Better Living Through Blogging!

Bock, Bock!

Happy Friday! It's a beautiful day here in Montana - no rain, no snow, despite earlier predictions to the contrary. Clean, clear, blue skies. I have to go run some errands -- but while I'm gone, you should really go check out Subservient Chicken. (found via MeFi) Trust me. It's a marketing site from Burger King, and very entertaining. The question: is it live, or is it Memorex...?

Wherefor Art Thou, Mefi?

It's been too long...withdrawal pains are getting hard to bear...but at least there is an explanation for why MetaFilter is down (and has been for a while). Here's the reason. In a nutshell:

"So you might have noticed that mefi has been down. A processor fan died yesterday, shutting down the box due to heat, and refuses to boot again. New fans are being shipped and hopefully things should be back up on Friday or Saturday.

"Montana Goes Nuts"

A thread over at MeFi dedicated to...well, a certain type of "festival" being held in Montana. Naturally, I had to add a comment about my recent "brush with greatness" when driving to Billings last month.

Oh, and re: the RIAA/downloading controversy...if someone downloaded a song, but *didn't listen to it*, would it still be illegal? Probably, but...I thought it was an interesting question. And to those who posted on my RIAA entry...please remember that NO ONE held a gun to the head of the artists who sign recording deals with large labels. The RIAA is simply defending their "turf." They would not be able to do this (or have any "turf" at all) without the artists who freely signed contracts with record companies. As I said, this entire battle will be "won" by the downloaders, and the RIAA will suffer mightily, but in the end, it is the musicians/artists who are driving this ship.

Withdrawal

Anybody else going through MeFi withdrawal symptoms...? I keep seeing a blue screen in front of me, all the time, even while driving...hitting "refresh" only seems to turn my cruise-control on & off. UPDATE: After being down for at least a day, it turns out that all MeFi needed was for me to whine a bit on my site, and then *presto!* It's back. In all the partisan glory that it is famous for. Did I say partisan? Sorry, I meant partisan. No, not partisan...the word I was searching for was partisan. Luv ya, MeFi!

On a more pleasant note...HAPPY JULY 1st TO EVERYONE! Wow...half the year gone already...where does the time go? And, as Babs pointed out to me earlier today, my *favorite* holiday is almost upon us - Independence Day!

(ps - this post was edited to include a gratuitous picture of geese being transferred from their winter home to their summer home...just click it for a larger view...enjoy!)

Head Of The Class

From MetaFilter: "Does being valedictorian still matter? A New Jersey high school student with top grades and a 1570 SAT score is suing her school (including a $2.5 million punitive damages demand) for deciding to make her one of three "co-valedictorians. Considering that valedictorian is an award given well after college acceptance letters are sent out, is the title actually relevant in the American education system? Has anyone here actually gained something (other than pride) via the highest GPA in their class?"

Quite an interesting discussion. I did some research, and it appears that the student in question is quite the achiever: she founded a charity, won many scholarships & prizes, and is exemplary in her performance of moot-court and debate. The upshot? She can't take Phys Ed, "...because of an immune deficiency...(and) is classified as a disabled student and has taken a class load that doesn't include physical education and involves her spending part of her school day studying at home." Not taking a PE course allowed her to take extra AP course/s, thereby giving her a higher GPA. My question: if she can't attend class all day long, but somehow has the stamina to engage in debate and law tournaments, travel to China and Chicago, and do an amazing amount of charity work...then...well, you see my confusion.

For the record: I was not valedictorian. Not even close. The only thing that I remember about graduating from Choctaw High School in May, 1984, was immediately throwing off my cap & gown and speeding towards a movie theatre on the NW side of OKC to see the movie "Breakin'". Heh.

Citizen Google

It seems that there are some who believe that Google is too powerful. Some even suggest that it should regulated or otherwise controlled by the government.

My response: how about if we let Google control the government? The benefits should be obvious: clean, simple interface; accurate results every time; (incredibly) speedy service. (MeFi)

UPDATE FROM COMMENTS: Courtesy of Dragonfly Jenny, we get this proposed new national motto: "One nation, under Google, efficiently managed, with data and justice for all." I like it.

As The MeFi Turns...

stavrosthewonderchicken is upset with me. So is willnot and skallas. jonmc attempts to broker some sort of peace, but the bitterness continues. I tried to calm things down by explaining that my comment was made in jest and not intended to flame or troll. (sigh) Let's move on.

Mmmmm...

Way cool food-related discussion going on...the linked site is Cooking For Losers. Simple, inexpensive, and (hopefully) tasty. I think I might have a few submissions for the site...including my ultra-top-secret recipe for Dave's E-Z Breakfast Tacos^TM.

Brother, Can You Spare A (Student) Loan?

Interesting discussion about student loans going on over at MeFi...had no idea that some people take such a dim view of student loans. Not me...my $10K student loan from several years ago has yielded benefits far greater than the dollar amount involved, both financially and personally.