Igor

augustlegacy, posting in uw @ 4:30pm: Selling brand new math book Complex Analysis with Vector Analysis
I have the math book "Complex Analysis with Vector Analysis" by T.M.J.A. Cooray (brand new, because I dropped the class) for $30 or best offer. Email me at hmm123@gmail.com if you're interested. :)

zakmckracken @ 3:27pm: Imagine No Religion (Part 2)
Billboard intended to remind people that religion's not for everyone

..and don't forget to browse the reader comments. They are generally supportive, but there are a lot of bible verses being thrown about, too. I think it's sad that Christians always feel so threatened and insecure.

zakmckracken @ 7:38pm: Sleepthief - The Chauffeur
Sleepthief - Skimming Stones
Sleepthief - Eurydice
Sleepthief - Tenuous

joshc @ 5:46pm: Speaking of boating, that last post reminded me to see if the adventurous snow dragons on the shores of the Wenatchee ever posted pictures of our summer river adventure. It turns out that they did. Unfortunately, none capture scenes of throwing bucketloads of water at other rafts or being thrown cans of beer by teens on the riverbank:


(borrowed from snowdragonadventureshots; more at their online gallery [photoreflect])

savagelove @ 12:00am: My Boyfriend and I Want a Threesome. Where Do We Find a Third?

http://feeds.villagevoice.com/~r/articles/savage_love/~3/375588905/my-boyfriend-and-i-want-a-threesome-where-do-we-find-a-third

http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-08-27/columns/my-boyfriend-and-i-want-a-threesome-where-do-we-find-a-third

Dear Dan: So I've been in a relationship with the same guy since I was about 16. It's been a little over four years now, but I came out to him a year ago about the fact that I'm bisexual, which he has no problem with. Since then, I've had wild fantasies about a threesome with a really hot girl...

toodamnloud @ 3:50pm: Seriously, does anything suck more than taking a break from exercise. The one week my knee forced me to take off from the dojo was fucking awful. I was so fucking bored, and I don't know how you people who don't constantly exercise do it. I only understand elovlance and Mostly Sane Now Daniel. And the two weeks my knee forced me to abstain from running have sucked. I feel doughy, and I got a stitch now that I've resumed. Shit, there's only so much sedentary stuff you can do to fill the damn day, and afterwards, your body feels like hell. My back hurt the entire week I was off. My digestive system rumbled angrily. What the fuck is wrong with America? I mean, aside from the obvious.

savagelove @ 12:00am: Savage Love

http://feeds.villagevoice.com/~r/articles/savage_love/~3/375535191/savage-love

http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-08-27/columns/savage-love

Dear Dan: So I've been in a relationship with the same guy since I was about 16. It's been a little over four years now, but I came out to him a year ago about the fact that I'm bisexual, which he has no problem with. Since then, I've had wild fantasies about a threesome with a really hot ...

joshc @ 12:07am: weekend : seattle


this is from last week, but who can tell anymore?

I got an SMS from my cousin about a plan involving a kayak and caught a bus from my office to Agua Verde. I found them eating mexican deliciousness in the park and quickly fortified myself with yam-based tacos and chips before stowing my possessions in a subaru and lining up to rent a boat. This would be the second time this summer I have voluntarily gotten into a watercraft that required my personal effort for propulsion.¹

We were given lifejackets, plastic seals, and minimal instructions beyond "be back before closing time! (or else you'll owe us lots and lots of money)" and set off across the bay and into the treacherous ship canal. This was the most challenging, least rewarding, and biggest time commitment of the journey, but once we were on the other side we had fun paddling under highways and through vegetation infested smooth waters until I nearly glided over a nutria, which is one of the most horrifying creatures on earth.

Soon it was sunset and we had to huffy back with all of our strength to return the boats before sunset. By the time we returned, we were wet, unpleasant smelling, and proud of our foresight for having thought to bring extra clothes. Once we were dry, we went to West Seattle by car, over the bridge that spans the place that looks like the industrial end of the world, to a place with irregular ventilation. I was on the side of the table that eventually felt like we were going to die from the heat so we left and walked around on the hipster-free streets for a while until we all realized that we were too tired to do anything else.

--

The rest of the weekend was spent doing things like watching the Olympics, having brunch and melted cupcakes, seeing Man On Wire (v. good), and taking unplanned naps.

--

Re-reading this, I notice that none of this sounds as fun as it was. I also notice that the final paragraph pretty much sums up last weekend, too.

toodamnloud @ 4:59pm: That was a little ridiculous. I went running, but turned around after half a mile. My knee feels fine, but fuck, it's raining for real. I dislike that. If it's just a pleasant mist, gently descending from the sky, I can run through that and not mind getting damp, but after less than ten minutes, I had to toss my clothes in the dryer, I was so wet. Sigh.

gingertwinkle, posting in uw @ 4:28pm: Laptop anyone?
Does anyone need a laptop?

I have a HP 17" widescreen (w/ 10 key!), built in webcam, yadda yadda that I'm looking to sell soon. Works perfectly and everything, I just am thinking to switching over to a Macbook and therefore would no longer need this guy. It has Vista and Microsoft Office.


I'll probably put it up on Craigslist, but wanted to check here and give you guys first dibs. I'm sure there are some freshmen (or others) out there looking for a badass new laptop for school.

Just to let you know, the soonest I could get it all cleaned off and reformatted and ready for you would be the second week of September, as I'm moving and will be out of town for a bit this next week. But if that's okay with you then let me know and you're welcome to come check it out and see if it's something you'd be interested in.


You can look it up online, too. Model # is dv9207 (in the dv9000 series, obviously).

Asking around $650.

toodamnloud @ 3:51pm: Looking at the GOP and the HRC supporters who are pissy that she didn't get the VP spot, I have to wonder for the millionth time if democracy really is the best system. I could really go for a nice Roman style republic, where just like our own society, the richest and most elite handle the politics, but are actually kind of good at it, and with a pair of consuls that could veto any legislation they deemed harmful to the people, but had no other power.

Or, much as I hate the idea, could we get some nice, rational robots ruling us? At least then we could claim some level of logic. I mean, seriously, who wouldn't want Data, R Daneel Olivaw, or Optimus Prime as our benevolent dictator? Given what we generally have to work with, Bender would likely be an improvement.

kaaaty, posting in uw @ 3:42pm: room open?
My sister (24/grad student) is looking for an open room - house/apt. Either men or women OK.
She is transferring from Toronto to UW. Does anyone have any leads? I hate to have her look on just craigslist.

zakmckracken @ 10:40pm: Reiki
Over the last year, I've been taking Reiki training and classes, and was attuned/initiated into the Master level on Saturday. I chose the path of Reiki Master (Reiki III), as opposed to Reiki Master Teacher (which would have added another year to training). The difference between the two is largely that I have not been instructed in how to initiate others into the tradition (which is the Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition - Western Reiki as taught by Hawayo Takata).

It's unlikely that I will use Reiki on anyone but myself, except in cases where someone asks me to do so.. no plans to start a practice or volunteer my time at hospitals at the moment. I must admit, however, that my experience with Reiki has far surpassed my expectations. In the beginning, my understanding was that Reiki was a way to alleviate stress in the body (like acupuncture or massage).. but it has helped me in many unanticipated ways.. more than just physically.. mentally and spiritually, as well. Reiki has allowed me to heal wounds in my past and present, and has enabled me to maintain balance in my life. It has also enhanced my ability to see the positive nature of things, even when they're at their darkest.

Reiki is a complimentary treatment. It's not meant to solve every problem that comes along.. but it has made a difference in the quality of my life and overall health. I'm happy that I took the time to learn it. I think the techniques and philosophy will be with me as long as I live. I've already begun integrating them into my magical practices, and will more than likely continue using Reiki in daily life.

twirlability, posting in uw @ 9:02pm: Have any of you rented a mini-fridge at the UW? Was it difficult to get one and, more importantly, are they pieces of crap? XD My roommates and I are thinking about renting one and, obviously, it's a really good deal financially... but I don't want our cheapness to bite us in the ass.

Thoughts? Experiences?

jpelletier1977 @ 8:42pm: party weekend / Biden? Really?
Exhausting weekend but worth it. Friday night I went to a party at a boss' house which was a blast. I'm constantly amazed at how much I LIKE my co-workers. Seriously, it all seems to good to be true. I thank the day that I changed jobs. I've never been happier professionally.

We got home at 1:30am after the party Friday and I slept in as much as I could as I had an exam on Saturday afternoon (which went well). Then I got home and I helped to get ready for the surprise party we were throwing for Chris' Mom's birthday. It was awesome! We ended up staying up until 5am with some of the guests hanging out in the backyard (which has never looked beter). I'm so happy with the way the yard turned out. It feels like another room.

The bathroom is 95% done which is awesome. I'll post pictures once it is done. And the painter wrapped up painting the upstairs hall and stairwell (that was too high for me to do - I don't really do ladders on stairs). We finished staining the fir doors and the house looks AWESOME. It finally feels like our home after 2 years. I'm psyched to start construction on the next project.

Today has been a bit of a waste. We've had downpours all day which is just unheard of for August. We've had this happen twice now this month which is just strange. Anyway, I've been exhausted and slightly hungover so I've just moped around and built some LEGO.

In other news, I'm a little perplexed by Biden as Obama's VP choice. I actually think it is a bad move. I've been wondering though if it was some sort of behind the scenes set up. Here is my theory; Biden is pretty old and in 8 years (if Obama's gets elected twice), he would probably be too old to run. I think this might have been a set up for Hillary to run in 8 years. While she will be 68 at that time, she'll be younger than Biden and might still have a chance if Biden opts out if he feels he doesn't want to run. Maybe?

Either way, as a Hillary fan (who now supports Obama), I think the drama around Biden is going to alienate a lot of voters that Obama needs.

Off to go build some Lego, watch some Battlestar, and relax.

toodamnloud @ 5:31pm: Fucking funny:

zakmckracken @ 4:31pm: Shelfari
If any of you are on Shelfari and want a new friend, let me know. :)

[Here's a link to my bookshelf.]

toodamnloud @ 10:32am: The Next Crisis
Size of the US economy: $13.8 trillion
Size of credit default swaps in the US: $62 trillion
Fair value of credit default swaps in the US: $2 trillion

A credit default swap is basically buying insurance against a borrower not paying you back. But you can take out multiple policies against the debt, which you can't do with say a house, a car, or a business (you can with a life, up to certain limits).

And guess what's going to trigger this one. That's right, the next bailout, of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. By the end of next month, they're going to default on over $200 billion of debt. Let's be conservative and say that their creditors have only insured themselves six times over, instead of fifteen or twenty. That's still well over $1 trillion. Plus, people buy insurance on the insurance. So, if the government steps in, what it's likely to do is bail out only secured debt, the debt backed by property, and let the subordinated debt, the stuff backed only by an IOU, go into default. All that debt gets paid back many, many, many times over to the creditors by all these idiots who sold credit default swaps for this debt, which ultimately bankrupts the people the insurance was meant to protect.

Et voila: the next crisis, and the next bailout. This one's easy though. You just act like there's an overinsurance clause on the debt and make each insurer pay a proportionate amount of the subordinated debt back. However, the dithering will take weeks, and the economy will contract a few percent in the meantime, what with the threat of the total collapse of world economy. Again. I really, really, really wish I had 100 shares of something, so I could sell some calls. Betting against the market is going to be a very, very sound bet in the next few quarters.

squidburg @ 11:22pm: Moving
As we loaded up the first real Bronco-load today I was reminded how much work it is to move. Ugh. I am not looking forward to the next few weeks. I thought we didn't have that much stuff....we're giving a lot away....but there is still so much more! Of course it doesn't help that I am coming off of two weeks of a sickly, constantly-nursing and needing-to-be-carried toddler. I've had very little personal space and poor sleep for quite a while now. But of course it has been worse. I'll go to bed now.

toodamnloud @ 10:48am: Tested and Veeps
I think I'm pretty sick of the idea of "tested" or "untested" candidates. Why? Because frankly, only an incumbent in that office has been tested. Neither McCain nor Obama has been president before, so both are untested. I mean, if we opened it up internationally, we could say, "Mr. Chirac, you've been tested as the executive of a major Western nation with a large economy and a nuclear arsenal. Would you be interested in applying?" But we have term limits and birthright requirements, so at a minimum, every other election, we're going to elect someone untested, and as the last eight years prove, they may fail the test.

As for the VP, some people are already speculating on Biden's chances in 2016. Don't fucking bother. Aside from George HW Bush, the last VPs to actually ascend to office via election were our Founding Fathers. All other VPs who've taken office since have done so because the sitting president died or resigned. He's there to be the number one surrogate, and frankly, we should take the office back to being "not worth a bucket of piss." After Obama wins, I want Biden going around the world, making speeches, dedicating works of public infrastructure, and occasionally breaking a tie in the Senate. I don't want him or any other VP near the levers of power again.

toodamnloud @ 8:09am: I'm good with Biden. The main job of the VP candidate is to be a fucking attack dog, and since Obama has to remain above the fray (well, not quite as far above as he has), it's good he's chosen someone who takes great pleasure out of eviscerating the hell out his opponents. That "a verb, a noun, and POW" comment might just be coming.

toodamnloud @ 8:01pm: Options are fun. Options are insane. Options require me to make a chart to understand. Short sellers require me to be on drugs to understand their insane motives.

joshc @ 4:26pm: urban haute bourgeoisie on hulu.
Dizzyingly good internet news: you can watch Metropolitan in its entirety for the price of two advertisements online [hulu]. Before or after re-watching, you might read this interview with Whit Stillman about it and prospects for new movies [ifc].



(via popwatch [ew])

toodamnloud @ 2:59pm: This one's even better. Why? Not because of the speed. There have been stinging political ads coming out on the same day of a controversy for a while. It's because it's actually from the fucking Obama campaign, hitting back hard.

About. Fucking. Time.

toodamnloud @ 2:57pm: