Speaking of further stupidity

I read a blog of a female high school student talking about drinking, smoking and doing drugs. How stupid can you be to post something like that on the web for eternal posterity furthered by Google. Now, a copy of the entry is going to be around forever. So, if her prospective employer or even her employer read that, how do you think it would affect her job.

Update: New York Daily News - What a tangled Web we weave: Being Googled can jeopardize your job search (Via /.)

Here are a few quotes from her blog:

Pre -

im going to a mt. cabin with three friends after school tomorrow, for the weekend.

its gunna be lots of fun. lots of drunk, lots of stones, lots of drugs.

but little sleep.

green jello shots, im excited about that idea. i just cant seam to help myself.

i still havnt packed. i need to. im bad at this game.

i really do like pills. i just cant seam to help it. theres nothing i can do. so i bought some, toDAY. what? no, did.. is that.... no.... i.. no.. asp... no.. asperin. right. yeah. i bought asprin toNIGHT.

Post -

this weekend was fucking great. it was so calm and chill. i didnt have to think about going to work, or how i would get home. just me and three friends in a small wonderful cabin.

we didnt even get too fucked up. we got drunk on fri. form the jello, did salvia on sat. and smoked later that sat.(only to have me sleep for like three hours) and later at night i had a 'night cap'.

but i got destressed.
and when i got back today i smoked.

i didnt even go through a full pack of cig.s in the mt.s. which is amazing for me. i normally smoke at least half a pack a day. but i didnt, heheh.

not im sleepy from the pot.

I don't want to mention the url of the blog just for that modicum of privacy but I am talking about people not realizing about the consequences of posting private, and illegal experiences online.

Here is a post I found on Collegev2 about this issue on facebook. He posted a picture of a girl doing drugs and then putting it up on the photo section for the world to see.

Tags: Opinion, Internet

[Listening to: American Cliché - Filter - The Amalgamut (3:37)]

Apple - Trailers - Thank You For Smoking

Apple - Trailers - Thank You For Smoking

Incredible. This is a movie?! I hope to God it's a satirical look at the tobacco industry. I actually want to see this.

Tags: Movies

coComment: About time for me to talk about it

So, I've been using this amazing beta for a little while now. It archives all my comments into a centralized page. It has caught on like wildfire in the blogosphere with super bloggers like Scoble and AtariBoy using it.

Here are my comments:

I'm in the Top 10 for most comments!!

Here are more resources about coComment:

• Solution Watch: Comment Tracking with coComment


• Solution Watch: coComment Follow-Up and Greasemonkey Script


• TechCrunch: coComment


• Chronotron: coComment gets better & Better

This is one of the new web 2.0 start ups that I use all the time. If you do use coComment, definitely look into the greasemonkey script by John Sundstrom to automate calling the coComment bookmarklet.

Tags: Internet

[Listening to: Respect - Train - Drops Of Jupiter (3:25)]

fresh water

fresh water, originally uploaded by *Stephanie.

Looks glass-like. Water frozen in time forever!

Succumbing to power of flickr

So, I caved in and bought a one year Pro account at Flickr. I just couldn't resist anymore. Now, I have 2 Gb monthly upload bandwidth with unlimited storage and all the goodies that go with flickr. You'll find a lot of goodies at Flickr Toys, and FlickrNation.

My flickr web address

I am in the process of uploading tons more pictures. Right now, I just have the Spring Break photos from Washington, DC.

Tags: Pictures, Internet, Life

[Listening to: BRONSON ARROYO- Black - Bronson Arroyo - (5:26)]

Referrals for box.net (1 GB free storage)

Click to register for Box.net account (referral)

Storage to go. Free. Web 2.0 company with Ajax.

A little more detailed review: SarahinTampa

Cheers!

Tags: Internet

For those who swing (dance), and then for those who hip-hop

"Jump, Jive An' Wail" by Brian Setzer Orchestra



Nike Feature: "S.O.S" by Rihanna
-(OR)-
See the video at NikeWomen.com

Whoa! This got me moving! Two high energy music videos..

Tags: Videos

The festival of colors: Holi

Today (March 14) was Holi. It's one of the most beloved festivals in India. It originated as a Hindu tradition and now has transformed into a secular phenomenon. I have a lot of fond memories and feel sad that I can't participate in the festivities being several thousand miles away from family and friends in India.

Pictures from family/childhood:



^ This picture showcases my brother Robi and I with two neighbours with color all over. I am the guy with the girl on the lap and my brother is the fair boy on the bottom stair.



^ This is my family including relatives and some friends. I am not in the picture because I was in the US studying while they were celebrating..

Pictures from flickr:





If you are still interested in seeing more pictures, follow the link to pictures tagged with holi on flickr.

Tags: Pictures

[Listening to: Problem Girl - Rob Thomas - Something To Be (3:55)]

Anomaly

I love this picture for the anomalous apple. (Credit: Stephanie)

Tags: Pictures

[Listening to: Electric Storm - Delta Goodrem - Mistaken Identity (4:08)]

Darn! Spring break has passed!

Have you noticed that almost every college student's blog says that they have no motivation to study after the break? Well, I know I'm there. I am trying to restart my engines and get rolling again. It'll come. Hopefully today or tomorrow.

Spring break fever lingers..

I leave you with the winner of the Science/Natural History division of the Picture of the Year Interntional Award.

Chris Pietsch The Register-Guard
"Alight!" A gray jay swoops in for a landing amid the fir trees on the snow-covered shores of Odell Lake as the sun rises over the Oregon Cascades. Gray jays are able to survive winter at higher elevations because of their unique habit of caching food in undersides of tree branches using a sticky mucous secreted from the side of their beak.

Tags: Life, Pictures

[Listening to: Thing Don't Always Turn Out That Way - The Calling - Camino Palmero (4:11)]

My spring break 2006 with Jessi in Washington, DC: places/restaraunts and photos..

My trip with stuff Jessi and I visited/ate at (Yahoo! Trip Planner)

Photos from this trip (Facebook photos) - This is temporary. I will put full resolution pictures up

*Update*
Here is a collage too:

Click for a larger image

Tags: Life

[Listening to: Josiah - Bethany Joy Lenz - (4:12)]

Thank god for the good weather in DC..

I guess I'll summarize the rest of the trip and hit the highlights. We got to a few art exhibits and museums, including the Phillips Collection ( Degas, Sickert and Toulouse-Lautrec) and the National Gallery of Art (Cezanne and Dada). I loved seeing these new forms of art, although I wish I knew how to understand the art better to appreciate it. Degas liked portraying young ballerina dancers. While Cezanne was famous for his landscapes in Impressionist style? and Dada was a revolutionary movement in art post WWI with artists speaking out against the current state of the world and the evils of war. One piece of Dada I really liked was the Mona Lisa with a goatee and moustache. However, I think that piece is one of the most popular works of Dada. I might try to create a piece of Dada poetry using newspaper clippings. I want to come back and see all of the National Gallery of Art.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces of the art I saw:

Marcel Duchamp - Dada - "L.H.O.O.Q."


Paul Cezanne "The Big Tree"


Degas "L'absinthe"



We also saw the Jefferson and Roosevelt memorials today to top off our trip. After that, we literally hurried back to get our luggage and make our way to the metro and then to BWI. We got to the airport in time.

The other day, we left early for the White House tour and upon reaching the main gate were told that we weren't allowed to carry anything inside. So we found a nearby hotel to check our stuff in unofficially. And the White House seems so much smaller, than what is portrayed in the media. Doesn't seem larger than life. However, it was interesting to see some of the things that they had out for visitors to see. Also, the UMD trip earlier was good too. I got to meet a few professors. One of them started testing me asking what kind of tests could I test the properties of nano particles with. And I was unprepared for that part of nanoscience. I am more aware of thin films synthesis since that is what I worked on at ORNL. I don't know what he thought of my experiences though varied. The others told me about their projects and different research opportunities along with showing me the brand new labs in the new Kim building that went up a couple of years back. The social in the evening with other engineering students and grad students was good. I got to ask a lot of my questions. The duck pin bowling in the evening was fun as I had never played that game before. The burritos at Chipotle and beer at the bowling alley didn't hurt either ;). I got back to DC in time before the Metro stopped for the night. Maryland is compact but large and is pretty. I like the landscaping. So, it's still one of my top choices. I am waiting to hear about the financial offering..

As for the food, we got to try Indian, New Orleans (cajun), and Falafel too. We have eaten something different every meal. We also had a few drinks yesterday after walking back from the National Zoo. By the way, don't go to the Zoo in the evening. All the animals had already gone into their shelters and we hardly got to see any thing. The main attractions, the Pandas weren't there either.

This is perhaps the first time that I actually saw all of what I wanted to see in the city and more. Jessi is the best travelling buddy that one can ask for. We would get back in the night and have fun online or watch the tv shows that I had downloaded. I think I have her hooked on Related.. We also discovered the fun of the Personals section of Craigslist. Both of us are going to have withdrawal symptoms from not walking 7 miles or more a day because it take 10 minutes to cross Coe diagonally :P.

Tags: Life, Pictures

[Listening to: Savin' Me - Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (3:39)]

The balls of my feet hurt?!

One of the good things to come out of this trip is all the exercise we are getting by walking. We got out early to utitlize the docent-guided tours of the National Air and Space Museum. It was an hour and some walk to get there. And then, we learnt about the Wright brothers, and further innovations in aviation and space travel. I walked around a little bit more after lunch, looking at the Universe and Earth exhibit. For some reason, I remember the museum beoing larger as a child. I guess I was half the size then ;). I found a couple of totally random things at the museum store.

Then, we hit the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden which was a fascinating insight into photography (Hiroshi Sugimoto) and modern contemporary art. You should definitely visit Sugimoto's link that I listed to check out his work. I really like his Chrysler Building blur. They are truly thought provoking. There were also a couple of very odd videos. One with tops, and one in an apartment. I like photography, art that has logic and geometry, and Impressionist art. I don't particularly enjoy weird modern art because I don't know how to appreciate it.

Walking makes us really hungry because it works up an appetite. So, as we we hunting for another unique restaraunt in downtown DC, we hit a few stores. We then came upon a pizzeria (Bertucci Brick Oven Pizzeria: Google Maps) that Jessi had noticed before, and decided to eat there. The pizza (Italian version of meat-lover's) and a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio was delectable. I haven't had decent pizzas for a long time and this appeased that desire.

I have no idea how much we walked today, but I bet it was 7+ miles. We got back completely pooped and still found the wireless non-functional. So, we went to a Starbucks to check email and do all those things we do ;). Jessi watched her first episode of Related, which she really liked. So, we may watch some more when we get back to Coe.

It's 11 am and I am going to sleep because we have to wake up at 6 am tomorrow. So, another long day!

PS: I just realized how much of a liberal Jessi is, and I am a pretty conservative Moderate (if there is such a thing) when it came to financial/economic policies. I love playing Devil's Advocate to get her worked up. Debating is so much of fun. Today, it was Walmart, and abortions..

Tags: Life

[Listening to: I've Got You Under My Skin - Frank Sinatra - Frank Sinatra: The Best Of The Capitol Years (3:46)]

A stroll in Arlington, VA

Today's main attraction was the Arlington National Cemetery. We actually used the Metro to get there because we figured it would too far to walk. And I can't tell you how good a decision that turned out to be. We had grossly underestimated the amount of walking involved at the cemetery. We saw some important people in history burried there along with the Challenger and Columbia shuttle explosion victims. I liked the Kennedy memorial with some quotes standing out to me especially the one that goes, "Ask not what you country can do for you, but .."

After that, we took the metro and went exploring for neighbourhoods that Jessi had shortlisted as possible places she wanted to stay at. We were discussing about moving to DC, as UMD looks like a great option so far.. However, I still have a long way to go before I make my final decision. Okay, I need to stop digressing. After that we visited the Union station mall and Dupont circle. We walked off on of the spokes, and browsed some of the local stores. They have some great stores here. I'm sure I'll love living in this vibrant region of the country.

Food for the day was Thai at Clarendon, VA. It was really good and given a large serving for lunch. I just barely polished my Pad Thai off.

And that's it for today. Tomorrow is an early day and I have to sleep early tonight to get enough sleep.

Phir Milenge!

Tags: Life

[Listening to: Jumpin' East Of Java - Brian Setzer Orchestra - Vavoom! (3:01)]

A fair 6.5 mile jaunt for day 2 in DC

So, I used a nifty from Yahoo! to form a list of places and restaraunts in Washington DC that we have done so far. Here is the link to the list w/ dates. I will be updating this every day with more places that we see or eat at.

Moving beyond fascinating internet finds, we had a fantastic day. Woke up, ate our free continental breakfast and then made our way to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was a beautiful sunny day outside, and it helped me take better brighter shots of the attractions that fell within our jaunt.

The Holocaust museum was fascinating, with a comprehensive set of exhibits showcasing the Holocaust. It made me very sad to watch the videos and photographs of barely alive skeletal remains of concentration camp prisoners and the mass extermination of the Jews. This event will survive in history as a monument to human insanity, and as one of the worst genocides in modern history. The last one I can remember on this scale was the Holy Crusades early last millenium. What saddened me the most was to find out that most countries stood by and watched the atrocities. US only joined the fight due to Pearl Harbor. One thing amongst many stood out to me. It was US's refusal to bomb the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944 because there were prisoners at the camp, even though that would have saved hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives in the future. And then in 1945, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuked to end the war and attain world peace and stability. Again, why the friggin' double standard?

After buying a few things at the Museum store along with stickers for my laptop lid, we head out to the National Mall. We saw the Washington Monument (which reminded me of Shiva's linga; US's phallic symbol), the WWII memorial, Korean War memorial, Lincoln memorial and Vietnam war's veteran memorial. Jessi had found a great home style fast food joint called Ben's Chili Bowl which is completely Black owned. We had a great chili dog and cheesy fries. I really wanted to try their milk shakes but the machine was broken apparently. Since then, we just walked back to the hotel and chilled out here and relaxed after a long day of walking and exploring. We even saw portions that tourists normally don't see such as the ethnic residential areas.

Tomorrow, we are going to be little productive while visiting a few more landmarks. I also hope to get a hold of UMD and schedule an earlier visit.

PS: Andi is in Poland with her mom, and having a blast. Check her blog out (Andi's blog).

Tags: Life, Internet, History

[Listening to: a world less blue - amanda rogers - daily news (3:56)]

Almost!

We walked from our b&b to chinatown while hitting some major landmarks like the White House and the buildings around that. Jessi and I took a couple of pictures of each other. We should get brighter and better ones tomorrow in more sunlight. I did see the Washington Memorial from a distance and managed to sneak in a few pictures of that..

We got a good bit of exercise in as we walked a total of 5.5 miles in a rather brisk pace due to the cold. We ate at China Doll, and then later in the night went to an Italian restaraunt and had some wine and dessert. I am completely wiped and am excited for a new day of exploration tomorrow!

Tags: Life

[Listening to: Repeat - 12 Rods - Separation Anxieties (5:01)]

[Listening to: Welcome To The Universe - 30 Seconds To Mars - 30 Seconds To Mars (2:40)]

Onto the monuments!

So, after several hours of traveling from Cedar Rapids to Washington DC, Jessi and I finally reached out bed & breakfast Inn called The Kalorama Guest House. It's a nice place with complimentary breakfast and sherry and cookies all day around. It's relatively close to a train station too which is nice as we will be going to the main visitors zone of DC several times. We are still contemplating what to do with the rest of today. We have to ask the B&B staff if they could recommend some activity for today.

I'm hoping to take a ton of pictures. I haven't been to Washington DC for 14 years! The last time was in 1992 with my family while my dad was on sabbatical at Cornell University. I get to revisit and see places that I have never seen before.

Tags: Life

[Listening to: Enough Space - Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape (2:37)]

Speaking of cell phones..

I've been taught to look at reason behind cell phones not allowed on aircrafts as an urban myth. Apparently this study found that all electronic items could "possibly" hamper or interfere with aircraft equipment. Okay, here is what I don't get. Why would aircrafts and navigational systems be built so poorly? If that was the case, I am concerned about flying if such a simple thing can cause such havoc. So, technically speaking, anyone can point electromagnetic radiation at a plane, and screw up their navigation systems. It is incredibly scary.

The best part is that while perusing /. I found a pertinent article relating to this problem. A possible solution: nano-paint that can block cellphone reception (essentially radio signals) on command. They do that by inserting copper nanoparticles into carbon nanotubes. FInally our movie theatres, schools, and other indoor public places will be free of annoyances. Although, I can forsee some problems such as people who need to interrupted for emergencies such as doctors. But that would work well in airplanes. That way the flight attendants don't have to pester travellers to shut their phones off. They can flip a switch and cut off their reception.

Honestly, the planes need better electromagnetic shielding. Work on that. You spend billions of dollars in R&D and you can't fix this issue?

Tags: Science

[Listening to: Out of the Blue - Delta Goodrem - Mistaken Identity (4:25)]

Preachers blurting unholy things

When I saw this VH1's Web Junk, I couldn't stop laughing forever. I went hunting for this clip and uploaded it on YouTube for the rest of the world to see.

I am justing posting the permalink rather than embedding the video so that it is less bandwith hungry when you hit my blog.

Preacher says something unholy

Cheers!

Tags: Videos

I just spent a friggin' 2 hours fixing my Firefox problem!?!

You know what annoys me the most? When sites don't allow Mozilla Firefox to render them well. For some odd reason, Yahoo! Music dislikes Firefox. And today was a testament to that. It froze my SessionSaver extension, as it kept trying to launch a video I was trying to watch. I spent going back and forth between the normal and the safe mode to see if that would fix it. It wouldn't let me do anything in the normal mode. So, finally after two hours of utter frustration, I found a neat trick in Firefox. It's the about:config command for the location bar. It brings up all the config variables. I was able to reset my SessionSaver variables in Safe mode, and then every thing was okay.

Sigh, what a waste of a night. I could have blogged about something else. But now, it's a rant. Sorry!

Tags: Life, Internet

[Listening to: Walk Into The Sun - Dirty Vegas - One Tree Hill - Enhanced Soundtrack Season 2 (3:52)]