--- /dev/null
+---
+postid: 078
+title: trilemabot [ii]: prefixed commands
+date: July 27, 2018
+author: Lucian Mogoșanu
+tags: tech
+---
+
+Following up on the [previous part][trilemabot-i] of this series, the
+patch below teaches trilemabot to respond to prefixed commands, as per
+[the spec][trilema-bot-spec]. More specifically, the bot takes a
+pre-defined[^1] `prefix`, a `command` and optional `arguments`, in the
+form:
+
+~~~~
+<prefix><command> <arguments>
+~~~~
+
+parses them, and passes them to a pre-defined[^2] handling method.
+
+The [V][v] patch and my seal:
+
+* [trilemabot-prefixed-cmd.vpatch][trilemabot-prefixed-cmd.vpatch]
+* [trilemabot-prefixed-cmd.vpatch.spyked.sig][trilemabot-prefixed-cmd.vpatch.spyked.sig]
+
+For more details on installation and usage see
+[the first part][trilemabot-i].
+
+The remainder of this entry a. shows a fully functional trilemabot
+example, dictbot; and b. discusses rationale and potential complexity
+arising from the design choices that I made for this prefixed command
+handler.
+
+First, dictbot. This is a didactic example more than anything, although
+it [can be improved][btcbase-1837423] and turned into something useful.
+
+* [dictbot-genesis.vpatch][dictbot-genesis.vpatch]
+* [dictbot-genesis.vpatch.spyked.sig][dictbot-genesis.vpatch.spyked.sig]
+
+As pointed out in [the logs][btcbase-1837413], the function of dictbot
+is to look up definitions in [text dictionaries][dict-loper]:
+
+> the bot goes through each line in
+> http://www.loper-os.org/pub/ro_eng_expr.txt and if it finds one for
+> which the query is a substr of the entry, it displays the
+> definition. not very effective, it's intended as a very simple (<100
+> lines of code) demo for next trilemabot patch. but imho there's room
+> for improving it even without adding google translate support.
+
+Examples can also be found in [the logs][btcbase-spykedbot].
+
+In the end, some discussion points.
+
+[i] trilemabot command handling is centered around the
+`trilemabot-handle-cmd` generic function. To define a new command,
+e.g. `help`, the programmer must define a new `trilemabot-handle-cmd`
+method that is specialized a. on a command mnemonic, e.g. in our case
+`:help` (using [eql specializers][clhs-specializers]), and b. on the
+bot's class. I believe this approach to be more elegant than using
+something such as a hash-table of callbacks, because it uses the full
+power of CLOS and because it then enables one to use the
+`trilemabot-define-cmd` wrapper. Command handling has, however, been
+[implemented before][btcbase-1818908], so I am curious to hear whether
+there's a better choice for this.
+
+[ii] The command parser makes no assumptions whatsoever about the
+arguments, since I'm fairly convinced that none can be made. Some bots
+might want to split the arguments to their commands bash-style, others
+(such as dictbot) might process them as they are, while others may use
+whatever crazy parser I haven't even thought about. So argument
+specification and implementation is left entirely up to the bot owner.
+
+[iii] Saying that the trilemabot-prefixed-cmd patch implements "command
+handling" is somewhat improper. In more complex situations, much of the
+handling is going to occur somewhere other than the handler itself.
+
+Let's take the following example: one may for whatever reason want to
+limit access to some commands to L1 members[^3]. In this case, the bot
+will have to talk to deedbot before issuing the actual command. Thus
+a. the bot will ask deedbot for trust information, then b. after
+receiving a response, it will determine whether the issuer is allowed to
+call the command, and only then c. the bot will handle the command.
+
+In the current implementation, (a) will be executed on a
+`trilemabot-handle-cmd` method, (b) will be executed on a `privmsg`
+handler, and (c) will be executed immediately after (b) finishes. This
+implies the necessity of keeping some state information between (a) and
+(b), and where this state will be maintained is not immediately
+clear. This is where the [inbox][trilemabot-inbox] slot may turn out to
+be useful. Or not? I must admit, I'm not entirely sure what's the right
+control-flow yet.
+
+After this discussion reaches some conclusion, the next step will be to
+figure out what to prioritize: [regrinding ircbot][btcbase-1832542] into
+a unified tree with a manifest, or marching on towards the completion of
+rssbot. I think it's a good time to choose the former, given that the
+number of patches is still small.
+
+[^1]: I.e., defined when the bot instance is created by the user.
+
+[^2]: I.e., defined when a bot with more specific functionality is
+ implemented by the programmer.
+
+[^3]: For example the new RSS bot, the main reason for my bot-crafting
+ journey, has commands that are to be in general
+ [L2-only][btcbase-1818690], while *some* commands will be
+ [L1-only][btcbase-1784956].
+
+[trilemabot-i]: /posts/y04/072-trilemabot-i.html
+[trilema-bot-spec]: http://trilema.com/2016/trilema-bot-spec/
+[v]: http://cascadianhacker.com/07_v-tronics-101-a-gentle-introduction-to-the-most-serene-republic-of-bitcoins-cryptographically-backed-version-control-system
+[trilemabot-prefixed-cmd.vpatch]: http://lucian.mogosanu.ro/src/trilemabot/v/patches/trilemabot-prefixed-cmd.vpatch
+[trilemabot-prefixed-cmd.vpatch.spyked.sig]: http://lucian.mogosanu.ro/src/trilemabot/v/seals/trilemabot-prefixed-cmd.vpatch.spyked.sig
+[btcbase-1837423]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-07-23#1837423
+[dictbot-genesis.vpatch]: http://lucian.mogosanu.ro/src/dictbot/v/patches/dictbot-genesis.vpatch
+[dictbot-genesis.vpatch.spyked.sig]: http://lucian.mogosanu.ro/src/dictbot/v/seals/dictbot-genesis.vpatch.spyked.sig
+[btcbase-1837413]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-07-23#1837413
+[dict-loper]: http://www.loper-os.org/?p=2211
+[btcbase-spykedbot]: http://btcbase.org/log-search?q=from%3Aspyked+%21S
+[clhs-specializers]: http://clhs.lisp.se/Body/07_fc.htm
+[btcbase-1818908]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-05-25#1818908
+[btcbase-1818690]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-05-25#1818690
+[btcbase-1784956]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-02-19#1784956
+[trilemabot-inbox]: http://btcbase.org/patches/trilemabot-voicer#L142
+[btcbase-1832542]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-07-07#1832542
--- /dev/null
+---
+postid: 079
+title: Hermannstadt
+date: August 6, 2018
+author: Lucian Mogoșanu
+tags: in-the-flesh
+---
+
+Sibiu[^1] is a small town sitting at one of the entrances in the region
+of Ardeal, Transylvania, current-day Romania.
+
+I had wanted to do the same write-up <del>exactly</del> almost two years
+ago -- in fact I did one, but never published it. Rereading it, I don't
+think it was ever worth showing to the public, especially given that
+back then I hadn't the inspiration to immortalize bits and pieces of the
+town through a camera. Well! the photos say more about it than I ever
+could.
+
+It so happens that during my visit there was a rock festival going on,
+which I used as a pretext for meeting meatfriends from around the
+country. Assuming that the reader is some kind of alien anthropologist
+who's never seen a rock festival, let's describe how this works: a herd
+of cattle, known to us as "rockers" or something like that, is attracted
+into some kind of stable, known to us as a "concert area". This concert
+area then stands as a place for socialization, listening to (sometimes
+horrible) live music, eating, drinking and so on[^2].
+
+Leaving all the venom aside, below we can notice some rockers getting
+their groove on:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-01.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-01-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-02.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-02-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, what do rockers do when they don't rock? I guess they sleep?
+Anyway, later on Steven Wilson was doing soundchecks, which sounded
+great, by the way.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-03.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-03-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Later*er* on, the same Steven Wilson delivered an extraordinary blend of
+sound, visuals and stage arrangement that I haven't seen since Pink
+Floyd's old concerts[^3]. This still leaves me yearning for more, and I
+can't have more, because the man is busy playing his music somewhere
+other than where I am. So what am I gonna do now, resort to flacs? Vinyl?
+What? Life's a bitch, what can I say.
+
+Moving on from musings about musics, let's take a look at Sibiu. Below,
+a photo of the Liar's Bridge, followed by one taken from said
+bridge. The bridge is surrounded with various legends involving more or
+less lovey romantic stuff, I won't get into that.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-04.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-04-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-05.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-05-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+And while I could insist on various touristic attractions such as this
+one:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-06.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-06-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+or this one:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-07.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-07-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+or even this interesting piece of architecture:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-08.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-08-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+I'll rather look at Sibiu through my own curious eye, wondering what the
+town has to offer, not what some "cultural authorities" want me to
+see. Like say, this gate where someone wrote "rog închide-mă"[^4]:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-09.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-09-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Also, what do you make of this:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-10.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-10-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Nothing? No? I think it's rather nice. Also, don't you wonder where this
+leads to:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-11.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-11-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Y'know, one thing leads to another, and for all we know we may find a
+[Leyla Black][leyla-black] at the end of the tunnel!
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-12.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-12-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, a street where many people were gathered in groups of twenty-ish,
+doing wedding photo shoots. Yes, precisely like in that
+[other one][gradina-botanica], only this time behind the old fortress
+walls. Anyway, the street led to the following (more interesting, IMHO)
+item:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-13.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-13-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+About ten years ago I had visited this communist-style cofetărie,
+i.e. place where they serve cakes, whose name and exact location I'd
+meanwhile forgotten, but have now found again. This is where ten years
+ago I ate the best éclair in my life, where now I ate the second best
+éclair in my life. Which brings me to the following unresolvable
+question: was my experience ten years ago genuine? Was that indeed the
+best éclair I ever had, or am I just idealizing it? It certainly was the
+most memorable, since I don't remember eating a better one ever since,
+and this second best piece that I had was still orders of magnitude
+shittier than the one I had before it. So, pray tell[^5], have the
+sweets produced by Cofetăria Aroma really gotten shittier this decade,
+or have I just become harder to please? Or maybe both?
+
+And now I can't even say whether this was by coincidence or not, but on
+the train to Sibiu I started rereading bits and pieces of the
+[old blog][bricks], which reminded me of the
+[magical powers of blogging][trilema-overdoing] and got me thinking
+about my old self, and ways in which he was very different from the me I
+know now. So you see, I'm not just idly derping on the
+"[scientific][academic-hogwash]" subject of éclair-based psychoanalysis,
+this is an honest question: what the fuck have I become this decade[^6]?
+
+To sum this up, the rock festival ended at some point and the cattle[^7]
+got back to their own insignificant lives. The Large Square remains
+there, however, with its Brukenthal museum, the cafes and all those
+other fancy places that you should probably see sometime.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-14.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-14-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+[^1]: The town's Romanian name comes from the Latin Cibinium, also given
+ to the river Cibin flowing through and down south into the Olt. Now,
+ what is a cibinium, the reader might ask? Unfortunately I've only a
+ small (quite possibly wrong) idea that Cibinium/Cibiniensis draws
+ from the Latin cibus (food), but other than that, nothing at all.
+
+ The German name can be directly found in historical documents as
+ Hermannstadt, or Villa Hermanni, so no mystery there. Who was
+ Hermann, then? I don't know, but he must have something to do with
+ the so-called Transylvanian Saxons (sași) who colonized the region
+ in 1100 or so.
+
+[^2]: Which reminds me: food and drinks are not purchased with money,
+ you see, but with, wait for it -- beer tokens! a tradition that's
+ been otherwise dead since what, the 19th century? This isn't a
+ fucking casino, yet I have to buy tokens and use them as a currency
+ for getting things, because... why not? I suppose I'm thick like
+ that, so I can't figure why they do this, other than to justify
+ their overly expensive shitbeer and crapfoods. They're the sovereign
+ nation of Artmania now, what.
+
+ So we're pretty clear now that the whole space was designed for
+ cattle, aren't we?
+
+[^3]: And just to be clear, I've only seen those as recordings through
+ some piece of glass, because I'm too young to have lived through the
+ '70s. Unlucky me, I guess.
+
+[^4]: The translation is not straightforward. Well, it may be in this
+ particular context, where it means "please to shut the fucking door
+ bearing this text" -- notice its self-referential nature, by the
+ way? -- but in general "a închide" may mean many things, such as
+ closing, clasping, occluding, sealing and so on and so forth.
+
+ Now then, just so you know, that's what she said.
+
+[^5]: Though if I can't answer this myself, I'm afraid no one else
+ really can.
+
+[^6]: Also while on the train, I realized that this is a subject worthy
+ of further exploration, which might make this an interesting future
+ blog post... or maybe just *a* blog post. Who knows.
+
+ Wait, what do you mean "does Romania have any trains left"? Yes, it
+ still does, at least for the time being. And mind you, if we
+ disregard the fact that each trip took over five hours, which means
+ that circa ten hours and a half of my "stay" were spent
+ travelling... anyway, if we disregard that, the train was always on
+ time. Yes, there are flights over Europe that take less than five
+ hours, including security checks, boarding and other poor-people
+ stuff. Really, take a map and measure the distance from Bucharest to
+ Sibiu by train, via Brașov -- ten hours, you get me? That's just
+ fucking nuts, and the fact that no one in the ministry of transport
+ from 1990 to present day got beheaded (and one of them even became
+ president) is outrageous.
+
+ Bottom line, Romania had multiple windows of opportunity to become a
+ decent country, with infrastructure and all; of which opportunities,
+ most were squandered -- [knowingly][btcbase-1836735], one might be
+ inclined to think. Now then, let's all hear the cries of inept
+ #rezist derps in the public square, because that's all they're able
+ to do. So do me a favour: if you ever meet one of these guys, who
+ think that Romania is that little country that could but was always
+ hindered by powers higher than it, give them a vigorous kick in the
+ nads, one that counts, just to make sure they're not able to
+ reproduce. I'll owe you one.
+
+[^7]: Speaking of which, let me recount a short, sad story from Sibiu.
+
+ I was walking through the large square when I was approached by a
+ small, darker fellow riding a bicycle. Now, I'm born and raised in
+ one of the less pleasant neighbourhoods in Bucharest, so I
+ immediately thought to myself, what, am I gonna have a brawl -- what
+ in Romanian slang might be dubbed a "smardoială" -- on my day off?
+
+ But no, in fact the dude came to tell me that he's looking for a
+ job, and asked me whether I'm willing to hire someone for work in
+ the garden or anything of the sorts. I told him that I'm not from
+ around, so he got back on his bicycle and said plainly: "scuză-mă te
+ rog, îs năcăjit rău", then left immediately, no other words left to
+ be spoken. No-no, *you* go translate that, because I simply can't.
+
+ So now, look at the dwindling demographics of the Sas ethnicity in
+ Romania and tell me, what else do you think could have happened? You
+ can call it Hermannstadt for however long you like, but the fact is,
+ today's Sibiu isn't the same town they had in 1918, is it? Or why
+ else would people go on the streets asking for work, of all places?
+ Do you happen to know the story of the dog tirelessly searching for
+ its master, until its death? Now then, are you going to stop talking
+ to me about equality, please? Because if you aren't, then you and
+ your entitlement to human rights and whatnot are all not worth even
+ half of that poor man's entire existence.
+
+[bricks-music]: http://lucian.mogosanu.ro/bricks/tag/music/
+[music]: /posts/y00/020-on-the-difficulty-of-discussing-musical-works.html
+[leyla-black]: http://trilema.com/2016/what-is-the-leyla-black/
+[gradina-botanica]: /posts/y04/070-bucharest-botanical-garden.html#selection-289.160-289.249
+[bricks]: http://lucian.mogosanu.ro/bricks/
+[trilema-overdoing]: http://trilema.com/2017/i-think-they-might-be-overdoing-it-in-places/#selection-100.0-100.1
+[academic-hogwash]: /posts/y02/045-academic-hogwash.html
+[btcbase-1836735]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-07-20#1836735
--- /dev/null
+---
+postid: 07a
+title: København
+date: August 8, 2018
+author: Lucian Mogoșanu
+tags: in-the-flesh
+---
+
+This is a rather long one, so grab some coffee while you're at it. If
+this is a bitch for you, imagine how much labour it took me to sift
+through two hundred photos and pull out the more interesting ones, while
+making economy of virtual paper. Anyway, we shall commence this journey
+abruptly:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-01.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-01-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, a town with lots of people (and bicycles) in it. It may be hard
+to notice from the photos, but Denmark is a great example of the Western
+world's feminization, or, as some like to call it, the pizdification of
+man: while guys are these skinny little ones dressed in cargo shorts and
+wearing "modern" (ugh) haircuts, many of the females are true valkyries,
+tall, with wide hips, big boobs and arms that could quite easily knock
+me unconscious. That aside, I haven't seen too many
+[mayogendereds][mayogendered], and many of the women I've observed were
+actually beautiful, regardless of their blondeness. And overall I've had
+the unexpected pleasure of meeting pretty helpful and non-obnoxious
+folks, all this despite the fact that the Danes are
+[plainsdwellers][btcbase-1838202], which to be honest I don't know how
+to explain.
+
+So why did I choose Denmark of all places, you ask? Well, some guy once
+said that something's rotten there, so I decided to check it out for
+myself. Besides, the weather is *supposedly* not hot at all in Northern
+Europe this time of year, only not really, because at the TV they said
+the globe's warming. What can you do, life goes on. Also, I guess this
+is somewhat of a continuation to the old [Sweden log][suedia].
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-02.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-02-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Pictured above, Copenhagen's central train station. Unlike
+[Romania][sibiu], the trains here work. Below, a shot from the main hall
+in the Copenhagen National Museum:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-03.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-03-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Yes, I was in Copenhagen as a tourist, which means I got to see mostly
+touristic stuff, which in itself is quite boring. Fortunately these
+northeners also put interesting objects on display, such as this one:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-04.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-04-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Can you tell what this is? And how it works? Oh, did the description
+give it away? You see, this is one of the simpler feats of engineering,
+and if you're going to tell me that you can hold together
+[software][software-engineering] that's more complex than that, then I'm
+gonna find you and pour some salty software on your
+[open sores][open-sores]. Anyway, moving on; below, more
+state-of-the-art engineering:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-05.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-05-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-06.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-06-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-07.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-07-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-08.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-08-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, a lathe. Below, various objects of interest, among which: a
+typewriter, a telephone, a pick-up player and a "magnetofon". I actually
+used to have a very similar item as a kid, I even used it to load games
+for my [HC][balls-clean].
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-09.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-09-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-10.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-10-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Below, someone is trying to give us a hand.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-11.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-11-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-12.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-12-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, an accurate representation of Microsoft Windows. Below, a look at
+the future:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-13.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-13-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Not too much there to be seen, is there? Amazing, what can I say, all
+this progress leading us approximately nowhere. Anyway, below lies a
+photo of the castle where the Danes hold their family treasure:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-14.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-14-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+It was closed, so we all moved on to a place where they have this huge
+amount of undrinkable water, and we all know that the undrinkable
+water-museum never closes.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-15.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-15-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+This might be a good time to add that Copenhagen is a town that actually
+has [birds][btcbase-1837125], mostly ducks and seagulls. And yes, having
+an opening to the sea definitely helps.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-16.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-16-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, a place with much beer. One might be inclined to think that
+there's not much to see at a beer museum, with the notable exception of
+beer. The guide at the historical tour however gave a very good account
+of the Danes' and the Jacobsens' journey into the trade, spiced with
+other stuff along the way. For some reason he was impressed that I'd
+heard of Andersen and Kierkegaard, which I suppose says a lot about the
+people visiting that museum.
+
+Well, it's not like we don't know that the place was full of orcs until
+recently, so we can suspect the same holds true today to some
+degree. Back until the nineteenth century, the Danes had no way of
+getting drinkable water, so they drank some kind of swill which they
+called beer, which yes, they also gave to their children -- and yes,
+probably even today's modern bottled crapbeer tastes good by
+comparison. Overall, not much has changed, so...
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-17.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-17-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above: immortalized pussy. Below: another look at the castle with the
+family jewelry, followed by a peek at Copenhagen's Nyhavn, that is,
+literally, the new harbour.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-18.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-18-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-19.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-19-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Nowadays the place hosts mainly yachts and piers with cafes and italian
+restaurants[^1]. Also, y'know:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-20.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-20-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-21.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-21-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-22.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-22-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Above, a seagull and I were taking a look at Kronborg -- seriously, I
+think by now I can almost get the pronunciation right -- the famous
+Shakespearian castle in Helsingør. More views from the castle below.
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-23.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-23-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-24.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-24-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-25.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-25-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-26.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-26-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-27.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-27-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+The goofball above was doing a Yorick. They were actually doing the
+entire Hamlet play throughout the castle, and while I don't think it was
+particularly good, it didn't come through as particularly bad
+either. Here's a young dude doing Hamlet for example:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-28.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-28-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+To be, or not to be -- is that really the question, or is it just a
+tautology used by the author to mess with your brains? Anyway, not much
+to add about long-putrefied-and-turned-to-dust Danes here. Instead,
+let's take a look at some old-fashioned Viking shibari:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-29.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-29-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+and some boats engineered by ear:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-30.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-30-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-31.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-31-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+and some swords:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-32.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-32-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-33.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-33-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+In the picture above, the guy was doing a public demo, cutting what
+seems to be a pork loin (bone included) using a Viking blade. Though
+y'know, there's no such thing as a Viking blade; they were all imported,
+given that the Vikings had neither the tech nor the materials to craft
+their own.
+
+Otherwise, Roskilde -- I can almost pronounce this one as well -- looks
+like a very neat little town where there's otherwise probably not much
+going on when they don't host the rock festival. It kinda reminds me of
+[Sibiu][sibiu-2], now that I look at it.
+
+We conclude with a view from a bridge down in Copenhagen:
+
+<a href="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-34.jpg"> <img align="middle"
+class="thumb" src="/uploads/2018/08/copenhagen-34-thumb.jpg"> </a>
+
+Seeing how it all looks so nice and sweet from this touristic side, the
+reader might wonder about the other view of Copenhagen (and maybe
+Denmark as a whole). Walking through town at four in the morning, the
+population was slightly different. Aside from the drunkards and the
+bicyclers[^2], one could easily notice the (mostly black) whores doing
+their job along with the (mostly white and Asian) pimps. The train
+station looked deserted at that hour, except for some gay junkies[^3]
+expressing their affection to each other in public.
+
+But wait, that's not all. In one particular place one could barely help
+but notice a group of four dudes, of which one a massive Motumbo wearing
+a pink hat, all of them talking loudly, ready to stir up some
+trouble. Contrast this with the three sex-and-the-city Swedish valkyries
+sitting on the other side of the train, any of whom would readily submit
+to said Motumbo with all holes open. Meaning that yes, if you're a
+northener -- or just an overeducated [European][eu] shithead, for that
+matter -- you and your shiny museum-objects should feel very afraid of
+Motumbo, because this guy and his insufferable orcishness are very
+probably your future.
+
+[^1]: I had a pretty cheap and good pizza at the Venezia restaurant
+ there. What, I'm not into fish and whatever the Danes
+ prefer... though I guess I had a decent fresh salmon a day later,
+ somewhere else.
+
+[^2]: Speaking of which: I managed to ride the bicycle through
+ Copenhagen without breaking any bones. The streets are remarkably
+ well designed for that purpose, so the riders don't get in either
+ the walkers' nor the drivers' way, which looks precisely the way
+ it's supposed to work. And what can I say, I absolutely hate riding
+ bicycles through town.
+
+[^3]: Not that there's anything wrong with any of these; of course, of
+ course.
+
+[mayogendered]: http://trilema.com/republican-thesaurus/#selection-159.0-161.0
+[btcbase-1838202]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-07-29#1838202
+[suedia]: http://lucian.mogosanu.ro/bricks/jurnal-de-calatorie-suedia/
+[sibiu]: /posts/y05/079-hermannstadt.html#selection-341.0-341.573
+[software-engineering]: /posts/y02/03c-the-myth-of-software-engineering.html
+[open-sores]: http://btcbase.org/log-search?q=open+sores
+[balls-clean]: /posts/y01/035-with-our-balls-clean.html
+[btcbase-1837125]: http://btcbase.org/log/2018-07-22#1837125
+[sibiu-2]: /posts/y05/079-hermannstadt.html
+[eu]: /posts/y04/065-eu-at-the-end.html
projects / thetarpit.git / commitdiff
