Bob Hoover: Super Chill

Greatest Day of My Life

Yesterday I got to wear Joe Bruin's head. It was surprisingly not smelly.

President-Elect

To Do List

• post about fixing the California Political System
• compile info for Lizeth
• find a flight to Berkeley
• find a flight to Chico
• read Murakami
• wii fit
• blog the bee story
• blog the crazy eastern european lady story

IT'S BUSINESS TIME.

How Boring

Google is being sued by a couple for their street view feature on google maps.

Responding to an invasion of privacy lawsuit filed by Aaron and Christine Boring, Google has countered that the couple "live in a residential community in the twenty-first-century United States, where every step upon private property is not deemed by law to be an actionable trespass." In a motion to dismiss the Borings's federal complaint, Google's six-lawyer team asserts that, "Today's satellite-image technology means that even in today's desert, complete privacy does not exist. In any event, Plaintiffs live far from the desert and are far from hermits."

Man... google maps rules. Don't be so Boring.

kekeke

Robots in Disguise

I saw Transformers last night and would just like to say two things:

1. Slapstick humor with giant robots capable of destroying a small army is great. It's definitely way better than normal Will Ferrellesque slapstick humor.

2. Megan Fox is aptly named.

What happened to the Brandon we used to know?

I went to the grocery store the other day and picked up a six-pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. As I went to pay for it, the cashier asked me if I was of age. I pulled out my id and handed it to her. She peered at the id for a moment, and commented to my girlfriend, "What happened to the Brandon we used to know?"

I thought it was pretty funny. I guess I really need to get a new driver's license. The 16 year old look just isn't working for me anymore.

Batman and Politics: Part II

As a Democrat who loves Batman, I've had some interesting discussions on just what sort of party affiliation Batman would hold. Would the caped crusader vote Democrat or would he vote Republican?

On the one hand, Bruce Wayne is a billionaire, immediately suggesting strong evidence that he would vote Republican. But then again, I am pretty sure that when Warren Buffett casts his vote in November, it will be for Barack Obama. But Batman is also pretty hard on crime, a typically Republican issue. It seems during Christopher Nolan's Batman films that it is the whiny liberal pundits who criticize Batman the most.

But then again, Batman is Gotham's favorite son, a city with what I am sure is a strong tradition in Democratic politics. Also, most people tend to vote the way their parents do and Bruce Wayne's parents were notable philanthropists who acknowledged that infrastructure and Government support were necessary to combating poverty in Gotham--a cause they dedicated themselves to.

All in all, there are compelling arguments to both sides for Batman being either a Republican or Democrat. But the most likely answer? Batman is probably a non-party line voter with a strong independent streak.

Batman and Politics

I was recently perusing news on the web when I came across an editorial in the Wall Street Journal comparing Bush to Batman. The author argues that the Dark Knight is a covertly right wing film, which shows that it is necessary to take a hard line on terrorism.

Brandishing terms like "Islamo-fascism" while renouncing "moral relativism," the author seems to have missed (as he would hate for me to say) the nuance of the film. Batman's fight against the forces of evil in Gotham in the Dark Knight is not as simple as the author seems to conclude.

He writes...

"The Dark Knight" is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans.

Yes, while the Dark Knight does have Batman invading people's privacy through their cell phones in order to stop the Joker, the cost of Batman's personal "war on terror" is high. It is acknowledged in the film that Batman's crusade on crime has evoked an increasingly horrifying and escalating response, culminating with the psychotic terrorism of the Joker.

As long as Batman exists, so will villains like the Joker. That is why Batman places so much hope on Harvey Dent, Gotham's District Attorney. Real men and women are necessary to end the crusade that Batman began--not the uncompromising tactics of Batman... or George W. Bush.

Harry F.

I received a phone call from an old friend this morning letting me know that his great uncle had passed. The friend, who was raised for a while by his great aunt and uncle, and I spent a large part of our childhood growing up in their walls. I am so grateful for their patience with us. Iking and Harry always treated me with such love and respect. Harry was a good man and he will be missed.

The whole event has not really sunk in yet.

Veepstakes

To kick off the profiles of friends, I will discuss some of my close friends (the risk crew) and their relative pros and cons as a potential running mate for my foray into the 2008 presidential election.

Matt G.:

Matt is a 20 year old San Jose native. He lives with his nice, staunchly liberal parents and works at a movie theater. Matt and I have known each other for about 14 years now. Matt has a big heart. He is the kind of guy who would lay down and die for you, if he loved you. He prefers brunettes to blondes.

Pros:

• Would fiercely rebut critics
• Can be physically imposing
• Owns a Xbox 360
• Has a car
• Solid character guy--we go way back
• Eagle Scout

Cons:

• Often sports a neckbeard
• Criminal History: he was grounded 90% of the time from 2003-2005
• Has a piece of shit car
• Eagle Scout

Edward L.:

Edward is the son of "Taiwanese" immigrants. He currently attends Stanford University where he is double-majoring in things that have something to do with some combination of math, science, computers, and perhaps engineering. Edward, or Eddy, has been dating this girl for a century or so.

Pros:

• Super Genius
• Tremendous work ethic
• Brings Asian demographic vote
• May or may not have six-pack abs
• May or may not be a robot
  

Cons:

• Flakey friend
• Some people spell his name "Eddie" and some spell it "Eddy"
• Has an older brother named Edison (potential confusion)
• Has been known to put work/computer programming/playing piano in front of other priorities
• May or may not be a robot
  

Alex G.:

Alex is a really sweet guy who currently attends UCSD. Alex has a really great family, filled with fun interesting people. He lives a rock and roll lifestyle full of hedonism. He enjoys simple pleasures like indulgences of the flesh, substance intake, Tetris, and Angband.

Pros:

• Charming fellow
• Brings in the homosexual, tween, and deadbeat vote
• Great cook
• Very good Tetris player

Cons:

• Long hair
• Gets really whiny and stops functioning after midnight
• Rock and roll lifestyle a potential campaign liability
• Knits

Dan V.:

Dan is a blonde, half-Jew from the South Bay. He currently attends UC Berkeley where he studies chemistry for a variety of unknown reasons. Dan is a loyal friend--the kind that would send Christmas cards when we all grow up, except the fact that he may or may not be Jewish/Agnostic/Pagan. He is currently a member of some terrible fraternity in Berkeley that is probably ruining his life.

Pros:

• Probably the wealthiest of my friends
• Has a neat hybrid car
• Incredibly smart and insightful at times
• Willing to compromise to be a runner up

Cons:

• Frat baggage
• Rock and roll lifestyle: Xtreme version
• Incredibly dumb and shortsighted at times
• Real name is Dana

Will D.:

Will is a tremendously kind and intelligent person. He is currently studying philosophy at UC Berkeley. Will likes to make lists and loves to cross things off said lists. He has a super human drive to systematically better himself (often in bizarre ways... sunbathing?). Will is a true diamond in the rough; his value increases the more you see of him.

Pros:

• Solid character guy
• Very smart
• Brings an interesting and philosophical perspective to conflicts
• Reliable, methodical, and hard-working

Cons:

• Kind-of neurotic
• Women issues
• Has a monster/alien/devil-thing for a dog
  

I wonder who I should pick? You'll find out at convention!

Finland's Chief Export

When you punish a person for dreaming his dream, don't expect him to thank or forgive you.

It's kind of odd how things turn out. I may not have been "Jeff" or "Cyrus", but I was certainly in a band with at least one of them.

Blog Series

I am going to try and do a series of profiles on people who have been important in my life. I think I may try and tie it all in by comparing each person with a song--perhaps a Beatles song.

We'll see how this goes.

Midshifts

I have started working as a Desk Assistant at the Sproul Front Desk in the dorms. It is a really laid-back job, and for the most part enjoyable.

The desk is a 24 hour desk, so I end up clocking some pretty wacky hours. The shift between midnight and 6:00am is called the midshift. Midshifts are nice because they pay more and you get to sit down (and there are less things to deal with). Midshifts can also be tough.

The hardest part of midshifts happen around 3:30am every morning (night?). This guy from a bakery comes in and he drops off a ton of fresh bagels. These bagels sit right on top of the desk counter, often right in front of a hungry desker, and that hungry desker is often none other than yours truly.

The fresh bagel scent wafts through the air, tempting me to yoink one constantly. Never in my life have I experienced temptation of this magnitude. Never in my life has my willpower been challenged to such an extent.

Oh bagels. How I wish to eat thee.

On blogging

I often fall into the trap of joining the mass of anti-bloggers dismissing blogs as vapid self-glorification that requires a tremendous amount of narcissism, fueled by a perverse desire to exhibit oneself to anonymous internet voyeurs. I suppose there is a tremendous amount of truth in that statement.

But despite the voyeurism and arrogance involved, I really think that blogging is fun. I mean, what isn't enjoyable about glimpsing into other peoples lives?

The process of creating the material for viewing is also a therapeutic process. Additionally, it serves as an interesting means of keeping personal records. The erratic posts over the past few years provide a bizarre history of miniscule moments, thoughts, and events that otherwise would have faded from memory.

My rekindled interest in blogging has largely been stoked by my own voyeurism into the lives (but really blogs) of two friends I haven't seen in a combined half-decade. It has also been driven in large part by my inescapable passion for others to be interested in me. But I guess that is what life is all about.

Election '08

As a political news junkie, I've recently been mulling over the national poll numbers. As expected, Obama received a bump in his numbers as he clinched the nomination and Hillary endorsed him. The recent number put him around 6% ahead of John McCain with the vast majority of voters wishing a Democrat to take the White House in November.

I think Obama has a great chance of winning. But nightmare scenarios are beginning to haunt me at night. Briefly skimming over state polls and electoral maps, it seems like Obama could trounce McCain in the national vote while still losing by a slim margin in the electoral college.

I hope that this isn't true. A part of me deeply believes that a John McCain presidency will spell the end of American greatness and quite possibly the end of the world. I don't even dislike John McCain that much (for being an egomaniac who I completely disagree with on a ton of issues outside the realm of campaign finance reform). I just have this feeling that unless the U.S. experiences a significant change in domestic and foreign policy, America will hasten into decline.

Please America, don't let a few states hijack the election (gosh, I sound like a Hillary surrogate). America needs Obama more than we know.