If you steal from one author, it's plagarism; if you steal from many, it's research
The first Drive-in movie theatre was built in Camden, New Jersey
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Bittersweet Nostalgia
As a deterrent to my infinite boredom, I've decided to digitize my reminiscence of concert experiences. In other words, I've taken the time to scan all the old concert tickets I have laying around. The oldest ticket I found is from a 1999 Dave Matthew's Concert at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Since then, Dave and company have released 4 more studio albums, I went and saw them 11 more times, and Veterans Stadium has been imploded and is now a parking lot. I feel old.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006 09:16 PM EST0 Comments Filed in: Music , Life -
Hurricane Wilma
As I sit on this turbulent plane flying back to Philadelphia, I can't help but to think how lucky I am to live in New Jersey (I know, that sounds funny.) But all kidding aside, the aftermath of hurricane Wilma is a lot worse than most people in the northeast imagine in their minds. The media's coverage of this hurricane doesn't come close to describing the destruction I've witnessed these past few days while driving from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West. Imagine throwing most of your belongings (including major appliances that were once a permanent fixture of your home,) out to the curb to be collected by some government agency.
I don't doubt that hurricane Rita was a bit more devastating than Wilma, but I find the lack of media attention to Wilma to be a bit startling. The media absolutely loves to go crazy over life-threatening events. Consider the New York subway scare that happened last month (Remember, someone was supposed to blow up the subway with a baby carriage.) I witnessed at least a half dozen news trucks parked out front of Penn Station for several days during the scare to do their news casts. They were just sitting there, almost waiting for fire and smoke to come pouring out of Madison Square Garden so they could get the best ratings on the 11 o'clock news. But unlike the subway scare, hurricane Wilma produced actual death and destruction. I don't get it.
I think the Ft. Lauderdale cab driver was quite articulate in his description of the hurricane: 'So much damage my friend, no more trees, no more coconuts'.
Saturday, November 12, 2005 09:12 AM EST0 Comments Filed in: Life -
Back To School This Fall
Going back to school for my Phd in Computer Science has certainly crossed my mind plenty of times. The working world I'm currently immersed in is simply not cutting it for me in terms of mental stimulation. Since a Phd is not likely at this time due to not having a topic I'd like to pursue, and not being in a position to be broke for the next four years, I decided to go back to school to get in touch with my creative side instead. I'm taking a course in Black and White Photography at the School of Visual Arts. So far, it seems like a Phd might have been cheaper and maybe even easier! I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
This picture should give you an idea as to how much stuff I needed to buy just to get started with this course.
If you're wondering what all this stuff could possibly be used for, let me just add that all the film taken for the class will be developed at home. This process begins by popping open the film, cutting it off the roll, and threading it onto a spool. This wouldn't be all that bad, except for the fact that it all must be done inside a lightproof bag (yes, there are holes in the bag for you to stick your arms through,) which means you can't exactly see what you're doing. The film is then developed in the bath tub and hung on the shower curtain to dry. Like I said, I had no idea.
I think the course will prove to be valuable even for a geek programmer like myself. Creativity during coding is very similar to, if not the same thing, as an artist's creativity. I firmly believe that combining the talents of an artist and a coder can offer some fresh perspectives on any programming project.
I'm sure some people, including most of my colleagues, will either disagree with me on this point or tell me that a programmer has no right being creative in the first place. I think most of these people have never been exposed to any kind of artistic activity. Some of the most talented people in Computer Science (people like Paul Graham , author of Hackers and Painters comes to mind,) have studied some form of artistic expression in the past. Whatever stance you take on this, I'm sure you'll agree with me on one thing: This old school Nikon FM2 film camera is HOT!
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 12:24 AM EDT -
Good Bye Buddy
Well, I thought the day would never come. My beloved 1996 BMW with 160,000 miles has finally bit the dust. Not because the engine died. Not because something has worn out that's too expensive to fix. The reason is that Prestige Auto Body in Fort Lee New Jersey does not know how to fix cars. Back in May, some guy in a mini-van ran through a stop sign and dented my rear quarter panel. I took the car to the geniuses at Prestige and waited almost two months to get the car back. Two weeks later I was waiting at a red light by my apartment when the driver side tail light bursted into flames. Imagine the sadness I ensued while watching the Edgewater Fire Department put out a fire in the trunk of the car I've had for the past 6 years. I loved that car. Check the photo section soon for some more pics. I see a 330ci in my future.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005 09:23 PM EDT