The current free ebook is located at this link:
http://haggishell.com/ridgeproject.pdf

For details about the ebook, click here.

130818. Shiing Sheng pays a brief visit.

<ShiingShen> I'm going to write a script to calculate the following: Link redacted
<ShiingShen> Also, I didn't go fishing this morning
<ShiingShen> Too tired

<OldCoder> That is fine
<OldCoder> The fish will be satisfied to see you again another time
<OldCoder> Reviewing the link

<OldCoder> What language will you use for the script?
<ShiingShen> probably PHP (as that's what I am most fluent in)
<OldCoder> No reason not to learn other languages as you proceed with experiments
<OldCoder> PHP is similar enough to some that the transition would not be difficult

<ShiingShen> perhaps I can try using octave
<OldCoder> It might be fun. And practical as you will be halfway to Matlab. That is an employable skill.
<OldCoder> But learn C Perl Python too over time. C++ is the Devil's Playground :P and need not be rushed.

<ShiingShen> I remember most of what you taught me about perl
<OldCoder> We will discuss it further over Time if you wish. It is a fun language.
<OldCoder> But, then, in context, most are

130818. Tech tip: If you acquire domain names, you may wish to avoid the us Top Level Domain (TLD) to the extent possible. It appears that the TLD in question may have two problems:

1. If you wish to “push” (i.e., transfer) a us domain name to somebody else, they may need to make extra changes to their domain registrar account before the “push” operation will work. The exact steps needed will be registar-specific.

2. The whois protection feature that most registrars offer for most domain names may not be available for us domain names.

130818. Last night Saturday 130817 I stopped at a 7-11. Note: For my non-U.S. friends, a 7-11 is a “convenience store”. This is a small store where one may purchase things at any time of the day or night.

As I exited the store, somebody called my name. A man of indeterminate age. I did not recognize him. It was an associate from two years ago; Summer 2011. I'll call him Crane for now. Crane had lost so much weight that he wasn't recognizable. More weight than I did.

In Summer 2011, I lay on my floor in screaming pain for about two weeks. I could not go out. There was no way to let anybody come in to help. It was tiring.

I phoned Crane during this period as he was associated with apartment management at the time. He indicated that he could not discuss the matter because he was in the hospital for, I believe, appendicitis.

It was not appendicitis. It was cancer. Today, two years later, he expects to live no more than two more years.

I've known too many people who have had cancer. All ages; children, teenagers, adults, old people. Some lived. Most died. Grace Kiraly mocked the deaths, but that is another story.

The point that is relevant is about Time. None of us knows what may happen. The End of Time may come with little warning.

It appears that I've dodged cancer myself. But recently I've felt frail when the breathing-shock issue hits. Frail at other times as well. I might be good for another two decades. Or the remaining Time might be much less.

I was given a life. Time in the world. They are the same thing.

My life was taken from me starting almost immediately. I was an object to be deprecated and used. Used as a punching bag, a scapegoat, a workhorse, a dumping ground for left-over feelings, and a wallet. Used in other ways. Used because I was born different. Different enough to believe the lies.

People saw things to take. They took all that they could carry. They justified their “choices” by saying that the “choices” were mine.

The part that matters is that they took my Time. But I am done with the lies now. For the moment, I am here.

I am wide awake after 40 years.

130817. This is a copy of a letter that was sent to an associate on Saturday 130817. Subjects include working backwards, Managed Democracy, and one of Christ's Parables.

1. Introduction.

This response to a past letter of yours was delayed for one month. In fact, your letter was dated one month ago yesterday. The delay was not intended to be impolite and I trust that you will overlook it.

2. Irony.

May I start with a question that strikes me as fun? You said, “Your email moves over several issues, each of which could take many pages in a book to make any real attempt to sort out.”

Is there, perhaps, conscious irony in the remark? Perhaps not.

I do understand irony these days. See my posts regarding Legitimate Purposes and the Kiraly Cases Ironies.

But I'm not entirely sure, to this day, that I understand what you, Michael, and the Kiralys understand. It is all right. We have Time to figure it out.

3. Observations.

You said, “I have very strong opinions regarding what other are thinking sometimes, but those opinions can never rise to the level of certainty, since I cannot read minds. What I can do, and what supports my opinions, is observation. If you watch people, most of the time bona fide patterns will become clear, and your ability to predict what they will do next will actually be much higher than random chance or luck.”

If the process is taken seriously, the assertion is correct. But people tend to add layers of interpretations based on what they wish to believe. The patterns are sometimes divorced from the observations.

4. Everyone knows this is true.

You said, “Everyone knows this is true”.

Historically, “everyone knows” often meant that something was not true. I'm not saying the assertion that you were referring to is invalid. But people ought to be cautious about “Everyone knows”.

In past eras, “Everyone knows” was used to justify quite a few things. The Church burned autistic people, Jews, gays, sometimes disabled adults or children, anybody who was different, to death, literally put them in the fire and burned them, because “everyone knew” at the time that such people were “heretics” or “witches”.

In the current period, “everyone knows” things about people of one type or another that are not true. Fundamentalist Christians are misunderstood as much as others. Are you comfortable with what “everyone knows”, or believes they know, about you and those in your circles based solely on your religious beliefs?

5. Running into a cave.

You posited a situation involving a cave. One of your points was that reasonable people might be cautious about what might be in the cave. They might therefore rely, to some extent, on assumptions. Fair enough. But your Gedanken Experiment is similar to a scenario I've often mentioned when I've discussed patterns and working backwards.

Our ancestors long ago, assuming that you are not a follower of Bishop Ussher, were small animals who needed to make decisions quickly to avoid becoming snacks for larger ones.

Imagine a group of creatures who observe motion or stripes in the grass. One creature may say, “This may not be a tiger. I shall go and investigate.” If he is right, he lives and his genes may be passed on. If he is wrong, his genes are gone.

Another creature, perhaps his Brother, may say, “This may be a tiger. That is enough for me!” He runs away. Whether he is right or wrong, his genes don't say “So long!”

Which tendency do you suppose becomes more prevalent in the population as Time passes?

You pointed out that “the smart people will find more subtle ways to check the cave first, maybe using mirrors and peeking around corners”.

This is a sensible thought. But, the fact is, the vast majority of people do not do this. They are not constructed this way.

Instead, they prefer to pretend that they do this. From their perspective, Make Believe is good enough. It satisfies all obligations.

6. Imaginary Facts.

You said, “It remains to be seen just how long any imaginary fact can be maintained, and imaginary facts are always at risk of going away, possibly very quickly.”

I used to believe this. And it is true in some contexts. But if people, possibly millions of people, wish, at heart, to believe something, others who wish to herd them like cattle can do so long- term with little effort. It is all about positioning.

The result, at the national level of the country in which we reside, has evolved into a Managed Democracy. Something that is remarkable to behold. A massive structure that is made of strands of flimsy fiction pasted together in a slipshod manner. But one that stands because a coating of fancy has been applied.

You are rational, or so the conscious part of you believes. But if you looked below the coating of fancy, you would most likely not be able to transcend your limits. Your intentions would make little difference.

The examples of particular dictatorships or belief systems that you've cited in the past are about unstable structures. A framework that is set up properly is far more stable. No matter how bizarre it is beneath the surface.

You are most likely aware, at some level, that what I've said is true, as your role in the world so far has been to be part of the illusions that make up the coating. One question might be, do you ever consider the matter consciously?

7. Branching off from a Parable.

You brought up Christ's Parable about a speck in a neighbor's eye. You said, “I know that if someone tries to stick their finger in my eye I'll probably try to swat away their hand, and might get angry.”

As you brought this up in a specific and limited context, I'll keep the following out-of-context response limited. But, tell me, are you able to think of any modern or even current situations where the visual metaphor that you've used here might be apt?

You added, “Stopping evil will not be easy or simple.”

Indeed. One related question is, what should my role in this context be? Another question is, what should your role be?

130816. This is just an evening chat with Kappelin.

<OldCoder> I really was the Martian Child
<OldCoder> Not Jesus Meek and Mild
<OldCoder> But different indeed
<OldCoder> They did not take heed

<OldCoder> I was not built for this; it is beyond my state
<OldCoder> So it is my fate
<OldCoder> To wander the shadows where I find myself now
<OldCoder> I am not sure how
<OldCoder> To interpret it
<OldCoder> I believe
<OldCoder> All will be well
<OldCoder> But I must proceed carefully

<Kappelin> *clones*
<Kappelin> mwahahahahaha
<Kappelin> i am cloning my systems
<Kappelin> cloning, cloning, cloning my systems
<Kappelin> da doo da daaa
<Kappelin> cloning, cloning, cloning my systems
<Kappelin> mmhmmhmm hmm hmm hmmmmmmmm

<OldCoder> Needs work. Thematically.
<Kappelin> it's open source
<Kappelin> feel free
<OldCoder> Clone clone clone the boat
<OldCoder> Nah
<Kappelin> LOL

<Kappelin> Clone clone clone the goat
<Kappelin> Watch it eat your grass
<OldCoder> Sit on your ass
<OldCoder> Let it do the work
<Kappelin> Chomp chomp crunch all day
<OldCoder> Hip hip hoo-ray
<OldCoder> This is the way it should be
<Kappelin> yes

130816. I attended a birthday party today for somebody who has reached old age and become sage. Three years old. Where, the aging person wonders, did the time go? How could three years have disappeared so quickly?

LittleCoder did not experience many birthday parties that involved people. The most significant event of this type occurred in the latter half of the 1960s. It proved to be memorable. Regrettably it did not go well.

The 1970s were odd.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the older Coder generally spent the night before his birthday working late at his office. When the clock passed midnight and he was a year older he did not feel bolder. He'd look at the clock and wonder what the change meant.

The 2000s were odd.

The 2010s, of course, are about the Kiraly Cases. There is no room for an OldCoder birthday in a Kiraly Cases world.

Today was bad as far as the breathing shock thing went. It occurred both before and after the party. I seem to be unwell in other respects. But I attended and I even wore a monkey hat. People seemed to feel that the monkey hat was an improvement.

The newly minted three-year-old had peers without fears at the party today to say hoo-ray and to interact with. One of the peers started walking just two weeks ago. I was apparently her first dance partner.

There were inanimate guests at the party too. They played their roles and trusted that they had done well. I will introduce some of them below.

130815. People are downloading DSirijus's Blues track. So I thought I'd repost another musical piece. The OldCoder Song.

The OldCoder Song is a Nerdcore track about, of all things, yours truly.

To be clear, I've shaved off the beard mentioned in the song. I've lost all of the weight and I no longer resemble Santa at all. I also drink regular colas more often than Fanta. The singer used the brand “Fanta” because it rhymed with “Santa”.

Regardless, I laugh every time I listen to this thing. The song is about one year old. The story behind the lyrics is that I deconstructed two startups one day. I may have been a little blunt when I did so. :-)

You are invited to listen to the music at the link below. You may also download the piece from the site in question:

The OldCoder Song by CodesStuff

The music is posted with permission. If the preceding link does not work, here is an alternate direct download link for the music in MP3 format:

CodesStuff_-_OldCoder.mp3

130815. I met tonight with Minnesota Fats at the Edge of All There Is. His life is more settled presently than it has been at times. We discussed the old Chinese curse:

“May you live in interesting times.”

It seemed positive, to both of us, that his life is less interesting for now than in the past. If my life was less interesting too this would be good.

We discussed his children. They are in their 20s. He looks forward to finding out what will become of them. One may teach. One may create magic; possibly games or movies. Another hopes to write; it is possible. Regardless the torch will be passed. His children will have chances to live and to create.

The odd sensation is still there. Rhiannon says that it is stress. But after I spoke with Minnesota Fats it seemed to be less pronounced.

130815. Shiing Shen is a math and security expert in training.

<ShiingShen> I found a vulnerability in a forum script quite a few people use. I don't get why they use it, though. After looking at the code and googling it appears to be a pretty bad script.
<ShiingShen> It's called 'Ultimate PHP Board'

<OldCoder> Reviewing
<ShiingShen> and I can execute javascript by posting:
<ShiingShen> [img]." onerror="PUT JAVASCRIPT HERE"[/img]
<ShiingShen> because they don't filter quotes

<OldCoder> Might notify upstream developers
<OldCoder> One reason people use this software is that it is entirely text based
<OldCoder> No SQL required
<OldCoder> Does not balance the vulnerabilities
<OldCoder> Those may be corrected over Time
<OldCoder> But, yes, presently it appears to be wide open

* OldCoder sighs
<OldCoder> Times change but people are generally the same

<OldCoder> My generation was supposed to Clean Up the Environment
<OldCoder> And Teach the World to Sing
<OldCoder> The job of yours
<OldCoder> May be more complicated

<ShiingShen> whatever happened to Myrddin?
<OldCoder> I've tried to find out
<OldCoder> He's probably O.K. but disappeared abruptly

<ShiingShen> what's funny is, the official forum of UPB is running an outdated version of itself
<OldCoder> How outdated?
<ShiingShen> by one version
<OldCoder> Not necessarily a big deal

<OldCoder> There may be a number of releases before they catch up with the bug list
<OldCoder> People have invested themselves in this project; they will work on it
<OldCoder> If you wish to help, drop them a line
<OldCoder> But they may already know about the security hole
<OldCoder> As you continue to explore you will find they are common

<OldCoder> Check out the history of MS-Windows sometime
<OldCoder> Microsoft believed in Security Through Obscurity. I haven't checked to see if they still do.
<OldCoder> They offered special rewards to vendors if the vendors wouldn't acknowledge that MS-Windows was full of holes and backdoors
<ShiingShen> heh

<ShiingShen> I don't see how obscurity protects anything, anyone can disassemble components in windows to find security holes
<OldCoder> That didn't make a difference
<OldCoder> People don't think like that. As you study technical issues you should study the decisions that go with them
<OldCoder> The “choices” involved

<OldCoder> Sometimes people trust Make Believe more than facts
<OldCoder> Make Believe, a child's game, has more power than you may understand
<OldCoder> It does not end at age four, or fourteen, or forty four
<OldCoder> Learn how it works and you will understand some of the “choices” that matter

130815. This is a letter to Casey. Casey is a woman of my generation who the Baron introduced me to a while back.

Dear Casey,

1. Web page options.

You offered to compensate me to learn more about web pages and blogging. Up to a point, there's no chance that I'd charge you. I've made attempts to instruct, advise, or assist others ages 13 to 79 for years and for the basics it's always been free.

A blog by itself isn't difficult. There are free blog hosts that will run blogs for you. One negative is that a given blog host may go away. Or they may delete your account if you post something that people don't like. Additionally, the way that the blog works is predetermined. You can usually change the look and feel but you may not have much control over the software itself.

You can also set up a complete website at a free or inexpensive webhost. This requires more work, but you'll have more flexibility. Note that webhosts have some of the same disadvantages as blog hosts.

For close to total control and flexibility, you can get a VPS. This is a computer of your own that is floating out there in the “cloud”. Amazon gives away free VPSes. However, Amazon's VPSes are complicated and they're only free temporarily. Other companies rent basic VPSes for $10 to $35 per month and up. With a VPS, you can run any software you wish. You can have any reasonable number of websites. In fact, you become a webhost yourself. You can also use a VPS to create a startup; i.e., a new company that is based on Internet services.

Another option, if you wish, is that I might host a site or weblog for you. We'd need to see what type of software would work. Or, if you prefer, I could run some of your posts as part of my own weblog.

2. Thoughts about changes.

It's remarkable how things change. Even kids get VPSes these days. Instead of selling magazine subscriptions or mowing lawns to make money, though some still do this, they dream of webhost businesses and startups before College. In some cases, before High School. More power to them.

The kids also use VPSes to study network security. Different ways to sail the currents of the Internet. For example, kids today learn onion routing before they're old enough to shave. They also learn how to build fortresses that will stand up to powerful tides. Tides that are controlled by the rich and the powerful. People like the Kiraly Family.

When I see what I see in the headlines these days, and when I consider my own experiences, I'm pleased to think that, in the end, counter tides may arise. I'll do what I can to help.

3. Possessions.

If one of the issues that you're dealing with involves sorting through possessions, dispose of as many as possible. This is important. I started to do this two decades ago but I didn't finish. So when the Kiralys came for me there was no time to sort properly. I lost possessions that genuinely mattered to me.

4. My situation.

You asked me about my situation. It's mostly on my blog. Except for some details and documents that I plan to post over Time. I have plenty more to show and say. Feel free to visit; the blog will be glad to see you.

By the way, our mutual associate, who I refer to publicly as “The Baron”, is traveling this week. I believe that he is expected back on Monday. He has offered to ask attorneys that he knows to review a new document. The document discusses the basis for possible State Bar Association actions and possible Torts Actions.

If you are acquainted with attorneys, of any specialty, who may be interested in reviewing a summary document connected to an unusual situation, let me know.

Regards, Robert (the Old Coder, and he is old indeed)

130813. I met with DNA and his wife RNA today. Then Josef later on. I had not planned to eat. But I ate a meal with DNA and RNA. It was quite good.

When I met with Josef, I shared part of his plate as he was not able to finish his meal. This was a standard restaurant order that Josef had had modified in a creative way. It was interesting.

I felt the odd sensation throughout. Josef told me he could hear something unusual in my voice. But he added at the end that I sounded better after our conversation.

Josef and I agreed that, although people can be problematic, we are social animals and when we are in distress, it is good to be able to talk.

130813. To download a PDF version of the IPT Reunion story, use the link below. There are minor revisions to previous copies:

iptreunion_130813.pdf

130813. I may have slipped into a state that I entered previously in February. But, most likely, it is an ordinary physical illness. I feel not quite dizzy but detached. When I speak out loud, my words sound odd in my head.

I'm floating above the world. It is like a light fever but my guess is that my temperature is normal.

It is unusual. But it is not unpleasant.

There is a tether to the world. I can feel it. For now, the tether makes a difference. I float and I am bound.

I know what the tether is. Its nature. It is fragile but important. The tether is woven of strands consisting of people and interaction.

There is a trigger. Howard Bloom wrote of the trigger. After the trigger is activated, one needs the tether to remain attached to the world.

Update: As of Tuesday night I see a pattern. The odd state is significantly more noticeable when I speak of stressful things. This is interesting.

Last night, Skittles told me, “If you think about it, you only have one life to live. After that, you vanish. Don't let a second pass you by without it being an awesome second.”

I indicated that I understood this. But that the point he was making was not necessarily relevant.

He added that he was so tired that his “mind is just fiddled”. This led to attempts by both of us to piece together a nursery rhyme that we both remembered.

I remember the nursery rhyme from four to five decades ago. It was on audio tapes of nursery rhymes that Grace Kiraly gave to Scott Kiraly.

To the best of my recollection, Grace Kiraly didn't tell nursery rhymes herself. She wasn't the type. I don't think she told jokes much either or laughed for real. There was something calculated about the laughs.

The Little Coder could see the calculation. But he didn't understand what he was observing.

It's interesting to see what Time makes clear. To see what you can see from a distance. There was little humor in the Kiraly household that wasn't cold or spiteful. Life with these people was much the same, I imagine, as life with anthropomorphic arachnids might be.

There were moments, even in the midst of a nest of such as these, that were light. Nursery rhymes, music, TV shows that people enjoyed, and jokes. But I think that jokes that weren't based on cruelty or mockery were rare.

It can't be like this for others. Life is not like Norman Rockwell America. But there must be homes where life is light hearted on a regular basis.

I remember a joke that Jim Kiraly told once. It stands out after decades because he was not the joking type. Jim's joke went as follows. It was not original. However, this does not matter. The point of a joke is to amuse, to instruct, or to connect. Even a “corny” old joke can do this.

Sergeant: I'd like to meet with the General
Secretary: You can't meet with the General today because he's sick
Sergeant: Oh? What made him sick?
Secretary: Things in general

Scott Kiraly didn't seem to be especially fond of the nursery rhymes. Eventually, he recorded other things over them. But he played the tapes occasionally for a while before the rhymes were gone.

The rhymes were song by a young woman. Her voice is still with me. I can hear her voice now.

Skittles's grandmother recited the rhyme in question for him much more recently. Or a lifetime ago. It depends on how Time is measured.

Hey Diddle Diddle
The Cat and the Fiddle
The Cow jumped over the Moon
The little Dog laughed
To see such sport
And the Dish ran away with the Spoon

130812. This is simply a Cat Close-Up.

130811. The image below is from an interesting anti-bullying Tweet that I stumbled across just now. As of 130811, the associated Twitter link was here, but it may have broken since then.

130811. I've gone to the house of DNA the 82 year old attorney several times recently. It has been to fix software on his laptops and to tweak Android devices. It is reassuring to me when I can be useful. Therefore I like to do this.

Yesterday 130810 DNA took a photo of me accidentally using an Android device. The device was in a strange mode. So the resulting photo of me was disconnected and surreal.

The disconnected and surreal aspect seemed right to me. After what the Kiralys have done to me, this is what I am.

The boy that the Kiralys and others killed was probably more so. I am normal compared to him. But what is left of him is me now most of the time. And I am what is left of him.

It is interesting.

At any rate, it is the first current photo of me that I have chosen to make public in a while. If you wish to gaze at the ancient Coder and do not fear that the sight will be unnerving, here he is.

He is so old. This is not right. On the other hand, he has lost about 75 pounds of weight.

The weight loss was done the hard way, though. As a separate matter, he can't always stand up and his hand doesn't work right. They took his right hand. But he can write now. He can even sing though only in writing.

Life is complicated.

130811. Some people are not useful. They are about hatred and lies. Others serve a purpose. One such person has a birthday today.

Today 130811 is the 79th birthday of Nancy the Physicist. The first woman physicist, or so I am told, out of Stanford University. If you have driven through the area and seen the historic old homes nearby, one of those old homes is where she spent her childhood.

I've known Nancy for 10 years now. Tried to help her with her startup. Her technology seems to be good but I feel it's time for her to focus on a book. She disagrees and pursues the millions of dollars that every startuper dreams of.

Perhaps the money will come. Perhaps not. Either way, who am I to judge the dreams of a startuper? My own race may be run. But whether one is age 13, age 30, or age 79, to pursue one's dreams is fine.

Happy Birthday, Nancy the Physicist.

130811. Here are two technical pages intended for developers who are interested in Salesforce:

Salesforce Developer Setup

Salesforce CPAN tests

130805. Shiing Shen interacts with fish once again but is focused more on Zen.

<ShiingShen> Me and my dad went fishing again today
<ShiingShen> for about an hour-and-a-half
<ShiingShen> I caught 3 sunfish

<OldCoder> That is not long for fishing. It can be an all day sport. Will you eat them this time?
<ShiingShen> heh, no
<ShiingShen> threw them back again

<OldCoder> So for you it is about
<OldCoder> The Zen of Fishing
<OldCoder> :-)

<OldCoder> The fish are undoubtedly pleased to meet a mathematician
<OldCoder> Who prefers to integrate and not to cheese grate
* OldCoder assumes there are fish recipes that involve cheese
<OldCoder> Sunfish is a nice image
<OldCoder> Fish glowing underwater

130811. I was told that today was Bring Your Pony to Minetest Day. Not sure if it's a joke or not. But perhaps this pony will do.

130810. Asperger Sadie, whose blog is at this link, wondered if people might re-blog some of her posts. The answer is, sure.

I'm worn out after the long Happy Birthday post for my brother Scott Kiraly. May not post for a few days. But here's a Self-Esteem Penguin from the Asperger Sadie blog. Artist is Jacqueline C. whose Tumblr is at this link.

If the artist or other parties would like the repost removed, there is contact information on my About page.