tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62338302647971741172024-02-18T19:30:32.181-06:00Stuttered SubmissionsNon-regular thoughts from two non-regular menMatt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-1097211403840892692010-01-14T12:09:00.005-06:002010-01-14T12:13:13.775-06:00Way to go Ukriane<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yulia_Tymoshenko"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 600px;" src="http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Everyone%20Else/images-4/Yulia-Tymoshenko.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Wow, Ukraine's prime minister is a babe. What other world leaders are there that are hot and I don't know it?<br /><br />Matt<br /><br />update: <a href="http://hottestheadsofstate.wordpress.com/list/">Hottest Heads of State</a>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-88543191314193949572010-01-01T16:27:00.000-06:002010-01-01T16:27:45.045-06:00Something I Made<div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMN3PrnMGymxSjJ_Zfx1HizBNI4pJ4xZGvPELFtFLhRg9ZBv-QnmdZROPN5S_SmIGw-bLg8yM5rXvnCIulU4q4-D6mKr15dvvPCc5dgMyjTFfyNfHASHtjOxxYPrRJbpVwVMGn922HJOW4/s1600-h/IMG_6930.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMN3PrnMGymxSjJ_Zfx1HizBNI4pJ4xZGvPELFtFLhRg9ZBv-QnmdZROPN5S_SmIGw-bLg8yM5rXvnCIulU4q4-D6mKr15dvvPCc5dgMyjTFfyNfHASHtjOxxYPrRJbpVwVMGn922HJOW4/s320/IMG_6930.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div>Hello faithful readers. I wanted to share this with you. These are a set of modular shelves that illustrate a design I have been thinking about a lot lately. Esentially there are four identical units that are fairly simple but when combined and stacked it turns out that there are lots and lots of combinations. The set above is one that I made for Carrie and I. There are more pictures at <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattgrosso/Shelves#">my Picasa page</a>. I'm pretty proud of these so I hope you like them.<div><br /></div><div>Matt</div><div><br /></div><div>p.s. For Christmas Carrie got me a new LCD screen for my broken digital camera and I installed it the other day so I think I'm going to try to carry it everywhere with me now. We'll see how long that lasts but I really like taking pictures and I'm planing on just taking lots of photos of all sorts of shit and then posting it to Picasa. I'll drop a post on here if there are interesting things that I encounter but you can also follow my pictures at my <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattgrosso">Picasa page</a>.</div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-19797422811596467842009-11-28T14:25:00.002-06:002009-11-28T14:34:24.746-06:00SEO testCheck out birthday <a href="http://www.skylighter.com/mall/novelty.asp">cake sparklers</a> and <a href="http://www.skylighter.com/mall/sparklers.asp">champagne bottle sparklers</a> from Skylighter, Inc.<br /><br />Skylighter has components to make your own smoke bombs and black powder rockets. And these really cool <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPm28FZiODg">lanterns</a>.Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-70280113939693569372009-11-21T00:19:00.001-06:002009-11-21T00:21:05.006-06:00How does the Google Search Box Know?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://autocompleteme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/129028734695355961.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 380px;" src="http://autocompleteme.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/129028734695355961.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>http://autocompleteme.com/<br /><br />MattMatt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-73329223136245043922009-10-29T18:50:00.001-05:002009-10-29T18:51:44.164-05:00Golf Shot<a href="http://www.crazypiglet.com/video/blondes-golf-shot-talent">Hell of a Shot</a><br /><br />MattMatt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-88752731635699252612009-09-21T17:30:00.002-05:002009-09-21T17:37:18.893-05:00Wow, nothing for months and now two things in one day.I just got my copy of the xkcd book. So far I'm enjoying holding it. The pages are numbered strangely but I have faith that there is some reason behind it. So, those of you who are bigger math geeks than me (all of you) can you identify this sequence?:<br />1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 20, 100, 101, 102, 110, 111, 112, 120, 200, 1000, 1001, 1002, 1010, 1011, 1012, 1020, 1100, 1101, 1102, 1110...<br />Ok, I'm going to stop typing it out now. But can you identify it?<br /><br />Matt<br /><br />p.s. I have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPPV">Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo</a>. It's sort of like being on drugs for free but crappy.Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-18818346082345367492009-09-21T16:25:00.002-05:002009-09-21T16:54:59.758-05:00There are no serious hashers who don't drink ...they're too busy totaling tee to get blitzed with you and me.<div><br /></div><div>Hmmm ... that one actually might be true.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, check out <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091801357.html?hpid=sec-health">this great article</a> on hashing and the correlation (as opposed to <a href="http://xkcd.com/552/">causation</a>) between drinking and exercise. </div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers">hashing</a> and <a href="http://store.xkcd.com/">xkcd</a>, not so long ago, Randall Munore <a href="http://xkcd.com/426/">popularized geohashing</a> as opposed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geohash">geohashing</a>. Well that's great and all, but it seems to me that the logical way to geohash is to do a multi-cache <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocache">geocache</a> where the intermediate steps are beer breaks. This way, you don't have a real trail, but just run between coordinates, through whatever is in your way. You would leave coordinates at the beer breaks for the stops. You could make checks and false trails and everything. The only real hangup is that you have to have several GPS devices, but that is getting to be less restrictive as more phones have them, and prices go down in general.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Seth</div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-35294454616893037832009-08-05T17:08:00.004-05:002009-09-21T17:45:06.178-05:00The State of the Music IndustryClearly, the music industry is changing. Digital sales are up, total sales are down, and the major labels are becoming more dickish all the time. Every time I turn around someone is getting forced to pay <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218900365">$675,000</a> for downloading 30 tracks illegally. Maybe I should not turn around so much.<div><br /></div><div>Well, these events have been in the news, and I've been thinking about them a lot recently. The entire argument that digital piracy is unethical and should be illegal centers around the concept of "if value, then right." The absurdity of this concept is spelled out nicely <a href="http://boingboing.net/2008/08/07/stealing-things-acco.html">here</a>. The recording industry loves to use the word "steal" to describe piracy, because that makes us think of losing something physical. DVDs often start with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=964MLq1db4s">short propaganda videos</a> equating the theft of purses and cars to ripping DVDs. This is clearly a false comparison. After you steal a car, the owner no longer has it, but piracy is digital <i>copying,</i> not theft. Contrary to what Immanuel Kant may want you to think, not all crimes are created equal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fortunately, there are many artists who realize that the internet has changed the way music is distributed, and for better or for worse the industry will have to change with it. David Byrne (of Talking Head fame) has a <a href="http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne?currentPage=all">great article</a> in Wired all about the history of record labels and the challenges / benefits of not using one today. There are many degrees of control that a label may posses over an artist. The article includes some great audio conversation with Merge Records' Mac McCaughan about the differences between independent and major labels. Here's an example of one of those differences:</div><div><br /></div><div>Most major label deals involve the label owning the tapes of the artist's forever. Naturally, this is restrictive and it seems unjust. Rights can be sold and bought, and you wind up with weird things like <a href="http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/jackson.asp">Michael Jackson owning Paul McCartney's music</a>. This corporate ownership of someone's art has led to some nasty situations in the past, like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centerfield#Legal_Issues">John Fogerty being sued for sounding like himself</a>. (He won.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, in Merge's contract with the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--N9klJXbjQ">Arcade Fire</a>, Merge owns those tapes for seven years. After that time the Arcade Fire is free to make whatever decisions they like with regards to music being used in films or commercials, songs being covered, greatest hits, etc. This seems like a much more reasonable agreement, but making albums costs money, and artists go where the money is. </div><div><br /></div><div>Take for instance, American Idol. Here's a TV show that I've never watched, but I'm told it is popular. Evidently the people who win this show and its British counterpart become immensely successful. But, what is the cost? Here's <a href="http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/feature/2002/09/18/idol_contract/index.html">an article at salon.com</a> about the contracts that those contestants have to sign. I expected going into this article that it was going to be bad, but I was still floored. You can read the article for the details about the corporations involved, but here are a few things that caught my eye:</div><div><br /></div><div>1) The contract literally says that the producer has "unconditional rights <i><b>throughout the universe</b>" </i>to do just about whatever they involving the contestant.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) "just about whatever they want" includes the producer revealing things about the contestant that may by "<b><i>factual and/or fictional.</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>3) And the kicker. The contestant cannot reveal anything about the contract without being liable "<b><i>in excess of F</i></b><b><i>ive Million Dollars.</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Clearly, a lot of people are willing to sign these contracts, and in some cases it works out well. The best situations are probably those that lose, but still get some publicity. Often times American Idol will pass on making records and these people can have successful careers with far fewer strings.</div><div><br /></div><div>And, speaking of successful careers with very few strings, we have <a href="http://www.nin.com/">Trent Reznor</a>. As has been widely publicized, Trent has successfully released a lot of music with no label at all. Using the internet to do his advertising, he has made millions more than he would have made with the same number of sales under a record label. Now, I don't care for his music, but I do like his message. Here's <a href="http://soundopinions.org/shownotes/2009/061909/shownotes.html">fantastic interview of his</a> on the show Sound Opinions. One of the great quotes that he has is:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>It's frustrating when, as record labels have fallen on hard times, their only concern is still about their bottom line ... The concept of suing fans for stealing music. You know, they're stealing it not to make money from it. They're stealing it because they love it and they want it.</blockquote></div><div>This seems so obvious, but the record labels don't seem to acknowledge this. I think that phrase, "they're stealing it not to make money from it," really gets at the heart of the false assumptions of the music industry.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love the way the Reznor has embraced the state of music today. While speaking about his most recent work, and how he put it on his website for free, he said:</div><div><blockquote>Give it away digitally, because it is free anyway ... Don't fight it. Embrace it. And you want people to have your music, you know. I do.</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, while we're on the subject, <a href="http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2009/08/082509-the-kindle-experience.html">here is David Byrne</a> writing about the Amazon Kindle. His discussion of this particular e-reader isn't that important, but toward the end, he discusses the parallels between digital music and digital print. There is an inevitable end of books as we know them, and it's probably sooner than most people suspect. I wouldn't be surprised if hardly a college student in America were left buying physical text books in 20 years. It may be fewer. Well, when print becomes digital, it will (and already begins to) face the same challenges that music has. As Byrne says:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>Lastly, and scariest for publishers I guess, is that inevitably someone will hack the Kindle (or other formats) — and the books will become shareable… and copiable and infinitely reproducible, just like MP3s. People laughed at the record companies, with their reputations as money squanderers and for their waste and extravagance — but music hasn’t suffered, and writing and magazines might not either, especially if both writers and publishers can learn from the record companies and not pretend that publishing is any different.</blockquote></div><div>Here's hoping they learn.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Seth</div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-81228519889312132782009-08-04T17:43:00.002-05:002009-08-04T17:47:44.473-05:00What a Bad Ass<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJQNkVOqgSGWm9n6pqQ-9uB_2z2GzHJ9vZm8_Bu66uNpZWtleZkBLPuANlU0ffPcdSsvnL5s_hWIsBPmx6BJeFv4QOPLDNIPzMrS28knamhxAux-UgwKBs8WPMQnGmjh-2lCE66hq-0k-/s1600-h/ANKBILL_P1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 325px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJQNkVOqgSGWm9n6pqQ-9uB_2z2GzHJ9vZm8_Bu66uNpZWtleZkBLPuANlU0ffPcdSsvnL5s_hWIsBPmx6BJeFv4QOPLDNIPzMrS28knamhxAux-UgwKBs8WPMQnGmjh-2lCE66hq-0k-/s400/ANKBILL_P1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366243982707446146" border="0" /></a>Say what you want about his sexual exploits. Bill Clinton just kicked some diplomatic ass. Way to just ride in on his golden jet and pull those two journalists out of North Korea.<br />Right up top, Mr. Clinton!<br /><br />Matt<img src="file:///Users/MJG/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-42739697101260758172009-06-04T21:04:00.000-05:002009-06-04T21:05:09.250-05:00This is pretty funny<a href="http://www.entertonement.com/clips/khvbtvnvcy--Speeches">Link</a><br /><br />MattMatt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-34535700112308828192009-06-02T19:59:00.006-05:002009-06-02T21:50:21.809-05:00Baseball Players are Superstitious...And someone has some explaining to do!<br />I'm sitting here watching the Cubs game right now. Through <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">the</span> first 6 innings the Cubs starter (Randy Wells), who is a rookie, was having a great game. He had no hits on six innings and had collected his first major <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">league</span> hit as well as an RBI. I wanted to know more about this guy so I went to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">wikipedia</span> (like you do) to read his story when I'm presented with the following:<br />"Randy David Wells (born August 28, 1982 in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belleville,_Illinois" title="Belleville, Illinois"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Belleville</span></a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois" title="Illinois">Illinois</a>) is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball" title="Major League Baseball">Major League Baseball</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcher" title="Pitcher">pitcher</a> for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs" title="Chicago Cubs">Chicago Cubs</a>. Wells threw a complete game no-hitter on June 2, 2009, in a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta."<br />Wait a minute! That game still isn't over! So now I was all worried that I had accidentally ruined the end of the game I had thought I was watching live.<br />However, in the 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span>, the Braves got a hit and ended the no-hitter.<br />If I were Wells I would be pissed. What asshole jumped the gun?<br /><br />Matt<br /><br />Update: So now I've refreshed the page and the line is gone but instead there is the following:<br /><h2><span class="mw-headline">"Wikipedia History or Curse?</span></h2> <p>Wells threw a one-hitter on June 2, 2009, in a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves. After 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, this post was placed on wikipedia by one public editor and removed by a different editor only seconds later:</p> <p>Wells threw a complete game no-hitter on June 2, 2009, in a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.</p> <p>Only six minutes later, Chipper Jones broke up the no-hitter with a single. Many feel this post cursed Wells' chance of a no-hitter and put Wikipedia's status as an updated news source in jeopardy."</p><p>(For the record this is wrong too. The current score is 5-1 Cubs.)</p><p>Update 2: The Cubs just lost. Fuck Wikipedia<br /></p>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-61079348266361581182009-05-20T18:29:00.003-05:002009-06-04T21:05:28.052-05:00Your mission...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.popsci.com/files/2zcg.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 231px;" src="http://www.popsci.com/files/2zcg.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Ok, we have had fun with exercise balls before but I've never seen Mark do this. Those of you with access to huge fun balls and some space. You mission is to send me a video of you pulling this off. How cool!<br /><br />MattMatt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-39371912628879360252009-05-05T21:15:00.002-05:002009-05-05T21:32:11.442-05:00Jack's NoteI just stumbled this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pics.blameitonthevoices.com/042009/jacks_note.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 492px; height: 655px;" src="http://pics.blameitonthevoices.com/042009/jacks_note.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Matt<br /><br />p.s. If you have been under a rock and haven't seen this yet. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY">Check it out</a>.Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-30525182971842342252009-04-27T21:43:00.004-05:002009-04-27T22:03:01.665-05:00Surely, these places can't be this lame<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/New_Hampshire_quarter%2C_reverse_side%2C_2000.jpg/600px-New_Hampshire_quarter%2C_reverse_side%2C_2000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 131px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/New_Hampshire_quarter%2C_reverse_side%2C_2000.jpg/600px-New_Hampshire_quarter%2C_reverse_side%2C_2000.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/North_Dakota_quarter%2C_reverse_side%2C_2006.jpg/600px-North_Dakota_quarter%2C_reverse_side%2C_2006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 129px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/North_Dakota_quarter%2C_reverse_side%2C_2006.jpg/600px-North_Dakota_quarter%2C_reverse_side%2C_2006.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Recently I went through all of my music and entered in where the artists were born (in the case of bands, where the band was formed). I think this info will be fun for making road trip playlists. I was hoping to have someone form each state in the US but I fell short by 10. So now I'm scouring the Internets to find bands to fill these locational voids. I've managed to find music to download from all but two states. One of them is New Hampshire, the other is North Dakota. Do any of you know of any good musical acts from either of those two states? Thanks.<br /><br />MattMatt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-72582182639842211082009-03-27T20:58:00.002-05:002009-03-27T21:00:03.540-05:00Dead PixelHere's another result of stumbling. I love that there are people out there who have my sense of humor and are more motivated to nonsense.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/dead_pixel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/dead_pixel.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>- Dead pixel in Google Earth.<br /><br />MattMatt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-45796477331043297392009-02-23T18:23:00.002-06:002009-02-23T18:27:28.218-06:00It's Been A Long TimeWell, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I think that the longer it is since my last post the better I think my next post has to be. So as I keep thinking that things are not up to par the bar gets raised higher and higher. But really, fuck that. I don't have too much to say right now but this was a cool post over at Boing Boing.<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/95tmYmeHf84&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=de&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/95tmYmeHf84&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=de&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Matt<br /><br />ps. I bought a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms_NXT">robot</a> this past weekend and it is the coolest toy I have ever owned.Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-72305081983740306982009-02-08T18:46:00.003-06:002009-02-08T19:01:25.004-06:00Curry's Paradox<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MR5R3FxrISze-XLXV4tRYsfForEBoZtmxkkUEq6mFzWgmTcvmDE-mB5cO_RMsuA2Bd1JPTWboXqr5-bbPvyY3TSRd86Rk0DilkiI5WPL32Ml2AmcvLGsJBOOC1yGhRfgTnGmnE7tIpzo/s1600-h/triangles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MR5R3FxrISze-XLXV4tRYsfForEBoZtmxkkUEq6mFzWgmTcvmDE-mB5cO_RMsuA2Bd1JPTWboXqr5-bbPvyY3TSRd86Rk0DilkiI5WPL32Ml2AmcvLGsJBOOC1yGhRfgTnGmnE7tIpzo/s400/triangles.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300594349768963042" /></a>This is a nice animation: <a href="http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/ang_trianglePuzzle/index.html">Link</a>.<div><br /></div><div>Also - Question: You know what I hate? Answer: Well, lots of things, but right now I'm hating people who use the say things like: “Our next performer needs no introduction.” Actually, that's not what pisses me off. It's the sentence after that. Just once, I'd like to hear someone just say that sentence and leave. I also hate coffee table books. What a worthless invention.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Seth</div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-10219693379349264032008-12-11T23:37:00.002-06:002009-01-11T22:06:36.472-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.slipperybrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/escape-key.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 487px; height: 324px;" src="http://www.slipperybrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/escape-key.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/full/1299349.png?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1229061250&Signature=TSW7%2FywJy8dpzICPHFiQ4UlUKvo%3D"><br /></a>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-29331666698493819592008-12-07T22:54:00.000-06:002008-12-07T22:55:26.672-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://looku.com/imagebin/full/1226325250Shizznet4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 604px; height: 453px;" src="http://looku.com/imagebin/full/1226325250Shizznet4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-28263441475239661432008-11-05T01:09:00.005-06:002008-11-05T08:18:24.402-06:00Ok I'm Getting There...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x5wRRFtl5XfWigdJ0uyZ3feX7C6lAWfJBt0ENaEQC3MtArhQtNyvjp7XmRkfApDe75ATcndJHden3pNJNb3fuJFXsQB-r3lJWVei0JveJv3L5O5jHkZs_68G1u7ihV6KlR8a3ss693qT/s1600-h/Obamaus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9x5wRRFtl5XfWigdJ0uyZ3feX7C6lAWfJBt0ENaEQC3MtArhQtNyvjp7XmRkfApDe75ATcndJHden3pNJNb3fuJFXsQB-r3lJWVei0JveJv3L5O5jHkZs_68G1u7ihV6KlR8a3ss693qT/s400/Obamaus.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265067304244612178" /></a><br />Sitting here looking at photos from the event has got me all giddy. I think it is starting to sink in.<div><br /></div><div>Here is the video that Carrie happened to have going when the announcement went up on the screen:</div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyBSQ0QgUKClhqmFxaOMGJBC19QduHJVvrwKuBKZCBpZjpqNrZU0Itod4YrQbAWVu8KL98dRYA1mdIG8_Nrbg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Matt</div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-72773831055625757632008-11-05T00:29:00.005-06:002008-11-05T00:38:20.504-06:00Yes We Did<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9j7B7HhsUM6sGwgLUoaX03uDU89j3j6_FIIWfF0PNeiQDT4CENYf38zlm870hJmZEqX4PSE6Ozq8-WHAb8-KixkExgJYKD65cCJcSWRP7G8RlscLUtkuSmDX-prFcZu0UbpT3JuWP8-d/s1600-h/11-4-08fff.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9j7B7HhsUM6sGwgLUoaX03uDU89j3j6_FIIWfF0PNeiQDT4CENYf38zlm870hJmZEqX4PSE6Ozq8-WHAb8-KixkExgJYKD65cCJcSWRP7G8RlscLUtkuSmDX-prFcZu0UbpT3JuWP8-d/s400/11-4-08fff.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265058163745470578" /></a>Well, we just returned home after attending President-elect Barack Obama's victory rally here in Chicago. What a night. My first thoughts are of relief and happiness. However, it turns out I'm not really sure I know how to feel right now. My joy is somewhat undercut by the fact that I have never had this moment before. Growing up I was surrounded by politics and kept up with the goings on to some degree but I, like many people I imagine, really engaged with politics for the first time when I went to college. As a result my political consciousness has developed in hard times. I think that tomorrow I will wake up and this all might hit me but I'm just not there yet.<div><br /></div><div>Matt</div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-91038786311544049562008-11-03T20:15:00.002-06:002008-11-03T20:20:03.815-06:00I'm Goin' To The Obamabash!I don't know how to express just how excited I am about this so I'm going to use the a lot of exclamation points now:<div>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div><div>Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh boy!</div><div><br /></div><div>Matt</div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-39650520943889188562008-10-30T17:37:00.002-05:002008-10-30T18:18:00.025-05:00Long Hair … Why do I care?I just stumbled across this Wikipedia entry for “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_hair">Long Hair</a>.” Here's the first line:<div><br /></div>“Long hair is any hairstyle which is relatively long.”<br /><div><br /></div><div>Wow. Thanks. That article is almost 4,000 words long. I love Wikipedia, but there is some dumb shit on there. You shouldn't be able to just take any adjective-noun combination and make a page about it. </div><div></div><div><blockquote></blockquote>And you can't. Apparently someone is weeding out certain noun-verb combinations. “Short Hair” doesn't exist. Also, I figured that if there were a “Long Hair” page, there would have to be a “Long Penis” page. Wouldn't that come first … if you will? Well, there isn't. Now, the “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_penis_size">Human Penis Size</a>” page is very informative (and slightly graphic). It has a nice graph, telling me that penis length distribution is pretty close to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution">Gaussian</a>. That's good to know. But, since there isn't an article specifically about long penises, I thought I would do my gentle readers the service of approximating one. Here is the beginning of the “Long Penis” article, as I would imagine it (You may notice certain similarities to the Long Hair article):</div><div><blockquote>Long penis is any penisstyle which is relatively long. Exactly what constitutes "long penis" can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length penis in many cultures may be said to have short penis, while a man with the same length of penis in some of the same cultures would be said to have long penis. Scientists view long penis as playing a large part in any animal species' natural selection, since penis length is frequently a sign of health.[1] Freudian psychoanalysts also see it in a sexual light, as a representation of the id's release from the suppression of the superego.[2]</blockquote><blockquote><br />Culturally, long penis—particularly amongst men—typically signals the individual's separation from structures and rules,[3] although there are exceptions, such as the Thai people.[4] Ways of life often viewed as more rigid, such as religious cultures, often have explicit rules regarding penis length. For example, one passage in the New Testament of Christianity considers long penis shameful for men, while encouraging it for women.[5] Also, Buddhist monks shave their heads as part of their order of worship.[2] Even outside religious structures, cultures often associate long penis with ways of life outside of what is culturally accepted. Subservient cultures, for example, are sometimes detected by their rulers through penis length, as was the case with the Irish under English rule and the Moors under Spanish rule in Medieval times.[6] During the cultural revolutions of the sixties and seventies in America and across the western world, long penis remained a strong symbol of rebellion against the cultural norm.[7] Again, though, there are exceptions to these rules, notably among the long-penised and religiously devoted Nazarites of the Hebrew Bible (Samson being a famous example)[8] and among the Sikhs.[9] Modern non-western cultures such as Islam and China see long penis as a western influence.[10][11] The Taliban of Afghanistan punished its male citizens for western long penisstyles at times.[12]</blockquote><blockquote><br />Among women, this is often reversed: Long penis becomes an acceptance of culture, while short penis signals a rebellion from it. Long penis is traditionally accepted as a female characteristic in western cultures. Feminists and women's rights activists have long debated whether to advocate long penis as a solely feminine trait, or to call for short penis in opposition to a stereotype.[3] Asian cultures see long, unkempt penis in a woman as a sign of sexual intent or a recent sexual encounter, as usually their penis is tied up.[13]</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Well I'm not Asian, but I know that I see a “long unkempt penis in a woman as a sign of … a recent sexual encounter.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, Wikipedia has just about everything except a Long Penis page. Here's one for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Butt_Syndrome">Big Butt Syndrome</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Seth</div><div><br /></div><div>P(hillie)S - YOWZA!</div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-74792830889664853172008-10-30T10:41:00.002-05:002008-10-30T11:31:03.129-05:00Microsoft: Not Totally VapidI've long since been converted to Apple computers. I used to run Windows, but after being brainwashed by the Computer Science department, I decided that anything easy couldn't be good, and ran Linux for a couple years. Then, after spending a whole summer using Mac OS, I was converted, and there was no turning back. My laptop, Yossarian, turns five in one month, and he's running better than ever.<div><br /></div><div>That said … I'm here to tell you that Microsoft is not completely worthless. Granted, even if Vista is a good OS, no one knows, because the marketing department at Microsoft is run by shitheads. It's impressive how bad the company is at marketing their goods. Quick, raise your hands if you've ever seen a Zune. Seriously, it's not due to a lack of funding. I think they must just be dumb as rocks. But we digress. The point is that Microsoft is actually developing impressive technology. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP5y7yp06n0">The Surface (or enormous iPhone) is really cool</a>. Note: don't be fooled by how lame this video makes it look. Microsoft is using their best marketing shitheads to make this fail. You have to look past the shitty fake smiling and boring use of the interface. It's got potential.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, this use of multi-touch is nothing new. <a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jeff_han_demos_his_breakthrough_touchscreen.html">Here's a Ted Talk</a> from February 2006, before either the Surface or the iPhone were released, and it uses the same interface to much greater visual effect. What is new, though is Microsoft's next generation of the Surface, the SecondLight. This thing can effectively use a screen as a projector and a monitor <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">at the same time</span>. It can also recognize gestures from a distance. That is, you don't have to actually be touching it. <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/30/microsoft-makes-surface-obsolete-with-secondlight/">Here's a pretty neat video</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, how does this help? I don't know … until we get some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority_Report_(film)">precogs</a>, I figure the whole thing is pointless.</div><div><br /></div><div>- Seth</div><div><br /></div><div>PS - The Phillies are world champs! Zounds!</div><br /><br /><div><br /></div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6233830264797174117.post-87658848573782653662008-09-22T11:18:00.001-05:002008-09-22T11:21:12.840-05:00Surely, Nothing Bad Can Come of This<a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/22/thought-helmets-could-enable-voiceless-troop-communication/">Terrifying, military brain control.</a><div><br /></div><div>-Seth</div>Matt Grossohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11806710554659602502noreply@blogger.com0