Randomness.

I sometimes grab my phone thinking its my mouse.

Windows Vista

This is for Hector, who told me yesterday, "Haven't you heard of Windows Vista?!?" after I went on a tanget about how wonderful and amazing and easy to use Mac OSX is (and of course how Steve is God and all Mac computers are angels).

Windows Vista Waffling Sends Microsoft Shares Down

Myspace Music Death.

Munroe.. how do you know me so well?

I HATE PEOPLE THAT PUT MUSIC ON THEIR MYSPACE. And for that matter- I hate the fact that completely uncreative people are allowed to destroy their page by "customizing" it (i.e. making it unreadable, cluttered, UGLY, and just plain annoying)

Thanks, Munroe, for understanding.

How to Market your Blog.

Have a kid.. duh.




Pretty Clever.. just let your little cutie run around with this shirt on and you'll never have to worry about your steadily declining number of page hits and comments. (Slightly reminiscent of Big Daddy using his boy?)

Technology at its best.

The Magazine/Newspaper/Book/Whatever Reading Material you enjoy is SO last year.

Apple Camp.

Apple Camp. How Awesome!?



8-12 year olds (or parents of 8-12 year olds.. or people who think apple is cool).. ATTENTION!

Apple offers a FREE computer camp to give kids advanced skills in Apple's Applications. Camp consists of 2 1/2 hours of hands on experience doing fun/new things on macs. Program Options are: Podcast Workshop, iWeb Workshop, Music Workshop, and Movie Workshop. A good tool to help raise a new generation of mac lovers :)

(You can read about Peter Cohen's experience w/ Apple Camp here.)

But the cleverness doesn't stop there. For liability reasons, parents must stay in the store for the 2 1/2 hour camp. (Understandable.. we dont want Apple getting sued). Whats so clever about that? Well after parents get bored with playing/working on the available Macs.. they decide to do a little looking around.. i.e. shopping. Oh Steve.. you are so tricky!

In Summary.. send a kid to Apple Camp for free* so he/she will become a member of The Cult of Mac. :)


*And by free we mean.. you only pay for the new nano that was glowing so heavenly at you while you waited.

The Mellified Man

Um.. Wow.

Ever heard of a Mellified Man? I hadn't- until today...

Mary Roach, author of a book called Stiff, apparently describes this 12th century Arabian practice in great detail for her readers. (However, I haven't read Stiff.. I just got the basics) She says that men 70-80 years old.. on the verge of dying.. would eat and drink only honey (even bathe in honey) until... until they began to excrete pure honey. (If thats not gross enough.. read on) THEN when they died (because you can't live long like that) their "loving" family would seal them in a stone coffin full of honey for 100 years. After that 100 years- yup you guessed it- The honey/decayed human mix was eaten.


I wasn't a believer... So I wikied it:


Mellified Man refers to a topical and oral medicinal substance from ancient Arabia.

To create a mellified man, an aging man would begin a strict diet of honey until he began to excrete pure honey. After death, the man would be entombed in a coffin filled with honey which was sealed for a century.

When the coffin was unsealed the contents were applied topically or ingested to cure a variety of illnesses and complaints.
[edit]

References

* Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. W. W. Norton & Company.



Yummy.

Amazing Quotes You won't Understand.

1. "And suddenly.... The forks mattered." - Dana Monson.

(Will Update)

My Goal? You + SuperViva.

I'm a list person. If someone were to take my computer and search through it, they'd find TONS of lists- and learn lots of new and interesting things about me :) (dont get any ideas). I'm also a Goal person. I enjoy making all kinds of goals, from very silly somewhat pointless goals, to serious goals about the rest of my life and who I want to be.

So.. when I stumbled across SuperViva I was SuperExcited. :)

SuperViva lets you list all your life goals, and it connects you with people who share them. You can leave (or read) comments/tips from people who've already done what you want, or who know how to do it. You can organize your goals by topic (job related, indulgences, self improvement.. etc) and you can set dates to help you visualize completion.

I think the site is really neat... a very clever idea.. and finally a social network that promotes forward motion and growth- instead of stalking. :)


Heres my list so far:

Things to Share My Space.

Cool Things For Today:

1) Never knew that there were people who actually made a living Designing the Inside of books. Sweet.


2) I want this shirt:




3)I'm sending Srdj here. He's addicted to XBox. ( but maybe I am too... :/ )


4)Munroe does it again:


5) Austin by 8:30.. 6th Street by 11:00.


6) Jen redid my resume.
For Her (courtesy of Munroe):

The End of the World!

Last night I was going through my list of required blog readings when I came across this article.

Basically, it's a lot of people super excited about whats going on in with Israel and Hezbollah. Why? Because they think the rapture is just around the corner. Apparently, this is fulfilling one of the numerous prophecies in the Bible's Book of Revelation.

Though I was raised in Church, I don't really know much about what's "supposed" to happen in the "end of time." (Perhaps because all of it is so far fetched and hard to believe.. Churches don't want to alienate a group of followers by asking them to believe things even crazy than all the shit they're already asked to "take on faith".. ? Maybe?)

Anyway some of these comments were interesting. Anyone have any other thoughts on the issue? And anyone with knowledge about the "prophecies" want to share?


Also.. What do you Really Know About the Bible? A 50 Question quiz... It's long.. but it's interesting.. especially when you see the correct answers at the end.

Beauty.

"And I want Life in every word to the extent that its absurd."

Randall Munroe Secretly Stalks Me.

And this one too.. :)

Efficiency > You.

This is SOOOO Me:

The Devil Wears Prada

So I just finished reading The Devil Wears Prada. I was hoping to go see the movie and then write a post comparing and contrasting both versions.. but we dont always get what we want.

The book is pretty good... it's fun, and fast moving so it was easy/quick to read. The author, Lauren Weisberger, is clever and witty and definitley tells a good story. However, I didn't find the book to really be anything special.

The tale is ages old..... girl gets all wrapped up in herself/her new good fortune/her job/her boyfriend/ect. and forgets all about her friends/family/ect.. then she has a moment when she realizes how horrible shes acting and shes changes her ways and fixes everything with the people she hurt... and everyone lives happily ever after.... Nothing new or groundbreaking here guys.

But my question is: What's so wrong with putting a few things on hold to pursue your career? I mean really.. when it all boils down to it.. you're all you have. It may sound selfish, and in some ways it can be... but the people who really love and care about you should be able to understand that you have goals that you want to reach.. things that you need to do for you... just like you should understand if your friends or family are trying to reach their goals and such (of course when it comes down to a dieing friend halfway across the country or your job, like in the book, its a tougher issue).

But anyway, it's a fun story, with a neat insight into the fashion/magazine world, and a happy ending.

Read it if:
You like quick reading.
You want an easy story.
You like fashion.

Don't read it if:
You're looking for something intelligent.


I'd recommend it to young girls... or cheerleaders ;)

CBS is "Shelling" out the Advertising

Okay, I know its been a while.. sowwe :( Dana = Busy Lazy


So I saw this article the other day and thought it was really neat (I saved it as new so I could post it whenever my lazy streak subsided).



Apparently, CBS is laser-etching ads on the shells of eggs. I suppose we all need a reminder at 7:00 am to make sure and get home before CSI catches the killer without us (how could we forget?).
However annoying it might be, it looks like a whole new precedent for advertising.. which is always cool. Whats next?

Steve = God :)

We knew the time would come. I mean, I realate Steve Jobs to God all the time.. it was bound to catch on :)

This funny little tract compares Steve's life to the life of Jesus and then offers a "new operating system."


Click Picture to View Full Size and Read the Hilarity.

The Chappelle Theory

I own both seasons of The Chappelle Show, and I believe Dave is the funniest man in the world. I was heartbroken when I heard Season 3 had been halted.. especially when nobody really knew why or what was going on.

I came across this today through a series of links from CNN. Could be true.. Read it and let me know what you think.

The Chappelle Theory

Cool Things for the Day.

I heard about this guy a while back. He's still going strong. Clever boy.. why didn't I think of that?

One Red Paper Clip



What else? hrm..

Oh! This is neato.
Cool Car Tricks



UPDATE!!!!

Aren't you glad they're not yours :)






Other than that:

I'm moving into my apartment August 12th :)



Coed Softball at work starts next week. :)

I get half the day off on Friday :)

Work will be over soon :)

I see Srki this weekend :)

I go to Austin next weekend :)

I had sushi for lunch :)

Bunko (I like it better with the K) is tonight :)

I'm going to win :)


If I think of anything else I'll update.

Marriage, Religion, Small Towns, and Change

I just got off the phone with my best friend in the whole world. While talking to her it really hit me- we are so different.

I love her with every inch of me. When we talk, we talk for hours without ever pausing for breath or thought. I can say anything, she can say anything.. theres never judgment or half truths, never negativity, never anything but complete support. But as time goes on I realize the different paths we've taken and how those paths have shaped us into the people we are- good and bad.

On the phone she was so excited, and I couldn't help but smile to myself. She's been visiting a guy friend in the Army. He lives with some other people, and apparently one of the girls that lives there has little girls. My friend couldn't stop talking about how cute these kids were, how much fun she had playing with them, how cute the guy was with them. She said the guy kept "joking" around saying they were getting married, or telling everyone they already were married. Her voice told the familiar story.

For a girl in a small town the ultimate goal is marriage and family. Now, I'm not saying this is a bad goal to have- heaven knows when I was at home that was my sole goal and purpose as well. I'm just highlighting the differences that have come as a result of our different directions.

In my mind two things stand out from my hometown: Marriage and Religion (and they go hand in hand). Marriage is on the minds and lips of every sophomore aged couple, and religion on the mind and lips of every- well everyone, the saints and the sinners alike. Churches push kids to get married, and marriage/family pushes kids to go to church (and to stay in the small town they come from so no one ever tells them religion isn't right)- a vicious cycle that fulfills all psychological needs- it gives people a goal, and gives people a higher/meaningful purpose.

But when I left town I met people who had never been to church, who knew nothing of religion, who had no desire to date yet, and who had found their purpose in other ways. And ultimately I concluded that I had been brainwashed my entire life. That religion was an easy way out of the mental torture a being endures when he/she feels like his/her existence is pointless. I decided I would create my own purpose, and prove that people are strong enough fulfill their own psychological needs.

All in all, its been really tough. I mean, these people raise you with these ideas and they tell you its wrong to question them. So you never do. Anytime you start to doubt you feel guilty so you quickly direct your thoughts elsewhere. This was a huge battle for me- simply allowing myself to doubt; allowing myself to entertain the idea that religion could be wrong.
And after that I had to teach myself that "not everything happens for a reason." That really everything is just a consequence of something you or someone else has done. People aren't placed in your life, and good things aren't just given to you. Either you work for them and earn them, or you don't.
Then- I had to establish my own morality. Define things as wrong or right in my mind- not because someone else told me they were right or wrong. I had to evaluate every thing that I'd always considered bad and question why such a thing should be wrong. It was a good feeling.

But, truly, the hardest thing really has been finding my own purpose. And though I don't know what my "ultimate" purpose is, I wake up every morning purposely continuing; purposely pushing and growing; purposely pursuing perfection; purposely trying to mold myself into someone that may eventually change the world in one way or another; and purposely building a being that can one day create wonderfully amazing children who will be strong enough to pursue their own purpose.


I now have new goals, and I attribute them mostly to my change in environment. It has allowed me to explore an enormous world I would have never known, and has dangled new golden apples in front of me that are mine for the purposeful picking.

White vs. Black

Well Sony,what have you done?



Personally.. I love the contrast of the colors. The imagery is amazing. However, I think the fact that the white woman is exercising power over the black woman gives reason for questions. If you follow the link.. some other pictures seem they would be better- highlighting the contrast in color, but not implying that one is any better than the other.

Still, should any of this matter to us? Why do we worry every time we show black and white people in the same setting? Doesn't that just prove how little we've accomplished in the area of equality?

I dont know, but I don't think its an ad that Sony can use in the US...
What do you guys think?

496 Sighting!

Periodically the world is graced by perfection :)

Found this link while looking for neat languages:

"3) Hindustani (496 million speakers)
We have a large Indian/Pakistani population in Britain, and yet how many of are able to speak any of the languages from these countries? Pretty much none. In fact, to most, I would suspect even the names of the languages involved are somewhat unusual. According to wikipedia, Hindustani really descibes an umbrella of related languages including Urdu (official language of Pakistan and some regions of India) and standard Hindi (the official language of India) as well as a number of other regional dialects found on and around the Indian sub-continent. As an amusing aside, an Indian friend of mine once told me that, so far as he could tell, many of the Hindustani dialects were just like standard Hindi, but pronounced with a Scottish accent! I'm sure the differences are somewhat more involved than this, and indeed many of these "dialects" are considered as independent languages - including Punjabi, Bihari, Rajasthani and many more. So, given all of this, it may be difficult to find any "standard" Hindustani that will be understood across the wide plethora of dialects, but I'll have a bash:

Hello: namaste (nah-mah-STAY)
Goodbye: alavidha (al-vee-dah)
Thank you: dhanyavaad (dun-ye-waad)
Thank you very much: aapakaa bahut bahut dhanyavaad"

Awareness.. Understanding.. Knowledge

This summer I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Mexico City with a small group of politicians from the Rio Grand Valley. The purpose of our trip was to visit Tony Garza, the US Ambassador to Mexico. (Also the husband of the chick that inherited Corona).

Anyway, I'm am captivated by the Mexican culture. I felt so dumb. I couldn't communicate at all- but even without words Mexico stole my heart. I was with a group of spanish speaking people, who had all been to Mexico before, so I felt like I really got to taste true culture- deeper than tourist level.

Since my return I've been contemplating if this is because it is so different (and I heart different) or if it truly is something about Mexico. If I were to gain insight into another culture would I fall in love with it all the same? Would I yearn to be able to relate, like I long to relate to the people who walk the crowded streets of Mexico City, invisible through all the faces? Would I have such a desire to learn their language, their dance, their cooking, their history?

I believe thats just who I am. I want to know. How then do I feed this hunger? I want to know what the small child growing up in Japan is going through. I want to watch two people in love get married in the African heat. I want to see them- to be able to share their feelings and their pride. I want to stand in the middle of hundreds of faces that look nothing like mine and know that we feel the same things, that we all share this life, and that we are all united in some way... however small that way may be. Am I destined to be disappointed? Ignorance is not bliss.

I plan on taking an immersion course in Mexico (perhaps Guanajuato). I'm writing this on my blog so that I can hold myself accountable to it. I don't want to let money be an issue (you know- the parents, "No you need to work this summer" ect. ect.).

But not only that, I want to take a different language through UT, and I want to spend a semester completely engross in another, just as stimulating, culture. (Once again, any suggestions? I technically could wait until next semester to start a language, and thus have more options... hrm.)

There I said it. Now I must do it. yay!

My goal? Culture Shock. :)

By the way,

A few things:

1) Working out makes me Happy.


2) New Camera's are AWESOME.

3) Dancing is my lover.


4) I have good friends.

Languages = Cool

Okay, I'm signed up to take French. Cool right? Yea i guess... but everybody takes French. Plus, I'm going to study abroad wherever they speak the language that I take. So, if I take French then I'm going to live in France for a semester. France is cool and all, but I'd like to go somewhere else I think. France just doesn't intrigue me very much.

Really, I would like to take Chinese or Japanese, but those classes are all full ::rolls eyes:: So here are my options: Italian Russian French

Pick One! Leave a comment. (and if you dont like any of these give me another suggestion and i'll check the schedule)

Eh.. decisions suck.