Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Futterwacken




At 19-26 seconds, we have Hugh Laurie practicing the Futterwacken.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Nothing new under the sun?

I thought up an idea for an extreme sport a long while back. My fictional sport involved jumping onto the tops of cars on a freeway, unknown to the drivers. I called it car surfing, and thought it was a pretty cool concept.


Then I found out that it already existed. The actual real-life sport of car surfing doesn't involve moving across cars, but instead just preforming "various stunts, including hanging out of the car or 'surfing' on the hood", but it's still really close to my fictional version. Apparently, I can't come up with a sport extreme enough not to have already been tried. 


Not only that, but they also have train surfing and elevator surfing

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Cliched verbs

These are certain unoriginal verbs that I've found roll off the tongue a little too easily.


Silence is "lapsed" into.

A chill wind "bites".

A fire "rages", and the house is "gutted" afterwards.

A wound or a lovesick heart "throbs". Odd that they both do. I'm sure there's a connection there.

Streams "trickle".

The sun "swelters".

A minion "snivels".

Stars "twinkle".

Disaster "strikes".

Tension "builds" before it "breaks", or if you're really fancy, "snaps".

Sergeants "bark".


They're good ones to avoid, or better, avert with a different turn of phrase. Maybe you could say the chill wind bit with a vehemence not normally attributed to chill winds. Or like a million genetically engineered bed bugs.

Friday, June 18, 2010

An exercise in intelligence

Click this link, read the bolded sentence and ponder it for a while.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10333211.stm



Saturday, June 12, 2010

A Jolly Good Update

      You might not have noticed, but I haven't done much with the musical that I seemed so gung-ho about in the past. I posted the first song from it a few months ago, but haven't followed it up with anything. I do have about seven songs written for it, but I haven't posted them. This is because I don't have enough faith in my abilities. I'm working on improving them, and I think I'll post a reworked version of the first song sometime in the future, so that I can get a fresh start.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Pencil of Life

My last day of high school was yesterday, when I took my physics final.

Physics was interesting. My lab partners were Andy, a 25-year-old sarcastic geek with a bit of a stutter, and Parul, a hyperactive 16-year-old girl from India. She drew henna on my hand earlier this week, when she was bored during class. In order to keep it from looking like notes, I had to quickly lick it off five minutes before my final.

But I digress. My topic today is the Pencil of Life.

During the first few weeks of class, I found a pencil outside of the physics building. It had been stepped on numerous times, and maybe driven over once or twice, but I picked it up and carried it into class with me. I was able to nurse it back to health with the help of a pencil sharpener. The pencil lead hadn't been split, so it worked pretty well, and there was even a bit of eraser on it.

Over the course of the class course (I would have called it the classy course of the class course, but it wasn't.), I used my new chewed-up pencil as often as possible, making it my good luck charm. By the time the finals troundled around, it had shrunk to half its height. Parul decided to sharpen all the pencils on the table, whether they needed it or not (hyperactive, remember?) and thereby shortened it even more. My hand was a little cramped from using a three-inch pencil by the time I was done.

Finished with my quarter, I decided to ceremoniously return the magical pencil to its spot outside the physics building. I'd like to think that it will inspire a physics student next quarter, binding us together in our pencil commonality as said student completes his or her course aided by it's magical powers. However, it's much more likely that the pencil was thrown away the next day together with all the other useless litter on campus.

But that's life.

Monday, June 7, 2010

I bet Hugo Weaving has a hard time trying to get a job acting as a human. He looks so weird that he is best known for playing Elrond of the elves and Mr Smith, the sentient computer program. I think it's because his eyes are too far apart.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Ya Got Trouble

In lieu of a real post, I'm posting the lyrics to a song that I'm trying to memorize at the moment. That's right, I'm cheating at my blog. Muhahahah.


Ya Got Trouble


Well, either you're closing your eyes 
To a situation you do not wish to acknowledge
Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated
By the presence of a pool table in your community.
Ya got trouble, my friend, right here, 
I say, trouble right here in River City. 
Why sure I'm a billiard player,
Certainly mighty proud I say 
I'm always mighty proud to say it. 
I consider that the hours I spend 
With a cue in my hand are golden. 
Help you cultivate horse sense
And a cool head and a keen eye. 
Never take and try to give
An iron-clad leave to yourself 
From a three-rail billiard shot?
But just as I say, 
It takes judgement, brains, and maturity to score
In a balkline game, 
I say that any boob kin take
And shove a ball in a pocket. 
And they call that sloth. 
The first big step on the road
To the depths of deg-ra-Day--
I say, first, medicinal wine from a teaspoon,
Then beer from a bottle. 
An' the next thing ya know, 
Your son is playin' for money
In a pinch-back suit. 
And list'nin to some big out-a-town Jasper
Hearin' him tell about horse-race gamblin'. 
Not a wholesome trottin' race, no!
But a race where they set down right on the horse! 
Like to see some stuck-up jockey'boy 
Sittin' on Dan Patch? Make your blood boil? 
Well, I should say. 
Friends, lemme tell you what I mean.
Ya got one, two, three, four, five, six pockets in a table. 
Pockets that mark the diff'rence
Between a gentlemen and a bum, 
With a capital "B," 
And that rhymes with "P" and that stands for pool! 
And all week long your River City
Youth'll be frittern away, 
I say your young men'll be frittern!
Frittern away their noontime, suppertime, choretime too!
Get the ball in the pocket,
Never mind gittin' Dandelions pulled
Or the screen door patched or the beefsteak pounded.
Never mind pumpin' any water 
'Til your parents are caught with the Cistern empty
On a Saturday night and that's trouble,
Oh, yes we got lots and lots a' trouble.
I'm thinkin' of the kids in the knickerbockers, 
Shirt-tail young ones, peekin' in the pool 
Hall window after school, look, folks! 
Right here in River City. 
Trouble with a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P" and that stands for pool!
Now, I know all you folks are the right kinda parents. 
I'm gonna be perfectly frank.
Would ya like to know what kinda conversation goes
On while they're loafin' around that Hall? 
They're tryin' out Bevo, tryin' out cubebs,
Tryin' out Tailor Mades like Cigarette Feends!
And braggin' all about
How they're gonna cover up a tell-tale breath with Sen-Sen.
One fine night, they leave the pool hall,
Headin' for the dance at the Arm'ry!
Libertine men and Scarlet women! 
And Rag-time, shameless music
That'll grab your son and your daughter
With the arms of a jungle animal instink!
Mass-staria!
Friends, the idle brain is the devil's playground!

People:
Trouble, oh we got trouble, 
Right here in River City! 
With a capital "T" 
That rhymes with "P"
And that stands for Pool,
That stands for pool.
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in River City, 
Right here!
Gotta figger out a way
To keep the young ones moral after school!
Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble...

Harold:
Mothers of River City!
Heed the warning before it's too late!
Watch for the tell-tale sign of corruption!
The moment your son leaves the house,
Does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee? 
Is there a nicotine stain on his index finger?
A dime novel hidden in the corn crib?
Is he starting to memorize jokes from Capt.
Billy's Whiz Bang?
Are certain words creeping into his conversation?
Words like 'swell?"
And 'so's your old man?" 
Well, if so my friends,
Ya got trouble,
Right here in River city!
With a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P"
And that stands for Pool.
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in River City!
Remember the Maine, Plymouth Rock and the Golden Rule!
Oh, we've got trouble. 
We're in terrible, terrible trouble. 
That game with the fifteen numbered balls is a devil's tool! 
Oh yes we got trouble, trouble, trouble!
With a "T"! Gotta rhyme it with "P"! 
And that stands for Pool!!!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Is there a worse name than Crudstache? I don't think so.

INTP

(Here's a fairly accurate synopsis of my Myers-Briggs personality type, INTP. I'll add little comments to it for kicks as we read along.) 


The Thinker


As an INTP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is external, where you take things in primarily via your intuition.
INTPs live in the world of theoretical possibilities. (Theoretically) They see everything in terms of how it could be improved, or what it could be turned into. They live primarily inside their own minds (Probably true), having the ability to analyze difficult problems, identify patterns, and come up with logical explanations. They seek clarity in everything, and are therefore driven to build knowledge. (Agreed. Truth is good stuff.) They are the "absent-minded professors", (Cool.. I'll have to start calling myself that) who highly value intelligence and the ability to apply logic to theories to find solutions. They typically are so strongly driven to turn problems into logical explanations, (Wow, this is accurate...) that they live much of their lives within their own heads, and may not place as much importance or value on the external world. Their natural drive to turn theories into concrete understanding may turn into a feeling of personal responsibility to solve theoretical problems, and help society move towards a higher understanding. (I don't know about that one... society's pretty hopeless.)
INTPs value knowledge above all else. (Yeah, pretty much) Their minds are constantly working to generate new theories, or to prove or disprove existing theories. They approach problems and theories with enthusiasm and skepticism, ignoring existing rules and opinions and defining their own approach to the resolution. ("defining their own approach to the resolution..." hehehe. That's funny if you know how my debate league works. I always pick out-of-the-box approaches to the debate resolution.) They seek patterns and logical explanations for anything that interests them. They're usually extremely bright, (Well, well... ) and able to be objectively critical in their analysis. (That's good to hear. I always have to include my own prejudices in my analysis, which is annoying. But I should trust myself a bit more) They love new ideas, and become very excited over abstractions and theories. They love to discuss these concepts with others. (True. It's so fun. That's also why I don't like the opposite: small talk) They may seem "dreamy" and distant to others, because they spend a lot of time inside their minds musing over theories. They hate to work on routine things- (Like this blog. I've been a little lax on it.) they would much prefer to build complex theoretical solutions, and leave the implementation of the system to others. They are intensely interested in theory, and will put forth tremendous amounts of time and energy into finding a solution to a problem with has piqued their interest.
INTPs do not like to lead or control people. (True) They're very tolerant and flexible in most situations, unless one of their firmly held beliefs has been violated or challenged, in which case they may take a very rigid stance. (True) The INTP is likely to be very shy when it comes to meeting new people. On the other hand, the INTP is very self-confident and gregarious around people they know well, or when discussing theories which they fully understand. (More true! Yay!)
The INTP has no understanding or value for decisions made on the basis of personal subjectivity or feelings. (Not quite true... I can accept it in other people. But mostly true.)They strive constantly to achieve logical conclusions to problems, and don't understand the importance or relevance of applying subjective emotional considerations to decisions. For this reason, INTPs are usually not in-tune with how people are feeling, and are not naturally well-equiped to meet the emotional needs of others. (This would explain why people get upset when I insult them...)
The INTP may have a problem with self-aggrandizement and social rebellion, which will interfere with their creative potential. Since their Feeling side is their least developed trait, the INTP may have difficulty giving the warmth and support that is sometimes necessary in intimate relationships. (Pish) If the INTP doesn't realize the value of attending to other people's feelings, he or she may become overly critical and sarcastic with others. If the INTP is not able to find a place for themself which supports the use of their strongest abilities, they may become generally negative and cynical. If the INTP has not developed their Sensing side sufficiently, they may become unaware of their environment, and exhibit weakness in performing maintenance-type tasks, such as bill-paying and dressing appropriately. (I've never liked either of those.)
For the INTP, it is extremely important that ideas and facts are expressed correctly and succinctly. They are likely to express themselves in what they believe to be absolute truths. Sometimes, their well thought-out understanding of an idea is not easily understandable by others, (Yeah, that's always lame) but the INTP is not naturally likely to tailor the truth so as to explain it in an understandable way to others. The INTP may be prone to abandoning a project once they have figured it out, moving on to the next thing. (Maybe that's why I like to only watch movies once each) It's important that the INTP place importance on expressing their developed theories in understandable ways. In the end, an amazing discovery means nothing if you are the only person who understands it.
The INTP is usually very independent, unconventional, and original. (oh yeahh) They are not likely to place much value on traditional goals such as popularity and security. They usually have complex characters, and may tend to be restless and temperamental. They are strongly ingenious, (Can't argue with that) and have unconventional thought patterns which allows them to analyze ideas in new ways. Consequently, a lot of scientific breakthroughs in the world have been made by the INTP.
The INTP is at his best when he can work on his theories independently. When given an environment which supports his creative genius and possible eccentricity (awesome), the INTP can accomplish truly remarkable things. These are the pioneers of new thoughts in our society.

(http://www.personalitypage.com/INTP.html)