The Ascent of Man
•September 11, 2009 • Comments Off on The Ascent of ManIt’s about 2 and a half minutes with 5 seconds of silence at the beginning. Not so long, yeah? Just watch, and think.
•September 9, 2009 • 7 Comments
I think we all enjoyed “9”, it was well worth seeing. I’m glad I had a little backstory from the facebook profile, but it isn’t necessary to “get it”.
It seems short, and that’s because it is – under 90 minutes.
•September 9, 2009 • 3 Comments
My interface on my blackberry is now the Pip-Boy 5000 from Fallout 3.
“9” (the Tim Burton animated movie) is definitely a go – we’re just waiting to see if we’re meeting with a wedding photographer before we pick a time.
That is all!
•September 8, 2009 • 1 Comment
Lucy’s in town tomorrow, and we expect to see “9”. Prolly at the Livonia 20, but we’re fairly open. Don’t know the time yet for sure. Itsagonnabe sweet. :)
Also, I do believe I will be showing up for KaraokeArmageddon at The Inn Place on Thursday. So, y’know, be prepared.
A New Scientist analysis of health care
•September 8, 2009 • 3 CommentsI think this video does an admirable job expressing the problem apolitically. Helps that he’s clearly not American, I think.
•September 8, 2009 • 5 Comments
My arousingly fast desktop is, apparently, sitting on the static equivalent of the San Andreas Fault. I thought it was just a speaker thing until it spontaneously shut down this morning before I left for work.
What can I do, do you think, to fix this? Should I have a coathanger attached to the case and the metal bits of my desk? Do I need a plastic floor-cover?
The desktop is plugged into my power strip, and the strip and the desktop have a grounded plug. This is frustrating.
Unrelatedly, I wanted to say again that this weekend was pretty much a blast. I laughed a hell of a lot, reconnected with some of my peeps, and even, maybe, kinda got some work done.
I’m only a little tired this morning, which is impressive considering KT and Melanie decided to make 8 dozen pudding/jello shots, for fun, yeesterday.
Call me sappy, but in the week ahead I’m pretty much exclusively looking forward to seeing my girl.
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
•September 7, 2009 • 6 CommentsI’m posting the entirety of this because it affected me. Some of the things he says took me years of difficulty to understand. It has, as I see it, nothing to do with political affiliation, and everything to do with making the most of your life. It points out that you aren’t just what you’ve done, but what you will do, and that you can choose to change yourself and your direction at any time.
I may not be in agreement with everything that he does, but I agree with this.
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Overall Fantastico
•September 7, 2009 • 3 CommentsI made up for my relatively asocial week by hanging out with local friends for the entire weekend. There was some productivity in there, especially around the programming meeting for Penguicon – brainstorming mode over, acquisition mode engaged!
Last night was a full crowd at the castle, but everyone seemed in a great mood, and nothing seemed to go wrong. I know, can you even call that a party? I belted out some songage (including a few I’d never sung before), and played Bass on hard – scoff if you will, but that’s srs progress, considering I’m way out of practice.
Later, I might write a post about some of my upbringing that we discussed – I think it shows how I came to think the way I do, in many ways.
I spent most of this evening doing dramatic readings of the Fireland twitter with Sheryl… and you know what, that was pretty awesome. A great Sunday can totally be a few friends laughing about nothing important.
Ever click “delete spam” and see something you want to read while it’s churning?
•September 5, 2009 • 1 CommentUgh. So somehow at least some of my facebook comments are making their way to my gmail spam filter. I wonder which ones I’ve missed.
*yawns and stretches* It’s about time for me to get my act together and shamble on to the programming meeting.
You folks who are interested in socializing with the con folk should go to the castle, 6-10pm.
It has been requested that I bring my StrongBad head.
That is all!