The Past Few Months

Well folks,

Here I am. Back online for the first time in, I don’t know, months.

Updates:

• Single now.
• School is almost done.
• Still employed.
• Been taking more pictures.
• Got a new car.

My brother and Cheesecake recently got their own place. That’s good fro them. I think they like it.

At the risk of coming off like a whiny little shit, all I really have to say is: “I hate the snow”. I know, I live in Utah, and have gone through this bitter hell-hole everyone calls ‘winter’ every year of my life. But that does not mean I have to like it. Every time my fingers get numb and my shoes covered in that sticky white crap, I think moving to Arizona is a damn fine Idea.

It looks like I am going to be spending New Years in Las Vegas. I will keep every one posted on how that goes. I am pretty excited for it too. It has been years since I had time to have fun in Vegas. The last time was, to say the least, ‘rushed’… and this time I don’t have to sit through Carrot Top, everyone’s favorite failed comedy abortion.

As for the first of the “Updates”; yes, after 5 years it is now officially over with she who now shall be called “Nuttier Than Squirrel Shit”. It is not exactly a recent development. It’s been about 5-ish weeks I think. And before you have to ask, yes, I am doing fine. My daily routine has not changed all that much. I think that has made it a bit easier. Work and school or both, every day for 8 to 15 hours… I am so glad to finally be getting done with that.

Now, do you see why I haven’t been blogging much lately? There’s just not a lot to say.

Maybe that is a sign I need to start doing something more interesting with my life…

T

Unexpected Adventure in Tampa

Well,

It obviously has been quite a while since I have been online. To tell you the truth, nothing much has happened this summer. I worked, went to school and that’s about it. Wash rinse repeat.

I finally got out of town last week. Went to Disney World!

I will have pictures soon (maybe). They are a bit of a pain in the ass to upload to blogger.

And yesterday, on the flight home I had to ride the inflatable slide out the plane door!!! Need proof? Click here or here.

Pretty much right after takeoff, the flight was quite painfully normal. The stewardess got our drink orders and such, and I was happily reading. Then there was a high pitched whistle coming from the back of the plane. Turns out that it was a fire alarm. I did not know it yet.

The stewardess said that they were going to hold off on bringing us our drinks, and they sat down, along with everyone, with the seat belts fastened. Then From Russia with Love notices that the sun was coming through the windows on the wrong side of the plane.

After she brought that to my attention, I also thought that it was a bit odd. We had, in fact, turned around.

Then the pilot came on the speaker, and said “We have had some technical problems, and are going to be landing in Tampa in about 10 minutes”.

Then a few people started to freak out and what-not. I kept my cool, because I am awesome like that.

When we landed in Tampa, the plane stopped in the runway, and about 3 or more fire trucks and police cars drove up to the plane. We had to stay seated while they did whatever it is they had to do. You know, inspecting this and that. Then the intercom came on again “Attention passengers. We are going to be evacuating the plane. Please leave all belongings, and head to the nearest exit.”

I filed down the isle of confused people, and when I got to the door, the stewardess told me to fold my arms and jump. I did, right down the inflatable slide. It was kind of fun actually. Best de-boarding ever. We were taken in large groups away from the plane. We waited for the buses to come and take us to the terminal, and watched firemen and police look at the plane.

The worst part was actually watching the other passengers. There was the fat guy with no hair and a shiny red face who got scraped on the way don the slide, talking with his wife and hysterical daughter about a potential lawsuit, and an older nerdy guy with square glasses bitching about not having any food, and cutting in every line we had to get into. Those are the kind of people that always die in the first few minutes of a disaster movie, and need a swift kick in the balls in real life.

All in all, it was about a two hour delay, and finally something to blog about. I will update with details on Disney World later when I have more time.

It’s good to be back in the blogiverse!!!

T

Get THIS....

Ok folks… where do I begin? Last week overall really REALLY sucked. However, Monday was a fantastic holiday spent with the family and From Russia with Love, and Tuesday I spent a total of 12 hours working between the hours of 7:30 am and midnight, nothing out of the ordinary or too exciting. The real fun begins with Wednesday. Let's start there:

Wednesday.

When I went to the gas station to get my coffee, like I do every morning on my way to school. When I went to make my purchase, it turns out my credit card was declined. Assuming banks are human and can make a mistake here and there, I thought “I will just go to class and deal with it after. It’s probably something stupid”.

After class, I got on the computer at the Physics Library, and looked at the online banking information. To my surprise, there were 2 different charges of $100 each from a store in El Paso , Texas . I thought that quite odd, considering I have never been to Texas . How could this be?

Some asshole has my credit card number.

My first call was to the bank to report the fraud, and to cancel my card numbers, both debit and credit. After a lengthy conversation, my numbers were canceled, and I needed to file a fraud report with the police department. Being downtown already, I thought I would go into the nearest police station to get the information for the bank. I left the Physics building and began the walk to my car, pondering how the hell someone could get that number, considering the card was in my possession the whole time.

Once I got to my car, a realization hit me like a ton of bricks. No, it was not that I figured out who has my card information, but the fact that I have no cash… And no credit or debit cards.

And I am in a pay lot.

I drove up to the parking attendant and explained my situation, and just asked for a ticket that I could pay later, which is usually what happens. But in this case, no. the girl asked for my driver’s license, and copied down some information, which took a while. Then this lovely conversation took place:

Parking Attendant: “I need to take pictures of your car”

Me, a little puzzled: “ok…”

Parking attendant: “I need pictures of your license plates and VIN number.”

Me: “Uh… ok. Would you like me to pose in front?”

She commenced taking the pictures, and my eyes wondered into the rear view mirror. There were two cars behind me, and I saw the drivers in each rolling their eyes, and making obviously frustrated faces. The kind of frustrated gestures one only makes in hopes someone (me) is looking.

Embarrassed, I finally drove off with the ticket. For 3 dollars. That I now have to drive all the way back up and pay later.

Downtown, I walk into the police department, and I find the general “icky” ambiance, and a large window in front made of 4-inch thick glass and no one there. To the left was another window, also with the same glass, and someone talking behind it. I made my way to the window, and said I need to fill out a fraud report. Pointing to the other window, he said “see the officer there”

I looked over my shoulder to the empty booth with the thick glass, and thought “ok, fine.”

The officer finally showed himself, and I explained my situation. His first question was “do you live here in the city?”

My reply was “no, I was just on my way down from school, and thought I would stop and try to take care of this.”

Officer, annoyed: “no, you need to go through [city of my residence] police department.”

Again, I thought, ok, fine. I have to go home anyway, I know where it’s at, and I will take care of it then. But first, I need to have my laptop swept for viruses. I got home, grabbed my laptop and charger, and made my way over to the computer store. I dropped it off without any problems, and was told that it might be a couple of days. I told them I was fine with that. Now, it was off to the police department. I arrived at the police department, and when I went in, there was an officer standing by a metal detector and an x-ray machine, like the ones at the airport. Behind him, there was another room, filled with booths and windows of that same 4-inch thick glass, and a phone in the corner. The officer had watched me come in, and asked how he might be able to help me. I told him about the events of the day, and that I needed to fill out a fraud report as instructed by the bank. The officer then told me that I had to go through the El Paso police department, and that there was nothing they could do about it. He told me to call dispatch on the phone in the other room, and get the number for the El Paso police department. I got to the phone, dialed the number he gave me, and a young girl answered the phone. She did not sound like she could have been any more than 16 years old, and had the mentality of a 12 year old. this was the conversation that ensued, after she answered the phone:

Girl: "[city of my residence] police and fire dispatch, this is Girl, how may I help you?"
Me: "Yeah, this is going to sound kinda strange, but I need the phone number to the El Paso , Texas police department."
Girl, a little off guard: "Umm... I don't have that... and I can't look it up. Umm... we had our internet... um... taken away. I don't have umm... like Google or anything to get that. You can't do that yourself?"
Me; confused, annoyed and loosing all faith in humanity: "I suppose I will have to then. Thank you."
*click*

I got out of the police department, and made my way over to the nearest branch of my bank to get new card numbers, and cards that work. That went off without a hitch fortunately. That is, without a hitch until I asked the bank teller I was working with to find the number for the El Paso police department. I explained my day, and got the phone number at the bank. I also got the numbers to the three credit bureaus to put the fraud alert on my social number just to be safe.

Back at home, I called one of the credit bureaus to place the alert. The automated machine that placed the alert said that the other two have been informed as well. I wanted to be sure. So I still requested to speak with a representative. She assured me that the alert would be forwarded to the other two bureaus, and not to worry about that. Then, she tried to sell me some $14.95 per month program for credit monitoring and safety crap... all things you can do yourself for free if you know how. She was very persistent, and from the sound of it, she was quite used to talking to scared and panicked people who are willing to throw more money at the problem to feel safe again... blood-suckers. I hung up, and went to the next order of business: Texas .

I made a call to El Paso . This is how that conversation went:

EPPD: " El Paso Police Department, how may I direct your call?"
Me: "Yes, I actually live in [city of my residence], and I need to fill out a fraud report because I have had some charges come through from your city."
EPPD: "Please call this number, xxx-xxx-xxxx"
Me: "thank you."

I called that number she gave me, my second long distance call, and I was told this: "You need to go through your police department there. We can't do anything about that."

Thoroughly annoyed, I drove back to the police department. I was greeted by a different officer by the x-ray machine and metal detector. I had to explain the whole situation to him, and he came back and told me the same thing the other one did: you have to go through El Paso . I said I wanted to talk to dispatch again anyway, and he pointed the way back to the phone:

Girl: "[city of my residence] police and fire dispatch, this is Girl, how may I help you?"
Me: "I need to talk to an officer about some fraudulent charges on my account, and file a report."
Girl: "Where were the fraudulent charges made?"
Me: " El Paso , Texas ."
Girl: "You need to go through the police department there."
Me: "No. I need to talk to an officer here."
Girl: "Ok... can I get a contact number?"
Me: "Sure, xxx-xxx-xxxx. When can I expect a call? I have to go to work soon..."

I am not going to type the rest of that conversation, but rest assured -- it was the same brainless runaround they had been giving me all day. I told them I would deal with it tomorrow, and made my way off to work for the night.

Thursday.

I had 4 things on my ‘to-do’ list.

1. Call police department, get case number for bank.

2. Pick up laptop, because there were no viruses or anything of the like.

3. Go to school, and pay my parking ticket. For 3 dollars.

4. Talk to the bank; get more details on what the next steps were as far as the fraud report and getting reimbursed the $200.

I called the dispatch for the police department. Again, this time with a guy, I went around in circles about which city’s department I had to go through. I told him I did not care-- and to have an officer call me anyway.

Made my way over to the bank, and had a pleasant conversation, and got all the information that I needed. Apparently, the fraud report of the bank that I had to fill out was going to be mailed to me. I also picked up my laptop without any problems. I drove up to school (in horrendous traffic) and paid my parking ticket. For 3 dollars. And went back home.

The officer called me after I got home, and was surprisingly helpful. She gave me her name and a case number, which is what I needed for the bank, and all I cared to get. After getting things settled, I went to work for the evening. When I got home, Mom told me that there was a letter from my bank on my bed. "Great, that got here quick" I thought "that's the fraud report... that I finally have the information for. I can get that done and sent back tomorrow."

And went to bed thinking all was right with the world. That relaxed feeling that one gets when a day's work is done, and all is done well. That feeling would be short lived. That fantastic feeling of accomplishment and "being out of the woods" so to speak is soon to be shattered the next morning when I opened the letter from the bank.

Friday.

When I woke up, I got some other stuff together to take to the bank; my tuition payment, deposits, etc. and proceeded to open the letter that I thought was the fraud report. As I have hinted, it was not a fraud report.

It was a Missed Payment letter, informing me of an outstanding loan balance... and the resulting late fee.

To make things worse, this was a late notice for a loan I paid off in November. November! Imagine my surprise.

Apparently, the loan did not go away when I made the lump sum payoff online all those months ago, and interest on $0 over the last few months came to one cent. That's right folks; ONE CENT! This is how the missed payment/past due notice/you're a deadbeat/ pay us now asshole letter read:

Normal Scheduled payment: $135.00
Outstanding Balance: $0.01
Late Fee: $15.00
Total Amount Due: $15.01

Frustrated, confused and tired-of-it-all, I made my way to the bank. Again.

When I got to the bank, I went to the teller, and told them I needed to speak to someone about some fraud I have had on my account, and a loan problem I have. They told me to have a seat, and someone will be with me shortly.

Who was I greeted with? Her name was L, and thankfully, she was the nicest I-know-what’s-going-on person. She took care of the loan, and waived the fee, and got me the penny back. We had a good laugh over that. I then proceeded to tell her about the events of the week, and she took a look at my account summary. I told her that I had the $200 charged in El Paso , Texas . The conversation went like this:

Me: “Yeah. It was pretty bad. There were two $100 charges at some hick-ville food mart."
L: “Yes. I see those... but these others are yours then?"
Me, confused: "What others?"
L: "The other three charges. All at 7-11's for $75 each."
Me: "... um... well, shit."

The damn things took a few days to post. The total now is at $425 that sum' bitch has run up on me. Fortunately, L made a fraud report right then and there that I filled out and signed. I did not have the case number, so I had to call her back with that. I went home, and called the dispatch again. This time with a case number and an officer's name to avoid the run around they had been giving me. The officer returned my call, and I reported the additional charges, and got the case number to the bank.

Now, here’s hoping that everything is settled, and life can return to the usual. Felling good again, From Russia with Love took me to the B.A.Sh. just in time to see The Offspring play. Good times.

But the real kick in the pants still remains: I have no Idea how in the hell that rat bastard got my credit card number...

T

Back... Kind-Of.

I don't have much to say. School just ended, I worked (a lot) and now I'm going back for summer semester. I may start the checklist thing again, because I really don't have much else to post.

Oh, and my reviews for Wolverine and Star Trek are up on The Cinema Project if you would like to take a gander (link on the left, labeled accordingly).

Have a great night all!

More frequent posts to come! I promise!

T

New Nerdy Stuff

Good afternoon everyone,

I think I have finally found a good way to display math equations on this blog. Please let me know if you can see this as an equation, or just ML crap:

`int_(0)^(1)(x^2+2x)dx`

`sqrt(2pitheta)`

*update-

so it appears that I can't see this equation stuff on my home computer either, and that's because IE requires a special plug in to read the java crap that makes it into an equation. I have been looking for some quick and easy way to do math equations in HTML, but there does not appear to be one. Damn. Time to keep looking, for a better way... and not just have only certain browsers be able to see it.

Four Fifteen and Counting...

Good afternoon everyone,

It’s another spring day here in Salt Lake City. That means it’s snowing, and two days ago it was almost 70. Not to mention that, but the drive to school was a little choked up by protestors. That is going to launch the huge rant I have below. But first, a couple of cool movie tid-bits:

• Gostbusters 3 is now in full swing to start shooting, with the original cast.
  

• Sin City 2 is gaining momentum, with more actors in talks to take on the roles. But there still looks to be a 2010 release date.
  
• The second Halloween from Rob Zombie is in full production, and there have been some stills released, and the look awesome.

And, well here we go; my Political Pissings, as promised:

Like I said before, I do not want to turn this blog into a huge political rant, but these people just piss me off. They are protesting large government spending, and unsustainable deficits in the government budget, and “tax hikes”. Sounds like a reasonable thing to protest right?

Well, no. the truth of the matter is, yes, no one wants higher taxes, every one wants a financially stable government and yada yada yada… but the problem here is that these protests are being organized and fueled by people with no solutions to the problem. All they are doing is whining and complaining. And to add to the absurdity, most of the protestors are middle class working Americans who are actually going to benefit from the new President’s tax plans and tax reform, much of it already rolling in the stimulus package… that they are also protesting.

And when I say they do not have a solution, I mean a practical solution. The Republicans shit bricks when they saw the new budget. Well, what would a rational person do when something like that comes along? Come up with an alternative!

Did they? Short answer: Yes, Long answer: No. yes they did propose a new budget, but it was not that much different than the current budget. In fact, it was almost the same thing but with the deficit stretched out into 5 years or more, instead of just 4. And the biggest difference was the “alternative budget” called for re-instating Bush’s tax plan and undoing the stimulus package. The only point it served was to politically “butt heads”.

Now ask yourself, what did all that rant above have to do with the protestors? The answer to that is simple: things have to change. And they do not like the changes. They are being rallied by people who want to use this to gain political momentum, no matter what the issue is.

My justification for this is simple. It all comes down to taxes, and their increase. First, lets have a little history lesson. Did anyone protest Regan when he doubled the national debt? Was there a protest of this magnitude when Bush sr. had to raise taxes (breaking a campaign promise) to pay for all of Regan’s crap? Did any one protest on this scale when Bush jr. repeatedly raised the ceiling on government spending, and doubled our national debt again? Did any one protest on this magnitude when Bush signed a tax code into law that 450 economists (10 of those Nobel Prize recipients) told him not to? No.

Do any of them give credit to Clinton, who at the end of his term, had a surplus of cash, made the largest ever payments on the national debt, and had us on track to pay it off by this year? No. You will never hear about that on any “conservative”* radio show.

This is nothing but a bunch of Republicans, sore about loosing the election, and not willing to face the tough choices that are ahead, and doing nothing about resolving the problem. So go ahead folks, stamp you feet and cry. Or deal with the problems that face our nation like a big kid; and if you don’t like it, offer a different path. Don’t make a mockery of one of the most famous acts of rebellion in America’s history. And when asked about what we should do instead, don’t give the standard Reganomics crap we have been hearing from you for 20+ years. Sure it sounds good in principle, but the fact of the matter is, it does not work. Those tax practices have forced the consumer recession we are in, and those business practices have caused the corporate irresponsibility that have necessitated the bailouts. So, if you have something better, put it out there. Trust me, people will follow. And be sure to use your inside voice.

*I felt that a little explanation was due here. When one hears “conservative” values, the things that come up are: Free market, stable economy, low taxes and smaller government. That set of goals is not just true to the Right, but the Left as well. If you ask any rational liberal what they want the country to be, they will give you that very same list. It’s not the Ends they argue over; it’s the Means. Those radio shows (you know what ones I am talking about) steryotype the other side to the point where it’s just flat not true. The Left is no more socialist, hippie, controlling environmental lunatics than the Right is bible thumping homophobic racist corporate scammers. It goes both ways.

Thank you for reading through my rant. It felt good to vent. I will update when the semester lets out, and hopefully about a more light hearted subject.

Good night all.

T

Four Six

Good afternoon everyone.

I’m sitting here writing this between classes.

I know I haven’t published almost anything in the past weeks, but nothing interesting has happened. Except for Denver. And I’m still working on the second installment of that, so expect more soon. Just not today.

Nothing much on my mind either. The only thing that I have been doing other than work and school is following a lot of politics. I’m not going to turn this thing into any sort of political rant or anything, just wanted to let you know what’s been occupying a lot of my attention lately.

I think I should stop following politics as much. It’s terribly addicting. I’m going to be cooking news articles in a spoon in a public men’s room soon at this rate.

The weather is pretty nice.

Maybe it’s time I got outside a little and beefed up the photo page.

T

4 Days In The Mile High City, Part I

Good evening everyone.

Yeah, I’m just sitting and relaxing here at home after a day of travel. So, yeah, From Russia with Love and I just got back from Denver. It was a really nice place. Granted, there is not a lot to attract tourists to Denver, but it’s a fun city. We arrived on Monday, and went right to the hotel to shrug off some jet lag. Then we met up with Dr. MookieLove and went to The Rock Bottom Brewery for a bite to eat. Great food. After that; we went for a walk downtown. Here are some of the sights:

Dr. MookieLove practices his art

This MilkShake brings every one to the yard.

Interesting. Anyway, the next day it was off to the Denver Aquarium. We took a walk from the hotel (about 3 miles each way) and saw some more of the city. Here are sights from the walk:

And the aquarium:

The Wild Yellow Pages, in their natural habitat.

And a piranha with a bite taken out. I thought it was too funny.

After that it was back to downtown to party it up. Great night life in the Lower Downtown area. Every corner had some kind of brewery and restaurant, and in between were bars and clubs, with the occasional dentists office, or some such thing. No pictures from that night though. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera...

Stay tuned folks! Part II is coming soon!

T

Um... Uh... Yeah!

I have nothing new to say as of yet.

Life takes its course, and unfortunately, most of the time, it's not he scenic route.

I will have more later. Unless you want to hear about endless homework and work?

No?

Ok. I'll be back soon!

T

Back Again- And Returning With Updates.

Good evening every one,

Once again- it’s been a while since I’ve been online long enough to do anything but check the ol’ email. And it’s not because of a lack of interest or anything. That would be the last thing that would keep me off the blog. Trust me, it’s one of my saving graces. I just have not had much time for anything.

If all keeps on track like it has been thus far this semester, I will be (if not already) down to my “weekly posts”. Just simply because life’s little complications have their way of inhibiting fun…

So, then, now that I have some time to blog, what’s new? You ask.

Not much. School has not been that “fun” since the Cloud Chamber thing. Now, it’s just the math behind it. Yup, I gots’ homework out the eyeballs again… I hope they make some sort of pill for that… kinda gross.

Work is just work. And that’s that. Nothing for better or for worse; and no news is good news.

From Russia with Love and her friends took a road trip to L.A., so I have some “extra” free time the next couple of days. What will I do with it? Probably nothing. I would have liked to have gone to L.A. too, but I could not get the school and work schedules to cooperate.

Well, that was about three and change paragraphs about nothing. Here is something of substance: another Book Rant!

Watchmen I knew nothing of this comic when I picked up a copy. I am not one who is terribly interested in comics, as they usually bore the hell out of me. But I heard some people talking in the physics library about it, the new movie of it coming out, and I was in the bookstore and saw a book called Philosophy and the Watchmen. So I thought “Uncle! I give up! I have to find out what this is all about!”



And I’m happy I did. The book was amazing. Even for a comic book (graphic novel to be exact), and the story was exciting, the characters deep (once again, for a comic book I was surprised), and it was just a great read all around. It even had a twisted sense of humor. Just fantastic. Pick up a copy. Read it, look at every pane of animation, and notice all the clues, pretty good drawing and, well, it’s just a hell of a ride. Really.

And now a cartoon update (come on folks, you know me, what kind of pod person would you think I became if I did not mention this):

Futurama! New DVD today! It’s called Into The Wild Green Yonder. It might be the last outing of our future friends, so enjoy folks!



(yes, at this time I also realized I had become somewhat of a pod person for not mentioning Frisky Dingo season 2, but it’s annother story, and an acquired taste. Ask Dr. MookieLove)

That should do it for me tonight folks. I hope I was atl least somewhat entertaining. I will keep this up as much as time permits, but no promises. Like I said- I’m probably going to go on that weekly stretch that I have a tendency to do.

T

Sight and Quote

Today I saw a homeless man standing on the steps of the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

He was surrounded by pigeons, and they were perching on his hands and shoulders.

There was traffic, pedestrians and business as usual. But for that moment; he was their center.


"When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen:
Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly. "
~ Edward Teller

Cloudy Daze

Good evening everyone.

My goodness it has been a long time since I have been online…

Anyway, being this blog is called ‘The Mad Scientist’, one would expect more science stuff right?

Well here you go:





This is what I have been up to the past couple of weeks. Not just this project, but this one is the most interesting thing that has come out of it. The rest is the usual pen & paper math, spreadsheet programming and reading, reading… reading.

So here is the cool stuff. I made a Cloud Chamber.

What it does, and how it works:



You will need an airtight glass chamber, a sponge to attach on the upper end of the container, and soak it in alcohol (I used Everclear- it’s cheap and really concentrated). You will also need a tin filled with dry ice, a flashlight, a small piece of paper towel, and last but not least: a radio active “source”. We used a needle dipped in a chemical that had a bit of radioactive stuff in it, I think it was Uranium, but I’m not sure. At the time, I did not care either. I just needed some Advil.



Anyways, you put the source in the chamber bottom, and the alcohol soaked sponge side on the top, and set it on top of the dry ice. The small piece of paper towel goes between them for traction.

Once the alcohol evaporates from the spounge, it condenses at the cold bottom, and it is thick enough, that when the source decays (here we had alpha particles (a helium nucleus)), it leaves little trails in the gas! When you shine the flashlight on it, it looks like little hairs standing straight up! Observe:





Do you see them? The little straight lines shooting out from the tip if the needle like fireworks?











Awesome.

T

Reprezentin' The Nerd-Life

[The following is real grafitti in the mens room in the North Physics building]

What's uppitie yall',

I thought today I would give a shout-out to all my homies livin' the Nerd Life.
Tis' tha hard life yo:

Forget da East Side- West Side; we gotz the Normal-Vector, sin(a), cos(a), and a shiz-load of other dimentions bee-atch!:



Tangent si-eeed!

Oh, what's dis?:



Momentum! Holla!

Don't be hatin' on the kinematics thug, they's here too:



For realz thug- BOOSH!. Keepin' it real with the Story Problem!

Yea- And dis homie too:



True homie. So true.

Livin' the life aint eazy:



Keep up the fight dawg!

M to the S out~

(I think the only thing more hilarious that nerds actually having math equations for grafitti is me trying to fake like I know the slang kids are using these days. I am not a big fan of rap music (in fact, I have yet to hear any I like), and I think it shows. When I first noticed this I was chuckling for hours... and I hope I made you do the same. Good night all.)

T

25 Random things

Good afternoon everyone,

I have another post coming. It will be significantly more light hearted than my last one. However it is still in the draft phase. As well as my review of the new Underworld movie. that will be on The Cinema Project soon.

Well, in the meantime, here is another one of "those" things. This quiz thing came to me on facebook, but since I do not have anything interesting to post as of yet; here we go- 25 random things about me:

1. I believe all art is subjective.

2. I have an unfounded phobia of dry-mouth.

3. I can’t stand it when people call themselves professional photographers, buy thousands of dollars worth of camera gear, and know NOTHING about the equipment they are using. This is mostly geared toward 90% of you “wedding photographers” here in Utah. Not only that; but people who do “wedding photography” and know nothing of photojournalism.

4. I think fortune tellers, palm readers and horoscopes are full of crap. I don’t think anything can tell the future. However, I am fascinated with Tarot Cards.

5. Physics was not my first choice for a major. My first choice was a writing/journalism field. Those of you who knew me in high school can testify that I was editor in chief of the school newspaper; and liked it. Then film caught my eye. I wanted to make movies for a while. When I started college, I never thought I would do physics.

6. I change my goatee a little bit every couple of moths or so, because having the same one all the time bores me. But I have not changed my hair style in more than 6 years.

7. Even though I love photography, I have not taken a photo class since high school.

8. I will eat tomatoes if they are in sandwiches, burgers or sauces. But I hate them by themselves. The same goes for mushrooms.

9. I am one of ‘those’ people. The ones that always talk about exercising and getting into shape but never do.

10. I find most all religions interesting. The creed, origins and ritual enthrall me.

11. I do not like the Pope.

12. I hate TV, but I love animation.

13. I listen to hard, heavy fast and violent metal music; but I am a very docile and patient person.

14. Video games bore me to tears.

15. I would love to sail the horizons of this world, to seek and discover new things. But my daily routine anchors me, and sucks the wind from my sails. I also like to talk in metaphors.

16. One of my personal mottos is “Never say never.”

17. I have a love/hate relationship with my job.

18. I have never known what I want to do with my life. I have never had a dream, goal or any such thing that was more than a fleeting thought.

19. I do not want kids.

20. It is a huge pet peeve of mine when people ask “when are you getting married?” and I say “never”; and they automatically assume I have commitment issues. It’s a personal choice that I have my own founding for- trust me.

21. It takes me weeks and weeks to read a book. I like to go slow and digest every sentence. Sometimes read it twice.

22. I think James T. Krik was the better captain. That’s right; I am that big of a nerd.

23. I like whiskey, but I have never tried scotch.

24. I love being in the city at night. I will go out of my way when driving home to go down main or state. I don’t know why. Maybe I like street lights.

25. I love big empty spaces, or small tight ones with lots of hallways and doors.

T

What Muse-

Good evening everyone,

I was driving in the canyon the other day (why is another story), and I forgot my iPod, and of course I could not get a decent signal for any radio stations. So I spent the way down the canyon with the sound of my tires on the road and the thoughts in my head.

I got to thinking about my hobbies. Not so much about what I do (or could do) with my hobbies, but why I do them. Not only that, but why I chose physics for a major. And to me they are not just hobbies, but passions. And the trail of thoughts lead to this post.

When I chose physics for a major, people just gave me a funny look like they bit into a sour piece of candy, and just asked 'why'? The answer is that I find the natural world fascinating. I love to find out how things work, and what they could do. I love to find out the strange behavior of things, because often times the old saying holds true: sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And I not only like to know, but doing the work for it often times gives me a high. The way the math equations flow, predict and cement excites me, and the possibilities of 'what could be' do so even more.

I love cameras. My affection for the tools of the trade goes beyond just the use. I love the aesthetics, function and complexity. But as much as I geek out over the cameras, I love what they produce more. There is a picture of Tuesday Weld in the current issue of B+W Magazine that I can't stop staring at.

Any picture is worth a thousand words. But have you ever seen a picture you could not think of any words for? Have you ever seen a picture that just takes your breath away? A picture that with one glance, the world's weight is shot clear of your mind and your soul is electrified?

Any book can entertain. It can thrill, excite and make you laugh. But have you ever read a book that inspired you? Made you want to change? Do something else, something new and important?

That is what I think people need more of in their lives. You may not be able to pay the bills with it, but you can chase your dreams all you want. And I am tempted to use the phrase "to your hearts content" here, but that is a dangerous statement. I think that through contentment comes atrophy, something terrible for any mind, body and soul.

Instead challenge yourself with these things that spark your interest. Do not merely try to duplicate, but create. Confront yourself with opposing ideas. You may ground yourself in what you already have. You may find something new.

That's why I do what I do, and as much of it as I can.

Thank you for reading through my cliché tripe. I know it sounds like something out of a bad movie. But you should try. At least try. You may not become a giant, or stand on the shoulders of any. You may sink into anonymity as another bastard child of creativity and fate. But at least the journey is worth taking.

So, then, what is your muse? What excites you? What makes you curious?

T

My Newest Toy!!!

Good afternoon everyone,

Let me introduce you to my newest toy:

It’s an infrared filter. A Hoya R72 to be exact. Needless to say, there will be a few updates (finally) to the Photography blog.

That’s if I can find the time to use it… sigh.

T

Begin-Again and Another Book Rant

Good afternoon everyone,

Well, holy crap. Another semester has started, and another break gone by way too fast. I know, a lot of you out there are a little pissed, because I said we would hang and then I bailed. But really? You have all known me long enough that on the occasion that happens it should come as no surprise. It’s nothing personal, I’m just really really lazy. And aside from working more than I should have for the sake of my sanity, and From Russia with Love’s trip to California, nothing went on. At all. Lame right? Well, that’s exactly what I was looking for. Summer is for partying, winter is for hibernating.

I am not going to be doing any sort of class checklist here or on the R&D Pages this semester, because I hardly kept up on it last time. I will just post the cool learnings as they happen.

Any way, as promised, here is the Book Rant:

Stranger than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk

Very good. It’s his non-fiction stuff, so don’t expect too much craziness. But the journalistic writing and interviews are fascinating. He talks about wrestlers, demolition derbies, and interviews people who hand build their own castles. He interviews a woman who took her dog to Honduras after a hurricane, and searched for survivors. He interviews Marilyn Manson and Juliette Lewis. He talks about his own personal experiences, from working as a hospice volunteer to his fathers murder to his trips to Hollywood and the set of the Fight Club movie. Fascinating from beginning to end. By far one of my favorite books. Ever.

T

Memories That Could Have Been

Good afternoon everyone,

I am currently writing this here at work, however they have blocked the blog sites now, so I am posting this at home. Not that most of you would really know- I just needed something to write. So, for tonights entertainment, I have a list of Childrens Books that never were:

• You Are Different and That's Bad
  
  
• Dad's New Wife Robert
  
  
• Hammers, Screwdrivers and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Myself Book!
  
  
• Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence
  
  
• Some Kittens Can Fly
  
  
• Grandpa Gets a Casket
  
  
• The Magic World Inside the Abandoned Refrigerator
  
  
• Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia
  
  
• The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
  
  
• Strangers Have the Best Candy
  
  
• Whining, Kicking, Crying and Getting What You Want
  
  
• Pop! Goes The Hamster...And Other Great Microwave Games!
  
  
• Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things
  
  
• Daddy Drinks Because You Cry
  
  

That will do it for me tonight folks. I plan on spending the rest of the night watching cartoons. I know that doesn't sound like news to anyone who knows me, but tonight is special: I am the proud owner of Frisky Dingo season 2! Go ahead- buy it and laugh!

T

Out With The Bad

Once again, here I am blogging about why I’m glad it’s a new year. Here is the next reason; getting rid of this guy:



Aaahhh, good times. In fact, I think we should take some time to reflect on some past golden moments this doofus has provided us. Here are my favorite Bush quotes:

• "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." — September 2000, explaining his energy policies at an event in Michigan.
  
• "Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?" — January 2000, during a campaign event in South Carolina.
  
• "They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander in chief, too." — Sept. 26, 2001, in Langley, Va. Bush was referring to the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.
  
• "There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail." — Oct. 4, 2001, in Washington. Bush was remarking on a back-to-work plan after the terrorist attacks.
  
• "It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber." — April 10, 2002, at the White House, as Bush urged Senate passage of a broad ban on cloning.
  
• "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." — Sept. 17, 2002, in Nashville, Tenn.
  
• "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." — Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defense spending bill.
  
• "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." — Sept. 6, 2004, at a rally in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
  
• "It was not always a given that the United States and America would have a close relationship. After all, 60 years we were at war 60 years ago we were at war." — June 29, 2006, at the White House, where Bush met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
  
• "Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." — September 2007, in Sydney, Australia, where Bush was attending an APEC summit.
  
• "The fact that they purchased the machine meant somebody had to make the machine. And when somebody makes a machine, it means there's jobs at the machine-making place." — May 27, 2008, in Mesa, Ariz.
  
• "And they have no disregard for human life." — July 15, 2008, at the White House. Bush was referring to enemy fighters in Afghanistan.
  
• "I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." — June 26, 2008, during a Rose Garden news briefing.
  
• "This thaw — took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw." — Oct. 20, 2008, in Alexandria, La., as he discussed the economy and frozen credit markets.
  

Mom has a theory that he was actually drunk during most of these speeches. I am going with retarded.
T

So Long 08’

Well, to be honest, 2008 sucked. In fact, it sucked bad. I am not going to miss one damn bit of it.

From Russia with Love gave me a tarot card reading today. When I was shuffling the deck, I was thinking and wondering what the next year will be like. How (if any) of my accomplishments will turn out. What will happen with school. I did not think about work that much. But when she drew the cards, read the past and present, and overturned the third (future), it was:

Triumph.

Victory.

Accomplishment.

Hell yeah.

T