Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Experience Elect/Tech Journalism through my eyes… Ah, and I need help…

So it’s about 1:30 p.m. here in Bowling Green as I start to write this.  Today has been my second day of class, and my first day doing my Journalism based classes.  It’s really strange have two subjects on different days of the week.  So as I sit here, I am in “Journalism” mode.  It’s quite odd.

This morning started with waking up at 6:30 and trying not to abuse my roommate with noise too harshly.  I got to class fifteen minutes early, like I do every class, and had a seat.  This class was my Electronic Technologies for Journalism class.  Unfortunately, it seems an overwhelming portion of my teachers here at WKU have been technologically retarded, this class is no exception.

I have four different teachers in this class, each with specialties in different areas.  We were given the option to choose which teacher to use in this course depending on our interest in their specializations.  As expected, all of the hipster photo majors who thing they’re going to be working for the Rolling Stone or Alternative Press Magazine one day flocked to the artsy looking woman who specialized in photography.  As she said in her part of the presentation, “Photographs tell the story” and written journalism is for people who read!  (The last part went unsaid).

I waited for crowd to finish and then approached the table of sign-up sheets to find that the three other teacher’s classes had been vastly overlooked compared to the artsy woman’s.  Let me remind you that I have NO CLUE what I’m going to do with my degree, and tell you I chose the web design guy who promised to teach me a thing or two about HTML and CSS.  This seemed the most logical option since print newspapers are dying, and I’m far too rational for wild dreams of grandeur, way-too-tight pants on guys, people who wear glasses with no prescription, and emo hair.  Face it, you have maybe a 1% chance of working for that magazine if you even graduate, let’s work on some practical skills shall we?  Ah, minor note:  I was one of three to sign up for computer geek’s class.  One of a very proud three.

Ah, and the highlight of my day was in this class.  It took place when one of my four amusing profs became flustered with frustration at not being able to edit a document in Acrobat Reader.  *sigh*  Oh yes, and being told that no one reaches or accomplishes anything on the internet amused me as well.  Sorry Philip DeFranco, Shane Dawson, ShayCarl, hell, even Justin Bieber… You guys do not exist.

I know I didn’t schedule to post on a Tuesday, but this seemed too amusing not to share.  Also, I’m going to have to create another blog for this class, apparently that’s how they plan on grading us.  (Got me, I didn’t even know most of them knew how to open a web browser (or what a web browser was for that matter)).  It has to be based on a subject; They said it can’t be “about your cat.”  I assume they won’t take a blog about how much I hate cats then either.

I need suggestions for a topic.  Your mom, Glenn Beck, Kittens instead of cats, and ur mom are not viable options.  Please submit… and have a nice day.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Georgia Storms; My thoughts on AP classes; Unexpected Political Science Prof.

So I did not post on Friday, but I have a legitimate excuse seeing as I was on the road for two days, travelling back to college.

The drive went well, unlike the last time we came up when it rained cats and dogs the entire way, making it impossible to drive faster than a turtle.  It did lightning storm rather badly at the hotel we stayed in Georgia.  And when I say bad, we’re talking flash of light and the thunder is practically beating the former to us.  We were looking through the windows to check on the car.

A couple things I learned from our trip:  Gas station nachos are a no go, Krystal burgers are the worst burgers, and I finally got to try a Red Robin and that was excellent.

We made it here on time on Friday and got the Jeep unpacked into my dorm room.  Last year I lived in a dorm with an elevator, so getting stuff up however many floors wasn’t so bad; That was not the case next time.  I need to work out a little bit by the time I have to unload this place again.

I’m actually writing this before I have to run off to my 9 0’clock class:  Principles of Macro-Economics.  I’m taking 18 wonderful hours this semester in an attempt to lighten my load for my senior year, which is next year.  Being a transfer student and taking college classes while still in high school really paid off when it comes to my ability (my parent’s ability) to pay for college.  We’re at the crappy middle point where my grades are good, but not good enough, and my parents earn too much for me to get financial aid scholarships, but not enough that putting kids through college is a breeze. 

I definitely encourage taking college classes while still in high school!  What killed me is that no one told us about our ability to do that, so I didn’t start until the summer before my senior year, but in reality, you can do a lot more than that.  It’s a well kept secret that with just your ACT score, you can already take a lot of your General Education credits are your local community college.  More students need to know that they can do it themselves rather than taking shitty (excuse my language) AP courses where you slave all year keeping a good grade, get to the test and get a 2.  You take classes at your community college, you’ll do some work, but you know if you get a decent grade those three hours are guaranteed.  AP classes are some of the biggest bs I have ever seen.  Use your time and energy on credits you know you can get.

Oh yeah, and little story.  I started out taking AP U.S. History when I was in my Junior year of high school.  About a month or so in I told the teacher I was switching over to the standard class, because I realized that it was stupid to slave over a class I wasn’t doing well in, for a credit I statistically, probably won’t get.  He had the nerve to tell me a story about his friend who didn’t do anything worthwhile in high school and then went off to college and failed out  because he didn’t know how to study and had no work ethic.  Good story, probably made up, but I just walked away with a little chuckle.

I have had one C and that was during my senior year with a Biology teacher from hell.  The majority of my grades are A’s.  I don’t really think that story applied to me all that well.  I’ll admit, I didn’t do anything in high school, because it wasn’t all that hard.  You go to class, highlight some notes, memorize a few definitions, and you’ll be fine.  College is a hell of a lot harder.

Anyway, so today was my first day back in class.  Of my 18 hours this semester I am taking:  Principles of Macro-Economics, Intro to Digital Photography, Electronic and Technological Journalism, Public Relations, Concepts of Political Science, and Comparative Politics.  By far, my most challenging classes of the semester will be my Political Science focused ones, or so I thought.  It just so happens that my schedule fell so that I have all my PS classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, all in a row, and all in the same building.  Then my other classes are Tuesday Friday.

Comparative Politics was the most interesting class today, simply because I did not expect it.  As I’m sitting there, this guy walks in and I immediately think he’s lost.  When I think Political Science professor I imagine guys who wear a jacket everyday and are clean cut and stern.  This guy takes his spot at the front of the class and stares at us for a moment, before beginning to hand out the syllabus.  At this point, I’m still referring to him as “this guy” because he’s wearing jeans, has a long ponytail, earrings, and a beard.  Finally he starts to speak, and whoa!  He’s British!

This amused me, not that he was British, but the mixture of all the mentioned things.  I later realized that he looks British as well (shape of the nose, eyes, etc.)  He’s also a big fan of Liverpool which earns major points in my book (GO KUYT!).  Now we’ll just have to wait and see how bad the damage is in tomorrow’s classes, because today’s teachers didn’t seem so bad.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Random Rant Time: Fake names on Facebook

The purpose of Facebook is to, according to Facebook itself, “Keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.”

Now let me repeat… “Keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.”

Let’s focus on, “Keep up with friends.”

Unique Oreo

Unique Oreo Zoom

It ticks me off when someone adds me on Facebook that I might know, or I might not, and they use a fake name.  Even better, they use a fake name, and their picture sucks…

Unique Oreo What… what the… what the hell is that?

You’re covering up your face!  So even if I do know you (not likely, I have no friends named Unique Oreo) I won’t bloody know because you can’t even show your face in your pic!!!!!

There’s got to be something I can do about this…

Oh wait…

There is…

You see, on Facebook it’s against the rules to use fake names.  Anybody worth their weight in sand knows this.

Oreo Fail Sweet, Sweet Justice

In the end, because you are neither an oreo, nor unique (you used the name of a popular brand as your name, very ununique and tacky) you have been served.

If your name really is Unique Oreo… I apologize… your parents have an offbeat sense of humor (and not in a good way).

Heading back to college; Another tiny frog discovered; Pokemon humor; NINJA CAT STRIKES BACK;

AGH!  I wanna play Xbox =/

Today I woke up at, what felt like, the crack of dawn in order to accompany my father and brother to his soccer practice.  It seems like every time I get up early lately, I suffer a severe stomach ache most of the morning.  Maybe it’s just me not getting enough sleep.

After that we went and grabbed some breakfast at McDonalds.  They serve these Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagels here that are just FANTASTIC!  And then we came home… And that is where my day began.

I leave to drive to college tomorrow with my mother, who I going because she just can’t bear for me to take the drive alone.  I guess the gesture is somewhat justified, considering for someone in my situation it’s a fifteen hour trip.  In fact, because the distance is so far, I must pack up my Jeep Liberty and take EVERYTHING I might possibly need, because there is no option of coming back to get something I forgot.  It’s truly annoying, and sometimes I question my decision to go to the school I chose.

So today, in the blistering heat I loaded up my car.  For those who know me in the real world, I am not a fit person.  There was one time when I was, but it doesn’t really count when you’re a little kid.  Being fit “at one time” is usually said by fifty year olds walking with a cane who were once in the Army.  I’m fairly strong, and have the ability to do things… but it takes a bit of a toll on my already wearing knees and back, and the chub received from hours of computer time and playing more video games than anything else tends to get in the way.

Now that the car is loaded I am not looking forward to unloading it.  My motto is pack everything in as much as possible which means few boxes, but all that way a ton.  I made the unwise choice of having a dorm with no elevator… I’m on the top floor… you see my dilemma.  So now I will spend my fifteen hours in the car, hoping they feel as long as possible, because I do not want to unload this car.

We leave tomorrow and will arrive on Friday, should be good fun.

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In other news, a frog-825x605pea sized frog was discovered in Borneo.   Whenever they discover some “new” species of animal, especially when they’re this small, I always have to wonder at the idea that the reason they’re that small and it took you so long to discover them, might have been because that was the intent.  Oh well, new frog, nothing in my life changed, you can read about it HERE.

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2bc658814339e8bfNow for some video game humor.  Most of these you will not get unless you’ve played Pokemon enough, but then again maybe you will… Either way it’s worth a look.  The one on my left is my favorite.  Check the rest out HERE.

They’re all fairly hilarious. 

 

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And now for the happy video of the day =D

NINJA CAT STRIKES BACK

And I apologize the this uploader decided to go batshit insane on the links in the vid.  Oh well.

Monday, August 23, 2010

SLACKING!

I am SUCH a SLACKER!

I posted, maybe, two times last week I think?  Ouch, 2/5.  Oh well.

I’m currently working on preparing my departure back to school and seeing as I’m doing 18 hours of pure fun this semester (Note the hard to read sarcasm in the text) I will not have time to post every weekday on this blog.  So, this blog is going to become a three times a week blog, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Friday may become Saturday depending on how life rolls.

I am ecstatic for the summer to be over as I have been very bored here and it has also been very loud.  I, myself, am a person who values at least some time alone in quiet where my head can think.  During the summer during which time I have to listen to my siblings, I have not enjoyed solitude in a long time.  And, because I can’t say it enough, I have been very bored.

Being a person who loves to live by plans and structure by nature, the fact that only one of my six teachers has posted a syllabus is growing very, VERY annoying.  Come on?  You probably use the same syllabus every semester.  Change the name and dates on top and post it to the website, it takes all of five minutes!

Another thing… At my (I’ve noticed I have a tendency to want to say “our” as if I am two people) school we (there it is again) have a textbook reservation program where the bookstore gets all your classes and then puts a box together of the books you need, then you pick it up when you get there.  Most professors willingly participate in this program, but there’s always that one or two who hates to make things easy for their students.  I have one so far who has asked me to order my own book because he’s too lazy to send a list to the bookstore (in kinder words of course).  I’ve been spoiled by good teachers for most of my life, I think.

On another woe is me side note.  I have found that one of my teachers is someone I may have brashly offended.  When I switched my major from Public Relations to News/Editorial Journalism, the University had sent me to a PR advisor who I told my situation to.  He, of course, asked me why I decided to change, and I told him that I’d done some research and (seeing as I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my degree just yet) I figured that you could do PR with a Journalism degree, but you couldn’t really do Journalism with a PR degree and the two shared a lot of the same classes.  Most of my decision was based on the plethora of people I read about wishing they had gone a different route than a PR degree and talking about how useless it was.

He, of course being in the PR department, became offended and said I was wrong to which I almost turned to him and asked why the hell he wasn’t working in Public Relations then.  BUT, being some substance I instead looked him in the eye, smiled, and kept my mouth shut.  Now I have him for a PR class.  Should be fun.

The only other thing I have today is a humorous video from John Green which points out the blatant facts and reasons that Mr. Obama is not a muslim.  Many people need reminding.

See ya'll Wednesday.



EAVB_RRSXNYDHJM

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The Portal Project

Today was the day we decided to go ahead with trying to recreate the portals from the Portal videogame by Valve after seeing such a project on a website which I mentioned a few posts back. 

The first, most obvious, step in preparing to recreate these portals was the mirror aspect. 

IMG_1801

We took after the guy in my previous post and purchased ours at Ikea.  It’s the one called Kolja (the name is odd because it’s Swedish).  If you don’t have an Ikea locally then you can either order one online or browse about stores in your area.  It’s just a basic reasonably sized oval mirror.  Nothing to complicated.IMG_1840

Our next worry was paint.  Anyone who’s worked with paint knows that you can only use certain types on certain surfaces  and if you’re not careful things can go awry.  We travelled to A.C. Moore and talked to the guy working in the paint section, and he directed us.IMG_1839

 

Since we did both portals and not just one, we needed two different shades of blue, and two different shades of orange.  For the blue we used Apple Barrel’s Bright Blue Acrylic Paint and Apple Barrel’s Carolina Blue Acrylic Paint.  For the orange we used Folk Art’s Pure Orange Acrylic Paint and Folk Art’s Tangerine Acrylic Pain.IMG_1802

Depending on your area you may not have access to these types or you may want to do yours a little different.  Don’t be afraid to ask those working there what types of paint you should use, that’s their job.

In regards to our method of getting the paint on the mirrors, we used sponges instead of brushes as to avoid streaking.  Most any store will have these, even your local Walmart.

If you’re doIMG_1804ing this where you don’t want to get any paint on the floor, lay out some newspaper.  This should be common sense, but you’d be surprised.  NOW you are ready to begin.

We started with the blue and painted on the darker shade about a 1 1/2 inch thick border around the edge.  Don’t brush the border, but rather dab that was you can avoid streaking which will totally ruin the effect.  If you did it right, it should look something like the picture oIMG_1803n the right.

Next we laid that aside and moved on to our other mirror, painting the darker shade of orange around the edge about 1 1/2 inch thick as well.  Remember that there’s no wrong way to do this.  Try and if you don’t like it, wipe it away with a paper towel before it dries and dry again.  It’s glass, so it comes off while wet relatively easily.  Also, if someone with my very limited creative ability can do this, you can too.  Notice:  Artistic little brother not included inIMG_1820 Portal creation.

Now, here comes the hardest part in this whole shabang:  Waiting for the first coat to dry so you can add the second one.  Walk away, flip on the TV, and sit a while.  Or, be like Xavier and scarf popcorn, whatever…

We waited for about an hour before continuing.

Next we painted the outside edges with our lighter shades of blue and orange.  We only painted a little just to add effect, about a quarter of it.  When we had finished it looked like this:

 IMG_1830IMG_1825 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_1827

I think they look pretty cool, and they’ll look ten times better when they’re up on the wall.  So yeah, that’s our Portal Mirror tutorial.  Good luck making your own =D

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Star Wars: The Old Republic; Starbucks Boots Grammar Nazi; Good Commercials;

No, I did not post yesterday.  I was doing other things and just didn’t feel like bothering.  SHAME ON ME!  I know…

Yesterday was spent enjoying The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and drooling over the eventual release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, a Star Wars MMO.

 TrooperGetting this game is a definite must for me.  I’m a Star Wars fan, of course, the the very concept of an MMO (that’s actually good) being based on Star Wars is just… AWESOME!!!!!  So amazingly awesomely epic that I jump for joy.

At this time I think I’d like to either be a Trooper on the Republic side, or an Imperial Agent on the Sith side.  Both seem like fitting choices for me, and I just can’t be a jedi because we all know it’s going to be SO overused when it comes out and immediately will become the n00b class.

Agent

Of course, character choices will eventually depend on what my friends decide on being that way I can compliment a team, and because I really don’t have my heart set on any particular character.

Soooo super excited, no release date yet though.  Check out tons of information about the game HERE

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Alright, done with Geek spazz out excitement.  Today we journeyed out to the great craft store and got PAINT for the Portal Mirror Project!  The guy at the store directed us to paint that will work on glass/mirrors and so we chose adequate colors.  Tomorrow we will be doing the mirrors and thus tomorrow’s post will be all about that project, showing you how we did it down to exact instructions.  *thumbs up*

In other news…

Starbucks Boots Grammar Nazi___________________

Betch 1

I am a bit of a spelling and punctuation stickler, not so much grammar because everyone speaks different depending on where you’re from or your age.  When writing something informational or unprofessional, I tend to write the way I speak, and I speak (in personal or unprofessional conversations) in a mix of slang, some broken English, and a tiny mix of accents from the varied places I have lived.

I would never use my method of writing on this blog for anything other than maybe friendly letters; It would be unheard of for me to write like this on an application or resume. 

On to the point… This lady apparently went into Starbucks and threw a bitchfit when they asked her if she wanted butter or cheese, refused to say neither.  She then caused a large scene, embarrassing herself before being forcibly removed from the coffee shop.

These types of people are on of my pet peeves.  If I had been standing behind her in line, I would’ve had more than a few choice words to say.  Thank God she’s not one of my teachers.

Read the full article HERE.

Don’t Judge Too Quickly_________________________

There are some crappy commercials on television these days, but there are also some good ones.

All the Geico commercials SUCK!  Everytime one comes on I just shake me head and mutter, “They should fire everyone on their marketing team.”

Good commercials are either funny, surprising, or cute.  Nuff said.

THAT is a good group of commercials!  Pay attention Geico.

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I came across this website/blog of a total dick.  I link it here because though he’s a total dick, his work reminds me of those videos of people pulling those mean pranks that are still incredibly funny.  ENJOY

Friday, August 13, 2010

Nerf Wars; Halo Reach Ivory Tower Peek; Corgi Bellyflops; Fluffee Talks Crushing Lil Girl Dreams; Sheep Move Into Hobbiton;

This many Copyright Cracked Entertainment, Inc.

The picture above was taken from Cracked.com’s list of Instructional Diagrams for People Who Suck At Everyday Life

I, personally, just want to know where this picture was taken.  You know you live in a dumbed down society when people need more than just a number, but rather a picture of hands to count out that number on *rolls eyes*

Today has been a lazy day, only a little under two weeks left in this summer.  Woohoo!  The day was filled with sleeping and a nerf gun fight which I won hands down (mostly due to a 35 round barrel I had attached to my gun =)

IMG_1727 Yep, kicked my bro to the curb.

Yes, other than that my day was fairly uneventful.  Oh, yes, and speaking of shooting things, here’s a look at a multiplayer match for you to watch on the Halo Reach Ivory Tower Map courtesy of the HaloWaypoint channel on Youtube.

Ohhh myyy sooo exciteeed =D

Corgi Bellyflops________________________________

Check out this video, ADORABLE!  It makes it even cuter that the corgi is named Koopa, very fitting.

Fluffee Talks Crushing Lil Girl Dreams______________

There’s a pretty funny channel I follow on Youtube called FluffeeTalks.  Two days ago he featured a story about this little girl who had her lemonade stand shut down because she didn’t have papers… Yeeeaaahhh… Just listen.

What.the.hell.

And here’s a LINK to the original story too.

Ridiculous, hm?

Sheep Move Into Hobbiton________________________

sheep-village Copyrighted This Blog Rules

Sheep have moved into what was left of the movie set for Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings.

What was left from the filmmakers, farmers have made use of as shelter for their sheep.  Nice way to recycle.

Read more HERE.

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And now I’m off to play some Call of Duty, see ya’ll on Monday.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Gramer Lesun; Stop Motion Across America; Pirate Hunting;

Alrighty, today has not been the most productive in way of finding interesting things to put here…

So here’s a cute cat to console you…

cat 

 

 

 

No, lol, I do have more than just a cat about to be put through a washing machine…

While today has been majorly unproductive in regards to interesting pics and articles for the blog, I clean the bathrooms in the house (it was just a joooyyy…) so that is now done and I hope it’s the last time I have to do it before I ship back to college (in a box).

The journey to Ikea in order to collect parts for my Portal mirror has been scheduled for Saturday, it will be exciting!  I’m probably going to end up making two, one for me and one for my little bro.  Haven’t decided whether to do one orange and one blue or both of them blue or orange… I’m thinking that’s going to be a day of decision.  You may comment on what you think if you wish.

The thumb is also doing better, still a little stiff, but virtually no pain which is a GREAT thing, trust me.

Gramer Lesun_______________________________

Grammer It was physically painful for me to put that as the title… but I like the irony.

The Oatmeal is a pretty cool website with some interesting stuff on it.  When I stumbled upon this I just had to share it, because it’s not only a grammar lesson, it also has some funny jokes and cute pics as well.

Check out the full page HERE.

Stop Motion Across America______________________

Here’s a really cool video using stop-motion of a guy walking across America.

It was made possible by getting Levi Jeans to sponsor the trip in exchange for them using their products in the video.

Read all about it HERE.

Pirate Hunting Vacation_________________________

images In mother Russia, citizens hunt pirates.

Apparently, it has become a hot thing for Russian tourists to board armed ships and go pirate hunting.

Pretty interesting, read about it HERE.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

CoD Black Ops Peek; How to Ruin a Career; Shark Tea Infuser; Pea Plant Grows in Lung; I’m Sorry… I Set Your House on Fire;

So my thumb hurts like the Dickens for some reason.  Not quite sure what I did to it, but it’s in the joint furthest from my hand (because I don’t know the proper name of it) along the outside.  Can’t use it to pick anything up without pain and it’s also really stiff…

I injure myself all the time without remembering how (that sounded really masochistic).  My main problem with this minor annoyance is that it keeps me from playing any video games that require full functionality of my left thumb (every game that you have to move around).  So this sucks… Oh well, I can still type, which I wouldn’t be able to do if it was any other finger.  My right thumb has the job of operating the spacebar =)

Sooo… as long as we are healed by September 14th, we are a-okay!  Because you know what comes out theeennn!  HALO REACH!!!!!

And speaking of games that involve killing things, A NEW LOOK INTO CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS WAS RELEASED!!!!!  Check it out…

=D

=D

=D

*drooling*

This will be the second Call of Duty game that I actually buy rather than bum of friends (which I do quite often *shameshameshame*)  Yes, this THIS looks WONDERFUL!!!!!!  I’m so excited!  Let’s hope my little bro gets a 360 for Christmas so he can play too =)

How to Ruin a Career__________________________

amazing-girl-quits-6-Girl-quits-her-job-on-dry-erase-board-emails-entire-office-33-Photos So, from what I’ve read… apparently this secretary got tired of dealing with her boss… and after she heard him calling her a “Hot Piece of Ass” kinda snapped and sent these nice little pics to him quitting her job.

Read and look at the photos HERE.

Now there are a lot of DUMB MOTHERF*CKERS in this world (excuse my French), but you, miss, you’re close to the top of the pyramid.

Now, there’s something you need to understand about the internet.  Some things end up online and go completely unnoticed… and some go online and end up EVERYWHERE.

You wanted to be a broker?  You wanted a career?  Probably going to be a lot harder now.  And let me just say, it’s not because you quit, it’s because you were an attention whore about it.  It’s one thing to leave a position because of a terrible boss or work environment, it’s another to take amusing little pictures and pass them around your entire office.

Wow… just wow… and in this economy too?  There are probably more than a hundred people lining up for your job already.  *shakes head* Sooo… stupid.

Shark Tea Infuser_______________________________

shark_infuser2 Now, I’ve never been too big into tea.  I like iced tea, and when my allergies are real bad and I need something to clear my throat, an Earl Grey or Chai is usually enough; So this is really for other tea lovers like one of my friends and fellow blogger over at Squaring Circles, who is a bit of a tea enthusiast.

My knowledge of tea is very basic, so this doesn’t do much for me other than a coolness factor… and the giggles at having a shark swimming around in my cup.

Check out the full design HERE.

Pea Plants Grows in Man’s Lung____________________

lung Apparently this man swallowed a pea and it went down the wrong way.  A little bit later, he began to have coughing fits and breathing problems… soon after his lung collapsed and he though he might have a tumor or lung cancer.

Doctors puzzled away at the mysterious cause, but tests showed nothing wrong.  And then they took an x-ray…

It’s pretty hard to believe.  I remember those scary stories about swallowing different seeds and then having the horror of them growing inside your body, effectively killing you in the long-run; but they were just stories.

Not anymore

Read the rest HERE.

I’m Sorry… I Set Your House on Fire________________

It’s a very… Weird Al Yankovic-esque song.  I laughed all the way through it the first time, very cool. 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Tourist ATTRACTION; Seat Savers; Pool Dog; Airplane Journey; Make your own PORTAL!

Look closely at this picture… you’ll know when you see it…

tourist_attractionStill don’t see it?  Maybe this will help.  (Hint: It’s not the building.)

 tourist_attractionzoom Still don’t see it?  Start at the woman’s face… trail your eyes down- WHOA!  That gives a whole new meaning to tourist attraction!

Yeeeaaahhh… saw this one on the internet and couldn’t help but share.  It doesn’t look photoshopped.  The guy’s smile in the back just makes this extra creepy… Tsk tsk… can’t go doing that stuff in public.

These photos were courtesy of KuvatON.com, which appears to be a simple website with funny pictures.  Enjoy

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So I took our family dog, Gertie (short for Gertrude) to the groomer today.  She was looking pretty rough as she’s a non-shedding dog so a haircut is necessary at least every two months, most times sooner, and while that seems trivial, it’s a small price to pay for not having to deal with fur everywhere.  She came back looking acceptable, which is good considering the horrid grooming experiences we’ve had since we’ve gotten to Florida.  And that activity pretty much made up my day.

I’m going to be reviewing NCAA ‘11 soon (Whenever I feel like it).  I’m not good at reviewing games beyond just giving my opinion of it, and considering this is a football game, it’s about the same as every other football game that’s ever been released.

Ingenious Seat Savers___________________________

Now it’s not like I would ever pay money for these… but I cannot deny their coolness…

seat_savers At first glance, this appears to be an ice cream covered spoon left on a seat by some inconsiderate customer.  How rude!

But things are not always what they appear.

Check out these cool little devices HERE, they actually look pretty realistic!

Dog Playing Pool_______________________________

No, not “in” the pool…

He may not be too sure of the rules, but just tell him which balls to knock in and he can handle it.

This pretty much blows away the idea that Pitbulls are hard to train.

Airplane Journey_______________________________

Plane seat

Being someone who has flown on an airplane more times than I can count on both my hands and feet, I was highly amused by Christoph  Niemann’s take on a flight from New York, to Londen, and then to Berlin.

The picture on the right is taken from his picture documentation of his journeyand I can attest that, indeed, the seat only leans back that bare inch.

Check out the entire story HERE.

Portal Mirror!__________________________________

Mirror

ALRIGHT!

I found something awesome on the internet today (as usual) and have decided to introduce a new “event” Miranda Challenge Time!

This is where I will attempt to make something either useful… or not… and will document and post up a blog about it.  Our first project will be this mirror.

Now, all the gamers who read will already know exactly what this is.

For those who don’t:  This is a portal from the videogame Portal.  I’m not going to write an entire post explaining game dynamics, so I’ll just say I think it’s cool, so I’m going to make one for my dorm.

I have an Ikea in the area, and paint is super easy to come by at hobby stores.  You can learn how to make your own HERE!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Baby Panda on the Loose; Modern Art: Flylashes; Shoot the President Carnival Game; Zach in the Buff;

Every day drags by closer to the end of summer and my endless boredom.  Today was spent doing laundry, finishing the Firefly television series, and watching Surrogates.

I love Firefly, as it’s a great show mostly because of the plot.  Now that I’ve finished the series I think I might like to DM a Firefly game sometime in the near future.  It’d give me an exercise in story writing, one I so dearly need, and stretch my creativity bones a bit.  Moving on…

Surrogates was a pretty good movie.  I’d give it about a 4/5.  The movie was kind of complicated so that, for a few minutes, I was a bit confused about what exactly was going on.  It was a thinking film really.  In the end I couldn’t really be sure who the “bad guy” was.  I like those kinds of movies.

Being a very black and white person when it comes to morality, it’s good exercise to see a movie where I can’t really pick out who is right and who is wrong.  Makes me remember that the grey areas are really there.

Baby Panda Escapes_____________________________

Enough with the serious talk!  This is a fun blog, right?

Now, I saw this video and though, “Aww… what a cute panda,” until he actually slipped through the bars then I noticed that no one seemed to care that a wild animal had just easily escaped his cage.

If I had been there:  “Oh dear God!  It’s coming for us!  We’re all going to die!” because I know when that ended up on Youtube later it would’ve been funny as hell.

That was the cute video for today, you’re welcome.

Modern Art:  Fly Leg Eyelashes?___________________

Capture Why yes, those are eyelashes made of the legs of flies.

The above picture is taken from a video called Flylashes and is called a “video sculpture,” and I was dumb enough to think them two different things.

Yes, this is what counts as modern art.

Yes, you can read about it and watch the video “sculpture” HERE.

Carnival Game featuring “Shoot the President”_______

“We never meant to be political at all, we just meant to be current.”

Yeah, sure… that’s not political at all /sarcasm.

I can’t say enough how royally messed up something like this is.  The interviewees towards the end of the video have it right:  It is disrespectful, and it does promote racism and violence.

Even as a conservative who would not have voted for Obama, I am ashamed for my fellow Americans.  Disgusting…

Zach in the Buff________________________________

This is pretty cool.  From the little information I can find, it seems this guy, Zach Anner, who happens to have Cerebral Palsy and a great sense of humor, has started his tour of Buffalo, NY with his video about Niagara Falls.

I think this is pretty awesome.  I’ve since subscribed to his channel and am looking forward to his next video.  You can either wait until the end of the video to subscribe, or you can subscribe at his channel HERE.

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P.S. I didn’t really talk about anything I did this weekend because I didn’t do much.  Oh yes, and the show Hoarders scares the Dickens out of me.  DO NOT WANT

Friday, August 6, 2010

Bad Day; Let Me In, I’m a Real Vampire; Why Every Movie Looks the Same; Geeky Cakes for your Geek;

So my day has just been… HELL, starting with last night.

Occasionally I will suffer from a bit of restless leg syndrome.  It’s rare, but when it happens it usually ends up being both my arms and legs.  When it strikes late at night, it means I’m not going to be getting any sleep for a very long time.

The last time I picked up my phone to see the time last night/this morning was at 4:30 a.m.  So I didn’t finally get to sleep until around 5:00 a.m.  It was utter misery, because my insomnia cannot just be insomnia, but must be accompanied by a restless mind with an inability to just SHUT UP.

To sum it up, it was horrid, and I pray tonight I will be able to get some peace though as I sit here my leg is already acting up again.

When I woke up later this morning around eleven and got myself downstairs to make lunch for Xavier, things were looking up.  I wasn’t well rested, but at least I got some shuteye.  We watched the most recent Star Trek installment over lunch and then went and dropped NCAA off at Blockbuster.

When I got back I picked through the mailbox to find the new issue of Entertainment Weekly.  The cover was not amusing.

For those who don’t keep up with the film industry all that much, MGM is in the shitter (for lack of a better phrase in this situation).  Currently their main prjects are/were the new Bond 23 (I love James Bond, so this is dear to me) and a new installment in the Lord of the Rings series, The Hobbit.  I was looking forward to both movies, much like everyone else.  Too bad MGM is, like I said, in the shitter.

No one’s buying MGM and they’ve been trying to sell for a year now.  Filming and writing on all movies is at a standstill and if something doesn’t happen soon, MGM will be divided up and sold to investors for profit.  Lucky us.

As it is, even if MGM somehow gets back on its feet, Daniel Craig has apparently walked away from the role. 

bond We all know Pierce Brosnan is the sexiest James Bond of all time, but Craig did an outstanding job as well.  So now we have no Bond, and no studio to make Bond.  My day gets worse.

As I’m sitting on the couch watching the next Planet Earth DVD I go to text one of my friends.  Unlucky for me, the buttons on the top face of my phone have stopped working.  This would be fine and dandy… except that those are the buttons that do EVERYTHING.  So I no longer have a decent phone.

After digging through boxes of old phones from the early 90’s, I came across a phone that works… barely.  It is quite pathetic.

My dearly departed phone I loved for two years:

IMG_1712 The phone I’m using right now who’s older than I am:

IMG_1713 This has been my day… Bet your day hasn’t been worse.

Let Me In, I’m a Real Vampire Movie________________

Now I’m not a big fan of American knock-offs of foreign films, everything here is a knock-off lately.  But, this one actually looks pretty good.  Seeing this trailer, I think I’d watch it.

I’d also watch it because I’m kind of fond of Chloe Moretz.  I honestly think she might have a future in acting unlike the other sad excuses for actors her age these days like Michael Cera.

Shutup, Michael Cera isn’t being typecasted, he just can’t act his way out of a paper sack!  Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are type casted, there are kindergarteners as trees in school plays who act better than Michael Cera!

Full article HERE.

Moving on… (Hope my bad mood isn’t reflected too plainly in this post)

Why Every Movie Looks the Same__________________

Cracked.com has a new article and since I didn’t hate enough on American films in the last article, we’re going to do it here.

27920 This article would be hilarious if it wasn’t spot on.  Instead of being incredibly funny, it’s incredibly pathetic.  I agree with everything here except the one that mentions Star Trek.  I love Star Trek, and I thought the cinematography was fine.

Yeah, there was a lot of glare, but I thought they added something.

Read the article HERE.

Geeky Cakes for your Geeky Wedding_______________

Super Mario Cake These are actually some pretty awesome cakes.  Some of them are beautiful, some look like crap… all of them are incredibly geeky.

I would never do this for my own wedding, being more traditional myself, but maybe a party of some sort, sure.

Check ‘em out HERE.

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Alright, have a great weekend everyone, hope yours is better than mine.  Promise to be in a better mood on Monday.

EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITEDITEDITEDITEDITEDITEDIT

ZOMG!  I have found another phone that I think works!  =D  It’s not great, but it’s more expectable than Mister AsBigAsABrick!

IMG_1715 Looks like this is the phone I will be using until my upgrade is finally up in December!  Things could be worse.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

30 Best Films; 40 Billionaires Keep Half; Galactic Empire Vehicle Marker; Barack’s BBQ;

war

Saw this picture and thought it was pretty badass; very Braveheartesque (not a real word).  That is one kid you do not want to mess with.

The day so far has been pretty boring.  Had ramen for lunch, cleaned up the house, and have since been doing a Red vs Blue marathon.  Red vs Blue is a little series by Rooster Teeth which is hilarious, made entirely with the use of the Halo videogame.  Pretty cool, check it out on Youtube.  I haven’t watched the show in two or three years, so I felt like watching them again.  There’s probably some new episodes I should check out as well.

ANYWAYS…

Film School Rejects’ 30 Best Films of the Decade_______

decade_spiritedaway

This article is quite a few months old, but I just found it and I think it’s still perfectly relevant.  Of the list I’ve only seen fourteen of the titles (so about half) but I’ve heard most of the others are good, at least worth seeing.

The picture above is taken from a movie called Spirited Away, one of the movies on this list.  I truly believe almost all of Miyazaki’s works deserve to be on the list, especially Howl’s Moving Castle (my favorite).  You can check out the entire list HERE.

40 Billionaires Cut their Fortune in Half_____________

alg_giving_pledge I’m impressed.  In a drive organized by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, forty of America’s billionaires have vowed to give away more than half their fortune to charity.  That is a LOT of money.

The pledge is nothing more than a commitment, so they cannot be held to their promise by anything other than lowering the value of their word.  I’m looking forward to seeing how many of them actually follow through.  Read the entire story HERE.

Stormtrooper Hood Ornament____________________

For all those members of the Galactic Empire driving around in unmarked vehicles, show your loyalty with this classy hood ornament!

storm-hood My Jeep doesn’t use a hood ornament, otherwise I’d already have one on there.

The guy who has this actually made it from a McDonald's toy!  Pretty sweet!

Read all about how to make your own HERE.

Barack Obama’s BBQ____________________________

CollegeHumor released a cute little video two days ago that parodies a lot of the issues Mr. Obama is facing to a neighborhood barbecue.

They’re not fans of embedding, so I can’t post the video here, but you can watch it on Youtube if you follow the LINK.

Regardless of your political leanings you can still find the video funny.

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Well, I’m off for today.  Today’s post wasn’t very great, lacking in the muse department, but tomorrow is Friday and since it’s the last day before the weekend break I’ll try and give a much better post tomorrow.

Have a great rest of the day.