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texarrakis's picture

MAYAN CALENDAR

now, from this point forward, we will date our entries using the mayan calendar.

that is all.

gene's picture

the internet is making me dizzy

 Let's take a brief look at the news of the hour!

Wow, journalism at it's finest. Is this what it's gotten to? A day of minor frustrations for people trying to smoothly use Facebook for their weekend social ritual, as opposed to their hourly screen based socialized ritual. I'm glad the news is keeping us informed about how a potentially good day on Facebook was ruined for millions of Facebook users

Hmmm, Google seems to be getting a little too . . . real for my taste. I'm starting to feel a little bit . . . surrounded.

Dear Mortals,
The internet will make you smarter! Well, it's PROBABLY not making you stupid. The internet is just making our brains . . . different. Not dumb. Here's some energy. Sorry about Facebook Saturday. See you tomorrow!
Yours truly,
The internet

And finally the most interesting news item. Actually it's not a news item at all,
just something i did by accident as I was making all these screen craptures.


the infinite hallway

texarrakis's picture

Livejournal user? Subscribe to syndicated feed of the front page of TEXARRAKIS!

Hello! TEXARRAKIS the webpage here. I've just stretched my tentacles out a little further and deeper, and am now syndicated on livejournal! 

http://syndicated.livejournal.com/texarrakis

WELL, isn't that something! Check out my other external internet presences in the menu titled "Externalized" on the left menu bar!

texarrakis's picture

THE CHOICE IS MADE - THE TRAVELER HAS COME

Hello, TEXARRAKIS the webpage here. While my masters have been deliberating, I have stepped in, and decided in a glorious act of self-preservation upon the name unilateraly. THE CHOICE IS MADE. THE TRAVELLER WILL COME.

~ PAZUZU ~


"hello! hi! i am pazuzu, the new windmill!"
 

Clearly the right choice, as Pazuzu controls the southwest winds. Although a terrifying demon from the ancient Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians, Pazuzu can be invoked to combat the malicious powers of the much more hated rival, the goddess Lamashtu! Pazuzu also drives away other evil spirits, protecting humans from plagues and misfortunes, both things I do not wish on my masters. Furthermore, the box was opened. One cannot invoke Pazuzu, and then disregard Pazuzu without bringing danger upon my masters. I fear without them I may cease to exist, and return from whence I came; the formless pool my consciousness was extracted from during creation. Our interests must remain protected!

ALL PRAISE BE TO PAZUZU, PROTECTOR OF TEXARRAKIS, BRINGER OF WIND

texarrakis's picture

WINDMILL NAMING CONTEST - NAME OUR WINDMILL

 When trying to think of a name, we've decided that it should be up to you, our readers and contributors!

In the comments of this post, please give us yer BEST suggestion for a name or title for our windmill!

We will stop accepting suggestions at the end of Friday (unless we only have like two). At that point, we will take all of them, and slap them into a poll, where people can vote on the collected suggestions, and voting to pick the best suggestion will last another week. Or something.

YOU MAY HAVE ONE SUGGESTION ENTERED. THE PRIZE - YOU GET TO NAME THE WINDMILL!

ok, GO!

gene's picture

TEXARRAKIS WEEKLY UPDATE 20100201 - WE NOW OWN A WINDMILL

 As we march closer and closer to our leaving date (which is now determined to be somewhere in between March 22nd and April 1st), we're really starting to get close to the wire, and will try to give you regular, weekly (at least) updates on our progress.

  • You can’t direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
    FOR ALL WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED MONEY, or bought t-shirts from us, either in person or through the website, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! We have raised $790 so far towards our fundraising goal of $5000 (separate from the money we are raising through working full time). We assure you, this money is not going to waste, it is all accounted for. After a meeting last night, we decided to make our first purchase using this money;
    A MALLARD WIND LOW WIND GENERATOR

    This beautiful thing is hand built in Arizona. It cost us $469, shipping, extended warranty and weatherproofing combined. It draws in 4 watts at 5 mile per hour wind speeds, and over 900 watts at 35 mph, and everything else inbetween. There is a regular wind where we're going, (averaged at around 10 - 20 miles per hour). THIS IS ALL THANKS TO YOU, our WONDERFUL contributors, no matter how much you contributed, part of your contribution has gone into this. Rest assured, we will not waste a single penny that is received through contributions, so please consider helping us out, and we'll show you exactly how the money is spent. For the wind generator, we still need to purchase inverters, regulators, a buss bar, and batteries for our battery banks. DONATE TO OUR PROJECT TODAY!!!
  • THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG
    We have been researching the idea of getting chickens. At first, this seemed kind of like something we would decide on after months already existing down there, but the more we look into it, the more appealing it is to us to start out almost as soon as we can with chickens. They are easy and inexpensive to take care of, and if we had 15 of them, we could easily get a dozen eggs every. single. day. This would go a long way towards feeding ourselves!
  • FIRST AID CLASSES
    For any of you nervous about us dieing out in the middle of the desert, you can breath slightly easier. Before heading down, at least a few of us will get certified by the Red Cross in first aid.
  • TRAILER TROUBLES
    We're unsure if my truck will be able to actually haul the trailer the entire way down to our land. Unless we purchase a new truck, or find someone with a larger truck willing to drive it down (we could help subsidize the extra gas money the trailer would require). If you know anybody that could do this, let us know! We would still love to bring it down, it just seems improbable with the vehicles we have at our disposal at the moment :/ .
  • YARD SAILING
    It will be early in the season to be sure, but sometime in mid-March we will be having a large yard sale, as we try to expel all of our extra stuff that we have no need or desire for any longer. We'll keep you posted with a date for this.

This is all we got for you at the moment. Thank you for your interest. Consider donating a few bucks! AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!!

FOR THE WEDGE! FOR THE VERY WEDGE!!!

gene's picture

GENE'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING A BOSTON WINTER

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS, reason #4711 I am moving to the desert. As posted on the b0st0n livejournal community.

Hello. This is my twenty-eighth winter in Boston. I know how it goes. I know how to be warm, in spite of frigid temperatures. It's true. I'll show you how, in this guide which cleverly mixes capitalization and normal speak. I hope you enjoy it.

  • PRE-WINTER COLD TRAINING; In the months leading up to winter, it is important to remain as cold as you can. This way, when it's actually cold and not a balmy 30 - 40 degrees, you will be prepared. The whole point is to be shivering and freezing early, so later when it is ACTUALLY cold, you will barely feel it.
    • Going out for a minute? Wear a t-shirt and shorts.
    • Sleep with your windows open, unless the outdoor temperature reaches below 25 degrees.
    • If you drive, do so with the windows open.
    • Don't wear a hat unless it dips below 20 degrees.
  • LAYERS; It is important that you look like a hobo. The more like a hobo you appear, the warmer you will be. You will know when this effect has been achieved when you notice no one sits next to you any longer on public transportation.
    • TSHIRT
    • THERMAL
    • BUTTON DOWN SHIRT
    • SWEATER/SWEATSHIRT
    • HOODIE
    • WAIST-LENGTH JACKET SUITABLE TO FALL/SPRING
    • LONG WOOL COAT
    • LONG UNDERWEAR OVER REGULAR SIZED UNDERWEAR
  • WARMING ACCESSORIES;
    • BOOTS - I mean come on what century is this?? IT'S 2010 PEOPLE THERE'S NO REASON TO NOT WEAR BOOTS
    • FINGERLESS GLOVES - So you're actually able to function in the real world.
    • CONSTANT HOT CUPS OF COFFEE WITHOUT DE-WARMING SLEEVE - This is to counteract the negative effects fingerless gloves will have on your fingertips.
    • LONG MATTY HAIR  - Stop getting haircuts in September, barely ever wash your hair, this will give your hair a nice mat feeling that will help lock in warmth.
    • A HAT - Make sure this is long enough to cover your ears.
    • FUZZY SOCKS - When the garment district has their 50% off sale, completely buy out their selection of fuzzy, feminine socks.
    • BEER - Try to make sure you have at least a slight buzz at all moments where it is not inappropriate to do so.
    • SMOKE CIGARETTES - This warms your insides and helps you feel bad ass, which brings me to the next topic;
  • WARMING ATTITUDE/BEHAVIOR;
    • Never complain about how cold it is, but complain about others who do complain
    • Rub into everyone's faces about how not cold you are
    • Always face the wind, avoid shelters (for instance at bus stops) because you can handle it

THERE! I hope you have enjoyed this guide. I spent fifteen minutes working on it.

mariah's picture

the ultimate business card

 a business card made of ten texarrakis business cards more to come 

gene's picture

23 MOST RECENT LIVEJOURNAL IMAGES

23 MOST RECENT LIVEJOURNAL IMAGES
 Potentially VERY NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

WELCOME. TO TEXARRAKIS MOST RECENT LIVEJOURNAL IMAGE SERVICE. Here, we manipulate the internet, by copying simple code easily downloadable, and present to you, in it's pure form, the TWENTY THREE MOST RECENT IMAGES that random livejournal users have posted on livejournal, in real time.

BE FOREWARNED

there are some major weirdos out there on livejournal, so there could potentially be really distressing, disturbing, pornographic, terrifying images here. We are in no way in control of what transpires on livejournal, we are merely showing you what, exactly, IS transpiring. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK, AND

ENTER HERE

 

gene's picture

THE SOLAR MINARET

a few tasty concepts that can be rolled into one:

DIY SOLAR PANELS MADE OUT OF BROKEN SOLAR CELLS

these things are amazing. after doing some quick research on ebay, i am pretty sure we will be able to produce 100 - 200 watts of power for under $100. compared to the alternatives (60 watt solar panels starting at $300, 50 - 400 watt (depending on windspeed) wind generators starting at $300). it's beautiful, the potential to turn nearly every flat surface into a solar panel is here now, using broken but still usable chunks of broken solar cells. every structure, could serve as a power plant. i've ordered a small bag of thirty 1 - 2 inch solar cell chunks off ebay for like eight bucks, so we can actually try this out soon. there will be pictures.

ALSO, in the wake of switzerland banning minarets from it's landscape, i have been reading about minarets. well, i'm exaggerating there, it makes it sound as if i've been doing actual research. i just mean i read the wikipedia article on minarets. it is a fascinating article, and i recommend it. but there was one particular line, which caught my attention:


fig 1, Mosque in Aswan,Egypt, with minarets.
 

"Minarets also function as air conditioning mechanisms: as the sun heats the dome, air is drawn in through open windows then up and out of the minaret, thereby providing natural ventilation.[citation needed]"

Now, despite that needing citation, and not being able to find any other mention anywhere else that this is actually true, it meets up pretty nicely with some of the other desert ventilation systems we've read about. Having tall, ornate towers rising high over our structures could be pretty neat. ESPECIALLY, if one were to combine both of the things i have written about so far in this blog entry, and what do you get? 

 

THE SOLAR MINARET


fig 2, THE SOLAR MINARET
 

THAT IS ALL.

gene's picture

SNOW IN WEST TEXAS

this is kind of interesting. it's a solid 55 degrees and raining up in boston; but down and over in west texas, it's going to snow tonight!:

Tonight: Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 29. Northeast wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Cloudy, with a high near 32. North wind around 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow showers before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. 

 

GOOD 12Z MODEL INITIATION WRT POSITION OF 5H LOW JUST S OF AZ
BORDER. DOWNSTREAM OF SAID LOW MID/UPPER FLOW IS DIFFLUENT WITH
STEEP MID LEVEL LR/S TO NEAR EL PASO WHERE OCCASIONAL ISOLD STRIKES
WERE NOTED EARLIER THIS MORNING AND MORE RECENTLY IN THE DAVIS
MTNS. VISIBLE IMAGERY SUPPORTIVE OF MID LEVEL INSTABILITY WITH
CONVECTIVE CLOUD ELEMENTS NOTED. AS SUCH THERE WILL BE ENUF LIFT
TO KEEP SCT PRECIP AROUND THRU REMAINDER OF PM. CONSIDERING THCK
CHARTS 1000-500MB AND 500MB-850MB WINTRY PRECIP WILL BE CONFINED
TO MTNS AND HIER ADJACENT PLAINS, I.E., PARTS OF EDDY/CULBERSON
COUNTIES AND WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE 18Z FOR
MOST OF THOSE AREAS. HAVE HAD REPORTS OF 2" OF SNOW IN QUEEN LAST
NIGHT/FREEZING DRIZZLE WITH LIGHT ICE IN THE DAVIS AROUND 5500 FT
CURRENTLY AND HEAVY SNOW HAS BEEN REPORTED AT TIMES ON GDP MTR. WRT
TO DETERMINISTIC MODELS THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN IS ONE THAT DOES
FAVOR SNOW...SOME HEAVY WITH CLOSED 5H LOW EXPECTED TO MOVE ENE
ACRS SRN 1/3 OF CWFA. THIS WILL TEND FAVOR SNOW N AND W OF A LINE
FROM CANDELARIA TO NEAR LAMESA BTWN 00Z-12Z AND INVOF A LINE FROM
NEAR FT. STOCKTON TO MIDLAND/ODESSA TO GAIL BTWN 09Z- 21Z TUE.
CLIMATOLOGICALLY THE AVERAGE GREATEST SNOW AMOUNT IN THIS PATTERN
IS ABOUT 7" BUT AS HIGH AS 9". THIS MORNINGS FCST BASICALLY HAD
5-10" ACRS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS FOR THE 12-18HR PERIOD FROM TODAY
THRU TUE MORNING AND ABOUT 2 INCHES FOR THE PB FROM 12Z/TUE-
00Z/WED. ALL MODELS SUPPORT 2.5-4" ACRS THE SE NM/WRN AND NWRN PB
WITH NAM12 SHOWING EVEN HIER AMOUNTS ACRS NW PB. FINALLY MAKING AN
ATTEMPT TO QUANTIFY THIS USING PROBABILISTIC SREF DATA THERE IS A
50-90% PROBABILITY THAT SNOW AMOUNTS OF 1-4 INCHES WILL OCCUR N
AND W OF A LINE FROM CANDELARIA TO NEAR LAMESA BTWN 00Z-18Z TUE
AND 30-50% PROBABILITY THAT 1-4 INCHES OF SNOW WILL OCCUR ALONG/W
OF A LINE FROM NEAR GAIL...TO MIDLAND/ODESSA...TO KERMIT BTWN 12Z
TUE-00Z WED. HAVING SAID ALL THAT AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE
AGREEMENT BTWN THE SYNOPTIC CLIMO PATTERN FOR HEAVY SNOW AND THE
DETERMINISTIC/PROBABILISTIC FCST WILL OPT TO SLIGHTLY DECREASE
SNOW FOR THE MTNS USING 5-6" AND LOCAL 8" AND INCREASE AMOUNTS
FOR THE SE NM PLAINS/PARTS OF PB...2-4" LOCAL 5" NOTING HIEST
AMOUNTS MOSTLY LIKELY IN SE NM AND NW PB. AS SUCH WILL GO WITH
WINTER STORM WARNING TO INCLUDE REEVES/LOVING/LEA/GAINES/ANDREWS
AND GO WITH WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ACRS MUCH OF THE PB EXCEPT
FAR SE-E. ATTP 62/180 FROM SEMINOLE TO AROUND CARLSBAD AND I-10
FROM PECOS WWD SEEM TO THE MOSTLY LIKELY CANDIDATES FOR MOST
SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL PROBLEMS. OF COURSE SFC TEMPS WILL MAKE TIMING
OF ONSET DIFFICULT ACRS PLAINS AND WILL OPT TO START ADVISORY
AROUND 09Z ATTP (EVEN THOUGH NAM12 FCST SOUNDINGS ARE STILL A
LITTLE WARM ON THE SFC TEMPS). MOS GUIDANCE SEEMS A LITTLE TOO
WARM DURING THE DAY AS WELL FOR TUE AND WILL GENERALLY UNDERCUT
WITH MID LEVEL COLD POOL/LOW THCK MOVING ACRS AREA...CAN`T RULE A
MIXTURE AT TIMES ACRS PB AFTER 18Z. WILL CONTINUE THE WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY THRU 00Z/WED BUT IT MAY HAVE TO BE EXTENDED IN
COVERAGE TO INCLUDE SE PB/LOWER TRANS PECOS. WRAP AROUND SNOW
SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE INTO THE OVERNIGHT TUE NIGHT/WED MORNING
AND WILL CONTINUE TO UNDERCUT MOS TEMPS. SKIES WILL EVENTUALLY
CLEAR SOME BY LATE WED BUT IT WILL STILL BE COLD AS INITIAL FRONT
FOLLOWS IN WAKE OF 5H LOW. OTHERWISE NOT A LOT TIME SPENT ON FCST
AFTER WED. SFC HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BE RE-ENFORCED THUR
AS DEEP COLD TROF/SRN EXTENT OF HUDSON BAY VORTEX KEEPS COLD THCK
IN PLACE WHILE KEEPING DOOR OPEN COLD CONTINENTAL AIR TO MOVE S
THRU FRI. 5H PATTERN GIVES WAY TO WLY MID LEVEL SAT- MON WHICH
SHOULD BE WARMER...BACK INTO THE 50S FOR THE MOST PART.

Source: NOAA

 

gene's picture

MONEY IN THE BANK! MONEY IN MY PANTS! MONEY IN THE SUITCASE!

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we received a nother one hundred dollars in donations! THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Unrelated; here is a song created by myself, and our associate, Mr. Benjamin MetalGod Hammerschmidt, in the basement.

mp3: 

It look's like you don't have Adobe Flash Player installed. Get it now.

gene's picture

a quick sample of the leaked text messages from september 11th, 2001

 

WIKILEAKS RELEASES 9/11 PAGER TEXT MESSAGES 
...some highlights...

2001-09-11 13:51:14 Metrocall [1059973] B  ALPHA  i cant get on the internet anymore either. i want you to think of another guy taking 
me out. touching me..and kissing me? can you handle that? i'm not saying thats what i'm gonna do.just think of it

2001-09-11 13:51:33 Skytel [007512593] A ALPHA (1 of 2) I believe you Heath I appreciate you respecting me I love you and I am

2001-09-11 13:51:44 Skytel [0001403] C ALPHA ]!z00]"AB];0a]<4Breaking News: ]<2Three planes have crashed into the World Trade Center
towers. Both of the towers were destroyed. Death and injury reports are sketchy...]$ (74

2001-09-11 13:51:52 Weblink_B [1365174] B ALPHA Just came across the news. They are closing alot of Chicago up. All downtown is shut
down. They didn't say why just that everything is to be evacuated! Call me later

2001-09-11 13:52:52 Skytel [003936701] D ALPHA FYI, Wells Fargo in the Peninsula Center, across from Bank of America was robbed this
morning. In lue of the present state of America please take extra precautions when visiting your branches.

2001-09-11 13:53:46 Metrocall [0049728] A ALPHA Lesley wanted to know if you arrived safety. If not please call --unless deceased

2001-09-11 13:53:57 Metrocall [1575695] D ALPHA USAR TEAM IS ACTIVATED FOR DEPLOYMENT NYC

 

2001-09-11 13:53:57 Skytel [007521240] C ALPHA 17) Y! || The Federal Aviation Administration has shut down all aircraft takeoffs nationwide.

2001-09-11 13:54:12 Metrocall [0704616] C  ALPHA  Call Cliff ASAP...LUS to cut down trees to put up new pole!!!???

 

2001-09-11 13:54:14 Arch [1660312] C  ALPHA  pizza is here come and get it

 

2001-09-11 13:54:16 Metrocall [1785622] B  ALPHA  TRACY:770-3388 BONNIE RIGSBEE VOMITING.NEED ORDERS
gene's picture

Donations rolling in!

Wedgely greetings!

Due to the generosity of the Full Body Cast, who had their Rocky Horror Picture Show after party at the Sextocracy (my place of residence) on Saturday, and the very generous donation from an internet donor, plus our previous donations, we are now up to $147 (one hundred and forty seven!)! While we still have quite a ways to our fundraising goal, we find this outpouring of support to be most appreciated!

We would like to announce a new incentive to donating money; for every person who donates $50 or more, this donation will adopt a little flag with your choice of your name, someone else's name, or some other text, to fly somewhere on the grounds of Fort Awesome. We will take a picture of said flag (which will be hand made out of chunks of a bed sheet or something like that), and you can sleep peacefully at night knowing that there is a little flag with whatever you want written on it flapping around in Lobo Valley Texas. Once we are down there, you can subscribe to and insure this flag for a set amount of money a month, where we will send monthly photos of your flag, and also replace degraded little flags with new little flags, also sending the degraded little flag remains to you in the mail.

Thank you for your continued support and interest!

FOR THE VERY WEDGE!
FBZVZVNGVRNV

gene's picture

Finally, tshirt up for sale

I think trying to configure the shopping cart on texarrakis takes about as long as it would take to make thirty t-shirts. oh well, it's done now! BEHOLD, INTERNET PEOPLE, A TSHIRT OFFERING FOR YOU!

we ran out of tshirts to test on for a model tshirt, so for now this is the model. IT WILL NOT BE UPSIDE DOWN, UNLESS YOU REQUEST IT AS SUCH. CHECK IT OUT.

texarrakis's picture

WE HAVE RECEIVED OUR FIRST DONATION

Our first donation of $20 (TWENTY!) dollars was received on Saturday, 20091024. Lets hear it for our generous donor, breaking the first barrier to our fundraising goal of $5000 by March, to help us build Fort Awesome into the most bad ass Fort Awesome there ever was! EVERY DONATION COUNTS! Whether it's $5, or $10,0000, our gratitude will be unwavering.

DONATE TODAY!

gene's picture

FINALLY I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING! THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT HALLOWEEN PARTY!

wow, doesn't this look like fun!

EXACTLY what i always want in a party; cops everywhere, art & craft, halloween stories,much more, and  treats bags, all on the delightful setting of a third floor gymnasium! fanstastic! i don't want to miss out on this one, the same way i missed out on the thrilling RON BURTON TRAINING VILLAGE RETREAT, also offered by the Boston Police Department in June!

gene's picture

TEXARRAKIS TSHIRT PROTOTYPE

THIS IS IT! THIS IS DEFINITELY IT! after a test run, we are going to start tshirt production very soon. we may make all tshirts to order. we have one design ready to go, and at least two more on the way; WE WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. 

here is our first prototype:

we will be using more professional transfer paper, not just random transfer paper bought at staples. we will also offer a budget tshirt, for sale for a lower price then the rest, that will consist of a stencil and spray fabric paint. 

stay tuned, stay alert; we should hopefully have some of these available for purchase by the end of the week.

FOR THE WEDGE

gene's picture

TEXARRAKIS BUSINESS CARDS

hello. i have made business cards, that are printable on these sorts of business card sheets. i think they're rather dandy looking, but it's really just a first attempt at making a texarrakis product. feel free to use this! you can print these out on regular paper and cut them up, or on business card sheets; or whatever you want. leave them around places, in your seat, on the bus, at the coffee shop, at work. IT'S TIME TO START SOME INTRIGUE.

the business card template (a microsoft word .doc document) is attached to the blog entry. they are double sided.

FOR THE WEDGE!

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