The Guardian for this meeting was Bruce Mowbray. The photos are by Bruce Mowbray.

--BELL--
 
Bruce Mowbray: Hey, San!
Santoshima Resident: hey Bruce
Santoshima Resident: good to see you
Bruce Mowbray: always good to see you, too.
Santoshima Resident: how are you?
Bruce Mowbray: I'm quite good, thank you.
Bruce Mowbray: I've been learning a new [to me] version of Visual Basic...
Santoshima Resident: oh, what is that?
Bruce Mowbray: .. and especially how to package my programs so they can be installed on others' computers.
Bruce Mowbray: Visual Basic is a programming language for Windows programs.
Santoshima Resident: i see
Santoshima Resident: programs you wrote?
Bruce Mowbray: Are your forsythias in bloom already?
Bruce Mowbray: yes, for stuff that I've written -- but mostly just for recreation and to keep my brain "sharp."
Bruce Mowbray: not for sale or publication.
Santoshima Resident: i see :)
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Santoshima Resident: ^ re: forsythias ... was looking for ordinary antlers

Santoshima Resident: this is all that's in inventory
Santoshima Resident: surprisingly
Bruce Mowbray: very attractive!
Santoshima Resident: i'll see if they create lag, and if so will remove
Santoshima Resident: like cheerleader antlers!
Bruce Mowbray: Oh no problem.
Bruce Mowbray: I just took a photo of them.
Santoshima Resident: oh dear
Bruce Mowbray: I also took a photo of our snow this morning.
Santoshima Resident: outside your home?
Bruce Mowbray: yes... four or five inches.
Bruce Mowbray: very pretty.
Santoshima Resident: yes, i'm sure it is
Bruce Mowbray: I will see if I can send you a copy....
Santoshima Resident: ty :)
Santoshima Resident: no snow here, it's like spring
Bruce Mowbray: I'm uploading it now.
Santoshima Resident: just coming into view

Bruce Mowbray: That's a view outside my kitchen door.
Bruce Mowbray: afk for a sec... gotta let the dog out.
Santoshima Resident: really lovely, ty!
Santoshima Resident: give a pat to bear for me
Bruce Mowbray: pat pat, Bear!
Bruce Mowbray: It's an enormous photo, actually.
Santoshima Resident: 1024 x 512 / it's ok size
Bruce Mowbray: yeah.
Santoshima Resident: that's not too big
Santoshima Resident: perfect
Bruce Mowbray: I was surprised that it retained that size when I uploaded it.
Santoshima Resident: yes
Bruce Mowbray: Do you know the saying about forsythias?
Bruce Mowbray: and snows?
Santoshima Resident: no, i don't
Bruce Mowbray: Well, there's an old wives' tale...
Bruce Mowbray: that there will be three more snows...
Bruce Mowbray: after the first forsythias bloom.
Santoshima Resident: oh
Santoshima Resident: who are these old wives?
Santoshima Resident: they are the source of a lot of commonly held wisdom
Bruce Mowbray: Yes!
Bruce Mowbray: I think they dreamed this one up because folks were over-eager to see spring.
Santoshima Resident: like the groundhogs
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, closely aligned with the groundhogs!

--BELL--

Santoshima Resident: well done cartwheel!
Bruce Mowbray: ty!
Bruce Mowbray: Any plans for the New Years?
Santoshima Resident: the evening? or the year?
Bruce Mowbray: eve, actually.
Santoshima Resident: um,
Santoshima Resident: well
Santoshima Resident: tea
Santoshima Resident: a book
Santoshima Resident: maybe watch a video
Bruce Mowbray: sounds cozy and yummy!
Santoshima Resident: home
Santoshima Resident: cozy, yes
Bruce Mowbray: yes, me also.
Santoshima Resident: that's the goal
Bruce Mowbray: cozy is good!
Santoshima Resident: feed the birds in the day before (per usual)
Santoshima Resident: and get some good sleep
Santoshima Resident: how's that?
Bruce Mowbray: I wish you could see how Bear Dog has snuggled up to the heater in the bedroom.
Santoshima Resident: sweet
Bruce Mowbray: He wrote the book on "Cozy"!
Santoshima Resident: presently sitting at a desk, with two large cats on the surface
Santoshima Resident: also "cozy"
Bruce Mowbray: Great!
Santoshima Resident: animals know how to live
Bruce Mowbray: yes, they do.
Bruce Mowbray: Actually, Bear has been outside all day.
Bruce Mowbray: He LOVES playing in the snow!
Bruce Mowbray: --- at the age of 13 1/2
Santoshima Resident: :)
Santoshima Resident: in good form
Bruce Mowbray: Yes!
Bruce Mowbray: But then he wanted in -  to sleep.
Santoshima Resident: they move when they feel need to move and rest when they need to rest
Santoshima Resident: simple
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, when hungry, eat. When sleepy, sleep.
Bruce Mowbray: chop wood; carry water.
Santoshima Resident: indeed
Bruce Mowbray: The meek shall inherit the earth.
Bruce Mowbray: And the Visual Basic programmers -- well, they shall have their "reward."
Santoshima Resident: :) ^ ?
Bruce Mowbray: an oblique reference to one of the sayings of Jesus.
Santoshima Resident: oh
Santoshima Resident: which?
Santoshima Resident: :)
Bruce Mowbray: I will find it for you (us).
Santoshima Resident: was raised in a Christian household, but only a watery version
Bruce Mowbray: yeah, me also.
Santoshima Resident: the early parables stuck and are resilient
Bruce Mowbray: These are a very important part of our cultural heritage.
Santoshima Resident: the line about the "meek" ... i'm not so sure of, unless meek is ascribed to fungi, viruses, bacteria ... the small
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, the small, diminutive, humble, lowly, quiet....
Bruce Mowbray: My favorite I Ching hexagram is The Taming of the Small.
Santoshima Resident: looking up
Bruce Mowbray: Here's the verse I was thinking of:
Bruce Mowbray: Matthew 6:16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

--BELL--

Santoshima Resident: very good ~ thank you for both.
Bruce Mowbray: 9. Hsiao Ch'u / The Taming Power of the Small
Bruce Mowbray: http://shapeless.org/chou_i/h09.html
Bruce Mowbray wonders how the hexagrams would appear when copy/pasted....
Bruce Mowbray: ☴ above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND
Bruce Mowbray: ☰ below CH'IEN THE CREATIVE, HEAVEN
Bruce Mowbray: wow! It worked!
Santoshima Resident: :)
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Bruce Mowbray: I am reading a marvelous book right now, san.
Santoshima Resident: what is it?
Bruce Mowbray: It is by Pascal Mercier.
Mellie McMinnar: Hello
Santoshima Resident: hello Mellie :)
Bruce Mowbray: Hello, Mellie!
Santoshima Resident: what's the title, Bruce
Santoshima Resident: ?
Bruce Mowbray: The title is "Perlmann's Silence."
Mellie McMinnar: what is the topic? ;)
Bruce Mowbray: Is this your first time here, Mellie?
Bruce Mowbray: (Welcome!)
Mellie McMinnar: no
Bruce Mowbray: kk.
Santoshima Resident: { Mellie was here last week, Bruce}
Bruce Mowbray: Then you know about the chat log...?
Bruce Mowbray: kk. TY!
Mellie McMinnar: yeah, the log, the gong... I know ;)
Bruce Mowbray: kk. Just thought I should check.
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Santoshima Resident: I don't know that book, Bruce ... looking it up now
Mellie McMinnar: again... what is the topic?
Bruce Mowbray: Well, I read his other book: "Night Train to Lisbon"...
Bruce Mowbray: and was so taken by it that I ordered this one.
Bruce Mowbray: and this one is even better than Night Train.
Santoshima Resident: brb, doorbell
Mellie McMinnar: books I guess
Bruce Mowbray: kk.
Bruce Mowbray: San and I were discussing how we're going to spend New Year's Eve,.....
Mellie McMinnar: and you are going to read books?
Bruce Mowbray: and we're both going to curl up with our pets, books, and perhaps a bit of mulled wine.
Bruce Mowbray: Being cozy is the number one priority.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes!
Bruce Mowbray: GOOD books!
Bruce Mowbray: [13:16] Bruce (bruce.mowbray): Any plans for the New Years? [13:17] san (santoshima): the evening? or the year? [13:17] Bruce (bruce.mowbray): eve, actually. [13:17] san (santoshima): um, [13:17] san (santoshima): well [13:17] san (santoshima): tea [13:17] san (santoshima): a book [13:17] san (santoshima): maybe watch a video [13:17] Bruce (bruce.mowbray): cozy and yummy!
Bruce Mowbray: Do you have plans for NY Eve, Mellie?
Mellie McMinnar: getting drunk I guess
Bruce Mowbray: Oh yeah, I been there . . . !
Bruce Mowbray: I hope you have a designated driver! hah hah
Mellie McMinnar: no need for that.. I am staying home
Bruce Mowbray: Better yet!
Bruce Mowbray: There will probably be some jumping parties in SL.
Mellie McMinnar: maybe I will log in to SL
Mellie McMinnar: and have a look around
Bruce Mowbray: New Years is my conception day/night.
Mellie McMinnar: why are you at this place?
Bruce Mowbray: I am a Play as Being guardian, and this is the session that I am responsible for, Mellie.
Bruce Mowbray: I will be posting the chat log on the wiki later.
Mellie McMinnar: so, what are you into?
Bruce Mowbray: "Into"..... hmmmm.
Mellie McMinnar: yes
Bruce Mowbray: Well, I've spent most of this day trying to learn a new programming language.
Mellie McMinnar: what language?
Bruce Mowbray: "new" for me, anyway: Visual Basic 2010 Express.
Bruce Mowbray: I used to program in Visual Basic 6 --
Bruce Mowbray: but that no longer runs on Windows 7
Mellie McMinnar: wow... why in hell would you learn that?
Bruce Mowbray: discipline for the brain, my dear.
Bruce Mowbray: also, a sort of instant gratification, when it works!
Mellie McMinnar: ok, but..... why don't you learn a useful language instead?
Mellie McMinnar: like C# or something
Mellie McMinnar: learn about .net

--BELL--

Bruce Mowbray: I tried to learn C ++ ----- but all I could get out of it was minus minus..
Bruce Mowbray: just a sec..
Bruce Mowbray: gotta get the dog again.
Mellie McMinnar: np
Bruce Mowbray: There's a problem with .net for me.
Bruce Mowbray: I have only limited bandwidth per month...
Mellie McMinnar: do you know any programming language yet?
Bruce Mowbray: so much conserve how much time I have on-line.
Bruce Mowbray: I knew Visual Basic.... version 6
Bruce Mowbray: but a whole lot has changed in the past 12 years...
Mellie McMinnar: what do you want to program?
Bruce Mowbray: version 6 won't even run on Windows 7.
Bruce Mowbray: just stuff for fun.
Bruce Mowbray: Like, I wrote a program to solve the JUMBLE puzzles in the newspapers.
Mellie McMinnar: then install xamp and learn about php
Bruce Mowbray: and a few others like that.
Bruce Mowbray: Is that for html ?
Mellie McMinnar: that is an easy way to get into programming
Bruce Mowbray: Well, I'm already "into" it...
Bruce Mowbray: and have been programming for fun since Commodore 64 days.
Mellie McMinnar: php is primarily for html, but it can do everything other languages can do.... to a point
Bruce Mowbray: I just need to update my skills for current applications.
Mellie McMinnar: well, you have to know what kind of applications that shall be
Bruce Mowbray: Well, I tend to be wild and fancy free when it comes to learning stuff....
Bruce Mowbray: so this is a good discipline for me.
Mellie McMinnar: If you want to make awesome excel charts, visual basic is your thing
Bruce Mowbray: I meant current programming applications -- like Visual Basic.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes.
Mellie McMinnar: it is not good for much more though
Bruce Mowbray: I usually make my own Excel spreadsheets . . . IN Excel, though.
Mellie McMinnar: ok, then go for it :)
Bruce Mowbray: You do programming in php, I take it.
Mellie McMinnar: php, pearl java... and C sometimes
Bruce Mowbray: Very good!
Bruce Mowbray: I was in my 50's before computers were available to the public.
Bruce Mowbray: let alone the Internet.
Mellie McMinnar: but I studied physics and it still is my obsession.... in your 50's.... you must be about 90 then
Bruce Mowbray: Just about that!
Mellie McMinnar: home computers were around since about 1980
Bruce Mowbray: I am also fascinated with physics....
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, I started programming in the early 80's
Mellie McMinnar: so, ask me physics stuff ^^
Bruce Mowbray: Commodore 64 days...
Bruce Mowbray: Why does anything exist?
Bruce Mowbray: Why is there something instead of nothing?
Mellie McMinnar: Commodore 64 was a very advanced model..... not at all "the beginning of home computers"
Bruce Mowbray: It was the beginning for me!
Mellie McMinnar: and to answer your question on behalf of all scientists: No clue
Bruce Mowbray remembers ATARI, also.
Bruce Mowbray: Alas. Must attend to doggie and dinner.... and then post this chat, and then back to VB 2010.
Bruce Mowbray: Be thee well, Mellie, and San!
Mellie McMinnar: ok, have a good time
Bruce Mowbray: You too, Mellie. See you again.