The winner for outstanding [chat]...

The Emmys were dumb.

Of Fishes and Seas.

So, I went to Ft. Wayne today to trade in some of my WoW cards for other things. As a result I have learned a valuable life lesson.

I went to Clem's to trade in some cards and there was a new girl working there. When I asked to see the binder of WoW cards she said that she had only played WoW a few times and we started talking. We ended up spending 47 minutes standing there at the counter talking about philosophy, pets, Lewis Black, colleges, Kurt Vonnegut, latin, comics, and how all relationships are traps and being educated makes one depressed. It was freaking awesome. We just stood there talking about crap and customers walked around us as we continued to talk. It was so freaking great. She ended some bit of conversation mentioning "her religion" and I asked what it was. She said that she was a member of "Our Lady of Perpetual Astonishment". I said I had read that somewhere but couldn't remember where and she said, "Think 'Man Without a Country'." to which I said, "VONNEGUT!"

Anyway. I haven't been able to move on from Suzy because I really didn't think anyone existed who was as awesome as she was. And today I learned that there are, in fact, other ladies and if one gets the fuck out of their room they can meet these other ladies and stand in comic book stores talking to them about philosophy and Kurt Vonnegut.

Lesson learned.

Ros Does Not Know Anything

1:10:00 PM Mike Lewis: Indiana Jones in the unnecessary cash-in sequel.
1:10:12 PM Caffinenation: Shia LeBouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuf!
1:10:36 PM Mike Lewis: he makes me want to take a ride in the wood chipper
1:11:13 PM Caffinenation: I've kinda grown to think he's.. okay.. as an actor. He needs a decent director and framing.. but he works...
1:11:50 PM Mike Lewis: that is a godsdamned filthy lie
1:12:13 PM Caffinenation: man.. he's not bad in the recent golf-flick.. a period peice.
1:12:23 PM Mike Lewis: errr
1:12:24 PM Mike Lewis: what?
1:12:34 PM Caffinenation: He's kinda like Brendan Frasier.. capable of being good, but more often not.
1:12:43 PM Mike Lewis: what is wrong with you?
1:12:50 PM Caffinenation: but not really BAD, except in things taht are terrible all round.
1:13:07 PM Mike Lewis: you make my eyes bleed.

AIDS Vaccine: Didn't quite work.

AIDS vaccine test halted after shots fail

So, to test an AIDS vaccine they gathered a group of 1503 volunteers. They gave some of the volunteers the vaccine and others a placebo. They then let the volunteers go on their merry way and later tested them to see who had HIV.

"24 of 741 volunteers who got the vaccine in one segment of the trial later become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In a comparison group of volunteers who got dummy shots, 21 of 762 participants also became infected with HIV."

Who were the volunteers? "The study volunteers were all free of HIV at the start of the experiment. But they were at high risk for getting HIV: most were homosexual men or female sex workers."

The thing I can't grasp is that they knowingly gave some people placebo shots. Also that "they were all repeatedly counseled about how to reduce their risk of HIV infections, including use of condoms". Because if you're trying to find out if a vaccine prevents HIV infections you don't want to tell people other means by which they can prevent HIV infections. That's going to fuck (pardon the pun) with the results of the vaccine test.

Position Available

The Office of Human Resources is currently advertising for the following full-time, administrative position. Interested candidates should submit a resume and letter of interest to the Office of Human Resources or by e-mailing hr @hanover.edu.

Director of Creative Services

We have an immediate opening for a highly motivated and energetic Director of Creative Services to project manage all print materials produced to advance the mission of Hanover College. This position is responsible for managing the execution of campus print publications that circulate to both internal and external audiences, serve as the liaison for all campus constituents for creative and print services, and work in collaboration with the Director of Publications for the conceptualization and design of all college publications including, but not limited to: The Hanoverian, the Hanover College President’s Report, all event brochures, admission publications, invitations and program, advertisement, and letterhead/business cards.

The ideal Director of Creative Services will possess a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Communications, or related field. Directly related experience and education may substitute for the degree requirement. Minimum two to three years experience in a creative role, plus demonstrated success in leading design projects. The Director of Creative Services must be proficient in InDesign or other layout software, such as CorelDraw, Illustrator, and Photoshop along with extensive skills and knowledge in fine art, drawing, photography or other specialized skill.

Hanover College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Leadership Style, Nachos and DeWine

From suggestions of students at a Leadership Roundtable held last spring term a NEW PROGRAM has been created for ALL SOPHOMORE STUDENTS:

Leadership Style, Nachos and DeWine.
Dr. DeWine will be talking with Sophomore students about leadership style, what it is and how it impacts leadership decisions and effectiveness. Join your fellow classmates and the president of Hanover College to explore the value and pit-falls of leadership styles. Nachos will be provided at this session.

Press or Say "FUCK YOU!"

This morning I spent an hour and twenty minutes in various states of holding with Fed Ex tech support. Here is my assessment of the situation:

The Good: Remote Connect is best ever. They can get onto the machine, fix the problem, and let me watch. I am in favor of this.

The Bad: One of the issues I have with the Wii is that it replaces "Press A" with "Shake Piece of Plastic". The problem I have with the Fed Ex Tech Support voice recognition software is of the same nature.

90s Support Options:
Press 1 for sales.
Press 2 for support.
Press 3 to be fucked in the ass.

Present day Support Options:
Say "sales" to speak with sales.
Say "support" to speak with support.
Say "fuck me in the ass" to be fucked in the ass.

Pressing buttons is neither taxing, vexing, nor problematic. We don't need to replace button pressing technology while the underlying system remains the same. If the Tech Support Phone Tree still operates on the "Present a menu. Customer selects an option" formula we need not replace "press button" with "say option". There's no utility in this. It's not actual progress. It is a thin aesthetic veil over the exact same structure we've used before.

Now, if the system did not rely on menus but instead said, "You have reached Fed Ex Technical Support. How can I help you?" and I could reply, "My Fex Ex Ship Manager will not load and I need a technician to reinstall it." then this is progress. Navigating a tree by saying words to select menu options instead of pushing buttons to select menu options is not progress.