Rain...

The rain and the weather is so gloomy... It needs to snow NOW!!! And then we can have MASS SNOWBALL FIGHTS on the mall!!! That would be cool. Or laser-tag/paintball fights around campus would be awesome!!

2 more days...

Two more days till we don't have to do this anymore! I mean aw =(... Weird the lights just went off in the hallway... On my floor, the maintenance people installed motion-sensing lights in the hallway, the bathroom, and the lounge. Apparently we're the test floor. I have actually seen nothing wrong with having them in. But the weather is really killing me. I think the weather has affected other people as well.

...

Ah it's monday...Er... Tuesday now! The beginning of the end of this semester. After this week, we have exams! I have two 8AM and two 1:30PM exam. This will be so much fun to study for!!! I am kinda out of things to rant about today... Well, today is warmer than it has been in a few weeks now. No snow recently. But, sometimes it seems like it's cold enough to have snow. I'm am so ready for winter break!

Christmas list:
1. PS3
2. Bike/Ripstik
3. Car (Carrera GT/ BMW 335i/BMW 335tii)
4. ... Other things

HTML...

Html is annoying. All the little things make big differences. Typing the tag (a herf) doesn't work. It has to be "href"!!! And with formatting, sometimes you have to do something thats counterintuitive to get the right result... So weird. The people who drive on I-495 are CRAZY!! I had a guy tailgating me at 70MPH... He was basically a foot or two off my back bumper! Crazy guy!... The sad thing is, after he passed me, a mile or two down the freeway. I caught up to him. So dumb. People make these aggressive moves only to be, what, 30 seconds faster... Waste of gas! Oh well, eventually they will get pulled over or hit something.

Detroit...

This is sad. Dodge is getting to desperate... They have to buy another companies car

Dodge EV pictures 1-7
Lotus Europa s
Lotus...Cont.

Tell me those two don't look exactly alike. The big 3 are getting desperate. The only difference between the cars is the fact that the Dodge EV is electric, and the lotus is not. Detroit is asking for $34 billion for the auto-bailout. I hope Detroit uses it wisely. But, in all honesty I think that money should be given to the people. And, then the people could then spend the money on products, which would be profit for companies. This itself would boost the economy, just like the holiday season. However, we would need to boost consumer confidence. Sadly, I don't think this is gonna happen.

Consumerism...

I find Black Friday a useless "holiday". It makes sense if you want to get your Christmas shopping done. But, many people go to stores at 12AM or 4AM to go shopping. Many go for the "discounts". But, from what I've seen from sales catalogs. Not many stores have many discounts. I saw a ps3, normally sold at $399, cost $399 on Black Friday. How much of a discount is it? 0%... Many items that are discounted are only 5% off. The only things that are discounted "reasonably" are clothing. And how big of a craze is this? Well big enough to get killed over it! A worker at Wal-mart was trampled by people lining up for Black Friday. Is a human life worth few dollars in discounts?! Well I leave you with this. The Simpson's making fun of "Mapple" (Apple).

Thanksgiving break... And then some...

Well my break was decent. I had korean BBQ with a family friend on thursday. This was pretty good. You basically got some beef, pork, chicken or shrimp. And they cook it on a propane grill right in front of you. It tasted pretty good. I have been too this restaurant before. However, This time wasn't as good as I remember. But on friday, I went to a friends house and had chinese hot pot. I had so much GOOD food. Much better than what I've had here! =P Well in some cases.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA

Too lazy to embed it here. But it must be viewed with headphones on, and eyes closed. It is a virtual Barbershop. It shows the real power of the human brain. Just from a stereo audio track. Your brain can "paint a picture" telling you approximately where the person is relative to you! I mean think about it. No, visual clue and yet your brain can tell you where the voice is coming from. Whether it's from the left, right or behind you! Our brain is an amazing organ. Another thing that the brain can do is "remodel" itself. It's called brain plasticity. Your brain is basically, malleable. By repetition, the brain will rework itself to perform a certain task faster. There are cases, where surgeons had to remove half of a patient's brain. And within a few months, the patient could do talk and do anything a normal person would. You would be unable to tell the difference between a normal person and someone who has had half their brain removed. The human brain is amazing!!! Well, that is all i have to say...

Raid?!...

Apparently there has been a drug raid here in Easton? Someone got caught for have 5 pounds of marijuana in there room. 5 POUNDS?! Thats a LOT... Not that I would know what 5 pounds of marijuana looks like! But, it's a pretty frightening thing cause apparently they had SWAT come in and bust into the room! Scary stuff!

Volleyball...

Tournament finished today. 4-4 sadly... Not that bad I guess since it is a USAV tournament. Next tournament is Dec. 7, I think. Afterward, my team went to get food at Applebee's and now here I am.

Technology...

Technology is a big part of our daily lives. We use it all the time. Telephones, cellphones, computers are the most used in my opinion. But many of these things in their current iteration will be out of date in a year or two. Moore's Law states that "the amount of transistors placed on a computer processor will double every two years." This means that computers will only get faster and faster. But Moore's law does not only apply to computer processors. It, also, applies to memory capacity,and the size and number of camera pixels.
Like the video said by 2013 a supercomputer will be able rival the HUMAN brain in computational ability. But, not to worry there will be no terminator style judgment day. Robots, will, hopefully, not be able to do that. If anything, hopefully people will have followed the 3 laws of robotics written by Isaac Asimov. The speed that technology, in this world, progresses is frightening. For 4 year technology major students, what they learned in their first year will be outdated. Same with medical technology. The scary thing is since we rely on technology so much. What would happen if we were to lose electricity completely... Our whole society will come to an almost COMPLETE stop. I hope in future years this will be solved.
The thing that i would really like to see take off is electric cars like the Tesla Roadster. This is a FULL electric car. No gas engine, no emissions and, most importantly, no POLLUTION! If the government subsidized this type of technology. Then things would be better for environmentalists and car enthusiasts. But yeah i'm done talking.

Humor

"Humor is tragedy plus time." -Mark Twain

I think this an interesting quote. Thomas Hobbs said that humor is the expression of superiority. (Leviathan) What Hobbs say is true. But is it true for many situations? Blaise Pascal said "Nothing produces laughter more than a surprising disproportion between that which one expects and that which one sees." In my honest opinion, I think these two quotes define Humor as we know it. However, some humor is still left to personal opinion. Nevertheless, Humor is tragic, and knowing we're better than someone else. So I shall leave you with these video.


Two For The Price Of One - Watch more Entertainment



Watergun Assassination - Watch more Entertainment

Weather...

It is so cold... I hate it... The up-side of it all, though, is that there was a little snow. Sadly it didn't stick but hey it still snowed! So hopefully we get large amounts of snow in December. I going skiing for winter break! So, here's to have 10ft. of snow!!!!! =P

And I leave you with this... You can skip to 4:05 or watch the whole thing. But either way it is funny! Justin Timberlake at his very rare best.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnzMIaK7HWc

What are does your handshake say about you?!

But this video is not only about what your handshakes, it also talks about the many other subtle things that someone does. If your not looking for these subtle gestures, your not gonna see it. These subtle movements can say a lot about you. In the beginning you see the woman on the right fidgeting waiting for the woman talking to finish. Her fidgeting blatantly show that she is being impatient. Later, they talk about their handshakes. It turns out that a long handshake shows that you are controlling. Soon, they talk about nodding. This is done in many conversations everywhere, no matter where you go. It was said that if the person your talking to stops nodding, you can change the topic to regain their attention. They mention touching. No, get your mind out of the gutter. I mean that friendly touch on the upper arm to really drive the point home. But, when doing this the leg may be off-limits! Depending on your relationship with that person. People will do things instinctively if they feel threatened, like crossing their arms or moving away from you.

I found this video very interesting. Although, it does talk a lot about the subtleties of body language. But I would really like to learn more about it... I might just pick up Mark Jeffries' book, and learn the ways of soft touch! =P and gentle influence people to do my bidding!

Iraq War Teach-in

I went to an Iraq War teach-in. And the word "Weapons of Mass Destruction" was thrown around a lot. The thing with the word "Weapons of Mass Destruction" is that it can be a very vague term. Unless, you operationally define it. I mean a 100 or 200 lb bomb could be considered a weapon of mass destruction. So, one cannot really say that we haven't found weapons of mass destruction. Unless by weapons of mass destruction one is talking about nuclear weapons, then one can say we haven't found any. But it is a well-documented fact that Iraq had chemical weapons which can be considered weapons of mass destruction. And, we have found these chemical weapons in Iraq. But, how much will this affect the election?

Mail Order Brides/Marriage Agency...

In my sociology class, we saw a video talking about marriage agency's in Russia. And many of the guys that sign up for this agency seem to have what I see as a messiah complex. They want women that are small, feminine, and like a stereotypical wife. I find this odd. How is one unable to find a potential "mate" in a country FILLED with women?!?!?! I mean of all the women in the country, can you not find a women that fits your needs?

Iron Chef...

I don't watch Iron Chef. One, because I don't have cable at home. And two, because it really is kinda boring. This clip, though, made my day. This clip never gets OLD!!!

Weather...

I despise rain and cold... If it's cold, and there is snow. Then it's ok. But otherwise I don't like the cold. And rain is depressing. I was kinda hoping for a brighter weekend. But you can't get everything you want.

Weather...

It is getting way too cold. I'm getting to the point where I might have to wear 3 layers of clothes and gloves. And it's only October. This sad, I thought they said global warming was gonna make everything much warmer. But, here we are in October with temperatures as low as 30 degrees. That is tragic. I guess they were wrong about global warming, that pretty much goes without saying. Since this is not the only thing that they've been incorrect about.

Expiration dates...

Expiration dates

Something interesting that I found on Yahoo front page. It is about expiration dates of food, that you would not think would last that long.

Tournament...

Well I have a tournament tomorrow at the Reckord Armory. This tournament, well i've been told that it is an east coast tournament. The sad thing is... it starts at 8:00 AM, and ends at 6:00 PM. So, 8 hours of playing...

Rhetorical Analysis 2...

Sleep Deprivation Article

The writer of this article has a relaxed but still formal style. He provides many statistics from his studies and others. But he also provides some anecdotes and testimonials from a high school students. The writer makes in also informative. There are many statistics and facts. This style of writing makes this report effective. The presentation of facts and statistics appeals to the reader's Logos. Also, the article has references to some studies. This appeals to ethos. The article also appeals to pathos because the author gives the reader a student that they can relate and sympathize with.

Documentary...

Yesterday on the history channel was a documentary about body language. Many of the things we do with our body unconsciously are numerous. And they say a lot about who we are and how we are feeling. Our facial expression and other subtle cues that we don't consciously do say more than what we actually say when we react to a comment.

I found this documentary really interesting! It showed many politician's body language during speeches. They also talked about the handshakes. In a photo, the person who is on the right of the handshake will be the more dominant person. The funny thing is that the last person through a door is the more dominant person. Bet you didn't know that! Also, petting on the back is also a show of "ownership".

Rhetorical Analysis...

The Volkswagon commercial is a commercial where Peter Stormare drops a shipping case containing a Volkswagon GTI in it, destroys this guys Ford Focus. This commercial is a spoof of the Pimp my ride show.
This commercial's audience is the adolescent crowd, car enthusiasts, and people who are in the aftermarket parts market. This commercial would appeal to the audience's pathos. It appeals to the viewers pathos because it is funny. This is the commercials primary appeal. It uses this humor to catch the viewers attention. The reaction of the audience, and the creator's intended reaction are somewhat different. The audience would find the commercial amusing, and not forget it. The creator's intended reaction is just that. But the creator would like the audience to think of the commercial and want to purchase the car.
In the commercial, they use colloquial language. This would allow them to relate to their intended audience. Also Peter speaks in a German accent. This makes the commercial funny. But I really wonder whether or not a commercial this weird actually works in getting people to buy the GTI.

Random...

I walk to lunch in bright sunlight, in what seemed like a nice day. After I finish lunch, I leave the North campus diner and it had RAINED?!!? It was really weird, I left it was bright and clear as day. Afterwords, It rained and was gloomy. Now I look out the window and its BRIGHT?! What is this?!

Weather... (Cont.)

The weather now is just ridiculous. As you probably know it rained pretty hard. Well this is getting extremely annoying. I hate to walk any where in the room. But, it is fun to just relax in the rain.

Weather...

It's really starting to annoy me... The weather yesterday was fine. But, now it's just cold. It's not normal, going from 80 degree weather to 60 degree weather.

Paper...

This paper is increasingly getting harder and harder as I write. As I delve further and further into this paper, it's getting harder to think of things to write.

Narrative written in class...

As I browse through a store minding my own business. And I have this eerie feeling that something is behind me. I turn around and nothing is there. So, I keep browsing and then I get the same feeling. I turn and there he is... the SECURITY guard following me. I felt insulted and just left the store.

Technology...

In my business management 110 class, my teacher showed us a video, "Did you know 2.0". It basically talked about how the US is falling behind India and China, in education and many other things. It brings up many other facts, and thought provoking questions. In my opinion, I think it brings up a lot of possible correct statistics. But, it leaves a lot to the viewers imagination. You decide! Video after the break.

Financial Crisis...

Oh NOES!!!! AIG is getting a bailout from the Fed of about $85 billion. Lehman Brothers has filed for bankruptcy. Merrill Lynch was bought up by Bank of America... This may seem like a bad time. But, President Bush says it's just an adjustment... -_- While many other financial analyzers say that today was the worst day in the financial market.

I'm MELTING!!!!

ARGH... THE HEAT... Yeah, it is hot as hell in a dorm with no a/c even during the night. The university should do something bout this! Vote on the poll!! NOW!!!

The Singing Bee

This is a singing game show, much like Don't forget the lyrics. It is hosted by N'Sync singer, Joey Fontane. It's very amusing to watch people fail at remembering the lyrics to classic songs, like "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, "Buttercup" by The Foundations. It's not a bad show its on bravo. WATCH IT!!!

A/C...

Why is it that there are some dorms where there is no air conditioning? I sit here in my dorm, Easton, and it is HOT. And I don't mean 80 degrees hot... I mean it feels like 95 degrees. I wonder why is it that some of my friends, who are also freshman, get air conditioning. While I'm here sweating my butt off here. I think the university should do something about it!

Hurricanes

I guess it's hurricane season now. Ike has hit Texas. Much of Houston is destroyed. And 2 confirmed deaths in Houston... I think. Even though Ike was a category 1 when it hit Texas, it still did a lot of damage. And these hurricanes are only going to get stronger.

Now for something less morbid. I saw an episode of Mythbusters (for those who don't know, GOOGLE it), where they interlaced the pages of 2 phonebooks and tried to pull it apart. Needless to say they failed at that, even though they used two tanks. That was kinda cool. Otherwise nothing much on tv.

The Terps football team beat California 35-27!!!! WHOOO Go TERPS!!!!

Random...

So... What to talk about... well I have heard many times that people don't like the new facebook. But for the most part, it makes stalking that much easier for me!! =D... Just kidding. It is rather annoying... The weather is also annoying in that its raining whenever I'm walking to class. But when I'm in class it stops... Just my luck.

Rain...

What exactly is wrong with our weather? First we get weeks, where I am walking to class in temperature routinely reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit. And then suddenly, I am walking to class with rain soaking my clothes. This is ridiculous. But, the rain is a nice relief from the extreme heat!

BABY FEVER!!!!

I'm sitting here watching the VMA's and I just found out that Ashlee Simpson is pregnant... o.O When did this happen?!?! But as I thought about it. I figured out that there are a lot of people that are pregnant. Ashlee Simpson, Jessica Alba (Sad i know), Bristol Palin (she's only 17-18), and many more that seem to elude my mind at the moment.

I find this very odd. What really sparked this craze? Was it the lucky connotations to the year 2008?(To the chinese and maybe others 8 is a lucky number) Or was it some memo that is passed around telling people to get pregnant this year? o.O I for one don't know if the latter is possible or true.
But, yeah this is a little odd that everyone decides to have a child all in the same year.

Just for fun

So Saturday afternoon, I left my dorm to go back home to do laundry. I slept over at my house. And the Sunday afternoon, I went with my family to have lunch with some friends, who are either in high school, middle school or college.

1st blog assignment!!!

1. My name is Austin Liu. I am from Potomac, Maryland. I have gone to Wayside elementary, Herbert Hoover middle school, and Winston Churchill high school. I plan on getting a degree, and getting my masters. At this point, I might major in finance, accounting or both.

2. The only writing that I have done is in school, for my classes.

3. When writing my paper I will plan out what I'm going to write. After planning I will the write in my computer. The easiest part of the process would be revising. But, the hardest would be coming up with what to write.

4. Writing an editorial gives me the most satisfaction.

5. The longest paper I've written would be 5 pages. But the most difficult paper was a research paper that i wrote on Marie Curie. To prepare to write my research paper I had to research about Marie's many accomplishments as a female chemist. I learned that finding the necessary details.

6. I remember learning about sentence structures, and paragraph structures.

7. As a writer I am terrible at coming up with ideas, and elaborating my point. But, my sentence structure, and me revision skills are better.

8. Coming up with what to write is where I am gonna need a lot of help. Also, getting to the required amount of pages.

9. I would talk about many current events or anything that is "debate worthy".

10. I associate Disagreements with the word arguements. I think it would be interesting as long as there are arguements that happen!