|
Friday, November 01, 2002 |
|
|
|
Not Dead Yet
Wow, what a semester. I blinked my eyes in September, and all of a sudden it's Nov 1st and thirty programming projects are pounding down my door demanding to know when I'll have time to work on them. Time is, of course, in short supply at the moment.
At least I've put a dent in things--my Software Systems group completed project #3 today. 200+ pages of love sweet love. You know, I ran to the 24-hour Wal*Mart to purchase a larger ring binder--which claimed it would hold 275 sheets of paper--but the damned thing gave out before I even got a chance to include my 43 page project journal. Which means that, courtesy of my programming group, my much-abused Software Systems professor gets to lug back to her office two separate black ring binders filled with bleached tree pulp. Oh my aching back.
1:06:45 AM 
|
| |
|
Friday, September 20, 2002 |
|
|
|
Greatest Political Idea of the Year
I don't know if this is true, but man, what a brilliant idea. Matt Drudge
reports that Rupert Murdoch is planning an "American Idol" style TV show called "American Candidate." One hundred political wannabes will compete on network television to become "the people's candidate"... and run in the 2004 U.S. presidential election.
Now, you might think this sounds crazy, but really, modern politics is just a cult of personality. Look at politicians like John McCain and Rudy Guiliani. Their policies are nearly irrelevant! People love them because of their life story. I know whereof I speak--I live in Minnesota, home of Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Anyway, I think "American Candidate" is a tremendous idea, and I hope Murdoch actually does it. It might get people to pay attention to the political process again, and it's bound to be hella entertaining.
3:57:01 PM
|
| |
|
Thursday, September 19, 2002 |
|
|
|
But with action and a whore!
As a reminder, Joss Whedon's "Firefly" premieres tomorrow night, Friday September 20, on FOX at 7:00 CST. I shall be watching out of pure, morbid curiosity. Well, I'll tape it, anyway. Friday's a bad place to put a scifi show. Just ask Twin Peaks. Or Dark Angel. Or Farscape. Even X-Files barely survived Fridays before it moved to Sunday. Anybody taking bets on how long Firefly will last?
Note: I'm not gonna include any images, because FOX is notoriously sue-happy. However, you can find some preview pics here. Current thoughts: This show better not be "Riley Finn In Space!" Cause, like, that would suck.
5:35:00 PM
|
| |
|
Wednesday, September 18, 2002 |
|
|
|
Plug in my MCI to excercise my brain
I've been in a driven mood, lately. Here's some faster paced stuff.
"Tune In" - Flak - Fun, fast, fake guitars, what more do you need?
Lyrics.
"When The World Is Running Down" - Different Gear vs. The Police - Heavenly danceable update to a classic
"Ready Steady Go" - Paul Oakenfold feat. Asher D - Last seen in the big car chase in "The Bourne Identity." Sparse, echoey vocals, evil guitar licks
"Algebra" - Soul Hooligan - Funky beat, weird harmonica stuff going on, and the oh-so-impenetrable lyrics
"Simple Things pt. 2" - Dirty Vegas - Haunting lyrics, creepy-as-hell Pink Floyd sample. It's the simple things that make you smile, so what went wrong? Listened to this over and over when I wrote "Redbird"--no idea why, it just felt right.
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" - Daft Punk - Goofy 80's techno deconstruction sung by the son of Stephen Hawking's vocalizer. Weird combinatoric lyrics in something like reverse Polish notation.
6:05:37 PM
|
| |
|
Tuesday, September 17, 2002 |
|
|
|
Immortal glories in my mind revive
Where my money goes:
I took the GMAT. $200. Reasons I took the GMAT:
3) Sucky time to be a CS major
2) Rather get an MBA than a JD
1) Nothing better to do on a Tuesday morning
I subscribed to Salon. 2 years @ $50. Reasons I subscribed:
3) Support (indirectly) Scott Rosenberg's TMBG habit
2) Sick of all the Vodka ads
1) Fool. Money. Parted.
(Note: I also subscribe to K5.)
I bought
frozen soup. 2/$4. Reasons I bought soup:
3) Creation of 20 additional jobs in Fulton, NY
2) Live too far away to take the factory tour, where
free samples are available in the lunch room
1) Hungry.
Total: $254
9:40:01 PM
"Why can't you just let people be askew? I mean, what are you, the Askew Police?"
"Yes, I'm the Askew Police."
ABC has
picked up another 8 episodes of "Monk," the best new show of the summer. "Monk" performed
surprisingly well against Fox's "American Idol"
juggernaut, but it has its work cut out for it this fall. It'll be airing Thursdays vs. "Friends" and "Survivor: Thailand." While "Monk" has its flaws--a typical episode ends when the murderer confesses his guilt to a crowd of onlookers--the stories and characters are drawn finely enough to hold my interest.
Tony Shalhoub, who plays the title character, does a "Zen Sherlock Holmes thing." He's a savant-savant detective who developed a severe case of OCD following the unsolved murder of his wife. "Monk" hits just enough genuine sadness to add depth to the clever dialogue and occasionally hackneyed mystery plots. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing more of this series. You can catch first-run episodes on USA Fridays at 9:00 CST. ABC has been airing episodes on Tuesday; ABC will air "Monk" on Thursday at 7:00 CST this fall.
9:37:48 PM
|
| |
|
Monday, September 16, 2002 |
|
|
|
If matched closely enough to course, events have a way of restructuring themselves
A few Farscape updates since the
news broke.... Programming Insider heard a rumor that
UPN is vaguely interested in picking up Farscape. Australia's Daily Telegraph reports
the Farscape sets have not yet been torn down, and SciFi may be interested in a miniseries.
SaveFarscape.com is an attractive site with info on the ongoing saga. They've also assigned
daily homework, so I hope you studied. Farscape World has
a page with contact information and other updates. The Jim Henson company has posted
a bland little page on the official Farscape site, and SciFi has
a blurb informing us where we really ought to send email. So, if you've ever watched & liked the show, or for some bizarre reason you'd like to express your support, fire off an email to
programming@scifi.com and help 'em keep track of their Farscape mail. And if you're going to send snail mail, don't bother with crackers. It's a cute idea, but a letter is better.
4:08:12 PM
|
| |
|
Sunday, September 15, 2002 |
|
|
|
Like a wild stranger out of wizard-land
For today's update I shall merely link to P.C. Wrede's Worldbuilder Questions, a useful checklist if you're into playing God. I can't say I've had much use for it, personally, but if I had to whip up a world from scratch, I'd certainly consider it a worthwhile resource. The layout is a little funky, but the links all seem to work. My favorite Worldbuilder Question is on
this page--"Comb of No Bad Hair Days Ever"? Sign me up.
Today's
quote, btw, is from Edwin Arlington Robinson's "For a Copy of Poe's Poems." The complete excerpt is:
Like a wild stranger out of wizard-land
He dwelt a little with us, and withdrew;
Black and unblossomed were the ways he knew,
Dark was the glass through which his fire eye shined.
8:52:08 PM
|
| |
|
|
Calendar |
| |
| November 2002 |
| Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
| |
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
| 3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
| 10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
| 17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
| 24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
30 |
| Sep Dec |
|
|
Upcoming
