Re: Education
Damon Agretto wrote: I have a friend who works for the Nevada Department of Education whose job it is to research universities and make recommendations on accreditation. I asked him about the University of Phoenix a couple of months ago. He said UP is a good school and accredited. They are not just an on-line school, but have campuses in several locations. They have a huge campus in Denver (actually Aurora I think) near a huge technology center. Thanks, this is just the sort of info I was looking for! It certainly gives me more options to think about (and it might be more convenient too). I have 2 local universities to choose from (Lehigh and Moravian) so its not critical for me to do an O-L MBA program. Speakingof which, has anyone taken classes or done such a program? What were your experiences? -- I have two friends (both govenment contractors) in my office who are enrolled in Phoenix's Computer Information Systems Masters Program. Both are talking about the workload but are very happy with the on-line system and discussions and the responses from the instructors. They have both complained a bit about the up front classes such as Business Law and Managerial Accounting. Both really want to delve into the core IT courses. George A George A ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: christian dreams of murder...
I think you need Israeli right-wing POV here ... Ritu wrote I'd say Israel's current army chief of staff and four ex-security chiefs would know more about the situation there. And Moshe Ya'alon and four of Israel's ex-security chiefs think that their policy is counter-productive and intensifying the cycle of hatred and destruction, breeding militancy instead of preventing it. They are also worried about the effect the policy has had on Israel's polity and economy. The right way to judge such thing is by results. King Hussein got them. President Asad got them. Our policy *is* counter-productive, but for the wrong reason. Zahal should have bombed Jenin instead of sending foot soldiers in. Sheich Yasin should have gotten bigger bomb. Gautam Mukunda wrote: They have a better record than India, though, and a threat comparable to or worse than ours. Ritu I don't quite understand what you refer to here. What does Israel have a better record in? Human rights? Establishing peace? Neutralizing the threat? Preventing further attacks? India? All of the above. About child's life vs torture of terrorist. There one piece of information missing - our country's size. It's never a child - if it is not your child, it's your relative's, or friend's, or neighbor's, or somebody with whom you were in the same class in school/college, in same unit in Army in same guided tour. It's possible, that you don't know the victim of terrorist attack, but possibility that you don't know somebody who knows him/her is very low. When intended victim of terrorist attack has a face SHRUG. Russian proverb says: Your own shirt is closest to your body Iraq and Afghanistan. SIGH Israeli experience in Lebanon shows that rice turns into bullets pretty fast. It also shows that leaving makes things only worse. I hate the idea that soldiers are killed in Iraq. I know they protect me and forever grateful. Ilana from Israel ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Resemblances
Julia Thompson wrote: Are they higher on the EWG! factor than having the doctor's arm in up to the elbow without benefit of anesthesia? It depends on how much you like having other people's blood dripped on you. *shudder* But yours is pretty tough to beat. What happened? Jim ___ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
author review
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/09/24/dumbing_down_american_readers/ or http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2A513796 Since the article is free, I'm not posting it. The op-ed writer takes the literary world to task for awarding bad but popular authors like Stephen King. While I can understand his point, what is the list opinion: is it better that more people read even if it's not highbrow works? Isn't this the same argument used against comic books or rock n roll? Kevin T. - VRWC ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Explanation
- Original Message - From: William T Goodall [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 7:55 PM Subject: Re: Explanation On 17 Nov 2003, at 4:12 pm, Robert J. Chassell wrote: Dan Minette wrote: Let me understand. You are seriously suggesting that viewing physics through a computer science lens is as valid as viewing physics through a physics lens? Somewhat off topic, but what do you think of Structure and Interpretaion of Classical Mechanics Gerald Jay Sussman and Jack Wisdom 2001, MIT Press ISBN 0-262-019455-4 ? This book does not involve using `a computer science lens', but as it says in the Preface Classical mechanics is deceptively simple. Traditional mathematical notation contributes to this problem. Symbols have ambiguous meanings, [in this book] Computational algorithms are used to communicate precisely some of the methods used in the analysis of dynamical phenomena. Expressing the methods of variational mechanics in a computer language forces them to be unambiguous and computationally effective. To bring the question back to topic, would it be useful to consider thinking about a photon's actions through a computer science lens as a *metaphor*? (In this case, the action is specified by a `method' appropriate to the context, where the actions are either going through two slits at the same time, like a wave upon the water, or else behaving like a stone.) Then, could the metaphor eventually be tranformed into physics? If so, how? Aren't the mathematical descriptions of physics just metaphors? For what? We have models; if they fit observations, they are good theories. If they don't, they are not. There is the 'ding an sich' and there is the model. Worrying about the metaphysics of models seems daft to me. The 'thing itself' is the final arbiter. Science has to do with observations, not things in themselves. How do you access the think in itself? If the model has problems then that is the problem of the model since reality carries on regardless :) Reality carries on, sure, but science is not concerned with the relationship between observations and things in themselves; its only concerned with modeling observations. Now it is true, that physicists are much more likely to think about this than biologists or chemists. The reason for this is fairly straightforward. Chemists, biologists, etc. can usually use the convenient fiction that we are living in a classical world without contradicting experimental results. Physicists cannot do QM without dropping this fiction. So, they tend to think about why they can't more often. Dan M. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Resemblances
On Wed, 19 Nov 2003, Jim Sharkey wrote: Julia Thompson wrote: Are they higher on the EWG! factor than having the doctor's arm in up to the elbow without benefit of anesthesia? It depends on how much you like having other people's blood dripped on you. *shudder* But yours is pretty tough to beat. What happened? Tommy had been in a vertex presentation (i.e., head pointing toward the cervix) for a good 3 months. Then after Catherine was delivered, they ruptured his amniotic sac, and he decided he'd flip. And the doctor was trying to flip him back. She finally gave up and hauled him out feet-first. Mind you, during the manipulation, I had no anesthesia whatsoever. They gave me a spinal just before she hauled him out. (At least I didn't have to feel the episiotomy being *sewn up*) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: author review
From: Kevin Tarr [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/09/24/dumbing_down_american_readers/ or http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2A513796 Since the article is free, I'm not posting it. The op-ed writer takes the literary world to task for awarding bad but popular authors like Stephen King. While I can understand his point, what is the list opinion: is it better that more people read even if it's not highbrow works? Isn't this the same argument used against comic books or rock n roll? Kevin T. - VRWC I would say it's about evolution. The shifting of literature towards popular culture. In my opinion, anything that will encourage kids to read is a good thing, but I wonder if this trend will actually contribule to a common mindset. Many Steve King novels and Harry Potter books are turned into movies. Kids might, like most adults, succumb to the mindset Why read the book when I can just watch the movie. From the movie standpoint though, I am glad that the Harry Potter books are being made into movies. By converting books into movies, Hollywood is starting to take more chances and stepping away from the standard movie formula. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is 161 minutes (2 hours and 41 minutes) long. Before that movie, it was thought nearly impossible to hold a child's attention for a movie that long. Rarely does a movie for children have a story so developed, and never, within my experience, has a movie for children been so long. Hollywood needs to step out of the standard formula more often so that people that watch the movies might actually have their horizons broadened rather than pumped with the same mindless drivel over and over again. I will have to argue with the author of that article about Steven King's writing. Admitted, I have only read one of Steven King's books (_Regulators_ under the pen name Richard Bachman, which I liked until the last two chapters, which I hated), but if some of the movies based on some of his books are any indication (Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile) his work isn't all bad. I wish I had the time to read those books, but I have other books to read and I have already seen the movies :-) . Do a few diamonds in the rough entitle Steven King to such an award? I really don't know, I would have to read more Steven King books to make such a judgement. Honestly though, any author that can sell books as well as he can, despite harsh crticism from so many people, deserves some kind of award :-) . Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Family Guy may return
At 12:25 AM 11/20/2003 +, you wrote: http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-11-18-family-guy_x.htm In a sign of the growing importance of DVD sales to Hollywood, 20th Century Fox is considering a plan to resume production of Family Guy, a sometimes crude animated comedy that the Fox network took off the air more than 18 months ago. As many as 35 new episodes could return in January 2005, marking the first time that a canceled series has been revived based on strong DVD demand and ratings in syndication. Fox Television Entertainment Group chairman Sandy Grushow said a decision is expected soon and called the series a late-blooming phenomenon that may have aired before its time. A DVD set of the show's first 28 episodes released in April has sold nearly 1 million copies, making it this year's top-selling TV show and the No. 4 television title ever, according to Video Store magazine. A second collection, of 22 episodes, has sold 520,000 copies. And the series is Cartoon Network's most popular among adults. -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ Aerospace is plumbing with the volume turned up. - John Carmack Not joking, this is great news. Why was this show considered bad by so many people? (The pat answer, they were right). I loved the show. It had great jokes and was constantly funnier than the simpsons. Now, I never bought any shows but I only own 5 DVDs as it is. I may have to get some. Kevin T. - VRWC ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Family Guy may return
On Wed, 19 Nov 2003, Kevin Tarr wrote: Not joking, this is great news. Why was this show considered bad by so many people? (The pat answer, they were right). I loved the show. It had great jokes and was constantly funnier than the simpsons. Now, I never bought any shows but I only own 5 DVDs as it is. I may have to get some. It was a little over-the-top on tasteless stuff at times, and didn't have the same sort of finesse that The Simpsons does. (The Simpsons can be a lot more subtle, and you have to be *really* culturally literate to get all the references they put in.) I liked a lot of stuff about it, but some of the somewhat more tasteless stuff got beat to death immediately. That's not a mark of good comedic skill, IMO. Actually, I think I liked everything about it except sometimes Peter. :) I almost bought the first season for Dan on DVD, but before I did, he indicated that he wouldn't be as enthused about that as some other things. If I were going to buy any comedy shows on DVD, I'd start with The Simpsons. Drama, I'd be torn -- Law Order, NYPD Blue or ER? Maybe West Wing? Julia going back for the next two slices of burned pizza (my own darn fault) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: author review
On Wed, 19 Nov 2003, Kevin Tarr wrote: The op-ed writer takes the literary world to task for awarding bad but popular authors like Stephen King. While I can understand his point, what is the list opinion: is it better that more people read even if it's not highbrow works? Isn't this the same argument used against comic books or rock n roll? I haven't read the article, may get to it at a later time, though. My opinion is that whatever works to hook someone on reading is a Good Thing. The trick is to persuade them to go on to better stuff. Don't know about rock n roll, music appreciation is a little different from reading (I think interest in music is a lot closer to being instinctual than reading is), but comic books are fine for starters, graphic novels are good period. If they're reasonably well-written, anyway. Pulp is fine. Eventually you run out of pulp that you like and go on to deeper stuff. Here's a question that just occurred to me: why will I happily put up with crappier writing from a mystery writer than from a science fiction writer? Maybe I'm taking the science fiction more seriously and want the writers of same to do so as well? Julia a little brain-fried today ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: author review
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kevin Tarr Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 07:11 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: author review http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articl es/2003/09/24/dumbing_down_american_readers/ or http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2A513796 Since the article is free, I'm not posting it. The op-ed writer takes the literary world to task for awarding bad but popular authors like Stephen King. While I can understand his point, what is the list opinion: is it better that more people read even if it's not highbrow works? Isn't this the same argument used against comic books or rock n roll? No, because comic books aren't bad. :) I lean towards one of Harold Bloom's thesises (thesii?) put forth in How To Read And Why (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0684859076/eogan-20/) Although abrasive and cantankerous, one of his core themes is don't waste your time reading anything that isn't enlightening or enjoyable Of course, he also goes on to list exactly what he thinks is worthwhile reading :) ..which of course, includes Proust. Anyone here taken a stab at Remembrance of Things Past? -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: author review
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Julia Thompson Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 11:39 AM To: Killer Bs Discussion Subject: Re: author review On Wed, 19 Nov 2003, Kevin Tarr wrote: The op-ed writer takes the literary world to task for awarding bad but popular authors like Stephen King. While I can understand his point, what is the list opinion: is it better that more people read even if it's not highbrow works? Isn't this the same argument used against comic books or rock n roll? I haven't read the article, may get to it at a later time, though. My opinion is that whatever works to hook someone on reading is a Good Thing. The trick is to persuade them to go on to better stuff. ..without telling them to do so. :) Here's a question that just occurred to me: why will I happily put up with crappier writing from a mystery writer than from a science fiction writer? Maybe I'm taking the science fiction more seriously and want the writers of same to do so as well? Maybe your expectation of the level of quality is in play? I know that I personally don't like reading mysteries - I find them to be either contrived or forced into a set narrative structure, where all that differs are the details of the twist at the end ;) -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Nancy Kress
Ok, whoever recommended Probability Moon etc, thanks - I was up until 2am trying to get through it :) -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: author review
On Thu, 20 Nov 2003, Miller, Jeffrey wrote: -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Julia Thompson Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 11:39 AM To: Killer Bs Discussion Subject: Re: author review On Wed, 19 Nov 2003, Kevin Tarr wrote: The op-ed writer takes the literary world to task for awarding bad but popular authors like Stephen King. While I can understand his point, what is the list opinion: is it better that more people read even if it's not highbrow works? Isn't this the same argument used against comic books or rock n roll? I haven't read the article, may get to it at a later time, though. My opinion is that whatever works to hook someone on reading is a Good Thing. The trick is to persuade them to go on to better stuff. ..without telling them to do so. :) Yeah. My father knew what I was reading and enjoying, because I *talked* to him about what I was reading and recommended that *he* read a few certain books, mostly because those were the ones I liked best at that time, and he didn't recommend a book and put it in my hands very often, but when he did, the way he did it was like he was giving me a gift, and I'd be very eager reading those books, at least initially. (The Vernor Vinge book he put in my hands did not disappoint!) My mother's way of recommending books made me a little less inclined to dive into them immediately. Then again, she recommended a lot of them to me, and there was only so much reading time available. Also, her taste is different from mine in more ways that my father's was. Here's a question that just occurred to me: why will I happily put up with crappier writing from a mystery writer than from a science fiction writer? Maybe I'm taking the science fiction more seriously and want the writers of same to do so as well? Maybe your expectation of the level of quality is in play? I know that I personally don't like reading mysteries - I find them to be either contrived or forced into a set narrative structure, where all that differs are the details of the twist at the end ;) I don't read mysteries for the mystery so much as the characters, and in some cases, the setting. I don't *care* so much who did it as how the heroine is going to extract herself from the dangerous situation she's just put herself in in trying to find out who did it. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Family Guy may return
I would agree with what Julia had to say. For me, it seemed like they were trying to be The Simpsons, but the humor was more heavy handed. It had some moment, but I wasn't particularly sorry to see it go. I'd MUCH rather they bring back Futurama... Damon. = Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Family Guy may return
Damon wrote: I would agree with what Julia had to say. For me, it seemed like they were trying to be The Simpsons, but the humor was more heavy handed. It had some moment, but I wasn't particularly sorry to see it go. I'd MUCH rather they bring back Futurama... I would definitely rather Futurama be brought back, but my experience w/Family Guy is a little different from yours and Julia's. When I saw them airing as brand new episodes, I didn't care for them very much. But this past summer when I saw them on Cartoon Network, for some reason they really struck a chord with me. They seemed a lot funnier that I remembered them being. I still didn't like the show as much as Simpsons or Futurama, but it was still very funny the second (and third and fourth) time around. Reggie Bautista _ Is there a gadget-lover on your gift list? MSN Shopping has lined up some good bets! http://shopping.msn.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Family Guy may return
On Thu, 20 Nov 2003, Reggie Bautista wrote: I would definitely rather Futurama be brought back, but my experience w/Family Guy is a little different from yours and Julia's. When I saw them airing as brand new episodes, I didn't care for them very much. But this past summer when I saw them on Cartoon Network, for some reason they really struck a chord with me. They seemed a lot funnier that I remembered them being. I still didn't like the show as much as Simpsons or Futurama, but it was still very funny the second (and third and fourth) time around. I think that they're better for the time of day they do Adult Swim on Cartoon Network than they are during prime time. Just something about the pacing of my days, it works better then. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: author review
Jeffrey Miller wrote: Of course, he also goes on to list exactly what he thinks is worthwhile reading :) ..which of course, includes Proust. Anyone here taken a stab at Remembrance of Things Past? Does anyone remember the great Monty Python sketch The All-England Summarize Proust Competition? Hang on a sec... Here we go: http://www.geocities.com/fang_club/summarise_proust_competition.html or http://makeashorterlink.com/?T3D926996 Reggie Bautista _ Is there a gadget-lover on your gift list? MSN Shopping has lined up some good bets! http://shopping.msn.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Family Guy may return
I wrote: I would definitely rather Futurama be brought back, but my experience w/Family Guy is a little different from yours and Julia's. When I saw them airing as brand new episodes, I didn't care for them very much. But this past summer when I saw them on Cartoon Network, for some reason they really struck a chord with me. They seemed a lot funnier that I remembered them being. I still didn't like the show as much as Simpsons or Futurama, but it was still very funny the second (and third and fourth) time around. Julia replied: I think that they're better for the time of day they do Adult Swim on Cartoon Network than they are during prime time. Just something about the pacing of my days, it works better then. I think you may be right. The other thing that just occured to me is that Family Guy reminds me much more of Married With Children than The Simpsons. I had every reason to not like MWC, but I liked it anyway, at least the first few seasons. Reggie Bautista De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum Maru _ Share holiday photos without swamping your Inbox. Get MSN Extra Storage now! http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
The G4 CubeQuarium
Something for William Goodall. Apparently someone found a rather unusual use for an old Mac. ;-) http://home.comcast.net/~jleblanc77/cube/ Jon Le Blog: http://zarq.livejournal.com _ Has one of the new viruses infected your computer? Find out with a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee. Take the FreeScan now! http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The G4 CubeQuarium
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jon Gabriel Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 02:50 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: The G4 CubeQuarium Something for William Goodall. Apparently someone found a rather unusual use for an old Mac. ;-) http://home.comcast.net/~jleblanc77/cube/ Grrr... Now I've got to find a G4 case to make another Maquarium; I've got one I made out of an old SE :) -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The G4 CubeQuarium
Jon wrote: Something for William Goodall. Apparently someone found a rather unusual use for an old Mac. ;-) http://home.comcast.net/~jleblanc77/cube/ Back in the day (meaning, pre-Power PC chip), this was done with Mac Classics. They made a somewhat smaller fish bowl, but still stylish none-the-less :-) Reggie Bautista _ online games and music with a high-speed Internet connection! Prices start at less than $1 a day average. https://broadband.msn.com (Prices may vary by service area.) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The G4 CubeQuarium
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Reggie Bautista Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 03:19 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: The G4 CubeQuarium Jon wrote: Something for William Goodall. Apparently someone found a rather unusual use for an old Mac. ;-) http://home.comcast.net/~jleblanc77/cube/ Back in the day (meaning, pre-Power PC chip), this was done with Mac Classics. They made a somewhat smaller fish bowl, but still stylish none-the-less :-) Anyone want one? -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
iTunes review
http://www.furia.com/twas/twas0460.html One of my weekly music review must-reads, Glenn takes nearly an entire entry to muse on the role of iTunes in a post-internet world. (or something like that. Mandy Moore is in there, too) -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The G4 CubeQuarium
From: Miller, Jeffrey [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: The G4 CubeQuarium Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 15:22:42 -0800 -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Reggie Bautista Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 03:19 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: The G4 CubeQuarium Jon wrote: Something for William Goodall. Apparently someone found a rather unusual use for an old Mac. ;-) http://home.comcast.net/~jleblanc77/cube/ Back in the day (meaning, pre-Power PC chip), this was done with Mac Classics. They made a somewhat smaller fish bowl, but still stylish none-the-less :-) Anyone want one? Heh. I'd love one. But if I bring one more piece of computer equipment into the house, (no matter how (dys)functional it is, Robin will definitely kill me. Now if you have a spare _car_ lying around. :-) Jon Le Blog: http://zarq.livejournal.com _ Gift-shop online from the comfort of home at MSN Shopping! No crowds, free parking. http://shopping.msn.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Family Guy may return
I loved the pure surreal nuttiness of Family Guy. The talking dog that everyone simply accepts...Stewie's megalomaniacal madness. But I also loved Futurama, too. Bring 'em both back! (Anyone but me notice the problem Fox has with shows that start with F? Family Guy, Futurama, Firefly, Fastlane...) Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The G4 CubeQuarium
On 20 Nov 2003, at 11:18 pm, Reggie Bautista wrote: Jon wrote: Something for William Goodall. Apparently someone found a rather unusual use for an old Mac. ;-) http://home.comcast.net/~jleblanc77/cube/ Back in the day (meaning, pre-Power PC chip), this was done with Mac Classics. They made a somewhat smaller fish bowl, but still stylish none-the-less :-) They are made from Mac 128, Mac 512, Mac Plus, Mac SE SE/30, Mac Classic or Classic II, iMac, Cubes... This place sells between 35 and 50 every month: http://macaquarium.com/ I don't have one, but I do have the Marine Aquarium screensaver :) -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life - Terry Pratchett ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The G4 CubeQuarium
From: William T Goodall [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: The G4 CubeQuarium Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 00:19:31 + On 20 Nov 2003, at 11:18 pm, Reggie Bautista wrote: Jon wrote: Something for William Goodall. Apparently someone found a rather unusual use for an old Mac. ;-) http://home.comcast.net/~jleblanc77/cube/ Back in the day (meaning, pre-Power PC chip), this was done with Mac Classics. They made a somewhat smaller fish bowl, but still stylish none-the-less :-) They are made from Mac 128, Mac 512, Mac Plus, Mac SE SE/30, Mac Classic or Classic II, iMac, Cubes... This place sells between 35 and 50 every month: http://macaquarium.com/ I don't have one, but I do have the Marine Aquarium screensaver :) Heh. That makes two of us. I really like that one (especially the clock/calendar crystal feature. Neat. :-) It's built into WinXP Plus, so I run it at home too. Jon Le Blog: http://zarq.livejournal.com _ Say goodbye to busy signals and slow downloads with a high-speed Internet connection! Prices start at less than $1 a day average. https://broadband.msn.com (Prices may vary by service area.) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Thought this would amuse
Rejected title for hymn By Mollie Wilson, from McSweeneys (http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/lists/hymns.html ) You Have to Admit, This Sounds Pretty Farfetched There are a bunch more at the website. I can send out the whole list my sister sent me, if anyone's interested. I just thought this one would be appreciated most by a few people here. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: author review
- Original Message - From: Kevin Tarr [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 9:10 PM Subject: author review http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/09/24/dumbing_down_american_readers/ or http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2A513796 Since the article is free, I'm not posting it. The op-ed writer takes the literary world to task for awarding bad but popular authors like Stephen King. While I can understand his point, what is the list opinion: is it better that more people read even if it's not highbrow works? Isn't this the same argument used against comic books or rock n roll? Bloom is one of those ancient misanthropes who believe that language and art are static in such a way that the learning of his youth will remain relevant forever. He is wrong. What is true is that the things he loved from his youth will remain beautiful always, but an inability to add to ones repertoire in such a way as to insure continuing enjoyment in a changing world leads to stagnation. xponent King Is The King Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: author review
So, well I read the article. First, to offer my opinion on the question asked: I'm in agreement; as long as they're reading its better than not reading at all. Now for the article: I thought the guy was rather elitist in his evaluation, but I suppose that comes with the terretory when you're a Yale English professor! :) Tastes in writers is similar to tastes in most things: it varies from person to person. I like James Joyce, FREX, but found Wuthering Heights dreadful; I like some Shakespeare but only some Poe. There's nothing wrong with a little escapism sometimes too. I read Battletech novels like I eat candy...but tend to switch them up with weighty history tomes in between. Though ultimately I agree with the article's author: Steven King sucks.. Damon. = Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: author review
- Original Message - From: Michael Harney [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 10:59 AM Subject: Re: author review From: Kevin Tarr [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/09/24/dumbing_down_american_readers/ or http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2A513796 Since the article is free, I'm not posting it. The op-ed writer takes the literary world to task for awarding bad but popular authors like Stephen King. While I can understand his point, what is the list opinion: is it better that more people read even if it's not highbrow works? Isn't this the same argument used against comic books or rock n roll? Kevin T. - VRWC I would say it's about evolution. The shifting of literature towards popular culture. In my opinion, anything that will encourage kids to read is a good thing, but I wonder if this trend will actually contribule to a common mindset. Many Steve King novels and Harry Potter books are turned into movies. Kids might, like most adults, succumb to the mindset Why read the book when I can just watch the movie. [snip] I will have to argue with the author of that article about Steven King's writing. Admitted, I have only read one of Steven King's books (_Regulators_ under the pen name Richard Bachman, which I liked until the last two chapters, which I hated), To be fair, The Regulators makes little sense without reading its companion and superior Desperation. but if some of the movies based on some of his books are any indication (Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile) his work isn't all bad. I wish I had the time to read those books, but I have other books to read and I have already seen the movies :-) . Kings work isn't exactly hit or miss, its actually mostly good. I can only think of a couple that I didn't like very much. The fun thing about King's books is that many of them fit into a larger framework, the most well known of which is the framework that surrounds The Dark Tower series and about a dozen of his other books. Do a few diamonds in the rough entitle Steven King to such an award? I really don't know, I would have to read more Steven King books to make such a judgement. Honestly though, any author that can sell books as well as he can, despite harsh crticism from so many people, deserves some kind of award :-) . I think a lot of authors are envious of Kings success and who can blame them. He is worth millions. His fans are ever loyal. He gets to direct crappy movies based on his work. xponent The Life Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Education
From: Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] My job offers educational reimbursement that I am seriously considering to use to go for a Masters degree, in order to break the cycle of underemployment I'm in. We recently picked up a new person in our department that has an MBA from the University of Phoenix (the O-L people). Are there any opinions on this sort of program? How is an MBA from them viewed by potential employers? How legitimate is it? My employer recently let a few presenters from the U. of Phoenix come in to discuss the school and its assorted programs. The HR people promoted the event well, and a lot of people showed up to listen to what they had to say. (myself included) The amount it was promoted internally speaks pretty well for U of P, considering that my comapny has never done that before, and that they would be the one paying the bills for the courses anyone decided to take. But U of P has just opened several campuses locally here in the Boston area, so most of the focus for us was on the in-person courses rather than the online ones. I assume the online courses and degrees would be at least somewhat similar. Unfortunately for us, a lot of the people that showed up (like me), were engineering types interested in technical courses, while U of P seems to be pretty exclusively business-related stuff, such as MBA's. My impressions: - they're very focused on non-traditional students. It seems they can give course credit for life experience and work experience. That might be more for bachelor's-level degrees than MBA's, but I'm not sure. - I kinda got the impression that most of the coursework was focused on real-world tasks and performance. Ie: you do case studies, reports, analyses, presentations, business plans, etc, rather than take tests. That's a selling point of theirs: that their students graduate with practical and useful knowledge they can put to immediate use. Also, the instructors are all required to have real-world experience, they aren't the academic-types. - The coursework also seemed very team-oriented: you do most of this work as part of a team of 4students, rather than by yourself. I don't know how that would work for on-line students, so that may be different, there - Overall, I got the impression that while a earning degree from them wouldn't be terribly challenging, they are legitimate, respectable degree programs. That's all just my impression, though. You might get some feel by observing that graduate from there that's in your department. Does he know his stuff? _ online games and music with a high-speed Internet connection! Prices start at less than $1 a day average. https://broadband.msn.com (Prices may vary by service area.) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Education
On Wed, 19 Nov 2003, Bryon Daly wrote: My impressions: - they're very focused on non-traditional students. It seems they can give course credit for life experience and work experience. That might be more for bachelor's-level degrees than MBA's, but I'm not sure. - I kinda got the impression that most of the coursework was focused on real-world tasks and performance. Ie: you do case studies, reports, analyses, presentations, business plans, etc, rather than take tests. That's a selling point of theirs: that their students graduate with practical and useful knowledge they can put to immediate use. Also, the instructors are all required to have real-world experience, they aren't the academic-types. - The coursework also seemed very team-oriented: you do most of this work as part of a team of 4students, rather than by yourself. I don't know how that would work for on-line students, so that may be different, there - Overall, I got the impression that while a earning degree from them wouldn't be terribly challenging, they are legitimate, respectable degree programs. That's all just my impression, though. You might get some feel by observing that graduate from there that's in your department. Does he know his stuff? I have a friend who's taking at least one course with them right now. If there are specific questions she might be able to answer, such as one about the team-oriented nature of assignments, I could ask her. I'd just like someone else to come up with the exact wording on the query. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: author review
All I can say is that I've tried to read King at least a dozen times, and each time I've gotten bored and put the book aside. I have never finished one. I think a big problem I have with King is the writing style; perhaps if the writing style was better, or I was a fan of the genre, I might like them better. But as someone approaching the books from the outside they really fall flat for me... Damon. = Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: author review
On Thu, 20 Nov 2003, Damon Agretto wrote: All I can say is that I've tried to read King at least a dozen times, and each time I've gotten bored and put the book aside. I have never finished one. I think a big problem I have with King is the writing style; perhaps if the writing style was better, or I was a fan of the genre, I might like them better. But as someone approaching the books from the outside they really fall flat for me... Have you tried reading _Different Seasons_? It's 4 novellas, so at least they're shorter, and two of them are excellent for him, IMO. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Family Guy may return
Damon wrote: I'd MUCH rather they bring back Futurama... I'll second that. Of course, I didn't like Family Guy at all, so I may not be the right guy to chime in on that comparison. :) Jim Bite My Shiny Metal Ass Maru ___ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: xbox
On Thu, 20 Nov 2003, Kevin Tarr wrote: Kevin T. - VRWC My hobbies are strangling small animals, golf and masturbation. Isn't that redundant? Julia dreading the next 3-4 hours ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: xbox
In a message dated 11/20/03 8:37:21 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Saw Elf tonight. Not bad. It got a little long at the end. Kevin T. - VRWC My hobbies are strangling small animals, golf and masturbation. (Thanks Reggie) I could never spend money on Elf as long as Master and Commander is playing. If you practiced all three hobbies at the same time, I'd hate to be in the party playing behind you. Vilyehm ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: author review
From: Jim Sharkey [EMAIL PROTECTED] And a question: Anyone here actually read Thomas Pynchon? Is it worth it to find Gravity's Rainbow, or is it one of those great novels taht are actaully kind of dull? :) I read about the first 100 pages (out of 760) of Gravity's Rainbow . I wouldn't call it dull, exactly. It is *dense* with elaborate description. Scratch that; it is the neutronium of descriptive prose. As such, the words are lovely. But I found myself needing to expend great effort to make sure I understood *what's going on*, often re-reading the same paragraph to make sure I wasn't missing it. Even with this careful poring over the text, it seemed as if very little at all was going on, and I must be missing it. Then I found a web site titled something like What is 'going on' in Gravity's Rainbow or somesuch, written by an English Professor somewhere. It had a short section-by-section description of what was happening. Reading that site, I discovered that I *wasn't missing anything*, there was just virtually nothing going on. It was pages and pages of blather and imagery, with almost nothing happening: no plot, no conversation, no characterization. IIRC, there's a 10 page stretch which the site summed up with two sentences: They make banana pancakes and one other short sentence. After that, I put it down and lost the desire to pick it up again. I had a conversation with someone who read and liked GR, once. He told me that the way to enjoy the book is to *not* look for a plot or any of the other stuff you'd normally expect in a novel, and instead to just read it as an experience and let the words flow over you. Given that advice and the fact that I now know that I wasn't missing any deep plot buried in the florid text, I probably could go back and reread Gravity's Rainbow successfully and perhaps with some enjoyment, but I have many other books to read first before I'd go back to it. -Bryon _ Has one of the new viruses infected your computer? Find out with a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee. Take the FreeScan now! http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
