Monday, May 23, 2005
The a capella group Stanford Fleet Street had their spring show tonight. It was awesome and hilarious. The show had three elements:
1. An overarching storyline about the Lake Lagunita Monster. For weeks before the show, they spread fliers suggesting that a giant mutated tiger salamander was living beneath Lake Lag.
2. Singing, from regular songs like "Blackbird" to humorous Fleet Street originals such as "Masochism Tango," "Toonz!" (a medley of cartoon theme songs), and "Everyone Pees in the Shower."
3. Humorous skits and video clips between songs, which were full of puns and bad taste.
A man leading a horse come onstage...
"Well, horse, I've led you to water. Now... drink!" Horse shakes his head. Man pulls out a gun. "Do it, or you'll end up like your friend Charlie over there!" Another horse mimes being hanged. "Now he's hung like a horse!" The horse refuses, so the man shoots it. Then he kicks it, pile-drives it, then says, "No use beating a dead horse."
Star Wars, Episodes 1 through 6, in 180 seconds...
"Anakin, come to the dark side."
"No."
"Anakin, come to the dark side."
"Okay."
...
C-3PO, rubbing R2-D2's head: "I'm ambiguously homosexual!"
...
"Hi, Luke. I'm Princess Leia." [two guys dance around chanting "sexual tension"; a guy runs by with a sign reading "Dude, she's your SISTER"]
...
"Thanks for rescuing me from Jabba." [two guys dance around chanting "sexual tension"; a guy runs by with a sign reading "seriously, this is GROSS"]
Prequels that never made it...
The prequel to Twister: "Hmm . . . it's getting windy . . . yep."
The prequel to White Men Can't Jump: Can White Men Jump?
The prequels to I Know What You Did Last Summer: I Don't Know What You're Going To Do This Summer; I Know What You're Doing Right Now, As It Is Summer
It was a great show, with special effects, choreography, comedic timing, humorous critique of Stanford life, and quality vocals.
1. An overarching storyline about the Lake Lagunita Monster. For weeks before the show, they spread fliers suggesting that a giant mutated tiger salamander was living beneath Lake Lag.
2. Singing, from regular songs like "Blackbird" to humorous Fleet Street originals such as "Masochism Tango," "Toonz!" (a medley of cartoon theme songs), and "Everyone Pees in the Shower."
3. Humorous skits and video clips between songs, which were full of puns and bad taste.
A man leading a horse come onstage...
"Well, horse, I've led you to water. Now... drink!" Horse shakes his head. Man pulls out a gun. "Do it, or you'll end up like your friend Charlie over there!" Another horse mimes being hanged. "Now he's hung like a horse!" The horse refuses, so the man shoots it. Then he kicks it, pile-drives it, then says, "No use beating a dead horse."
Star Wars, Episodes 1 through 6, in 180 seconds...
"Anakin, come to the dark side."
"No."
"Anakin, come to the dark side."
"Okay."
...
C-3PO, rubbing R2-D2's head: "I'm ambiguously homosexual!"
...
"Hi, Luke. I'm Princess Leia." [two guys dance around chanting "sexual tension"; a guy runs by with a sign reading "Dude, she's your SISTER"]
...
"Thanks for rescuing me from Jabba." [two guys dance around chanting "sexual tension"; a guy runs by with a sign reading "seriously, this is GROSS"]
Prequels that never made it...
The prequel to Twister: "Hmm . . . it's getting windy . . . yep."
The prequel to White Men Can't Jump: Can White Men Jump?
The prequels to I Know What You Did Last Summer: I Don't Know What You're Going To Do This Summer; I Know What You're Doing Right Now, As It Is Summer
It was a great show, with special effects, choreography, comedic timing, humorous critique of Stanford life, and quality vocals.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
From the "holy shit" department: BBC News - Lion Mutilates 42 Midgets in Cambodian Ring-Fight.
Edit: Ha, so it was too good to be true. I and the rest of the Blogosphere got fooled by this one. But I always say, "If it's too good to be true, it's pretty hilarious."
Edit: Ha, so it was too good to be true. I and the rest of the Blogosphere got fooled by this one. But I always say, "If it's too good to be true, it's pretty hilarious."
Monday, May 16, 2005
For those of you who, like me, can't get enough of Green Day right now, check out this stream of Green Day's concert in Amsterdam on their American Idiot tour: RealOne stream of Green Day.
I think it captures how awesome they were when I saw them in San Francisco on that tour.
I think it captures how awesome they were when I saw them in San Francisco on that tour.
Years back, I decided that the Internet needed an acronym that one could type after typing "brb" to indicate that one had returned to one's computer. I settled on "tyibb" -- "Told You I'd Be Back." But I never really published it through the proper channels and it didn't catch on.
Maybe it's up for a revival, though... maybe I can help Mike Dalton replace QED at the end of proofs with CGS--"come get some"--as in, "if you didn't think I could prove it, then you can come get some of this"; and he can help me popularize TYIBB.
Maybe it's up for a revival, though... maybe I can help Mike Dalton replace QED at the end of proofs with CGS--"come get some"--as in, "if you didn't think I could prove it, then you can come get some of this"; and he can help me popularize TYIBB.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
QotD:
subliminabubble: oh geez. i'm doing an online jigsaw puzzle. this is as close as you can get to not existing while still maintaining a pulse
subliminabubble: oh geez. i'm doing an online jigsaw puzzle. this is as close as you can get to not existing while still maintaining a pulse
Monday, May 09, 2005
This weekend was a fun and relaxed one. After a CS107 program due Tuesday and a midterm on Thursday, we were given a break this weekend. Of course, I'm taking the extra unit (CS107 "lab") so I have a bonus program to write in the interim.
Sigma Nu's Sunsplash party was pretty good. It had the customary crowdedness of all Stanford parties but also lots of Red Bull (who sponsored the party) and three or four different music areas, from the standard dance floor inside and the techno music out in front to the live band out in back.
My dad once said that local bands should always cover a few popular songs in their sets to maintain crowd interest; the band at the party did so. They also did a hardcore version of "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid. Rock.
In other news, Kat (Lewin, not Kershner) and Vicky are filming their own live-action ninja movie right here in Roble. They are performing such cinematic stunts as having Vicky drop down over a bannister and then playing the tape in reverse, so that Vicky appears to make a Crouching-Tiger-esque leap to the top of the stairs. If I play my cards right, I might be able to get my $2 Chinatown plastic sword into the movie.
Last week I finally got that used laptop I'd been dreaming about. I used it on Thursday night to work on Stats 116 in 3C instead of in the penthouse. Cool!
Friday night we rounded up the Usual Suspects to play poker on Shane's new felt tabletop. Not-so-regulars such as John Barth, Donny Bridges, Sean Ross, and John Hegeman (aka "Donner John") joined regular-regulars like me, Brian, Eric, and Branden. I took all of Branden's $10 in the very first hand of the night. If my memory serves me right, this is how it went down...
Friday, 10:30pm, Roble Lounge
$10 No-Limit Texas Hold'em, $.10-$.20 blinds, 8 players
I'm dealt pocket queens under the gun. I just call the big blind to lure people in.
A few others call. Branden raises to $.60 in one of the blinds.
I reraise to about $1.80. Branden calls and the rest fold.
The flop comes with a king and two small cards, two of them suited (not matching either of my queens). (Obviously, the king is bad news for me if it paired Branden.)
Branden checks.
I bet about $3.
Branden raises all-in, for $5.50 more. (A limp-raiser gets check raised on the first hand! Holy shit!)
After tanking for a while, I push all my chips in the middle. (We had equal-sized stacks since this was the very first hand.)
Branden flips over an unpaired Ace-Jack suited (but not offering a flush draw), obviously unhappy that I called. When I show my queens, he can't believe that I called his all-in bet while losing to top pair, with all the strength that his check-raise represented. The rest of the table is impressed by Branden's boldness at making the play for the pot and my boldness of facing him down. My logic was that his bet was one that he knew I could not call... and therefore one that I should call.
The turn and the river fail to deliver Branden the ace he needs, and I've more than doubled up.
I rake in the chips, and Branden reaches for another $10 from his wallet.
Coming up, I'm going with Kat (Kershner, not Lewin) and others to see Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday this Friday. Trivia of the day: Jimmy Eat World songs are played with guitars tuned to drop-D.
And on May 19 is STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Roble's going on an opening-night trip. I rarely attend midnight showings, but for my dorm and for Star Wars I'll go the extra distance.
Sigma Nu's Sunsplash party was pretty good. It had the customary crowdedness of all Stanford parties but also lots of Red Bull (who sponsored the party) and three or four different music areas, from the standard dance floor inside and the techno music out in front to the live band out in back.
My dad once said that local bands should always cover a few popular songs in their sets to maintain crowd interest; the band at the party did so. They also did a hardcore version of "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid. Rock.
In other news, Kat (Lewin, not Kershner) and Vicky are filming their own live-action ninja movie right here in Roble. They are performing such cinematic stunts as having Vicky drop down over a bannister and then playing the tape in reverse, so that Vicky appears to make a Crouching-Tiger-esque leap to the top of the stairs. If I play my cards right, I might be able to get my $2 Chinatown plastic sword into the movie.
Last week I finally got that used laptop I'd been dreaming about. I used it on Thursday night to work on Stats 116 in 3C instead of in the penthouse. Cool!
Friday night we rounded up the Usual Suspects to play poker on Shane's new felt tabletop. Not-so-regulars such as John Barth, Donny Bridges, Sean Ross, and John Hegeman (aka "Donner John") joined regular-regulars like me, Brian, Eric, and Branden. I took all of Branden's $10 in the very first hand of the night. If my memory serves me right, this is how it went down...
Friday, 10:30pm, Roble Lounge
$10 No-Limit Texas Hold'em, $.10-$.20 blinds, 8 players
I'm dealt pocket queens under the gun. I just call the big blind to lure people in.
A few others call. Branden raises to $.60 in one of the blinds.
I reraise to about $1.80. Branden calls and the rest fold.
The flop comes with a king and two small cards, two of them suited (not matching either of my queens). (Obviously, the king is bad news for me if it paired Branden.)
Branden checks.
I bet about $3.
Branden raises all-in, for $5.50 more. (A limp-raiser gets check raised on the first hand! Holy shit!)
After tanking for a while, I push all my chips in the middle. (We had equal-sized stacks since this was the very first hand.)
Branden flips over an unpaired Ace-Jack suited (but not offering a flush draw), obviously unhappy that I called. When I show my queens, he can't believe that I called his all-in bet while losing to top pair, with all the strength that his check-raise represented. The rest of the table is impressed by Branden's boldness at making the play for the pot and my boldness of facing him down. My logic was that his bet was one that he knew I could not call... and therefore one that I should call.
The turn and the river fail to deliver Branden the ace he needs, and I've more than doubled up.
I rake in the chips, and Branden reaches for another $10 from his wallet.
Coming up, I'm going with Kat (Kershner, not Lewin) and others to see Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday this Friday. Trivia of the day: Jimmy Eat World songs are played with guitars tuned to drop-D.
And on May 19 is STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Roble's going on an opening-night trip. I rarely attend midnight showings, but for my dorm and for Star Wars I'll go the extra distance.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
I just spent about three solid days working on a program for CS 107. We had to parse a bunch of news articles to build an index of what words that appear in what articles so that the user could search for articles that contain a certain word. I estimate that I spent 28 hours on this program. CS 107 has weekly assignments; the last three took me 8-10 hours each. I wasted a lot of time in this one by not understanding how c-strings (char*'s to null-terminated character arrays) work.
At least it's done. But midterm's on Thursday...
At least it's done. But midterm's on Thursday...
Monday, May 02, 2005
I was supposed to go to Yosemite for the weekend. Why didn't I go? It's a funny story. One car was going Friday, the other Saturday. Only the people who left Friday knew where our campsite was, and on Saturday morning we couldn't reach them. What could we do? If we drove the five hours to Yosemite and they didn't call our cell phones, we'd have nowhere to go when we got there. So we waited and eventually gave up.
All weekend, I bumped into people who said, "Hi--wait... weren't you going to Yosemite?" :-)
It's just as well, because I spent all of Sunday programming. The first three CS107 assignments had been a snap, but this one (RSS News Feed) is taking me much longer.
Next year's housing and next summer's job are still up in the air. I'm plagued by uncertainty, but taking comfort in the fact that I'm choosing between great alternatives and I can't really lose.
All weekend, I bumped into people who said, "Hi--wait... weren't you going to Yosemite?" :-)
It's just as well, because I spent all of Sunday programming. The first three CS107 assignments had been a snap, but this one (RSS News Feed) is taking me much longer.
Next year's housing and next summer's job are still up in the air. I'm plagued by uncertainty, but taking comfort in the fact that I'm choosing between great alternatives and I can't really lose.
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