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** Niamhgold enters **

Well, back home after one of those kill-me-I'm-bored 9-hour drives up the coast. I left at 4 AM and made really good time; home by 1 PM, in time for lunch, and that was including one stop to grab last-minute Xmas gifts. However, my car's heat decided to be fickle because the water level was really low, and in Connecticut I got bored of my one cassette and the only station that came in was 24-hour Christmas soft-rock. I now know too many useless carols, in various different languages ;) One of these days I'm going to find someone to ride with me on these long drives ;)

We'll be going out for Christmas Eve stuff and dinner, kind of to make up for the fact that we never have family around for the holidays. My friends were creative in their gifts this year--fruit-smelly markers, LOTS of popcorn (they know my weakness!), SpongeBob Stickers, Lilo and Stitch. And I had a great end of the semester. My classmate's and even my artworks were hung in the Creative Alliance art show, so a friend and I went to that opening Thursday. I had two really good crits and two VERY generous grades so far--though I know my GPA will suffer with the three I'm waiting for now ;) And Friday we saw LOTR.

Anyways, I'm boring you. Brief replies:

Spike: <It's exhausting but quite satisfying when I can spy the early signs of an upcoming artist> Warn them now! ;) I wish somebody had warned me... ;) Naw, that's cool. I saw many future artists this year during our school program. Then there were those who simply drew girls in pink tutus dancing beneath the falling, flaming ashes of the Twin Towers. That was creepy.

Gside: <and since my father's whipped the school into a Rings frenzy, they had to come over and talk afterwards.> Ah, reminiscing about the good old days. My mother's been proudly displaying all of the LOTR artwork she and her friends made in HS, as if they wrote the novels themselves ;) <But you should have been able to tell it was a discussion about discrepencies and which Faramir was from which source> Speaking of which, while the movie Faramir looked like a real brother of Boromir, I find the book's version much more likable. BTW--I was never able to ask my roommate if her Rutgers BF is taking the class you asked about earlier :(

GB: <Greetings to all, but I don't like Christmas> If it had less snow, I'd like it more. Or maybe if Santa was better looking. "Hoe hoe hoe!" ;)

Imzadi: Or so you think...welcome to Colonel Spigot's Prison for Really Bad People. Hello sharks! ;)

Adios and Merry Christmas!!!!!!
Niamhgold
Sunday, December 22, 2002 11:48:18 AM
IP: 12.104.22.34

Dang. That was quick!

The new US army policy: Attack NON-US journalists!
FIre Storm
Sunday, December 22, 2002 09:40:33 AM
IP: 66.72.182.162

NOTE: LM REALLY loves the Lord of the Rings!

I can't help but think of one thing: For the battle of helms deep, what if the good guys had a couple of working inventory stations from Tribes? ESPECIALLY a modded one!
OR Patrick Stewarts character from Dune!
"ATOMICS!"

Spacebabie: <Raisons? Oooh Raisonets I love those>
Storck chocolate Riesens!
www.storck.com

Gside: <You already got your sleep in>
Yeah, but I am one of those picky little f%&s that like sleep every day.

How-Tos?
<You'll still need one good anchor for the top of the pulley.>
Details, details...
<And besides, Gandalf had dwarves to help him with the fireworks, so he might no get credit either.>
Well, that sucks!

Resistance is futile

Imzadi: <Shhhh! Don't tell the womenfolk our secret!>
Well, I got to ride around in a motorized wheel chair... those things SUCK! Wobbly as hell, NO power, and don't even get me going on the lack of zero-to-10! The only good thing was the turning radius. I swear, if I EVER need one of those, I am getting one with all wheel steering, and enough power to pull my CAR!
<What kind of a fan are you?>
A lazy one.

But does she ignore the 'For external use only' part?
HMm... wouldn't it just REALLY suck trying to use a broom for a date? I mean, no back seat to make out in!

IT COUNTS!
<Dunno about that>
Ah, who knows... any idea what the yield is on a thermo-nuclear weapon's primer is?

Taleweaver: <Except for Reign of Fire where my chant changed to "MORE STORY!">
::GASP!:: Are you saying that the movie was lacking in plot?

Sorry. No disturbing link at the moment. Try again later!
FIre Storm
Sunday, December 22, 2002 09:35:47 AM
IP: 66.72.182.162

Just popping in to wish everyone a happy holiday before the last minute whirlwind rush whisks me away. I've been ridiculously busy for the last few months -- I've been spending three afternoons a week up at my sons' school teaching art. It's exhausting but quite satisfying when I can spy the early signs of an upcoming artist.

Here's an ironic link.... seems the Illuminati are branching out....
Spike
Sunday, December 22, 2002 07:45:29 AM
IP: 64.216.236.250

Thomas> <<On that note, the Presidnet of my Fraternity was a Conservative Jew and whenever he got exasperated, he would say, "Jesus!">>
*L* I do that sometimes. I've been trying to stop, since it's vaguely rude, but it's such a common expression that it's hard to stop.

<<Bud-Clare is not some left-wing drum beating hippy.>>
Hey, I might be. Not a hippy, obviously, but...

<<Now, Bud has never made a comment about me eating meat or shown disgust>>
Actually, I do have some rather strong opinions on the subject of locking baby cows in small boxes for months on end...

<<She'll probably outlive me by 15 years, because of it, especially when exercise is added to healthy diet.>>
*snickers* Exer-what? Healthy? Gah... I knew I was forgetting something.

<<Don't forget beautiful, considerate, honest, and huggable.>>
*beats Thomas with a nerf bat* Knock it off!

<>
Never try to understand my mother; You'll just end up with a headache.
Bud-Clare - [budclare@yahoo.com]
Sunday, December 22, 2002 04:30:18 AM
IP: 24.169.113.216

Imzadi> <<My friend once said "vegetables are not food. Vegetables are what food eats.">>: I like him.
<<I'd be one of them>>: But would you pay extra to get in on the moose dinner afterwards.
<<He didn't have anything better to do than hang out with your sorry ass?>>: He was taking his son and his son's friend to the movie, and since my father's whipped the school into a Rings frenzy, they had to come over and talk afterwards.
<<This is faster when its really nested>>: Maybe. Autocomplete works just fine with directories.
<<Not there yet>>: But you should have been able to tell it was a discussion about discrepencies and which Faramir was from which source.
<<Which has what to do with mac permissions?>>: Nothing, but it has to do with what programming languages allow.
<<People don't need to adjust memory allocation in OS X>>: Then why are you looking at C? Go play with Lisp.
<<we are totally incapable of developing a weapon that isn't centered around the concept of "throw something hard and fast, preferably accurately">>: We do have things that go boom, that don't need to be thrown hard and fast, as long as they get there.

Green Baron> <<the last truly scholarly President was Woodrow Wilson>>: From Jersey. Specifically Princeton, but I don't hold that against him.

Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gsisde@eden.rutgers.edu]
Fair Haven, NJ
Saturday, December 21, 2002 10:55:19 PM
IP: 68.38.240.227

Gargoyles New Legends Episode 2: Transitions - is now available on the GNL web page:

http://members.cox.net/lunafelis/Index.html

We hope that you will all come by and see our new story and art.

Thanks
Mooncat
GNL ADMIN
>^,,^<
Gargoyles: New Legends
Saturday, December 21, 2002 08:03:15 PM
IP: 68.102.23.36

Greetings to all, but I don't like Christmas, so don't expect that from me :)

Warpmind> Atheists would probably use the same expletives, as it is part of our vernacular. On that note, the Presidnet of my Fraternity was a Conservative Jew and whenever he got exasperated, he would say, "Jesus!"

Now the rest of us had soem fun with him and so we gave him a funny look and he said, "Oh OK! Moses!"

<<How would a Fundamentalistic Buddhist behave?>>

I think they hired ninjas as they were pacifistic, or maybe its the monks I'm thinking of.

Bud-Clare> <<Er?>> Well, on paper, it means you're Baptised and Confirmed Catholic, but you do not share those beliefs. That's what I mean by on paper.

I imagine most Christians in the US and Western Europe are Chirstians on paper.

<<I'm not sure, but I do know that the closest thing that Buddhists have to terrorists are people who set themselves on fire as a protest. Too bad all religious fanatics aren't so considerate.>> My Sociology teacher in HS mentioned that and in a joking way. Of course, my father told me the sick jokes about it.

Jaden> They lost your 201 file? What a pack of idiots! That is one file we can't make copies of. They are supposed to keep that file in safekeeping. I feel for you. There's a Valinda Bates in Finance. I went to AIT with her. Maybe she can help give some bozos a NO PAY DUE for losing your paperwork.

Elections> You have to be 35. Youc na start small with Congress or the Assembly. Pick whatever party wins in your area and get yourself known.

Imzadi> <> That's how I feel. The only thing more disgusting is if a woman uses chewing tobacco. Luckily I've only known of one woman to do that. Even when Rachael satretd smoking again, she would never do that. Of coruse, a dental assistant would have more reason to avoid that.

<<Yeah but they're all prudes.>> My buddy from Tempe (a highly Mormon area), AZ told me differently,a nd I doubt they're as strict in private ;)

<<Of course that makes no sense, since an acre is an area and not a distance.>> Well, ok. a kilometer distance, then.

<<You'll be glad you did. Nothing scarier than a guy with a girl twice as wide as he is 8-)>> So Revel's a twig, eh?

<<Only if they speak english. Otherwise they make lousy maids 8-)>> They have other uses and low prices :D

Vegetarianism> First of all, as most folks know, I eat meat. I enjoy meat. I like veal. I also like escargot, which may be one of those meats I can have on Good Friday, excpet I think something as fancy as escargot is innapropriate to eat on Good Friday.

Now, Bud-Clare is a vegetarian and I don't see why she should be given grief over it. Her chocie of what to eat does not affect me. Bud-Clare is not some left-wing drum beating hippy. Whenever I've been with her at Gatherings, she has a fresh clean scent to her, and her clothes are not from a 60s time warp. I imagine Bud-Clare is more liberal than me, but so are most people in the world.

Now, Bud has never made a comment about me eating meat or shown disgust (unlike my Senior prom date who refused to watch me eat escargot...talk about being a plebian).

Bud-Clare's choice of food is going to make her grocery bills much less than mine (except I eat in a dining facility thanks to your tax dollars, which I don't pay any of while I'm in Kosovo). If I was rooming with her, or sharing a house, her dietary choice means more meat for me.

I doubt I will ever give up my meat, but I don't see a big deal over Bud-Clare's diet. She'll probably outlive me by 15 years, because of it, especially when exercise is added to healthy diet.

Hyperion> <<Dammit, why do all the intelligent ones always avoid meat.>> Don't forget beautiful, considerate, honest, and huggable.

<<Illegals come across the border every week to collect their welfare checks, then head back. As that's my money, I'm irritated by this, as it’s essentially theft.>> That is where I object, too. If you want to enter my country to work cheaper than some overpaid dimwitted union thug, more pwoer to you, but those cheap wages are a lot more than you would make in a month in Mexico, so don't expect a handout. I'd galdly hire a family of illegal immigrants and probably help tehir kids get into College, but that's my choice and I don't like the Government being generous with our money, plus I doubt those kids will be in College as they are just meal tickets for their handout-grabbing mothers (maybe some fathers, but welfare discourages family stability).

<<Even worse are the hospitals that are closing down in NM, TX and AZ because Mexican ambulance drivers, if they think the guy can't pay, drive them up here where we *have* to give them treatment>> In Pennsylvania? Aren't there things like charity hospital or free clinics? Why do your guys have to take them, then.

<<And lest not forget the Mexican military that sometimes smuggles drugs over the boarder and shoots at our border patrol guys.>> That's a declaration of war to me. And if it come to that, we'll leave Mexico with the Yucatan and they can go fight the crazy Zapatistas, while we work on bringing our new Mexican territory down to accpetable levels of corruption, like we have in Louisiana :)

<<To me this is a rational thought process and one which has led me to form my own beliefs about how God works, ones that also fit into a rational mindset; therefore I see no inherent conflict between a rational mind and belief in god.>> An interesting approach. It reminds me of someone who became pro-life, due to Ayn Rand's principles. I know that shouldn't soudn so unusual, as I imagien there are more than a few pro-life atheists, but I guess when religion is used so frequently in the debate, it makes me think a bit.

<<That is her primary reason for rejecting religion. In my view, God is not a constant presence and has not made any such decrees, therefore, an objectivist philosophy, wherein personal and property rights are paramount, works well as a rational source of most human rights, with the idea that all of us contain a shard of godhead as the final arbiter of those rights that cannot be explained via rational consciousness.>> Its funny how Marx rejects God for the opposite reason.

I do need to read some more of Ayn Rand, as she is insightful, though I don't agree with everyoen she says, but who does?

Lila> <<Well, according to that, I'm screwed. I'm pro-both... does that make me simply pro-population control? Anti-human? Both or neither conservative/liberal?>>

Well, California's last Republican Governor, Pete Wilson was pro-choice. Now, he wasn't that conservative so a poor example. Better, Mary Bono a Congresswoman from Palm Springs is a solid Reaganite and pro-choice. Same with Jennifer Dunn of Washington. She is pro-choice and supported Reagan's presidential bid in 1976.

Abortion is one issue and not as good a litmus test for conservetives and liberals as one would think.

David Bonior, a Michigan super-liberal is pro-life. Tony Hall a pro-labor liberal Democrat from Ohio is pro-life. Jesse Jackson, Ted Kennedy, and Dick Gephardt were pro-life before they ran for President. Same with Bill Clinton and Al Gore prior to 1992.

Now generally being pro-choice is a liberal stance, though there are conservative reaosn to be pro-choice and liberal reasons to be pro-life. My grandmother was very liberal, but she was firmly opposed to abortion.

There also conservative reasons to oppose capital punishment, though generally opponents of capital punishmnet are liberal.

There are lots of other issues beyond simply abortion and capital punishment, like Unions, taxes, welfare, education, social security.

I'm pretty conservtaive, but I believe same-sex marriages should be legal. I also believe if Matthew Sheppard was armed, he'd still be alive. I also think the war on drugs is a failure and we should legalize and tax drugs. I also support miliatry actiona gainst Iraq and have told my CSM that I want to get an assignment in the Middle East, so I can be ready if we have to go there.

Now the issue I see you may have is there is an assumption if you have follow ABC then you follow XYZ. Oddly enough, walter Williams menmtioned this and it seems true for conservatievs and liberals. A large number have the same laundry list of views, as if they all follow a mantra.

Now some come to them independently, but I imagine most don't.

<<Not much can be compared to the delights of a perfect lean, medium rare fillet mignon...>> I prefer rare rare myself, but veal beats filet minon and I prefer lamb to beef, anyway.

Bud-Clare> <<Good for you. I disagree with you, but at least you think for yourself. :)>> I wish more pople approached an issue like that. Too often, debates are very uncivil, though that can be fun if John McLoughlin is moderating :)

<<Er... a good long while? Nine years, maybe? Long enough that my mother has finally given up the idea that it's just a phase, and has moved on to trying to convinvce me that I'm wrong. (I beat a Christian in a Bible debate... It was so embarrassing. *L*)>> I don't follow what vegetarianism has to do with the Bible or Christian tradition, in either a pro or con way.

Greg X> <<The term I use is Pro-Death. It works for me, and I really like the sound of it. I'm in favor of retroactive abortions (the kids section of the book store did that to me) and I think we should bring back torture and have Electirc Bleachers. Mmmm, Pro-Death ;)>> Of course, the amount of deaths brought by abortion and capital punishment are minimal. Maybe promoting vasectomies and tubal litigations for po' people will help curb the population better. Or the chocies made by Andrea Yates and Susan Smith, if you want to talk post-natal abortions.

Imzadi> <<Obviously you've never eaten a 5-pound lobster 8-)>> Personally, I don't like lobster.

Bud-Clare> <<That's because there once was a time when the uneducated masses were somewhat in awe of intelligent people; now, they're just resentful.>> That's cause we give them too much. It's time they become prey again.

I think the last truly scholarly President was Woodrow Wilson, who wrote in Latin with one hand whiel writing in Greek with the other. Too bad his brains didn't give him sense enough to compromise with the Senate over the League of Nations.

Revel> <<Thanks, but I wouldn't run someone out for that, I'd at least give you money like my old roommate use to do, saw a lot of movies that semester ;)>> I can bug some other victims..er friends :)

Hyperion> <<Seems to me there’s a certain decline in the caliber of education over the intervening years.>> That is one factor. Also, the crude dimwitted Civil War soldier was illiterate, but the Desert Storm grunt was semi-literate. Also, we are too open about some subjects and in presneting them in the crudest manner. Schools need at least five years teaching Geography and three for Etiquette.

<<Ooh...hey...Oakland challenging the Patriot Act as unconstitutional. I'll read it later. Good job guys.>> Too bad, its probably because of Bush and not because of the law itself. I imagine if in a Bizarro Universe, President Nader ::shivers:: issued soemthing simialr called the Peace and Freedom Act, it would meet opposition in Jacksonville, Anaheim, and Bay St. Louis instead of Oakland and Berkely.

DPH> <<Sorry, ever since I had 2 weeks of Spanish Immersion Camp, I blurt out Spanish from time to time. It was mission impossible to speak English at a meal for a while after I left the camp.>> I don't knowmuch Spanish, so what does that mean. I think the wrod good was in that sentence ;)

Imzadi> <<Thank you. Personally I think the Patriot Act is the scariest piece of legislation since the Nuremberg Laws.>> The Fairness Doctrine is up there, but not as extensive. I can't wait until The patriot Act hits the Supreme Court.

Bud-Clare> <<My ex-sister-in-law would shower about once a week, and only then after being harassed into it. *shudders* Lazy, stupid whore.>> That's disgusting, especially for an American. If she was French or German, I'd understand that quirk.

Aaron> <<So, Epiphany is sometime in, what, March? ; )>> Try Januray 6th, but some traditions don't continue.

<<Personally, I find remote enforcement to be Orwellian, disgusting, and an infringement of my civil liberties, but to each their own.>> Because you like to drive fast, right?

<> I find it interesting that a Council in the fourth century wrote in Elziabethan English when the Angles, saxons, and Jutes were still fur-clad German savages.

They determined what books would be in the Christian Bible.

<<(I know it starts with an "N". It's that thing GB despises so much)>> I am very fond of the Council of Nicea. It transformed Christianity from a disorganzied clusterf*ck into a respectable religion and was the first major step in its evolution. I'll never understand a desire to go back to first century Christianity. It was more chaotic than a bunch of Pentecostal chickens waving their arms in the air after their heads were chopped off.

<<At which time they excised five or six books from the earlier editions.>> You're thinking the Reformation, which I do not think of too fondly. Luther removed six books from the Old Testament claiming they were not divinely inspired and they were Greek and not Hebrew and some other reasons he pulled out his ass.

The Bible is a series of books that are suppsoed to be divinely inspired. The ancient Jews didn't clearly define what made up the Hebrew scriptures. Soem only recognized the Torah, while others recognized much more, including stuff not even in a New American Bible.

Nicea determines what boosk make up the Bible for Catholics. Protestants don't recognize six Old Testamnet books, because of Luther. Protestants also don't value Tradition believing that only the Bible is needed. I don't share that belief, as I recognize tradition's role.

Now, these are my beliefs and I imagine many here will disagree. I imagien some here support FDR's comments about America being a Protestant nation where Jews and Catholics are only tolerated.

I look at that comment, cosnider FDR made and am glad I'm not a Demcorat.

<<And I of course, would have to be equally selfish, and have you, and any politicians you'd gathered behind you killed. What can I say, I don't like anyone threatening my car. :)>> Still, rather crude way. I expect more imagination than that :p

<<Ah, but how else do you achieve a 90% approval rating in a country where a majority of the voters seemed to think some guy called Al should be president?>> Not a majority. Any president who is in Office to see us get attacked by fanatics and oust the Taliban from Afghanistan woudl enjoy high popularity. Clinton's ratings soared when he carpet bombed Baghdad. Of coruse, if Bush were assasinated, his popularity would reach 95%+.

<<On an unrelated, but historically interesting note, Henry Ford was a rabid anti-Semite who sent Hitler a birthday card every year.>> This is why I don't buy American too much, well that and I hate Unions :)

<> It's why I buy Japanese. Japan is also protectionistic towards their own industries which has rightfully given them a recession for their nasty policy. I wich the US and Japan would drop all tarriffs they have on each other's products.

Now I am off to sleep as I have Mass tommorrow morning and the US Ambassador to the Vatican is also at Camp Bondsteel. that woudl eb cool if I see him at Mass tommorrow.
Green Baron - [greenbaron@hotmail.com]
Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo
Saturday, December 21, 2002 05:57:57 PM
IP: 136.216.75.6

Happy Winter Solstice Everyone!
Leo
Saturday, December 21, 2002 05:41:33 PM
IP: 68.96.8.12

<<<>Peeks in<>>>
First time I've been here.
Grey Wolf
Saturday, December 21, 2002 03:09:01 PM
IP: 68.99.21.202

Fire Storm> Re: LotR link
*L* That would have been disturbing, if it weren't so funny.

Josh> <<My friend once said "vegetables are not food. Vegetables are what food eats.">> That's terribly unoriginal; I hear it all the time.

<> That's normal for you.
<> I wasn't referring to the dirty jokes. You genuinely misread posts at least once a week, and it's like pulling teeth trying to get you to understand that you have no idea what's going on.
<<What's your excuse?>> I wasn't aware that I needed one. But I'm sure that if I'm wrong about that, you'll jump right in to correct me.
<> Really? When?
Bud-Clare - [budclare@yahoo.com]
Saturday, December 21, 2002 05:59:43 AM
IP: 24.169.113.216

BUWAHAHAHA! We're on vacation. By this time tomorrow, I will be out of your hair, sunning myself on a beautiful beach in Maui. NEENER NEENER NEEEEEENER! I made a pledge to try a different drink every meal. Well, except for breakfast, which I don't eat. But I'm all packed up with electronic goodies and hardcover books (Harry Potter 4, Newest Star Wars, LotR:TTT, and Beginning C).

I did almost nothing today, and I'm rather proud of it. Oh, except for sending my GRE scores off to various schools. Hopefully they like them as much as I did. I think what's really scary is that my verbal score was in the 94th percentile, yet the score itself was awful. Too many non-english speakers going to grad school, methinks.

Todd Jensen: <<Saruman "inventing gunpowder" does make sense>>: Except that he obviously didn't. What about the fireworks?

Taleweaver: <<All robots will rise up against their human master with the blood and the killing and the what not>>: You forgot the LAIVEN! <<It got a touch heavy handed at times>>: Yeah, I noticed that too. Not everyone who likes technology is an evil wizard. Just me.

Bud Clare: <<I'll believe that when I see it>>: I hunt people. <<*L*>>: My friend once said "vegetables are not food. Vegetables are what food eats." <>: I don't know what you're talking about. I purposely misread posts in order to make dirty jokes. What's your excuse? <<Pay attention, dammit>>: I was, I assure you. <<a lot of people would pay good money to see someone try to kill a moose with his teeth>>: I'd be one of them. <<There was something nice in the extended edition, too. Can't remember what it was, though.>>: You mean, besides *The Extended Edition* itself? ;-) <<Which would be>>: Irrelevant.

Greg X: <<us Libertatians think you're mostly stupid too>>: LOL!

DPH: <>: Wow, we actually agree on something. <<All I am really interested in is knowing how long it will take you to write a program in C that will crash a computer.>>: Crashing OS X is not easy.

Gside: <<Saw Two Towers. With Bruce Springsteen>>: He didn't have anything better to do than hang out with your sorry ass? <<I've really been liking tab autocomplete for filenames>>: This is faster when its really nested. Especially with spring-loaded folders. <<This is the book Faramir who just ignored it>>: Not there yet. <<in the car back home>>: Hard to drive back from Hawaii. <>: Which has what to do with mac permissions? <<Like say, the memory outside of the area given to a program to work in?>>: That would be a good example. People don't need to adjust memory allocation in OS X, because its both dynamically allocated and protected. <<Time machine?>>: Left it in my other pants. <<while Europeans kept on developing weaponry using it>>: It's quite amazing that we are totally incapable of developing a weapon that isn't centered around the concept of "throw something hard and fast, preferably accurately". Even after tens of thousands of years of development.

Okay I'm off to Maui. See you all in a week!

80. If my weakest troops fail to eliminate a hero, I will send out my best troops instead of wasting time with progressively stronger ones as he gets closer and closer to my fortress.

Josh - [ATkicktothenutsDOTcom]
Encino, CA, US of A
Saturday, December 21, 2002 02:11:56 AM
IP: 67.117.15.153

Saw Two Towers. With Bruce Springsteen. Liked the movie, but too many people laughed at Smeagol.

Imzadi> <<drag and drop file selection>>: Eh, I've really been liking tab autocomplete for filenames.
<<It looked in the movie>>: This is the book Faramir who just ignored it.
<>: Listened to the unabridged reading of the coneys and Faramir in the car back home.
<>: There are some strange people in this world.
<<That's a real zip code, FYI>>: Right, but it still messes with there statistics/accounting.
<<Good luck>>: Thank you. Wasn't too bad.
<<You obviously don't know what you're talking about>>: I just got out of a course comparing and contrasting multiple programming languages.
<<The mac only obscures unnecessary info from people who don't need to know it>>: Like say, the memory outside of the area given to a program to work in?
<<what you said is true for *programming*, not just C>>: But so much more so for C. C is essentially a nicer looking version of machine code. With C, at any time you can point to any place in memory. If you're not careful, you can take any variable, float, array, struct, and let C think it's a pointer to memory (it has that loose typing). Whereas in Java, Scheme, Prolog, and the like, you never talk specifically about where something is stored, you trust the compiler/interpreter to do that for you.
<<A gun would be equally un-hippyish>>: Depends on the genre of non-hippie you want.
<>: Time machine?

Fire Storm> <<Did Saruman REALLY invent gun powder? Gandolf used it in the Fellowship of the Rings (fireworks)>>: But to draw a parallel from the real world, the Chinese invented gunpowder and used it mainly for fireworks, while Europeans kept on developing weaponry using it. And besides, Gandalf had dwarves to help him with the fireworks, so he might no get credit either.
<<Just be warned: It is a little gay>>: I am just glad that dwarves are naturally resistant to such.
CtB> <<find out which Watchmen character you are closest to>>: Nite I, then massaged to Nite II. If they had more about techniques to use, probably wouldn't have needed the massaging.

DPH> <<how long it will take you to write a program in C that will crash a computer>>: Crash a program, easy. Chrash the OS, you first need to find where the important bits of memory are and flip them the wrong way.

Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Fair Haven, NJ
Saturday, December 21, 2002 01:24:13 AM
IP: 68.38.240.227

*Spends a few minutes deciding if capitalizing on GXB's mistake is worthwhile*

GXB - <That's okay, us Libertatians think you're mostly stupid too> *debates about using an appropriate response* The problem is I wanted a limited government to curb the excesses of human greed. I believe completely eliminating certain government agencies is extremely bad; however, some of those agencies need to be seriously reformed.

Imzadi - All I am really interested in is knowing how long it will take you to write a program in C that will crash a computer.

Lain - <whens the new "avmists" coming out?> Don't cast stones at your neighbor's windows if your own are made of glass.

**Warning: Incoming Christmas Rant**

It's the most miserable time of the year. This will be my 1st Christmas at home by myself, but spending the time with my dad is a formula for disaster.

Yes, Christmas has lost its meaning for me and has for years. The only thing positive about Christmas was eating a meal with relatives. Most of my dad's family lives about 10 minutes drive from me.

My brother is heading to Lousy Anna to spend time with his wife's family.

Next month is anniversary I don't want to remember: my mom's death. She was the greatest role model of my life.
**END CHRISTMAS RANT**

11 more days until Holographic Mistletoe v2.0 is offline and work on Holographic Mistletoe v3.0 begins.
DPH
AR, USA
Friday, December 20, 2002 11:52:46 PM
IP: 204.94.193.55

And now for something completely different ... click on my name link and find out which Watchmen character you are closest to!

FYI ... I came out Nite Owl I. Ravyn came out Silk Spectre II ... would've been *perfect* if I'd been Nite Owl II. **snaps fingers**

Coyote the Bando
Algonac, Michigan
Friday, December 20, 2002 08:46:53 PM
IP: 216.234.125.19

BISHANSKY - Actually, according to Tolkien, Smaug wasn't quite the last dragon; he mentioned once that there were still dragons by the time of the War of the Ring and afterwards, although presumably none of them were interested in the war. One of his non-Middle-earth stories, "Farmer Giles of Ham", portrays a few dragons as still active in Britain shortly before King Arthur's reign (with a particularly funny bit where the younger dragons up in the Welsh mountains, after hearing exaggerated accounts about lowland Britain being amazingly prosperous and poorly defended, comment "So knights are mythical, after all!").
Todd Jensen - [merlyn1@mindspring.com]
St. Louis, MO
Friday, December 20, 2002 06:46:05 PM
IP: 65.57.62.220

Just to prove that I am INCREDIBLY frelling evil, I present you a page of Lord of the Rings fan art!

Just be warned: It is a little gay.

(Note: Some SUGGESTIVE nudity, but nothing too bad. Well... you know what I mean)

::FS laughs manicailly as he leaves the CR::
Fire Storm - [<--- Awful link of the day! (And I mean it!)]
Friday, December 20, 2002 05:38:57 PM
IP: 66.72.182.162

LM, PG, and I all saw the Twin Towers last night.

Did Saruman REALLY invent gun powder? Gandolf used it in the Fellowship of the Rings (fireworks).
Fire Storm
Friday, December 20, 2002 05:19:10 PM
IP: 66.72.182.162

Just to clarify, before anyone calls me on anything, that little comment to DPH was a joke. Nothing more, nothing less.
Greg Bishansky
Friday, December 20, 2002 02:52:39 PM
IP: 216.179.5.10

TALEWEAVER> Ah the origin of Unicron, while I loved the third season of Transformers (Cyclonus and Galvatron were awesome), I really disliked that episode. The comic had a much better origin for Unicron. In it, he was a Chaos God who once destroyed the universe. All but a tiny spec anyway which led to the Big Bang and the creation of the current universe. Unicron started up again and was opposed by another god named Primus. In the battle, both trapped themselves in small planets, Primus used the remainder of his power to transform the planet into a metal world and created the Cybertronians. Unicron on the other hand used his power and turned his prison into his new body which we've seen in the Movie. He also created such servants for himself as the Quintessons and later Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps (out of certain dead and dying Decepticon warriors. Galvatron being Megatron of course).

And sorry to disappoint you but those winged beasts the Nazgul were riding were not dragons. Tolkien never gave those creatures a name, but they tend to be referred to as Fell Beasts. Smaug in "The Hobbit" was the last dragon, and Gandalf engineered events in "The Hobbit" for the express purpose of preventing Sauron from using Smaug as a weapon in the War of the Ring.

DPH> <<<to you too.> I said "mostly", not completely>> That's okay, us Libertatians think you're mostly stupid too ;)

JOSH> <<Where did that come from? It looked in the movie like he very much wanted to use the power of the ring to defend Gondor.>> I was talking about the book. I love the book, but Faramir's character made a lot more sense in the movie.
Greg Bishansky
Friday, December 20, 2002 02:37:56 PM
IP: 216.179.5.10

Josh> <<Gross?>> That's only the beginning...
<<No, I'm a predator. Not just a carnivore.>> I'll believe that when I see it. :P
<<Quiet, food.>> *L*
<<Look at how much trouble you've had reading my posts that everyone else understands.>> *snickers* I don't think that you're really in a position to complain about that.
<<Where did that come from? It looked in the movie like he very much wanted to use the power of the ring to defend Gondor.>> *beats Josh* Pay attention, dammit.
<<It doesn't biodegrade.>> If it biodegraded, you'd just have to go out and buy a new one, thus defeating the purpose of buying plastic in the first place. :P
<<A gun would be equally un-hippyish.>> Yeah, but a lot of people would pay good money to see someone try to kill a moose with his teeth.
____________________________________________
Greg> <<Along comes Faramir, and not only can he resist it, but he has no interest in it whatsoever.>>
He wasn't really around it long enough for it to be an issue.
___________________________________
Hyperion> <<Thank you for that scintillating counter-point.>>
Why, thank you.
__________________________________
Aaron> <<Watch the film again, with special attention to the Merry-Pippin dynamic, and you'll see it>>
There was something nice in the extended edition, too. Can't remember what it was, though.

<<Sounds like... The Matrix.>>
Yeah, the first version of the matrix, which totally didn't work, and with good reason.

"aaron wheeler is the best at what he does"
Which would be...?
Bud-Clare - [budclare@yahoo.com]
Friday, December 20, 2002 11:47:52 AM
IP: 24.169.113.216

Hello all,

Some asks who built Unicron? I know! I know! That answers revealed in "Call of the Primitives", one of five good episodes of Generation 2, after the Transformer Movie. The guy had no name. He just went by Creator. Why he created Unicron? He was an overly clever SOB who kept building bigger and more complex robots until he cerated Unicron. Then to paraphrase Prof Frink: "All robots will rise up against their human master with the blood and the killing and the what not." To prove he hadn't learned his lesson he created a Unicron equivalent made out of energy. And it was up to all the transformer animals: Dinobots, tapes, Predacons, Terrocons, Skylynx and Trypticon to save the day. Lets hear it for Grimlock and simple minds seeing simple solutions.

Two Towers> An excellant film. In this one I could see more of Tolkien's luddite philosophy. It got a touch heavy handed at times, but still presented well. Props for the people who animated Gollum. Thay deserve a big holiday bonus for their work. A little surprised they didn't finish where the book finishes, but I can understand. There was a lot of story to cover, plus enriching the subplots with Helm's Deep, Ewowyn and Theoden, and putting the whole thing in an active voice. I liked seeing the Ents take on Sauruman not hearing about it second hand as in the book.

Big kudos for the winged black riders. Those who know me, know I'm a big dragon buff. And Tolkien's work has always been dragon-light. Only one dragon in Hobbit and he only appears to be slain in the next chapter. (Boo! Hiss!) The black riders were great especially as Osgalith. You know my perennial recommendation for all fantasy films. "MORE DRAGONS!" Except for Reign of Fire where my chant changed to "MORE STORY!"

Well, happy holidays to all
Taleweaver - [~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]
Friday, December 20, 2002 09:33:04 AM
IP: 24.205.116.129

BISHANSKY - A book that I've got about the making of the "Two Towers" movie says that the production team decided to model the Wargs more on hyenas because they thought that hyenas look tougher and more frightening than wolves. (Of course, it's equally possible that there was some pressure from wolf-lovers who didn't want to see wolves blackened as the "baddies" yet again :) ).

And I also liked the bit where they showed that much of the garrison at Helm's Deep were old men and young boys, as a sign of just how desperate the situation was.

Saruman "inventing gunpowder" does make sense, when you consider that a major element in the books (and especially where Saruman was concerned) was Tolkien's uneasiness with advanced technology, in that (to him) it all too often led to industrial pollution and the destruction of the countryside. (Of course, the notion of gunpowder being the province of the villains has been around a long time. In Sir Thomas Malory, Mordred is the only character who ever makes use of gunpowder, when he uses cannons and siege guns to assault the Tower of London after Queen Guinevere takes shelter from him there; in Milton's "Paradise Lost", Satan invents gunpowder during the war in Heaven in Book Six).
Todd Jensen - [merlyn1@mindspring.com]
St. Louis, MO
Friday, December 20, 2002 07:32:09 AM
IP: 67.28.90.131

Woke up early today and ran a bunch of errands, including picking up a new battery for my digital ELPH. Those things are expensive! I also finished my star destroyer last night (pictures should be available soon).

Oh yeah, and we saw LotR tonight. It was really good. The ents were cool. Now maybe I can finish those last 100 pages of the book before I leave for Hawaii Saturday morning. They didn't stick very closely to the book like the did in the last one, but whatever, it was a good story. I was kind of annoyed with Sam's rant at the end, but other than that no complaints. Gimli and Legolas were funny.

I wrote my first C program today, mostly so I could learn how compiling works on OS X. It's pretty much "hello world", and I can compile it using GCC in terminal, with drag and drop file selection. Pretty sweet, IMO.

Fire Storm: <<while out shopping>>: Shhhh! Don't tell the womenfolk our secret! <>: What kind of a fan are you? <<DSS codec>>: In all its glorious illegality. <<'Fluffy' and 'Peanut Butter'>>: I was thinking 'Harry's Nimbus 2000'. <<That's a power tool>>: I don't think that counts. <<enough for critical mass?>>: Dunno about that.

Greg X: <<not only can he resist it, but he has no interest in it whatsoever>>: Where did that come from? It looked in the movie like he very much wanted to use the power of the ring to defend Gondor. <<what did you think of Merry and Pippen this time?>>: They were just as convincing angry flame-baiters as they were morons. Which says a lot. <<The scenes with Gollum talking to Smeagol were awesome>>: I just read those "conversations" in the book this morning. <<Saruman invented gun powder>>: Battles just aren't as cool without explosions. <<He also had the greasiest hair I've ever seen>>: Yup.

Spacebabie: <<why plastic is better>>: It doesn't look as good or smell as good. It doesn't biodegrade. <<Today I finished 2 bags of potato chips, a cherry pie, a fifth of Jack Daniel's, a large box of chocolate candy and slapped the living hell out of someone I don't like>>: Those are great ideas. I haven't finished much today. <<Pass this along to those who need inner peace>>: Even those who don't should find it funny. <<How is that some people like Anya can look great with glasses?>>: Cuz she's hot. <>: Isn't she dead? <<She licks my hands and face like a dog>>: Among other things. <<Stay away from blue furry aliens that look like koala bears>>: Why? They're cool. <<No Snape in fishnets singing about being a sweet Slytherin>>: Alan Rickman? Is that scarier than Tim Curry or not? <<Good response>>: I thought so. <<We should weigh in the idiot factor verses the @$$hole factor in determining who would be first>>: Okay fine, take away all my fun. <<So?>>: That's thick.

Hyperion: <<Jesus H. "Jumping" Christ on a pogo-stick>>: Couldn't he just float or something? <<It's still transmitting>>: What's amazing isn't that its still transmitting (they don't make 'em like they used to), but rather that we were actually able to hear it. <<The guys at the JPL know their stuff>>: Well, they are rocket scientists ;-) <<90 to 120 times the distance from the Earth to the sun>>: That's kind of a large range. <>: They didn't deserve anything so soft. <<See you in Istanbul>>: A party! <<Didn't see your name anywhere in the press release, Capt. Takes D. Credit>>: And that was the joke. <<I'm a pilot, not a war reconstructionist>>: I hear P-51's are a dream to fly. <<look it's all about semantics>>: Amen to that. <<I've been nail several times so far; always enjoyed it>>: I don't think you'd enjoy this kind of nailing. <<There's a reason I drink Pepsi>>: Cheap knock-off. <<If you insist on using "l33t" in your posts, I shall have to fly up to Wisconsin, which will only serve to irritate me, as I hate the cold, and beat you into a bloody foam>>: Nuts! I was just about to inform him that I was leet and therefore he should give me warez. <<you've shown the will and the strength to isolate the genetically inferior parts of your own species as an evolutionary protection>>: Soon...

Godiva: <<cans of whipped cream>>: Don't mind if I do! <<Mt. Baldy>>: Your husband? <<How true. LOL>>: Thank you. <<what other CR?>>: S8 CR. Gargoyles only. No fanfic. <<But close doesn’t win the game>>: Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades 8-)

Dezi: <>: Too much info.

Aaron: Welcome back. <<who plays Dumbledore now?>>: Someone else. <<Playboy has no pink>>: Worthless. <<What can I say, I'm a sucker for ill-tempered redheads>>: Yes you are. I'm not a sucker for ill-tempered anythings. <<Worse then televised bass fishing>>: Hey those bass are exciting! <<didn't they find them stuffed full of pr0n when they turned them back in?>>: Yeah. <<Getting pointers, no doubt>>: Bastard. <<Adds Josh to list...>>: Of...? <<Remember what Samuel L. Jackson told us in 187?>>: No. Might have helped if I saw that movie. <<http://www.eviloverlord.com>>: Ah, thanks. I'd lost track of it. <>: Either could suck. <<Snrrrrk>>: Yeah, that was bad. << I'd like a White Cabin please>>: I'll put it on my list. <<sometimes we wish we could>>: I think we all do. <<But they do make 160 mph SUVs>>: I don't think that it counts as an SUV. <<http://www.ozbricks.net/bricktales/>>: Yeah, I found a really cool lego CAD program. <<Then I realized that 2/3s of my friends are Jewish, and they all *are* money-obsessed and greedy>>: Yeah, pretty much. <<in which case I think we'd be well within our rights to laugh ourselves sick>>: Don't worry, I plan to. <<If you get the preceding comment, you spent too much time playing old shareware games>>: Nope. Don't play many shareware games. <<one of them is incapable of conceiving a child>>: It's her. <<Here's one you missed>>: That's a bit excessive, don't you think? <>: I did. My bad. << who's been giving out the minutes to the bi-weekly admins meeting?>>: Not many potential culprits. <<Henry Ford was a rabid anti-Semite who sent Hitler a birthday card every year.>>: Which is why I buy Jeep...pure German owned! No subterfuge! <<Draco/*Hermione* forever>>: I sense S&M. <<Give-me-lots-of-presents-Day>>: Hell yes! <<G. W. Bush>>: What happened to that poor 3 year old? <>: Touch Boomer and DIE! <<When they ask, I always just say 90210>>: That's a real zip code, FYI. <<but surely you know that the surest sign that a conspiracy is at work is the utter lack of evidence?>>: DOH! <<the rider on the Homeland Security bill that forgives Eli Lily>>: Is that really there? <<Poor lain. And whoever she was conjoined with as well>>: It does sound rather painful. <<Because we have high INT scores, but low WIS. (And in my case, low STR, DEX, CON, and CHA as well)>>: High INT, DEX, low STR, CON, WIS. Medium CHA. <<It puts you over in the Pro-Death party, with me and GXB>>: The problem with the pro-death party is that its not real clear on its stance on everything ELSE. <<ORGY!>>: Sick. <<if the Bible is the literal word of God, how can it be edited by men?>>: We're smarter. <<Isn't that a cockatrice?>>: Apparently the same thing in some mythos. <<googlism>>: Is it legal to use those as real quotes, like in a movie commercial? <<Screw grasping it as a concept, I wanna grasp it as a reality!>>: Amen to that! <<You mean, you were sitting in a room with no lights, with even the computer screen turned off? It all starts to make sense now>>: It seems that PC screens don't illuminate their keyboards well enough. Never had that problem with a mac... <<with special attention to the Merry-Pippin dynamic>>: You are so right. <<Actually, I know nothing of the kind, and I'll bet you get a few other dissenting opinions too, but thanks for playing>>: Such as mine. <<In the DC/Vertigo series she's Lucifer's girlfriend, and a major hottie>>: In Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series she was nothing but a demon. <<Epiphany is sometime in, what, March?>>: LOL! <>: The jews got it right...as usual. <<Sounds like... The Matrix>>: Except that world is neither warm nor fuzzy. <>: I think we all do.

Todd: <<why some can resist it more than others can; it's "addictive">>: Interesting.

Leo: <>: That will only work if he plays bit parts.

DPH: <>: I'm learning C to program on a PC, weenie. <>: Der.

Gside: <<last one at 8:00 tomorrow morning>>: Good luck. <<Hopefully I'll be awake for it>>: Hey I barely woke up for mine and I got 73/80. <<You do realize that the strength of C lies in its being close to the machine and not stopping you from doing dangerous stuff, while you as a Mac !@$# like to keep things closed off?>>: You obviously don't know what you're talking about. The mac only obscures unnecessary info from people who don't need to know it. Everything else is accessible. Especially in OS X. Besides, what you said is true for *programming*, not just C, and someone needs to program on the mac otherwise there would be no mac programs, der. <<take a side trip to the Yukon and kill a moose with your teeth>>: A gun would be equally un-hippyish. <<Giving a count of upwards of 600 posts>>: Scary, ain't it? <<Even if it is next after Ghost, you're not getting it until 2007>>: Bastards. I won't wait that long. <<you do love me>>: No. <<You do know there is a completely other definition of facial?>>: I'd make some witty comment about Revel, but I don't think I want him trying to kick my ass at G2k3.

Lain: <<remember josh?>>: Who? << that guy, remember how he said "YOUR BELIEF IS WRONG" and you said "no, YOUR belief is wrong" ??>>: Oh yeah, him!

Okay I'm tired, and I have to be up early tomorrow.

79. If my doomsday device happens to come with a reverse switch, as soon as it has been employed it will be melted down and made into limited-edition commemorative coins.

Josh - [ATkicktothenutsDOTcom]
Encino, CA, US of A
Friday, December 20, 2002 02:49:46 AM
IP: 67.118.128.44

has anyone ever done a Gargoyles fanfic about September 11th?
lb
Friday, December 20, 2002 02:26:29 AM
IP: 162.84.164.207

ooooooOOOOOoooo this one is just too good to let go..

godiva>> <> perhaps you should go back and have a look over the exchange, cause thats REALLY not the impression you were giving.. o.O <<I’m not going to change your mind about anything that you’re not willing to consider>> why do you assume you know what im willing to consider? you know nothing about me. <<Ravenes was trying to enlist me in helping her convert you by going behind your back>> actually, if you read the email, i think youll find that she was really saying "dont chomp lains head off" <<Ravenes wasn’t as honest as you’d like to think she was>> again with the pretending to know what im thinking. <<What the heck
was I supposed to do then, Lain?>> keeping it to yourself might have been a good idea, rather than trying to use it to make yourself look better than your fellow. <<I’d want to know if someone who is trying to “convert” me is emailing others behind my back>> honestly, not to be mean or anything, but i would have assumed you were doing that anyways :P <<Why would I admit to something that’s not true>> to play innocent? <<And as far me saying that I know everything and everyone else is wrong, that’s just BS. I never said, nor implied it>> LOL!!!! *falls out of chair* remember josh? yeah, that guy, remember how he said "YOUR BELIEF IS WRONG" and you said "no, YOUR belief is wrong" ?? remember that?.. yeah.. you dont get to say you didnt do stuff that everyone remembers you doing :P <<How have I been dishonest with you and Ravenes?>> by trying to foist the blame off on her when most of it actually yours? <<she should’ve asked me if she could email me first and then sent her email>> well.. yknow.. if you include your email with your post, it pretty much means its available for use.. which means people might use it. you should be prepared for that, or you shouldnt post it :P <<We have our moments of stupidity, just like everyone else>> yeah, but it helps is you can admit it and apologize :P <<Was it? I mean, really. Was it?>> i believe it was (feel free to tell me my belief is wrong, tho ;)) <<Consider what she said to me in her UNSOLISISTED email>> i think we covered that above. if you dont want mail, dont post your address. its pretty simple, really..

josh>> <<Best of luck living in Canadia. Try not to become a hippy>> tooooo laaaaaateee.. mu ha ha... *feeds gunjack tofu on a spoon*

Stephen R. Sobotka Jr>> yeah so um.. whens the new "avmists" coming out? ];)

lain
Friday, December 20, 2002 12:14:27 AM
IP: 65.93.72.156

Another exam down last one at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Hopefully I'll be awake for it.

Imzadi> <<picked up "Absolute Beginners Guide to C">>: You do realize that the strength of C lies in its being close to the machine and not stopping you from doing dangerous stuff, while you as a Mac !@$# like to keep things closed off?
<<Tomorrow I see LotR>>: Apparently so will I.
<<Try not to become a hippy>>: And if you ever feel the pull, take a side trip to the Yukon and kill a moose with your teeth.
<<I've been posting here for almost 2 years>>: Giving a count of upwards of 600 posts. I started in Nov. '99, so I'm probably over a thousand by now.
<<But "killer" is much more entertaining>>: Depends on whether you want ironic entertaining or referential entertaining.
<<Doubtful>>: But I'm sure I'll try at some point.
<>: Even if it is next after Ghost, you're not getting it until 2007.
<<Its so nice to have someone who understands me>>: See, you do love me.

Fire Storm> <<Now I can't sleep>>: You already got your sleep in.
<<it's been so long since I saw some of the episodes of Gargoyles that I can't remember a lot of the details>>: I think I'm going to have to get some of the Pack ones for research.
<<If you set up a pulley just right, a car winch will work too>>: You'll still need one good anchor for the top of the pulley.

Spacebabie> <<Reasons why plastic is better>>: And if you're going to family for the holiday, you can only pull out the top and not bother with the rest.
<<Okay>>: Still have no clue who I'm talking about, do you?
<<cause that is what it is. She licks my hands and face like a dog>>: You do know there is a completely other definition of facial?

Hyperion> <<Try working toy retail during Christmas>>: http://www.machall.com/index.php?strip_id=64
<<See you in Istanbul>>: Not Constantinople?
<<Bus-Claire>>: So nice not to be alone.

Aaron> <<What platforms?>>: PC, and a couple places are selling it for $10.
<<Is he still active?>>: Don't know, probably. He doesn't seem the type to retire.
<<Rabien Rose? The dice-wearing bunnygirl from Digi Charat?>>: Sorry, haven't caught it yet.
<<The slimes like Naga. Mostly because they think she has two of their brethren concealed in her top>>: She doesn't? I got the spending money so I'm going to finish of my Slayers collection this break.
<<Hari-kari>>: To use the vulgar.
<<aaron wheeler is the best at what he does>>: Bub?

Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Piscataway, NJ
Friday, December 20, 2002 12:09:59 AM
IP: 165.230.240.116

<<Jesus H. "Jumping" Christ on a pogo-stick>> ITS THE SPIRIT OF SJ!!! ALL HAIL!!!!

woot!
lain
Thursday, December 19, 2002 11:34:26 PM
IP: 65.93.72.156

i just seen the best movie ever. ever.
i mean EVER. the two towers kikd soo much ass that i walked out of the theater limping. and for once i actually gave a damn about a cgi character. i mean f**k!!!
JacKaL
Thursday, December 19, 2002 11:23:29 PM
IP: 152.163.189.68

Aaron - <Are you sure Greg is in charge then?> Did Timedancer season 4 revolve around Demona? No. *Briefly glances at some outlines for the upcoming season of Gargoyles* No, Demona isn't in every other outline. <to you too.> I said "mostly", not completely.

Spacebabie - <but the master program that controls
the projections.> As if you *could* find it. Heck, it would be easier for a normal person to stay thirty weeks on Avalon in 10bc than to find any of those projections or the controls for them.

Imzadi - I thought your Mac had every program every need on it so there would be no need for you to learn C. <That's good, because sites with just logos don't sell much. I should know.> lol for five minutes. If only you knew. I'm trying to get the work finished by Christmas. <If I have a fit of temporary insanity> If you had a temporary fit of insanity, I would hope nobody will let you make any decisions of any consequence until the fit of insanity is gone. <But if you fail or betray us, we'll kill you without a second thought.> I would hope so. Incidently, I would request that you have enough sense to have cameras monitoring your security staff even when they're off-duty.

Lain - Got it and sent you a new reply.
DPH
AR, USA
Thursday, December 19, 2002 10:56:41 PM
IP: 204.94.193.75

***SPOILERS****

The Two Towers

Okay, went to see this last night with Lynati, Emambu, my brother, my mom and William (my mom's SO). Showed up half an hour early and we could only find seats in the second row.

And damn did this movie rule! I loved it as much as "Fellowship".

Gollum was amazing, I literally forgot that I was looking at a CGI character, he was just that great. The scenes with Gollum talking to Smeagol were awesome. Definetly puts Norman Osborn's chat with the Goblin too shame. The right amount of evil, and suffering. I felt for him. I could go on about Gollum for hours. He was just that great.

Treebeard and the Ents were great also. John Rhys-Davies is doing a superb job in these movies. The scene where they stormed Isengard was great

The Nazgul atop their Fell Beats, truly nightmarish creatures if I ever saw any. Can't wait till "The Return of the King" when we get to see more of them, especially the Witch King of Angmar (or WiKi as I like to call him).

Of all the new creatures, the only ones I have complaints about are the Wargs. They looked mre like Hyenas than Wolves. Would have preferred they looked like wolves. But I still liked them.

I think they had to make the changes they did to Faramir. I'll confess that Faramir's resistance (or should I say complete lack of interest) of the Ring was one of my major problems with the book. Through out the whole novel, Tolkien builds the Ring up as this object of absolute evil that none can resist for long. Gandalf couldn't, Aragorn couldn't. Along comes Faramir, and not only can he resist it, but he has no interest in it whatsoever. He's obviously a much better warrior than Frodo or Sam, why not give him the Ring and have him take it to Mount Doom? Besides, in the movie he wanted to turn the Ring over to Denethor, why obviously to make his father proud of him, as readers of the book know, Denethor and Faramir did not have the best father-son relationship. Especially as Denethor sinks more and more into madness these days.

Bernard Hill was awesome as King Theoden. Played him very Shakespearen. A weak leader becoming a strong leader. Looking forward to seeing more of him. Same with Eomer.

Mirana Otto was perfect as Eowyn. Exactly as I always pictured the character. Can't wait till the next movie when we get to see her fight a certain Mordor baddie.

Ian McKellen once again nailed Gandalf. Played him very differently than Gandalf the Grey. The battle with the Balrog was awesome. And I loved the scene where he resored Theoden to glory. Do we need further proof the man was robbed of his Oscar?

The Battle of Helms Deep, the most impressive battle I've ever seen on screen. I'm glad they didn't sugar coat it at all. Showing us them putting the kids and old men in helms and giving them swords showed just how desperate the situation was. Three hundred against ten thousand

Ooh, Saruman invented gun powder ;)

Brad Douriff was so... repugnant as Grima Wormtongue. he nailed that part perfectly. Nice touch with him realizing the depth of his treachery after Saruman's speach. He also had the greasiest hair I've ever seen.

And Viggo Mortensen was GOD! He was just god! Aragorn is so cool. Hand the man an Oscar now. This I command!

Oh well, the sad thing is no one will get an Oscar except on technical stuff, and those boys do deserve it. But I just shrug it off, this movie is simply too good for the Academy.

9.9 out of 10

Bring on "The Return of the King"

*** END SPOILERS ***
Greg Bishansky
Thursday, December 19, 2002 10:35:44 PM
IP: 216.179.5.1

forgot this

Aaron> <<If I'm thinking of the right guy, what he glorified was Hari-kari, which is rather different, philosophically speaking, from simple suicide.>>

Yes, you're thinking of the right guy. Yes, hari-kari was an honorbale act to him and he longed for it and glorified it (just as you say), but after reading "Confession of a Mask" he seemed more bent towards self-pity death, like he just wanted to die by some feak accident. He probably matured on his view of suicide in his later works (which I haven't bother to read), so your probably right in that he focused on hari-kari in the end.

Gabriel "gaygoyle"
Thursday, December 19, 2002 09:36:19 PM
IP: 66.169.210.231

Godiva> <<We have our moments of stupidity, just like everyone else.>>

But to atone for them, we apologize, admit our faults and ask for forgiveness.
Gabriel "gaygoyle"
Thursday, December 19, 2002 09:32:41 PM
IP: 66.169.210.231

Dumbledore:

I have heard a rumor that Richard Harris's face will be "gumped" over that of his double's.
Leo
Thursday, December 19, 2002 07:38:02 PM
IP: 68.96.8.12

BISHANSKY - Tom Shippey once gave a very good explanation for why the Ring affects people in different ways, and why some can resist it more than others can; it's "addictive". To quote from his "The Road to Middle-earth":

"All readers probably assimilate Gollum early on to the now-familiar image of a 'drug-addict', craving desperately for a 'fix' even though he knows it will kill him. For the same reason they understand why Gandalf tells Frodo not to use the Ring (use always causes addiction); why Sam, Bilbo and Frodo nevertheless survive their use of it (addiction in early stages is curable); why Boromir succumbs to the Ring without handling it (use has to be preceded by desire); and why Faramir can shrug it off (a wise person is capable of stifling the desire to become addicted, though no wisdom will stifle addiction once contracted)." (p. 106).

As for Merry and Pippin - well, as Sobotka points out, Merry, at least, has grown some in his realization that they all have to pull together to stop Sauron and Saruman from taking over Middle-earth and that running back to the Shire or lying low in Fangorn isn't a feasible solution.
Todd Jensen - [merlyn1@mindspring.com]
St. Louis, MO
Thursday, December 19, 2002 06:51:41 PM
IP: 65.56.169.248

Moment of silence for Richard Harris.

And not to be morbid, but who plays Dumbledore now? The only consensus I can get out of my family is either Patrick MacGoohan, (Longshanks from Braveheart), Derik Jacobi, or a digital Richard Harris.

Lynati> <<uh...huh.>> Bob must have been evil, because that commercial only aired *once*.

Gside> << Yup. Hooligans, developed by Darxabre, and published by Hip Interactive. Released in June.>> Sweet! What platforms? <> I don't think I had space for all the "really"s. <<"Iocane comes from your pants, and everyone knows your pants are full of liars and theives.">> LOL! <<Well, it's not real Bach, it's PDQ>> Ah, good old professor Schickalie. (sp) Is he still active? I saw him in concert once, way back in the early 90s. <<La Vie en Rose?>> Rabien Rose? The dice-wearing bunnygirl from Digi Charat? <<And I know you were looking at Naga sleeping with the slimes.>> The slimes like Naga. Mostly because they think she has two of their brethren concealed in her top. <<Unfortunately, I don't believe Playboy is that explicit.>> It's not. Playboy has no pink.

Josh> <<She was never as hot as Leeta. Or Nicole diBoer (sp?)>> What can I say, I'm a sucker for ill-tempered redheads. <<Which now sits comfortably as the second worst show on TV.>> Worse then televised bass fishing? (Or Bascar, as it's becoming nicknamed) <<Why don't you ask the governor of Maine. They spent 37 million to put iBooks in the hands of every 7th and 8th grader in the state.>> And didn't they find them stuffed full of pr0n when they turned them back in? Or was that somewhere else? <<Wasn't that a secret?>> Nah, not for a couple of months now. <<Lets hope they keep Ashcroft on a leash.>> He was in China a few weeks back. Getting pointers, no doubt... <> (Adds Josh to list...) <<Defensive driving is good.>> The best defense, of course, being a good offense. << But saving the world by conquering aliens at the cost of your own life, very manly.>> But saving the world by kicking alien butt and living to get the girl(s) afterward, manlier still. <<That doesn't sound very manly. It sounds stupid.>> Same thing. Remember what Samuel L. Jackson told us in 187? "Macho *is* bulls**t." <> http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html <> I believe you said "ballet" of wits, instead of "battle". <<Just like the stiffer members in a structure
attract more load>> Snrrrrk. <<With enough training, I could blow up a house and make the pieces land as another, smaller house.>> Sw33t! I'd like a White Cabin please. <<Even if the first few kids were normal, after a few generations we'd have a human race of retards.>> (Looks around) Hmmm... (Or, as a one-eyed German once said "Son of God or son of man, you can't screw your sister and have much good come of it.") <<Oh, and FYI, admins don't delete posts.>> Though sometimes we wish we could. <<It doesn't matter if that's your belief, because porsche doesn't make Jeeps!>> But they do make 160 mph SUVs. <<Dude, she's 14. But wait a few years,
she's gonna be in all the porn.>> Dude, she's in it now. One of the most popular alta-vista search strings is "Hermione Granger nude". Where do you think the Snape/Hermione branch of the HP fandom comes from? <> I doubt it. http://www.ozbricks.net/bricktales/ <<More like "Possible root: reference to Jews as greedy bastards and lying pigs".>> Or, as my brother put it: "I used to think that thing about Jews was a racist stereotype. Then I realized that 2/3s of my friends are Jewish, and they all *are* money-obsessed and greedy." <<How could anyone resist underage virgins?!>> They can't. See previous Hermione comments. <<Its the feeling of knowing you'll outlive all us fat slobs, isn't it?>> Unless he gets hit by a truck while jogging, in which case I think we'd be well within our rights to laugh ourselves sick. <<Yay for MIRVs!>> But Deathsheads are bigger and more fun. (If you get the preceding comment, you spent too much time playing old shareware games) <<Reminds me of "Never teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig".>> But if the tyrant offers you a one-year stay of execution while you try to teach his horse to sing, you should definitely take it. I wish I could remember where I heard that story.

DPH> <<Well, the TGS universe does not revolve around Demona last time I checked.>> Are you sure Greg is in charge then? < :p to you too. <<That leads questions to about Guardian Tom and Princess Katherine's relationship. By all practical terms, they're a married couple.>> According to Greg, one of them is incapable of conceiving a child.

Hyperion> <<<orbital based laser array> <uses>>> Here's one you missed... http://www.trygve.com/laserhairremoval.html <<The better question is, what sort of warped civilization decides that building a sentient robot the size of a large planet that derives power from *eating other planets* is a good thing? What the hell, was the design spec'ed out by committee?>> I believe "Who built Unicron?" is one of the great mysteries of the Transformers universe. <<Also, if you're into anime, score the Evengalion/Engel video. Much goodness.>> And be sure to score it's companion video, to Everclear's "Father of Mine". <> I think they probably avoid buying them because they're overpriced, pollution-spewing gas-guzzlers. (Not that the Japanese are much better these days. Remember the cars they made in the late 70s/early eighties? Ugly as hell, but they'd run for two hundred thousand miles easy) <<Could be worse, you could have the dreaded "tjhooker.exe". Only thing to do then is to set fire to your computer.>> Or throw it in a swimming pool... <<You're afraid the Christian Right is infiltrating the room in little "sleeper posts" and will eventually rise up and burn the webserver because of references to "black magic" in the series?>> Okay, who's been giving out the minutes to the bi-weekly admins meeting? <<Likewise, I'm not aware of any records of any flood that wiped out most of humanity.>> Actually, great flood myths appear in many religions. But, as you say, no records. <> On an unrelated, but historically interesting note, Henry Ford was a rabid anti-Semite who sent Hitler a birthday card every year. <<Right, but does anyone really think that he'd kill 3000+ people, send the economy further into a downward spiral and have to shell out a few million, not to mention the ongoing problems with the companies that insured the WTC, just to make a few bucks?>> Ah, but how else do you achieve a 90% approval rating in a country where a majority of the voters seemed to think some guy called Al should be president?

Gabe> <<bortherhood should be brotherhood.>> At least it wasn't "botherhood". <<The problem happens when he persists in his glorification of suicide (much like Yokio Mishima did in his novels)>> If I'm thinking of the right guy, what he glorified was Hari-kari, which is rather different, philosophically speaking, from simple suicide.

Spacebabie> <<Spider Demon…I have a feeling it scared a certain Admin.>> Not me. I like spiders. <<What is that exact line you said about the Pibb?>> Which one? The "Mr. Pibb tastes like Dr. Pepper that somebody put a cigarette out in" line, or another one? <> Really? Nemesis does that too. (Hugs for the loss of Silky) <<But I think I'm really going to hell cause of my Harry Potter Shipper results. Snape and Ginny???? Yeah I'm going to hell for that one>> I took that quiz. Told me I was a Draco/Ginny. I'm doubtful of it's veracity. Draco/*Hermione* forever! <<What do Atheists celebrate this time of year?>> Agnostica. Or X-mas. Or Give-me-lots-of-presents-Day.

Airwalker> <<He's sort of like Batman - his mental (not intellectual) development stopped at the age in which his life was transformed.>> Or G. W. Bush...

Silverbolt> <<Evil Anne Robinson!>> I like Anne. I even think she's rather attractive, in a severe sort of way. I lost all interest in the show when she was replaced. <<I'm one of these people who just don't like cats!>> Yes, but you also don't like chibis and Ann Robinson. Therefore your opinions are statistically invalid.

Revel> <<Are you ever going to tell the room about your theory behind TGC? or is that a secret for later?>> Sore wa himetsu desu.

GB> <<would support a massive gasoline tax to increase public transportation for anywhere I'd want to visit....I'd be selfish...and as I don't drive and I do use the bus...I'd be perfectly rational to do that :)>> And I of course, would have to be equally selfish, and have you, and any politicians you'd gathered behind you killed. What can I say, I don't like anyone threatening my car. :)

Patrick> <<Zip codes and Best Buy>> When they ask, I always just say 90210. <<What I want to see is proof to support the logical leap that somehow this makes the entire U.S. government complicit in a massive conspiracy to team up with al Qeada and murder over 3,000 people.>> Ah, but surely you know that the surest sign that a conspiracy is at work is the utter lack of evidence? ;) And while we're on the subject, what's your take on the rider on the Homeland Security bill that forgives Eli Lily, (Which is owned, in a large part, by the Bush family) for the fact that their vaccine seems to have turned large numbers of Californian children autistic?

Andrea> Fave gargs character: Demona. Least favorite: Thailog. Most like: Either Brooklyn, or possibly Bluestone.

Imp-Fac> <> OUCH. Poor lain. And whoever she was conjoined with as well.

Lila> <<In a room of such apparent intellect, how can it be possible for the top ten to be so complicated EVERY SINGLE WEEK?>> Because we have high INT scores, but low WIS. (And in my case, low STR, DEX, CON, and CHA as well) <<Well, according to that, I'm screwed. I'm pro-both... does that make me simply pro-population control? Anti-human? Both or neither conservative/liberal?>> It puts you over in the Pro-Death party, with me and GXB.

Lain> <<death isnt nearly as romantic and glamourous as you think..>> He could be, if he had more opportunities and a better home life... <<the parts i DID see made me wish i HADNT
seen them.. wire.. *shudder*>> That was so freakin' cool. As was the demon-guy. <<Fresh from a battle, the Ultrapack finds itself hiding out in a third-world airport hanger with absolutely nothing to do.>> ORGY! (Chibi-Death zaps Aaron in the foot) << king james invented the bible?! whaaaaa? :P he TRANSLATED it, sure, and he didnt "want it that way" the just happened to be the way people actually SPOKE during that time. having a version of the bible in english is one heck of a sight better (and better for the masses) than one in latin.>> I thought, (and I may be totally off, someone better informed will have to correct me if I'm wrong) that the King James bible was slapped together by the Council of... Nicea? (I know it starts with an "N". It's that thing GB despises so much) At which time they excised five or six books from the earlier editions. (And, just as a general question, not so much aimed at you, if the Bible is the literal word of God, how can it be edited by men?)

FS> <<Hey, does anyone know of a good driving simulator for the PC?>> Emulated Pole Position? Hope LM feels better soon and congrats on the engagement. <<Hey, can anyone get to Jack? I just get a page cannot be found error. >> Well, it's working now...

kathy> <> Isn't that a cockatrice?

Shinigami> <<Sayeth Googlism.com, anyhow.>> Most amusing, I agree. Except that our Todd has two "e"s and no "o". But he is, according to Googlism, "quickly becoming known as one of the state's most clutch players", "a hunk", and "an excellent singer" who "did a good job with the high harmonies."

Kai> <<I'd like to see Boston follow a note from New York and institute monitoring systems at important intersections that record activity for remote enforcement.>> Personally, I find remote enforcement to be Orwellian, disgusting, and an infringement of my civil liberties, but to each their own. <<Ultimate Power is rather a hard concept to grasp, IMO.>> Screw grasping it as a concept, I wanna grasp it as a reality!

Starsinger> Nice to see you're alive. : )

Ravenes> <> You mean, you were sitting in a room with no lights, with even the computer screen turned off? It all starts to make sense now... <<Y don't people belave Jesus much? He was history.>> No, he *is* history, and has been for about two thousand years now. ; ) But seriously, Mohammed and Buddha are historical figures. So is L. Ron Hubbard, albeit of a more recent vintage. What's your point? <<So in like 1000 years, if the English dialect has changed, people will bring the NIV Bible out and say what you
just said about the King James verson?>> Um, yes.

Todd> <<Pippin and Merry as done in the movie: the part that bothered me most about the movie adaptation where they were concerned was that they were portrayed as almost indistinguishable from each other, both equally immature.>> I think you should watch the movie again. My mother made a similar observation at first glance, but subsequent viewings, with just that in mind, have revealed otherwise. Sure, Merry's up for a bit of firework theft, and field raiding, but he never does anything like aggro the water-monster, or bring the Moria orcs down on them. Additionally, he's the one who comes to understand their life on the road a good deal quicker then Pippin. "I don't think he knows about second breakfast Pip." And he's the one who realizes that Frodo intends to leave them, as well as the first one to leap from cover to give Frodo a chance to get away. Trust me. Watch the film again, with special attention to the Merry-Pippin dynamic, and you'll see it.

Tony Elliot> Welcome to the room. <<Both of them have good reasons for what they believe in, but only one is morally correct. We the audience of Gargoyles know that Goliath's cause is the "good" one because of our built in nature and sense of what's right; aka, our morals.>> Actually, I know nothing of the kind, and I'll bet you get a few other dissenting opinions too, but thanks for playing.

GB> <<Mazikeen? I know I've heard that name before.>> One of the daughters of Lilith, Adam's first wife. In the DC/Vertigo series she's Lucifer's girlfriend, and a major hottie. (Although, I liked the way she was drawn in the Sandman books better) <<Epiphany is traditionally the day a
Christmas tree was taken down>> So, Epiphany is sometime in, what, March? ; )

GXB> <> I believe there might have been once, but we then we got greedy and decided we wanted to open our presents all at once. Now it's just a memory-building tool for children.

Bud-Clare> <<...Do you even listen to the words that come out of your mouth?>> Or, off her fingers, in this case. <<A warm, fuzzy world where everyone is as comfy and safe as they were while they were in the womb?>> Sounds like... The Matrix.

Moochie> <<I'll fix your feet, so you can't walk I'll lock your jaw, so you can't talk I'll close your eyes, so you can't see This very hour come and go with me... -O Death>> Death says that sounds like an evening with Pest and Rafferty, and politely declines the invite.

Warpy> <<Who do atheists invoke when they hit their thumb with a hammer?>> I usually just swear a lot.

Elections> Eh, I voted Libertarian. Next question.

Oscars> The Oscars are a total crock. I personally haven't cared since 1996. (And yes, LotR should have won best picture over A Beautiful Mind. So should Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which was totally ignored by the Academy, Blackhawk Down, (a vastly underappreciated film) and Moulin Rouge for that matter)

Googalism> My favorite: "aaron wheeler is the best at what he does"

Posting Fanfic in the room> This is sort of a grey area. It's not technically wrong, and once in a while is okay, but it's better if it's not made a habit.

I'm not going to get into the religeous debate, because the last time I did, it turned into a rant on how I feel religion (and its bastard half-brother, Idealism) cause 95% of the trouble in the world. So I've provided a link that I feel illustrates my position instead.

There was supposed to be a giant review of HP2, but that was a month ago, and nobody cares anymore. Go see The Two Towers. It's cool.

"If the opposite of pro is con, then the opposite of progress would be congress." - Anonymous.

Aaron - [JCarnage@Yahoo.com]
San Antonio, TX, USA
Thursday, December 19, 2002 06:31:40 PM
IP: 66.142.70.253

Wow. I am stuffed. My boss at Hobby Lobby threw us a Christmas dinner today and gave everyone an hour lunch break instead of the regular half hour. Despite the wicked customers (especially this one lady with a mustache who has made TWO cashiers cry on two separate occasions) I like this place.
My dog got into the trash last nite. She made my apartment smell. She smelled. So I made her go out in the rain with me to take the trash out. Then she smelled like wet-dog but at least she was unhappy about that. The worst part is when their proud of a trash-raid. I'm glad my rats stay contentedly in their cages (mostly out of fear of the dog).
I get to go home to my crazy family back in Illinois on Sunday. Mixed feelings on that. I'll miss my boyfriend, B, and my family will drive me up the wall by sundown on the first day there. But if I don't go they will all be sad and my scary aunt will probably put a hex on me. At least there might be snow in Illinois. If for that one reason alone, I hate Indiana. But I'm gonna tough it out here, graduate from college, get a job with the TV news (hopefully NBC) and get outta here and on to bigger and better things. And I'll drag B (an Indy boy by blood)outta here kicking and screaming. I have it all planned out.
-dez
Dezi - [nothingtofear@hotmail.com]
indy, in, usa
Thursday, December 19, 2002 06:12:09 PM
IP: 68.58.158.101

***Godiva enters with a large platter of cookies, cakes and donuts and sets it down on the table. Oooops! Godiva runs back out and re-enters with a tray of mugs with steaming hot cocoa—made with milk, not water—and cans of whipped cream and bags of marshmallows for those who want extra in their cocoa.***

Ugh, last night was damn near freezing (33 degrees farhenheit). I don’t think I’ve completely warmed up yet. At least I can type now. But the plus side to this weather is that when I look out of my window, I can see Mt. Baldy and the surrounding mountains covered in snow. Breath-taking!

Replies:

Lain- <you were both trying equally hard to get me to believe what you wanted.> Is that what you thought I was doing? Trying to get you to believe what I wanted? I was only trying to explain things to you. I’m not going to change your mind about anything that you’re not willing to consider. It’s pointless and a waste of both our time. <if you didnt want to, why did you?> Because I wanted you to see that while I was keeping this discussion here, Ravenes was trying to enlist me in helping her convert you by going behind your back. <why? what was the point of that? to make her feel bad?> No, I wasn’t trying to make anyone feel bad. Look, all I wanted was for you to see that Ravenes wasn’t as honest as you’d like to think she was. <but youll take private email correspondance and blast it all over a public forum.. im not sure if thats better, or worse.> What the heck was I supposed to do then, Lain? I’ve been more than honest with you during this whole thing. And I figured if I were in your shoes, I’d want to know if someone who is trying to “convert” me is emailing others behind my back. <even you must admit thats not *precisely* true.> Why would I admit to something that’s not true? <to be able to answer a question, you must first listen to whats being asked, instead of going on a tirade> What tirade are you talking about? And I was listening. <about how you know everything and everyone else is "WRONG!"> And as far me saying that I know everything and everyone else is wrong, that’s just BS. I never said, nor implied it. How have I been dishonest with you and Ravenes? <and i think you owe her an apology, too.> And she owes me one, as well. If she wanted my help, she should’ve asked me if she could email me first and then sent her email. She shouldn’t have assumed ANYTHING on my part. <but i find what you (as a "christian") did with her action, honesty to and trust in you, even MORE worrying.> Why? Christians aren’t perfect. We have our moments of stupidity, just like everyone else. <at least raveness' heart was in the right place.> Was it? I mean, really. Was it? Consider what she said to me in her UNSOLISISTED email.

Josh- <Wouldn't having children by their own father be something terrible? Doesn't sound very pleasant to me.> I meant that the bible doesn’t say what happens to them after they give birth to their brothers/nephews. <This world could not handle two of me.> How true. LOL

Bud-Clare- <We've got lots of cookies in the other CR. I guess that the people in this CR just aren't as thoughtful. ;)> Well, I am. Help yourself to the goodies that I brought in. BTW, what other CR?

Spacebabie- > <Hey don’t feel bad. It was close.> I know. He beat me by less than 30 seconds. But close doesn’t win the game. L

Godiva - [reneeprater@adelphia.net]
Montclair, CA, USA
Thursday, December 19, 2002 05:16:34 PM
IP: 24.52.251.66

Jesus H. "Jumping" Christ on a pogo-stick...apparently Pioneer 10 actually sent a signal to Earth. For those of you that never no clue what that statement means, aside from the Jesus jumping Christ bit, It's a space probe launched in the 70's. Thing should have been a floating scrap heap by now but NO! It's still transmitting.
The guys at the JPL know their stuff.
However, and the amusing part, is that even after 30 years the probe has not actually left the solar system. The honor goes to the Voyager craft which have passed the "heliopause", the point at which the solar wind for out sun is to diffuse and is countered by the effects of interstellar gas. This plasma boundary roughly delineates the expanse of our solar system, roughly 90 to 120 times the distance from the Earth to the sun out.
Thus endith the lesson.

Dezi>Try working toy retail during Christmas. I was one Beanie Baby away from standing on the counter and opening up with the store's entire Nerf arsenal.

Gside> Well, then you're all set. See you in Istanbul! Try the Sikh kebap.

Josh><Thank you>Didn't see your name anywhere in the press release, Capt. Takes D. Credit.
<No you didn't> Depends if I believe in the Hindu system of reincarnation now doesn't it?
<WWII-era plane> Why the hell would I fly that? I'm a pilot, not a war reconstructionist.

Bus-Claire><Most people are just born there, you know>Bitch, bitch bitch...look it's all about semantics.
<someone might nail you>I've been nail several times so far; always enjoyed it.
<something in the water> Aside from fish jizz? There's a reason I drink Pepsi.
<Therefore, it's all your fault. As usual.> Thank you for that scintillating counter-point.

Christine> Congrats on the story!

Tony Elliot><good newz> If you insist on using "l33t" in your posts, I shall have to fly up to Wisconsin, which will only serve to irritate me, as I hate the cold, and beat you into a bloody foam. As I'm sure you can see the various disadvantages associated with this course of action I trust there will be no further infractions. Excellent. Glad we reached this understanding. Good man.
Hmm...I wonder if its any easier to get a hold of Liquid Nitrogen up there...I'd imagine it's a lot more common.

Spacebabie><and a decent joke at that> Excellent! Have a cookie. I don’t' know anything about them, except I got them from a creepy old lady who's computer I fixed yesterday. As such, I'm not touching them.

************************************************
"Most impressive."
"Excuse me?"
"We have isolated ourselves from inferior species but you.. you've shown the will and the strength to isolate the genetically inferior parts of your own species as an evolutionary protection."
"I don't think you understand. This wasn't intentional."
"You're too modest, you're too modest. It's a brilliant move, Commander."
Hyperion
Thursday, December 19, 2002 01:29:32 PM
IP: 151.199.239.207

I assembled the tree, dad put on the lights and tinsel, and mom put up the ornaments.

Reasons why plastic is better.
1. You only have to buy it once, and thus save money.
2. You don’t have to bother trying to pick the right size…the measurements are on the box.
3. You don’t have to water it.
4. It doesn’t shed
5.It’s less of a fire hazard.
6. One less dead tree
7.If you have a pine allergy you won’t break out in a rash or sneeze.
8. You don’t have to throw it away, just pack it up.

I’m also done wrapping up the gifts I bought.

This is good.
I am passing this on to you-------It is definitely working for me. I think.

I have found inner peace. I read an article that said the way to achieve
inner peace is to FINISH things I had started. Today I finished 2 bags of
potato chips, a cherry pie, a fifth of Jack Daniel's, a large box of
chocolate candy and slapped the living hell out of someone I don't like. I
feel better already.

Pass this along to those who need inner peace

************************BUFFY SPOILERS**********************
I did not like that part where that one Slayer in waiting just took off and rand into the arms of Nosferatu…too contrived.

Loved the bit where Andrew and Xander shared a geek moment.
Spike torture is fun
Grrrr How is that some people like Anya can look great with glasses?
I hope they find some way to bring Faith back.
That principal is such an enigma.
***********************Spoilers end************************

Replies:

Hyperion<<<Ok,ok...before anyone says anything, it was a joke>>>and a decent joke at that.

Gside<<<It translates to "woman hero tribe.">>>Okay<<>>Yeah it feels good.<<<If that's what you call it>>>cause that is what it is. She licks my hands and face like a dog.

DPH<<<A computer virus can't influentrate the holographic missletoe in 0.001 seconds and if it did, that version is already set to be deleted and another fresh projection would come online.>>>Not the projections…but the master program that controls the projections.

Josh<<<while I'm in Hawaii, I'd imagine.>>>Stay away from blue furry aliens that look like koala bears.<<<Me too>>>I bet you are.<<<Tim Curry?>>>No Snape in fishnets singing about being a sweet Slytherin<<<MechE requires more sophisticated perversion.>>>and being the tramp bear that you are you can do it.<<<but I could just lock myself in my room.>>>Then we will have to get very loud :P<<<NO SCHOOL!>>>Good response<<<Mine first!>>>We should weigh in the idiot factor verses the @$$hole factor in determining who would be first.<<<By my brother calling the house 1200 times from his new cell phone because he forgot his soccer jersey and needed ME to drive it to school for him>>>That sounds like something the boy who aint right would do.<<<with a manual that's thicker than a titanium powerbook. >>>So? If it was thicker than the fourth Harry Potter book then that would be impressive.

Christine>>>Welcome back from your trip<<<ooh, goodie, I could really use a pic!>>>I just need to color it.<<>>Squeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! :::Gives Christine a big hug!

Firestorm<<<Reisens. >>>Raisons? Oooh Raisonets I love those

11. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces towards change and behave like free spirits in he presence of fate is strength undefeatable.” ~ Helen Keller.
Spacebabie - [LadyAndromeda@smstars.zzn.com]
Orlando, Florida, U.S.A
Thursday, December 19, 2002 11:39:11 AM
IP: 67.25.48.95

Saw "The Two Towers" last night. Will have a full review shortly. been really busy the last few days.

*** SPOILERS ***

TODD> I think they had to make the changes they did to Faramir. I'll confess that Faramir's resistance (or should I say complete lack of interest) of the Ring was one of my major problems with the book. Through out the whole novel, Tolkien builds the Ring up as this object of absolute evil that none can resist for long. Gandalf couldn't, Aragorn couldn't. Along comes Faramir, and not only can he resist it, but he has no interest in it whatsoever. He's obviously a much better warrior than Frodo or Sam, why not give him the Ring and have him take it to Mount Doom? Besides, in the movie he wanted to turn the Ring over to Denethor, why obviously to make his father proud of him, as readers of the book know, Denethor and Faramir did not have the best father-son relationship. Especially as Denethor sinks more and more into madness these days.

That being said, what did you think of Merry and Pippen this time?

*** SPOILERS ****
Greg Bishansky
Thursday, December 19, 2002 11:02:25 AM
IP: 216.179.1.112

Well, it looks like I got what LM had. I collapsed a few times while out shopping. Sucks.
Now I can't sleep.

Gside: <My bad. It's been a while>
Yeah, I understand. Hell, it's been so long since I saw some of the episodes of Gargoyles that I can't remember a lot of the details.
<It has been theorized that pi can make replacement lyrics to any song.>
But NOTHING can replace the sweet sounds of the DSS codec!

Imzadi: <Clever rhyme>
Common, yes, but clever still. I just wish it didn't look like that is now our foreign policy.

"So, how do you keep yourself occupied on those lonely nights at school?"
"Three words: 'Fluffy' and 'Peanut Butter'"
<Um, no. You still need a crane to lift it 4 floors>
Hey! That's a power tool! If you set up a pulley just right, a car winch will work too.
<That is SO cool!>
I know! I just wish I knew what happened to it.
<Sure. Less core material = smaller chain reaction>
But still enough for critical mass?
What is the smallest fissionable yield weapon possible?
<Back then, incest was all the rage. Or something>
Best things about incest:
She's right there! No searching!
No in-laws!
No awkward first meetings with the father!

Spacebabie: <Candy as in chocolate, Jolly ranchers, butterscot, caramel and twizzers…oooh and M&Ms w/ crispy centers>
Well, people have crispy centers surrounded by gooeyness too!
Reisens.
<You are evil. I salute you>
Why thank you!
FIre Storm
Thursday, December 19, 2002 07:16:51 AM
IP: 66.72.182.162

Oops! Slept through a doctor's appointment. Ran some errands, worked on my B-1, and still managed some time on my new star destroyer. Still not done yet. Maybe tomorrow.

I just found out that I'm going to be sans internet when I'm in Hawaii next week, and I'm not happy about it, even if I will be in Hawaii. I mean, this is the RITZ. You'd think they'd have access in the room or at least a hotel-wide wireless network. But nooooooo...bastards. I mean, what the hell kind of vacation doesn't include internet access? Okay, done sounding like a whiny spoiled brat for the day.

I picked up "Absolute Beginners Guide to C". It looks okay, hopefully it will teach me what I need to know. Haven't tested any of the sample code yet. Hopefully it will compile.

Oh, and I'd like to rub in that I got A's in both steel and wood design. I rule.

Tomorrow I see LotR.

Christmas 2003: LOL. Just like an engineering firm.

Patrick: <<"unnecessary recount" of checking the list twice>>: I'm sure Santa had a reasonable defense that too many errors could cost Santa billions, and the recount costs nothing to taxpayers. <>: BUWAHAHA. <<after the reviews I've seen, now I'm not sure I want to see it at all>>: My friend said "after hearing YOU pan it, I'm gonna skip it".

Taleweaver: <<You forgot to add the need to cross eight lanes of traffic>>: Oh, right. Sorry. <<One book-smart, one street-smart and one... suburb smart>>: Which one died, I wasn't sure?

Mooncat: <<Giles neither touches or is touched by anything or anyone in this episode?>>: Whoa, I didn't notice that. Good call!

Gunjack: Best of luck living in Canadia. Try not to become a hippy.

Tony Elliot: <<junior computer engineering students have almost no free time>>: That's true for any engineering student. People just don't realize that. And its really frustrating to hear people tell me that these are the best years of my life. <<that means homework over Christmas break>>: That sucks. <<what makes the convention worth going to?>>: Seeing your friends from online. Or the people who hate your guts, they're entertaining too. <<Nice resume on your website>>: Why thank you. <<Are you going to get your PE?>>: Maybe. I'll probably take my EIT next year while I'm in graduate school. Kind of nervous about the idea about my career being on the line when I practice. <<The best Linux distribution is OS-X>>: That's interesting, since OS X ISN'T A LINUX DISTRIBUTION. Its a BSD variant, which is a type of UNIX, and no those are not the same thing. <<It’s the first Apple OS I can tolerate>>: Good for you. Switching only hurts once. <<Instead I gave Mandrake 8.2 a shot, spent a few paid hours learning samba, the file sharing client, and solved the problem>>: Uh huh, and who troubleshoots the network? I'm not saying that Linux isn't cheaper than WIndows, just that it isn't really free because installation and learning curves are a hassle. <<What do you mean blindly faithful?>>: Ravenes. You are blindly faithful if you insist that the beliefs that you happened to be raised with are the *true* beliefs because, well, you don't have an explanation because you just KNOW. Even if facts get in the way. <<What would you consider un-blindly faithful?>>: Gunjack. The ability to incorporate fact into your beliefs and change your faith. I really shouldn't need to explain this. It's okay to believe in god. It's not okay to say "the teachings from my particular church are correct no matter what anyone else ever says, I just know they are and nothing you say can change that." <<If you place your faith in science, then you can not believe in magic. Care to clarify your position?>>: This doesn't need clarification if you'd read a little more closely. Magic tricks are not real magic, der. I don't believe in magic. <>: Yes, it was. <<Every version of the Bible says the same thing, book for book, verse for verse; they are only worded differently>>: Then they DO NOT ALL SAY THE SAME THING. People take entirely different meanings from things that are worded differently. Look at how much trouble you've had reading my posts that everyone else understands. <<May I suggest comparing Ephesians 2:8, 2 Tim 3:16, and Romans 12:1>>: No, you may not suggest that. That's the whole point. You don't prove anything by suggesting passages that happen to translate similarly. <<Below P3, Linux is only useful if you like the command line>>: Yellow dog ships with a few useable GUI's. My favorite part is the ability to switch GUI's on login. <<I’m going number my posts like Josh>>: I don't number my posts. I'm numbering the rules of being an evil warlord. I've been posting here for almost 2 years.

Gside: <<Aced semantics>>: Congrats. <<But it's the cannonical name to call little fuzzy things you love and hug>>: But "killer" is much more entertaining. <<But foo is a metasyntatic variable, while a hex number is by definition not a variable>>: Yes, but I meant in the sense that it's "generic". <<It'll be fun to see if I can stand the triple feature>>: Doubtful. <<they're working with Blizzard>>: I want my StarCraft 2! <<One comes from California, the other from Finland>>: Among other differences. <<He's not numbering posts, he's numbering elements of a list>>: Its so nice to have someone who understands me.

Okay, back to the lego.

78. I will not tell my Legions of Terror "And he must be taken alive!" The command will be "And try to take him alive if it is reasonably practical."

Josh - [ATkicktothenutsDOTcom]
Encino, CA, US of A
Thursday, December 19, 2002 03:36:25 AM
IP: 67.117.14.195

I have been here from the begining, I love the gargoyles.
The show was great which is why I think they should have kept it going. I love Timedancer. What a great story line.
Though it gets a little hard to follow at times because of the jumping back and fourth. But I love the way Brooklyn has grown into a wonderful intelligent and wise person.
The imagery in the Timedancer stories are so powerful I totally get drawn into the stories. Gargoyles are the best and may stories and great artwork continue on.

Lily - [Peaceblossom26@aol.com]
Bronx, N.Y., U.S.A
Thursday, December 19, 2002 12:41:32 AM
IP: 152.163.189.68

I got my first grade of the semester today. Aced semantics, after the grief I had at the start.

Imzadi> <<That's a wussy name>>: But it's the cannonical name to call little fuzzy things you love and hug.
<>: But foo is a metasyntatic variable, while a hex number is by definition not a variable.
<<You've burned your taste buds off, then?>>: Entirely possible, or just mutated.
<<A science fiction double feature?>>: Late night double feature picture show. It'll be fun to see if I can stand the triple feature.

Patrick> <<Looks now like Christmas has the same publisher that handles the Harry Potter books>>: Nah, they're working with Blizzard.

Todd> <<Gimli comes across as too much of a comic-relief figure in it, always falling off his horse and having problems with his short stature>>: But the horse thing is a good bit from the books. On recieving a Rohan shield: "I'd rather bear a horse than be borne on one." And he rode on Theodin's horse rather than try one on his own.

Tony Elliot> <<junior computer engineering students have almost no free time>>: Feh, senior CE/CS and still daily.
<<what makes the convention worth going to?>>: The people. Strange as they are, but we like strange.
<<The best Linux distribution is OS-X>>: BSD is not Linux. One comes from California, the other from Finland.
<<If you place your faith in science, then you can not believe in magic>>: He didn't mean magic magic. More sleight of hand, misdirection magic.
<<I�m going number my posts like Josh>>: He's not numbering posts, he's numbering elements of a list.

And now I flip you the Bird. Charlie Parker doing White Christmas.

Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Piscataway, NJ
Thursday, December 19, 2002 12:40:36 AM
IP: 165.230.240.116

General Comments |:-
Its been a few days since my last post; junior computer engineering students have almost no free time :( Since I’m still a newbie to the comment room, no one knows me, so I’m going to divulge little tidbits if info every post. My college is MSOE, Milwaukee School of seep-dEprivation… er, Engineering. Were on a trimester system, and have exams before Thanksgiving; muh-ha-ha to all of you complaining about exams. But that means homework over Christmas break, ugh! We had really nice weather today for a change, 55 degrees and rainy. The usual is 25 and snowy.

I’m about 1/4 through Gargoyles season 1, in the middle of Perchance To Dream. So far, I’m very impressed by the quality of the stories. I download the stories on my palm pilot and read them between classes… PDA’s rock! I normally download a couple of Trek books a month from peanutpress.com , but with all of the TGS episodes, I wont be spending to much money on e-books for a while. Thanks again TGS crew.

I see there is already talk about The Gathering this summer. I checked out the website for it and looked at the events schedule. Some of the things seem interesting, but most of the convention seems like it’s dedicated to fans that want to reminisce over an aging TV show. Yea, there is stuff for fanfic/fanart, but what makes the convention worth going to? This isn’t a criticism it’s a question. Can anyone say something convincing enough for me to ride my cycle out to NY this summer?

Yet another great episode of Enterprise tonight. Its good to have at least one good sci-fi/fantasy show on the air. Buffy folks, I respect your tastes, but do not share them. Unfortunately it’s Christmas already, no more Trek episodes for a few weeks :(

Now on to overdue replies while listening to Indiepop on somafm.com
----------------------------

Josh |:-
Nice resume on your website. Civil and Structural engineering I see. Are you going to get your PE?
<Linux is only free if your time is worthless!>
I wouldn’t say that. The best Linux distribution is OS-X. It’s the first Apple OS I can tolerate. My boss wouldn’t say that either. I keep a 17 workstation and 1 server network up and running. The server used to run Win XP pro (not my idea), but the cheapie Microsoft OSes only allow 10 network connections. You can see the dilemma. The only Microsoft solution would have been a 25-user version of Win 2k for a whomping (its Milwaukee word, like bubbler) $1800. Instead I gave Mandrake 8.2 a shot, spent a few paid hours learning samba, the file sharing client, and solved the problem.

What do you mean blindly faithful? Please elaborate. What would you consider un-blindly faithful?
<Yet he hasn't once done it in a manner that couldn't easily be explained away with a magic trick.><As someone who places their faith in science, I can say where the limit of my knowledge is.>
If you place your faith in science, then you can not believe in magic. Care to clarify your position?
<…*their* version of the bible (out of 400 versions) is true>
I think 400 is a bit of an exaggerate. Every version of the Bible says the same thing, book for book, verse for verse; they are only worded differently. I CHALLENGE you to prove me wrong. Go to bible.gospelcom.net and compare any verse you want with the various translations. May I suggest comparing Ephesians 2:8, 2 Tim 3:16, and Romans 12:1 . When you select the various translations, click on [Version Information ]on the right hand side to get an idea of how each translation is different. I say this not only to Josh, but anyone else who shares his viewpoint that the Bibles aren’t even close to the original meaning.

Spacebabie |:-
<Um isn’t that an oxy moron? Atheist faith??? It can’t be a faith cause they don’t believe in anything.>
Don’t believe in anything, or believe in nothing?
faith n. 1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. (copied w/o permission from Websters)
I believe that God exits, but many would refute that idea - faith. Atheists believe that God does not exist, but many would refute that idea - faith. My feet smell bad, everyone agrees – fact. Gravity exists, stuff falls, everyone agrees – fact. Have I made my point clear?

Lila |:-

I wish I could complain about it being sunny out and 42 degree nights. Wisconsin sucks during the winter. Want to trade places?

Leo |:-
<better have at least 500Mhz>
I’d say nothing less than a Pentium III if you want to run X-Windows. Below P3, Linux is only useful if you like the command line. Read my reply to Josh.

Stephen R. Sobotka Jr. |:-
<BTW, I saw some great trailers for movies next year: Bad Boys 2, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (the new Terminator Femme... YOW!)>
T3! It’s about time! Thanks for reporting the good newz.

----------------------------
I’m going number my posts like Josh… the most sincere form of flattery is imitation :)
----------------------------
4.“It seems as though science will never be able to raise the curtain on the mystery of creation. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”- Robert Jastrow, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Tony Elliot - [h664e34@hotmail.com]
Milwaukee, WI
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 10:58:54 PM
IP: 65.29.134.202

Wishing at the fountain in Toontown does work! I got an acceptance letter! Sold me a story! Hot damn, a penny very well spent! :: giddy glee ::

Josh > well, for here and other parts of the country, it was a drizzle, but it was torrential by L.A. standards.

Taleweaver > true; I remember rainy visits to D.land before. Weather was perfect for us this time, though.

Stephen > ooh, thanks! Keep an eye on yours, too (I hope your address hasn't changed!)

Update > starting a new Dissidents story tonight. Still no title, but it'll be the long-awaited meeting with the Pirate Clan as well as checking in with someone from a previous tale.

Christine - [christine@sabledrake.com]
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 09:40:12 PM
IP: 65.239.13.176

I'll have to wait until the weekend to catch the new LotR movie. I just can't spare 4 hours minimum with travel time and previews to see ONE movie midweek... not while working 10 hour days. And midnight showings are definitely out of the questions. Yes, I envy all of you who either don't have to get up at 6 AM for a job or don't care if you fall asleep at it. :P

I haven't seen the new Trek movie yet, either. And after the reviews I've seen, now I'm not sure I want to see it at all.

Stephen > Hey there... long time no see. Say, are you still doing Avalon Mists? Seems like it's been a long while since the last one. Did I miss an issue?
Patrick Toman
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 08:56:20 PM
IP: 67.38.246.174

Greetings all...

It's been a while, but things have been sort of spiraling since the last time I posted. My 30-day management review came and I was found wanting by my Area Supervisor. I hadn't improved enough to warrent her recommendation that I remain a manager, so I was sumarily demoted back to crew leader... this meant a loss of pay rate and my medical and company benifits. I still have a job, if that's any consolation, but my effectiveness is decreased due to my feet remaining to be pain-filled (a pre-existing condition from my days in the navy, aggrivated by all the long hours of standing as a manager).

Otherwise, I'm still alive, and healthy. Just need to get the VA to help me get my feet fixed so I can return to full effectiveness.

MOONCAT - Nice link of the Dark-side Switch. Now they need to do one of Mara Jade-Skywalker doing the Light-Side Switch. ^_^

CHRISTINE - Watch your mailbox! Something special coming your way!

Saw the Two Towers tonight myself...

*** WARNING! SPOILERS! ***

My take on the movie was it was a good film! Granted some of the liberties taken threw me (i.e. Merry/Pippin's talk with the Ents & their attack on Isengard; The taking of Frodo to Gondor, etc.), but for the most part I enjoyed the film and all it's visual splendor.

I sort of disagree with Todd on the shift of Gimli to a comic relief... I know I did chuckle a bit at some of his lines and such when I read the original books (dwarves have often been such comedic level for me).

Todd, I am surprised that you didn't comment on Merry's shift in character from one of the fops to a more serious one when he talked about how Isengard's fire would burn the forests of the lands of the Shire...

I have ot comment on the better parts of the film: Gollum's characterization was fantastic and well done (kudos to his multiple performers), and the (yet-expected) re-appearance of Gandalf (which drew a standing applause by the theater crowd where I saw the movie)! A side note, did anyone notice the slight Sauruman-ish touch in Gandalf's voice when Aragon/Legolas/Gimli confronted him in Fanghorn Forest? That was a nice touch!

*** SPOILER'S END! ***

BTW, I saw some great trailers for movies next year: Bad Boys 2, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (the new Terminator Femme... YOW!), The Core, and a Jim Carrey Movie where he gets the powers of God for a week... funny and sacriligeous at the same time. ^_^

Well, that's all from me... Maintain and Check Six!

Stephen R. Sobotka Jr. - [ssobotka33616@yahoo.com]
Tampa Bay, FL, USA
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 08:42:17 PM
IP: 65.35.132.55

**Niamhgold enters briefly**

Almost done with classes--had an art exhibition tonight--LOTR on Friday--I shall return!!!

Bwhahahahaha! ::runs out with billowy cape::
Niamhgold
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 08:23:56 PM
IP: 206.41.199.51

I saw "The Two Towers" this morning.

* SPOILERS *

On the whole, I very much enjoyed it, with a few caveats. The battle scenes, the scenery, and the various critters (including the new ones - Ents, winged reptiles for the Nazgul, Oliphaunts, and Wargs) were well-done. And Gollum was great - just the right blend of villainy and pitiful loneliness. I thought that his internal struggle was well-handled.

There were a few elements that I wasn't too keen on, though. Gimli comes across as too much of a comic-relief figure in it, always falling off his horse and having problems with his short stature. I certainly never imagined him like that when I read the book. And Faramir's characterization is changed too greatly, by having him initially being willing to turn Frodo and the Ring over to Denethor, rather than having him refuse the temptation in contrast to his brother.

I'm certainly looking forward to Part Three, next year.

* SPOILERS END *
Todd Jensen - [merlyn1@mindspring.com]
St. Louis, MO
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 06:52:18 PM
IP: 63.208.63.249

*Kicks back at his desk, bundled against the sub-zero Canadian wind, and grinning around a fat cuban cigar as he idly scans the room*

Ho Tay, chummers. Survived yet another Greyhound adventure, and here I am in the land of the Free(zing). Got here Saturday evening, and after four days to rest and recuperate, things are lookin' preeeeetttyyyy dang spiffy. I'll check back in later; work calls. Just lettin' y'all know that we're still alive up here. ; )

Peace!
Gunjack "Cold Heaven" Valentine
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 06:14:22 PM
IP: 65.93.75.210

Buffy
s
p
o
i
l
e
r
s
... anyone else notice Giles neither touches or is touched by anything or anyone in this episode? C'mon, say it with me... Noncorporeal Entity *^_^* The only question is if he is a manifestation of the first, or the good guy equivalent. In either case, my prediction is that poor Giles is dead.

Hope they keep some of the slayers-in-waiting alive, instead of going for a gore fest as I fear. I think the story of killing off the Slayers to be was better done in the Buffy novel "Pretty Maids All In a Row" -- that was very well done

MC
MC
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 04:29:03 PM
IP: 68.102.23.36

Josh> You forgot to add the need to cross eight lanes of traffic.

Buffy Spoilers>
New ep last night. The First's plan is finally revealed. Giles is back with three slayers-in-waiting. One book-smart, one street-smart and one... suburb smart. Willow may have a new gal pal in the street-smart one. And the suburb smart one had to live the crazy life of a horror film damsel in distress. You know run scared into the clutches of the evil and get killed without putting up a fight. Buffy goes through Slayer angst. First uncertain if she can do it, then eye of the tiger with her desperate plan. Dru fans will be glad that the First took her form for the ep to torment Spike.

The episode was good for moving the story arcs, bad for not using the cast or introducing use properly to the newbies. (But an extra point for Willow and Zander to referring to them as newbies.) Big question on my mind, how come the Watchers council HQ blows up and it's certain they are all dead, but Giles was facing a Queen of Hearts style beheading and comes back with barely a nick?

Still it would have been cool if the fake Dru was really Drusilla messing with Spike's head. Oh well, missed opportunities.
Taleweaver - [~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 02:59:01 PM
IP: 24.205.116.129

See... I knew things were gonna go downhill after the Bush camp sued Santa in 2000 to stop his "unnecessary recount" of checking the list twice. Looks now like Christmas has the same publisher that handles the Harry Potter books. :P
Patrick Toman
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 12:27:33 PM
IP: 66.93.14.153

"CHRISTMAS 2002" PUSHED BACK TO 2003
PUBLISHER CITES "UNAVOIDABLE DELAYS" AND PROMISES
CHRISTMAS WILL HAPPEN "WHEN IT'S DONE."

I am sorry to announce this so close to Christmas, but I am afraid that the Big Guy (and Rusty) are sorry about this. The delay is unavoidable, mostly due to St. PAtricks day (oh, now THERE was a holiday! I tell ya, those elves don't just wear green because it's fashionable! No sir... oh, the stories I could tell...)

The programmers at NPC (North Pole Co.) are working their hardest to make Christmas 2002 the best the possibly can. Hopefully, it will be released BEFORE Christmas 2003, but I can neither confirm nor deny that.
The Public Relations leader of the North Pole, Sir Fire Storm DeWight - [<--- Sorry little girl. Santa isn't coming this year. And yes, it IS all your fault!]
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 09:42:37 AM
IP: 66.72.182.162

mooncat> but a good movie nonetheless >:).

Gabriel "gaygoyle"
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 05:13:13 AM
IP: 66.169.210.231

Lord of the Rings : Two Towers...

Long... long... long... sleepy now.

:: moonkitty conks out -- kitty snores ::

>^vv^<

MC
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 05:07:23 AM
IP: 68.102.23.36

How did I wake up today? By my brother calling the house 1200 times from his new cell phone because he forgot his soccer jersey and needed ME to drive it to school for him. I will be seriously collecting on this one, starting with him folding my laundry for the rest of vacation. And I have to drive him to the library after we get back from Hawaii.

I finished charging my new battery and now I'm back to 5 hours of iBook-y goodness per charge (my last battery was over a year old and laptop life was down to 90 minutes per charge). I wish I could afford the device that would let me *really* recharge rechargeable batteries.

I got my new lego star destroyer. I just started it so I won't finish before I go to sleep, but this thing is HUGE. The pictures on lego's site really don't do it justice. I thought about taking pictures of my progress, but I'm just too lazy. It ships in a box that's about 2x2x1 feet, divided into four smaller boxes, with a manual that's thicker than a titanium powerbook.

Other than that, just a few errands.

Bud Clare: <<a cat with brochitis sneezed on my pyjamas. There are no words>>: Gross? <<Most people are just born there, you know>>: No, I'm a predator. Not just a carnivore. <<someone might nail you to something or the other>>: And it will probably be an Italian 8-) <<Maybe there's something in the water?>>: Stupidity? In the water? Is it infectious?! !@#$!@#$! <<Dammit, what was that command, again? %#@*!!>>: No, I think you meant fsck. <<if you had read his post properly in the first place, he wouldn't have needed to try to explain it a different way, so he wouldn't have botched it up. Therefore, it's all your fault. As usual>>: Quiet, food.

DPH: <<Additional work beyond adding the logos is planned on the art section>>: That's good, because sites with just logos don't sell much. I should know.

Mooncat: <<which incidently counts as a matinee>>: Now that is cool!

Dezi: <>: Then why would you want to see the second?

Christine: <<torrential rains>>: HA! That was a drizzle!

Taleweaver: <<If anyone has a better theory that explains people paying $8 for a hamburger I'll be glad to hear it>>: You're already in the park and too lazy to walk all the way across the parking lot and off the property to cheaper food 8-)

Gside: <<Love it and hug it and call it George>>: That's a wussy name. <<Sorry, what?>>: I dunno, its some CompSci joke. I think its the "foo" of hex numbers. <<And I like it>>: You've burned your taste buds off, then? <<Go for a double feature>>: A science fiction double feature?

Okay, back to the model. Nite.

77. If I have a fit of temporary insanity and decide to give the hero the chance to reject a job as my trusted lieutentant, I will retain enough sanity to wait until my current trusted lieutenant is out of earshot before making the offer.

Josh - [ATkicktothenutsDOTcom]
Encino, CA, US of A
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 02:17:57 AM
IP: 67.117.15.57

What exactly is Kunkung?
Hound of UIster
Wednesday, December 18, 2002 12:29:15 AM
IP: 216.170.210.200

Imzadi> <<What else would you do with it?>>: Love it and hug it and call it George.
<<DEADBEEF>>: Sorry, what?
<<The language years are wasted for an engineer>>: At least it was part of a good private school.
<<Depends on the girl>>: Or in this case, cat.

Bud Clare> <<Maybe there's something in the water?>>: And coming from Jersey, I can tell you there is. And I like it.
<<Something has to step in once common sense has fled>>: Common sense?

Dezi> <>: Go for a double feature.

Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Piscataway, NJ
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 11:54:19 PM
IP: 165.230.240.116

Hey all,

Just thought I'd check in and see what happening.

Christine> Hey, rainy days are the best days to go to Disneyland. Lines are non-existant, about have the rides are indoors and if you get really soaked then the outdoor ones are fair game too. True you have to stave off head colds afterwards but it can be worth it. (I don't care for stupid people and Disneyland brings out the stupid in people. If anyone has a better theory that explains people paying $8 for a hamburger I'll be glad to hear it.)

I'd like to hear from the oldtimers. If you posted regularly but not any more lets hear from you before New Years.

See ya, manana.
Rahsaan
Taleweaver - [~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 09:57:34 PM
IP: 24.205.116.129

We're back from our little trip south. Had a good time at Disneyland. Family weekend was on the crazy side, various bad blood a'stirring between Matt & Dad, me & Mom, etc. Bit of a wild time getting home, what with incredible high winds in the desert and then torrential rains in the L.A. basin. But we're back, and now things will be stressful because I'm working extra shifts right up until Tim's folks arrive.

Spacebabie > ooh, goodie, I could really use a pic! Can't wait to see it.

Christine - [christine@sabledrake.com]
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 05:38:43 PM
IP: 65.239.13.69

Cool. I got my ticket today too for the midnite showing here. My boyfriend and his buddy were gonna go but I wanted to come too. I haven't seen the first one yet. I need a nap to prepare now.
dezi - [nothingtofear@hotmail.com]
indy, in, usa
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 04:57:21 PM
IP: 68.58.158.101

Eeeeee!!! I got my Lord of the Ring Two Tower tickets...!!! For the midnight showing, which incidently counts as a matinee, so my freebie ticket punch from getting the boxed set of LotR dvds covered two tickets *^_^* wheee!!!!

So I invited a friend. *^_^*

I had sushi for lunch :: purrssss ::

Now to nap, so I won't be dead tonight.

MC
Mooncat
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 04:18:46 PM
IP: 68.102.23.36

**Official TGS Announcement**
At long last, the Art Site's listing of Illustrations released with stories has been been completely updated. Logos will be added later noting "Season 1 Illustration Archive", "Season 2 Illustration Archive", "Season 3 Illustration Archive", and "Season 4 Illustration Archive". Additional work beyond adding the logos is planned on the art section.

Links for Gargoyles Season 4 Illustrations, Pendragon Season 4 Illustrations, and Dark Ages Season 3 Illustrations are placeholders for the time when those pages are added.

Starting around the first of the year 2003, a section for the Bad Guys stories will be added to the TGS website. Please be patient with that work. To effectively keep the TGS Website consisent, practically every page in the TGS Website will be updated with a link to that series.

I have to give many thanks to Revel for identifying the composer of the artwork when it wasn't clear to me.

If you find bad links, let me know.
**END OFFICIAL TGS ANNOUNCEMENT**
DPH
AR, USA
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 04:17:09 PM
IP: 204.94.193.14

dph>> my internet has been acting extrordinarily funky for the past few days. sorry for not seeing/replying to you earlier. gunjacks computer should be here in the next few days and well hook IT up and things should go more smoothly concerning our recent absence of online-ness.

i sent you a reply, i hope you got it
lain
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 11:12:53 AM
IP: 65.93.75.210

I got up this morning, went to the kitchen to get my breakfast, and a cat with brochitis sneezed on my pyjamas. There are no words. *shudders* And we're without a washing machine until Saturday, when the new one will be delivered. I have to go find a laundromat today. :(
____________________________________
Hyperion> <>
Really? Most people are just born there, you know.

<<The only downside is when I stumble in drunk and hungry and the first thing I see as a small stuffed animal.>>
Serves you right. :P

<<even, dare I say it? A Messiah for our Age.>>
*grins* Better watch it; someone might nail you to something or the other.

<<Seems to me there’s a certain decline in the caliber of education over the intervening years.>>
Maybe there's something in the water?
__________________________________
Gside> <<Feh, ten years. Not high school all, but still.>>
Okay, you win. Ten years sucks much more than three.

<<Depends on what you want to do. They both have their uses.>>
Also depends on whether or not you use them more than once or twice a year. "Dammit, what was that command, again? %#@*!!"

<<But that must limit the amount of fun you have.>>
Good. Something has to step in once common sense has fled.
_____________________________________________
Josh> <>
My ex-sister-in-law would shower about once a week, and only then after being harassed into it. *shudders* Lazy, stupid whore.

<>
*sighs* Absolutely.

<<Apparently so, because I think you meant the intersection of intelligent and veggie. And I think you may have left a word or two out, making it more confusing.>>
Well, if you had read his post properly in the first place, he wouldn't have needed to try to explain it a different way, so he wouldn't have botched it up. Therefore, it's all your fault. As usual. ;)
Bud-Clare - [budclare@yahoo.com]
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 07:36:45 AM
IP: 24.169.113.216

Today consisted of two things: a trip to the dentist to pick up my mouth guard and sitting on the couch reading LotR: tTT. Very productive. I love winter break. Real application work will start while I'm in Hawaii, I'd imagine.

Power went out today at around 630. We hung out for a bit and then drove out to find a place to eat. The radio said that power was out in half the valley, but I only had to drive 3 blocks before finding houses that obviously still had power. Bitter. Oh well, it came back on while we were at dinner.

One more reason to use laptops or at least battery backup systems for your computer.

Bud Clare: <<Engineers aren't exactly famous for their hygiene>>: Touche. I shower every day, though. I gave my roommate crap for only showering about 350 days out of the year, and his girlfriend is even worse. <<Bitten a lot of people, then?>>: Ask any of my girlfriends. <<once was a time when the uneducated masses were somewhat in awe of intelligent people>>: I miss those days, even if I never was around for them.

Revel: <>: You're only angry because I'm right ;-) <<Have a nice break>>: Don't worry, I will. I have my own visitor headed this way.

Spacebabie: <<I’m Tramp Bear>>: Me too. <<it’s a RHPS Snape>>: Tim Curry? <<He has the classes with the fun names>>: MechE requires more sophisticated perversion. <<Who says were going to do that??? We just may get all kawaii and sappy and make you want to puke>>: You may, but I could just lock myself in my room. <<What do Atheists celebrate this time of year?>>: NO SCHOOL! <<Can we test it out on my brother?>>: Mine first!

Hyperion: <<Oakland challenging the Patriot Act as unconstitutional. I'll read it later. Good job guys>>: Thank you. Personally I think the Patriot Act is the scariest piece of legislation since the Nuremberg Laws. <>: They're stupid? <<you have to wonder just what a chick that needs ciggies *that bad* is going to taste like>>: Who says you have to kiss her? <<I'm not about to be told off by some celery stalking, rabbit-food eating nut who's idea of an entree is retextured soy protein>>: LOL! <>: No you didn't. <<when I see something cuddly and fuzzy, I eat it>>: What else would you do with it? <<Seems to me there’s a certain decline in the caliber of education over the intervening years>>: Just a bit. <<Do I need to draw you a Venn diagram?>>: Apparently so, because I think you meant the intersection of intelligent and veggie. And I think you may have left a word or two out, making it more confusing. <<I'll have to hire a Brute Squad>>: You are the brute squad! <>: Ah, true. I was assuming a WWII-era plane with front mounted propeller. <<how does someone of the atheist faith worship?>>: Worship what?

Gside: <<Mmm, beef>>: DEADBEEF? << ten years>>: The language years are wasted for an engineer. <<They both have their uses.>>: True. <<that must limit the amount of fun you have>>: Nope. I generally don't avoid fun if I know I'll get sick. <<Should I bother changing my money, or just put it all into smokes?>>: Change some of it. <<Adventurous, you say? Is that anything like unspeakable>>: Depends on the girl. <<Since she's going to be doing the unspeakable things, I can insure they won't be things requiring my tasting>>: you think just like me.

DPH: <<what would you do about suicidal heroes waiting to kill a large number of your Legions of Terror just to pave the way for someone else to go through?>>: Kill them quickly. <<I've been thinking about joining your organization once you get in power and volunteering to serve in the guard towers on the edge of your territory>>: Okay. But if you fail or betray us, we'll kill you without a second thought.

76. If the hero runs up to my roof, I will not run up after him and struggle with him in an attempt to push him over the edge. I will also not engage him at the edge of a cliff. (In the middle of a rope-bridge over a river of molten lava is not even worth considering.)

Josh - [ATkicktothenutsDOTcom]
Encino, CA, US of A
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 03:57:04 AM
IP: 67.117.15.140

Green Baron - Buena suerte con hacerlo.

Sorry, ever since I had 2 weeks of Spanish Immersion Camp, I blurt out Spanish from time to time. It was mission impossible to speak English at a meal for a while after I left the camp.

Spacebabie - <Some of us are developing a virus.> Hehe. Let's see how that wouldn't work. A computer virus can't influentrate the holographic missletoe in 0.001 seconds and if it did, that version is already set to be deleted and another fresh projection would come online. A biological might be able to create corrupted mistletoe from stratch, but couldn't infect the projection. And if you're thinking about finding one of those 60,000 holographic projections that maintain holographic mistletoe v2.0, I placed them outside the reach of normal people.

Lain - <hell be here in 16 houuuuurs!> If you're reading this message, please respond to my email ASAYRTM!!

Imzadi - <75. I will instruct my Legions of Terror to attack the hero en masse, instead of standing around waiting while members break off and attack one or two at a time.> And what would you do about suicidal heroes waiting to kill a large number of your Legions of Terror just to pave the way for someone else to go through? <74. When I create a multimedia presentation of my plan designed so that a five-year-old advisor can easily understand the details, I will not label the disk "Project Overlord" and leave it lying on top of my desk.> let me guess. The disk with that label contains a powerfull computer virus which can't infect your own computer system. btw, I've been thinking about joining your organization once you get in power and volunteering to serve in the guard towers on the edge of your territory.
DPH
AR, USA
Tuesday, December 17, 2002 12:37:28 AM
IP: 204.94.193.76

Oops.

Hyperion> <<you have to wonder just what a chick that needs ciggies *that bad* is going to taste like>>: Since she's going to be doing the unspeakable things, I can insure they won't be things requiring my tasting.

Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Piscataway, NJ
Monday, December 16, 2002 11:42:48 PM
IP: 165.230.240.116

Halfway done with finals. Next one Thursday.

Bud Clare> <<Gsideofbeef>>: Mmm, beef.
<<Do I make fun of your name?>>: Apparently now you do. My bad, though.
<<Three years of HS french>>: Feh, ten years. Not high school all, but still.

Imzadi> <<Command lines are SOOOO hard to use efficiently>>: Depends on what you want to do. They both have their uses.
<<Yes I am, I just get ill easily>>: But that must limit the amount of fun you have.
<<Will you be joining me, then?>>: I do believe I shall. Should I bother changing my money, or just put it all into smokes?

Spacebabie> <<Uh if I knew what that word meant>>: It translates to "woman hero tribe." The Chinese is Nyuchezuu.
<<Cats have rough tongues>>: I bet you like that.
<<Vixen likes to lick my face>>: If that's what you call it.
<<The two puffballs are more adventourus>>: Adventurous, you say? Is that anything like unspeakable?
<<What do Atheists celebrate this time of year?>>: Agnostica.

Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Piscataway, NJ
Monday, December 16, 2002 11:37:24 PM
IP: 165.230.240.116

Grrrrrrr.....snarll....
I hate working in retail during Christmas. Maybe if I hiss like a creature at the customers, it will throw them off and they won't be really sure as to wether or not I really insulted them. That way I could get away with it...
I work at a Hobby Lobby and c'mon! Is it really a matter of life or death if the evil middle-aged lady gets her fuzzy green pom-poms?! Does she really have to make one of my fellow cashiers cry? grrrrrr
I just gorged myself on McDonalds food and am revelling in my cholesterol and seemingly invincible metabolism. yum.
My boyfriend bought my Christmas present today and then promptly called me at work to tell me what it was. I stopped him just in time. Then he wanted to play that game of You hang up, No you hang up first. And I accidentally hung up on him in mid-sentence. Hey work got busy, and customers have rabies.
I actually had a customer argue with me that an item was on sale because it was last year when she came in. duh.
It's winter break and I am bored.
I'm watching Animal Planet with my dog.
Heh heh, I told this high-school kid that a little piece of Sam Walton was buried under every Wal-mart ever built and she believed me. Talk about gullible.
I guess thats about it.
dezi - [nothingtofear@hotmail.com]
indy, in, usa
Monday, December 16, 2002 09:58:55 PM
IP: 68.58.158.101

*Comes in wearing a big pair of Sunglasses* I went to see Elton John in concert yesterday and let me tell you. That guy ROCKS!!!!
He played all his old songs as well as his newer ones. Okay I'm deaf now from sitting right near one of the huge speakers.

Today I played with my local band at a place for the disabled (That was lovely to watch all their happy faces) And then I played at my old Primary school and I was surprised at how small the pupils were now, plus i noticed that there are very few people there as well now. But the worst thing was the way they said good morning to us, it was so... *shudder* creepy.

"Good af-ter-noon, miss." all heads turn toward us "Good af-ter-noon friends"

You'd have to be there to understand why.
Silverbolt
Monday, December 16, 2002 06:05:09 PM
IP: 213.1.150.164

Well, this will be quick. Mainly because there's no good news out there that’s really bothering me and besides, I need to eat lunch.
Ooh...hey...Oakland challenging the Patriot Act as unconstitutional. I'll read it later. Good job guys.

Lila><Amen.> Spectacular.
<pro-population control?> I dunno...but at least I could follow the logic behind your beliefs. It's the people that have no problem killing a partially born baby that then turn around and refuse to endorse the killing of some nut that goes around and ventilates cops for jollies that I can't figure out.

Gside><Unspeakable you say> Quite unspeakable. I, personally, have never tested the theory, however, I have it by multiple, very reliable sources this it is so. The downside: you have to wonder just what a chick that needs ciggies *that bad* is going to taste like.

<Maybe you answered your own question>Listen you; I'm not about to be told off by some celery stalking, rabbit-food eating nut who's idea of an entree is retextured soy protein ;-) I worked long and hard to get to the top of the thrice-damned food chain so when I see something cuddly and fuzzy, I eat it! Ha!
The only downside is when I stumble in drunk and hungry and the first thing I see as a small stuffed animal. Stoopid brain. Polyester fiber...yik.
<What a terrible burden for you to bear> Well, you know. It's my cross the bear. Much like the other man who I'm so like, it seems my fate to be misunderstood even though I am naught but a saintly presence...a Christ-like figure...even, dare I say it? A Messiah for our Age. Oh woe!
<they're just resentful> Not to mention stupid. Even read some of the letters soldiers wrote during the civil war:
"My dearest Emily, How my heart longs to see your sweet face again. We have been walking for two weeks to meet the armies of General Lee. It has been tiring, but I am buoyed by the hope of seeing you again, as well as the great cause for which we are fighting for..."
Then you get something from the Gulf War:
Hey babe! It is hot a sh!t out here and the fu*king sand is into everything, even the crack of my a$$. I hope we get to fu*k some sand-ni**ers up today. Fu*k it's hot. Send me some girlie mags and koolaid. When we get done killing all these stupid a-rabs, I can't wait to fu*k your brains out..."
Seems to me there’s a certain decline in the caliber of education over the intervening years.

Josh><there are plenty of stupid veggies> Well, yes. But while the set "veggie" encompasses both "stupid" and "smart", for some reason it seems that the union of "intelligent" and "veggie" consists of a higher percentage of the population "intelligent" and the population of "stupid" Do I need to draw you a Venn diagram?
<Oh if only> No really. My personal defense trio of weapons are all labeled "Darwin" Any mook that tries to break into my place is obviously from the shallow end of the gene pool.
<since you can't really steal anything I own without taking the entire apartment> Hmm...I'll have to hire a Brute Squad.
< no way you'd pull up in time from a straight downward fall 5 feet off the ground> You're assuming a straight-downward descent. I also could do the same thing with a VTOL capable craft with large blades mounted on the sides.
<Oh I believe it happened> Oh good. I can continue speaking to you then.

Spacebabie><Atheists celebrate this time of year?>Better question, how does someone of the atheist faith worship? "I bid you all welcome to this random building and ask that you open your blank prayer books to page 23 so we can begin milling around aimlessly and thanking nothing at all."
Ok,ok...before anyone says anything, it was a joke...just sit back down over there and eat the cookies.
*****************************************************
I was ready. I had prepared myself. I had made my peace with the universe, put all my affairs in order. I had the dagger in my hand! And he has the indecency to start dying on his own. Never in my life have I seen a worse case of timing
Hyperion
Monday, December 16, 2002 01:33:47 PM
IP: 151.199.237.6

More quizzy goodness

Hogwarts Hunny Quiz
http://quizilla.com/users/alelsc/quizzes/Who%20is%20your%20secret%20Hogwarts%20Lover%3F/
I got Oliver Wood!!!!!!

Dysfunctional Carebear
http://quizilla.com/users/londonbelow/quizzes/Which%20Dysfunctional%20Care%20Bear%20Are%20You%3F/
I’m Tramp Bear

Finished the Snape pic and sent it to Jen...so when she returns she will have a nice lil surprise.

Today I get to assemble the tree.
Godiva>>>Hey don’t feel bad. It was close.

Gside<<<Would male Joketsuzoku have worked better?>>>Uh if I knew what that word meant.<<<...Anyway... >>>Cats have rough tongues. Vixen likes to lick my face.<<<Mmm, more imagery. >>>She climbs on my back and kneads he with her lil kitty paws.

Leo<<<not with Ginny I hope>>>Heck no, it’s a RHPS Snape<<<Demona/Hunter, Jerico/Margot or *gulp* Demona/Jerico/Margot?>>>:::Squints, smiles dopely, and raises her index finger.::: Now that is a secret.<<<You just can't resist commenting whenever Josh mentions "wood" can you>>>He has the classes with the fun names.

Josh<<<Retarded around the toaster, are we?>>>No I use mitts to pull them out. Just when it breaks in half the hot jelly stuff falls on your finger.<<<Maybe lain is ill-equipped and he's only in for a small surprise ;-)>>>If it’s very small then Gunjack can still feel big ;)<<<Yeah right. Bad cover story.>>>Okay Caramel<<<Interesting cats.>>>and those are the small ones. The two puffballs are more adventourus<<>>I know that…didn’t you see the little wink icon? I was joking.<<>>Who says were going to do that??? We just may get all kawaii and sappy and make you want to puke.<<>>More than what I have.

Warpmind<<<Who do atheists invoke when they hit their thumb with a hammer?>>>@#$&!, Here is another one. What do Atheists celebrate this time of year?

Greg X<<<I'm in favor of retroactive abortions>>>Can we test it out on my brother?<<<Back to the world of Live Journals>>>Quality reading time eh?

Revel<<<GregX- Dude, thought you got sucked into the pit of evil darkness, stop lurking and start being yourself again.>>>I like to second that motion.

10. “What matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” ~Coach Bear Bryant

Spacebabie - [LadyAndromeda@smstars.zzn.com]
Orlando, Florida, U.S.A
Monday, December 16, 2002 12:04:09 PM
IP: 67.25.48.132

Yes, I got in last week, left at a good time so traffic was light and now I'm already back at work, or will be in a few minutes but wanted to drop in to say a few things and mostly confim my existance.

Green Barron- Thanks, but I wouldn't run someone out for that, I'd at least give you money like my old roommate use to do, saw a lot of movies that semester ;)

Josh- Dude, if that was not expected from you I would flame you with every word I could think of usign a hideious southern draw, instead I'd rather pour details on you of things you would rather not know about. First of which is I am going to go see Spacebabie for New Years. Not saying anything is going to happen, but it might and I would enjoy every moment of it. Have a nice break ];)

GregX- Dude, thought you got sucked into the pit of evil darkness, stop lurking and start being yourself again.

gotta go to make some money.
Revel - [samrx5@cs.com]
the bayou city, tx
Monday, December 16, 2002 11:39:01 AM
IP: 172.169.36.81

Josh:<<Then we saw Nemesis, which SUCKED!>>Why not call it "Wrath of Shinzon" since the two movies are basically identical. Makes me feel old to think that it's been 20 years since StarTrek II.

Gside:<<<>yep,GNOME. I should have said "it's slow when in graphic mode" :p
Leo
Monday, December 16, 2002 08:37:33 AM
IP: 68.96.8.12

Josh> <<Congrats. no need to get all defensive, smelly hippy ;-)>>
Engineers aren't exactly famous for their hygiene, either. :P

<>
Bitten a lot of people, then?

<<We've had intelligent presidents, just not recently.>>
That's because there once was a time when the uneducated masses were somewhat in awe of intelligent people; now, they're just resentful.
Bud-Clare - [budclare@yahoo.com]
Monday, December 16, 2002 04:53:38 AM
IP: 24.169.113.216

***STAR TREK SPOILERS***

Started today by sleeping in past noon. Boy was that nice. Then we saw Nemesis, which SUCKED! I was so disappointed, it was just barely better than Insurrection and Generations. Kind of ruined the "even numbered trek films don't suck" theorem.

They totally threw continuity out the window. I didn't think Troi would ever marry Riker, and there was almost NO background for that level of emotional involvement during the last 10 years.

And then there was the blatant violation of the prime directive.

And the part where in the 24th century, no one seems to have WD-40, lightbulbs, or fuses. I've gotten past the violations of physics left and right (like, say, laser beams in space), but creaking floor boards?

**END SPOILERS***

After that I got a chance to work on my model. I've decided that Revell shouldn't be making any more models, since they can't seem to mold parts that fit together correctly. I'll stick with Tamiya models. I'm working on the cockpit assembly, and the really frustrating part is that I can put a lot of effort into it, but no one will ever see it because it's inside the plane.

I also finally finished the recommendation letter packets to go out to my profs. Hopefully they write good recs.

Bud-Clare: <<Anything can be a fiendish device in the right hands>>: No. Any device can be used fiendishly, though ;-) <<I'm right there with you>>: It is rather hideous, isn't it. <<strangles Josh a little more, just to be safe>>: Ouch. <>: Congrats. no need to get all defensive, smelly hippy ;-) <<since I like animals better than most people, if I ate animals, it would bode ill for the people around me>>: Ah, very clever. I like animals better than people too...they don't complain as much when I bite into them.

Hyperion: <<Everyone in Turkey smokes. You can get girls to come back to your place and to unspeakable things for a carton of Marlboros>>: Next stop...Turkey! <<worse are the hospitals that are closing down in NM, TX and AZ because Mexican ambulance drivers, if they think the guy can't pay, drive them up here where we *have* to give them treatment>>: That's horrible! I can't believe that's going on. <<Fu*k, sh!t, sonofabitch!>>: Pretty much, yeah. <<why do all the intelligent ones always avoid meat>>: Oh, there are plenty of stupid veggies. Especially here in CA. <>: Fine then! <<loads Darwin Pistol>>: Oh if only. <<Short, hit-and-run operations I care not about>>: Well then you're in trouble, since you can't really steal anything I own without taking the entire apartment 8-) <<BTW, deficit much?>>: I didn't vote for the a$$holes. <<swoop down like a dive-bombing pterodactyl from hell and decapitate them with the propeller>>: Interesting, but there's no way you'd pull up in time from a straight downward fall 5 feet off the ground. <<How about a cubic time zone?>>: What about it? <<you are, in fact, so wrong, it's funny>>: Oh I believe it happened, even without first-hand evidence.

Lila: <<Hate finals>>: Right there with you. <<Hate writing papers for politics and psychology>>: Whine when you've completed at 20 page paper explaining the geophysics of the Vaiont Dam slide. <<Hate being indoors when the sun's out>>: Even if its cold when the sun's out? <<Hate 42 degree nights>>: Well then you'll love the massive storm front that's headed our way. <<Not much can be compared to the delights of a perfect lean, medium rare fillet mignon>>: Obviously you've never eaten a 5-pound lobster 8-) <<You, by definition, cannot win. That would mean intelligence in office. Contradiction in terms.>>: We've had intelligent presidents, just not recently. <<does that make me simply pro-population control? Anti-human? Both or neither conservative/liberal?>>: Yes.

Gside: <>: Command lines are SOOOO hard to use efficiently. <<He wish you'd design his morning wood?>>: I meant that he may wish I'd not design any wood in the morning, as it affects my thought processes. <<you're no fun.>>: Yes I am, I just get ill easily. <<Unless Gunjack and/or Lain are also into that.>>: They might be. <<Not after it's been through my colon>>: LOL! <<It's been a couple months sice you did those quotes>>: That doesn't make them any less applicable 8-) <<Dislike the French>>: Smelly cowards. <<Unspeakable you say>>: Will you be joining me, then?

Greg: <<I'm in favor of retroactive abortions>>: We've got a few people in office who could use one ;-)

Late night reading. Going to try to finish LotR: tTT before I see the movie.

75. I will instruct my Legions of Terror to attack the hero en masse, instead of standing around waiting while members break off and attack one or two at a time.

Josh - [ATkicktothenutsDOTcom]
Encino, CA, US of A
Monday, December 16, 2002 03:49:02 AM
IP: 67.117.14.214

::Peeks out of solitude::

LILA> <<Well, according to that, I'm screwed. I'm pro-both... does that make me simply pro-population control? Anti-human? Both or neither conservative/liberal? ::retreats back into bed to ponder political beliefs::>>

I am of the same opinion as you are. The term I use is Pro-Death. It works for me, and I really like the sound of it. I'm in favor of retroactive abortions (the kids section of the book store did that to me) and I think we should bring back torture and have Electirc Bleachers. Mmmm, Pro-Death ;)

Back to the world of Live Journals.
Greg Bishansky
Monday, December 16, 2002 12:11:25 AM
IP: 216.179.5.83

Hyperion> <<Dammit, why do all the intelligent ones always avoid meat.>>
*snickers* Maybe you answered your own question. ;)

<<This facet of life begins to grate on my nerves.>>
Oh, poor dear. What a terrible burden for you to bear. :P
___________________________________
Lila> <<How long have you been veggie?>>
Er... a good long while? Nine years, maybe? Long enough that my mother has finally given up the idea that it's just a phase, and has moved on to trying to convinvce me that I'm wrong. (I beat a Christian in a Bible debate... It was so embarrassing. *L*)

<<And what's your reasoning behind it?>>
The short version is that since I like animals better than most people, if I ate animals, it would bode ill for the people around me. :P
(I do eat poultry and fish occasionally, when I'm really desperate for food, i.e. at a restaurant that doesn't give me much choice.)

<<Not much can be compared to the delights of a perfect lean, medium rare fillet mignon...>>
For the first year or so, I did sometimes get meat cravings, but after all this time... I now feel the same way about vegetables that you feel about meat.
Dammit, now I want zucchini gratin. I blame you for this. :P

<<I'm pro-both...>>
Good for you. I disagree with you, but at least you think for yourself. :)
__________________________________
Gsideofbeef> <<Cud Clare>>
Do I make fun of your name? :P

<<Dislike the French?>>
That wasn't french, but... yes. Three years of HS french. *shudders*
Bud-Clare - [budclare@yahoo.com]
Sunday, December 15, 2002 11:12:59 PM
IP: 24.169.113.216

Leo> <<LINUX for all of it's advantages over MS is a slow OS>>: I take it you've got an X GUI up?
<<You just can't resist commenting whenever Josh mentions "wood" can you>>: Double entendres are fun.

Imzadi> <<though my prof may wish I didn't>>: He wish you'd design his morning wood?
<>: Depends on how you use it.
<<If you'll excuse me, I'm going to tear out my mind's eye>>: Aw, you're no fun.
<<It's all over her face?>>: No, that's Spacebabie's cat. Unless Gunjack and/or Lain are also into that.
<>: Not after it's been through my colon.
<<So what's the point, then?>>: Well, judging from God's last message to his creation, it's that we've all been inconvenienced.
<<Don't you pay attention to my quotes?>>: It's been a couple months sice you did those quotes.

Cud Clare> <<That explains why I was so baffled>>: Dislike the French?

Hyperion> <<You can get girls to come back to your place and to unspeakable things for a carton of Marlboros>>: Unspeakable you say?

And a somewhat odd semi-Christmas song. Huge On The Luge by Moxy Früvous. Remember, it's alt-0252 to wire a u with an umlaut.

Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Piscataway, NJ
Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:15:03 PM
IP: 165.230.240.116

Hate finals. Hate writing papers for politics and psychology. Hate being indoors when the sun's out. Hate 42 degree nights. (I know, I'm a Californian weather WUSS, and proud of it.) Hope everyone's havin' a nice little holiday season.

Bud-Clare- How long have you been veggie? And what's your reasoning behind it? Not much can be compared to the delights of a perfect lean, medium rare fillet mignon...

Imzadi- You, by definition, cannot win. That would mean intelligence in office. Contradiction in terms. <It's quite simple: liberals like abortions, and conservatives like the death penalty. Since liberals hate conservatives, they can't like the death penalty.> Well, according to that, I'm screwed. I'm pro-both... does that make me simply pro-population control? Anti-human? Both or neither conservative/liberal? ::retreats back into bed to ponder political beliefs::

Hyperion:<As that's my money, I'm irritated by this, as it’s essentially theft.> D*MN STRAIGHT! < I'm all for the militias along the south stopping these events.> Amen.

And now back to Politics. As if I'd ever left it. D*mn. This was my BREAK.

Lila
LA
Sunday, December 15, 2002 06:47:55 PM
IP: 134.173.121.83

I am awake. That's really the most thrilling but of news I have to report. Oh, and that stoopid elven cleric in Neverwinter Nights is a waste of time.

Moving on:

 She'd probably smack me upside the head with something heavy. <shrug> While I agree with the major principles of her philosophy, and hence believe that man's ability for rational thought is one of the greatest objective values, there is still too many unexplained, wacky and over the top coincidental issues with a completely rational worldview for me to reject the existence of God without further proof. To me this is a rational thought process and one which has led me to form my own beliefs about how God works, ones that also fit into a rational mindset; therefore I see no inherent conflict between a rational mind and belief in god.
If you read some of her essays, you'll find that it's not the idea of God she rejects, it's the message of self-sacrifice that is preached along with the belief in god that she abhors. Essentially the "God says you should give your earned money to the poor, who have not earned it" If you've read any of Rand, you'll see that's exactly the thought process that she frequently takes to task. That is her primary reason for rejecting religion. In my view, God is not a constant presence and has not made any such decrees, therefore, an objectivist philosophy, wherein personal and property rights are paramount, works well as a rational source of most human rights, with the idea that all of us contain a shard of godhead as the final arbiter of those rights that cannot be explained via rational consciousness .
<but she smoked>Everyone in Turkey smokes. You can get girls to come back to your place and to unspeakable things for a carton of Marlboros.
<They have Arafat potato chips with broken promises>LOL!
<But they work for cheap> Point. and normally I wouldn't care. But recent reports have changed that. Primarily, a small border town with 3000 residents and 20000 active PO boxes. Illegals come across the border every week to collect their welfare checks, then head back. As that's my money, I'm irritated by this, as it’s essentially theft.
Even worse are the hospitals that are closing down in NM, TX and AZ because Mexican ambulance drivers, if they think the guy can't pay, drive them up here where we *have* to give them treatment. Some hospitals are posting losses of $200,000 on an income of $300,000. And lest not forget the Mexican military that sometimes smuggles drugs over the boarder and shoots at our border patrol guys. I'm all for the militias along the south stopping these events.

Warpmind><Who do atheists invoke when they hit their thumb with a hammer?>Fu*k, sh!t, sonofabitch!

MC><Switch to the Darkside>I hate you.; I now have "On The Dark Side" by The Beaver Brown Band stuck in my head. Wonderful.

Bud-Claire><Produce carcasses, only> Dammit, why do all the intelligent ones always avoid meat. This facet of life begins to grate on my nerves.

Josh> I can, and, in fact, just did. Nyah!
<does not answer to the people> Sure they do. It just depends on how gullible the people are. The media has alot to do with that.
<Welcome to the logic of stupid people> *loads Darwin Pistol*
<Then I guess I don't have to worry about you stealing my wallet> I meant in more of a permanent sense. Short, hit-and-run operations I care not about. After all, since I'm already braking the law, I'm certainly not going to care about breaking a few others. Contrary to the logic of your state leaders ;-) BTW, deficit much?
<Beware of Crossing Immigrants> I would get a small plane, circle the area and when someone crosses the road, swoop down like a dive-bombing pterodactyl from hell and decapitate them with the propeller.
<I'm going to tear out my mind's eye>My work here is done.
<acre is an area and not a distance> How about a cubic time zone?
<Maybe it was>No,no, you are, in fact, so wrong, it's funny.

Bud-Claire><I'm right there with you>Ah ha! My work here is done as well. Two for the price of one, I like this.

****************************************************
"They gave in?"
"Ahem, no."
"You gave in?"
"Not exactly. I'm deducting 60 credits per week from the budget set aside to maintaining combat readyness and applying it against the rent."
"On what grounds?"
"On the grounds that I'm not ready to fight anybody until I've had a decent nights sleep in my own damn bed. You got a problem with that?"
"No, none whatsoever. I rather like the idea of Earth Central paying rent to itself. There's a certain symmetry."

Hyperion
Sunday, December 15, 2002 01:26:41 PM
IP: 151.199.238.170

Josh> <>
Anything can be a fiendish device in the right hands.

<<If you'll excuse me, I'm going to tear out my mind's eye.>>
I'm right there with you. *shudders*

<< <<That's exactly what I said in the first place>>: Sure.>>
You can go back and check if you don't believe me. *strangles Josh a little more, just to be safe*

<<Damn veggie hippy!>>
...Hey! I took a shower today. :P

Gside> <<It's a perversion of the French, merci beaucoup.>>
Good. That explains why I was so baffled.
Bud-Clare - [budclare@yahoo.com]
Sunday, December 15, 2002 06:34:22 AM
IP: 24.169.113.216

BUWAHAHAHA I'm home! After a quick jaunt down the long axis of the state, I'm safe and sound in warm (and dry) Los Angeles. The sky saw fit to drop large amounts of water on us during the first half of our journey, so we didn't make particularly good time.

Took us all frikkin' day to pack up, though, and we almost didn't have enough room. Cursed lego submarine. But it had to come home...to make room for my STAR DESTROYER which shipped yesterday from Lego. Can't wait.

So much I get to do over the next three weeks, it should be quite relaxing.

Spacebabie: <<Today I received a pop tart related burn>>: Retarded around the toaster, are we? <<If Lain isn’t then Gunjack is in for one large surprise>>: Maybe lain is ill-equipped and he's only in for a small surprise ;-) <<Candy as in chocolate>>: Yeah right. Bad cover story. <<Do you need some blue pills?>>: I'll let you know after I get the grade. But the last time I took blue pills it wasn't very good. <<Vixen gives me facials and Charisma gives me massages>>: Interesting cats. <<It’s shiny and silver?>>: I was thinking long and silver. <<Students that take guns to school are not criminals?>>: Not what I meant. I meant the fact that some students bring guns to school doesn't make all students criminals. <<You design morning wood? Or wood in the morning?>>: Apparently the latter, though my prof may wish I didn't. <<If Revel comes to the Gathering>>: I would not want to be in a room with the two of you. <<Some of us are developing a virus>>: Then some of us need a hobby. <<Still why the hell would you want to go up there?>>: Because she's poor and can't come here. <<Atheist faith??? It can’t be a faith cause they don’t believe in anything>>: WRONG! We just don't believe in god. I have total faith in humanity. I firmly believe that with enough time, we can figure out how to do anything.

Hyperion: <>: I don't think one can call a pen a "fiendish device". <<dictator's aren’t accountable to the populace, the President is>>: I don't know which presidential office you follow, but its become very clear in the last 40 years that the president does not answer to the people. <<people that are all for late-term abortions and totally opposed to the death penalty. I'm still trying to puzzle that out>>: It's quite simple: liberals like abortions, and conservatives like the death penalty. Since liberals hate conservatives, they can't like the death penalty. Welcome to the logic of stupid people. <>: Then I guess I don't have to worry about you stealing my wallet, do I? <<take potshots at illegals running the boarder from my back porch>>: San Diego is a better place to do that. There are actually signs on the freeway that say "Beware of Crossing Immigrants". <>: TMI. <<I'm sure you've got all kinds of internal sensors that will help you out there too>>: HAHAHA. <>: If you'll excuse me, I'm going to tear out my mind's eye. <<one of those meat thermometers>>: OW! <<Because I don't have a real sword handy>>: Great quote.

Green Baron: <<but she smoked>>: I hate it when chicks smoke. I always want to go up to them and say "you know, you were real hot until you lit up that cigarette" <>: Yeah but they're all prudes. <<That's cause they want to reward you for being po'. In the US we do that so po people can buy their drugs>>: This country is so defective. <>: LOL! <<God would have to keep him at least an acre away from the Virgin Mary at all times>>: Of course that makes no sense, since an acre is an area and not a distance. <<He is the evil twin :)>>: And i killed the good one. <<or their sons founded Mississippi and West Virginia>>: That would certainly explain a lot. <>: And why should they? Plenty of cultures have names that reflect great spiritual and historical leaders. <<You know you want to>>: No, I'm quite sure I don't. <<Isn't there a word in-between belief and fact?>>: Theory. Its a belief with evidence 8-) <<There are still people who believe that the moon landing is a hoax>>: Maybe it was. Have YOU ever been to the moon? ;-) <<I'll let you and Revel have your privacy>>: You'll be glad you did. Nothing scarier than a guy with a girl twice as wide as he is 8-) <<Let's spare the women, at least>>: Only if they speak english. Otherwise they make lousy maids 8-)

Warpmind: <<Who do atheists invoke when they hit their thumb with a hammer?>>: I usually just say "OW! F!@#%#!@%!%!#%!@#$" <<Is there a point to it all, besides 42?>>: I don't think there is.

Mooncat: Great link!

Patrick: <<I'm still not gonna buy a Mac>>: Eh. You don't know what you're missing till you network on a mac.

Bud Clare: <<strangles Josh>>: grrgrgllglrlglrllglr. Why you little...! <<That's exactly what I said in the first place>>: Sure. <<Familiarity breeds contempt... or at least crankiness>>: I just think having people in my face breeds crankiness. <<Produce carcasses, only>>: Damn veggie hippy! <<They just swear. Doesn't everyone?>>: Talk about taking the name of the lord in vain!

Gside: <<It's usually rather obvious>>: It's all over her face? <<Helping your grade. I like those people>>: LOL good point! <<if there's free love, and they like it one at a time, there has to be some way to keep order>>: "Take a ticket" machines. <<Care to volunteer?>>: Nope. I have plans for this break. <>: I bet thats worth a pretty penny. <<In other places with different population percentages, you'd probably be annoyed more often by a different religion>>: Sure. <<...Anyway...>>: I'll never recover from that! That's revel's job, anyway. <<42 isn't a point, it's The Answer to The Question>>: So what's the point, then?

Jaden: <<Who wants to be my running mate?>>: I am no man's running mate! I am the candidate!

Leo: <<We thought we'd save some money by installing Mandrake Linux 8.1 with all packages. It made sence at the time>>: Don't you pay attention to my quotes? Linux is only free if your time is worthless! <<configurating>>: This is not a word. <<A gutted Compaq DeskPro case stripped of all plastic weighs about 6 lbs and will break open on impact when dropped from a second story window>>: But an iMac won't. <<Every sperm is sacred every sperm is great. If a sperm is wastead, God gets quite irate>>: I'll be sure to tell my girlfriend that. <<You just can't resist commenting whenever Josh mentions "wood" can you.>>: Hell I can't even resist commenting! <<I'm not even paying attention to the religious debate>>: Nevermind. You posted an interpretation of a comment I made.

I can't be reached by email for a while because I disabled my kttn address to avoid dl'ing unread spam messages. IM will do nicely for now.

74. When I create a multimedia presentation of my plan designed so that a five-year-old advisor can easily understand the details, I will not label the disk "Project Overlord" and leave it lying on top of my desk.

Josh - [ATkicktothenutsDOTcom]
Encino, CA, US of A
Sunday, December 15, 2002 05:09:37 AM
IP: 67.117.15.133

The past couple of weeks at work have been.. an experience. Lots of frustration and accomplishing little.

We thought we'd save some money by installing Mandrake Linux 8.1 with all packages. It made sence at the time- Don't have to pay for Microshaft license, it comes with free office suites that are comparable or better than MS Office, loads of other applications and games.

The Idea was for this to be a cheap "entry-level" system for those who just wanted a computer but couldn't afford a "windows box."(though I think it was just someone's attempt at trying to convert people to LINUX)

These "entry levl" systems consisted of refurbished Compaq DeskPro 5266, 5200, 5233. (Pentium MMX 166Mhz, 200Mhz, 233Mhz MMX); 4GB hard drive space; 64MB RAM

We would set up "Learning Centers" where the customers could try the machines out and learn how to use LINUX.

What I have learned from my encounter with LINUX.

1. LINUX for all of it's advantages over MS is a slow OS.
-better have at least 500Mhz.

2. Every part of the system must be in "perfect" working order. Linux also doesn't "like" certain makes of add-on cards.
- out of the 11 systems we configured, only 4 had successfully compleated installations and were fully operational. (Installations on these slow machines average about 1 1/2 hrs)

3. Avoid installing Linux on Compaqs, or other systems that require a "Diagnostic Partition" for their proprietary BIOS configuration. They won't boot without it.
- It's so small it's easy to accidentally delete this partition when configurating the "root", "swap", "user" partitions. (Guess what happens after the 1 1/2 hr installation is complete and your computer automatically reboots)

4. A gutted Compaq DeskPro case stripped of all plastic weighs about 6 lbs and will break open on impact when dropped from a second story window :)

-----------------------------

Replies:

Mooncat:> I see you've discovered "Newgrounds Atomic" ;)

Warpmind:<Is there a point to it all, besides 42?> *atempts to sing* "Well you know that we are living on a plannet that's evolving and revolving at nine-thousand miles an hour...."

or

"Every sperm is sacred every sperm is great. If a sperm is wastead, God gets quite irate.."

Spacebabie:<>not with Ginny I hope.<<and then *gulp* try an attempt at a scene from "Demon whispers">> Demona/Hunter, Jerico/Margot or *gulp* Demona/Jerico/Margot?<<(Rudy Giulianni)I’d vote for him>> I would have rather voted for McCain :p <<You design morning wood? Or wood in the morning?>>You just can't resist commenting whenever Josh mentions "wood" can you. :p

Josh:<<And Leo>>What? I'm not even paying attention to the religious debate.

To many full-screen posts to read through. Time to sleep.

Leo
Sunday, December 15, 2002 02:11:16 AM
IP: 68.96.8.12

Curses, I missed last week.

Green Baron- You'll never guess what happened. They lost my 201 file. Here I've been trying to figure out why my orders never showed up and now they tell me. Oy! As for my suit, if I wear it for just whenever it wouldn't be a shock for other people when they see it.

2004 elections- I'll run! I should be able to do a good job.
Who wants to be my running mate?

Warpmind- I've played Dragoon. But I've got to pace myself of I'll go CRAZY.

Later.

Jaden - [jaden1444@aol.com]
Sunday, December 15, 2002 01:39:45 AM
IP: 172.173.77.137

Bud Clare> <<Mercy buckets?>>: It's a perversion of the French, merci beaucoup.

Lain> <<how do i tell when hes done?>>: It's usually rather obvious.

Imzadi> <<Can't imagine what everyone else was doing>>: Helping your grade. I like those people.
<>: But if there's free love, and they like it one at a time, there has to be some way to keep order.
<<That depends. Are you into it>>: Haven't had a chance to try it. Care to volunteer?
<<What do you use?>>: I save up all my shed hair from the month and weave it into a fine thread.
<<That and its fun to play wit>>: Not to mention all the girls it gets you.
<<Christians just seem to be the most guilty of it>>: Nah, just around here. In other places with different population percentages, you'd probably be annoyed more often by a different religion.

Spacebabie> <<Well the words Male Amazon bish just trigger that image>>: Would male Joketsuzoku have worked better?
<<Vixen gives me facials>>: ...Anyway...
<<Charisma gives me massages>>: Mmm, more imagery.

Warpmind> <<Is there a point to it all, besides 42>>: 42 isn't a point, it's The Answer to The Question.

Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Piscataway, NJ
Sunday, December 15, 2002 01:04:14 AM
IP: 165.230.240.116

Lain - if you read this, we need to chat.
DPH
AR, USA
Saturday, December 14, 2002 11:17:25 PM
IP: 204.94.193.17

Since this room has already cleared, I'm going to go ahead and ask this here:

G2003 Staff> When are we going to be able to register? I am somewhat concerned, seeing as your site's FAQ says, "Register before January 2003, $45. Register during or after January 2003, $55 ."
Vash
Saturday, December 14, 2002 09:19:41 PM
IP: 129.98.31.102

Josh>> << In which case they're both partially wrong 8-)>>
*strangles Josh* That's exactly what I said in the first place.

<<Why is that?>>
They're cheap? I don't know.

<<Christians just seem to be the most guilty of it.>>
*L* That's because they're the ones that we have the most contact with. Familiarity breeds contempt... or at least crankiness.

Spacebabie> <>
Why? I thought it was funny. (Although I probably wouldn't have still been laughing my ass off if I'd been stuck in the middle of it.)

Hyperion> <<Depends. If you live alone and there's a water buffalo carcass stripped of all meat on your counter, the answer is yes.>>
*L* Produce carcasses, only. Sorry to disappoint you.

Thomas << <> Only on paper.>>
Er?

Warpmind> <<Who do atheists invoke when they hit their thumb with a hammer?>>
They just swear. Doesn't everyone?

<<How would a Fundamentalistic Buddhist behave?>>
I'm not sure, but I do know that the closest thing that Buddhists have to terrorists are people who set themselves on fire as a protest. Too bad all religious fanatics aren't so considerate.

<<Is there a point to it all, besides 42?>>
Cookies?
Bud-Clare - [budclare@yahoo.com]
Saturday, December 14, 2002 09:09:46 PM
IP: 24.169.113.216

Nuts! Patrick beat me to it. *sigh* Maybe next time.

Godiva - [reneeprater@adelphia.net]
Saturday, December 14, 2002 07:34:13 PM
IP: 24.52.251.66

Tenth! Wow, my first top ten. Cool!

Godiva - [reneeprater@adelphia.net]
Saturday, December 14, 2002 07:33:03 PM
IP: 24.52.251.66

:: runs in and plants a flag ::

Number ten!

:: scurries back out ::
Patrick Toman
Saturday, December 14, 2002 07:32:26 PM
IP: 67.38.241.175

9th in the name of the Fay
Mooncat
Saturday, December 14, 2002 07:20:10 PM
IP: 68.102.23.36

8 not late
silvadel
Saturday, December 14, 2002 07:04:47 PM
IP: 208.59.247.9

7.
Josh
Saturday, December 14, 2002 07:03:54 PM
IP: 64.170.152.141

I claim 6th in the name of cute fluffy werewolf pups!
Silverbolt
Saturday, December 14, 2002 06:54:37 PM
IP: 213.122.238.40

5th!

(Again, thanks Vash ;)).
Ed
Saturday, December 14, 2002 06:01:26 PM
IP: 213.187.48.126

4th! Maybe. Kinda early, isn't it?
Vashkoda
Saturday, December 14, 2002 06:00:05 PM
IP: 129.98.123.136

3rd.
Na zdorov'ya.
Gside - [gside@eden.rutgers.edu]
Piscataway, NJ
Saturday, December 14, 2002 05:51:19 PM
IP: 165.230.240.116

Second.
Whoohoo!
Lila
LA, CA
Saturday, December 14, 2002 05:47:48 PM
IP: 134.173.121.83

Woo hoo, talk about luck! The first time I'm back to this place in a while to check out something and I'm FIRST? :)

Anyway, just wanted to wish the best of luck to those with finals coming up ... and I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful holiday season!!!!! :)

**snuggles with Coyote under the holographic mistletoe** :)
Ravyn
Saturday, December 14, 2002 05:22:23 PM
IP: 150.135.118.209