Wednesday, July 28, 2004
QotD:
JeremyHoffman03: different can be good; Roget based his whole book on that
JeremyHoffman03: different can be good; Roget based his whole book on that
Of mild interest, Bob Dole's acceptance speech at the 1996 Republican convention: Online NewsHour: Convention Speeches.
How quickly they forget, huh?
Quote:
And make no mistake about it: my economic program is the right policy for America and for the future and for the next century. And here's what it'll mean to you. Here's what it will mean to you.
It means you will have a president who will urge Congress to pass and send to the states for ratification a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
It means you will have a president and a Congress who will have the will to balance the budget by the year 2002.
How quickly they forget, huh?
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
"We had to take out saddam hussein, the communist head of Germany, who knocked down the World Trade Center. And that's why we went to Vietnam. Vote Reagan!"
-Lewis Black, on The Daily Show
-Lewis Black, on The Daily Show
A very damning article against Michael Moore: Fifty-nine Deceits in Fahrenheit 911, Dave Kopel, Independence Institute. I haven't had time to do more than glance through it, but what I've read is very much what I suspected. Some of Moore's deceptions are inexcusable. (For example, the bin Ladens who left the country on Sept 13, 2001 had been questioned by the FBI and almost everyone, including the 9/11 commission and outspoken Bush critic Richard Clarke, agrees that no mistake was made in letting them fly.)
This confirms my previous opinion: I don't like Michael Moore or his demagoguery. He's no better than Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter or any other idiot loudmouth on the Right. It just so happens that I think that the Bush Presidency has done so many terrible things that I feel allied with some parts of Moore's message.
The Bush Administration is full of deceit. How is it that as recently as this April, 57% of Americans believe that Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda? (as reported here.)
Do you realize the significance of that statement? Over half of America is wrong! And the Bush administration is responsible. Their campaign of deliberate misinformation leading up the war in Iraq has forged a link in trusting Americans' minds between the actual threat (al Qaeda) and a distrusted country (Iraq).
Did you know that Republicans have been advised for the upcoming campaign never to refer to the "war in Iraq" but always to refer to the "War on Terror"? The war in Iraq was only part of the war on terror because the Bush Administration says it was!
With such deceitfulness leading to the mass ignorance of the American population, I think I can be a little tolerant of some counter-deceit. It's not right for Moore to increase the ignorance of Americans even more, but when there's so much more ignorance being produced by the current president, the end might justify the means.
This confirms my previous opinion: I don't like Michael Moore or his demagoguery. He's no better than Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter or any other idiot loudmouth on the Right. It just so happens that I think that the Bush Presidency has done so many terrible things that I feel allied with some parts of Moore's message.
The Bush Administration is full of deceit. How is it that as recently as this April, 57% of Americans believe that Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda? (as reported here.)
Do you realize the significance of that statement? Over half of America is wrong! And the Bush administration is responsible. Their campaign of deliberate misinformation leading up the war in Iraq has forged a link in trusting Americans' minds between the actual threat (al Qaeda) and a distrusted country (Iraq).
Did you know that Republicans have been advised for the upcoming campaign never to refer to the "war in Iraq" but always to refer to the "War on Terror"? The war in Iraq was only part of the war on terror because the Bush Administration says it was!
With such deceitfulness leading to the mass ignorance of the American population, I think I can be a little tolerant of some counter-deceit. It's not right for Moore to increase the ignorance of Americans even more, but when there's so much more ignorance being produced by the current president, the end might justify the means.
Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention last night:
"Their opponents will tell you to be afraid of John Kerry and John Edwards, because they won’t stand up to the terrorists—don’t you believe it. Strength and wisdom are not conflicting values—they go hand in hand. John Kerry has both. His first priority will be keeping America safe."
A great line.
"Their opponents will tell you to be afraid of John Kerry and John Edwards, because they won’t stand up to the terrorists—don’t you believe it. Strength and wisdom are not conflicting values—they go hand in hand. John Kerry has both. His first priority will be keeping America safe."
A great line.
Now here's a website for the ages:
JohnKerryIsADoucheBagButImVotingForHimAnyway.com
Quote:
"John Kerry is a douchebag, but I'm voting for him anyway. Well, not really. That is to say, he's not actually a douchebag, or not nearly as much of one as what the media, George W., and even perhaps John Kerry himself have made him out to be. It seemed that every time I saw, heard, or read something about Kerry, his doucheness factor increased. It wasn't until I did just a little research on my own that it became clear that most of these occurrences could be explained as lies, deception, media excess, or simply poor campaigning strategy. It is beyond vital that we all overlook these minor blemishes and unpleasantries, and unite in electing John Kerry to be the next president of the United States of America."
The essays look like they're worth a read. Real straight-shooter stuff.
JohnKerryIsADoucheBagButImVotingForHimAnyway.com
Quote:
"John Kerry is a douchebag, but I'm voting for him anyway. Well, not really. That is to say, he's not actually a douchebag, or not nearly as much of one as what the media, George W., and even perhaps John Kerry himself have made him out to be. It seemed that every time I saw, heard, or read something about Kerry, his doucheness factor increased. It wasn't until I did just a little research on my own that it became clear that most of these occurrences could be explained as lies, deception, media excess, or simply poor campaigning strategy. It is beyond vital that we all overlook these minor blemishes and unpleasantries, and unite in electing John Kerry to be the next president of the United States of America."
The essays look like they're worth a read. Real straight-shooter stuff.
Monday, July 26, 2004
The title of Star Wars Episode III was officially announced today: New Star Wars movie: 'Revenge of the Sith'.
Of interest is the release date: May 19, 2005!
I should have realized how long it has been since the last one. "The Phantom Menace" came in 1999, and "Attack of the Clones" came in 2002. So I guess 2005 is right on schedule.
In this episode, we'll see all the remaining Jedi get killed, except for Obi-wan Kenobi and Yoda. My prediction was that the movie will be like the cliched horror story or game show:
"And then there were six Jedi left. Suddenly..."
*woarown*kshhhhzzzt*rownoarorrrr*
"...and then there were five."
*kshhhhzzzt*ptooo!*woanrownroowrow*
"...and then there were four."
(Lightsaber sound onomatopoeia taken from Penny Arcade. I had no idea how to spell the sound myself.)
Of interest is the release date: May 19, 2005!
I should have realized how long it has been since the last one. "The Phantom Menace" came in 1999, and "Attack of the Clones" came in 2002. So I guess 2005 is right on schedule.
In this episode, we'll see all the remaining Jedi get killed, except for Obi-wan Kenobi and Yoda. My prediction was that the movie will be like the cliched horror story or game show:
"And then there were six Jedi left. Suddenly..."
*woarown*kshhhhzzzt*rownoarorrrr*
"...and then there were five."
*kshhhhzzzt*ptooo!*woanrownroowrow*
"...and then there were four."
(Lightsaber sound onomatopoeia taken from Penny Arcade. I had no idea how to spell the sound myself.)
Friday, July 23, 2004
I am pleased to announce that the Run-Time Error of the Year Award goes to Protégé 2.1.1!
com.hp.hpl.jena.datatypes.DatatypeFormatException: 1 is not a Number
com.hp.hpl.jena.datatypes.DatatypeFormatException: 1 is not a Number
An interesting statistical analysis of the 2004 Presidential election can be found here: http://synapse.princeton.edu/~sam/pollcalc.html.
Horaay for smart Princeton profs!
He's actually advocating that truly dedicated Democrat supporters stop contributing to the Kerry campaign, because the benifit there is marginal. Instead he recommends allocating more funds to Senate campaigns, where each dollar is more likely to make a difference.
Between the Presidency and the Senate, it looks like the era of one-party government may finally be ending.
Quote:
Counting the last six polls the current probability of a Kerry win is 98 percent. Counting only the last three polls the probability is 99.98 percent.
Horaay for smart Princeton profs!
He's actually advocating that truly dedicated Democrat supporters stop contributing to the Kerry campaign, because the benifit there is marginal. Instead he recommends allocating more funds to Senate campaigns, where each dollar is more likely to make a difference.
Between the Presidency and the Senate, it looks like the era of one-party government may finally be ending.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Sometimes the only thing that gets me through the day is reading my friends' AIM profiles and away messages...
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Now that's interesting: Duke to give 1,650 free iPods to all incoming freshmen.
I wonder how benificial the iPods will be for actual academic purposes. What's so exciting about being able to download lectures, when many lectures at Stanford are already recorded and videotaped, available at libraries or online? Are students more likely to listen to a lecture while sitting in their room or jogging than they are to watch a video of it? And can the audio alone provide enough context, compared to visuals in lecture, graphics in textbooks, and interactive websites?
The article says that the retail price of the iPod is $299, but doesn't specify how much Duke is paying. (I'd assume they can get a cheaper price, with such a large bulk order and the free publicity for iPod.) And unless Duke was given a large charitable donation by Apple, this money is coming out of other uses for cash at a university. Would students really prefer an iPod to cheaper housing and tuition costs, or more financial aid?
I'll try to remember to take a look at Duke's newspaper and see what the students are saying.
I wonder how benificial the iPods will be for actual academic purposes. What's so exciting about being able to download lectures, when many lectures at Stanford are already recorded and videotaped, available at libraries or online? Are students more likely to listen to a lecture while sitting in their room or jogging than they are to watch a video of it? And can the audio alone provide enough context, compared to visuals in lecture, graphics in textbooks, and interactive websites?
The article says that the retail price of the iPod is $299, but doesn't specify how much Duke is paying. (I'd assume they can get a cheaper price, with such a large bulk order and the free publicity for iPod.) And unless Duke was given a large charitable donation by Apple, this money is coming out of other uses for cash at a university. Would students really prefer an iPod to cheaper housing and tuition costs, or more financial aid?
I'll try to remember to take a look at Duke's newspaper and see what the students are saying.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Lord Torgamus: we will talk later
Lord Torgamus is away
JeremyHoffman03: wow, the imperative signoff
JeremyHoffman03: "wwtl" instead of "ttyl"
[later]
Lord Torgamus: the imperative signoff?
JeremyHoffman03: grammatical mood of a verb that expresses the will to influence the behavior of another, expressive of a command, entreaty, or exhortation.
Lord Torgamus: I know what it means
Lord Torgamus: I can't believe you said it
Lord Torgamus is away
JeremyHoffman03: wow, the imperative signoff
JeremyHoffman03: "wwtl" instead of "ttyl"
[later]
Lord Torgamus: the imperative signoff?
JeremyHoffman03: grammatical mood of a verb that expresses the will to influence the behavior of another, expressive of a command, entreaty, or exhortation.
Lord Torgamus: I know what it means
Lord Torgamus: I can't believe you said it
Monday, July 19, 2004
Do you ever see someone on AIM that you haven't talked to in months, but you don't really have the time to enter into a conversation with them, so you ignore them?
If I regularly talk to a person, it's easy for me to say "hey what are you up to?" or "this is funny: " or whatever.
But I can't really say "hi" to someone I haven't spoken to since high school without a sort of long introductory conversation. And I don't always feel like going through that. So more time goes by without talking to them...
I bet you're expecting me to proclaim my "Ask Abby"-type social advice, that YOU and I need to be the ones to break down these silent barriers and have the stupid conversations.
But... eh. ;-)
If I regularly talk to a person, it's easy for me to say "hey what are you up to?" or "this is funny: " or whatever.
But I can't really say "hi" to someone I haven't spoken to since high school without a sort of long introductory conversation. And I don't always feel like going through that. So more time goes by without talking to them...
I bet you're expecting me to proclaim my "Ask Abby"-type social advice, that YOU and I need to be the ones to break down these silent barriers and have the stupid conversations.
But... eh. ;-)
Jay the Aussie provides this link: CNN.com - Warning over killer kangaroos
In Jay's words: "killer roos...not cool =/"
In Jay's words: "killer roos...not cool =/"
Friday, July 16, 2004
Some more from Ironic Times:
Americans Divided on Who Should Pay For War in Iraq52% say children, 48% say grandchildren.
Only 63% of College Students Graduate
Other 47% drop out due to weak math skills.
Americans Divided on Who Should Pay For War in Iraq52% say children, 48% say grandchildren.
Only 63% of College Students Graduate
Other 47% drop out due to weak math skills.
I have an idea for a Twilight Zone-type story.
The figmets of a person's imagination--say, the characters that exist in a person's dream--set out to save themselves from utter eradication by keeping their "creator" asleep... forever.
Take the point of view either of the dreamer or of the figments. Either way, it could be quite a story. And it even has allegorical value. (I.e., are we all just figments of God's imagination?)
The figmets of a person's imagination--say, the characters that exist in a person's dream--set out to save themselves from utter eradication by keeping their "creator" asleep... forever.
Take the point of view either of the dreamer or of the figments. Either way, it could be quite a story. And it even has allegorical value. (I.e., are we all just figments of God's imagination?)
Thursday, July 15, 2004
This week's Ironic Times:
Poll: Country Evenly Divided
Latest numbers show 49.9% for Bush, 49.9% for Kerry, with one guy in Ohio still undecided.
White House: It Applied No Improper Pressure on CIA Analysts Before War
They were only deprived of sleep, stripped naked, held in approved stress positions.
Former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay Indicted
Administration issues warning of massive Al Qaeda attack.
Senate Intelligence Panel: CIA Got Everything Wrong on Iraq
Couldn't even find it on a map.
GOP Alarmed At Edwards's Inexperience
Novice senator could launch invasion of wrong country to deter nonexistent threat.
Science: Rocket Launched Carrying Advanced Scientific Satellite to Monitor Global Warming
It's successfully shot down in test of missile defense system.
Poll: Country Evenly Divided
Latest numbers show 49.9% for Bush, 49.9% for Kerry, with one guy in Ohio still undecided.
White House: It Applied No Improper Pressure on CIA Analysts Before War
They were only deprived of sleep, stripped naked, held in approved stress positions.
Former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay Indicted
Administration issues warning of massive Al Qaeda attack.
Senate Intelligence Panel: CIA Got Everything Wrong on Iraq
Couldn't even find it on a map.
GOP Alarmed At Edwards's Inexperience
Novice senator could launch invasion of wrong country to deter nonexistent threat.
Science: Rocket Launched Carrying Advanced Scientific Satellite to Monitor Global Warming
It's successfully shot down in test of missile defense system.
So if you're lonely
You know I'm here, waiting for you
I'm just a crosshair
I'm just a shot away from you
And if you leave here
You leave me broken shattered alive
I'm just a crosshair
I'm just a shot, then we can die
Ah-ah-ah...
I know I won't be leaving here
With you...
-Franz Ferdinand, "Take Me Out"
This song is distinctive in that the first verse is completely different from the rest of the song. The rhythm, chord progression, and tone change almost completely. (The music video is weird and stylish. You can see it on launch.com: Go here and click on "Take Me Out", registering for Yahoo if you don't have an account.)
Why would a person split their song in half? (Not really half, since the first part is only about 20% the length of the song.) It seems like they're wasting a perfectly good melody that could have been an entire separate track.
Off the top of my head, another song that does something similar is Offspring's "Have You Ever". In that song, after the last chorus, the song slows down and then switches to a totally different melody/verse. (From the "I'm faaaaaalling" part to the "When the truth walks away" part.) That's at the end, not the beginning, but still similar.
I consider this to be different from one song that seemlessly moves into another song; an example of that would be Green Day's "Brain Stew/Jaded". Brain Stew and Jaded are overlap in no way whatsoever, except that the resounding final chord of the slow Brain Stem bleeds into the first chord of the hyperfast Jaded. On the radio, "Brain Stew/Jaded" is usually played as one song. But since they appear as separate tracks on the CD, and since they both have independent verse/chorus structures, they are clearly different songs.
Incidentally, "Have You Ever" not only switches gears near the end, it also bleeds into the next track, "Staring At The Sun". That's a double-whammy.
You know I'm here, waiting for you
I'm just a crosshair
I'm just a shot away from you
And if you leave here
You leave me broken shattered alive
I'm just a crosshair
I'm just a shot, then we can die
Ah-ah-ah...
I know I won't be leaving here
With you...
-Franz Ferdinand, "Take Me Out"
This song is distinctive in that the first verse is completely different from the rest of the song. The rhythm, chord progression, and tone change almost completely. (The music video is weird and stylish. You can see it on launch.com: Go here and click on "Take Me Out", registering for Yahoo if you don't have an account.)
Why would a person split their song in half? (Not really half, since the first part is only about 20% the length of the song.) It seems like they're wasting a perfectly good melody that could have been an entire separate track.
Off the top of my head, another song that does something similar is Offspring's "Have You Ever". In that song, after the last chorus, the song slows down and then switches to a totally different melody/verse. (From the "I'm faaaaaalling" part to the "When the truth walks away" part.) That's at the end, not the beginning, but still similar.
I consider this to be different from one song that seemlessly moves into another song; an example of that would be Green Day's "Brain Stew/Jaded". Brain Stew and Jaded are overlap in no way whatsoever, except that the resounding final chord of the slow Brain Stem bleeds into the first chord of the hyperfast Jaded. On the radio, "Brain Stew/Jaded" is usually played as one song. But since they appear as separate tracks on the CD, and since they both have independent verse/chorus structures, they are clearly different songs.
Incidentally, "Have You Ever" not only switches gears near the end, it also bleeds into the next track, "Staring At The Sun". That's a double-whammy.
Friday, July 09, 2004
CNN.com - California education chief calls preschooler 'stupid dirty girl' - Jul 9, 2004
Hilarious. Especially the part about race at the end.
Hilarious. Especially the part about race at the end.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Headlines from Ironic Times:
"Fahrenheit 9/11 Opens In Europe as Centigrade 4/88"
"Iraq Has Legal, But Not Physical Custody of Hussein --
U.S. has physical, but not legal custody of Iraq"
"Antarctic Weather Station Monitoring Climate Change Will
Float Away Due to Global Warming -- After that, no more annoying reports."
"Bush Promises Additional $20 Million To Help World Fight Against AIDS -- Money still available from last time he promised to help world fight against AIDS."
"Fahrenheit 9/11 Opens In Europe as Centigrade 4/88"
"Iraq Has Legal, But Not Physical Custody of Hussein --
U.S. has physical, but not legal custody of Iraq"
"Antarctic Weather Station Monitoring Climate Change Will
Float Away Due to Global Warming -- After that, no more annoying reports."
"Bush Promises Additional $20 Million To Help World Fight Against AIDS -- Money still available from last time he promised to help world fight against AIDS."
Yahoo! News - Missing U.S. Marine at Embassy in Beirut
Shouldn't that be "Ex-missing Marine"? I mean, he's at the embassy. And hopefully we know where that is...
Shouldn't that be "Ex-missing Marine"? I mean, he's at the embassy. And hopefully we know where that is...
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
QotD:
"It has been said that if you put an infinite number of monkeys at an infinite amount of typewriters, one would eventually create the works of Shakespeare. Thanks to the Internet, we now know this to be untrue. "
-"DMeddish", off the Internet
"It has been said that if you put an infinite number of monkeys at an infinite amount of typewriters, one would eventually create the works of Shakespeare. Thanks to the Internet, we now know this to be untrue. "
-"DMeddish", off the Internet
Apparently yesterday's New York Post declared on the front page that John Kerry would pick Dick Gephart for his running mate.
Gotta love journalism.
Now the misprinted issues are selling on eBay:
eBay item 5506493236 (Ends Jul-07-04 15:53:38 PDT) - New York Post 7/6/04 JOHN KERRY GEPHART MISPRINT
Gotta love journalism.
Now the misprinted issues are selling on eBay:
eBay item 5506493236 (Ends Jul-07-04 15:53:38 PDT) - New York Post 7/6/04 JOHN KERRY GEPHART MISPRINT
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Try typing this code three times fast:
Parser parser = new Parser();
parser.parse(parseReader);
Parser parser = new Parser();
parser.parse(parseReader);
Friday, July 02, 2004
Q's.o.t.D.:
"I can't get into flossing, I can't. People who smoke say you don't know how hard it is to stop smoking. Yes I do. It's as hard as it is to start flossing. 'You seem jittery.' 'Yeah, I'm about to floss.'"
"I was walking by a drycleaner at 3a.m. and there was a sign that said Sorry, we're closed. You don't have to be sorry. It's 3 a.m. and you're a drycleaner. It would be ridiculous for me to expect you to be open. I'm not gonna come by at 10 and say, hey I was here at 3 a.m. and you guys were closed. Someone owes me an apology."
-Mitch Hedberg
(I find any use of the word "ridiculous" funny.)
"I can't get into flossing, I can't. People who smoke say you don't know how hard it is to stop smoking. Yes I do. It's as hard as it is to start flossing. 'You seem jittery.' 'Yeah, I'm about to floss.'"
"I was walking by a drycleaner at 3a.m. and there was a sign that said Sorry, we're closed. You don't have to be sorry. It's 3 a.m. and you're a drycleaner. It would be ridiculous for me to expect you to be open. I'm not gonna come by at 10 and say, hey I was here at 3 a.m. and you guys were closed. Someone owes me an apology."
-Mitch Hedberg
(I find any use of the word "ridiculous" funny.)
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