Oftentimes, when people find out that I'm currently studying mechanical engineering, they ask what it is mechanical engineers do. And the answer, as you may have guessed, is a lot of things. A mechanical engineer could create (design/build/etc.) anything from 1 small part in an ink-jet printer to the entire heating/ventilation system for a football stadium.
Oftentimes, the next question I get is something to the extent of "so what do you want to do?" And the answer, as you may have guessed, is I don't know. I'm just not sure yet. Currently, I'm thinking that I would like to be in some way involved with something like this. Or this. Something that has to do with the exploration of this.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Also, there have been 7 different World Series champions in the past 7 years. Can football say that about the Superbowl? (no)
And finally, today, I am 22.5 years old. Let's get wasted.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
On Baseball
Last night's NLCS Game 7 between the Mets and the Cardinals was the best I've watched in a while. I don't get to watch many baseball games, but the point is, this one was excellent. Good pitching, good defense, high stakes (obviously), clutch performances, etc. The first thing to comment on is Endy Chavez's catch. Check it out at mlb.com. In a game tied 1-1, with his team performing horribly on the offensive end, he saves a two-run homer by jumping a good few feet from the fence, and catching the ball that was well over the wall--his elbow was above the top of the wall when he caught it. And this was a snow-cone. Then they double up the runner on first. He turns a potentially crushing two-run deficit into an inning-ending double play. The problem is, the Mets ended up losing anyway. If the Mets were to win, this play would go down as one of the best ever, given the circumstances. As is, people will be talking about it for days, maybe weeks, but not years.
Next up is that curve ball by Cardinal 9th inning pitcher Adam Wainwright. That thing was nasty. I don't even blame Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran for striking out looking.
Thirdly, if you are a Met fan, you have to regard this season as a failure. Since the beginning of the season the Mets were supposedly the only good team in the National League. It was gonna be them vs. the AL rep in the World Series. What they forgot was this: teams tend to pick it up in the Playoffs. Not that the Mets didn't necessarily. But they were not challenged at all in the regular season. So to face a challenge in the Playoffs--they just weren't ready for it. Their bats faltered. Good pitching will beat good hitting in the playoffs, almost always. You saw it with the Tigers beating the Yankees. You could point the finger to injuries on the Met pitching staff; they were without their #1 and #3 starters. But pitching was not the problem. The replacement starting pitching did pretty well, especially in the crucial 6th and 7th games. It was the bats that were shut down.
And finally, here's why you have to love baseball: At the beginning of the regular season, how many people predicted Cardinals vs. Tigers in the World Series? Probably about 7. At the end of the regular season, how many people predicted Cardinals vs. Tigers in the World Series? Probably like 3. Out of all eight teams going into the playoffs, these were the two worst in the home stretch of the season. The Mets and Yankees clearly had the most talent. But to win a championship, you talent and you have to perform. The Tigers and Cards did that better than the other teams, and it's those teams I will be watching while drinking on Saturday night. Cheers.
Next up is that curve ball by Cardinal 9th inning pitcher Adam Wainwright. That thing was nasty. I don't even blame Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran for striking out looking.
Thirdly, if you are a Met fan, you have to regard this season as a failure. Since the beginning of the season the Mets were supposedly the only good team in the National League. It was gonna be them vs. the AL rep in the World Series. What they forgot was this: teams tend to pick it up in the Playoffs. Not that the Mets didn't necessarily. But they were not challenged at all in the regular season. So to face a challenge in the Playoffs--they just weren't ready for it. Their bats faltered. Good pitching will beat good hitting in the playoffs, almost always. You saw it with the Tigers beating the Yankees. You could point the finger to injuries on the Met pitching staff; they were without their #1 and #3 starters. But pitching was not the problem. The replacement starting pitching did pretty well, especially in the crucial 6th and 7th games. It was the bats that were shut down.
And finally, here's why you have to love baseball: At the beginning of the regular season, how many people predicted Cardinals vs. Tigers in the World Series? Probably about 7. At the end of the regular season, how many people predicted Cardinals vs. Tigers in the World Series? Probably like 3. Out of all eight teams going into the playoffs, these were the two worst in the home stretch of the season. The Mets and Yankees clearly had the most talent. But to win a championship, you talent and you have to perform. The Tigers and Cards did that better than the other teams, and it's those teams I will be watching while drinking on Saturday night. Cheers.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Here's something to comment on...
So I was having a discussion the other day...is there a band that "defines" our generation? First of all, its a hard quesiton because generation itself is hard to define. I think they say a generation is 30 years, but thats bull. Lets define my generation everyone between 2 years below me and two years above me. If that's two narrow, make it 3 or 4 or whatever. But I think the pop culture scene of those born between 1982 and 1986 is pretty uniform and well defined. But I digress.
I would argue that if there is a band that "defines our generation," it's Green Day. Based on awesomeness and longevity. Who else? Nirvana? Too short lived. Metallica? A bit before our time. Green Day has been more or less the band from about 6th grade until now. Between albums their popularity shrinks a little bit, but every album is a big deal. What's also interesting is that the peak of their popularity happened with Dookie - around middle school. But now, with American Idiot, they may have even surpassed that popularity. The shame is that despite how big that album is, I don't think most people know how brilliant it is. And now with the social commentary they got going on, I don't think there is a better choice for "band that defines our generation." Am I wrong? Please tell me.
The other problem with the question is that the music scene is way more diverse now than it used to be. With our parents, you can be pretty confident that its gonna be the Stones, the Beatles, or Zeppelin. Maybe Hendrix or Pink Floyd. But now, not so easy. Take hip-hop. Our parents didn't even know that hip hop would, at some time, exist. I think you could make a case for Snoop or Jay-Z defining our generation. Im not sure if they reached a wide enough audience. Maybe they did though. I wonder if there are more people my age (if any) who have not heard of Greed Day, or Snoop Dogg. I guess you probably can't define an entire 4 years across the board. You probably have to get a more narrow demographic to find a band that defines it.
Lastly, I've noticed a lack of comments. Maybe because no one reads this. Maybe not. You should comment. It makes me feel important. And come on, this is a good discussion, no?
I would argue that if there is a band that "defines our generation," it's Green Day. Based on awesomeness and longevity. Who else? Nirvana? Too short lived. Metallica? A bit before our time. Green Day has been more or less the band from about 6th grade until now. Between albums their popularity shrinks a little bit, but every album is a big deal. What's also interesting is that the peak of their popularity happened with Dookie - around middle school. But now, with American Idiot, they may have even surpassed that popularity. The shame is that despite how big that album is, I don't think most people know how brilliant it is. And now with the social commentary they got going on, I don't think there is a better choice for "band that defines our generation." Am I wrong? Please tell me.
The other problem with the question is that the music scene is way more diverse now than it used to be. With our parents, you can be pretty confident that its gonna be the Stones, the Beatles, or Zeppelin. Maybe Hendrix or Pink Floyd. But now, not so easy. Take hip-hop. Our parents didn't even know that hip hop would, at some time, exist. I think you could make a case for Snoop or Jay-Z defining our generation. Im not sure if they reached a wide enough audience. Maybe they did though. I wonder if there are more people my age (if any) who have not heard of Greed Day, or Snoop Dogg. I guess you probably can't define an entire 4 years across the board. You probably have to get a more narrow demographic to find a band that defines it.
Lastly, I've noticed a lack of comments. Maybe because no one reads this. Maybe not. You should comment. It makes me feel important. And come on, this is a good discussion, no?
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Bronx Bombers (bomb in a bad way)
Yesterday both the Yankees and Dodgers got eliminated from the playoffs. Awesome. I told my friends that if the Dodgers won the World Series, they were going to need to be on suicide watch for me. So I'm pretty pumped that they got swept in the first round, even though I never actually thought they would win.
But it is the collapse of the Yankees that is the real story. In game one of the series vs the Tigers, their line up featured a combined 42 All-Star appearances. I'll say it again. FORTY TWO All-Star appearances. That's an average of almost 5 per player. Robinson Cano was the only one without multiple All-Star appearances. He has only one. Note that he just finished his second season. Also note that he is the Yankees' number 9 hitter and that he hit .342 this season. This is likely the most talented line up ever assembled. And they get their asses kicked around by the Detroit Tigers, a team that lost 119 games three years ago. But that was three years ago. This Tigers team is legit, and I'm happy for them. Watching them celebrate last night made me want to be a fan in Detroit.
But the point is that the sky is somewhat falling here in the Big Apple. The Yankee payroll this year was $199 million. The next closest is $69 million lower. Four Florida Marlins teams could fit in that gap (the Florida payroll is a mere $15 million). Naturally, Yankee fans are pissed. I would be too. But there are a number of things that I would like to sound off on:
It's been six years since the Yankees have won a World Series. And people are absolutely freaking out. Six years? Big fucking deal. Try being a Giants fan where it's been over 50. The fact that six years is a big deal is a testament to how lame the Yankees, their media, and their fans are. Some people are criticizing General Mangager Brian Cashman for failure to produce a championship team despite virtually unlimited resources. This is highly unwarranted. He put together an All-Star team, literally. I'd say it's up to the players at that point. I think this whole story says a lot of good things about Major League Baseball though. It shows that just getting all the talent money can buy is not necessarily the right way to go. Team chemistry is important. I love that. What I also love is the whole A-Rod saga. The guy chokes bigtime. It's just as fun rooting against A-Rod individually as it is the Yankees as a team. He makes $25 million dollars a year, and is totally not worth it. And everyone jumps on him for it, and he lets it get in his head. Awesome.
Finally, from what I am hearing, it is likely that the Yankees are going to fire Joe Torre and replace him with Lou Pinella. Bad move in my mind. I think there is a valid argument in that perhaps just a general change is needed. But as far as second guessing his decisions, that should not be the reason. Maybe he made some mistakes, maybe he didn't. But he's still Joe Torre. What about him has changed from the dynasty era of '96 to '00? But maybe the Giants will get him. That would be interesting. Although I don't see it happening. For some reason I just don't think he would fit.
In other news, I hope the T.O. saga reaches new heights today in his return to Philidelphia. Maybe like a fight with a fan or something. Or going to spike the ball at the 50 yard line again as he did as a 49er against the Cowboys. Obviously the smart thing to do after scoring a TD would be nothing. But he's not the smartest guy. And he wouldn't get even more attention paid to him, which he wants so very badly. No, T.O., don't disappoint the casual fan, and especially don't disappoint the media.
But it is the collapse of the Yankees that is the real story. In game one of the series vs the Tigers, their line up featured a combined 42 All-Star appearances. I'll say it again. FORTY TWO All-Star appearances. That's an average of almost 5 per player. Robinson Cano was the only one without multiple All-Star appearances. He has only one. Note that he just finished his second season. Also note that he is the Yankees' number 9 hitter and that he hit .342 this season. This is likely the most talented line up ever assembled. And they get their asses kicked around by the Detroit Tigers, a team that lost 119 games three years ago. But that was three years ago. This Tigers team is legit, and I'm happy for them. Watching them celebrate last night made me want to be a fan in Detroit.
But the point is that the sky is somewhat falling here in the Big Apple. The Yankee payroll this year was $199 million. The next closest is $69 million lower. Four Florida Marlins teams could fit in that gap (the Florida payroll is a mere $15 million). Naturally, Yankee fans are pissed. I would be too. But there are a number of things that I would like to sound off on:
It's been six years since the Yankees have won a World Series. And people are absolutely freaking out. Six years? Big fucking deal. Try being a Giants fan where it's been over 50. The fact that six years is a big deal is a testament to how lame the Yankees, their media, and their fans are. Some people are criticizing General Mangager Brian Cashman for failure to produce a championship team despite virtually unlimited resources. This is highly unwarranted. He put together an All-Star team, literally. I'd say it's up to the players at that point. I think this whole story says a lot of good things about Major League Baseball though. It shows that just getting all the talent money can buy is not necessarily the right way to go. Team chemistry is important. I love that. What I also love is the whole A-Rod saga. The guy chokes bigtime. It's just as fun rooting against A-Rod individually as it is the Yankees as a team. He makes $25 million dollars a year, and is totally not worth it. And everyone jumps on him for it, and he lets it get in his head. Awesome.
Finally, from what I am hearing, it is likely that the Yankees are going to fire Joe Torre and replace him with Lou Pinella. Bad move in my mind. I think there is a valid argument in that perhaps just a general change is needed. But as far as second guessing his decisions, that should not be the reason. Maybe he made some mistakes, maybe he didn't. But he's still Joe Torre. What about him has changed from the dynasty era of '96 to '00? But maybe the Giants will get him. That would be interesting. Although I don't see it happening. For some reason I just don't think he would fit.
In other news, I hope the T.O. saga reaches new heights today in his return to Philidelphia. Maybe like a fight with a fan or something. Or going to spike the ball at the 50 yard line again as he did as a 49er against the Cowboys. Obviously the smart thing to do after scoring a TD would be nothing. But he's not the smartest guy. And he wouldn't get even more attention paid to him, which he wants so very badly. No, T.O., don't disappoint the casual fan, and especially don't disappoint the media.
Friday, September 29, 2006
On Barry Bonds, Again
Earlier in the season, I was hoping for Barry to retire after the season. He wasnt producing, and if he came back, the Giants were probably going to have to pay him money that he didnt deserve. And lets be honest, for the Giants to start "rebuilding" (harsh word), Barry can't be in the picture. He ties up money, and he's old, and if he's not producing, it sucks. But then September came around. On the 27th of this month, in Bonds' last 28 games, he's hitting .382, with 10 home runs and 26 RBI. He has proved he still has it. He just maybe doesnt have it all season long. But he knows when to turn it on. So now I want him to come back. I can wait one more year for the Giants to start "rebuilding."
He is 21 HRs behind Hank Aaron for the all time lead. Here's the thing people: he is probably going to come back, and he is probably going to break the record. The best thing for you Bonds haters to do is to just start accepting it. Know that it is going to happen. It will make it much easier for you when he does break it. You should also know that had he not been injured last year, the record would have already been broken by now. So while I wouldn't mind if he retires, I wouldn't mind having him back either. I don't think I want him to play for another team, though. Unless he wins a world series. He does deserve that. But I know the Giants don't want to see him break the record in another uniform, and I'm not sure how much other teams want him. So my prediction is that he comes back to the Giants for one more year. And that sounds alright.
Here's what's interesting though. Say he does break the record. And say (god forbid), he doesn't get into the Hall of Fame because the media sucks ass and hates him. Then you would have the all time home run leader, and the all time hits leader (Pete Rose) not in the Hall of Fame. How rediculous would that be. I think that would be an embarassment to the sport. Almost to the point that Major League Baseball would have to do something about it. Anyway, that's my story.
He is 21 HRs behind Hank Aaron for the all time lead. Here's the thing people: he is probably going to come back, and he is probably going to break the record. The best thing for you Bonds haters to do is to just start accepting it. Know that it is going to happen. It will make it much easier for you when he does break it. You should also know that had he not been injured last year, the record would have already been broken by now. So while I wouldn't mind if he retires, I wouldn't mind having him back either. I don't think I want him to play for another team, though. Unless he wins a world series. He does deserve that. But I know the Giants don't want to see him break the record in another uniform, and I'm not sure how much other teams want him. So my prediction is that he comes back to the Giants for one more year. And that sounds alright.
Here's what's interesting though. Say he does break the record. And say (god forbid), he doesn't get into the Hall of Fame because the media sucks ass and hates him. Then you would have the all time home run leader, and the all time hits leader (Pete Rose) not in the Hall of Fame. How rediculous would that be. I think that would be an embarassment to the sport. Almost to the point that Major League Baseball would have to do something about it. Anyway, that's my story.
On the Giants, Again
Well, the time has arrived again. The "wait til next year" season started on like Monday or something. Let me tell you, it blows. This was a frustrating season for the Giants. Hovering around .500 the whole year, but remaining in the races, but having a number of glaring faults all the while. I have to say, in my heavily biased opinion, the Giants have got to be the most frustrating team to be a fan of in all of baseball. Until they win a World Series, I will never forgive them for blowing it in 2002. That being said, I will always unconditionally love the Giants. But let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?
1989 - I was 5 years old. This is the first season I can remember. And a magical season at that. Brett Butler, Robby Thompson, Will the Thrill, Keving Mitchell, Dave Dravecky, etc. We go to the World Series, and then just absolutely get destroyed by the A's.
[by the way, I know some people are opposed to fans referring to their team as "we." I'm not. I can see why some people dont like it, but for all intensive purposes here, its just easier. So deal with it]
1993 - This was where I really became a diehard. Barry Bonds was signed in the offseason in what would become arguably the best free agent signing in all of sports...ever. Seriously. We win 103 games, and don't go to the playoffs. The last day of the season the Dodgers beat the shit out of us, and the Braves won their 104th game. It was a horrible, HORRIBLE, day.
1997 - Another magical season. Remember the Brian Johnson game? We beat the Dodgers for the division title, and promptly get swept by the Marlins in the first round. Devastating.
1998 - Lose to the Cubs in a one-game playoff for the Wild Card spot.
2000 - Move into a new ballpark, which happens to be the best in the league, make the playoffs, but lose to the Mets in the first round.
2001 - Barry Bonds becomes the new home run king, but we don't make the playoffs, rendering the acheivement pretty much nothing to celebrate.
2002 - we dont talk about.
2003 - There is not 1 day during the regular season in which the Giants are not in first place. Who does that? Anyway, we meet the Marlins again in the first round. Jose Cruz Jr. drops a routine flyball. JT Snow gets thrown out at the plate, which ends the series and the season.
2004 - Eliminated from playoff contention by a Dodger-blue clad Steve Finley grand slam. Come on. That was horse shit.
2005 - We get Moises Alou, hopes are extremely high at the beginning of the year. But Barry can't recover from 3 surgeries until September, only plays 14 games, and the Giants have their first losing season since 1996. However, due to the sad state of the NL West, they were actually in contention for a bit towards the end of the season. We were kidding ourselves though.
2006 - Expectations are just as high as in 2005 except for the fact that they were high in 2005. And in a better, but similar season, we drag along, waiting for something to happen, and it never does.
So that's what happened in my life for the better part of the last 2 decades. So I'm making the argument that this is the most frustrating baseball team to be a part of. Like I said though, the opinion is heavily biased. Whenever a team loses in the playoffs, its devastating to their fans. But I don't know. The Giants have had more than their share. I think you could make a case for the Cubs, just cuz they suck so bad and havent won in such a long time. But the Giants have not won a WS in over 50 years, so they have to be near the top of that list. What pisses me off is that the Marlins have been in existence for less than 15 years, and they've won 2. And they don't even have fans. It should be noted that in 1997, and 2003, when the Giants were eliminated by the Marlins, the Marlins went on to win the whole thing. So it is pretty clear that the Giants were the second best team in the Major Leagues those years. But that's neither here nor there. I think you could make a case for the Braves as the most frustrating team. 14 division titles in a row, and just 1 WS ring to show for it. But at least they got 1. My life will seriously feel much more complete when the Giants win one. Plus I hate the Braves.
1989 - I was 5 years old. This is the first season I can remember. And a magical season at that. Brett Butler, Robby Thompson, Will the Thrill, Keving Mitchell, Dave Dravecky, etc. We go to the World Series, and then just absolutely get destroyed by the A's.
[by the way, I know some people are opposed to fans referring to their team as "we." I'm not. I can see why some people dont like it, but for all intensive purposes here, its just easier. So deal with it]
1993 - This was where I really became a diehard. Barry Bonds was signed in the offseason in what would become arguably the best free agent signing in all of sports...ever. Seriously. We win 103 games, and don't go to the playoffs. The last day of the season the Dodgers beat the shit out of us, and the Braves won their 104th game. It was a horrible, HORRIBLE, day.
1997 - Another magical season. Remember the Brian Johnson game? We beat the Dodgers for the division title, and promptly get swept by the Marlins in the first round. Devastating.
1998 - Lose to the Cubs in a one-game playoff for the Wild Card spot.
2000 - Move into a new ballpark, which happens to be the best in the league, make the playoffs, but lose to the Mets in the first round.
2001 - Barry Bonds becomes the new home run king, but we don't make the playoffs, rendering the acheivement pretty much nothing to celebrate.
2002 - we dont talk about.
2003 - There is not 1 day during the regular season in which the Giants are not in first place. Who does that? Anyway, we meet the Marlins again in the first round. Jose Cruz Jr. drops a routine flyball. JT Snow gets thrown out at the plate, which ends the series and the season.
2004 - Eliminated from playoff contention by a Dodger-blue clad Steve Finley grand slam. Come on. That was horse shit.
2005 - We get Moises Alou, hopes are extremely high at the beginning of the year. But Barry can't recover from 3 surgeries until September, only plays 14 games, and the Giants have their first losing season since 1996. However, due to the sad state of the NL West, they were actually in contention for a bit towards the end of the season. We were kidding ourselves though.
2006 - Expectations are just as high as in 2005 except for the fact that they were high in 2005. And in a better, but similar season, we drag along, waiting for something to happen, and it never does.
So that's what happened in my life for the better part of the last 2 decades. So I'm making the argument that this is the most frustrating baseball team to be a part of. Like I said though, the opinion is heavily biased. Whenever a team loses in the playoffs, its devastating to their fans. But I don't know. The Giants have had more than their share. I think you could make a case for the Cubs, just cuz they suck so bad and havent won in such a long time. But the Giants have not won a WS in over 50 years, so they have to be near the top of that list. What pisses me off is that the Marlins have been in existence for less than 15 years, and they've won 2. And they don't even have fans. It should be noted that in 1997, and 2003, when the Giants were eliminated by the Marlins, the Marlins went on to win the whole thing. So it is pretty clear that the Giants were the second best team in the Major Leagues those years. But that's neither here nor there. I think you could make a case for the Braves as the most frustrating team. 14 division titles in a row, and just 1 WS ring to show for it. But at least they got 1. My life will seriously feel much more complete when the Giants win one. Plus I hate the Braves.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Shania
Apologies for posting twice in one day. Seems lame. But I've got the time I felt I needed to share. Shania Twain has always been at or near the top of my best-looking-in-the-world list. I had never seen this video all the way through though. Watch it and try and tell me that she is not the most beautiful woman ever created.
Going out
So this weekend was slightly interesting in that both Friday and Saturday nights I went out at 1:00 am. Is that weird? Back in Tacoma or Burlingame, 1 am was usually around the time we came home from the bars. But I guess that's just the way things work in NYC. It's rare that you would go out before 11, and the bars close at 4 I think. Personally, I think it's a bit of a shame. I'd much rather start drinking earlier, go out eariler, and come home earlier. Then you can wake up earlier the next day and get more out of it. But I guess New York City is just too cool.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
meh
So I don't know how much you people follow sports, but the other night in LA, the Dodgers beat the Padres in what had to be one of the best finishes of all time. I can appreciate it, but since it was the Dodgers who won, I cannot enjoy it, which sucks. What happened was this: Dodgers were down by 4 in the bottom of the ninth. Then they hit back to back to back to BACK home runs to tie the game. 4 home runs in a row has happened like 4 times before this or something. And this was in the bottom of the ninth inning, to tie the game, in a battle for first place, in September. It's quite nuts. Then in the 10th inning the Padres went ahead again by a run. But in the bottom of the tenth inning, Nomar Garciapara hits a walk-off 2-run home run. Had this happened at AT&T Park in San Francisco, with the Giants on the winning end, I probably would have cried of happiness if I was there to witness it. So while I do not like Dodger fans, and I do not respect them, I am jealous of what they experienced the other night. It's not like I've never attended a dramatic Giants victory, but I have to say, this was beyond dramatic. I fucking hate the Dodgers though. Soooo much.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
4 Questions
1) If you could be really good at one musical instrument, what would it be? Not necessarily the best in the world, but good enough so that people would be like "Wow. He/She is fucking good." Mine would be the piano. Then the violin. Then the drums. Maybe drums before violin. I just wish I could play the violin. But I wish I could play the piano most.
2) If you could win a gold medal in any olympic sport (winter or summer), what would it be? I think would choose beach volleyball.
3, and most importantly) If you could do one thing that some human being has done before, what would it be? Remember, someone has to have done it before, so answering something like "Stop 9/11 from happening" is not a valid answer. For me, I think I've narrowed it down to two things, but cannot decide which I would want more: to walk on the moon, or to hit a walk-off home run to win the World Series.
4, and even more most importantly) What would you do? (click on "videos", then "what would you do?"
I would appreciate your thoughts.
2) If you could win a gold medal in any olympic sport (winter or summer), what would it be? I think would choose beach volleyball.
3, and most importantly) If you could do one thing that some human being has done before, what would it be? Remember, someone has to have done it before, so answering something like "Stop 9/11 from happening" is not a valid answer. For me, I think I've narrowed it down to two things, but cannot decide which I would want more: to walk on the moon, or to hit a walk-off home run to win the World Series.
4, and even more most importantly) What would you do? (click on "videos", then "what would you do?"
I would appreciate your thoughts.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Where were you?
5 years ago today, at 7:30 in the morning, I was driving to school. It was a perfectly normal day, except for the fact that I was going to school early for a Service Commission meeting (a group that you join to boost your college application). I walked into the building, and immediately noticed a group of people in the doorway of a classroom, watching television. As I approached the door, a friend asked, "Meado, did you see the news?" "No. What's up?" I replied. All he could say was "You better take a look at this."
And I did. And my mouth literally dropped wide open.
We proceeded with our brief and trivial meeting. I couldn't believe what had happened, but I also did not realize the enormity of the situation. All I could think about was how just a couple months ago, I was in New York, staring up at the seemingly endless Twin Towers. And now they were just gone.
It didn't take long for it to start sinking in. Everyone, including myself, was just sad. You said hello to your friends, but it by no means pleasant. Just somber "hey"s. In classes, we just watched the news. By the time I got home, I had decided that the death toll was going to be 10,000. At least I was way off. Still though, five years later, it's pretty shocking. We've gotten used to it, but if you actually stop and think about what actually happened, it's pretty much unbelievable.
I'm interested in what other peoples' September 11ths were like. That's why I think there should be a book called "Where Were You?" And it would just be different people writing about where they were and what happened for them that day. I guess for the book to sell, it might have to be just celebrities or people of importance, but I think regular people would be just as interesting. So maybe comment if you want.
They could also do other "Where Were You"s. Like when different records were broken, or other big news events. 9/11 would probably constitute its own book, but others they could probably lump together.
There has been surprisingly little fanfare here in NYC that I've seen. I suppose I live in the wrong part of town. Ground Zero is probably a pretty big deal right now.
Also, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie "United 93." It is by no means a pleasant experience--I could never sit still. My stomach was always turning because the whole time I knew what was gonna happen--but it is a powerful movie. It seems very realistic and made for reasons other than profit. A lot of the air traffic control guys are playing themselves, which is also cool.
And I did. And my mouth literally dropped wide open.
We proceeded with our brief and trivial meeting. I couldn't believe what had happened, but I also did not realize the enormity of the situation. All I could think about was how just a couple months ago, I was in New York, staring up at the seemingly endless Twin Towers. And now they were just gone.
It didn't take long for it to start sinking in. Everyone, including myself, was just sad. You said hello to your friends, but it by no means pleasant. Just somber "hey"s. In classes, we just watched the news. By the time I got home, I had decided that the death toll was going to be 10,000. At least I was way off. Still though, five years later, it's pretty shocking. We've gotten used to it, but if you actually stop and think about what actually happened, it's pretty much unbelievable.
I'm interested in what other peoples' September 11ths were like. That's why I think there should be a book called "Where Were You?" And it would just be different people writing about where they were and what happened for them that day. I guess for the book to sell, it might have to be just celebrities or people of importance, but I think regular people would be just as interesting. So maybe comment if you want.
They could also do other "Where Were You"s. Like when different records were broken, or other big news events. 9/11 would probably constitute its own book, but others they could probably lump together.
There has been surprisingly little fanfare here in NYC that I've seen. I suppose I live in the wrong part of town. Ground Zero is probably a pretty big deal right now.
Also, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie "United 93." It is by no means a pleasant experience--I could never sit still. My stomach was always turning because the whole time I knew what was gonna happen--but it is a powerful movie. It seems very realistic and made for reasons other than profit. A lot of the air traffic control guys are playing themselves, which is also cool.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
We suck
So that TIME article that I linked in my last post - you may have noticed that it described the backlash against Facebook as "what may be Gen Y's first official revolution." How disappointing is that? When I first read it, it sort of bounced off of me. I noticed it, but didn't really think about it. But the more I thought about it, the more disgusted I got. Plus I heard there was a NY Times article about the same thing, even more focused on this being our "revolution."
How embarrassing it is to be in this generation. Knowing all the shit that's going on in this country and around the world, and this is what really upsets us--a trivial and superficial part of our social lives. And I'm as much to blame as anyone. Probably more - I wrote 2 blog posts about the facebook thing.
But let's take a look at some numbers. I assumed that Iraq is probably the "biggest" political issue at this point (i.e. the most likely issue for facebook users to create groups about). A global search for "Iraq" returned 404 groups. Not too unimpressive. But out of the ones I looked at, the highest membership was at just over 1500. Sensing that I was wrong in my assumption of Iraq being the most facebook-group-worthy issue, I realized it might be gay rights. "Equal rights for gays" has just over 11,000 members. Not too bad. But the facebook group the TIME article talked about had like 13,000 in just a few hours. And it now has hundreds of thousands of members. A bit depressing, no? And yes, I know, Facebook is not meant to be a forum for political discussion, but perhaps that's the problem right there. What if our parents had had facebook when they were in college? I imagine they would joined groups opposing the war in Vietnam and supporting civil rights by the hundreds of thousands. Even if facebook is not necessarily meant to be a place for political action, it still shows what we care about. And in this case, it's somewhat depressing.
A few months ago I was having a discussion with a few friends on whether we would have rather lived back then (our parents' generation), or now. I think the answer is pretty clear.
How embarrassing it is to be in this generation. Knowing all the shit that's going on in this country and around the world, and this is what really upsets us--a trivial and superficial part of our social lives. And I'm as much to blame as anyone. Probably more - I wrote 2 blog posts about the facebook thing.
But let's take a look at some numbers. I assumed that Iraq is probably the "biggest" political issue at this point (i.e. the most likely issue for facebook users to create groups about). A global search for "Iraq" returned 404 groups. Not too unimpressive. But out of the ones I looked at, the highest membership was at just over 1500. Sensing that I was wrong in my assumption of Iraq being the most facebook-group-worthy issue, I realized it might be gay rights. "Equal rights for gays" has just over 11,000 members. Not too bad. But the facebook group the TIME article talked about had like 13,000 in just a few hours. And it now has hundreds of thousands of members. A bit depressing, no? And yes, I know, Facebook is not meant to be a forum for political discussion, but perhaps that's the problem right there. What if our parents had had facebook when they were in college? I imagine they would joined groups opposing the war in Vietnam and supporting civil rights by the hundreds of thousands. Even if facebook is not necessarily meant to be a place for political action, it still shows what we care about. And in this case, it's somewhat depressing.
A few months ago I was having a discussion with a few friends on whether we would have rather lived back then (our parents' generation), or now. I think the answer is pretty clear.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
And isn't it ironic, don't you think?
Ha! I'm not crazy. Just minutes after reading this TIME article on the backlash against Facebook, I logged into facebook to find the following at the top of my very own "news feed": "Updated: 10 of your friends joined the group Students against Facebook News Feed (Official Petition to Facebook)."
You heard it from me first, folks.
You heard it from me first, folks.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
RIP Steve Irwin
I, like the rest of humanity, was completely floored when I heard the Crocodile Hunter died. Death by sting ray, no less. Crazy. I think it's kind of neat that he died doing his crazy nature shit, but still sucks.
I'll always remember him for two things:
1) When South Park parodied him (in the ridiculous Aussie accent - "Now what I'm gonna do, is jam my thumb up his butthole. That should really piss 'im off.")
2) There's a SportsCenter commercial with him that you have to see. It's hilarious. Since you probably will never see it, I'll go ahead and ruin it for you: Steve a sportscenter guy are talking, waiting for the elevator. Steve is complaining about how he deserves more attention for the crazy stuff he does (something to the extent of, "when I compete, life is on the line every time. How many baseballers can say that?"). Then the elevator comes and the mascot for the Florida Gators comes out. Immediately Steve says excitedly, "Watch out, mate. Take a look at this beauty," and proceeds to tackly the mascot. Brilliant.
They do have a few SC commercials on itunes that you can watch and download for free. The Spelling Bee one is the best.
I'll always remember him for two things:
1) When South Park parodied him (in the ridiculous Aussie accent - "Now what I'm gonna do, is jam my thumb up his butthole. That should really piss 'im off.")
2) There's a SportsCenter commercial with him that you have to see. It's hilarious. Since you probably will never see it, I'll go ahead and ruin it for you: Steve a sportscenter guy are talking, waiting for the elevator. Steve is complaining about how he deserves more attention for the crazy stuff he does (something to the extent of, "when I compete, life is on the line every time. How many baseballers can say that?"). Then the elevator comes and the mascot for the Florida Gators comes out. Immediately Steve says excitedly, "Watch out, mate. Take a look at this beauty," and proceeds to tackly the mascot. Brilliant.
They do have a few SC commercials on itunes that you can watch and download for free. The Spelling Bee one is the best.
Stalkers...they lurk, they wait, they facebook
So as most people have probably noticed, facebook has expanded itself and "improved" once again. I was all for the photos, the wall, the education, work, and summer plans. I think the notes were a good addition, mainly b/c that's the reason most of the people who read this blog do so. [I realize the irony of saying "most" when there's probably not even enough people who read this to be a "most"]. But now I log in (by the way, I hate the fact that I log in. I'm ashamed of it. But I do it daily. Sometimes more. But that's neither here nor there). Now I log in and immediately I see who has just become friends with who (and when this happened), who just updated their profile (what and when included), who just wrote on who's wall (and when), etc. Pretty much any action within my network of friends--no matter how small--is shown to me. Someone told me that a friend of theirs changed their "relationship status" from "in a relationship" to "its complicated," and as soon as he walked in the door, everyone was asking him if he was ok. I think they should change it to invade-my-privacybook.
I suppose its up to the user how much they want to put into it, but it's just totally thrust in everyone's face now. Two of my friends have already wrote Notes about the new changes. Both were negative, and one was anouncing a move to MySpace. So at least I'm not the only one who thinks it's lame.
On a somewhat related note, when you go to a new school, not only do you meet a lot of new people, but you get a ton of facebook friend requests, which always makes you feel cool.
I suppose its up to the user how much they want to put into it, but it's just totally thrust in everyone's face now. Two of my friends have already wrote Notes about the new changes. Both were negative, and one was anouncing a move to MySpace. So at least I'm not the only one who thinks it's lame.
On a somewhat related note, when you go to a new school, not only do you meet a lot of new people, but you get a ton of facebook friend requests, which always makes you feel cool.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Did You Know...
That Robert Horry has made the playoffs in every one of the 13 seasons he has played in the NBA? And, he's never been knocked out in the first round. Plus he's got 6 NBA titles. What a carreer.
Also, for 10 years (from the '93-'94 season to the '02-'03 season), either Robert Horry or Steve Kerr was on the roster of every NBA championship team. During a similar 12 year stretch, the two had 11 out of 12. Cool, no?
Also, for 10 years (from the '93-'94 season to the '02-'03 season), either Robert Horry or Steve Kerr was on the roster of every NBA championship team. During a similar 12 year stretch, the two had 11 out of 12. Cool, no?
You know what really grinds my gears?
The latest eyeware fashion. Girls - take off the oversized sunglasses. This is a fashion trend that needs to end. Being in New York City, I see a lot of good looking girls. But many times I'll see a girl who is potentially good looking, and I can't even tell because half of her face is covered by these ugly, attrociously big sunglasses. I'm going to have to start assuming that a girl wearing sunglasses that cover half of her face is doing it for a reason.
With that off my chest, here's a few other random things I want to mention:
-Add bats and eels to the list of scary/creepy animals.
-There hasn't been a good song with clapping in the background for a while. Let's get on that, pop music scene.
-It didn't take the T.O. virus that long to start attacking the Dallas Cowboys. Not only is there already tension b/t him and coach Bill Parsells, but he missed a team meeting and was fined $9500. He says he overslept. Even if you believe him, he still overslept a team meeting, which is a message in and of itself. Maybe cancer researchers should turn their attention to Terrell Owens.
That being said, TO was a central figure in two of my favorite 49er memories. 1)The game against the Cowboys, when after a touchdown he went out to the star on the 50-yard line to spike the ball...and he did that twice. And 2)The playoffs against the Packers when Steve Young threw an amazing pass and TO made an amazing catch to win the game. Take that, Brett (Stratton and Farve).
With that off my chest, here's a few other random things I want to mention:
-Add bats and eels to the list of scary/creepy animals.
-There hasn't been a good song with clapping in the background for a while. Let's get on that, pop music scene.
-It didn't take the T.O. virus that long to start attacking the Dallas Cowboys. Not only is there already tension b/t him and coach Bill Parsells, but he missed a team meeting and was fined $9500. He says he overslept. Even if you believe him, he still overslept a team meeting, which is a message in and of itself. Maybe cancer researchers should turn their attention to Terrell Owens.
That being said, TO was a central figure in two of my favorite 49er memories. 1)The game against the Cowboys, when after a touchdown he went out to the star on the 50-yard line to spike the ball...and he did that twice. And 2)The playoffs against the Packers when Steve Young threw an amazing pass and TO made an amazing catch to win the game. Take that, Brett (Stratton and Farve).
Thursday, August 31, 2006
As you wish
As we all know, The Princess Bride is one of the greatest movies ever made. Maybe the greatest. Heros, villains, giants, wizards, sword fights, true love. It's got it all. Just check out some of the taglines: "Scaling the Cliffs of Insanity, Battling Rodents of Unusual Size, Facing torture in the Pit of Despair. - True love has never been a snap." "She gets kidnapped. He gets killed. But it all ends up okay." How could that movie not be awesome?
What some people may not know is that it was a book first. I found out a couple years ago. At first I was upset b/c I thought that one of my favorite movies was not even an original. But the author of the book is the same guy who wrote the script, so I would say that integrity is maintained. I decided I should read the book, and I'm now about 100 pages in. I'm enjoying it, but the problem is it could never be as good as the movie. Some of it is exactly the same as the book (line for line - "Inconcievable!" for example), and there's some minor differences. I'm at the part where the Man in Black is about to reach the top of the Cliffs of Insanity. I'd say that in the movie, the next 30 minutes from this part is arguably the best section of the movie. So I'm pretty excited.
What some people may not know is that it was a book first. I found out a couple years ago. At first I was upset b/c I thought that one of my favorite movies was not even an original. But the author of the book is the same guy who wrote the script, so I would say that integrity is maintained. I decided I should read the book, and I'm now about 100 pages in. I'm enjoying it, but the problem is it could never be as good as the movie. Some of it is exactly the same as the book (line for line - "Inconcievable!" for example), and there's some minor differences. I'm at the part where the Man in Black is about to reach the top of the Cliffs of Insanity. I'd say that in the movie, the next 30 minutes from this part is arguably the best section of the movie. So I'm pretty excited.
Animals
Few people know that Wikipedia is one of my favorite websites. Now less few. Sometimes I just pick something to read about, and follow the interesting links in that article. I could do that for hours. Well, not really. But the point is this: I went to the Museum of Natural History a couple weeks ago with my mom. And in the ocean animals section, they had this huge crab-type thing on display, along with all the other crustaceans. I couldn't believe the species was around today, so I turned to the best encyclopedia ever. Check this thing out - the Japanese spider crab. It looks like it should have existed in dinosaur times. Tell me you wouldn't freak out if you were scuba diving and saw one of those guys. Scary animal. I mean crabs and lobsters are creepy, but this guy is freakin huge. Leg span can reach 13 feet.
Speaking of creepy animals, here's my list, in no order, and perhaps incomplete: Spiders, turanchulas, scorpions, snakes, crabs, lobsters, octopi, squids, jelly fish, let me know if I missed any.
I think out of any animal, I would choose to get eaten by a giant squid last. That would suck. On the bright side, out of any animal, I am probably least likely to get eaten by a giant squid.
Anyway, I decided to learn about some more animals, and it didn't take me long to get to the platypus. Pretty cool animal. Venom, electrolocation. There's more to it than just being "proof that god has a sense of humor."
Speaking of creepy animals, here's my list, in no order, and perhaps incomplete: Spiders, turanchulas, scorpions, snakes, crabs, lobsters, octopi, squids, jelly fish, let me know if I missed any.
I think out of any animal, I would choose to get eaten by a giant squid last. That would suck. On the bright side, out of any animal, I am probably least likely to get eaten by a giant squid.
Anyway, I decided to learn about some more animals, and it didn't take me long to get to the platypus. Pretty cool animal. Venom, electrolocation. There's more to it than just being "proof that god has a sense of humor."
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Back to the Dorms
So I'm moved into Columbia housing. School starts next Tuesday. They say this is a suite, but you can't really call it a suite. More of just a floor, with four different sections, 12 people in each I believe. Really the only thing that makes it different from a normal dorm is that each section (each "suite") has a full kitchen. Actually full times two, b/c there's 2 ovens and fridges. But it's not big though. And we are allowed to drink, which is nice. The first night we set up beer pong in the lounge. Ah, college.
In other news, the Emmys happened the other night. Jeremy Piven got best supporting actor for Ari Gold in "Entourage." Good for him. Also, Jack Bauer got best person ever for his role in saving the world shown in Fox's documentary series "24." I didnt see the show, but based on what I read, I think Jack accepted the award under an alias, "Kiefer Sutherland."
In other news, the Emmys happened the other night. Jeremy Piven got best supporting actor for Ari Gold in "Entourage." Good for him. Also, Jack Bauer got best person ever for his role in saving the world shown in Fox's documentary series "24." I didnt see the show, but based on what I read, I think Jack accepted the award under an alias, "Kiefer Sutherland."
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