:-)
Have a nice weekend, y'all!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Palin vs. Biden - is anyone surprised?
I've read a number of pieces regarding how the Vice presidential candidates performed in the debate yesterday, and there are a lot of conflicting opinions as to which candidate "won" the debate. For anyone who didn't watch the debate, it can be summarized very briefly as follows: Senator Joe Biden looked and sounded like the boring, middle-aged + white guy he is. Gov. Sarah Palin went for populism and kept referring to "soccer moms" "Joe Sixpack", "hockey moms" and "regular folk" throughout. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had started a crowd chant of "U-S-A, U-S-A". Neither candidate really answered the questions they were asked, and in my opinion, neither the populistic, low-road approach of Palin or the boring, monotonous, Rainman-esque recitation of facts by a old white guy with no passion and no charisma cuts the mustard. Frankly, I thought they both sucked. However, one thing most media reports agree on - and finding evidence of such is so easy that I won't bother to provide any links - Sarah Palin exceeded expectations.
Is anyone surprised? Considering the semi-meltdowns and utter PR fiascos Gov. Palin has committed in the media over the last two weeks, wherein she has failed to answer questions, been caught outright lying and demonstrating an ignorance you'd think was way beyond a candidate in a mayoral election, the expectations were low. Add to that the many "leaked" stories on how debate prep was not going well, and it's fairly obvious that all Gov. Palin would have to do in order to exceed expectations was not to break down in tears or announce that she ran for the position of Vice President of The United States of Al-Quaida.
Senator Biden, on the other hand, went into the debate with overwhelming expectations of thoroughly beating an inexperienced opponent, and thus it's a lot harder to impress the viewers. This was pretty much a worst-case scenario for Biden, because the debate was billed as quite the uneven battle.
This is not exactly a battle of giants to begin with. In one corner, we have a noob who thinks that Earth was created 6000 years ago and that man coexisted with the dinosaurs, which tells me everything I need to know about Sarah Palin. In the other corner, we have a non-descript old white guy with so little charisma and presence that he doesn't get through the automatic doors of his local Harris Teeter on his own.
Is anyone surprised? Considering the semi-meltdowns and utter PR fiascos Gov. Palin has committed in the media over the last two weeks, wherein she has failed to answer questions, been caught outright lying and demonstrating an ignorance you'd think was way beyond a candidate in a mayoral election, the expectations were low. Add to that the many "leaked" stories on how debate prep was not going well, and it's fairly obvious that all Gov. Palin would have to do in order to exceed expectations was not to break down in tears or announce that she ran for the position of Vice President of The United States of Al-Quaida.
Senator Biden, on the other hand, went into the debate with overwhelming expectations of thoroughly beating an inexperienced opponent, and thus it's a lot harder to impress the viewers. This was pretty much a worst-case scenario for Biden, because the debate was billed as quite the uneven battle.
This is not exactly a battle of giants to begin with. In one corner, we have a noob who thinks that Earth was created 6000 years ago and that man coexisted with the dinosaurs, which tells me everything I need to know about Sarah Palin. In the other corner, we have a non-descript old white guy with so little charisma and presence that he doesn't get through the automatic doors of his local Harris Teeter on his own.
Dumbing down...
I can't believe I still read "newspapers" these days. From time to time I come by a news article that not only makes me loose faith in mankind in general and Norwegian newspapers in particular, but also me feel really stupid for even reading such publication. Today, I came bay an article in Dagbladet, about a girl which going to change her name and marry a random man at her 18th birthday, as a political protest(?). Foolish enough I wondered why changing her name could be a political protest, I read the article (that's one minute of my life I never get back), And to prevent any of this superb blogs intelligient readers* to dumb themself down by reading the piece in Dagbladet, I will go through her main arguments here:
18 years old shouldn't be allowed to change their name
No 18 years old are mature enough to make such an important decision. And the choise of name fell on "Bunny Føkk" for this important political protest.
18 years old shouldn't be allowed to marry
No 18 years old are mature enough to make such an important decision. It makes this Norway a target for forced marriges.
18 years old should be allowed to buy alcohol
Because this is the time in their life when young people move out of their parents house, and they also "love to have a party".
People below 18 years should be allowed to vote
Because no matter how old you are, your opinion counts. Does she mean that infants should have the right to vote? I don't know, but surely that can't be any worse then knowing this girl would vote next year...
Fantastic logic she applies here.
Oh, and guess which party she was a member of earlier? I'll drop a hint:
*Note that there is a difference between "reader" and "poster"...
18 years old shouldn't be allowed to change their name
No 18 years old are mature enough to make such an important decision. And the choise of name fell on "Bunny Føkk" for this important political protest.
18 years old shouldn't be allowed to marry
No 18 years old are mature enough to make such an important decision. It makes this Norway a target for forced marriges.
18 years old should be allowed to buy alcohol
Because this is the time in their life when young people move out of their parents house, and they also "love to have a party".
People below 18 years should be allowed to vote
Because no matter how old you are, your opinion counts. Does she mean that infants should have the right to vote? I don't know, but surely that can't be any worse then knowing this girl would vote next year...
Fantastic logic she applies here.
Oh, and guess which party she was a member of earlier? I'll drop a hint:
*Note that there is a difference between "reader" and "poster"...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Heroin Diaries
Just finished reading The Heroin Diaries - A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx.
This book is supposedly more or less a transcript of Nikki's diary from 1987, supplemented with commentaries by Nikki himself as well as other participants and/or bystanders. I use the modifier "supposedly" because it looks quite edited for a raw transcript of a diary. Also, there's something inherently iffy about a diary with a co-author, but whatever.
Whether or not the book is a legitimate diary, it's entertaining most of the time, and provides a peek into the mind of a seriously messed up individual throughout the entire work. Heroin is one helluva drug, and Sixx has a black belt with matching shoes in addiction. Moreover, all signs point to him being a bona fide, 100% grade A, guaran-damn-teed scumbag when intoxicated.
I would recommend that you read "The Dirt" before you read this, but "Heroin Diaries" is well worth the money. If you thought the debauchery was at top levels in "The Dirt", you ain't seen nuthin' yet.
Another thing which is quite obvious from this book, is that the hatred and contempt the Mötley boys and Guins'N Roses direct towards bands like Bon Jovi and Poison is completely ridiculous. Nikki Sixx accuses Poison of just being another hair band with make-up but no skills, while touting Crüe as a legendary band with kick-ass songs and musicians. I beg to differ. While I haven't heard anyone argue that Poison is made up of virtuosos, the same can definitely be said of Mötley Crüe. Breaking it down member by member and starting with Mr. Sixx, even Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick, one of Nikki's heroes, states that Sixx has a lot in common with Gene Simmons as a bass player. It sounds better when he doesn't play. Not that Crüe bass lines are particularly complicated in the first place. Vince Neil is, or at least was, a blond prettyboy who pouted for the camera whilst fighting a losing battle to stay within a city block from the correct pitch. Dude ain't a particularly good singer, but he does have a distinct style. As for guitarist Mick Mars, I have never, ever read or heard about any guitarist in the known universe who has cited him as an influence. I read an interview in "Guitar World" once where the interviewee claimed that on one occasion he had perhaps overdone the intake of liquid courage prior to taking the stage, and thus sucked something fierce. As the band entered the dressing room post gig, his band members accused him of "sounding like Mick f*cking Mars, man". By far the best musician in Mötley Crüe is the drummer Tommy Lee, and that's saying something. But the lyrics, man.....Sixx really prides himself with being a great lyricist, unlike the aforementioned Bon Jovi and Poison. Would you hook a brother up - if you've listened to any Crüe songs you'd know how ridiculous this claim is. With profound lyrics like those found in "Girls, Girls, Girls", "She Goes Down", "Looks That Kill", "Sticky Sweet" and "Slice Of Your Pie", I'm surprised Nikki's name isn't mentioned in the same breath and context as Lord Byron, Wordsworth, Coleridge and Keats. Epic delusionite.
This book is supposedly more or less a transcript of Nikki's diary from 1987, supplemented with commentaries by Nikki himself as well as other participants and/or bystanders. I use the modifier "supposedly" because it looks quite edited for a raw transcript of a diary. Also, there's something inherently iffy about a diary with a co-author, but whatever.
Whether or not the book is a legitimate diary, it's entertaining most of the time, and provides a peek into the mind of a seriously messed up individual throughout the entire work. Heroin is one helluva drug, and Sixx has a black belt with matching shoes in addiction. Moreover, all signs point to him being a bona fide, 100% grade A, guaran-damn-teed scumbag when intoxicated.
I would recommend that you read "The Dirt" before you read this, but "Heroin Diaries" is well worth the money. If you thought the debauchery was at top levels in "The Dirt", you ain't seen nuthin' yet.
Another thing which is quite obvious from this book, is that the hatred and contempt the Mötley boys and Guins'N Roses direct towards bands like Bon Jovi and Poison is completely ridiculous. Nikki Sixx accuses Poison of just being another hair band with make-up but no skills, while touting Crüe as a legendary band with kick-ass songs and musicians. I beg to differ. While I haven't heard anyone argue that Poison is made up of virtuosos, the same can definitely be said of Mötley Crüe. Breaking it down member by member and starting with Mr. Sixx, even Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick, one of Nikki's heroes, states that Sixx has a lot in common with Gene Simmons as a bass player. It sounds better when he doesn't play. Not that Crüe bass lines are particularly complicated in the first place. Vince Neil is, or at least was, a blond prettyboy who pouted for the camera whilst fighting a losing battle to stay within a city block from the correct pitch. Dude ain't a particularly good singer, but he does have a distinct style. As for guitarist Mick Mars, I have never, ever read or heard about any guitarist in the known universe who has cited him as an influence. I read an interview in "Guitar World" once where the interviewee claimed that on one occasion he had perhaps overdone the intake of liquid courage prior to taking the stage, and thus sucked something fierce. As the band entered the dressing room post gig, his band members accused him of "sounding like Mick f*cking Mars, man". By far the best musician in Mötley Crüe is the drummer Tommy Lee, and that's saying something. But the lyrics, man.....Sixx really prides himself with being a great lyricist, unlike the aforementioned Bon Jovi and Poison. Would you hook a brother up - if you've listened to any Crüe songs you'd know how ridiculous this claim is. With profound lyrics like those found in "Girls, Girls, Girls", "She Goes Down", "Looks That Kill", "Sticky Sweet" and "Slice Of Your Pie", I'm surprised Nikki's name isn't mentioned in the same breath and context as Lord Byron, Wordsworth, Coleridge and Keats. Epic delusionite.
More epic "journalism" on nanotechnology
I just spotted a piece on the chemical clean room at the NTNU Nanolab in Dagbladet's Magasinet. The occasion was high school students touring the campus on "Researcher's Night". High school students get shuffled around and tour selected labs. "Oooh; shiny. And ohmigawd; lasers". The title carefully chosen for the piece: "Ikke promp her" ("Don't fart here"). The subtitle was "Dette er et av landets reneste rom" ("This is one of the country's cleanest rooms"). Sheer poetry, and an awesome lead-in for a piece on nanotechnology.
Compared to this one, the feature article on nanotech I found in Magasinet reads like a PNAS paper. Was this the only title the "journalist" considered? It kind of tells you what target groups Dagbladet caters to.
Epic self-owning on my part, come to think of it, seeing as how I actually browsed Dagbladet online.
Anyhoo; the piece is full of gems and reinforces my initial conclusion of Trond Erling Pettersen only being a journalist if you broaden the definition to those who can spell. For example: "Mikroskopet kalles Atomic Force Microscope, og brukes til å måle partikkelstørrelser ned til noen få nanometer. ("The microscope is called Atomic Force Microscope and is used to measure particle sizes down to a few nanometers")
Forskerne kan se på atomstrukturer og danne et overflatebilde av noe som er så smått at det rett og slett er vanskelig å se det for seg. ("The researchers can look at atomic structures and form a surface image of something which is so small that it's hard to imagine")."
Hold the phone, chief - I can look at atomic structures using AFM? And wouldn't at least a part of the reason for having an atomic force microscope in teh first place - or even an optical microscope for that matter - be that it enables one to look at structures not visible to the naked eye? Add to this some pie-in-the-sky drivel about how in the future, when we all have personal jetpacks strapped to our silver jumpsuits, nanotech can solve everything from disease to global warming to providing unlimited energy sources.
On the plus side, I now have a pretty good idea who used to write "For a good time call ..." in bathroom stalls, and I have to admit that Trond Erling Pettersen has gotten a hell of a promotion.
Freestyle Rap Battle Translated
Must see! It's almost on level with the fabled "My New haircut":
For sakes of comparison and in case you're interested, here's the "raw" and unedited freestyle rap battle:
For sakes of comparison and in case you're interested, here's the "raw" and unedited freestyle rap battle:
If you build it, they will come
For approximately six months, two departments have been kicking around an idea of designing a new course about formation and application of nanomaterials, to be given to nanotech students as well as to students at the two departments. I am supposed to teach approximately 30% of the course load, and from the memos and general correspondence I've been getting lately, it's all becoming very real. The process of defining the course is in it's final stages, and by November it will have become an entry in the course catalogue, which is as close to reality as it gets.
One of the things we're going back and forth about now is whether the course is to be given during the Fall or Spring semester, with a clear tendency being towards the latter. In one respect that sucks for me, seeing as how I'm teaching my biggest course during Spring. On the other hand, I'd have to make all my material for the course this Spring if it's to be given from the Fall of 2009. We're also looking for a decent textbook, but considering the range of topics we're looking to cover, I foresee the possibility of having to write a compendium.
I've got big hopes for this course, seeing as how I know one of the other two subject teachers well and know him to be an excellent teacher/lecturer. I'm not really familiar with the remaining subject teacher, but from what little contact I've had with her from our meetings, I'm pretty sure she's more than competent.
The course (4th year) will also be available for inclusion in PhD study plans, so if anyone knows a PhD student in dire need for the skinny on what nano is, how it's made and a selection of applications, just let me know.
One of the things we're going back and forth about now is whether the course is to be given during the Fall or Spring semester, with a clear tendency being towards the latter. In one respect that sucks for me, seeing as how I'm teaching my biggest course during Spring. On the other hand, I'd have to make all my material for the course this Spring if it's to be given from the Fall of 2009. We're also looking for a decent textbook, but considering the range of topics we're looking to cover, I foresee the possibility of having to write a compendium.
I've got big hopes for this course, seeing as how I know one of the other two subject teachers well and know him to be an excellent teacher/lecturer. I'm not really familiar with the remaining subject teacher, but from what little contact I've had with her from our meetings, I'm pretty sure she's more than competent.
The course (4th year) will also be available for inclusion in PhD study plans, so if anyone knows a PhD student in dire need for the skinny on what nano is, how it's made and a selection of applications, just let me know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
