tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81072598285350632972024-03-26T04:04:14.399-05:00The SuitenessThe Official Blog of the Power Suite. We are the four harbingers of tribulation: death, war, famine, and pestilence. We are reavers of the human soul, eroding the very fabric of existence and bending its latent powers towards our dark purpose. Behold now the chronicle of our irrepressible campaign. Look and despair! Or at the very least enjoy chocolate chip pop-tarts, because I sure do. Man, are they tasty.Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-52163147103054569372011-06-17T16:24:00.002-05:002011-06-17T16:38:18.714-05:00The End of an EraAlas, that I should live to see the end of the Powersuite! It seems that this last semester, too many of its residents graduated and there will not be enough of it left to keep it going. While its legacy will live on in the several other rooms that are "powersuite-ing," the original will be gone.<br /><br />In lieu of this (and also because nothing seems to be happening on this site anymore), I have branched off and started my own blog. It's new and subject to change, but you can find it <a href="http://www.3and13.blogspot.com">here</a>.<br /><br />Be seeing you.Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-26757212471099953042011-02-22T01:24:00.005-06:002011-02-22T01:48:53.723-06:00It's About DECENCY PeopleOver the past two weeks, I have had no fewer than three meetings canceled or moved in a way which I found unacceptable. I find these things unacceptable due to the fact that I like order in my life (despite what my desk looks like). Therefore, I am proposing the following:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >THE 100x RULE:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >If you EVER want to schedule a meeting with someone, take the amount of time that you think the meeting will last. Multiply that value by 100. Add that time to the current time. This is THE EARLIEST TIME that you can possibly schedule the meeting. What does this mean? For a 1-hour meeting, the earliest time that you can actually have your meeting is four days after the initial planning meeting. This give presenters a minimal time to prepare, and interviewers time to investigate the interesting questions about the presentation that they want answered. If this is not a presentation meeting, then everyone has time to do their work and know exactly what to report during the meeting, eliminating most of the awkward pauses that contain the "you go next" connotation. It is far easier to book rooms this far in advance, as well, and this would lead to far less scheduling conflicts. Secondly</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >THE 10% RULE:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >If a meeting ever needs to be moved (and this should ONLY be for a cataclysmic event, such as a volcano warning on the day of the meeting in the exact vicinity of the meeting) then the meeting can only be moved by 10% of the time from the time of meeting movement to the initial meeting time. It would play out like this:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >I set up a meeting on Monday for next Monday at 3 PM for a status report on Widget X, the new and improved Widget W. However, on Friday at 1PM, I find out that a portal to another dimension is going to open in the exact meeting location 15 minutes after the meeting is supposed to start. I decide that this is unacceptable. There are currently 74 hours before the meeting. I can now move the meeting by 7.4 hours in either direction. However, if I find this out on Monday morning, say at 9:30 AM, I can move the meeting by half an hour at best. Lets hope this meeting can be compressed to 45 minutes, or that the other dimension isn't so bad.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Just some thoughts at 2AM from a cranky engineer.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >S</span></div>SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-83184033101871670792010-11-04T17:54:00.008-05:002010-11-04T18:26:36.636-05:00They Gave Me Free Time! The Fools!Well, now. I can't let you Fall Fest people go and have all the costume-y fun, now can I? Fortunately for me, a certain event known as Halloween occurred recently, giving me a wonderful excuse to create an outfit of my own. This combined with the large amounts of free time I acquired upon graduation resulted in my most ambitious costume to date...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Behold! General Grievous!!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlBIT3PbAVWGmAdrn3jqMpxJk7WL211nnqdsiOK4gG3M7tq9n0ca8sowfSCruzx9qa6Tf8YwaWsP1wZ-uLAOYcOk2MJ5FTUBVsFrYO44LII5nwezwSaw33QNicIJ3bu1R0mDY7LZhpdI/s1600/Grievous1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlBIT3PbAVWGmAdrn3jqMpxJk7WL211nnqdsiOK4gG3M7tq9n0ca8sowfSCruzx9qa6Tf8YwaWsP1wZ-uLAOYcOk2MJ5FTUBVsFrYO44LII5nwezwSaw33QNicIJ3bu1R0mDY7LZhpdI/s400/Grievous1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535833669157882018" border="0" /></a><br />Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgad6G_5c4fRqX2xf0OgQGj_MCQU0dRfci8T_Q-KtBN4gOBJ6_HC2KgmJVkpV1BOFLOYRqYxqsiPaKcq1I3xQHhJDGIhRxfYhbC5G0ka5c2y4Q3Zbn2YsRYveac4ILvqymhHgUo3SYiWpY/s1600/grievous0.jpg"><br /></a><br />Built entirely out of cardboard, clothes from GoodWill, and some bits of Velcro. It took me about two weeks of construction, and my apartment was an absolutely cluttered mess the entire time. The head was definitely the hardest part, since General Grievous's head is much narrower than mine and only half as large vertically, but it still had to fit. The chest was the next hardest part. My first attempt was so form-fitting that I couldn't get it off, and ended up having to rip it open. Just about every other piece had its own snags, and there's a distinct drop in quality with the legs as I was running out of time. I wasn't even able to finish the feet and had to just wear black shoes instead. Still, I think it turned out pretty awesome.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6rDThSMKCshO7Cr_6MINa1Tx_fBbLDB9k0OoJn-xdaNznXVNWHH1rgbq81vIenI8Tw2BY2-7e9waU-6Y9UhGt0f7lpA1JzvMmSGDQLgmV2jAAmDI8w93Whk4OMkbGCKwPevEb_NczK4/s1600/Grievous2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6rDThSMKCshO7Cr_6MINa1Tx_fBbLDB9k0OoJn-xdaNznXVNWHH1rgbq81vIenI8Tw2BY2-7e9waU-6Y9UhGt0f7lpA1JzvMmSGDQLgmV2jAAmDI8w93Whk4OMkbGCKwPevEb_NczK4/s400/Grievous2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535836429020421106" border="0" /></a><br />It was a big hit at the party, but it was a bit difficult to eat and mill around while wearing it. Also, and you may be able to see from the above picture, I had to be continually wary of the Velcro keeping the cape attached from coming undone. (A slightly disappointing aspect of the cape is that you can't see much of the upper arms or shoulder guards.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvMHqWwWvbNr8hWmfevU4licevEBdro8JnJAwJnqKTmdadCSLMUBQ5jS61hf_bJOHw-C-OXMlm0eJi00_YDeEWtWcsyYEc2h7d6ilOincIOvQswpGDE54C9aV2F5ibsUeW1pzwlBQJEA/s1600/grievous3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvMHqWwWvbNr8hWmfevU4licevEBdro8JnJAwJnqKTmdadCSLMUBQ5jS61hf_bJOHw-C-OXMlm0eJi00_YDeEWtWcsyYEc2h7d6ilOincIOvQswpGDE54C9aV2F5ibsUeW1pzwlBQJEA/s400/grievous3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535837289698249298" border="0" /></a>Apparently, Grievous is also quite the ladies' man.Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-25961947155543242522010-10-30T09:38:00.005-05:002010-10-30T09:59:24.786-05:00Copy and Paste<div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><div style="text-align: left; ">This post should be dedicated to the whole month of October, but I will focus on the first week for now. We can see where it goes later.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Fall Fest!</div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiPz8D2hP7AqtmbW8aWTYf-QAtlhW-iZplBDjqmQkFeWspDJ0CRCSBYxEa8WVPTdb0CwdbuScJzddNkL455dLWk9BtL_EI8qTotb_y7DdC-CL5PBtF2KJt7Eh_dUlZ5YPhUjI7gJD3IQ/s1600/64405_438028763821_752583821_5219556_7740991_n.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiPz8D2hP7AqtmbW8aWTYf-QAtlhW-iZplBDjqmQkFeWspDJ0CRCSBYxEa8WVPTdb0CwdbuScJzddNkL455dLWk9BtL_EI8qTotb_y7DdC-CL5PBtF2KJt7Eh_dUlZ5YPhUjI7gJD3IQ/s320/64405_438028763821_752583821_5219556_7740991_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533852755100097298" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a>As can be seen from the picture, my outfit was a bit...<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkEarDfuL2No0pKU_9lZd2BEy8xxtzlwOKE1pGd88pSKqQm1ARbn-HYOyxP367I5dqO57waT6zNWj3vsMI94rhnD9g4QfiPlbe58vpyDxFMDxhJp1mvlmphpNUjNcWDQa47MMEUkBzBM/s1600/1018.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkEarDfuL2No0pKU_9lZd2BEy8xxtzlwOKE1pGd88pSKqQm1ARbn-HYOyxP367I5dqO57waT6zNWj3vsMI94rhnD9g4QfiPlbe58vpyDxFMDxhJp1mvlmphpNUjNcWDQa47MMEUkBzBM/s320/1018.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533852737832415170" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></a><div>Well, mad. I was the Mad Hatter from Alice and Wonderland. G2, our awesome sister floor, decided that my life just wasn't crazy enough. They got me an awesome costume and they decided that they would all dress up to make me feel less awkward.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLbodYnHS89bpSUJdOyankxarVkpwZ7t-0bNaYaTeiEzVsvBsf5BnvQMa4-ezUDi1DldJmp7b3HnvSlgxF8Ttwd6xt9ORIA6fib54PdXwQySegQ1h4gVAtNNx1J89npyYmlOXcwE6mTE/s1600/1019.bmp"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLbodYnHS89bpSUJdOyankxarVkpwZ7t-0bNaYaTeiEzVsvBsf5BnvQMa4-ezUDi1DldJmp7b3HnvSlgxF8Ttwd6xt9ORIA6fib54PdXwQySegQ1h4gVAtNNx1J89npyYmlOXcwE6mTE/s320/1019.bmp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533852731658867890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKLbodYnHS89bpSUJdOyankxarVkpwZ7t-0bNaYaTeiEzVsvBsf5BnvQMa4-ezUDi1DldJmp7b3HnvSlgxF8Ttwd6xt9ORIA6fib54PdXwQySegQ1h4gVAtNNx1J89npyYmlOXcwE6mTE/s1600/1019.bmp"></a><div>In the end, all the hard work payed off, with another 41/G2 joint monarchy. 41's theme this year was V for Vendetta, and I was extremely impressed with all of the work that everyone put into the construction and events. It was an excellent year.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP3GifoSf2tiAZ04bB8gFyTVSBU_NxShhGBuDKpvETF2lhZqAmJhXSE4qly_fNfiJ6m4JYekJLpzvw6NvQEdVNd5p_b9K9INtgRyaA7mz3W0J-ydukQlfO-oUOshxDKeKAnIH5DrChm8/s1600/67276_1650395383562_1347315021_1711628_6530726_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggP3GifoSf2tiAZ04bB8gFyTVSBU_NxShhGBuDKpvETF2lhZqAmJhXSE4qly_fNfiJ6m4JYekJLpzvw6NvQEdVNd5p_b9K9INtgRyaA7mz3W0J-ydukQlfO-oUOshxDKeKAnIH5DrChm8/s320/67276_1650395383562_1347315021_1711628_6530726_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533853671862570162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcEQYSlezTqW3yi2aB8y9RThzHKVnFzBj3Kt91dPhtI2CQFFi6M7t1A9aRU2hfvBBrDXLgPlaMRRLMdJhxu_j9awAvTQYOevNH2ulnzQY77U1Imf2kKgroM8TqxMpqEmjQ-qa81Tt_Rc/s1600/1020.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcEQYSlezTqW3yi2aB8y9RThzHKVnFzBj3Kt91dPhtI2CQFFi6M7t1A9aRU2hfvBBrDXLgPlaMRRLMdJhxu_j9awAvTQYOevNH2ulnzQY77U1Imf2kKgroM8TqxMpqEmjQ-qa81Tt_Rc/s320/1020.bmp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533853670881374706" /></a>SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-45917396402892165472010-09-26T13:12:00.001-05:002010-09-26T13:14:37.140-05:00Every meeting, in my headIt was a cold, dark night. The wind howled above the colar of my coat. Stepping inside and flinging off the few drops of rain which had landed on my shoulders, I knew immediately what was wrong. I strode with purpose for the lab. Begrudgingly, I swung open the door to reveal the usual suspects. James Frank, electrical engineer, senior. A shifty sort, but usually not dangerous. Justin Thomas, mechanical engineer, senior. Occasionally mischevious, but mostly harmless. Finally, the dreaded Richard DeBellevue. A junior bio-med, Richard had a streak that measured up to few that I have ever encountered. "Greetings, gents," I said as I entered the room. All eyes were on me, awaiting the great reveal to come. "Yo, fix it an' ged odda here," the cold reply from Mr. Thomas. "Calmly, calmly," I was nervous, but I couldn't let on. Thomas would surly sieze any chance I gave him. He was edgy tonight, moreso than usual. "Mr. Frank, what seems to be the problem?" "The voltage, it won't go over 2.5 volts without goin' all to crap." The answer came from DeBellevue. "And what makes you think that I can fix it?" My question was genuine. I had no part in this portion of the re-wiring. "Jus' DO it." Mr. Thomas again, this time visibly agitated. I turned to Mr. Frank. "We are in it this time, aren't we?" Mr. Frank and I had been partners on several previous assignments. He was bright, if occasionally nervous. All I got in reply was a sigh that could have birthed a thousand woes. "Have we checked if we are shorting anything?" I asked to no one in particular. Mr. DeBellevue expounded "Ain't no way there could be a short. The problem is all over the board, it is in EVERY LINE. Don' you get it? This is exactly what I was afraid of. We get into this and now WE WON'T GET OUT." "Cut your crap Richard" the first time Mr. Frank had spoken all evening, "I know that you tied power and signal ground together on all of these connections. I ain't gonna stay quiet about this any longer. They have to know." "This stool pidigin tellin' the truth?" asked Mr. Thomas. "Yeah, but it ain't gonna hurt nothin'. They the same voltage reference," spat DeBellevue. "Well, there you have it," I said, "Just make sure to un-tie the grounds, and you should be right as rain." I chuckled to myself. The inclement weather had made this turn of phrase more ironic than it usually was.<div><br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><div>This is pretty much what every meeting I have looks like through my eyes.</div></div>SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-28373559014735603942010-08-09T19:26:00.002-05:002010-08-10T21:13:59.521-05:00Heart of DarknessI think that posting this automatically makes me a terrible person.<br /><br />Oh, well. The Dark Side is the fun side, after all.<br /><br /><object height="336" width="448"><param name="movie" value="http://images.stupidvideos.com/2.0.2/swf/video.swf?sa=1&sk=7&si=2&i=28670"><embed src="http://images.stupidvideos.com/2.0.2/swf/video.swf?sa=1&sk=7&si=2&i=28670" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="336" width="448"></embed></object><br /><br />The terrible thing is that people would actually <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span> this for their pet.Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-77634298517915414352010-07-31T20:59:00.002-05:002010-07-31T21:05:43.971-05:00Ben Franklin is METALAs the seconds tick away for the month of July, I realized that I had not made a blog post.<br /><br />To rectify this, I decided to share this small nugget with you.<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uZfRaWAtBVg&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uZfRaWAtBVg&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />And for those of you who think that this is just empty fluff, I firmly believe that this accurately captures the essence of what the Founding Fathers were trying to say.<br /><br />Specifically: Ben Franklin was the most awesome bass player in history (haha) and that no man should wear black eye shadow.SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-34950353593238239722010-07-16T14:37:00.003-05:002010-07-16T14:55:27.105-05:00It is summer!I am surfing the blogosphere at McAlister's Deli, my favorite restaurant. I got the fabulous souvenir tea cup! I am pretty sure that everyone who knows me is aware that I love McAlister's sweet tea.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs083.ash2/37470_408842428788_59545678788_4503378_2806847_n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 200px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs083.ash2/37470_408842428788_59545678788_4503378_2806847_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />On another note, I bought Starcraft yesterday. I am good with the Protoss, but I stink with the Terran. I just played an hour and forty minute game against the computer. We used all the minerals on the map, and I killed his last building with only 6 marines left to my name. XD Needless to say, I have to get better with them. I also signed up for the Starcraft II beta, and I really want to get in. If you want to get an idea of what it's like, youtube HDstarcraft. He is a good player and gives interesting commentary. In fact, I think I am about to watch one of his games. Hey, it's summer. What else do I have to do with my time?Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11351061424881113224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-72223900197364467022010-06-18T19:55:00.002-05:002010-06-18T20:04:02.184-05:00Let me explain... No, There is no time. Let me sum up...All times in Post Final Final time (final final time started at 12:00 PM, Wed. May 5)<br /><br />PFF + 1H 20M - Finish Final Final, feel cool brush of freedom<br /><br />PFF + 2D 21H - See Roomate Graduate<br /><br />PFF + 3D 1H - Leave Longview for West Chicago<br /><br />PFF + 1W 6H - Buy First Car<br /><br />PFF + 1W 1D 20H - Leave West Chicago for Virginia<br /><br />PFF + 1W 4D 20H - Start First Engineering Job<br /><br />So, a lot has happened. And the fun is only getting started...SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-34145282831048811732010-05-06T19:10:00.009-05:002010-05-06T19:46:08.921-05:00It's About TimeThey finally got me.<br /><br />After five years of actively hunting and ponding others on the floor while myself remaining immune, I was ponded under what is being dubbed "The Shrug Clause." Basically, I hadn't been ponded yet and I needed to be before I graduated.<br />The devious fiends got me Sunday afternoon. Of course fearing that I would be too much for them to handle under normal circumstances, they waited until right after I returned from a Chinese buffet. They didn't even let me get onto the floor, but pulled me right out of the car.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJOTXC3iBvE-1KOG8PS2AvOknoELap9cCXB1u2bsC-jbyboZnWeB2xAlJJXuxPpwPf6G71QyqUTPy21TpePPhUMRKolHTrNWmq9BAcDyRcf4Penc6pewtsTLbMESOyGfDyECOI895wsw/s1600/IMG_4313.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJOTXC3iBvE-1KOG8PS2AvOknoELap9cCXB1u2bsC-jbyboZnWeB2xAlJJXuxPpwPf6G71QyqUTPy21TpePPhUMRKolHTrNWmq9BAcDyRcf4Penc6pewtsTLbMESOyGfDyECOI895wsw/s400/IMG_4313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468317902950446898" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Out of one vehicle...<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTYPDVSrwquC9WoYmWqMnEXItSRRxnM6Rzqj2c7mj14ZDvsqVDg8ehAYQJOgB23kJm_BjaIwhE1l1i4XRekxrg4Ut94rIYFNFBHJfBXdzNjfCOyfbQYKEroJoDTo2sBx0K07ElNV3CT4/s1600/IMG_4321.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTYPDVSrwquC9WoYmWqMnEXItSRRxnM6Rzqj2c7mj14ZDvsqVDg8ehAYQJOgB23kJm_BjaIwhE1l1i4XRekxrg4Ut94rIYFNFBHJfBXdzNjfCOyfbQYKEroJoDTo2sBx0K07ElNV3CT4/s400/IMG_4321.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468316808754285314" border="0" /></a>...and into another.<br /><br /></div>Having a stomach full of food somewhat impaired my fighting and running abilities, but I think I did a decent job.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBskOBSqNpnB1_zCQtkYxXGGqS9ZCyM1glfa3bHiraHe4cfMH9vBoi3yOP1Bw8cocMZbTmhn2hDG0hV3-KdaDSNuIAyCgy_qzrru1Heu-ru2g5FD_tKQd3CEt9A-87nBRXQkfEiP6Pgs/s1600/IMG_4352.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBskOBSqNpnB1_zCQtkYxXGGqS9ZCyM1glfa3bHiraHe4cfMH9vBoi3yOP1Bw8cocMZbTmhn2hDG0hV3-KdaDSNuIAyCgy_qzrru1Heu-ru2g5FD_tKQd3CEt9A-87nBRXQkfEiP6Pgs/s400/IMG_4352.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468317462548634962" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">One of the few times being tall is a bad thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyoDzc6-2HfzzCO99RRUWDVmsWcswteU0CRApPlqBxkjvTzf50T-2zckM7WRWm5dTI834CE6tAWGl9HjfnlbygOg8p_SYaBqocQNfafIiv-GjCoYxLeFxCggs3tH3qD4erRINqrqbIwE/s1600/IMG_4373.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyoDzc6-2HfzzCO99RRUWDVmsWcswteU0CRApPlqBxkjvTzf50T-2zckM7WRWm5dTI834CE6tAWGl9HjfnlbygOg8p_SYaBqocQNfafIiv-GjCoYxLeFxCggs3tH3qD4erRINqrqbIwE/s400/IMG_4373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468318351902981954" border="0" /></a>Oooop...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBtpHexTY5D2d-1cf05uAG4WME3b-URQ3oNaRftliVuXDPwyrJg4QQD5-vtS9qjGHbDdse6p2-hVlidAuC_8M8MBHNlGuHJrHqUhml5ae1immSoR51-XGJnxbXYLO5wBVJt8a5wuSXEA/s1600/IMG_4380.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBtpHexTY5D2d-1cf05uAG4WME3b-URQ3oNaRftliVuXDPwyrJg4QQD5-vtS9qjGHbDdse6p2-hVlidAuC_8M8MBHNlGuHJrHqUhml5ae1immSoR51-XGJnxbXYLO5wBVJt8a5wuSXEA/s400/IMG_4380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468318763837054114" border="0" /></a>"Not one of you's gonna survive this!"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The trucks were slow to get moving after I went in, and I managed to beat them to the stop sign and block their path. This resulted in everyone bailing out of Scorch's truck, and Treads nearly running me over with his Jeep. Back on the floor, I was able to hunt a few people down before I started feeling unwell. Just eating, struggling a lot, and getting thrown in the pond are not a good combination. Overall, though, I greatly enjoyed the whole thing. A lot of the floor was present, and it was good times all around.<br /><br /><br />...speaking of things that have taken long enough...<br /><br /><br />I'M FINALLY GRADUATING!!!!<br /><br /><br /></div></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzbj41N12_wGzDtl68ztDGR8CsqETrlsoPBuGym9hFuimEG8Yp4b0SN1fKOSOpZMQRWv8qkz_O_rRxUo9axJw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Five years, two majors, and, if my calculations are correct, Suma Cum Laude. Take that, engineering curriculum!<br /><br />Not that it hasn't been difficult; the reason there wasn't a April post is because the last month has been madness, especially the last week.<br /><br />Things due last Friday: Everything for E-Lab 3, including all minilabs, a 15-V power supply, a function generator, and a 10-W power amplifier (I didn't even get the last one done).<br /><br />Things due Monday: Most everything for Senior Design, including a poster, web page, technical abstract, and Final Presentation.<br /><br />Thing due Tuesday: Senior Design documentation (shudder) due at 9:00 am, after which Hopps and I drove up to Oklahoma City and back to finish signing our apartment lease for the summer.<br /><br />After that, I was done, but routinely forcing myself to stay awake inadvertently caused my brain to switch into live-without-sleep apocalypse mode, and I didn't sleep Tuesday night either simply because I wasn't tired.Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-62495073131060558862010-03-31T22:08:00.004-05:002010-03-31T23:58:01.234-05:00Another month has gone by in a flash. Both good and bad things have happened, but I am happy to say that in the long run, things have been great. Certainly, we have been blessed with good weather and good times. Day after day, I am reminded of how good God is. Each time I look at the sky or feel the warmth of the sun, I remember His power and goodness.<br /><br />Finally, after weeks of watching Stargate Atlantis, I am on the last episode of the last season. Great show. Having seen it, I will start watching Stargate SG1. I know I am watching the seasons backwards, but I think I will enjoy them better this way.<br /><br />Just a little while from now, the semester will be over. Knowing this, everyone here has been working very hard for finals. Lots of time has gone into projects and tests, but it is finally almost over. Most of the semester has been easy, but I have a feeling that it will get very hard, very quickly. Not many students will be playing video games and staying up all night if they want to pass now.<br /><br />On an related subject, many people have been working on some really cool projects. Possibly some of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Rube Goldburg machines are complex devices that perform simple tasks in indirect ways. Some students are having a competition by making these machines. This is a video that has a rube goldburg machine, and is the music video for a song called "This Too Shall Pass." <br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fV23EVZ-nc4&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fV23EVZ-nc4&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Usually, rube goldburg machines are like that, if smaller. Very cool, right? Well, that just about raps up what I have to say. Xylophone music would be appropriate now... Yes... <br /><br />Zephaniah 3:17 : <br /> "The LORD your God is with you, <br /> He is mighty to save. <br /> He will take great delight in you, <br /> he will quiet you with his love, <br /> he will rejoice over you with singing."Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11351061424881113224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-83102467979122701542010-03-31T00:52:00.003-05:002010-03-31T00:56:55.791-05:00The March PostBecause I don't get enough sleep as it is, because I needed a 10 minute break on my birthday, and because March didn't have a post yet, I give you the March Post!<br /><br />Happy birthday, me. You have somehow managed to get here, maybe you can make it another 21 years...<br /><br />Maybe.<br /><br />Anyway, in case any of you hadn't seen this, here is a guy who <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4">single-handedly won choral music</a>.SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-1676854990933409552010-02-22T09:42:00.007-06:002010-02-22T09:48:35.804-06:00Another One?!?It's not my fault! The <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1281">webcomic</a> made me!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3ov9qN1mSTQj2wjdxfoLupLEBtg1rpzhOSh5hfHVNPoQAn33MFB5_x58hK9lz7epN14_KhuTgeUluHuCoMPLdF4gHNsBzR82V2y9H7sMZ67qx7fLt1kQ3psOpiQLOu4fFQT0LNEQwb4/s1600-h/Almost+Free.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 389px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3ov9qN1mSTQj2wjdxfoLupLEBtg1rpzhOSh5hfHVNPoQAn33MFB5_x58hK9lz7epN14_KhuTgeUluHuCoMPLdF4gHNsBzR82V2y9H7sMZ67qx7fLt1kQ3psOpiQLOu4fFQT0LNEQwb4/s400/Almost+Free.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441094392006611506" border="0" /></a>Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-54073862712048386742010-02-17T13:45:00.005-06:002010-02-17T13:57:00.656-06:00Comic invasion!Well, as most of you know, I am rather busy this semester, so I don't have time for a lengthy post, just a few pictures.<br /><br />I did, however, have time to attend the G2 Masquerade costume party earlier this month. I really like making costumes, and who better to go as than the eccentricly conniving <a href="http://xkcd.com/496/">Hatman</a> from <a href="http://xkcd.com/356/">xkcd</a>? (For those of you who don't know who that is, he's the stick figure with the hat in the comic from the previous post.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDxmQjVnNbi9YRAY1kN-_KpaxW09ZRC9EdBH8RLs2gU3oApwABshEpLJXsXCjY4V6F1TvmvLfL_YIY0p5qIIxFifVeSvoKdSc9ynG_gUs8mSqUkdXW-8A7Mou0mZ3OBEZ3Khc5XBWvAE/s1600-h/hatman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDxmQjVnNbi9YRAY1kN-_KpaxW09ZRC9EdBH8RLs2gU3oApwABshEpLJXsXCjY4V6F1TvmvLfL_YIY0p5qIIxFifVeSvoKdSc9ynG_gUs8mSqUkdXW-8A7Mou0mZ3OBEZ3Khc5XBWvAE/s400/hatman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439302027309540002" border="0" /></a>Ah, good times. The costume is basically a white painter's suit with black duck tape on it, a wife-beater over my face, and a cardboard hat.<br /><br />The comic madness didn't stop there, either. This last Friday there was a power outage due to all the snow, so I had to figure out something to do. No classes, no power, no computer, and no internet, so I decided to draw a comic of my own:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE30i4nxpFZRBF4eVf4xR15YaERrN7rDp6RzUIyNAijVsCp_axE44yFihvFX7hmKN87BGOT0NFBMqpNY2JzcspJZ_662tsA-LOudo6jUQPHOkTnsQ-t5qf3qc-BJeES9lm2aWg-U5n_Tk/s1600-h/Fine+me.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE30i4nxpFZRBF4eVf4xR15YaERrN7rDp6RzUIyNAijVsCp_axE44yFihvFX7hmKN87BGOT0NFBMqpNY2JzcspJZ_662tsA-LOudo6jUQPHOkTnsQ-t5qf3qc-BJeES9lm2aWg-U5n_Tk/s400/Fine+me.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439302934537148098" border="0" /></a>I'm going to submit it to the YellowJacket; they won't publish it, but I'm going to submit it anyway.Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-20330431656113732402010-01-24T23:17:00.003-06:002010-01-25T00:34:34.480-06:00New Recruit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/in_ur_reality.png"><br /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'times new roman';">So... This is my first post on the power suite blog.</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When I first moved in to the power suite, I knew that I would be experiencing several changes. I decided that I would use my change on environment to change my habits and have a better semester.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Change 1:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Sleeping. Last semester, I would regularly stay up until 3 o'clock in the morning. Now, I usually go to bed before 12:30. This drastically improved my QOL (quality of life). I started eating breakfast, I fall asleep in class less... Just thumbs up all the way.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Change 2:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Showering. I know some of you may be grossed out, but I promise, I used to take a shower every night. Now, I take them in the morning. It is a small change, but I definitely feel better after a shower in the morning. It is just a good way to start the day.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Change 3:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Homework. Last semester, I started out behind on homework. I had a huge work load, and I procrastinated. I have much less work this semester, but the main difference is that I get it done quickly, usually the day it is assigned even if it is not due for days. The practice has reduced the amount of stress I am under and has helped me to have more late night freedom and more sleep.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I thought that my first two weeks of this semester would also make a good topic for this momentous occasion. So here we go:</span></span><div><b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Day 1:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Moving in. This was a crazy night. I was reunited with many friends, and I stayed up late playing video games. This would not have been a big deal, but I forgot to make my bed, everyone else was asleep, and it was past 3 in the morning. I managed to completely make my bed, even without the night vision goggles that I forgot were in my closet. *face palm*</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Day 3:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Class. The first day of class was pretty cool. We went over the syllabi (I looked "syllabus plural" up on Google, and Wikipedia gave me "syllabuses or syllabi." I looked further into it and came up with this from Mr. Morrison of www.usingenglish.com: "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Both are in common usage therefore both are correct. However, since syllabus is derived from Greek, just as octopus and hippopotamus are, the prescriptive grammarian would prefer syllabuses just as they would prefer octopuses and hippopotamuses. If the etymology had been Latin, then just like alumni and foci, the answer would have been syllabi. Nevertheless, English grammar is descriptive rather than prescriptive and since there are two ways of saying it, you can decide. Unfortunately, whichever word you choose, you are likely to irritate someone who uses the other version and is convinced that his or her version is the only correct one." Personally, I like syllabi.) and that was about it. Oh, I learned that electrons flowing is electricity. (I heard once that we pay like $68 dollars for each class. Waste of tuition dollars FTL?)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><b>Day 4:</b> Class (Cont.). See <i>Day 3</i>.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><b>Day 5: </b>More Different Class. Today, we did stuff. I had DC, Bib. Lit. and Karate. Pretty straight forward. I have been playing DotA a lot lately. I used to be way better at it and stuff, but I am kinda rusty.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;font-size:medium;">I am getting kinda bored of posting for now, and you have the idea. Before I finish, let me find something interesting and post it...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-size:medium;">Tad ah!</span></span></div><div><img src=http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/in_ur_reality.png><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div>Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11351061424881113224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-7754551836640307002010-01-24T23:08:00.002-06:002010-01-24T23:23:27.637-06:00New Year, New MemberAs several of you doubtless know, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">powersuite</span> has <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">received</span> a new member from the floor. Wrench, purveyor of fashion, CS major <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">extraordinaire</span>, and generally all <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">around</span> awesome guy has joined the ranks of the few, the proud, those strange enough to put their beds in one room and desks in another: The Powersuite. May God have mercy on his soul.SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-45240979316573272012009-12-16T12:57:00.005-06:002009-12-16T15:29:06.034-06:00Conclusions and PonderingsNo, Synk, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">now</span> it is over.<br /><br />Having taken Dynamics several years ago, my concerns rested with with deadlines on or after the Thanksgiving break. However, death week was survived, finals completed, Dozer's graduation attended, and travel accomplished (by the way, Dozer, you can still write normal posts on this blog and not just comments). Now I can relax.<br /><br />And now that school is done with for a while, I actually have time to think. And what else is there to think about besides politics?<br /><br />Don't worry, I'm not going to discuss current politics; my thoughts started with musings on the kind of speeches I would give if I were running for president. First of all, I would write them myself. This would gain me big points already. Second, I would try to be as honest about my views as possible, which would make popularity difficult considering my conservative standing and opinion of the public (I would definitely try to sneak in something about how the masses are idiots just to see if I could get away with it). I wouldn't <span style="font-style: italic;">promise</span> to do anything, but rather expound upon what I would like to see changed while explaining the constitutional limits on the President's powers as well as the possibility of unforeseen circumstances. I would try to get elected on the basis of a representative republic rather than a pure democracy, since that's how I would conduct business. Elect me based on my values, priorities, and character and then I will make decisions based on what I think would be best for the country, not necessarily what the country wants. Do you think people would listen long enough to understand? Perhaps this is where the part about the masses being idiots would come in.<br /><br />After a while, my thoughts changed from aimless musings to considerations of logistics: Could I get elected? Should I? The later refers to the fact that I still have resolved in my own mind whether or not I am a pacifist. If I am, I seriously doubt I could be President. How could I order troops into battle to kill others when I am not willing to do so myself? Is it necessary to kill in order to preserve what is right? Does this change between a person and a government?<br /><br />Assuming I got that straightened out, there is still the issue of how I would get support. Currently, I don't think I have enough notoriety or money to get a position with a political party. I'm not sure I'd want to, either. It seems that the major issue with political parties these days is that you need to have a lot of money and clout before you can even speak: <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> anyone can become President. What, then, could be an alternate route? The first thing I thought of was the internet; it was used to a great advantage in this last campaign, could it be used to support an entire campaign? The problem with the internet, though, is the fact that <span style="font-weight: bold;">anyone</span> can speak, and this includes a great number of imbeciles. Therefore, in order to be heard, you need to already have a name behind you. Even then, most of the people you will be speaking to are your supporters. Judging by the number of comments this blog receives, I'd have to do a lot of work to get a following on the internet (though by referencing <a href="http://www.xkcd.com/635/">this xkcd comic</a>, I automatically win).<br /><br />On the other hand, even though it isn't perfect, is there a better and viable alternative to the two-party system? There are a great number of popular bloggers I wouldn't want as President, third parties are easily crushed due to the current state of the electoral process and the media (good luck making <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> go away), and a no-party system would run into the same problems as people trying to be heard on the internet.<br /><br />[Warning: topic change ahead]<br /><br />Speaking of the internet and blogging, there is a trend I have been noticing. In the early days of the internet, the big thing was having your own web page. Here you would describe yourself and your hobbies and interests in a semi-permanent format. This developed into blogging, which, while still a form of personal expression, was a bit more fluid and was a record of the person's thoughts in a journal-type format. Then came Facebook and its Wall, where users post announcements of significant (or not) events in their lives as they happen. And now there is Twitter, a near constant stream of trivial (or not) details. In regard to information available to strangers, postings on the internet have become more and more fleeting and less and less deep. I say that Twitter has about a year or so until the next big thing. I wonder what that will be.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Oh, hey! I just got it! I'll kidnap the families of half of the electoral college, then I'll be a shoo-in for President.Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-68692513585786560192009-11-28T16:25:00.005-06:002009-11-28T21:01:35.979-06:00It's Over!<div> The all-consuming beast that is Dynamics project is finally slain!<br /><br /></div>Aside from this good news, the Powersuite placed first and second in the LeTourneau contest after a disqualification. I feel really bad for the team who was disqualified, but I am still pleased to have achieved such high rank among my peers. Playdoh's team ranked first in the class, and my team ranked second, and I believe that we were both pleased with this result.<br /><div><br />Here are some pictures of the devices, with Playdoh's first.<br /><br /><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px; display: block; height: 239px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409286190793403442" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTRD7MweigJOAw2QQd3VVOsdxK6X7XYUPQuZU0kheEhLcyyREOtFEXQWQiTtO_EDHthorNXlJLlrazPFjboGQS-54VicS_srq3CkxjxXORg-aB5q4yfA8OlsI85r4iC64PfdKmNoP97U/s320/IMG_9045.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><br /><div>Here is my device, and who is that handsome devil working on it?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1NDYJuxpPSBC4Rgcgtr4shAc_Sp4ev3VlNjJncUuwMeiylPBmTP4wD2WeH0fUwH86X44M_Qh7guK2MN5lPc133br6ZTMA4rukr4HhIFHmq6j6ki6ZHN6aAPJ1lVKUFOYg91NQDPHtuY/s1600/IMG_9047.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1NDYJuxpPSBC4Rgcgtr4shAc_Sp4ev3VlNjJncUuwMeiylPBmTP4wD2WeH0fUwH86X44M_Qh7guK2MN5lPc133br6ZTMA4rukr4HhIFHmq6j6ki6ZHN6aAPJ1lVKUFOYg91NQDPHtuY/s320/IMG_9047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409290581339012722" border="0" /></a><br /></div><p> </p>SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-86833592962647009172009-10-12T14:39:00.002-05:002009-10-12T14:41:45.347-05:00The Invasion Continues<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-go0x-0uRGVofs0Ki49SpteqT5pTW-fS6EFy_Cc4DvmanSs0-nMLFqQk1FTme3LpaCN2QrmdMyHXY3AfSdVtLV_4Foye3Mn1XB8Vsj_Ew9e7mvSDUjiY4iuiV4GRLNe4gAIbj4tmkA0/s1600-h/100_0433.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-go0x-0uRGVofs0Ki49SpteqT5pTW-fS6EFy_Cc4DvmanSs0-nMLFqQk1FTme3LpaCN2QrmdMyHXY3AfSdVtLV_4Foye3Mn1XB8Vsj_Ew9e7mvSDUjiY4iuiV4GRLNe4gAIbj4tmkA0/s320/100_0433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391801013069532210" border="0" /></a><br /><span xmlns=""><p>Due to lack of adequate time or funding, this month's blog title is totally unoriginal.</p></span>SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-23406964351423561982009-09-12T15:09:00.002-05:002009-09-12T15:12:43.673-05:00The Gremlins Are Out Early This Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-fOXW-0CI3-mXg4wWQkwKyRGaFrV5QpWu-sbtIS33EXeomBMXafrE0B88p7ZEkgavBaGWdz8-b4CNE1Na4pCyuEMHX0T-Re5iI0wD53mnC-9dqBJTVLNDwVi2n48y4Rg268XMLkRpV0/s1600-h/gremlin.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-fOXW-0CI3-mXg4wWQkwKyRGaFrV5QpWu-sbtIS33EXeomBMXafrE0B88p7ZEkgavBaGWdz8-b4CNE1Na4pCyuEMHX0T-Re5iI0wD53mnC-9dqBJTVLNDwVi2n48y4Rg268XMLkRpV0/s400/gremlin.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380675843621017794" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And thus the Powersuite's invasion of the Partysuite begins...<br /></div>Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-68388963887145798102009-08-31T21:43:00.004-05:002009-08-31T22:41:37.824-05:00A V8 In Every PotI am presently in a conundrum: which of <a href="http://www.chevrolet.com/camaro/">these </a><a href="http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/mustang/">three </a><a href="http://www.dodge.com/en/2009/challenger/">cars </a>is the best? Sound off in the comments below.SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-75609482469457339812009-07-22T18:32:00.020-05:002009-07-22T19:01:40.431-05:00Pictures!Ok, I finally have pictures from my various adventures.<br /><br />I'll start with what I normally do on Saturdays: hiking in Monte Sano State Park. The pictures are from when my mom came down to visit several weeks ago. Incidentally, it was the hottest day of the summer.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Me atop a bluff:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUamC2aWBOEJUsu-t5-LHKc0Mtau0bgND-B4RYlijkpKait5Qm4mLSGkdwVFwFu87WuRAYV6xIAPywXS8JFum8lDuCvxUZy8fG2p2dNF-M7zcG5gOuhLTt6AVm38tdUcxGa4-mpDoMn1Q/s1600-h/hike1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUamC2aWBOEJUsu-t5-LHKc0Mtau0bgND-B4RYlijkpKait5Qm4mLSGkdwVFwFu87WuRAYV6xIAPywXS8JFum8lDuCvxUZy8fG2p2dNF-M7zcG5gOuhLTt6AVm38tdUcxGa4-mpDoMn1Q/s400/hike1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361432160215441170" border="0" /></a>The view from the top. The bluff looked down into a quarry with limestone excavation caves:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpoKZy_WA8NJVHjLRdvpi0f2M-x8d4S6cvM_r7Rn-8x8xTrTSM_ZH78gKNmk7mRhcjjOztXFk975FgLbhoC_e6nX7O92jLVc2mFNIJ28b_-1gUD1XqKcUQCC3vAFAQdrVzJpFQOM8Iio/s1600-h/hike2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpoKZy_WA8NJVHjLRdvpi0f2M-x8d4S6cvM_r7Rn-8x8xTrTSM_ZH78gKNmk7mRhcjjOztXFk975FgLbhoC_e6nX7O92jLVc2mFNIJ28b_-1gUD1XqKcUQCC3vAFAQdrVzJpFQOM8Iio/s400/hike2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361432489188137650" border="0" /></a>Me atop "Dry Falls":<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ-GyMTvLcDHObYm6jxLDLioTmci1UnXNvKUsGZ5ClHz63n39PeXmsc0D6FFL1dtYZ30PedkxtQBjPvVYg8ZAal0phfFxxpNDS1S3DoHFUt7p2jmEdEAArGrz-PhCFuiuX3cMHso-LDE/s1600-h/hike3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ-GyMTvLcDHObYm6jxLDLioTmci1UnXNvKUsGZ5ClHz63n39PeXmsc0D6FFL1dtYZ30PedkxtQBjPvVYg8ZAal0phfFxxpNDS1S3DoHFUt7p2jmEdEAArGrz-PhCFuiuX3cMHso-LDE/s400/hike3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361432662190254370" border="0" /></a>The dry river:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOChDlPoffzmWalMgFJe39nGjOFk-rNYshRPAoBaQyXJa-zs_M-fD-jS4a1wfipgXDfI5eKwXYIohLBGexJdauPicKcWsBXbAYKmwqEXRmgD7s7evYkEc15xeQec-xU3FY0XVsRssT5Vc/s1600-h/hike4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOChDlPoffzmWalMgFJe39nGjOFk-rNYshRPAoBaQyXJa-zs_M-fD-jS4a1wfipgXDfI5eKwXYIohLBGexJdauPicKcWsBXbAYKmwqEXRmgD7s7evYkEc15xeQec-xU3FY0XVsRssT5Vc/s400/hike4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361433095597432946" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Quite different from the hot, dry river bed that my mom and I hiked along was the cold and very wet white-water rafting trip that my company sponsored last Saturday.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">General rafting (I'm in the front left seat of the raft, next to the guy in the orange shirt):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOK9xzN3Im32lax6EmbbZ0OPd2RQ7JxUeB7J-vsAWajJ1_exF67draTcvwkbJ-H77aAvNJ59QQodZ3a0HkP8M2NylSBnpCa1mW5D92EDYTws7PFIWb5dJl9PKMJbB419jckHzyU_hqIQ/s1600-h/raft1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOK9xzN3Im32lax6EmbbZ0OPd2RQ7JxUeB7J-vsAWajJ1_exF67draTcvwkbJ-H77aAvNJ59QQodZ3a0HkP8M2NylSBnpCa1mW5D92EDYTws7PFIWb5dJl9PKMJbB419jckHzyU_hqIQ/s400/raft1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361433663828073346" border="0" /></a>Class 5:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEzt07JK4jkNv0Cd6qK5uCdrI_ZAkpkiK2T7JVR2OicpNyUGFVIxKEiYrvEDVbQiWP1HF0kaRyvk9DlGihot4BimjdrS5ZtsvDxtqqhMZBWZRmqE203m8EhlWArz5FW1NUNP5bbNny28/s1600-h/raft2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEzt07JK4jkNv0Cd6qK5uCdrI_ZAkpkiK2T7JVR2OicpNyUGFVIxKEiYrvEDVbQiWP1HF0kaRyvk9DlGihot4BimjdrS5ZtsvDxtqqhMZBWZRmqE203m8EhlWArz5FW1NUNP5bbNny28/s400/raft2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361433959157517602" border="0" /></a>Launching the raft:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKfgyzRszjez2YHTjoPHjjlkXRVVRJ5D-bj6pzLP0w_BUbl3RVqGj4GHnrlqfMn16TEW0xPONo2WdmnoIllP1B0A71re7t_V5HdTbk1ar8QymxD6ROpYemAXKN0srfw0rraUT-OLZI5o/s1600-h/raft3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKfgyzRszjez2YHTjoPHjjlkXRVVRJ5D-bj6pzLP0w_BUbl3RVqGj4GHnrlqfMn16TEW0xPONo2WdmnoIllP1B0A71re7t_V5HdTbk1ar8QymxD6ROpYemAXKN0srfw0rraUT-OLZI5o/s400/raft3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361434246411744946" border="0" /></a>"Riding the bull":<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9c9cfUqeVMI9UxUzWX_yl0OWOU5NsgjbCXmFjyj914OdE0icHItUcV51VWzeK78zRoB7gGMDTW_Bm-yMrfAlTo8V7SXIpvQirpQrbeIz9j6YjeT_9hf2cZKUcs7GW7p_8xp1tFQgF30Q/s1600-h/raft4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9c9cfUqeVMI9UxUzWX_yl0OWOU5NsgjbCXmFjyj914OdE0icHItUcV51VWzeK78zRoB7gGMDTW_Bm-yMrfAlTo8V7SXIpvQirpQrbeIz9j6YjeT_9hf2cZKUcs7GW7p_8xp1tFQgF30Q/s400/raft4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361434554279815842" border="0" /></a>Staying up...:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHJnX1AvuvWQapGBc1q-Z6IeZVDjKESYTlxmzzXXyfhwDlQktrjltbwMeQmXyeLYTe7IowXT9k4HHN6ujsxwPXaG9_WkHq9DlGuunQY5euoqjdVFxEFpySJD1kFZqN-oU0N7TbZK4s9Q/s1600-h/raft5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHJnX1AvuvWQapGBc1q-Z6IeZVDjKESYTlxmzzXXyfhwDlQktrjltbwMeQmXyeLYTe7IowXT9k4HHN6ujsxwPXaG9_WkHq9DlGuunQY5euoqjdVFxEFpySJD1kFZqN-oU0N7TbZK4s9Q/s400/raft5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361434806373342370" border="0" /></a>...Or not:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bRRYjizP5OI2OHuZzOZYSHNlRKf1zg2NSBPwfrKKG9uxuVFNUvfbKKY_6mBdUxaFZTRBWiAPiOqzmCcKss7nePo2H0FUWpN3FozeGTmfOrNL1Sn-DjsuBl-lFWV2cljo04qAb5ZMcZc/s1600-h/raft6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bRRYjizP5OI2OHuZzOZYSHNlRKf1zg2NSBPwfrKKG9uxuVFNUvfbKKY_6mBdUxaFZTRBWiAPiOqzmCcKss7nePo2H0FUWpN3FozeGTmfOrNL1Sn-DjsuBl-lFWV2cljo04qAb5ZMcZc/s400/raft6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361435074235286610" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br />And, of course, my exhilarating skydiving trip. Unfortunately, in-air pictures were an extra $70, so I didn't get any of those. Instead, my boss had a friend on the ground taking pictures.<br /><br /></div>Joking with my instructor:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAbOAX3nh5M3LTZSW7sCIVQsyfDOfhIMxyfduS4jZhILa0J9A1c2JxsbagVBj-t_25kv5g7IEM1nAmdmHAwv3DQ9TAkmv14wOlcW_rGm-9LY0IIuC4yQhLLQ4fdKBPC0DzCR5H2lUcQg/s1600-h/IMG_1139.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAbOAX3nh5M3LTZSW7sCIVQsyfDOfhIMxyfduS4jZhILa0J9A1c2JxsbagVBj-t_25kv5g7IEM1nAmdmHAwv3DQ9TAkmv14wOlcW_rGm-9LY0IIuC4yQhLLQ4fdKBPC0DzCR5H2lUcQg/s400/IMG_1139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361437260740643602" border="0" /></a>Matt and I suited up:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9xxt7IXHHP3o-w_w-TtxsOASTmz_cDM5M-5p_2pVX_Cu56PQ1SBoyWl3Ry52UrOGqTYAoXI0qNMqqE7z4eAFoM7XDwbphQMxXSfJrLqkkClXXesRhuTUrTEc_SOp7AqDrHp6avaKvuk/s1600-h/sky1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9xxt7IXHHP3o-w_w-TtxsOASTmz_cDM5M-5p_2pVX_Cu56PQ1SBoyWl3Ry52UrOGqTYAoXI0qNMqqE7z4eAFoM7XDwbphQMxXSfJrLqkkClXXesRhuTUrTEc_SOp7AqDrHp6avaKvuk/s400/sky1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361435963218013458" border="0" /></a>The plane ride up (That's my leg; I was sitting right next to the door.):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Fh-Zk_PQ-GUIpdPuvTqAC5MgDt0GVzK5jGBfXHrqOiQe2fu-09YTT0SKEkrFqY_hNgY_KxVA_Q5FcAl-9LX3BfJRpgAkc1sCIVMa4b1kcq3jyrQW1E67kw79tHBtf3mejzLQfoxxEAQ/s1600-h/sky2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Fh-Zk_PQ-GUIpdPuvTqAC5MgDt0GVzK5jGBfXHrqOiQe2fu-09YTT0SKEkrFqY_hNgY_KxVA_Q5FcAl-9LX3BfJRpgAkc1sCIVMa4b1kcq3jyrQW1E67kw79tHBtf3mejzLQfoxxEAQ/s400/sky2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361436462832841698" border="0" /></a>Gliding down:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmHoRx5ZoCtsPL58Axe_mpmQKJt0QIkUSueM91-VHpBaRJ7RexUhk6eRvX86ZupSkQZQVdJmG_GDxZM2EWNGDBJk72xoxtL3w_SZoySdEfDjm1P4-Fjk_qgVSnwf01Do7sBCzNYbP0a8/s1600-h/sky3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmHoRx5ZoCtsPL58Axe_mpmQKJt0QIkUSueM91-VHpBaRJ7RexUhk6eRvX86ZupSkQZQVdJmG_GDxZM2EWNGDBJk72xoxtL3w_SZoySdEfDjm1P4-Fjk_qgVSnwf01Do7sBCzNYbP0a8/s400/sky3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361437537369697890" border="0" /></a>The crew afterward:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hgRbpaveNjWRSl6jT4Gzqltu4gJEosNF5HScKAkdJYIf2zi30nvwKn5C8M-bSjK1PfDScjYVirwphV7xa6cb0Ezo_kvZsawD-d4VlbtK7cJl5fE5rSoMHe93Co7O_gKlIr_VL-MM2I0/s1600-h/sky4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hgRbpaveNjWRSl6jT4Gzqltu4gJEosNF5HScKAkdJYIf2zi30nvwKn5C8M-bSjK1PfDScjYVirwphV7xa6cb0Ezo_kvZsawD-d4VlbtK7cJl5fE5rSoMHe93Co7O_gKlIr_VL-MM2I0/s400/sky4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361437818502452354" border="0" /></a>Skydive hair:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI44Z9Xku-3eUS2rUOm5qAcvaL77sy59BS9xLYil4mtlNwjCu7f-sCDz946tyOnKyYZwIDwNl9oJDSQ1htLAQjIMYu4R4ELoRi0oy6Qh3f-RVxcNPZn3zNAybt2yqH6f3zmtoHKFiQQSs/s1600-h/sky5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI44Z9Xku-3eUS2rUOm5qAcvaL77sy59BS9xLYil4mtlNwjCu7f-sCDz946tyOnKyYZwIDwNl9oJDSQ1htLAQjIMYu4R4ELoRi0oy6Qh3f-RVxcNPZn3zNAybt2yqH6f3zmtoHKFiQQSs/s400/sky5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361438083910715266" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and one more thing...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Very Yes</span>:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGydB4oXhb8CBn9KDNWtNQpHvWI0GJJfKzDP_XTZXPp5K8ZyFpGH_PFOi2aFASAiHmX108DSDb8Zh_et6fdytoyWyKUFlTm167aqzLGLKtN40LPRj9ph95afPEXUdX0q2LKl0rpenajc/s1600-h/sky6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGydB4oXhb8CBn9KDNWtNQpHvWI0GJJfKzDP_XTZXPp5K8ZyFpGH_PFOi2aFASAiHmX108DSDb8Zh_et6fdytoyWyKUFlTm167aqzLGLKtN40LPRj9ph95afPEXUdX0q2LKl0rpenajc/s400/sky6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361438468091565826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div>Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-45741467563167290782009-07-19T12:22:00.002-05:002009-07-19T12:59:13.707-05:00Adrenaline JunkieSooooo, these last two weekends have been rather exciting for me. In order to combat the slow days at work and the doldrums of living alone, I seem to have taken to extreme activities.<br /><br />Last Saturday I went skydiving.<br /><br />Yes.<br /><br />120 mph free-fall from 13,000 ft.<br /><br />My boss suggested it, and I arranged a jump for him, me, and Matt Szelistowski (Former member of my Senior Design team who now also works at RMCI). Pretty much all the other guys at work were married or engaged, so their significant others wouldn't let them go. Since the three of us were relatively inexperienced, we did tandem dives with a dive instructor strapped to our backs who would release and controll the parachute.<br /><br />On the plane ride up, Matt was quiet and somewhat pale, my boss was calmly conversing with his instructor, and my instructor and I were joking back and forth about who would hit the ground first if the chute didn't open. (I think that my coping mechanism for nervousness it to turn it into crazed anticipation.) I got a slight leg cramp when getting up to jump out, but it wasn't too bad and definately didn't interfere with the following experience.<br /><br />The most exhilarating part of the jump was first coming out of the plane. The instructor counted down and jumped for you, after which you started falling. For a few seconds I was stunned by the sheer adrenaline shock. The track of my thoughts was somewhat along the line of:<br />"I'm falling!!! I'm falling!! Ok, wait, I'm supposed to be falling. This is insane!"<br />After I got used to the fact that I was plummeting toward the fields below, I laughed maniacally the rest of the free-fall. There were scattered cumulus clouds, and if I looked forward, I could see them whizzing past as we fell.<br /><br />A little above 1,000 ft., the instructor deployed the parachute. Here I learned the funner points of parachute guidance. For example, if you pull the chute into a sharp turn, you will do donuts, with the chute in the center and you being flung in a circle like a sling. After a few such maneuvers, the instructor landed us safely on the ground. This is actually the part where the most injuries occur, because if you don't lift up your legs and slide in, you might break an ankle.<br /><br />It was great fun.<br /><br />Then yesterday was the company outing: whitewater rafting.<br /><br />The location was a 10-mile stretch of the Ocoee River in Tennesee. It contained natural class 2, 3, and 4 rapids with a section of class 5 rapids that was constructed for the 1996 Olympics. (For reference, the rapids rating scale goes from 1-6, with 6 meaning the possibility of not surviving.) I was in one of the two front seats of the raft, which meant that I got the brunt of the rapids. There were even some class 3 rapids where I could sit up on the front of the raft, hold onto a piece of rope, and ride it like a bull as it bucked up and down in the waves.<br /><br />No one fell out of our raft, but there was another raft with people from work that flipped, another one in the tour group that got stuck up on a rock, and one that got sucked down into a hydraulic (a water sinkhole). All but two of the people in that raft decided to bail out halfway down the river, after which the two survivors and the guide had an insane(ly fun) time spinning around and pulling crazy maneuvers through the remaining rapids. There were several times that our guide had us paddle back up into the rapids we had just passed, at which point we would get drenched as the raft got repeatedly dunked.<br /><br />The whole experience was rather cold due to the skies being overcast and the water having a temperature of about 50 degrees. Several people were concerned that I would get hypothermia, but I was fine. All in all, it was very fun.<br /><br />I would easily do both of these activities again, given the funds.<br /><br />Pictures are pending.Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-35774323522745487492009-06-30T14:27:00.002-05:002009-06-30T14:29:50.688-05:00A Whistle in the Wastes<span xmlns=""><p>This hasn't been updated this month, so I thought I would relate what I was doing over summer break (if you want to read something interesting, check May's blog post). I am, once again, in school, taking classes through Taylor University's online program (motto: All the dry literature, none of the dry lectures). I decided that I hate Transcendentalism after sitting through both Emerson and Thoreau (respective mottos: I like thinking about things but never actually putting them into practice; I sat by a pond) and now I have to write a 7-10 page essay about a theme in a novel. As an engineer, this terrifies me.<br /></p><p>But all of that is boring.<br /></p><p>I went wakeboarding several times this month and got a sunburn that fell somewhere between "lobster" and "Mars" on the sunburn-redness scale. I finally learned how to jump on the wakeboard, and after a few more times may learn how not to break bones while jumping (I kid, I kid). There is an open invitation to learn how to wakeboard to anyone reading this, with the only caveat being that you have to come up to southern Wisconsin for the course.<br /></p><p>Finally, I found Mystery Science Theatre 3000 this summer. If you would like a fairly representative sample, just click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B547E8C8AD66C0B6&search_query=mystery+science+theater+3000+deathstalker">here</a>. I would suggest it to anyone who has ever wanted to be a movie critic so they could mock a really bad movie.<br /></p><p>Anyway, back to research.</p></span>SynKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05907098297938826614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107259828535063297.post-83780777879835123672009-05-10T21:29:00.007-05:002009-05-10T22:23:54.545-05:00Everyone I know goes away in the endGhillie, Frisbee, Expo, Blue, Matt Turner, John Martin, Gordon Strodel, Brad Boyce, Justin Rowe, Dan Wert, Tim Hutchens, John Tanner, Richard Godley, etc.<br /><br />At first, this post was just going to be about all of my friends who graduated/left this year, especially since I did not graduate with the rest of my class and will be staying an extra year at LeTourneau. However, now that I have moved to Hunstville, AL for my internship and spent a week in my studio apartment, I realize that the other side of graduation produces similar feelings of lonliness. Not to the point of depression by any means, just nostalgic. In addition, I don't yet have a computer at work and I just internet in my apartment on Friday.<br />~~<span style="font-style: italic;">internet withdrawl~~<br /></span>I really felt kind of isolated<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span></span> It also didn't help that, as I kept spending money getting settled in, I wasn't able to check on the status of my bank accounts. And, without the distraction of internet flash games, I once again learned that there is nothing good on TV. EVER<span style="font-style: italic;">.<br /></span><br />There was also some confusion getting moved into my apartment. When I arrived last Sunday, I found out that there was still some paper work to be completed before I could move in, and the soonest it could be completed was Monday. Fortunately, I was able to spend the night with somee guys from work and, since I wasn't officially supposed to start work until Tuesday, spent Monday running around collecting the necessary forms and was able to move in that evening. Since then, I have kept myself occupied by unpacking in stages and working on my various summer projects that I make for myself.<br /><br />By the way, I have just completed the first of said projects: I have scrapped my old refridgerator with the broken door and removed the freezer unit. It still works, too. Unfortunately, since I do not have a camera here, I am unable to post pictures of the bare-pipes freezer or the freezer box carnage. I will also not be able to post pictures of any of my future projects, either. Oh, well.<br /><br />As to work, since I don't have a computer yet, I have spent most of my time reading literature about how a helicopter flies and operates in various conditions. It's a lot of information to absorb, like taking a month of aerodynamics in a week. The guys at work a pretty cool, I even know a lot of them from LeTourneau: Nate Brower, Matt Szelistowski, Cameron Bostien (sp?), and Joshua Hasty are all there. Another third of the workforce is made up of engineering students from Bob Jones University, and most of the remaining third come from similar Christian schools. As such, we all have pretty much the same religious and political views.<br /><br />I haven't beeen able to go up in a helicopter yet (I don't know when that will happen or if it even will. It depends what I'm working on), but I have seen several up close. These include the AH-64 Apache, UH-60 BlackHawk, CH-47 Chinook, and OH-58 Kiowa. I was even able to sit in the cockpit of the Chinook, but I wasn't allowed to touch any buttons.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Apache (Missile-laden death machine):<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hFMCT4ctYT2n5eP74wcL9eHLE2oWmfjCdCxK7SgZzhyphenhyphenNqDN4r-tQVnG7-YucVaNpWHEngChj5fJWFnMuSo-5Agg-YD0gEu7dLX6SWFfqaIZlUAsKguSXTjLfUAfhZLQFJTxsV4Iy3K4/s1600-h/apache.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hFMCT4ctYT2n5eP74wcL9eHLE2oWmfjCdCxK7SgZzhyphenhyphenNqDN4r-tQVnG7-YucVaNpWHEngChj5fJWFnMuSo-5Agg-YD0gEu7dLX6SWFfqaIZlUAsKguSXTjLfUAfhZLQFJTxsV4Iy3K4/s400/apache.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334399316392211698" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br />BlackHawk (Heavily armed troop transport):<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcQ0Px2_kBYxoEGxsRkePxL_0H1L_QOqQ_j-K0J42UaveSCMpYmf8YKV5-FQGT2KzPq6oAqTie8Hh_PDAHplpO8ehz7jGRJ9hgXZPvXSi7oCr9J1oFMpSKGHFBZVGMxTQqe8T-0hFwgY/s1600-h/blackhawk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcQ0Px2_kBYxoEGxsRkePxL_0H1L_QOqQ_j-K0J42UaveSCMpYmf8YKV5-FQGT2KzPq6oAqTie8Hh_PDAHplpO8ehz7jGRJ9hgXZPvXSi7oCr9J1oFMpSKGHFBZVGMxTQqe8T-0hFwgY/s400/blackhawk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334399726269565394" border="0" /></a><br />Chinook (Can carry a ton. Or 15.):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJ2bRmPa1ItVMm3sa-wrG-tCpK_7Fv9isPQCSD-nVeHsmaZpDlR2hiLFSubHhKCKwLb3UuQnKmvrTxg-4-GBu4nDQvZgTUQ58f-IPlFIrK4X8SLDqnkyxUtRNWqR9xNUs-PzYjyVwk7E/s1600-h/chinook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJ2bRmPa1ItVMm3sa-wrG-tCpK_7Fv9isPQCSD-nVeHsmaZpDlR2hiLFSubHhKCKwLb3UuQnKmvrTxg-4-GBu4nDQvZgTUQ58f-IPlFIrK4X8SLDqnkyxUtRNWqR9xNUs-PzYjyVwk7E/s400/chinook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334400589696042898" border="0" /></a><br />Kiowa (Light fighter/scout):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymQ6bJfQKmZ599bamNF9IFlWpOKjsJpCYO-wLDZiY7gdrCYohhqb-g1QT46uAM1Eey0so2LwJSYN6pR7ExgR1Xma6Kz9Ip5E7sNNU2tiKRZAOk6thggVWwRBNa_Z27nzhQ4uJa5rNCUw/s1600-h/kiowa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymQ6bJfQKmZ599bamNF9IFlWpOKjsJpCYO-wLDZiY7gdrCYohhqb-g1QT46uAM1Eey0so2LwJSYN6pR7ExgR1Xma6Kz9Ip5E7sNNU2tiKRZAOk6thggVWwRBNa_Z27nzhQ4uJa5rNCUw/s400/kiowa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334401611484900306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203376004170846795noreply@blogger.com2