One HELL of a night...
•One HELL of a night...
I will start at the end and say that a bodies ability to govern its self, and democracy won.
SALE: Top of the line computers from a year ago, $100; To go on sale at 8:00am, Monday, January 22nd.
There were people waiting (outside) in the cold (Don't you live in Arizona?), since Saturday night around 9:00pm. Sunday I woke up around 9:00am and headed down there. There were then closer to 14 people in line (inside); they had been tearing off pieces of paper and putting "numbers" on them. Realizing that this was retarded and doomed to fail I suggested "The List". The List, in practice, solidified a persons spot in line, all the while keeping them from having to wait in the cold.
The School had posted that the computers would be, "first come first serve", but also said that we needed to line up outside near the -rear- entrance to the bookstore. This was -all- before Phoenix was hit with Freezing Rain, Snow, and Hail, in the afternoon. Around -that- time we were then given permission to stay inside indefinitely...
People signed up as they arrived throughout the night. There were 49 computers, and the list went to 55. I stepped forward again, during a 7:30pm roundup (I was pulled out the premier to Sci-Fi's Dresden Files to attend) we took role, and I made a "printed" version of, "The List". I printed 55 version of the list, thinking that if everyone (or the majority) agreed to the list, and they all had the same copy, then there could be no disputes.
(Ethan will argue with you about -anything-, in the end it was this -talent?- that proved his undoing).
Then chaos broke. Ethan, who is my roommate, VP of Student Government, and Shares my Birthday and Year, hit the school forums, and began disseminating how unofficial our list was, how it went against the rules that were posted, and how -anyone- could walk up to the back door and start an -official- line. In fear, everyone left the sanctity of the warm school, and lined up outside. Three individuals, Ethan included, walked to the front of the line and dared anyone to do something about it. At the point Ethan didn't even -want- a PC, he just wanted to prove a point, and he was not willing to be -wrong-.
I was pulled out of the room I was camping in, working on a school project, to witness the chaos. He had gotten in their heads and convinced them that they were all screwed. The young nerds not realizing that, not only did they have strength in numbers, but if they all put their foot down and said how it was going to be, then they would get their way. I didn't want them, the common nerds who talk big and do nothing, get taken advantage of, and to be honest I had some stake in this too.
I walked out there, and yelled, "HEY!", and got them all to quiet. I addressed everyone but Ethan, and his two "African American" friends who were helping with the instigation, and told them that if they all agreed and could govern themselves then there was no reason that they had to get pushed around. I rallied them all back inside and we talked. This was about 1:30am on Monday morning, and someone called the President of the Student Government, to bring this situation to him. I personally feel that this is where things started getting out of hand, but I also see that someone with "Authortai", had to oppose their Brutish Law.
We talked with Rocco (the Pres) in the Theater for close to five hours. He wanting to hear, "both sides", and get all the facts. Every time he wend outside (Ethan and his -crew- refused to budge or cooperate so stayed in the cold to solidify their line) Ethan argued with Rocco, and proved that he felt he was -right- and not willing to reach a compromise. At this point things were retarded because the three, "Instigators", were threatening us with violence, and yet flaunting that our system was, "dumb", and that they didn't even want a computer, until the confrontation arose.
Skip ahead to 7:30am. We all finished sleeping, or watching Ocean's 11, in the Theater, and lined up in the hall (inside) just outside the bookstore; in the same order were were on The List. At 7:55am, we were all pulled back into the theater and Rocco, who had been mitigating the, "situation", since we called him explained that there were three options; two of them unfair.
We could draw names out of a hat...
No on could get computers this year...
Or the, "other camp", could just start bitching and accept that we governed ourselves in a professional and adult like manner, and that the list was law (THIS time around)....
About another half hour in line (outside) next to PayPhone (Mike), jibbering about Brekfa, Bidna, and Bu'sek, and I walked away with a computer. I helped another, frail, girl get her's to her car, and I was labeled a hero. And there was pie, and ice cream, and rainbows, and all the rivers flowed with Chocolate.
Majority Rules... They rolled the dice, and they lost, and I am never going to live it down.
*I am sure I am leaving things out, I have been up for more than 24 hours now, and loopy, not tired. The internet is retroactive, and I will make changes to it as I remember them.
• Boosh!
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/new-rocket-engine-to-get-us-to-mars-with-20-greater-efficiency-230368.php
I will start at the end and say that a bodies ability to govern its self, and democracy won.
SALE: Top of the line computers from a year ago, $100; To go on sale at 8:00am, Monday, January 22nd.
There were people waiting (outside) in the cold (Don't you live in Arizona?), since Saturday night around 9:00pm. Sunday I woke up around 9:00am and headed down there. There were then closer to 14 people in line (inside); they had been tearing off pieces of paper and putting "numbers" on them. Realizing that this was retarded and doomed to fail I suggested "The List". The List, in practice, solidified a persons spot in line, all the while keeping them from having to wait in the cold.
The School had posted that the computers would be, "first come first serve", but also said that we needed to line up outside near the -rear- entrance to the bookstore. This was -all- before Phoenix was hit with Freezing Rain, Snow, and Hail, in the afternoon. Around -that- time we were then given permission to stay inside indefinitely...
People signed up as they arrived throughout the night. There were 49 computers, and the list went to 55. I stepped forward again, during a 7:30pm roundup (I was pulled out the premier to Sci-Fi's Dresden Files to attend) we took role, and I made a "printed" version of, "The List". I printed 55 version of the list, thinking that if everyone (or the majority) agreed to the list, and they all had the same copy, then there could be no disputes.
(Ethan will argue with you about -anything-, in the end it was this -talent?- that proved his undoing).
Then chaos broke. Ethan, who is my roommate, VP of Student Government, and Shares my Birthday and Year, hit the school forums, and began disseminating how unofficial our list was, how it went against the rules that were posted, and how -anyone- could walk up to the back door and start an -official- line. In fear, everyone left the sanctity of the warm school, and lined up outside. Three individuals, Ethan included, walked to the front of the line and dared anyone to do something about it. At the point Ethan didn't even -want- a PC, he just wanted to prove a point, and he was not willing to be -wrong-.
I was pulled out of the room I was camping in, working on a school project, to witness the chaos. He had gotten in their heads and convinced them that they were all screwed. The young nerds not realizing that, not only did they have strength in numbers, but if they all put their foot down and said how it was going to be, then they would get their way. I didn't want them, the common nerds who talk big and do nothing, get taken advantage of, and to be honest I had some stake in this too.
I walked out there, and yelled, "HEY!", and got them all to quiet. I addressed everyone but Ethan, and his two "African American" friends who were helping with the instigation, and told them that if they all agreed and could govern themselves then there was no reason that they had to get pushed around. I rallied them all back inside and we talked. This was about 1:30am on Monday morning, and someone called the President of the Student Government, to bring this situation to him. I personally feel that this is where things started getting out of hand, but I also see that someone with "Authortai", had to oppose their Brutish Law.
We talked with Rocco (the Pres) in the Theater for close to five hours. He wanting to hear, "both sides", and get all the facts. Every time he wend outside (Ethan and his -crew- refused to budge or cooperate so stayed in the cold to solidify their line) Ethan argued with Rocco, and proved that he felt he was -right- and not willing to reach a compromise. At this point things were retarded because the three, "Instigators", were threatening us with violence, and yet flaunting that our system was, "dumb", and that they didn't even want a computer, until the confrontation arose.
Skip ahead to 7:30am. We all finished sleeping, or watching Ocean's 11, in the Theater, and lined up in the hall (inside) just outside the bookstore; in the same order were were on The List. At 7:55am, we were all pulled back into the theater and Rocco, who had been mitigating the, "situation", since we called him explained that there were three options; two of them unfair.
We could draw names out of a hat...
No on could get computers this year...
Or the, "other camp", could just start bitching and accept that we governed ourselves in a professional and adult like manner, and that the list was law (THIS time around)....
About another half hour in line (outside) next to PayPhone (Mike), jibbering about Brekfa, Bidna, and Bu'sek, and I walked away with a computer. I helped another, frail, girl get her's to her car, and I was labeled a hero. And there was pie, and ice cream, and rainbows, and all the rivers flowed with Chocolate.
Majority Rules... They rolled the dice, and they lost, and I am never going to live it down.
*I am sure I am leaving things out, I have been up for more than 24 hours now, and loopy, not tired. The internet is retroactive, and I will make changes to it as I remember them.
• Boosh!
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/new-rocket-engine-to-get-us-to-mars-with-20-greater-efficiency-230368.php