Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Well, the first week of classes have come and... are still not done yet. The end of the quarter is still so far away! I'm taking three classes this quarter and working 22 hours a week (to start, I'll cut back when classes get really time-intensive). You're all going to look at me funny when I say this, but Database Systems is going to be really cool. I know, that's weird to say, a week ago, I didn't understand how anyone could think databases were interesting at all. But then, after the first lecture, and the prof being cool, I realized I already like databases - I've been so impressed and loved Xml from the start. And now SQL (sea-kwel) is looking cool too. Also taking what I thought was going to be Assembly, but turns out is Machine Organization. A bit disapointing. I was looking forward to getting down and dirty and writing an AI Solitaire player and game like my mom did back in college. (Well, maybe I wouldn't have done that much, but still.) And of course, I have to take Physics 122 - Electricity and Magnetism. This is going to be an awful class and make me hate the quater. I know enough of this that it's going to be really boring and I'll second guess everything I do, but don't know enough to make it a really easy 4.0, so I'm screwed. I need to find out if I can and should take it for credit / no credit or something like that.
Went with Nick to Best Buy yesturday. Did you know that BestBuy.com has completely independant prices, and inventory, of the store? I wanted to buy Keane's cd, since it was only $6.99 online, so I went to the store to get it, and they had it there for $9.99. Now, normally I would have bought a good cd for $9.99. But not when I can get it online for three bucks less! That's 30% less! Unfortunately, with shipping (since when did BestBuy.com charge shipping?) it was about the same, which, of course, I find out when I get back home after not buying the CD. I also wanted to buy a DVD player (which plays DivX, reportedly), but that was apparently only sold at the online store. So I bought it from Amazon instead. Besides, Amazon has Return of the King for only $23. Yay for christmas money. I'm kinda regretting not buying Rise of Nations while I was at the store. Hum....
On the way back from Best Buy, Nick and I had an interesting conversation. He kept trying to advocate more, stronger government, and higher taxes for the rich. Sigh. Anyway, the argument ended up boiling down to me having a sandwich which could save the life of the starving man right next to me. As we were discussing this, and I was saying this man had no right to this sandwich, another bus patron turned to me and said, "The pharmacutical companies have drugs which can save the lives of a lot of homeless people. Don't you think they have a right to those drugs?" To which I answered a firm "No." <surprised> "Then you can keep your sandwich." I am still surprised at the quickness to which people jump to these conclusions. The pharmacuticals are the perfect example for this debate. "It's so obvious, you're saving people." Am I? The pharmacutical companies only exist because these people don't have a right to their drugs. Think about it. How would these companies exist if they just gave all their research, time, and investment away for free? Perhaps they would be supported by the government? But how does the government pay them when they can't tax these now income-less businesses and individuals? In fact, now it is paying not just for the drugs, but for the development, so it's taking an even bigger hit. And no, taxing others to death does not solve this dilema, nor make it right.
"And he decieves himself who believes that with the great, recent benefits, cause old wrongs to be forgotten." - Machiavelli, The Prince
Went with Nick to Best Buy yesturday. Did you know that BestBuy.com has completely independant prices, and inventory, of the store? I wanted to buy Keane's cd, since it was only $6.99 online, so I went to the store to get it, and they had it there for $9.99. Now, normally I would have bought a good cd for $9.99. But not when I can get it online for three bucks less! That's 30% less! Unfortunately, with shipping (since when did BestBuy.com charge shipping?) it was about the same, which, of course, I find out when I get back home after not buying the CD. I also wanted to buy a DVD player (which plays DivX, reportedly), but that was apparently only sold at the online store. So I bought it from Amazon instead. Besides, Amazon has Return of the King for only $23. Yay for christmas money. I'm kinda regretting not buying Rise of Nations while I was at the store. Hum....
On the way back from Best Buy, Nick and I had an interesting conversation. He kept trying to advocate more, stronger government, and higher taxes for the rich. Sigh. Anyway, the argument ended up boiling down to me having a sandwich which could save the life of the starving man right next to me. As we were discussing this, and I was saying this man had no right to this sandwich, another bus patron turned to me and said, "The pharmacutical companies have drugs which can save the lives of a lot of homeless people. Don't you think they have a right to those drugs?" To which I answered a firm "No." <surprised> "Then you can keep your sandwich." I am still surprised at the quickness to which people jump to these conclusions. The pharmacuticals are the perfect example for this debate. "It's so obvious, you're saving people." Am I? The pharmacutical companies only exist because these people don't have a right to their drugs. Think about it. How would these companies exist if they just gave all their research, time, and investment away for free? Perhaps they would be supported by the government? But how does the government pay them when they can't tax these now income-less businesses and individuals? In fact, now it is paying not just for the drugs, but for the development, so it's taking an even bigger hit. And no, taxing others to death does not solve this dilema, nor make it right.
"And he decieves himself who believes that with the great, recent benefits, cause old wrongs to be forgotten." - Machiavelli, The Prince
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