These are the people in your neighborhood... er... profession...
Someone has a digital camera....
...and it's not me (much to my irritation.)
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
the internets are dangerous, very dangerous
Let this be a warning to all of you. I found a funny website today and wanted to share it with everyone so I went to Blogger, logged in, and posted away. I was especially pleased because I figured out how to embed a link within text. And the website I wanted to point out to all of you is pretty funny. About a 6 on a 1-10 Internet-funny scale.
So around an hour later, I was all on my way to orchestra practice and I had five minutes to kill, so I checked my email. There, amid work and Barbara emails was a brief note from Katie (tall Katie) with the subject line "ummmmmm...Deborah?" and a message asking if I really meant to post an informal entry on the HISTORY OF AMERICAN LIBRARIANSHIP CLASS BLOG that began "ooooooooh, ladies" and ended with a link to the new blog of a late eighties pop-rap star.
I freaked out, as you can imagine. I went to the CLASS BLOG and couldn't alter the entry so I freaked out some more and emailed my PROFESSOR and asked him to please excuse my unprofessional post and delete it if he could. Then, just imagining all of my classmates viewing the inadvertant post knocked some sense into me. So I went back to Blogger, logged in (my previous missing step), and deleted the post. And of course I had to go back to my email and send another message to PROF.D. asking him to ignore my previous email and telling him that the CLASS BLOG was all good. That's right, Katie, bless her little heart, saved me from complete and total academic humiliation so I would like to send all of my props to her.
Here is the link to the funny website [note the link embedded in the text]: I invite you all to stop work for some Hammer Time. I'm afraid it's not worth all of the hype detailed above.
The moral of this post is: don't be stupid. And if you are stupid, don't email your professor before you have exhausted all other options.
Social butterfly
My little brother-in-law's band has two gigs in Madison in March, so I'm taking advantage of our delightful little blog to drum up some free publicity for them. The band is called Houses in Motion, they play Talking Heads covers, and they are fabulous. And I'm not just saying that 'cause we're related!
Friday March 10- The King Club 9 PM
Saturday March 25- Cafe Montmartre 10 PM ($6 cover)
Also, will people be in town during spring break? We should do another arts & crafts night...
Saturday, February 25, 2006
My welcome back to the big apple
Okay, so I walk into Vbar last night only to find that one of my very favorite bartenders is sporting some distinctly unacceptable facial hair. When I inquired as to the origin of the scraggly animal currently living on his chin, I was directed to this link: www.thisisthebeard.blogspot.com
I'm not going to lie ladies, the sheer ridiculousness of this makes me wish that we could grow facial hair in order to engage in some similarly ridiculous pissing contest.
Friday, February 24, 2006
One more time with a live link to the chickens
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060220/chicken_ani.html?source=rss
This should be easier than the static link on previous post.
I Kid You Not....
but "Mutant Chickens Grow Teeth" would be a great SLIS air band name if only it weren't true. At least according to the Discovery Channel.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060220/chicken_ani.html?source=rss
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Talent Show Entry
After beer #3 last night, Katie K. & I (with great encouragement from Caroline) discussed the possibility of forming an air band for the SLIS talent show. For some reason it doesn't sound like that good of an idea anymore, but here's the inspiration anyway:
Turk's Audition
The Cool Cats
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
Finally, chocolate covered bacon
I know I've probably mentioned this to all of you...but just check it out. You know you really want to. Mmmm...chocolatey, bacony goodness.
Geeky Follow-up Based on My Obsession
So I'm a huge geek and googled "Moons Over My Hammy" and it seems The Onion has a bit of an obsession (good to know I'm not alone...):
Late-Working NASA Scientists Discover Moons Over My Hammy
(From The Onion , November 12, 1997)
ARROYO, TX--The science world is reacting with lip-smacking satisfaction to the news that a three-man team of NASA scientists stationed at the Hutchins Observatory in Arroyo discovered a delicious and economical new taste phenomenon late Tuesday night--the so-called "Moons Over My Hammy" breakfast combo.
"My colleagues and I believe that the discovery of the Moons Over My Hammy represents a major breakthrough in the field of affordable-yet-hearty breakfast-food items. And it is not just for breakfast: This meal, unlike the vast majority of those known to modern science, boasts 24-hour-a-day availability," Hutchins Observatory director Dr. Nathan H. Schenk told an international assemblage of astronomers at a press conference in the parking lot of Denny's restaurant #69854 in Arroyo, where the discovery was made. "I can assure you all that we will continue to pursue additional research into this phenomenon with great gusto."
As with many important scientific advances, Schenk said that serendipity played a major role in the discovery of the Moons. While working late preparing spectrographic analyses of gaseous emissions surrounding the ME241 neutron-star cluster, Schenk and his two assistants noticed that they had gone several hours beyond their normally scheduled refueling window and were beginning to succumb to a low-energy state of food-deprivation, or "hunger."
Though a preliminary scan suggested that all eateries in the immediate vicinity were in an overnight dormant, or "closed," state, evidence gathered from the Arroyo Yellow Pages seemed to indicate the possible presence of a still-open, "24-hour" restaurant approximately four miles east-southeast of the observatory, near the intersection of Bryce Road and I-75.
Their hunger increasing, Schenk and his colleagues triangulated the Denny's location and boarded a car, voyaging to the establishment. Once there, they encountered firsthand evidence pointing to the existence of the previously undiscovered Moons.
"Through the careful collection of both written and photographic menu-based evidence, we began to form a loose sketch, if you will, of what the phenomenon might be like," Schenk said. "Based on this evidence, we postulated that the Moons Over My Hammy, with its unique blend of farm-fresh eggs and grade-A baked ham on grilled sourdough bread with choice of hash browns or french fries on the side, might possibly contain many of the complex carbohydrates, proteins and fatty acids necessary to sustain carbon-based life."
Deciding to investigate further, the research team put up its own money to acquire a Moons Over My Hammy specimen for firsthand observation and sampling. Additional nutritive data was gathered from the restaurant, including two large servings of orange juice, a "Scram Slam" platter, an Oriental chicken salad, and a seemingly "bottomless" pot of coffee that raises many questions modern science has yet to answer.
Upon taking readouts of the Moons Over My Hammy and transporting the uneaten portion of it back to the observatory in a Styrofoam "to-go" container for more in-depth lab analysis, the sated researchers finally announced their discovery to the world.
"After extensively examining the new Moons for myself," Schenk said, "I feel confident in saying that my taste buds have only one hypothesis: that I'll be coming back to Denny's for more of that wholesome, homemade-flavor goodness!"
the eggs and bad coffee archive
Sorry Katie, I beat you to it. From The Onion:
Denny's Comment-Card Archive Offers Glimpse Into Decades Of Poor, Fair, And Excellent Service
SPARTANBURG, SC—For the first time in its 53-year history, Denny's has opened its voluminous customer-comment-card archive, giving the public an unprecedented look into its long history of service reviews and suggestions.
A Denny's archivist pulls cards from climate-controlled storage for scholarly review. While researchers are not permitted to remove comment cards from the Denny's clean room, they are permitted to view what many have characterized as the most valuable treasure trove of customer-satisfaction information currently in existence.
"We are thrilled to be given access to this repository of Denny's comment cards," University of Chicago history professor Kenneth Brayton said. "It is an exquisite collection, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. None of these cards have ever been read by anyone but their authors."
Brayton added: "Prior to this, we could only speculate about the initial public reaction to Moons Over My Hammy."
The popular all-night eatery began archiving its comment cards shortly after their introduction in 1959. Initially, the comment card was seen as a forum for Denny's patrons to voice their feelings about their dining experience without bothering a manager.
At a press conference Monday, Denny's CEO Robert Butler presented the restaurant's very first comment card, believed to be from March 1959. The card, filled out by Jack Willeford of Lakewood, CA, was housed in an airtight, helium-filled display case specially designed by Denny's archivists. Although the faint graphite impressions have faded over time, recent advances in ultraviolet imaging technology allowed scientists to read the card.
On the card was written, "My bacon was crispy, and my waitress filled my coffee three times." Willeford rated his dining experience "good."
Historians have only just begun to unlock the secrets the cards hold, as there are over 270,000 to go through. According to Brayton, trends are already beginning to emerge.
"By examining these comment cards, we have unique insight into not just Denny's, but the tapestry of food-service heritage itself," Brayton said. "Here is a history writ large, with little yellow golf pencils."
The comment-card archive charts not only the quality of Denny's service over time, but also patrons' response to select menu items. Of particular interest to scholars is the nation's initial reaction to what would become Denny's most popular menu item, the Grand Slam Breakfast.
Said Brayton: "Many people at the time thought it was just too much breakfast."
An early comment card, dating from April 6, 1959. In addition to illuminating our past, the comment cards provide a novel view of such recent tragedies as the events of Sept. 11, when people came to Denny's for a sense of community and a reasonably priced meal.
"Every one of the 1,579 comment cards filled out between Sept. 12 and 17, 2001 is firmly in the 'excellent' category." Brayton said. "The nation was healing, and eating a lot of Two Eggs and More Breakfast platters. After that brief, nearly utopian period, the 'fair' assessments started to trickle in. Also, we began to see a rise in the positive ratings of onion rings, although it remains unclear whether this is related."
Just as the history of the U.S. is not without its troubled periods—such as the social unrest of the 1960s and the turbulence of the Watergate era—the Denny's comment-card archive has a side that can only be described as "poor." One card authored by a Biloxi, MS Denny's patron in 1964 reads, "Kiss my black ass."
One particularly dark time is evidenced by the archive's very first card—although by no means the last—to be signed "Heywood Jablomi."
"This card is dated Nov. 23, 1963," Brayton said. "The day after the Kennedy assassination. America—and Denny's, too—truly did lose their innocence that day."
Denny's chief archivist Duane McTagger said Denny's is "not proud of all of its reviews."
"Our team of cooks, hostesses, and servers are leaders in the mid-level chain-restaurant industry, but they are only human," McTagger said. "Syrup bottles occasionally do go unfilled, and sometimes, a waiter brings out coleslaw after being specifically asked to hold it. But Denny's—like our nation—has made it through dark times and prevailed."
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Bad Analogies in High School Essays
This circulated through emails a few years ago, but it still makes me laugh. To wit:
"Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever."
(Unknown)
My first "shush"...
I never thought I'd do it, but I did. I shushed someone today. It wasn't a shush exactly, but I did ask a patron to get off her cell phone. No one should be subjected to overhearing the word "like" 25,000 times before they have had their morning coffee. Well, I am off to fix my bun and adjust my glasses, and perhaps find another student to shush...
Friday, February 17, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
I love me some lists
This one goes out to all my favorite children's librarians:
Poop inspired list
Click the "More Lists" link at the bottom of the page only if you have an hour or so to kill...
Don't say I didn't warn you, bitches.
Squirrel Love
Oh Happy Snow Day. The delicious moving image I have of a certain Van Damme I will have to email to folks. The squirrel agreed to take his place on the blog.
power-loving type women
Here's a great conspiracy theory about Cheney, aka "Shooter," and his hunting buddies, courtesy of the Democratic Underground:
If any of you ladies and men of this board have been involved outside your marriage, you know damn well that Cheney and his pal were sneaking off to spend time with their girlfriends.
Men don't spend Valentine's weekend with two other women just to hunt.
The time lapse in reporting the incident was to cover up alot more than the shooting
I know from my years in LA and my friendships with callgirls that the Houston crowd of power players were quite "active" in hiring women from LA for their "parties" and events. The whole "Christian" thing is a political act.
The women involved here are your typical power-loving type women. Like the Jane Seymour character in Head Office. Their turn-on is power and the money they can make being associated with that power.
SLIS Procrastination Blog
This is the response to Kathy's Lazy Sunday. It's West Coast, baby!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdZF8GGA5r8&search=lazy%20monday
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Food Porn
food porn for your computer desktop (scroll down just a bit)... my personal favorite is the tiramisu photo, which totally reminds me of the delicious version andi made. yuuuumm. happy valentines day everyone!
Oh and David Hasselhoff rocks my world. Oh babay!
Hasslehoff Down Under
The Hoff just keeps getting better. Why does he only do this kind of crazy shit in Germany/Australia/NOT THE USofA!?!?
technical update
FYI, yo. Okay, I spent a little time with Blogger's FAQ. I turned on 'titles' so we can title our posts. I also started adding some links to that section of the profile. Feel free to add you own links under your own headings or send them to me and I can edit that section.
I also tried to figure out why the sidebar appears at the bottom of the page. According to Blogger, the display varies from browser to browser. But every computer I've used shows the sidebar at the bottom. I think it's because the contributor list is hella long. That's the only explanation I can find, but if anyone has a different reason and can fix it, go ahead!
Monday, February 13, 2006
So basically the only blogs I enjoy reading are blogs about food and foodies (specifically the food network... seriously it's an obsession!) and librarianship.
Here are my two favorites:
Better Than Fudge--Okay so it's not that food related but there's lots of fun social commentary and he interviews Lisa Loeb, who I admit that I have loved ever since Reality Bites and will love forevah and evah.
The Librarian's Guide to Etiquette--now I know I should read a librarian blog that deals with censhorship and militant librarians and google but this is just so snarky and fabulous that I don't care.
Another Brokeback Mountain parody. Love it!
http://www.salon.com/ent/video_dog/comedy/2006/02/10/brokeback_mountain_dew/
(you may have to watch a commercial to get to Salon)
Sunday, February 12, 2006
In an attempt to find dictionaries of American literature for Lundin's bibliography, I came across this title in MadCat: And quiet flows the vodka, or, When Pushkin comes to shove : the curmudgeon’s guide to Russian literature and culture, with the devil’s dictionary of received ideas, alphabetical reflection on the loathsomeness of Russia, American Academia, and humanity in general. Yup, that's the whole title. I could say a lot but I won't. I will only say this: only a huge geek would make a pun combining a cliche and a writer's name--Pushkin is probably rolling over in his grave right now.
Just in case you guys didn't get enough farting noises with the Bush doll, may I introduce the farting preacher.
So I told a few of you about this last night but I ran across this blog with the help fo the handy "next blog" button on the top of the page. So, without further adieu, may I introduce you to The Dormitory Boys--I would recommend their thrilling version of "As Long as You Love Me." Oh and expect their version of "My Humps" to be up soon.
yours in lip syncing,
katie
Friday, February 10, 2006
Thursday, February 09, 2006
The Stephanie Miller show had the farting Bush doll on this morning. I thought you would all appreciate a glimpse.
Holy 1984, Batman!
I just saw this brief article on Salon and had two thoughts: the feds are totally going to find out about our procrastination; AND, cha-ching, job opportunity! I wonder if they are going to hire any librarians to help with the data? If we can't find good jobs after graduation, maybe we can work for the thought police.
Going down in the data mine
When we stopped using our supermarket discount card -- the one that got us two-for-one 12-packs of Diet Coke in exchange for handing corporate America a weekly update on our food tastes and hygiene habits -- we felt a little, you know, paranoid.
After reading today's Christian Science Monitor, we're feeling a little vindicated. In a piece that should add an extra layer of "Big Brother" gloom to the debate over warrantless spying, Monitor staff writer Mark Clayton describes the government's efforts to develop a "massive computer system that can collect huge amounts of data and, by linking far-flung information from blogs and e-mail to government records and intelligence reports, search for patterns of terrorist activity."
The "core" of the effort, Clayton says, is "a little-known system" called Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight, and Semantic Enhancement. Supporters call it "ADVISE"; you might know it as data-mining. "It means sifting through data to look for patterns," Clayton writes. "If a supermarket finds that customers who buy cider also tend to buy fresh-baked bread, it might group the two together. To prevent fraud, credit-card issuers use data-mining to look for patterns of suspicious activity."
So far, so good, so long as it doesn't bother you that a supermarket sales team somewhere is noting that you prefer organic strawberries and ribbed condoms and wondering how to use that information to sell you more deodorant. ADVISE is different. It's the government, and its reach is a lot longer than the conveyor belt at the checkout stand. As Clayton writes, ADVISE would "collect a vast array of corporate and public online information -- from financial records to CNN news stories -- and cross-reference it against U.S. intelligence and law-enforcement records. The system would then store it as 'entities' -- linked data about people, places, things, organizations, and events."
It was Professor Plum, in the billiard room with a lead pipe, and he gave money to ImpeachPAC and attended a conference with John Yoo.
What would the government do with all this information once it has it? In a report presented last fall, the manager of the Department of Homeland Security's "Threat and Vulnerability, Testing and Assessment" said the goal is to identify patterns in the data may reveal the motives and plans of potential terrorists.
Some parts of the program are operational now, Clayton says, and he quotes Jim Thomas, the director of the government's National Visualization Analytics Center, who says that it's helping to stop terrorist plots already. "There's no question that the technology we've invented here at the lab has been used to protect our freedoms," Thomas says, "and that's pretty cool."
That's not the word we had in mind.
-- Tim Grieve
Organized procrastination, love it!!
Since I'm at "work" right now, I don't have much time to hunt for fabulousness on the web. Here's one place that I already know is fabulous... MY blog :)
Knitty Kitty
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Hey All,
Thanks for inviting me to this Blog. What a great idea!!! Sorry I couldn't come out last night (Wednesday) but I needed to be with my family. My aunt lost her battle with cancer and we were all dealing with that. Along with this -Anne- I won't be able to go bowling because I will be out in Montana at the funeral. I'll have to catch up with you when I get back next week. Bowl a game for me and have a great birthday Anne. Talk to you all soon.
Trina
The only thing I seem to be procrastinating doing (other than the given of school work) is sleeping, which makes no sense at all. I wish I had cable. But there's always the internet. And things like this : http://uk.download.yahoo.com/ne/fu/oa/eurcncs185030.mpg (can someone tell me how to make this look better?) that make me wish that I lived in the UK where they obviously have better commercials.
At some point there was an email sent out to the SLIS list about a blog contest. Supposedly the blog one starts is I think somehow related to libraries/librarianship or info tech. Does anyone remember this? What do you all think about entering this one? We're budding librarians and archivists and the content of this site is essential to our roles as apostles of culture. (Goddammned book!) It would win, hands down, and think of the prize money and all that we could do with it...
Ninjas + 13-year-old boy mentality = absolute procrastination fun. Check out the sightings, too.
And remember, ninjas can be mean OR totally awesome.
http://www.realultimatepower.net/index4.htm
*smooches*
Yo... you guys are crazy! (But that's why you're so much fun, I suppose.) ;)
I don't even have time to get any good procrastination in these days! I had to make a conscious effort to even write this brief and totally crap-tastic message.
Oh, and I know this is completely random, but will someone please remind me to register for this summer's ALA Conference? (But not until next week... I might have some room in my brain for reminders by then.)
-Caroline
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