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...

I had a dream the other night that I'm still thinking about. That's rather rare. I don't remember some of the details (very normal for a dream, in my experience), but since I subconsciously invented the whole thing, I'll fill in the details the way I represent it in my mind now.

I was in a state of existence in a dim world. I existed on a type of plateau with a steep drop hundreds of feet down to an ocean splashing against the dark rock cliff. The top of the plateau stretched beyond my sight and was rather barren - a few rocks and a single thin, dark, ancient, and sturdy tree with only a few leaves.

I existed in this place for a long time - serene and almost in a meditative mindset. Then, one evening, I stood near the cliff edge and saw far in the distance, a dark (nearly black) wave of extraordinary height was coming my direction. It was beyond panic or fear - it was so immense and grand that the danger was a puny concept. It was simply awe inspiring. It was 'awesome' in the word's truest sense. It immeasurably high. The picture above is not even a ripple in comparison.

It swooped towards me and in a moment I was submerged - inside the towering wall of water. It was not cold or hot. It would have been wet, except that the word lost its meaning since 'dry' was inconceivable in this new underwater existence.

The force of the water tore past me, but I found my arms wrapped around the stout tree. The wave had unbelievable force that nothing could oppose and yet I was secure because I was part of the tree, the tree was part of the cliff, and the cliff was immovable.

I remained submerged in the rushing water for a long time. I opened my eyes and watched the water race by. I breathed somehow in a very natural way. The wave was powerful, angry, and had no sympathy for me, but I remained calm and in a state of awe. I was where I belonged in spite of the chaos around me.

The dream ended.

Once more (the same night), I dreamed the same entire dream. Once more the dream ended.

A third time, I dreamed the same thing. But this time, I let go of the tree. I found myself a mere particle in the raging wave as is swept over everything. I lost all orientation and no action I was capable of mattered in the slightest. I fell unconscious - not worried, but still under water and very lost. Darkness.

I became conscious, floating on the open sea. Lost and alone in a way I hadn't felt on the plateau. I was still calm, but knew my future consisted of drifting forever. No control. Nothing. Only floating. I sensed a deep remorse for ever choosing to let go of the tree...

Then I woke up.

This dream struck me as a deeply symbolic experience. Very ethereal and yet purely sensory. The only things close to this dream were the surreal moments in "The Fountain".

What does it all mean? Is each wave a school year - overwhelming me every time? Is the tree my values? Is the tree a person that keeps me sane? Does the last wave foretell my doom? Did I simply need to go to the bathroom really bad? I have no idea.

So maybe "soon" was a bit unrealistic. Not much has happened in the last two weeks besides the usual outpouring of homework and Michelle's birthday! Sadly she's lined up to work 3 weekends in a row, which makes it difficult to spend much time together.

My best friend in Thailand is starting a teaching job at an orphanage which is pretty cool. Most of the people I know are either graduating this year or starting new jobs. I suppose I'll have to do all that soon enough. I might be working with a team of graduate students at Washington State University next summer as an internship. I also have a potential option to work at Los Alamos National Laboratories over the summer. As part of all that, I should pull a resume together soon. Any suggestions?

Not a whole lot to talk about right now, really. Just a bit overwhelmed with school and looking forward to Thanksgiving break already!

P.S. Thanks for the prodding to post more - I needed it!