The Year In Review

Maybe it's because I'm a history major, maybe it's because I live in the past, or maybe it's just part of my personality to embrace nostalgia... BUT I LOVE RECAPPING THINGS. Hell, one of my favorite part of the party-scene in college was eating brunch the morning after and retelling the stories that had become ancient history over the night.

This time of year it's all about recapping the 365 days that most recently came before us. While I haven't been drooling over this stuff like I did in 2009, I've been eating the 2011-Recap stuff right up. I've compiled some of the notable articles/lists for you to enjoy!

Best idea ever?

I think possibly so.  Props to these guys.

Happy Winter Solstice!

As of 11:30pm last night, it is officially the start of winter (May it be a short one...).

In Chicago, we'll only see 9 hours, 7 minutes and 43 seconds of daylight today.

So... Happy First Day of Winter! Perhaps you'll celebrate Korochun, Wren Day, Santa Lucia, Soyal, or Yuletime! Or maybe you'll just play around with this fun interactive animation. Enjoy.

Best of the Net!

Hey All,
It's back! Best of the Net! My own opinions on stuff that is cool on the internet!
Here we go:

GOOGLE STREETVIEW: A pretty interesting article about how something as simple as a Google Streetview snapshot can actually show so much more.

HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS: Fact or crap? Check out this cool interactive infographic to find out what the science says!

DOLPHIN JETPACKS:


CREEPY VINTAGE ADS: no explanation needed.

DRINKS ON FIRE: I have a friend who I worked with a few summers in a row who would go into a bar and the first question he'd ask would be "What drinks do you have that we can light on fire?"


That's it for now! Real post soon.
MOLSON out.

A study of culture through youtube: 80's New Wave vs. Indie today

So everyone knows I love music. I also enjoy a good music video. Since the advent of MTV, some good videos have been able to make a song, or even a band, reach new heights of popularity. Others have at least provided exposure for bands while generally confusing their audience.

Back in the 80's music videos were relatively new, and simply standing in front of a camera playing a song could suffice for a video. Today with every band under the sun posting their videos on youtube, most try to do something different to stand out.

After watching a few videos from the early 80's, I thought it would be fun to do a video comparison. I thought comparing New Wave to Indie made sense because they are both sort of against the mainstream, and their videos both have a tendency to be a little ridiculous and make no sense. For this comparison, the videos both come from English bands and neither makes a real attempt at telling a story, opting instead for the classic band-playing-music-in-a-room style.

First up: New Wave band with androgynous lead singer dance in a room at a well-disclosed location until a boy turns orange.

 

Observations: Man they look awkward, but at least they're enthusiastic about it.

Next: Diverse Indie band plays in aesthetically pleasing arrangements while seagulls learn the peril of bumper-cars.

 

Observations: White people have stopped attempting to dance in music videos.  This is probably mostly a good thing, but it makes me a little sad.

The Human League video takes place at a location on a map / in a map (I'm not quite sure), while the Metronomy video takes place in an anonymous white room.  Is this a reaction to the lack of privacy we feel today?  Or is it just indicative of the fact that it was shot in a professional studio rather in a band member's basement?

 P.S.: I'm thinking of turning this into a recurring feature, what d'ya think?

Yes... Even More Wingsuits...

So I was perusing the interwebs and found this video on a blog I follow. It's probably the least exciting Wingsuit video I've seen, BUT it shows the other side of the story: the story of the actual wingsuit-dude. It doesn't have music; it records his personal ritual before "takeoff" and it shows a landing. Kinda cool.

SENSE OF FLYING from Goovinn on Vimeo.

Polticians + Lip-Sync = HILARIOUS

Funny Stuff.

SPAM!!!!!!

Gentle Bloggers,

It has finally happened. Our dear blog has been, for a lack of a better word, infiltrated by the "enlarge your penis spam" we have all come to know in our emails:

rickybollinger said...

cool blog.

men last longer
how do i last longer

Who is rickybollinger might as well be called....I sell penis pills by putting up comments on other people's blogs. His comment had nothing to do with senior Ted's insightful post, yet his message is a question we as men all yearn to answer.

Do we stand for this?

Do we embrace the new-found marketing potential of our blog? (monetize)

Do we write the company a "wash cup" type letter?

Do we buy the pills and grow super large penis's and achieve incredible sexual stamina?

These questions, much like the pills Mr. Bollinger wants us to buy, certainly should "perk" your interest.

The cost of everything

This is cool.

Haven't looked too closely at all of it but I think the most interesting to me was the comparison of Coca-Cola's annual marketing budget and the cost to buy (note: not the cost to make) everyone in the world a coke.  I don't really know what it means but it's interesting.

I also enjoyed the estimated net worth of J.K. Rowling had she been a rapper.

MORE WINGSUIT FUN!

BECAUSE WINGSUITS AND STUFF LIKE THIS WILL NEVER BE UNCOOL TO WATCH.

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

HoP Year 6.

This afternoon, around 3:45pm EST, I'm going to jump in the Georgetown pool and warm up for my 6th Hour of Power, my fourth at Georgetown.

I met Ted on 24 October 2002, I prospied on a Thursday and stayed with Ted that night. I was a prospie who was nearly sold on Carleton and Ted was an extremely excited and accommodating host. Ted alone was enough to make me come to Carleton. Ted went above and beyond the call of duty that day. Now, knowing him, is not a surprise at all. He lived in a corner triple in Burton and took me all around to meet swimmers. Flo and Kellen in Musser, sitting silently, are the only ones I remember. He showed me Caucus (ask an older than you alum if you don't know what it is), he glowed about life at Carleton, he was just generally a happy dude.

That afternoon was gender practice. The assistant coach, Tom, walked me around West Gym a little while the men were doing, no kidding, continuous relays. Except there were only three guys per lane. It looked pretty painful. Then they ran out to track and did more intense running than we ever did while I was at Carleton.

Losing Ted, like losing Joe, was (and is) one of the saddest things to happen to me in my life and a unqualified loss for humanity as a whole. They were among the sweetest, smartest men I've ever known. Ted battled a horrible scourge, and no amount of swimming will bring him back. But some amount of swimming, hopefully we've already passed this threshold, will prevent another extended family from losing one of theirs. I know how much Ted fought each and every time he swam, today, I hope you'll join me in a cathartic hour of pain, err, power to honor and remember my friend.

So, at minute 35, when your body is screaming to stop but your brain can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, tell it to EMSYDMF and go extra hard. Pain is temporary. And I'll buy a (pony) keg for anyone who swims so hard they throw up today.

BE MIGHTY!

Frustration in Russia

I'm sitting in the Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, getting ready to fly back to Ulan-Ude, and I have a few hours to kill. So, I figured I might as well blog again.

Russia is a crazy country. And Moscow is even more insane. The amount of change that I can see in Moscow over the last two years is difficult to comprehend. There are hundreds of new buildings, and many old buildings have been remade. It's even more expensive that it was 2 years ago. And much more Western. There are now Starbucks on every corner, in contrast with the 2 that were in the city 2 years ago. There are now Burger Kings and Papa John's. Service is actually friendly and good. And after living in Ulan-Ude, it's disgusting how much money is in this city. Ulan-Ude has some new buildings and nice cafes. In Moscow, every cafe has an amazing sound system and ridiculous decorations. I spend more money on a dinky meal here than on a full day of food in Ulan-Ude. The ONE part of Moscow that's as bad as in Ulan-Ude are the bathrooms. Russia just doesn't understand that bathrooms can be nice.

The hardest part of life for me is my frustration with the Russian government. It seems that all of their domestic policy is aimed at subduing and emmasculating the Russian people. Case in point: local governments have no ability to tax the populace. The local governments are 100% dependent on the federal government. The Russian government also does everything to make the people feel like they aren't being taxed at all: most of their money comes from the oil and gas industries. As such, it is very difficult for local government to fund projects, such as building new roads. Especially when other, more important parts of the infrastructure demand more urgent attention (such as the power plant in Ulan-Ude, which some predict will be out of commission as soon as 2015). I am finding myself more and more to be a supporter (this is the incorrect word, I know the right Russian word, but can't think of the English one. Good thing the GRE is coming up...) of Ulan-Ude and Buryatia. I'm helping NGOs write grant proposals and have actively supported my university's attempt to get a Fulbright English Teacher sometime in the next few years. The local populace has almost no say in their government, so as one of the few Americans aware of Buryatia, I feel some weight on my shoulders to further the cause of Buryatia. The opportunities that should be in Buryatia, and would be if the locals had any say in government, just are non-existent, and all the best and brightest leave for Moscow and beyond.

I understand why the youth want to leave Ulan-Ude. Tourism is the only industry available for an intellectual. Professors are paid dirt. But without infrastructure, tourism will always be limited. For the Republicans who want as little government as possible, they should look at the provinces of the Russian Federation. For those who also support the Patriot Act, the metaphor is even more poignant.
Well, now I'm back in Ulan-Ude, and I must say that even given the above disappointments and frustration, Buryatia is still unbelievable. As my plane started descending through the layers of clouds, the sun just began to shine over the horizon. It was one of the best sunrises I've ever seen. I took a taxi back to my apartment and chatted it up with my driver. The main theme of our conversation: the Siberian spirit.  All of a sudden, such political squabbles seemed worthless in the face of this taxi driver whose father built their family home in the mountains several decades ago and was adamant in explaining his spiritual connection with the land. Even if European Russia doesn't understand what they have out here, the local population seems more than content to have it all to themselves. Perhaps another topic to consider when asking about tourism.

Sub Blog:

OkCupid: Operation questionable intentions......No really I have no idea why I am doing this.

Day 1: Created Profile: Pleased with stupidly tacky answers that were sure to lure the sexiest women alive to my profile. Sentences like "hahah I don't know where to start" and "Let's see; what to put here" were painted across my profile like so many images on this iconic piece of architecture.
Finally feeling brave, I plunged into the search function. Hundreds upon hundreds of eligible ladies in the O.C. area popped upon the screen. Incredible. Sent a few messages....no responses

Day 2: Discovered the "quick match" function. Rated dozens of singles. Five stars or above signaled if you liked them. They were then notified of your vote if you rated them highly. Sent a few more messages...no response

.......The saga will continue.

reunited and it feels so good

dear internet,

you ever had turkey pepperoni? not that great.

ted are you good with that sleeping bag?
can i get a pillow?
(throw)
i'm set

we tried to watch THE TUB (link will come soon).

nonberg: "as the evening goes on..."

there are a number of things about alfredo's bathroom that i love
1. the hole that is covered up by tape
2. the right is the cold water and it's blue, and the left is the warm water, but it's blue

stole chairs from casa.
ted takes his contacts out without a mirrow. genius.


nonberg calls it the pizzafund


alfredo provides. ask and it is given.
alfredo has a nice place.
alfredo has soco in his closet.

"the banjo is so american." says ted.

friend day? it needs a new name.

ZING.

THIS IS SO LOUD. NONBERG CAN'T WORK MIAS BED.


we are just posting it now.

Endurance Triathalons: Why?

Hey Blog,

Long time no talk.

It has been a substantial amount of time since I last laid hands on a keyboard to type a post. Well here is a feeble, but determined effort to begin to re-connect to the blogosphere of Stadium 110.

So Ironman Triathalons: When I first looked at one of these events I wondered why anyone in their right mind would want to compete in such a long race. As I looked into more and more events, I decided that it was my time to give it a chance. I signed up for a race 10 months in advance and hit the ground running with my training.
Rather than going into specifics about my training I figured I would talk about how I felt. The more and more the miles of biking, swimming, and running piled on I realized something; training for something the length of an ironman made training purposeful. Once again I found myself working hard day in and day out to succeed in the end result. What does this all remind us of:
Swimming. Yes, all those grueling hours in the pool, working 6 days a week to swim a 20 something second race (or 17 minutes for a mile or so). All those times I thought "what is the point of all of this". As I was training for my ironman I realized, it was never about the end, but about the journey. My teammates, my failures, my success, all were part of a larger journey that I am just now starting to appreciate. It's funny how time changes ones perspective.
When I finally competed in the Ironman, I crashed on my bike and had to go to the hospital. I was upset for training so hard and not finishing, but at the same time I realized what an incredible experience I had in the preparations.
As I sign up for my next full Ironman, I realize that way to make the most of the event, is to enjoy every mile run, every stroke taken, and every gear shifted. I am looking forward to the journey ahead.

An Important... and Hilarious PSA

Life in Siberia

Greetings from Siberia! As some of you may have noticed, I’ve been posting my day-to-day experiences and impressions in my own blog, BK in the Borderlands. Of course, that does not mean that I intend to forsake Stadium 110 in any way. Instead, Stadium 110 will be my unofficial blog, charting what life is like for a young American male in Siberia. Instead of discoursing about my research or typically Russian experiences, it is here that I will rant about my lack of Internet, rave about the gorgeous Russian and Buryat women, and of course, muse about drinking. Among other things.

So first, my rant about no Internet. It sucks. I have to either go to the University to use it, and it has been down more than half of the times I’ve tried, so I’ve had to go to a Café to pay for it. Pay for it! What the hell? In the US, I can go to McDonald’s or Starbucks if I want Internet. That’s the first rant. I can live for a while without my own connection to the Internet, but in the middle of a season of Breaking Bad... it’s rough. Fortunately I stocked up on other shows before I left. I finished Mad Men, and Season 4 rocked. Then I watched Cowboy Bebop, and it’s as depressingly short as Firefly. If you haven’t checked out Cowboy Bebop, do so now. It’s a sci-fi anime about a group of bounty hunters (cowboys) on a spaceship called the Bebop. It’s pure noir and has some fantastic writing, animation, and the soundtrack is unmatched in animated television, as far as I know. Upon finishing that, I watched The Walking Dead, which was a lot better than I expected. AMC just makes good TV. I’ve also been watching Sealab 2021 intermittently throughout these series, which is great, but not up to par with Frisky Dingo, at least so far. Now I’ve started The Pacific, which has been rather disappointing so far. Maybe it’ll get better. I’d much prefer to be watching Russian movies and shows, but without Internet, I’m stuck in English. It’s a pity that I spend all day speaking Russian and then I come home and have to return to English. I also wish I could use Skype. International texts aren’t bad, but calls are another story. I haven’t spoken with anyone from the States in over 2 weeks, which is the longest I’ve ever been in the dark. I also miss football. I got onto ESPN earlier today and saw that the Packers were about to win the season opener, but I’d prefer to watch. It’s also weird that the Thursday night game is on at noon on Friday for me. Internet here is also slow as hell. I hope that when I get an apartment my speeds pick up a little, but it’ll probably take at least a day to download an episode of Breaking Bad. Even my neighbors from China think that the Internet here is strangely slow. Russia probably just hasn’t gotten around to building a good cable out here. Ah, I miss representative government. Even tho the US congress is failing in every possible way right now, our form of representative government has allowed us to build quality roads in every state, even places like Wyoming, North Dakota, and Alaska. You can also get fast Internet there too. Infrastructure here just seems like it was done as an afterthought, out of necessity. I guess this will likely be another topic of my rants: the Russian government.

Ok, so I got the Internet rant out. My anger at the Russian government is probably just still building, I remember 2 years ago it took a month or two before it hit me just how awfully the government runs this country. I’ve read before that there is just no strong sense of community in Russia, but I disagree with that. In the US, our sense of community is built through churches and the political process. In Russia, people band together for a common cause. A major reason that the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan was that a huge group of mothers of lost soldiers banded together against the war. Last week, I volunteered at a building that is being restored to be a home for orphans and invalids. There were several community organizations present. In Buryatia, family celebrations are huge. If hundreds of people will flock to a birthday party or wedding, I think at least thirty would also band together to volunteer or form a political coalition. It isn’t the community at fault here. It is a government that is afraid to allow communities to have any say.

What else... The girls here are pretty. And very friendly. Being the only foreigner who speaks Russian well is a plus. Being an American is another plus. Among the people I know, I haven’t met a single person who has expressed hostility at the United States. I’ve heard some frustration about recent American economic struggles, but each time it’s been prefaced by an acknowledgement that current American difficulties are due to the government, not American citizens (a lot of that reaction is probably due to the general Russian’s relationship with the government). But more on this topic when I have more experiences with it.

Finally, drinking. I’ve grown to be a beer guy over the last few years. I think the American microbrewery system is unmatched in the world. In Russia, beers are either domestic (not very many, and mostly crap) or imported from Czechoslovakia or Germany. I can generally find bottles of New Castle, Corona, Heineken, but draught beers are usually Czech or German. I miss American bars. Being able to get a good IPA or porter is a privilege that we in America often don’t realize that we have (both because most Americans choose between Coors and Bud and think that they’re a refined drinker if they like Guiness). The bar that I go to most often here has about 6 beers on tap. I usually get Cernovar, which is a Czech dark beer that I would surmise is just a cheap porter (it’s way too sweet). They also have Asahi (Asahi is everywhere here), Kronenburg, and a few others that I can’t remember right now. It’s funny that I can’t remember, because Ken, Mering, and me almost won trivia night at the Cow because we could name every single beer on tap. In terms of hard alcohol, it’s pretty standard. I got into scotch this last year thanks to one of my roommates, and the only decent scotches that they have here are Chivas Regal and Johnny Walker. Vodka is really the only outstanding drink here, except for Samogon (moonshine), but Samogon is more of a tourist thing anyway. Really, I should be glad that it’s so difficult to drink well here, cuz I should save my money anyway. Sure, if I spend more than 10 dollars on food a day, I’ve probably eaten too much, but alcohol drains the wallet quickly. The only night that I’ve really gotten drunk was at a birthday party for one of my friend’s moms. I was the token American. A friendly old Buryat gentleman took it upon himself to explain to me everything that was going on and fill my shot glass every 5 minutes. By the end of the night, the toasts were flying and I was struggling to keep up. But it was excellent company. Russian drinking is different from American drinking in that it is almost always done as a celebration, and each drink is a toast. The more toasts that there are, the more things there are to be thankful for. It’s a slightly different mentality than Stadium 110. However, it is my goal to have some of the English students over to my apartment (when I find one) a few times to show them American traditions. Stadium 110 will be included.

Well, I miss you guys. If we ever want to truly have a Stadium 110 reunion, perhaps we should start planning now. I return home at the end of June. We should at least get together before the end of the world...

"How I Spent My Summer Vacation" Pt. 4

THE FINAL CHAPTER
I spent summer 2011 in the woods at a YMCA Summer Camp. Now I've spent several of my summers at camp and talked about camping several times before. But this post will be a bit different, because this summer... I was in charge.

Poppin' these bottles

As I sit here and listen to the wise words of Wiz Khalifa "sayin' yeah", two things come to mind: 1) I love songs like "Say Yeah" and "Right Round" (by Flo Rida) because they inspire me to work hard so that one day I might have the ability to "throw that money in the air" or be able to "look at my Cartier" and realize its out of control, and 2) the last time I really, truly listened to the song "Say Yeah" was when we were all around for Spring Concert this past May. Needless to say, I miss you bros. There's already some whispers of planning going around for the Thursday before alumni weekend, and of course you are all invited to crash at the pad and debauch both yourselves and Uptown (or downtown) Minneapolis.

That said, thinking of the last time we all chilled makes me realize that a whole hell of a lot has changed in my life since we all last saw each other, and thus probably spoke, and therefore it's time for a LIFE UPDATE BLOGPOST.

After May, I continued to foreclose (with little shame) on the mortgages of the less fortunate until two days after July 4th. Then, inspired by the celebrations of America's independence, I too emancipated myself from the tyranny of a bank too big to fail, and within a week rushed off to Peru for what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.

Peru deserves a post, or six, in itself, and that too shall come when I finally have the 3000 pictures that were taken by my family during the 2.5 weeks that we were in South America. However, I will give you a bit of a teaser (as I know you all await that post with bated breath). Basically, due to a combination of extremely good fortune and my mother's occupation as a minister, my family went to Peru to bond, explore Incan ruins, and generally chill out for a little over half a month.

My sister's previous travels had introduced her to a legit, real life, Incan medicine man who subsequently over the past 8 years has become one of her best friends. His family, native Quechuan (they still speak Quechua before Spanish!), basically guided us around Cuzco for the time we were there. While we hit up the ruins of Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay, Pisaq, others, rode horseback through the mountains surrounding Cuzco, climbed Huayna Picchu, the highlight was our five day trek to Choquequirao.

Choquequirao is now what Machu Picchu was fifty years ago (but much larger in area) - discovered, not really accessible, only partially uncovered, minimally excavated. It's a site so little-visited that you can encounter things that literally have not seen daylight for 500 years. This place is unbelievable, and to be led by four guides who saw the trek we took as a religious pilgrimage was an absolutely insane experience. My family was incredibly lucky to get to experience such a trip, and I'm still amazed we got to go. Highlights of Choquequirao included swimming in the Apurimac River, riding horses through river valley/desert, camping on the farmland of sustenance farmers that are a two day hike from civilization (no electricity, running water, etc... eye-opening to say the least), the stars, and the food we had. I will flesh this all out with a later post, as promised, including pictures and whatnot. The scenery was absolutely unbelievable.

So, I got back from Peru on July 30, unpacked my dirty hiking clothes and Chacos that night, packed my dress shirts, suit, and tie the next morning, and flew to Chicago. From O'Hare, I was driven to The Q Center where I experienced a two-week crash course in learning to be a consultant. With class topics ranging from learning the consulting process to interviewing skills and business etiquette, I felt sufficiently confused at the end of the two weeks and really had no idea what I was getting myself into. After class each day, we all played beach volleyball and basketball, ate dinner (a dining hall! like college! except way better food!), and then usually went to The Clubhouse (the training center's bar). It was like adult summer camp, but I learned a ton!

Twelve days after arriving, I left - a changed man - somewhat ready to begin my consulting career. The weekend past, and I was in the office at 8:15am Monday morning, ready to meet my boss and begin work. The work I'm doing is interesting - consulting is basically an entire industry built on selling the brains of people to other companies. When a specific company wants help in doing something that has to do with business (anything, actually - a "business problem"), they can call a consulting company and the firm will send people who are experts in that situation to help - all for a fee! I work in under the umbrella of financial advisory, helping with things like operations efficiency, project management, optimizing processes, etc. I am (obviously) still learning, but it's suited to me. I will get to put my hands in lots of different industries as the years pass, and thus gain a ton of experience. I'm excited about all this. I know this explanation is vague, but whenever we see each other or chat I can elaborate.

So that brings us to present day. As I said, a lot has changed since May - new (interesting!) job, crazy trip to Peru, and (I forgot!) I also moved into a new apartment. Y'all better come see it in October.

"How I Spent My Summer Vacation" Pt. 3

Ok, so I'm going to backtrack a little bit. My last post was about my last few weeks before becoming a college graduate. This post is about some trips that happened in that time period, but deserve their own post. Both trips were to Seattle and both were pretty amazing - albeit for very different reasons. First, my trip to the Sasquatch Music Festival, then my trip to Joe's Memorial Service. Westward, ho!

"How I Spent My Summer Vacation" Pt. 2

THE FINAL PUSH
I've been joking with friends and family that I feel like I've had a sleep deficit since Rotblatt. And that's because from Rotblatt to Graduation, I was sincerely trying to milk Carleton for all its worth. I slept very little, but I think I truly lived up those last weeks on Campus. So without further ado, lemme share some highlights from Rotblatt, Spring Concert, Senior Week, and Graduation.

"How I Spent My Summer Vacation" Pt. 1

For me, Summer is officially over. Last Saturday, I finished my job as Summer Camp Program Director and am back in my hometown for some R&R until my new position starts in 12 days. For the first time since May, I can take a deep breath, relax, and slow my pace down to something more humane.

Although Carleton’s graduation wasn’t until mid-June, my summer felt like it officially started in May with my trip out west to the Sasquatch Music Festival. I want to go back further however and reflect on my senior spring term, as well as some of the awesome things I got to experience in the last 4 or 5 months. So, without further ado. Let’s start my “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” series with a recap of my Senior Spring Term.

The Colbert Superpac

If you've watched the Colbert Report recently, you may know that Colbert has started a SuperPAC, The Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow PAC. He has been accepting donations from viewers for this PAC, but hasn't stated any real purpose for the PAC. Well, Colbert has recently released 2 ads in Iowa, encouraging viewers to vote for Rick Parry (yes, with an A). These two ads are nothing short of amazing. I think we'll all recognize the "corn" music playing in the second ad.





However, media reaction to these ads has been equally interesting. Of particular note, I'd like to draw your attention to MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell. These two segments can be seen here and here. Now, at first glance, O'Donnell's reaction to Colbert is confusing. He is a liberal commentator for a "liberal" news network, and he has also been on the Colbert Report. So how can he possibly not get these ads? Is Colbert really doing something sinister?

I found a plausible answer while reading the comments on MSNBC. Several viewers are of the opinion that O'Donnell is merely doing the same thing that Colbert is doin: acting. If he is "pulling a Colbert," if you will, I suddenly have a lot more respect for O'Donnell. I wasn't sure what to expect from the Colbert Super PAC, but now I can't wait to see what he does next.

Summer Fun

This has been a busy/interesting summer. I graduated. I worked at a Swim Camp in California near San Francisco (not naming names because of what I'm going to write about it below). I just finished Fulbright Orientation, now I'm going from Carleton grad to Carleton grad, and then I have a month before I fly to Ulan-Ude!

How Typical Are You?!?!

From Nat Geo:

The Internet, Personalization, and Democracy

Wow. I am scared. Worth the watch.
I never really thought the google ads at the top of my gmail were all that bad. But I don't like them all so much anymore.






Hope to post something more substantial soon.

On my way to Holland

Hello blog, long time no see.

I'm currently sitting at the Au Bon Pain in the Philadelphia airport. I'm here because I'm headed to a workshop in Leiden. I've still got almost five hours to kill here, and what better way than this?

Rad Omen

Remember this song to which Mark introduced us?

Well they have a free cd to download from their website. And it's damn good. And I swear to god it's a coincidence that Dirt Nasty is one of the guys in it.

So go here and download the album titled "Search, Party, and Destroy."

Bike Commuting

I got hit by a car yesterday while riding my bike.

My Future

Well, it's that time. It's the night before Rotblatt, I'm drinking lightly before the deluge begins, meaning that I feel like blogging about what my future carries.

In short, I got the Fulbright. It's kinda odd when everything works out exactly as you want it to, its such a rare occurence in life. I've been dreaming of going back to Siberia ever since I traveled there two years ago, and getting the government to pay me to do it is about as good as it gets. I'll be studying at Buryatia State University and researching tourism in the area around Lake Baikal. Here's some background:

The Republic of Buryatia is a member of the Russian Federation and is named after the native Siberian community that resides there. It is located just north of Mongolia and south of Lake Baikal. The Buryat are an offshoot of the Mongolians, and their language is often considered a dialect of Mongolian. They are one of the most populous native Siberian communities and are often considered to be one of the strongest culturally. Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Buryatia has been experiencing increased tourism flows, mostly from within the Russian Federation. My research agenda is to study whether or not this increased tourism has focused on Buryat culture, thus allowing them to more greatly influence the Russian Federation, or whether it has focused on geography, leading to a watering down of the culture (like Hawaii). I will spend 9 months in the area and take classes in Buryat History and Language at Buryatia State.

One of the perks of being a Fulbright scholar is that the college now considers me someone to show off. This has not been more apparent than it was tonight when I was invited to go to the trustee "progressive dinner event" (this is what it was actually called, and Stevey P actually called out "progress!" after dinner). The evening started with appetizers in the Rec Center. I knew literally no one at this event, so I just wandered and ate food and chatted with trustees that were hanging around the food table. One of the first things that I noticed was that everyone asked me who I was with: the majority of the students invited were the children of trustees. After appetizers, we all made our way to the Goodhue Super Lounge for dinner. I noted that I was seated at Table 1, so I took a seat and sat down. At first I talked with several people who weren't trustees or alums, so I was completely unaware of the relevance of Table 1. Then, a music professor sat down next to me, and it turned out that he was retiring and being honored that evening. Then, the president of the board of trustees sat down with his wife. Finally, Stevey P took a seat next to me. I was with the big boys. During dinner, I chatted with Stevey P about Carleton and how the food should always be as good as it is for the trustees. He gave a speech about the music professor next to me that left the crowd in tears (Stevey P is a classy dude). After dinner, we went to Evans Dining Hall for dessert, at which I met a trustee who's an astronomer. All in all, this was the closest to real world networking that I've ever been to at Carleton, and also the proudest that I've ever been of myself.

So the Fulbright is my plan for next year. This summer, I'll be a coach/counselor at Stanford swim camp for a month, before going to DC for Fulbright orientation. Then I'll go home and leave for Siberia around the beginning of September.

After the Fulbright, it's still up in the air. I passed the Foreign Service Officer Test back in the winter (something Stevey P also did, actually), and I'll hear further from them in the next few weeks. If the news is good and I can defer, I'll go straight into the Foreign Service after the Fulbright and then into grad school after a few years.

I went from having everything up in the air to having everything solidified in the course of a week, its crazy how fast things change in the real world. It will definitely be strange not having everything broken up into 4 year chunks anymore.

Well, seeing as how I should be leaving to go to Rotblatt in a few hours, I'll leave this post here. Have we raised possibility of a summer Brocation? Also, if any of you want to visit Russia or Siberia and want a Russian speaker there to help you, you're more than welcome to come visit me (I'm not sure, but I imagine that I'll be able to go to Moscow a few times, so if you don't want to venture beyond European Russia, I can also meet you halfway).

Another Time-Lapse

I like cities. And I like the Inception Soundtrack.

Timelapse - The City Limits from Dominic on Vimeo.

Trolling for summer work ideas

Hello World.

So here it is, Monday morning. I awoke to an amazing splitting headache, in a dorm-style room with too few blinds, too thin walls and with an amazing, tall, driven and educated woman at my side. This May morning feels like the kind of morning you sit out front of Hulings and listen to Rob Oden (dated reference, I know) pontificate about how today is the beginning of it all but that since the day you arrived at Carleton, you were destined for this change... Blah Blah Blah. It's just such a pretty day. Makes me love being alive, even with a hangover. (Undergrads can DRINK.)

(EDIT: Now that I'm an east coast kid, I use driven in senses other than the pejorative... What does that say about who I've become?)

So now that I've set the stage a little bit here, let me delve into the issue that brings me to post from work. I'm working this summer--my summer without an extended summer vacation--and have been charged with making a summer to-do list here at AU. I'm employed full-time and will be teaching five hours per week... which leaves 30 hours per week to do other things.

So, for everyone, what was the single thing that most improved your learning while at Carleton? (Sorry, it has to be a thing, not a person)

Now alienate most of my audience, scientists, what does your department have that you think my department needs? (I have a machine shop, I have unlimited internet hosting capabilities, I have a decent budget... but probably not enough to buy a set of PS3s and make a supercomputer. Sadly)

Now to alienate Will (are there any other non-physics scientists who read this blag?), Physicists, what do you think I should make? So far I've got a Bell-inequality lab, the bike thing I posted on facebook and an electromagnetic can crusher... I'm thinking E&M stuffs but am of course open to other fields. Maybe something RC that involves some servo motors?

If you have any ideas to help me on this quest, please let me know. I'll post video of my can crusher when it's done. And DAMN it's going to be cool. (Preview: it tears apart a can by discharging a fuck-ton of electricity through it, no contact needed between the can and the machine.)

Speedflying

Years ago (whoa), Toto showed us the world of wingsuits. My friend recently showed me
"Speedflying." This activity would also be quite the adrenaline rush.




Happy Friday! Check out the poll too!

It's the little things in life...

RANTS AND RAVES: Molson Edition

Hey Folks.
I liked Free-ho's rants and raves post last month so much that I thought I would do one of my own.

RANTS:
-The Increasing Sense of Powerlessness I feel
-NYT Digital Subscriptions
-Perceptions of The Teaching Profession

RAVES:
-Creativity
-Clouds
-"Best Kept Secrets"


Let's Dive Right In!

Werner Herzog reads children's stories

Happy Friday!

I hope you all find these as hilarious as I do. You may know Werner Herzog as the director of Grizzly Man or maybe one of his other films, but you don't have to know anything about him to enjoy this guy's imitation persona interpreting your favorite childhood stories. I never realized how complex and existential children's stories were. I think Madeline is my favorite:



But check them all out, they're all awesome.

Oll Raigth!

Nod to NPR.

So apparently the following video is an intentional parody of the English language (what it would sound like to an Italian with no familiarity to it). I actually do find my brain trying to understand it despite the fact that it's all gibberish. But at the moment it's my new favorite song/dance. Enjoy:

Time-Lapse to Pretty Music

I've been missing the outdoors recently.
Also, I'm auditing a "Visions of California" class and last week we took a pretty in depth look at John Muir.

This video is cool. I need to get out and about. Maybe some Natty Parks? I wanna go to Utah... Anyone wanna go on a trip out west this August?

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Thoughts on Earth Day, or A Travel Brochure for Earth

Credit: NASA

A few weeks ago, on a beautiful day, I went for a jog through a nearby park and started thinking about what a nice planet we are so lucky to live on. Our nearest neighbors are a stormy, roiling furnace and a frigid, vacuous desert. The latest survey has found that there are a lot of planets out there, a lot of them may be habitable as well (capable of sustaining liquid water), but still, planets like Earth don't just show up everywhere.

Last year, astrophysicist Stephen Hawking made a mildly provocative statement that there is almost certainly intelligent life out there besides ourselves, but that it would be a mistake to try to contact them. Given what a rare oasis our planet is, maybe Hawking is correct in apparently believing that the plot of Independence Day is the most likely outcome. Hawking bases this on the idea that intelligent, space-faring species will probably act a lot like us. But then, it's not inconceivable that they might come to Earth just to take pictures, talk loudly about how inferior our customs are, and leave lousy tips. As annoying as this might be, interstellar tourism would be a boon to the global economy, which would certainly make people more concerned about conserving our planet's ecosystems.

So what sorts of things might be in a travel guide for Earth?

How denial gets between science and politics

I read this article the other day which made me think a bit about Tim's previous post on polarization. It's a bit of a long read for an article, but it deals with the psychology behind the interesting phenomenon of denial of fact, even under overwhelming evidence supporting said fact—also known as "motivated reasoning" or confirmation bias. This is a counter-intuitive, yet very familiar aspect of human nature.

It's a good read, for me it was most interesting for some ideas that touches on briefly, which is what made me think of Tim's post. First it touches on the widely held perception that the country is becoming more partisan, or polarized. Given that this is an easy scapegoat for anyone wanting to decry American politics, I'm a little skeptical about how much truth there is to this, although the last few years have seemed awfully polarized, It's not getting any better at any rate. The strange part is that this might be happening because of the democratization of information and the media, not just in spite of it. As Mooney writes:

Okay, so people gravitate toward information that confirms what they believe, and they select sources that deliver it. Same as it ever was, right? Maybe, but the problem is arguably growing more acute, given the way we now consume information—through the Facebook links of friends, or tweets that lack nuance or context, or "narrowcast" and often highly ideological media that have relatively small, like-minded audiences. Those basic human survival skills of ours, says Michigan's Arthur Lupia, are "not well-adapted to our information age."

Of course it get's worse. He also cites a study that shows that people tend to judge the trustworthiness of a source of information based on whether their findings agreed with their own values, rather than the source's expertise. So people can essentially write off any information that contradicts their worldview.

Lists; A Good Thing

As many of you know, our blog contains many lists. (I know you were expected a sweet hyperlink that highlighted all the list posts. Frankly I'm too lazy to do that.) I for one am a huge fan of this list. Besides the wonderful music you guys post about, it has not been a great year for pop music. (Justin Bieber featuring Rascal Flatts? shoot me now)

Ok Dave, enough of the crappy intro, what is this post all about?

Here we go. I was going to make a list of all the interesting things I have seen on the bike path next to my house. Sure the guy in the Jesus sweatshirt, or the couple who makes out in the same place everyday at 4pm exactly are interesting, but that is not what our blog is about. Stadium 110 demands insight, insight that I have been failing to communicate to you, the blogosphere.

When I finished my bike ride, I realized; no I don't want to make a list of things that I find interesting, I want to make a list of skills /traits I have been developing and share them with you.

1. Since "reading" is one of the hot topics, I figured I would start with a book recommendation. World War Z is an oral account of the zombie apocalypse that occurs in roughly 2012. Stupid Premise, but oddly enough it is very well written and a very enjoyable read.

2. Photography.
Maybe film school has rubbed off on me a bit, but I am really starting to get into taking photos. Here is one I actually think is pretty decent.
The mountain is a little blury in the background, but I have not touched this photo up at all. Ps This is Camp Shira 2 on Kilimanjaro at roughly 15,000 feet.

3. Ex-girlfriends:

In the media we are lead to believe that breakups can result in friendships. After the mess I was in this year I realize that is very rarely the case. I'm not saying its impossible, but most of the time if you are dumped or if you do the dumping, sh&@t goes down emotionally between two individuals.

4. Everything is cooler when put to movie trailer scores. (Video to follow in subsequent post). The time to compress the video is measured in hours.

5. Spring Concert 2k11
a. (sweet Dave a list within a list)
b. Good times ahead
c. Alcoholic whip cream = game changer.
d. Return of the cobra
e. Warm half-drunk keg to be consumed with breakfast Saturday morning
f. Dinosaur towel?
g. Let's do this.


Well there yah go. It is my sincere desire that this post can be considered one of the "high quality" posts we have all come to expect from one another.

THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN ON THE INTERNET

Welcome to my new time waster.

http://mandaflewaway.tumblr.com/post/2057242738

I hope this never goes away. No matter what I make, it sounds good.

Found on College Humor.

First Book Review: Anathem

I'm compsing. So I'm writing a book review for the blog. I mentioned this in my comment on Mark's most recent post, but I feel that this book merits its own post. The book I am referring to is Neal Stephenson's Anathem.

Anathem takes place on a planet called Arbre, which is strikingly similar to the planet Earth. The Arbran civilization has also gone through a history very similar to that of human civilization, except the novel begins approximately 3,600 years from their equivalent of our present day. In Arbran history, a series of Terrible Events 3600 years before the story began wiped out much of the population. These Terrible Events were largely attributed to advances in science (at least as far as can be guessed, 3600 years is a long time) and the world civilization was entirely overhauled. All of the scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers were separated from society in Concents. Within these Concents, the scientists were further divided into groups that were allowed outside the walls of the Concent every 1, 10, 100, and 1000 years. Oners were often just members of the outside world interested in Concents, tenners were the most common members. Within the Concents, the members are further divided by their philosophical and epistemological preferences into Orders. The two major orders are based off of those who believe that words themselves contain meaning versus those who believe that only the physical concepts contain meaning. The history of philosophers in Arbre matches that of Earth. Since the Terrible Events, the Concents and the rest of the world have only interacted once, to destroy an oncoming asteroid. Approximately 1000 years before the story begins, it becomes clear that the Thousanders have developed a new form of technology that can change matter at any place on the planet, the outside world freaks out and kills nearly every member of the Concents. The three Concents that were untouchable reconvene, set up a new code of conduct, and restart.

When the book starts, it focuses on a young Tenner whose mentor is Anathematized, or removed from the Concent. As the book progresses, it becomes clear that he was removed due to an external crisis and that the world of the Concents will be forced to interact with the secular world yet again.

While it's a long read (900 pages), its engrossing and thought-bending. It includes one of the best thought out implementations of quantum mechanics in a sci-fi novel that I've ever encountered. The world(s) that he creates pull you in and keep you guessing about how it all works and what is going on, which he subsequently explains quite well. If I had to sum up Anathem in 1 sentence, I'd say that it's the only book that explains orbital mechanics in detail that I also couldn't put down.

Books, Book Readin', andTop 5? 10? Book Lists

Currently Reading - The Nine: Inside The Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffery Toobin (Review)



Some of you may know this about me, but I enjoy a good read now and then. I love reading up on random shit on the inter-webs and when a topic interests me, I write it down on a "Topics To Explore" list I have going. Those of you who lived with me or went to school with me may also know that in Northfield in the spring, there is always a book fair at the ice arena. It's called the Jesse James Book Raid and it lasts three days. The first day its like $5 for a box of books. The Second day it gets cheaper and then on the last day after 1pm, whatever is left... IS FREE.

I don't really have a good title, but I think you all should read this.

Let's talk politics, my friends. I want to talk political climate, the accepted political "spectrum", the actual political "spectrum", partisanship, and the incredibly simplistic way that our society deals with it all. I want to talk about a country divided, with arugula-eatin'-namby-pamby-fag-lovin'-baby-killin' blue states on the coasts and inbred-racist-gun-totin'-gay-hatin'-Jesus-lovin' red states in the heartland.

We live in quite the country at quite the time. I'm going to refrain from writing an entire post about how our country has changed since September 11th, 2001, and just trust that you all understand that it has (although I could write such a post, but sometimes I wonder if it all just has to do with the fact that September 2001 was also the beginning of my high school career, and thus probably the dawn of my awareness of the world outside small-town Maine).

For whatever reason (and there are plenty of theories), our country has turned into a relentlessly partisan place. On any issue that enters the consciousness of the populous (political, fiscal, moral, cultural) the solution is broken down into black and white, right and wrong. That, in and of itself, is a terribly dangerous existence. But what's worse, our perception of the right and wrong solution/response/action for a specified issue entirely depends on our color of choice - red or blue. And even worse than that, the people around us that we (knowingly or unknowingly) interact with automatically color us on a specific issue based on what they know about our beliefs on entirely disparate subjects. Even more catastrophically worse, we judge each other's value and worth as people by looking through the previously mentioned judgmental lenses that I've already described. If what I've said hasn't confused you, this should horrify you. All kidding aside, your value as a human being or contributing member to our society should not be based on your beliefs on issues of fiscal, political, cultural, or moral importance.

How can you possibly deduce someone's opinion about the use of war in foreign policy based on their previously stated belief about whether or not a fetus is a living human? How can you possibly claim to know someone's belief about border security based on their sexual orientation, or known support for gay marriage? Is it logical to leverage a person's belief about government spending to determine their belief about the legality of marijuana, or their thoughts on teaching creationism in public schools? These are all disparate topics - belief in one thing does not lead to belief in an entirely unrelated thing.

Let me explain further. Each of the issues that I've discussed above fall into different categories. Some are moral/cultural/religious (creationism, gay marriage), others regard policy (marijuana, immigration), still others relate to fiscal matters (taxation) or foreign policy (war on terror, immigration). As you can imagine, some issues fall into more than one category. All of these categories have an associated spectrum of belief. Broken down most simply, we can say there's an authoritarian-libertarian spectrum, and a liberal-conservative spectrum. But if we just stop there, that is really where the problem starts.

We must break it down further!

There's a fiscal spectrum, that ranges between spendy and thrifty. There's a moral/cultural/religious spectrum that ranges between liberal and conservative. There's a foreign policy spectrum that ranges from idealism to neo-conservatism. Of course, not all of these spectra can be completely independent. People leaning towards the authoritarian side of said spectrum will likely range toward to the liberal side of the fiscal spectrum - that's just the classic example of having a big government and needing a way to pay for it. But that's not the problem here. The problem is that we/media/society/political parties have taken all of these spectra and tied them together, putting liberal/blue/Democrat at one side, and red/conservative/Republican at the other. If we say there are four "spectra" (we're still simplifying here, admittedly, but anyway - authority, fiscal, moral, foreign policy), then there are EIGHT possible combinations of beliefs if we stick with a black and white approach to this (I've already explained why a black and white approach is a bad idea). That means we're dumbing down EIGHT possibilities to TWO. Can you honestly sit there and say that RED or BLUE perfectly sums up your beliefs?

Without taking time for justification, and putting myself at the risk of doing exactly what I'm saying is so bad, I'm going assume that we're all fairly liberally-minded individuals along most of the spectra I've mentioned. So, many of us listen to some of the unnamed conservative commentators on the radio or on TV and get so angry about the blanket statements they make about "liberals" or Democrats. But, we've all done the exact same thing before. Educated people, members of an accepting, open generation like ourselves, have bought into this and deal with these things in the exact same way. My roommates are all fairly left-leaning and aware individuals (again, putting myself at risk of sounding hypocritical), and I have heard them all make comments or uninformed judgments about "Republicans". Case in point (and remember this was said seriously): "Oh my god, I think my co-worker is a Republican. I don't know if I can still be friends with him."

These last few paragraphs have been an arduously long-winded attempt at saying that this all goes in every direction. People who "hated" George W. Bush and expressed it as such are just as guilty as those who "hate" Barack Obama, because it's not what we believe but how we're expressing it and synthesizing it that is the problem. Our country is at a critical juncture - it's as divided and ruthless a political culture as it's ever been (although I don't profess to speak for years I didn't experience, I just get that feeling.) An opinion on one belief does not connote an opinion on another (even if party affiliation may say otherwise). If we all, as a people, continue to judge our fellow citizens based on their party affiliation or opinion on a specific matter, our country will continue to be a divided place. A nation founded on free-thinking where difference of opinion is expressed with resentment rather than respect won't go anywhere - we'll just continue to spin our wheels and embarrass ourselves.


(Disclaimer: I tried not to stream-of-consciousness this post, but it likely seems as though I did.)

Link for Ted

SPRING TERM

Alyssa the you-know-what

music: chromeo.

Song title: Night by Knight

Elliot is up

Girl don't be a momo

You don't know whitch way to go

What

what

what okya

yo

this is me.

I say she's too dramaic.

I think she's too boner matic in the vagina. night by nitha.

Go.

Just kidding.

Um.

Fu...

Dude...

doo

doo

doo

(poops!)

CORNER OF COLLEGE AND UNION up in this bitzhc.

(Cue dance party. by very white boys, not that I have anything to say about being white.)

(scene change)

(fade to black)

(slow leade into http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izrJEi-AB0o )

Elliot go.

yo my name is elliot B.

no no

no

no

no

fuck

no

no

hip hop

every time I do I do things.

lougie.

do the dougie.

that's what I was I was looking for beyofore on the floor your momma on the whore.

floors legit

and when I take a shit, its shlegit

"shitty long on my cock." -freeho

this shit it block

him hop hip o my slop and I eat the hen.

midget.

midget.

midget.

ridge-it.

bridget sucked my nuts.

On the fence.

on putting my defense.

holly at you momma bitchen kitchen.

farther from the truth.

And now I pass the mike, To michael bluth...

CAW.

Remember that time David and I didnt get laid?

My grandfather was a cabbie.

This is how a non-scommped drunk post shall commence. I am drinking--err, drunk--with Mounisger Smelliot FartFace.

There were a number of ladies surriounding us all day. or evening. I am making an effort to postin with good spelling.

Dudes, drunk posting is hard.

Here is smelliout:

(Free-Hou out)

lets play a love game do you love game are you in the game? something the love game. l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-lets have some fun this beat is siiiick. THE STORY OF US, IT ALWAYS STARTS THE SAME WITH A BOY AND A GIRL AND A HUT AND A GAME?

I think she means jabba the hut. He's the only Hut I can think of.

OKay. So here's the best game ever. It isn't a love game. It's still fun and its called telephone pictionary. Obviously a shitty name for it. If you can think of a better name, feel free to let me know. Here's how you play.

1. For as many people as there are in the group you are, cut that many pieces of paper per person. Thus, if you are playing with 6 people, then each person gets 6 pieces of paper for a total of 36 pieces. The pieces of paper dont need to be that big. Only about 2x4 inches per piece.
2. To start, everyone writes down a word/phrase on their piece of paper.
3. Everyone passes their pieceS of paper to the left (or right, honestly i dont care). The important part is that ALL of the pieces of paper are passed at one time, not just the one you wrote on.
4. The person who receivers the papers reads the word/phrase and then draws a picture on a different piece of paper that "describes" the word/phrase.
5. All the pieces of paper are passed to the left (or right, honestly I dont care...honestly).
6. The receiving person sees the image and then writes a word for the image but DOES NOT look at the previous card which says the word that caused the other person to draw the picture. THIS IS HOW ITS LIKE TELEPHONE AND PICTIONARY AT THE SAME TIME.
7. "the world is spinning" -FreeHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
8. skeet
9. etc continuing from step (6).
10. I apologize if the above description is unclear.

And now...stream of consciousness from free ho.

"So there was a mountain this mountain is rounded on top. most of the time it was obscured by clouds. But one time it was clear and I saw both caps. One was gorgeous and the other one was taller. The other one was purple. Tri-coconut oil. It was a gorgeous blue sky. we would see things from miles around. SPeed and endurance...muircamp. THe little people caught me on the ridge. STOP. JUMP. SHIFT. STANDING Down there. THE RED. THE WHITE. THE CLEANLines. RUMMMMM RUMMM RUMMM. To the devils kitchen we go, look for the rum rum rum through the dark. From the back of the motorcycle. Look at the fins look at the dark look at the motorcycle. Look at the markers look at the red. Make camp. Learn to ride. Learn to DRINK. BIG bend. moab (mother of all bombs). THat was the best night of my life. That was the best day of my life."

Note: open to interpretation.

Distractions

Unoriginal material, but nevertheless hilarious. Ya gotta have stuff to brighten your day.

Jon Lajoie: I had seen these two older videos of him (1, 2) but then I heard a new song by him on the radio and then I looked him up. He makes me laugh.
I Kill People
Very Super Famous
Show me your Genitals
WTF Collective
WTF Collective 2

I haven't seen anything this offensive (and hilarious) since this.

Hopefully you were amused as I was. Best line:
"Women are actually good for 4 things: cooking, cleaning, vaginas, and their sister's vagina"

"Good Morning Sunshine!"

One post a week, right?

So, shit. That news fucking sucks.
Really. Losing a young adult is the worst. I think Hudlin Wagner put this thought in my mind when we lost Ted.

Not to sound too callous, but when a kid dies you haven't seen them as their own individual yet; when an adult dies they've had a chance to do something, to be someone, to live a part of a life. When a young adult dies, though, they're full of promise and vigor.

Just like Joe.

Becoming a real adult aka making money with money

I do not consider myself a "grown up." I am 23 years old, I have my own apartment, and I have a job in an intellectual field, and I am financially supported by no one but myself (except for the couch my parents bought me from IKEA, but I like to think I worked hard enough in the yard to earn most of that). So why am I not a grown up?

Rediscovered: Fela Kuti & Africa '70

Over the last year, as you may have noticed, I've become increasingly interested in rediscovering the music of our parents generation (basically anything made from around 1960 through the early 80's). Although commercial music has continuously been evolving, the wide varieties of styles that grew out of what was originally called rhythm & blues (which replaced the term "race music") during this era at least feels like one of the greatest shifts that music has ever experienced. For me, this is when popular music really started to be great. I'll be writing a few posts now and then about some of my favorites from my forays into the music past.

One great thing about discovering this era of music is that there is no shortage of lists and reviews to help you find something you like. However, even better is the fact that we can throw these lists out, and decide for ourselves what music is relevant to us now when looking it through the lens of our own culture, insulated from the culture that surrounded it. In retrospect, we may find that the best stuff was the stuff that wasn't popular at the time because it hasn't been recycled as much as so many of the hits have. This is a perfect example of what's happened to Fela Kuti over the years since his death.

Rants and Raves

Well, I'd like to go on record about a couple of things.

Rants:

-Streaming TV's advertisement creep

-Being stood up

Raves:

-Online dating

-Spring

Music Post: Sweet Blog, RIP Nate Dogg

Quick music post.

First, I found a sweet music blog you'll all enjoy: http://westlacnct.com/ It's got remixes and mini-reviews of said remixes - I recommend finding the Passion Pit Remix of Bruno Mars' current single "Grenade".

Second, Nate Dogg passed away at the age of 41. Here's a quick link to better understand the impact Nate Dogg had on hip-hop: Nate Dogg: Thank Him Now

In honor of Nate Dogg, I am listening to G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 today. G-Funk Classics is Nate Dogg's debut album originally set for release in 1996, at the height of the gangster rap boom. Because of some issues at Death Row Records, the album was not actually released until 1998, and thus, despite it's genius, was destined to mediocre sales and a tepid reception at best. (Side Note: There is a Vol. 2, but I don't have it.)

Anyway, you all know where to find G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 if you're up for honoring his memory. I highly recommend it - it's a walk down the proverbial memory lane for one of the most innovative hip-hop artists of our time.

Four-Chord Song

I guess these guys are like a wannabe Flight of the Conchords (also from NZ). But its kinda fun.

Stumble

So lately I have been using stumble quite a bit to find cool pictures and sites. Seeing as Mark used to do this, but hasn't updated us in a while I took it upon myself to post a video and a link that may help one of our contributors when me and Tim make certain phone calls. Enjoy

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2QgyO6/devour.com/video/conan-hunter-s-thompson-drinking-shooting-guns

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/29zMYP/travelated.com/10-phrases-you-wont-learn-in-spanish-class

Sorry its only has 10 phrases but maybe you can mix it up.

Hey

Hey you all. So I figured I would try to update everyone on my life and also have a chance to write a post. Well nothing much has changed since my last post. I visited Carleton twice last month. I went up to see the Minnesota Challenge and I also went back about a week later to watch MIAC’s. My main motivation to go up was mainly to see my gf, but it was nice to get to see some people swim which for some would be their last competitive meet as a Carleton swimmer. Also both times Tim was a pretty tight host as he got me acquainted with Big Buck Hunter, which I beat him in, and we got to bottle some of the beer he started brewing. Tim should blog about his beer to let us know how it turned out.

EPIC FAIL

Remember when I said I was going to post weekly about the class I am TAing? My bad.

Here are they spark notes:

Livin La Vida

First off,

I would like to apologize for my recent lack of blogging. Training, coaching, and school have seem to enveloped my very being. Anyway, enough excuses; let's get to blogging.

The big news is that about three weeks ago I adopted a dog. I would like to introduce all of you to Vida.

Vida is about one year old (not entirely sure) and she is a pure-breed boxer. Having a dog is a lot of fun, but at the same time, a lot of work. Just recently she managed to get into her dog food and stuff her face. Anyway, she is really friendly and I am looking forward to the chan ce to introduce her to you guys.

As far as my work goes I am busy sound designing a graduate thesis film. There are a shortage of sound designers so a couple of the second years get to help out with the third year projects. I am fortunate enough to be working on one.
In addition to my sound design work I am also editing together a small documentary for my Kilimanjaro hike. The doc will be about the making of the 3D film and I will post it when I'm done.

For those of you who have not seen my documentary from Tanzania this past summer, here is the link.

Please let me know what you think. The film has already been accepted into several festivals and we will have to see how it does.

Iron man training is going well. I have the LA marathon March 20th and that will serve as a good indicator of where I am and what I need to work on.


-Nonberg...........adios

300 Posts!

As we near the 2nd birthday of the blog, it's pretty cool to say that we've had 300 posts!

I've mentioned this before, but I'm pretty proud that our blog has lasted so long. People start and give up on blogs so fast in this day and age, and i think its cool that this one is going the opposite direction. Not only have we added two new contributors, but it appears that we are producing content at a much more steady rate. (At this point last year, we only had done about 20 posts in the first two months of the year.)

But actually lets take a look at the distribution of our blog posts:



What do we notice? Obviously we had a strong start, and then the honeymoon period was over. But we also notice, that aside week 20, in the last month, we've produce more a week than ever before (not taking account the honeymoon period).

I do wish we had a visible and significant increase that shooted up from the lull that has defined the blog since our first few months. I've noticed this on google analytics too. Then one day, maybe we can finally press the big red monetize button and rake in the dough.

But what I am really saying is that I'm optimistic about the blog's future.

While I thought about doing a Tedley-esque, Highlights of the last 200 posts, I decided not to because of the time commitment. But I do highly recommend going back through some old posts. I've done this a bit and have had quite a few good laughs. It's also interesting to see which labels get tagged the most (First Mate Charlie, Beer, Alfredo, Music...).

May we keep growing, creating, and contributing.
Molson out.

Free-Ho is a dirty, filthy liar. Also: me becoming an adult.

Hello all. I have been planning on my first post relating to my foray into the land of becoming a pseudo-musician. Unfortunately, that will have to wait a few more days. Instead I need to address something that occurred this past weekend.

Yes. I was in DC. Yes. I got to see Free-Ho, Elliot, Jen, Julia, Barb, K Sloan, and some random other Carls. As you certainly noticed there was no drunken/blackout posting by me, despite Free-Ho's promises. I can think of two reasons for this.

1) I made the mistake (or had the brilliant foresight?) to register a random e-mail address to this website so that google couldn't follow my EVERY move. Of course this meant that I had to spend the last ten minutes guessing eight-thousand iterations of all of my passwords to figure out which I used for the registration here. I clearly would not have been able to figure out my password if I had been drunk.

2) I may have finally learned how to drink like a real life adult. The first time I ever drank was two weeks before I showed up at Carleton. Predictably, I ended up passing out on the floor of a locked bathroom after getting sick. This was the start of my inability to practice moderation of any sort. If you put alcohol infront of me I will drink it, and I will drink it quickly. Many of you have witnessed this amazing trait of mine in regards to junkfood. 1 lb of peanut butter with a spoon in 15 minutes I am looking at you. My drinking in college often saw me have a great time and feel fine UNTIL I laid down in bed. The second my head hit the pillow I would get nauseas and become sick. My nights would be unpleasant for a few minutes, but I would never get hungover. As I have aged I have stopped getting sick, and instead I have begun waking up with a wicked hangover and a very fuzzy memory of the previous night. Usually I only realize I have sent some ill-advised text messages, but there has been the occasional night in the drunk tank on halloween. There have still been the occasional nights where I get sick and gloriously throw up off of a 7th floor balcony. None of this drinking comes close to being anything "responsible".

So, this past weekend may have come as a complete shock to myself and everyone involved. I managed to drink three nights in a row, get fairly drunk each time, and not make a fool of myself. There was no getting sick, no blacking out, and very minimal levels of hangovers. Sure I woke up one morning at 5:30am with a colander on my head, but that is to be expected anytime DFH gets a hold of a sharpie and decides he wants to draw on people who are simply tired and laying on the floor without any shoes on.

I'm not exactly sure what it was that told me to stop being an idiot and drink less, but whatever it is I am happy it manifested itself. There is something fantastic about being able to get a bit intoxicated with good friends, have a great time, and regret nothing in the morning. Lets hope this responsibility thing hangs around for a while.

Jefferson Starship

Something funny happened at practice on Monday that I would like to relate to all of you. Paul "Phatty" Regan, a name you should recognize from the men's team entry video, was on campus to talk about the Peace Corps and he dropped by the pool. He asked us if we still watched the men's team entry video and revealed the secret identity of "Package." I forget his name. BUT, he was a freshman that year and just happened to be walking by Nourse while they were filming the video. According to AC, he swam the 50 at MIACs and disqualified because he missed the wall on the flip turn, but still won his heat. The reasoning behind the nickname? In the first few days of practice, AC referred to him as "the complete package." According to Phatty, the women's team never really bought this explanation.

However, the true reason for this post is what happened after we discussed the men's team entry video. Phatty joked that he had several AC stories to tell and asked if we had heard the starship story. Andy nervously laughed and said, no, he doesn't tell that story anymore. I inquired as to whether this might be the Jefferson Starship story. Andy spun around and looked at me and asked how I knew the story. "Elliot" was all I said. Later, he told Mamoru that it's a story from his foolish youth and that he should ask me to tell him the story.

So - AC now knows that we know. He also used to tell the men's team the starship story, but subsequently decided that it was a bad idea. That was one unnecessary practice that was WELL worth it.

Live Blogging the Oscars

I'm hanging out watching the Oscars and decided hey, what better than to post my immediate reactions to everything? So I'm starting late, but I'll summarize the first bit.

James Franco and Anne Hathaway are terrible hosts. Several presenters have upstaged them handily.

I'm very glad Christian Bale got an Oscar, he's had one coming for awhile and this role was certainly deserving. I was hoping to see Hailee Steinfeld win the supporting actress, but she's young. The Fighter has been sweeping the acting so far.

I'm so pumped that Trent Reznor won best soundtrack, electronic music doesn't often get recognized and his soundtrack for The Social Network has been on the top of my iPod for some time.

Aaron Sorkin definitely deserved best adapted screenplay, but that was a crowded field this year. The Coen Bros. had an awesome screenplay as well.
I really like the speeches for the small awards because I think they're the most deserving winners. Susanne Bier gave an awesome acceptance speech for best foreign film, I need to check "In A Better World" out.

OK, here we are to real time.

8:57

The Wolfman won an Oscar. WTF. It may be makeup, but seriously, it has 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.

9:16

Luke Matheny has the best haircut I've ever seen. He directed God Of Love, which won best short. Awesome speech. I don't think many film school students win Oscars... I just looked him up, God Of Love was his thesis! I bet he got an A.

9:21

Inside Job wins best doc. I haven't seen it so I can't really judge, but I'm kind of disappointed Restrepo didn't win. I guess the financial crisis is a timely deal, but Restrepo is the best documentary on a war I've ever seen.

9:35

Film Editing. What a strong field this year. The Social Network deserved it, the rowing scene alone was worthy of the Oscar. But it's a pity that Black Swan and 127 Hours had to be turned down. I guess that's what happens when you have Aronofsky, Fincher, and Boyle competing at what, in my opinion, they are the 3 best at.

9:47

Best Song goes to Toy Story 3. I only mention this because Randy Newman has been nominated 20 times and won twice. Most noteworthy, he lost for "You've Got A Friend In Me," which I feel is the most known of his songs, at least, I don't remember the song in Toy Story 3.

10:02

Best Director. My favorite award. AGH! The King's Speech won!? Aronofsky totally deserved this one, at least we can predict which movie is going to win Best Pic now. I guess I should actually watch The King's Speech now, if he managed to beat Aronofsky, Fincher, AND the Coen Bros.

10:14

Jeff Bridges is again the classiest man in Hollywood. His introductions of best actresses was fantastic. Natalie Portman wins, no surprise there.

10:22

So sick of the Facebook jokes. Again with The King's Speech. I'll watch it. I generally dislike films that idealize monarchy, but who knows. One of my roommates says that films about British monarchs are to movies what cats are to the Internet.

10:32

Best Picture. Good year for movies. Good intro by Spielberg. They've used so much music from Black Swan, aka. non-original music tonight. My pick: a tie between Black Swan, 127 Hours, and The Social Network. The winner: The King's Speech.

In retrospect: by my count, The King's Speech won 4 Oscars, but they were all the major ones. The Social Network and Inception split the technical awards, which was to be expected. 127 Hours was winless, which is a pity. Boyle did a great job with a film that is seemingly the opposite of what would be a good movie. But, he won a lot two years ago. Fincher and Aronofsky are still winless directors! This was a good year for movies, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the best foreign films. I'm curious what you guys all thought, comment on this year's films below.

The Shepard

Hello Readers.

I thought I would make a quite and highly important note.

Let me begin by saying that oil shale is "sort of a teenage version of oil." I want to do a Katy Perry-style song entitled "A Teenage Version of Oil" featuring James Bartis.

See more of Elliot's dad here.

Moving on to the important point here.

Will is in DC.

Yes, yes he is.

So, look for drunk posts from Will in the wee hours of the mornings.

Wh-wh-what's yo' fanta-ta-sy?

Friends,

In some parts of our great country the weather is still cold and snowy. In other parts, it's above freezing, slushy and wet. But, in the sunny locales of southern Florida and the ninety mile strip of highway that connects Tucson to Phoenix, the last few days have brought the aroma of oil on aged and dry flesh, the sight of delightfully carved long, hard, wooden shafts cracking against red-accented, white-as-a-sheet, virgin balls, the delicious aural pleasure of said balls smacking against freshly-lubed leather.

No, I'm not talking about your favorite S&M fantasy. I'm talking a fantasy of the baseball variety. More specifically: Fantasy Baseball!

Pitchers and catchers have reported for every team except for the Florida Marlins (they've already given up hope, apparently...). Only the Marlins and Will Kruesi's White Sox have yet to have an official workout (maybe they've given up hope, too?). This, compadres, means that spring training is well under way. As spring training goes by, fans of all shapes, colors, sizes, and affiliations are, by birthright, given reason for optimism. It's spring after all! Bunny rabbits hop gleefully through the prairie, flip flops are busted out, we can drink beer outside! For many fans, this optimism quickly dissipates as pitcher X requires Tommy John surgery, infielder Y breaks his foot, and outfielder Z cracks his rib. But, at least during the beginning of spring training, we can all say "Maybe this is our year!"

The shrewdest of fans will also assess their fantasy options with the utmost scrutiny throughout this optimistic time. Some of us will probably draft with loyalty to our favorite team. Nonberg will likely sit in the corner with a beer box on his head and covet the players already drafted. Past years have made it clear that any strategy is viable. Whatever your strategy, fantasy baseball is upon us!

Who's in?


NOTE: Ted volunteered to organize, as in years past, but he does not know this yet.