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Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.
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| Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 |
rezendi
|
6:57p |
sweet! Now that's what I call a signal boost: the Invisible Armies online release has been BoingBoinged. Hello, two million(?) readers. And it leads with that great Bruce Sterling quote, too. |
news
[ theljstaff ]
|
3:36p |
May 22 News Advisory Board ElectionsToday, May 22nd, marks the beginning of the Advisory Board Election process. Polls will be open through the 29th. Out of the following list, find the candidate you think is best-suited to provide the kind of input we at LiveJournal can use to better the site: vichantwirlandswirltangosqueaky19sollitairermrandompostingqfemaleprimitivepeoplemrflagglostcosmonautlordandreilizydlegomymalfoyjmaynardjj_maccrimmonjettejamethimcfuzzface00deathboydaniidebrabantcamblerThis is for you guys, so cast your vote! The polls are waiting at ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) lj_election_en. New V-GiftsSummer's finally here! The season brings warm weather, the spirit of apprecciation, and, naturally, a slew of new v-gifts. If you're looking to celebrate a special friendship, the spirit of theatre or a loved one's graduation, we've got perfect ornaments for the occasion. Take a gander at these fine options and get your celebration on.  L to R: daisy, theatre masks, tiara, diploma, graduation capTxtLJYou can use LiveJournal's TxtLJ service to receive text notifications and make posts to your journal with your mobile phone. Give us some feedback on the experience at feedback. What would make TxtLJ more useful? How can we improve the service for you guys? LJ DashboardWe've cooked up a new utility at LJ Labs, where we're developing a whole host of LJ side projects. Introducing LJ Dashboard, a portal to the most popular communities, journals and entries on LiveJournal. Now there's a mechanism to help you discover new content and keep track of what's happening out there. Login to the Dashboard using your Open ID, which is exampleusername.livejournal.com. After you're asked to grant identity validation to dashboard.livejournal.com, you'll be all set to poke around and play with some of the things we've come up with. Since we're launching LJ Dashboard for the first time, we encourage you to post some feedback at lj_labs. We're currently running some house ads on the Dashboard. Soon ads for external businesses will replace them. But right now all users see them because, for the time being, we don't have a way of distinguishing between paid and unpaid users on the Dashboard. Have no fear: soon as we've got that worked out, paid users will be spared. Thanks for your patience! We're having a lot of fun with some great ideas right now so keep an eye out for new LJ Labs releases! |
ebenstone
|
6:03p |
LOL Moment
Watching a rerun of "The Simpsons" and Homer is in his hammock reading "Gravy Aficionado." That's funny. |
mellybean71
|
5:53p |
The Universe hates me.
This weekend I am attending the Quebec Council's biggest Cuboree ever(at least that's what the website told me) and I am sick.
We're going to be sleeping on the ground that's been watered every day this week. In tents. When I feel as though my throat is coated with bits of glass.
Why me?
M.
Current Mood:  sick |
pope_guilty
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5:23p |
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nagaina_ryuuoh
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4:37p |
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fiat_knox
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9:38p |
Belt Update Just two words. Ten. Links.I thank you. :) Current Mood:  slimmerCurrent Music: nowt |
fiat_knox
|
9:32p |
Crossing Paths Today, I imagined two women crossing paths somewhere over the Atlantic. Going in one direction, my ex - girlfriend Nai, as she and her family head off toFlorida for the start of their holiday there. Coming in the opposite direction, a new acquaintance to whom I've been introduced through a mutual friend. This new friend is on her way to Blighty for her holidays - and she's stopping in Ireland first, before crossing the Irish Sea to come here. She's planning on visiting Chester, and I'm her escort whilst she's there. I'll know more when she arrives on the mainland on the 30th. It's a fanciful image, one girl crossing the path of another. One ending her relationship with me, and another one beginning a friendship. Both meeting briefly over the Atlantic, and neither of them aware of each other's presence. Current Mood:  contemplativeCurrent Music: nowt |
lightcastle
|
4:28p |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...
... is a terrible, terrible movie. It is like a bad fan-fiction Indy screenplay. I think that Temple of Doom may still be worse just because of the racism, but I would be inclined to say this is a worse Indy flick.
I'm sorry if what I wrote the other day inspired anyone to see this. |
thebitterguy
|
3:42p |
What, you're his buddy now or something? There are weird things to be seen online among people who talk about comic book characters. Particularly those of us who enjoy the long underwear set. The strangest thing is the way people refer to the characters. I, personally, refer to them by their codename. That's how the book sells, right? You don't read "Invincible Daniel Rand" or ""James Barnes". You buy Iron Fist and Captain America. It just strikes me as... strange when I see someone refer to a character by their secret ID instead of as the character. It belies a certain belief of intimacy with the character that is really not possible. Seriously, if John Byrne poops himself when people call Superman "Supes", how do you think he feels when they call him "Clark" or "Kal"? I really don't care. That was entirely hypothetical. In any case, yeah, I'm sure I've slipped and referred to a charatcer by non-standard nomenclature on occasion (if I ever refer to Ambusy Bug as "Irwin", shoot me in the face, m'kay?), but as a habit, or an affectation, it just seems weird. And yes, weird compared to reading funnybooks about guys in long johns punching each other. Current Mood:  confused |
mrx88
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3:26p |
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thebitterguy
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3:08p |
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flamesrising
|
1:24p |
Birthday
Thanks for the Birthday well wishes folks...
They popped up in e-mail, here on LJ, on Facebook and in the mail.
I even got a couple of presents, which I wasn't expecting.
Hope everyone is having a good day as well.
-Matt |
elissa_carey
|
12:44p |
another step forward! Logged in to BORIS just to see if my financial aid had been credited to my account or not, and it has! WAHOO! Now I don't have to worry about if/when it would be credited or not credited, thereby making me drop my classes, and so forth. But best of all, I can take my receipt (once I've printed it up) with me to the Blinn campus tomorrow and get 1) my student ID card and 2) my vehicle registration! Whee! This brings my Blinn to-do list tomorrow to this: * Drop off Student Aid Data Form for Fall financial aid at the Financial Aid office * Pick up Math course packet & Math software CDs/access codes from the campus bookstore * See my fellow Freecycler and get the TI-83 graphing calculator from him (must remember to bring 4AAA batteries) * Get my Student ID card * Get my vehicle registration Ooo, I'm getting so excited about this! I'm pumped and ready to get to work! Current Mood:  ecstaticCurrent Music: orbital, "babylon (and on)" |
invader_haywire
|
1:18p |
I haz job offer in hand! Job hunting can finally come to a close. FINALLY! Barring any unforeseen problems: - In 90 days, I will have benefits and vacation! I have not had either in almost 3 years. - I can finally start putting a dent in these debts again. - Start the clock, I plan to be out of my parents home in ~10 months. Current Mood:  bouncy |
highway_west
|
10:24a |
Movie Roundup
Rocky Balboa: Best of the Rocky movies since the first one. I liked that Rocky didn't win the fight.
Event Horizon: I really want to like this movie. The idea is hardcore and the actors are excellent. Hell, Morpheus is in this movie. I think it falls apart in the third act. I wish they had gone with some other Lovecraftian realm than hell.
Groundhog Day: This is one of the best movies ever.
Almost Famous: This is my pick me up movie. Any time I am feeling down or questioning life, I play this movie. |
notoriousbkc
|
10:57a |
It's no mystery... I, like most people, voted for Obama. And I've made no bones about the fact that I don't like the campaign Hillary Clinton has run for the Democratic nomination. But in the unlikely event that she somehow wins the nomination, I WILL vote for her in the general election in November. This presidential election is simply too important to stay home and pout because my chosen candidate didn't win the nomination. The US cannot afford four more years of Bush/McCain policies. With all that said... HILLARY CLINTON (AND HER SURROGATES) ARE FUCKING HYPOCRITES!On October 11, 2007 Hillary Clinton said "It's clear, this (primary in Michigan) is not going to count for anything." Her statement stands undenied by her campaign to this day. Now she insists not seating the delegates is the equivalent of the civil rights struggle of the 1960s. In August 2007, Clinton advisor Harold Ickes voted to strip Michigan and Florida of their delegates as a sitting member of the Democratic National Committee (paragraph 7). Now he's the head cheerleader of the 'count Michigan and Florida' contingent of Clinton's campaign. On April 2, 2003, when Michigan Senator Carl Levin threatened to move the Michigan primary earlier than the DNC had authorized, then DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe told him "'Carl, take it to the bank,' I said. 'They will not get a credential. The closest they'll get to Boston will be watching it on television. I will not let you break this entire nominating process for one state. The rules are the rules. If you want to call my bluff, Carl, you go ahead and do it.' [Source: McAuliffe, Terry. What A Party!, p. 325.] Now that he's a fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton, he says " I’m saying they’ve already voted, let’s count the votes. I’m saying that the state parties in those states need to work with the national party and figure out how we count the votes that have already been voted."
In most contests, I think you should always be trying your best to win... as long as you're playing by the rules.
When I watch the Packers, I want them to do everything they can within the rules to win. If a Packers player were to deliberately try to hurt and opposing player (like Charles Martin did when he slammed Be*rs QB Jim McMahon to the ground well after the play), I wouldn't support it. I'd complain long and loud about it. I don't subscribe to the "It's not cheating if you win" philosophy. Wrong is always wrong.
Even if the rules are dumb, if everyone knows what they are when the contest starts there is no fair option but to finish the contest under those rules. You can change them for the next contest, but you can't change them in the middle of things. Imagine is the Packers and Cowboys played a preseason game, then later ended up tied for a playoff spot at the end of the regular season. In no way shape or form would it be fair for the NFL to then, after the season had been played, decide that theoutcome of that exhibition game would count as the tie-breaker. Even if the result would mean the Packers went to the playoffs while the Cowboys didn't. Wrong is always wrong.
You can't count Michigan's votes the way they were cast, no matter what you do with Florida. Barack Obama wasn't even on the ballot. The Clinton campaign says "Well, that's his fault. He could have remained on the ballot." True, but the decision had already been made that Michigan would not have any delegates seated at the convention because they moved their primary outside the DNC approved calendar. There is no fair way to determine how voters would have voted if they knew the results would count and if Obama had remained on the ballot.
Florida is a different case. There Obama remained on the ballot and got roughly 30 percent of the vote. However, again the voters of Florida had been told that the results of their primary would not count. How many voters stayed home because they didn't want to take time off of work to cast a vote that wasn't going to count? No one knows. So again, there is no objective basis for determining how accurate the 55-30 win for Clinton was in Florida. It might have been larger if more of her supporters had come out to vote knowing the votes would count.
And in neither case is there even a remote comparison to the aftermath of the 2000 election in Florida. In that case, votes that should have counted were cast and then, only afterwards, was it decided not to count them (or recount them), despite what Florida state law requires. It was known for months ahead of time that the Michigan and Florida Democratic primaries would not count.
I don't believe the ends justifies the means. I don't believe in doing or saying whatever it takes to win. For me, winning without honor and integrity is a degrading experience. I'd honestly rather lose fairly than win through deception or chicanery. But apparently I differ from many of Hillary Clinton's supporters.
Here's my problem with it... if my candidate is willing to say or do anything to win, how do I know they won't say or do something the promised me they wouldn't do after being elected? We (or at least a bare plurality of us) took George W. Bush at his word that he was a compassionate conservative and "a uniter, not a divider" and look where it got us? Eight years of "Who gives a shit what I said I'd do? I've already got your vote, I can do whatever I want now."
Like I said, I will vote for Clinton if she's the nominee. I won't be proud of it. I won't feel good about it. But I'll do it because I know McCain would be worse. I just wish that weren't enough for her supporters... merely being better than McCain. I voted for Obama because I believe in Obama. I don't know how anyone can believe in Hillary Clinton. Not anymore.
Peace. Out.
|
mthielbar
|
12:48p |
No lunch for me today...
temporary crown fell off while I was eating soup.
Why, why whyyyyyyyyy?!?!?!
Can't eat. Mouth hurts like &$%@#!!!
Competent dentist is closed this week. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck! |
sorceror
|
12:36p |
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fiat_knox
|
5:17p |
Astradyne Astradyne on YouTubeListen but Don't Download - Last FMThis is probably a favourite of every long-i'th'-tooth Ultravox fan, an almost-forgotten instrumental gem of the early Eighties. Never mind radio stations playing bloody Vienna to assuage their guilt over those heid-the-baws putting fcking Joe Dolce in at number 1 just to spite the Scots, if they want people to listen to their radio station, rapt, play this track. In full. IF they can find it. Which I doubt they ever will. I will say that when whoever owns the rights to the Ultravox album Vienna pull their thumbs out of their arses and re-release it, with this track in the lead, that album will sell and sell. Just on the strength of this little hidden gem alone. For feck's sake, you can hear the love these guys have for the track in the way they play it! ( Last comment behind the cut ) Current Mood:  creativeCurrent Music: nowt |
elissa_carey
|
11:16a |
a year older, a year wiser. Hippo birdie two ewes Hippo birdie two ewes Hippo birdie deer ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) shendoah! Hippo birdie two ewes! |
xomec
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12:13p |
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hntrpyanfar
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12:08p |
In which I get to feel like shadowravyn... So yesterday I went to lunch and owned up to my fevery fugue, and dark_towhead called me an idiot and told me to GO HOME AND SLEEP. Which I did, but after x, y, and z because I'm, you know, stupid that way and not THAT sick. What? I have to get this done. Really! *blush* Uh, yeah. In any case, I feel much better today, though I'm still coughing whenever I laugh. More writing in my future so's I can play more Rock Band. |
paulskemp
|
11:40a |
Twenty Years of Drizzt Like millions of other readers (boggle at that number for a moment), my journey into the Forgotten Realms started with The Crystal Shard , by R.A. Salvatore. It's been a long, winding, fun walk/ride/skip/slide ever since. I wanted to note that Wizards of the Coast is celebrating twenty years of Drizzt Do'Urden. And rightly so. Bob writes high quality sword and sorcery fiction and his creation is a worldwide phenomenon. Millions of readers (and growing) agree and have agreed with that assessment for twenty years. I have no doubt -- none -- that Bob could stop writing Drizzt tomorrow and twenty years hence we'd still be talking about millions of readers at Drizzt's fortieth anniversary. So congratulations to Bob. I'm pleased to call him a friend and colleague. I was inspired to mention all this when I was reading one of the messageboards I frequent and saw posts by a couple of the trolls I've picked up recently (again -- messageboard trolls are a good thing; trust me on that) asserting that Forgotten Realms fiction is popcorn/cotton candy/shallow fiction that won't last and on and on. From now on I think my response to that will be this -- Go tell it to the twenty year old dark elf with the scimitars and lavender eyes. You can't miss him. He's the one with the millions of readers standing behind him. |
hntrpyanfar
|
12:03p |
When biochemistry and Shadowrun combine in my head... A fellow grad student friend who's a devout 7th Day Adventist solemnly informed me this morning: "I've got twenty more minutes, and then no more wet work for me for the rest of the day." I solemnly agreed that she'd probably done plenty of wet work this week, and really should take the afternoon off to write. I'm still trying to decide if I should let her know what else wet work means. Having M along on a Shadowrun team sound like it might turn into Lethal Weapon 2... if she survived it! Current Mood:  giggly |
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