A month

December 4, 2008 – 2:31 pm

That’s how long it’s been, roughly, since I’ve updated this here bloggy-thingamajigger.

So, some quick updates:

Best news I’ve heard today: We don’t have to shove a rod up your penis to test for that anymore. Yay for medical advances!

Second best: Write a paper about your passive walker and we’ll get you to present it at a conference. (That’s me in the video, btw. Yes, I’m fucking proud of this even though it looks like some 6th grader’s science project mishap.) My prof said today, also, that it was the best project he’s seen in all his years of teaching this class. Yay! First step is presenting it to the class in a couple hours. meh. But there’s a video! Yay! I only have 4 minutes to present a shitload of information. The video is 30 seconds. 3:30 to present so much info with 20 seconds explaining who I am and what I do. That’s 3:10 to describe the problem, the solution, show the video, and explain the problems I had. Then a minute for questions. LOL! In a class that won’t even answer the prof’s questions. I have 4 slides.

I’m going to go snowboarding tonight and damn the consequences. YAY!

Hm, what else. My hardware for my research is still off in Colorado, with other parts in GERMANY. Spechen ze WTF?!

Satellite is coming along. I just wrote a shit ton of documentation for it and still have some other stuff to fill in (mostly diagrams).

Tomorrow night is Pat McCurdy at O’Gara’s. I invited all my band mates along, but none replied. Their loss.

Beer.

Clown Ninjas

November 6, 2008 – 9:58 am

Whoever did this is a comedic genius.

I’m getting bored with blogging. No one comments anymore. Is anyone even reading this? Hello?..o..o..o..?

Obamown’d

November 4, 2008 – 11:34 pm

Winnar!

New Music

October 31, 2008 – 12:00 pm

I’m a musician. At least, I fancy myself as one. I twiddle some licks on the ol’ geetar and sound pretty good half the time. As a musician (and someone avoiding work again) I’m always searching for new sounds that intrigue me. A lot of times, it ventures into places I don’t feel I need to share (death metal, for instance, I know isn’t everyone’s cup o’ T- but, for me there are a lot of interesting musical ideas in some of it that really pique my interest). Some times, though, I find some nuggets that really have a great sound. Like Kerli. I felt I needed to share her with you all and was pleasantly surprised to find that many of you enjoyed it, also.

So, we come to another band that I feel I should share. They’re from the UK and have been around nearly twenty years. And, I bet you’ve never heard of them. They’re categorized as “doom metal”, which is a melodic, oft ochestra-accompanied, form of death metal. Their early work incorporated the death metal growl vocals, but later (late 90s) they moved to a much better clean sound and built their music on amazing cresendos and built and built until it explodes into a wonderful melody full of emotion.

Sadly, I couldn’t find any of their actual videos, so I give you the best I can find on Youtube:

Anathema - Regret
Anathema - Are You There?
Anathema - Angels Walk Among Us
Anathema - Lost Control

There are others that are just as great as these. Fragile Dreams is another amazing song. As is One Last Goodbye, The Silent Enigma and.. Well, all that I’ve listened to I’ve really enjoyed.

What I Learned Today, By Me

October 29, 2008 – 1:38 pm

Read the fucking manual, dumbass.

The end.

On another note, I haven’t really been keeping up with this blogging thing. It’s work, when I have so much else going on. For instance, we have this big show on Saturday that we’ve been prepping for. Wait, did I say have? I meant HAD, because the wedding got canceled because the groom is a moron. This really bums me out, I was really looking forward to it. We had a great time last Saturday (after a shitty first run).  In the end, though, I think this works out best for everyone. Half the band would not have been able to make a rehersal prior to the show. I know that would have stabbed us in the foot. (Which makes you walk gimpy. That’s the reference. We’d be gimpy.)

I’m getting tired of this dating shit, too. Really, I am. I date a lot. A lot of different girls. I’ve even flown to another state for one (which was a maddeningly awkward time). It’s really starting to look bleak. I just can’t seem to find a girl that matches what I want. Or if I do, I don’t match what she wants. Eh. With the change of weather, I’m feeling a bit run down about everything.

No, this isn’t a segue into pitching for the other team, either. I like boobs too much.

I also feel like I’m losing touch with people again. I don’t seem to talk to people anymore that I used to talk to a lot. It’s probably just a cyclic thing, but it’s annoying.  Then again, I think about how much everyone’s lives have change: marriage, kids, careers. Yet, I’m still pretty much in the same place. My life feels like it’s on hold and I’m not sure what will change that. I need to get out of what I’m doing. I just keep plugging away at this shit and it never seems to get done. Nothing changes. It’s still homework, studying, researching, writing. I’m fed up with it. I don’t like living a static life. I need to get out there and explore.

This is what scares me about being done, though: will I become just another worker? Slaving away for a wage to afford my house, my car, my food? I don’t particularly like the idea of working my ass off for two weeks of vacation a year. WTF is with that? Two weeks… Of 52. The fuck, you say? How is that living? You aren’t living, you’re toiling away merely to survive.

Also, I don’t like the idea that what I do can be used to kill people. I’ve really begun to realize that I shouldn’t have gotten into this. Sure, the research is nifty, but it’s nothing spectacular. It’s not going to make the world a better place. It’ll just make it.. what? Safer? For who? Will it solve poverty? Bring health care to people? No, it’ll be able to map out a contested region so warmongers know where to strike their missles. Is it a more humane solution to just carpet bombing an area? I guess. But, I see it as treating the symptoms, not the cause. Why are people bombing each other in the first place?

I also think that’s a major issue with the world, in general. (Wee, generalizations!) We look at effects and how to cope with them, while not addressing the cause.

Plus, our monetary system is fucking messed up. Really, it’s all based on magically making money appear out of thin air. And it’s collapsing. The system is doomed to failure. It’s actually built into it. The centralized bank has done nothing but create incredible amounts of debt. “The American Way”, my ass. A hundred years ago we were debt free because we didn’t have a centralized bank. Look at us now. We’re screwed.

I’m tired. I’m fed up. I don’t want to do this shit anymore. But, where will I go? What will I do? Do you really fucking think Canada is better? They’re just as screwed up as we are, just in different ways, but it’s still a mess. And it’s not like change will actually happen if/when Obama becomes president. You all know this, right? Nothing will change. Sure, we might get out of Iraq. But we don’t really have an exit strategy for that shit. We’ll pull out and make a mess on Iraq’s back side (ew, gross).

So, when you ask me if I’m upset and if there’s something bothering me.. Well, yes there fucking is. There’s so much shit and greed and fear that nothing will ever get better. People can’t trust each other. Why? Why can’t they? Because they’re a different skin tone. Beacuse they believe in different invisible sky wizards. Because they have differing ideas and ideas scare people because they don’t know how to handle ones that are different then theirs.

It’s fucked up. It won’t get better because the people that influence and shape the minds of those that follow force their fucked up traditions and ideas on them and then the next generation is just as fucked up or worse than the previous.

In closing, I’d like to ask, “What the hell is an aluminum falcon?”

Ah me oh my

October 11, 2008 – 10:35 am

It’s been a while, eh? So what’s new? Stuff. I like stuff. But much more I like things. For instance, math jokes about sex. It’s funny on several levels. Why? You try figuring out how to do the last one.

xkcd.com

YAR!

September 19, 2008 – 1:49 pm

It be talk like a pirate day, this day, ya savvy? In honour, I bring ye… absolutely nothin’! Har! Ye see, I stole all the bounty ‘n I ain’t be sharin’ with the likes of ye, ya land lubber. Off ta Davey Jones’ locker with ye!

Sexy pirate girl

She can shiver me timbers anytime!

There is no savior

September 18, 2008 – 2:21 pm

I know some shit just because I’m aware of things that go on around me. For instance, I’ve known about 4chan and Anonymous for years. When Anonymous started their crusade against Scientology, I was quite happy. Because I hate Scientology. It’s evil. I do not necessarily support Anonymous because they can be childish and petty. Not that I really care. My whole take on it is that since they have no hierarchical structure (there is no leadership but the mass’s will) they have great potential for good and evil. It just depends on the Anonymous mood.

I hate the media. There is no unbiased media left. It is either right wing conservative or left wing liberal. The words they use to convey the news are biased. They utilize adjectives that bolster their political and social agendas. Fox News is horrible. CNN is crap. MSNBC is.. well, awful- for numerous (that word looks funny) reasons. But, if you’re intelligent you can sift through the bullshit political slant and find some news. Not that the US news really reports anything news worthy (Fattest cat in the county? We’ll see when we weigh Mr Fluffy Butts after this commercial!) and if it did we’d all be severely depressed because the world is in a horrible state, we’re just oblivious to it because we’re never exposed to it.

Recently, Anonymous discovered the password to Sarah Palin’s Yahoo email account. There was no hacking involved. This person merely figured out the answers to the secret questions. How? Through some horrible, despicable, unclean places like Google and Wikipedia. Yeah, that’s some serious Internet Hate Machine shit going on there.

I came across this:

And you know what’s funny about this? They’re pissed off that someone hacked her Yahoo! email account and might have discovered government secrets. It seems to escape them that SHE’S USING A MOTHER FUCKING YAHOO! ACCOUNT TO SEND GOVERNMENT SECRETS. If she is. Which I don’t think she is. From what I understand all that was found was some personal emails and some family photos. But, the screenshot of the /b/-tard post on 4chan I saw might have left some details out and that person is now holding some shit for ransom.

Along this same line of thinking… Her privacy was invaded. It’s great that people are defending her and making an issue about this because it is lame and unthinkable and against the law (though I’ve heard varying takes on this because there might not be any legislation on secrecy of internet communications). Of course, these people defending her are also the ones that pushed the Patriot Act through. Which, if you weren’t aware, allows the government to just about do ANYTHING THEY FUCKING WANT when it comes to YOUR privacy. You don’t have rights unless the government says you do.

You see the double standard? The hypocrisy? I fucking hate this shit. I’m tired of the bullshit that’s happening in America. You really think Obama can change the US? YOU REALLY FUCKING THINK SO?! You don’t realize how far we’ve gotten. How many of our freedoms have been taken away. Do you really think the Patriot Act will be repealed? Are you kidding? McCain/Palin will spell certain doom. McCain is a crazy old man that’ll fucking eat your soul. Palin is a fundamental Christian that believes WE WERE ALL FUCKING CREATED IN 6 DAYS MOTHERFUCKER! WOOO! Yuk yuk!

I’m still voting for Obama, though. It’ll be disappointing when nothing changes.

There is no savior.

This is my boomstick!

September 11, 2008 – 10:47 pm

Ash

Fuck; Cthulhu; Kerli

September 9, 2008 – 12:51 am

Yeah. So, I’ve tried writing about the presidential and vice presidential candidates three times now. Each time I fucking start writing something I get angry and violent and froth at the mouth. I can’t say a single nice thing about anyone of them: McCainiac, Palinsane, Obamabot, and.. well, Biden isn’t bad, I guess. Anyway, I’ve given up on this fucking country being fixed any time soon. Seriously. Obama will stave off the impending doom for a little while, but rest assured, he will not fix much. McCaine will destroy us quickly and thoroughly.

So. I’m voting for Cthulhu. Why choose the lesser evil?

I’d like to end this post by introducing you to Kerli. You’re welcome. Other good songs include Love is Dead and Bulletproof. Not my typical musical taste, but her voice gave me the chills and I’ve been hooked since. Walking on Air has a wicked bass line that truly must be experienced with a tricked out sound system.