| September 2008 |
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| On the relative intelligence of non-avian dinosaurs |
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01:18am 21/08/2008 |
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I've noticed that in recent years it has become fashionable to liken the intelligence of non-avian dinosaurs, especially theropods, to that of ground birds like ostriches (see here for an example of this comparison), but to add that it was lower than flying birds. This makes me wonder, why should flying birds be overall smarter than non-avian dinosaurs or ground birds? They might have a greater need to coordinate their flight patterns, but I can't see that influence other types of intelligence (social, mathematical, problem-solving, etc.). Would the ability to fly really boost your intelligence so much?mood:  curious |
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| I have acquired a Papo T. Rex |
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08:48pm 19/08/2008 |
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Ever heard of those ultra-realistic, ultra-detailed Papo dinosaurs that look almost exactly like the dinosaurs from the Jurassic Park movies? Well, I have just bought the T. Rex for $20 at the local Thinker toys, and it's the coolest model dinosaur I've ever purchased. It looks just like this:

OK, so the hands aren't articulated correctly, and the forearms might be just a little too long, but otherwise it would make the perfect drawing aid. mood:  geeky |
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| Recent happenings |
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05:36pm 18/08/2008 |
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Just established myself in my new apartment; in about a week I will be attending Monterey Peninsula College, but for the moment, I have no academic responsibilities. It's great to not have your parents in your hair 24/7, but I do feel a little anxious about handling all those bills and other financial paperwork.
I love this new computer I'm typing on. It's a Dell XPS 630, with dual nVidia 9800 GT; in practical terms, that means it can play Crysis on high settings with no framerate problems. It also has 586 GB on the C drive alone, so it can hold a fuckload of software. Plus, the new Vista interface looks damn sexy.
BTW, new drawing on my deviantART page; it already got 2 favoritings just a couple of minutes after uploading it.mood:  accomplished |
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| The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science |
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08:24pm 03/08/2008 |
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Visited it today, as I do every year when I come to Albuquerque to visit my grandma, but today's trip was particularly memorable, because Stan the T. rex is now on display there permanently. He was by far my favorite exhibit---few experiences on Earth are as awesome as standing in front of the very bones of the King of Beasts himself. Took a lot of photos of him, and the other exhibits, with this new cell phone I got earlier this week, but unfortunately I have no idea how to upload them onto a computer.
This is actually the second museum I've visited in New Mexico; yesterday I went to the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum in Tucumcari to the east. It's a very small affair right now, but it has a very nice bronze replica of late Jurassic megalosaurid Torvosaurus. Torvosaurus, in my opinion, is a very underrated dinosaur; it actually seemed somewhat stronger than its more famous contemporary Allosaurus, if my visual memory serves. I would love to see it whenever they make the CGI dino documentary.mood:  happy |
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| WTF has happened to Cartoon Network? |
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07:01am 21/07/2008 |
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I haven't watched Cartoon Network in at least 4 years, so upon returning to the States, I decided to reunite with this old flame of mine, and now I'm flabberghasted at how little resemblance it bears to the Cartoon Network I remember. Virtually none of the Cartoon Cartoons that I watched as a kid are present: no Dexter's Laboratory, no Powerpuff Girls, no Johnny Bravo, no Cow & Chicken, no Courage the Cowardly Dog, no Samurai Jack---hell, I haven't even seen The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy or Kids Next Door. Instead, I've seen a revamped version of George of the Jungle, some show about a skunk and ninja monkeys, totally random shit like Chowder or Flapjack, and something called Johnny Test---except possibly for George of the Jungle, none of these are very good. The only shows I do recognize are all on Adult Swim
Cartoon Network has jumped the shark.
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| Should've told you this earlier, but... |
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09:30pm 20/07/2008 |
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We are moving from Hong Kong to California. In fact, we're almost done; our old apartment has been emptied, we flew from HK to LA on Tuesday, and now we're taking a few weeks of vacation (which will consist of seeing movies, visiting our relatives, shopping, and general chilling out) before we start living in our new home. Or rather, home s, for I'm going to reside in an apartment in Monterey where I'll be going to college, while Mom & Dad will buy a condo in San Diego as a temporary dwelling while they get their dream house built in nearby Fallbrook. After ~12 years of living as an expat in Singapore and Hong Kong, I'm glad that I finally get to be in my home country again.
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