2004.10.10
Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible.
Technology of the Moment
I am learn is a blog made by a computer script. It does a surprisingly good job of sounding like some kind of demented teenager who has English as a distant second (or maybe third) language. What I like about it is the guy set it up so it spontaneously posts every once in a while...there's something beautiful about a demented 'bot that starts itself up, even if it's just a random timer, relative to a script that the developer fires off every once in a while.
Goal and Reward of the Moment
So lately I've been drooling over some LCD projectors friends of mine have...instead of a TV, they plug into the projector and get a HUGE, crisp picture on a movie screen. At the low-end these run ~$800, so it is a bit of an indulgence, so I've been thinking of ways to possibly justify it. Until yesterday, "Well, Christmas is coming" is all I could come up with. (It's not like my current TV has stopped working or anything.) Though today I had a brainstorm: I should use it to bribe myself to get these 2 rooms of mine cleared out...my closet of immense modular storage, and then the back room, which was kind of a dumping ground for my move this summer. If I could do those rooms, really pare down the clutter, clean my house, and (maybe) clean up my files as well, that really would be an accomplishment. Plus, there's something nice in not having a 200lb tv in my life.
Of course, there are some pros and cons. But maybe I can kick my butt into doing the needed decluttering, and just know I have the indulgence as an option rather than something I'm neccesarily going to do.
Actually, the whole thing reminds me of how weird money is. Like, I was thinking about a getaway weekend, and it really wouldn't be a big deal to spend $100-$200 on a hotel. But $50 video games seem really expensive. A nice dinner, maybe my part of the bill comes to $30. But I hesitate when a DVD is like $25. $800-$1000 seems like a HUGE deal, but I pay more than that for rent every month. Food and lodging are neccesities, sure, but people who are otherwise pretty financially strict with luxuries don't always sweat on economizing on those things...