This billboard is for a pizza delivery company in New Zealand
2.26.2007
Oh say can you see...
Went over to Peter and Anika's Saturday night. We unfurled our geek flag and planted that muthafu@$@er on the high ground. Ate a big Mediterranean dinner and then played Magic until 2 or 3, then Anika and I played Halo 2 until 8 in the morning. Then Anika, Steph and I went to breakfast at Open City. That's right an all-nighter of geekdom and here are some pictures from the evening.
2.24.2007
2.23.2007
First Pics
These are the first pictures taken with my new Nikon
D80. Woohoo!! This thing is intimidating, so many bells and whistles,
doesn't help that I haven't yet been able to figure out how to switch the menu to English from Japanese.
And yes, as pointed out in the comments, this is Blue Plains, the sewage treatment plant for DC. What can I say, it's the view from my office where my new camera was shipped.
2.20.2007
2.19.2007
2.17.2007
New Media vs. Old Media, Post 0
A couple nights ago I went out to dinner with my parents to celebrate my birthday and my Dad's. During the conversation I mentioned how much I enjoyed this blogging thing which led to a more general discussion of blogging and its effect. Ok, in reality it led to one of my usual rants about my disdain for the mainstream media (henceforth MSM). Mom objected to this rant for two reasons: first, on general grounds MSM is better than blogs; second, on a personal level I am depressingly negative.
This series, "New Media vs. Old Media" is my response to the first claim. Like the "Language Lessons" series this is a subject which I think about a lot and so hopefully will have a new post at least on a weekly basis. Some of the topics I plan to address are the "liberal media" myth, fact-checking, journalistic integrity, opinion vs. reporting, money and journalism, "civility", the importance of MSM, why MSM needs to survive, how MSM can survive, right wing blogs vs. left wing blogs, the mainstreaming of blogs, and more.
As to the second claim, well, I'll address it in a post that I am currently writing but haven't yet finished entitled "Negativity: the new Positivity".
Cheers.
This series, "New Media vs. Old Media" is my response to the first claim. Like the "Language Lessons" series this is a subject which I think about a lot and so hopefully will have a new post at least on a weekly basis. Some of the topics I plan to address are the "liberal media" myth, fact-checking, journalistic integrity, opinion vs. reporting, money and journalism, "civility", the importance of MSM, why MSM needs to survive, how MSM can survive, right wing blogs vs. left wing blogs, the mainstreaming of blogs, and more.
As to the second claim, well, I'll address it in a post that I am currently writing but haven't yet finished entitled "Negativity: the new Positivity".
Cheers.
2.16.2007
Don't F#(& with the Poets
Was reading some posts on one of my favorite political blogs, Firedoglake (of Plamegate fame), and found this post, Don't Mess With the Poets. Now I'm not a poet in the sense that I actually write any poetry, but I am a wannabe poet in that I want to be one and because I feel a kinship to the rebelness of poetry (that is not a typo, I mean rebelness not rebelliousness) and think that if I got off my ass I might be able to make a good go at it (I'm working on it), so I read the post. Good stuff, especially as an introduction to Poets Against War. That's all for now, might expand on this over the weekend.
2.15.2007
2.14.2007
They're Still Not Ready To Play Nice, Bitches!
5 Grammys, people! That's right, the music industry served notice to the asshats who boycotted, threatened and insulted The Dixie Chicks with a big STFU! The controversy erupted during the run-up to the illegal Iraq war when singer, Nathalie Maines said "Just so you know, we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas." at a concert in London. That's it. After that they received death threats, demands that they "shut up and sing", their songs were banned from many country radio stations, there were "Dixie Chick CD Destruction Parties". Fuck, I'm ashamed and embarrassed and disgusted that the Shrub is American, let alone from Texas. Anyway, the Chicks fought back with statements like this (the statement is near the end of the article) and publicity like this. And then in March 2006 they released "Not Ready to Make Nice", an unapologetic, in your face smackdown.
I'm proud of my girls. I'm not a country music fan but I'd read the reviews before all this happened and knew that the Chicks were more than a country act, like Johnny Cash, they could transcend the genre (that's right, I just invoked Johnny Cash as a mentor or precursor to the Dixie Chicks, deal with it) but I never really made the leap (Goodbye Earl, notwithstanding) until this latest album (produced by Rick Rubin of Johnny Cash's "American Recordings" series...hmmm). Now I'm a fan, "Not Ready to Make Nice", is a great, defiant song:
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter sayin’ that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over.
I plan to see Shut Up and Sing as soon as possible.
{Fuckity, fuck, fuck, I shit you not, as I'm writing this up, iTunes, on random, with 1851 songs, plays "Bitter End" off Taking the Long Way followed by the Johnny Cash's "Personal Jesus" cover off American IV: The Man Comes Around. Spooky.}
[Ed. Note: Just so no one gets offended or bent out of shape, the "bitches" in the subject of this post and the "...bitches" tag are in reference to possibly my favorite Cute Overload post, Paws Up, Bitches! When I saw this one I knew I was hooked.]
I'm proud of my girls. I'm not a country music fan but I'd read the reviews before all this happened and knew that the Chicks were more than a country act, like Johnny Cash, they could transcend the genre (that's right, I just invoked Johnny Cash as a mentor or precursor to the Dixie Chicks, deal with it) but I never really made the leap (Goodbye Earl, notwithstanding) until this latest album (produced by Rick Rubin of Johnny Cash's "American Recordings" series...hmmm). Now I'm a fan, "Not Ready to Make Nice", is a great, defiant song:
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter sayin’ that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over.
I plan to see Shut Up and Sing as soon as possible.
{Fuckity, fuck, fuck, I shit you not, as I'm writing this up, iTunes, on random, with 1851 songs, plays "Bitter End" off Taking the Long Way followed by the Johnny Cash's "Personal Jesus" cover off American IV: The Man Comes Around. Spooky.}
[Ed. Note: Just so no one gets offended or bent out of shape, the "bitches" in the subject of this post and the "...bitches" tag are in reference to possibly my favorite Cute Overload post, Paws Up, Bitches! When I saw this one I knew I was hooked.]
2.13.2007
Language Lessons, Post 1 - OMG!
So, the other day my mother (hi mom!) sent me an email about the new U2 video and the first line of her email was "Oh my gawd!!". This made me laugh and I responded by asking if she had actually written the email (there were a couple other things like that which made me think that someone else had written it). She responded by asking if there was something wrong with saying that and basically did I have a problem with it. My response was, "no no, i say it all the time, i just thought it was funny, you sound like you're, yaknow, like 15. but if you really want to be kewl it should be 'OMG!!' or if it's something unbelievable but at the same time somewhat humorous (like, say, our VP shooting a man in the face) 'Oh. mah. gawd.'" (sorry about the double quotes, I'm anal like that, being a programmer it is important to follow "nesting" rules and with a mom who was an editor (hi mom...again) you tend to pay attention to that type of stuff, hmmm, sounds like another post).
So, then I started really thinking about the phrase. It has become such a part of the intartubes landscape that it is almost invisible, but what does it really mean and how is it that I associate different meanings to it depending on how it is presented and am I right to assign these different meanings to the same phrase and finally what is the origin of it that allows it to have so many different meanings?
Let's start with the basic different variations (I say basic because the spellings can vary):
Oh. Mah. gawd. - I start with this variation because I think it is the most indicative of the origins of the phrase as it has entered the pop culture lexicon. It seems that the phrase began with Valleyspeak, a way of speaking, almost it's own dialect, of teenagers (mostly girls) of the Valley (San Fernando Valley) in California. Valleyspeak was popularized in the 1980's by Frank Zappa's Valley Girl released in 1982 and the movie Valley Girl released in 1983. But, I don't think it became the ubiquitous, almost invisible phrase that it currently is until 1992 with Sir Mix-A-Lot's song Baby Got Back which famously starts with two valley girls and one says to the other "Oh. Mah. Gawd. Becky, look at her butt..." Classic. And when the song went to #1 that was it. Today, the use of periods differentiates this version from the others by emphasizing the full stops after every word (the use of periods probably borrowed from the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons), it usually indicates an element of disgust but since it is associated with Valleyspeak there is often an element of irony.
Ohmygod - this variation is not much in use but by running the words together I think it more readily portrays a sense of horror or disbelieving awe. I would use this version if I saw an accident or if it turned out that the city of New York was actually an alien spaceship and one day slowly lifted off and headed for another planet, think the beginning of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'n Roses. I could also see it being used as overly excited, running the words together into one, although in that sense I would expect it to be spelled, ohmigod or ohmigawd.
OMG - this is currently the most popular variation and originates from the chatroom/IM world. Since it is so widely used it is harder to define an overarching meaning like the previous two versions but generally I would say it expresses incredulous, unbelieving surprise, as in "OMG! the VP shot a man in the face!". The other use is to express disbelief as in "OMG! He did not just say that."
OMFG - this is simply a more extreme version of OMG, meaning "Oh my fucking god"
ZOMG - finally this variation comes from the gamer/hacker world. There are a number of theories regarding its origin. One is that it is just a typo, when going to press the shift key to uppercase OMG the z key is also pressed. Another theory, which I am more inclined to agree with, is that it comes from the online gaming world and means "Zombies, oh my god." This variation mostly has the same meanings and connotations as OMG but is used to indicate inclusion in the gaming world or l33t speakers.
So, I know this was long (I could go on for another 20 minutes. I ain't proud...or tired.) but I had a good time writing it and I hope you had a good time reading it.
Here are a couple other interesting things I found in my research:
This really has nothing to do with the topic but OMG!
The OMG Particle
So, then I started really thinking about the phrase. It has become such a part of the intartubes landscape that it is almost invisible, but what does it really mean and how is it that I associate different meanings to it depending on how it is presented and am I right to assign these different meanings to the same phrase and finally what is the origin of it that allows it to have so many different meanings?
Let's start with the basic different variations (I say basic because the spellings can vary):
Oh. Mah. gawd. - I start with this variation because I think it is the most indicative of the origins of the phrase as it has entered the pop culture lexicon. It seems that the phrase began with Valleyspeak, a way of speaking, almost it's own dialect, of teenagers (mostly girls) of the Valley (San Fernando Valley) in California. Valleyspeak was popularized in the 1980's by Frank Zappa's Valley Girl released in 1982 and the movie Valley Girl released in 1983. But, I don't think it became the ubiquitous, almost invisible phrase that it currently is until 1992 with Sir Mix-A-Lot's song Baby Got Back which famously starts with two valley girls and one says to the other "Oh. Mah. Gawd. Becky, look at her butt..." Classic. And when the song went to #1 that was it. Today, the use of periods differentiates this version from the others by emphasizing the full stops after every word (the use of periods probably borrowed from the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons), it usually indicates an element of disgust but since it is associated with Valleyspeak there is often an element of irony.
Ohmygod - this variation is not much in use but by running the words together I think it more readily portrays a sense of horror or disbelieving awe. I would use this version if I saw an accident or if it turned out that the city of New York was actually an alien spaceship and one day slowly lifted off and headed for another planet, think the beginning of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'n Roses. I could also see it being used as overly excited, running the words together into one, although in that sense I would expect it to be spelled, ohmigod or ohmigawd.
OMG - this is currently the most popular variation and originates from the chatroom/IM world. Since it is so widely used it is harder to define an overarching meaning like the previous two versions but generally I would say it expresses incredulous, unbelieving surprise, as in "OMG! the VP shot a man in the face!". The other use is to express disbelief as in "OMG! He did not just say that."
OMFG - this is simply a more extreme version of OMG, meaning "Oh my fucking god"
ZOMG - finally this variation comes from the gamer/hacker world. There are a number of theories regarding its origin. One is that it is just a typo, when going to press the shift key to uppercase OMG the z key is also pressed. Another theory, which I am more inclined to agree with, is that it comes from the online gaming world and means "Zombies, oh my god." This variation mostly has the same meanings and connotations as OMG but is used to indicate inclusion in the gaming world or l33t speakers.
So, I know this was long (I could go on for another 20 minutes. I ain't proud...or tired.) but I had a good time writing it and I hope you had a good time reading it.
Here are a couple other interesting things I found in my research:
This really has nothing to do with the topic but OMG!
The OMG Particle
2.12.2007
Life Goal #1 (Not necessarily in order)
So, I'm watching ABC's "Brother and Sisters" (obviously, this will need to be discussed in another post) and I realized one of my life goals. To take off in a helicopter from a rooftop in a major city. That's it, and while it is not truly #1 on the list it is ahead of world domination.
2.11.2007
Some serious cop shit
So, I was dozing on the couch, sort of watching Lost, decide to go to bed. Walk back to the kitchen, open the back door to take out some recycling, hear a cop car in the distance, coming my way, lean my head out the window to listen, realize he is coming down Mt. Vernon FAST. I can see the road from my patio window, see the cop car blow by, must have been doing 50 at a minimum, maybe more. Then the siren goes off and I hear a little screeching of tires as he stops. Then I hear some increasingly loud voices, can't make anything out until "GET DOWN ON THE GROUND! GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!" At that point I run back to the living room grab my phone slap on some shoes and bolt out the door. You can't really tell from the picture but there are 7 or 8 cop cars in front of the school, but the action was pretty much over already. I couldn't really see what was going on and didn't want to go closer, too many cops on edge. But I could see them leading some guy in cuffs away. Wonder what happened.
2.10.2007
Language Lessons, Post 0
Arguably language is the thing that differentiates humans from animals. Without language and the ability it bestows, to convey complex ideas and processes, we would be nothing more than clever hunters.
Unfortunately, because of language's defining role in human nature, I think it often gets overlooked. It is difficult to define or even study something by using the thing itself. It is like trying to explain subdivisions without acknowledging cars and roads.
This dilemma can sometimes be seen when psychologists, anthropologists or biologists try to explain why some 30,000 years ago (a number which I have completely pulled out of my ass, I'll do the research and get a more accurate number soon) our brains suddenly grew by orders of magnitude. There are many theories as to why that happened, but I think the most likely reason is that larger brains imparted more complex language skills which resulted in better survival rates which allowed a higher rate of offspring which is how evolution works (at least partially...evolutionary theory will be another series).
But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, the purpose of this post is to introduce a series of posts on language. I find all of it, the study of linguistics, fascinating. But I'm not a linguist. So, while some posts will address the higher level discussions of the linguistic world, such as, did language make our brains bigger or what is the effect of language on the developing brain, most of the posts will be along more "trivial" lines, such as, do emoticons have an effect on our intelligence, and if so, why or musings on the origins of certain words or phrases (technically, etymology I guess).
To get started here are some links (which I have not actually explored yet but will in the near future):
Wikipedia is always a good place to start (although you do have to be careful, after all, anyone can add stuff to it), here is the Linguistics entry and here is the Etymology entry. Here is the Linguistic Society of America. Here is MIT's linguistics department site, home of Noam Chomsky, one of the greatest contributors to the study of linguistics...and a transcript of one of his lectures. And finally the linguistic tag from Technorati.
Unfortunately, because of language's defining role in human nature, I think it often gets overlooked. It is difficult to define or even study something by using the thing itself. It is like trying to explain subdivisions without acknowledging cars and roads.
This dilemma can sometimes be seen when psychologists, anthropologists or biologists try to explain why some 30,000 years ago (a number which I have completely pulled out of my ass, I'll do the research and get a more accurate number soon) our brains suddenly grew by orders of magnitude. There are many theories as to why that happened, but I think the most likely reason is that larger brains imparted more complex language skills which resulted in better survival rates which allowed a higher rate of offspring which is how evolution works (at least partially...evolutionary theory will be another series).
But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, the purpose of this post is to introduce a series of posts on language. I find all of it, the study of linguistics, fascinating. But I'm not a linguist. So, while some posts will address the higher level discussions of the linguistic world, such as, did language make our brains bigger or what is the effect of language on the developing brain, most of the posts will be along more "trivial" lines, such as, do emoticons have an effect on our intelligence, and if so, why or musings on the origins of certain words or phrases (technically, etymology I guess).
To get started here are some links (which I have not actually explored yet but will in the near future):
Wikipedia is always a good place to start (although you do have to be careful, after all, anyone can add stuff to it), here is the Linguistics entry and here is the Etymology entry. Here is the Linguistic Society of America. Here is MIT's linguistics department site, home of Noam Chomsky, one of the greatest contributors to the study of linguistics...and a transcript of one of his lectures. And finally the linguistic tag from Technorati.
2.08.2007
Welcome!
Louisville, KY and Martinsburg, WV! Dude or dudettes (how do you spell dudettes, it looks weird, wait, the spelling of weird looks weird?) I love Site Meter, I know that people in Louisville and Martinsburg have viewed my site (twice each), so, hello! Who are you? Why are you looking at my lame blog? Do you know me? Do I know you? It's cool, I can appreciate lurkers and if you want to remain lurkers I'll even stop referring to you, but just wondering what's up?
Upcoming posts:
Performance evaluation.
2-0 USA-Mexico soccer discussion.
[Update: 02/10/07]
I looked more closely at the Site Meter stats and it looks like I know the lurker from Martinsburg, WV very well. Uh, it's me. Apparently, my work internet connection routes through WV. D'oh.
Upcoming posts:
Performance evaluation.
2-0 USA-Mexico soccer discussion.
[Update: 02/10/07]
I looked more closely at the Site Meter stats and it looks like I know the lurker from Martinsburg, WV very well. Uh, it's me. Apparently, my work internet connection routes through WV. D'oh.
2.07.2007
2.06.2007
My brother's famous!
He got a shout out on NPR!
A Bittersweet Guide to the Best V-Day Chocolate
Not only did he get a shout out but look at the company he is in. First, it looks like he is the only one on this list who is not either a large company or a professional. I haven't looked at all of the websites but I can guarantee he is the only one whose website is actually a blog. Second, he is sandwiched between Sharffenberger and Vosges Haut-Chocolat, those are a couple of the best in the industry. You've got to wonder what is going on at those places today, "Who the fuck are these Two Poets people, my God, they haven't even studied at some fancy culinary school, they don't even work in a restaurant, aggghhhhh!" ::head explodes:: Taking all that into account, I've got to wonder, if Ryan and Katie had some fancy boxes and some food porn publicity shots would they have made it on The Best list. I think yes...because I've had their truffles.Cold
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