mattw

Another reason why Bill Gates is evil

2007-02-01T09:10:41Z

After spell checking my last entry, I was shocked to discover the word "embarrassment" has two r's! I like to think that I'm a good speller but I had no idea I consistently spell the word incorrectly.

Clearly, this is the fault of Bill Gates. Every time I misspell "embarrassment" in Word, it is automatically fixed and I am left with no indication that my spelling was incorrect.

What other words do I not realize I am consistently misspelling? How many of them are there? I must pay close attention to this.

Living the Dream?

2007-01-30T18:22:35Z

A few weeks ago some students at Clemson (and at other schools, as well) held parties in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The one at Clemson was entitled "Living the Dream." Attendants wore things like black face paint, gangsta clothing, and booty padding and also drank malt liquor.

Now university administrators are upset, President Barker has sent out an email, and it sounds like the party throwers may even get into some trouble.

I have reformed my thoughts on the event from my original post. Laura and I had a discussion about it and I began to realize that because I have a thick skin I often find it difficult to understand why others do not. And also, as a Clemson graduate I have to be incensed over how this reflects on my university.

I have to largely agree with the analysis of Venise Berry from the University of Iowa:

"Whites often don't realize their actions are offensive because they are imitating behavior celebrated in music and seen on television," as reported on CNN.

Other black academics had similar thoughts (also from the CNN article linked above):

"The white students, they said, were mimicking the kind of outlaw posturing that blacks themselves engage in in rap videos."

I am acquainted with a lot of the kids involved (they're from my hometown, unfortunately) and there is no doubt in my mind that this party was intended as an imitation of black pop culture - they didn't mean for it to be harmful to anyone.

There is also no doubt in my mind that a similar event held by black students would not have raised the same outrage. We all know that there is an unfortunate line that cannot be crossed when criticizing other races; that's why only black comedians like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle can get away with exposing racial stereotypes. For some reason, it is OK that black pop culture is pervaded by "arists" like this and it is only OK to imitate them if you are black as well. If a white person does it, it makes people "appalled, angered, and disappointed" (as President Barker put it).

But this is the world that we live in and these students made a series of incredibly poor choices:

Holding their party over MLK weekend. I think we all know that "gangsta rap" is NOT an example of "living the dream" of Dr. King or other civil rights leaders. The same party held on Halloween would not have been widely interpreted as an affront to the celebration of civil rights, and the students certainly should have known better.
Posting pictures of the party on facebook. How many times do college administrators have to reach out to students and inform them of the dangers of posting pictures of questionable behavior online? It costs graduates jobs and it may end up costing these kids their reputations, if not their educations.
And finally, people have to realize that everything they do reflects on someone; themselves, their school, their family, their place of work, etc.. In this case, the behavior is reflecting poorly on MY university, a university that I love and know is better than it is currently being portrayed in the media. The media outrage threatens to devalue my education and the reputation that Clemson and President Barker have worked so hard to build. It makes me sick to see the momentum that Clemson has built in recent years diminished over something so incredibly stupid.

Should they be punished? I think it depends on your definition of punishment. The University must have respect for freedom of speech no matter how misguided the speech. But the University must also always strive to provide a comfortable learning environment. I personally think the embarrassment of the event and the circulating pictures (in addition to the threats that I hear the kids are receiving) will be more than enough to set the students straight. But if the University is to punish them, do so by forcing their participation in a discussion or class on the subject. This is, after all, an educational opportunity.

One final thought - if members of the black community are so incensed about the lampooning of black pop culture by a few white kids, doesn't it suggest that they should be dually concerned about the perpetuation of these stereotypes by black rappers and actors? It is time for the same outrage to be heard within the black community and for today's black leaders to eliminate the negative stereotypes at their source.

Blockbuster Online

2007-01-30T04:23:58Z

I find our Blockbuster Online membership to be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, I've got access to all sorts of great movies and TV shows (recent favorites include 24, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Scrubs, and the best of them all, West Wing). On the other hand, I often feel pressured to watch the DVDs and get them back in the mail so I can get more. We more than get our money's worth but I end up watching WAYYYYYY too much TV.

Sadly, my current goal is to spend more time playing video games. I really need a more unique set of hobbies, like model ship building or fixing clocks or shooting things.

mattsplat @ 2007-01-28T20:34:00

2007-01-29T01:34:39Z

This afternoon I went with Laura to Ocala to see the baptism of a friend's one year old daughter. Never having been a fan of church (or religion in general) and believing that babies have no business being baptized when they can't even poop in a suitable location, I fought hard beforehand to avoid attending. It actually turned out to be pretty fun, and I am amazed about how progressive some churches have become. At this particular church, there was a rock band, they showed a clip from Ice Age at the beginning of the service, the preacher dressed like Steve Jobs, and he built a cross out of two 6x6's while giving his sermon. In a word: cool.

Not that I'm going to start attending; I still believe that religion largely does more harm than good, even if the preacher uses power tools during his sermons. (Though I'll admit it - seeing one use a chainsaw could change my mind.)

Water

2007-01-28T02:38:06Z

While in Albertson's earlier today I saw Kellog's new "K20 Protein Water" (fruit flavored) on the shelf. Perhaps we need an FDA guideline for when a product can be referred to as water and when it should be called something else entirely.

Given today's consumer water fascination, just think of the marketshare that Kool-Aid could gain if it would just rename its product "Kool Water Flavoring."

Hello from the Other Side

2007-01-26T04:34:58Z

So it appears I have neglected this fine forum for far too long (and alliteration too, no doubt). Not that I am at this moment committing to more regular entries; on the contrary, as I age I find that I have less of interest to say, less time to say these less interesting things, and a general lack of creativity on how to say these less interesting things that I do not have time to say. And so it goes.

I'm deeply entrenched in my graduate education at the University of Florida. Though the Tigers are certainly my first love, I have slowly grown accustomed to the Gator Chomp and "We are the Boys of Old Florida." Who would have thought that I, the mechanical engineer with a thorough disdain for all things molecular and a baffling inability to comprehend all things electrical, would end up in a MEMS lab, with the ultimate goal of my PhD being to build an incredibly tiny device that runs on electricity? Certainly not I.

And then there is my marriage, which is incredibly frustrating at some times and incredibly rewarding at others. It's been about a year and a half now and it just keeps getting better - though last week I had to clean pizza off the walls (and the TV, and the blinds, and the carpet). I wish I had eaten more of it first.

We've been trying to make an effort to tear ourselves away from our Blockbuster membership (ie The Sopranos, 24, Scrubs, The OC, Six Feet Under, etc.) and see more of this fine state in which we live. Last weekend was Disney World and the weekend before was St. Augustine. There's talk of visiting Cedar Key this weekend and eating some conch fritters. Hopefully a return trip to Key West is not so far in the future either. And I swear that one day before I graduate I will witness live a NASCAR race at Daytona, because I desire to understand the decidedly southern fascination with people driving around in circles.

And so ends my one journal entry of 2007, though perhaps not. We will see if I can muster some creative desire every now and again to spill my guts online; equation derivations, as elegant as they may sometimes be, simply don't always yield the same satisfaction as the art of crafting words.

Flag Burning

2005-06-22T22:52:53Z

"The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." - Proposed Constitutional Amendment (CNN)

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York: "If the flag needs protection at all, it needs protection from members of Congress who value the symbol more than the freedoms that the flag represents."

Exactly. It seems our lawmakers covet a symbol of freedom but don't understand the basic freedoms it has come to represent - freedom of speech, no matter how unpatriotic or unpopular, being first among them.

I sincerely hope that cooler heads, like Rep. Nadler, will prevail.

mattsplat @ 2005-01-11T23:17:00

2005-01-12T04:38:59Z

It's lonely here without Laura. I knew I'd miss her this semester now that she's off in the working world, but I guess I wasn't exactly sure what it would feel like. It's not that there aren't people around; I have things to do and people to talk to. I think what makes me sad is that she's not here to brighten my day with a smile or a hug or curled up next to me for a movie. I love hearing from her on the phone, but having that special person at arm's reach is too terrific.

Despite being a little sad at the moment, I do think the weeks are going to fly and the weekends with her are going to be extra wonderful. We'll be taking in the sights of Atlanta and trying to do all the fun stuff here in Clemson and cooking and hiking and lounging and just having a great time. In no time I will graduate and then we'll probably be in the same city again.

I hope she knows how special she is. I try to tell her as often as I can. <3

Update on Life

2004-11-18T15:25:21Z

Here's a quick update on my life:

Senior year is 110% better than junior year simply due to my newfound ability to do what I want to do during the week. No longer am I saddled with ridiculous homework/project responsibilities.
Next year is still completely up in the air. I've always figured grad school was the next step, but as I look at grad schools, I just don't know. I've looked at information for a variety of them - Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Florida, Berkeley, Maryland, and the list goes on - but nothing I have seen has made me even remotely excited about my future. I'm wondering if getting a job for a year or so might be a better idea than going straight to grad school. I'm hesitant about that, though, because I vehemently hated the job I had this summer. Actually, I've hated the majority of jobs I've had.
I have never, ever been happier than I have been the last few weeks, and it's because of Laura. She came stumbling* into my life (for the second time, I suppose) about two months ago, and ever since then, she's been virtually all I can think about. Every time I see her, she lights up my day, and I hope I do the same for her. She's graduating in December and probably moving away, which makes me sad, but there's something about us that makes me think it won't even matter. =) There are a few weeks left before graduation, though, and I am just happy to be spending them with her.

* If you knew her, you'd know this is an appropriate choice of words. <3

Snakes... I hate snakes...

2004-06-27T14:56:11Z

Yesterday I went with Brandon to feed some vacationers' dogs. Brandon was throwing a ball around with them and I was wandering up the garage's deck when I looked out toward some bushes and did a double take.

There, sitting just a few feet from where the dogs had been a moment before, was a GIGANTIC rattlesnake - four feet long, bigger around than my arm - with its mouth hanging open. We think he had just finished eating some poor woodland creature. Maybe a deer.

Naturally, we started throwing things at it, hoping we could scare it off or at least make it rattle. It didn't even move when we threw a 2 by 4 at it. It took a direct hit from a skateboard to even make it curl up.

Brandon called a guy he works with who lives down the street and he came over with his gun and blew the snake's head off. As much as Brandon and I hate snakes, it sucks having to kill a monster like that (especially when it wasn't bothering anybody), but the family whose yard it was in have young children, dogs, cats, etc. and the snake was uncomfortably close to the house.

Then we went golfing. I have only been golfing once before in my life, but I am playing in a General Electric tournament in just a few weeks and want to at least be able to hit the ball. It turned out to be fairly fun and I think I can get a clean hit about 80% of the time. I did, however, discover that using old golf clubs isn't always a smart idea - I've got a total of 9 blisters on both my hands.

I guess that's what I get for working a nice, cushy, air-conditioned job - baby soft hands, a need to play golf, and blisters. =P

There were plants and birds and rocks and things

2004-06-23T02:35:39Z

My journal, in which I have often taken great pride, has been long stagnant and is slowly but surely becoming one of the journals I loathe. When entries are this infrequent, why should anyone care to read what I say if I can't find the time to tell them? (Or the better question, why would anyone read what I have to say in the first place?)

Anyway, now that I'm deep in the midst of summer, I think I need to talk about my progress with my guitar. You may remember that I bought a guitar last summer as a consolation gift to myself after a rather strange series of breakups. The plan goes that I would discover the musical genius stirring inside, express my feelings in a John Mayer-esque way (first single: "Your body is an elementary school playground"), and just generally have fun.

Limited finances kept me from the fabled guitar lessons last year, but as that is no longer a problem this summer, I have been taking weekly lessons in Greenville. Over the course of four weeks I can now very nearly play "Brown Eyed Girl," am working with a Foo Fighters song, and, as is required by law if you own a guitar, can play the two chords required of "Horse With No Name" like a champ. Record executives, look out!

It has been fun, though, and now that I can actually start to hear actual songs coming out of my guitar (while I'm playing it, no less), I am excitedly pounding away at the strings all the time (much to the horror of my roommates).

And so I plunder ahead, still completely ignorant of music theory, rhythm, etc., but happily amused to be making such melodious sounds w/out the help of a compact disc.

Hot Hot Hot

2004-05-17T21:28:13Z

Note to self: Never remove contacts after handling chile peppers. It only leads to an unpleasant burning sensation. (Of the eye, sicko!)

mattsplat @ 2004-02-28T16:54:00

2004-02-28T21:54:25Z

Wednesday night University Ridge burns down...
Early Thursday morning it snows...
Classes are cancelled all day Thursday and two hours on Friday...
And today the weather is absolutely beautiful.

It's been a crazy week. Crazy.

Ah well, tonight I'll be putting the week and schoolwork behind me in a celebration of Leap Year's Eve. After all, forget New Year's - it happens all the time. The Leap Year is really something to celebrate.

Oh, and Spring Break is a mere two weeks away. THANK GOD!

mattsplat @ 2004-01-31T02:37:00

2004-01-31T07:45:54Z

Could there be any more work to do? I'm convinced that I could sit at my desk from now until Super Bowl time and I still wouldn't be finished with the massive workload. (And speaking of the Super Bowl, Lucas and I have been on the phone all day trying to either order or find someone who is watching the Lingerie Bowl. Our interest is strictly for curiosity and research purposes, though, I assure you. =)

Amids all the work, I did manage to take a break for some Monterrey's, two huge mugs of Dos Equis, and to watch a shot contest between Mel and ol' Jimbo. Jim handled her ... well ... handily, although I don't see how either of them could imbibe that much Tequila without being sickened purely by the smell of it. (My feeling on Tequila is that if it isn't mixed in something, I'd sooner drink a urine sample.)

Tomorrow I'll be ushering the UNC game for most of the afternoon. Although my interest in basketball is lacking, that effervescent school spirit is still in control, and for that reason, I say, "Go Tigers!" Is it time for football season yet? ^_-

mattsplat @ 2004-01-19T11:22:00

2004-01-19T16:24:57Z

Writing newspaper articles isn't as fun when you don't really have anything to say. I'm having real trouble coming up with good subject material. This week, I'm thinking of covering either housing or the culture that is the AIM away message, although I'm not sure I have enough to say about either to hit 700 words. Ideas are always welcome.

mattsplat @ 2004-01-07T21:40:00

2004-01-08T03:14:37Z

Another semester has started, and it's the complete opposite of the last one. Then, I was blazing a trail through Clemson with infinite energy and limited time; now, I'm just taking it slow, I've got the focus squarely on the future, and all I really want to do is step back in time, but not back to last semester...

Maybe back to the summer... The thought strikes me that, this summer (for probably the first time in my life), I stepped into that research job with complete uncertainty. My bank account was looking sad, I had nowhere to live, I was alone, and I didn't even know if I could handle the work I was going to be given, but I dove in with the same daring jump I used on Isaqueena Dam later that summer.

For the first month, the only person I lived for was myself, and although it's the people I spent time with that made the summer what it was, there's something to be said for those lonely nights sitting on my porch with nothing but my thoughts and the chirp of crickets in the grass.

There's something to be said for the air, for the red mud that was sloppily tracked up the stairs of my apartment, for the rain, for being bathed in sunlight as I awoke in the morning, for the total responsibility for myself. There's something to be said for the adventure and for the newness of it all.

I feel like life is supposed to be an adventure, not a grind. The world harps on education and focus and discipline, but what is that without a courageous declaration that we will not be shackled in this life? What are goals without uncertainties? What is education without a true challenge? What are relationships without love?

But most importantly, what is life without the living?

Christmas Break

2003-12-31T06:03:00Z

Somewhere over the course of my holiday I lost the will to do all of the things I had intended (or any at all, for that matter), including working on my scholarship application, doing some research for the NASA project I'm supposed to be a part of, getting ahead on my newspaper columns, and writing a few short stories so life is easier for me in my creative writing class.

Instead, I have watched an insane amount of movies and quite a bit of football.

I suppose they don't call it a "holiday" for no reason, eh? =)

"A Cellular Prodigy" or "Trash @ 10"

2003-12-30T03:58:48Z

I was at a one of CHKN's relatives' last night for some fried fish and NFL football when CHKN's aunt was proudly talking about her daughter's new cell phone. I can't imagine the girl being more than ten, if even that old.

Am I mistaken to think that boobs, or at the very least, a driver's license, should be a prerequisite for [female] ownership of a cellular phone?

mattsplat @ 2003-12-09T19:38:00

2003-12-10T00:40:18Z

Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

My feelings couldn't be captured more succinctly if Emerson and I had been old chums.

mattsplat @ 2003-11-11T22:55:00

2003-11-12T04:02:35Z

I'm not the kind of guy who gets stressed out, but I swear I was hyper-ventilating last night as I was plugging numbers into my calculator at 1:30 in the morning.

The expectations are too high and I'm tired. I could keep my scholarships without cracking a book, so why go to all this trouble? Sometimes it's 100% clear and other times I wonder why the hell I'm wasting my time.

If I can just get to Thanksgiving everything will be better...

Censored

2003-11-07T15:31:00Z

Cut from this week's article:

"Ever the optimist, I considered the silver-lining; with the Tigers scoreless, our favorite mascot, who heretofore will be referred to simply as “Skippy,” hadn’t been required to do any of his trademark ground-humping pushups. After the football player’s web page debacle, it was obvious that Tommy Bowden wanted to ensure that Clemson would suffer only minimal humiliation from Skippy’s pornographic gyrations. What a great, thoughtful coach we have!"

I don't know if it was cut for space or sensitivity to whoever is in the outfit.

No reason for stress

2003-11-04T22:39:38Z

The last two days I've been completely and totally stressed out. After my birthday weekend, which involved very little coherence on my part, I had managed to fall behind on all of my classroom responsibilities and was totally freaked out.

I had to do some SI worksheets, I had a meeting with a professor, a newspaper article to write, a lab report, homework, a big honors project, research to do for my Goldwater essay, a thermo test, and so much more.

And then it happened, as it always does - everything just kinda subsided and it's not a big deal anymore. I ran into a fellow SI leader in the computer lab Sunday night who hooked me up with some sheets she had been working on. The meeting with the professor went great, the newspaper article got done after a few hours, the lab report was my best work yet, the homework at least got done, and my fluids teacher said the honors project, which was supposed to be due Wednesday, could be turned in anytime this week.

I don't know if I'm lucky or if I just respond when it's time to put balls to the wall, but everything worked out yet again.

Not to say that I won't be busting my ass for the rest of the week, but the outlook went from unmanageable to completely doable, even with sleep. =) Now if just I could get a free weekend to devote to this Goldwater essay, everything would be great.

The article turned out to be my most "political" yet, as I definitely called out Tommy Bowden, the Clemson mascot, the football team, the intramural office, Fike, and parking services. The Tommy Bowden jokes are by far the worst, but I was careful not to insult him, only to insult his job as a coach. It seems hard-hitting jokes are the way to get people either laughing hysterically or riled up. Last week's article and my New Jersey comments simultaneously drew more praise and more heat than any I have done yet.

Chemistry SI

2003-10-30T01:47:14Z

Wow, what a rush! It only took me half the semester, but I think I've finally figured out how to connect with these kids in Chemistry.

I've discovered that they won't open up unless they're challenged. So lately I've been giving them ultra-hard worksheets of my own design and turning them loose in groups. When things get hard, they band together and before long everyone is helping everyone else. It's awesome.

I gave them really hard worksheets Sunday and Monday that actually went ahead of the class a little bit, and then first thing Tuesday the teacher put a problem on the board almost exactly like one of the ones we worked in SI. To my personal delight, one of my frequent attending students raised their hand and answered it 100% correct. It feels great for me to know that they've actually be listening and that I helped them, and I'm sure it feels good for them when coming to SI pays off like that.

I think I'm really starting to like this job. =)

mattsplat @ 2003-10-27T22:35:00

2003-10-28T03:48:07Z

Sometimes, when it's quiet and dark and the only sound is the buzz of the night, when the cold winter air delivers a chill, life couldn't possibly be sweeter. The stars look down and I know that our time, in the grand scheme of life and the universe, means nothing, but we don't have to acknowledge that fact.

When I'm in an engineering class and I have some supposedly brilliant thought, or when the little things in life seem to be coming together, when work is going well, or even when I come up with an even remotely witty line for a newspaper column, the contribution overrides the ultimate impact and we can take solace in what we have to offer today to those that know, respect, and love us.

Life is sweet, if only for those simple moments when our own worth can be defined as clearly in our own eyes as in those of others.

mattsplat @ 2003-10-27T08:32:00

2003-10-27T13:44:04Z

Emzi and I were talking Saturday and I have determined Matt's Official Stance on Relationships©.

A relationship should be a friendship, preferably a best friendship, that happens to involve exclusive smooching. If it becomes anything more complicated than that, something has gone wrong.

This means a new couple shouldn't disappear off the face of the planet when they start dating and ignore all of their other friends. They should be able to do things apart. They should still be fun. There shouldn't be bitching about not enough time spent together because that wouldn't happen between best friends of the same sex. The guy shouldn't be paying for everything.

These are only a few of the many exhaustive problems that inevitably rear their ugly heads when a good things goes bad. I've seen it happen to too many people - it's all fun and games at first, but pretty soon the relationship is more of a requirement than anything else. That's why it should never get more complicated than this: Good Friends + Exclusive Smooching = Good Relationship. Period.