Gun-nuts - now in Russia.

Today on my way home, on a metro train door I saw an ad for a weapon legalization seminar (with free entrance). It contained some awful propaganda phrases, like, “good guys should have weapons” and “only for real men”. I wanted to take a picture of it with my PDA camera but it came out blurred because I always feel awkward taking pictures in public places because that may attract attention to myself, for the same reason I decided not to make another try. Anyway, I'm posting that picture I took, the ad I'm talking about is the bigger one. Btw, this is a typical Moscow metro train door. Enjoy.

"Out of Their Element" Finished

Here is the link to the newly formatted, finally completed play. Included this time are some older versions of the play from when I originally wrote it about 3 or 4 years ago (don't really remember) as well as all the notes and outline revisions from the second go round starting after Christmas 2005.


http://drlight.multics.org/lit/plays/element.pdf

Finally done

After almost a month of working on it, the alchemist play is finally finished. As soon as Masha is finished formatting, the link will be posted to the pdf.

My Sister's Photo Art

My sister creates beautiful photo art. If you want to see it, here is the
page: http://kaplja.photosight.ru . Most titles are in Russian, but if you'd like to know what any of them means I'll be glad to translate it for you if I can.

Forum

Now this blog has its own forum category on friendy.siteburg.com. It has two sections for now: Discussion - for discussing the issues raised in and by the blog and Other Stuff for I don't know what.

A Rebel Police Dog

Random And Cute.

Randomly stumbled upon this:
http://caroandcats.blogspot.com

God Hates Faggy Coal Miners

News item #2 for the day is this weird story. Thanks to my brother, Aaron, who pasted this link to me and its crazy supplement:

http://www.therecorddelta.com/main.php?story_id=3924&page=23
http://www.godhatesfags.com/fliers/jan2006/20060104_twelve-dead-miners.pdf

News item #1

From the BBC:

Israel punishes US TV evangelist

Israel is pulling out of a $50 million deal with US TV evangelist Pat Robertson after he said Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution.

Tourism Ministry spokesman Ido Hartuv said Israel would not sign a contract with Mr Robertson to build a biblical theme park by the Sea of Galilee.

You know, the greatest tragedy of this news is that now we won't be able to hear about the 500 people killed on the park's opening day when a suicide bomber disguised in one of the park's Giant Jesus mascot costumes snuck past security and blew himself up on the octopus ride. It would have been like that song from Frasier: "Dead people and steel tentacles all ovah my face. Yeah!"

More Pearls of Wisdom from Steph

In part eighteen of our study on the great minds of West Virginia, I provide you with this log of Ronald and Steph` from #colond, who, after starting her freshman year at some college nobody's ever heard of in South Carolina of all places, has decided the next logical step in her career is to begin talking like Ariel Sharon no doubt will when they remove him from his coma. Enjoy. (Editorial comments in bold)

[06:00] roni> rofl and what school do you go to
[06:00] Steph`> Coastal Carolina University
[06:00] Steph`> For obvious reasons
[06:00] Steph`> coastal.edu
[06:00] roni> that sounds like a really elite school steph
[06:00] Steph`> I didn't say that my school was any better
[06:01] Steph`> But I am saying that her school is no less than mine, either.
[06:01] roni> really
[06:01] Steph`> Truly.
[06:01] roni> i was going to say nc state is probably 20 times better than a liberal arts college in buttfuck sc
[06:01] roni> but whatever floats your boat dood
[06:01] Steph`> And anyway, I know that people that go to USC are able to schedule their classes in the same fashion as mine
[06:02] Steph`> Perhaps your friend is just not very talented in the ways of turning things in on time. You say she does not work - obviously her ambitions cannot be so great

Up until now, Steph` had avoided talking like a Jedi from Star Wars. Unfortunately, it all gets worse from here.

[06:02] Steph`> Myrtle Beach is not buttfuck SC
[06:02] Steph`> Nor is it a liberal arts college
[06:02] Steph`> Though it was for a time

Interesting, considering Coastal Carolina University's "About" webpage describes it as an "undergraduate liberal arts institution." (Source: http://www.coastal.edu/about/)

[06:02] Steph`> it has since been accredited accordingly
[06:02] Steph`> and while we're pointing fingers, Ronald
[06:02] roni> it says it right here on their page
[06:02] Steph`> I think we should analyze your two year studies
[06:02] roni> State funded liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina.
[06:03] Steph`> Well, as of recently, we are no longer simply a liberal arts, though we were
[06:04] Steph`> And not that Coastal Carolina was my first choice. I am by no means lifting it up to any higher light than you would. I disdain it as much as any. I came here for the exboyfriend, because he was too stupid to get into USC.

It was here I first noted that apparently it is more important when having an informal conversation on IRC to use words like "disdain" and phrases like "lifting it up to any higher light" than to consistently capitalize and punctuate one's sentences. You won't win any sixth grade poetry competitions remembering how to use commas and periods, folks!

[06:04] Steph`> But as that has since dissolved, as I should have prospected, I am stuck here in this university that I hardly like at all, but have had the pleasure of falling in love with a good many of its professors, finding them diamonds in the rough

I assume here she wanted to say "as I should have expected" but found it much smarter and more impressive to simply invent a new definition for the verb prospect instead. From the dictionary:

v. tr.To search for or explore (a region) for mineral deposits or oil.
v. intr.To explore for mineral deposits or oil.
v 1: search for something desirable; "prospect a job" 2: explore for useful or valuable things or substances, such as minerals
(Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=prospect)

Alas, Steph! If you had only searched for mineral deposits in your relationship it might not have failed! Someone has listened to Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" one too many times, I think.

[06:05] Steph`> and I benefit greatly from them. After all, it isn't an undergraduate school that really makes a difference in the end, anyway
[06:05] Steph`> It is your graduate school that really dictates
[06:05] * Quits: JoeHigash (JoeHigash@20132188200.user.veloxzone.com.br) (Ping timeout: 248 seconds)
[06:06] Steph`> And from there, I guess, it is where I intend on staying for a spell, as my doctorate will take a while.
[06:06] Steph`> So, I guess professional student will be the fill-in on questionnaires for a while.

I wasn't aware one could be a professional student. Professional implies one is already skilled in doing something (and usually making a living off it), not in the process of learning it.

[06:06] Steph`> As for you, Ronald, I suppose you couldn't hope to study for anything more than a teacher's aid, is it? What is our ambitions these days?

Yes, what is our ambitions these days? Try as she might, Steph can't escape the poor speaking habits of a typical West Virginian. The tragedy is...her chosen major is English. Maybe the god of irony and humility will reward us all for putting up with her presence in #colond by convincing her to title her graduate thesis "What is our ambitions these days? Can we as but mortal mans ever hopes to reached them?" Maybe she can even include a few insightful words of encouragement from her mentor, Smeagol from Lord of the Rings.

[06:06] Steph`> Or do we live under the wing of our obsession?

OK. What the fuck does that even mean?

[06:07] roni> lol what
[06:07] roni> this isn't about me steph
[06:07] Steph`> You certainly didn't make scruples of turning the conversation my way. I was only repaying the compliment :)

Translation: You, sir, are a cad and I demand satisfaction! Muskets at dawn! Good day to you! I said good day, sir!!!

[06:08] roni> well if i really have to explain the conversation we just had
[06:08] roni> that you started about nc state being lackluster
[06:09] roni> and how i realized beforehand you'd be like OH WELL YOU GO TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
[06:09] roni> then you probably also realize why i'm not chatting about it
[06:09] Steph`> I was saying that it was not an ivy league school, nor one that had any more credentials than any other university in North or South Carolina. It is, I may state, even a public school. No different than mine. As you were implying my school was somehow lacking, because of the flexibility of scheduling?
[06:10] Steph`> Then you probably shouldn't have started the conversation. You do not have to defend the honor of someone who would likely not return the favor.
[06:10] roni> no i obviously wasn't insulting your school's flexibility of scheduling
[06:11] roni> rofl i think i was actually defending the honor of nc state
[06:11] roni> as crazy as that is
[06:11] Steph`> If you attended any public school, you'd know they're all one and the same a joke in their own rights.
[06:12] Steph`> Or any such smaller private school for that matter..
[06:12] Steph`> Education has left it lacking in challenges these days, I've found.

Steph forgot to add, "From my 18 years of experience with the education system as a student in the middle of nowhere in one of the poorest states in America."

[06:12] Steph`> Where you manage to find a connection with human beings in general is the real reason for it.

George W. Bush once asked, "Is our children learning?" I think the answer is clear: they certainly is. And what's more--and what relieves me to know having two brothers in school in America--is that they also is having a lots of ambitions.

The Death of Sokrates

The Death of Sokrates is something I wrote soon after Baptism of the Rats. It was actually an idea I had two years ago when I had the bad idea of reading a lot of Platon. My experience with Platon left me with two impressions. The first was, "Wow, this guy sure is a stupid asshole." The second, specifically the stories of Criton and of Sokrates' trial in Athens, was, "Yeah, right. What a load of bullshit." This play addresses the latter (mostly Criton).

Synopsis:
After drinking away the bribe meant for the guard of the prison where Sokrates is being held before his execution, Criton panics and runs to the house of Platon--who subsequently hatches his own plan for improving his status in Greek society and getting rid of Sokrates for personal reasons.

Notes:
This was a brief play and I finished it in about four hours. The formatting took about thirty minutes.

Baptism of the Rats

Baptism of the Rats is slightly under the standard length for a full three-act play. However, after writing it I could not see any way to make it longer without adding unnecessary scenes or dialogue. Therefore, at 76 pages, it is not quite a full-length play--even a short one--but I like it nonetheless.

Synopsis:
Loosely based on people I actually know (as well as myself) here in Vienna, the story focuses on a small group of young artists and phony intellectuals and their struggle to retain some grain of truth in a world full of phoniness. In the end, they are faced with the only two options anyone really has: living a lie and knowing it, or living a lie and not realizing it because the liars are too good at their job and you aren't too keen on finding out the truth. To take the edge off how maudlin and lame that sounds, I tried to make it a comedy. Enjoy!

Notes:
Once again, this wouldn't be in the shape it's in without Masha Rubina's skills as a formatter and proofreader.

Don't Get Me Wrong, Please

I hate blogs as much as anyone. But I'm just too lazy/busy to bother writing HTML for a site. This is so much easier and saves me the limited bandwidth on Multics.org that I need for the actual content.