Saturday, April 17, 2004
Goal Setting
Well, now I know where the "mission statement" came from: way too much brainstorming. I just got back from senior staff training (for student media), and boy, did it do me a lot of good. We got there, and played an awesome game that was sort of like musical chairs. One person started in the middle, and he/she would say something about themself, and whoever else had that in common had to stand up and race in a circle for chairs. Whoever was without a chair had to go in the middle. I managed to avoid the middle the entire time!
After that, our coordinator made us sit down as organizations and set goals. After that we discussed those goals, and then set more goals. After some of thegoal-setting, we did more brainstorming and goal setting, until everyone was ready to bust through a wall and out into the sunlight. We got free pizza out of it though, and got ot hang out with other student media people (although we moved off into our own little clique, which was a shame, I would have liked to meet more of them, since we all work on the same floor).
I hate the whole branch of academia that focuses on leadership, goal setting, etc. It is a worthless byproduct of our society.
Ugh
Volleyball soon though!
After that, our coordinator made us sit down as organizations and set goals. After that we discussed those goals, and then set more goals. After some of thegoal-setting, we did more brainstorming and goal setting, until everyone was ready to bust through a wall and out into the sunlight. We got free pizza out of it though, and got ot hang out with other student media people (although we moved off into our own little clique, which was a shame, I would have liked to meet more of them, since we all work on the same floor).
I hate the whole branch of academia that focuses on leadership, goal setting, etc. It is a worthless byproduct of our society.
Ugh
Volleyball soon though!
Friday, April 16, 2004
Le Parkour
A few years ago, Nike ran this ad, showing a young French man running like hell, away from the angry chicken chasing him.
The guy does all sorts of crazy things, like flipping off of buildings, landing and rolling, jumping off of all sorts of things. To him, an urban environment is a playground. While he may have seemed to be a unique character, he's actually a follower of one of the newest alternative sports: Parkour.
Parkour is a mix of martial arts and gymnastics, and it involves moving through an urban setting as fast as possible, with relative ease (I've heard of a guy using it to get to work on foot in 15 minutes before).
I'll try and write some more about Parkour later, but right now I'm at CCN, so for now just enjoy the UK website:
http://www.parkour.org.uk/
The guy does all sorts of crazy things, like flipping off of buildings, landing and rolling, jumping off of all sorts of things. To him, an urban environment is a playground. While he may have seemed to be a unique character, he's actually a follower of one of the newest alternative sports: Parkour.
Parkour is a mix of martial arts and gymnastics, and it involves moving through an urban setting as fast as possible, with relative ease (I've heard of a guy using it to get to work on foot in 15 minutes before).
I'll try and write some more about Parkour later, but right now I'm at CCN, so for now just enjoy the UK website:
http://www.parkour.org.uk/
Fallout 3
Holy crap, I just heard that Interplay has announced that production of Fallout 3 is still under way. That's right! A sequel to two of the best roleplaying games ever to grace the PC! Fallout 1 is often given the honor of being the game that started the PCroleplaying revival (often attributed to Baldur's Gate). I'm incredible excited about stepping back into the shoes of a vault-dweller, and so I'll present you all with this video of a skateboarding dog!
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Part One
During my trip on the emotional rollercoaster this semester, I collected a group of songs that properly reflected my mood. I made a web page out of them for someone, and included pictures of the artists and samples of the lyrics. I kind of like making music mixes for people, but so far it has always been for a specific person. Starting today, I'm going to start putting a song up for everyone every now and then. So I don't get my ass sued, I'm going to try and make them mp3s you can download from an alternative source (other than my clemson user space).
If it does come off my site, download it quickly, because I'll only put one up at a time. When I'm done with the mix, I'll let you know, and you can listen to everything together.
Because I think it's important, the first song will be Sometimes, by My Bloody Valentine
1. My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes
turn my head into sound... I don't know, but I lay down on the ground
you will find
find me
(rename it yourself)
If it does come off my site, download it quickly, because I'll only put one up at a time. When I'm done with the mix, I'll let you know, and you can listen to everything together.
Because I think it's important, the first song will be Sometimes, by My Bloody Valentine
1. My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes
turn my head into sound... I don't know, but I lay down on the ground
you will find
find me
(rename it yourself)
Who is Dubya?
A quiz has been going around the blogs and livejournals (I've taken it, it's the one that starts with 1. Grab the book nearest to you...). Well, in the quiz, there is a question about George Bush, asking basically what the person's opinion of him was. I noticed that several people said they didn't follow politics, and just didn't know, or really care. I've also noticed a lot, even in my honors classes, that students either know nothing about politics or don't care.
Now, I remember Kristina and I got into a fight about this a few years ago (I assumed everyone read the New York Times on a daily basis and would be ready to debate world issues by noon), but I'm going to try and bring it up again. I know that people have the right to ignore the world around them (in fact, before September 11th, I declared that college would allow me to escape the Bush administration for 4 years), but things have changed a lot in the past few years, and I think people need to start paying more attention. Let me summarize; currently we have:
1. Unfinished business in Afghanistan
2. Rebellion in Iraq
3. Questions about the administration's fight against terrorism before 9/11 (it has now been confirmed that they knew that planes were part of the plan)
4. A slowly recovering economy (although, as an econ major, I can tell you that this is completely unrelated to anything Bush did, or most presidents, for that matter, although GDP is historically greater under democratic presidencies)
5. Well, a million other things.
A million people asked me why 9/11 happened after it did... and it was hard, because none of these people had read or learned anything about the Middle-East in their lifetime. Of course, 9/11 was the direct result of Islamic fundamentalism and hatred of America, but it was also partially the result of America's ignorance of its stance in the world. Despite all this, many people still choose to ignore all of it, which lets other people take advantage of them. The Iraq war, which an increasing amount of Americans now agree was a bad idea, was supported by the majority of Americans before we dove into it. No one asked any questions about the intelligence, or the possible repercussions of the war. No one knew anything about the ethnic/religious problems in Iraq to start (the fact that the Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds are impossible to make live together unless you have some evil bastard like Saddam controlling them). Meanwhile, every single expert on the Middle-East thought the war was a bad idea, but the president gets better airwaves, so we went to war.
Whether or not you are a Republican, a Democrat, a Libertarian, etc, you need to keep up on your news, especially if you are going to vote. An uninformed vote is worse than no vote at all, so read up on news a little bit. You'll find that, once you develop an informed opinion, you vote means so much more, and you feel like you're actually participating in democracy, instead of just picking a name.
Now, I remember Kristina and I got into a fight about this a few years ago (I assumed everyone read the New York Times on a daily basis and would be ready to debate world issues by noon), but I'm going to try and bring it up again. I know that people have the right to ignore the world around them (in fact, before September 11th, I declared that college would allow me to escape the Bush administration for 4 years), but things have changed a lot in the past few years, and I think people need to start paying more attention. Let me summarize; currently we have:
1. Unfinished business in Afghanistan
2. Rebellion in Iraq
3. Questions about the administration's fight against terrorism before 9/11 (it has now been confirmed that they knew that planes were part of the plan)
4. A slowly recovering economy (although, as an econ major, I can tell you that this is completely unrelated to anything Bush did, or most presidents, for that matter, although GDP is historically greater under democratic presidencies)
5. Well, a million other things.
A million people asked me why 9/11 happened after it did... and it was hard, because none of these people had read or learned anything about the Middle-East in their lifetime. Of course, 9/11 was the direct result of Islamic fundamentalism and hatred of America, but it was also partially the result of America's ignorance of its stance in the world. Despite all this, many people still choose to ignore all of it, which lets other people take advantage of them. The Iraq war, which an increasing amount of Americans now agree was a bad idea, was supported by the majority of Americans before we dove into it. No one asked any questions about the intelligence, or the possible repercussions of the war. No one knew anything about the ethnic/religious problems in Iraq to start (the fact that the Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds are impossible to make live together unless you have some evil bastard like Saddam controlling them). Meanwhile, every single expert on the Middle-East thought the war was a bad idea, but the president gets better airwaves, so we went to war.
Whether or not you are a Republican, a Democrat, a Libertarian, etc, you need to keep up on your news, especially if you are going to vote. An uninformed vote is worse than no vote at all, so read up on news a little bit. You'll find that, once you develop an informed opinion, you vote means so much more, and you feel like you're actually participating in democracy, instead of just picking a name.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
I'm giving you a choice: either put on these glasses or start eating that trash can...
Well, someone on clemsontalk wanted to see if we could make our own "Own3d" pictures, so I made mine using the famous fight scene from "They Live" :
Now I feel the need to watch it again.
Awwwyeah
Now I feel the need to watch it again.
Awwwyeah
Late night Atlantic
For some reason I'm loving this song by the band Coheed and Cambria.
That's all I have for tonight.
Sleep
Sunday, April 11, 2004
My life is rated PG-13.
What is your life rated?
Let the ass kicking commence
Man, I saw the coolest guy outside of Walmart today. As I pull into a parking lane, this mangy guy with a beard and long hair... and no shirt, is walking away from the Walmart, clearly vanquished by the "No shirt, no shoes, no service" rule. However, with a smile on his face, he pops his trunk, and pulls a black t-shirt out, and strides back to the entrance, parading around. I parked and headed in behind him. Just before he made it inside, he pulled the t-shirt on, with the words "Let the ass-kicking commence" on the back. Awesome.
More crap to know about me
1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says:
“budget deficits get the upper hand in a stagnant”
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
Swordfish, the album, by Paul Oakenfold
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Holmes of Horror
4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what time it is:
11:46
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
11:44
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The occasional dialogue from “Alien” on the TV.
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
I went to the dining hall to go eat about 6 hours ago.
8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at?
Nytimes.com
9. What are you wearing?
A army green shirt with a Russian red star on it, I got it during an air show at Wadding Air Force base near Lincoln, in East Yorkshire. A pair of FCUK jeans, and my Wanger S.A.S. design watch.
10. Did you dream last night?
Yeah, but I can’t remember what of at the moment.
11. When did you last laugh?
A little bit ago, when reviewing the Holmes of Horror DVD with Nich.
12: What is on the walls of the room you are in?
A bulletin board with a Hobbit calendar and a picture of Scarlett Johansson on it. A poster of that picture “Kiss” (the one with the two scantily class women kissing, don’t ask, someone got it for me). A Wild C.A.T.S. poster (mid 90s comic book), a James Bond, Goldfinger poster, and a Radiohead poster.
13. Seen anything weird lately?
Yesterday, at O’Charley’s we saw a group of people, and all the women had these little caps on the back of their heads, pinned on. We couldn’t figure out what religion it was from.
14. What do you think of this quiz?
It’s ok, I think these quizzes are kind of lame in general, I’m just really bored. Hell, everyone else has already done it.
15. What is the last film you saw?
Dawn of the Dead (the original)
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?
Scarlett Johansson
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
You may think I’ve exhausted them in the time we’ve known each other, but I’ve still got millions of bad jokes I’m just waiting to crack.
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Raise the per capita GDP of every 3rd world country to about $25,000 PPP.
19. Do you like to dance?
No, but I’m going to try to when I take Learn to Dance next semester.
20. George Bush: is he a power-crazy nutcase or some one who is finally doing something that has needed to be done for years?
He knows exactly what he’s doing, but he’s still a son of a bitch who needs to be removed from power.
21a. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Phoebe
21b. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Stan
22. Would you ever consider living abroad?
I have, and I would again.
“budget deficits get the upper hand in a stagnant”
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
Swordfish, the album, by Paul Oakenfold
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Holmes of Horror
4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what time it is:
11:46
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
11:44
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The occasional dialogue from “Alien” on the TV.
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
I went to the dining hall to go eat about 6 hours ago.
8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at?
Nytimes.com
9. What are you wearing?
A army green shirt with a Russian red star on it, I got it during an air show at Wadding Air Force base near Lincoln, in East Yorkshire. A pair of FCUK jeans, and my Wanger S.A.S. design watch.
10. Did you dream last night?
Yeah, but I can’t remember what of at the moment.
11. When did you last laugh?
A little bit ago, when reviewing the Holmes of Horror DVD with Nich.
12: What is on the walls of the room you are in?
A bulletin board with a Hobbit calendar and a picture of Scarlett Johansson on it. A poster of that picture “Kiss” (the one with the two scantily class women kissing, don’t ask, someone got it for me). A Wild C.A.T.S. poster (mid 90s comic book), a James Bond, Goldfinger poster, and a Radiohead poster.
13. Seen anything weird lately?
Yesterday, at O’Charley’s we saw a group of people, and all the women had these little caps on the back of their heads, pinned on. We couldn’t figure out what religion it was from.
14. What do you think of this quiz?
It’s ok, I think these quizzes are kind of lame in general, I’m just really bored. Hell, everyone else has already done it.
15. What is the last film you saw?
Dawn of the Dead (the original)
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?
Scarlett Johansson
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
You may think I’ve exhausted them in the time we’ve known each other, but I’ve still got millions of bad jokes I’m just waiting to crack.
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Raise the per capita GDP of every 3rd world country to about $25,000 PPP.
19. Do you like to dance?
No, but I’m going to try to when I take Learn to Dance next semester.
20. George Bush: is he a power-crazy nutcase or some one who is finally doing something that has needed to be done for years?
He knows exactly what he’s doing, but he’s still a son of a bitch who needs to be removed from power.
21a. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Phoebe
21b. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Stan
22. Would you ever consider living abroad?
I have, and I would again.
