Work Update

After a week's worth of expensive (though decently tasty) hospital food, I decided to buy a Mr. Bento.

My 2 hour one-way commute makes any free time at home impossible. When I get home I cook, eat, and then it's time for bed. But I get to read a lot on the train. And work itself is awesome. I might try popping into rounds next week.

3 more weeks until GRE. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have any energy nor time for DS until it's done.

PS: Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows is available by pre-order on Amazon now :D Mark your calendars for July 21st!

Old Dog

Finally found a job! I'll be a clinical research coordinator at a teaching hospital/medical center, whoohoo. (The major downside is that I have to commute for 2 hours and get up at 5:45...)

Also I bought one of these, so I'm pretty excited this week ^o^ (Farewell, Beetle ._,)


This was on Car Talk the other day:

A man and his dog live at the foot of a tall hill, and for exercise they walk up to the top and then down the hill every morning. But as the years go by, the dog has gotten old, and now can only walk at half his original speed. So the man and the dog still walk the hill every day, but the man will get to the hilltop and then turn around. The dog meets him on the way down, and due to the power of gravity, is able to make it down the hill at his original young dog pace.

So the question is, if the hilltop is 3 miles away from their house, how many miles does the old dog walk every day?




Answer:
You can always make up values and plug it in, but here's the algebra answer that I worked out :D

Since distance = rate x time, the time that the dog and owner walked are the same, so t=d/r. And let's set D for the distance to the hilltop, and d for the dog's distance when he meets his owner. Rate will be r for the man and r/2 for the dog, since he walks half as fast.

The trick is the set up for the equation. Man makes it to the hilltop and turns around, so the distance he walked is the total plus where he meets his dog.
(D + (D-d)) / r = d / (r/2)

then,
(2D - d) / r = 2d / r
(2D - d) / d = 2
2 D/d - 1 = 2
D/d = 3/2
so the distance the dog walked will be d/D, or 2/3 the trip, and since the hilltop is 3 miles away, the dog walks 4 miles.

Bacon Blog

The creator of Achewood, my favorite online comic, writes his characters' blogs as well as his own. Though I love to read my friends' updates, Chris's blog has been the most enjoyable out of my daily reading list: (1) his use of language and humor combine into an irresistible narrative format and (2) he's recently writing about bacon.

Just read his newest entry. The best part is the pun on "rumination".

I love English.

And here's a little blog excerpt from Roast Beef, my favorite character so far on Achewood:
Since I was so wet I couldn't climb back in bed, which meant I was Up Early. I hate bein' Up Early cause it usually means I worry about Showbiz and Gramma K and my kidneys and all that stuff. Basically I just sat on the couch and watched TV judges say who could and could not have their kids anymore, and then when Molly got up I asked real nice if I could have a cup of baked beans and since she knew I was in a Place she was real understanding about it. (Baked beans are like my version of Prozac, except they can't be relied on.)

Hikaru no Go

Hikaru no Go triggered a revival of interest in go across the world since its publication in 1998 (manga, then adapted into anime), especially among children in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. And even I, who had never thought of go as exciting nor comprehensible, watched the anime series 3 times and began my own go interest. This is definitely one of the best series worth watching--even my mom went through the 75 eps in a roll with great anticipation and enthusiasm.

It follows Hikaru for 3 years all through his go progress from complete beginner to professional 1-dan. Beyond go, Hikaru as well as many of his companions walking the path of go all experience character development. The complex relationship between Hikaru, Sai, and Akira are especially worthwhile and satisfying to read. Although the women in the series are relegated to insignificant roles, the duality of masculine and feminine within the men, their connections to each other, and their go goals are more than enough to keep the story in top shape. (And owing to their complex relationship, it is no great surprise that Hikaru and Akira are the subject of many doujinshi.)



I'm running ahead of myself. Here's a snippet from the Wiki summary, which is easily gleaned from the first 2 eps:

Hikaru Shindo, the title character, is a 6th grade junior high student in Kita Ward, Tokyo. While exploring his grandfather's shed, he stumbles across a Go board haunted by the spirit of Fujiwara-no-Sai, a fictional Go player from the Heian era. Sai wishes to play Go again, having not been able to since the late Edo period, when he possessed the body of Hon'inbo Shusaku, an actual Go player of that era. Sai endeavors to attain the "Divine Move," or the "Hand of God" – a perfect game. Because Hikaru is apparently the only person who can perceive him, Sai inhabits a part of Hikaru's mind as a separate personality, coexisting, although not always comfortably, with the child.

Urged by Sai, Hikaru begins playing Go despite a lack of interest in the game. He begins by mimicking the moves Sai dictates to him, but Sai tells him to try to understand each move. In a Go salon, Hikaru defeats Akira Toya, a boy his age who plays Go with professional-caliber strength. Akira subsequently begins a quest to discover the source of Hikaru's strength, an obsession which will come to dominate his life.

Hikaru becomes intrigued by the great dedication of Akira and Sai to the game and decides to start playing solely on his own.

Although the series is a long 75eps, its length is necessary to experience the 3 years of go along with Hikaru. At no point in the storytelling does it feel prolix or tedious, and it's a faithful adaptation of the manga; at times it is even preferable to the manga, as the animation will illustrate out the moves in more detail.

There are many high point moments in the series, but to me the best was Sai's no handicap match with Touya Meijin--and Sai's subsequent realization that his purpose was to show the game to Hikaru.

As for go itself, there's no prerequisite to know the rules before watching Hikaru no Go, but on my 3rd watch-through after I had played a few games and read into theory and strategies, my go knowledge made the games more exciting. So rather than being discouraged from starting the series without prior go experience, instead, you should take it as a sign of the series' versatility, that it stands up to multiple watchings at different stages in your go hobby.

But if you do want to learn and join me: Learn rules by reading Sensei's basic rules page, the Wiki for go at Sensei's Library, then learn hands-on. You can download other people's games from the Go Teaching Ladder and look through them in a Java environment program, which also allows you to play in realtime on one of the most popular go servers, KGS. (KGS is sponsored by Kiseido, a Japanese go publishing company, and they have a large library of English translated go books.) Another option for playing online is through Dragon Go Server, which allows plays over several days or weeks through email. (If anyone want to play, my username is jomiel.)

Dog vs. Cat

I usually dislike email forwards, but yesterday's from a friend was so enjoyable:


Excerpts from a Dog's Daily Diary:


8:00am Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30am A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40am Walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30am Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00pm Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00pm Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00pm Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00pm Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00pm Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00pm Wow! Watched TV with my master! My favorite thing!

11:00pm Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!




Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary:

Day 683 of my captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and myself are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity! There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released --and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded! The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. The captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.......for now....