So You Can Be Cool, Yo!

Homies, check this out: there is an Urban Dictionary that lets users define slang words. Now you can get credit for the stuff you make up! Which just goes to prove that language is a constantly evolving tool. It’s the illest!

What word do you use that isn’t exactly “real?”

Oogley Moogley

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m afraid of costumed characters, clowns, and people on stilts.  Don’t judge; everyone is quirky in one way or another. 

Anyway, Tracy, Jeff O., and I went to last night’s Nationals game, which was great: perfect weather, plentiful hot dogs, and excellent company.  Oh, and the Nats won! 

Right.  So, we had a really fun time, which included a good laugh when the Racing Presidents came out for their run around the bases; they were pretty funny, and they were far away, so they didn’t seem that threatening.

Well, things change.  An inning later, we decided to go for a snack run.  And as we rounded a corner of the stadium, Racing President George Washington walked by and waved.  I felt nervous, but whatever.   He was just being friendly.

Not whatever!  Another one walked by and, instead of waving, hugged me.  HUGGED ME.  It’s like he knew.   Then the last two walked by.  And to my credit, I didn’t say anything, and I didn’t freak out.  Probably because I like politicians.  If a clown tried that, though, I would have thrown him to the ground. 

What freaks you out or, as Chandler from Friends would say, “scares the bejesus” out of you?

Good Game, Good Game…

This week marked the end of classes…until June, when they start up again:)  And while the last day of school is usually a happy time, I felt sad because I really enjoyed both of my courses.   I don’t think I was alone; the other Intro to the Digital Age (IDA!) folks seemed sad, too. 

But who can blame them?  For some, this class reinforced their passion for digital media.  For others, it introduced us to something completely new and completely cool.  Plus, at some point, a lot of us became friends.  And then there was Nicco, our professor, who made us want to come to class every week and who shared his toys.  The course would not have been the same with any other instructor.

So how do you end something that has come to mean so much to you?  You have a party, obviously.  And have a party we did!

Things started with a little Dance Dance Revolution.  DDR reminds me of that movie Big: users stand on big, square pads that have arrows and some other “buttons” drawn on them.  To DDR, they step on the buttons in time with the game.  As you can imagine, the dancing isn’t always graceful, but it’s really fun. 

Once we were warmed up properly, we Wiid a little.  We couldn’t help it; we were so excited!  Wii is a Nintendo game system, and it is awesome.   Insert a game disk, grab a controller, and suddenly you’re boxing, or playing tennis, or swinging cows around, Monty Python-style.  You will love it.  You will sweat.

In one game, you hold the controller different ways and then do funky stuff, like sweep, or fly, or swim like a shark.  I think that is what it had Nicco do when I took this photo:

After many baked goods and excellent good times, it was time to say goodbye.  And while some folks had to leave early, most stayed ’til the end for a class photo:

Oh, and here is a picture of Andrea and me; I think she’s reflecting on how much she’ll miss our class.

Now, summer begins.  For some in the class, that means catching up on sleep and errands and the gym.  For others, that means travel to some exotic destination.  And for Angela C., Chris, and Nicco, that means a wedding!  Congratulations and best wishes to them and their fiancees.

Just a note: if you’ve taken to reading Accidental Luddite and you like it, fear not!  I plan to keep it going.  And I really, really appreciate that you stop by from time to time.  Thank you!

So, what do you plan to do this summer?

Everyone’s a DJ

Have you ever noticed that certain songs sound better when played louder?  That is my general operating principle, so I cranked up the tunes this morning while working in my apartment.  (BTW, Steve Jobs, I bought my 80s music again.  You are a harsh taskmaster.)

A couple of hours into things, I saw a group of sunbathers outside my building, and I became very self-concious.  Did they like what I was playing?  Was it too loud?  Not their genre?  I decided to go with things, though I skipped any song that my iPod repeated (so the sunbathers could enjoy variety).  And when it was time to shut off the music and run an errand?  The sunbathers left!  I think they actually in fact liked my playlist of current hits and all-time classics.  At least, I hope they did.

It’s probably worth mentioning that, while I was sitting outside doing work later, some kids drove by with their stereo turned WAY up.  Some people are so rude…

What’s on your playlist right now?

Let the Sunshine In

I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy today’s gorgeous weather!  I spent the day in the grass, studying but not minding the work I had to do.  Doesn’t it seem like sun brings out the best in us?  And, some people say that (moderate) sun exposure is good, even.

What did you do today to soak up the rays?

Hokie Hope

Virginia Tech alumni have declared tomorrow, April 20, National Orange and Maroon Day.  If you can, please wear these colors in support of the Hokies.

Also, Nicco Mele, my professor, created this sign.  Feel free to download it and put it on one of your windows to show the Hokie Nation you love it!

Because We Could All Use Some Good News…

When things are so sad, and when every media outlet features news that’s tough to take, it’s important to remember that it’s ok to take joy in life.  Smiling, and committing good deeds, and appreciating the simple (and silly) things are how we take steps forward.

Since I didn’t hear any good news on the TV or radio today, I decided to seek some on my own.  Here are a few of the things that I found:

• Sheraton has appointed the world’s first Chief Beer Officer.
• A former cynic believes that people are fundamentally awesome.
• It is National Volunteer Week, and people across the country are lending their neighbors a helping hand.
• Each year, at least 3 million animals are adopted from shelters.

What good news have you heard lately?

Today, We Are All Hokies

I graduated from the University of Virginia a few years after my brother graduated from Virginia Tech.  Because the two schools enjoy a famous rivalry, we still joke about a family feud. 

Brother, today, no jokes.  Today, we are all Hokies.

We have a family friend who is a senior at Virginia Tech.  He almost lost two pals this morning after they were shot in their classroom by someone they didn’t even know.  His local paper, a small publication, immediately called his distraught mother and asked for a photo it could run next to a story about the shootings.  I guess the publication figured that a local angle would sell more papers.  I think that’s garbage.

Tomorrow, I’ll sit in a classroom, too; I feel very aware of that.  I’m not a better or worse person than the kids killed today.  But I’m precious to my family, just as they will always be precious to theirs.  And I don’t know those people, but I hurt enormously for them.

It’s hard to understand why people do awful things.  But, while I can’t make sense of senseless acts, I am at least reminded how much I care for the people in my life.  And that includes you.

Official Post 12 — 3-Dimensional Printing

Imagine working late on a critical project.  Let’s say you’re preparing for a press conference regarding a new condo community.  You’ve secured a venue, mailed invitations, and alerted the media.  But the courier responsible for delivering an artist’s rendering of the community never showed, and you know that you can’t have a press conference without this critical visual.   

No problem!  You call your friend who has a 3-D printer and, after meeting him at his office armed with the rendering saved on a thumb drive, print a new one.  To scale.  In color. 

This sounds like something out of science fiction, but 3-D printers, or rapid prototyping devices, are reality.  They’re already used by designers, architects, engineers, and even biomedical companies. 

So how does the magic happen?  It depends on the machine but, generally, a computer or CAD device sends a file to the printer.  Then, one inkjet shoots out a layer of glue-like stuff while another shoots out a layer of powdered metal, plastic, sand, or wood.  This process is repeated many times until a very real prototype emerges.  

And while these devices start at around $30,000 right now, Hewlett-Packard aims to sell one for home or office use that would retail for $1,000.  As each new device is released, it offers even more capabilities.  Someday, you might be able to print your medication, or a pizza, or your own clothes.   

Of course, there are issues to consider with 3-D printing, including the safety and authenticity of the items created.  If I printed medicine prescribed by my doctor, but the printer made the tiniest error in the formulation, there would be real consequences.  If someone had the right combination of materials and printed credible-looking currency, there would be real consequences.   

So what do you think – cool, or totally weird?

Official Post 11 — The Pentagon Papers

We seriously shocked our professor, Nicco, when we could not explain to him the importance of the Pentagon Papers.  Oh, we all knew that the Papers had something to do with Vietnam and the First Amendment, but that was about all the space our brains allowed for that lesson from AP History.  So Nicco suggested that we redeem ourselves by explaining the Pentagon Papers to others. 

The United States became involved with the Vietnam War in 1950, though we didn’t send large numbers of troops to Vietnam until the early 1960s.  By 1965, tens of thousands of troops occupied the region. 

In 1967, then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara commissioned a study called “United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense.”  This classified document would become known as the Pentagon Papers.  Most damagingly, the Papers outlined the United States’ efforts, at President Lyndon Johnson’s direction, to escalate the war through skirmishes across Vietnam, despite public promises not to do so. 

In 1971, a government employee copied a portion of the papers with the help of a friend, then leaked that portion to The New York Times.  The Times printed stories related to the Papers, prompting President Richard Nixon and his administration to seek a court-ordered injunction against the paper.  When The Washington Post joined its sister paper in reporting the Pentagon Papers, the Post was added to a lawsuit, New York Times Co. v. U.S., which reached the Supreme Court. 

The government argued that the Pentagon Papers were classified and that their release jeopardized national security.  The Times and the Post argued that they were entitled under the First Amendment to publish the story.  Further, the papers asserted that the government wanted to block the Papers’ release, not out of concern for national security but, rather, to avoid political embarrassment. 

In a 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that the Times and the Post were entitled under the First Amendment to publish the Pentagon Papers.  However, the Court also ruled that, in the future, the government could block the publication of information if publication would bring “dire consequences.”  Therefore, while New York Times Co. v. U.S. was seen as a victory for the Times and the Post, it did not provide journalists with the unconditional freedom they hoped for. 

It is worth noting that, according to most historians, the Pentagon Papers did not pose a threat to National Security.  The U.S. officially exited Vietnam in 1973.

Why do you think the Pentagon Papers are relevant today?