Blog of Josh Hall

strange how 32 characters can bring out such drama.  http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/05/02/0235228.shtml

When are roads going to start using technology?  Right now, they’re just poured concrete.  Technology could make them safer, better, easier.  They could make GPS navigation more efficient.  If sensors were place on the edges of roads, it could detect a car slowly getting off onto the shoulder to replace a tire, and maybe something in the car, like an onstar system could ask if the driver needs assistance.  Or, at least check that the driver hasn’t fallen asleep at the wheel.  If the car leaves the road at a high speed, ambulances and police could be alerted instantly of an accident, and those precious seconds and minutes before someone would pass by and call it in, and try and give a location could save lives.  When deer and such come onto the road, lights could flash or even just turn on to scare it away and make drivers aware of their presence sooner.  Statistics for traffic would be available telling real time congestion and which roads are traveled more frequently.  Speeding could be enforced easier.  once cars starting matching the technology of the road system, you could track stolen vehicles, or someone else could give directions to the driver by logging into a webpage and figuring out where the other person is.  Icy or wet road conditions would be able to be tracked.  and maybe even your car could guide itselt to it’s destination.

i was reading the lord of the flies this weekend, and came upon a sentence that struck me as awkward as it started out.  "Here there were waves that beat against the sandy shore."  Awkward, because of the first three words.  Here.  There.  Were.  3 words, that look aesthetically the same, but phonetically are completely different.  That’s just stupid.  At least "we’re" wasn’t included somewhere in there.  I swear that the english language causes 10% of suicides directly or indirectly.  It’s just such a time consuming thing, and no one will ever master it completely, I think, at least, not by the english langauage alone.  You’d have to master the root languages of Latin and the like.  Inconsistencies are ubiquitous in the english language, and i want no part of it anymore.

SERAH’S PREGGERS!

Wee!  So, Trip is all set now.  Leaving pittsburgh may 16th headed for a quick stop in new york then over to rome.  Then, first class to london on wednesday may 23rd.  Back to rome on the 25th, then back to the states on saturday, the 26th.  Work is paying for my room & board while in london and i’ll get to meet everyone there in London.  Good times!  I ended up redeeming my credit card points to help with the flight to london, so that was pretty cool too.  Hopefully the whole trip will go on without problems.  So many of us going, all never having been there, depending on keren, trying to organize events and such.  I’ll admit, i’m a little worried.

Things with Rachel continue to go well.  Hung out with her family at her cousin’s wedding on saturday.  The reception was at the Carnegie museum inside the hall of architecture.  really classy!  lots of statues and columns and stuff around the room.  Acoustics left something to be desired, but still a cool event.  We do a lot of social activities, like with other people, but we don’t do too much just the two of us.  It has it’s a good thing and a bad thing, but i’ve told her that i want to have some date nights too.  Relationship builders for the win!

lots of city news going on.  Pittsburgh was rated most livable city.  In response to Pittsburgh having the 2nd highest population drop (1st was post-Katrina New Orleans)  Mayor Luke Ravenstaul (27 years old) announced the Propel Pittsburgh Commission, a group of 37 people, from ages 20-34, who will meet and talk about what they wantlikedislike in the city.  I threw in my application.  Hopefully I’ll hear something back soon!  I would really like to get more involved in the city, and the Hill District.  In unrelated city news, Pittsburgh eats more ho-hos than any other city.

Roommates are going well. Alex is cool.  I have someone coming in for may 5th-25th, and then from june 1st – august 6th.  Deirdre will probably move in shortly after that and then we’ll see where we can go.  I’ll admit, i’ve had good luck with finding people and such on craigslist.  hopefully i’ll be continued to be blessed there.

no more word on the merger yet.  2 summer classes, starting while i’ll be in london…oh well.  Dallas is coming back from Vegas, and flights were too expensive to go down to see him a second time.  bummer.  new songs recorded and posted.  estate is finally closed!  lots of stuff to do with figuring out how to pay for it now though.  We gotta start cutting the grass too, and the tractor is broken.  Bleh.  I’m a city boy, not a farmer! 

took me long enough.  I kept trying to force myself to record 2 songs, and i couldnt do it and i couldnt find the motivation.  so i realized, "eff it" just record the things that want to be recorded.  I ended up recording "we’re going out" in an hour or two, and it shows, but it’s better than nothing.

http://myspace.com/joshuadavidhall