| One more thing... |
[Aug. 13th, 2008|01:41 pm] |
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It has occurred to me that this whole tire gauge thing could blow up in McCain's face. After all, isn't he ostensibly the candidate for smaller government? I recall that being part of the Republican shtick, although that memory is hazy in the mists of time gone by. Shouldn't he be endorsing a plan that encourages individual responsibility and action instead of expensive taxpayer-funded programs? I'd rather have federally funded tire gauge programs than another alternative fuels boondoggle. |
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| Is it just me... |
[Aug. 13th, 2008|01:27 pm] |
...or does anyone else want one of those "Obama Energy Plan" tire gauges?
If you look at it in the right light (and I obviously do), it's pretty much free advertising for a sensible policy. I hope the McCain people are giving them out for free... |
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| You know you're a nerd when... |
[Aug. 10th, 2008|10:55 pm] |
You see the commercial for Bud Light where the guy time travels into the past, gets tied to a stake, and then gets a text message...
...and you think "man, he gets service in the 1700s?" |
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| Truth in Advertising? |
[Jul. 28th, 2008|12:23 am] |
The fine folks on the television just showed me the advertisement for Domino's "Gotham City" Pizza. In case none of you have had the chance to view this masterpiece of advertising, I will provide a brief summary: there is a car chase and some explosions, and eventually our sparkly-eyed heroine delivers a pizza to the Joker's henchmen. As she turns to go, she asks them to tell the Joker that he owes her a car.
Now, I don't know if the folks at Domino's have actually seen The Dark Knight or not, but I would like to state for the record that I will pay at least twenty dollars to see a bonus scene on the DVD where she actually makes that request to the Joker. |
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| You know you're a nerd when... |
[May. 15th, 2008|07:02 pm] |
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You see the fish that's being served for dinner and your first thought is "cry haddock, and let slip the dogs of war!" |
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| Truth in Advertising? |
[Apr. 6th, 2008|09:47 pm] |
They just had one of those prostate-reducing drug commercials on TV, and the guy was a model-planet-painter for the Air and Space Museum. When it came time for the visual "shrinking" metaphor, he used two models of Uranus... which were painted blue.
Blue balls. |
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| Legal Advice |
[Mar. 26th, 2008|12:38 pm] |
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Backseat driving without a license should be a felony. |
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| Bloody colonials... |
[Mar. 23rd, 2008|01:25 pm] |
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I happened to catch an episode of MI-5 on BBC America tonight, and I got to hear something I'd never heard before- an obviously affected American accent. The actress in question was playing a Californian, but she wasn't even close. In addition to the subtle mistakes in tone that clued me in, she let slip a few particularly British phrases- "you mustn't tell Harry" and "he burnt it." She's not the only one whose accent isn't perfect, but I think the other folks might not actually be playing Americans. Spy shows can be confusing sometimes. |
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| You know you're a nerd when... |
[Mar. 22nd, 2008|10:06 pm] |
...you notice the Proustian reference in Pixar's Ratatouille.
I think this may be the first in a lengthy series of "you know you're a nerd when..." posts. |
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| Robots In Disguise |
[Jan. 20th, 2008|04:25 pm] |
I had to buy a new battery for my car yesterday, and something struck me about it as the guys were dropping it into my engine bay. I leaned in for a closer look at the name...
...MEGA-TRON II.
My car could transform into an evil robot warlord at any moment. |
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| A bright, sun-shiney day... |
[Nov. 15th, 2007|10:51 pm] |
Well, it looks like things in the energy game are about to change- there's a new solar cell in town and it has everything necessary to make a difference.
The problem with solar used to be that it was too expensive to be cost-efficient, and this new "nanosolar" technology is relatively cheap without sacrificing any power. I still don't think that solar is the cure-all for global warming or our energy woes, but this new technology will make it a much more useful part of the ultimate solution. |
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| Thinking out loud... |
[Nov. 11th, 2007|12:37 am] |
I'm always struck by how nasty people can be to each other. I'm not talking about the big scale of nasty that happens to "other people" (genocide, oppression, racism, et cetera), just the small-scale petty things that happen every day to the people we know and care about.
People can decide that they don't like someone based on their perception of a few inconsequential actions, and that decision can affect their relationship to that person forever. Sitting at the wrong table or saying the wrong thing to someone on the first day of school could set a string of social dominos in motion that could determine the course of the year. Speaking up at the wrong time or being nice to the wrong person on your first day on the job could ruin your chances of being accepted in the workplace. In most situations, you can salvage a bad first impression, but sometimes the circumstances and the people prevent you from ever shaking that stigma.
Being a high school teacher forces me to bear witness to these kinds of things more often than I'd like. Some kids get stuck with a label and have to carry it until they graduate. Perfectly innocent acts with the best of intentions are seen as irritating slights because of past deeds that hang around their teenage necks like invisible albatrosses. Rumors fly, gossip circulates, and tongues wag whenever someone breaks protocol or tries to step out of their mold, and so few have the self-assurance to ignore it all.
I see these things and I want to help. I want to break the vicious cycle of teenage insecurity and lashing out. I can't, of course- I'd have better luck trying to stop the tide- so I just try and give the students that need it a nudge in the right direction. All they need is some confidence in themselves, a few friends who really care, and faith that things will get better when they're older. So many of the things they think are so important now will fall by the wayside, but how can I tell them that without seeming like just another adult who doesn't understand? |
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| Circling the drain... |
[Nov. 5th, 2007|11:19 pm] |
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What, exactly, is the point of a low-flow toilet if you have to flush it two or three times to keep everything down? |
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| Wait, what? |
[Nov. 3rd, 2007|12:45 am] |
I've just found out that Venezuelan riot police broke up a student demonstration with tear gas and fire hoses sometime in the last few days. What were the students up in arms about? Oh, they just wanted an opportunity for the public to review some constitutional reforms before a referendum makes them into law next month. The reforms aren't really important, they're just little things like removing term limits for the presidency, bypassing legal controls on the executive branch in a state of emergency, and increasing the government's control of the banks.
You know, the little things you need to consolidate your power base before you proclaim yourself President for Life, declare a State of Emergency, and seize whatever monetary assets you need at the moment with your unlimited executive power.
I'm sure that Chavez and his staff have the best interests of the Venezuelan people in mind, though. |
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| Kids say the darndest things... |
[Feb. 6th, 2007|01:59 pm] |
Overheard during the Super Bowl.
"Hey, is it snowing?" -sophomore
"What, outside?" -senior
The future of our country, ladies and gentlemen. |
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| Thank God for iPods... |
[Feb. 4th, 2007|04:17 pm] |
I went for a run today. Since it's below freezing outside, my run took place on a treadmill at the school and town gym, the Anti-Gravity Center. It's almost brand-new, and it's a great facility; there's a skate park, two massive trampolines, a climbing wall, a full-size basketball court, a dance/cardio studio, and an impressive weight room that's full of modern equipment and top-shelf cardio gear.
( The only thing that's questionable about it is the sanity of the woman that was sitting behind the desk today. ) |
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| Speaking Truth To Power |
[May. 11th, 2006|07:11 pm] |
A lot of people I know have been very excited about the performace of Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent's Dinner a few weeks ago, touting it as a courageous act and "speaking truthiness to power". I really don't have much of an opinion on the speech; I don't watch the Colbert Report, I haven't read or seen any of the speech itself, and I really don't much care one way or the other.
( I do, however, want to make a point* about courage and speaking truth to power. )
*- and of course by "point", I mean "rant". |
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| Houston, We Have A Problem |
[Apr. 5th, 2006|09:45 am] |
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Greetings, readers- I know I've been lax in updating lately, but I intend to address the issue during my spring break and trip to Copenhagen. However, I have some very important breaking news... and it's actually much more obnoxious than random Ron Burgundy quotes all over the place. This weekend, the filter on our school internet connection decided to block LiveJournal. For some reason, I can get through today, but I don't know if that will last. If the block goes back up, I will have no access to LJ for extended periods of time. I apologize in advance for any crucial life-shaking updates that I will miss and/or be unable to post. |
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| Who are you calling fat? |
[Jan. 21st, 2006|11:01 pm] |
The National Football League has a serious problem, a problem that they refuse to address in spite of its growing severity. I am not referring to the horrible officiating mistakes in last weekend's playoff games, but rather to a pervasive health issue that has already played a part in several deaths - obesity.
Measured against any standard outside the world of sumo wrestling, NFL linemen are enormous human beings. Six foot four and three hundred pounds is merely average in this world of titans, and the pressure to gain weight is always present. The laws of physics dictate that larger men have the advantage in the battle of the trenches, and the fastest way for players to get bigger is to eat more. A lot more. A century ago, a man of my build would have fit right in at the line of scrimmage; nowadays, he would be dwarfed by our modern juggernauts. Linemen are expected to maintain their body weight at levels far above what most doctors consider healthy and they face fiscal penalties if they fall below their target weight. Simply carrying all those extra pounds puts an enormous stress on the body, and the massive strain that is placed on the vital systems can cause severe health problems, even after retirement. Some players, like ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, make a concerted effort to lose the extra weight after their playing days are over. Sadly, Schlereth is an exception to the rule, and many retired players remain dangerously obese.
One of the greatest threats to the health of these giants appears only while they sleep. No, not opportunistic beanstalk climbers. The danger is an affliction called sleep apnea, and it can lead to hypertension and severe heart problems if left untreated. Sleep apnea is suspected to have played a part in the 2004 death of defensive great Reggie White, who will likely be inducted into the Football Hall of Fame this year. A recent study showed that NFL players face a significantly greater risk of developing sleep apnea, and that linemen are particularly vulnerable; the incidence of sleep apnea among the linemen studied was ten times higher than it was among the general population. Sleep apnea is not the only danger players face. Last year, twenty three year-old San Francisco lineman Thomas Herrion died of a heart attack after a preseason game. Four years before that, a Minnesota lineman named Korey Stringer died of heatstroke in training camp. Both Herrion and Stringer were fit enough to pass mandatory NFL physicals before their deaths, which means that both men were in excellent physical condition when they passed on. In both cases, their size exacerbated afflictions they might otherwise have survived. To be fair to the NFL, their deaths were anomalies, and the mandatory physicals are in place to prevent such occurrences. Nonetheless, there is a growing consensus that the ever-increasing size of the players will cause more and more serious health problems as time goes on, and very little is being do to address the issue.
Unfortunately, the dilemma cannot be resolved without some kind of external intervention. Professional football teams strive to win at all costs, and bigger linemen are better linemen. A lineman who chooses to stay at a healthy weight faces reduced effectiveness and eventual unemployment. The owner who won't pressure his players to pack on the poundage faces a losing season and dwindling revenues. The forces of economics and physics are combining to drive the expansion of waistlines for the sake of the bottom line. Consequently, the commissioner's office will have to be the one to institute some kind of system to counter the trend and reduce the inflation. One possible solution is the institution of a system that sets a maximum limit on body fat percentages. According to a quick Google search, the average body fat percentage of a young male falls somewhere between 11-17%. The league could set a maximum body fat percentage of 17%, require regular testing of all players at certified external agencies, and penalize teams with players whose fat percentages rose above that limit. The penalties could include fines to the owners and the outright suspension for repeat offenders, both of which would provide powerful economic incentives for teams to keep the weight off. In addition to the obvious health benefits for the players, a thinner and leaner league would offer a payoff for the fans as well. As elephantine linemen became an endangered species with the introduction of the limit system, the game would be forced to evolve. Different styles of lines would emerge; some focused on speed, some on size, some on skill and complicated schemes. Truly giant linemen could become number one draft picks and be stars in their own right. Of course, it is also possible that the quality of play would suffer in some way. The law of unintended consequences applies to every action, no matter how well thought out. When it comes to the issue of the ever-growing lineman, however, the painful consequences of inaction are already far too well-known. |
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| Deux pensees sur Gerard Depardieu |
[Jan. 2nd, 2006|01:30 am] |
Je viens de regarder le mini-series excellent Le Comte de Monte Cristo, dans lequel Gerard Depardieu incarne la personnage principale. J'ai remarque deux choses. Premierement, quand il est parmi des autres acteurs francais, Gerard Depardieu parait enorme comme un ours. Il est moins grand que moi, et donc je crois que la plupart des acteurs francais doivent etre tres petit. Deuxiemement, les scenes ou M. Depardieu se deguise avec l'aide d'un nez prosthetique sont les scenes les plus amusants dans tout le cinema francais.
I have just finished watching the excellent mini-series The Count of Monte Cristo, in which Gerard Depardieu plays the main role. I have noticed two things. Firstly, when he is among other French actors, Gerard Depardieu seems as big as a bear. He is shorter than I am, and therefore I believee that the majority of French actors must be quite short. Secondly, the scenes where Mr. Depardieu disguises himself with the aid of a prosthetic nose are the funniest scenes in all of French cinema. |
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