It's Thanksgiving break at Walla Walla University... but not for me. My epic struggle to catch up on homework started yesterday. My goal is to squeeze 80 hours of studying into this week and I'm starting a little slowly. So far, 7 hours Sunday and 3 hours today, but the night is young and I remain hopeful.

I've stopped measuring my reading pile in pages and started measuring in feet.

I kept waiting to post a real blog update until I felt healthy but since I've been sick with a flue and a cold for nearly 3 weeks, I'll just put something up. I'm half way through the school quarter and I've never been quite this far behind.

I'm not sure, now, what possessed me to squeeze a history degree into my education. After math and engineering where the assignments are clear, and a solution can be reached in a finite amount of time, history homework is quite daunting. There are no right and wrong answers - only better and worse answers.

I was talking to a friend several weeks ago and we noticed that humanities and history classes have a somewhat hostile environment. As a student, you are graded on your contribution to the class. The less progress and understanding the other students have, the better you look in the teacher's eyes. This, we concluded, makes for a stressful environment.

Engineering classes on the other hand, have a great deal of camaraderie. The grading is far less subjective and students are more than willing to help other classmates understand, learn, and excel.

The engineering environment seems to be a friendly group working towards a goal while the history environment is a cutthroat competition to convince (or trick) the teacher of your understanding and to rise above your classmates.

Time to get competitive I suppose - I have a big history test tomorrow morning...

I've been researching in Sydney for about a week now. I'm staying with great friends in the suburbs of Sydney. A typical day involves catching a train to Central in the morning for 45 min. and then walking up Elizabeth St. to Mitchell Library (not far from the Opera House and Harbour Bridge).
Today has been fairly productive. I spent much of the afternoon perusing the Sydney Morning Herald microfilm and found a few interesting bits. The NSW Government Gazette volumes have also proved handy. The material is a little dry, but it makes me feel like a true historian/researcher.On a wider interest level, I found an amazing Indian restaurant on Elizabeth St. yesterday. Something like Jaipar? They have outstanding giant samosas. I'm very hungry and will be heading that way soon...

Note: I'm too shy (or lazy?) to photo my food and the library, so the pictures above are courtesy of google searching...

Just a quick note to say that I'm in Australia and loving it already! I'm off to the play "Men at Arms" tonight and very excited because many of my friends are either attending or in the play.

My luggage, clothes, etc are currently locked in a parking garage thought an unfortunate series of events, but on the upside I am just about Chris's size and he was kind enough to loan some clothes.

The infamous history 'research' begins on Monday. It's a lovely vague word, 'research'...

Well, time has passed quickly and I'm on my way to Australia this Wednesday afternoon!

The following note on my ticket itinerary is slightly depressing: This flight arrives two days later.

I have rarely been less organized for a trip, but since it's my second (or third) home, that doesn't stress me out. I'll be online fairly often throughout my stay and really only have three goals:
- get substantial research done for my senior history paper
- spend time with friends I haven't seen in too long
- obtain more Marmite, Bix, and Tim Tams.

I came across this great title in a small bookstore in Leavenworth this weekend! It's a humorous (and yet reasonably accurate) depiction of what women find attractive... Here's just an idea of what's inside:

Pictures of Leavenworth coming up soon!

I've been living on spaghetti, bread, bagels, and chips for too long. Must have had a vitamin deficiency or something because I was craving salad (one of the lesser foods in my books). Thus, I ended up desperate for vegies, biked to the store, and made this monster haystack for lunch.

I feel much healthier now.

Huzzah, got Rockbox working on my Sansa Fuze yesterday! It's pretty fantastic (running it with the theme shown above), and on top of that I just noticed Shnoop has the same exact one I got (a 2gb refurbished Fuze) for $28.

If you are in the market for a new mp3 player on a low budget, this might be a good choice...

This summer, my research partner delved into tea. We've been brewing several cups a day for the last month and I've really taken a liking to it. I'm planning on doing a bit of research into the the health consequences of tea, but a surface check seems to show that both black and green teas are good.

I also believe tea sets a good environment for talking, which I thoroughly enjoy. I'm hoping to visit a bulk goods store in Moscow (across the border in Oregon) and pick up a variety of new teas to try.

I was wandering through Pullman today on my bike, doing some shopping, when I happened to pass this house. It just struck me as being amazing! It reminds me of Charleston or Savannah - something very East coast and old...

The research paper I'm working on is supposed to be done tomorrow and then Michelle is coming to visit Saturday! Can't wait for the weekend!

You may recognize this little rodent from the recent movie Ratatouille. I'm currently living with some rat housemates, and although they aren't as cartoony as this one, they are very cute and friendly. My housemates keep quite a collection of rats - bred show rats for the most part.
Here's one of the curious girls. The girls tend to be smaller and more energetic than the guys. I had several rats as pets when I was younger. They are intelligent, clean, quiet, don't bite, are friendly, and don't smell bad! They actually make for great pets.

Here's a little clip of some of the lady rats looking for attention:


In other news, I went to the local WSU bouldering wall to practice my climbing a bit more. The climbing supervisor is showing some new climbers the basics. The cave is my favorite - it's quite exciting to crawl along the ceiling...

Just noticed a new Final Fantasy IV OC Remix album came out and thought it deserved a post.

Video game music is a huge genre full of amazing and memorable music. For example, composer Yasunori Mitsuda compiled astounding soundtracks for many games including Chrono Cross. Check out the opening in-game music:


Aside from video game soundtracks themselves, remixing game music has gained a huge following. The biggest resource is Overclocked Remix - a site "dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music." There are over 1700 free songs - remixes of games both old and new. The sources range from old classics like Mario, Zelda, and Tetris to recent games. It's a great way to celebrate new artist talent and explore variations on familiar themes.

For those who are interested in the original game music itself, check out Gamemp3s which releases game soundtracks - particularly from hard to find foreign soundtracks.

Huzzah, got to use my new Acopa climbing shoes today! I got them last weekend in Portland to replace my worn out 5.10's that I've used the last few years. They are a tighter, more technical shoe for edging.Mikey and I went out to Granite Point along the Snake River to do a bit of outdoor climbing. It was a roasty day and I got a bit too much sun on the shoulders. Still, it was a nice day and a good chance to get back out climbing after winter and my hand injury.

Here, Mikey is rappelling on the left side of Granite Point. The climbs are all rather short, but intense.This is a sweet picture from a fellow climber/photographer. I'm hoping to make it out Post Falls (where this was taken) in another few weeks...

So, I realized there are a stack of pictures that never made it on my blog. Time to cover a few past events...

This is my daily commute to WSU. I bike 2 miles to school (uphill both ways of course). A good bit of the ride is on a nice bike path as you can see. This makes for a nice morning ride before digging into research...


Next, is a nice photo of Michelle when we camped in Wenatchee National Forest (about 5 hours from Walla Walla) with our friends, Adam and Liz over Memorial Day. It was a beautiful area and I'm looking forward to going back sometime for another camping/hiking trip!

Even earlier this year, I escaped to Bluewood ski-resort a few times. On this particular day, there had been over 3 feet of new snow in the last day and the resort couldn't open due to too much snow. It was really sad, but my friend and I were already up there so we made our own fun. We found a superb jump on the side of a hill and practiced. I even managed to pull a backflip!

Lastly, I had a frightening mustache for a couple days. I had several compliments on it, but really needed a top hat and one of those ancient bicycles to complete the look...

Continuing on my mp3 rant from yesterday, I'll get a little more specific.

For my uses, I was hunting for something small, lightweight, and inexpensive. I eventually narrowed my choices to something along the lines of Apple's Shuffle or Nano. I looked at some comparisons with other products - particularly Sandisk's Clip and Fuze. Not only are they significantly cheaper, they are also stylish and have several nice features that the Shuffle and Nano lack.

If you are considering an ultra-small mp3 player like the Shuffle, take a look at this Shuffle and Clip comparison.

I was interested in something slightly larger with a screen. Here's my quick summary of how the Sandisk Fuze and iPod Nano differ:

















** An 8gb Nano costs $120. The 8gb Fuze costs $75. ($199 vs $85 retail).
** The Fuze has a microSD slot (that means you can add an additional 8gb of storage for $15).
** the Nano is about 15% smaller and lighter than the Fuze.
** the Nano has a slightly higher resolution screen than the Fuze.
** the Fuze has far better sound quality (this only matters with good headphones).
** Unlike the Nano, the Fuze includes an FM radio and voice recorder
** The Nano requires iTunes. The Fuze uses simple drag-n-drop like a USB thumb drive.

I ended up choosing the Fuze (in my hand above, displaying a picture I took). I bought the small 2gb model for under $30 (refurbished). I'll probably add a 16 or 32 GB microSD card later. I use it mostly for music, but also have some pictures and youtube videos (using the DownloadHelper firefox addon). It's been fantastic so far!

One other item worth mentioning is the open-source firmware RockBox which you can put on a wide range of mp3 players. It adds many audio features, visual themes, and even games to your mp3 player! As soon as the official release comes out for the Fuze, I'll be using it ;)

Whenever I purchase electronics, I aim for the best. 'Best' is a very subjective word. For me, it means the perfect balance between price, features, and quality. The information to make a good choice is out there, but it often takes intensive research before discovering the winner.

My mp3 player was stolen this past year and I recently began the quest to purchase a new one. I'd like to present some of my discoveries along the way.

Currently, in the mp3 market, iPod reigns supreme (like Microsoft in the OS business). Without a doubt, iPods look nice and they work. However, are they the 'best' on the market? I've settled on a 'no' for that answer. For you, the answer might be yes, but just consider your options before investing in a new mp3 player.

First, how are mp3 players used? There are a number of common uses to consider:
- A lightweight music player for people who exercise
- A way to enjoy traveling more - in crowded planes and buses.
- A way to share music, pictures, and videos with friends and family
- A way to access a music library in a car or home without bringing a stack of scratch-able cds.

I discovered a website titled anythingbutipod.com which, of course sounds like a completely unbiased website. After some investigating however, this site simply aims to raise awareness of alternative products to consumers. It contains news, reviews, comparisons, and forums relating to mp3 players.

There are a number of reputable brands including Sony, Sandisk, Cowon, Microsoft, and Creative that offer excellent portable music players. If you are looking for a new player, I'd recommend browsing this Buyer's Guide which helps you pinpoint what you are looking for in an mp3 player.

More on my sweet new mp3 player soon!

This is a nice photo Amy took of Michelle and I down at Brandon and Natalie's wedding in Portland. It was a gorgeous wedding down by the creek. Best wishes for the new husband and wife who are celebrating somewhere "warm."


As far as other updates, I'm still researching math up in Pullman. We are supposed to have a paper ready to publish by next week which will be a little intense. I'm continuing to learn a lot - I almost feel guilty being payed to learn...

I'm also going back to Australia!!!! I'll arrive in Sydney on the 28th of August and leave September 19. I'll get to see Kristin's play shortly after I arrive. The rest of my visit will involve delving into some government archives for history research and visiting good friends around the country.

I'm also going to be climbing again soon. My broken hand has mostly healed and I've learned of some good climbing in Idaho a couple hours away. I've been practicing at the bouldering wall here on campus.

I've recently been reminded of my serious lack of blog involvement. I aim to remedy this over the next 9 months. I'm listening to Modest Mouse on my friend's blog: Potus and ready to pass along some updates.

First, I passed all my classes - hoorah! Which classes, you might ask?
Communication Systems
U.S. History
Historiography
VLSI Design
Abstract Algebra (audit)

I watched many of my good friends graduate and will miss over the coming years. In the picture above, Hiroshi, Chuck, and David (all on the left) finished this year. I've got one more year to go before I can get my slip of paper and move on. After watching graduation, I'm really quite excited about getting there myself...

Shortly after grad, I moved up to Washington State University for a math research position. It appears my research will involve flat norms, topological currents, submanifolds, and rectifiable surfaces. I'll admit I don't have a clue what's going on yet. I am a bit overwhelmed - by the research goals and by the size of WSU.

I'm living in a quaint little apartment with a nice couple in their 20's. They have an awesome colony of show rats with quirks and personalities. Probably 25 rats. I'll put up some pictures eventually. I'm using a new laptop that I bought for the research job - a nice small Dell with the power needed for number crunching. I'm living about 2 miles from my office in the math department which makes for a nice bike ride twice a day.

Mum is in Costa Rica at the moment and blogging quite nicely at the Musings. Michelle and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary in March and she's staying busy at work. She's planning on visiting me at WSU on her free weekends which is fantastic! (I would visit her, but I've got no car). We recently got her hooked up with a modest home theater setup which I'll post pictures of eventually.

That covers some of the recent news and plans for the summer. More soon!

Went on a pretty sweet Math Club hike this past weekend. My friend Victor above has some pretty outrageous hair. It was a rather blustery day as you might guess from the picture above!

Finals are just around the corner - I hope I make it... More news in about 8 days ;)

The allure of Australia has caught my attention yet again. I'm embarking on the long journey of writing a senior history paper. My topic (so far) revolves around the Stolen Generation (thanks dad for the idea!) and in my source scouting, I came across this movie trailer. It really caught my eye and reminded me just how much I miss the nature, people, and culture of Australia...

Kanyini

You'll surely be hearing more about this throughout the next year...

This is a poor neglected Winnie the Pooh that I happened to walk past on my way home from school one day. He was out on the street in a pile of leaves - clearly well loved. He doesn't even look too upset about his plight...

I'm using it as a background on my phone at the moment. Willy nilly silly old bear!

In other news, I had a great time relaxing over Christmas break with my extended family in California. I got to see most of my cousins and even my nieces!

Since then, I made it back to Walla Walla, and started both a new quarter and a new year. I'm taking the following classes this time:
Electromechanical Energy Conversion
Essentials of Critical Reasoning
Abstract Algebra 2
The Craft of History
Computer Architecture
Analog Design (auditing)

I'm involved in a lot more than I probably should be, but I'm loving it as usual. I found out today that my best friend got a job in Thailand which is most excellent (and quite a relief).

It feels good to finally blog again - maybe I can make the habit stick for a while...