Wayne and Rebecca Madsen

Douglas Adam's potency as a satirical/humor writer of science fiction novels (read: Hitchhiker's series) could be attributed to the mainstream understanding of science fiction as a genre. Because of films like Star Wars and others which permeated the consciousness of the American popular arts, Douglas Adams' works of humor captivated a higher level of social experience than had he written a mystery novel. But since the fantastic success of Lord of the Rings and the proliferation of so many knock-offs, I have to ask if the world is now ready for Terry Pratchett?

Terry Pratchett's first novel in the Discworld series has its own unique approach to the non-sequitur-esque genre so well defined by Douglas Adams. In The Color of Magic I was introduced to the confusing experience of living in Discworld and had several laughs along the way. Genuine laughs, not cheap forced chuckles. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of this series, especially to see if Pratchett is able to pull off some sense of coherency in a book series which does not follow any specific character, but only involves some of the similar characters in the world. I know that for Bujold's Chalion series, it was too jarring to pick up one book right after another because they didn't tell a coherent story.

But I've heard other books in the Discworld series are better than Color. So I'm excited.

Update: Sourcery is just as good as Color, as is The Light Fantastic. I told rebecca that you possibly could read any of these books without reading the first, but I'm not sure now that I think about it. Unfortunately, although these stories aren't intrinsically connected, only Light introduces the world to someone outside of the Discworld experience. But all good books. I have a hard time deciding which one I liked the best, but it's probably a close tie between Sourcery and Light - both had me rolling in laughter and unable to put the book down.

Or, Why Did the American Political System Fail?

Let me state for the record that I believe in global warming. I can't remember a time when I didn't believe that we have been destroying our environment. I believe in doing things about this: I feel better using public transportation everyday, only owning one car, riding my bike, recycling, minimizing energy use, etc. What is interesting about An Inconvenient Truth is not the message it presents (almost all the information was old news to me), but Rebecca's and my response to the rhetoric: it was cringe-worthy.

And not because it was Al Gore talking, but because it was a politician talking. Politicians use rhetoric: it is their primary tool to "rally the troops" and "win the hearts" of their constituents. But I think that sometime in the past 60-70 years, the American political system collapsed on itself and no longer could be effectively used to affect changes. Instead, there exists so many other factors of control (one of the principle I would declare is Foucault's BioPower), but politicians only upset us all. Unless, they are speaking for "our side." Then they become saints (which I would argue is just as frustrating).

I'd love to sit down and have this conversation with my brother-in-law about the many reasons (or even if he believes) that American politics became an impotent reflection of societal changes. As we watched this program, it actually was turning me off to important issues because of the transparent use of rhetorical devices. Now I'm completely fascinated by why I had that reaction to this movie.

Ah-choo! I started getting the first hints of a cold Tuesday night, and by Friday I was working from home so I wouldn't have to get up all the time to go blow my nose and/or bother coworkers nearby with my flowings and blowings, sniffings and whiffings. Saturday was probably the worst of it, though, and I felt like doing nothing but sitting on the couch in a daze. And so we watched a couple of movies. What else do you do when you'd rather not have to move or think?

One of the movies we watched was "An Inconvenient Truth." It was Al Gore (picture this: this guy is talking with powerpoint slides on the TV screen and I turn to Wayne and say "Who's that?" hehehe) talking about why he's so obsessed about global warming. It reminded me about how strange it is when politicians use emotional events to try and turn things in their favor (to "rally up the troops" as Wayne said). He talked about warm oceans causing more weather catastrophes...like Hurricane Katrina. Well, Katrina's devastations had more to do with city structure than with global warming, but whatever. It was interesting, anyway, but I am not sure how effective politicians are at fixing what needs to be fixed, and I'm positive he presented a completely biased perspective on the topic. That's how you rally the troops after all...by exaggeration and emotional tugs....

Most of the rest of the week Wayne had late nights on campus, but at least he could join me and my sisters for dinner Tuesday to celebrate Suzie's birthday. I took a (belated) President's holiday to show my sisters around Santa Cruz -- the best beach we know of and the little fun downtown shops. And of course we tried to entice them to play games, but we just wore them out a little much for that. Suzie and Amy are in Seattle by now! Amy will fly back to Austin later this week, hopefully with enough time to help Suzie get settled in her new place.

Wayne's late nights consisted of playing racquetball with a friend one night, another class field trip to San Fran another night, and class another night. I did get to see him Friday too, when we had Chris and Alyssa over to play "scary" games. Not really "for" Dr. Seuss day, but on it. I'm sure Dr. Seuss liked games too. I wasn't feeling well enough to organize anything more...organized. [Plus there's the whole sweets fast thing and last year's non-sweets based Dr. Seuss party wasn't as fun as nerds-covered-cake. - wayne] There's always next year. Although this is a disturbing trend...last year I got the flu on the Seuss party day, and this year I have a cold...coincidence? Only time will tell!

“Only in America - do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front of the store.”

-unknown

Good advice for every guy who wants to have a solid relationship AND play his video games.

1. Find out if your girlfriend has ever played video games before. She may not be a full-blown gamer, but maybe she played Mario games when she was younger. Or maybe she likes playing an Internet game from time to time. If you know her gaming history, you'll have a better chance of finding a game she'll enjoy now.

2. Remind your girlfriend that if you both play video games, you'll be able to spend even more quality time together.

3. Pick out a game she might like. If you're not 100% sure she'll enjoy it, you can rent it.

* Try to choose a game or game system that isn't too confusing, and doesn't require short reaction time. Many non-gamers are intimidated by button combinations. If you've ever gotten frustrated to the point of throwing the controller in a game, don't start with that one. (For example, in my wife's case, she was used to a simple controller like a Nintendo controller, so using a simple controller with PC games works nicely)
* If you can, get a game that is multi-player or, optimally, co-op.
* Consider your girlfriend's personality when picking out a game. Some girls may prefer the brightly colored, all-ages games like Katamari Damacy, Bust A Move, Lego Star Wars (I couldn't recommend this game more), Sims (or this one), or just about any Mario game. But remember that your girlfriend is an individual who could just as well go for Halo, Resident Evil, or Grand Theft Auto.

4. Have fun when you play with her. If you make it a good time she will enjoy it, even if she's not that "into games." Crack jokes, make her laugh, and focus primarily on spending time with her, not on winning the game at hand. Be prepared to help her out. Even if she's only playing "easy" games, your girlfriend may get stuck and frustrated. As a gamer, you know one of the most frustrating things about video games is getting stuck. Helping her will not only avoid her getting frustrated and fed up with video games, but it will foster a sense of "playing together" and help her see what a great guy you are.

5. Be understanding and supportive. When she first starts out, tell her that it's easy, and that she will catch on. Make her feel like this is something that she can do. Let her win. Try not to show any signs of being annoyed that she can't pass the 1st water zone for the 76th time in a row. As she keeps playing, she will get better and may enjoy the game itself.

6. Next time you and your girlfriend are in a game shop, casually walk by the video game section and ask her if there is anything that catches her eye. She will probably say no at first without looking at any game, but coax her into it.

Tips

* Teach her how to uncramp her hands, because they will get tired during her first few sessions. Show her how you usually stretch out your hands, because if she equates video games with sore and stiff hands, she won't want to play any more. Maybe you could give her a hand massage to make her feel better.

* Recognize that she probably doesn't want to play for 8 hours at a time. When she wants to do something else, don't make her continue to play or make her feel guilty for only playing 2 hours.

* If you are playing an MMORPG, let her create a character on your account. Allow her to choose the look, style of dress, everything. She will appreciate that she is playing with something she created herself.

* Eventually, she may want to try more advanced games. This is not a given, though. She may become a pwnz0r at Mario but never want to pick up a shooter. If you want her to play games like that, try getting her to play co-op with you. You may be able to "ease" her into these kinds of games, especially if she can play with you instead of against you (though she may get a kick out of blowing you away in Halo).

* If you do manage to get your girlfriend playing video games on her own, be ready and willing to help her through some of the harder levels or boss battles.

* If you can get a girl who started out with no interest in video games to enjoy a co-op shooter, you've done well, exceedingly well. Eventually she may play multiplayer with you, or even against you. Maybe. One can dream.

* Some Nintendo systems have more intuitive controls which may be useful to just pick up and play without prior experience. This may be a good starting point for new gamers, unless they have prior experience with other systems controls.

* Having a large screen or projection TV may help get your girlfriend "into" the game. It's much easier to get drawn into the game and pay attention on a big screen instead of squinting to see what's happening on a small one.

Warnings

* If you try to get your girlfriend into something you're into that she's not, she may feel justified in doing the same with you--attempting to show you the glory of shoe-shopping, for example. If she's a good sport, you should be, too.

* If you get her into gaming, you might never get access to your computer or game console again. (This isn't a bad thing)

* If you're the kind of person who shouts phrases with extremely violent cursing after losing a video game, try not to do so. It may show her that you're not a very civil person.

* When and if she starts to beat you on a consistent basis, do *NOT* stop playing the game with her, remember you wanted this. Nurture it.

see link for full article.

I have been working on this program for several days, attempting to start from scratch and write the entire program myself by using what I have already learned from the previous work in file input-output (IO). For this program, instead of copying a tutorial, I determined the design of my program before I began to code and set it within the linguistic parameters of what I knew, which at this point was only IO. We got rid of the textbook and have been tailoring my lessons more closely with what it is that I want to learn. 3D design does not lead me down the path of information analysis and so for the time being, I have put that behind me. Which obviously means that I do not remember anything of how to code 3D images. I am amazed at how quickly information escapes me. I could throw out a trite explanation of how our brains are muscles and we must exercise them to maintain their fitness, but I won't.

My grasp on the language has improved, but doesn't reach beyond a first year student. I am almost completely illiterate, but I am beginning to be able to comprehend the uses of the Java API and how to appropriately use it. This step into the grammar database of Java marks a step into experimentation with the vocabulary I have gained.

package inputOutput;

import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;

public class TestingGroups {
//global variables, only so i don't have to instantiate them into the doGroups method
static int value, groups = 0;
static Scanner myScan = new Scanner(System.in);

//method for running the numbers to the text file
public static void doGroups(File p_myFile) throws IOException{
//identify the number of times to run the while loop
int students, limit = 1;
System.out.println("How many students are in this group?: ");
students = myScan.nextInt();

//appendable buffered writing, so we can continue to build our stats
FileWriter fstream = new FileWriter (p_myFile, true);
BufferedWriter myBuffer = new BufferedWriter(fstream);

//print how many students per this group
myBuffer.write(" " + students);

//loop to get all the students' scores
while (limit <= students){
System.out.print("Enter student "+ limit + "'s score: ");
value = myScan.nextInt();
myBuffer.write("\t" + value);
limit++;
}

//formatting so we can open this file in excel later
myBuffer.write("\n");
myBuffer.close();
}

public static void main (String[] args)throws IOException{
//access and open file
String myString = new String();
Scanner myScan = new Scanner (System.in);
System.out.println("What file do you want to use?: ");
myString = myScan.nextLine().trim();
File myFile = new File(myString + ".txt");

//determine how many groups
while (!myString.equals("y")) {
System.out.println("How many groups are you working with today?: ");
System.out.println("[Hint: enter zero to see current scores]");
groups = myScan.nextInt();
System.out.println("You have decided to work with " + groups + " groups today. Is this correct? (y/n)");
myString = myScan.next().trim();
}

//run data entry
for (int i = 1; i <= groups; i++){
System.out.print("For group " + i +": ");
doGroups(myFile);
}

//reading the external text file
Scanner fileScan = new Scanner (myFile);
int groupcount = 1;

//loop for determining the absolute average values of all separate groups
while(fileScan.hasNextInt()){
groups = fileScan.nextInt();
int count = 0;
int average = 0;
for (int l=1; l <= groups; l++){
value = fileScan.nextInt();
count += value;
}
average = count/groups;
System.out.println("The average score for group number " + groupcount + " is " + average);
groupcount ++;
}

}

}

What banal mediocrity.

While Eragon was a mediocre book which entertained, it followed a somewhat intelligent path of least resistance to create an enjoyable experience. Eldest was a pretentious long-winded entry into fantasy which can only be categorized under the term: forgettable. Gosh, this was a long book.

Why even write it about Eragon? After 300 pages, the only interesting things were happening to other characters

After finishing Eldest, I am certain that this book was almost entirely written by the claimed teenage author. The colloquialisms that only teenagers of this generation use which popped up ever so often in this book make me wonder if the author got too power hungry, if the editors got too lazy, or if the publishing company decided to market the book to a more particular and dated audience.

My favorite line? "Barges? Barges? We don't need no stinkin' barges!" Only it was said by a character in complete seriousness. Oh, I laughed out loud at that.

I can only imagine things going downhill for the Inheritence series from here.

Rebecca's cold has passed, but hit me with a vengeance. Instead of being a quick hit though, it took all week of sniffles before on Friday and Saturday it knocked me off my feet and I couldn't do anything. This is a mean bug. I don't like it. [yeah...I didn't like it much either. Who would? -beck]

Rebecca officially took a sick day on Monday to finish off her cold while the rest of her work was being packed up for her move. Everyone was in a huff over the coffee machine being packed too early on Thursday, apparently. Her first day of work at the new building will be on Monday.

But most of the week was just sickness and being tired and staying in the house. We rented Stranger Than Fiction one of the nights, but I can't remember which. Time gets really warped when you're ill. We also played a new game called Betrayal at House on the Hill that the Rocks bought this week. It is a fun game, albeit one with a few glaring flaws. It combines some of the great parts of Clue, Carcassone, and Scotland Yard into one game. But then has problems at the end of the game in making a fair fight. Maybe we have been approaching the game with the wrong attitude: maybe the best part of the game is before the haunt starts. The haunt is only the completion of the game. I'm rambling now, I know it.

In fact, I had a discussion with one of my professors about fun. He claimed, in class, that games aren't fun - ultimately, you aren't having fun while playing a game. He said: you are being challenged, you strategize, you compete; but it isn't fun. I am too exhausted to come to any conclusion about that. [but strategy is fun! -beck] Now if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go back to bed. Thanks.

"You gotta bend your knees! Or you'll have to do it all over again!"

-one of the 7-year-old kids in my Primary class, explaining what she learned about baptism today

I learned this week that even though the new building is the exact same distance as the old one I worked in, it takes less time to get there. Excellent. Something about how driving south on highways is better than driving north on highways or what I usually took: city streets. Plus, it's nice to sit near the people I work with. I feel less...isolated...at work. Less likely to resort to instant messenger to communicate to teammates. :) Oh and my coworkers like that we're nearer to a lot of restaurants. I suppose that's a perk.

This week we played a lot of games; we splurged for date night on a new one: munchkin fu. We played games with various friends several nights this week, and ourselves the rest of the nights. It was a game-filled week. Yay.

We took the opportunity this week to rent The Prestige. Fascinating movie. We kept talking about it for several days, and had to watch it over again before returning it to the store. We have our theories about what happened worked out. We also found an interview with an artist online which we've seen bits and pieces of here and there. Charlie Rose interviewed Chuck Close recently, if any one is interested [and so you can find it on his website]. Chuck Close has done some amazing portraits, and it's fun to see and hear him talk about how he works. Wayne took particular note when Chuck Close talked about paintings he has done and destroyed. Through bonfires. He's of the opinion that you should be careful about what you release publicly, because there's no taking it back. So I'm a little more nervous about the future of some of the older paintings of Wayne's we still have in our spare room.... :)

We were able to make it up to Oakland yesterday to visit the temple. And today Wayne agreed to come to my Primary class to help the 7-year-olds "practice" getting baptized. They are really on the ball in my class and know a lot about gospel principles, but the hands on experience was something they loved. And Wayne did a fabulous job talking to them. I should have him guest speak more often!

Tonight we're headed to see a cellist up in a Palo Alto ward. Supposedly this cellist went to Juilliard and will be performing works by Brahms, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff. Should be interesting! Hope everyone had a good pi day and St. Patricks day. Apparently, it's a Catholic holiday. And here I just thought it was when school kids pinched each other for not wearing green.... And Lent? Sometimes they excuse you from doing your fast or whatever on certain holidays: including St. Patricks day. Who knew?

Last Sunday, we mentioned a concert that we were going up to in Palo Alto. More people showed up than I had expected, fewer than Rebecca had expected. The concert was a refreshing experience, since we haven't had much live music in our lives lately - or at least not much good live music. San Jose isn't a cultural center for the arts and we haven't been making much of an effort to invest in seeing their chamber orchestra. Perhaps we should, just to see if it is worth it. But after an evening of Brahams, Saint-saens and Rachmaninoff I am more determined to cultivate my enjoyment of live Rachmaninoff performances.

This week was the last week of school before a week of spring break. While we had hoped to make great plans for leaving the area, we're still debating on where we would go if we could. Maybe I'll be able to finish the piles of back-work that needs to be done and we can drive up to Oregon this coming weekend or go camping in Yosemite. But maybe not.

Due to the frantic pace of this week, not much could be mentioned about its "going-ons." Regardless, Wednesday evening we drove to Saratoga hills to find the Montalvo Arts Center in the dark, arriving 30 minutes late for a presentation on one of the current artists in residency. But we made it and got to meet the current artist in residency and, for my part, to meet the Montalvo director Gordon Knox. It was a good evening and Julie Myers' (the current artist in residence) presentation gave us some good ideas how to proceed with my own projects.

I have a particular invested interest in the Montalvo Arts Center because of the connections being forged between Montalvo and the CADRE lab at SJSU (by the way, not to be off topic but apparently the University is changing its name from SJSU to something better explaining the CSU status that the university has had for the past 150+ years. However, due to it being the first CSU campus, it never was renamed to match the current system. The school now intends to remedy that.) Returning to Montalvo and the CADRE lab, the two directors have been working together to create a tighter knit community between CADRE grads and the artist in residency workshop, not to mention a link to the Zero One biennale festival. This is big news. Keep it on the down-low, though.

Saturday was a nice breezy day and even though we talked about going out to fly our kite, we never did. Rebecca went with her friend Kate to go window shopping for most of the afternoon and I spent the day researching in SecondLife and taking a realspace 10-mile bike tour of the area. We then watched too many movies and have decided that we can't let the rest of our spring break slip away like this. But onwards and upwards, right?

"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music"

-Sergei Rachmaninoff