I was almost too late!

It's like, an hour before the week is over. I would have missed the deadline to post the blog post! I should probably work on my punctuality with this.

Well I have nothing really to write about. But let me tell you, my room is a damn mess. I should fix this, TONIGHT. So I will once I'm done.

So sleep on this crazy thing called an AeroBed, it freaking rules. It's an air bed as you may have guessed, it sits around 20 inches of the ground and it is comfortable as heck. I came here from a waterbed, and on a traditional bed there is usually some down time getting used to a normal bed. Not this baby, it freaking rules. You can deflate and infate with an easy button, although I pretty much found the amount of air wanted on first try. It came with a cover too! It also seems to be pretty sturdy to far. We'll see in the long run! Anyway, if you ever need a cheap, portable, self-inflating bed, check these suckers out!

So ends this infomercial.

@73x

So I almost didn't go to DigiPen anymore.

For reasons incomprehensible to you and I, I almost couldn't go to DigiPen anymore. Here's what happened.

I get this email entitled, "URGENT, YOUR PLUS LOAN HAS BEEN RETURNED" on Tuesday of this week. The email informed that my PLUS loan was revoked despite having had it for more than 2 months now.

So I walked over to the Financial Aid office instead of calling and Kim King informed me that the due two something called a Guarantor (Apparently the insurance company for a loaner.) decided DigiPen students were not good enough for them and they dropped their DigiPen students. So since my loaner, Discover, didn't have any insurance on my loan, Discover took the money back from DigiPen's coffers. What the hell is that?

Fortunatelly, I never paniced. I basically had to call my Mom and have her re-apply at a different loander to get a new PLUS loan (+ stafford) and hope to God it gets approved. Since my Mom lost her job since we had the first PLUS loan, this was a larger strech then before.

Lucky me however, I can now say I'm going to DigiPen afterall.

Thanks,

Palex.

That last one, wow.

That last one was ridiculously long. I wanted it to be complete and informative without getting too complex. Unfortunately, that sacrificed length. We'll see if anyone ever reads it. So since that last one was so long, let's keep it short and sweet this time.

There are two types of music I like, progressive artsy stuff and stuff that I can listen to with my windows rolled down the highway. So yes, that would make it purely a mood thing. I would suppose that is the case with most people. I however, am not into a lot different kinds of music, I've never liked heavy music of any kind really. Big no to rap and hip-hop.

But I'm sure that comes as no surprise considering the student base here at DP.

AlSax Fro-lay

The Federal Reserve and you.

Hello friends! Ever hear of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913? I doubt it, right? Well, let me tell you, it is probably one of the most influential changes to the United States' government ever made. I suggest you read up on it.

So what did the Federal Reserve Act do?

Why it installed the Federal Reserve as the vehicle for the United States' new monetary policy of course!

What makes up the Federal Reserve and what does the Federal Reserve do?

Well, that's a BIG question Paul, let me break it down for you. The Federal Reserve is consisted of 12 private banks located in major cities around the United States, these private banks control the flow of money into the economic system. In other words, they control value of the dollar. By the Federal Reserve printing more money, the value of the Dollar goes down.

Well is this good or bad? It must have been put in for a good reason!

The short answer is, it's bad. Let me see if I can explain it easily. The Dollar (Note how it is called a Federal Reserve Note) essentially the government's credit card, and the Federal Reserve is our creditor. So, when the congress or the executive branch needs money, and the treasury can't produce it within the tax coffers, the Federal Reserve prints it. Why is that bad? Well, we haven't had any money for long time now, so we keep printing money, killing the value of the dollar. But what are we continuing to do? Why spend tons of money of course!

I don't know if you watch/read the News but, there is a lot of talk about banks, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and most recently AIG. You recall a little talk about that, yes? Well that's very important! These banks have hit their limit, they are out of money, and have nothing else they can do. They are going out of business! So what does the U.S. government do? Well the government claims that these banks are "too big to fall", so the U.S. simply buys their debt or bails them out via printing a bunch of money it has no backing for, increasing the national debt, ruining the value of the dollar, and thus the economy.

So, what is making these banks fail?

Bad loans. The banks have been loaning out money that they knew the reciever's of the loan couldn't afford. It puts the bank in debt, the loans are never payed back, and the banks in short are in big trouble. That should make sense, right?

So who's to blame?

The list goes on forever. Basically everyone, Democrats, Republicans, and largely congress over the last 90 years. This is not a new crisis either. In fact, the value of the dollar has been dropping ever since the Federal Reserve Act.

How come congress and the doesn't do anything?

Because it isn't a pretty thing to talk about, it's all caused by eachother's party and the ramifications of the eventual fall of the monetary system and the economy will all happen after they have completed their terms. Also, these days, talking of humanitarianism gets into office much faster than talking about monetary policy. I shouldn't say "these days" though, that has gone on for a long time too. I'd say it probably started around the New Deal. Something, by the way, we'll be paying for forever, Social Security was created in the New Deal and we all know the Social Security coffers are dried up and then some.

Can anything be done?

Probably not, I'm pretty apathetic about it at this point. I basically sit back and enjoy the stupid show. If you want to do something, consider joining meetups surounding this subject, and raising awareness and educating people where possible.

Anyway, just wanted to raise an issue that stems much deeper than socialized medicine and wars.

Have fun all.

Al

It's Sunday, and I don't feel like it.

It's a Sunday. I cleaned the kitchen yesterday, however vacuuming and room cleaning needs to happen today, and I don't feel like it. I'm supposed to be working right now, however the web server is down so I have no way to work even if I wanted to. So hey, I'll write this blog. Writing it takes 5 minutes, and it's moderately entertaining.

I'm not very good at Math. I knew it, and the trend continues in one the most math-centric schools I know of. Let me give you an example of my misery, I start my math homework pretty early, usually the preceding weekend to it's due date. Now, I struggle through it all the way up to the due date, and still get 3/4's the grade those who started it 1 day before it was due. Yes, I'm really not a fan of this problem. I hope during my term at this school, that goes away.

I've talked with a few students now that agree, the amenities in this school are not good, as well as the lunch prices and the pretty bad computers and network. I've seen community colleges with better stuff. However, I like moodle and wish all teachers would use it. I hate having to remember 5 different sites just to figure out what all my homework is.

Just how many of the blogs are cynical, bitchfests? Mine is slowly turning into one. And I'm even having a good day.

[Al] ex :)

DigiPen Day, I already forgot.

It's like Survivor. Bunch of students accepted into a school and studying for a great degree. No wait it's not like Survivor. Survivor sucks. School sucks though too, so I guess they have that in common.

Anyway, so it's been around a week since I started, isn't that lovely? Let's do the math:

135 days in a Semester times 8 Semesters, divided by 7 (For the days of the week) and you get 154 weeks total at DigiPen. Hey look at that, only 153 left to go. I rule. Yet I would give an inch to not be in school ever again. Sweet, measurement jokes.

Let me tell you something, writing is fun when I get to write like that. I'll talk more about that, next week.

00:50
You do want THAT don't you.

Alex

DigiPen Day 3

I have ordered from Amazon.com since I have moved to Redmond two weeks ago now. Now it came time again to order a couple of my books, Remix and Programming C: A Modern Approach, for the lovely price of too much. However, to my continuing disgust, after ordering them and after they had shipped, I realized I shipped them to my old house. Damn. So now I will likely be another 8 days or so without books, which is a bit crippling considering I'm nervous enough about going to such a difficult school.

So additionally today, I'm seeking the balance between work, school work, and hobbies. Is there one to find? Not likely, life is a teeter totter, which means it only balances two items. Right now my highest priorities are school and work, and poor school probably weighs 2 or 3 tons, and with no diet within 4 years, I realize, poor hobbies, thou must suffer.

Salex.