In the end of the beginning...

So, first week of Tech is finished, my schedule is now cemented as stands unless the will of a Registrar be enacted (though I don't see why that would occur, but I guess it's a possiliblity that I have to concede from the standpoint of truth). It's not exactly everything that I ever hoped for, but I should be able to survive it, assuming the book stores managed to meet my academic needs sometime before I start hurting for wont of what they lack. I do wish they'd coordinate these things though, I can't get Chem Lab Book at B&N, I can't get PRS's at Engineer's, I'm just moving back and forth between these two challenging the integrity of my impoverished savings account. So, without further ado, the present Fall 2004 lineup of courses contains:

Introduction to Chemistry - Yeah, I have to take this again, and lab as well because I managed to fail that as well, I swear that something went horribly wrong with the grading of my Lab Practicum but I really don't have a way, or the will after all this time, to try and prove that, so I guess I'll just have to suffer through both components of the class. The professor this year, whose name I don't know, is you, carefree, yet to be broken by Tech. That ought to change, should be fun to watch it happen. Either way, he's a worse teacher than Block in the sense that he teaches the book, but that's really what I need, Block just reinforced, and that didn't do me much good, since the book didn't explain it too well, and she was the one who wrote the brink. So, the up side is that I didn't have to buy a book, the downside is that this is one course I should've only had to take once.

CS 1322, Java - Oh boy, more Java. After a whole summer of the crap you'd think I'd hate to do this, but guess what, it's a requirement for the rest of my years as EE. What great fun this'll be. Even better, I have the same professor. Glad to know that my TBA materialzed as Waters again, this time I won't use Emacs though, so I won't have such a lopsided homework grade, that's a blessing I guess. This one should be rather easy, since I've seen it all before, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to enjoy it in any way, shape, form, or whatnot.

Differential Equations - Hmmm...Mark Demers is also one of those younger men to be teaching such a course. The other day he was just solving Diff Eqs to demonstrate a Theorem that is the basis for the course. So he'd throw up something and then the answer, no work, nothing. Scared the whole class cause we were all desperately trying to figure out how he was doing it. Someone actually asked, and he admitted that we'd be learning how to solve basic equations starting next week. But still, that was such an odd approach, cause he was just throwing equations on the board, commenting on how most of it was math that we'd never see, but that he for some reason felt had some usable implications despite all that. Either way, he's really damn softspoken and recovering from a cough, so despite lecturing in a Skiles classroom, it's a strain to hear what he says. Fortunately, he writes what he says verbatim, so that's not really a major issue. Class ought not to be that bad, but we'll see how hard Diff Eq's can be, since I've not done but the most basic of related rates in quite awhile.

Physics I - I don't know precisely why I put this off from last Semester, but I did, and I don't think I totally regret it. It isn't cool that I couldn't just borrow a book cause they changed it, and that they're no longer using Webwork but this vicious other online system that they use to ask all kinds of stupid questions. Either way, I don't like the book's approach of using 4 different models and diagrams for every problem (mostly because that means I have to draw them all to get credit for some of the most basic problems), but even worse, we don't even get like equations and math until the next semester. It's quite unfortunate that Tech wouldn't take AP Physics B, cause I've already learned everything that this class has to offer, but I just have to prove it, so I guess I will.


Other sundry blogging will be forthcoming, but now that academics are aside, my hands are aching.

Yeah, it's official

I have to retake Java this semster in order to qualify for ECE 2025, I asked my advisor about the conflicting details and got the worse of the two possible responses. I didn't ask if the information on Oscar was outdated or merely inaccurate of EE majors (I shudder to think of a situation where I could change majors to take ECE 2025 and then change back, but this might be the case, I mean, I really hate to think that a class should be harder to get into if it's your major, but who am I to question it, eh?). Oh well. Then to add biting insult to the injury, my advisor fired off an afterthought email reminding me that I have to retake Chem as a pre-req for another class later on (getting later all the time with having to retake Java). The bad part is that with my schedule out of wack, I don't know when I can schedule that Orchestra audition, hopefully I can pull off some last minute practicing though, hopefully I don't have to be too impressive to get in as a Bass cause I certainly haven't practiced at all over the summer. Once again it didn't occur to me that there'd be auditions for a thing like this, guess I've got to stop trying to skate through life and start putting out real effort, what a shame.

Well Jiaz, guess I spoke to soon.

Yeah, it exists:
[Spork] Pugyuru 11.avi

Worse yet, it's short for SailorSpork, this world scares me sometimes.

It figures...

...Mac Hall is down the moment that I want to show Kyle Ian's latest rant.

...Laura is out today, so I'm called in to replace her and of course the day is so completely dead.

...The ECE class that I don't meet the Pre-reqs for, I do. It specifically says that I need a C or better either in either 1322 (Java, I got a D) or 1321 (Scheme, I made an A). So I need to talk to Tech about resolving this in a manner that keeps me with enough credit hours to be a full time student still.

...That I can't figure out what Etudes I can actually play for the Orchestra audition. I hate auditions. Why can't we have sight reading? I do so much better when I'm not expected to have practiced. Oh well, that's life for you.

"Holding the panic button for longer than a second"...

So, I finally got my after-market Keyless entry for my CRV, looks remarkably like the one David has with his Civic except that I have a button specific to my Trunk as well, unlike him.

Damn, this Gatech situation isn't going to sit well with my Parents, but I'm not going to think about that right now, it's time to perform a ritualistic pagan sacrifice in some vain attempt to get some customers into this store. That and get someone to release some anime that I care about, I mean, a full blooming week and a whole 1 episode of Champloo (which I'd already seen the week before in French curtesy of Nerae) is all I have to show for the time passed. That's just not a good omen at all. Anyways, back to sacrificing.

Good Grief

Rats. So according to the map of my future, I'm in trouble, but fortunately it's all kinda canceling itself out in the not-so-uncertain terms of an extra semester at Tech. Namely, according to the map if I take ECE 2025 this semester, I won't be able to take next semester's ECE class until after I've finished with Physics 2. However, that's kind of a moot issue seeing as not getting a C or higher in Java means I don't meet the prereqs for the class, so I'll take it and Physics II this Spring. So, currently I have 9 credit hours (Physics 1 - 4, Diff Eq - 4, Orchestra - 1) meaning I ought to add back in Java and Chemistry and go insane this semester but come out better for it. I mean, all I have to do is read the Chem book to pass that class (though maybe I'll delay that idea a bit later) and I can practically sleep through Java class now, not that I didn't before, especially once I install Eclipse and use that instead of Emacs, meaning I'll actually be able to do multipart applications without going crazy (which seems to be the major theme of my life at Tech). And there's still the blasted issue of getting into my LCC that I'm supposed to take this semester that's full up, what a pain. And speaking of pain, the keyboards are really in an awkward place over here, at least this one doesn't have nearly enough space.

So, on Bortz radio today, he was playing Jibjab, so I guess that puts him roughly 2 weeks behind the curve or whatever. It was interesting hearing the radio trying to censor what it found offensive (only to have the show continue on and the next topic being Bortz's talking about slang for Lesbian being used in a game of Scrabble without censorship, but that's another topic). They weren't using a beep either, but a comedic noise to try and blend with the song I guess, it didn't work.

They also had the greatest caller into the show that I've ever heard. It took all I had not to break into laughter. His statement was, and this was following Bortz's talking about all the men who served with Kerry in Vietnam arguing against all his claims of heroism and the validity of his Purple Hearts etc, "If the Democratic party nominated Jesus, how long would it take before some Republican in Texas got a group of Apostles together to say that the nails driven into Jesus's hands were only 2 inches long, not 6 inches." Needless to say, it's a nonparallel arguement, and the comparison of Kerry to Jesus is so completely laughable that I had to step into the back for a drink of water. Sean's comparison to Mother Willow is a whole lot closer to the actual situation. Bortz's answer was 2 hours 46 minutes, which seems about right although it was simply an answer for the sake of answering the question as he justifably hung up on the moron.

Appendectomy : Appendix (from the body) :: the College Board's latest decision :

Analogies (from the SAT I).

Yes friends, it is true, the Sat I will no longer hold analogies within its pages. I, of course, really don't give a damn having already scored my score (definately could've done higher as is always the case with anything I do involving score), but this could be good news for analogy challenged future SAT takers, depending on what they replace the questions with.

So, Kyle installed the language settings on Asgard, which means that most irregular text patterns have become Japanese characters. Ie: French months, such as August, have had their circumflexed o plus the following u transfigured into the symbol for, honestly, I haven't the faintest idea. However, it's less of a bother for me, and more vaguely reminiscent of Gunbound than anything else.

I had thought about a nice little compare and contrast post illustrating the differences between Kyle and my workplaces, in the long run justifying his high pay simply by the amount of responsability he manages and the amount of boredom and flak that get flung his way. I mean, the closest I come to getting customer angry is calling a mail-box holder Mr. (Insert Lastname Here) and having them ask me to call them by their first name, Kyle gets customers (or one in particular in this case I guess, and hopefully only ever this one time) completely infuriated at Kyle for something he didn't even do to the point of full blown profanity and obscene gestculations. People certainly can get ugly when they are angry, but then again, I've always maintained that humans are ultimately a rather ugly race.

Perhaps I've been brain-washed by too much Neal Boortz (perhaps it is only one o, I don't really care) but I've almost begun to think that giving Bush a second term would let him finish his part in the war on terror and bring a close to a chapter in history (not saying that he'd end the war, but...actually I don't know what I'm saying). I really don't like either candidate. Kerry is too damn wishy-washy, and I'm the authority on knowing that that approach to live doesn't solve anyone's problems. Bush is still a moron, but then again smart people don't do politics, so that doesn't suprise me. His human rights record in Texas aside, I actually can't find much fault about him besides his dearth of intelligence and his belligerance. Not saying that he didn't take the proper course, not my place to judge that, but that it was quite the means of violence. As much as Bortz (double o might be the right way, but that's faster to type so I'll stick to that one) might like to herald the chemical weapons that we found in Iraq and the intelligence that Sadaam was seeking to acquire nuclear weapons program enabling materials, I do still maintain that the American public was mislead into this war in Iraq that has been too poorly managed to give my any faith. I mean, I fail to see the logic in a deployment that has American boys dying to Iraqi guerrilas while corperate employess get paid to stand around not doing anything mere miles away.

It's time for Acirema, and yes that c is pronounced like a hard k to maintain the general idea. This is totally on the fly, so bear with me here. A nation built on the premise that an acting Republic, responsive to the people's will, can best arrange for the wellfare and happyness of those people. Ideally failure to vote should be punishable, but devoting the resources of the people to monitoring and regulating the people is a self-defeating act. Where the archiac electoral college is disbanded in favor of the pure will of the people. Where a new judical court is created purely to enact Judical Review and keep the actions of the Legislative and Executive branches in check. Where Church and State are seperated firmly and unconditionally: utterances or proclamitions of religious nature being outlawed in places of Government but morals and vitures are not left to rot. Where men who believe that they should be leaders because they are so willed by their God are not even presented with a chance at office for those whose entire plan is to rest cradled in the palm of their creator do not have the judgement and capability of action necessary to lead a nation of mixed peoples. Where lying is once again a capital offence, direly so when under oath or in office. Where those who would evade taxes or embezzel are giving as harsh of punishments as those who would rape or murder. Where ignorance of the law is no excuse. Where a compounding rule applies: if one stupid unlawful action of a person's undertaking breeds another unlawful action or result to transpire, their punishment shall be greater than the mere sum of the punishment for all the crimes combinded. Where an abortion is a matter of choice, not a matter of law. Where streamlined processes are the forefront of plans, because the less time things stay tied up in red tape the more good they can do. Where Pork Barrel spending is recoignized as a difficulty and a liablity and disbarred from it occurance, which in turn breeds a nation of constituents who do not need their incumbant to waste 20 million of taxpayer's dollars building an airport in the middle of the mountains just to provide a construction job for his voting area so that they'll vote for him over his challenger. Where decisions on candidates are made by their stances and opinions, not by how well they can sling mud. A nation where economic disparities are recoignized as a function of modern living and, while methods of minimizing them are sought, they are not so done at the expense of burdening those whose creativity, ingenuity, or hardwork has brought them to fruition. Where middle management is a relic of the past and efficency is king.

Yeah, not going to happen is it, I don't think so either.
Oh, and if my beliefs managed to offend you, don't whine to me presuming that I give a damn.

A)bort R)etry F)ail mode 2 is now underway.

We'll see how far I get with this before my ancient template and Blogger's recent updates manage to kill each other.

Turns out that the answer to that question was approximately 13 seconds.

Another week of cross working 2 jobs, slightly shorter hours though so perhaps this one won't waste me quite so terribly. Blogging, emails, and visitation rights will, as usual, still be shot completely to hell though. So, enjoy webcomicy goodness while I'm not here Star Crossed Destiny

So, question of the moment: Why does Regal abbreviate Harold and Kumar go to White Castle as Harold and Kumar go to WR. Where do they get a R in there?

Song of the moment: Cowboy Bebop Movie OST - Time to Know ~ Be Waltz. Yes, that seriously is a song with a tilde in the actual title.