So you've gained a little introspective knowledge. A little wisdom to your points rack. Good Job. Is such perception enough to understand the world around you? If it isn't, then what have you accomplished?
Don't think so highly of yourself.
...Brat.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Year Off Blues - Geoff Line
This is a piece of writing from a good friend of mine. To all the ex-travelers out there; this post is for you.
http://campusintel.com/blogs/travel-culture/2009/12/15/year-blues/?c=292
I don't know if he wrote it with us in mind, but I read it in that spirit. I'm glad that I found some words that can explain how I feel - but you know, that's to be expected, since it was the same for alll of us.
...
Geoff Line is one of the few people I really, really respect as writers. I would draw stories if he wrote them. Right now I can only think of 2 other people whom I'd team up with like that.
I'm just saying, though. Read the article.
http://campusintel.com/blogs/travel-culture/2009/12/15/year-blues/?c=292
I don't know if he wrote it with us in mind, but I read it in that spirit. I'm glad that I found some words that can explain how I feel - but you know, that's to be expected, since it was the same for alll of us.
...
Geoff Line is one of the few people I really, really respect as writers. I would draw stories if he wrote them. Right now I can only think of 2 other people whom I'd team up with like that.
I'm just saying, though. Read the article.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Woman dies on Hospital Floor
This is the world that we live in. And no we can't go back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lKUwBCIBzA
When there is a scandal, it is always "Some of our staff""Them" "The offendors were fired" Never us. Never me. This is the culture of America, of the Western world. And why is the attorney allowed to speak his mind, when the anchorman is not? There is no right, no wrong if the truth cannot be spoken freely. And if the truth cannot be spoken, then how can justice be served? Were we ever free? Why do we continue to accept living like this? Is it because we cannot imagine an alternative? Or are we truly afraid?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lKUwBCIBzA
When there is a scandal, it is always "Some of our staff""Them" "The offendors were fired" Never us. Never me. This is the culture of America, of the Western world. And why is the attorney allowed to speak his mind, when the anchorman is not? There is no right, no wrong if the truth cannot be spoken freely. And if the truth cannot be spoken, then how can justice be served? Were we ever free? Why do we continue to accept living like this? Is it because we cannot imagine an alternative? Or are we truly afraid?
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Aesthetics of Design
The reason designers exist is to design things. If they don't do their job correctly, it is just as good as a normal person doing the designs. A person that designs doors to say "Push" is such an unskilled professional. Well thought out things do not need interpretation; they simply "look" right so that a person will automatically know what to do. The following story indicates such a bad design, and the consequences it may entail when wielded by a dim individual. It's a long and dull story though.
Today I encountered a terrible design for a staple gun. It is done bacwards, so that the hand trigger opens on the "head side" of the gun. Observe this stapler gun here. One automatically knows how to fire it and where the stapes will come out of. Hoho, not so the school one. Not only is it done backwards but it invites you into thinking that the stapes will come out of the butt. To ascertain this, I tried to push a staple out of the gun. Naturally with the strength of one arm without using weigth (I was doing this in midair) this proved impossible and, motivated by the desire to press the gun and disregarding the intentions behind this, I place my hand on what I thought was the butt and, using force in both directions, easily manage to fire a staple.
Lo and Behold, poor designs used by stupid people create dumb accidents and I feel a strange and dimly painful sensation in my palm, and at first I believe it to be the shockwave of the gun, so convinced was I by the design. I remove my hand, and suprised, there is a staple lodged neatly in my flesh. The result appears somewhat humorous, so I smile and laugh nervously at myself, and also at the crude design, and also at the fact that with a staple in my hand I look that much more like a piece of wood.
I am surprised that blood doesn't come flowing out, so I grab a bandage and some precise handling pincers?, and remove the staple, which turns out to be jagged and sharp, and twice as long as I had imagined. Blood comes flowing out, naturally, and soaks the bandage before I have even finished applying it.
Then the instructor sees the stapler gun in its drawer and promplty removes it, noting that it is dangerous, and there's no telling what kind of retard would accientally staple themselves with it.
Lo and Behold, poor designs used by stupid people create dumb accidents and I feel a strange and dimly painful sensation in my palm, and at first I believe it to be the shockwave of the gun, so convinced was I by the design. I remove my hand, and suprised, there is a staple lodged neatly in my flesh. The result appears somewhat humorous, so I smile and laugh nervously at myself, and also at the crude design, and also at the fact that with a staple in my hand I look that much more like a piece of wood.
I am surprised that blood doesn't come flowing out, so I grab a bandage and some precise handling pincers?, and remove the staple, which turns out to be jagged and sharp, and twice as long as I had imagined. Blood comes flowing out, naturally, and soaks the bandage before I have even finished applying it.
Then the instructor sees the stapler gun in its drawer and promplty removes it, noting that it is dangerous, and there's no telling what kind of retard would accientally staple themselves with it.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Truly Fleeting
She truly did go down with her captain, in the end.
So for all of you who didn't know, Concordia sank off the coast of Brazil yesterday. Dunno what happened. I remember that some time last year her long-time captian died of a heart attack. I didn't know him personally, I hadn't sailed under him or anything, but Ol'Blue and him used to talk together quite a bit in the ports like Dublin that we visited together, so he was on our ship sometimes.
Here is additional information.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/02/19/ns-brazil-ship-sinks-students.html
I am glad to know that the crew and students and teachers are safe. That must be a traumatic experience, for the home you live on for 6 months vanishes into the sea with all your things and all your memories... and you're left alone in the middle of nowhere.
I'm also worried on the financial side, of course. I hope WIC can pull through. What unluckiness. The concordia was practically new, compared to chopin, anyway. And she was always so perfect looking, so pristine, so modern, and they did waay more drills than we ever did...
But we had totally underestimated the strength of the sea. What foolishness. I remember one of my instructors telling me that I was a fool for wanting to see the sea's worst when we were on Chopin. I had acknowledged that she was right, but I always inwardly assumed that Chopin could take anything. This is a powerful experience for myself who hasn't even sailed on Concordia, but for those present, they really must have seen a whole different side of nature. "Bow, human, in the presence of raw elemental power." I wonder how long a series of misfortunes would have to be in order to sink that ship. I mean, it was a great ship, not as cool looking as Chopin but definitely established, been 'round Cape Horn and all...
I wonder what'll happen to them now....
Monday, February 15, 2010
Agony of Silence, Pt 2
I went back to the site listed previously, opened the READ ALL COMMENTS tab, and because they are posted backwards I was able to understand why the angry words, and also realized that a half-joke insult results in annoyed mockery which results in an acutal insult which causes serious mockery and hugely insulting insults.... which are then read by a passerby and insult said passerby. And the passerby is more than welcome to enter the fight and start off round two.
But because I entered the wrong date, I was not allowed to enter this world where everyone reveals, in a moment of anger, their dark ignorance. My anger has subsided, only disappointment remains. "Civility" seems a word unknown to the human race.
Lorraine would have been right.
But because I entered the wrong date, I was not allowed to enter this world where everyone reveals, in a moment of anger, their dark ignorance. My anger has subsided, only disappointment remains. "Civility" seems a word unknown to the human race.
Lorraine would have been right.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Agony of Silence
A string of youtube comments on this post
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR8dvs8Kees&feature=related
I'm positively furious. These guys infuriate with their mean, ignorant comments towards black people and handicapped people. I'm so furious I tried to sign on to Youtube, but made a mistake and wrote today's date as my date of birth, and so the website blocked me.
I'm crumbling with silent rage. I don't care for the person in the video and whether he was at fault or not, but I hate these hateful comments with a passion. I've never encountered this before. And the worst part is everyone aggrees. They're not noticing that they're exhibiting the full extent of their foolishness, the fools.
And I will never jokingly sing that song and gloss over the word coon. Ever.
What would Lorraine say? Probably "Don't bother with those lowlifes." or something.
But can I do that? I'm sad, so sad and so angry...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR8dvs8Kees&feature=related
I'm positively furious. These guys infuriate with their mean, ignorant comments towards black people and handicapped people. I'm so furious I tried to sign on to Youtube, but made a mistake and wrote today's date as my date of birth, and so the website blocked me.
I'm crumbling with silent rage. I don't care for the person in the video and whether he was at fault or not, but I hate these hateful comments with a passion. I've never encountered this before. And the worst part is everyone aggrees. They're not noticing that they're exhibiting the full extent of their foolishness, the fools.
And I will never jokingly sing that song and gloss over the word coon. Ever.
What would Lorraine say? Probably "Don't bother with those lowlifes." or something.
But can I do that? I'm sad, so sad and so angry...
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well in that case, no crime has taken place after all! Next.
But he wasn't so "injured" that he couldn't kick hard with both his big legs. So SCREW that big punk! Your "sympathy card" expired when you tried to kick people in the courtroom. So you had to get NEUTRALIZED, punk! Screw you and all your sympathizers on this forum, punk!