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source; created: 18 Dec 2014; modified: 20 Feb 2020; status: in progress; confidence: log; importance: 0
Writing
Technically, rewriting the site to use Hakyll-4 as a static site generator and converting the repository from Darcs to Git were major pieces of technical debt I needed to pay off. Painful, but it had to be done. I was also pleased to finish my annotated ebook of Radiance: I think it’s an unjustly obscure piece of literary scientific fiction which shines even more when the historical context is laid out.
- My public release of the Mnemosyne spaced repetition dataset is something I’m proud of—the last release was inaccessible despite being a throve of data on flashcards in the real world.
- The sort-key trick (Spatial locality for better file compression) was originally just a random command-line trick, but in working with the darknet market scrapes, I’ve come to appreciate how it yields major space savings. (I haven’t finished any writings on the darknet markets lately, but I have been amusing myself inordinately by trying to write some epigrams on them & technology in general.)
- My McCaleb email interview on MtGox helped correct Wikipedia about the history of MtGox. And not a moment too soon, given how toxic the topic is now for anyone previously associated with it.
- do causal networks explain why correlation ≠ causation is so often true?
- lithium orotate experiment finished: no effects positive or negative Treadmill spaced repetition experiment
- Redshift self-experiment: screen-reddening software shifts bedtime forward by 20 minutes
- Bicycle face
- “Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.”
- did Fifty Shades of Gray have only 4k readers as the original Twilight fanfiction?
Personal
2014 was an eventful year. Bitcoin continued evolving towards respectability despite the MtGox disaster (which I think surprised even the more cynical observers), and the technical possibilities continue to be explored (I particularly like sidechains and Truthcoin). The darknet market scene saw dizzying turnover as markets continued to rise and fall in the post-SR1 vacuum (although in many cases, the fall was no less than merited) with 42 new markets and more closures, not to mention various prosecutions. Monitoring them all, much less scraping them, has proven to be quite a challenge, but I now have fairly complete archives which I have distributed to a number of academics; with luck, I can do a public release in 2015. This all drew some media attention as well; I did interviews in person or over email with Mike Power, the NHK, and Erica Fink.
My dog died on 6 February. He was old and nearly blind but it was still sad. I got a new cat in June from the pound after considerable travails with local animal rescue groups. I spent time weatherproofing / sealing my apartment’s doors and windows (blacking out the bedroom windows and putting springs on the doors while I was at it), and upgrading the antique DSL Internet to a cable modem; while still pathetic by any First World country’s standards, it helps a lot. I also have been learning to bake sourdough bread—when I visited my sister in San Francisco, I really enjoyed the Bowdoin sourdough bread, and there seemed no reason I couldn’t learn to bake some myself. Some home improvements worked, others didn’t (the hammock seems to be a summer-only thing; and my data logger shows the humidifier was completely unnecessary—rather, excess humidity is causing mold), and the jury is still out on others (installing much brighter CFL light bulbs to counteract winter dimness).
Media
Entries are sorted in descending order of how much I liked them, taking the top half.
Books
Fiction:
- The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (review)
- Worm, wildbow (review)
- Radiance: A Novel, Carter Scholz (review)
- Diaspora, Greg Egan
- The Quantum Thief, Hannu
- Catch-22, Heller
- Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Márquez (review)
- Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened (review)
- A Clockwork Orange, Burgess
- Ra, Sam Hughes
- Echopraxia, Peter Watts
- The Iron Dragon’s Daughter, Swanwick (review)
- Rogue Male
Nonfiction:
- The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy, Tooze (review)
- Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman (review)
- Past, Present, and Future of Statistical Science (review)
- Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II (review)
- Clear and Simple as the Truth: Writing Classic Prose, Thomas & Turner (review)
- Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology, Graeber 2004
- The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett III: Multiple Universes, Mutual Assured Destruction, and the Meltdown of a Nuclear Family, Bryne (review)
- The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field, Hadamard (review)
- Excuse Me Sir, Would You Like to Buy a Kilo of Isopropyl Bromide? (review)
Live-action
Film/TV:
Anime/manga
Manga:
Anime:
- Toradora
- Shin Sekai Yori (vol 1, vol 2; review)
- Watamote (review)
- Madoka: Rebellion
- Kill la Kill
- Silver Spoon
- Attack on Titan (vol 1, vol 2)
- Uchouten Kazoku
- Ayakashi (only last third of the series recommended)
- Garden of Words (review)
- Kyousougiga
- Maoyuu Maou Yuusha
- Fuse Teppō Musume no Torimonochō (review)
- Steamboy
- Summer in Andalusia
Music
Misc:
- “Your Hand in Mine (piano cover)”, rmadlal; Explosions in the Sky
- “Pulstar” (Vangelis; Albedo 0.39) [electronic]
- “Welcome to my harbor” (mag; Kantai Collection Arrange Compilation 2 {2013}) [instrumental]
- “Old navy never die.” (Morrigan feat. リリィ; Old navy never die. {C85; Kancolle}) [choral]
Doujin:
- “The Moonstone” (pluginpsyche; wait for multiple memories {C84}) [instrumental]
- “Before My Life Ends” (pluginpsyche; wait for multiple memories {C84}) [instrumental]
- “Every cat dances to the premium music” (OSTER project; ねこのかんづめ☆プレミアム 2009) [jazz]
- “Rhythm Of Love” feat. Yuki (M-Project; Blood, Sweat & Makina {C84}) [techno]
- “ウサギトエゴ” (kous, ef; 中庭△ {2013}) [electronic?]
Vocaloid:
“Inverse Relation” (Miku; Clean Tears; Reverberations {C84}) [trance]
“Counterclockwise” (Miku; ryuryu; Homeland {VM14}) [trance]
“In Adversae” (Luka, Kaito; Planty; Planet Planty {2014}) [trance]
“NICE MATCHING!” (miki; M@SATOSHI; 銀杏色D-i-s-k {VM23}) [electronic]
“Moon Walker” (Gumi & Piko; KTG; FREEZE {2011}) [electronic]
“2AM Dreamy Wonderland (CY Short Mix)” (Miku; MJQ, CY) [Progressive House]
“こどものしくみ” (Miku; by 鹿乃; 或る街の白昼夢 {C85}) [Jpop]
“Alice” (Meiko; Alice in wonderword) [Jpop?]
“Count Down” (Gumi+Gakupo; M@SATOSHI; Wakabairo D-i-s-k {VM17}) [Jpop]
“いつか” (Rin; カラスヤサボウ; goodnight, wonderend {2014}) [Jpop]
“Light Falls” (Miku; yuxuki waga {2011}) [Jpop]
“残らずの森” (kous; 中庭M {2013}) [Jpop]
“bpm (club rework)” (Miku; KTG; CueB Legacy Collection {VM21}) [club]
“クラブ流星群 (Extend mix)” (Miku; 味噌汁P CueB Legacy Collection {VM21}) [club]
“mugs” (古川本舗 & 630; Alice in wonderword) [rock/jazz]
“Mitasare” (Luka; もふ＠, Tinkle-POP, 6人の君と僕の歌 {VM20}) [classical]
“shallow moon” (Rin; 曼荼羅P; selbstmord {2014}) [vocal]
“Sunrise” (Miku; akayaka; KARENT presents Skylight Theater {Trans city}) [ambient]
Touhou:
“Dreaming Tonight” feat. Renko (Kirin; Starlight {C85}) [trance]
“Nights Return (Stirring an Autumn Moon)” (Komso; Touhou DTM -Decade Toho Music- {R10}) [trance?]
“Floral Colors” feat. 陽花 (Tim Vegas; Nothing but Flowers {C80}) [Jpop/trance]
“Hello Aliens” feat. emaru (アサヒ; デジハロ NEXUS {C84}) [electro pop]
“Eternal Verities” (ayame; POP | CULTURE {C84}) [Jpop]
“SAISEN girl” (あき; 恋綴里-第五話- {R11}) [Jpop]
“Twinkle” (ena feat. peЯoco; デジウィ DREAM {C86}) [Jpop]
“真生未分の一心” (spctrm; Duende {C80}) [orchestral/folk]
“eureka” (hiro.na; eureka {C77}) [folk/inst rock]
“オッカムの剃刀” (Ryuuha Mikaido; ティマイオス ～風の詩～ {C86}) [orchestral]
“Sixth Movement Dawn of East End” (MORRIGAN feat. 三澤秋; Symphonic Tarantella “Lily” -Illusionary Waltz: Belladonna Lily- {M3-27}) [orchestral]
“Fifth Movement 9th moon / Pale Indigo Dream” (MORRIGAN feat. 三澤秋; Symphonic Tarantella “Lily” -Illusionary Waltz: Belladonna Lily- {M3-27}) [orchestral]
“恋色マスタースパーク (Love-Colored Master Spark)” (霧雨 魔理沙; Charisma Lash Type-M {C86}) [orchestral]
“感情の摩天楼 ～ Cosmic Mind” (聖 白蓮; Charisma Lash Type-M {C86}) [orchestral]
“avatar” (綾倉盟; eureka {C77}) [instrumental/electronic]
“a field of clouds” (hiro.na; eureka {C77}) [instrumental]
“A Queen Of The Sixteenth Night” (Yuri Yuzriha; TOHO R&B HOUSE Party Vol.2 {C85}) [instrumental/electronic]
“Einsamkeit” feat. 綾倉 盟 (spctrm, Syrufit; Sensitive Moment {C76})
“Ska or RED” (水橋ゆっきー; Brass Quartet {C80}) [brass]
“銀河と恋色魔法” (水橋ゆっきー; Brass Quartet {C80}) [brass]
“ひらり厄神様” (ばんし; 厄神days {R11}) [brass]
“孤独なウェアウルフ” (TAM; 純白の東方子守唄 {R11}) [classical]
“春色小径 ～ Colorful Path” (TAM; 純白の東方子守唄 {R11}) [classical]
“法界の火 (Fires of Hokkai)” (Marasy; 幻想遊戯＜星＞ {R11}) [classical]
“Even if they say nothing in the night” (Machikado-Mapoze; Dancing Phantasmagoria {C86}) [waltz]
“佐々木喜善はかく語りき ～ 願わくはこれを語りて平地人を戦慄せしめよ” (ジャム; DAYDREAM TUNES {C86}) [classical]
“Could She Know The Summer?” (setsugen; DAYDREAM TUNES {C86}) [classical]
“Border of Life ~ Bloom Nobly, Cherry Blossoms of Sumizome” (TAM; TOHO DRAMATIC VIOLIN -enthusiasm- {R11}) [classical/rock]
“Love Coloured Master Spark” (TAM; TOHO DRAMATIC VIOLIN -enthusiasm- {R11}) [classical/rock]
“Septette for the Dead Princess” (TAM; TOHO DRAMATIC VIOLIN -enthusiasm- {R11}) [classical/rock]
“幽雅に咲かせ、墨染の桜 alt. ver.” (埼玉最終兵器; Rain Drop {R11}) [metal]
“東方妖々夢 ～ Ancient Temple (5th Spell -Changing Times-より)” (xi-on; 東方志奏 Ex2 Spell -Regeneration- {R10}) [metal]
“千年幻想郷 ~ History of the Moon” (Liverne (ゆう), Yu- (Phoenix Project), Tokunan; Touhou Gensou Shiten 2 “Canon” {C71}) [metal]
“Lonely Monster in the Desolation #0” (RD-Sounds; 望 {R11}) [post-rock]
“Transparent” (Aizawa; Silver Scenery {C86}) [instrumental rock]
“恋心ひとつ” (ハム; TOHO BOSSA NOVA 3 {R11}) [bossa nova]
“Magical color(bossa)” (surreacheese; FETA {R11}) [bossa nova?]
“Adiós, Illusion de los Compañeros ～ さよなら友の幻よ” (ジャージと愉快な仲間たち; 63/64 Completion {R11}) [folk]
“Camino a la Luna ～ 月へ至る山道” (ジャージと愉快な仲間たち; 63/64 Completion {R11}) [folk]
“東方妖々夢” (k-wave labs; 幽かのたまゆら {C84}) [Celtic]
“幽雅に咲かせ、墨染の桜” (k-waves LAB; 幽かのたまゆら {C84}) [Celtic]
“An cailin ar an tine” (Escarmew; MT22 {C86}) [Celtic]
“DESIRE DREAM—FELT Remix” (NAGI☆ feat. itori; XXX {C85}) [electronic]
“Fires of Hokkai” (Jun.A; Cradle2 {C77}) [electronic]
“Fantasia Nightbug” (激戦の人 feat. 迷犬; Summer Festival {C86}) [Rock]
“To the Limit” (あとぐる feat. Mai Kotoge; 悠啼 YU-NARI {C78}) [rock]
“厄神様の通学路” (ばんし; 厄神days {R11}) [instrumental]
“今日もくるくる” (ばんし; 厄神days {R11}) [instrumental]
“Merry Christmas Wr. Nightbug” (狐夢想; 東方VGM {R11}) [instrumental]
“感情の摩天楼 ～ Cosmic Mind” (あきやまうに; 暗黒能楽集・心綺楼 東方心綺楼 ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK {C84}) [instrumental]
“Far East Fruits” (K2 SOUND; 詩夏 Si-ka {C84}) [instrumental]
“自制的な喜怒哀楽 (Cosmic Mind)” (sisimai-3go; Tomodachi {R10}) [instrumental]
“月を仰ぎて虫時雨(2014remix)” (Xe; Bracing Sky Blue {R11}) [house/folk]
“ON FIRE” (Maurits“禅”Cornelis feat. Vivienne; DANCE with WOLVES {C86}) [house]
“Beat of Summer” (Babbe feat. Kasuka; SUNSHINE EP {2014-08-16}) [house]
“Dressed-Up Shadow” (Tim Vegas feat. 陽花; DANCE with WOLVES {C86}) [dance]
“liar lips” (Crazy Berry; くるいちご三ルク {R11}) [dubstep?]
“Love-Colored.” (Crazy Berry feat Ichigo; OSUSHI PROJECT 1 {C86}) [jazz/vocal]
“Dance even Owl” (surreacheese; FETA {R11}) [jazz]
“Midnight Bird” (Sanokan; 東方ぴあのとりお {R10}) [jazz]
“深夜のレトロスペクティブ天気予報” (Xe; Bracing Sky Blue {R11}) [jazz]
“令・瞑コード零” (Tokyo Active NEETs; Touhou Bakuon Jazz 4 {C84}) [jazz]
“encourager” (RD-Sounds & Meramipop; 望 {R11}) [vocal]
“voyage” (きりん feat 茶々; con spirito {C85}) [vocal]
“はるのおと ―同声合唱とピアノのための―” (RD-Sounds feat. Meramipop; itazura {R10}) [vocal]