Okay, I get it. My spelling and grammar skills have decayed since I started programming. You [the brats at Lunaescence] can stop citing me as the reason why your stories should be allowed in with or without spelling mistakes.

From here on out, I’m back behind the scenes over at Lunaescence. I’ve revoked my own account’s validation so my stories have to be approved just like everyone else’s.

Sorry if this sounds pissy, but the attitude-filled e-mail responses have gotten really old.

Okay, I feel really good! =) I just made my first captcha script! (Well, to be fair, I just completed a tutorial that took me step-by-step to make it.)

It needs some serious tweaking, because I have trouble reading some of the strings it produces. I wonder if there’s a way to put like little onigiri or other Japanese-cartoony type icons behind the text and make it a font that isn’t so HUGE. (400kb)

This is called a “captcha script.” It’s a little visual confirmation code that forces someone to input what they see before they’ll be allowed to register etc. Now that I have it creating the code and the matching image, all I have to do is have the archive compare the answer which is stored in a session (meaning, it becomes outdated fairly quickly) with what the person wrote.

The idea is to stop spammers from using a computer program (a “bot”) from registering on a web site.

It’s not foolproof, some programs can read it, plus they can always register manually. It also keeps the visually impaired from registering and may be too difficult for regular folks too.

Anyway, just had to share my little success. Sadly, I must now go back to my (real) homework.

*salutes*

Blah, wide awake. It’s a bad sign when you end up in a screaming match with a damned cat, but Echo has somehow managed it. For no apparent reason, she started freaking out. Spitting, snarling, growling, even lashing at anyone that came too close to her. I ended up loosing my temper and chased her around the house with a yard stick. (Yeah, I’m real mature…)

Anyway, I found something drool-worthy. O_o I want to play this this! Badly.

The screenshots are absolutely amazing. The degree of customization is insane. This is just sick.

Okay, it suddenly occured to me that I’ve had my bag of Darjeeling tea a whole month and hadn’t tried it yet. ^^;

They’re changing out the water mains near where I live, so we’re on a boil water notice anyway. What better way to make the most of all that boiling than to make myself piss like a racehorse brew gallons of tea.

It’s got an interesting flavor. It’s clearly a black tea, but the stuff I have has almost a floral taste to it. It’s nice and bold too. (yum!)

I think I have a second favorite. =) Of course, my favorite is still my Kukicha Hatsukura. So much tea, so little time.

Anyroad, spending more time on my dictionary. I hate leaving the main page in a lurch like this, but I’m not going to fiddle around with the code any further until the new version comes out.

I’m in an odd position where I can tell my dictionary is getting decent usage, lots of people are using it, searching through it, and linking to it when they need to define something. Usage ranges from anime sites, blogs, and a few gaming sites. Heck, I’m even getting hits from a few colleges who are linking to me as a cultural resource. (Though I have to call my own authority into question here…) But I’ll be damned if I know what to do with the thing. I had no intention of making it into a Japanese <-> English dictionary, but I’ve added 50+ words I’ve picked out of my Naruto fansubs.

As bent out of shape as I get about not getting feedback for the main site, I get absolutely nothing out of the dictionary. I received my first e-mail about it in three years day before last (sent through the library *sigh*), when someone e-mailed me about my definition of yuri. They insist I have to include that it also means beauty, claiming that their Japanese teacher told it meant that. Their inclusion of their teacher’s name doesn’t mean much to me; but, some kanji I could print out and take to Yoshiko’s when she gets back (or e-mail to Ook) would have been better.

The ‘tone’ of the e-mail annoyed me enough that I deleted both his original message and his reply, even though they’re still sitting in my trash folder. And this brings me to the real point of this post. I beg and plead for help almost every update. Yet when someone tries to offer me some feedback I get annoyed.

Heh.

Was it because it was sent through the wrong form? I run the damned dictionary, but I spent nearly a half hour trying to find where I’d explained what yuri was on the library. -_-;; Of course, I also have my dictionary form set up so it preceeds every e-mail with “DICTIONARY — {subject}”.

Was it the tone? I don’t mind someone telling me they study Japanese, but this guy tried to explain his credentials in his second reply — even going as far as to give his teacher’s name. The actual content of both e-mails after that was a single sentence. It felt almost arrogant to me.

Or am I the one being arrogant?

I don’t know. I checked my Japanese <-> English dictionaries and all I found was yuri (alone) meaning lily and that it was a girl’s name. So, I e-mailed Ook. (*super glomps!* Thanks!)

Maybe it’s time I just remove the contact form…

Why do finals have to absolutely kill you? I BOMBED my programming final. Absotively, posilutely bombed. Q_Q

I swear, I’ve studied my ass off and I still bombed it. 90 questions right out of 165. I think that with this next round of textbook sales I’m going to burn a little money and get a bunch of used programming books so maybe I can figure out where I went wrong.

At any rate, that isn’t the reason for my rant. (While it’s a perfectly good reason, it’s not the reason aside from contributing to my already crabby mood.) Yes, it’s another “I want feedback, damnit” emo rant.

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