50th Post in Over a Year and Over 306 Visitors

I didn't realize I have had this thing for this long. It is nice to get my thoughts down every so often, this week more than others. One of my friends calls it self-justified drivel or something to that affect. I believe that if you want to view it that way fine go ahead. I don't write about politics the way some of my other friends do, it is more self centered, more chronicling what I have done every so often with some of my own opinions thrown in. Statistically the Blogosphere has stopped its explosion and has settled down, hopefully enough that the technology for finding fakes and destroying them gets rid of all that garbage that probably contributed to the explosive growth.

Again, as I have said before, I really don't know who reads my blog. I know that I have contributed between 20 and 30 different IP addresses because of all the computers across campus that I have visited the blog with, including this one with dual LCD screens that allow me to ignore the other screen while I type on this one. If people other than Thomas would comment once in a while it might give me a better idea of who is reading my self-centered observations. Thomas, you can still comment, I am not setting a ban on your comments, I would just like to see who is all out there.

The weather, oh the weather! It is Wyoming, however, it does not need to change so drastically between days, much less hours. But that's enough complaining. I need to go eat now, maybe do some homework afterward, maybe.

Difference?

Hardly. Although I was able to concentrate for five hours yesterday on one single project. So maybe I do feel different about being 22. I've applied for jobs and am looking forward to graduating. So far, maybe a lot different.

I got an alternate position for the JET program teaching English in Japan. That means I don't know if they want me or not for a few months up till middle of October. From now until then I need to be doing something to make some money so I can start paying more bills. That is why I applied for the Brunton Design job. I would get to design outdoor equipment, or at least help in most of the processes with a team. One bad thing would be the location: Riverton. However Riverton with the possibility of the Wind River Mountains outside of town, a cool job, and the possibility to continue some of my sports wouldn't be too bad, actually it might be really nice. So now I have to wait for that as well. I can't wait, I can't wait...

Now how much fencing can be done in one weekend? Without killing oneself? With tournaments you might wear yourself out over two days, but that is off and on fencing. With a seminar where something is demonstrated and then the guest coach expects you to do it for about 6 hours on a Saturday... It was fun, though, I really enjoyed it and I think I learned quite a bit. There were a few questionable things that he told us about weight distribution but overall it was a very helpful seminar. The most important thing I learned was about the Sabre right-of-way which says that as long as you are moving forward before the other person and have not attempted and attack or been parried, then it is your attack until the first is finished. Well at least it is clear in my mind now, yo can rest easy. Bruce, the guest coach, also had quite a few suggestions for the recruitment and retainment of members for the team. I really can't worry about that for UW seeing as I don't know where I will be in the next few months, but if I get the Riverton job I might be able to start a feeder fencing team at the community college there. He also told us to call him down in Florida anytime if we had questions about drills, membership, or anything else.

I celebrated my birthday with my family and then came back for Monday, my actual birthday to go about my usual business of trying to complete school satisfactorily. Monday birthdays have to be the worst. Oh well, I think now I will do some mindless cleaning of some code.

Slowly Passing, Quickly Past

That's how it seems anyway. The days while playing themselves out are eternal, especially when not doing anything, or working on things that aren't quite fun. And then it comes to pass and I am left with a feeling of missing something or undone. It's great. So I will keep this short.

There is a fencing seminar this weekend with a couple coaches from the University of Florida. They expect to cover all three weapons in about 15 hours for about 50 dollars apiece. Not bad considering some of the amounts I heard from some people about 50 dollars for 20 minute lesson in some big cities. Come out to the boonies, fence cheaply. I don't know of any regular readers other than Thomas but if anybody wants to and is around, come to the University of Wyoming Education Gym 5 p.m. Friday with 50 dollars. Ah plugging for stabbing, fun!

Alright, better work now.

1 Week

I will be 22 then April Ninth, what changes? Uh, not really anything, other than getting ready to graduate. Other than that though there really is nothing different. I guess I should get a job. You know the thing that pays people for doing work also without the homework that is so irksome in college. Think about it, when done with work from sometime in the morning to sometime in the afternoon, going home or wherever not worrying about what's due tomorrow. What is due tomorrow? Hmm... Not quite everything, but a good portion. If I stop procrastinating now that would be good. Okay, it's not working, still procrastinating.

Reading a good series of books by David Brin. He is an excellent author although the end of this last book is getting a little weird. I haven't finished it though so it might end with a satisfying ending, or it might cliff hang so that he can write a trilogy of trilogies. I don't know yet. Have to finish so I can do more homework.

Ah well, nearly time for embedded systems again. Fuzzy logic, it's great fun, and soft too.

Snow and More Snow

What is white, falls from the sky, is watery and does not require updrafts from warm ground? Snow. We were so lucky here in good old Laramie to get enough precipitation to close the University down at 3 in the afternoon. So I had no class yesterday. So rather than waste too much time I helped my friends make some mead. According to rough estimates and calculations it should be done just in time for Finals Week. Perfect timing. Let's just hope that is rots correctly, otherwise it could be quite dangerous to even try some. We do have one friend that can attest to a good batch because she has taken a brewing class here at the university before.

Other than making alcohol for making a good finals week I have about 4 projects that need completing some time in April. Most of them are with groups so that we can remind one another of what needs done and when. Solo is really hard since it is just you making sure that just you are on time. I need to get much better at that sort of stuff. Motivating me is like trying to pull something out of the mud that would rather just wallow. If I could ever find where I put my real motivation then everything would be much simpler.

Those projects that need doing include a robot simulation of search and destroy, finding enemy artillery by using topographic algorithms and the tendency for humans trying to make things look organized to draw lines of search patterns out from the previously found artillery pieces and track down the next set. When that doesn't work then the planning is set up differently so that the next pieces are found much more quickly. Another project is putting a real physical robot through a maze using fuzzy math and small or simple path-finding algorithms. Once we get rolling that project should be extremely simple. A third project is to filter certain noises or changing tones in a music file for Digital Signals Processing. It is an adaptive filter, which I have never dealt with before, but I don't need to worry. This is because I am on;y working in conjunction with my lab group. They are programming the filter while I program a feedback into the supporting desktop computer so that we can see the filter and its component parts move in correlation to the tone that it is filtering out.

Unfortunately today the University opened up again because the skies went clear and no more snow threatened to fall and block more roads, most of which are open down here, so I am again looking forward to the weekend rather than able to relax quite yet. I guess I should get some more useful things done at this juncture, seeing as if I don't...

The Fun of Few Days Left

What does anyone want to know of the bowels of Bearaucracy? Let me tell you that you need awfully good excuses to get any consession out of anyone who thinks that the rules apply to, well, everyone. Sure they do, but not when you twist the rules. Remember, power is not as good as it seems, in fact it tends to corrupt, and absolute power... If you have a chance to quash hopes and make money at the same time why not exercise that little bit of muscle that lower down higher-ups are allowed. Let's just say that I ruined a perfectly good spring break, a chance to work on my projects, by having to plumb these oily, nasty depths. Now I am so far behind that the entire fight over graduating with all requirements met might fall through because I couldn't finish a project, which means utter failure and no graduation.

So in other news the weather is swinging, just like it should, from warm (60+) to cold and snowy with several inches of accumulation and back. That was over the span of two days, the rest are pretty stable temperature if windy today. Grand!

The Cowgirls have been beating down other teams for the basketball WNIT tournament and that means the fencing club has been working consessions where there are nearly 12000 fans in the stands and we work nearly constantly. It will be over this Saturday, one way or another.

I saw a career opportunity with Brunton that is a designer position. Brunton is a outdoor equipment company, compasses, GPS units, camp stoves, power supplies, and a whole ton of other things. It is for all majors listed in the career services and seeing as I have design experience and also experience using equipment as a Boy Scout having the Rank of Eagle Scout. And also its not all engineering necessarily, or at least no the circuits idea. A big plus might be helping design things correctly so that they don't have stupid flanges or other delicate parts that break easily. I really hate products that are not meant to last while being used continuously in the way they are supposed to be used.

I believe there is pizza in my near future, so I am going to go sniff it out and eat it. I may write again, sooner than last time, possibly.

Sleep? Oops.

Remember, always have the correct amount of sleep to be able to function in the world you are living in. In other words, do not find a game and the correct hardware and stay up until 4 a.m. unless there is no school the next day, even then it is a bad idea. It took nearly a day and a half of looking for hardware drivers then a new card, which really isn't new, and then looking for drivers for it based on the fact that the chips and fan were set at a 45 degree angle to the board. It is quite the identifier in one line of graphics cards however within that line there is the GT line which all have the 45 degree offsets. So I got it running off of a driver that probably is lost in too much memory seeing as the driver was for a 6200 and the card could have been 6600. Oh well.

So once the card was running I got the game running, that caused this wild goose chase, in "safe mode" which is a whole hell of a lot better than anything my previous card could do. And now there are things due, places to go, people to meet, blogs to write, and many other numerous things that do not sound good, even though I have coffee and water in front of me and a machine that definitely won't run the game. (Using a school computer.)

So now I am writing about my project, or well writing this when I get stuck on something writing about my project. As seen above my mind is not what it should be today, or where it should be. It isn't even wandering, it's just laying there as though, well, insert a good metaphor here. And now back to write a few more sentences on very important document...

Okay, that was not fun, trying very hard to concentrate and finish, even this sentence. I paused right before "even this sentence" and could not figure out how to word it. I think I need sleep. But really want to write more, both for a grade and for this. Oh yes, and for stories, going to have to make a story timeline because write now my idea editor, Thomas, has no idea how I am structuring my thoughts, since right now I am just writing bits and pieces. I am really happy though to have somebody comment on, well right now, very scattered thoughts that make sense to me but obviously not to someone else. Seeing as he knows me better than say the public at large I would say that this is a good indicator that I need to rethink quite a bit of how I am going about writing the story. Thanks Thomas.

Last week, for those who aren't in Laramie was in the single-digits and teens for almost the entire week, add on 30 to 50 mph winds on top and you get well below zero apparent temperature. Today it should get to 45 or 50 degrees, a perfect summertime temperature. It's been nice that we have actually had winter this year so we might be able to enjoy summer, unless it gets too warm, this time though I have a basement, so it will stay nice and cool if we turn off the heater.

Finished the last game of concessions for the UW men's basketball season, they probably won't play at home again, and I'm glad. I was helping out the fencing club with fund raising and I had previous contacts so now the club will be able to replace just about all of the equipment and get a few new items that we haven't had before. Working food service makes you realize just how badly food is handled, we, as the club, actually were quite clean compared with some of the people that worked with us. So I am happy to be done selling very overpriced food and beverages to those who think they need it for such a short time. Oh well, we got free food in the deal, but the food left a lot to be desired after a few hot dogs or pretzels, even spread over a few games.

So, in conclusion, I need sleep. Otherwise I might faceplant while still writing this last sentence, must... hit..... publish....and log-off.