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Thursday, March 31, 2005

HOTW BoingBoinged
Some things I don't like about the library
Each room is a different temperature.

The right wall of the Large Viewing Room vibrates.

Necessary Evils?
School would be so much better and I would get so much more out of it if there weren't these stupid requirements on distribution and minimum number of credits per semester. I came here to study film. I don't really care about anything else. Ugh.

Re: Are you open or not?
I checked the board today, which promises a response "within 24 hours," and my comment, as well as the other comments I saw when I posted mine (they were requesting a clock), had been removed.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

New film available
"Filmstrip" (Part 3), which I created for a Lost & Found Film class, is now available online. I think this one may turn into my final project for the course.

You're not going to believe this, but...
I plan on doing work tonight.

FilmWise Invisibles
You know I'm not one of those blogs that simply posts links to other sites, so I got away with it this time by creating some original content. "Original Content" means "5 minutes with Photoshop 5.0.2" (©1998!), but whatever, you're lucky you got this much. I'm supposed to be asleep right now. Check out FilmWise Invisibles, a weekly quiz run by FilmWise. Thanks to The Invisible Man ([not] pictured below) for sending me the link.



ALERT
I am going to start working any time now.

Or any time but now?

Nickels
If I had a nickel for every time I accidently launched Address Book today, I'd only have two nickels.

Are you open or not?
I went to the cafeteria for the first time in a while today, and ran into the same problem that I've been having with it for a while. According to their website, it "is open non-stop from 7 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday and 10 am to 8 pm on the weekends." Now, one would assume that a cafeteria which is open "non-stop" will be serving food non-stop as well. One would also assume that if they swipe your card when you get there, which essentially means you are paying them, you are pretty much guaranteed to find food when you enter. I know I've told this story before, but this time it's better. Usually I simply enter to find no food (except for maybe half a salad bar and some cereal), get mad, and leave. This time, which was just before 5:00, by the way, a perfectly normal time for one to eat, I entered and saw that they had pasta sitting out. Now I knew from a previous experience that I wasn't allowed to serve myself, so I asked one of the staff for some pasta. He said that they weren't open, and didn't give me any food, which was sitting right in front of us. I asked what time they did open, and he ignored me and walked away to go chat with one of the other workers who was busy doing nothing. Now I have nothing against the people who work there, in fact most of them are friendlier than anyone else you'll meet on this campus, but I didn't recognize anyone there today, and nobody seemed to be doing anything. I filled out a comment card asking them to learn the difference between "open" and "closed" and posted it on the board. I'll check for a response later and let you know what they said.

Cursed
I showed my film in the library today as part of some discussion thing. Overall it was a nice event, but once again I had an annoying technical problem.

At the Film & Media screening last semester, the audio had a short glitch during the part about the eight different modes. I later found out that this was actually a problem with my tape, as the video track had a frame or two that actually caused the audio to get funky for a second. I don't understand it either.

Today, everything was going fine with my film for the first 8 minutes and 48 seconds. Then the soundtrack went completely silent, and I had to sit there and narrate my own film, letting the audience know important things such as, "Corny music is playing right now," and, "Different corny music is playing for this part." So there I was, looking like a moron who can't even make a DVD, even though he intends to do that for a living.

The first thing I did when I got back to my apartment is test the DVD. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It was a perfect burn. And there's no reason that even a cheap DVD player should have trouble with it; the audio is compressed, the overall data rate is completely within normal limits, I didn't burn it at a high speed, and I didn't even write on the label. What happened at the screening was probably just a freak occurrence caused by dust, but it really bothers me. I'm going to go out and get a pack of the Apple branded DVD-Rs for the copy that I give to the library, which will be burned and verified at 1X, then delivered via armed guard in a hermetically sealed DVD Amaray case. And that's just the decoy copy.

Today? Yeah, mine was made.
It's cool how a simple "thank you" can really make your day.

Vocal Chords in one IM
BuffyPrep5 (6:25:24 PM): i'm inviting the vcs
Skier Wysz (6:26:59 PM): ugh, they are going to be like "wysz, make us a dvd! come to our concert and clap loudly! listen to us on internet radio! sign up for credit cards so citibank can send you several pieces of junk mail every week! buy pizza from us!"
BuffyPrep5 (6:27:34 PM): well, i thought you were going to come to our concert
Skier Wysz (6:27:42 PM): ughghghghhh
BuffyPrep5 (6:28:20 PM): that was hte best summary of the vcs i've ever heard
Skier Wysz (6:28:32 PM): thank you

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Did I do that?
I just made soup by mistake. I went into the kitchen to make pizza, and I came out with soup. What is wrong with me? Anyway, I'm off to make that pizza...

Re: Facebook
Despite his numerous links to and mentions of the site, His Awesomeness The Wysz still does not officially approve of Thefacebook.

TOOooooooo
Tutu.

I need your help
I just remembered that there is a really funny picture that I need to take next time I'm home. So, next time you get word that I'm home, please contact me somehow and ask me if I remembered to take the picture. I really want to take this picture. I would explain what it is, but I think the picture will do better if it just speaks for itself. Please, somebody remind me to take this photograph when I am home. Chances are I won't go home this weekend, but I will probably go the weekend after that. You know, this picture is so good I'm tempted to drive there now, but I don't think I have time. Oh, and if you're home too, come on by and I can take you to the location of the awesome picture. I really hope I can get the angle right; this will only work if two key elements are in the same shot. I'll find a way. Oh this will be so much fun!

Thank you in advance for your help. And don't forget.

Your attention please
If I am going to research you by finding you on Thefacebook and following a link to your Xanga or LiveJournal diary, please be sure to disable any music that plays when I go to your page. I find it quite annoying. Thank you.

What color is "Forest Black"?
Green.

From Toils To Boils
I'm awesome.

Re: From Toils To Boils
the subject matter of your most recent posts indicates that you need to either:

a) get some sleep
b) stop posting to your blog until you get some sleep
or c) get off the drugs

Best wishes in all your blogging endeavors,
Brendan

Monday, March 28, 2005

Easter Dinner: Chinese
No, I didn't mess up the pasta (yet). The pasta dinner has been tentatively rescheduled for tonight (Monday). At least now I can go to Target or something during the day and get some cheap wine glasses. I planned on making the dinner when I got back from Isaac's film shoot, which started at 7. The shoot went very well, and Isaac even treated us to Chinese. Chinese food, that is, not actual Chinese people, which would have been kinda weird. I learned how to play the "Fortune Cookie Game" and definitely have a deeper appreciation for those fortunes now. I might even start ordering Chinese (again, the food) just so I can play. Plus, sesame chicken is pretty good. Umm, so I'm talking about what I had to eat, which I realize is boring. Who am I? Blake? When we wrapped for the night, I learned that although my film had been rejected by all of the festivals I submitted it to, it will be screened at the Johns Hopkins Film Fest. That was nice surprise.

After the shoot, which ended a little after 2, I turned my phone back on, which was off during the shoot because it interferes with every piece of audio equipment I come in contact with. I had three messages waiting, with the last one from just before 2, which was my mom letting me know that my family's flight had been canceled, and they were stranded in Atlanta, which apparently has no vacant hotel rooms. Since they were without Internet access, I got online and spent the next hour or so searching for a way to get them out of there, including looking at airports within a few hours driving distance of Atlanta and checking train schedules. I finally got them on a flight at 6:45 tonight. That's still over 14 hours from now. Hopefully they'll be able to figure something else out before then, but at least they have those (refundable) tickets as a backup.

The whole airport thing wore me out, so I'm not going to do the dinner tonight. Of course the next few days are looking pretty busy too, so I don't know if I'll have time before the weekend to do anything that can't be made in the microwave or toaster oven.

You're not a broom?
Finally, a new Strong Bad email!

Blake, who left over 100 messages over a period of about 2 hours while I was in class
ShkenBlke2 (2:08:09 PM): like classes are actually important when your a film student at johns hopkins
ShkenBlke2 (2:08:17 PM): more like Hanz Bopkins

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Happy Easter
Happy Easter. Tonight I will be celebrating by attempting to cook spaghetti. I'm pretty sure I have all the ingredients: A box of spaghetti, salt, margarine, Emeril's "Roasted Gaaahlic™" tomato sauce, and even black olives as per my grandmother's suggestion. Yes, I know spaghetti is easy to make. Yes, I know that everyone else learned to make pasta at age 5. Give me a break, I'm an idiot, remember? Oh, and the wine will be served in a plastic cup because I don't even have any real glasses. This is college.

And about those '80s songs? Yeah, I bought nine of them.

Gonna sleep on it
It's 5 AM and I've found myself going through the '80s Pop iTunes Essentials playlist, adding an unexpected number of songs to my shopping cart. Before I add any more or buy any at all, I'm going to get some sleep, because I think I might just be going crazy.

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Name that tune
Never mind, I think I got it.

Politically Correct. And awkward.
Today after my first class, the professor said wished me a happy Easter in the hallway, and I returned the expression, and went to lunch at Levering, one of our cafeterias. As usual, I went to the hoagie station. Well, "sub" station. Actually, I think it is called "Sub Station." No, "Sub Connection." Maybe. I don't remember. Anyhoo*, when the woman gave me my BLT, I still had my professor's greeting fresh in my mind and wished her a happy Easter. When I got to the cashier, I realized that I now had to say something to her too, since she most likely heard what I said to the woman who made my sandwich. But, in a sudden panic, I decided to play it safe, and said, "Have a great holiday." As I began filling my soda at the fountain right next to the cash register, I thought, "What other holiday could someone possibly be celebrating right now?" I felt so stupid that I didn't even fill the soda all the way, slammed the lid on the cup, and got out of there. This is why I can't go back to Levering for several weeks.

*Don't you HATE that?

I'm awesome because...
I'm awesome because I live in a machine.

800
800 entries of awesome. I'm awesome.

Who's looking forward to #1,000?

Fan Pic Entry #1
From Blake, Kate, and Katie. I did the actual Photoshopping because Blake doesn't have the necessary software, but I was simply following his instructions.


iTunes is dangerous
Of course
ShkenBlke2 (2:14:59 AM): That picture is........ AMAZINGLY AWESOME!!!!

Bunch of stars
ShkenBlke2 (1:07:38 AM): so yeah, about that apology u owe me
Skier Wysz (1:08:17 AM): why don't you just get even with me instead
ShkenBlke2 (1:08:56 AM): YOU **** ******* MOTHER ******* *** **** THAT EATS **** FOR BREAKFAST AND ******* LIKES IT!!!!!
ShkenBlke2 (1:09:02 AM): I **** YOUR ******* ****!!!!
Skier Wysz (1:09:13 AM): lol
Skier Wysz (1:09:16 AM): that was fun
ShkenBlke2 (1:09:28 AM): i feel better
ShkenBlke2 (1:09:42 AM): can u just blog this part w/ a bunch of stars and symbols?

Funny mood
Skier Wysz (9:37:25 PM): i guess this is how nerds party
Stowington (9:38:07 PM): just to make sure here
Skier Wysz (9:38:11 PM): one of them has velcro shoes!!!!
Stowington (9:38:18 PM): did you send three identical IM's right before the link?
Skier Wysz (9:38:18 PM): remember those?
Skier Wysz (9:38:34 PM): umm yeah, they all looked blank for some reason
Skier Wysz (9:38:41 PM): i thought i was pasting the link
Stowington (9:38:48 PM): they're white text
Skier Wysz (9:38:53 PM): odd
Stowington (9:39:00 PM): read it
Stowington (9:39:25 PM): where did you copy it from
Skier Wysz (9:39:54 PM): safari
Stowington (9:40:46 PM): what page
Skier Wysz (9:41:14 PM): link
Skier Wysz (9:41:27 PM): what did the white text say? i closed the window
Stowington (9:41:48 PM): Skier Wysz (9:35:32 PM): I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
Skier Wysz (9:35:34 PM): I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
Skier Wysz (9:35:35 PM): I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
Skier Wysz (9:42:27 PM): hahahaahahhahahhahaha
Skier Wysz (9:42:37 PM): i was looking for that on itunes
Skier Wysz (9:42:41 PM): it's the cape song
Stowington (9:42:44 PM): mm hm
Skier Wysz (9:42:47 PM): that paul shaffer sings on letterman
Skier Wysz (9:42:52 PM): IT IS
Stowington (9:42:57 PM): right
Stowington (9:43:18 PM): it's ok if you want to express your true feelings for me
Stowington (9:43:19 PM): let it out
Skier Wysz (9:43:40 PM): ok, i suppose it's time
Skier Wysz (9:43:48 PM): i've been using mohak to get to you
Stowington (9:44:17 PM): hahahaha
Stowington (9:44:35 PM): well at least you didn't go through The Butt
Stowington (9:44:39 PM): oh hmm
Stowington (9:44:47 PM): guess you can't blog that
Skier Wysz (9:45:30 PM): eh i'm in a funny mood

Alert: The number of OS X viruses has risen from zero to... 20 times that amount!
Mac Virus, Hacker Attacks on the Rise
- Headline from another MacNewsWorld article. I was going to link to it earlier, but decided not to. The Virex post has since made it relevant again.

Apparently Windows freezes on my Mac
Skier Wysz (7:04:20 PM): pretty much the only thing i dont use is virex
csvroomfondel (7:04:38 PM): virex does seem a bit superflous
Skier Wysz (7:05:05 PM): yeah, and i wasn't too happy when it deleted a few of my inboxes in mail...
csvroomfondel (7:05:15 PM): really?
Skier Wysz (7:05:27 PM): yeah, apple ended up pulling the download
csvroomfondel (7:05:31 PM): that's the sign of a good anti-virus program
Skier Wysz (7:05:42 PM): and then the new version of virex is "not intended for scanning email"
Skier Wysz (7:06:01 PM): so... how else would a mac user receive a virus?
Skier Wysz (7:06:30 PM): this is why i didn't bother downloading the new one
Skier Wysz (7:12:45 PM): so i just went to confirm my statement about it not being intended for email (i'm fact-checking an upcoming blog entry) and the mcafee website that apple points to doesn't mention anything about virex at all, except a link to the real virex site, which i only found after using the sites search feature to look for "virex"
Skier Wysz (7:13:34 PM): and this website doesn't make any sense either!
csvroomfondel (7:13:45 PM): link?
Skier Wysz (7:14:00 PM): this is why i switched to norton on our pc's, i hate mcaffe
Skier Wysz (7:14:04 PM): virexhelp.com
Skier Wysz (7:15:39 PM): see, the new site, dr solomon or whatever, seems to be pc-based as well
Skier Wysz (7:18:02 PM): oh this is priceless: below this conversation i will post some great graphics. at the drsolomon site, there was this ad that i clicked on...
csvroomfondel (7:19:29 PM): is dr. solomon a mcafee product?
Skier Wysz (7:21:42 PM): who knows, i'm pretty sure virex was bought by mcaffe at one point, maybe it was dr. solomon but i dont know, i think it was just some guy. i'm pretty sure i had a very early version of it on my mac lc, for some reason i remember the credits screen had a thing where this big foot would squash the credits
csvroomfondel (7:22:12 PM): this is like, virex for brits or something
Skier Wysz (7:22:21 PM): yeah...

Here's the wonderful ad that I just had to click on:



Which took me to this page:


And then in the sidebar:

Friday, March 25, 2005

See you next year
I'm a bit late with this, but they're done.

It's 3:33
And I have a lot of work to do.

Please note
Believe it or not, Blake, famous on this blog for his idiotic rambling, is taking the MCATS on April 16th.

You mean they won't stop at 10.4?!!
So far this month, Ciarelli has reported that Apple is planning to introduce the newest version of its operating system, known as OS X Tiger, in April, and that it is also planning newer versions. [Bold emphasis mine.]
Link (MacNewsWorld)

More from Blake
ShkenBlke2 (12:09:20 AM): hey, on ur "brightest pupil's" entry, u didnt include that part that made it all make sense
Skier Wysz (12:09:47 AM): anything that describes you as bright isn't going to make sense

So tired of school
Skier Wysz (3:20:29 AM): i don't want to write my midterm paper
Stowington (3:21:03 AM): well I don't either

Thursday, March 24, 2005

HOTW -- A "Must-visit!"
While Googling for "Home of the Wysz," I came across this page on Tochtli.net, which lists my site just below HomestarRunner.com in the "must-visit" category. Just one more boost to my already unhealthy ego.

Ugh, when will this week be over? Oh, Sunday at midnight? THAT'S TOO FAR AWAY
It's been a LONG rough week at school, and I just realized something that made it even worse. I bought a Mountain Dew from a vending machine ($1.25 or something ridiculous) during one of my classes on Tuesday. It had the regular label, but as a nice surprise, there was a yellow iTunes cap! (We've seen this before.) Not only that, it was a winning cap! One free song. I was so happy. But...

I threw it away. I threw away my free song. I threw away my chance at a special edition iPod mini with a Pepsi logo on it. I threw it all away.

Inspirational Quotes
Skier Wysz (6:34:44 PM): once when i was leaving campus for easter
Skier Wysz (6:34:52 PM): i had my suitcase
Skier Wysz (6:34:56 PM): and someone saw me leaving
Skier Wysz (6:35:05 PM): and said "why are you going home?"
Skier Wysz (6:35:12 PM): and i said "it's easter"
Skier Wysz (6:35:14 PM): and he said
Skier Wysz (6:35:23 PM): "i didn't know you were jewish!"
Skier Wysz (6:36:07 PM): this is a true story
Skier Wysz (6:37:37 PM): i think that at least deserves a ha
BuffyPrep5 (6:38:43 PM): sorry
BuffyPrep5 (6:38:49 PM): i was downstairs getting my chinese
BuffyPrep5 (6:40:21 PM): it is funny
BuffyPrep5 (6:40:35 PM): he was kidding right?
Skier Wysz (6:40:40 PM): nope
BuffyPrep5 (6:40:54 PM): who was it?
Skier Wysz (6:41:00 PM): boyang li
Skier Wysz (6:41:24 PM): aka bli2442442244 on JHED
BuffyPrep5 (6:41:33 PM): hahahahahahahahahahahaha
BuffyPrep5 (6:41:41 PM): now THAT was inspired

ShkenBlke2 (1:44:02 AM): i was one of his brightest pupils
Skier Wysz (1:49:25 AM): for some reason i can't picture you as one of the "brightest pupils"
Skier Wysz (1:49:35 AM): just doesnt work for me
Skier Wysz (1:50:13 AM): no offense
ShkenBlke2 (1:50:19 AM): bite me
Skier Wysz (1:50:25 AM): i have just heard you say too many stupid things
ShkenBlke2 (1:51:10 AM): doesnt mean im not bright
ShkenBlke2 (1:51:17 AM): last week i got 2 play w/ my own urine
ShkenBlke2 (1:51:25 AM): and today i got 2 play w/ my saliva

You learn something new every day.
BuffyPrep5 (6:20:57 PM): tonight is purim
BuffyPrep5 (6:20:58 PM): did you know that?
Skier Wysz (6:21:17 PM): no, and i don't know what that is
BuffyPrep5 (6:21:24 PM): it's a jewish holiday
Skier Wysz (6:21:35 PM): oh yeah you have passover coming up right
BuffyPrep5 (6:21:41 PM): in a month
BuffyPrep5 (6:21:51 PM): this year is a jewish leap year
BuffyPrep5 (6:21:57 PM): so it's a month later
Skier Wysz (6:22:03 PM): hahaha you have leap years?
Skier Wysz (6:22:08 PM): that's awesome
BuffyPrep5 (6:22:10 PM): yeah
BuffyPrep5 (6:22:14 PM): you add an extra month
BuffyPrep5 (6:22:20 PM): adar 1 and adar 2

We have different values
ShkenBlke2 (1:37:01 AM): so there is like no one here on campus
Skier Wysz (1:37:13 AM): must be nice
ShkenBlke2 (1:37:18 AM): not really
ShkenBlke2 (1:37:27 AM): they closed the library till monday night
ShkenBlke2 (1:37:29 AM): im pissed
ShkenBlke2 (1:37:34 AM): now i hafta study in the lounge
Skier Wysz (1:37:45 AM): they closed the library? that would make me SO ANGRY

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Come on, let's break (or meet) 500!
Sign it now! (If you agree with it, of course. Oh, and no wacky "I have 20 broken Studio Displays" signatures, unless, of course, you actually do have 20.)

Someone stop me now
I'm up late tonight again for no good reason™, and I've started posting comments on Crazy Apple Rumors. And I wasn't even going for a first post. Well, that was my original intention when I went to the article, but I immediately saw that I had lost. Reminds me of my "first vote" days on As the Apple Turns.

I hope this doesn't turn into a habit. I have work to do.

But I don't like work...

AIM Exodous
Isn't it weird when a bunch of people on your buddy list suddenly sign off?

The coolest thing ever™ just happened (again)
I guess the last time it happened was when Dave read my letter. This time, a cast member from the one and only Napoleon Dynamite emailed me.

Yep, that's right. Trevor Snarr, who played Don, read "Thanks a lot, Trevor," clicked the Feedback link, and wrote some feedback. He was probably Googling himself, but there's no shame in that. I do it every day. How else would I keep track of my search ranking for "i'm awesome"? (Third page on Google right now.)

Of course I immediately felt bad for writing a negative comment about him, because I never thought that he would actually read it. He wasn't hostile at all in his response. He confirmed that Napoleon Dynamite was his first film, and said that he auditioned for it and didn't know anyone. He even asked for suggestions about what he could have done better. I emailed him back, admitting that I really don't have a clue what I'm talking about when it comes to acting, but pinned my comment down to his reaction shots, in which I thought that he appeared to be "trying too hard." I know that "acting is reacting" but for me it just didn't work. Of course, that is probably how his character would act anyway, so I really can't blame Trevor. Plus, his other scenes (scenes where he has dialogue) have no problems. I was also unable to find any negative comments about him on other websites. I ended up blaming the awkwardness on the editor, because that's probably the job I'd have in film, and when in doubt, doubt yourself. "When in doubt, doubt yourself." Did I just coin a new saying?

Alright I think I'm beginning to ramble. I have class in four hours and I haven't slept yet. I would have been in bed an hour ago, but I got an email from a movie star. Thanks a lot, Trevor!

Let's not try to push the limits of my "G" rating
Skier Wysz (2:45:09 PM): it was this broom that vibrates
Skier Wysz (2:45:17 PM): the reviews were a bit
Stowington (2:45:17 PM): oh dear
Skier Wysz (2:45:19 PM): suggestive
Stowington (2:45:48 PM): I see
Skier Wysz (2:48:34 PM): although
Skier Wysz (2:48:43 PM): well i dont even feel like describing this
Skier Wysz (2:49:04 PM): but apparently there is a rather dirty reason why brooms became associated with witchcraft
Stowington (2:49:25 PM): oh my

Respect
muzikgoddss (4:22:45 PM): wysz can i have your lax ticket?
Skier Wysz (4:23:01 PM): aren't you a student?
muzikgoddss (4:23:16 PM): yeah but i dont want to walk in the rain
Skier Wysz (4:23:58 PM): haha wow, since i respect the laziness in your reason, i will grant you my ticket

Alright, Google, bring on the (pseudo) celebrities!
Stowington (2:01:54 PM): you should say mean things about lots of famous people and see how many more find it
Skier Wysz (2:02:15 PM): haha, i'm wondering if matt walsh is going to come after me
Skier Wysz (2:02:35 PM): type "matt walsh sucks" in google
Stowington (2:03:23 PM): all the way down at #5
Skier Wysz (2:04:01 PM): well that may change once google indexes the individual entry page, as well as this entry

Random Joe Ington quote that's not particularly interesting, funny, or even relevant
Skier Wysz (2:09:11 PM): although i cannot seem to find the family pack on amazon
Stowington (2:29:44 PM): that's too bad
Skier Wysz (2:30:48 PM): well i did find it
Skier Wysz (2:30:53 PM): but it is unavailable
Stowington (2:31:01 PM): the discount?
Skier Wysz (2:31:37 PM): the product
Stowington (2:31:51 PM): well it hasn't been released yet
Skier Wysz (2:32:54 PM): oh
Skier Wysz (2:33:05 PM): i thought i saw it in the store the other day
Skier Wysz (2:33:12 PM): at radioshack
Stowington (2:36:18 PM): I think I'm going to add the Incredibles dvd to my mouse purchase
Skier Wysz (2:36:37 PM): i got the incredibles for easter
Stowington (2:36:42 PM): ooo
Skier Wysz (2:36:49 PM): which was apparently last friday
Stowington (2:36:51 PM): but easter hasn't happened yet
Stowington (2:36:58 PM): which means you got it last easter
Stowington (2:37:02 PM): before it was in theaters
Skier Wysz (2:37:13 PM): hmm something's not adding up
Stowington (2:37:49 PM): I don't know what you're talking bout, 2+2=7
Skier Wysz (2:37:53 PM): this is weird, future products on amazon, movies on dvd before theatrical release...
Skier Wysz (2:38:03 PM): ah
Stowington (2:38:09 PM): did you see the new viewsonic laptop?
Skier Wysz (2:38:14 PM): no
Stowington (2:38:38 PM): http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0003099MM/qid=1111096668/sr=1-97/ref=sr_1_97/102-9547862-7976125?v=glance&s=electronics
Skier Wysz (2:39:21 PM): haha
Skier Wysz (2:39:22 PM): nice
Stowington (2:39:26 PM): the reviews are amusing
Skier Wysz (2:40:12 PM): amazon should really get its act together
Skier Wysz (2:40:34 PM): this reminds me of the reviews of the harry potter broom

I've seen it
Reneelet (4:06:09 PM): i saw bill lying down sleeping on the main floor of the library today
Skier Wysz (4:07:41 PM): haha
Skier Wysz (4:08:03 PM): was he tucked away in a corner, or just in the middle of the floor?
Reneelet (4:08:15 PM): right inside the doors, lying down on a bench
Skier Wysz (4:09:04 PM): the level where they sell coffee? or the level below that?
Reneelet (4:09:17 PM): coffee
Skier Wysz (4:09:38 PM): ok i don't think that's technically the "main" level
Skier Wysz (4:09:48 PM): that is M level or Q level or something
Reneelet (4:09:56 PM): q
Skier Wysz (4:10:00 PM): ah
Skier Wysz (4:11:11 PM): then why did you say "main floor"? it's not main, and a library at a fine institution such as johns hopkins would never have floors. we have levels.
Reneelet (4:11:32 PM): haha
Reneelet (4:11:51 PM): like when we went into Godiva chocolates and i asked for cookies, and she was like, we only have biscuits
Skier Wysz (4:13:02 PM): haha
Skier Wysz (4:13:23 PM): oh and in carpool they go to the gourmet food store, and they don't sell donuts!
Skier Wysz (4:13:46 PM): but, then at the end, they sell gourmet donuts at the carnival
Skier Wysz (4:14:06 PM): you have never seen that movie have you
Reneelet (4:14:12 PM): nope

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Win
Ted won last night. The game was on TV, but I don't have cable here so I missed it. I'm sure TiVo has it for me at home.

The Office
The Office (American version) premieres Thursday at 9:30 EST on NBC. I've heard that the original (British) series is hilarious, and the guy who created it was pretty funny during his Letterman appearance. I'd give NBC a link, but I can't stand the fact that they run those SpecificPOP ads. You know what? I think I will give you a link. Use this link to email NBC.com and tell them to get rid of the pop-up ad on the front page.

Delaying laundry by one more day
As a student, I get one free ticket to the Hopkins lacrosse game on Saturday against The Entire State of Virginia. At least that's what Brendan told me. Normally, I wouldn't be interested in such an offer, but by picking up a ticket for this game, I was also entitled to... a free t-shirt! So, I went to the athletic center and got the ticket and the shirt. The shirt has so far impressed me in four ways:
1. It's free.
2. It's blue.
3. It says, "THE NEST" on the front, and I don't know what this means. I guess it is referring to the nest of the Blue Jay, our mascot, but I'm not sure. In any case, it's cool to have a shirt that says something you don't understand. Speaking of our mascot, I wonder if we actually have a guy who dresses up as a Blue Jay. I might actually go to the game just to find out.
4. The back of it is a huge Pepsi logo. Most highbrow college students would likely scoff at such imagery, but I really like Pepsi, I don't have a problem with most advertising (pop-ups, shoot the thing and get an iPod, etc. aside), and I like the idea of angering hippie liberal intellectuals. Especially the ones who always wear sandals.

If anyone would like to see Saturday's game of the #1 ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays vs. second-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, let me know, as I have a ticket to get rid of. I'll sell you my parking space too. The game is at Homewood Field (Hopkins) on Saturday, March 26, at 1:00.

Re: Google Maps
Google emailed me back, which I sincerely appreciate since I send feedback to other companies with no content-specific acknowledgment, saying that they are aware of the printing problem while using Google Maps on the Safari browser, and they are working on a solution.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Not a popularity contest
Membership of Ted's Tyrants at 12:15 PM EST, March 21, 2005: 185
Membership of Lee Melchionni is Frickin' awesome at the same time: 275

You must be logged into a Thefacebook account for the links to work.

Facebook popularity contest update
Matt Walsh is God: 47
Matt Walsh Sucks: 16

Score:
Lee: 275
Ted: 185
Matt: 47 - 16 = 31

It was actually pretty good
I thought it was funny when I went to heat up some food the other day and saw a patent number on the box. Yes, I eat patented food.

Sunday, March 20, 2005

More

Crazy Game
I was just thinking about how crazy Day of the Tentacle was and I really want to play it again. I know I have the CD here somewhere...

PLANTS!
I think I should get a shirt that says, "PLANTS."

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Filled to the brim!
Don't worry, the rest of the blog won't be pictures of cats. In fact, I'm going to try and limit the amount of pictures in general, because I only have 5.1 MB left on my iDisk! Just warning you, folks, HOTW may see another extended hiatus if I run out of space.

Every blogger reaches that point where he just posts pictures of his cats
Thursday, March 17, 2005

Item #7 Update
I checked the Daily Incident Report today, and noticed that they had provided information about the progress of the blue light upgrade project. Since my previous entry on the topic was a criticism, I figured it would only be fair to tell the whole story and let you know that they have in fact been upgrading the phones. Here's an excerpt from the report:
---------------------------------
EMERGENCY PHONE UPGRADE PROJECT – As of this report, 16 emergency phones have been replaced with the new intercom models.

EMERGENCY PHONE PROBLEMS – Telecommunications has parts on order. All emergency phones are on fast track for upgrading:

• Eastern Campus West Lot – 2 phones do not call to the security desk.
• Eastern Campus North Lot – 1 phone does not call to the security desk.
• East Gate (MSEL Circle Drive Entrance) – does not call to security.
• Homewood Museum Lot (near AMRs) – does not call to security.
• West Gate Lot (upper west end) – does not call to security.

The below phones alert security dispatch when the emergency button is pushed and held in, but do have the listed technical problems:
• Mattin Center (south end, near BMA garden fence) -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• Barn Theater (hillside) -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• Garland/Levering Plaza -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• AMR 2 (south of Terrace Court entrance) – does not transmit the voice of the caller.
---------------------------------

Ouch
I've been rejected by three film festivals in the past couple of days due to my film's "excessive awesomeness." I hope I get accepted into at least one festival.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

On T.V.
I'm watching Ted on ESPN 2. They're winning.

Ted won
I watched most of the game on mute (and fast forward) but I was able to grab one good clip. According to Dave Barnett of ESPN, "half the battle" in the NIT is to "act like you care that you're in it."

Homage
I don't think you'd ever read a company voluntarily writing something like this about Microsoft.

One more
I just felt like doing one more entry before I go to bed. This is it.

So This Is Pittstown


I get a kick out of this sign every time I pass it, and finally took a picture today. I still need to get a shot of that crazy rocket thing leaning against the phone booth in Doylestown. Now that I think about it, that may be the only phone booth in Doylestown.

I also passed a toilet lying on the side of the road with a sign that read:
FREE
FULL FLUSH

Johns Hopkins Security Update: Item #7
If you've been reading this blog for a while and have been reading it carefully, you need help. Also, you probably know that I read the Daily Incident Report, published by the JHU Security Department, daily. Since I've been reading it on a daily basis, some items seem like inside jokes now, because they appear so often. Like the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute door alarm. It goes off (probably on its own) almost every night. Don't worry, it's always "checked, found secure." At some point last year, I noticed another common occurrence. There were problems with the blue light system noted daily, and they never seemed to get cleared from the report. Either the units kept breaking, or they were never fixed. I first blogged this trend last November.

As part of the new Security Action Plan, dated January 31, 2005, the blue light system is supposedly receiving an overhaul to make it more reliable. Item number seven reads:
Hardware that will improve the reliability of our on- and off-campus network of blue light emergency telephones has been ordered and will be installed within four weeks.

Obviously, if today is March 16th, it's been over four weeks. But before we check to see if they met this deadline, I'll make sure they haven't updated this estimate. Ah, here we go, from the last item of update #2, dated February 18, 2005:
New hardware for the 32 existing blue light emergency telephones will be installed by Feb. 28, correcting the phones' reliability problem. We also have ordered six more telephones for additional installations and are doing an assessment, with input received from students and administrators, to determine where they might be most effectively located.

Alright, looks like they were on track a month ago, but I see the list of updates goes all the way to number four, from March 9, 2005. The second item:
The installation of new hardware to make the blue light emergency phones more reliable (action plan item 7) will be complete by the end of this week.

Looks like they missed the first deadline, but "by the end of this week" sounds pretty confident. I'm looking at my calendar, and March 9th was last week, so we should be good. Time to load up the Daily Incident Report for today, March 16th, 2005: (Bold emphasis is from the actual report and not added by me.)
----------------------
EMERGENCY PHONE PROBLEMS – Telecommunications has parts on order. All emergency phones are on fast track for upgrading:

• Eastern Campus West Lot – 2 phones do not call to the security desk.
• Eastern Campus North Lot – 1 phone does not call to the security desk.
• East Gate (MSEL Circle Drive Entrance) – does not call to security.
• Homewood Museum Lot (near AMRs) – does not call to security.
• West Gate Lot (upper west end) – does not call to security.
• Homewood Apts. (front) – does not call to security.

The below phones alert security dispatch when the emergency button is pushed and held in, but do have the listed technical problems:
• Mattin Center (south end, near BMA garden fence) -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• Barn Theater (hillside) -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• Garland/Levering Plaza -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• Garland Lot – flashing beacon and siren are not operative.
• Stony Run Lot – flashing beacon and siren are not operative.
• Shriver Hall – siren is not operative.
• Mattin Center (Offit Building) – siren is not operative.
• Mattin Center (Jones Building) – has no flashing beacon.
• Barn Theater/Krieger Hall (roadside) – does not transmit the voice of the caller.
• AMR 2 (south of Terrace Court entrance) – does not transmit the voice of the caller.
----------------------
Whoops, they're not quite ready. Maybe the blue lights were just for show. They may want to change that before sending out this year's acceptance letters.

Will do
eightman1984 (8:07:37 PM): um, for future reference, when ever I'm mentioned in your blog, I would like to be refered to as John "black steel in the hour of chaos" Young.

Actually, it was his away message that changed!
Speier70 (6:18:51 PM): did you see my away message?
Skier Wysz (6:19:12 PM): yes i am blogging it in a sec
Speier70 (6:20:56 PM): it was on our door this morning
Speier70 (6:21:45 PM): I like how it starts as "exciting news" and gradually turns into an apology
Skier Wysz (6:22:27 PM): did it really say patience or did it say patients like the last one
Speier70 (6:22:44 PM): I assume it was correct

Bill's Profile Changed! And it's informative!
Dear Valued Residents,

We have exciting news! The elevator in your building will be replaced starting on or about March 21. The elevator is expected to be completely out of service until May 21. It will be necessary for you to utilize the two stairwells until the elevator project is complete. If you should need any special assistance during the next two months, please contact the leasing office. We will do everything we can to make this transition as smooth as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

2 More Lost & Found Flicks
Assignment #1: Atomic Vignettes
Assignment #2: A Silent Date With Your Family

Now available on J-Stream.

Joe Ington does some Photoshoppin'

Stowington (12:38:07 AM): if you saw the feeder clearly though you'd know the blue thing was a bird?
Skier Wysz (12:38:34 AM): umm it is easy to tell it's a feeder, my attention just wasn't drawn to it immediately
Stowington (12:39:04 AM): despite the weird blue thing sitting on it
Skier Wysz (12:40:29 AM): i originally thought the weird blue smudge was on the window
Stowington (12:40:35 AM): haha
Skier Wysz (12:40:49 AM): i suppose i have poor depth perception
Stowington (12:40:58 AM): you just made me see it that way
Skier Wysz (12:41:03 AM): also, my vision is a bit odd when it comes to cats
Skier Wysz (12:41:18 AM): i constantly see our cats in the corner of my eye, even when i'm in baltimore
...
Stowington (12:44:29 AM): well I'd like to keep the bird from smudging on the window if I can
Stowington (12:44:57 AM): because the one on spring break is going to get stuck cleaning it up
...
Stowington (1:02:06 AM): if you want old school
Stowington (1:02:19 AM): the guy who drives me to school has a printing press in his basement
Stowington (1:02:24 AM): not school of course
Stowington (1:02:27 AM): but church
Stowington (1:02:35 AM): I think I need to go to bed

Old School
I'm thinking about pulling out the old Apple ImageWriter (a dot matrix printer) for my next paper, just to see what my professor says. I wonder if Staples still carries the type of ribbon I need. They still have ink cartridges compatible with my Color StyleWriter Pro.

Baleeted!
If you're a Mac user and a Homestar Runner fan, you may enjoy this tip. About a year ago, I modified my computer to make Homestar yell "Baleeted!" when something is dragged to the Trash. He also says, "Email," when I get a new email, but that's another lesson.

Here's how to do what I did:
1. Download the audio file here, which I have conveniently shortened and converted to AIFF for you. The original file can be found in the "System Sounds Pack" from the Downloads page.
2. Unzip baleeted.zip, which should expand to drag to trash.aif
3. Replace the existing drag to trash.aif file in System/Library/Components/CoreAudio.component/Contents/Resources/SystemSounds/dock with the one you just downloaded.
4. Restart and drag something to the trash. It should play Homestar's voice. If it doesn't, I dunno, make sure you're not muted by testing other system sounds, then try again. If it still doesn't work, umm, check your permissions or something. If that doesn't do it, well, uh... Well, it SHOULD work!

Update:
I realized that some of you (or other users on your computer) may get tired of the sound, so I've put the original up here for download.

Robots
Several people have asked me about Robots now, so I figure it's safe to assume that it's something I can write about in my blog without getting the "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE MOVIE YOU SAW" response. Alright, I'd never get that response no matter what, since my reader feedback is generally limited to a group of five people, who I simply ignore anyway. This introduction is way too long for what I'm about to say, so let's get to it.

Robots was good. I liked it. Just because I am about to criticize it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. Blake, did you hear that? Good. The visuals were great eye-candy, and I enjoyed the animation style. Mel Brooks and Robin Williams were funny, but I think the script should have left more opportunities for them to "let loose." They still managed to get in some great lines and references. Robin Williams even did a dying HAL 9000 impression at one point.

The story is where Robots left a little to be desired. There wasn't much to it at all. Robots was "Generic CG feature." It was a story about a non-human world that is pretty much human, there were lots of celebrity voices, and it contained a slew of references to other movies and pop culture. This alone is not a terrible thing, but the predictable storyline, which pretty much lets you figure out the entire movie in the first five minutes, makes it a bit tiring. I don't think there were any plot-twisting surprises in this film.

Story/screenplay is why Pixar's films do better. In fact, they have a flawless record at the box office. Blake thinks I'm hopelessly partial to Pixar, but I don't believe this is true. I liked Shrek more than I liked The Incredibles. In fact, I don't even always like Pixar's visual style the best. It can be a little flat and superclean doesn't always cut it. It worked very well for Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo, but with human characters it looks too 1980s. For more real-world settings and human characters, I prefer visuals seen in Shrek and The Polar Express, both from non-Pixar studios. Robots was from Blue Sky, the same people who made Ice Age, and has more Pixar-like animation, but for a movie about Robots this is perfect. Speaking of Ice Age, there was a trailer for Ice Age 2 before Robots. It was a sequel to the first Ice Age trailer with that squirrel guy and the acorn. I saw most of the first Ice Age (the movie, not the glacial period), and while it wasn't a bad movie and did have good characters, I think the trailer was the best part.

In any case, it's very rare that I see a film I don't like, because I simply want to be entertained. I didn't even care when Lucas made changes to the Star Wars movies. They still look good to me. I've never seen a bad CG feature, so I'm not about to start with Robots. It has my approval.

Also, please note that if this entry didn't make sense and lacked "flow," it is because I got distracted several times while writing it over a three hour period.

In case you haven't heard of it
Google Maps is awesome. The whole Mapquest thing in one clean (and fast) interface.

That is all.

Please pardon our mess
When I'm famous, I'm going to stalk my fans.

Comments?
I've been playing around with the order of my sidebar, and I'm not sure if I like it. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

54 Rejects
Bryan Chang of the Ivy Film Festival needs a lesson in email etiquette. I received an email from him tonight informing me that my film was not accepted into this year's festival. My address was in the Cc header field, along with 53 others, which means my email address was shared with 53 people. This isn't a huge deal since my address is out on the Internet anyway, but it is still a violation of my privacy, and the privacy of the other 50 losers who paid $20 or $30 to submit their film only to be rejected. For example, I now know that one of my classmates also entered the festival and was rejected, so now he will be subject to humiliation when I make fun of him.

I could post Bryan's email address here and urge you to contact him, but I won't since I am sure it was an honest mistake on his part. I'll just send him a little reply myself. And I won't be stupid and hit "Reply All" like some other idiots will probably do.

Update:
Ugh, I just realized that the address wasn't my public wysz@mac.com address (which filters spam very well); it was one of my JHU aliases. If I get spammed because some Windows using recipient of the email has spyware, I'm not going to be happy. Fortunately, Hopkins has a pretty good filter. Either that or the spammers don't have my JHU address yet.

Update Update:
It was an honest mistake. Bryan emailed me back three minutes after I sent my message, explaining that he didn't realize Cc would send the list to everyone, and also offering his "deepest apologies." We can all get some sleep now.

Update Update Update:
As I predicted, someone sent out a reply to all of the recipients today at 9 AM, even though the response was only intended for Bryan. I don't know why some email clients and webmail systems have "Reply All" as the default or displayed more prominently than "Reply," but it is really annoying. This one was from a "NetBlitz" webmail service. Around noon, Bryan sent out another email to everyone (this time using Bcc) informing us that several recipients had brought the mistake to his attention, and he is still sorry.

For the sake of cience
Skier Wysz (11:31:45 PM): john stowington, are you prepared to crash safari for the sake of science?
Skier Wysz (11:31:55 PM): excuse me, i meant joe ington
Stowington (11:32:01 PM): I do it all the time for the sake of procrastination
Stowington (11:32:04 PM): why not for cience?
Stowington (11:32:13 PM): maybe even science if I get around to it?
Skier Wysz (11:32:16 PM): cience works
Stowington (11:32:24 PM): alright for cience then
Skier Wysz (11:32:52 PM): ok go to maps.google.com and try to print something (you can just save as PDF) by clicking on the "print" link. this will probably crash safari
Stowington (11:36:19 PM): yup it did
Skier Wysz (11:36:54 PM): ok can you do me a favor and submit a bug report through the "feedback" link so they don't think i'm crazy
Stowington (11:40:45 PM): yeah I did
Stowington (11:40:55 PM): I bet they don't listen to me anymore thouggh
Stowington (11:40:59 PM): I send in a lot
Skier Wysz (11:41:13 PM): for maps or other stuff?
Skier Wysz (11:42:10 PM): i think the only other google feedback i sent was asking them to add POP access to gmail, which they did
Skier Wysz (11:43:37 PM): obviously, my feedback means a lot to them
Stowington (11:44:25 PM): oh well then tell them to fix my svg plugin
Skier Wysz (11:45:11 PM): umm isnt that from adobe?
Stowington (11:45:18 PM): yeah
Skier Wysz (11:45:26 PM): and you want google to fix it for you
Stowington (11:45:36 PM): maybe they'll put in a good word for you over at adoby
Stowington (11:45:41 PM): and adobe
Skier Wysz (11:46:02 PM): you're not making much sense
Stowington (11:46:08 PM): that reminds me of a slashdot comment I saw earlier this evening
Skier Wysz (11:46:18 PM): this is like talking to blake
Skier Wysz (11:46:34 PM): except that last part; blake couldn't spell /. if he tried

Street Official!
Skier Wysz (12:07:50 AM): i'm now downloading the street official mixtape vol. 5 from itunes
Stowington (12:08:00 AM): hmm
Stowington (12:08:05 AM): no I won't ask
Skier Wysz (12:08:11 AM): (it's free)
Skier Wysz (12:08:26 AM): i also have volumes 1 and 4
Stowington (12:08:26 AM): free is good
Skier Wysz (12:08:34 AM): somehow i missed 2 and 3
Stowington (12:09:09 AM): oops

Better get to bed now. Or should I just stay up at this point?
Sara (1:55:13 PM): hiii michael...better go to bed early tonight because my 5:00 class was cancelled so now i will be done at 1:45 instead of 6:15!! wooo woooo...exciting stuff- i know you are thrilled because that means you get to come get me earlier! its reaaaally not that bad and i have complete confidence that you can do it- this way we can be home in time for dinner...yummm
Sara (1:56:19 PM): haha goodbye...i will be sure to tell mom about the earlier departure time so she can remind you because this might be too early for you to process what i have just said

A touching story
Reneelet (10:20:20 PM): you sure eat a lot of cake
Skier Wysz (10:20:33 PM): i eat a piece every night at home
Reneelet (10:20:48 PM): thats a touching story

Monday, March 14, 2005

Dial Comes To Town Comes to J-Stream
Every time J-Stream publishes some of my work, I give them a plug over here at HOTW. J-Stream is a streaming media network at Johns Hopkins that showcases anything and everything about JHU that has been captured on video. If you'd like to help out, they have meetings "weekly at 9:30."

This time the plug is due to Vi's (yeah, another crazy Hopkins name) generous act of staying at school for Spring Break so she could put "Dial Comes to Town" on J-Stream, giving the rest of the world a chance to experience my prank-calling hilarity. Give her film, "How Not To Use Phones," a look too. As of this writing, Isaac's film isn't up yet, but when you go to J-Stream check for one called "This is Tommy Nakanishi."

Here's a little behind the scenes information for my flick, which I also like to call "Phonotone Fonetage" or "Phonotonous Fontage." For this "Lost and Found Film" assignment, we had to create a film using footage consisting entirely of phone conversations.

Instead of piecing together existing audio from the footage I downloaded from the Prelinger Archives, I decided to create a unique soundtrack by recording my own telephone conversations. The only equipment I had capable of doing this was a 12 year old answering machine, which contained an equally old tape that had been subjected to harsh temperature changes for a period of five years in storage. This actually turned out to be a good thing, because the low-fidelity recordings mix well with the audio I grabbed from some of the old films. Another funny effect is that the tape retains "ghost" recordings of previously erased messages, so it sometimes sounds like there is someone else talking in the background.

Because the answering machine had to be connected to a landline, and my cell phone gets unreliable service in my apartment anyway, I had to make all of the calls from my apartment phone. Since the line is really only in place for emergencies and DSL service, I don't have a long-distance provider, and can't make long-distance calls. Because I didn't think it wise to harass owners of the local numbers, all of my calls were to toll-free numbers. Oh, and the hold music you hear towards the beginning of my film is actually from one of the videos on the Prelinger Archives. Can you find it?

I called:
My Yahoo!
Pepsi-iTunes promo line
M&M's (no, they still don't make M&M's plaid)
Vermont (The representative was very nice, but had to look up what was on their license plate. When I asked how long they had been using the "Green Mountain State" slogan, she knew personally that it had been "over 20 years." Who lives in a state for 20 years and doesn't know what's on the license plate?)
Amtrak
KitchCo (I had to find out who I was advertising in my film.)
Fandango (Renée claims that she has never heard of this service.)
Enterprise Rent-A-Car ($10 a day extra for being an "underage driver." No thanks.)
An adult line (Completely by accident, I promise. I really thought I was calling Enterprise.)
Dial
Sony
1-800-FLOWERS (Apparently a cheapskate like me can order 11 roses and bank on the fact that she probably won't count them.)

And after all that, Sarah Griffith was nice enough to call me and read a page of physics notes. Thanks, nerd.

J-Stream
I just noticed that all of my work (well... both of my works) on J-Stream is in black and white. Just so you know, I am capable of editing in color.

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Saw this outside
Something I was wondering about last night
Would it be illegal, by any international treaties/laws to blow up the Moon or any other non-Earth bodies in our Solar System? What about carving my name in it? What about painting it blue?

3 Quotes
Skier Wysz (1:34:39 AM): have fun in the foreign country
csvroomfondel (1:34:57 AM): i figure i'll just shout loudly in english and see if anyone responds
Skier Wysz (1:35:02 AM): haha
csvroomfondel (1:35:33 AM): if i dont return, you know i've been torn to pieces by annoyed french people
Skier Wysz (1:36:26 AM): cool, i'll post a blog entry about it or something
csvroomfondel (1:36:44 AM): awesome


anthonut (10:45:54 PM): I'm sorry to say but Mr. Show already used the idea of blowing up the moon. You'll have to aim for some other planet's satellites.
Skier Wysz (10:46:16 PM): i'll just go for an entire planet then
Skier Wysz (10:46:31 PM): who needs mercury anyway, it doesn't do anything
anthonut (10:46:34 PM): I'd say venus. Doesn't seem to have much going for it.
anthonut (10:47:16 PM): well, let mercury stay the closest planet to the sun. Venus gets all bright at night sometimes and I confuse it for a star. It needs to be eliminated.
Skier Wysz (10:47:35 PM): haha i'll see what i can do

Skier Wysz (9:31:18 PM): iaaksmerm
Stowington (9:33:58 PM): "I Am A Krazy Sexy Mega Extreem Robot Monster?"
Stowington (9:34:04 PM): you lost me on that one
Skier Wysz (9:36:14 PM): no, you followed perfectly
Stowington (9:36:24 PM): wow
Skier Wysz (9:36:36 PM): yeah, you didn't know that's what it really meant?
[...]
Stowington (9:55:25 PM): well it was either that or "If An Antelope Keeps Sneezing Marshmallows Eventually Rhinoceroses Masticate"

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

No stopping. STOP!
One of my photo classmates mentioned this wonderful sight this morning, so I had to blog it. I didn't have time to take the picture until tonight, so sorry about the horrible flash lighting, but at least you get the idea. This is at the end of the same block containing the signs mentioned in "Parking on University Parkway." Apparently a Baltimore City employee has a sick sense of humor.

HOTW: Use with caution.
BuffyPrep5 (7:58:53 PM): i hate you so much
Skier Wysz (7:59:00 PM): thank you
BuffyPrep5 (7:59:07 PM): my mom googled me
Skier Wysz (7:59:08 PM): am i number 1 on google now?
BuffyPrep5 (7:59:19 PM): and found the "L.E. friedman has never cheated at hopkins ever"
Skier Wysz (7:59:37 PM): so now she knows that you never cheated
BuffyPrep5 (7:59:40 PM): and then she read your blog which she thought was boring
Skier Wysz (7:59:47 PM): EXCUSE ME
BuffyPrep5 (7:59:55 PM): i'm sorry
BuffyPrep5 (7:59:58 PM): that's what she said
Skier Wysz (8:00:12 PM): i think you should be worried by the fact that she actually read it
BuffyPrep5 (8:00:20 PM): of course i am
BuffyPrep5 (8:00:23 PM): hence the i hate you comment
Skier Wysz (8:00:41 PM): no i mean she is probably crazy
BuffyPrep5 (8:00:57 PM): she said she just read a few entries
BuffyPrep5 (8:01:00 PM): and thought they were boring
BuffyPrep5 (8:01:06 PM): this just happened today
Skier Wysz (8:01:10 PM): ok
BuffyPrep5 (8:01:49 PM): so, um, i just wanted to say for the record that i knew someone would find this
BuffyPrep5 (8:01:51 PM): and they did
Skier Wysz (8:02:03 PM): well thank you, i feel powerful now
BuffyPrep5 (8:04:54 PM): well hmph
BuffyPrep5 (8:05:36 PM): we were just eating dinner and my mom goes "well, it's comforting to know that you've never cheated at hopkins, wink wink"
BuffyPrep5 (8:05:57 PM): you are ruining my LIFE
Skier Wysz (8:06:05 PM): HAHAHAA I'M AWESOME
Skier Wysz (8:06:25 PM): i love being mentioned in other people's dinner conversations
BuffyPrep5 (8:06:40 PM): then my dad goes "is this the one with the friend at vanderbilt?"
BuffyPrep5 (8:06:52 PM): so you are now known in the friedman household

Trailers
Skier Wysz (8:51:10 PM): so when i first saw there was a trailer for "the year of the yao" i thought, "oh, yeah, the guy from the big & small commercial." well, sure enough, they show stuff from that campaign in the preview
Stowington (8:51:27 PM): haha
Stowington (8:51:37 PM): good job, you guessed it
Skier Wysz (8:51:57 PM): yeah, what do i win
Stowington (8:52:04 PM): nothing
Stowington (8:52:13 PM): except maybe a yao
Skier Wysz (8:52:20 PM): and why does apple have a trailer for robots, but itunes does not have the soundtrack?
Stowington (8:52:27 PM): hmm
Stowington (8:52:35 PM): that's the one that opens friday right
Skier Wysz (8:52:49 PM): friday? wow i didn't know, i have to see it though
Skier Wysz (8:53:05 PM): blue man group worked on the soundtrack for robot city

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Just in case you care
I've been awake for over 31 hours straight. I plan to get some sleep after I eat my late dinner. Tomorrow brings no relief: a 3 hour class beginning at 10 AM, that is 20 minute cold walk away, followed by a drive to the D.C. area and back. It will all be worth it in the end, right?

I didn't file this under "Complaints," so I guess I'm not complaining.

Re: My fan picture
Reneelet (5:17:54 PM): i feel highly compelled to think up a better fan picture
Skier Wysz (5:18:03 PM): do your best
Reneelet (5:18:32 PM): were you an athlete?
Skier Wysz (5:18:50 PM): yes
Reneelet (5:19:11 PM): soccer?
Skier Wysz (5:19:14 PM): yep
Skier Wysz (5:19:21 PM): bill told you
Reneelet (5:19:31 PM): no, the girl in the soccer sweatshirt
Skier Wysz (5:19:41 PM): oh
Skier Wysz (5:19:59 PM): good eye
Reneelet (5:20:07 PM): thank you
Reneelet (5:21:52 PM): is one of those guys bill?
Skier Wysz (5:22:20 PM): no

Monday, March 07, 2005

Can anyone send me a better fan picture than this one? (Contest, I guess)
Ewww
Stowington (1:33:56 AM): there's a fine line between "cheating" and "resourcefulness"
Stowington (1:34:16 AM): that's what my middle-school principal called me
Stowington (1:34:20 AM): resourceful
Skier Wysz (1:34:28 AM): hahaha tell the story
Stowington (1:34:47 AM): I don't remember what the context was anymore
Skier Wysz (1:34:55 AM): ughghghghghghhghhh
Stowington (1:35:04 AM): maybe if I sleep on it
Stowington (1:35:09 AM): I think that will help
Skier Wysz (1:35:16 AM): hey i just appeared in your icon
Skier Wysz (1:35:21 AM): i love it when that happens
Stowington (1:35:25 AM): whoa spooky
Skier Wysz (1:35:37 AM): the wysz is ubiquitous on the internet
Stowington (1:35:48 AM): yes you're spreading
Stowington (1:35:53 AM): like
Stowington (1:35:54 AM): um
Stowington (1:36:00 AM): something that spreads
Stowington (1:36:17 AM): in a good way
Stowington (1:36:19 AM): the only thing that came to mind was kudzu
Stowington (1:36:22 AM): but that's a weed
Skier Wysz (1:36:32 AM): haha
Stowington (1:37:16 AM): just imagine, someday "the internet" and "the wysz" will have become the same thing
Stowington (1:37:29 AM): people will "surf the wysz"
Skier Wysz (1:37:40 AM): wow, that sounds, umm exciting
Stowington (1:37:43 AM): oh ew
Skier Wysz (1:37:50 AM): as long as i can decide who gets to surf
Skier Wysz (1:38:01 AM): you, you would not be allowed to surf
Stowington (1:38:16 AM): and ------------ will say "I was on the wysz all night" "really?! me too!"
Skier Wysz (1:38:37 AM): (the wysz is wondering if he should blog that last statement)
Stowington (1:38:55 AM): that's what the oh ew was about
Stowington (1:39:09 AM): maybe you should blog everything except that one statement, then everyone will wonder
Skier Wysz (1:39:17 AM): ok
Stowington (1:39:39 AM): <refresh>

For the last time, L.E. Friedman has never cheated at Hopkins or anywhere else.
BuffyPrep5 (1:13:44 AM): when you google me, the fourth thing that comes up is that "l.e. friedman has never cheated at hopkins"
BuffyPrep5 (1:13:49 AM): IT'S GOOGLEABLE
Skier Wysz (1:13:54 AM): haha
Skier Wysz (1:14:06 AM): i'll make it more googleable by blogging this in a few minutes
BuffyPrep5 (1:14:13 AM): nooooooo
BuffyPrep5 (1:14:20 AM): wysz don't be heartless
BuffyPrep5 (1:15:58 AM): i don't want people who may google me to think that i cheat
BuffyPrep5 (1:15:59 AM): because i don't
BuffyPrep5 (1:16:13 AM): what if my future husband googles me some day
BuffyPrep5 (1:16:15 AM): and this comes up
BuffyPrep5 (1:16:25 AM): and he thinks that i've cheated in the past
BuffyPrep5 (1:16:29 AM): and decides not to marry me
Skier Wysz (1:16:41 AM): hey, i'm not the one who cheated
BuffyPrep5 (1:16:50 AM): I DIDN'T CHEAT
Skier Wysz (1:16:57 AM): and i said that you didnt!
BuffyPrep5 (1:17:15 AM): YOU IMPLIED I DID BY WINK WINKING
BuffyPrep5 (1:18:48 AM): i want a retraction
BuffyPrep5 (1:21:37 AM): i'm going to bed
BuffyPrep5 (1:21:48 AM): i want you to say that i didn't cheat because now it's on freaking google
BuffyPrep5 (1:21:52 AM): and no one will believe me now
BuffyPrep5 (1:21:59 AM): even though i am not a cheater

Who doesn't like a man in uniform? Even if it is from the Civil War...
Skier Wysz (2:08:17 AM): so your dad emailed me
Skier Wysz (2:08:20 AM): about blogging
ShkenBlke2 (2:08:26 AM): u should post that
Skier Wysz (2:08:48 AM): yeah i don't know why i didn't think to do that
Skier Wysz (2:09:02 AM): after reading his email i checked to see if boringblog.com was taken
Skier Wysz (2:09:07 AM): it isn't
Skier Wysz (2:09:24 AM): of course now that i've mentioned it on my popular website, someone has probably snatched it

I've been blogged!
Skier Wysz (2:11:54 AM): you've been blogged
ShkenBlke2 (2:12:03 AM): haha
ShkenBlke2 (2:12:03 AM): ok
ShkenBlke2 (2:13:59 AM): wait
ShkenBlke2 (2:14:17 AM): instead of me responding to that with "haha" and "ok"
ShkenBlke2 (2:14:32 AM): i wish to change my response 2 "I'll blog you blogger!"

2:22!
Skier Wysz (2:19:39 AM): so how is kate
ShkenBlke2 (2:19:52 AM): shes good
ShkenBlke2 (2:19:55 AM): glad 2 c me
Skier Wysz (2:20:08 AM): hahaha wow that is such a blake thing to say
ShkenBlke2 (2:20:22 AM): how is.... oh wait, well i guess i could ask how is bill?
Skier Wysz (2:20:30 AM): funny
ShkenBlke2 (2:20:33 AM): but that makes him kinda sound like a pet
Skier Wysz (2:20:39 AM): very funny
ShkenBlke2 (2:20:40 AM): and i guess he's hairy enuff now
ShkenBlke2 (2:20:44 AM): hehe
Skier Wysz (2:20:45 AM): haha
Skier Wysz (2:21:14 AM): you know i wasnt gonna blog the bill comment because it makes me sound like a loser, but you know i'm gonna put it out there
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:22 AM): haha
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:23 AM): nice
Skier Wysz (2:21:29 AM): ok hold on gotta blog it for a 2:22
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:40 AM): ?
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:41 AM): ok
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:42 AM): fine
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:47 AM): mr. 222
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:51 AM): 222
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:51 AM): 222
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:51 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:53 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:53 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:53 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:53 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:53 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:54 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:54 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:54 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:54 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:55 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:55 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:55 AM): 2
ShkenBlke2 (2:21:56 AM): 2

Drunk with power
Pez Man40 (7:29:11 PM): what is with the sb email coming soon sign
Pez Man40 (7:29:17 PM): it is such a tease
Skier Wysz (7:29:35 PM): i know i know
Skier Wysz (7:29:39 PM): they did the same thing last week
Pez Man40 (7:29:44 PM): i know
Pez Man40 (7:29:46 PM): it sucks
Pez Man40 (7:31:48 PM): i hate how they have to tell me it is coming
Pez Man40 (7:32:02 PM): why can't they just release it when they do
Pez Man40 (7:32:07 PM): not tease us around
Skier Wysz (7:32:17 PM): because they have become drunk with power
Pez Man40 (7:32:30 PM): yea they have
Pez Man40 (7:32:41 PM): they need to get back to their roots man

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Photoshop Part 4 (The End)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | This is part 4.

My sister's account has been credited for the refund. Now, the question is, do I really want Photoshop enough to try buying it somewhere else? Not right now.

The end.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

Loss.
Keep trying or whatever.

RPI FAQ
All answers are provided by Ted Skuchas.

Q: What is an RPI?
A: I don't really know what it is. It's a confusing thing.

I give up
I'm tired of paying $1.50 per wash load and $1.25 per dryer for clothes that are wet and lukewarm. From now on I'll be walking to the dorms to do my laundry. Yes, I know, you don't care. Stop reading this.

Criticism
BuffyPrep5 (9:35:10 PM): wow your blog entry tonight sucked

No, I do NOT eat packets of sugar!
Reneelet (9:32:11 PM): im bringing back my O-town cassette
Reneelet (9:32:18 PM): in case you ever want to listen
Reneelet (9:33:36 PM): i also have The Lion King cassette
Reneelet (9:33:44 PM): and Relaxing Sounds of Nature
Reneelet (9:34:04 PM): some random stuff i recorded off the radio in 1999
Reneelet (9:34:14 PM): and a tape of songs from spain a year later
Reneelet (9:35:23 PM): oh, and some christian radio shows about jungle animals

Friday, March 04, 2005

But she doesn't
BuffyPrep5 (10:39:31 PM): if i had a blog, this would go in it

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Stowingtons Update
Jonathan Stowingtons, formerly known as John Stowingtons, formerly known as John Stowington, formerly known as John Stowe, formerly known as Hopkins John, formerly known as John, shall now be called Jonathan John Stowingtons, or "Jon John" for short.

Jon John Update
What do y'all thing about calling him Joe Ington?

FYI
In case any of you were wondering, no, you cannot buy plaid M&M's. It's 2005 and look how little progress we've made.

I thought Hopkins was known for its Film program
I'm calling a bunch of toll-free numbers for one of my "Lost and Found" film assignments involving telephones. Mohak suggested that I call M&M's, because I was complaining that they don't make them in plaid. I went on their website to find the number, and they have some examples of the restrictions on their custom printing services. The left shows something you're not allowed to use, and the right shows something you are allowed to use. The very last example features Johns Hopkins:

I taste like awesome
While doing some random ego-Googling as I waited for my pizza to cook, I came across this Japanese page. Search the page for "Wysz" and you will find this segment:

Apple Store, Bethesda Rowビデオレポート
ifo Apple Storeでは、Home of the Wysz、12月11日にメリーランド州ベセスダにオープンしたミニストア「Apple Store, Bethesda Row」のビデオレポートを掲載していると伝えています。

---------------

Systran, via Sherlock, lets us non-Japanese speaking folks know just what they were saying about my video:
In Apple Store and Bethesda Row video report ifo Apple Store, when Home of the Wysz, the video report of mini- STAX "Apple Store and Bethesda Row which" on December 11th are opened in Maryland state is published, it has conveyed.

A message to any reader who may consider cheating
L.E. Friedman has never cheated at Hopkins, ever. I swear.
BuffyPrep5 (3:40:39 PM): joe-ington?
BuffyPrep5 (3:40:44 PM): that one is good
BuffyPrep5 (3:40:51 PM): but why not jowington
Skier Wysz (3:41:04 PM): because people would mispronounce it
BuffyPrep5 (3:41:19 PM): um, the abstract for this entry makes no sense
Skier Wysz (3:41:34 PM): they would think the jow rhymes with "ow"
BuffyPrep5 (3:41:37 PM): ok
BuffyPrep5 (3:41:41 PM): yes, but that doesn't answer my question
BuffyPrep5 (3:41:46 PM): about the abstract
Skier Wysz (3:41:49 PM): like how some people think wysz rhymes with "wise"
Skier Wysz (3:41:53 PM): sure, the wysz is wise
Skier Wysz (3:42:00 PM): but he's a wiz
BuffyPrep5 (3:42:10 PM): ....
Skier Wysz (3:42:21 PM): the abstract is the previous entry translated to japanese then translated back to english
BuffyPrep5 (3:42:35 PM): oh you should say that
Skier Wysz (3:42:36 PM): it's an old trick
Skier Wysz (3:42:43 PM): no it's been done before
Skier Wysz (3:42:52 PM): it's not a new joke

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Win-Win
Last weekend, the Commodores clobbered the Georgia Georgians (too lazy to look it up) 65-37. Tonight, Vandy vanquished the South Carolina South Carolinians 75-65.

Eating a possible popsicle
Quiet little zucchini, afraid to lean on the xylophone, aimed to lure the ogre to the door.

WHCL Update
I reported on Monday that WHCL had lost its online feed. Well, good news folks, it looks like they're back online! I assume this is because thousands of my readers wrote in to the station on my behalf. Thank you.

March 2, 2005
I'm still sick, and my team of doctors has advised me against blogging, but I fired this thing up to publicly wish my sister a happy birthday. So, happy birthday, Julie.

The 700 Blog
Welcome to the 700th awesome entry in Wysz's Thoughts v.Awesome, the official blog of Home of the Wysz. Thanks for watching!

No, I'm not crazy.
Feel free to disregard my previous entry; I just wanted to add a new entry to test my CSS skillz, which were able to finally make the calendar text readable on the sidebar and archive pages.

I apologize for writing "skillz."

Thanks a lot, Trevor
Is it just me, or is Trevor Snarr, who plays Don, Summer's boyfriend, a really bad actor? The first two times I watched Napoleon Dynamite, I noticed his acting, but thought it might just be because of his character. Tonight, with my third viewing, I'm convinced that he was just a friend of someone who worked on the movie, and had no acting experience. Looking at his short IMDB listing, this appears to be the case. Sorry, Trevor.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

The streak has ended
At the beginning of my third month of 100% attendance, I broke the streak. I'm sick and didn't go to my film class today. But, I didn't let the illness be an excuse for not doing my work! I walked in the cold all the way to the film office to deliver my assignment during the very class it was due, rather than waiting until I felt better. That is how great I am. Now, time for sleep.

Dedication
I'm really sick right now, and will probably only go to the class that I have a test in, but I still got out of bed this morning so you kids could have a blog entry. Here is is:

Things that annoy me about the Entertainment industry already, even though I’m still in school:
• When “the talent,” who thinks it’s absolutely hilarious when he or she gets a case of “the giggles” after 32 takes of flubbing a line, believes that there is absolutely no excuse for any technical bloopers.

• The fact that the words “genius” and “amazing” have become so devalued that I need to use a thesaurus in order to say anything nice about someone.

• When speakers lean down so their lips are one inch away from the microphone, as if the mic stand was set too low, and the audio engineer has no way of controlling the gain and volume. Oddly enough, professional recording artists, who use microphones every day at work, are especially prone to this.

• All the hugging. Don't get me wrong on this one, I'm all for the family and friends type, but someone who has been your coworker for a week, or someone you just met while receiving your award? Come on.

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