I'm sure there's a more elegant way of doing this, but, inside screen:
Cont-A Esc (opens scrollback mode)
g (jumps to the start of the buffer)
Space (sets mark 1)
G (jumps to the end of the buffer)
Space (sets mark 2)
Y (yanks the buffer into memory)
Esc (exits scrollback mode)
vi t.t
i
Cont-A ] (writes the buffer to stdout)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Thoughts on Into Thin Air
Since I find myself unable to collect or express my thoughts on my Grandmother's passing, I offer instead my comments on a book I've recently finished. While I still find myself without time to read books, audiobooks have become a frequent companion while taking care of the cleaning at nights.
I love hiking, and I was intrigued by the prospect of hearing Jon Krakauer's account of his experiences on Everest, Into Thin Air. The story is fascinating, and well told. This particular audiobook has the added benefit of being read by the author. I literally felt like I was walking with him along the summit ridge. The narrow escapes, the pain, the fierce winds; all of it felt real and immediate.
The story dives in to his remorse over his actions on that fateful day (10 May 1996), or rather lack of action, in many cases. I can sympathize with him; had I been in his shoes, I would be feeling the same survivor's guilt that he feels. Had I been there that day, it's likely that I would have made similar decisions. The guides had made themselves out to be infallible, and had made it clear that they were calling the shots. On the summit push, this structure fell apart, and in Jon's story, you can see him starting to assert himself more and more as the reality of the situation sets in. In the end he ends up taking up the role of a guide, looking after his teammates and helping them get back down from the South Col.
Listening to the story, it's very clear that there was nothing else he could have done. Even if he had managed to realize that Andy Harris was in trouble, it's unlikely that Jon would have been able to convince him that he needed to descend. Had he short-roped Beck Weathers and attempted to lead him back to the South Col, it's entirely possible that Jon wouldn't have been able to guide Beck the way Mike Groom did, and that both Beck and Jon would have fallen to their deaths. Had he known about Yasuko Namba's plight, it's highly unlikely that he would have been able to do anything to help her. The storm was blinding, the South Col is massive (2 football fields by 1 football field, according to his description), and the consequences of a misstep up there are deadly. Although a col (also called a notch, or a pass) typically coincides with the most gentle slope of a face (any part of the side of a mountain that's not a ridge), there's nothing gentle about Everest. It's amazing that anyone could have survived wandering around the South Col with no visibility, let alone ten out of eleven people.
Furthermore, he hadn't slept in 57 hours, and had just climbed several thousand feet up with insufficient oxygen and had made it back down a mostly trackless peak through a storm. It's amazing that anyone made it back through that alive.
Of course, I can say all of this, but I wasn't there. I can relate to him on some level, though. If I were in the same situation, I would also begin to take on the role of a guide. It is my nature to help others, and to look after them. I also feel a similar guilt regarding my friend Suzy's disappearance, even though there was absolutely nothing I could have done. (We don't even know what happened, and it's entirely possible that she just ran away, but the rational part of my brain says that this is highly unlikely. So I'm left with irrational guilt. Neil Peart described something similar in Ghost Rider, his wife's brother feeling personally responsible for his wife's (Selena's) death from cancer. I'm not sure how else to describe it. In some way, I also feel this way about my other (paternal) Grandmother's death. I guess part of it has to do with the fact that I wasn't there. My paternal Grandmother had moved in with one of my Aunts prior to her death, and I had barely seen her those last few years. With Suzy's disappearance, I had moved away a few months prior. I guess that a part of my guilt revolves around that; had I not moved away, perhaps whatever happened would have happened differently, or not at all. If she ran away, maybe I could have helped talk her through her problems, or at least have some knowledge that I could share with her loved ones. If something bad did indeed happen, then it's entirely possible that my presence would have changed some sequence of events and prevented her from being in that place at that time (chaos theory). That assumes, of course, that this was random. If it wasn't random, then maybe me being up here could have allowed me to see some other clue that I missed and help unravel this thing, or allowed me to prevent it from occurring in the first place.)
I had originally intended on mentioning two other things: Beidleman using a glissade and a body block to help Pittman descend (damn), and that this book helped dash any fantasy I had of climbing Everest. Any significant mountaineering peak, really. The risk to reward ratio is a bit too high, especially with kids to look after. Not that I don't thoroughly enjoy solving problems on the trail (I had fun with the tricker bits on Colden last year), but the exposure on Everest or even Denali is much greater than the exposure you experience on hiking trails the 'Dacks. (Exposure is, basically, how likely you are to get injured should you fall or otherwise make a mistake.) I wouldn't mind doing some trekking in Nepal, though. Kala Patthar sounds thoroughly interesting, as does Namche Bazaar.
Edit: Now I remember what else I wanted to comment on. I have considered looking in to LASIK on and off over the years. My main concern has been long-term viability and side-effects of the procedure, given how new it is. After reading about Beck Weathers' experience, I have no desire to go through with the procedure. Weathers had a predecessor of LASIK done to correct myopia (nearsightedness) prior to climbing Everest, called radial keratotomy. As a consequence of this, as he ascended, the barometric pressure differences caused the shape of his corneas to change, effectively blinding him once again. Ouch.
I love hiking, and I was intrigued by the prospect of hearing Jon Krakauer's account of his experiences on Everest, Into Thin Air. The story is fascinating, and well told. This particular audiobook has the added benefit of being read by the author. I literally felt like I was walking with him along the summit ridge. The narrow escapes, the pain, the fierce winds; all of it felt real and immediate.
The story dives in to his remorse over his actions on that fateful day (10 May 1996), or rather lack of action, in many cases. I can sympathize with him; had I been in his shoes, I would be feeling the same survivor's guilt that he feels. Had I been there that day, it's likely that I would have made similar decisions. The guides had made themselves out to be infallible, and had made it clear that they were calling the shots. On the summit push, this structure fell apart, and in Jon's story, you can see him starting to assert himself more and more as the reality of the situation sets in. In the end he ends up taking up the role of a guide, looking after his teammates and helping them get back down from the South Col.
Listening to the story, it's very clear that there was nothing else he could have done. Even if he had managed to realize that Andy Harris was in trouble, it's unlikely that Jon would have been able to convince him that he needed to descend. Had he short-roped Beck Weathers and attempted to lead him back to the South Col, it's entirely possible that Jon wouldn't have been able to guide Beck the way Mike Groom did, and that both Beck and Jon would have fallen to their deaths. Had he known about Yasuko Namba's plight, it's highly unlikely that he would have been able to do anything to help her. The storm was blinding, the South Col is massive (2 football fields by 1 football field, according to his description), and the consequences of a misstep up there are deadly. Although a col (also called a notch, or a pass) typically coincides with the most gentle slope of a face (any part of the side of a mountain that's not a ridge), there's nothing gentle about Everest. It's amazing that anyone could have survived wandering around the South Col with no visibility, let alone ten out of eleven people.
Furthermore, he hadn't slept in 57 hours, and had just climbed several thousand feet up with insufficient oxygen and had made it back down a mostly trackless peak through a storm. It's amazing that anyone made it back through that alive.
Of course, I can say all of this, but I wasn't there. I can relate to him on some level, though. If I were in the same situation, I would also begin to take on the role of a guide. It is my nature to help others, and to look after them. I also feel a similar guilt regarding my friend Suzy's disappearance, even though there was absolutely nothing I could have done. (We don't even know what happened, and it's entirely possible that she just ran away, but the rational part of my brain says that this is highly unlikely. So I'm left with irrational guilt. Neil Peart described something similar in Ghost Rider, his wife's brother feeling personally responsible for his wife's (Selena's) death from cancer. I'm not sure how else to describe it. In some way, I also feel this way about my other (paternal) Grandmother's death. I guess part of it has to do with the fact that I wasn't there. My paternal Grandmother had moved in with one of my Aunts prior to her death, and I had barely seen her those last few years. With Suzy's disappearance, I had moved away a few months prior. I guess that a part of my guilt revolves around that; had I not moved away, perhaps whatever happened would have happened differently, or not at all. If she ran away, maybe I could have helped talk her through her problems, or at least have some knowledge that I could share with her loved ones. If something bad did indeed happen, then it's entirely possible that my presence would have changed some sequence of events and prevented her from being in that place at that time (chaos theory). That assumes, of course, that this was random. If it wasn't random, then maybe me being up here could have allowed me to see some other clue that I missed and help unravel this thing, or allowed me to prevent it from occurring in the first place.)
I had originally intended on mentioning two other things: Beidleman using a glissade and a body block to help Pittman descend (damn), and that this book helped dash any fantasy I had of climbing Everest. Any significant mountaineering peak, really. The risk to reward ratio is a bit too high, especially with kids to look after. Not that I don't thoroughly enjoy solving problems on the trail (I had fun with the tricker bits on Colden last year), but the exposure on Everest or even Denali is much greater than the exposure you experience on hiking trails the 'Dacks. (Exposure is, basically, how likely you are to get injured should you fall or otherwise make a mistake.) I wouldn't mind doing some trekking in Nepal, though. Kala Patthar sounds thoroughly interesting, as does Namche Bazaar.
Edit: Now I remember what else I wanted to comment on. I have considered looking in to LASIK on and off over the years. My main concern has been long-term viability and side-effects of the procedure, given how new it is. After reading about Beck Weathers' experience, I have no desire to go through with the procedure. Weathers had a predecessor of LASIK done to correct myopia (nearsightedness) prior to climbing Everest, called radial keratotomy. As a consequence of this, as he ascended, the barometric pressure differences caused the shape of his corneas to change, effectively blinding him once again. Ouch.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Farewell
My grandmother passed away this morning.
I took this picture back in 2010, on our last family trip down to visit.
I had hoped to find catharsis by spilling out my emotions into this post, but now that I'm finally able to sit down and write, after spending all day taking care of the kids, I find that I have nothing to say. My head is a jumble of emotions, but nothing is willing to take form. I suppose that's the gist of it, though: if I commit these words to paper, or database row, then they're real. If I do not, then it isn't real; it hasn't happened; I don't have to deal with it.
...
Thursday, October 27, 2011
meh
In PHP:
In C:
Versions:
This was first confirmed on a 64-bit Debian Etch. It also happens on a 32-bit Debian Squeeze box, a 32-bit Ubuntu Lucid box, an OS/X Leopard box, and an OS/X Snow Leopard box.
Edit: A friend of mine confirmed that this also happens on a SUSE Linux box (gcc 4.1.2 20070115), and under Visual Studio 2010.
$ cat test.php
<?php
printf("%0.5f\n", (24.94 * 1000.0));
printf("%d\n", (int)(24.94 * 1000.0));
printf("%0.5f\n", ((19.99 + 4.95) * 1000.0));
printf("%d\n", (int)((19.99 + 4.95) * 1000.0));
?>
$ php -f test.php
24940.00000
24940
24940.00000
24939
In C:
$ cat test.c
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("%f\n", (24.94 * 1000.0));
printf("%d\n", (int)(24.94 * 1000.0));
printf("%f\n", ((19.99 + 4.95) * 1000.0));
printf("%d\n", (int)((19.99 + 4.95) * 1000.0));
}
$ gcc test.c
$ ./a.out
24940.000000
24940
24940.000000
24939
Versions:
$ uname -a
Linux dev-ap1 2.6.18-6-amd64 #1 SMP Sat Feb 20 23:34:55 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ dpkg -l libc6 | grep libc6
ii libc6 2.3.6.ds1-13etch10 GNU C Library: Shared libraries
$ gcc -v
Using built-in specs.
Target: x86_64-linux-gnu
Configured with: ../src/configure -v --enable-languages=c,c++,fortran,objc,obj-c++,treelang --prefix=/usr --enable-shared --with-system-zlib --libexecdir=/usr/lib --without-included-gettext --enable-threads=posix --enable-nls --program-suffix=-4.1 --enable-__cxa_atexit --enable-clocale=gnu --enable-libstdcxx-debug --enable-mpfr --enable-checking=release x86_64-linux-gnu
Thread model: posix
gcc version 4.1.2 20061115 (prerelease) (Debian 4.1.1-21)
This was first confirmed on a 64-bit Debian Etch. It also happens on a 32-bit Debian Squeeze box, a 32-bit Ubuntu Lucid box, an OS/X Leopard box, and an OS/X Snow Leopard box.
Edit: A friend of mine confirmed that this also happens on a SUSE Linux box (gcc 4.1.2 20070115), and under Visual Studio 2010.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Thank you, Joel Dobson
I just wanted to take a moment and offer my thanks to Joel Dobson (1947-2010), and my condolences to his family. He was the author and driving force behind Adirondack Journey, a website that has offered constant guidance on my journey toward becoming a 46er. I had no idea he had passed away until today, having primarily accessed his writings through web searches. His site went offline sometime between last week, when I read through some of his write-up on the Santanoni Range, and today, when the website started returning a 403 error. To further send me into a blind panic, the Wayback Machine was broken earlier, and I was unable to confirm that cached copies exist. They do exist, fortunately, so this piece of his legacy lives on for a little while longer.
At any rate, thank you, Joel Dobson. May your memory live on, as so many others follow in your footsteps. I'd like to also offer my thanks to his family, in addition to my condolences: I'm very sorry for your loss. I've only seen the briefest of glimpses of him, but he seems to have been as nice as they come, and intelligent, wise, and dedicated, to boot. Thank you for keeping his site up for as long as you did.
More information:
Interestingly enough, the Times Square to the north isn't far from the headwaters of the Hudson River (it flows out of Henderson Lake, located a few miles away), and the Times Square of the south isn't far from the mouth of the Hudson.
At any rate, thank you, Joel Dobson. May your memory live on, as so many others follow in your footsteps. I'd like to also offer my thanks to his family, in addition to my condolences: I'm very sorry for your loss. I've only seen the briefest of glimpses of him, but he seems to have been as nice as they come, and intelligent, wise, and dedicated, to boot. Thank you for keeping his site up for as long as you did.
More information:
- Mr. Dobson's obituary in the Press Republican
- The latest archived copy of Adirondack Journey on the Wayback Machine
- His write-up of the Santanoni Range, including the map of Times Square that I was initially looking for today. Note that the map is out of date, and his own notes below the map should be taken into consideration.
- A picture of Mr. Dobson, standing in Times Square
Interestingly enough, the Times Square to the north isn't far from the headwaters of the Hudson River (it flows out of Henderson Lake, located a few miles away), and the Times Square of the south isn't far from the mouth of the Hudson.
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