Thursday, August 14, 2008
Something I don't get...
Now, what exactly is the point of this?
Commercials are usually designed to sell a product or service, or to draw attention to a cause. This commercial would seem to fall into the first category: Bombardier wants to sell trains. A noble endeavour certainly...but is this really the most effective way to do so?
How many people watching the Olympics are really in the market to BUY a train? Is Bombardier hoping that there is some high-ranking government official who just happens to be sitting on his sofa, eating Cheetos and dip, feet with one sock up on the divan, sees this commercial and says, "Hey! I know what my city/state/country needs! A billion-dollar light rail system! Thank goodness I saw that commercial, or else I never would have thought about it!"
Seems odd to me.
Giant Robots will have a HUGE ad presence in London 2012. Oh yeah. You just wait for it.
Friday, July 18, 2008
More pithy commentary...that's not mine.
Another wonderful line from Fark that I'd rather not forget...
"Athiesm" is the "I don't own a television" of theology.
Giant Robots need not believe in gods when they have Atomic Power!
"Athiesm" is the "I don't own a television" of theology.
Giant Robots need not believe in gods when they have Atomic Power!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friendship vs. Professionalism
So today at work I was all alone. Not a single student came from my class for the last day of school. Which was a bit strange; I was (I think) the only one in that situation. Certainly the only one in my Grade.
Watching the other teachers laughing and joking with their students made me wonder: is it good that I've generally tried NOT to get too close to my students? I'm not a great person at relationships, and don't generally think that I give good advice. But still...it was pretty hard not to feel jealous watching them, and to be sitting there, all alone.
But on the other hand: for the REST of the year, I had by far the fewest problems in my class. Discipline forms were far fewer, I believe suspensions were a lot less. My attendance suffered, but in that case I _know_ it was not due to teacher relations. Actually, I figured out as I went along that all by 4 students were actually showing up most of the time...just that only 11-12 of them would do so on any given day. It worked out.
I treat my students with professional respect and courtesy, rather than looking to make friends with them. I want to earn their respect rather than their friendship: it's going to be better for them in the long run. But still...at the end of the day at the end of the year, it hurt to be alone.
Giant Robots generate tremendous respect! But all we really seek is love...
Watching the other teachers laughing and joking with their students made me wonder: is it good that I've generally tried NOT to get too close to my students? I'm not a great person at relationships, and don't generally think that I give good advice. But still...it was pretty hard not to feel jealous watching them, and to be sitting there, all alone.
But on the other hand: for the REST of the year, I had by far the fewest problems in my class. Discipline forms were far fewer, I believe suspensions were a lot less. My attendance suffered, but in that case I _know_ it was not due to teacher relations. Actually, I figured out as I went along that all by 4 students were actually showing up most of the time...just that only 11-12 of them would do so on any given day. It worked out.
I treat my students with professional respect and courtesy, rather than looking to make friends with them. I want to earn their respect rather than their friendship: it's going to be better for them in the long run. But still...at the end of the day at the end of the year, it hurt to be alone.
Giant Robots generate tremendous respect! But all we really seek is love...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Morale
Why is it that morale often seems to be the lowest immediately before something that is desired? Tomorrow is the last day of work, a day that everyone in my building has been dreaming about (often literally) for months now...and yet today was the crabbiest, bitchiest, nastiest environment I've ever seen there.
The backstabbing and grumbling was bad enough, but the admins literally yelling at us (over the PA!) for something that was beyond the control of the rest of the staff was something else. I recognize that for the えらいたち these end of days can be far more stressful than for the rest of us...but seriously. "Noone leaves until ALL the rooms have been checked out, unless you want to stay late tomorrow"? Why the FUCK am I being bitched at for having MY work done early?
In any case, it's basically irrelevant now. One more hour or so, and then we're off till August! Hooray!
Giant Robots, with a moral over 110! Special Attacks Enabled!
The backstabbing and grumbling was bad enough, but the admins literally yelling at us (over the PA!) for something that was beyond the control of the rest of the staff was something else. I recognize that for the えらいたち these end of days can be far more stressful than for the rest of us...but seriously. "Noone leaves until ALL the rooms have been checked out, unless you want to stay late tomorrow"? Why the FUCK am I being bitched at for having MY work done early?
In any case, it's basically irrelevant now. One more hour or so, and then we're off till August! Hooray!
Giant Robots, with a moral over 110! Special Attacks Enabled!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Nothing brings a community together...
...like FIRE!
Especially a backyard fire, and even MORE especially when it's not actually contained in anything, like a firepit, but is rather more...free-ranging let's say. Ranging along your neighbours fence to three houses down the block, and the lovely stands of dry lumber there.
Boy, that REALLY brings a community out together in a spirit of togetherness. Bucket-brigading with anything reasonably concave you can lay your hands on, filling them with sand and water and anything else to deny oxygen. The sort of cheery comaraderie where a student can say to your face, with a big smile, "Guess I won't see you tomorrow; that was poison ivy you just walked barefoot on."
Nope, nosiree, nothing like a little spontaneous firefighting to bring a community together.
And, for the record, none of the above was sarcasm. It was literally very, very cool. Except for the whole 'save your house' vibe.
Giant Robots, as immune to fire as they are to all other sorts of physical damage.
Especially a backyard fire, and even MORE especially when it's not actually contained in anything, like a firepit, but is rather more...free-ranging let's say. Ranging along your neighbours fence to three houses down the block, and the lovely stands of dry lumber there.
Boy, that REALLY brings a community out together in a spirit of togetherness. Bucket-brigading with anything reasonably concave you can lay your hands on, filling them with sand and water and anything else to deny oxygen. The sort of cheery comaraderie where a student can say to your face, with a big smile, "Guess I won't see you tomorrow; that was poison ivy you just walked barefoot on."
Nope, nosiree, nothing like a little spontaneous firefighting to bring a community together.
And, for the record, none of the above was sarcasm. It was literally very, very cool. Except for the whole 'save your house' vibe.
Giant Robots, as immune to fire as they are to all other sorts of physical damage.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
More wisdom from Fark
A wonderful one-line summary of American (and, to a lesser extent Canadian) political process:
Nero fiddled while Rome burned, and Romans argued about the song he was playing.
Giant Robots, absolutely sure that it was in a 3/4 time signature.
Nero fiddled while Rome burned, and Romans argued about the song he was playing.
Giant Robots, absolutely sure that it was in a 3/4 time signature.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
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