News Of A Sort

My dear readers, I am dreadfully sorry for being sort of distant. Besides the usual triviality every week, I haven't really discussed much this past month. For that, I am sorry.

To begin, I've been reading. I've read Frankenstein (for the third time, I'm reading it for my Inglishe class now, and yes, Inglishe is spelled that way for me, because Sir Walter Raleigh spelled it that way in a death confession, or something or other.). I've also read Dracula, because I'd never read it before. Very disturbing and very good. An excellent work. And now, I am reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, pere (basically a French title which means "dad" which distinguishes him from his son, another well-known writer.) It's 1055 pages long! And so far, two days and 506 pages in, it does not disappoint, apart from a small boring sojourn entitled "Pyramus and Thisbe", a little chapter that is just too flowery.

So why am I saying all this? Why am I rambling awkwardly about life? Well, readers - I'm going on vacation for the next week, and I am considering writing an epistolary story on the experience. I know I'm bad at posting stories online aside from the odd excerpt every few months or so, but maybe I'll be better at revealing this time.

There may or may not be a Triviality next week - for sure Country Facts will be reserved for its revealing in two weeks, on August 3rd. I'm sorry about that, but the countries I want to start the column off are rather obscure for the Internet and my encyclopedias, sorry. :( As to Triviality, I may write a column tomorrow before leaving, and post it on Tuesday if my laptop gets Internet access.

This is just a heads up. Before I sign off for a week, I put forward this challenge to my readers: a game of sorts. I may continue it, sort of as a points game, we'll see. I will post some song lyrics. The first person to comment with the correct song is the winner of the round, with some 10 points. Anyone else who posts (maybe with a semi-correct answer or something) will get 5 points. Let's see how this goes!

Sing with me, sing for the year, sing for the laughter, sing for my tears...

To the next!
-Rob

Country Facts - A New Column!

So up to now I've only had my weekly Trivia column where I talk about obscure stuff you didn't want to know anyways. Link here.

But inspired by yesterday (happy Independence day, 'Merica!) I will have a new column, every Thursday (or Friday - not sure) where I will take 10 or so countries, out of the 197 that there are, and give random facts for each of them!

Extra, extra, read all about it!

Of course there are lots of different ways to classify a country, and there are lots of countries out there that other countries don't recognize and vice versa. So what does a nation have to do to be a considered a country by me? Not much. I just follow the Sporcle method.

In case you don't wanna read that, it's simple. The 195 nations of the United Nations, plus Vatican City, because it's a nation and everyone respects it as such, and Palestine. Because Palestine has the exact same status that Vatican has, namely non-member overseer. So it's kind of like a junior state that watches the grown-up states? No, that sounds too awkward - oh well.

So, 197 facts, for each of the 197 nations. (But you did Switzerland already, Rob!) Oh, yeah, then, um, I'll skip Switzerland. They're neutral, so they won't fight. But then I'll feel guilty. They begin with an 'S'...when I get to them in alphabetical order I'll deal with them.

For my foreign visitors - if you want to submit facts for your country, please do! (But I want really obscure stuff that I don't know. Not like, "______ is the largest country in the Southern Hemisphere". Give me stuff about culture, languages, some weird odd law in your constitution, misconceptions, OBSCURE STUFF(a big one here at InfiniteMind) and more. Post them in comments to here or any country column I make.

I was gonna do it in alphabetical order but that's boring. I have a box where I'll put all 197 nations inside (I wish I could say this literally but I don't think they'd all fit inside). Their names. I will select 9 or 10 or 11 countries every week for the column and give you a random fact or two (likely just one, it's rather difficult to find wholly obscure trivia, which is what I'm aiming for). Thus this column should last about 15-18 weeks, likely more due to school starting in less than 15-18 weeks. I'll try to get the last column in by InfiniteMind's birthday on November 22nd.

If you know something really obscure about a country, and you want to help out and give me material, go right ahead! I love to learn as much stuff as I can about anything and that would be awesome.

(In addition I can't really decide on a date for when to regularly do this column. Thursday or Friday? You are the readers - you decide.) Sound off in the comments, I'm eager to hear your thoughts.

-Rob

Anyone there?

Over the past 6 weeks I've kind of let the blog die, or at the very least fall by the wayside. And I'm sorry about that. I certainly don't want it to die.

But there's a chance that all my readers are gone and there's no point in continuing the blog, which would be depressing.

So, if you're a reader, checking this out periodically to see if this blog is still active, it is. Please reply in the comments to show that you're interested in InfiniteMind.

While I'm at it, I'm planning several new Trivialities, so if there's something you've wanted to learn about or are curious about and don't feel like doing research, drop a line in the comments and I'll do a Triviality on it.

To the next!
-Rob

The Book Report

"The Book Report" is the euphemism/codeword that I will be using for this ongoing project that I'm spearheading, and am currently doing. Click on the song in the literal music box, which will stay there until "The Book Report" is done. That song represents my ongoing moods/worries/thoughts.

The blog is also black, to represent mourning and depression over "The Book Report". Believe me. It is not an easy project.

"The Book Report" was assigned a month ago, we started working two weeks ago because we needed supplies and materials, and was supposed to have finished today. However, due to delays and problems, we'll most likely take another few days. By Wednesday I expect to have everything done. Hopefully.

There - I have my thoughts. I know readers probably weren't expecting such a vent, but there you go. Just a status update, of sorts. Hopefully I'll be back to Trivializing, and reviewing (The Great Gatsby comes out next week!!!) so don't worry. InfiniteMind isn't gone.

-RM

Alphabetical Advancements and an Adventuristic Announcement

Prepare for a rather boring blogpost, but I feel like mentioning it, so what the hell. :)

I've been mostly avoiding the Interweb this week, and I'll continue to do so at least until May, because of large project I'm spearheading at school. Nothing to worry about. I'll still be on InfiniteMind, with new Trivialities and stuff I'm hoping will be at least a bit more creative than what I've done the past two months.

So why have I been busy? Besides the above project, I mean. Because...

I'm organizing my extensive book collection with a filing system! Yay!

I know, it's lame. I get it. But this is good. I don't believe I mentioned but last week I was in my garage, living there, pretty much, with the family. We were getting hardwood floors put in and all this stuff. And Thursday my bookcases just went in. So I've been deciding a new order for my books, since they're all in the garage.

It'll be mainly alphabetical, but as for my many (unfinished) notebooks and documents, I will put them in a "mind palace" sort of setting/ordering on shelves A1-A2. (Yes, I label my shelves.)

This is good because I usually put my books depending on favoritism or whatever. But I have too many favorite books. And it's confusing and most books end up on my desk than the shelves, etc.

So I'll be doing that this weekend. Tuesday I begin my new Triviality project, and then it'll continue on from there.

Just one last thing (that I think you'll all enjoy): I'm gonna write a Sherlock Holmes-esque story. Strictly for the blog. How does that sound? I was rereading all my Sherlock Holmes books and short stories over the break last week, and I am just interested in writing one. Plus watching all 6 episodes of Sherlock in a row (again) didn't help. So I'll work on that, and hopefully I get all of this done! InfiniteMind will be a very fun place to visit in the next few weeks... :)

To keep you busy, I'm titling the mystery The Adventure of the Broken Candle, and will feature a sort of Sherlock Holmes character who isn't exactly Sherlock Holmes-esque. It involves a broken candle (obviously), binary code, a journalist, an encyclopedia book, a camera obscura, and a spyglass. (This sounds so Lemony Snicket, but oh well.) It'll be in maybe 3 or 4 parts, to be released weekly. That's it.


TTN! (To the next!)
-Rob

A Moveable Feast

Easter's over. Unfortunately I was unable to make a blogpost because of the celebration and day. So today I'll just make a couple announcements over the blog at large that I've been meaning to make.

The site is changed to white for Easter. Yay! It'll likely stay that way until Thursday, or so. (yes, I know there is an Easter season for 50 days. But as it so happens, I want my red back.)

I'll be on a bit more, probably. I'm trying to leave certain sites I've been addicted to lately (no, not Facebook - yes, you, Sporcle!) and maybe I'll update certain aspects of the blog. Maybe.

Trivialities will be on hold for about a couple of weeks or so, because I want to try a new system I thought up yesterday at my aunt's house that might be fun for all you illustrious readers.

And I'm going to a Renaissance Faire in less than 2 weeks, which will be the first time I will use photos in the blog, as a sort of commemoration. Then I'll likely use photos often in posts.

All that being said, have a great day.


To the next!
-RM

(Note: Wikipedia calls Easter a 'moveable feast', since it always moves with the seasons. This is an excellent term for a holiday. It sounds cool. And it's a Hemingway novel, though. Posthumous.)

Design Note

Regular visitors/readers will note that the site is mint-green now. And I just changed it some weeks ago...

You guys are probably thinking I'm indecisive and random. Not really. The green will stay that way until March 18th. Why?

I just LOVE celebrating holidays. Doing something out of the way just for the occasion. So whenever a holiday's around the corner I'll change the color of the site for a week or so, depending. The regular colour of the site will be the red/yellow scheme I changed on Valentine's Day.

But it will change, for Easter, Patrick's, Thanksgiving, my birthday, Halloween, Christmas, etc. Just a design note.

-Rob