cool shoes and ebay and plane tickets, oh my!

So a good bit of my spring break we spent on the internet. Browsing, emailing, instant messaging, posting on forums, not blogging, you know, the usual stuff. Somehow I ran across a really cool pair of shoes, and I fell in love. They are Vibram Five Fingers. They are made to be outdoor activity shoes and are designed to give you the feel of walking and running and hiking and swimming and such barefoot while still protecting your feet. Where I would wear them, I don't know. I would really like to buy some, but they are kind of pricey, which brings me to ebay. I found a pair in my size on ebay, and I bid on it once, but lost because I wasn't home when the bidding ended. I wasn't too disappointed though, because I found another pair to bid on. Too bad they end while I am going to be at a wedding. I did end up finding a jacket that I wanted though, and I was home for that. It was intense. Some guy and I went back and forth in the last minute, and I got the jacket, for 1/3 of the retail price. XD It was exhilarating. I really want to buy something else off of ebay, just so I can bid and win. I've also done some other internet buying this weekends. Unfortunately, it did not involve ebay. I had to buy a plane ticket off of amazon. I was paranoid that I would make a mistake and schedule it for the wrong way. I didn't end up making any mistakes, but they only did e-tickets. You are just supposed to print out the confirmation email. This worries me. I don't want to get to the airport only to have them tell me that I cannot get on my plane. That would suck.

PS. It took me a whole week to finish this blog. I started last Monday, but then I forgot to post it....

Dyknow

As a student, I find Dyknow to be an major asset in my studies. Using Dyknow helps me to focus. Although some students complain about being locked out of other applications, I find that it forces me to pay attention to what is going on on the Dyknow slide and to the teacher, helping me learn the information. I also appreciate having my own copy of the slide on my screen. This allows for easier note taking because you can write directly on the slide. This helps because many teachers talk so fast that it is hard for me to keep up. Writing on the slide helps me to keep up because it already has the basics on the slide and I can simply go back and add my own notes. Being able to replay the slides also helps me out a great deal, especially in math class. Using the replay tool, I can replay the problem that the teacher worked out. This helps me when doing my homework at home, because often, things I thought I understood in class I often have problems doing at home on my own. The replay tool goes over the problem step by step in the same order that the teacher wrote it out, refreshing my memory and helping me understand. For these reasons, I wish more of my teachers had a better understanding of Dyknow so that they would be more willing to use it, because some of my teacher are so computer illiterate they often have trouble using these great learning tools also known as computers just because it is an inconvenience to them. In reality, I find that them not using the computers is a detriment to my education, especially because my parents are paying a great deal of money for me to have this laptop. I would greatly appreciate the teachers learning more about the computers so that we could use Dyknow and other computer programs that could benefit my education.

Computer Architecture

So this semester I am taking a computer architecture course. I enjoy the class, it is a lot of fun. However, we don't really do much. I wish we could do more hands on stuff. We have been talking about taking apart computers for weeks now, and we have yet to do it. I just wish that we were actually learning about the architecture of a computer, or that I could go intern in the help desk.

Interview! Again!

So of course right after I post Aislinn's interview, Avery Trelaine Nyx, another of the 3 Evil Cousins emails me her answers to the interview questions, and here they are.

Is this your first blog?
Yessirreebob.


What gave you the idea to start this blog?
'Tis an epic tale full of adventure. There were some dragons. Three unicorns. A wizard. And a magic wand. To make a long story short, Twyla and The Evil Aunt proposed that we start a blog. And so 3 Evil Cousins was born.


How did this blog become popular? Did you do anything to help it become more popular?
Shameless self promotion and the awesomeness of YA authors. We--as Aislinn said--met Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier at a book signing and 'slyly' dropped our card on the table. He linked to us. It was all very satisfying, really.


Is it hard to find time to blog?
Well, it is for me. I have a lot of extracurriculars and don't have internet access very regularly. It's sad, really. I have a whole stack of books that I've read but have not had time to review.

What is your favorite part of blogging?
Goodness, that's a tough one. I really love being able to put my opinion out there and get response. Also, it's beyond cool to be contacted by authors who want their books reviewed.

What's with the spork?
EVERYTHING, young grasshopper. Everything.


Do you agree when I say that LIBBA BRAY IS AMAZING?
Do you even have to ask? (In other words: YES)


Have you ever heard of Brotherhood 2.0?
Have you ever eaten a blenderized happy meal? (Well, I haven't. But that's not the point.)

Interview!

Good News! I have heard back from Aislinn Ai Nyx, one of the 3 Evil Cousins. She answered my interview questions, which makes me happy. :D

Is this your first blog?
Yep. It's my first.

What gave you the idea to start this blog?
Actually, Avery. Twyla proposed it to her, and she proposed it to me.
I said something along the lines of
OHMYWORDYESTHAT'SREALLYAWESOMEPLEASELET'SDOITYAY!

How did this blog become popular? Did you do anything to help it
become more popular?
Hmm... I would say that we became popular when Scott Westerfeld linked
to us on his blog. We met him in person and gave him a card with our
url, and he linked to us a week or so later... I think I jumped around
a lot when I found out.

Is it hard to find time to blog?

What is your favorite part of blogging?
Hmmm... probably 1) getting comments or 2) getting to talk about books
and having people listen to me (and even value my opinion! It's like,
what? You care about what I think? Really?).

What's with the spork?
Do not question the Spork of Doom, or you shall meet an untimely end.
Really it's just something I came up with randomly and it sort of
caught on. It's my weapon of choice. (Well, that and my Rainstick of
Death. You know, the wooden things with, like, beans in them that make
rain sounds? I think it would be very satisfying to hit someone with
one of those. Don't you?)

Do you agree when I say that LIBBA BRAY IS AMAZING?
She IS. She's hilarious, too. And really nice.

Have you ever heard of Brotherhood 2.0?
HOO! HA! NERDFIGHTERS!

pollution a sin?

So, according the the pope, pollution is now a sin. What does this include exactly? Does this include when I pollute on accident? What about when I spray my hairspray, or get in the car to go to church? Is God going to smite me for going to church? If this is so, what will become of our world. I hope I am alive to see it happen, because I think it is going to be rather funny. :]

Info found here.

ocarinas, beatboxing flutes, and generators

So, on this lovely Sunday night, I find myself browsing the internet. Surprise surprise, right? In my browsing, I now have three new fetishes.
1) Ocarinas
I first came across ocarinas working this summer at a camp. Some kid carried one around with him all week, and all of the other little kidlings were always asking him to play songs on it, mainly the Zelda and Mario themes. Well, i was bored, so I decided to look them up. Now I am in love with them and want one. Too bad the ones I really want are the nice, expensive wooden ones that cost more than $80. I am thinking of buying a nice cheap one off of amazon or ebay instead. We will see. it might be another one of my fantasies that never happen.
2) Beatboxing Flutes
See here. And here. And here. Pure Awesome. 'Nuff Said.
3) Generators.

My new Harry Potter name is Harry Potter!.
Take THE **ULTIMATE** HARRY POTTER NAME GENERATOR today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

This generator cracks me up. It states the extreme obvious. If you were Harry Potter, what would your name be?

Rachel, out.

still waiting....

So about the interview......I emailed the 3 Evil Cousins about possibly doing an interview for me, and I have yet to here back from them. I mean, I guess I just emailed them yesterday, so I ought to give them more time. I forget that everybody does not check her email every ten seconds as I do. It's a shame that people don't. Actually, I am just impatient. blah.

Mood Rings

Sooo, we have all heard about mood rings. And when you think of mood rings, the first thing that comes to mind is BOLOGNA, right? Well, in researching mood rings, I have found out that they contain thermotropic liquid crystals. When your body temperature change, the crystals bend, causing their molecular structure change which causes their color to change. So who says that mood rings don't have some truth to them. It makes sense that when you are happy your body temperature is different then when you are upset or angry. Therefore, the color will be different depending on your mood. I don't think that the color that corresponds with a certain mood would be the same for every person, but I think that one person would get the same color consistently for a certain mood. Then again, this is just my logic, I have not done any scientific research other than observing my on mood ring. Regardless of whether or not they work, I still think they are cool and will continue to wear mine faithfully. XD

All of my info regarding mood rings found here

Blogging

So this blog is for a school assignment. I never have been good at blogging. I have tried a few times, but my blogs have always died away rather quickly. I never have anything smart or witty to say. How do certain blogs get popular anyway. I mean, I understand if it is the blog of an author or a musician or something, because people google them and then their blogs come up, but those random people who blog and vlog, how do they become so well known? Do they post their links everywhere or just sit back and wait. I think that they probably start off posting their links places, but then it eventually spreads. I wonder if I could find a blogger who would be willing to do an interview...... *goes off in search of blogger*