Posted 00:26 by Tycho

Now Playing: Take It and Run by Dropkick Murphys

Yay for Mike Griffin giving plans for the lunar and Mars programs! That was this past Monday, but it was a big day for all of us.

I also hate Battlestar Galactica. How dare they make the season end like that? Now I have to wait until January to find out what is going to happen!

Huzzah for another Friday night spent staying in and just watching TV. Ah well. At least it was good TV, excepting BSG being an ass.



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Posted 17:11 by Tycho

Forced myself to go running today, and did quite well, I think. Duration: 32:48:03 (min:sec:hund). Felt damn good excepting for the last hill, but still felt relatively good there.

Cool?


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Posted 22:51 by Tycho

Now I won't be able to go to bed until I solve this damn problem. That is the downside of being an engineer.



Good night.

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Posted 04:29 by Tycho

Ugh, can't sleep just yet. Not tired enough to.

Now playing: The Auld Trianlge, Dropkick Murphys

All I can think about is running right now. I can't get it out of mind. The pounding on the ground, the acid burning my muscles, the pain, and how I now feel like I have a physical NEED to get out there and run later on today. I want to go right now so badly, but its 5:30AM, and I'm not in the best of areas. Argh!

Thinking of: RUNNING (AAARRRRGGGHHHH!), as well as work on Monday.

Oh, and also I'm REALLY looking forward to NASA's announcement on Monday about lunar and Mars mission prospects and programs.

I guess the past few days I've taken off from running is ok, to give my hip some rest, as it had been bothering me a bit.

Nothing exciting to report, except that if you put chocolate chips in Sprite, they'll go down to the bottom, then back to to the top, and repeat! SWEET. Just remember to NEVER eat the chocolate chips. Bad stuff happens.

Tomorrow will be a day of cleaning up, taking notes, and studying. I'd be very surprised if any of that actually got done, but it makes me feel good to say that I'm going to do it.

Oh, and I caught the tail end of a James Bond marathon on Spike. Only caught one of them. Damnit!

Good night/morning.


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Posted 18:33 by Tycho

Yay for waking up at 3PM. That pretty much killed any chance of going out today, but that's ok. We hosted a small party last night. Roommate said he'd show up, but didn't. Most likely going to return the 30 pack of beer I picked up to the store. He bought one, too, and it was opened, but no one had any. Since he decided to ditch, I think he should be stuck with not being able to return his share.

Pretty much done nothing today. I don't have transportation, so I couldn't even get to the Metro to go into D.C. Meh. Today I dub "day to relax and do nothing".

Nevermind, just went over and had an impromptu project team meeting with my partner. Yay.

Back to doing almost nothing. I think the most strenuous thing I did today was wake up and sit up. Oh, and retrieve the beer from the other apartment to return to the store, and retrieved my bottle of bourbon (which will be returned to the store over my dead body).

In other words: "I VANT TO SUCK YOUR BLOOD...IN ZERO G!!! MUAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!"

Good thing my roommate isn't here, as my computer is now acting as a karaoke machine, and his eardrums would have burst by now. I'm using ear plugs to save me from myself.

Bye.


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Posted 22:03 by Tycho

Far too humid out today to run.

Tomorrow should be a good day at work. Hopefully I'll be motivated to go out there and run tomorrow, unless it is humid like it was today again.

Nothing much to report, except that Mythbusters is the best damn show I've ever seen. ADAM, JAMIE, PLEASE HIRE ME! I BLEW A CAN OF BISCUITS UP!

Though, seriously, if I were offered a spot on the show, I would take it.


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Posted 22:25 by Tycho

Real quick post, as I have to fold my laundry and get to bed shortly. Early day tomorrow.

FINALLY got parts for the project. They were supposed to be here last week, but that's ok, the important thing is that we've got them, and now we can move forward with the actual construction. Tomorrow will most likely be a day full of 3D modelling courtesy of Pro/E...not bad, but I need dimensions, and I don't have the correct tools to do it accurately. Well, I can always change the final models. Once we get those models, one of our tasks will become much much easier.

Went running today. Did the same loop I did for my long run last weekend. Last time, it took 40 minutes or so. This time, it only took 33:57. A 6 minute improvement in only a week seems very suspect, and therefore I'm wondering if I added in the gigantic hill I use to pad out my runs a bit. Anyways, I felt like I was going slow, but kept a good pace throughout. It was a beautiful day to run--the sun was just right, a nice breeze to cool me down, a variety of terrain to run over, and the now-familiar rolling hills. Stretching went well, a hamstring on my left leg was a little tight and sore, and my ITB was also strained a little bit.

I'm hoping tomorrow will be as nice as it was today...great running weather. I'm feeling a bit more in shape now, but I don't see a whole lot of the physical effects yet, though I really shouldn't just yet, as it takes between 3-6 months of running seriously to see the changes, and I've only been running since late May/early June, so I'm barely to 3 months now. What I have noticed is my respiration has improved and has become a bit more efficient, and my resting pulse can go down pretty low.

Once I get back up north, I'm definitely planning to register for a road race...probably a 5k/8k, but a 10k might be a nice way to go. Plan is for a half-marathon in early spring, and possibly a full marathon towards the summer. But there is alot of time between now and then, and I need to do my laundry, sleep, and go to work in the morning, so good night.

Yes, I understand I bore you to death. I'm sorry, I just suck at writing, and lack the faculties to write interesting things. Plus Maryland kind of sucks as a place to live. Replace "kind of" with "like a vacuum".


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Posted 22:46 by Tycho

QNNKA KSKGY KQOLL
TKCSK GINAN PXXXX

Cipher: Playfair
Keyword: LOCKED

Good luck.


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Posted 18:47 by Tycho

I would like to give everyone here a good idea of how geeky WPI is. First, a short quote:

After saying something wrong to your girlfriend, you yell "Control Z, Control Z!"

And now for the other 420 Top Signs that you belong at WPI: Geek@WPI.

Warning: the link is a very long list, but it is a hilarious insight to daily life at WPI. Take it in stages. And then marvel at how I have managed to stay somewhat sane.

I could go on, but that would just bore you, and the webpage does a damn good job showing how quirky and fun engineers can be. Screw it. I'll torture you anyways.


366. You and your friends have ever tried to make the bubbler shoot farther or have colder water.

367. You break the bubbler attempting the above. (It can be done!)

###. You do this before going out on a Tuesday night. (Playing field is dark)

221. When someone on your floor has derived the equation for one of the bubblers and posted it above the water fountain itself, complete with picture and notes showing all work.

222. You graph the above equation [f(x) := ((-19/135)*x^2)+((38/15))*x;] in Maple, realize it's wrong and fix it.

Sorry, I needed to revel in geekiness for a minute, as I have missed being at school greatly. I hope you enjoyed the select quotes, and I hope you read the entire thing, as there are many of them that are damn funny. I don't know if all of them being 100% true to be a good thing or a bad thing yet.


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Posted 13:01 by Tycho

Today has been uneventful so far. Needless to say, I didn't do the Freedom Walk. The walk started at 10, but we needed to show up at 9 for our "walking credentials" (WTF, mate?). That meant we would have had to be have been at the Metro at 8, which meant leaving the apartment at about 7:30...which was not going to happen. Not after getting in so late.

Anyways, the end of the day is shaping up to be a lazy one, because I'm too lazy to get dressed.

And...another run report! Ok, first, I will do my best to avoid ALL alcohol on the day of, or night before, ANY run. I ran shorter distance and for a shorter time today (24:56), and the alcohol REALLY hurt me. Let me assure you, today's run was nothing close to be what could be considered "fun", unless your definition of fun involves getting bashed in the head with a dead fish. Or an alaskan snow crab. Mmm...lobster...

The dehydration due to alcohol was quite noticeable. I still don't see what is so special about it. The only reason I had any last night was because it was pretty cheap (excepting the first drink).
I still prefer Diet Pepsi as my drink of choice.

As you can see, I have nothing interesting to report. Bye.




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Posted 01:39 by Tycho

Lucky people, get two run reports in one day.

Ok, first, tonight. Had a long island iced tea (why is it called "tea", if it is actually coke?), a shot of whiskey, and two glasses of Bass. The Bass was added in only because it was cheap (we knew someone who got us into the WAKA party upstairs). I feel bad because I shouldn't be drinking ANY alcohol due to my training schedule.

Watching "The Man with the Screaming Brain" right now, and its...weird. Whoa, Bruce Campbell just killed someone. Awesome. And someone is now wiping ink all over their face...ok...this movie is now officially strange.

Now for the run report. Went running at about 4:30, when it was warm out and sunny out, but very nice out. Ran for about 3.75-4.00 miles again, but did it at a slightly slower pace today (29:39 for time). Tomorrow's run will be a timed run, as opposed to distance, and I am aiming for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, but I might just make it a regular run, depending on how hydrated I am.

I was going to do the Freedom Walk tomorrow, but seeing as I only got in a short while ago, I doubt that will be happening, but let us see when I wake up.

Good night, all, and fare ye well.





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Posted 13:15 by Tycho

First, new post template. Every post will contain my run report at the very end. I find that I get VERY motivated to run when I write about the runs, as well as discuss said runs with the members over at Cool Running.

Ok. Last night was alright. Went to a house party in D.C., with donations going to the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina. It wasn't anything special, probably because I didn't know anyone there, which made me feel a bit out of place. Russell St. Party Time is the standard I hold parties to, and it's a tough order to measure to RSPT. I still don't really understand how people can enjoy standing around, with barely enough room to move, in stuffy, hot rooms, with beer that looks (and tastes) like piss, and getting drunk. In fact, I don't understand the big fad about getting drunk. Woot! Let's drink this stuff that'll impair judgement and motor control for a couple hours of feeling slightly better, and we'll wake up the next morning (or afternoon) with MASSIVE hangovers! OH YEAH!

That isn't to say drinking in moderation is bad (in fact, that is perfectly fine and actually does have a good effect)--just drinking to get trashed, which is what most college parties are like. And that disgusts me. I can't fathom the obsession with drinking. I have spent quite a few friday and saturday nights by myself playing billiards because all everyone else wanted to get piss drunk. Have fun, stay safe, thanks for the invite, but I'll stay here. That only happened on weekends when my roommates went home though.

Anyways, enough of moral arguments. TV stations down here don't carry Sox/Yank games, to both me (rabid Sox fan) and my roommate (rabid Yank fan) are equally pissed.

Since I need to do some declogging soon, I'll get straight to the run report now from yesterday's excursion. Duration: 28:16. Distance: not sure, 3.75-4.00 miles. Terrain: rolling hills. Temp: nice. Felt: excellent. Time to go running, bye.







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Posted 21:06 by Tycho

Warning: Ranting!

Alright, first, I have to admit something. I've let me dedication to running slip. At the end of an exhausting day (which is good, as it means I'm doing stuff), the last thing my body wants to do is go running. Generally I force myself to go, and I feel much better for it, but the past couple days have been difficult. My running log ends at 114.5 miles...I haven't bothered to update it in a long long time, so I have no idea where I'm at now. I thing I could guesstimate, since I've been doing anywhere from 4-6 miles every day (at first, but now it's more every other day). I NEED to get my motivation back. When I was running everyday, I felt better, felt more balanced, and also tended to eat better. Resting heart rate would get down to about 44-48 (but then again, I'm taking my pulse for 10 seconds and multiplying it by 6, so theres error in there).

I KNOW I should go out and do it, should FORCE myself to do it, regardless of how I feel, regardless of how hot it is out there (and trust me, it is HOT), regardless of what time it is, regardless if I'm going by myself or not (going with someone else is a big help--the miles do get lonely).

GOAL: tomorrow is Friday. I think. Either way, I am to drink 3 bottles of water during the day tomorrow, and run as soon as I get home from work (or shortly thereafter), and do 3-4 miles. Afterwards, spend time stretching and weight lifting, as well as drink an additional 2 bottles of water.

Rant is officially over. Life is good, Sci-Fi channel said Stargate was on tonight, but they lied (boo! hiss! I want Stargate!). We should be getting parts and materials either tomorrow or Monday, meaning we can move forward with our project. Today, we got a good amount of writing done, not a HUGE amount, but a good start. Unfortunately, it was the easiest stuff, and was the shortest part of the paper. Next up is the section on lunar geography, geology, as well as mineral crystallography (which is very interesting, but at the same time, quite boring), then explaining how the crystal structure of the minerals defines their properties (yippee!).

What is up for this weekend? I don't know. Probably a second trip to the Air and Space museum as it is just that kickass. Maybe a trip to the Museum of Natural History. It's really great that they are free...because both warrant MANY visits.

Allow me to communicate to you my desire to have your guns.




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Posted 19:06 by Tycho

Alright! Here are some select pictures (a few of the fifty or sixty I took) from the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum.


This is from the WW1 exhibit. This is a depiction of a British soldier killed as he was trying to cross the wire in no-man's land." The exhibit is extremely effective in conveying the slaughter that was characteristic of trench warfare, doubly effective because it takes the viewer by complete surprise. I'm not going to comment further...this one was a tough one to look at.


That silvery one is the epitome of "p\/\/3d!!!". To give some perspective on it, the base of the cartridge is a smidgeon over an inch in diameter. It puts holes in things. Big holes.


This is a .50cal General Electric Vulcan Cannon and has an output of about 6 200 rpm (just over 100rps). In addition to laying waste to things, it has been extensively used in the hentai-porn industry for years.


This here is a Skyhawk fighter with the name of "Bon Homme Richard". Since that massive bomb under the wing pretty much says it all, I'm now going to bore you all with a history of its name.

In 1779, John Paul Jones took command of the USS Bonhomme Richard (42 gun frigate). On 23 September 1779, it engaged the HMS Serapis (45 gun frigate) near East Yorkshire. Serapis delivered two devastating broadsides to Bonhomme Richard, cutting its mast and holing the ship below the waterline. At some point, Bonhomme Richard's ensign was shot off, and the British commander asked if Jones had struck the colors, whereupon Jones replied with the famous phrase "I have not yet begun to fight.". As evidence of this, Bonhomme Richard then rammed Serapis, tied to her, and a boarding party from Bonhomme Richard was sent aboard Serapis and captured her by force.


Japanese Zero. Most likely made of wood. Was a terror of the skies in '41-'42, but was a POS by the time '44 came around. In a single battle, more than 420 Japanese Zeros were shot down. This action was later called the "Marianas Turkey Shoot".


British Spitfire Mk. VII. 4x .303 cal machine guns, 2x 20mm cannons. Capable of kicking ass and taking names from 0 to 45 000 feet.


B-26 bomber. That's not a name I'd want to be flying with. Those red bomb shaped decals you see on the fuselage are a physical marker of the number of sorties/bombing missions the plane has conducted. You see reflections because it is in a glass display case (the back half is chopped off so as to give us a view into the cockpit and crewpit).

I'm too lazy to upload more now.

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Posted 21:55 by Tycho

Cead mile failte!

So...today...woke up far too early (11:20 or so). I had been planning on going running, but was asked if I wanted to go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Answer: HELL FUCKING YEAH I do!

It is the bestest museum in the whole damn world! Unfortunately was only able to spend a couple hours there before having to take the metro back. Oh, the metro down here is FUCKING AMAZING. I don't know why the hell we put up with the MBTA, the piece of shit that it is.

Anyways, I've got lots of pictures from the museum, but I need to get PhotoBucket to work first before I can post them.

I feel slightly cheated. I'll never have the chance to go to the stars, to explore the reaches of the universe. No, instead I get stuck in a period where space travel is only used for political means, goals, and expediency. No serious effort is being made to project mankind into space.

It is our destiny. We belong out there. We have nothing here--space is our only hope. Our race is going to die, one way or another, if we do not all realize this and make a concerted effort towards the creation of a sustainable space program. Instead of listening to von Braun, presidents have ignored his suggestions for a permanent infrastructure.

For one, in five billion years, if we don't somehow leave Earth and permanently colonize other planets or star systems, the sun will go red giant, and will expand out to engulf Earth's orbit. For two, and you're going to think me a crazy nutter, at some point, contact with alien life WILL be made--and what are the odds that it will be friendly? Odds that it will be hostile?

We need to assert ourselves, and our project a base of power. I hate to say it, but this probably won't happen until some sort of world government is formed, and I feel we're about a thousand years away from one in our current state. Cooperation between the different space agencies (NASA, ESA, NASDA, ISA, etc.) may quicken this projection appreciably, but not significantly.

But instead of doing this, we use space travel and exploration as a pawn to be sacrificed for political goals. Did you know that most of the discoveries and comforts we know of come from research that was done for the space program during the space race?

Speaking of research, at the museum, I came across and exhibit about Dark Matter. Not much is known about it, other than it exists, comprises 90% of the mass in the universe, and doesn't radiate energy, or at least energy we can't detect (yet). This is extremely disturbing to me. For one, in order to do this, the matter has to be the exact opposite of a perfect blackbody (a perfect transmitter). As we've all learned, nothing is perfect or ideal. There has to be some absorbtion of energy, but there is no evidence of this. One idea did cross my mind concerning this, that maybe dark matter acts as a clear piece of glass. The clear piece of glass will transmit light through it almost perfectly, with little or no loss (some scattering occurs, but this can be minimized to be negligible); there is only one side effect: the light slows down as it travels through the glass (moving at < 186 000 mps), and so it exits at an angle that is different than the angle it entered at. Maybe dark matter works the same way with all energy--transmits almost all of it through (with very little "scattering"), but the energy is "refracted" and so comes out in a different "angle" (wavefunction now out of phase?) than when it entered the dark matter. Quotations are used because I am not sure how to describe the reaction--so far as I know, no one does. It's just an idea.

Or maybe it is a new phase of matter (much like we determined there were 4 states of matter [plasma], and not 3, a while ago), and reacts in a characteristic manner for this phase.

Another thought: maybe dark matter isn't actually matter at all, but is a particle. This particle's reaction with being in space is to curve it (cause gravity), but without having appreciable mass. Therefore we get the gravity attributed to dark matter, and also can explain why it is undetectable. All particles are detectable, but under different circumstances, and we just don't have the particular method to detect this particle just yet. Maybe they act like electrons the two slit experiment, where an electron's position is described by a wavefunction, which collapses into a point mass when detected, excepting for the dark matter particle, the wavefunction collapses into nothing (self-annihilation), or into point mass (extremely low mass, less than that of a photon).

I don't know. Not knowing bothers me. There is so much to learn about in this world, and so little time.

Ok, enough out of me. I actually have nothing to report about that would be interesting to anyone that reads this. Sorry I continually expose you to the crap that I write.

I'll get to work on seeing if I can get those pictures up.




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