I'M GRADUally LOSIng EXCitement about going to the Festival of Colors.
Yeah. It was a great, awesome, fun idea to begin with, but if I want to go in terms of a social experience, I'm not feeling it anymore. Not with the variety of people going. Maybe I'll fly solo, or find other people to go with. I can't say I'll enjoy it 100% as things are now.
Rawr.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
I delete for spelling, and other ramblings.
Every now and then I see Facebook posts that display lack of sympathy for those grammaticians who strive for grammatical and spelling perfection. On such occasions, every now and then I delete that post from disgracing my news feed and my Facebook enjoyment alike.
When such "friends" of mine tarnish my feed more than, say, three times, they will promptly be hidden from my sight until I remember to check up on my blocks and consider whitelisting them again.
Now, about the shows "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" (among others--those two have definitely done it, and often): Old players are coming back. That's slightly unfair, in my ranting opinion. Sure, some didn't win the $1,000,000, but some who did are BACK!? The audience likes 'em, but....give it a rest.
Boston Rob, for example, was on Survivor, got the girl and "won", then he and his wife went to Amazing Race. They already had their moments of fame, so that was lame to begin with. That wasn't the end of it, though. Rob is back on this current season of Survivor, along with more people from previous seasons.
Also, the current season of Amazing Race is called "Unfinished Business", with teams from past seasons, as well.
Give the new guys a chance, producers!
Survivor is getting away from its roots, too. There are too many twists, catches, and hidden immunity idols lately. It's cool, but the old stuff -- straight-up Survivor -- has its place.
Anyway...
In Japan, when that petroleum plant blew up, it looked a lot like a mushroom cloud, aka, a nuclear explosion.
Couple that with the overall destruction, and with the nuclear reactor meltdown and the cesium radiation released, I can't help but associate this to the Hiroshima bombing in my mind. It's just a thought I had a few days ago.
I'm still thinking out for those 日本人. がんばってね.
I now have a kite with a Japanese flag painted on it (the Justice League wasn't cutting it anymore), which is for those who are injured and killed. I want to make 1000 paper cranes, too.
When such "friends" of mine tarnish my feed more than, say, three times, they will promptly be hidden from my sight until I remember to check up on my blocks and consider whitelisting them again.
Now, about the shows "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" (among others--those two have definitely done it, and often): Old players are coming back. That's slightly unfair, in my ranting opinion. Sure, some didn't win the $1,000,000, but some who did are BACK!? The audience likes 'em, but....give it a rest.Boston Rob, for example, was on Survivor, got the girl and "won", then he and his wife went to Amazing Race. They already had their moments of fame, so that was lame to begin with. That wasn't the end of it, though. Rob is back on this current season of Survivor, along with more people from previous seasons.
Also, the current season of Amazing Race is called "Unfinished Business", with teams from past seasons, as well.Give the new guys a chance, producers!
Survivor is getting away from its roots, too. There are too many twists, catches, and hidden immunity idols lately. It's cool, but the old stuff -- straight-up Survivor -- has its place.
Anyway...
In Japan, when that petroleum plant blew up, it looked a lot like a mushroom cloud, aka, a nuclear explosion.
Couple that with the overall destruction, and with the nuclear reactor meltdown and the cesium radiation released, I can't help but associate this to the Hiroshima bombing in my mind. It's just a thought I had a few days ago.
I'm still thinking out for those 日本人. がんばってね.
I now have a kite with a Japanese flag painted on it (the Justice League wasn't cutting it anymore), which is for those who are injured and killed. I want to make 1000 paper cranes, too.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Sendai Japan earthquake, 2011
I just wanna throw this down today before I forget.
I signed up for preliminary earthquake notifications through USGS about a year ago. Every earthquake around a 6.0M, even miles underground, gets its own notification text. The theory is this: a cell phone's signal will travel faster than an earthquake wave, so you'll at least have a bit of a warning when a big quake hits.
Occasionally a Japanese fault sends out a minor quake deep in the ocean, but in the last few days there were more Japan quakes than usual -- a good five ranging from Mw 6.0 to M 7.2 before the big quake.
I should have paid more attention to the magnitude of the next, and of the update text that bumped it up to M 8.8. For the rest of the night I got text after text.
"(Mb 6.4) NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN"
"(Mb 7.1) OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN"
"(Mb 6.1) NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN"
On and on....
Through it all I was thinking, "Man, Japan is gonna explode or something!" so it surprised me when my mom came into my room around 5:00 am and read a text to me that my dad had sent.
"an 8.9 earthquake just hit Tokyo mass destruction, [t]sunami also hit..."
Ya know what's funny? I wanted to wake up early this morning. I tried to go back to sleep when my mom closed the door, but I was practically in shock. I don't know why it hit me so hard. It was probably from the fact I had received over 20 texts about earthquakes in the same "...EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN..." region.
Along with that, I felt like I was in the middle of it all. I felt (though I was in a just-woke-up stupor) that with all the texts I got I could have done something with warning. I wanted everyone in Japan to have gotten the same texts, so they would have known about what was coming. It was devastating and I felt it. I wanted to be there to help.
From 5:30 to near-10:00 I watched unreal news broadcasts, in the back of my mind always hoping it was just a dream spawned from the "mild" seismic activity the night texts signified. I wanted to wake up, but still haven't. Can't I just go help?
It was better to hear that it was the 6th or so preliminary message that was from the actual M8.9 quake, meaning that the rest were underwater/subterranean aftershocks. The few texts before could have given notification, but not enough to save the potential 1000+ deaths and injuries. It really was a tragic accident.
For one, people did make it out safely with barely only 5-10 minutes' tsunami warning. It's good Japan was more ready for it than not.
The thing is, how unified to the rest of the world--especially Japan and the US regions in the tsunami warning--do you feel today? Don't you feel for the people affected in watching this amazing coverage? It's a lot like Haiti, Katrina and New Orleans, the Gulf oil spill, the 2004 Sumatra tsunami, and 9/11, among other natural and civil disasters. The world is taking a look at huge, freak destruction and offering aid. Apart from pure devastation, what's different so suddenly? Why the sudden urge to replace competition with selfless giving?
And the real question: why can't the countries that are helping always have that mentality? The truth is, the world will forget. In barely a month, most Americans will probably go on with their lives and trudge back to the mundane "normalcy". That shouldn't happen. It will.
I hope the best for Japan's recovery.
I signed up for preliminary earthquake notifications through USGS about a year ago. Every earthquake around a 6.0M, even miles underground, gets its own notification text. The theory is this: a cell phone's signal will travel faster than an earthquake wave, so you'll at least have a bit of a warning when a big quake hits.
Occasionally a Japanese fault sends out a minor quake deep in the ocean, but in the last few days there were more Japan quakes than usual -- a good five ranging from Mw 6.0 to M 7.2 before the big quake.
I should have paid more attention to the magnitude of the next, and of the update text that bumped it up to M 8.8. For the rest of the night I got text after text.
"(Mb 6.4) NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN"
"(Mb 7.1) OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN"
"(Mb 6.1) NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN"
On and on....
Through it all I was thinking, "Man, Japan is gonna explode or something!" so it surprised me when my mom came into my room around 5:00 am and read a text to me that my dad had sent.
"an 8.9 earthquake just hit Tokyo mass destruction, [t]sunami also hit..."
Ya know what's funny? I wanted to wake up early this morning. I tried to go back to sleep when my mom closed the door, but I was practically in shock. I don't know why it hit me so hard. It was probably from the fact I had received over 20 texts about earthquakes in the same "...EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN..." region.
Along with that, I felt like I was in the middle of it all. I felt (though I was in a just-woke-up stupor) that with all the texts I got I could have done something with warning. I wanted everyone in Japan to have gotten the same texts, so they would have known about what was coming. It was devastating and I felt it. I wanted to be there to help.
From 5:30 to near-10:00 I watched unreal news broadcasts, in the back of my mind always hoping it was just a dream spawned from the "mild" seismic activity the night texts signified. I wanted to wake up, but still haven't. Can't I just go help?
It was better to hear that it was the 6th or so preliminary message that was from the actual M8.9 quake, meaning that the rest were underwater/subterranean aftershocks. The few texts before could have given notification, but not enough to save the potential 1000+ deaths and injuries. It really was a tragic accident.
For one, people did make it out safely with barely only 5-10 minutes' tsunami warning. It's good Japan was more ready for it than not.
The thing is, how unified to the rest of the world--especially Japan and the US regions in the tsunami warning--do you feel today? Don't you feel for the people affected in watching this amazing coverage? It's a lot like Haiti, Katrina and New Orleans, the Gulf oil spill, the 2004 Sumatra tsunami, and 9/11, among other natural and civil disasters. The world is taking a look at huge, freak destruction and offering aid. Apart from pure devastation, what's different so suddenly? Why the sudden urge to replace competition with selfless giving?
And the real question: why can't the countries that are helping always have that mentality? The truth is, the world will forget. In barely a month, most Americans will probably go on with their lives and trudge back to the mundane "normalcy". That shouldn't happen. It will.
I hope the best for Japan's recovery.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Assassination
I saw a post on Facebook for a game of Assassination SUU is doing. Who wants to spearhead a Badger version with me...? It could be a BLAST, my friends!
Here are the rules, as copied from the SUU version:
Assassination is a giant water fight in which you are assigned a person to "kill." You kill them by getting them wet. The game is constantly going on, so watch your back! Here is a basic rundown of how to play:
1. Everyone is assigned a person to get wet (kill).
2. You can only kill the person you are assigned.
3. You can only be killed by the person assigned to kill you.
4. Once you kill your assigned person, you then receive their assignment.
5. The last person left, wins the game, and the PRIZE!!
Rules:
1. You cannot kill people: at their work, in their classes, at practices/games - for the SUU athletes only. Anywhere else is game.
2. Sunday is a safe day (you can't kill or be killed on Sunday).
3. The library is a safe zone at all times.
4. Water only!!
5. Water can come in any form, other than bodily fluids.
6. You cannot reveal your assignment to those playing.
7. In order to kill someone, they have to have a watermark at least the size of a quarter, but there is no limit to how wet you can get them.
8. If you are being attacked, you may get your killer wet, and this gives you a 30 minute safe period during which your killer cannot soak you. (In the case of simultaneous soaking, tie goes to the killer.)
9. After being killed you must report your death to me, by text or Facebook or something, so I can monitor the game.
10. No water guns can be used on campus. Also, as a warning, the chief of police said that often these can be mistaken for real guns, and bystanders who don't know what is going on call the cops (if you use a water gun make sure it is bright colors and not easily mistaken for a real gun). Just so ya know.
11. DON'T BE STUPID!!! (Example: Don't break laws)
DISCLAIMER: We are not responsible for your actions. Anything that is broken, stolen, damaged, or otherwise harmed is not our responsibility. Also any legal charges brought upon participants due to their own poor choices is not our responsibility.
In such a small school as Snow, this could be a LOT of fun. Marks (targets) will be easier to find, especially since you're bound do know someone who knows your mark, and the Ephraim's size offers few hiding places...
Comment if you're up for it! We may be able to get the student council involved, too, to make this a HUGE, official Snow thing.
Here are the rules, as copied from the SUU version:
Assassination is a giant water fight in which you are assigned a person to "kill." You kill them by getting them wet. The game is constantly going on, so watch your back! Here is a basic rundown of how to play:
1. Everyone is assigned a person to get wet (kill).
2. You can only kill the person you are assigned.
3. You can only be killed by the person assigned to kill you.
4. Once you kill your assigned person, you then receive their assignment.
5. The last person left, wins the game, and the PRIZE!!
Rules:
1. You cannot kill people: at their work, in their classes, at practices/games - for the SUU athletes only. Anywhere else is game.
2. Sunday is a safe day (you can't kill or be killed on Sunday).
3. The library is a safe zone at all times.
4. Water only!!
5. Water can come in any form, other than bodily fluids.
6. You cannot reveal your assignment to those playing.
7. In order to kill someone, they have to have a watermark at least the size of a quarter, but there is no limit to how wet you can get them.
8. If you are being attacked, you may get your killer wet, and this gives you a 30 minute safe period during which your killer cannot soak you. (In the case of simultaneous soaking, tie goes to the killer.)
9. After being killed you must report your death to me, by text or Facebook or something, so I can monitor the game.
10. No water guns can be used on campus. Also, as a warning, the chief of police said that often these can be mistaken for real guns, and bystanders who don't know what is going on call the cops (if you use a water gun make sure it is bright colors and not easily mistaken for a real gun). Just so ya know.
11. DON'T BE STUPID!!! (Example: Don't break laws)
DISCLAIMER: We are not responsible for your actions. Anything that is broken, stolen, damaged, or otherwise harmed is not our responsibility. Also any legal charges brought upon participants due to their own poor choices is not our responsibility.
In such a small school as Snow, this could be a LOT of fun. Marks (targets) will be easier to find, especially since you're bound do know someone who knows your mark, and the Ephraim's size offers few hiding places...
Comment if you're up for it! We may be able to get the student council involved, too, to make this a HUGE, official Snow thing.
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