Shouzer

I can’t sleep because of the jet lag that I thought I was over. I’m killing time by posting the second installment of my travel diary. This one is more a record of what was going on. The first was me trying to come up with a way to entertain myself on a long, boring flight.

5-30-07 Bangkok

The second flight was far better than the first. I was exhausted by the end of the first flight, but I was too comfortable to fall asleep. Fortunately, this was not a problem during the second. Once again, I awoke at the top of the plane’s climb to a long, rambling speech in Japanese. I had drooled on myself in that short, 10 minute nap. I had the whole 4 seat row to myself for most of the flight, so I stretched out. I slept most of the way there, only stopping to eat and watch Freedom Writers, which was excellent.

My first day in Bangkok was fairly productive. I picked out an apartment after searching most of the day. I was unable to find one of the places I tried to walk to, and in the end, I just went with one of the places the school recommended. It seemed to offer the best value for money.

I was unprepared for how sprawled out Bangkok is. I had been told this, but it is far more extreme than I had realized. Apparently, locals use motorcycle taxis to get around. I tried at one point, but the driver thought I was asking for directions. I spent most of the day walking instead. Public transportation is severely lacking here. The skytrain does not go into the riverfront/tourist areas. I am not even sure if it goes downtown. I haven’t made it out of the suburb where the school is yet. Also, there is no unlimited travel option; it is all pay per trip. This honestly bothers me. It means that I cannot just hop on the train and go down to visit the tourist areas whenever I feel like it. I guess I’ll have to take a taxi for part of the journey if I want to go there. That will probably prohibit me from going there as often as I would like. I really expected a well developed public transit system here, but that is not the case.

On the up side, the motorcycle taxis are very cheap from what I’m told. They cost about 15 baht to get from the main roads to the side roads you desire, which I guess is better than walking 30 minutes.

I think I’m going to have to invest some time in figuring out the bus system. It, too, is confusing because there are multiple kinds of buses, most likely with many different routes. I guess the best option is to find which buses travel near my apartment and use those.

Food is cheap, and it is everywhere. You can hardly walk down the sidewalks on the main streets because of all the sidewalk vendors. I have yet to eat from one of the stalls, but the food smelled magnificent. I ate today in the food court at the Tesco, and it was pretty superb, especially considering it cost my about $0.60.

I have experienced a range of emotions today from overwhelmed to excited, amazed, tired, irritated, and satisfied. At first, I loved it here because of how completely foreign it is to me, but the transportation thing has gotten me down a bit. I guess I’m just going to have to live like a local and use the motorcycle taxis despite the fact I hate paying for taxis in general. The result will be that transportation costs will be higher than I anticipated, but I’m just going to have to live with it.

This is a link to a good article

I seriously doubt that this case will ever go to court, but at least they tried.

This is taken, once again, from my travel diary. I have written more, and this is hardly up to date. However, I thought it best to start at the beginning and release it it chunks.

5-27-07 Somewhere over the northern Pacific Ocean

Well this flight did not start well. I walk onto the 747 headed for Tokyo expecting to find the high quality accommodations that I experienced on my European trips with Northwest. Sadly, this plane is quite old. No personal entertainment center on this trip. They are sporting a 20 year old projector with the 3 colored lenses that strikes fear into this electrical engineer’s heart.

I sit down, and find myself drifting off to sleep as we take off, a miracle because I hardly ever sleep on flights, especially transcontinental ones. I awake to the sound of a woman speaking over the intercom in what I can only guess is Japanese considering our final destination. Judging by the length of her ramblings, she is probably translating War and Peace. Finally though, she finishes, and I start back to sweet, sweet slumber. Sadly, though, a man gets on the intercom and starts speaking in some Asian language as well. He is probably translating the same announcement to Chinese, but I have no idea as I seem to have slept through the English version. He finishes up, only to be replaced shortly thereafter by the captain for another announcement, which is then translated, twice. At this point, sleep is a distant memory as I am wide awake.

Not to worry though, the dinner is coming up right now. Last time I flew with them, the food was excellent. Not so much this time. Oh well, only 9 more hours until we land. We’re 4 hours in, and they have yet to play a movie. How does that happen? I am getting insanely fidgety and restless, and then I notice the kids on my row. There are 4 Asian kids who appear to be related sitting there perfectly contented with their books and game boys. I haven’t heard a peep out of them all flight, including the two girls sitting across the aisle from their mom. I could only describe their interactions as amicable. The mom hasn’t lifted a finger to discipline or entertain them, and yet, their behavior is perfect.

Then, the truth hits me like a freight train. I am less grown up than an 8 year old Asian kid. How pathetic is that? I’m sitting here complaining because I don’t have on demand entertainment, and they are fine by themselves, the perfect dichotomy to my restlessness. The truth hurts. I hope the kids I teach will be this well behaved. It’ll be easy to teach kids who sit still better than I do.

Furthering this feeling of childishness is the stewardess, who has just insisted that everyone close their shades so people can sleep. This is just what I need at this juncture, someone telling me when to sleep, as if I haven’t emasculated myself enough already on this flight. Sadly, it’s 6:30 CST, and my body is more ready to watch the rerun of yesterday’s Daily Show than it is ready to sleep. But mom!? I wanna watch Colbert!

Well, they started the movie right after I got my laptop to entertain myself with some writing. I’m actually typing this bit after the first movie, which was Miss Potter. I liked it fairly well. I’m not sure it would have been worth the time off the plane, but it was a good way to burn a few hours here. The next one has started, so I guess I should conserve my battery for later ramblings.

It was a long weekend, that is for sure. We began moving things to Carterville Friday evening, but the bulk of the work was done Saturday. There isn’t much to say about moving furniture, clothes, and things from one location to another, except that it makes one tired.

I put myself in charge of all Mediacom dealings, which was as much a curse as it was a blessing. So let me count the cable jacks for you in this house. (3) Living Room, (1) Formal Living Room, (1) Dining Room, (1) Master Bedroom, (1) Bedroom #2, (1) Bedroom #3. That makes 8. That’s entirely too many, but I figure, hey, if the guy who built the house thought that was necessary, so be it. The people we bought the house from (they were the second owners of the house) used a satellite dish and had no cable. But I never considered the possibility that the house was never equipped for cable, considering the 8 jacks throughout the house. That was the case, though. So when the Mediacom guy gets here, he has to run a new line from the closest box in the neighborhood (luckily, it was situated between our house and the neighbors in the backyard). So now I’ve got this bright orange eyesore running all the way across my lawn because Mediacom subcontracts a company to bury the cable, and I’m informed that might take 2-3 months. Go figure. Now, you would think that after connecting the orange eyesore main line to the line running into my house that the myriad of cable jacks would all be hot (ie. working). Again, that would be too easy. Three of them worked stupendously; five were nonresponsive. I’m going to leave out the next part of the story, because I don’t want to make this post into a novella, but if I did tell you this story, it would include two trips to the attic, 1 cable split into 4 cables, those 4 cables split into 8, a hole in the sheetrock, and a hidden compartment in my garage.

After about 3 hours, though, we did have working Mediacom cable TV and internet. The internet has been touchy, though. It seems (after talking with 2 different tech support guys) that the computer that processes change orders (when we changed addresses, they changed our account number) was failing to complete the order. So sometimes the internet was here just isn’t working because the modem doesn’t understand what account to work for. At least I think that’s the problem. Anyways, I think it is working for good now.

Also, since moving to Carterville would require a new phone number, I decided to check out Mediacom’s cable phone service. Turns out, that they are running a special on their VIP package. We only pay $0.01 on phone service per month through December, and then it’s $30. Plus, no installation fee. And that $30 is still cheaper than the $50 we payed for phone in Herrin with Verizon. Even better, the VIP package bumps internet speeds from max 8mbps to 15mbps. Very nice.

The only problem left right now is that I’m getting good speeds when I’m directly connected to my router (~6.5mbps), but on wireless it diminishes greatly, even though I’m connected at 54mpbs (and the router is in my room). Surely, I’ll figure it out soon, though.

Well, I ordered some parts to build a new desktop for myself a little while ago, and apparently my credit card was denied.  That can’t be good, because I have plenty of credit available.  I guess I’ll have to make some phone calls tomorrow.

In other big money-related news, I was looking at consolidating my federal student loans today.  It seems that, if I consolidate, I lose my six month grace period for repayment.  That pretty much sucks.  Ah well, if it gets me lower payments, I can deal with it.

I’ve got a bunch more articles that I wanted to post links to and comment about. Some of this stuff is just so stupid; I’m consistently amazed by the level of idiocy displayed by our government and, by proxy, our citizens.

First off is this story from /. about a new database the government wants to create. They call it a “no-work” database and liken it to the similarly named no-fly list. The idea is that it would be a database maintained by Homeland Security which would hold the names and records people whom it deems ineligible to work in the US. Ah, so we’re back to blacklisting people, eh? “Communist! You’ll never work in this country again!”

Next is this heartwarming tale of the Smithsonian toning down science, in order to appease the Bush administration. The basic idea is that they created an exhibit on climate change, but then removed the scientific conclusions and “[muddied] the displayed data” in order to “ensure that the exhibit would not offend the Congress or the White House”. Really? That’s what science should be concerned about? Jefferson once said, “Liberty is the great parent of science and virtue; and a Nation will be great in both, in proportion as it is free”. In essence, take stifle science and you stifle freedom. Sure, that’s a simplification, but the point is valid. Oh, founding fathers… You say we have a right to bear arms, but who cares what else you said…

Third is this ridiculous case of some guy using free WiFi. Regardless of what he ended up with ($400 fine and 40 hours of community service), he was facing a 5 year felony conviction and a $10,000 fine. That’s just wrong. Reading the story, you find out that the guy parked his car outside a coffee shop and used their free wireless internet. He didn’t know it was illegal, the coffee shop owner didn’t know it was illegal, and the cop didn’t arrest him right away…because he didn’t know it was illegal. Nonetheless, the perp was eventually brought in and charged.

To use a few different analogies, here’s what I find just plain wrong. (Note: Some of these are adaptations of comments that I happen to agree with). In order to get on the network, the guy’s computer had to make a DHCP request. This is, in all actuality, his computer asking if it can get on the network. The router responds by saying, “Yes. Yes, you can. Here’s your IP, a gateway, and some DNS info.” Voila! Permission granted. Case closed. If he had turned off DHCP, routed new users to a page that outlined the rules, or secured his network it would be an entirely different situation.

For instance, I would very much consider an open network with an SSID that is being broadcasted as an invitation to use the network. It would be like leaving your door open. Not broadcasting the SSID would be like shutting the door. Adding some security would be like locking the door. These seem like varying degrees of invitation to me. Bear in mind that even with the door open, the computer is asking the router for permission to “enter” the network. If somebody walks up to my house and asks to use the bathroom, I certainly have the right to say no, whether or not my door is open.

Finally, and perhaps most ludicrous, is this story. It basically talks about some teachers in the UK who don’t teach the holocaust, because their muslim students don’t believe in it. Who the fuck cares? It happened. I’m sick of schools bending to the whims of religion and dumbass parents. I don’t want my kid’s education ruined because you’re a moron. They mention that there’s a similar issue with teaching the Crusades, as it seems the local mosques have different teachings. Honestly, who gives a shit? If I was a teacher and one of my students told me their church said the earth was flat, I’d tell them they’re wrong and not to mention it again. It’d be that simple. The same would go for evolution. As far as science is concerned, it’s the best explanation. Science gave us modern medicine. Science gave us flight. Science gave us computers and the internet. Science gave us radio and phones. Fundamentalist, conservative religion did not.

[Update:]  Oh, and Charlie Frye apparently thinks he’s going to be the starter for the Browns.   What is he, high?  He really believes they drafted Brady Quinn to be a backup?  I mean, let’s just say he’s technically right and he starts this year.  I still count that as wrong.  The Browns have no intention of considering Charlie Frye their “starter”.

Geez. There’s really not much more to say. Geez. I caught this article on ESPN, and I have to admit that I’m amazed at the idiocy of what Portis says. For those of you who don’t know, Michael Vick has been linked to dog fighting lately. In particular, a house owned by him was raided a few weeks ago and there were a number of malnourished and untreated dogs found.

As the story has gone on, it’s looked more and more like Vick was directly involved. Frankly, I have no doubt that he’s guilty. Given all the evidence released so far, and the people who have come out and said he was not only cognizant of it but also participated in it… It just doesn’t seem like a tough case for the (future) prosecution to make.

So, getting that little bit of history out of the way, we get to Clinton Portis (henceforth referred to as “Dumbass”). Dumbass apparently thinks that dog fighting isn’t that big of a deal. Dumbass said, “I don’t know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it’s his property, it’s his dog.”

What really strikes me as ironic is Dumbass doesn’t see the analogousness of this statement to what a plantation owner 200 years ago might say about a black slave. Not that long ago, blacks were considered property in many parts of the country. In fact, you could do pretty much whatever you wanted to them, because they were your property. I believe it was legal to kill a slave if you were punishing him, or something like that. Why? Well, he was your property.  In Dumbass’s own words, the slavemaster probably would have said, “I think people should mind their business.”

I think the moral of the story is Dumbass should shut his mouth. The world might be just a little better.

I took my loose change canister to Krogers today to use the Coin Star machine. I had about $123 in change, $112 after the machine took its commission. Awesome.

Included in my change collection of at least 10 years was a few coins from a dead currency, the German Mark, and about 700 pennies.

I went up to Chicago yesterday to present a paper at the Electro Information Technology Conference. It was my first real published paper, and that feels pretty awesome to be honest. We wrote it to curry a little favor with our professors and try to get an A, and none of us expected it to actually get published. We didn’t really have an research finding to present; we just talked about of project and the design process we used.

I was expecting the other papers to blow me out of the water, but I was fairly unimpressed. They were all research based, but most of it seemed pretty basic. Pretty much the only people in our session were other presenters which was good because it made things less stressful. I was also afraid we would get grilled pretty hard, but no one tried to trip us up with difficult questions. Altogether, I would say it was a pretty nice initiation into the world of publishing/going to conferences.

Per my usual, I’m going to talk about lunch now. We were on the campus of Illinois Institute of Technology, and everything there was closed. So we drove around looking for someplace to eat, and we ended up downtown. We wanted to get some famous Chicago style deep dish, but we were unable to find a place. We ended up at some other pizza place which wasn’t deep dish, but it was homemade. It was pretty decent, although I would have much rather have had Gino’s. The weird thing was that we spent more money on parking than the food.

I was reading some news today, and I happened upon a couple strange stories. I figured I’d share them.

Up first is this story about a rape case. The strange thing about this is that one of the defendant’s lawyers is making the claim that one of the girls was fat and probably enjoyed the attention. Wha?! This chick actually passed the bar? If this is what it takes, I could make a damn fine lawyer! “Sure my client killed that guy. But he was ugly!! The world is better of without having to look at him. I rest my case.” And the crowd goes wild!! (Wouldn’t there have to be a crowd if something like this is allowed?)

Next in the queue is this more serious story. Basically, one of the Republican candidates for president said in a recent debate that perhaps America’s foreign policy is to blame for 9/11. As a result, the GOP is trying to have it barred from the rest of the debates. Some guy said, “I think he would have felt much more comfortable on the stage with the Democrats in what he said last night.” Wha?! Just because he has a different opinion on the war or its cause, it makes him a Democrat? That’s just silly. I can just see Dick Cheney now… “Whittington isn’t sure about Iraq? DEMOCRAT! GET HIM THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!” Then he mumbles, “I must take him down.” Of course, then he shoots him in the face. (Note: I guess I could be way off base here. It’s quite possible Whittington simply how Cheney can be against gay marriages when his daughter is an open lesbian. Either or, I suppose.)

Finally, we have this story about a Chinese woman with a five-inch horn in her head. Wha?! It mentions that it’s been growing for three years. Now, most people would probably get that shit checked out and cut the fuck off. Not her. I think you’ll agree the most plausible explanation is she’s the result of a failed cross-breeding between humans and unicorns. Wikipedia claims that the Unicorn is a creature “whose power is exceeded only by its mystery.” Now, who wouldn’t like to have a bit of that? Granny Zhao certainly would.

I had one of my weird feelings episodes this morning. I really don’t know what else to call it. It feels like I’m really angry or excited, like my blood is boiling, but my mind is relaxed, calm, even sedated. It’s as though I’m hyped up on adrenaline, but my mind is disconnected from it. It’s really weird. I wish I could describe it better than that. I get this way every so often. I’ve wondered if it has some tie to caffeine because I’m often drinking Mt. Dew when it happens, but it obviously doesn’t happen every time I drink it. Plus, I don’t remember it ever happening when I drank energy drinks. Who knows? I like the feeling to be honest. It’s like I have loads of rage/energy/excitement to release, but I still have the clarity to be rational.

I’m also starting to get that 10% scared 90% excited/10% excited 90% scared feeling about my upcoming trip. I pulled that from Owen Wilson’s line in Armageddon. I tried to find a You Tube clip, but there wasn’t one. It’s one of my favorite movie lines though. I love the feeling too. It’s cool that I can’t distinguish the excitement from the anticipation. Some people say that the buildup is as good as the payoff. I don’t agree with that, but it’s still really good.

Those of you in the know–or, more appropriately, those of you who play videogames–should be aware that the Halo 3 beta dropped today. If not, wtf is wrong with you?! Geez. If you’re in this unfortunate crowd, I’m going to have to request that you slap yourself. Go on, do it. Believe me when I say you deserve it.

Now, my parents recently moved to a new house. As a result, and without going into details, I couldn’t plug my 360 in anywhere for a while. It was devastating. Microsoft actually sent me an email last night with my unlock code for the beta, which was just salt in the wounds. I sort of believe they knew I would have that issue.

Once I finally got around to playing, I got owned pretty heavily. Ah, good ‘ol Halo pwnage.

It was to be expected once everybody started graduating college, but it just seems like there’s so many long-term goodbyes to be had in the next couple months. This is especially true for me, since I’ll be leaving in July. In a sense, from my point of view, anybody going away for the summer is automatically leaving for good.

On the upside, this also means at least a few parties. As long as it’s a good time, that’s all I can hope for. Plus, I plan to keep in better contact with everybody after I leave. With the prevalence today of the internet and, with it, instant messaging, there’s really no excuse not to send a quick message now and then.

Well, I officially graduated on Sunday. I’ve had a few people ask me if I feel any differently, and I really don’t. Sure, it feels nice to get it all over with. Then again it feels nice to take a nap sometimes, so I’m not sure what that’s worth.

It’s kind of a pain figuring out what I should and shouldn’t unpack now that I’m home, though. I’ll be leaving again in two months, which is a while, but it’s certainly not permanent by any means. Plus, once I’m gone, I’m pretty much gone for good. So there’s no reason to be leaving anything around here.

In graduation-related news, I got a few gifts from relatives who were visiting (and which were very appreciated). I got quite a few things that should help a lot when I get to Seattle. To name a few, I got some much needed dishes, pots, and pans. I also got a print of a painting I really liked on the cruise from Megan, which will be my first decoration piece wherever I live, hehe.

I also got a new guitar from my parents. It’s an “Electron Blue” Fender Stratocaster, and I’m going to have post pictures later. I haven’t played in a couple years, but I figure I’ll have plenty of time when I get out to Washington, and so that should come in very handy. Plus, it’s just sweet, hehe.

My sister Corinne also got me an amp to go along with the guitar. It’s a Marshall, which is very nice. I haven’t played around with it much yet, an electric guitar would be somewhat worthless without a nice amp, haha.

It’s about time something like this came around. Being beautiful is such a chore.