Incoherent Mumbling

Grad School

2009-03-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

I guess I missed the old OSU too much. I am going back, starting grad classes in the fall. I am excited about the new adventure, and I will let you know more when there is more to know.

Truth

2008-10-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Another Milestone (or Two)

2008-10-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have completed two more milestones in my attempt to get fit.

First I have finished an actual, verifiable 3 mile run (also called the 5K). More than once. And I didn't die.

Also, I have finally dropped below 220lbs. This weight has been a mental barrier for me; I have not weighed less than this for most of my adult life. So here is to my current 219lbs, and to the 218, 217 and n-1 lbs to follow.

According to Cool Running, I should run 3 miles 3 times a week for the next 6 weeks or so. They also say that this might be the best personal fitness growth I will see.

My long term goal is to run with the Hood to Coast relay team my company sponsors. By long term I mean in the summer of 2009. I have already signed up. Sometime in November we find out if we are in. And for some sick reason, I am looking forward to it.

Back Again

2008-09-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

It has been almost a year since my last post. Time to say something.

Lately I have been trying to lose weight. In March I was 245lbs. At 6'0" that gives me a BMI of 33.22, which is up into the obese range.

I joined the YMCA in April. I started losing weight almost immediately, down to 225-230lbs by July.

I hung out at the 225lbs mark for a few weeks, and decided I needed to add some more exercise to my routine. So I started running. I couldn't run an entire city block without stopping to catch my breath. I am using the "couch to 5k" plan to get up to 3 miles. So far, I have reached 2.7 miles, after 7 weeks of running.

Also, my legs started to hurt, so I went to Gallagher Fitness to get shoes sized for me and my gait. I was very pleased with the low pressure service, extensive knowledge and the selection and price of the shoes they offered me. I ended up with a pair of Saucony Stabil 6. I am very pleased with these bad boys, and my legs don't hurt anymore.

After years of hating to run, I am coming around. The hardest part now is not stopping in the first five minutes. For some reason, those first few minutes drag by, and my body screams at me to stop. But, I know that if I make it through, the next 25 minutes will fly by.

I am now 220lbs, making my BMI 29.83. Which is .07 under the cutoff for obese. I am now just overweight! I have seen lots of other benefits besides weight-loss from my new routine too. Higher energy and stamina, reduced snoring, more restful rest to name a few.

My goal weight is 200, which gives me 20lbs to go. And it isn't going as fast as the first 25 did. Oh well.

Still Breathing

2007-11-07T21:53:00.001-08:00

I told you all I was going to take a posting hiatus. At the behest of TheLon, I submit to you the following:

It has been several months since I graduated. I have been a full time engineer for 8 months. It was strange when September came around and I had not signed up for classes. I hadn't pondered my schedule, hadn't become excited about the prospect of new ideas, of learning new things, of expanding my knowledge.

I must say I miss it. It was a busy time: classes, job, wife, kids, other. But, Education is such a quintessential experience. Uniquely human. And I enjoyed the sense of purpose and the thrill of discovery. I had a goal, the going was hard, but it made it all the more worthwhile. And along the way I was presented with so many ideas and concepts, I am just now getting them sorted out.

And I made some lifelong friends. People like Bdog, TheLon, Del Meekre and many others. You can't put a price on friendships like those. And Dale was there for the whole ride. That was very cool.

So, I miss it. But, there are more things to accomplish, more goals to set and achieve. Onward, upward.

I don't miss the mid-terms.

No Posts

2007-02-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

I have not posted in a while.

I've been busy, and I don't have much time to say anything worthwhile.

I don't think this is the end of blogging for me, but a hiatus.

mmmhmmm

2007-01-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable

At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty

You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it

Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

New Mac

2006-12-29T19:53:00.000-08:00

It is glorious.

I am thrilled.

Thinker

2006-12-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Exploring

You thrive on the unknown and unpredictable. Novelty is your middle name.

You are a challenger. You tend to challenge common assumptions and beliefs.

An expert inventor and problem solver, you approach everything from new angles.

You show people how to question their models of the world.

What's Your Thinking Style?

Added Utah

2006-12-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

Hopefully by the end of next year I will have added North Dakota, Maryland and New York. We'll see.

Statistics, Politics and YOU

2006-12-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

My guess is that most people don't understand statistics.

Words like probability, standard deviation, population, sample, control, mean, t-test, chi squared, etc. have very little meaning to the average Joe/Joan.

Yet statistics are often quoted by politicians and news articles as proof of their point. A language that everyone uses but few understand.

I am going to use statistics in a minute, so, in and effort to be clear, here is a brief overview of some basic statistics principles.

********************CAUTION********************
If you don't like math skip to the end of this section (marked by *'s).

Population: an entire group, in this case, men in the United States.
Sample: part of a population that is surveyed, or measured in some way.
Mean: the average of the measurement of the sample.
Standard Deviation: the amount of variance in the measurement of the sample.

There are two ways to determine the average height of men in America. First you could measure the height of every man in America and take the average. This might be a little hard because there are quite a few people in this population. But, when you were done, you would know with 100% certainty that you had the exact average height of American men.

The second thing you could do is select a sub-group, a cross-section of the population, called a sample. Measure the sampled group and take the average. However, this is not the true average, it has a degree of uncertainty and variability associated with it. These values can be quantified, but we won't get into that. Suffice it to say that instead of an average you have a mean and a standard deviation. So you can say with a known degree of certainty that the population will fall in the range defined by these numbers. Let's say you measured the mean average height to be 56" and the standard deviation was 6". You are, in effect, saying that if you had the chance to measure the height of all men in America the average would be between 50" and 62".

But, if your sample is too small the data will be skewed. The sample must be large enough to be significant for the resulting data to make any kind of sense.

So, statistics is the mathematical science of relating samples to the trends of the population. Useful for production, quality control, and elections.

************************************************

So, here is my point: your vote does not matter. In relation to the population (all people who vote) you are not significant.

To be significant you must align yourself with the majority group. And then, within that group, you are not significant. A vote is like a dollar. If you are trying to win a bidding war for a Picasso you won't win by yourself. You need to get about 40 million others to all pitch in their vote-dollar for the painting. So, then, who owns the painting? And what if I wanted a different Picasso, but settled for this one because the others didn't have enough voters?

Thus, to be a politician, you need to pander to the majority, automatically ruling out the single voter.

What should we do? I don't know. Nothing probably, just recognize that our vote doesn't count, and know that, ultimately, our fate is up to God.

Jobs, or

2006-12-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

How God Blesses With a Multitude of Possibilities

I have recently had to choose between two different job offers. It was pretty tough. Probably the hardest decision I have ever had to make. The reason: both choices were right. Two right answers, which is more right.

My wife and I talked, we prayed, we asked for advice, we were given advice unsolicited, and we talked some more. Finally we came to a decision and are implementing it. It was not easy, but we have been blessed by the process.

We decided to take the lower offer and not move. We thought, if we move this would still be home. Because our families and our church all reside here. We would come here on our vacations and try to move back after awhile. And it's not like the lower offer was not enough to live on, so we would only be moving for the money.

In the end it came down to the intangible things: church, family, startup vs corporation. They stacked up to highly to be ignored.

sixty-six and a half

2006-11-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

See here for an explanation of the following.

*Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
*Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
*The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
*Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
-Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch. Sappy Crappy.
*The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
*The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
*Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
*Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
*The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
*Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
*Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss
Strega Nona by Tomie De Paola
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin, Jr.
*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
*The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
*A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
*How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
*The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault
*Little House on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
-The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, BORING
*The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
*Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
*Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
*Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
*The BFG by Roald Dahl
*The Giver by Lois Lowry
*If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
*James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
*Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
*Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
*The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
*Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien
-Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, I tried several times to read this piece of boring trash, I am counting it as a half.
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
*Matilda by Roald Dahl
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
*Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
*Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
*Are You My Mother? by Philip D. Eastman
*The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
*Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
*One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
*The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
*Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
*Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
Basil of Baker Street, by Eve Titus
*The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
*The Cay by Theodore Taylor
*Curious George by Hans Augusto Rey
Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
Arthur series by Marc Tolon Brown
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
*Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
*The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
*Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
*A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
*Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Stuart Little by E. B. White
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
*The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Art Lesson by Tomie De Paola
*Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
*Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch

Week 9

2006-11-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

Two weeks left.

I have been BUSY!

Here is why.

Week 5

2006-10-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well, no one has guessed the equation written on the white wall behind Wierd Al and the dancing man. It is the non-relativistic, time independant form of the Schrodinger Wave Equation.

Alright, you can all rest a little easier now.

Read about Schrodinger, or his equation.

4 ma homiez

2006-10-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Week 4

2006-10-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Assume:
Girls=money*time;

It has previously been proven that:
time=money;

Implies:
Girls=money²

Corrollary, money is the root of all evil:
money=√evil;

Thus,
money²=evil;

Substitite and solve:

Girls=evil

2006-10-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

I beat you honey...

Week 3

2006-10-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

I have been a negligent blogger. I am sorry to all seven of you who come by here.

I wish I had deep philosophical things to say, but I don't have time.

Instead I will give you a link to investigate.

A while ago I talked about a hero of mine, Lise Meitner. Well here is another hero of mine.

Gender and Science

2006-09-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

I am taking a Women's Studies class.

I will wait for the laughter to subside...waiting...waiting...go ahead, get it all out...

...thank you, I will now move on.

I was going to take History of Twentieth Century Science, which really interested me. But not enough people signed up for my section, so they moved it to a time I could not go. So, a week before classes start I was in a desperate search for a class that would satisfy the elective requirements and fit my schedule.

Enter Women's Studies.

I had the first class today. As you would expect, most of the students were female. Those that were male were from the football team. I sat with them. If you ever want a class to go by fast, sit with the football players. They get away with anything and they are really funny.

Also, the professor said she would give the answers to the midterm and final during lecture. That's right, I said give us the answers. "The test will say da de da blank blank de de da." Direct quote.

Given how tough my classes have been heretofore, I will enjoy this change of pace.

P.S.
From the syllabus:
Rule #13 - Encourage others to speak up. Be especially encouraging of people who are working through their prejudices and attempting to grow as feminists.

Back to Old OSU

2006-09-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

Fall term classes started today. I really think I am going to thoroughly enjoy them. Stuff that I could have used on this last stint in industry.

I really feel like a senior. Friends are finding jobs: Boeing, Honda, Warn -- to drop few names. Classes look very useful, I can see where they're applicable. I have started sending out resumes. Graduation worksheet is turned in. All in all, it is looking very much like the end.

I am now wondering what the next stage should be. I have a couple of friends who will pursue grad school, and that is a course that interests me. Maybe I should wait until after the GRE's before getting too excited about this option.

Ideally I would attend grad school online, like at USC. Then I could also be working. And maybe the company I work for would pay tuition.

I also want to pursue a masters level Philosophy/Theology degree. At this stage of my life those two degrees are probably mutually exclusive. I do not think I could do both concurrently, and two masters degrees seems to be a bit excessive.

I guess I will wait and see what my GRE score is and what job I get, then decide what long-term direction I want to take.

My life is 60% happy

2006-09-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, at least according to this test I found on someone elses blog. Trendy tests -- the lazy bloggers dream-come-true.

[x] You have a boyfriend/ girlfriend/ fiancee/ husband/ wife.
[x] You have your own room. (I share with my wife, but that just makes it better).
[x] You own a cell phone.
[x] You have an ipod/ mp3 player.
[x] Your parents are still married.
[ ] You have more than 2 best friends.
[ ] There is a swimming pool in your backyard.

T OT A L: 5

[x] You dress how you want to.
[x] You hang out with friends more than once a week.
[x] There is a computer/ laptop in your room.
[ ] You have never been beaten up.
[x] You never cry more than twice a month.
[x] You are allowed to listen to the music you want to.
[x] Your room is big enough for you.
[x] People don't use you for something you have.
[x] You have been to a concert.

T 0 T A L: 8

[x] You DO NOT have over 50 friends on myspace.
[x] You DO NOT have pictures on myspace.
[x] You DO NOT use myspace.
[ ] You get allowance.
[ ] You collect something normal.
[x] People don't make fun of you to be mean.
[x] You look foward to going to school.
[x] You don't wish you were someone else.
[ ] You play a sport.
[ ] You do something after school.

T 0 T A L: 5

[x] You own a motorcycle.
[x] You usually don't fight with your parents.
[x] You are happy with your appearance.
[ ] You aren't self-conscious at all.
[x] You have never got a failing grade in your life.
[x] You have friends.
[x] You know your parents care and love you.

T 0 T A L: 6

[ ] You know what is going on in the world.
[x] You care about many people.
[x] You are happy with your life.
[ ] You usually aren't sick.
[ ] You know more than one language.
[x] You have a screen name.
[ ] You own a pet.
[x] You know the words to more than 5 songs.
[x] You dont have any enemies.
[x] You are happy you're living.

T O T A L: 6

Now count your numbers and multiply by two.Then title this " MY LIFE IS _%HAPPY

Worst Album Covers Ever

2006-09-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Warning, these posters are not for the faint of heart, or the faint of butt.
View if you dare.

The Motorcycle Story

2006-09-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted a motorbike. I used to daydream about them as a kid. I rode three-wheelers and quads when I worked on the farm, and my cousins have always had bikes that I could borrow. But never my own.

When I was younger it was a simple matter of money -- I didn't have any. As I got older, I went to college, got married, still no money, but also it didn't seem like a practical mode of transport year-round. We talked about it, decided against it, shelved the idea.

But then a couple of guys that my wife worked with bought bikes to use as commuters year round. And they did just fine. They wore rain gear, they got cold, but the money savings were huge.

We looked into costs: gas, $3.00/gallon, bikes like mine get 50mpg, insurance, ~$180.00/year, the bikes themselves are very inexpensive. Fiscally, a good deal. We could sell one of our cars and end up with more cash on hand to buy a minivan next year.

So we decided to get one. I looked for months, riding this and that, nothing grabbed me. Then I rode the perfect one.

Today I passed the practical DMV exam, so I have a valid motorcycle endorsment. I am now a legitimate motorcycle man.

P.S.
Is there anyone out there who wants to buy a 1996 Honda Accord, 203000 miles, newly stolen stereo?

Thievery

2006-09-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, for the second time in my life, my car stereo was stolen.

I was cleaning out the Honda, getting it ready to sell, on saturday. I must have forgotten to lock it (although I always lock it). Anyway, that night, someone opened the door somehow, laid the driver seat back, turned off the dome light, pried the stereo out, rifled through the glove box/center console and left. All in the crowded parking lot of my apartment complex.

I am not sad about the stereo, it was a cheap Aiwa that didn't play half of my CD's. Street value: 20 bucks, if you find a real patsy.

I am sad about the CD that was in it at the time.

The last time this happened (different car, my BMW, about 6-7 years ago) I had been listening to Supertramps Breakfast in America. I loved that CD.

This time I was listening to Jeremy's new CD. And I hadn't even heard the whole thing yet.

So, to you idiot car thieves out there, take the time to hit eject on the CD player before you jerk it. Most units will allow you to do this without accessory power. Oh, and I hope someone hits you with a truck. Not hard enough to kill you, just enough to make you an invalid so your thieving-for-crack-money days are done.

Draw Me a Line

2006-09-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

There is an article in the September 11, 2006 issue of TIME magazine about corporations and personal privacy.

They share a story of a man who got fired after he called in sick. And his boss checked his story via a software program that located the GPS location of his cell phone. And found that he was driving away from the city.

OK, so lying to your boss is a bad thing to do. But...spying...is...so...dirty.

With the advent of the Blackberrys, cheap broadband internet access, VPN, cell phones, and a global system of suppliers and customers that never sleeps, the line between work time and personal time has been blurred, in some cases removed completely. One is never free from the tether of the office.

If a corporation gets irritated about personal use of the company internet or phones, and they have a policy that results in termination, then I think they cannot expect any after hours support. That is, when the employee is in the building he is free game; after he walks out the door at the end of the work day, he is no longer reachable. No emergencies, no late night conference calls, he is free.

Where I work this is not a problem. The engineers check and respond to their work email while they are on vacation, but in turn they have freedom to take care of personal buisiness during the "work day". The company doesn't set your hours. You work the schedule that is appropriate for your situation. This is an example of a progressive company, which realizes that the boss-to-employee relationship is just that, a relationship. A relationship that involves giving and taking, and compromise.

I am not advocating lying to your boss about being sick. My boss trusts me. Because I am trustworthy. If you are not, your boss will figure it out -- he is not stupid -- and you will get fired. But spying--which, like lying, violates that trust relationship--is not the way to do it.

OSU-14, Boise State-42

2006-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Being a fan can hurt. Like when your team plays terribly.

Define Me

2006-09-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

Whenever I meet someone I want to get an idea about who they are.

So I ask them questions. Like: What do you do for a living? Or, if they are a student, where do you go to school? What is your major?

As you further get to know someone you find out about all the little things about them; the different parts of their identity that make up the whole. This, I believe, is the process of friendship.

This process is fueled by conversations, meaningful conversations. Friendship based on a mutual interest will only be as strong as that interest. The interest is what binds those friends. Friendship based on knowing is much stronger because the binding element is not external. It cannot be removed.

So, who do you know?

DELETED

2006-09-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

This message has been removed by the author, it was offensive and rude. You will never know what it said.

And you wonder why I am a cynic?

2006-08-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Behold, the athiests nightmare!

Applications

2006-08-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

So, I am about 6-7 months from graduation. I have started to look for jobs. I have applied to places in England (haven't heard back, been about 2 months, not holding my breath), Boise (wanted someone available sooner), Santa Clarita, Bend, Portland (all recent, still have not had a callback). I am beginning to wonder if starting so early was a very good idea.

I want to have a job in hand before I graduate, thus the early resume circulation. People who are looking for applicants want them to start sooner than later. It is a strange position: yes I want the job, but I can't start for several months, don't you think I am so qualified that you are willing to wait? No? Blast.

What is a Christian?

2006-08-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

I have been pondering this question since reading this guy's post. He is talking about the definition of the word, specifically, the broad range of people it could include or, conversely, exclude. His interest in this subject is simple -- he is Mormon. He calls his beliefs "Christian" though others do not.

So, what is a Christian? Simply breaking the word into its parts -- Christ and ian -- reveals little:
Christ is a person.
Ian implies of, or belonging. As in, I am a Canadian by birth. I belong, or am of Canada, in a sense.

Thus, a Christian is one who is of Christ, someone who seeks to draw their identity from him. As I said, this reveals little. What is it to be of Christ? That is the heart of the matter.

It seems to me that to claim identity in something, you must know it, believe it and, as a result, express it. I submit to you, by way of example, the football fan.

Sometime this November the university I attend will play host to another university; they will have an athletic contest. There will be a clear winner and loser. The day will be a typical Willamette Valley day. Cold, rainy, damp. I will be there. Homework looming, crushing, kids at home with my wife, all ignored. I will be dressed in an absurd manner -- all orange and black -- with three layers of clothing underneath to keep my appendages from frostbite.

Absurd apparel, yes. But I will be amongst many of like mind, and dress. We are Beaver Believers! Our identity at the moment is not individual alone, but also tied to those 11 guys on the field. We cheer, we challenge the other team's fans, we are elated with victory and crushed with defeat. There is no distinction between team and fans, we are one entity.

Sometimes, if I am wearing my Oregon State sweatshirt in Eugene (home of our arch-nemesi), I will notice the looks, and think about my distinctive mark, my identity in the Beavers. If I am in Corvallis (home of OSU) they will stop me on the street to talk about last week's game, or our prospects next year. People can easily see that part of my identity.

Christianity is not so straight-forward, of course.

At the heart of it, obviously, is Christ. To be a Christian, you have to believe the things he said.

It is indisputable that he claimed to be the Son of God. The criminal accusations leveled at him were a response to this claim. Also, he claimed to fulfill the law and prophecies, what we now call the Old Testament Scriptures. Last, he claimed that he came to earth to die, that his death would satisfy the justice of God in the matter of punishing sinners, that he would be raised from the dead after three days and would go into heaven and prepare a place for his followers.

I think a Christian is someone who believes the claims of Christ to be absolutely true, and that he actually did what he said. Then, with this faith, they act out their belief engaging in the works he lays out for them.

But much has been done to obscure exactly how this is played out. Organized religion is responsible for some terrible acts. I am thinking of the Inquisition, the purposeful genocide of native North and South Americans, the Salem witch trials, the Crusades, Christian contemporary music and so on. These actions have marred the label of "Christianity."

They have taken the glory from it, successfully making religion repugnant, a life-boat of the ignorant, spurned by the enlightened.

It is with this that I struggle. I know I am identified in Christ. I believe his words are true. But I don't want to be a plodder, a blind follower of whoever is in the pulpit near where I live, or wrote the current best seller.

So, what is a Christian? First and foremost, a believer and doer of the words and works of Christ. An embodier of Christ, if you will. But also, and just as paramount, a thinker, reasoner, an illuminati. Someone who decides whether Larry and Bob are suitable for their children based on what they say and do, not what the masses of others are telling them. Christians ought to be people who live by their faith, people who believe so strongly in the words of Christ that it affects their behavior and actions, both in the world, and amongst their peers.

I am not talking about religiousity, ritual forms, or legalistic stoicism.

I am talking about a life lived in love. A life lived in submission to the teachings of Jesus, not the marketing of either tommy nelson, or Cosmo.

Quite a few to go

2006-08-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

The Man and His Motorcycle

2006-08-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Yep, it is MINE!

Politics

2006-08-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

You are a
Social Liberal
(60% permissive)

and an...
Economic Moderate
(56% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Centrist

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Five

2006-08-18T11:42:00.001-07:00

You are smart, sexy, beautiful, kind and adorable. I love you very much. Here is to you and me, our first five, and for many more fivers to come.

No Callback

2006-07-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

It has been three weeks since my wheel of fortune moment in the spotlight. They have not asked me to come for further auditions. So I guess they don't want me.

I will have to buy a minivan the traditional way. Work hard, and save money. Bummer.

Lack of Posting

2006-07-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have posted -- I am sorry. I have been quite busy of late. It has to do with sales & marketing selling a product before it has been developed. So, they sit back and collect commission while we work overtime trying to get the thing ready to ship.

Bad Link

2006-07-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

If any of you clicked on Mom's Musings before today, I apologize. The link was incorrectly written and it took you to some weirdo’s site.

It is fixed now, it takes you to the wonderful Mrs. Bunches site. There you will find a kind, Christian lady who writes about her life. Not the weird ramblings of a fool.

I am lazy

2006-07-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

After writing that last post about the minivan and wanting a radio that works, I realized that I had never pulled the radio out of our current car and checked out it's wiring. Well I did it later that day. It was a verifiable rats nest back there. I rewired the power distribution and now the radio works fine. Imagine if I had done that on the day after I got the thing instead of waiting for months. We could have had tunes for a long time now.

I wish I wasn't so lazy.

Minivan

2006-07-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

We have two kids now. We want more. So we are going to need a minivan someday. And right now Dodge has a pretty good deal.

But we decided not to take advantage of it. There are two reasons.

Going into debt should always be a source of slow and careful consideration. Dealerships want you to make a rapid decision -- to be a little off-balance. We decided that a payment at this time in our lives would really strain our finances.
We don't absolutely need a minivan right now, the whole family can fit in what we have. It is tight, especially with all the cargo (stroller, pack n' play, etc.) that accompanies small children. We were not really even thinking about buying one until next winter. But the Dodge deal enticed us, and we went to the lot and looked.

And we realized how nice it would be to have space for everyone, no little kicks into my back, a radio/CD player that actually works, an engine and drive-train with less than 176000 miles (our lowest-mileage car, the other has 206000) and just the overall appeal of a new nice ride.

But we walked away from the lot, away from the allure of the thing, the song of the siren, and back into the land of cold, clear logic. This isn't a necessity. It is a want. We have been blessed with what we have.

We can make it work. And we will.

Wheel...of...Fortune![cue theme muzak]

2006-07-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

As you may well be aware, my wife is possibly a contestant on Jeopardy.
We found out about the auditions because we watch Jeopardy (I know that there is supposed to be an ! after the word Jeopardy, but I refuse to do it) pretty regularly. We also watch Wheel of Fortune.

A couple of weeks ago we were watching when Pat and Vanna announced that there would be Wheel tryouts held in Lincoln City, Oregon on July 8th and 9th. We looked at each other, and it was decided.

That Saturday, the 8th I was halfway to Lincoln City when the rear passenger brake started to make a funny (by which I mean loud, people staring, grinding sort of) noise. This was in Salem. I pulled into the Safeway parking lot and checked it out. Sure enough, the rotor showed definite signs of abuse.

So I turned around and headed for my parents' house. Once there I removed my tire, reassured that no permanent damage was done I headed to Napafor parts. I spent the rest of the afternoon replacing all four brakes.

Well, the next day, Jen and I decided to head to Lincoln City again. This time we made it all the way. The tryouts were held at the Chinook Winds Casino. The line to get in came out the front, wrapped around the side and proceeded toward the beach.

I told Jen that I didn't want to stand in any stupid long line like that. She said something like, don't be an idiot, we drove a long way. So, I left her with the kiddos and I stood in line.

Three large men got in line just behind me. Because the first thing I look at when I see someone is shoes/feet I noticed that one of them was wearing pink Pumas. They were mostly gray, but with definite pink trim. They were women's shoes. I gradually noticed that he was wearing a girlish watch, gaudy necklace, a purse, and sunglasses with a rhinestone heart in the lower left-hand corner of the lens.

This guy is a big, greasy fairy, I thought. The other two guys were not so flaming, but I heard them checking out some guy, and talking about a "cute" football star. I am pretty sure they were all gay. We stood in line together for about 2 hours and we talked about random stuff. They were enjoyable guys; their conversation made the wait bearable.

One more note about the line. I have a tremendously little bladder. I had to pee when I got in line. There was no way in heck I was going to get out to relieve myself. So, I held it. The entire time. For three or four hours. Yay me.

After waiting in line outside, we were allowed to go inside where we got to -- wait in line some more!

After that wait we were let in to this huge room. Marked fire capacity was 920. There were some empty seats, but not many. I bet there were at least 800 people in the group.

The actual audition went like this. Five names were drawn at random from a big golden drum. Those five people played a speed-up round (the round played after Pat gives the ol' wheel it's final spin). Those five people won a prize. They also got to show as much enthusiasm as possible, which was the most important thing, because that is what they were looking for.

There are three auditions of this same size (~800) each day. The audition lasted for about an hour. They tried to get through as many groups of five as they could. They got through six groups in during the hour I was there. That means 30 people out of 800 got to audition. Roughly a 7.5% chance of having your name called.

The third from the last group's fourth name was my own.

I jumped up and down screaming wahoo all the while. I gave the queens high fives and headed for the stage.

On stage the contestants participate in a short one-on-one with Marty, the fake-Pat. He asks your name, occupation and interests/hobbies. The interest question is where you are supposed to be all enthusiastic. I had noticed that most people had talked about their love of the outdoors. Wanting to be different and noticeable I emphasized my geeky side. I said that I enjoyed doing anything -- so long as it was indoors. Then I looked at the audience and said, in my best possible Gollum:"because the sun, she burns ussss." The crowd busted up.

Then we played the speed-up round. I totally should have guessed the puzzle, but I was too nervous, my mind was blank. The guy after me got it. As soon as it wasn't my turn anymore, I so knew it. LEMONADE STAND. Well, I knew I had to recover for not winning so I grabbed the winner in a bear hug, after we high fived. I know, out of character, but I want to get on the show and win some change. We need a minivan.

My Prize

Happiness

2006-07-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

TIME ran an opinion column awhile back about happiness and parenting. It referred to studies that showed people with kids were less happy. This led me to ask two questions:

1) What is happiness, exactly?
2) How do you measure it?

I can't answer these questions. Happiness is a feeling, a state of contentedness, not exact or quantifiable. I would like to see the study referenced, as it may answer these questions -- but the author of the opinion did not say what study, or by whom it was conducted.

Well, he opined in his medium, I will ope in mine.

When the founders of this nation declared independence, they declared that they held to some truths. They declared that the truths were self-evident, they needed no argument or proof, they were fundamental. One of these self-evident truths is the unalienable Right of the pursuit of Happiness.["that all men are ... endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”]

We are most certainly exercising this right if the discrepancy in compensation for educators and entertainers is any indicator. We are fascinated with happiness. We talk about it all the time. Why do you “____”? It makes me happy. If you watch friends you know that the only reason for a relationship is the happiness it brings to those involved. We conduct studies and write opinion columns about how children detract from it.

The conclusion of the article said something like: Isn't it great that we have kids and love them anyway, even though they make us less happy?

Maybe he should have said: How selfish are we?

Our children are an incredible gift as well as a weighty responsibility. My own bring me tremendous happiness.

Here is what I am trying to say:

A marriage is hard. You enter a binding relationship with someone who thinks about things from their own completely different, independent perspective. There is a certain amount of give-and-take as you give yourself to it but the rewards are innumerable. Reciprocated love brings great joy.

Pornography would be easier. It strips away all the hard give-and-take stuff leaving only lust. It seems like an easy way, an immediate happiness fix. But it leaves those that wander that path empty, devoid of true human relationship, of love.

Raising children is hard. You have to give up much of yourself. I think what we want is happiness-porn. Kids that show up when we need someone to love us, then go away so we can do what we really want to do. Something that induces the feeling without the work. I think that is a pitiable, empty life.

On Wine

2006-06-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

I have tried wine on a few occasions. I remember liking it a great deal at the restaurants where I tried it. They always recommended something. I remember not liking it when given it on a plane or at weddings. So, what do I like, how do I pick my own out?

How do I deal with anything I don't know about? I consult wikipedia, and search for wine. I learn a little history, what different wines are made from, how the different wines taste. I now decide that I can buy my own wine.

I enter the store. It has a very large selection of wines. At least one hundred different selections. I start to chicken out. But I don't want them to win. I notice the wines are grouped by country or state of origin. I want my first bottle of wine to be from Oregon, I decide.

Now the selection is much smaller. Based on the information I had from wikipedia, I had decided that I wanted either a Merlot or, preferably, a Cabernet Franc. I knew, from wikipedia, that these were both bordeauxs and they sounded as if they would fit me. I did not know that Cabernet Franc is not very popular. Hence, I could not find one in the Oregon section.

I did find a Merlot. Pavin & Riley, 2004 Columbia Valley Merlot. It turns out that it is not made in Oregon, but Washington. It must have been misplaced. But it was 5 dollars off, leaving it an irresistable $4.80. So I took the bugger home with me.

I arrived and showed my purchase to my wife. She remarked:"Finally going to cultivate a taste for wine? I think I put our wine glasses into storage."

So now I had a bottle, but no glass.

Not to be outdone by such a minor setback I went back downtown. As I am sure you are aware wine glasses don't come alone. They are sold in boxes of four. But not at Hallmark. They sell them individually. They may have pink flamingos on them, but it holds the Merlot.

So how is the wine? Good. It is pretty dry, i.e. not very sweet, but fruity, full, rich. I really like it. I think I am going to go out on the deck and smoke my pipe and have another glass.

I'm nobody

2006-06-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Emily Dickinson once wrote:
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!

I am no English major, but it seems to me that she is saying she likes anonymity. The quiet life, as it were.

I have always wanted to be a somebody. The guy who invented the perfect renewable energy source, the byproduct of which is fat-free, great tasting tootsie rolls and mountain dew. Or the guy who won the nobel prize in physics & chemistry for discovering element 117 in a new fusion reaction and renaming elements 112 through 118 because unun is a stupid begining to any word. This, of course, takes place after Jen wins the newberry medal -- I was taking care of the kids while she wrote the book. A little story-time, a little experimental nuclear fusion...

Ever heard of Lise Meitner? No? I thought not. She, using data collected by Otto Hahn and in collaberation with Otto Robert Frisch, came up with the idea of nuclear fission. She did this as an expatriate Jew living in Sweden. She recieved no recognition for this in her lifetime. She just did the best she could with what had been given her.

I pray that I can do the same without care for fame and admiration of the masses. And seriously, someone must rename those elements, ununseptium, anyone?

On Love

2006-06-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine is leaving for Baltimore soon. I saw him sunday night, I probably won't see him again for a long time. I gave him a hug. But I was unable to say what I truly felt.

See, I am by default cynical and sarcastic -- thus I don't emotionally engage with anybody. But when someone breaks through those defenses, I can't tell them how much I care, that I wish them the best, that I will miss them. My exact words, during the short handshake-cum-hug that men are known for were: "It's been good".

What on earth does that mean? The conversation we just had was good, or the years of close friendship? The ice-cream, or our bond?

Another friend just graduated. I gave him a hug too. (Just the touching is a big deal for me) but didn't tell him that I was proud of what he had accomplished, that he had done well -- both true.

I am not incapable of emotion. Just expressing it.

That Sidekick Guy

2006-06-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you have heard of him. A man who, on behalf of a friend's lost cell phone, started a website. The site is kind of like a blog. It is a blow by blow account of his dealings with the people who picked up the lost phone.

He called the phone, offered a reward for its return. He was rejected. The friend bought a new phone. The phone is called a sidekick and it stores all the pictures it takes on a server. When the friend bought the new sidekick and activated it all her old pictures were safely loaded to her new phone, as were a few new ones. Yes, those people who picked up the lost phone had taken pictures of themselves with it. And used their aol IM account to text message.

The thieves unwittingly published their faces and aol screenname.

The website is an interesting read.

Rant
On the advice of arron, I am using this blog to rant.

Google just released an online spreadsheet application. The press has been going wild talking about Google taking on Microsoft. It's Google Spreadsheets versus M$ Office.

While I think the Spreadsheet offering by Google is neat, and potentially useful, I am irritated that OpenOffice.org gets so little press. The Google app lacks some huge features like the ability to make charts and graphs or to support macros (I am sure these features will be added later -- this product is still in beta phase). The main selling point is that the spreadsheets can be shared with anyone you wish to, simply send them an email. I am not sure if they need to be part of the gmail network or not, but I assume so. Well that, and it is free.

OpenOffice.org has a suite of products from word processer to spreadsheet, drawings to databases, presentations to formula writers. It is also free. I personally have used the word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications and have been impressed with them all. The word processor and the spreadsheet software has had all the functionality that I have ever required. Definate rivals to Word and Excel respectively, I think. The presentation software was not as good. In my opinion, Powerpoint has it beat.

Anyway, I think that OO.o is worth the download. I recommend that anyone thinking of buying office try it first. It is as good or better for the average user. And it is free.

Two posts in one day!

2006-06-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I ran Dell into the ground. Well, I must now give credit where it is due. I dropped my laptop today. I know, crazy. It was on the kitchen table and the cord was hanging down. As I got up I pulled the lappy off the table by the cord with my leg.

Slow-mo:
Eric: Ooohh ccrraaapp
Lappy: falls, falls, falls. Lands with a sickening thud, on it's bottom with enough force to shut the lid.
Eric: Ooohh ccrraaapp
Lappy: is fine. Doesn't even stop loading the web-page I was browsing -- acts as if nothing happened.
Eric:Ooohh ccrraaapp, iitt stiiilll (cut the slow-mo) works. WAHOO!

So, Dell, thanks for the rigid lappy. I am now a happy customer again.

A Post!

2006-06-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post. Sorry to all eight of you who frequent this space. I (and so probably do you) have a bookmark folder with all my favorite blogs, and I scroll through and check them all everyday. And I get irritated with those few who never post (DALE, DAVE). So, self-chastisement over, on to the meat.

My second daughter was born this past friday at 8:15am. She is a beautiful creature.

We were worried that Beth would be put out by getting less attention, but she really likes her sister. She has been a pretty good girl about the whole thing. There was a moment early on when she was sad and Jen was feeding Lucy (so Beth couldn't climb into her lap). She leaned on Jen's shoulder and said: "My Momma." Other than that the jealousy has been kept at a minimum.

I am enjoying a few days off -- back to work tomorrow. Changing the world one projector at a time. Well, I had better go take a shower and put some pants on. (I told you I was enjoying the time off...)

Poetry Friday

2006-05-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

My wife and a bunch of other people participate in poetry thursdays.
I have always fancied myself as a bit of a rebel. So I am going to post some poetry on a friday.
I wrote this poem, I am pretty sure. I found it written on a notepad, in my handwriting. And I have googled some of the phrases with no results, so I don't think I copied it. I am pretty sure I wrote it when we were expecting our first child.

Dimples
by Me

his dimples are deep
and his eyes are brown
but it's not me
it's not me I see
it's our little family.

Now I posted that to show a couple of things. First, I am a freaking awful poet. That is easily the best poetry I have ever written. And it sucks. I tried my hand at poetry writing whilst wooing my wife. Re-reading that has made me realize how crappy and sappy it was, and how lucky I am that I am good at math, hence a career that doesn't involve my linguistic skills.

Secondly, I have no memory. I have no idea when or if I wrote that. What else have I lost? There must have been some reason to write down that particular thought. It was something important to me, something I wanted to express and then keep.

In summary: I suck at poetry, and I have alzheimer's.

If you have suffered through my post thus far I will now reward you. Here is a good poem, one of my favorites:

Litany
by Billy Collins

You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine...
-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

Nerd Alert

2006-05-16T20:34:00.001-07:00

The following post is just to prove that I am an engineer. I have been watching the minivan offerings of late, as that is what our next car purchase will likely be.

So what would an engineer do if he had different options -- did I hear spreadsheet?

2006-05-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Poor Ringo

2006-05-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

If you read my wife's blog, you probably read about Beth and the Beatles.
To recap, we have a set of the fab four on magnets as they cross abbey road. Beth can name them. Well, most of them. Paul, George and John. She doesn't recognize Ringo. That guy has always been neglected.

According to Steve Smith:"Before Ringo, drum stars were measured by their soloing ability and virtuosity. Ringo's popularity brought forth a new paradigm in how the public saw drummers. We started to see the drummer as an equal participant in the compositional aspect. One of Ringo's great qualities was that he composed unique, stylistic drum parts for The Beatles songs. His parts are so signature to the songs that you can listen to a Ringo drum part without the rest of the music and still identify the song."

Maybe that first part is true. I don't really know as I am not a drummer. But the part about the signature drum lines definitely is true.

Ringo is the Beatle that gets ignored, he didn't write as many songs and John, Paul and George, and his post-Beatles career did not shine as the others' did. He showed up, worked hard to ... well maybe not worked hard, but did his part to make Beatles music what it is. In the process he shaped pop drumming forever.

I guess I empathize because I often feel like the one ignored. I am not the teacher's pet, no one calls me their favorite student. I was involved in a band once. I was the bass player. I added nothing aside from low rumbly noises. I was involved in a discussion group that met early tuesday mornings. I tried to participate, but usually one person dominated the discussion with the leader. Usually the same person. The teacher's pet. The Johns and Pauls.

Here is to us Ringos, who show up everyday and do our part as best we can.

So, Ringo, thanks for showing up. Beth and I will keep practicing until you are distinguishable from the rest.

New Post

2006-05-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

I hit a parking structure a while ago, with a U-Haul. Stupid depth perception.

My ring finger is significantly longer than my index finger. Seven millimeters (1/4") longer to be precise. According the all-wise internet this means that I am susceptible to depression, aggression, and test failure. On the plus side, I should have good spatial and analytical skills.

Oh yeah, and I should be a good driver. Doesn't really explain the parking structure. I guess there is more to a person than some research that correlates testosterone to fingers.

List

2006-04-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

So I had a list of things that I was going to do over the next six months. It is time to check in and see how things are going.

The list, as I remember went something like:
1.) Spend lots of time with my wife and kids.
2.) Spend more time in devotion, meditation and prayer.
3.) Study: Greek, French, PHP, mySQL, VB6 and Python.
4.) Read, Read, Read. Too many books to name.
5.) Work out -- lose about 10^100 lbs of fat.
6.) Practice the bass, maybe the guitar. Go crazy and start a band.

1.) I have a lot more quality family time. It has been quite refreshing.
2.) Coming along, need to work more diligently.
3.) Haven't done anything from this yet.
4.) Going great, see the sidebar for books consumed so far. I will update it with more as I finish them.
5.) Started a workout regimen today.
6.) Nothing so far. Plan on restringing the acoustic soon, though.

meme

2006-04-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

Been tagged. Read on.

Six weird things about me:

1. I hate it when stuff touches my face. Especially the water in the shower or stray bits of hair during a haircut. I do still wash my face, but I do not put it directly into the stream of water.

2. I have walked past homes of people that I know, hoping they are home looking out their window so when they see me they can invite me in. Several times. Consecutively. No-one has yet to invite me in.

3. I don't hand-write normally. I mean, I rarely form a letter the same way twice, or follow any pattern when I make a letter. Sometimes I start at the top left, sometimes it is the bottom right, or mabye I start in the middle and work both ways. I do this unconciously -- I only know about it because my wife pointed it out.

4. I cannot be organized. I have tried a PDA, pocket calendar, notebooks -- they all fail. Or rather, I fail. I just don't take the time to write events down. And then I schedule multiple events for the same day and hour.

5. I look at feet. I recognize people by their shoes and feet before I look at thier face. If everyone I know took off their shoes and threw them into a pile I could probably return all of them to their rightful owners. If I know you, I look at your feet.

6. I try to keep a good book in my pocket at all times.

Fiver

Five minutes to yourself. Read the book in my pocket.

Five bucks to spend right now. Go to the Book Bin.

Five items you could part with in your house, right now, that you hadn't thought of already. My wingtips (read: shoes from hell). My baseball bat (read: home protection system). My couch (read: not where I sit). My TV (read: the thing is an evil drainer of time that I am unable to resist). My old T-Shirts (read: I have, like, a billion).

Five items you absolutely, positively, could not part with in your house. Books, text and otherwise. Photos. Chair. Lappy and PC. Bible.

Five words you love. Sarcophagus, Tertiary, Theorem, Daah-eee, Loquacious.

Five folks I'm tagging. I don't tag. Do it if you want. If not -- DONT.

Would you like a warranty with that?

2006-04-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

I usually don't buy the extended warranty. My brother bought a lappy 3 or 4 years ago; he bought the 3 year extended warranty. The thing died-beyond-repair exactly two weeks after warranty expiration. When I bought a lappy in september of '04, I opted not to extend the standard warranty. My rule of thumb is to look at how much the warranty costs and compare that to the projected worth of the laptop at the end of warranty coverage. Because in three years a repair is not going to cut it. That is pretty much the useful life of a PC. Usually, PC hardware doesn't hold it's resale value very well (like a Ford Taurus -- what is the two-year depriciation on one of those bad boys?) which means that the extended warranty seems worthless to me.
But recently my digital camera fritzed. And when I bought the thing (a mothers day present for my wife) my brother was there. He and the salesman convinced me to buy the extended warranty package. The package came with a two year, no questions asked warranty, rechargable batteries which died immediately, a charger which fried, a case that didn't fit the camera and some lens cleaner that I never used. I felt pretty ripped off. Until we got the papers out the other day and realised it was a couple weeks before that no questions asked warranty ran out. So the camera is off getting fixed and we are happy as can be.
Thanks to Dale and the camera salesman. Mabye the extended warranties are not the ripoff I always believed they were.

I am a Nerd

2006-04-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Neon Xeon

2006-04-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

My workstation at the new job is a Dell Precision 530. It has dual 2.4MHz Intel Xeon Processors, 80Gib, 7200rpm hard drive, 1Gib of RDRAM (2 slots of 512Mb) and an nVidia Quadro4 700 XGL GPU. All under the famed Windows XP, Professional Edition (supports dual processors and domains, while XP home does not).This PC should rock my little world. Should.
Other than the standard M$ apps, I mostly use this machine to run solidworks. Pretty standard stuff too, no trillion part assemblies. No parts with circular arrays of more than 40 members. No parts with complex surface renderings.
But, yesterday it BSODed 3 times. Today it did it twice, once when I tried to open windows explorer (nothing else open, been running after boot for at least 15 minutes).
The stop code indicates that a hardware condition caused the BSOD. As of two days ago I have all the latest drivers. (I don't have admin rights on the machine, but I asked IT nicely and they updated the drivers after I was having problems in my first week at the job -- it made no difference.)
The CPU/GPU combo is tested and certified by Soldiworks. I am going to blame Dell. I am not sure what they do down there in Texas, or Singapore, or wherever these are made, but it seems to have consequences.
What makes me sad is that this machine should really smoke. Mais non.
Back to the old CAD mantra: "Save Often, and Back It Up."

Greetings from H3W-24

2006-04-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

H3W-24 is my cubicle number. Dilbert eat your heart out.
Went to a new church sunday. It was very different. I come from a church of 50 members or so. The service we went to had to have more than 500 people. Mabye not, I am not a good judge of that sort of thing. But more than 50 by alot. Anyway the service was good. Very good. Preaching from the word, soundly rooted. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to small group on tuesday.

Color

2006-04-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

Your Blog Should Be Green
And so it is.

Your blog is smart and thoughtful - not a lot of fluff.
You enjoy a good discussion, especially if it involves picking apart ideas.
However, you tend to get easily annoyed by any thoughtless comments in your blog.

Connected

2006-04-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

Got a T1 connection installed today. It is shared, so don't get all "Holy Cow" on me. At 25$/month it is the cheapest high speed internet option in the area. Very speedy -- guaranteed 1.5Mbps Up/Down. I am one happy camper. If I had space in this tiny place I would set up a server.

Moving

2006-03-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

Well. The house is mostly boxed. UHaul Truck is parked outside with a bunch of boxes stacked inside. All stuff going to storage has been carted off. Guys coming tomorrow to help load (and unload) the rest. I guess I am ready.

To Wilsonville, and beyond...

The move means many changes. Obviously, no school for six months. Will be working full time instead. I look forward to the less hectic pace of life. It also means no more Grace Bible Community Church. Instead we plan to attend Salem Heights Church, in (duh) salem.

That is the Wilsonville bit, what about beyond? What am I going to do in the future? I have a part-time job to come back to in albany at Concept Systems. They also said they plan to make me an offer for full time employment when I graduate (March '07!!!).

I like the company and the work pretty well, so I am stoked about that. But I have been looking around at others; seeing what else is out there.

Yesterday I had an interview of sorts at Climax Portable Machine Tools. It went very well. I think they have an interesting buisness. I was very impressed with the place, and I will definately send them my resume when graduation gets close.

So, looking ahead at the next year or so shows me finishing this internship, then school, then finding a job. Of course, in my wildest dreams there is...

Evil

2006-03-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

You Are 60% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.
Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

Finals Done

2006-03-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

So...
Finals are over, finally. I don't think that I did as well as I had hoped. I studied hard these last few days, but it didn't make up for the time I sort of ignored.

Many things on my mind:
Dr. Kanury
He is a great teacher, and it is a shame what a bunch of whiny, pantywaisted twits (the leaders of which are in the air force ROTC -- heaven help us if they are ever in a war: "this war is hard; let us start a petition and get the war fired") can bend the ear of some crack-pot, weak-willed dean to degrade the quality of my education. I may just be a little fired up about all this. For more details see Dale's post titled "what is wrong with education" and Lonny's post entitled "america the beautiful".
Kanury was and is a good teacher, as well as a good man. He has been personally attacked by these fools, and has weathered the ordeal with grace and dignity. He has really shown those bastards what makes a man.

Six Months of Relative Freedom
I am going to start my internship in about 1.5 weeks. It's kind of a nine to five sort of affair, which will leave me with a lot more free time. I have some plans for this time:
1.) Spend lots of time with my wife and kids.
2.) Spend more time in devotion, meditation and prayer.
3.) Study: Greek, French, PHP, mySQL, VB6 and Python.
4.) Read, Read, Read. Too many books to name.
5.) Work out -- lose about 10^100 lbs of fat.
6.) Practice the bass, maybe the guitar. Go crazy and start a band.

I enjoy a cold one
For their unique property

That should keep me busy for a while.

Busy

2006-03-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

Haven't posted in awhile, I know. Will be back to posting real soon, I promise. Got a couple things I want to address.

Frustrated

2006-03-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

I am at a frustrating place in my life, and it seems that I do nothing but complain about it.

We all get frustrated. It is a part a life, albeit an unpleasent part. I can handle pain pretty well, but frustration is something that gets the better of me. Nothing kills a good attitude faster than a good bout of frustration.

Someday I will rise above it.

Juggling is cool

2006-03-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

Round piece of steel with a hole in it.

2006-03-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

WARNING: ONLY FUNNY TO ENGINEERS.

Engineers are sometimes idiots.
Like when they need a washer. 1/8" thick, 1/2" id and 1 1/4" od. And they make a drawing of the washer. And then call 3 machine shops for quotes. And then select a machine shop to make the washer. And in the end the machine shop charges $150 for the washer. At McMaster Carr the exact same washer is $7.89 per Pack of 25. If we wanted 25 it would have cost us $3750.

Old Lady

2006-03-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

This has got to be the stupidest way to refer to one's wife or girlfriend. How much more redneck can you get?
"Is that there yore old lady?"
"Shore is, I reckon."

Rant

2006-03-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

I hate mayonnaise.

Computers are Easy

2006-03-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

My daughter, 1.5 yrs, knows just what to do with them. Move the mouse, bang on the keyboard -- then yell and gesticulate at the monitor until it learns to obey voice commands and hand gestures.
She is a quick study, that one.
We all get frustrated with these humming boxes once in a while. They are not intelligent, they can only perform specific functions with defined parameters (at the lowest level, they are basically math engines). But they make us feel inadequate when they don't behave the way we think they should.

Moving...

2006-02-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

...and exited about it. I am one of those people who enjoy change, and embrace it when it comes. I can do this for two reasons:

REASON #1
I forget. It wasn't that important anyway.

REASON #2
I ignore reality.

For a realistic view of what lies ahead see here.

Instead of thinking about where my family will live or what must go in storage, I am thinking about how nice it will be to ride my bike to work. I tend to look past the event to the outcome. I am, therefore, blissfully ignorant of the pain to come.

Apple Juice

2006-02-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

I love apple juice. That stuff is great.
Here at work it is free and it comes in 4oz cans. I grab two or three cans at a time.
I tend to have odd taste in food. When my wife is out for the evening and I have to make my own dinner I find that I eat the first two things that I grab from the fridge.
Apple Sauce and Cheese? Perfect!
4 Day Old Roast and Peach Yogurt? Yum!
Milk and Gatorade? Tres Bon!
So I guess, more accurately, I don't have odd taste in food -- I am just lazy.

Study

2006-02-26T19:31:00.000-08:00

I have started a blog. *Fanfare*
I thought it may be nice to jump right up on that bandwagon.
So, no clue what I have to say that is worth taking up some of blogspot's server space, or why you would want to come back to read anything else I publish.
But the service is free and I don't want to study for my midterms any longer. Seems like a logical conclusion to create a blog.