okobi

With all the SOPA hoopla and such going on this year (even I couldn't help but hear about it), my eye got caught by this writeup on Torrentfreak when I was linked to the site by an article about the top ten most downloaded TV shows of the year.

Apparently there have been studies by experts on how effective the steps the U.S. government proposes to take against internet piracy actually are. Here's a bit from the article itself that really interested me:

OFCOM final conclusion on DNS blocking effectiveness from a technical stance:

“For site operators and end users with a sufficient incentive to engage in circumvention DNS blocking is technically relatively straightforward to bypass,” OFCOM notes.

Another paragraph sums up their technical assessment clearly.

“Circumvention of a block is technically a relatively trivial matter irrespective of which of the techniques used. Knowledge of how site operators and end users can work around blocks is widely distributed and easily accessible on the internet.”

“It is not technically challenging and does not require a particularly high level of skill or expertise.”

So yeah, looks like SOPA's going to be yet another thing that'll take up millions of people's tax dollars but won't do much of anything in the end to those who are really determined to keep pirating on the internet (i.e. pretty much all of them).

Brilliant.

Hmm, so apparently the world is going to end tomorrow. How nice for it to wait until the end of the week.

In the past week I've discovered tokusatsu. Considering that I was really into Power Rangers when I was a kid, this does not bode well for me. Especially since the series I've been watching is Kamen Rider Den-O. Ryoutarou's actor is goddamn amazing to watch when he's possessed by his Imagin. And the suit actor for Momotaros is the best I've ever seen. His body language somehow manages to get so much across! I'm getting close to the last few episodes of the series and really, I kinda want to cry at the thought that it's going to be over. But then again, that's what the movies are for, right?

Oh, and the series also has a fifteen-minute exercise video. It's adorable! ♥

Are there AA meetings for this or something? Because I think I'm in trouble.

a + b = x

if a = self
and x = happiness
solve for b

The tricky part of the equation is that b is different for everybody, so it's not like you can cheat by peeking over at the answer sheet of the person sitting next to you. Also, b is tricky because it could be one of those equations within an equation rather than a single factor, making it harder to pin down. And there always seems to be those who breeze through the problem easily without a second thought while others struggle to finish solving it within the allotted time. I really envy the breezers. Man, I don't even know if any of this makes sense outside of my head.

But what would make me happy right this minute is to stop feeling so sick. It's not as bad as yesterday, but I was still up most of the night feeling ill. Right now moving too fast or too much is asking a lot, and just the thought of food is making my stomach roll. Hopefully sometime today I'll be able to go see the doctor. I'm really hoping this is just some food poisoning I've managed to give myself and not some sort of virus - I've missed too much school as it is.

One of the downsides of having roommates? If one of us gets a cold, we all get a cold. *sneezes*

Anyway, it seems I've got the whole place to myself for the weekend. I'm driving out to my family's for Thanksgiving dinner, but so far don't have any plans to stay the whole weekend since it's so close. It feels kinda weird to be the one who's the out-of-towner visiting home. Me and my brothers have all had our turns now, though. It makes me wonder if I'm going to end up moving back to hometown eventually too, since practically everyone else in my family's done that. It's almost like that place is a magnet - you can leave for a little while, but sooner or later you wind up back there.

Gah, rambling. I need to take more cold medicine.

Edit: Had to call my folks and cancel going to dinner tonight - medicine's not helping much. Let's just say I feel as if I'm reaching for the tissues or the toilet paper every time I turn around. Not fun. >:(

I have just discovered cookies with maple-syrup flavoured frosting. Maple. Syrup.

My life is now complete. Thank you and goodnight.

I recently tried the Italian Wedding soup at East Side Mario's, and now I'm on the hunt for a comparable recipe. I'd heard that Campbell's Soup makes a decent one, but I tried that out tonight and it tastes so bland compared to Mario's! XP

I can't put my finger on it, but it felt like something was missing. Maybe it was something in the meatballs. I know the restaurant ones had a lot more flavour. The broth had more flavour too, come to think of it. Hmm...

Looks like I'm going to be experimenting for the next bit until I find something I'm happy with. Going to that restaurant all the time just so I can have that soup would really add up after awhile.

...I wonder if they'd give me the recipe if I begged nicely enough?

I'M IN!!!!!!!!!!! XD

Of course, now I have to wait until June before I can apply for a student loan. Who made up that stupid rule anyway? It doesn't make any sense to me at all. I'm unbelievably stressed knowing that until the student loan is approved this is all just a house of cards that can tumble at any moment. Also, it takes weeks for an application to be processed, so I won't find out if I get the funding until July or August. That's going to be at most a little over a month before the course starts.

So it's all still up in the air, but it's looking a bit more solid than it did a few weeks ago. Next week's project is getting the deposit fee for the course paid and applying to the dorms!

Okay, I think I'm all prepared for my entrance test for that college course. I've been studying like mad all week because apparantly since I've been out of school for awhile they want to be sure my english and math skills are still up to snuff. :P It's been causing me a bit of stress, let me tell you. The english will be easy, no problem. Math is another thing entirely. I haven't thought about algebra in years! @_@

Man, I can't wait until this week is over. Hopefully the school won't keep me waiting too long before they tell me if I did well enough and confirm my enrollment. Once that bit's over with there's gonna be a huge weight off my shoulders.

Now I just have to make sure I wake up at 7. *checks clock*

Ah crap. So much for a decent night's sleep.

...Y'know, I think I'd like playing Blue Dragon a whole lot more if I didn't have to squint to see the freakin' text. My eyes are tired and sore after only half an hour. =_=