Where have I been??

That's a good question.

Well, as our readers probably know, Virginia and I got married in early June (thanks Mikey!), and about a week after that I drove up to North Carolina to teach at a summer program. I want to apologize for being so delinquent on the blog.

To make up for it, I have two amazing videos for you:





My hope is to post a little something each Monday -- in all likelihood it'll be videos I encounter through the week.... So..... I hope you like watching things!

SCIENCE

Today marks the end of my first year as a PhD student. Yay me!

To celebrate, I have collected some good scientific articles that I read recently, and I wanted to share.

Apparently, the kilogram weight that has been the benchmark for all measurements of mass since then is...losing weight? Silly ol' science.

One issue that is near and dear to me from the world of science is vaccination. Epidemiology and immunology has been a passing interest for a few years, but I didn't really become interested in this topic until I started hearing about anti-vaccination groups, especially those that believe there is a link between vaccination and autism. for brevity's sake, let me just say that I think these people hold very stupid and uninformed opinions. So when I read this the other day, I couldn't help but crack a smile.

We all know Einstein was a pretty smart dude, and here is some more confirmation of that fact. This is not just cool science, this is fucking epic science. Theory predicts 0.041 arcseconds of drift per year, and the experiment showed 0.039 (plus or minus 0.007). Not only is that accurate to the theory, it's also an astonishing feat of measurement. Just amazing.

Lastly, here's a TED(ish) talk about the arrow of time and the universe.


Also, a reminder that this Friday the 13th is the two-year anniversary of TT.TKO. We invite you to join us that night at 10pm for an awesome, awesome movie and Skype call!

Beards and Breasts

There are many reasons to love Roger Ebert. There are probably a couple to not love him, but you end up loving him anyway.

Why do I love him today? Because of this journal title. Of course, the video is great, too.

In other news Mikey now has a beard. It's pretty sweet.

RT 26

What is RT 26?

Members of the podcasts Late Nite Jenga Jam and TT.TKO will be streaming live for 26 straight hours. THAT IS TWENTY-SIX YOU READ CORRECTLY YES. We will be bringing in special guests, taking calls, helping a phoenix rise from the ashes, holding contests, issuing challenges, melting faces off, wrestling bears, checking out a movie or two, and there may or may not be nudity (JAYKAY TONS OF NUDITY).

Why?

We will be doing this in order to sell tickets and raise money for the this years RT Philly. Durr. (A new site will be up later this week, along with all the ticketing info.) .... Why should you buy? Well, when we hit certain dollar amounts in ticket sales, different challenges have to be met. For example, Mikey and I will do a bhangra in costume at RT Philly when we hit a set amount.

What do you need us to do?

We need you to do what big foot, the loch ness monster and Amelia Earhart couldn't do and that is be there. We would also appreciate it if you bought tickets, spread the word, and maybe show us some of your sweet dancing skills. (Actually, that last one is mandatory.) Keep up with the site during the week. More details will be coming.

Now all you need to know is the when:

Starting Friday, April 1st at 8pm all the way till 10pm on April 2nd. A link will be put up on the site so that you may partake.

We can do 26. Can you?

This guy...

...has issues.



Seriously? What the hell is your problem, guy?

PAX EAST

So I want to talk a little about PAX East. BE FOREWARNED: THIS BLOG POST HAS LOTS OF PICTURES IN IT.

Let me start off by saying thanks to everyone who made this weekend so much fun. I met a lot of people for the first time this weekend, and I can honestly say I think Internet is a pretty cool guy. eh kills aliens and doesn't afraid of anything. (Last two sentences were intentional Amy.... just letting you know now. TRUE NERDS GET MY JOKES.) But seriously, to those that I finally met this weekend: YOU ARE AWESOME. THANK YOU.

Next year, TT.TKO should definitely invest in media badges and try to get some interviews. Like I said in my previous post last Monday, I wish I had had the foresight. Next time perhaps.

Anyway, on to the pictures:

This was my view Friday morning. WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE.


This was actually the next day. I waited for a clear day to get a picture. This is the Boston Convention Center


So this little guy was waiting inside the front doors, behind the information desk


Here is a view of the main Expo Hall from the main entrance (I'm looking to the right in these two pictures, but there was also tons of stuff to the left)

Mind you: this is not long after doors opened on Saturday, so it actually was busier than this later on...


Then I descended into the crowd. Here are some highlights























Here's the Expo Hall seen from behind:




This was an area specifically for table-top gaming.

Seems unpopular, right? Here's the same room later


They also had rooms for console freeplay. There were hundreds of games that you could "rent" and go play






There were also classic consoles. Here's TMNT on SNES


Battletoads on SNES


Some Atari games




And some system I've never even seen


There was also an arcade full of old classics (GALAGA4LYFE)


Here's the stage in the main theater. This is right before the RoosterTeeth panel. The whole thing was set up symmetrically, but I was too close to get all of it in one picture, so I just took one side.


RoosterTeeth filled the theater. There were 4000 people in attendance....


Here's the gang


Burnie took some pictures of us


To top it all off, here's Barbara being... Barbara (with Garrett from Mega64; their booth was right next to the RT booth)


I spent a ton of money, but most of it on food, tolls, and parking. I "bought" two shirts and two cds at the RT booth. (The quotes are for a reason.... those who attended know the story most likely. And no, I didn't steal anything.) I was a teensy bit fanboyish and got all the RT guys to sign my stuff

There are not a lot of events like this in the world, and it actually made a significant impact on me. Coming home and typing up this journal... it's hard to really convey what it was like. So much is lost on the reader, and the pictures hardly do justice. They encapsulate only what the eye sees, which in the end is very little of the overall experience

I had an amazing weekend and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Exam Time

So I have an exam coming up, which means this will be a short post. Here are a few things I've collected over the last week or so:

• Conan O'Brien encounters some Korean girls.
  
  
• Ghost cities in China: elaborate planned cities that are either completely empty, or very close to it. It's kind of creepy, actually. Strange remnants of economic boom, perhaps? I don't know and I honestly couldn't even venture a guess beyond that.
  
  
• Here's a fantastic artist by the name of Darren Brown. These caricatures are quite hilarious to me, and I think our readers might find them funny as well. I particularly like Cameron Diaz, Edward Norton, and George Bush.
  
  
• Lastly, here's a video I've been digging recently:
  
  
  

In other news, this weekend the majority of the RT Philly staff members met up for food, drink, and karaoke. You may recall that TT.TKO hosted this event last year. More pictures available here if you're interested. Also, we'll have a new episode up later this week, so cool your horsejets or whatever. Now I must be off.

Be Loud, Let Your Colors Show

This weekend, three-fourths of TT.TKO was in Washington, DC to see The Avett Brothers. For Christmas, Virginia got me tickets to see them, one of my favorite bands of the past few years. Mikey and one of our best friends, Megan, came up to see them with us.

The whole weekend was awesome, even as I got sick, and the concert in particular was amazing. This was only my second time seeing them; the first time was at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, so it was a little weird seeing them play in such a big venue-- the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall. Virginia had seen them a handful of times before they really hit it big, so it was pretty disconcerting for her, much more so than for me. Mikey and Megan had never seen them live, and I can report to you that the Avetts did not disappoint.

Their shows are still just as high-energy now as they ever have been. They are very good showmen. A significant number of favorite songs were played:

Murder in the City
Salina
Distraction #74
Head Full of Doubt
Paranoia in Bb Major
Will You Return?
Colorshow
Bella Donna
Talk on Indolence

There's a line in Head Full of Doubt that goes, "And your life doesn't change by the man that's elected." Of course, we're in DC, so the whole crowd just erupted, and something about that moment was really amazing to me. But there were a lot of moments like that. I hate going to concerts where the crowd doesn't really seem interested in the band they paid to see; that was not the case at all here. The crowd was really, really into it the whole time, and that made the whole experience more intense somehow. Something Virginia pointed out afterward is that... they weren't really performing. It was more like they were just having fun playing songs they like, and we all just happened to be there with them. It really felt that way.

We left Amy in her cage, so she wasn't able to attend.

Here are a couple of videos. Try not to get lost in Scott Avett's eyes, ladies.



This one is longer, but worth it:



Apropos of nothing, here's this:

Valentine's Day

I actually have nothing meaningful to say about Valentine's Day, but today is February 14, and I thought the title should reflect that fact.

Instead, I have this:


You may remember that these are the shirts we had with us at RT:Philly last year. Well, this is the last one. It's been just sitting around for a while, taking up space, so I figure it's time to give it a proper home.

It's an adult medium, so if you're interested, let me know.

Acute Onset Monday Syndrome

Today is Monday, and what that means is that I have no interest in doing anything. I have a bunch of things I ought to be doing, but I really really don't want to. I am calling this acute onset Monday syndrome (thanks to Helen for inspiring the name!).

But I have promises to keep... So here's your weekly bit on jai alai.

Something I didn't mention last week is that jai alai is a gambling sport. Gambling is of course a controversial issue. Potentially it can lead to addiction and crime, but it can also create income -- state lotteries in the US help spur the creation of massive scholarship funds, for example. The mayor of Bacolod, one of the larger cities in the Philippines, opposes the legalization of jai alai in his city, instead taking the position that the national government should make the call on such an issue. I can see both sides of the argument. Gambling definitely creates a certain atmosphere (Las Vegas or Atlantic City e.g.), but the money coming in to the city would certainly help assuage specific concerns for the city.

Think about it this way: where most of our readers live, there is already gambling present: state lotteries, scratch-off tickets, etc. Perhaps there are even casinos nearby. Do you think it's necessary to create a new form of gambling for your town? What benefits would you see, and against what cost? Just some questions to mull over...


Anyway, here are few things I've collected:

• Yes, Chik-fil-A Says, We Explicitly Do Not Like Same-Sex Couples. Yiiikes.
  
  
• While there is unrest in Egypt, to put it very lightly, a news story which captures the front page of BBC News, the news was seemingly dominated by Charlie Sheen over the weekend. Well... that's how I felt anyway; every US-based news site had Sheen's picture plastered everywhere. It's better now, at least, but come on.
  
  
• All the womenfolk really need to check out/discover Apricot Basket. Just saying.
  
  
• What does an actual NFL sports writer write about when there's no football? Aaron Rodgers' past, apparently.
  
  

Lastly, here's the best fighting game I've ever seen:

Short Post Monday

Today is Monday, and it's 5:23pm, and I haven't yet posted a blog. This means one of two things:

1. I've been busy.
2. I forgot.

Believe it or not, today has actually been a result of number 1. Admittedly, I'm a pretty forgetful person (YEP, MR. DUMBIDIOTFORGETSALOT IS WORKING ON HIS PHD LIKE A DUMB IDIOT WHO FORGETS A LOT.) But anyone else who is still in school knows that right now is crunch time. So today I just have a few things to offer.

• This is a prominence that is approximately 700,000 km across...
  
  
• Something I haven't mentioned here, but probably will bring up through the rest of the NFL season: a couple weeks ago I started predicting winners for all the games that week and tracking my record. Two weeks ago I was 12-4 (meaning I correctly predicted 12 winners, and incorrectly predicted 4 DUH DUH DUH). Last week I was 9-7. So far this week I am 12-3, and I'm calling the Pats to beat the Jets at home. More than anything I just hope it's a good game; I love rivalries. Here is the summary of my feelings for this week:
  
  Falcons :D
  Colts :C
  Saints >:C
  Raiders :|
  Steelers :/
  Jags :0
  
  
• And I just want to end by saying that this is how my schoolwork is making me feel (like the little kid in case DERP HERP DERP):
  

Another Monday Routine

Today will be a short post because I have an exam for which to study. But I'm going to cram this blog full of links. Last week I told you about my proclivity for reading in place of... anything else on Monday mornings. Today I will again offer up those things holding my interest.

• The first bullet has multiple links all spawning from one source. Unpublished photos of cave drawings in Lascaux from the late 1940's. At upwards of 18,000 years old, these drawings are pretty fascinating. The same photographer covered all sorts of crazy stuff: the liberation of Paris; the day of Einstein's death; Apollo 11; Babe Ruth's last days on the diamond. He has lived through and photographed some amazing things, and I'm jealous. But history will be made in my days, too; I just probably won't be as close to it as he was.



• Stone megaliths were uncovered in 1994, and some archeologists consider it to be the most important dig site...ever. The title is a bit sensationalistic, but this is the oldest such site ever found, predating agriculture. This suggests we need to rethink our commonly held views about the life and culture of hunter-gatherers.



• The head of British forces says victory over al-Qaeda is impossible. It's a very level-headed perspective, and at least makes sense through a historical lens.



• A piece by Roger Ebert (my favorite!) about Wall Street and the mortgage business. The article speaks for itself, but now I really want to watch Inside Job.



• Dark energy might have been stronger in the past.



• This is old in internet terms, meaning I've seen before sometime in the past, but it's just a little graph to give some perspective.



• Lastly, for the ladies: you may have read recently that demand for chocolate may exceed supply within our lifetimes... But there is hope! The chocolate genome may save the day.

I hope you find some of these things as interesting as I do. If not, OH WELL. You came here and THIS IS WHAT YOU GET SO DEAL. And now I'm off to study....


UPDATE: This is amazing; read it. Guano Islands Act

Morning Routine - Reading

Once again we find ourselves awake (WHY GOD?) on Monday morning.

I work for the Mathematics and Science Resource Center, known colloquially as the MSRC, tutoring a Math for Truly Dumb Idiots course, which is usually called Mathematical Patterns. Perhaps I'm being mean. Actually, no, I'm being really mean, but this course is basically unending frustration for me.
I mention this because that's where I am now, the MSRC, as I type up this blog post. My first shift today is from 10am to 2pm. (Yes, I have another shift later. [But come on, 10am is a pretty sweet deal in the grand scheme; look at Mikey for example -- he works overnights {ANOTHER PARANTHETICAL COMMENT LOL}!]) It's only four hours, which is not long at all, but it's pretty much the embodiment of soul-crushing boredom (but at least I don't just stare at screens like Mik... Oh wait, what am I doing now?). Particularly so given that I have not once tutored anyone on a Monday morning, meaning that I could be sleeping in (my problems are REAL). Instead I'm stuck here -- I have to be here -- while my sanity is slowly drained from me.

But that's not what I want to talk about today, actually. (I could but you don't want me to LOLOL.) Today I want to talk about morning routines. But not really. Mostly I want to talk about how I'm not very good at being a student. But more so than that I want to talk about reading and how I like to do it. So let's talk about all those things (sort of)!

Monday mornings are tough for a lot of people, and I'm no exception. I wake up at 7:30, shower, dress, fix my lunch -- y'know, MORNING STUFF-- and I'm usually out the door by 8 or 8:15 or 8:30 depending on my proclivities for that morning. Rarely do I not have homework on Mondays, because I don't typically finish over the weekends. And every week I go through the same stupid cycle: I say to myself, in my headbrain, "I will go to the MSRC and I will do my homework. I will not be distracted by my computer and its delicious internet tubes. I WILL BE A GOOD STUDENT." Surely you have presumed that this is utterly false in every way, and your presumption is correct, also in every way. But every week, I saythink the same stupid, false things.

So what prevents me from working like a good, studious graduate student? Besides the simple fact that HOLY FUCK I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO MY HOMEWORK AND GRADUATE SCHOOL IS OVERWHELMING AND I'M BEING ENGULFED IN DISCONTENT, I have a hard time breaking out of my reading habit. Now you may think, "Gosh, reading doesn't seem so bad," but you don't understand. I get sucked into things. I want to read everything. And I try. Rather than study or do my schoolwork, I'm busy trying to READ ALL THE THINGS. So I really want to talk about the stuff that's keeping my attention this morning. Between Twitter links, Facebook links, and the articles I tend to seek on my own, I have a good few things to offer this morning.

• Here's a piece on the fate of net neutrality in the wake of the mid-term elections. I find it amazing that people are not violently in favor of net neutrality (but I find lots of things amazing); freedom of information is something that we all take for granted pretty much all the time.
  
  
• Following SRS BSNS with more SRS BSNS: I follow Roger Ebert on Twitter, and he always links to his blogs, articles, and reviews. Here he has a couple videos concerning the West Memphis Three, and here is the Wikipedia article on them. [He also just posted a link to a video I saw just the other day: Richard Feynman on magnets.]
  
  
• And the last of the SRS BSNS today is an excellent essay about the Civil War, prescient given that this past Saturday, Nov. 6, was the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's (first) election as president. Thus we are approximately six months from the anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. The last paragraph seems vitally relevant given the current political climate.
  
  
• With all that serious junk out of the way, we can finally (finally!) talk about football, or as Virginia and I have taken to calling it, foobaww. One article I always read on Monday mornings is Michael Silver's Morning Rush. I don't care about either the Raiders or the Chiefs, but I do love rivalries, and I especially love rivalries with history, so the Raiders and Chiefs both seemingly returning to relevance in the same year is actually pretty cool.
  
  
• Changing gears entirely, we have an article concerning the very super serious matter of Spider-Man's impact on the city of New York, an issue I have vaguely considered in past musings, though never to this (half-baked) extent. (Warning: it's pretty easy to get sucked into Cracked.)
  
  
• And for my last link, all I can say is Jesus Christ...
  

The truly sad thing is that this is definitely not everything I have seen or read this morning. Perhaps now you understand why I'm not such a good student? Sometimes I feel like an ADHD child chugging pure caffeine the way I peruse these tubes; in trying to absorb everything, I get absorbed into a horrible, unproductive shitspiral of reading and reading and reading and reading...

I only hope I'm not alone in this sort of thing.