Alex: “So I was looking for something remarkable geeky online yesterday. Something about Japanese traffic laws.”
Greg: “Uh-huh.”
Alex: “I found this site which is like an FAQs for Japan. All kinds of questions answered, like…”
Greg (suddenly excited): “Is it real? Are the legends true? This mythical island in the East which is home to anime and ninjas!?!?”
The other day I attended a class on time management. One of the topics was email, and it was the suggestion of the instructor that we check our email at specific times. People will wait.
The training ended at 10:30. I had another meeting at 10:30, one to which I really ought not to have been late. I power-walked over to the other building and arrived only a minute or two late.
Me: “Has it started?”
Secretary: “No.”
Me: “Are they in there?”
Secretary: “Yes… wait a minute. Your meeting was rescheduled. Check your email.”
Somebody’s made a game simulating how much it sucks to work at Kinko’s. I played for about five minutes before Her Worshipfulness made me stop because I was screaming at the customers when they walked out of the store just as I found their damn jobs.
I think I forgot how to read.
I used to be able to do it. I’d do it all the time. Heck, I majored in it. I now find it easier to envision myself making it into the 2006 Winter Olympics that finishing a book by the time they start. I just can’t seem to focus on it the way I used to.
I think the issue is that I try to read either A) snottily intellectual books or B) books I’ve already read. How am I supposed to stay interested in that? So, I turn to you, gentle reader: any good books I should pick up?
In the last post, B A Start unwittingly stumbled upon the question which defines our generation. The latest development, though, is so geeky it could only be contained within the annals of Webshite. If you’re into it, go check it out. Thanks to Koontz for bringing the debate out of the nineties and into the oughts.
Re: the Blades of Steel “It’s a pass” post.
Here’s a lil’ app that plays NES sounds.
Here’s a file with the sounds from Blades of Steel.
#15 is the sound in question.
#42 is Garv’s crowd sound.
In the comments on my last post, fellow Merrimackian John Koontz brings up a debate that has raged since ‘a night with the guys’ meant Hires root beer, Cool Ranch Doritos (before they were ‘cooler ranch’), persisent NES play, and the ritualistic abuse of younger brothers: just what is the announcer saying in Blades of Steel? ‘With the pass?’ ‘Press the pass?’ ‘It’s a pass’?
A trip over to Gamefaqs didn’t answer the question. A quick googling wasn’t enough to get the job done either. Wikipedia says it’s ‘hits the pass’, but not definitively enough for me to buy it. Anybody? Anybody want the crown of “King Videogame Hockey Geek”?
They’re saying 2005 was the warmest year in a century. Naturally, this is the winter I decide to quit stalling and let my triumphant return to the slopes take place. Despite the fairly snow-less conditions, I still had a frickin’ blast skiing this weekend.
My fellow schussmeisters asked me what it was like skiing in New Hampshire. “Just like this but longer” was my reply. I mean, an inclined plane is an inclined plane. The big difference this time was that a run only took three minutes, and that’s with the deep-frequency sine function that is my pattern.
Also, Mike Garvey can fucking ski.
The latest meme.
“Here’s the next meme for everyone, as long as you get it before someone else with your name does. Type in your first name and the word “needs” into Google. Post the first 10 results, plus a few other interesting ones.”
Alex needs feedback.
Alex needs a history lesson
Alex needs confirmation
All Alex needs is time and weed to play-test through levels 10 though 15.
Alex needs to do something–and quickly.
Do you know what Alex needs? What Alex needs is a new job.
Alex needs to stop obsessing over this guy, its like he wants to date him.
alex needs to go to sleep on his own
Alex needs to come back, because the show sucks without her.
Sir Alex needs to stop messing about and stick with the 4-4-2.
Clearly, Alex needs romantic relief.
Alex needs a room for some big games.
ALEX NEEDS MORE THAN FISHING TACKLE TO CATCH THE BIG ONES
I spent two out of the last three days at a leadership training thing. You know, get- your- team- across- to- the- other- platform- using- a- plank- and- two- pipe- cleaners stuff. As you can imagine, the Chief/Indian ratio was highly skewed, which made for some memorable conversations.
The entire event was glutted with Communist overtones. The activities, even the competitive ones, were carefully orchestrated to ensure that resolution could only be attained if everyone worked together. Of course, all had to be involved equally in every activity and assigned some task that they had the stated or perceived skill to handle.
The final event, in short, was a tower build-off. Having cracked the system, the two teams joined into one to build a single super-big tower, despite my assertions that the assigned task stated two were necessary. I contributed my ideas on how to organize etc, but having had enough of competition, conflict, and petri-dish platitudes to hold me for quite some time, I slunk into the background, happy to quietly fulfill my role as Tall- Guy- with- Small- Girl- on- Shoulders. As the tower was erected, another guy about my height and I hoisted the appointed women, each holding their half of the joint structure. There was cheering. Pictures were taken.
During the debriefing, as discussion was led towards concepts of how this activity was supposed to be representative of the efforts of the community leaders towards a better city and region, I couldn’t help but push aside the hammers and sickles dancing in my head and note that the group was only successful when the big people held the small ones on their shoulders, supporting the entire structure.
