A Journal That Isn't Particularly Interesting

Breathtaking!

2006-09-23T01:58:14Z

Hey, all you microbiology wizards, and everybody else! Check this out:

The Inner Life of the Cell

Awesome computer animation of all kinds of cellular activities going on. It's absolutely breathtaking. I had no clue what was going on, but it was still amazing.

Now I want to be a microbiologist too. :(

Exam-O-Rama

2006-05-01T11:19:37Z

Fri 26 May - Final day of classes. Swotvac begins.

Tue 6 Jun - Real and Complex Analysis exam, 9:15 am (Wilson Hall)
Wed 7 Jun - Vector Analysis exam, 9:15 am (REB)
Thu 15 Jun - Algorithmic Problem Solving exam, 2:15 pm (REB)
Mon 19 Jun - Logic exam, 2:15 pm (REB)

Could be a lot worse! I'm extremely glad to have RCA first, firstly so I can study it without distractions of other exams, and secondly so it's out of the way early. It'd be better if Vector was a few days after, but it's not that hard and I'll give it some time during Swotvac. After that it's smooth sailing through the breezy 1st year subjects :)

And there I was, worried that RCA would be smack in the middle of a close group!

Movie meme thing

2006-04-26T08:32:44Z

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 190 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 190 movies on this list. Add up your score at the end and put it as the email suject. Finally, send it to all your friends!

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) The Mexican
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane (Flying High in Australia)
Total: 6/10

(x) The Princess Bride
( ) Young Frankenstien
( ) Anchor Man: The Legend of Ron Burgandy
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw 2
( )White Noise
( )White Oleander
(x)Anger Management
( )50 First Dates
( ) Jason X
Total: 3/12

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
Total: 3/9

(x) Harry Potter
(x) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil I
( ) Resident Evil 2
( ) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(x) Donnie Darko
( ) Lilo & Stitch.
( )Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch
Total:3/12

(x) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
( ) The Grinch (jim carrey)
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
( ) Thirteen Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
Total: 3/9

( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
( ) Never Been Kissed
( ) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
Total: 4/11

( ) A Cinderella Story
(x) the Terminal
( ) the Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumb & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
Total: 3/12

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
( ) Chicago
(x) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
Total: 1/9

( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) Bad Boys
Total: 1/10

(x) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Se7en
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
( ) Identity
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
total: 3/10

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss' daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
( ) Frailty
Total: 2/10

( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
Total: 3/10

(x) X-Men
(x) X2
(x) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2 -- although I would have, if I hadn't walked out of the room after five minutes because it was so shit
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
( ) The Others
( ) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
(x) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
Total: 5/14

(x) swimfan
( ) Miracle
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Boogeyman
Total: 4/10

( ) hitch
(x) The Fifth Element
(x) Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Episode II Attack of The Clones
(x) Star Wars Episode III Revenge of The Sith
(x) Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Episode VI Return of The Jedi
( ) Troop Beverly Hills
( ) Swimmig with Sharks
Total: 7/10

(x) Air Force One
( ) For Richer or Poorer
( ) Trainspotting
( ) People Under the Stairs......
( ) Blue Velvet
( ) Sound of Music
(x) Parent Trap
( ) Parent Trap Re-make
( ) The Birds
(x) The Terminator
(x) Terminator-2
(x) T-3
Total: 5/12

(x) Empire Records
( ) SLC Punk
( ) Meet Joe Black
( ) Nightmare Before Christmas
( ) The Silence of the Lambs
(x) Sleepy Hollow
( ) I Heart Huckabees
( ) 24 Hour Party People
( ) Blood In Blood Out
( ) Nowhere
Total: 2/10

( ) Thirteen
( ) Manic
( ) American History X
( ) Deep Blue Sea
(x) George of the Jungle
( ) Canadian Bacon
( ) Big Black Titties
( ) How High
( ) The Jackel
( ) My Little Ponys Grand Adventure
TOTAL: 1/10

TOTAL : 59

I win at having a life!

Crazy New Meme!

2006-04-10T13:09:41Z

Okay, that little thing with the checking Wikipedia for interesting events on one's birthday gave me an idea for a new meme regarding that most wonderful of internet resources.

Stolen from myself, maelin,

It works like this. Open up two random Wikipedia articles and take note of the titles. Then visit the Six Degrees of Wikipedia tool to find the shortest path between them.

Keep opening random articles until you get a chain with at least two articles -between- your start and end (feel free to try again if you get routes that are too long to bother with). If you get more than one year or date in your chain, try again. Remember that the return path might be a good one even if the way there is rubbish. Try to get a chain with a diverse spread of topics.

Then, your job is to visit each of those pages and give a brief two or three sentence description of whatever the thing is about, as well as one last sentence describing how it connects to the next item in the chain.

The Spinesharkis a jumping ability that appeared in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game, 'Super Metroid'. It involves running uninterrupted with a Speed Boost upgrade until the character begins to glow, then crouching and jumping, and it allows the player to break through a few special kinds of blocks that are otherwise an obstruction.
The Spineshark appeared in Super Metroid, a video game.

Computer and video games are games controlled by a computer device. The player interacts with the game with the use of input devices (such as keyboards, mice, joysticks, controllers, etc) and the computer processes this and produces outputs of the game results via its output (usually a monitor/television, and often with accompanying sound).
Computer games are frequently in the news for their inclusion of controversial topics including advertising.

Advertising is the promotion of a product, service, organisation, or idea, typically by someone with an interest in increasing its interest or public recognition. Advertising was once mainly by word of mouth, but slowly spread to forms of media, especially with the advent of the printing press.
Advertising was taxed by the state of Florida in an attempt to reduce it, but commercial interest groups gave Florida's tourism and mass media industries a royal reaming until the bill was repealed 6 months later.

Florida is a state in southeast United States. Its capital is Tallahassee, and it has a population of around 16 million. Its economy was historically based on agriculture, until, in the early 1900s, the connection to interstate railway created a massive tourism boom, which has been a major basis for its economy ever since.
Florida is home to St. Petersburg College.

St. Petersburg College is a university that was founded in 1927. It has nine campuses serving approximately 65,000 students each year, and offers bachelors degrees, associate degrees in arts and science, and various certificates.

Whew! Okay, your turn. Have fun!

maelin @ 2006-04-10T17:21:00

2006-04-10T07:54:54Z

Yoinked from just_bellae.

Hit the Wikipedia and open up the page of your birthday (article title format: Mmmm dd, e.g. June 7). List three cool facts, two births, and two deaths, along with the respective year.

August 12

Facts:
1099 - The First Crusade concluded with a decisive victory in the Battle of Ascalon over forces under Al-Afdal Shahanshah
1960 - Echo I, the first communications satellite, launched
1990 - Sue, the most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, was discovered near Faith, South Dakota

Births:
1930 - Jacques Tits, French mathematician (the same sort of maths as I'm interested in!)
1949 - Mark Knofpler, British guitarist (lead guitarist/vocalist for Dire Straits)

Deaths:
30 BC - Cleopatra
1964 - Ian Fleming, British novellist (wrote the James Bond novels)

Quite an interesting little investigation, I thought.

The Power of Procrastination

2006-04-02T11:04:47Z

So I asked a friend if he'd like to take my Midsem test on Vector Analysis this Wednesday (in Soviet Russia, vector analyses you!) but he didn't seem too eager. He said he'd do it if I wrote his Criminal Law position piece. I asked what that is, and he said I had to develop and argue an opinion on an issue in Criminal Law.

Since it was a choice between that and actually doing some desperately urgent studying, I present the following for your amusement perhaps, or, if not, just to see the dumbfounded look on your face at the lengths I will go to to avoid doing any real work. It's probably not actually that interesting, but eh, I haven't done any pseudocreative writing for a while so what the hell. If you don't like it, I don't care, because I hate you. You can't tell me what to do, you're not my real dad!

PENAL FESTIVITIES, NOT PENAL FACILITIES
By Maelin
For many years, one question has divided nations; should we punish criminals, or instead give them party hats? It is my opinion that the latter is the superior course of action. In support of this view, I will offer three main arguments, and then provide an analysis and rebuttal of the primary arguments used by proponents of the opposite view.

One thing that has always been an issue when administering judicial sentencing to convicted criminals, or, as it is affectionately known in southern parts of the United States, "locking up the darkies", is the prohibitively high price of detention and rehabilitation facilities. It can take the full tax-dollar input of up to five medium-class wage slaves to pay for the food, housing, guarding and Nintendo game rental needs of just one serial rapist. By contrast, under the proposed system, one $2.00 packet of party hats from the toy section of the local Safeway could provide for the judicial processing of ten murderers (nine in Tasmania). Clearly, the party hat system is a winner for the taxpayers.

A second concern is one of civic aesthetics. Most prison facilities are decorated in drab, unappealing greys and uninspiring tan reds that have been scientifically shown to reduce nearby land values and cause premature ejaculation in locals. However, under the proposed system, these flaccidity-evoking edifices could be torn down and replaced with poker bars and strip joints, which joyful party-hat-clad criminals would populate with their gleeful cheers of delight. This irrefutably proves that the party hat system will benefit the community.

Finally, a question of international economics. Given that most, if not all, first-world countries deal with their criminals in a way similar to our present prison system, we can consider the effect of converting to the party hat system in terms of tourism and immigration. The news that such a move had been made in this country would doubtless create a large new set of prospective visitors and potential permanent residents with all manner of specialist skills to the country, thus creating wealth and economic strength for our fair nation.

One issue that is often raised by anti-partyhattists is that the loss of prisons and rehabilitation centres would result in a large number of lost jobs in the security sector and other areas associated with the prison system and its maintenance. However, the new, increased demand for party hats would clearly create many new employment opportunities in the exciting, fast-paced industry of party good manufacture, which would offset this loss of jobs and possibly even surpass it. Another concern frequenty brought forward is that of native rainforest logging, however it is obvious that this really has nothing to do with the main issue here.

In summary, it is clear that administering party hats to hardened criminals and then releasing them back into the public is a system far more beneficial to the community and the nation as a whole.

Finally, a shout-out to all my homies. You know who you are.

Screw that Canadian arsehole

2006-02-17T00:32:13Z

'Spam man' wins gold
By Stephen Hutcheon and Jacquelin Magnay
The Age, February 16, 2006 - 11:35AM

According to the International Olympic Committee's website, Australia's gold medallist Dale Begg-Smith, runs an internet pop-up advertising company that he describes as the third largest of its type.

But that's about as much detail as you'll get out of the Lamborghini-driving Canadian-turned-Australian moguls skier who is reluctant to talk about his dealings which remain shrouded in secrecy.

Speaking on Monday at a pre-race press conference, the 21-year-old said he had wound down his multimillion-dollar internet business to concentrate on his Olympic ambitions.

He refused to reveal the name of his business, nor details of its operations or size. He did say it had "two or three" employees and that it wasn't really an issue with skiing because it had been wound down.

"I haven't spent much time on it, I've let it taper off during the ski season," Begg-Smith said when pressed about his work. "There's not much to say. We design technology and stuff like that, some advertising stuff, too."

But the companies that he and brother Jason Begg-Smith are involved with are some of the most annoying aspects of the web.

Two main companies - called AdsCPM and CPM Media - make money by skimming a small percentage each time an ad scores a hit or is directed to a client's site.

Begg-Smith said the figures being bandied about his business - one report had him earning $40 million - were untrue.

At his post-race press conference overnight, Begg-Smith became irritated when more questions were asked about his business. According to Canadian press reports he said: "I don't know why we're talking about the company. I just won Olympic gold."

Begg-Smith reiterated that his business was set up to help fund his skiing career and that he was now concentrating on his sport.

According to the Canadian Press news agency, Begg-Smith said "his business had never dealt with any specific kind of advertising, only the technology to track how often the ads were being seen. It was up to his customers to decide what kind of ads they wanted to use, he said."

Web searches reveal that AdsCPM Network has been a supplier of pop-under and -up advertising to websites.

Although they are a source of annoyance to web surfers, pop ads are used by many mainstream websites and are perfectly above board.

But there is a dark side to the pop ad business.

Hidden programs that launch these ads are sometimes secreted - by third parties - in many website with "honeypot" offerings, such as pornography, free games, downloads and gambling.

Unsuspecting web surfers visiting these sites can unwittingly become infected with so-called adware which spawns annoying advertisement and which can be used to secretly track a user's web surfing habits.

Numerous computer security companies have warnings about AdsCPM and CPM Media which are held responsible for the Xzoomy.com search engine directory page and a site called FreeScratchandWin.com.

According to the Spyware Guide website, FreeScratchandWin.com opens pop ads "every few minutes", hijacks users' home- and search-page settings and can spy on users' web usage.

Another CPM website, 2nd-thought.com, initiates a so-called browser hijacker program that resets the user's home page and often redirect searches to porn sites.

maelin @ 2005-12-28T14:12:00

2005-12-28T03:14:15Z

A Demon in the Rough
You scored 54 intelligence and intuition, 47 vainity, and 69 discretion!

You have all it takes to be a legendary seducer, but not many people
see you as such because you haven't done enough to build that image
around yourself. Spiff up your surroundings and put more effort into
your appearance, wardrobe or whatever else may be lacking and things
will fall into place. As people begin to notice the change, don't be
surprised if you are suddenly swarmed with interested parties, and let
every breath and every step you take proclaim the confidence of your
inner succubus/incubus.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 16% on IQ or intuition
You scored higher than 30% on vanity
You scored higher than 47% on discretion

Link: The Satanic Witch or Warlock Test written by rszepasszony on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

maelin @ 2005-12-21T20:33:00

2005-12-21T09:33:51Z

maelin @ 2005-12-14T15:24:00

2005-12-14T04:25:18Z

According to experts, my personality type is :
Evil Genius

Other people like me display these traits.

They are trekkies

They are lawyers

They are gas station attendents

They are geeks

Take the Ink Blot Personality Quiz at JokesUnlimited.com

Bleh, sick of these things

2005-12-10T02:14:21Z

Bold the ones you've done.

1. Smoked.
2. Drank alcohol.
3. Cried when someone died.
4. Been drunk.
5. Had sex.
6. Been to a concert.
7. Given a handjob/gotten a handjob.
8. Given a blowjob/gotten a blowjob.
9. Been verbally/sexually harassed.
10. Verbally/sexually harassed somebody.
11. Felt someone up and/or been felt up.
12. Laughed so hard something came out of your nose.
13. Cheated on a boyfriend/girlfriend before.
14. Been cheated on by a boyfriend/girlfriend.
15. Been to prom. (Well, a school formal dinner. Sort of the same thing)
16. Cried at school/work.
17. Gotten lost in a WalMart or a department store.
18. Went streaking.
19. Given a lap dance.
20. Had someone of the opposite sex in your room.
21. Had someone of the opposite sex sleep over.
22. Slept over at someone of the opposite sex's house.
23. Kissed a stranger.
24. Hugged a stranger.
25. Went SCUBA diving.
26. Driven a car.
27. Gotten an x-ray.
28. Hit by a car.
29. Had a party.
30. Done drugs.
31. Played strip poker.
32. Got paid to strip for someone.
33. Ran away from home.
34. Broken a bone.
35. Eaten sushi.
36. Bought porn.
37. Watched porn.
38. Made porn.
39. Had a crush on someone of the same sex.
40. Been in love.
41. Frenched kissed.
42. Laughed so hard you cried.
43. Cried yourself to sleep.
44. Laughed yourself to sleep.
45. Stabbed yourself.
46. Shot a gun.
47. Trash talked someone and then acted like their best friend the next day.
48. Watched TV for 9 consecutive hours.
49. Been online for 9 consecutive hours.
50. Watched an animal die.
51. Watched a person die.
52. Had sex and/or messed around somewhere with at least one person present.
53. Pranked somebody.
54. Put somebody in the hospital.
55. Snuck into someone's room and/or your own room after being out.
56. Kissed somebody of the same sex.
57. Dressed punk.
58. Dressed goth.
59. Dressed preppy.
60. Been to a motocross race
61. Avoided somebody.
62. Been stalked.
63. Stalked someone.
64. Met a celebrity.
65. Played an instrument.
66. Ridden a horse.
67. Cut yourself.
68. Bungee jumped.
69. Ding dong ditched somebody.
70. Been to a wild party.
71. Got caught stealing something.
72. Kicked a guy in the balls.
73. Stolen a boyfriend/girlfriend from a friend.
74. Went out with your friend's crush.
75. Got arrested
76. Been pregnant.
77. Babysat.
78. Been to another country.
79. Started your house on fire.
80. Had an encounter with a ghost.
81. Donated your hair to cancer patients.
82. Been asked out by someone that you never thought you'd be asked out by.
83. Cried over a member of the opposite sex.
84. Had a boyfriend/girlfriend for over 3 months.
85. Sat on your ass all day.
86. Ate a whole carton of ice cream all by yourself.
87. Had a job.
88. Gotten cut from a sports team.
89. Been called a whore.
90. Danced like a whore.
91. Been mistaken for a celebrity
92. Been in a car accident.
93. Been told you have beautiful eyes.
94. Been told you have beautiful hair.
95. Raped somebody
96. Danced in the rain.
97. Been rejected.
98. Walked out of a restaurant without paying.
99. Punched someone/slapped someone in the face.
100. You have one dirty little secret that would make the likes of Draco blush. (Who the fuck is Draco?)

maelin @ 2005-11-01T18:10:00

2005-11-01T07:10:43Z

NaNoWriMo

2005-10-30T14:17:32Z

Man, once again NaNoWriMo comes around and I have exams and think it would be insanely irresponsible to intentionally add distractions to exam period. :( How I envy those crummy students of other Unis with their early exams. But only for that.

For those who don't know it, NaNoWriMo is the National Novel Writing Month, and it is a time when people from all around the world (the "National" is a misnomer, because it flows better than "InaNoWriMo") try furiously to write a 50,000+ word novel between 12:01 am, November 1, and 11:59 pm, November 30. It results in much fun and a couple thousand new, crappy novels being brought into the world.

I encourage all with even a hint of creativity in them to give it a go, unless you are unlucky like me, and have exams on in November. You can still sign up for it until November 25th, so don't feel like you've missed the boat. Good luck!

Richard

maelin @ 2005-10-27T16:33:00

2005-10-27T06:49:08Z

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that “cool” or “intellectual” book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

There are three books nearby. The first one didn't have enough sentences on page 123 so unfortunately I had to grab Zumdahl's and Zumdahl's Chemistry.

"16. Consider the equation 2A + B ---> A₂B. If you mix 1.0 mol of A with 1.0 mol of B, how many moles of A₂B can be produced?

17. According to the law of conservation of mass, mass cannot be gained or destroyed in a chemical reaction. Why can't you simply add the masses of two reactants to determine the total mass of product?

A blue question or exercise number indicates that the answer to that question or exercise appears at the back of the book and a solution appears in the Solutions Guide."

Hot.

2005-10-18T08:53:12Z

Richard's bits are best described as his "spasming sickle".

maelin @ 2005-10-17T22:50:00

2005-10-17T12:51:35Z

Yoinked from jaffleiron.

If you read this, even if i don't speak to you often, EVEN IF I'VE NEVER MET YOU, please reply with a memory of me. It can be anything you want - good or bad, just as long as it happened.

Then post this up yourself and see what people remember about you.

maelin @ 2005-10-16T12:59:00

2005-10-16T03:03:47Z

Comment and...
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
4. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
5. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
6. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
7. If I do this for you, then you must without fail do this in your own LJ. Yes you must. It's not fair otherwise! I will be CHECKING.

A question one should always consider

2005-10-15T07:53:02Z

maelin @ 2005-10-12T19:44:00

2005-10-12T09:45:41Z

If there is at least one person in your life whom you consider a close friend, and whom you would not have met without the internet, post this sentence in your journal.

Fictional Character Thingie

2005-09-28T13:47:42Z

Yoinked from endless_change.

This is pretty good :)

You have to come up with 12 fictional characters that you know reasonably well. Right them in a numbered list from 1 to 12. Then, and ONLY then, you should open the cut below and try answering the questions that relate to the characters.

1. Rincewind the Wizzard (Discworld - Terry Pratchett)

2. Egwene Al'Vere (Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan)

3. Zephram Cochrane (Star Trek First Contact)

4. Richard Wakefield (Rama II - Arthur C Clarke, Gentry Lee)

5. Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean)

6. Zaphod Beeblebrox (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams)

7. Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth (Futurama)

8. Han Solo (Star Wars)

9. Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien)

10. Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones)

11. Carl Johnson (Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas)

12. #47 (Hitman)

I realised after writing the list that all but one of my characters are male :(

Which would make a better college professor, 6 (Zaphod Beeblebrox) or 11 (Carl Johnson)? What subjects would they teach?
Zaphod Beeblebrox would be useless because he'd only spend his time trying to work out how to have sex with the woman in the office next to him. Carl Johnson would however be just as useless because he doesn't have any college-ish skills. However he could perhaps get a job as an instructor at an extreme driving school although it'd be a long shot.

Do you think 4 (Richard Wakefield) is hot? How hot?
Pshew. Personally I think he's a little old for me, but if I were an older woman, then hell yes. He's the highly intellectual, amiable, easy-going gentleman who makes little miniature robot versions of Shakespeare characters. Who wouldn't fall for that?

12 (#47) sends 8 (Han Solo) on a mission. What is it, and does it succeed?
Hrm. It'd probably be to smuggle something either into his (#47's) next mission destination, or to smuggle something important OUT of an area. Either way, Han Solo would probably be able to pull it off with his hidden compartments.

What is or would be 9 (Samwise Gamgee)'s favorite book?
There and Back Again, A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins.

Would it make more sense for 2 (Egwene) to swear fealty to 6 (Zaphod Beeblebrox), or the other way around?
Well Egwene wouldn't swear to Zaphod in a billion years. She'd fold her arms under her breasts and arch her eyebrow. On the other hand Zaphod would have virtually zero patience for Egwene's overly exaggerated womanly behaviour so he'd never swear to her either.

For some reason, 5 (Will Turner) is looking for a roommate. Should 5 (Will Turner) share a studio apartment with 9 (Samwise Gamgee) or with 10 (Indiana Jones)?
Werl... Indiana Jones would quite possibly rub Will Turner up the wrong way with his loutish behaviour, but on the other hand they could discuss their adventures, whereas Samwise Gamgee would probably just gradually get on Will Turner's nerves with his unambitious outlook.

7 (Professor Farnsworth), 2 (Egwene) and 12 (#47) have dinner together. Where do they go, and what do they discuss?
Egwene tries valiantly to discuss things with Professor Farnsworth, but he is only interested in his spaceships and doomsday devices whereas Egwene just wants to bitch incessantly about how men make life difficult. Eventually they settle on discussing how difficult old women can be to deal with, though Egwene has to repeat herself a lot as Professor Farnsworth either doesn't hear her or forgets what she just said.

#47 barely acknowledges the pair of them at all and says a grand total of eight words all evening. Half an hour into the meal he disappears to use the bathroom and is not seen again. Later another guest of the restaurant is found strangled to death and stuffed in one of the toilet cubicles.

3 (Zephram Cochrane) challenges 10 (Indiana Jones) to a duel. What happens?
Zephram Cochrane abruptly realises that it was the tequila talking and tries to run away. Indiana Jones pulls Cochrane's legs out from under him with a well-aimed whipstroke and then promptly pistol-whips the poor man with his magical transforming handgun.

If 1 (Rincewind) stole 8 (Han Solo)'s most precious possession, how would 8 (Han Solo) get it back?
Han Solo would sneak up on Rincewind when he was only a little bit worried about what was happening. He would go to grab the thing back but would do something wrong such that Rincewind realised he was there and started running. Rincewind is too good at running for Han Solo, so he'd call Chewie in the Falcon and jump aboard, then get Chewie to fly over the top of Rincewind while Han crouched on the ramp, and took Rincewind down with a stun blaster.

Suggest a title for a story in which 7 (Professor Farnsworth) and 12 (#47) both attain what they most desire.
Bloody hell. That's just too hard. :P They are such different characters in every aspect. I can't imagine any possible way to work their aspirations into a story. All readers welcome to offer suggestions!

What kind of plot device would you use if you wanted 4 (Richard Wakefield) and 1 (Rincewind) to work together?
Rincewind has ended up stuck in another place but Richard Wakefield has devised a manner to help the hopeless wizard escape. However, Richard Wakefield needs something in return and he doesn't have the physical agility to manage it. Rincewind's lifetime of running has left him in excellent condition to perform Richard Wakefield's task so the pair strike a very unstable agreement. Richard Wakefield doesn't trust Rincewind and Rincewind has plans to run away as fast as he can and Richard Wakefield's bargain be damned at the first opportunity.

If 7 (Professor Farnsworth) visited you for the weekend, how would you get along?
Fine. I would sit him in the armchair and tell him it's naptime. At night I would steer the conversation gently away from any topics likely to rouse the Professor's temper and everything would go swimmingly.

If you could command 3 (Zephram Cochrane) to perform any one task or service for you, what would it be?
It would be tell me how he built the Phoenix and more importantly to explain the principles and mechanics of warp travel.

Does anyone on your friends list write or draw 11 (Carl Johnson)?
Very doubtful, but chiamano_mimi has directed his actions too :)

If 2 (Egwene) had to choose sides between 4 (Richard Wakefield) and 5 (Will Turner), which would it be?
Hrm. They would both score points on being respectful to women, but Egwene would probably like Richard Wakefield's sweet old man angle over Will Turner's dashing but straightforward and direct manner.

What might 10 (Indiana Jones) shout while charging into battle?
Indiana Jones doesn't say much, he probably wouldn't shout anything. Maybe he'd make a dry comment a moment before.

If you chose a song to represent 8 (Han Solo), which song would you choose?
George Thorogood - Bad to the Bone.

1 (Rincewind), 6 (Zaphod Beeblebrox) and 12 (#47) are having dim sum at a Chinese restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets to eat it?
Rincewind would pull back immediately. Zaphod Beeblebrox would expect himself to get it by rights because he is clearly the most important one there. #47 would go one of two ways - either he wouldn't take any crap and he'd stare Zaphod down who'd immediately tell himself he didn't want the thing anyway, or he'd politely allow Zaphod to take it without a word.

What might be a good pick-up line for 2 (Egwene) to use on 10 (Indiana Jones)?
Egwene wouldn't believe in pick-up lines. She certainly wouldn't try one on Indiana Jones, the man is definitely not her type.

What would 5 (Will Turner) most likely be arrested for?
Piracy. But he'd be let off because everyone would realise he did it for good reasons.

What is 6 (Zaphod Beeblebrox)'s secret?
Well, the one that we all know is that he stuffed up his own brain so he could become the President. I can't imagine anything he keeps really secret, Zaphod brags too much for it to be something positive, and anything negative would get out anyway because he is too spontaneous.

If 11 (Carl Johnson) and 9 (Samwise Gamgee) were racing to a destination, who would get there first?
Carl Johnson by a longshot, but he'd go through three cars on the way. Samwise Gamgee would walk the whole way and he'd constantly be taking detours and stopping to grimace and say how bad it is.

3 (Zephram Cochrane) and 7 (Professor Farnsworth) tell conflicting versions of events. Which is more reliable?
Zephram Cochrane is possibly drunk at the time, but he's probably not lying. Meanwhile, it's a wonder Professor Farnsworth can even remember what day it is. Cochrane's is the clear winner.

"1 (Rincewind) and 9 (Samwise Gamgee) reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4 (Richard Wakefield)'s sinister secret organization. 11 (Carl Johnson) volunteers to help them, but it is later discovered that 11 (Carl Johnson) is actually a spy for 4 (Richard Wakefield). Meanwhile, 4 (Richard Wakefield) has kidnapped 12 (#47) in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of 5 (Will Turner), they seek out 3 (Zephram Cochrane), who gives them what they need to complete their quest." What title would you give this fic? Name three people on your friends list who might read it. Name one person who should write it.
Holy crap. I am no good at titles, but I think wallsy would read it for a laugh, endless_change would read it because she's just wacky like that, and chaimano_mimi would read it because she probably knows at least half of the characters involved.

It should be written by Douglas Adams, because only he could find a way to tie such a bizarre assortment of unlikely events together into something that clicks.

Whew!

Poetry Meme

2005-09-26T07:25:48Z

(tagged by endless_change)

Choose a favourite poem, post it, and tag 5 people to do the same.

THE SPELL OF THE YUKON
By Robert Service

I wanted the gold, and I sought it,
I scrabbled and mucked like a slave.
Was it famine or scurvy -- I fought it;
I hurled my youth into a grave.
I wanted the gold, and I got it --
Came out with a fortune last fall, --
Yet somehow life's not what I thought it,
And somehow the gold isn't all.

No! There's the land. (Have you seen it?)
It's the cussedest land that I know,
From the big, dizzy mountains that screen it
To the deep, deathlike valleys below.
Some say God was tired when He made it;
Some say it's a fine land to shun;
Maybe; but there's some as would trade it
For no land on earth -- and I'm one.

You come to get rich (damned good reason);
You feel like an exile at first;
You hate it like hell for a season,
And then you are worse than the worst.
It grips you like some kinds of sinning;
It twists you from foe to a friend;
It seems it's been since the beginning;
It seems it will be to the end.

I've stood in some mighty-mouthed hollow
That's plumb-full of hush to the brim;
I've watched the big, husky sun wallow
In crimson and gold, and grow dim,
Till the moon set the pearly peaks gleaming,
And the stars tumbled out, neck and crop;
And I've thought that I surely was dreaming,
With the peace o' the world piled on top.

The summer -- no sweeter was ever;
The sunshiny woods all athrill;
The grayling aleap in the river,
The bighorn asleep on the hill.
The strong life that never knows harness;
The wilds where the caribou call;
The freshness, the freedom, the farness --
O God! how I'm stuck on it all.

The winter! the brightness that blinds you,
The white land locked tight as a drum,
The cold fear that follows and finds you,
The silence that bludgeons you dumb.
The snows that are older than history,
The woods where the weird shadows slant;
The stillness, the moonlight, the mystery,
I've bade 'em good-by -- but I can't.

There's a land where the mountains are nameless,
And the rivers all run God knows where;
There are lives that are erring and aimless,
And deaths that just hang by a hair;
There are hardships that nobody reckons;
There are valleys unpeopled and still;
There's a land -- oh, it beckons and beckons,
And I want to go back -- and I will.

They're making my money diminish;
I'm sick of the taste of champagne.
Thank God! when I'm skinned to a finish
I'll pike to the Yukon again.
I'll fight -- and you bet it's no sham-fight;
It's hell! -- but I've been there before;
And it's better than this by a damsite --
So me for the Yukon once more.

There's gold, and it's haunting and haunting;
It's luring me on as of old;
Yet it isn't the gold that I'm wanting
So much as just finding the gold.
It's the great, big, broad land 'way up yonder,
It's the forests where silence has lease;
It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It's the stillness that fills me with peace.

And, just because I like it, this other one too.

IF
By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Now, I tag tanyaka, little_fatty, ceirseach, wintertime_love, chiamano_mimi.

Whee

2005-09-23T00:28:38Z

You are a
Social Conservative
(36% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(15% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Strong Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Hmmm.

2005-08-20T09:27:44Z

*:: HaVe YoU eVeR ::*
spent the night at a boys house (not related)	Uh, yeah.
lied to your best friend	On occasion. Always for a good reason.
had a crush on someone for over a year	Yes.
slapped someone	Yes, once or twice.
gotten in a fight	Not a physical punc-on style thing, no. I'm too pacifistic.
had your heart broken	I've been in situations where I've been miserable beyond words over a girl, but I've never actually had a traditional heartbreaking experience.
broke someones heart	No.
been cheated on	No.
cheated on someone	No.
been in love	Yes, unless it must be reciprocated.
liked someone soo much it made you cry	Yes.
played spin the bottle	Yes, but I haven't since I was about 14.
played truth or dare	Yes, but not since primary school.
kissed someone of the opposite sex	No. (!)
kissed someone of the same sex	Yes. Jules you are a hot sexy hunk of man.
kissed someone in the rain	No.
liked someone who didnt like you back	Yes, several times.
fallen for a friend	Yes.
had a boyfriend/girlfriend	No.
had a hard time getting over someone	Sweet fuck yes.
gone out with someone youve only known for 3 days	No.
been in a long distance relationship	No.
seen someone naked	Yes, not many times though.
kissed 2 people in the same day	No. Wait, yes, but they were kissing me and I wasn't kissing back.
had sex with 2 different people in the same day	No.
made out with JUST a friend	No.
done something you regret	Yeah, quite a few times.
been kissed	Yes, though as I said I didn't reciprocate.
kissed your cousin	No.
danced with someone you liked	I think so.
been to a hotel party	Yes, but not any private room functions.
wanted someone you knew you could NEVER have	Yes.
played a game in a cemetary	No.
broken a bone	Only when I was eating from it.
went shopping and spent more than $1000	I've never even owned $1000.
been out of the country	Yes.
made a prank phone call	No.
gotten in a car accident	I had my first car accident several weeks ago. The guy behind me didn't stop in time, so he got a dent in his bumper bar and he cleaned the dirt off the back of our towball.
stayed up all night	Yep. It's fun!
gone to church	Yes, I used to be very religious until I turned radical atheist.
drove a car	Yes.
played a sport	Yes.
been to a major baseball game	No, but I've been to a state cricket games.
been to a major football game	Yes. I spent the time shouting things like "That guy's offside!" and such.
been to a major hockey game	No.
been to a major basketball game	No.
been to the beach	Yes.
gone swimming in the ocean	Yes.
been on tv, in a newspaper, or on the radio	Been in newspapers once or twice, had my letter to the editor published in the Herald Sun in year 10.
cheated on a test	Yes, a few times in primary school and once only on a SAC in high school. Shhh!
got suspended from school	No.
failed a test	I think so.
changed schools	No.
skipped school	Not a whole day, but I occasionally skipped Religion classes in the afternoons on Tuesday.
been in a school play	No.
performed at a pep rally	No.
smoked weed	No.
gotten drunk	Oh yes.
gotten arrested	No.
gotten caught drinking	By parents? No, they didn't mind by the time I started drinking.
gotten caught smoking	I don't smoke.
used your parents credit cards	Only with permission.
lied to your parents	Yes, not infrequently either. What they don't know can't hurt them.
been intoxicated	What's the difference between this and "gotten drunk"? Anyway, yes.
done drugs	Pharmaceutical only.
thought about commiting suicide	A couple of times, but never really seriously.
ran away from home	No.
snuck out of the house	No.
been to the hospital for you	Nope! Only time I was ever a patient was when I was born.
stayed there overnight	Nope.
cried in a public place	Only when I was a little kid.
cried for no reason	No. I find it really hard to cry. Certain music can help set me off if I'm in an emotional state, but only very rarely.
cried when someone died	I've never had anyone close to me die. I cried when our cats Chloe and Oscar died, though.
cried in school	In primary school, yeah.
made yourself throw up	Yep, a few times, when I was feeling unwell and wanted to purge my stomach. I immediately went and ate something afterward.
moved to a different house in the same town	Once when I was three.
moved to a different house in the same state	No.
moved to a different state	No.
taken public transportation	All the time.
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Pfeh.

2005-04-10T05:30:15Z

I scored
88¾%
on the classic 400 Point Purity Test!

Take the test here!

Bah, I say, bah!

Wow.

2005-03-02T07:49:00Z

Here's a story my awesome Physics lecturer told us today.

The Director of the Hubble Space Telescope (a big telescope in orbit around the Earth, where the atmosphere doesn't distort its images) has a pretty crappy job. He has to pay the bills, hire and fire people, and deal with all the astronomers complaining about how their important research hasn't got the telescope time it needs.

So as recompense for his efforts, he is given a little less than two weeks every year when he is allowed to use the 'scope for anything he wants to. For two weeks, he can look anywhere in the cosmos that he wants. It's a pretty fair trade-off.

In 1995, he went to his graduate students and asked them to find the most boring, dark, uninteresting patch in the entire sky. They pored over star charts and sky maps and eventually they decided on a little spot above the Northern Hemisphere that they decided was the dullest direction to look at in the sky.

And when his two weeks started, he had the telescope pointed at that spot, set on maximum magnification.

At its maximum magnification, the telescope is looking at an area rougly equivalent to that of a grain of sand that is held at arm's distance, or the width of a five cent piece 25 metres away. If the Hubble scope could look at one spot that size every second, it would take more than two years and nine months to photograph the entire sky.

So for ten consecutive days over the Christmas/New Years break, the Hubble Space Telescope orbited the earth taking regular exposures of the same patch of sky above the Northern Hemisphere. After 342 exposures, collecting every last stray photon that happened to wander into its aperture, this picture was assembled:

There's an estimated 10,000 galaxies in that picture.

Not so dull after all, eh?

Check out this page for more information.

Richard

What kind of God are you?
Name
DOB
Favourite Color
You earthly time was spent	Supplanting kingdoms, punishing tyrants and levelling the empires of the wicked with the breath of your nostrils
Your throne is	A towering onyx chair, reflecting perpetual moonlight, adorned with the skulls of the vanquished
You wear	Impenetrable armour, the flesh of emperors and the hair of Lucifer's scalp
Your Godly superpower is	Unresistable charm and sensuality, drawing lovers, friends and enemies into your orgasmic grasp

This cool quiz by pelagicboreas - Taken 72627 Times. </a>