Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Bardot a Bigot?

Brigitte Bardot has been charged twice with inciting racial hatred specifically about immigrants, Muslims, race mixing in her book. That puts a smudge on her charitable efforts, but I haven't read her book, so it could just be a judge's opinion.

Monday, September 27, 2004

The Daily Show v. The O'Reilly Factor

Proof that The Daily Show is more informative about politics than The O'Reilly Factor. Personally, I don't watch the Daily Show, but I do watch some clips on onegoodmove. I've never seen the O'Reilly Factor and don't want to based on what OutFoxed presented...

Saturday, September 25, 2004

Write Your Name in Different Languages

Write your name in various writing systems and languages.

Catching Up

Wow, it's been almost one week since I've posted something. Things have gone by so fast and work has piled up again. But this time I'll be okay by Monday, hopefully. After classes I'm not falling asleep and for the most part I can get things done on time. It's getting tougher though, but I think I can handle it.

Sunday, September 19, 2004

Got Himself Into More Trouble

Poor Mr. Blair. He's into more trouble after some memos and other documents were leaked, pertaining to Iraq, etc. I thought he liked being PM, important, and photographed. But he's throwing it all away for a cause that's a mystery to all. When Mr. Blair loses his job he'll become a pseudo-martyr for those that do mindless things. Poor Mr. Blair. I really liked him since he was young and in good shape.

Disclosing Information

I hate telling people too much information about myself, whether it's on the internet or in reality, I don't do it. When they ask about me I prefer to give the no-meaning answers that are preferred in general conversation. "Oh, I'm fine, good. How are you?" People don't want to hear your life story when you greet them anyways, but I take it a step farther. When they start to ask more questions I'll give basic answers without going into much detail. That's my mistake. Always, people want to know more about me and my plans. The plans aren't very good ones, so I don't talk about them. If I do tell them, I feel guilty when the plans change.

It's rude to blow people off with, "Oh, just stuff," when they ask what I'm doing. Is it nicer to tell them, "I'm just living, taking one day at a time, or nothing much"? I'd like to think it is, but I'm so worried about status and opinions that appearing wayward and lost is unthinkable.

In the last few days I've lost direction yet again! Man, this happens too much and in the strangest ways. Opportunities from all directions show up and I get confused! Just when I was back on track and getting things done everything derails. And in come the questions. "Why did you do this? Why didn't you do this? Don't you want this, that, and the other?" I'll be so bold as to say, "I don't know, and I don't care."

What a sad way to end the week. Next week's going to be better, but don't expect me to tell much.

Digital Kimonos

Japan has applied modern technology to one of its most ancient symbols: the kimono. Instead of hand painting kimonos, artisans are using inkjet printers to create the designs on the robes. The results are whimsical and modern designs, cheaper robes, but of less quality than hand painted ones.

I hope this business takes off because I'd like to buy a real kimono from Japan without spending thousands of dollars. And, since I live in the U.S. where people really don't wear them, I wouldn't feel guilty about spending big bucks on something I never wear. Maybe I could wear it on Halloween though.

Saturday, September 18, 2004

@nonymouse Blocked

I think Anonymouse is blocked in China now. People were using it to get to blocked sites like this one and now it doesn't work. The site is kind of out of wack now, so it's not much help to anybody. There's other sites to try, none that I know of off the top of my head, but I'll worry about it next time I'm in China... They all get blocked in the end anyways :o(.

Friday, September 17, 2004

Kryptonite Bike Locks Defeated by Pens

You've probably heard already that the U-shaped Kryptonite Bike locks can be broken into using a ball point pen. It's bad news for bike enthusiasts who have shelled upwards of $50 on these locks. There's even videos showing how to pick the locks with the average Bic pen. Kryptonite is coming out with a new model that cannot be compromised so easily, but until then anybody using the older models should use another type of lock or just drive/take the bus.

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Trump Fires Bush

Donald Trump will fire George W. Bush on an all new Apprentice.

Hitch

A new Will Smith movie. I'm not interested in it, but it doesn't look tacky like many new releases. Personally, I'd rather see Smith in a sci-fi action thriller than a romance comedy.

MSN Messenger Disconnecting

For some reason I keep getting disconnected from MSN Messenger. It tells me that my internet connection has been lost, so I've been signed out. This doesn't happen with AIM or iChat, so I think it's MSN's problem. The internet company said it came out to my neighborhood because other people were complaining, and now everything seems fine. All except MSN!

I'm using version 4.0 for Mac OS X is anybody else having this problem?

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Hear Arnold Schwarzenegger Speaking German

I always wanted to hear Arnold speak his mother tongue, but most of the clips of him were in English. But, the Govenator has provided a clip on his own website. Unsurprisingly, he sounds virtually the same speaking German* as he does speaking English.

* He may speak an Austrian form of German, but I have no clue about this.

Funny Bush Videos

There never seems to be a shortage of these on the internet. Bush is always coming up with funny things to say. Will Kerry ever prove to be as humorous?

Monday, September 13, 2004

Egg Experiment

How are you supposed to cook a soft-boiled egg? I put an egg in a pan filled with water, waited till the water came to a hard boil, and ran cool water over the egg. It was hard to peel and the yoke may have been undercooked. What am I doing wrong? Maybe I should just stick to scrambled eggs and omelets.

Jessie Conners: The Mentor

This is what she's doing? I guess The Apprentice can't improve everybody's situation.

Friday, September 10, 2004

Cash for Surveys

Over the past two days two ads jumped out at me and persuaded me to click on them. GoZing Surveys allows me to complete surveys for cash rewards that can be used on thousands of sites, including buy.com, Napster, and those accepting paypal cash. I saved the page and decided to think about the offer later. A day later another ad about getting paid for surveys caught my attention. PineCone Research pays you $5 for each survey you complete. They're looking for people aged 18-24, but I think anybody can do it.

Both these services seem legitimate and I spend a ton of time on the internet, so I don't see how earning extra cash could hurt. I realize that I'll be bombarded with advertising, but maybe I could raise enough money to buy something nice. I would like to speak to someone who's a member though, just to see if s/he's successful or not.

Slacker

Once again I've fallen into a funk and haven't updated anything substantial. There's always an excuse, but this one's a good one. To sum it up; I've fallen behind in school. It's nothing that will cost me immediately, but in the near future there could be dire consequences if I don't get my act together. I've been cursed with the mindset of the slacker since classes started; maybe I was bitten by something or hit hard on the head. Instead of studying I'm sleeping, watching TV, surfing the internet, or reading for pleasure. Hopefully over the weekend, my get-it-together time, I'll catch up, but I think I'm doomed to become a slacker for the entire semester.

Is once a slacker, always a slacker true? Or can I quickly change into the school addict I used to be? One way to reverse the behavior is to analyze it: Who, what, where, when, how, and why? Who: Me. What: Spending time on pleasurable activities, not getting much school work done. Where: At home: When: After classes, on the weekdays, not the weekends. How: Simply neglecting to open a textbook, notebook, or my backpack, choosing to take a three hour nap, watch TV, read a novel, etc. Why: I don't enjoy my classes, they are truly unstimulating and I've lost my will to fully participate as a student.

Ugh, I think I'm doomed, but I'm still going to try something to remedy my illness. I'll go to bed earlier so I won't have to take naps when I get home. Cut before-homework internet time to 30 minutes (no, I'm not cutting before-homework internet time period). Restrict reading for pleasure to before bed and on the bus. These things I'll try next week...

Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Fryman



I am Frylock from Aqua Teen Hunger Force!!

You're the true leader of the Aqua Teens. You are wise and powerful, unlike your teamates, who are always getting into trouble. You keep everyone in line without pushing people around.

Which Aqua Teen Hunger Force character are you??

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Countries That Block Websites

I remember when I learned that all Typepad sites were blocked in China. Heather told Pketh, he told me and checked with other China bloggers to see if it was true. Sadly it was, angering thousands of bloggers, especially those in China. Before visiting China, the only experience I had had with a blocked websites was in grade school. I never had any problems with this, usually sites that were blocked by the school filters were non-academic anyways.

But being blocked from sites in the privacy of your own home? Vastly different and extremely annoying. Luckily, there are ways to get around these hurdles. However, governments have been known to do something efficient and come up with innovative ways to make people's lives difficult. According to Foreign Resources, the following countries are known to block websites.
  • Bahrain
  • China
  • Cuba
  • Jordan
  • Myanmar (Burma)
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • Syria
  • Tunisia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United States of America
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vietnam
  • Yemen

Monday, September 06, 2004

Online Status Indicator

At the bottom of my sidebar I've added some buttons that indicate my online status on MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. I'm using a service called Online Status Indicator, which generates the code for me after I enter in my screen names. Then all I have to do is put the codes into my template and I'm set. If you post on message boards there's also codes for your signature. Now you can find out if I'm online while navigating the site and send me a message. I recommend this service instead of using the ones provided by the IM client. It's simple, clean, and easier using OSI.

Saturday, September 04, 2004

Senator Zell Miller to Duel with Chris Matthews

Well, at least he wishes he could. During an interview on MSNBC's Hardball, Democratic Senator Miller stated,
"I wish we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel."
Fortunately for Matthews, we don't live in that day, but that probably won't stop Miller. Judging from the video stream, he looked hungry for a fight with Matthews using pistols, swords, or just plain fists. Miller obviously learned nothing from The Duel.

The Power of His Words

Jon Stewart's got it right about the power of George W. Bush's words. Ignore the facts and the filter, listen to Bush.

Link via onegoodmove.