Month: January 2006

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To pose a question…

I was leaving class today and had a random thought, which I thought I’d record here and see if I got any responses. The question is: why is cussing/swearing bad? I mean, they’re words. Simply words. Why is it bad to say “shit” but not “poop?” They have the same meaning, but one is considered “worse” that the other. I know that, as a stigma, it was/is bad to “say the Lord’s name in vain,” as the Ten Commandments dictate. But “shit” isn’t exactly in the Bible on a list of “you can’t say these things.” Are they simply social constructs? …which brings up the question of when they’ll be considered alright to say, because while “damn” wasn’t allowed on TV or socially 50 years ago, or “bitch” even, they are more “socially acceptable” now. On the other hand, saying “damnit” could be put in the “Lord’s name in vain” column, according to some.

So yeah, what the hell? 😉 (that was my moment of irony for this posting…don’t blink, ’cause you may miss it)

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On getting fit(ter)…

So yeah, Nathan and I are going backpacking over Spring Break again, so I’m trying to work out a bit more than I had been before. Last year, I did alright, but certainly should have been able to hike further and faster. I’m back to being able to jog for 20 min straight at a pace of 6.5 mph, which is a little over a nine minute mile. My goal is to be jogging for 20 min at 7.5 mph, which is about an eight minute mile. I think, by mid-March, that should be entirely attainable.

On a related note, my new frame pack arrived yesterday…5600 ci Kelty Red Cloud for about $100, so it was a steal ($75 less than at REI). I’m excited to get to use it! I still need to get a water filter though, since a). mine broke last year and b). I can’t trust Nathan to bring iodine tablets to cover our asses when we get stuck in the middle of nowhere and have to boil water to stay alive.

…but that’s another story…

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Review: Underworld Evolution

Josh and I went and saw “Underworld: Evolution” yesterday, the sequel to the aptly titled “Underworld.” Basically, Kate Beckensale plays a vampire who is caught up in various levels of intrigue concerning a war between the vampires and Lycans (werewolves…) for many centuries. If anything, she proves that she can not only act in silly romantic comedies, but also in action movies wearing tight leather jumpsuits.

Overall, the movie wasn’t terrible, but I can understand where many critics find faults. Primarily, the story was relatively difficult to follow. There were lots of characters mentioned and referred to, and the movie picked up right where the previous one left off…so if you haven’t seen the original in awhile, it’d be good to see it again before watching this. They do a good job of using flashbacks, etc. to show you what happened in the earlier one, but there’s still enough left out that I was confused for much of the movie.

The effects themselves were pretty good, but could have been better. I mean, with a budget of only $48 million, they did a good job stretching the money as far as possible. Some of the man-to-werewolf conversion scenes were still kinda hokey, but no more so than in the first one. The acting was pretty good…but the action scenes could have been a bit better. I mean, when they happened, they were good…but there weren’t that many spread throughout the movie. Really, the last 20 min of the flick is where all the action was…and it was well-done…but more would have been welcome. I guess you can only have so many werewolves in your movie for $48 million… 😛

Anyway, not a terrible movie…not my favorite by any means, but if you liked the first one, you’d probably like this one…maybe even more so…

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Eeeeesh…

So, Brooke and I are watching “Monk,” which is one of the best shows ever made as far as I’m concerned…and we were looking up previous things that Tony Shaloub has been in… Do you realize that “Wings,” for which he is best known, started in 1990 and ended in 1997?? Almost 10 years ago now?!? Do you realize how old I am?!?!?

…dammit…

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College doesn’t teach you things

So, today I heard on Rover’s Morning Glory (replaced Howard Stern here in the midwest…) that this group called the American Institutes for Research published a study about college students and how they aren’t prepared for life after graduation; the full results of the study are published online. Here are a few highlights:

  • Students in 2- and 4-year colleges have the greatest difficulty with quantitative literacy: approximately 30 percent of students in 2-year institutions and nearly 20 percent of students in 4-year institutions have only Basic quantitative literacy. Basic skills are those necessary to compare ticket prices or calculate the cost of a sandwich and a salad from a menu.
  • There are no significant differences in the literacy of students graduating from public and private institutions. Additionally, in assessing literacy levels, there are no differences between part-time and full-time students. No overall relationship exists between literacy and the length of time it takes to earn a degree, or between literacy and an academic major.
  • Literacy level is significantly higher among students who say their coursework places a strong emphasis on applying theories or concepts to practical problems, in comparison to students who say their coursework rarely touch on these skills.

Yeah, I’ve kinda wondered about this for awhile…? I mean, most college students (in my opinion) don’t think they really learn anything useful, or things that pertain to their career (for example, taking a class like LAS Calculus or Writing as Critical Thinking).? Personally, most of those “worthless” classes for me were silly because I had the same thing or better in high school, so I didn’t see why I needed to take the same thing again.? On the other hand, I consider Hickman High to be amongst the top high schools in the state, which is a far cry from some high schools with fewer resources to draw from in more rural areas.

I guess I’m not sure what I think about these results. I think it’s pretty dumb that you can graduate from college without knowing how to tell how many more miles you can drive when your car gets 30 mi/gal and you have 4 gallons of gas left (this study pointed out that there are college graduates who can’t figure that out…and it’s an unbelievably high percentage…). I guess that classes should try and incorporate more “real life” examples into their classes, or perhaps even have a required freshman-year course titled “Life: How to not be an idiot.”

On the other hand, I guess the best way to learn about life is just to live. There are some things you simply can’t learn from coursework…but seriously…if you don’t know how to figure out how much further you can drive on a half tank of gas, you’re an idiot and don’t deserve that degree…

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College doesn't teach you things

So, today I heard on Rover’s Morning Glory (replaced Howard Stern here in the midwest…) that this group called the American Institutes for Research published a study about college students and how they aren’t prepared for life after graduation; the full results of the study are published online. Here are a few highlights:

  • Students in 2- and 4-year colleges have the greatest difficulty with quantitative literacy: approximately 30 percent of students in 2-year institutions and nearly 20 percent of students in 4-year institutions have only Basic quantitative literacy. Basic skills are those necessary to compare ticket prices or calculate the cost of a sandwich and a salad from a menu.
  • There are no significant differences in the literacy of students graduating from public and private institutions. Additionally, in assessing literacy levels, there are no differences between part-time and full-time students. No overall relationship exists between literacy and the length of time it takes to earn a degree, or between literacy and an academic major.
  • Literacy level is significantly higher among students who say their coursework places a strong emphasis on applying theories or concepts to practical problems, in comparison to students who say their coursework rarely touch on these skills.

Yeah, I’ve kinda wondered about this for awhile…? I mean, most college students (in my opinion) don’t think they really learn anything useful, or things that pertain to their career (for example, taking a class like LAS Calculus or Writing as Critical Thinking).? Personally, most of those “worthless” classes for me were silly because I had the same thing or better in high school, so I didn’t see why I needed to take the same thing again.? On the other hand, I consider Hickman High to be amongst the top high schools in the state, which is a far cry from some high schools with fewer resources to draw from in more rural areas.

I guess I’m not sure what I think about these results. I think it’s pretty dumb that you can graduate from college without knowing how to tell how many more miles you can drive when your car gets 30 mi/gal and you have 4 gallons of gas left (this study pointed out that there are college graduates who can’t figure that out…and it’s an unbelievably high percentage…). I guess that classes should try and incorporate more “real life” examples into their classes, or perhaps even have a required freshman-year course titled “Life: How to not be an idiot.”

On the other hand, I guess the best way to learn about life is just to live. There are some things you simply can’t learn from coursework…but seriously…if you don’t know how to figure out how much further you can drive on a half tank of gas, you’re an idiot and don’t deserve that degree…

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Joining the 21st Century…

So, Brooke and I made the switch from basic (i.e. not digital) cable last week to DISH network. We’re getting a few less channels (about 65 channels total…) than we did, but we have their DVR service for $10 less per month, without having to pay for equipment or set-up.

So far, the service is pretty damned good. I’ve only noticed one time when the reception wavered a bit (watching “SVU” last night…), but it wasn’t that detrimental to my viewing experience. The DVR itself will record up to two things at once and has a 100 hour limit to what it can store, so we’ve got every show we regularly watch during the week programmed. Actually, we have it specifically set to only record new episodes, rather than all of them.

Overall, it’s pretty cool. Nice to not have to record everything to VCR…that, and I can now pause “The Daily Show” when I take a shower and come back to it when I’m ready…w00t! 😛

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Review: The Producers

So, Kristen, Brooke and I went and saw “The Producers” on Saturday… Personally, I thought it was a damned fine flick (if you like musicals…). The movie was well-done overall, with excellent acting, great casting (Will Ferrell did surprisingly well…of course, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane had some experience in the roles), and an enticing plot line. There were quite a few laugh-out-loud funny points, which was also kinda surprising; many musicals are amusing, but this one had some classic Mel Brooks humor tossed along with it.

The key here is: you’ll love it if you like musicals. If you don’t like musicals, then you’ll probably find it funny, yet not the “end all” of movies you’ve seen this year. Personally, I like them…kinda takes me back to high school when I played in the pit orchestras for them (6 of them, if I remember right…). The only real complaint I had with the movie was some of the cinematography that didn’t translate well from stage to screen. More specifically, whenever Broderick would sing (most times…not every time), the camera would zoom in on him from chest to head. This just seemed kinda hokey to me, when if you’re watching a stage version of the production, you see his entire body. It didn’t really matter that much overall, but it got kinda cheesy after awhile.

Anyway, good movie and well worth seeing. Even if you don’t like musicals, you can probably appreciate another Mel Brooks creation (although, if you didn’t know, it’s not only a re-make of the musical, but a re-make of the original movie from 1968). Honestly, it’s quite impressive that Brooks not only wrote the screenplay and story, but also the music and lyrics to the songs. Overall, a good movie and a welcome change from your typical box office fare.

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I hate GM…

Okay, so I was driving back from class and saw what I thought was a 2006 Chevrolet Impala…but no…it’s a 2006 Monte Carlo. Here are pictures of the two (Impala in black; Monte Carlo in red):

2006 Chevy Impala

2006 Chevy Monte Carlo

Here’s my problem with GM: recycling. I don’t mind a decent product, but when the exact same thing is spread over 6 different brands (Saturn, Buick, GMC, Pontiac, etc.) it gets old. Now, when they use the exact same front half of the vehicle for two different cars, that’s just going too far. Seriously…the front half of the Monte Carlo and Impala are exactly the same. The butt end of the car is different…but for the Monte Carlo, it’s the same as it’s earlier iterations. It’s like they took the back off of the 2005 Monte Carlo and the front off a 2006 Impala and put them together to make a “2006 Monte Carlo”… The only thing truly “different” between the two cars is that one is 4 doors and the other is 2. GM…why don’t you try being innovative and come up with something new?!

The 2005 versions were based on the same platform/power train, but at least they looked different. I mean, I know the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Charger are on the same platform, but they at least look different…but with GM, their cars look the same with a different insignia (Saturn vs Chevy, Buick vs Pontiac).

Unbelievable…

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Mitch Hedberg

So, I was cleaning out some files I have lying around and found this list of Mitch Hedberg quotes that I stole from someone’s blog last year… I’ve posted them in my Articles section, but here are a few for your enjoyment:

“I bought a doughnut and they gave me a receipt for the doughnut. I don’t need a receipt for the doughnut. I give you money and you give me the doughnut, end of transaction. We don’t need to bring ink and paper into this. I can’t imagine a scenario that I would have to prove that I bought a doughnut. To some skeptical friend, Don?t even act like I didn?t buy a doughnut, I’ve got the documentation right here. It’s in my file at home. Under ‘D.'”

“An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never see an ‘Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order’ sign, just ‘Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience.'”

“I think Bigfoot is blurry, that?s the problem. There?s a large out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside.”