Pictures!

I thought I'd share some pictures from my last two Graphics projects. The first is from the image processing project; the second is from the raytracer. The first image is derived from an image I picked up off the internet somewhere -- it's a high-speed photo of water hitting a glass. The second image was made completely by me from the spaceship to the texture. Hope you like!

Astronomy is always nodding at Genesis

God (to Adam): "For dust you are and to dust you shall return."

Scientists: "True dat."

Free time is important

Word!




Harvey Mudd continues to kill with Tremendous Workload and its close compatriot Lack of Sleep. Much fun, though.

The terrorists won (again)

My most recent experience with airport security at Ontario has made me aware of a new and surprising phenomenon that I call "shampoo paranoia." Because of the latest thwarted terrorist attempt wherein extremists used either gels, liquids, aerosols, or possibly all three in plans for an explosive airplane-destroying cocktail, our right to carry toothpaste in whatever the hell bag we choose has been summarily revoked. Now, I'm not saying that this is in itself necessarily bad. However...

I went through airport security at Ontario and went through the motions -- shoes off, laptop in the bin, metal pocket items in the bin, the whole nine yards. I knew I had some contraband, but I figured they wouldn't notice and I'd be able to maintain my normal hygiene routine that night without checking a bag. Little did I know that I was wearing my terrorist pants. The new shorts that I bought (and got a great deal on, I might add) have the unusual side effect of looking to a metal detector like what nuclear explosion looks to a heat-seeking missile. So, after three tries through the metal detector (three strikes, you're out?) I was herded into this scary little box made of windows. It honestly made me feel more claustrophobic than anything else, a prisoner awaiting sentencing for my pants-related misdoings. The worst part about it, though, is that my first thought upon entering the little cage was, "Oh God, they're going to find my toothpaste." Is it so bad that I like Arm & Hammer and that it doesn't come in travel size? So anyway, I'm taken out of the little box and marched over to the table where my personal items are rifled-through a little and I am wanded approximately five times. Every single rivet in my cargo shorts set the wand off. I tried to smile at the TSA guy to reassure him that I was not carrying seven pistols and extra magazines. What a horror!

So, they find my toothpaste (0.7 ounces over the maximum -- if that doesn't make them suspicious, what does?) and my shampoo, which actually was within the size constraint but, sadly, not in a plastic bag. (Only too late did I think to ask the guard to pretend that it was in a plastic bag but that I took it out and threw it away or some other related story. Either this plastic bag business is a silly rule or Ziploc has perfected an explosive-neutralizing design.) Off they go, I hope, to someone who needs it (possibly arriving passengers, but most likely the trash). Dejected, defeated, I redo my belt and stuff all of my life back into my carry-on and go on my way, another victim of overbearing security.

That's when I realize that I'm actually quite fortunate. You see, while the TSA guy was making such a ruckus about my shampoo bottle and its lack of Ziploc, he completely overlooked the items it sat on top of: a pair of tweezers, nail clippers with one of those folding stabby instruments, and a 4-inch long screwdriver. Before the era of shampoo paranoia, these items would have been found and I would have been taken to another room and summarily sentenced to full body cavity search. But apparently nail-clippers aren't dangerous anymore.

There is a real message here and no, it's not "airport security is incompetent," even thought that's true. The real problem with security is that we must post our sentries on the wall, be ever vigilant, and even subject our own to suspicion and search; the enemy has only to wait for the opportune moment of weakened defense, find the soft spot in the wall, and slip quietly past our guards and searchlights. We have a tough defense, and it has had its successes, but no defense can work forever. We have to find another way.

A good weekend

Most people, when they say "good" as in "X is soooo good!", mean that it tastes good or that they like it or it sits well with them. The word "good" has come to mean "agreeable." But I like to think "good" has a deeper meaning, as in when we discuss God's goodness. There is a real kind of good, just like there is a real kind of love.

This weekend was a good weekend -- real good.

Saturday, I went along with the Microsoft interns to hike Paradise for a few hours on Mt. Rainier. A more surreal landscape I have never seen. The place was fire and ice. One moment you would be tromping a path through green grass and meadowland, edged in by trees and rocks, and the next you would be slogging in spring snow. We took a shortcut across Skyline trail by sliding down a glacier ("glissading") on plastic bags. (What a ride that was!) And there is true beauty up there; at the apex of the trail, I looked to the north and saw Mt. Rainier's summit towering overhead, capped in a halo of lenticular clouds; I looked to the south and saw great toothy peaks slowly descending toward Oregon, Mt. Hood towering above them in the distance, and to its West Mt. Saint Helen's, a grim reminder of the awesome power that God has locked up inside these mighty vaulted domes.

That short hike left me thirsting for adventure. Cue Sunday.

I decided for the first time that I'd go to church. So, I looked on the Foursquare website and found a nearby place called Lake Sammamish Foursquare ("Lake Samm"). The sermon focus was on Psalm 84:5-7:

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

According to the speaker, there are three characteristics of pilgrimage -- feasting, expecting God, and adventure. That third one struck me as most applicable to the here and now, for me. He said one thing that really stuck out to me: "When you hear a voice calling you to adventure, you know it's God if your first thought is 'that's impossible!'" And how true it is! The truly awesome power of God is that, by enriching the person with his power and wisdom and by guiding them with his Word, he can make anybody able to do anything he asks -- even the impossible. We worship the God of impossibilities: the God who made Israel's greatest hero out of a murderer with a speech impediment; the God who tamed hungry lions for the night that Daniel spent with them; the God who likewise extinguished every scorching flame that licked at Daniel's three friends that refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar's idol, preserving their life; the God who made a virgin to give birth; the God who raised His Son from death and once for all conquered it, causing death itself to die. And this God calls us to adventure.

So, after the service, I started my day's adventure by meeting people. The first was a new hire at Microsoft -- it was his first Sunday there, too. Then, the three guys who sit outside the service as "greeters." Then, Sandy, who is going on 28 and spent most of her 20's in the army as a spy (so she says). Then I lost track. So, having nothing on my agenda for the evening, I decided to meet up in Crossroads park with the "Focus" group, which is the name for the 18-28 year olds who meet in the park to barbeque, pray, and worship. And I made friends, socialized, and threw around a frisbee. Even better, Troy, the church's worship leader, led us in worship with his guitar (Dave, I think?, was on the drum) out on the grass. Worshipping outside like that fills you with feelings of freedom, and reminds you how many people are actually open to listening to a group of people praise the Lord. No one told us to take it back to church; it seemed to brighten up the few people around us.

I digress.

The session at the park ended with a devotion and prayer time, and it was the kind of fellowship that I've really been needing lately. As people gathered up to go, Sandy and Kate (Cait? There are eleven spellings at least, and I don't recall which is right) were talking about going swing dancing. Not knowing enough about swing dancing to really talk about it, I asked Sandy "what would you do if I did this..." and held out my hand like you do in Lindy. She recognized it, and instantly I had to come swing dancing. Having been adventurous all day, of course I accepted!

And that was refreshing and novel, too. I'd never gone to a real Swing club, and found it was just like swing-dancing at school. By the end of the night, I'd remembered enough of how to dance the Lindy Hop that I could close my eyes and (roughly) lead my partner. I'd forgotten how much fun it is!

About 12:30, the last dance was over, and I and my new friends went to a burger joint to get ice cream (think In-N-Out, only sketchy), where a drunk and homeless native american man asked us to pray for him. It was awkward, and we did, and we suspected it was a front for begging, but I trust that God will hear that prayer for old Lakota who's scared of dying out on the streets tonight. You could pray for the man, too, if you felt the calling to.

I think that many people might consider such a Sunday mundane or ordinary. But this Sunday, and this weekend, brought me closer to God, through awe of His majesty and fellowship with Him and His people. I needed this, and it was good.

No news is good news -- right?

I made a promise I didn't keep! Weekly blogs. Posh.

My second week in the Northwest has come to a close. I have to say I was a bit worried about joining rank-and-file corporate America (Microsoft), but having lived it for a week I realize my worries were unwarranted. Really, working for Microsoft has been like working for a small company with massive resources. The other day, Brent (my manager) walked into my office while Andy (my coach/mentor/coding sage) were looking through some of the Office code and said, "Less work, more food." Then Steve (Brent's boss) drove us all (plus Mike, a co-worker) to Bellevue for mexican food. I really like my team, and in a week and a half I feel like they've become friends more than co-workers. The people who were so friendly during my interviews really turned out to be genuinely friendly.

The interns are fun people, too. There are 4 in my group, and lots more throughout the building. I've had a couple lunches with some Word interns, and learned that there are lots of teams at Microsoft (even in my building!) that I'd never heard about before. So, mom and dad, don't worry, I'm making lots of friends. :-)

Yesterday I got a chance to see a live demo and touch the new Microsoft Surface unit - for a few seconds. There was a huge mob and ten people crowded the thing for 10+ minutes without letting the dozens of people behind them have a go. Not everyone at Microsoft is considerate, I guess. :-( Still, it was a neat unit, and seems to operate pretty smoothly. The input is pretty neat; they don't just use a touch-sensitive surface. For now, they're going to be sold to business establishments like hotels (ahem: casinos) and cell phone companies for their stores, and won't get into the home for a while. They're in the $5,000 to $10,000 range, which surprised me because it is high, but not excessive.

I'm wondering whether I should buy an XBOX at the Company Store. Software and games there is roughly 90-50% marked down, and most of the XBOX hardware is cheap, too. On the one hand, it would cost ~$500 for a rig I like, I could play it over xbox Live with the included 12mo subscription, and I could program my own games with XNA and load those on (and presumably download others'); on the other hand, I don't know if I should be playing video games, especially next school year (won't have a TV there anyway), and the internet connection at the hotel is t3h 5uxz0Rz. (Brad speculates that they are sharing a cable modem among all of us.) Also, I only have $450 per fiscal year to spend at the store, so I could spend $450 now, and $450 in July/August. Hrm.

Well, I have a week or so to think about what to do with my $450 allowance. Until the 15th when I get paid, the answer is nothing.

And, of course, Washington is beautiful. Last week's run of sunny days has been directly complemented by this week's run of rainy, overcast days. At least it was sunny, unlike San Diego was. :-) Today, I think I will start making good on my promise to get in shape.

That's the news from Puget Sound, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and ... well, you know the rest.

Anonymity => rudeness?

I would say that strangers online are much more rude than strangers I might around town. Here's an article about it from USAToday.

It's very easy to judge and condemn when you don't see or hear the person behind the text.