Random Post

I felt like I should post, but I have nothing to say. Damn. I think I'm getting sick; my throat's been sore for days.

I guess I could make fun of the French for rioting. Stupid cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

Man, not even mocking the French makes me feel better. I'm going to bed. :(

Comic Final

So in my Superheroes in Comic Books class (man, every time I say that I think how cool it is) there is no final, only a project due. Well, after much deliberating and whinig about how I don't know how to do anything creative, I decided on a project:

Candace and I have many, many of the Marvel Legends action figures and even more Transformers figures. So I thought, hey, why don't I use those to make a comic book-esque project. By arranging and taking pictures of them and using Photoshop or something to edit and add speech ballons, I could make something really neat!

Now I just need two things: One, a good story, and two, knowledge on how to make dioramas and use Photoshop to do what I want.

Can anyone help?

Spring Break

Ahhh...Spring Break is now upon me.

For blogging purposes, this means one of two things will occur.

Either I will post lots, since I have so much time on my hands. Or not at all, since I'll be so busy playing video games and genearlly screwing around.

I promise to strive for the former, but you all should expect the latter. To satisfy you, every time you want to read my blog, watch the new X3 trailer instead. May 26 better come soon.

My Week in Healdsburg

Some people have complained about my lack of posting. Well, it's only been 10 days or so, I don't think that that is so bad.

Anyway, I've spent most of this week in Sonoma County, specifically the city of Healdsburg, looking at landslides and other recent geomorphic things. We were working for the Preservation Ranch that is planning to build vineyards in the Gualala Watershed (go ahead and keep saying "Gualala" to yourself over and over; it doesn't get less funny). So my partner and I were tasked with helping professional geologist Martin Trso in determining what is called a Sediment Budget. Basically it is just figuring out how much sediment is being transported from the ridgetops, where the vineyards are to be built, to the valley floor below. So I spent four days hiking up and down through stream channels and gullies trying to figure out how much stuff had been deposited. Not real easy, let me tell you. Especially when the hillsides are slippery and are 50% gradients. Regardless, it was much fun, though very tiring.

And I'm back now, but the twists keep coming. A strange job opportunity came knocking this week for me, but I'll have more on that later.

Newspapers & Cartoons

I've quite a lot to say about those pesky Danish Cartoons, but I'll get back to them when I discuss the Patriot's article on them. For now, here's a nice list of the newspapers that have printed them. In the entire country a whopping 23 newspapers have, with 8 of those being college papers. (Note, this is a page of every paper globally to have printed them; scroll down to see the US papers) How can anyone judge if the cartoons are inappropriate or not without actually seeing the damn things?

I'm happy to note that my hometown paper, the Riverside Press-Enterprise, printed them. Happy, but not surprised.

March Patriot

Today came the newest issue of the California Patriot! There are some really good articles in this month's issue - I'm particularly fond of this one - but what will get the most attention is the Patriot's decision to reprint two of the infamous Danish cartoons. The editors make their case for it, but expect lots and lots of protesting. I'll try to keep people posted.

Tricorders in the (near)Future

Who would've thought that NASA would be researching Tri-Corders? Not me, but then, I guess that's why I don't work at NASA.

The laser-powered device -- which is about the size of a cellphone -- can identify almost any known substance, according to Robert Downs, a scientist at the University of Arizona who worked on the project.

I eagerly await hypo-sprays.

Cartoon Terrorists

Terrorism is a seriuos subject, and needs to be seen as such. But sometimes, you see an image, or you read about something and laugh. You don't mean to, you know it's serious, but you laugh anyway.

For example, I was reading National Review and saw this passage:

[The] Egyptian-born preacher is charged with inciting murder and “stirring up racial hatred.” (He is also wanted in the U.S. on a 2004 indictment for, among other things, providing material support to al-Qaeda.) In sermons at his London mosque, many recorded, Abu Hamza urged followers to kill Jews, non-Muslims, and apostates from Islam.

Serious stuff. But then I saw a picture:

How do you NOT laugh at that??? I mean, the guy has a freaking Hook for a hand! How is this guy (Abu Hamza) - with his one-eyedness, tongue sticking out, hook-handed - not the poster boy in the American Media of what terrorists look like? How have their been no cartoons about this guy? I mean, HE HAS A FREAKING HOOK HAND!

I wonder if it screws of and he can put other things on it. Now that would make him the coolest terroist around.

Do they let him into court with that thing? Damn, I just can't stop laughing.

Lakers

I was very excited to see the Lakers beat the Pistons last night through some very nice team play. This is when the Lakers are at their best; not only when there's good team play, but when Lamar Odom plays well. I think getting a more reliable big man would do wonders for their team.

Menawhile, Robert Horry bit someone? Strangeness abounds.

Tongiht: San Antonio. I'll cross my fingers.

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Crap; it's 9:30 in the morning and now I want beer.

Humanities Classes are Dumb

I've been in a lot of siceince classes in my time here at Berkeley. None of them - not a single damn one - has made you sign in at lecture. But my Theater (AC) classs does. Do you know why? Because they're stupid. Ok, so that isn't a descriptive reason, but it's true. Let me expalin more.

Science classes, like, say Physics 7, are really, really stinking hard. You're going to show up to those classes. Because if you don't (like me) your grade suffers. A lot. A lot of the material in Science classes needs explination further than what a book gives, so the Professor gives that. Further, usually the Professor's don't really care about teaching. Don't get me wrong, most enjoy it well enough, but they do research. Lots of it. The teaching they have to do only so that they can do more research. So if you don't show up to lecture, oh well, they don't care.

Compared to Humanities classes. This stuff isn't hard. I don't care what anyone says, it just is not difficult. In fact, it's so easy, that without reading half the material, I got a Perfect score on my midterm. Yes, a freaking perfect score. And yet, if I miss class two more times, I'll be in danger of failing the class. This makes no sense! The only reason I can think of why this is so is because the teachers want you to be there. This is sad for two reasons: 1. They don't have enough faith that their lectures are interesting enough for you to show up on your own. 2. They actually think you'll pay attention if you show up. I've spent the last three weeks playing Sudoku in my Thater class. It's obviously impacted my grade. I think Humanities teachers like to hear themselves talk; they teach because it makes them feel good, so they want more people to be there because then they feel better.

I don't know. They're just stupid.