Yep, this is a post, after many months of inactivity. I've decided to expand the set of topics covered by this blog to more than just Go. One reason is that I play Go a lot less now than I did before, and another is that I finally made 1-dan! The event was not at all dramatic, as my KGS rank drifted across the 1d/1k line after several days of inaction, so there was never a game that pushed me across. But the biggest reason is that I didn't have that much to say on Go- as shown by the dearth of posts.
So, I will now be posting on anything interesting that comes to mind, and hopefully presenting some interesting perspectives. There will probably be much overanalysis, hopefully with stats and maps.
But first, I need a new name for the blog. Shodan has been achieved, and.....well, I suppose the Beyond means that I could still keep this name. But I think I'd prefer one without an explicit Go reference, since this will no longer be devoted to go.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Seeing fireworks from above
We saw the July 4th fireworks from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. That's the first time I've seen fireworks at a lower elevation than where I stood, and we saw fireworks from many towns on the Maine mainland- at least 10- as small flashes of light with barely discernable shape in the distance, across the bay that separates Mt. Desert Island from the mainland. Then, we saw the Bar Harbor fireworks, still small but much nearer and thus larger than the others, after a long wait.
Before this, we had driven to the summit which was enveloped in a cloud, and driven down a bit to a vantage point below the clouds at which we parked and saw the fireworks. As the night deepened and the Bar Harbor fireworks finally started, the cloud descended and pretty soon we were in the cloud....so of course it was cold and wet. So we left about halfway through the fireworks show, along with most people, figuring the rest of the show would be pretty similar.
As far as I can remember, that's the first time I've been in a cloud before.
The next day we went to Schoodic Point, which was really nice- it's a little out of the way, and you might not see it in a typical short visit to Acadia, but it's worth it, and has really great pounding surf on the rocks, better than anything we saw on Mt. Desert Island in that regard. Schoodic Point is, after all, a large outcrop of rock that looks like it belongs on a mountain, except that it juts into the sea and experiences its full power. Also, the water left stranded on the rocks when the tide receded surprisingly spanned a range of colors, from orange to deeper and deeper shades of red to almost black.
There's a lot more to write about, but I will keep this short and stop here. This new strategy of just picking a couple moments to focus on rather than trying to write a comprehensive summary of things is probably a good idea.
Before this, we had driven to the summit which was enveloped in a cloud, and driven down a bit to a vantage point below the clouds at which we parked and saw the fireworks. As the night deepened and the Bar Harbor fireworks finally started, the cloud descended and pretty soon we were in the cloud....so of course it was cold and wet. So we left about halfway through the fireworks show, along with most people, figuring the rest of the show would be pretty similar.
As far as I can remember, that's the first time I've been in a cloud before.
The next day we went to Schoodic Point, which was really nice- it's a little out of the way, and you might not see it in a typical short visit to Acadia, but it's worth it, and has really great pounding surf on the rocks, better than anything we saw on Mt. Desert Island in that regard. Schoodic Point is, after all, a large outcrop of rock that looks like it belongs on a mountain, except that it juts into the sea and experiences its full power. Also, the water left stranded on the rocks when the tide receded surprisingly spanned a range of colors, from orange to deeper and deeper shades of red to almost black.
There's a lot more to write about, but I will keep this short and stop here. This new strategy of just picking a couple moments to focus on rather than trying to write a comprehensive summary of things is probably a good idea.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Shake Shack
First post in ages (since I started working in fact...)!
The Shake Shack is a fast food stand in New York City's Madison Square Park. They are famous for exceptionally good burgers.....and exceptionally long lines. On Wednesday, I decided to try it out for lunch.
Unfortunately the wait time was longer than I anticipated- I spent about 45 minutes in line, and 10 more minutes waiting for my food to be prepared. Considering it's New York, it's really shocking that so many people are willing to wait so long for food! Is the food that good?
Well....the burgers are great, possibly on the level of those of In 'N Out Burger in California. Probably not good enough to warrant a wait of an hour for lunch though- and yet waiting in line outdoors in the park was actually quite nice. It's like an oasis from the fast moving pace of New York City. Perhaps that's why people are willing to wait so long for food here.
In my next 2 posts, I'll hopefully talk about Acadia National Park and Boston's newly renovated Harbor and Downtown.
The Shake Shack is a fast food stand in New York City's Madison Square Park. They are famous for exceptionally good burgers.....and exceptionally long lines. On Wednesday, I decided to try it out for lunch.
Unfortunately the wait time was longer than I anticipated- I spent about 45 minutes in line, and 10 more minutes waiting for my food to be prepared. Considering it's New York, it's really shocking that so many people are willing to wait so long for food! Is the food that good?
Well....the burgers are great, possibly on the level of those of In 'N Out Burger in California. Probably not good enough to warrant a wait of an hour for lunch though- and yet waiting in line outdoors in the park was actually quite nice. It's like an oasis from the fast moving pace of New York City. Perhaps that's why people are willing to wait so long for food here.
In my next 2 posts, I'll hopefully talk about Acadia National Park and Boston's newly renovated Harbor and Downtown.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
How to become super-rich
All you need to do is gain 1% a day in the stock market. If you start with $1000, and gain 1% every weekday, after 1 year you will have:
$13,291
After 2 years:
$178,417
After 3 years:
$2,395,048
After 4 years:
$32,150,879
After 5 years:
$431,590,038
After 6 years:
$5,793,619,508
You can be a millionaire in under 3 years, and a billionaire in under 6!
All you have to do is gain 1% a day......
Gaining 1% a day in stocks sure is hard, isn't it? What this also means is that the difference in skill between the best stock trader in the world and random guessing is a lot less than 1% a day. A lot less.
$13,291
After 2 years:
$178,417
After 3 years:
$2,395,048
After 4 years:
$32,150,879
After 5 years:
$431,590,038
After 6 years:
$5,793,619,508
You can be a millionaire in under 3 years, and a billionaire in under 6!
All you have to do is gain 1% a day......
Gaining 1% a day in stocks sure is hard, isn't it? What this also means is that the difference in skill between the best stock trader in the world and random guessing is a lot less than 1% a day. A lot less.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
3 Days Until Spring Break
And I have some time to relax today for what feels like the first time in forever.
There's been 3 big things causing me stress this semester: school, finding a job, and creating a research project/finding a mentor for the summer. For me, I've discovered stress is not really linked to how much work there is to be done, but rather to the number of different things I have to do. Fortunately, the third item on the list is resolved (at least for now) as of today, because I showed my mentor my project idea today, and things are on track. Still looking for a job, especially for the summer. Hopefully the place I interviewed at yesterday will offer me a position tomorrow, but if not, then at least I have gained some confidence now that I've had 2 interviews.
That, and a ton of schoolwork, is more or less what my life has been since February 16. It's become somewhat of a regular weekly cycle, unlike any of my previous semesters:
Sunday: Logic homework, starting Math Econ homework, catching up on other stuff.
Monday: Classes most of the day, then Math Econ homework at night. I usually finish this before midnight. Maybe work on Physics homework.
Tuesday: Sleep in pretty late (and get almost nothing done in the morning), Math Econ class, then volunteering at a bookstore. Maybe work on Physics homework.
Wednesday: Classes, then small group for fellowship, then Go Club, then Physics lab report, typically until 2-3 in the morning.
Thursday: Physics Lab and Math Econ, then I usually try to, but fail miserably at, getting work done in the afternoon. Then presidential honors scholars meeting sometimes, and then large group fellowship. Then Stats homework until 3 in the morning.
Friday: One class, then weekend! Which I use to catch up on job applications/research ideas/etc.
Saturday: Same as Friday afternoon/evening, except I am a lot more productive, as I usually just relax on Fridays.
Yeah, I put Sunday as the start of the week there, because that's how the cycle feels to me these days. My "weekend" is Friday afternoon to Saturday night.
I have a lot more to say, but not much time to say it tonight, so perhaps I'll leave that to another day. Back to reading the Wheel of Time series.
There's been 3 big things causing me stress this semester: school, finding a job, and creating a research project/finding a mentor for the summer. For me, I've discovered stress is not really linked to how much work there is to be done, but rather to the number of different things I have to do. Fortunately, the third item on the list is resolved (at least for now) as of today, because I showed my mentor my project idea today, and things are on track. Still looking for a job, especially for the summer. Hopefully the place I interviewed at yesterday will offer me a position tomorrow, but if not, then at least I have gained some confidence now that I've had 2 interviews.
That, and a ton of schoolwork, is more or less what my life has been since February 16. It's become somewhat of a regular weekly cycle, unlike any of my previous semesters:
Sunday: Logic homework, starting Math Econ homework, catching up on other stuff.
Monday: Classes most of the day, then Math Econ homework at night. I usually finish this before midnight. Maybe work on Physics homework.
Tuesday: Sleep in pretty late (and get almost nothing done in the morning), Math Econ class, then volunteering at a bookstore. Maybe work on Physics homework.
Wednesday: Classes, then small group for fellowship, then Go Club, then Physics lab report, typically until 2-3 in the morning.
Thursday: Physics Lab and Math Econ, then I usually try to, but fail miserably at, getting work done in the afternoon. Then presidential honors scholars meeting sometimes, and then large group fellowship. Then Stats homework until 3 in the morning.
Friday: One class, then weekend! Which I use to catch up on job applications/research ideas/etc.
Saturday: Same as Friday afternoon/evening, except I am a lot more productive, as I usually just relax on Fridays.
Yeah, I put Sunday as the start of the week there, because that's how the cycle feels to me these days. My "weekend" is Friday afternoon to Saturday night.
I have a lot more to say, but not much time to say it tonight, so perhaps I'll leave that to another day. Back to reading the Wheel of Time series.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
It's been a long time.
I've been really busy though, and still am. Hopefully this "break" I am currently taking in part to write this post will not take a horribly long time. I have homework due tomorrow and on Friday, after all. This week I've adopted a new strategy of having lunch at the Kimmel Center, right next to the library and the main building. This has vastly improved my productivity because it keeps me away from my dorm during the day, and thus stops me from procrastinating and surfing the internet and thus avoiding doing work. Instead I can use the time between my classes (often a couple hours) to study and do homework.
It's also a good idea, I think, to get to class a few minutes early instead of right on time. This is because you can study/work in the few minutes before class starts, and I have found I am amazingly productive at these times. You'd be amazed how much you can accomplish in 10 minutes! Of course, I don't mean doing homework due that day- that's a very stressful thing to do, something I figured out....junior year of high school.
As for Go, I've finally reached 2k! The 2 weeks I was at home in January, I spent many hours on Go, and it has paid off, though a little slower than I had expected. I'm not sure how long it will take to reach 1k- I'm cautiously optimistic that it won't take as long to move through 2k as it took to get through 3k. It was a real barrier for me, and of course I didn't play very much last semester. When I did play last semester, I tended not to be very focused on the game, and it was often when I was very tired. Improvement at Go is hard work, but it is also exhilirating and fun. I don't think I'll have very much time for Go this semester, but I'll try to make the most of it- that is, treat every game I do play seriously, and not to play when I am tired.
It's also a good idea, I think, to get to class a few minutes early instead of right on time. This is because you can study/work in the few minutes before class starts, and I have found I am amazingly productive at these times. You'd be amazed how much you can accomplish in 10 minutes! Of course, I don't mean doing homework due that day- that's a very stressful thing to do, something I figured out....junior year of high school.
As for Go, I've finally reached 2k! The 2 weeks I was at home in January, I spent many hours on Go, and it has paid off, though a little slower than I had expected. I'm not sure how long it will take to reach 1k- I'm cautiously optimistic that it won't take as long to move through 2k as it took to get through 3k. It was a real barrier for me, and of course I didn't play very much last semester. When I did play last semester, I tended not to be very focused on the game, and it was often when I was very tired. Improvement at Go is hard work, but it is also exhilirating and fun. I don't think I'll have very much time for Go this semester, but I'll try to make the most of it- that is, treat every game I do play seriously, and not to play when I am tired.
Monday, January 5, 2009
2008 in Review
Wow, I haven't posted in a month. Well, between finals and Christmas, I never really thought about this blog until now. I had started a game review back in early December, and maybe I'll finish it next update, but for now, here are my stats for 2007 and 2008:
2007:
Games: 578
Wins: 335
Losses: 243
Win Percentage: 57.96%
Black: 189-159 (54.31%)
White: 146-84 (63.48%)
2008:
Games: 689
Wins: 401
Losses: 288
Win Percentage: 58.2%
Black: 191-162 (54.11%)
White: 210-126 (62.5%)
Note that I only began playing in August of 2007, so the average number of games per month fell off drastically, from 115.6 to 57.4 (and 115.6 counts August as a whole month even though I only started at the end of August, so the 2007 number should really be even higher). But, I am pretty sure the average time spent per game also went up a lot in 2008.
Total win percentage and win percentages playing as black and white remained remarkably consistent, despite individual months often having wild swings in these stats (for example, in December 2008 I had a 38% win rate with black, and 70% with white). It should be noted that I played a much higher share of my games as white in 2008; that means I played more against even and lower ranked players, and less against higher ranked players.
Monthly win percentages:
8/07: 38% (18k-16k)
9/07: 53% (16k-11k)
10/07: 59% (11k-10k)
11/07: 59% (10k-9k)
12/07: 67% (9k-8k)
1/08: 66% (8k-6k)
2/08: 64% (6k)
3/08: 60% (6k-5k)
4/08: 60% (5k-4k)
5/08: 55% (4k)
6/08: 68% (4k)
7/08: 51% (4k-3k)
8/08: 51% (3k)
9/08: 44% (3k)
10/08: 48% (3k)
11/08: 60% (3k)
12/08: 56% (3k)
2007:
Games: 578
Wins: 335
Losses: 243
Win Percentage: 57.96%
Black: 189-159 (54.31%)
White: 146-84 (63.48%)
2008:
Games: 689
Wins: 401
Losses: 288
Win Percentage: 58.2%
Black: 191-162 (54.11%)
White: 210-126 (62.5%)
Note that I only began playing in August of 2007, so the average number of games per month fell off drastically, from 115.6 to 57.4 (and 115.6 counts August as a whole month even though I only started at the end of August, so the 2007 number should really be even higher). But, I am pretty sure the average time spent per game also went up a lot in 2008.
Total win percentage and win percentages playing as black and white remained remarkably consistent, despite individual months often having wild swings in these stats (for example, in December 2008 I had a 38% win rate with black, and 70% with white). It should be noted that I played a much higher share of my games as white in 2008; that means I played more against even and lower ranked players, and less against higher ranked players.
Monthly win percentages:
8/07: 38% (18k-16k)
9/07: 53% (16k-11k)
10/07: 59% (11k-10k)
11/07: 59% (10k-9k)
12/07: 67% (9k-8k)
1/08: 66% (8k-6k)
2/08: 64% (6k)
3/08: 60% (6k-5k)
4/08: 60% (5k-4k)
5/08: 55% (4k)
6/08: 68% (4k)
7/08: 51% (4k-3k)
8/08: 51% (3k)
9/08: 44% (3k)
10/08: 48% (3k)
11/08: 60% (3k)
12/08: 56% (3k)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Quick Post
Because I want to procrastinate!
I have played more Go recently, but have hit a period of a lot of work for school again. By the time that ends, it'll be time for finals, so it's looking like I may not have a lot of time for Go until Christmas Break. Of course, I typically don't get much time for online Go during breaks, especially during the holidays, so December will probably end up with a decent number of games, more than the last 3 months but below my average.
My first final is on Monday, in Economics. He scheduled it before Finals Week starts, during a normal class period.....not sure whether or not that's a good thing. Then I have my Probability final on Monday the 15th, my Early Middle Ages final on Thursday the 18th, and my Architecture in NY final on Friday the 19th. Hopefully that will finish early enough that I'll be able to get to Nashua in time to be at church that Friday night!
The last 2 semesters finals week has been torturous......hopefully it will not be this year. I know that the way to avoid that is to start studying early....but will I do it?
I have played more Go recently, but have hit a period of a lot of work for school again. By the time that ends, it'll be time for finals, so it's looking like I may not have a lot of time for Go until Christmas Break. Of course, I typically don't get much time for online Go during breaks, especially during the holidays, so December will probably end up with a decent number of games, more than the last 3 months but below my average.
My first final is on Monday, in Economics. He scheduled it before Finals Week starts, during a normal class period.....not sure whether or not that's a good thing. Then I have my Probability final on Monday the 15th, my Early Middle Ages final on Thursday the 18th, and my Architecture in NY final on Friday the 19th. Hopefully that will finish early enough that I'll be able to get to Nashua in time to be at church that Friday night!
The last 2 semesters finals week has been torturous......hopefully it will not be this year. I know that the way to avoid that is to start studying early....but will I do it?
Saturday, November 22, 2008
First Post in a Month
Well, almost a month. I've been really busy between schoolwork and the exciting latter rounds of the contest this past month, but the contest is over, and Thanksgiving Break is only a few days away, with no tests or assignments due until after, so I have time to play Go and post here again. It turns out I went 12 days without playing Go....that must be a record for me: I don't think I've gone that long without playing a single game since I started playing seriously at the end of last August.
Lately I've had a problem playing online: I keep falling asleep. This may seem strange to you, and it does to me, and it's probably why I haven't improved in a long time. Probably, I'm just really tired in general, and need more sleep. The last week of the contest sort of adjusted me to a 2-3 AM bedtime, so it may take a bit to adjust back to a normal 12-1 AM bedtime. Although, I didn't play Go at all last week, so I probably wasn't getting enough sleep before that.
Last week I wrote my second paper for Early Middle Ages, and took the second midterm for Probability. I think I did pretty well on that exam, although not as well as the first one. Well, I suppose it wasn't possible to do better than the first one (100), so that's not surprising. Either way, I hope I did well, although I'm a bit nervous. I'd like to keep an A in that class.
I'll be coming home on Wednesday. It's been a while, I'm looking forward to it!
Lately I've had a problem playing online: I keep falling asleep. This may seem strange to you, and it does to me, and it's probably why I haven't improved in a long time. Probably, I'm just really tired in general, and need more sleep. The last week of the contest sort of adjusted me to a 2-3 AM bedtime, so it may take a bit to adjust back to a normal 12-1 AM bedtime. Although, I didn't play Go at all last week, so I probably wasn't getting enough sleep before that.
Last week I wrote my second paper for Early Middle Ages, and took the second midterm for Probability. I think I did pretty well on that exam, although not as well as the first one. Well, I suppose it wasn't possible to do better than the first one (100), so that's not surprising. Either way, I hope I did well, although I'm a bit nervous. I'd like to keep an A in that class.
I'll be coming home on Wednesday. It's been a while, I'm looking forward to it!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
One Last Midterm
My Economics midterm is on Monday. I suppose it's technically not my last midterm of the semester, as Theory of Probability has 2 midterms, and the second one is coming up in a few weeks. But, after Monday, I'll have taken a midterm in each class, so this feels like my last midterm.
I'll need to do a lot more studying today and tomorrow. The material is very theory-based and mathematical, which is a good thing in that it makes it interesting, challenging, and more rigorous than it would be otherwise. My professor is funny and conveys the material well- his problem is that he does not do examples in class- only the theory. I think he also thinks we know a lot more math that we do (as a class). I suppose he expects us to learn how to solve the problems on our own (of course, if one really really understands the theory, the problems become easy), or he expects the TA to give us examples during the recitations. Unfortunately the TA is hard to understand....
Adding greatly to the problem is that we've received relatively little homework up to this point, giving us little opportunity to practice problem solving. Fortunately the most recent problem set was long and hard, and he gave us lots of other practice problems with which to study. I got an A on Early Middle Ages midterm, so that's 2 for 2 with 1 midterm I haven't gotten back yet, and 1 I still need to take. Hopefully it will become 4 for 4....unlikely because I doubt I'll get higher than an A- on the Architecture in NY exam I already took, but not impossible.
I'll need to do a lot more studying today and tomorrow. The material is very theory-based and mathematical, which is a good thing in that it makes it interesting, challenging, and more rigorous than it would be otherwise. My professor is funny and conveys the material well- his problem is that he does not do examples in class- only the theory. I think he also thinks we know a lot more math that we do (as a class). I suppose he expects us to learn how to solve the problems on our own (of course, if one really really understands the theory, the problems become easy), or he expects the TA to give us examples during the recitations. Unfortunately the TA is hard to understand....
Adding greatly to the problem is that we've received relatively little homework up to this point, giving us little opportunity to practice problem solving. Fortunately the most recent problem set was long and hard, and he gave us lots of other practice problems with which to study. I got an A on Early Middle Ages midterm, so that's 2 for 2 with 1 midterm I haven't gotten back yet, and 1 I still need to take. Hopefully it will become 4 for 4....unlikely because I doubt I'll get higher than an A- on the Architecture in NY exam I already took, but not impossible.
Friday, October 17, 2008
3 Midterms Done, 1 Successful Comeback, 1 Failed Comeback
It's been a very filled 3 days since I got back. On Wednesday, I got my Probability midterm back with a score of 100 as previously stated, then went to the library to study a bit for history, got dinner, and then went with my Christian fellowship here to Columbia to hear Chuck Colson, former special counsel to President Nixon, speak about his conversion to Christianity at an event called the Veritas Forum. I liked very much that Colson was not politically correct: the professor doing the "interview" repeatedly tried to get him to say that all beliefs are true, which is of course logically impossible but is politically correct. The real meaning of tolerance is that I will let you say and believe what you want even when I disagree. It does not mean I must agree with everything you say!
It was a very nice night with pleasant temperatures: we drove up to Columbia in a van and returned by subway. NYC is quite beautiful at night when all the lights are on. It was not necessary to show ID (nor did one have to be a Columbia student) to go onto the Columbia campus, or into the ticket box office, or the auditorium where the talk was held. Why must one show NYU ID to go into just about any NYU building? It's absolutely ridiculous. This is especially true as many events held in NYU buildings are open to non-NYU students also, as is the case at Columbia, but I'd imagine it's quite a hassle for non-NYU students to go to these events at NYU.
Thursday started off with Magus taking a small lead on Sandbag during the first hour of the poll, and accelerating his pace as the night went on. I went to bed at 2 because I had a midterm at 9:30, and I needed to sleep (at some point, sleep helps test performance more than further studying- besides, I wasn't going to get much studying done while refreshing sc2k5.com every 5 minutes). I got up at 7, and somewhat to my surprise, Magus still had a 900 or so vote lead, and had reached 1000 overnight, a number I'd thought earlier he probably wouldn't reach, but would be fairly safe at if he did. Magus then went almost even with Sandbag from 7 to 8, and gained back almost all of what he'd lost from 8 to 9- and the morning vote hadn't even ended yet.
I'd had breakfast and done a little more studying during this time, and I went to take my midterm, on which I feel I did fairly well. Perfectionism on the first part of the test resulted in a shortage of time at the end, but all in all, I was satisfied. I got back and to my joy, Magus was tearing Sandbag apart with the During School Vote. By 3 PM, the lead had reached 2150 and Sandbag had shown no signs of life really- he'd only won 2 hours, and gained a total of 150 votes or so during those hours. Magus had been pummeling him for hours since during the DSV, during which CT characters are good but not that good.
Then, it began. I've seen it happen enough times to dread it, to fear it even with a 2150 vote lead in a 4-way poll. Every year, it seems, everyone believes a CT character's lead is simply too large; that no one could lose THAT huge a lead. And every time, the CT character pulls off a shocking day vote collapse. I knew Sandbag still had a small chance here from past experience, but still, it hurt. Sandbag came back rapidly, gaining 400-500 votes an hour. But there was hope. The lead was big, and we knew Sandbag would slow immensely or stop past 8 PM. Axel had taken the lead on Frog then after coming back 1900 votes the previous year, and Frog had later pulled off a miracle comeback in the last hour.
But Frog was Frog- Frog simply does not lose close matches: first he finds a way to shock his supporters by pulling gigantic day vote collapses against characters he was supposed to beat handily. Then, when all hope is lost, Frog pulls off the impossible and WINS THE MATCH. Magus hadn't done anything impressive since 2003, and while he is in all likelihood stronger than Frog, he is not known for his prowess at winning close matches. But surely the CT fans who rallied Frog to victory would rally Magus too, right?
I went to the honors scholars seminar at 6 or so, and got back around 7:45. I'd been hoping that Magus would still have the lead when I got back- and he did! I thought if he could hold off the lead change until 8 he would have a good chance- because Sandbag's second night vote ought to be worse than Axel's. Sandbag ended up taking the lead on the exact update that Axel had taken the lead from Frog. He built his lead to about 100 votes higher than Axel had done, but then Magus started making sustained cuts earlier than Frog had done. There was hope!
10:45 approached. I'd had the Sox game on the past few hours and had been studying for today's architecture midterm. Magus's chance of coming back looked good, while the Sox looked hopeless as they were down 7-0. 10:45 was when Frog had started going berserk on Axel. But no change happened here. Magus continued making small cuts, with even a few Sandbag gains. Magus was not getting Frog's rally, or Sandbag was getting his own counterally (probable, given that we've never seen a joke character lose a close match). The Sox, however, did rally, getting 4 runs in the 7th, 3 in the 8th, and 1 in the 9th to WIN GAME 5!
In retrospect, while it's disappointing he lost to Sandbag, Magus actually put up a very impressive performance (better relative to expectations than either Frog or Crono this year) in breaking 40% on Sonic and nearly beating a joke character. As for the Sox: we're going to win the World Series again this year!
So, I did some more studying this morning, and I took the midterm after lunch. Then the class went on a walking tour even though we'd just taken a midterm. 'Twas a very entertaining walk, and I learned a lot about the history of NYU and the area today, but it was also the longest walk we've done yet- 2 and a half hours right after taking a midterm. But it's Friday, and we're going to the World Series. BELIEVE!
It was a very nice night with pleasant temperatures: we drove up to Columbia in a van and returned by subway. NYC is quite beautiful at night when all the lights are on. It was not necessary to show ID (nor did one have to be a Columbia student) to go onto the Columbia campus, or into the ticket box office, or the auditorium where the talk was held. Why must one show NYU ID to go into just about any NYU building? It's absolutely ridiculous. This is especially true as many events held in NYU buildings are open to non-NYU students also, as is the case at Columbia, but I'd imagine it's quite a hassle for non-NYU students to go to these events at NYU.
Thursday started off with Magus taking a small lead on Sandbag during the first hour of the poll, and accelerating his pace as the night went on. I went to bed at 2 because I had a midterm at 9:30, and I needed to sleep (at some point, sleep helps test performance more than further studying- besides, I wasn't going to get much studying done while refreshing sc2k5.com every 5 minutes). I got up at 7, and somewhat to my surprise, Magus still had a 900 or so vote lead, and had reached 1000 overnight, a number I'd thought earlier he probably wouldn't reach, but would be fairly safe at if he did. Magus then went almost even with Sandbag from 7 to 8, and gained back almost all of what he'd lost from 8 to 9- and the morning vote hadn't even ended yet.
I'd had breakfast and done a little more studying during this time, and I went to take my midterm, on which I feel I did fairly well. Perfectionism on the first part of the test resulted in a shortage of time at the end, but all in all, I was satisfied. I got back and to my joy, Magus was tearing Sandbag apart with the During School Vote. By 3 PM, the lead had reached 2150 and Sandbag had shown no signs of life really- he'd only won 2 hours, and gained a total of 150 votes or so during those hours. Magus had been pummeling him for hours since during the DSV, during which CT characters are good but not that good.
Then, it began. I've seen it happen enough times to dread it, to fear it even with a 2150 vote lead in a 4-way poll. Every year, it seems, everyone believes a CT character's lead is simply too large; that no one could lose THAT huge a lead. And every time, the CT character pulls off a shocking day vote collapse. I knew Sandbag still had a small chance here from past experience, but still, it hurt. Sandbag came back rapidly, gaining 400-500 votes an hour. But there was hope. The lead was big, and we knew Sandbag would slow immensely or stop past 8 PM. Axel had taken the lead on Frog then after coming back 1900 votes the previous year, and Frog had later pulled off a miracle comeback in the last hour.
But Frog was Frog- Frog simply does not lose close matches: first he finds a way to shock his supporters by pulling gigantic day vote collapses against characters he was supposed to beat handily. Then, when all hope is lost, Frog pulls off the impossible and WINS THE MATCH. Magus hadn't done anything impressive since 2003, and while he is in all likelihood stronger than Frog, he is not known for his prowess at winning close matches. But surely the CT fans who rallied Frog to victory would rally Magus too, right?
I went to the honors scholars seminar at 6 or so, and got back around 7:45. I'd been hoping that Magus would still have the lead when I got back- and he did! I thought if he could hold off the lead change until 8 he would have a good chance- because Sandbag's second night vote ought to be worse than Axel's. Sandbag ended up taking the lead on the exact update that Axel had taken the lead from Frog. He built his lead to about 100 votes higher than Axel had done, but then Magus started making sustained cuts earlier than Frog had done. There was hope!
10:45 approached. I'd had the Sox game on the past few hours and had been studying for today's architecture midterm. Magus's chance of coming back looked good, while the Sox looked hopeless as they were down 7-0. 10:45 was when Frog had started going berserk on Axel. But no change happened here. Magus continued making small cuts, with even a few Sandbag gains. Magus was not getting Frog's rally, or Sandbag was getting his own counterally (probable, given that we've never seen a joke character lose a close match). The Sox, however, did rally, getting 4 runs in the 7th, 3 in the 8th, and 1 in the 9th to WIN GAME 5!
In retrospect, while it's disappointing he lost to Sandbag, Magus actually put up a very impressive performance (better relative to expectations than either Frog or Crono this year) in breaking 40% on Sonic and nearly beating a joke character. As for the Sox: we're going to win the World Series again this year!
So, I did some more studying this morning, and I took the midterm after lunch. Then the class went on a walking tour even though we'd just taken a midterm. 'Twas a very entertaining walk, and I learned a lot about the history of NYU and the area today, but it was also the longest walk we've done yet- 2 and a half hours right after taking a midterm. But it's Friday, and we're going to the World Series. BELIEVE!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Back At School
I'm back at school after a good weekend home, and I got my Probability midterm back: I did get a 100. The cutoff for an A- was around an 80, the cutoff for B- was around a 60, and the class average was somewhere in between. So.....yay!
I don't have time for a longer post now, as I have to squeeze in time for more studying for my history midterm tomorrow (and my architecture midterm on Friday) and I am going to Columbia tonight with my Christian fellowship here to listen to a speaker. But I will probably make a longer post this weekend. Let's Go Red Sox!
I don't have time for a longer post now, as I have to squeeze in time for more studying for my history midterm tomorrow (and my architecture midterm on Friday) and I am going to Columbia tonight with my Christian fellowship here to listen to a speaker. But I will probably make a longer post this weekend. Let's Go Red Sox!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Aced My Midterm!
(I think)
I took my first midterm for Theory of Probability today, and I think I aced it. Hopefully I didn't make any stupid mistakes, and I'll get a 100. If not, I'm very confident I at least got a very high score. I was the first one in the class to finish, which completely shocked me (I never do that on math tests...). Maybe I have more talent in math than I thought.
I'll be coming home again this weekend: I miss you guys, so I'm very happy about that.
I took my first midterm for Theory of Probability today, and I think I aced it. Hopefully I didn't make any stupid mistakes, and I'll get a 100. If not, I'm very confident I at least got a very high score. I was the first one in the class to finish, which completely shocked me (I never do that on math tests...). Maybe I have more talent in math than I thought.
I'll be coming home again this weekend: I miss you guys, so I'm very happy about that.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
There's Nothing that the Road Cannot Heal
This is a wonderful song. The title of the song is actually Moab, and the artist is Conor Oberst.
I used up your compassion
So I've come to make a trade
You can hate me but just love me in return
If I know where to find you
I'll stay out of your way
I won't come back to borrow all the happiness you've earned
I'll just slide back down to the bottom
While you make your place in the hills.
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal!
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
They say the sun won't burn forever
But that's a science too exact.
I can prove it watch we're crossing the state line.
See those headlines coming towards us
That's someone going back
To a town they swore they'd never yeah
They swore it on their lives
But you can't break out of a circle
That you never knew you were in.
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
Someone spent their precious time
Trying to decorate their lives
Taking measurements for some new look they want
So from one to ten, ten's exactly what I am
Zero being everything I'm not
Tell me what you like
Is it less than five?
Is it less than five?
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
When I make it to Moab,
I'll get my canteen filled
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
I used up your compassion
So I've come to make a trade
You can hate me but just love me in return
If I know where to find you
I'll stay out of your way
I won't come back to borrow all the happiness you've earned
I'll just slide back down to the bottom
While you make your place in the hills.
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal!
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
They say the sun won't burn forever
But that's a science too exact.
I can prove it watch we're crossing the state line.
See those headlines coming towards us
That's someone going back
To a town they swore they'd never yeah
They swore it on their lives
But you can't break out of a circle
That you never knew you were in.
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
Someone spent their precious time
Trying to decorate their lives
Taking measurements for some new look they want
So from one to ten, ten's exactly what I am
Zero being everything I'm not
Tell me what you like
Is it less than five?
Is it less than five?
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
When I make it to Moab,
I'll get my canteen filled
There's nothing that the road cannot heal
Washed beneath the blacktop,
Gone beneath my wheels,
There's nothing that the road cannot heal.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
It's Frog Time!
Yep, everyone's favorite heart attack inducing amphibian swordsman is back! And he's not causing heart attacks today.....because he's on his way to his largest victory ever! To be fair, he's only up 3300 votes right now.....but by Frog standards, this is a landslide. Frog won't be needing to pull off a comeback in the last hour today!
I'm one of 72 people with 32 points right now. We are tied for 5th sitewide, and so 46 of us are on the leaderboard....I made some changes late in the bracket-making period, so I'm still not up there. Hopefully, I will be tonight (I think but am not sure that everyone with 32 now who has Ganon > Frog will be on the leaderboard tonight). If not tonight, I need to get on the leaderboard tomorrow night, because I have Scorpion > Balthier Monday, and that seems really unlikely to me right now....Gordon Freeman should take second.
Ganondorf is handily beating Frog currently for first.....but next round, Samus will in the poll. Can Frog overcome Ganon through the power of Nintendo SFF? And, if he does, can he beat Nightmare too? Well, we know what happens if it's close.....Frog builds an impressive lead overnight only to completely collapse with the day vote. And then, as we reach the last hour.....it's time for everyone to blare Frog's Theme as he pulls off a miraculous comeback!
Ganondorf is the big favorite here, and probably deservedly so. But can Frog (or Nightmare) pull it off? I think Nightmare has a chance, but don't particularly care if he beats Ganon, so I'll look at Frog's chances. How would other Chrono Trigger characters fare here?
Crono would probably take first due to Samus/Ganon SFF- at worst he gets second, a little behind Samus a way ahead of Ganon. Magus? Magus beat Ganon outright before, once upon a time we call 2003.....I know Magus/Ganon wouldn't be close at all now, but I can't see Ganon winning that one with the majority of his votes being taken away by Samus. But Frog is weaker than Magus.....yes, Frog has looked much better recently, but that's only because Frog always comes through and pulls off miraculous wins, while Magus keeps underperforming. But looking at their matches objectively, Magus is still stronger.
Frog, of course, has the clutch factor- if the match is close, you can count on Frog to win. So- will Frog/Ganon/Nightmare be close? Frog got around 27% of the Frog/Samus votes last year. Ganon got 40% against Samus directly back in 2005. Assuming those hold, and adding Ganon to Samus does nothing to the total strength of Nintendo in the poll (that is, Frog gets the same percentage against Samus or in a 3-way poll with Samus/Ganon), Ganon gets 40% of the 73% Samus/Ganon get. That gives him....29%. That's still above Frog, and Ganon probably adds a little more than nothing to Samus- only a little, but not quite zero. 29% is, however, below the 30% that Frog put up on Samus directly back in 2005.
Those stats don't really look good for Frog, but he may have been hurt a little by sharing some fanbase with Axel- and he may be a little stronger this year thanks to hype for CTDS (CT will be a lot stronger next year after it comes out!). He's impressing relative to KOS-MOS right now, a good sign. Nintendo SFF also works in strange ways, so it's possible Samus/Ganon would turn out quite differently from how it did back in 2005. That was a breakthrough year for the Nintendo villains, after all, with both Ganondorf and Bowser impressing. So, should Ganon be the favorite over Frog? Yes. Is there a chance it will be close? Yes. If it is close, can Frog win? Absolutely.
What of Nightmare? He put up 30% on Samus yesterday (30% of Samus/Nightmare votes anyway). That means he should probably also be favored over Frog next round. The most likely outcome is that Frog ends up in last....but we can hope, and we can play Frog's Theme to build up our hope!
Tomorrow's match is Vincent vs. Falco vs. GlaDOS vs. Wander. Vincent > Falco is the obvious result, but I'm surprised at how low people's expectations are for Falco. I mean, people expected Wario to beat Zack, some chose Lucario to get through division 1 with Link, and they don't think Falco have any strength? Fox has been heavily, heavily, underrated for years (I think he's at Kirby's level!....indirectly, at least), and while Falco isn't Fox, he should be stronger than Marth, because he's probably almost as popular as Marth in SSBM, and Star Fox is way way bigger than Fire Emblem 1. Melee > Brawl in strength, and Falco is going to prove it tomorrow by destroying GlaDOS completely (and yes, Vincent will still destroy him, but there's only 3 Nintendo characters Vincent wouldn't beat).
Prediction:
Vincent 52%
Falco 27.5%
GlaDOS 13.5%
Wander 7%
The 2008 60% Club
Link
The 50% Club
Link
Samus Aran
The 40% Club
Link
Samus Aran
Bowser
Zack Fair
Megaman X
Altair
Ganondorf
Mario
I'm one of 72 people with 32 points right now. We are tied for 5th sitewide, and so 46 of us are on the leaderboard....I made some changes late in the bracket-making period, so I'm still not up there. Hopefully, I will be tonight (I think but am not sure that everyone with 32 now who has Ganon > Frog will be on the leaderboard tonight). If not tonight, I need to get on the leaderboard tomorrow night, because I have Scorpion > Balthier Monday, and that seems really unlikely to me right now....Gordon Freeman should take second.
Ganondorf is handily beating Frog currently for first.....but next round, Samus will in the poll. Can Frog overcome Ganon through the power of Nintendo SFF? And, if he does, can he beat Nightmare too? Well, we know what happens if it's close.....Frog builds an impressive lead overnight only to completely collapse with the day vote. And then, as we reach the last hour.....it's time for everyone to blare Frog's Theme as he pulls off a miraculous comeback!
Ganondorf is the big favorite here, and probably deservedly so. But can Frog (or Nightmare) pull it off? I think Nightmare has a chance, but don't particularly care if he beats Ganon, so I'll look at Frog's chances. How would other Chrono Trigger characters fare here?
Crono would probably take first due to Samus/Ganon SFF- at worst he gets second, a little behind Samus a way ahead of Ganon. Magus? Magus beat Ganon outright before, once upon a time we call 2003.....I know Magus/Ganon wouldn't be close at all now, but I can't see Ganon winning that one with the majority of his votes being taken away by Samus. But Frog is weaker than Magus.....yes, Frog has looked much better recently, but that's only because Frog always comes through and pulls off miraculous wins, while Magus keeps underperforming. But looking at their matches objectively, Magus is still stronger.
Frog, of course, has the clutch factor- if the match is close, you can count on Frog to win. So- will Frog/Ganon/Nightmare be close? Frog got around 27% of the Frog/Samus votes last year. Ganon got 40% against Samus directly back in 2005. Assuming those hold, and adding Ganon to Samus does nothing to the total strength of Nintendo in the poll (that is, Frog gets the same percentage against Samus or in a 3-way poll with Samus/Ganon), Ganon gets 40% of the 73% Samus/Ganon get. That gives him....29%. That's still above Frog, and Ganon probably adds a little more than nothing to Samus- only a little, but not quite zero. 29% is, however, below the 30% that Frog put up on Samus directly back in 2005.
Those stats don't really look good for Frog, but he may have been hurt a little by sharing some fanbase with Axel- and he may be a little stronger this year thanks to hype for CTDS (CT will be a lot stronger next year after it comes out!). He's impressing relative to KOS-MOS right now, a good sign. Nintendo SFF also works in strange ways, so it's possible Samus/Ganon would turn out quite differently from how it did back in 2005. That was a breakthrough year for the Nintendo villains, after all, with both Ganondorf and Bowser impressing. So, should Ganon be the favorite over Frog? Yes. Is there a chance it will be close? Yes. If it is close, can Frog win? Absolutely.
What of Nightmare? He put up 30% on Samus yesterday (30% of Samus/Nightmare votes anyway). That means he should probably also be favored over Frog next round. The most likely outcome is that Frog ends up in last....but we can hope, and we can play Frog's Theme to build up our hope!
Tomorrow's match is Vincent vs. Falco vs. GlaDOS vs. Wander. Vincent > Falco is the obvious result, but I'm surprised at how low people's expectations are for Falco. I mean, people expected Wario to beat Zack, some chose Lucario to get through division 1 with Link, and they don't think Falco have any strength? Fox has been heavily, heavily, underrated for years (I think he's at Kirby's level!....indirectly, at least), and while Falco isn't Fox, he should be stronger than Marth, because he's probably almost as popular as Marth in SSBM, and Star Fox is way way bigger than Fire Emblem 1. Melee > Brawl in strength, and Falco is going to prove it tomorrow by destroying GlaDOS completely (and yes, Vincent will still destroy him, but there's only 3 Nintendo characters Vincent wouldn't beat).
Prediction:
Vincent 52%
Falco 27.5%
GlaDOS 13.5%
Wander 7%
The 2008 60% Club
Link
The 50% Club
Link
Samus Aran
The 40% Club
Link
Samus Aran
Bowser
Zack Fair
Megaman X
Altair
Ganondorf
Mario
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Workload Picking Up
It's now the 4th week of school, and as expected, the workload is picking up. I have a 4-5 page essay due on Thursday for the Early Middle Ages- I will be writing on the Rule of St. Benedict, which is quite an interesting read- I know I could never have been a Coenobitic (monastic) monk! Way too many rules, getting up at 2 AM every night, a vegetarian diet, rarely leaving the monastery, and worst of all, strict obedience to the abbot and rejection of one's own will....
Fortunately, this week my math homework has been much easier than last week- I have only 2 problems left, which should be the hardest ones of the set, but none of the previous problems have been hard. Shockingly, I managed to complete all but 2 problems before the last day before it is due! That's....well....I don't remember the last time I've done that- certainly not in college- maybe never! I suppose it's because Probability is actually quite fun, so it feels good to complete the problems.
I had a 5-day hiatus on KGS, which I ended today with a loss. I feel I was winning, but I blundered towards the end of the mid-game, making it close, and then I blundered again in the endgame, giving my opponent the win by resignation.
I'm doing well (relatively speaking) in the contest with 16 out of 20 points as of now, good enough to put me in a tie for 204th place with 716 other people, out of a total of 40,000+ brackets. I'm getting 4 more points today with Bowser > Phoenix, and I'm guessing Phoenix wasn't too popular a pick outside the Contest Board, although he was the overwhelming favorite to get second on the board. Hopefully this means I'll be in a tie for a position within the top 100 or even top 50 tomorrow- with maybe 100-200 people- hopefully. In the Guru Contest, I'll be tied for 1st with 12 other people.
Tomorrow's match is Mario vs. Zelda vs. Knuckles vs. Fei. There are a lot of differing opinions on this one- Zelda is stronger than Knuckles, but should be hurt worse by SFF from Mario, since they are both Nintendo characters. I had Knuckles for a long time, but changed to Zelda towards the end of the bracket-making period, because she's quite a bit stronger than Knux normally, and I don't think she'll suffer much more than he will from SFF. I'm feeling pretty good about this, because Knux only managed 27% last year against Yoshi, Rikku, and Vaan- with Mario here, Knux should go to 20% or lower, and I think Zelda can take in more than that. Of the other 12 gurus who will have 20 points after today, only 3 have Mario > Zelda for tomorrow, so I'll be in a 4-way tie for first if Zelda comes through. There's an outside chance I might be able to get onto the site-wide leaderboard on Thursday also- if a lot of people chose Knuckles.
Edit/Update: I'm done with this week's math homework! Those two problems only took about half an hour.
Fortunately, this week my math homework has been much easier than last week- I have only 2 problems left, which should be the hardest ones of the set, but none of the previous problems have been hard. Shockingly, I managed to complete all but 2 problems before the last day before it is due! That's....well....I don't remember the last time I've done that- certainly not in college- maybe never! I suppose it's because Probability is actually quite fun, so it feels good to complete the problems.
I had a 5-day hiatus on KGS, which I ended today with a loss. I feel I was winning, but I blundered towards the end of the mid-game, making it close, and then I blundered again in the endgame, giving my opponent the win by resignation.
I'm doing well (relatively speaking) in the contest with 16 out of 20 points as of now, good enough to put me in a tie for 204th place with 716 other people, out of a total of 40,000+ brackets. I'm getting 4 more points today with Bowser > Phoenix, and I'm guessing Phoenix wasn't too popular a pick outside the Contest Board, although he was the overwhelming favorite to get second on the board. Hopefully this means I'll be in a tie for a position within the top 100 or even top 50 tomorrow- with maybe 100-200 people- hopefully. In the Guru Contest, I'll be tied for 1st with 12 other people.
Tomorrow's match is Mario vs. Zelda vs. Knuckles vs. Fei. There are a lot of differing opinions on this one- Zelda is stronger than Knuckles, but should be hurt worse by SFF from Mario, since they are both Nintendo characters. I had Knuckles for a long time, but changed to Zelda towards the end of the bracket-making period, because she's quite a bit stronger than Knux normally, and I don't think she'll suffer much more than he will from SFF. I'm feeling pretty good about this, because Knux only managed 27% last year against Yoshi, Rikku, and Vaan- with Mario here, Knux should go to 20% or lower, and I think Zelda can take in more than that. Of the other 12 gurus who will have 20 points after today, only 3 have Mario > Zelda for tomorrow, so I'll be in a 4-way tie for first if Zelda comes through. There's an outside chance I might be able to get onto the site-wide leaderboard on Thursday also- if a lot of people chose Knuckles.
Edit/Update: I'm done with this week's math homework! Those two problems only took about half an hour.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Contest Tonight!
It's finally time! The Great Gamefaqs Character Battle VII starts tonight! As of this writing, we are about 6 hours away from bracket lockdown, and 8 hours away from the first match starting! We have a newcomer with a lot of potential: Zack from Final Fantasy VII. If you don't know who Zack is, or didn't know before the bracket came out, well- that's why Zack has a very large range of potential strengths- because many people don't know who he is, but he's from FINAL FANTASY VII. It's the winner of the Best Game Ever Contest on Gamefaqs, and the winner of the Top 100 Games List- nothing from FFVII has ever been weak.
Zack, however, is not a playable character, and only appears briefly in the game....but on the other hand, he's a copy of Cloud! For the storyline, he is very important- probably behind only Cloud, Sephiroth, and Aeris. Zack has recently has had his own game, Crisis Core- unfortunately it is for PSP......so how strong is Zack? If he's at say, Aeris level, he takes first in this match easily and cruises to the quarterfinals where he gives Mario a run for his money thanks to double SFF with Link and Megaman X. If he's at Vincent level, he easily takes second in that quarterfinals match above Mario. But, it's highly unlikely Zack is that strong....and he's probably not at Aeris level either. So how strong is he? We'll know tonight.
The other main contender for first in tonight/tomorrow's match is Wario- a copy of Mario! So a copy of Cloud vs. a copy of Mario.....if it comes down to that, Zack wins, easily. But Wario is much more well known than Zack, having appeared in many many games, while Zack only appears in a few flashbacks in FFVII and now in Crisis Core (and the movie Advent Children). But....no one likes Wario. "No one" is I suppose not true, but I think you'd agree that most Nintendo fans do not like Wario. I'm counting on FFVII fans liking Zack more, relatively.
So my prediction is a fairly comfortable win for Zack, with Wario following him in second. Cecil is from FFIV, and we saw him get destroyed by Kirby in 2005- yeah, he's had a remake of his game, but still, he was pathetic fodder last time. My prediction:
Zack Fair: 36%
Wario: 32%
Cecil Harvey: 24%
Jade Curtiss: 8%
I was going to talk about math, specifically how hard math homework is, and I was thinking primarily about math almost all yesterday afternoon and evening, and up to about 45 minutes ago, but since class ended today, I've at last shifted attention to the contest. So....I'll put off talking about classes until a later date. 8 hours until contest time!
Zack, however, is not a playable character, and only appears briefly in the game....but on the other hand, he's a copy of Cloud! For the storyline, he is very important- probably behind only Cloud, Sephiroth, and Aeris. Zack has recently has had his own game, Crisis Core- unfortunately it is for PSP......so how strong is Zack? If he's at say, Aeris level, he takes first in this match easily and cruises to the quarterfinals where he gives Mario a run for his money thanks to double SFF with Link and Megaman X. If he's at Vincent level, he easily takes second in that quarterfinals match above Mario. But, it's highly unlikely Zack is that strong....and he's probably not at Aeris level either. So how strong is he? We'll know tonight.
The other main contender for first in tonight/tomorrow's match is Wario- a copy of Mario! So a copy of Cloud vs. a copy of Mario.....if it comes down to that, Zack wins, easily. But Wario is much more well known than Zack, having appeared in many many games, while Zack only appears in a few flashbacks in FFVII and now in Crisis Core (and the movie Advent Children). But....no one likes Wario. "No one" is I suppose not true, but I think you'd agree that most Nintendo fans do not like Wario. I'm counting on FFVII fans liking Zack more, relatively.
So my prediction is a fairly comfortable win for Zack, with Wario following him in second. Cecil is from FFIV, and we saw him get destroyed by Kirby in 2005- yeah, he's had a remake of his game, but still, he was pathetic fodder last time. My prediction:
Zack Fair: 36%
Wario: 32%
Cecil Harvey: 24%
Jade Curtiss: 8%
I was going to talk about math, specifically how hard math homework is, and I was thinking primarily about math almost all yesterday afternoon and evening, and up to about 45 minutes ago, but since class ended today, I've at last shifted attention to the contest. So....I'll put off talking about classes until a later date. 8 hours until contest time!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
My New Favorite Book
Yes, the Kite Runner is THAT good. I started it Tuesday night, and finished it late Wednesday night. It is incredibly beautiful, hopeful, and sad- it can make you want to cry. The pace of the storytelling is just right- it flows quickly and smoothly from one time to another, and keeps you immersed in the story.
I've been thinking quite a bit lately about my future plans, and a clearer picture (though still very foggy) of what majors/classes I am going to take is coming into focus. The tentative plan is to pursue a PhD in Economics- this leaves open the option of taking a job after graduation instead of going to grad school if that seems more desirable then, or if grad school admissions don't work out. Econ PhD admissions are very very competitive, and I sort of feel that if I don't get into, say, a top 20 program, I'd rather just try to find a job directly out of undergrad. Of course, it all depends on what options I end up having senior year, but pursuing the PhD leaves all options open.
That means taking the theory track of the major (as previously planned), and it means taking a fair deal of math (exactly how much math to take is something I've been very indecisive on). Fortunately, math this semester has been much more enjoyable so far than in past semesters, so perhaps I will like the more higher-level math classes. I know that stuff like Calc 3 and Linear Algebra is supposed to be very different from more advanced, and usually proof-based, classes such as Real Analysis. Right now Theory of Probability is somewhere between- more theory than before, but still more focused on problem solving than proofs. Set theory I've found enjoyable thus far (not that I have seen very much of it), but this is important, because how much I enjoy doing something is more important than how difficult it is, usually, in terms of my success in that thing.
So, to pursue an Econ PhD, realistically, I think, I need to take at least Real Analysis. They say it's recommended but not required, but when you have 5% acceptance rates, you may as well treat it as a requirement. To get a joint major in Econ + Math, I'd need to take Analysis II, plus two more math electives from a list. Perhaps Ordinary Differential Equations for one of them, and a course on formal logic for the other? I'm not sure, but I think Logic would also count toward a Philosophy minor....Some other possibilities are Combinatorics, Transformations and Geometries, and Number Theory. If it turns about after taking a few more classes that I'm (a lot) better at math than I think, I can try Topology, which has always looked fascinating to me, except that it's supposed to be extremely difficult and advanced.
So, I suppose it's still undecided how much math I will take- it depends heavily on what grades I get in my current and upcoming math classes, and on how much I enjoy them. But I'm planning for at least taking Real Analysis, probably next fall, maybe next semester, if I feel exceptionally brave. As far the Econ PhD goes, it appears the more math, the better.
As for Econ courses, I have 5 more core courses to take, of which I will take Math for Economists and Analytical Stats next semester, (intermediate) Microeconomics and Econometrics fall of next year, and (intermediate) Macroeconomics spring 2010. In addition, I need 4 electives: the course I really want to take is Strategic Decision Theory (Game Theory). I want to pursue honors in Econ, so that will add 1 to the number of classes needed- a senior thesis.
Anyway, I just figured out a math proof on my homework; a fairly easy one, but nonetheless, this makes me feel good. That is why I decided to finish this post now, which I started yesterday.
I've been thinking quite a bit lately about my future plans, and a clearer picture (though still very foggy) of what majors/classes I am going to take is coming into focus. The tentative plan is to pursue a PhD in Economics- this leaves open the option of taking a job after graduation instead of going to grad school if that seems more desirable then, or if grad school admissions don't work out. Econ PhD admissions are very very competitive, and I sort of feel that if I don't get into, say, a top 20 program, I'd rather just try to find a job directly out of undergrad. Of course, it all depends on what options I end up having senior year, but pursuing the PhD leaves all options open.
That means taking the theory track of the major (as previously planned), and it means taking a fair deal of math (exactly how much math to take is something I've been very indecisive on). Fortunately, math this semester has been much more enjoyable so far than in past semesters, so perhaps I will like the more higher-level math classes. I know that stuff like Calc 3 and Linear Algebra is supposed to be very different from more advanced, and usually proof-based, classes such as Real Analysis. Right now Theory of Probability is somewhere between- more theory than before, but still more focused on problem solving than proofs. Set theory I've found enjoyable thus far (not that I have seen very much of it), but this is important, because how much I enjoy doing something is more important than how difficult it is, usually, in terms of my success in that thing.
So, to pursue an Econ PhD, realistically, I think, I need to take at least Real Analysis. They say it's recommended but not required, but when you have 5% acceptance rates, you may as well treat it as a requirement. To get a joint major in Econ + Math, I'd need to take Analysis II, plus two more math electives from a list. Perhaps Ordinary Differential Equations for one of them, and a course on formal logic for the other? I'm not sure, but I think Logic would also count toward a Philosophy minor....Some other possibilities are Combinatorics, Transformations and Geometries, and Number Theory. If it turns about after taking a few more classes that I'm (a lot) better at math than I think, I can try Topology, which has always looked fascinating to me, except that it's supposed to be extremely difficult and advanced.
So, I suppose it's still undecided how much math I will take- it depends heavily on what grades I get in my current and upcoming math classes, and on how much I enjoy them. But I'm planning for at least taking Real Analysis, probably next fall, maybe next semester, if I feel exceptionally brave. As far the Econ PhD goes, it appears the more math, the better.
As for Econ courses, I have 5 more core courses to take, of which I will take Math for Economists and Analytical Stats next semester, (intermediate) Microeconomics and Econometrics fall of next year, and (intermediate) Macroeconomics spring 2010. In addition, I need 4 electives: the course I really want to take is Strategic Decision Theory (Game Theory). I want to pursue honors in Econ, so that will add 1 to the number of classes needed- a senior thesis.
Anyway, I just figured out a math proof on my homework; a fairly easy one, but nonetheless, this makes me feel good. That is why I decided to finish this post now, which I started yesterday.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Economics is Fun!
Yes, this year's classes are great! Being (well, almost) done with my required MAP classes, and having much more choice with course selection has resulted in my being in really interesting classes.
As said before, my Econ professor is really funny and good at explaining things, and I've really liked the subject matter so far (equilibrium, rational choices, etc). Econ theory is interesting to me- I'm fascinated by choices- whether they exist, how, why, they are made, etc.- the practical/business stuff is, honestly, boring, but fortunately this class (and my track in the major) is about the theory. Surprisingly, I can actually understand my math professor this year! Probability looks like it will be the hardest class for me, however- it will be a lot lot lot of work.
As said before, my Econ professor is really funny and good at explaining things, and I've really liked the subject matter so far (equilibrium, rational choices, etc). Econ theory is interesting to me- I'm fascinated by choices- whether they exist, how, why, they are made, etc.- the practical/business stuff is, honestly, boring, but fortunately this class (and my track in the major) is about the theory. Surprisingly, I can actually understand my math professor this year! Probability looks like it will be the hardest class for me, however- it will be a lot lot lot of work.
I started reading the Kite Runner last night. So far it is really, really, good. I'm not sure how much of it is autobiography, and how much is fiction. The narrator's childhood friend tells him in the story when they were kids, that the narrator would become a world-famous writer- he was right, and the author wasn't bragging by including (or inventing?) the scene.
And, thank you everyone for the comments.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Hope is a Strategy
This is somewhat long, and it sort of became an attempt at political speechwriting while I was writing it.
Rudy Giuliani said at the RNC, "change is not a destination and hope is not a strategy." Well, that quote is witty and thought-provoking, and I profoundly disagree with it. Hope is very real, and very powerful- hope has done more for this country than its government has ever done, under any administration. Without the people's hope in themselves, in the country, in the future, we would never have become such a great nation. Republicans ought to know this- hope is why we all believe in personal liberty (and thus, responsibility, because a choice without consequences is no choice at all). Hope is why we believe in small government; it is why we believe in low taxes- we believe in the people to choose for themselves. We believe in humanity and hope for the bright future- and so we do not need an inefficient government to tell us how to live.
Hope is sustenance to freedom- those who live in fear are not free- they are slaves to what they fear, and worse, to fear itself. Hope is what drives the free onward, even when it is dark, because the hopeful can see the light in the future. Faith, hope, and love- these are the three virtues Paul praises above all others in 1st Corinthians, and they are inextricably linked to each other and to freedom. For it is those who have faith in the future who hope, those who put their hope in good who love, those who love who can see the future shining in the distance! Fear has no hold on such free people, who can see the light, who know the shadow is only transient. Such free people can boldly make choices, neither according to the command of fear nor with the lack of will that accompanies conformity to others and to well-rehearsed habit.
Therefore, we say: hope is our strategy. It is not, and should not be, our only strategy, but it is one that is absolutely essential and fundamental. For the hopes of the free are powerful- without the best of plans would be empty and hollow, lacking the will to apply them. Let us therefore add intelligence and foresight to our hope, and so let us move forward to a bright future. We believe in freedom, we believe in the good in the heart of each person, we believe in love, and on the foundation of our cherished past, we believe that we can, and we will, together build a future in which freedom will prosper.
Rudy Giuliani said at the RNC, "change is not a destination and hope is not a strategy." Well, that quote is witty and thought-provoking, and I profoundly disagree with it. Hope is very real, and very powerful- hope has done more for this country than its government has ever done, under any administration. Without the people's hope in themselves, in the country, in the future, we would never have become such a great nation. Republicans ought to know this- hope is why we all believe in personal liberty (and thus, responsibility, because a choice without consequences is no choice at all). Hope is why we believe in small government; it is why we believe in low taxes- we believe in the people to choose for themselves. We believe in humanity and hope for the bright future- and so we do not need an inefficient government to tell us how to live.
Hope is sustenance to freedom- those who live in fear are not free- they are slaves to what they fear, and worse, to fear itself. Hope is what drives the free onward, even when it is dark, because the hopeful can see the light in the future. Faith, hope, and love- these are the three virtues Paul praises above all others in 1st Corinthians, and they are inextricably linked to each other and to freedom. For it is those who have faith in the future who hope, those who put their hope in good who love, those who love who can see the future shining in the distance! Fear has no hold on such free people, who can see the light, who know the shadow is only transient. Such free people can boldly make choices, neither according to the command of fear nor with the lack of will that accompanies conformity to others and to well-rehearsed habit.
Therefore, we say: hope is our strategy. It is not, and should not be, our only strategy, but it is one that is absolutely essential and fundamental. For the hopes of the free are powerful- without the best of plans would be empty and hollow, lacking the will to apply them. Let us therefore add intelligence and foresight to our hope, and so let us move forward to a bright future. We believe in freedom, we believe in the good in the heart of each person, we believe in love, and on the foundation of our cherished past, we believe that we can, and we will, together build a future in which freedom will prosper.
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