12:49am: Educating the youngins
So, Final project for honors physics is to do a presentation, and the additional coursework comes from Physics of the Impossible. But, there are a swath of folks that just havent had a classical geek/nerd/sci-fi movie or tv background.

So, thinking of heavier on the Science than on the Fiction, what do the loyal readers of this tiny blog think are necessary viewing? Here's a couple of my ideas (Based mostly on what I have available, but I'm willing to get more...)

The Black Hole 1979
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 1982


Suggestions welcome. Evidently most of my scifi is on VHS, a format unknown to the young. :(

2:54pm: Saw an interesting uncredited quote today:

“Man can live about 40 days w/o food, about 3 days w/o water, about 8 minutes w/o air, but only for 1 second without hope”

...Evidently, I am not a man. Longest I've ever gone without food was four days, 1 day without water, about thirty seconds without air (before I start involuntarily trying to breathe) and, lets face it... much longer than one second without hope. Some folks see the pit at the bottom as the end, others as the turning point. I didnt see it or refused to see it. I lived in it, rolled in it, slept in it and could barely see my own hand in front of my face at times.

Crawling out, its always good to look back and have perspective on the future.

Seeing the folks who stuck by me, knowing the quality of their character, nearly makes me cry.

Seeing the ones that walked away from me, or left me when I needed them most...

...makes me Cimmerian.

9:49pm: (Harry Kim walks into sickbay with a towel to his cheek)
"What happened to you?"
"I cut myself shaving."
(Kim removes towel)
"Is that a bite mark?"
"One of the Klingons attacked me."
"Did you do something to provoke him?"
"Not him... Her. And she wasn't provoked, she was... aroused."
"Ah..."

4:57am: In case you're one of the people who just don't get it...
...and you do your personal finances with Twin City Federal (TCF) perhaps this news will finally motivate you to get them to stop taking your hard earned buckaroos...

WAYZATA, Minn. -- What was once called "totally free checking" at TCF Bank is on the way out for some customers.

Bill Cooper, the CEO of the Wayzata-based regional bank says new Federal Reserve rules limiting overdraft fees are forcing the bank to enact a monthly fee on more than a million checking accounts.

Those overdraft fees were a major source of revenue for banks, but a major source of complaints from consumer advocates.

TCF recently reported a 30 percent drop in fourth-quarter profits.

No word yet on how much the new monthly fee will be, but TCF officials say there will be ways some customers can still get free checking.


G-O-U-G-E!!!!!!

Keep it a woodworking tool peeps and move your money to a credit union.

6:57pm: Its the long nights that hurt the most.
Perhaps my former roomie was onto something when he offered to hit me with a 2x4 in order to get me to go to sleep. Damn brain wont settle down even after being taken through the paces with another WW1 history book and half of a book about nano ethics. And *that* book isnt written like a novel, its a collection of published papers that I've needed access to a dictionary for. I need to invest in/find a reliable law dictionary. Webster doesnt seem to be to hip to latin phrases nowadays.

Classes start Monday. Looks like Monday-Thursday 8am til 5:40PM with a few homework doing/lab prepping breaks inbetween classes. Just one class on Friday morning that everyone seems to be suggesting that I wont need to worry about, and that's fine by me. I'm just glad I don't have too many presentation type classes this semester. Granted, I can talk on and on and on and on till somebody shuts me up, but nothing eats up time like prepping for a presentation. Not test taking, not homework doing, nuthin.

Hockey Day in MN is this Saturday. All I have to do between now and then is get the oil changed, make sure the phone bill gets paid, do my taxes, and get together paperwork for medical and housing. Then its a quick trip to the grocery store on the way to the folks house for multiple hours of hockey related programming goodness and food, food, food!

Nothing new on the dating front, other than it seems like more people I know are asking me about it lately. I'm wondering if I'm showing some outward sign(s) or if the impending arrival of the holiday of the chubby cherub is motivating these thoughts. Bah.

Obviously, significant others, fiances, partners, wedded spouses, etc. are unnecessary. If you can't buy it at Fleet Farm, you don't need it. Can't find any of the afore mentioned items at Fleet Farm, ergo: Unecessary. You know what they do have though... fishing stuff and firearms. And Hoppes #9. Time to kill some brain cells in a lowly ventilated area methinks.

Tony goes through his last test on Monday before being diagnosed with AS. I can't really expain the different directions this is pulling me in... suffice to say that I have problems with this "label".

(sings) "Cuz there are peeeeeople asking, why?

I must be getting older. I find myself more and more agreeable with people who post stories about not wanting to move/get out of bed just to go pee in the morning. My bed, she is comfy captain!

/update ;)

12:15pm: If you squint your eyes...
...You could almost pretend its Alex!!!!

11:04pm: Whoa.

ENFP

Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving

ENFPs are initiators of change, keenly perceptive of possibilities. They energize and stimulate others through their contagious enthusiasm. They prefer the start-up phase of a project or relationship, and are tireless in the pursuit of new-found interests. ENFPs are able to anticipate the needs of others and to offer them needed help and appreciation. They bring zest, joy, liveliness, and a zany sense of fun to all aspects of their lives. They are at their best in situations that are fluid and changing, and that allow them to express their creativity and use their charisma. They tend to idealize people, and can be disappointed when reality fails to fulfill their expectations. They are easily frustrated if a project requires a great deal of follow-up or attention to detail.

( Sentence by sentence: )

So thats it in a nutshell. Or on the halfshell.

8:27am: My comments to Don Russo's Sunday Insider
A man who averaged two plus minutes a game when he played should know better... but I'd say the man's lost credibility ever since what I remember to be his first big exception to the rules based on name recognition and/or feelgood politics. Remember the first year of the mandatory 10k dollar fine to a coach if a player got an instigator called in the last five minutes of a game? Lemaire remembers. Every coach that had a player get the nasty instigator remembers. Except a certain coach who's name ends with -retzky. In his instance, the instigator (which was quite flagrant on the ice) *obviously* was a mistake. At least it was in Colie's eyes.

Despicable.

Then again Bootuzi nearly ends another guys life by breaking his neck with a cheap shot and using him to break his fall of his *cough* ample frame... and he gets what.... 23 games?

Until Colie is replaced with a colorblind arbiter of justice, this league will always err on the side super-stardom and the almighty dollar.

6:34am: Writer's Block: Time may change me ...


Your mom.

11:54pm: But, only when they were killed....


Carry on!

9:49pm: I am so god damn sick of this...
Way back more than ten years ago when I cooked chinese food for a living, I worked within a grocery store that had multiple represented union workers and non union workers all under the same roof. The push was on in two of the unions to get the older folks out, and to get more short term/part time cheaper labor in. Byerly's, Lunds, Rainbow, Cub, Supervalu, and the trade organization that represented them started to put the screws (so to speak) to the different unions. So, my very first lesson in union tactics and negotiations that didnt come from the cagey old vet (my dad) came with the first vote of the local grocer union.

I watched in horror as person after person in said union was asked if they voted today by the Byerly's Restaurant head chef (non union) who was polling and writing the info down. (And giggling hysterics at the lack of organization)

"Vote?"
"Vote for what?"
"Huh?"
...etc.

This boiled down to just one person out of twenty five who voted and only one other person (the steward) who knew but didnt vote. One.

A month or two later, the next vote. only three people didnt vote. They knew, thanks to new procedures and a new steward. The issue:

Should anyone who is currently in full time positions with more than a three years senority have a wage freeze indefinately so that part time employees can have a raise of $0.50 an hour?

Needless to say it went over like hotcakes to the now mostly part time employees. Gangbusters even.

So imagine my NON shock when I'm reading about the COMPRIMISE over taxing high buck "cadillac" health plans today:

"State and local workers and union members are exempted until 2017. Labor leaders endorsed the deal Thursday."

Some comprimise you feel-good buck passing shitstains. You've got it. Its in your hands. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO END THIS. Nope, in the immortal words of Homer J. Simpson: "Can't someone else do it?"

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a left or right wing nut job, I dont hate america (even though I like to celebrate the anniversary of this country by blowing up some small part of it - another Simpsons reference) but this really goes beyond heresy. Blasphemous even. Are you **THAT** worried about keeping your jobs in the next election cycle that you'd cave to the teamsters THIS BADLY????????????

When people ask why I shit on both parties in our political system, this is one of the reasons.

1:57am: Backhands, water bottle rockers, riht where mommy puts the peanut butter oh my!


Quite the nice game, minus the homers on the commentaries... ;)

9:18pm: 96 years ago this week...
...Enver Pasha commences the retreat of Turkish forces from their attack on Serekamis, after bringing 110,000 troops to bear. After the Russian artillery and the bitter mountain cold, barely 40,000 came home.

It is this event that is pointed to when reasons are sought for the tragic treatment of Armenian Christians and their wholesale slaughter months later. The Young Turks felt they were to blame, after all...

5:47am: Big badda boom.
APSC 311 Issues-Science Professionals A
CHEM 301 Physical Chemistry Lecture A-
CHEM 303 Physical Chemistry Laboratory A
CHEM 331 Quantitative Analysis B
PHYS 281 Honors University Physics I B

1:23am: Is this the year?
Is 2010 the year that Isreal breaks from US verbal colloquialisms regarding "peace" and finally does its own thing in the middle east?

I mean, how much longer can that region watch Iran build up nukes and nuclear power? Even if you were completely naive and thought they only wanted to build cheaper power for themselves, the folks in Prypiat in the Ukraine might recommend that you beg for an inspection or two.

I've never really cared about what was going on in the middle east until we started pulling the overlordish dictators out of power. Hey, they were evil, (and I was personally glad when Saddam was hung for the deaths of Kurds via nerve gas) but they knew how to deal with they're neighbors.

As in most things international, I blame the initial problem on the Triple Entente for sparking unrest in the region and breaking promises to the people they promised independence to in the early 1900's.

Back to break, the Farscape marathon is over, lots of hockey, and lots of southpark. Great stuff!

Next books: Don Cherry's Hockey Stories and Stuff, Nanoethics, The Last Cruise of the Emden, and Ted White and Blue.

1:42am: Charter Communications
Can Kiss my ass. I need not remind you all that they wont carry the NHL network... Poo poo heads.

2010 IIHF World Junior Championship Date Game Time (EST)
Sat., Dec. 26 Latvia vs. Canada 4 p.m.
Czech Republic vs. Sweden 6 p.m.
Slovakia vs. USA 8 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 27 USA vs. Switzerland 4 p.m.
Czech Republic vs. Finland 6 p.m.
Mon., Dec. 28 Canada vs. Switzerland 4 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 29 Latvia vs. USA 4 p.m.
Sweden vs. Russia D6 p.m.
Canada vs. Slovakia 8 p.m.
Thurs., Dec. 31 USA vs. Canada 8 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 2 Quarterfinal #1 5 p.m.
Quarterfinal #2 9 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 3 Semifinal #1 5 p.m.
Semifinal #2 9 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 5 Bronze-Medal Game 4 p.m.
Gold-Medal Game 8 p.m.

12:55pm: The actor Denis Leary, who is from Massachusetts, may reflect the feelings of many Bruins fans. In an e-mail message, he said that anyone who believed “that two tickets and four plastic cups” of beer entitled you to “antagonize men who beat the living headlights out of each other for a living deserves to have his keister kicked.”

He added, “That’s what I call thinning the herd.”

Article on the "shoe fight" HERE

2:06am: Death
"How come I'm not afraid?"
"Fear accompanies the possibility of death, Calm shepards its certainty..."

-John and D'Argo, Farscape Season One Finale

4:59pm: My new favorite villian...
The Butcher
A criminal with the ability to shoot any type of meat out of his hands. He has the strange habit of mixing up words (such as saying “sunbeam” instead of “supreme,” or “robbify” instead of “robbery”) or even whole phrases (“So, WordGirl, we meet again for the first time!”). This is a play on his name, as he tends to "butcher" the English language. The Butcher’s powers are nullified by tofu.



Kid Potato
The father of The Butcher, voiced by acting veteran Ed Asner. Kid Potato has powers similar to his sons, but instead of different types of meat, his attacks use different types of potatoes. Kid Potato came to the city to try to convince his son to team up with him as a super villain team called "Meat and Potatoes".

8:34pm: Other kind of boxing day.
There is a lot of concern about bills being pushed through Congress too quickly with not enough time for members to read what's actually in the bill. One particular part of the massive spending bill that President Obama signed into law late Wednesday could have used a proof-reader.

It included a provision that requires passengers who carry firearms aboard Amtrak trains to be locked in boxes during their journey; passengers, not the guns.

The error was made during the enrolling process — when the final version of the bill is transferred to parchment paper.

The good news is that Amtrak has six months to implement the new policy, and by then the House and Senate will have had time to fix the mistake, so no one will be forced to travel boxed in a box car.

11:08pm: The step between ecstatic vision and simple frenzy is all too brief.

7:20pm: The light has been spotted officially at the end of the tunnel.
Two more class days, 4 finals, then blessed, blessed time off.

Avert ye eyes if ye dont care for homework.

GET DROP/ADD SLIP FOR ADV MAT LAB
*****
POST TO ASPC 311 WIKI:
Excercise.4. 5S Process

Here is your Final Project, which will be presented on the Final Exam
day: Monday Dec 21, 10:00 am.
Defend a position that you have on an ethical dilemma that faces your profession of choice.
This will be your final project, it should have elements of ethics, quality, data collection, and business.

In addition to your final project, I would like each of you to develop
a Professional Development Plan (PDP) that guides you until age 40. (MUHUHAHAHA!!!! SUCKERS!!! MINES GOING TO BE SHORT!!!!) LOLOLOL
Listed below are some of the categories that you may want to include in your plan. I have also attached some links to online resources for this.
Possible PDP categories:
Education
Networking
Accomplishments
Personal Life
Creating One's Meaning in Life
http://www.quintcareers.com/creating_personal_mission_statements.html
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/pdp
http://rapidbi.com/created/personaldevelopmentplan.html
*****
PHYSICS HOMEWORK:
Your assignments for this week
• Dropbox by Tuesday before class, the answers to the exercises in these chapters. (Those are the X.# in the text,

with answers at the end of each chapter.)
o N5 x.1, x.2
o N6 x.1, x.2, x.3, x.4, x.5, x.6, x.7
o N7 x.1, x.2, x.3, x.4, x.5, x.6, x.7
o N8 x.1, x.2, x.3, x.4
• HW 8 will be due the last day of the semester, Dec. 15th. HW 8 N11B.6, N12B.4, N13B.3
• Your research paper is also due Dec. 15th. In extenuating circumstances, I will accept papers until the last day

of the semester, Dec. 22 (must clear with me ahead of time).
*****
PRINT QUANT LABS "iron in ore" AND "cuinbrass"
*****
PChem: Assignments for Tuesday
Plot of L vs wavelength of colors.

Fuel content per gallon of butanol and liq, hydrogen

Pastedgraphic1pdf
For this data determine the initial rate of this reaction and determine whether this data fits first order or second order kinetics. Please show plots of this. Also determine the rate constant for this reaction.

2:42pm: Nice grin and a giggle for the afternoon...
CALGARY, ALBERTA - Last season, when the Andrew Brunette-Mikko Koivu-Antti Miettinen line exploded out of the gate, teammates dubbed the line "two blondes and a Brunette."

With the line reunited and yet again sizzling, some Wild diehards are bellowing for the nickname to stick.

One problem, says Koivu, who pointed at Brunette hours before the Wild played the Flames on Friday.

"Gray."

Brunette is graying a tad, so much so that in Denver, Avalanche assistant equipment trainer Cliff Halstead came sprinting up to him and said with a big smile, "I thought a skunk was walking down the hall."

Brunette, who howled, might be 36 and not the fleetest of foot, but he's had no trouble keeping up with his 20-something linemates, especially the red-hot Miettinen.

Story HERE

It seems like just yesterday Andy was holding my infant son at a public appearance in Hudson... time, she flies captain!

3:23am: I cried.
Honest to gawd on the verge of a weep. This is... incredible.


This video shows the winner of "Ukraine’s Got Talent", Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II.

The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about £75,000.

She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.

It is replaced by a woman’s face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman’s face appears.

She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.

This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.

In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

Kseniya Simonova says: "I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there’s surely no bigger compliment."

Its just... wow.

5:24pm: When they're not kissing babies, they're stealin their lollipops!
"A recent Gallup poll ranks members of Congress below car salesmen in honesty and ethical standards.

Fifty-five percent of the respondents said lawmakers were low or very low in those traits. Car salespeople came in at 51 percent. Senators were at 49 percent, stockbrokers 46, and HMO managers 43. The most honest and ethical in the survey: nurses."


Ok, I get all of these... except stockbrokers. Where did I miss the train on that one?