Tags for this video have been changed from 'running, diving, algebra, juice, toddler, inexplicable' to 'running, diving, algebra, juice, toddler, weak ass, inexplicable' - edited by calvados

I loved my VIC-20, it was all I could afford so I made the most of it. I think it was a 22 character column display. And I only had 2.5 kilobytes of RAM. I was getting my Associates in Electronics when I got the VIC-20, from 1982 to 1984 so it was perfect for learning to program BASIC and writing programs to solve electronics and algebra problems.

I pushed it to its limits, sometimes storing data in the 500+ bytes of screen memory when I didn't have to display anything and using one letter variables to save memory, like A=A+1, Z=Z-6. My computer teacher commended me for my resourcefulness and creativity for finding ways to maximize the limited power of the VIC-20. But he also criticized me for bad programming habits, like using one letter variables that were non-descriptive of the info they stored. He always said BASIC was horrible and I should focus on getting proficient with Pascal.

I didn't understand what he meant until I got my first computer job, part of which involved trying to fix a program someone had written in BASIC. It was a total mess, undocumented spaghetti code with GOTO statements that felt like you were watching a pinball ricocheting inside a pinball machine. I finally understood what he meant.
Anyway I miss my VIC-20.

Well now I see it is time for me to do this...

1. Sometimes I say things innocently that end up sounding creepy... if I say "You're so cute " etc. so on... it doesn't mean I want to fuck you. Promise.
2. I am back in school now for the first time in a long time. I am really excited.
3. I am probably the most innocent person I know.
4. Deep down I think that everyone is good, but misunderstood.
5. I feel things very deeply. Probably too much.
6. I like pasta. Love it actually. I would marry it.
7. Almost all the guys I am attracted to look the same.
8. I don't really count my first time as my first time. Everyone else does.
9. I use algebra to solve problems in my life all day.
10.I still have problems.
11.I have a daughter who is stunningly beautiful. People stop us all the time to look at her.
12.I sometimes act like an asshole just so people don't know how nice I am.
13.Even though I haven't ever done it, I have decided that accupuncture is bullshit.
14.I am in a constant state of chaos.
15.I have a terrible memory... so much that it scares me.
16.I make my family 3 meals a day at least. It hurts my feelings when they don't eat it.
17.Sometimes I think my life is one giant mistake.
18.Birth control commercials annoy me.
19.Everyone I know who has gotten pregnant has done it while on birth control.
20.I am so addicted to SciAm.
21.I love math.
22.I know so much about mitigating water damages and have never done it.
23.I love lube.
24.I have a giant red couch.
25.I want to know all about everyone and I have got to know what all of you look like. It's killing me.

I'm from Latvia
Admittedly though, while Kafka in the curriculum was indeed a fact, our public education system is becoming a LOT less draconian these days (kids can actually choose NOT to have physics and chem in years 10-12 these days, which is very sad, actually), so I wouldn't be surprised if it had been substituted by local (lesser) authors by now. Then again, I was always a lit-nerd - all I did, age 3-10, was read, several hours' worth, every day. Then I discovered computers.

Also, one of the reasons I remember Kafka as "light reading" might be due to me taking on the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and Ulysses around the same time

Btw, I didn't vote for the clip in question because of (I know, I'm always unpopular because of this-) Pink Floyd - I absolutely can't stand The Wall...

In reply to this comment by enoch:
In reply to this comment by EDD:
Why would there be any frustration, especially for a Lit major? Metamorphosis is short, interesting and easy reading with quite unambiguous allegory and metaphors. Where I'm from, its analysis is in the 9/10th grade curriculum.

you read kafka in 9th grade?i remember reading steinbeck,j.d salinger and shakespeare.where did you go to school?albania?
i like kafka's short works of poems but his narratives lose me.my roomie was english lit,he was always complaining about kafka.my sentence structure alone should reveal that I was not the english lit person in question...sighs.
i never got into any of his other work.
i was the same with tolstoy and doesteyevsky.they bored me.
"metamorphosis" is pretty good,mix that with floyd and it was a winner to me.
the song and animation actually make this short verse more vibrant in my opinion.

should i remove that line?a co-worker of mine has her masters in english,and she too says that kafka was a pain in the ass.
she is from albania btw..pre-algebra in first grade..yeesh.
figured that was two that thought kafka was a royal pain.
im not exactly a kafka expert,but i like his poetry.
not my fave mind you,but i like.

In reply to this comment by EDD:
Why would there be any frustration, especially for a Lit major? Metamorphosis is short, interesting and easy reading with quite unambiguous allegory and metaphors. Where I'm from, its analysis is in the 9/10th grade curriculum.

you read kafka in 9th grade?i remember reading steinbeck,j.d salinger and shakespeare.where did you go to school?albania?
i like kafka's short works of poems but his narratives lose me.my roomie was english lit,he was always complaining about kafka.my sentence structure alone should reveal that I was not the english lit person in question...sighs.
i never got into any of his other work.
i was the same with tolstoy and doesteyevsky.they bored me.
"metamorphosis" is pretty good,mix that with floyd and it was a winner to me.
the song and animation actually make this short verse more vibrant in my opinion.

should i remove that line?a co-worker of mine has her masters in english,and she too says that kafka was a pain in the ass.
she is from albania btw..pre-algebra in first grade..yeesh.
figured that was two that thought kafka was a royal pain.
im not exactly a kafka expert,but i like his poetry.
not my fave mind you,but i like.

>> ^Drachen_Jager:
That's sad. The kid's cerebellum is simply not developed enough for him to predict the path of the ball as it falls from his hand. Essentially he's incapable of kicking it in mid-air by anything other than random coincidence. Why not force him to take an algebra test and see him fail at that. Whee what fun!
I love the dad's helpful advice too.


Dick...

That's sad. The kid's cerebellum is simply not developed enough for him to predict the path of the ball as it falls from his hand. Essentially he's incapable of kicking it in mid-air by anything other than random coincidence. Why not force him to take an algebra test and see him fail at that. Whee what fun!

I love the dad's helpful advice too.

WTF algebra!! HOW DARE YOU DUPE MY SHIZ!!!!

Way to go and stick with it.

Math is my number one weakness.

I still do basic stuff and algebra once in a while just to keep that part of my brain alive. I have a theory that it's kind of like reading: the act of reading itself helps us think better, and I think the same is true for math.

I noticed that I'm able to think more complexly the more algebra I do.

>> ^fissionchips:
1. MPG is a terrible at-a-glance indicator of fuel efficiency, it doesn't scale smoothly as its metric inverse, litres/km.


I've heard this argument before, and I don't believe it. MPG is as good of an indicator for fuel efficiency as L/km. It's purely semantics.

Maybe it's just more popular because of marketing in the US - "bigger is better". So higher mpg = better fuel efficiency.

I think consumers should get access to more rigorous testing and numbers than the simplified city/highway. a car driven in a primarily flat region with constant warm weather will perform better than a mountainous region with 4 seasons. Also mpg (or L/km) charts vs. average speeds. Even if your average consumer only looks at 2 mpg numbers, those of us who understand 8th grade algebra might be able to make a more informed decision with a chart/graph.

If the high-efficiency BMW prototype 3-wheeler (the one that leans into turns) was sold in the US, I would buy one. As fun as a motorcycle, but much more practical (safer, can drive in rain/snow, has luggage space)

>> ^jwray:
Why not privatize the fire department while you're at it?

Garrison Keillor talks bout such a thing in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota in his book, Homegrown Democrat. In it he talks about the response time for the private emergency services in the suburbs compared to that of the public ones within the city limits. The private companys sometimes take upwards of 20 minutes to respond, while the public ones are there within 4 minutes on average.

And the thing we have to remember, privatized services like security, fire, and emergency medical, provide the service prior to ever discussing pricing then charge you afterwards.

>> ^imstellar28:
1. the fire department functions in the same role as the police department: to protect against the destruction of private property and loss of life. you cannot compare the police force or fire department to a school. if i burn down your house, i am committing a criminal act. if i don't teach your son algebra, i am not doing anything wrong. it is an invalid comparison because one enforces law, while the other merely provides a service.

I think you've got your analogy mixed up there. Committing arson is quite a bit different than not teaching a child. Though, if we were to correct your analogy, and say that if you were to let someones house burn to the ground instead of doing your job as a firefighter to attempt to put it out, then you would be subject to the same punishment, that of being terminated from your job, as you would should you as a math teacher refuse to do your job.
>> ^imstellar28:
2. so if i find a cure to cancer, i'm guessing you are going to force me to sell it to you? by your logic, if i didn't sell it to you i would be using "coercion" if you were dying from cancer. inaction is not, and cannot be, a method of coercion unless you initially set into motion the cause of distress--at which point, it cannot be considered inaction.

How did you find your cure for cancer? Do you work for a medical research company Did you fund all your research privately or receive government subsidies? Did you alone do all the research, or did you base your research on the work of others? Did they receive and government funding? Do you have a degree? Was your education paid for with loans? Are you simply a greedy asshole? All questions that would need to answered in order to determine the ownership of your cure. Some people finding such a cure would be content to give it to the world.
>> ^imstellar28:
3. healthcare is a service. healthcare providers have to go to school to develop their skills. you don't have a right to healthcare if nobody is willing to sell it to you. it is a man-made product which means a man has to choose to share it. you don't walk into a supermarket and demand that you have a right to free (or cheap) food because you need it to survive, so why do you think its okay to walk into a clinic and demand free (or cheap) healthcare?

Do you know that the vast majority of doctors get their degrees through the used of federally funded loans, scholarships, and grants? Which is then reimbursed by the money they receive from their patients. Now if they are able to have their education paid for by tax payers and their patients, why isn't it fair to expect them to work as a service to their community? No one is saying they shouldn't receive compensation, but rather that their compensation far outweighs their investment.
>> ^imstellar28:
4. if a firefighter (legally contracted by the government or otherwise) fails to put out your house fire, that is a breech of contract (fraud) not coercion. if in uncontracted firefighter walks by, he has every right to charge you a million dollars or let your house burn to the ground. if you could force others to work for you, you would be a slaveowner.

Again, like your "cancer cure" argument, you're assuming that a person would only do something for monetary gain, firefighters don't eat smoke because they get paid well, many small communities only have volunteer fire departments, a firefighter walking by would do what they could to help, regardless of their reward. Now let's look at your "slaveowner" statement, if I own a business and employ a dozen people, in a job market where if any one of them were to lose their job it could be months before they are rehired, and I know that none of them can afford to live without the income they receive from me. I as their employer can insist they do what ever I choose, be it mow my lawn, wash my car, or empty my septic tank, certain in knowing that although they have the option to tell me to fuck off, they won't because they can't risk losing their job. I, in essence, am then able to force them to do my bidding, yet I am not technically a slave owner. We are all slaves so long as we cannot change jobs at will.

>> ^imstellar28:
5. free markets don't reward "cranks, liars, or frauds" they punish them with bankruptcy. that is, unless you attempt to intervene with a "bailout" or other regulation which keeps them in business. consumers don't lobby for regulation, corporations do because competition is not good for business, pure and simple. people don't buy products which aren't useful, and people are free to buy whatever products they chose, as are they free to seek legal compensation for fraudulent claims.

I beg to differ, free markets do what they can to discourage educated consumption, thereby rewarding those who can make sales through any and all means, including lies, and fraud. More over, a depressed economy encourages this behavior, advertising get rich quick scams, that only make the person selling the scam rich. Regulation is designed to prevent unfair business practices, such as oil speculation by people who own oil commodities that results in unrealistically inflated prices, or mortgage lenders offering mortgages at an affordable rate then jacking the interest up in order to force unreasonable payments or foreclosures. When you have massive corporate juggernauts like we have now, with a constant influx of advertising, and a culture based on ignorant consumerism, competition is an illusion, and the free market is a myth.

>> ^imstellar28:
6. central government is inherently more inefficient than local organization. the more hands you have to pass information through, the more confusing and costly it becomes. there is no escaping that. a third party who has never met you will never better understand your needs, especially when they are not compensated based on how well they serve you. a government official does not know what is best for your family, nor do they know the best way to achieve it--only you do.

Bureaucracy is present no matter if it be governmental or corporate. It's going to be inefficient regardless, nothing is dealt with on a local level. If you have surgery, your claim will go over the desk of a dozen people at your insurance company just as it would a federal agency. The difference, the insurance company is working for profit, they will do everything they can to deny your claim/service, where as the most a government agency might do would be delay your service.

Too many people in this country have been led to believe that centralized government is bad, that socialized services are bad, that the free market can solve everything. Well take a good look around, millions out of work, millions without health care, millions of families losing their homes due to predatory lenders, and an economy on the verge of becoming the next great depression.

And what do we have to thank for this? A history of corporate greed, government collusion, and a populace too stupid to realize they've been used.

^

1. the fire department functions in the same role as the police department: to protect against the destruction of private property and loss of life. you cannot compare the police force or fire department to a school. if i burn down your house, i am committing a criminal act. if i don't teach your son algebra, i am not doing anything wrong. it is an invalid comparison because one enforces law, while the other merely provides a service.

2. so if i find a cure to cancer, i'm guessing you are going to force me to sell it to you? by your logic, if i didn't sell it to you i would be using "coercion" if you were dying from cancer. inaction is not, and cannot be, a method of coercion unless you initially set into motion the cause of distress--at which point, it cannot be considered inaction.

3. healthcare is a service. healthcare providers have to go to school to develop their skills. you don't have a right to healthcare if nobody is willing to sell it to you. it is a man-made product which means a man has to choose to share it. you don't walk into a supermarket and demand that you have a right to free (or cheap) food because you need it to survive, so why do you think its okay to walk into a clinic and demand free (or cheap) healthcare?

4. if a firefighter (legally contracted by the government or otherwise) fails to put out your house fire, that is a breech of contract (fraud) not coercion. if in uncontracted firefighter walks by, he has every right to charge you a million dollars or let your house burn to the ground. if you could force others to work for you, you would be a slaveowner.

5. free markets don't reward "cranks, liars, or frauds" they punish them with bankruptcy. that is, unless you attempt to intervene with a "bailout" or other regulation which keeps them in business. consumers don't lobby for regulation, corporations do because competition is not good for business, pure and simple. people don't buy products which aren't useful, and people are free to buy whatever products they chose, as are they free to seek legal compensation for fraudulent claims.

6. central government is inherently more inefficient than local organization. the more hands you have to pass information through, the more confusing and costly it becomes. there is no escaping that. a third party who has never met you will never better understand your needs, especially when they are not compensated based on how well they serve you. a government official does not know what is best for your family, nor do they know the best way to achieve it--only you do.

one time, in algebra class, I was sleeping with my eyes open in boredom...
...and the guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder.
Was passing me a note.
I looked around me...no one was making eye contact, not even the guy passing the note.
I took it and unfolded it.
It read : " B R E A T H E "

"guess and check" is soooooo not the best way to go about algebra, i tell you...
but it works for you here on the sift!

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
Red Cross and the Salvation Army do not have the institutional might, experience or resources to handle education.


It wouldn't have to be a nationwide non-profit. They could exist at the state or county level. You happened to grow up in a governmentally run education system. Out of the three options: state-run, private, and non-profit, don't you think its a coincidence that the one you support happens to be the one you grew up with?

thousands of americans receive a private education from preschool to phd, so I don't see how you can argue that its not a viable option.

i just dont see how you can make an argument for forcing me to pay for your childs education. if you cant afford private school, or don't have the time to home school your child, maybe you shouldn't be having a child? how did your child become my responsibility? it seems easy to justify when you are just taking money out of my paycheck--because the reality of the situation is hidden--but it is equivalent to walking into my workplace, putting a gun to my head, driving me to your house, and forcing me to teach your child algebra.