Goodbye Chicago, Hello PDX!

rah-ful-mao BD

[19-09-2008]

Hey hey! Just thought I'd let you readers [all 3 of you!] know that I won't be posting at all next week. I'm off to the land of rain and granola to finally get started at school. I move in on Thursday but I'm still gonna be pretty busy up through the weekend. I'll try to fit in a comic/post or two though. I should be back up and running on September 29th. Who knows, maybe by that time I'll actually decide to do more than just draw comics and comment on articles. Maybe I'll actually write posts of substance! I won't get my hopes up though. I have a bad habit of never following through with anything. Maybe if people actually gave me some feedback on here I'd be a little more encouarged to make the blog into something. If only.. ALSO. Since I won't be posting tomorrow, as you can see, I put a Music Note at the end. Have a nice week[end]!

A.B.S.R.D. [I Am waaay too lazy/Busy/Stressed to think of Real words for this Damn acronym]

- I think this quote pretty much sums up the entire article "The bane of the dinosaurologist's life is species that have been named on the basis of incomplete specimens." Yeah, dinosaurolgist is probs the best word ever regarding dinos. I lol'd. [@bbc]

- While I sometimes get a little uncomfortable being in things that are underwater [tunnels, the Finding Nemo submarine tour ride at Disneyland, etc.] I think this is really, really cool! If it were being built in the US I'd def go to it. A trip to Egypt is a bit too pricey for me. [@national geographic]

- I love a good story and so does everybody else. But why? Jeremy Hsu gives us some insight. [@scientific american]

- I'm pretty sure I'm not at all alone in wondering what it'd be like to die. Or, well, at least have a near-death experience. Is there really a bright light? Are you actually mentally aware of what's going on as your body is dying? What about out-of-body experiences? Southampton University is coordinating a three year study of 1,500 cardiac arrest survivors to see just what the body is capable of experiencing during these moments of near-death. [@bbc]

- Yesterday I posted a TEDtalk about the moral differences of republicans and democrats. Today I'm posting an article about the biological differences between the two parties. [@newsweek]

- Tanaids, isopods, worms. OH MY! Hundreds of new species have been discovered in the reefs of Australia. Ooh and there's a video. Rock on. [@national geographic]

- Yet another attack ad is being distributed by the McCain camp. This time Obama is a big, wasteful spender and is going to make us pay for things that won't affect us. Yeah, um, no. Nice try though. [@the new republic]

- This is really just for Scott, my favorite viking. xoxo ♥ ♥ ♥ [@msnbc]

- Ughhhh, this financial crisis - and the government's eagerness to bail out every company that faces bankruptcy - is going to kill taxpayers. Bad form Washington. Bad form. [@time]

Music Note
[introducing you to the songs that make me feel bad about my swagger]

Artist: T.I. feat. Kanye West, Jay Z, L'il Wayne, and M.I.A.
Song: Swagger Like Us
Album: Paper Trail


Lyrics:
(M.I.A. Sample) Hook Repeats 2x
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us

[Kanye West]

Mr. West is in the building
swagger on a hundred thousand, trillion
Ayo I know I got it first
I'm Christopher Columbus, y'all just the pilgrims
Thanksgiving do we even gotta question
Hermes Pastelle I pass the dressing
My attitude is tattooed
that means it's permanent, so I guess i should address it, huh?
My swagger is mick jagger
every time I breathe on the track I asthma attack it
Why he's so mad for, why he gotta have it
cuz I slaved my whole life, now I'm the master

Na-Na-Na, How it feel to wake up and be the shit and the urine Na-na-na-na-na
Trying to get that Kobe number, one over Jordan

(M.I.A. Sample)
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us

[Jay-Z]

cheaaa

No one on the corner gotta bop like this
can't wear skinny jeans cuz my knots don't fit
No one on the corner gotta pocket like this
so I rock Roc jeans cuz my knots so thick
You can learn how to dress just by
jocking my fresh
jocking jocking my fresh
jocking jocking my fresh
Follow my steps, it's the road to success
where the niggas know you thoro
and the girls say yes
But I can't teach you my swag
you can pay for school but you can't buy class
School of hard knocks I'm a grad
and that all-blue yankee is my graduation cap,
it's Hovaaaaa!!!
Dipping different rovers whipping with the soda
Hovaaaaa!!!
Could u even have any doubt after doubt if its over

(M.I.A. Sample)
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us

[Lil Wayne]

No one on the corner has swagger like moi, Church
but I'm too clean for these boys
I require what I desire I got stripes, A-di-das
Mami scream papi no mas
Run up in your shit just me no moss
Runnin this shit like I got four thighs
none has swagger like this four gods!
When it comes to styles I got several
sharper than a swagger, dagger all metal
And my jew-elz blue and yellow
the type of shit that make em call you Carmelo
Rules as follows stay true to the ghetto
write your name on the bullet make you feel special
Haaa!!!
What the f**k you boys talking about?
I know its us cuz we the only thing you talk about

(M.I.A. Sample)
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
(and I'm done)
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
(bye!)
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us

[T.I.]
yea

ha!

ya think?

thats right

You go see Weezy for the wordplay,
Jeezy for the birdplay,
Kanyeezy for diversity and me for controversy,
All my verses picture perfect and they meant to serve a purpose, you ain't living what you kicking and you worthless,
Looking from the surface it may seem that I got reason to be nervous then observe my work and see that my adversity was worth it,
Verses autobiographical, absolutely classical,
last thing I'm worried 'bout is what another rapper do,
Ain't nobody hot as me even if they rap they ass off blast off and have outstanding qualities,
Sell alotta records I respect and salute that,
but spitting real life on hot beats I'm the truth at

You kick it like me no exaggeration necessary,
living revolutionary, nothing less than legendary,

Gangsta shit hereditary, got it from my dad
flow colder than February with extraordinary swag

(M.I.A. Sample) Hook Repeats 2x (T.I. Adlibs)
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us
no one on the corner have swagger like us
swagger like us, swagger swagger like us

Getting ready for college is a bit more time consuming that I originally thought.

rah-ful-mao BD

[18-09-2008]

A.B.S.R.D. [Afternoon Blogs are Something Readers know how to Deal with] OR [only A Brief Sidenote for each Read Day because I have a lot of last minute packing to do]

- "Wall Street's Unraveling: How greed and fear collapsed the market's business model" [@newsweek]

- John Haidt explains what moral values republicans and democrats focus on and how that leads to party differences. [@TED]

- Biden is kind of like Cheney in the sense that they are nothing alike politically but both give voters reassurance in their respective presidential candidates. [@the new republic]

- Another look at the Democrats cave-in on off-shore drilling. Aka why our government doesn't know how to handle anything regarding energy. [@the new republic]

- Yesterday I asked how our country is supposed to be paying for the failures of privately-owned mega-companies. Well, Newsweek obvs heard me out and decided to give me an answer. Part of me wishes I hadn't asked.. [@newsweek]

- Guess what! John McCain invented the Blackberry, Al Gore invented the internet, and I invented the computer/telephone/electricity. Politicians need to give me more credit for their inventions. [@scientific american]

- Thank you Joe Klein for pointing out that the McCain camp is built on nothing but lies lies lies. [@time]

It's another Noon 30 day and the only thing I'm behind on is this.

rah-ful-mao BD

[10-09-2008]

A.B.S.R.D. [A Big, Scary Raggedy Andy Dream]

- As a proud new bberry owner, I found this relevant to my interests. The one thing I miss most about my old razr is that it's a flip phone. I love flip phones because (1) if you don't have pockets or a bag, you can just easily put it on the waistband of your shorts/pants/whatever [def used this techinque a lot for places like disney and six flags] and (2) you can put them in your back pocket and not worry about pressing 5 million buttons. While I love my bberry curve, I'm really afraid I'm gonna break it if I put it in my back pocket which is a total bummer cuz where else am I gonna store it?? [@msnbc]

- If for some reason you haven't heard/seen, facebook got a facelift. The new format that's been around for about a month and a half now is supposedly becoming permanent some time today. I was in the first wave of users introduced to the new format and I've been using it since late July. At first I was VERY opposed to the new layout [re: 1-800-INTERNET] but I'm pretty much used to it now. I still have some complaints but it looks like we're all just gonna have to deal. [@msnbc; @rah-ful-mao]

- Good news! Yesterday the LHC [Large Hadron Collider] was turned on and there was no blackhole and we didn't die. Success! For those of you who don't know what the LHC is, it's a proton accelerator at CERN that can collide proton beams at nearly the speed of light. It'll be used to simulate and study the conditions of the moment after the Big Bang. [@national geographic; @scientific american]

- The only people I know who still use AOL are my parents and really that's only because they still use their AOL email as their primary email. Granted, I have to go to aol.com to check my AIM email too. But still, I don't see why aol.com is updating the page to include other email providers. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. I'd say this is lol-worthy but I pity the ancient internet provider more than anything.. [@nytimes]

- Oof. The GOP is at it again. According to Jane Swift, Obama called Palin a pig and McCain a fish in his speech in Lebanon, VA and the McCain campaign is expecting an apology. I guess they've never heard the phrase "You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig" before even though I'm pretty sure one of their own has used it. Hmmm. This time, instead of my mind exploding, my head can't stop shaking at their silliness. [@the new republic; @youtube]

- OMFG, if you aren't friends with me on facebook or twitter [which is highly unlikely cuz I know where all my traffic comes from.], then I need to tell you: I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO GO TO SAN FRANCISCO LOVEFEST! I don't care if it's the first weekend after school starts. I don't care if it's the same day as the Oregon v. USC game. I want to go to SF and party in the streets during the day and then go to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for the afterparty that night. I love techno. I love dancing. I love people. So OBVS I'd love LoveFest. [@sflovefest]

Let's finish the week on a lighter, happier note.

rah-ful-mao BD

[05-09-2008]

Before I get started, I'd like to apologize for the nega-fest my blog has been for the past few days. I have a tendency to get heated about politics I don't agree with [not so much with those I do agree with though]. Anyways, I should be way more relaxed now that the RNC is over.

A.B.S.R.D. [A Blogger Should Relax and Deal]

- While I think it's a nice concept, I don't see the practicality of video cell phone for the hearing-impaired. Before I upset anyone I just want to point out that if you hold it in one hand that limits signing ability. Also, they suggest placing it on a steady surface but that sort of takes away from the mobility of a cell phone in general. [@scientific american]

- Now, money adapted for the blind? See [haha, get it? SEE?], that is actually practical. Props to Judge Robertson for insisting this be done. Personally, I like the idea of raised numbers because different sized bills would be a hassle. [@time]

- I am such a nerd. I love TEDtalks. I "learn" a lot and laugh a bit along the way. If you have half an hour to kill, watch Pete Hirshberg talk about how the web and web 2.0 trumps teevee. If you don't want to watch 30 mins of nerdy comedy gold just skip to 25:00 where he actually gets to his point. [@ted]

- I think HP needs to take a lesson from Sony and recall the HP Pavillion dv9000. My screen cover already cracked once from overheating! [@wall street journal]

- Much like Joe Biden, I really like the idea of clean coal factories. Apparently, so does Germany. Why is everybody but the US actually doing something to help out the with the environment? [@scientific american]

- Memories have always intrigued me and now we're finally figuring out where they come from. This is really fascinating.[@nytimes]

- When I see or hear anything about breast cancer or mammograms, I just remember sitting in the auditorium at school and having to feel up three fake boobs that were either clear, had a cyst or had a tumor. This seems like a much more reliable technique. [@time]

- Last night concluded the Republican National Convention. Unfortunately, I missed John McCain's acceptance speech because I had no idea when it was and by the time I found out he was already half way through it. So instead I just read the notes on it from the TNR blogs. I'll end up watching it on youtube when I have time. The thing's an hour long! Geez![@tnr; @youtube: GOPconvention2008]

- US Open Update: I'll make this brief. The other mens semi match will be between my love Roger Federer and that Serbian I don't like Novak Djokovic. [@bbc]

Tuesdays were never meant to be Mondays.

rah-ful-mao BD

[02-09-2008]

Alright. A.B.S.R.D. is going to be a bit massive today because I didn't get around to making that weekend post I said I'd do. So to make it a little more organized, it's going to be separated into two sections: (1) All 'Bout Silly Republicans Day and (2) All 'Bout Stuff not concerning Republicans Day.


A.B.S.R.D. - The Sarah Palin Edition.

- When John McCain announced that Palin would be his running mate, my first reactions were "Who the hell is Sarah Palin??" and "The only reason he picked her is because she's a woman." I believe Joe Conason put it perfectly when he said that "Palin is the epitome of tokenism... she possesses the only two qualities that McCain now seems to consider essential: She is a right-wing religious ideologue with female gender characteristics." [@salon]

- For McCain to think he can gain the women vote just because of Palin is a complete and utter joke. I cannot express how infuriating this is for me. "How insulting, how condescending, how downright patronizing of Senator McCain to attempt such ham-fisted identity politics." Sarah Palin will not attract the votes of Hillary supporters and to think otherwise is simply foolish. [@the new republic]

- Another issue concerning Palin is her experience -or rather lack there of. As mayor of Wasilla, AK [pop. 5000+ in 1996] Palin was injecting major politcal issues and partisanship into a small-town local government. During the race, she was ruthless and beyond aggressive towards her opponent and anyone else who disagreed with her; a mindset that continued throughout her time in office. This is almost as bad as internet fights. Someone really should've told her to take a chill pill cuz that's what they said in the 90s. Then again, that may be a bit of a generalization of the decade. [@time]

- "What does a VP do anyway?" Well, for starters, a vice president is second in command. Americans need to be confident that the veep will be able to run this country if the president is unable to fulfill his or her duties. In this day and age, that person needs to be able to handle not only national issues but foreign relations as well. We see Joe Biden with 36 years of experience in both of those arenas whereas Sarah Palin has limited experience in state politics. But then again, she's from Alaska which is right by Russia so obvs she has international experience.. ? [@youtube; @the new republic; @youtube]

- While in my opinion, family matters are private and have no right to be exploited, I did find the news of Palin's 17 year old daughter's pregnancy lol-worthy. Of course she'll be marrying the father à la Jamie Lynn Spears. [@bbc]

- Let's not forget that there's is another name on the ballot in November - John McCain. In the beginning, there were a lot of center/center-left people who didn't have a big problem with McCain, he was a respectable guy. However, with the election only a few months away, John McCain has become a joke who's running "the most sarcastic presidential campaign ever." [@the new republic]

- And finally, it's time we address the Republican National Convention taking place in St. Paul, Minnesota. Honestly? The first day was pretty uneventful. Well, with the exception of the baby bomb. [@newsweek; @time]


A.B.S.R.D. - The Rest of the World Edition.

- Google's launching a new web browser called Google Chrome today! It seems pretty cool. I'll probably end up downloading it some time today to check it out. I'll let you know how it goes. [@bbc]

- We, as a country, expect so much of our president. We expect inspiration, leadership, and an answer to every problem that arises. Our view of the presidency has changed greatly over the past 200+ years; from simply upholding democracy and the Constitution to embodying and protecting the soul of our nation.[@csmonitor]

- With high gas prices and global warming, people everywhere are looking for better alternatives for transportation. [Re-]Introduce the electric car. Past models haven't really been all that we want or "need" them to be. Batteries drain fast and there isn't much power or speed involved. We're already working on the power/speed problem but what about the batteries? Shai Agassi seems to have found a pretty good answer. [@the new republic]

- Chris Jordan is quickly becoming an awesome person in my book. He's an artist who specializes in "giant photo collages." They aren't your typical collage though. They give you a visual idea of the [environmental] statistical data of our over consumption of products. You can look at his work here. [@the new republic; @chrisjordan.com]

I should invest in a dictionary comprised solely of words beginning with the letters a, b, s, r, and d

rah-ful-mao BD
[29-08-2008]

A.B.S.R.D [Alright, Barack's Speech was RIGHTEOUS at DNC]

- Last night in Denver, CO, Senator Barack Obama [IL] accepted the nomination as the democratic presidential candidate. His speech was awe-inspiring and gave us hope for a better tomorrow. Basically, he made me want to jump up and down shouting things like "U-S-A! U-S-A!" and "YES, WE CAN!!" If you missed it, you can watch the speech here. It is definitely worth your time. [@cosmic variance;@youtube]

- On the other side of the political spectrum, John McCain announced Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate. My first thoughts? This election is getting ridiculous. Obvs he chose her to get the woman vote. I highly doubt any Hillary supporters will agree with a thing she has to say though. [@nytimes]

- US Open Update: I hereby quit womens tennis. The only person I ever really pay attention to is Ana Ivanovic [looove] and now she's out of the tourney. I feel as if I'm just setting myself up for disappointment at every grand slam [besides Roland Garros]. Also, Janko Tipsarevic [looove] retired yesterday during the middle of his match? Serbian tennis players are really tearing me apart right now. [@nytimes]

- US Open Story: I have an odd fascination with the ball boys and ball girls at grand slam tournaments. Ever since I saw the almost robotic precision of the young ball children at the French Open, I've had a dream to start a montessori pre-school to train the little ones. So when I saw this headline about a spectacular ball "girl" [she's actually 24] I got all giddy and reveled in reading the personal story behind Kelly Bruno. [@nytimes]

- Voluntary Advertisement: Vote for Marie Lyn Bernard [this girl called automatic win] at HotBloggerCalendar.com! Riese '08!!


[I'll be doing an A.B.S.R.D. post sometime this weekend because I have a lot of articles starred on Google Reader that I've been dying to use.]

This is one of those times where I follow through with something.

Alright. Remember that one time where I said I'd put up an example of my custom comics?

No? That's ok, I forgot too. ANYWAY, my scanner's working and I have a comic for you! HOLLA!

[if you can't tell, it's a squirrel and he's found a giant acorn.]
[comment if you'd like a comic drawn JUST FOR YOU!]

AH! I actually have things I to blog about. I don't have time right now to write all of it out. It will come soon enough I promise! [It's in my draft folder]

For now, read what I read!

- I still don't understand why this Lennart Green had a TEDTalk or how he did what he did, but this guy is ACE. If anything, I learned how to turn my hand over without moving my wrist.. [@ted]
- Congrats to Rashid Ramzi in the 1500m run for not only winning the first medal for his country [Bahrain] but for making it a gold! [@nytimes]
- For John McCain, "alternative energy" is only one word and it has four letters. [@time]
- I'll admit I never watch any of the cable news networks but I have to give props to MSNBC for giving Rachel Maddow her own show. It's great to see a woman making it out there with the "big boys." [@nytimes]
- Lower the drinking age to stop binge drinking? I think university administrators should consider other alternatives before signing on to the "Amethyst Initiative." Watch the discussion between Amethyst Initiative founder Dr. John McCardell and National President of M.A.D.D. Laura Dean-Mooney that aired on The Early Show on CBS here. [@necn; @csmonitor; @youtube]