Updated

So, after all these revisions of my computer I thought it was finally time to revise something else. Some of you may have noticed that my blog has had a make over, complete with modern looking art. This should also make the blog more readable, which i80and has bugged me to do.

Google has made me happy. After sending them the same suggestion once a month for seventeen months they finally implemented group chats into GTalk. This is almost better than lucid dreaming (which unfortunately I'm still unable to do, after a week's practice.) The info.

I finished my last physics test, what a great feeling. The test itself was actually pretty enjoyable, but I suppose I shouldn't go into the details. I might have to retake one test, as I got a 58 (oww, I know). But I bounced back with 94 on the next.

The school year started rather uneventfully. Just a few minor hickups here and there, but largely it went smoothly. The classes aren't particularly hard either, at least, for now. Then again both Chem and Chinese are mostly review at this point. And I'm unable to begin Logic. I've only had some simple assignments I've finished early (that's shows how easy they are <_<). My English class is about to get better. At first there were only new kids, but a bunch of my old classmates are getting transfered.

I'm actually making a lot of progress in the game, I'm quite pleased. I've got a skeletal animation system mostly in place, and of course the entire physics engine. I need to deal with putting it all together, and getting things to interact properly. Object orientated programming is truly a blessing, although I don't think I'm aware of it's full potential. I hope AP Comp Sci will fill me in on the details. I got 3DSMax working again, which means I won't be completely strapped for art, although god help me if we have to use programmer art.

I'm pleased. I can finally type well with my dvorak keyboard, although I don't know what my wpm in yet. This should hopefully make the typing aspect of NaNoWriMo better. I think I'm done...

Haven't felt like posting in some time

I did it again...

I couldn't help but redecorate. I got new techology (Compiz Fusion) so it's only appropriate that we did something to match.

So I finished about a semesters worth of physics in around a week and a half, which was a lot of work. I still have about half a semesters worth to finish before I leave for Stanford. I haven't got test scores back from my computer final, but I felt pretty good about as I left the testing center. Computer programs shouldn't be written by hand, it sucks. And I took two physics tests, got a 95 on it. In a bit of awesomeness I got an A on my philosophy paper. I was pretty much the only person in the class that didn't full out blast communism, it seems, so I got creativity points or something. So my final grades are: terrible. Actually they were: English B, History B-, Philosophy B+. And I got AP scores back... AP Comp Gov: 3, AP Comp Gov US: 3, APUSH: 4, Calc BC: 4, Physics: 3. Hrum, I'm going to need to retake the Calc BC again for sure... And UMTYMP finally mailed my summer homework.

I also had a spew of soccer games happening and coming up. One game was canceled due to rain, and three tournament games were lost. The scores were 1-6, 1-5, 0-6. Whoopdido, I gotta say, those were good teams. And then a game in about two hours, and another on Wednesday, and another on Friday. My legs make me feel like the Tinman.

The epic tall will never be recounted now (unless you see me in person and get to reenact it)

POTD

I've heard these are good games, I've never played one however.

Well, I give up on trying to write up my ARML experiences. I will tell you that I won an epic game of Mafia, and that our team came first in the midwest, and 8th in the nation. Go us.

Today I took my philosophy final. Our teacher decided to heed some of philosophies he was teaching, or something, because it really wasn't as scary as we had expected. I did have to write two essays, but he gave out a sheet of expected essay questions, so I had outlines ready.

And we won a very very close soccer game against the Plymouth Titans (I thought they were the Plymouth Tidus for a moment, which cracked me up.) The final score was 2-1, and the winning point was scored within a minute of the end. It was a very good game, I thought. I also managed to collect: a sore should (work of an errant elbow), a ripped up knee (probably someone's cleat as I slide tackled), a large bruise on my thigh (I got kicked in the leg as I slide tackled), and a hurt toe (stepped on by a cleat.) Well, no pain no gain, I suppose.

Wish me some more luck

I'm leaving tomorrow in the morning for Iowa City for AMRL. I'll be back sometime Saturday.

I barely survived those papers (just finished the last of them.) I found out today that I got a C- on my last history paper (ouch, apparently my conclusion was _very_ weak) so I really need to do well on these newer ones. I'll talk more about it later, since it's late and I need a shower.

I'll just leave you with this.

http://mkbunday.googlepages.com/ScreenshotNewBlue.jpg

Another resounding victory!

PotD

Huh, looks sort of like a pumpkin to me.

So soccer was good today. The field was much better than our last field. The rain made things a little slick, but it was okay. Anyways we won 7-0, each goal made by a different person, including one of their players. As you might be able to imagine things were pretty uneventful for the defense. The hi-light (for D) was when I "took one for the team." I did the little dance which indicates that I'm sorry I'll never be able to meet my children... It hurt like bloody hell, but whatever.

And I'm now officially obsessed (it took a long time for me to spell that correctly, so appreciate the fact that it is) with the band Scissors for Lefty.

Songs from their MySpace
Songs from their other MySpace
I guess I would loosely describe them as dance rock, but since they are indy they are quite experimental. I really like their beats, personal preference I suppose. In particular I really really like Softly The Sun Swallows The Sea (it's in the second link); never before has being killed by a great white shark ever sounded so awesome.

Ugh, I have a whole load of busy coming up. So much that I will tell you about it now, so you'll be able to tell the medical examiner my cause of death. Since I was preoccupied with my other studies I ignored physics and programming to some extent, and now it's coming back to bite me in the butt. And I've got the usual philosophy paper, 5-6 pages, however I sort of like this prompt, so hopefully it will be fine. And some little English assignment on global warming (in which I recommend not relying on trees, and actually cutting down some large rain forests.) The thing that concerns me the most is my history assignment. 10-15 pages is not a pretty sight, anywhere. Can anyone say yay for Cold War? No, because it was bleh. I had a B+ on my latest philosophy paper, which is okay since the teacher is a fairly hard grader.

Another busy day

POTD

Had my timing been better this would have been shown on Easter, but oh well. I hope you guys had good Mother Days, they certainly deserve the appreciation.

Well today I had the AP Physics B exam, as many of you already know. I did do about as poorly on it as I had expected. After taking so many standardized tests I've gotten a sense of what I'm ready for and what I'm not.

Then I went on to soccer practice. Endurance is clearly an issue for me. Killers (run to the middle of the field, and back, then to the end of the field, and back, rinse and repeat) should not be as hard as they are, but oh well.

Btw, I would recommend reading Reinventing the Bazaar by John McMillan. It's an interesting (and sensible (hard to believe when it's philosophy, I know)) blend of Robert Nozick's libertarianism (minimal governmental intervention in lots of things) and other philosophers that want a more socialist state. Yes, it's true I did recommend a book from my philosophy course, odd as it is. Actually this guy is pretty readable. Unlike a certain John Rawls.

One other thing. I nominate Bingo for world's most terrible game. Who wants to play a game where all you can do is passively read numbers off the charts? There is no way you can actually influence the outcome of the game. And if you had managed in anyway to find a "strategy" to use during a game of Bingo, you would be promptly accused of cheating. I mean, how more boring could it get. You might as well just play a game of flip the coin, or roll the d20. Playing bingo was pretty much the hi-light (other than the good food) of our mother's day celebration. Our game of Apples to Apples Junior was almost as bad, since I could predict my cousins predictable (yes, I do know I'm being redundant) decisions a year before they happened. Apples to Apples is one of those games where the amount of fun is linked directly to who you are playing with, and in this case it wasn't too fun. The silly Junior part also made it impossible to create fun by creating twisted and perverted meanings. So pretty much, it wasn't too fun.

POTD 122

POTD

I really love this sort of environment, where you've got the bridges spanning large expanses and stuff. I need to see if I can find this one really cool old painting I found once.

Anyways I'm finally back, and finished licking my wounds. For those of you who didn't know I did worse than I had expected on a few key tests, which didn't really put me in the mood of blogging. Those scores were 4 on the AIME, and 78 on the second UMTYMP test. Actually my UMTYMP score was pretty in comparison to my classmates' scores, many of whom received something like 48. Anyhow it is pretty good to be back after my four week (exactly!) absence.

The past couple days news in brief is:
*UMTYMP test in little more than a week.
*I'm a student in training for the Minnesota American Regions Math League, again. I was hoping to get promoted, but oh well.
*I'm taking five APs. Comparative Government, US Government, Calculus BC, US History, and Physics B
*I've turned in lots of assignments as usual
*Got two new computers from a friend

With one of those new computers I made a foray into the world of Linux computing. I installed Ubuntu (really easily) and had a load of fun. Screenshot below. Screenshot2.png However, that computer is currently broken, since I installed an nVidia driver incorrectly. Silly nVidia is just another one of Microsoft's goons. I think I might just install Fedora when Core 7 comes out, so that will fix my problem.

Also I wasted some time two weekends ago, and went to the Future Sight pre-release with Kevin. Despite being a complete waste of time it was a lot of fun. The best part is that Kevin and I did really well as a team, so we got prizes. :)

And that's about all for today. Enjoy more onslaught tomorrow. Oh, and by the way, the next chapter meeting (in three weeks) is at a pizza place, food on the chapter.

And one last thing, A Realm Divided has been permanently suspended while we work on a new more snazzy game. Read: one that is actually within my ability as a programmer.

POTD 121

POTD

Whatever.

Life has been pretty uneventful. I'd report my homework, but I don't feel like it. I decided to take up writing again, because programming is getting annoying as a hobby. And I got a A- on my core paper! Appearantly despite my poor choice of topics I executed okay.