Today, the firewall at my college had some major issues. What else is new? They block things like Urban Dictionary and College Humor to be spiteful (we assume). Today, however, they blocked Google and all things associated therewith.
Talk about an uproar.
It was all over facebook (which went conveniently unblocked). The rage in the air was palpable. How can we use our check our e-mail, print our documents or search for anything without our beloved Gmail, Googledocs and Google itself? The world is coming to an end! The Mayans were wrong!
The websites unvictimized by this randomly horrific piece of hardware malfunction?
Facebook.
Twitter.
Cracked.
The Oatmeal.
Honestly. You'd think they WANT us to be bad students.
At least they blocked StumbleUpon.
They got it figured out now and everything is back to internet normalcy. It's good they did, too. The IT department would have had a bunch of angry college students who are dependent on Google's innovations to contend with and wouldn't have stood a chance.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
A Proper Distinction
I have had it up to my eyeballs with bad grammar.
It's rampant on the internet, even among people who seem to be halfway intelligent. Apparently appearances can be deceiving. My respect for humanity plummets 12 points every time someone uses the word "your" in any context other than a possessive one.
I need to develop an immunity to illiteracy or cultivate an intricate defense mechanism like Allie Brosh.
To make myself feel better, I'm going to give a quick primer on the proper distinction between several homophones.
"I can see your education has been neglected."
You're: you are
"You're an idiot."
You no longer have an excuse. Go. Use your new-found knowledge. Fight the fungus of bad grammar like a tube of internet Tinactin.
It's rampant on the internet, even among people who seem to be halfway intelligent. Apparently appearances can be deceiving. My respect for humanity plummets 12 points every time someone uses the word "your" in any context other than a possessive one.
I need to develop an immunity to illiteracy or cultivate an intricate defense mechanism like Allie Brosh.
To make myself feel better, I'm going to give a quick primer on the proper distinction between several homophones.
Your vs. You're
Your: it belongs to you"I can see your education has been neglected."
You're: you are
"You're an idiot."
Its vs. It's
Its: a gender-neutral possessive.
"Don't think about touching its cheese."
It's: it is
"It's a shame you don't know the difference between 'its' and 'it's'."
"Don't think about touching its cheese."
It's: it is
"It's a shame you don't know the difference between 'its' and 'it's'."
Their vs There vs They're
Their: plural possessive
"I was over at their house."
There: location
"You smell gross. Please sit over there."
They're: They are
"Nerdy girls are wonderful. They're some of the coolest people I've ever met."
"I was over at their house."
There: location
"You smell gross. Please sit over there."
They're: They are
"Nerdy girls are wonderful. They're some of the coolest people I've ever met."
You no longer have an excuse. Go. Use your new-found knowledge. Fight the fungus of bad grammar like a tube of internet Tinactin.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Things that Make One a Flaming Liberal
"Liberal" was never a word I applied to myself. Neither was "hippie". If pressed to ask for my political party, I would probably say Republican. Apparently, however, I have some free lovin' ideals that aren't approved by the right wing set.
I go to a small, faith-based university that prides itself on being Christ-centered. The student body is largely Christian and has a propensity for firmly believing what they believe because they believe it.
I've never been one to buy what was being sold without looking at all the options and it frustrates me no end when those around me live an unexamined life. I ask a lot of questions because I want to make informed decisions for myself.
As a result, I am labeled a liberal hippie.
If asking questions gets me that title, I'll wear it proudly.
Excuse me as I go hug a tree.
I go to a small, faith-based university that prides itself on being Christ-centered. The student body is largely Christian and has a propensity for firmly believing what they believe because they believe it.
I've never been one to buy what was being sold without looking at all the options and it frustrates me no end when those around me live an unexamined life. I ask a lot of questions because I want to make informed decisions for myself.
As a result, I am labeled a liberal hippie.
If asking questions gets me that title, I'll wear it proudly.
Excuse me as I go hug a tree.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Unlike Unicorns, Nerdy Girls Exist
Several months ago (July, when Starcraft II came out), I had a facebook status that said "Yes, I play Starcraft. Yes, I am a girl." It was one of my most popular status, garnering "likes" from guys and girls alike.
And like most random, thought-provoking situations, it got me thinking.
Being nerdy is, theoretically, socially taboo. Moreover, girl nerds are virtually unheard of. To the untrained eye, the nerdy girl is usually found somewhere between $100 lying around and unicorns on the "Things You'll Cross Paths With Arranged in Order of Decreasing Likelihood" scale. This misconception is fueled by masculine dominated nerd groups and the stereotype that nerds don't know how to talk to girls. When the subject is D&D or the newest Joss Whedon show, few females can keep up.
Until now.
Not only am I fluent in D&D jargon but I know what CoD stands for, understand the concept of bandwidth, can hold my own in a Marvel vs DC debate, love Dr. Who, have proper respect for Cthulhu, play Starcraft, ask "Then who was phone?!", think Steve Jobs is an evil genius, and want to be first in line to pay my respects to Google when they take over the world.
And I'm not alone.
To all of you on the unicorn hunt: I admire your dedication.
For all of you nerds looking for a girlfriend: Try one who speaks your language. You'll find the conversation much more interesting.
And like most random, thought-provoking situations, it got me thinking.
Being nerdy is, theoretically, socially taboo. Moreover, girl nerds are virtually unheard of. To the untrained eye, the nerdy girl is usually found somewhere between $100 lying around and unicorns on the "Things You'll Cross Paths With Arranged in Order of Decreasing Likelihood" scale. This misconception is fueled by masculine dominated nerd groups and the stereotype that nerds don't know how to talk to girls. When the subject is D&D or the newest Joss Whedon show, few females can keep up.
Until now.
Not only am I fluent in D&D jargon but I know what CoD stands for, understand the concept of bandwidth, can hold my own in a Marvel vs DC debate, love Dr. Who, have proper respect for Cthulhu, play Starcraft, ask "Then who was phone?!", think Steve Jobs is an evil genius, and want to be first in line to pay my respects to Google when they take over the world.
And I'm not alone.
To all of you on the unicorn hunt: I admire your dedication.
For all of you nerds looking for a girlfriend: Try one who speaks your language. You'll find the conversation much more interesting.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I Have Been Inspired
My friend Ryan decided to start a blog, documenting the intrepid wanderings of a witty college student. I got jealous and thought "I should start my own blog, too. I have things to say." And it's true. I do have things to say. The question is whether or not people want to read them.
The name for this blog comes from one of my favorite RomComs: Music and Lyrics. The long and short of it is a washed-up musician gives life advice to his co-star and she's shocked. The following line gives rise to my title:
"I have great insight. I'd use it on myself only I don't have any problems."
So, yeah. I am going to provide insight into all the problems people face while sneakily avoiding dealing with me own in a public forum. Because I don't have any problems. I'm perfect.
Ha.
The name for this blog comes from one of my favorite RomComs: Music and Lyrics. The long and short of it is a washed-up musician gives life advice to his co-star and she's shocked. The following line gives rise to my title:
"I have great insight. I'd use it on myself only I don't have any problems."
So, yeah. I am going to provide insight into all the problems people face while sneakily avoiding dealing with me own in a public forum. Because I don't have any problems. I'm perfect.
Ha.
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