Watched a harrowing drama about human rights & the hunger strike led by Bobby Sands back when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister; very powerful & ultimately very sad: Check out this clip from you-tube:

www.youtube.com/watch

Another cloudy, misty day --- the fifth overcast day in a row. I suppose I should be grateful, a hard rain isn't falling, but if I don't see the sun or the stars soon, I shall become quite psychotic.

Another pound cake bakes in the oven (because it's too early in the morning for pizza); in this one, I decided to see how many pecan pieces I could cram into one cake --- sort of a concoction of maxiumum nuts versus a minimum amount of batter; only problem is it'll take me a full two weeks to eat it --- which isn't a bad thing; afterall, pound cake (from this recipe) tastes better after a couple days or so, but come the six or seventh day & I'm quite over the enjoyment...

Work still sucks; an almost nonexistant management --- she says she likes to "micro-manage" everything, & she doesn't seem to notice or care about all of the problems that are cropping up concerning the very real potential for equipment failure or the lack of having a good plan for handling the up-coming Thanksgiving onslaught. God help us all on the 25th of this month.

The only thing that brings a smile to my face is Gray Girl, my favorite of the strays out back; she has blossomed so much more quickly than several of the other feral felines that are a part of my worklife. On Thursday night, she was out there with me in the pouring rain while I was trying to feed some of the cats who had missed out on dinner earlier that day. I had also tried to convince her ( & a couple of the others) to jump into my jeep where she could be safe, & warm, & reasonably dry, at least, for awhile. But like the others, she shyed away, as if she thought I was trying to capture her. On Friday evening, after I had parked & had opened my passenger side to take out their food for the day, she very coyly & sweetly rubbed against my leg & paused to look through the open door & then glanced back at me & jumped into the jeep & settled momentarily in the driver's seat, as if to say: "See, I could have done this last night if I had wanted to." Then, when she saw I was opening the tins of cat food, she very quickly bounded back out the door & began to eat, so I closed the Jeep for the night...

Godard's Week-end really does leave itself open to a bevy of pretentious freshman games.

The first page is blank, drawing attention to the artificial creation of demand and the expectation that created demand means that the demand will be satisfied.

Then, there's a ritualized paper, devoid of meaning- Thesis, Supporting Argument x3, Conclusion.

The title is "Godard's - Marxism - Weekend" repeated several times.

The first page and a half is nothing but erotic metaphors and sexually-charged words describing Marx's theories.

The word "spectacle" has been replaced by a flashing French flag.

The quote "I am here to proclaim to these modern times the end of the grammatical era and the beginning of an age of flamboyance in every field" has had its vowels removed and replaced with icons of lilies.

The footnotes include a detailed set of instructions for printing the paper.

There's a tangent on the true cost of writing the paper.

The professor is invited to participate in the production of the sentence: "The oppressed-"

More ideas? This is only going to work if it's absolutely absurd.

And yes, I've submitted a real copy of the paper. I don't hate my grade that much. I'm just sleep-deprived.

One more racist comment, and then I promise I'm done for the day.

Stupid Native American culture fest on campus has forced me to look up the spelling of "ululating."

I can't tell whether they're singing "The Happy Sun Song" or "The Trail of Tears Song" or the "I Got Fucked By Grandmother Porcupine Song."

They won't stop.

And the drums. Constant drumming. Accompanied by the rhythmic sounds of /headdesk echoing through the library. There's no escape.

On the bright side, it's put me in the perfect mood to write my New Wave paper.

Still misty & cool outdoors, but the wind & ever-constant torrential downpours have ended; imagine if you will, me outdoors last night at midnight, (drenching rain falling down with wildly gusting wind,) & trying to calm a few frantic cats, who had no real cover, except for a few lowslung cars to escape the storm --- did my best & actually managed to feed the ones who did not get enough to eat, because of the fierceness of the rain, when I first arrived at work at 4. I couldn't get them to get into my jeep nor into the bakery --- skittish as they are about human contact, but I did my best. Am taking extra provisions for all of them today. The never ending rain also managed its way into my jeep through weather stripping on a roof, that was totally replaced just one year ago. Luckily, the wetness was confined to the floor of the right passenger side & a very small amount in the back cargo area....

holy crap this stuff smells great

No, really.

I've been stuck on the train for the past few hours as they tried to extricate the truck from the train car. It hit right under my window, but of course I was reading and didn't see it till I heard the metal ripping and my window falling out.

Three people claimed to have whiplash. All of them were joking about it before the police/fire department/ambulances arrived. It's weird how the truck hit the only three black people on the train and no one else. Chevrolet is clearly racist.

Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:09:21 -0700
From: John.McKnight@asu.edu
Subject: [GradStu] Spring Course: Play World of Warcraft for graduate credit!
To: gradstu@ASU.EDU

LAW 791 is being cross-listed in a variety of departments: if it's not listed in one that would be appropriate, please just let me know: john.mcknight@asu.edu . We're looking for a class of half law students, half grad students from a broad variety of disciplines. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

The core of the course will be an innovative experiment in self-governance wtihin World of Warcraft. We expect to publish the results: co-author credit will be available.

The class will be Wednesdays from 4 to 7:55 in the Law College.
Governance of Virtual Worlds

SLN #: 26479
Course Prefix: LAW-791
Course Section: 019
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor(s): Mableson;McKnight

Course Description:
Virtual worlds, including massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), used by tens of millions of people worldwide, have given rise to new forms of social, economic and political organization, and present unique challenges in their interaction with current legal, political, economic and cultural institutions. This course will use cross-disciplinary methods to examine community self-governance within virtual worlds, as well as regulation of virtual worlds by businesses and governments worldwide.
The workload and intellectual demands for this course will be substantial. We will usually meet three hours a week in a seminar setting, but may substitute sessions within a virtual environment for some or all of any week’s course time.
While no previous familiarity with virtual worlds or MMOs is required, students must be comfortable with software tools and online discussion.
A significant portion of this course will involve a hands-on experiment in virtual worlds governance. Active participation in the project, or an equivalent, will be essential to success in the course.
Graduate students in many fields (including CSPO students, political science, education, engineering and graphic arts), and exceptional undergraduates are welcome. Enrollment will be capped at 20 law students and 20 students from other fields.


Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Numerically Graded, and ONE Time Pass Option is Available
Written Assignment: Yes
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Seminar Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: No
Final Exam Given: No
Paper or In-Class Presentation: Yes
Participation Points: Yes
Blackboard Course Site: Yes

John Carter McKnight, MIA, JD
PhD Student,
Human & Social Dimensions of Science & Technology
Arizona State University

I arrived home tonight to find that an unopened jar of pesto had inexplicably exploded in my pantry. I will never be able to get this odor out.

It's my own damn fault for not making my own pesto.

I would like to share my photos from my trip to Ecuador with my father. It was my first time to South America and I loved every minute of the trip. Not only was it a great bonding time with my father, it also was a country I never would've considered visiting had it not been for my father's spontaneous proposal, and a lot of my misconceptions about South America were erased on this trip. I felt very safe there and I was stunned by the 500 year old colonian architecture throughout the country. There was such a blend of European and Latin elements; Often it felt like I was in an old Spanish town yet definitely not. We visited Cuenca, a little provincial city, and the capital Quito, which was mind-blowingly beautiful.

Flying over El Savador



Panama City



Somewhere over Ecuador

So for my massive final project - the Arizona DroughtWatch partnership with the Department of Water Resources - I've been doing interviews with every expert on the subject. If someone's name is mentioned in a journal article, I call them. If they're the director of a national program, I call them. I learn from their successes, and get feedback on my strategy.

This is basic research, no?

But my professor says I'm taking the easy way out by getting experts to endorse my project. And she can't verify my interviews, even though I'm copying each interviewee on my notes from the interview.

THE FUCK?

I so need the Arizona Corsairs (that's pirates to you) Society party on Friday. And I need it today.

John King is replacing Lou Dobbs.

CNN may yet regain some respect.

For my New Wave class.

1) What's your favorite movie?
2) How cool is Pulp Fiction?
3) Explain the Marxist/Existentialist/Dadaist politics of Godard's Weekend.

I guess it's really not much of a choice.

can I just reiterate how completely annoying this whole lady gaga fad is to me

i'm sure it's awesome how ~fabulous~ she looks, but her music is utter shit and her lyrics sound like they were written by a horny 12 year old

so of course, gay men idolize her.