Monthly Archive for November, 1999

Synchratic Dogma

Published
by
Benjy
on Tuesday November 30, 1999
in Synchronicity and Viewaskew
. Closed

So I went to the theater to see Dogma, and I sat down in a pretty good seat close to the middle of the place, and I looked forward, and saw a Chasing Amy sticker on the seat in front of me that looked like it'd been there for quite some time.

So three days after Tyler M. Roscoe (Purveyer of the Squelch) sent a message to misc that asked "[True or False] The setting of John Hughes' movies in the suburbs of Chicago is an institution." Don't get it? Go see Dogma. Just do it.

And then, wouldn't it figure that when I was walking back from Dogma, I walked past not ONE, but TWO cars with New Jersey licence plates. And it wasn't even like they were close to each other. One was making a left turn onto Telegraph from Bancroft, and the second one was parked in front of the Durant Food Court.

I saw Dogma in the afternoon, and then in the evening I saw South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. Then, after I got home, I read Ebert's Review of Dogma, and it ends with the line "[And the movie] goes so far as to suggest that God loves them. And is a Canadian." (Alanis Morissette plays God in Dogma, and she's Canadian. I knew this, but didn't remember until I read Ebert's statement.) To Fully appreciate this, you'll have to have seen the South Park Movie.

Impending Doom

Published
by
Benjy
on Tuesday November 30, 1999
in School: Finals
. Closed

I have exactly two days of classes before my first final.

Ye Gods!

This is gonna hurt... I better hang on tighter, just to keep from being thrown to the wolves. I'd start studying now, but I've got a paper that's due before the first midterm, and maybe a rewrite if I get to that point. Technically I don't have to do any more rewrites, and if I'm feeling peckish I might not, but I don't think my last two papers will be any good.

My first final is Art History, and I'm not going to worry about it very much, because I did so well on my first Art History midterm, and I'm taking the class Pass/No Pass. Oh well... So Art History is no big deal. I'll just run through the slide list once to make sure I have some idea of what the things look like, because I haven't been to many lectures during this half of the course.

After Art History is Math. Math is the final I have to kick some ass on, and I'll start studying that probably around the middle of next week. All I have to do is get an A on the final, and I should get an A in the class. No problem, huh? &%^)

Then there is the EE final two days after Math, which means that I wouldn't have much time to study for that final, because I'm going to focus on Math. If I get my EE Midterm back tomorrow, and I did really well, then I'll stay in the class. Otherwise, I've got the paperwork filled out to drop the class tomorrow. I'm fairly certain I'll be dropping the class at this point, because I have no faith in that braindead class having the midterms back tomorrow.

Impending Break

Published
by
Benjy
on Tuesday November 30, 1999
in School: Finals and Vacation
. Closed

So technically, all that I have left this semester is two days of classes (4 lectures, 2 discussions), a paper, and three finals. In reality, it will probably be two days of classes, a paper, two rewrites,two finals, and a job application. Which puts very little between me and a long awaiting drinking part... (er, sorry, Myth II reference) That is, a long awaited break.

Assuming I drop EE, that's 14 days until I'm home. Two weeks! If I stay in EE, it's only 16 days! No sweat! I can handle that, right?

Hahahaha... Well, we'll see.

Winter Computing

Published
by
Benjy
on Tuesday November 30, 1999
in Hardware, PowerBooks, Pratchett and eBay PowerBook
. Closed

So I ordered a used PowerBook for winter break. After break, I'll be selling it to Lang. I'm sure it will serve me well.

It's a PowerBook G3 Series. Not one of those new ones with the bronze keyboard, but the thicker heavier ones from before that. It packs a G3 266, 64 megs of RAM, a 4 gig Hard Drive, a built in modem and Ethernet, a 14.1" screen, two speakers, and things which I'm forgetting to mention. For this, I'm paying $1750. That's only $150 more than an iBook, and I'm getting 32 more megs of RAM, another gig of hard drive space, a larger screen, and a better looking case. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

So that machine, which I've dubbed Twoflower, will be my portable computing over the break. It'll travel with me as I travel between Bakersfield and Kernville and Wofford Heights and Lake Isabella and wherever else I might wander.

Other than that, I'll hopefully be able to take hex home over the break, and maybe I'll be able to take Dorfl home, too, to play games on. I'll have to take Vimes home, because I'm going to try to sell him, if I can get a decent price. *sniff* Vimes has been good to me, but I don't use the old man very much these days, though he's still perfectly capable.

Yes, each of my computers earned it's name.

The new PowerBook is to be Twoflower, as it'll have seen most of the United States by the time it gets to me, and it'll see even more of it by the time I'm through.

The Visor

Published
by
Benjy
on Tuesday November 30, 1999
in Opinions and Palm
. 2 Comments

So I finally saw a Visor. My initial impression is simply this: "Damn that thing's huge!"

Compared to my Palm V, even in the Hard-case, the Visor is a very big device. When I pull my Palm V from it's protective sheath, the Visor dwarfs the V. The Visor is at least twice as thick as the Palm V, and a good half an inch taller. While the Visor is also heavier than the Palm V, at least it's light for it's size.

I don't doubt that it's an effective tool, but I think I've been really spoiled by the size of the Palm V. After using the Palm V for a month or so now, I think I'd go nuts if I went back to a Palm III... I suspect that I would still manage with a Visor, but the size was... impressive.

The Speed of Technology

Published
by
Benjy
on Tuesday November 30, 1999
in Entropy, Hardware, PowerBooks, Spend, Time and eBay PowerBook
. 1 Comment

So for that PowerBook G3, I'm paying $1750. When that PowerBook first came out around a year and a half ago, it cost $3499. After a year and a half, half price! That's scary, and yet cool at the same time.

Tryptophane Weekend

Published
by
Benjy
on Tuesday November 30, 1999
in Bodfish and Vacation
. Closed

Well, I consumed relatively little Tryptophane, but Thanksgiving dinner was good all the same. I spent the rest of Thanksgiving day moving stuff in the garage. Friday I went to Bakersfield, saw Dogma with my brother and Pi and O.A., and then I helped my dad move some stuff before I went to Mike's, where we watched various DVD's, and then resorted to the tried and true: Super Smash Brothers. On Saturday, Lang and Pi and I helped my dad move the safe on to a trail or, and then my dad and I helped my dad load more things onto the truck. That night, I played a little more Super Smash Brothers, and then visited Galatea for a bit before heading back to Wofford Heights at 1 in the morning. Sunday morning, I helped unload the safe, and then I helped load the truck and trail or with garbage for the dump in Bakersfield before I caught my train, where I did a lot of reading and writing.

Did I mention that through all this moving, I had an annoying cold? I was coughing crap up over and over... It really sucked. But I survived, and what doesn't kill me can only make me stronger, yeah?

And yes, that statement has multiple meanings, though I think only one of you know what the not so obvious meanings are.

Killing Time

Published
by
Benjy
on Wednesday November 24, 1999
in Bakersfield, Bodfish, Comics and Viewaskew
. Closed

I've been killing time all afternoon, waiting for 5, so I can leave and head to Bakersfield/Kern Valley/whatever. I played some Q3 and tweaked with the graphics settings trying to make it go faster. It didn't go too much faster, even stripped of it's beauty, so I left it at the better looking settings, as it is still playable.

I drank some apple juice.

I pondered "Chasing Dogma" for awhile, which is a spiffy comic. I looked at the Clerks and Mallrats DVD's that I just got, which look promising. Ohh.. I love deleted scenes!

I cleaned up the pile of boxes a little that was sitting by the fridge. I packed. I packed some more.

I read Slashdot, and kept refreshing in hopes of an interesting article being posted. I wonder why they wouldn't post my news about Myth: Chimera... Bastards.

I read a letter/note thing from Grandmommy that I got in the mail.

And finally I came to write a bried update on the page... Now.

John Linnell and the Statesmen

Published
by
Benjy
on Wednesday November 24, 1999
in Music and They Might Be Giants
. Closed

A very enjoyable concert... Of much quality, with a few wisecracks here and there. I had fun, I was very close to the stage and right in front of the Keyboard...

But I found out, after the fact, that I missed an in-store performance at Ameoba Records in San Francisco, which REALLY irritates me. Oh well. I got a T-Shirt, which looks nice, and a copy of the Montana single. Unfortunately, I can't hear Louisianna, because for some reason the Single won't work in Seth's record player.

This has led me to the conclusion that Seth's record player sucks.

Train Rides

Published
by
Benjy
on Wednesday November 24, 1999
in Pratchett, Transportation and Vacation
. Closed

And I'm sitting here waiting for a train ride. It's going to be a long, hot, stuffy train ride. The last traing through the valley before Thanksgiving always is. Luckilly I'm getting on fairly early, so I stand a chance of getting a reasonable seat...

On the ride, I'll be reading either Carpe Jugulum or Witches Abroad, which are the last two discworld books I have yet to read. I'll probably have time to get through both of them over the break.

Over the break I'll also be watching the first two volumes of El Hazard: The Alternative World, Volume 6 of Tenchi in Tokyo, and probably the Clerks and Mallrats Collectors editions.

I'll probably see at least one movie in the theater, too. I'm supposed to take my brother to see Dogma on Friday.

Thursday, of course, I plan to eat.

I'll probably also end up helping my dad move the remainder of the garage. I hope there's not too much left...

Those are my plans.