Rage Against the RNC

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=CYwzW2QFnwo

Pure awesome.

¡España!

I've been excited lately because I think I'm heading to Spain next summer to do research. I've started communicating with a CS (PL) research group in Valencia that seems willing to take me on for the summer. I'm really excited because I feel like it's a great opportunity to live overseas, improve my Spanish, and get research experience in a field I might want to pursue in grad school. Awesome stuff.

Comparative Traffic

I was just on vacation in the Philippines, which is always an enjoyable trip. As I rode around the congested streets of Manila with my cousins, one thing I was particularly mindful and observant of this time was the striking lack of that hallmark of the American highway, the single-commuter car. Instead: motorbikes. Everywhere, 125-cc Hondas and Yamahas zip in and out of traffic, carrying 1, 2, 3 people, or with a sidecar as many as 5. As far as cars go, you'll get 6 people in a 5 person sedan, 15 people in a 10 person van, Unsafe? No doubt, though traffic moves significantly slower there than here. Regardless, the whole thing was a poignant reminder that even if the SUV is making its way to the back exit, we Americans have a lot to learn about efficient commuting.

That small bikes are feasible on Manila highways comes as a result of some significant costs, though -- horrible traffic control means that streets are more packed and slower moving, which not only makes riding a tiny 2-wheeler more safe, but increases its traffic-weaving advantage over cars. The American highway system just isn't conducive to that kind of vehicle. So even though scoots and motorbikes become an increasingly attractive option for around-town transportation as gas prices approach $5/gallon, it's going to take a big shift in attitude to make them an integral part of US commuting. I say: bring it on.

TV

I'm going to be boring here and write about TV. I suppose I should start by saying I'm not a huge fan of it. Only last year did I, at the urging of some friends, try out House MD and The Office. I have really enjoyed both though, which is why I'm somewhat disappointed with what I've seen of each show's 4th season.

I think the word "forced" sums up what the first two episodes of both shows have been. It seems like both shows, and especially the Office, have run out of substantial material for the major story arcs, and so plot elements seem to be kind of jumbled together haphazardly.

In the Office, Jim and Pam are finally together (this should have happened at the end of the series, IMHO), so now the creators have chosen to brew trouble in the love lives of several other characters. Maybe this will turn out to be a good source of content, but it seems to me like things have been thrown at the viewer rather quickly. It doesn't help that the jokes are nowhere near on par with season 3, either.

As far as House goes, I'll say that I really liked the season 3 finale. I've heard mixed comments from other people, but I think that with a little modification it could have been a good series finale. A lot of the drama in House stems from these professional individuals and how they are so "caught up" with everything -- their friendships, relationships, and careers -- and how they balance (or can't balance) those components of their lives. I think that the season 3 finale was about each of them being able to let go, in a big way, and I think that reasonable closure could be drawn from that. It would have left a lot to the imagination, but I like that, to some extent. The whole "Survivor" style hiring that's been taking place in season 4 seems to me a poor ploy to get viewers excited, a sleazy substitute for actual drama.

Since these are the only two shows I faithfully watch, I sincerely hope both of them will improve over the next few weeks. I also hope that the producers will choose to bring closure to each series appropriately at the end of this season instead of trying to force a season 5.

I filled up my gas tank the other day. I put .75 gallons in for $2

My Vespa arrived the other week. I've been riding it around campus quite a bit while I work on getting my M1 license, and it's really an awesome vehicle. I had a little trouble getting used to it at first, but I've got the hang of it now. Can't beat the mileage either (~100 mpg).

While I'm here, I guess I might as well plug for the seller -- "supaflyindo" on eBay. As I understand, it's 2 business partners, 1 in Indonesia and the other in the US. I'd heard a lot of stories about sales from SE Asia gone wrong, so I was happy to have everything go smoothly with these guys. No surprises; the Vespa came exactly as promised.

That's all for now!

Downgrading from Vista!

Apparently Microsoft is now offering users away to downgrade from Vista to XP. I'm probably going to go ahead and do that this week -- Vista sucks.

My experience with Vista has been as follows:
Pros:
-Looks pretty
-Don't have to take 5 minutes to install Google Desktop
Cons:
-Application Crashes
-Cancel or Allow?
-Application Crashes
-Application Crashes
-Application Crashes

If I do downgrade, I think I'll stick with XP until Windows 7 comes out... although by that time, although it hurts me to say it, I may just get a Mac running Leopard. I think I'm ready for things to "just work".

Vespa

Today I ordered a Vespa on eBay, for purposes of my commute to work (and getting around during the school year). It's shipping to me and should arrive in 3 weeks time or so. I'm really excited and am crossing my fingers that everything goes well.