hermiene.net

One solution to this is that A = B = 0, but this is the trivial solution from K = 0 and one we ignore since it provides no physical solution to the problem other than the knowledge that 0 = 0, which is not that inspiring of a result.

— LibreTexts Chemistry, Physical Chemistry (LibreTexts), 2: The Classical Wave Equation, 2.2: The Method of Separation of Variables

About

This page collects stuff I want to show others, but which I don't feel deserve a page of its own. As the name implies, here is where I offload random stuff. If something here grows to insane proportions, I will most likely give it its own page.

Fun

These are items that get their own page for various reasons. Why the heading name Fun? Firstly because it's true, and secondly because I can't come up with a better name; it does not imply that this is the only fun part of my site.

  • Insignia — Warning! Contains ridiculously huge images that will devour your CPU and defenestrate your RAM! Enter at own risk.
  • Substitution Cipher — A very simple substitution cipher. Click the link for an explanation.
  • Trace Elements — An attempt to explain the references in a song about science.

Invented words and phrases

Phrase or word Inventor Meaning
A highly trained professional Håvard One who isn't. An indirect reference to the fact that NPCs in computer games are indifferent to actions that the player can make that would turn heads and gather comments from the general public in real life (such as frantically jumping, trailing people so close that they can smell your aftershave, and running in circles around old ladies). A direct reference to Half-Life where the line "Gordon doesn't need to hear all this, he's a highly trained professional" is given, during which it is possible to perform goofy acts.
Antelligence Even The opposite of intelligence. A synonym for stupidity.
Emotiologic shoofle Emotion is the grease on the wheels of human logic!
Fits under the bed Niels-Henrik A reference to the show What is Scientology? where the host, Ed Clark, has a tendency to act like those goofballs you see on infomercials (leading the guests on, overly praising them, and using convoluted language), implying that the only thing missing from the show is that phrase.
Funny-baiting Håvard Trying to get people to say funny things unintentionally. The less the victim is aware that you're doing this, the funnier the result (usually).
Glory Device'd! Håvard Someone who commits a suicide bombing has been Glory Device'd (ranging in orders of magnitude from petty market place bombings, making stars go supernova, through destruction on a galactic scale). A reference to the Shofixti race in the computer game Star Control 2.
Memulation Niels-Henrik Emulation through memes. For instance, if you don't have an MP3 player on you, you could have someone hum a song and let the meme infect your brain, thus allowing you to emulate the song.
Puzzle mashing Even A play on the gaming term button mashing, puzzle mashing means playing puzzle games unthinkingly (by overly using a hints system, randomly trying to fit pieces together in match-three games, or otherwise).
Star Wars Niels-Henrik A verb meaning to shoot directly at an enemy while moving rapidly towards it, timing it so that when it explodes, you go straight through it. A reference to the Star Wars series, where X-wings sometimes perform the same maneuver on TIE fighters.
Stlash Håvard A portmanteau of the words stab and slash. What happens when you apply first an inward thrusting motion and then a sideways pulling motion with a bladed weapon.
Survival of what fits best Niels-Henrik Natural selection of clothes. When deciding which clothes to throw away and which to keep, only what fits best survives.
Technological sexularity Seiun The point where interfacing between human minds can produce sexual euphoria beyond an orgasm.

Project Euler

mathschallenge.net's Project Euler is a set of mathematical problems that are designed to be solved with computer programming. It's very fun and challenging, and I think it's a great way to hone your programming skills. Here's a list of the problems I've solved so far:

  • 1: Add all the natural numbers below 1000 that are multiples of 3 or 5.
  • 2: Find the sum of all the even terms in the Fibonacci sequence below one million.
  • 4: Find the largest palindrome made from the product of two 3-digit numbers.
  • 5: What is the smallest number divisible by each of the numbers 1 to 20?
  • 6: What is the difference between the sum of the squares and the square of the sums?
  • 7: Find the 10001st prime.
  • 8: Discover the largest product of five consecutive digits in the 1000-digit number.
  • 10: Calculate the sum of all the primes below one million.
  • 11: What is the greatest product of four numbers on the same straight line in the 20 by 20 grid?
  • 12: What is the first triangle number to have over five-hundred divisors?
  • 13: Find the first ten digits of the sum of one-hundred 50-digit numbers.
  • 14: Find the longest sequence using a starting number under one million.
  • 16: What is the sum of the digits of the number 21000?
  • 17: How many letters would be needed to write all the numbers in words from 1 to 1000?
  • 20: Find the sum of digits in 100!
  • 21: Evaluate the sum of all amicable pairs under 10000.
  • 22: What is the total of all the name scores in the file of first names?
  • 25: What is the first term in the Fibonacci sequence to contain 1000-digits?
  • 28: What is the sum of both diagonals in a 1001 by 1001 spiral?
  • 30: Find the sum of all the numbers that can be written as the sum of fifth powers of their digits.
  • 34: Find the sum of all numbers which are equal to the sum of the factorial of their digits.
  • 35: How many circular primes are there below one million?
  • 36: Find the sum of all numbers less than one million, which are palindromic in base 10 and base 2.
  • 37: Find the sum of all eleven primes that are both truncatable from left to right and right to left.
  • 42: How many triangle words can you make using the list of common English words?
  • 48: Find the last ten digits of 11 + 22 + ... + 10001000.

Xbox Live Arcade scores

Xbox Live Arcade is a very neat feature of the Xbox 360; it's a convenient way for game creators to get small, arcade-like games out, and it's great to have every one of these games in one box. I use this feature excessively. In fact, I own many more XBL Arcade games than I do normal ones. Some of these I'm very good at, and this section is a way for me to brag about my high scores. Remember, every game has its own online leaderboard, so I can't effectively lie here.

Game High score/rating
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 24,937,870
Marble Blast Ultra (Single Player) 1,247,610
Marble Blast Ultra (Multiplayer) 196,677
Mutant Storm Reloaded (Singe Player Adventure Mode) 7,972,660
Mutant Storm Reloaded (Single Player Tally Mode) 20,342,880
Mutant Storm Reloaded (Two Player Adventure Mode, with Aemanther) 8,902,120
Mutant Storm Reloaded (Two Player Tally Mode, with Aemanther) 23,740,560

Elasto Mania

These are my records in the 2D computer game Elasto Mania. They're not so good, but I believe they're above average.

Elasto Mania records
Level Time Replay
Level 1, Warm Up 00:14:34 pho01.rec
Level 2, Flat Track 00:17:57 pho02.rec
Level 3, Twin Peaks 00:23:46 pho03.rec
Level 4, Over and Under 00:35:81 pho04.rec
Level 5, Uphill Battle 00:25:76 pho05.rec
Level 6, Long Haul 00:52:21 pho06.rec
Level 7, Hi Flyer 00:46:93 pho07.rec
Level 8, Tag 00:23:96 pho08.rec
Level 9, Tunnel 01:18:82 pho09.rec
Level 10, The Steppes 00:32:73 pho10.rec
Level 11, Gravity Ride 00:32:38 pho11.rec
Level 12, Islands in the Sky 00:25:40 pho12.rec
Level 13, Hill Legend 00:19:93 pho13.rec
Level 14, Loop-de-Loop 00:20:86 pho14.rec
Level 15, Serpents Tale 01:14:79 pho15.rec
Level 16, New Wave 01:48:30 pho16.rec
Level 17, Labyrinth 01:03:88 pho17.rec
Level 18, Spiral 00:51:82 pho18.rec
Level 19, Turnaround 00:53:35 pho19.rec
Level 20, Upside Down 01:18:06 pho20.rec
Level 21, Hangman 00:22:34 pho21.rec
Level 22, Slalom 00:47:77 pho22.rec
Level 23, Quick Round 01:02:96 pho23.rec
Level 24, Ramp Frenzy 01:32:40 pho24.rec
Level 25, Precarious 00:32:00 pho25.rec
Level 26, Circuitous 00:35:82 pho26.rec
Level 27, Shelf Life 00:53:13 pho27.rec
Level 28, Bounce Back 01:06:37 pho28.rec
Level 29, Headbanger 01:17:57 pho29.rec
Level 30, Pipe 00:38:40 pho30.rec
Level 31, Animal Farm 01:56:25 pho31.rec
Level 32, Steep Corner 00:47:78 pho32.rec
Level 33, Zig-Zag 02:22:06 pho33.rec
Level 34, Bumpy Journey 00:52:14 pho34.rec
Level 35, Labyrinth Pro 04:12:16 pho35.rec
Level 36, Fruit in the Den 01:23:93 pho36.rec
Level 37, Jaws 01:36:40 pho37.rec
Level 38, Curvaceous 00:36:59 pho38.rec
Level 39, Haircut 00:56:41 pho39.rec
Level 40, Double Trouble 02:16:85 pho40.rec
Level 41, Framework 00:45:10 pho41.rec
Level 42, Enduro 01:07:45 pho42.rec
Level 43, He He 01:19:12 pho43.rec
Level 44, Freefall 00:35:44 pho44.rec
Level 45, Sink 00:34:43 pho45.rec
Level 46, Bowling 01:45:82 pho46.rec
Level 47, Enigma 01:06:28 pho47.rec
Level 48, Downhill 01:33:67 pho48.rec
Level 49, What the Heck 01:18:10 pho49.rec
Level 50, Expert System 01:30:64 pho50.rec
Level 51, Tricks Abound 01:24:70 pho51.rec
Level 52, Hang Tight 00:36:75 pho52.rec
Level 53, Hooked 00:23:39 pho53.rec
Level 54, Apple Harvest --:--:-- --
Total 01:04:30:58 All recs

Minesweeper

I'm fairly good at Minesweeper. Here are my records, accompanied by recordings:

Level Time
Beginner 3 sec.
Intermediate 30 sec.
Expert 103 sec.

Fictional heroes

Here's a list of my favorite fictional heroes. The ranking is tentative; evaluating the coolness of each against each other is hard.

Rank Hero What From Played/voice-acted by Why Image
1 Ryu Hayabusa Ninja Ninja Gaiden series Hideyuki Hori (original Japanese), Justin Gross (English dub) Ninjas are always cool, but this one beats all. Ryu Hayabusa.
2 J. C. Denton Nanotechnologically augmented badass Deus Ex series Jay Anthony Franke He knows how to solve practical problems. J. C. Denton.
3 Gordon Freeman Theoretical physicist Half-Life series No one (he never speaks) He saves the world. Gordon Freeman.
4 Neo The One Matrix series Keanu Reeves He saves humanity. Neo.
5 Sam Fisher A terrorist's nightmare Splinter Cell series Michael Ironside He makes terrorists pay. Sam Fisher.
6 Karan S'jet Neuroscientist, Fleet Command Homeworld series Heidi Ernest She volunteers to hardwire herself to a huge ship to act as its living CPU, taking her race across the galaxy to their homeworld. And she has the cutest voice. Karan S'jet.
7 John-117 Cyborg Halo series Steve Downes Defends humanity against the Covenant. John-117.
8 Max Payne Framed cop Max Payne series James McCaffrey He describes his world in the most clever metaphores. Max Payne.
9 The Prince Noble and acrobatic prince Prince of Persia series Yuri Lowenthal (The Sands of Time, The Two Thrones), Robin Atkin Downes (Warrior Within) He's a Persian ninja, the second-best kind of ninja. The Prince.
10 Frank West Photojournalist Dead Rising Terence James Rotolo He saves people. Ordinary people. Frank West.
11 Cortana Powerful AI Halo series Jen Taylor Witty and helpful personality. Cortana.

Noun of Plural Noun

I found the title of Iain M. Banks' book The Player of Games hilarious, so I invented some others:

  • The Bringer of Swift Wrath
  • The Buyer of Merchandise
  • The Drinker of Liquids
  • The Kicker of Ass
  • The Percolator of Myths
  • The Procrastinator of Work
  • The Pwner of N00bz
  • The Reader of Books
  • The Scratcher of Itches
  • The Singer of Songs
  • The Spewer of Filth
  • The Thrower of Rocks
  • The Weaver of Ideas
  • The Wielder of Weapons

Suggestions by Alex Spurling:

  • The Hacker of Code
  • The Proliferator of Ignorance
  • The Purveyor of Prudence
  • The Turner of Cogs

Origami

A cube, an octahedron and an icosahedron.

I made these shapes following the instructions on Stephan T. Lavavej's Origami Polyhedra page. From left to right: a cube, an octahedron and an icosahedron. I'm still in the process of making the stellated truncated icosahedron (a.k.a. Epcot ball), but it requires 270 pieces, so it'll take some time.

Ninja Gaiden miscellanea

Here's a table comparing various features of Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden Black, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, and Ninja Gaiden II.

Ninja Gaiden Ninja Gaiden Black Ninja Gaiden Sigma Ninja Gaiden II Ninja Gaiden Sigma II
In HD? No No Yes Yes Yes
Playable Rachel? No No Yes No Yes
Camera rotation? No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Charging without Essence? No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Interruptable 1st level charge? No No Yes Yes No
More save points than in previous game? N/A Yes Yes N/A No
Uniform Reverse Wind animation? Yes Yes No Yes Depends on character
Can fire bow in mid-air? No No Yes Yes Yes
Can pick up Essence singly? No Yes Yes Yes No
Has the Lunar? No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Has the Dragon's Claw & Tiger's Fang? No No Yes Yes Yes
Has Mission Mode? No Yes Yes Yes, downloadable Yes
Has Survival Mode? No No Yes Unknown No
Ice shattering guard break? No No Yes No No
Shortcut to items? No No Yes Yes Yes
Continuous running on water? No No Yes Yes Yes
Must tap jump to run on water? Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Has chargable projectile weapons? No No No Yes No
Has Ninja Cinema? No No No Yes Yes
Has Obliteration Technique? No No No Yes Yes

Bored?

Watch:

Movies

  • 12 Monkeys (1995)
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
  • 2010: The Year We Made Contact (1984)
  • Amelie (2001)
  • Animatrix, The (2003)
  • Before Sunrise (1995)
  • Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
  • Black Hawk Down (2001)
  • Bowling for Columbine (2002)
  • Core, The (2003)
  • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
  • Cube (1997)
  • Cube 2: Hypercube (2002)
  • Cube Zero (2004)
  • Cypher (2002)
  • Dogma (1999)
  • Equilibrium (2002)
  • Groundhog Day (1993)
  • I, Robot (2004)
  • Jackie Chan: Accidental Spy (2001)
  • Jackie Chan: Dragons Forever (1987)
  • Jackie Chan: Drunken Master (1978)
  • Jackie Chan: Gorgeous (1999)
  • Jackie Chan: Legend of Drunken Master (1994)
  • Jackie Chan: New Police Story (2004)
  • Jackie Chan: Operation Condor (1990)
  • Jackie Chan: Rush Hour (1998)
  • Jackie Chan: Rush Hour 2 (2001)
  • Jackie Chan: Shanghai Noon (2000)
  • Jackie Chan: Shanghai Knights (2003)
  • Jackie Chan: Snake in Eagle's Shadow (1978)
  • Jackie Chan: The Medallion (2003)
  • Jackie Chan: The Prisoner (1990)
  • Jackie Chan: Twin Dragons (1991)
  • Jackie Chan: Young Master (1980)
  • Jet Li: Fist of Legend (1994)
  • Jet Li: Hero (2002)
  • Jet Li: Hitman (1998)
  • K-Pax
  • Magnolia (1999)
  • Matrix, The (1999)
  • Matrix Reloaded, The (2003)
  • Matrix Revolutions, The (2003)
  • Shaolin Soccer (2001)
  • Starship Troopers (1997)
  • Team America: World Police (2004)
  • Windtalkers (2002)

Series

  • Coupling
  • Family Guy
  • Futurama
  • Red Dwarf
  • Simpsons, The
  • Space: Above and Beyond

Play:

  • Abe's Oddysee (1997)
  • Abe's Exoddus (1998)
  • Alien vs. Predator (1999)
  • Alien vs. Predator 2 (2001)
  • American McGee's Alice (2000)
  • Battlefield: 1942 (2002)
  • Black & White (2001)
  • Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Knights Templar (1996)
  • Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror (1997)
  • Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon (2003)
  • Doom 3 (2004)
  • Elasto Mania (2000)
  • Deus Ex (2000)
  • Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003)
  • Far Cry (2004)
  • F.E.A.R
  • Full Spectrum Warrior (2004)
  • Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K. 2 (2000)
  • Half-Life (1998)
  • Half-Life: Blue Shift (2001)
  • Half-Life: Opposing Force (1999)
  • Half-Life2 (2004)
  • Halo (2001)
  • Halo 2 (2004)
  • Hitman: Codename 47 (2000)
  • Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002)
  • Kingpin: Life of Crime (1999)
  • Mafia (2002)
  • Max Payne (2001)
  • Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003)
  • MDK (1997)
  • MDK 2 (2000)
  • No One Lives Forever: The Operative (2000)
  • No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way (2002)
  • Painkiller (2004)
  • Prince of Persia (1989)
  • Prince of Persia 3D (1999)
  • Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003)
  • Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (2005)
  • Quake (1996)
  • Quake 2 (1997)
  • Quake 3: Arena (1999)
  • Red Faction (2001)
  • Splinter Cell (2002)
  • Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (2004)
  • Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
  • System Shock (1994)
  • System Shock 2 (1999)
  • StarCraft (1998)
  • StarCraft: BroodWar (1998)
  • UFO: Aftermath (2003)
  • Unreal (1998)
  • Unreal: Return to Na Pali (1999)
  • Unreal 2: The Awakening (2003)
  • Unreal Tournament (1999)
  • Unreal Tournament 2003 (2003)

Do you have any items you think I would like to play/watch? Tell me.

Cool words

Here's a list of words I think are cool, in the order that I think of them (or discover them), with a definition from dictionary.com following each one.

  • idiosyncratic — A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.
  • bastardization — To lower in quality or character; debase.
  • esoteric — Of or relating to that which is known by a restricted number of people.
  • quixotic — Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality.
  • defenestrate — To throw out of a window.
  • campus — The grounds of a school, college, university, or hospital.
  • chassis — The framework to which the components of a radio, television, or other electronic equipment are attached.
  • amalgamation — A consolidation or merger, as of several corporations.
  • quincunx — An arrangement of five objects with one at each corner of a rectangle or square and one at the center.
  • electroencephalograph — An instrument that measures electrical potentials on the scalp and generates a record of the electrical activity of the brain.