that other guy’s thoughts

Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl.

I just racked up 500 million dollars in copyright fines.

For those of you with first hand experience of me already know it, those of you without…tough. In small groups, everybody’s got a role to fill; you got the smart one, the dumb one, the pretty one, the leader, and the tool. It’s makes for an average group dynamic. But add somebody like me in there, and you’re ready to climb the pantheon to awesomeness. Because I like my kin before me, am solely here for comic relief.

Two or three rolling on the floor wisecracks per hour, that’s what I bring to the table. My astute observations and utter willingness to mock everyone are the stuff of legends. That is until yesterday.

Yesterday I was cracking the one-liners and excelling with my normal impromptu impromtness. I pulled out all the stops with Roskamisms and witty banter throughout our AIAA meeting. Afterwards I stopped by the main office see Dr. Ewing whilst Chris and Loral made there way through Learned towards Chris’ car, setting the stage for one the greatest running gags of our time…until I whiffed it.

Walking out of the office there was nobody else in the hallway. All that stood between me and my traveling counterparts was 30 yards of uninhabited echo churning hallway, a perfect set up if ever there was one. A simple recalling of my childhood would catapult me to the Mount Olympus of amateur comedy. But nay, it was not to be, for I simply hurried pace to catch up, and away we went. Only later did I realize what I had forsaken, the possible defining moment of my collegiate career.

What Should Have Been

*TOG steps out of the office and glances from right to left*

*after a momentary pause, recognizes his friends, steps to the middle of the hallway and claims his destiny*

TOG: *In the most projecting tone of voice ever* Heeeeey Yoooooou Guyssssssssssss! Wait fer me!!!

*TOG Waddle-Runs faster than thought possible, in the exact nature as Chunk from The Goonies.*

Comedic gold I tell you, gold. None of that happened because I just stood there with the bat on my shoulder, fully unaware that I’d been pitched once of the biggest meatballs ever flung.

I’m losing my edge.

The second rover, Opportunity, is on Mars and doing it’s thing. Spirit is back online and getting ready to head out to the great unknown.

It’s times like these that we should look at the progress humans as a species have made.

Just look at what we can do.

editors note: this piece is the second installment of an ongoing project to critique the intricacies of political quizzes on the internet. The rules and grading scale are available in the introduction of the project, and Phase 1 is available here

The Worlds Smallest Political Quiz
http://www.self-gov.org/quiz.html

1. Depth of Coverage:
Being as how the self-proclamation of being the smallest political quiz, I wasn’t predicting much, and I didn’t get much in return. For only being 10 questions, they cover more area than I expected. No dilly-dallying around it 10 unique questions that really hit most of the high points of national politics, minus of course the utter lack of questions about national security. I anticipated an ultra low score for this one but was pleasantly surprised. 2

2. Practical Question Asking:
Short, sweet, and straight to the point. There is some problems with the questioning, but lack of practicality is not one of them. 5

3. Severity of Slanted Questioning:
Aside from every question’s affirmative answer being the Libertarian point of view and the explicitly defined justification in half the questions…oh wait, that’s basically the text book definition of slant, which doesn’t bode well if you desire to score big in this category. It probably deserves a 0, but because they aren’t sneaky and underhanded about their preference…1

4. Data stacking:
Every question is absolutely different that every other question, while this is a by-product of asking only 10 of them, it still scores big here. 5

5. Reasonable Answer Interpretation:
For the sake of science, I conjured up a series of intellectually consistent views and plugged them into the quiz. Remarkably the simplistic nature of the quiz nails the interpretation of the quiz questions picture perfect. The two-dimensional board is a vast improvement over anything else I’ve seen. They correctly simplify the political spectrum into two areas, economic and personal, and plot you based on how you believe the issues of those areas should be dealt with, of if they should be at all. The “Centrist” category bugs me though, while the rest of the labels are basically political ideologies defined by a set of standards, the “centrist” square basically means you believe a lot of things from different ideologies, and I believe it’s a mistake to define no-ideology as an ideology itself. It’s similar to having a defined religion of atheism; it’s a contradiction of terms. But as I have yet to see better, 5+

6. Accurate Representation of Existing Political Groups/Leaders:
Well done, as pointed out in previous question, not only does it hit the political parties on the head, it graphically explains what there differences are and why you lie were you lie. A little more modernity or examples of political leaders wouldn’t hurt though. 4

7. Bonus Points:
I appreciate brevity, so two points for that; and another point for the cool checkerboard thing. The explanations of political philosophies also earn them two more points. I like the general vibe the site gives out so I award two points for that, but I take them right back for the total disregard of foreign policy issues, which incidentally is essentially the only reason I’m not a member of the Libertarian Party. A quick check of mental math revels 5 bonus points.

Total Points: 27/40, not to shabby

previously on Bread Line

More word now from the job front.

The whispers and shoulder check overing have reached a new level. The only reason I know about ECS’s evil plan to take over the world my job, is because my boss, who wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, informed me. And the only reason he knew was because the aerospace department chairman, who wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, informed him. Thus far the only official sayings have occured in meeting with the department chairs and the dean of engineering. So the information I do have comes 3rd
hand style.

Word on the street is that their takeover is scheduled for August, so if/when the shizzle hit the fizzle, I’ll at least have a job for the summer. Now if I can’t manage to get a research job somewhere for at least as much as I’m making now, I’ll run short of money for tution, room, and board for my final semester. That is of course barring the generosity of any rich old ladied I snog along the way.

and this is why we don’t sign those bogus international treaties everybody salivates over.

TOG officially enters the fray

I’m adopting John Edwards as the official democratic candidate of TOG. He’s got some pretty reprehensible views on free trade, but I like him better than St. Dean, John “I’m a war hero” Kerry, Wesley “Desk Jockey” Clark, or Joe “Hollywood is poisoning our children” Liberman. It most comes from his lack of bestoying eternal damnation on Dubya. He and Liberman seem to be the only ones not claiming G. W. is the illegitamate bastard child of Hitler.

He just strikes me as personable. I’m not ready to actually vote for him in the general election, but out of all the democratic contenders, he’s my guy.

So what say you gentle reader? Ante up and pick your pony. Who do you like? Who blows goats? And how long till Mount St. Deans blows his top again? Uh oh, too late.

courtesy of Cox and Forkum

It’s about damn time

Mark Steyn over at the Jerusalem Post has got an interesting article (sorry, free registration required for full thing) about “Events”. Which near perfectly echos my own observation about the way things work in the world.

Money Quote:

“In the last days of the year there were two earthquakes – one in California, one in Iran. The Californian one measured 6.5 on the Richter scale, the Iranian one measured (according to its government) 6.3. The Californian earthquake killed two people and did little physical damage. The Iranian earthquake killed somewhere upwards of 40,000 people and reduced an entire city to rubble.

Everything fell down, not just the ancient stuff from 1,000 years ago, but the schools and hospitals from the Eighties and Nineties. “