When it comes to vernacular speech, I try to be pretty forgiving, but I still have some pet peeves - those things that really grind my gears for no good reason.
"Orientate" is one of those. Now have it come out of a loud-mouthed know-it-all grad student who likes to make sure the entire room knows how smart he is about transit development, and the grinding goes into high gear. "It's all automobile-orientated development." Blah blah blah shut up. Now cue the non-trad-grad who has loud conversations on her cell phone two seats away. I'm waiting for Mr. "That's an invasion of my privacy! I'm a single-issue voter!" to add his buck and a half. At least I've commandeered both of these outlets so that annoying kid who can't sort his digital photo collection during the lecture. Try as I might, it's really hard to focus on the professor when theres a constant flickering motion at the corner of my vision.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Least appropriate use of departmental email
The nominees are .... yeah, I wish I had the time to come up with a shortlist, but it's a no-brainer: the winner is one of our department's admin personnel, who today emailed to the entire listserv a 7.5MB PDF advertising a house for rent in Roseville. Built in 1976, the 2,044 sf split-level home has been remodeled from top to bottom, and features "a HUGE eat-in kitchen," 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 fireplaces, and "a sunroom overlooking the in-ground pool." Every grad student should seriously consider paying $2,400 a month (plus utilities) for housing. Cuz, y'know, they have all that money and free time to entertain friends in their spacious back yard and pool.
Let them eat lead (paint)!
Apparently, charities are having a tough time sorting through donated toys to find out which ones have been recalled. Why bother? They're just giving them to poor kids, and when it comes to measuring the value of a person to society, poor kids are in the low end. Why not just let them choke on small loose parts coated with lead?
But don't name your sports team after us!
I totally appreciate the idea of a beauty pageant that involves meat. I love that the Miss Navajo Nation pageant embraces a broader range of skills than a typical pageant, where rubbing Vaseline on your teeth, talking about the Iraq, and dodging pepper spray are de rigueur. What I don't get is how this fits into the "don't use us as an icon of strength and physical prowess" attitude that pervades the anti-mascot crowd. I get that "they" don't want to be reduced to a one-dimensional caricature, but can't a mascot represent a particular dimension of your culture? I don't hear this much fuss about mascots based on European characters. The Fighting Irish are a classic example - and the concept of the drunken, pugilistic Irishman is pervasive with or without the mascot.
Here's a little test: write down everything, positive and negative, that comes to mind when you hear "Sioux," and again when you hear "Irish." I'm willing to bet that both terms are loaded with connotations both positive and negative. And I also bet that what comes to mind is unaffected by mascots.
Here's a little test: write down everything, positive and negative, that comes to mind when you hear "Sioux," and again when you hear "Irish." I'm willing to bet that both terms are loaded with connotations both positive and negative. And I also bet that what comes to mind is unaffected by mascots.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Food Network has officially crossed the line
Lately, Food Network has been getting on my nerves. For the longest time I enjoyed a number of their programs. Examples: on Good Eats, Alton Brown is brilliant - he makes every aspect of cooking entertaining and educational. Rachel Ray was cool when she was limited to 30-Minute Meals and $40 A Day. But then there was Paula Deen, whose accent alone is proof that evil incarnate can be embodied in sound. But hey, I don't need to watch what I don't like, right? Then they brought me the joy of Iron Chef America - corny, reasonably entertaining, and not too annoying (at first). If you're familiar with the program at all, you'll no doubt realize it's rapidly getting out of control, like a nuclear reactor sans inanimate carbon control rods. It's taking itself far too seriously. (And don't get me started on the new Iron Chef's Hibbertesque giggle.) And Rachel Ray appears to have been injected with huge quantities of "Yummo" (by Nabisco). I think she's trying to be like Martha Stewart, minus the stick up her ass.
One of their more recent "personalities" is this guy, whose appearance alone makes me change the channel. Seriously, step away from the peroxide, and no one gets hurt. During a commercial break, he helped out some poor schmuck whose cranberry sauce is apparently too tart. His prescription included the use of a Food Network skillet, available now at Kohl's. Did I mention that this "help the dork on the street" piece was interrupted by an ad for Food Network brand cookware, available only at Kohl's?
One of their more recent "personalities" is this guy, whose appearance alone makes me change the channel. Seriously, step away from the peroxide, and no one gets hurt. During a commercial break, he helped out some poor schmuck whose cranberry sauce is apparently too tart. His prescription included the use of a Food Network skillet, available now at Kohl's. Did I mention that this "help the dork on the street" piece was interrupted by an ad for Food Network brand cookware, available only at Kohl's?
Where are you from?
When someone asks you to name your "hometown," what is your answer? What about your "birthplace"? Assuming they are geographically different, do you differentiate the two semantically, and if so, how?
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
My Xmas wish list
It would be nice if people would take seriously the issue of consumption. Adbusters has been trying to publicize the issue for years, and one of their classic anti-events is coming up this Friday. Yes, it's Buy Nothing Day, the day you avoid crowded malls and hyped-up bullshit. Another proposed activity is Buy Nothing Christmas. The site tells us: "Buy Nothing Christmas is not really about refusing to spend a dime over the holiday season. It’s about taking a deep breath and deciding to opt out of the hype‚ the overcrowded malls‚ and the stressful to–do lists. It’s about reminding ourselves to really think about what we are buying‚ why we are buying it‚ and whether we really need it at all."
This is an idea that I completely support, for a couple of reasons. First, I hate the shopping. Second, I hate trying to come up with ideas for what other people should by for me. Third, I have so much stuff already. A lot of the stuff I have - whether received as a gift or purchased by myself, sits around and never is used. Yet at the time, I "needed" it. Hell, I still find myself "needing" stuff, or just wanting things enough to say, "Fuckit, I'm buyin' that."
Simultaneously, I'm a huge fan of the bounty that capitalism has produced in this country. Apparently, I contain multitudes.
Now, a lot of people out there will argue that anti-consumerism is akin to communism, or is illogical (if I literally consume nothing, I'll die, for example), or is it's own form of hyped-up bullshit and or hypocrisy. And I'm not going to engage that, because it would be pointless. I think the biggest argument I can make is that it's not about anti-consumerism, but rather mindful consumerism. Think about your consumption and its consequences. It's not easy, but if we start paying attention, and teaching our kids to pay attention, maybe in a couple of generations people will find it easier to consume less. Assuming they aren't too busy fighting each other over puddles of filthy water.
This is an idea that I completely support, for a couple of reasons. First, I hate the shopping. Second, I hate trying to come up with ideas for what other people should by for me. Third, I have so much stuff already. A lot of the stuff I have - whether received as a gift or purchased by myself, sits around and never is used. Yet at the time, I "needed" it. Hell, I still find myself "needing" stuff, or just wanting things enough to say, "Fuckit, I'm buyin' that."
Simultaneously, I'm a huge fan of the bounty that capitalism has produced in this country. Apparently, I contain multitudes.
Now, a lot of people out there will argue that anti-consumerism is akin to communism, or is illogical (if I literally consume nothing, I'll die, for example), or is it's own form of hyped-up bullshit and or hypocrisy. And I'm not going to engage that, because it would be pointless. I think the biggest argument I can make is that it's not about anti-consumerism, but rather mindful consumerism. Think about your consumption and its consequences. It's not easy, but if we start paying attention, and teaching our kids to pay attention, maybe in a couple of generations people will find it easier to consume less. Assuming they aren't too busy fighting each other over puddles of filthy water.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
For the man (or post-op FTM) who has everything....
The perfect gift idea. I guess the hand crocheted condoms didn't go over as well. I don't own anything that is "balck and white," so it would be a real rarity - in my wardrobe, at least. I've snagged a screenshot for those of you who aren't part of the Facebook, and for posterity - cuz I'm sure this will be snapped up by some savvy shopper before too long.
"You got peanut butter in my blog!" or "We're all one happy incestuous e-family!"
Mel offers this post on words and identity, which brings me to an interesting related tangerine (a repurposing of the word by Mary's classmate Wes, meaning "a small tangent"):
Next semester, I'll be working on my capstone project (think "thesis" with 20% more pretension) on the future of the Ford assembly plant in St. Paul. I was thinking of asking James Lileks to drop by as a guest critic at some point during the semester. He's a former columnist at the Star Tribune, and now oversees their buzz.mn blog. (He's also, by birth at least, a fellow Nodakian.) His "regular" site has several pages on the topic of Urban Studies, and it might be interesting to get a perspective from someone who doesn't work in a so-called "design profession." So my question is, would doing so constitute an act of blogwhoring?
Next semester, I'll be working on my capstone project (think "thesis" with 20% more pretension) on the future of the Ford assembly plant in St. Paul. I was thinking of asking James Lileks to drop by as a guest critic at some point during the semester. He's a former columnist at the Star Tribune, and now oversees their buzz.mn blog. (He's also, by birth at least, a fellow Nodakian.) His "regular" site has several pages on the topic of Urban Studies, and it might be interesting to get a perspective from someone who doesn't work in a so-called "design profession." So my question is, would doing so constitute an act of blogwhoring?
Greetings second-class citizen! Welcome to America!
Ben will be posting more about this shortly (and I'll include a link when he does), but he found out today that his company decided that they'd make a tiny change to their benefits offerings this year. They no longer pay ANY of the premium for domestic partner coverage, leaving the entire cost (around $5K for the year) to the employee. Lucky for us, I can get coverage through the U for a lot less than that, and it looks like it'll be as good as what I'm getting now. Isn't it great that we live in a country where everyone is treated as equal, except for those of us who aren't?
Things inside of things
Discussions in our studio often take odd turns, and today there was talk of fake meat (including the wonderfully named "Not Dog") and holiday traditions involving meat (or not, as the case may be). One classmate mentioned the turducken, a phenomenon some were not familiar with. If you're not aware of this, it's basically a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey. I can only assume it is delicious. After a brief search for images on the interwebs, I found a web site that actually provides a name for the process of cramming birds into each other: engastration. I am hard pressed to believe that this word actually represents the process of stuffing only birds into birds (though all of my searches reveal that to be the only definition offered), and I wonder about other possible applications. For example, could you cram other animals into each other? Could you engastrate veal into a regular cow? What about interspecies engastration? One site described a sausage-stuffed turducken. Another described how to build an "Easter turducken" using items from the Refined Sugar food group. Could a stuffed pepper be considered engastrated? What about Russian dolls? Would they be an example of non-edible hierarchical engastration?
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, shitty Monday
U2 could have made a different song with that name, but I guess it wouldn't have been as political or whatever, and Bono might never have had the chance to use starving/diseased people in Africa to illustrate what a great human being he is.
Anyway, just a brief couple of notes, for the fun.
Saw a guy on the bus this morning who dressed like he was trying to be ALL of Run DMC - the hat, the coat, far more jewelry than any one person should own, let alone wear at once. He was on the one side of the back seat of the bus, and I was on the other. I had my phone out to check messages (Ben had called & left a message mere moments earlier) and find out about rescheduling my dental appointments. Dude looks at me and makes some comment about "knockin' [me] out" (perhaps at the suggestion of his mother) if I point my camera at him. WTF? If you dress like a carnival sideshow, you ought be be less self-conscious about it.
Earlier this a.m., one of my dental crowns came off. This is the same one that came off earlier this year, and then was re-attached by the dentist, who later (at my semi-annual checkup) noticed in the x-ray picture that the crown wasn't sitting properly, and would need to be removed and reset. Well, I've saved them the trouble of removing it, I guess.
Today in studio we have an "intermediate review" of our progress thus far. I haven't made any progress in the past couple of weeks, and I'm officially a fruitbasketcase right now, so I'm not looking forward to this. I guess on the plus side, I'm not going to go into the review with any delusions that I've done a good job. So when they tear me a new one, it won't catch me by surprise.
Speaking of which, I guess I'd better get to work on that.
Anyway, just a brief couple of notes, for the fun.
Saw a guy on the bus this morning who dressed like he was trying to be ALL of Run DMC - the hat, the coat, far more jewelry than any one person should own, let alone wear at once. He was on the one side of the back seat of the bus, and I was on the other. I had my phone out to check messages (Ben had called & left a message mere moments earlier) and find out about rescheduling my dental appointments. Dude looks at me and makes some comment about "knockin' [me] out" (perhaps at the suggestion of his mother) if I point my camera at him. WTF? If you dress like a carnival sideshow, you ought be be less self-conscious about it.
Earlier this a.m., one of my dental crowns came off. This is the same one that came off earlier this year, and then was re-attached by the dentist, who later (at my semi-annual checkup) noticed in the x-ray picture that the crown wasn't sitting properly, and would need to be removed and reset. Well, I've saved them the trouble of removing it, I guess.
Today in studio we have an "intermediate review" of our progress thus far. I haven't made any progress in the past couple of weeks, and I'm officially a fruitbasketcase right now, so I'm not looking forward to this. I guess on the plus side, I'm not going to go into the review with any delusions that I've done a good job. So when they tear me a new one, it won't catch me by surprise.
Speaking of which, I guess I'd better get to work on that.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Blogwhore?
Mel and I wonder if there's a word for "one who attempts to get mentioned in others' blogs so that they can mention those references in their own blog." Any suggestions?
UPDATE: I just realized that I forgot to include the link that makes the whole thing pointful. Cuz that was me, with the question and stuff.
UPDATE: I just realized that I forgot to include the link that makes the whole thing pointful. Cuz that was me, with the question and stuff.
Long time no post (again)
Anyone who would like to offer congrats on me ending this 11-day gap in posts, here's a suggested method. It's been a while (school does that to ya). What's new with me, then? Mostly school - hell, what am I saying? I've done nothing but school. Spent a weekend in Seattle recently, which was fun. Got some photos, saw some stuff. I found that it's a really easy city to navigate, and has a radically different feel from New York. In many ways I like NYC better, but Seattle is a much younger city, more open, more "hip." I could live in either one, but I don't know that I'd make it in NYC longer than 3 or 4 years. I could see myself in the Seattle area for the long term. Ben has applied for a job in Kent, which is a bit south of the SeaTac airport. Fortunately, I already know which bus route runs between Kent and downtown Seattle.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Postcard from Bizarro World
Hi all, having a great time. Installed MS Office 2007, and am loving it! The new interface is quite a bit different, but pretty intuitive and (gasp!) easy to use. If Vista is this much better than XP, they may give Apple a run for their money. Word to your mother!
XOXO
B
XOXO
B
Sunday, November 04, 2007
First blog with the new lappy
My first entry from the new lappy, whom I've dubbed "Smurfette."
Time for a rant: So I'm looking at maybe upgrading from Adobe Creative Suite 2 (hereafter referred to as "CS2") to CS3. CS3 has some spiffy new featureness and functionality, but of course it's pricey. There are actually a variety of CS3 packages available that combine different programs for different user groups. There's a "Design" package, a "Web" package, and a "Production" package, and each is available in both "Standard" and "Premium" editions. The Premium edition adds a couple extra bells/whistles. If you want to go whole hog, you can also splurge for the "Master Collection," which bundles pretty much everything. After looking through the options, I determined that my needs are perfectly met by the Design Standard package. It's got precisely what I need - nothing more, nothing less.
So, I should upgrade, rather than pay for the whole package, right? Of course! Saves money, etc etc. Hmm. According to the site, regular retail for the full version is $1200, and the upgrade is $400. Ahh, but I'm a student, and can get the education pricing. Let's see... full version, $400, and upgrade ... huh. I don't see a price for the upgrade. I look around some more, and find nothing, so I decide to call customer service and find out if they have an education discount for the upgrade.
Note: The following transcript is paraphrased, and heavily expurgated in the interest of me not typing 14 minutes worth of boring crap.
*RING* Thank you for calling Adobe blah blah words. Your call will be answered something something. *RING* *RING*
Customer Service Rep [with strong Indian accent]: Hello, thank you for calling Adobe Customer Service, my name is Victor, may I have your customer number?
Me: I don't have a customer number, I'm just calling to ask a question about pricing.
Victor: Okay, and how can I help you?
Me: Right now I have the education version of Creative Suite 2, and I'm interested in upgrading to CS3. I'm wondering if there's an education discount for the upgrade.
Victor: Okay, before I can answer this, I need to create a record for you, so I will be creating a record now, okay?
[I give him my name, address, email address, DOB, SSN, TLA, IBM, LOL, and most recent sperm count. This requires me repeating a lot of things, and spelling out "3rd". Seriously. Then he gives me a customer number. I've been numerated! At last!]
Victor: Okay, and what can I help you with today sir?
Me: [repeats request, provides additional info such as: operating system, exact product I'm looking at (CS3 Design Standard), mother's maiden name, and US citizenship status.]
Victor: Okay, I am understanding that you have Creative Suite 2 Premium on Windows XP ... (he basically repeats back to me everything that I told him - I've noticed these Indian customer service reps do that - which is probably a good thing, because it verifies that he got the information right, but it's kind of annoying after the 2nd time.)
Me: Yes, and I want to know if there's a discount for educational purchases on the upgrade.
Victor: Okay, while I do research for this, I will put you on hold, okay? Please be on the line.
Me: (holding)
Victor: Okay, sir, I can give you good news, you want to upgrade [blah blah], and you can do that. So, is there anything else I can help you with today?
Me: I was wondering about the pricing --
Victor: Okay, the pricing for the upgrade is dollar three hundred ninety-nine, and for the full version it is dollar one thousand one hundred ninety-nine.
Me: Right, but is there an education discount on the upgrade?
Victor: I do not know that information, but I can transfer you to the sales where they would be the best place to give you that information. So please be on the line.
Me: (holding)
Sales guy (obviously American): Thank you for calling Adobe Sales, my name is Noah. Do you have a customer number?
Me: Yes I do. (tells him number)
Noah: And what can I do for you today?
Me: I currently have Creative Suite 2, which I bought through the university where I'm a student right now, and I am thinking about upgrading to CS3. And I see that the regular price for the upgrade is $399, and the educational pricing for the full product is also $399.
Noah with a bit of a chuckle: (says something about how silly that seems)
Me: I was wondering if there's an educational discount for the upgrade.
Noah: Unfortunately, we don't offer education pricing for the upgrade.
Me: Okay, that's all I needed to know. Thanks.
Noah: Thank you for calling Adobe, have a nice day.
So basically, in four seconds, the American guy was able to answer the question I couldn't get resolved in 14 minutes with the other guy.
My experience with Lenovo customer service was pretty much the same: Talk to someone in India for several minutes, get nowhere, get transferred to someone in the U.S., problems solved almost immediately. Also, there is a pattern of customer service being based in India, and sales being in the U.S. I guess this is because once they've got your money, you're screwed, and have to take whatever crappy service they dish out. But when you're a prospective customer, they want to give you an actual good experience with the company, so they have you deal with Americans. Jerks.
Time for a rant: So I'm looking at maybe upgrading from Adobe Creative Suite 2 (hereafter referred to as "CS2") to CS3. CS3 has some spiffy new featureness and functionality, but of course it's pricey. There are actually a variety of CS3 packages available that combine different programs for different user groups. There's a "Design" package, a "Web" package, and a "Production" package, and each is available in both "Standard" and "Premium" editions. The Premium edition adds a couple extra bells/whistles. If you want to go whole hog, you can also splurge for the "Master Collection," which bundles pretty much everything. After looking through the options, I determined that my needs are perfectly met by the Design Standard package. It's got precisely what I need - nothing more, nothing less.
So, I should upgrade, rather than pay for the whole package, right? Of course! Saves money, etc etc. Hmm. According to the site, regular retail for the full version is $1200, and the upgrade is $400. Ahh, but I'm a student, and can get the education pricing. Let's see... full version, $400, and upgrade ... huh. I don't see a price for the upgrade. I look around some more, and find nothing, so I decide to call customer service and find out if they have an education discount for the upgrade.
Note: The following transcript is paraphrased, and heavily expurgated in the interest of me not typing 14 minutes worth of boring crap.
*RING* Thank you for calling Adobe blah blah words. Your call will be answered something something. *RING* *RING*
Customer Service Rep [with strong Indian accent]: Hello, thank you for calling Adobe Customer Service, my name is Victor, may I have your customer number?
Me: I don't have a customer number, I'm just calling to ask a question about pricing.
Victor: Okay, and how can I help you?
Me: Right now I have the education version of Creative Suite 2, and I'm interested in upgrading to CS3. I'm wondering if there's an education discount for the upgrade.
Victor: Okay, before I can answer this, I need to create a record for you, so I will be creating a record now, okay?
[I give him my name, address, email address, DOB, SSN, TLA, IBM, LOL, and most recent sperm count. This requires me repeating a lot of things, and spelling out "3rd". Seriously. Then he gives me a customer number. I've been numerated! At last!]
Victor: Okay, and what can I help you with today sir?
Me: [repeats request, provides additional info such as: operating system, exact product I'm looking at (CS3 Design Standard), mother's maiden name, and US citizenship status.]
Victor: Okay, I am understanding that you have Creative Suite 2 Premium on Windows XP ... (he basically repeats back to me everything that I told him - I've noticed these Indian customer service reps do that - which is probably a good thing, because it verifies that he got the information right, but it's kind of annoying after the 2nd time.)
Me: Yes, and I want to know if there's a discount for educational purchases on the upgrade.
Victor: Okay, while I do research for this, I will put you on hold, okay? Please be on the line.
Me: (holding)
Victor: Okay, sir, I can give you good news, you want to upgrade [blah blah], and you can do that. So, is there anything else I can help you with today?
Me: I was wondering about the pricing --
Victor: Okay, the pricing for the upgrade is dollar three hundred ninety-nine, and for the full version it is dollar one thousand one hundred ninety-nine.
Me: Right, but is there an education discount on the upgrade?
Victor: I do not know that information, but I can transfer you to the sales where they would be the best place to give you that information. So please be on the line.
Me: (holding)
Sales guy (obviously American): Thank you for calling Adobe Sales, my name is Noah. Do you have a customer number?
Me: Yes I do. (tells him number)
Noah: And what can I do for you today?
Me: I currently have Creative Suite 2, which I bought through the university where I'm a student right now, and I am thinking about upgrading to CS3. And I see that the regular price for the upgrade is $399, and the educational pricing for the full product is also $399.
Noah with a bit of a chuckle: (says something about how silly that seems)
Me: I was wondering if there's an educational discount for the upgrade.
Noah: Unfortunately, we don't offer education pricing for the upgrade.
Me: Okay, that's all I needed to know. Thanks.
Noah: Thank you for calling Adobe, have a nice day.
So basically, in four seconds, the American guy was able to answer the question I couldn't get resolved in 14 minutes with the other guy.
My experience with Lenovo customer service was pretty much the same: Talk to someone in India for several minutes, get nowhere, get transferred to someone in the U.S., problems solved almost immediately. Also, there is a pattern of customer service being based in India, and sales being in the U.S. I guess this is because once they've got your money, you're screwed, and have to take whatever crappy service they dish out. But when you're a prospective customer, they want to give you an actual good experience with the company, so they have you deal with Americans. Jerks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
