Oh, the places you'll go...

[silveradept]

Or something like that - a motley crew of links has been gathered for today.

Bork, bork, bork, engage! Sweeden's thinking about space as a project for the future. Why not? Zero-G chocolate moose or something?

Something for the college-bound or the out-of-college to consider: Five Weird Ways to Succeed at College - apparently, a high Catholic percentage, not smoking, not reading or being artistic, and not being an engineer helps your successes. Who knew that taking all the fun out of university was what made you succeed at it? (No wonder I feel like I don't have a social life.)

I feel for the child in this dispute, for his parents are going to court to decide whether he should be circumcised. He's eight years old, and this is definitely not a routine sort of discussion. I hope there are decisions made soon, though.

On a significantly stranger note, a child just one year junior manages to crawl inside a crane game machine and get himself stuck. That's impressive flexibility - considering I saw a much younger child climb up onto a shelf today at work, I believe it's possible. The library could use the Ferrari knitted out of wool as a play toy, though.

The spokesman for the Kansas Board of Education is stepping down, citing that he wants to be with his family. But also noting quite rightly that the politics have been vicious. In the same article, Kansas has also decided to provide "abstinence until marriage" programs alongside more standard programs. I wonder which one will be emphasised?

2500 dead and against a war that may never really end. The count is only going to get higher, I'm sure.

After that morbid bit, here's some toilet humor: The pee-ometer, which tells you whether you're drinking enough water. I'm not sure I want to get such a test. And even more so, how one would use it, especially in some public place...

Why having super powers sucks - for all the benefits they may accrue, you notice most superpowered people end up as loners or with other superpower people.

Although, ending on a high note (Gonzo plays high G right here), the President is designating a significant part of Hawai'i to be a marine preserve. So, delibereately, or by accident, there are some good things being done.

Comments

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

So perhaps you're a superhero ;)

[silveradept]

If I were a superhero, I'd proabbly have known by now, with the usual teenage debut of superpowers.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

late bloomer? :-P

[greyweirdo.livejournal.com]

I see a problem with the college thing. Reading those hints it seems like another list to help you game the system. I might be cranky at the moment, but that whole list looks like a way to get out without actually doing much beyond learning for the test, which is what has destroyed primary education up to now. I have no doubt this will get people a degree, a completely useless one that will leave them on the bread line because despite what we were told as kids a college degree doesn't instantly mean you get a job. Following these tips might mean you succeed at school, but you'd fail at life.

See? I said I was feeling cranky.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

I agree. If all you do is study out of books, you're not getting a very well-rounded education.

[2dlife.livejournal.com]

You do realize that that article was basically poking fun at the referenced paper which was a *statistical analysis*. There is a statistical correlation between going to a Catholic school and graduating on time, as there is an inverse one between being an engineer and graduating on time (makes sense, most engineering degrees have twice or more the required number of units). This has nothing to do with more complex behavioral patterns like "studying for the test" or stuff like that. People who are creative probably don't work as well under the strict guidelines of "needing to graduate". People who procrastinate a lot probably correlate with people who read a lot for pleasure. I bet, however, that there is no causation. That is, if you don't read for pleasure a lot but procrastinate just as much in other ways, you're probably not going to graduate on time.

[greyweirdo.livejournal.com]

I gathered that, but I was tired and cranky.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

Colonizing the moon, eh? Hmmm. considering I've been living ther for years, I see no reason to colonize...

the pee-ometer looks like you could cut it out and paste it onto one of those wooden sticks the doctor uses to check your throat, only I've forgotten the name of the stick. It's a good idea, in theory, but how often are people going to pee and then whip out their little stick to check the color? I really nevre knew that the color had anything to do with water consumption, beyond knowing that if you just drank a lot of water, then go pee it'll be light colored. I always thought darker pee just meant you "held it in" for too long. Ok, that's enough bathroom talk...

I can't get the superpowers article to load :(

I dislike the president, but I have to say it's good seeing him doing something good for the environment.

I don't understand the whole circumsision (nor apparently can i spell it) debate. I'm half jewish, and I thikn one of the grosset things ever was finding my older brother's foreskin in a little silver capsule in my dad's dresser. Ew. I've seen boys who were and boys who weren't, and I thikn the boys who were are a bit more attractive "down there". I also know that though yeast infections are rare for men, men who still have their foreskin CAN get yeast infections there...and that's just plain gross. Furthermore, if the kid wants it done for medical purposes...LET HIM HAVE IT DONE! I don't really think that type of surgery should be done beyond infancy under normal circumstances (especially disturbing was the story of a 30-something convert who had to have it done). I also have issue with the whole Bris thing, but part of that is rooted in feminism, and this isn't the place for that discussion. Anyway. I feel badly for the kid. he's in pain, and because his dad is an asshat he can't get rid of the pain.

Hmmm. maybe it took me 5 years to graduate becuse I was a reader and a creative person. Never really looked at that as a "Bad" thing, though. (nor the 5 years, really. I blamed it on Penn State not educating Freshmen. Sure, you *can* take only 12 credits per semester, but it'll screw you over later!)

oh,and I LOVE the yarnmobile. Yeah. I want to cover my car in yarn....

[fred-smith.livejournal.com]

So, the way t get a good grade is not the way to enjoy life. I am not at all surprised.

[silveradept]

Nor am I. Yet without the first, the second seems less and less likely these days.

[sharpsight.livejournal.com]

M) Above-average intelligence, superpowers, autism, psychopathic tendencies--there are so many things that get you isolated from society, if I'm going to be alone anyway I'd rather have the superpowers than not.

[silveradept]

If I knew that I was going to end up isolated, I'd take the super-abilities, too.

Althoguh this makes me wonder - do superheroes on the side of good all have an innate desire to be approved of by society, and so they try to get it, but they use the things that make them different, and so the vicious cycle continues...?

[sharpsight.livejournal.com]

M) *grins* (http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/drblink/html/couch/1/pg1.html)

N) *considers* Based on what I've heard about the common conception, I'd surmise that the general sentiment is that, with their power, it would violate their individual moral system/code to stand by and not use that self-isolating power to protect innocents (or the personal equivalent).

Then, there's those who got the superpower-equivalent(s) out of some reason to wish to fight and be isolated in the first place (from what I know of batman), and then there are just those whose loved ones are regularly threatened by people trying to destroy the planet. (>.>)

*ponders* Better, far better, if one has superpowers to simply stay under everyone's radar: to keep them as a backup option, but to appear completely normal. However, this tactic never sells fiction unless it's dramatically disrupted.

People who do socially-harmful things to gain seeming social success usually snap out of it eventually. At that point, one can move elsewhere and begin afresh.

M) Approval of society as a whole isn't good enough. Approval of certain individuals, maybe. Approval of oneself, definitely.

[silveradept]

Nice comic, M.

It would obviously be better to stay under the radar, and that's what a lot of the bussing mutatnts in the X-universe are trying to do. Of course, when you've got a computer-enhanced telepath looking for you, there's not much of a chance that you'll get found, I suspect.

The "approval of oneself" feeling seems to be somewhat difficult to obtain in life, with much looking outward to try and validate the inner feelings.

[jokermage.livejournal.com]

On a significantly stranger note, a child just one year junior manages to crawl inside a crane game machine and get himself stuck.

That reminded me of this guide on how to win something in a claw machine (http://reviews.ebay.com/How-To-Win-Something-In-A-Claw-Machine_W0QQugidZ10000000000892853).

[silveradept]

Hrm. That's interesting. Looks like you've got a collection of odd things, too. Maybe together, we'll raid the internets for all of the strange things it has.

[jokermage.livejournal.com]

If you are willing, the better results of my web surfing can be found here (http://jokermage.livejournal.com/tag/links).