extending the offer once again...
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: "Kobrakai" - Lost Prophets
Topic: The Web
Anyone out there with a blog who wishes to exchange links, just let me know. This last month alone I've had 2003 visitors to my blog. So if you would like for me to have a link to your blog, just let me know and, if you put one up to mine, I will reciprocate. Not only is this good for getting more readers, but the more links you have in and out of your page, the higher you are ranked on google. q:o)

sdrawkcab
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: "Some Fantastic" - Barenaked Ladies
Topic: School Stuff
Argh! I hate when stuff is backwards in ECE and then it just confuses the crap out of you. For example, current is caused by electrons, but the direction that we conventionally use for current is backwards to the flow of electrons.

Most recently, in my simulation lab I am working on CMOS capacitors. I was going nuts for the past 15 minutes because all of my graphs were backwards. Then I suddenly had a flash of insight...nmos capacitor is p-type and pmos capacitor is n-type. I have no idea why this is and it drives me nuts! I could have saved so much time if they had named these things correctly the first time!

mmhmm track 1
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: "Things of This World" - dc talk
Topic: Music
Here's part one of the awesome relient k lyrics from their new album, mmhmm. This one always makes me think it belongs in a teen movie.

"The One I'm Waiting For"
Relient K

The way that girl can break a heart
It's like a work of art
And this is the worst part
She knows it

And she's so confident
That she's what everybody wants
But nobody wants
Her to know that

So fall back on all of your premonitions
And just learn to listen
To those that have more wisdom than you
And just stop
Putting so much stock
In all of this stuff
Live your life for those you love

And I'm still waiting for
You to be the one I'm waiting for

The way that girl can turn a head
Well she is such a threat
But don't ever forget
She knows it

And she's got it all
All figured out
And she won't let you doubt
She knows it

I'm still waiting for
You to be the one I'm waiting for

Something tells me that this is going to make sense
Something tells me it's going to take patience
Something tells me that this will all work out in the end

why oh why does it take so long?
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: School Stuff
why does everything take so long when working off the unix machines from home? each graphic takes soooo long to load - it's killing me!

and while I'm asking why, why is Firefox 1.0 more buggy than 0.9? 0.9 was my complete replacement for IE because it was much better. 1.0 keeps messing up with my tripod page.

AIDS Ball Analysis
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: "We Three Kings" - Dingers
Topic: School Stuff

If you didn't go to Phi Sigma Pi's AIDS Benefit Ball last night you really missed out. The party was bumpin' and the dance floor was packed once people got the courage to start dancing.

It was my first time DJing in over a year, but I got right back into the groove as soon as I got everything up and connected. I was a little worried at first that my speakers wouldn't be able to fill all of the Memorial Room with music. My fears, it turned out, were unfounded. My music filled the hall as well as the lobby of Willard Straight Hall.

I was able to set up the laptop to record my mix throughout the night. I haven't been able to listen to it yet - it was a 3.5 hour mix and I've been busy with some other things. But I intend to get it onto CD so that I can listen to it and see how to improve my mix. Also, I'll make it available online for others to experience.

As always it was tough to decide which songs to play. There were so many that I just couldn't get to because there were only 3.5 hours in which to do it all. I also had to go across quite a few genres to get all of the music that everyone wanted.

I ended up playing Rap, Reggae, Sala, Bachata, Merengue, Swing, and Disco. At first I was afraid that people wouldn't be able to dance to some of the music because I'm used to DJing in South Florida, but apparently a lot of people here take advantage of the Salsa and merengue PE classes.

Overall, I think it was very successful because people pretty much kept dancing the whole time. It's funny because it took some people a lot of time to warmup. Some of the people who were dancing at the end and really enjoying it, wouldn't get up to dance earlier. I almost wish I had just one more half an hour.

It was also a success because we were able to raise quite a bit of money for the Elizabeth Glazier Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Last night alone we raised $1000 and we had collected $100 in donations. Plus, at least one of the alumni has decided to match the money we made with her own donation. She may not be able to do a one-for-one with $1000, but even a 1:2 would give us another $500. And if more alumni participate we could send them an awesome check!

Here are two more pictures. Enjoy - and next time you better come so you can have this much fun!

Bored of Reality Tv?
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: "Oye Mi Canto" - NORE & Nina Sky
Topic: The Web
Those who are paid to know these things have predicted that as the internet matures (it's just barely entering it's adolesence) we would end up with new types of entertainment. The big networks don't control the internet, we, the netizens, do. I can put up anything I want on my site as long as it's not covered by hate crime laws or relating to terrorism. (Oh yeah, they can also stop me from copyright infringement) People may or may not come depending upon what kind of advertisement I get, but I can put up anything and no one can stop me. As you know, this is definitely not the case with Tv. If you are caught broadcasting over the airwaves without a license, even if your material was to help little kids become geniuses, you would get into trouble and be fined. The other difference is that the internet is relatively cheap, make that orders of magnitude cheaper, than Tv to make content for.

So, if you're tired of reality tv, which is not reality tv, but really unscripted tv....ok, it's not unscripted, but the contestants don't know that the producers will string together the clips to make it seem like so and so is ALWAYS complaining when they only complained once; unless they've seen VH1, then they should know what they're getting into. Also, I hope that guy that jumped into the pool naked, in a spread eagle pose in Real World knows that if he ever runs for president or other office that this video may surface - without his bits fuzzied out. But I digress....

If you tire of this crap that you watch only because there's nothing else to watch, then I introduce you to one of the alternatives - watch something from Rooster Teeth Productions. Their work is semi-professional and the shows are pretty funny. It's geared a little more towards gamers, but it's still funny. Red Vs Blue takes place in a stereotypical shoot 'em up game. I don't know what game it's based on, but it's one of those lan party games where you each have a base and try to kill the others. I've watched the first two episodes and I think they're pretty funny. It isn't the funniest thing I've ever seen, but it's better than anything I've seen on Tv lately. In fact, they sell DVDs with the previous two "seasons". This has to potential to do for Tv/Video what the internet has done for garage bands. Groups that would have never gotten a record, not because they were crap, but becamuse they didn't match the stereotype that the music execs wanted, have been able to gain followings and actually make money. They haven't reached a level where they can sustain themselves from this income, but at least they have listeners, and as someone who likes to create content, having people look at, watch, or listen to you work is often more important than if they buy it.

Then they [RTP] have The Strangerhood. This footage comes from the new in-game camera in The Sims 2. The series only has a couple of episodes up, but I'm not 100% sure what it's going to be about. It appears to be a parody on Reality Tv, but it's a little hard to tell after only two episodes. I like the theme music and I like the idea so much that I can't wait until I get The Sims 2 so that I can try something like this for myself. It's like unlimited free actors.

So check these guys out because what they're doing is groundbreaking. The same way that I've recently begun to heavily promote Linux because it gives one freedom, I'd like to promote people doing things like this. These are the kinds of disruptive technologies and trends that force change.

I'm not saying that overnight M$ will fall and Tv will stop showing crap, but if current trends continue, things will have to change. M$ will either have to adapt and give people what they want for less $$$ or they will be pushed aside like OS/2 and become an obscure little OS that almost no one uses. They don't even have awesome graphics or music like the Mac to keep them alive. Also, perhaps one day you'll be able to watch content from RTP on your Tv instead of crowding around your computer or hooking up the 'puter to the Tv.

Stay tuned for my own creative works. If not over Thanksgiving break, then definitely when Christmas Break comes around expect new artwork, un-touched up photos, the first chapters of Lights Out, and - perhaps - some Sims-based movies. I may have to dissapear after this awesome run of posts every day since the anniversary of the blog, but I've got a bunch of crap to finish for school before Thanksgiving Break. I guess one thing to be happy about in school is that in the "real world" there's no Thanksgiving, Christmas or Spring Break. That's why they have to pay so much - as compensation. It's really bad for productivity, but that's a topic for another post.

thanks
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: School Stuff
Those lab reports that were killing me the other week - I just got them back. I got awesome grades! I thought I had flunked them! I got an 88 and 79. And the 79 was on one where I couldn't finish it so I left part of it blank.

When I was your age....
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: "When I Was Your Age" - Weird Al
Topic: Music
So I'm getting "old" - I'm nearly 22 years old! I've passed all of the milestones except being able to rent a car. So I got to thinking about how much things have changed in the 22 years I've been around, never mind how much they've changed since my grandmother was born. I feel that change is constantly accelerating (increasing in speed) so that more and more things change in a given year.

A short list of things that didn't exist when I was born:
The Internet (as we know it - it existed a loose collection of BBS and protoWWW stuff)
CDs
DVDs
cheap computers
ethernet
Windows
Linux

So I threw on this Weird Al song and it's really one of my favorite - I can't decide if it's 1 or 2 on my top list of Weird Al songs, but the lyrics are great. I guarantee that if you aren't laughing after reading the lyrics, which I will reproduce below, you have no sense of humour. I have enboldened my favorite parts...

"When I Was Your Age"
by Weird Al
as far as I know this is one of his original songs and not a parody

Let me tell you sonny... let me tell you straight
You kids today ain't never had it tough
Always had everything handed to you on a silver plate
You lazy brats think nothing's good enough

Well, nobody ever drove me to school when it was ninety degrees below
We had to walk buck naked through forty miles of snow
Worked in the coal mines twenty two hours a day for just half a cent
Had to sell me internal organs just to pay the rent

When I was your age. When I was your age
When I was your age. When I was your age

Let me tell you something, you whiny little snot
There's something wrong with all you kids today
You just don't appreciate all the things you've got
We were hungry, broken and miserable and we liked it fine that way

There were seventy three of us living in a cardboard box
All I got for Christmas was a lousy bag of rocks
Every night for dinner, we had a big 'ol chunk of dirt
If we were really good, we didn't get dessert

When I was your age. When I was your age
When I was your age. When I was your age

Didn't have no telephone, didn't have no FAX machine
All we had was a couple cans and a crummy piece of string
Didn't have no swimming pool when I was just a lad
Our neighbor's septic tank was the closest thing we had
Didn't have no dental floss, had to use old rusty nails
Didn't have Nintendo, we just poured salt on snails
Didn't have no water bed, had to sleep on broken glass
Didn't have no lawnmower, we used our teeth to cut the grass

What's the matter now, sonny, you say you don't believe this junk?
You think my story's wearin' kinda thin?
I tell you one thing, I never was such a disrespectful punk
Back in my time, we had a thing called discipline

Dad would whoop us every night till a quarter after twelve
Then he'd get too tired and he'd make us whoop ourselves
Then he'd chop me into pieces and play frisbee with my brain
And let me tell ya, Junior, you never heard me complain

When I was your age. When I was your age
When I was your age. When I was your age

Quotes - it's been a while
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Quotes
"Documentation is like sex: when it is good, it is very, very good; and when it is bad, it is better than nothing" - Dick Brandon, man files in linux

Ashley: dos semanas woot
Eric: it took me a second to parse that because I wasn't expecting spanish and l33t

"There's something very wrong with this, it was us who wanted to buy a caravan from them" - Tommy, Snatch

"You're like a Flintstones gadget - Prof pushes the button on the remote and you stand up and turn off the projector" - Ben to Me

How Yoda May Change My Life
Mood:  chatty
Topic: movies
I was watching Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back the other day with Danielle. I'm not a huge fanatic, but I appreciate the movies for the groundbreaking fantasy/sci-fi masterpieces that they are. They fundamentally changed sci-fi from a cheesy B movie category into a legitimate movie thus paving the way for everything that came after from Speilburg's career launching Close Encounters to Men In Black. In my ignorance I may have ignored some other important sci-fi movie, but for the most part all of the older ones I've been exposed to were quite cheesy with the exception of the original, not-dubbed-and-nuclear-weapon-desensitized-for-the-US, verion of Godzilla.

So I'm not one of those people who stood in line forever to see the new movies or the re-releases, but I appreciate them as an artform. I found out that Danielle had never seen any of them and, with all of the contemporary references, I knew that she had to see them. So we rented the trilogy and saw the movies over our free moments during the week - dinners and weekend study breaks.

So as I started off this post saying, we were watching ESB. Skywalker lands on Dantooine (SW fans, don't crucify me if I get it wrong or commit the worse error of spelling it wrong) in search of Yoda. While he's in the home of the last Jedi, Yoda begins a dialogue/monologue addressed to Ben Kenobi's ghost where he says, in description of Luke, something like, "Always looking towards the future - never his mine on where he was - on what he was doing." In fact, such an offense was this attribute that he says it with a stern voice.

That was Saturday night/Sunday morning around 2 am. But I haven't been able to get the quote, or it's gist, out of my head since then. I feel that it kind of applies to me as well. When I was a kid I couldn't wait to turn 16 so that I could drive. Quite a few waking moments were spent with me unable to wait until 16. Once I turned 16 did my longing for the future end? No, then I couldn't wait to turn 18 so that I could vote, be an adult, and go to clubs. Then I couldn't wait for HS to end. Now I can't wait for Cornell to end. What's next? Can't wait to have kids? To own a house?

Sometimes I am concerned that I spend so much time thinking about and planning the future that I am missing out on the present. Sometimes I can't wait until I get to a certain favorite class. Once I'm there I can't wait for it to end. I don't think this is right....

This isn't the first time that I've thought of this, but I haven't taken any steps towards remedying this because I don't know what the right balance is. Living solely in the present isn't good either - if I only lived in the present I would buy everything, recklessly have sex, and not study. Because today none of those things have consequences. So obviously, like everything else in life, there is a needed balance.

Well, we'll see what is the ultimate effect of Yoda's words, after all, it's not the first time that I've heard them. Perhaps this will pass and I'll stay the way I've been - afterall when we begin to worry about things, the negatives seem amplified. So it's always hard to tell if I'm being overly negative or if this is one of those moments that Tony Robbins, preachers, and other thinkers refer to as the moment of choice or the proverbial fork in the road. Is this a chance to radically change my life for the better or just everyday brooding?

We'll see what direction God guides me in. I know for sure that if this thought doesn't dissapear by next week that it's something that I need to act on.