04-03-2006

Proposal Paper: PSU Housing Shortage

04-03-2006 TheKramer917ProposalFinal 03-24-2006 TheKramer917ProposalDraft 03-22-2006 TheKramer917ProposalProposal

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04-02-2006

Pinchot Residents Are The Worst

My residence hall is a brick filled with 500 guys. The cannot collectively complete a weekend without destroying something. I'm pretty sure we average a fire alarm once every 1.5 weeks and leave a wreckage of newspapers every few days in the halls. Two weeks ago somebody took a fire extinguisher and filled an elavator full of CO2 thus setting off a fire alarm at 3 AM. This week somebody piled the newspapers in an elavator and lit them on fire. Then sent the elavator to floors 3, 7, and 9 to disperse the smoke evenly. The alarms went off at 4:20 AM this time. Aside from taking an hour to clear the building and calling out a fire truck one of the elavator is severely damaged. The wall is partially melted and the tile on the floor is charred black and bubbled up in on place. I don't understand these people and I wish they would stop messing up community property or somebody would "educate" them.

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03-28-2006

Spring Career Fair

I suited up for the Career Day at the Bryce Jordan Center today in search of a summer internship. I figured there would be many other people my age looking for internships, but I was wrong. Most of those attending were either sophomores and juniors searching for summer work or seniors looking for actual full-time jobs. The only students my age, that I knew, were from IST (my major as well). Why is it that no other pursuits at Penn State are convincing their freshman that they have marketable skills? Even my own friends seem content to work at minimum wage jobs while gaining no practical experience or learning anything. They look down on the internship because they have an "old-fangled" idea of what interns do. We don't fetch coffee and make copies all day. Interns are valuable and productive members of a team who are learning how the workplace operates. They are networking with people in the industry and developing relationships to advance themselves in the future. I hate it when people ask me why I go to so many interviews with IBM, General Electric, Booz-Allen Hamilton, Genworth Financial, etc. Why wouldn't I? It's definetely not a bad thing to be on a first name basis with influential individuals.

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03-21-2006

Communist Manifesto Response

Marx and Engel's Communist Manifesto is probably one of the most translated proposal arguements to date. However, I think it regularly receives a bad reputation for being associated with the word 'communist.' A communist society has no social classes, a man is equally worth his neighbor and his second neighbor. The Manifesto called for the common citizens (proletariats) to overthrow the political leaders (bourgeois) and topple capitalism. Each man works equally hard and receives the same benefits or losses: universal education, steady taxes, and no land ownership. The call was made not to punish the wealthy, but to create a more balanced society. Unfortunately, the Communist Manifesto is also one of the worst blunders of a proposal. As the saying goes "socialism only works on paper, not in practice." Nonetheless, the arguments he makes to the regular people are very powerful and aren't without value.

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03-20-2006

Causal Paper: Underage Drinking

03-20-2006 TheKramer917CausalFinal 03-13-2006 TheKramer917CausalDraft 03-03-2006 TheKramer917CausalProposal

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03-18-2006

Movie Heaven

If heaven was real and didn't require a belief in the mystic powers of Jesus to get in, I was there this weekend because I got to see two great films. In reverse chronological order: Memoirs of a Geisha and V for Vendetta. I already said how excited I was for Geisha in an earlier post, but I didn't actually get to go until Saturday night. No, the drunks did not infilitrate the theater, which I was happy about...thank you drunks. Yes, it was as amazing as I expected. I enjoy the score much more now that I have heard it in context. V for Vendetta: Hugo Weaving is such a talented gift to cinema. I can't ever remember being dissapointed in his work. The Boys were amazing once again albeit handing off direction to a colleague from the Trilogy. Such a great idea for a film: a terrorist who blows up buildings to change the world, acts as both hero and villain - saving and torturing Natalie Portman. Though not nearly as philosophically heavy as the Matrix, this is a debate provoking movie much more so than an action "flick." (Flick - def: trashy movie just as easily thrown away as remembered) Haha...I do not mean to imply that this movie lacked stylized action. V had a flair for theatrics through violence. The final sequence was so physically riveting in a way not experienced since the final steps of Neo or the Pelenor Fields. Hats off, thousand thanks, and standing ovation...this is why we go to the movies. I can't remember a better weekend. By the way, if this blog seemed confusing or you were lost in the references, I cannot apologize because a live person would have already thought these things themselves.

 

This country needs hope more than it needs that building.

 

A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having.

 

This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

 

I am not questioning your powers of observation. I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

 

Creedy: We've swept this place. All you've got are your knives and your silly karate thing. We've got guns.

V: No, what you've got are bullets, and the hope that when your guns are empty of them I will no longer be standing, because if I am then you will all be dead before you can reload.

 

Delia Surridge: Are you going to kill me now?

V: No. I killed you 10 minutes ago while you were sleeping.

 

People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.

 

Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. There is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.

 

Remember, remember, the fifth of November, The gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

 

 

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03-17-2006

Half-Birthday

Today is my half-birthday. I am 19.5 years old and I am a freshman. It's a pretty sweet life, but more importantly today is also Saint Patrick's Day. My name is Brendan and I'm about 3/16 Irish so it's very relevant. Yet I will not be totally blasted this weekend like all the Irish-wannabe posers out there with Willy Wonka-esque Guinness top hats and shamrock headbands. Stop it! Just stop and go home quietly. You're not Irish nor are you creating a realistic representation of the Irish people. I couldn't even walk to my Friday night basketball game at the White Building without stepping over one of the drunken miscreants this shamed holiday has created.

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03-15-2006

Memoirs of a Geisha

I'm really excited because Memoirs of a Geisha is playing at the HUB this weekend. Over the winter break I wanted to see this movie badly along with Munich, but I was severely denied by my home town. It refused plans for a movie theater a few years back and is blundering the lastest attempt to add one within a reasonable distance. I hate having to drive for 30 minutes just to see a movie (for $8.75). Enter the HUB: free movies, pre-DVD release, horrible video and sound quality. I almost wish more people would take an appreciation for film instead of watching Anchorman and Office Space every other day, but then I bite my tongue because they would inevitably ruin it for the rest of us. Stay near the keg this weekend and away from the theaters, please.

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03-13-2006

Spring Break Sucks

It's not because my home town is useless and boring. Mostly I would rather just keep going with school: it's fun, follows a schedule, and the break isn't really needed. How hard is college anyway? It's not as bad as my high school teachers said it was going to be. I think it's easier than high school for the most part. The amount of free time and resources is incredible. I just feel like spring break was such a waste of time, which I want back.

 

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03-01-2006

OK Cupid Politics Test

Well, we took that survey in class and I was scared by some of the answers coming out one of the rows. So I decided to tak e the test myself and see what came up.

You are a Social Liberal (68% permissive) and an...

Economic Liberal (36% permissive)

You are best described as a: Democrat

You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness.

I found some interesting things though, if you try to highlight text just below that last phrase you will see these normally hidden numbers: loc: (68, -50), modscore: (22, 41), raw: (2638). On the famous people diagram I was mixed between Robert Redford and U2's Bono, which made me feel pretty good. However, I noticed that Darth Vader was listed under totalitarian and I lost all faith in the accuracy of this test. Although he was second in command in the Empire's chain of command he was not the leader by any means. Duh. Number One is the Emperor, also known as Senator Palpatine. For the record, I am not a Star Wars nerd just a movie fanatic who feels the creators of this poll didn't think this all the way through.

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02-27-2006

Rwanda and Sudan

My first experience with the problems in Rwanda and Sudan came through Hollywood. I saw the movie Black Hawk Down when it first came out and Hotel Rwanda about four months after it was released. I loved both of these films because of how realistic and important they are to showing what happens in the world. Yet I find it horribly disfunctional that our news and educational systems never showed these problems to me beforehand. Of course I had heard small murmers from people who knew about the tragedies, but why was it never brought into full light as I grew up? The same thing happened when Muslim youths rioted for 20 days in France recently. I never saw anything on the news about it, just rumblings from other people. I guess the poorer humans just don't matter in the American media.

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02-27-2006

Definition Paper: Religion

02-27-2006 TheKramer917EvaluationFinal 02-20-2006 TheKramer917EvaluationDraft 02-17-2006 TheKramer917EvaluationProposal

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02-26-2006

Upgrade Your Life

Over the last few months I've been doing a lot of interviews for summer internships. Before all of the meetings I am always required to submit a resume, usually be email or through the web. However, I was recently contacted by Genworth Financial about submitting a resume...via fax. Not only is a hard copy basically useless to the company in the long run, but the background check application they sent me is digital. Why would I revert to hard copy formats? It's expensive and time-consuming. I don't even know where I could access a fax machine on campus or at home. Kinko's perhaps?

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02-24-2006

Digital Music Opinion

I used to be a major downloader of music. Between the real Napster and eventually LimeWire I collected approximately 980 songs using a 56k modem and two years. I refer to those days by saying, "I worked hard to steal my songs." I still believe that, but I always knew it was illegal. Nobody can honestly say they didn't know. So what? It was obvious that the industry would adapt to utilize the technology. Apple's iTunes is about to sell its billionth legal song. The "Napster" name was placed on a piece of horrible software from Roxio that Penn State offers to students. Yet, the industry is screwing the customer in retaliation for a few years of free downloading. Apple has the best music player, the iPod, hands down. I bought a 40GB fourth generation model in August 2004 with money from my summer job and it was worth every penny. I use it every day, but not the way the industry would like:

PROBLEM: Roxio-Napster uses protected WMA files that cannot play on the iPod.

SOLUTION: Use TuneBite to digitally re-record protected WMA's to the free MP3 format at negligible quality loss.

 

PROBLEM: Sony installs rootkits without permission on my computer after I insert their CD.

SOLUTION: Erase hard disk.

 

Roxio-Napster allow themselves to be punked and I thank them for it. All that music available to PSU students can go on my iPod forever. Sony deserves to be crucified slowly. Not only are the rootkits so poorly written that they can't be uninstalled, they allow malicious attacks, and reduce CPU performance by 2-10% for every cycle. I hate Sony with a passion and urge everyone to boycott their products, with the exception of theater release films (Spider-Man 3, can't help it). Even the US government wasn't such a hard-ass about MP3 distribution. The only lawsuits filed were for sharing, none for downloading.

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02-22-2006

Response to "My America" by Andrew Sullivan

"It was nothing...just had a little déjà vu." For some reason, I've read these pages before, though I can't place exactly when, and I remember how much I enjoyed this narrative. The last 2/3 didn't really agree with me the first time, but reading it again I've changed my mind: I love it. Perhaps I have the quintessential American attitude of unending patriotism. Regardless, I like hearing about why America is a great place and Sullivan explains his friend's love perfectly. It was eloquent and simple at the same time, while leaving me with a sense of pride. I used to hate Thanksgiving because I didn't have anything in particular to be thankful for. I was appreciative of everything I had and thought that was the same as appreciating nothing. The obligatory "thanks" seemed worthless to me. Yet, these few paragraphs have changed my mind on the spirit of America's Thanksgiving in a positive way. The use of "pathos" in this piece was very heavy, but I can't say that it was a bad thing. I'm an atheist, but oddly it makes me want to say "God bless America."

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02-17-2006

THON Apathy

First of all, I do not want anyone to get the impression that I am against THON or fighting disease. I'm actually really concerned with disease (I successfully prevented a cold from ruining my week by focusing on getting rid of it for a good 6 hours). THON did not excite me at all. I love to dance, although I have no sense of rhythm, and the video I was shown of THON involved the minimal amount of dancing required. I could not imagine spending my entire weekend pretending that I had danced against disease without actually exerting myself. It is quite harsh to describe my feelings on THON as apathetic, but they are. I even dislike the fact that I don't really care to become involved because I know that the cause is very worthy. Yet I don't feel that somebody should look down upon me for not wanting to go to THON. I do other things to make Penn State a better community. When I see trash on the soil and a receptacle nearby, I pick it up and properly dispose of it. I've even picked up burning cigarettes and returned them to their owner after they get flicked onto the sidewalk hoping their embarrassment will change their behavior. I cannot support THON until the people that it saves care enough to not destroy the Earth. Again, I know not everyone litters and THON is a good cause, but I care about other things more...so don't judge me.

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02-15-2006

Response to "The Declaration of Independence"

I just read the Declaration of Independence, "which I haven't done since, uhhh...eighth grade, but you know what? I still know how to do it" (Dane Cook). That quote was for MemoirofaFirecracker. The main thing I try to remember is the context of the article: America wanted to free itself from the tyranny of England. America was just a teenager and England was an overbearing parent. America said (in Owen Wilson's voice), "Lighten up Dad, I'm just trying to have a good time." What Owen was trying to say was that he didn't want to have to check in every couple hours. He, like America, just wanted a little more freedom. All the rules, tariffs, and obstructions were starting to beat Owen up. That's why his nose is so broken. To make a long story short, America won its independence because its determination and drive. Besides, America (Owen Wilson) can never lose. We're always the good guys.

 

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02-13-2006

Definition Paper: Religion

02-13-2006 TheKramer917DefinitionFinal 02-10-2006 TheKramer917DefinitionDraft 02-06-2006 TheKramer917DefinitionProposal

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02-12-2006

How I Procrastinate

I believe I have always known that procrastination would play a heavy hand in my education, but I cannot seem to circumvent its hold on my scheduling. I generally put off educational requirements till the last possible moment. In the last thirteen years I haven't had a problem with it yet. I don't miss due dates or turn in terrible work. In the case of group projects or various "diorama"-type assignments, I already know what it should look like and that's what I finish with. The part that suffers would most definitely be my writing because I usually write as the ideas flow into my head, often without a conclusion or purpose. I cannot procrastinate and still have time to review my work properly, so I am glad that this English class demands a draft be due before the final copy. Yet altogether I do not feel that procrastination affects my education. Rather I lose time for the things that I enjoy otherwise: organizing music, memorizing movies, and physical activity. For this reason, I refer to my fun activities as requirements, but do not count my other obligations as such. I always enjoy telling people, "I'm going to die behind schedule. I will never finish my work." I hear that phrase, and then struggle to deny its fruition.

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02-09-2006

Anti-Model Citizens Are Officially Dead To Me

Hey, kids. Somebody was supposed to comment on my proposal for the definition paper, but you were probably busy getting blasted instead. That doesn't help improve my writing at all. I ask you to rid us of your stupidity because I'm trying to learn here. Remember a few blogs ago when I said, "I'm really starting to tire of treating these so-called "students" with respect?" Well now they're officially dead to me because they've affected my education. This means you Section 18 of English 15. I do not want an apology, I want your discipline.

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02-08-2006

Response to SnapKrackelPop's Definition Paper Proposal

I responded to her definition paper proposal.

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02-03-2006

PSU-HFS Is Officially Dead To Me & Anti-model Citizens Are 'ON NOTICE'

Just when I thought PSU couldn't get any cooler, it went ahead and did something stupid. "Let's cut off 1200 students who want to live on campus, but not tell them until the desirable off-campus options are gone." Thankfully, I was lucky enough to find an apartment before the maddest rush ensued, but what happens to the rest? And why do they use a ridiculous lottery system? I can understand not discriminating on the basis of race, religion, or gender. Even a small part of me (a very small part) agrees that academic performance shouldn't play a factor. Yet why would HFS allow dorm-living students found with alcohol and marijuana inside University owned property to continue breaking the law by living there again next year? If I remember correctly that breaks your housing contract, those things were supposed to get you kicked from the dorm. I'm really starting to tire of treating these so-called "students" with respect.

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02-01-2006

Bush's "State of the Union" Response

Before I listened to the State of the Union, I tried to think of the best way to capture the essence of the address. I remembered that applause takes up most of the time and concluded that whatever he said before that was pretty important. So I wrote down the last word that Bush said before he was fully interrupted by applause. Here is the list:

people, strong, generations, life, generation, account, job, wanted, place, now, year, dividends, freedom, winning, Washington D.C., strategy, mission, welcome, families, peace, home, weapons, Iran, thanks, Patriot Act, again, freedom, combined, economy, permanent, 2009, President Clinton, social security, away, solved, worker, borders, protection, border, healthcare, responsibility, get, insurance, medicine, energy, years, past, science, technology, come, world, row, record, again, Sam Alito, bench, Sanda Day O'Connor, sale, trust, betray, Laura Bush, opportunity, America, America, God Bless America

This catalogue highlights the major points of the President's speech with 98.6% compression. Although you miss some of the context, it's a beneficial Cliff's Notes version.

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01-30-2006

"Definition of Terrorism" Response

The Wikipedia article about terrorism was a great example to use to summarize the reading in Everything's An Argument. It showed that a single term can be defined in a limitless number of contexts. The one that I thought was closest to my personal definition of terrorism was by the United Nations panel, which defined terrorism as an act "intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act." However, what I found most interesting about the Wikipedia article was that when cross-referenced with a Wiktionary.org (sister-website) definition of terrorism, none of the supplied definitions were duplicates. Wiktionary did not adopt any of the expert definitions chosen by the governing world bodies, which Wikipedia proudly displays.

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01-28-2006

PSU-HFS Is 'ON NOTICE'

I was offered a supplemental contract this week and I have to say that Penn State had better work on its A-game because it slipped up big-time. Supplemental housing basically means, "We don't think you deserve to choose anything." In a regular contract, you take for granted the location preference and the roommate preference options.

917: "Can I live in West Halls?"

PSU: "No. We'll put you wherever we want...which is with 9 other dudes...pal."

917: "But can't you at least try to get me near West?"

PSU: "We're not real big on "trying"...buddy."

917: "You put three of my friends in supplemental housing too, can we be in the same room?"

PSU: "HaHaHa! Don't even think about it. Housing is our domain...chief."

PSU-HFS, you're officially 'ON NOTICE.'

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01-27-2006

George Bush’s “Address To Congress” Response

George W. Bush is not the greatest president of all time, but following the 9/11 attacks he was the most important man in the world. Aside from dismantling terrorist regimes and avenging the wronged, he needed to convince America that everything was safety was coming. He does this by reassuring the nation with the American values and emphasizing a sense of religious and cultural togetherness. He continues by requesting support from all our allies and for American citizens to “uphold the values of America, and remember why so many have come here. We are in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them.” I did not vote for G.W. in 2004, but I do respect his role in the presidency. President Bush’s address to Americans and the world was uplifting. The spirit and pride that he created had been waning for many years. If not for other shortcomings and mistakes, which all presidents inevitably make, I will remember him as the one who unified the American people.

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01-25-2006

“Universal Declaration of Human Rights” Response

Although I am unsure, I assume that the United States has signed this declaration for the human rights of everyone. If my recent memory serves, two of the articles were not being abided by US citizens in the past year. Article 5 states, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” As I have seen video footage of dogs lunging at detained prisoners in Iraq, I ask that our military consider holding itself to a higher standard. The most powerful human force on our planet should set an example for all nations to follow, especially in a controversial conflict such as Iraq where many are waiting to criticize. A section of Article 26.1 reads, "Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit." Using Penn State as an example, I believe there are many who do not deserve to attend this University. It became very apparent to me after 57% of my calculus students dropped the class after failing the first two exams. Their goals are not academic in nature, but lie rooted in Trashed Tuesday and Wasted Wednesday. There are undoubtedly scholars who could benefit much more from higher education and would put scholarship money to greater use.

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01-23-2006

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's “The Four Freedoms” Response

The speech given by Franklin Delano Roosevelt concerning the state of America and its inevitable involvement with World War II seems very finely tuned to such cause. However, I found one sentence within his vision of an idealized nation that struck an odd chord within me and shook my focus away from the objective. “The best way of dealing with the few slackers or trouble-makers in our midst is, first, to shame them by patriotic example, and if that fails, to use the sovereignty of government to save government.” A theme throughout his speech was the opposition that the democratic world powers must take against the dictatorships of the world. Yet why would a supposed proponent of a democratic world suggest curtailing the individuality and freedom of its citizens? The principle of shaming the less patriotic by example approaches a level of dictatorship on an internal, if not yet global, level. The government cannot justly self-govern. It is embedded in the Constitution that our leaders are to work in the interest of the entire populace and not simply for the majority or wealthiest class. It is clear that President Roosevelt was advocating the preparation of all citizens for an industrial upscale to match the war’s augmentation. He appeals to the loyalist within the American citizen, but unbelievably failed to pass his message to me despite my strong predisposition towards patriotism.

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01-20-2006

”USA Today: Snapshot” Claims

The USA Today Snapshot from January 19, 2006 listed the colleges with the highest number of undergraduate alumni to become US presidents. The following statistics were given in a chart:

• 5 - Harvard
• 3 - Yale
• 3 - College of William and Mary
• 2 - West Point
• 2 - Princeton

Claim #1: “Ivy League” colleges produce US presidents more frequently than other colleges. Claim #2: Harvard is the best route to the White House. Claim #3: Military academies develop presidents as well as “Ivy League” colleges.

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01-18-2006

Revision of WaitingForTheSun's Narrative

Hi! I’m Brendan Falkowski, an Information Sciences and Technology major from Lititz, PA. I have a goal to work at my favorite conglomerate, General Electric, by starting in their Information Management Leadership Program. General Electric does business in entertainment, healthcare, commercial and consumer finance, infrastructure, and industrial products. Everyone who knows me, reasonably well, knows that my favorite industry is entertainment, but I would like to explore healthcare. I love how an IT career can fit into any type of business, providing invaluable flexibility. I enjoy reading about current IT issues. I play on the Team Handball Club at Penn State, although it was founded on the outdoor hockey rinks and more accurately called Deathball. I wish more people had some curiosity so that we could expand the popularity of the game because it is really fast-paced and fun for players and spectators alike!

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01-16-2006

”Letter from Birmingham Jail” Response

The letter that Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote while jailed exemplifies his ability to think calmly and critically. From his jail cell in Birmingham, “the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States,” King maintains a level of composure that could hardly be expected from a man writing in his own home. Neither the focus of his message nor the professionalism of his words lack as the letter surpasses his greatest volume yet. I do not find it very surprising that he was awarded a Nobel Prize for Peace. Moreover I realized that King's letter, written without the use of libraries, and his famous “Dream” speech had been universally absent from my high school education. Even the annual observance of his birth as a national holiday does not seem to penetrate the daily course of an American life. King even questions whether religion is powerful enough to change the course of man's choices. However, the redeeming quality of his work is the installation of optimism and hope into an otherwise unforgiving world.

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01-13-2006

Personal Narrative

The story of my life is not for the faint of heart. If somebody told you I was just your average, ordinary guy, not a care in the world...somebody lied. I’m too lucky, so it can only be from self-discipline. For example, I scored a free smoothie and was struck by a vehicle. It was easily the most enjoyable day at PSU yet. Such great luck made it really easy to become the storyteller. The best part of my day is entertaining at dinner with my daily activities. You would like me if you can laugh. Who am I? I'm Brendan Falkowski.