In my infinite boredom I managed to find away to never lose at Facebook's iLike challenge, given enough time and patience.
Ok, here we go.
Step One: Get Firefox
Link in the sidebar
Step Two: Go to iLike Challenge
If you haven't installed ilike yet, install it
Step Three: Get song clip
PAUSE the game before the clip begins to play
Right-click the iLike frame and select "This Frame > View Page Source"
Scroll all the way to the bottom of the source and look for var g_data
Inside var g_data you can see the question, as well as the clip url.
Copy clip url to new tab, and you can listen to the song.
Step Four: Get answers
Go back to iLike page
Again, right-click on the frame, but go to "This Frame > View Page Info"
At the top, click the tab that says "links"
About 5 items down you should see the question, with all 4 answers below it.
Step Five: Google
If you haven't figured out the answer yet, you can google the lyrics of the song, or go to amazon.com and check out the preview clips for the four songs/artists mentioned.
There you go, an easy (albeit time consuming) way to beat iLike's challenge. I was thinking of making a greasemonkey script to do some of the grunt work automatically, but I'm just too lazy for that. Any javascript professionals, feel free.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Shocking News
Nancy Grace is a nutcase.
If you remember [this post] where I said Nancy Grace was an illegitimate source of news, there is a tad more evidence to support this, courtesy of the Daily Show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXizCq6ODTg
This is a prime example of Nancy making unfounded claims on court cases. What's the point in choosing a bias on a case that will be decided by a judge/jury? The purpose of the American justice system is to decided between guilty and innocent, the purpose of a political talk show is to provide enough emotional fire to get viewers back the next night.
As for the lack of posting, midterms are rearing their ugly heads. Also, I've been lacking on original things to write about, so if you have any ideas, leave a comment.
Something to listen to: Mutemath - Picture
Something to do: check this out http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=?view=XXX_09NNN/
If you remember [this post] where I said Nancy Grace was an illegitimate source of news, there is a tad more evidence to support this, courtesy of the Daily Show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXizCq6ODTg
This is a prime example of Nancy making unfounded claims on court cases. What's the point in choosing a bias on a case that will be decided by a judge/jury? The purpose of the American justice system is to decided between guilty and innocent, the purpose of a political talk show is to provide enough emotional fire to get viewers back the next night.
As for the lack of posting, midterms are rearing their ugly heads. Also, I've been lacking on original things to write about, so if you have any ideas, leave a comment.
Something to listen to: Mutemath - Picture
Something to do: check this out http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=?view=XXX_09NNN/
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Firefox for Newbies
Step 1: Download Firefox. This should be a painfully obvious step, but there are still people who haven't switched over from Firefox. There isn't a single reason to still use Internet Explorer or Safari if you're a casual internet user. Of course this is debatable, but unless you have some specific reason not to switch...there's a link in the sidebar.
Now, since Firefox is the fastest growing browser today (accounting for more than half the hits to this blog) I'll assume step one is done.
Step 2: Be smart about security. If you're like me, you probably take advantage of Firefox's ability to save your username and password for sites you log into often. If you're using your personal computer, you may think this isn't a problem, but this isn't the case. Anyone with access to you computer can easily see everyone of your saved passwords in PLAIN TEXT unless you set a "master password". Try it.
Go to Tools>Options>Security>Show Passwords>Show Passwords
Unless you have a Master Password, you can see all your passwords. Under the security tab, make sure you set a Master Password. You can make this fairly short and easy, but obviously something that you'll remember.
There are various other security options there to look through if you so desire.
Step 3: Use the Bookmarks Toolbar. This one is very simple. View>Toolbars>Bookmarks Toolbar. When you bookmark a page, save it there. However, there are also a few tips to make the most out of this toolbar.
If you check out Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks, you can make folders for the bookmarks toolbar. This is great if you have a lot of bookmarks in the same general group (such as "classes").
Since this toolbar also displays the icons for each website, you can save space by removing the actual name of the website. (This can also be done in "Organize Bookmarks")
Step 4: Use Quicksearches. This is one of the best features of Firefox and also the most underutilized. Try opening up a new tab (Ctrl+T) and typing "wp kangaroo". This will search Wikipedia for kangaroos straight form the address bar. If you go back to "Organize Bookmarks" and scroll down, you can check out all the quicksearches. You will see that you can search imdb, urban dictionary, and Google. However, you can also edit these to search any site you want.
If you want to search Google with "g" instead of "google" (which I recommend) do as follows:
1. "New Bookmark" (button on top).
2. Make the name anything you want (doesn't matter)
3. Make the location "http://www.google.com/search?q=%s" (no quotes)
4. Make the keyword "g" (no quotes)
That's all you need to do, and it works with most any site. If it's not immediately obvious, the keyword is what you'll type in to search, and you need to add %s to the url instead of a search string. Find any site, search for "test", copy the resulting url, and change "test" to "%s"
Step 5: Common Extensions. You're most likely aware of Firefox's ability to use extensions, and probably have a few installed. Instead of reinventing the wheel on this one, it's probably easier to visit a site with common extensions listed out. Just go here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1758849,00.asp
Step 6: Tips and Shortcuts. There's a few ways to do things much faster/easier in Firefox.
When you want to open up a new tab, hit Ctrl+T.
When you want to find something on a page, hit Ctrl+F.
When you want to automatically jump to the address bar and highlight the whole thing, hit Ctrl+L.
To open a link in a new tab, middle-click it.
To close a tab, middle-click it (or Ctrl+W).
To go back, hit Alt+Left. Forward, Alt+Right.
To cycle through tabs, Ctrl+Tab.
So now if you want to search Google, just hit Ctrl+L, then type g "my humble opinion", and in under 5 seconds you can see how unoriginal I am with my blog title. Now, there's plenty more to know about Firefox, but this post is getting very long as it is. If you're interested, search for some articles on how to use the sidebar for many uses, get an RSS reader that works for you, and how to tweak about:config to make things speed up a bit.
Something to listen to: Sound the Alarm - Until We Collide
Something to do: Go beat this: http://www.jigsaw.x0.com/sphere_e/
(If you need a hint, leave a comment and I'll help)
Now, since Firefox is the fastest growing browser today (accounting for more than half the hits to this blog) I'll assume step one is done.
Step 2: Be smart about security. If you're like me, you probably take advantage of Firefox's ability to save your username and password for sites you log into often. If you're using your personal computer, you may think this isn't a problem, but this isn't the case. Anyone with access to you computer can easily see everyone of your saved passwords in PLAIN TEXT unless you set a "master password". Try it.
Go to Tools>Options>Security>Show Passwords>Show Passwords
Unless you have a Master Password, you can see all your passwords. Under the security tab, make sure you set a Master Password. You can make this fairly short and easy, but obviously something that you'll remember.
There are various other security options there to look through if you so desire.
Step 3: Use the Bookmarks Toolbar. This one is very simple. View>Toolbars>Bookmarks Toolbar. When you bookmark a page, save it there. However, there are also a few tips to make the most out of this toolbar.
If you check out Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks, you can make folders for the bookmarks toolbar. This is great if you have a lot of bookmarks in the same general group (such as "classes").
Since this toolbar also displays the icons for each website, you can save space by removing the actual name of the website. (This can also be done in "Organize Bookmarks")
Step 4: Use Quicksearches. This is one of the best features of Firefox and also the most underutilized. Try opening up a new tab (Ctrl+T) and typing "wp kangaroo". This will search Wikipedia for kangaroos straight form the address bar. If you go back to "Organize Bookmarks" and scroll down, you can check out all the quicksearches. You will see that you can search imdb, urban dictionary, and Google. However, you can also edit these to search any site you want.
If you want to search Google with "g" instead of "google" (which I recommend) do as follows:
1. "New Bookmark" (button on top).
2. Make the name anything you want (doesn't matter)
3. Make the location "http://www.google.com/search?q=%s" (no quotes)
4. Make the keyword "g" (no quotes)
That's all you need to do, and it works with most any site. If it's not immediately obvious, the keyword is what you'll type in to search, and you need to add %s to the url instead of a search string. Find any site, search for "test", copy the resulting url, and change "test" to "%s"
Step 5: Common Extensions. You're most likely aware of Firefox's ability to use extensions, and probably have a few installed. Instead of reinventing the wheel on this one, it's probably easier to visit a site with common extensions listed out. Just go here:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1758849,00.asp
Step 6: Tips and Shortcuts. There's a few ways to do things much faster/easier in Firefox.
When you want to open up a new tab, hit Ctrl+T.
When you want to find something on a page, hit Ctrl+F.
When you want to automatically jump to the address bar and highlight the whole thing, hit Ctrl+L.
To open a link in a new tab, middle-click it.
To close a tab, middle-click it (or Ctrl+W).
To go back, hit Alt+Left. Forward, Alt+Right.
To cycle through tabs, Ctrl+Tab.
So now if you want to search Google, just hit Ctrl+L, then type g "my humble opinion", and in under 5 seconds you can see how unoriginal I am with my blog title. Now, there's plenty more to know about Firefox, but this post is getting very long as it is. If you're interested, search for some articles on how to use the sidebar for many uses, get an RSS reader that works for you, and how to tweak about:config to make things speed up a bit.
Something to listen to: Sound the Alarm - Until We Collide
Something to do: Go beat this: http://www.jigsaw.x0.com/sphere_e/
(If you need a hint, leave a comment and I'll help)
Thursday, March 8, 2007
PC Insanity
There isn't a politician in the world that doesn't respect the term "politically correct". Although it may seem like an annoyance, it governs (no pun intended) political campaigns and forces politicians to use a warped version of the English language to avoid stepping on anyone's toes.
Over time this ideology of "correctness" has reverberated to society in general. However, this has been met with sharp criticisms. Apparently people find it a chore to use non-offensive terms when referring to minorities, holidays, disabilities, etc. The examples of this are endless, and appear in the news on a daily basis. Some California suburbs have changed their annual "Easter egg hunt" to a "Spring egg hunt". The University of Illinois has removed Chief Illiniwek as their symbol. LAPD are being forced into politically correct police tactics.
It's very easy to look at these stories and write them off as political BS. If you're a Christian family living in Walnut Creek, California, it's not hard to blame "stupid liberal hippies" for killing your holidy tradition. However, more often than not "political correctness" is a nasty word for "respect".
It is 100% acceptable for a church in California to host an Easter egg hunt. Nobody can tell you otherwise if you are an established place of worship. However, the government of California has nothing to do with Easter, and is completely within reason to change the name to "Spring". Also, hiding colored eggs has as much to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ as cheerleaders have to do with the sport of football. They are two things that happen at the same time that have come to be seen as connected purely out of tradition.
I don't want to delve into the chief controversy any more than needed to get my point across, so I'll be brief. No matter the opinion of any student on campus, it is a certain fact that Native Americans saw Chief Illiniwek as racially offensive. Removing a racially offensive figure at the discretion of the NCAA has nothing to do with being PC, it is an act of respect to those people indigenous to the region.
Yes, of course there are instances in which being PC has been taken too far. Yes, the media will extract every bit of controversy possible from a speech by any politician. This is the reason George W Bush will never write one of his own speeches. I'm not saying that you should replace every instance of the word "black" with "African American" from now on when you speak, I'm simply saying that every instance of political correctness stems from respect for someone.
Something to listen to: The Cinematics - Break
Something to do: Make it through an entire say without using the word "retard" or "retarded"
Over time this ideology of "correctness" has reverberated to society in general. However, this has been met with sharp criticisms. Apparently people find it a chore to use non-offensive terms when referring to minorities, holidays, disabilities, etc. The examples of this are endless, and appear in the news on a daily basis. Some California suburbs have changed their annual "Easter egg hunt" to a "Spring egg hunt". The University of Illinois has removed Chief Illiniwek as their symbol. LAPD are being forced into politically correct police tactics.
It's very easy to look at these stories and write them off as political BS. If you're a Christian family living in Walnut Creek, California, it's not hard to blame "stupid liberal hippies" for killing your holidy tradition. However, more often than not "political correctness" is a nasty word for "respect".
It is 100% acceptable for a church in California to host an Easter egg hunt. Nobody can tell you otherwise if you are an established place of worship. However, the government of California has nothing to do with Easter, and is completely within reason to change the name to "Spring". Also, hiding colored eggs has as much to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ as cheerleaders have to do with the sport of football. They are two things that happen at the same time that have come to be seen as connected purely out of tradition.
I don't want to delve into the chief controversy any more than needed to get my point across, so I'll be brief. No matter the opinion of any student on campus, it is a certain fact that Native Americans saw Chief Illiniwek as racially offensive. Removing a racially offensive figure at the discretion of the NCAA has nothing to do with being PC, it is an act of respect to those people indigenous to the region.
Yes, of course there are instances in which being PC has been taken too far. Yes, the media will extract every bit of controversy possible from a speech by any politician. This is the reason George W Bush will never write one of his own speeches. I'm not saying that you should replace every instance of the word "black" with "African American" from now on when you speak, I'm simply saying that every instance of political correctness stems from respect for someone.
Something to listen to: The Cinematics - Break
Something to do: Make it through an entire say without using the word "retard" or "retarded"
Monday, February 26, 2007
Milking a Dead Horse
There's a popular expression that reads, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Apparently Fox News doesn't realize that the Anna Nicole Smith story broke two weeks ago. Yes, it was undoubtedly news that she died. Sure, I suppose the paternity of her child can also be considered news. That's where I'm going to draw the line on things that you could report on if you were a major news stations.
Unfortunately, this was hardly the case. Instead, CNN, Fox News, etc. decided to have a string of non-breaking coverage for over 100 hours. Viewers were given the chance to see a multitude of opinions on where her body should be buried, the legality of her will, and even who owns her mansion in the Bahamas.
All these legal issues are becoming exhausted now, so Fox needed a new way to keep the debauchery going. The bright minds there decided to go back to their own reports and report on that. Just yesterday they used their own tapes of the trial to criticize the judge on his "shenanigans". That's just obscene. Is there really that little news elsewhere?
News stations aren't the only ones feeding off a single issue until it's unbearable to hear another word. Let's switch our attention to Mr. Inconvenient Truth himself, Al Gore. With the success of his film, it was very logical to see Gore show up at the Academy Awards earlier tonight, and he even was given the honor of speaking at the event. He not only took the opportunity to plug his movie (which was inanely unnecessary) but he also explained that global warming is not a political issue, it's a moral issue that we should all be aware of in order to change the world for the better.
I have many issues with Gore's little charade.
- Al Gore has been a politician for almost 30 years, including a Vice Presidency for 8 years and a presidential candidacy. Do you mean to tell me that after that long time he decided to drop politics for a new life as an environmental advocate on the whim that's it's a "good thing to do"? First of all, name one thing trustworthy done in the White House in the past 20 years. OK, now name any issue that any politician cares about that's not considered "political".
- There is almost no distinction between a moral and a political issue. Politics is the applying and enforcing of governmental laws, which is nothing more than a group of people deciding what is right and wrong. Morality is also deciding what is right and wrong.
- Al Gore is by no means a scientist, and has absolutely no credibility on the issue.
- It is nearly impossible to form a scientific argument for or against the issue of global warming, so most people choose to take the side which "makes the most sense". However, this is skewed by misconceptions and biased information. It is very easy to find a lot of information to support both sides of the issue, but the only way to gain something positive for politicians is to make it an issue. A non-issue isn't positive for anyone.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm against doing anything for the environment - you obviously don't want to shit where you eat. I'm saying that you shouldn't form an opinion based on some movie you saw by a politician with a history of controversy.
Something to listen to: Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
Something to do: Go watch (clip from Penn & Teller's Bullshit! asking people to ban water)
Apparently Fox News doesn't realize that the Anna Nicole Smith story broke two weeks ago. Yes, it was undoubtedly news that she died. Sure, I suppose the paternity of her child can also be considered news. That's where I'm going to draw the line on things that you could report on if you were a major news stations.
Unfortunately, this was hardly the case. Instead, CNN, Fox News, etc. decided to have a string of non-breaking coverage for over 100 hours. Viewers were given the chance to see a multitude of opinions on where her body should be buried, the legality of her will, and even who owns her mansion in the Bahamas.
All these legal issues are becoming exhausted now, so Fox needed a new way to keep the debauchery going. The bright minds there decided to go back to their own reports and report on that. Just yesterday they used their own tapes of the trial to criticize the judge on his "shenanigans". That's just obscene. Is there really that little news elsewhere?
News stations aren't the only ones feeding off a single issue until it's unbearable to hear another word. Let's switch our attention to Mr. Inconvenient Truth himself, Al Gore. With the success of his film, it was very logical to see Gore show up at the Academy Awards earlier tonight, and he even was given the honor of speaking at the event. He not only took the opportunity to plug his movie (which was inanely unnecessary) but he also explained that global warming is not a political issue, it's a moral issue that we should all be aware of in order to change the world for the better.
I have many issues with Gore's little charade.
- Al Gore has been a politician for almost 30 years, including a Vice Presidency for 8 years and a presidential candidacy. Do you mean to tell me that after that long time he decided to drop politics for a new life as an environmental advocate on the whim that's it's a "good thing to do"? First of all, name one thing trustworthy done in the White House in the past 20 years. OK, now name any issue that any politician cares about that's not considered "political".
- There is almost no distinction between a moral and a political issue. Politics is the applying and enforcing of governmental laws, which is nothing more than a group of people deciding what is right and wrong. Morality is also deciding what is right and wrong.
- Al Gore is by no means a scientist, and has absolutely no credibility on the issue.
- It is nearly impossible to form a scientific argument for or against the issue of global warming, so most people choose to take the side which "makes the most sense". However, this is skewed by misconceptions and biased information. It is very easy to find a lot of information to support both sides of the issue, but the only way to gain something positive for politicians is to make it an issue. A non-issue isn't positive for anyone.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm against doing anything for the environment - you obviously don't want to shit where you eat. I'm saying that you shouldn't form an opinion based on some movie you saw by a politician with a history of controversy.
Something to listen to: Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
Something to do: Go watch (clip from Penn & Teller's Bullshit! asking people to ban water)
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
How to Act Smarter
Smart people don't get ahead in life, people who act smart get ahead in life. Here's a couple of ways to make people think you have an IQ of greater than 50.
- Talk quieter. You should only talk loud enough for the people around you to hear. If you're having a conversation with 3 people that are all less than three feet away from you, there's no reason to yell. Even if you're trying to give emphasis, just change your tone and not your volume.
- Use fewer words. Be concise. That's it.
- Move beyond cuss words for adjectives. If you want to say you dislike something, rack your brain for a better adjective than "gay". Try only to swear when you're really mad...or you just got shot in the face or something like that. Keep it out of normal conversation.
- Try to write at a 5th grade level or higher. Your-you're, its-it's,there-their,then-than.
- Read a book for fun. Yes, this one may actually make you smarter, but what you learn from the book is trivial compared to when you get to drop the name of the book in a conversation. Go with Oprah's book club if you don't know where to start.
- Put sex and everything sex-related a step down on your list of priorities. Get a hobby.
And most importantly:
- Always keep an open mind! Yes, you have your opinions/methods/theories/doctrines that you hold to be true. Yes, you obviously have a good enough reason to believe what you believe, and I'm not telling you to change your opinions, I'm simply asking that you acknowledge and respect what others think. Immediate criticism/disregard for someone's personal opinion is asinine. Open your eyes, view the world around you, and question everything.
Something to listen to: The Apples in Stereo - Can You Feel It?
Something to do: Draw a self-portrait
- Talk quieter. You should only talk loud enough for the people around you to hear. If you're having a conversation with 3 people that are all less than three feet away from you, there's no reason to yell. Even if you're trying to give emphasis, just change your tone and not your volume.
- Use fewer words. Be concise. That's it.
- Move beyond cuss words for adjectives. If you want to say you dislike something, rack your brain for a better adjective than "gay". Try only to swear when you're really mad...or you just got shot in the face or something like that. Keep it out of normal conversation.
- Try to write at a 5th grade level or higher. Your-you're, its-it's,there-their,then-than.
- Read a book for fun. Yes, this one may actually make you smarter, but what you learn from the book is trivial compared to when you get to drop the name of the book in a conversation. Go with Oprah's book club if you don't know where to start.
- Put sex and everything sex-related a step down on your list of priorities. Get a hobby.
And most importantly:
- Always keep an open mind! Yes, you have your opinions/methods/theories/doctrines that you hold to be true. Yes, you obviously have a good enough reason to believe what you believe, and I'm not telling you to change your opinions, I'm simply asking that you acknowledge and respect what others think. Immediate criticism/disregard for someone's personal opinion is asinine. Open your eyes, view the world around you, and question everything.
Something to listen to: The Apples in Stereo - Can You Feel It?
Something to do: Draw a self-portrait
Monday, January 29, 2007
So I've been thinking
- Halloween is probably the slowest day of the year for hookers
- I think the worst name for anything has to be the "grapefruit"
- If I had a million dollars, I would buy a new pair of socks every day
- If you're going to rob a bank, and need to go to Kohl's to get pantyhose, you probably get very awkward looks
- What's the appropriate age to tell your kids you're a ninja?
- The only thing that's kind of funny about pedophilia is the pillow talk
- Actually, tied with grapefruit is "wet naps"
- If you made out with an invisible woman in public...you would look really really funny
- I like kickball because it's the only sport with all the instructions in the name. This is also the reason I don't like Blow Pops
- If you go to the barbershop and everyone is wearing lab coats, you're probably not at the barbershop
- You can really judge how good a food is by thinking about how much of it is disgusting. 5-gallon jar of mayonnaise: repulsive. Swimming pool filled with jello: awesome.
Something to listen to: The Decemberists - Yankee Bayonet
Something to do: Turn off your cell phone for an entire day and try to survive.
- I think the worst name for anything has to be the "grapefruit"
- If I had a million dollars, I would buy a new pair of socks every day
- If you're going to rob a bank, and need to go to Kohl's to get pantyhose, you probably get very awkward looks
- What's the appropriate age to tell your kids you're a ninja?
- The only thing that's kind of funny about pedophilia is the pillow talk
- Actually, tied with grapefruit is "wet naps"
- If you made out with an invisible woman in public...you would look really really funny
- I like kickball because it's the only sport with all the instructions in the name. This is also the reason I don't like Blow Pops
- If you go to the barbershop and everyone is wearing lab coats, you're probably not at the barbershop
- You can really judge how good a food is by thinking about how much of it is disgusting. 5-gallon jar of mayonnaise: repulsive. Swimming pool filled with jello: awesome.
Something to listen to: The Decemberists - Yankee Bayonet
Something to do: Turn off your cell phone for an entire day and try to survive.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Unoriginal
Seriously, what's the deal with Ovaltine?
I think I'm going to try to update this blog about once a week. For one, I've been trying to devote a little more time to school, and also it's really hard to actually think up an original thought. It's easy to comment on current news, but it is just quite overdone. I mean, what has been going on the past few days?
-- The 'surge' in Iraq. 95% of the blogosphere believes Bush is an idiot, and I can't offer a single additional fact or opinion that hasn't already been beaten to hell.
-- Smear campaigns against Barack Obama already. The guy isn't even officially running for president, and already Fox News tells me not to vote for him because he's a smoker. It sounds to me like Fox could use a cigarette.
-- Football. I realize that Rex Grossman is one of the worst decision-making quarterbacks ever, but for shit's sake, he's brought the Bears to the NFC Championship, maybe farther, and he definitely deserves some recognition. Meanwhile, if the Saints win, it is going to be such a feel0good story that no one is going to mention the fact that they're a bunch of talentless hacks that had a sensational draft last year.
-- The Democrats are pushing for ethics more and more. The Senate passed a bill to not allow bribes, something that should never have been allowed. Maybe, just maybe, our country is headed in the right direction as far as leadership is concerned.
Something to listen to: Making April - Jump In
Something to do: Make a list of your top ten priorities. Seriously, write down the top ten things you focus on in your daily life. If you had any New Years resolutions, forget them, this is better. Try to honestly write down what you primarily focus on. Looking attractive? Being skinny? Doing well in school/work? Making money? Devoting time to your religion? Don't show anyone and don't bullshit yourself. Just take a long look at this list and see what you're doing with your life.
Oh yea, if you're a girl, look at how high on the list "Grey's Anatomy" is, and just think about how pathetic that is.
I think I'm going to try to update this blog about once a week. For one, I've been trying to devote a little more time to school, and also it's really hard to actually think up an original thought. It's easy to comment on current news, but it is just quite overdone. I mean, what has been going on the past few days?
-- The 'surge' in Iraq. 95% of the blogosphere believes Bush is an idiot, and I can't offer a single additional fact or opinion that hasn't already been beaten to hell.
-- Smear campaigns against Barack Obama already. The guy isn't even officially running for president, and already Fox News tells me not to vote for him because he's a smoker. It sounds to me like Fox could use a cigarette.
-- Football. I realize that Rex Grossman is one of the worst decision-making quarterbacks ever, but for shit's sake, he's brought the Bears to the NFC Championship, maybe farther, and he definitely deserves some recognition. Meanwhile, if the Saints win, it is going to be such a feel0good story that no one is going to mention the fact that they're a bunch of talentless hacks that had a sensational draft last year.
-- The Democrats are pushing for ethics more and more. The Senate passed a bill to not allow bribes, something that should never have been allowed. Maybe, just maybe, our country is headed in the right direction as far as leadership is concerned.
Something to listen to: Making April - Jump In
Something to do: Make a list of your top ten priorities. Seriously, write down the top ten things you focus on in your daily life. If you had any New Years resolutions, forget them, this is better. Try to honestly write down what you primarily focus on. Looking attractive? Being skinny? Doing well in school/work? Making money? Devoting time to your religion? Don't show anyone and don't bullshit yourself. Just take a long look at this list and see what you're doing with your life.
Oh yea, if you're a girl, look at how high on the list "Grey's Anatomy" is, and just think about how pathetic that is.
Friday, January 12, 2007
CSS Frustrations
Come on team, it's bobsled time...
So I was bored last night and decided to replace the "minima" theme with one of my own. I really like everything to be simple and functional, but it was just a bit too bland before.
Now, I don't know if you've ever done website layout before, but it is a pain in the ass. I started by switching out the title for a nice photoshopped header, which I added a one pixel stroke too. My plan was line this border up with some borders for the rest of the elements in the page. I also made a light gradient for the background just to add a little... zing?
Now that I had my graphics and my crude plan, I went to work on the CSS. For those of you who don't code, it's kind of hard to describe the idiosyncrasies associated with CSS - It's kind of like writing a book using only abbreviations and acronyms. One person my read this book (let's call him...Firefox) and it makes perfect sense, but when someone else skims through it (how about...Internet Explorer) they think that your margin is 8000 pixels wide and you want your archive hanging out below the rest of your entire site.
It seems like life would be a whole lot easier if someone wrote out some set of rules and standards as to how to read this book. Well, turns out that is actually the case. There's a group of people called the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that has drawn up standards on how to read CSS (among many other standards). However, Internet Explorer is still trying to catch up to today's technology, and is only now in IE7 actually coming up the standards.
Now, it would be nice to only need to worry about writing CSS for a standards-compliant browser, such as Firefox or Opera, but since most of the world (roughly 80% of internet users) still use IE, designing a simple layout turns into a much bigger problem than it should be.
In short, that's the reason some border lines may be one pixel off the header. Or, perhaps you're using some crazy browser and everything is completely jacked. If this is the case, leave a comment.
Something to listen to: OneLineDrawing - We Had a Deal
Something to do: Get firefox (link in sidebar)
So I was bored last night and decided to replace the "minima" theme with one of my own. I really like everything to be simple and functional, but it was just a bit too bland before.
Now, I don't know if you've ever done website layout before, but it is a pain in the ass. I started by switching out the title for a nice photoshopped header, which I added a one pixel stroke too. My plan was line this border up with some borders for the rest of the elements in the page. I also made a light gradient for the background just to add a little... zing?
Now that I had my graphics and my crude plan, I went to work on the CSS. For those of you who don't code, it's kind of hard to describe the idiosyncrasies associated with CSS - It's kind of like writing a book using only abbreviations and acronyms. One person my read this book (let's call him...Firefox) and it makes perfect sense, but when someone else skims through it (how about...Internet Explorer) they think that your margin is 8000 pixels wide and you want your archive hanging out below the rest of your entire site.
It seems like life would be a whole lot easier if someone wrote out some set of rules and standards as to how to read this book. Well, turns out that is actually the case. There's a group of people called the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that has drawn up standards on how to read CSS (among many other standards). However, Internet Explorer is still trying to catch up to today's technology, and is only now in IE7 actually coming up the standards.
Now, it would be nice to only need to worry about writing CSS for a standards-compliant browser, such as Firefox or Opera, but since most of the world (roughly 80% of internet users) still use IE, designing a simple layout turns into a much bigger problem than it should be.
In short, that's the reason some border lines may be one pixel off the header. Or, perhaps you're using some crazy browser and everything is completely jacked. If this is the case, leave a comment.
Something to listen to: OneLineDrawing - We Had a Deal
Something to do: Get firefox (link in sidebar)
Friday, January 5, 2007
The Illusion of Free Will
Submitted for the approval of the midnight society...
Ok, so there has been some talk recently about free will and if it actually exists. Well, at least enough talk to get an article in the NY Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/science/02free.html?_r=1&ei=5087%0A&em=&en=955a97875084f083&ex=1167886800&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin
Feel free to read that article if you so desire, but most of it is drawn out metaphysical garbage that is quite difficult to understand without a BA in bullshit. I'll try to make it simple.
Let's say you're trying to pick out a movie from the 5 you own. You're probably under the assumption that you actually have a choice in this situation. You know that you can pick whichever of the 5 you want. However, this may not actually be the case.
It is common scientific knowledge that things such as mood (which clearly affects actions) are controlled by the relative levels of chemicals and hormones in the body, which
can theoretically be read by a computer program (for example's sake). Now we can see that this computer program, with the aid of some knowledge of individual hormones, could tell what mood you're in. Now let's say the five movies are a comedy, a drama, a chick flick, a horror, and a documentary. It seem reasonable to assume that this program could possibly tell which movie you were going to pick based solely on hormonal levels in the brain. This in itself is actually theoretical proof of the lack of free will.
You're probable saying to yourself, "Yea, but even if I'm in a light-hearted mood and would thus pick a comedy according to my hormones, I could still pick the drama because I have free will." Albeit a good point for my example, my version of the brain and computer program are very simple. The actual human brain is a complex neural network beyond the scope of modern technology, so we would only need a more advanced software to determine the movie choice.
Yes, this is all hypothetical at this point, so let's take a concrete example (from the NY Times article):
This means that first the brain will figure out the movie you're going to choose, and then you choose it. Also, this study has been replicated many times since then, always with the same result.
This is an incredibly hard concept to wrap your head around, seeing as you've probably lived most of your life under the assumption that you yourself were making all the decisions. In fact, you've only had the illusion of free will.
What does this mean? Well, with unlimited computing power and unlimited knowledge of the human brain... we could create the Matrix :/
Something to listen to: The Hush Sound - City Traffic Puzzle
Something to do: make some chili
Ok, so there has been some talk recently about free will and if it actually exists. Well, at least enough talk to get an article in the NY Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/science/02free.html?_r=1&ei=5087%0A&em=&en=955a97875084f083&ex=1167886800&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin
Feel free to read that article if you so desire, but most of it is drawn out metaphysical garbage that is quite difficult to understand without a BA in bullshit. I'll try to make it simple.
Let's say you're trying to pick out a movie from the 5 you own. You're probably under the assumption that you actually have a choice in this situation. You know that you can pick whichever of the 5 you want. However, this may not actually be the case.
It is common scientific knowledge that things such as mood (which clearly affects actions) are controlled by the relative levels of chemicals and hormones in the body, which
can theoretically be read by a computer program (for example's sake). Now we can see that this computer program, with the aid of some knowledge of individual hormones, could tell what mood you're in. Now let's say the five movies are a comedy, a drama, a chick flick, a horror, and a documentary. It seem reasonable to assume that this program could possibly tell which movie you were going to pick based solely on hormonal levels in the brain. This in itself is actually theoretical proof of the lack of free will.
You're probable saying to yourself, "Yea, but even if I'm in a light-hearted mood and would thus pick a comedy according to my hormones, I could still pick the drama because I have free will." Albeit a good point for my example, my version of the brain and computer program are very simple. The actual human brain is a complex neural network beyond the scope of modern technology, so we would only need a more advanced software to determine the movie choice.
Yes, this is all hypothetical at this point, so let's take a concrete example (from the NY Times article):
In the 1970s, Benjamin Libet, a physiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, wired up the brains of volunteers to an electroencephalogram and told the volunteers to make random motions, like pressing a button or flicking a finger, while he noted the time on a clock.
Dr. Libet found that brain signals associated with these actions occurred half a second before the subject was conscious of deciding to make them.
The order of brain activities seemed to be perception of motion, and then decision, rather than the other way around.
This means that first the brain will figure out the movie you're going to choose, and then you choose it. Also, this study has been replicated many times since then, always with the same result.
This is an incredibly hard concept to wrap your head around, seeing as you've probably lived most of your life under the assumption that you yourself were making all the decisions. In fact, you've only had the illusion of free will.
What does this mean? Well, with unlimited computing power and unlimited knowledge of the human brain... we could create the Matrix :/
Something to listen to: The Hush Sound - City Traffic Puzzle
Something to do: make some chili
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Little Miss Sunshine
So there's this blog thing...
Today I watched "Little Miss Sunshine" and it is one of the best movies I've ever seen, but it really surprised me that it received such attention in the mainstream audience. It was your classic Sundance Film Festival indie movie - very basic plot with no gaudy visual effects and just enough character development to allow association without overanalization.
I don't want to spoil the movie for those of you who haven't seen it, but there's one line that summed up the moral of the movie (as an aside, nobody reads this blog anyways)
Do what you love...and fuck the rest.
Something to listen to: Guster - One Man Wrecking Machine
Something to do: hide $50 and don't touch it for two years
Today I watched "Little Miss Sunshine" and it is one of the best movies I've ever seen, but it really surprised me that it received such attention in the mainstream audience. It was your classic Sundance Film Festival indie movie - very basic plot with no gaudy visual effects and just enough character development to allow association without overanalization.
I don't want to spoil the movie for those of you who haven't seen it, but there's one line that summed up the moral of the movie (as an aside, nobody reads this blog anyways)
"You know what? Fuck beauty contests. Life is one fucking beauty contest after another. School, then college, then work... Fuck that. And fuck the Air Force Academy. If I want to fly, I'll find a way to fly. You do what you love, and fuck the rest."
Do what you love...and fuck the rest.
Something to listen to: Guster - One Man Wrecking Machine
Something to do: hide $50 and don't touch it for two years
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