2022-09-10 02:55:21 <KipIngram   > REALLY?  That's interesting - I always found them obtuse.
2022-09-10 02:56:10 <KipIngram   > Great price point, though.
2022-09-10 09:11:34 <MrMobius    > depends on what you mean by PIC. the 8 bit ones are pretty weird from what i can tell. the pic32 is MIPS which is really slick and confusingly they just started making pic32 with ARM but didnt change the name
2022-09-10 09:26:54 <gordonjcp   > they had 12 and 14 bit PICs
2022-09-10 09:27:14 <gordonjcp   > I wish they'd just done a MIPS core that you could treat as a general-purpose inexpensive MIPS CPU
2022-09-10 09:41:48 <MrMobius    > thats confusing too. pic12 is an 8 bit chip with 12 bit wide memory, pic16 is also an 8 bit chip despite the name and pic24 is a 16 bit chip :/
2022-09-10 09:51:32 <thrig       > "it takes a computer to really foul things up"
2022-09-10 10:03:08 <MrMobius    > speaking of forth with assembly macros, im embedding forth blocks in assembly files and using python to convert them to assembly
2022-09-10 10:04:54 <MrMobius    > the weird part is accessing a label defined in assembly from forth since the label value is unknown before assembling so i use a table to refer to the values by index and let the assembler fill the values into the table
2022-09-10 10:06:30 <MrMobius    > the tricky thing is when you need to do a calculation on the label to get an address past the beginning. generally you would do it in a [ ] block which i cant do here
2022-09-10 10:07:27 <MrMobius    > i just figured out if i do the calculation without any spaces, the system will stick it in the table like any other label since forth thinks its one thing
2022-09-10 10:08:45 <MrMobius    > so instead of [ FOO OFFSET + ] LIT where FOO isnt known until assembly time, I can do FOO+OFFSET in the forth code which gets plugged into the assembly file and calculated. pretty neat
2022-09-10 10:10:44 <dave0       > i wrote my first assembler in c which only has simple numbers and labels .. i don't know enough about parsing to make expressions :-(
2022-09-10 10:12:20 <dave0       > it did work! but if you wanted to use something like    label+5    you'd have to make separate instructions    lod label  add 5
2022-09-10 10:16:14 <MrMobius    > i made an assembler using state machine tables. it made things remarkably easy
2022-09-10 10:18:36 <MrMobius    > if you can get as far as splitting it into ["label", "+", "5"] and classifying it into ["symbol", "op", "number"] you can just make a list of valid states like you can go from op to number or op to symbol but never op to op or symbol to number
2022-09-10 10:19:12 <MrMobius    > works for syntax checking, parentheses and recognizing convoluted addressing modes. you make the tables in a spreadsheet and copy and paste into your source code
2022-09-10 10:19:53 <eris[m]123  > huh
2022-09-10 10:31:08 <MrMobius    > like if you had a spreadsheet showing each transition possible for symbols, ops, and numbers you could fill in a 3x4 table showing the result of going from one state (those three plus "none" for the state before parsing begins) to any of the other 3 states
2022-09-10 10:32:26 <MrMobius    > so if your state is "none" when you begin parsing, you look at the next item type which is "symbol" then look up in the table the result of going from state "none" to state "symbol". the result is "symbol"
2022-09-10 10:32:49 <MrMobius    > next iteration look at the transition from the current state "symbol" to the next state "op" which is "op"
2022-09-10 10:33:56 <MrMobius    > if you had something like "label+/5" then you would go from state "op" for + to state "op" for the / and the next state would be "error"
2022-09-10 10:36:52 <MrMobius    > works for recognizing addressing modes too: https://bit.ly/3QAAS05
2022-09-10 14:43:08 <KipIngram   > Texas is leading Alabama by a field goal at the end of the third.
2022-09-10 14:43:30 <KipIngram   > I live for anyone beating Alabama - and when Texas does it it's the best; my alma mater.
2022-09-10 14:43:53 <KipIngram   > So my fingers are crossed.  But I'm holding my breath - Alabama's hard to take out.
2022-09-10 14:45:02 <thrig       > orbital nukes could get the job done
2022-09-10 15:10:10 <KipIngram   > :-)  Problem is I have family still living in Alabama.  Grew up there.
2022-09-10 15:10:16 <KipIngram   > But grew up an Auburn fan.
2022-09-10 15:10:26 <KipIngram   > That's a hard thing to be, by the way.
2022-09-10 15:27:22 <KipIngram   > Jesus - it was 17-16 Bama, but Texas just kicked a 49 yard field goal.
2022-09-10 15:27:31 <KipIngram   > 19-16 Texas, with 1:29 left.
2022-09-10 15:27:59 <KipIngram   > Bama had the ball deep in Texas territory, got a 4th down situation, and WENT FOR IT AND FAIEd.
2022-09-10 15:28:03 <KipIngram   > failed
2022-09-10 15:28:13 <KipIngram   > They should have kicked a field goal - I don't know what the coach was thinking.
2022-09-10 15:28:19 <KipIngram   > It would be 20-19 now if they'd done that.
2022-09-10 15:28:26 <KipIngram   > I bet he catches hell if Texas goes on to win.
2022-09-10 15:30:11 <KipIngram   > Damn it all.
2022-09-10 15:35:22 <KipIngram   > It's as good as over.  Fuck that.  20-19, 10 seconds left.
2022-09-10 15:35:35 <KipIngram   > Fuck it, fuck it, fuck it.  :-(
2022-09-10 15:42:43 <KipIngram   > don't know why I do this to myself.  I wasn't even thinking about it until my wife, who's visiting family in San Antonio with her mom this weekend, started relaying game events on chat.
2022-09-10 15:42:49 <KipIngram   > I let myself hope.
2022-09-10 15:43:03 <KipIngram   > As though it means a damn thing.
2022-09-10 15:43:37 <KipIngram   > I try to ignore it all, because Alabama almost always wins.  But it's hard not to get drawn in a little when it looks like someone's going to beat them.
2022-09-10 15:43:54 <KipIngram   > Because they FUCKING DESERVE TO GET BEATEN.
2022-09-10 15:44:19 <KipIngram   > Most folks in Alabama walk around like they're God's team or something.
2022-09-10 15:44:23 <KipIngram   > It's sickening.
2022-09-10 15:45:47 <KipIngram   > I don't really CARE about the whole thing, except I do love to see those people have to eat a little crow now and then.
2022-09-10 15:55:41 <gordonjcp   > is this that pretend rugby thing that Americans have? ;-)
2022-09-10 15:56:05 <thrig       > it's not australian football, no
2022-09-10 16:01:16 <gordonjcp   > think my son is going to start rugby for his school next year, he's shaping up into a pretty good prop forward
2022-09-10 16:01:38 <gordonjcp   > his mum is quite adamant that he's not getting to play shinty :-/
2022-09-10 16:10:36 <KipIngram   > Yes, it's our pretend rugby.
2022-09-10 16:10:57 <KipIngram   > I think there should be a draft system at the college level.
2022-09-10 16:11:07 <KipIngram   > Of course, kids should choose what college they want to go to.
2022-09-10 16:11:31 <KipIngram   > but IF they want to play college footbal, they should have to choose a school that they're qualified for under the draft system.
2022-09-10 16:12:10 <KipIngram   > The damn thing becomes a self-perpetuating dynasty thing, because all the kids who show remarkable talent at football in high school want to go to Alabama, because they think it will give them the best "showcase" for their pro ball hopes.
2022-09-10 16:12:19 <KipIngram   > So the imbalance just lives on and on.
2022-09-10 16:12:52 <KipIngram   > I can't BLAME them; it's a sensible strategy.  But it shouldn't be allowed.
2022-09-10 16:13:25 <thrig       > then inertia and good luck rocking that boat
2022-09-10 16:13:42 <KipIngram   > Oh yeah - all any of the powers that be care about is that it's a damn money machine.
2022-09-10 16:20:31 <KipIngram   > But we really have largely solved the problem in the pro league - just look at who's won the Superbowl over the years, and you see a very respectable amount of turnover.
2022-09-10 16:20:45 <KipIngram   > Dynasties are usually just a few years, and then the corrections "take."
2022-09-10 16:21:11 <KipIngram   > Someone did some good thinking on that.
2022-09-10 16:22:18 <KipIngram   > College sports, though, have just gotten all out of the proportion that they were originally.  Originally they were actually just "sideline activities" people participated in while purusing an education.
2022-09-10 16:22:29 <KipIngram   > but that's now what they are anymore - they're an "industry."
2022-09-10 16:22:50 <KipIngram   > Howard Cosell saw it coming - he once said that money was going to be the ruination of college athletics.
2022-09-10 16:23:49 <gordonjcp   > KipIngram: there as everywhere
2022-09-10 16:23:54 <KipIngram   > Yes.
2022-09-10 16:24:02 <gordonjcp   > see how much money you can screw out of a thing and then move on
2022-09-10 16:24:17 <KipIngram   > Really it's just another facet of corporate domination.
2022-09-10 16:24:22 <gordonjcp   > I won't watch football, like Premier League or whatever
2022-09-10 16:24:26 <KipIngram   > In the same category at least.
2022-09-10 16:24:35 <gordonjcp   > I mean, I've got less than zero interest in football
2022-09-10 16:24:36 <KipIngram   > I really hardly ever do either.
2022-09-10 16:24:51 <KipIngram   > Like I said earlier, I just get roped in when I sense a chance to see Bama stepped on.
2022-09-10 16:24:59 <KipIngram   > Because THAT is fun to me.
2022-09-10 16:25:02 <gordonjcp   > I think it's hilarious that women's football is getting a lot of love right now because of England winning the World Cup
2022-09-10 16:25:20 <gordonjcp   > <hipster> I was watching it before it was cool </hipster>
2022-09-10 16:25:42 <gordonjcp   > a bit over 20 years ago I was one of a group of people working on early video streaming technology
2022-09-10 16:25:55 <gordonjcp   > our first "big gig" was streaming Scottish Women's Football matches
2022-09-10 16:26:22 <gordonjcp   > I know that somewhere, haven't found 'em yet, somewhere I have a big box of DVCAM tapes of matches from the 2000-2001 season
2022-09-10 16:26:28 <KipIngram   > Heh.  That was country music in the US back in the late 70's early 80's or so.  There's even a song that came out during that era that's *called* "I was Country When Country wasn't Cool."
2022-09-10 16:26:36 <gordonjcp   > :-)
2022-09-10 16:26:38 <KipIngram   > all of a sudden it was just a big rage.
2022-09-10 16:26:44 <gordonjcp   > I like a bit of country music
2022-09-10 16:26:48 <gordonjcp   > grew up listening to it
2022-09-10 16:26:52 <gordonjcp   > huge in Scotland, absolutely massive
2022-09-10 16:27:00 <KipIngram   > Some of it can be good, and the older stuff particularly, for me.
2022-09-10 16:27:07 <gordonjcp   > learn six country songs on the guitar and you'll drink for free in damn near any pub
2022-09-10 16:27:09 <KipIngram   > Hank Williams, Patsy Cline.
2022-09-10 16:27:23 <gordonjcp   > love a bit of Patsy Cline, my dad was a huge fan of hers
2022-09-10 16:27:33 <KipIngram   > Hank Williams grew up in the same neck of the wooDs in Alabama as my mom.
2022-09-10 16:27:42 <KipIngram   > She heard stories about him getting into bar fights.
2022-09-10 16:28:01 <gordonjcp   > can't say I'm surprised
2022-09-10 16:29:18 <KipIngram   > I listened to a fair bit of country when I was a kid, but later moved on to classic rock.
2022-09-10 16:29:57 <KipIngram   > I'm pretty good with anything from Beatles era through the 1980's.
2022-09-10 16:30:08 <gordonjcp   > if you want to put something very strange into your brain, listen to Kinky Friedman and read his mystery novels
2022-09-10 16:30:31 <gordonjcp   > Jewish country and western singer turnd private detective
2022-09-10 16:30:32 <KipIngram   > Wait - he's made music and novels?
2022-09-10 16:30:35 <gordonjcp   > yup
2022-09-10 16:30:42 <gordonjcp   > he really is a country singer
2022-09-10 16:30:43 <KipIngram   > That's fascinating - I'll have to try that out.
2022-09-10 16:30:55 <gordonjcp   > he might really also be a private detective, who knows
2022-09-10 16:31:00 <gordonjcp   > wouldn't put it past him
2022-09-10 16:31:33 <KipIngram   > 
ACTION is gonna look into it.

2022-09-10 16:31:42 <KipIngram   > Need something to do with my wife out of town.
2022-09-10 16:32:15 <KipIngram   > They said at work yesterday they'd need some stuff from me, and I've kept my work computer open on Slack, but I haven't heard much.
2022-09-10 16:32:30 <KipIngram   > They may have hit a snag.  There's a performance degradation in play at the moment.
2022-09-10 16:32:43 <KipIngram   > Or at least suspected.
2022-09-10 16:32:59 <KipIngram   > There's always a big discussion of whether such things are "drive related" or "system related."
2022-09-10 16:33:17 <KipIngram   > I do drive testing, and I didn't see a whiff of it in my initial pass over this version.
2022-09-10 16:33:23 <KipIngram   > Things looked slightly improved, in fact.
2022-09-10 16:33:45 <KipIngram   > So if it does turn out to be a drive issue, then my test isn't good enough and I'll have to figure out how to improve it.
2022-09-10 16:33:58 <gordonjcp   > I got a quick call from my boss's boss on Friday just there, "hi uh I know you're not on call but can you keep your phone on this week just in case please?"
2022-09-10 16:34:26 <KipIngram   > Yeah - that's sort of like this, except there is an overt known issue here.
2022-09-10 16:34:30 <gordonjcp   > yeah
2022-09-10 16:35:08 <KipIngram   > I don't mind - I haven't really "gone in" to speak of since early 2020, so I'm fine giving a little extra when they need it.
2022-09-10 16:35:16 <KipIngram   > It's been a pretty relaxed couple of years.
2022-09-10 16:35:18 <gordonjcp   > I work for the emergency services, and I'm the only "proper" engineer in the north-east corner of Scotland at the moment
2022-09-10 16:35:21 <gordonjcp   > you know
2022-09-10 16:35:24 <gordonjcp   > the bit with Balmoral in it
2022-09-10 16:35:35 <KipIngram   > Oh, yeah, I can see why they'd want to know how to get you.
2022-09-10 16:36:08 <gordonjcp   > nothing's going to happen but if leaving my phone on makes people less nervous, I'll do that
2022-09-10 16:36:17 <gordonjcp   > plus I get three hours at double time if it rings for *any* reason
2022-09-10 16:36:45 <gordonjcp   > "Hello? No, it doesn't need that, you can ignore it. No worries, have a good 'un" <click>
2022-09-10 16:36:51 <gordonjcp   > three hours at double ching
2022-09-10 16:37:02 <gordonjcp   > so, yeah, sure I'll keep my phone on
2022-09-10 16:41:50 <KipIngram   > Yeah.
2022-09-10 16:42:24 <KipIngram   > I used to be "somewhat singular" in my work.  Small pond, but still.  Then IBm bought the little company I was working for, and now I'm a little fish again.  :-)
2022-09-10 16:42:55 <gordonjcp   > heh
2022-09-10 16:42:59 <KipIngram   > Pretty sure they did the right thing - I don't think my "temperament" is really right for being a big fish in IBM.
2022-09-10 16:43:10 <KipIngram   > They have a way of doing things that doesn't resonate with me.
2022-09-10 16:43:28 <gordonjcp   > I worked in their EPOS kit helpdesk for a while in the mid-2000s
2022-09-10 16:44:01 <KipIngram   > I did a year of student work with them back in the 1980's, then got bought again in 2012.
2022-09-10 16:45:04 <KipIngram   > Pretty much everything else I ever did was either small or "medium" company work.
2022-09-10 16:45:18 <KipIngram   > But I expect I'll just ride this pony on into retirement.
2022-09-10 16:45:22 <KipIngram   > Not that long to go.
2022-09-10 16:46:03 <KipIngram   > 5, 6, maybe 7 years.  Depends on when I decide to punch out.