Here is a low-res picture of my final project. We had to do a lame lighting design for our future Tekbot, so I decided to do the chaser sequence as seen on KITT in Knight Rider, with two major differences: 1) I only had 6 LEDs rather than 7; 2) It was not feasible to have both a chaser and fader, so I had to stick with just the chaser. It looks fine when viewed in real time, but when captured in still shots, you can see almost any pattern of lights at any given time. In this shot, both ends are brighter than the middle. This is not apparent when seen in action though. I would possibly write more, but I really need some sleep so I can get up for class in the morning.

EULAs, etc.

Ever wonder who actually reads those 200-word license agreements for software? I know with all the spyware and malware out there, I think about it, but can't bring myself to read all the legal gibberish. PC magazine recently featured Javacool Software's free EULAlyzer. In seconds, it will analyze EULAs and list detailed words and phrases which you should look over prior to installing. It can let you know if the software you are about to install will display pop-ups, transmit personal information, etc. It's free, so you have nothing to lose. It is available at www.javacoolsoftware.com/eulalyzer.html.

Just a note, nothing too interesting to most, but this blog tool I use is part of google. How long until they own a majority of the net? Well, that's all I have for tonight.

Happy Thanksgiving

For those who prefer fish to turkey, here is a holiday meal just for you. Just don't share it with your Disney-loving children.

Now, I have a serious question for anyone who can answer it. Why do electrical engineers have to learn about the spherical coordinate system? I have never seen such a confusing group of greek letters, and I can honestly ask, "when will I ever use this?"

By the way, I still hate Sony. You should check out their crazy ass-EULA, ass posted on www.eff.org:

1. If your house gets burgled, you have to delete all your music from your laptop when you get home. That's because the EULA says that your rights to any copies terminate as soon as you no longer possess the original CD.
2. You can't keep your music on any computers at work. The EULA only gives you the right to put copies on a "personal home computer system owned by you."
3. If you move out of the country, you have to delete all your music. The EULA specifically forbids "export" outside the country where you reside.
4. You must install any and all updates, or else lose the music on your computer. The EULA immediately terminates if you fail to install any update. No more holding out on those hobble-ware downgrades masquerading as updates.
5. Sony-BMG can install and use backdoors in the copy protection software or media player to "enforce their rights" against you, at any time, without notice. And Sony-BMG disclaims any liability if this "self help" crashes your computer, exposes you to security risks, or any other harm.
6. The EULA says Sony-BMG will never be liable to you for more than $5.00. That's right, no matter what happens, you can't even get back what you paid for the CD.
7. If you file for bankruptcy, you have to delete all the music on your computer. Seriously.
8. You have no right to transfer the music on your computer, even along with the original CD.
9. Forget about using the music as a soundtrack for your latest family photo slideshow, or mash-ups, or sampling. The EULA forbids changing, altering, or make derivative works from the music on your computer.

All the buzz is about First4Internet's XCP, but no Sony is saying nothing about its discs with MediaMax DRM from SunnComm, which installs files on your computer even if you decline the EULA. The following is from www.freedom-to-timker.com:

MediaMax installs without meaningful consent or notification

When a MediaMax-protected CD is inserted into a computer running Windows, the Windows Autorun feature launches a program from the CD called PlayDisc.exe. Like most installers, this program displays a license agreement, which you may accept or decline. But before the agreement appears, MediaMax installs around a dozen files that consume more than 12 MB on the hard disk. Most are copied to the folder c:\Program Files\Common Files\SunnComm Shared\, shown below:

These files remain installed even if you decline the agreement. One of them, a kernel-level driver with the cryptic name “sbcphid”, is both installed and launched. This component is the heart of the copy protection system. When it is running, it attempts to block CD ripping and copying applications from reading the audio tracks on SunnComm-protected discs. MediaMax refrains from making one final change until after you accept the license—it doesn’t set the driver to automatically run again every time Windows starts. Nevertheless, the code keeps running until the computer is restarted and remains on the hard disk indefinitely, even if the agreement is declined.

Sony will likely get away with only a few scrapes because most people are unaware of everything they have been up to. Only the tech community is savvy to their activities, and unfortunately, that means most mainstream media are not making people aware of the problem.

Okay, I've railed against Sony enough for the day. I hope everyone had a great holiday with their friends. family, roommates, or whoever they spent the day with. I get to work in the morning so I will go for now.

Windows Sucks Ass

Not that I didn't hate Windows already, but here is just another example of why. I have an external hard drive connected via USB. Sometimes when I go to stop the device, I am told to try later. Indexing is disabled and nothing that I can see is accessing the drive. In addition to this, I have notice another item worth mentioning. In previous versions of Windows, you would occasionally receive a message telling you that Windows had performed a fatal exception or some similar message. Now it's just, "an error has occurred." It's not Microsoft's fault. It simply "occurred," nothing actually "performed" this exception, it just happened.


By the way, Sony sucks too. If you haven't heard about all the trouble Sony is in, you sould look at any technical news site, such as slashdot.org or just google "Sony DRM" or "Sony rootkit" and prepare to be apalled. Gotta thank Sony for compromising millions of computers. Last I heard, they had 3 lawsuits against them. I hope they get sued for all they're worth.

Finals are coming up soon. As long as I can get a C on my biology final, I'll be okay in that class. Engineering is no problem. I have an A with no test to take. Vector Calculus is a different story though. The final determines my grade in the class. I failed both midterms. The first had a lot to do with my struggle with my CS class before I finally dropped it so I could focus on my other classes. The second midterm I failed because I didn't have enough time to finish. For our final, we have twice the time, so hopefully the final isn't twice as long. Our instructor drops our lowest test grade, so the final is my chance to redeem myself. However, I will likely need a B on the final in order to get a C in the course, which I need. Well, that's it for now.

Burning the 5AM Oil

Last night was supposed to be a long night of sleeping, especially since I got very little sleep Sunday night. However, my roommates and I decided to go to the rec center to play basketball and racquetball. It was fun, but I definitely need to exercise more because I was feeling every bit of my almost 29 years. Anyway, we left around midnight and went back to the apartment. We started playing poker. The longer we played, the more we talked, until we were only talking and no longer playing. We talked about life in our respective countries, religion, politics, and eventually were just telling jokes. Actually, they were telling jokes since I have a superhuman gift for forgetting every joke I've ever heard. When we looked at the clock, it was 5am...are you seeing a pattern here? It seems that when we hang out, we don't sleep. Two of us had class at 9am, so there was no way we were going to be able to sleep and get up in time, so we stayed awake. However, we kept dozing off in our class. I had no other classes for the day, so I ate something and went to sleep around 11am and slept until 5pm. Then I got up and ate dinner and worked on homework. I am getting my second wind...which I need to extinguish soon because I have lab at 8am. I have very little to say tonight because I am tired, and because I slept half the day and thus have fewer experiences and houghts to share. Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow.

Burning DVDs and Undercooking Dinner

Do you ever wonder who writes the instructions on microwavable dinners? They never seem to be quite right, no matter what microwave I use. Either you overcook your food or it is undercooked. I had a Hungry Man dinner tonight. I cooked it according to the directions and steam was rising from my chicken and cheddar potatoes. I poured some ketchup in the tray and began eating. The chicken wasn't even close to being warm, unless you live in the arctic, but then, you probably wouldn't be eating chicken, would you? All microwave are different. I suppose it would be like writing directions on how to burn DVDs using Linux, even though people have all different operating systems. The directions will be accurate for some, and not for others. Why not say, "remove the chicken from the tray and nuke the potatoes until they feel hot. Throw the chicken back in and nuke until they burn the skin off your fingers?" At least those directions would be more helpful. Also, how can they write that a serving size is half the package? Who eats half a TV dinner and saves the rest for another night? It's a little deceitful when you see "900-some" calories and it's for half your dinner.

I have some questions about laughter. First, why do we find it funny when people sound like a chipmunk? Second, has anyone actually heard a chipmunk talk like a chipmunk? Finally, why is laughter so infectious? You don't even have to know how the laughter originated. Hearing someone else laughing uncontrollably will eventually rub off on you. For instance, I saw a video clip from a talk show recently. It wasn't even in English, but I was able to discern that it was a serious topic. This man and women were very sad and talking about some traumatic experience such as the less of a child. The interviewer, or host, began laughing and could not control himself. I had no idea what was going on, but after a minute or so, I found myself engulfed in laughter. The only thing that ended my gut-rolling was the ending of the video clip.

Well, I suppose that's all the wisdom I have to dispense and all the questions I have for now.

A Day of Disappointments

Today, I was saddened to discover that Eddie Guerrero, famed WWE wrestler, has died. For the past four years, he has led a sober and clean life. He was apparently found dead in his bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth...likely from heart failure. My heart goes out to his friends, wife, and three daughters.

In comparison, this seems so trivial, but my tiny26 electronics chip was killed tonight. I was in my living room, hooking LEDs to the PCB, watching them blink randomly. Apparently this was quite fascinating to my daughter as well. I should say right here that my daughter is amazingly well-behaved. She only acts up when she is extremely tired and cranky. She has never been one to mess with other people's things. In fact, she has never been one to put things in her mouth, even as a baby. Anyway, taking this into consideration, I have never had to worry about leaving her alone with my things. Tonight, I went into the other room for a few minutes, and when I came back, all of my components and board were on the carpet. When I tried to connect my LEDs, nothing happened. I can no longer get my board to work. I came up with a lighting display for my board tonight. If anyone is old enough to remember the show Knight Rider, you will recall KITT's red scanner lighting kit. That is the lighting effect I have decided to emulate. The programming for this is supposed to be done tomorrow, but that's going to be difficult with my chip fried. Oh well. Life goes on.

Additionally, my team, the Oakland Raiders, got their asses handed to them today. Actually, Collins got his ass handed to him. The defense did awesome, and Collins single-handedly negated all of their hard work.

I think that's all I have to complain about. Well, I have to drive to Corvallis is the morning so I will go for now. My next posting will be a little more upbeat than this.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Did anyone see the Oregon State-Stanford game tonight? Did Stanford bring their own ref with them. Most of the calls I agree with, but for a while there, the calls were very questionable at the least. Oregon State is penalized for roughing the kicker and roughing the passer, with no injuries inflicted. However, when Stanford does the same thing to Oregon State, and actually injures the QB enough to bench him for the rest of the game (and possibly season), there is no penalty called. What's up with that. Next week is the Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State. The Beavers need the win.

Another gripe: "studies" that suggest violent behavior is linked to rap/rock music and violent video games. In case people haven't heard, the government just released a study and juvenile crime is down about 30%. So, if crime is down, how do you explain the "fact" that video games are making menaces of the youth? Perhaps crime is down because people have an outlet for their anger and frustration. I know I feel better after toasting some Nazi's in Medal of Honor. At any rate, video games do not equal crime.

For all you math geeks, or anyone who has taken integral calculus, write the expression: the integral of e to the x is equal to f of the quantity u to the n. Now take a look at what it spells. I know, it's a bit immature, but it's still funny.

If you haven't seen The Backyardigans on Nick Jr. You should check it out, especially if you have children, are a child, or have child-like tendencies. The characters are CGI animals: Pablo, Tyrone, Austin, Uniqua, and Tasha. They have a great time make-believing they are pirates, ghosts, yeti-hunters, cowboys, etc. They sing fun, catchy songs that coordinate with the show.



Why must religion be such a divisive thing? Hell, it seems that religion is more divisive than politics. I think everyone needs to learn a little tolerance. I grew up in a Christian church and my interest declined sometime after high school. I still like non-denominational Christianity. It is a very romantic experience. Perhaps many religions are like this and I romanticize it above others because I know it best. Just because I like it does not mean I believe in it though. Most religions, despite their differences, subscribe to the same basic tenets. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity have similar histories, and all have incorporated the worship practices and cultures of those around them. People can deny this all they want, but the truth is there. I will use a few Christian concepts as an example.

Christians originally worshipped on Saturday. When Rome was Christianized by Constantine, who was not a believer at that time BTW, the worship of the sun was dominant. That is where Sunday is derived from. The worship of the sun was done on his day. His symbol was the cross of light. In order to push another religion onto pagans, it is best to incorporate their own customs into the new religion. So these new Christianized pagans began worshipping on Sunday. They continued to use the cross as a religious icon, but now it was supposed to be a symbol of Jesus the Christ death on a cross. Additionally, Easter was originally a celebration of the rebirth of nature in the spring. In order to keep people happy, the Christian (Catholic) church kept the holiday, but it was now to be a celebration of the Christ's return from the dead (rather than nature's). Additionally, Jesus' birth had been celebrated in January (and still is by the orthodox church). However, these pagans had a huge celebration December 25th, the celebration of the winter solstice...when the days grew longer (read: the sun god began his return to dominance). In order to Christianize the solstice, Christ's birthday was moved back a couple weeks.

Don't get me wrong, I think religion is great. It gives many people the strength they need to carry on in this life. For others, it gives them the power to regain control of their lives. Because it has led to good for many people, I cannot be against it. Besides that, there is no way to know whether there is truth in religion or not. If you haven't figured out yet, I am agnostic.

If you have been led to believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God, then you should check out the Skeptic's Annotated Bible. Additionally, the have links for the Quran and the Book of Mormon. Don't be afraid to question things. It will either point out fallicies in your beliefs, or it will reaffirm your beliefs. I wouldn't dream of telling you what to believe. I just want to make sure you have all the information to make an educated decision.

Well, I think that's enough for one night. My daughter is still awake and will likely not sleep until I am away from this screen. Talk to you later.

A Rocky Start

Where do you suppose that phrase began? "He got off to a rocky start..." Honestly, the first thing that pops into my mind is Rocky Balboa. Granted, the phrase most certainly did not originate here, but even in this context it makes sense. In all Rocky movies, he has great obstacles to overcome. The beginning is always rocky for him. At any rate, this blog will have a rocky beginning also, but hopefully it will go on to become rocky in the Rocky Balboa sense as well.

I must apologize if I have lost you already. I could blame it on my lack of sleep. After all, my roommates and I were up until 5:30 this morning studying for our second Vector Calculus midterm. However, I'm sure you will find that, more often than not, my postings will be in a style similar to this. That's not to say I don't have moments of great clarity and brilliance, because I do. But those times are generally wrapped up in moments such as this.

I suppose I should give you a little background information since this is my first posting, which means that you likely know nothing about me. I am 28 years old and will turn 29 on December 4th. I am currently a student at Oregon State University. Yes, I am a Beaver. Make your jokes and laugh. When you are done gut-rolling, you can finish learning about who I am.

I grew up in Lewiston, Idaho. I lived there from birth (well, technically, I was born in Pasco, Washington) until I was two years old. My parents got divorced at that point in time and my sister and I lived with our mother until I was (I believe) 4 years old. During that time, a lot happened in my life--most of it traumatic--which I may detail in the future. I lived in Lewiston until August 2000, when I moved to Boise with my girlfriend. We had been dating since January 1998 and she had been hired at Micron Technology. We got married October 20, 2001 (a mere month after the World Trade Center was destroyed). On April 17, 2002, our daughter, Hailey, was born. Now, I hate to get side-tracked...actually, I live for getting side-tracked...but this is great time to say something. I love commas. Okay, I don't love them in an "I want to marry them" sort of way (I'm no polygamist), but I have an affinity for them. Just look over this post, count the number of commas I have used, and ask yourself, "Is this normal?"

Okay, back to my narration: Around that time, my in-laws had bought a business on the southern Oregon coast and were looking for some help running it. They also wanted to get us out of Idaho and away from Wal-mart (our current employer at that time). By the way, I have nothing but the best of feelings about Wal-mart, but that is a whole blog topic on its own. They wanted to help us expand our horizons and add to our life experience. When Hailey was 2 weeks old, we made the move.

Now, my wife and daughter still live in southern Oregon, and my wife still manages the business for her parents. I manage it on Saturdays still, and will also work there over holidays and summer. As you can see from my blog title, I am a future engineer. I am taking classes at OSU to get my BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering. I took care of all my general courses at a community college, so I am left with nothing but math, science, and engineering/computer science courses.


This term, I am taking ECE 111, which is an intro to engineering course. It is totally lame. The college is in the process of transforming their College of Engineering, so some classes are being redesigned. ECE 111 is a brand new course, and all we have done for the past 6 weeks is learned what an engineer is, how much money they make, and what they do. Nothing else. Our recitations have included a campus tour, listening to people talk about what they are doing in engineering, as well as an online scavenger hunt for information (basically a test of how fast you can google). Then, last week we are given a PCB (printed circuit board), a chip, and some other components. We are given a layout and need to solder the components onto the PCB. That's easy enough. The we have to hook LEDS up to it and program the chip with a C compiler. Okay...LEDs...not a problem. Programming the chip...problem. We haven't done any programming yet, and with no intro, no basics, they tell us to program this damn chip...right. Then, this week, they tell us we are having a two-week lab. We need to creat a signature lighting display for our Tekbots, which we will obtain and design in future terms. We are told that this assignment includes programming, layout, and design. WTF? There is no knowledge base for us to work from. The class does nothing to prepare us for our recitation (lab), and previous labs were very basic, and now they want us to do things we know nothing about. Everyone I have talked to feels the same way.

I am also taking Vector Calculus (MTH 254). Two of my roommates are in this class with me, hence the long study session last night (Thursday night). My other class is Introductory Biology (Bi 211). It's okay. We spent 6 weeks learning about the plant kingdom, and now we are learning about animals. When we switched over to the animal kingdom, we switched instructors as well. This one told us to forget everything we had learned about plants...we no longer needed this information. He said plants are only good for 3 things: nests for birds, breathing, and salads.

Well, it is late, I am tired, my hand is cramping from being at my laptop for too long, and I have to work in the morning so I will wrap up this post. Hopefully you have some interest in reading more of what I have to say. If you want, feel free to leave comments or email me.