The Excogitator's New Writeupshttp://everything2.com/?node=New%20Writeups%20Atom%20Feed&foruser=The Excogitator2010-02-01T13:29:31ZNavigating a crowd (how-to)http://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator/writeups/Navigating+a+crowdThe Excogitatorhttp://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator2010-02-01T13:29:31Z2010-02-01T13:29:31ZMaybe you're just starting highschool and you're overwhelmed by the sheer number of people standing in the middle of the hallways, some talking to friends, some trying to get to class before the bell rings. <br>
Perhaps you're a little older and you just moved to a new apartment, and that apartment just so happens to be in <a href="/title/New+York">New York</a>, <a href="/title/San+Francisco">San Fran</a>, <a href="/title/Chicago">Chicago</a>, or some other huge bustling city. <br>
Or it could be that you've just arrived at a <a href="/title/death+metal+concert">death metal concert</a>, and you want to find your friends without having to take a detour to the nearest <a href="/title/Emergency+Room">ER</a>.
<br><p>
Whatever the situation may be, this guide aims to help, well, guide you through those impossibly dense swarms of <a href="/title/students">students</a>, <a href="/title/civilians">civilians</a>, <a href="/title/headbangers">headbangers</a>, or whomever. It can be pretty difficult getting through a crowd that wants to go the opposite way, arguably analogous to <a href="/title/a+salmon+swimming+upstream">a salmon swimming upstream</a> to mate (although most of us don't have such a reward at our destinations). Hell, in some cases, it might just be better to<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…Pillow Fortress (how-to)http://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator/writeups/Pillow+FortressThe Excogitatorhttp://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator2009-09-06T03:59:27Z2009-09-06T03:59:27ZI know I wasn't the only one, as <a href="/title/a+kid+with+nothing+to+do">a kid with nothing to do</a>, to construct elaborate fortresses of pillows, blankets, and couch cushions to fight a war with my dad or a couple friends. Much to the annoyance of my mother, I would make cushion strongholds that took up the whole living room, and sometimes spilling over into the hallway, bedrooms, and kitchen. I'd roll up all my socks and throw them like <a href="/title/make-believe+grenades">make-believe grenades</a>, causing my friends to hastily retreat into their flimsy bunkers. So it is on that note that I shall attempt to make a guide to building one of these fluffy fortifications so that you may share in the <a href="/title/bittersweet+nostalgic+memories">bittersweet nostalgic memories</a> of pelting your children with rolled up socks.
<p>
<br>
What you need:
<ul>
<li>All the pillows, cushions, and blankets in the house.</li>
<li>Ammo, of course. Roll up lots and lots of socks. Check those dryers and dig deep into the abyss of your sock drawer. </li>
<li>Time. It can take some time to make these things. I suggest making one on a lazy<!-- close unclosed tag --></li><!-- close unclosed tag --></ul><!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…August 16, 2009 (personal)http://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator/writeups/August+16%252C+2009The Excogitatorhttp://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator2009-08-16T00:47:09Z2009-08-16T00:47:09ZI've been feeling kind of existential lately, so I've been thinking about things like my future, my relationship with my girlfriend, going to a new school in my junior year, and other potentially frightening things. While doing so, I thought I'd make a quick list of things I should do to live life to the fullest. On that note, I hereby present the aforementioned list: <p>
<p align="center"><a href="/title/Bucket+list">Things To Do Before I Die</a></p>
<hr>
<p align="center"><small>(In no specific order)</small></p>
<ul>
<li>Shower in a waterfall</li>
<li>Learn Spanish fluently</li>
<small><small>And a programming language</small></small>
<li>Write and publish a book</li>
<li><s>Lose virginity to someone I love very deeply</s></li>
<li>Go snowboarding (and survive)</li>
<li>Climb <a href="/title/Everest">Everest</a></li>
<li>Have a son and/or a daughter, and raise them to be respectable people</li>
<li>Marry a beautiful woman <a href="/title/for+free">who loves me for me</a> and make her <a href="/title/As+happy+as+possible">happy</a></li>
<li>Kiss said woman<!-- close unclosed tag --></li><!-- close unclosed tag --></ul><!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…Motorola Stereo Bluetooth Headphones HT820 (review)http://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator/writeups/Motorola+Stereo+Bluetooth+Headphones+HT820The Excogitatorhttp://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator2009-07-25T23:22:16Z2009-07-25T23:22:16Z<br><b>Battery Life:</b>
<ul>
<li>Stereo music listening time: 12 hours</li>
<li>Phone talk time: 15-17 hours</li>
<li>Standby Time: 400-500 hours</li></ul>
<p><b>Weight: </b>100g </p>
<p><b>Dimensions:</b> 165mm x 165mm x 63.5mm</p>
<p><b>Supported <a href="/title/Bluetooth">Bluetooth</a> Profiles (v1.2):</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (<a href="/title/A2DP">A2DP</a>) </li>
<li>Audio Video Remote Control Profile (<a href="/title/AVRCP">AVRCP</a>)</li></ul>
<br>
<p>
<blockquote>
“The lightweight, <a href="/title/ergonomic">ergonomic</a> Motorola HT820 provides premium communication and music connectivity with minimized <a href="/title/background+noise">background noise</a> and reliable battery power. Complete with a <a href="/title/3.5mm+headset+jack">3.5mm headset jack</a> and accessory cable, the headset is compatible with non-Bluetooth devices for universal music enjoyment."<p align="right">-Product Manufacturer's Description<!-- close mismatched tag --></p></blockquote></p><br><p>
<p><b>Features:</b><p>
<ul>
<li>Pause, skip forward, skip backward buttons on the right side(the "M"/pause button becomes an "Ignore call" button when taking a call, and<!-- close unclosed tag --></li><!-- close unclosed tag --></ul><!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…the view from above the clouds... (event)http://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator/writeups/the+view+from+above+the+clouds...The Excogitatorhttp://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator2009-07-06T02:59:29Z2009-07-06T02:59:29Z<p align="center">...Or</p><p align="center"><b>Why I do my sightseeing at 35,000 feet</b></p><p><br>
The view from above the <a href="/title/clouds">clouds</a> is amazingly beautiful. It’s like looking up at a <a href="/title/mountain">mountain</a>, or looking at the <a href="/title/stars">stars</a> in the sky at night; it reminds you of how small and insignificant you are in the <a href="/title/Grand+Scheme+of+Things">Grand Scheme of Things</a> when weighed against the overwhelming size of a mountain like Mt. St. Helens or <a href="/title/the+never-ending+clusters+of+luminous+gas+in+the+night+sky">the never-ending clusters of luminous gas in the night sky</a>. <p><br>
During the day, the clouds can look almost like <a href="/title/snow">snow</a>, but somehow much more stunning. They can be in wisps, strings, clusters, sheets, or pretty much anything else imaginable. It’s quite <a href="/title/breathtaking">breathtaking</a> the first time you fly in a <a href="/title/plane">plane</a>, and you <a href="/title/pierce">pierce</a> through a <a href="/title/bank+of+clouds">bank of clouds</a>. Everything you see turns blindingly white and the water vapor of the clouds forms <a href="/title/water+droplets">water droplets</a> that speed across your <a href="/title/All+4%25E2%2580%259Dx+7%25E2%2580%259D+of+it%25E2%2580%25A6">window</a>. You eventually emerge from the cloud and see a vast, white expanse of rolling<!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…tendentious (thing)http://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator/writeups/tendentiousThe Excogitatorhttp://everything2.com/user/The+Excogitator2009-06-18T18:09:24Z2009-06-18T18:09:24Z<p><b>Ten·den·tious</b> (pronounced ten-'den-ches) <a href="/title/adj.">adj.</a> : <a href="/title/marked">marked</a> by a <a href="/title/tendency">tendency</a> <a href="/title/in+favor+of">in favor of</a> a <a href="/title/certain">certain</a> <a href="/title/point+of+view">point of view</a>; <a href="/title/implicitly">implicitly</a> or <a href="/title/explicitly">explicitly</a> <a href="/title/slanted">slanted</a>. <small> <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3A+tendentious&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=">source</a></small></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=tendentious&searchmode=none">Etymology</a></b>The word "<a href="/title/tendentious">tendentious</a>" is <a href="/title/derived">derived</a> from the <a href="/title/Medieval">Medieval</a> <a href="/title/Latin">Latin</a> "<a href="/title/tendentia">tendentia</a>" which means "to cause".
<br><b><a href="/title/Synonyms">Synonyms</a>:</b>
<br><ul>
<li><a href="/title/Biased">Biased</a></li>
<li><a href="/title/One-Sided">One-Sided</a></li>
<li><a href="/title/Partisan">Partisan</a> (or <a href="/title/Partial">Partial</a>)</li>
<li><a href="/title/Prejudiced">Prejudiced</a> (or <a href="/title/Prejudicial">Prejudicial</a>)</li>
<li><a href="/title/Prepossessed">Prepossessed</a></li>
<li><a href="/title/Subjective">Subjective</a></li>
</ul>
<b><a href="/title/Antonyms">Antonyms</a>:</b>
<ul>
<li><a href="/title/Unbiased">Unbiased</a></li>
<li><a href="/title/Nonpartisan">Nonpartisan</a> (or <a href="/title/Impartial">Impartial</a>)</li>
<li><a href="/title/Objective">Objective</a></li>
<li><a href="/title/Unprejudiced">Unprejudiced</a></li>
</ul></p>
<p><b><a href="/title/Examples">Examples</a>:</b>
<br><ol>
<li>"The <a href="/title/paper">paper</a> reported rather tendentiously on the <a href="/title/war+atrocities">war atrocities</a>."</li>
<li>"A tendentious account of recent <a href="/title/elections">elections</a>."</li>
</ol><!-- close unclosed tag --></p>