and one fine morning…
Fitness
we do what we must because we can
Jun 29th
Yesterday I played soccer for the first time since 2005, and felt great. Well, actually my game was pretty awful and I was seriously winded the whole match since I haven’t done any sprinting since January 2009′s adventure. Regardless, I am very very happy with how my leg and ankle held up, and I’m already looking forward to playing again. Seb and I were just going to kick a ball around, but then got wrapped into a pick up game, and it was great. The only downside was a ball to the face that bruised the bridge of my nose, but luckily didn’t rebreak it.
I finished watching a sequel season called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Along Complex (2nd GIG) and really loved it. I wrote previously about the first season of this series and pointed out that I enjoyed how it treated issues of technology. In the second season, I realized that what I like the most is the particular issues that the writers brought up about artificial intelligence. Specifically, through the “think tanks” called Tachikomas (pictured) there are numerous discussions among them that I believe are meant to be a weak A.I. trying to decide whether or not it is a strong A.I. or still only a weak A.I. In context, you should read “think tank” in the military denotation as a tank that thinks, and not in the political denotation as a lobbying research “think tank.” Weak A.I. is the kind that lives in Searle’s Chinese Room and seems like a person but just isn’t. Strong A.I. is a non-human intelligence that is actually intelligent in the sense that it thinks and is conscious (as humans are), beyond just doing human-like computation with identical output. The Tachikomas were interesting to listen to because of their setup: they are child-like helper robots, synced in memory every night, but allowed to differentiate from each other throughout the day (since they are not always synced). They therefore seem to do and think about different things each day, resulting in a bizarre setup when they confer and each instance of the machine is talking to the different versions of itself that diverged through experience through the course of the day. 
Meanwhile, since I have been saving tutoring money to upgrade my home computer, I have been back in computer hardware research mode. In the process I stumbled upon the following article that demonstrates that professional PC gamers have the physical health of old chain-smokers, but the minds and reaction times of professional athletes. It’s not surprising, but it’s fantastic that someone did the research. Here is a link to the article. Anyway, the only thing I’ve purchased so far is an Antec Nine Hundred Two case that was 50% off, new. 
consequence
Mar 28th
I bought new wheels for my bike today. Ultegra, tubeless. Should be fast, and a lot stiffer than my old wheels. Taking them for a spin tomorrow. Played some good pool yesterday. Haven’t done that in a while. I still remember how to play. How about that? Went out and stayed out late last night. Today I have been a bit of a zombie. But there are a lot of good things going on:
I’m on my way to being in shape again. I have been getting exercise 5-6 days a week, which is a nice adjustment back toward being healthy. My leg feels so much better without screws.
Math has been going really well. I have given 2 talks this month, and will give another one (hour long…eesh) this Thursday. Barry and I were talking, and agreed that you should probably give every talk you have the opportunity to. I have another poster for an upcoming conference too, NTD10, at College Park. After that, I think we will write the paper.
Music has been going well. HDP has gotten some radio play, which is nuts. We recorded a demo. Download it or listen here if you want. I worked on the website for a little bit today. Here is what I am thinking.Finally, my dad and I worked on a bookcase the other day. Going to put an ad up on craigslist and get a roommate or two in the house. I think that will be nice, especially this summer and in the fall.
Bri and I broke up last week. I have been thinking about her a lot. Feels weird to say this, but I really hope she is not out of my life for good.
poseidon, look at me
Mar 22nd
Fixed WordPress. Fixed some wikis. School is going well. I actually like analysis. Who would have thought? Not that I’m that good at it, but…I like it.
I’m walking again, slowly but surely. It’s spring break now, and I just fixed my bike. Good GOD, I might actually be a real person again within a month!
Starting research with Juan Restrepo, again, slowly. But it’s nice to start to get my feet wet.
I read Malcom Gladwell’s latest book, Outliers. Interesting. Same sort of mental candy as his other books. They taste sweet, and I can’t take in too much at once, because it makes me feel unhealthy, but the ideas are very interesting.
Here are some funny pictures:
við spilum endalaust
Sep 24th
Purge[mind[t],{t,a while back, now}]
Carlin moved to SF with Barry and Helen. Ollie arrived tonight. They are all living together, and I am very excited for them. I think it will continue to be positive for all involved.
Among other wonderful reinterpretations in Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl turns the concept of transitoriness on its head. Usually, we think of things that have passed as transitory; after all, things that have passed are no longer with us. Turning this on its head, Frankl writes, “[T]he only really transitory aspects of life are the potentialities; but as soon as they are actualized, they are rendered realities at that very moment; they are saved and delivered into the past, wherein they are preserved and rescued from transitoriness. For, in the past, nothing is irretrievably lost but everything irrevocably stored.”
Ok, let’s take that and spilum. Given that at any moment, there are a (countably*) infinite number of possibilities (Frankl calls them potentialities) and that whatever entropic process pushes time forward has the capacity to select one of those possibilities as what actually happened, we conclude that human’s** free will*** has the property of being scribe/selector of which potentiality becomes past reality. Id est: choose your own adventure. “On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.” Except that on Rosh Hashanah in this case, there’s too much written, so free will lets us edit the text up until the Yom Kippresent Moment. And in implementation, we use the continuous-time version of the model instead of the discretization—we don’t need the error anyway. </garbage>
Here is maybe not some garbage though. ∃ a huge number of potentialities
⇒ one may exert a large amount of influence over what entropy makes permanent when it records/makes irrevocable the past
⇒ one should attempt to maximize the value of what one allows to be made irrevocable
⇒ contrive a plan to Live Now that solves the maximization problem.
School is going well. Sometimes I think that classes and teaching really get in the way of learning. That, however, has a bit to do with who is lecturing that day. I have continued to heed BE’s advice and have enrolled in a macro econ class. It’s fun because the other students in the class don’t understand that math, and I don’t understand the econ. However, I think the econ is made clearer and more intuitive when the math is already intuitive. I regret (for the sake of the other students) that sometimes the econ intuition may not help with the math intuition, but who knows? I haven’t been there, so I don’t really know.
I have been riding my bike a lot, and recently rode my first century. It took me (and my aunt) 6 hours and 25 mins, which is fine with me, since I just wanted to finish. I got going 52 mph down a hill outside Boulder, which was really exhilarating. Finished with a good attitude despite a flat at mile 83 that really messed with my head a little.
It’s too late now, and I need to TeX up analysis notes in the morning. More ideas than usual lately, but sometimes a little trouble getting them all down. Here are my current goals, with which I have been having a fair amount of success over the past couple months:
- Write every day.
- Eat breakfast every day.
- Emulate Gadi’s confidence.
Interesting articles: Cities rethinking ’50s-era parking standards and What makes people vote Republican?
Over and Out. Here is a picture of Frankl. I highly recommend Man’s Search for Meaning, because it is very good, and only 160 pages too!
*math joke only. No intended meaning.
**gender-neutral form of man’s? ⇒ No the apostrophe isn’t incorrect.
***for our gedanken, we assume ∃ free will.
something like a silhouette
Jul 28th
oh they don’t have a soul like a Vincent ’52
Jul 15th
Ok, time to test myself against some more physical exertion. I signed up for the Copper Triangle and the Buffalo Bicycle Classic. The Copper ride is going to be hard, and the Buffalo one is going to be long, but I think I can do them. Frankly, it will come down to IT band issues, if they come up. Either way though, I have a pretty solid VGA these days. Plus, I can rep the throwback USPS Jersey.
Dustin pointed me to the hot new summer fashion, the couch dress. It’s a pretty fancy number. I want to commission a team of grandmas to make one.
My friend Jay was in Denver, and today, we went out to eat Indian food, lunch Buffet. I haven’t seen Jay since 2005, and so it was really awesome to catch up. We’ve been in touch, but not regularly. He is a pretty badass guy, in so many ways. I think we forged a bond during freshman year of college when we realized that we were both skinny dudes, and liked hilarious stuff. Today, we still like hilarious stuff, but we are less skinny—hard to believe, I know.
We talked for a long time, then went to see Wall-E, which was really sweet. I loved it, and even felt pretty emotional for the little guy. The animation was fantastic, and I think the eco-commentary was well-timed too. We finished the afternoon by driving to Casa Bonita, so Jay could see it IRL and in person. We asked a man if he could take a picture of us there, and he said “Oh…No Thanks,” and walked off…as if we were offering him drugs or something. Like we are two shady characters and we dupe fat old white dudes by first asking them to hold our expensive electronics and take pictures of us. Weird. Anyway. Life is good. Jay is the man. Here is a picture of Wall-E because he is so damned cute.
homegrown
Apr 27th
It’s almost summer. School is wrapping up nicely. The next two weeks will be a shit show, but I think that’s how things really ought to be this time of year when I’m in classes: caffeine abuse, heightened productivity, weird sleep patterns, and dangerous levels of confidence. The task list is: a paper and presentation on chaos in economics, a finance problem set and final. Cake.
I started reading a trilogy of scifi books that Barry (and Calvin) recommended to me, which have been awesome. They’re by Peter Hamilton, and so far, I am very impressed by them. I shouldn’t say them; I am only about 1000 pages into the first book, but it’s pretty sweet. Luckily, this desire to read candy books all day long comes at the wrong time. But soon…soon.
I started running again. Having taken an extended break for the entirety of ski season, it feels good to remember why running makes me feel so elated. I’ve also started working out more consistently. The effects of weight training and running are so different on my mental state though, that it’s hard for me to think of them in the same category. Running makes me feel alive, capable, and independent. Lifting makes me feel confident, attractive, and accomplished. I told Woods that I’d run for a couple hours with him later this summer, so I need to get my ish together for that.
There are plenty of other things to write about, but maybe I don’t want to. To summarize: this past weekend was phenomenal (went to Dan’s, a fashion show, Medeski Martin & Wood concert, and a ski team party last night, and in the process, spent time with most of my favorite people in Boulder), the new band is going well, and I feel like Brandon and I are getting closer as Ronnie prepares to depart for law school.
Track of the week: Kings of Leon – Fans (Audio only)
ice like winnipeg
Feb 10th
I finished the USCSA ski season today. Talk about a learning experience… I find it very interesting to throw myself into something that I’m not only bad at, but something where I have pretty much no chance of being at the top of the game. So many other things in life, I feel that if I really work hard, I can make them happen satisfactorily, but ski racing is a bit different. I’m making progress, but most of it is cerebral and attitude-related. I am finding that my performance then is directly related to these advances, and less about rote memorization of how to race.
Teaching is going really well. I’m having a lot of fun this semester just slayin’ it in the classroom. I feel much more confident compared to last semester, and I think that shows in my teaching. Additionally, my preparation has been much better this time around.
My mood this semester reminds me a lot of Barry. I have been spending a lot of time in the early morning out in the sun, skiing. I think that this has had an immensely positive impact on my mood. It doesn’t even feel like winter to me. The combination of that with the exercise has me feeling confident and upbeat most of the time.
An open letter to my Slalom Skis
Nov 13th
Dear Slalom Skis, I know this may seem sudden since we’ve only known each other for 10 days, but this feeling is bubbling up inside me and I need to let it out before I burst: I love you. I almost can’t describe how good I feel when I’m on top of you. It’s exhilarating. When I lay you down on the ground, part of me says “It’s all downhill from here,” but that’s not the part of me that loves you… With your smooth race-matte topcoat and sheer sidewalls I even like just looking at you, not to mention the way you feel when I give you some forward pressure into the turn. I can feel you get so stiff when I push hard and hold you down until your edge gives out…but it never gives out. It rides so tight, so fast, from each transition to the next. From the very first moment, our relationship has gone so fast! And through all the twists and turns, we’ve never slowed down, babe. Sure, someday, obstacles may arise, but know now that I will be there for you, hands forward, square to the fall line, cross-blocking everything that gets in our way. Look, I know it’s sudden, but I want us to be something, to go somewhere. Let’s climb the highest mountain, you and me, girl. Being with you gets my heart and mind racing. Also, it gets my body racing. I can’t wait to ski you again soon! Love, Dan PS: I am going to drip hot wax all over your underside tomorrow night when I get you home!
地球はゴールライン、
Oct 1st
Updated links section on site.
Things are going well. Brandon has made wine out of the hundred or more pounds of grapes from the backyard. Apparently, we’ll find out how it is in about 10-14 months. I am pumped. His first beer turned out really well, and I wish there were more of it. “Baby. Imma gonna brew you…a draaaaaank. brb 7 weeks plz.”
I am packing my bags for Boulder. I have a suitcase full of clothes next to me, with duplicates of all my toiletries, to leave either in my car or at Dan Honaker’s place, for when I stay nights at 30th and Colorado. (Close!!!) I also have a ton of workout gear packed. I think I am going to start training with the CU Ski Racing team. I don’t know if I can afford it, but I will be interested in seeing what the people and the coach are like.
Training during the dry season is daily, M-F, and focuses on core and legs (orly?). During the ski season, training is at Eldora from 8:30-10:30 M-F, and races on the weekends. I think though, that it’s only as seriously as you allow it to be, so maybe I will just try it out. It will be an expensive experiment, but I will be a much better skier for it, I think.
I ran 7 yesterday, which felt good. I think, that if I don’t keep doing the ski training, that I will keep ramping up the running. Maybe I will run Tokyo?!? Haha. We’ll see.
This month: Beefest, Chicago, Halloween, Snow, First Exams, Adventures.