scottsimpson.net

Network fun

Howdy. The internet is finally back up (for the time being) in the halls. For whatever reason, the little box that gives out addresses (DHCP server) crashed. Isn't life fun? anyway, it provided me an opportunity to talk to some of my neighbors, giving them the WEP key (password) to my wireless thing so they could use the internet.

In other news, not a whole lot is going on... I still need to clean my room, I still need to get my car smogged, and I still need to pin down my dates and times for my trip home.

So far it looks like:
Monday - Drive to UCSB
Tuesday - UCSB
Wednesday - Drive to SLO
Thursday - Drive home (evening) / SLO
Friday - Home / drive home (morning)
Saturday - leave for SD
Sunday - arrive SD

This schedule is subject to change.

Comments? Questions?

Song of the day - "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie

English, l’lingua franca

Yea, about the title... pardon my French
In an article from National Geographic, I found that English is declining in popularity. Pardon the cynicism, but since when has English not represented 'haves' versus 'have nots'? Eh well, it's a good read.

Other articles of note:
PC's are bad for the environment
Seattle recognizes marriages of gay city employees that got married elsewhere ... how arbitrary is that?
Finally someone realized that the 12th grade standards test is a complete and utter joke
Bill Gates wants people to buy stamps for email, as if spammers couldn't find a way around that...
If you thought the US had strange domestic problems, look at Kenya

I've decided to schedule 'no-time' into my days, during which I will relax and read or something, because my schedule is ridiculously busy. I also plan to go to the gym three times this week. If you see me online between 10pm and midnight, yell at me to go to the gym. My muscles and overall health will thank you.

AS (student government) elections are in full swing, and I can only hope that my candidates win. If they don't, the Association is basically screwed.

On a happier note,

used without permission, stolen from ucomics.com

SPAM of the day: "look 20-30 years younger overnight!" ... maybe its just me, but I'm not really into looking a year old or less. Call me crazy. I guess its just the crazy people like me that don't want 36-hour viagra either.

party

So Dad's 50th birthday was fun. Got to see (most of) the family and I bought a bottle of Disaronno (yum!). Got to hang out with John again, apparently he's seeking Greek citizenship when he goes there in a few weeks.

I got my finals schedule pinned down, and it looks like I'm a free man after 4PM on Wednesday 12 May. This provides me with four full days to get home, which will be a nice break before I start work on Monday 17 May. I'll be working for 12 weeks with intermittent weekend trips up to Wolfeboro (yay!)

I still need to arrange my spring break schedule for the drive up the coast... it's starting to take form, but it's not there yet. I should have my new Canon Powershot S400 by then. W00t.

There are bad ads, and then there are scary ads. Would you want this woman anywhere near your finances?

I know, the resemblance to a demon is striking. Talk about bad talent placement.

In other news, my PC is still for sale... drop me a line if you know anyone who might be interested.

I suppose it's about time to get to bed. Laterz.

Netizen

So today was fun ... I skipped my Nuclear Security class (I know, bad me) because the guest speaker was speaking on ... Nuclear Weapons and the Cold War. As if there's anything I haven't heard about that after having it drilled into my head in Oxford, a couple classes this year (same curriculum, three different courses...) and a number of other times as well. I was able to sit and chat with Lisa at length, which was quite enjoyable. She's able to get a place in Mexico through her sister at a low rate ... sounds like it might be a fun excursion at the beginning of April.

Fraternity things seem to be going well... I'm getting the records in order and I'm finally starting to understand how it all works. Unfortunately, I may miss the meeting this Sunday because I'll be at home for Dad's 50th birthday. I'm surprising him (I hope) by flying up clandestinely and taking BART home. I haven't ridden BART in years. I think it's still there...

You might say that I'll ruin the surprise by posting things about my Secret Voyage online. But I'm writing this at the airport, and I won't post it until I get home since the San Diego Airport doesn't have wireless internet service.

I've passed much of the time waiting for my delayed aircraft (2 hours!) reading a book I should have read weeks ago. It's about International Politics and Conflict, and it, unlike many of the other IR books I read, was published very recently. It discusses the role of the internet in neonationalism, terrorism and international communication. It reinforces, paragraph by paragraph what I have believed for a few years -- that the internet will ultimately lead to the democratization of information worldwide and that the prominent netizens will end up shaping much of global policy (see Locke and Demosthenes in Orson Scott Card's Ender series). Of course, being a rational individualist, I'd like to think that I'll have some part in that. But I need to be much more thoroughly educated first and, like any decent reporter or writer, I'll need an angle. That's the trick. It's tough to have a significantly different angle than anyone else when the world is overpopulated (some say by up to 400%) as it is.

I can't help but notice the guy using that new Java OS on his notebook across from me. What a nerd. What's the point of running your operating system in a virtual machine when theres nothing else using proc cycles? At least it's stable. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't like having to compile code so I can type a letter.

I'm going to start calling myself a Netizen, though it sounds a little tacky. I suppose I just have to wait for someone else to come up with a better word.

Scott Simpson
Citizen of the Internetworked States of Earth

theme songs…

Well, today's Alexander Graham Bell's birthday (1847). Happy birthday, light bulb guy. I wonder what appeared over people's heads when they had a good idea before the light bulb was invented... If it was a candle, people would have to be careful or they'd get hot wax on their heads.

Anyway, I was listening to Chemical Brothers on my magical iPod today while walking to school, and I realized that electronic/ambient music makes a pretty good theme for almost anything... movie opening, news show, tv commercial, etc.

I suppose it's a bad thing that I'm writing my blog in class... though as terrible as it sounds, I've heard this lecture before. That's the danger of taking classes that are specialized; my Nuclear Security teacher gave this lecture last week in my National Security Policy class. All of Latin America, all of Africa, and all of the South Pacific have signed Nuclear-Free Zone treaties... Why not Western Europe and North America? Yeah, America has to maintain the arsenal in case we're attacked by .. um.. what.. Canada? England? Portugal? We can't exactly lob nukes at Ethnia (the classical terrorist nation... its people are Ethnic and they speak in an Ethnic tongue)

Never heard of Ethnia? No, it's not one of the Russian breakaway states... It's somewhere in the middle east... it keeps moving; its borders ever-changing. It has no organized leadership, and it has no effective government. And the majority of its citizens oppose the western world. It in itself is not a bad place. It is a strong muslim nation, but a few of its citizens have a strong fundamentalist streak. A minority of these are violent. It is this tiny demographic that colors the entire nation.

If you look at it from a Jungian perspective (skip this paragraph if you hate philosophy), we're locked, for the first time in history, in a battle between archetypes. America and Europe (tall, light, open) stand in opposition to the Middle East (dark, small, closed) based solely on the fact that we oppose each other at some fundamental level. America says we must defend ourselves against Others. The Muslim nations say they must defend themselves against Infidels. Thomas Hobbes would be so proud. Lets just hope Bush, Ridge, and the others don't get their hands on a copy of Nietzsche... the last thing we need is Bush's interpretations of Great and Servant-of-Great.

So it looks like Senator John Kerry (JFK...) will be the Democratic presidential nominee. Since Bush is going in a slightly different direction than I'd like (though I do support some of his policies... namely large sections of the Bush Doctrine) with the economy, certain social issues requiring Constitutional Amendment (see below) and such, and since the Libertarians have the crazies out this year, I think I'm voting for Kerry, unless Colin Powell runs.

Regarding the aforementioned Constitutional Amendment, I have my own little idea of whats going to happen. I think the San Francisco deal will be overturned and battled all the way up to the Supremes. The decision will be 5-4 and the majority opinion will state that the Constitution is a permissive, not restrictive document that never has been and should not be used to specifically deny any group a right.

I personally don't see why anyone should feel threatened by lads or lasses marrying each other... I know of a few people that will be planning their weddings if the decision stands. Can you imagine two gay people planning a wedding? Would it be held at the Pottery Barn? Cause for divorce... And then there's the Lesbian weddings... at Home Depot or something. If it comes to a vote, please vote for equality in marriage. Remember, only a few decades ago, the races couldn't intermarry. Unless you support the Antimiscegenation Laws, let the gay people get married. It doesn't threaten secular marriage at all.

Song of the Day: Star Guitar by The Chemical Brothers

Vir quisque vir

Well, I'm a frat boy now. A few friends and I joined Lambda Chi Alpha as founding fathers of the recolonization at SDSU. I think it's going to go pretty well -- the people seem really cool and the brotherhood is there already. I'm the secretary, which means I get to do lots of typing.

In other news, not a whole lot is happening. I found out that I get a substantial sum back from The Man on my taxes, thanks to my dad's efforts Actually, I suppose the return is technically from The Men, since there are two governments involved (Federal and State), but it's all pretty much the same anyway. Can't knock a tax refund. I plan to spend a portion of it on a new digital camera (it's about time...) and I'm going to stick the rest in my somewhat lacking savings account (isn't it weird how quick the money goes when you buy a Powerbook and a trip to England at the same time?) I've decided that I need to be obscenely wealthy, or at least highly successful... but with an International Relations degree, that could be tricky.

I can't wait to get my sweatshirt with letters... I have a T-shirt that says "Lambda Chi Alpha", but I think that's kind of cheating because it spells it out.

Fraternity motto of the day: Vir quisque Vir (every man a man)