Haircuts....

Women all around have been getting haircuts! Not just a simple trim with a nice layered finish, but chopping it off, mutilating their scalp and removing all resemblance of femininity.

I love long hair and a little part of me dies whenever I see a woman with beautiful long hair cutting it short. I am all for women's rights, independence, and breaking stereotypes, but I am old fashioned when it comes to hair. I know I have no right to ask, it's none of my damn business, and I should get over my issues, but please please please (with a cherry on top) keep your hair.

I guess this would be a good time to apologize and try avoid all those dirty looks from my female friends. I still love you, please don't hate me. I'm a chauvinistic a-hole when it comes to this, but just remember how great I am whenever you feel bad/sad. =)

Lyrics: Campus - Vampire Weekend

I wake up
My shoulder's cold
I've got to leave here
Before I go
I pull my shirt on
Walk out the door
Drag my feet along the floor
I pull my shirt on
Walk out the door
Drag my feet along the floor

Then I see you
You're walking cross the campus
Cruel professor
Studying romances
How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again?
How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again?

SOURCE

Hulu Test ...

A while ago I told Andy about a hilarious Chris Rock SNL clip that I saw. Of course, when I went to search for it online I could not find it. Today I just happen to come across it again and I decided to post it and test out the Hulu imbed code. According to Chris Rock we will never have a black vice-president, but let's hope we can have a black president. Enjoy!

Failed Prank...

Today I must bow my head in shame for I cannot even do a simple computer April Fool's prank. I tried to hack a co-workers computer to display the image below when ever she tried to access her favorite sites. Sadly I misconfigured the computer and nothing happened. I have failed my Caltech brethren and their long history of pranks. I shall keep the picture below as a cruel reminder of my noob status.

Saving the World Is Not the Court's Job...

One of my Caltech classmates posted a story on her Facebook about a man who is suing to stop a physics experiment. He thinks a giant particle accelerator that will begin smashing protons together outside Geneva this summer might produce a black hole or something else that will spell the end of the Earth — and maybe the universe.The lawsuit, filed March 21 in Federal District Court, in Honolulu, seeks a temporary restraining order prohibiting CERN from proceeding with the accelerator until it has produced a safety report and an environmental assessment. Federal agencies (like the Department of Energy) are also named as defendants since they provide funds for the project. Read the full article HERE.

While my former classmate and fellow Techers focused on the scientific aspects of the story (whether or not a a world-destroying black hole is possible) I want to focus on the legal aspects of the case.

Since the case was filed in a federal court the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure apply. From a legal point of view this case is interesting. The article mentioned all sorts of jurisdictional problems. In addition to this there seems to be a failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Under FRCP 12(b)(6), a defendant may get a case dismissed if the law suit does not allege a wrong doing which the court has the power/authority to correct. Courts are reluctant to tell another branch of government how to spend money unless there is some sort of violation of rights (statutory or constitutional). While I have not seen the original complaint, I find it hard to believe that the plaintiff could claim that his rights are violated since no direct government action is involved here. The suit does allege violation to the National Environmental Policy Act which requires an environmental impact report to be filed with the EPA, but since CERN is a european entity on foreign soil this law does not seem to apply. Basically under this theory the court might say that even assuming that he is right about the end of the world, they don't have the authority to stop it.

Also this guy might not have standing. It has been long held that simply being a taxpayer does not give you standing to bring a lawsuit over what the government does with your money. Just like you can't sue the government for injunctive relief to stop making tanks because you pay taxes and oppose war, you can't sue the government to stop them from destroying the earth simply because you are taxpayer and like earth.

The court might also just punk out and say that the entire thing is non-justiciable, so they can't get involved. The court might argue that it's the job of congress to stop world destruction and not the courts. Because of this, separation of powers does not allow the court to make policy decision involved in such a case. Isn't law fun?

Rankings ...

I'm writing this at the request of Margarita.

Law school rankings recently came out and there seems to be a buzz around the interwebs about this. People I know are upset over their decrease in rank, and I am sure that some other people are happy over their increase.

Honestly,who cares?

Sadly, the obvious answer is: many people. Rankings are a way for people to pass judgement on others, a popularity contest. While there are attempts to standardize rankings, in the end a large portion of a final rank is based on prestige and reputation, something that is purely based on other's opinion. Rankings will never be scientific and are therefore meaningless.

Back at Caltech we ranked the pre-frosh, hell, we even ranked the women (shhhh, don't tell anyone). Sure we had fancy formulas and equations to average voting, but in the end it was based on who we thought was better, something that was purely subjective. Rankings suck, and are meaningless.

Would I be saying this if I was attending a top ranked school? Of course not. Not because I would agree with rankings, but because I would not care since I would be happy to enjoy the benefits of a high rank. I already have a degree from an elite school so I can care less about rankings from any other schools I attend. Unfortunately, not many people are as lucky as me. But in the end, we must realize that these rankings mean nothing. This is a psedo scientific popularity contest. So don't cry or jump for joy when you see your school rank. Rankings are not a true a true reflection of the quality of education you will receive. While useful for employment, this is only because employers are willing to buy into the ranking hype.

I'll end with a quote from a joint letter signed by law school deans around the nation.

"Rankings generate huge hype, which is far more likely to serve the publisher's purpose than the readers'…. Applicants need help in widening their knowledge of schools that may be right for them, not narrowing their choices according to a ranking system."

-LSAC

Never Mind ....

It seems that the LA Times got scammed by some guy in prison.

Last week I posted about an alleged conspiracy to shoot and kill Tupac Shakur. The Smoking Gun recently released a story that describes how some white guy behind bars was able to fabricate the entire conspiracy described in the LA Times article by forging internal FBI documents. He made up the entire story and tried to make himself look important by casting himself as a lead player in the entire ordeal.

So, never mind about that conspiracy I posted about earlier. I guess this reflects my own bias. I have always believed that P. Diddy had something to do with Tupac's death, and I was ready to believe this hoax. I should always try to maintain a critical mind about everything I read, even if from reliable sources. This will also teach me not to rely on opinions created when I was 12.

Techdirt used this opportunity to comment on previous criticism mainstream journalism had against online journalism. Print media has previously claimed that online publishers are suckered too easily into fake stories and that the public should therefore only trust traditional media. Whoops.

The LA Times has also posted a retraction and apology.

The Smoking Gun via Techdirt