mcc's New Writeupshttp://everything2.com/?node=New%20Writeups%20Atom%20Feed&foruser=mcc2004-01-01T20:02:13ZMilitary Service and the U.S. Executive Branch (idea)http://everything2.com/user/mcc/writeups/Military+Service+and+the+U.S.+Executive+Branchmcchttp://everything2.com/user/mcc2004-01-01T20:02:13Z2004-01-01T20:02:13ZIn <a href="/title/United+States+of+America">America</a>, there seems to be some sort of sentiment that it is preferable the U.S. <a href="/title/President">President</a> have had military service at some point (although this sentiment is hardly all-overriding, as can be seen in that both the 2004 and 2008 elections featured candidates who banked hard on stories of military heroism-- then lost). The logic behind this seems to be either that military service indicates patriotism, or that the President, as <a href="/title/Commander-in-chief">Commander-in-chief</a> of the armed forces, needs to be equipped to deal with military issues-- although it is interesting to note that the biggest wars of america's history (the <a href="/title/War+of+1812">War of 1812</a>, the <a href="/title/Mexican-American+War">Mexican-American War</a>, the <a href="/title/Civil+War">Civil War</a>, World Wars <a href="/title/World+War+I">I</a> and <a href="/title/World+War+II">II</a>, and <a href="/title/Vietnam+War">Vietnam</a>) all began under the tenure of presidents with no or solely-administrative military service.
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Military service in the executive branch seems to come in waves. For a long block of time after the <a href="/title/Civil+War">Civil War</a>, and a very long block of time after<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…Cutoff filter (place)http://everything2.com/user/mcc/writeups/Cutoff+filtermcchttp://everything2.com/user/mcc2003-12-29T22:03:00Z2003-12-29T22:03:00ZAs time passed, the room became more and more blurry.
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The world outside remained solid, remaining the <a href="/title/anchor">anchor</a> reassuring me there was nothing to worry about; as the colors of the room continued to fade and warp, however, I realized with a vague sort of alarm that the edges of the window were beginning increasingly to blur as well. What would <a href="/title/What+would+happen+as+this+continued%253F">happen</a> as this continued? Would the edges of the panes fade to nothing? Would the windows expand along the walls as the room's coherency faded to nothing, or would the illegible singular <a href="/title/blur">blur</a> the room was increasing toward expand to cover the gap to the still-sharp outside world? Or would the <a href="/title/windowframe">windowframe</a> simply spread out into a thin, <a href="/title/alpha">low-alpha</a> <a href="/title/membrane">membrane</a> I would find myself unable to break through? I looked closer; the windows were still completely clear. I wondered if they were still glass. I decided not to touch them.
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I considered the door; I considered making a break for it. I did not like the idea of<!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…Am I already that gone (thing)http://everything2.com/user/mcc/writeups/Am+I+already+that+gonemcchttp://everything2.com/user/mcc2003-09-08T00:14:39Z2003-09-08T00:14:39Z<a href="/title/At+the+center+of+the+universe+is+a+horribly+wounded+angel.">At the center of the universe is a horribly wounded angel.</a>
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Its <a href="/title/wings">wings</a> are torn and blackened, its <a href="/title/skin">skin</a> plastered with a dull purple blood that never seems to grow totally dry. It is <a href="/title/disfigured">disfigured</a>, <a href="/title/mangled">mangled</a>, covered in seared, faintly glowing cracks. The face is fixed in an eternal, unchanging expression of pure, limitless joy. <a href="/title/The+eyes+are+empty+sockets.">The eyes are empty sockets.</a> The arms are eternally outstretched, because they are tied in place.
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It is nothing anyone would call conscious, and is only in the barest, barest sense of the word still alive. If anything resembling awareness remains, that awareness consists of nothing but an infinite field of gridded black and white squares, a <a href="/title/test+pattern">test pattern</a> scattered with dancing dots that <a href="/title/shift">shift</a> and <a href="/title/jump">jump</a> and <a href="/title/blur">blur</a> into one another. It would be tempting to say this is consciousness, but in fact the angel is not aware of this test pattern. It simply is.
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This test pattern is useful.
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<a href="/title/Records">Records</a> as to the details that begin this story are not available, and<!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…Lazy person's double chocolate chip cookies (thing)http://everything2.com/user/mcc/writeups/Lazy+person%2527s+double+chocolate+chip+cookiesmcchttp://everything2.com/user/mcc2003-04-28T22:37:32Z2003-04-28T22:37:32ZThis is a recipe for chocolate cookies with chocolate and/or peanut butter chips that is very simple and easy to make, but tastes really good and makes a *LOT* of cookies.
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<a href="/title/Preheat">Preheat</a> an oven to 350 and mix all of the following together, preferably in the given order:
<ul><li>1/2 cup <a href="/title/vegetable+oil">vegetable oil</a>
<li>2 <a href="/title/egg">eggs</a>
<li>1 package of <a href="/title/Duncan+Hines">Duncan Hines</a> <a href="/title/Devil%2527s+Food+Cake">Devil's Food Cake</a> Mix
<li>2 packages of chocolate chips (<a href="/title/Nestle%2527s+Semisweet+Chocolate+Chips">Nestle's semisweet</a> is what I use-- also, when I make these, I always substitute one or both of the chocolate chip packages with <a href="/title/Peanut+Butter+Chips">Peanut Butter Chips</a>, because they taste really good.)<!-- close mismatched tag --></li><!-- close mismatched tag --></li><!-- close mismatched tag --></li><!-- close mismatched tag --></li></ul>
Wad this mix into a bunch of <a href="/title/%2522a+heaping+spoonful%2522">little balls</a> of about a small spoonful's worth of dough each, and put them on a <a href="/title/cookie+sheet">cookie sheet</a> spaced a couple inches apart. Bake them in the oven, middle or top shelf, at 350 for about six to ten minutes. You will need to let them sit for about two to five minutes to harden before attempting to remove them from the sheet,<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…1-up loop (idea)http://everything2.com/user/mcc/writeups/1-up+loopmcchttp://everything2.com/user/mcc2002-05-10T22:42:18Z2002-05-10T22:42:18ZThe elusive 1-up loop is, while not classifiable as a <a href="/title/cheat">cheat</a>, one of the most effective ways to <a href="/title/beat+the+system">beat the system</a> in a video game.
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A 1-up loop can be found anywhere you can collect more than one 1-up in a single level. The trick is to collect the multiple 1-ups and then <a href="/title/die">die</a>.. then restart the level, collect the multiple 1-ups again, and die again.. and repeat.. and repeat. Each death gives you a <a href="/title/net+gain">net gain</a> of lives, so if you play through the level enough times you can rack up as many lives as you want, rendering you pretty much <a href="/title/invincible">invincible</a> for the rest of the game.
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The term "1-up loop", really, can be used to describe anywhere that a single <a href="/title/1-up">1-up</a> can be collected multiple times by backtracking just after you collect it.<p>One example would be in the <a href="/title/Duck+Tales">Duck Tales</a> game, where you cannot enter the <a href="/title/African+Mines">African Mines</a> level before obtaining the <a href="/title/skeleton+key">skeleton key</a> from the <a href="/title/Transylvania">Transylvania</a> level, and if you try to enter the African Mines without the key it will simply kick you over to the Transylvania<!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p><!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…flowers in a sea of calm blue glass . rattle (place)http://everything2.com/user/mcc/writeups/flowers+in+a+sea+of+calm+blue+glass+.+rattlemcchttp://everything2.com/user/mcc2001-08-07T00:36:42Z2001-08-07T00:36:42Z<hr>+ there was a man ,old. who spent all day painting pictures and crying. .so<a href="/title/metimes">metimes</a> i would walk by and i can hear him moan lowly as if in terrible realization, sometimes they are choking sobs. sometimes tears stream down his face as he leans on the canvas almost violently waving his brush trying to get as much as he can down <a href="/title/before+he">before he</a> melts and takes the thought with him. his <a href="/title/falling+into+the+colors">tears falling into the colors</a> as he mixes his paint. <a href="/title/the+pictures+are+all+peaceful%252C+calm%252C+idyllicly+beautiful.">the pictures are all peaceful, calm, idyllicly beautiful.</a> they are two flowers in a sea of cool green grass, a cloud benevolent protecting you enfolding in graying fall, a single dog knowing nothing needing nothing feeling nothing looking up at you in <a href="/title/pure%252C+simple+innocence">pure, simple innocence</a>. a shoe so real you would think you could pull it off of the picture. an <a href="/title/america">america</a>. an <a href="/title/everything">everything</a>. they are everything that is smiling and warm and good. i walk in and watch him. <a href="/title/he+always+lets+us+watch.">he always lets us watch.</a> he never seems to care, never <a href="/title/seems+to">seems to</a> <a href="/title/notice">notice</a> we are there.…