Research Yay.

I am absolutely exhausted, so I thought I'd take a break from this paper to write a bit, randomly of course :) I've been writing a paper since 6:30 this morning, breaking only at 5 to go take a History final. Now I'm back again to try and finish this "loose baggy monster". It's not that long, only ten pages, but the research was kind of intense and all over the place. Basically I'm positing that Melville's Moby Dick can be considered a continuation of the Romantic Movement. That is, the British Romantic Movement, none of this American Romance novel -- although that would have been interesting since I happen to love Hawthorne, but I feel more at ease speaking about the Romantic Poets and quoting them than I do Hawthorne and other Americans. I am including Emerson in the group though, because his "Nature" and "Self Reliance" fit well. Unfortunately I had to exclude Johnny Keats, which is sad because he's my favorite. But really, I can't go writing a book here! It has the works, from commentary on the inefficiency of language to the Byronic hero, so if I can just get it all on paper in some coherent manner, I may just get a respectable paper out of it. Anyhow, it is going rather swimmingly besides me having trouble focussing. Obviously.
My original research project was about how technology drives the American novel/ life/ ideal/ something... not a very well thought out thesis apparently. It makes sense in my head though. I was going to use the daguerrotype in The House of the Seven Gables and fingerprinting in Pudd'n head Wilson and then something in Moby Dick but I couldn't find ANY sources or work on that subject. Seems ridiculous to me! It seems kind of an obvious connection... I did look up some stuff about the automobile and American Literature, but most of the works referenced were post 1940's. So yeah I scratched that yesterday, which left me one day for the new thesis. Yay.
Well, blah blah blah :) Back to tedium :D

And now, for your general amusement :

The Chair Made Him Do It!!!!

Thanks to Rhea for this one :) Rofl.

Apples to Apples

I thought this was well done, and slightly fascinating. I love simplicity :) Also, having lived on an Apple Orchard, this lil vid holds a special place in my heart. Enjoy :)



The Seed from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

craigslist and a random find

Ok, now how cool is this? Craigslist is great when you need to find things -- whether you need them cheap, or fast, or like the keep money in the area, or like to barter, or are looking for something unusual, or free ...you name it :) I really like Craigslist, but I'm not gonna lie, I find their search tools inadequate at best, annoying to say the least and really, just not aestetically pleasing. Well today I ran across the CraigsList Reader over at Lifehacker.
Simple program, with a pretty nice interface that makes Craigslist more efficient and better looking. And of course, its free! I love it :D Of course, I havent tried it out yet, so we'll see :)


Also this has nothing to do with the above, but i ran across this weird yet strangely intriguing website today : ManBabies... That is weird.

And finally, I love Passive-Agressive Notes and this one on the Vending Machine made me kill myself laughing today:

Venting Machine :



Also, this one is genius: Broken Glass

Keyboard Education

Ok so this probably marks me for life as a nerd, but I actually got excited reading this post over at LifeHacker. It's mainly about keyboard shortcuts in Firefox (which if you're not using, you should be :)), which is awesome because I'm one of those people who would rather not use the mouse if I didn't have to. Also, using the touch pad on a laptop is rather annoying, and every time I reach, claw-like, for my cellphone, I really think its time to stop using a mouse :P. So, Keyboard shortcuts become intriguing and useful :). On top of it, I have a theory: Keyboard shortcuts improve memory in an era of technology that allows you to let memory shrink into oblivion. Furthermore, I think using keyboard shortcuts foster creativity and logical processes. Now, I know that seems a bit at odds, but I assure you its not :) Just try using them, you'll see. I know its difficult at first, but after a while it gets faster and makes perfect sense. Sort of like learning to type; you think you do just fine, and even well, and learning to type seems tedious and in fact pointless, but eventually, with some persistence and practice you have the epiphany. Start with the easy ones:
New Tab: Ctrl+t
Switch Tabs (1-9): Ctrl+(1-9)
Search Bar: Ctrl+K
You'll find them making your time on a browser just a wee bit more productive :) And if you're anything like me, someone who multi-tasks like the devil, this will be a wonderful thing.
Alright, alright, I'm finished :) But really check it out :) Even you Katie!!!!! :P

Shipping Containers... Home Sweet Home?

Innovators:

Radical architect Adam Kalkin '84 designed something called Quik House, a kit home built around five recycled shipping containers—"the chicest weekend retreat one can buy for $99,000," according to Vogue magazine. Winner of the P/A Young Architects Award in 1990, Kalkin created a customized version of the Quik House for an exhibition at Deitch Projects' Wooster Street gallery in SoHo last year. "Suburban House Kit" featured skylights, mahogany sliding doors, a stainless-steel kitchen, custom-designed carpeting, and a stainless-steel hearth.
Quik House is all the rage among the design elite (fashion designer Cynthia Rowley and interior designer Albert Hadley are among his clients). But Kalkin envisions another use for his Quik House, as well. He is currently collaborating with the Pingry School (Kalkin is an alum) on a year-long project to build a disaster relief housing prototype on the school's Martinville, New Jersey, campus. "Our objective is to create an inexpensive, quick, and environmentally sustainable architectural system that could be used by millions of inadequately housed people around the world," says Kalkin. Students will work with Kalkin and faculty in the fine arts, computer science, and biology to address economic, agricultural, energy, health, and social issues relevant to disaster relief in addition to participating in the construction of the prototype. 'This project will benefit the student community at Pingry," Kalkin says, "but more importantly it will contribute to the discourse surrounding the issue of adequate housing throughout the world.' "

What do you think?

More: http://www.aavc.vassar.edu/vq/articles/Containing-a-Home

Random tribute

My sister and brother: I love them, I'm proud of them and I miss them something fierce.

This is a really powerful video shot with just a cell phone in two cities, NY and Sydney. I think this issue is really rather complicated, nevertheless this video does a good job of removing it (a bit) from the political sphere etc...





linked from Mark Kaske

The Onion is great :D



Pre-Game Coin Toss Makes Jacksonville Jaguars Realize Randomness Of Life


Totally reminiscent of one of my favorite Monty Python Skits:

Darwin and Random Shite...its really not fair at all

ok so. not much is going on but i shall post a blog regardless :D... bunch o random shite :)
lemmmmme seeee. So. I graduate in May. Yeah i know, totally cool, kudos to me :D lol woohoo now im a dork with a degree... what else..oh i think we should pronounce yahoo "ya ho ho" much funnier that way, no? ho ho? lol jeez i crack myself up...oh btw i love the headliner on yahoho " Was Ferocious Dinosaur a Chicken?" Good God! its come true, the dreaded T Rex was merely a chicken pumped on steroids...i wonder how many home run records he holds...anyway though, thats a relief, next time im being chased by a T Rex ill just crush his self confidence " Go away you big chicken! pick on someone your own size!" That of course is after i get him into water....errrmm...but really i think thats unfair now! A chicken got to be a T Rex and all we got was monkeys! seriously, whos running this thing! Gosh! But for all you lizardkingaphobes, rest assured, we now know the dreaded chicken dance will bring this daunting poultry to its knees, which interestingly enough might make him (or her) fall on his (or her) head. If you can sing da da da da da da da, then no chicken, be he small or mighty, can disturb ye! You will prevail!...ok yeah....So if a tyrannosaurus rex lays an egg on the roof of a barn....i dont know....this puts a whole new spin on the Subservient Chicken... oh and btw, stay tuned for under species of "Gallus Domesticus" the entry, tyrannosaurus rex.
What else? oh " Lennon's Son Sells Rights to Pops Tunes"... Good Job Julian :) nice. I love how everyone owns the rights to the Beatles tunes, except the beatles themselves RIP JL. Seriously now, i love how MJ and im not talking about Michael Jordan (who btw is set to have the costliest divorce in history, Good Go MJ way to be a role model. ....wife:"I want half your fortune, and btw, you suck at basketball! Pffft wannabe, why cant you be more like John Stockton" Good Go, Good Go), owns the rights to Beatles music. Thats great. So every time we listen to a Beatles song, we pay for MJ to have all pedophile charges dropped....lalala Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous....*woohoo rock on*
Ok so enough about them eh? I could go on and on...that would be sort o' fun though...hmmm...so sad how nothing goes on. Except the weather...freaking gorgeous *knock on wood* oh and just for a kicker, since we're on the evolution bit of things : http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/chimpsspottedusingcaveslikeearlyhumans
Good Lord! an animal found shelter in cave! Crazy, its like planet of the Apes *shivers*... Again, i say we must have evolved from at least Bears right? They live in caves! i mean come on how fair is that : either way you swing it, the chicken gets off with the better deal *huge and scary lizard* to little chicken but * with feathers and wings* and all we get is an opposable thumb and good posture??!!! im calling the no fair police on this one....DAMN YOU SALAZAR!!!!!!

Disclaimer * i came up with all this crap on my own...no chickens were harmed in this experiment, except the one that realized it got the short end of the stick with the whole feathers and egg thing* *and no i didnt read this over, so excuse the sppppelllling misstakes, two s's ? i dunno* ok going to class now. Out.

04-13-07