I grew up in California, and so as far as I can remember, I've called fizzy drinks soda. I remember going to Georgia and hearing them use "Coke" as the blanket term for all fizzies, and hearing "pop" in the northwest.
So, as I say goodbye to university life until the next time I take a class, I wanted to point to the recent discovery of the oldest university in the world in the Library of Alexandria.
In taking a page out of real life, some game developers have been putting virtual drugs into their games -- they even have side effects, such as vomitting, nausea, even death. They've put in effects for addiction and withdrawl, add in some ways, these player character addictive elements are only adding to the online addiction of the game.
Are retail scores mainly scapegoating Shrek? Some financial analysts have said that the effect of rising gas prices have made a dent on the economy. I actually think that it's made much more an impact than we realize. Over the last couple of months, gas has risen pretty steadily, resulting in a net rise of about 30 cents per gallon. 30 cents per gallon doesn't sound like a whole lot, but the cummulated effect is substantial over time. I actually think it is due to gas prices, but not because people have less money -- 2 or 3 more dollars per week isn't going to change buying habits drastically. I believe that gas prices in the long run will remain high (and keep climbing) because until people commuting with their gas guzzling SUVs and solo driving, demand for oil rises. As more nations become industrialized, the need for oil rises, and so until another fuel source becomes utilized, it will remain this way.
I've never managed to finish this series (although many people have told me it's quite good). I probably should at one point or another, but I find it interesting that now movie studios have caught on to good books becoming successful movies -- no doubt thanks to the success of Harry Potter, LOTR and Shrek in film.
Does anyone use Netflix and have any comments on the service?
Update: A co-worker of mine pointed out the search field on the site, and also showed me Greencine which also provides the same kind of service, although Greencine does look like it carries a much larger selection of foreign flicks, including a section for Hong Kong films such as Steven Chow's God of Cookery and Comrades: Almost a Love Story.
I find that the problem with me is not in being able to stay awake -- I can usually stay awake without the aid of caffeinated beverages, but rather the problem of making effective use of time.
Although I do like fizzy drinks once in a while, I much prefer drinking tea and fresh juice to the canned and prepackaged beverages pumped with high fructose corn syrup.
Count 'em: That's a total of 15 sushi plates + 1 order of soft shell crab, 1 order of baked scallops and one order of baked mussels.
Christine and I went to Sushi Maru tonight, a local sushi boat restaurant in San Jose that we frequent from time to time. At first they seated us at a table, and then moved us to the bar. So, we ordered most of the sushi by listing what we wanted, but when we moved, the server passed on our list to the sushi chef, so as soon as we finished off a sushi plate, another would show up.
Note: Shortly after this picture was taken, 2 cups of green tea ice cream arrived, courtesy of Christine's "superpower".
Analysts have been predicting for a while now that we'd be seeing $3 per gallon before summer. Gas prices, I've noticed, is a cyclical one that gradually inches upward.
The American lifestyle, it turns out is responsible for 45% of the world's gasoline consumption. Think about that for a moment -- out of all the industrialized countries in the world, America almost use more gasoline than the rest of the world combined. Despite our heavy use and our dependence on foreign oil, we still manage to retain some of the cheapest gasoline prices in the world.
The market for SUVs resides mainly in the U.S. Few countries have need for personal vehicles which are so bulky and consume so much gasoline.
What I also interesting about this was the colophon attached to the scroll, which is the oldest copyright notice I've ever seen: "Reverently [caused to be] made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 13th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong [i.e. 11th May, AD 868]".
I do have to say I'm fairly impressed with the Bristish Library's Website, even if it is difficult to navigate at times.
You can also take a look at the Gutenberg Bible and Leonardo DaVinci's notebook.
Ring ring ring ring ... bananaphone!
Which, I suppose, is kinda of a followup to the equally strange badger badger badger badger mushrooooom!
Of course, this year, unlike other years, I'm not attending, and I'm actually glad. Although I do miss out on a free trip to LA, and having my meals comped for a few days, I won't miss everything else about E3, and I can sit here in front of the computer and read all the news about the games without needing to walk the convention hall, or be denied entry because I don't have a press pass. Coverage of the show has gotten to the point where I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not being there, which makes both my feet and my eardrums very happy.
(Photos and more in the extended entry)
