Jon's Notes
August 30, 2004
Fast Food Nation
I'm playing tech for a screening of Super Size Me here at CUW. There are approximately eighty people in the auditorium. Lets see, the Sodexho part just came on and was greeted with nearly universal boos. There were interested murmurs when they mentioned a school lunch program inspired by Natural Ovens Bakery of Manitowoc.
The message seems to be well thought out, and the presentation is superb. All said and done, it is a fascinating - even scary - message.
I'm just annoyed that Sudexo replaced the water and natural juice dispensers with flavored sugar and soda. I'm going to jump into the lake and try eating vegetarian for the rest of the week. I just want to see what the effect such a diet has on my mind. I can't deny that my mind has not been functioning as efficiently since I started eating cafeteria food.
The message seems to be well thought out, and the presentation is superb. All said and done, it is a fascinating - even scary - message.
I'm just annoyed that Sudexo replaced the water and natural juice dispensers with flavored sugar and soda. I'm going to jump into the lake and try eating vegetarian for the rest of the week. I just want to see what the effect such a diet has on my mind. I can't deny that my mind has not been functioning as efficiently since I started eating cafeteria food.
August 29, 2004
Dance watching
I wandered over to the fall dance to see what all the noise was about. Silly me, my concept of dance was based on old style dance where form was important and music was meaningful.
The dance (I use the term lightly) looked more like unstructured aerobics than a graceful pair performance. Part of me wanted to join in. What held me back, fear of people or a sense of decency?
The slow, close dancing to what sounded like CCM seemed like a perverse joke.
The basic idea behind modern dances seems to be acting happy and bouncing around to the beat. Actually following the beat appears to be optional.
1/10th of the participants are actually pair or group dancing, 4/10ths are pretending, and the rest are standing around.
Other than the CABbies, I saw no one with whom I would normally interact with, run into, or notice.
Campus TLPs of the RA and RD varient were present. I'm guessing to prevent people from doing what some of the songs suggested. The dance felt like a borderline event. That is, an event that could quickly go south.
Anyway, off to bed I go. 6.5 hours of sleep make Jon groggy, grumpy, and cross.
The dance (I use the term lightly) looked more like unstructured aerobics than a graceful pair performance. Part of me wanted to join in. What held me back, fear of people or a sense of decency?
The slow, close dancing to what sounded like CCM seemed like a perverse joke.
The basic idea behind modern dances seems to be acting happy and bouncing around to the beat. Actually following the beat appears to be optional.
1/10th of the participants are actually pair or group dancing, 4/10ths are pretending, and the rest are standing around.
Other than the CABbies, I saw no one with whom I would normally interact with, run into, or notice.
Campus TLPs of the RA and RD varient were present. I'm guessing to prevent people from doing what some of the songs suggested. The dance felt like a borderline event. That is, an event that could quickly go south.
Anyway, off to bed I go. 6.5 hours of sleep make Jon groggy, grumpy, and cross.
My Mind is Frozen at the Start of the School Year
I'd wanted to write about work and the weekend orientation activities, but my mind is locking up. I can't really think in depth right now. It is like I have a bad cold without the cough and sore throat. I think I'm just nervous about classes tomorrow. I don't know why I would be nervous. Perhaps it is the dorm atmosphere - over-stimulation from all the noise. I need to do laundry, but it looks like people brought laundry from home.
Enough of this! Why don't I keep silent until I have something useful to say?
Anyway, my goal for this fall is to get an A grade in all of my classes. I'd also like to pick up a non-techie hobby or skill.
The whole laundry situation is the only thing that I'm worried about. We don't have any form of scheduling for the laundry machines, so finding a empty one is hit and miss.
Enough of this! Why don't I keep silent until I have something useful to say?
Anyway, my goal for this fall is to get an A grade in all of my classes. I'd also like to pick up a non-techie hobby or skill.
The whole laundry situation is the only thing that I'm worried about. We don't have any form of scheduling for the laundry machines, so finding a empty one is hit and miss.
Students Return & Work is Fun
I was going to write something about life as the students come back, but I forgot, so it must not have been that important.
Anyway, the picture to the right is of a WiFi antenna (the thing sticking up above the other antenna) and a outdoor access point. It was quite the pain to install, since it was installed during a break in a week-long storm. Sitting in puddles is never fun, but it needed to be done. The access point works quite well. We are using it for point-to-point connections for streaming CUW sports events.
I was going to write something about life as the students come back, but I forgot, so it must not have been that important.
Anyway, the picture to the right is of a WiFi antenna (the thing sticking up above the other antenna) and a outdoor access point. It was quite the pain to install, since it was installed during a break in a week-long storm. Sitting in puddles is never fun, but it needed to be done. The access point works quite well. We are using it for point-to-point connections for streaming CUW sports events.
August 23, 2004
Finance and the College Question
I'm trying to decide how to spend the next few months, and probably the next few years.
Money for school has always been a concern, but I have never felt that concern as strongly as I do now.
I will have enough money for fall with a federal student loan and a bit from my parents. I will have enough for spring if I can find another loan source. I really don't want to borrow money, but there does not seem to be any other way to stay in college. I don't want to start the major part of my life owing a great debt. This is what I get for going to the school with the supposedly good environment, instead of the cheap state school back home.
I'd also like to start a company. The OSIAE project is coming along at a constant, albeit slow, pace. I would really like to be able to focus on its completion. I will have enough money to start the company if I stay in school, continue working, and can get student loans.
I have been questioning whether college is really worth the time and expense. I think the answer it yes, because I must learn to be flexible enough to be a square peg in a round hole and still be square once removed.
At the same time I'm concerned about my younger brother. All that know, know enough, and those that don't are not involved. He can do great things if he keeps working.
Money for school has always been a concern, but I have never felt that concern as strongly as I do now.
I will have enough money for fall with a federal student loan and a bit from my parents. I will have enough for spring if I can find another loan source. I really don't want to borrow money, but there does not seem to be any other way to stay in college. I don't want to start the major part of my life owing a great debt. This is what I get for going to the school with the supposedly good environment, instead of the cheap state school back home.
I'd also like to start a company. The OSIAE project is coming along at a constant, albeit slow, pace. I would really like to be able to focus on its completion. I will have enough money to start the company if I stay in school, continue working, and can get student loans.
I have been questioning whether college is really worth the time and expense. I think the answer it yes, because I must learn to be flexible enough to be a square peg in a round hole and still be square once removed.
At the same time I'm concerned about my younger brother. All that know, know enough, and those that don't are not involved. He can do great things if he keeps working.
August 19, 2004
Long week
This day has been tiring. This week has been tiring. The monotony is getting unbearable. I cannot wait for the weekend. I'm going to work all day Friday, tape Stargate & Andromeda from SciFi channel, and finally go home.
Most of this week has been spent editing
a video series on Lutheran Worship to go with the book Gathered Guests, although the series may just be for a class that uses it as the textbook. The editing is not so bad, and I'm learning a lot. Unfortunately there are some really frustrating parts where the distinction between tape segments has not been very clear. This means that I end up going back and forth over the clip trying to figure out where the subject begins and ends.
Most of this week has been spent editing
a video series on Lutheran Worship to go with the book Gathered Guests, although the series may just be for a class that uses it as the textbook. The editing is not so bad, and I'm learning a lot. Unfortunately there are some really frustrating parts where the distinction between tape segments has not been very clear. This means that I end up going back and forth over the clip trying to figure out where the subject begins and ends.
Reporters are not above the law
This quote is in response to five reporters being held in contempt of court for refusing to reveal their sources.
"'The threat to First Amendment rights that's going on this summer is unprecedented...' said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press. 'All this has to do with secrecy. The government is trying to keep more and more secrets all the time, and journalists are working harder to uncover those secrets.'" - Associated Press (Newsday.com)
Wait a minute, reporters are claiming that their first amendment rights to speak are being violated by a judge requiring them to speak?
How do we know that they are telling the truth if they do not open their sources to independent verification?
Are reporters so lazy that they rely on hear-say instead of going out and doing their own research?
These are all questions that need answered, although none of them ask the critical question. Reporters are not lawyers. They do not have attorney-client privilege. Why should a reporter refuse to be a witness in court?
"'The threat to First Amendment rights that's going on this summer is unprecedented...' said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press. 'All this has to do with secrecy. The government is trying to keep more and more secrets all the time, and journalists are working harder to uncover those secrets.'" - Associated Press (Newsday.com)
Wait a minute, reporters are claiming that their first amendment rights to speak are being violated by a judge requiring them to speak?
How do we know that they are telling the truth if they do not open their sources to independent verification?
Are reporters so lazy that they rely on hear-say instead of going out and doing their own research?
These are all questions that need answered, although none of them ask the critical question. Reporters are not lawyers. They do not have attorney-client privilege. Why should a reporter refuse to be a witness in court?
August 09, 2004
7:17 Club canoe trip on the Fox River
7:17 Club went canoeing on Saturday. My head and feet are badly sunburned.
Half of the people on the river had a little too much to drink. There was this one girl on a raft who kept asking people if they liked fish. She would ask two or three times and then pull a dead catfish out of the water. It was hilarious and disturbing at the same time.
There was a pack of ATV riders who would ride out into the stream and harass the drunk canoers. They also went after KateD. The other person in her canoe behaved most shamefully during this incident.
I think that the trip was a success. We should go earlier in the year - when the water level is higher.
Half of the people on the river had a little too much to drink. There was this one girl on a raft who kept asking people if they liked fish. She would ask two or three times and then pull a dead catfish out of the water. It was hilarious and disturbing at the same time.
There was a pack of ATV riders who would ride out into the stream and harass the drunk canoers. They also went after KateD. The other person in her canoe behaved most shamefully during this incident.
I think that the trip was a success. We should go earlier in the year - when the water level is higher.
August 05, 2004
4-H and our county fair
I was just reading an article on the county fair back home. Many of my siblings presented projects at that fair. I haven't heard from them all week, so I don't know what awards they won.
It is interesting that the news mention (is it fair to call it an article?) focused on the horse events, with only a small mention of the other activities. The local 4-H supreme leader is known to have little regard for the livestock sections - mostly for making disparaging remarks about the horse and cow people.
The news clip mentions that they have a "Computer Science" section. Been there, done that, and got the blue ribbons. The 4-H computer section was much better back when Illinois was using their own interim guide. The new national guide has as much in common with computer science as crayons have with fine art. The only lame thing about the old guide was its name: Lost in Cyberspace. The new guide series is simply watered down edutainment.
I'd also like to note that WEEK TV is to lazy to include a proper photo with their story. I see a winter coat, snow, and a barren tree in the photo. Strike 1: It is August. Strike 2: The trees at the fair are evergreens. Strike 3: I doubt that they would be using a snow generator in the horse barn.
I wonder if the PETA people ever appeared.
It is interesting that the news mention (is it fair to call it an article?) focused on the horse events, with only a small mention of the other activities. The local 4-H supreme leader is known to have little regard for the livestock sections - mostly for making disparaging remarks about the horse and cow people.
The news clip mentions that they have a "Computer Science" section. Been there, done that, and got the blue ribbons. The 4-H computer section was much better back when Illinois was using their own interim guide. The new national guide has as much in common with computer science as crayons have with fine art. The only lame thing about the old guide was its name: Lost in Cyberspace. The new guide series is simply watered down edutainment.
I'd also like to note that WEEK TV is to lazy to include a proper photo with their story. I see a winter coat, snow, and a barren tree in the photo. Strike 1: It is August. Strike 2: The trees at the fair are evergreens. Strike 3: I doubt that they would be using a snow generator in the horse barn.
I wonder if the PETA people ever appeared.
August 03, 2004
Enough with this talk of fundamentalism
I've been reading the 9/11 commission report. So far it seems that they think the enemy is "fundamentalist Islam."
I find this terribly funny considering that president Bush said that Christians and Moslems worship the same god. Now consider that Usama Bin Laden said the opposite. Both cannot be speaking the truth. I suppose they have some wiggle room considering that neither is a religious scholar.
So, the enemy is "fundamentalist Islam," not Islam itself. Funny, the enemy under president Clinton was "fundamentalist Christianity." I'm sensing a pattern here. Adherents of fundamentalist Islam destroyed some buildings. Adherents of fundamentalist Christianity destroyed some buildings. Christians disavowed the attackers and showed from their religious texts where the attackers were wrong. Moslems claimed that Islam is a religion of peace, but they never stated that the attackers would burn for their acts. That doesn't seem like a very emphatic disavowing.
Fundamentalist religions seem to be the problem here. Fundamental means base or essential. I suppose that means that any time someone is against a "fundamentalist" religion they are merely against the core of it - the trappings are nice and really don't matter. This means that the only time a religion poses a problem is when its adherents truly believe something and are not merely gathering to sing and talk. From now on I will omit the fundamentalist prefix when referring to religions groups. After all, isn't it a bit redundant?
Islam does not like western materialism. Christianity does not like western materialism. There are claims among both groups that many of their supposed adherents worship materialism instead of their true deity. Perhaps president Bush was right when he said that Islam and Christianity have the same god, just not in the sense that he probably intended.
I find this terribly funny considering that president Bush said that Christians and Moslems worship the same god. Now consider that Usama Bin Laden said the opposite. Both cannot be speaking the truth. I suppose they have some wiggle room considering that neither is a religious scholar.
So, the enemy is "fundamentalist Islam," not Islam itself. Funny, the enemy under president Clinton was "fundamentalist Christianity." I'm sensing a pattern here. Adherents of fundamentalist Islam destroyed some buildings. Adherents of fundamentalist Christianity destroyed some buildings. Christians disavowed the attackers and showed from their religious texts where the attackers were wrong. Moslems claimed that Islam is a religion of peace, but they never stated that the attackers would burn for their acts. That doesn't seem like a very emphatic disavowing.
Fundamentalist religions seem to be the problem here. Fundamental means base or essential. I suppose that means that any time someone is against a "fundamentalist" religion they are merely against the core of it - the trappings are nice and really don't matter. This means that the only time a religion poses a problem is when its adherents truly believe something and are not merely gathering to sing and talk. From now on I will omit the fundamentalist prefix when referring to religions groups. After all, isn't it a bit redundant?
Islam does not like western materialism. Christianity does not like western materialism. There are claims among both groups that many of their supposed adherents worship materialism instead of their true deity. Perhaps president Bush was right when he said that Islam and Christianity have the same god, just not in the sense that he probably intended.
The big no-no
I'm about to commit the big no-no: shopping for groceries on a empty stomach. Mom sent some canned soup, but once can only eat so much canned soup before it becomes tiresome.
I thought about ordering pizza, but that would cost too much. My generous shoppping list should cost half of what it would cost to order pizza.
I thought about ordering pizza, but that would cost too much. My generous shoppping list should cost half of what it would cost to order pizza.