Bacchus

just leave this here while I go back to homework..

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:10:16 GMT

Akasha / Puck / Enigma - AoE dmg dealer, (akasha semi carry)
Tom / Chris / Ashley

Earthshaker / Puck / Enigma / Magnataur - initiator
Tom / Chris / Ashley

Leshrac / Lina / Warlock - AoE dmg dealer #2
Tom / Chris / Ashley

Omniknight / Crix / Kunka / Skeleton King - STR Stun / Support
Costas / Tom

Brood / Yunero / Faceless Void / Silencer / Medusa / Luna / Terrorblade - Carry
Squishy (unless Broodmother, then Tom, Luna could be played by Ashrey)

Combos -
1) Akasha / Omniknight / Broodmother -> Akasha and Omniknight are amazing early game laning together (blink, scream, heal), Akasha and brood midgame are great at pushing together (screem + spiderlings), and omniknight makes amazing backup for brood (20seconds of repel while brood is hitting for +60 dmg with 40% lifesteal, slow aura, guardian, etc..)

2) Akasha / (Earthshaker / Puck) / Leshrac -> Amazing AoE dmg potential, Akasha and Puck / Earthshaker all have blink, leshrac just dumps AoE dps like it's his job (because it is..).. warlock on any lineup with these 3 would be devastating, but would make it int heavy. Might work with Akasha / Earthshaker / Leshrac / Warlock / Carry, particularly with a jungle carry like Terrorblade, since the core concept would be a roaming gank, giving terrorblade time to farm

Wow.

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:49:30 GMT

My libertarian sociology teacher who admire so much explained today that she used to be an NRA rifle safety instructor, right up until the day one of her students tried to kill her during a class.

Such a fascinating woman.

Rage.

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:45:34 GMT

I was worried this morning that my Valentine's day was going to be nothing but me at the apartment drinking excessively.

I managed to not really drink much, but the day was pretty awful. Certainly not undeserved, though.

procrastination

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:25:39 GMT

Five Things I'd Rather do than Computer Science Related Work (in the order I think of them):

1) Competitively play DotA (what, I spent half an hour watching competitive replays, it's on my mind!)

2) Teach [Preschool / High school / English of any level] in [China / Korea / Anywhere but Japan]

3) Teach English in Japan (hell, why not, at least I'd be out and about, even if the country is overpriced / scary)

4) "Unskilled" non-physical labor (like cashiering at Stop & Shop)

5) Entrepreneurial work (which, btw, apparently nobody else in my 50 student sociology class has ever considered?)

On a related note, I have a few friends in China who have offered to get me programming related jobs in Beijing / Shanghai. Every time it happens, I'm really confused. I always forget that it isn't obvious to other people that my interest in spending some time living in China is directly caused by my disinterest in a future in programming (well, and my love for teaching). I do, however, find the idea of doing programming work in China fascinating for two reasons: (1) It would provide a smooth transition back into Compsci if I decide that's what I want to do afterward, and (2) I'd be an American moving to China and "stealing American jobs." That might be worth it just for the lulz.

Also, I can't stop listening to gangster rap :|

The contrast between listening to gangster rap and doing programming (Think Michael Bolton from Office Space) is what gets me through the day sometimes.

And now back to studying Artificial Intelligence.

Tiredly proasting

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 06:59:46 GMT

I have three thoughts to express.

First: My sociology teacher is the the fucking bomb. I feel like had I had this class Freshman year, I'd have switched majors long ago. She's an incredibly worldly woman quite advanced in years. She makes me wish I'd majored in sociology, though she has almost as many sad stories from her field work as happy ones. For example, last time we had class she told the story of her work in Uganda... Her work ended when the rebels killed her research assistant and took their jeep. Every time I talk to her, though, I wish I'd ever be able to travel as half as much as that woman has. She's also quite the libertarian... which kind of brings me into my second topic.

Second: My sociology class is slowly crushing my soul. My professor, being the sociologist she is, likes to stir up debate within the class... So, this week we were talking a bit about the concept of "privacy" and how it's interpreted in the digital age. It's a lecture-sized classroom, filled with a good 40-50 students. My professor is up front, making deliberately incendiary comments, trying to get a debate going... and queue the crickets. It's not that class is at 4:30pm, because we're willing to vigorously debate the big topics, like "Why people prefer Windows over Linux" (because nubs can't console) or "Should the economic stimulus package subsidize the production of open source?" (No). What it comes down to is there are only two people in my class of 40 sociology and computer science students that give a fuck about privacy. Everyone else in the class will chime in and add their two cents, but it all amounts to the two most frustrating phrases in the world for me to hear: "If you've got nothing to hide, then why do you care?" and "That could never happen here/now/anymore/ever again throughout the rest of human history"

You know, in regards to things like Japanese internment or the spying / picking on the unfortunate innocent. Because things like that have only ever happened once and 50 years / 30 years / last month was a long time ago.

Third: I'm attempting to not fail my classes this semester. If I don't fail any classes, and get all my registrations done right, I'll be graduated by the fall or even half way through the summer, if I'm crazy enough.

Note: I've never actually failed or even come close to failing any classes in college. I've been doing quite a bang-up job this semester, though. It actually took me almost an entire month to realize I didn't have AI class on Thursdays, because for the first three weeks I apparently never went to a single class on Thursday, anyway.

Nothing I want in life is what is good for me

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:18:27 GMT

My motivation for doing my school work is reaching all time lows. For some time now, I've been chalking this up to my usual, "Without Ceres and Bacchus, Apollo grows cold." (Kind of a lifestyle, if you haven't noticed yet.)

I'm not sure that's applicable, though. It's not just that I'm being lazy, or want to do something more exciting than study. I simply don't care about Computer Science. At all. I'm good at it, and it's fascinating, but I've come to realize my "latent talent" in Computer Science has absolutely nothing to do with CompSci.

Learning 75 words a day in Chinese (reading/writing/pronunciation) really is just as easily as studying heuristic algorithms or Calculus (though my Chinese has become rusty as hell since returning -- p.s. fuck the lack of native Mandarin speakers within my small circle of friends :|..). I could just as easily be studying anything Law to Anthropology, and I'd find it just as easy.

Here's the thing, though -- I hate Computer Science. It's got nothing to do with my abilities -- if I graduated tomorrow I'd have a job waiting for me that would have me earning more than either of my parents within a year or two. And yet, I'm almost positive that's not where I'll be even five years from now, though.

Seriously -- what the hell does Computer Science do for anyone anymore? A few years ago, I thought technology had anything to do with the world's most significant problems. Now I feel like I would feel better about myself and make more of a difference teaching English to children in rural China than I could ever make at an office at TMW or any other software company.

Honestly, if I didn't have a strong sense of commitment for the money I've invested into my degree, I really don't know if I'd be in the United States at this point, or even ever intending to return... and as much as I've been trying to not invest myself into exploring impossible theoretical situations, that one fascinates me. What kind of person does that make me? (I find that theoretical situation particularly interesting considering my brother may be permanently moving to Nevada in a matter of weeks, cutting another one of the few remaining strings binding me to Boston, making the equation all the more simple.)

I suppose, what I'm trying to say is that if I could go back and do it all over again, I'd be a Lawyer... and/or probably trying to get involved in politics. With that said, a tip of my hat to Gavin for making the right choices the first time around, and I'm done.

Why?

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:31:08 GMT

I'm in the CSC and starving. Trying to do homework, but someone's shown up with a rather pungent buffalo chicken pizza. This morning I spent my time waking up while browsing the interwebs rather than eating breakfast or packing lunch. Why am I so brilliant?

I am but an implement

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:07:38 GMT

Two things, first a musing: My reference to Bacchus as my livejournal name.

This was inspired by the writings of a medieval scholar, studying in Oxford, who mailed home to his parents for more money to help him complete college. The exact quote is (as Translated by "The Rise of Universities" from the original Latin), "Wherefore I respectfully beg your paternity that by the promptings of divine pity you may assist me, so that I may be able to complete what I have well begun. For you must know that without Ceres and Bacchus[,] Apollo grows cold." I appreciate that the quote shows the historical link between attending a university (Apollo) and drinking (Bacchus) goes as far back as medieval times.

I've been using it to remind myself that I'm not attending college to stare at a blackboard in a classroom and incessantly review notes. I suppose I generally use the phrase "Without Bacchus, Apollo grows cold" as a more beautiful sounding version of the phrase "all work and no play."

-

Secondly, I've been heavily reconsidering my standing as a moral being. For a while I feel as if I was plagued by the believe that "I am a good person, and as such, the things I do are also good."

Working.

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:40:54 GMT

I haven't been in a relationship since March 7th. Every day since then I've questioned what happened, why, and whether or not the right decisions were made. All I'm positive about is that I've come away from the relationship with the sense I've failed completely - both as a boyfriend and as a friend.

The problem with that is.. if I can fail so utterly when someone is counting on me, then why the fuck should anyone bother? I know I'm not always such a bad friend, but it has left me with a lot of questions to answer to myself.

'A man can get a job, he might not look too close at what that job is.'

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:22:24 GMT

I'm once again considering trying to get one of the government CS scholarships. Starting my Co-op already a grand in debt gives a whole new appreciation for the concept of a free ride scholarship with a stipend.

Tell them I ain't comin' back..

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:22:17 GMT

A friend once told me that you grow the most when you find yourself in hard situations.. so, since I've repeatedly failed to improve myself, I've forced myself into a position where my only options are either to become what I want to within the next six months, or to fail spectacularly beyond what I normally would have ever considered acceptable.

I'm not sure where I got the idea from - 'change is easy.' Changing yourself isn't easy, lying to yourself is.

Apollo?

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:49:15 GMT

"Without Bacchus, Appolo grows cold"

I got hammered in English class today. Probably the drunkest I've been in like six months. Still dfrunk now. Prograaaming my computer science homework. I fucking blitzed that shit, got it down in like 5 minutes. it was amazing. Yesterday was not a good day. didn't expect to get this drunk in English class, but it started at like.. what. 2:50pm? C'mon! what do you expect. My teacher's usually a hardcore ice-queen.. but today we asked if we could go to the pub and she said yes. :D

It was amazing she had liek a guiness, and we were all ordering drinks. I stayed like an extra two hours beyond when class ended because I really needed a drink.. gtg. bye.

Boston: The land of fevered devotion to mediocre sports franchises

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:34:02 GMT

It took me 3 hours today to get into Boston for class, so I guess the [Boston sports franchise] must’ve won the [competitive game for appropriate sport].

Wooo, Boston.

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:26:12 GMT

Procrasturbation... what a word.

Ohfuck ohfuck ohfuck...

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:57:32 GMT

So, I'm back from China. Just got in the house less than two hours ago.

Quick list of things to cover:

- On the plane flight over, flew with some basketball team that was playing some exhibitions in China. I can confirm basketball players do, in fact, play basketball games on their PSPs when they're not out there on the court.. O_O

- Bought a fake Rollex for about $1.33

- Practiced some Chinese and bargaining skills

- Got schooled in Chinese by a cute 5 year old girl on a train ride from Beijing to Xi'an (it was so hilarious and cute, she ended up saying each word one at a time and then pausing for me to understand her!)

- Drank a lot of cheap 'Ching Dao' beer (ends up being about 40 cents a 40oz, get drunk for ~1 USD!)

- Met some really cool people

- Within three days, we convinced our local guide/translator at Beijing to start coming out and partying with us every night. I also went on to go out and hit up local arcades ('gameboy' as he called it) with him, resulting in the "All Time International Street Fighter Championship" (in which my Chung-Li skills bested his Ken, but his Ken consistently beat my Ryu)

- Drank so much and stayed up so late the last night dancing and partying with new friends that I was still drunk checking in for my flight home from Beijing, and didn't actually sober up until flying out of Tokyo

- Let down a friend I was supposed to watch after when she was drinking... (At least, I feel like it, though I've been told it wasn't my fault.) :\

- Spent a lot of time horribly, HORRIBLY, worried about how things were back home :(

I'll be glad to tell in depth stories on request, and I'm sure you'll all hear more about it than you want to anyway. And I didn't bring back souvenirs! :(

Why hello, all..

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 04:12:29 GMT

Sorry, I'm busy. Busy, busy, busy.

Lamest excuse ever. I know. I'll start updating more often.

For now, I'd just like to point out that I've turned 21. I celebrated the night by staying over my brother's, hosting a very quiet, small, gathering of my local friends. Well, it started as such at least. I ended up getting trashed (it went down hill after the scorpion bowl), kicking the shit out of Costas' computer, and spending 2+ hours laughing at Squishy's name (Squishy).

I was going to head into Boston for impromptu gatherings with anyone available later in the weekend, but I had really kicked the shit out of Costas' computer. I'm talking really kicked the shit out of it. Didn't even POST, so we ended up going back and forth to CompUSA / BestBuy, etc, and trying to get it working... pretty much all Sunday.

Yatta, yatta.. anyway. Here I am. It's April, I'm going to try to update this more, since I'm too busy to be on AIM enough to talk to everyone. This way at least I wont have totally disappeared.

Sorry I haven't updated lately.

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:12:29 GMT

I've been really busy lately, or I would've update more. Really.

I'll just quickly go over what I've been up to lately:

- I'm working. A lot. Making some decent coin, though. Apparently I can't get a 401k plan until at least March, so until then I'm going to be leaking cash like a motherfucker.

- I made the stupid mistake of falling in love with a cancelled TV series. My apologies in advance for how I'm going to buy and give everyone the series on DVD, as well as the movie.

- I've been playing Meridian like it's my fucking job.

Aannndd, not sleeping enough, so goodnight all.

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 07:37:36 GMT

I start work in about 6 and a half hours..
Getting paid way more than I feel like I should.

Oh, and my soda addiction's going to be totally out of control, too.

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 06:59:58 GMT

Next week is finals. I've got one Monday, another Tuesday, and then two Friday. Realistically speaking, I've been done with classes for a few weeks now.

All I've eaten today is popcorn and a bowl of soup. Not because I'm sick or it was a busy day or anything.. there's just nothing else I can eat in this house. We're low on food, and my brother came home before I did and cleaned out all the vegetarian food he could find to bring back to his apartment. He did leave behind some boxes of poptarts that I was subsisting off of earlier in the weekend. I feel like death.

I hope I can pull myself together for one last push this week. I really need to do well on finals to get my GPA up higher...

Love / Hate

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 03:34:55 GMT

http://www.internetcases.com/archives/2006/11/seventh_circuit_1.html

The Seventh Circuit backed lesser court's ruling against a law criminalizing the sale of adult video games to minors. Apparently...

An integral part of the court's analysis was its concern that the statute would criminalize the sale of material "without concern for the game considered in its entirety or for the game's social value for minors." As a case in point, the court looked to the game God of War, which tracks the Homeric epic Odyssey in content and theme. Although that game shows exposed breasts, the court held that "there is serious reason to believe that a statute sweeps too broadly when it prohibits a game that is essentially an interactive, digital version of the Odyssey."

How cool is that? I have a hard time imagining God of War ... being played by the justices of the Seventh Circuit.. I just picture them all hanging around in one living room, Senior Justice Thomas E. Fairchild (well into his 90's) is the one rocking out with the controller.. Frankie's hogging the cheetos just because he's the Chief justice, and they're all yelling "Lookout for that Cyclops!" and whatnot.. Anyway, I'm just always pleased to see the Judicial branch continuing to give props to games as a legit art form.

Hello, Splogowebs

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 16:31:36 GMT

Drunken Marge Night:

Recording 1 : - 1 minute 28 seconds, starting at 1:56AM:
Marge : Lucian's(?) is a cool kid. Lucian plays DDR. Don't FUCK with Lucian!
[Chatter]
[Girl Burps]
Marge : THAT was Sexy. That was SEXY.
[Chatter]
[Marge says something along the lines of 3 - 2 = 1]
Steve : Congradulations, Matthew, you can do subtraction.
Marge : Fuck you, Steve! Fuck yoouu, Steeeveee! If it wasn't for the fact that the room was spinning, I'd punch you in the head! [Obviously joking]
[Laughter]
Bob : If anyone could stop the room from spinning, I'd be the happiest man.
Marge : No, no [responding to someone suggesting he punch Steve anyway], because I'd fall over. [Loudly, to everyone] I need to pee.

Recording 2 - 47 seconds starting at 1:49 AM:
Marge : Basically, but at the sametime it's like logic was like "FUCK YOU" and not to work for half of the things I'm saying.
Someone : Beautiful, beautiful.
Marge : I'm very drunk... I'm very drunk.
Shannon : I'm so happy!
Marge : I just don't want to throw up...
Shannon : Then we're going to cut you off on shots.
Marge : I will admit that. Okay, I'm done then.... The last time I threw up was at Brian Matthew's house.. [starting a story I heard 3+ times that night]
Shannon : You know he [Brian Matthew] is from High School because Marge uses his full name...

Personally, my favorite part of the night, that I unfortunately didn't get on a voice memo, was when Marge was in the kitchen laughing hysterically at his own joke. It was along the lines of "I'm very logical -- I'm a programmer. It's so weird having logic not work now. It's like.. it's like I'm getting... a.. [laughing].. a.. a windows error." and then he just doubled over laughing for a good 30 seconds.

Sudoku?

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:05:43 GMT

I think I'm going to write a sudoku solver in Java for kicks at work.

I'm doing the GUI now...

Fuckin' A'.

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 08:59:43 GMT

"I'll tell you. There's nothing like the sound of hippie bitch screaming and crying while getting tasered."

Before you check out the video, I'll give some quick little tidbits. So the idea behind a tazer is basically.. people tend to not operate so well while having thousands (around 50,000 to 300,000) volts running through their body, completely fucking over their nervous system. Now, understand, this immobilizing effect is EXACTLY the purpose of a taser in the hands of law enforcement. It's not to try and hurt you, or make you hurt.. it's to neutralize a threat immediately without killing it. I don't know, maybe you've seen them in action on Cops. They seem pretty effective to me. Anyway -- here's the wiki article (c'mon, you knew I'd put it in here) -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tazer#Principles_of_operation .

So anyway, my nightly intrarworbs browsing brought me across this little gem of a video. Apparently it's a pretty timely one, just happened this week. The guy was handcuffed, being dragged out of the library, and repeatedly tasered... because he didn't have ID on him and he wasn't being very friendly about it. Daaamn. I'd like to -hope- the NorthEastern Police would be a little more gentle with me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3GstYOIc0I&eurl= - The video.

Note: I believe he was also yelling something about having a medical condition in the video.. (Taser's have a tendency to occassionally.. eermm.. "kill" people with heart problems)

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 06:28:46 GMT

"The three companies, through a series of trade conventions and tens of millions of dollars in marketing, have created a storm of hype. Sony and Microsoft are promoting games with more vivid graphics, more complex story lines and more seamless online play. Nintendo hopes to differentiate the Wii with a motion-sensing game controller that allows people to manipulate action on the screen by pointing and waving it."

The Wii gets treated like a 3rd party candidate in a Presidential election. Seriously. Sony and Microsoft are promoting vivid graphics, complex story lines, and more seamless online play.. the Wii.. uh.. a point and wave controller? WTF?

Way to shit on the little guy, NY Times..

crap

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 09:16:49 GMT

it's 4am and I'm zombified in the computer lab.

browsing 4chan and printing homework.

tits or gtfo >:|

it took me took 4 hours to finish homework., so I'm really tired now.

i have to wake up for class soon.. soooo... goodnight everyone.