From jgoldie @ sccs.swarthmore.edu Wed Nov 10 00:54:42 2004 Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2004 00:52:31 -0500 (EST) From: Jillian Goldie Waldman Reply-To: presidents @ swil.org To: SWILnews Subject: d(SWIL)/dnews = 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Helpful facts: ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Movie nominations at meeting Saturday, Nov 13. Bring names and info about movies you want SWIL to show next semester, or email them to presidents @ swil. * Presidential nominations at meeting Saturday, Nov 20. Nominate things. * Presidential election will be Saturday, Dec 4. * Saturday Night SWIL will be Parlour Games, 8pm, location TBA by Susan. * SFDT will discuss post-humans. * Soda-tasting Friday, 8 pm. * Much more non-swilbusiness below and on FUN! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ SWILBusiness ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Consider a hollow rectangular prism of length l, width w, and height h. Along one side of the prism are two rectangular double doors which open to allow light, sound, and people to enter the system. The doors are initially open. At time t=0, which corresponds to 12:06 PM, EST, the doors are closed. Entropy and chaos erupt in the system. (chaos visited? i thought she was in Pittsburgh, no, Houston - noda) (*bite* - v) (can I put that in the notes? -v) (yes, you can, although I'd like a name - n) (are there more Starbucks sizes? -v) (hold on, I'll be back. I'm going to go ask Mark if WaWa has a moral equivalent to a Big Gulp. -n) (*goes to ask mark* - n) (*returns* - n) (why are you writing SWILnews again, didn't you just write one? - qian) (haptacular! haptacular dooshkadoo! it is a rose gun! haptacular! haptacular formed by the robots, in the time before man as we knew him! - jamison) (*appears and then goes to do engineering and laundry* - g) The chaos is deemed to be negligible, because the rabble are pathetic. Note: this is not always true: in the unusual case where the chaos of the the rabble overturns tables, the rabble are then deemed to be non-pathetic and you can't neglect the chaos in the system, so you must instead apply Mark's Equations of Wall-drumming (See Setlow and Li, p. 4). Inside the rectangular prism, at the north end, is a table with four chairs. In these four chairs are three non-members of SWIL and a fourth person, who possesses a nontrivial resemblance to Tall. That she is related to Tall is left as an exercise for the reader. (I missed my mouth and the chocolate went down my shirt - q, in an *email*) (well, isn't this exactly where Mai hands out chocolates during the meeting? - do you have a name yet, noda?) We voted that Tall was tall with respect to her mother. Elevating Tall by placing her upon the table, thus increasing her height by a good three or four feet, makes this relationship still more apparent. (and the potential energy can be converted to kinetic energy by... i'll stop now - nameless) To further explore the dynamics of mechanical systems, we constructed a large "Ball Factory" out of K'Nex (TM) (A building toy manufactured by K'Nex Industries). Note that despite the admiration of people in the ML Breakfast room where it was built, this is *not* a perpetual motion machine. (it's not? we should fix that through legislation next swilmeeting - n) (keep your legislation off my laws of physics! -v) This is evident from the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In the ML breakfast room, there were also successful experiments in acoustics and the resonance of filksongs in a large, echoey (a technical term -v) room. Sarah and Lauren G. brought the filkbooks from George. A demonstration of the peculiar laws of optics in existence on the far side of a mirror occurred on Monday night at 10 PM. This is commonly referred to as the "Through the Looking Glass" effect, and was set to music in SWIlmovie. The laws of geometrical optics were upheld when nobody actually showed up to SWILmovie. (*sad mrew-thing* -n)(proof by apathy! -v) We shall now discuss the properties of Science Fiction Discussion Table. In an inertial reference frame, it obeys Newton's Second Law, as one might expect. It also obeys the Third Law of Internet Fandom, in that as the discussion goes longer, the probability of a conversation involving slash approaches 1. This time varies depending on the time of day, the size of the group, and whether the group involves Mai, Jackie, or both. Last week's SFDT topic, according to the notes, defaulted to Arthur/Arthur, a pathological case we hope not to encounter again. Next week, Science Fiction Discussion Table will discuss the behavior of a system of humans, as t approaches infinity and weird genetic modification and other stuff occurs. ("stuff" is also a technical term. see lots of physics papers. -v) We shall now discuss the far more amusing case of chocolate. Swiss chocolate, which originated in Switzerland and was provided by Tall. The potential of a magnetic monopole is proportional to the inverse of the distance, as is the potential of an electric monopole. The potential of a chocolate monopole depends on various factors of scent and diffusion, in addition to the quality of the chocolate (in this case, high). This is relevant because we voted that there should be chocolate monopoles. I swear. Jim and Nick had been singing the Preamble to the Constitution since time t=t1, whenever that was. It was whenever Mark handed out lottery tickets. We discussed the heat-death of Saturday Night SWIL. The proposed solution involved small energy sources provided by various non-members who would run events, and thereby keep the universe going. Next week we will prevent the end of the universe with parlour games at 8 pm, run by Susan, location TBA. (yay - n) Then we negated this effort by voting to "kill them all." Movies will be observed next semester, but their properties are currently unknown. To collapse the wave equation and determine the titles (though not the momenta) of the movies to be shown, we will hold movie nominations next Saturday, November 13. Movies are eligible to be shown if they have not been shown by SWIL in the past three years, and are vaguely science fiction/fantasy-ish. The list of movies that have been shown in the past m years (m>>3) is at http://www.swil.org/pastmovies.html. Note also that we try to show 1-2 anime films per semester, and each senior can nominate a "senior sympathy movie." Movies can be nominated either at meeting, or by sending an email to the presidents (if you're planning to miss meeting). Either way, a nomination should include both the title of the movie and a brief blurb about it. Movies must be seconded at meeting to go on the ballot, and then voting will take place by email, ideally sometime before spring semester starts. Saturday, November 20 we will compose a list of the possible states of the SWILpresidency. Anyone or anything you nominate is eligible to run, without regard to sentience, animacy, or reality; only sentient non-members in the sophomore and junior classes are eligible to serve as president, but that's immaterial. Two weeks after that, on Saturday, December 4, we'll tempt fate by collapsing the wavefunction along the presidential basis, but first, each ticket will read a platform, stating or demonstrating its core values, proposed mass bribery, favorite song, or whyever else it should be voted for. In further quantumly uncertain (yes, I know, the theme is somewhat weak. shut up. -v) news, (could be worse. it could be strong, and then we'd all be gluon - n) (no. not going to say that. any references to rubber and glue in this context just don't work -v) Neil Gaiman is still going to come speak at Swarthmore, at some still completely undetermined time. (dolphins still missing? -v) Also, t-shirt reprints will probably happen at some point. Ish. Jackie says we all suck. (nature abhors a vacuum -n) (so does the carpet in Greylock 301, but that's another story -n) (has the carpet in greylock 301 ever *seen* a vacuum? -v) (several times, and it's tried to destroy it each time. good thing it's not animate, or else it might try to prove sentience - n) (but it could still run for president... -v) (*whimper* -n) I believe Jackie wants prop-people to make prop. There was a meeting after meeting to discuss this. Jamison gave Jackie a hug. Then she won a kangaroo keychain. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Chapter 2: Anti-SWILbusiness ~ ~ (boom! -n) ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (but they didn't collide. there's a line in between. -v) (okay then, no boom today. boom tomorrow. always a boom tomorrow -n) (*sings* there's always a boom, tomorrow... -n) (*is still singing* bet your bottom credit that, tomorrow, there'll be boom -n) Friday night there will be a soda-tasting in Greylock 301 at 8pm. Bring spiffy and exotic sodas. There'll probably be an expedition leaving from ML or dinner for people who haven't yet met Greylock 301 and its carpet. (*is still singing* ... makes me want a shuttle I can "borrow"... -n) Qian surprised everyone by indicating that Paces serves dinner. Moreover, she cooks dessert on Wednesday nights, and this wednesday the dessert is chocolate pudding pie. (and go zoom! - n) Monday Sarah was going to make German pretzels. I don't know if she did, or if she's still going to. (but... causticchemicalsow - n) (funfunmmmpretzels -n) Friday at 8 pm in Lang, Wind Ensemble is doing something involving music. Wednesday at 9:30 pm in ML lounge, Mai is showing either Bat Man or Who Framed Roger Rabbit, with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Next weekend somebody is showing the MST3K of Hamlet. The notes, however, don't indicate who, although they do indicate that the kangaroo is a stuffed fetus. (I thought we weren't going to propagate that. - n) Susan invited all of us to be mocked ("parody ourselves") by Boy Meets Tractor on tuesday, threeish. (um... yesterday or today, by various standards and time zones - v) Andrew wants to run a D&D thing-that-he-didn't-want-to-call-a-one-shot during Reading Week. Talk to him or email acbrown @ sccs. Nick wants to run Kobolds Ate My Baby. Talk or email nward @ sccs. 10 daysish from last saturday (math skills? anyone? -v) Ben will turn 26 and wants to play board and letter games. Tim is the lead in "Some Kind of Love Story", which is presumably a love story of some kind, in dramatic form. He's showing film noir in the attempt to get in character - sunday it was "The Roaring Twenties". Wednesday he's showing "The White Heat" before Mai's movie. Ben wants to make a Doctor Who or similarly low-budget movie-thing on campus somewhere. (we have the technology! -n) (we don't need to rebuild him, he regenerates! -n) (stronger? faster? better? pshaw! just make him cheaper! -n) (what/huh? -v) Mai wants people to share her NetFlix account. Talk/email mpucik1. There will be a trico symposium on deaf culture Thursday through Sunday, run (to their surprise) by Donna Jo and the members of Sarah's ASL class. Mark talked about Puckers. Motherpuckers vans leave from the Rose Garden Sunday at ~9:20 and Thursday at ~9:30. Mark's car leaves from wherever he left it sometime on both those nights, and he's willing to give rides. (Come to puckers, or people with hockey sticks will be mad-- er, disappointed in you. You don't want that. -n) Somebody said we should skip Parlour Games and go listen to Jazz Band next Saturday. Mark was going to show either Spinal Tap (imagine the umlaut over the "n". really, it's there. trust us - n), Bridge Over the River Kwai, or the Big Lebowski, Saturday night. I don't know if he actually did, but he might have. Tim wants to borrow a *quality* trench coat or fedora. His isn't good enough. The notes indicate that "there is no will save for the truth." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Attendance List of Why the **Bush** is there an oil ~ ~ derrick next to Slide Rock? ~ ~ (are you sure it's not a trebuchet? -v) ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michael "Bunreacht na hEireann" Noda (i don't even know what that means. -t) (second! -v) (ok. constitution of ireland. but it sounds so cool! and it is cool, but only to geeks! -n) (*pats on head* -v) (chelsea would understand.... -n) Sarah "I just breathed out and noise happened." Hartman Jim "Titusville East" Moskowitz (i don't even know what that means, ii. -t) (meh? -n) Nick "The Incredibles was awesome!!" Ward (but was it incredible? -t) Lauren "Rile" Smith. (the "rabble was" pathetic -t) F. "Gregory" Scott "Robinson" Fitzgerald Venger "Cup-a-marshmallows...do...do...do... [in large letters] Burn Sharples!" Jamison (but it's such a nice ski lodge -n) (you missed guy fawkes day -v) Tim "I'm tall too" Whalen Emmanuelle "I hate everything...Well not everything Most Things...well not Most hings Just everything Relating To Chem 10...well...not all of it just Tests...Yes!" Wambach Mike "Seeking the Grail" Karcher (What is your favorite color? -n) Benjamin "Once Raoul, Twice Shy" Bagley Gregory "F" Scott "Fitzgerald" Robinson Lauren "Heady expression of Finlay's soul" Goodfriend Mary "Penguin!" Wootters (i almost wrote w00tters... -t) Meredith "Help, help, I'm being oppressed!" Conforti Brown (it's "repressed" in that specific line - oppressed is what he says later. -t) (and you're *not*. just because we'd given you undeserved freedoms of speech, assembly, etc... -v) Ben "Aaaagh!" Newman Eliza "Brightly-Colored Spork s of Revolution" Blair Alexandr Sergeyevich "No! No! That actually is my middle name!" Pshenichkin (anyone who bothers to read this and can guess *my* middle name gets a cookie. two, even. -t) James "and Musashi went kyaaah and I was like HOLY CRAP!" Mendez Hodes Leah "Lauren didn't say slash" Handel Susan "This isn't a SWILmeeting, this is madness! Utter Madness! ... Wait, then it *is* a SWILmeeting..." Zell (yerdarn right -n) Pepper "I am Susan's Set (superscript TM) Deck" Shaker Jackie "Cuter than a dead puppy" Werner (*break* -t)(but you can't deny that it's true! -v) Qian "full and guilty" Qian (so don't eat alcoholic chocolate! -t) Cortland "[semi-illegible]Blake*" Setlow (can I have a semi-illegible Blake? -v) (noda, would you like to buy a semi-illegible blake? -v) (a what? -n) [scribbled out] Mai's Mum Mai's "Hoan Pham" mother Mai "Mommy!!!!!1oneone1!!eleven11" Pucik (i don't see my mother that often. shut up. -t) Jillian "There is no Blake" Waldman Jean "seeing the span of invisible molecules" Schneider MARK "I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY" Handler (proof that illinois already has ceded to canada -n) * v. tr. (to) Blake something (out? -v) Brought to you by Venti, who has more physics, but apparently less homework, than Tall or Grande. ------------------------------------------------------------- This SWILnews was brought to you by notes omitting the letter upside-down-M. All letters in this SWILnews that look like upside-down-M's are actually lower-case omegas, with the stress on the first syllable.