Bathrooms, Blogs, and Snow

First off, I'm starting my Bathroom Blog again. With my new phone, it's easier to remember the pros and cons.

Also, I'd like to show off this blog. I love it.

Anyway, now onto our main topic: Snow and their Days... Get it, Snow Days? Ha ha hab bla blar blarhhg.gg...

Ok, so Snow Days. Everyone loves 'em, but I just want to share a few things for those who don't know. Too many snow days mean too many school days. See, the school sets a limit on how many snow days we have before they pool those over to the end of the year. If we have a cap of 5, and we get 7 snow days that year, then we would get +2 days of school.

Also, snow doesn't matter. Temperature doesn't matter. It's all about ice. No one cares if there's snow on the ground, we're still going to school. It doesn't matter all that much about the kids but the commute. If it's dangerous for the buses to leave the lot, let alone the kids leave their house, then let the fun begin. But just because you can see your breath or see snow on the ground doesn't mean you should stay home.

I know you're not stupid, but I just thought I might let you know.
Hey kids! Flush those ice cubes, wear those PJs backwards, and sleep on those spoons!

Cell Phone Features

I'm getting a cell phone today, so I'm writing today about cell phones and their features.

Now, I understand, some parents are fond of all the features, but I like a lot of them...

Camera with flash
SMS/Texting
Full size keyboard
Not so cluttered menus
Good memory
Video capture support
Internet
Touch Screen

So, examples of a good phone? This one, and this one. Bad phones? This one and this one.

Why? Well, let's see.

So, the goods are that they're all touch screen. I've seen the interface on those, and they are amazing. Plus, camera? Check. Keyboard? Check. Internet? Check.

The bad ones? Look at the first one's screen. It's not touch, and the menu stretches throughout the whole page, making it look extremely awkward. As for the second one, it tries to fit a full size keyboard on a regular size phone. BIG no-no. I'm not a big fan of frontal keyboards.

(Don't even get me started on the Jitterbug...)

The other thing that freaks me out is the price. I know a lot of you guys that have the LG Rumor. If you didn't pay for service (which means you pay full price) the cost is $160.

EDIT: Just letting you know I got my phone. It's a Samsung Blackjack II smartphone. It was only $30, and is the same as my Dad's.

Presidential Inauguration and Obama - The Sensation That... Well...

Don't call me racist. Don't call me mean. Don't call me stupid or ugly or republican just because of this post. I'm not a big politician, I'm just typing "What I Think..."

Ok, so, presidential inauguration. Traffic, do-overs, and Purple Tunnel survivors. People called, and still call, this the most inspiring moment of our nation's history. Why? Again, don't get me wrong, a black president is cool and all, but does it really mean that the country should go crazy over it? I mean, when George W. Bush or John F. Kennedy was inaugurated, were they over hyped?

And what about the whole election thing? I mean, now, you can buy Obama trading cards, Obama bobble heads, albums with 49 songs about Obama, even an Obama Chia Pet! I mean, seriously! This is just too overhyped!

(Comments, anyone?)

Sarcasm II - A Way to Show You Care minus the Actual Effort

First of all, read the post about Sarcasm ("New Stuff and Sarcasm) before reading this (Part II)

My dad suggested there be an emoticon of some sort that show sarcasm, and I thought that was a great idea. There are some others, such as a :P, but there should be one directly related to sarcasm.

So, here's my challa- Sorry, let me start over.

ITLTDIMS CHALLENGE!!!
(I'm Too Lazy To Do It Myself Challenge)
BTW, you pronounce it "Ittle-T-Dims."

Anyway, I need you to come up with an acronym, emoticon, or keyboard art that symbolizes the use of sarcasm. And it can't just be your pet or something. It has to have an actual meaning or something along those line. Wanna give it a shot? Comment on this post, or e-mail me at rct2guy@hotmail.com

EDIT: Apparently, someone has the same idea. I'll convey some of their ideas.

" I’ve always been fond of the *snerk*. I picked it up years ago back in the days of fandom mailings lists, and it’s stuck ever since. I have been known to actually say “snerk” to people in real life.

For example: Man, Toby, the background to your website is so bright that I can’t read any of the text. *snerk*" -Johanna L. Gribble


"The most common one I’ve seen is /sarcasm at the end of the sarcastic remark. Similar to the /sarcasm/ tag, but without HTML problems." - Sarah Miller


"I’ve been thinking about this lately as well. Most of my comments are made with a smirky smile on my face, and I think that humor or jest is being lost in the reading. Most times I just use a smilie, to say I’m not being serious about this (but then I also use it to say I’m happy about something). Sometimes I use the wink smilie ;), or if it’s self deprecating, the off kilter smilie :\." - Steve Buchheit

"Sometimes people don’t pick up on my sarcasm in real life, either. I do like this idea though, and I hope we can find one and start spreading it through emails everywhere!

Does this mean anything yet? It looks kind of smug, but maybe it’ll do for sarcasm too:

:-\

Or perhaps this, which is a bit more deadpan, like my usual delivery:

But I bet those are taken already." -Eugene

"I mostly use the wink smile, too: As if I’m denoting a joke, see? But I also like *snerk*. I tend to be sarcastic almost all the time, though, so I really should have a tag that designates when I’m not *snerking*. That’d probably look like / which seems too complicated." - Rachel

"The smiley was intended to convey sarcasm. At least it was according to it’s inventor.

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~sef/sefSmiley.htm" - Chris

New Stuff and Sarcasm

First, just wanted to say that I'm planning on making more frequent posts, probably every day. I'll try it out first, and see if I like it. Second, I'm thinking about making a podcast. I'm not exactly sure what it would be about (Reading the blog, an expanded blog, or video game reviews.) I'll let you know if I get around to anything.

Anyway, today's post is on Sarcasm and people that try to use it.

Today, I was on a forum, and I was on a thread, discussing how a game should be improved. In this game, called Animal Crossing: City Folk, you have a chance of getting stung by bees. Well, this person though the bees should talk to you to alert you that they are coming after you, so you could take cover or whatever. I thought this was just a horrible idea. So I told them no, and I told them why. Well, not to long after, they reply and tell me "Gosh, I was just being sarcastic!!!1!!"

Which brings us back to our main point here: There are people that can use sarcasm and people who can't. Let's discuss another example, my sister.

This is a common argumentative discussion I have with her a lot, and we never really get anywhere. Today, I came back from school, and she was on her computer, writing an e-mail. She let me read it. It basically said that she was moving to Dallas, Texas and that she would only come back for her birthday. About 7 lines down, however, she tells her friends that she was just kidding. And this isn't the first time.

Many times has she just told anyone, and I mean anyone, that she hates them. Then she just sits there. This is exactly what she did to my grandma. I mean, imagine telling your grandparents or aunt or something that you hate them, and then just stair at them for a few seconds before they say something. How bad is that?

That is an example of bad sarcasm. Now, for you people that ask, "Well stuck-up-so-and-so, how do you propose we use sarcasm, HMMM?" Well, my main point here is you have to make sure of two things: That you make it abundently clear that you are using sarcasm, and that you use it with the right people, just in case there is a misunderstanding.

So, there you have it. Two good examples on how not to use sarcasm, plus a guidline. Of cource, this is "What I think..." so take this all with a grain of salt, but just know that I told you next time you're yelled at. :P

Nintendo DSi

(This post goes out to you Michael.)

For those of you not into the gaming industry, or tend to ignore facts stated by your friends, I'm here to help you learn about the Nintendo DSi.


Announced on October 1st, the DSi boasts many new features.

• 3.0 Megapixel camera on outside


• 0.3 Megapixel camera on inside hinge


• Built-in web browser


• Pictochat with more features


• Nintendo DSi Shop


• Better speakers


• Power button


• And probably some other stuff.
  
  The DSi will have apps, kind of like how the Wii has channels. The Pictochat will also have enhanced features, such as rainbow drawing.
  
  It's rumored (like, just today) that the DSi will ship June 17, and sell for $179.99. More information as I run across it.
  
  (Sorry about the picture. I can't fix it, but if you click on it, it will send you to where I found the picture. You can also click on the link to the right that says "Nintendo DSi" to get a better view of the picture.)

Revised Information:
The DSi was released on November 1st in Japan, April 2nd in Australia, April 3rd in Europe, and April 5th in North America. It sells for $170 and comes in black or a baby blue in North America, and black and white in other areas. It includes a camera, SD card slot, power button, three lights (wireless communications, charging, and power,) volume buttons, and not a GBA slot. Built-in applications include Pictochat (which includes a rainbow color) image editing software, music editing software, DS Download Play, and access to the Nintendo DSi Shop, which lets you buy and download more applications for your DSi (such as a web browser or new WarioWare game.) If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. If you need more information, check out this YouTube playlist I made.

iPod Nano

This year, I got an iPod Nano for my birthday, the new one with the big screen. I'm telling you, I can't wait.

Ever since our family got their first iPod a few months ago, things have never been the same. It's so much easier to use then most other MP3 players, and can do so much more. I would take my dad's iPod to my friends house all the time, and slept with it on. And now I finaly have my own.

The funny part is I've been drawing pictures of it for some reason. Like, before I found out I was getting one. My church has these slips of paper called "Scribble Scrap for Little Lutherans," and beacuse I kept getting sent emails about Apple's new sales and prodcuts, I decied to draw it. It was simple, and pointed out the main details, but I never really expected to get one. And it wasn't my favorite iPod either. Of cource, it was the cheapest, and it's not like I'm not going to accept it because it wasn't what I wanted. It's just that I always liked the clasic the most because of it's big screen.

If you'd like to discuss birthday related thigs, go ahead in this post.

Direct E-Mail! Fun fun fun!!

Hey, it's me. I'm not a scam artist. In fact, almost everyone here knows me in person. So trust me when I say this.

If you want to, you can have my blog e-mailed to you whenever I make a new post. This means that if I make a new post, it's e-mailed to you. Because, I confess, none of you probably read this more than you check your e-mail.

So, just e-mail me at rct2guy@hotmail.com your e-mail address, and I will put you on my list of people to e-mail.

Hurry! Only 10 positions can be used!

Also, you may have noticed a new little button next to the comment link. Click that to e-mail the post your your friends and/or family.

Thanks for reading, and have fun. I'm trying to throw up some other opinions and update this blog more.

Video Games - The Parent's Point of View

NOTE: This does not apply to all parents. DO NOT tackle your mom or dad because of this post.

Why do video games alarm certain parents?

The Random House Unbridged Dictionary, published in 2006, states that a video game is "any of various games played using a microcomputer with a keyboard and often joysticks to manipulate changes or respond to the action or questions on the screen, " or "any of various games played using a microchip-controlled device, as an arcade machine or hand-held toy." In other words, a video game is playing a game on a TV. Then why do your parents tell you to play a board game when a video game is no different?

Parents generally have three problems with video games:

1. They encourage violence.
2. They hurt your eyes and melt your brain.
3. They prevent you from playing outside.

I'm here to tell you that these reasons, with sources, are worthless and stupid.

First off, video games do not encourage violence, no matter what Jack Thompson says. Source one: The ESA, or Entertainment Software Association, created the ESRB, who rates all of your games with an E or T or M. The ESA states on their website that "blaming video games for violence in the real world is no more productive than blaming the news media for bringing crimes of violence into our homes night after night." Reading this you can see the facts, such as that in 1990, the total number of crimes were 2 million. In 1999, that number decreased to a steady 1.5 million.

Second, some obscure Boy's Life magazine I own states that video games actually help your eyes, and we all know games like Brain Age can't hurt you. Plus, it's never bad to have great hand-eye coordination.

Third, my neighborhood is not active enough to have it so when I walk outside, someone is out there playing. I bet it is no different everywhere else. Video games help you play with people when there's no one to play with. As Nintendo sates with it's Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection slogan, "there's always someone to play with."

Hopefully, some parents will now shut up and let us play in peace.

NOTE: That did not apply to all parents. DO NOT tackle your mom or dad because of that post.

Club Penguin

Ah, yes. The strange game of Club Penguin. The horror. The fun. The craziness.

In case you don't know, Club Penguin is a game where you go online and play with other friends while controlling a penguin. You can talk to them, play with them, or just follow them. There are parties, games, and places to go to. There are pets that look like you bought them from a Hallmark store. There are people that act like those jerks from high school. There is a paragraph following this one.

My sister is obsessed with this game. If she can't play with someone else, she plays this all day. She has a membership (which means you pay for more in the game.) It puzzles me how she can live with this game. It's really boring. Not entirely, but pretty much.

This is because without a membership, you basically can't do anything. I earned about 3000 coins, and I can't do anything with them. All the people on there either dance, play a game, or ask you "BOY OR GRL?" No one talks to you about how you are, what's up, or if you want to play a game. They all whine about how no one plays with them or how someone "broke up" with them on the game.

Now this doesn't necessarily mean that this game is all bad. The servers are good (with around 30-40 of them,) the games are repetitive but fun, the parties are fun as well, and the graphics aren't half bad. The game also has many secrets.

The question here is what is the popular vote? Do people in middle school think Club Penguin is cool? Do they think it's too much for kids or just don't plain care for it? As for adults, do you think the game is unsafe? Do you think kids spend too much time on it? Please answer in the box comments.

Also, I will take this time to tell everyone I will not be able to update the website because I have lost my CD for FrontPage. Until I get it, I will not be able to update the website.

Cardinals are Diggin' Their Grave

Okay, Ive been a big fan of the Cards, and I do agree, that'07 wasn't their best season. But that doesn't mean that they should fire their best players and go on a big search for new ones! Have you seen what they have done to their lineup? Jim Edmonds? David Eckstein? So Taguchi? Where are they? Gone. Fired. And why? Because of a baseball player from Lafayette. How sad. All this because of one season... How sad...

GO CUBS!

Grand Theft Auto: San Andres

Ok, so I was thinking about this, so I decided to argue about it here.

All these people are mad because there was some... "content" in Grand Theft Auto: San Andres. They raised the game up to a AO rating, and everyone is mad at Rockstar because they had that "locked" content in there.

Personally, I think it's not Rockstar's fault. They locked it out of the game, so no one could play that part in any NORMAL circumstances. But then some guy came in, messed around with the code, and hacked it so that the "minigame" was unlocked. I think that it is: A. NOT Rockstar's fault and B. The parents fault for letting them get a game that implies punching and killing and getting away from the police, but get all worked up over this thing. I think that Rockstar hid it away INTENTIONALY, but not well enough that someone found it.

All together, I think that it it is NOT Rockstar's fault that this happened.

Post it up!

Say no to rugs!

What do you think? It's a pun on "Say no to drugs," you know? Ha ha? Or ha blah blah blarrgg...

Don't go anywhere!

I just closed my old blog, the same thing only on blogger.com. So, don't go over there anymore. Nothing will be updated there anymore. But this one will!

It Stinks to Grow Up

I'm so depleted! I wish I couldn't grow up! Does any one else feel this way?

Ex. I have more responsibilities, I can't stomp my foot when I'm mad, you can't play in the little kid house, and pretty much any thing that some one will tell you "Your not in kindergarten!" when told not to do something.

Special Chorus?

Ok, if you go to my school, you probably know what Special Chorus is. I feel like there is no need to have one! I feel like all of us could have sung those songs in our musical! If ye need yet more information, post a comment!

Encouragement!

Yo! I really want to encourage you on some things...

1. Check out the rest of my website! Its got a bunch of cool stuff on it, so look around!

2. Try not to be anonymous! I mean, if you REALLY REALLY have too, that's fine. But if you can type in a nickname, or your name, please do so! I would feel better knowing who you are!

३.Check weekly, and do not annoy me with a million posts saying "UPDATE THE SITE!!!!" or something like that.


Thanks!

Wal-Mart is EVIL! EVIL!! EEEV VIIIIIILLLLL!

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2003-01-28-walmartnation_x.htm

Dude, everone thinks that Wal-Mart is evil. Everyone except for the 100,000,000 that go there every week. We can't stand up to this nonsense! SHUT WAL-MART DOWN! DOW!!!

Bogger.com!

Find the same one, with different comments, on Blogger.com!

http://wal-martstinks.blogspot.com/

Be there! Or, go there!

EDIT: Forget it, it's old now.

Video Games

I also think that there should just be one video game company, and everyone should vote on which one it is. I'm not saying that I love Sony SOOO MUCH that I should be the president, but I just think that only one should be it, and we should vote on it. Example? Ok. Here's one. Let's say it's Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. In the end of the year vote that they always have, it would ask who you would pick to be the only one making video games. They would tally up the votes, and pick one. Then that one company would be the only one that would make video game systems. All the other video game making companies would stay. If that company does really bad, he gets impeached, we vote again, and it all good.

Opra Stinks!!!

Ok, I think Opra stinks. For details, post a comment.

An OTHER Language??

If, perhaps, you know how to speak technical, here is a challenge...
What do I mean?

Because, if in fact, you wishent to eat a loaf of 3 and a half pound bread, you must first, like always, put a a stick, or slice as some people say, of butter. Then, if you so choose, toast it in either a oven, a toaster oven, made for toasting bread, or a microwave, which isn't really that small.

Hmm?

Blaming it...

I sent this question to my friends the other day:

If you accidentally blew up the world, would you have enough time to blame it on someone else in the vacuum of space and time before you ran out of oxygen?
Just wondering...

Welcome!

Well, you either found this by:
A. Searching for it.
B. Heard about it
or C. Think Wal-Mart, like a lot of companies, stinks.

Please, don't "dis" me because what I think doesn't match what you think. This is about what I think, and that is why this is here. Oh, and no cussing.

Look around, and have fun! Sort of...
THIS IS A COPY OF What I think... ON BLOGGER.COM!