No Syntax Errors

I have just discovered something really satisfying. This spring I'm trying to get the grasp of Java, and it is fun. Basically it's like learning any other language, and it's equally as important here not to be shy. Just dive in, and make a fool of yourself, it won't kill you. Imagine yourself trying to learn french, and after only a few lessons be sent into a shop to buy 2 litres of milk and a bread, only to end up with yesterdays newspaper and a football in your hands. Does it really matter? It's just something to laugh about later.

In this Java-course they are taking advantage of an interactive learning environment called BlueJ, and it's here I found my new little thrill. Programming code written in high level language, needs to be compiled into low level language machine code so the computer knows how to execute the program. If compiling in BlueJ is successful it will tell you:

file saved - no syntax errors

Rewarding, I must say, but as usual I had to reflect a little over it. As computer programming could resemble using any other language, and language is what makes us people human, I couldn't resist a thought. Why don't we have a compiler, a program that takes our high level thinking and translates it to something that can be put into action by our mindless bodymachines? And more important: warn us when it doesn't make sense? I think we all, from time to time, could have use for something that prevented us from behaving erroneously .

A World Of Music

If anything is going to get me through this it must be the music, without it I'm lost. On the other hand I have all these "contaminated" songs and artists which make me too sad at the moment. But the rescue was out there all along, I just had to discover it.

I think I mentioned the other day that I bought an Mp3-player. I soon found out that a pair of speakers would go nicely with the player, making it possible to enjoy my music in the kitchen too. A quick search let me know that there was a very practical little dockingstation with inbuilt speakers suitable for my Zen Micro. Just a tad too expensive. Surfing Creative's website for alternatives I hit the jackpot, some poor guy had made the mistake forgetting to convert the price of a speaker+Mp3-player package to Norwegian currency. In just seven days I had the whole thing delivered on my doorstep for only 145,- Nok.! (That's less than £13...) They must have realized the blunder as soon as they got my order, 'cause the offer was gone the day after. Sometimes you just get lucky.

The result is that I now have decent sound from my laptop as well, and I can take full advantage of SHOUTcast. From here I can reach a world full of music as uninfected as an Antartic Penguin.

All Things Must Come To An End?

Maybe it's not the end, but I think I need a break at least. So nighty-night little blog, sweet dreams. See you then...

Fakin' It?

I read about the Postsecret art project the other day, and started to do a little pondering, about which secret of mine would be the hardest to admit to. There are a few, but maybe it's time to come clean:

I'm an imposter.

Almost everyday I have this feeling that someone will reveal my true nature, and catch me as The Great Pretender I am. First of all, I try to speak and write in languages that not are mine. I am a traitor to my roots. Then I try to act intelligent and educated, and I even pretend to be nice and caring. How rude!

But this is probably just my poor self-esteem talking, and my sometimes desperate need for confirmation. The identity issue, you know. 'Cause I think real imposters most likely are completely devoid of any guilt regarding deceiving honest people.

Do Not Cross

I was thinking I did a pretty good job staying on the right side, not crossing the Line. Then I started to think; did I really know where the Line was? Who drew the Line in the first place? And even more important; how could I be sure that there weren't a number of lines, each looking differently depending on the view? Is my Line the same as yours? Or how about his Line?

My suspicion is that the above assumptions may indeed contain some truth; and therefore might explain why I keep stumbling all the time. There simply are too many Lines, and I can't see them!

I need a map, I need someone to tell me where the freakin' Line is.