I Don't Know what IDK means!

Actually, I do. I simply chose that title to be ironic. But it brings up an interesting point. We spend so much time texting, IMing, and posting to social media, that we seem to be getting further and further away from "real English." But what IS "real English?" The English language is really just a melting pot of a bunch of other languages that it has crossed paths with over time. Latin, French, Greek, and many other languages have had an effect on the English language. Even among English speakers, there are differences. Someone from Great Britain might say something differently than someone from the states, who might say something differently that someone from Australia! Even within a country, language varies. In the south of the United States, words are spoken that mean nothing to people from the northern part of the U.S!

But that brings us back around to my point. How does the texting language interface with the "normal" English most people speak in day to day conversations? We don't often hear someone say lol out loud. Or do we? Just recently, I have been noticing people saying lol, wtf, idk, omg, and other textual references out loud when talking to other people. I guess actually laughing at a joke takes too much effort, especially when you can just say, "lol man, that was, like, super rad."

But now for the punchline question. Is that a BAD thing? I am inclined to think not. Now to purists out there, that sounds like sacrilege, but think about it. English, what is considered "proper" English anyways, is really just bits and pieces of other languages that people stole over the years to help explain new things and create new meanings to a word. Why can't we do that with text abbreviations? At least those abbreviations are original, and not ripped off from another language like Latin! And lets be honest. the spelling for lol is just that. l, followed by an o, and then another l. I can just picture the spelling bees of the future.

Guy running the spelling bee. "please spell the word, 'ttyl."
Student in the bee. "uh, ttyl."
Guy running the spelling bee. "correct!"

Ah, a time when I might just be good at spelling!

Anyways, that's my opinion on that. I'll write soon,

- David -

coffee

I am the person who gets a cup of coffee and adds copious amounts of milk/cream and sugar/sweetener. My coffee addiction is fairly minimal, as I only indulge in the bitter goodness 2 to 4 times a week. Is that an addiction? Who knows. At any rate, I douse my drink (if it's possible to douse a drink) in milk, and then thicken my coffee with sugar by the spoonful! I know I am painting a glorious mental taste picture of bitter/sweet/milky/pastie/gritty/glorious drug infused (caffeine) beverages and I must say, I really do enjoy a good cup of coffee.

Now. This morning, I awoke at the early morning time of 9:00 AM, and I was in need of a dose of caffeine. I brewed some coffee, broke out the sugar and milk and, through careful calculations and precise measurements (luck) I found myself drinking a delicious mug of pristine coffee (except for all the milk and sugar, but, never mind.)

Anyways, I just wanted to share my story of coffee deliciousness.

- david -   :D

Atlas Shrugged Part II

I have just returned from watching Atlas Shrugged Part 2, and I must say, I thought it was a significant improvement over the first film. The story was more engaging, the plot was more interesting and the overall flow of the film was much better. I was at first surprised that the cast was entirely different from the first film, however as the plot developed, it seemed that this was the case in order to show that the events of part 2 were later in time than the events in part 1.

The story continued the search for an answer to the question "Who is John Galt" and relieves new information to who or what he is. Watching the first part is not a prerequisite to watching this film, although many references are made to part 1, such as the John Galt rail line, and of course all the characters are the same. The story also focuses on the issue of government control, collectivism and big businesses relationship with the government.

The filming was good, the acting was good, the effects were good. Nothing spectacular, but nothing all that bad. If you are looking for an interesting story, this is a good movie. It makes you think, and seeing as how the US 2012 elections are fast approaching, the release of this film comes at an interesting time! This film really made me question some things about governments role in society, and, while I am not going to Washington DC tomorrow to protest, I may look at things slightly differently in the future.

So if you want a good movie, an interesting story and a thought provoking plot, this may just be a film you will enjoy. Not amazing, but not bad either.

FINAL SCORE:

Story/Plot: 8/10
Acting/Cast: 7/10
Effects/Visuals: 6.5/10
Music: n/a (not much music in this film)

OVERALL: 21.5/30 - 71.67%

UPDATE AS OF 12/19/2014
The verdict?
Pretty damn good / Recommend Heartily

7 out of 10

M*th

It is the subject of much terror, hate and loathing, as I am one of many who, well, lets just say I am no fan of the mathematics. Even times tables are evil in my opinion, and it seems as though it just gets worse as time goes on. Despite the obvious good math has done for our society, I just cannot seem to fathom how people could actually stand to do math for a living. I guess what I am saying is that yes, math is important for people like engineers, scientists, computer programmers and the like, but a comm/art major like me? Really? 3 years of math just to get a BS in communications!!!!! Well, anyways, my ranting and raving must stop somewhere. At any rate, I hope you are well, and I will talk to you soon.

- David