I went to the print shop today to talk physics shirts. They told me they'd send details in a day or so. I started looking at colors as well - there won't be blue shirts in this run, but all the other popular colors are making a return. I have been convinced that red shirts would be a good idea (all you, Mikey) and of course green and orange are back. I liked the looks of the yellow and grey shirts last time as well. All of the shirts will be 100% cotton this time - I wasn't happy that last time some of the shirts were 50/50 polyester. This time I'm probably going to replace my 50/50's with full cotton shirts because I like the feel of the cotton shirts better.
I suppose that on today's news I can confirm a third run of Michigan State Physics T-shirts will be made, I don't have specific details yet though. I have to work out a timeline and get the production end running, and Jim has to start working some marketing magic. I'll throw up a website or something when I'm back in Oregon and have details. We're not taking orders just yet, but definitely drop me a line if you're interested.
Tomorrow I'm going over to Ann Arbor to hang out with some friends. I'm going to wear a Michigan State Physics shirt, of course. Tomorrow is also my last full day in Michigan before I fly home. It's very fortunate that I flew Southwest Airlines this time, because Northwest and Delta both went bankrupt this week.
After I return from Ann Arbor I have to pack everything up and get ready for another day on airplanes. I certainly did a good job of raiding my bookshelves - I won't have a shortage of things to read for a while. I'm wondering if I took full advantage of my week back in Michigan, but I think I did all I could for only having one week (especially for only having a car a couple of those days). I kind of want to hang around in Michigan some more, but my five month long summer is over. It was good to hang out with friends at MSU again, but it also felt clear that it's not for me anymore. Time to move on.
I finished watching Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. I thought the series started off good, then got a little slow in the middle. Then the run up to the climax was pretty awesome, but the final episode was confusing and not quite satisfactory. I enjoyed the series overall though. Now I am trying to find Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. I found out the English version won't be out until November, but I can probably find a Japanese version (subtitled in English) to watch. Penny Arcade claims Advent Children is pure condensed awesomeness. I am inclined to believe it.
I am flying back to Oregon on Saturday morning. Next week is orientation week at Oregon State, and then my classes finally start. It's been a whole five months since I had classes - I am not sure if I am ready, but it's coming anyway. The next time I'll be in Michigan will be December.
15 September 2005
14 September 2005
i want a tachikoma
My MSU email is acting up at the moment, so I've pretty much switched over to Gmail wholesale. I can still read MSU email but it won't let me send email for some reason, so I'm just responding to all my emails with Gmail. On a side note, I have only been using Gmail for a couple of days and I've aleady accumulated 19 invites.
I got some weird email today. One of the PSM people I talked to thought I was in applied biotechnology, and emailed me demanding to know why I wasn't signed up for some molecular bio class. I replied that on top of my being an Applied Physics student, I haven't signed up for any class yet, because they haven't yet told me all the classes I need to take. However, my remarks were to be sent by MSU email and thus got held up. The PSM person figured out I was in Applied Physics and correct themself, so I just deleted my outgoing email.
I also got bored and Googled myself. I found that Oregon State now has a list of PSM students, including profiles. Unfortunately, they completely made the profiles up - I am quoted as saying that I want to be a 'technical advisor in the aerospace industry.' Right. They also spelled my name wrong. Excellent work all around. I told the PSM people that I would be happy to write a short blurb about PSM if it meant getting rid of the crap they made up.
Since I'm home for the week I can catch The Daily Show. (No cable TV in the apartment.) It seems that their popularity has made them bolder - the joke seem a little punchier, and they dropped quite a few F-bombs in the shows I watched. I still love my Daily Show though. Kurt Vonnegut was on tonight, but it wasn't really a great interview. I like a couple of Vonnegut's books, but many of the others are just him being a dirty old man and getting away with it.
SPS is starting back up at MSU. And what's this - it's not sucking? The change in leadership (read: Sarah left) seems to have done a great deal of good. My brother is apparently even standing in as temporary VP (until they hold proper elections). SPS even ordered good pizza for their first meeting. This is a huge deal in the context of SPS. In the past, SPS has been governed by apathetic inertia so great that they couldn't even order anything other than Bell's pizza. (It is the cheapest...and also sucks. To quote Timmy, you can taste the savings.) SPS usually ordered 8 pizzas for 7 attendees. SPS was once criticized for 'not spending enough money' by the department (because they do nothing), so at the next meeting they ordered 8 horrible pizzas and a 6' sub.
At the new meeting, they ordered Papiano's. And they had enough attendees to justify 8 pizzas.
This is a very positive step for SPS. In fact, with Jim as acting VP and Josh as acting president, they may even be interested in a run of physics shirts! I emailed the print shop quite a while ago about a new run, but they haven't responded. I clearly need to go out to the shop and get the facts in person. The physics shirts are far from dead, they're just...hibernating? Waiting for a triumphant return, perhaps with the rebirth of SPS from the ashes. SPS and the physics shirts, working together - who would have thought?
Jim came home today for our mom's birthday. He brought several full episodes of Top Gear, a car show on BBC. The show is fairly amusing and I like their picks in music. For example, playing Orbital's "P.E.T.R.O.L." for a race between the gasoline and diesel versions of the BMW M5. Or playing music from Master and Commander and Batman Begins while racing a van on the Nurburgring.
In return, I made Jim watch an episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Ghost in the Shell is a cyberpunk classic and I have been enjoying Stand Alone Complex.
Tomorrow I am going to be in East Lansing. Good times.
I got some weird email today. One of the PSM people I talked to thought I was in applied biotechnology, and emailed me demanding to know why I wasn't signed up for some molecular bio class. I replied that on top of my being an Applied Physics student, I haven't signed up for any class yet, because they haven't yet told me all the classes I need to take. However, my remarks were to be sent by MSU email and thus got held up. The PSM person figured out I was in Applied Physics and correct themself, so I just deleted my outgoing email.
I also got bored and Googled myself. I found that Oregon State now has a list of PSM students, including profiles. Unfortunately, they completely made the profiles up - I am quoted as saying that I want to be a 'technical advisor in the aerospace industry.' Right. They also spelled my name wrong. Excellent work all around. I told the PSM people that I would be happy to write a short blurb about PSM if it meant getting rid of the crap they made up.
Since I'm home for the week I can catch The Daily Show. (No cable TV in the apartment.) It seems that their popularity has made them bolder - the joke seem a little punchier, and they dropped quite a few F-bombs in the shows I watched. I still love my Daily Show though. Kurt Vonnegut was on tonight, but it wasn't really a great interview. I like a couple of Vonnegut's books, but many of the others are just him being a dirty old man and getting away with it.
SPS is starting back up at MSU. And what's this - it's not sucking? The change in leadership (read: Sarah left) seems to have done a great deal of good. My brother is apparently even standing in as temporary VP (until they hold proper elections). SPS even ordered good pizza for their first meeting. This is a huge deal in the context of SPS. In the past, SPS has been governed by apathetic inertia so great that they couldn't even order anything other than Bell's pizza. (It is the cheapest...and also sucks. To quote Timmy, you can taste the savings.) SPS usually ordered 8 pizzas for 7 attendees. SPS was once criticized for 'not spending enough money' by the department (because they do nothing), so at the next meeting they ordered 8 horrible pizzas and a 6' sub.
At the new meeting, they ordered Papiano's. And they had enough attendees to justify 8 pizzas.
This is a very positive step for SPS. In fact, with Jim as acting VP and Josh as acting president, they may even be interested in a run of physics shirts! I emailed the print shop quite a while ago about a new run, but they haven't responded. I clearly need to go out to the shop and get the facts in person. The physics shirts are far from dead, they're just...hibernating? Waiting for a triumphant return, perhaps with the rebirth of SPS from the ashes. SPS and the physics shirts, working together - who would have thought?
Jim came home today for our mom's birthday. He brought several full episodes of Top Gear, a car show on BBC. The show is fairly amusing and I like their picks in music. For example, playing Orbital's "P.E.T.R.O.L." for a race between the gasoline and diesel versions of the BMW M5. Or playing music from Master and Commander and Batman Begins while racing a van on the Nurburgring.
In return, I made Jim watch an episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Ghost in the Shell is a cyberpunk classic and I have been enjoying Stand Alone Complex.
Tomorrow I am going to be in East Lansing. Good times.
10 September 2005
the mental projection of your digital self
I currently have six email addresses, two webspaces and this weblog. I think some purging is in order. Maybe I can set up some email forwards to cut down.
home
Well, I'm back in Michigan. My flight from Portland to Chicago was boring (4 hours), and my flight from Chicago to Detroit was stupid. The second flight was tp depart at 2:15 PM local time. They started boarding at 2:00 PM. Surprise surprise, we didn't finish boarding by 2:15, so the flight attendent started getting pushy and telling people to hurry up. (At one point: "We were supposed to pull out of here 23 seconds ago!") So everybody finally gets boarded, when I look out the window and see...the luggage guys pulling up. Yes, they did not get around to loading luggage until after the scheduled departure time.
And yet, we still got into Detroit ahead of schedule. Padding time is fun and easy!
So, for the next week I am bumming around in Michigan. I am going to start by going out to the hot tub.
I got sick of MSU's email crashing so I had Fischer hook me up with some Gmail invites. My new email is shanks.jon@gmail.com. I may or may not start using that as my default account, we'll see how it works.
Edit: I messed up my internal clock so I may well be on Eastern time this week. However, it's hard to remember that everybody is on the same time as I am now, and not three hours ahead.
And yet, we still got into Detroit ahead of schedule. Padding time is fun and easy!
So, for the next week I am bumming around in Michigan. I am going to start by going out to the hot tub.
I got sick of MSU's email crashing so I had Fischer hook me up with some Gmail invites. My new email is shanks.jon@gmail.com. I may or may not start using that as my default account, we'll see how it works.
Edit: I messed up my internal clock so I may well be on Eastern time this week. However, it's hard to remember that everybody is on the same time as I am now, and not three hours ahead.
08 September 2005
i am a katamari god
My big accomplishment today was getting the last of the 1438 items in 'Katamari Damacy' for 100% completion. Now I'm ready for the sequel.
I had a meeting with the PSM head this morning, where I confirmed I don't have to take the comps. We also talked about internship stuff a little. I saw the PSM roster and found that there really are only three Applied Physics PSM students (not counting the dude in Iraq).
I went over to the student bookstore this afternoon. They have a better selection of science and engineering books there. I found no less than three cryptography books. They weren't just simple substitution cipher books, they were actual hardcore textbooks (even had RSA attack strategies in them). They cost around $75 though, so I didn't get them.
The bookstore also had some interesting books on renewable energy, but they cost more than I had on me. This month's National Geographic also wrote about renewable energy - I read part of the story, but didn't finish it. Fortunately, we get National Geographic at home.
Tomorrow I'm going up to Portland to visit with some family, who are being kind enough to get me over to the airport Saturday morning so I can fly home.
I had a meeting with the PSM head this morning, where I confirmed I don't have to take the comps. We also talked about internship stuff a little. I saw the PSM roster and found that there really are only three Applied Physics PSM students (not counting the dude in Iraq).
I went over to the student bookstore this afternoon. They have a better selection of science and engineering books there. I found no less than three cryptography books. They weren't just simple substitution cipher books, they were actual hardcore textbooks (even had RSA attack strategies in them). They cost around $75 though, so I didn't get them.
The bookstore also had some interesting books on renewable energy, but they cost more than I had on me. This month's National Geographic also wrote about renewable energy - I read part of the story, but didn't finish it. Fortunately, we get National Geographic at home.
Tomorrow I'm going up to Portland to visit with some family, who are being kind enough to get me over to the airport Saturday morning so I can fly home.
06 September 2005
non-comp
I emailed a PSM person last night and got some very good news this morning. I don't have to take the comps - the comprehensive exams. No oral exam either. That stuff is just for Ph.D students to have nightmares about. The biggest thing I have to worry about - besides surviving grad school in general - is my internship and future employment. I have done a little bit of basic research into renewable energy companies. I pulled up a list of exhibitors in the 2005 World Solar Congress and I recognized a couple companies just at a glance. The 2006 conference is a must if I decide to keep pursuing solar power.
U-M started up today, so I am pretty much the only person still on summer break. Kind of a bummer. The different time zone throws things off too. In a couple of days I'm coming home for a whole week though.
I think my Go playing is getting better. I can beat the stupid computer on a 19x19 board now. I went back to the 9x9 board and found that there wasn't nearly enough room. I guess I've been literally growing as a Go player.
U-M started up today, so I am pretty much the only person still on summer break. Kind of a bummer. The different time zone throws things off too. In a couple of days I'm coming home for a whole week though.
I think my Go playing is getting better. I can beat the stupid computer on a 19x19 board now. I went back to the 9x9 board and found that there wasn't nearly enough room. I guess I've been literally growing as a Go player.
05 September 2005
incorporated
I watched The Corporation. I thought it was fairly well done. As for the actual content, I agree with some of their ideas but not all of them.
I tinkered with my RSA demo program a little bit, but the stuff I would like to add involve stuff I've forgotten how to do and would generally be a pain.
Overall I had a slow weekend. I am very excited to go home next weekend, but I still have things to do here before I leave. I wanted to take care of some stuff today, but I forgot it was Labor Day so nothing productive could get done. I did get a small fire safe today though, which makes me feel a lot better about keeping important documents out here. Fortunately, banks and stuff are open again tomorrow so I can start attacking my list of things to do again. My virtual Post-It notes are slowly obstructing more and more of my desktop.
I have usually kept Freeman docked at the desk over the past few weeks, but I have recently been taking advantage of the fact that it's a laptop to do computer stuff on the futon. I like my futon.
I haven't gotten out and about too much recently. It would be nice to go out to the coast again, but I am trying to put off filling up the car if at all possible. I am going up to Portland in a few days anyway (though my exact plans are not yet determined - another important thing to take care of). I will be home in Michigan all next week, but again my plans are not yet determined. I do know that I want to get up to MSU and over to U-M at some point.
I played a bit of Counter-Strike: Source over the past couple of days, and I regained some skill, but frankly I am tired of video games right now. I am more interested in becoming a better Go player than in becoming a better CS:S player.
I want to get a bike so I can explore Corvallis without wasting gasoline, but I don't know where to find a decent bike (for a sane price). One more item on my list of things I haven't gotten around to getting yet.
I tinkered with my RSA demo program a little bit, but the stuff I would like to add involve stuff I've forgotten how to do and would generally be a pain.
Overall I had a slow weekend. I am very excited to go home next weekend, but I still have things to do here before I leave. I wanted to take care of some stuff today, but I forgot it was Labor Day so nothing productive could get done. I did get a small fire safe today though, which makes me feel a lot better about keeping important documents out here. Fortunately, banks and stuff are open again tomorrow so I can start attacking my list of things to do again. My virtual Post-It notes are slowly obstructing more and more of my desktop.
I have usually kept Freeman docked at the desk over the past few weeks, but I have recently been taking advantage of the fact that it's a laptop to do computer stuff on the futon. I like my futon.
I haven't gotten out and about too much recently. It would be nice to go out to the coast again, but I am trying to put off filling up the car if at all possible. I am going up to Portland in a few days anyway (though my exact plans are not yet determined - another important thing to take care of). I will be home in Michigan all next week, but again my plans are not yet determined. I do know that I want to get up to MSU and over to U-M at some point.
I played a bit of Counter-Strike: Source over the past couple of days, and I regained some skill, but frankly I am tired of video games right now. I am more interested in becoming a better Go player than in becoming a better CS:S player.
I want to get a bike so I can explore Corvallis without wasting gasoline, but I don't know where to find a decent bike (for a sane price). One more item on my list of things I haven't gotten around to getting yet.
03 September 2005
audigized
My Audigy came today. It's an impressive little piece of technology. Freeman finally has high quality audio - one more deficiency taken care of. The Audigy's delivery was the one event that prompted me to get out of bed. This was at 11:30 AM.
Now that my summer job is finished, I'm not sure what to do with my week before I come home. I'll probably pull up some side projects like RSA again.
I proctored the PH 203 final on Thursday with the other TA. It was not too eventful, but I did get asked a question so stupid I could offer no response. One of the student flagged me down and pointed to the last question. It expresses the power of a lens in diopters, which is the reciprocal of the focal length. Diopters are not used often though, so it generates a great deal of confusion when it appears. So the student points to the diopters value and says:
"Am I supposed to convert this to Watts?"
"Excuse me?"
"It says this is the power of the lens. Do I need to convert it to Watts?"
Moment of stunned silence.
I told the student that the equation they needed to use was on their formula sheet and went back to my post.
Now that my summer job is finished, I'm not sure what to do with my week before I come home. I'll probably pull up some side projects like RSA again.
I proctored the PH 203 final on Thursday with the other TA. It was not too eventful, but I did get asked a question so stupid I could offer no response. One of the student flagged me down and pointed to the last question. It expresses the power of a lens in diopters, which is the reciprocal of the focal length. Diopters are not used often though, so it generates a great deal of confusion when it appears. So the student points to the diopters value and says:
"Am I supposed to convert this to Watts?"
"Excuse me?"
"It says this is the power of the lens. Do I need to convert it to Watts?"
Moment of stunned silence.
I told the student that the equation they needed to use was on their formula sheet and went back to my post.
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