Another 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.
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.
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.
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."
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...
Zephaniah 3:17 :
"The LORD your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The March Post
Because 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!
Happy birthday, me. You have somehow managed to get here, maybe you can make it another 21 years...
Maybe.
Anyway, in case any of you hadn't seen this, here is a guy who single-handedly won choral music.
Happy birthday, me. You have somehow managed to get here, maybe you can make it another 21 years...
Maybe.
Anyway, in case any of you hadn't seen this, here is a guy who single-handedly won choral music.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Comic 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.
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 Hatman from xkcd? (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.)
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.
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:
I'm going to submit it to the YellowJacket; they won't publish it, but I'm going to submit it anyway.
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 Hatman from xkcd? (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.)
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.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:
I'm going to submit it to the YellowJacket; they won't publish it, but I'm going to submit it anyway.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
New Recruit
So... This is my first post on the power suite blog.
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.
Change 1: 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.
Change 2: 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.
Change 3: 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.
I thought that my first two weeks of this semester would also make a good topic for this momentous occasion. So here we go:
Day 1: 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*
Day 3: 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: "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?)
Day 4: Class (Cont.). See Day 3.
Day 5: 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.
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...
Tad ah!
New Year, New Member
As several of you doubtless know, the powersuite has received a new member from the floor. Wrench, purveyor of fashion, CS major extraordinaire, and generally all around 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.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Conclusions and Ponderings
No, Synk, now it is over.
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.
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?
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 promise 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.
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?
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: not 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 anyone 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 this xkcd comic, I automatically win).
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 that go away), and a no-party system would run into the same problems as people trying to be heard on the internet.
[Warning: topic change ahead]
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.
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.
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.
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?
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 promise 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.
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?
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: not 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 anyone 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 this xkcd comic, I automatically win).
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 that go away), and a no-party system would run into the same problems as people trying to be heard on the internet.
[Warning: topic change ahead]
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.
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.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
It's Over!
The all-consuming beast that is Dynamics project is finally slain!
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.Here are some pictures of the devices, with Playdoh's first.
Here is my device, and who is that handsome devil working on it?
Monday, October 12, 2009
The Invasion Continues
Due to lack of adequate time or funding, this month's blog title is totally unoriginal.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
A V8 In Every Pot
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Pictures!
Ok, I finally have pictures from my various adventures.
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.
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.
Me atop a bluff:
The view from the top. The bluff looked down into a quarry with limestone excavation caves:
Me atop "Dry Falls":
The dry river:
The view from the top. The bluff looked down into a quarry with limestone excavation caves:
Me atop "Dry Falls":
The dry river:
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.
General rafting (I'm in the front left seat of the raft, next to the guy in the orange shirt):
Class 5:
Launching the raft:
"Riding the bull":
Staying up...:
...Or not:
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.
Joking with my instructor:
Matt and I suited up:
The plane ride up (That's my leg; I was sitting right next to the door.):
Gliding down:
The crew afterward:
Skydive hair:
Oh, and one more thing...
Very Yes:
Class 5:
Launching the raft:
"Riding the bull":
Staying up...:
...Or not:
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.
Matt and I suited up:
The plane ride up (That's my leg; I was sitting right next to the door.):
Gliding down:
The crew afterward:
Skydive hair:
Oh, and one more thing...
Very Yes:
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