>beatchild

2004-10-27T10:45:00.000-04:00

Looks like the rumors are true. I can't wait to get my hands on one of these.

2004-10-24T01:00:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to thank everybody for the times I had back in Indiana. From the triumph of seeing hundreds of people dance their ass off thanks to us, the generally hilarious hijinks of Ladies' Nights, and the great times we all had at 421 to the stupid fights about parking spots, the deep loneliness and subsequent heartbreak, and cold winds blowing through our plastic windows... I don't regret a

2004-10-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

The rumor mill has it that soon Apple will be releasing a newer iPod, with photo capabilities and a color display. Just yesterday I decided I would wait to buy until iPod's have color displays because I figured it was right around the corner (allthough I was guessing closer to Spring next year), so it was good to see this (alleged) news today. Maybe I won't have to wait long after all.

2004-10-07T18:21:00.000-04:00

Slashdot is reporting that the FBI has taken down the IndyMedia servers. (That link still doesnt work). See the message at IndyMedia Italy. For those that don't know, IndyMedia plays host to articles, stories, and galleries regarding activism. They had some pretty good coverage of the RNC protests. I'd imagine the FBI took the hard-drives in order to investigate some anarchist group the website

2004-10-05T17:37:00.000-04:00

I just finished up writing code that writes code (based on other code, nonetheless). My geek street-cred just went up about 15 notches. Bow down.

2004-09-25T04:53:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if anyone even reads this anymore, but I thought some people might like to know that I just accepted an offer with the Rainforest Action Network. They are this feisty little group of environmental activists that are really on the cutting edge of social/political change in the U.S. I will be their Web Designer/Developer and I start the day after my birthday. Happy 27 Stan, here's a

2004-08-31T23:57:00.000-04:00

Looks like Apple figured out how to get a G5 into their iMacs. Sure its not duals, but if they got it into the iMac, that mean the Powerbook can't be much further behind. Looks like I'll hold off till then.

2004-08-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

So I jumped over to the Reblubli-can'ts website today to see what their platform is all about. I thought it would be good to be educated on both sides before placing my vote in a couple months. I was a little surprised to see that they don't talk about themselves so much. They prefer talking about the opponent for some reason. In fact, I counted the name "Kerry" on there 22 times, as opposed to

2004-08-25T17:55:00.000-04:00

I am now employed full-time. Just today I accepted an offer with Capital Markets Consulting in Chicago where I will be a software engineer. It should be fun to hit the daily grind again. Now to send out those thank you notes to everyone that helped me on my job search...

2004-08-23T14:41:00.000-04:00

Just another example of how everything capable of loosening their control on reality is made illegal: Sweet Summer Herb Kettle Chips have been discontinued. Get yourself high.

2004-08-18T16:33:00.000-04:00

You ever feel like you are cramped in the backseat of a 2-door sedan on the road trip that is life?

2004-08-16T12:22:00.001-04:00

[chirp] [chirp, chirp]

2004-08-02T01:21:00.000-04:00

So where am I? Living with the parents for a while in Portage. Doing some job searching. Relaxing. Enjoying the company of friends. Volunteering at a school. Soon to be volunteering for Rock the Vote out here in Portage. I'm sort of arranging the whole thing so I hope I can find some (more) other people to soon-to-be volunteering for that. Recently had my second interview with Amazon.com which

2004-07-31T13:30:00.000-04:00

Good to have the blog back. I wonder if our readership has suffered at all from the long downtime, transfer to a different URL, and lack of interesting posts? Hmm... Well, I don't know if it's interesting or not, but I had food poisoning the other day. I woke up shivering, with a 102 degree fever, wracked with nausea, and my entire body ached. My first thought (very Machiavelli of me) was, "I've

2004-07-27T21:10:00.000-04:00

Help me get a free iPod and get yourself one by clicking this and signing up. What have you got to lose?

2004-07-26T14:49:00.000-04:00

What you need when you need it? Whatever... So apparently someone came in and swooped up my domain name for some God-unknown reason. For now this blogspot address will be the one to go to. I'm working on getting a new name and doing of course a redesign, but in the mean time this is where its at.

2003-02-24T16:56:00.000-05:00

I've been busy getting the redesign for beatchild done. I've said that before but this time, I actually *will* get it done, hopefully tonight. New features you will see include the ability for readers to contact us, the ability to place comments on posts, a seperate links page, a gallery that will include various designs, photos, and songs done by us, a (possibly searchable) archive, and a

2003-02-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

Take the Canada Challenge.

2003-02-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

What if snow was black....

2003-02-24T10:48:00.000-05:00

Today, I got a new desk chair at work. It's lovely. And my boss is not here again.....

2003-02-24T10:47:00.000-05:00

Dont be afriad. Your life is now color coded for simplicity.

2003-02-22T04:17:00.000-05:00

I posted all of my photoshop tennis files so far. Check em out here. My files are the even numbers.

2003-02-21T14:23:00.000-05:00

I was never much of a fan of Fishing Shows....until now.

2003-02-21T13:25:00.001-05:00

Who new than Honda Civic Spoliers were so easy to break?

2003-02-21T13:25:00.000-05:00

I pulled a Brian today. (It must have been the asprin!)

2003-02-21T11:46:00.000-05:00

Lots of posts today--must be a Friday thing. I've uploaded the first batch of my "Desktop Critters" series. Feel free to grab the one that best represents your present self-image and proudly display it CRT style. There's probably more to come if you feel that you can't relate to any of the critters thus far (dare I take requests?). All are 1024x768. 1) devious 2) homogenized 3) horny 4)

2003-02-21T11:19:00.000-05:00

If anyone was curious, here are some statistics for beatchild.com. I don't have data prior to December, because of technical reasons. ('Visits' eliminates redundancies -- it only counts each ip once) MonthHitsVisitsAvg. Daily HitsAvg. DailyVisits February (so far)325153816226 January415780313425 December279546410317 beatchild was read in the United States, Canada, Singapore, and the

2003-02-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

Each year in college, I added a quote onto my signature file. Just one a year, symbolic of the slow accrual of wisdom. I now present them, four terribly important life lessons, in the order I learned them: First year: "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." --Scooter Sophomore year: "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." --

2003-02-20T19:45:00.000-05:00

Algorithm Analysis can be defined as either (1) Using complex mathematics to prove what we all know as 'common sense' or (2) using mathematics and logic to explain mathematics and logic.

2003-02-20T18:44:00.000-05:00

Brad, the Drudge Report and Memepool are both blogs, and I know you have at least gotten news from one of those sources. Even Slashdot could be considered a blog, and you cannot refute the fact that millions of people get their news there. The fact that something is a Blog does not make it good. But, the fact that (1) I don't have to wade through 50,000,000 newspapers, and (2) I can get to know

2003-02-20T18:09:00.000-05:00

If a news reporter writes a bad story, what on Earth would make you think that this person is capable of writing a good Blog? Does the fact that it is in the form of the Blog that makes it good? In the same fashion a Good Blogger could just as well be a Good News Reporter. The advent of the Blog is not going to improve reporting or news, just dilute it. Of course there will be a few Blogs that

2003-02-20T18:02:00.000-05:00

Random instant message [17:29] potatoenips82: yooooooooooo [17:29] myunderground: hi [17:29] potatoenips82: whats up hoe [17:30] potatoenips82: where have u been [17:30] myunderground: taking turns between the bar and the library [17:30] potatoenips82: im about due for a blow job and i need u really bad [17:31] potatoenips82: come over [17:31] myunderground: who is this? [17:31] potatoenips82:

2003-02-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

My apologies to all who read this who are Purdue students.That's like, gee, everybody but Robyn? Anyway, apologies to you all of you but some of your fellow students are so fucking retarded I'm surprised they graduated 8th grade. It's seriously a tragedy every time I open up the Exponent. Whether it's absolutely ridiculous Letters to the Editor, cartoons that are about as funny as a cancerous

2003-02-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

The first time I read an article about something that I was directly involved in, it really opened my eyes. The reporters got even major details totally wrong, misquoted people, and misrepresented what the whole thing was about. My senior year in college, I was personally interviewed for an article and I read myself saying terrible things. I am now convinced that every article that I read is at

2003-02-20T15:23:00.000-05:00

I have never gotten my news from a Blog. Are individuals more trustworthy than a news organization?

2003-02-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

"What's with today today?" -Lucas, "Empire Records"

2003-02-19T15:03:00.000-05:00

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." -James Madison

2003-02-19T12:48:00.000-05:00

Apparantly, blogger has been purchased by Google. This can only be a good thing. As internet users consistently turn to blogs now for their news, the pairing with a search engine as notable as Google should make that information even more widespread. Perhaps we will see a blog-news only section added to Google Labs? So why am I such a big fan of news-by-blog? Well, even though many times the

2003-02-19T11:34:00.000-05:00

Twenty-four ounces. Liquid caffiene in my veins. Seventy-eight cents.

2003-02-19T10:55:00.000-05:00

Coffee I do need. Awake this morning, to be. Yoda, I am not.

2003-02-19T10:34:00.000-05:00

America: The enlightened republic characterized by a representative democracy, balanced three-branch government by the people, and the founding principle that the citizenry has basic rights that transcend any enacted legislation. Americans: The self-absorbed, shallow people that America is wasted on. Myself included.

2003-02-19T10:18:00.000-05:00

Oh. Madonna's Music album is by Mirwais, not William Orbit. I must have been thinking of Madonna's Ray of Light album. That explains a lot. I find it strange that we have musicians (and this is nothing new) that don't actually write any music. They just show up in the studio, after the song is already written and for the most part already produced, lay down some vocal tracks, and get their name

2003-02-18T11:26:00.000-05:00

My mind is honey Dripping carelessly over our conversation, Ruining these moments we share. These thoughts are sticky, you'll never get them out And it's maddening to even try. Once they sting, they die.

2003-02-18T09:02:00.000-05:00

Smoking is good for you again! Yay.

2003-02-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, but you can't have "a case of the Monday's" if you wake up at 1pm. (Unless you work the graveyard shift....eww....scarieee....)

2003-02-17T17:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight would be a great night for a ladies night, minus the alcohol (call me crazy). For some reason I would just really love to watch a movie and chill with friends in some cozy environment today. I'm not sure if I'm worn out or what.

2003-02-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

Bullshit is a lot easier to swallow when it comes in a pretty package.

2003-02-17T14:50:00.000-05:00

I can't explain why but I feel like I've got a huge case of the Mondays. I think it may have to do with the fact that I slept until 1pm (I cant explain that..) and I still havent had real human contact yet. A cup of coffee and a cigarette would be awesome right now. On to the not-quite-so-daily grind...

2003-02-17T11:27:00.000-05:00

Epiphany this morning: The core of composing electronic music for the dancefloor (i.e. dance music) is about manipulating energy levels. This is the primary difference between it and kinetic or acoustic music. Well, that and the fact that it's produced by hard, cold machines by people who continue to think about music as the deliberate arrangement of sound in time and not the jotting of notes and

2003-02-16T21:44:00.000-05:00

I think someone can easily tell my mood by the type of music I am listening to. I went through a few months of a lot of mininal and IDM listening, and I dont think I was really happy. But I have been feeling really good the last few days and I find myself busting out the old Dj Tiesto trance mixes... ..oh yeah...here comes the breakdown....hands in the sky!!!

2003-02-16T20:59:00.000-05:00

I didn't come to party,I didn't come to crawl.I came here to stop myself fromBouncing off the walls.Is there no way out?Is there no way out?Is there no way out?Is there no way out?"Nothing is Wrong", FC/Kahuna

2003-02-14T16:28:00.000-05:00

Power is sexy. Sex is powerful. So on this wonderful day, everyone bat your eyes, pucker your lips, and put your fist in the air. Spend tonight fucking for virginity.

2003-02-14T12:20:00.000-05:00

* there was only one spelling error. My boss emailed me and told me not to come into work today due to the incoming threat of an "ice storm." So I dont have to go to work when there is the chance of bad weather, but when the "Ministry of Homeland Security and Citizen Control" thinks there is going to be a terrorist attack, they tell us to go about our lives anyway.... What they should be saying

2003-02-14T11:21:00.000-05:00

You wouldn't believe the kind of stuff I get in my Inbox*: VOLUME 31 ISSUE 16 - 13 FEB 2003 Brian Stanish Doesn't Do Homework, Again WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - In a move that doesn't surprise many analysts, Brian Stanish, also known as Spry, will for the 8th day in a row, do nothing productive, including homework. "Much like all the drunks and pot heads at Purdue, Stanish continues to not do anything

2003-02-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

I want to make a film, but first I need a story to tell.

2003-02-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

I woke up really excited about life and living it. I literally jumped out of bed and ran to the shower. I was going to accomplish something wonderful today--I just knew it. Now I'm sitting at my desk at work and my options have become a great deal more limited. I'm getting kind of tired, thinking about taking a nap sometime today. Part of my brain is considering buying some donuts from Speedway

2003-02-13T19:52:00.000-05:00

Is this for real??? From my defensive driving course: Pete says, "Who is it?" and she says, "It's me Kimmy your ex-groupie lover." Pete says, "I'm not going over there, because you're going out with Bob now, and he's a better guitar player than me." Kimmy says, "Please come over Pete I have some drugs." He says, " Been there, done that!" She says, "I have some penicillin from the free clinic."

2003-02-13T14:51:00.000-05:00

I am always amazed at how much food I can buy at Meijer for so little money. And I also fear a world that is donominated not by government regulation, but the market mechanism.

2003-02-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

I am not a fan of government regulation, but here is an interesting quote by Henry Ford II: "...we wouldn't have had the kinds of safety built into automobiles that we have had unless there had been a Federal Law. We wouldn't have had the fuel economy unless there had been a Federal law, and there wouldn't have been the emission control unless there had been a Federal law."

2003-02-13T11:56:00.000-05:00

(1) If I keep sleeping through my 9am CS class, I don't think I am going to continue to get 100's on the projects... (2) I think I have a fucking virus on my computer. God damn, I guess thats what I get for using Outlook, cuz I didn't even download or open anything -- it did it all for me. For some reason my scanner isn't finding anything, but nothing works right on my computer anymore. I'm glad

2003-02-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

I've never had laryngitis before, so I'm not really sure, but I think I'm getting it. My mom gets a nasty case every spring, without fail, but it has always passed me by. I suppose it won't be too bad. I'll be able to better relate to Ariel, and ever reminded that our voice, collectively, is being taken away by overbearing authorities. God, I'm such a dork. I'm contemplating a possible illness

2003-02-12T10:30:00.000-05:00

God says it to Moses in Exodus 20:13. Moses says it to us in Deuteronomy 5:17. The Pope reminded the world of it last Christmas. And yet, the "Christians" flock to the war effort, good little soldiers supporting ruthless men with shadowed motives, their masters cloaked behind the vestments of a justice and righteousness that must be woven from a different thread than the hands of God. Are we so

2003-02-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

Tonight, the Purdue chapter of the ACLU is hosting a forum on the USA PATRIOT Act in the basement of MSEE at 7:30. I believe the room is MSEE B12, but I could be mistaken. I highly recommend attending this, especially if you have no idea what the USA PATRIOT Act is.

2003-02-11T17:58:00.000-05:00

I have seen several pro-war editorials in the Exponent lately, and wanted to comment, because though some are well aware of the process, others just don’t seem to know the proper steps for writing a pro-war editorial. The best thing someone can do to argue the pro-war agenda is call names. “un-American” is the best one. American values don’t say anything about peace, or treating people (outside

2003-02-11T17:55:00.000-05:00

You can tell which of my classes bore me the most by looking at my notebook. The formula is something like: f(x) = 1/g(x) where x <- a particular class f <- interest I maintain during a class g <- number of sketches in my notebook for a class.

2003-02-11T14:29:00.000-05:00

I told off a client today. It felt really good. My boss came to talk to me about it. I showed no remorse. It felt really good. I am strong again. My goal is to be as strong a person when I leave Indiana as I was when I arrived in '00. There's still a considerable way to go, but I'm making progress. My luck, diligence, and courage seem to be returning. Maybe eminence will be next. On a

2003-02-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

Dude, you're gettin a dimebag!

2003-02-11T10:13:00.000-05:00

Defensive driving courses are so much fun.

2003-02-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

Dont eat that worm!

2003-02-10T10:39:00.000-05:00

How many times must my bosses tell me that I got a task done way before I was expected to for me to realize that I need to work at a retards speed. That means no more than one task per 4 hour shift....how do I do it? Simple, 10 minutes of web surfing for every 5 minutes of work..... Of course, just as I finish writing this, my boss bursts into my office.....ahhh....irony....

2003-02-09T23:44:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I can barely stand to listen to that melodic beat.... I can still feel the warm summer air, I can feel the bass from the speakers, I can smell the fog and the early morning dew, I can see the sun just breaking over the horizon, and I can feel that rush in the pit of my stomach... ....If I were to guess, that is what I would say love feels like...

2003-02-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

Note to self: Try not to be in a coma when I am supposed to be at work. (Yes, this has multiple meanings.) Oh, and thank you Stan because almost every day this week I've had to walk to class with Little Mermaid songs in my head. Damn you for that.

2003-02-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

At Ladies' Night earlier this week, we had the opportunity to watch "The Little Mermaid". It was everything I could have hoped it would be, having not seen it since, like 8th grade. Ariel is no longer my senior, but everything else seemed just about as magical as I remembered it. Anyway, there's one scene, where Ariel is just entering the cave of Ursula, where she is grabbed by these green wormy

2003-02-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

Some strange dreams floating around our house lately. Or maybe we're just paying closer attention to them all of a sudden for some reason. Anyway, last night I had an "Action Movie Dream". My friend Larissa has these kinds of dreams all of the time, but mine are normally grainy black and white art films. This one starred my friend AJ, a blonde girl (who, at different points in the dream, was

2003-02-06T15:30:00.000-05:00

Dry Clean Only. I just discovered that this sweater I got over Christmas Break is "dry clean only." (well, actually its "dry clean recommended" but who in their right mind wouldnt?) My thought was how can I willingly take this one item to the dry cleaner when I simply toss all my other clothes into the washing machine in my basement? Is that just? I feel really sorry for the socks, becasue at

2003-02-06T11:37:00.000-05:00

"Isms" are viruses (sic) rooted deep within society. -from a weird dream I had last night

2003-02-06T10:13:00.000-05:00

brain cycles in circles and the evolution of revolution, creative bits broken down, tiny atoms spinning round inform bigger picture particles, articles of speculation and reflection, introspection, information taken internally, two pills at a time with a glass of wine, sip don't gulp my boy, this is real life we're tasting, real life we're wasting on normal forms devoid of brainstorm, building

2003-02-05T12:52:00.000-05:00

The concept of a Registered Trademark seems very strange to me. "See, there's this word, 'McNugget'. And I fucking own it. You can say it if you want, I guess, but if you write it down you owe me money. 'Cause it's my word." What bullshit is that? What were people thinking when they made laws about people owning words? I'd love to hear that debate. I guess I could kind of understand if it was

2003-02-05T10:03:00.000-05:00

wtf? for 17 weeks last fall i was able to get my ass out of bed for a 730 calc class every day of the week... this semester i have already missed my 930 german class two times... i am a real winner.

2003-02-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

When I don't get much sleep, I have these little "micro-dreams" in the 9 minute snoozes I take from my alarm clock. For instance, from 7:00 to 7:09, I dreamt about the name "Lex Luthor". From 7:09 to 7:18, my carpet was talking to me. 7:18 until 7:27 I felt that someone far away was watching me somehow. And so on... They're not robust enough to call full "dreams" (no plot, characters, etc.); only

2003-02-05T09:23:00.000-05:00

Roaming profile quotas are the dumbest fucking thing I have ever heard of.

2003-02-04T14:57:00.000-05:00

I need a nap.

2003-02-04T09:23:00.001-05:00

Tener es temer.

2003-02-04T09:23:00.000-05:00

Errata: Sixteen year old Russian bi-sexual schoolgirls. Sorry about that.

2003-02-03T12:45:00.000-05:00

I don't really know what to think of Tatu. Sixteen year old Russian lesbian schoolgirls. Let me say that again. Sixteen year old Russian lesbian schoolgirls. That sounds really dangerous, doesn't it? Throw in the fact that they were put together by a film director (who is now their producer) and things start to seem a little manufactured. On the other hand, their single "All the Things She Said"

2003-02-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

I spent a good deal of my weekend organizing the gear in my music studio into a more portable form. At one point, surrounded by the blinking lights, cables, and oh-so-tweakable knobs, I broke into song. I will now try to recreate that moment:Look at this stuff!Isn't it neat?Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?Wouldn't you think I'm a boy,A boy who has everything?Look at this

2003-02-02T18:54:00.000-05:00

must we quote nazis?

2003-02-02T15:53:00.000-05:00

"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. . . . All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Hermann Goering before being sentenced to death at Nuremberg

2003-01-31T15:09:00.000-05:00

Ich weiß wirklich nicht warum, aber meine Freund Chris hat mir heute Morgen angerüft. Den ganzen Zeit, hat er auf Deutsch gespracht. Ich habe viel mals ihm gefragt, "Chris, why are you doing this?" aber er hat nichts mehr darüber zu sagen. Es war wie eine Twilight Zone, vielleicht. Halp Spaß, halp Angst. Hoffentlich werden ihm Englisch der nächste mal sprachen. Und ja, ich verstehe daß ich eine

2003-01-31T13:06:00.000-05:00

f*ck german!

2003-01-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

First, we invent Government to protect us from invasion, famine, etc. Then, we invent Revolution to protect us from Government. At some point, Revolution took over Government and gave us Freedom. We used Freedom to create the Corporation. The Corporation bought Government and Revolution. Tries to sell it back to us and, when we don't buy it, sues us.

2003-01-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

Ok... one more post and then I get back to work... For those of you that missed the Superbowl, there is a website that will let you see all of the wonderful commercials. Did you think I was going to talk about the game? And courtesy of my consumer behavior professor, I let you know about the uncensored Terry Tate Reebok commercial. And by uncensored, I mean he actually says the words "mother

2003-01-31T10:13:00.000-05:00

I guess I was slow to pick up on this meme, but in case anyone else has been too, I wanted to let you know that Tucker Max has one of the funniest websites I've ever seen.

2003-01-31T10:09:00.000-05:00

Since its been brought up, I will mention that I am a member of the long-shower camp. I can't tell you how many times I have been accused of "jerkin it" in the shower. Actually in fact, my reasoning is very similar to Stanleys. Showers are relaxing. There are no cell phones, computers, or (generally) other people with you in the shower, so there is no hurry and no stress. The warm water helps

2003-01-30T13:40:00.000-05:00

I am, as you all now, a major supporter of long showers, and I have been since their inception. Unfortunatly, I do not partake in the activity, its simply a matter of personal preference, and nothing more. The only time when these long showers pester me in the slightest, is when I need to take a shower before having to be someplace, and someone is taking a long shower. I, on the other hand, can

2003-01-30T12:07:00.000-05:00

I am so not going out during the week any more.

2003-01-30T11:49:00.000-05:00

I've been informed that I take excessively long showers. This is a true statement when I am excessively tired. There's something about the hot flow of liquid all over my body that makes me not think about spending another eight hours of my life at work, and therefore not cry. I will work hard to take shorter showers from now on--many apologies to all that I have wronged this morning. But please

2003-01-29T21:15:00.000-05:00

Dear Fox News, When you're done sucking the President's dick, Tony Blair wants another turn. Thank you.

2003-01-29T16:45:00.000-05:00

Marion, Marion, I love you, and she gently moved with the flow and felt his words and kisses and feelings grow through her... She felt loved, she felt necessary. Harry felt real and substantial.

2003-01-29T10:40:00.000-05:00

Another weird dream last night. This time, I was one of many people running in a giant hamster wheel. On the ground, as it spun under me, were big squares. Each of them were labeled either "Hello!" or "Goodbye!". Some of my colleagues accidentally stepped on "Goodbye!" squares and the ground flopped open beneath them like a trap door. They fell into darkness and disappeared. The rest of us,