May 2004 Archives

Jonathan McPherson, a Christian grad student at UCD, has an interesting article on filesharing from a Christian perspective. I've already made my opinion on downloading mp3s public, so I won't go over it, but it's interesting that Jonathan was quoted in a Salon article about Christian teens downloading and sharing Christian media.

On a tangent, how about this for a remarkable connection: Hannah (who I shall not link her since her site is down…), Queen of the (Iowan) Cornfields, has Jonathan as one of her LiveJournal friends…and not only do Jonathan and I go to the same school in the same department, but we're also in the same research group. How random.

*How does one spell "filesharing" anyways? Is it "file-sharing," "filesharing," or "file sharing?"

Near obsessive-compulsive persistence pays off. I got 100% on my tree project. Remarkably, it was only the third highest grade in the class—two other students scored 105%. Having seen one of those projects, I certainly think they deserved the extra credit.

Barely two and a half weeks after I expressed my desire for a more "outdoorsy" educational experience, my "technology Management" class granted my wish. We sat on a grassy area near the GSM, under the shade of trees to write, of all things, our own obituaries.

It's a familiar exercise, and I remember similar assignments in fifth grade and eighth grade. The point has always been the same: thinking about your life goals and what you want to people to remember about you. I thought it was interesting to see how deeply it affected the other students: as a regular church-goer, I'm constantly challenged to consider eternity and the sum of my life, so I almost take it for granted. Seeing their reaction got me wondering if, as a Christian, I take those exhortations seriously enough.

In fifth grade, I envisioned myself being the chief "Fungineer" at a Disney theme park. In my eighth grade assignment, I think I chose to be a billionaire on the Moon or something like that. Today…today, I wanted to be remembered as someone who loved Christ and strived to live a life set apart for Him and His name.

Part of the obituary assignment was meant to draw you into the present as well: if I really want to start my own company, for example, what can I do today as a college student to work toward that long-term goal? This also got me thinking about spiritual matters: I invest time, money, and effort into my college education, and into my work-related skills, in the hope that I'll have a good job and a comfortable life. But what are my spiritual investments? What am I doing today, here and now, to ensure that Christ will say "well done, good and faithful servant" when my life ends. Is it enough? If I give so much for my education, for something so temporal, how much more should I invest in spiritual growth, which is eternal.

It certainly got me thinking, and challenged me to re-evaluate my life.

It's the last quarter of my fourth year in college, and even though I'm planning on coming back for two more quarters (super-senior, baby!), I'm getting plenty of questions about post-college plans. I give the usual "grad school or get a job" answer that most people expect, but I haven't really considered what "get a job" really means. Although I am studying computer science, I sometimes wonder if it would be feasible for me to consider positions in other fields.

For example I noticed that the e-commerce firm Zoovy has a job opening for an Apprentice Sith Lord. I've never really considered going over to the Dark Side as a strategic career move (mostly since the Good Guys^TM have this annoying knack for winning in the end), but the opportunity to operate "a variety of laser-powered hand weapons and high-powered space/air vehicles" really appeals to me.

Camera Obscura's music sounds like those lazy summer evenings when the sun droops low and you're walking barefoot in the grass.

It bothers me just a little that I like a band where all the members look, well, over thirty. But then, I already know I'm getting old when my car's main preset is the local Eighties station (get this…the single off of Camera Obscura's album "Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi" is called Eighties Fan…scary.) Not to mention when I get into the car and find out the bro was listening to the easy-listening station.

Nonetheless, I like them because I'm a sucker for any pop/rock songs that use violins. Yes, even "November Rain"—everyone's allowed a little corniness in their lives. If you're snickering, please leave this site immediately and never come back. Thank you.

Yesterday, I worked with a team that had 50 minutes to design and build a device to propel a chocolate malt ball about 8 feet. Our materials: six playing cards, three rubber bands, three styrofoam cups, two pencils, a coat hanger, and 4 feet of masking tape.

Half an hour ago, I bought an "Animal Style" Double Double cheeseburger from In-N-Out for "research purposes."

In one hour, I'm going to take a midterm that will likely include questions about turtles that draw shapes.

This is easily the most challenging, fun, and odd quarter I've had at UCD.

This afternoon I resolved that before I graduate, I'm going to take a course where the class sits in a circle on the grass so that people can share their feelings.

I came to this resolution as I passed one of the above-mentioned circles while riding to the labs. I felt kind of cheated, because I specifically remember that four years ago a guide told our walking tour that professors often held classes outside on the grass, and this aspect of UCD's fine academic tradition was a crucial factor in my decision to pursue a higher education here. I'm assuming someone over in the social sciences and humanities has figured out that sitting outside in the the comforting shade of a large tree somehow enhances cognitive processing. Obviously, the Computer Science department—along with the entire Engineering arm of academia—has missed this fundamental revelation, as I've yet to sit in any grass circles for anything.

I've been thinking about how exactly I'd go about doing this…I imagine the scenario would go something like this:

Hmmm. Maybe I should rethink my approach.

Sometimes even the smallest gesture can leave you speechless. Appropriately, two small words seem so inadequate and yet are all you can muster.

Thank you.

Also, thank you to everyone who sent birthday greetings.