Friday, February 26, 2010

WIDWIW: PowerBar

Tonight we issue yet another "Whatever, I Do What I Want!" Award.

Tonight's WIDWIW award goes to the producers of the latest PowerBar commercial. The commercial features Lamar Odom, who shows up at a local random gym. When someone asks him what he's doing, he says "Just eatin' new PowerBar Energy Blasts...before I go dunk on the moon." He pops in a PowerBar blast, grabs a ball, and then blasts upward with a rocket on his back.

Ok. I get it. Eat PowerBar and I can jump really high.

But here's where things go wrong. On his way up, Odom says "Get outta my way, Saturn!" He says this as he passes what is clearly Saturn - a planet with rings. After a mid-space refuel, he finally reaches the moon, which has a basketball hoop on it, that he dunks on.

There's obviously a lot of ridiculous fiction going on here that I can forgive. But one thing I just can't let slide on by. Really? He has to pass Saturn to get to the Moon? I had no idea Saturn was on the way. There wasn't any other space object that you could pick that might ACTUALLY be in the way, rather than choose a planet that is 142,316,000 kilometers OUT of the way. Was "outta my way, asteroid" or "outta my way, alien" too difficult for Lamar to say? I doubt it.

Maybe I am missing the point. Maybe everything about the commercial is so ridiculous that Saturn was intentionally chosen to add to the effect. I guess that would make sense. I really hope that's the case. If not, then congratulations, producers, for your own take on astronomy.

Birthday Wishes and HTTM:CTAM

Today is a special day. February 26th doesn't have a whole lot of significance to the vast majority of the population, but for me it is important for two very good reasons.

The first is that today is Henry's birthday. Sir, I hope you are enjoying yourself in beautiful weather down in Florida, and that everything is splendid and grand. We will meet again soon.

The second reason is that today begins a month of anticipation and excitement. Today is February 26th, which means that we are now officially one month from the release of the greatest cinematic production of the millennium.

I speak, of course, about Hot Tub Time Machine.

I have been looking forward to this movie for what feels like years (in reality, it has only been a few months). The following is the description of the plot on IMDB's web page for the film:

"Four guy friends, all of them bored with their adult lives, travel back to their respective 80s heydays thanks to a time-bending hot tub."

I don't know how I am going to make it through this month. The film...nay...experience....stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke.

It's hard for me to put into words my true feelings for this movie. After an extensive search for a representative metaphor, here's what I got. There are snakes that go months without eating. Then they finally catch something, but are so hungry that they suffocate while eating. Am I saying that i will die from seeing this movie? Well that depends - can you die from laughter? Time, specifically time travel in a hot tub, will tell.

And so begins what I now dedicate as HTTM:CTAM - Hot Tub Time Machine: Countdown to Awesome Month. T minus 28 days. If there is a midnight show Thursday night, I will be there. In the words of Tim, "All holds barred!"

Finally, today's quote of the day comes from Liesl.
"Can you imagine me kickboxing? I actually pack a really lame punch...
I would want to meet me in a dark alley."

That's all for now. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

In case you haven't seen the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DCFPS58KYY

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Omegle, Chatroulette, and Broken Bones

A couple months ago I discovered Omegle (sorry, I can't remember who told me about it. If I remembered I would give you credit!) Anyway, the concept is simple - you hit a button, and it connects you to another user. Anywhere in the world. You just IM back and forth, and you can disconnect at any point and move on to someone else.

This seemed like a recipe for disaster. I could pretty much write the story already - old creepy person convinces young impressionable teen to reveal details about themselves and meet them somewhere. Shocking news and law suit ensue.

But I came around. I mean, it's just text. How bad could it be? I decided to give it a shot. Here is a transcript of my first conversation:

You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
Stranger: hot male w pic?
You: no
You: no I am not
Your conversational partner has disconnected.

To be honest, I really should have seen that coming.
But of course, like all things on the Internet, it has been taken further.

If you haven't heard of Omegle, you may have heard of Chatroulette (thanks David for filling me in). It's the same concept - hit a button, connect to anyone in the world, and disconnect at any time. The difference is that instead of just text, its done using your webcam and microphone. So you actually see and hear the person on the other end.

Unfortunately, it appears that upwards of 46% of chatroulette users are...how shall I put this...males enjoying the pleasure of their own company. And I must say, I really do not need to see that. And by I, I think I speak for everyone. Chatroulette is once again a great idea taken a horrible direction by people of the world. A great big thank you to all those guys out there.

Anyway, try either at your own risk.

On a different note, a sincere Get-Well-Soon to Lisa, who broke her wrist snowboarding this weekend. David was able to avoid such an injury by, as he put it, "resisting the instinct to stop yourself with your hands." So kudos, David, for stopping yourself with your face instead. In a related note, do you snowboard in circles because one leg is shorter than the other?

My advice has always been the same - if you're gonna get hurt, do it in a car accident that isn't your fault. My BFF Carolyn had the same injury after getting T-boned, and I imagine it's a lot easier dealing with the recovery with a few grand to help out. It just seems like a logical solution, that's all.

Well that's all for now. This Computer Law paper outline isn't going to write itself.
Note to self: Invent self-writing outline.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Quote of the Day, and Why, Law School, Why?

Today's Quote of The Day comes from Jenn and Sue

Sue: "You're more Asian than I am."
Jenn: "That's true...oh! Guess what I had for lunch?!?"
Sue: "Rice?"
Jenn: "No, cheese and crackers."

Want more? You got it! An unprecedented Quote of the Yesterday comes from Michael

Michael: "I break out to Nair"


I had a moment recently that best described the side of me that is frustrated by law school. In Criminal Procedure, we've been talking about when Fourth Amendment searches and seizures are appropriate. As it turns out, the standard is quite different for homes as opposed to cars. There's a slew of cases that establish the different standards to be used in each case.

It took a while, but I eventually was able to wrap my head around each. I finally had it all figured out. I then looked at my syllabus, opened my book to our next case, and read the following:

"We granted certiorari to decide whether law enforcement agents violated the Fourth Amendment when the conducted a warrantless search, based on probable cause, of a fully mobile "motor home" located in a public place."

Really? I get this distinction between homes and cars, and then you throw me a motor home?!?!?! Thanks. Thanks a lot. I was, however, greatly amused by the dissent's humor, who described the inquiry of whether the motor home was a house or a car as follows: "If the motor home was parked in the exact middle of the intersection between the general rule and the exception..." But after all this talk about parking and intersections, he concluded it should be treated more like a house. Nice one, Justice Stevens. Nailed it.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Profiles in Awesome: Mr. Libby

Today I present part 2 of my 497 part series, "Profiles in Awesome." Today's spotlight shines on someone near and dear to some of us - Mr. Libby.

Rather than starting at the start, Mr. Libby's awesomeness begins in the middle...his middle name that is: "Danger." Don't believe it? I didn't at first, but as it turns out, it's in his email address, so it must be true.

Those looking to g-chat with this leader of men roll over his name and are encountered with two things. The first is a clever g-chat status. It is currently "Tremendously Tremendous." This beautiful adverb-adjective combo describes not only the quality of his life but the feeling he brings to anyone around him. The second thing you encounter is his picture - a Furby. It takes a confident man to represent himself to the world with such an image. But last time I checked, confidence is a POSITIVE character trait, which means Mr. Libby is not lacking it in the slightest

As a child growing up in the northern wilderness of Maine, Mr. Libby enjoyed lumberjacking, lobstering, and watching "Aaahh...Real Monsters!". As a third-grader, he read at a sixth-grade reading level. To this day, he holds the record at his Elementary School for most successful Oregon Trail ventures.

Today, Mr. Libby spends his time on law school related activities, spending time with his beloved canine friend, Goose, hustling unsuspecting opponents in beer pong )by pretending to be bad, and then going, in his own words, "En Fuego"), or just generally spreading joy to those around him.

Citizens of Las Vegas - be aware. Mr. Libby is headed your way shortly. You are in for a treat.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Google Buzz and WWTD

It's been a while. My apologies for the delay, but I'll get right to it.

Google's latest feature has been causing quite the...what's the word...something like commotion, but shorter and catchier...not sure. Anyway, I'm talking about Buzz. Buzz is basically Facebook status without Facebook. Twitter without the character limit.

But the biggest plus for Buzz compared to these other two is it's convenience. It's right there in the same window as your Gmail, and you get a notification EVERY time someone posts something new, or someone comments on someone else's post. You can control really easily who your following, and it suggests people to follow.

Putting any privacy concerns aside (Google going through your contacts, etc.) I'm gonna go ahead and say I'm a fan. For the most part. And here's why.

1. Auto-post. As soon as I finish this entry, not only will it be uploaded onto Blawegsome, but it will also show up as a Buzz entry. This is pretty sweet. You can also set Buzz to upload your tweets. Ok...I'm alright with this. What I am NOT ok with is people setting it to upload their G-chat status. I can see your G-chat status. It's right there, like 2 inches below the Buzz link. If I don't need to go to a separate website to see it, having it show up on Buzz is worthless. C'mon people.

2. Picture and Link viewer. If your post has a link or a picture, it will show a mini version of the link or picture in your Buzz. This is nothing new - facebook status has been doing this for a while - but it is a 1-up on Twitter and is super convenient.

3. One-click-and-done. If your little buzz counter says Buzz(4) and you are tired of having to see it bolded, all you have to do is click it, and it will load up and then go back to zero. This is different from, say, Google Reader, where you have to scroll through posts to have them marked as "read." Noodles - please forgive me for saying something bad about Google Reader. Don't go all Spicy Noodles on me now...

4. It's optional. If you don't like it, disable it. It's that easy.

Overall, I'm a fan. It keeps me posted on the random thoughts of others - which is a nice break from my own welcome thoughts.


I'll leave you with this, my first edition of WWTD, or What Would Temple Do?
Here's the situation - you are coming down the stairs and see your friend sitting at the bottom on a phone conversation. If you are Temple - what do you do?

A) Walk by and pretend he does not exist

B) Walk by and wave, but don't say anything as to not interrupt the conversation.

C) Stop on the stairs so you are directly above him, and hock a loogie in fake preparation for a spit attack.

If you guessed C...you are correct! Don't get me wrong though - it was hilarious. I fully encourage hocking in a variety of situations. The fact that she didn't realize I was being interviewed made it so much better. You da man, Temple...well...sort of...

Next post will be sooner. I promise.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Winter Olympics: Making them Better.

Tonight's main focus is on the Winter Olympics. It's no secret that the Winter games are generally regarded as inferior or less interesting than the Summer games. Maybe its because the summer games have more variety. Maybe its because the US is better. Is it a lost cause? Or are there things we could do to make the Winter games more interesting? A few ideas come to mind.

1. Ok, the Winter games are definitely not opposed to combining disciplines. Nordic Combined mixes ski-jumping and cross-country skiing. Biathlon brings cross country skiing and rifle shooting together. This is a good start, but why not take it to the next level? For biathlon - replace the rifles with paintball guns and the target range with the short-track speed skating course. Moving targets are much more fun, and throwing the threat of getting nailed with a paintball would definitely change speed skating. I think for the better.

2. Curling is totally underrated, but not likely to gain popularity without a drastic change. So, have both teams go at once. From opposite ends. Here's how it goes. Each country has two teams - 1 team on each end of the ice. At the same time, 1 team from each side shoots the rock. The threat of a mid ice collision would really test their skills.

3. Minimize mechanical difficulties during the opening ceremony. I get that it's elaborate, but if you're gonna have 4 people standing there with torches, you should really have 4 pillars for them to light. I guess China set the bar way too high anyway.

4. The summer Olympics not only have more sports, but they are things which normal people can relate to - running, basketball, tennis. Even if we can't do them as well as Olympic athletes, we can still DO them. The Winter games needs to cater to the little guy as well.
Some potential sports:
-Snowball fighting
-Hot cocoa drinking
-Artistically bailing out of a sled before you hit that tree/fence.
-Snowman building
-Tunnel digging: you have to dig a tunnel and get your team to some location. Tell me you would not watch that.

Just some thoughts. IOC - Call me and we'll discuss.

I must say thanks to everyone for the feedback on the "Williamsburg State of Mind" video. The response has been overwhelmingly awesome. Thanks to everyone who watched it, I hope you liked it! We really appreciate all the wall posts and texts and everything. You guys rock.

That's all for now. Oh and speaking of Winter, here's to hoping that we are finally done with massive snowstorms for the winter. The first one was cool. The one that canceled school for a day was nice too. But at this point any more would just be snowverkill.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Perfect High Five

One of my favorite "cool tricks" is the elbow trick. When you are giving someone a high-five, the best way to avoid an embarrassing miss is to look at the other person's elbow. If you lock your eyes on the other person's elbow, and just let your hand swing in for the high five naturally, and the other person does the same, you won't miss. Guaranteed. 60% of the time, it works every time.

This is pretty awesome. But it was not nearly as awesome as what happened when I shared this tidbit with Nick, Jill, and CJ. I demonstrated with Jill. She thought it was kind of cool. As did Nick. CJ, though, seemed skeptical. This is a common reaction. Let's do a little quiz here.

What did CJ do next?

A) Claimed she didn't believe it, but refused to try it with someone at the risk of being proven wrong.

B) Claimed she didn't believe it, tried it with Nick, but intentionally missed to try to prove a point.

C) Tried it with Nick, had it work, and became a believer.

D) Tried it...with herself. Stared at her elbows and gave herself a high-five. Aka clapped. Then proceeded to close her eyes and flail her arms about convinced she was "trying it out."

If you guessed D, you are correct. CJ...when other people are around, and someone shares something with you about giving people high-fives, how could you possibly think that the best course of action is to try it out with yourself? There were at least 3 other people around who would have been willing to give you a high-five!


Also, it's a snow day! More on that later, but for now, a little reminder that the snow can be tough on some: Teddy Bears.
http://dcist.com/2010/02/snowmaggedon_10_in_time_lapse.php
(Special thanks to Annie for the link!)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Newly Renovated Bathrooms: A Review

After months of construction, the bathrooms across form the library have finally opened up again. A few observations:

(Please note: I have only been in the Men's bathroom. I cannot speak for the Ladies' room.)

The first thing I noticed was the first temporary signs put up: "MENS" and WOMANS." This was quickly changed to "WOMENS RESTROOM." No harm, no foul.

When you first walk in, you are encountered by a large amount of stainless steel. I almost thought I was in a Chipotle. But it looks nice and shiny, so I'm a fan.

The old smell has been replaced by the smell of new paint. When this fades, hopefully it will be a pleasant...well, lets go with neutral...smell.

Here's the most interesting thing. For a guy using the urinal, going through the process (don't worry, this is G-rated) involves switching from hands to hands free quite often. Allow me to explain...
-Open the door to the bathroom: Hands Required.
-Flush the Urinal: No Hands Required (It's automatic)
-Get soap: Hands Required
-Rinse off hands: No Hands Required (Sink is automatic)
-Dry off hands: Hands Required

Why the discrepancy here? Ok, maybe an automatic door is too much, but if you install an automatic flushing urinal and an automatic sink, why would you not also install an automatic soap dispenser? And how about an automatic paper towel dispenser, or an air dryer? It just doesn't make sense!

All in all though, I'm pretty pleased with the new restrooms. It's at least nice to have them open again.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Whatever, I Do What i Want: Classroom Edition

There are a lot of different ways to hate on people. Weekend update does "Really?!?! with Seth (and sometimes Amy)." That guy on YouTube does "C'mon Son" Colbert does "Wag of the Finger." As for Blawegsome, I've done mine through one of my oldest segments - the "Whatever, I Do What I Want" Award.

Today's WIDWIW Award goes to Mr. Braswell. Sir, for a long time we put up with your refusal to whisper your comments in class, and instead say them in a voice only slightly quieter than normal, making it difficult for anyone within a 15-foot radius to actually hear the professor. But this award goes to you for a more recent...how should I put this...abomination you have brought into our lives.

I refer to Mr. Braswell's "reading assistant" - a stand that he can prop his book up on so he can read it easier. There are a lot of things in the world that make life difficult. Having to look down to read something in your book is not one of them. And don't even try to say that it saves space on the desk. If you try to pull that, I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told the guy in New York this weekend who opened his coat to show me a "rolex" - I'm not buying it.

If you insist on being fancy and making the rest of us look like fools, let me go ahead and give you some more merchandise to look into. You could get a teacup, and every time you answer a question in class, you could take a sip of tea. But don't forget to stick that pinky out - cause otherwise you're just a commoner drinking tea. You could get some polo shirts and pop the collar. You could get some pants that are fancy. That would be entirely appropriate. Cause when you bust out that book stand, that's all you become to me. Mr. Fancypants.

Maybe one day I will come around and see the wisdom in your ways. But today, I can't bring myself to give you props for that book stand (pun intended). I hope it unexpectedly snaps one day, creates a class disturbance, and causes you an embarrassing moment. Good day.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Blawegsome on Location: Richmond Airport

Sometimes you wake up with an unwavering feeling that something about today will be epic or extraordinary. Today was one of those days.

The plan for the day was simple: Trademark class at 10, where Dave and I would do one last practice argument. Then Crim Pro at 11. Head to the airport for a 4:00 flight to LaGuardia. Check into the hotel. Prep, and hit the sack early for the competition tomorrow.

Unfortunately, Madre Nature-o had other ideas.The day began at 7:00. I woke up and looked outside. While there was still plenty of snow leftover from last weekends snowstorm, no new flakes were falling. I emailed Dave, and we decided we would go to class. By 9:00 it was starting to come down hard. But it wasn't sticking yet...we had some time.

We mooted for the TM class. All was going well. By 11, the snow was starting to stick, so we decided it would be best to head to the airport and try to get an earlier flight. Got there safely, parked the car. As we are standing waiting for the shuttle to the terminal, Dave gets a voicemail. Our flight has been cancelled. We get to the terminal, to see if there's anything they can do. Fortunately, there are two seats on a different flight headed to JFK that is still running. We'll take em!

After initially questioning the validity of our transfer, the Delta people confirmed that we did in fact have seats on the plane.

A crisis has been averted. It is currently 2:00, the flight leaves in about 40 minutes. Something tells me the drama of today is far from over...

An update and more to come later!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Profiles in Awesome: S-Dub

There are some pretty awesome people walking the halls of TC Williams SoL (that's school of law, although at times we may feel like it stands for something else...) One of them is known by several names to her numerous acquaintances. To me, she is simply S-Dub.

You may have seen S-Dub around. Blonde hair. A seemingly endless supply of sweaters. A pep in her step that says "make it quick, I'm busy!" but a welcoming "how was your day?" smile. She often spends several an hour in the computer lab, available to anyone with Lexis needs, or candy needs as the case may be.

Besides being awesome, S-Dub's activities include composing flowing prose and comprehensive case briefs in ridiculously small and neat handwriting. Another one of her pastimes is dishing out inspirational quotes and heart-warming anecdotes. Sample some of her recent beauties:

-"I saw a headline, and it said 'NBA guard found with gun in locker room.' I thought, well that's not that weird. I mean he's a guard. And then I realized, and I was like 'oh...they meant like a POINT guard...'"
-"The house of love will be open for guests!" (referring to her home)
-(Frank and I said something at the same time) "Jinx! Now...one of you owes the other one a soda."
-"Is there weather happening outside?"

The kindest of hearts does S-Dub have. Just this afternoon, she offered her entire left arm be lost so that an insect might be spared. (Ok...maybe she was terrified of a bug and froze up to the point of appearing temporarily paralyzed. Maybe.) She is always up for a discussion of last night's Glee, but if you're lookin for a sugarcoater, head on down the road. S-Dub is a straight shooter. She'll tell it like it is.

So if you see S-Dub relaxing in the lab or headed towards her carrel, be sure to say hello. You will be glad that you did.