Republicans take over the US
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: "I So Hate Consequences" - Relient K
Topic: News
So, sometime around 2 EST Kerry finally gave up and gave the election to Bush. Well, it was more like Kerry's advisors told him that the provisional and absentee ballots weren't going to have an impact in his winning Ohio and so he decided to exit a little more gracefully than Gore. Personally, I'm ok with Bush winning this time because he had the popular vote. I mean, he beat Kerry by 3 million! In an election where not too many people turn out, that's a pretty nice win. It certainly isn't a landslide, but it is impressive considering that fact that most people thought it would be a repeat of 2000.

Yet there are still some people whose votes will not count. I'm talking about the three states still coloured white - at least they were still white around 7 when I last took in some news. Essentially, there is no point in tabulating the votes there other than for curiosity's sake. Since they would have not given Kerry enough electoral votes to win even if they had all gone to him, they are inconsequential.

But how does that make the people of those states feel? Just because the other states were tabulated first doesn't mean that these states shouldn't count - and yet that's what it means. If I lived there I would be a little peeved that no one in the media was talking about their state - especially when they are Florida close.

Another election time surprise were all of the amendments to the state constitutions that passed banning gay marriage. The federal amendment didn't have a leg to stand on, but these other states were able to get prohibitionary bills passed. I'm surprised that people in these states didn't shoot the measures down. But then again, a lot of the places that added this to their constitution are states that don't have a large gay concentration so there's no one to protest or just vote against it.

Well, I must sleep for class tomorrow - my pillow beckons and I must answer the call

The Blackeye.....I mean Buckeye State
Mood:  chatty
Topic: News
So Ohio has become the Florida of this year's election. There's one key difference this year compared with the last election cycle - Kerry has not yet conceded despite the fact that he's almost certainly lost. I think that, more than anything else last time, the fact that Gore had called Bush and congratulated him really weakened his case later on. There's something that just feels wrong in the gut of an American, as competitive as we are, about someone who admits defeat and then takes it back and asks for a "do over". In fact, thinking back as a child - didn't you usually hate the person who called "do over" whenever you finally won. He would always list some spurious reason and depending upon who had the support of most of the other kids would win. In a sense, the "other kids" in 2000 were the Supreme Court. This year, however, Kerry is refusing to lose - for now. He's deciding to be the person who says, "let's wait an see what the impartial kid says," going back to my childhood metaphor. Only time will tell what happens, but I hope for two things.

1) It shouldn't go too long or people are going to get ticked that this is always happening
2) The Supreme Court better not decide the election again or I predict there will be a huge riot

PS - I guess my cynicism was unfounded - Osama did not appear caught right before the election.

To Bush the Spoils
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: News
Well, it's too close for the talking heads to call, but unless Kerry wins every state left, Bush has the office for another 4 years. There's been a lot of talk of litigation over the results. Aparently the Republicans were mad that some polling places extended their hours because that will supposedly lead to more Democratic votes. We'll see...I have a lot going on right now so I can't talk too much about it.

Voting and Anniversary
Mood:  chatty
Topic: random
First of all, every single last one of you who's over 17 better have voted or better vote today! Otherwise I don't want to hear any complaints from you when this president or that one instates some silly policy. I don't care if you want Bush, Kerry, or Nader in office. Although, seriously, Nader's not going to be winning any time soon. So go vote....or die! Ok, so maybe you won't die, but that's what happens when a rapper makes the slogan. Just go vote!

On another note, this is the first anniversary of "It's A Binary World"! One whole year! I can't believe it! It seems like only a little while ago that I took up blogging - a few years behind the initial group, but before the media started talking about it so much that pretty soon my parents may end up with one. Well, unfortunately I can't do the 1 year bash post because I have an interview, exam, and tons of homework for tonight. Perhaps tomorrow I can do it, but it may have to wait for next year. See how it all started by navigating back to 2 Nov 2003.

Just one more creative outlet
Mood:  bright
Topic: Lights Out
You may have noticed on the lefthand links that I added a link to a blog called Lights Out but there's nothing in the blog! That's because it's a story I'm going to be writing. I really like the idea of web comics like Megatokyo, but I can't draw for crap. So I decided to have a serialized story. Once I have a break - perhaps during Thanksgiving break, I'll be adding to it - if not earlier. I'll make a post here to let you know when I've added to that one.

life's little miracles - no I don't mean babies or a lil dog saving someone's life
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: the comforting hum of 6 hard drives
Topic: School Stuff
A lot of people believe that either a) Miracles are make-believe; a way for people to have hope in a world where it seems to be lacking or
b) Miracles used to happen back in the Biblical days, but there aren't any today

Then there's a small minority in category c. These people believe that miracles continue to go on. Some, like the baby found yesterday in Japan after being burried in earthquake rubble for a few days, are big. Others, like finding a dollar when you really need one, are a little bit smaller.

What a miracle really comes down to is a paradigm shift in one's thought process. Either you believe that all the ridiculously amazing things that happen in the world are by chance or you believe in miracles. Of course, sometimes people use synonyms for miracle so that they don't have to sound religious, but it's the same thing.

If there's one thing that Cornell Engineering has taught me, it's that there is a LOT of randomness in the world, however, there is no "chance".

Why am I railing on about miracles? (especially because I believe I've written about this before - at least in a different way) Because I feel that I experienced one that was both trivial and huge at the same time.

I was looking at my buddy list because someone's name caught my eye in the signon popup box. I didn't even get to talk to the person because they signed off immediately. However, on my way up my buddy list I noticed a friend of mine who's in my ridiculously impossible class. I talked to him by chance to see what he was up to and ended up learning that I had started to do a full half of my lab completely wrong! I had to use negative values for this part instead of positive values. I am SO glad that I talked to him because I would have hated working on this so hard and long and have half of it be wrong because of a sign error.

Instead of being mad that I had to do some parts, I was overjoyed at discovering this mistake while I could still do something about it. That is the fundamental difference that allows me to enjoy life and have more energy than others. (Not counting this week where I've been deprived of everything except love from my family and fiancee - and even there we have barely had time to have a passing hug - forget talking or spending time together.)

Well, I have to get back to finishing my impossible labs. Thanks for bearing with me.

PCMCIA Ethernet/Wireless Cards and Linux
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: "Oops! The Real Slim Shady Did It Again" - Eminem vs Britney Spears
Topic: Linux
When I graduate I intend to have a webpage devoted to giving advice on deploying linux. One real disadvantage of the OS is that each person has different hardware and software and there are also different Linux distros so it's almost impossible to find help that consistantly works. Let me provide the following for now, based on a few weeks of frustration.

If you want to put it on a laptop and have wireless 802.11 or ethernet access I tried three brands and had the best success for the least amount of work on Netgear brand. Specifically, get WG511 (it says it on the outside of the package) for wirelss. After just a quick customization to update the firmware, it works. It only took me 10 minutes to do. The ethernet card just worked. For the first time you boot up you may have to have both cards out for everything to work right. After that you can always leave the ethernet card in and just ignore any complaints it gives at boot time. For the wireless I have found it best, in my experience, to leave it out until you get all the way to the desktop. Then insert it and go from there.

Happy surfing - keep the world free by using opensource whenever you can. I know it's tough, I still have to keep around my M$ Windows system for school and some other high-powered apps that haven't yet been ported to Linux.

Ok, I have a ~10^7 things to do by the end of this week so I'm out.

you have to see this
A funny flash political cartoon

I can't wait until I have time to make real posts again...

lack of updates - why?
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: Site Info
You may be wondering why the last of posts; even lack of dead eric days. Well, I've been all over the place for job interviews. That's the first problem. The second problem is that these interviews have caused me to fall a little behind. I'm not behind by a lot, but the problem is that this week is when everything is due so being behind by any amount isn't good. Two more days until hell is over.

See you on the other side...

Wegman's - Where Shopping for Drugs is a Pleasure
Mood:  chatty
Topic: random

Yesterday Danielle was reviewing her receipt from that afternoon's grocery shopping. After staring at it for a few minutes she came up to to me, "What's Premium Pot?" I was perplexed at her question especially juxtaposed with the fact that she was handing me the receipt. Premium Pot? WTF is that? What was purchased that could be called a pot? I started to think that maybe it was some kind of prank that they pull on people since there are a lot of hippies around here.

"What were the groceries?" We kept asking while both cracking up at the crude joke that belonged in a Cheech and Chong Movie, while at the same time getting a little peeved over not being able to figure it out. "Ok, list it!" I said.

"Carrots, chicken, ground beef, and celery." she answered.

"Chicked pot pie maybe?" We hadn't bought any potted plants...what was going on here?

Finally, out of the corner of her eye Danielle spots a bag of potatoes. "OH!" she exclaims, "Premium Potatoes!" We had a bit more of a laught and it was over.

Personally, I think that they should think of a better receipt abbreviation for potatoes than pot. That's just a little unnerving.

edit: I just noticed they spelled spaghetti wrong. Wow....
also...I reduced the receipt size, because a whole page is a little drastic.