April 30, 2004
GRE Practice
Just took a GRE practice test. 370 Quantitative and 530 Verbal. Obviously, being out of practice with math really screwed me. Made a 670 on the Math of the SAT without trying.
April 29, 2004
Not So Deep Thought From Earlier
"I keep thinking that if I just do this, then things will get better... which is not true, but I like to think it."
Why do I do that?
April 20, 2004
Peter da Silva Quote
"Ahhh. A man with a sharp wit. Someone ought to take it away from him before he cuts himself."
April 15, 2004
The Van That Tried To Kill Me
This guy driving this van tried to occupy the same space my car was taking up as I was passing him. My front tire was well ahead of his back tires. Thankfully my brakes are good, no one was immediately behind me, and the lane was wide enough I could swerve just enough over that I gave him fractions of a second to get ahead of me.
April 14, 2004
Fortune Cookie
Look!
Good fortune is around you.
Maybe I am doing something wrong when I exasperate fortune cookies?
Tech Support
Didn't get a chance to blog this earlier. Work just gets in the way, ya know?
Working with someone and seeing them gain the confidence in using a new skill is so rewarding. Too many times we in tech support are situated in a "treat and street" mode. Fix the immediate question and get rid of them. Quantity over quality. Every once in a while, an obviously interested person stops by for assistance which turns into a mentoring session.
April 10, 2004
My Favorites
A favorite is a decisive statement as to what is in one's opinion the best. To make a choice requires focusing on some absurd reason as to why one is superior to the others.
In that I don't really have any favorites, I do the best that I can. In a pinch, I end up just naming something to make people happy. For example, there are movies I really like and until at one point I forced myself to memorize what I had decided were my favorites, a different movie every time was picked. This I guess is the wrong approach.
This thinking started because of frustration a friend had in trying to name my favorite actress. I put Keira Knightley. Really I was putting something down other than Milla. Keira just came to mind first. Actually, Parminder Nagra came to mind first, but I didn't think anyone would even have much of a clue who she is. I would be somoene people might know due to the popularity of Pirates of the Carribean. Of course, I think Parminder may be the only actress I've ever mentioned in a blog.
My about me page says Milla Jovovich is my choice of Favorite Actress. That was the answer I used for several years because it was interesting to have people react. I first used it after seeing The Fifth Element. Dunno if she is really my favorite actress still.
With a choices between Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, and Keira Knightley, one should know that I am very much an oddball. The least well known of all 4 is my most likely pick. The other 3 are too mainstream, I guess?
April 08, 2004
Golden Ticket
In the shower this morning, I mused over the idea over some kind of deal movie theatres could orchestrate to allow outsiders like me to see the movies I want desperately to see as soon as possible. I know the local theatres at least used to have a staff viewing of movies before opening night. This was of course well after hours.
Something like this would be golden to the most hardcore. Several movie shows I have been to for after midnight screenings were at capacity. They were filled with the most dedicated of audience members. How many though would be willing to see every movie like that? Not many. However, they do know months in advance when the movies they love will hit the screen. How many would pay big bucks to see their movies like that? Dunno.
Thought a lottery might be neat. Randomly choose winning numbers. Have a kiosk of sorts to tell people whether or not they won.
The Golden Ticket would be an all access pass. Kind of like what Willy Wonka gave to the Golden Ticket winners in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. See any movie whenever you want. No blackout dates. Of course it would be worth thousands, but few people would want to see every movie. At worst the movie theatre miight lose $3660 (assuming $10 a ticket and the person sees 1 movie every day in a leap year).
Just think of how crazy people went buying chocolate bars when Willy Wonka announced the contest. Compare that to McDonald's Monopoly game. People I know who never eat at McD's buy food to play. I know to get a to win an all access pas I'd probably end up going to more movies. The lost of a few thousand would more than likely be easily covered by the increase in sales.
History
How many kids born AFTER the United States pulled out of Vietnam can name the years it lasted? Tried the other day and was off by a year at the front and back. At first, I thought that was good enough. Then my sense came back to me. I should know the month and year for the beginning of every American military conflict. I should also know the reasons why the conflict came to pass.
April 07, 2004
Try your luck
A few people do good on quizzes about me. Can you do better?
April 05, 2004
Poul Anderson "I have yet
Poul Anderson "I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it in the right way, did not become still more complicated."
Suit Up
Actually bought 2 suits yesterday. It was such a deal for nice stuff. Could not resist as I had been thinking I needed to buy one for months now. Was at the point of I should, but did not want to spend the mony. So providence provided me the opportunity by givng me what I wanted for what I wanted to spend.
Bad providence! Bad! Bad!
April 01, 2004
New Look
Had to use a gift certificate before it expired. So I bought 2 shirts from Thinkgeek yesterday.
Today they have a free shirt give away. So the site is a trffle slow.
Wishlist
Felt bad about my wishlist at Amazon getting to over 70 items (3 pages). Just looked at my boss' list of 411 items. Don't feel so bad anymore. Now mine is up to 4 pages.