3MF

Eliminate boredom by cubing it

I started to get a bit restless on my vacation so i decided to pick something up to keep me amused. I went ahead an bought a Nintendo GameCube. I'm no hardcore gamer but i enjoy the occasional video game. The unit is only $99 so that was a plus as well. Normally it only comes with the system and a controller but they had this special holiday bundle out which came with an additional controller and a game at not extra charge. The complimentary game was Mario Kart: Double Dash which is the latest version of the racing game that's been around forever.

I thought i should pick up a few more games so i didn't get bored too quickly. Luckily, they also have a bunch of "Player's Choice" games which are some of the most popular games that have been out for a while that you can now pick up for under $20. I grabbed Super Mario Sunshine which i believe was the first "big" game for the system. When i was checking out the other titles I came across Super Monkey Ball 2. I remember Jeff talking about this game before and saying how much fun it was. I picked it up and he was right. Actually the "main game" is rather boring, but they have these "party games" which are quite entertaining. I especially enjoy Monkey Fight where you control a monkey rolling around in a ball armed with a giant boxing glove in order to knock your opponents off a platform before they do the same to you. Finally, i also grabbed the Sonic Mega Collection which has all the classic Sonic The Hedgehog games from the old Sega system. My sister and i used to play those games a lot. I'm especially glad that it came with Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, my absolute favorite two-player Tetris-like game. Now i don't have to keep that Sega Genesis around any more.

I did quickly found our that you can't go very far in some of these games with out a Memory Card. It would have been nice if that had been part of the bundle.

This purchase pretty much guarantees that i won't accomplish anything remotely productive during the rest of my break, but i'm OK with that.

Atari Christmas

I most fun gift that was unwrapped on Christmas was the Atari Paddle Controller Set. I'm sure you've seen these joysticks that you can just plug into the TV and they have all the games loaded on them, like Ms Pac-man. They're made by Jakks Pacific.

The unit we were playing with had two paddles like the ones on the old Atari 2600 systems. (There is a one-paddle version out there as well.) First of all, playing a game by doing nothing more than turning a knob is rather fun. More devices should use this type of input. I'm almost thinking about getting the Griffin Powermate for my Mac because these things are so much fun.

Anyway, i used to play a lot of Super Breakout and Circus Atari back in the day. I remember my mother being very good at the latter as well. In addition to many of the games i remembered, there were also some loaded on the unit i hadn't played before. One was an arcade version of Warlords. This game was great fun with two players.

The device was simple to use for the most part. It did have an awkward interface to set up the different game modes which was originally accomplished by simply flipping a lever. For simple one-player modes for all the games, i don't think my mother will have a problem figuring out how to work it.

Oh, yeah, that's the problem. I got one for my sister and my sister got one for my mom. I didn't get one of my own. I guess i'll have to borrow it from my parents from time to time.

The report card is in

They finally posted my final grade for my Communicating in Mathematics class. I'm happy to say that my 4.0 streak has continued. Inspired by this confidence boost, i've been practicing transforming systems of equations into matrices and then solving them by using the Gauss-Jordan elimination method. I keep running into simple arithmetic errors (who knew a minus sign could be so important) when converting my matrices into reduced row-echelon form. I must keep practicing.

Wrapping things up

I've been all done with my holiday shopping for a while, so today i started to tackle the challenge of wrapping it all. I had some solid green wrapping paper lying around but that by itself looked a bit boring. I thought i should try dressing it up with some ribbon. I stopped by Michael's and they had a bunch of rolls at 60% off. I thought a simple red and gold accent would look nice. Here's now the package turned out:

I suppose the packages look fine but i'm always striving to improve my gift wrapping techniques. Sometimes i spend more time wrapping the gift than i do picking it out. It would be fun to apprentice with a professional gift wrapper. I'm really desperate for some new ideas. It looks as though Japanese gift wrapping is popular and even endorsed by the fine folks at Scotch tape. Then again, maybe i should be looking at eco-friendly ideas.

I'd like to find a place to buy plain boxes with lids. It would be fun to wrap gifts like the do on television, where there's a big ribbon on it but you can just pop off the top without unwrapping a thing. You know what i'm talking about? I think the only place you find boxes with lids that come off is a shoe store. I wonder where one can shop for empty boxes.

If i find any more tips, i'll pass them along. I ask that you do the same.

Cookie Monster's first name

Did you know Cookie Monster had a first name? One of the benefits of having time off of work is being able to watch PBS during the daytime. Today i caught a bit of Sesame Street. Cookie Monster was singing a song about the first cookie he ever had as a kid. He said something like "back then me thinks me name was Sid." However as soon as he finished his first cookie, the insatiable craving for the treat awoke within him and he was thereafter known only as Cookie Monster. So there you go; his real name is Sid.

Java aquarium

I picked up my books for my next-semester classes today. Actually, one was merely a collection of three-hole-punched pages wrapped in plastic. I had to run to Office Depot to get my own binder to put it in. I shouldn't complain because it only cost me thirteen dollars. That is the text i'll be using in modern algebra. My other book looks like this:

That book is for my computer science intro to programming class. It's called Java Program Design. I almost threw up when i saw it. First of all, all the fish's bodies are stylized programming buzzwords: "class," "object," "method," etc. Secondly, who is this design supposed to appeal to? This type of illustration belongs on a shower curtain, not a text book. I suppose Java developers just have lowered design standards (as demonstrated by the awful user interfaces seen in most Java apps).

I'm not particularly interested in learning Java. It doesn't seem to have taken off as people thought it would. Why couldn't they teach C++ or something. As far as i can tell, most high powered apps on the PC or Mac are written in some C-flavored language. It would seem far more practical to me. Learning Java to understand programming techniques is like taking Latin to learn about language. You could do it that way, but what's the point? (OK, OK, so i did in fact take four years of Latin in high school, but i didn't mind because i was able to convince myself Latin was cool - in a geeky sort of way. There's no way i can convince myself that Java is cool. ) I'm just taking the class because it's a prerequisite for all the other computer classes and i'd like to have at least a Computer Science minor. I hope i don't regret it too much.

Christmas vacation

Today begins my Christmas vacation. I don't have to go back to work until January 3. It feels just like i'm on break from grade school; but rather than playing with my friends in the snow, i'm running errands. I've still got this last weekend to help out with Scrooge and then i've got nothing else to worry about. I can catch up on my list of book i've been meaning to read and make some headway on other projects i've wanted to tackle.

Apple Store Grand Rapids?

Wow, there's a job listing at Apple for an assistant store manager in, guess where, GRAND RAPIDS, MI. It looks like they're planning to open an Apple Store at Woodland. Oh happy day! (Thanks for the tip Dan.)

First and final

Today i took my only exam of the semester. It was a bit more stressful than usual because i really want an A and i know i've been hovering around A- land. Normally i don't care about that stuff but i got a 4.0 last semester and it would be cool to have a perfect record at GVSU. I mean how hard can it be only taking 1-2 classes a semester anyway? There were a few questions i blanked on. I just went right on past and by the time i finished everything else and came back to them, i at least had some ideas to play with.

Our proof portfolios were due at the time of the exam today as well. We only learned how to do some of the problems a week ago so there was a lot of work to finish up. Again i hope it's at least 93% good. If you want, you can see what i've been up to all semester.

I'm all signed up for classes starting in January. I'll be taking modern algebra and comp sci 1. Before you ask, i can tell you i honestly don't know what makes algebra "modern" but i'm sure i'll have a good idea at the end of the semester. Over the holiday break i have to teach my self some linear algebra because that's one of the prerequisites that i didn't have. Apparently, if i learn how to multiply matrices i'll be good to go.

Foy follies

Today and yesterday I helped out on the desk with the Foy equipment rather than nesting on my perch in the fly rail. It was a bit of a surprise that they didn't have any sort of cue sheet for me. I had no idea what i was supposed to do. Luckily the rest of the Foy crew was really good at helping me out. Traveling (the side-to-side), which i did, is a lot less work than the lifting. The feel of the ropes came right back to me. Even though the flights are not the complex, i've seen them screwed up plenty of times. I'm very happy to say that my shifts were without incident.

I'd like to say i have a perfect flight record, however i've had my share of mistakes in previous shows. The first show i ever worked Foy for was Wizard of Oz. There was this one complicated part during the twister scene. At that point Dorothy goes flying out of her bed as her house starts spinning off stage. One night my view was obstructed and i sent Dorothy flying into the wall. Fortunately the crash wasn't too bad and i think Lori eventually forgave me. Another night, was had a little mishap with Glinda's bubble. It was hooked up to the wires backwards; so, Glinda went out, her bubble flipped upstage, and she had to ride the rest of the way in with her back to the audience. The only other flying accident i was around for was during Peter Pan. One night Peter's line got stuck on a on a flat up in the fly space. It prevented her from going left or right, up or down. We had to bring in the curtain and bring out a ladder to get her down. That was a big mess.

Needless to say i was very pleased with how things turned out these past two days. It was fun being on the deck and actually getting to hang out with other crew members and cast in the green room. Tomorrow it's back up to the rail.

Checking my lists

I can't believe i'm practically done with my holiday shopping. Normally i start on Christmas Eve. I got most of it done this past weekend at the mall. Ideas just came to me whereas normally i struggle to think of the perfect gift. This year i've either lowered my expectations or have just gotten better at thinking of appropriate presents. I still have one or two boxes i'm waiting for to arrive from online orders. Next, i just have to send out my traditional Christmas cards and then i will have fulfilled all of my holiday obligations. Yeah!

Link Dump

Here are some of the interesting links that have made their way into my "blogworthy" folder in FeedDemon. I guess today is as good as any to share.

• Cartoon character skeletons
• Lab Notes - a regular publication from the UC Berkley College of Engineering showcasing some of the interesting work going on there
• Why we blog - a collection of varied answers to the same question
• Autological words - adjectives that describe themselves
• The is not the title of this essay - "A playful look at attempts to solve the problems of paradox and self-reference"
• Seinfeld Dictionary - words and phrases from the show with their definitions
• Distressed brushed for Photoshop - useful for achieving that wicked worn look
• Thinking with type - collection of short, interesting lessons about type faces
• The 20 greatest equations - i can't believe the quadratic equation didn't make the list
• Sad Song - an interesting music video made with just a Nikon Coolpix 775 camera
• Nick's Mathematical Puzzles - give your brain a workout
• Where spyware hides - a list of places to look when a relative asks you to "fix their computer"
• Tricks used by the pros - an interesting look into the secrets of different professions

Programmer pep talk

At times, programming can become monotonous. Every now and then i get very disenchanted. I can't image sitting in front of a computer the rest of my life and i forget why i even found programming interesting in the first place. There are times when i can use some inspiration. I found an article called The Ten Reasons You're a Software Developer which did just that. It was just the pep talk i needed.

Open wide

Today was one of my biannual dentist visits. I suppose i was in a curious mood because i got to chatting with Nancy, my dental hygienist, about the wonders of the mouth.

First i asked if plaque was a living thing. They warn you about plaque and tarter all the time and i wasn't sure how they related. Apparently plaque is alive. It's made up of sticky bacteria. After you eat, they release acids which can harm teeth. These bacteria can be kept in check with regular brushing. It was interesting to know that these bacteria are part of the "natural flora of the mouth" (at least that's what Nancy called it). At any given point there are good and bad bacteria in the mouth. Excessive use of products like Listerine can kill all the bacteria (good and bad). If that happens, a white fungus will actually grow in the mouth.

Tarter is different. It is the build up of calcium salts on the teeth. It's related to plaque because the salts are more likely to form on the sticky plaque. Nancy says she usually see tarter on the back of the front, lower teeth. The reason for that is the calcium salts come from the saliva, and the saliva tends to pool beneath the tongue throughout the day. The tarter is removed by scraping it off with a scaler. I found it interesting to learn that they must regular sharpen these tools. They come in different shapes to closely follow the contour of the different types of teeth.

Next we started talking about the gums. Today, they took one of those fancy x-rays that goes all the way around the mouth. She pointed out the mandible and told me that the teeth are actually connected to the bone via tiny ligaments. If these ligaments become damaged, they do not repair themselves. In the same way once brain cells die, they are never replaced. This is why periodontal diseases needs to be avoided because you can never to backwards. Nancy then showed me the roots of my teeth. I asked what happens in a root canal. She said that they go into the plup of the tooth and pull out the insides. They seal off the inside so no more blood can get it. This effectively leaves the once living tooth, dead. Because its already a perfect fit in the mouth, they leave it in. Dead teeth are more brittle so root canals are often followed up with crowns, which are metal coverings over a tooth to protect it.

Luckily i don't have to worry about any of the above. My checkup went just fine. Next time you're at the dentist, ask your hygienist about teeth and tell me what he says.