I’m getting tired of looking at the same bland page here at rand0m.org. And I’m even more tired of getting an unbelievable amount of communiques insisting that I put up “more content!” So here goes. Topics for today include EverLAN, my birthday, Girls (in general), Work, Work #2 and then maybe some other things. It’s pretty sad that I have to structure my posts so that I don’t lose focus and scrap the entire process resulting in weeks of no-content. EverLAN was super. It went off with nary a hitch and was super well attended. Setup started July 14th, event on th 16th, ended on the 18th, cleanup on the 19th. EGC was closed from the 15th until afternoon of the 19th. Basically, 500+ people brought their PCs to the Phil Long Expo Center up on the north side to enjoy LAN computer gaming, file swapping, meeting people and to participate in lucrative competitions — one to the tune of $10,000 for 1st place. There are a shitton of photos running around: [L=http://rand0m.org/gallery.php?gid=13]my gallery[/L], [L=http://www.everlan.net/modules.php?set_albumName=summer04&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php]everlan.net galleries[/L]. Also, Team3D, one of the world’s most well known Counter-Strike teams, made a visit to the gaming center. They were a bunch of really classy guys, and there are some photos of [L=http://cos.everlan.com/gallery.php?gid=13]them here[/L]. Of other note is that Adelphia has an awesome network team — if you can get ahold of them. My 22nd birthday happened on the opening day of EverLAN. I did absolutely nothing. I got a card from my parents, and a card from my Oma in Salt Lake City, UT, and a nice package of things from Laura (beachball (?), stickynotepad (was super @ everlan), some chocolates). I didn’t even drink a beer. I think I got a call from Keen, but that seems fuzzy. All in all, probably the most worthless birthday I’ve ever had – business as usual – and I don’t even care. Wow. Girls. I got to see Sammi while she was here, but she is gone. I was hoping to catch her again before she made off to FarmLand, but I didn’t. Damn. I think Laura [L=http://www.livejournal.com/users/pinklaura/10427.html]hates me[/L]. Awww Shoot! I ran into Michelle … something … the hot chick from back in the day. She is still incredibly hot. There’s this woman on my floor named Zaheera (sp?). She’s doing some temp work for GlobeLink, a translation-services company. She is almost 22, has a bachelor’s degree in history (earned 1 year early), speaks 6 languages and is pursuing her masters in international finance. She’s not the most attractive girl in the world physically, but man, I want to have sex with her brain. She is incredible, but I feel wildly inadequate due to her overwhelming competence … so I talked to her twice, and might ask her to get a cup of joe tomorrow for lunch? The day job is doing well. My job is the same as always, as there is not too much for me to do in the way o fnew things … I think that will change soon. I determined (see below) that I need to make more money. Hopefully the $ situation changes soon, otherwise it will change soon — not going to continue limping by on sub-Wal-Mart-night-stocker pay. The store is doing not so good. Summer sucks and has hit us hard. Like, real hard. We have been considering changing locations to one more suburban, but have been fruitless in finding a good mixture of location, size, cost, mean income, population density, and more. Location is -everything-. Everything. Luckily PHS starts up again soon, so hopefully we won’t die. Shittikaka. I made a gallery-style thing for the photos. I don’t know if I mentioned that in an earlier post, but it’s there and it’s pretty neato. Keen is in Vegas for Defcon. I was totally planning on attending, and had saved as much as humanly possible, but alas am short. I had no idea that it’s painfully difficult for me to save $1000ish with my low-ass-wage job … even over 3 months. w0lfy, damn him, got notice on Tuesday that -his- employer is sending him to Defcon all expenses paid. With three days notice, eg $400+ in tickets, $600+ in hotel costs, not to mention per diem, pay, and more. I long for such a job. You have no idea. Defcon officially starts up tomorrow, and I am expecting Keen to take a shitton notes and even more photos. I am still at odds with Tore. Wait, no. I don’t care anymore. People are fallible, people can change. I think Tore is at odds with me. I don’t know, though, because I haven’t talked to him in forever. He went to Texas, despite his previous strong inclinations to not do so. I [i]feel[/i] like I should apologize, but then I think about it for a second, and I don’t have to apologize for my opinion, no matter how bigoted or biased others may think it is. I believe Tore will continue to be offended for an indeterminable period of time — this, by the way, it very much non-traditional Tore behavior. I liked him, his attitudes and his thoughts a lot more before. Before what, I don’t know … just … before. He changed. Or maybe I changed. Don’t ask me.
EverLAN, Bday, Girls, Works, Misc
2004-07-29 21:44:24 – WC
wo0o00o0!! New content. I’ll alert the presses. I got a new job, but you already knew that. However, they are not sending me to defCon. Such a shame. Ohh well. I hope Brian has fun down there. — And I fully expect someone to bring me back some of those cool hacker magnets you have on your fridge. Randal, eventually you gotta broaden your girl horizons. No offense but watching the girls that work on your floor is kinda creepy. There isn’t any HS girls you can hit on? Tell them you have a car!! –joking. But hey I really wouldn’t worry about the girl thing. Eventually word gets out that this really sucessful business owner is single and the girls will flock. You wait and see. On other notes- I saw your gallery. Nifty. In .NET that would have taken a lot more lines of code imho. I am starting to dislike .NET as I am starting to professionally dabble in it. Its just another technology that is complex. Although if used correctly is extremly secure and powerful. Too bad it natively still relies on IIS. Hey I tried calling you on your 22nd. You didn’t answer. And you weren’t online. Well I got in trouble for speaking my mind about someone you know last night so I won’t comment on a few things of that nature. Although I admit I did it in the wrong spot. Tell Corey hi.
2004-07-29 21:51:01 – rand0m
I’m not stalking her, nor am I creepy. I didn’t even know that she worked on the floor until this past Tuesday … and I ran into her in the copy room and just started talking to her. Why does everybody (meaning craig) instantly assume I’m stalking/obsessing/beingoverbearingpsychoguy a girl. Jesus.
2004-07-29 23:59:33 – Master Ha-reed
Michelle Swanson. Obviously the black vortex of Colorado Springs has kept her around. Now you know what its like to be Nathaniel Branden, I guess.
2004-07-30 06:25:05 – keener2u
"I’m not stalking her, nor am I creepy." Sure, you know you give off that psycho stalker vibe. 😛 So, I bought my tickets last night Defcon now costs $80. It’s already a party down there. Once I get done briefing some people on the east coast,that’s why I am up at this ungodly hour of 5am, I am heading straight over there. W00t! And yes expect a hella lot of pictures.
2004-07-30 14:00:19 – Manny
Keen are you coming east?
2004-07-30 14:24:04 – jordan
one more week in chile. mixed feelings about that. DICE: i can’t answer you because the email address that you have up doesn’t work. what’s your email?
2004-07-30 15:55:14 – pinky
dude, i don’t hate you. i hate stephane and mckenzie. same birthday, evil conservatives. i don’t even think you’re all that conservative.
2004-07-30 18:18:20 – keener2u
Nope not coming east. I did my demo over video teleconference this morning. K time to start my two night bender.
2004-07-30 21:16:05 – Dice
Well, you guessed right. Chile huh? I hear they have good steak down there, and some mountains. That’s all that’s there, right? Do any of you remember Mrs. Crafts from Palmer? Maybe she didn’t teach IB, I don’t know. I saw her at a MacDonalds near Longmont today. It freaked me out, especially considering the drunken cry fit that got her fired a few years back….
2004-07-31 09:34:17 – jordan
was she the one who was dating Sawtelle? Chile: they also have lots of smog. And fish. And wine. Oh, and also Chileans.
2004-07-31 14:04:20 – Dice
No, she was datng Mr. Smith, a computer teacher, who was also with her at MacDonalds. Sawtell was dating Mrs. Pell. That kind of changed my perception of the man. I always envisioned him leaving Palmer to go to his one room basement apartment. In it was only a swinging lightbulb above a tattered desk, and he would slave the nights away working thorugh non-sense equations, caring only about Math, but Pell changed all that, oh well. And Jordan, I guess you know who Diso Nova is. Why is it that this person is so hateful, and could you have him/her explain his/her fear of the sport of wrestling? Said something about sweaty guys in tights hugging, rolling around the ground. I admit, that about sums it up, but unless you are a homophobe, what’s wrong with that? Heh.
2004-07-31 14:42:28 – jordan
Actually, I don’t know who Disco is. But I did get a pretty good laugh out of your be called a meathead. That was some pretty funny shit. And further, I would like to posit the theory s/he is latently homosexual (really, what ARE you compensating for, Dsco? There’s much more room to move around if you leave the closet). ONe thing that i forgot to mention that they have in CHile are the cafe con piernas (coffee with legs). These are coffee shops where you’re served by scantily clad women. They scantness in the cladding ranges from miniskirts to g-strings. In the g-string establishments, the women are standing on a slight elevation leaning on a bar just a little above their mid-thigh level. (You’re always standing when you visit these places.) This means that every time you go to grab your cup, you have to dodge their breasts. Or i guess you don’t have to, but I have the two times that I’ve gone. Laura: before you lay into me for having gone even two times, in my own defense, I’ve never gone alone and am kind of weirded out by the entire thing. Further, the first time I was taken, I didn’t even know what the hell was going on.
2004-07-31 16:34:18 – jordan
ok, so I’d like to take back my theory, as i don’t know who the hell disco is, but disco strikes me as a bit of an ass.
2004-08-01 01:48:36 – The Disco Nova
Don’t get involved Jordan, the only reason I haven’t torn into you for that little bit is Randalll’s personal appeal.
2004-08-01 04:13:05 – WC
I <3 You All. You are so very funny. Jordan, so *cough* we need some pictures of these coffe shops.
2004-08-01 07:36:03 – keener2u
W0000 just got home with a party with hektik yay for parties that last till 730 am !!!! ok drunk and ready to go to sleep
2004-08-01 11:37:47 – jordan
disco: a.) who are you? b.) tear, away, i don’t care what you say about me.
2004-08-01 11:57:21 – rand0m
he’s my roommate. And I asked him to refrain so that this page could retain some level of civility and not degenerate (once again) into a flamewar … particularly because I don’t like censoring. I’d rather just take away commentability than take the time to moderate/ban people.
2004-08-01 12:33:15 – jordan
ok. fair enough. i’ll shut up about this. regarding the pictures fromthe coffee shop: no, i don’t think so. I could try, i guess, but i’d rather not have to run away from angry Chilean people. Besides, it’s just liek a titty bar without the booze.
2004-08-01 14:07:08 – Dice
Hey, I didn’t start in with the name calling this time around, nor did i ever. So, are the girls there to get you to drink the coffee, or is the coffee there to get you to watch the girls?
2004-08-01 15:16:37 – Master Ha-reed
I never knew Mrs. Crafts, but I can’t believe that ANYONE would date Mr. Smith. I mean we are talking about the same fatass "throw your hands in the air" (hat tip to Bryce) Mr. Smith right?
2004-08-01 16:42:59 – jordan
the girls are there to get you to buy the coffee. you don’t pay them for anything more than the coffee. or maybe you can for someof them, but i don’t know anything about that.
2004-08-01 17:01:43 – jordan
I hope this isn’t too charged a topic, but I’m kinda curious what the general reaction has been in the States to farenheit 9/11. any comments? I obviously haven’t seen it yet. Is opinion as polarized on it as i think it is? Also, the name calling. totally my bad. Sorry about that.
2004-08-03 10:13:33 – Netheus
Well, Farenheit 9-11 has gotten a lot of shit, and a lot of good press… you just have to know that when you go into the theater that this is a POV of Moore, and that he is trying to convey/ convince you of his stance, which I think he does okay/ cheaply. I read on the Fark that Castro showed it in the prime time on gov’t tv. Hunter S. Thompson has a new book coming out. W00T. New little grocery store opened on Tejon where Yamaha Music was. Media Paly sux ass. Don’t go there. Buy DVD’s only to open the packaging, alas, sans DVD. Argh. Realized I was darker than I thought the day before last. Damnable pessimism.
2004-08-03 19:09:18 – WC
<gamer> Doom 3 == teh win 🙂 just a quick fyi in case you didn’t know. I will still be way excited btw when HL2 comes out </gamer>
2004-08-03 21:29:24 – nick
Doom 3 does == teh win. When it didn’t run right htorugh wine[x], I took the timet o finally do a windows isntall on the partition thats’ been sitting there fora eyar now empty. But, yeah, it’s seecksi enough for me to boto into windows. Um..yeah, I’m a littel drunk righ tnow, my bad. kthx
2004-08-05 19:58:39 – WC
If I’m not mistaken I believe a Linux binary is coming out soon. Maybe December according to tux-games. 🙂
2004-08-06 00:07:00 – nick
Yeah, I heard it wouldn’t be long. Oh well, I want to play now, so I’ll dual-boot at least until I’ve finished the game. It’s not too much different anyhow. It’s just gaim and firefox and a couple small changes. Foobar (which I really wish ran on linux) instead of xmms and a putty terminal instead of aterm with ssh to my remote system. I think I’m beginning to realize that I hate technology and I don’t give a fuck as long as it does whatever I need it to do. I also think I’m rambling. Done now.
2004-08-09 16:27:36 – pinky
A few comments: a.) Jordan, you can go to your coffee shops, it’s not like something I type on the internet is going to change that. However, if you truly feel uncomfortable, then why go? There’s this theory that the way to begin to eraddicate sexism/racism/homophobia/classism/etc. is to begin with your own actions and attitudes because they give others the choice to not go along with the mainstream. Because of this, I would not go into the coffee shop to start that change in the perception and sexualization (and probably exotification) of women. yeah. b.) Farenheit 9/11. Everyone kinda forgot about it once the DNC happened in Boston, but up to that point, it was creating a lot of discussion and whatnot. I liked it because it showed a lot of what the mainstream media doesn’t talk about (Bushes ties to Saudi Arabia, the reality of war and loss of a loved one, and the refusal of anyone from the senate to help all the disenfranchised people in florida and contest the election in 2000). It was biased, but people should probably expect that from Michael Moore. I, however, think that the movie did appeal to swing voters more than the right would like to admit.