Selfless Acts

We've read about people who do great things and seem to change the world. Recently on the news, there's been a man who's unemployed and he started handing out ten dollars a day to people who may or may not need it. The sad part, no one ever seems to make the effort to make these more common.

Txt-to-speech: the full dictionary for the teen-impaired: Part 2: G-L

Read part 1 of the multi-part series here: Txt-to-speech: the full dictionary for the teen-impired: Part 1:A-F

G

G2CU
Good to see you

G2G
Got to go

G2R
Got to run

G4C
Going for coffee

G9
Genius

Txt-to-speech: the full dictionary for the teen-impaired: Part 1 A-F

4 all u ppl who dnt know, i have pt tgthr a txt t4lk dxnary 4 u who r txtn impaired. this will giv u al the t4lk u need 2 know 2 txt in 2day's wrld. (don’t know what it means? Read on!)

A

ABT
About

ABT2
Meaning 'About to'

The n00b

Defining 'Noob'
Contrary to the belief of many, a noob/n00b and a newbie/newb are not the same thing. Newbs are those who are new to some task and are very beginner at it, possibly a little overconfident about it, but they are usually willing to learn and correct their mistakes. n00bs know little and have no will to learn any more. They expect people to do the work for them and then expect to get praised about it, and make up a unique species of their own. It is the latter we will study in this guide so that the reader is prepared to encounter them in the wild if needed.
Noobs are often referred to as n00bs as a sign of disrespect, and it's often hellishly funny, but I will refer to them as noobs.

The Leash

These days, whenever you watch TV, you see something about a pet nearly every other commercial break. Whether you own an adorable puppy brand new from the breeder or an elder cat who's always complaining, there are a variety of pet gadgets that you can buy at nearly any store that will improve your pet's life-style by hundreds.

Portable Apps

This morning, as I prepared for yet another day of monotonous schooling, I thought, "How can I enjoy myself in my computer class, Computer Apps, when it is so basic that it is probable I, myself, could likely teach it?" Passing through several of the common High School reactions to this situation and determining that none of them would do (as I am a good student and ditching leaves unpleasant consequences), I decided to copy the program directories for several of my favorite programs onto my flash drive. This way I'd be able to enjoy them in that gag inducing class. Ingenious, yes?

No. Naturally by just copying the folder in which these programs were stored did not allow me to run them from my flash drive (with the exception of Starcraft, simply because blizzard is awesome). This led me to thinking, for what reason do programs install over so many contorted and poorly named directories that it is simply impossible to find all of the files needed to run the program anywhere other than on the computer you have installed it on?

Money. Curse the economic incentive for screwing with my computer's innards. By making it difficult to back up games and other programs from your hard drive companies force you, if you like their program and are foolish enough not to make a backup image of your hard drive, to repurchase the program. Were this incentive not there programmers would likely write their software to remain in one directory.

This is my dream. I dream of a world where I can easily Ctrl + C and have my program on any machine I want. What, ye on the receiving end of this post, do you dream?

Friend or Fiend

Oh my god! I have a new friend request and I can't think about what to say. I don't know this person and yet I want more friends. He's tall, blond and looks like he came out of a surfer magazine. I have this weird feeling that he is not real but he is so attractive. First thing I do is I go to his profile and see if I have anything in common with him. As I go through his profile I find out that he is 18 and lives in Westchester LA. there I have some family living. I still have this weird feeling that this guy is simply not who he is. As soon as i accept him I have this eerie chat box in the corner of my screen asking me about myself...but these aren't normal questions;they are questions asking me where I live, what school I go to, and some really personal questions. I can't think of what to say. It reminds me of when I was a little girl and m mom would always tell me not to talk to strangers and not to get into other peoples cars. (Even if they give you free candy and 20 bucks) And I can't but feel like I shouldn't of added this man whom I don't know and is creeping the hell out of me. Do I ignore him or delete him form my friends?

I proceeded to go back to his profile where I finally got to see some pictures of him, and after a while I get the feeling that I was tricked by the hot surfer on the front of his profile when he actually looks like an old man who ate too many potato chips and watched too many hunting channels on TV. He just never got to up off his butt and went outside. It creeped me out to no extent. That was the one thing that made me click on the little button at the bottom of my screen and continue to shiver with an upset stomach. I deleted him form my friends.

The World of Violent Video Games

The world of video game violence, is popular a media causing children of the world to become more violent? Studies show that most serious video games have violent video gamers own a violent vido games, and most parents these days don't sensor there kids video games. first of all the big companies that make the money while they teach kids to rip each others heads off and create false expectations that they can grow up and tear of the heads of enemies right off, just like that. But in the oppiosit scene these video game can express some of the truth's about the world. In short The world of video games is a both good and bad and deserves a good look.

My take: a vendetta on stupid people

I am surrounded by stupid people. Every day, I see them. At school, at the store, at *cough* home, their numbers keep growing exponentially every single day! These people are growing in power every day, expounding their stupid ideas opn the masses and converting more and more to their stupid "religion". They surround us, envelop us-and I am very much in danger of going under with them. You may think that this post is extremely subjective, and I am deeply sorry of I am offending anyone. If I am, you are most likely "one of them". Stop it.

Writing Workshop 2010

Welcoming a new group of bloggers to the world of pro-blogging. We're not quite pros yet, but it's a start. The difference between what I've presented and what they remember blogging being I hope is clear. Blogging for pay is a lot less about journaling, though it has a lot to do with experiences and opinions. It's a place to have a presence, to write something that people might read and pay attention to. To voice opinions.

People have a lot of opinions.

Mark Cox seems to have a great on-stage presence. I've enjoyed his engagement of the students and their perspectives. And the no wrong answers. He's been doing this for a long time. Do what you like, he emphasizes. I like to teach, and blogging is about writing what you like. Writing what you don't like doesn't last very long, even if you like writing.

Sage advice.

Fashion: Who Cares?

Who does care? Why does it matter? It matters because it makes people feel confident. There is nothing that makes me feel better than an enormous and interesting necklace draped down my neck.

However, beauty varies with culture and location. In Mexico, bright colors are beautiful. In some parts of Africa, women elongate their necks by adding more and more rings to look beautiful. So, what is beauty to you? Answer that question, and you will have your own personal style. Don't worry about what other people think of you. If you feel beautiful you will be confident. Confident people are beautiful people.

So get out there, you! Discover yourself! Others will notice. . .

How I Fell In Love

I fell in love with something that most people in the world hate. The question is how could you hate reading? I love the feeling of searching for a hidden world, discovering romance, and destroying evil. In a book, I am anything that i want to be. I am the damsel in distress or I am the hero. It is an escape. I am away from my everyday life, away from my worries. I am entirely someone else. Someone that might not be real to others, but is completely real to me.

I am in the world that the author takes me. The sounds I hear, the smells and experience are all of the authors. I become that character that they are writing. I experience what they are feeling, seeing, touching. I am what they create. I am blessed to be experience their art. Their mind is my escape.

Naming Characters (They are Your Babies)

When I start a story, the first speed bump I hit is naming my character. All of them sound lame and generic: Mary Wilson, Tom Johnson, Susan Williamson--everyone is a "son" when I'm in the midst of writing. I've named them, but they are boring.

So, I want more interesting names, the kind of names that will hook into my readers' heads and make them remember who my characters are.

I have plenty of sources for names. The phone book, of course, is a ready list of real names. Since I teach high school, I have class lists that go back for years. Some of the names are funny, like "Season Dees," or "Dusty Rhodes" (and his brother, Rocky). Some are cool sounding, like "Cheyenne Wells," or "Beau Trey."

One of my favorite place to find names is in the cemetery. I have to walk, of course, so I get the extra rush of blood to my head as I stroll among the stones, but I also get the moody, atmospheric feeling that is a part of the cemetery as I read about the "gone but not forgotten" and "father, husband and friend." I start to picture lives, and that's what I need to attach to a name.

My most reliable source for names, though, and the one I recommend to other writers, is a good baby name book. A baby name book will not only give me a gazillion choices, but will also tell me famous people in the past with that name, where the name came from, what the name means, how popular the name has been, etc.

My readers may not know all the information I gather, but I will, and that will make me write about that character even more convincingly.

After all, by characters are my babies.

When I'm not blogging here, I blog extensively at my own site on teaching, writing and how my teaching and writing are going at http://jimvanpelt.livejournal.com. You can see a table of contents of the writing related posts at http://jimvanpelt.livejournal.com/87625.html

Response to Lady Gaga

Although she may get harsh criticism from many non-fans, Lady Gaga's career is prospering. Her new, exotic style has attracted many people to her unique music. It may seem to be a strange way to express things.

Her latest music video, Bad Romance, has been viewed millions of times on Youtube and is a hit song. But what is with the huge eyes and the 12 inch heels? It may not be apparent what she is trying to say, but there is a method to her madness. In an interview with her, she explains the story line of her video. See interview here.
Lady Gaga has made a commitment to be different, and she has certainly been the center of attention with it. Her exquisite fashion sense is definitely something different. The fame monster is something the public hasn't seen before, and it seems they want more!