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1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/… | |
2 <channel> | |
3 <title><![CDATA[Rudism.com]]></title> | |
4 <description><![CDATA[Rudism.com]]></description> | |
5 <link>https://rudism.com</link> | |
6 <generator>RSS for Node</generator> | |
7 <lastBuildDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2021 16:19:33 GMT</lastBuildDate> | |
8 <atom:link href="https://rudism.com/rss.xml" rel="self" type="ap… | |
9 <item> | |
10 <title><![CDATA[Pinebook Pro Arch Linux Alternative]]></titl… | |
11 <description><![CDATA[<p>In a <a href="/installing-arch-linu… | |
12 <ul> | |
13 <li>Full-disk LUKS encryption on root partition</li> | |
14 <li>Minimal Manjaro install on the <em>Unstable</em> branch</li> | |
15 </ul> | |
16 <p>I take no responsibility for anything good or bad that happens as a r… | |
17 <h2 id="Step-1-Obtain-Manjaro"><a href="#Step-1-Obtain-Manjaro" class="h… | |
18 <p>It’s an <code>xz</code> archive, so decompress it and write it to a… | |
19 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
20 | |
21 <h3 id="Step-1-1-Boot-Manjaro"><a href="#Step-1-1-Boot-Manjaro" class="h… | |
22 <h2 id="Step-2-Connect-to-the-Internet"><a href="#Step-2-Connect-to-the-… | |
23 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
24 | |
25 <p>Obviously put your own wifi SSID and password in at the prompts. If y… | |
26 <p>At this point I did a <code>sudo pacman -Syyu</code> to update my SD … | |
27 <p>After my system update completed, I rebooted.</p> | |
28 <h2 id="Step-3-Install-the-Manjaro-Installer"><a href="#Step-3-Install-t… | |
29 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
30 | |
31 <p>The instructions then say you need to reboot. I was skeptical, but di… | |
32 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
33 | |
34 <h2 id="Step-4-Install-Manjaro"><a href="#Step-4-Install-Manjaro" class=… | |
35 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
36 | |
37 <p>Then I started the installer:</p> | |
38 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
39 | |
40 <p>From the menus that followed I selected Pinebook Pro (obviously), Min… | |
41 <p>For the filesystem I chose <code>ext4</code>, and I selected <code>Ye… | |
42 <p>After a little while it spit out a fun little message:</p> | |
43 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
44 | |
45 <p>I stuck my fingers in my ears and said “LA LA LA” and pretended n… | |
46 <p>I was also prompted a couple times to set my full disk encryption pas… | |
47 <p>Near the end after it did a system update and ran <code>mkinitcpio</c… | |
48 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
49 | |
50 <h2 id="Step-5-Reboot-and-Fix-Stuff"><a href="#Step-5-Reboot-and-Fix-Stu… | |
51 <p>At this point you’ll want to connect to wifi again, which I did by … | |
52 <p>Now, I’ll be completely honest here. I don’t really understand th… | |
53 <p>The next step I don’t understand is to get rid of the weird CRC err… | |
54 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
55 | |
56 <h2 id="Step-6-Optional-Steps"><a href="#Step-6-Optional-Steps" class="h… | |
57 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
58 | |
59 <p>I also installed <code>base-devel</code> and <code>yay-bin</code> (my… | |
60 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
61 | |
62 <p><code>plymouth</code> is already installed on Manjaro, so I took some… | |
63 <p>This fixed that:</p> | |
64 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
65 | |
66 <p>I’ve noticed that some time after booting I get the following error… | |
67 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
68 | |
69 <p>I don’t know what that is or how to fix it yet. Everything seems to… | |
70 <p><strong>Edit:</strong> After a bit more tweaking, here is the <code>m… | |
71 <p><code>/etc/mkinitcpio.conf</code>:</p> | |
72 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
73 | |
74 <p>Remember to run <code>sudo mkinitcpio -P</code> if you edit that file… | |
75 <hr> | |
76 <p><strong>Note:</strong> This is a highly cleaned-up and euphemistic ac… | |
77 ]]></description> | |
78 <link>https://rudism.com/pinebook-pro-arch-linux-alternative… | |
79 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/pinebook-pro-arc… | |
80 <pubDate>Sun, 13 Jun 2021 13:39:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
81 </item> | |
82 <item> | |
83 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 6]]></title> | |
84 <description><![CDATA[<p>The station’s docking bay doors s… | |
85 <p>It wasn’t normal. Mining colonies in the Orubus Belt were xenophobi… | |
86 <p>“Initiating automatic docking procedure.”</p> | |
87 <p>The ship’s voice reminded Dak of his sister, to the extent that he … | |
88 <p>“What do your scans show, Aylix?” Dak asked out loud.</p> | |
89 <p>“There are three thousand seven hundred and three humanoid lifeform… | |
90 <p>Dak nodded. The station grew larger on the viewscreen at a steady pac… | |
91 <p>“I recommend caution,” Aylix added. “It could be a trap.”</p> | |
92 <p>Dak changed into his carbon fiber bodysuit while Aylix finished docki… | |
93 <p>“Best watch yourself here, stranger,” said one of the men. “We … | |
94 <p>“Appreciate the warm welcome,” said Dak. “Your message mentione… | |
95 <p>The miner who had spoken–a toothpick compared to his silent compani… | |
96 <p>“When she needs to,” said Dak. “Will she need to?”</p> | |
97 <p>“I reckon she will,” said the miner. “Come. The Foreman will gi… | |
98 <p>The taller, heavier, less talkative miner stepped forward and held ou… | |
99 <p>“No weapons, no job,” said the smaller miner. “No job, no rewar… | |
100 <p>Dak sighed.</p> | |
101 <p>The interior of the station was hewn from rusty metal pipes. The wall… | |
102 <p>The two miners led Dak up a set of rattling stairs to a catwalk overl… | |
103 <p>In the room, sitting behind a desk, was the most obese man Dak had ev… | |
104 <p>The miners waited outside the office. They didn’t bother introducin… | |
105 <p>“I take it you’re interested in the reward,” the Foreman said. … | |
106 <p>“Syphon,” said Dak. “Dak Syphon.”</p> | |
107 <p>The Foreman leaned forward in his chair. “We can’t offer currency… | |
108 <p>Dak put the bottle back down on the desk. “What’s the job?”</p> | |
109 <p>“There’s a large debris field on the other side of our planetoid,… | |
110 <p>“You want me to retrieve it?” asked Dak.</p> | |
111 <p>“Hardly,” said the Foreman. “I want you to destroy it, and idea… | |
112 <p>Dak blinked. “The… necromancer?”</p> | |
113 <p>“Yeah. The necromancer. A magister of the dark arts,” continued t… | |
114 <p>Dak crossed his arms. Was the Foreman pulling his leg, or just stupid… | |
115 <p>“He’s been sabotaging the station, making us look like fools when… | |
116 <p>“Kidnapping?” asked Dak.</p> | |
117 <p>“Aye,” said the Foreman. “Two younglings went missing from thei… | |
118 <p>“The necromancer took them?” Dak asked incredulously.</p> | |
119 <p>“Look,” sighed the Foreman. “I don’t need you to believe me. … | |
120 <p>“And the kids?” asked Dak.</p> | |
121 <p>“The ship is the job,” said the Foreman. Then he shrugged. “If … | |
122 <p>It seemed like a simple enough task, despite all the nonsense about n… | |
123 <p>Dak shook hands, then returned to the catwalk where the two miners wa… | |
124 <p>“Dak, can you hear me?” Aylix’s voice sounded in Dak’s head. … | |
125 <p>Dak sighed loudly.</p> | |
126 <p>“Never mind, don’t answer,” said Aylix. “I know how much you … | |
127 <p>If this colony was like the one he grew up in, then Dak knew the answ… | |
128 <p>“If they can walk, they can work,” the skinny miner shouted. “Y… | |
129 <p>Dak gritted his teeth.</p> | |
130 <p>“Those poor kids,” Aylix said through his lattice. </p> | |
131 <p>“Yeah,” whispered Dak, hoping that the clattering and hissing mac… | |
132 <p>“Did you say something?” the skinny miner shouted.</p> | |
133 <p>“God damn it,” said Dak.</p> | |
134 <hr> | |
135 <p>Calling the debris field “large” had been an understatement. The … | |
136 <p>“Any sign of the freighter, Aylix?” asked Dak.</p> | |
137 <p>“Scanning,” said Aylix. “It may take a while, there’s a lot o… | |
138 <p>Dak leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the cockpit dash. … | |
139 <p>“Was that anything like the colony you grew up in?” Aylix asked t… | |
140 <p>“Mmm hmm,” said Dak. “Not as bad though. They didn’t send us … | |
141 <p>“Did you work in the mines?” asked Aylix.</p> | |
142 <p>A distant memory forced itself into Dak’s consciousness. His Forema… | |
143 <p>“I… left before I turned fourteen,” said Dak.</p> | |
144 <p>“What happened?” asked Aylix.</p> | |
145 <p>“An accident,” said Dak. “My sister, she…”</p> | |
146 <p>“You mean Aylix,” interrupted Aylix. “My namesake.”</p> | |
147 <p>“She… died. I didn’t want any part of the colony after that.”… | |
148 <p>“And they let you leave?” asked Aylix.</p> | |
149 <p>“No, it wasn’t that easy. I had to…”</p> | |
150 <p>“Are you telling me the truth, Dak?” interrupted Aylix.</p> | |
151 <p>Dak remained silent.</p> | |
152 <p>“What did you do, Dak?” asked Aylix.</p> | |
153 <p>Dak shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut.</p> | |
154 <p>“What did you do to me?” Dak’s sister’s voice pleaded over hi… | |
155 <p>“Shut up!” cried Dak. “We’re done talking about this.”</p> | |
156 <p>“A probe has located the freighter,” said Aylix, no longer using … | |
157 <p>Dak leaned toward the viewscreen. “Show me.”</p> | |
158 <p>The viewscreen flickered, then centered on a large shadow, slowly dri… | |
159 <p>“Looks like a derelict,” said Dak.</p> | |
160 <p>“The probe detects five humanoid lifeforms aboard,” said Aylix.</… | |
161 <p>The math added up. One kidnapper plus four kids. Dak grimaced. Firing… | |
162 <p>“Move in,” said Dak. “Let’s see if necromancers answer their … | |
163 <hr> | |
164 <p>They had stolen the smallest mining skiff they could find, figuring i… | |
165 <p>“Relax, Sh’ren,” said Jotu. “If anyone was following us, they… | |
166 <p>“Did we do the right thing, Jotu?” asked Sh’ren.</p> | |
167 <p>“Of course,” said Jotu. He reached over and stilled her fidgeting… | |
168 <p>Jotu placed his hand on Sh’ren’s belly. “You’ve started showi… | |
169 <p>“But we have nothing, Jotu!” said Sh’ren. “Where will we go? … | |
170 <p>The door to the cargo bay flew open, and Taila and Koru burst into th… | |
171 <p>“No!” Taila cried as she climbed onto Sh’ren’s lap. “We don… | |
172 <p>“Yeah!” said Koru, puffing his chest out. “I hate the colony! I… | |
173 <p>“What have I told you two about eavesdropping?” Sh’ren scolded … | |
174 <p>“Yes, Sh’ren,” the two children said together. Taila slunk to t… | |
175 <p>“Such brats,” said Sh’ren, though her warm smile revealed how s… | |
176 <p>“I do too,” said Jotu. “That is why we can’t go back. What li… | |
177 <p>“Stop it!” said Sh’ren. She started weeping. “Just stop!”</… | |
178 <p>Jotu squeezed Sh’ren’s hands. “When you became their matron you… | |
179 <p>“But where will we go?” Sh’ren asked, staring hard at Jotu thro… | |
180 <p>Jotu let go of Sh’ren’s hands and looked away. It was time to tel… | |
181 <p>“Jotu? What is it?”</p> | |
182 <p>Jotu closed his eyes. “Before we left, I was in contact with… Wit… | |
183 <p>Jotu retrieved a small object from a pouch on his belt and held it ou… | |
184 <p>“It’s a communication device,” said Jotu. “I can use it to si… | |
185 <p>“Who gave this to you, Jotu? Who in the colony would dare keep such… | |
186 <p>“He is not of the colony,” said Jotu. “Not anymore.”</p> | |
187 <p>Sh’ren’s eyes opened wide, and the color drained from her face. �… | |
188 <p>“He is not what they say he is,” said Jotu. “He is my… He wis… | |
189 <p>“He is a necromancer!” shouted Sh’ren.</p> | |
190 <p>“That is not true,” said Jotu, trying hard to remain calm. “The… | |
191 <p>“Do not speak his name!” Sh’ren cried in horror. She put her he… | |
192 <p>Sh’ren’s quiet weeping pierced Jotu’s heart. His confession had… | |
193 <hr> | |
194 <p>After a cycle of careful navigation through scattered wreckage and de… | |
195 <p>“We’ve been spotted,” said Aylix. “The freighter’s hailing … | |
196 <p>“Bring it up on screen.”</p> | |
197 <p>A man’s head appeared on the viewscreen. A hood obscured the top ha… | |
198 <p>“Go away,” said the man.</p> | |
199 <p>“I’ll be happy to,” said Dak. “Once the children are safely r… | |
200 <p>“The children are none of your concern,” the man barked back. “… | |
201 <p>Aylix spoke through Dak’s lattice. “He’s bluffing. The freighte… | |
202 <p>“I’m not leaving without the children,” said Dak. He meant it. … | |
203 <p>The man on the viewscreen fidgeted with his beard, then his expressio… | |
204 <p>“I know they’re not dead,” said Dak slowly. “I scan all four … | |
205 <p>The man’s steely expression gave way to panic. “What? No, those a… | |
206 <p>The viewscreen blinked off.</p> | |
207 <p>“He’s powering up the freighter’s engines,” said Aylix.</p> | |
208 <p>“He’s running?” asked Dak.</p> | |
209 <p>“Unlikely. The freighter’s propulsion systems are too structurall… | |
210 <p>Dak stroked his chin. “What kind of engines?”</p> | |
211 <p>“Primitive combustion tech,” replied Aylix.</p> | |
212 <p>“If the propulsion systems are shot, where does the energy go?” a… | |
213 <p>“Nowhere,” said Aylix. “It stays in the engines.”</p> | |
214 <p>Dak’s eyes opened wide. “Does that mean what I think it means?”… | |
215 <p>“Yes,” said Aylix. “Judging from the energy accumulation rate, … | |
216 <p>Dak nodded. “Hypothetically speaking, how much time would we need t… | |
217 <p><em>“Hypothetically,”</em> said Aylix, “a hundred millicycles s… | |
218 <p>“So, another hundred fifty to cut through the freighter’s hull. W… | |
219 <p>“More like five hundred and eighty, now,” said Aylix.</p> | |
220 <p>“Do it,” said Dak.</p> | |
221 <p>“What happened to hypothetical?” asked Aylix.</p> | |
222 <p>“Shit’s about to get real,” said Dak.</p> | |
223 <hr> | |
224 <p>After she calmed down, Sh’ren left to tell stories to the youngling… | |
225 <p>An incoming message beeped on his console. Jotu reached back and clos… | |
226 <p>“Father,” said Jotu. “We’ve reached the coordinates. Are you … | |
227 <p>Kareth shook his head and frowned.</p> | |
228 <p>Jotu shifted uneasily in his seat. “What’s wrong, Father?”</p> | |
229 <p>“I can’t join you as planned, Jotu. You must use the stone as I s… | |
230 <p>“Why!?” interrupted Jotu. “You said you’d join us! We can’t… | |
231 <p>“Jotu!” Kareth commanded. Jotu fell silent.</p> | |
232 <p>“It is no longer safe to wait,” continued Kareth. “Signal a shi… | |
233 <p>“I don’t want to leave you, Father,” said Jotu. He fought the t… | |
234 <p>“Fear is a transient thing,” said Kareth. “You mustn’t let it… | |
235 <p>Jotu sniffled. “Yes, but you’re not…”</p> | |
236 <p>“But you overcame,” interrupted Kareth. “You were scared when y… | |
237 <p>“Yes, but…”</p> | |
238 <p>“But nothing,” said Kareth. “Fear must drive action, not inacti… | |
239 <p>Jotu thought back to the night he first found the stone and heard Kar… | |
240 <p>“Very well, Father,” said Jotu. “I will do as you say.”</p> | |
241 <p>Kareth nodded. “Jotu, my son. Before you go, know that I…”</p> | |
242 <p>A sound from behind Kareth interrupted him. He turned, facing away fr… | |
243 <p>“Father? What happened?” Jotu said, leaning forward.</p> | |
244 <p>“Why are you here?” cried Kareth, stepping away from the viewscre… | |
245 <p>Jotu’s heart raced. He slammed his fists on the console. He watched… | |
246 <p>There was a flash. Kareth toppled backwards and his arms flailed. For… | |
247 <p>“Father!” Jotu screamed. His breath came to him in short gasps. H… | |
248 <p>The smoke cleared, and a figure moved forward into focus–a man in a… | |
249 <p>Jotu’s eyes narrowed. Once Sh’ren and the children are safe, he t… | |
250 <hr> | |
251 <p>Dak didn’t like the look the kid was giving him. He knew that look.… | |
252 <p>The ship rumbled. A twang sounded above Dak’s head, and he ducked t… | |
253 <p>Dak took a closer look at the body on the ground. The so-called necro… | |
254 <p>“Time’s almost up, Dak,” Aylix said through the lattice. “Gra… | |
255 <p>The ship rumbled again. The ceiling in the corner of the room collaps… | |
256 <p>“I don’t see any kids,” said Dak.</p> | |
257 <p>“You’re right on top of them,” said Aylix. “The engines are b… | |
258 <p>The fog of dust from the collapsed ceiling thinned as it settled. Dak… | |
259 <p>“The engines have melted through their housings,” warned Aylix as… | |
260 <p>Through a small rectangular window on the nearest pod, dark-skinned w… | |
261 <p>“They’re in some kind of pods,” said Dak. “Too heavy to move.… | |
262 <p>“Come back,” said Aylix. “If the engines don’t blow first, an… | |
263 <p>Dak ran his hands up and down the sides of the woman’s pod, failing… | |
264 <p>“Dak, you don’t want to die like this. Not like I did.” Aylix w… | |
265 <p>Dak pounded his fist against the coffin-like pod in frustration. He t… | |
266 <p>Running as fast as his legs could take him, lungs burning as he gaspe… | |
267 <p>“Plotting a course for anywhere-but-here, top speed…” Aylix’s… | |
268 <p>“No!” cried Dak. “Not yet!”</p> | |
269 <p>“Those engines are going to explode any nanocycle now, and take us … | |
270 <p>“Wait!” Dak struggled to his feet. He felt faint, and his skin wa… | |
271 <p>“Use the pulse cannon, cut away the hull of the room I was in,” s… | |
272 <p>“Dak, this is crazy,” said Aylix. “You’re putting yourself in… | |
273 <p>“Do it!” yelled Dak.</p> | |
274 <p>The viewscreen lit up with the pulse cannon’s blast. A section of t… | |
275 <p>“Zoom in,” said Dak. The viewscreen magnified the blasted section… | |
276 <p>“Dak! You don’t want her! She’s not worth…”</p> | |
277 <p>“There!” Among the floating shards of hull, Dak spotted two of th… | |
278 <p>“Emergency protocols activated,” came Aylix’s voice.</p> | |
279 <p>A slight vibration rattled through the ship. The viewscreen became a … | |
280 <p>“Wait! What the fuck are you doing?” cried Dak. “The pod…!”… | |
281 <p>The viewscreen flashed, bathing the cockpit in brilliant white light.… | |
282 <hr> | |
283 <p>Two miners stood guard next to Aylix’s open cargo bay doors. The sa… | |
284 <p>“Where’s my payment?” asked Dak.</p> | |
285 <p>“The Foreman’s on his way,” said the smaller miner. Dak wondere… | |
286 <p>Why was the Foreman getting involved? Dak’s business with the colon… | |
287 <p>Every inch of Dak’s skin burned and itched. Daggers pierced his mus… | |
288 <p>“I don’t like this,” Aylix said through Dak’s lattice.</p> | |
289 <p>Dak didn’t like it either, but he needed the fuel and moonshine mor… | |
290 <p>“Mister Syphon,” the Foreman’s voice rang across the docking ba… | |
291 <p>“The necromancer is dead,” said Dak. “Pay and I’ll be on my w… | |
292 <p>“Ah, about that,” said the Foreman. “It’s my understanding th… | |
293 <p>Dak shook his head. “I shot him.”</p> | |
294 <p>“You have proof of this?” asked the Foreman. “How do I know you… | |
295 <p>“You think <em>this</em> happened to me in the comfort of my ship?�… | |
296 <p>The foreman scratched his chin, a smug expression on his face. His ey… | |
297 <p>“Seems I’m mistaken,” said the Foreman. “You were on the frei… | |
298 <p>Dak followed the Foreman’s gaze to the rear of Aylix’s cargo bay.… | |
299 <p>“I have nothing that belongs to you,” Dak sneered.</p> | |
300 <p>“Well, perhaps not to me,” said the Foreman. “A Takkah barge ca… | |
301 <p>The foreman nodded at the two miners. The smaller one aimed his rifle… | |
302 <p>“Dak…” Aylix said through his lattice. “Dak think hard before… | |
303 <p>“Exactly,” Dak said out loud. “Three…”</p> | |
304 <p>The Foreman looked at Dak and cocked his head. “What did you…”<… | |
305 <p>The smaller miner was the first to fall. A hole ripped through his br… | |
306 <p>“Two…”</p> | |
307 <p>Before the first miner’s corpse hit the ground, Dak hit the second … | |
308 <p>“One…”</p> | |
309 <p>The Foreman looked wide eyed at the two bodies, then fell to his knee… | |
310 <p>“Wait!” cried the Foreman. “Don’t you realize what Takkah wil… | |
311 <p>Dak studied the dark tattoo splayed across the fat man’s face. He w… | |
312 <p>“I don’t know,” said Dak. “Maybe something like this?”</p> | |
313 <p>He pulled the trigger. The Foreman’s body slumped forward with a sa… | |
314 <p>“Zero.”</p> | |
315 <p>Dak put his hands on his hips and turned to face Aylix. “Well,” h… | |
316 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> | |
317 <p>“They’re probably not going to pay me now,” said Dak.</p> | |
318 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> | |
319 <p>“We better get outta here,” said Dak.</p> | |
320 <p>“No shit,” said Aylix.</p> | |
321 ]]></description> | |
322 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-06/</link> | |
323 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… | |
324 <pubDate>Sun, 25 Apr 2021 23:11:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
325 </item> | |
326 <item> | |
327 <title><![CDATA[No Podcast This Month (03/21)]]></title> | |
328 <description><![CDATA[<p>Unfortunately I haven’t had enoug… | |
329 ]]></description> | |
330 <link>https://rudism.com/no-podcast-this-month-03-21/</link> | |
331 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/no-podcast-this-… | |
332 <pubDate>Sat, 27 Mar 2021 21:23:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
333 </item> | |
334 <item> | |
335 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 5]]></title> | |
336 <description><![CDATA[<p>There was no doubt about it–the o… | |
337 <p>Zuli made the sign of the Prophets across her face and muttered a sho… | |
338 <p>“Are you certain of these coordinates?” Zuli said. “They are ta… | |
339 <p>“Yes, I’m sure!” the old man’s voice came crackling over the … | |
340 <p>Zuli frowned. She had no intention of breaking her promise.</p> | |
341 <p>“No worries,” Zuli said. “The Prophets shall watch over us, eve… | |
342 <p>“Yeah, yeah,” the old man’s voice blurted. “Just let me know … | |
343 <p>Zuli scowled and released her finger from the comm button. She made t… | |
344 <p>Zuli flicked her finger across the navigational chart on her console … | |
345 <p>A red dot started flashing inside the empty map of the Orubus Belt. Z… | |
346 <p>A distress signal! Based on its proximity to their destination, inter… | |
347 <p>“What are you doing? Why have you changed course?” the old man’… | |
348 <p>Zuli sighed. “No worries, friend,” she replied. “I have detecte… | |
349 <p>“No!” cried the old man. “You promised to take me!”</p> | |
350 <p>“I did promise,” said Zuli. “And I will take you. If you are un… | |
351 <p>“Gah!” the old man cut Zuli off with a frustrated grunt. “Do wh… | |
352 <p>Zuli sighed. The ship’s sensors indicated that the old man was stil… | |
353 <p>“I’m fine where I am,” said the old man.</p> | |
354 <p>The old man’s answer didn’t come as a surprise. He hadn’t left … | |
355 <p>Zuli released the comm button and returned her attention to the main … | |
356 <hr> | |
357 <p>Desmond sat under the desert planet’s perpetual night sky at the ed… | |
358 <p>“I am <em>not</em> eating one more of those… Those <em>things</em… | |
359 <p>“Fine,” said Doyle, looking down at the mound of oozing baby sand… | |
360 <p>That could take a while, thought Desmond. With an adequate supply of … | |
361 <p>“Don’t worry I’ll keep my distance,” Sarah called back. “Th… | |
362 <p>Doyle sniffed his armpit and scrunched his nose. “Oh, <em>you’re<… | |
363 <p>Doyle trudged across the sand to where Desmond was sitting. He tossed… | |
364 <p>“Is there anything we can do to get the stove or the bath back? Eve… | |
365 <p>Desmond shook his head. “No bueno, bruh. There’s barely enough ju… | |
366 <p>Sighing, Doyle collapsed to a sitting position next to the pile of sa… | |
367 <p>“Nah, it’s one-way. If there’s a response you’ll know. Dudes … | |
368 <p>Sarah appeared at the ship’s doorway. She stomped across the sand t… | |
369 <p>“You know,” said Desmond. Sarah stopped, her back still turned.</… | |
370 <p>“I think Heady would be pretty impressed with you guys,” continue… | |
371 <p>Doyle gave a snort of laughter.</p> | |
372 <p>“Fuck it,” said Sarah. She turned and sat down next to Doyle and … | |
373 <p>Desmond looked past Sarah to the large mound of sand in the distance … | |
374 <p>A sudden gust of wind from above kicked sand up around the ship. Bae … | |
375 <p>“Is that a sandstorm?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
376 <p>Desmond looked up. “Nah, bruh,” he said, and pointed. “Look!”… | |
377 <p>A glowing spherical craft descended from the sky, blasting gusts of w… | |
378 <p>The sphere went dark, then a doorway slid open and a ramp extended to… | |
379 <p>The woman made a gesture in front of her face with her hand, then sta… | |
380 <p>Doyle jumped to his feet. “Yeah! Oh God do we ever!” he cried, an… | |
381 <p>“Dude, keep back, we don’t know why she’s here yet…” said D… | |
382 <p>“What? She got the distress signal! She literally just asked if we … | |
383 <p>“Wait, you can understand her?” asked Sarah.</p> | |
384 <p>A confused expression crossed Doyle’s face. He ran a finger across … | |
385 <p>“Yeah,” said Doyle. “I mean, I know she’s not speaking Englis… | |
386 <p>The woman spoke again.</p> | |
387 <p>“That’s right!” said Doyle. “That asshole who took the Ark, h… | |
388 <p>“Universal translator?” said Sarah. “What is this, Star Trek?�… | |
389 <p>“Fascinating,” said Desmond.</p> | |
390 <hr> | |
391 <p>“The man who took your ship gave you this?” Zuli asked, turning t… | |
392 <p>The man named Doyle stuffed two more green food cubes into his alread… | |
393 <p>“I’m sorry but I have no idea what this is,” said Zuli. She han… | |
394 <p>The man and his young female companion ate ravenously as Zuli watched… | |
395 <p>“So the two of you were stranded all alone on that planet? You poor… | |
396 <p>“Four of us,” said the girl named Sarah. Sarah pointed at the lar… | |
397 <p>“Ah, yes, my apologies,” said Zuli, bowing her head. The translat… | |
398 <p>The robot spoke to Doyle in their native tongue. Doyle nodded, then t… | |
399 <p>“Desmond says if you’ll grant him access to your ship’s compute… | |
400 <p>The robot spoke to Doyle again.</p> | |
401 <p>“Also he wants to know if he can recharge somewhere.”</p> | |
402 <p>“Of course,” said Zuli. “As you must eat food to live, your fri… | |
403 <p>Zuli continued to watch Doyle and Sarah as they ate. The poor things … | |
404 <p>“Baths!?” Sarah interrupted. Chunks of green food cube and spittl… | |
405 <p>Zuli smiled and nodded. “Please, for as long as the Prophets’ pat… | |
406 <p>Doyle grinned and nodded. Sarah shrugged and continued eating. The st… | |
407 <hr> | |
408 <p>Sarah stared awe-struck at a small nozzle jutting from the wall above… | |
409 <p>It was the longest, most luxurious bath Sarah had taken in all the tw… | |
410 <p>Sarah didn’t recognize the frail, alarmingly thin girl who stared b… | |
411 <p>Despite her tummy ache, the bath had invigorated Sarah, and she decid… | |
412 <p>To Sarah, the ship felt strangely reminiscent of the Nikola’s Child… | |
413 <p>It felt strange to think that her life with Nikola’s Children was o… | |
414 <p>After Sarah passed through the mess hall and into another hallway, th… | |
415 <p>“Shhh,” Sarah hushed the rhino-pig as she followed the whispering… | |
416 <p>“We’ll be together again soon,” the man said in a strained, ras… | |
417 <p>The old man started whimpering. Was he crying?</p> | |
418 <p>“Oh my child,” said the man. “Oh my sweet, sweet child what hav… | |
419 <p>The ship trembled and Sarah’s vision went blurry again. Fear grippe… | |
420 <p>The noise of somebody falling in the hallway startled Sarah.</p> | |
421 <p>“What was that? Who’s there?” the old man barked. Sarah grabbed… | |
422 <p>The sound of the old man in the hallway faded. Sarah stood and looked… | |
423 <p>The sense of dread that had gripped Sarah intensified, but she felt c… | |
424 <p>The billowing mist in the open container gradually thinned, revealing… | |
425 <hr> | |
426 <p>Doyle rolled around on the sweat-soaked sheets covering the bed in hi… | |
427 <p>Laying on his back, Doyle tried massaging his abdomen, sending shiver… | |
428 <p>His legs wobbled as he stood up. Clutching his stomach, Doyle walked … | |
429 <p>Doyle stumbled across his quarters and out into the hallway. He start… | |
430 <p>All Doyle knew was that bad things were happening inside of him, and … | |
431 <p>As he lurched through the hallway, Doyle felt his body tremble. Was t… | |
432 <p>A sudden jolt of pain in Doyle’s abdomen sent him crashing to his k… | |
433 <p>Doyle struggled back to his feet and continued down the hallway. He r… | |
434 <p>Doyle reached the mess hall and spotted some green food cube leftover… | |
435 <p>“What was that? Who’s there?” Doyle heard a voice say from furt… | |
436 <p>“Help,” Doyle tried to yell. It came out as more of a hoarse whis… | |
437 <p>Through pain and blurry vision, Doyle saw what looked like an old man… | |
438 <p>“Yes,” said the old man.</p> | |
439 <p>Doyle’s spirits lifted. He had done it! He had found help!</p> | |
440 <p>The old man, Doyle’s savior, spoke as Doyle’s senses faded and he… | |
441 <p>“Yes,” the man said again. “You’ll do nicely.”</p> | |
442 <hr> | |
443 <p>“We’re less than a cycle away now, I should let the old man know,… | |
444 <p>She sat in a chair at the center of the bridge, facing a large curved… | |
445 <p>“My friends?” Desmond asked. He had learned enough of the woman�… | |
446 <p>“In their quarters,” said Zuli, after glancing at one of the cont… | |
447 <p>“They had, difficult time on planet,” said Desmond.</p> | |
448 <p>Zuli nodded. “It is good that the Prophets led me to you.”</p> | |
449 <p>“Prophets?” Desmond asked. The word Zuli had used was unknown to … | |
450 <p>“Yes, the Prophets,” said Zuli. “You do not know the Prophets? … | |
451 <p>Desmond recognized that word. Heady Armstrong, the Youtuber whose vid… | |
452 <p>“Ah, religion,” said Desmond. “No, I have no religion.”</p> | |
453 <p>Zuli nodded somberly. “Perhaps I can teach you of…”</p> | |
454 <p>The ship shook slightly and one of the panels in front of Zuli starte… | |
455 <p>“I do not know,” said Zuli. “A millicycle ago there was nothing… | |
456 <p>“Something?” asked Desmond.</p> | |
457 <p>“Yes,” said Zuli. She looked up at Desmond. “Oh! You are glowin… | |
458 <p>Desmond looked down. Glowing blue lines had appeared, tracing intrica… | |
459 <p>“Are we close to it?” asked Desmond.</p> | |
460 <p>“Too close,” said Zuli. “I cannot stop our approach. The ship h… | |
461 <p>The ship shuddered again. “Can I see?” asked Desmond, pointing at… | |
462 <p>“Yes,” said Zuli. She made some gestures against the control pane… | |
463 <p>“Is that it?” asked Desmond.</p> | |
464 <p>Zuli nodded and pointed at the large darkened screen. “Something is… | |
465 <p>Desmond looked again. There was a spot at the center of the screen th… | |
466 <p>A series of whirring and clacking noises rang through the bridge. Des… | |
467 <p>Even if Desmond didn’t know what that thing on the screen was, his … | |
468 <p>“We should leave,” said Desmond.</p> | |
469 <p>Zuli stared with her mouth open. “I am trying,” she said. An alar… | |
470 <p>“What is it?” asked Desmond.</p> | |
471 <p>“One of the ship’s airlocks is opening,” she said. “Your frie… | |
472 <p>“Whoah,” said Desmond. He tested his control over his new robot s… | |
473 <p>–</p> | |
474 <p>It was a child. Or at least what remained of one. Sarah stared at the… | |
475 <p>The sound of footsteps in the hallway broke Sarah from her stupor. Sh… | |
476 <p>Sarah scrambled to another stack of containers. She peeked out from b… | |
477 <p>The old man knelt next to his container and turned the dial to releas… | |
478 <p>The old man tenderly lifted the corpse and cradled it in his arm. The… | |
479 <p>The old man started walking back toward the door. Sarah crouched, get… | |
480 <p>The high pitched bark was unmistakable–Bae had made the same sound … | |
481 <p>“Filthy creature,” the old man said. The rifle fired before Sarah… | |
482 <p>It felt like her heart had stopped in her chest. Sarah wanted to scre… | |
483 <p>Sarah’s mind was a jumble–whether seconds passed or minutes, she … | |
484 <p>It pained Sarah to think of Bae’s little body–kicked aside like a… | |
485 <p>The ship started trembling again as Sarah stormed after the old man. … | |
486 <p>The dim lights were flickering now, creating an eerie strobe effect a… | |
487 <p>A control panel jutted from the wall behind the old man. Across the h… | |
488 <p>Doyle!</p> | |
489 <p>The old man continued his ritual around the child’s corpse, ignorin… | |
490 <p>The ship’s trembling intensified. The old man finally glanced towar… | |
491 <p>Now was her chance! Sarah charged into the hallway and sprinted as fa… | |
492 <p>The inner airlock door hissed and slid up into the ceiling.</p> | |
493 <p>Doyle didn’t look so good. He clutched his stomach and winced.</p> | |
494 <p>“What the fuck, Sarah!” Doyle said. “How did you know that butt… | |
495 <p>Sarah looked at the control panel. She hadn’t noticed before that t… | |
496 <p>“You’re too late!” cried the old man. “The sacrament is compl… | |
497 <p>The old man pointed his rifle at Sarah and Doyle and took a step forw… | |
498 <p>The old man, still aiming the rifle, glanced back at the child’s bo… | |
499 <p>“It was my fault,” the old man said. His demeanor changed–a pro… | |
500 <p>Sarah inched forward while the old man’s attention was on the child… | |
501 <p>The old man spun to face Sarah. The sadness in his eyes vanished. “… | |
502 <p>Sarah saw the old man tighten his grip on the rifle. She shoved Doyle… | |
503 <p>“Grab something!” Doyle shouted.</p> | |
504 <p>Sarah scrambled toward the hallway and grabbed the edge of the inner … | |
505 <p>“Blood for blood!” the old man screamed over the howling wind. Th… | |
506 <p>As Sarah watched the old man’s body tumble away from the ship, she … | |
507 <p>Desmond retrieved Doyle with one arm and pulled Sarah from the airloc… | |
508 <p>The blue lines on Desmond’s body and the light surrounding him fade… | |
509 <p>“I didn’t know you could do that!” Sarah said excitedly.</p> | |
510 <p>“Dude, neither did I!” said Desmond.</p> | |
511 <p>“Doyle did you see that? Did you know he could do that?”</p> | |
512 <p>Doyle curled up into a fetal position and moaned.</p> | |
513 <p>A familiar sound rang out from further down the hallway. Sarah perked… | |
514 <p>There at the end of the hallway, a large sooty stain on her side, sto… | |
515 <p>Sarah felt like her heart was going to explode as she ran toward Bae.… | |
516 <p>“Aw, look at that,” said Desmond. “Isn’t that cute?”</p> | |
517 <p>“I think I shit myself,” moaned Doyle.</p> | |
518 <hr> | |
519 <p>Desmond sat at the mess hall table and stroked Bae in his lap. Despit… | |
520 <p>“So do you think you can do that blue glowy thing again? And those … | |
521 <p>“I know right? But I can’t control it,” said Desmond. “It’s… | |
522 <p>“What triggered it?” asked Sarah. “Something that old man was d… | |
523 <p>“Nah,” said Desmond. He still didn’t know what the thing was th… | |
524 <p>Zuli entered the mess hall, carrying a covered tray in her arms. “W… | |
525 <p>“Did anyone see what happened to that gross corpse the old man had … | |
526 <p>Doyle shrugged. “Probably blown out the airlock.”</p> | |
527 <p>“I watched the old man go, but I didn’t see that,” said Sarah. … | |
528 <p>“Where else could it have gone?” asked Desmond. He hadn’t seen … | |
529 <p>“Anyway, what’s on the menu?” Doyle asked, staring suspiciously… | |
530 <p>“Do not worry,” said Zuli. “The ship’s harvester drones proce… | |
531 <p>Doyle sighed with relief.</p> | |
532 <p>“I’ll eat anything,” said Sarah. “I mean, anything is better … | |
533 <p>Zuli pulled the cover off the tray, revealing a steaming pile of baby… | |
534 <p>Desmond looked down at Bae, who was squirming to get out of his arms.… | |
535 <p>Sarah calmly slid her chair away from the table, stood up, and turned… | |
536 <p>“Where are you going?” asked Zuli.</p> | |
537 <p>“To the airlock,” said Sarah. “There’s a big green button cal… | |
538 ]]></description> | |
539 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-05/</link> | |
540 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… | |
541 <pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2021 05:59:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
542 </item> | |
543 <item> | |
544 <title><![CDATA[Common Postgresql Mistakes]]></title> | |
545 <description><![CDATA[<p>I’m not sure how common these mis… | |
546 <h2 id="The-Multiple-Meanings-of-STRICT"><a href="#The-Multiple-Meanings… | |
547 <figure class="highlight sql"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span c… | |
548 | |
549 <p>In the above example where you’re using <code>STRICT</code> in a <c… | |
550 <figure class="highlight sql"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span c… | |
551 | |
552 <p>The above function is declared with the <code>STRICT</code> keyword. … | |
553 <p>That is <strong>not</strong> what <code>STRICT</code> means on a func… | |
554 <h2 id="Array-ANY-Versus-ALL-in-WHERE-Clauses"><a href="#Array-ANY-Versu… | |
555 <figure class="highlight sql"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span c… | |
556 | |
557 <p>If you’re like me, you might think it logically follows that if you… | |
558 <figure class="highlight sql"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span c… | |
559 | |
560 <p>What the above statement is actually matching is the case where <code… | |
561 <figure class="highlight sql"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span c… | |
562 | |
563 <p>The correct way to query what you want is to either flip the equality… | |
564 <figure class="highlight sql"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span c… | |
565 | |
566 <p>In the above example you will return all rows except for the ones whe… | |
567 ]]></description> | |
568 <link>https://rudism.com/Common-Postgresql-Mistakes/</link> | |
569 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/Common-Postgresq… | |
570 <pubDate>Fri, 05 Feb 2021 10:43:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
571 </item> | |
572 <item> | |
573 <title><![CDATA[Podcast Bonus: DESMOND.LOG]]></title> | |
574 <description><![CDATA[<p>This month’s podcast episode is a… | |
575 <p>If you’re familiar with Patreon, think of supporting my podcast as … | |
576 ]]></description> | |
577 <link>https://rudism.com/podcast-bonus-desmond-log/</link> | |
578 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/podcast-bonus-de… | |
579 <pubDate>Sun, 31 Jan 2021 05:20:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
580 </item> | |
581 <item> | |
582 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 4]]></title> | |
583 <description><![CDATA[<p>A hook formed out of thin wire carv… | |
584 <p>The sound of shifting sand came from the loose end of the wire. Doyle… | |
585 <p>“Come on you little bastard,” whispered Doyle.</p> | |
586 <p>A small hole appeared in the ground next to the wire, and a pale fing… | |
587 <p>Doyle sneered at the pile of dead worms. That last one made two dozen… | |
588 <p>Doyle and Sarah had been ecstatic when they first discovered the crea… | |
589 <p>Fuller bellies and clearer heads ushered in the realization that the … | |
590 <p>“How many is that, my dude?”</p> | |
591 <p>Doyle looked over at the pile of cables and computer components that … | |
592 <p>“About two dozen,” said Doyle. “Should be more than enough. Yes… | |
593 <p>“Shit, bro,” said Desmond. “I wish I could do more to help you … | |
594 <p>Sighing, Doyle glanced over at the derelict spaceship that he, Sarah,… | |
595 <p>And best of all, it had power.</p> | |
596 <p>Somewhere deep in the ship’s guts was a backup power source. A powe… | |
597 <p>Despite it’s odd proportions, Desmond had claimed the ship’s tech… | |
598 <p>“You’re not useless, Des,” said Doyle. “In fact if you can fi… | |
599 <p>“Not yet,” said Desmond. “And you should probably do that on th… | |
600 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
601 <p>“The ship’s water supply isn’t what it was when we first found … | |
602 <p>“No way to… Wait, what?”</p> | |
603 <p>“All waste water in the ship is purified and re-circulated,” said… | |
604 <p>“So, you mean we’ve been drinking our own…?”</p> | |
605 <p>“Yeah. Well, not just yours. Obviously the ship’s previous crew w… | |
606 <p>Doyle’s eyes widened. “So, the bath… We’re bathing in…”</… | |
607 <p>“Recycled urine,” Desmond said matter-of-factly.</p> | |
608 <p>“Do <em>not</em> tell any of this to Sarah,” said Doyle. He was c… | |
609 <p>Doyle zipped his pants back up, deciding to wait. As disturbing as it… | |
610 <p>“I have been making some progress on that other thing,” said Desm… | |
611 <p>“What?” asked Doyle. He narrowed his eyes and glared down at the … | |
612 <p>Doyle looked to the far corner of the ship’s cabin–the corner tha… | |
613 <p>“Just watch this,” said Desmond.</p> | |
614 <p>Two blue lights appeared on the smooth surface of the statue’s head… | |
615 <p>“Wow,” said Doyle. “Uh, neat. Its eyes light up.”</p> | |
616 <p>“Yeah!” said Desmond with alacrity. “And that’s not all, watc… | |
617 <p>As Doyle watched, either the eye lights moved across the surface or t… | |
618 <p>“Huh,” said Doyle. “Can it walk, or do something useful?”</p> | |
619 <p>“Not yet!” said Desmond. “But I’m close to…”</p> | |
620 <p>“That’s great,” Doyle cut him off. “Just make sure you’re n… | |
621 <p>“Yeah, yeah,” said Desmond. Doyle didn’t know if artificial int… | |
622 <p>“Sarah should be back from scouting the city soon,” said Doyle. �… | |
623 <p>“Oh, by the way,” said Desmond, “I’ve been noticing something… | |
624 <p>“Oh?” said Doyle. He put Desmond down and started gathering up th… | |
625 <p>“At first I thought my accelerometer was acting up, but it’s too … | |
626 <p>“Tremors? You mean like earthquakes?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
627 <p>“Yeah,” said Desmond.</p> | |
628 <p>“Huh,” said Doyle. “That is weird.”</p> | |
629 <hr> | |
630 <p>Ancient, crumbled husks of once imposing towers and the sand-blasted … | |
631 <p>The sky had remained dark in all the weeks since the Ark crashed on t… | |
632 <p>The only food that she and Doyle had managed to find were the vile-ta… | |
633 <p>Sarah had noticed other signs of life too–paw prints, mostly mouse-… | |
634 <p>The wind had started to pick up. It wasn’t too strong yet, but Sara… | |
635 <p>Having to eat worms again would suck, Sarah thought. But at least the… | |
636 <p>Doyle wasn’t <em>that</em> bad to have around. He had managed to ge… | |
637 <p>As Sarah began retracing her path through the city streets, she heard… | |
638 <p>Sarah unholstered her concussion pistol and crept along the ruined wa… | |
639 <p>Sarah stepped gingerly through the ruined section of wall into the bu… | |
640 <p>Sarah squinted and scanned the back wall of the hollowed-out building… | |
641 <p>Shielding her eyes from the starlight with her hand, Sarah studied th… | |
642 <p>The plan was simple. Sarah shifted her weight and prepared to sprint … | |
643 <p>Sarah licked her lips. Whatever the animal was, it had to taste bette… | |
644 <p>Her stomach growled. The animal under the slab squealed. Sarah pushed… | |
645 <p>Five paces from the back wall, Sarah started to brace herself, planni… | |
646 <p>Sarah’s shoulder slammed hard into the back wall, and she collapsed… | |
647 <p>When her diaphragm relaxed, Sarah sucked air into her lungs in brayin… | |
648 <p>A close-sounding snort startled Sarah. She looked up. Staring back at… | |
649 <p>Sarah turned onto her belly, pressed her hands into the ground and ra… | |
650 <p>With her sense of curiosity now outweighing her fear, Sarah decided t… | |
651 <p>Sarah felt around on the ground in the dark until she found what she … | |
652 <p>“Bacon,” said Sarah softly. She put the chunk of cement down and … | |
653 <p>Sarah grabbed the chunk of cement again, then jammed it under the reb… | |
654 <p>More and more dust and stones fell on Sarah’s head, and the sound o… | |
655 <p>Sarah sat with her back against the wall, coughing. When the dust cle… | |
656 <p>Sarah smiled. She looked up and saw dust and dirt blowing over the to… | |
657 <p>“Come on, Bacon,” said Sarah. She scooped the rhino-pig up in her… | |
658 <hr> | |
659 <p>“The wind is really starting to pick up, I’m a bit worried about … | |
660 <p>“She’s gone out to the city every night since we found the ship,�… | |
661 <p>Doyle shrugged. He wrinkled his nose at the steaming pile of worms in… | |
662 <p>“So what do you think is behind the facade?” asked Desmond. “Wh… | |
663 <p>“I dunno,” replied Doyle. “She carries that gun of hers around … | |
664 <p>“Why don’t you ask her?” Sarah’s voice came from the ship’s… | |
665 <p>Doyle jolted at the unexpected voice and almost fell off the stove. H… | |
666 <p>“Holy hell, what happened to you?” asked Doyle. He slipped off th… | |
667 <p>“I’m fine,” said Sarah. “Here.” She held her bundled up jac… | |
668 <p>“I think her leg is broken,” said Sarah. “Take her outside and … | |
669 <p>Doyle’s brain was overloaded–he had so many questions. He looked … | |
670 <p>“What happened to your… What the hell is… Where did you… How … | |
671 <p>“Her name is Bae. I found her in the city. I hurt my leg and lost m… | |
672 <p>Doyle carried the jacket with the strange animal out of the ship. He … | |
673 <p>“Des, make sure Doyle doesn’t hurt Bae Bae,” Sarah called from … | |
674 <p>“Bae Bae?” Doyle said. He looked down at the gray pig-like animal… | |
675 <p>“Doyle, bruh. I know a lot’s going down right now, but I need to … | |
676 <p>“Yeah. What about them?” said Doyle.</p> | |
677 <p>“They’re not so micro anymore.”</p> | |
678 <p>Doyle tore his attention from Bae. The ground was vibrating. Loose gr… | |
679 <p>“I feel it,” said Doyle. He looked into the distance toward the c… | |
680 <p>“I don’t think so,” said Desmond. “The seismic activity seems… | |
681 <p>“What the hell is that?” Doyle interrupted. A small cloud of dust… | |
682 <p>“Point my camera,” said Desmond.</p> | |
683 <p>Doyle set the jacket with Bae on it aside and scrambled over to where… | |
684 <p>“Ummm, I don’t know, dude,” said Desmond. “Point me at Bae.�… | |
685 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
686 <p>“Sarah’s new friend, let me see her.”</p> | |
687 <p>Doyle pointed the camera to where the small creature was still sittin… | |
688 <p>“Mmm hmm,” said Desmond. “I think… Yup, that’s probably it.… | |
689 <p>“What’s probably it?” said Doyle. He squinted into the distance… | |
690 <p>“I think Bae’s mom followed Sarah home,” said Desmond.</p> | |
691 <p>Doyle dropped his arm. He opened his mouth, but failed to find any wo… | |
692 <p>“Hard to believe something so adorable could grow into such a muscl… | |
693 <p>The thing had approached close enough for Doyle to make out some deta… | |
694 <p>“S… Sarah!” Doyle shouted. He backed away from the angry chargi… | |
695 <p>“Sarah what did you do?!”</p> | |
696 <p>The ground started shaking harder, and Doyle tripped. He landed in a … | |
697 <p>“So, again, I know you got a lot on your plate at the moment,” De… | |
698 <p>Bae started to mew.</p> | |
699 <p>Doyle scrambled to his feet and gathered up Desmond. He turned, ready… | |
700 <p>As he took his first step toward the ship, the ground beneath Doyle�… | |
701 <p>Bae continued to mew somewhere behind Doyle.</p> | |
702 <p>“Desmond!” cried Doyle. The pit continued to grow in diameter at … | |
703 <p>“Stay back!” Desmond’s voice came muffled. He had reached the c… | |
704 <p>Before Desmond could finish, the sand at the center of the pit explod… | |
705 <p>A dark object thudded against Doyle’s shoulder and onto the ground.… | |
706 <p>Bae’s distressed mewing stopped. Doyle turned, more in preparation … | |
707 <p>Bae’s mother had arrived. The size of a tank built from pure muscle… | |
708 <p>Doyle suddenly realized that, should the raging rhino-pig one the one… | |
709 <p>The rhino-pig barreled into the sand-worm head-on, ripping a gash wit… | |
710 <p>Doyle felt a tug on his arm as he watched the battle, wide-eyed in te… | |
711 <p>The sand-worm had released its grip, revealing a circular bleeding wo… | |
712 <p>Then the sand-worm retreated, disappearing beneath the sand, like it … | |
713 <p>The stillness felt eerie to Doyle. The rhino-pig stood at the center … | |
714 <p>“Bae!” Sarah cried. She ran out of the ship and started making he… | |
715 <p>“Sarah, no! Stay in the ship!” Doyle yelled. But too late. The gi… | |
716 <p>“Sarah for fuck’s sake!” Doyle shouted.</p> | |
717 <p>Sarah turned and screamed when she saw the rhino-pig rushing up the s… | |
718 <p>“Shit,” Doyle whispered. Sarah braced herself. The rhino-pig was … | |
719 <p>Sarah, knocked down by the sand-worm’s emergence, was getting back … | |
720 <p>“Sarah!” Doyle cried as he sprinted. He stopped when he reached h… | |
721 <p>Doyle pointed. “Ship! Safe!” he said between gasps.</p> | |
722 <p>Sarah looked from Bae to Doyle, then nodded with a look of grim deter… | |
723 <p>A monstrous shriek hit Sarah and Doyle like a powerful blast of wind.… | |
724 <p>Doyle felt Sarah grip his arm. The sand-worm reared back. Even if the… | |
725 <p>The sensation of being eaten alive was not at all what Doyle had expe… | |
726 <p>Several seconds passed, and Doyle opened his eyes slightly. He saw Sa… | |
727 <p>Doyle opened his eyes wider and turned toward the ship. There, next t… | |
728 <p>“Check it, dudes! I got the robot working!” Desmond’s voice cam… | |
729 <p>Doyle exhaled, then collapsed. He leaned back and stared up at the st… | |
730 <p>Sarah entered Doyle’s vision, staring down at him. “You okay?” … | |
731 <p>Bae, wrestled herself free of Doyle’s arms and limped across his ch… | |
732 <p>Desmond walked his new robot body over and joined Sarah staring down … | |
733 <p>Doyle started laughing, then Sarah did too. Doyle laughed so long and… | |
734 <p>“I’m hungry,” said Sarah.</p> | |
735 <p>Doyle nodded in agreement. He wondered if then would be a good time t… | |
736 <p>“First I need another bath,” said Sarah. “And I <em>really</em>… | |
737 <p>“Just make sure to do that on the ship,” said Desmond.</p> | |
738 <p>“Why?” asked Sarah.</p> | |
739 <p>“Trust me,” said Doyle, before Desmond could respond. “You do <… | |
740 ]]></description> | |
741 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-04/</link> | |
742 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… | |
743 <pubDate>Thu, 31 Dec 2020 04:42:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
744 </item> | |
745 <item> | |
746 <title><![CDATA[The Simulation Hypothesis and Life, the Univ… | |
747 <description><![CDATA[<p>I have been obsessed with this idea… | |
748 <ol> | |
749 <li><p>Reality is a simulation, just one of many experiments created to … | |
750 </li> | |
751 <li><p>The creator has encoded hidden messages into each experiment to k… | |
752 </li> | |
753 <li><p>In every reality, there is a book called <em>The Hitchhiker’s G… | |
754 </li> | |
755 </ol> | |
756 <p>Enjoy your remaining time!</p> | |
757 ]]></description> | |
758 <link>https://rudism.com/the-simulation-hypothesis-and-life-… | |
759 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/the-simulation-h… | |
760 <pubDate>Thu, 03 Dec 2020 11:54:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
761 </item> | |
762 <item> | |
763 <title><![CDATA[The Hint Line]]></title> | |
764 <description><![CDATA[<p>The phone rang at around three in t… | |
765 <p>I guess for you to understand why something as innocuous as a ringing… | |
766 <p>When I was in high school, I was a gaming fanatic who was blessed wit… | |
767 <p>I started my freshman year at university in ‘92. My parents kept pa… | |
768 <p>Wandering around campus during the day was something I tended to avoi… | |
769 <p>My prospects were grim. The postings on the board were all volunteer … | |
770 <p>To my dismay, the cork board hanging in the dimly-lit hall outside th… | |
771 <p>DO YOU LIKE VIDEO GAMES?<br>CALL FOR MORE INFO</p> | |
772 <p>There was a phone number printed at the bottom of the sheet. My heart… | |
773 <p>I felt absurdly protective of that little piece of paper. In my mind … | |
774 <p>Expecting it to go to a machine so late at night, my fear over even t… | |
775 <p>“Hello?” said the woman. She sounded alert, not like someone who … | |
776 <p>“Hi, I hope it’s not too late. I’m calling about the, uh, video… | |
777 <p>There was a pregnant pause, and for a moment I feared that I had lost… | |
778 <p>“I’m assuming you can read,” the woman stated. She hadn’t sai… | |
779 <p>“Huh?” I asked.</p> | |
780 <p>“Are you literate? Capable of comprehending the written English lan… | |
781 <p>“Uh, yeah,” I said. I looked at the creased paper in my hand. Was… | |
782 <p>“Do you live alone? And do you rent or own your current residence?�… | |
783 <p>“I’m living out of the dorms at the U,” I answered.</p> | |
784 <p>“Perfect,” said the lady. “The job pays one twenty. Give me you… | |
785 <p>My brain tried to process the number she had said as I rattled off my… | |
786 <p>Monday morning rolled around and a loud thud woke me up before the su… | |
787 <p>There was a note and an envelope inside the box, sitting on top of a … | |
788 <p>The letter explained that my new employer was a software company on t… | |
789 <p>My roommate must have woken up suspecting that I had gone crazy, laug… | |
790 <p>It was a modest two-bedroom apartment. One of the rooms was furnished… | |
791 <p>My parents practically disowned me when I dropped out of university a… | |
792 <p>Times changed. The internet went from AOL keywords and web directorie… | |
793 <p>The company name on the paychecks changed a handful of times over the… | |
794 <p>The prospect of having to find a real job was perhaps the most terrif… | |
795 <p>Time passes quickly when every day is the same as the last. My routin… | |
796 <p>I was playing computer games last week when the phone rang for that f… | |
797 <p>“Hello?” I said hesitantly.</p> | |
798 <p>“Is this the hint line?” asked a man.</p> | |
799 <p>I cleared my throat. “Uh, yes?” I said.</p> | |
800 <p>“How do I get past the seventh topaz gate?” asked the man.</p> | |
801 <p>I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. For the phone to ring a… | |
802 <p>“The seventh gate. Topaz. What’s the key?” said the man.</p> | |
803 <p>I moved the handset away from my ear and looked at it. My eyes follow… | |
804 <p>“Hold on,” I told the man.</p> | |
805 <p>I flipped through the pages until I found a table of contents. I ran … | |
806 <p>“I’ve got it,” I said into the phone. “Ready?”</p> | |
807 <p>“Mmm hmm,” the man breathed.</p> | |
808 <p>I read the ten digit number to him.</p> | |
809 <p>“Thank you,” said the man. There was a click, and then a dial ton… | |
810 <p>I stared at the handset for a while longer before hanging it up, then… | |
811 <p>When I closed the hint book, I noticed that my hands were shaking. I … | |
812 <p>The phone rang again the next day. And then twice the day after that,… | |
813 <p>I picked up the phone. “Hello?” I said.</p> | |
814 <p>“Hello, is this the hint line?” It was a woman’s voice on the o… | |
815 <p>“Yeah,” I said. “What game are you calling about?”</p> | |
816 <p>The woman didn’t reply.</p> | |
817 <p>“I’m happy to provide you with a hint, but I need to know what ga… | |
818 <p>“I don’t, uh…” the woman started hesitantly. “I mean, it’… | |
819 <p>There was a click on the line, and then a dial tone. The abruptness w… | |
820 <p>Instead, the single relevant link I found was to a discussion on an o… | |
821 <p>The video showed an old CRT television set in a dark room displaying … | |
822 <p>Back on the forum, I read some of the replies to the video. Someone h… | |
823 <p>I felt sweat rolling down my face as I pulled my cell phone from my p… | |
824 <p>The forum discussion continued with messages from people who had call… | |
825 <p>New phone numbers? I pulled the hint book toward me on the desk, flip… | |
826 <p>After several rings, a man answered. “Hello?” he said.</p> | |
827 <p>“Is this the hint line?” I asked.</p> | |
828 <p>The man on the other end cleared his throat. “Uh, yes,” he said. … | |
829 <p>“How do I get past the second golden Minotaur?” I asked.</p> | |
830 <p>“Second golden… huh?” said the man.</p> | |
831 <p>“The second Minotaur. Golden,” I repeated. “What’s the key?�… | |
832 <p>“Hold on…” the man said. The faint sound of flipping pages hiss… | |
833 <p>“I’ve got it. Ready?” said the man.</p> | |
834 <p>“Mmm hmm,” I breathed. I stared at the number for the second gold… | |
835 <p>The numbers didn’t match.</p> | |
836 <p>“Thank you,” I said, and hung up.</p> | |
837 <p>I slammed my hint book shut and shoved it toward the back of my desk.… | |
838 <p>The final post in the thread was from less than an hour earlier. The … | |
839 <p>There was a sudden pounding at my door.</p> | |
840 <p>“Hey! Is someone there?” I heard a muffled man’s voice come thr… | |
841 <p>There was a loud thud and the pounding stopped, followed by a gravell… | |
842 <p>DO YOU LIKE VIDEO GAMES?<br>CALL FOR MORE INFO.</p> | |
843 <p>The second was a hand-written note, messily scribbled in red ink. “… | |
844 <p>The university campus is typically a twenty minute bike ride from my … | |
845 <p>A minute passed, then I watched a young man come in through the entra… | |
846 <p>I wonder how long he’ll have to wait for his phone to ring.</p> | |
847 ]]></description> | |
848 <link>https://rudism.com/the-hint-line/</link> | |
849 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/the-hint-line/</… | |
850 <pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2020 03:45:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
851 </item> | |
852 <item> | |
853 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 3]]></title> | |
854 <description><![CDATA[<p>Orange fingers of flame gripped the… | |
855 <p>Three yellow parachutes deployed from the uppermost section of the Ar… | |
856 <p>Crumbled ruins of an ancient city cast quick-moving shadows across a … | |
857 <p>Stillness settled, as though the night were eager to claim it back af… | |
858 <hr> | |
859 <p>Doyle rode his bike through the University campus as often as he coul… | |
860 <p>The bike path meandered past and around most of the buildings, and Do… | |
861 <p>He stared up at the woman. She stared back down at him, forgetting br… | |
862 <p>“Oh my God I’m so sorry!” cried the woman. “Are you alright?�… | |
863 <p>Doyle got to his feet. He was out of breath, and guessed he’d have … | |
864 <p>This doesn’t look like a term paper, Doyle thought as he studied on… | |
865 <p>Was this how it went? Doyle couldn’t remember. The edges of his vis… | |
866 <hr> | |
867 <p>The next sensation Doyle became aware of was the taste of dirt. He ch… | |
868 <p>“Kirsten? Where’s… Where’s my bike?” Doyle’s voice came o… | |
869 <p>“Get your… hands off me you… you pervert.”</p> | |
870 <p>Doyle recognized the woman’s stilted, protesting voice, but it wasn… | |
871 <p>As his vision cleared, Doyle was able to discern that the sky was dar… | |
872 <p>Behind him, Doyle saw the stasis chamber–it looked like a large ref… | |
873 <p>“Are you dudes okay?”</p> | |
874 <p>A man’s voice, this time. One that Doyle also recognized. It came f… | |
875 <p>“I had to eject your stasis chamber. That gnarly crash landing tota… | |
876 <p>The inside of the stasis chamber was too dark for Doyle to make out a… | |
877 <p>“Nah, bruh. I’m not Heady. Or at least I don’t think I’m Head… | |
878 <p>Doyle stood up. His knees wobbled and he almost fell, but he managed … | |
879 <p>“What kind of stupid game are you playing, Heady? Come out of there… | |
880 <p>“Nah bruh, the Ark’s sensors got pretty janked up when we landed.… | |
881 <p>A memory bubbled up through the murk into Doyle’s consciousness. Th… | |
882 <p>“Heady? Where are you?” Doyle said. He reached the stasis chamber… | |
883 <p>“Heady? Heady is that really you?”</p> | |
884 <p>Doyle spun around. The young woman–Susan? No Sarah–was sitting up… | |
885 <p>“I’m not Heady,” said Heady’s voice. “Heady was just a part… | |
886 <p>“Quit messing around Heady,” said Doyle. He stuck his head in the… | |
887 <p>“Desmond?” Sarah’s voice came, sharper than before. “What hap… | |
888 <p>“I don’t know, bruh.” Heady’s voice came from the empty chamb… | |
889 <p>“Heady,” interrupted Doyle. “Where the hell are you? I can hear… | |
890 <p>“That’s not Heady, you dipshit,” said Sarah, still sitting on t… | |
891 <p>Doyle stared at Sarah blankly. “Heady is talking to us through the … | |
892 <p>Sarah shook her head. “No, that <em>is</em> the computer. It’s us… | |
893 <p>“I’m using the speech and vocal patterns that were provided to me… | |
894 <p>“Your training…” said Sarah, trailing off. Her eyes widened. �… | |
895 <p>Doyle turned and looked at the stasis chamber again. “Look, compute… | |
896 <p>Before he could finish, Doyle felt hands on his back forcefully shove… | |
897 <p>“Asshole! This is <em>your</em> fault! How long has it been? He cou… | |
898 <p>Sarah grunted with frustration, and started kicking dirt at Doyle.</p> | |
899 <p>“Augh! Stop that!” cried Doyle, raising his arms defensively to p… | |
900 <p>When the onslaught stopped, Doyle lowered his arms and looked at Sara… | |
901 <p>“Now, look!” said Doyle. “Let’s just talk about this like mat… | |
902 <p>An explosive force of air cut Doyle off. The too-bright stars spun ar… | |
903 <hr> | |
904 <p>A brilliant halo of light encircled the full moon like a crystal ball… | |
905 <p>“Ice crystals,” said Kirsten.</p> | |
906 <p>“Hmm?” Doyle breathed.</p> | |
907 <p>“The Moon halo,” replied Kirsten, pointing up at the sky. “It�… | |
908 <p>Doyle turned his head to look at her. She was laying on her back next… | |
909 <p>“Did we finish that whole thing?” asked Kirsten with a grin.</p> | |
910 <p>“Afraid so,” said Doyle. He smiled at her, but she turned away.</… | |
911 <p>“I should go,” said Kirsten. “I don’t even know why I’m her… | |
912 <p>Doyle looked back up at the brilliant ring of light in the sky and si… | |
913 <p>“Yeah, smart ass,” said Kirsten. “I mean out here, drinking a … | |
914 <p>“I figured you just liked the company,” said Doyle. He felt his h… | |
915 <p>“You’re sweet, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She still wasn’t looking… | |
916 <p>He didn’t know what that meant. Kirsten and Doyle had seen each oth… | |
917 <p>Kirsten sighed. “I don’t want my time here to end,” she said. �… | |
918 <p>“Who said your time here has to end?” said Doyle. “From what I … | |
919 <p>“It’s not my job that’s in jeopardy,” replied Kirsten. She tu… | |
920 <p>“I’ve got a decision to make, Doyle. A big one. There’s a right… | |
921 <p>“And what if you pick the wrong one?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
922 <p>“I don’t know if I could forgive myself for that,” said Kirsten… | |
923 <p>The two of them remained silent for a while, listening to the cricket… | |
924 <p>“When I was little,” said Doyle, “I became friends with a new k… | |
925 <p>“What happened?” asked Kirsten.</p> | |
926 <p>“They went too far,” said Doyle. “I’m not sure exactly what t… | |
927 <p>“That’s awful,” said Kirsten.</p> | |
928 <p>“Yeah,” said Doyle. “I let fear dictate my actions. I let it le… | |
929 <p>Kirsten cleared her throat and stood up, brushed off her dress with h… | |
930 <p>“Thanks for being my plus one, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She started … | |
931 <p>“Any time,” said Doyle.</p> | |
932 <p>“I suspect you’ve helped quite a lot more than you could possibly… | |
933 <p>Doyle sat up and watched as she walked away. “Can I see you again?�… | |
934 <p>Kirsten paused for a moment. “Yeah,” she said, without looking ba… | |
935 <p>Smiling, Doyle laid back down. The shimmering crystal ball surroundin… | |
936 <hr> | |
937 <p>Doyle squinted as he emerged from the fog of unconsciousness. Blurry … | |
938 <p>“Quizzot klax’zgath grizzum?” asked a strange high-pitched voic… | |
939 <p>“Um, what?” asked Doyle. He looked in the direction the voice had… | |
940 <p>The pale man scratched his head, then repeated himself. “Quizzot kl… | |
941 <p>Doyle shook his head. Movement in the sky drew his gaze upward, and h… | |
942 <p>The man raised his arms and sighed in obvious exasperation, then vani… | |
943 <p>Doyle blinked. There was the stasis chamber. There was the half-mile … | |
944 <p>“Quagnazz!” shouted the man. “Kluzatt ha’gar when the transla… | |
945 <p>“Hang on,” said Doyle. “I understood that last bit. What did yo… | |
946 <p>“I said let me know when the translator cells start working,” sai… | |
947 <p>There was a loud screeching noise, followed by a rumbling as the dirt… | |
948 <p>“What are you doing to the Ark?” Doyle asked, alarmed.</p> | |
949 <p>“Impounding it,” said the man. “Your–what did you call it? Ar… | |
950 <p>The Ark creaked in protest and started to move as the flying green du… | |
951 <p>“Uh, this one,” said Doyle. The flying green dumpster loosened it… | |
952 <p>The man stared at Doyle for a moment before bursting into laughter. �… | |
953 <p>Doyle blinked. “What do you mean, nobody’s <em>from</em> Earth? E… | |
954 <p>A confused expression formed on the man’s face. “What are you som… | |
955 <p>The man waved his hand at the half-mile trench that the Ark gouged in… | |
956 <p>The creaking noises from the Ark intensified. The dirt walls of the t… | |
957 <p>“Ah,” said the man. “At this point I am legally bound to inform… | |
958 <p>“Uh, hang on,” said Doyle, staring dumbfounded at the two halves … | |
959 <p>“Ooh,” said the man, then sucked air in through his teeth. “Pro… | |
960 <p>The man turned and surveyed the scarred mess of dirt and debris that … | |
961 <p>“You’re not going anywhere, dickweed!” came Sarah’s voice. Sh… | |
962 <p>“That’s <em>my</em> Ark and those are <em>my</em> videos and <em>… | |
963 <p>Not again, thought Doyle as the concussive blast from Sarah’s weapo… | |
964 <hr> | |
965 <p>A swirling white maelstrom of mist danced with the falling snow in fr… | |
966 <p>Kirsten opened the door and greeted him with a thin smile.</p> | |
967 <p>“Hello Doyle, thanks for coming. Come in out of the cold,” she sa… | |
968 <p>Doyle stomped the snow off his boots and wiped them on the mat outsid… | |
969 <p>“Let me take your coat,” said Kirsten as she closed the door behi… | |
970 <p>Doyle unzipped and Kirsten got behind him to pull the heavy down jack… | |
971 <p>“Here, I brought this,” said Doyle, presenting the bottle of wine… | |
972 <p>Kirsten took the bottle and led Doyle down the hallway to her living … | |
973 <p>“You really went all out with the decorating this year,” said Doy… | |
974 <p>“Kirsten’s the Christmas Queen!”</p> | |
975 <p>Doyle saw who had spoken. Ted, one of Kirsten’s colleagues at the u… | |
976 <p>For months Ted had been intruding on Doyle’s life. Kirsten had cut … | |
977 <p>“Hi Ted,” said Doyle.</p> | |
978 <p>“Hi Doyle, good to see you again,” said Ted.</p> | |
979 <p>There was an awkward silence, then Doyle saw Kirsten make some kind o… | |
980 <p>“Ah, yes. Well, before I go… Doyle, there’s something Kirsten a… | |
981 <p>“No there isn’t!” Kirsten said forcefully. “Come on Ted, I’… | |
982 <p>Ted shook his head. “Kirsten, I need to be here when you tell him.�… | |
983 <p>“Tell me what?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
984 <p>“Excuse us a moment, Doyle,” said Kirsten. She grabbed Ted by the… | |
985 <p>Months of secrets, phone calls, canceled dates, never telling Doyle w… | |
986 <p>No. Kirsten wasn’t that sort of person. She was kind. She would nev… | |
987 <p>Steeling his nerves, Doyle marched through the living room to the kit… | |
988 <p>“Kirsten, I…” said Doyle. The words caught in his throat.</p> | |
989 <p>Ted and Kirsten stared at him, both expressionless.</p> | |
990 <p>“Kirsten I love you,” said Doyle. He finally got it out, after al… | |
991 <p>Kirsten opened her mouth, but remained silent.</p> | |
992 <p>“You’re the only thing I care about,” continued Doyle. “And w… | |
993 <p>Doyle took a step forward and reached into his pocket. He gripped the… | |
994 <p>Kirsten took a step backward. She bumped into Ted, whose eyes had ope… | |
995 <p>After stepping around the island, Doyle got down on one knee.</p> | |
996 <p>“Oh… Oh…” Kirsten managed to gasp. “Ted, I…” She starte… | |
997 <p>“Don’t answer right away,” said Doyle. “I just want you to kn… | |
998 <p>“Doyle, maybe this isn’t the best time to…” Ted started. Doyl… | |
999 <p>“Kirsten,” said Doyle. He closed the jewelry box and put it on th… | |
1000 <p>Kirsten’s cheeks were wet with tears.</p> | |
1001 <p>Sweat poured down Doyle’s forehead and he could feel it dripping do… | |
1002 <p>This isn’t how it happened, thought Doyle. There was a blinding fla… | |
1003 <hr> | |
1004 <p>“I’m sorry for shooting you,” said Sarah.</p> | |
1005 <p>Doyle, sitting against the stasis chamber, grunted and rubbed the bac… | |
1006 <p>“Not the first time,” Sarah clarified. She was sitting next to Do… | |
1007 <p>“He said this isn’t Earth,” said Doyle. “If this isn’t Eart… | |
1008 <p>“I have good news and bad news, my dudes,” Heady’s voice came f… | |
1009 <p>Sarah and Doyle both looked up in surprise.</p> | |
1010 <p>“Desmond?” asked Sarah. “How are you still here? When the Ark w… | |
1011 <p>“I transferred a copy of myself to this stasis chamber when I reali… | |
1012 <p>“But how is that possible?” Sarah asked. Doyle followed her gaze … | |
1013 <p>“Well, that’s where the bad news comes in,” said Desmond. “Ba… | |
1014 <p>Doyle’s heart sank. Over three hundred years? That meant everything… | |
1015 <p>“How long?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
1016 <p>“Two million, nine hundred and ninety six thousand, eight hundred y… | |
1017 <p>Doyle’s brain struggled to comprehend what he had just heard. It wa… | |
1018 <p>“So, here’s the deal dudes,” continued Desmond. “My training … | |
1019 <p>“Ah, heh heh,” Sarah gave a nervous chuckle. Doyle shot her an an… | |
1020 <p>“So that’s why it took me a little longer to find my way here,”… | |
1021 <p>“A <em>little</em> longer?” cried Doyle. “Three million years i… | |
1022 <p>“So I got a look at that city over there from the Ark’s sensors w… | |
1023 <p>Doyle shook his head. He remembered the documents he had seen at the … | |
1024 <p>Sarah snapped her head at Doyle with a confused expression on her fac… | |
1025 <p>“Never happened, bruh,” said Desmond.</p> | |
1026 <p>“What?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
1027 <p>“I mean, the nukes were there, but I never launched them,” said D… | |
1028 <p>“What the fuck are you guys talking about?” asked Sarah.</p> | |
1029 <p>Doyle ignored her. “So, the payloads? They’re still…”</p> | |
1030 <p>“Still on the Ark, bruh,” said Desmond.</p> | |
1031 <p>Sarah and Doyle sat in silence for a while. A light, warm breeze star… | |
1032 <p>“So what are we gonna do now?” asked Sarah.</p> | |
1033 <p>Doyle reached over and retrieved the small white slate from the dirt … | |
1034 <p>“We’re going to get the Ark back,” he said.</p> | |
1035 <p>“How are we gonna do that?” said Sarah.</p> | |
1036 <p>Doyle turned the slate over in his hands and studied the strange alie… | |
1037 <p>Doyle sighed. “Fuck if I know.”</p> | |
1038 ]]></description> | |
1039 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-03/</link> | |
1040 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… | |
1041 <pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2020 04:59:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1042 </item> | |
1043 <item> | |
1044 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 2]]></title> | |
1045 <description><![CDATA[<p>“The engineering team has been ha… | |
1046 <p>Shadow cloaked the three Board members–amorphous dark figures again… | |
1047 <p>“The Ark launches in one week, Commander Chin,” said one of the b… | |
1048 <p>“Yes, sir, I know that,” said Commander Chin. He felt the heat of… | |
1049 <p>The middle shadow nodded, and Commander Chin stifled a relieved sigh.… | |
1050 <p>“What of Deluge?” came the voice from the darkness.</p> | |
1051 <p>Commander Chin had been waiting for this question. He smiled. “We t… | |
1052 <p>The middle figure nodded again. “Excellent job, Commander Chin. Whe… | |
1053 <p>Commander Chin nodded. He stood and saluted by crossing his arms in f… | |
1054 <p>“The Children be praised,” said the shadowy figure, and Commander… | |
1055 <hr> | |
1056 <p>“Do you remember the one where you stuck a Roman candle in your but… | |
1057 <p>Heady sighed. “Yep, I remember alright. I still have the scar.”</… | |
1058 <p>Sarah stopped giggling and gawked at him. “Oooh,” she said. “Ca… | |
1059 <p>“How far down does this go, exactly?” Doyle asked. Sarah glanced … | |
1060 <p>“It won’t be long, just chill,” said Sarah. She looked Doyle up… | |
1061 <p>“Sarah,” said Heady. “Exactly how deep underground is the compo… | |
1062 <p>“Oh, it’s pretty deep,” said Sarah. “It has to be, to hold th… | |
1063 <p>“The Ark? What’s that?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
1064 <p>Sarah suppressed the urge to scream. Why couldn’t Shit-for-Brains s… | |
1065 <p>“I’d like to know what the Ark is too, Sarah,” said Heady.</p> | |
1066 <p>“Oh!” said Sarah. “Well, the Ark is our ship. It’s going to t… | |
1067 <p>“The… Apocalypse? New Place?” asked Heady. “Hold up, come sta… | |
1068 <p>Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe this was happe… | |
1069 <p>“I know it sounds corny,” said Sarah, blushing a little. She hadn… | |
1070 <p>Doyle’s face perked at the mention of scientists. He lowered the ca… | |
1071 <p>“Um, yeah, I seen her around,” said Sarah, disdain in her voice. … | |
1072 <p>“Hold up a sec,” said Heady. “Ship? NASA? Stasis chambers? Are … | |
1073 <p>“Yeah,” said Sarah.</p> | |
1074 <p>“Preposterous,” said Doyle. “And the ‘Ark?’ Couldn’t you … | |
1075 <p>“Fuck you,” said Sarah.</p> | |
1076 <p>“Wait, wait, wait…” said Heady. “What exactly does being ‘i… | |
1077 <p>“On the Ark,” replied Sarah. “I don’t know how it works, that… | |
1078 <p>“This is nonsense” said Doyle. He sounded irritated. “Even if I… | |
1079 <p>“We’re not going to the Moon you idiot,” said Sarah. “Why wou… | |
1080 <p>The elevator finally came to a shuddering halt and the doors slid ope… | |
1081 <p>Heady nodded, but said nothing. His mouth was agape.</p> | |
1082 <p>“Fuck,” said Doyle. “I need to know where Kirsten is. How do I … | |
1083 <p>Sarah thought for a moment. This seemed like the perfect opportunity … | |
1084 <p>Sarah took a left out of the elevator and Heady and Doyle followed he… | |
1085 <hr> | |
1086 <p>Doyle felt terrified and angry. From his research he knew the cult wa… | |
1087 <p>“This video is going to go so viral!” whispered Heady. “Can you… | |
1088 <p>“No I don’t believe it. I don’t believe any of it,” Doyle whi… | |
1089 <p>“You, Boyle,” said Sarah.</p> | |
1090 <p>“It’s Doyle,” said Doyle.</p> | |
1091 <p>“Whatever. The computer in here can access the personnel records so… | |
1092 <p>Doyle sat down at the console. He opened the drawer and fished throug… | |
1093 <p>Sarah saw what Doyle was holding and gasped. “Give me that!” she … | |
1094 <p>“Oh my God!” cried Sarah. “This is personal!”</p> | |
1095 <p>Doyle scoffed. Did she think he cared about some girly diary or whate… | |
1096 <p>“Don’t fucking laugh at me!” yelled Sarah. Doyle leaned forward… | |
1097 <p>Sarah let out a deflated whimper, spun and pulled the door open, then… | |
1098 <p>“Shit,” said Doyle. “Heady, make sure she doesn’t do anything… | |
1099 <p>Heady nodded with a determined expression on his face. “This is gon… | |
1100 <p>Doyle returned his attention to the cabinet by his legs and managed t… | |
1101 <p>After tapping through some menus, Doyle found what he was looking for… | |
1102 <p>Doyle groaned and started tapping the screen haphazardly, desperate t… | |
1103 <p>Doyle soon found his way to a list of documents that looked like they… | |
1104 <p>Doyle skimmed through the paragraphs of text and diagrams without und… | |
1105 <p>But there the words were: Nuclear warheads.</p> | |
1106 <p>A sense of dread filled Doyle as he began to comprehend more of the d… | |
1107 <p>Feeling a sense of panic rising within him, Doyle reflexively wheeled… | |
1108 <p>No. Fuck, no. Can’t think like that. Doyle stood up and rushed to t… | |
1109 <hr> | |
1110 <p>Sarah led Heady through the hallways toward the Ark chamber. Heady fo… | |
1111 <p>“This way, it’s not far,” said Sarah. “The Ark is really big,… | |
1112 <p>“What’s in the bottom half?” asked Heady.</p> | |
1113 <p>“I dunno,” said Sarah. “The computer and engines, I guess. Fuel… | |
1114 <p>They came to a junction with a larger hallway. Sarah motioned for Hea… | |
1115 <p>“Good,” said Sarah. “It’s just Officer Wiebe, he’s a push-o… | |
1116 <p>Sarah strolled around the corner, leaving Heady out of sight.</p> | |
1117 <p>“Wiebe, I’m relieving you,” said Sarah to the gray-haired offic… | |
1118 <p>“Huh? I wasn’t told,” replied Officer Wiebe.</p> | |
1119 <p>This irritated Sarah. “I’m on Ark duty tonight!” she said. “S… | |
1120 <p>Officer Wiebe sighed. “Whatever,” he said. “I need to take a pi… | |
1121 <p>Sarah watched as the old man walked away down the central corridor. S… | |
1122 <p>“Holy crap,” said Heady. “I thought I was done for. I guess the… | |
1123 <p>“Come on,” said Sarah as she grabbed Heady and pulled him into th… | |
1124 <p>Heady raised his phone and filmed the large double doors that Officer… | |
1125 <p>Sarah retrieved her dad’s key card from her pocket. The card was on… | |
1126 <p>Sarah pushed the doors to the Ark chamber open, and she and Heady ste… | |
1127 <p>“Holy shit,” said Heady.</p> | |
1128 <p>A large glass window revealed the boarding deck to be a metallic floo… | |
1129 <p>“Come on,” said Sarah. “You’ll get way better footage down th… | |
1130 <p>Heady was still filming and staring dumbfounded at the Ark through th… | |
1131 <p>“Call that elevator with this,” said Sarah. “I need to, uh… I… | |
1132 <p>Still looking dazed, Heady tore his eyes from the Ark. He turned to l… | |
1133 <p>Once Heady’s back was turned, Sarah slid her dad’s key card into … | |
1134 <p>Sarah followed Heady onto the elevator. He looked like a kid who had … | |
1135 <hr> | |
1136 <p>Commander Chin leaned back in the brown leather chair in his living q… | |
1137 <p>The few weeks leading up to the launch had been more hectic and stres… | |
1138 <p>His doorbell sounded as he picked up his book. He sighed, put the boo… | |
1139 <p>“What is it?” asked Commander Chin.</p> | |
1140 <p>“Just wanted to inform you that Officer Jefferies relieved me on Ar… | |
1141 <p>Commander Chin became confused. “Wiebe, is that you?” he asked. … | |
1142 <p>“Yeah,” said Officer Wiebe. “I thought I had Ark Chamber all ni… | |
1143 <p>What the hell was Officer Jefferies doing taking over Ark Chamber? Th… | |
1144 <p>“I don’t know what Officer Jefferies is up to,” said Commander … | |
1145 <p>Before he could respond, the radio on Officer Wiebe’s shoulder crac… | |
1146 <p>“Commander Chin, do you read me? I think… They got my… I don’… | |
1147 <p>Commander Chin grabbed the radio off of Officer Wiebe’s shoulder an… | |
1148 <p>“She shot me, sir,” came Officer Thompson’s voice. “Jefferies… | |
1149 <p>Commander Chin’s jaw dropped and he looked at Officer Wiebe, who st… | |
1150 <p>The silence that followed felt like it lasted a hundred years.</p> | |
1151 <p>“Yes,” came Officer Thompson’s reply.</p> | |
1152 <p>Commander Chin dropped the radio and sprinted to his desk where he co… | |
1153 <p>His legs suddenly felt weak and Commander Chin dropped to his knees. … | |
1154 <p>“Go,” said Commander Chin in a strained voice. “Get to the fuck… | |
1155 <hr> | |
1156 <p>Doyle moved as quick as he could through the hallways while still kee… | |
1157 <p>The large hallway ended at a set of enormous double doors. There was … | |
1158 <p>“All units, head to the Ark Chamber immediately,” said the voice.… | |
1159 <p>“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” mumbled Doyle as he pushed his way t… | |
1160 <p>A large window revealed what could only be the Ark. A giant white pil… | |
1161 <p>Way down there, in front of what looked like a gangplank leading to a… | |
1162 <p>“Oh, fuck,” moaned Doyle. He glanced around the room he was in, a… | |
1163 <p>“I mean, that’s probably not what it looks like, right?” Doyle … | |
1164 <p>The countdown continued and the sirens blared and Doyle tapped his fo… | |
1165 <hr> | |
1166 <p>Heady backed away from the madwoman pointing a gun at him.</p> | |
1167 <p>“Trust me,” said Sarah. “You’ll love it at the New Home.”</… | |
1168 <p>“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” said Heady, desperately co… | |
1169 <p>“Your fans? Who cares about them? You’ll have me!” said Sarah. … | |
1170 <p>Heady glanced back over his shoulder at the light shining out of the … | |
1171 <p>“Can’t we talk about this?” asked Heady. “I mean, we can make… | |
1172 <p>Sarah paused, her pistol lowered slightly and she stopped moving towa… | |
1173 <p>“Sure!” said Heady. “I think the fans would love you! We could … | |
1174 <p>Sarah shook her head. “No,” she said. “No there’s no point. E… | |
1175 <p>Heady’s panic renewed as Sarah started moving toward him again. He … | |
1176 <p>It was hard to tell in the dimly lit hangar, but it looked like a man… | |
1177 <p>“Doyle?” Heady said.</p> | |
1178 <p>Sarah smirked and shook her head. “You think I’m gonna fall for t… | |
1179 <p>Before Heady could answer, Doyle screamed out “Geronimo!”</p> | |
1180 <p>Sarah spun around at the sound behind her. Doyle grunted as he tackle… | |
1181 <p>Heady stood up and moved toward the Ark. All signs of the entrance ha… | |
1182 <p>“Doyle!” Heady cried, and slammed his fists against the ship. “… | |
1183 <p>The ship started rumbling, then the entire hangar. Heady stepped back… | |
1184 <p>A blast of intense heat and a booming explosion knocked Heady over. H… | |
1185 <p>Then the roaring ceased. The floor stopped moving and shaking. Heady … | |
1186 <p>Heady followed the pillar of smoke with his eyes, up through the gap … | |
1187 ]]></description> | |
1188 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-02/</link> | |
1189 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… | |
1190 <pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2020 03:49:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1191 </item> | |
1192 <item> | |
1193 <title><![CDATA[Three Million CE - Episode 1]]></title> | |
1194 <description><![CDATA[<p>“Punch me as hard as you can, bru… | |
1195 <p>A shirtless, flaxen-haired Heady Armstrong pounded his fists into his… | |
1196 <p>His friend, also laughing, stepped back until he was out of the frame… | |
1197 <p>“Here I come dude, you sure?” the unseen friend called out.</p> | |
1198 <p>“I’m ready! Do it bruh!”</p> | |
1199 <p>Heady’s friend barreled into view and raced across the screen. Head… | |
1200 <p>“Officer Jefferies?”</p> | |
1201 <p>Sarah looked up from the phone hidden beneath the monitoring control… | |
1202 <p>“Officer Jefferies, the highway outpost has radioed that they saw a… | |
1203 <p>“I heard the report too,” Sarah lied. “I’m not stupid y’kno… | |
1204 <p>Officer Thompson nodded. “Yes, sure. Just making sure you got the m… | |
1205 <p>“Right,” said Sarah curtly and forced a disingenuous grin. “Mes… | |
1206 <p>Officer Thompson frowned and peered closer at the array of display sc… | |
1207 <p>“Not yet,” said Sarah. She hated Thompson so much. Why did he hav… | |
1208 <p>“Make sure you do, Jefferies,” said Officer Thompson. “Before y… | |
1209 <p>Sarah hated the way Officer Thompson called her “Jefferies.” Ever… | |
1210 <p>Officer Thompson held his arms crossed out in front of him, forming t… | |
1211 <p>“Dickweed,” Sarah muttered under her breath. “Children be prais… | |
1212 <hr> | |
1213 <p>“Are you sure this is the way?” Doyle Tingler asked. They had tur… | |
1214 <p>“Yeah,” replied Heady Armstrong. “My boys scouted the coordinat… | |
1215 <p>“Ah,” said Doyle. “Can I assume that by ‘your boys’ you are… | |
1216 <p>“Yeah,” said Heady Armstrong. “And they’re not idiotic videos… | |
1217 <p>“Mmm,” said Doyle. “That’s where you’re wrong. You see, the… | |
1218 <p>Doyle enjoyed ribbing Heady about his YouTube channel. Heady and his … | |
1219 <p>“Uh huh,” said Heady. “If I’m such an idiot then why did you … | |
1220 <p>“I didn’t say <em>you</em> were an idiot, Heady. Only your videos… | |
1221 <p>“Those millions of idiots paid for my house,” said Heady. “And … | |
1222 <p>“Don’t rub it in,” Doyle said, and sighed. “Look, I’m grate… | |
1223 <p>“Because of my millions of idiots?” Heady shot back.</p> | |
1224 <p>“Well, yeah,” said Doyle.</p> | |
1225 <p>“Do you really think this will work?” asked Heady. “I mean, I k… | |
1226 <p>“I really think so, Heady,” said Doyle. “I mean, despite appear… | |
1227 <p>“Don’t sweat it, bud,” said Heady. “Kirsten was–<em>is</em>… | |
1228 <p>Doyle did his best to stifle the sudden wellspring of emotion he foun… | |
1229 <p>Doyle snapped out of his thoughts when his eye caught a glint in the … | |
1230 <p>Heady relaxed the accelerator and cut the lights. The sound of the gr… | |
1231 <p>Heady pulled off the road and maneuvered the car behind some trees be… | |
1232 <p>Doyle unfastened his seatbelt and opened the car door. “You don’t… | |
1233 <p>“Hopefully not,” said Heady.</p> | |
1234 <p>The two men shut the car doors and started walking along the tree lin… | |
1235 <p>“Keep an eye out for a red cloth tied around one of these tree bran… | |
1236 <p>The men walked in silence for a while, trading nervous glances down t… | |
1237 <p>“I’m not going to make those videos for ever, you know,” Heady … | |
1238 <p>Doyle glanced at his friend’s face, pallid in the moonlight and bru… | |
1239 <p>“I mean, that’s why I’m collabing with you on this in the first… | |
1240 <p>“I hope so,” said Doyle. “People haven’t cared about Nikola�… | |
1241 <p>“That’s because they’re so good at keeping a low profile,” sa… | |
1242 <p>“Maybe,” said Doyle. “But honestly I just want some kind of sig… | |
1243 <p>“I’m sure she’s OK,” said Heady. “She’s just confused. Th… | |
1244 <p>Doyle stopped and put his hand on Heady’s shoulder. “Shh,” he s… | |
1245 <p>“What is it?”</p> | |
1246 <p>Doyle pointed. Wound around a branch of one of the trees, a thin scra… | |
1247 <p>Heady reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He start… | |
1248 <p>Doyle held the phone up and pointed the camera at Heady.</p> | |
1249 <p>“Yo yo yo what’s up Heady Nation?” Heady cried using the exagge… | |
1250 <p>Doyle lowered his head and sighed. Everyone told him he was always to… | |
1251 <hr> | |
1252 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report please.”</p> | |
1253 <p>Sarah watched and giggled as Heady Armstrong attempted to eat twelve … | |
1254 <p>“Officer Jefferies! Report!”</p> | |
1255 <p>Sarah jerked her head toward the speaker on her console, then paused … | |
1256 <p>“Uh, yes?” said Sarah, holding the intercom button.</p> | |
1257 <p>“The motion detectors around section nine have been lighting up lik… | |
1258 <p>Sarah looked at the array of displays on her control panel, and direc… | |
1259 <p>“Uh, nothing?” she said hesitantly. It wasn’t exactly a lie.</p> | |
1260 <p>There was a short pause before the speaker crackled back to life.</p> | |
1261 <p>“Officer Thompson has informed me that the camera in section nine i… | |
1262 <p>Sarah scowled. Damn that Officer Thompson. “Well, I mean the camera… | |
1263 <p>“Officer Jefferies, please do your job and find out what’s going … | |
1264 <p>“Right, sending a drone,” said Sarah. She looked longingly at her… | |
1265 <p>Sarah wheeled her chair closer to the touch screen near the right edg… | |
1266 <p>Sarah grabbed her phone and was about to continue watching her video … | |
1267 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report.”</p> | |
1268 <p>Sarah groaned. It would take the drone thirty seconds to reach sectio… | |
1269 <p>“Right, yeah,” she said into the intercom. “Drone launched. I�… | |
1270 <p>Sarah fumed while she resumed her video. She pictured Officer Thompso… | |
1271 <p>Heady Armstrong stared back at her.</p> | |
1272 <p>Sarah looked at the familiar face staring up from her control panel, … | |
1273 <p>“Officer Jefferies, report,” came Commander Chin’s exasperated … | |
1274 <p>Sarah sat back down and slammed her fist on the intercom. “I…! He… | |
1275 <p>“Officer Jefferies?”</p> | |
1276 <p>“Um… All clear, Commander,” said Sarah. She watched as the dron… | |
1277 <p>“Please confirm, did you say all clear?” Commander Chin asked.</p> | |
1278 <p>“Confirmed,” said Sarah. “Drone shows some wildlife near sectio… | |
1279 <p>There was a long pause. Sarah did her best to control her breathing a… | |
1280 <p>Sarah pressed the intercom button again. “Um, I’m going to recall… | |
1281 <p>She turned to her console’s touch screen, recalled the drone, grabb… | |
1282 <p>“Very good Officer Jefferies. Officer Thompson will meet you out th… | |
1283 <hr> | |
1284 <p>“I don’t hear it anymore. Is it still there?” whispered Doyle.<… | |
1285 <p>Heady peaked his head up over the bush. All he could see above them w… | |
1286 <p>“I think it’s gone,” said Heady.</p> | |
1287 <p>Doyle sighed with relief.</p> | |
1288 <p>“Do you think it spotted us?” asked Heady?</p> | |
1289 <p>“Are you serious?” said Doyle. “A drone the size of a Jeep pops… | |
1290 <p>“Well, what should we do?” asked Heady.</p> | |
1291 <p>“Let’s just get out of here,” said Doyle. “Look at this place… | |
1292 <p>“We can’t leave!” said Heady. “That drone didn’t vanish int… | |
1293 <p>“Who knows,” said Doyle. “All I know is that whatever this plac… | |
1294 <p>“All that money,” said Heady. “You found receipts for millions … | |
1295 <p>“You’re right,” said Doyle, looking past Heady. “We can’t l… | |
1296 <p>Heady turned around and saw a red haired man wearing what looked like… | |
1297 <p>“Run,” whispered Doyle, and the two men sprinted toward the neare… | |
1298 <p>Neither of them looked back as they ran. Heady reached the pillar fir… | |
1299 <p>“Do you think he saw us?” asked Heady.</p> | |
1300 <p>“I wish you’d stop asking that,” said Doyle. He peeked around t… | |
1301 <p>“Maybe he’s waiting for backup,” suggested Heady. “Give me yo… | |
1302 <p>“Why?” asked Doyle. He reached into his pocket and pulled his pho… | |
1303 <p>“Stay hidden. You film with mine so they can’t confiscate the foo… | |
1304 <p>“Wait, what do you mean take you away? What are you going to…”<… | |
1305 <p>Before Doyle could stop him, Heady stood, put his hands up in the air… | |
1306 <hr> | |
1307 <p>Sarah leered at Officer Thompson from behind her own concrete pillar.… | |
1308 <p>She thought about what her next move should be. She had to get Office… | |
1309 <p>Sarah was out of options and running out of time. She made up her min… | |
1310 <p>Someone yelled out at the same time, startling her. She shut up and d… | |
1311 <p>“Don’t shoot! I surrender!” she heard Heady shout. Sarah watche… | |
1312 <p>She watched Officer Thompson fumble with his radio, getting visibly f… | |
1313 <p>Sarah released her radio trigger and lifted her own concussion pistol… | |
1314 <p>“Officer Thompson? Officer Jefferies? Report!”</p> | |
1315 <p>The voice of Commander Chin came from her radio with a burst of stati… | |
1316 <hr> | |
1317 <p>Doyle came running up behind Heady, who was staring dumbfounded at th… | |
1318 <p>“What the hell did you do?” asked Doyle.</p> | |
1319 <p>“Nothing, he just collapsed,” said Heady.</p> | |
1320 <p>“What? Like he had a heart attack?”</p> | |
1321 <p>“No,” said a woman’s voice. “Like he was hit by an incapacita… | |
1322 <p>Heady and Doyle both spun around to see a tiny-framed and young looki… | |
1323 <p>The girl put her pistol into a holster on her thigh, then retrieved a… | |
1324 <p>“Wha… What are you going to do with that?” asked Doyle. He took… | |
1325 <p>The woman approached with a wide grin on her face, holding the baton … | |
1326 <p>Sarah grabbed Heady’s arm, then spun him around so he was standing … | |
1327 <p>“Hi Heady,” said Sarah, then snapped a photo. “We’ve got to g… | |
1328 <p>“What…? Who… Who are you?” asked Heady.</p> | |
1329 <p>“Oh me?” said Sarah. “Just your biggest fan.”</p> | |
1330 ]]></description> | |
1331 <link>https://rudism.com/three-million-ce-episode-01/</link> | |
1332 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/three-million-ce… | |
1333 <pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:01:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1334 </item> | |
1335 <item> | |
1336 <title><![CDATA[Simple CSS Theme Switcher]]></title> | |
1337 <description><![CDATA[<p>I spent a bit of time this evening … | |
1338 <p>Here’s a quick summary of how I implemented it. (The actual styling… | |
1339 <h2 id="Alternate-Stylesheets"><a href="#Alternate-Stylesheets" class="h… | |
1340 <figure class="highlight html"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span … | |
1341 | |
1342 <p>Even without any JavaScript at all, just giving the stylesheets <code… | |
1343 <p>Obviously nobody is actually going to use that, because there’s no … | |
1344 <p>The nice thing about using this as a base, however, is that the brows… | |
1345 <h2 id="Toggle-Switch"><a href="#Toggle-Switch" class="headerlink" title… | |
1346 <figure class="highlight javascript"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre>… | |
1347 | |
1348 <p>You can see that all it’s doing is setting or removing the <code>lo… | |
1349 <h2 id="Loading-the-Theme-Initially"><a href="#Loading-the-Theme-Initial… | |
1350 <figure class="highlight html"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span … | |
1351 | |
1352 <p>The problem with that approach was that since the pages generally loa… | |
1353 <figure class="highlight html"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span … | |
1354 | |
1355 <p>This causes the browser to render the correct stylesheet paths on the… | |
1356 <p>If you’re a noscripter and have JavaScript disabled, you’re stuck… | |
1357 ]]></description> | |
1358 <link>https://rudism.com/simple-css-theme-switcher/</link> | |
1359 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/simple-css-theme… | |
1360 <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2020 22:07:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1361 </item> | |
1362 <item> | |
1363 <title><![CDATA[Blu-ray Catch-up 06/21]]></title> | |
1364 <description><![CDATA[<p>Here are my possibly-coherent rants… | |
1365 <h2 id="The-Legend-of-Korra"><a href="#The-Legend-of-Korra" class="heade… | |
1366 <p>Korra took a little longer for us to get into. In fact my older kid d… | |
1367 <h2 id="Survivors-1975"><a href="#Survivors-1975" class="headerlink" tit… | |
1368 <p>The first season is incredibly good, but it goes downhill quickly aft… | |
1369 <h2 id="The-Matrix-Trilogy-and-The-Animatrix"><a href="#The-Matrix-Trilo… | |
1370 <p>I worked out a process to incorporate the commentaries into my digita… | |
1371 <p>This was also the first time I watched the animated features that the… | |
1372 <p>There’s a fourth film in the series slated to come out soon that fe… | |
1373 <h2 id="The-Star-Wars-Prequel-Trilogy"><a href="#The-Star-Wars-Prequel-T… | |
1374 <h2 id="Iron-Sky"><a href="#Iron-Sky" class="headerlink" title="Iron Sky… | |
1375 <p>Personally, they had me at Nazis on the Moon. You’d have to be very… | |
1376 <p>After ripping and re-watching and falling in love all over again with… | |
1377 ]]></description> | |
1378 <link>https://rudism.com/blu-ray-catch-up-06-21/</link> | |
1379 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/blu-ray-catch-up… | |
1380 <pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2020 11:18:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1381 </item> | |
1382 <item> | |
1383 <title><![CDATA[Quit Whining about Apple and Just Stop Using… | |
1384 <description><![CDATA[<p><em>Note: I have changed the name o… | |
1385 <h2 id="The-Controversy"><a href="#The-Controversy" class="headerlink" t… | |
1386 <blockquote> | |
1387 <p>“Because of the market power that Apple has, it is charging exorbit… | |
1388 </blockquote> | |
1389 <p>Much of the controversy lies around Apple’s selectively enforced po… | |
1390 <p>Yo’s plan seems to have been to follow the Netflix and Spotify mode… | |
1391 <p>In this case, instead of giving Yo a pass as they did Netflix and Spo… | |
1392 <blockquote> | |
1393 <p>“Apple wants to own iPhone consumers so that anyone who wants acces… | |
1394 </blockquote> | |
1395 <h2 id="The-Discrepancy"><a href="#The-Discrepancy" class="headerlink" t… | |
1396 <p>There are other anomalous examples as well–The Audible app has no i… | |
1397 <blockquote> | |
1398 <p>“It’s baffling to me. I can buy a USD1k+ device and still not be … | |
1399 </blockquote> | |
1400 <p>If Apple remained consistent and diligent in their policy to demand a… | |
1401 <p>Except that in this case the new email service was founded by a compa… | |
1402 <p>I would like to take a brief moment here to point out an amusing hypo… | |
1403 <h2 id="The-Solution-for-Developers"><a href="#The-Solution-for-Develope… | |
1404 <p>The answer to that for developers seems just as obvious as Apple’s … | |
1405 <blockquote> | |
1406 <p>“30% does seem a little bit high. What justification does Apple use… | |
1407 </blockquote> | |
1408 <p>While I am in complete agreement that Apple’s policies and practice… | |
1409 <p>Let’s say we tear down Apple through legal means–we send them the… | |
1410 <p>Let’s say, hypothetically, that the Yo email service, through brill… | |
1411 <blockquote> | |
1412 <p>“Bitch please.” –Me, this blog.</p> | |
1413 </blockquote> | |
1414 <p>I don’t know, it seems silly to me to cry about monopolies. The sol… | |
1415 <p>That doesn’t necessarily mean making your product or service comple… | |
1416 <h2 id="The-Solution-for-Consumers"><a href="#The-Solution-for-Consumers… | |
1417 <p>I know that the devices are pretty and feel nice and maybe your frien… | |
1418 <h2 id="Sigh…"><a href="#Sigh…" class="headerlink" title="Sigh…"><… | |
1419 <p>Maybe the ultimate solution is an anti-trust legal one. Maybe compani… | |
1420 <p>My hopes for such legal action ever succeeding are not particularly h… | |
1421 <p>My first computer in grade school was a Macintosh Classic and I grew … | |
1422 ]]></description> | |
1423 <link>https://rudism.com/quit-whining-about-apple-and-just-s… | |
1424 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/quit-whining-abo… | |
1425 <pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2020 13:04:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1426 </item> | |
1427 <item> | |
1428 <title><![CDATA[Installing Arch Linux on the Pinebook Pro]]>… | |
1429 <description><![CDATA[<p><em>Obsolescence Notice (June 2021)… | |
1430 <hr> | |
1431 <p><strong>Note:</strong> <em>Here is the original article for historica… | |
1432 <p>I recently received my <a href="https://pine64.org/">Pinebook Pro</a>… | |
1433 <p>(I mean, I would have wiped it and installed Arch Linux eventually ev… | |
1434 <p>This isn’t a review of the Pinebook Pro yet–though my initial imp… | |
1435 <p>Also, I’m writing this in June of 2020. If the current date that yo… | |
1436 <h2 id="Step-1-Obtain-Arch-Linux-ARM"><a href="#Step-1-Obtain-Arch-Linux… | |
1437 <h2 id="Step-2-Create-a-Bootable-Micro-SD-Card"><a href="#Step-2-Create-… | |
1438 <p>The image you downloaded from Github was probably compressed (has a <… | |
1439 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1440 | |
1441 <p>The next step is to burn it to your SD card. You’ll probably want o… | |
1442 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1443 | |
1444 <p>This will take a while, but once it’s done you can put the SD card … | |
1445 <h2 id="Step-3-Boot-into-Arch-Linux"><a href="#Step-3-Boot-into-Arch-Lin… | |
1446 <p>Trying to boot with my Kingston SDHC cards inserted resulted in the p… | |
1447 <p>It was only as I was dejectedly loading up Pine64’s website to see … | |
1448 <h2 id="Step-4-Realize-That-You-Forgot-Something-Important"><a href="#St… | |
1449 <p>The first thing I tried was based on the <a href="https://wiki.archli… | |
1450 <h2 id="Step-5-Partition-the-eMMC"><a href="#Step-5-Partition-the-eMMC" … | |
1451 <p>In a typical Arch installation, you would create two partitions on yo… | |
1452 <p>The forum guide does not resemble that at all. Instead of having boot… | |
1453 <p>I ran <code>fdisk /dev/mmcblk2</code>, created a new partition table … | |
1454 <h2 id="Step-6-Copy-the-Files"><a href="#Step-6-Copy-the-Files" class="h… | |
1455 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1456 | |
1457 <h2 id="Step-7-Copy-the-Files-the-Right-Way"><a href="#Step-7-Copy-the-F… | |
1458 <p>The Arch wiki gives this suggestion to copy an existing Arch install … | |
1459 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1460 | |
1461 <p>The only problem with that is that <code>rsync</code> isn’t availab… | |
1462 <h2 id="Step-8-Write-the-boot-Partition-s"><a href="#Step-8-Write-the-bo… | |
1463 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1464 | |
1465 <p>Would those seemingly very specific <code>seek</code> values apply ev… | |
1466 <p>But what’s the worst that could happen? YOLO!</p> | |
1467 <h2 id="Step-9-Freak-Out-Because-You-Think-You-Just-Bricked-Your-Brand-N… | |
1468 <p>Thankfully, booting from the SD card still worked, so my Pinebook Pro… | |
1469 <h2 id="Step-10-Do-the-Ominous-Thing-the-README-Warned-You-About"><a hre… | |
1470 <blockquote> | |
1471 <p><strong>Note:</strong> I have not tried writing this image to eMMC as… | |
1472 </blockquote> | |
1473 <p>Again, not being super familiar with how boot partitions and EFI and … | |
1474 <p>But what’s the worst that could happen? YOLO!</p> | |
1475 <p>I put the SD card back into my other computer, re-flashed the Arch im… | |
1476 <p>After booting the Pinebook Pro back to Arch using the SD card, I moun… | |
1477 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1478 | |
1479 <p>Once that completed (thankfully without incident), I ran <code>powero… | |
1480 <p>BAM! Never had any doubt. Welcome to Arch Linux.</p> | |
1481 <h2 id="Step-11-Resize-your-Root-Partition"><a href="#Step-11-Resize-you… | |
1482 <p>In order to resize an existing partition to use unallocated sectors o… | |
1483 <p>After the new larger partition has been created in place of the old o… | |
1484 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1485 | |
1486 <p>Now you can mount it and check how big it is and it should be the ful… | |
1487 <p>Once I finished all of the above, I booted back into Arch off the eMM… | |
1488 <p>Running <code>pacman -Syyu</code> on a fresh install of Arch and then… | |
1489 <h2 id="Step-12-Apply-Dorky-Badass-Powered-By-Arch-Linux-Sticker"><a hre… | |
1490 <p>I bought a sheet of 10 of these for $10 several years ago and have no… | |
1491 <h2 id="Step-13-Pontificate-on-How-You’ll-Do-it-Next-Time"><a href="#S… | |
1492 <p>Anyway, after I’ve had more time to play with the Pinebook Pro I’… | |
1493 <h2 id="Addendum-2020-06-09-LUKS-Encryption"><a href="#Addendum-2020-06-… | |
1494 <ol> | |
1495 <li>Boot into SD.</li> | |
1496 <li>Mount and backup your unencrypted <code>/dev/mmcblk2</code> partitio… | |
1497 <li>Use <code>fdisk</code> to delete your unencrypted partition on the e… | |
1498 <li>Create a new bootable partition beginning at the same sector with a … | |
1499 <li>Format the first partition using <code>mkfs.ext4</code>, this will b… | |
1500 <li>Use <code>cryptsetup</code> as in the <a href="https://wiki.archlinu… | |
1501 <li>Mount the second partition to <code>/mnt</code> and then create a <c… | |
1502 <li>Use the <code>rsync</code> command to restore the backup you took ea… | |
1503 <li>Use <code>genfstab -U /mnt</code> to create a new fstab at <code>/mn… | |
1504 <li><code>arch-chroot /mnt</code> to get into your restored installation… | |
1505 <li>Follow the “Configuring mkinitcpio” steps in the Arch Wiki linke… | |
1506 <li>Follow the “Configuring the bootloader” step from the wiki, only… | |
1507 <li>Should be able to reboot into your encrypted root now. Next step is … | |
1508 </ol> | |
1509 ]]></description> | |
1510 <link>https://rudism.com/installing-arch-linux-on-the-pinebo… | |
1511 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/installing-arch-… | |
1512 <pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2020 00:04:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1513 </item> | |
1514 <item> | |
1515 <title><![CDATA[Blu-ray Catch-up 05/20]]></title> | |
1516 <description><![CDATA[<p>Welcome to the next segment in my o… | |
1517 <h2 id="And-Now-For-Something-Completely-Different"><a href="#And-Now-Fo… | |
1518 <h2 id="The-Meaning-of-Life"><a href="#The-Meaning-of-Life" class="heade… | |
1519 <h2 id="Avatar-The-Last-Airbender"><a href="#Avatar-The-Last-Airbender" … | |
1520 <p>Best. Show. Ever.</p> | |
1521 <h3 id="Bill-and-Ted’s-Excellent-Adventure-and-Bogus-Journey"><a href=… | |
1522 <p>The first movie was derided in reviews when it came out as having un-… | |
1523 <h3 id="Spartacus-Lolita-Dr-Strangelove"><a href="#Spartacus-Lolita-Dr-S… | |
1524 <h3 id="Tremors"><a href="#Tremors" class="headerlink" title="Tremors"><… | |
1525 ]]></description> | |
1526 <link>https://rudism.com/blu-ray-catch-up-0520/</link> | |
1527 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/blu-ray-catch-up… | |
1528 <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2020 11:28:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1529 </item> | |
1530 <item> | |
1531 <title><![CDATA[How to Add Rifftrax Directly to a Movie's Au… | |
1532 <description><![CDATA[<p>I’m not even going to talk about … | |
1533 <p>Since I’m in the process of ripping all of my DVDs and Blu-rays to … | |
1534 <p>This assumes you have <code>mkvtoolnix</code>, <code>ffmpeg</code>, a… | |
1535 <h3 id="1-Extract-the-Primary-Audio-Track"><a href="#1-Extract-the-Prima… | |
1536 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1537 | |
1538 <p>This will list all of the video and audio tracks in the <code>mkv</co… | |
1539 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1540 | |
1541 <p>The above command will extract the track with id <code>1</code> to a … | |
1542 <h3 id="2-Trim-Rifftrax-Audio"><a href="#2-Trim-Rifftrax-Audio" class="h… | |
1543 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1544 | |
1545 <p>That will create a new <code>rifftrax-trimmed.mp3</code> file from yo… | |
1546 <p>If at the end of this process, you watch the movie with your new Riff… | |
1547 <h3 id="3-Up-mix-Rifftrax-Channels"><a href="#3-Up-mix-Rifftrax-Channels… | |
1548 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1549 | |
1550 <p>If your movie only has stereo audio you can do this:</p> | |
1551 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1552 | |
1553 <h3 id="4-Mix-Movie-Audio-with-Rifftrax"><a href="#4-Mix-Movie-Audio-wit… | |
1554 <figure class="highlight plain"><table><tr><td class="gutter"><pre><span… | |
1555 | |
1556 <p>You should replace <code>-b:a 640k</code> with whatever the bitrate o… | |
1557 <p>The above command will create a new <code>riff-combined.ac3</code> fi… | |
1558 <p>You can now listen to <code>riff-combined.ac3</code> in <code>vlc</co… | |
1559 <h3 id="5-Add-Combined-Rifftrax-Track"><a href="#5-Add-Combined-Rifftrax… | |
1560 <p>To test it out, open your newly multiplexed <code>mkv</code> in <code… | |
1561 ]]></description> | |
1562 <link>https://rudism.com/how-to-add-rifftrax-directly-to-a-m… | |
1563 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/how-to-add-rifft… | |
1564 <pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2020 17:13:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1565 </item> | |
1566 <item> | |
1567 <title><![CDATA[David Lynchathon]]></title> | |
1568 <description><![CDATA[<p>The next stack of films I have subj… | |
1569 <h2 id="Eraserhead-1977"><a href="#Eraserhead-1977" class="headerlink" t… | |
1570 <h2 id="Dune-1984"><a href="#Dune-1984" class="headerlink" title="Dune (… | |
1571 <h2 id="Blue-Velvet-1986"><a href="#Blue-Velvet-1986" class="headerlink"… | |
1572 <h2 id="Lost-Highway-1997"><a href="#Lost-Highway-1997" class="headerlin… | |
1573 <h2 id="Mulholland-Drive-2001"><a href="#Mulholland-Drive-2001" class="h… | |
1574 <p>That was previously my entire Lynch collection, but while I was watch… | |
1575 ]]></description> | |
1576 <link>https://rudism.com/david-lynchathon/</link> | |
1577 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/david-lynchathon… | |
1578 <pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2020 18:21:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1579 </item> | |
1580 <item> | |
1581 <title><![CDATA[Escapes from New York and L.A. Review]]></ti… | |
1582 <description><![CDATA[<p>Escape from New York is a timeless … | |
1583 <p>Escape from L.A. is a 1990s theme-park CGI dumpster fire that can’t… | |
1584 <p>Neither of the blu-rays I own for these movies has any extras whatsoe… | |
1585 <p>Anyway, if you’re just going to watch one, obviously watch New York… | |
1586 ]]></description> | |
1587 <link>https://rudism.com/escapes-from-new-york-and-la-review… | |
1588 <guid isPermaLink="true">https://rudism.com/escapes-from-new… | |
1589 <pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2020 23:56:00 GMT</pubDate> | |
1590 </item> | |
1591 </channel> | |
1592 |