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Friday, December 31, 2004 Three Movies and Some Other Stuff Hm. I read on someone's LiveJournal that they used to admire me--specifically because of the Nanowrimo novels I wrote three or four years ago. And now they're criticizing them/me/whatever. All I can do is shrug. Those were first drafts. Of course, they're bad. If you expect me to write a timeless classic in a month: tough luck, I don't work that way. Sure, if I were to write those ideas now, there's a lot I would change not only because some of it was just plain wrong but that I'm not quite the same person I was three or four years ago. Anyway, I find the wording "used to admire" interesting. It makes me sound like a has-been when I never was. On a rather random and belated note, I got the memory on my laptop upgraded for Christmas. The laptop ran perfectly fine before so I didn't really see the point in doing it--but at least my Dad got a kick out of doing the installation so I suppose I'd humor the old man. He also lectured me on starting my own retirement fund to which I mostly muttered noncommittal sounds as he expounded on yearly payments and interest rates. He's right--I should be thinking about those kinds of things--but geez, I'm still young. Or at least I like to think so. It's really strange being both old and young, having a foothold still in childhood and another in geezerhood. A couple days ago, I went to see some movies. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was an odd comedy filled with big name stars. I certainly identified with Bill Murray's character Steve Zissou whose quiet (and not so quiet) desperation claws at his life which is falling apart before his eyes. The film (as well as the film's ending) is actually not very happy but I think that works in it's favor despite the wonky secondary characters. I haven't read the books on which Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events was based on, but it didn't keep me from enjoying the film. On the whole, it was amusing--but obviously more geered toward the kiddie crowd. There were only two things which I didn't like about it: the film's episodic nature (which is also the problem in the Harry Potter films) and Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey was too over-the-top (as he always is) and not creepy enough. My sister and I took our Mom to see The Phantom of the Opera. We figured she might enjoy this one since there was going to be singing (I hate to say it, but she gets confused on complicated monologues in English) and costumes (she likes period films, whether it's 17th century France or 5th century China or for that matter, Lord of the Rings). As other reviewers have pointed out, it's a perfectly good film if you like musicals. Otherwise, you might want to avoid it. Also, my sister--the resident singing expert--didn't like the Phantom's voice. She said it was "off" (not off key) because it didn't fit the song, it wasn't "resonant" enough. I couldn't tell, but then again, I was busy pondering the miscasting of the Phantom. He shouldn't be that handsome (even with the prosthetics). I had always envisioned him as Quasimodo-ugly. Directors should be banned from catering to the randy female hordes (or randy male hordes for that matter) unless the script actually calls for it. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:56 AM : Thursday, December 30, 2004 A Ramble About Traveling Getting up at 3:30 AM to catch a morning flight is not my idea of a good time. Perhaps this will give me incentive to plan my next bout of traveling a bit more carefully, but knowing myself, I'll probably end up doing things at the last minute yet again when others prod me with reminders. At any rate, I was tired and somewhat grumpy when the old lady (who could have been anyone's grandmother, really, except for the rather ferocious frown on her face) examining IDs and boarding passes pulled aside a young family (the mother, father, and two little kids could have been just about any family) who had presented passports as their IDs. And then she marked my boarding pass with a "P" and a squiggle. Oh, great. All right, so all that happened was that I got a black wand waved around me, but I hated it. It's not that I'm hiding anything because I'm not. I hate it because for one fleeing moment, whenever a security person marks something on my boarding pass or searches my bag or examines my person, I have this fear that they'd decide that they don't like how I look like regardless of whether or not they found something and then just pull me out without me having any say in anything. Some people like how this makes them feel safe. It makes me feel helpless. Because some people are so afraid and paranoid about something bad happening, others have taken the license to make everyone afraid. You call this a precaution for keeping people safe? I call it playing right into the trap that they set in the first place. I don't know what happened to the young family, although I doubt they found anything besides books, clothes, and toys. (But I have to say, even toys can make paranoid people break out in hives. I recently saw a news story about a store manager who called the cops on a father who was showing his son a toy gun--which was an item being sold at the store.) Anyway, I had to transfer at BWI--which, by the way, was extremely painless compared to the last time I was there--and I swear, the plane I took was half filled with preboarders. That is, parents with kids under five. A flight attendant made some crack about how the rest of us should get busy so that the next holiday season, we'd also be able to preboard. I'm of the mind that parents should never take kids under the age of ten on board airplanes unless the kids are extremely well behaved, but what do I know? My parents took me all around Europe and Asia before I turned one and they told me that I slept through it all. Or maybe they were just being nice and maybe I was actually one of those annoying howlers. I managed to sleep through the landing to MHT. (How? You may ask. Well, I've slept through much louder things. And I was really tired.) The baggage claim area was half filled with as yet unclaimed luggage--due to the U.S. Airways fiasco--and I found out that I had to wait four hours for the bus to take me up north. With that kind of schedule, I might as well have driven to the airport and left my car at the long term parking lot for my return regardless of the winter weather. So I spent the time waiting by doing something inane--reading the U.S. News special edition called Secrets of the Da Vinci Code. Okay, so I call a lot of things inane or silly. But that doesn't mean that I think certain magazines and movies and popular novels are bad. It only means that I've been hanging around academics and people who think they know everything too much. I'm sure their blather about what consititutes as something good to do during their spare time has somewhat brainwashed me. (And I wonder, what really is the extent of their influence on me? I tell myself that I don't believe everything that comes out of a PhD's mouth--especially when it's opinion--but how much of my musings are a parrot of theirs? How much have I taken up as true and sound without bothering to second guess if it really is so?) At any rate, I feel it is better to read something inane if you're waiting in an airport terminal during the holidays. Reading a textbook instead seems, well, as trying too hard. Or at least trying to show off--something I can't stand in myself or others. So now I find myself back. It's somewhat hard to guage one's own mood. I tried very hard not to think about it too much the past week and a half. Vacation was more like a pause, a halt to everything. It's still somewhat paused although I finally have looked at the inboxes of my various e-mail accounts. I still have a few days to get myself in gear, but I know one thing's for certain. It'll be different from the one I was in last term. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:54 PM : The Thursday Threesome: Taking the Lights Down Why is this posted so early? Well, in a couple of hours, I'll be "taking off". Sorry if I haven't wished anyone a happy holiday before--because I do genuinely wish people a happy holiday--but I've been taking a break from the computer, let alone the internet. Onesome: Taking-- --some time off? Are you on holiday schedule tomorrow? ...or is it just another day in the mines? How about a party in the evening? No? Tomorrow? It's back to school. Twosome: the Lights-- Hey, is this the weekend all the decorations come down? When do you "de-Christmas" your place? My place wasn't Christmas-y in the first place so I don't have to worry about decorations. Threesome: Down-- --time... Are you getting any relaxation time this weekend? ...or are you all wrapped up in parties and events? ..and for the students: are you done with down time? When do you have to go back? No relaxation. I'll be studying. Hopefully. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 1:57 AM : Thursday, December 23, 2004 Snippets and a Meme *On the flight from MHT to BNA, I noticed that one of the flight attendants had a really strong southern accent as she went through the spiel on what to do in case of an emergency. And I wondered: Is my memory going? I don't recall anyone having such a strong accent when I did live in the south. Is that really her accent or was she doing a parody since we were flying to Nashville? Or have I lived up in New England for too long? *The city was breaking out the salt trucks when it started to rain ice last night and the news stations were scrolling out all the school/day care closings. Apparently, I've been away too long since now I think this is an overreaction. *Nashville is a lot more diverse than the boondocks in New Hampshire outside of the college. Or at least that has been my recent observation. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I am, in a way. It's funny how you get into this sort of complacent mindset that most other places in the country are basically the same. But then you take a closer look and you realize, no it isn't. Not by a long shot. *I took some time out to watch an anime series called Spiral. I haven't watched a lot of anime, but it was my feeling that this one was far more brainy than the usual fare. The characters go around solving mysteries and puzzels and challenges using logic rather than resorting to magic and fighting machines. There are also other aspects to the series involving the main character trying to get out from the shadow of his brilliant older brother and a rather nilhistic attitude toward the idea of destiny--but this gets rather depressing and you wonder, did they get a bunch of goth teens to write the story's philosophy? The Thursday Threesome: All I Want For Christmas (Via Shawn Allison, because when I go to the original website, the latest entry I get is December 9. And I swear I cleared the cache.) Onesome: All-- Ready, set, go! It's all over in just a few days. Are you ready to relax a bit and kick back for a day or two? ...or are you going to be the one working so darned hard to make it all work? (...or is that how you like it?) I'm relaxing right now and not thinking about anything in particular. I'm not checking my e-mail either. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. Twosome: I want-- The easy one : what is it you'd really like for Christmas this year? ...any chance you're getting it? Well, what I want can't be solved within the time frame of a Christmas break, so no. Otherwise, I don't really want anything else. Threesome: For Christmas-- For Christmas? Sarah and I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy yourself this weekend! Merry Christmas to you too! [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:19 AM : Sunday, December 19, 2004 A Note and a Meme In a couple hours, I'll be off to warmer climes. This does not mean I'm leaving everything behind for break. I'm literally taking the baggage with me. Unconscious Mutterings
[posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:50 AM : Saturday, December 18, 2004 To a Person of Nearly Last Resort A tiny speck of light has drifted down into the hole and now I can make out a little bit of my surroundings. Somehow, I'm not in the quicksand any more. I'm just caked with lots of sticky mud. I feel ridiculously relieved and thankful. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:58 AM : A Brief Break I'm trying to keep myself sane. Really, I am. The World According to Eco. In an interview, Umberto Eco muses about the net and where it's heading. The Gadget Gap. "Why does all the cool stuff come out in Asia first?" Yeah, why do they? I'm trying to be a geek here and all I get is just the run-of-the-mill stuff that Joe Schmoe's grandmother had last year. The future is female. A professor of human genetics says that the male species is doomed. And I thought I was being pessimistic... Japanese men lap up new comfort. Why am I not surprised? I once had roommates who called their pillows their "boyfriends". That was sort of creepy. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:17 AM : Friday, December 17, 2004 Great, Just Great I've about had it with those telephone solicitors who want you to make donations to the fire department or some fund for the family of officers killed in the line of duty. It's not that I'm a tightwad or I'm cold-hearted. There's just something wrong with such an intrusive act. I don't want to give money just because someone asked for it. I'll give it because I want to. Yeah, yeah, I know I sound like such a hypocrite considering the previous post. (Even though I'm offering an exchange and not freeloading, but who's going to buy that flimsy argument? Other people are probably worse off than I am.) And I'm feeling smaller than small. Just post some comments on how bad of a person you think I am. This week isn't over yet--I'm sure this hole can get a bit deeper. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:50 PM : Quicksand Well, asking (or in my overwrought mind, begging) people for help was an exercise in futility. The major excuses they gave (although in not these particular words) were that they had a life and they didn't want to get sucked into a similar hole like mine. I suppose people don't want to be bothered during the holidays--their perogative--and really, I'm just a nobody within their sphere of acquaintences. I'm not even asking for special favors or special treatment. Only an exchange of one thing for another. But I guess that's just too much to ask for. So yeah, I'm still stuck in this hole and now I've realized there's quicksand in the bottom and I'm already up to my knees. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 2:08 PM : Thursday, December 16, 2004 Motivation Isn't the Problem Well, I'm still at the bottom of the gigantic hole I dug myself into. I have no one to blame except myself (blaming anyone else on this somewhat permanent medium is a risk I can't afford to take--besides, it's rather irresponsible). However, I woke up this morning thinking I should start clawing my way out of the hole. It is, unfortunately, a daunting prospect, but I've got to start some time. Staying in the hole is quite unappealing. There is, of course, the possibility that someone's waiting at the top of the hole, ready to push me back in--but I'm trying very hard to not think about that. Right now, the hole seems very deep. It's pitch black. Sometimes, I'm not even sure which way is up or down. There are probably some very unpleasant creatures down here with me although at the moment, I don't feel or hear them. And this is the one time I hate being so introspective, rolling the bad situation over and over inside my mind until I get headachy and feverish. I literally don't have anything to help me except my own brain. In real life, most people are probably thinking that I'm taking all of this rather well. Some of them are probably even gossiping and saying that they would never fall into a hole of this magnitude. Knowing their personalities, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Perhaps the few people who did see me fall into the hole have their suspicions that things might be worse than they appear, but they can't do anything. They're not in this hole. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 3:30 PM : Memes Tangled Bank #18 - This week's compilation of excellent science posts around the blogosphere. If you need to read something today, read that. You don't need to read my depressing posts. The Thursday Threesome: Christmas is Coming! Onesome: Christmas--Hey, an easy start for you, what with the new layout and all: What is your favorite Christmas song? ...and sung or played by whom? You know, the one you tend to listen for on the radio or hit 'repeat' on the player... At the moment, I think I'm going to scream if I hear a Christmas song. Or any happy/cheerful/hopeful song at all. Twosome: Is-- Is the longer "Holiday Season" this year between Thanksgiving and Christmas making it easier to get your Christmas act together? Last year's was short; has this year flowed any better for you? No and no. I'm not helping any, am I? Well, moving right along... Threesome: Coming-- Ready or not, here it comes! Are you ready? What do you have left to do with just over a week to go? ...or are you just cruising? I'm not ready for anything. I'm taking the next couple weeks/months/years/what-have-you trying to master something that has taken other people lifetimes to understand. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 3:28 PM : Wednesday, December 15, 2004 Nadir Other people would have a breakdown, but I'm, well, I'm feeling a bit numb. I'm taking today as a sign that I need to reevaluate where my life is headed. I know before I've expressed a low opinion of people who want to "find themselves" but now, I'm not so sure my opinion is the "right" or even "responsible" one. Maybe later, I'll be able to articulate what exactly went so wrong and then perhaps we'll all have a laugh about it or just shake our heads and say, tsk, tsk. But oh, not today. Definitely not today. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 2:48 PM : Tuesday, December 14, 2004 Chicken Sans Head Tomorrow, tomorrow, no matter what little orphan Annie says, tomorrow ain't going to be better. I'm dreading it. All the little facts I've accumulated in my head up to now are probably packing their bags and preparing to flee like bats out of hell come tomorrow morning. The earliest I'll probably post next is Thursday. Don't expect anything sooner--I'll be licking my wounds tomorrow evening, if I'm still alive. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:41 AM : Sunday, December 12, 2004 Unconscious Mutterings
[posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:29 AM : A Free Moment Benjamin Rosenbaum. (via Julie from Neoluddite) A writer who has a blog. I'll look around some more whenever I have more free moments. What Planet Are You From? (via Watermark) It says I'm from Neptune. Everyone's from Neptune. Skeletal Systems. An artist imagines what cartoon skeletons look like. I don't think cartoons have skeletons. They're just globs. (Otherwise, how would they bounce back after you hit them with a sledgehammer?) Five Mistakes Band & Label Sites Make. Some tips that could apply to anyone making a website. Contrarian finding: Computers are a drag on learning. I think it depends on how you use computers to augment education. But one thing's for sure, you can't sole rely on a machine to do the teaching for you. Company lets U.S. travelers 'Go Canadian'. The problem with Americans that believe this is a good idea is that they think everyone waves flags around to proclaim their country of citizenship just like they do. What I think will happen is that whenever someone sees a person wrapped around a Canadian flag, they'll think it's just some American pretending he's Canadian. This will be bad for any real Canadians although whipping out the passport would probably erase any doubt. The actual problem, however, is that some people treat others as a national stereotype rather than an individual. There are rotten people and good people in every country and people have to remember that politics--no matter how crazy it gets--is no indication of anyone's personality. Dude--professor studies 'dude'. "Kiesling says in the fall edition of American Speech that the word derives its power from something he calls cool solidarity -- an effortless kinship that's not too intimate." It's amusing, on the surface level, but this is one reason why the humanities never really interested me that much--they overanalyze everything. Secrets of Firefox 1.0. Some interesting things you can do with your browser. The only thing I noticed before was how the address bar would change color when you entered a secure site or how a search bar would pop up on the bottom when you're trying to search for a word on a webpage. Firefox users ignore online ads, report says. Tell me something I don't know. God cut from dark Materials film and Deicide dropped from Pullman adaptation. I suppose as long as the author is okay with that, then it's fine. But damn, I personally wouldn't let the religious right bully me into doing anything. End of the Personal Blogger. Eh. It's like everything else. Mom and pop stores are bulldozed down to make way for giant retailers. A lone activist wouldn't reach as many people as a giant organization. Most people are lazy, you see. They'll just go to those professional sites because they have more resources to reach more people. Only people who stumble across personal websites by accident will read dinky blogs like this one. The 100 Oldest Currently Registered .COM Domains. Enough said. How to Survive a Zombie Epidemic. Good thing I have nails and hammers stockpiled. Students fight for right to bare all. Er...okay. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:28 AM : Thursday, December 09, 2004 Three Things (via Shawn Allison) After this, it's back to cramming for my qualifiers. I feel like for every fact I study, ten more leak out of my ears, never to return. Three Names You Go By: 1. Thea 2. Big cabbage head (in Cantonese) 3. Grendel Three Screennames You Have: 1. syaffolee 2. yellowrook 3. Metal Monkey Three Things You Like About Yourself: 1. Self-sufficiency 2. Self-amusement 3. Complete lack of style Three Things You Hate/Dislike About Yourself: 1. Self-sufficiency 2. Self-amusement 3. Complete lack of style Three Parts of Your Heritage: 1. Chinese 2. Vietnamese 3. Canadian Three Things That Scare You: 1. nightmares 2. ignorance 3. qualifiers Three of Your Everyday Essentials: 1. air 2. water 3. food Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now: 1. sweater 2. jeans 3. socks Three of Your Favorite Bands/Artists (at the moment): 1. Renée Fleming 2. Vladimir Ashkenazy 3. Yo-Yo Ma Three of Your Favorite Songs at Present: 1. "Oh sleep, why dost thou leave me?" - George Frideric Handel 2. "Busy Child" - The Crystal Method 3. "Must Be Dreaming" - Frou Frou Three New Things You Want to Try in the Next 12 Months: 1. make a theremin 2. make a bead curtain 3. skiing (maybe) Three Things You Want in a Relationship (love is a given): 1. honesty 2. trust 3. understanding Two Truths and a Lie*: 1. I have lived in Ohio. 2. I have lived in Kentucky. 3. I have lived in Tennessee. Three Physical Things About the Opposite Sex That Appeal to You**: 1. um... 2. ah... 3. er... Three Things You Just Can't Do: 1. sing 2. not get annoyed 3. be stylish Three of Your Favorite Hobbies: 1. writing 2. reading 3. sleeping Three Things You Want to do Really Badly Right Now***: 1. sleep 2. sleep 3. sleep Three Careers You're Considering****: 1. research scientist 2. science consultant 3. writer Three Places You Want to Go on Vacation: 1. Vancouver 2. London 3. Prague Three Kids Names*****: 1. uh... 2. hm... 3. oh... Three Things You Want to Do Before You Die: 1. graduate 2. publish something 3. do something meaningful *Not in order. **Actually, I don't want to say. Any answer will make you roll your eyes and say, "Duh!", because the reason is all so dang biological. ***Yes, two of the answers are cop outs. But really, what do you expect me to say? ****I am definitely not limiting myself to these three choices. If I really wanted to, I could become a plumber, but the probability of that happening is very, very low. *****You would think that I would have this all down since I update a weblog on names, but I don't. Ask me the question later, if I have any kids. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:23 PM : And Yet More Collected Notes *An English professor recently told me that I had picked the wrong field because I can't BS anything. Sure, science is extremely unforgiving when it comes to "interpretation", but isn't that a good thing? At least I will have credibility when I say something. *You know my observations on human nature aren't that keen when I have to be told that two people avoided each other because they don't like each other and not because they move in different social circles. *People can believe in whatever they want, but when they start ranting about "faith" in a non-religious venue, I start thinking about duct tape. I have little patience with people who waste breath on something that can be simply kept to themselves. Otherwise, they sound like mentally ill nutjobs. *On complainers: If you don't drive, then don't complain about drivers who drive really slowly in bad weather. Ice was falling from the sky a few days ago, and believe me, if you went over 35 mph, you had a death wish. *Why is it that people seem to think that I know all about fetishes and deviant behavior? I probably know about as much as the next guy. Most likely less. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 3:59 AM : The Thursday Threesome: Jingle Bells Onesome- Dashing through the snow: Do you get much snow where you live? Do you enjoy winter sports like skiing or would you rather stay in by the cozy fire? Yes, although at the moment, it's more ice than snow. And I'd rather be inside. Twosome- In a one horse open sleigh: Have you ever been on a sleigh ride or a carriage ride? Do you even like horses? Or would you just rather travel by your own two feet? No. Or at least I don't remember whether I've been on a sleigh/carriage ride before. My opinion on horses is moot since I've never been near one long enough to tell one way or another. In the meantime, walking is always good. Threesome- O'er the fields we go: What's the first thing that pops into your mind when someone says field? Corn? Football field? Outfield? Corn or maybe wheat. Sometimes asteroid. Never anything sports related. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 3:56 AM : Wednesday, December 08, 2004 An Important Note If you live in the Upper Valley area and if you've ever had transportation issues, now's the time to let your voice be heard! Advance Transit, the only public transportation system up here in the boondocks, might face budget cuts. Yeah, I know sometimes the buses aren't on time, but you've got to cut them some slack. There are only so many roads up here and even though rush hour at some other places is worse, it's still pretty bad. Besides, you can't argue with the fact that the whole thing is free. It would be really great if they had more buses on the road or extended their operating hours or even started offering rides on the weekend again. And wouldn't you like to have some sort of backup transportation when your car breaks down? So if you've ever taken the shuttle, are thinking about taking the shuttle, or know someone taking the shuttle go to the town hall meeting at Lebanon City Hall on December 9 (Thursday), at 7pm. That's tomorrow! If you can't make it, call the city councilor (pdf). [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:26 AM : Tuesday, December 07, 2004 More Collected Notes *Overheard conversation on name calling: "[He] called [him] a piece of a booger! Hm, I wonder if it's worse being a booger or just part of a booger." *After listening to some crazy anecdotes from a self-professed Italian ex-playboy, I've come to the conclusion that if you're a single woman out to tour Italy, beware of your tour guide's male friends who'll tell you they'll "show you a good time on the beach." *I'm realizing that fortuitous incidents happening by mere luck or hard work are two completely different things. I'm happy when after my own efforts, things go well. Being lucky, by probability, would make most people happy but is making me feel incredibly guilty. Other people deserve that luck more than I do. *Resolution: I'm going to find some volunteer work to do the beginning of next year. Doing research is great and all, but after moldering in lab for so many months, I think I'm beginning to lose touch with the rest of humanity. *Canadian ice wine is some good stuff. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:48 PM : Collected Notes Ha! I just can't keep away from my blog. Not with these tidbits lying around: *An acquaintence of mine admitted to me that he lied about his age to his significant other and still hasn't told the truth about it. If somebody did that to me, I would be uber-annoyed and I'd be wondering if they were fibbing about anything else. *According to a reliable source, the most eligible bachelor of New Hampshire works in a local bagel shop. "Have you seen the guy?" said the source. "He's really built!" I snickered and rolled my eyes when I heard about it--I wonder if he has a secretary to schedule all his dates? Are the demographics of the customers really skewed compared to other bagel shops? *Some people have insane spam filters. I send an e-mail and then I get an auto-response back that I have to click some link so my address would be added and my message moved from the spam box to the inbox. When I do that, I'm informed that my message has been deleted so I can't add my address unless I resend the message. Do people empty their spam every ten seconds or so? If I'm doing all this work sending just one piece of e-mail, I am not going to resend it (unless you're a really important person). [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:07 AM : Monday, December 06, 2004 *Whimper* This morning, I had my mock oral exam for my qualifiers. I am so screwed. Do not expect any posts for the next week and a half. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:16 AM : Sunday, December 05, 2004 Linkage Guide to the South American Cichlidae. Pictures of fishies! Library of Congress 2004 National Book Festival. Includes cybercasts from a variety of authors including Neil Gaiman and Neal Stephenson for you SF/F fans. Why Do We Blog? You know that if you ask that question, you'll get as many answers as there are bloggers so what's the point? It would be a lot easier if every blogger answered this question on their about me page. Blogs and RSS Search Engines. It's a whole compilation of them at Fagan Finder. The Mammal Society. "The only organisation solely dedicated to the study & conservation of all British mammals." I just think it's sort of strange that the dolphin ate the rabbit. University uproar over heiress who 'cheated'. (via 2Blowhards) Hm, a Wal-Mart heiress, cheating, a sports arena, and tons of money. There's bound to be a lurid scandal. The Bell Curve. (via Kottke) Not all hospitals let alone doctors are created equal. A somewhat disturbing read. Kiduage. An article on today's slang. The words included in the article are fine by me. The only thing I'm annoyed about is people overusing the f-word like valley girls overusing the word "like". We will be able to live to 1,000. (via Kottke, again) Uh, I don't think it'll happen that soon. Maybe someday, but probably not in our lifetimes. (Warning! Article includes picture of weird looking guy with beard.) [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:45 AM : In the Back of the Mind A dream: A boy works on his older brother's pleasure yacht that ferries rich people across the Thames River. One fall day, he finds a pregnant red fish that appears to be in hibernation so he keeps it in an ice chest. When spring comes, the fish has become transparent except for the spawn that remains red. The boy takes the curious fish to an old scientist at Cambridge who says, "Sorry old chap, but we'll have to perform a dissection on this one." The boy looks at his watch and wonders how he's going to get the fish back because his brother wants to use it as a display. Unconscious Mutterings
[posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:21 AM : Saturday, December 04, 2004 Old People Think College Kiddies Are All Drunkards This morning, I overheard a really loud conversation which, judging from the subject, was meant to be overheard and totally pushed me over the edge. So I started a post titled "Some Women Are Nasty, Brutish, and Not Necessarily Short" in order to vent my annoyance, but in the middle of it, I realized that I risked sounding just like them. So all I'm going to say is: if you must bad-mouth someone you don't know in front of me, be prepared to be walloped by a nice, large cluebat. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:45 AM : Friday, December 03, 2004 Ooo-eee (Note To Self) *When mixing up a batch of stock X-gal, do everything in the hood. DMF really, really stinks. *Try not to burst out laughing when a male colleague recounts a hot date saying that he "totally wound her up." [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 11:26 AM : Snow! And those SUV drivers think it's really cool to cut you off without a turn signal while the visibility is dropping towards zero. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:57 AM : Thursday, December 02, 2004 I Am Not A Freakin' Dog I hate it when people say, "Good girl!" whenever I do something. A simple, "Great!" or "Thanks!" will suffice. Otherwise, don't say anything at all. When I'm 80 and you tell me, "Good girl!", I'll smack you on the head with my cane. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:57 PM : Pdf Files Should Be Flogged The Art of Alpha Female Blogging. Egads! This article can basically be split up into three parts: 1) a post on sex and B&Bs, 2) a deconstruction of the post on sex and B&Bs, 3) tips for artful blogging. If you want to skip straight to #3, go to page 16. Also, the author mentions that writing about death and sex will get attention because that's what people are interested about. I would be more impressed if an author wrote well enough to get readers interested about a subject that wasn't about death and sex. (Actually, I want to learn how to omega blog. Getting in the last word is always fun--if anyone's reading at all.) Gay book ban goal of state lawmaker. Why is this guy blaming the homosexual agenda? Why doesn't he just admit he's got an agenda of his own? 'Blog' No. 1 Word of Year, But 'Instalanche' Not in Top 10. Hehe. Aside: Why is it that whenever Instapundit is mentioned, I'm always reminded of my 11th grade English teacher who yelled and bellowed and threw chalk and generally scared the heck out of me? What Part of Thanksgiving Are You? It says I'm the stuffing. Stupid quiz! I hate stuffing. Stuffing is packing peanuts for turkeys. What I really need is a fork. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 3:28 PM : Some Dirt and More Lofty Things Generalized Graduate Student Sexual Deprivation Disorder. "A coping mechanism, which mental health professionals say is on the rise, is for sexually aggrieved students to hunker down in dusty archives or library cubicles, hoping the disorder will naturally run its course." I think it could be even more general--it could apply to office workers, fast food employees, well heck, everybody. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. Corset Dreams. A blog about corsets--with pictures for those of you with perverted minds. I think people can wear whatever they wish, but my thought? Ow. Ow, ow, ow. The Galileo Project. "The Galileo Project is a source of information on the life and work of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)." A very prettily designed site. 'Blog' No. 1 word of the year. "Merriam-Webster Inc. said on Tuesday that blog, defined as "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments and often hyperlinks," was one of the most looked-up words on its Internet sites this year." Turn yourself into a diamond: tips from science on a good life, and death. So what sort of cool science stuff do you want to accomplish before you die? In their list, they've included 'extract your own DNA'--well, I haven't done that yet even though I extract DNA all the time. Bacterial DNA, that is. Slow roasted vine tomato and Woolwich goat cheese tart. This is of interest because I've decided to make this for that semi-obligatory Christmas party I have to go to next week. Except I'm scaling the tart up to pie size, substituting margarine for butter, and using regular salt instead of sea salt (since I read somewhere that the chemical composition of the two is identical--NaCl). And I'm also attempting the optional brie cheese fondue with red peppers. Hopefully I won't screw this up--I've made a similar French dish before and it turned out okay despite being a little watery. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:42 AM : The Thursday Threesome: Dancing Polar Bears Note to the creators of T3: You thought that I would think that you forgot? Heck, I forgot! Onesome: Dancing-- Dancing? Does anyone go dancing anymore? I mean, disco died, and the club scene? Hmmm... Is dancing dead? ...or are we just here on the web instead of out for the evening? DANCING IS DEAD! The closest thing to the club scene out here in the boondocks is an Indian restuarant called the India Queen. Indian people don't really like it because the food they serve isn't authentic and besides, they say it isn't that great. It's located in a business complex that includes a bank. On some nights, it hosts grad student parties which includes, what else, drinking. I've never been there (if you know me, going would be completely out of my character) but last I heard, they were playing Bollywood music videos. The undergraduates here at least have their frat houses. Twosome: Polar-- Polar bears seem to do well in the snow... How about you? Is snow just another thing you deal with when it shows up, or is it shutdown time? ...and if you're posting from a non-snowy locale, do you make trips to actually see snow? It's okay to admit it... My car now has snow tires so I think I'm going to be as prepared as I'm ever going to be. Threesome: Bears-- Bears? Christmas Bears? Have you seen the number of bears on the shelf this year? Are you getting one for anyone? ...or are you looking forward to receiving one? ...or do you still think that inguana in the elf outfit is more your style Elf outfits, hm... [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:40 AM : Wednesday, December 01, 2004 Shouldn't Forget Geez, it almost completely slipped my mind had it not been for Google. Today is World AIDS Day and one mustn't forget that even though a lot of progress has been made for the past two decades or so, we still don't know how to stop the HIV virus. But one thing's for sure--telling people to be abstinent or decrying homosexuality and generally emphasizing morality instead of science isn't going to make this go away. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 12:55 PM : Tangled Bank #17 Go read some science-y goodness at Penn. And if you have a science related post you want more people to read about, don't forget to submit to the next edition of Tangled Bank. (I would except, um, my brain's currently fried with qualifier stuff.) [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:32 AM : The Beginning of the End Heavenly Creature. Disturbing. This kind of thing probably happens at some frequency so this incident isn't really all that unique. It's only drawing attention because the murder confession is written in a LiveJournal. Wal-Mart's Woes, Online Shopping, and the Economy. This essay argues that Wal-Mart may not be a good indicator of the health of the economy despite its size and ubiquity and that Wal-Mart's problems are unique to it. As an aside: I always hear people complaining about Wal-Mart. Even graduate students who don't have very much money (after all, I know how much they make!) say they wouldn't touch the store with a ten-foot pole. I wonder, how much of this distaste is due being cool and liberal or actually understanding the economics behind the thing? Smiling frowned upon in visa photographs. I actually agree with the point that people shouldn't be smiling in visa photographs. I mean, when the time comes for some official to compare you with your photograph, you're not exactly smiling during that time, are you? How to Get More Done in Less Time. I keep a somewhat casual time schedule and I still don't get done what I want to. Maybe I should give up blogging? (Nah.) Porn Prohibitionists Miss Point. Since a puritan ethic is pervasive in America, ever since its founding, it's not surprising that people are trying to block porn. But really, they need to get a reality check. Is looking at porn going to send people off on criminal rampages? For well-adjusted people, I think not. The International Edible Book Festival. "The International Edible Book Festival is a yearly event on April 1 throughout the world .This event unites bibliophiles, book artists and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, documented then consumed." Exploding lava lamp kills Washington man. Ah, stupidity. It's probably not so dramatic to qualify for the Darwin Awards, but it is morbidly funny. Maybe I'll work this into next year's Nano novel. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:28 AM : |
