urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason The pursuit of Happiness Furious Ming 2008-08-16T04:57:40Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:237017 2008-08-16T04:57:40Z 2008-08-16T04:57:40Z I just do. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:236712 2008-08-09T07:50:30Z 2008-08-09T08:20:13Z It's nice to know that <a href="http://www.neilgaiman.com/">the writer I would most like to meet/converse with/emulate</a> also has, despite his own allergy, an <a href="http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/08/eyeless-in-attic.html">inability to resist the charms of a loving feline</a>. <br /><br />At this time, I could use some feline affection. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:236504 2008-07-30T15:46:51Z 2008-07-30T16:28:03Z Taking my previous post as instruction, I compiled <a name="cutid1"></a>a list of 75 things I'd like to do before I die: <ol><li>Patent something</li><li>Visit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein">Neuschwanstein</a></li><li>Learn sleight of hand</li><li>Become fluent in Mandarin</li><li>Break the rules</li><li>Play in the World Series of Poker (any game)</li><li>Stand on the South Pole</li><li>Perfect counting cards in Blackjack</li><li>Be able to say <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113537/">"Oh, I've been to Prague"</a> without irony</li><li>Skydive</li><li>Twice</li><li>Go somewhere for a month without telling anyone</li><li>Go to sleep in one country and wake in another</li><li>Take an old piece of clothing and make something new</li><li><a href="http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/">Dance in many different countries</a></li><li>Surprise someone with a weekend trip</li><li>Vacation without reservations</li><li>Drive Route 66</li><li>Find something of no monetary value, but of priceless quality to leave to my child</li><li>Learn to surf</li><li>Write an original short story</li><li>Draw a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24-hour_comic">24-hour comic</a></li><li>Ride a gondola in Venice</li><li>Learn to Tango</li><li>Learn to play drums</li><li>Plant a tree</li><li>Write a book (fiction or non-fiction)</li><li><a href="http://www.harley-davidson.com/">Ride</a></li><li>Own a cat</li><li>Take care of 3 children at once</li><li>Experience the Aurora Borealis</li><li>Play on a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86hM47CqGpE">silk aerial rig</a></li><li>Visit Amsterdam</li><li>Spend an entire night talking with someone and part at sunrise</li><li>Ski in Switzerland</li><li>Run for political office</li><li>Become fluent in another language</li><li>Kiss the Blarney stone (despite the locals urinating on it)</li><li>Learn to cook</li><li>Go to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man">Burning Man</a></li><li>Become strong enough to support and balance my horizontal body on one outstretched forearm (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhHixicVS4k">See 2:34</a>)</li><li>Climb a pyramid in Giza</li><li>Stay in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hotel">Ice hotel</a></li><li>Drive the Great Ocean Road in Southern Australia</li><li>Get Married</li><li>Climb Devil's Tower</li><li>Learn to juggle clubs and pass them</li><li>Finish learning the Chen-style Tai Chi Long Form</li><li>Walk <a href="http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/233855.html">El Caminito del Rey</a></li><li>See Everest (at least Basecamp)</li><li>Write a screenplay</li><li>Make a movie</li><li>Raise at least one child</li><li>Be silent for a week (or more)</li><li>Be someone's hero</li><li>Write an original song</li><li>Visit every state in the US</li><li>Know Peace</li><li>Swim with dolphins/beluga whales</li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_climbing">Lead Climb</a></li><li>Drive on the Autobahn</li><li>Drive from coast to coast</li><li>Sing my child to sleep</li><li>Go to Mardi Gras</li><li>Visit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien_tourism">Middle-earth</a></li><li>Own season tickets to the symphony</li><li>Drink absinthe</li><li>Spelunk</li><li>Watch a Lucha Libre wrestling match</li><li>Put my hand in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Holiday#Production">La Bocca della Verit&agrave;</a></li><li>Get (re-?)married in Las Vegas</li><li>Make moonshine/cider</li><li>Teach something</li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_City">See Rock City</a></li><li>Share all of this with someone special</li></ol> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:236170 2008-07-24T22:10:04Z 2008-07-30T17:38:09Z While I should be posting about my most recent vacation (which was way cool), one of <i>Esquire</i> magazine's recent articles inspired me to create this meme.<br /><br />Instructions:<br /><ol><li>Cut-and-paste the list.</li><li>Strikeout the items you've done, italicize the items you're in the process of doing. Because they're things that every man should do, we don't care whether or not you <em>want</em> to do an item or not...</li><li>Female participation is welcome and encouraged.</li></ol><br /><i>Esquire</i>'s <a name="cutid1"></a><a href="http://www.esquire.com/features/75-things-0808">The 75 Things Every Man Should Do</a><br /><ol><li> Play rugby </li><li> <s>Repair an appliance.</s> </li><li> <s>Fly the red-eye from Vegas.</s><br />Funny you should say that... </li><li> Fly a Cessna.</li><li> <s>Make a list of seventy-five things you want to do before you die. It's hard.</s><br /><a href="http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/236504.html">Indeed, it was...</a></li><li> Fast for three days. Drink water.</li><li> Drive the Great Ocean Road in southern Australia. Or the Pacific Coast Highway.</li><li> <s>Make a perfect omelet.</s> </li><li> Drive by yourself from coast to coast.</li><li> <s>Recognize the accomplishments of others.</s> </li><li> <s>Do a flip off a diving board. Nail it.</s> </li><li> Leave yourself a letter in a library book. Look for it twenty years later.</li><li> <s>Watch a bad movie so often that when you see it by accident...</s><br />Given my penchant for absorbing just about any movie, this is pretty much second nature to me </li><li> Toboggan, aggressively.</li><li> Scuba dive.</li><li> Drink mescal in Mexico.</li><li> Cultivate a reputation.</li><li> <s>Learn three to four chords on the guitar, until you can play one song.</s> </li><li> Live in a hotel suite for a week.</li><li> Milk a cow. Drink that.</li><li> Build a fence.</li><li> <s>Carry a totem in your pocket.</s> </li><li> <s>Help someone dig out.</s> </li><li> Pick an animal. Something cool like a wolverine. Go see it in the wild.</li><li> <s>Shoplift.</s> </li><li> Throw a real party.</li><li> <s>Live outside the homeland.</s> </li><li> <s>Start something that scares you.</s><br />How about taking an 8-day holiday with 54 complete strangers as a severely introverted person? </li><li> Choose a word or a phrase and actively work to never use it again.</li><li> Eat mussels in Bruges.</li><li> Break a sheet of plate glass with a ball-peen hammer.</li><li> Cook the same thing (over and over) until you are known for it.</li><li> <s>Overspend.</s> </li><li> <s>Have a threesome.</s> </li><li> <s>Quit something you love.</s></li><li> Take care of someone else's three-year-old for a day.</li><li> <s>Get very good at a sport that isn't a sport.</s> </li><li> Listen to war stories.</li><li> Tell war stories.</li><li> Write someone else's life story without mentioning yourself.</li><li> <s>Sing in public.</s> </li><li> <i>Sell everything you don't need. Once.</i><br />I'm in the <a href="http://gettingridofmycrap.blogspot.com/">process of this right now</a>... </li><li> Play golf at Carnoustie.</li><li> <s>Play chess until you beat someone you shouldn't, then quit forever.</s></li><li> <s>Give up your seat.</s></li><li> Kill, dress, cook, and eat wild game.</li><li> Attend the funeral of someone you didn't know that well.</li><li> <s>Take a vow. Keep it.</s><br />I once took a vow of celibacy. </li><li> Eat a six-course meal that you prepared.</li><li> Live at a high altitude.</li><li> Spend some time working for tips.</li><li> <s>Overeat for a week.</s> </li><li> Make a movie, even a short one.</li><li> <s>Give a panhandler all of your money.</s> </li><li> Make beer, wine, or moonshine.</li><li> Read <i>Lolita</i>.</li><li> <s>Have sex in a body of water.</s> </li><li> <s>Ride a horse.</s> </li><li> <s>Eat congee. Eat haggis. Eat tongue. Eat kidneys. Eat brain. Eat testicles.</s><br />Just congee, although I still want to try haggis and some of the other things... </li><li> Walk twenty miles. Bring water.</li><li> Go to the desert. Take long-lasting drugs. Drink water.</li><li> Watch television for twenty-four hours uninterrupted.<br />Strangely enough, I don't think I've done this... </li><li> <s>Save something from the dump.</s><br />My brother once said,"[Candy] in the garbage isn't [candy]; it's garbage," and it pretty much applies to everything you're talking about, with the exception of cash and consumer electronics.</li><li> <s>Climb something you are afraid of.</s></li><li> <s>Get a manicure.</s></li><li> Eat a two-course meal that you grew.</li><li> <s>Get a deep-tissue massage.</s></li><li> Sleep outside for a week.</li><li> Put a hundred bucks on a long shot. To win.</li><li> Go to Paris. Tell no one where you are. Stay there for two weeks.</li><li> Raise a dog.</li><li> Peg the speedometer.</li><li> <s>Bungee jump.</s></li></ol> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:235946 2008-07-02T18:31:03Z 2008-07-02T22:54:16Z <blockquote>How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!<br />The world forgetting, by the world forgot.</blockquote><br /><img src="http://www.cise.ufl.edu/~hsiao/images/montauk.png" align="center"><br /><br />Gmail is pulling a Lacuna, Inc., rendering my inbox the virtual equivalent of a crumbling beach house in the night-time. While I'm sure that it's simply a momentary issue with their software, I fear the potential erasure of my entire courtship. <br /><br />Perhaps it will chase me to the throes of my own humiliation, the long-forgotten images of my childhood, and the treasured moments of our pairing. <blockquote>- I really should go! I've gotta catch my ride.<br />- So go.<br />- I did. I thought maybe you were a nut... but you were exciting.<br />- I wish you had stayed.<br />- I wish I had stayed, too. NOW, I wish I had stayed. I wish I had done a lot of things. I wish I had... I wish I had stayed. I do.<br />- Well I came back downstairs and you were gone!<br />- I walked out, I walked out the door!<br />- Why?<br />- I don't know. I felt like I was a scared little kid, I was like... it was above my head, I don't know.<br />- You were scared?<br />- Yeah. I thought you knew that about me. I ran back to the bonfire, trying to outrun my humiliation.<br />- Was it something I said?<br />- Yeah, you said "so go." With such disdain, you know?<br />- Oh, I'm sorry.<br />- It's okay.<br />- Joely? What if you stayed this time?<br />- I walked out the door. There's no memory left.<br />- Come back and make up a good-bye at least. Let's pretend we had one. <br /><br />...Bye Joel.<br />- I love you... </blockquote> <br /><br /><br /><small>Meet me in Montauk.</small> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:235625 2008-06-28T16:33:14Z 2008-06-28T18:16:55Z For various reasons, not the least of which is the music, I love <a href="http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/videos.shtml?fbid=YdWhK">this video</a>. A lot of people online consider the man to be silly, but traveling the world to dance with your neighbors is just inspired to me (getting paid to do so is just icing on the cake).<br /><br />ETA: <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/1211060?pg=embed&amp;sec=1211060">Hi-Def Version here</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:235290 2008-06-12T22:04:48Z 2008-06-12T22:04:48Z From <span class='ljuser' lj:user='fyrdrakken' style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://fyrdrakken.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://fyrdrakken.livejournal.com/'><b>fyrdrakken</b></a></span>, a movie/tv quotes quiz masquerading as a "General Geek Knowledge" test:<a name="cutid1"></a><br /><div><br /> <h1>Your Score: <span>Geek</span></h1><br /> <h2>You scored 60 out of 60</h2><br /> <div><img src="http://is2.okcupid.com/users/992/10/9930101612710607800/mt1150416980.jpg"></div> <br /> <p><br /> Congratulations. I bow to your DVD collection. You probably have half a dozen other movies or TV shows I forgot to include.<br /> </p><br /></div><br /><br /><table cellpadding="20"><tr><td>Link: <a href="http://www.okcupid.com/tests/3779083849388034559/General-Geek-Knowledge">The General Geek Knowledge Test</a> written by <a href="http://www.okcupid.com/profile?u=mister_ibis">mister_ibis</a> on <a href="http://www.okcupid.com">OkCupid</a>, home of the <a href="http://www.okcupid.com/online.dating.persona.test">The Dating Persona Test</a><br /><a href="http://www.okcupid.com/profile?u=mister_ibis">View My Profile(mister_ibis)</a></td></tr></table> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:235090 2008-06-11T15:43:56Z 2008-06-11T16:03:57Z <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080611/tv_nm/paulson_dc_1">ABC's "Cupid" targets Paulson</a>:<br /><blockquote>Sarah Paulson has been tapped as the female lead in ABC's one-hour pilot "Cupid," an updated version of Rob Thomas' 1990s comedy for ABC.</blockquote> New <i>Cupid</i>? I'm hesitant, but hopeful. I'm not sure the update can match the original without Jeremy Piven or Paula Marshall, but Sarah Paulson is definitely a plus.<br /><br />ETA: Sarah Paulson, good, but <a href="http://www.gilmoregirlsnews.com/2008/04/25/lauren-graham-rejects-cupid/">Dammit, dammit, sonovabitch!</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:234877 2008-05-27T04:25:47Z 2008-05-27T04:27:19Z Go wage your war, go sail your sea.<br />Fight your daily battles <br />against adulterers and monsters and unstill waters.<br /><br />In the soft spaces<br />between the giants and enchantresses,<br />when echoes of battle cries no longer trouble your ears<br />drowned in the lulling sounds of the waves,<br />think of me, amidst maidservants and suitors--<br /><br />The din of their usurping bacchanals<br />carry about in the hallways of my thought,<br />foundering our shared serenity<br />as I unravel the threads <br />of the shroud of our coupling.<br /><br />When the bow-string is stretched taut and creaking, <br />trained upon those who would bury us<br />stay your hand and come to our bed,<br />so I can feel your warmth and weight,<br />my anchor. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:234720 2008-05-09T21:10:26Z 2008-05-09T21:10:26Z <ol><li> Going to <a href="http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/233855.html">El Caminito del Rey</a> </li><li> Getting a cat (yes, I'm still allergic to them) </li><li> Shaving my head </li><li> Getting a tattoo (although not of the cover of the <i>Tao of Pooh</i>) </li><li> Buying an HDTV and a PS3 or Xbox360 </li><li> Taking three weeks off to walk around Europe/Australia/Asia/Alaska </li><li> Summiting Everest </li><li> Growing my hair out </li></ol> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:234406 2008-04-30T19:43:12Z 2008-04-30T19:43:12Z Regarding my <a href="http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/234149.html">previous post</a>: <blockquote> My brother: you remember that old movie about a woman losing her diamond bracelet in a donut making machine?<br /><span class='ljuser' lj:user='thepeopleseason' style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/'><b>thepeopleseason</b></a></span>: Yes, indeed I do. <br />Bro: just wondering. I think I'll look for it on youtube.<br />Bro: <a href="http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/ask_the_a_v_club_april_27_2007/2">http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/ask_the_a_v_club_april_27_2007/2</a><br />Bro: unfortunately, in one of the worst google search coincidences known to man, the kid in the story's name is "homer" making finding a youtube copy virtually impossible.</blockquote> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:234149 2008-04-30T18:43:34Z 2008-04-30T18:43:34Z <blockquote><span class='ljuser' lj:user='thepeopleseason' style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/'><b>thepeopleseason</b></a></span>: GET THE KITE, BEAVIS<br />thepeopleseason: <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/a2d2/">http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/a2d2/</a><br /><span class='ljuser' lj:user='batnandu' style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://batnandu.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://batnandu.livejournal.com/'><b>batnandu</b></a></span>: holy fucking shit</blockquote> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:233855 2008-04-29T02:25:32Z 2008-04-29T02:31:03Z A climbing area that looks straight out of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ico"><i>Ico</i></a>:<br /><lj-embed id="5" /> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:233480 2008-04-26T17:45:25Z 2008-04-26T17:45:25Z From the various Myers-Briggs tests that I've taken both online and in the meatspace, I've come to know myself as an INFP (although from time to time, I'll migrate to INTP when I'm especially analytic on a given subject). In <a href="http://nancyfenn.blogspot.com/2006/05/best-article-on-introverted-children.html">this article</a>, I found the following passages: <blockquote>The fourth type of introvert in the smallest minority group is the INFP, the Healer. Healers make up just 1% of men and 2% of women on the planet.</blockquote> And further down... <blockquote>Don’t try to change [your introvert] into an extrovert. This is the ultimate stressor. It can lead to long term loss of Spirit, low self esteem, depression and health conditions associated with long term stress. Some of the signs to watch for have been indicated for each type: excessive eating, drinking or exercise, compulsive self criticism and perfectionism, feeling “unreal” or “lost” in time and space, disassociating from the body, speechless paralysis and cries for help such as “get away” or “leave me alone”.</blockquote> This sentiment is echoed throughout many of the articles found under when trolling <a href="http://del.icio.us/search/?all=introvert">del.icio.us</a> for links about introverts/introversion--introverts are the way they are, do not try to change them into extroverts, leave them alone. <br /><br />Now granted, this article specifically targets parents of introverted children, and while I can respect the intent, the fact remains that as someone who is deeply introverted, <strong>I must live, work, and <em>love</em> in the extroverts' world</strong>, and excessive amounts of "leave me alone" has left me ill-prepared to operate in certain relationships which require more extroversion of me. <br /><br />[Note: which is not to say that parents, friends, and significant others should attempt to extrovert their introverts at will. The eagerness extroverts throw into their social interactions (especially when, speaking from experience, they're trying to pull an introvert out of their solitude) is at times too much.]<br /><br />Unless I'm willing to accept the notion that introverts should only have relationships with other introverts, I must reject the advice that introverts should not have some acclimatization to the needs of an exceedingly social society.<br /><br />If, reading this as an extrovert, you find yourself thinking of an introvert that could be more social, remember--moderation is the key. In my case, I tend to feel more comfortable with either a smaller gathering for an extended period of time or a shorter get-together with a larger group of people. As I've gotten to know more people well, the social stress that results from my introversion falls. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:233265 2008-04-23T04:16:35Z 2008-04-23T04:18:20Z <lj-embed id="4" /> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:233131 2008-04-22T20:59:20Z 2008-04-22T20:59:20Z Right now I need a Boombox and some Peter Gabriel. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:232844 2008-04-11T14:59:42Z 2008-04-11T14:59:42Z To <span class='ljuser' lj:user='tankfreak' style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://tankfreak.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://tankfreak.livejournal.com/'><b>tankfreak</b></a></span>! Have a great birthday! I don't think I'll be able to make it to the 80s party, but have some punch for me! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:232560 2008-04-11T14:58:24Z 2008-04-11T14:58:24Z In the category of "Most Grievous Misunderstanding of the Proprietary vs. Open Source Software Debate," the winner is: <br /><br />Matt Fraction, writer of <i>The Invincible Iron Man</i> had the following to say about the new book: <blockquote>“Zeke is a post-national business man and kind of an open source ideological terrorist,” explained Fraction, appropriately putting the contrast into software terms. “He has absolutely no loyalty to any sort of law, creed, or credo. He doesn’t want to beat Tony Stark, he wants to make him obsolete. <strong>Windows wants to be on every computer desktop in the world, but Linux and Stane want to destroy the desktop</strong> [emphasis mine]. He’s the open source to Stark’s closed source oppressiveness.</blockquote> Now while I could say, as <span class='ljuser' lj:user='batnandu' style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://batnandu.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://batnandu.livejournal.com/'><b>batnandu</b></a></span> so eloquently put it, "somebody should punch that guy," I think Fraction just has a, as the award says, most grievous misunderstanding of the open source/free software movement--he continues his description of Ezekiel Stane as follows: <blockquote>"He has no headquarters, no base, and no bank account. He’s a true ghost in the machine; completely off the grid, flexible, and mobile. That absolutely flies in the face of Tony’s received business wisdom and in the way business is done. There are banks and lawyers and you have facilities and testing. Stane is a much more different animal. He’s a much smarter, more mobile and much quicker to respond and evolved futurist.”</blockquote> So his quote is less about Linux and Open Source and more about the character of Stane. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:232335 2008-04-07T15:25:42Z 2008-04-07T15:25:42Z Why hasn't anyone ever told me that there's a band out there which consists of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JjQGt7WjK0">four dudes with cellos who like to play Metallica covers</a>? <br /><br />You are all fired. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:232021 2008-03-20T23:12:10Z 2008-03-20T23:12:10Z You, madam, are a poop head. <br /><br />Sincerely, <br /><span class='ljuser' lj:user='thepeopleseason' style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/profile'><img src='http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif' alt='[info]' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/'><b>thepeopleseason</b></a></span> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:231723 2008-03-17T21:22:05Z 2008-03-17T21:22:05Z You should probably skip reading this post. <br /><br />I don't usually discuss politics, especially when nowadays most verbalized political opinions amount to "you're [sic] candidate sux [sic]" and "if I wasn't [sic] typing away at this keyboard, Id [sic] cum [sic] over their [sic] and punch you in the face, cuz [sic] your [sic] stupid."<br /><br /><a href="http://lessig.org/blog/2008/02/20_minutes_or_so_on_why_i_am_4.html">This 20-minute presentation from Lawrence Lessig</a> (<a href="http://blog.printf.net/articles/2008/02/05/transcript-of-lawrence-lessig-obama-video">transcript here</a>), however, has illuminated some of my chief objections to the way candidates in general have run political campaigns in modern times. <a name="cutid1"></a>It also led me to the following video:<br /><br /><lj-embed id="3" /><br /><br />I don't really have any misconceptions that a single blog-post with links to a quasi-famous law professor is really going to change anybody's mind about who they're should or should not vote for, but I thought the link was effective enough in its presentation to pass it on. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:231629 2008-02-26T21:04:56Z 2008-02-26T21:05:40Z <dl><dt><strong>bug-ger the ques-tion</strong></dt><br /><dd>Pronunciation: ˈbu̇-gər thə ˈkwes-chən<br />Function: verb<br />Etymology: Middle English <em>bougre</em> heretic, from Anglo-French <em>bugre</em>, from Medieval Latin <em>Bulgarus</em>, literally, Bulgarian; from the association of Bulgaria with the Bogomils, who were accused of sodomy<br /><br />To misuse a phrase so prevalently that the incorrect/inaccurate meaning becomes linguistically valid.<br /><br />"When you say, 'That literally blew my mind,' you're trying to <strong>bugger the question</strong>."</dd><br /></dl> See also: <a href="http://thepeopleseason.livejournal.com/223376.html">ma-la-prop-en-si-ty</a>, <a href="http://www.qwantz.com/archive/000693.html">dinosaur comics on logical fallacies</a>. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:231398 2008-02-22T21:23:37Z 2008-02-22T21:23:37Z doesn't mean they're not out to get you: <blockquote> Recently, James' mother replaced the batteries in "Elmo Knows Your Name" and is now convinced that the doll is homicidal.<br /><br />You see, James' mother thinks that Elmo is saying "Kill James."</blockquote><br />From: <a href="http://consumerist.com/359728/mom-upset-over-death-threat-elmo">The Consumerist</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:231160 2008-01-23T21:29:00Z 2008-01-23T21:29:00Z <a href="http://kennethjohnson.us/HulkOutList.html">This list</a> is priceless. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:thepeopleseason:230797 2008-01-18T16:26:23Z 2008-01-18T16:26:23Z The older sibling (who could probably go as "thebrightseason" or "the original yellow bastard") sent me a recent <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/travel/escapes/18urban-atlanta.html">New York Times article regarding Midtown Atlanta</a>: <blockquote>We skip dessert, heading instead for a nightcap at our favorite spot down on Ponce, an Atlanta institution since 1965. The anticipation grows as we near. Will the circular beacon in the window flash its neon welcome?<br /><br />“Hot Now,” it screams, and the whooping commences in the back seat. We watch as our glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts rumble down the conveyor belt, knowing that a frosty night in Atlanta cannot end any more warmly than this.</blockquote> Mmmmmm.... doughnuts.