Vengeful Cynic

That Time of Year

For those of you who have to interact with me and I don't seem my normal self, I'm sorry. This last week is more or less a blur to my mind as I try to cope with overload. I'm not by nature an emotional person or anything of the sort, but I'm really bad with goodbyes... especially the kind that I'm not sure when (if ever) I'll be seeing some people again. That sort of thing just really tends to get to me for some reason.

When you add on to the stress that comes up with all sorts of things coming due, finals, and summer plans... well... you get the picture. All that to say is that I'm sorry for not being my normal, disagreeable self. If I get sappy when you would expect me to give you a hard time, just chalk it up to the strain on my brain. And bear in mind that I'll be back to normal in about 2 weeks.

More of the Crew

Before I get started, I would like to note that the last week of finals is not the time for your alarm clock to break. I realized this morning that the damned thing wasn't going off at all. I suspect that's reason I missed class yesterday but I have no proof. That said, I'm in the market for an alarm clock it would seem...

All of that aside... as this hellacious week draws to an end and grants me brief respite before the next begins, I would draw your attention to the two 41-ers who are also members of the Gallery. They have passed the mandatory waiting period and are now linked up. Welcome aboard "Shapton" and Barbour. (Sorry Sharptiano, I had to do that.)

Lonely Day

The end of the semester is always the worst time. The friends are going to be leaving, the classes ending, and the graduates never returning. And instead of spending the time with everyone like I would love to, I stress about stuff that I should have done already. And so I sit in my room and program along, preparing to go to class and then go to work and program some more.

Interesting

Was looking for some information on Gammonds (a Flooder friend of mine who graduated last year) and found this website. Rather entertaining... especially the pictures.

Where Did it Go?

Thanks to Wilson for finding this well-written article on D&D.

Do-It-Yourself Veterinarian

You can all thank Dunny for today's warped link.

Kick the Habit

Wilson has contributed the link to this wonderful picture for your viewing pleasure.

My Ideal Job

The longer I sit and think, the more I come to the conclusion that I am uniquely talented and gifted and the sad truth of the matter is that my ethical and moral bases are in direct conflict with the fact that I am best-suited for a job as a professional criminal.

Allow me to elaborate: primarily, I am a generalist. While I am capable of focusing on a specific task at hand, I am much better at looking at a think from the top down and focusing on the big picture and comprehending the inner workings enough to allow me to manage a specialist in particular areas. Generalism notwithstanding, I am fairly well-versed in the broad field of illicit computer activity, which is nearly a necessity for the modern criminal. Beyond both of these, I have devoted many long hours in my life to understanding the application and circumvention of the law and the enforcement thereof and hold forward the aggregate of that knowledge in tandem with a facility for networking with the right sort of people as well on my way to a theoretical capacity for criminal management.

All of that said, I still do have a certain lack of practical knowledge. While I might have done a decent participation in digital misdeeds in my younger days, I have suitably reformed to the point that I would need retraining. Beyond that, I'm woefully out of touch with my paranoia, my gun skills are rusty, and I'm not in such wonderful shape to be dealing with running from police. So, I guess I should at least think twice before going into professional crime... that said, I still wish I could.

Social Status

I believe that today's PVP comic says quite a bit about the sum of Moore's social status. I highly recommend it.

Have a Miserable Earth Day

I used to be ambivalent about Earth Day. I just can't say that I cared much one way or another... mostly due to the fact that while I respect the Earth and don't want it to become a rotted-out apple core upon which we live, I am a fairly firm believer in the ability of natural processes to rebound from just about anything mankind can do. That said, until the advent of a series of liberals and obnoxious Science teachers, I was just of the opinion that Earth Day was an occasion for variety in the announcements over the PA in school.

...And then I ran afoul of some morons who believed that the Earth was a purpose and an end in and unto itself. "Save the earth! Blow up buildings and save the earth! Sacrifice yourself to stop deforestation!" These were the cries of the idiots who felt the paramount cause was that of conservation. Humanity was inferior for its inability to live within their paradigm of naturalism. And then I decided that I would deal with the problem of Mother Earth at some later date... and spite these morons while I still could.

Thus, I pronounce it a Miserable Earth Day. It is today that I litter, light fire to things, and destroy the habitats of Eco-terrorists and rabid animals alike!

Java

I don't really mind the Java programming language persay. It's not all that bad, and the shortcomings that I find in the way of pointer handling are made up in a lot of other ways. That said, when I can't install any of the development software on my computer because Sun can't be bothered with making quality installer packages, that sucks. If a class of CS Majors and a Phd CS Professor can't get your software to install and work properly on the most readily-available platform out there, how can you expect to get more people developing for you?

Insomnia?

Of special interest to Wilson:

"Who Needs Sleep?" - Barenaked Ladies Stunt

Now I lay me down not to sleep I just get tangled in the sheets I swim in sweat three inches deep I just sit back and claim defeat

Chapter read and lesson learned
I turned the lights off while she burned
So while she’s three hundred degrees
I throw the sheets off and I freeze

Lids down, I count sheep
I count heartbeats. The only thing that counts is
that I won’t sleep. I count down, I look around.

(chorus:)

Who needs sleep? Well you’re never gonna get it
Who needs sleep? Tell me what’s that for
Who needs sleep? Be happy with what you’re getting
There’s a guy who’s been awake since the second world war
Who needs sleep? Well you’re never gonna get it
Who needs sleep? Tell me what’s that for
Who needs sleep? Be happy with what you’re getting
There’s a guy who’s been awake since the second world war

My hands are locked up tight in fists
My mind is racing filled with lists
Of things to do and things I’ve done
Another sleepless night’s begun

Lids down, I count sheep
I count heartbeats. The only thing that counts is
that I won’t sleep. I count down, I look around.

(chorus)

There’s so much joy in life, so many pleasures all around
The pleasure of insomnia is one I’ve never found
With all life has to offer, there’s so much to be enjoyed
The pleasures of insomnia are ones I can’t avoid

Lids down, I count sheep
I count heartbeats. The only thing that counts is
that I won’t sleep. I count down, I look around.

Hala hala hala

(chorus)

(chorus)

Who needs sleep? Well you’re never gonna get it
Who needs sleep? Tell me what’s that for
Who needs sleep? Be happy with what you’re getting
There’s a guy who’s been awake since the second world war
Who needs sleep? Well you’re never gonna get it
Who needs sleep? Tell me what’s that for
Who needs sleep? Be happy with what you’re getting
There’s a guy who’s been awake since the second world war

(words by Steven Page and Ed Robertson)

News Articles

Sorry that I haven't been posting much in the way of substantive writing of late... I've been kind of busy with the whole school-work and personal interaction thing. I'll try and keep this going, but I'm going to have to beg off insofar as lengthy posting, at least for another day or so.

Anyways, here are some news links that I found entertaining:
ZDNews Australia has a 5-part expose on famous hackers. Also, BusinessWeek has a nice series on the growth and maturing of Linux.

Square Wheels!

This may be of particular interest to the math and physics nerds among us.... (thanks Dunny.)

Sexier than a Jawa...

Another wonderful S*P strip about the social skills of nerds... quality stuff.

Bizarre Games

More than you ever knew (or probably wanted to know) about the little toy on a string, commonly referred to as the yo-yo.

Also, here's a tax-related Something Positive cartoon that really amused me.

Kenmore or Whirlpool?

"I mean, a woman who can't do dishes is pretty much useless."
-Gecko

Bookmeme

From Dungeon Master's Guide, 3.5 ed. (Wizards of the Coast, 2003):

He takes the time to cast bless and shield of faith on hiimself before opening the door and using a standard action to cast hold person on the first foe he sees.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

Via Wilson.

So yeah... everybody in the blog world seems to be doing this and I didn't want to be left out.

On the Business of Chapel...

Call me crazy, but I really didn't enjoy chapel today. It all started with praise and worship. Granted, I'm fairly obnoxious regarding my likes and dislikes of praise and worship... that said, I'd like to be able to understand what's going on. If we're singing in Spanish, I really don't have much of a clue. We could be singing in Swahili or even "Made-Up Space Language" for all I care. Yes, I know we're being "diverse" and "multi-cultural," but the simple fact of the matter is that if I don't understand what I'm singing, there isn't much point. The traditional argument is that there is a significant population of Spanish-speakers at LeTourneau... and that's fine with me. I would just like to point out that there is a significantly larger population of people who don't understand Spanish, and the fact of the matter is that it's required that one speak English to end up at LU in the first place. So yeah... I'm having serious issues with praise and worship that might as well have been in "Made-Up Space Language."

That rousing praise and worship chapel just really put me in a wonderful mood for the message. That said, the message didn't start out half bad... essentially Corey correlated Simon of Cyrene's carrying of Christ's cross with a Christian's carrying of each other's burdens. And then it got weird... because "carrying burdens" all of a sudden meant rebuking others in love when they needed it... and by others, it means just about anyone you feel like rebuking whom you suspect might be a Christian. I've heard that sentiment several times before, and usually it ends up with overzealous Christian teens going around and making general asses out of themselves. And what's worse, Corey encouraged this sort of nonsense by telling people not to worry about feeling silly or stupid in confronting their friends and acquiantances.

Look, I'm not saying that this sort of thing doesn't have a place, and indeed there is quite the biblical precedent for confronting a sinner in love... but that said, I would like to look at the example of Christ and the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-42. I really don't want to do an in-depth exegesis, I just want to point out that before Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman's extensive sin problem, he established a rapport and earned a right to say something. I would like to take this as an example rather than people who walk up and start condemning people.

Oh yeah... and I really wish people would lay proper logical framework for chapel messages. I know they typically have something valid to say, but I really dislike the fact that an unacceptably large number of chapel speakers don't have the logic of a hill of beans. If I'm made to listen to these people, at least they could do me the favor of spending some time on their talks.

End of the World

There's this wonderful little flash animation regarding the end of the world that I rediscovered this last weekend. Good stuff... mostly work safe (except a bit of bad language.)

update: The server is slower than dirt... just to warn you.

Wow...

Lately I've been posting a lot of interesting finds, and I'm going to continue on that for now. First I have this article about the BBC screening the first televised sperm race (thanks, Gallagher.) As if that weren't enough for one post, I also have the Subservient Chicken (who, I have it on good authority, will dance the "YMCA") courtesy of Wilson.

Also, for all of those of you who are afraid of going to my second link out of a respect for my reputation for links... don't worry about the chicken doing anything untoward, Wheeler already tried to make it do something indecent and the screen blanked in interest of saving the innocence of the children.

2004 Polly Awards

The Collegiate Network has just announced its 7th annual Campus Outrage Awards:

Yale and UCSB are tied for First Place: Yale for its Sex Week at Yale and UCSB for legitimizing and promoting Alejandro Juarez's “F*$%ing with Stereotypes: Gay Men of Color in Porn” at their own Multicultural Center.

Stewie

Which Family Guy character are you?

More On Worship

The more I've thought about it, the more I think I can break the classification of a person's outlook on worship into three groups: Intellectual, Emotional, Physical. The intellectual worshipper finds much more fulfillment in a well-researched sermon, the emotional worshipper in a poignant praise and worship service, and a physical worshipper delights in Christian service as an act of worship. Granted, these groups are not mutually exclusive and there may be some who feel as though they fall into 2 or even all 3 sections equally, but I find it to be something of a continuum where one could be strongly given to intellectual expression or equally split between intellectual and physical or something like that.

The point is, there are some people who really appreciate and can understand physical expressions of worship but cannot sing for anything and may hate listening to sermons, whereas others will have a hard time with physical expressions and emotional expressions and go for intellectual. Granted, one's categorization of individual worship styles within these expressions is somewhat open to interpretation, as someone might find leading a worship service to be a physical or even intellectual exercise, as well as some sermons being highly emotional experiences. That said, I suspect a good bit of the inability of Christians to see eye to eye has to do with an inability to relate to one another through worship.

On Worship

Between Randy's post on worship and talking with Anna about her devotion for this week (on dancing), I've been doing a bit of rolling the whole worship thing around in my head. As many of you may or may not be aware of, I hail from a fairly conservative and Baptist-oriented background, and charismatics positively give me the jibblies. The fact of the matter is that this dislike is largely due to a complete lack of understanding. When it comes down to it, I am not a very emotionally-driven person and I am much more given to an intellectual worship than an emotional one. Thusly, for a long time I was not exceptionally accepting of the emotional variety.

Currently, while charismatics make me at least slightly uneasy, I try not to be too down on them and live by a policy of "If it's biblically-justifiable, go for it... as long as you don't expect me to follow suit." Granted, this approach extends to fairly straight-laced things by charismatic standards like dancing, holding up hands, waving things around, etcetera. I'm still not buying into things that are traditionally held as not biblically-justifiable such as being "Slain in the Spirit" or speaking in unintelligible "tongues".

All of that said however, the root of my problem of worship is essentially that which disrupts others... especially when said "others" are expected to join. For instance, if you have a tamborine that you insist on playing during worship but couldn't keep beat to save your soul, that's going to bother me. Even so, this still could be considered a valid form of worship and it could be that my skin isn't thick enough... but my least favorite thing is when forms of worship with which I am not comfortable are forced on me. Do you want to dance? Fine... just don't make people participate. Same thing for traditional worship like hymns and chants: just because it is the preferred form of the moment doesn't mean it should be mandatory that someone who doesn't feel comfortable participate.

yeah...

So... I'll post more about my thoughts on charismatic worship and on the Fourth Servant Song of Isaiah and Deutero-Isaiah and a host of other things when i have time in the labs tomorrow.

Working on Stuff

Here's the crazy thing: at this point it's all about robbing Peter to pay Paul in terms of the work I'm doing. And even worse, when I should be either working on a program or my imminently due exegesis, I would rather be reading...

Hey, I know I'm a slacker... back off!

My Wench

Yes... I know that I owe you a longer entry. But sadly, I really don't have the time... so I'm just going to say that I have the best girlfriend in the world and I don't brag about how good she is to me nearly often enough.

Oh yeah... and I think I ought to note that the phrase "I hate homework" is a fairly common search engine hit around here, as are "formaldehyde dragon" and "Rigoberta Menchu." Just thought I'd let you know.

Only in Kenya...

Lions and Tigers
Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger
Lord of the Rings Badgers

Always Alone

When the hour strikes late
The turmoil comes home
And in the silence I realize
Again, I'm alone

I'm always alone
the only one there
there's nobody listening
'cause there's no one to care

Sleep, pleasant sleep
steal away my shame
there's comfort in loneliness --
I'm the only one to blame

A wretched little strung-together mess of verse. I really hate loneliness.

Inklings

So yeah, today was the Inklings conference and it rocked. I got to hear some high-quality scholarship, help out a bit, and just really enjoy myself. My paper presentation went fairly well, as did those of the other LeTourneau students who presented.

I really wish I could sum up and do justice to the papers that I heard presented... especially the good ones. I think what we'll have to do is try to get some sort of linkage to any of the ones that I can find posted online and try to paraphrase those I can't once I get my conference publication.

Long Day

Yeah... so I'm presenting a paper today and stuff. Maybe I should sleep...

Warped News

Links I only wish were April Fools Jokes:

Kid charged for child pornography for own pictures.
Iraqis dragging corpses through streets.
Bike Ride through Chernobyl
Christ-inspired murder.

Yep... the world is still screwed up. Suck.