Sorta.

US Customs at the Vancouver YVR airport is somewhat automated. In particular, you use a kiosk, scan your passport, take a picture of yourself, and answer the usual questions of "Were you on a farm?" and "Are you carrying food?" and "Do you have more than the allowed duty amount?" and "Are you carrying more than $10,000?" There are five questions (clearly I don't recall one of them), with a button that says "Answer No to all questions." at the top.

If you have never used one of these kiosks, say, as I had never done so, you might actually want to fill out the questions one at a time so that you can read them.

Strike one against you. You are more likely to be pulled aside now for additional questioning.

If you answer the questions out of order, strike two against you. You are more likely to be pulled aside now for additional questioning.

I'm chuckling at the change I received today in Vancouver. Good thing the currencies are near parity, I guess.

In the last break of the conference, Shawn announced ICE CREAM!

I probably shouldn't have *SQUEEEEEEEEEEE*d as loudly as I did.

From my Computational Physics book, page 15:

3. Try to choose the most reliable and simple algorithm. Speed matters, but not if you get the wrong answers.

Love it.

So true about life in general.

I have so many books to read. So many that I could go years without buying another book and still be happily lost in words. I should (read: plan to) write summaries of the books I've read so far this year, mostly so that I don't lose track, but also so that I can have a running commentary of them.

I have books on Kindle, in PDF format, as paper form (hardback, trade, paperback and pick any other odd size you'd like), and in audiobook formats. Each one has a different use case: in public or travelling, travelling but technical, snuggled on the couch with a book I want to keep, or moving.

Yes, a great thing about audiobooks is that I can "read" a book, while moving or doing something else. This works well when the "something else" doesn't require, say, lots of mental focus. Such "something else"s include gardening, washing dishes, baking, resting, running or making art of some variety.

The best thing about audiobooks, though?

You can read them when you're blind. Or half-blind. Or half-blind and nauseous. Or half-blind, nauseous, stressed, mostly numb and unable to turn pages.

That's the best part.

Related: fucking migraines.