While looking through these old bios, you'll probably notice that we have a lot in common. Well, of course we do! Why do you think we're still such good friends after all of these years?! A little further down the page, we provide explanations for our choices, giving you, the reader, further insight into what makes us tick.
*On April 17, 2002, Adam wrote to Marc to confirm that his bio needed an update in the worst way. His revisions were:
Major: Computer Science
Magic number: 5, 23
Favorite book: Illuminatus! Trilogy
Favorite TV show: WWF Smackdown!, Cowboy Bebop, Sealab 2021
Favorite movie: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Favorite musical artist: They Might Be Giants, Jimmy Luxury, Merrick, Sleater Kinney, Soul Coughing
Favorite world leader: Vladimir Putin
Favorite website: PWTorch.com
Quote: "Now, what was I?" from Memento
Explanations
University
Dave: Boston College: a university in Chestnut Hill, MA. But, then again, how good does "Chestnut Hill University" sound? And I hear at least one of the buildings on campus is actually within Boston. So that explains it.
Marc:I guess when you get to live on 5th Avenue for three straight years, your choice of university can't be all that bad. Then again, there is that "college" up about four streets from Rubin called The New School. ???
Matt: Me + Ivy League university = mismatch.
Span:Yeah, Binghamton. What an ugly, boring city. It's the best SUNY school... that's not saying much. But hey, I like getting tons of rain and snow, I like a school that has no spirit, and I don't feel very out of place... It could be worse. And my job at the computer pod is so cool.
Major
Dave: I declared Computer Science at the end of my sophomore year and I love it--I guess I just got lucky. I didn't put too much thought into my decision but it definitely worked out for the best.
Marc: Computer Science-- Hey, ever since my graphing calculator days, I've always tried to not only push my own limits in programming, but also the limits of the hardware I was coding for.
Matt: Hey, engineering was too much work for me, so I switched to something that fits my style a little better: Rural Sociology. What is Rural Sociology? I have no idea.
Span: Biology? Maybe. I was thinking of pre-med... recently, I sat back and thought, "What the hell was I thinking??" Now... there's a good chance I might go Comp Sci. But that means taking all classes in my major... yikes...
Favorite color
Dave:I don't know when it all started but at some point in my life I realized that a lot of my possessions were navy blue: my coat, my pillow case, my walls, a few articles of clothing... So, I adopted navy blue as my favorite color--I mean, I really do like it. Now I have my navy blue Nikes which I love and some more articles of blue clothing.
Marc: I could claim that dark blue holds some type of mysterious quality that I like to associates myself with. I could say it's a nice balance of dark essence and inhibited color. But that would just be an attempt at poetic license. The bottom line is, I just like how I look in dark blue and that's why it's my favorite color.
Matt: Well, red and white are Cornell's colors, but that's not really why red is my favorite color. Although, it is a cool coincidence.
Span: Eh... I wear a lot of blue... but who doesn't? I always wear black coats and shoes, I kinda like black... and my eyes and name are green. I'm not that into any one color. As far as color goes, I like the color of everything when it has rained recently.
Magic/Evil number
Dave: A friend of mine pointed out to me that the blue billiards ball is the number 2 ball. That's all it took. And you just can't escape 213--it's always out there.
Marc: 3 is an old favorite of mine that I discovered as a kid to be the same as the great Babe Ruth. And 13 just happens to be my address, my HS bus number, and the floor and room number I lived in last year. As for an evil number, I guess I'd have to throw out 213 because, every time I see it, whether it be the time, an address, or something worse, I just get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Why? Because it simply refuses to stop appearing in random places. Go figure.
Matt: Islanders and Rangers. Need I say more?
Span: 7 - Elway, Mantle. 23 - Mattingly. And have you ever driven by the building next to Roosevelt field that says 666 in huge letters on it? The Devil's Office Building... freaky....
Favorite book
Dave:The Brothers Karamazov--Dostoevsky's masterpiece is a daunting 800+ pages but I'd still recommend this book to anyone. There is so much to take in that it may seem overwhelming and I do admit that the most satisfaction comes from reading certain chapters after you have completed the book but there is too much good stuff here to ignore. The themes of justice, active love, and religion all stand out and the brilliant court case reads like it was written just a few years ago. A marvel.
Marc:The Black Art of 3D Game Programming: Writing Your Own High-Speed 3D Polygon Video Games in C. I'm assuming I don't have to explain this one to you guys.
Matt: I gave up on reading a long time ago. It's just not exciting to me. I do like to write, though.
Span:The Stand... the ultimate battle of good and evil. I read it unabridged, well over 1000 pages. You just can't beat the sense of character, the darkly poetic imagery, and the warped surreality of it. I also like fantasy novels by David Eddings, and anything by Kurt Vonnegut.
Least favorite book
Dave: JGHG: I couldn't really see the point the author was making when I read this book. He was extremely anti-war and I couldn't comprehend it at the time. A few years later I understand better but I don't understand why he didn't take a different approach to arguing his point. This book is just plain dull.
Marc:Johnny Got His Gun: What can be more pitiful than a book whose central focus is morse code generated by a major invalid through banging his head on a pillow? Simply, nothing can.
Span: Yes, JGHGun was pretty awful... but personally, I hated Washington Square more. The characters sucked, the plot was incredibly boring, and Henry James was so verbose and dull. Blech.
Favorite TV show
Dave:The Simpsons and Homicide have seen quite an upturn as of late. Sure I miss Simpsons' writers like Jon Vitti and Greg Daniels (now both at KOTH) and Homicide characters like Pembleton, Felton, Bolander, and Kellerman, but you learn to appreciate what the new actors and writers are trying to do. On Homicide, Gharty has turned out to be better than first-advertised and Bayliss' self-exploration has been quite interesting. On The Simpsons, each episode I (usually) appreciate the new type of clever humor the new writers bring. Does that mean I think the shows are better now? No, of course not. Still, I think they're both good shows at this point. As for new shows, I'm drawn to That 70's Show, KOTH, Futurama, The Family Guy, and Dawson's Creek.
Marc: While it may seem like sacrilege to some, ::cough:: Matt ::cough:: the current favorite for me is Star Trek: Voyager. While the cast may be absolutely terrible, the stories have been excellent this whole year and they have my favorite Star Trek character/actor ever, Robert Picardo. "I'm a doctor, not a battery." As for WWF Raw is War, I doubt I need to explain my passion for pro wrestling to anyone who might read this.
Matt: I don't think the brilliance of the writers on Cheers and Seinfeld will ever be matched. These two shows are several hundred times better than all of the rest of the sitcoms I've seen before. Quantum Leap was such a misunderstood show. In fact, it was so misunderstood that I didn't start watching it until its final season. But what a season that was! I have since seen every episode by watching it in syndication. And although, I don't easily admit it, I love Star Trek. Everything except for Voyager, which I hate immensely.
Span: I've always liked cartoons and comedy... today, I watch the ones that appeal more to my age group, such as the Comedy Central ones, Aeon Flux and Daria on MTV, and The Simpsons. Seinfeld is my fave sitcom, and MST3K is the funniest show I've ever seen. For drama, I prefer MTV's The Real World, because I personally find pre-written dramas are cheesy, saccharine, dumb, and boring. Most of all, though, my favorite things to watch are music videos, particularly modern rock videos, as shown on Mattrock on MTV.
Least favorite TV show
Dave: I don't know who thought of the idea to do a live-action show with talking dinosaurs and one of the worst fake audiences ever but I'm glad this show is a distant memory.
Marc: The first thing the producers of WMAC Masters should have done when creating this series was look to the art form they were trying to emulate and look at who their created characters would most resemble. Namely, martial artist wrestlers such as Jerry Flynn, "The Cat" Ernest Miller, and Glacier. Then they should have scrapped their plans.
Span: I hate Saved By The Bell. It's not funny, or moving, or interesting, or cleverly written, or well acted... It's goofy, cheesy crud. If it were solely made in the 80's, the nostalgia might be worth something, but it's just another crappy show.
Favorite movie
Dave:Jerry Maguire: What a well-written movie. My roommate and I watched it a few weeks ago and now we always quote it. "There's such a thing as manners. These fish, have manners." Cool stuff.
Marc:Though many might find it difficult to single out a Star Wars film as being the best of the three, I've come to my own realization that, despite what any critics might say, I enjoy The Empire Strikes Back the most. The storyline's twists are interestingly shocking and the dialogue of Yoda is second to none.
Matt: You know, I hated Get Shorty the first time I saw it. But my roommate convinced me to watch it again. I loved it so much that I watched it about 20 more times.
Span:The Usual Suspects... I love this movie. I have yet to see another movie that has an ending so incredibly good. Kevin Spacey is a fantastic actor. Besides that, there's Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein, Hot Shots, Star Wars Trilogy, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Army of Darkness, Trainspotting, Swingers, Goodfellas, Blade Runner, 12 Monkeys, Se7en.... the list goes on and on... my favorite movies, as you can see, are screwball comedies, sci fi, gangster films, and of course action in general. I especially like movies with a dark, haunting, surreal quality.
Least favorite movie
Dave: This is the "quality entertainment" we get on Channel 9 when the Mets game gets rained out?
Marc: I know it's a cheap shot to take at this film since I haven't even seen even close to the whole thing but that's exactly the point. I hate movies that just drag along and that's just how 2001: A Space Odyssey opened. Those monkeys drove me nuts waiting for something to happen and even the humans couldn't get me interested. It's cheap, but it must do for now.
Span: Batman and Robin sure did suck. Batgirl sucked, Robin sucked, the acting sucked, the stunts sucked, the script sucked, wow, overbudgeted, overhyped rat dung at its finest. If you want to watch a terrible movie so you can MST3K it with your friends, this is the one.
Favorite musical artists
Dave: It took a little while but "Plush" finally won me over. I also love Bad Religion (have 9 of their albums) because they're just a straight-up punk band--grinding guitars and hammering vocals. Ben Folds Five I love because it seems every song is carefully crafted to make each melody beautiful for each second you listen.
Marc: I am a charter member of that club which will continue to love and remember Toad the Wet Sprocket even though they have recently parted ways. What I will always love and remember about their songs is that, in this musically deficient heart, body, and mind of mine, their music always rang true, and always hit home.
Favorite world leader
Dave: I love the Seinfeld bit with Castro in it when George goes to Cuba--Castro: "So I hear you are, as we say, 'communista simpatico'?" George: "Yes, muy, muy simpatico."
Marc: Saddam Hussein-- What? You wanted me to say some American or something? Well, too bad. I mean, I'm into ridicule (thus my passion for Jerry Springer) and Saddam is where you find ridicule if only for his persistent yet foolish actions. Oh yeah, don't forget that oh so cool mustache :).
Favorite ice cream flavor
Dave: The only place I can find Butter Crunch is at Friendly's. I swear I've looked everywhere and no one else has it.
Marc: Mint chocolate chip and cookies and cream remain those favorite flavors that I will never get enough of because they're both combinations of ingredients that are great on their own but better when paired with another.
Matt: I'm not really much of an ice cream fan.
Rock, paper, scissors
Dave: Lisa-"Bart, there's only one way to settle this: rock, paper, scissors. (thinking) Poor predictable Bart, always chooses rock." Bart-"(thinking) Good old rock, nothing beats that!"
Marc: Rock for two reasons...Kramer-"I thought paper beat rock." Mickey-"No, no, no, no...rock flies right through paper." Kramer-"Then what beats rock?" Mickey-"Nothing beats rock." Kramer and Mickey in unison-"Rock, paper, scissors, match, shoot. Rock. Rock." Do you smell what the Rock is cooking?
Favorite website
Dave: Mr. Showbiz has the best entertainment updates, polls, reviews for thousands of movies and albums, and contests that let you win cool stuff.
Marc:IGN64.com is my favorite site just for the fact that it has daily news updates exclusively for the N64.
Matt: Well, I'm in marching band, I play the clarinet, and I maintain the clarinet section web page. Check it out.
Favorite video game
Dave: Mario Kart 64--what makes this game better than its predecessor? Four-player action. This is the most fun you and your three friends will ever have.
Marc: I'm a big fan of strategy games, but not games like Starcraft or Command and Conquer mind you. I'm talking about racing around the last lap of Ghost Town I, neck and neck. You've got a banana peel and your opponent has a mushroom. So you shoot the banana peel onto the skinny strip hoping that your opponent will hit it when he goes to take the shortcut. He does...you win. It's a feeling folks.
Matt: I'm a total hockey freak. I can't get enough of it, so naturally NHL '98 is my favorite video game.
Favorite card game
Dave: I love how Hearts is strategic in its simplicity and the feeling you get when you're about to shoot the moon.
Marc: You have to remember two things here when you think about my choice for favorite card game. One, I don't gamble and two, I love computers. Then, Solitaire, Hearts, and Free Cell make a lot of sense.
Matt: I like the fact that poker is more about intuition than strategy. If I wanted a strategy game, I'd play chess (and I do sometimes).
Quote
Dave: "Yes!" As I've grown more optimistic and enthusiastic, I've learned to appreciate when things go my way and also appreciate the humor when things don't go my way.
Marc: "Do you smell what the Rock is cooking?" He's the man.
Matt: A lot of people say that I don't care about anything. That's not true at all, but I can see why they think that. I say "oh well" with such a lack of enthusiasm whenever anything bad happens.