School's been a lot of work recently, and it depresses me to see that I haven't written anything for this blog for over two months. I have some things to discuss in the future, but I haven't found the time to gather my thoughts and type them up. So I'll just stick with quick posts for now.
I got this email forward from my dad recently...
__________
I was in the pub yesterday when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to fart. The music was really, really loud, so I timed my farts with the beat.
After a couple of songs, I started to feel better. I finished my pint and noticed that everybody was staring at me.
Then I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my iPod.
_____________
There seems to be this new world that we enter whenever we use our iPod, check our cell phone or play Pokemon on our gameboys. We become oblivious to the things and people around us. Paraphrasing what my english teacher has said, "There are people going right nearby that could one day be your spouse". Where is the line drawn between isolating yourself for self-enjoyment and putting yourself forward?
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Megan Fox Marries Joe Jonas
I decided that the stuff I write about isn't controversial enough, so here goes:
___________________
Megan Fox. America's obsession. She has become an idol, the epitome of modern beauty. A sizable percentage of the viewers of the Transformer's movies probably went simply because she is featured in it. Filmmakers know this as well; special effects were used in Transformers 2 to make her look especially stunning. In that video, Alex Clegg, producer, is quoted as saying "If she [Megan Fox] doesn't look amazing, this film will fail".
Think about that for a second. Although this movie has been met with mixed reviews, no one can deny its groundbreaking sales. Transformers 2 grossed over $200 million in its first five days. All of this is because of the appearance of an actress that most Americans would kill their best friend to have a night with. What does this say about our culture? That media is judged based on outward appearance rather than content? That consumers have lost the ability to critically judge art? No, this situation demonstrates that America has no taste in women.
After I type "Megan Fox" in Google images, in hopes of being able to understand this nationwide obsession, I am sorely disappointed. Megan Fox is barely average, a nobody rocketed to undeserved fame under the premise of "beauty" and "talent", two things she clearly doesn't have. Why does America love this actress model so much? Because America has lost the ability to assess a woman's beauty based off her eyes, the only thing that really matters. Eyes are really what emanate emotion and passion. To disregard eyes is to nullify the entire judging process. Eyes are as varied as fingerprints. Even if two people have similar eye color, there is still a distinct difference between them. This difference is something that will never happen when you judge based off of any other feature. America, get your priorities straight.
_________________________________
In English, we recently finished The Great Gatsby (caution, spoilers). It is about this man, named Jay Gatsby, and his tragic quest to win the heart of his past love, Daisy Buchanan. The two of them were acquainted during their younger years back in Louisville, Kentucky, but the relationship had broken off. Daisy now lived in East Egg in New York and Gatsby bought a house right across the bay. He threw many parties in attempts to get her attention. The two of them grew closer towards the end of the book, but this quickly ended when Daisy carelessly ran over someone as she was driving. The victim's husband, who knew that his wife was in an affair, went into a rampage and decided to kill the driver of the car, convinced that he was her lover. He finds Gatsby and kills him, before killing himself.
After reading some analyzes on this book, I began to see the American Dream aspect of this book. Gatsby spent his life devoted to marrying Daisy, a frivolous girl who didn't have the judgment or the brains to drive safely. This girl was his American Dream, a goal whose accomplishment would leave him eternally satisfied.
It is strange that there exists a person whose ambitions are solely fixated on consummating a relationship. I personally think that marriage simply a trade-off between a questionable illusion of love and freedom. Is it really worth sacrificing your independence for the elusive notion of love? Society has associated marriage with a certain degree of prestige and accomplishment where none exists. Marriage serves the purpose of propagation of the human race and financial security. Any additional perks are short lived and ephemeral, as suggested by the 50% divorce rate.
________________________
Lastly, the Jonas Brothers. I keep seeing this group on my news feed about the membership of the group "I Hate the Jonas Brothers". People need to learn the difference between hating and disliking. Personally, I dislike the the Jonas Brothers because, like Megan Fox, they represent everything wrong about American pop culture. They have entered an exclusive social bracket because of their looks, rather than their artistic talent. I remember asking an avid Jonas Brother fan, "Why do you like the Jonas Brothers?" She answered, "C'mon, have you SEEN them?!?!"
Despite this, it is still irrational to hate the Jonas Brothers whereas it is reasonable to dislike them. In the same sense, it is irrational to love the Jonas Brothers whereas it is reasonable to like them. This is just a trivial case of semantics, but to me it is very significant. I view Jonas Brother haters with as much disdain as I view Jonas Brother lovers.
___________________
Megan Fox. America's obsession. She has become an idol, the epitome of modern beauty. A sizable percentage of the viewers of the Transformer's movies probably went simply because she is featured in it. Filmmakers know this as well; special effects were used in Transformers 2 to make her look especially stunning. In that video, Alex Clegg, producer, is quoted as saying "If she [Megan Fox] doesn't look amazing, this film will fail".
Think about that for a second. Although this movie has been met with mixed reviews, no one can deny its groundbreaking sales. Transformers 2 grossed over $200 million in its first five days. All of this is because of the appearance of an actress that most Americans would kill their best friend to have a night with. What does this say about our culture? That media is judged based on outward appearance rather than content? That consumers have lost the ability to critically judge art? No, this situation demonstrates that America has no taste in women.
After I type "Megan Fox" in Google images, in hopes of being able to understand this nationwide obsession, I am sorely disappointed. Megan Fox is barely average, a nobody rocketed to undeserved fame under the premise of "beauty" and "talent", two things she clearly doesn't have. Why does America love this actress model so much? Because America has lost the ability to assess a woman's beauty based off her eyes, the only thing that really matters. Eyes are really what emanate emotion and passion. To disregard eyes is to nullify the entire judging process. Eyes are as varied as fingerprints. Even if two people have similar eye color, there is still a distinct difference between them. This difference is something that will never happen when you judge based off of any other feature. America, get your priorities straight.
_________________________________
In English, we recently finished The Great Gatsby (caution, spoilers). It is about this man, named Jay Gatsby, and his tragic quest to win the heart of his past love, Daisy Buchanan. The two of them were acquainted during their younger years back in Louisville, Kentucky, but the relationship had broken off. Daisy now lived in East Egg in New York and Gatsby bought a house right across the bay. He threw many parties in attempts to get her attention. The two of them grew closer towards the end of the book, but this quickly ended when Daisy carelessly ran over someone as she was driving. The victim's husband, who knew that his wife was in an affair, went into a rampage and decided to kill the driver of the car, convinced that he was her lover. He finds Gatsby and kills him, before killing himself.
After reading some analyzes on this book, I began to see the American Dream aspect of this book. Gatsby spent his life devoted to marrying Daisy, a frivolous girl who didn't have the judgment or the brains to drive safely. This girl was his American Dream, a goal whose accomplishment would leave him eternally satisfied.
It is strange that there exists a person whose ambitions are solely fixated on consummating a relationship. I personally think that marriage simply a trade-off between a questionable illusion of love and freedom. Is it really worth sacrificing your independence for the elusive notion of love? Society has associated marriage with a certain degree of prestige and accomplishment where none exists. Marriage serves the purpose of propagation of the human race and financial security. Any additional perks are short lived and ephemeral, as suggested by the 50% divorce rate.
________________________
Lastly, the Jonas Brothers. I keep seeing this group on my news feed about the membership of the group "I Hate the Jonas Brothers". People need to learn the difference between hating and disliking. Personally, I dislike the the Jonas Brothers because, like Megan Fox, they represent everything wrong about American pop culture. They have entered an exclusive social bracket because of their looks, rather than their artistic talent. I remember asking an avid Jonas Brother fan, "Why do you like the Jonas Brothers?" She answered, "C'mon, have you SEEN them?!?!"
Despite this, it is still irrational to hate the Jonas Brothers whereas it is reasonable to dislike them. In the same sense, it is irrational to love the Jonas Brothers whereas it is reasonable to like them. This is just a trivial case of semantics, but to me it is very significant. I view Jonas Brother haters with as much disdain as I view Jonas Brother lovers.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
What is History
Although this was written for school, I thought it be interesting to see what other people thought about this.
_____________________________
History keeps track of the longest lasting aspects of the human experience. Thousands of years of past events are recorded and presented for future generations to learn. It functions as the bridge between the old and the new. It acts as a way to understand one’s origins. However, history is not solely fact. The historians that record the events of the past might have a bias in the presentation of the facts. Because of this, history is sometimes biased.
History can be defined as the synthesis and presentation of the events of the past. The historian researches and collects a wide array of information about a topic. Then he or she presents the information in a way that informs and enlightens the reader. It is difficult for a historian to remain purely objective in the analysis of history, because, as a human being, he or she already has an opinion about the event. Information will be found and presented in order to convince the readers of that opinion.
The institution of slavery can be explained differently based on the historian’s bias. In one article, Historian A compares slavery to imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps during WWII. The information found supports the point that the slaves’ mentality and personality were crushed similarly to those that were imprisoned in the concentration camps. In another article, Historian B argues that the lifestyle as a slave was not as bad as most people thought. He argued that slaves got more than enough of the daily nutrient intake and were rarely punished. Both articles have biases that distort the truth about the slavery and consequently affect the reader’s knowledge of it. The first article is based on an inaccurate comparison. On plantations, slaves had to be kept healthy in order to work whereas prisoners brought to concentration camps to eventually be killed. The second article has biased information. The author of the article researches the daily nutrition intake himself, showing only the information that would bolster his argument. Also, he concludes that slaves were rarely punished after just one interview with a slave owner known to be lenient with his slaves.
The present also influences the reporting of the past. One article about 9/11, titled “The Case for Rage and Retribution”, was published on September 12, 2001. It called for a “unified, unifying, Pearl Harbor sort of purple American fury” response towards yesterday’s events. Five years later, another article, titled “America in the World: What We’ve Learned since 9/11” was published questioning the effectiveness of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The article mentioned the low approval rating about the war, the animosity directed towards America from other countries and the loss of ethics in warfare to make the reader critically think about the worth of the invasions. Both of these articles exemplified America’s attitude at the time of publishing. This contrast in belief is due to the different times that the event was viewed. As time goes along, historians have different perspectives on an event because they see more of what has resulted from it. In this sense, the present influences the reporting of the past.
Many factors influence the reporting of history, such as time, the author’s bias and the information used. This makes history a collection of perspectives, with facts used to support them. Because of this, there is a difference between the “past” and “history”. The public can indulge in the illusion of understanding the past, rather than knowing history, when several historians can agree on information. However, the past can never be thoroughly explained because history is inherently biased.
_____________________________
History keeps track of the longest lasting aspects of the human experience. Thousands of years of past events are recorded and presented for future generations to learn. It functions as the bridge between the old and the new. It acts as a way to understand one’s origins. However, history is not solely fact. The historians that record the events of the past might have a bias in the presentation of the facts. Because of this, history is sometimes biased.
History can be defined as the synthesis and presentation of the events of the past. The historian researches and collects a wide array of information about a topic. Then he or she presents the information in a way that informs and enlightens the reader. It is difficult for a historian to remain purely objective in the analysis of history, because, as a human being, he or she already has an opinion about the event. Information will be found and presented in order to convince the readers of that opinion.
The institution of slavery can be explained differently based on the historian’s bias. In one article, Historian A compares slavery to imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps during WWII. The information found supports the point that the slaves’ mentality and personality were crushed similarly to those that were imprisoned in the concentration camps. In another article, Historian B argues that the lifestyle as a slave was not as bad as most people thought. He argued that slaves got more than enough of the daily nutrient intake and were rarely punished. Both articles have biases that distort the truth about the slavery and consequently affect the reader’s knowledge of it. The first article is based on an inaccurate comparison. On plantations, slaves had to be kept healthy in order to work whereas prisoners brought to concentration camps to eventually be killed. The second article has biased information. The author of the article researches the daily nutrition intake himself, showing only the information that would bolster his argument. Also, he concludes that slaves were rarely punished after just one interview with a slave owner known to be lenient with his slaves.
The present also influences the reporting of the past. One article about 9/11, titled “The Case for Rage and Retribution”, was published on September 12, 2001. It called for a “unified, unifying, Pearl Harbor sort of purple American fury” response towards yesterday’s events. Five years later, another article, titled “America in the World: What We’ve Learned since 9/11” was published questioning the effectiveness of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The article mentioned the low approval rating about the war, the animosity directed towards America from other countries and the loss of ethics in warfare to make the reader critically think about the worth of the invasions. Both of these articles exemplified America’s attitude at the time of publishing. This contrast in belief is due to the different times that the event was viewed. As time goes along, historians have different perspectives on an event because they see more of what has resulted from it. In this sense, the present influences the reporting of the past.
Many factors influence the reporting of history, such as time, the author’s bias and the information used. This makes history a collection of perspectives, with facts used to support them. Because of this, there is a difference between the “past” and “history”. The public can indulge in the illusion of understanding the past, rather than knowing history, when several historians can agree on information. However, the past can never be thoroughly explained because history is inherently biased.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
World Records
The Universal Record Database, a website formed in 2008, offers the opportunity for anyone to achieve a world record. Titles like "Most Neckties Worn at Once" and "Fastest Time to Rip A Phone Book in Half" are typical records posted on the front page. The task need only be quantifiable, breakable and legal. Whatever you can think of, you can make into a world record. Every one now has a chance to achieve "immortality". Under the name of the site, lies the description, "The Definitive Site for Human Achievement".
This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Based on a spontaneous idea in your head, you suddenly are promoted as a world-class achiever. Instead of normally being regarded as someone with too much free time, you can be regarded as something much grander. You can achieve an elusive level of greatness, without going through the work that it entails.
A world record is not something to take lightly. Take, for example, the 200m dash. Those wishing to break the record are in competition with not only the current world-class sprinters (Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay), but generations of earlier elite runners (Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson), athletes that were idolized worldwide during their career. An added obstacle to this is the athlete's physiology. For example, Michael Phelps, recepient of 8 gold medals in a single Olympics and holder of 6 world records, has a torso larger than most men of his height, a noticeable advantage in swimming. This suggests that despite the hard work one puts into an event, it can be physically impossible to achieve a world record. This combined difficulty is what gives the world record holders a true sense of immortality.
The website suggests that you can circumvent this difficulty and claim a record as your own. The fact that they can associate such frivolous behavior with something so grand is disgusting.
It is similar to awarding someone a Nobel Prize if they discovered that using pencil as a toothbrush doesn't clean teeth well.
A common justification for this website would be, "Wait, this is just for fun. It's not something to be taken seriously". It is true that the website rewards creativity and imagination. It's a place to put a little of yourself online for others to enjoy. However, there is already a well-known website that has just the same function. It's called Youtube.
This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Based on a spontaneous idea in your head, you suddenly are promoted as a world-class achiever. Instead of normally being regarded as someone with too much free time, you can be regarded as something much grander. You can achieve an elusive level of greatness, without going through the work that it entails.
A world record is not something to take lightly. Take, for example, the 200m dash. Those wishing to break the record are in competition with not only the current world-class sprinters (Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay), but generations of earlier elite runners (Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson), athletes that were idolized worldwide during their career. An added obstacle to this is the athlete's physiology. For example, Michael Phelps, recepient of 8 gold medals in a single Olympics and holder of 6 world records, has a torso larger than most men of his height, a noticeable advantage in swimming. This suggests that despite the hard work one puts into an event, it can be physically impossible to achieve a world record. This combined difficulty is what gives the world record holders a true sense of immortality.
The website suggests that you can circumvent this difficulty and claim a record as your own. The fact that they can associate such frivolous behavior with something so grand is disgusting.
It is similar to awarding someone a Nobel Prize if they discovered that using pencil as a toothbrush doesn't clean teeth well.
A common justification for this website would be, "Wait, this is just for fun. It's not something to be taken seriously". It is true that the website rewards creativity and imagination. It's a place to put a little of yourself online for others to enjoy. However, there is already a well-known website that has just the same function. It's called Youtube.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Phobia
A few days ago, I went to the doctor’s office for what would have been a fairly normal checkup. It was simply a continuation on a preliminary test that had yielded some ambiguous results. But during this trip, I’d more closely experienced one of my worst fears, getting blood drawn. The whole premise of a tiny metal needle penetrating skin to extract the most important fluid in your body has always been very frightening to me. I viewed it with significantly more dread than any other checkup routine. However, I still went through with the test, as I knew that in the long term, it would be beneficial to find any diseases early. This led me to question, “If the pain of the blood drawing was significantly larger, how would my decision have been affected?” On a larger scale, many factors, like emotions, values and spiritual beliefs have a distinctive influence on the slow deliberative nature of a rational decision making process.
On the face, emotions and logic conflict when making decisions. Emotion involves personal introspection whereas logic involves outside analysis. Despite this, both can coexist in daily life. When I got the blood drawn, all I was thinking about was how the procedure could result in some serious injury. A more logical approach to this would have been to conclude that there was a miniscule probability of malpractice because of the long existence of the medical procedure. In this case, my reason helped me to go ahead with the procedure, but my emotions kept me pessimistic during it.
Other factors like religious beliefs and morality tend to have an even larger effect when it comes to decision making. A clear example of this would be any form of humanitarian work. Although one could argue service provides a sense of worldly purpose, this claim is subjective. A purely objective analysis of charitable work suggests that there are no immediate or measurable advantages. It simply appears to be a tedious chunk of time spent acting as a slave of man. However, those involved in community service know that this is a naïve conclusion, as they have a purpose for their work, whether it is something as grand as genuine compassion or something as workaday as community service hours. They have a sense of direction, derived from personal introspection rather than outside observations.
This leads to a critical assessment of the value of emotion and values systems. Media often contrasts a peppy energetic blonde with a reserved white-collar worker, suggesting a direct correlation between intelligence and “connection” with emotion. It gives impulsive behavior a negative connotation, while glorifying more analytical behavior. This is a distortion. Because daily decisions are and have always been influenced by both logic and emotion, it is shortsighted to declare one as more socially expedient than the other. It is up to the individual to decide which one has the more priority in a decision making process.
On the face, emotions and logic conflict when making decisions. Emotion involves personal introspection whereas logic involves outside analysis. Despite this, both can coexist in daily life. When I got the blood drawn, all I was thinking about was how the procedure could result in some serious injury. A more logical approach to this would have been to conclude that there was a miniscule probability of malpractice because of the long existence of the medical procedure. In this case, my reason helped me to go ahead with the procedure, but my emotions kept me pessimistic during it.
Other factors like religious beliefs and morality tend to have an even larger effect when it comes to decision making. A clear example of this would be any form of humanitarian work. Although one could argue service provides a sense of worldly purpose, this claim is subjective. A purely objective analysis of charitable work suggests that there are no immediate or measurable advantages. It simply appears to be a tedious chunk of time spent acting as a slave of man. However, those involved in community service know that this is a naïve conclusion, as they have a purpose for their work, whether it is something as grand as genuine compassion or something as workaday as community service hours. They have a sense of direction, derived from personal introspection rather than outside observations.
This leads to a critical assessment of the value of emotion and values systems. Media often contrasts a peppy energetic blonde with a reserved white-collar worker, suggesting a direct correlation between intelligence and “connection” with emotion. It gives impulsive behavior a negative connotation, while glorifying more analytical behavior. This is a distortion. Because daily decisions are and have always been influenced by both logic and emotion, it is shortsighted to declare one as more socially expedient than the other. It is up to the individual to decide which one has the more priority in a decision making process.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
88 Keys
Piano. One of those things that most ABCs will encounter during the childhood, right next to Chinese school and Kumon. Being a piano student for over eight years, I'd like to share my experience with those black and white keys.
According to my parents, I was enrolled in piano lessons because of my interest. I studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the pedagogy department when I was six years old. During the first year, I studied under the head of the pedagogy department, Mrs. Olga, a very strict and outspoken teacher. Eventually, I was transferred to one of the dean's students, Ms. Yudha.
For most of my years living in Ohio, piano lessons meant a tiring half-hour drive, anxiety and frustration. Mrs. Olga would constantly scold me for my stubbornness, the reason why she handed me down to Ms. Yudha for future instruction. Ms. Yudha would often point to a trash can and say, "That's where your mom's money is going." Lots of backward glances to my mom during these scoldings would be returned with as harsh a look. Frequent piano recitals only served to worsen my experience. I dealt with a lot of stage fright, from the moment I walked into the building.
There were a few situations that only served to augment my disliking of piano lessons. Because Mrs. Olga was a pedagogy teacher, she had her college students observing how she taught me. To me, they were just a group of people whose presence only served to intensify my anxiety. Once, when I was learning that the numbers next to the notes meant the fingerings for the key, I asked a question along the lines of "So why aren't there any 6s?" (the numbers 1-5 meant the five fingers for the hand). The whole group of college students burst out in laughter, like a pack of hyenas satisfied with its kill.
Ms. Yudha and Mrs. Olga seemed to be devoid of any human compassion. I can't remember a single compliment or word of encouragement from them. Once or twice, I felt so bad about my playing that I started crying a little. How did they react? Mrs. Olga most likely used this as a model of strictness for her college students to follow. Ms. Yudha encouraged me to cry more.
What force enabled me to continue going into that building week after week? This question still remains unanswered to this very day. Did my parents' strictness at home keep me on track with my studies? Were piano lessons and practice just so routine that I became numb to my negative feelings about it? Was my interest as a toddler enough to allow me to sustain the constant anxiety and practice necessary to study piano? Was it the anticipation of a future accomplishment, like when one works on a jigsaw puzzle, my motivation? Maybe it was even the sticker I got after completing a piece that made all the work worthwhile.
Ms. Yudha was eventually replaced by one of Ms. Olga's prior students, Mr. Lo. If I had to partition my overall piano experience, the line would be drawn at the time that I started studying at Mr. Lo. I felt that he had a tangible interest in teaching music, unlike the first two. Ms. Yudha seemed to be more concerned in the technical details rather than music as a whole. Mrs. Olga was an elitist, only offering instruction to those who were able keep up with her high standards.
Moving to New Hampshire was a hiccup in my piano instruction. Unable to find a traditional teacher, my parents signed me up with a teacher in a hole-in-the-wall type of piano instruction. I was introduced to lots of new things during my short time studying with him, such as jazz, contemporary music and music theory. When I moved, I also got an electric piano. All these factors expanded my horizons on music.
When I first studied under Philip Feng, I knew he would be completely different than my previous teachers. He taught in his apartment, giving a sense of informality to the lessons. Another thing I noticed was the length of time he spent devoted to his lessons. Ms. Yudha seemed to precisely partition an equal amount of time for all my pieces, as if she just wanted to get a cursory taste of what I'd done in the past week. She'd frequently interrupt my playing with criticism. Mr. Lo would spend most of the time on one, sometimes missing the others because of the time limit. For Philip, it would be natural to go past the 45 minutes allocated for the lesson. Usually, like Mr. Lo, he would spend a significant amount of the time on just one piece.
Philip was much less strict than Ms. Yudha and Mrs. Olga. This was much appreciated as it made me more feel more comfortable playing. In Cleveland, I don't remember feeling like I was getting into the music because I was more concerned about playing the notes correctly rather than feeling the music (This might also have been because the music was much simpler then). When I studied under Philip, he downplayed the effect of wrong notes on overall performance. He spent most of his lesson focusing on phrasing and expression. When he talked about technique, it was presented as another way to introduce a different color and tone to the music.
It was working with Philip where I really began to enjoy playing piano. I was made aware of the vast amount of musical nuances behind the notes. With the right mindset, this understanding led to a greater appreciate of piano, just as the understanding the motifs and themes behind a piece of literature leads to a greater appreciation of it. Although I was still reluctant to put lots of hours into practicing, I was considerably more interested and focused when I did practice.
Although I didn't know it at the time, piano competitions gave me motivation to practice more, just as matches and tournaments give athletes motivation to train harder. My performance in annual auditions and competitions gave me the opportunity to see how I had progressed in the past year. Additionally, it made the hours spent preparing for the competitions, though not that many, worthwhile. Getting an honorary mention in the Granite State Piano Competition in 2006 was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. Not receiving anything save a record of participation the following year was difficult, but it made me realize that piano was an all or nothing activity. It entails long hours of practicing, even if it is just spent on a small section of music. Because of this, it also requires a lot of interest and motivation, something I don't think I have enough of. These opportunities helped me to view piano as something past practicing in the living room and playing in long studio recitals.
Piano played an essential role in my transition to other instruments. Concepts of voicing, phrasing, and dynamics helped me to quickly pick-up and develop my ability to play on drums, bass and guitar. I was able to understand how other drummers transition between parts of a song, because I was used comfortable with phrasing in classical music. With an attentive ear and lots of experimentation, I began to develop my own fills. In bass and guitar, simple concepts in music theory like arpeggios helped enhance my playing.
When I was still in middle school, my dad offered a sort of business deal with me. If I would play half an hour of piano a month at an elderly home in Nashua, he would add $5 dollars to my allowance. I decided to try it out, but I rejected the monetary offer. Playing piano as a form of community service returned me in a way that could not be measured through money. Well maybe it could, because this offer would expand a hundred-fold.
Playing piano at Hunt Community was a very satisfying activity. My audience, though only 5-20 people, seemed to enjoy the performance, giving me lots of compliments afterward. Slowly, connections formed with my audience. I met Susan and Victor Tallarico, parents of Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith. He would constantly give me feedback on my performance, occasionally ranting about my choice of music. However, his presence made it more interesting to play, as I had professional eyes and ears watching and listening to my performance. He asked me a lot about my teacher. Before I left for the summer, he gave me music suggestions and his own sheet music.
When I asked Katie to help me play piano with me and mentioned that we were both instructed by the same teacher, Mr. Tallarico began to take more interest in Philip. When they finally were able to talk, he gave Philip around $500 worth of music.
Although I'm not in piano lessons anymore, I still play once in a while, sometimes longer than the time I normally spent practicing. When I do, I find myself truly engaged in the music, playing for the sake of listening and enjoying the music, instead of technical perfection. To me, It represents one of the best forms of self-expression, the basis of any further musical learning, and an opportunity to serve the community. It is one of those things that will be a vital part of who I am.
According to my parents, I was enrolled in piano lessons because of my interest. I studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the pedagogy department when I was six years old. During the first year, I studied under the head of the pedagogy department, Mrs. Olga, a very strict and outspoken teacher. Eventually, I was transferred to one of the dean's students, Ms. Yudha.
For most of my years living in Ohio, piano lessons meant a tiring half-hour drive, anxiety and frustration. Mrs. Olga would constantly scold me for my stubbornness, the reason why she handed me down to Ms. Yudha for future instruction. Ms. Yudha would often point to a trash can and say, "That's where your mom's money is going." Lots of backward glances to my mom during these scoldings would be returned with as harsh a look. Frequent piano recitals only served to worsen my experience. I dealt with a lot of stage fright, from the moment I walked into the building.
There were a few situations that only served to augment my disliking of piano lessons. Because Mrs. Olga was a pedagogy teacher, she had her college students observing how she taught me. To me, they were just a group of people whose presence only served to intensify my anxiety. Once, when I was learning that the numbers next to the notes meant the fingerings for the key, I asked a question along the lines of "So why aren't there any 6s?" (the numbers 1-5 meant the five fingers for the hand). The whole group of college students burst out in laughter, like a pack of hyenas satisfied with its kill.
Ms. Yudha and Mrs. Olga seemed to be devoid of any human compassion. I can't remember a single compliment or word of encouragement from them. Once or twice, I felt so bad about my playing that I started crying a little. How did they react? Mrs. Olga most likely used this as a model of strictness for her college students to follow. Ms. Yudha encouraged me to cry more.
What force enabled me to continue going into that building week after week? This question still remains unanswered to this very day. Did my parents' strictness at home keep me on track with my studies? Were piano lessons and practice just so routine that I became numb to my negative feelings about it? Was my interest as a toddler enough to allow me to sustain the constant anxiety and practice necessary to study piano? Was it the anticipation of a future accomplishment, like when one works on a jigsaw puzzle, my motivation? Maybe it was even the sticker I got after completing a piece that made all the work worthwhile.
Ms. Yudha was eventually replaced by one of Ms. Olga's prior students, Mr. Lo. If I had to partition my overall piano experience, the line would be drawn at the time that I started studying at Mr. Lo. I felt that he had a tangible interest in teaching music, unlike the first two. Ms. Yudha seemed to be more concerned in the technical details rather than music as a whole. Mrs. Olga was an elitist, only offering instruction to those who were able keep up with her high standards.
Moving to New Hampshire was a hiccup in my piano instruction. Unable to find a traditional teacher, my parents signed me up with a teacher in a hole-in-the-wall type of piano instruction. I was introduced to lots of new things during my short time studying with him, such as jazz, contemporary music and music theory. When I moved, I also got an electric piano. All these factors expanded my horizons on music.
When I first studied under Philip Feng, I knew he would be completely different than my previous teachers. He taught in his apartment, giving a sense of informality to the lessons. Another thing I noticed was the length of time he spent devoted to his lessons. Ms. Yudha seemed to precisely partition an equal amount of time for all my pieces, as if she just wanted to get a cursory taste of what I'd done in the past week. She'd frequently interrupt my playing with criticism. Mr. Lo would spend most of the time on one, sometimes missing the others because of the time limit. For Philip, it would be natural to go past the 45 minutes allocated for the lesson. Usually, like Mr. Lo, he would spend a significant amount of the time on just one piece.
Philip was much less strict than Ms. Yudha and Mrs. Olga. This was much appreciated as it made me more feel more comfortable playing. In Cleveland, I don't remember feeling like I was getting into the music because I was more concerned about playing the notes correctly rather than feeling the music (This might also have been because the music was much simpler then). When I studied under Philip, he downplayed the effect of wrong notes on overall performance. He spent most of his lesson focusing on phrasing and expression. When he talked about technique, it was presented as another way to introduce a different color and tone to the music.
It was working with Philip where I really began to enjoy playing piano. I was made aware of the vast amount of musical nuances behind the notes. With the right mindset, this understanding led to a greater appreciate of piano, just as the understanding the motifs and themes behind a piece of literature leads to a greater appreciation of it. Although I was still reluctant to put lots of hours into practicing, I was considerably more interested and focused when I did practice.
Although I didn't know it at the time, piano competitions gave me motivation to practice more, just as matches and tournaments give athletes motivation to train harder. My performance in annual auditions and competitions gave me the opportunity to see how I had progressed in the past year. Additionally, it made the hours spent preparing for the competitions, though not that many, worthwhile. Getting an honorary mention in the Granite State Piano Competition in 2006 was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. Not receiving anything save a record of participation the following year was difficult, but it made me realize that piano was an all or nothing activity. It entails long hours of practicing, even if it is just spent on a small section of music. Because of this, it also requires a lot of interest and motivation, something I don't think I have enough of. These opportunities helped me to view piano as something past practicing in the living room and playing in long studio recitals.
Piano played an essential role in my transition to other instruments. Concepts of voicing, phrasing, and dynamics helped me to quickly pick-up and develop my ability to play on drums, bass and guitar. I was able to understand how other drummers transition between parts of a song, because I was used comfortable with phrasing in classical music. With an attentive ear and lots of experimentation, I began to develop my own fills. In bass and guitar, simple concepts in music theory like arpeggios helped enhance my playing.
When I was still in middle school, my dad offered a sort of business deal with me. If I would play half an hour of piano a month at an elderly home in Nashua, he would add $5 dollars to my allowance. I decided to try it out, but I rejected the monetary offer. Playing piano as a form of community service returned me in a way that could not be measured through money. Well maybe it could, because this offer would expand a hundred-fold.
Playing piano at Hunt Community was a very satisfying activity. My audience, though only 5-20 people, seemed to enjoy the performance, giving me lots of compliments afterward. Slowly, connections formed with my audience. I met Susan and Victor Tallarico, parents of Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith. He would constantly give me feedback on my performance, occasionally ranting about my choice of music. However, his presence made it more interesting to play, as I had professional eyes and ears watching and listening to my performance. He asked me a lot about my teacher. Before I left for the summer, he gave me music suggestions and his own sheet music.
When I asked Katie to help me play piano with me and mentioned that we were both instructed by the same teacher, Mr. Tallarico began to take more interest in Philip. When they finally were able to talk, he gave Philip around $500 worth of music.
Although I'm not in piano lessons anymore, I still play once in a while, sometimes longer than the time I normally spent practicing. When I do, I find myself truly engaged in the music, playing for the sake of listening and enjoying the music, instead of technical perfection. To me, It represents one of the best forms of self-expression, the basis of any further musical learning, and an opportunity to serve the community. It is one of those things that will be a vital part of who I am.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
A PrintScrn of Intelligence
After I wrote that "10 Things About Me" note, I realized that I forgot one of my strongest attitudes: occasionally, its a real pain to be smart. One of my first blog posts, and maybe my longest one, lightly brushed on this topic by explaining historical, social and personal reasons behind "intelligence" among Asians. However, it felt like a more retrospective look at the roots of intelligence, rather than a dynamic view of what it feels like waking up each day under the label of "being smart". This post is meant to elucidate some of those emotions.
________________________________________________________________________________
"It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value." Although, no one can ignore the social advantages of "being smart", it would be naive to revere academic intelligence as a flawless characteristic. Many people are unable to gauge their overall intelligence because it is not measured in a way that is as concrete as the 10-point grading scale. This leads to a subconscious idolization of those who are academically competent and a fixation on following such behavior. However noble this goal may be, many do not see the downfalls of achieving it.
Above-average performance goes hand in hand with above-average expectations. I recall a conversation with a friend about qualifications about an internship about a software company. I said that because I had qualified for the AIME, I had the advantage above others. He responded by saying something along the lines of, "That's not very surprising because you're Asian. They want someone who exceeds normal expectations." Without getting into stereotypes, I found this to be an excellent illustration of how society has preset expectations of people based on past performance. Performing well on a hard test can lead classmates to expect similar performances on following tests. A 95 could be viewed as both below average and above average depending on the history of the test taker.
It is human nature to compare. In track, people compare times against earlier performances to judge their progress. In school, friends may compare report cards to decide who's smarter. Many events in the Olympics are scored based on comparisons by a panel of judges. Comparisons can lose their effectiveness when judged across incorrectly synchronized standards. For example, a freshmen that runs an 11.4 could be said to be less of a contribution to the team compared to a senior that runs a 10.9. However, when gauging future potential, it is incorrect to say that a 10.9 is better than an 11.4 without considering the age of the runners.
Some people have tendencies to make overarching assumptions when it comes to academic intelligence. For example, "If you're in AP Calculus, why can't you do this geometry question in two seconds?". The teacher of the geometry course, the conceptual differences between calculus and geometry, the memory of the student and ability to problem solve were ignored when asking this question. There are also some questions asked that are cross-curricular but are still fundamentally different. For example, "You finished the whole Kumon program. So why does your design for a vertical conveyor belt device fail?". Some statements are made under the assumption of an omnipotent intelligence. "Oh hey, look at that thick book, Victor must read that". The opposite can also be done. Negative expectations of social and physical skill can be formed when someone is book smart.
In all of these circumstances, someone's image can change based off of stereotypes. The media tends to poke fun at or glamorize some of these stereotypes, only circulating them throughout society more. No matter how consistent such stereotype is, it is not a reliable basis of comparison.
Another disadvantage of "being smart" is the inability to tease others about a foolish or stupid thing they did without having a conscience completely clear of guilt of being haughty or scornful. As stated before, people tend to look up to more experienced people as role models. This being the case, words and actions from that person can be very influential. During freshmen year doing hurdles, I looked up to the seniors hurdlers for advice. Their encouragement also was just as helpful. Although teasing is approached from the perspective of a friend, a perception of an approach as someone intellectually superior can be very damaging and discouraging.
Lastly, intelligence sometimes can single you out because of different tastes. The people you interact can also make a difference, so being placed in higher classes can lead to different interests.
Intelligence has both its advantages and its downfalls. It is one of man's greatest mistakes to ignore the implications of any form of superiority when judging its immediate effects.
__________________________________________________________________________
If you found this note mildly interesting, you might enjoy these as well.
10 Things About Me
Intelligence vs. Ethnicity
Some Thoughts About Genius
Giftedness
________________________________________________________________________________
"It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value." Although, no one can ignore the social advantages of "being smart", it would be naive to revere academic intelligence as a flawless characteristic. Many people are unable to gauge their overall intelligence because it is not measured in a way that is as concrete as the 10-point grading scale. This leads to a subconscious idolization of those who are academically competent and a fixation on following such behavior. However noble this goal may be, many do not see the downfalls of achieving it.
Above-average performance goes hand in hand with above-average expectations. I recall a conversation with a friend about qualifications about an internship about a software company. I said that because I had qualified for the AIME, I had the advantage above others. He responded by saying something along the lines of, "That's not very surprising because you're Asian. They want someone who exceeds normal expectations." Without getting into stereotypes, I found this to be an excellent illustration of how society has preset expectations of people based on past performance. Performing well on a hard test can lead classmates to expect similar performances on following tests. A 95 could be viewed as both below average and above average depending on the history of the test taker.
It is human nature to compare. In track, people compare times against earlier performances to judge their progress. In school, friends may compare report cards to decide who's smarter. Many events in the Olympics are scored based on comparisons by a panel of judges. Comparisons can lose their effectiveness when judged across incorrectly synchronized standards. For example, a freshmen that runs an 11.4 could be said to be less of a contribution to the team compared to a senior that runs a 10.9. However, when gauging future potential, it is incorrect to say that a 10.9 is better than an 11.4 without considering the age of the runners.
Some people have tendencies to make overarching assumptions when it comes to academic intelligence. For example, "If you're in AP Calculus, why can't you do this geometry question in two seconds?". The teacher of the geometry course, the conceptual differences between calculus and geometry, the memory of the student and ability to problem solve were ignored when asking this question. There are also some questions asked that are cross-curricular but are still fundamentally different. For example, "You finished the whole Kumon program. So why does your design for a vertical conveyor belt device fail?". Some statements are made under the assumption of an omnipotent intelligence. "Oh hey, look at that thick book, Victor must read that". The opposite can also be done. Negative expectations of social and physical skill can be formed when someone is book smart.
In all of these circumstances, someone's image can change based off of stereotypes. The media tends to poke fun at or glamorize some of these stereotypes, only circulating them throughout society more. No matter how consistent such stereotype is, it is not a reliable basis of comparison.
Another disadvantage of "being smart" is the inability to tease others about a foolish or stupid thing they did without having a conscience completely clear of guilt of being haughty or scornful. As stated before, people tend to look up to more experienced people as role models. This being the case, words and actions from that person can be very influential. During freshmen year doing hurdles, I looked up to the seniors hurdlers for advice. Their encouragement also was just as helpful. Although teasing is approached from the perspective of a friend, a perception of an approach as someone intellectually superior can be very damaging and discouraging.
Lastly, intelligence sometimes can single you out because of different tastes. The people you interact can also make a difference, so being placed in higher classes can lead to different interests.
Intelligence has both its advantages and its downfalls. It is one of man's greatest mistakes to ignore the implications of any form of superiority when judging its immediate effects.
__________________________________________________________________________
If you found this note mildly interesting, you might enjoy these as well.
10 Things About Me
Intelligence vs. Ethnicity
Some Thoughts About Genius
Giftedness
Sunday, May 31, 2009
10 Things About Me
I kind of felt like writing about something, but I had nothing to write about, so I decided to be a tool and write a 10 things about me post.
1. I tend to have negative impressions of people if they listen to excessive amounts of pop rock
2. Although some people think I'm smart, I'm really a lazy bum who spends the majority of math class playing Pokemon Emerald.
3. I wish I had more motivation to play classical piano.
4. I believe analysis of information is much more useful than acquisition of it. Therefore, I really don't care for learning languages.
5. I don't remember really liking anyone from sometime in 6th grade to the end of 9th grade.
6. As each year of seniors graduate, part of my soul wastes away.
7. Because of #6, I feel that this year is probably going to be the best of the four years of high school and senior year will be the worst.
8. Sports and anything competitive should be appreciated because of the strategy involved. Fixation on teamwork or competition can lead to a lot of frustration. A lot of my motivation to do hurdles, despite poor meet performances comes from seeing improvements in technique.
9. I believe that those who think track or cross-country runners aren't athletes should be shot on sight.
10. I am a slow writer.
1. I tend to have negative impressions of people if they listen to excessive amounts of pop rock
2. Although some people think I'm smart, I'm really a lazy bum who spends the majority of math class playing Pokemon Emerald.
3. I wish I had more motivation to play classical piano.
4. I believe analysis of information is much more useful than acquisition of it. Therefore, I really don't care for learning languages.
5. I don't remember really liking anyone from sometime in 6th grade to the end of 9th grade.
6. As each year of seniors graduate, part of my soul wastes away.
7. Because of #6, I feel that this year is probably going to be the best of the four years of high school and senior year will be the worst.
8. Sports and anything competitive should be appreciated because of the strategy involved. Fixation on teamwork or competition can lead to a lot of frustration. A lot of my motivation to do hurdles, despite poor meet performances comes from seeing improvements in technique.
9. I believe that those who think track or cross-country runners aren't athletes should be shot on sight.
10. I am a slow writer.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Ugly Truth
I came across this picture a while ago and realized there was a lot of truth to it. However, as a stereotype, it has a sizable "hole" where an individual of group doesn't fulfill what the stereotype predicted. This room for error ranges from stereotype to stereotype.
For example, the statement "All Americans enjoy football" has slightly more truth than a statement like "All Americans get take-out and fast food every night." Additionally, these stereotypes can be "disproved" when an individual is raised in a way that deviates from the norms of society. For example, the percentage of immigrants that enjoy football is less than the percentage of American-born citizens.
I came to understand this gap in the picture recently. A couple friends and I made a chart of various aspects of intelligence to determine who was smarter of two girls (I'm pretty sure it was way too analytical and meticulous to be mere gossip). The categories we made related to a broader intelligence, rather than the highest SAT score type intelligence. These included knowledge, analysis, awareness, intuition, social skills, neuroticism (your ability to create new rocks), agreeableness and self-management
We'd give a score of one to ten, then total it up. Then we weighted these categories so that a difference in one of them would be more pronounced. For example, multiplying the score of self-management by two for each person would give the more organized and time-efficient person a greater advantage.
At the end of this, the girls watching decided to try it out for themselves. After staring at some of the categories for a little, they decided to make their own: clothes, hair, eyes, teeth, face, personality, comfortableness around the opposite sex, cockiness and a few more. Turns out that later, they didn't finish the list. They just made matches instead.
Although, our scale was intended to measure intelligence, not attractiveness, the precision and depth of our judgment sharply contrasted with the girls'. Although, we don't exactly go around looking for girls that are very adept at creating new rocks, we aren't solely fixated on physical beauty either.
The picture gives the message that the ugly truth is that men tend to be attracted more to physical beauty while women tend to be attracted to "inner" beauty. Just from overhearing locker room conversations from track, I know that only a small amount of guys feel strongly enough about inner beauty to speak about it publicly.
All throughout history, women had been viewed as inferior to men. Eventually, marriages developed from obligatory betrothals and diplomacy to meaningful relationships. However, there are still imbalances in the way gender roles play out in relationships. Coming from a highly materialistic society that holds models and actors in egregiously high esteem, this is not a surprise. Hopefully, our attitudes and mindsets can develop to marginalize or belittle physical beauty, and thereby making the message of "the ugly truth" less veritable.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
They Aren't Naked Till Their Bones Are Showing - Software Quotes Continued
How stress from AP exams affect CS students...
___________________________________________________________________________________
campion: its a bit confusing but it makes sense to him
jason: but it doesn't work, so it doesn't make sense at all
jason: yeah down with peggle
nate: alright we get it, you have a veement hatred of peggle
jason: i think we should do a school wide survey on penis length
pranil: hey AB kids, are you guys learning stacks?
glenn: yes
pranil: then, whats a stack overflow error?
glenn: it means you fail miserably
john: huh, so taylor's on facebook in school.
victor: oh yeah, i saw your wall post. you were like, "i thought i was the only one on software who had sold their soul to facebook"
john: yeah, pretty soon he'll be taking mirror shots for his profile picture
john: jason you make me lose hope for humanity
batch: yeah, i don't want to stay after this week because i have a hefty english paper. hefty like the paper towel. you know, they pick up a lot of things
victor: i see how b works, but i don't get how a doesn't work
john: because a isn't as cool
victor: what's with south people always using facebook during school?
victor: wait, anand just posted on my wall telling me that indians like cricket as much as asians like pingpong
john: i've never heard of such stereotype before
victor: perhaps ill ask sant
sant is preoccupied playing peggle
victor: hmm, i guess i'll ask samita
john: well because samita is ostracized from the indian community, i don't think she's considered an indian
victor: well if you think about it, she's pretty much ten indians. everything she does is a characteristic of an indian intensified
john: except that no indian likes her
victor: exactly, indians by nature are isolated and quiet, so seeing as she is isolated by her own community...
john: still one person is not enough to prove a stereotype, you need more indians
victor: well like i said, samita counts as ten indians, so if she has any hint of liking cricket, we can say that indians have some inate liking of cricket.
john: but then you're assuming that ten is a sufficient test number for such a large race. the indians in india might be too poor to afford the equipment
victor: true, but we could at least prove that all indians at north like/dislike cricket becuase she makes up at least 150% of the indian population
upon reading "the indians in india might be too poor to afford the equipment"
pranil & sant: that's not true
victor: are you kidding me? slumdog millionaire?
jason: we need more sex on television; dora the explorer
jason: what's that?
john: its my submission for the Ayn Rand Fountainhead Scholarship Essay Contest. You can win $10,000.
jason: sounds like a waste of time
john: eh, samita's probably going to win it anyways
jason: she could get some good kneepad usage out of that
victor: so what were you saying about programming at school? it feels dirty?
jason: i don't remember half the shit i say
batch: are we supposed to write the answers down?
glenn: no just memorize them
campion talking about tree nodes
glenn: this is quite similar to recursion
campion: yeah tree nodes and recursion love each other, they're like married
glenn: they should get a divorce
jason: shut the fuck up about tits
campion talking about processing
glenn: ill process you
...
glenn: yes aviv?
aviv: is that a pick-up line?
glenn: no its a threat
campion: so blow up your ballons about this big
aviv: yes sant, about the size of a peggle peg
jason: maybe you should have chairs, with vaginas on them
john: how would you sit on them?
jason: you wouldn't. but we'd still call them chairs
campion: andrew why are you always moving?
aviv: he's a dynamic programmer
jason: they aren't naked until their bones are showing
sant: how do you draw a circle?
aviv: are you kidding me? g dot drawoval
sant: what are the parameters?
aviv: x position, y position length and height
sant: i can't make a perfect circle?
aviv: make length and height equal, throw yourself out a window
mike: whats a circle?
___________________________________________________________________________________
campion: its a bit confusing but it makes sense to him
jason: but it doesn't work, so it doesn't make sense at all
jason: yeah down with peggle
nate: alright we get it, you have a veement hatred of peggle
jason: i think we should do a school wide survey on penis length
pranil: hey AB kids, are you guys learning stacks?
glenn: yes
pranil: then, whats a stack overflow error?
glenn: it means you fail miserably
john: huh, so taylor's on facebook in school.
victor: oh yeah, i saw your wall post. you were like, "i thought i was the only one on software who had sold their soul to facebook"
john: yeah, pretty soon he'll be taking mirror shots for his profile picture
john: jason you make me lose hope for humanity
batch: yeah, i don't want to stay after this week because i have a hefty english paper. hefty like the paper towel. you know, they pick up a lot of things
victor: i see how b works, but i don't get how a doesn't work
john: because a isn't as cool
victor: what's with south people always using facebook during school?
victor: wait, anand just posted on my wall telling me that indians like cricket as much as asians like pingpong
john: i've never heard of such stereotype before
victor: perhaps ill ask sant
sant is preoccupied playing peggle
victor: hmm, i guess i'll ask samita
john: well because samita is ostracized from the indian community, i don't think she's considered an indian
victor: well if you think about it, she's pretty much ten indians. everything she does is a characteristic of an indian intensified
john: except that no indian likes her
victor: exactly, indians by nature are isolated and quiet, so seeing as she is isolated by her own community...
john: still one person is not enough to prove a stereotype, you need more indians
victor: well like i said, samita counts as ten indians, so if she has any hint of liking cricket, we can say that indians have some inate liking of cricket.
john: but then you're assuming that ten is a sufficient test number for such a large race. the indians in india might be too poor to afford the equipment
victor: true, but we could at least prove that all indians at north like/dislike cricket becuase she makes up at least 150% of the indian population
upon reading "the indians in india might be too poor to afford the equipment"
pranil & sant: that's not true
victor: are you kidding me? slumdog millionaire?
jason: we need more sex on television; dora the explorer
jason: what's that?
john: its my submission for the Ayn Rand Fountainhead Scholarship Essay Contest. You can win $10,000.
jason: sounds like a waste of time
john: eh, samita's probably going to win it anyways
jason: she could get some good kneepad usage out of that
victor: so what were you saying about programming at school? it feels dirty?
jason: i don't remember half the shit i say
batch: are we supposed to write the answers down?
glenn: no just memorize them
campion talking about tree nodes
glenn: this is quite similar to recursion
campion: yeah tree nodes and recursion love each other, they're like married
glenn: they should get a divorce
jason: shut the fuck up about tits
campion talking about processing
glenn: ill process you
...
glenn: yes aviv?
aviv: is that a pick-up line?
glenn: no its a threat
campion: so blow up your ballons about this big
aviv: yes sant, about the size of a peggle peg
jason: maybe you should have chairs, with vaginas on them
john: how would you sit on them?
jason: you wouldn't. but we'd still call them chairs
campion: andrew why are you always moving?
aviv: he's a dynamic programmer
jason: they aren't naked until their bones are showing
sant: how do you draw a circle?
aviv: are you kidding me? g dot drawoval
sant: what are the parameters?
aviv: x position, y position length and height
sant: i can't make a perfect circle?
aviv: make length and height equal, throw yourself out a window
mike: whats a circle?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Anthem Essay Contest Submission
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_contests_anthem
Just decided to put up my submission... I did the third writing prompt.
Ayn Rand’s book, The Anthem, is the quest of a man to find identity. In doing so, he is exiled from his community, but the joy from his discovery made it worthwhile. A very bright and inquisitive man, Equality creates a glass box, something he values and treasures deeply. When he flees to the forest, he finds that is able to live without the provisions of society. Upon stumbling on the word, “I” while reading some books in a house from the Unmentionable Times, Equality has a revelation and epiphany about his identity. Through his experiences immersed in and isolated from society, he finds meaning and purpose past working for the will of society.
All throughout his life, Equality was very smart and investigative. These were traits got him frequently punished in school. As a street sweeper, he often went down into the tunnels to conduct experiments. This act was an outlet for his unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He is regretful of his intelligence, calling it a curse and “A great sin, to be born with a head that is too quick. “ Despite this, he continues on with his studies.
After Equality’s glass box is rejected by the World Council of Scholars and he is thrown out, the sense of pride and identity in original invention and the downfalls of a communist society are made more evident. Equality 7-2521 had worked long and hard on this glass box and had put sentimental value in it. He describes it as a “vein growing within us, glowing red with our blood” and, in the quote, as a “living heart that gives us strength”, shedding light onto how attached he was to his creation. When he is imprisoned and tortured, Equality does not reveal the things he did underground. When threatened by the world council, Equality is apathetic about the physical torture that would ensue. However, he adamantly refuses to let the Scholars destroy the invention. Consistently, he values the glass box over his body, even when threatened. This demonstrates his resolve to protect his original creation, an extension and symbol of his identity and individuality.
When the full implications of this invention, such as cleaner more efficient lighting, are revealed to him, Equality 7-2521 begins daydreaming about the future. He envisions the unanimous appreciation of the glass box, his acceptance to the House of Scholars and higher living standards the box would bring to the community. The reaction of the World Council was quite the opposite. The Council become fearful and declares it useless. They bring up two important arguments: the box was not made or appreciated collectively and the box would disrupt the economic cycle by deprecating the Department of Candles and complicating the plans of the World Council. One scholar goes so far as to say, “And if this should lighten the toil of men, then it is a great evil, for men have no cause to exist save toiling for other men”. By this decision to stick to the past instead of adapting and improving, the inefficiency and rigidness of his society is revealed. The glass box represents innovation and individualism. By discarding it, the council has shown that they value dogma and tradition over context and expedience.
When he runs away after his glass box is rejected by the World Council of Scholars, he establishes a new life for himself in forest. His eyes are open to the infiniteness of the world and its desire to get something back from him. In the quote, “I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning”, Equality finally figures out that his destiny and his future lie within him, and him alone. He doesn’t feel any more shame in his intellectual superiority. No longer does he have to answer to a higher authority; no longer must he repress his judgment and his views.
A very symbolic representation of this quest is the naming of the characters in the society. Each is given a political word followed by a set of digits. People must refer to themselves as “We” and others as “they”. This was a tool used by the World Council to blur the line between the individual and his or her community. Equality meets Liberty, a girl that he is inclined towards because of her bold personality. When Equality and Liberty get together for the second time, they share what they think the other should be named, although it is against the law. Later, they name each other Prometheus, bringer of light and Gaea, mother of the earth. These are subconscious attempts to forge a new form of identity past a set of numbers and an occupation.
Equality later discovers the word Unspeakable Word, “I”, while reading some of the books in his home. With this discovery, Equality understands more about the human spirit and its resilience against opposition. It was this comfort in identity that allowed him to endure countless whippings and hot coals. It was this comfort that allowed the martyrs to say “I” without any pangs of guilt. It was this that gave them such peace of mind when they burned in a frenzy of flames. This word contains a freedom not only of choice and thought, but of being, as expressed in Equality’s statements “I am, I think, I will”.
Equality and Liberty begin to learn and appreciate being able to live independently of society. While venturing through the forest, Equality kills a bird, cooks and eats it, saying afterwards, “There was a great satisfaction to be found in the food which we need and obtain by our own hand.” He is able to find water and fruit and create a crude form of habitat by building a ring of fires. When they find the home, Equality builds a “cobweb more impassable than a wall of granite” for protection against society.
Soon, Equality realizes bigger picture of the society that he was living in; one that restricted individualism to better the community, but one that resulted in the opposite. Through their successful adaptation to the forest, Equality is physically and socially released of any obligation to his community, saying “I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debt from them.” This erudition and enlightenment is the end of Equality’s quest.
After enduring years of repression and opposition in society, Equality has found his identity and his ego. Although Equality and Liberty were exiled from the community, a somber ending, the book portrays the more important message of hope, freedom and life where individual beliefs and behavior have more value than collectivism and conformity.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Technical Discussions of Social Interactions with Females
Me and patty-mac's scientific and analytical discussions about dealing with girls:
Furthering Superficial Relationship Through Social Networking
altf4pressaltf4 (8:48:44 PM): apparently, doing 5x5 rubik's cubes gets you girls at math league
altf4pressaltf4 (8:49:06 PM): i just chillin and doing one and these two girls from another school came over and we started talking...
altf4pressaltf4 (8:49:29 PM): they were like 7-8/10 also
(filler)
altf4pressaltf4 (8:52:15 PM): well they took a picture and asked for my name for facebook within a couple of minutes
altf4pressaltf4 (8:52:32 PM): -.-
amasianpk (8:52:41 PM): oooh haha
altf4pressaltf4 (8:52:50 PM): but because they were hot and white, i doubt they are stalkers...
altf4pressaltf4 (8:52:52 PM): so w\e
altf4pressaltf4 (8:53:15 PM): they haven't friend requested yet, and i don't want to do the same, because that lowers me to their level
amasianpk (8:53:38 PM): haha very true
amasianpk (8:53:42 PM): you dont want to seem desperate or anything
altf4pressaltf4 (8:53:47 PM): yeah
amasianpk (8:54:26 PM): well, you'll either come out as desperate, or just a friendly, rubik's-cube-solving, math team person :P
altf4pressaltf4 (8:54:55 PM): yeah, depending on the sender of the request
amasianpk (8:55:24 PM): mm
amasianpk (8:55:48 PM): or the mentality of the recipient
altf4pressaltf4 (8:55:55 PM): oic
altf4pressaltf4 (8:55:59 PM): hmmm
altf4pressaltf4 (8:56:08 PM): i guess becuase they confronted me first, they wouldn't really mind
altf4pressaltf4 (8:56:16 PM): and apparently they find it normal to ask people for their names for facebook
_________________________________________________________________________
Conditions for Invocation of Amorous Emotions Specific To A Solitary Person
altf4pressaltf4 (4:59:15 PM): math project
altf4pressaltf4 (4:59:29 PM): create a continuous heart that only has two cusps
(filler)
altf4pressaltf4 (5:31:27 PM): yeah, im glad i got assigned this project
altf4pressaltf4 (5:31:38 PM): too bad i don't have a legit crush atm
amasianpk (5:32:48 PM): you dont have a legit one?
amasianpk (5:33:02 PM): does that mean you have an unlegitimate one?
amasianpk (5:33:03 PM): :P
altf4pressaltf4 (5:33:21 PM): -.-
altf4pressaltf4 (5:34:39 PM): lol if a crush is defined as kind of liking someone for both personality and outward appearance, i'd have several..
altf4pressaltf4 (5:34:49 PM): so how to choose -.-
amasianpk (5:35:04 PM): lol
amasianpk (5:35:36 PM): id define it more as an abnormal affinity for a specific person due to their personality, and possibly outward appearance
amasianpk (5:35:40 PM): but yeah i see your point ;-)
amasianpk (5:35:41 PM): lol
altf4pressaltf4 (5:35:56 PM): yeah, pretty much my definition
altf4pressaltf4 (5:36:00 PM): except more emphasis on personality
amasianpk (5:36:13 PM): lol yeah
altf4pressaltf4 (5:36:41 PM): yeah like i started talking to someone recently because we both took java programming
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:03 PM): and a little in real life
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:34 PM): but then there are some girls on the track team...
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:35 PM): -.-
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:46 PM): so i don't have a crush
amasianpk (5:37:57 PM): lol
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:57 PM): i just have an "inclination towards a certain subset of girls"
Furthering Superficial Relationship Through Social Networking
altf4pressaltf4 (8:48:44 PM): apparently, doing 5x5 rubik's cubes gets you girls at math league
altf4pressaltf4 (8:49:06 PM): i just chillin and doing one and these two girls from another school came over and we started talking...
altf4pressaltf4 (8:49:29 PM): they were like 7-8/10 also
(filler)
altf4pressaltf4 (8:52:15 PM): well they took a picture and asked for my name for facebook within a couple of minutes
altf4pressaltf4 (8:52:32 PM): -.-
amasianpk (8:52:41 PM): oooh haha
altf4pressaltf4 (8:52:50 PM): but because they were hot and white, i doubt they are stalkers...
altf4pressaltf4 (8:52:52 PM): so w\e
altf4pressaltf4 (8:53:15 PM): they haven't friend requested yet, and i don't want to do the same, because that lowers me to their level
amasianpk (8:53:38 PM): haha very true
amasianpk (8:53:42 PM): you dont want to seem desperate or anything
altf4pressaltf4 (8:53:47 PM): yeah
amasianpk (8:54:26 PM): well, you'll either come out as desperate, or just a friendly, rubik's-cube-solving, math team person :P
altf4pressaltf4 (8:54:55 PM): yeah, depending on the sender of the request
amasianpk (8:55:24 PM): mm
amasianpk (8:55:48 PM): or the mentality of the recipient
altf4pressaltf4 (8:55:55 PM): oic
altf4pressaltf4 (8:55:59 PM): hmmm
altf4pressaltf4 (8:56:08 PM): i guess becuase they confronted me first, they wouldn't really mind
altf4pressaltf4 (8:56:16 PM): and apparently they find it normal to ask people for their names for facebook
_________________________________________________________________________
Conditions for Invocation of Amorous Emotions Specific To A Solitary Person
altf4pressaltf4 (4:59:15 PM): math project
altf4pressaltf4 (4:59:29 PM): create a continuous heart that only has two cusps
(filler)
altf4pressaltf4 (5:31:27 PM): yeah, im glad i got assigned this project
altf4pressaltf4 (5:31:38 PM): too bad i don't have a legit crush atm
amasianpk (5:32:48 PM): you dont have a legit one?
amasianpk (5:33:02 PM): does that mean you have an unlegitimate one?
amasianpk (5:33:03 PM): :P
altf4pressaltf4 (5:33:21 PM): -.-
altf4pressaltf4 (5:34:39 PM): lol if a crush is defined as kind of liking someone for both personality and outward appearance, i'd have several..
altf4pressaltf4 (5:34:49 PM): so how to choose -.-
amasianpk (5:35:04 PM): lol
amasianpk (5:35:36 PM): id define it more as an abnormal affinity for a specific person due to their personality, and possibly outward appearance
amasianpk (5:35:40 PM): but yeah i see your point ;-)
amasianpk (5:35:41 PM): lol
altf4pressaltf4 (5:35:56 PM): yeah, pretty much my definition
altf4pressaltf4 (5:36:00 PM): except more emphasis on personality
amasianpk (5:36:13 PM): lol yeah
altf4pressaltf4 (5:36:41 PM): yeah like i started talking to someone recently because we both took java programming
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:03 PM): and a little in real life
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:34 PM): but then there are some girls on the track team...
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:35 PM): -.-
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:46 PM): so i don't have a crush
amasianpk (5:37:57 PM): lol
altf4pressaltf4 (5:37:57 PM): i just have an "inclination towards a certain subset of girls"
Giftedness
Giftedness it the attainment of excellence without undergoing the hard work entailed by it. According to Ohio's AEP and Nashua's REACH programs, I was identified as a "gifted" student. Reading some old records of teachers' observations of me in the classroom, I found that I was also arrogant and sometimes critical of others' ideas. As I grew up, I underwent the same social change that all adolescents feel: the need to conform.
It is surprising that very highly gifted children do not rebel more frequently against the inappropriate educational provision which is generally made for them. Studies have repeatedly found that the great majority of highly gifted students are required to work, in class, at levels several years below their tested achievement. Underachievement may be imposed on the exceptionally gifted child through the constraints of an inappropriate and undemanding educational program or, as often happens, the child may deliberately underachieve in an attempt to seek peer-group acceptance.
– Miraca U.M. Gross
My grades did not plummet. I performed well on tests and quizzes. I did not try being someone that I wasn't. However, the major change was that I became more patient with "less gifted" classmates. Although I was now able to work better with them, I still couldn't quite relate to them. When I was with my friends, we would make jokes about the short-sighted air-heads in our class. But whenever I actually had to work with them, I would repress such feelings of arrogance.
It wasn't until my freshmen year, specifically the start of spring track, that I began to have a better perspective about this concept of "giftedness".
As some of you may already know, I run hurdles and sprints during winter and spring track. During my first season of track as an eighth grader, I ran hurdles once in a while, but I rarely practiced them. In high school I started to take track and hurdling more seriously. I officially started hurdles during winter track freshmen year. In the spring, I got spikes to learn block-starting to hurdles and 3-stepping.
I practiced hurdles almost everyday. Despite my sprint speed and relative fitness, it took me a while to three-step once in competition. You have to start fast, maintain proper form over the hurdle, land smoothly and run at at least 90% of your starting speed into the next hurdle. During spring track, my form improved a lot, but I was never able to three-step consistently. In competition, I actually run around one hurdle and pushed another one down because I'd never gotten the rhythm down.
There was another freshmen on the track team, by the name of Eric. He was also a sprinter. I always just a little bit faster than him at the 100m. When he ran a 13.7, I ran a 13.5. When he ran a 12.7, I ran a 12.6 (now he's a bit faster than me). Despite my faster sprint speed, he was much better at hurdling. You could say that he was "gifted" at them.
On the first day of practice, he hurdled varsity level hurdles at a level that would definitely catch your eye. Within the first two weeks, he could three-step with relative ease. During some races, his rhythm would be interrupted and he would five-step the last couple of hurdles. But by the end of the season, he was running as fast as one of the seniors and qualified for Class L's with a time only 0.8 seconds off of the school record. Eric and I would practice the hurdles virtually everyday. I respected this because he had natural talent and he was willing to work for his times.
During sophomore year, I decided to do cross-country to stay in shape and prepare for winter and spring track. At the start of winter track, Eric did some three-stepping without blocks in a gym, attracting a bunch of freshmen to hurdling. As the season progressed, he placed in virtually all New Hampshire track meets and broke the school record wearing running flats. What decreased though, was the time he spent actually practicing.
Every day at track, we would do blocks, high jump, long jump and hurdles before our workout. There were some freshmen hurdling at first, but they quickly became discouraged and quit to try out other specials. Eventually, it was just me doing the hurdles. Eric would occasionally skip practices or just play basketball.
You can imagine the frustration I felt. Although I worked much more than him, he was able to glide perfectly over the hurdles and beat competitors a few years older than him. During freshmen year, I admired him for his talent and work-ethic, but this year, I started to see how arrogant he was. Although he never made fun of other people when they tried the hurdles, his actions and his practice routine demonstrated his complacency.
Soon, I began to see parallels between Eric's hurdling and my math. In a relatively short time, he was able to master an event that some seniors can't perform well. In math class, I can relax because I've already learned the content or can teach myself it in less than 10 minutes. I work harder than Eric but he runs faster than me. My classmates take notes and do more practice problems but I get better grades.
This still-ongoing experience has helped me to understand how people feel when dealing with those more "gifted". Everyone has their own natural talent. Taking challenges and adapting to new situations can reveal them, just as joining track revealed Eric's talent at hurdling. For those that are particularly good at something, it is important not to become complacent. For those that had interest and desire, but learn more slowly, it is important to be patient and persistent. Through my experience on the track team, I have seen both sides of this "relationship".
It is surprising that very highly gifted children do not rebel more frequently against the inappropriate educational provision which is generally made for them. Studies have repeatedly found that the great majority of highly gifted students are required to work, in class, at levels several years below their tested achievement. Underachievement may be imposed on the exceptionally gifted child through the constraints of an inappropriate and undemanding educational program or, as often happens, the child may deliberately underachieve in an attempt to seek peer-group acceptance.
– Miraca U.M. Gross
My grades did not plummet. I performed well on tests and quizzes. I did not try being someone that I wasn't. However, the major change was that I became more patient with "less gifted" classmates. Although I was now able to work better with them, I still couldn't quite relate to them. When I was with my friends, we would make jokes about the short-sighted air-heads in our class. But whenever I actually had to work with them, I would repress such feelings of arrogance.
It wasn't until my freshmen year, specifically the start of spring track, that I began to have a better perspective about this concept of "giftedness".
As some of you may already know, I run hurdles and sprints during winter and spring track. During my first season of track as an eighth grader, I ran hurdles once in a while, but I rarely practiced them. In high school I started to take track and hurdling more seriously. I officially started hurdles during winter track freshmen year. In the spring, I got spikes to learn block-starting to hurdles and 3-stepping.
I practiced hurdles almost everyday. Despite my sprint speed and relative fitness, it took me a while to three-step once in competition. You have to start fast, maintain proper form over the hurdle, land smoothly and run at at least 90% of your starting speed into the next hurdle. During spring track, my form improved a lot, but I was never able to three-step consistently. In competition, I actually run around one hurdle and pushed another one down because I'd never gotten the rhythm down.
There was another freshmen on the track team, by the name of Eric. He was also a sprinter. I always just a little bit faster than him at the 100m. When he ran a 13.7, I ran a 13.5. When he ran a 12.7, I ran a 12.6 (now he's a bit faster than me). Despite my faster sprint speed, he was much better at hurdling. You could say that he was "gifted" at them.
On the first day of practice, he hurdled varsity level hurdles at a level that would definitely catch your eye. Within the first two weeks, he could three-step with relative ease. During some races, his rhythm would be interrupted and he would five-step the last couple of hurdles. But by the end of the season, he was running as fast as one of the seniors and qualified for Class L's with a time only 0.8 seconds off of the school record. Eric and I would practice the hurdles virtually everyday. I respected this because he had natural talent and he was willing to work for his times.
During sophomore year, I decided to do cross-country to stay in shape and prepare for winter and spring track. At the start of winter track, Eric did some three-stepping without blocks in a gym, attracting a bunch of freshmen to hurdling. As the season progressed, he placed in virtually all New Hampshire track meets and broke the school record wearing running flats. What decreased though, was the time he spent actually practicing.
Every day at track, we would do blocks, high jump, long jump and hurdles before our workout. There were some freshmen hurdling at first, but they quickly became discouraged and quit to try out other specials. Eventually, it was just me doing the hurdles. Eric would occasionally skip practices or just play basketball.
You can imagine the frustration I felt. Although I worked much more than him, he was able to glide perfectly over the hurdles and beat competitors a few years older than him. During freshmen year, I admired him for his talent and work-ethic, but this year, I started to see how arrogant he was. Although he never made fun of other people when they tried the hurdles, his actions and his practice routine demonstrated his complacency.
Soon, I began to see parallels between Eric's hurdling and my math. In a relatively short time, he was able to master an event that some seniors can't perform well. In math class, I can relax because I've already learned the content or can teach myself it in less than 10 minutes. I work harder than Eric but he runs faster than me. My classmates take notes and do more practice problems but I get better grades.
This still-ongoing experience has helped me to understand how people feel when dealing with those more "gifted". Everyone has their own natural talent. Taking challenges and adapting to new situations can reveal them, just as joining track revealed Eric's talent at hurdling. For those that are particularly good at something, it is important not to become complacent. For those that had interest and desire, but learn more slowly, it is important to be patient and persistent. Through my experience on the track team, I have seen both sides of this "relationship".
Monday, March 2, 2009
2009 First Robotics Granite State Regionals
This year's First Robotics Competition Granite State Regional was from the 26th to the 28th. Thursday was mainly for the teams to uncrate their robots, make finishing touches and test drive on playing surface. Friday was the first actual day of competition. In order to rank the teams as accurately as possible, there was a little bit over 40 matches played. Each robot participated in around 5 or 6 matches with 5 other randomly selected robots. Saturday was the wrapping up of the seeding matches and the start of the playoffs. After lunch, an alliance process started where the top 8 teams selected their two alliance partners in order to perform at full potential in the matches.This years game was Lunacy.
Because of the slippery playing surface, thursday was a very important day for the teams to develop and fine-tune driving techniques. To occupy time, I either watched the practice rounds or did scouting. Essentially, this was walking around in the pit and asking teams about their robots.
Here were some of the best robots we scouted or observed in competition
Our team got eliminated in the semi-finals becuase the circuit board connections to the collector were fried. Our alliance probably would have advanced if this did not happen. Here was the video of the final match of the day.
The whole weekend/half week was worth attending, especially as a first year. Matches got really repetitive and boring after a while, but this time could be spent wandering about in the pit or scouting. As the match was at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, we got to wander around New Hampshire's largest city for food as well. If I hadn't slept in on saturday, I might have gotten my hands on some "fetus-sized" calzones. We came across some fassive grammar mail, which I seem to be unable to rotate.
Software Quotes
Brief Summary of Characters
Software
Software
- taylor - your average coder
- john - your average coder who has an amazing ability to exaggerate and express ideas
- karson - the next bill gates, he is working on an OS than runs on Windows, which is a paradox but w\e
- jason - Evil scientist that will create a virus that will bypass all anti-virus security programs
- nathan - APCS classmate. Good with graphics, not so good with programming logic.
- andrew h - APCS classmate
- batch(short for batchelder) - APCS classmate that has a runny mouth
- victor - myself, interchangably used with 'me'. That wasn't redundant at all.
- aviv - decent programmer, APCS classmate
- pranil - APCS classmate
- zane - APCS classmate
- sant - APCS classmate frequently made fun of for aspiring to go to harvard
- matt leeds - Just about as nerdy as someone on software.
- alex - mechanical lead, slacker crack-head appearance, but very smart. Perhaps the weed gives him vision.
- john - MIT Student helping us out probably for a class at MIT. Specializes in mechanical.
- erich - average mechanical guy
- rick - software
- dave - software
- campion - APCS teacher
- mrs. bent - AP program coordinator
john n: nathan's here, quick, hide the laptop
taylor: (removes flashdrive with autonomous code on it) just making sure you don't edit it
john n: that's like saying you could make a baby in a month with nine women.
andrew b: on november 16th, you told me to shut up.
mr. campion: i tell you that almost daily.
matt leeds: I suppose we'll have to cut the wire to the c-rio*.
john n: is that an applet?
batch: yes
john n: applets suck
andrew h: then use guis
john n: guis suck as well
jason: go back to your assembly programming then
after negotiating placement of the camera on the robot
brian messes around with roller things
john m: What the titty-fucking thing are you doing?
victor soft laughs
alex: You made victor giggle. software guys laughs at how we talk.
john: Yeah it fucking works differently down here in mechanical.
alex: yeah, us machinists are dirty.
me: jason, some people can text without looking at their keyboard, even a numberpad one
jason: yeah i know. i can eat a hamburger, drink soda and text at the same time
me: why would you eat a hamburger and drink soda at the same time?
jason y: why wouldn't you eat a hamburger and drink soda at the same time?
(trying to plug an ethernet cable to an ethernet port)
karson: it doesn't fit
john: so the output is victor*** luu
victor: (turns head)ORLY now?
john: yes, Victor luu = new Victor();
return luu;
john: i have an half-eaten-by termites keyboard.
me: termites?
john: yes, apparently they were plastic eating termites. now they will have enlarged breasts because powerdered plastic is very chemically similar to estrogen.
rick: where are you headed?
john: out to kidnap dillon to get the win-river** install discs
john comes back an hour later
victor: did you kidnap dillon?
john: no, he ran and my taser was in your pocket. i blame you
victor notes that the installation referenced install size and disk in kilobytes
victor: why don't they reference memory in megabytes?
dave: this was made in the 80s, i don't think they had megabytes back then.
karson: i need a lead
victor: you must high, why would you want nathan here?
karson: its an electrical term.
karson: i still haven't gotten back from campion. its only been five minutes since i emailed him.
karson: crap, i forgot to title the email. please don't put that on the software fail list.
victor: that's not so much a software fail as a life fail.
victor: I've calculated the average time it takes for a software quote to come up. At 7:49, I found the average time between quotations to be 12.85714. It is 8:02 and karson had just said the above.
victor: you know campion thinks that if you can create an OS, you shouldn't be in his class.
karson: its not an OS, its a graphics kernell. actually, its not a kernell, its an OS that runs on windows. actually its not even an OS, its just an applet.
john: lets name the robot in binary
alex: So lets say we win nationals. the announcer will be "and the winning team is: team 151 from nashua new hampshire with Robot -"
john: 01010100010110010101001111001001010
john: lets name the robot "fatal exception."
erich: no, we're naming it "drop it like it's hot."
john: first is a place where i really don't want to see most of the people "drop it like it's hot."
random mech: how about safety first?
erich: thats the equivalent or "sucking up to the judges".
john: we're deciding whether to name the robot nullpointerexception or fatalexception.
victor: but our robot can't be thrown
john: sure we can, we can either do, this.throw() or walk onto the playing field and throw it manually.
victor demonstrates objectdock http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6xc_k9I0ss
taylor: is it free?
victor: i torrented it, so it was free.
john: I only torrent for e-books.
victor: I only torrent for programs. And music. And movies. And music videos.
victor laughs at some of the software fails
john: seriously victor, you only have two expressions: laughing hysterically, or being completely monotone. You need medical help.
campion: So you would get the arraylist size through super.size(). So you go to burger king and say super.size() me;
class: ha ha ha....
campion: If you get it wrong, I slap you in the face, if you get it right, you get a high-five
nathan: After you get it right, it makes sense.
jason: it should make sense before you get it right
sean: when mrs. bent gets in here, we should put andrew in the closet
campion: if that happens, you'll go in there with him.
john: why doesn't aviv talk to us anymore?
aviv: *silent*
batch: I think the question answers itself.
jason: How can a question answer itself? You suck.
john: why doesn't aviv talk to us anymore?
aviv: points at batch I am repulsed from this side of the room.
me: louise used 10 equations for her heart
jason: she would have 100 equations if she could, but the calculator only fit 10
john: I bet that the heart would burst if that happened.
jason: samita turns in her papers with $50 bills attached and begs on her knees for an A. She should get knee pads.
aviv: what do you mean it isn't defined? This thing is stupid.
john: well, why don't you go sneak into an alley and service it like a cheap copper-piece harlot?
andrew: . . . what the hell are you talking about?!
john: I think I may have just called you a whore. not sure.
mrs. bent: do you know how much a semester of a course costs?
campion: $30?
mrs. bent: $393
(after easy daily question)
campion checks sants answer
campion: you got it wrong
aviv: sant, just jump off a cliff
someone remotely controls campions computer
jason: un-plug your ethernet cable
aviv: john, shut down all other computers in the school except this one.
nathan: i'm pretty sure everyone here uses computers a lot
batch: nah, what's this computer you speak of? its pen and paper for me
nathan presents loading bars
batch: i suppose ill use that in all my programs to enhance user interface
aviv: yes, thread.sleep(1000);
sant: why doesn't double buffering work for AWT?
aviv: that's the default, go complain to sun.
batch: yeah, complain to yourself
jason: he meant sun as in java sun
aviv presents double buffering
campion: this is very important when you make video games and when you need to fall asleep at night
sant: i can't run my program on this computer because i have JDK 1.6.12 but you have JDK 1.5
john: just like last time?
glenn: I swear, he has gremlins in his computer
campion: andrew, louder. wait, i can't believe i just said that to him
batch: have i just been anti-RAMed?
pranil does presentation with sports players based on sports input
campion: who's paul pierce?
pranil: really? he plays basketball?
campion: that's not a real sport
pranil: how about babe ruth then?
campion: doesn't he do ballet?
zane: Its a new rick roll! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZcqV7pLC0A
batch: I had a nightmare last night: my computer downloaded vista onto itself.
aviv: The easiest way to become valedictorian is to assassinate the top 10. Just give them mono.
* = Essentially the CPU and RAM of the robot.
** = The IDE used to transfer code onto the robot's C-Rio.
*** = A speed controller for the motors
Code Fragments from Software Freshmen
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