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October 30, 2006
Note to self
Never, ever go the mall right after work on a Saturday afternoon.
When I've just left work (after a long day of selling pointe shoes and leg warmers), I have the feeling that the human race in general is slow, stupid and in my way. And after two seconds at Oslo City, I know that this theory is true...
Posted by Julie at 9:11 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Wishlist 2 (work in constant progress)
My mom says my wishlist is unrealistic. I don't think so. This wishlist on the other hand...
A timeturner. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, this device helps Hermione take all the elective courses she wants. By turning time, she can be in two or more places at once. Don't worry, I wouldn't use time travel only to take dozens of courses each semester. Think of all the interesting vacations time travel makes possible. Instead of going to a different country, I could travel to a different era. And history research would be a lot more fun.
A pensieve. While we're on the subject of things I wish were available outside of Hogwarts, think what a great study tool a pensieve would be. A pensieve is a place to store memories. I would store lectures there, and then attend them once again right before exams. Instead of sending lecture notes to people, I could send them the actual lecture. This means that out of a group of friends, only one would actually have to experience any one event, and then the memory can be shared. This gives a whole new dimension to pirate copies of movies for example. You go to the movies, and then you sell your memory of the movie. They can't throw you out of the theater for using a camera, because your're not.
The ability to learn languages instantly. Imagine just being able to download an entire language into my brain. Yes, I know every student sooner or later wishes that they didn't have to learn, that they could just instantly know. But think what this could do for the world... instead of everyone speaking the same language, what if everyone could speak every language?
Keeping up with the Harry Potter theme, I would love a Marauder's Map of Blindern. Instead of constant text messaging and Facebook status checking, we could just search for our friends at lunch time (Are they in the cafeteria? On their way to the bakery? Reading in the library? Still having breakfast at home?!? At this hour!?!?)
Of course, the ability to read people's minds. Haven't we all wished for that at some point or the other? I think, though, that it would make life too easy. It would at least change my life so dramatically that I don't really know if I would want it. But if I could have this wish granted every once in a while, at least if someone was thinking about me...
Slightly more likely wishes (these exist, at least somewhere in the world, not that I can necessarily afford them)
Kitchen knives with built-in graters, peelers etc. Not the greatest thing on earth or anything, but hey, why not?
"Flirty cow" laptop bag Sure, my backpack with built-in laptop pocket is practical, and my various bags and purses are nice, but this... Any girl as simultaniously geeky and fashion-conscious as I am should have something like this. Expensive, though.
On/Off coffee mug - I've stopped drinking a big mug of black coffee every morning, now that I have an espresso machine, but I still love this.
I won't even start with the shoes. Not with the books or clothes either.
Posted by Julie at 1:39 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 27, 2006
Remembering October 2001
Memes are good for wasting time. This means I should stay away from them. But this one, where you compare yourself now to the way you were five years back, was interesting. Not that my answers are necessarily that interesting, but reading my diary entries from October 2001 was. I thought I hadn't changed much: I still worry about US foreign policy, I still visit Aina, I still stay up late writing when I shouldn't, I still collect quotes, but reading my thoughts from five years ago, I realize that I really have changed.
OCTOBER 2001
How old were you?
15
What grade were you in?
10th grade
Where did you go to school?
Tranby Ungdomsskole
Where did you work?
I didn’t. We had to work for a day to raise money for a charity for school (Operasjon Dagsverk), and I worked with elementary school kids for a day, teaching them about Halloween
Where did you live?
Tranby (Lier)
Where did you hang out?
Mostly at friends’ houses in Lier, but sometimes we went to Drammen, or I went to Asker to meet Aina. I did go to Oslo, but not that month (!)
How was your hair style?
Basic, shoulder-length, often in a pony-tail.
Did you wear braces?
Not anymore
Did you wear glasses?
No
Who was your best friend(s)?
Aina
Who was your celebrity-crush?
I don’t think I had one. At least, I can’t remember, and there are no mentions of anything in my diary.
Who was your regular-person crush?
hehe, regular-person crush. I had just finished a “regular-person crush”.
How many tattoos did you have?
None
How many piercings did you have?
Two (my ears)
What car did you drive?
I didn’t
What was your favorite band/group?
Oh, who knows? The only band mentioned that month is Destiny’s Child, because that music was on at a party. I didn’t really have music I liked or disliked at the time. Everyone at my school was listening to the same music, so I didn’t really have a lot of options. Yeah, I lived in Lier.
What was your worst fear?
From my diary entries, I was concerned about cancer. Seriously. Not getting it myself, I think it just scared me that so many people seemed to be dying of it.
Had you smoked a cigarette yet?
No. What kind of question is that? As if everyone smokes sooner or later…?
Had you driven yet?
No.
Had you been arrested?
No
Had you been to a real party yet?
Real party? That’s a matter of definition. I wouldn’t call the parties I went to “real” today, but I think I thought I had been to a real party.
Had you had your heart broken?
I was overdramatic, yes, but I never thought of myself as heartbroken.
Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/no comment:
Single
OCTOBER 2006
How old are you?
20
What grade are you in?
Third semester of college.
Where do you go to school?
The University of Oslo
Where do you work?
At a store that sells dance supplies.
Where do you live?
St. Hanshaugen
Where do you hang out?
In Oslo: at home, in friends’ apartments, in coffee shops, but mostly at the University.
Do you have braces?
No
Do you wear glasses?
No
Still talk to any of your old friends?
Aina and Kristine. I had a feeling in October 2001 that I probably wouldn’t be talking to any of the others by now. Not that I didn’t want to, I just wrote that I probably wouldn’t.
Who is your celebrity-crush?
I don’t think I really believe in celebrity crushes. Never have, at least not for long.
Who is your real-person-crush?
Remember the part about this blog being only part of my mind?
How many piercings do you have?
Still two.
How many tattoos do you have?
Still none
What is your favorite group/band/artist?
Now, let’s see. Who are my bookmarked artists on Pandora…?
What is your biggest fear?
Having to do the impossible, like being asked serious questions like that and having to answer in only one sentence.
Have you been arrested since?
No
Has your heart been broken?
No.
Single/Taken/Married/Divorced or no comment:
Single.
Posted by Julie at 11:21 PM | TrackBack
October 26, 2006
Unnskyldning
Det har blitt lite blogging i det siste, først og fremst fordi det har blitt veldig mye annet. Foreløpig går mye av tiden min til å skrive om hvordan og hvorfor det har vært så mye uroligheter i Libanon de siste årene, og det er en del å si om den saken. Når jeg ikke gjør det, løper jeg fra forelesning til forelesning og lærer om politisk teori, internasjonal politikk, statistikk og Midtøsten. Samtidig er jeg blitt med i Programutvalget for mitt studium, dvs. et elevråd med makt og kontor.
Fordi jeg ganske uskyldig kom med forslag om å lage en PBWiki for programutvalget og å sørge for at nettsiden til studiet hadde rss slik at vi kunne slutte å sende så mange mailer hele tiden, ble jeg plutselig internettansvarlig. Jeg vet ikke om dette sier mest om min egen geekiness eller resten av programutvalgets mangel på kunnskap. Fordelen er at jeg har makt over domenet "inter-nett", og det er gøy.
I mellomtiden har det vært et par ting jeg har ønsket å linke til og eventuelt kommentere. Jeg rekker visst ikke å kommentere, men jeg kan linke:
Hvorfor modeller på bilder ser ut som de gjør
Intervjuserie om religion og vitenskap Denne må jeg kommentere litt. Pappa har kommentert det nyeste av disse intervjuene. Jeg leste det han skrev samme dag som jeg hadde en svært interessant samtale om det samme. Da hadde jeg mest lyst til å skrive en ekstremt irriterende lang post der jeg grundig utforsket dette temaet - men det var ikke mulig å ta meg fri fra resten av livet så lenge som det hadde tatt. Someday... Jeg anbefaler i hvert fall denne serien for å få gode argumenter fra flere sider.
Anna kritiserer The Economist (artikkelen hun kritiserer er her, men bare tilgjengelig med abonnement)
Posted by Julie at 10:16 AM | TrackBack
October 18, 2006
Heia Eirik!
Jeg har lovet Eirik Newth at så lenge han er med i Skal Vi Danse "må jeg se programmet". Jeg kan derfor ikke skjønne hvorfor jeg stemmer på ham, for på fredag kveld kl. 19.30, burde jeg virkelig være på U1. Det kan likevel være flere grunner til å stemme på Eirik:
1. Han ga oss "springmais" og satte dermed i gang spalten "Snakk Som Julie".
2. Han er faktisk morsom å se på, i ordets virkelige betydning, i motsetning til de andre norske kjendisene på programmet.
3. Han er supernerd ("Nerding er gøy!") og sier koselige ting om Blindern.
4. Jeg bruker nå mindre penger på øl og føler meg bedre når jeg går på jobb på lørdager.
5. Han gjorde en innsats for å forklare vintersport for meg.
6. Jeg vet at andre i konkurransen har bedre dansesko, så Eirik trenger all den hjelpen han kan få.
Konklusjon: heia Eirik! (send 8 til 26400)
Oppdatering 25. oktober: Eirik gikk ut forrige fredag. Kanskje han hadde fått flere stemmer om jeg hadde fortalt at jeg også kan takke ham for å ha introdusert meg for Pals, stedet der jeg kjøper kaffebønner og chocolate chips.
Posted by Julie at 10:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 1, 2006
What kind of math?
In the debate about convincing high school students to learn math, I haven't read much about what kind of math these students should be learning. Richard Posner makes an excellent point:
What would be socially and even economically useful would be to instruct high school students in the rudiments of statistical theory. That would help them learn to think straight about a range of public policy issues, as well as to avoid certain recurrent mistakes in everyday life. People are terrible at handling probabilities.
At the department of social studies at university, I'm glad I know some statistics and calculus, but to be honest, I don't really use my geometry. In Norway, statistics are taught at the end of the final year of high school (although probability is taught earlier) and calculus doesn't really get serious until the end of the second year. Of course this only applies if you choose the most advanced type of math - otherwise there's no calculus and statistics at all. This means that students who don't really believe they need to learn math have to wait a long time before they learn something they can use every time they open a newspaper. But by then they've quit math.
PS. To my fellow students who are taking Statistics this semester: I'm sorry. I know we love to hate this subject. But you do see my point, right? Right?