December 2008
47 posts
A Message
Heard a great message today about Saul’s life-transforming trip to Damascus. It helped me look back on my own life’s transformation…and where I still have to go on this road of life. Have you had your own life transformation? If not, why is that? If so, take some time to think about it.
November 2008
47 posts
The age of digital TV.
My family will officially be moving into the 21st century in the next month or two. Folks, we have found a new television. After much deliberation, we have settled on Korean design…the Samsung LN46A650. After measuring, 46 inches fits nicely into my parents’ living room.
Broken Heart
On this almost Thanksgiving hour on the east coast, I want to just share my heart - to pray for those in Mumbai. They may be hours away, cultures different. They’re still people, the same as you. Having had the opportunity to interact with those from all over the world, I am much more sensitive now to events overseas. So for those of you in the thick of it…I am crying for you and...
Go Against the Grain! Don't tolerate dry meat!
I have a beef with turkey…it is ALWAYS dry. I know it doesn’t have to be this way…I’ve seen enough Thanksgiving television cooking specials to know that a few extra moments of care may be taken in order to provide a juicy bird for you and your closest friends or relatives.
I am being told I am not allowed to experiment with my father’s side of the family. Thus, no...
Oatmeal
So I’ve taken to making oatmeal. I always liked oatmeal, but now I use plain oats. It sounds dull, but it is not dull by any means. First, I heat up the quick oats in milk for 30 seconds. Yes, straight milk, usually of the 1% variety. Milk serves two purposes - to bring in protein and develop an extra creaminess. I then put in two teaspoons of sugar…more or less depending on my mood. ...
10 Thoughts
Sometimes I like to sit down and think about what I am thinking about. I know, it sounds circular or counter-productive, but work with me. Take a moment and try to examine the innards of your own mind. Here is what I found after just doing that: 10 Thoughts from the head of Jared 1. Can human writing from this age be God-inspired? Is there a Biblical backing to any answer? 2. Elkins Park...
Shared Thoughts
As you can tell I’ve gotten into consistent blogging - it’s relaxing to come home after a busy day in the lab/office and write down my thoughts. The fact that people are actually willing to read them is certainly an added bonus. So where am I going with this? “Get to the point!” You say. Ok, my point is this. Everyone’s mind is full of wonderful thoughts - those great and insightful neurons...
A fibrous lament for you
My axis is skew
Modes are in my cladding
My one single mode transferred to many
and Verizon won’t buy me for even a penny
Everyone else has a
nice, graded index
my step index body just cannot compete
with all these new cables found under the street
oh what can I do?
I must regain the old days
my friend, I do think there’s a reasonable fix
I’ll take my cheap body and...
Today's Readings
I read this today. Instead of being wishy washy or trying to be PC, I’m just gonna quote what I believe. It reminds me, and it hopefully lets you think about it too.
1 Peter 3
18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, id=”en-NIV-30428”>19through whom[d]...
Ugly.
Today was an ugly day…a very ugly day. A horribly ugly day. I had a test due at 6 PM…I tried…I really did. I need to learn to better time manage myself or something. Or I need a new major or job. Perhaps I should just get an MBA and move on in life. Regardless, it was just one of those days. I worked hard and I should be proud of this, but quite honestly I just feel...
Hippies
Well folks, I have taken one more step towards full-blown hippiedom. Why would a conservative, non-drug using engineering Ph.D candidate make such a claim?
May I present to you my two favorite articles of the day:
A discussion about solar power efficiency. What struck me most about this article was that I saw the statements of this article played out on Tuesday. In case you missed it, I...
Outstepping Your Bounds (A US Court Story)
I am writing this post in response to a recent settlement - one in which a civil rights group brought suit against eHarmony for not allowing for gay matchmaking on their website. Apparently the US Court system now wants to tell us how to run our businesses. eHarmony’s decision was to cater to a certain crowd - the straight crowd. The homosexual market was merely not within their...
Trust
Proverbs has the following to say related to trust:
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate...
Verizon
So I am angry! Quite, actually. My parents had been having an issue with their Verizon DSL (a.k.a. “High Speed Internet”) for a while. They couldn’t keep their connection, and their IP address kept changing. It was apparently an issue with a mouse and bad connection or something like that. I’m not sure I’m buying that though, and here is my reason.
Often, when...
My Un-Visited Contiguous US States
Oregon - I’m going here in December to speak at a conference and hear a bunch of people from industry and national labs do talks as well. I’m presenting a poster (kinda like a graduate student’s science fair thing) as well California - Going here on the honeymoon next year. Also making a brief stop there in December, possibly March as well. Side note: I can’t wait to get...
So what have I been up to lately? To give y’all a quick overview:
I finished my application for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship Research Program (GFRP). It’s the most prestigious fellowship that I can get. I was an Honorable Mention (Qualified Alternate) last year, and am more within the proper age range this year, so I hope to recieve it.
I am...
Pandora Continued
I apologize for the inconsistent posting.
I posted about Pandora three days ago. Well, I’d like to follow that up. I have been thinking further, and I still love Pandora. In fact, I have added two little sections to the right column of the website for your viewing pleasure. First, the three most recent songs I have marked will show up. It can give you a sense for what I am listening to...
Media Week! Hulu
Howdy. Since I seem to have been discussing various media in recent posts, I have declared that the rest of this week is media week. I’m going to highlight something media related. Today’s topic: Hulu.com.
Hulu was mentioned in a NYT article about Youtube’s consideration of major studio sanctioned streaming movie and TV shows. The web site already has both, although within...
Pandora!
A long, pensive article on some topic is long overdue. Alas, duty calls and I am afraid my body finds itself in the early stages of a battle with pending sickness. May such sufferings be brief - I have my first presentation to venture capitalists next Tuesday.
But on a lighter note, I am entirely enamoured with Pandora right now. If you are unfamiliar, it’s this rockin’ site that...
Smelly Shopping
Went shopping today for suits and to test out perfume. Well, a bunch of suits and 72 different perfumes later…I come home empty. It’s ok, I had more fun shopping than I have in a long, long time.
Then I watched 101 Dalmations….I love that movie!
In Today's News
Hello! Today I’d like to highlight something on the site. I read, on average, over 5,100 online articles monthly (I started tracking my reading patterns about a year ago). And just for you guys, I mark a bunch of favorites - only about 4% or so. Feel free to take a look. You can also see the newest five articles on the right hand column in the “What I’m reading box.” ...
WatchI can only guess what is going on here…but man am I missing out! Many of you probably don’t know that I’ve always wanted to play with lighting. I think it’s very exciting. Well, oddly enough, I work with optics. Not to mention that one of my friends is actually involved in a lighting upstart.
(via jamesond)
Voter Turnout
One of my favorite columns, known as the Wall Street Journal Numbers Guy, had an amazing article today about voter turnout. You can see it here, or just read it below:
High voter turnout was predicted on Tuesday. And the number of votes counted has already shattered all records. But so, too, does the population of the U.S., regularly. The turnout rate appears to be shy of a new record.
Focusing...
Obama is Black
Ok, this post might offend a few people. I apologize if you are offended. I personally don’t care about race, but I want to rant, if you will, about my frustrations. Why such a public audience? I’m hoping to get some responses from you.
I have religiously been watching the election coverage on a smattering of channels - NBC, CBS, and Fox. I am expecting that Obama will win -...
Wedding Update
So you may be wondering how the wedding plans are going…great! That’s really all I have to say. We have a bunch planned, and Julia is doing such a great job keeping on top of things.
And I don’t tend to be too sappy…but I have to say that’s it’s great to be in love.
World Series and Dad
My world series TV watching experience:
My Dad
Coca-Cola in glass bottles
Nachos
Hot Dogs & Buns (after midnight!)
Peanuts in their Shells
Barbecue Flavored Chips
So in a brief statement, I just want to say that spending time watching two games with my Dad was great. Thanks for taking the time to be with me!
