School, Spam, School & Spam, Eggs, School, and Spam...

In short, little time. Normal homework and such, and a couple other side projects that are occupying a couple-three extra hours per week at this point. I haven't had time to read my bloglist this week, let alone post and do my own stuff. I did, however, actually spend some quality time away from my computer (!) yesterday, puttering at my lair in the basement. It's a mess. As in boxes of scrounged circuit boards, miscellaneous lamps and parts, a couple pairs of unused speakers, two computers (semi-disassembled) and a monitor on my shelf over all the boxes, three more computers providing more shelf space in half the walkway to my workbench, two more monitors on the file cabinet, four more computers and misc cases/drivebays on the old bureu (which houses yet more junk), and odd piles of stuff, like keyboards, mice, cables, useful rubber, etc. And, behind the shelving unit, a pile of stuff heaped over the old school desk, consisting of an old mac monitor, a box of Cat-5 pieces I pulled out of the dumpster at school, a couple old tape decks, more boxes of wire, circuit boards and other junk, and who knows what other junk. I can't remember. All in the space of ten feet square. And to think, it's not as cluttered as it was yesterday morning.

Maybe it will get even better tomorrow, after homework and (possibly) shoveling (if it snows). And I need to finish up that graphics project I'm working on (which can't be divulged publicly quite yet...). Oh yeah, and I also need to test those VCRs, too.

Yep, Anyone Can Be A Journalist

There's a Washington Post article today (by Howard Kurtz) about the recent job changes of certain people in the mainstream media due to bloggers. This paragraph caught my attention:

In the case of Jordan, a 23-year CNN veteran, it was a single online posting by technology executive Rony Abovitz, after Jordan's ill-fated comments at an off-the-record forum Jan. 27 in Davos, Switzerland, that led to his downfall. The lesson, say media analysts: In the digital age, anyone can be a journalist.

You know, for once the 'media analysts' are right: apparently anyone can be a journalist. So, sign up today! The New Rules of Reporting are easier than ever and now require even fewer tedious fact-checking procedures! You, too, can achieve high (or low) places.

And remember, you heard this from a Media Midget.

Death Of A Writer

Arthur Miller died last night - I probably wouldn't take much notice except that I had Death Of A Salesman in Lit. class last semester. I'm also sort of ashamed to say that Death Of A Salesman is the only one of Miller's works that I'm at all familiar with. It is, however, something that I think everyone should see and think about.

Articles at CNN, Reuters, the BBC, and ABC News, which all do a much better job of summing up his life than I. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to add some more of his stuff to my reading list.

Black Bears And Shoe Strings

The two aren't really related, of course, except that one may find both a humorous. Depending on your sense of humor. Black bears and the hunting thereof are, apparently, a hot topic in western Maryland. From an article in the Washington Times:

A bill introduced yesterday would save the black bears of Western Maryland — by spreading them into every county of the state. House Minority Leader George C. Edwards of Garrett County offered the modest proposal in part to highlight differences between rural and suburban parts of the state.

Choice quote:

"If these people want to tell us we have to live with the bears, they should be willing to accept the bears," the Republican lawmaker said. "They can bring their charcoal grills and their bird feeders in every night. Fair is fair."

Why is it that people who live in cities and urban areas usually have a problem with controlling wildlife population? It's not like they would know much about it, generally speaking.

Now, on to other things. If you've ever wondered exactly how many ways there are to lace a shoe, you need to take a trip over to Ian's Shoelace Site. Anything you could ever want to know about lacing and tying shoes. Seriously. (And his Ian Knot really is fast, once you get the hang of it.) Deffinitely one for my bookmarks.

And In This Corner Of The Ring....

I heard earlier today that Terry Gross was going to be interviewing Sen. Barbara Boxer on Fresh Air this evening, and I thought it might be interesting. I wasn't dissapointed - Sen. Boxer accused conservatives of employing "Leninist Strategies". Listen for yourself.

Sen. Boxer cited Lenin's assertion that in order to defeat the opposing party one must keep the older folks happy and made a parallel to a statement of President Bush's in the State of the Union Address:

"I have a message for every American who is 55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you; for you, the Social Security system will not change in any way."

What I fail to understand is how caring for our aging citizens amounts to Leninism. I assume, however that what Sen. Boxer did *not* mean was that Democrats don't care about the aging percentage of the populace.

(Oh, and brownie points for slamming Social Security Reform by making the Conservative=Communist connection.)

Weathery White Stuff And No School

No school because of the weathery white stuff, even. Who'd a thunk? The whole day off today instead of closing the campus at two like they have every other time. I guess they figured the forecast was bad enough to warrent closing, and it looks like they were right.


(Image from the National Weather Service.)

It's really quite nice to have the day off, since I stayed up too late again last night (for no reason, at all - stupid) and really need to catch up on a couple hours of sleep prior to any more early classes. I can also catch up on a small bit of physics stuff I didn't get done in lab yesterday.

Speaking of white stuff, that's a lot of popcorn.

School, School, More School, And Lack Of Sleep

Talk about slacking off. I seem to go in cycles where I keep up with this blog and then I don't, and then I do, then I don't. Arg. Too much going on.

Well, sort of. I finally got my machine in for a dist-upgrade Friday so I've been tweaking some new stuff and generally spending way too much time playing with the system. Discovering new things, like RSS feed reader to keep up with the news and whatnot, and I don't remember what else. Oh, compiling a new kernel, getting jackd running for audio stuff, etc. Not playing with Gimp 2.2 as much as I'd like. Gah.

Anyway, time for Physics class. Then lab untill five. Yahoo.