I have been appointed as Fire Marshal for my floor. Basically this means that when there is a fire drill I get to wear a day-glo orange vest, a day-glo yellow helmet and use a walkie-talkie and loudhailer while ensuring that everybody on my flood evacuates the building. I thought it was a cool idea and even when I mentioned that it meant I'd be in the best position for looting so did my boss. By the way, I'd only really do any looting if there actually was a fire that was about to destroy everything anyway. And in case you're wondering, I will have more respect with day-glo clothing and a loudhailer, people will respect mah authritah!
And speaking of looting:
It's been a slow news week, but here are a few stories that have caught my interest:
Secret codes in printers can allow tracking
IOL today reports that manufactures of colour laser printers have colluded with the US Government in order identify individual printers in the same way that imperfections in old style typewriters can be used to track those. Apparently really small dots are used to code make, model, serial number and time of printing every time a print is made. Manufacturers are not denying this, just giving the normal "no comment". Obviously civil rights groups and conspiracy theorists are up in arms.
Mob beats alleged thief to death
What from the headline appears to be a total barbaric killing of an innocent, actually turns out to be the total barbaric killing of a guilty person. While I believe the guilty should be punished, mob violence scares me, just imagine people getting out of a taxi just joining in the "fatal beating" without knowing all the details, if it doesn't scare you let me know. As an aside, I hate this new politically correct speak that uses words like alleged and suspected even when it's absolutely obvious what the person did, look out for it, you'll know it when you see it.
Man held after failing illegal alien 'test'
Yet another reason I don't trust the police. What happens if Detective Sergeant Pogenpoel decided that my accent sounds too British, does the same thing happen to me? It sounds a lot like these cops have a side business and arrest people at random hopping to elicit a bribe, those that refuse to pay are simply released later after being roughed up a bit. If you missed the reference to not trusting the police it's all about the "offending drivers" round-up they did in restaurants a few months ago. Actually, come to think of it, weren't most of the people rounded up illegal?
I've recently been tagged by a bleeme (that's blog meeme) and although I don't usually respond to these kind of things I will to this one. TotalWaste didn't really explain the rules, but from checking out the chain I think I've worked it out, here they are: Link to the person who tagged you; compile 20 random facts about yourself that people may be interested to know; tag as many people as it took you in minutes to compile the list; link to those people thus ensuring the chain!
Here goes:
1. I hate it when people use “Quantum Leap” to mean a big change, I know the common usage is now prevalent, but a quantum is small damn it!.
2. This morning I bought a whole fillet of Norwegian salmon and repackaged it into smaller portions, my hands still smell like fish
3. I gave my first girlfriend a bracelet that I bought from some kid who "sold jewellery", it was real cheap and in retrospect I've always thought that he had stolen it. Hey I was like 12!
4. When writing something I often change the word I was intending to use because I don't know how to spell it.
5. My first cat's name was 'Pepper" and my first dog's name was 'Sam'.
6. I'm still sometimes have an irrational fear of the dark, this also happens sometimes when I'm not sure what is behind me.
7. I wish I had some kind of artistic ability.
8. I'm glad I have the leet power to organise the shit out of stuff, sometimes I even impress myself with this.
9. I wish I had worked harder at Varsity, I believe that I could have had just as much fun without sacrificing my studies as much.
10. I work better under a deadline.
11. I need to lose weight, I know it, I accept it, I want to do it, I just can't bring myself to eating small quantities of crap food.
12. I have goals, they involve me being financially well off, I'm not ashamed about this.
13. Sometime I have major urges to "do the wrong thing", like throwing something voluble out of a window to see what will happen.
14. I like helping others, but sometimes resent the interruptions.
15. I once stole an apple from the fresh produce market, my mother made me take it back and apologise
16. I love Star Trek, but I don't consider myself a "Trekkie"
17. I don't play favourites, I don't have favourite music, songs, artists, books, movies, tv shows. I have ones I hate, dislike, don't care about, like, like alot ands love.
18. I feel that a lot of the time people don't understand me. Not in an existential angsty kind of way, but when I explain stuff they don't know what I mean. If I do stuff sometimes they don't understand why.
19. I don't really remember much unless I'm triggered by something. I can't think of any embarrassing moments (except running naked through a holiday resort at 3am a night shouting at the top of my voice) and I always forget to do things unless reminded.
20. I lied, I've filled out the bleeme, but I'm not passing it on! It ends here!
That's all for today
cheers
10 comments:
The word 'quantum' does not inherently mean small. It's original use was to describe something that had a quantity (quantum is the neuter of the latin word quantus, meaning 'how much'). It has subsequently been used to describe the parcels that energy and light come in, which happen to be very small, but their size have nothing to do with the decision to use the term. Rather, it was inspired by the fact that energy of various forms seem to come in discrete packets, of a certain fixed size. So, quantum's secondary implication is of a tiny size. Hence quantum leap is a perfectly valid phrase, used as originally intended.
Dude, use a dictionary. There are many online, google for 'dictionary'. There are even online thesauri.
"I just can't bring myself to eating small quantities of crap food."
Wow, there's an attitude problem if ever I saw one.
Also, the word for that thought-virus thing is meme, not meeme. Check out http://www.churchofvirus.com/ for some very interesting reads on it all =)
Memes are a hoax, pass it on
w-v: codrwaun
sounds like it was drawn by a fish
Quantum: I know what quantum means, in fact in legal circles the term quantum is still used to denote amount. Another definition for quantum is "smallest divisible amount" ie a certain item occurs only in multiples of that quantum. The term "quantum leap" however (as a phrase) was coined to describe an instantaneous, measurable, yet very small, change in state without intermediately steps as opposed to a gradual continuous shift. Notably this was used to describe the shift on an electron from one energy level to another. The
the vernacular usage of "quantum leap" generally signifies a large and complete change as opposed to a sudden small one. This usage is now generally accepted and when a person uses it I know what they mean, it just irks me that a wonderful discovery in quantum mechanics has been twisted and trivialised into an everyday buzz-word bandied about by every middle manager that has read "who moved my cheese".
Here's the thing, in a quick list of 20 random facts about myself I thought the description of the irksome behaviour would suffice, instead of the above long-winded explanation.
About the diet thing: Gluttony is not an attitude problem, it's a mortal sin! Actually I put that in as an example of my preference for instant gratification & momentary pleasure over long term consequences. In actual fact I've had very nice, if smaller, meals while on diet, however these are often more expensive and more effort to prepare than the non-diet option, so dieters often end up eating unexciting food.
About memes: again I know what a meme is, but apparently I just don't know how to spell the word, neither does my version of the MS office dictionary. Suck it up!
A point here, when participating in an exercise such as this one (tagging), people are essentially opening themselves up and expressing personal thoughts and feelings to a larger audience in order for that audience to better identify with the participant. I personally don't think that ridiculing participants about said personal issues is very good form and is possibly one of the reasons that people would question whether or not to participate in something like this in the first place.
Dude, I am not ridiculing you. If you take this as ridiculing, then you are a little oversensitive. I am taking the time to post comments on some of the points, since I would like to encourage people to do the same to mine, much like Kleinbaas has. However, if you say something that I disagree with, I will comment on it. Much like you and the RAF debacle.
In
this thread, they have a nice discussion about the origins of the phrase. And yes, it does have to do with very small things. The key phrase here, I feel, is this:
"because a quantum leap is very much improbable, it is like a revolution when it occurs". So, I stick to my guns on the quantum leap debate.
Okay, you use and rely on the MS Word dictionary? What next, you'll use it for grammar as well? And I think the CoV link is exceptionally cool, so I was taking this opportunity to pass it around, not implying that you didn't know wtf you were talking about.
synk, I was refering to the narrow minded becasue of diet thing, and while it is one of my bigger (if you'll excuse the pun) personal issues, but I'm not really offended. I may have issues, but not very many of them worry me.
So don't worry, I was just mentioning something not reprimanding or trying to pull you apart!
well, *i* for one am glad to have brought all that out ;)
good link, synk (nyaaaah), and schpat i feel the same way about smoking as you do about eating. it kills me - but f*ck it. i've called it the "f*ckit reflex" for ages now, it's the only excuse i have for each one i light up. even when i don't want one.
dystopia: don't cheat!
w-v: uckkupp (sounds like a bad hiccup)
just kidding. Underlying Catharsis Kiosk Kinships Uphold Pursue Peace
How is that cheating? I feel that i am using a phenomenom that irks me to perpetuate an enlightening postmodern point of view. Or, I just think it is a cool comment.
w-v: poor rosary mannequin veers safely right
Schpatrick, you certainly have artistic talents. The quality of art is subjective, but your art is your subjective view ... all these bloggers blog, otherwise hey, you can always end up being fire-marshall... whoo-hoo!
dyst: i'm confused. i meant you were cheating on the word verification by using a sound. the words to your response have been bubbling through my brain, and i feel flashes of nonsense flowing through my very core.
eep.
w-v: Can Herpes Penetrate Knightly Orders?
wait a second - was he talking in south africa's 12th official language? ("spin", to those who don't read madam and eve)
w-v: Rangers Use Zygoid Kylikes For Valour
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