Well,

Ben Kweller just touched my stomach. It was thrilling.

I dunno know,

I read a news piece last week about a man in Britain (I think) being acquitted of rape charges after issuing the defense that he had been sleepwalking at the time of the attack.

Unbelievable

So Gloria has the day off and called our upstairs neighbor to see if he wanted to do anything. He couldn't because last night he apparently sleepwalked (which he does a bit) into the back porch, and then fell off it down below to the yard. A full story drop off. He thinks he broke his leg. You don't hear something like that often.

Las Vegas

I think Drew and I could do the Friday to Monday thing, that would be tons of fun! Let's set some real dates.

Damn, Sweet Song

Apparently this thing is like an electronic pet that follows you around with mirrors on its side to see. I really don't know but the video has an awesome song. I'm really not sure if people will like it or hate it. Probably depends if you like LCD Soundsystem or not.


Full Version is called Justice Remix

Original Version

This is definitely one of the first remixes I've liked far more than the original song.

Free Arty Tickets

Hi. I got two free tickets to this art fart event at DAM tomorrow night, and I am going to Ben Kweller instead. Please let me know if you want them; they will be at the museum ticket office.

I am an idiot

I am ridiculous. There is only one guy who works in my office and he got a package from UPS, so I brought it to him and said, "You have a giant package." I hate everything.

nope

I never took calculus, except for what we did in IB Math. I was exempted from it for CU, and now I expect to take it (or statistics) next summer as my last pre-med thing.

Lots of Activity

We took Calc based physics and we (Willie) only had to use a proper integral once or twice. Not to say they're not important, but we never seemed to need them.

Spring Break sounds good. Also January sounds good, but I'd want to know now so I could save for that. Due to Christmas and traveling, January always seems to be a slim month. I don't know if I'll be home during Christmas yet, but definitely Thanksgiving.

About Metroid, yes, I'll definitely get it. I was all about Metroid Prime and this one just seems amazing. Mario Super Strikers has been more or less a let down. I'm ready for the onslaught of badass games Nintendo has ready.

Integrals for Lindy

Dice beat me to it and his explanation was better than mine anyway. The only thing I'd add is that you should look in your old calculus book too (you DO still have it, right?)

It's all coming back

Thanks, Drew. That cleared things up totally.

I can't believe I made it through the first semester of physics without relearning that. Better late than never.

Progressive Boink and Integrals

is awesome. The tangent with the reference to an old video game made me laugh out loud. Mental images = funny.

Ok Lindy, I'll try and do this in text as best I can. Just remember that integrals are the reverse of derivatives. For something like x^2 + 5x, you can do each term separately [just like derivatives, but in reverse]. The integral of x^2 is (1/3)x^3 and the integral of 5x is (5/2)x^2 [The derivative of (5/2)x^2 is 5x, get it?] To evaluate between 3.2 and 1.9 you just plug in 3.2 for X and get the result [lets pretend the answer is 20 because I don't want to work that out] and the same for 1.9 [I'll pretend it's 7] then subtract the second limit from the first limit [answer would be 13]. Remember, integrals are the area under the curve that describes the function so to find between 3.2 and 1.9 you can just subtract like I described. I hope that helps.

Vegas

As far as dates for Vegas goes, I'd suggest somewhere in March 15-23 because that's when my spring break is. Lindy, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's a week before CU's. So maybe the end of my break and the beginning of Lindy's? 

The other thing about MLK day is that it's pretty soon after Christmas break. We'll back in Colorado for at least a week over Christmas, so maybe we want to space things out a bit more? Josh, what about you? Were you still thinking you were going back to Colorado for Thanksgiving and Christmas? And then Vegas less than a month later? Just thinking out loud... discuss...

Vegas in January

Those dates sound perfect, Kim. One thing to keep in mind is that the average temperature for Vegas in January is 47°, so it won't be a balmy weekend.

And yes, I miss everyone! I want you all to come to Tucson.

another help that I need.

Ya'll, I forgot how to evaluate integrals, and somehow I made it through the first semester of physics without relearning that. Unfortunately, the time has come that I must have this skill once again.

I've tried reading a couple of online how-tos and I don't really get it. Can any of you smarty-pants make a sort of typed out how- to for an integral such as this?

(x squared +5x)dx between 3.2 and 1.9.

Otherwise, I'll break down and go to the help room.

Vegas dates

I suggest Friday January 18 to Sunday the 20th or Monday the 21st. We could all leave after work/school/whatever on Friday and get there in time for a late buffet dinner! Then we could leave Sunday or Monday night. Thoughts?

To Dice and Josh

After you finish this sentence, go out and get Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Josh, it is better than any of the other Metroid Prime games by far, and to boot it has a real story to it which is pretty sweet. Dice, it is easily the best game to yet come out on the Wii. Best use of the controls, best everything. Also, if either of you haven't played Resident Evil 4 yet, the Wii version is the best with the best controls and it is only $25 or something. Probably the second best game on the Wii right now.

1.) I'm all about going to Vegas. For some reason, I've never been there either.
2.) And the Science Fair/History Day thing.

Oh yes

I am so sad that I couldn't have dinner with you, because I was working. Know that I did not enjoy work and I was not happy to not be with you all.

Also, if we could see Tom Jones in Vegas, then my life would be complete. And just to turn you on (to the idea), feast your eyes on his vintage sexy. Make sure you get to 1:22 before you give up.

In.

I'm definitely down for it, although I'll be planning on spending a a bit less than the proposed budget. Whatever, though, we can spend $1000 or $100 so long as we go, and I'm going, no doubt. I can definitely do a 3-day trip. If we plan on two of those days being the weekend, then I'll have no problem at all in going. Hell yes.

Yes to Vegas

I like the 3 day idea. Not to hard to ask for work off and easily enough time. Is there any reason to go at a certain time? Maybe there will be some badass event in the future that we can go to. Anyway, it sounds like enough of us are into this. Lets estimate costs. I know you can make it as cheap as you want, but I need to be realistic and know I will spend some money. Does $500-$600 for a three day trip sound pretty reasonable? $100 for room (since we can split rooms pretty well), $200 max for a flight, and then $200-$300 for the rest? If we're certain about this, I want to start saving to make sure I can do this ASAP.

2 Minutes in Heaven is Better Than 1 Minute in Heaven

1. Most of you know that I don't like many movies, so it will not surprise you to learn that I didn't think Superbad was anything special. In the vein of the current Judd Apatow/Seth Rogen franchise, seeing another installment just made me feel "Marketed-To." For you consumers who haven't seen it: "American Pie" but with better writers and throw in some non-sequitur period blood. I just saved you $9. You're welcome and shit.
2. Fall of Troy in The Beach last night. They kept bickering with each other, the lead singer was drunk, and he also broke/sprained his foot in the middle of the set. The mass demographic of kids with "X" on their hands made me feel fucking old. I've seen the opener, HORSE the band, in the past as well, and they are the new hotness.
3. Vegas Rules of Conduct: (A) Fly. (B) Three Days MAX. (C) If you fall asleep inside PURE, they will escort you outside, but there is a balcony from which your roommate can throw you the room-key, so can go to bed not upon a park bench upon which you just vomited. (D) "GET A NEW WIG!" (E) The monorail is cheaper than a cab if you're by yourself. (F) Realize when you're at Margaritaville.
4. Bootie and the Hofish. Imbibe.
5. Holy Shit Look At The Cast Of This Movie
   

Si Vegas

I absolutely thing that Vegas would be the tits. I think that all that needs to be said is: Ladies' Night vs. GNO: VEGAS! Plus there'll be tons of stuff to see and whatnot like cheezy magicians or Tom Jones or someshit. It'd be the height of fun if we were all together. I can easily see it sucking if it wasn't all of us, but since it'll be, I think we should do it.

Dustin: I thought Superbad was phenomenal. Absolutely one of, if not the best overall, "teen" movies that has been made. Good writing, good acting, good everything. I suppose that some women might not like it because all of the main characters are guys, so they might not be able to relate. However, the girls in Superbad were pretty three-dimensional, so it gets high marks in that category.

Josh: You need to read Invincible. There are tons of comic shops in Portland, so go in and ask for the trades (the paperback collections of single storylines) or the Ultimate Collection (hardcover which is superior because it'll last longer and protect the pages better which is a bigger deal for comics than it is for prose books because prose is just little black squiggles on white whereas comics have fantastic colorful drawings, it is slightly oversized, has bonus material which you may or may not care about, and is comparable in price). Anyways, it is about a kid whose dad is basically superman and he inherets his powers and it is possibly the best superhero comic in the universe and I really think you'll absolutely love it, I truly do.

Sorry I'm not going to dinner tonight everyone!!!!! I have had plans since yesterday to go do some serious writing today and I didn't know that anything was going on until like 15 minutes ago and I'm writing this post as I'm packed and ready to leave for a coffee shop. I know I am a douche for a number of reasons:
1) Coffee shop? yes--it is because I need to get out of the house sometimes and I can get iced chai and intertrons at coffee houses.
2) Not coming? see above.
3) Didn't like baseball video? sorry, it was a horrible video. I didn't mean to upset--my post was an off-the-cuff response to watching two minutes of nothing going on. I couldn't even tell that anyone got hit. Didn't mean to offend.
4) I hope that everyone has a fantastic time, and I love you all.
5) I'm down for Vegas, but also like the idea of it being later rather than sooner.
6) John should also come to Vegas!
6.1.7) 8====> ()

WTF We before Youtube???

I saw this video on digg and I thought it would be stupid, but it just made me remmeber all the old shows I used to watch:


Immediately I remembered the awesome HBO movie intro (Looking back, I must have been lucky to have HBO in the 80's). God damn, the music in this first one is definitely going to be the music I play right before I get to a finish line. It just reeks of badass Rocky montage music. If you never watched HBO before 1995 you probably won't give a shit.

High Production Badass HBO Intro

The Intro I'm More Familiar With (Also I love the dots at the end)

Viva Las Vegas

I agree with Josh, the posibilities for hilariousness in Vegas are more numerous than other places. Also, it has potential for everyone because there is a lot to do, so the people who don't want to gamble can also have a kick ass time. Plus, I've never been there. I'm all for it, but as I work in retail, Thankgiving is a big no for me. I'm going to go ahead and suggest the winter sometime after the holidays. That way it won't be too hot, and we can thouroughly enjoy the warm weather.

I'm in, depending on times and stuff

I've always said that I never want to go to Vegas, but for a weekend with you people it would probably be fun. Thing is, I don't really have much time to go before the new year. What if we went in the beginning of January?

Cassie, do you miss us already? Because I miss you.

Vegas Rebuttal

No Thanksgiving, please. I'll be in Colorado. You don't even have to travel anywhere that week. I'll come to you.

Dustin: That's the great part about Vegas, its all superficial. I don't think they would have it any other way. I would rather go to all the awesome arcades and roller coasters than gamble anyway. It would be a good weekend trip. A full week would get old fast. I think if I went, I would need a goal to keep me moving, like something involving getting something from every casino on the strip.

What else is in between us? Lake Tahoe? I've never been there. We could rent a boat.

Vegas 2

I think since we wouldn't be going there for the city itself, and since there is plenty of entertainment to be had, the potential for hilarity, plus cheapness and centrality, along with the brevity of the trip would make it a decent place to go.
However, if there are other suggestions regarding location, we should definitely think about it. When are we thinking about doing this? I know Cassie mentioned Thanksgiving, but I don't know that everyone could or would want to get away from family for that. But whatevs.

Vegas

I've never been there and would like to visit.

eh

I'm not insisting on Vegas. It just seemed like an obvious (and convenient) choice, and while I'm sure its a terrible place it also seems like it wouldn't be so bad to visit. Then again, I haven't been there since I was ten years old, so what do I know? I'm open to other places. I just think something should happen, and we should start planning it sooner rather than later. I'm more concerned with seeing everybody than where we go.

Hm

Well, I love the idea of having a reunion in a fun city.

However, I hate to inform you that Las Vegas is not the place you think it is: in fact, Las Vegas is really a horrible and sad place. Being there the little that I was I can tell you especially Cassie that you would HATE the place with a passion. And this is coming from someone who loves to gamble. It is glitz trying to cover up the underlying ugliness.

Fuck Vegas....I can think of few worse cities in the U.S......although L.A. is definitely worse, no doubt.

Yes, Josh that is still totally legit.

Anyway, that said..the idea is cool.

Now onto two different tangents:

Tomorrow night: we should all do dinner. Drew, Bonnie, Kim, Matt, Lindy? You all in?

Super Bad: opinions? I thought it was so well done that it really did bring me back to high-school a bit. 8/10.

Ani thought it sucked hard: 2/10

Is this a gender issue?

--

Politics: Guiliani's real pull is that he is seen as "strong on terrorism" and as a sort of hero of 9/11 by a lot of conservatives. Further, at this point, even though he is pro-choice, for gun control, and has a pretty rocky past in terms of divorces, I think that conservatives think he has the best chance at winning over-all...thus he is ahead in the polls.

Clinton is seen as a sort of moderate with serious political experience....and of course, as a strong woman, I think she is getting a lot of the liberal women vote. My mom for instance is strongly pro-Hilary. Personally, her leaning towards the middle pisses me off, so I like Obama the best so far. I think he has some real outsider power, like Bill Clinton...which is ironic.

She plays the game too much. For instance, she attends a weekly religious service with the hard-core Christian Conservative Republicans, has voted to outlaw flag burning and is all about cracking down on video games. Boo!

Also in

but can we have a no strip clubs rule? Am I lame?

Actually

That sounds awesome. I don't know when exactly, as I'm currently getting ready for my Thanksgiving and possible Christmas trips, but I think that sounds perfect. Cheap flights, pretty central to everyone, and everyone has no excuse whatsoever in having a kickass time. Plus, we can go as cheap or high class as we want. Also, I've always wanted to carry a bottle of beer with me in clear sight down the strip. (Is that still legal?)

Cassie, I am so in.

Vegas Reunion!

Let's do it. Its relatively cheap, relatively convenient to everybody, and supposedly awesome. Discuss.

I'm exaggerating

I'm excited to go, but I hate feeling like the oldest person in one place.
Also, duh Josh, I was at the Gothic with you on the floor. Yay Go Team. You missed them at the Ween/Lips show, huh? That will be super fun.
I'm bored.

Dragged There?

Dude, Ben Kweller is totally sweet and you have a crush on him. Also, Ben Kweller fans are way, way better than almost any other band's young fans. I would say that the venue is tiny and it will be an intimate show, but even at the Gothic Theatre, I was one of only 100 or so that were down on the floor watching him.

Also the Go! Team is coming to Portland, so I'd check if they're coming to Denver. I can't imagine they'll be anything but awesome.

And those limited run candy bars...yeah...the Twix ones were really good. Those were definitely the best trial runs of any candy bar I can remember. Can you think of any others that were really good? Almond M&M's were good (maybe those are still around), I can't think of any other real memorable ones.

Twix

What happened to Cookies and Cream Twix? That was an amazing part of my life.
Lindy (or anyone else who likes me), I have tonight through Saturday free if you do. Oh except Ben Kweller is at Club 156 Friday night and I am being dragged to that. Not that I don't like Ben Kweller, but it will be full of children.

No Way This Review is Real

I was looking online for Levi's 514 jeans and found some at the Sears site for sale. I saw they had reviews and for no reason opened it up and the first review was this:

Review

"im a 17 year old who likes the slim type of pants but not skin tight like some of my friends, these jeans are perfect comfort for skating, not too tight so you have space, but they arent baggy either. i bought 3 pairs and love them so much i ordered 2 more just now. I WOULD RECOMEND THESE TO ALL LOOKING FOR THE SLIM JEANS THAT ARENT TOO TIGHT BUT STILL ARENT BAGGY."

What 17 year old would write that? Not only that, but on Sears.com? Damn you, internet.

More

Why are Giuliani and Clinton leading right now? Is it just their name power? Also, isn't Giuliani pro-choice, or at least very neutral? I heard on NPR about the Religious Right really getting pissed off that none of their agendas are passing. What is going on with the Republicans and the religious right? Is it fracturing or will it come back just as big next election?

I would be happy to answer any politcal questions you may have, since as a card dealer, I do nothing but read about politics all day. Most people were expecting Gonzales to quit before too long and Josh Bolten asked that anyone in the administration who planned on leaving do so before labor day. Also, right now any democrat would win. Guilliani and Clinton are still leading.

After the fighting stops,

You should all join the American Mustache Institute.
I think you guys came up with this idea a loooong time ago.

Cabinet Resignations

Alberto Gonzalez must have had the shittiest year of politics ever, but why are all the other cabinet members leaving? I heard that they want to leave the sinking ship, but is that it? I guess I thought that they would stay until Bush left office. What the hell is going on in politics right now anyway. Without an election to obviously show people's alliances I have no idea who is in the lead. Hell, I haven't heard shit about Bush in the last month or two. Has he been on vacation? (That's probably a really stupid question since he always is anyway)

Responce to Matt

Dude. Totally uncalled for. First off, I'm not going to pretend that was one of my better posts. I do believe I am allowed to rest on my laurals a bit. I mean, that 13 video stretch I had I feel was one of the best youtube video hunts ever executed. (Not really, but yeah, really) On to defending the "video". First off, in no way was it a video. I was a series of pictures. The reason it is awesome is because of the start. The pitcher throws a pitch, you do not know it's outcome, and suddenly a guy with a bat is attacking him!!! WTF more do you want? A katana blade? Christ. And if it wasn't enough action for you, he broke the pitcher's finger with that swing, and gave the catcher a concussion on the backswing. Not enough action from that? Did you want to see a baby's head severed in the fight or something? What do you want? I feel your criticizism was unfair because you just don't like baseball. You also do not like UFC, so I will post this video which isn't that great, but will direct you to the :50 mark (1:20 remaining). Some awesome happens there. Pay attention to the zoom in after it happens. Somehow, he was not seriously hurt from that and was walking around after he woke up.



Anyways, fuck you Matt. Next time you make a post of whales and shit not doing a god damn thing in slow mo for 10 minutes, I'm taking off the gloves. Here's a good one, mostly because it has many mirrors to Bonnie and I's life (especially the socks)

Sorries

Hey BonnieDrew, this is my sad RSVP that I cannot help you on Sunday because I am working a double shift. I suck!

Good Friends Who Help!

Hi Friends!
I just reserved a UHaul and will know when we can start moving shit by tomorrow night.
Thanks again everyone for being the best and helping us! WOOOOOOOT!
I will call you! KISSIES!

$40 a pop

and I do mean pop

any takers, anyone?

Image Resizing

That is awesome. When those people got erased that was so cool. That could be scary. If that were to pick up, it could start acting like Photoshop where no one knows if the picture is actually the original. But damn, I have never seen someone remove something from a picture that easily.

Real-Time Image Remapping

Cool shit with weighted image gradients

Killer Video

in the sense of being about more killing

Must be said.

Dice...awful video. I have nothing against baseball fights, don't get me wrong. But in this case, we have a halfway decent beginning when the guy with the bat comes up and everything seems terrifying, but then they just circle each other and nobody gets hit. If there was one crazy photo of a dude getting clobbered, then color me amused! Instead, the pictures crawl by and nothing happens. Arr, guy gets mad, rushes the plate, teammates come out, everyone leaves, focus on the manager or some such sucker putting his hands in the air for a minute. If we could at least hear what they were yelling at each other than we could have something to go on, but the only soundtrack is the master filmmaker's labored breathing and mouse clicking. Like a director's commentary and making-of rolled into an easter egg. Which raises the most important question of the whole video, why include an audio track at all?

All in all, I thought you had better taste when it came to internet videos. Either there is something really great that I missed, which I won't rule out, or you are on the slippery precipice of bad internet videos. This is one small step away from a song with accompanying google image search pictures for every word. You're better than this, and you know it. Get back in your A game with a killer video.

The Dance of Life

A story in 70 or so parts.

No rage.

Drunk, yes. We went swimming, as is always the best.

Also, the new Smash Brothers is going to be fucking unbelievable. From what I hear, the characters are going to be more different from each other this time around. Meaning that they aren't going to make 5 marios with slightly varying animations and such. We're going to have to have weekly smash sessions online, for sure.

Also, the Chinese government is scary creative about hatin' on Tibet.

Moving

I think I can probably help for a bit on Sunday...at least get all the big nasty stuff out of the way.

Also: did you stumble away with Eric in a drunken rage last night Matt?

I'm telling you fool: mara, maya, and mana.

HUGE Roster

Sorry I can't help Bonnie, but if anyone is interested in the new Smash Bros. check out how big this roster is!

Also:

We need some serious help in moving this Sunday and all next week. Please, I am begging.

This is pretty cool. One of my bosses e-mailed the following:
"Well, I've done another (very brief) pass at Above the Treeline again, and
have found us kicking some butt. We have two great shelve talkers that
are really, really helping sales. In both cases no one in the country
has better sales than we do. Here they are:

Basilica (Recommended by Bonnie)."

Story

Mikey made us super ramen last night; he added tofu, carrots, broccoli, cabbage and shittakes. It was awesome but then we both died of MSG.

I will be at trivia.

Bar Trivity

Tonight in Golden starting at 8:00. BE THERE!!! ...wait, is it 7:00? I can never remember anymore. Pretty sure its 8 though. ...BE THERE!!!

Poopybutts!

I need to know who here has a poopybutt. I know some of you must have poopybutts, and it is your moral and civic responsibility to "come clean" as it were and make known your poopybutts!

STOP HIDING YOUR POOPYBUTTS!

Talk Box

Ty made one from scratch once, but it never worked that well. It's essentially a poor-man's vocoder.

Another popular effect is pitch-correction, which is has been unhappily prominent over the past years to over-produce pretty much everyone from Destiny's Child, to Rascal Flatts, to Fall Out Boy. Some artists use it more as an effect than a crutch, e.g. Cher's "Believe."

It can be subtle, but usually you can hear the mechanical jumping between notes. Sometimes I can hear it right away (e.g. Akon). I have always wondered when Ben Gibbard sings the words "we never saw the money" in the first verse of "Styrofoam Plates" whether correction is used or not. You make the call.

Daft Punk uses vocoders in songs like "Human After All," "Harder Better Faster Stronger," "Around the World" and pitch-correction in "One More Time." I think both are used in "Digital Love," although arguably you could achieve similar vocode effects by modulating the resonance and cutoff of equalization filters. However, if you're a French robot, anything is possible, as I witnessed first hand by their preformance at Red Rocks 3 weeks ago.

And you will know him by the trail of dead...

Well... Now. I am.
... less than really happy, which I have been, basically, really happy for the past year.

I get my fancy sticks of 1gb memory, beautiful creations they are... I follow instructions. (Oh, I also pay COD, which was a trip) I pop em in, computer's got some extra spring in it's step, I think I've arrived...

I was wrong!

Turns out, me being too satisfied to care earlier, that my lower DIMM slot doesn't work. My computer is a 1.33 G4, so it's very not eligible for the announced recall, though clearly defective.

I'm gonna pound the net looking for DIY stuff, then probably go to Genius Bar sometime if I get down to Sendai... Any more help would be cool...

Though the 1 gig is a little nicer... I didn't know I had 1 to begin with, just need both fucking slots to work...

Lite Brite table is cool!

Lite Brite Table Status

Not started yet. I have all of the wood and parts. Tomorrow I'm going to assemble the beast and then we'll paint it next week. Too many things happened last week, so no Lite Brite table just yet. One thing holding us back was that I needed to get a new drill, but I got that on Craigslist on Thursday so the table should happen soon.

Lite Brite

I want to know how the Lite Brite coffee table went?

Me too.

Mikey and I also went to the Beastie Boys gala last night. He looked hot. And by he I mean AdRock. And Mikey, too.

beastie

My brother Louie is going to the black tie beastie boys thing tonight, and I am indeed jealous!

On a more disgusting note, I have a fucking rash on the inside of my mouth!!! It's allergies and it sucks!

Tonight

Something going on tonight in Denver/Boulder?

I'm free and bored...

Beastie Boys and Talkbox

The Beastie Boys came to Sasquatch and you're right, they were nuts. They were really, really good.

Carl:

Have you ever made or used a talkbox? I just made one last night from this video:

The Ghetto Talkbox

It cost me about $15 and it works pretty well. Its surprisingly easy in concept. All you do it isolate all the sound into a tube that goes into your mouth, and from there you just move your mouth to change the sound. Anyway, if you have and hour, some old powered computer speakers sitting around and want to sound like Daft Punk, check it out, its pretty cool.

Beastie Boys

So I went to the Beastie Boys show at Red Rocks last night expecting them to be very mellow, instrumental Buddhists, but they played mostly old stuff and went crazy. They had lots of energy, which I found delightfully surprising. Then AdRock got drunk and gave a little speech about how everything is okay at this moment in Red Rocks even with the war going on. That was annoying. Tonight, the Beastie Boys are having a black tie gala at the Fillmore and playing all instrumental music which should be neat. I hope to go. You should, too.

SCIENCE MOTHERFUCKING FAIR

YES!!!

I have the greatest idea! It involves Rosie

A Funky Couterpart

Daft Punk and Peter Frampton may have made the talk box famous, but Stevie Wonder using it may be cooler than both.

AWESOME

Reading about that on Wikipedia, I love the description:

The Mighty Boosh is a British cult comedy about two friends who go on magical adventures.

Magical adventures? That sounds great. Also, I've been going crazy on Funkadelic's Maggot Brain and Parliament's Mothership Connection. Anything that brings the funk lately is good with me.

???

yeah....

The ear thing is definitely crossin' the line.

Also:

New address: 338 Gorham ct, Louisville CO 80027

House-warming party TBA

Uh, History Day? Science Fair?

I'm going to have to go with History Day I think....

Crap.

You know that book "Another Bullshit Night in Suck City?" That's what my job is like, at least tonight and last Friday and Saturday. I hate it. I hate job.

Among all of us, someone has got to get famous soon so the rest of us can piggyback on their success, because doing thankless jobs is getting old.

Um, I'm not that sciency.

What should I do? Oh nevermind. I just thought of it!

Primary Sources!

No doubt! Wikipedia isn't even allowed. The format for presenting should be that we set them up in the biggest room at the party and we can present them to people if they ask or we can roam around and look at everyone else's. I think this year's topic should be "Science Fair" and that next year should be "History Day."

________ Fair 2007, Thanksgiving Break?

I'll be home in Thanksgiving, could that work?

I think it sounds awesome. We've been making a ton of shit recently. This week I'm going to make a Lite-Brite Coffee table. Check this shit out!

Anyway, I would definitely do it. Do some topic you're interested in that you think other people would be. Test the exact physics and optimize a dry ice bomb. Go to every single fried chicken place and have the most precise study done in town. I've always wanted to know in a web of cliques (hipsters, hippies, emo kids, rednecks, yuppies) who would be the most hated. Like some web of hate where everyone ranks people. Man, I think this idea is awesome. Oh, and if we do history day, people had better get their fucking primary sources. No bullshit.

Matt's Idea and a Tale of Fury

Matt's idea is pretty good. I would support it. I think an annual Science/History Day would be fun. I'd side with history, since I could pick some ridiculously insignificant event and study the FUCK out of it (say, Game 6 of the 2003 NL Championship or the "America, Fuck Yeah" party). I like that idea.

Now for my tale of fury. I went to all of the Cubs-Rockies games last weekend with the Cubs winning the first two and losing the last two. During the third game, the Cubs got a single from the starting pitcher to tie the game. Being that the pitcher is a horrid hitter this surprised me, and I released a loud and excited "YES!" The guy in front of me turned around as though I had just killed his dog. I said, "Sorry, I was surprised is all."

The game comtinues. The Rockies hit a two out pinch hit grandslam and that same dude turns around to kinda rub it in. I'm not too pleased at the moment, but I play around with him like a gracious fan. Next inning the ump makes a HORRID call and I voice my displeasure. Guy does this little violin playing thing to mock me and slaps me on the chest playfully. Kinda pisses me off, but whatever.

At this point, Bonnie comes back to her seat next to me after getting some drinks with my brother's girlfriend, Ashley. She was sitting with Brian (our seats are not connected) and asks that I switch seats with her so she can hang with her. Cool, now I don't have to deal with this goofy fuck in front of me. Then, the Rockies hit another three run HR. Almost immediately, the goofy fuck strolls down a complete row of seats (he's now behind me) and starts patting me and Brian on the head babbling shit like "Whataya think about THAT!!" Brian has no fuckin clue who this guy touching him is, and his anger level is about peaked as well. I tell the goofball something like ".....!!!" and he responds, "After those first two games...(gibberish)" and then proceeds to STICK HIS FINGER IN MY EAR!!!!

Now I'm in nova bomb mode. If he wasn't an older guy there with his autistic kid, I probably would have popped him. I turn around and say, "You know, whatever happens in a game you can say whatever the fuck you want, but you don't put your fuckin finger in a guy's fuckin ear! Get the fuck away from me, now." He is now visibly shaken back into sobriety and says, "I'm sorry." I just want this guy to leave immediately. "Whatever, just sit the fuck down." "I just was trying to get on your nerves a little." "Well, job well done, mission accomplished, now go back to your fucking seat!" He left, and Bonnie said he was fearful that I was going to beat the shit out of him. I'm sure if the face I was making was in any way similar to the face Brian had on, that reality was almost imminent (what reaction do you expect when sticking a finger in one's EAR!!!). At the same time this was going on, my Mom was in a shouting match with some way drunk yuppies sitting behind her. The Stolzmann's were in full effect. I wish I had security camera footage of that section for that game.

BRAINSTORM!!!

I know it isn't the correct term to use, but I've just had a BRAINSTORM IDEA! I'm just throwing that out as a new term for a really great idea.

And I should preface it by saying that it will come to be regarded as probably the absolute most-nerdy, and either-most loved or most-hated idea of all time. I hope for loved, to be sure.

I'm anticipating loved.

We should figure out a meeting time, with the possibility of it being a yearly thing, where we gather everyone, all of us, and we have a...

SCIENCE FAIR!!!!

I'm dead serious about this. What a wicked fun party game!!!!!! Seriously, imagine if you will...

We're preparing for it all year and so we can put as much or as little work into it as we want. It can be serious, or hilarious. Hopefully a little bit of both. Do a serious topic, but make it interesting. Willie and Ben, it wouldn't be like a thesis project. More like an elementary school one, but you can make it as complex as you like. But whatever it is, you must be a little serious. Don't go up there and not have the time of your life. Make one about interesting fonts or string theory, the world is your oyster. Do it with a partner or without. I think it'd be better if we all had one individually, solely because in a team setting, one person might not drag their weight, and I want everyone to have to put in some work and have some fun. If the team dynamic is tight, then do it together!

The idea for this is that we'd A) all have a tradition with each other where we get to kick it at least once a year, B) have something keeping us engaged and thinking and being creative all year, C) have rad keepsakes that we can keep in boxes in the basement forever ("Oh man, it's Josh's handouts from the History Day party in '09" and of course all of your own projects...unless you trade), D) and of course, didn't I mention that we change themes each time?! Science Fair, History Day, Conference on World Affairs, International Association of Chemists' Annual Barbecue Luncheon, Kids Science Museum? The possibilities are endless, my friends.

Come on, Who's With Me?!

yyyyyyeeeeeessssssLIFERULESyyyyyyeeeeeessssss

どうもありがとうございます

Matt-Sensei...

SWEEP THE LEG JOHNNY!!! FINISH HIM!!!

Kung-Fu Chainsaw fight with Chun Yao Fat cameo!

I think that this is one of those kung-fu moments that everyone can appreciate.



Also, Ben, Memory is totally easy. There is a little door on the bottom in the center of our computers that you unscrew and just yank out the chips and put the new ones in. It is simple, ne? I'm at one gig and feelin' the pain, so it is a good call that you did two.

THAAAAAANKS

hopefully, no one will come on now and say, "NO! THE BLUE WIRE!" And though they totally Jack Bauered whatever they wanted to say, their real intention was, "Non-Apple Ram will make you PC explode is a shower of middle fingers."

Impatientence, and the fact that I can pay COD in Japan for only 2.50 made the choice easy... I have two gigs of this coming my way now... Indeed my first order via an online auction site/not a real storefront type purchase... I almost went with my favorite company here that gives me 20 percent back in points... but it was at least 100 dollars cheaper. At current exchange rates, the entire affair clocks in at 203 dollars.

Thanks for the input... Carl-Sensei, anything else to add?

Yosh...
平和と愛
-ben

RAAAAAAAM

The fact that you're using photography to keep your life sane means that you need more memory. Now. Not tomorrow. Not tonight. Not after you take a shit in your crappy little hole in the ground. Now. I'm 90% sure that you will notice a very serious increase in performance, especially when playing with all your pictures. 

Go with the 2 gigs. If I have your computer model right, it'll set you back less than $200 for two 1 GB sticks. dealram.com is the place to get memory here in the US of A, but you may find something cheaper on Japan's internets. Buying "Apple certified" memory is almost never worth the price. Seeing as how the stuff is typically shipped directly from the manufacturer in SE Asia I would think that your shipping cost at least should be less, but I could be wrong.

Installing memory is usually the easiest thing you can do to your Mac. I think in your case all you have to do is unscrew a little door on the bottom of the computer, but download your manual from Apple if you've lost it.

Computer Woes

MAN... So Uncle Ben just bought Adobe Lightroom for his SMOKIN' hot photos (actual feeling: mediocre photos at best- but he's working on it). He (is the third person toady) is indeed a happy, happy camper with the functionality and obscene awesomeness of that particular program viz. Photo Goodness (a very technical photographic term). Though he isn't converting his burned JPEG's to the proper color space for Flickr to look good, (though if you browse on Safari, it's not too bad) Photography is keeping me sane over the summer month without my kick-ass students. It is 95 degrees here and the humidity feels like 80sumpn' percent...

(this is a very Japanese post- as I don't actually get to the point for a while)

This all being said, his venerable Powerbook G4 is, for the first time ever, SERIOUSLY showing age... Like, noticible seconds between a issues the program a command and actually seeing the response. It's wild in their, so I have come again to lay myself upon the alter of your wisdom (and because I just like talking to people) as to my next move.

This next move is not buying a new computer- as the teacher's salary doesn't have that kind of bread attached.

The next move is bascially buying ram... I'm thinking 2 gigs of jaw-dropping, ass-kicking, crunchy space to contort and twist my shots in... 1 gig may be sufficent- but two? (This is question one- for those playing the home game 1 or 2, currently 512)

Question 2 is thus: Apple seems to be very good at making you come to a store, and having them remove one Kidney for parts and labor. (especially in Japan, where Apple is chic and chic is always worth a 20 percent markup) This I would like to avoid... Do ya'll have experience in installing RAM by your onesies? Is it advisable? Third-party hardware?

Discuss- I'm getting veklempt.

Also bear in mind, though most of this will be done in Japanese, Apple has some modicum of English support available in this country. (Apple also seems to be proportionally populare among ex-pats... go figure) I'll be going to a city with a store (Sendai) this weekend.

Word- much 愛　to everyone... You are missed.

NOOOOOOO

Don't go help the pathetic Kim, she sounds contagious! Let her suffer with her TiVo and internet and tons of good books.
Heart mommers.

No

But I'm some sort of nasty sick where I vomit without any sort of stomach warning, have headaches and backaches, and am also terribly bored. All I want is some What Not To Wear. Come help me.

Anyone in Boulder have a Powerbook G4 - S-Video adapter that I could borrow today?

Holla back!

Today

Quite possible the funniest achewood ever?

Let's discuss!!!

I love Harper's Index!

Weight, in ounces, of all the information that passed through the Internet last year: 0.00004

To brighten your day

That Video is AWESOME

A friend of mine told me all about it but I forgot to look it up. That is nuts. Other than the Deep Blue video with the sardines, dolphins, tuna and the blue whale, that is the best.

EDIT:

I found it. It starts at about 6 minutes in. However its still cool up to there.



Matt, remember how badass this was? If you want to see the rest, just click on part 2 on the right.

Just Copy the Embed Html From The Box

9.5 million views

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM

p.s. how do you inlay videos?

Humor Jokes

HOW did this show get canceled? (BTW, Progressive Boink has a LOT of good articles about pop culture and whatnot.)

The only thing cooler than the Kanye Video

...Is that my life IS the Kanye video...

God... Visit... I will show you.

I'm hopefully getting a Japanese drivers license today! Wish me insane amounts of necessary luck. (It's also 5:45 AM!)

Kanye Needs To Sample More

Definitely my favorite songs of Kanye are the ones where he uses really big samples, Touch the Sky (Curtis Mayfield Sample and sweet video) and Diamonds are from Sierra Leone (Shirley Bassey). He just released a video for Stronger which samples Daft Punk. I really want to like a Kanye a lot, but he releases so many ballads. I wish he would just knock out singles and big beat tracks like these. Anyway, if you like Daft Punk this video is pretty sweet.

I'm no fun, you musn't have me.

I'm afraid I offer no fun today, because I am studying for final on Friday, although Kim may have fun sitting and watching me study in silence.

Also, I'll be in the beach this sunday, probably, because my mom's coming to town. We're supposed to go camping, so I won't be there long. There's also a chance I will not come through the springs, in which case, I will send things to you via mail or matt. Do you have an address? Are you not homeless?

Cassie/Willie, you should also send me your new address so that we can begin an old fashioned correspondence on real, dead tree paper.

Post #3, Tattoos

Hey, we should get these 719 tattoos, like this week. who is doing it besides me and Matt? Mike? Nassim? Ross? Zach?

Root Canal

I had one, it sucked!

PS-when I first typed that I mised the "C" so it said "root anal" and then that made me think of birth canal, which is also gross.

Sadly, no

There was no making out with Nassim, Just a lot of hard core flirting, Lindy when will you be at the beach? I want to see you and your hot shoes! More importanly, If I come up today or tomorrow, will there be fun to have?

Woah

Willie cheated on Cassie with DREW!!!!??? GROSS!!!

Dice Duplicate?

You tell me if this guy looks like
me. (Take a look at his picture profile) Fuckin weird.

Edit: Bonnie has commented that he looks like "If you and Willie had a kid." Oh, and somehow he has worse fashion sense than even me!

Moving

In the evening hours as it were. I should have only furniture left to move by then.

What time are you moving, Dustin?

I am also strong.

Moving and shit

So, does anyone want to help me move Wednesday night?

Matt, Carl....someone?

Jon Stewert Must Have Lost His Mind When He Saw This

Maybe you've seen it, but I just found it and this has got to be Stephen Colbert's best interview.



Tell Nassim hi from me, and Willie and Cassie, enjoy the desert.

Did Meg and Nasim have making out or anything?

I thought that was going to happen, but it sounds like it didn't. I got druuuuuunk! It was fun. And then I passed out on the couch and ordered people to order Cosmo's. I'm sorry if I was rude. I also enjoyed Lindy's channeling of Bridgette Bardot. After considering it all of yesterday, I believe she did it really well. Most of all I enjoyed Cassie and Willie, because it will be the last time I see them in a long time. I like them.
I want Lindy's shoes.

So Sad, So Sad

A tear is falling down my face that Willie and Cassie are gone away to the desert and we were not there to get wasted and tell them lovingly how much we will miss them. So Sad.

But did you have a good time?

Meg- I saw the cd, and I found the euro. I'll be in the springs for like an hour next week, maybe I can drop them off at your work or something? Then you will be happy.

SAD!

Sad that Willie and Cassie are leaving, sad that i smahed a plant when I fell in Lindy's garden, and sad that I left that Amy Winehouse CD and he euro Nassim gave me at Matt and Lindy's place. I think I will come up to Boulder maybe again soon to recover these treasured items.

Thank you, everybody!

Last night was a blast and a half. I speak for Lindy and I when I say that we had a fantastic time and that you are all super!

Bon voyage, Willie and Cassie.

Khow Thai!

I am bringing a surprise! Woo hoo hee hee! And dinner is at 6:30, yes? Party at my house (the house is jointly mine and Lindy's, though probably more hers as of late since I am a bad, no-cleaning sumbitch)!

What excited me about the commune

is that it will be kind of, in a way like Big Love except for the sharing one penis part. I am definitely not a sharer of men. I am way too into Big Love.
Yes, Khow Thai (x 2 for Mikey).

Khow Thai

for dinner? anyone? everybody? call one of us.

Commune?

Yes, that is why we must have a commune. We can all of our kids running around the Seattle area, eating our homegrown vegetables and calling us "Aunt Lindy" and stuff.

babies

I agree with Lindy. I am used to having lots of family around, so I am going to adopt a bunch of kids. It' the perfect solution! Also, imagine 17 kids going through your vagina OUCH!

Dude

Ben, when you meet up with those nurses, I hope you greet them with a hearty "Hellooooo, Nurse," a la Wacko, from Animaniacs.

On the subject of that crazy family- Cassie, I totally agree with you. You'd think that anyone with some common sense could see that the need for a huge family ended when your great great grandparents moved off the farm and got a desk job. That said, I come from a reasonably large family, with four kids, and I will admit that I find the idea of having a family with only one or two a little dull, and can understand wanting a bigger family. Not 17. Can't we all just go Ocasio style, have no more than two kids, but have an entire neighborhood full or surrogate children. That article said the woman has spent more than ten years of her life pregnant. She's more productive than a breeding farm animal.

But Cassie?!

It is God's will for us to be fruitful and multiply?

Or conversely, it is my natural right...no way the government is going to tell me what to do

Or conversely, if natural selection says anything, then their type and the thinking that goes along with it will spread exponentially compared to Willie-Cassie potential off-spring. I.e. you're screwed.

Oh, and you forgot that they have their own TV show too. Look that up as well...I've seen a few episodes.

goddamn rednecks

Couple welcomes their 17th child

Global population explosion?  Resource exploitation?  Self control?  All concepts these Duggar people obviously don't quite grasp. I saw the article on CNN and it shocked and disgusted me. Then I googled them and found their personal website and now I am completely furious. The Discovery Channel has a webpage devoted to them; apparently they're "letting God dictate how many children they have."  They do 200 blessed loads of laundry a month!!   The father, Jim Bob (yes, Jim Bob), served as a state representative.  Arkansas is officially the worst place on earth.

Ben's Thrill Inducing- Wikipedia/youtube startup Japan Update/Cold-Cut-Combo, though...

So like... Lindy has the wildest bloglife I have ever seen... Things to report from the land of the rising sun.

I have made friends with the local Harley Davidson club... They are cool, and they like surfing as well.
There is a big drumming festival in the big city south of me, called Sansa Odori, I have been taking lots of pictures and listening to people drumming things...　　I'm getting ready for my city's (if you want to call it a city, this is our coolest bartender) festival as well... I get to be on a float though, and play much bigger drums... I also do the dance thing in a Yukata...

It is now so hot here, that unrefrigerated chocolate in cabinets melts, it is getting over 33 degrees on occasion. No dry heat though, like sauna without cedar smell. It's like sauna with open sewer in summer smell (sometimes). The cicadas are so loud, they wake me up in the morning before the town "Good Morning" song on the loudspeaker wakes me up... Or the election vans.

I have started doing Judo... I now can flip things over with my mind. It's cool, but a day after practice an Ichi-Nen-Sei grabbed my arm and climbed me like a tree. Now I have tendonitis.

This being said, I am going back down to Morioka for the last day of Sansa, and to meet a bunch of nurses for dinner.

God Damn It!

I forgot how funny Achewood is: "you can see the top two edges of his butt!"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!

!

I just read an article called "Mortality after long exposure to cummingtonite-grunerite." What?

gmail chat

Lindy: true. i'm not even good enough at being a nerd to stop being a whore

I CAN COME!!

ON SATURDAY!!

Harry and the Potters

So I found out that there's a free show in Denver and Boulder:

August 10th Friday
Denver, CO
Denver Public Library - Central Library
4:00pm, FREE!
10 W. Fourteenth Ave. Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204
Rock the Library with Draco and the Malfoys!

August 14th, Tuesday
Boulder, CO
Boulder Bandshell
6:00pm, FREE!
Boulder Bandshell @ Central Park, Broadway & Canyon, Boulder, CO
Wow! Our fourth annual show in Boulder sponsored by the Boulder Public Library! That makes this the one library that we have played the most shows at in the entire world! Draco and the Malfoys will be there to try and ruin the fun, but we won't let them. NO WAY!

Regardless of the fact that all the songs were about Harry Potter (which I do adore) they fucking tore it up. They had the whole crowd in their hands asking people to do dances and screams and lots of various things. And seeing as the audience had an average age of 18 or younger, it worked! While I may have just been observing, it was definitely the least pretentious show I've ever been too. Not only that, but when they sang the song "Wizard Rock" It consisted of a repeating a guitar riff and then screaming Wizard Rock he was belting it out Locust style(!). They even had one grindcore song which I thought was the shit. It seemed like these guys went through the exact same musical history I had. Ska, punk, some synthy-emo, hardcore and just made it into hilarious 30 second Harry Potter songs (because why make a song that only has to do with calling Ron 'The Weasel' more than 30 seconds). Anyway, if you find yourself downtown that day, it may surprise you. Also they'll be there with Draco and the Malfoys whose key song is "My Dad is Rich, Your Dad Is Dead".

Twilight Zone

"On August 1st, 1984 the Cubs beat the Phillies 5-4 on a walkoff to move into first place... a lead they never relinquished"

Take a wild guess what happened yesterday. (Yeah, the Cubs beat the Phillies 5-4 on a walkoff to move into first place) Creepy.

Saturday

As far as hiking goes, we're doing a 14er on Friday, so we may not feel like walking much on Saturday.  I say we play it by ear and maybe just do Royal Arch or something equally low key. Either way, we'll call when we get into town.  And then, merriment and libations will be had by all. 

Sorry about the lack of planning and organization...such is (my) life at the moment.

Yes?

I believe so, are we not? Cassie and Willie chose Boulder!

What time

are we getting together Saturday?

Strikers Charged

Hmm...what to say about it. I think its get a solid B. I'm very engaged in the game, and surprisingly its getting better every time I play. There aren't many cheap things you can do in the game and the computer is pretty damn good. I thought I was going to be pretty annoyed with the Mega-Strikes, where you get the chance to score 6 goals, however they take so long to charge up and aren't too hard to save that you rarely let in more than one, if any at all. Otherwise, its just a bruisefest (in a good way). Its basically just roughing each other up trying to either get in position to score, or get enough time to charge the ball (with which to score).

The things I really dislike are that you can only have one Striker Cup team. The Striker Cup is like an All Cup in Mario Kart. There's the Fire Cup, which takes around 9 games to play through and the Crystal, and Striker Cup which each have around 14 games to play through. The problem is, once you've beaten the Fire Cup, the only way you can play it again is by starting completely over with a new team, which erases your old team completely. You still have the trophies, but no more team. It would be like if you wanted to play the Star Cup in Mario Kart, but to do that, you would have to play through the Mushroom Cup, then Flower Cup, and then you could play the Star Cup, even if you had already beaten it before.

What saves it, is that each Cup is merely a different tournament of soccer games. They aren't different field or anything. So other than trying to earn all the special trophies for each cup, its not a big deal. Also, the online play is pretty decent. The games are definitely a grind and pretty rewarding when you score. There's a ranking system so if you click Ranked game, it will set you up randomly with someone near your ranking and you play. Simple as that. Oh, and its VERY smooth. If a game like this works where you have to have super fast reaction, it should definitely work for Smash Bros. or at least some other games. Basically, have hope for online games on the Wii.

I would suggest renting it because you will get the idea of the game pretty quickly. It is deeper than I expected, however its very limited on features. If this game had come out in November I would have no desire to play it, as I am sure Smash Bros., Metroid, and Mario Galaxy will dwarf everything under the sun. However right now, its definitely near the top.

Wow, that was a long review, but it isn't an obvious must have game, that's all.

Creativity Points

Why did I not hear about this story before?

...and that island thing...I think most island are viewed by someone as they are made, but to see it first yourself is pretty cool. And to also see it before anyone apparently had a clue it was going to happen is also super cool.

Remarkable

Arnie ate a carrot cube and a pea because I tricked him.

How Often Does This Happen

Witnessing the Creation of a naturally made island

Also

I saw 300 last night and I have to say, I did not like it. It was historically (and mythically) inaccurate and also unnecessarily gory. However, I do think the cinematography was pretty neat. It was pretty cool to watch when heads weren't being cut off. Also Xerxes was the scariest thing I've ever seen or heard. Has anyone else seen it?

Matt, you never like anything anymore

except for Flight of the Conchords.

Gotta say,

I didn't really like the Simpsons Movie. There were some funny parts, to be sure (I thought I was going to puke with laughter at the Bart skateboarding scene), but on the whole they suffer from the same things the Simpsons regularly suffers from nowadays. They are the guy who makes an alright joke, explains it, ties up any loose ends about it, then gives you an overview of it. After all of that, they'll let it drag on for too long. Then they do it again. After you leave the theatre, they hand out pamphlets detailing all the jokes, which, I thought, was really taking it a tad far.