What my wii was designed to do: Make me more physically involved in playing games, and less of a couch potato
What my wii actually does: lets me play animal crossing with one hand while I shove grilled cheese in my mouth with the other
I haven't really declared it but you might have noticed. I'm on hiatus with the ole' blog until after exams. Sad, yes I know, but I can't keep up with writing every day when I'm already writing every day... for grades. But I'm working at a jesus camp this summer and I will be blogging from there.
Oh, and hi to all you new friends who are due to fall in from the Google hole because history channel just ran their Bueno de Mesquita show again.
When gas ran out, it sucked, but I got by.
When people started losing their jobs, it sucked, but it didn't really affect me.
When the banks and companies nearly caved in, it sucked, but I have nothing but student loan debt anyway.
BUT GOD DAMMIT COCA COLA I WILL NOT STAND FOR 16OZ BOTTLES OF DIET COKE!! DON'T THINK I DIDN'T NOTICE.
Social psych today, not at all related to the stuff I'm studying for right now. Ok, but every person should watch this anyway. My apologies for not embedding the video, you'll have to go ahead and make the jump on your own.
Aaaannd since I feel bad for just posting a link, I'll throw in an awesome picture I found on the internet. It's a person's eye during an Indian festival of colors. The Indian festival of colors is now my new travel goal, since I've already hit up New Orleans during Mardi Gras (previous travel goal).
Now if you read here a lot, you'll have picked up that I live in South Carolina. Its ok, I'll forgive you if you haven't. I'm not really a southern pride kind of person. I'm also politically liberal and try to keep my accent clean (apparently I slip into a drawl when I get angry, but I never hear it). Anyway enough about me. I'm here to talk about ya'll.
The word ya'll fixes a fundamental problem with the English language.
It is not cute, backwards or quaint.Other languages have words for plural and singular you. English didn't happen to get that one. Ya'll is a contraction that makes a distinction between singular and plural "you". For example, "When are you going to get here?" could mean you who is just one person, or you who is a group of people. You could fix this by adding another word that is plural, "When are you guys going to get here" This works, but makes a distinction of what you actually is, which won't be appropriate for every situation, lets say if there are females in the group, or the group isn't a group of people. "When are you all going to get here?" just says "all", as in the whole group. That's a little cumbersome though, adding a whole extra word in there, and it sounds so proper. What do we do? Resort to a contraction that's what. Ya'll. "When are ya'll going to get here?"
See? Now I know that may sound a little funny to you (ya'll), and I don't expect everyone to jump on the train, but please, at least stop assuming that the word marks an ignorant southerner.
Is it possible that light is just what happens to matter when it goes light speed?
If the big bang theory means that the universe was once all in one place, how big was it? and however big/small it was to begin with, why wasn't it smaller? Was it really all just in one finite little bubble? Or is that just as far as we can take the math? And where was it? Assuming the universe can expand implies some space or some context for it to exist in.
Meh, whatever. I don't know enough about this stuff to really get into it.
I just want to say that I think advertising has become an epidemic. I think of it now as cognitive pollution. Advertising is people forcing me to look at and think about things I have no interest in. Millions of dollars are being spent developing ways to make sure that they are almost impossible to ignore. Web ads will flash, move, expand to the entire page, pop over videos that I'm watching or even yell things at me. A week or so ago some friends and I were mildly freaked out when, while sitting in a quiet bedroom we heard a sarcastic "Hell0-oo" come from seemingly nowhere. We eventually discovered that it was an internet ad, chiming from a laptop that had been left on.
Ads for video content make me want to wring necks too. I understand that media corporations are freaking out about copyright and profit and all, but when someone goes to your website, to look at your content do you think you could find some way to not annoy this shit out of us before we get to the stuff that we appreciate? The other day I was Stumbling (if you don't have it, get it now, but not if you have anything important to do) and found a video of a funny commercial that I wanted to watch. It started and I was immediately disappointed. This wasn't a funny commercial. This was a lame commercial I saw on tv all the time. Then I realized that I was watching a before-the-video ad. I had to watch a stupid commercial before I could watch the funny commercial because that's how twisted the world is.
Television ads are no better. This is where the big bucks are going and it shows. In case you haven't noticed, they are LOUD. I mean LOUD. On my tv, about five to seven volume points louder than the programs loud. My favorite commercial to hate right now is this clean coal ad.
The jarring, grating buzz at the end is absolutely uncalled for. Not only is it cringeworthy, it cuts across all conversations or other activity that happen to be going on at the time. So if you think you are going to talk to your family during a commercial break, or do some work for a few minutes. Wrong. You are watching the god d*mn commercials whether you like it or not.
I'm not sure if the super-obvious advertising is the worst part. What about the subliminal kind? When I say subliminal I'm not talking about secret messages that are going to make you hear things, I'm talking about subtle advertising that the average person won't notice, but will ultimately take in. Things like product placement in movies and shows. You think that it was written into the script that your favorite hero just fucking loves Pepsi? Right. Then there are "affiliations" where companies will endorse each other. I got my hair cut yesterday and had five offers to buy a particular brand of hair product. Five. From a real live person, who is being paid by someone who is being paid by someone who really wants me to buy it. I know personally musicians who are paid to endorse brands of instruments and the same goes for athletes. They didn't think that brand of cymbals was the best before, but now every kid they teach they recommend the second best.
What IS this? One of the hottest commodities in America is my attention. Millions, possibly billions of dollars are being put into development, research and distribution of ads that will be the most likely to make me look at them. If attention IS a hot commodity it is being stolen.
and that's not cool
I just bought the new Beyonce CD "I Am... Sasha Fierce". If you think I'm behind the times with this you should know that I don't really listen to a lot of rap or pop unless I'm about to dance to it, and then I'm more worried about looking dumb.
I've been really digging Beyonce lately though, so I shelled out for the album. If you don't already know the record is split into two discs (silver and gold) with different feels to them. The "I am..." disc has the slower and more heart-felt songs while the "Sasha Fierce" one has the dancy... fierce stuff. Not all of the songs were shining stars, but the whole thing was pretty solid. There was a kind of gender-bending undertone, with "If I Were a Boy", "a diva is a female version of a hustler" and the intro to "Video Phone" that was really intriguing. Anyway the album is worth buying, and if not you should at least watch the video for "Single Ladies" at least five times. Srsly.
Nothing flashy this week. Just some links and articles
First, a crazy interesting article/webpage by John Suler on the Psychology of Cyberspace.
A news clip about synthetic telepathy
And... Mathematicians have found the formula for snowflakes
Have you ever wanted something impossible your whole life? I know I have. I have always wanted to be able to move things with my mind, Matilda style... probably inspired by the book and movie actually. I actually try to do this pretty frequently, just to make sure I can't do it (I'll never do it if I don't try). Anyway,
NOW I CAN!
Follow the jump to read about a new toy that lets you move a ball up and down using a brain-wave reading device that then moves a ball in a separate device based on where you point your hand. It's only about $100.
I cannot wait.
Sometimes you get distracted. In my case (this week) it has been because internet costs a bundle in the Big Easy, plus I've been a little distracted by the city, the conference I'm at and all the pretty beads! Some weird things about the city so far while I wait for my friends in the lobby:
Anyway, time to go do some sightseeing.
If you've noticed a decline in political posts lately it is for the simple reason that I can't watch the news for too long anymore before I get all sad and freaked out. Naturally, I'm a little less up on current events and the soap opera that the 24 hour news turns them into. I understand however that the big thing right now is the stimulus package. If it works, we still have years of recession to work through and a trillion dollars of debt to repay. If it doesn't work, nobody knows but I've heard everything from a second great depression to the government collapsing (I'll go ahead and say I think that if America had a valid presidential election during the civil war, the government will remain pretty sound through this too).
When I start to get worried about something I'll generally come up with a worst-case-scenario plan, so that I know that no matter how bad it gets, I'll at least know what to do. Here are some of my backup plans for various scenarios.
Scenario 1 - I can't find a job anywhere! I'll join the peace corps. For two years I will make almost no money, but I will be provided for and may even be able to get a graduate degree in the process. During two years the country will probably have started to recover, so by the time I get out I'll have two years good experience plus that possible extra degree. Other people might want to consider the military for better pay but I personally couldn't handle that.
Scenario 2 - Money Becomes Worthless Oh noes! Well, since I don't have that much right now at least I wouldn't be losing that much. I suppose I would squat in my house (or one near it) and try to get by. I would probably not work, since it would require paying for gas which I couldn't afford with the money I'd be making. It would be like a big camping trip, but with a house instead of a tent. I would likely team up with a group of my friends for more safety and better resources.
Scenario 3 - South Carolina Tries To Secede... Again This would make the fourth time it has been attempted. Anyway, I'd probably leave. New England here I come. (This one is really just an oddball possibility, don't take me too seriously)
Scenario 4 - Government Collapses Well... F*ck. I suppose I'll just have to do what everyone else does and survive. Again, probably team up with some amigos, maybe grow some vegetables, loot some grocery stores and play defend your castle for a while. At least it's not as cold as Russia...
Why is everyone so excited about the Kindle? It costs more than the ipod that does the same thing. Hot gadget my ass. Who would pay that much to give up going to the bookstore anyway? Bookstores rock.
I just want to let the world know I just made the tastiest half-ass attempt at a meal. I literally put two frozen chicken breasts in a pan, smeared some tikka masala on them, put a block of cheap frozen spinach ON TOP of the chicken (it was a block and I didn't feel like melting it) sprayed it all with pam and baked it for... some time. It is actually really good. So ha! Seat-of-her-pants chef wins again.
Last September, there was a shortage of gas in the Southeast. There was a hurricane, and damaged pipelines and a lack of backup storage due to the switch from summer to winter grade fuel combined with the economic climate to create the perfect storm for a gas shortage. One morning I woke and turned on the news to see that my bank, Wachovia, was collapsing (or so the news reported at the time). I called my father to ask what I should do with my money. We talked for a bit and he asked if I was still visiting home this weekend. I told him no, probably not, since there was no gas in town. A friend's car was empty by this time, so three of us walked to the nearest gas stations with an empty can only to find them empty. Everyone was calling and texting friends from various neighborhoods, trying to find gas. The best we ever got were rumors. Lines at the stations that were open all filled with more cars than the stations could handle and most stations would only stay stocked for a day at best. I had to call out of work, which required a commute, and spent a few days walking to the store and school before I found a station near my house with gas (which was gouged to a full dollar over what the price should have been). I filled up and by the time I was out again the stations had been re-supplied. I was lucky.
It took three days for police to stop patrolling for parking ticket violations. Three days before the first bits of order started to chip away from society.
Well, I have been on this kind of futurist kick for a while. Taking a graduate level Cyber-Rhetoric class didn't help much. Reading Gibson didn't either. Now, I've just started reading The Singularity is Near by Raymond Kurzweil, and will definitely review on here later (I hear you should at least read a book before you discuss it). Anyway, I'm pretty pumped about the future and I have decided to post my predictions. Partially to be able to look back and say AHA! I called that! You were fools to doubt me! and partially because I really want some of these things to happen and the best way help is to get people ready for it. Some of this stuff already exists in various stages of development, but I am predicting that they will become everyday, mainstream occurrences.
No More Mice - I'm sure a few people will stick to using a mouse for their computer out of habit and reluctance, but touch technology will be the primary interaction. For all-in-one tv/computer/whatever systems a pointer will substitute for the hand (think wiimote). Eye-tracking devices will then become the cutting edge. This will enable users to interface with computers almost as fast as they can think about it. The eye tracking device may be a small camera or sensor placed near the face, or even a contact lens.
Hands-free Internet - Take that eye-tracking technology I just mentioned. Now take a bluetooth earpiece which happens to be attached to an internet-ready phone. Clip on a tiny screen that fits in front of one eye, or integrate the two into sunglasses. People will be able to functionally use the internet while walking down the street.
No More Hard Drives - Well ok, there will be hard drives. They won't be nearly as important though. Memory will be stored elsewhere, accessable via internet and therefore infinitely more convenient. This will help advance the use of net-books and internet-only gadgets. Google will lead the way. By the way this is called cloud computing.
Implants - Slowly but surely we will start to Borgify. It may or may not go well. I would not be surprised by dermal touch screens, implanted authorization chips (for perimeter security programs or debit card information), thought driven mechanical limb replacements or sensory enhancing implants. Most of these are already in development.
Organs - We will grow them in jars (well... that's the basic idea). No more organ shortage, no more organ donors.
3-d - We're already starting to see the re-emergence of the 3-d phenomenon that was a bit of a craze in the mid 90's. Eventually, holographic games and movies will be commonplace, and the internet will be powerful enough to accommodate live holographic transmissions.
First off, I'd like to apologize for being a little slack in updating. I'm a full-time student and have an internship as well, so my time budget gets a little tight sometimes. I promise an ultra-awesome Science Wednesday next week. Anyway, let's talk about
Things I would do with a time machine
I'm assuming that in my fantasy reality, going back in time won't lock my consciousness into an eternal loop or create some irreversible paradox. I won't change anything unless I mean to, and things turn out reasonably well and I can't somehow make Dick Cheney emperor of the Republic of America. I also would only be able to go back in time, mostly because I'm already working on a write-up of my thoughts on the future and only have so many ideas on the subject at once.
Since Governor Sanford is trying to refuse bailout money for the state, I figure I'll help out the tourism industry as best as I can.
Riverbanks Zoo - In Columbia, this is a truly great zoo. It can be a little crowded, but is large enough that the crowds don't usually feel pressing (unless you're at a feeding or event) Check out the gardens if you want to steer clear of the beasties, but be sure to check out the penguin feeding and the special area where you can feed tropical birds little cups of nectar.
Skip: Ripley's Aquarium - Typically crowded, boring and overpriced.
Downtown Greenville - Greenville's downtown is beautiful and lots of fun. On any given weekend you can almost always catch some sort of concert, festival or show either on the street, in a park, or at the Peace Center or BiLo Center. Restaurants range from sandwich shops to high-end sushi. Make sure you check out Falls Park and look for a series of actual size statues of bronze mice hidden around the main drag.
Skip: Downtown Charleston - If you are really into Southern history or have a lot of money, ignore this. The place is pretty hopping but most of the good stuff can get pricey. If you go to see the market or shop at all make sure you go during the day.
Piccolo Spoleto - While downtown Charleston is kind of a bummer unless you have lots of money for shopping and food, not so during Spoleto. This huge music festival takes place in the early summer. Concerts of all types take place in venues across the city all day long, and performers and patrons flock from all over the nation.
The Cooper River Bridge Run - This is a marathon across the historic Cooper River Bridge in Charleston. Now it is a brand-spanking new bridge, and a pretty one too! Those are the older two versions in the background although I think they are gone now. Anyway, get the event t-shirt and you can use it as camoflage to masquerade as a SC native anywhere you go.
Skip: The actual "run" part of the run. Sign up as a "walker" unless you want to be trampled by Kenyans.
Enjoy the Food - Find at least one greasy diner (like The Beacon in Spartanburg, or Ye Olde Fashioned in Charleston), one thouroughly southern restaurant (like Lizard's Thicket) and at least half a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. (If you see a red "hot and now" sign in the window it is time to pull over NOW.
Skip: The same old, same old. Promise me you won't head to Olive Garden when you're here.
Go to a Festival - Almost every small town will have one in the spring and many hold them yearround, it's just a matter of knowing when they are. Sometimes they will be specific - like the St. George Grits Festival - and sometimes just named after a plant or something. Anyway, these are usually an entertaining afternoon.
Magnolia Plantation - One of my favorite places in the world. Find this on the outskirts of Charleston outside of West Ashley. The gardens are beautiful year round, but when the azelias bloom in the spring is by far the best time to visit. Don't think cultivated flowerbeds, think towering bushes covered in blossoms, wooden bridges in lush forests, and generally a Secret Garden beautifully overgrown feel. There is also a series of walkways through the swamp (never get your feet dirty), a hedge maze, petting zoo and I assume some sort of museum.
Skip: Drayton Hall Plantation - It is literally down the road from Magnolia, but is not as fun or spectacular.
The Mountains - Check out Ceasars head, near Brevard or one of tons of other mountain-area parks and activities.
Go Strom Hopping - Everything here is named after Strom Thurmond. Check out Lake Thurmond, buildings on the campuses of nearly every major public university, statues of him at the capitol and his hometown (also the hometown of Strom Thurmond high school). Actually... this is not that fun. The lake is nice though.
Bull Island - A coastal island which is nearly pristine. You'll have to take a ferry to get there. This is one of the few places in the world where you'll have a chance to see a red wolf. This is a little more of an expedition than a tourist sight though, so don't bite off more than you can chew if you can't handle the bugs or the heat.
The Beach - We have some amazing beaches!! The tricky part? Avoid Myrtle Beach. Seriously! It's a fun city to hang out in, but the beach is so polluted crowded that it is no fun for actually be on. Check out Surfside, Edisto, Isle of Palms, Folly, and Ocean Isle (actually in NC but whatever). There are certainly others but ask someone who knows what they are like before you head on down.
that copyright laws don't work anymore.
Gears of War stopped working on the 28th for the people who bought the game legally, but not for those who pirated it. Mmhmm.
This week, I'm indulging in and sharing my love of They Might Be Giants. This song is called "Why The Sun Shines". This is obviously a live concert video, but I highly recommend heading on over to the iTunes (or wherever you get your music) and getting the real deal. If you like it, I also recommend "Particle Man" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)".
Why The Sun Shines - They Might Be Giants live
I'm not quite done with college, but I will be this May. This means that I'm in or done with every undergrad course I'll take. Reflecting back on this I realized that some of these courses were utterly useless and annoying, while some that were supposed to be fluff work have been the most influential or effective.
First under the lame category was my school's Critical Thinking class. This class is required of every undergrad, and teaches you how to "think outside the box" by using a handy formula. Anyone else see a problem with this? Not that critical thinking isn't an important skill, I just think it is much better learned when it is required by upper level, on-topic classes.
Next, French. I took and passed 102, just like I was supposed to. I even got a B! I retained very little and will likely never use what I did.
Art History is a toss-up. While I did love the class, it is utterly impractical as far as developing any sort of professional or personal skill for later (except being able to pass as an art-snob so long as no one questions me too carefully).
So the best ones?
Logic was a good investment of time. It was pretty much a class on how to win a debate, or at least not lose one. Who couldn't use that?
Statistics and Research Methods changed my life. By this I mean I found it fascinating and got a big ole research internship after I was done. But seriously, a course in statistics is pretty vital to being able to discern any kind of truth from the statistics you hear in day to day life.
Finally, as much as my school's critical thinking class sucked, their Human Experience class was amazing. The class functioned as a modern philosophy discussion group. The textbook included things like Plato's Cave, The Red Queen, excerpts from Genesis, and just about everything in between. The class was centered around the question "Who am I?". I can't think of a group of people who need a "Who am I?" intellectual discussion group more than underclassmen.
If you've never taken the Myers-Briggs (MBTI), I highly suggest it. You can learn a lot about yourself and it is rather interesting if nothing else. INTP is the type I fall into (that's Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiving), and the description of the type is very accurate. In reading about this on psychology sites and INTP forums (some people get really into this I guess) I recognize many problems and frustrations from my own experiences. So I've pulled together this handy guide for understanding/living with/working with/talking to INTP's.
Everyone in the whole world is talking about the inauguration day and most of them are repeating themselves, but I have just a few things to add to the mix, and I'll try be as original as possible.
____First of all, I thought Rick Warren did a pretty good job with the prayer. It was a bit long, but he certainly did not seem to be using the occasion to push his own religious or political agenda. He did however make me (and all my friends) laugh hysterically at the way he said "Malia and SASHA!" This spiraled off into a game of who could say "SASHAAAaa!" with the most pizazz.
____The John Williams piece was beautiful, as expected. Simple gifts was beautifully arranged. I particularly enjoyed watching Yo-Yo Ma. He looked like he was having so much fun playing up there. The last three notes were crunch-tastic.
____So the speech... It was moving, it was nice, but honestly I felt like he's done better. I followed the campaign pretty closely from Iowa on, and my favorite speeches of his come mostly from the primaries (My tops were the Iowa victory speech, the now-famous "yes we can" speech, the South Carolina victory speech, and the election night speech). What I DID really notice and appreciate most from the speech however was the declaration that America is a friend to every nation who seeks peace and dignity. This stands in stark contrast to the "our way or the highway" (and by highway we mean lots of bombs) Bush era idea that only democracy was a valid system for a prosperous and peaceful country.
____None of the talking heads commented on it, but I definitely heard the crowd singing "Nananana, Nananana, hey hey hey, Good bye!" at Bush's helicopter as it circled capitol hill one last time. Poor guy. I mean, I do hope he knows that he let us down, and it was kind of a funny moment for spontaneous song, but he's retired now. Can't we banish him to Texas with a little bit of dignity? At least until somebody puts him on trial? (C'mon Fitzgerald, I know you've got it in you)
____Oh and the next day Obama and crew actually did stuff! So good job! Know who didn't do a good job the next day? Every 24hour news channel. Okay we have a new president. We can either talk about the new policy changes he just signed (like closing Gitmo, putting a choke collar on lobbyists, redefining the Freedom of Information Act, and putting a pay-freeze on some of his staff) or... "OMG Lets do a feature on Michelle's dress!! Did you hear the kids were wearing J. Crew?"
Social psychologists say that to win over an enemy, you should ask them for a favor. Typically people will justify their favor to you by liking you more (because it would be foolish to do favors for people you don't like, and nobody likes to feel foolish).
I've just got to say, Obama is a smart man. The move infuriated the gay community, who are offended by Warren's opinions on homosexuality, as well as members of Warren's church, who are offended by Obama's opinions on homosexuality (and abortion) Obama is asking a favor of his enemies. Rick Warren and those who still support him will end up having to defend his friendship to Obama either to themselves or others.
He has also been to a dinner with conservative journalists and will be hosting a dinner in honor of John McCain. He is doing all he can to give a "no hard feelings" vibe. Nice guy or political genious, at least he's doing a good job at it.
The US Helped Put Saddam In Power
Okay, this one isn't so much under reported as not remembered and not often brought up (seeing as we spent a lot of time and energy getting him out of power, bringing that up would do little for the cause)
The Anthrax Attacks of 2001 Were Probably Perpetrated by an American
Bruce Ivins was an American biodefense scientist who worked for the army. He died of an overdose in July of 2008 before standing trial for killing 5 people by sending them anthrax in the mail. Thats right. That was this guy.
Really, kind of a sweet looking guy. Too bad he was basically the next Tylenol killer. On top of killing people and stirring up national panic, he helped create up the pro-war sentiment that ended up landing us in Iraq. Reason you may not have heard about it? Possibly national pride, probably not wanting to further upset the 65% of Americans who believe the war is no longer worth fighting.
The Internet Is Out of Control
The government can't stop hackers. Net neutrality is still an uphill battle. Property and copyright laws are so far behind many people see no other choice than to resort to pirating. For instance I can buy a movie legally on iTunes, but unless I want to watch it on my computer screen, I have to use open source software to (hypothetically) rip a bootleg copy that will work in my DVD player.
Traditional journalism has started to rely more heavily on the "blogosphere" where facts are often even more confused and exagerated than on the networks themselves. This is because it is faster, easier and cheaper than doing real investigative work. In addition, the government doesn't even ask for a warrent to spy on citizens using the internet. Take for example Magic Lantern, and Black Widow. Reasons you may not have heard about it? I'm not sure. It might be because it is scary. It might also be that the major media companies don't want to muck up a chance at controling the net when everything settles down, so they just arn't talking about it. Or maybe nobody cares but the nerds and the corporations.
Gulf War Syndrome is Real
In December 2008, a federal report finally confirmed that the illness really does exist. Symptoms include pain problems, neurological damage, and respiratory problems among others. For years, soldiers and veterans have been reporting the illness without verification from the larger community that it was real. Why have you probably not heard the story? It was the US government's fault (not a biological weapon as some had previously assumed). The syndrome is a side effect of a widely used pesticide meant to keep bugs off the troops and equipment.
I'm more than aware that we South Carolinians get a pretty bad rap nationwide. Most people more than a state away think we're racist, backwards idiots. Well I'm here today to show you some of the nicer side of my fair state.
The Weather - Some don't like the humidity, but I love the weather here... three-quarters of the year that is. The winters are cold enough to get snow once or twice a year (just enough that its exciting every time). The spring... sucks, honestly. It's usually wet and cold, but then we get the SUMMER which is gloriously hot and heavy (like a big quilt every time you step outside) right up until the mild autumn (don't forget to check out all our trees).
Gullah - The only place in the world Gullah culture exists? The South Carolina and Georgia Low-Country (coast). In case you missed Gullah Gullah Island, Gullah is an African-American subculture that speaks a creole language that is a hodgepodge of English and African. Their culture shares many features with west and central African cultures including the famous sweet-grass baskets which are sold throughout the Charleston area in swanky tourist shops and roadside stands (guess which ones are real). If you are headed to the area and want one, check out Hwy 17 in Mount Pleasant and be prepared to drop a pretty penny. Even a smallish basket can easily run $50-$100 and the more intricate designs will draw quite a bit more.
Education - Blah, blah, blah South Carolina has really low SAT scores That's because we encourage every high school student to take the SAT (not just the already college-bound ones). While there are certainly pockets of under-funded schools, I went to several public schools in several districts and worked and volunteered in 2 or 3 more. Our schools are no joke, and I would not hesitate to send my kids there (should I ever have any).
Food - Country cooking, soul food, whatever. It's good. Some food highlights: shrimp and grits, savory cornbread, veggies cooked with pork, chicken and dumplings, Carolina style (mustard based) barbecue, all kinds of fresh seafood, oyster roasts, sweet corn (this is different from yellow corn, which I don't care for so much) and casseroles galore. Old southern church ladies can make awesome casseroles out of ANYTHING. Oh and deep-fried everything! Chicken, okra, squash, pork chops, fish, sweet onions... even stuff like macaroni, grits, candy bars, oreos and brownies (Ok, the candy bars are a festival thing and the brownies were at a restaurant appropriately named Fatz) Don't worry there are still sushi places in every city.
Liberals! - Okay, we're definitely outnumbered here, but we're a fierce minority. Don't forget 100,000 more votes were cast in the Democratic primary in 2008 than the Republican one. Meeting up with a fellow liberal here is like finding another member of a special secret club. One of you drops a hint, the other picks it up and before you know it you're all giddy with excitement because you can talk about evolution, birth control and Iraq without fear of horrible glares and uncomfortable silences. There was also a fun game of "honk and wave at the other Obama-stickered cars" going on for about a month before the election. This was really nerve wracking the first couple of times because I couldn't figure out why people were honking, screaming, and, in one case, wearing an Oscar the Grouch costume (muppets have long been a key demographic for the liberal agenda). Luckily, most of the more enthusiastic players of the game had campaign signs to wave around in order to get the message across.
Gas Prices - Having a state run by Republicans means that while we do have a lack of funding for schools and roads because we don't tax crap, we do have really, really low gas prices.
Landscape and Attractions - There are beaches, mountains, islands, lakes, waterfalls, lakes fed by waterfalls, rivers, creeks, pine forests, old growth forests, swamps, old cities, new cities, haunted bridges, battlegrounds, observatories and one of the best zoos in the nation. South Carolina has a vast variety of beautiful habitats and landmarks to explore. You'd be suprised how different the Low-country and the Upstate can be (I also love the region names. Besides those two, Piedmont, Pee Dee, Waxhaws and Midlands are common names for other regions).
First of all, what a great name. Rod Blagojevich. That's so great it sounds made up. Second, that hair! I'm not sure if I can say I like it, but I'm certainly in awe.
Anyway, my own first instincts on his move to name a Senator haven't been brought up by any news source I've seen. Blagojevich is a savvy political player (as evidenced by the evidence against him). So lets take a look at his options. He could
A) Not appoint a Senator, like he was told. This would imply he had done something wrong and felt he deserved to be stripped of his office.
Result: His choice for an appointment would not be named, and he would continue going down in flames.
B) Appoint a Senator. This implies he feels he is still deserving of his office (i.e. not guilty). He also appears hard to control and may be an intimidation play. Two possible results:
1. His choice for an appointment will not be named and he continues to go down in flames,
OR 2. His appointment is named, to the chagrin of the powers that be and when Blagojevich goes to court, he can point at it and say "Look! If I was guilty the Senator would not have been accepted. Senator is accepted, therefore I am not guilty." Blagojevich doesn't care who the Senator is. He just wants them to stick. That's why he chose Burris. Burris doesn't have anything to lose, so he will fight for the seat with all he's got, plus he's a black man, which has given the Democrats even more indigestion as some of them are afraid to look racist.
In summary:
Blagojevich has an awesome name. And awesome hair. Also, nothing left to lose but his freedom (and I guess his office). And he's smart. The only way he can WIN is to look credible by getting an appointment to stick. Even if he doesn't escape a guilty verdict, he's at least gotten his revenge on the people who are taking him down.
Burris is kind of a dupe. A pawn more hapless than Sara Palin. Also, has little to lose and a lot to gain.
These two people are going down or staying put together. Blagojevich knows what he's doing and made an evil genious pick to take down with him (or pull him back up, we'll see).
I was having a nice evening with History Channel yesterday. I had a cold diet coke, a warm blanket, and was chatting up some pals on aim. History Channel was showing a nice piece on the current economic crisis and behaving himself rather well. Then I saw this:
Dear History Channel,
___How could you make a fool of me again!? I told you I'm sick of your Nostradamus fixation! Nostradamus never said shit about 2012 anyway. He didn't even properly date his predictions. I would have watched your show on ancient prophecy. I would have watched all the way to the very ending where you'll have an expert with some actual credibility debunk most of what has been said. But noooo you had to put Nostradamus right there in the fucking title. I don't know why I keep coming back to you.
Bitterly yours,
Courtney
P.S. Tell your buddy Discovery Channel that calling a show "Extreme Logging" doesn't make it any more interesting than if you just called it "Logging"
Cloud computing is on the way! A (very) Brief definition: Cloud computing is where you use the internet to access your software and data which is stored somewhere else.
Pros:
Have everything everywhere
Save memory space
Computer death does not equal file loss
Cons:
You NEED the internet (some stuff can be backed up)
Somebody else can see your stuff
A lot of these applications and programs are new and not always reliable
Now you may think that the idea of all of your information being... somewhere else is a little scary, and it is. There are some pretty hefty implications of putting all our eggs in one basket. Not to mention the fact that private institutions will be in charge of taking care of the basket (let's not forget the Verizon employees who lost their jobs for checking Obama's account activities).
Call me an optimist, but I trust the powers that be not to let anything get too out of control.
I recently picked up Google Docs along with Gears which lets you simultaneously download backup copies of the files you are working on as you create them. I used the slide show creator to work up two major projects. The software is pretty basic, but all the major functions are there. Best of all, the software is free, available at any computer. Even if I woke up in a ditch in South Dakota, I could stagger into the nearest public library and edit and print the latest revision of my abstract.
This kind of setup also allows access to software and data from devices like cell-phones, ipods and smaller laptops which would not be able to store large amounts of resources. Added bonus with these devices: they are in your pocket right now! So too could be all the data you ever needed. Imagine being able to use all your favorite software anywhere? Need to photoshop an image right now? Login. Want to play that game you just bought on your friends' laptop? You bet. Now all this stuff is down the road a bit, but is definitely feasible.
Pretty cool. I hope this really is where the tech market is going. If you're interested in applications that use this, check out MobileMe (for Macs only) and Google Docs.
The day after Christmas, one of my absolute favorite political sites, The Daily Beast, ran an article by Judith Miller called Shattered Peace about the violence in Gaza. Now, if you haven't been paying attention, Judith Miller was a reporter for the New York Times who has gotten her nose into all kinds of trouble. She once tipped off an Islamic organization that the US government was to search the premises the next day, she was jailed for protecting Scooter Libby, and wrote an article in which she refused to reveal her sources that claimed proof of WMD's in Iraq which was later used as proof by members of the Bush administration. After all the controversy, she left the New York Times and went to Fox News.
Anyway, the point of it all is that most of the readers of TDB were horrified to find her featured on the site, on the topic of brewing war no less. Out of 55 comments left by members on the article, most of them looked like this:
Needless to say, most people were not happy. This makes me wonder what the incentive for featuring her was? Hype for Nothing but the Truth? Hype for The Daily Beast? Actual endorsement for Judith Miller?
"We believe ANYTHING this woman writes !?! I'm sorry but her creditability has been completely lost. She was a publicist for the Iraq war effort. I can not believe anything she reports, even if it's true, because of her earlier efforts. I would suggest the Daily Beast never use her again."
"Judith Miller writing about the Middle East is like E-Coli writing about feces."
"I agree with the others here that publishing anything by this disgraceful woman is a bad mistake...I will never read anything she writes, and if The Daily Beast gives her a forum to write, I will stop visiting!
She has NEVER apologized for being one of the chief apologists for an occupation of Iraq that has resulted in the deaths and dismemberments of hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed a country!"
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