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1:21pm: You don't have to be a nerdy white guy to be a computer geek. In fact, you can be a woman, a minority, a person with a disability or someone who is downright cool.

That's the message of a group of Florida State University professors who are participating in a 10-member university consortium. The consortium, called the STARS (Students and Technology in Academia, Research and Service) Alliance, has received a $2 million National Science Foundation grant to recruit a diverse group of students to earn college degrees in information technology (IT), computer science and other computing fields.

So here we go. Big government nutjobs notice that the number of CS majors is on the decline... That means we need more minorities! because we're a fair government to all types of people.

Since when is it the responsibility of the National Science Foundation to manipulate ethnic diversity in technology? Why does it cost 2 million dollars to do so? We're talking about the same NSF that will give a million dollars to any psycho nutjob that can scribble down an unresearched, pseudoscientific "We're doomed to global warming!" shock-paper.

Furthermore, this kind of bullshit is exactly what we don't need in IT. There's a fucking reason that CS majors are on the decline. A damned good one. Back during the dot-com boom, there was a huge influx of gold-diggers that really had no interest in computer science, but saw it as the big money field. These are the kids that came from economics or management whose only criterion for their major was the average graduating income. It is not until now that we have actually gotten to the point where CS kids are kids that are honestly interested in CS--kids that understand that Computer Science is not synonomous with Programming. either you're into CS or you're not. period. No ammount of money can change that.

6:37pm: Our Lord Bush
"The privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected," he said, adding: "We are not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans."

Where, in the constitution does it say that "ordinary Americans" have these rights, but not the "undordinary?" I'm sick and tired of a government founded by radicals escaping the norm to protect inherent, god-given freedom, trying to tell me what is ordinary, and decide that the unordinary are not people protected by the government or somehow lose citizenship because they have different ideas.

Furthermore, when did free speech become an issue over whether or not the government 'trolls through our personal lives'?

The issue here isn't that i want to hide my shopping list. Who the hell honestly cares about that shit?
The issue here is that I want to hide my decision to oppose this government violently should it get out of hand. No, i'm not crazy, the government isn't that out of hand, but it is these decisions that set the precedent that we allow a government to monitor our activity to prevent us from disagreeing.

The freedom of speech and expression, and the freedom to speak without fear of being monitored exist to protect us from the government, not as a protection granted to us by the government.

6:19pm: Blair and I had a break-up.
Following a great length of gabbling emotions, weaving webs of semantic traps and playing the roles of martyred saints the play ended with an abrupt, pointed "either this ship is sinking or it's not." and an equivocally succinct(sic) "it is."

The day following, I pick up the phone and i'm greeted by a familiar voice saying "maybe we gave up too soon."

Resulting from the call was a night of good food, music, and a peculiar company of two, awkwardly afraid of even an accidental brush of contact. There was dancing, yes, but it was lacking... like two marionettes with inexperient puppeters tangling strings and trying to get them unstuck.

The two puppets did finally seperate, yes... without word or gesture departed. and they haven't spoken since.

5:01pm: Dancing Naked in the Minefield
So I've finished my first year of college.

It went about as well as I could have honestly expected it to. I will probably not be keeping hope for next semester, but i'll be easily within stabbing range.

I might have to retake CS1050 as well... The fate of the curve etcetc. The class average going into the final was a 55, i was a bit below that. Ma tech is a cold creature.

I cut off all of my hair, which is alright. It's really not that big of an issue. I was tired of pony-tails anyway.

I think that people are afraid to tell you how much they love your hair until it's all cut off. Maybe people just don't realize that they like it until it's gone. I think i'll make a point of telling people i like their hair more often.

So I got a job over the summer, working evenings for good money. It's up in alpharetta, so i'll be hanging out with the old crew quite a bit. It'll be a nice change of pace.

I get drug tested for my new job, and everyone thinks it's a big deal. Pot is pot, it's not going anywhere and i'm not dying without it. It's a little like saying "How will you live without CORN?!" You eventually come around to liking green beans or mashed potatoes. pot a toes. I wonder how many words are actually three words.

11:34am: My kind of politics...
State Sen. Robert Hagan sent out e-mails to fellow lawmakers late Wednesday night, stating that he intends to "introduce legislation in the near future that would ban households with one or more Republican voters from adopting children or acting as foster parents." The e-mail ended with a request for co-sponsorship.

To further lampoon Hood's bill, Hagan wrote in his mock proposal that "credible research" shows that adopted children raised in Republican households are more at risk for developing "emotional problems, social stigmas, inflated egos, and alarming lack of tolerance for others they deem different than themselves and an air of overconfidence to mask their insecurities."


linky link

8:02pm: So I'm waking up really early these days, at around 3:30 or 4:00. I used to get pissed off that the birds would keep me up, chirping as I tried to go to bed at 4 or 5. But now I get to wake those fuckers up early.

So far I'm really liking the free time that I have.

8:15pm: I don't know if you guys get them too, but about once a month I get a call from "Restricted Number."

The sound on the other end of the line can not be described as definately human, nor definately inhuman. It's a bizzare combination of natural screaming tones, humming and buzzing background, and cell-phone cut-out. The calls last precisely 15 seconds, always.

I think it's a call from a disgruntled and angry, yet silenced future.

11:33am: This is a public service announcement.

Randy Garcia will be playing at the eyedrum this saturday night.

If you never really 'got' the whole electronic thing, but really want to give it a try, r_garcia is the way to do it. His live shows are something spectacular. Anyone who thinks that electronic music is about IDM, and ravers and drugs needs to tear down the stereotype.

If you want to come, please let me know and I will even pick you up (in my sweet 'new' car)! If you let me know ahead of time, I'll also cover the door charge for you.

Also,

-The saturday after that(the 4th), Gröûp X is playing at under the couch. Last time I saw these guys, it was utterly hilarious. Highly advised.
-The sunday after that, (the 12th) I may or may not have a mogwai ticket available (the show has been sold out for weeks).

12:51am: How many funny faces does it take to evoke the emotional response of a movie?

What I mean by this is:

Do we buy love, when we feel the necessity to date in expensive movie theaters and restraunts?

Is it to hide the reality that we can not truly enjoy eachother specifically in a way more powerful than the general experience of manufactured hollywood emotion?

Or is it that we simply can not express ourselves in as realistic of a manner, depict so vividly our thoughts.

Is our everyday reality harder to experience than the reality of movies?

9:08pm: So yeah!

I think I'm getting oral cancer. I'll find out tomorrow.

Thank you, smoking!

1:12am: So. After hardly even a brief summary of the religion, I have today decided to become a practicing hindu. Wish me luck in finding the true essence of the religion.

5:29pm: clear your calendar for Sunday, march 12!

Mogwai is playing at Whirleyball Atlanta for a rare afternoon concert/brunch with one of my favorite all-time bands.

Tickets are $20, so it isn't cheap--but for those of you who are interested, it comes with free whirleyball, coffee, and doughnuts.

If you can't afford it, but really want to go, I bought a couple of extra tickets, so just get on my good side (you have two months to do it).

Much love,
Eli

12:57am: Our elected president in 2000, Al Gore (incase you have forgotten), released today a well-written examination of the Bush regime's treatment of the constitution.

Highlights:
** The greater the power of the executive grows, the more difficult it becomes for the other branches to perform their constitutional roles. As the executive acts outside its constitutionally prescribed role and is able to control access to information that would expose its actions, it becomes increasingly difficult for the other branches to police it. Once that ability is lost, democracy itself is threatened and we become a government of men and not laws.


** It is this same disrespect for America's Constitution which has now brought our republic to the brink of a dangerous breach in the fabric of the Constitution. And the disrespect embodied in these apparent mass violations of the law is part of a larger pattern of seeming indifference to the Constitution that is deeply troubling to millions of Americans in both political parties.

For example, the President has also declared that he has a heretofore unrecognized inherent power to seize and imprison any American citizen that he alone determines to be a threat to our nation, and that, notwithstanding his American citizenship, the person imprisoned has no right to talk with a lawyer - even to argue that the President or his appointees have made a mistake and imprisoned the wrong person.

The President claims that he can imprison American citizens indefinitely for the rest of their lives without an arrest warrant, without notifying them about what charges have been filed against them, and without informing their families that they have been imprisoned.


** Can it be true that any president really has such powers under our Constitution? If the answer is "yes" then under the theory by which these acts are committed, are there any acts that can on their face be prohibited? If the President has the inherent authority to eavesdrop, imprison citizens on his own declaration, kidnap and torture, then what can't he do?

8:48pm: I'm home, or am I?

These are my shoes. Why are you wearing them?

These aren't my friends, they're imposters. Players of roles already tired. Repetition. Repetition.

Switch your partner round and round. My fair lady.

A toast. To things we already have. Things we've always had.

And who knows? maybe we'll get them.

7:45pm: Well! It's december already, and it seems like yesterday that I was chuckling at the sight of leaked 2005 albums. 2005 started off with some strong releases, and hasn't disappointed me yet. But I have to tell you, listening to "Portugal. The Man - Waiter You Vultures (2006)" through for the first time has me even jumpier than this time last year.

I don't care what your musical tastes are, this album has something to offer you. A perfect mix of indie and pop that never gets old but keeps its familiarity. vocal harmony of succinct yet intelligent lyrics layered ontop of rambling guitar trails and mildly syncopated drums meshing perfectly with the bassline in a way you'd only expect from electonic compositions.

Do yourself a favor and check this album out for yourself, or even ask me to burn a copy for you. I gladly will.

6:33pm: Mercury Program/Maserati split.
Check Engine. Check Engine.
That means swerve accross the median.

Now we're headed home, honey.

So I had this crazy idea, that my car were a spaceship. I burned up in the atmosphere, just before experiencing gravity cut its noose. What a feeling I must have missed. Three classes two days and one paper later. I'm at home.

Would I do it again?
Do you have annother car?

12:02pm: Sometimes, when walking home or classward, I make funny faces. Not because people are watching. Most of the time they aren't. It's just fun to make funny faces.

Denver I-100 has officially been voted in by a 53% Majority.

(That means adults 21 and older are allowed to have an ounce of recreational marijuana)

Yes, Colorodo state law (and federal law, for that matter) still ban it, so residents of Denver can still be sentenced to (harsh) jailtime. The bill is the biggest U.S. marijuana success, however, in that it is the first to have foundation in a reduction of alcohol abuse, and consequently is the first recreational bill to pass anywhere in the United States. That means there is a two-fold local precedence of law (medical and recreational). Laws like this will continue to pass until the issue is seriously debated in a federal context.

Effectively this means that Marc Emery can overgrow the government from the roots, while sitting in a U.S. extradition court. It's funny how it takes a Canadian to make U.S. democracy work.

P.S. sorry about all of the marijuana entries. I don't really even smoke it, I'm just really excited to see democracy working.

11:20am: I had a nightmare.
Just her, wearing someone else's smile.

"Marijuana is a drug that can end you up in the hospital," Michael Pasterchick, head of New Jersey DEA.

Shit, dogg, you up in the hospital? Marijuana can end you fool!

What's up with the use of English in government executives?

On top of that: Why do they love spreading myths and misinformation?

I think they ask their secretaries "What can I say to make my job look as important as possible?"

And then the secretary (who is played by a 1917 Helen Keller) screams: "No go in up hospital... I.. I Ighht end yuoou.."

"Brilliant," he exclaims, carefully noting it on his self-addressed pocket-stationary to keep the sincerity of the originating author in tact.

"Aw, Mikey, someone needs a diaper change" remarks a P.R. agent as Michael Pasterchick takes the stage.

"Marijuana is a drug that can end you up in the hospital, Thanks BYE" he spake to a sea of reporters and supporting lobbyists, who then applauded his efforts.

12:21pm: Okay, i'm going to try something insane tonight. Something so crazy, so insane, that some of you may very-well call me crazy and/or insane. The absurdity of this is ridiculous, as if its absurdity were wont for ridicule. The magnamity of this action is so magma-filled that the volcano of awesome has exploded an order of magnitude worthy of being called magnanimous.



There are two shows that I want to see tonight, so they're going back-to-back.

FIRST SHOW: 4PM-9PM
-Minus the Bear (Hell yeah!)
-These Arms are Snakes
-Criteria
-The New Trust

SECOND SHOW: 9:30PM-1:00AM
-Wolf Eyes (ZOMG)
-Khanate
-Prurient
-Zandosis

I'll be going with Omlet, Paul, and (maybe)Zeus.

If you're going to be at either (or both) show(s), give me a call at 770.843.1132 and we can arrange a meeting ceremony.

10:26am: CLASSIC

QUOTE:
----------
Oh yeah Pot. Y'know, you're at a ball game, you're at a concert someones is really violent agressive obnoxnious drunk or smoking pot? Drunk. Never have I seen people on pot get in a fight because, it's impossible. "Hey buddy? Hey what?" End of argument. Say you get in a car accident and you've been smoking pot ? You're only going 4 miles an hour. Crashhh "Shit we hit something." Forgot to open the garage door dude". Least no one was hurt. The garage door has to be replaced, boom!, a job is created! We could be a self perpetuating civilisation. Pay the garage fix it guy with pot. Boom, he walks out of your house through a plate glass window. Smassh. "Oh shit sorry". Thats ok, cos a job has been created. We'd just be a race of people walking around with tape and glue everywhere we go. "Hey howya doin?" "Cool, uh oh shit, sorry, here let me get that" "oh thanks" [mimics smoking] "ok see ya" "oh sorry let me get that'
----------

6:50pm: Two orders of business!!

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FIRST:I'm going to be having brunch with a bunch of EA executives tomorrow.
questions I have lined up for them already:

a. Do you feel as if there is any pressure on the industry to innovate in fields apart from physics, graphics and A.I.?
b. If so, is there room in the market today for innovation on the creative side of developing?

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SECOND:This saturday there are two events!
1) 6pm-6am Saturday: Winterz0ne LAN Party at the psiu house.
The main game to be played is Alien Vs. Predator
other games mentioned at the informal organization meeting were: Starward Pod-racers, W:ET, Myst

Of course copies of all the games played will be available at the LAN.

2) 9pm-11pm Saturday: Circle and urdog at the Drunken Unicorn. (Ambient soundscape; stereotyped as mogwai, as the easiest description)


My saturday plans are up in the air. If anyone wants to be at either, let me know.
call or email me.

EDIT: I guess i'd better give the info.
EMAIL: EFoley@gmail.com
PHONE: 770.843.1132

1:47am: For an hour,
The rest of the world feels
devoid of content
tired and useless.

Here is reality
and it screams
What is this?
Get on with the show.

2:00am: Dragon-Con
Okay! The rules of Dragon-Con have changed.

So I hop on MARTA to check out the scene at Dragon-Con. I run into Pynk of Painful Reminder, talk with him for a while and head up to his room for a few drinks. We decide to head over to the Hyatt to check out the party over there. On the way, we run into Maui, missey, and jon of The Secret Life.

Everything is going great until we get to the back door.

They're checking badges. to enter the GODAMNED HOTEL.

Pynk and gang have badges and go in, and The Secret Life and I walk around to the other entrance to give it a try. No luck there, either.

((For those of you unfamiliar with nerd conventions: typically the general running around and being stupid stuff is open to the public, but badges are checked for dealers, panels, special events, etc. Here, badges prevented walk-ins from doing stupid general mayhem.))

So Maui gives me a ride to the house, where i'm presented with plenty of badges that I COULD have used, had I thought through enough to ask.

Even though I bought a badge for AWA, I really hope they're not going to tighten their asses like DC did.

Ah well. My lady is coming to visit tomorrow, so I can't complain.

7:36pm: "And drowns it in bliss, like the first warm kiss
From the lips with love-buds teeming"

There's something about rainy days
and nothing better
than a chilled merlot,
and moist tobacco leaves.

"The smoke wreaths rise to star-lit skies.
With blissful fragrance laden."

12:34am: Alright!

I'm all settled into Georgia Tech.

I only have, on average, three hours of school per day.

I've been hanging out with the Psi Upsilons a whole lot.

Tonight we threw about fifteen monitors off the roof of the house. Last night we played 'Sock-Ball', soccer with a flaming ball of lighter-fluid soaked socks (my right leg caught on fire, poor little leg hairs), and detonated dry-ice bombs until the police broke it up.

The guys behind yak.net (strick) and rotten.com ('rotten-dot-tom')have been hanging out with us lately. Fucking brilliant.

Anyway, a guy by the name of Maui is playing at the eyedrum Sept. 3rd, with his buddy, under the name of "the secret life" He's also having a wake this week at his house for Bob Moog, I think i'll come by and pay my respects.

I've met a ton of smart and interesting people in such a short period of time.

I should wrap this up.
1) Everyone feel free to visit. Even if you just need a place to stay, that's fine!
2) Anyone want to help me get a couch/fouton? Transportation is needed badly!!