Sweet Jesus, I’m hyper.
It’s 5 AM and I’ve been giggling like an idiot for like the past three hours FOR NO GOOD REASON. Once you pass a certain degree of sleep deprivation, everything on the internet is HILARIOUS.
Seriously. At 5 this morning, this is what had me on the floor laughing like a moron:
Yes, a comparison chart of temperature scales had me ROTFL. Don’t you judge me!
Other stupid observations made over the last three hours:
- This infomercial is comparing aging women to rotting melons. This is need-to-know info! How can I keep from turning into a dilapidated casaba?
- All my Facebook ads are for plastic surgery. That makes me…disturbed.
- Now I’ve got the TV on mute with the closed captions on. Paula Deen’s on some cooking show and every time I look up I see the word “butter” on the screen.
- Leibniz’ first calculating machine was called the “Step Reckoner.” If that’s not the best death metal band name ever, I don’t know what is.
- Oh my god, all the band members would have to wear massive wigs. I would go to one of their concerts in a nanosecond.
Okay. Now it’s time to pretend to pack for a few minutes while I listen to Dethklok and pretend they’re a bunch of 17th century big-wigged dudes screaming about death.
CONTROL YOURSELF, CLAUDIA
(warning: caps lock abuse ahead. Ready yourselves.)
I should have learned by now that rants about my passions do not a ten page essay make.
Hell, it’s not even a rant. It’s just a history.
But it’s the calculus controversy! HOW CAN I NOT BE EXCITED?!
Seriously, this stuff is fascinating. Even if I didn’t have a massive lady boner for Leibniz, I’d be just as engrossed in this.
Newton was 23 years old when he came up with his method of fluxions and fluents.
TWENTY THREE YEARS OLD.
Can you imagine that? God, when I was twenty three I was busy binge-drinking Red Bull and trying not to spontaneously combust over my pittance of a Master’s thesis (“durrrr, what’s an eigenvalue?”). This guy was INVENTING CALCULUS.
And Leibniz taught himself Latin and was proficient in it by the time he was twelve. TWELVE. I couldn’t even count to ten in another language when I was twelve! He published his first book on combinatorics when he was twenty, even before starting his studies in math.
Freaking salfjalsfhfhsfahghghghh.
I love this stuff, but reading about it also makes me feel like an IDIOT, because what the hell have I done with my life?
But that is immaterial.
And the actual battle over priority between these two guys? Oh my god.
For a dispute over something as magnificent as calculus between two of the greatest minds ever, there was sure a lot of hair-pulling (wig-pulling?) and name-calling going on.
And it TOTALLY wasn’t a fair fight, either! Both men were members of the Royal Society of London. At the nastiest point of their fighting, Newton had been appointed President. He used his power to get a “report” he’d written on his own published as if it were an effort of the entire Society. The report basically said that Leibniz did, in fact, “have prior knowledge” of Newton’s calculus when he started working on his own. It was enough evidence against Leibniz to put him in a bad light for the rest of his life. He had one person attend his funeral when he died in 1716. Yup, the guy who co-invented calculus, the guy who refined the binary system, the guy who anticipated the distinction between the conscious and unconscious long before anyone else, had one person attend his funeral.
I mean, seriously. Isn’t that just sad? Don’t you feel badly for him? He deserved better, man.
Bah.
I’m like beyond hyper excited right now for some reason. Gonna go write some more of this essay, then gonna go work on NaNoWriMo nonsense. Haha, I’ve been pretty quiet about it thus far (shocking!) but that’s because a) it’s not as good of a plot as my previous three were, even though it’s coming along quite smoothly and b) school and teaching have so absorbed my soul that I even keep forgetting to update my word count on the website.
Maybe I’ll put up an excerpt later this month.
HUTTAH!
Meet a Statistician: Charles Spearman
So in my researching for my English essay, I read quite a bit about the Royal Society (or, the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge as its full title stands).
Well, today I found out that one of the main developers of my favorite statistical test EVER (factor analysis) was also a part of the Society for awhile: Charles Spearman!
So let’s check him out, shall we?
Charles Spearman (1863 – 1945) resigned from 15 years of service in the British Army to pursue a PhD in experimental psychology. By the time he obtained his degree he had already published a paper on the factor analysis of human intelligence. This paper impressed many of his fellow psychologists at the time, mainly because of Spearman’s rigorous application of mathematical techniques and models (factor analysis!) to the analysis of the human mind.
In fact, his work was so impressive that it earned him a place in the Royal Society in 1924. Spearman continued his work, focusing mainly on developing new statistical techniques that could be applied to, among other things, psychological constructs and concepts. He was especially influenced by Galton (developer of correlation) and worked to create a nonparametric version of Pearson’s method of calculating correlation.*
But probably his greatest contribution had to be the part he played in the development of factor analysis. Even today, it’s probably one of the most used statistical techniques in the realm of the social sciences, particularly in psychology.
So there you go! A little bit about one of the founders of the super awesome factor analysis. Cool, huh?
*Actually, this ended up as another “two smart dudes can’t get along feud” between himself and Pearson, the latter not appreciating the nonparametric adaptation of his technique. What do they put in that Royal Society water, anyway?
November 14, 1716
The day the world lost its last universal genius*: Leibniz.
I know, I know. “Claudia loves Leibniz.” You all know this.
But why?
Actually, I don’t really know. I know it sounds crazy and weird, but I feel like I have some sort of innate, subconscious, time-transcending connection with the dude, you know? It’s like the stuff I read about him and his philosophy are things I already know on some level and can identify with in some strange manner.
I mean, am I nutso?** Does anyone else have someone (who lived long ago or is living now) with whom they feel like they have this weird connection, even though you’ve never personally met? Or am I just a creepy stalker born a couple centuries too late?
Anyway. Either way.
Today I shall MOURN because SOMEBODY NEEDS TO, DAMMIT!
This essay’s got me all fired up. I’mma go write some more.
TO THE BATMOBILE! UI LIBRARY COMPUTER LAB!
*Several sources peg him as such, it’s not just me being a fangirl
**Don’t answer that
Toasters are Intrinsically Brave
I just hit my 130,000th stumble on StumbleUpon. That translates quite concisely to, “Claudia spends way too much time on the internet.”
In addition, I just found a video of the entire 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
Rockin’!
Ugh, I had a bad dream last night.
Well actually, I had two dreams last night and only one of them was bad.
The first one involved fat dudes and Office Depot. So it wasn’t bad.
The second one, though, involved my eyesight. It started out where I’d be looking at something and then whatever was in my direct line of sight would start to break apart into the visible spectrum like a rainbow halftone print. Then things progressed to where the thing in my direct line of sight would break into the spectrum and then all the color would vanish, leaving me with a greyish blur vaguely reminiscent of whatever object it used to be. Then finally the center of my field of vision was totally gone. It wasn’t black, but it was like a huge blind spot and the only things I could see clearly were at the very edges of my peripheral vision.
Now that I think about it, that’s actually kind of what happens when I have a migraine, though by the time I reach TOTAL BLINDSPOT TAKEOVER I’m usually lying down after chugging a bottle of Excedrin, hoping the pain doesn’t come.
Ha, maybe I had a migraine during my sleep. Can that happen and the person not be aware of it? My migraines don’t last very long, so I probably would have been over it by the time I woke up if that happened.
Anyway.
I posted this quite awhile ago on here, but I’m posting it again ’cause it’s relevant and it gives you an idea of what pre-migraine is like for me. The spazzing rainbow ALWAYS happens right in the center of my field of vision, though, and then everything goes blind spot on me.
TWSB: powers of ten
First, I want to apologize if I’ve posted this video on here before. I’m currently too lazy to go back through ye olde archives and check (read: I’m too lazy to type “powers of ten” in my little search box), so I’m just going to go with it.
I logged into my older, rarely-used YouTube account today and was looking through my favorites list and I found this video.
I don’t care that it’s from 1977, I don’t care that I’ve watched it like 80 times. It still blows my mind. So I thought I’d share it for this week’s science blog.
Like I said when I posted that other video about the universe a few weeks ago: I don’t know how we could ever feel disconnected from one another when we’re all part of this working machine of huge and small alike.
LAKFAJLALSDJFLDHF FREAKING COMPANIES
I’m not a frequenter of eBay, at least not to the extent I used to be. But I logged on today ’cause I wanted to see if anyone was selling any Alex Colman pants.
But before I could even start my shoppin’, this caught my eye:
What in the hell nonsense is this?! Seriously. The old eBay logo was iconic enough that I remember it as being one of the first “brands” on the internet from way back when I first started using it.
But I guess the 17-year-old company didn’t think of that in its throws of teen rebelliousness. It looks like eBay president Devin Wenig ran off to Fonts.com and snatched up the first sans serif that looked trendy, much like a young hipster runs to a newly-opened Hot Topic store to buy a crappy Twilight shirt.
And the result?
A colorful Bing wannabe that unfortunately loses the iconic trigger of the old, playful, “stop bidding against me, or I will INVADE YOU!” eBay.
It’s a sad day for the internet.
Claudia’s Stupid and Ridiculously Short Blog Post
If I ever write a book/paper/thesis/something on the philosophy of calculus, I’m going to title it “dx/dwhy.”
Sigh. :)
Today was a very good day, due in no small part to two very enthusiastic stats students. I spent a total of about 6 hours between them talking about stats and HOW FREAKING COOL all these analyses get once you actually apply them to stuff you’re interested in.
That is all I feel like saying. Today was a very good day.
Go-Go-Gadget Democracy!
Did you vote, fellow U.S. fools?! Better do it.
In the spirit of reminiscing about elections past, I bring you this:
Also, here’s some good ol’ Capitol Steps. Because Capitol Steps is awesome.
Are all Culligan men Aquarians?
Now this is a schedule.
I’m going to drop either applied regression (STAT 516) or discrete math (MATH 176) because even with my insane credit-taking, I’m not sure if I can pull 19 credits while teaching. Plus, I’ve heard that calc II is the bear of the calc trio.
But WOO! I love making schedules.
I teach MWF 3:30 – 4:20, by the way. So if you know anybody that still needs to take STAT 251…
ZOMG
HOLY CRAP.
MIND HAS BEEN BLOWN.
PERSPECTIVE HAS BEEN CHANGED.
PANTS ARE OFF.
THAT LAST STATEMENT IS IRRELEVANT.
You guys probably all already knew this ‘cause you’re smarter than me, but I just learned that the inflection points of the normal distribution occur at the first standard deviation above and below the mean.
HOLY CRAP.
Inflection points, remember, are the points on a curve where the concavity changes (f’’(x) = 0).
I’m not quite sure why that’s a significant thing because I don’t think I’m quite at the math level I need to be to understand it, but I’m pretty sure that it’s a significant thing. Either way, VERY COOL.
I’mma go screw around with calculus now.
Freaking love calculus.
How many blogs would a blogger blog if a blogger blogged her blogs?
801. Have you ever been to poetry.com?
Yup.
Have they offered to publish or honor you?
Of course.
Are you aware that this is a scam?
Indeed.
4802. Is joy more stressful than stress is joyful?
Haha, yeah.
4803. Should history be taught as a series of patriotic myths about heros or should it be taught accurately and truthfully?
Accurately, but I think there’s a level of cultural value to the myths we create.
4805. Do you practice zen driving (just following someone who looks like they know where they’re going and hoping it turns out alright)?
That sounds creepy.
4806. If you saw two monkeys getting it on at the zoo and a child asked you, ‘What’re those 4808. You find a website that will match you up with a lonely soldier who has no family to write to him and you would become his pen pal. Would you participate even if you were personally against the war?
Yeah, that actually seems pretty cool.
If yes, would it be hard for you to keep your political opinions out of the letters?
Probably not.
4809. What kind of email would you like to get everyday?
Any. I like surprises!
4811. Would you ever refer to shakesphere as ‘willie the shake’?
I will now.
4812. When was the last time you talked about your soul?
NO SOULS! MONADS!
4813. Why is the TV show Married By America making a big deal out of how these couples will marry each other ‘sight unseen’ when no one in the compititon is unattractive?
I have no idea, I’ve never seen it.
4814. You have made a friend on the internet. You talk deeply all the time but have never met or even seen pictures of each other. You finally decide to meet. He or she tells you that he or she will be waiting for you in the air port lobby wearing a black dress/suit and a rose. You give no description of yourself. When you get there you see someone wearing black and a rose but they are very very overweight. Do you go over and tell them who you are anyway?
Dude, I would freaking SPRINT over there.
4815. Have you ever sent someone from the internet to a place to meet you but you had no intention of showing up?
Nope.
4816. PETA (animal rights activists) started an ad compaign recently showing pictures from concentration camps and comparing the mistreatment and death of animals to the holocaust. Your reaction?
Oh PETA. I support your message, but you’re so screwed up now that no one takes you seriously.
4817. Who do you feel inferior to?
Everyone.
Who do you feel superior to?
No one.
4819. What do you dislike so much that you could write 4 entries in one day about it?
Microsoft Word’s default font being changed from Times New Roman to Calibri. Yes, that still irritates the crap out of me.
4820. What do you think of notes that have a very good point but are left unsigned?
Nothing wrong with that.
4821. Why do people often say that the arabs just don’t want to farm and industrialize when they invented farming and industry?
People say that?
Doesn’t this show a lack of respect for arab culture?
Sounds like it.
4823. You know that the rising terror alert is all propaganda, right?
Ah, early 2000’s. Bush land.
4824. At what age does dying your hair with manic panic become undignified?
No one’s too old for crazy hair colors.
4826. What do you think of hot pink hoop earings?
Yay!
4827. What has something for everyone?
That black bag the Wizard had in The Wizard of Oz!
4828. What dish would you bring to a pot luck dinner?
Mashed potatoes!
4829. How many people are you friends with that live or have lived in another country?
Quite a few. I chilled in Canada for a few years, remember.
4830. How much would you bet thet there will NOT be another terrorist attack on AMerica this year?
There wasn’t in 2001, was there?
4831. Why do bad things happen to good people?
That’s life, man.
4832. Name a person you seriously dislike because of their actions:
I can’t think of anyone specific.
name a person you seriously like because of their actions:
PETEY!
Would you rather see a really good thing happen to the person you dislike or a really bad thing happen to the person you like?
Good thing to the person I dislike. I wouldn’t want to wish a bad thing on anyone.
4833. Do you know someone who has threatened to commit suicide?
Yes.
attempted sucicde?
Yes.
‘sucessfully’ killed themsleves?
No.
4834. Why do you think the world suicide rate is rising?
It probably is, but that’s probably just a side effect of the world population rising in general.
4835. A woman from New Zealand has offered to let herself by crucified, literally, by G W Bush in exchange for him not going to war. Furthermore, she says he doesn’t have the “courage” to do it. Your reaction?
Dated survey is bringing back bad memories of the Bush years.
4836. Which Mike is more insane, Jackson or Tyson?
They’re both pretty crazy.
4837. “It’s not my business to inject myself into human wars.” — PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, telling The Washington Post why she asked Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to ensure no more donkeys were used in attacks against Israelis, but would not ask him to intervene for people. Your reaction?
If PETA wants us to treat animals equal to humans (or at least with respect), it seems kind of hypocritical to not treat humans with that same level of respect.
4838. Is today an easy day for you?
Sure.
4839. Tyler Dirden says ‘Let me never be complete.’ Do you agree?
Yes! I always want to be able to be someone more.
4840. What movie did you have to turn away from in horror, disgust, or fear?
“Earthlings.”
4841. What does KMFDM stand for?
Isn’t that a band?
4842. Have you ever met anyone that you can’t help being fond of because they remind you of yourself?
HA. No.
4843. If you met yourself 8 years ago would you more likely beat yourself up or give yourself a hug?
I’d push myself down the stairs.
4844. Do you have a nervous laugh?
I have a dumb laugh regardless of nervousness.
4845. What’s your favorite milkshake flavor?
I don’t like milkshakes.
4846. How long, at the very least, should two people be in a relationship before marriage?
SIX MILLENNIA!
4847. How many years can two people be in a relationship without marrying before you start wondering when they are getting married and why they haven’t married already?
I don’t think marriage is a necessary step after some given interval of time.
4848. What challenges you?
Challenge butter! Haha, I don’t know.
4849. What irritates you?
Inconsiderate walkers.
4850. What bores you?
Economics. Statistics RULES, but econ bores me.
4851. Have you paid your parents back for raising you?
Not in the slightest, unfortunately.
4852. In America public schools are funded with the property taxes from the houses within the school district. Imagine you live in a wealthy area with very good public schools. How would you feel about students from a less wealthy area being bussed into your school district at no extra charge to their parents?
I don’t see a problem with that, I don’t think.
4853. Should a child’s education really depend on how much money their parent’s have?
No.
4854. Would you only feel required to help your own kids get a good education?
Everyone should get the opportunity to get a good education.
4855. Would it benefit you personally if all children had access to a good education?
Probably in some way, yes.
4856. Andrew J. O’Conner, a former public defender from Santa Fe, was arrested in a public library and interrogated by Secret Service agents for five hours on February 13th. His crime? He said “Bush is out of control” on an internet chat room, and was arrested for threatening the President. Your thoughts?
That’s pretty ridiculous, but given the questions in this survey, it was probably written in like 2002 or 2003 when “terrorist” was THE buzzword. So unfortunately I’m not surprised by the story.
4857. Let’s play a drinking game where we drink everytime Bush says ‘axis of evil’ or ‘evil doers’ or ‘weapons of mass destruction’. How many times do you imagine you would have to drink in one hour?
There would be mass death due to alcohol poison.
4858. Do vegans really live longer than meat eaters?
I think the studies are inconclusive.
Do they smell better?
You’re asking the wrong girl.
4859. Do you want a lover you don’t have to love?
God no. I want a lover I love to love.
4860. Do you believe that anyone can get ahead and if they don’t it’s because they are lazy and not trying hard enough?
Nope.
4861. Do you forget to look at the different opportunities available to different people?
I don’t think so.
4862. Do you often look at a subject without looking at why it is the way it is?
I think we all do that quite a lot. Human nature.
4863. Do you read any fan fiction?
I do indeed.
write any?
Teehee.
4864. What did you think of the English patient?
I never saw it.
4866. Have you ever created your own ‘what ___ are you’ quiz?
Yup.
4867. What do you think of the Dixie Chicks?
They’re okay.
4868. Are you looking for love?
Meh.
In all the worng places?
Probably.
4869. What do you feel like complaining about?
Nothing right now.
4870. What do you feel like celebrating?
Statistics!
4871. Can a person speak out against their government and still support their country?
Durh.
4872. Do you believe your government has a file on you somewhere?
Probably.
What kind of stuff do you suppose is in it?
Everything Google’s collected on me. So…everything.
4873. Do you own a $2 bill?
Yes.
Is it lucky?
No. It’s just in my wallet.
4874. Would you rather date someone 3 feet tall or 9 feet tall?
3 feet tall.
4875. What do you think of Americans calling fries and toast fried in egg batter Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast instead of French Fries and French toast?
I think it’s hilarious. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to get a Freedom manicure.
4876. Would you rather have a child that is more confident or more curious?
Curious.
4877. If you were going to write a bedtime story for someone you loved what would it be about?
Nakedness and cheesecake. ‘Cause why not?
4878. What is your element?
CARBON! Ha. I’m hilarious.
4879. When are you at a loss for words?
When someone steals my dictionary.
4880. What gets you through the night?
Shutting my brain off and going to sleep.
4881. What is the worst time to be alone?
There’s a certain type of “depressed” I get every once and awhile. It really sucks being alone then.
4882. When are you the most emotionally vulnerable?
When someone steals my dictionary
4883. How would you tell your friend his fly was open in public?
“DUDE your fly’s open!”
4884. Does a good friend tell you you’ve got something in your teeth or pretend not to notice it?
Depends on the situation.
4886. Do you have a good luck charm?
Bah! No need.
4887. What is the essence of You?
DATA!
4888. A word to the wise:
“Tacos.”
4889. Do you photograph well?
Oh god no. I am the least photogenic person on the planet.
4890. Is it a great day to be alive?
Indeed!
4891. What would you consider to be better than sex?
A lot of things.
4892. Some people are just so…
Hateful.
4893. What evil is necessary?
“Evil” is subjective.
4894. What would you do anything for?
My dictionary!
4895. Do famous people have the same right to speak their political veiws as regular people?
Of course.
4896. Are your best years gone by?
Probably.
4897. Are you ordinary?
In some respects.
4898. What are you recovering from?
Grad school. Yes, still.
4899. Did Gilligan ever get off that island?
No idea.
4900. What do you think people think when they first meet you?
“What the hell is that?!”
Why does heat wave and cold snap?
It’s NaNoWriMo time!
I think this year’s plot is going to involve art and music. I don’t have much planned out yet (since when do I plan for NaNo, anyway?), but so far I think it’s going to be about an art history student who decides to research Whistler’s Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1 (aka, Whistler’s Mother). In his research, he finds that the color composition of the piece (as well as other pieces by Whistler) was very influential on the music of Debussy. So he starts researching Debussy to see if he can see any similarities between the music and Whistler’s works.
This leads him to meet this scientist dude who is also studying Debussy, but for different reasons. Scientist Dude is interested in the mathematical models that apparently underlie a lot of Debussy’s songs. They get talking and they find that the similarities between the compositions of Whistler and Debussy’s pieces lie in a series of specific mathematical ratios.
So Art History Guy and Scientist Dude get this idea: why not try to refine these ratios to see if they can create the perfect sound—a sound that’s so appealing to the human ear that any other noise would forever be “inadequate.”
That’s kind of as far as I’ve got right now, but I’ve kind of got a general plan. And of course, since it’s one of my stories, obviously someone (or a bunch of someones) will get killed by the sound or something and all things will end in disaster.
Party all the time.
Throwback Thursday
Was I on drugs when I made this (2007)? Seriously.
This is why I shouldn’t be allowed around Flash.
Also, crappy quality is crappy because Flash 5’s like “LOL WHAT’S ‘OUTPUT TO .WMV?'”
Oh my goodness, internet.
These. Are. Fantastic.
For any poor soul not familiar with the term “YouTube Poop”, a rough definition from KnowYourMeme describes it as, “[a] video that has been made with appropriated footage and collage editing techniques for the purpose of either annoying or entertaining viewers in the increasingly indifferent world of Youtube.”
These are two of the greatest Poops I’ve ever seen.
“Never ever?”
I was literally on the floor laughing at the Six Flags and the raving. And “BAAAABAAAAAR!”
Haha, sorry. I thought these were fantastic. This is why I want to study the internet.
So tell me something:
Why in the hell was I not trained with these awesome videos?
I never knew the hidden sexual potential of that job.
I have such an urge to remix this.
Oh Wendy’s. You have achieved a whole new level of cool.
TWSB: Angles of Understanding
Geometry makes things so much clearer, doesn’t it?
Hey look, music
Well, I was going to do this on the 300th day of the year just to do it on an “even” day, but I totally forgot about it (It was the 26th of this month). So I’ll do it now.
Ignore this if you’re sick of hearing about my musical tastes.
As you know, I recently lost my music ratings and playcounts that have been adding up since 2006. Sad times! So I had to redo everything when I moved my music to Vaio III.
I’m really selective about which songs get five stars in iTunes. Regardless of the continual growth of my music library due to my 365 Songs project, I only allow myself to give 50 songs the rating of five stars.
So I figured I might as well put my newly-revamped top 50 list in case anyone out there was looking for some good (in my opinion) music. Songs are linked to a YouTube video for a watch/listen/both, if anyone cares to check any of these out.
- Any Way You Want It by Journey
- Atlas by Battles
- Baby I’m Yours (feat. Irfane) by BreakBot
- Breathe (LMC Extended Club Mix) by Erasure
- Call Me Maybe vs. Ignition (Remix) by Carly Rae Jepsen vs. R. Kelly
- Call On Me by Eric Prydz
- The Cello Song by The Piano Guys
- Check It Out by will.i.am & Nicki Minaj
- Chocolate Disco by Perfume
- Class of 1985 by Alex Rooks
- Corrente (Courante) by Karl Jenkins
- Death Sentence Lost! (Coldplay vs. Dethklok) by …And Sushi! Productions
- Fantasy (feat. Ruckazoid) by Breakbot
- (Far From) Home by Tiga
- Fireflies by Owl City
- Get Over It by OK Go
- Good Life by OneRepublic
- Happy Up Here by Röyksopp
- Hello (Single Edit) by Martin Solveig & Dragonette
- Hey You by Pony Pony Run Run
- Hide And Seek by Imogen Heap
- Let it Go by Dragonette
- Libertine by Kate Ryan
- Lights And Music by Cut Copy
- Lost! Symphony by Coldplay vs. The Verve
- Madness by Muse
- Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- The Music Scene by Blockhead
- O Magnum Mysterium performed by Robert Shaw & Robert Shaw Chamber Singers
- Paradise by Coldplay
- Paradise (Gabe Flaherty Remix) by Coldplay
- Poker Face by Lady GaGa
- The Riddle by Gigi D’agostino
- Saturdays by Cut Copy
- Secrets by OneRepublic
- Shake It by Metro Station
- Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyoncé
- Sleepyhead by Passion Pit
- Sleepyhead (Cillo Remix) by Passion Pit
- Sleepyhead (Jazzsteppa Remix) by Passion Pit
- Sleepyhead (Neo Tokyo Remix) by Passion Pit
- Some Nights by Fun.
- Symphonies by Dan Black
- This Is So Good (Radio Edit) by Ehrencrona
- Tik Tok Together (Ke$ha vs. The Beatles) by doctordude
- Untouched by The Veronicas
- Valdres March performed by Eastman Wind Ensemble & Frederick Fennell
- Viva la Vida by Coldplay
- White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes
- Without You by David Guetta feat. Usher
You can lead a Claudia to WordPress but you can’t make her update her blog
GOD I’M A BAD PERSON.
I’m really sorry, guys. I just mass-posted 32 pages worth of blog and probably annoyed the crap out of any subscribers. Totally understand if you want to unsubscribe.
Anyway. School + work + joy of teaching stats kind of took over my life. I’d write my blog for the day and then I’d be like “oh, internet!” and get distracted enough that by the time I realized I hadn’t actually posted yet I’d think “bah, too late, must sleep,” so I’d stick it in a Word document.
Flimsy excuse is flimsy.
I’ll try to be better, I promise!
Will a guy riding a Ritz cracker make up for it?
Forgive this, I had a Red Bull
So I’ve been thinking about that video I posted yesterday. I think the reason I liked it so much is because that video basically shows all the reasons why I believe in hylozoism. Something so incredibly vast and beyond comprehension like our universe cannot, in my opinion, be devoid of life itself. It doesn’t just contain bits of life like us and trees and turtles and dogs. It is life. Every infinitesimal bit of the universe holds “life” in my opinion. It may not be life in the way we’re able to see it like we’re able to see the life of a person or the life of an elephant, but I think that in order for atoms and electrical impulses and chemical reactions to come together to every so often create life as we define it, there must be something that’s present in all matter that holds some form of life on its own. It seems too implausible that only very specific combinations of the universe’s material can attain life and can only do so when amassed with just the right selections of other materials.
When the narrator talks about us “answering” the universe with respect to knowing what the universe is, in my opinion that’s a very potent expression of this idea. We are the universe. We are clumps of it that, for a VERY brief time, happen to take on an existence that is aware of itself, that is aware of the ridiculous distances between everything, even down to the relatively extreme distance between a nucleus of an atom and its cloud of electrons, but is also able to bridge this distance by acknowledging it. We know that our own little galaxy is vast beyond the human mind’s capability of understanding distance. We know that the relative distance between the nucleus of an oxygen atom and the inner most electrons is incredible. And yet we still function within the universe, a universe that allows for such extremes to exist but yet also allows for everything on all scales to work as a cohesive, living, thriving unit.
I see it as evidence that everything in the universe contains life when I see such extremes—the very large and the very small and the distance at both levels—working as one. How can we deny the universe a life of its own when we witness the effect of the smallest building blocks of our universe, quarks and leptons and whatnot, on the grandest events we’ve had privilege to witness: super novas and black holes and stars consuming one another? How can we say that the individual components of our universe exist as lifeless “things” when things so seemingly different have such a great effect on one another and the culmination of all these effects is existence itself?
That is how I define this “life.” The fact that things exist and the fact that they keep on existing shows that every component of our universe is responsive to every other component. And again, I don’t mean “responsive” necessarily in the way that humans respond to one another or the way a bee responds to pollen. The response could be chemical, it could be electrical, it could be in ways we can’t even witness because we don’t know what we’re looking for.
And we’re part of this! It’s common to look up at the vastness that is our universe and think of how insignificant we are. But we ARE significant! We are but for a brief moment a mass of “universe stuff” that happens to take the form of “human.” But in the blink of an eye, in the smallest fraction of a second on the time scale of the universe, we won’t be anymore! Maybe in 30 million years a part of me will be a part of a newly forming star. Maybe in 23 billion years a part of me will be a part of a meteor that splits a planet into fragments. Maybe in 80 billion centuries a part of me will be part of another thing that is also aware of the ridiculous distances between everything, from the galaxies to the components of an atom, and is able to bridge this distance by acknowledging it, just as I am as a human today. But regardless of what my parts become, they will retain this “life” that, in my opinion, is present in everything everywhere, always.
And that’s COOL.
Holy crap
This is beautiful. I was freaking bawling throughout this whole thing, I swear to god.
How can there possibly be hatred on this planet when we’re all so undeniably and fundamentally connected?
I am you. You are me. We are this.
(Edit: this is actually just a third or so of the longer, full vid, found here. It’s just that the rest goes into the old “religion vs. science” insanity and is not nearly as awesome as this first part in my opinion. But anyway.)
We’re SOOOOO close!
4701. What is your reaction to beggars and homeless on the streets?
It upsets me that we live in a world where people don’t have shelter.
Are they lazy?
No!
Why?
Homeless people are, in many cases, people who have fallen victim to really crappy circumstances, NOT lazy.
4702. Does pure altruism exist?
Depends on how you define “pure”
4703. Is ‘You like me and I like it all’ an attitude you might have?
No?
4704. Finish the words.
Ch: Chiasm
An: Annul
Ge: Gerund
So: Sonnet
Ne: Nepotism
Bo: Botox
Wi: WiFi
E: Elongate
4705. What’s your favorite science fiction movie?
Can “Tremors” count? “Tremors.”
Make it a double feature. What’s your second favorite?
Anything reviewed by MST3K.
4706. If you had a remote control for people who would you set on mute?
Everyone, but only for short periods.
4707. When have you felt like you were living in the twilight zone?
That time I watched The Twilight Zone
4708. Do you have penis envy?
Hi, Sigmund!
Do you have vagina envy?
Haha, I hope not.
4710. A child is born in Boston, Mass., to parents who were both born in Boston, Mass. The child is not a U.S. citizen. How is this possible?
That child’s born before 1776!
4711. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth?
Mt. Everest was the highest mountain on earth regardless of whether we knew about it or not (that is, it has been since tectonic rubbin’ and slidin’ caused it to be so).
4712. If you had to choose between being 3ft. tall or 9ft. tall which would you be?
Three.
4711. If you could know the answer to any 3 questions, what would they be?:
“How did the universe begin?”
“How will the universe end?”
“What does infinite time feel like?”
4712. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the body or the mind of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
Mind!
4713. Would it disturb you much if, upon your death, your body were simply thrown into the woods and left to rot? Why?
Wouldn’t bother me. I’d rather be available food to animals/worms/microbes than take up space in a sealed box underground.
4714. Would you like to know the precise date of your future death?
Yes.
4715. Would you be willing to give up all television for the next 5 years if it meant 1,000 starving children in Indonesia would eat and get medical care?
Hell yeah.
4716. Name a close friend of the opposite sex:
Sean!
Imagine they are from another country, visiting yours. Their visa is almost expired and if they get sent back to their country they may never get another visa to leave again. Would you marry them if after two years you could divorce them and they would be allowed to stay in your country?
That would be the most hilarious situation ever.
4717. Do you always call/email in when you take a day off from schol or work?
I don’t take days off.
4718. A fatalist believes that the future is mapped out in a pattern. A causalist believes that every event is tied to a previous event. Neither believes in free will. An indeterminist believes in total free will. Which are you?
Free will is an illusion! The universe is deterministic! Free will is an illusion!
4719. Would you rather have a masters degree in ecconomics or creative writing?
Creative writing.
4718. Do you feel the need to defend the honor of your family and demand respect?
Eh.
4719. What do you think about that no one else thinks about?
Stuff you’ll never know! I’m not telling.
4720. Which of the following best describes you:
A laid back person who enjoys watching sports and playing with computers.
An apathetic person who is open minded and passionate about music.
A fiesty person who lacks an attention span.
Avant garde and over confident.
I am none of these things. Except passionate about music.
4721. Why are so many letters silent in French?
Why pick on French? Why can’t English make up its mind about how to pronounce stuff? Why doesn’t English get cool little letter accents like other languages. HOW DOES SOMEONE WITH PARASIGMATISM EXPLAIN THEIR SPEECH IMPEDIMENT?!
4723. What, besides genetics and besides your environment and experiances, makes you what/who you are?
My BUTT!
4725. What do you find:
impressive: the universe
unimpressive: Kim Kardashian
4726. How easily do you understand Shakesphere?
Fairly easily. Better than I used to.
4729. What’s your favorite girl scout cookie?
Trefoils are BADASS.
Is it made from real girl scouts?
Three per cookie.
4730. How do you open your car door when it freezes shut?
I have no car.
4731. Why is it that 95 percent of the letters in french words are not pronounced?
What’s with the French-bashing?
4732. What are you Dreading?
My hair! Hahaha, hilarity.
4733. When will your ship come in?
When it damn well pleases!
4734. Do you create your art for free?
Yup.
4735. The Pope’s recent message to George Bush is ‘Go into Iraq and you go without God’. What do you think of this quote?
Rock it, Pope!
4736. Have/would you ever taken a botany (plants) course?
That would be cool.
4737. Are you using your own computere or someone else’s to take this survey?
Oh my god the spelling keeps deteriorating.
My own “computer.”
4742. Is it true what they say about Star Trek movies, that only evey other one is worth seeing?
I don’t know, I’ve never seen Star Trek.
4743. Someone once said, ‘Every possible outcome of something takes place in a parallel universe. So there is free will, but your choises only determine which of those parallel universes you live in.’ Your reaction?
I don’t think parallel universes necessitate free will. Maybe in each possible universe all the “choices” within that universe are already determined.
4745. Is there a difference between what is legal and what is ethical?
Sometimes, yes
Should there be?
Ethics are such a grey area. Legality probably shouldn’t be that grey.
4748. When looking at a clear night sky what constallations can you locate?
The Big Dipper’s over our house when we can see it, but that’s about it, haha.
4749. What movie has the worst ending ever?
“Dude, Where’s My Car?”, if by “ending” you mean “whole plot”
The best ending ever?
I really liked the director’s cut ending of “The Butterfly Effect.” I caught the end of the movie on TV a few weeks ago and was like “what is this nonsense?” before realizing that they were televising the edited ending.
4750. Are you feelin’ groovey?
Hell yeah.
4751. Oh the tangled web we weave when:
We pretend we’re spiders.
4752. Do you own anything velvet?
No.
4753. Who have you been friends with the longest?
Technically? Aneel.
How long have you two been friends?
We were in the same preschool class.
4754. Who do you feel like you are in competition with?
Everyone.
4756. What subject are you so familliar with that you could you write an FAQ (frequently asked questions) list about it?
Fit indices used in structural equation modeling
What would one question on that list be?
“Do any of these damn indices work like they’re supposed to?”
What is the answer to that question?
“Nope!”
4757. ‘Don’t use the rules.
They’re not for you – they’re for the fools
and you’re a fool if you don’t know that.
So use the rules you stupid fool’
How do you feel about these Clash lyrics?
Haha. Cute.
4759. Have you read any of Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty books?
No.
If yes, what did you think of them?
Horses freak me out.
4760. Can you do any voices or impressions and if yes, what ones?
I can imitate Barney Rubble surprisingly well. Blame Nick for that discovery.
4761. Guys, is it true that gentlemen prefer blondes? Girls, do blondes really have more fun?
You should ask a blonde.
4762. Do you enjoy sneaking up on people?
No.
4763. Do you often break plans?
I try not to.
4764. “Angry” and “hungry” are two words that end in “gry”. There are three words in the English language. What is the third word? Everyone knows what it means and everyone uses it every day. Look closely and I have already given you the third word. What is it?
Isn’t this a trick? Isn’t it “language”?
4765. Does anyone smoke in your home?
Nope.
4766. Have you ever actually seen a pink elephant?
My life is pink elephant.
4767. The answer to 4764 is “language”. Did you get it?
HA I knew it.
4768. What was the most embaressing or crazy thing you ever dreamed?
I had that dream about Lady Gaga’s underwear that one time.
4769. Are you depraved (marked by corruption or evil; perverted)?
I’m a band geek, of course I’m perverted.
4770. Who or what comes to mind when youhear the words:
the dangerous objects factory?
A scissors factory. Don’t run!
the dude who says dude?
Isn’t that from a movie?
the man in black?
MIB.
the catastrophe involving food?
My attempts at cooking.
4771. In blackjack, do you often double down?
That sounds dirty.
4772. Who’s the big winner?
Not me!
4773. Who do you care more about, your close friend in elementary school that you lost touh with or your first lover?
My old friend Anastasia.
4774. What’s your favorite part of a cat?
Its purr box!
4775. What was on the last cd you burned?
Haha, I can’t remember.
4776. If you wanted to learn a new language would you consider buying a Disney movie in that language to pick up pronunciation?
Sure, why not?
What Disney movie?
Hercules!
4777. Is there a modern plague? What?
Idiocy.
4778. Are your baths and showers so hot that your skin gets red?
Haha, yeah.
4779. When you dry your body after a shower do you dry your parts in the same order each time, almost automatically, or do you dry your prts in a random order each time, thinking about it while you’re doing it?
There’s a time and a place to feel myself up, and it’s not when I’m freezing cold after a shower.
4780. Do you feel like those who are speak a language around you that you can’t understand are making fun of you?
Sometimes.
4781. If you were blindfolded and your love/partner was placed in a line of fifty people could you pick him or her out only by:
I don’t have a “love/partner”, but let’s pretend it’s a certain someone, eh?
touching the face of each person?
Yes
feeling one elbow of each person?
No
smelling the breath of each person?
HA NO
licking the neck of each person?
Possibly
listening to the breathing of each person?
Yes
psychically sensing each person?
Maybe
4782. Close your eyes and turn your head towards the room you are in. Open your eyes. Describe the first object you see without telling what it is:
A cerulean piece of cloth with a big yellow cross on it.
4783. What three questions will you never say NO to?
“Do you love statistics?”
“Want to wear this ostentatious [insert piece of clothing ere]?”
“Would you want to be able to smell?”
4784. Would you like to see an American in Paris?
Is that a movie? I’ve never seen it.
4785. Are you more of a couch or a scratching post?
I’m a Saturday.
4786. What is more important, imagination or knowledge?
Both are important!
4787. Would you consider modern life to be rubbish?
Life is what you make of it.
4788. What’s the most sinful food?
Iniquity O’s! Now frosted with Original Sinnimon.
Yeah, I went there.
4789. Name one thing about yourself that you are excessivly proud of:
The fact that I can spell ‘excessively.” Or my immune system. Can one be excessively proud of one’s immune system?
4790. If you went to Hell (imagining there is one) rank these punishments in order of the one you would most prefer to the one you would least prefer.
being broken on the wheel: 4
being put in freezing water: 1
being force fed rats and snakes: 6
being smothered by brimstone and fire: 2
being dismembered alive: 7
being boiled in oil: 5
being thrown into snake pits: 3
4791. What other windows or websites do you have open on your computer right now?
Oh man. iTunes, MSN Messenger talking to my mom, R, Tinn-R, four Word documents, two IE windows, one with seven tabs, one with three. Party all the time.
4792. What kind of student were you in kindergarten?
I was a good student. I was quiet, I think. I monopolized the blocks to build massive structures.
4793. What misjudgment do many people make about you?
That I’m like twelve years old. I’m 24, dammit!
4794. If you had been named according to your personality what would your name be?
I’d have the same name. “Claudia” means “lame”, you know.
4795. What is made for kids but you love it anyway?
Oh my god, those little motorized mini Jeep things that are made for like five year olds. I ALWAYS WANTED ONE. But they only hold like 80 pounds so now I’m too fat for them. Sad day.
4796. Do you believe that China shuld cease to occupy Tibet?
Yes.
4798. Dedicate a song to someone now.
Okay.
What song?
“Say Goodnight and Go”
To who?
That’s a secret. :)
What line from that song most makes you think about this person?
“And then I’m left in bits, recovering tectonic trembling/You get me every time”
4799. Can you live completely in the moment giving no thought to past or future?
Haha. No.
4800. Can you honestly say that nothing bothers you?
I’m me. Everything bothers me.







