iTunes is one of OS X's "killer apps" And one would think it would "just work." Not so. One of the most trivial things to expect from an audio player is that when you load a playlist it will play those files, and only those files, in order. However when I download an m3u, itunes opens up and it puts the contents into the "Library" with every other music file I've ever played. What's more, is that it intercalates the songs in the playlist amongst the other files with no regard for the order in the .m3u. In order to play a .m3u playlist in order I must download the m3u, create a new playlist, then drag the m3u onto itunes. And then I STILL have to click the bar on top to get them to sort properly. Does this "just work"? I think not.

I've started a blog containing advice for people who just want to use their computers, and for people who build their own systems but aren't programmers.

It's at http://besphere.blogspot.com right now.

As a followup to my own post, here is the correct Silicon full recipe

Preparing "Silly Putty", a silicone polymer (a methyl silicone, polydimethylsiloxane), via the hydrolysis of dichlorodimethylsilane with simple lab tools.

This silicone, which contains residual hydroxyl groups, will be cross-linked using boric acid (B(OH)3). This trifunctional acid forms -Si-O-Blinkages resulting in a peculiar type of gum. The commercial "bouncing putty" found in novelty stores is a silicon polymer with softening agents, fillers and coloring agents added. The actual full list of Silly Putty ingredients with colorants and softening agents is :

-- 65% dimethyl siloxane, hydroxy-terminated polymers with boric acid
-- 17% silica, quartz crystalline
-- 9% thixotrol ST
-- 4% polydimethylsiloxane
-- 1% decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane
-- ~1% glycerine
-- ~1% titanium dioxide

                This putty recipe is similar and equally pleasing:

Day 1: This reaction must be carried out in a fume hood.

Wear gloves to measure 20 mL of Si(CH3)2Cl (MW = 129.06, density = 1.064 g/mL) in a dry graduated cylinder. Rapidly transfer to a dry 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask equipped with a rubber stopper. Si(CH3)2Cl2 reacts rapidly with moisture to produce HCl gas so make the transfer swiftly. To this add 40 mL of diethylether and hydrolyze by adding 40 mL of H2O dropwise. HCl gas is evolved in this hydrolysis step.

The addition must be made slowly at the beginning of the reaction or too vigorous an evolution of the HCl will occur. The ether component will be warmed up to its boiling temperature if H2O is added too quickly. It is a good idea to have an ice-bath ready to cool down the reaction flask if the hydrolysis becomes too exothermic. The first 10 mL addition of water is very vigorous but less so afterwards. After this initial quantity, you may increase the rate of addition. The product has a very strong odor; be sure to do this in a fumehood!

Separate the ether layer at the completion of the hydrolysis step by pouring the mixture into your 250 mL separatory funnel. Wash the ether layer 3 times with 100 mL (for each wash) of 1 M Na2CO3.

This step is done to neutralize any residual acid remaining in the wet ether solution. Vigorous evolution of CO2 gas is observed at this stage as the neutralization proceeds. Add 10 mL more of diethylether to the flask after the first wash. Finally, perform on additional wash with 100 mL of water. Dry the ether solution over anhydrous magnesium sulfate in a stoppered Erlenmeyer flask, which you let rest for step two.

Day 2:

Decant the ether solution, filtering off any magnesium sulfate, into a pre-weighed 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask and evaporate off the ether using a water bath - not a hot plate. Note the yield of the dimethylsilicone oil (you should have approximately 9.5 g of material).

Add about 5% (by weight) boric acid (about 0.48 g for a yield of 9.5 g of oil), stirring continuously during the addition and for a few minutes after. This will cause the oil to become very viscous.

Heat the mixture to about 170-180 C in an oil bath and leave at this temperature for 2-3 hours. Allow to cool and remove the product from the flask by scraping it out with a spatula. If the gum is somewhat brittle, continued kneading will produce the desired gum-like characteristic. Once the gum has been removed, clean your Erlenmeyer flask with methanol.

Perform and report on the following tests:

(1) When rolled into a ball, does your product give a lively bounce on a hard surface?

(2) Does pulling sharply cause the gum to cleave?

(3) Does pulling slowly result in a stretching reminiscent of chewing gum?

(4) Does your product flow into a flat plate when placed on a flat surface?

(5) Is print transferred to the gum when test (4) is conducted on a flat newspaper?

General References

1. J. E. Mark, H. R. Allcock, R. West, Inorganic Polymers, Prentice Hall, Chapter 3, 1992.

2. D. F. Shriver, P. W. Atkins, C. H. Langford, Inorganic Chemistry, pp. 438-446, 2nd Edn, 1994.

3. F. O. Stark, J. R. Falender, A. P. Wright, "Silicones" in Comprehensive Organometallic

Chemistry, G. Wilkinson, F. G. A. Sone, E. W. Ebel Eds., Pergamon Press, Vol 2, Chapter 9.3, p.305, 1982.

'cause I mean really, when the hell else am I ever gonna write that? :D

So, I looked into friends and foes and whatnot today, for the first time. Much to my surprise, I have fans, and even a foe. I have no idea who he is, though the name rings a bell; kinda wish I knew why he hated me. Heh.

So I'm bored, right? That's why I'm writing in my SlashDot journal? I got completely the wrong idea of a project as my first project at this new job that I've got. So today it has to be done, and earlier they told me that DataTac, which we don't have seriously any documentation for whatsoever, apparently has this disgusting paucity of upstream. And I'm feeling stupid because I read the motorola docs about the thing, and it said best of class data transfer, and somehow it never occurred to me to look at the dates in the publication.

I'm having to start over. :D It's 6:43 and I need to replicate a low-bandwidth IRCish chat system and client before I go home.

Time to read Slashdot. (sigh)

Really, I need to let my mind congeal a bit. But this'll be cool. I can do this. I'm invincible. Read some slashdot, let the back of my head work on the problem for a second. Start wondering about my fans, too. What the hell came flooding turdlike out of my mouth that they apparently liked? I do two things here: I rant on a few topics that I know better than the average bear (emphasis on the word few,) and I make fun of people because of bad argument and bad grammar, which usually elicits more of both.

(Actually, I think I had someone stalking me for a little bit. Tres paranoid, I know, but still, I had the same kind of bizarre halfspeak, very heavy on sexual preference jokes and high-and-mighty-ism, following me around as an anonymous coward on anything I said for a few days. Seems to be gone. Maybe it's the citronella.)

But, I donno. It's cool. I like working here. The people are laid back and can laugh, everyone's making enough money so there's no getting-by stress, and they're okay with me screwing around for ten minutes every so often while I work on a problem.

They understand nerds.

So, this week I've been called an arrogent fucktard, a condesending bastard, and a jackass. I'm not a fucktard. The rest... well, great work, sherlock. Do I look insulted?

Enough ranting. I'm still not funny. I'm starting to think that KFC gets me high; I have a buzz and all I've really done today were some crispy strips. (In a needle.)

Have fun, kids, and maybe I'll write something else in a year or two.