2013.03.30 13:00 - Tell Me a PaB Story

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

Bruce Mowbray: Heya, Aph!
Aphrodite Macbain: Hi there Bruce
Aphrodite Macbain: we are well and truly Pabbed
Bruce Mowbray: I guess so.
Aphrodite Macbain: How are you doing?
Bruce Mowbray: I'm trying to figure out how to give this balloon the same texture as my outfit.
Bruce Mowbray: I'm all right.
Bruce Mowbray: I've been trying to program a self-enumerating pangram all day... with little success, if any.
Bruce Mowbray: How are you?
Aphrodite Macbain: a self-enumerating pangram??
Bruce Mowbray: yeah.
Aphrodite Macbain: what on earth is that?
Bruce Mowbray: It is a self-referential sentence... that states in words the number of the occurrences of each letter.
Bruce Mowbray: I will give you an example of a current run... just a sec, please.....
Bruce Mowbray: Here it is: "After much tribulation, Tom made this pangram which contains eight a's, two b's, four c's, three d's, twenty-seven e's, eleven f's, two g's, ten h's, seventeen i's, one j, one k, three l's, five m's, nineteen n's, thirteen o's, two p's, one q, thirteen r's, thirty s's, twenty-eight t's, eight u's, four v's, seven w's, five y's, and one z."
Bruce Mowbray: The "trick" is to get accuracy in the counts.
Aphrodite Macbain: what is the point of it?
Bruce Mowbray: The point is that it is teaching me how to write programs in Visual Basic.
Bruce Mowbray: (or not!)
Aphrodite Macbain: ok- I'll believe you
Aphrodite Macbain: what do you want to do with VB?
Aphrodite Macbain: grins
Bruce Mowbray: It is totally recreational with me.
Bruce Mowbray: I enjoy the challenge of programming stuff....
Aphrodite Macbain: a brain exercise
Bruce Mowbray: yes.
Aphrodite Macbain: I want to learn how to play Go
Bruce Mowbray: and MY brain can use all the exercise it can get!
Aphrodite Macbain: mine too
Bruce Mowbray: I want to program a computer to play GO.
Bruce Mowbray: That is coming up, actually.
Bruce Mowbray: I already have it solving JUMBLE puzzles... : and playing tic-tac-toe.
Aphrodite Macbain: there are places on the net where you can. Also there is a GO game at the pub
Bruce Mowbray: No-- I don't want to PLAY it -- I want to PROGRAM it!
Aphrodite Macbain: program it to play with someone?
Bruce Mowbray: Nope.
Aphrodite Macbain: ???
Bruce Mowbray: "Program it"  means to write a program in Visual Basic that you can play with -- or anyone can play with.
Bruce Mowbray: But the challenge is in programming the game, not in playing it, for me.
Aphrodite Macbain: I imagine you would have to know the game very well in order to program it
Aphrodite Macbain: all the possible moves
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, and know Visual Basic even better than you know the game.
Bruce Mowbray: Do you know Sudoku?
Aphrodite Macbain: I want someone to practice playing Go with so I can beat druth!
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Aphrodite Macbain: yes
Aphrodite Macbain: there is something about numbers that makes me feel inadequateBruce Mowbray: Me too!
Bruce Mowbray: I wrote a program a couple of years ago that solves Sukoku puzzles.
 Aphrodite Macbain: wow
Bruce Mowbray: I let the computer worry about the numbers.
Aphrodite Macbain: how can u say that if you wrote a program a couple of years ago that solves Sukoku puzzles?
Bruce Mowbray: It's VERY VERY simple logic, actually.
Aphrodite Macbain: easy for u to say

--BELL--

Bruce Mowbray: numbers 1 through 9 in each corner, and vertically and horizontally etc etc.
Bruce Mowbray: sry.
Bruce Mowbray: Do you have a PC or an Apple?
Aphrodite Macbain: PC
Bruce Mowbray: Great!!!
Aphrodite Macbain: ?
Bruce Mowbray: I will send you a copy of my Sudoku program.
Aphrodite Macbain: ok thanks :-)
Bruce Mowbray: The one I wrote a few years back.
Aphrodite Macbain: what would I do with it?
Aphrodite Macbain: those puzzles appear in printed text
Bruce Mowbray: The problem is that GRRRRRR.... Microsoft has changed their Visual Basic code-writing application... so MUCH, that it is like having to learn a new programming language all over again -- which is what I am doing now.
Bruce Mowbray: Yes!
Bruce Mowbray: They do!
Aphrodite Macbain: so how could I use a computer
Bruce Mowbray: and in the Sodoku program one can enter the given numbers and the computer will do the rest.
Aphrodite Macbain: ah
Bruce Mowbray: but that leaves one's brain without a workout, as it were.
Aphrodite Macbain: then there is no satisfaction in figuring it out
Bruce Mowbray: the computer does all the work!
Aphrodite Macbain: yes
Aphrodite Macbain: then I will get old and moldy
Bruce Mowbray: But you see, the point is: I want to program the game -- NOT to play it!
Aphrodite Macbain: yes
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Aphrodite Macbain: I understand
Bruce Mowbray: So, any PaB stories?
Aphrodite Macbain: PaB stories
Aphrodite Macbain: hmmmm
Bruce Mowbray: yeah, the topic for this week.
Aphrodite Macbain: right - it was my idea I think.....
Aphrodite Macbain: stories for the records
Aphrodite Macbain: for the archives
Bruce Mowbray: a fine idea, but I can't think of any that would be "safe" to share...
Aphrodite Macbain: I think I could talk about the growth of my plot
Bruce Mowbray: well, that's not really true..
Bruce Mowbray: I have several, actually.
Aphrodite Macbain: do you remember?
Aphrodite Macbain: I had a teepee for ages
Bruce Mowbray: Tell me more about the growth of your plot.
Aphrodite Macbain: and then an igloo
Bruce Mowbray: oh my!
Aphrodite Macbain: I'm telling you...
Bruce Mowbray: yes, and I am listening -- just have a bit of lag.
Aphrodite Macbain: originally I had imagined nothing except a lot of flowers and pillows and trees and bushes
Bruce Mowbray: yes?
Aphrodite Macbain: but I went waaaaay over my prim limit
Bruce Mowbray: I did too!!!!!!!
Bruce Mowbray: and Stormy called me on it!
Aphrodite Macbain: so then I made a teepee
Aphrodite Macbain: yes- me too
Bruce Mowbray listens
Aphrodite Macbain: and tired out an igloo - trying to be very Canadian
Aphrodite Macbain: tried
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, igloo = Canadian!
Aphrodite Macbain: then Sun moved across from us
Bruce Mowbray: Yes!
Aphrodite Macbain: an she made me a round hut with a grass roof
Aphrodite Macbain: in no time flat
Bruce Mowbray: Wonderful!
Aphrodite Macbain: and all the furniture
Bruce Mowbray: yeppers!
Aphrodite Macbain: she is amazing
Bruce Mowbray: yes, she is!
Aphrodite Macbain: Then I got it in my mind t have something bigger and I went shopping for cabins
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, I did the same.
Bruce Mowbray: about Christmas time last year.
Aphrodite Macbain: and, lo and behold, there was one in my inventory- for free!
Bruce Mowbray: WOW!
Bruce Mowbray: I bought two cabins, actually. (one cabin for winter and one for summer)
Aphrodite Macbain: I got that about 18 months ago
Aphrodite Macbain: then fun came in decorating it
Aphrodite Macbain: Then I decided I wanted a botanical garden
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, you have done an excellent job of decorating.
Aphrodite Macbain: smart idea Bruce
Bruce Mowbray: Your place is very nice -- cozy.
Bruce Mowbray: I love the garden.
Aphrodite Macbain: It was fun exploring all the plant sites
Bruce Mowbray: I'll bet it was.
Aphrodite Macbain: and I found a "physic garden" - a garden with medicinal herbs
Bruce Mowbray: You are a lover of plants. That's a very good sign.
Aphrodite Macbain: which I planted
Bruce Mowbray: oh yes.
Aphrodite Macbain: now storm tells me I have double the amount of prims allowed!
Aphrodite Macbain: sigh
Bruce Mowbray: It would be cool to have a RL garden to match your Sl garden, don't you think?
Aphrodite Macbain: inflation
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, he told me that last week.
Aphrodite Macbain: yes:-)
Bruce Mowbray: so I reduced my prims to the allowed limit.
Aphrodite Macbain: I sort of have a herb garden on the roof
Bruce Mowbray: I had stored a whole lot of stuff under the surface.
Bruce Mowbray: Got rid of all of that.
Aphrodite Macbain: I am still having a hard time reducing my prims
Bruce Mowbray: What is the limit -- 140?
Aphrodite Macbain: what is your maximum allowed?
Aphrodite Macbain: I think so
Bruce Mowbray: I think it is 140.
Aphrodite Macbain: and I have about 165
Bruce Mowbray: But all that stuff is still in my inventory.
Bruce Mowbray: Just not on my plot.
Aphrodite Macbain: yes
Aphrodite Macbain: my inventory is ridiculous
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, I never clean mine out.
Aphrodite Macbain: It seems to grow without me doing anything

--BELL--

Aphrodite Macbain: end of story
Bruce Mowbray: ;-)
Aphrodite Macbain: Now you tell me a PaB story if you like
Bruce Mowbray: I found my Sudoku puzzle solver program during the drop....
Aphrodite Macbain: :-)
Bruce Mowbray: If you want it, I can give you the URL now.
Aphrodite Macbain: sure- but I doubt if I will use it.!
Bruce Mowbray: http://www.hermitdog.com/Sudoku.exe
Aphrodite Macbain: thanks!
Bruce Mowbray: I don't use it either!
Aphrodite Macbain: lol
Bruce Mowbray: Hey! It worked!
Aphrodite Macbain: Please tell me a Bruce story
Bruce Mowbray: A story.
Bruce Mowbray: Hmmmm.
Aphrodite Macbain: Bruce in Pabland
Bruce Mowbray: A "Bruce Story"?
Bruce Mowbray: Hmmmm.
Aphrodite Macbain: to do with PaB
Bruce Mowbray: Hmmmm.
Bruce Mowbray: Well, I was a participant in Pema's TIME class.
Bruce Mowbray: We met every Friday morning.
Aphrodite Macbain: ah I vaguely remember
Bruce Mowbray: Pema gave us material to read every week.
Bruce Mowbray: and it went on for many months.
Bruce Mowbray: I still have all of the materials.
Bruce Mowbray: Anyway, when we came to "appreciating the appearance of presence as presented by Being,"
Bruce Mowbray: I almost flipped.
Aphrodite Macbain: Do you apply what you have learned?
Bruce Mowbray: I had one of the highest highs I've ever had that week.
Bruce Mowbray: following Pema's instructions....
Bruce Mowbray: Yes, I do apply it.
Bruce Mowbray: when I remember to do that.
Aphrodite Macbain: what made you so high? What was it about it...
Bruce Mowbray: Well, I got RIGHT INTO the assignment... really into it....
Aphrodite Macbain: I gave you a pic for the log
Bruce Mowbray: and that's what happened. I got super high.
Bruce Mowbray: Thanks!
Aphrodite Macbain: what wasi t about it?
Aphrodite Macbain: Hi Zon
Zon Kwan: heya
Bruce Mowbray: Cool picture!

Bruce Mowbray: I will put it into the log -- THANKS!
Aphrodite Macbain: cool people
Aphrodite Macbain: :-)
Bruce Mowbray: Heya, Zon!
Bruce Mowbray: Zon, you have seven minutes to tell us a PaB story....
Bruce Mowbray: Then I have to leave.
Aphrodite Macbain: what are you up to Zon?
Zon Kwan: pab story ?
Aphrodite Macbain: do you have any stories about PaB?
Bruce Mowbray: Yeah, that's the topic for this week, and next week.
Aphrodite Macbain: any interesting experiences?
Zon Kwan: hm
Zon Kwan: good talks
Zon Kwan: but stories...hm
Aphrodite Macbain: any in particular?
Zon Kwan: don't think so
Aphrodite Macbain: when did you first come to PaB?
Zon Kwan: oh years ago
Aphrodite Macbain: why?
Zon Kwan: hm
Bruce Mowbray listens.
Zon Kwan: i was looking for people interested to discuss things i was interested
Bruce Mowbray: good reason!
Aphrodite Macbain: and most of them are at PAB?
Zon Kwan: well i have been in different groups
Aphrodite Macbain: I find interesting people all over SL
Zon Kwan: but pab seems most sane
Aphrodite Macbain: lol
Aphrodite Macbain: sometimes I wonder ...
Zon Kwan: well
Bruce Mowbray agrees that "sanity" is a good thing to find -- and PaB is a good place to find it, usually.
Aphrodite Macbain: personally, I enjoy a bit of insanity from time to time
Bruce Mowbray: Oh yeah.
Zon Kwan: of course
Zon Kwan: but one needs balance to be unbalanced
Aphrodite Macbain: nods
Bruce Mowbray: A person needs a little madness, lest she'll never break the roaps and be free. (paraphrase of Zorba.)
Aphrodite Macbain: true
Bruce Mowbray: roaps*
Bruce Mowbray: ropes*
Aphrodite Macbain: lol

--BELL--

Bruce Mowbray: soaps -- roaps -- take your pick.
Aphrodite Macbain: :-D
Bruce Mowbray: I must be going now. Thank you Aph. Thank you Zon!
Zon Kwan: ah sl gives us nice ways to explore our madness
Aphrodite Macbain: sooap on a rope
Aphrodite Macbain: bye bruce. I should go too, it's 2pm
Zon Kwan: bye bruce
Aphrodite Macbain: what are you doing for Easter Zon?
Zon Kwan: resting
Aphrodite Macbain: Best be on my way
Aphrodite Macbain: byee
Zon Kwan: bye aph