Judith Person of the Washington Times writes that the life expectancy disparity between men and women may be considered a "silent health crisis". "The higher risk to men is not limited to one or two conditions, but it is really across the board", says research scientist David Williams. The WashTimes article is a very interesting recap of a gender roles study that essentially explains that living life as a male is more dangerous.

Then again, Williams' two main suggestions for reducing the magnitude of this disparity has little to do with physical differences. As a sociologist, he first recommends improving education for boys so they will be less likely to pursue, for instance, a criminal lifestyle. Second, he suggests, the workplace should be made safer (which I believe will be a natural result of technological innovation anyway). My question, though, is: how will this address the sociological differences between males and females, masculinity and femininity, aggression and passivity?

Studies like this fascinate me. They're so much more useful than studies that determine what kind of toilet tissue is most comfortable to the delicate touch (because I believe there can be no generally applicable result of such a study).

Congressional Quarterly's quote of the day, by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert:

You have four or five people who I'll call the prancing ponies of the Senate that all want to be a presidential candidate or a wannabe. It's to their advantage to not help this economy and have a bad economy going into a political year.

Think about that for a moment. If the economy goes sour, it looks bad for George W. Bush, because the President always takes heat for bad things that happen, but no individual Congressman can ever be held responsible for such a thing because he operates out of a group. So, following that logic, wouldn't it make sense that Republicans really want to do everything to improve the economy while they're party label controls the White House? And wouldn't Democrats want the economy to remain stagnant at least until they can get their own candidate in office? I mean, if the economy looks bad, Bush looks bad, so the Democrats have motive to, if not hurt, then at least not help the economy right now.

So tell me one more time: why would anyone take Democrats' advice on the economy right now?

So North Korea is backing down for a considerable price. Isn't this what we said months ago? Isn't this why North Korea was never a threat in the first place? Whether they know it or not, they made it very clear that they had no intentions of actually using their nuclear weapons as anything other than psychological leverage. To actually use one as a weapon against an enemy would only erase North Korea from the map. North Korea knew that. We knew that. Why was everyone so upset about North Korea?

It doesn't matter, really. Steps are always being taken to get to the next decision, and in this case, my instincts were right -- of course, what's more important is that our President's and his administration's instincts and decisions were right, since their decisions are the ones that count.

Via Tommy:

News reports have filtered out early this morning that US forces have swooped down on an Iraqi Primary School and detained teacher Mohammed Al-Hazar. Sources indicate that, when arrested, Al-Hazar was in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, and a calculator. US President George W. Bush argued that this was, at last, clear and overwhelming proof that Iraq indeed possessed weapons of math instruction.

I should have seen that coming. As I was reading through it, I was waiting on a "fuzzy math" hook. Man, I should have seen that coming...

A light earthquake rattled northern Georgia and Alabama this morning (AJC | CNN | Fox News). How cool is that?! Measuring about 4.5-4.9 on the Richter Scale, the tremor caused minor damage (a few trees knocked over, power outages, etc.) and no casaulties are expected. (Well, I would hope not. That would be embarrassing if we couldn't sustain a 4.9 magnitude earthquake without losing lives.)

Talk about being on the ball; the Atlanta Journal-Constitution already has a regional quake history article up. Among other things, the article explains why quakes in our seismic zone are less brutal than those in California (no fun!). Apparently, our earthquakes occur deeper underground, so the attacks on the surface are a bit more subdued by the time the reverberation gets there. (I know the word "reverberation" refers to sound, but it's the same effect!)

The seismological history of the eastern seaboard of the North American continent is rather peculiar. Roughly every 500 years, experts say, an earth-shattering quake haphazardly rearranges the landscape in these here parts. One can not help but notice a severe lack of earthquakes in this part of the world since, um, Europe discovered it. If there is actually some sort of pattern to the madness of the experts' schedule, then the eastern seaboard is long overdue for a massive earthquake.

Earthquakes are sort of like tornadoes in that I'd love to experience a nasty one, but I wouldn't want anyone hurt. Doesn't it suck how all the fascinating stuff kills? Don't get any ideas, Anna.

It's just occurred to me that I know when my finals are, but I don't know which final is on what day. I know I have one out-of-class and four in-class finals, and three of the four in class are on Monday, May 5. The other is Thursday, but I don't know exactly what time or what class it's for. I suppose I should look at that.

In any case, I still have three papers to write that have nothing to do with the exams, and then five exams to take. I am expecting three A's and two B's while hoping one of those B's turns into an A. I am hoping none of my A's turns into a B. *bites fingernails*

Wish me luck. Have a good week.

UPDATE 10:45 -- Upon closer inspection, I learn that I have two finals Thursday (10:30am and 3:30pm) and two Monday (8:00am and 6:00pm). I don't know where I pulled the 1:00pm Monday exam from, but oops. I suppose this makes Monday easier to take, now that I actually get to leave campus. I was not looking forward to being here for twelve hours! Of course, you know what this means: more driving!

Only because I can't stand her, I refuse to buy her book, but I will make an effort to read Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton before the summer is out. The 576-page book is scheduled to be released on June 9. The Washington Post has a small blurb on the upcoming book if you care to know more about it. I won't link to Amazon or anything simply because I would rather that the book didn't sell. Instead, everyone should check it out from their local library -- but not the one where I work, because I think I might have the book hidden while I try to read it!

For clarification, it's not that I want Hillary Clinton's venture to fail as a result of dirty play by those who dislike her. I would never advocate direct interference in her right to free enterprise. However, I definitely wish Americans wouldn't feel compelled to buy her book, because anything that gives her more money gives her more power, and that terrifies me. She's scary enough without millions of dollars in book sales to boost her 2008 campaign...

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has shared, President of France, in an interview with the Financial Times, his opinion that "the best way to make progress is for Europe to be America's partner, not its rival". This may be interpreted as a discreet warning to French President Jacques Chirac and German Premeire Gerhard Schröder, but I wouldn't ignore the degree to which Blair aimed this comments and President George Bush as well.

Tony Blair is not your typical politician simply out to protect his own reputation, or I have not gotten that impression. He wants Europe and America to get along, and he will not simply take sides and oppose the other. He is leading Britain into a role of moderation between the world's only superpower and a developing rival Europe, two locuses of power that need to learn to live in today's world that becomes smaller every day.

I believe that the United States has just as much of its own pride to swallow as France, Germany, Russia, and others. To cooperate on the world stage does not require any of the world's nations to forego any fundamental principles of existence, unless such principles would press for violation of geolibertarian goals. The world's nations need to understand that, without a central authority to govern the world's nations, they each must respect the boundaries and values of other nations. This does not require acceptance of strange beliefs within our borders, but toleration of them elsewhere.

Is this so hard?

Ed Kowalczyk reports via Rolling Stone that Live has returned to its anthemic roots, the hard-rock sound from the Throwing Copper era. This is great news to me, as Throwing Copper is easily my favorite of all their albums so far, with Secret Samadhi running up to a close second. I am definitely looking forward to the new album, and I predict it will be the only of the four I mentioned yesterday that I will have to own as soon as it is released. (Of course, being in the record store on May 20 to buy Live's new CD likely means that I will pick up at least Staind's new album at the same time.)

David E. Rosenbaum boils the economic debate in Washington down to the stereotypes:

I would say this is oversimplified at best. These positions aren't where the parties have stood since their inception, so they are hardly an accurate measure of what makes a Republican a Republican or what makes a Democrat a Democrat. This argument only describes the fiscal differences between liberals and conservatives. Democrats like Zell Miller and Republicans like Lincoln Chafee are good examples of why the party labels don't match Rosenbaum's stereotypes.

Then there are people like me who completely agree with the so-called Republican stereotype presented here, but I completely disagree with Republicans on many social issues, especially those dealing with moral guidance. Yet I still take a lot of flak for my "conservative Republican" bias across a range of issues.

I'm distracted, and I've not exactly been excited by politics lately, or I'd write something more on this. Feel free to prod me in an email to bring out the political discourse again, if you want it. Otherwise, I'm content reporting on personal matters occasionally and, well, just waiting on school to wind up.

My last final exams are on Monday, May 5 (three in one day!), and then my three-week "summer" break begins. I'm taking three classes this summer to set up a (hopefully) relaxing fall semester. The idea is that I will get nine credit hours ahead over the summer so I can take a light load for the next year and divide my time more easily among my responsibilities at home and at school. And, of course, I wouldn't mind letting Marcy take up my leisure time... It will be a good year!

Live, Staind, and the Deftones have new albums scheduled for release on the same day, May 20. The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack is scheduled for release on May 6. Metallica's new album is (finally!) coming out on June 10. Add the summer blockbuster movies (Matrix Reloaded and Terminator 3 at the top of the list), and entertainment will not be difficult to come by this summer.

Then again, I probably won't pay near as much attention to these things as I had thought I would just weeks ago. The Matrix Reloaded will be watched repeatedly, but I have a feeling a lot of my time will be spent with Marcy, with or without the new music. I'm as excited about her as I've ever been about anyone. I don't know what else to say right now that wouldn't sound overly cheesy, so I'll stop before I really get started. I guess this is just life proving to me that good things can and do happen, and... that's all for now.

This is the first picture of me alone that I have liked even a little in a couple of years. I actually don't mind showing you all the pictures I don't like, but I'm not going to waste my web space on them. Come see me on your own time if you really care that much!

Talk about being on the ball today -- this picture was taken about six minutes ago! I had to run up from my spot on the couch, so instead of dealing with the wires to get the laptop back in my lap, I just curled up next to it. Rascal jumped up into my lap, and surprisingly he stayed there for about five minutes will Mom and I tried to get my camera to work. It finally took the picture, and the dog immediately jumped down.

This is a typical, lazy afternoon for me. Just relaxing and pretending to do homework -- I'm actually trying to get a little work done on a couple papers I have yet to write -- while generally just surfing the net and chatting with friends. The semester is nearly over, and after finally getting the worst project turned in (and I think I did a good job!), I feel like the rest of the assignments, even the big one, won't cause much stress.

Note: this is how I looked when I rolled out of bed this morning! Don't you love those nights when you're so tired that you lie down on your bed and wake up still wearing last night's clothes? I was that tired!

I realize that pasting this image here is probably a violation of some copyright law, but let's try to keep in mind that I don't have any respect for copyright laws that don't allow the free exchange of information that does not result in undeserved benefits or reduction of the originator's benefits. Thank you, and have a nice day!

Life is good, and it has shown me that wonderful things can happen to good people, even tall, skinny white boys with an odd blend of egotism and low self-esteem (apparently, I am arrogant and self-deprecating). Today will be a good day -- I have no classes, no responsibilities, but I am going to school anyway just because I can.

Speaking of school, I've decided that I should change my mailing address to the school's; I'd get any mail more quickly that way. I already practically live on campus, and for the next year I imagine that I'll be spending many, many, many of my daylight hours at school. The odd thing about this is that I don't really have any objection to it. So now that you know where I stand on that front, you may shun me as the impossible student and go about your regular business. Meanwhile, I'll actually enjoy getting things done...

I've received several emails demanding new information. Apparently, people actually read my web site, and it's highly disappointing when I leave the same old stuff up for several days without anything new. Well, I apologize, and I'm flattered that you actually care. You rock!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Since the move (April 1), I have had very little time for my usual research and analysis, so the political side of crash.neotope.com has all but been set aside. (This also has a lot to do with the war; at first, there was little to report except the same old stuff, and as I had less and less time to look for things to say, I slowed.) So, if you don't mind, the nature of my commentary has shifted from politics-heavy to, well, whatever comes out. I would expect this to be personal, maybe occasionally philosophical, and certainly political when warranted. This has been my goal here for quite some time anyway.

I've really enjoyed the last couple of weeks. After the stress of moving settled, I found myself involved in a new group at school. Rory, Diana, and Marcy became some of my best friends in a matter of days, and ... well, let's just say there's a lot more to that story that I'll be sharing later. Let's just say it has a lot to do with Rory, Marcy, and Ping Pong! Not to leave her out, Diana has been there for all of us in some interesting times of need, and she helps to keep life exciting. No one in our group is replaceable, and I'm truly having a blast right now, even despite the stress of approaching finals...

But, as I said, there's more to the story, as I've hinted at before, and I should be sharing more with you sooner than later. Enjoy your afternoon, and check out the photos page if you have not seen it recently. I added my first pictures in six months last week.

Random: Twenty-two people are online in my AIM buddy list. All twenty-two are away. Freaks.

I have decided that Ed Kowalczyk is the greatest songwriter of our generation. Proof lies in the song "Run to the Water", the lyrics of which you may view here. The entire song is brilliant, but all songs have their best parts. This song is unusual in that my favorite part includes about five verses in the middle, which I've shamelessly copied here:

"Burnt to the core but not broken" essentially sums up what I all but try to put myself through in order to accomplish my goals and live my life the way I believe it should be lived. I say this with an asterisk, because although I like to think that I'm willing to put myself through hell in order to accomplish, I also enjoy every moment of life (which some people find to be highly unusual), so the suffering is somewhat limited.

Still, I get burned often. I have been told that I am too nice for my own good. I trust people implictly with personal items and information; I give them the benefit of the doubt and essentially give them the freedom to lose that trust if that is their choice. I absolutely refuse to operate on the assumption that trust must be earned because that, to me, suggests that I would not be able to trust myself in a similar situation. I like to think of myself as a trustworthy person, and I believe that requires me to be a trusting person.

Of course, being "burned to the core" may have little to do with a violation of trust. Often it I get burned simply because my abilities are not what I or someone else expected them to be, or I simply make mistakes (or I simply don't come through). I always have my own reasons for these things, and perhaps it is arrogant to assume that my reasons should be good enough for you simply because they're good enough for me -- but you have to understand that that goes both ways. Any reason you give me is good enough for me as long as it is good enough for you. We treat the word "excuse" as though it is a dirty word, when we make excuses for the simplest of things every day. As long as those excuses are legitimate, which is often entirely subjective, they are good enough for me. To the degree that they are subjective, I only ask, who am I to question your legitimacy in making your own decisions?

I will end the diatribe here, but let's not forget that Ed Kowalczyk is one of the greatest songwriters of our generation (and the best in my opinion). Some of his other works include "Lightning Crashes", "White, Discussion", "When Dolphins Cry"... and there's so much more. Every few months I pick up a Live CD again and go on a binge, listening to everything they've done for a few weeks straight, reminding myself again and again that they are one of the greatest bands I've known. If you've never considered them, perhaps you should!

Oh. Your. God. Too true.

A lot has been happening lately, but most of it is either not interesting enough to write about, or it's too interesting (read: premature) to write about. (I don't suppose it's difficult to figure out what I mean by that...)

So today my plan is to leave work around 2:00, play baseball hopefully from 2:30 until about 5:30, and then head home to get cleaned up and go to school for a music festival of some kind. I have heard it advertised in many ways, so I honestly have no idea what it's for, but I know that Marcy is singing and I said I would be there.

Otherwise, the word of the day, every day, is school! Research and projects and homework in general rule the day, unless I choose to ignore it, in which case it still dominates my guilt-ridden conscience as I procrastinate.

Postscript: Would anyone like to send me a compressed/zipped copy of a web site they built in Frontpage for a web design class? Odd request for a web designer, yes? It's not that I can't do it, but I absolutely refuse to install Frontpage onto my computer unless I absolutely have to, and I absolutely hope I don't have to. But the situation is dire, and my frustration is gathering as it becomes more and more likely that I will have to install that silly program onto my computer. Please don't make me do it...

Life has taken a turn for the better, so it seems. Sure, hell-week at school is upon me, but that's only a week! I can get through a few more days of research and exhausting, pointless work for decent grades and an exciting finish to a mostly smooth semester. And then that's over, and I am free for three weeks!

I spoke at a "Support Our Troops" rally at school today. I was very spontaneous. The Republican organization on campus organized the rally, and the President and Vice President of both the College Republicans and Young Democrats spoke, as well as a Colonel Bramson (excellent speech), before they turned the mic over to anyone who had anything to add. Naturally, no one moved immediately, so I did something I had never done before -- I moved toward the mic to speak to a crowd of people.

My message was succinct: my brother has joined the Marines, and while he may not take part in the fighting any time soon, there is no telling how long the situation in Iraq will keep our troops there, or what our Marines may be required to do next. Also, I emphasized that it was very important that those of us who do support the Bush administration should open our minds to those who do not and focus on rational, substantive debate with those who do not, because even though we do not agree with them, it is precisely their controversial speech, among other things, that our troops have fought to protect and are fighting to deliver to others.

The crowd seemed to like it, and I sat down. I shrugged my shoulders, said a couple of thank-yous to people who seemed to like what I said, and tried to resume my out-of-the-spotlight position. I don't know how well that can work as President of the Student Government. Hmm.

And, of course, then there's girl stuff. But you wouldn't want to know about any of that. ;-)

I don't think I've skipped updating my web site for two consecutive days, not counting vacations, in a couple of years. I don't really have any excuse for it, either -- or no good one. Friday night, I met Anna at Barnes & Noble, and we just hung out for a few. I don't know why just walking around and discussing my "issues" with her entertains me as much as it does, but it does so I try to do it as much as is feasible -- which, unfortunately, isn't nearly often enough. Can the semester be over now?

Ah, school. I expect A's in Macroeconomics, International Relations, and World Literature. I was surprised last semester with a B in Comparative Politics, and Dr. Decker's International Relations class is taught in exactly the same way, so I could be surprised with another B. On the other hand, I don't know what to expect from my two IT classes, which is less impressive when I remind myself that I am an IT major. I am hoping for a B in the networking applications course, and I am actually wondering if my performance in the Human Interface Design course (a tragic waste of time) is so poor that I might not pass it (which would be even more tragic). I really need to get the ball rolling with that class for the final two weeks. Any prayers from you that might guide my work ethic in the right direction would be most appreciated.

Speaking of school, hilarity ensues: I find it amusing that once again I have friends who are so sure that I am pursuing a particular girl that they accuse me of being unaware of my own emotions when I tell them that I simply enjoy the conversation. Sure, she's a beautiful girl, and she's intelligent, very talented, and she and I get along very well considering I've only known her for, oh, three weeks now. But, really, I've just found a temporary niche at school. I know myself very well, and I know that I will probably keep to myself and my academic and career goals for the summer to better prepare myself for my senior year. It's not that she isn't good enough or that I'm not good enough; it's just that I'm not going after her. (Believe me, you'd know if I were.) Besides, I've kinda got my eye on someone else right now. She probably knows, but she won't acknowledge it. ;-) Story of my life...

Finally, for the sake of those who would otherwise be unaware, the new 2:30 trailer of The Matrix Reloaded is available for download. You'll need Quicktime to play the video file. I don't recommend the ultra-hi-resolution (1000x540!) file unless you have a reasonably powerful computer (at least 1 GHz processor and 256 MB RAM). Also, you will need a ZIP utility to extract the compressed file from the ZIP archive. I recommend WinZip, but there are other capable utilities.

I will likely spend the next month studying The Matrix in preparation for the new movie. Hopefully, school won't get in the way too much, and I'll kick ass on all my final projects and papers. I really need to get to work on those.

Congress has narrowly approved the largest budget in America's history. If people are making the money, then it has to be spent on something, but I am confident that several millions of the $2.27 billion budget are wasted on useless things. Still, after the budget deficit peaks next year, Congress predicts that deficits will decrease steadily through 2012 (they only look forward ten years), leading to a small surplus in 2012. What will the balance-the-budget mob have to say to that? Well, it's all too predictable, so I'll stay out of it.

I will say, though, that despite abhorring the thought of the government spending that much money, the alternative (cutting a few programs to pay down the debt and such) would slow inflation even more (and perhaps cause deflation), cut jobs, and severely damage the economy. As much as it pains me to say this, it looks like our gargantuan budget is what we need right now, and it looks like it won't be getting any smaller.

I've found my niche at school. I've made several new friends, and they all seem to enjoy my wacky humor, and I enjoy theirs. We have great conversations on a daily basis and we play around and make fun of each other well. Oddly, several of them went to my high school, but none of us really know each other. That's okay though.

I'm tired tonight, and I have some European Union thing to go to tomorrow.

Not every Republican favored the PATRIOT Act, and not nearly every Democrat opposed it. In the House, the vote was 337-79 (Republicans 207-3 and Democrats 129-75). In the Senate, the vote was 96-1 (one Democrat voted Nay, and three Republicans did not vote).

Left or Right or Wrong, it doesn't matter. So Republicans ultimately favore life over liberty, and Democrats ultimately favor liberty over life -- this is an oversimplified generalization given the comments I've read here so far. Neither preference is more (or less) admirable than the other, and the constant bickering between the two sides is exactly what our system of government is designed to facilitate.

The result is a continuous national awareness of threats to both our lives and liberties, and therefore the best possible protection of either given assaults on the other. Sure, the balance fluctuates, but it is exactly that flucuation that keeps us aware of our political discontents. Isn't this exactly what we want?

In case you're wondering, and I am sure that at least some one is, I have not been following the war much in recent days. I catch a news blurb on CNN at random times throughout the day at school and Fox News (channel surfing) before bed, but otherwise I have been preoccupied, to say the least. I have been busy at home since the move, and while that has lightened quite a bit, it has only allowed me to start catching up with school a little at a time.

With the semester coming to a close in about four weeks, the web site might have a very slow month. And, in saying that, I mean that I won't be investigating the web for stuff to talk about, but I'll be talking about me! -- which, I have gathered, is what most of you would prefer to read anyway.

In the meantime, I'll keep jamming out to Evanescence and Linkin Park and showing up about ten minutes late to work and thirty minutes early for class. How 'bout them priorities?

Funny anecdote: last night I got to sleep shortly after 11:00, which meant I was going to get about nine hours of sleep. Well I didn't quite make it to nine, because mom came in half-laughing-but-wanting-to-be-screaming because her car had gotten stuck on the side of the driveway -- her front, passenger-side tire was held in place by a wall of mud on either side. (I still don't see how she manages to get off the driveway so easily, but her point -- that we should stay on the driveway -- is well received!) So, anyway, I jumped out of bed at dark-thirty to help push her car out of the mud. Fun stuff!

And Monday night was a blast. I need to get out like that more often (hint, hint). Of all the things I learned that night, the one that sticks with me most is that I "have issues". Yes, yes I do. At least I'm not schizophrenic (I don't think), although I do talk to myself parenthetically quite a bit...

My laptop was finally delivered just as I was leaving work this morning. I rushed to show it to everyone, and then I packed it away into its carrying case, which I then stuffed neatly into my new backpack. I have only played with it a little, and I don't plan to play with it much tonight except to install necessary things for tomorrow (like Microsoft Office so I can take notes) -- I have more important things to do tonight. (You can probably guess that anything worth taking me away from a brand new laptop ranks highly. *wink*)

But wait, there's more. About an hour after receiving my laptop, a friendly staffperson at Macon State College informed my cohort (Clarissa) and I that we should check our email. Judging by the smirk on his face, we more or less knew what the email was going to say, and we were right: Congratulations!

If you're wondering, the surprise that I was blabbing about all week is that I will be President of MSC's Student Government Association for the 2003-04 school year, and my good friend Clarissa will be Vice President. What makes this so amazing is that we both entered the "race" right at entry deadline (Thursday late afternoon); she made fliers for us over the weekend; they went up on Monday; and the election was Tuesday and Wednesday. In recent years, attention to SGA elections has yielded about 10-20 votes total. This year, I'm told there were dozens if not hundreds. I would like to think that it's because I actively went out and talked to people about it and suggested that they get involved.

Enough from me. It's been a great day, and it can only get better from here!

We are moved in, the cable problem is almost fixed (Internet is on and off), and chaos reigns supreme -- that is to say, my room is the last to get situated because I am responsible for setting up the electronics. Sure, there are other heavy things, but it's mostly the electonics that take the time.

The laptop is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, and I would be highly disappointed if it were a day or more late, but as long as it arrives in pristine order (to quote John Cleese), I'll be okay.

That's enough from me. With the computer in Jenny's room for the next three months (we downsized from four to three bedrooms, and the computer wouldn't fit in my room!), I can't always stay online until the middle of the night. Of course, we can just as easily switch rooms occasionally. But those are stories for another day...

The computer is going up! Our Internet service should be switched over to the new house some time today. Every thing else is in its place. I need to find the cable modem, though. (Crap! What did mom do with that?)

I have worked nearly nonstop for the last two days to move out of one house, into another, turn in my biggest paper of the semester, and earn that surprise I keep telling everyone about. (Curiosity can be a bitch, I know, but learning to withstand it can be a strength. I'm helping you! And annoying you. Unless you just don't care, as most of you don't.)

The most amazing thing is that after two straight days of lifting very heavy objects and getting very little sleep, I finally slept well last night and I'm not sore or in pain anywhere at all. How is this possible? I'm just a skinny white boy! I'm not built for such grueling exercise, yet I have taken it amazingly well! It confuses me...

Finally, the laptop is almost here. It made it to Atlanta today, and I would assume that it might make it to Macon by tonight. It is possible that I will get it tomorrow, though I keep my expectations on Monday just so I don't disappoint myself.

The computer is going down! Many things are already at the new house. The movers will get here for all the big stuff shortly. I don't believe we will have Internet access in the new house until at least some time tomorrow, but that gives my surprise plenty of time to come through.

I'm tired, dirty, and not really awake yet. Yea!

The old laptop finally pooped out for the last time this morning. I am grateful that after its initial poop-out, I was able to get it to turn on one more time and get vital files onto floppy disks, including my huge paper that I've been working on for the last week that's due on Thursday. I put those files on two floppies just in case vital files land on bad sectors; that's happened to me a lot lately. It was a good laptop: an AMS Tech Roadster 15CTA with an AMD K6-2 300 MHz processor, 32 MB of RAM, and a 3.1 GB hard drive on a 12-inch, seven-pound frame (full specs available via link).

In October 1998, PC World used the AMS Tech Roadster 15CTA to compare its performance with an AMD processor to a similar laptop with a Pentium II processor. While much of the information is severely outdated, some of it withstands the test of time. And while four-and-a-half years isn't much to you and me, that's a long, healthy life for a laptop! From that comparative review (all emphasis is mine):

It's logical to expect a 300-MHz processor to go toe-to-toe with another 300-MHz processor, but it doesn't always work that way in the real world. Granted, we see desktop K6-2-300s performing much like Pentium II-300s, but you can't make a direct comparison between a processor that's optimized for use in a mobile system with one that's designed for use in a desktop. AMD's Tom Kehoe says, "You're not benchmarking the CPU, but the system as a whole..."

While these statements are quite old, and it is impractical to compare 300 MHz processors when 3 GHz processors are becoming mainstream, the same logic still applies. If this is all you learn from the passage of this laptop into oblivion, then you've learned something valuable.

When I acquired the laptop, it was already nearly dead, and AMS Tech had gone belly-up. The warranty was still applicable, but I was not the original owner, nor did I have the money to fix the laptop. Just beginning my studenthood as an IT major at Macon State College, I decided to use the worn machine to test my skills. I revived it as best I could -- for over two years its screen would never turn off, whiting out instead and draining battery power on shut down. The CD-ROM drive died within nine months, leaving me severely limited options should I have had problems. That Windows 98 and Office 2000 survived on this laptop for about two years without bugs and without virii without a CD-ROM drive is truly amazing. Perhaps, also, it's a testament to my ability to run a Windows 98 computer reasonably well -- that is no easy task!

So often we speak of death as untimely, but we rarely stop to think that death probably occurs precisely when it means to. I consider this now because it seems that this laptop has taken its final bow at the least devastating of times -- it has been struggling all semester, and I ordered a brand new laptop in mid-March. Just this morning, I received word that it had left California and should arrive on this side of the country tonight. I estimate that I will receive the laptop by Friday or Saturday, but perhaps as late as Monday. The only significant setback to this is that I must rely on this computer, work computers, and school computers to complete my huge International Relations paper, and I will be without a laptop for class for the rest of the week. I will look at the bright side, though: that's ten pounds (including laptop bag and accessories) that I don't have to carry on my back!

In closing, I must give thanks where it is due. The AMS Tech laptop was a gift from a very close friend of mine, who did not have to give it to me when it began to fade out some two years ago. It has contributed significantly to making my college life easier. Tony, I offer you all the thanks in the world for the laptop. Thank you for giving me the chance to make it work again, and thanks especially for letting me keep it once it got going!

Because I will necessarily be incredibly busy for the rest of this week, I am not going to update much until I get the new laptop. I will hopefully have some very surprising, very good news for you on Thursday or Friday. Of course, the news has nothing to do with you, but you might be happy for me. If nothing else, you'll give me an imaginary pat on the back for a nice try. Come back Thursday (or Friday) and you'll see. (Hint: it's a personal thing, not a web-site-design thing.)

Other than that, my updates will be restricted to updates on the delivery status of my laptop: