The otaku in me really wants to go to japan now!!! *giggle*

One of the most interesting lessons I've come to encounter in my academic studies in Computer Science is its application in a combinational study of weather, climate, and statistics. Such studies have been around a long time, before it became popular science through main stream media.

Its pretty exciting to learn how research teams develop complex algorithms and create global climate simulators while trying to overcome major issues such as predictability and accuracy within acceptable margins of error. And then making it all human readable and human understandable.

For example, this image is a graphical representation that analyzes the global surface temperature anomalies by year for ocean and land, and then by country. The blue bar represents a data set generated by a computer model for temperature anomalies (aka changes of temperature) based on a response to natural forcings (aka forces of nature). The pink bar represents a data set from a model where temperature was influenced by both natural and anthropogenic forcings (aka human forces). The reason why both bars are thick is because they are trying to represent uncertainty. The Black line represents what was actually gathered out in the field.


Given the results from in my pet research project, I think I really want to go to a scholarly lecture on the subject of global climate change. Its open to the public, so i welcome you to join:

Computing & Software Systems Speaker Series: Tackling the Climate Change Problem

• Location: North Creek Events Center, UW Bothell campus, Bothell, WA
• Date: April 30, 2008 from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm (Pacific Time)
• Cost: Admission is FREE, but advance registration is requested. Use the RSVP link on the right to sign up or call the UWAA at 206-543-0540 or 1-800-AUW-ALUM.
• RSVP by: April 29, 2008 at 8:00 am (Pacific Time)
• RSVP URL: https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/200804uwb_css/details.tcl

Join Dr. Pieter Tans, a Senior Scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, CO., as he discusses the increasing threat of climate change. Dr. Tans has written numerous scholarly articles studying the carbon dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere.

A reception will take place prior to the lecture. Light refreshments and coffee will be available along with fruit, cheese and a cookie tray.

About Dr. Pieter Tans
Dr. Pieter Tans is a Senior Scientist at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo. He earned his Ph.D. in Experimental Physics at Rijkusuniversiteit Groningen in The Netherlands. He is the author and co-author of numerous articles studying the carbon dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere.

Location and Parking
North Creek Events Center (formerly the North Creek Cafe), UW Bothell campus. Parking at UW Bothell is convenient. Daily parking costs $3 per visit. Visit the UW Bothell Transportation page for directions and a map of the school.

Want to take the bus?
With the addition of ST Express Route 522 from the U-District will take you stright to UW Bothell and Cascadia Community College campus.

Oh how I adore foods!  I want to take a moment to talk about the places that I have been and would recommend:

Andaluca - This little restaurant is located in the Mayflower Park Hotel and is best known for its Mediterranean Food with a definite Northwest flair. I had the opportunity to dine here when my brother was in town. Great wine list and a sample three-course menu to die for. My meal started out with the Gala Apple Salad, followed by a Grilled Pork Chip in a cherry-fig compote. For desert, we melted away in a Warm Coconut Rice Pudding. Between my brother and I, we put away a bottle of Cougar Crest white wine. The most note worthy remark I have about this Andaluca is that they have Gluten-free options for all their meals. Other then that I would gladly dine here again, maybe during happy hours to try their tapas menu.

Brasa - This gem was nestled in the heart of downtown for seven years and I didn't even know it until Sig made reservations for our anniversary. we sampled mouth melting pork belly, an amazingly addictive roasted squab over roast pumpkin, and buttery wild mushroom ravioli. For a finale, we sipped Assam tea brewed with unexpected care and nibbled on Spanish Doughnuts drizzled in chocolate sauce. Brasa overall had a warm atmosphere with booths that seemed to hug you; despite the cold countenance of the wait staff, we were still delighted. Cascadia - If want to sample modern Northwaest flavors, Cascadia is the place.  She has the Belltown quality minus the snobbery and is one of the few places where you can show up in jeans and a t-shirt and still get the best service they have to offer. They have a monthly three course dinner menu that rotates monthly so you're always tempted to come back. They also have a six course tasting menu. I love taking out of town friends here to view the indoor water fountain. The chef is always attentive to any food allergies and preferences.  The Pink Door - A place that borderlines on being a tourist trap, considering that its at the center of the Pike Place Market and with its Cabaret show. I enjoyed this place for its fine Pino Gris and the Ossobuco and Cinnamon Polenta. I didn't realize they had wonderful outdoor seating until I wandered to the back end of the restaurant. I would suggest going more for the atmosphere over the food, unless its happy hours then go for both! Wild Ginger & The Triple Door - This is a Seattle staple where both Sig and I return regularly for the Fragrant Duck. We always get odd looks when we order two plates! The Triple Door is a bar and stage right next door which features the same menu, but with a show if you care for mostly jazz performances. Wild Ginger also makes a great dinner choice before catching the next symphony at the Benaroya Hall. Canlis - If eating food was making love, Canlis would be the best lover you had. Such guilty pleasures come in the form of a four-course tasting menu with the most excellent wine parings. All while the wait staff and hosts perform an intricate ballet of serving decadence around you. Red Fin - This is the place you want to go if you can't stand the snobby attitudes of Wasabi Bistro, Red Fin's bitchy Belltown sister restaurant. Located on the bottom floor of a hotel on Stewart Street & 6th, she serves all the finery, and with class (instead of the back-hand of rudeness of WB). Here, salads come sprinkled with Candied Five-spice Pecans and Tempura'd sushi makes you smile like a good friend. Salvatore Ristorante Italiano - Who knew that one of the most perfect romantic Southern Italian places could reside near 61st & Roosevelt Way? Pasta to die for and great staff to entertain for. Creamy sauces and savory meats. I love the wild boar. They always seem to pay special attention to Sig and I; I think we strike a romantic cord with the staff since we are always holding hands and making lovey faces at each other when we dine there.

Andaluca Brasa Cascadia The Pink Door Deck The sign says it all.... Red Fin class   Cozy romantic Salvatore

Edit: I got Champagn and Cascadia confused! Doh.

I really failed my Fortitude save on Sunday, I wonder if it was something I ate horribly bad or if it was just fatigue. It was the kind where you get chills and want to pass out a lot. Not something I would want to wish upon anyone! I slept for the better part of the day nearly 15 hours of continuous sleep and then about 8 falling in and out of sleep. On the plus side, it feels like my body has worked its course and I feel semi normal; just a bit queezy on the edges.

I did manage to remember and call my mom to wish her a Happy Easter.

Anywho, Happy Easter/Vernal Equinox/Ostara/Purim/Shumbun no Ni/Holla Mohalla!

I am truly not a shining star of brilliance when it comes to computer stuff.  Things don't come easily to me as it does to others.  For example, I was studying for an exam last night with some class mates:  one classmate got through 3 questions pretty quickly, another got through 2 questions in the same time, mean while I was still stuck on question 1. Another example was that on my DB exam i didn't do so hot because I was taking a very long time to complete the questions. The thing that I do have is that I work hard. Give me enough time and i can usually solve a problem.

I'm not sure exactly whats going on, but it seems that some of my classmates see this hardwork as Type-A personality traits in me.  This was probably spread around by one of my class mates with a Type-B personality -- just to keep in line with the stereotyping and rumor mongering that frequently happens in a university environment.  (what can you do?  its a gaggle full of kids who like to chat it up. plus i think i know who it is. I don't have plans to work with them again).

I enjoy work if its good productive work. I also enjoy learning.  So the chances of me having Type-A are pretty good, but honestly I do think that everyone has some degree of Type-A, else we wouldn't be motivated and have enough drive to do anything.

Anyways, now that this quarter is almost done.  I'm going to not work as hard next quarter.  I really bit off more then i could chew and I don't want to do that again.  Chances are that I'll have to work in a group again.  But I'll probably take a laid-back attitude towards it, and enjoy my success from this quarter.  I was pretty successful this quarter thanks to the UBER work from my husband.  Aslo, the fact that i had an excellent group for my programming class, who really endulged my experiments in "Agile group work".

Given what I know from class and reading text books, I found a good test for Type-A personality.  http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=1126

It basically measures the "degree" of your Type-A-ness.

This is one of the better tests I found in measuring your current state of personality types. Its pretty text book though, and most of the solutions for scenarios don't include a strategist type answer -- try to find an alternate route to get what you want or for even fun. 

Looks like i run in the moderate range for "how much Type-A" i have in me.

According to the scientific literature, the Type A Personality construct describes someone who is aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time. The defining characteristics of the Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) are a strong drive to succeed, hostility, competitiveness, perfectionism, a desire for recognition, wealth and advancement, difficulty talking about feelings, and a sense of urgency and impatience.

Snapshot Report:  Impatience/Irritability 37 Your interactions with others, while characterized by warmth and tolerance the majority of the time, may occasionally be tinged with impatience and hostility. When you’re stressed or frustrated, you may lash out at others or end up stewing in anger or frustration, but this is very rare. Since you generally trust others, you are usually willing to open up emotionally and value relationships for the sake of the people involved, instead of what they can do for you. This is fortunate because a high amount of this aspect of the Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) can not only be extremely harmful to relationships, it is also very damaging to your health. While originally it was thought that global TABP was the culprit in coronary heart disease, research now shows that hostility, impatience, and other related traits are the real source of the problem. Based on your results here, you are likely not at a very elevated risk of heart disease, but keep in mind that there are other causes unrelated to the TABP, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking, among other things.

So we're getting two of these puppies!

ASUS Striker II Formula LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
Why: Toyed around with x38 mobos for a bit, but none of them had SLI yet. This leaves us with the option of Tri-SLI.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
Why: Solid CPU for a good price. Multi-core processors is the way of the future since data can only go as fast as light.  Now we need to think of better programming languages that take the pain out of parallel programming

CORSAIR 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel
Why: DD3 was just too darn expensive. The DDR2s were aweinspiringly cheap. Almost tempted to get 8GB of ram, but that's for the next round.

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP SLI Ready
Why: I got this over the GTS version because I wanted smooth rendering at very high resolutions. For the games that can, I want to see 1920 x 1080 at 1080i, not just at 1040x786 like most of the becnchmarks use.

HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000 HDS721010KLA330 (0A35155) 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Why: Its just so darn cheap!  For $270 I got a freaking terabyte hard drive. thats 1,000 GB. thats $0.27 per GB. Hard drive space is just one of those things i like to see a per price on.

COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler
Why: mobo, vid card, and cpu run hot. this is just for overall stability for the core.

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06
Why: Dual Layer DVD writing, plus no more sharpies or adhesive labels! LightScribe burns any image or text directly onto the surface any LightScribe meda (which cost at $0.70 a disc)

ABS Tagan ITZ Series ITZ1100 ATX12V / EPS12V 1100W Power Supply
Why: If i'm gonna go Dual or Tri-SLI, I need to power it.

GIGABYTE 3D Aurora 570 GZ-FA1CA-ASB Black 1.0 mm Aluminum body ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Why: Enough room to hold the cpu cooler, and dual video cards.  Easy to work with since its been ages when last i built my own rig. Plus it comes with 120mm fans.

Fun stuff! :)

Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragon and one of the fathers of tabletop role playing games, died today at the age of 69. He died this morning at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee. His wife, Gail Gygax, says he had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm.

• Troll Lord Games Forums Announces Gary's Passing
• Monte Cook's Blog: Shaken
• Gary Gygax, 1938-2008: Rest in Peace, Dungeon Master
• SlashDot: D&D Co-Creator Gary Gygax Has Passed Away
• Wired:  Gary Gygax, 'Father of D&D' Dies at 69

1-3) An awesome husband who is supportive, loves to play games with me, is very cuddly, and is so smart at playing the Tax Game and got us a big tax refund this year!  Thank you most bestest hubby in the world! I love you!!  *SNUGHUG*  When i tally my blessings, he counts for 3 times as much!!

4) Though I'm stressed, I'm coping really well.  I think so long as I'm learning something I can still feel good about what I'm doing.  Overall, I'm really happy.

5) I have really good class mates this quarter. They're super nice, fun to talk to, and smart to work with.

6) Though I had to cut out quite a bit of gaming this quarter, I have no regrets. I'm really enjoying school and feel proud of myself.  I will be graduating this time next year.

7) Study sessions at Sarah & Brett's have been really rewarding.  Its been a  home away from home and a place where I can be at ease and be myself.  Thank you Brett & Sarah! I love you guys! *HUG*

Squeee!!! Though I'll prolly Gamefly it since they're not making a PC version...ever.

So this thing should update every so often. I can update it via SMS, IM, and by web. Oddly enough its kind of cute. I once commented on someone who was gripping about the insane popularity of twitter: "Twitter is like a 140 characters worth of exhibitional masturbation. Feels great when you do it, but only when other people are watching. Almost kind of sad when its just you."

Luckly, i'm smarter then most and know how to add it to my numerous websites, blogs, and web 2.0 social networking sites. :P

My undergraduate studies require me to use credible material for research papers and reports. I’ve also been doing research on topics for personal interest such as "Global Climate Change" and "Ethical Journalism" over the internet, resources are vast and it is difficult to discern resources which are trustworthy. I find myself turning to scholarly literature over popular literature.

Scholarly literature is written by researchers who are experts in their field. People who write for academic journals are employed by colleges, universities, or other institutions of education or research. They submit articles to the editors of the journals, who decide whether or not to publish. The most prestigious academic journals subject articles to the peer-review process. This means before an article is accepted for publication, it is reviewed by several experts in the field, who suggest possible changes, and recommend to the editor of the journal whether or not to publish the article. Examples are Journal of the American Water Resources Association and Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology.

Popular literature is written by journalists, who are employed by the magazine for which they write. Journalists cover news and current events in a field, write profiles of people, places, or events, and express political opinions. Popular literature includes New York Times and Newsweek.

Then there are the *other* sources on the internet. Let me say that weeding out poor quality information takes time. Anyone can put anything on the internet and they can say whatever they like. Yes there is more easily accessible information with the internet, but the number of unreliable information has also gone up; each lacking in various degrees of authority or credibility.

But Google has come to save me again through Google Scholar Search: http://scholar.google.com/

Is this for real? Jeeze...what horrible hype reporting. I want to urge all of you to boycott FOX TV for being retarded.

"No matter how organized we are, there are always only 24 hours in a day. Time doesn't change. All we can actually manage is ourselves and what we do with the time that we have."

The past two weeks felt like a frenzied storm. There were days where I felt like I accomplished many things, but then there were the off days where I feel like I've done squat. I guess, being more productive isn't just about being more organized, goal setting, or having to-do lists. Its about being efficient, learning about yourself, what your capable of, and then improving yourself.

If I were to go about this scientifically, I'd need empirical study on where I'm not being as productive as I can be.

Gathering Base-Line Information: Recording Daily Activities

This week, I'll record all my daily activities and the amount of time I spent on each. I should find an easy recording system that won't interfere with my current schedule. I'll try focusing on what I actually do. I'm not going to segregate between school, work, and personal activities -- just try and get a good picture of my schedule so I can decide where to make changes.

What is a Caucus?

They are often defined as "gatherings of neighbors." Rather than going to poles and casting ballots, everyone in your party meets up in a set location defined by your voting precinct (not necessarily the same place as you vote).  There you vote which candidate should represent your party as well as propose the parties platforms in the form of resolutions. 

I've never been to one, but my best guess that this maybe a dull or exciting event depending upon your neighbors, but none the less, its a good way to get to know them.

How do I find my Local Caucus?

WA State Democrats should go to: http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucusfinder
If it doesn't return a location, email and ask: grassroots@wa-democrats.org

WA State Republicans should go here: http://www.wsrp.org/default.aspx
Then find your local county and contact your rep.

How Do Caucus' Work?

"Presidential election primaries and caucuses are two very different methods of accomplishing the same basic thing. Simply put, they are both a means for each political party to let voters nationwide select their party's presidential nominee. More specifically, primaries and caucuses are means of selecting delegates (representatives of party members in each state) to send to the party's national convention." Read more here...

Here's a Video explaining how WA State Democratic Caucuses Work:

1) In 2005, Clinton proposed legislation to increase federal regulation of the game industry. Games are just like any other media, and don’t need regulation. They are like movies, books, newspapers, and other forms of entertainment media. How would you like it if romance novels couldn’t be bought because they had descriptive sex in them or if you couldn’t buy The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because it has the word “Nigger” in print. There is as just as much violence in games as there are in movies and books. Yet we don't make drastic legislative movements to regulate them (well, at least now we don't).

2) If Clinton's bill had passed, the law would subject retailers of video games to fines from $1000 to $5000 for selling M-Raided games to children younger than 17, even if it was an honest mistake. The game industry is growing and needs more time to make a stronger foot-hold in the market as it strives to find financial stability. Such laws would only stifle the industry, not to mention any innovation and art that could stem from it.

3) Clinton's support in legislative regulation for video games puts her on the same page as Republican Mitt Romney. Even her fellow democrats John Edwards, Obama, and Bill Richardson said they would rather give the video game industry a chance to self-regulate.

4) I would rather see parents be responsible and become the content filter for their children, not Clinton’s views in the form of legislation.

References:

• GamePolitics.com. "Hillary Clinton Tells Common Sense Media She Would Support Video Game Legislation." 21 December 2007.   
• Schiesel, Seth. "Video Game Industry Seeks Political Clout." The New York Times. 15 January 2008.
• McCullagh, Declan and Broache, Anne. "Technology Voters' Guide: John Edwards." News.com. 4 January 2008.
• McCullagh, Declan and Broache, Anne.  "Technology Voters' Guide: Barack Obama." News.com. 2 January 2008.

Well...perhaps not, but this is our “thought experiment” on what might have happened if our favorite British spy did a radio commercial for DDO.

(please Right Click and Save As)
http://www.umberhulks.com/CrunchyBitsTheaterDDOPromo.mp3

Brought to you Anne Trent, as the Commercial Director, and Sigfried Trent, as Mr. Connery, from Crunchy Bits Theater on DDOCast.

Background Info: for those of you who don't know, Sig and I have been playing DDO for almost two years now. Its a game not meant for everyone, but it suites our MMO needs quite well. We decided to join a podcast group called DDOCast in September 2007. If you interested here's a list of what we've done for the podcast http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=127352.

If you are interested in the podcast itself: http://www.ddocast.com/

Just for the record I consider myself a professional of sorts. My professional back ground is in Web Development and Web Mastering. Web development is a broad term that incorporates all areas of developing a web site for the World Wide Web. This can include e-commerce business development, web design, web content development, client-side/server-side coding, and web server configuration. My particular expertise is in server-side coding and working with data base driven content. I also know quite a lot about how to track leads/sales from web sites and electronic direct mailings. I naturally gravitate towards the hardware and web server configuration because I find it enjoyable tinkering with systems (really I shouldn't because all I would do is play and never get the job done) Personally, I would love to create web applications that have direct tie-ins to games. A really good example is SOE's sites where you can buy and sell goods in an MMORPG such as EQ2 using a web interface or cell phone.

I'm currently pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Computing & Software Systems at University of Washington Bothell. The BSCSS is a computer science degree that places a greater emphasis on software engineering and relevant business and management concepts than would be found in a more traditional computer science degree. I decided to go this route because it had more "application" then "theory & research." I firmly believe that one of the causes for the Dot Com Bust was poor management and shady business practices. Gone are the days of just "hacking code" -- a good developer should know about the business of the software they are creating in addition to the science.

This is the year I ramp up my professional image. I've updated my school page at http://students.washington.edu/tanis/ with an RSS feed from my LJ blog. I've also spruced up my online resume at http://students.washington.edu/tanis/AnneTrent_Resume20071227.htm.

I've also updated some of the networking sites such as LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/1/535/bb5) and FaceBook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=685804298). Both of those need some final touches, but they're good to go now. I may create a page under Orkut (http://www.orkut.com/) and MySpace, but I'm still thinking about it.

Obviously the next step would be to create my own website, but I keep vacillating on the design and content.