)

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

General dissolution would actually have been an improvement. :)

He usually is!

(If it helps - probably not! - I have eight missing years on my CV. Various fuckwitteries on my part, all detailed, full of sound and fury (I've never left them out) but amounting basically to nothing. Including three working for a PhD, which I hated from day one. The day I walked into the computer lab and typed 'del *.*;*' was a tremendous relief. I am still undoctored,)

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

LJ. Full of losers, failures, geeks and middle-aged ladies with cats.

Oh, fuck. Do I get to shout Bingo, or something?

Here's an annoying icon.

*runs*

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Extra birthdays? How does that work -- do you get more than just the standard one per year? Or were you born on February 29th, so you had to have one in 2000, when you wouldn't if it had been 1900, 1800, etc?

Er, sorry. Hope things get better for you.

[snorkackcatcher]

Heh. I quit after a year. (I might have enjoyed it if I'd picked a topic that interested me instead of the first thing that came to hand, but still.)

I tend to leave out the hole-creating fuckwitteries and hope nobody checks my birthdate and does the math, which fortunately usually works.

[snorkackcatcher]

do you get more than just the standard one per year?

No, it just feels like it when I look at my age. :) Cheers anyway.

[tree_and_leaf]

*hugs*

And rant away, by all means (it's not like I haven't been emo lately). I hope things look up soon.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I know how it feels - but all your twenties? All the time? Doesn't sound like you at all!

*hugs*

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Heh. I quit after a year.

You had more sense than I did, then. I don't think I've ever been so unhappy.

[ex-jo-blogs.livejournal.com]

Doubtless it doesn't help you feel young at heart when you look back and remember you fucked up your entire twenties.

*raises glass*

In my optimistic moments, I just say to myself, "fuck it, I'm having my twenties NOW!"

*hugs*

[snorkackcatcher]

Thanks. These things accumulate to venting point. :)

[snorkackcatcher]

Well exactly. I'm just living my life out of sequence, that's all.

[snorkackcatcher]

Thanks. Pretty much all though -- sadly, very me. Mental age never has matched physical age especially well. :)

[themolesmother.livejournal.com]

*Offers consoling pat on the back and virtual glass of wine*

I know just how you feel, having fucked up the same decade of my life by the simple expedient of marrying the wrong man two weeks before my eighteenth.

I find having a good moan helps. It gets it off my chest, and sooner or later, despite myself, I find myself going on about how much better things are now.

Hope you feel better soon.

MM

[(Anonymous)]

Hi SnorkackCatcher.
I've read your story "Second Thoughts" and liked it so much I've translated it into Russian and would like to post it on one of Russian HP sites - mentioning you as an auther, of course - if you don't object. Please answere to my e-mail danita1@012.net.il

Respectfully
Danita

[snorkackcatcher]

Hi Danita -- I replied a few days ago. In case the email hasn't come through, what I said was: thank you very much, I'm very flattered! Please feel free to post the translation where you wish. If you do, I'd appreciate it if you would let me know the URL -- I'd like to see what it looks like, out of curiosity, although I'm sorry but I won't be able to understand it. :(

[snorkackcatcher]

Thanks. I don't get much chance to moan, so it's probably a good idea sometimes. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Hi SnorkackCatcher
I've posted your story here
http://fanfiction.borda.ru/?1-0-0-00008695-000-0-0-1165092743
And there are some reviews
"The end is so unexpected. I liked it" (Assidi).
"A good story and a good translation" (Ginger).
Good luck!
Danita.

[dolabellae.livejournal.com]

Oh dear... with you all the way!
Hope you had a good weekend and are feeling a bit better now.

[snorkackcatcher]

Thanks. :)