Merkavah - Drive the Lord's SUV!

This is probably the most fun article on Wikipedia.

Especially the bit on computers. Though I've heard most of them before.

This also leads to speculations that software manufacturer Microsoft, and its founder, Bill Gates, are evil [7], as Bill Gates, evaluated in ASCII, sums up to 663, which, when added with 3 (his complete name is William Henry Gates III,) becomes 666. Counting the space as one, Windows 95 also sums to 666.

Of course, it's a bleedin' hoax. Try to add it up yourself, it's the III that will fuck you up. It's a huge leap to even claim that each i = 1 in ASCII, since even in ASCII, 1 doesn't have a value of 1.

Fun to read, anyway, because... well... people are bleedin' paranoid.

I'm in an evil mood tonight. Though that's countered by this tremendous need to cuddle someone/something. I think I'm going to go shower and then cuddle with my stuffed animals.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 02:45 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Photo portfolio on the site is up. Just click "Photography" from JohannKwan.com.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 06:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I saw askant the armies;
And I saw, as in noiseless dreams, hundreds of battle-flags;
Borne through the smoke of the battles, and pierc’d with missiles, I saw them,
And carried hither and yon through the smoke, and torn and bloody;
And at last but a few shreds left on the staffs, (and all in silence,)
And the staffs all splinter’d and broken.

I saw battle-corpses, myriads of them,
And the white skeletons of young men—I saw them;
I saw the debris and debris of all the dead soldiers of the war;
But I saw they were not as was thought;
They themselves were fully at rest—they suffer’d not;
The living remain’d and suffer’d—the mother suffer’d,
And the wife and the child, and the musing comrade suffer’d,
And the armies that remain’d suffer’d.

- Walt Whitman, When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d

Posted by Johann Kwan at 11:30 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Horatio, I am dead;
Thou livest; report me and my cause aright
To the unsatisfied.

If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity awhile,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
To tell my story.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Brazillian party was fun. Now I must deal with hangover. Whee.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 10:50 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Disclaimer: NOT SAFE FOR WORK. If you're at work, please close this page before your boss murders you in your sleep.

The (d)evolution of pornography. I'm deadly serious when I'm talking about this. And I'm not just talking about... you know, readjusted social values for sex. Hell, sex is great. Lots of sex is even better. And no porno magazine in the last few decades would claim otherwise. (DUH!)

Do I own any? No. Not because I've got anything against pornography, I don't. I just don't find manufactured, airbrushed 'perfect women' on glossy paper worth paying for. Hell, I won't even pay for The New Yorker, despite the fact that I very much enjoy reading it. I think I've maybe bought three magazines in the last year, if that.

However, while surfing the intarweb, as we call it, someone linked on a forum a site where one can purchase back issues of 'gentlemen's publications' all the way back to the sixties. That's right. All the vintage porn you could ever want.

But when I talk about the devolution of pornography, I'm not even just talking about the compositions of the images themselves, which have gone, quite frankly, to tasteful nudity to outright sexuality (with almost no thought to the photographic composition, in many instances... I really wonder where they get some of there photographers). I'm just talking about... the way they've just completely commoditized sex and removed all respect for its beauty. (and no, I'm not sure commoditized is really a word, but it damned well should be)

Take, for example, the first entries in the listing of the contents of High Society magazine when it was first published, and compare it against the first entry of the latest copy. Never mind that the first issue of High Society is selling for $150 USD.

High Society May 1976
Premiere - First Issue

Features
"Blackdrag -- A contemporary Art Folio" by Andy Warhol.

against...

High Society Magazine April 2006
Kate Moss Goes Full Frontal

(And yes, this is another issue that has some more content about Paris Hilton! Whee! Is this what... our high society, our 'beautiful people' have become?)

Look at the full listings yourself. The difference is staggering. Perhaps its the competition, the readjustments to society's new views on sex... but then they are where so many people get their ideas of sex in the first place. How many kids can you think of that HAVEN'T heard of some sort of porno mag or seen them somewhere on a stand? They're sitting right next to the rest of the magazines, after all.

Even Playboy is starting to get the same way, but... you know, Hef's got class. I'd call Playboy the Times Magazine of the porn world. When people say that they read playboy for the articles, I'm inclined to believe them! If they wanted straight up sex they'd go purchase a Hustler or a Penthouse.

I don't know what the point of this rant is, and perhaps there's none. Maybe it's that I just don't like how the beauty of sex is so far removed from us. And I should perhaps be the last one to talk. But I don't... really enjoy sex without appreciating everything behind it, and maybe that's enough.

Who knows. End of rant. Rock on.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 03:03 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Lakehead is for idiots.

Sorry I haven't been around lately, I'm on vacation and yet my schedule is STILL stuffed! =)

Posted by Johann Kwan at 02:30 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Coincidence?

I was talking to Steph about honesty, and the song by Billy Joel came up.

Then, I go for a shower, and I come out and my computer's playing that song.

Out of a potential 14297 tracks to pick from.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 06:54 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I had intended to write of politics today, but the sunlight and the beauty of the world struck me and I felt the need to relax from those wretched human constructs.

It is odd that I am almost constantly holding a part of me in reserve for action. Even in the moments before sleep overtakes me my muscles are slightly tensed, ready for motion, reaction. A phone ringing, even, as mundane as it may sound, would likely set me off.

It's only when around one that I care very much about, they nestled in my arms or vice versa, that nothing else seems as though it requires an instant response, and only those times when I truly relax myself.

You can feel it in the flaccidity of the muscles, even as they roam around... they have no urgency to them, no stored energy waiting to strike out somewhere. I daresay I cannot claim that much relaxation even in sleep, as I'm usually ready to lash out at the alarm, or anything else that catches my limited consciousness by surprise.

I can only recapture that kind of relaxation for moments when I think about it, lying in bed, remembering past sensations and pleasures.

I could do with a little more of that in my life right about now.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 11:12 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Ugh. Aquinas AND Augustine. No, I didn't finish the essay last night. In fact I just slept. My alarm clock blared on through the night.

Now I gotta lead a discussion group on Aquinas knowing I'm losing two grade points on that Augustine essay, so long as I finish it today.

Crap. Crappity crap crap.

On the upside, besides code cleanup... the site design is done. Then I just gotta fill it, port the same design over to the blog, and I'm set.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 11:31 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

"Without Augustine there would be no motherboard manuals."
- Janet Yip

Augustine is hurting my brains right now.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 11:17 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

If you haven't noticed, I've been avoiding the blown up stuff that's been appearing in the news lately. The comic scandal, Cheney shooting an old guy... I mean hell, you can read about it anywhere.

But if you want me thoughts, do talk to me. Because it's just ridiculous.

I do want to point out something funny though: The French don't know what to do with the Clemenceau.

"Hmm... what to do with an asbestos lined warship? Oh.. I don't know... dump it in India! We're the French, no one can say no to us. What's that? No? Crap."

Funny also how manipulable Greenpeace is. I mean, I know from experience that if there's an issue you've got a problem with and has a little something to do with the environment (which just about everything is) you just have to tip off Greenpeace and let them take out your trash.

Yay for NGOs with non-descriptive political ideologies that encompass practically everything!

Posted by Johann Kwan at 12:48 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Do alarm clocks even work? I overslept to get to class because my alarm clock didn't go off. Hopefully Vince still accepts my essay as on time.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 09:35 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

New design. Soon to be ported to blogland when essays are done (go me, work on the website rather than writing the two essays I have)

Check it out.

It still needs a lot. Especially a splash page and rollover images for the links. And CONTENT. But you know, I'm happy with it for now.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 08:59 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Besides my friends, no one in the world is a better person than I am.

Needless to say, I have a lot of friends. =D

Posted by Johann Kwan at 12:08 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel
And the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides
And a dark wind blows
The government is corrupt
And we're on so many drugs
With the radio on and the curtains drawn

I open up my wallet
And it's full of blood
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor - The Dead Flag Blues

Dinner party tonight. If you don't come baby Jesus will cry.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 12:35 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Since the Steve Fossett set the new flight record in the Virgin Globalflyer, I figured it was time to draw attention to something else Virgin is into: Virgin Galactic.

Don't look at me screwy, it's a dream we've held since the Space Race began. Hell, people said we'd have Space Hotels by now. I have a book somewhere at home published in the 90s that asserted we'd have them by 2050. Sure, we might not care so much about Space anymore, but it doesn't mean it won't happen sometime.

Hell, they were selling tickets for "Project Space Voyage" or something back in the 80s. It's a dream. And since SpaceShipOne people have been buzzing about finally pushing forth commercial spaceflight. They're even calling it the VSS Enterprise and having Shatner ride around in it!

Man, if I ever got my astronaut pin I'd wear it every damned day.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 11:51 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Wow.

"While touch sensing is commonplace for single points of contact, multi-touch sensing enables a user to interact with a system with more than one finger at a time, as in chording and bi-manual operations. Such sensing devices are inherently also able to accommodate multiple users simultaneously, which is especially useful for larger interaction scenarios such as interactive walls and tabletops."

Alright, it sounds cool already. I mean... just think about the stuff you can do.

Sounds like awesomeness, no? Now go to the site and look at the video.

Wow. I want one.

Spotted at: Applegeeks

Posted by Johann Kwan at 11:29 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Vegan dinner party. My place. 1900hrs EST this Sunday. Take a break from your essay woes to eat! Contact me for details.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 09:02 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Of a sexy sexy car!

I just played around with the Ariel Atom's website configurator... and G-Factor and I can get an Ariel Atom 245hp 215ft/lbs GM at: $61,854.00 USD with the right options for racing it.

Minus sponsoring fees (since we are taking the car to Targa if/when we get it in a few years), that's almost (in quite a few years) affordable!

Until then: STARE. DROOL. The car demands it.

w00t w00t.

Searched statefarm.com® for rally license. Results - of about . Search took 0.01 seconds.

* Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
* Try different keywords.
* Try more general keywords.

I broke the internets.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Second time I've caught a cold after drinking hard this year... and I bloody hope it goes away fast. Mind the lack of blogging, I am too sick to be too coherent.

But you are welcome to chat with me online, by phone, or face to face... in fact, I'd be really happy to get to talk to someone.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 04:26 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Yay good conversation!

Boo stupid sickness and throwing up!

Whee!

Posted by Johann Kwan at 11:08 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

So... I gotta say. I'm blessed with some of the best and nicest people in the world as friends.

You know who you are.

You all rock. My love to you all.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 11:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

So here I am, drinking my Stewart's Cream Soda... being reminded of the good times I had in NY where Stewart's is a household name... and thinking... well damn, sometimes the 50s doesn't suck!

Whee! I miss Stewart's Ice Cream! And look, they even had risque advertising!

Okay. So maybe the risque advertising isn't all that cool.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 03:28 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

New cool species and stuff!

That was just what I needed. Thank god for friendly conversation. Now I'm going to bed and hope it wards off the sickness!

Yay I'm happier now. =)

Posted by Johann Kwan at 04:05 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Eat your heart out, Jack Thompson.

Pwned. Massively, massively pwned.

Background: Jack Thompson's 'Modest Proposal'

Posted by Johann Kwan at 02:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Whatever happened...

... to Winterlude?

Sick right now. Caught a cold probably the night I went out to poker and club and such. Suckage.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 01:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

So I'm going through Wikipedia's List of Assassinated Persons (yeah, I'm morbid like that) when I find this tidbit. And though I was aware of the circumstances in history... it had never been presented so frankly before me and I just had to laugh:

Iran

* Xerxes I, (465 BC), Persian king killed by guards
* Xerxes II , (423 BC), Persian king killed by his half-brother Sogdianus
* Sogdianus, (423 BC), Persian king killed by his half-brother Darius II

Feel free to laugh. You're not a bad person! I certainly did. It probably makes me a bad person for pointing it out though.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 02:19 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Bono speaks next to President Bush at the Annual National Prayer Breakfast.

Source: C-SPAN

Posted by Johann Kwan at 01:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Here's where the homophobic among you should tune out. I make no apologies, I only give you a warning.

It'd been so long since I danced with a guy. Seriously danced.

Lying back now, as I have an early morning tomorrow. Killer me has to get shit done, see people, enjoy life some more.

Yeah, I just got back from Pink Nightclub with a couple of the fourth years. I feel bad for leaving so early, but the lack of sleep has been killing me slowly all day.

On the other hand... how does one LOSE A POKER GAME with aces in the pocket? TWICE!?

Oh well. I got into the finals of the poker match and I'm happy about that. I was leading for the longest time. Didn't get the prize, which would've helped later on in buying me more drinkgs. Oh well, proves my mathmatically mind hasn't been completely destroyed by my vices and my life in arts. And that lady luck sleeps around and is a total bitch.

[01:19:04] Bryan Casey: you are a ladies man, and a mans man all at once
[01:19:10] Me: haha
[01:19:26] Me: That's life. =)

Fuckent les flics.

I got weird glances when I walked out of the gay bar in my glowingness. Whee. Life is high-larious at times. Mmmm. Glowsticks. Or rings. Whatever.

I don't know. There's a boy that I danced with, and left my number with. But other things are afoot. I don't know.

Talking to Bryan, my old friend from SD. I miss that guy. I miss him a lot. Listening to Pedro The Lion, getting some shit together before I sleep. I gotta get some digital prints done for my portfolio in the morning. Gonna try applying to studios soon, try and get a decent photography job lined up.

I'm gonna get drunk on my booze now. Rather than buying expensive SoCo at Pink.

Should've gone for an absinthe martini next door before I left. Next time.

"I saw this lady dancing in an outfit you might well have worn, with grey hair, wrinkles, and trying to steal some beautiful young thing.

I don't want to end up like that."

Posted by Johann Kwan at 01:12 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It's been a long time since I've taken this quiz. Good to know I'm still as ruthless as ever! Muahahahahahaha!!! *cough* *hack* *spit*

Well done comrade! You're one of the big boys! When you're not holding speeches about how everyone is equal in the communist society, you're busy living the high-life while millions starve, freeze or get worked to death! You zany person you!

What tin-pot dictator are you? Take the "What Dictator am I?" test at PoisonedMinds.com

On a totally different note, it's blatantly obvious that my parents have swept through here for a visit. My mum is obsessive about cleaning and organizing things... and it usually ends up tougher for me to find things after they're all squirreled away into what she thinks is a good organization system. So I spend a good half an hour looking for my camera battery recharger, which is normally conveniently next to where I keep my camera bag, now tucked away in a top shelf of some closet. Or anything else, for that matter.

Whatevs. It'll get back to being more like my room place again soon enough.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 04:51 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Hideo Kojima is my hero.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 03:13 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

"If you want me to get off I'll get off... literally... not figuratively."

So... general tutorial and music night was last night. I didn't end up getting into bed till 7 or 8 this morning. Good times.

Camera batteries finally ran dry. Gotta charge them sometime today. Finding out now if any of the pictures turned out, since the camera was giving me battery warning signals all night... and that room was dark as hell.

"I want to be on TV... maybe have a talkshow or somethin'... like Conan, or early Letterman."

Something came up in conversation yesterday... how do people really lay claim to any one sexual orientation without ever having had sex?

Hmm.

Suppose it could work. But how can you be sure otherwise?

"Every time I hear the pipes, I feel like charging the enemy." - George

Posted by Johann Kwan at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So I got my new iPod today to replace my trusty 3rd Generation 10GB, which goes to my little brother now. The vaderPod (as I call it, as the iPod is in black with a quote from Vader engraved in the back) is one sexy beast.

Except... I can't use it with foo_pod for foobar, so I'm stuck with iTunes for Windows. iTunes for Windows... on the other hand... is probably the clunkiest, most annoyingly unintelligent music player I've ever tried to date, with the possible exception of MusicMatch. What is with large companies and turning out half-assed products that are frustratingly impossible to use?

Especially from APPLE! I mean, they make some of the EASIEST to use products! Including their computers themselves and OSX!

*le sigh*

Posted by Johann Kwan at 12:37 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Whatever happened...

... to groupies?

On a related note: this may become a new thing here... every so often I'll just do a "whatever happened..."

Posted by Johann Kwan at 01:55 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

BONNAROO 2006 PRELIMINARY LINEUP REVEALED!

RADIOHEAD! ELVIS COSTELLO! BRIGHT EYES! DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE! BEN FOLDS! DEVENDRA BANHART! BELA FLECK! TYPING IN ALL CAPS!

So going again this year. This time, I'm not driving alone. If you're interested in coming, message me.

Posted by Johann Kwan at 12:48 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)