eMarkLee

I just read a synopsis of the three popular psychology experiments that wouldn’t happen today. This topic is always interesting, especially the Stanford Prison Experiment, which is almost over-hyped, having been made into a movie and such. If you have not heard of the experiment, basically they discovered that human nature is inherently sadistic and made out fragments of pure evil and therefore stopped the experiment early. Bummer.

I personally think we should run all three again in the name of science and then program everyone involved into cyborg killer drones like Le Femme Nikita and send them to Iraq on special forces missions to find insurgents.

The UK is great in that it just tells it like it is. Creationism, however you re-brand it, is still Creationism and does not belong in the class room.

There’s a new yogurt company called Pinkberry that is apparently doing what Tasti D-lite did in New York a decade ago, which is to start a supposed low-calorie treat for pretentious people. Apparently, Pinkberry is doing quite well with their expensive mysterious treat with all kinds of weird ingredients in there to make it light on the waist. The problem is that it is heavy on the wallet. I think you can spend up to $10 for a large with a few toppings. WTF.

I would pay $10 for frozen yogurt only if the toppings that came with it were gold, diamond, and
californium-252.

What are crocs?

Crocs are a ugly sandal/shoe with non-slip, non-marking sole made out of foam resin called “croslite”, intended originally for outdoors/boating.

This last weekend, I snapped this shot, right on Oxford St in London in the middle of a pretty chic shopping area. Pretty cool. There is something about the simplicity of wearing crocs that is so subtle yet so granola.

It all reminds me of jbrom07, shown on the left with his feet in the air from our white water rafting trip last year. We ended up losing one of those Crocs to the white water, but it put up a good fight for jbrom07, who fought for his life after this spill. This has to be the best white water picture taken.

I shall purchase my Crocs soon to be able to enjoy the non-slip sole and the airflow of the comfortable foam resin design.

Why do we need to translate documents in different languages in the UK, US, or any other country? I can understand different translations in brochures, but why would we need it on EVERYTHING? In San Diego, for example, everything has Spanish on it. My calls to Sprint PCS to get “Dropped Call Credits” all ask me if I want to to hear my choices in Spanish. This last point doesn’t relate as well because there is money to be made by Sprint but what I don’t understand are the official documents that the government produces such as passport applications, social security, etc, etc. Aren’t these for US residents?

This debate comes up time and time again in California, but it’s interesting to see how broad the concerns are that it does not make sense that a country’s own residents don’t learn the national language. The UK has a lot of the same sentiment, being a country flooded with non-English speakers. I am definitely more on the side of a country demanding its residents to learn its national language…call me crazy. It’s ok if someone doesn’t want to learn the language, but that person should not be allowed to attain citizenship and also must figure out the meaning of their documentation on their own time and money. This probably oversimplifies the problem, but I think sometimes problems are overanalyzed. If I created markleeville, I would require that everybody speak in L33t, make chocolate lakes for me to swim in, and sing songs when fat kids come drink my chocolate. I can only dream.

Since London has so much to offer and maybe some information useful to other ex-pats, I’ve decided to split out the London piece out onto its own blog so people can dig out the relevant London info without seeing any “Beer O Clock” blogs.

emarklee.com: This blog will remain as my personal blog to focus on tech, humor, and Beer O Clock.
londonninja.com: What it’s like to live in London.

Please go here for a couple of starter blogs and everything London has to offer…one step at a time….

I just got through an old Wired article that Workmonkey stole from me at our Puerto Vallarta trip in February. It has some interesting myths that I think most people believe (including myself). Now time to track down the people that told me they have actually cow-tipped….

Top Science Fictions (from wired)

Fiction: If you fall into quicksand, you’ll be sucked under and die.
Fact: You’ll only sink up to your waist.

Fiction: Sitting too close to the TV will ruin your eyes.
Fact: It causes fatigue but no permanent damage.

Fiction: Earth’s rotation causes bathtubs, sinks, and toilets to drain clockwise in the northern hemisphere, counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere.
Fact: They can go either way in either hemisphere. The shape of the basin and the direction of the incoming flow overwhelm the minuscule effect of planetary spin.

Fiction: Benjamin Franklin’s kite was struck by lightning.
Fact: The kite picked up electricity from the air, causing an arc between Franklin’s hand and a key tied to his end of the string.

Fiction: A penny dropped from the top of a skyscraper can kill someone.
Fact: It could never pick up enough velocity to kill, just to bang you up a little.

Fiction: Swimming after you eat will cause cramps and lead to drowning.
Fact: There is a very slight risk of cramps, but only for vigorous swimmers.

Fiction: A drunken teenager can tip over a sleeping cow.
Fact: It would take several semisober people and a paralyzed cow. Anyway, cows sleep lying down.

Fiction: There’s a dark side of the moon.
Fact: The entire lunar surface receives sunlight during the moon’s monthly orbit around Earth.

Fiction: Swallowed chewing gum takes seven years to digest.
Fact: Gum is not digested. It passes through the gastro-intestinal system, usually within 24 hours.

More details to come soon…….

I am currently living with friends on route to London. There are a few observations of NYC that I can make:

1. Every night of the week is a party night.
2. Brooklyn Heights feels like just another neighborhood in Manhattan….except with more black people (except for Harlem and above).
3. You can break the bank here if you’re not careful (see #1)
4. Happy hours with good alcohol prices DO EXIST here. Keep an eye out for these and #3 won’t occur.
5. I like staying with friends that already have wifi set up prior to my arrival. (Thanks, Agenda).
6. I should pack more than one pair of socks when living out of my suitcase. (Thanks for the holey socks, Workmonkey)

That’s it. Cheers (in preparation for my time in London)

Just providing a reminder to everybody that you can get your credit reports once a year from each of the three credit agencies (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian) FOR FREE. You get it for free and it’s a pretty easy process online (too easy, if you ask my web security expert self).

AnnualCreditReport.com