Podcasting, The Linux/Windows/Apple Connection, Could I Be Dreaming?

Wow, it's been a long freaking time since I've posted, huh? Sorry guys, I wasn't ignoring you, I've been super busy lately! I'd promise to try to do better, but if you're smart you won't believe that any more than I do!

So I've gotten into podcasting lately. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's really awesome, you've got to check it out! A podcast is similar to a radio show, only you download it and store it on your computer (or iPod if you're like me) and can listen to it whenever. The shows I've been listening to are all tech-oriented (Diggnation, Sourcetrunk and Lug Radio), but there are a ton of other types out there, covering everything from news to sports to music to fashion... I could go on and on, but why not just search them out for yourself? :)

I spilled Mountain Dew on my laptop and now some of my keys are sticking, so I'm sorry for any typos I may have... In my defense, it wasn't my fault, my Dew literally exploded when I opened it, and hit a few the keys on my laptop even though I was at least 5 feet away. Grr!

I was at the bar tonight with my roommate (we were hungry and too tired to cook), and he said something that made me stop and think. He does phone support for internet service, and gets to answer all sorts of strange problems... Anyway, he said "How can anyone use a Mac? You can't really DO anything on them!". Well, it got me thinking, I feel the same way about Windows. How can anyone use Windows? The uses are so locked down, the whole system is so limited, you can't really DO anything useful on them. I have a feeling that people who use BSD (an incredibly powerful OS) feel the same way about Linux users (of which I am one). Dunno what that means, but I thought it was interesting enough to share...

Finally, I'm trying something new in my life. It's called lucid dreaming. Basically, it is the ability to control what is happening in your dreams. I wish I could say I'm trying it for a noble reason, like self exploration or contemplating the void, but really I just want to be able to slap stupid people around while I'm asleep and have everyone worship me as supreme world leader. Hey, it may not be pretty, but at least I'm honest!

It's really strange trying to get started with it, as most of the work you do is while you are awake. You have to get in the habit of doing "reality checks" all the time to see if you are really awake or asleep. They are things that are simple to do when awake, like turning on a light, or reading a sentence twice to see if it changed, but in your dream you will know when they fail, thus you will know when you're asleep.

It has lead my girlfriend to think I may be crazy though, as I now have a sign above my computer that says "Could I be dreaming?" I swear, I do have a good grip on reality, I'm just trying to enforce the reality checks in my waking mind...

The rest of the work is simple; when you get ready to go to sleep, find something to focus on that you can use to remind yourself you are asleep. The common example is to look at your hands just before turning off the light and saying "When I'm asleep, I will look at my hands, and it will remind me that I'm dreaming". Then, when you are dreaming, if your dream leads you to look at your hands (pretty common really), you will remember that you are dreaming, and (hopefully) take control.

Anyway, I hope to get it working soon (it takes a lot of practice), I'll let you know how I do.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and wish you all a wonderful new year.

Dr S