For the simple reason that making myself miserable is entertaining

Okay, because it seems to have become ubiquitous (how I love that word...) and because I hate compiling lists (especially of the top 10 kind) I'm going to try and put together a "top 10ish animals of 2005" this year. Only about 6 or so come to mind off the top of my head, so any cool ones you want mentioned, email me. (note: Shaw: no dead species! They lost, we won, therefore they aren't cool enough to make the list. Unless they happened to be named mega-death-raptor or some-such. That would be permissible.)

Interesting in this case can be anything. Neat colours, odd behaviour, some variety of squid, discovered to be proof of minor changes in gene frequency leading to large-scale morphological difference and speciation, whatever.


(note: Animals aren't really my biggest interest, but since this coming semester appears to be my animal year, and since "top 10 fungus, lichens, and mutualistic relationships" would bore the socks of most of my readers, I'm going with this.)

Hello, and happy holidays

"Artemisia absinthium L. : A somewhat shrubby plant 50-100 cm high. Stems with many branches finely hairy leaves 5-10 cm long, several times divided into ovate or oblong segments, finely grayish hair......."
"Budd's Flora of the Canadian Prairie Provinces.

I love dad's bookshelf. I'm still discovering stuff there to read.

In other news: the holidays are going good here. It's nice to finally get a break. I hope you all had a merry Christmas, and here's to a happy New Years. I plan on spending it as is traditional: watching bad movies, avoiding singing Aulde Lang Syne (of all the great Robert Burns poems you could have chosen, why that one?) and pontificating drunkenly on evolutionary biology. (don't ask me why this happens, it just does every time TJ and I are together).

So, happy holidays, and see you all in a week or so!

Because I enjoy the song

Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants

I’m your only friend
I’m not your only friend
But I’m a little glowing friend
But really I’m not actually your friend
But I am

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

I have a secret to tell
From my electrical well
It’s a simple message and I’m leaving out the whistles and bells
So the room must listen to me
Filibuster vigilantly
My name is blue canary one note* spelled l-i-t-e
My story’s infinite
Like the longines symphonette it doesn’t rest

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

I’m your only friend
I’m not your only friend
But I’m a little glowing friend
But really I’m not actually your friend
But I am

There’s a picture opposite me
Of my primitive ancestry
Which stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck free
Though I respect that a lot
I’d be fired if that were my job
After killing jason off and countless screaming argonauts
Bluebird of friendliness
Like guardian angels it’s always near

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch
Who watches over you
Make a little birdhouse in your soul
Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

(and while you’re at it
Keep the nightlight on inside the
Birdhouse in your soul)

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch (and while you’re at it)
Who watches over you (keep the nightlight on inside the)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul (birdhouse in your soul)

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch (and while you’re at it)
Who watches over you (keep the nightlight on inside the)
Make a little birdhouse in your soul (birdhouse in your soul)

Not to put too fine a point on it
Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet
Make a little birdhouse in your soul

Success!

Well, to my great joy and satisfaction, I'm pleased to state that the cider has turned out well! We got 38 bottles out of the batch (plus one very silt-filled one that I drank to ensure that the batch wasn't poisonous) which is a pretty decent yield.
Therefore: I would like to propose a tasting night. I know several people want to try this stuff, so is there a day that works for everyone in the city? (fear not TJ: I'll bring some to New Years. Also, I found swords, and shall also bring those home.) I'm leaving for home on the 22nd, and will probably be really busy on the 21st, so before then would be preferable.

I have to say, this is pretty encouraging after the deeply disturbing let-down that was onion wine....

a variety of nothing

ARGH!! This is the most freaking irritating day of all time! Bar none! In the History Of the Universe!!! (note: I may be overstating the case slightly.) MSN has decided that my computer isn't worth talking to, I can't send files, I have the most annoying bio-chem test ever to study for, and all I want to do is go back to bed. blegh.

Is anyone else finished tests around tommorow? I need to unwind badly, and I'm curious who else is going to be free. :) and I'm sure my angry ranting is making all of you really fond of the idea of hanging out... hehe.

In unrelated news, Cronicles of Narnia was a gorgeous movie. It was amazingly put together, amazingly acted, and the sound-track was amazing. I haven't seen a movie that good in a long time.

Also: this post marks the 101st post. This rag's managed to last to the 3 - digit mark. Wow.

How to be an MD

Well, none of us now need feel inferior to med students (well, save Neddy. I mean, seriously, pharmacy? WTF?) . Here is a blog post on how best to act like one.

Highlights:
State in an unwavering voice: “You have a condition known as Todd.”

Try saying: “I am your doctor; please, let’s begin the healing process.”

“You are a harbinger of death and disease. I am here to cure you, though, hang tight.”

WebCT can kiss my shiny metal ass

You know, for a university with a high-quality comp-sci department, we sure do make a lot of painfully stupid decisions computers-wise. What monkey thought webCT was a good idea to purchase? Awkward interface, frames, bad link structure..... It's like an early 1992 flashback. I've seen Geocities pages with better design! If this is the wave of the future in education, I am horrendously disappointed.

Also, genetics class is unbelievably, painfully, extraordinarily dull to study for.

To relieve the generally high level of bitchiness of this post: Irritatingly Catchy Flash Animation!!!

Hehe

Now this is going to keep me giggling for quite some time: Chulhu Chick

Come to think of it however, it's not really like Chick tracts need to be satarized to be hillarious.

Blog recommendations, and additional wastes of time

Well, much to my dismay, I now have added more blogs to my list. Here's a couple I thought I'd share:
1st: Pharyngula: A fascinating page, primarily focused on evolutionary biology. Fun stuff, even if most of it's fairly specialized. Recently, he's posted some wonderful threads on why Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) is a git.

2nd: Bitch PhD: Intelligent, interesting discourse on feminism, child-rearing, liberalism, and knitted DNA. Reading this one just made my day. (and eventually, I hope I'll learn how to spell discourse without relying on the spell checker. I'm surprised the EU hasn't declared me anathema.)

Also enjoyable: http://www.warninglabelgenerator.com/ If I ever take the time to figure out how to post images, I'll put up some of the ones I've made so far.

doing my stupid little happy-dance now

SQUEEEEE!!!! (one exclamation mark short of insanity)
I just found out that one of my best friends is planning to get married this summer! It's hard to explain how incredibly awsome this is. Also: she wants me and TJ to be bridal knights at her wedding! This gives me an excuse to wear a kilt and a sword! I can't stop using exclamation marks!

In other news: dammit Caitlin, you've got me hooked on another bad habit. I've started taking those damnable personality tests. Appearently I'm ENTP:

ENTP - "Inventor". Enthusiastic interest in everything and always sensitive to possibilities. Non-conformist and innovative. 3.2% of the total population.

Free Jung Word Choice Test (similar to MBTI)
personality tests by similarminds.com

It's nice to know that Jung would have agreed with how I view myself. I like this quote from a site about ENTPers:
"ENTPs are usually verbally as well as cerebrally quick, and generally love to argue--both for its own sake, and to show off their often-impressive skills. They tend to have a perverse sense of humor as well, and enjoy playing devil's advocate. They sometimes confuse, even inadvertently hurt, those who don't understand or accept the concept of argument as a sport."

Dammit, arguement should be a sport! I want my own "Obstinant Bastards, live on pay-per-view".

Interesting tidbit: Johann Wolfgang (the author of Faust) had an absurd fasicination with cliffs. Ultimately, this led to his downfall. On the last day of his life, while fufilling his acrophillic fantasies, his foot got caught in a nook. He tried to tear it out, but instead, plummeted to his death.

I guess it all goes to show: Goethe pried before a fall.

Someone needs to be shot for this.

I am currently studying for "The Test That Will Destroy Any Chances I Ever Will Have At Getting Into Grad School", aka my zoology test, so this post will be brief:
First: background. In the sponges, there are three broad types of body plan: asconoid, syconoid, and leuconoid. The names are long, arcane, and don't really relate with anything easily remembered, but I can stand this.
However, the fun part comes next. What is one of the first specimens we examine? Leucosolonia. What kind of sponge is it? A bloody asconoid! I am going to bludgeon whoever named this species to death with an oar! What would be so wrong with calling it Ascosolonia? Or is simplicity/consistency in naming just too damned difficult for these damnable taxonomists! Argh!
(although in retrospect, this massive rage has helped me remember this species somewhat better. Ah well. Such is life.)

A new blog for my rants

well, I'm starting a new blog. Note: this doesn't replace this one. This will still be my primary. Blog 9 From Outer Space (B9FOS.blogspot.com) will be a site for talking about bad movies and other crap works of fiction. I shall post my first rant to it when I time to watch something worth heckling. I shall keep you posted.

Kallisti

This post goes out to the fairest. Hail Eris!

AAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!

Well, I suppose if I fail bio-chem, I can always fall back on my alternate life plan: hobo.

"A glassite axle towers from stem to stem
Containing the machineries of hell
(Where Blake might lead a skeptic angel if
He would impose his vision on that spirit),
Whose function is to suck in through the intake
The planetary gas and comet-dusts
With an electric funnel twelve miles wide,
And, like a ramjet, burn this vaporous fuel
And turn its nuclear substance into light;
Light whose reaction mass indeed is small
But whose velocity, and thus momentum,
Could scarcely be improved on by an angel.
The incandescent torch the vessel wields
Is wing and sword at once, a drive or weapon;
And harnessed to an asteroid or comet
Becomes a miner's pick or welder's arc.
The forrard lobe is full of windowlight;
Part from the radiance of ancient Sol,
Part from the fusion furnaces behind
The glasswall of the axle at the core."

Excerpt from Genesis: An Epic Poem, by Frederick Turner

Holy living fuck! Honours students can take 800 - level cources with permission in 4th year! Graduate level ecology and animal behaviour, here I come!

A realization

Having a nervous breakdown the night before you have to get up at 6:30 to work is probably not the best plan in the world. I shall endevour to schedule these things better.

Also, after hearing much bitching (well, from Kelly and Swambo. I think TJ was possitively joyful that I quit blogging) I guess I'll give blogging another shot. Let's see if I can actually start posting semi-regularly again.

I don't want to be Elfstar anymore...

I want to be: A Rodeo Clown!!!

Brunching Shuttlecocks is my I-Ching. Every time I wander through, I find new things to ponder. Today's bit of wisdom:

"Mercury

The cruelest metal. With its hypnotic liquidity, it begs you to run it over your hand, see if flow across your skin. And of course, if you do, you end up in the moron ward of your local hospital. It's as if God, having finished the whole Forbidden Fruit of Knowledge affair, turned to the transition metals for more work in the same motif. C+"

Also, new RPG idea: The Age of Chaos. D20 modern setting, basically what happens if you mix Principia Discordia/Illuminatus with Call of Cthulhu. Imagine a war between the crazy and the
Mad, for control (or in the Discordian's case, non-control) of the world, and the multiverse. Probably fairly lowish powered, except behind the scenes, but a lot of weird. Basic premise: The Beyond, a mind(?) of vast power, seeks to lock everything into mad perfection. The only people able to resist Its lures are those who gave up on rationality entirely. Norms who try to fight it almost inevitably get driven to the brink, but Weirds (ie Discordians, the Fae,the Church of the Subgenius, etc) can roll with its punches. Now the problem is organizing them....

So thoughts? If anyone likes the idea, I can start writing up some stuff for it. I'll probably start a blog for it, with anyone wanting to contribute signifigantly as a co-author.

You scored as Existentialism. Your life is guided by the concept of Existentialism: You choose the meaning and purpose of your life. “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” “It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” --Jean-Paul Sartre “It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the Truth.” --Blaise Pascal More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page... Existentialism 100% Hedonism 90% Utilitarianism 75% Justice (Fairness) 55% Kantianism 15% Divine Command 5% Strong Egoism 0% Apathy 0% Nihilism 0% What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03) created with QuizFarm.com

They've still got it.

It's always nice to have all your hopes fufilled. Went to Captain Tractor live at the Pat last night, and it was frigging awesome. The guys were unbelievably energetic, and just fun to watch. I also found out that I know basically all the words to all their songs, except for the stuff from the new album, and I'm learning those now.
Which brings me to the new album. I have to say, I didn't know what to expect when I heard that Brock Skywalker had left the band. But this new album is just damned good. It's got a lot of the feel of their first couple albums (it reminds me of Land a great deal). TJ, you're probably going to enjoy this one. It's got more of their patent silly songs than the last two albums had (example: Happy to be Unhappy: it's a gothic love song) and it has a more folky, gritty sound. It's not perfect; It's missing the angry edge that Brock always seemed to bring to songs. Also, it feels a bit too clean and polished for my tastes. Still, overall, a damned fine mix of tunes. As CT put it, this isn't a comeback album; This is a "doing what they always did, and having fun while doing it" album.

I Throw down the Gauntlet!

To TJ: (well, this may not be as much down your alley, Kelly, but feel free to play as well)

I offer a contest: Design a world!

The rules:
1. It has to be distinctly different from Earth. No alternate timelines
2. You have to design at least 5 different species, from distinct phyllums.
3. You have to detail how energy flows work on the world. Is it solar powered? What's the primary producers? Etc.
4. Any chemical system is possible (no plasma life-forms please. That's just too "anything goes" for my tastes)
5. Your creatures can't violate known physical laws. No creatures producing more energy than they take in (but a creature living off zero-point energy or cold fusion might be cool! Neither of these have been entirely ruled out)
6. One of the species has to be intelligent and tool-using, and not a damned bipedal mammaloid (is that even a word?) Any cat creatures/lizard men/humans with funny skin will be ruled dull. Other than that the intelligent species can be at whatever developmental level you want.

That is all. Post your world on your blog with a link to this post. Anyone interested?

Goldberg, eat your heart out....

For those who love the idea of Goldberg Machines....

First, the Honda ad that inspired these guys. Pretty cool looking, but just watch what it inspired.
Now I feel the need to set one of these up. Who has a free 8 hours or so?

Movies I'm starting to get really excited about...

Here's my list of must-see movies for this year:

Tideland and The Brothers Grimm: Both Terry Gilliam films, both very different looking, but fascinating.

MirrorMask: By Neil Gaiman. Very twisted, extremely interesting visually.

Steamboy: An steampunk anime about a boy and his jetpack. What more could a person possibly ask for?

Serenity: Firefly: the movie. I just don't see how I can justify missing this, ever.

Hitchhiker's Guide: Well duh. This is the ultimate geek-treat (sorry, Lucas, but this one tops you by a considerable margin.)

Stars Wars: Episode 3: That last comment aside, I still really want to see this. Call me an optimist, but I'm going to go to this one. I'm just hoping Lucas rewards my faith.

I also need to find this film: It looks like either a great film for bad movie night, or a transcendent look into the minds of one of the greatest geniuses of the last century. Or both.


Well, that's all ones I can think of. If anyone can point my way to other interesting-looking films, please oblige.

hello again!

Well, I officially have net connection here again. This is a definite plus, for I was in grave danger of aquiring a social life without it. Not too much to post here, except a point of interest: this Friday, on CKUA on the Celtic Show, Captain Tractor is going to be playing some of the songs from the new album. It'll be on their webcast at 6 pm Alberta time or 7 pm real time.

I've kicked the habit.

Well, I never thought I'd get here, but I'm officially down to around 2 cups of coffee a day. That's down from 16 around finals, so I think its an improvement. It actually hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. It just ended up that I drank less and less coffee all the time. (mind you, if I start work at a farm this year, that count's probably going to go up again. I know very few farmers who don't drink coffee in vast quantities.)

I'm going through a quandary right now: what to do next year. Right now, a large part of me is saying: "move to Edmonton!". They have an amazingly interesting-looking evolutionary biology program, whereas we have, well, just Honours Biology. And well, I'm getting itchy feet again. I don't know if moving to E-town would help, but I can't see how it would hurt. Right now, I feel like I have no place here: except for Kelly, Ryan and Sam, and a couple other people, I feel like an outsider. I really don't know what to do: I don't really want to try and restart my life in a different town, but I'm lost here right now.

so, advice? comments? a swift kick upside the head for being overly whiny again?

Say what you will about the Victorians, but those people had style. Hell, they almost invented style. Top hats, three piece suits, airships.... they had it all.

A new trade deal

Well, as I pointed out last week, Earth needs Space. And as Kelly reminded me, Mars Needs Women. Since Mars has space, and we have women, we both saw the possibility of a trade deal here.

therefore, I propose that the UN arrange for the first inter-planetary trade summit. We need to form GAFTA (Geo-Ares Free Trade Agreement) soon, lest valuable jobs get out-sourced to Mercury, or worse, Venus.

This Message Brought to You By the Institute For Really Stupid Studies.

A 2nd Look

Well, the next trailer for Hitchhiker's Guide is out. I'm of two minds. One part of me is saying: Whohoo! The FX don't look dumb, the characters all look well cast, and damn does this look fun!!
The other part is saying: it looks awfully slapstick.... Does that actually work with Hitchhiker? Well, I guess we'll see.

In other news: A Life Less Ordinary is hilarious. It's the kind of bizarre, frantic comedy that is often shot for, yet rarely done well. This is comedy done right. Good pacing, amazing acting, bizarre plot... These people make that look far too easy. And it's got crazy angels in it! Crazy angels with guns!

There is something inherently irksome about being handed a package of condoms with a "safe sex" message right before Valentines Day. I can understand the sentiment: un-planned pregnancies and VDs both suck. However, I
a) don't think condoms are the only, or even best, method of birth control. A bigger part is perhaps, oh say Avoiding casual sex with strangers! A little thought, care, and, hey, even a little self-restraint go a long way.
b) Don't like the implication this seems to have; ie: Of course you're having sex. Everyone does it. If you don't have sex you must be unloved or deviant. Yes, I'm bitterly single, but I'm also chaste by choice as well as by necessity. Sex, right now, doesn't seem that compelling an activity. I don't see how this makes me abnormal, but having condoms shoved in my face seems to say: "Have Sex Now, you puritan scum!"

However, I will eat the cinnamon hearts that came with the bundle, and maybe I'll practice making balloon-animals later... :)

ps: Why is my house no longer filled with balloons?! There is nothing more amusing that having a living-room full of balloons. It's just fun.

Happy Darwin Day!

A merry Darwin Day to one and all! (or a joyful Darmas, as they refer to it at the U of A)

This day, 195 years ago, one of the greatest and most influential people who ever lived was born. So hug your local paleontologist, and toast your neighborhood population geneticist with cheer. Through Darwin's eyes, we see how we connect with the world, and with each other. By the power of his theories, we understand our place in the world, as a small piece of the whole. It is only through looking with clear eyes at where we come from that we can truly understand where we should go.

Have you ever got the feeling like something big is on its way? That there's a huge change in the air, like life's going to do a 180? I've been feeling like that for the last day and a half. Maybe it's the extra sunshine speaking, but it feels like there's something on the horizon. I don't know how far to trust that instinct, but man if doesn't have my spirits up. It feels like the way a prairie feels after 6 months of drought, when a storm is moving in. Well, here's hoping for rain...

Like a phoenix, or possibly the plague...

I'm back!

I can here you thinking: "But Eric, you just announced you were stopping 2 days ago!" However, there's reasons why I'm back:
a) Because I've finally snapped out of my introspection (read: whiny mid-winter depression and mopeyness)
b) I've found my muse again. (She was in my sock drawer)

So on to the actual topic of this post:

Humanity needs Space. The kind with stars and stuff in it. The exploration of space (and I mean human exploration! Robots just won't cut it) is maybe the best way of keeping us from pulling ourselves apart.
Economically, space is handy. Zero gee means cheaper manufacture for many products, as well as a ready source of damned-near pure minerals, if we can beat the delta-v required to pull them in. (Delta-v is change in velocity. It's the best measure of how much something would cost in space). Economics, however, is hardly the best argument for why we have to go.

The Real drive outward should be that thing that has always brought out the best in humanity: Our drive to create, build, cooperate, discover, and explorer. ie: curiosity. I don't care what the 'return on investment' is, at least not in dollar values. Every human, everywhere benefits, at least potentially, from what we can find out there. More than that, it gives us a new challenge as a species: Take the harshest conditions we can find, and make them livable. A generation of people who grow up in space, knowing the real meaning of "live within your means" could break the current inertia regarding environmental and poverty problems. People of radically different backgrounds living together in close quarters could spark new 'micro-cultures', with who-knows-what effect on the rest of humanity. A renaissance in zero-gee art and boundary-less architecture could result. The fact is, we won't know unless we try. All of the major benefits of space travel are likely unknowable at this point, and won't be recognized until well after the fact.

I know we have problems still on earth, but humanity doesn't gain by turning away from a frontier to focus on problems at home. A new age of exploration may be what is needed to move on past these current struggles. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but my money's on it saving us.

Well, it was good while it lasted

Well, I've been thinking about this for a while, and I think it's time I shut this place down. I really have had nothing interesting to post for the last month or so, and frankly I've been wandering into inanity and pointlessness. It's gotten to the point where I can't remember why I post to this place any more.

So.... I'm going to take a break from blogging for a while. I'm not planning to delete everything on here, but I'm not going to be posting much of anything for a while. Well, folks, it was fun while it lasted. I'll see you all shortly in RL, and I hope you enjoyed my little musings.

G'night folks.

If anyone needs help moving while there is still a 1/3 of a meter of snow on the ground, I will shoot you. I'm quite happy playing good Samaritan, but even I have limits, one of which is pushing 4 different cars out of snow drifts. (on the plus side, one of said people was an attractive Scottish exchange student, so I can't complain too much.)

In other news: I'm going to be doing my happy dance for the next 3 weeks. There's rumors of a new Captain Tractor album in the works for March! Combine this with the potential of them going on tour again around St. Paddy's day, and I become a happy camper.

Finally: remind me to stop watching new Sci Fi TV shows. Now, in addition to watching Andromeda, Firefly, Buffy and Angel, I now must finish watching Battlestar Galactica. (incidentally, Swambo and Caitlin: If you want to see SF with strong female characters, pretty much all of these series are good examples.)

Just got back from the CHC (Canadian Honey Council) research symposium. That was damned fun. I've realized an important fact: all beekeepers are fucking nuts, and really, really like bad puns. Just so you all know where I take after.
Also: microbiologists seem to be incapable of speaking understandably. The other speakers (a bee-behavioral scientist and a toxicologist) were incredibly understandable. However, for the microbiologist, I think I was 1 of about 5 people in the entire room who got what he was talking about. Honestly, why even bring up PCR sequencing when you aren't going to bother to explain it? But hey, the work was interesting, and the guy giving the presentation might have work for me this summer! Yay!

Well, that's pretty much all I have to say. Incredibly pointless, but I needed something to post on this damned thing....

Surprises

Right now, I'm feeling kind of flabbergasted.

I went over to Ryan and Sam's place last night. These two are good friends of mine; Ryan and Kelly were best friends throughout High School, we game together every weekend, I was even their MC at their wedding (and an usher, and the DJ, and catering... But I digress). Now, they've decided to have a kid, sometime next fall. For me, this is great, because it means I get to babysit. I love kids, and frankly, my odds of having one of my own any time soon seem remote. So we were discussing the upcoming child, and Sam just happens to mention an interesting fact: apparently, if they have a boy, there's a good chance they'll name him after me.

This... well, this has me knocked out. I honestly don't know how to feel. I never expected this one in a million years. It's flattering, and somewhat frightening. Well, and just plain cool. The idea of a little namesake running around is very enjoyable.

Truth be told, this does more to boost my spirits then just about anything I could imagine. :) I'm looking forward to this kid almost as much as they are...

Television redeems itself!

Sometimes, my faith in humanity becomes restored. Tonight, we turned on the television, to see if there was anything even vaguely interesting. Instead, what we found was this: Rough Science. It's reality television I can get behind: send a team of scientists and engineers to a deserted area, and set them real survival challenges: map a coast-line, build a radio, create paper from scratch. It's actually enjoyable to watch: you can see the scientific process at work, and get into the real joy that is human creation. These aren't pretty people voting each other off, but people working for a common goal.
If more reality television was like this, I'd probably actually watch occasionally. I don't need a show to tell me that humans are rat-bastards who will stab each other in the back for a few dollars: I can see that every day. However, television that shows humans reaching beyond themselves, that I can enjoy.

Ps: Of course this was produced by the BBC. Are those people unable to make a bad show, or have I just not been forced to watch any?

Top 10 (ish) random things that I wish to ramble about (because it just wouldn't be a blog without a top 10 list)

1. Sporks. What the hell? Why design something that is useful as neither a fork or a spoon? It's like redesigning a pencil, so that the eraser and the tip are on the same damned end!

2. Goats.com: really people. Read this. It's just plain funny

3. Cherubim (note: not Cherubs, dammit! People need to learn how to pluralize Hebrew)
How do you go from Winged beasts,



To cute babies with wings:



I mean, honestly, can you see these little guys bearing flaming swords, to guard the way to the Tree of Life? (Gen 3:24)
(and don't even get me started on unicorns. What a waste of a fertility symbol)

4. Spirit of the West is fun. It's like what would happen if Great Big Sea, The Fables, and Crash Test Dummies were able to transform into a giant robot-mega-band, with laser eyes.

5. There is a set of words in any language that is inherently funny, no matter the context. In English, some of these are kumquat, and Lemur (note: if you don't think these are funny, then you are wrong, because this is science). I plan to discover all the words, and string them together in one big joke. Now, there are some theories that state that if I did this, it would end the universe, but hey, that's a risk I'm willing to take to be popular at cocktail parties.

6. Rabbits are Logamorphs, not rodents. Neat, huh? Personally, I think that they just pretend to be Logamorphs to get better rates at the cinema.

7. Women in ball caps are hot. Don't know why.

8. Robert A. Heinlein was a decent author. Those people who think that he hung the moon and wrote fucking Shakespeare, however, are dough-heads.

9. Noam Chomsky is the most boring fucking speaker of all time.

10. SPOOOOOONNNNN!!!!

11. I just can't imagine using dating tips written by people with this little grasp on the English language. I'm sure that they have amazing insights to share (okay, where do they hide the go-ram "sarcasm" tags in html?!) but I'm still going to give these a pass.

Well, that seems sensibly senseless. Stay tuned for the News @ 6. (It's Post-Modern news: You make it up yourself! And yes, I know that was grossly unfair to post-modernism, and I'm sorry, so please don't beat me to death with cupcakes.)

Mind... Broken....

In honour of my illustrious wine padawan's ("Its a moot point, because I'm Yoda") fascination with Leonard Nimoy, I shall share with you the most horrible things imaginable:
1) a Leonard Nimoy music video about Bilbo Baggins
2) A collection of Star Trek related songs sung by Leonard Nimoy
Yes, I hate me too for posting this, but hey, misery loves company.

Wow, someone who understands me... oh wait, it's just a random net quiz

Your Silver-Age Superhero Career
LJ Username
Your alias first-name is:	AstroAtomicBitterBlackBlueCoffeeDangerDarkDeathDoomFunkyGreenHappyHarmlessHyperLemonLethargicLiberalLightningMedicatedMegaObsessiveParanoidPlasticQuantumRedShadowSilverSleepyStarSunshineSuperTacoTheUltraWonder
Your alias last-name is:	BadgerBoyBozoBubblesCatCaptainChefChiefCowDogDudeGalGirlGuyKidKnightLadLassManMuffinNeighborPersonPigSquirrelStormThunderWoman
You can turn....	angerchocolatecoffeeheatkinetic energykittensleaveslightmedicationmoneypizzasoundsugarwater
...into:	cheesecredit card receiptsdisappointed relativesexcusesgood vibesgrapeshairHTMLicelaserslightningLJ postsmilkmilk jugsMountain Dewoptic beamspainparking ticketspuppiesraisinssmokesnowsocial awkwardnessspare changesquirrelstoothpastewallpaperwine
You team up with...	Error
...to battle:	the New York Yankees
You petition to join:	Mensa
Their response:	"Okay. Just don't attract too much attention."
You are best remembered for:	your 64-point game against the Milwaukee Bucks
Your heroic level: - 100%
This cool quiz by sigma7 - Taken 35906 Times.

New - How do you get a guy to like you?

A few things

Well, I'm killing time, trying to avoid studying for botany, so I thought I'd put out another set of incoherent musings.

Point the First: I'm starting to think that onion wine may have been a bad idea. Now, I can here the collective shout of "DUH!" going up, but I still think it was worth a shot. However, I'm starting to understand how Hercules felt when he first smelt the Augean Stables... No sane person should be obligated to smell yeasty onion. I'm still holding out hope for this one, but if it hasn't improved at second racking, well, my wine Padawan and I shall have to make a decision whether or not to kill our baby.

Point the Second: Colds really suck, especially the kind that leaves you shivering on the floor for several hours. I don't get sick too often, but when I do, I'm usually hit pretty hard. I think after a certain point, my immune system's union decides that it needs more hazard pay, and goes on strike.

Point the Third: Soul Coughing is amazing. I re-realize that every time I plug their "Best of" album in. The only problem is, it makes some of the worst background music ever. Every time I listen to them, I have to turn all the lights off, and just listen. (Also makes damned fine night-driving music.)

Point the Fourth: This is amazing. It's a pseudo-webcomic, and highly enjoyable. The archives are small, but from what I've seen, this is going to be on my "check all the time" list. It's got a wonderful, minimalist style, and amazing photography. I just love it.

Well, and back to studying... yay.

Coping

Here I sit, listening to angry folk and drinking aged whiskey. I found out yesterday that my uncle died. I'm still trying to understand how I feel about this, or maybe how I should feel about this.

I barely knew Axel. He was my dad's brother, older than him by 2 years. He lived mostly in BC, so we rarely saw him. What I did hear of him was never good: a thief, a man who basically sponged off others, and lived out of his car. (But what separates him from me? What gives me the right to judge him? I don't know the circumstances of his life...)

All I can feel right now is a sense of sympathy for his wife and kids. For him, I feel a detached sense of loss, but I honestly have nothing else to tie any other feeling to. I wish I had known him better, even if he wasn't the best person in the world. I really have no idea of who he was as a person, and now I'll never really know.

You must see this...

Sometimes, something comes along, so breathtaking, so striking, that it changes everything you thought you knew about beauty. I think Broken Saints has that spark to it.

Don't check this out if you don't have a good connection or a great deal of time. However, if you do, then I'd say this is a must see. It's set up as an animated comic book: text dialog, along with fixed pictures, played using Flash, with a bit of animation and a beautiful background score. This alone would have made it interesting, just because it hasn't been done before. However, it's the writing that got me. I've only watched the opening 18 minute chapter, and already, I'm hooked. Elements of mythology, religion, and technology weave their way through different locales, using only the bare minimum of explanation, letting the art do the talking.

Okay, I could rave about this comic (movie? What would you call this?) for a lot longer, but frankly, checking it out for yourself is worth so much more. So, stop reading now, and follow the damn link! Krull commands it!

Here's hoping the rest of the work (12 hours of it... wow) keeps up with what I've seen so far....

III'mmm baaaaccckkk

Yay! I am now the proud owner (again) of my own damned PC! No more surfing the net on school computers! Hopefully, this means I'll be starting that Steam Punk game soon (so you can rejoice, TJ) and posting here more often.

Okay, since this seems fun, and because I have marching orders from my commandant, I shall now inflict a survey on you! Bwahahaha.

Three Names You Go By:
1. Eric
2. Ricky
3. Sven

Three Things You Like About Yourself:
1. I love the bizzare
2. My drive to understand and explore
3. I know who I am

Three Things You Hate About Yourself:
1. my lazyness
2. compulsive behaviours
3. my lack of any self-confidence

Three Parts of Your Heritage:
1. Humanity
2.
3.

Three Things You're Afraid Of:
1. mediocrity
2. Living a life without joy
3. Jesse Third.

Three of Your Everyday Essentials:
1. Wine
2. Coffee
3. nature

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. sweater
2. wool socks
3. 'push on this' shirt

Three of Your Favorite Bands:
1. Captain Tractor
2. everything else varies from day to day.
3.

Three of Your Favorite Songs at Present:
1. Captain Tractor - 1000 goodbyes
2. The Pogues - New York Fairytale
3. The Beatles - Ob-la-di ob-la-da (Life Goes On)

Three Things You Want To Try In The Next 12 Months:
1. Tree Planting
2. Writing "Maurice, King of Canada"
3. Learning the violin

Two Truths & A Lie:
1. I once chased a car down with a cabbage
2. I've tried camel riding
3. I declared war on gravity

Three Things You Just Can't Do:
1. listen to an entire Lenard Cohen CD
2. Smoke
3. get a lip ring

Three of Your Favorite Hobbies:
1. role-playing
2. flying (really, more of a way of life...)
3. Photography

Three Things You Want To Do Really Badly Right Now:
1. Go travelling again
2. Skydive
3. go to a mall in a pirate hat and a lab coat again....

Three Careers You're Considering:
1. Ecologist/evolutionary biologist
2. coffee shop owner
3. traveller.

Three Places You Want To Go On Vacation:
1. Madagascar
2. Brazil
3. Iceland

Three Things You Want To Do Before You Die:
1. have a family
2. Spend time on every continent
3. Fly/own a zepplin

A challenge

Okay, here's an idea for everyone on here who enjoys telling stories (and I'm going to take a leap here in saying: all of you. Don't try to deny it TJ, because I've heard you tell them. You wouldn't be in paleontology if you didn't.)

I just read this story over on cbc.ca. In short, the guy is asking: can anyone write a story in Star Trek (read, SF in general) style to convince people that space exploration, even if only to find fossils of other lifeforms, is worthwhile and exciting.

So, I put it to you, oh creative and brilliant readers, what would be a good story idea? What could you do to make this idea exciting, while keeping the science real, and avoiding stupid Hollywood premises like "secret alien artifacts found on mars!!"? I'm tossing around a couple vague ideas, but I'm curious to see what other plot concepts you guys can come up with.

So, any thoughts?

Disclaimer: this is a pretty personal post, without much relevance to anyone besides me. Feel free to ignore it.

I've come to a realization: I'm really bad at writing. That's not to say I'm a bad writer, since objectively my writing doesn't seem to bring anyone pain. However, anytime I sit down to write, I find myself constantly questioning wording, comprehension, even basic grammar, to the point that I become paralyzed. I go entire weeks without posting here, not because I have nothing to say, but because I honestly can't get what I want out onto the screen. Right now, I've got Open Office open, staring at the screen trying desperately to write a 500 word essay. I can here all you humanities majors scoffing at the idea of a difficult 500 word essay, but I honestly can't even figure out the starting sentence. The only time I never encounter this problem is when I have no choice: when I'm writing essays on finals, I get 90's. When it's the last day before an essay is due, the words just flow. But give me a two month deadline, and I'm stuck spinning my wheels. It doesn't help that I'm naturally inclined to put things off, so everything I do is last minute. And when I do write something, I'm loath to look at it again, for fear that what I've written is entirely incomprehensible.

So, have patience with me, for not posting here, for not responding to comments, for not submitting to things. It's not that I don't want to, it's just sometimes too much to deal with.

A few New Years reflections

Well, another exciting and eventful New Years past. I think I learned (or was reminded of) quite a few important things:

1. Never, ever, mix homemade apple wine and coffee pudding. It doesn't leave you hung over per se, but I imagine that feels a great deal like what a hang-over would feel like if it was invented by a guy with a really mean sense of humor and a penchant for raspberries and cinnamon.

2. The British still have a knack for dry humour. Shawn of the Dead is possibly the funniest movie I have seen in 2004 (with the possible exception of the Incredibles). However, I still consider Bubbah Ho Tep to be the best Indy/cult movie of the year. Shawn was hilarious and had great action, but Ho-tep transcended both humour and action, ascending into a state of zen-like surrealism that my mind wanders through on a daily basis.

3. The most sublime glorious moments are those ones that happen when you just shut up and let the world talk to you. I am still struck by the image of looking up for just a second, and seeing the moonlight broken into a thousand pieces by the swirling snow. I don't know the words to describe how deeply that moment affected me.

4. There are bad movies, there are bad movies, and then there's Lawnmower Man. Those who have spent any time around me know me as a person who adores watching a truly bad film. Therefore, understand what I mean when I say I wish never to think about Lawnmower Man again. When you're half-way through the movie and you're still wondering if this wasn't just a really low budget, oddly shot soft-core porn, you know you have reached a new pinnacle of bad. I'm really starting to wonder what the hell is wrong with Stephen King. Does he sell movie rights to crack-dealers on the street? Does he never watch his own movies? Or, is it that all the stories he ever wrote that were worth making into movies were made into movies in the first 2 years, but the studios know that anything with his name attached would sell, so just produce every story he wrote?
In summary, this movie was bad, bad, bad. Which probably means that it'll become tradition to watch it every New Years, because hey, it's me and TJ.

5. The greatest thing anyone could ever hope for is to find a friend like TJ. I really like having someone around to finish my thoughts, throw me in snow banks, and trust with anything. Knowing people like TJ are what keeps my faith in humanity alive.

6. 1992 was a really useless year. We pulled out the old "1992: Year in Review Trivial pursuit" game (yes, my entire family are all geeks), and were bored to tears. Apparently Ross Perot was a hot topic that year. However, playing the game we found out about the band "Elvis Hitler", who's album "supersadomasochisticexpialidocious" I must now find.

Well, that was my New Years.... Pretty much a standard one for our group, which really is sad beyond belief....