Just a few links

As part of the policy to try to not turn this site into one large rant, I'm posting some more external content, even though it still is quite scarce - spring time seems to drive everone ['s hormones] off in new directions.

Heineken H.E.L.L.O. Commercial
(you'll need to confirm your age first). For the advanced viewers, there is also a wallpaper and a screensaver available form the Heineken goodies page.
Darth Vader vs Hollywood
Orange phone commercial. Well, at least we know who the real dark side is. Although the site that is hosting this one does seem to think that the dark side resides in the Vatican, boasting not one, but two images to prove it.
Guess the Google
This post's game of the post.

Late Addition:
Why texting [and e-mailing] harms your IQ
At least I don't text...

Nearly there...

After having spent a day in the sun and not worrying too much about things (for a change), things fall into a limited perspective. Limited, but in perspective nonetheless. It's not that long to go until the end of the semester (see above), which I have set to May 13th, at 18:00, so that everyone will be done (and not just me).
Of course a day in the sun is done in complete Nerd style; starting with the organisation of it all through a four-way MSN conversation. After the field outside was transformed with three large blankets and a chinese rug, beanbags and pillow were added, followed by a couch and later a series of power outlets and a network hub, as work really needed to be done. Needless to say there were, unfortunately, also piles of books and notes around. Speakers eventually were added so that there was some light music. Graduation day is being planned with this set-up partially in mind. All we need is the weather.

ADD-ON: Dutch and looking for the 'stemwijzer' for the vote on the EU constitution? It's called referendumwijzer.

Reposts

Okay, so I lost some content that I also told people about. The most notable link was the a cappella rendering of a nintendo system. So, for a semi repost (with some new content as well):

Nintendo themes, a cappella (redefined)
And if you're at site any way: Chain Reaction
For the life-science people: News on the inadvertent distribution of H2N2 influenza virus

Ehm, Problem...?

That's weird, I remember posting at least one post since April 14th...
Anyway, as those were done from various locations, I cannot retrieve them. Now that I have my laptop back again (cleaned, new heatsink), I should be able to have back-ups again. Not that it really matters.

Nothing much else to say - I'm running on less than four hours of sleep, I'm still installing the programmes on the laptop (as I 'cleaned' it the hard way before sending it off - not everyone has to have access to all the council related documents for one), so not that great a chance of links.

No, hold on, there's one. For those who enjoy latin:
Handy Latin Phrases

Elections Over

...new council ahoy

Elections Tonight!

Tonight: 19:30, Auditorium, ASIC elections (a.k.a. this is the end, my friend, the end (but not quite with a little bit of thank a deity of your choice mixed in for good measure)). We now have candidates, so this should be a bit better (he said, not knowing that fate had decided that all the ballots would mysteriously change their markings to align with the abstain box).

I'm still all for mailing elections statements, but rather not UCSA style: 1 statement, 2 Mb file, just for a small picture of some guy smiling at me? Nope, I'll skip. It can be forgiven that people still haven't heard of downsampling and editing graphics outside of word, yet I know that the board has a higher degree of intelligence. Although sometimes they seem to be in denial on that issue (hey, I reserve the right to label people as being in denial - according to quite some people and a yearbook entry, I'm good at denial, although personally I would deny that.).

In other news, the contract for the room was signed yesterday, and sent back today. So if all goes well, I'll at least have accommodation next year. Now to figure out if I got in to the study programme (or not) and the postman lost the letter, or whether they can't make up their minds.

The Frustration of it All...

Okay, so Immunology is not going 100% smoothly. All of a sudden I realise why this is supposed to be a 4 person project. Enough on that topic. There isn't really that much else to say, so I'm skipping right through to the links bit.

China's break-dancing grandmother
Well, at least there is some form of reform going on.
Cube Wired
Finally some decent flash, though sometimes it takes a while to figure out where to click next. And the story isn't too brilliant, it's just nice artwork.
Respect the Mailman
Know the Livestrong and Respect 2 All wristbands?
Creative use of desktop images
Now why didn't I think of this?

Spring is in the air...

Must be spring... The first rays of sunshine hit the ground and immediately there are at least two new couples (Michaël and Joyce, Tim and Maaike) and rumours start again, though for once at least one name has changed. Of course, I wish the new couples the best of luck and nice time together.
The downside of the whole spring thing that the creative minds also tune down a bit, so there isn't that much that I can link to at the moment. One of my blog-like sources that maintains a mixed list of very mixed topics (commercials to sketches to adult entertainment), has become somewhat less mixed as of late (no guesses on what is over-represented). Thank god for icons that give fair warnings!
I can do you a quick random and less random news update: the pope died, Charles moved his marriage by a date as 'it clashed with the Pope's funeral' and Tony Blair has asked the Queen to dissolve parliament to open up the way for new elections on the 5th of May in an attempt to cash in on the 'feel good feeling' surrounding the wedding. That last fact puzzles me a bit, but anyway: Labour and the Tories are nearly tied in the polls, with Labour being ahead by a few percent (but within the margin of error, and with a month to go).
In other, UC related issues, I'm finding myself in 4 person group consisting of three people out of which one is now in hospital with a burst appendix. I and the other group member hope that our other member will get well soon. In the meantime we're working to get the full load done.
For those who also visit the council website: I apologise for the menu not being updated for about two and a half weeks now. Of course we can all understand that leaving the country without telling other people, planing other things during meetings, not showing up for more important meetings and failing to do simple tasks such as asking for a menu, providing the promised tea and cookies or sending a get-well-soon bunch of flowers, are just things that accidentally happen and have no link whatsoever with a possible lack of commitment to an elected task. Everything is back to normal.

Happy Spring everybody.

Council in crisis

Postions in the student council (based on College Council rep and College Board representative numbers required): 5. Current candidates: 2, running for 1 position. In this manner student representation at this college can no longer be maintained. Unless students finally feel some responsibility for themselves, the college and most important of all, their fellow students, this will turn into a situation where the students lose their voice in all matters that are important to them. Yes, studying also about fun, but the point of the exercise is to get an education - and ensuring that this is a good education is also in your own hands. Listening to students will give you a whole litany of complaints, yet there are few who are actually willing to do something about the situations that lead to these complaints. It is understandable that many students also have other plans, such as exchange; yet for an increasingly greater part the tendency is towards more self-centeredness and an unwillingness to make any sacrifices. Students want it all, they want it now, and above all it must be free. Actually working, or making sacrifices, is becoming a strange idea.
Am I bitter? Probably. The reason why I decided to work in the council about a year ago was that I found that this study and it's community was something that I believed in, I wouldn't have come here otherwise. I feel, to a certain (quite high) degree, involved with what happens here. The best way of giving something back to a community that I enjoy being part of, is taking a position in a council. I believed that with some of my effort, good work could be continued and problems could be solved. The fact that no-one is even interested in continuing this work, quite frankly, hurts. All we got from the promotion sessions were people looking sheepishly at us when approached, making a feeble excuse or even literally running away to hide before we even got a chance to talk to them.
I am graduating in May - if there is no new student council by then, in one way it isn't my problem. I won't feel that we've failed as a council - the worst councils often spark the most candidates as there are enough people who get so annoyed by the problems this presents that they decided to run. I just hope that students will actually realise the implications of not having representation before they actually have to do without representation for a year.
The pioneers fought for the right of representation. They worked on raising committees from the ground, they dealt with far harsher living situations and far higher course loads. Often without complaining. Now, the nagging about incosequential things is going through the roof whilst people choose not to actually do anything. We should have been selected as highly motivated and ambitious students, but aparently that motivation and ambition is becoming strongly watered down. The main focus seems to be on what to do after getting out here - the CDO is packed with information on what to do, especially if you're in social science. In the meantime the council is filled with far higher than average percentage of science majors and is in a situation in which men are greatly over represented. Some complaints and sheepish grins about this, but no-one actually changing this...

I find it sad to leave this place whilst having to fear that it will go to waste. At this rate, that is what will happen.

So far, so good

The alternative to Prom (midnight picnic) is starting to take shape. Let's hope that it will become a success. For those that know me well enough, aren't going to prom, and want to join in: let me know (if you haven't already done so).

Other quick news: I retrieved my password, so posting will be a little easier from now on, yay!

Just a quick reminder: my official standpoint in many matters is: 'no comment' (from my side of things). Ergo, if you choose to comment, I'll probably not comment, but you can always try.