delight in life

programming - now in parallel!

I saw this little book meme on a few blogs this past week: 

Grab the closest book to you, turn to page 56, start at the 5th sentence and write a few down. 

"In the second clock cycle, two copies of ∞ should be output from the right end of the systolic array. If one of the keys is not ∞, the priority queue has overflowed. In this case all of the elements in the systolic array are identical. However, a systolic array can contain a variety of elements performing different functions, which is why it is appropriately called a 'multiple instruction' architecture." 

I am taking a parallel programming course this semester. It is not fun.

observations from the bus stop

If I am going to look cute this winter in a "hi I have great shoes" way and not a "wow that popsicle has great shoes" way I am going to need some socks.

normally they do not go around matching their clothes like this.

 You know how you have friends, and then you have Friends? Molly is my Friend. On paper we are pretty opposite, but I think our brainwaves broadcast at the same frequency or something. It's weird. And awesome. ANYWAY. Hiram is also pretty special. The most laid-back person I've ever met and really just a giant softie.

Together they are a big mess of adorableness. They are perfect together. And now they are engaged. And I am so, so happy for them.

postfix love.

This is the best bug I've ever found in my code. Instead of multiplication, I got love!

new rules.

This simple reminder is my new desktop wallpaper. I found this list of rules here a while ago. I need to remember this most of the time. Especially number 9, to which my dad will surely attest.

This building in Zurich has this list carved (or painted? not sure) onto it. Fantastic.

picture by Jack the Shell.

to mom.

Happy birthday, Mom. I love you!

 

"no time. but she did. NO TIME!"

Number one sign that I am way too busy these days: the spring 09 schedule of classes came out over a week ago and I still haven't cracked it open.

Picking out my classes is the highlight of my semester. As soon as the schedule comes out, I am on it like it's Harry Potter 7. I go home that night and in under an hour, I am totally set for the next semester. I stay up late the night registration opens and sign up for everything minutes after midnight.

But this one has been sitting on my desk taunting me for a week now. I need more time! (Confession: this week's blog posts are brought to you by pre-scheduled posting!)

throwing pots is not exactly what it sounds like. i was a little bummed.

My fantastic friend Jerrell took me to the ceramics studio on Sunday to teach me how to throw a mug on a pottery wheel. You can tell which of these are his. If it looks close to perfect, it is not mine.

Four hours later, I left, with one slightly misshapen candy bowl and one mug that's too small for its handle waiting to be fired and glazed.

It was hard!

"You're really good at centering," he said, seconds before my clay flew off the wheel. (That's what happens when your clay is poorly centered.)

I wish I could put these types of things on my resume:

Skills

• making misshapen quirky pottery
• whipping up a batch of gold medals in ten minutes for an impromptu Wii Olympics
• taking pictures of tabletops
• stitching fabric onto paper with messy lines  

That would be a pretty sweet resume. And I could go ahead and put it on pretty paper with scalloped edges, too.

double the fun.

I was buying coffee a few weeks ago in the library and there was a pile of voter registration forms by the register. I grabbed one and filled it out. It was sort of confusing because I'm not a new registrant, but it's my first time in Texas. I wasn't sure I'd done it right, but I mailed it in. A few days later I found this website, and panicking that I'd filled the form out wrong, I registered via the website.

Yesterday I got both of these in the mail. Good thing, too, because I was starting to worry that the two I sent in would cancel each other out and I needed to send in a third to be safe.