Often when I feel down I play this game with the world: I look at the strangers on streets. I look them into their eyes. I smile. Then I notice how many smile back. I feel this helps to balance the scales.

Having a funny hat helps, but do give it a shot even if you don't have one.

This song was so very beautiful and I could not find the lyrics anywhere, so I had to transcribe them:

Death has come to a house
It surrounds us every day

Life has lost its meaning
Why am I here?
Why am I?

Awful pain overwhelms my soul
It makes me hurt and cry and lose control

Do not stand by my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
Do not stand by my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die

Do not stand by my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
Do not stand by my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die


Do not make dreams your master
Don't make thoughts your aim
If you can meet with disaster,
treat those demons just the same

If you can hear the truth you've spoken
twisted to make a trap for fools
So, hold on when there's nothing in you
except the will that says to you:

Do not stand by my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
Do not stand by my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die

Do not stand by my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
Do not stand by my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die


I can't maintain myself
I can be myself
I can't control my soul
My anguish overpowers my soul

I have nothing left
I have no one who understands

I have to leave

I have become too frail

As sad as it is, by reading Batteries feel included, you'll probably feel included a bit more than the batteries...

Monkey Talk is a pile of good advice about conversations. Good enough to be sometimes reread, and funny enough to make one smile.

If you have not heard of Kutiman, go listen now. It's amazing and might illustrate why the copyright law needs to change.

Pseudopod made me laugh with a story called Sick Day. It reminds me the day last week when I noticed virgin snow covering a section of a train platform and planted careful footsteps to the very edge of the platform, the kind that might be left by a person jumping under the train.

So, listen to it. Laugh at it. Join my pranks, though they happen on genuine free time only.

Let's assume for a little while that you, dear reader, are capable of suspending your dirty jokes for a while, namely, for the duration of this blog post...

Wouldn't it be nice if one could carry a pocket sized avatar of a loved one with them wherever they go? You could take the miniature darling out of your pocket and show them things, ask their opinions, see their reactions, gently pat their head to show that you care. They'd smile at you, talk with you, and be the all around adorable beings they just are. Best of all, you'd never really miss them.

Now, half of you are probably on the floor, rolling in laughter caused by your naughty imagination. Shame on you, you just missed a really sweet concept.

Ungrading to Ubuntu Intrepid or rather to a newer Liferea than 8.04 has will wipe out your news bin contents, permanently putting all those interesting blog posts you have been gathering out of your reach. You can either not do it at all, or prepare yourself to declaring a news bin bankruptcy. If you are at all like me, this will feel like having to run the marathon naked... bad, difficult and like something is missing, but take my word on it, those news bins will be pretty full in a very short time again.

If you have backups, move only the .db file from backups to your updated .liferea_1.4 directory and your news bins should be restored to their former glory. Enjoy! (and thanks for #liferea people on this)

If you are installing Kubuntu 8.10 to a computer having a P5Q Pro (or possibly other type of P5Q) motherboard using the alternative install cd and the installer refuses to find the network card, there is no need to panic. Just install as you would normally, then do

sudo apt-get install linux-generic

which will install the ever so slightly newer version of the kernel. After a boot you'll have network normally.

Richard says the fragrance Saddle smells like a new sofa, I think it smells like an old saddle. Surprisingly, no significant memories triggered in me, despite spending multiple years in my life around horses, just a vague memory of the saddle racks at the Jokela's in Kuivaniemi. Yet another leather smell, so far none of them as good as real leather but all of them pretty ok.

Lately I have messed up my night time sleep more often than usual. I'm not by any means good at napping, so usually falling asleep is difficult. However, I've recently discovered that the Stack Overflow podcast will put me to sleep very promptly. Is it geek or what to find Joel Spolsky that soothing?

I like paperbacks but I don't really like the smell of most paperbacks. Some smell like cat pee, others just sickeningly sweet. The scent triggers a whole lot of pleasant bookstore memories, but I still don't like the scent itself.

If you are a fan of Japanese bondage, take a look at this collection of photos.

They say snow does not really have a scent and what you smell is actually what your own blood smells like. I like the way Demeter Fragrances' Snow smells like. Does that make me an ice queen..? I wonder what it would be like to wear it on a hot summer day.

Luckily Richard does not dislike Rain as much as he disliked Thunderstorm. Actually, this one was again quite neutral in his opinion. "Does not smell like rain", he said. I think it does, but unfortunately not like city rain. Not having ever lived in the country side this rain-on-flower-field kind of smell does not trigger any significant memories in me, just ever so slightly reminds me of some early morning walks.