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Firefox 1.0 was released today. Mozilla.org is completely down, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. I downloaded my copy from
http://mozilla.ussg.indiana.edu/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/1.0/win32/en-US/

For those of you still using Internet Explorer, Firefox offers a host of features which leaves Internet Explorer feeling bloated and limited. In addition to tabbed browsing (which, although it took some time to adjust to, I now find incredibly useful), an integrated Google bar (that one can get to quickly using ctrl + e), a vastly improved page search tool and an almost foolproof popup blocker, Firefox also maintains all of the shortcuts and features present in Internet Explorer.

For example, in Internet Explorer one can get to the address bar by pressing F6, and can have the http://www. and .com added to a typed address instantly by pressing ctrl+enter. Firefox takes this a step further. Not only do these shortcuts work in Firefox, but one can also access .org and .net domains with equal ease by using ctrl+shift+enter and shift+enter, respectively.

Of the users I know (myself included) who have tried Firefox, every single person has switched. And there’s a good reason why: Firefox is just a better browser.

As I write this the Northern Lights illuminate the Bozeman sky. Awesome fails as an adequate descriptor of their overwhelming immensity and splendor. The way that they pulse and grow and flash and move– film could never do justice and I lack the words to describe. It’s been a goal of mine to see the Northern Lights while here in Bozeman, which has been more than filled to satisfaction tonight. The lights have been going for over an hour now, although they seemed to have already reached their peak. I’m overawed.

Yeah. So the egg in the upper left hand portion of my page navigation? It’s blue now. How ’bout that. You’re probably wondering why. I am too…
(not that I mind it being blue– it makes a subtle suggestion of the up-coming Blog! 3.0, but I’m a little concerned by the fact that, to my recollection, I did nothing to change the egg image)

What a pleasant day it’s been!

I was awakened this morning by Amy, telling me it was time to get up for the Quads Academic Pentathalon. I drug myself out of bed, grabbed a pop-tart and a shirt, and wandered off to join my Pentathlon group. We cleaned some house during the prelims. We had a ~2 hour break before finals, during which time I spent some time on my slackline, and then came back for finals. Finals went well, although I left before the last two groups so that I could go see the Montana Shakespeare in the Park’s stage production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was also very enjoyable. Upon arriving back at the Quad, I was informed that we won second place, which means free lunch next Thursday at the La Perilla. Whoo!

After that… I don’t remember. And then I watched Donnie Darko with Bovard, Meekyung and Andrew, which resulted in almost two hours of invigorating discussion about the plot, motifs and various other aspects of the movie. Having seen it a second time, I have so much more respect for the movie. It’s truly incredible, and Richard Kelly, who directed and wrote it, is a very intelligent man. It was good just to have conversation and debate about something– good heavens, I love my Quad and the people in it. That finished toward 1:00 (after watching all the deleted and extra scenes and half the director’s commentary), and from then till now I’ve been playing Super Smash w/ Andrew and Bovard. I’m getting better with Fox– not good yet, mind you, but better.

I’ve also found some time today to squeeze in a little work on Blog! 3.0, which I’m going back to now, as I jam out to some thumpin’ O.A.R.. This is easily the best day I’ve had in a long time. Whoo!

1. I set a new personal record tonight, running six miles in ~47 minutes (5×8.00min, 1×7.00min). Go me. I’m afraid that there’s some competitive element motivating me to do this… but even if that’s the case, so what? I’m running further than I’ve ever run before.

2. I saw The Incredibles with Ken and Josh tonight. Oh my goodness.

All I can say is that The Incredibles is another grand slam for Pixar studios. Outrageouly funny, great voice acting, animation every bit as good as is to be expected from Pixar, mild social commentary (see: malpractice lawsuits) and just an uplifting and rewarding experience that sent me from the theatre grinning from ear to ear. I’d really like to write more, but it’s 3:03AM, and I’ve been wanting to go to bed all day. The Film Threat review is well written and, in my opinion, does the film justice. I full-heartedly agree with the 4.5/5 star rating, and think I may have enjoyed The Incredibles just a little more than Finding Nemo.

3. I’m off to bed.

4.

CNN collected some very interesting statistics to go along with the election which can be found here:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html

I’m thoroughly frustrated. Here’s why:

A Cheyenne high school teacher I have a lot of respect for challenges students who use the word “progress.” He asks them “where is progress? what IS progress? show me ONE instance of progress in the world and you can use that word in my class.” As I was doing some reading for my Brit Lit II class, I came across a convincing argument for the existence of progress in John Stuart Mill’s “The Subjugation of Women.”

“For, what is the peculiar character of the modern world– the difference which chiefly distinguishes modern institutions, modern social ideas, modern life itself, from those of times long past? It is, that human beings are no longer born to their place in life, and chained down by an inexorable bond to the place they are born to, but are free to employ their faculties, and such favourable chances as offer, to achieve the lot which may appear to them most desirable.” ~ John Stuart Mill, The Subjugation of Women 1869

If you haven’t seen this yet (“Our Land,” from JibJab.com), I’d reccommend it:
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/contentPlay/shockwave.jsp?id=this_land&preplay=1&ratingBar=off

Today, being election day, was a MSU holiday, meaning no classes. I really should have capitalized on the day, but that would have involved getting up at a reasonable hour. I didn’t wake up until about 11:40AM, and then I worked from 12:00-4:00. After work I went for a run (4mi@8mins each) and talked to Elise from Quad C for a while. After dinner I brewed some coffee and met up with Jill for a while, and after being kicked out in preference to her MTA101 reading, I wandered back to my Quad, which brings me to now.

Good heavens. This whole daylight savings time thing is throwing me off. It was dark by 6:00 tonight, which seems so strange to me. It seems like just last week there was light until at least 8:00. I guess it means that winter is on its way. It’s expected to snow tonight. Speaking of daylight, the sky was beautiful tonight as the sun set. In the west it was filled as far as the eye could see with scattered clouds creating a glorious gradient of orange to pink. Seeing the sky tonight made me realize that I really miss Wyoming sunsets (see below). I imagine that the sunsets here could be breathtaking as well, but I’ve never seen one, owing to the inability to see the western horizon from anywhere on campus. I think I’ll try to find some place that I can see the sunset from here, and I’m going to make a point of seeing a sunset when I go home for Turkey day.

Well, that’s all for now. I need to go read some chemistry and do some french homework, and then I’m going to finish watching The English Patient.

Ta ta,
-Mark

Why did I even get out of bed this morning?

I just completely screwed up my Chem141 test. I severely mismanaged my time, spending way too much time on stuff I didn’t know, which in turn meant leaving stuff I DID know blank…

EDIT
At least my Brit Lit test went reasonably well (I think). There’s a good irony to that, though– I spent four times the amount of time studying for my Chem test as for my Brit Lit test.

It’s not the end of the world. I just need to rock the world of the Chem final (heh, like THAT’S going to happen!), and things will be fine. Now about raising my French grade…

I just thought I’d share the below link with the world. Although not an especially convincing or compelling article, it still managed to challenge (even if just a little) my stance on pornography. It’s worth a read, in my opinion.