Go Tourney Makes Keith Sad...

So, we had our end of semester go tournament today. Unfortunately, the turnout was less than optimal. We had 5 guys from the usual Cleveland club, and 2 from Columbus. Yep. That's right, a whopping 7 people. Looking back, we really messed up with not starting sooner. With everything going on with the semester, I had lost track of time and thought the tournament was further off than it really was.

I think I know how to fix it, though. I just made up a preliminary calendar of stuff to follow, with dates for almost everything. From simple things like making the advertising flyers to setting dates on which to start flyering. I need to add a couple things, and refine it, but I think this should help a lot.

On my list of things to do, though, is to update that website. I think if the site were better, we'd be able to attract more people on campus. I know it sounds stupid, but if we look more professional and organized, they'll be more likely to take us seriously. So, here's hoping. I should be able to do good things with that this summer. Another idea is to hold a workshop to teach people go. I figure if we can take over Thwing for a day and teach everyone who wants to learn, we'd be in good shape. Like what they do at Origins, but with the aim of boosting numbers for the club. Angel and Dwayne both had good ideas that I think could be easily combined. Angel said to have more than one workshop, and Dwayne said to have lectures at the workshops. So, if we had a beginners workshop, and a workshop for kyu level players, that might also help increase our presence. I'm worried about asking too much time from people, though. Who knows. We'll see what happens. I think one this fall is sufficient. If its good, we might do 2 in the spring.

Thought of the moment...

from King Without a Crown by Matisyahu

Strip away the layers and reveal your soul Got to give yourself up and then you become whole You're a slave to yourself and you don't even know .... If you're trying to stay high then you're bound to stay low You want God but you can't deflate your ego

As much as it appears I love to argue politics, I really hate it. I find it a pointless endeavor that just leads to tension between people who could otherwise be friends. There are exceptions, and some of my greatest 'opponents' are my best friends. Also, I'm just too opinionated to keep my stupid mouth shut.

What I'm really interested in is spirituality. It may sound silly, especially from me, but I have a sincere interest in this, and have been struggling to grow in this respect the past fours years. Unfortunately, many things, almost all caused by me, sabotage all these efforts.

I'm not sure what I wanted to say in this post, but I wanted to comment on these lyrics. Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew who sings Reggae. It sounds weird, but there's a feeling of sincerity to his songs that isn't to be found in the world of Christian rock. Quite frankly, Christian Rock is a wasteland from what I've seen.

These lyrics, though, contain wisdom I didn't expect from an act so popular. Those who have experienced the 'exposure' of the soul that he's talking about will identify with this. It is, a very unique experience, and not unlike the process Buddhist monks undergo during their many years of meditation training. At least, from what I've read, it would certainly appear that way. There's something there, and it transcends what both these religions say about dogma, in addition to others I'm sure. This is what I'm so interested in. They've hit on the same thing through completely different routes.

Anyway, those are just my musings of the moment. I'll refrain from talking about Universal Human Truth and stuff like that. I remain quite the Catholic, but my curiosity is certainly piqued. I need to do more research into this.

That's right.... I rule.

According to the "Which Big Lebowski character are you?" quiz:

Why don't you check it out? Or we cut off your Johnson!

Comcast sucks the nuts!

Alright, so I can't help but post this article. Mostly because I want to rant about it:

Comcast gets Sued

I have 2 major issues with how this is done. I just want to preface them by saying I'm not some nutjob who supports stealing music and thinks information should be 'free', therefore stealing is okay.

1. Comcast just gives out this lady's information. This is an obvious gripe, but doesn't Comcast have an interest in protecting its customers? I mean, without a court order, that information should be private, and I'm certain that there are laws keeping it that way, hence the lawsuit.

2. This is more subtle, but did anyone else notice that her first contact was with a debt collection agency? Its well known that I despise most large corporations (RIAA/MPAA especially), but isn't this subverting due process to an extreme? I mean, since when do cartels get to define the law? I mean, this should be classified under extortion or racketeering? This can't possibly be legal. If it is legal, then there's something painfully wrong with the courts where a person can't even afford to fight to defend their rights.

As another point worth bringing up, I'd like to note how much the fines are if you lose a court case. They're something like $30k for each song. So, for anyone, the fine would easily be in the millions. They're also talking about making it a federal offense, that would include jail time. Now, how much would you get if you walked into a record store and stole the cd? I'm just saying that the punishment doesn't fit the crime.