Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Captain Kirk
Its very true. My English professor is Captain James T. Kirk.It didn't bother me at the beginning because I just figured he was trying to come up with intelligent sounding words to show off his supposedly extensive vocabulary...
Wrong.
His normal speech pattern is almost a mimic of William Shatner's character!
He continues to tell us things as if he is ordering us around a spaceship, and he constantly reminds us of our "duties," and he always has this implication about him that he is better than all of us put together.
As he has said: "All of your works. Will. Come out. Bloody-with. Red. Ink, form all the. Grammatical Errors on your essays." while never once recognizing his grammatical errors in speech. Now, of course, this really is irrelevant because speech and written works are very different, but just because he is so avid about gramme and punctuation, one might think that he'd practice it in every aspect of the language.
So, how is it having Captain Kirk as a teacher?
Well, it's actually not that bad. He had to put up with me laughing a few times, but I always redirected my amusement towards something on the Internet or other aspect of the class. I've never told him how he speaks. I kinda like having him for a teacher. He is indeed knowledgeable and such; plus he thinks the topics I bring up in class are fun and interesting, but the fact still remains that he talks like Captain Kirk. It almost helps me get up out of bed in the morning knowing that I'll soon be on the set of an old star trek episode.
-Bill
Hay U OK?
I hate both of the people in the above situation:
"Captain Obvious" (Or, perhaps, "Captain Oblivious") Person
and "What? I The dagger in my side doesn't
hurt at all... I feel like eating pancakes." Person.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
99 red balloons
What does bring meaning into life?
So many Cliched statements, about technology and society ruining life's meaning and making us materialistic and somehow forcing us to loose sight of what is meaningful, are out there.
Are we really that different from when we supposedly had these glorious insights into a world of meaning?
Have advertisements and politics and technology and the quickness of everything really made us this different?
I would have to disagree completely. These things have not promoted nor enhanced nor done anything else to make us loose sight of meaning in our lives. I would not presume to say that this blog is what keeps me going and that it brings meaning to my life...it IS a means for me to share my views and topics with others who are willing to sit there and read it.
Meaning in life is just something we come up with. The theory of there being NO real meaning to our lives is so much more plausible. We are organisms in a dish, called our universe, that no one is watching and no one is caring about. We flutter around int our pathetically limited lives with view of an afterlife, trying to make sense out of our universe that we know almost NOTHING about. Meaning in our lives then is a nonsensical point then...right?
The truth is that WE give meaning to or lives. No one else need be there to give meaning to our lives. Regardless of weather or not there is a god or not does not hold bearing over weather or not our lives have meaning. There is nothing out there that can hold it over your head. No force can tell you that your life does not have meaning if YOU have given it to yourself.
Although that sounds rather self-centered and such, it is true. God being there or not does not determine if our lives have meaning at all! Being there any form of a creator does not give you meaning in life. What it means is that your predestinative view that God's grand plan comes into play is irrelevant. By you giving meaning to your life you eradicate any view of a God predetermining your existence.
What it does mean though, is that if you do believe in God, that you simply believe time does not affect him. He knows what you are to do based on the fact that you've been given free choice in every situation, and he has viewed everything you've done...not that he's fast forwarded in time or anything...because that would mean that you could change it if you knew...but the fact that time is irrelevant to him. He has seen the end of time (whenever) and thus forth everything that has happened or not...
Even him having this power or not does not give meaning to our lives. Being that this is meant to prove that meaning is not given by any God figure, I reaffirm that regardless of God's presence or absence your life Can have Meaning.
Going back to the beginning though, technology and society do not determine our meaning either. These are God-like figures to some. They are big voids where blame can be consumed. Small things can do far more than the largest things like society. Society is an easy scapegoat. Blame how things in general are going and relate that to whatever you want and you have a winning argument.
Defending society is much more difficult. Society is not at fault for any of our shortcomings. It does not determine that because we live in this time and in this country and in this region and in this demographic that we no longer have the ability to have meaning. We have not lost anything, as individuals, from what we have had before. Society was still around, and there were other things that people blamed for how bad things were...but there not so bad.
The butterfly effect...The theory that the smallest things can add up and create things bigger than imagined. The classic example of the butterfly flapping its wings and creating a storm months later than might not have come around had the butterfly not existed. Small changes in society can cause a much much bigger change than anticipated. It may not be a large on at the beginning, maybe just because no one has heard about it...but eventually...if it means enough...it will create change.
But of course,
The best intentions can cause the worst of situations. With this blog right now + the butterfly effect, technically anything is possible...including the next world war. With the best intentions in mind after giving meaning to whatever I've proposed, society and technology and God and anything else powerful enough to tear us down CAN...
Setting balloons free at the break of dawn can destroy the world...or a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa can cause a tsunami in America with the right situations...
Create meaning in your own life...do what you feel is right...change for the better and grow.
-Bill
So many Cliched statements, about technology and society ruining life's meaning and making us materialistic and somehow forcing us to loose sight of what is meaningful, are out there.
Are we really that different from when we supposedly had these glorious insights into a world of meaning?
Have advertisements and politics and technology and the quickness of everything really made us this different?
I would have to disagree completely. These things have not promoted nor enhanced nor done anything else to make us loose sight of meaning in our lives. I would not presume to say that this blog is what keeps me going and that it brings meaning to my life...it IS a means for me to share my views and topics with others who are willing to sit there and read it.
Meaning in life is just something we come up with. The theory of there being NO real meaning to our lives is so much more plausible. We are organisms in a dish, called our universe, that no one is watching and no one is caring about. We flutter around int our pathetically limited lives with view of an afterlife, trying to make sense out of our universe that we know almost NOTHING about. Meaning in our lives then is a nonsensical point then...right?
The truth is that WE give meaning to or lives. No one else need be there to give meaning to our lives. Regardless of weather or not there is a god or not does not hold bearing over weather or not our lives have meaning. There is nothing out there that can hold it over your head. No force can tell you that your life does not have meaning if YOU have given it to yourself.
Although that sounds rather self-centered and such, it is true. God being there or not does not determine if our lives have meaning at all! Being there any form of a creator does not give you meaning in life. What it means is that your predestinative view that God's grand plan comes into play is irrelevant. By you giving meaning to your life you eradicate any view of a God predetermining your existence.
What it does mean though, is that if you do believe in God, that you simply believe time does not affect him. He knows what you are to do based on the fact that you've been given free choice in every situation, and he has viewed everything you've done...not that he's fast forwarded in time or anything...because that would mean that you could change it if you knew...but the fact that time is irrelevant to him. He has seen the end of time (whenever) and thus forth everything that has happened or not...
Even him having this power or not does not give meaning to our lives. Being that this is meant to prove that meaning is not given by any God figure, I reaffirm that regardless of God's presence or absence your life Can have Meaning.
Going back to the beginning though, technology and society do not determine our meaning either. These are God-like figures to some. They are big voids where blame can be consumed. Small things can do far more than the largest things like society. Society is an easy scapegoat. Blame how things in general are going and relate that to whatever you want and you have a winning argument.
Defending society is much more difficult. Society is not at fault for any of our shortcomings. It does not determine that because we live in this time and in this country and in this region and in this demographic that we no longer have the ability to have meaning. We have not lost anything, as individuals, from what we have had before. Society was still around, and there were other things that people blamed for how bad things were...but there not so bad.
The butterfly effect...The theory that the smallest things can add up and create things bigger than imagined. The classic example of the butterfly flapping its wings and creating a storm months later than might not have come around had the butterfly not existed. Small changes in society can cause a much much bigger change than anticipated. It may not be a large on at the beginning, maybe just because no one has heard about it...but eventually...if it means enough...it will create change.
But of course,
The best intentions can cause the worst of situations. With this blog right now + the butterfly effect, technically anything is possible...including the next world war. With the best intentions in mind after giving meaning to whatever I've proposed, society and technology and God and anything else powerful enough to tear us down CAN...
Setting balloons free at the break of dawn can destroy the world...or a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa can cause a tsunami in America with the right situations...
Create meaning in your own life...do what you feel is right...change for the better and grow.
-Bill
A Celebration of Femininity
Out of respect for the feminist issues normally presented in entry level college courses, I have composed a song to celebrate the epitome of what it is to be female.
(Sung to the tune of 'She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain')
It'll be coming down the mountain when it comes, (Like Lava)
It'll be coming down the mountain when it comes! (Like Lava)
It'll be coming down the mountain,
It'll be coming down the mountain,
It'll be coming down the mountain when it comes!
It'll make her really bitchy when it comes, (PMS!)
It'll make her really bitchy when it comes! (PMS!)
It'll make her really bitchy,
It'll make her really bitchy,
It'll make her really bitchy when it comes!
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s when it comes, (Faster!)
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s when it comes! (Faster!)
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s when it comes!
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills when it comes, (Yay!)
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills when it comes! (Yay!)
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills,
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills,
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills when it comes!
(Sung to the tune of 'She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain')
It'll be coming down the mountain when it comes, (Like Lava)
It'll be coming down the mountain when it comes! (Like Lava)
It'll be coming down the mountain,
It'll be coming down the mountain,
It'll be coming down the mountain when it comes!
It'll make her really bitchy when it comes, (PMS!)
It'll make her really bitchy when it comes! (PMS!)
It'll make her really bitchy,
It'll make her really bitchy,
It'll make her really bitchy when it comes!
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s when it comes, (Faster!)
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s when it comes! (Faster!)
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s
We'll all need to rush to Walgreen’s when it comes!
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills when it comes, (Yay!)
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills when it comes! (Yay!)
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills,
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills,
We'll all load up on pads 'n pills when it comes!
Monday, February 5, 2007
Ease of Access Vs. User Friendly
There is a major difference
Microsoft's Window's Vista is User Friendly and has a general sense of the Ease of Access factor. Linux is much more rigid and has almost neither User Friendly features nor Ease of Access bits.
What needs to be created is a version of Linux that has this Ease of Access factor WITHOUT the User Friendly detail.
As of now, Windows Vista is expensive. I received my copy back in November and have been trying to cut down on the monstrous resource hog. Yeah, Aero is nice, it makes it look all Mac-ed up, but are the resources worth it? Running idle, on my 2Gb of ram, is costing me over 545Mb...while I watch the computer sit there!!
Zubuntu is free of charge, different, and, most importantly, almost free of resource hogginess! As an added bonus you can force almost ANY program (made for Mac or PC) run! The downside of course is that it is not the easier of the two OSs to use! You must use the equivalent of the DOS Command Prompt to do certain things...and force things to work. This works fantastically for those willing to learn the commands and update their computers by themselves, but for those who are used to the computer being this mystical machine that does what they want by clicking on the enormous "X" in the center of the screen, this Linux isn't worth it.
To fully combine the two, only a version of open source Linux is needed! We don't need all the flashy SHIT that Vista or even all the way back to Win 98 comes with! Take Zubuntu, or another compatible version of Linux, and make it do all the //nice// behind the scenes things that Windows does...
I use the term NICE because it is that very system of making things run behind the screen that I am so upset with, and only necessary things need be there.
Make Linux one program... just one... that will run behind everything that will check for updates, fix minor problems, and not leave you with a worthless wireless card! But don't make another Windows...please dear god...
Microsoft's desire for the user friendly has murdered new technology coming out. Dumb asses, people don't buy new computers to show off their flashy OS...they run OTHER programs on their computers...that is what an OS should do...create an Ease of Access to the programs you'd like to run, and operations you'd like to continue running... not having the screen fold out from a paper airplane!
Thanks
-Bill
Microsoft's Window's Vista is User Friendly and has a general sense of the Ease of Access factor. Linux is much more rigid and has almost neither User Friendly features nor Ease of Access bits.
What needs to be created is a version of Linux that has this Ease of Access factor WITHOUT the User Friendly detail.
As of now, Windows Vista is expensive. I received my copy back in November and have been trying to cut down on the monstrous resource hog. Yeah, Aero is nice, it makes it look all Mac-ed up, but are the resources worth it? Running idle, on my 2Gb of ram, is costing me over 545Mb...while I watch the computer sit there!!
Zubuntu is free of charge, different, and, most importantly, almost free of resource hogginess! As an added bonus you can force almost ANY program (made for Mac or PC) run! The downside of course is that it is not the easier of the two OSs to use! You must use the equivalent of the DOS Command Prompt to do certain things...and force things to work. This works fantastically for those willing to learn the commands and update their computers by themselves, but for those who are used to the computer being this mystical machine that does what they want by clicking on the enormous "X" in the center of the screen, this Linux isn't worth it.
To fully combine the two, only a version of open source Linux is needed! We don't need all the flashy SHIT that Vista or even all the way back to Win 98 comes with! Take Zubuntu, or another compatible version of Linux, and make it do all the //nice// behind the scenes things that Windows does...
I use the term NICE because it is that very system of making things run behind the screen that I am so upset with, and only necessary things need be there.
Make Linux one program... just one... that will run behind everything that will check for updates, fix minor problems, and not leave you with a worthless wireless card! But don't make another Windows...please dear god...
Microsoft's desire for the user friendly has murdered new technology coming out. Dumb asses, people don't buy new computers to show off their flashy OS...they run OTHER programs on their computers...that is what an OS should do...create an Ease of Access to the programs you'd like to run, and operations you'd like to continue running... not having the screen fold out from a paper airplane!
Thanks
-Bill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
