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Thursday, April 28, 2005
Missed Opportunities
April 28th
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
KBM
Smart Shuffle
Goatface Killah
Is he finally catching on?
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
I love rumor sites
Monday, April 25, 2005
Price of admission for the premiere of "Tiger World"
First time I've seen this in the subject line of a professor's email
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Joke Mad Lib @2:22
Flabbergasted
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Technology is awesome
$20
Why the Internet is awesome
Friday, April 22, 2005
Something new every time
iLike iPhoto
I can't believe they sell this
Dave Barry would approve
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Addicted Already
I don't really know why I decided to post this
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Hey kids!
Foolproof Update
100 to 1,000
Hurricane Houle
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Give me a break
Flickr
Clap on
Monday, April 18, 2005
April 29th Apple Store Party-Hop update
Quick Tip - Mac OS X 10.3.9
This is just wrong
I want to know whose fault this is.
The list just keeps growing
Encore
Party Hopping
How the previous entry used to read
Sunday, April 17, 2005
I'm still trying
Lots of reading to do...
Friday, April 15, 2005
I sure hope spelling doesn't count on the writing sample...
I thought I was a grad student
Thursday, April 14, 2005
One of the things I like to do
Index this
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Google Video
I'm not the only one invading people's dreams
From Security's Daily Incident Report
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Tiger!
It will be shipped WHEN?
Monday, April 11, 2005
Coach Z is as good at insults as I am at jokes
So THAT'S where they're coming from!
Third complaint of the day
Academic Advising — "We'll make you a candidate for the other AA"
Petition Update
And this wasn't even the strangest message I came back to tonight
Sunday, April 10, 2005
One of my longest abstracts yet
Check out this cloud over the Washington Monument. John Stowe took the picture. Pretty cool. Totally not Photoshopped. I did iPhoto it a bit though; I cropped it and adjusted the colors. The cloud remains as it was. Most of this description is completely unnecessary. I should have just given John his credit and let the picture speak for itself. I'm awesome.
Cherry Blossom Festival
Bill: What's the title?
There you go, Harriet, now I must get some rest.
Ted's Away Message
Just before I woke up
Saturday, April 09, 2005
So that's what moves the elevator.
Remember Sherlock?
NBC should not be allowed to have a website
Speaking of Hopkins not being able to keep its records straight
Isn't it cool to be a geek these days?
Turns out the "Upper Quad" is the same thing as Gilman Quad. Be there!
Vocal Chords: Tonight at 10:30 on the Upper Quad
Just whose blog do you think this is?
All of the above
One of the benefits of going to what may be the nerdiest school in the country
Uppercase SIGH
Friday, April 08, 2005
Saturday Plans
As per the request of one of my readers:
Mmm. S'mores.
"A smorgasbord of pandemonium"
Thursday, April 07, 2005
April Fools!
Shattered Glass
Creepy
Coming to Wysz's course schedule Fall 2005:
Quotes
Exactly.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Re: INK!
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
tchotchke
Ink!
Resident Advisor
Security Report!
Monday, April 04, 2005
April Fool's Update Update
April Fool's Update
The system is down, yo.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Credit
Stuff I need to remember to do today
Stock answers do not count as customer service. (Part 2 - A New Stock Answer)
Stock answers do not count as customer service.
Stock answers do not count as customer service. (Part 3)
Friday, April 01, 2005
I'm back!
April Fool's Day
Slacker
Missed Opportunities
Today on my way back from my first class, I saw a
grouping of flowers that would make a good picture. When I got back to my
apartment, I put my camera on my desk so I would remember to take it with me the
next time I went out. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the Memory Stick back in.
While I was out I saw some pretty cool Spring shots, and I also saw candles in
the bookstore along with a sign indicating that they should be used for
decoration only in the dorms. These shots I can get some other time, even later
today if I really want to. But, the one shot that I will have trouble recreating
is the sight of two police trucks (not SUV's, but
trucks),
one clearly labeled "Bomb Squad," barreling down University Parkway with lights
and sirens.
April 28th
Happy birthday, Mom!
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
KBM
Smart Shuffle
Today I miraculously left my apartment for my 10
AM class a full 20
minutes early. Which song did my iPod choose
to play? Chariots
of Fire. Unfortunately, I walked in slow motion the whole way and was
10 minutes late. But it's a start.
Goatface Killah
Finally, a new answering
machine!
Is he finally catching on?
ShkenBlke2 (11:06:15 PM):
havnt checked ur blog yet, but i
would imagine if there is an entry about this then it will be rather
irate
ShkenBlke2 (11:06:33 PM): and you will come off as annoyed with me
ShkenBlke2 (11:06:40 PM): which you probably are
ShkenBlke2 (11:06:41 PM): haha
ShkenBlke2 (11:06:33 PM): and you will come off as annoyed with me
ShkenBlke2 (11:06:40 PM): which you probably are
ShkenBlke2 (11:06:41 PM): haha
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
I love rumor sites
Monday, April 25, 2005
Price of admission for the premiere of "Tiger World"
Me:
Only fifty-seven fifty! Plus twenty, plus ten, plus
forty!
Bill: That's it?!
Me: Well, you have to pay extra for parking.
Bill: Oh, how much?
Me: It's like a dollar fifty.
Bill: That's it?!
Me: Well, you have to pay extra for parking.
Bill: Oh, how much?
Me: It's like a dollar fifty.
First time I've seen this in the subject line of a professor's email
GrandWizzard Theodore is Coming to
Class!
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Joke Mad Lib @2:22
For my
[friend/relative]'s
[special
occassion], we surprised
[him/her/them]
and went to see
[performance/destination].
It was wonderful. We couldn't wait to get back and tell
[him/her/them]
all about it.
Funny?
Funny?
Flabbergasted
I just felt like using that word.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Technology is awesome
I just used my iSight to look behind me, because
I was too lazy/comfortable to turn my head.
$20
After canceling my Citi cards, I received letters
confirming the closing of my account. Today, I received a $20 "refund check" for
the credit balance on my account. I never put any money into it, so it must have
been something that they give just for signing up. In any case, it's a real
check and I'll deposit it next weekend. Hopefully I haven't already thrown out
the check for the other card.
Why the Internet is awesome
Stowington (11:25:35 PM):
did I send you a link a while ago to a video
clip of bugs bunny playing baseball?
Friday, April 22, 2005
Something new every time
I just got back from the Hopkins Film Fest, where
my film
had its third public screening. The two previous showings had unexpected audio
glitches. Tonight, I was relieved when the soundtrack had no issues. However, at
the end, when the film goes to TV blue, the trigger-happy projectionist thought
it was real, and stopped the tape before the credits. I wasn't angry or
anything, as the credits aren't an essential part of the film, and I thought it
was pretty funny anyway. I love tricking people. I'm just disappointed that the
audience didn't get to hear the smash hit "Blender
Salute" from the
Monophonotones.
This is actually the second time one of my productions has seen itself cut before the credits. Last year the day camp highlights video was turned off before we could roll the credits. I didn't care, but I'm sure some of the kids were looking forward to seeing their names on the big screen.
This is actually the second time one of my productions has seen itself cut before the credits. Last year the day camp highlights video was turned off before we could roll the credits. I didn't care, but I'm sure some of the kids were looking forward to seeing their names on the big screen.
iLike iPhoto
iPhoto 5 is really
helping me out a lot with my scans... the "straighten" feature is such a time
saver.
I can't believe they sell this
Skier Wysz (9:45:10 PM):
http://www.smuckers.com/fg/pds/default.asp?groupid=2&catid=4&prodid=106
Skier Wysz (9:45:51 PM): mistake #1: putting peanut butter and jelly in the same jar
mistake #2: calling a food product "goober"
muzikgoddss (9:45:58 PM): hahahaha
muzikgoddss (9:46:03 PM): it looks gross
muzikgoddss (9:46:10 PM): the peanut butter looks white
Skier Wysz (9:46:27 PM): yes, mistake #3 is letting the potential customer see the product
muzikgoddss (9:46:42 PM): hahaha
Skier Wysz (9:45:51 PM): mistake #1: putting peanut butter and jelly in the same jar
mistake #2: calling a food product "goober"
muzikgoddss (9:45:58 PM): hahahaha
muzikgoddss (9:46:03 PM): it looks gross
muzikgoddss (9:46:10 PM): the peanut butter looks white
Skier Wysz (9:46:27 PM): yes, mistake #3 is letting the potential customer see the product
muzikgoddss (9:46:42 PM): hahaha
Dave Barry would approve
Skier Wysz (9:51:11 PM):
goober is an anagram of
booger
muzikgoddss (9:51:26 PM): ewwwwwwwww
muzikgoddss (9:51:42 PM): maybe you should email smuckers and let them know
muzikgoddss (9:51:26 PM): ewwwwwwwww
muzikgoddss (9:51:42 PM): maybe you should email smuckers and let them know
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Addicted Already
On Tuesday, Tony gave me a Flickr Pro account.
I asked him how long it would take for me to get addicted, and he predicted 48
hours. It's now Thursday at 4 AM, I have class at 9, and I've been up all night
playing with Flickr. I even got one of my photos tagged as a "favorite" already.
But now I must go to sleep.
Just after I check one more thing...
Just after I check one more thing...
I don't really know why I decided to post this
Email
thread:
From: "Michael Wyszomierski"
To: "Brendan Houle"
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 2:23 AM
Subject: DVD
You've probably been following this, but Google News was all over the
topic today:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?
type=technologyNews&storyID=8247068&src=rss/technologyNews
Hopefully if they do come to an agreement, it will speed up, rather
than delay, the transition.
------------------
On Apr 21, 2005, at 2:47 AM, Brendan Houle wrote:
that looks like some good news and the best hope that these two highly
entrenched sides will avoid a split market
------------------
From: "Michael Wyszomierski"
To: "Brendan Houle"
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 2:52 AM
Subject: Re: DVD
entrenched sides in my pants.
------------------
On April 21, 2005 at 2:58 AM, Brendan Houle wrote:
mike, those are called pleats
From: "Michael Wyszomierski"
To: "Brendan Houle"
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 2:23 AM
Subject: DVD
You've probably been following this, but Google News was all over the
topic today:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?
type=technologyNews&storyID=8247068&src=rss/technologyNews
Hopefully if they do come to an agreement, it will speed up, rather
than delay, the transition.
------------------
On Apr 21, 2005, at 2:47 AM, Brendan Houle wrote:
that looks like some good news and the best hope that these two highly
entrenched sides will avoid a split market
------------------
From: "Michael Wyszomierski"
To: "Brendan Houle"
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 2:52 AM
Subject: Re: DVD
entrenched sides in my pants.
------------------
On April 21, 2005 at 2:58 AM, Brendan Houle wrote:
mike, those are called pleats
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Hey kids!
If I don't have three
of these on my desk by the end of the week, you're all in BIG
trouble.
Foolproof Update
The Johns Hopkins Film Festival
2005 begins tomorrow night at 8:00 PM in Shriver Hall on the Homewood
Campus of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. My film, "Foolproof," will
be screened this Friday in the Narrative
Shorts 1 segment, which begins at 7 PM. There's 64 minutes of film
(probably with a few minutes between each one) before mine, which is the final
flick of the series, but that's all I can tell you about an approximate show
time.
According to the brochure, the "filmmaker will be in attendance." That happens to be me, so I guess I'm going. If you do decide to stop by, just yell, "Hey, Wysz!" and I'll politely pretend that I didn't hear you.
Tickets for the festival are $3/show, $5/day, or $15/festival. If you have a Hopkins ID, you get in free.
According to the brochure, the "filmmaker will be in attendance." That happens to be me, so I guess I'm going. If you do decide to stop by, just yell, "Hey, Wysz!" and I'll politely pretend that I didn't hear you.
Tickets for the festival are $3/show, $5/day, or $15/festival. If you have a Hopkins ID, you get in free.
100 to 1,000
900 entries of awesome. And at 3:33. I'm
awesome.
Hurricane Houle
Skier Wysz (12:31:45 AM):
for the weird part at the end, i
took a few dance synth loops but changed the midi instrument to piano and added
echo
parec02 (12:32:15 AM): that's creative
Skier Wysz (12:32:16 AM): then i played the whole thing in reverse, and reversed that
parec02 (12:32:42 AM): wait, if you reversed the reversed version, what's the point?
Skier Wysz (12:32:55 AM): well it seemed like a good idea at the time
Skier Wysz (12:33:16 AM): or at least like a good joke
Skier Wysz (12:33:25 AM): which i guess you only half got
parec02 (12:34:04 AM): no, it's funny, really
parec02 (12:32:15 AM): that's creative
Skier Wysz (12:32:16 AM): then i played the whole thing in reverse, and reversed that
parec02 (12:32:42 AM): wait, if you reversed the reversed version, what's the point?
Skier Wysz (12:32:55 AM): well it seemed like a good idea at the time
Skier Wysz (12:33:16 AM): or at least like a good joke
Skier Wysz (12:33:25 AM): which i guess you only half got
parec02 (12:34:04 AM): no, it's funny, really
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Give me a break
I was recently criticized for not double-spacing
a paper that was submitted, graded, and returned to me
electronically.
Flickr
So I'm always at least couple years late getting
into the new stuff on the web, such as blogging or Flickr. Well, Now I have them both
covered as Tony just sent me
a free Flickr Pro account. I haven't done anything with it yet as I need to get
some sleep, but I'll keep you posted.
Clap on
Stowington (11:03:25 AM):
I just
realized
Stowington (11:03:44 AM): which mouse button is going to get Dashboard?
Skier Wysz (11:04:19 AM): i think dashboard will have to be activated by the clapper
Stowington (11:04:29 AM): oo good call
Stowington (11:03:44 AM): which mouse button is going to get Dashboard?
Skier Wysz (11:04:19 AM): i think dashboard will have to be activated by the clapper
Stowington (11:04:29 AM): oo good call
Monday, April 18, 2005
April 29th Apple Store Party-Hop update
So far my route includes five Apple Retail Stores. I will
begin at 6 and should hit the last one at about 11:45, and I've allowed about 20
minutes inside each store. I tried to work in The Computer Forum,
but even if I went directly there I'd be cutting it too close. Check my Apple Store
page on the 30th for photos of the journey.
Quick Tip - Mac OS X 10.3.9
Blake was whining about a change to Safari with
the 10.3.9 update, which changes the popup menu option "Download Linked File
As..." to "Download Linked File," meaning that he couldn't specify the save
location when downloading a file. Normally I would prefer the new behavior, as I
will simply set my download folder to wherever I want to save my stuff, and
don't need to change locations for each download, but I understand that there
are times when the old option is what one wants. Well, I solved his problem in
about eight seconds by simply holding the option key. If someone can find a
preference file that can be changed to reverse the default, let me know and I'll pass the info.
along.
Oh, and he also thought that the screen blinking alert was a new feature of 10.3.9, and he likes it. I'm pretty sure it's been a part of Universal Access since 10.0; 10.2 at the latest.
Oh, and he also thought that the screen blinking alert was a new feature of 10.3.9, and he likes it. I'm pretty sure it's been a part of Universal Access since 10.0; 10.2 at the latest.
This is just wrong
I don't care how much faster the new Safari
version is; this is uncalled for. Apple broke the feed: protocol in Safari 1.3
(part of the 10.3.9 update) and wrote up an annoying message advertising Tiger.
Breaking a previously existing feature to advertise a paid upgrade is very low.
Now I have to remove feed: from my
blog.
Update (good news):
Safari developer Dave Hyatt comments on the issue.
Update (good news):
Safari developer Dave Hyatt comments on the issue.
I want to know whose fault this is.
Google
Maps has not been working properly in Safari since the 10.3.9
update.
Update...
Temporary fixes:
1. Use Firefox.
2. Enable the Safari Debug menu*, and change your user agent to Windows MSIE 6.0.
*After quitting Safari, type the following command in Terminal: defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1
To disable the menu, type: defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 0
Update update...
Google Maps is working again with the same version of Safari.
Update...
Temporary fixes:
1. Use Firefox.
2. Enable the Safari Debug menu*, and change your user agent to Windows MSIE 6.0.
*After quitting Safari, type the following command in Terminal: defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1
To disable the menu, type: defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 0
Update update...
Google Maps is working again with the same version of Safari.
The list just keeps growing
Anybody at Hopkins able to log in to the
registrar using Safari 1.3? It's not working for me. Firefox works,
though.
Encore
For my "Capturing Sound - How Recording
Technology Has Changed Music" class, I had to create a digital composition. We
were allowed to either remix a specified selection of songs, or use GarageBand to create
a new song. I used GarageBand to create "Encore."
Party Hopping
I'm going to hit more than one Apple Store on
April 29th. More details to come...
How the previous entry used to read
"So far my five includes four Apple Retail
Stores."
Sunday, April 17, 2005
I'm still trying
I attempted to get the attention of one of the
cameras the other night by hiding behind trees and doing some general lurking,
but nobody responded after a few minutes of antics. Read more about our eerily
intelligent cameras here.
Lots of reading to do...
Friday, April 15, 2005
I sure hope spelling doesn't count on the writing sample...
ShkenBlke2 (4:58:31 PM):
wont
b
on
2
chat
2nite
b/c
i'll
b
in a hotel so
i
can get
sum
sleep before
i
take the MCAT
Good try, Benji! Next time please remember to use a complete sentence. Your sentence fragment has no subject, and there is no period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end. See me after class for tips on capitalization. Your spelling is hopeless, so don't even ask me about getting a gold star.
Good try, Benji! Next time please remember to use a complete sentence. Your sentence fragment has no subject, and there is no period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end. See me after class for tips on capitalization. Your spelling is hopeless, so don't even ask me about getting a gold star.
I thought I was a grad student
Now
I'm a sophomore. (From the Johns Hopkins
News-Letter)
I actually found the article when a Google News Alert came up with my name. Oh, and in the same issue is a real treat for GA alumni. For some reason his picture isn't in the online edition (it is in print), but I will confirm that yes, it is the same Brad Test from GA.
I actually found the article when a Google News Alert came up with my name. Oh, and in the same issue is a real treat for GA alumni. For some reason his picture isn't in the online edition (it is in print), but I will confirm that yes, it is the same Brad Test from GA.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
One of the things I like to do
In the middle of an AIM conversation, I will
randomly type text into the window without sending it, giving the other person
many suspenseful minutes of "Your buddy is typing" and "Your buddy has entered
text" before sending a one-word reply such as "haha."
Index this
BuffyPrep5 (1:04:54 AM):
i don't italicize my
sighs
BuffyPrep5 (1:05:09 AM): wow...there's a sentence i bet has never been typed before
Skier Wysz (1:05:30 AM): well let's get it registered on google...
BuffyPrep5 (1:05:09 AM): wow...there's a sentence i bet has never been typed before
Skier Wysz (1:05:30 AM): well let's get it registered on google...
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Google Video
I was excited to learn that Google Video began
accepting submissions
today. However, I was extremely disappointed to find that the Google Video
Uploader program is available for Windows only. Google's web services usually
support OS X pretty well, and while their applications are usually Windows only,
who needs Picasa when you have
iPhoto and who
needs Google Desktop Search
when you have Spotlight?
I understand that most people use Windows, but in the world of music, graphics, and video, Macs have a very large presence. Google is severely limiting their amount of video content by not allowing submissions to be uploaded on a Macintosh.
I encourage all Mac using video creators to let Google know how you feel.
I understand that most people use Windows, but in the world of music, graphics, and video, Macs have a very large presence. Google is severely limiting their amount of video content by not allowing submissions to be uploaded on a Macintosh.
I encourage all Mac using video creators to let Google know how you feel.
I'm not the only one invading people's dreams
Reneelet (3:05:33 PM):
but then you took a small
human heart out of your
pocket
Reneelet (3:05:37 PM): and a knife
Reneelet (3:05:39 PM): and then you killed me
Skier Wysz (3:05:46 PM): oh
Reneelet (3:05:47 PM): and that was the end. you were the bad guy
Skier Wysz (3:05:52 PM): umm
Skier Wysz (3:05:54 PM): sorry?
Reneelet (3:06:30 PM): its ok
Reneelet (3:06:54 PM): i was pretty surprised that it was you though
Reneelet (3:05:37 PM): and a knife
Reneelet (3:05:39 PM): and then you killed me
Skier Wysz (3:05:46 PM): oh
Reneelet (3:05:47 PM): and that was the end. you were the bad guy
Skier Wysz (3:05:52 PM): umm
Skier Wysz (3:05:54 PM): sorry?
Reneelet (3:06:30 PM): its ok
Reneelet (3:06:54 PM): i was pretty surprised that it was you though
From Security's Daily Incident Report
DISORDERLY
BEHAVIOR – Terrace Court Café, Apr.
12, 4:15 PM. A freshman undergraduate became disorderly when told the cafeteria
was not open for service. Hopkins Officers escorted the student to Health &
Wellness Center for consultations. Referred to Student Life staff for follow-up.
Report sent to Dean of Student Life, Dean of Undergraduate Education, Director
of Res Life, Director of Counseling Center and Director of Health and
Wellness.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Tiger!
Today, Apple announced Friday, April 29th as the
release date for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. John Gruber of Daring Fireball points out that
Amazon has begun accepting pre-orders for the Family
Pack version, so I can go ahead and take advantage of that $50 rebate.
I'll appreciate the rebate especially since I'll have to pay an extra $10 to
send the DVD disc back in and get a CD version for our
iMac.
I also noticed a 10-client version on Amazon for $500. I don't remember them offering this for Panther. Perhaps they got it confused with the 10-client edition of Tiger Server.
Anyway, I'm off to order my copy. Just need to figure out which city to ship it to.
I also noticed a 10-client version on Amazon for $500. I don't remember them offering this for Panther. Perhaps they got it confused with the 10-client edition of Tiger Server.
Anyway, I'm off to order my copy. Just need to figure out which city to ship it to.
It will be shipped WHEN?
Amazon's order confirmation for Tiger Family Pack
shows June 16th as the estimated ship date and June 22-24 as the delivery date.
If this doesn't change before April 29th, I'll just head to an Apple Store or
The Computer Forum on the
night of the release, but if anyone else is getting different info. from Amazon,
let me know. I went with the free super saver bonus club happy fun time bicycle
squad shipping option.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Coach Z is as good at insults as I am at jokes
New Strong Bad
Email today.
So THAT'S where they're coming from!
I have been receiving a lot of traffic for the
past few days, and just figured I had hit some hot keyword on Google with a
recent blog entry. Then today NetNewsWire picked up this
article which links to Friday's AppleInsider
article about Mac OS X Tiger Family Pack. I'm the reader mentioned in
the article, which links to my
entries on the subject. I had emailed Kasper about my experience with
Amazon shortly after posting my related blog
entries.
The AI article suggests that Apple may be discontinuing the Family Pack editions with Tiger, but I doubt that this is the case, especially since now more than ever there are households with multiple Macs, and I'm sure people are more likely to buy the Family Pack than they are to purchase a separate single-client package for each machine. Amazon's actions have little if any indication of Apple's intentions for Tiger. Apple is pretty tight-lipped about everything, and is reluctant to share its secrets with others. Of course they do have some reason to be careful.
The AI article suggests that Apple may be discontinuing the Family Pack editions with Tiger, but I doubt that this is the case, especially since now more than ever there are households with multiple Macs, and I'm sure people are more likely to buy the Family Pack than they are to purchase a separate single-client package for each machine. Amazon's actions have little if any indication of Apple's intentions for Tiger. Apple is pretty tight-lipped about everything, and is reluctant to share its secrets with others. Of course they do have some reason to be careful.
Third complaint of the day
The engineers undeniably get special treatment
here at Johns Hopkins, while the departments I study in are shoved into the
oldest building on campus and get no budget. The film department doesn't even
have any of its own classrooms, and we have to fight for space. They once bought
a camera but couldn't afford the battery. I have to pay at least a $40 (up to
$100 if production-related) "lab fee" for all of my classes to help cover costs,
while the engineers work with millions of dollars of equipment to etch a picture of Hobbes into
aluminum. I even have to pay half the cost of my film & processing
fees, and film is
expensive.
The trigger for today's rant was when Bill took us into Clark Hall, which I didn't think actually existed (turns out it's hidden behind another building), where the BME (Biomedical Engineering) majors do stuff. They had their own lounge with a fancy no-charge coffee maker. I had some choco-mocha thing. It was better than stealing water from the English department lounge like I do during Film.
The trigger for today's rant was when Bill took us into Clark Hall, which I didn't think actually existed (turns out it's hidden behind another building), where the BME (Biomedical Engineering) majors do stuff. They had their own lounge with a fancy no-charge coffee maker. I had some choco-mocha thing. It was better than stealing water from the English department lounge like I do during Film.
Academic Advising — "We'll make you a candidate for the other AA"
Here's what happened: Academic Advising sent out
emails informing us that we "must have an appointment" for Junior Clearance by
March 11th. They then sent out subsequent emails which changed the deadline of
making the appointment to March 7th. I was sick during that week and was finally
able to call on March 9th, when I was able to get an appointment for the day
after Spring Break, which began on March 12th. After completing the procedure,
the hold on my registration remained. After getting bounced
back and forth between Academic Advising and the registrar, an advisor
told me that I had missed the deadline and was out of luck, as a "punishment."
She said that they had to use this policy because they have to meet with all of
the Juniors and Freshmen in the Spring (i.e. do their job), and they want to
encourage Juniors to meet with them in the early part of the
semester.
My first question is: How is this punishment system supposed to instill change in student behavior? They are punishing this year's Juniors... so they can be sure that we'll do Junior Clearance early the next time we're Juniors?
And it may sound like I procrastinated terribly with this procedure, but I didn't. Junior clearance involved more than just the meeting with Academic Advising; I had to first complete as survey and submit it online, then fill out a form, and then meet with and get a signature from my faculty advisor. I completed the pointless survey almost immediately, and shortly after I received the first email explaining this part of the procedure, I made and attended an appointment with my faculty advisor, and got the necessary signature. The only problem came when I was scheduling with Academic Advising. I was pretty sure I had until March 11th, so I didn't make an appointment during the week or so when I knew my schedule was in flux with out of town meetings. As the deadline came within just over a week, I unfortunately got sick. I did, however, call and make an appointment before March 11th, as indicated in the first emails. In fact, I received at least three emails stating that I needed to "have an appointment" by March 11th before they sent any mentioning March 7th. I didn't notice the March 7th date until after the date had passed, when I recovered from my illness and went to look up Academic Advising's phone number. The reason I didn't notice the date earlier is because they sent out several emails about the procedure, all of which appeared to contain the same information. After the first three on the subject, I stopped reading them carefully. These reminders were in addition to the multitude of other mail I receive from JHU daily, most of it irrelevant, at two email addresses. I have my Hotmail account still active for the sole purpose of getting emails from Hopkins since they have refused for three years to change my email address in their records. I've added the Peanuts daily comic to that address as an incentive for me to check it more often.
Anyway, at my meeting today I explained my situation. I pointed out that they sent conflicting emails and I told them I was sick, but that had no effect. There is no practical reason for them to keep the hold. Nobody is gaining anything from this. It is something that they will have to release eventually (with the click of a button), but they are delaying it by two days simply as an unfair punishment.
A two day delay may not sound like a lot, but classes fill up within the first half hour of registration here, and I always have a tough time getting the classes I want, since they tend to be inherently small due to their format. This punishment is only making it worse. Since they gave me a punishment which serves no purpose other than pure punishment, I think I will return the favor. I plan on making a slew of unnecessary appointments with them during registration, unless anyone else can suggest a better way for me to vent my anger towards them. Remember that the standard requirements of a punishment (rehabilitation, education, etc.) do not apply in this case, so it should be pretty easy.
My first question is: How is this punishment system supposed to instill change in student behavior? They are punishing this year's Juniors... so they can be sure that we'll do Junior Clearance early the next time we're Juniors?
And it may sound like I procrastinated terribly with this procedure, but I didn't. Junior clearance involved more than just the meeting with Academic Advising; I had to first complete as survey and submit it online, then fill out a form, and then meet with and get a signature from my faculty advisor. I completed the pointless survey almost immediately, and shortly after I received the first email explaining this part of the procedure, I made and attended an appointment with my faculty advisor, and got the necessary signature. The only problem came when I was scheduling with Academic Advising. I was pretty sure I had until March 11th, so I didn't make an appointment during the week or so when I knew my schedule was in flux with out of town meetings. As the deadline came within just over a week, I unfortunately got sick. I did, however, call and make an appointment before March 11th, as indicated in the first emails. In fact, I received at least three emails stating that I needed to "have an appointment" by March 11th before they sent any mentioning March 7th. I didn't notice the March 7th date until after the date had passed, when I recovered from my illness and went to look up Academic Advising's phone number. The reason I didn't notice the date earlier is because they sent out several emails about the procedure, all of which appeared to contain the same information. After the first three on the subject, I stopped reading them carefully. These reminders were in addition to the multitude of other mail I receive from JHU daily, most of it irrelevant, at two email addresses. I have my Hotmail account still active for the sole purpose of getting emails from Hopkins since they have refused for three years to change my email address in their records. I've added the Peanuts daily comic to that address as an incentive for me to check it more often.
Anyway, at my meeting today I explained my situation. I pointed out that they sent conflicting emails and I told them I was sick, but that had no effect. There is no practical reason for them to keep the hold. Nobody is gaining anything from this. It is something that they will have to release eventually (with the click of a button), but they are delaying it by two days simply as an unfair punishment.
A two day delay may not sound like a lot, but classes fill up within the first half hour of registration here, and I always have a tough time getting the classes I want, since they tend to be inherently small due to their format. This punishment is only making it worse. Since they gave me a punishment which serves no purpose other than pure punishment, I think I will return the favor. I plan on making a slew of unnecessary appointments with them during registration, unless anyone else can suggest a better way for me to vent my anger towards them. Remember that the standard requirements of a punishment (rehabilitation, education, etc.) do not apply in this case, so it should be pretty easy.
Petition Update
501
signatures! Still no word from
Apple...
At one point I did doubt that this was a common problem with the displays and that Apple wasn't lying when they denied the existence of a known flaw. However, after starting the website, I've received one or two emails a week on a consistent basis from other customers who have the problem. This has been going on for nearly a year now. One or two a week may not sound like a lot, but I don't think everyone who has the problem would find my site, and certainly not all of them would go through the effort of contacting me.
At one point I did doubt that this was a common problem with the displays and that Apple wasn't lying when they denied the existence of a known flaw. However, after starting the website, I've received one or two emails a week on a consistent basis from other customers who have the problem. This has been going on for nearly a year now. One or two a week may not sound like a lot, but I don't think everyone who has the problem would find my site, and certainly not all of them would go through the effort of contacting me.
And this wasn't even the strangest message I came back to tonight
Pez Man40 (11:42:52 PM):
i would just like you to knwo that i am
putting off work by reading your old papers that we procrastinated
on
Pez Man40 (11:42:55 PM): memories man
Pez Man40 (11:42:57 PM): memories
Pez Man40 (11:42:55 PM): memories man
Pez Man40 (11:42:57 PM): memories
Sunday, April 10, 2005
One of my longest abstracts yet
Check out this cloud over the Washington Monument. John Stowe took the picture. Pretty cool. Totally not Photoshopped. I did iPhoto it a bit though; I cropped it and adjusted the colors. The cloud remains as it was. Most of this description is completely unnecessary. I should have just given John his credit and let the picture speak for itself. I'm awesome.
Cherry Blossom Festival
I tagged along with the key members of the Vocal
Chords and checked out the Cherry Blossom
Festival in Washington. I don't know why I started taking pictures of
shadows, but I thought it might be a cool idea. I made a QTVR of the last pic,
but I'm running really low on web space, so I'm just gonna sit tight and wait
for Apple to increase .Mac storage before I post it. If you want me to email it
to you before then, I can do
that.
Bill: What's the title?
I actually made that joke two years ago, but I
just got it.
There you go, Harriet, now I must get some rest.
Stowington (2:35:43 AM):
I see you left out the tesla coil
comment
Skier Wysz (2:36:20 AM): ugh i already closed the IM window
Skier Wysz (2:36:20 AM): ugh i already closed the IM window
Ted's Away Message
Growing up, I just loved Where's Waldo books. I wish
he was real because I would seriously look for him, all his book, camping
supplies, and the Wizard all day long
Just before I woke up
[Start weird dream that makes no
sense]
Dad: I was just about to throw a magazine article to you. It lists the top-paid people in the world. Anthony O. Trumbo brings in 80 million a year.
Me: I don't think that's the same one. [as Anthony D. Trumbo]
Dad: He's one of the Army generals.
Me: Who gives him all the money?
[End weird dream that makes no sense]
Dad: I was just about to throw a magazine article to you. It lists the top-paid people in the world. Anthony O. Trumbo brings in 80 million a year.
Me: I don't think that's the same one. [as Anthony D. Trumbo]
Dad: He's one of the Army generals.
Me: Who gives him all the money?
[End weird dream that makes no sense]
Saturday, April 09, 2005
So that's what moves the elevator.
Remember Sherlock?
Just like viewing headlines and articles in a
news aggregator or navigating Usenet with a news reader is better than accessing
the same information in a web browser, many other web services are more easily
organized with Apple's Sherlock,
which is included with every Mac. For example, I've been using Sherlock's
"Movies" channel for years, because I can quickly sort by movie or theater, and
view other data such as a synopsis or trailer, all in the same screen, without
having to load a new web page each time I want to look at the information in a
different way.
As far as I can tell, Apple hasn't updated Sherlock since 10.2 (Jaguar), and I'm pretty sure it's not even included on the default Dock anymore. I have been worried that Sherlock had been forgotten, but it turns out developers are still writing new plugins (called "channels") for the app. I just downloaded one from Global Conscious Software called First River that offers an alternative and efficient way to sort through Amazon's offerings. It currently supports the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, and Japan Amazon stores. Click here if you want to add it to your Sherlock channels.
As far as I can tell, Apple hasn't updated Sherlock since 10.2 (Jaguar), and I'm pretty sure it's not even included on the default Dock anymore. I have been worried that Sherlock had been forgotten, but it turns out developers are still writing new plugins (called "channels") for the app. I just downloaded one from Global Conscious Software called First River that offers an alternative and efficient way to sort through Amazon's offerings. It currently supports the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, and Japan Amazon stores. Click here if you want to add it to your Sherlock channels.
NBC should not be allowed to have a website
Not only does NBC run SpecificMEDIA pop-up ads on
their front page, they also require visitors to use MSIE on a Windows computer,
because the site insists on using ActiveX to determine if you have Windows Media
Player installed. MSNBC does the same thing as well. Did you expect an
NBC/Microsoft combination to bring good to the Internet?
Speaking of Hopkins not being able to keep its records straight
During the first few months of my freshman year,
I received a bill from our telecom services charging me a $10 "activation fee,"
even though I had not signed up for their service. Each month, I would call them
and they would claim to have canceled my account. They finally stopped sending
the bill.
Oh, and after months of getting junk mail from Citi 2-3 time a week, I've finally canceled those two credit cards that the Vocal Chords made me sign up for. Hopefully they won't send me any more junk after the "confirmation letters" I'm supposed to receive next week.
Oh, and after months of getting junk mail from Citi 2-3 time a week, I've finally canceled those two credit cards that the Vocal Chords made me sign up for. Hopefully they won't send me any more junk after the "confirmation letters" I'm supposed to receive next week.
Isn't it cool to be a geek these days?
Skier Wysz (7:02:21 PM):
i see you used h2, we should
probably define that in the CSS next time we
meet
Reneelet (7:02:40 PM): if you insist
Skier Wysz (7:02:44 PM): i do
Reneelet (7:03:05 PM): are you looking at my code?!?!?
Skier Wysz (7:03:21 PM): yes
Skier Wysz (7:03:30 PM): i love looking at code
Reneelet (7:03:53 PM): if the geek convention is still around tomorrow, i'll give them your number
Reneelet (7:02:40 PM): if you insist
Skier Wysz (7:02:44 PM): i do
Reneelet (7:03:05 PM): are you looking at my code?!?!?
Skier Wysz (7:03:21 PM): yes
Skier Wysz (7:03:30 PM): i love looking at code
Reneelet (7:03:53 PM): if the geek convention is still around tomorrow, i'll give them your number
Turns out the "Upper Quad" is the same thing as Gilman Quad. Be there!
Skier Wysz (7:19:55 PM):
ok now i have to download some
stevie nicks
Skier Wysz (7:20:19 PM): i should probably stop sharing this
BuffyPrep5 (7:20:31 PM): yeah sounds like a good idea
Skier Wysz (7:20:19 PM): i should probably stop sharing this
BuffyPrep5 (7:20:31 PM): yeah sounds like a good idea
Vocal Chords: Tonight at 10:30 on the Upper Quad
Skier Wysz (7:11:36 PM):
i'm listening to
footloose
BuffyPrep5 (7:11:41 PM): umm...
BuffyPrep5 (7:11:51 PM): and you want me not to judge you?
Skier Wysz (7:12:15 PM): i think you know me well enough to know that i'm not really afraid of being judged
Skier Wysz (7:12:21 PM): have you seen my umbrella?
BuffyPrep5 (7:12:30 PM): uh yeah
Skier Wysz (7:12:35 PM): see what i mean
BuffyPrep5 (7:12:44 PM): it's the umbrella of a 65 year old librarian
BuffyPrep5 (7:11:41 PM): umm...
BuffyPrep5 (7:11:51 PM): and you want me not to judge you?
Skier Wysz (7:12:15 PM): i think you know me well enough to know that i'm not really afraid of being judged
Skier Wysz (7:12:21 PM): have you seen my umbrella?
BuffyPrep5 (7:12:30 PM): uh yeah
Skier Wysz (7:12:35 PM): see what i mean
BuffyPrep5 (7:12:44 PM): it's the umbrella of a 65 year old librarian
Just whose blog do you think this is?
eightman1984 (9:33:19
AM): Your blog no longer features my
fractured take on modern life...I'm quite dissapointed.
All of the above
Skier Wysz (11:47:45 PM):
brendan is like the dad in those
family vacation movies. he has to get in a full day of activities. i wouldn't be
surprised if he has us synchronize our watches at some point
tomorrow
Stowington (11:48:07 PM): aw geez
Stowington (11:48:29 PM): that means something wacky is going to happen to him, right?
Skier Wysz (11:48:50 PM): probably
Skier Wysz (11:49:01 PM): let's see
Skier Wysz (11:49:04 PM): family vacation comedy
Skier Wysz (11:49:08 PM): dc
Skier Wysz (11:49:36 PM): hmm, he has several options:
1. meet the president
2. get arrested
3. get in a fight with a bear
Stowington (11:49:49 PM): 4. all of the above
Stowington (11:48:07 PM): aw geez
Stowington (11:48:29 PM): that means something wacky is going to happen to him, right?
Skier Wysz (11:48:50 PM): probably
Skier Wysz (11:49:01 PM): let's see
Skier Wysz (11:49:04 PM): family vacation comedy
Skier Wysz (11:49:08 PM): dc
Skier Wysz (11:49:36 PM): hmm, he has several options:
1. meet the president
2. get arrested
3. get in a fight with a bear
Stowington (11:49:49 PM): 4. all of the above
One of the benefits of going to what may be the nerdiest school in the country
Reneelet (3:05:51 PM):
interesting photo op in front of levering
today
Reneelet (3:06:16 PM): grown men in the science fi club are re-enacting a galactic battle or something
Reneelet (3:06:35 PM): in other words, geeks dressed in funny clothes are beating each other with nerf bats
Reneelet (3:06:16 PM): grown men in the science fi club are re-enacting a galactic battle or something
Reneelet (3:06:35 PM): in other words, geeks dressed in funny clothes are beating each other with nerf bats
Uppercase SIGH
Reneelet (7:58:49 PM):
im trying to think of a good
job just for
august
Skier Wysz (7:59:18 PM): you could work in the capital of maine
Reneelet (7:59:42 PM): i thought about working in maine
Reneelet (7:59:49 PM): but then i thought, how would i get there?
Skier Wysz (8:00:04 PM): umm i dont know, take a boat or something
Reneelet (8:00:37 PM): i saw a job at a state park, but what would one do in the capital?
Skier Wysz (8:01:19 PM): i dont know, but august... augusta! get it?
Reneelet (8:01:39 PM): SIGH
Skier Wysz (7:59:18 PM): you could work in the capital of maine
Reneelet (7:59:42 PM): i thought about working in maine
Reneelet (7:59:49 PM): but then i thought, how would i get there?
Skier Wysz (8:00:04 PM): umm i dont know, take a boat or something
Reneelet (8:00:37 PM): i saw a job at a state park, but what would one do in the capital?
Skier Wysz (8:01:19 PM): i dont know, but august... augusta! get it?
Reneelet (8:01:39 PM): SIGH
Friday, April 08, 2005
Saturday Plans
You know that
story about the guy who got arrested for using the $2 bills at Best
Buy? Well, I just realized that this occured at the Towson Best Buy, which is
the closest location to my apartment. I'm thinking about heading up there
tomorrow and stopping at the bank on the way. Should be fun. Gotta love
shenanigans.
As per the request of one of my readers:
I bring you an awesome note.
Mmm. S'mores.
"A smorgasbord of pandemonium"
The registrar has to be the most hated
organization on this campus. Every time I log into their system, which is only
available from 7 AM to 9 PM, so the server can rest or something, I have to
click through the following screens to do
anything:
1. "Please click continue to update your personal information."
2. Editable form containing information that I don't need to change.
3. Confirmation page of the "changes" I made, even though I didn't change anything.
4. Finally, I arrive at the registration page.
I have to go through this every time I log in. Everyone hates this annoying procedure, but the registrar can do whatever it wants. Then, once I'm logged in, I find this message, actually in red text, near the bottom of the screen:
You must clear the following hold(s) prior to registering or dropping classes for Fall 2005-2006 term:
Pre-Graduation Clearance Hold - Go to the Office of Academic Advising to clear your pre-graduation status.
Right below the red message is some useful advice, in green:
For best results Internet Explorer 5.x or above is highly recommended.
No, I'm not making this up. Anyway, I figured that this is something I should get taken care of before registration, so I can be ready to go. I first checked with other students in my same year and major, and they do not have the hold. I'm assuming that the message is referring to the hold that is placed on registration prior to completing Junior Clearance, which I've done. Students who completed the procedure before and after me don't have a hold, so it's not a timing issue. Junior Clearance is a joke anyway; all they do is sign a form without looking at it and then ask you for a phonetic spelling of your name. I'm pretty sure that the phonetic spelling is the entire reason behind requiring the meeting.
I seem to have gone off on a rant. Sorry. After confirming that I was the only one I knew with this hold, I went to Academic Advising today, just as the message had ordered me to do. They seemed to think that it was something that the registrar simply hadn't entered yet, and was waiting to do all at once during registration, but suggested I check just to be sure. So, I went to the registrar to see what they had to say. The registrar had nothing to say to me other than to "go to Academic Advising," even though I explained that they had sent me to the registrar. I didn't have time to go back to Academic Advising, because I had to go to class. I'll give them a call on Monday, and do my best to keep my cool, even though yelling at people can be fun.
1. "Please click continue to update your personal information."
2. Editable form containing information that I don't need to change.
3. Confirmation page of the "changes" I made, even though I didn't change anything.
4. Finally, I arrive at the registration page.
I have to go through this every time I log in. Everyone hates this annoying procedure, but the registrar can do whatever it wants. Then, once I'm logged in, I find this message, actually in red text, near the bottom of the screen:
You must clear the following hold(s) prior to registering or dropping classes for Fall 2005-2006 term:
Pre-Graduation Clearance Hold - Go to the Office of Academic Advising to clear your pre-graduation status.
Right below the red message is some useful advice, in green:
For best results Internet Explorer 5.x or above is highly recommended.
No, I'm not making this up. Anyway, I figured that this is something I should get taken care of before registration, so I can be ready to go. I first checked with other students in my same year and major, and they do not have the hold. I'm assuming that the message is referring to the hold that is placed on registration prior to completing Junior Clearance, which I've done. Students who completed the procedure before and after me don't have a hold, so it's not a timing issue. Junior Clearance is a joke anyway; all they do is sign a form without looking at it and then ask you for a phonetic spelling of your name. I'm pretty sure that the phonetic spelling is the entire reason behind requiring the meeting.
I seem to have gone off on a rant. Sorry. After confirming that I was the only one I knew with this hold, I went to Academic Advising today, just as the message had ordered me to do. They seemed to think that it was something that the registrar simply hadn't entered yet, and was waiting to do all at once during registration, but suggested I check just to be sure. So, I went to the registrar to see what they had to say. The registrar had nothing to say to me other than to "go to Academic Advising," even though I explained that they had sent me to the registrar. I didn't have time to go back to Academic Advising, because I had to go to class. I'll give them a call on Monday, and do my best to keep my cool, even though yelling at people can be fun.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
April Fools!
Apparently I'm not the only one who was able to
pull of one of those I-can't-believe-anyone-would-fall-for-this pranks. As
I reported on April 1st, MacDailyNews ran a bunch of obviously phony
articles on April Fool's Day, including one about Tiger Woods
becoming Apple's Mac OS X spokesperson. (Warning: MacDailyNews runs
some pretty annoying advertising including pop-unders and audio flash
ads.)
Well, while most websurfers said, "Ha ha," and moved along to the next joke on the Internet, someone at Sports Illustrated fell for it, and posted these Golf Power Rankings on April 5th. Scroll down to Tiger Woods, and you get this as part of his blurb: "Apple announced a partnership with Woods to promote the company's new operating system."
I took a look at the MacDailyNews story which reported SI's mistake, and saw their explanation for the author's name in the fake article: "Siddhartha Finch," who was apparently a character in a hoax created by Sports Illustrated. Priceless.
Well, while most websurfers said, "Ha ha," and moved along to the next joke on the Internet, someone at Sports Illustrated fell for it, and posted these Golf Power Rankings on April 5th. Scroll down to Tiger Woods, and you get this as part of his blurb: "Apple announced a partnership with Woods to promote the company's new operating system."
I took a look at the MacDailyNews story which reported SI's mistake, and saw their explanation for the author's name in the fake article: "Siddhartha Finch," who was apparently a character in a hoax created by Sports Illustrated. Priceless.
Shattered Glass
Creepy
From The Baltimore
Sun:
"The cameras are programmed to recognize 16 actions, including someone trying to break into a building, hiding behind a tree or even slipping and falling."
I see a fun video project... "Hopkins Bloopers — Hilarious clips of clumsy nerds tripping over their own shoes!"
Link
If a registration page comes up, let me know and I'll email you the full article. Oh, and make sure you're using a browser that blocks pop-ups before clicking the link.
"The cameras are programmed to recognize 16 actions, including someone trying to break into a building, hiding behind a tree or even slipping and falling."
I see a fun video project... "Hopkins Bloopers — Hilarious clips of clumsy nerds tripping over their own shoes!"
Link
If a registration page comes up, let me know and I'll email you the full article. Oh, and make sure you're using a browser that blocks pop-ups before clicking the link.
Coming to Wysz's course schedule Fall 2005:
"Écuslömötl: Extreme Close-Ups,
Slow-Motion, and Time Lapse Vis a Vis Jean Epstein"
Quotes
BuffyPrep5 (10:09:52 PM):
you don't do as many blog posts
anymore
Skier Wysz (10:11:19 PM): i've been busy with my studies
BuffyPrep5 (10:11:38 PM): hahahahahaha
Skier Wysz (10:11:19 PM): i've been busy with my studies
BuffyPrep5 (10:11:38 PM): hahahahahaha
Exactly.
BuffyPrep5 (2:11:22 PM):
you're like some bizarre parrot
robot that absorbs what people say and then just sends it back to them but you
never know what exactly you should say when so you end up seeming
sub-human
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Re: INK!
My printer happily accepted the $3.88 black ink
cartridge. However, since I don't print pictures anymore, I figured there was no
need to buy a color cartridge. When I went to print my DVD labels on the new
paper I had just purchased, I learned that my printer refuses to print ANYTHING
if it doesn't have both cartridges installed and filled with ink, even if I
leave an empty color cartridge in and choose black ink only in the print
settings.
Because of this, instead of getting a cool professional looking label, the library's copy of Foolproof is now labeled with my own handwriting. I wonder if that will increase its value someday.
Because of this, instead of getting a cool professional looking label, the library's copy of Foolproof is now labeled with my own handwriting. I wonder if that will increase its value someday.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
tchotchke
My fifth "Lost & Found Film" assignment:
tchotchke,
available for your viewing pleasure. QuickTime 7 or later required.
Ink!
I went to CompUSA tonight to get some ink and DVD
labels for my Epson C62, and to my surprise they had some "Manager's Special" on
RHINOTEK black cartridges for my printer, so I bought two for only $3.88 each!
Considering what ink usually costs these days, that's a pretty good
deal.
Resident Advisor
Me: Should I draw [with pen] all over my face and
try to wash it off before my class at
noon?
Bill: No.
Bill: No.
Security Report!
UNAUTHORIZED SOLICITING – Levering Plaza,
Apr. 4, 10:30 AM. Five people, four dressed in cow costumes, were handing out
business cards advertising a website. They were advised by Student Development
staff of the campus no solicitation policy and left the campus without
incident.
Link to archived report
Link to archived report
Monday, April 04, 2005
April Fool's Update Update
Since I was on hiatus for April Fool's last year,
I was unable to blog this.
Now I'm not on hiatus, so I can.
April Fool's Update
Here's a link to
what replaced the main page of
HomestarRunner.com.
I just noticed yesterday that Google takes a great stab at Microsoft at the bottom of the Google Gulp FAQ page:
"...but we've seen all these other companies leap headlong into 1.0, thinking their product is exactly what they've been dreaming of all their lives, that everything is perfect and hunky-dory – and the next thing you know some vanilla copycat release from Redmond is kicking their butt, the Board is holding emergency meetings and the CEO is on CNBC blathering sweatily about "a new direction" and 'getting back to basics.'..."
This was my favorite of the many FARK jokes.
There was probably some more stuff I wanted to share with you, but I probably got so excited by pranking my professor that I forgot to keep track of it.
I just noticed yesterday that Google takes a great stab at Microsoft at the bottom of the Google Gulp FAQ page:
"...but we've seen all these other companies leap headlong into 1.0, thinking their product is exactly what they've been dreaming of all their lives, that everything is perfect and hunky-dory – and the next thing you know some vanilla copycat release from Redmond is kicking their butt, the Board is holding emergency meetings and the CEO is on CNBC blathering sweatily about "a new direction" and 'getting back to basics.'..."
This was my favorite of the many FARK jokes.
There was probably some more stuff I wanted to share with you, but I probably got so excited by pranking my professor that I forgot to keep track of it.
The system is down, yo.
A campus which uses email as the official means
of communication should probably have a reliable email system. I've had few
problems with it during my nearly three years here, but last night everything at
the Hopkins Nerd Conservatory 'sploded. Or they lost power or something. Even
this morning, as I write this, most of the systems are down. I can't access JHEM
(via POP or web), JSHARE, or sign in to the Registrar. Anything on
webapps.jhu.edu, which hosts a lot of the content on JHU's website, is unavailable. JohnsHopkins.edu, the site for
the Johns Hopkins Institutions (including JHU) is completely
down.
WebCT, the library catalog, and JHUNIX are working.
WebCT, the library catalog, and JHUNIX are working.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Credit
Thanks to The Bill for the "12345"
joke.
Stuff I need to remember to do today
- Ink
- Cheese
- Call
- Lab
- Concert
- Laundry
- Apply
- Cheese
- Call
- Lab
- Concert
- Laundry
- Apply
Stock answers do not count as customer service. (Part 2 - A New Stock Answer)
Part
1 | This is part 2. |
Part
3
NAME: Michael Wyszomierski
COMM ID: xxxx
COMMENTS: I was disappointed to receive a stock reply to my inquiry, as it seems there is no distinction between prewritten help pages and "customer service."
The stock reply indicated that Mac OS X Tiger Family Pack had sold out. If a representative had read my message with any care, he or she would have realized that the product has not even been released yet, and therefore the supply could not have run out already.
I hope this message reaches someone who will actually look into the matter without sending a stock answer. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
------------
Thanks for writing to us at Amazon.com with your concern and bringing this to our attention.
I regret that our previous response was not as helpful as it should have been. I also apologize for the added frustration of having to contact us again, and hope that I can be of some help.
Further, I have checked for "Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Family Pack - 5 Client," on our web site and found that it is currently out of stock.
You can check this information by visiting the following URL:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0007LW1MW/
I am very sorry that you were not able to place your order for this item before our supply ran out to take advantage of the $50.00 rebate offer associated with it.
Unfortunately, our supply of some items is limited and these products sell out quickly.
We do not know if this item will be available for purchase on our web site in the future.
I would therefore suggest checking our web site from time to time to see if this item has come back in stock or if it is available from another seller through Amazon.com Auctions (http://auctions.amazon.com) or zShops (http://www.amazon.com/zshops).
We do expand our selection frequently, so you may want to check back from time to time to see if we have added this item to our web site. Also, you may submit your request for this product at this URL:
http://www.amazon.com/o/subst/stores/catalog-builder/index.html
Please note that we cannot guarantee that we will be able to source this item, but we do want to know what our customers are seeking.
Also, at this point, I would like to mention that it is "Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger," which is listed as not yet released on our web site.
You can check this information by visiting the following URL:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002G71T0/
If you have any further questions, please visit our Help pages:
http://www.amazon.com/help/
Again, I apologize for the inconvenience caused and hope this information is helpful. Thank you for shopping at Amazon.com.
------------
Again, the message was followed by a "Did this help you?" thing. I haven't clicked on an answer yet, as I'm not sure if I really feel like going through this anymore. I might call them next as they do list that as an option. I'm probably leaning away from further contact at this point simply because I just woke up. Later in the day, I will look at this message and realize that contacting them again is stupid, but a little (yet powerful) voice inside my head will say, "Do it for the blog."
NAME: Michael Wyszomierski
COMM ID: xxxx
COMMENTS: I was disappointed to receive a stock reply to my inquiry, as it seems there is no distinction between prewritten help pages and "customer service."
The stock reply indicated that Mac OS X Tiger Family Pack had sold out. If a representative had read my message with any care, he or she would have realized that the product has not even been released yet, and therefore the supply could not have run out already.
I hope this message reaches someone who will actually look into the matter without sending a stock answer. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
------------
Thanks for writing to us at Amazon.com with your concern and bringing this to our attention.
I regret that our previous response was not as helpful as it should have been. I also apologize for the added frustration of having to contact us again, and hope that I can be of some help.
Further, I have checked for "Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Family Pack - 5 Client," on our web site and found that it is currently out of stock.
You can check this information by visiting the following URL:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0007LW1MW/
I am very sorry that you were not able to place your order for this item before our supply ran out to take advantage of the $50.00 rebate offer associated with it.
Unfortunately, our supply of some items is limited and these products sell out quickly.
We do not know if this item will be available for purchase on our web site in the future.
I would therefore suggest checking our web site from time to time to see if this item has come back in stock or if it is available from another seller through Amazon.com Auctions (http://auctions.amazon.com) or zShops (http://www.amazon.com/zshops).
We do expand our selection frequently, so you may want to check back from time to time to see if we have added this item to our web site. Also, you may submit your request for this product at this URL:
http://www.amazon.com/o/subst/stores/catalog-builder/index.html
Please note that we cannot guarantee that we will be able to source this item, but we do want to know what our customers are seeking.
Also, at this point, I would like to mention that it is "Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger," which is listed as not yet released on our web site.
You can check this information by visiting the following URL:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002G71T0/
If you have any further questions, please visit our Help pages:
http://www.amazon.com/help/
Again, I apologize for the inconvenience caused and hope this information is helpful. Thank you for shopping at Amazon.com.
------------
Again, the message was followed by a "Did this help you?" thing. I haven't clicked on an answer yet, as I'm not sure if I really feel like going through this anymore. I might call them next as they do list that as an option. I'm probably leaning away from further contact at this point simply because I just woke up. Later in the day, I will look at this message and realize that contacting them again is stupid, but a little (yet powerful) voice inside my head will say, "Do it for the blog."
Stock answers do not count as customer service.
This is part 1. |
Part
2 |
Part
3
NAME: Michael Wyszomierski
COMMENTS: You are currently running a promotion on Mac OS X Tiger Family Pack, which offers a $50 rebate if purchased before 5/31/05, according to the rebate coupon located on your website. However, if I search Amazon for the ASIN listed on the coupon, I am taken to a product page that tells me the item is not currently available. I would like to take advantage of the rebate, so how can I be sure that the product will be available before the promotion expires?
Please note that this message refers to the Mac OS X Tiger Family Pack, and not the single client edition.
Thank you for your help.
------------
Thank you for contacting us at Amazon.com.
Unfortunately, our supply of some items is limited and these products
sell out quickly.
I am very sorry that you were not able to place your order before our
supply ran out.
We do not know if this item will be available for purchase on our web
site in the future. For this reason, the item is currently listed as
currently not available.
I would suggest checking our web site from time to time to see if
this item has come back in stock or if it is available from another
seller through Amazon.com Auctions (http://auctions.amazon.com) or
zShops (http://www.amazon.com/zshops).
Thanks again for shopping at Amazon.com.
------------
At the bottom of the message there was a note asking if the email resolved the question, with one link for "yes" and another for "no." Of course, I clicked on the "no" link. Via this link, I sent them a (rather polite) followup message explaining that I was disappointed to receive a stock reply, especially since it did not answer my question. If anyone had actually looked into my inquiry for more than three seconds, he or she would have realized that Tiger had not even been released yet, and therefore sending a message indicating that their supply had run out would be silly. I'll let you know when I receive another reply.
As for unavailable products, I don't think it would be terribly difficult for some programmer at Amazon to set up an email notification option for when the product becomes available again. Just a thought. But this is a complaint, so I can't put it in the "Thoughts" category. Yes, "Complaint" supersedes "Thought" on WTv.A.
NAME: Michael Wyszomierski
COMMENTS: You are currently running a promotion on Mac OS X Tiger Family Pack, which offers a $50 rebate if purchased before 5/31/05, according to the rebate coupon located on your website. However, if I search Amazon for the ASIN listed on the coupon, I am taken to a product page that tells me the item is not currently available. I would like to take advantage of the rebate, so how can I be sure that the product will be available before the promotion expires?
Please note that this message refers to the Mac OS X Tiger Family Pack, and not the single client edition.
Thank you for your help.
------------
Thank you for contacting us at Amazon.com.
Unfortunately, our supply of some items is limited and these products
sell out quickly.
I am very sorry that you were not able to place your order before our
supply ran out.
We do not know if this item will be available for purchase on our web
site in the future. For this reason, the item is currently listed as
currently not available.
I would suggest checking our web site from time to time to see if
this item has come back in stock or if it is available from another
seller through Amazon.com Auctions (http://auctions.amazon.com) or
zShops (http://www.amazon.com/zshops).
Thanks again for shopping at Amazon.com.
------------
At the bottom of the message there was a note asking if the email resolved the question, with one link for "yes" and another for "no." Of course, I clicked on the "no" link. Via this link, I sent them a (rather polite) followup message explaining that I was disappointed to receive a stock reply, especially since it did not answer my question. If anyone had actually looked into my inquiry for more than three seconds, he or she would have realized that Tiger had not even been released yet, and therefore sending a message indicating that their supply had run out would be silly. I'll let you know when I receive another reply.
As for unavailable products, I don't think it would be terribly difficult for some programmer at Amazon to set up an email notification option for when the product becomes available again. Just a thought. But this is a complaint, so I can't put it in the "Thoughts" category. Yes, "Complaint" supersedes "Thought" on WTv.A.
Stock answers do not count as customer service. (Part 3)
Part
1 |
Part
2 | This is part
3.
I called Amazon a few minutes ago, and after giving my full name, email address, last 5 digits of my credit card, credit card expiration date, favorite color, and billing address, I was allowed to ask my question.
Instead of writing it out, I'll let you listen to a very edited version of the call. I didn't edit to change meaning; I simply masked my personal information and made the call a lot shorter by cutting out pauses and ASIN numbers. Click here to listen.
I called Amazon a few minutes ago, and after giving my full name, email address, last 5 digits of my credit card, credit card expiration date, favorite color, and billing address, I was allowed to ask my question.
Instead of writing it out, I'll let you listen to a very edited version of the call. I didn't edit to change meaning; I simply masked my personal information and made the call a lot shorter by cutting out pauses and ASIN numbers. Click here to listen.
Friday, April 01, 2005
I'm back!
If you read my April Fool's Day post and believed
it, rest assured that it was a joke. Actually, my last announced hiatus was
supposed to be an April Fool's Day joke as well, but I procrastinated when it
came to the ending of it. Since my foolish post
I've:
- Laughed at the Homestar Runner April Fool's Day thing.
- Watched my Gmail storage limit slowly approach 2 GB throughout the day
- Downloaded and ran Screen Cleaner Pro!
- Enjoyed various other April Fool's Day fun.
- Found, identified, and fixed an HTML error in the Google Gulp FAQ, and submitted it to Google.
- Played a joke on one of my professors, prompting him to call me at home to confirm that it wasn't real.
- Laughed at the Homestar Runner April Fool's Day thing.
- Watched my Gmail storage limit slowly approach 2 GB throughout the day
- Downloaded and ran Screen Cleaner Pro!
- Enjoyed various other April Fool's Day fun.
- Found, identified, and fixed an HTML error in the Google Gulp FAQ, and submitted it to Google.
- Played a joke on one of my professors, prompting him to call me at home to confirm that it wasn't real.
April Fool's Day
So I was going to post some April Fools-type
things: saying that I got kicked out of school for blogging, was picking up a
second major, getting a Masters degree, or getting married and finding a house
in Baltimore, but I have to study for a quiz that's in less than an hour. Yes,
I'm really going to study. Ugh, you're not going to believe
anything
I say, are you? This is what I get for lying even on non-April Fool's days.
Anyway, in all honesty I have decided that this whole blog thing is pretty
dangerous to my academic status, so I'm putting it on hold until the end of the
semester, which will occur sometime in May. I can't give you an exact date,
because it really depends on when I finish some of my projects. We know I won't
finish anything early, so I could just post the due dates, but of course I don't
know what they are. If I feel the urge to contact the world via the Internet,
look for updates on Blake's
blog.
Oh, and for real April Fool's Day fun, check out Google Gulp. The best part is the FAQ, which lets Google poke fun at itself, including "I mean, isn't this whole invite-only thing kind of bogus?" and "When will you take Google Gulp out of beta?" as well as stabs at Google's "evil" information-gathering techniques.
Also recommended:
Boring Boring
Crazy Apple Rumors, because posting bogus rumors on April Fool's Day is completely redundant.
Jobs Joins IKEA
Even Monkeys wouldn't use a Mac
More Mac stuff
There are a ton of other April Fool's Day things on the Internet today, but I really must get going. Look around for yourself. See you in May!
Oh, and for real April Fool's Day fun, check out Google Gulp. The best part is the FAQ, which lets Google poke fun at itself, including "I mean, isn't this whole invite-only thing kind of bogus?" and "When will you take Google Gulp out of beta?" as well as stabs at Google's "evil" information-gathering techniques.
Also recommended:
Boring Boring
Crazy Apple Rumors, because posting bogus rumors on April Fool's Day is completely redundant.
Jobs Joins IKEA
Even Monkeys wouldn't use a Mac
More Mac stuff
There are a ton of other April Fool's Day things on the Internet today, but I really must get going. Look around for yourself. See you in May!
Slacker
Reneelet (9:47:36 AM):
it says it on the class
website
Skier Wysz (9:48:06 AM): the class has a website?
Reneelet (9:48:29 AM): :-P
Reneelet (9:48:33 AM): very funny
Skier Wysz (9:48:06 AM): the class has a website?
Reneelet (9:48:29 AM): :-P
Reneelet (9:48:33 AM): very funny