Jay Berg Daily

8-Bit Dr. Horrible

2010-04-06T14:52:00.000-05:00

THIS MADE MY DAY! ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!
FYI, I have a feeling that this one might be viral. It was posted yesterday and it's got over 1400 views. If it doesn't go viral, it should.

Repo Men Trailer

2010-01-06T17:22:00.000-06:00

I just saw the trailer for a movie called Repo Men. Its about a world where a company sells mechanical organs to patients for organ transplants. If they can't make the payments on their surgeries, Repo Men come and repossess those organs. Now this sounds strangely familiar. Maybe because it is essentially the same concept as the cult favorite, Repo: The Genetic Opera. Probably somebody saw the potential in the movie and decided to take it a different way, the way of the action-thriller with a bigger budget, no songs, and more high profile actors. Either way, anybody who has seen Repo will be comparing this new movie with the musical version (which was fabulous by the way).

Here's the YouTube link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlZGQz3RSkw (I would post the video, but the trailer is restricted so I figured I better not post it here and just get you to follow the link instead.)

Windows vs. Apple: A Sonnet

2009-12-14T02:11:00.002-06:00

I sit and stare out of thy cold window
Wondering what is my purpose for such
I am not pleased by the mid-winter snow
Such grief we already have received much

Behind me a friend bites a tasty fruit
An apple it is, looks with much allure
As if it were dressed with a tailored suit
"It tastes good as well" my friend does assure

My friend once sat at the window as well
Before he got fed up with the sorrow
"Windows suck," he cried. "By them I shan't dwell."
An apple he had grasped by tomorrow

Finally, I chose to get on my feet
Reaching my hand to the apple so sweet

December is Here!

2009-12-01T23:59:00.000-06:00

When I woke up this morning (or this afternoon rather because I awoke at 1pm and missed lunch and class again, oops) I was greeted with a wonderful sight. I was greeted with the sight of snow on the ground. It has been getting colder lately and I feel like the cold feels more miserable when there isn’t a layer of snow on the ground to justify the cold. Apart from that is my obscure principle that I shouldn’t wear a winter jacket until there is snow. I just feel out of place if I do that. So today was nice because although it was not that much colder today, I was warmer because I was wearing my winter jacket instead of just my sweater.

The snow of this morning felt appropriate because it was December 1^st. December 1^st is a transitional day where people usually feel like they are officially allowed to get into the Christmas spirit (*cough* Jessica *cough*). Sure, stores like people to get the idea of Christmas in their heads right after Remembrance Day or American Thanksgiving (Black Friday or Midnight Madness attests to that), but some people still don’t feel like it’s the Christmas season until December 1^st (even though Advent has started already). One reason why this could be is possibly because Christmas Countdown Calendars (with the chocolates for every day) start on December 1^st. I received one this year for the first time. I got it as a gag gift from my girlfriend. It’s a Hannah Montana calendar. I was happy to receive it though because not only did I get a piece of chocolate first thing in the morning, but I also got to punch a hole in her knee. (Needless to say, I am not at all a fan of Hannah Montana.)

Happy December everyone! I wish everyone quick fingers and great focus when doing their homework. For those sick of school, hang on. We’re almost there. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Feliz Navidad!

My Weekend: Talking to a Computer

2009-11-30T23:59:00.000-06:00

My weekend consisted of many things. It consisted of a lot of stress as I had to memorize a 5 stanza poem and create an academic poster for a class project. It also consisted of a loud and rowdy Grey Cup game with a plentiful audience in the Student Life Center. I did not watch the game in great detail. I was in the same room as a TV that was playing the Grey Cup. I watched the game by judging audience reaction. I rejoiced at the end of the game when the Montreal Alouettes won due to a technicality. Not that I am an Alouettes fan of course. I am a Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan, thus I can not bring myself to cheer for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The most significant part of my weekend that deserves a blog mention is the discovery of an AI avatar called Joan. I spent at least a solid two hours in two sessions talking to this thing the past three days. You can carry on a decent conversation with her. Apparently, she formulates her responses based on context and past user responses. Sometimes, she gives lame responses, but the majority of the time, her responses are intelligent and witty. I even tried engaging in a debate with her about God and evolution. She gave intelligent responses for a good amount of time before she started contradicting herself. Of course, if you wish to engage in some cheap entertainment, you can start hitting on her as well. Either way, it is almost addicting and quite entertaining either way. I recommend you check it out.

Here is the link. http://www.icogno.com/joan.html.

Biography of Aspiration

2009-11-26T00:59:00.000-06:00

Jeremy Bergen, the man, the myth, the legend. Just kidding, he’s just a regular guy with far-reaching aspirations, aspirations expanding into the creative realms of writing and filmmaking. Throughout the years, he engaged with multiple story streams and concepts covering media all across the creative board, but mostly just novels, short stories, films, and, more recently, theatre.

According to Bergen, his official start came back when he was 9 years old. He wrote a short, uncomplicated mystery story starring 10 year old twins as the detectives, sort of like The Hardy Boys, The Boxcar Children, or The Bobbsey Twins. Most of Bergen’s subsequent narratives were based on stories made up when he played as child. (For instance, playing with cars on the roll-out carpet town would provide a scenario for a creative narrative.) Using these ideas as a foundation, he would build and expand on the story and let it develop into something more substantial.

There was a stint in his lifetime where he would have so many ideas and concepts for superheroes. He used to draw them and explain their origins, supplementary characters, and, of course, superpowers. Most of these ideas have been stashed away in a drawer somewhere with other childhood memories. Only one of these ideas has survived the dust. One of these ideas is currently under idle development in the form of a feature length, full-budget screenplay. Bergen has stated that “this project is simply going to sit in his creative archives and hopefully someday get submitted professionally.”

One of Bergen’s goals was to become a published writer by the age of 20. Although the goal did not come true in a fashion that was as grand as he might have hoped, it did technically come true. He submitted a Christmas story to a local newspaper at the age of 16 that got editor’s pick. This past summer, he also submitted a short story for a contest run by a Canadian publisher. The top 33% of all entries submitted would be placed in the anthology. Bergen made the top third of submissions and is happy that his fiction has been released to the public.

As far as filmmaking goes, he loves being in front of and behind the camera. Although not as experienced with film (as much as he would like to be), he just cannot seem to get enough on the theatre stage, with a grand total of 10 characters portrayed on the main stage by the end of his third year here at Providence. He is hoping that the acting experience will transfer well into film.

Aspirations that Jeremy Bergen holds for the future is completing a film for his Communications and Media Practicum, as well as possibly writing a play based on his short story, a fantasy novel, the superhero screenplay (as mentioned before), and an alien Conworld which will serve as a basis for a trilogy of novels. Bergen asks everyone to “wish [him] luck!”

In addition, since I won't be writing about the play I saw last night now, I will post a link for it so that you can still learn about it if you are still curious. http://bit.ly/6AyVq5

Hungry Man

2009-11-25T02:45:00.000-06:00

Today was an interesting day. It was not as super-de-duper like yesterday, but it was different as far as days go. I cannot say it was a bad day because I did go to a play in the city in the evening. However, I once again I did miss my 8:30 class for no other reason than a late night, a sleepy morning, and getting my butt out of be at 1 o’clock. (What can I say? I was up until 5 writing madly my film script.) As a result of this rather late evening, and late wake-up time, I missed out on lunch. Not willing to miss out on food, I purchased a meal from the Bistro. I then had the afternoon to finish an assignment that was due before I could leave for the play at 5:10. As what usually happens, focus and concentration seemed to have eluded me and took me way to long to finish the assignment. As a result, I also missed out on the supper. Here is a list of what I ate and drank today (whether you care or not):

1) sandwich from the Bistro

2) 500mL of chocolate milk

3) a poppy seed muffin

4) Arizona fruit punch

5) a bag of Stacy’s pita chips

6) Coffee Crisp

7) can of Pepsi

8) two Hershey’s Kisses

9) two cherry candy canes

10) half a bottle of Coca-Cola

The one sandwich is the closest thing I’ve had to a meal all day. I am a man that likes having his meals. I miss my meals. Right now much stomach is telling me that it needs sustenance. I could write about the play tonight, but I think the smarter idea right now would be to go to sleep and then the next meal would come that much faster. (Plus, then I stand a better chance of making it to class tomorrow.) I welcome breakfast with open arms. (It didn’t help this evening that the cast was making bacon and eggs on stage, but I shall tell you about that some other time.)

A Happy Day!

2009-11-23T18:56:00.000-06:00

Today, I slept in as usual. Today was different though. Last night, I just completed the one and only performance of For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, which was the one-act play directed by senior student Tracy Doerksen. Although exhausting, it was a very rewarding experience. It also is another tick on the list of plays I have been in during my time here at Providence College. (The list has been tabulated to 6 now, with 3 more to go this year.)

Apart from that, I was quite pleased with the meals offered today. At lunchtime, I was treated to a whistle dog, fries, and a bowl of tomato soup. A hot dog with bacon and cheese! How great is that?! That was a satisfying lunch. At suppertime, again I was treated with spaghetti and garlic toast. Even though the line was long, the servers were systematically serving people so it was a rather quick-moving line. On top of that (not literally) there was cookie-dough ice cream. I was one of the lucky people to get at it, because the whole tub was empty within half an hour.

This was not the end of my goodness. On Mondays, I usually have two regularly scheduled classes, a 2:00 and a 6:30. However, they are taught by Michael Gilmour and Cameron McKenzie and since they are away, I had no classes instead of two classes.

Since I had this wonderful abnormal break, I tried to make the most out of my day by doing some work. I wrote some of my movie script for my Com & Media Practicum, I did some laundry, and I wrote this blog. Hopefully I get more work done this evening. Especially before DANCE DANCE DORM tonight!

For The Pleasure of Seeing Her Again: a Student-Directed One-Act (aka Wednesday's Blog Post)

2009-11-21T17:45:00.000-06:00

Sipping his hot tea and clutching script in hand, Jeremy Bergen walks towards the school in preparation of the final rehearsal of the student directed one-act play, For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again. The past two months of work have lead up to this weekend. “Believe me,” Bergen says, “in an hour and a half play with a cast of two, this is the most memorizing I’ve ever had to do for a single play.”

Jay Berg Daily takes you on a special backstage peek at the production of For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again from the perspective of actor, Jeremy Bergen, and his preparations during the process. It started in September with auditions. Bergen claims that he initially had a good feeling about his audition, considering he was the only male participant. Soon after, he received the script. Shocked by the size of the one-act script, but nevertheless determined to stick to his commitment, Bergen went forth and began work on the dialogue-heavy script.

The play consists of a Narrator (played by Bergen) who is recalling past memories of his mother who has passed on. Throughout the course of the play, Narrator recreates his memories from his chair while his mother, Nana, plays them out in front of his eyes, exchanging dialogue throughout but almost never interacting physically. It is a story of appreciation and gratitude of a person’s roots and the most preliminary source of creative success.

Rehearsing for two hours twice a week, trying to get through the dialogue-heavy, 70 page script, complete with plentiful monologues for both characters (the biggest being about four pages for the Nana character), the cast and the director worked through it bit by bit every week, scene by scene. When people are immersed in school, other theatre commitments, and life in general, memorization on some scenes, unfortunately, took second priority.

Jeremy Bergen, and his fellow cast member, Alexandra Smith, have both attended Providence College for a number of years and have worked together in previous years, but never in such an intimate environment as a cast of two and 15 foot wide set. Over the course of rehearsal, Bergen claims that certain mother-son chemistry is present when on set.

The big challenges for the production of this play were the sheer amount of words that were needed to commit to memory, the time restraints of needing to get it performance ready in less than a semester (which resulted in lack of some helpful characterization exercises), and the logical configuration of the supernatural elements of the plot, and the alteration of the rather expensive-sounding original ending.

This weekend wraps up the production process of For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, with a tech rehearsal on Friday night, a dress rehearsal on Saturday night, and the final performance on Sunday night at 7:00pm, in the R.W. Affleck Chapel at Providence College. Admission is free and is on a first come, first serve basis.

To quote a line from the play (with minor alteration), Bergen had this to say about the nerve-wracking, yet rewarding performance, “Hark, [it] cometh this way.”

Jack's Back (Today's Post)

2009-11-17T23:59:00.000-06:00

In a follow up to my other video that I posted today (because I didn’t post yesterday...oops), there were some wonderful related videos. Such videos included other parodies, such as “Must Love Jaws” and “Brokeback to the Future” (just guess what those ones are about). One that stuck out to me was “Titanic: The Sequel.” I laughed at this because I was going through my DVD collection the other day (which includes Titanic) and that goofy guy, Allan Rempel, commented on movies that I had that should not and will not have sequels (because we all know how much Hollywood likes to turn a successful stand-alone movie into a franchise. Pirates of the Caribbean for instance.) Anyways, I watched this obviously fake trailer for a laugh or two. The experience I got was actually not comedy at all. It was funny because of how unrealistic and campy it was, but it was otherwise a serious trailer and very well edited using clips from Titanic and other movies including The Basketball Diaries, The Shawshank Redemption, Hulk, and Catch Me If You Can. I don’t want to ruin the plot for you, other than revealing that there is a lot of Leonardo DiCaprio featured in the trailer. I was quite impressed at the number of clips used of him as young as he was in Titanic. Anyways, watch it.

I must say though, it is sad because this trailer would actually be believable as a Hollywood sequel. What's even sadder is that I actually want to watch it.

Charlton Heston Stars In....10 Things I Hate About Commandments (Monday's Post)

2009-11-17T23:30:00.000-06:00

This weekend, I was intensely working on a project for the Old Testament and the Arts course. I was compiling a portfolio on works of art depicting Moses and the Exodus. In this portfolio, I included the Cecile B. DeMille’s 1956 film The Ten Commandments. While finding clips of this movie on YouTube, and, being the easily distracted person that I am when I am doing homework, I followed a rabbit trail that led me to a video called “10 Things I Hate About Commandments.” What this video does is create a trailer for a teen comedy using clips from The Ten Commandments. I laughed when I watched it and I felt it was quite well done. The clips chosen fit perfectly and they were smoothly edited together, as well as the choices of contemporary music from Usher, Fat Boy Slim, Beyonce, and The Romantics, making it seem more like a contemporary teen comedy. The trailer had a lovely voice over, which sounds quite professional, yet the dialogue just seems too perfect for this trailer for it to be voice-over clips. The final punch-line of this video includes the featured cameo by Samuel L. Jackson (that guy has got to be in everything).

Anyways, enough of me yammering on. Here is the video.

DISCLAIMER: One F-bomb is dropped in this video. If this sort of thing offends you, just leave now.

The Ultimate in Time Sucking

2009-11-13T22:00:00.000-06:00

Since the past couple of days I have been talking about things that I do when I am procrastinating, I shall mention a current time suck that almost everyone knows about...FACEBOOK! Do you want to hear some statistics for the most popular social networking site today? No? I’m going to give them to you anyway. (These are statistics related to being a time suck.)

-more than 300 million active users

-50% of active users log onto Facebook on any given day

-more than 8 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)

-more than 45 million status updates each day

-more than 2 billion photos uploaded to the site each month

-more than 2 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) shared each week

-people that use Facebook on their mobile devices are almost 50% more active on Facebook than non-mobile users (although this would not be true for everyone because applications are not present on mobile Facebook, which can be a big time suck.)

I am a victim of the Facebook bug in which I check it every day. If I did not have wireless internet everywhere I went on campus, then I would have Facebook on my phone. I am also a victim of the Farmville bug, but I will not discuss that today as I have written enough for today’s post and I have other work to do.

Until next time, keep fit and have fun.

Quote of the day:

(refer to last sentence of this post)

-Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod (from the Body Break commercials)

Word of the day: carapace:

\KAIR-uh-pace\ , noun;

1. The thick shell that covers the back of the turtle, the crab, and other animals.

2. Something likened to a shell that serves to protect or isolate from external influence.

Today...

2009-11-12T23:11:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, I talked about procrastination and things that get my attention while I am doing my homework. Instead of talking about addicting games, there is another couple of little websites that I find myself attached to, especially since I have friends who are also attached to them and we like to discuss such websites over Windows Live Messenger. What I am talking about is the two websites known as mylifeisaverage.com and fmylife.com. Both feature interesting stories that are often quite humorous. Both are set up in a format where the stories begin with “Today…” and end with “MLIA” or “FML.”

FML is set up in such as way that allows people to say something that happened to them that really sucks, and these stories are usually quite extreme (and funny), often prompting a "yes, your life sucks" vote. The alternative vote is "you totally deserve that." I feel that I like reading these stories because of the hilarity, but also because it can provide a sense of catharsis (as in, you don't feel so bad because you realize that their life sucks even more). As an alternative for those who did not order catharsis, MLIA tells stories that are ironically not average at all for the most part, and are usually rather funny because of the unusual nature that most of them take. Or, if you prefer, you can write a story that really is incredibly average, such as "Today, I took the cap off of my toothpaste and squeeze toothpaste onto the toothbrush so that I could brush my teeth. Then I brushed my teeth. MLIA."

I have found that when a number of friends are all reading MLIA or FML, they tend to tell the stories that are listed there whether or not they think that their friends have already read them. Thus providing a bonding experience and a sense of community. Mmm, I heart bonding experiences. (Get your mind out of the gutter. I didn't mean it like that.)

For today, instead of posting a quote and a word, I shall post a story from MLIA and from FML.

Today, I bought some toilet paper and noticed that the side of the package said, "Now flushable." I'm now afraid that I've been using it wrong all these years. MLIA

Today, I proposed to my girlfriend of 4 years. Her response? First, she threw up all over me and then she started crying hysterically. I'll take that as a no. FML

Taking Time to Remember

2009-11-11T12:41:00.001-06:00

Today is Remembrance Day (or Veteran's Day to the American friends of mine). It is a day to remember the efforts of the people that fought for peace and freedom in this country. We must remember those that fought in both World Wars, but also those brave people that are still fighting in the wars today. So today, show your gratitude by taking special time out of your day to reflect on what has been done for this country, and/or wear a red poppy.

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.

~Author unknown, sometimes attributed to M. Grundler

Caught up in the Addictive Game Net

2009-11-11T12:01:00.001-06:00

Last night, as I sat in my room and decided I would not tackle the homework before me just yet, I meandered to miniclip.com, which is arguably one of the better sites for finding addicting games online. I found some quick games whose gameplay was structured to not necessarily take up a lot of your time, in theory at least. In actuality, games that are considered to not take a lot of time are often those that coerce you into getting a high score by doing something really simple, which makes me think about what make an online game so addictive. Games that are made with Flash (it’s a computer language if you don’t know) seem to be the most addictive when they are simplistic in appearance, are quick to start up, and easy to understand but difficult to master. Even when you are doing the same routine task over and over again, you want to keep playing because of the sense of accomplishment that you receive. When addicting games have levels, it makes it even worse. Eventually, it does happen that you actually finish the game or you simply get bored with it, but then there usually is another addicting game waiting for you around the corner. It is a never-ending cycle, until you finally get fed up with being attached to these games and you decide that it is time to stop procrastinating and go and post your blog.

And if you are wondering game in particular I was caught up this time, it was Monkey Kick Off, a simple game of trying to get the monkey to kick the giant coconut as far as you can.

http://www.miniclip.com/games/monkey-kick-off/en/

Quote of the day:

An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.

-Friedrich Engels (1820 - 1895)-

Word of the day: forfend:

\for-FEND\ , transitive verb;

1. a. (Archaic) To prohibit; to forbid.

b. To ward off; to prevent; to avert.
2. To defend, to protect, to preserve.

One of the Worst Sermons Ever

2009-11-09T15:38:00.000-06:00

As previously advertised on a blog post from last week, I would like to go over the video for “One of the Worst Sermons Ever.” It is a man preaching in what apparently seems like a small congregation. Almost right off the bat, he says “You’re not going to like this, but you haven’t liked the sermon up ‘till now so why would I try and please you now.” How correct he was. This is about the last 5 minutes of his sermon. The main point he seems to be making is based off of a phrase in the King James Version Bible that shows up 6 times. “He that pisseth against the wall.” When translated to newer editions, the word “male” or “man” is used. Seemingly, this preacher’s argument is what makes a man a man and not a male is that he pees standing up. He states that a lot of leaders in our country, including a lot of pastors and the president himself (back when Bush was president) probably pees sitting down and that the problem with this country is that these leaders need to learn to be men. Not that I am against sermons that make one uncomfortable and challenge a viewpoint, but this one just seems ridiculous, is theology seems a little off and seems to be reading into the text with possibly a wrong interpretation, and his message is in the wrong direction.

I invite you to watch the video and then tell what you think in the comments. I find this sermon quite funny (in a shocking, face-palming kind of way), but controversial and likely easily challengeable.

Quote of the day:

Free advice is worth the price.

-Robert Half-

Word of the day: fungible:

\FUHN-juh-buhl\ , adjective;

1. (Law) Freely exchangeable for or replaceable by another of like nature or kind in the satisfaction of an obligation.

2. Interchangeable.

noun:

1. Something that is exchangeable or substitutable. Usually used in the plural.

Obituary: Allan C. Rempel, 1991-2009

2009-11-05T23:59:00.000-06:00

Today, I regret to announce the fictional passing of Allan Rempel. I was self-chosen carefully to write the fake obituary in the event of his not-so-tragic demise. It goes as follows:

Allan Curtis Rempel has suddenly, tragically, and epically passed on and left for the spiritual realm, leaving prematurely at the age of 18 on November 1, 2009. He was born on June 4, 1991 and raised in Winnipegosis, Manitoba. Even though he had no biological siblings, he grew up surrounded by a close extended family, and a supportive church family. Gifted with an intelligent mind, he had many aspirations and possessed much potential. Fortunate enough to graduate from high school, his last days were spent attending his first year of college at Providence College in Otterburne, Manitoba, with a goal to move on to Brandon University and earn his degree in computer sciences.

Survived by his parents, Dan and Evelyn Rempel, as well as many friends, including his pretend family consisting of oldest twin brothers Kai Jolley and Dan Johnson, older twins Kirsty Buhler and David Engbrecht, younger sister Kelly Klassen, and pretend parents Jessica Buhler and his recently late father, Jeremy Bergen. (That’s not to say that his father is recently deceased. That’s just to say that he is, in fact, late writing this entry on his blog.) Predeceased by Kelly’s twin Tarrah Tanaka (who unfortunately is no longer with us) and imaginary twin Kwok-Ming.

Funeral arrangements have been made and due to the nature of the death, a cremation was chosen and a memorial service will be held in Bergen lounge this Saturday at 2 PM, before his ashes will be taken back home. The memorial service will consist of telling stories about Allan, any jokes about Allan, and then to follow there will be meat, cheese, crackers and a recorded tape of the last Grey Cup game that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers won.

Thus ends a chapter of history in which Allan Rempel was with us. Again, I stress that Allan has not died. Save your party decorations for another time. Tarrah Tanaka also has not died. She has simply gone to a “better” place (aka home).

Worst Worship Ever?

2009-11-03T23:59:00.000-06:00

I sit here in my room during the dark of night, sipping (no, more like gulping) from my 2L bottle of Pepsi, snacking on Chips Ahoy! and Pizza Pops, and figuring out what to blog about. Then I remember a couple of YouTube videos I came across when during the weekend.

The first one is described as “Worst Worship Ever?” I am not sure if this is the worst, but it is definitely odd and I find it slightly offensive to the idea of worship. Being quite the travesty it is, let me describe it to you. The worship leader asks everyone to be like Moses and remove their shoes in this holy place (fair enough), but he also asks them “...and while you’re down there, grab a couple of socks.” Pardon me? The purpose of the socks is to use them to spin in the air while they sing the next song. He insists that everyone gets something to spin in the air. Then he starts singing. “You spin me right round Jesus, right round, like a record Jesus, right round round round.” What!

At first listen, some people’s heads go to the song “Right Round” by Flo Rida, which is far from a Christian theme. However, a closer listen to the lyrics reveals that the song is actually based off of the original (and better) song from the ‘80’s by Dead or Alive, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”. This choice of song isn’t much better because of the controversy that this “love” song is possibly supposed to be from a man to a man. Putting all of the controversy of the secular songs aside, this version isn’t really a good worship version of the songs anyway. The only mention that this song is intended for worship is the inclusion of the word Jesus. I’m not saying that all worship songs need a certain standard of spiritual language in order to be considered worship, but to take a “love” song and just add the word Jesus does not constitute a good song parody, never mind appropriate worship. Seriously, I’ve made better song parodies than that during a slow afternoon working at Tim Horton’s.

Come back tomorrow and I will discuss the video of the Worst Sermon Ever.

Quote of the day: (in "honour" of the release of the new release of the next part of the Hitchhiker's Trilogy, written by Eoin Colfer, taken over for the late Douglas Adams)

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

-Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)-

Word of the day: sommelier:

\suhm-uhl-YEY; Fr. saw-muh-LYEY\ , noun;

1. A restaurant employee who orders and maintains the wines sold in the restaurant and usually has extensive knowledge about wine and food pairings.

"Saw" Saturday (for one week only)

2009-11-01T02:44:00.000-06:00

Due to the theme of the night, I decided to watch a scary movie today. I decided that tonight was as good as night as any to watch Saw II. Drawn by the complexity and fabulous writing of the first Saw movie, I figured that I would continue watching the rest of the franchise. Although not disappointed, it does not carry the same quality of craftsmanship as the first. If you are not familiar with the Saw franchise, essentially there is a man who kidnaps people that he thinks are taking their lives for granted, and he places them in various life-or-death traps, which often require thought and/or self-inflicted trauma in order to survive. I love the levels of this plot line in which there is a morality to be learned, however twisted it might be. However, it does seem to be an over-saturated blood-bath at times. Oh well, that is what I expected, considering the tagline for this was "Oh yes, there will be blood." I also kind of missed the edge-of-your-seat suspense and jumping scares that horror movies usually come with. As is mentioned in a previous blog post of mine, the Saw franchise is all about shock. It has been described by some as "torture porn." Some horror movies have what I like to call post-horror-movie paranoia (self explanatory). The effect that Saw has on me is body writhing. The images I am seeing are so graphic and disturbing that I my whole body engages in a sort of "gag" reflex.

Anyways, those are my thoughts at the moment on the movie that I just saw (no pun intended). I recommend Saw and Saw II (as those are the only two I have seen) to those that appreciate well thought-out plot, don't mind a little (okay, maybe a lot) of blood and grossness, and wish to participate in some body writhing.

Quote of the day:
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible.
-George Burns (1896 - 1996)-

Word of the day: draconian:
(dray-KO-nee-uhn, druh-); adjective:
1. Unusually harsh.

Rorschach's Post

2009-10-30T12:25:00.000-05:00

RORSCHACH'S JOURNAL: OCTOBER 30th, 2009,
This is it. Today, after 20+ years, I have returned. Many people believe that I died. Fat chance. Instead of killing me, all that Osterman did was transport me to the future, probably to show me the assumed Utopian state the world would be in. I will admit that the world isn't shot to hell, but it is far from the Utopia that every thought it would be. It is inevitable. The human race is incapable of living in peace for extended periods of time. Always, there is an underlying need to be better than everyone. Of all places though, I don't know why Osterman didn't place me in New York. He placed me in this remote wasteland. I tried asking a stranger where we were, all they could mutter was "Otterburne". Although quaint, it does seem peaceful. A change from the filth of New York. I need some serenity in my life.
My stomach tells me I need to eat. I hear that someone known as Jeremy Bergen is out of town. I'll just use his meal plan. No one needs to know.

Looking at other posts on this blog, I see that there is a quote of the day and word of the day. I will not be posting such nonsense. I am not Jeremy Bergen. I am Rorschach.

THIS IS IT!: The Adventure Continues

2009-10-29T17:11:00.000-05:00

No, I’m not talking about the Michael Jackson movie. I am simply saying that today is the day that I (among the others in the Applied Improv class) have a legitimate excuse for dressing up in Halloween costumes. Tonight is the night that six of us are dressing up as the major characters from the Wizard of Oz, including Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West), Dorothy, Toto, Tinman, the Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow. I sit here in the main lounge of Bergen, and at the moment Elphaba is being created while the soundtrack of Wicked plays in the background. Soon (as in after supper), it will be Tinman’s turn, as he is the last one to be immaculately transformed. Can’t wait because....*music plays* We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!

Quote of the day:

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

-Joseph Chilton Pearce-

Word of the day: conflate:

\kuhn-FLAYT\ , transitive verb;

1. To bring together; to fuse together; to join or meld.

2. To combine (as two readings of a text) into one whole.

Happy Haul

2009-10-28T23:59:00.000-05:00

Today was an adventure. It was exciting. It was even more splendid than the day that I ate breakfast and wrote about it in this blog. No, today was actually special because...I was getting ready for Halloween! Yup, today I took a special trip to Steinbach and got some materials for making Halloween costumes. This year I have two costumes. One of them I am going to be wearing during my Applied Improv class on Thursday night and it shall fit the particular group theme that I will be participating in (which happens to be The Wizard of Oz). For this I will be dressed as Tinman. The other costume that I am going to be wearing on the 30^th during the day and to the Halloween party will be a character from the graphic novel and recent film (and when I say recent I mean in the past year) Watchmen. My costume is Rorschach (if you unfamiliar with this character, just google his name, look at images, and you will see what he looks like). Getting materials for these two costumes was quite a lot of fun. I have been a fan of DIY costumes for a long time. It must be the actor in me.

On a side note, whilst gathering the many pieces of the puzzle, I happened across an affordable bonus treasure. Among the Halloween goodies, Canadian Tire was selling some special light bulbs. So I now have black and orange CFL’s (otherwise known as the twisty bulbs). I call today’s shopping trip my happy haul.

Quote of the day:

The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.

-Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878 - 1969)-

Word of the day: stentorian:

\sten-TOR-ee-uhn\ , adjective;

1. Extremely loud.

I Like Free Stuff

2009-10-27T12:24:00.000-05:00

So today in my Intro to Communications and Media class, we talked about copyright laws and watched a video detailing the downfalls of current copyright laws and the threat of a new copyright bill similar to an extremely strict one already in place in the

United States

. As a creative artist, I, of course, see the importance of having copyright laws in place so that you are properly credited for your work. However, as a consumer, I agree that some copyright laws are completely stupid and that, in part, copyright laws have led to the block of individual ingenuity and the abuse of consumers’ time and money

I read an article on the CTV.ca about how the key to online success is to give away your creative and intellectual property for free. People like to get free stuff. It serves as great advertising. Once people are lured in by the free stuff, then they might actually pay for product. An example was given in the article.

"Free" begins with an example from the British comedy troupe Monty Python. Last year, the surviving members launched their own channel on YouTube. It was a reaction to unauthorized clips of their work appearing on the popular video website.
The Monty Python channel provided high-quality versions of the group's skits, viewable for free. In exchange, the comedians asked viewers to buy their DVDs, movies and TV shows "to soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years," they quipped.
The result? On Amazon.com, sales of Monty Python DVDs rose 23,000 per cent over the next three months.

Even if you give away most of your property, the money that you make from the property that you sell can be substantial because of the traffic generated from people wanting free stuff. Also, as is well discovered, advertising can make you a lot of money when placed in the right traffic stream. (Microsoft, you don't have the monopoly anymore. Change your methods of overcharging for things in an age where super-successful Google is giving away their intellectual property for FREE!)

Quote of the day:

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

-Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)-

Word of the day: punctilious:

\puhnk-TIL-ee-uhs\ , adjective:

1. Strictly attentive to the details of form in action or conduct; precise; exact in the smallest particulars.

Victory to the Underdog

2009-10-26T19:34:00.000-05:00

After this weekend, the horror movie franchise is seeing a change in the kind of horror that people want to see. Somehow, the Saw franchise has made enough money to justify making six movies in six years, frequently released around Halloween. The style of horror that it appeals to is the shock of blood and gore. However, this year, an independent, microbudget horror film has outshone the best efforts of the big-budget gore-fest of Saw VI. It’s called Paranormal Activity. It has been described as the scariest film in a while and plays with traditional suspense and tension, rather than in-your-face shock and horror. This movie intrigues me because of the phenomenal success it has had from a marketing campaign of basic word-of-mouth. It opened with a limited release, but the demand to see it was there, so it opened with a full release. Produced with a budget of $15 000, and the box office tickets coming in at about $62.5 million, it has received a HUGE profit margin. I want to go see it just to see what all the fuss is about. (source article from CNN: http://bit.ly/1O722z)

I also noticed today another article on CNN today. Dr. Greco, if you haven’t already heard about this, I figured it would interest you. Headline: Morrissey treated in hospital after collapse - http://bit.ly/4tsOLC)

Quote of the day:

Here's something to think about: How come you never see a headline like 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

-Jay Leno (1950 - )-

Word of the day: loquacious:

\loh-KWAY-shuhs\ , adjective:

1. Very talkative.

2. Full of excessive talk; wordy.

Man-Made Wonder

2009-10-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I took my girlfriend out on a date and we did something that I have wanted to do for a while now (no, not that!). We went for a walk in Winnipeg around Portage and Main. I’ve always thought that it one of the more beautiful parts of Winnipeg due to the architecture, but I have always experienced it from a car that zooms through the intersection too fast. It was nice to be able to take in all of the architecture of that part of the city. To be able to walk among such majestic buildings seems almost surreal, especially the Bank of Montreal building with its ancient pillar structure and the statue of the Unknown Soldier guarding the entrance. The best part of that part of the date was that it was free, as there is free parking a short way away in the Forks, which is also a nice place to walk around in when it is not incredibly busy. All in all, it was a pleasant evening.

Quote of the day:

Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death.

-Harold Wilson (1916 - 1995)-

Word of the day: galumph:

\guh-LUHM(P)F\ , intransitive verb:

1. To move in a clumsy manner or with a heavy tread.

BILLY MAYS HERE.....

2009-10-22T18:56:00.000-05:00

Today, I had no idea what to write about this morning. I was completely stumped. Then lunchtime came along and there my blog topic of the day simply sprung to life. The conversation around the table sprung up to the idea of Billy Mays and Vince the Sham Wow/Slap Chop guy, and the technique of the in-your-face yell-and-sell approach. Both have infomercials that are very aggressive in their selling. We then figured that, truthfully, they were actually holding back at how much their products could do. Sham Wow does more than soak up 20 times its weight in liquid. That’s why it is very dangerous to leave it sitting around somewhere, because if you drop it on some papers, your car keys, your furniture, or your pet, the Sham Wow just sucks it right up until you wring it out again. It’s the same thing with Billy Mays’ Mighty Putty. It is more powerful than he advertises (for liability reasons). I feel confident that you should be able to hang up an entire shelf full of your 100 collectible china plates using only Mighty Putty. I also think that, with enough funding to buy Mighty Putty in mass quantities, you could actually build your home using only Mighty Putty. The public needs to know that Billy Mays and Vince are holding back with their claims on their infomercials. The answer to the world’s problems are in the palms of their hands (well, not Mr. Mays because he has passed on) and they are being selfish by keeping these secrets to themselves. I’ll show them. I’ll show them all!

Quote of the day:

I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.

-Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD)-

Word of the day: aesthete:

\ES-theet\ , noun:

1. One having or affecting great sensitivity to beauty, as in art or nature.

I'm Sleepy

2009-10-21T23:59:00.000-05:00

As I sit here at my computer while writing my blog at this somewhat late hour, I can feel the fatigue that has been gathered throughout the day. Thinking and learning at a college level is exhausting sometimes. When I lived at home, I would sometimes take sleep for granted. When you live with your parents and they go to bed before midnight, it feels weird staying up too late after they go to bed. However, staying up in dorm all night long is not as big of a deal. This does mean that you need to disciple yourself sometimes in getting to bed at a decent hour so that you don’t sleep the day away in the morning. As a third year college student, I am quite familiar with the effects of sleep deprivation. Not that much fun. My functioning powers are somewhat lessened during the day if I did not get enough sleep the night before. Not that I need an abnormal amount of sleep, but I find it is really hard to stay rested sometimes. Oh well, that’s what I get when I sign up for a full-course load, extracurriculars, struggle with procrastination, and still try to interact with friends. It was only when I came to college did I realize that you actually had to schedule sleep and it was not something that you could take for granted.

Quote of the day:

If it weren't for my lawyer, I'd still be in prison. It went a lot faster with two people digging.

-Joe Martin, Mister Boffo-

Word of the day: scuttlebutt:

\SKUHT-l-buht\ , noun:

1. A drinking fountain on a ship.

2. A cask on a ship that contains the day's supply of drinking water.

3. Informal. Gossip; rumor.

Local Television

2009-10-20T12:35:00.000-05:00

In the past year or so, we have been informed of the danger of losing local television due to the cable companies charging us for their programming and yet not giving that money to the stations that they are providing. Now that doesn’t seem fair at all. So for the past while, there have been campaigns to save local television that, to my understanding, have been fairly successful. It would be a shame if we lost local programming, because then we would likely lose local news (either that or local news would change, not for the better). For as long as I can remember, my household watched CTV news. The attitude and format of the local Winnipeg station is something I have grown accustomed to. I was reading CTV.ca this morning, and I read a story about a U of M student was stabbed on campus. The student did not die and apparently is in stable condition. You would not get stories like this on a national news broadcast. It is not relevant enough to the whole of

Canada

. Local stations also seem to actually cover stories relevant to the people of the community, instead of running their own agenda. (That is not to say that they don’t have their own angle. After all, they are media.) I would genuinely miss local news programming if it was not around all of a sudden. Alright, that’s all I have to say about this as I grow aware of the fact that I have inevitably just given a plug for local CTV news. Oh well.

Quote of the day:

When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.

-John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)-

Word of the day: milieu:

\meel-YUH; meel-YOO\ , noun:

1. Environment; setting.

Art Collide With Reality

2009-10-19T12:45:00.000-05:00

In recent years, more and more films are being filmed in Winnipeg. It is good for the economy and the art community of Winnipeg. Our neighbours from the south like to come here because production costs are cheaper, so it’s a win-win situation. It is evident that Winnipeg is becoming a big contributor to Hollywood North (which is the name for the major film community of

Canada

). However, a local news story (retrieved from ctv.ca) showed that art and reality sometimes collide when there is not ample communication between the two.

Two men have just robbed a bank.

They are covered in blood and are racing through the streets with a van full of guns

That's the scene two actors were in the middle of playing when they were surrounded by real Winnipeg police officers with real guns.

Reading the story and watching the news clip, it was clear that Winnipeg police force were actually on the search for a real suspect who had robbed a TD bank with a gun and a small box which was claimed to be a bomb. However, once the film crew produced film permits and explained the situation, the police backed off. No hard feelings as a result of the interruption. Everyone was just doing their job, but they just got in the way of each other. Good job Winnipeg police force for taking control of a suspicious situation and good job to the film crew and the actors for making the scene realistic. (here is the story from ctv.ca http://bit.ly/4j3j5m)

Quote of the day:

A magician pulls rabbits out of hats. An experimental psychologist pulls habits out of rats.

-Anonymous-

Word of the day: fugacious:

\fyoo-GAY-shuhs\ , adjective:

1. Lasting but a short time; fleeting.

Is the Queen of England Off Her Rocker?

2009-10-16T23:09:00.001-05:00

Today, the late hour of my blog is not actually due to things of more importance getting in the way (other than perhaps sleeping in until 12 this morning), but rather it is due to the lack of inspiration of blogging I had today. I decided to scour through CNN.com and even cbc.ca, but nothing was catching my eye, even for a class-credit daily blog. At least until something absolutely atrocious caught my eye. The site I was looking at was a news partner of CNN.com. The headline under the international section and read “British Royal Family Concerned After Queen Elizabeth II Beheads 7 Tourists”. Apparently the queen hasn’t been acting like herself lately and the royal family is concerned. I exclaimed in shock at first and then I burst out laughing. I was not at all concerned because my source was none other than theonion.com, a well rounded and often convincing spoof news sites that makes up news. Hilarious because sometimes they are relatively convincing in their presentation but eventually just get ridiculous in their facts, even though they still presented in the same, straight-faced, this-is-real-news fashion. (here is the link for the article http://bit.ly/4vbKvc)

Quote of the day:

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

-Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892, Act III-

Word of the day: redolent:

\RED-uh-luhnt\ , adjective:

1. Having or exuding fragrance; scented; aromatic.

2. Full of fragrance; odorous; smelling (usually used with 'of' or 'with').

3. Serving to bring to mind; evocative; suggestive; reminiscent (usually used with 'of' or 'with').

Anne Frank Has Been Found...On Film!

2009-10-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

Ah, yet another day of blogging. In the search on my regular source for blog inspiration, CNN.com, a particular article caught my attention: “Anne Frank has Channel on YouTube”. As of recently, Anne Frank has been on my mind because Providence College Theatre Department is presenting The Diary of Anne Frank for the full-length production, so this caught my attention and I immediately had to check it out. Turns out, the Anne Frank Museum posted rare footage (supposedly the only video footage of Anne) on their channel on YouTube. All it is is a video of Anne Frank looking out a window towards the street. Nothing too spectacular I suppose and details of the video are not clear but it is somewhat fascinating because it is believable to be Anne Frank and supposedly the only video footage of her.

Overall, I think that the “news” story is over-hyped because: 1) The video on YouTube was posted last month so the “news” element of this story is not really current; and 2) The detail of the video is not really clear and the not much happens. If the video was just posted by CNN and not the Anne Frank Museum channel, I don’t know if I would even believe the footage because it is just too vague in my eyes. It was just be too easy to take footage from the 1940’s and find a little girl that looks like Anne. According to the official video description, this was verifiably her as the couple that was getting married lived on the same floor of the same building of the Frank’s when this was filmed in 1941.

Quote of the day:

Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.

-Bill Watterson (1958 - ), cartoonist, "Calvin and Hobbes"-

Word of the day: fetor:

\FEE-tuhr; FEE-tor\ , noun:

1. A strong, offensive smell; stench.

Thoughts Running Through My Mind

2009-10-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

Once again, in regards to my blog-writing routine, I am doing things a little differently. Instead of writing my daily entry in the middle of the day, I have decided to post-pone it until the end of the clock day, not because of procrastination, but because of other commitments that required more immediate attention. This is kind of messing me up because my noggin is not in a blog writing space. All I can think of is things I need to do for tomorrow (which is usually a pretty substantial list), contemplating things I should do to delay the need to sleep, and how much I want to watch the next episode of How I Met Your Mother.

Another recurring theme of thoughts running through my head at the moment is the film I am creating for my Media Practicum. It is a film that I will describe as being loosely based on the Star Wars universe. I have borrowed various themes, concepts, and lots of the cool powers (like force powers and lightsabers!). Otherwise, I am doing what I can to make it my own, like the soundtrack for instance. Instead of stealing from the films’ orchestral soundtracks (other than an opening sequence in which I am basically spoofing the opening crawl from every Star Wars movie), I have decided to compile a soundtrack from songs not usually found in films of this type. In addition to including songs from my music library that I feel contribute to the theme and tone of the film at certain moments, I also am aspiring to get some music composed by a friend of mine, which again will not be the standard epic orchestral pieces.

Anyways, that was running through my head because I just happened to be listening to one of the artists from the potential playlist of the film (as well as being simply inspired by the project recently). I hope to keep you posted throughout the semester as per the status of the pre-production and (hopefully!) production of the time-investing project.

Quote of the day:

Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.

-Lily Tomlin (1939 - )

Word of the day: pukka:

\PUHK-uh\ , adjective:

1. Authentic; genuine.

2. Superior; first-class.

Doing Things A Little Differently

2009-10-13T11:12:00.001-05:00

I chose to do something a little different today. As evidenced by my last blog post, I don’t always get the time to eat breakfast before I go to an 8:30 class. So thus, I was able to grab some breakfast after my class. No big change is that I had a waffle (with butter and syrup), and my ritualistic milk and orange juice. However, something I did change was that I made a bagel with cream cheese today. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking “Woo hoo, this is super exciting”. I agree, in a broader context of my day, this is not terribly exciting. The main part that I have decided to change with my blog writing today is the environment in which I write it. Instead of writing in my room as per usual, I have chosen to write it whilst I have my breakfast. (This is due to both the novelty of doing so, and the need to multitask in order to get more things done.)

Speaking of work environments, I tried to do some homework at home this week, in which I was only semi-successful. Apart from the things that people are usually thankful for, I realized how thankful I really was for a quiet work environment. Being Thanksgiving weekend, my house was full of noise and busyness. The chance to do some homework came sparingly, especially when the motivation to work hard did not come easily due to the novelty of being back at home for the holidays. Not that anyone was being noisier than usual; my family was just living their lives. At the same time, I was also thankful for going home instead of staying here to do homework. I knew that I needed that time away from campus and southern Manitoba. I don’t get the chance to leave campus very often, so it was nice to get away and hang out with people from home.

And since I didn’t get a chance to post this on the weekend due to limited internet availability, Happy Belated Thanksgiving everyone!

Quote of the day:

I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.

-Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)-

Word of the day: triskaidekaphobia:

\tris-ky-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\ , noun:

1. Fear or a phobia concerning the number 13.

A Great Adventure

2009-10-07T16:32:00.002-05:00

In class today, we were asked to partake in a writing assignment that we would post on our blog. Today’s class was about journalism and for our assignment, we were asked to partake in Participant Observation. We left class for 45 minutes and were told to go out, observe, and interact with the activities of Providence College at 9:30 on Wednesday morning. This is the journey of my encounters as I left the classroom that fateful morning:

I walked out of the classroom and into the long corridor of classrooms. I knew I was about to embark on a great adventure, despite knowing that the actions themselves would be quite mediocre. I was quite hungry because I had not eaten breakfast before coming to class, so I was quite grateful for the extra-long break that we had been given. However, before I went off on that adventure, I figured that I would go and check my mail. On my way down the stairs, I took notice of the posters in the stairwell that I saw every day. I did not linger because the posters do not change significantly enough for me to have to stop and read them. When I did make it to the mail room, I only received partial disappointment, because although I did not receive mail like people always hope when they walk in, I was not actually expecting any.

On my way out of the school, I carried my bag and my sweater, but I quickly realized that I should have actually worn my sweater, because the temperature of the air was a little bit too chilly for my liking. As I entered the Student Life Center, I placed my bag and my sweater down on the floor so that I could go for breakfast (yum, breakfast!) I noticed that a lot of my classmates were already in the Student Life Center (makes sense as I was the last one to leave the classroom). I observed them observing. Again, I did not linger because I was craving the morning sustenance of breakfast.

I checked my name of the list, and headed to my first stop: beverages! Enthusiastically grabbing two cups, I filled one up with milk and one up with orange juice. There is just something about orange juice to me that just says “breakfast”. Before I was able to get a tray and head over to the foods, I was confronted by Allan, a friend of mine, and he asked me why I wasn’t in class. I retaliated by saying that I was on my break. (There was not actually a conflict. He just asked a simple question, because of a logical confusion.) After that, I had my eye on making a waffle, so I made a waffle. Gathering the necessary things needed to eat the waffle while I let it cook for the two minutes needed (like cutlery, a plate, the tray, packets of butter, and syrup), I anticipated my first bite.

My waffle was done and I went down and sat down with some people, two of which were also partaking in the same assignment that I was doing, Andrew and Clint. Other people I sat beside were Miriam Gadreau, Jessica (my girlfriend) and the aforementioned Allan. Conversation ensued, to the point where we were talking about what kind of German words that people around the table knew. Since there were a number of German ancestry people at the table (two in particular that I am related to, Allan and Andrew Bergen), there were quite a few words, although none of us were anywhere close to fluent.

Now that the plate in front of me was vacant (except for the syrup, but I decided not to slurp that up), I decided it was time to vacate the table and exit the premises and go in search of other adventures. Turns out, it was almost time to head back to class anyway, so my path was clear. I headed back to class with my stomach no longer growling and empty and my sense of adventure stimulated but also satisfied.

If you think that my story was rather mediocre and over-hyped, I recommend that you try going on a similar adventure yourself. On the surface it might seem like nothing special, but it is more action-packed and exciting than you realize.

Quote of the day:
Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
-Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)-

Word of the day: foofaraw:
\FOO-fuh-raw\ , noun:
1. Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration.
2. A fuss over a matter of little importance.

Important Digital Era Scientists Recognized

2009-10-06T11:05:00.000-05:00

As I scour CNN.com this morning to try and find something of interest and value to myself to blog about, one thing pops into the foreground of my attention. “3 Win Nobel in physics for digital devices.” As I read this, I thought to myself, “Wow, what on earth kind of digital devices would be so revolutionary that their creators would receive the Nobel Prize?” So I decide to look into the winning digital devices. When I read it, I do not at all disagree with the choice of granting the prestigious prize to the scientists that initiated the breakthroughs of FIBRE OPTICS and DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY. I figured that that is kind of a big deal.

I shouldn’t have to remind you that these technologies are strongly present in today’s technologies, but let’s just take a brief look at the uses of fibre optics.

Medical
Used as light guides, imaging tools and also as lasers for surgeries
Defence/Government
Used as hydrophones for seismic and SONAR uses, as wiring in aircraft, submarines and other vehicles and also for field networking
Data Storage
Used for data transmission
Telecommunications
Fibre is laid and used for transmitting and receiving purposes
Networking
Used to connect users and servers in a variety of network settings and help increase the speed and accuracy of data transmission
Industrial/Commercial
Used for imaging in hard to reach areas, as wiring where EMI is an issue, as sensory devices to make temperature, pressure and other measurements, and as wiring in automobiles and in industrial settings
Broadcast/CATV
Broadcast/cable companies are using fibre optic cables for wiring CATV, HDTV, internet, video on-demand and other applications.

(taken from http://www.timbercon.com/Uses-of-Fiber-Optic-Cables/)

And to find a digital camera, all you have to do is take a look at your cell phone, your webcam, or your good ol’ point-and-shoot. I know I sure appreciate not having to develop film anymore, and I am also quite a fan of digital photography and manipulation. (WOOT PHOTOSHOP!)

(Here’s the CNN article about the 3 Nobel Prize-winning scientists http://bit.ly/ZV4Z6)

Quote of the Day:

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.

-Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)-

Word of the Day: burgeon:

\BUR-juhn\ , verb:

1. To grow or develop quickly; flourish.

2. To begin to grow or blossom.

transitive verb:

1. To put forth, as buds.

noun:

1. A bud; sprout.

A New Distraction

2009-10-05T15:45:00.001-05:00

Ah, here I am back writing at the blog after the hiatus brought along by the assignment of last week’s Writing for the Media class. What have I been up to? Well, I have started watching the first season of “How I Met Your Mother”. I must say, that is an addicting show, not because of a compelling serial plotline, but because of the quality of the show. The humour isn’t over your head, but it’s not completely stupid either. I also find this show quite original (as original as a sitcom can be I suppose). It revolves around a guy named Ted who is telling his children in the year 2030 about how he met their mother. Most of the show is about Ted when is in his later twenties and living with one of his best friends, Marshall, who is engaged to Lilly, and Ted also hangs out with lady’s man Barney (Neil Patrick Harris!) and Robin, the woman he thought was “the one” but now they are just friends with an awkward romantic tension between them (a situation which I tend to refer to typical to Ross and Rachel from “Friends”). All of this is current where I am now in the middle of season 1. Some spoilers were released to me as to what happens and I know that some things change. I will not release those here just in case I have peaked your interest of the show and I don’t want to ruin anything.

Nevertheless, this wonderful television program and provides yet another distraction for me to procrastinate with. However, I am okay with this because I can do it simultaneously with other distractions that I do daily, like Facebook. Once again, I can hear another episode calling my name. What are the chances that I will be able to multi-task that while doing homework? I am pretty optimistic.

Quote of the day:

I have not lost my mind - it's backed up on disk somewhere.

-Unknown-

Word of the day: esurient:

\ih-SUR-ee-uhnt; -ZUR-\ , adjective:

1. Hungry; greedy.

Bigger Word Count to Fulfill - No Problem!

2009-10-01T01:49:00.001-05:00

Today we were challenged to write an extra amount from the 100 words per day that we were originally asked to do. We were asked to write 250 to 300 words. I chuckled to myself a little bit because I regularly write that much on this blog. I write that much because when I get started on a topic, I don’t like to wrap up until I am finished with all I need to say about what I have decided to talk about on any particular day.

We were asked to try and follow the rules of writing as outlined in the textbook today. My launching off point is combined with my reporting in which I do not know what I am going to write about so I scour through CNN.com for material to blog about. When I focus, I usually decide to discuss things that happened to me in the past day or two, or if I decide to write about something on the internet, I try to put the thing I saw in context and then write commentary on that thing that I saw. When I limber up, I like to sit in my comfy office chair in my room (its nothing special, but my bum has grown to love it) and I am a fan of having a beverage handy and/or having something to eat (I just had a bowl of Cheerios for example). Then I go about the writing itself, which usually doesn’t take a lot of time (unless I really have lots to say about it). Something that I usually lack in when it comes to the writing process is the rewriting and the copyediting. When I write, I usually like to step back from what I’ve written and decide that it’s good because I got the work done (at least when it comes to papers). When it comes to creative writing however, I do tend to rewrite and it takes me a while to finally decide that I like what I have written. When it comes to copyediting, again I use it more when it comes to creative writing rather than academic paper writing. Possibly it’s the thought that I just want to get the academic papers done while I tend to put great pride into my creative writing. I wish to write for many years to come, whether as a hobby or something I get paid to do.

Oh my, would you look at that word count. Once again, my fingers have danced around the keyboard and produced a written product much bigger than anticipated. Oh well, I guess I had something to say.

Quote of the day:

From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put

-Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)-

Word of the day: gaucherie:

\goh-shuh-REE\ , noun:

1. A socially awkward or tactless act.

2. Lack of tact; boorishness; awkwardness.

NETWORKS ARE STUPID!: (aka Cancelled Television Shows)

2009-09-29T13:40:00.000-05:00

During my ponderings of deciding what to write about today, I tend to scour the pages of the internet due to the combination of my search for material and also to my level of distraction. This morning, through a series of link-clicking of which I usually would not be able to tell you the path of (although in this instance I could but that is nevertheless irrelevant), I came across a list of network shows that never made it very far and were cancelled by their respective networks. Most of the shows on this list were either unknown by me or unimportant in my opinion, thus I will not go into great detail about them. However, it made me remember shows that I really liked and were cancelled. They also did not even make it onto this particular list.

Some of my favorites that didn’t make the list that I saw were “Joey”, “The Class”, and “Invasion”. I can understand that if ratings are bad then the show will go off the air because timeslots are valuable and television programming is a capitalist affair. Seriously though, sometimes they really screw up shows have a strong fan following, but due to poor scheduling, the network thinks that there is a poor audience. “The Class” was a sitcom written by the writers of “Friends” and “Mad About You”. In my opinion (and according to many internet postings), this show was television gold. The writing was original and smart, the casting chemistry was great, yet for a number of reasons (one of which I believe was poor scheduling) the show was cancelled after one season. This was aired in the fall of 2006 and they still haven’t released a DVD copy of it yet. “Joey” was a spin-off of “Friends” in which Joey Tribbiani moves away from New York. This one is a little more understandable why it died as it tried to develop the character of Joey in different ways from what he was classically loved on “Friends”. However, it was still one of my favorite shows when it aired and I often would come to school the next day and talk about it with my own friends. I realize that television programming is very competitive, so I understand the need for cancellations if ratings are less than expected, but what really bugs me about the cancellation of these shows is that I have seen other sitcoms that are on for multiple seasons and I think that they are complete garbage. Not funny and uninteresting characters. BOO!

What really bugs me is the situation with “Invasion”. This was a primetime drama about a coastal Florida town that was devastated by a hurricane, but with that hurricane came some strange alien beings that have infested members of the community, and the show centers around two intermingled families. This show was exciting with great twists and a fantastic, yet relatable plot (with the family dynamics of the show). I think that the reason it went bust though was because of indirect competition with “Lost” (I say indirect because it was a different time slot and the same network), and the network just didn’t take it seriously enough, with poor advertising and taking it on and off the air and changing time slots. Those people that actually wanted to watch the show (ME!!) couldn’t most of the time because I didn’t know when it was on. YOU KILLED IT ABC!!

Oh, and did I mention that all three of these shows were from different networks. “Joey” from NBC, “The Class” from CBS, “Invasion” from ABC, and I must give an honourable “you’re-an-idiot” gesture to FOX for prematurely taking “Firefly” off the air. Cult following anyone? Thank goodness for DVD boxed sets.

Quote of the day:

No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.

-Michel de Montaigne (1533 - 1592)-

Word of the day: ameliorate:

\uh-MEEL-yuh-rayt\ , transitive verb:

1. o make better; to improve.

intransitive verb:

1. To grow better.

Theatrical Appreciation Expansion

2009-09-28T15:40:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I expanded my field of theatrical and cinematic appreciation and watched a kind of movie I have never seen before. I watched a rock opera. More specifically, Repo! The Genetic Opera. Now I have seen plenty of musicals on film, including more contemporary ones, like Jesus Christ Superstar, and blood-filled ones, like Sweeny Todd: Demon Barber on Fleet Street. (Keep in mind that I am only counting those that were stage plays first. High School Musical therefore does not count, even though I still haven’t seen that anyway.) Watching Repo! was quite an experience. The only time that there wasn’t a singing was when they explained things in comic book form. Whenever words came out of someone’s mouth, that sang it, just like an opera. However, it was rock music. I must now say that I am a fan of the rock opera. Repo! was my first taste of this.

For those who have no idea what Repo! is, it’s a futuristic story when a company called Geneco is offering organ transplant financing programs (after an epidemic of organ failures). However, if people fail to make their payments, Geneco sends out Repo Men to take back what is theirs. It’s more realistic than Sweeny Todd (for those who have seen it), but still is obviously theatrical in nature. I would recommend it if you don’t mind objectionable content and if you don’t get too queasy. I loved it for the music most of all. Some of those singers just had incredible voices.

Peace out!

Quote of the day:

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

-Rodin (1840 - 1917)-

Word of the day: sinuous:

\SIN-yoo-uhs\ , adjective:

1. Characterized by many curves or turns; winding.

2. Characterized by graceful curving movements.

3. Not direct; devious.

Ambition: Pushing Me to Greater Things or Pushing Me Closer to the Edge of Sanity and Reason

2009-09-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

This being my third year of college here at Providence, things are getting busier (even though I don’t even plan on graduating this year). On paper, it doesn’t look like I should have that many things to do, but there is a heck of a lot of things on my plate that I have signed myself up for. I am only taking four 3-credit-hour courses, but on top of that, I have signed up for the year-long Communications and Media Practicum (which I am taking as an elective course, and not because its required), the two 1-credit-hour theatre electives (Applied Movement and Applied Improv), as well as being involved with every theatre production at the moment, which includes full-length production, Prov Players, and a student-directed one-act (so you can expect for me to be a regular on the theatre stage this year). At times (especially when I have 3 scripts in front of me that need to be memorized), I think “What have I got myself into?” However, if I can make it through the year and succeed at everything that I do, it will be a huge accomplishment and I will be proud of myself that I took on this challenge. I am somewhat of a yes-man, especially when it is about taking part in the things that I love. I enjoy what I do and I think that if I can overcome my struggling procrastination by filling up my schedule, then I think I will be able to maintain my ambition after I get out of school. If I actually want to do what I want to for a living, I will need incredible ambition and motivation to go out and get what I want.

Also, I must that say that holidays are a wonderful thing. Thank you God for standardized breaks!

Quote of the day:

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.

-Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)-

Word of the day: cavort:

\kuh-VORT\ , intransitive verb:

1. To bound or prance about.

2. To have lively or boisterous fun; to behave in a high-spirited, festive manner.

The Search for Alternate Fuels (aka Microsoft Rant)

2009-09-24T14:34:00.000-05:00

As of late, I have been slowly straying away from Microsoft and towards alternate methods of computing. I already have been primarily using iTunes for quite a while now instead of Windows Media Player (*shudder*). I downloaded Google Chrome when it first came out but I did not use it primarily until recently, when I completely stopped using Internet Explorer and even deleted all the shortcuts and quick-tabs for it. If I want to use IE now, I need to search for it in my Start Menu. When I started video editing a few years ago, my main tool was Windows Movie Maker. Now, I don’t touch that program unless to look at it in nostalgia or to teach my mother some basic video-making. (Seriously, I bought a program from Wal-Mart for $20 that was better than Movie Maker.) Even at this very moment, I am in the process of making sure that all my music has been converted to an iTunes-compatible format so that I can delete all of my WMA (Windows Media Audio) files. I suppose that my inspiration for moving away from Microsoft is from my friend Allan, who is self-declared anti-Microsoft. His passion against Microsoft runs on an even deeper and more passionate level.

The problem with being against Microsoft is that they have had primary control over the computing world for too long of a time. It is only in the past 5 years or so that companies such as Google and Apple have been making innovations that are putting Bill Gates in his place. (I laughed when I heard that Gates was momentarily no longer the richest man in the world.) Something that simply would have not been needed even 3 years ago is Microsoft advertising. They actually need to make an effort now. The ever-expanding alternate tools to Microsoft are bringing the company to its knees. An empire can only last so long. (Parallel to Rome anyone?)

I must make it clear that I do not boycott Microsoft in any way. Reasons why include: the longstanding infusion that it has made in the computing world (which make it hard to get away from); I am not completely displeased with everything they make (after all, I am still content with Messenger, Hotmail, and the wonderful wireless mouse that I have); and seriously, I am too cheap or wary of making a serious conversion away from Window, such as buying a Mac or switching my OS to Linux. After all, Microsoft isn’t the only one that has flaws. Even king-of-the-web Google has its flaws (see this story for details on its latest crash http://bit.ly/CxQ1h)

Just like petroleum, there are just not enough options for alternate fuels for Microsoft’s presence, but slowly we are getting there.

Quote of the day:

The only place where success comes before work is a dictionary.

-Vidal Sassoon-

Word of the day: assiduous:

\uh-SIJ-oo-uhs\ , adjective:

1. Constant in application or attention; devoted; attentive.

2. Performed with constant diligence or attention; unremitting; persistent; as, "assiduous labor."

Participating in Prayer

2009-09-23T12:49:00.003-05:00

Today is Day of Prayer. It is a day of no classes, which I am very grateful for. Of course, it means more than that, but due to the motivation of trying to be motivated for homework at all times, I have decided to skip out and work on things I need to do, since there seems to be a constant stream of assignments and readings that I must do. Not that I’m complaining, because why else am I at school. However, I still recognize the need for bonding with God and asking him for blessing, I just choose not to do it with the community of Providence. It is a personal choice not because I prefer to stay away from the crowds? No, it is simply because of the constant stream of homework, and as a struggling procrastinator, I need all the time I can get. If I am not working, I am procrastinating.

Although I do not have the time to explain it to you, I found this news story on CNN.com that might interest some of you. It’s a story about a minister who has decided to set up a chapel for truckers, and has services in a trailer at truck-stops. (FINDING JESUS AT A

GEORGIA

TRUCK STOP http://tiny.cc/HfcuK)

Quote of the day:

Bachelor's degrees make pretty good placemats if you get 'em laminated.

-Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content, 01-04-07

Word of the day: eldritch:

\EL-drich\ , adjective:

1. Strange; unearthly; weird; eerie.

Deja Vu

2009-09-22T13:40:00.001-05:00

Since CNN is not supplying me with any noteworthy stories today, I will talk about things I am up to. Well, first of all, I must say that I actually enjoyed my Monday evening class, regardless of the fact that it went 5 minutes longer than the allotted time. It is a deep, very profound, yet not boring class. It is Bible and the Arts taught by Cameron McKenzie. As a third year student, I felt confident enough to tackle a thinking course such as this. Yesterdays lecture in particular was really easy to understand because the lecture covered material that I had already learned in another course from last year. That course was Visual Communications with Dr. Nicholas Greco. Cameron cited his source, and it was the exact same book that I had in my collection of textbooks. Thus, the evening was much a mild experience of déjà vu.

I must also say that when I was I looking on my fellow classmates’ blogs, there was a link on Phil Wiebe’s blog posted yesterday that I found to be rather addicting. His blog is I See What You Did There and it should be in the list of Blog I’m Following. (And of course through that link, there were subsequent links that I followed and went deeper down the rabbit hole of distraction and procrastination.)

Quote of the day:
There's an old saying about those who forget history. I don't remember it, but it's good.
-Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, March 10, 2008-

Word of the day: cognoscente:
\kon-yuh-SHEN-tee; kog-nuh-; -SEN-\ , noun:
1. A person with special knowledge of a subject; a connoisseur.

Watching Television Awards Shows: Live or Highlights?

2009-09-21T11:52:00.007-05:00

It’s Monday, which means it’s the start of a new blogging week. So what I am I up to today. I myself am doing a lot of homework, including writing this blog. However, that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t momentarily distracted this morning (actually many moments) by things such as Facebook, Twitter, news on CNN.com and “news” on MSN Today.

Anyone watch the Emmy’s last night? Ya, me neither. I used to watch awards shows on TV and liked watching them. I have come to realize that it is like watching sports. The only reason that you are watching the game is so you can catch firsthand the highlights that are going to be aired on Sports Center tomorrow anyway. Sometimes, awards shows have those moments that you wish you actually watched the show firsthand, simply because it is vastly different from the norm that awards shows have fallen into (as in Hugh Jackman hosting the Oscars and presenting a musical number instead of the regular comedy routine), or something controversial happens that is talked about for a while after the night is over *cough*Kanye West*cough*. The only reason I would have watched the Emmy’s this year was to see if Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) would win Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (seriously, they need to make their award titles shorter), and to see Neil Patrick Harris host the event (who was also up for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - How I Met Your Mother). Unfortunately, neither of them won their respective categories. Although Jim Parsons is one of my favourite comedy actors right now, he was up against some other great actors, like Steve Carell from The Office and Alec Baldwin from 30 Rock (who ended up winning).

Coincidentally, the music that I am listening to as I write this entry is the soundtrack to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. (And the connection is Neil Patrick Harris, if you didn’t catch that.) Dr. Horrible happened to make an appearance at the Emmy’s and if you missed it, here it is. Trust me, its worth your time.

Quote of the day:

It takes hundreds of nuts to hold a car together, but it takes only one of them to scatter it all over the highway.

-Evan Escar (1899-1995), Escar's Comic Dictionary-

Word of the day: equivocate:

\ih-KWIV-uh-kayt\ , intransitive verb:

1. To be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or to avoid committing oneself to anything definite.

Daddys, Dimensions, and Dance Tunes

2009-09-18T15:19:00.000-05:00

This morning I actually didn’t have class at 8:30 like I do from Tuesday to Thursday. I receive Twitter updates from Time and one of them announced the 25^th anniversary of The Cosby Show and running with that theme, they compiled a list of the top 10 most memorable television dads. Some of them were likable, and some not. Some were great dads, some were the exact opposite. Notable mentions in my opinion were Cliff Huxtable from The Cosby Show, Homer Simpson, Steven Keaton from Family Ties, and Archie Bunker from All in the Family. (full list and descriptions here http://tiny.cc/5WpU8)

I also found on the home page of CNN.com this morning a story about 3-D technology coming to television broadcasts, particularly in sports. A new set of glasses technology will offer 3-D right in your living room. It is also only slightly more expensive than today’s high definition sets. Do I think it will catch on? Not really. Not only do you still require glasses (regardless of new technology or not) and new broadcasting medium, but 3-D does not appeal to some people because the effect gives them a headache. I think that 3-D technology is just a long-standing gimmick that has been reinvented over the years and won’t amount as a main broadcasting medium anytime soon. (here is the full article http://tiny.cc/ZeeIl)

Also, I must say that I really appreciate iTunes library sharing over the network. No matter how much music you have, you often get bored of it and thus it is nice to be able to borrow from someone else so conveniently. I enjoy finding the treasures that other people have in their iTunes.

Quote of the day:

Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.

-Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)-

Word of the day: alacrity:

\uh-LACK-ruh-tee\ , noun:

1. A cheerful or eager readiness or willingness, often manifested by brisk, lively action or promptness in response.

Poetry in the Sunshine

2009-09-17T12:13:00.000-05:00

This morning I had class at 8:30. Now that in itself is not interesting or special in any way. What made this class a little more enjoyable than usual was the fact that we had it outside. It was the Major English Writers I class with Dr. Michael Gilmour. We read and dug through one of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales as we sat outside by the fire pit behind Bergen Hall. Minus a few mosquitoes, it definitely beat sitting in a hot and stuffy Classroom 1. (For those who have taken Major English Writers II or are familiar with William Wordsworth, I think it would have been appropriate to study Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey. But alas, that course is taught in the winter semester. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you may ignore the text between the parentheses, as is grammatically implied by use of such a device.)

Yesterday, I commented on the story of a John Hopkins student killing an apparent burglar with a samurai sword. My information came from CNN.com. Today, I noticed that The Onion briefly covered the story. (Here is the link to their version of the story http://ow.ly/15Pu9Z.) Those that do not know what The Onion is, it is a spoof of serious news coverage. CNN is to the Royal Family of England as The Onion is to Monty Python. (Since Dr. Greco taught us in class to not leave things unexplained out of context, Monty Python is a British comedy troupe that was rather dry and often had a realistic seriousness about even when they were being very silly. Monty Python includes such people as John Cleese. The Royal Family of England is the monarchy of

England

that has lasted many hundreds of years and again they have an air of sophistication and class about them. The Royal Family includes such people as Queen Elizabeth II.)

(If you feel that my analogy is at fault, I recommend that you comment. If you bring up a valid point that actually matters, there is a probability of an admittance of wrong. Again, given the grammatical implications, you may ignore text surrounded by parentheses. Given that this includes the majority of today’s blog entry, this would make your reading experience much briefer.)

Have a good day! (<-- That was not in parentheses.)

Quote of the day:

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has of plenty of work to do.

-Jerome K. Jerome (1859 - 1927)-

Word of the day: efficacious:

\ef-ih-KAY-shuhs\ , adjective:

1. Capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc.

Oh, Media...The Evolution Has Come To This

2009-09-16T13:50:00.001-05:00

Today has been an interesting blog day. This past week, I have relied completely on news sources for resource. That has served well this past week because (personally) interesting things actually happened. Today’s topic searching required a little more patience and effort.

Alas, CNN.com has delivered with a story that may not hit big news all over the internet, but I find it particularly interesting. The headline struck me when I read it. “John Hopkins student kills apparent burglar with sword”. I read it, and it is what it is. A burglar was caught red handed in a university student’s garage, and four students confronted him, one with a samurai sword. The report states that sword-bearing scholar attacked in self-defence. Now I am not going to judge either the burglar or the faux samurai, but I find it funny...actually hilarious...at the choice of weapon. Only to a college student would this happen. College age allows you to tread that fine line of still thinking that swords are cool enough to actually use in a practical situation (and want to use for its intended purpose) and actually being able to purchase and afford such weaponry. Who knows, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the fascination with swords never dies. (Here’s the link to the story on CNN.com. http://tiny.cc/hSnLX)

Those still interested in the Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift narrative, West called Swift and gave a sincere apology. Swift was quoted in radio interview later saying “And I accepted that apology.” I’m glad they could work everything out. Now let’s hope the media can move on from this because I know I certainly am.

If you don’t mind a mini-rant, I would also like to say that rut that media and information technology has run itself into is that with the capacity to deliver large amounts of media means that the media consumer is expecting to be able to receive large amounts of information at any time, whether it be important or not. I think with things such as Obama being unofficially quoted as calling Kanye West as “jackass” means that the media is taking every little tidbit of controversy they can muster and turn it into a big deal. Personally, I find that a lot of the things in the information world are either irrelevant or blow way out of proportion (e.g. Obama says “jackass”).

Anyways, I fear I am writing too much and that your attention span has strayed to other things on the “multi-tasking” internet.

Quote of the Day:

The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.

-Morrie Schwartz, Tuesdays with Morrie-

Word of the Day: logorrhea:

\law-guh-REE-uh\ , noun:

1. Pathologically incoherent, repetitious speech.

2. Incessant or compulsive talkativeness; wearisome volubility.

Another Face of Hollywood Passes On

2009-09-15T12:03:00.004-05:00

Now I haven’t seen a lot of his work and as far as well-known classics or masterpieces, his only two films of note are Dirty Dancing and Ghost. However, an actor such as Patrick Swayze serves as an inspiration. His last acting role was in the A&E television show “The Beast”. Even though he was struggling through pancreatic cancer, he refused to take his pain medication while filming because he said it would have taken the edge off his performance. I watched part of that show once, and his character is a very intense character. As an actor myself, I can respect him for that. Sad to see you go Patrick Swayze.

As a follow up to yesterday’s blog, Kanye West has been doing some damage control. He appeared on Jay Leno’s new primetime show and apologized again. He also says that he wants to take some time off to collect himself and rethink his life. Ya, I think that is a good idea. Get your act together Kanye!

Quote of the Day:

The best things carried to excess are wrong.

-Charles Churchill-

Word of the Day: lucubration:

\loo-kyoo-BRAY-shun; loo-kuh-\ , noun:

1. The act of studying by candlelight; nocturnal study; meditation. (sounds like college eh)

2. That which is composed by night; that which is produced by meditation in retirement; hence (loosely) any literary composition.

A Rude Interruption at the VMA's

2009-09-14T16:10:00.005-05:00

I don’t know if you watched the MTV Video Music Awards last night. I didn’t, but it didn’t take me long this morning to get the down low about what happened last night. Among some of the more “interesting moments of the evening include the wild theatrics of Lady Gaga and the riot starting antics of Green Day. The incident that has the most attention, so much that it was on the home page of CNN.com earlier this morning and it is probably one of the more talked about things on Twitter. The amount of video blogs on YouTube and probably written blogs as well (including this one) have talked about what happened and most that I have seen all support Taylor Swift and describe Kanye West as a “jerk”, among other things. (To find out what happened, here's one of the videos. Hopefully it works.)

Personally, I was stunned when I heard about this and I was really glad that I heard that when Beyonce won her award later on in the evening, that she gave up her opportunity for a speech and gave Taylor another chance to give her acceptance speech. (After all, it’s not like Beyonce hasn’t given those before.) All in all, I hope all effected parties can move on and not dwell on the mistakes made.

And for the record, Kanye did feel bad afterwards and apologized on his blog (in which he said he would apologize to Taylor directly). Let’s hope that does some damage control for what cred he has left.
(view here for the story as per MTV.com about the apology http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1621410/20090914/west_kanye.jhtml)

Quote of the day:
Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.
-Mahatma Ghandi (1869-1948)-

Word of the day: crapulous:
\KRAP-yuh-lus\, adjective:
1. Given to or characterized by gross excess in drinking or eating.
2. Suffering from or due to such excess.

Solemn Remembrance

2009-09-11T23:59:00.004-05:00

Today, the web is filled with articles and reminders of the disaster that occurred 8 years ago. The mention of the words “nine eleven” resonates in our ears as September 11, 2001. Nearly everyone in the modern world knows what happened on that day. It was the day that a major international trade center was attacked by hijacked aircrafts and a national landmark was destroyed. This was not a disaster that was soon to be forgotten, and has still not fallen out of the public eye 8 years later. It’s hard to, especially when the resulting attack served as a catalyst for a war on terror that lasted more than two presidential terms.

Today, plans to erect a memorial structure called Freedom Tower, a tower that will itself be well over 1000 feet, is still in the early stages of construction. Also, even though this was considered one of the most tragic events in recent American history, there is no shortage of jokes that revolve around 9/11. How else do you deal with something that has mixed opinions around the subject, including those with conspiracy theories that say that the government planned the terrorist attacks? This event has also undergone a lot of treatment in the cinema, ranging from semi-fictional drama to controversial documentary.

I think that as long as we continue consuming media, we will not be able to forget 9/11. It’s being thrown at us from every medium and every perspective. Even in countries other than the

United States

. (Here's the punchline, the leader of the terrorist group al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, still hasn't been found and suspected to be still alive. OOO OOO OOO HA HA HA!!! Actually that's sad.)

Random Quote of the Day:

Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.

-Mark Twain (1825-1910)-

Random Word of the Day:

PUISSANT: /PWISS-uhnt; PYOO-uh-suhnt; pyoo-ISS-uhnt/, adjective:

1. Powerful; strong; mighty; as, a puissant prince or empire

A New Face on American Idol

2009-09-10T23:59:00.005-05:00

Announced today on CNN this morning was the name of the fresh new judge that will be replacing Paula Abdul on American Idol. And the winner is (drum roll please): ELLEN DEGENERES! This new career move will be another in the talk show host’s long career. In her 51 years on this earth, her accomplishments include 12 Emmy awards, a career as a stand-up comedienne, television and film acting, including a 4 season long sitcom and the voice of Dory in the Pixar film Finding Nemo, and most recently the host of an award-winning daytime talk show. She has also the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Academy Awards. So now she has American Idol to add to her resume of a long career in show business. She seemed very excited when she Tweeted it this morning.

Personally, I think that Ellen’s quirky sense of humour and love of music will bring an edge and a change to American Idol that the show will benefit from in its 9^th season. Even a hit show like American Idol has to change in order to maintain longevity. Sure the show may not be the same, but I don’t think that people actually want to see the same people judging a new group of singers year after year. Even the judges know that there has to be an end at some point to both their careers on that show and to the show itself. Paula Abdul has already passed her seat onto somebody new and fresh. The show can’t last forever...can it? Then again, look at The Price Is Right. *sigh* Even Bob Barker was replaced, but not truly.

Nevertheless, congratulations to Ellen DeGeneres on becoming a new face of primetime television.

Random quote of the day: To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.
-Marilyn vos Savant-

Random word of the day: Malaproprism: \mal-uh-PROP-iz-uhm\ , noun:

1. An act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, esp. by the confusion of words that are similar in sound.
2. An example of such misuse.

My First Entry

2009-09-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog entry....thus it shall be nonsensical......nanoo nanoo....NANANANANA!!!!