Adventures in Tab Closing #5, and other random things
CURRENT FAVORITE:
Porcelain Raft, "Dragonfly"
--I'm just gonna go ahead and dump all the remaining links I have -- no quoting and very little commentary this time around. And because Iran (and to a certain extent, the Green Movement) is back in the news again, I'm starting with that:
* Salon: "A campaign for war with Iran begins"
* Huffington Post: "Neocon War Plans Undermine Iranians' Quest for Democracy"
(This is such a bad idea on so many levels, I can't begin to explain. Both of these articles do a good job of giving background to the latest push for war, unpacking the lies surrounding it, and showing how and why the Green Movement would be ruined should war come to pass. Highly recommended reading.)
* Tehran Bureau: "Meet Iran's Jon Stewart: Parazit's Sharp Cuts"
(A very awesome article -- the video showing various clips from the show was pretty funny! The entire Tehran Bureau website is probably the best place for news about Iran I can find, even though I'm sure some people have problems with PBS)
* io9: "Humans' treatment of other animals shaped our evolution"
(I'm still trying to get through Guns, Germs, and Steel [AAAGH why is it taking me so long to get through? D:], so I find this pretty relevant and fascinating)
* The [Melbourne] Age: "Burqa defenders' paradox of injustice"
(On why non-Muslims debating the wearing of the burqa or hijab is fraught with problems)
* Resist Racism: "Why I hate white 'anti-racists'"
(I'm posting this not only because it was really thought-provoking, but the comments in the post at ontd_feminism provided some very valid criticism of Tim Wise, who I've talked about here before in mainly glowing terms)
* Change.org: "Why Pop Culture Matters to Race Bloggers"
(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- this article contains everything I wish people would keep in mind when they hear other people talk about racist, sexist, and other problematic elements in their favorite movies, TV shows, books, etc.)
* Matt Thorn: "The Face of the Other: Do manga characters look 'white'?"
* Resist Racism: "Welcome to our world"
(Key quote: "[T]here are lots of students who don’t have that kind of family money. And they maintain high GPAs despite working nearly full-time. Because there is no other option.")
* Grist: "'Environmentalism' can never address climate change"
(None of these arguments are anything new, but this is probably the best way that I've seen them presented)
* Grist: "The U.S. power sector: Where the power plants are, when they were built, what they pollute"
(Very informative, and I love the visuals!)
* Grist: "The fate of mass transit in an age of deficit hysteria"
* Grist: "'Shadow a Senator" climate push draws inspiration from Tea-Party town halls"
* Grist: "Arid El Paso makes every drop count"
(Yeah, I know, a lot of links are from Grist, but it's a great website and more people ought to know about it)
* io9: "How the Google/Verizon proposal could kill the internet in 5 years"
* New York Times: "Net Neutrality Issue Divides Media Companies"
* Reporters Without Borders: "Open letter to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: 'A bad precedent for the Internet's future'"
(TL;DR version: The unprofessional manner in which Wikileaks released the "Afghanistan papers" could give grounds for governments to restrict the free flow of information online)
* ScienceBlogs: "Kiss space goodbye"
(;____________;)
* Time: "'Cancer' Patient Grows Pea Plant Inside Lung"
* Neatorama: "A Non-Math Look at Math Shapes"
* io9: "Your fantasies are not acceptable"
(Basically, what someone on fandomsecrets has to say to others every other day, only much more thorough and eloquent)
* LA Weekly: "Shogun Vader: the Ultimate Cardboard Cosplay"
(Best cosplay ever, Y/N?)
..............All right, I'm done now. XD
--The printer finally came in on Wednesday, so I guess I can start working on the new laptop this weekend (especially since it would give us enough time to do something in case there's something wrong with it). Since my sister is turning 13 tomorrow, and she's bringing four of her friends over for a Mardi Gras-themed murder mystery party (which she and my parents have spent all day rushing around trying to prepare for), I think that would be a good time to do so. ^_^;
--Heard back from Climatology Nerd yesterday; he's currently hiking and camping out in the Wasatch Range in Utah after spending five days in Nevada's Ruby Mountains. Since it turns out that the jobs in California he applied for have fallen through and he can't spend any time there, he's going to be going back home to New York and look for work there. Which is too bad, since I know he wanted to spend some more time away from home and stay out there longer, but I guess it's for the best right now.
--New gourmet chocolate shop opening up in Middlebury? DO WANT. 8DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
--You know that tf_meta community idea I had a while back? It appears someone has beaten me to it. (By a given definition of "beaten me to it," of course.)
--I don't think I'll be continuing with The Weekly Song, at least not right now. I haven't been keeping up with it for a while now -- I suppose I've just grown tired of doing it. In the meantime, I'll be linking videos or MP3s of songs I happen to be into at the time every so often, usually where it says "CURRENT FAVORITES" or something similar, like I've done in this entry. I might bring back TWS at some point though, who knows.
--Finally, another meme, this time from gingeynary:
Favourite song right now?
See above.
Last album you bought/downloaded?
Bought: The National, High Violet
Downloaded: HuaLun, Silver Daydream (even though I'll probably never get around listening to it......DX)
Last movie you watched? Did you like it?
...........I can't remember, it's been a while now. THIS IS BAD GUYS, I KNOW. ._.,
Three things that are super-annoying at the moment?
-College starting again soon
-My family
-The driver's license fiasco (I have class tomorrow, UGH)
Three random facts about yourself?
-I've probably mentioned this before, but I suppose it doesn't hurt saying again: I used to play the saxophone in fourth grade. I quit at the end of that year because I hated practicing (I mean, I was in fourth grade, after all), but I suspect it was for the best -- a few years later, my parents admitted that when I did practice, I was a horrible sax player. :3 (I still have thoughts of picking up an instrument every once in a while, or learning how to sing, because I think it'd be really cool to make music, but it's not a high priority.)
-I really, really, really want to go back to Italy. Like, badly. Never mind that I've forgotten the language. :B
-Another one I probably already talked about: In fifth grade, all of us had to participate in an essay contest on "What It Means to Be an American." Yeah. :PPP The good thing about that was my essay won second place in the entire town, which meant having to appear at the town's Memorial Day parade, and having to read the damned thing at my school's Flag Day celebration.
What makes your skin crawl?
-The sound of metal scraping against metal
-Any and all alarm clocks
Name two items nearest to you:
-headphones
-desk lamp
Top five words/phrases you use?
-"awesome"
-"amazing"
-"ridiculous"
-"Oy!"
-"COME THE FUCK ON!!" (whenever my computer gets too slow)
Two things you're excited for this year?
-Hopefully getting my life somewhere close to where I'd like it to be
-Maybe seeing a concert or two? IDK
Your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate fudge
Guiltiest pleasure?
............I don't think I really have one. ^_^;
What movie have you seen the most?
Probably either Paprika or Finding Nemo.
If you could rescue any animal, what would it be and would you keep it?
A hawk or eagle, and no, mostly because I wouldn't know how to take care of one.
Worst movie you've ever seen?
I generally try to stay away from bad movies. A movie I watched recently that didn't turn out the way I hoped was The Men Who Stare at Goats.
Best way to relax?
Spending too much time online XD
Favourite quote/lyric?
Currently, it's this:
"All the kids have always known
That the emperor wears new clothes
But to bow down to them anyway
Is better than to be alone"
--Arcade Fire, "Ready to Start"
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter?
Autumn
Say something to the person who tagged you:
You're awesome, and I don't talk to you often enough. :D
I'm not tagging anyone; go do this if you want to. ;-)
Porcelain Raft, "Dragonfly"
--I'm just gonna go ahead and dump all the remaining links I have -- no quoting and very little commentary this time around. And because Iran (and to a certain extent, the Green Movement) is back in the news again, I'm starting with that:
* Salon: "A campaign for war with Iran begins"
* Huffington Post: "Neocon War Plans Undermine Iranians' Quest for Democracy"
(This is such a bad idea on so many levels, I can't begin to explain. Both of these articles do a good job of giving background to the latest push for war, unpacking the lies surrounding it, and showing how and why the Green Movement would be ruined should war come to pass. Highly recommended reading.)
* Tehran Bureau: "Meet Iran's Jon Stewart: Parazit's Sharp Cuts"
(A very awesome article -- the video showing various clips from the show was pretty funny! The entire Tehran Bureau website is probably the best place for news about Iran I can find, even though I'm sure some people have problems with PBS)
* io9: "Humans' treatment of other animals shaped our evolution"
(I'm still trying to get through Guns, Germs, and Steel [AAAGH why is it taking me so long to get through? D:], so I find this pretty relevant and fascinating)
* The [Melbourne] Age: "Burqa defenders' paradox of injustice"
(On why non-Muslims debating the wearing of the burqa or hijab is fraught with problems)
* Resist Racism: "Why I hate white 'anti-racists'"
(I'm posting this not only because it was really thought-provoking, but the comments in the post at ontd_feminism provided some very valid criticism of Tim Wise, who I've talked about here before in mainly glowing terms)
* Change.org: "Why Pop Culture Matters to Race Bloggers"
(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- this article contains everything I wish people would keep in mind when they hear other people talk about racist, sexist, and other problematic elements in their favorite movies, TV shows, books, etc.)
* Matt Thorn: "The Face of the Other: Do manga characters look 'white'?"
* Resist Racism: "Welcome to our world"
(Key quote: "[T]here are lots of students who don’t have that kind of family money. And they maintain high GPAs despite working nearly full-time. Because there is no other option.")
* Grist: "'Environmentalism' can never address climate change"
(None of these arguments are anything new, but this is probably the best way that I've seen them presented)
* Grist: "The U.S. power sector: Where the power plants are, when they were built, what they pollute"
(Very informative, and I love the visuals!)
* Grist: "The fate of mass transit in an age of deficit hysteria"
* Grist: "'Shadow a Senator" climate push draws inspiration from Tea-Party town halls"
* Grist: "Arid El Paso makes every drop count"
(Yeah, I know, a lot of links are from Grist, but it's a great website and more people ought to know about it)
* io9: "How the Google/Verizon proposal could kill the internet in 5 years"
* New York Times: "Net Neutrality Issue Divides Media Companies"
* Reporters Without Borders: "Open letter to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: 'A bad precedent for the Internet's future'"
(TL;DR version: The unprofessional manner in which Wikileaks released the "Afghanistan papers" could give grounds for governments to restrict the free flow of information online)
* ScienceBlogs: "Kiss space goodbye"
(;____________;)
* Time: "'Cancer' Patient Grows Pea Plant Inside Lung"
* Neatorama: "A Non-Math Look at Math Shapes"
* io9: "Your fantasies are not acceptable"
(Basically, what someone on fandomsecrets has to say to others every other day, only much more thorough and eloquent)
* LA Weekly: "Shogun Vader: the Ultimate Cardboard Cosplay"
(Best cosplay ever, Y/N?)
..............All right, I'm done now. XD
--The printer finally came in on Wednesday, so I guess I can start working on the new laptop this weekend (especially since it would give us enough time to do something in case there's something wrong with it). Since my sister is turning 13 tomorrow, and she's bringing four of her friends over for a Mardi Gras-themed murder mystery party (which she and my parents have spent all day rushing around trying to prepare for), I think that would be a good time to do so. ^_^;
--Heard back from Climatology Nerd yesterday; he's currently hiking and camping out in the Wasatch Range in Utah after spending five days in Nevada's Ruby Mountains. Since it turns out that the jobs in California he applied for have fallen through and he can't spend any time there, he's going to be going back home to New York and look for work there. Which is too bad, since I know he wanted to spend some more time away from home and stay out there longer, but I guess it's for the best right now.
--New gourmet chocolate shop opening up in Middlebury? DO WANT. 8DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
--You know that tf_meta community idea I had a while back? It appears someone has beaten me to it. (By a given definition of "beaten me to it," of course.)
--I don't think I'll be continuing with The Weekly Song, at least not right now. I haven't been keeping up with it for a while now -- I suppose I've just grown tired of doing it. In the meantime, I'll be linking videos or MP3s of songs I happen to be into at the time every so often, usually where it says "CURRENT FAVORITES" or something similar, like I've done in this entry. I might bring back TWS at some point though, who knows.
--Finally, another meme, this time from gingeynary:
Favourite song right now?
See above.
Last album you bought/downloaded?
Bought: The National, High Violet
Downloaded: HuaLun, Silver Daydream (even though I'll probably never get around listening to it......DX)
Last movie you watched? Did you like it?
...........I can't remember, it's been a while now. THIS IS BAD GUYS, I KNOW. ._.,
Three things that are super-annoying at the moment?
-College starting again soon
-My family
-The driver's license fiasco (I have class tomorrow, UGH)
Three random facts about yourself?
-I've probably mentioned this before, but I suppose it doesn't hurt saying again: I used to play the saxophone in fourth grade. I quit at the end of that year because I hated practicing (I mean, I was in fourth grade, after all), but I suspect it was for the best -- a few years later, my parents admitted that when I did practice, I was a horrible sax player. :3 (I still have thoughts of picking up an instrument every once in a while, or learning how to sing, because I think it'd be really cool to make music, but it's not a high priority.)
-I really, really, really want to go back to Italy. Like, badly. Never mind that I've forgotten the language. :B
-Another one I probably already talked about: In fifth grade, all of us had to participate in an essay contest on "What It Means to Be an American." Yeah. :PPP The good thing about that was my essay won second place in the entire town, which meant having to appear at the town's Memorial Day parade, and having to read the damned thing at my school's Flag Day celebration.
What makes your skin crawl?
-The sound of metal scraping against metal
-Any and all alarm clocks
Name two items nearest to you:
-headphones
-desk lamp
Top five words/phrases you use?
-"awesome"
-"amazing"
-"ridiculous"
-"Oy!"
-"COME THE FUCK ON!!" (whenever my computer gets too slow)
Two things you're excited for this year?
-Hopefully getting my life somewhere close to where I'd like it to be
-Maybe seeing a concert or two? IDK
Your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate fudge
Guiltiest pleasure?
............I don't think I really have one. ^_^;
What movie have you seen the most?
Probably either Paprika or Finding Nemo.
If you could rescue any animal, what would it be and would you keep it?
A hawk or eagle, and no, mostly because I wouldn't know how to take care of one.
Worst movie you've ever seen?
I generally try to stay away from bad movies. A movie I watched recently that didn't turn out the way I hoped was The Men Who Stare at Goats.
Best way to relax?
Spending too much time online XD
Favourite quote/lyric?
Currently, it's this:
"All the kids have always known
That the emperor wears new clothes
But to bow down to them anyway
Is better than to be alone"
--Arcade Fire, "Ready to Start"
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter?
Autumn
Say something to the person who tagged you:
You're awesome, and I don't talk to you often enough. :D
I'm not tagging anyone; go do this if you want to. ;-)