Posts 151 to 175:

Random

I’m such a sporadic blogger.

So spring break is going really well, which is to say, I’m getting tons of sleep and a lot of relaxation. John Paul visited me on Sunday-Monday and we hung out, went caving, listened to some fatty DJs, and watched Unbreakable.  He showed me this video that was really awesome... it’s 10MB, so basically if you’ve got broadband it’s no problem, and if you don’t then it’s out of the question.  Anyway it’s called "Timber" by coldcut... it’s sort of a music video, but not really... so download it.

I rewrote this whole messageboard script from scratch, and wrote it "nicely" with functions and few globals.  It’s just about done, and will be online soon, though you might not even notice.  But on the backend it’s much nicer and handles messages in a much more logical way, allowing complete style-reformatting without having to modify the content itself.  Anyway now that this script is all nice, I’m thinking of offering it for download.

I finally got around to checking out some Norah Jones like I’d been meaning to, and I’m glad I did.  Her music is just so pretty.  It’s "jazz" which means modern jazz, which is nothing like Louis Armstrong / Duke Ellington jazz of yesteryear that I like so much.  Norah Jones isn’t that at all, but that’s a good thing.  And her music is beautiful.  Butterflies, Come Away With Me, and What Would I Do are my favorites so far.

I think there was more that I wanted to say, and it escapes me now.  Oh yes, the 22-foot-wingspan unmanned "drone" aircraft discovered by weapons inspectors in Iraq last weekend, and that Hans "the jellyfish" Blix tried to hide.  The one that could potentially deliver chemical and biological payloads.  Now it’s one thing for France and the rest of the Weasels to be anti-American.  But for the weapons inspectors themselves to be less-than-upfront about their findings is just blatantly biased and unacceptable.  If Saddam isn’t a threat, when why do we continue to "find" these weapons, and if "finding" these weapons really is progress then why is Blix trying to cover it up?

Posted by Anthony on 6 replies

Caving

Going into J4 cave. Please send help if I don’t reply to this within 12 hours.

Posted by Anthony on 2 replies

Cartoons you need to see

These editorial cartoons are pure genius. Go see them all right now.

Posted by Anthony on reply

Ye ha!

Bill’s got a photo online, a photo of him flying a jet. FLYING A FREAKING JET.  That is so cool.

Posted by Anthony on reply

Are you scared? I am

So I was chatting it up with a friend of mine, and he mentioned something about someone being arrested for wearing a peace shirt. So after a little digging, I came upon this little tidbit.

Lieberman (executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union) said another sign of the times was the arrest earlier this week of a lawyer at a public mall near Albany, New York. The lawyer was charged with trespassing after refusing to take off a "Give Peace A Chance" T-shirt he had just bought at the mall.

Personally, I am all for attacking our enemies, when they present a clear and present danger.  However, I don’t feel Iraq does that, unless you count them not exporting any oil to us as attacking us.  Aren’t we still after whats his name?  You know, that guy... that one responsible for 9/11?  What was his name again?  I haven’t heard it mentioned in forever....................

Posted by steev on 3 replies

The middle of the day

Ok, so 9:49 AM isn’t exactly the middle of the day, but when you’ve been up since 3 AM it sure feels that way.

So I did a little redesign of the oao site and I really like it. Compare the new theme to the old one and see what you think.  While you’re there, hit up the sounds/words section and listen to 2 tracks from their second EP, due out soon... they are really rocking.

So my man Sean just pointed me to a band called Evanescence.  They’re a techno-rockish band with a semi-retro feel, but then they have some pretty piano songs... and I like them.  The vocalist is female, and sounds like Tori Amos mixed with Sarah McLaughlan on some of the tracks.  My Immortal especially -- this song is amazing. [Update: peep the lyrics.]

And my friend Ben, who not only takes cool photos and cool photos but also listens to awesome music, recently introduced me to the movie Donnie Darko.  This movie was apparently in theaters for a couple weeks a while back, but I had never heard of it.  So Ben was like you gotta check this movie out, and I was like ok... and then I heard a review of it on NPR and they were saying how awesome it was, so I was like man, I really gotta see this!  So I did, and well, it was really really good.  It’s a deep and semi-confusing movie about such things as space-time, schizophrenia, and giant bunny rabbits, with choice quotes like "how did you feel being denied these hungry hungry hippos?"  Although it’s hilarious, it’s not a comedy, nor is it a silly/stupid type movie.  What I really love about it is that Donnie is real.  He’s not some sissy hollywood actor playing some cheesey role, he’s just a normal (albeit psychopathic) person.  And he’s so stinking cool.  Anyway it’s one of those movies you need to watch a few times to catch all the details and put it together, and I can’t wait to watch it again.  From a Christian perspective, it was a little heavy on the cursing, but not any worse than real life, and there’s no sex scenes or nudity or anything like that.  Rock!

Oh, and I said that Ben listens to awesome music... he got me into two bands in particular that are just amazing.  A Static Lullaby are like a mix between Thursday and Taking Back Sunday.  They are just so good.  The do the semi-punkish hardcore with emo singing and screaming in the back thing, and they do it beautifully, better than most stuff I’ve heard.  The second band is In Pieces.  This band is like a more raw, more emocore version of Thrice, and they are really really good.

Garrett over at LinuxArt just posted some photos from last fall that are very nice... they make me wish all this snow would go away... and I love snow!  This one is my favorite.

Finally, I made a new theme for my site too.  It’s a very plain, old-school-internet type theme and I rather like it.  It’s called retro, and you can select it by clicking the link in the very top left-hand corner of this page.

Posted by Anthony on reply

The middle of the night

So the other night I was up pretty much all night. I was working on a VHDL project, and in order to draw the x-window display of the signals in this component, the server had to "enumerate" all its fonts into a cache file.  There are 2241 fonts on the server.  It took THREE HOURS for this ridiculous process.  It just sat there going

  1 . . . . . . . .
61 . . . . . . . . . .
121 . . . . . . .

all the way up to stinking 2241.

This started at 1 am.  The project itself took less than an hour.  But I had to wait 3 hours to even do it.

Argh.... so I watched a movie while it enumerated that nonsense.  I have to say that "Being John Malkovich" is easily, I mean, far and away, the weirdest movie there ever could be.  It was interesting though, I liked it.  It wasn’t action-packed or anything, but towards the middle/end when the real John Malkovich sneaks in to "JM, Inc." and starts freaking out... that part was awesome.  John Malkovich is such an awesome actor, he’s so powerful and angry, and I was scared.  But anyway, I mean the movie had Cameron Diaz and John Cusack in it, but they were both nearly unrecognizable... Cusack had long, ratty hair and a beard, and Diaz had long permed dark hair and just a dirty look to her skin.  Neither of them looked like themselves at all.  But the movie was incredibly original, the script is unlike any other I’ve ever seen, just the whole idea was strange and neat.  And there was a monkey in the movie, and I mean he played a semi-significant role, so you know it’s a good movie.

Posted by Anthony on reply

Hi

Just wanted to the the first to wish you a HAPPY 03-03-03 !!! LVU&MSU, Always

Posted by YourMom on 2 replies

T.V. Mediums

First off, I would like to say that I am very happy thanks to the fact that the default color is now orange, or as you have it here, the color me (Joe). Second, I need some help searching.  I am currently working on getting a show on the local access channel, half Christain music videos, half whatever we want, for the fact that there is simply on place to hear good christain music in my town unless you love to listen to Michael W. Smith all day.  I, personally, abhor the sound of M.W.S. Not my style in the lest bit.  I am currently looking for a site to sell me V.H.S or DVDs of bands.  My style is bands like No Innocent Victim, Chellve, MXPX, P.O.D, Kutless, TwoThirtyEight, Relient K, 38th Parallel, etc.  Basiclly, things you would find in HM magazine.  My partners style is more Hip-hop.  He likes groups like KJ-52, T-Bone, Gospel Gangstas, and Master P (I forget what his new name is), who I praise God for bringing him to Christ and now delivering a very powerful message on his new C.D.  If you can give me some info on getting my hands on some videos, or can sell me some yourself, please do.  God Bless

Posted by Joseph on 1 reply

Zwan

One of the best, most poetic, most beautiful lyricists just keeps getting better...

A white horse picks my dreams up,
to take my hopes to God.
My prayers have nestled brightly
to dim my sense of awe.
I want you to be someone I can’t deny,
a house of fire...
I want you to be something I realize.

As the world goes ’round
it’s got me thinking...
that the things I want
just keep me sinking down.

I want you to be my message,
I want you to be my friend.
I want you to be that answer,
an answer I must defend.
I want us to solve our distrust of everyone,
and trust in God.
I want us to solve our distrust of who we are.
- Billy Corgan, "Ride A Black Swan"

Posted by Anthony on 3 replies

Nice

Hey, haven’t been here in a while, so decided to drop by. I must say, the two quotes and the media banner you have at the top of the screen are good.  I really like them.  I even put the quotes into my own little booklet that I carry around.  Well, I’m at school right now.  I should be doing my work, so I gotta look busy.  See ya.

Posted by Joseph on reply

What camera?

This is a really cool site. I just discovered it a minute ago.

Aren’t those Ikea chairs comfortable?  I didn’t know Ikea existed in the states.  I don’t think they have those wicker ones, but that’s okay because I wouldn’t want one anyway.

Great pics.  So, what camera(s) do you use?  Why not put a little info on your gear into the photos section?

Just a thought.

Tom

Posted by Tom on 3 replies

Joe Millionaire

So somehow or other I heard about the latest popular reality show, "Joe Millionaire." I must’ve seen previews during the superbowl or something; that was the last time I watched TV.  Anyway I’d never watched Joe Millionaire, but I came across a website that’s doing a running commentary on it.  It is hilarious.  This guy cracks me up with his comments and observations on the whole thing.  I read through all 6 of his commentaries so far (for the first 6 episodes of Joe Millionaire).  So after reading them, I was really curious and anxious to know which girl Evan would pick.  And this 7th episode was supposed to be the one where he decides, so I watched it on Monday night.

It was ridiculous in many ways, but enjoyable to watch.  Let me just say that I’m so glad he picked Zora.  She was the only one out of the bunch that wasn’t thoroughly annoying.  She wasn’t an extremist about this or that like everyone else.  Like the one girl was a dancing freak... and then another girl was like "if you come home from work one day and say you want to go waltzing I’m gonna freak out!"  Zora was just... nice.  She wasn’t ridiculous like the rest of them.  Of course, Fox certainly tries to make everything extreme/scandalous/confliction/etc, but still.

And I knew right from the start of the show (I mean, the 7th episode, the only one I’ve seen) what the "shocking twist" was going to be.  They kept saying that it’s so "shocking" and that even Evan didn’t know about it.  Well what else could it be, excep that there really WAS going to be some money for him?  Obviously not $50 million, but... to just let the show end, and send Evan and Zora back home, for Evan to go back to his "$19,000/year construction job"... I just couldn’t see them ending it like that.  (Incidentally, $19,000/year is about $9.50/hour, and no one who operates heavy construction equipment gets paid that little.)

While this show was mildly ridiculous, this next one coming out really makes me mad.  I forget the name, but the deal is, the viewers pick a man and a woman based on seeing them on the show, and they pair them up to get married!  The viewers completely make the decision; the man and woman never meet before their wedding day.  That shows complete and utter contempt for the sanctity of marriage.  And people have the nerve to wonder why our country is going to hell.  The destruction of the family is the destruction of the nation.  Someone recently said (was it the president?  I forget) that a nation is only as strong as its families.  It’s common sense and it’s so true.  (Which is not to say that single people don’t matter but 1) the majority of people do get married and 2) even if you’re not married you still have a family.)  The media is incredibly influential in American society, especially to young minds, and this is the kind of crap they’re presenting.

Posted by Anthony on 1 reply

Daily nonsense

I love Triscuits, but not just any old Triscuits. Baked Triscuits.  I don’t know how I ever lived without a toaster oven.

It is crazy around here since there’s a foot and a half of snow everywhere, and piles of it that are ten feet high.  It’s really funny to watch dogs run around in snow that’s up to their necks : )

I came across some interesting articles today.  This NYTimes piece tells about Iraqi men who escape to Jordan to avoid being forced into Saddam’s army... these men "told of grotesque repression, of relatives and friends tortured, raped and murdered or, as often, arrested and disappeared."  They say that as much as they hate the US, they desperately want us to go to war and remove Saddam from power.

And then this Iraqi scientist says that Saddam has moved his arms operations deep underground, beyond where inspectors can find them.

My favorite story of the day, though, was about president Bush and last weekend’s antiwar-mongers.  As capitalistlion put it, Bush to Protesters: Suck It.

Posted by Anthony on 1 reply

All good things...

...come to an end. Goodbye all.  I am departing from the West. 2Chron16:9

Posted by *Amanda* on 1 reply

Of all the freakin'...

Why, why, why?! President’s day, snow day, school cancelled!  I stayed up till 1:30 last night knowing I wouldn’t have school the next day.  I was planning some exercise, a movie, doing my laundry (which really needs to be done, by the way.  Trust me, you don’t want to be near me now), hanging with some pals, finally fully beating Dragonball Z: Budokai, and starting the script for my next F-movie (like a B-movie, but worse).  Instead, at 7:00, a woman from my mom’s job calls and ask me to babysit.  I really don’t mind that much, but still, c’mon.  A free day should be a free day.  The kids cool and all, hey we spent the day at Pizza Hut and Barne’s and Noble’s free loading off the fact that they let you read the comic books in the store without kicking you out, but I lost all my plans.  Why, why, why!  Oh, cruel world, take me now!  (Oh, by the way, not that any of you care, the new Ultimate X-men is out and it’s freaken awesome.  Hey, wait, I get paid for this.  Heck, I’m going back to Barne’s and Noble’s after she pays me)

Posted by Joseph on 1 reply

Snow snow snow snow

posted image

 
The official measurement is... a freaking lot!!

Posted by Anthony on 5 replies

Your shuttle

Your site inspired me to do the same for my entertainment system. I was curious, can you disable the chip on board, and insert another AGP card into the machine?  I want to do this because NVIDIA supports TVout within linux, and I really need this feature.  I don’t know if the S3 can do this, i mean i can not seem to find linux info about this.  What is your opinion abou this issue.  Thanx!

Adam

P.S.  What did you use to interface with your mp3 music box in your car?

Posted by Adam on 2 replies

Things to read

Bill Whittle is one of the best writers I’ve come across, and you should spend half an hour reading his essays on courage and war. They are highly informative, but more than that they are thought-provoking, and they are touching.

Posted by Anthony on 2 replies

Confusion

So I’m at Wegmans in the checkout line, and a funny thing happened. I was asked 3 different questions at the exact same instant.  What’s interesting is that these 3 simultaneous questions came from only 2 people.  One person was the cashier... he’d just finished scanning all my items and he asked me whether the next stuff on the conveyor belt (which clearly belonged to the next guy in line) was mine.  The other person was this girl who floats around doing 10 things at once at the ends of all the checkout aisles.  She appeared behind me and asked me two questions: "do you need a cart?" and "are these all yours?"  Not only did she ask those two questions simultaneously, which is a feat in itself that I still can’t understand, but those two precise questions required opposite answers from me because they were all my bags, but I didn’t need a cart.  It was a cleverly crafted double-question which was impossible to answer efficiently without ambiguity.  Stunned by my opponent, I stammered "WHGT! JGTH! FLBT!!"

By this point the cashier was ringing up the next guy’s stuff on my bill.  Me and the next guy tell him to knock it off, and I turn to the floatey girl and say "Yes those are all mine no I don’t need a cart thank you."  But by that point she was already five aisles down doing something else (fortunately).

It just caught me off guard.  I’m used to shopping at Wegmans at around 1 in the morning when there’s no one there... at 7PM the place is bumpin’.

On the upside of things, I did get a grapefruit, some Ken’s Steakhouse French-with-Vermont-Honey salad dressing, fire (well ok propane), and Tropicana Grovestand Lots-of-Pulp orange juice.

Posted by Anthony on reply

Caving

Going into J4 for some nighttime caving... not that it looks any different inside at night than during the day... you know the drill, if I don’t reply to this within 24 hours, please send a rescue team.

Posted by Anthony on 1 reply

Not much

Mmmm, fatty grilled steak for breakfast makes me happy   : )

So today is the day when the latest report will be presented to the UNSC by the top weapons inspectors. It will reveal nothing new, of course.  It will merely show that Saddam is continuing to reveal bits and pieces (of his choosing) of whatever the world wants to hear.  France, Russia, and Germany will continue to pretend that this is progress.  They’ll continue to pretend that they’re not being played by Saddam.  They’ll continue to push their "plan" which is simply to "sit around and wait," except that their new plan requires the US to pay for this ridiculous inaction by stationing 200,000 US troops near Iraq... not to go to war, but to "keep the peace" -- to keep Saddam in power.  Because keeping Saddam in power allows France and Germany (and for different reasons, Russia) to collect their billions of dollars from Saddam.  The sickest part of this whole Franco-Russo-German farce is that they are framing the situation as though they’re taking the moral high ground here.

Oh, and before I forget, "Happy Valentine’s Day," you perverts.

Posted by Anthony on reply

What a weekend

This was the best weekend I’ve had in a long time. It rocked hard.

First, my roommates Konstantin and Dmitry invited their sister Rita and their brother Maxim, along with about 10 other Russian friends, up to our house.  It was pure madness.  We played volleyball Friday night until midnight, then played pool until about 2, and then were up till about 5 in the morning.  We got Turkey Hill iced tea, two gallons for a dollar, at Wegmans.  What a deal!  I think that’s an all-time low price for iced tea.

Saturday morning I got up at 9 to go caving with Kevin in J4 and it was awesome.  Stinking awesome.  I took my camera for the first time, and I took a bunch of photos.  And we only saw one bat the whole time... he was way up on a high ceiling, sleeping or hibernating.

This morning I went to State College E. Free church and it too was awesome.  Praise God for churches that aren’t composed entirely of college kids!!  The pastor is really great.  He sort of reminds me of Alec Baldwin (except, of course, he’s not a whiny France-loving anti-war anti-American sissy like Baldwin is).  He’s energetic and funny and as much as one can tell from a single Sunday, he seems to present solid biblical truth.

Then, I get home from church and see that Bob’s new article is online, and I read this in it:

"Since nothing liberals do results in anything less than a disaster, it takes a lot of forgetting to make liberals look sane."  Which isn’t news, of course, but I love to hear Bob speak the truth when no one else will.

Rock on!  Now I’m gonna play my drums.

Posted by Anthony on reply

You know the routine

In the earth with Kev. Send help if I don’t post here within 12 hours.

Posted by Anthony on 2 replies

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