Once again...

Simultaneously proving that 1) life imitates art, and b) utility does not rank high among the Patent Office's criteria. Or alternately, people are stupid.

I suppose there are theoretical situations in which it might possibly be useful. It still sounds silly.

For those of you

...who have yet to fill your Weird Music Quota for the day:

The Hallelujah Chorus...kind of.

Attention, geeks...

How long ago should I have posted "Happy Pi Day"?

R. I. P.

50 years ago today...

A long, long time ago,
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance,
That I could make those people dance,
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver,
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step.
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside,
The day the music died.

---Don McLean, "American Pie"

Holiday of the Week

Happy National Kazoo Day!

That's a Kitty!

When a paw hits your eye and you see stars go by,
That's a kitty.
When you feel claws dig in and you see feline grin,
That's a kitty.
Cat will purr at discomfiture 'til you grab her fur
And fling her through the ceiling.
Cat will play, always in the way, scorning your dismay,
And your days slyly stealing.

When you wake up in fear with a yowl in your ear,
That's a kitty.
When you dance down the hall trying hard not to fall,
That's a cat.
When you feel trembling but there's no earthquake
shaking the city
Just a cat in your lap, purring in her cat-nap...
That's a kitty!

What to do...

When you have too much time on your hands:


You're never too old to play with your food, kids!

I may be a lousy artist...

But at least I'm a lousy artist who can now do GIFs!



(Made with GIMP)

This is not the date you're looking for...

Merry Christmas!

Or Boxing Day, at least...

Speaking of art...

There are simply no words to describe this.

Scholarly artisans

The variety and creativity of work to be observed around campus is quite astonishing. From bathroom stalls to old wooden desks, students have chosen to share their artwork and witticisms with the world. From one small section of one classroom:

- "So there I was, elbow deep in this dude..." (which I elect, for the sake of my peace of mind, to believe is describing a surgeon.)
- A detailed depiction of a cannabis leaf
- "This graffiti is fleeting human contact..."

Along with the usual assortment of insults and crudities, of course.

Political Update

Who's the leader of the land,
Hailed in the USA?
B-A-R-A-C-K O-B-A-M-A!

He's the one we've chosen,
He will lead us day by day -
B-A-R-A-C-K O-B-A-M-A!

Obama! (John McCain!) Obama! (John McCain!)
Forever let us wave our ballots high! (high! high! high!)

Come along and join the throng,
Hear what he has to say,
B-A-R-A-C-K O-B-A-M-A!

See Obama!
See Obama!
We'll have fun, we'll hear his speeches,
He's not one of those lying leeches!
All around the land we're watching

Obama!
Obama!
Obama is here!
Yeah!

Arrrr, me hearties!

Avast and belay! I'll keelhaul ev'ry man jack of ye who be not knowing it be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

So shiver me timbers, plunder a pot o' grog, and hoist the black flag this day with a hearty YARRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Useful Site of the Day

For all your Supercollider needs.

9/11

In remembrance of those who died, and those who gave their lives for others.

It is rare to experience an event so dramatic that it binds an entire nation together, for a moment they will never forget. Across the country, people gave whatever they could, wishing only that they could do more to support those who lost friends and family. Even now, people can still tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.

It was unforgettable. And we will not forget. We will not mourn them forever, but we will remember. In books, movies, stories, we will remember the men, women, and children who lost their lives that day, victims of a blind hatred vented on all Americans, guilty or not.

"We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain..."

You know you spend too much time at the library when...

You have the numbers for at least two of your library cards memorized.

The librarians greet you by name.

You have to get others to return your books because when you go, you regularly walk out with more books than you returned.

The Dewey Decimal System actually makes sense.

You can come up with a "You know you spend too much time..." list from your own experiences.

The Penguin

Once upon a midnight dreary,
As I struggled, weak and weary,
With many a stubborn, messed-up program -
All my work kept going wrong.
As I nodded, nearly sleeping,
Suddenly there came a beeping
From the window which had been keeping
E-mail from me all night long.
"Finally," I muttered, and clicked
To see the junk that took so long.
Mostly spam - "Grow Big and Strong!"

But between the meds and B.A.s,
Something caught my bleary gaze,
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic
Hope I'd never felt before.
"Windows Vista causing trouble?
Do repair fees daily double,
As your memory is gobbled?
Let us help your comp give more!
Don't let Windows cause you trouble -
Click below to find out more!"
Quick I clicked on linux.org.

When this opened my web engine,
Much I marveled to see a penguin
Telling me what Linux offered -
Flexibility and more;
Spoke the penguin wise and knowing
Of popularity fast-growing,
Ease of use, robustness, showing
Why its users Linux adore,
What mean "open source" and "kernel",
And why people Tux adore.
"See the BSoD nevermore!"

Now the penguin, never quitting,
On my screen is always sitting,
As I sit here, still enraptured,
While at my window something knocks.
Every moment I am learning,
From Windows unto Linux turning,
Heedless of the hours burning,
Ignoring all three dozen clocks.
And as Torvalds smiled at me
From above the computer clock,
Quoth the Penguin, "Linux rocks!"
-----
Parody of The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe. And yes, the
Linux site is here.

Thought for the Day

You know the saying, "You don't have to be faster than the bear, you just have to be faster than the people around you"?

A more current version could be:
You don't have to go slower than the speed limit, you just have to go slower than the people around you.

Happy Independence Day!

THE LOUD, SPANGLED FIREWORKS

Oh, say can you see,
By the fast-fading light,
What we eagerly hailed
For weeks throughout the nation?
Whose bright sparks and loud bangs,
Through the glamorous night
Will forever proclaim
Our explosive fixations.

And the fuses' red glare,
The shells bursting in air,
Give proof through the night
That our neighbor's still there.

Oh, say, do those shells into the air still leap?
I'm tired of the noise and I want to go sleep!

Note: I love fireworks, I just couldn't resist the parody opportunity. :-P

Informative Statement of the Day

"30 may be the new 20, but green is the new black. Please recycle."

Okay...