(Not) Wireless Wednesday: How Twitter is Rewriting History!

I'm fully aware that it is Wednesday, and usually my Wednesdays are preoccupied with phone news, but not today. Instead, I want to talk about how technology in general is changing the way history is being recorded.

I recently started school again, and one of the (unfortunately) required courses for my History major is History and Historians, which focuses largely on the most boring part of history: Writing about it. Now, I know not everyone loves studying the past like I do, but allow me to say this: If you think reading about ancient events is a snooze fest, try reading about reading about it. Anyway, I'm expected to learn and write about primary sources, which can at times be the Holy Grail to historians. Especially when dealing with the day to day lives of ancient peoples, scholars have been known to get pretty tight in the pants when they come across an old letter about some generally unimportant business deal, or even graffiti from Ancient Rome talking about their favorite gladiator.

The problem is, these sources are pretty rare because back then, your average Joe (er, Julius) was either unable or just didn't want to write down their every day activities and thoughts. When they did write letters about current events to each other, the paper usually wasn't the highest quality and wasn't cared for or just ceased to exist. We often have little to go on when it comes to the minutiae of life. That's where Twitter has changed everything.

To be fair here, it isn't just Twitter. Social Media (the collective phrase for social networks like Twitter and Facebook, blogs, and other such things) in general will shape a huge part in the indexing and retelling of events in our time. Now that the internet has provided everyone with microphones and an easy way to record their rambling (Don't worry, I'm very self-aware right now), we have a massive shift in paradigms. Where guesswork and filling in the blanks were necessary before, we now have an abundance of data. Entire corporations have been created for the purpose of collecting and indexing the massive amount of data.

It brings an interesting new challenge to writers and scholars of things past (puns!). Never before have we had to eliminate primary sources. Many people criticize Twitter for being a cesspool of irrelevant non-information, that nobody cares about what random people had for lunch. Generally speaking, I affectionately refer to such people as turbonerds, but in this case, they're almost right. The next generation of historians will have to focus less on connecting the all too scarce dots and more on ignoring a whole lot of dots referencing Jersey Shore.

Oh, and in case I use some of this for a paper in the future and the dreaded TurnItIn.com tries to screw me, I am that kid in your history class, Professor. And I give me full permission to use this work in the future. That was cool.

Sex, Drugs and Roommate Drama

Imagine the worst roommate you've ever had... Did he/she screw you out of money? Fill the holes in the wall with toothpaste when moving out? Bounce checks? I know (as does Brad and Matt) that this has happened to me...

Now imagine that roommate... times ten... thousand... That roommate may or may not be my sisters roommate.
This is a story about the last 5 days of craziness that has happened to my sister (Tiff) and her roommate (Mike)... Names have been changed for privacy reasons.

SUNDAY:
Tiff was getting ready for Sister Sunday Funday... a day when she and I meet up for lunch, sangria, movies, farmers market, etc. We were planning on meeting at her place around 12:30 (so I was planning on leaving my house at 12:00).
It's 11:30 and my sister calls me... crying. "Please hurry" she cries... "I caught Mike taking pictures of me in the shower"...
WHAT?!?! I will F*cking kill him!!! I told her to call the police and immediately headed over.
Apparently she saw a flash while she was showering... She thought it was just her TV ... but was looking into her bedroom to see if maybe it blew (it is a very old TV). While looking, she saw a digital camera sticking through the bedroom door, pointing at her... She got out of the shower and confronted him. At first he said he didn't do it. When she said "but I saw the camera... and left my bedroom door closed when I got in the shower" he replied with "like you didn't know?!"... the nerve!!! She took his video camera and locked herself in her room until the police arrived.

I arrived at her house around 12:15. The police (4 very friendly officers) had been there for about 10 minutes. 2 were outside trying to figure out what the crime was and what they could do. The other 2 were inside talking to Tiff. The asked Mike what happened... his reply? "She's looked at the camera before. She knew, and I thought she liked it"... What a sicko!!! If she knew... why'd she call the police?!!? Anyway, after looking at the camera, they discovered that in one shower - he had taken 1 picture and 3 videos.

Anyway - the crime was a misdemeanor - Voyeurism (aka. peeping tom). They couldn't arrest him, but suggested she press charges... So she did. They also suggested that on Monday she apply for an injunction (restraining order). After they left, my sister and I went out for our funday and then went back to the house to pack her things. She didn't feel safe there, so she came to stay with me.

Side note: the AC broke that day too... so she was calling the property manager to get it fixed.

MONDAY:

Tiff went to the courthouse to file for an injunction. The police report wasn't in the system yet, so she was limited on the type of injunction she could file... A repeat violence was what they suggested (since he admitted to doing it more than just that one day). She drove by the house a few times to get some things - but he was home - so she never went in.
Later that day, back at the courthouse, she found out the injunction was denied... since it wasn't actual violence. They suggested she wait until the police report got into the system and file for a sexual violence injunction - since the charges were for sexual harassment...

TUESDAY:

Tiff found out the police report had been filed - so she went back to the courthouse to try again at the injunction. After filing the papers, she went home to let the AC repair guys in. When she got there in the morning - the house WREAKED of weed. She followed the smell to their 3 bedroom - a room that was empty until he claimed it as his man-cave. She noticed a humming sound coming from the closet, so she went to open the closet door.
When she opened the closet, she saw foil wrapped sheet insulation covering the closet. On it, he had drawn in permanent marker a fake closet with a note that said "Tiff, if you find this - please talk to me first". She knew what was going on... so she called the police.

The police arrived with the drug dog. Upon confirmation from the drug dog, they received a search warrant. It took them about thirty minutes to completely destroy his bedroom and the "man-cave", confiscate his computer, 4 bowls, 2 bongs, and the 4 lbs of marijuana he was growing in his closet.
They found a safe that, after breaking open with a crow bar, they discovered contained multiple disgusting sex toys and women's lingerie/bathing suits. Even the drug cops were shocked and said "this guy is f-ing sick"...

Oh, a side note - meanwhile - the AC guys are there fixing the AC and watching the whole thing... You know - the broken AC that led to Mikes ventilation system being ruined, and thus the smell of his drug lab drifting through the entire house and even outside that led to Tiff's discovery of the closet.

Also through all this, we found out her second attempt at an injunction was denied. That's the part that pissed me off... She can't get a restraining order - until he actually physically hurts her. He can't physically hurt her because she's staying as far away as possible... They wonder why so many people become victims of violence - when they don't realize that those people can't get safe until it's too late!!! Anyway...

The officers put out a warrant for his arrest and gave us their number in case he came home before they got him. We changed the locks on the house and parked down the street waiting for him to come home. When he came home from work, we called the officers, and they came to arrest him. It was like a scene from a movie. It was awesome.

WEDNESDAY

Nothing exciting happened today... Except that Mike posted Bond to get out of jail.

THURSDAY

Tiff goes to the house to start packing her things... She doesn't feel safe there anymore so she plans on leaving. She got there to see Mike there with a U-haul moving his things... How did he get in? They changed the locks...
HE BROKE IN... SERIOUSLY?! You just got out of jail, and you decide to break in? Why didn't he just call the property manager to let him in to get his stuff?!? Tiff got to call the cops again! They couldn't do anything since he is technically still on the lease... but they did put it on his record (which is quickly growing)
After he left, she went in to start moving. The owners posted a note saying she has 7 days to vacate... they decided she's guilty by association. By being on the lease with someone who breached the contract - she breached the contract. We are working on negotiating with them to allow her to keep her stuff there until the end of August so she has more time to find a place and move.
Mike left a note too! It said "please return to me the following items: Jump drives, video camera, desktop computer, and anything that could incriminate you"... HAHAHAHAHA... Is he that stupid? Does he really not realize that THE POLICE took it during their search of his room?!?! Does he REALLY think she took it?!?!

Anyway... I don't think he's coming back. He is too stupid to worry about anymore... She's trying to find a new place to live - and staying with me in the meantime... And don't worry - the AC is fixed.

I'll be visiting Vegas (again) next week... so expect a post soon on that!!!

Til next time,
-Whit

BluePrints Gets a Bit Political

I think it's been long enough after being called out by Brad for not posting that I can safely write something here without looking reactionary. Yay!

And what better way to return than with a way of possibly losing some readers. But frankly, they aren't readers I want anyway. If you read the headlines, there's been a big debate in the news lately over a mosque being built next to Ground Zero. If you read some of the articles, you'll find out that President Obama has backed up the mosque being built, despite what sacrilege it is. And now, of course, the Republicans just got new campaign commercials. Now, it's fine using the other party's stance to distinguish yourself. But when that differentiation is pointing out how you're against blatant not discrimination, you should kind of be concerned.

The numbnuts against the Islamic mosque and community center being built there are claiming that it is insensitive to the victims and family of the 9/11 disaster. And it was a disaster. But really? A place of worship is now offensive just due to proximity of wreckage? Yes, that wreckage has some terrible memories attached to it, memories of a day that changed history and will not soon be forgotten. But if a church were to be built nearby, there would be no issue. No one would bat an eyelash at a synagogue being constructed. But apparently an entire religion is to blame for the attacks. And that's where I have a problem.

Now, I could go on a tangent about the atrocities that men have committed in the name of Christianity, but it would do no good. Instead, I'll take the time to point out that it was members of a very extreme sect of an otherwise peaceful religion, not the religion as a whole. Preventing the mosque from being constructed does not do anything constructive. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Most things done like this are done in the name of "fighting terrorism", which is a fine ideal. But this fails completely. For one, it only fuels the fires of terrorism. They hate the US for how intolerant and bossy we are. So how do we combat this? By being discriminatory and telling people what they can and can't do. And second, Islam is not terrorism. Instead of making more people of the same religion that caused the 9/11 attack, how about we foster some good feelings instead? Nah, we'll keep wondering why the gasoline makes the fire worse. I mean, it is a liquid, right?

And in response to the faux-pundits' out of context quotes from the Qur'an, I could point out just as non-contextual passages of smiting from the Bible. And yet, there's no "Hey, no churches here!" sign anywhere.

The fact is, there is very little left of the ideals that this country was founded upon, but the one that we've kept very true to overall was freedom of religion. The right to practice our beliefs in peace. But morons with the unfortunate ability to speak would like to stomp all over it. And even bigger morons with the even more unfortunate ability to speak to large groups of other morons are using all this general lack of common sense to troll for votes. Because that's what they are: Trolls. Needless to say, I've lost pretty much all faith in either parties.

But let's end this post on a high note. This was BluePrints' 100th post! This was all planned, I swear.

Battleship Beer Pong

So I was at work today, when I heard about this awesome/deadly game that sounds uber fun and I thought, "Dang... that would be a great BluePrints Blog post"... So here it is...

Do you remember the game Battleship?




It was pretty much awesome. You place your pegged ships where you find strategically fit... then your opponent lists off grids... Like "A-6". With the hopes of sinking your battleship...


You all know beer pong...

The game for tailgaters, drunks, college kids, houligans, crazy whipper snappers, etc. You set up cups filled with shots of beer in a triangle formation and try to throw a ping pong ball into your opponents formation. If you succeed, they drink. If you succeed to the point where all their cups are gone... you win. That's the basics...

Well... now... there's something more. Something bigger. Something better. Imagine a game with the strategery of battleship but the debauchery of beer pong...

Are you ready?!?!

BATTLESHIP BEER PONG!!!!

The Set-up:

1. Align your cups (36 of them) in a 6x6 grid. You can do 5x5 if you want to tone it down a notch... though people have been known to do 8x8 if they really want alcohol poisoning.


2. Set up your ships. Typically for a 6x6 grid you can do a 4-cup ship, a 3-cup ship and a 2-cup ship... though the size/number of ships you want to use is pretty much up to you (as long as each team has the same standards). Your ship-cups will be a shot of liquor (your choice what kind).


3. Set up the "water" (the non-ship-cups)... these are all the cups that don't have ships. They will be beer filled.

Now you're ready to play.

The Rules:

1. Just like Beer Pong, the ultimate goal is to get ping pong balls in your opponents cups until they are all eliminated


2. Just like Battleship, the ultimate goal is to sink your opponents ships.


3. With those two goals in mind - a winner is called once all the ping pong balls have landed in all the ships spots.


4. If you land a ping pong ball in the opponents beer cup - they drink the beer and put the empty cup back in it's place (some people who are really crazy re-fill that cup). If you land a ping pong ball in the opponents shot cup (a piece of a ship) - they drink the shot and put the cup UPSIDE DOWN back in it's place. This differentiation in what to do with the cups allows you to try to figure out where their ships are.

Is that not awesome?!?! Crazy?!?! I highly suggest you try it.

Brad - maybe a new game for UCF tailgating? Perhaps?

Please play/drink responsibly!!! :-)

Til Next time...

-Whit

Take that, Brad!!!

So recently, Brad called the other contributors "lazy"... How dare he!!!! So I'm going to show him... by posting!!!

I honestly can't think of anything super exciting to post, though... So I'll pull a Brad and post about what's been going on... Maybe some of you can give me some ideas of things you want to hear about from this post (hint hint... that means reply to this post and give me ideas people!!!!)

First thing I'd like to do is defend myself for not posting... Try to keep up here. Monday through Friday I wake up at 5:30 am. I go to a friends house and work out. We are done working out around 7:15. We get ready for work and make all our food for the day (like Brad - I'm trying to lose weight... so we cook healthy meals and portion them out for the day... So far, I've lost 6 pounds!!)... Then I'm at work by 9:00 at the latest. I stay there until 7:00 pm (at the earliest). On Mondays and Tuesdays I go to pool at 7:30. Wednesdays I have Flag Football. Thursdays I go to happy hour with some friends. Fridays I either go to a live show or dinner with friends. All of which, I'm home by 11:00 pm or later. Saturdays I work out, do laundry, grocery shopping, and then go out Saturday night. Sunday is either farmers market or pool tournaments.

Ok... so there's the summary you never wanted to hear... but that should show you... it's tough for me to find time to post!! Not that you all aren't important or high on my priority list... but you just... aren't important or high on my priority list. :-)

So that leads to a lot of what's been going on... weight loss, pool, work, and fun. My goal is to lose a total of 30 lbs. I'm at 6 so far after 4 weeks. A slow start - but a healthy one. Like Brad said - it is tough to diet... but we have put ourselves on a 4 meals a day schedule that really helps... and we've been finding fun creative healthy recipes too. The hardest part is resisting the desire to go to that evil little vending machine down stairs at work.
My friend and I played in a scotch doubles pool tournament two weeks ago... We placed 1st out of 45 teams... split a $600.00 prize!!! Woohoo!!! I also won a pool tournament that enters me into a regional tournament in October. If I win that - it's another free trip to Vegas!!! In the mean time... I'm taking a free trip to Vegas in a couple weeks for pool...
Then there is work... Busy as always... I am going to Henderson NV for 2 weeks in September... Virginia here and there for a month or two at the end of the year... and in between I will be in Sarasota for a month every three months starting in November. I'm working on my Extreme Networks certification for work... and soon after will start studying for my Cisco CCNA.

So that's everything with me... So help me out here... What would you like to hear/learn about? Great healthy recipes? The "secrets" of losing weight and keeping it off? Winning pool tournaments? Traveling in Vegas? Networking? Fiber? Help me out!!! What do YOU want to hear about?!

Till next time...

Too Many Topics For One Post - And Lots of Typos

So its been a while since we've had a new post on BluePrints. For my end, I've been on vacation for most of the month. Amanda and I spent 2 weeks in Pennsylvania, came home for a week and then spent two weeks in Georgia. More posts on both of those topics to come (sneak peak: I'll be delving into the goods and bads of being Amish).

As for the other contributors? Good question. We're not entirely sure if Matt still knows he's a contributor. Travis and I often joke that it would be a good idea if we had asked him to be one of the starting contributors, since he never seems to post anything. In Ned's defense, he's been on vacation too. Whitney was never expected to post a ton, so no harm there. We haven't gotten much in the way of questions on formspring, so JK doesn't have anything to respond to. As for Travis, he was on vacation...for 4 days. The rest of the time he has no excuse for though.

Well, now that I've effectively called out all the other contributors in the most public way I know, let us move on. As of Tuesday, I am on a diet. As a result, I'm pretty miserable. In the name of full disclosure, I weigh 278.3 pounds, so my goal is to loose 78.3 pounds. I figure that will probably take me a year and a half. I hate dieting though. I'm in a continual state of starving, and it sucks. It feels like I never eat, even right after a meal.

There were a bunch of things leading to my decision to diet finally, not the least of which being my little tubing experience. Another big reason was just my eating habits in general. While in Georgia, we went to Vortex Bar and Grill. This is a place known for large and unbelievably delicious burgers. While there, I ordered the Double Bypass, a buger that consists of 2 grilled cheese sandwiches (as the buns), 2 fried eggs, 6 slices each of cheese (not including the cheese in the "buns") and bacon, and a huge side of tater tots. Not only did I eat every bite, I did so in under 15 minutes and didn't even have a stomache ache afterwords. That was sorta freaky.

On another note, the second time we went to Vortex while we were there, they had sweet potato tater tots. Yeah, give that one a minute to sink in. Sweet potato tater tots! Pure delicious awesomeness on their own. But they kick it up a knotch with marshmellow dipping sauce. Yeah, finger food sweet potato caerole FTW!

Moving on, we come to my marraige. Don't worry, only good news here. My wife and I are not good compromisers. Whenever we have to do something for each other, we formulate complex deaks. For example, we go out to dinenr with our friends every Friday night. Amanda's not big on it, so eventually we came up with going every other week so long as she got a 10 minute massage every week (I hate giving massages). So anyways, she's been wanting a second dog for a while now, and I've always said no, mostly because she never offers anything worth while in the way of a deal. Two days ago, the conversation went a little like this:

Amanda: Can we get another dog?
Me: No.
Amanda: What if I let you get a motorcycle?

We were on our way to look at dogs within an hour. Today, we found our new dog. She's a 6 month old corgi/terrier mix that we're naming Knightra (after the UCF mascot Knightro). I'll add some pics to the post tomorrow when we pick her up. Bike will uave to wait till the end of the year when we have money.

Well, I think that's about as many topics as I can cram into one post. Now that my vacations are over and school is about to start back up, I'll be posting more. Can't speak for the other lazy contributors though....