What's old is new again something something something.
Current Music: XTC - Helicopter
P.S. Can someone hook me up with a scanned picture of the 2000 Riverside grad class making that hand symbol?
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Blast from the past
What's old is new again something something something.
Current Music: XTC - Helicopter
P.S. Can someone hook me up with a scanned picture of the 2000 Riverside grad class making that hand symbol?
Friday, February 24, 2006
B'oh Canada
Hey, remember this?
Yeah, not so much this year.
I didn't figure out until the second-to-last game of the the round robin that I could watch Team Canada play on CNBC. Hooray! Then I found out that Pierre "MONSTER!" McGuire was doing colour commentary. Hooray? Then I watched them get shut out 2-0 by Finland. Were it not for the soothing bowl of oatmeal I had with me, I might have yelled at the TV. Then, another shutout to the hands of the Russians, and that's all she wrote. People across the country are livid (just listen to Bob McKenzie's February 22 podcast on TSN.ca* -- he sounds not at all like the jolly McKenzie I remember) and shocked, but not me. I've seen it all before, so many times. I've seen stacked teams fail to score, I've seen lack of cohesion, I've seen Bertuzzi sucking. It's all so clear:
Canada played like the Canucks.
Then! Sami Salo and Mattias Ohlund go down with injuries in one day. What a great day for Canadian Canucks fans. The prospect of Bryan Allen as a number one defenceman just made an uncomfortable chill shoot through my loins, as it always does when I see someone getting sacked.
Oh well. At least there have been no Team USA-style disgraceful incidents, like, say, their trashing of hotel rooms in 1998. Or, say, Mike Modano whinging about the US hockey program. What a douche.
But! There is still hockey to be had. Without Canada in the tournament, I have to root for somebody. Of the remaining four teams, who gets my support? Will it be the grinding Finns? No, mostly because Ville Nieminen's facial expressions agitate me. The powerhouse Czechs? I am completely indifferent to them. The usurping Russians? Ordinarily I would, because it always feels less ignominous if your team is knocked out by the eventual champions, but no. This year, my support goes to:
I've always liked Sweden. Or, I should say, I always liked the idea of Sweden. When I was a kid, I really liked Ikea; it was like an amusement park for me, what with all of the furniture and the wallpaper swatches. What more could a kid want?! Also, I've always felt that the Scandinavians, and the Swedes in particular, are the elves of the human race. Who has anything bad to say about them? Only other Scandinavians. Finally, there's nothing about the Swedish hockey team that pisses me off. With the Finns, it's Ville Nieminen and Jarkko Ruutu (who, I've discovered, pisses me off when he's not wearing a Canucks jersey). With the Czechs, it's Jagr. With Russia, it's the fact that they put Pavel Bure in charge of their hockey program. But not with Sweden. Markus "I like making dangerous and offside passes to Bertuzzi" Naslund isn't there, and Peter Forsberg's resemblance to The Dude in "Gutterball" doesn't hurt either.
After the Swedes, I like the Finns versus the Russians, because it sets up an all-Scandinavian final. So, I officially throw The Internet's Foremost Dickolas Wang's support behind Sweden. Sing it with me!
Sweden: like the Russians, but with heart.
* Earlier on today, I was reading some stories on TSN.ca, and I saw the word "feaTorinog". Let that be a lesson to us all: be careful when using the "Replace All" button.
Current Music: Swedish national anthem "Du gamla, du fria"
Yeah, not so much this year.
I didn't figure out until the second-to-last game of the the round robin that I could watch Team Canada play on CNBC. Hooray! Then I found out that Pierre "MONSTER!" McGuire was doing colour commentary. Hooray? Then I watched them get shut out 2-0 by Finland. Were it not for the soothing bowl of oatmeal I had with me, I might have yelled at the TV. Then, another shutout to the hands of the Russians, and that's all she wrote. People across the country are livid (just listen to Bob McKenzie's February 22 podcast on TSN.ca* -- he sounds not at all like the jolly McKenzie I remember) and shocked, but not me. I've seen it all before, so many times. I've seen stacked teams fail to score, I've seen lack of cohesion, I've seen Bertuzzi sucking. It's all so clear:
Canada played like the Canucks.
Then! Sami Salo and Mattias Ohlund go down with injuries in one day. What a great day for Canadian Canucks fans. The prospect of Bryan Allen as a number one defenceman just made an uncomfortable chill shoot through my loins, as it always does when I see someone getting sacked.
Oh well. At least there have been no Team USA-style disgraceful incidents, like, say, their trashing of hotel rooms in 1998. Or, say, Mike Modano whinging about the US hockey program. What a douche.
But! There is still hockey to be had. Without Canada in the tournament, I have to root for somebody. Of the remaining four teams, who gets my support? Will it be the grinding Finns? No, mostly because Ville Nieminen's facial expressions agitate me. The powerhouse Czechs? I am completely indifferent to them. The usurping Russians? Ordinarily I would, because it always feels less ignominous if your team is knocked out by the eventual champions, but no. This year, my support goes to:
Sweden.
I've always liked Sweden. Or, I should say, I always liked the idea of Sweden. When I was a kid, I really liked Ikea; it was like an amusement park for me, what with all of the furniture and the wallpaper swatches. What more could a kid want?! Also, I've always felt that the Scandinavians, and the Swedes in particular, are the elves of the human race. Who has anything bad to say about them? Only other Scandinavians. Finally, there's nothing about the Swedish hockey team that pisses me off. With the Finns, it's Ville Nieminen and Jarkko Ruutu (who, I've discovered, pisses me off when he's not wearing a Canucks jersey). With the Czechs, it's Jagr. With Russia, it's the fact that they put Pavel Bure in charge of their hockey program. But not with Sweden. Markus "I like making dangerous and offside passes to Bertuzzi" Naslund isn't there, and Peter Forsberg's resemblance to The Dude in "Gutterball" doesn't hurt either.
After the Swedes, I like the Finns versus the Russians, because it sets up an all-Scandinavian final. So, I officially throw The Internet's Foremost Dickolas Wang's support behind Sweden. Sing it with me!
Du gamla, du fria, du fjällhöga Nord,
du tysta, du glädjerika sköna!
Jag hälsar dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
din sol, din himmel, dina ängder gröna,
din sol, din himmel, dina ängder gröna.
Du tronar på minnen från fornstora dar,
då ärat ditt namn flög över jorden.
Jag vet, att du är och du blir vad du var.
Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden!
Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden!
Sweden: like the Russians, but with heart.
* Earlier on today, I was reading some stories on TSN.ca, and I saw the word "feaTorinog". Let that be a lesson to us all: be careful when using the "Replace All" button.
Current Music: Swedish national anthem "Du gamla, du fria"
Thursday, February 23, 2006
What's Wang This Week: my cup runneth over
Last week I decided to take matters into my own hands and try some true independent learning for a change. I borrowed a classic text in complex analysis from a friend and I've been reading up, learning the lingo, brushing up on things I've seen a million times without ever actually being properly taught. Even before that, I started skimming some papers looking for a project. Slightly unfocused, sure, but it was an interesting change.
Then I talked to my prof about him taking me on as his student. In the course of one day, he's lent me a book, shown me another one online, recommended chapters out of a third, and suggested that I attend a two-week summer school in Cornell. I've gone from slightly unfocused to overwhelmed in record time. This is nuts. But in a good way.
In other news, my prof suggested that I attend a two-week summer school in Cornell. I wonder if there's a feasible mode of transportation to get from Cornell to New York City for a weekend. I haven't sorted out details about the rest of my summer, but I'm hoping to take a few weeks off after the summer school and go home (but not before making a pit stop in Toronto. Mak has kindly extended his welcome to me, while Jim... has not).
So that's where I'm at on the academic front. On the blog front, Steve yesterday informed me that both his and my PageRank are now a very impressive 3/10. (In comparison, your PageRank is probably 0/10.) Suck it, Nicholas Wang.
On the Dickolas Wang front, someone left a comment on LUGs.com and none of us recognized the name "mc". In trying to track this person down, I had this conversation with Steve and his friend the other day:
A little later...
But best of all:
w00t
To celebrate my recent online success, I've decided to dedicate an e-mail address just for website feedback. Don't know me and want to bitch but don't want to leave a comment? Don't know me and want to praise me but don't want to leave a comment? Want to sell me things? Direct thy browsers to my profile page, where you will find an e-mail address that I will probably forget to check more than once a month.
Current Music: Jason Collett - Brownie Hawkeye
Then I talked to my prof about him taking me on as his student. In the course of one day, he's lent me a book, shown me another one online, recommended chapters out of a third, and suggested that I attend a two-week summer school in Cornell. I've gone from slightly unfocused to overwhelmed in record time. This is nuts. But in a good way.
In other news, my prof suggested that I attend a two-week summer school in Cornell. I wonder if there's a feasible mode of transportation to get from Cornell to New York City for a weekend. I haven't sorted out details about the rest of my summer, but I'm hoping to take a few weeks off after the summer school and go home (but not before making a pit stop in Toronto. Mak has kindly extended his welcome to me, while Jim... has not).
So that's where I'm at on the academic front. On the blog front, Steve yesterday informed me that both his and my PageRank are now a very impressive 3/10. (In comparison, your PageRank is probably 0/10.) Suck it, Nicholas Wang.
On the Dickolas Wang front, someone left a comment on LUGs.com and none of us recognized the name "mc". In trying to track this person down, I had this conversation with Steve and his friend the other day:
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | Richard, meet MC |
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | MC, were you posting on Richard’s blog? |
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | hello MC |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | OHH a pen tablet, no i didn't buy one yet |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | hi |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | WHAT? |
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | he means "commenting" |
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | Someone named MC was posting on his blog |
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | And he wants to know because he’s desperate to make friends |
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | Sad, really |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | >_< i just said hello to richard....how am i supposed to know where to find his blog |
A little later...
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | so tell me about yourself, Mirna |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | OH is this dickalos wang!? |
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | Mirna has never seen Star Wars! |
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | Yes, this is THE Dickolas Wang |
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | The Internet's Foremost |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | awesome! pleased to meet you (kinda) |
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | e-meet |
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | and you |
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | Are you really pleased to meet a guy who calls himself Dickolas Wang? |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | i'm a big fan |
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | Oh really? |
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | So are you "mc"? |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | YES |
| stevekwan.com | Funk Mastah MC, Richform | I told you! |
But best of all:
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | See, I was considering saying earlier that "You may know me as Dickolas Wang" when you said "I've just met you" |
| Richform | Funk Mastah MC, stevekwan.com | but I decided against it, on account of it being a really cocky thing to say |
| Funk Mastah MC | stevekwan.com, Richform | actually, that would have been the best intro ever |
w00t
To celebrate my recent online success, I've decided to dedicate an e-mail address just for website feedback. Don't know me and want to bitch but don't want to leave a comment? Don't know me and want to praise me but don't want to leave a comment? Want to sell me things? Direct thy browsers to my profile page, where you will find an e-mail address that I will probably forget to check more than once a month.
Current Music: Jason Collett - Brownie Hawkeye
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
This is a mop sink*
Lately I've become concerned with developing RSI (repetitive stress injury; for example, carpal tunnel syndrome). I haven't been experiencing any pain or burning yet, but sometimes I feel like my grip is a little weak. I spend enough time typing that it's a real concern for me. Plus, I'm a guitar player; that puts me doubly at risk, and also doubles the potential loss should I develop RSI. Since I'm so terribly uncoordinated from the shoulders down, I think it would be a damn shame to have trouble with the only dextrous parts I have.
So, I Googled RSI and looked for some suggestions for stretches and prevention techniques. I found this website which had some stretches. Look at this description, though:
I read about four lines of that and gave up. This is the picture which they provide as a guide:
Um, okay.
On to the next resource: this one provides a handy little poster, with nice little cartoons. That's more like it. Moving my torso so that it's diagonal to my hips and that my feet are dug into the floor? I think I prefer the little picture of the dude with the arrow indicating his arms are pushed upwards.
This one doesn't even bother with a description, instead providing animated GIFs:
Now that's what I'm talkin' about.
At times like this, I'm really reminded of what an amazing age we live in. Avenues of communication that used to be completely unfeasible are now everyday, and have been done so often now that they look incredibly lame (animated GIFs? And who drew those guys' hair?) but look how much more helpful and straightforward that is.
I guess it just goes to show: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Well, that's not the point I'm making here, but it's worth noting anyway. The point I'm working at is that a picture really is worth a thousand words. And an animated picture is worth a thousand pictures**.
* This title is for you, Steve (see his original post)
** Literally, I guess, if the animation is 33 seconds long, or 40 seconds if it's in PAL format.
Current Music: Super Furry Animals - Guerrilla (bonus disc)
So, I Googled RSI and looked for some suggestions for stretches and prevention techniques. I found this website which had some stretches. Look at this description, though:
Stand up facing the wall and reach your fingers up as far as you can. While you stretch up also stretch down by placing your feet firmly into the floor. Firm up your legs, extend the side of the torso and bring the shoulder blades towards the wall. Breathe fully as you stretch, walking your fingers up the wall.
Move little away from the wall so that your torso is diagonal to your hips and press both palms into the wall equally. Press into the ground with your feet, firm up your legs and release your tailbone away from the wall. Lift up the ribs and let your head drop slightly. You can also do this with the back of a chair. Place your hands on the chair and walk back until your torso is extended parallel with the floor. Firm up the legs, lift up your abdominal muscles and lift the ribs while releasing the spine, tailbone away from the chair and top of the spine towards it.
I read about four lines of that and gave up. This is the picture which they provide as a guide:
Um, okay.
On to the next resource: this one provides a handy little poster, with nice little cartoons. That's more like it. Moving my torso so that it's diagonal to my hips and that my feet are dug into the floor? I think I prefer the little picture of the dude with the arrow indicating his arms are pushed upwards.
This one doesn't even bother with a description, instead providing animated GIFs:
Now that's what I'm talkin' about.
At times like this, I'm really reminded of what an amazing age we live in. Avenues of communication that used to be completely unfeasible are now everyday, and have been done so often now that they look incredibly lame (animated GIFs? And who drew those guys' hair?) but look how much more helpful and straightforward that is.
I guess it just goes to show: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Well, that's not the point I'm making here, but it's worth noting anyway. The point I'm working at is that a picture really is worth a thousand words. And an animated picture is worth a thousand pictures**.
* This title is for you, Steve (see his original post)
** Literally, I guess, if the animation is 33 seconds long, or 40 seconds if it's in PAL format.
Current Music: Super Furry Animals - Guerrilla (bonus disc)
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Friday, February 17, 2006
You can be replaced
Thanks to Brad, I now know what's better than Garfield.
Random Garfield!
While you're at it, try Silent Garfield on for size too. As someone in that forum said, it becomes surreal, and sad, because now it's just a really sad guy talking to his fat cat.
Current Music: Jason Collett - Idols of Exile
Random Garfield!
While you're at it, try Silent Garfield on for size too. As someone in that forum said, it becomes surreal, and sad, because now it's just a really sad guy talking to his fat cat.
Current Music: Jason Collett - Idols of Exile
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