get an iphone today? we'll see. in a convergence of good things (heather got a small pay increase, and it was recently our anniversary) the plan is to get one of these beautiful little gadgets. so, i've been anticipating the release as well as following the details. in talking to people @ at&t and reading what's available on the 'net, i think i've got a reasonable understanding of what to expect.
when i was at the store asking questions, the person helping me asked, "are you going to camp out?"
"uh, what?"
"camp out?"
"no."
as i watched the mid-day news, it made me reflect on the strangeness that our culture has for somethings, especially these over-hyped electronic devices. xbox 360, playstation 3, and now the iphone. the wii wasn't released with such fanfare, but you're hard pressed to find one in a store now.
so, my current plan is something like this: at&t stores will close @ 4:30 to prepare and re-open @ 6. i'm thinking i will go to the nearest one about 5. i will stand in line. if i don't get a phone, okay. my current one still works. i can place an order and wait. heck, i've known about the phone for quite some time and have waited this long. shoot, i may not even go until 6.
an interesting note, apple is giving away free ones to their full time u.s. employees, and to half-timers that have been with the company over a year. so, heather's brother and sister-in-law will be both getting 8gig versions. her sister-in-law got pretty lucky on this, because she just recently was hired by apple. and, if i understand correctly, she's actually working customer service in the iphone division.
in other news, i'm trying to get some free tickets to tonight's fuego game from my work. we'll see. i'd like to go, but hoping we can get in for free. also, really good hip hop artist and nice guy ibid will be performing tonight @ veni vidi vicci's after 9:30, so i may stop in there.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
u.s. vs argentina
so, we're 10 minutes in and i just realized that i wasn't blogging about this game. and in the 9th minute, eddie johnson got taken down in the box. he converted the penalty kick. we're exuberant.
11th minute, argentina has a free kick outside the box. the float it in, and apparently the u.s. decided they didn't want to mark anyone, as there are 4 argentinians coming straight at keller. keller stops heinze's initial touch but crespo puts it home. ugh. sheesh.
42nd minute, keller has just made back to back phenomenal saves. the first was on a long blast that he pushed up into the crossbar, giving up a corner. on that corner, crespo had a great flick header that keller was all over, although he did give up a rebound that was cleared out by a defender.
45th minute - big rip from a u.s. player, i think feilheber but not sure. but stopped somewhat easily by argentine kicker. as you can tell, there wasn't too much between the 11th and 42nd minute. we go to half 1-1.
53rd minute - u.s. freekick just outside the box...over the wall...and the goal.
58th minute - another u.s. freekick, this time from the side of the box...nothing much to speak of.
60th minute - messi sneaks through 3 defenders and has a really nice shot that goes into outside of the net.
63rd minute - crespo is wide freakin open for a pass from messi and he skids it into the back of the net. shoot.
75 minute - this is where i stopped watching the game. we had dinner plans, and it didn't look like the u.s. was planning on doing anything to equalize.
11th minute, argentina has a free kick outside the box. the float it in, and apparently the u.s. decided they didn't want to mark anyone, as there are 4 argentinians coming straight at keller. keller stops heinze's initial touch but crespo puts it home. ugh. sheesh.
42nd minute, keller has just made back to back phenomenal saves. the first was on a long blast that he pushed up into the crossbar, giving up a corner. on that corner, crespo had a great flick header that keller was all over, although he did give up a rebound that was cleared out by a defender.
45th minute - big rip from a u.s. player, i think feilheber but not sure. but stopped somewhat easily by argentine kicker. as you can tell, there wasn't too much between the 11th and 42nd minute. we go to half 1-1.
53rd minute - u.s. freekick just outside the box...over the wall...and the goal.
58th minute - another u.s. freekick, this time from the side of the box...nothing much to speak of.
60th minute - messi sneaks through 3 defenders and has a really nice shot that goes into outside of the net.
63rd minute - crespo is wide freakin open for a pass from messi and he skids it into the back of the net. shoot.
75 minute - this is where i stopped watching the game. we had dinner plans, and it didn't look like the u.s. was planning on doing anything to equalize.
music news
good news heather, the spice girls are reuniting and going on tour. no word if eddie murphy's alleged baby will be there (although i did just see something on e news that talked about mel b having a paternity test done and saying that it proved it was eddie's).
here's a cool story about trenchtown is opening up a museum of sorts in the government housing where bob marley lived. they've got his first guitar, his old vw beetle and other things. what was really cool is to read a bit of the history of the housing. small houses that share a communal yard to encourage interaction amongst neighbors. sort of reminds me of this.
here's a cool story about trenchtown is opening up a museum of sorts in the government housing where bob marley lived. they've got his first guitar, his old vw beetle and other things. what was really cool is to read a bit of the history of the housing. small houses that share a communal yard to encourage interaction amongst neighbors. sort of reminds me of this.
mexico vs brasil
so, the other night i actually caught a replay of mexico vs brasil from the '99 copa america. it was interesting to see the much of the same brasilian team, but oh so much younger. ronaldinho had a shaved head, but the same jacked up teeth. ronaldo was young and fit. it was also cool to see some of the mexican players that i remember, but had forgotten about. guys like luis hernandez and jorge campos. blanco was on the team then, and he still is now, although he's lost a step. still very good, but he's aged. brasil won that game 2-0, and it put them in the finals where they beat uruguay.
(the game i'm watching right now was actually played yesterday. but, i'm watching a replay of it, so who cares? but, as i was looking around stuff, i stumbled on the final results. so, at half time of this game i knew the final. but i'm still watching.)
early on (not sure minute) brasil scores, but it's called back on a terrible offsides call. replays show that brasil was clearly onside.
24th minute - nery castillo scores for mexico.
holy crap, i'm writing about the '99 game, looking up rosters, not really paying attention and all of a sudden...goooooooooooooooooooooooooollll! mexico 2-0. off a nice set piece ramon morales buries it in the back of the net in the 29th minute. sick bend from outside the box, over the wall. positively nasty stuff.
so, it's 2-0 mexico @ medio tiempo.
54th minute - nice shot from brasil, but also a nice save by the mexican keeper. this is the 2nd good shot of the half, although neither has found net.
55th minute, mexico almost finds net again. but, it was a great save on what turned out to be an offsides shot.
61st minute - brasil has an amazing chance in the run of play. great shot and an amazing save. ochoa is really showing some skills here. he's turned back several really good attempts, but this one was awesome.
74th minute - brasil cornerkick, perfect header down, foot save by mexican defender. wow.
92nd minute - mexico has wide open breakaway and misses badly. but, this turns out to be the final play of the game. mexico wins 2-0.
(the game i'm watching right now was actually played yesterday. but, i'm watching a replay of it, so who cares? but, as i was looking around stuff, i stumbled on the final results. so, at half time of this game i knew the final. but i'm still watching.)
early on (not sure minute) brasil scores, but it's called back on a terrible offsides call. replays show that brasil was clearly onside.
24th minute - nery castillo scores for mexico.
holy crap, i'm writing about the '99 game, looking up rosters, not really paying attention and all of a sudden...goooooooooooooooooooooooooollll! mexico 2-0. off a nice set piece ramon morales buries it in the back of the net in the 29th minute. sick bend from outside the box, over the wall. positively nasty stuff.
so, it's 2-0 mexico @ medio tiempo.
54th minute - nice shot from brasil, but also a nice save by the mexican keeper. this is the 2nd good shot of the half, although neither has found net.
55th minute, mexico almost finds net again. but, it was a great save on what turned out to be an offsides shot.
61st minute - brasil has an amazing chance in the run of play. great shot and an amazing save. ochoa is really showing some skills here. he's turned back several really good attempts, but this one was awesome.
74th minute - brasil cornerkick, perfect header down, foot save by mexican defender. wow.
92nd minute - mexico has wide open breakaway and misses badly. but, this turns out to be the final play of the game. mexico wins 2-0.
a good day for football
the copa america started earlier this week. i'm excited because:
a) the u.s. is playing, and has been playing very well as of late. it'll be good to see how we do outside of our region (gold cup champs!)
b) i have cable and a good work schedule.
so, we got cable last summer basically because i wanted to watch as much world cup as i could. we kept it because we liked it, and it wasn't too expensive. this has greatly enhanced the amount of soccer that i've been able to watch, from champions league, to the premiership, to mls, to our national side. i already loved the game, but being able to see so much has deepened my appreciation.
anyway, today's a good day to watch. mexico vs brasil just started. brasil was already denied a goal on a terrible offsides call. when it played live, i thought the call was fine, but on the replay, the brasilian was clearly onsides. oh well, i'm sure this won't be brasil's only chance.
parguay & colombia play @ 3:30 - not a match that i must see, but probably will just to see how other teams in the tourney are looking.
and then, at 5:30, the u.s. is playing argentina. this will be a straight into the frying pan situation for the u.s. as i mentioned earlier, we're looking good, but how good? and, will we capitalize on our chances? can't wait to see.
(this reminds me, i need to go to a game soon. we haven't been to a fuego game since they cut our friend nick. there's a game this friday evening, i think i might go. after i get my new phone, that is. ooooh, and fresno is playing bakos on saturday july 14 @ 7:30. maybe our bakos friends should come up for that.)
finally, real madrid fired their coach. wha? winning the spanish title for the first time in like 4 years wasn't good enough?
a) the u.s. is playing, and has been playing very well as of late. it'll be good to see how we do outside of our region (gold cup champs!)
b) i have cable and a good work schedule.
so, we got cable last summer basically because i wanted to watch as much world cup as i could. we kept it because we liked it, and it wasn't too expensive. this has greatly enhanced the amount of soccer that i've been able to watch, from champions league, to the premiership, to mls, to our national side. i already loved the game, but being able to see so much has deepened my appreciation.
anyway, today's a good day to watch. mexico vs brasil just started. brasil was already denied a goal on a terrible offsides call. when it played live, i thought the call was fine, but on the replay, the brasilian was clearly onsides. oh well, i'm sure this won't be brasil's only chance.
parguay & colombia play @ 3:30 - not a match that i must see, but probably will just to see how other teams in the tourney are looking.
and then, at 5:30, the u.s. is playing argentina. this will be a straight into the frying pan situation for the u.s. as i mentioned earlier, we're looking good, but how good? and, will we capitalize on our chances? can't wait to see.
(this reminds me, i need to go to a game soon. we haven't been to a fuego game since they cut our friend nick. there's a game this friday evening, i think i might go. after i get my new phone, that is. ooooh, and fresno is playing bakos on saturday july 14 @ 7:30. maybe our bakos friends should come up for that.)
finally, real madrid fired their coach. wha? winning the spanish title for the first time in like 4 years wasn't good enough?
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
what's in my fridge
saw this idea on another blog, so i thought i'd do it. am i starting one of these (the link to wiki meme isn't working right now), or am i just continuing one?
not the best photo, i must admit
Monday, June 25, 2007
r.i.p. chris benoit
so, most of you probably don't know this, but the wwe is running a storyline right now about vince mcmahon (owner, commissioner) is dead. i heard it somewhere in passing, and i saw a commercial today. i thought this was slightly offensive, but, hey, it's a soap opera for stupid guys. i don't watch wrestling, and i don't care at all about it, but sometimes it gets pushed into the forefront of culture and we have to examine or at least acknowledge it.
i really hope that they will end this charade now. it seems that one of the wrestlers, chris benoit, his wife and child were all found dead on monday. authorities think it was a murder-suicide.
"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the federation said in a statement on its Web site." they also canceled their monday night program, as well as showing a tribute to him.
i hope they go further than that. although, it must be noted that they had a wrestler, owen heart, die during a pay per view event and they continued on.
i really hope that they will end this charade now. it seems that one of the wrestlers, chris benoit, his wife and child were all found dead on monday. authorities think it was a murder-suicide.
"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the federation said in a statement on its Web site." they also canceled their monday night program, as well as showing a tribute to him.
i hope they go further than that. although, it must be noted that they had a wrestler, owen heart, die during a pay per view event and they continued on.
link to nada
i stumbled on this blog. it's terrible.
maybe if he ever remembered his password he would one day publish an actual post.
maybe if he ever remembered his password he would one day publish an actual post.
flights booked
so, today i tried making some airline reservations (vegas!). we have vouchers for some free flights. unfortunately, this means that i actually have to call the airline and deal with thir system rather than book online. i had found the flights online, so i knew what i wanted. i called the first time, and it goes somewhat smoothly. i'm not really fond of automatic phone systems, and i did have to do a few repeats. eventually, since i was using vouchers, it kicked us over to a nice gentleman whose accent seemed to tell me that he wasn't in my neighborhood. this was fine, most of these guys do a really good job, and have it worked out so the average english speaker can understand them. and, i didn't have any problems. well, that is, until they tried to tell me that i couldn't use my voucher for the return flight i wanted. so, i canceled, and went back to the internet.
after reviewing, i realized i was going to have to call in again, so i did. different guy, same situation. although, now i knew i didn't have as many options. it seemed to be going smoothly until the guy tried to tell me that i needed to stay over a sunday. at this point we had to disagree because my vouchers clearly state that i must only stay over a saturday. which i am. so, he worked hard to get it entered, and then i had to be placed on hold. but, when he came back, it was all worked out. tickets booked. of course, by the time that it was all said and done i was on the fone for about 40 minutes. and, most of that was either working with the automated system or on hold.
now, one thing i find stupid about this whole situation is that we still have to pay taxes on the flight. retarded. especially because the taxes for the two tickets comes to about 1/6 of what the cost would have been. now, that's not too bad, but the tickets were free right? shouldn't free include the whole price? i guess they're really mostly free tickets.
ah yeah, the other sucky thing is that we leave to come home @ 8 am. what a crappy time to fly out. our flight in is good, we arrive @ our destination @ 4 in the afternoon on thursday. but, having to depart sunday morning @ 8? that stinks. that means we need to be @ airport around 6. not exactly the way i want to end my weekend. oh well. at least we'll be home with plenty of recovery time on sunday before heading back into the work week.
UPDATE: so, despite making a booking, when i went to the airport (had to do before midnight tomorrow to turn in ticket voucher) i ended up standing around for 35 min. they pulled up the reservation but weren't able to redeem the coupons. the counter people were pretty useless. and, by this i mean that they couldn't figure out the issue, couldn't fix the problem, and eventually gave up and called their customer service. and, they had to wait for quite a while on the phone. eventually, the counter person and the person on the phone figured out that the person i booked with this morning gave me a flight that i wasn't eligible for (had a stop over). so, i had to cancel my flight. not good. this may mean we're driving. which i don't mind so much, but heather really doesn't like it. other options: come back monday. this most likely won't work because it would likely mean that i miss the first day of class for my next term. not really a good option. and, i'm not sure if we'd be able to extend our reservation. stupid plane company. so, we'll see where this goes.
after reviewing, i realized i was going to have to call in again, so i did. different guy, same situation. although, now i knew i didn't have as many options. it seemed to be going smoothly until the guy tried to tell me that i needed to stay over a sunday. at this point we had to disagree because my vouchers clearly state that i must only stay over a saturday. which i am. so, he worked hard to get it entered, and then i had to be placed on hold. but, when he came back, it was all worked out. tickets booked. of course, by the time that it was all said and done i was on the fone for about 40 minutes. and, most of that was either working with the automated system or on hold.
now, one thing i find stupid about this whole situation is that we still have to pay taxes on the flight. retarded. especially because the taxes for the two tickets comes to about 1/6 of what the cost would have been. now, that's not too bad, but the tickets were free right? shouldn't free include the whole price? i guess they're really mostly free tickets.
ah yeah, the other sucky thing is that we leave to come home @ 8 am. what a crappy time to fly out. our flight in is good, we arrive @ our destination @ 4 in the afternoon on thursday. but, having to depart sunday morning @ 8? that stinks. that means we need to be @ airport around 6. not exactly the way i want to end my weekend. oh well. at least we'll be home with plenty of recovery time on sunday before heading back into the work week.
UPDATE: so, despite making a booking, when i went to the airport (had to do before midnight tomorrow to turn in ticket voucher) i ended up standing around for 35 min. they pulled up the reservation but weren't able to redeem the coupons. the counter people were pretty useless. and, by this i mean that they couldn't figure out the issue, couldn't fix the problem, and eventually gave up and called their customer service. and, they had to wait for quite a while on the phone. eventually, the counter person and the person on the phone figured out that the person i booked with this morning gave me a flight that i wasn't eligible for (had a stop over). so, i had to cancel my flight. not good. this may mean we're driving. which i don't mind so much, but heather really doesn't like it. other options: come back monday. this most likely won't work because it would likely mean that i miss the first day of class for my next term. not really a good option. and, i'm not sure if we'd be able to extend our reservation. stupid plane company. so, we'll see where this goes.
Friday, June 22, 2007
does that make me crazy?
check out a remake of gnarls barkley's crazy. only, instead of cee-lo singing, it's got a theremin.
for more theremin, check out blake jones and the trike shop (although they're so much more than that).
oh yeah, i saw this first on laughing squid.
for more theremin, check out blake jones and the trike shop (although they're so much more than that).
oh yeah, i saw this first on laughing squid.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
YHWH
now, i'm not a huge u2 fan, but i saw this video and thought i'd post it here. and, they've still got their trademark sound.
illegal immigrants are ruining it all
holy crap this is funny video. and a bit troubling. but i laughed out loud when the guy gets nailed mid sentence by a fish.
aw, shucks
Mingle2 - Online Dating
apparently, i don't swear that much here, if at all. and, they only dinged me because i said crack.
Monday, June 18, 2007
bamboo bikes
want to read an amazing article? check this guy out who makes bikes out of bamboo. he also sells really high end bikes (he has a shop in santa cruz). he has a bit of a dream of how to equip the poor, especially women, with reliable transportation. it's not a reality yet, but it's in process.
monday monday
as some of you know, i'm on a semi-vacation right now. it's been pretty fun, and makes me wish i could do this a little more often. anyway, i ran some errands today, including giving blood and getting the car washed.
my blood pressure was 126/74, with a pulse of 64. i was pretty happy with that. it took me about 8 minutes to pump out my blood. at some points, i've had rather high blood pressure, and it runs in the family so i'm always a little bit concerned about it. of course, not really all that concerned that i make radical lifestyle changes to work on it, but still.
as usual, i'm sitting in my monday night class where i'm a t.a. this instructor actually intends to use us a little more than the previous ones, so that's cool. i won't just be sitting here. but right now i am.
the u.s. is playing canada in the gold cup semi's on thursday. if i read the schedule right, the game is @ 6. anyone interested in watching it with me in spanish?
also, the galaxy are signing players left and right. by the time beckham arrives (about a month - congrats on that spanish title becks), the galaxy will have a very interesting international roster. i wonder if i can sneak down to carson for a match?
got my contracts for next semester @ the university. two weekend courses and one 6 week course on tuesdays in sept. this will be good, although one of the weekend course screwed up an initial plan for a vegas trip. it just pushed it back a week now. i'm meeting up w/tim in vegas for his 30th b-day, and it looks like it'll be the 2nd weekend in sept, if you're interested in coming.
still have another week off before i start again @ the junior college. teaching english. and next week heather is off work. so, i'm really wanting to day trip during the week up to sf to go see picasso. damn, just checked the moma website. the picasso exhibit ended on may 28. damn. damn. we were in sf and we going there, i could literally see the museum and got lazy, decided i didn't feel like going then, and we walked back to the hotel. and now i missed it. well, maybe i'll go and see the matisse exhibit they have now. shoot.
enough for now.
my blood pressure was 126/74, with a pulse of 64. i was pretty happy with that. it took me about 8 minutes to pump out my blood. at some points, i've had rather high blood pressure, and it runs in the family so i'm always a little bit concerned about it. of course, not really all that concerned that i make radical lifestyle changes to work on it, but still.
as usual, i'm sitting in my monday night class where i'm a t.a. this instructor actually intends to use us a little more than the previous ones, so that's cool. i won't just be sitting here. but right now i am.
the u.s. is playing canada in the gold cup semi's on thursday. if i read the schedule right, the game is @ 6. anyone interested in watching it with me in spanish?
also, the galaxy are signing players left and right. by the time beckham arrives (about a month - congrats on that spanish title becks), the galaxy will have a very interesting international roster. i wonder if i can sneak down to carson for a match?
got my contracts for next semester @ the university. two weekend courses and one 6 week course on tuesdays in sept. this will be good, although one of the weekend course screwed up an initial plan for a vegas trip. it just pushed it back a week now. i'm meeting up w/tim in vegas for his 30th b-day, and it looks like it'll be the 2nd weekend in sept, if you're interested in coming.
still have another week off before i start again @ the junior college. teaching english. and next week heather is off work. so, i'm really wanting to day trip during the week up to sf to go see picasso. damn, just checked the moma website. the picasso exhibit ended on may 28. damn. damn. we were in sf and we going there, i could literally see the museum and got lazy, decided i didn't feel like going then, and we walked back to the hotel. and now i missed it. well, maybe i'll go and see the matisse exhibit they have now. shoot.
enough for now.
art update
here are two photos of the big piece i'm currently working on. you know, the one i asked for input on. i've got 4 other pieces that i'm doing right now, too, but those i've got pretty clear insight where they're going. not that i'm asking really for more input, just thought i'd throw up an update.
with flash
without flash
the true colors are somewhere in between.
and, just so you know, the set of circles (top right) will be covered under paint. they're intended to give a little bit of texture to the painting. if you look closely, you'll see 2 other sets of circles (each have 7 circles).
i really must say, these photos don't do justice @ all to the colors. really, here they look pretty choppy and bad, but it's actually coming along quite nicely.
with flash
without flash
the true colors are somewhere in between.
and, just so you know, the set of circles (top right) will be covered under paint. they're intended to give a little bit of texture to the painting. if you look closely, you'll see 2 other sets of circles (each have 7 circles).
i really must say, these photos don't do justice @ all to the colors. really, here they look pretty choppy and bad, but it's actually coming along quite nicely.
Friday, June 15, 2007
edward stewart
so, i was googling myself today, and here's what i found out about me:
not only did i go to nebraska and captained their football team, but now i've got a lucrative career as a public speaker. i did play two years in the nfl, for the rams no less! (note to self, find this jersey.)
when i'm not a public speaker, i play pinochle, read and do kareoke.
i've also got a gig as art professor at illnois state university.
i wrote a book. not sure if this is the same time as when i was public speaking.
and finally this. i really enjoy the third one down.
not only did i go to nebraska and captained their football team, but now i've got a lucrative career as a public speaker. i did play two years in the nfl, for the rams no less! (note to self, find this jersey.)
when i'm not a public speaker, i play pinochle, read and do kareoke.
i've also got a gig as art professor at illnois state university.
i wrote a book. not sure if this is the same time as when i was public speaking.
and finally this. i really enjoy the third one down.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
danielson + sufjan
Danielson: A Family Movie
(Or, Make a Joyful Noise HERE)
A Documentary about heeding your Vision.
creativity vs. accessibility
christian faith vs. popular culture
family vs. individuality
Join us as all these questions and more are NOT answered.
A documentary that explores these issues in this ongoing conversation.
Starring:
Danielson Famile & Sufjan Stevens
Where: Tower Mosaic Church, 1040 N. Fulton Fresno, CA 93728
When: June 17, 2007, Doors open @ 6:00 PM, Starts @ 6:15 PM
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
edumakayshun
so, this week i'm a substitute in the student center @ the jc i work @. the student center is a place that's sorta computer lab/math& english help. it's pretty cool that they have this, as i think it really offers help for student success.
anyway, i'm working in there this week. yesterday, i was reviewing the roster for one of my classes. on the roster i saw the name of a student i had previously had in a class. this student was on academic probation, and needed to pass my general ed class to stay in school. this student came nowhere close to passing. the student failed to even turn in most assignments, missed a quiz, and scored poorly on the tests. so, the student should've been terminated from school. yet, there the student still is. (as an aside, the roster changed and i won't have that student next time, but the student is in another instructor's class.) today, i saw another student, that in my opinion, has no business being there any more. i've had this student in 2 classes, both of which the student failed. and, in both classes the student was caught plagiarizing. according to school policy, one incident results in disciplinary action (it goes on your record) and a second incident is supposed to result in termination. furthermore, this student was also on probation and needed to pass to stay in school. didn't pass. caught plagiarizing twice. wha?
i'm all for giving people chances to improve and redeem themselves. but, in the academic institution we need to also maintain a high level of academic integrity. there are certain things that must not be tolerated (like plagiarism). as an instructor, how can i feel that the school is going to do anything when i report future violations? why should i even bother enforcing the policies other than my own desire to teach and try and maintain a fair environment for all? well, fair to the extent that a student caught plagiarizing is probably going to fail my class and you might pass, but outside of that...
yet, so many smaller institutions are caught in a trap of having to fight for dollars. you can't afford to throw out students left and right. you sometimes lower your admission standards. you aggressively market your "product," that is, your school and hope that you can grow and build but how far do you compromise what might have gotten you started in the first place?
i don't have answers to these questions. mainly because i don't think that there are simple solutions most of the time. well, except for on the plagiarism deal. you've got a rule. follow it. no student's tuition is worth compromising the educational environment.
anyway, i'm working in there this week. yesterday, i was reviewing the roster for one of my classes. on the roster i saw the name of a student i had previously had in a class. this student was on academic probation, and needed to pass my general ed class to stay in school. this student came nowhere close to passing. the student failed to even turn in most assignments, missed a quiz, and scored poorly on the tests. so, the student should've been terminated from school. yet, there the student still is. (as an aside, the roster changed and i won't have that student next time, but the student is in another instructor's class.) today, i saw another student, that in my opinion, has no business being there any more. i've had this student in 2 classes, both of which the student failed. and, in both classes the student was caught plagiarizing. according to school policy, one incident results in disciplinary action (it goes on your record) and a second incident is supposed to result in termination. furthermore, this student was also on probation and needed to pass to stay in school. didn't pass. caught plagiarizing twice. wha?
i'm all for giving people chances to improve and redeem themselves. but, in the academic institution we need to also maintain a high level of academic integrity. there are certain things that must not be tolerated (like plagiarism). as an instructor, how can i feel that the school is going to do anything when i report future violations? why should i even bother enforcing the policies other than my own desire to teach and try and maintain a fair environment for all? well, fair to the extent that a student caught plagiarizing is probably going to fail my class and you might pass, but outside of that...
yet, so many smaller institutions are caught in a trap of having to fight for dollars. you can't afford to throw out students left and right. you sometimes lower your admission standards. you aggressively market your "product," that is, your school and hope that you can grow and build but how far do you compromise what might have gotten you started in the first place?
i don't have answers to these questions. mainly because i don't think that there are simple solutions most of the time. well, except for on the plagiarism deal. you've got a rule. follow it. no student's tuition is worth compromising the educational environment.
Monday, June 11, 2007
"When you watch everyone, you watch no one."
the title of this post comes from a pretty good article, written by one of the contributors to boing boing. the article is relatively brief, and is worth your time to read.
i'm not really all that worried about being "spied" upon by the government when i'm in public. i figure, "i'm in plain view. if i'm not doing anything wrong i don't need to worry." but, i also know that the more that the government is watching, the more likelihood that they are also collecting info. and for what purpose? this isn't meant to be some sort of conspiracy theory rant, but more a call to sanity. cameras don't deter crime. they only record it and you have a hope that maybe you'll catch someone. but unless it's some extremely gory crime that makes the news, the police aren't, how shall i say, quick enough to catch the person that is on tape.
"Crazy, desperate, violent people don't make rational calculus in regards to their lives. Anyone who becomes a junkie, crack dealer, or cellphone-stealing stickup artist is obviously bad at making life decisions. They're not deterred by surveillance."
it seems that the only thing that the cameras do spread is fear.
i'm not really all that worried about being "spied" upon by the government when i'm in public. i figure, "i'm in plain view. if i'm not doing anything wrong i don't need to worry." but, i also know that the more that the government is watching, the more likelihood that they are also collecting info. and for what purpose? this isn't meant to be some sort of conspiracy theory rant, but more a call to sanity. cameras don't deter crime. they only record it and you have a hope that maybe you'll catch someone. but unless it's some extremely gory crime that makes the news, the police aren't, how shall i say, quick enough to catch the person that is on tape.
"Crazy, desperate, violent people don't make rational calculus in regards to their lives. Anyone who becomes a junkie, crack dealer, or cellphone-stealing stickup artist is obviously bad at making life decisions. They're not deterred by surveillance."
it seems that the only thing that the cameras do spread is fear.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
dang
on saturday (yesterday) i heard an ad on the radio for a morrissey show in bakersfield. i was pretty interested, especially since we've got friends there. but, i didn't exactly hear when the show was. but, i figured i would look online when i got a chance and probably buy tickets. it was moz' last cali show of this current tour.
sadly, the show tonight. it started @ 8. i didn't look for the info until 10. dang. although, really, even if i'd seen it earlier in the day i wouldn't have been able to change plans and go.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
tastes may vary
adam's got a lot of tackiness going on outside his door. but, he lives in a gated community so it's not being thrust upon most of the world. now, here's a site that shows off some gawd awful mailboxes.
(and yes, you giggling children, i said mailboxes.)
(and yes, you giggling children, i said mailboxes.)
Thursday, June 07, 2007
oscar pistorius
just watched an interesting piece on espn's outside the lines about oscar pistorius. don't konw who he is? not surprising. not only is he a track athlete, he's one without legs. he's gaining a lot of attention because he is taking the paraolympic world by storm. super dooper fast. world record fast for para-athletes. but, he's also getting attention because he's putting up times that are comparable to "able bodied" athletes. which has people wondering if the prosthetics are aiding him.
the iaaf will vote in july whether or not to allow athletes compete with such prosthetics alongside non-prosthetic wearing athletes. the issue, again, is whether or not there is any advantage, something that can be proved or disproved through biomechanical studies.
i've seen a US para-athlete compete alongside other athletes @ a track meet. if i remember correctly, he only had one prosthesis. but he ran well and i think he long jumped, too. but, he wasn't in the fastest heats. it's my feeling that there isn't a benefit, and if there were people would expose it quickly and make a big stink about those using it (like steriods). i'm not saying that people wouldn't knowingly use an unfair advantage because it repeatedly has been shown to happen. but i don't think these are aids. studies should prove this.
two side notes:
he lives in pretoria. so does my brother, sister & their lil ones. so, they should make it a small goal to see this guy run.
they've only caught 66 (68?) athletes using steriods during the olympics
the iaaf will vote in july whether or not to allow athletes compete with such prosthetics alongside non-prosthetic wearing athletes. the issue, again, is whether or not there is any advantage, something that can be proved or disproved through biomechanical studies.
i've seen a US para-athlete compete alongside other athletes @ a track meet. if i remember correctly, he only had one prosthesis. but he ran well and i think he long jumped, too. but, he wasn't in the fastest heats. it's my feeling that there isn't a benefit, and if there were people would expose it quickly and make a big stink about those using it (like steriods). i'm not saying that people wouldn't knowingly use an unfair advantage because it repeatedly has been shown to happen. but i don't think these are aids. studies should prove this.
two side notes:
he lives in pretoria. so does my brother, sister & their lil ones. so, they should make it a small goal to see this guy run.
they've only caught 66 (68?) athletes using steriods during the olympics
Mr. Lee
"I'm in yer fridge photo'in yer cheez"
I found this wonderful little site (via boing boing). these crazy germans have put a camera on their cat's collar and it randomly takes snap shots of what the cat is doing. they've got the cat's journeys posted with captions. cool stuff. a lot of beautiful pictures.
oohs and aahs
i'm giddy with anticipation of my show tonight. i even slept in late this morning so i'm super rested. ball of energy tonight.
that's all for now.
that's all for now.
Monday, June 04, 2007
"we grew up"
and by that you mean sold out. well, maybe that's a bit harsh. but, i do find it a bit hypocritical for those that embraced homelessness, drug use, and "freedom" decades ago to now be calling for harsher crackdown on loitering and homelessness in their neighborhood.
now, i don't think that just because you live in a neighborhood you have to put up with grime and crime, endless panhandling and such. but, i'm sure if you heard your dad making this quote, Arthur Evans, you would have called him a fascist or something to that effect. "I used to be a hippie. I wore beads and grew my hair long," he said. "But my generation had something these kids do not: a standard of civilized behavior."
so, when you wore beads, grew your hair long, tuned in, turned on and dropped out, you were civilized about your squatting and drug use? well, good for you. i highly doubt this was actually the case. but, in the case that you always paid rent in haight ashbury during the late 60's, and didn't do anything illegal (like smoke weed) then know that you may have been the only one.
reminds me of another story about the generation gap. always good to see the youth being embraced with open arms.
now, i don't think that just because you live in a neighborhood you have to put up with grime and crime, endless panhandling and such. but, i'm sure if you heard your dad making this quote, Arthur Evans, you would have called him a fascist or something to that effect. "I used to be a hippie. I wore beads and grew my hair long," he said. "But my generation had something these kids do not: a standard of civilized behavior."
so, when you wore beads, grew your hair long, tuned in, turned on and dropped out, you were civilized about your squatting and drug use? well, good for you. i highly doubt this was actually the case. but, in the case that you always paid rent in haight ashbury during the late 60's, and didn't do anything illegal (like smoke weed) then know that you may have been the only one.
reminds me of another story about the generation gap. always good to see the youth being embraced with open arms.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
super dooper surprise art show
so, it seems that i'm having an art show this week. ah, the benefits of being affiliated with a gallery. so, if you're in fresno on thursday, stop by 1040 n. fulton and see my art. one new piece, and a whole lot of other stuff. i've got 5 other paintings in the hopper, but none will probably be ready. maybe one. who knows. anyway, come by. we'll chat. and maybe someone will buy something.
mac vs pc
i'm currently watching an interview w/steve jobs & bill gates. pretty interesting and amazing stuff, to see these two guy sitting together on a stage being interviewed and just talking pretty openly about their situations, market, etc. be warned, it's a long interview, 7 different segments, each about 10-15 minutes long. but, worth the watch if you're into that sort of nerdiness.
Friday, June 01, 2007
give me your input
here it is w/flash
w/o flash
close up (sort of) of the cat detail. it's not finished yet.
so, what do you think? what could bring it along? be as specific as you can, so i get what you're saying. should i put a body on the cat?
just so you know, i've been thinking about putting 3 sets of circles on their, each w/7 circles, as well as giving it a polyurethane finish.
w/o flash
close up (sort of) of the cat detail. it's not finished yet.
so, what do you think? what could bring it along? be as specific as you can, so i get what you're saying. should i put a body on the cat?
just so you know, i've been thinking about putting 3 sets of circles on their, each w/7 circles, as well as giving it a polyurethane finish.
england snatches draw from the jaws of victory
so, i watched the game today, on tape as i mentioned earlier. england vs brazil. overall, it wasn't a bad match. bit of back and forth action, some exciting moments, some bland. beckham played well, but i don't think he should be knighted.
owens, despite his insisting that he would, failed to score. although, he did have a nice header off of beck's foot. (these vids are rather low tech)
england got on the board later off of another beckham freekick. former england captain to current one (john terry).
but, alas, england let brazil hang around. and, just into stoppage time they equalized.
in other soccer news, the scotish side i follow beat the u.s. side i follow.
owens, despite his insisting that he would, failed to score. although, he did have a nice header off of beck's foot. (these vids are rather low tech)
england got on the board later off of another beckham freekick. former england captain to current one (john terry).
but, alas, england let brazil hang around. and, just into stoppage time they equalized.
in other soccer news, the scotish side i follow beat the u.s. side i follow.
some friday random goodness
so, i wanted to post about a couple of things that aren't really all that important.
first, i'm listening to the radio (jim rome - the jungle) and i hear this commercial. no, it's not the one advertising my time share. it's one of these onstar ads. now, you may not know this, but now the offer a turn by turn direction service so you don't need a gps or whatever. anyway, the commercial that i just heard annoys me. and it annoys me every time i hear it. essentially, this guy calls in and asks for directions to some place. as they start to give him directions, he interrupts to tell the operator that he actually knows the directions, he just wanted to use the service. the operator is like, "i know, it's great. call us any time. we're idiots here with nothing to do." well, i may have added that last line. but, really, if you're that operator, wouldn't you be thinking, "hey guy, we're not your monkeys, just sitting around waiting for you to boss us around. we could be unlocking doors, or calling emergency services for people who have crashed into a ditch." really, this is the real phone call that they picked to advertise their service? some guy bothering your operator with an unnecessary call. sign me up, i've got plenty o' free time to annoy people. would i get labeled and then have a boy that called wolf situation?
second, england is playing brazil today. or, as they have it on the spanish channel i'll be watching, inglaterra vs brasil. alas, i'll be watching via tape delay, as i have something to do from about 12-2 when the game is on. but i'll catch my tape after that. michael owen insists that he'll score today. we'll see. we will see. i'm also interested to see how beckham plays. he set up a really nice goal for real madrid the other day.
finally, i saw this cat sleeping in our gutter this morning.
wha? he's not sleeping? anyone know who you call to get that taken care of? city? spca?
first, i'm listening to the radio (jim rome - the jungle) and i hear this commercial. no, it's not the one advertising my time share. it's one of these onstar ads. now, you may not know this, but now the offer a turn by turn direction service so you don't need a gps or whatever. anyway, the commercial that i just heard annoys me. and it annoys me every time i hear it. essentially, this guy calls in and asks for directions to some place. as they start to give him directions, he interrupts to tell the operator that he actually knows the directions, he just wanted to use the service. the operator is like, "i know, it's great. call us any time. we're idiots here with nothing to do." well, i may have added that last line. but, really, if you're that operator, wouldn't you be thinking, "hey guy, we're not your monkeys, just sitting around waiting for you to boss us around. we could be unlocking doors, or calling emergency services for people who have crashed into a ditch." really, this is the real phone call that they picked to advertise their service? some guy bothering your operator with an unnecessary call. sign me up, i've got plenty o' free time to annoy people. would i get labeled and then have a boy that called wolf situation?
second, england is playing brazil today. or, as they have it on the spanish channel i'll be watching, inglaterra vs brasil. alas, i'll be watching via tape delay, as i have something to do from about 12-2 when the game is on. but i'll catch my tape after that. michael owen insists that he'll score today. we'll see. we will see. i'm also interested to see how beckham plays. he set up a really nice goal for real madrid the other day.
finally, i saw this cat sleeping in our gutter this morning.
wha? he's not sleeping? anyone know who you call to get that taken care of? city? spca?
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