Sad. :(

lab8:~math137$ ls
Desktop mail volumes-1.tex volumes.tex
lab8:~math137$ mathematica
xset: unable to open display ""
xset: unable to open display ""
xset: unable to open display ""
Can't open display
lab8:~math137$ startkde
xsetroot: unable to open display ''
xset: unable to open display ""
xsetroot: unable to open display ''
startkde: Starting up...
ksplash: cannot connect to X server
kdeinit: Aborting. $DISPLAY is not set.
Warning: connect() failed: : No such file or directory
/usr/X11R6/bin/xrdb: Can't open display ''
ksmserver: cannot connect to X server
startkde: Shutting down...
Warning: connect() failed: : No such file or directory
Error: Can't contact kdeinit!
startkde: Running shutdown scripts...
startkde: Done.
lab8:~math137$ SIGHZ
-bash: SIGHZ: command not found

Damn you. I left my USB flash drive somewhere, and I can't imagine why anyone would want it (except that it's a 1GB flash drive). Anyway, I've become attached to that thing, so I've been in the shitter all day long. That little thing has seen me through dark and light, rain and shine, sadness and complacency.

Well, it was free, but it's value is priceless to me. If someone found it and gave it to me, I'd give them like $35. That's enough to buy a nice 1GB SanDisk Cruzer, not the generic brand that I had.

Also, note to anyone that does find it- There's nothing of value... couple of pseudonocardia sequences, papers, cell bio notes. It's a good thing I run the synchronization profile every day (sometimes a couple of times a day), so all the data is backed up to my computer anyway. I just.. want it back.

In anticipation that I may have to buy another flash drive, I have opened up more tutoring hours (9 this week, along with 5 from DIT) and will probably continue to do so until I have $100 beyond my usual pay. Just to buy a $20 flash drive, and I'll spend the rest at Oma's Kitchen to make me feel better.

:'(

Goals / Itazura Denwa / Jinsei

Yesterday, the schedule was near PERFECT until 8pm. See, I was going to go to UT Ballroom to brush up on some more dance moves, but alas, Friday night lessons start at 6pm and go to 8pm, so I walked in, and the instructor was saying "Ok! You guys practice; let me put on some Rumba music before I leave".. --> Desolation. :(

Before, I would have said something on the order of "dancing? That's a little homo...etc etc"
I've realized I'm well beyond that, and I certainly don't go to UTBDC to pick up chicks like this one guy I know. One of my goals this semester has been to learn all the Latin dances there are and possibly become proficient at them. Although some of the girls are interesting, I've come to realize that there are very few that actually fit my taste, and I've been around superficial ones long enough to recognize them by their stench.

This brings me to my next point- I don't like people touching me. Just get over it. A friendly pat on the back is one thing, but more than one a day* is excessive. If it's one thing I hate, it's man hugs. Man hugs piss me off.

Thursday night, the day before my cell bio test, I got a prank call at 1:38AM. It was Sibin Chen, but I didn't recognize it from the number at first. So originally, I thought it was Jonathan, so I gripped my aircraft-aluminum flashlight by it's head (to beat people with the tail) and I started to calmly walk to Jonathan's room to administer a beating, but he wasn't the one that called me. Oh well. I went back to my room, and my CELL PHONE NUMBER was on a POST IT NOTE on my DOOR. Sibin lives far, so I have yet to find out how someone on my floor got my phone #, and had the time to monitor me and put that on my door.

Due to the incident mentioned above, my ever so light sleep has become even lighter, and I now keep a utility knife near the head of my bed, as well as the default tactical flashlight near my side. A typical scenario would be something like this: Attacker enters, I stay motionless but still very aware.. and right when he's near, I blind him with my flashlight, flip it over, and subdue.

I like my flashlight so much I even carry it in the daytime. YEAH.

I did some thinking about my career options and why I want to be a CIA agent as well as a doctor (maybe either/or) and I came to a conclusion.

Direct Intervention! I like the power of intervention. Both professions are completely unnoticied when the job is done well. If the surgeon does his job right, the patient's life continues as planned. If the agent does his job right, life continues as well. I thrive in those situations where panic and desperation arises, where someone is required to set things straight, make a difference.

*: There are exceptions. For example, if I finished all my homework --> [pat] and played a good game of racquetball [pat], then that would be excessive. But if I finished all my homework and then cured cancer or something, that would deserve two pats. Just play it safe and keep your hands to yourselves.

I would have 2/3 of the title in Japanese, except these ME HPC lab machines don't have Japanese input installed :(

F***ing Hypocrites.

Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.



While it's perfectly ok to say something like that, it's probably not the nicest thing to say, no matter how true it is. That last statement only applies to normal people. First of all, the Pope was quoting something. It's like me quoting that statement, except unlike the Pope (I think), I actually think it's true:

Taken DIRECTLY from Wikipedia:

• About 2,000 Palestinians in Gaza City protested the Pope's statement on 15 September; a Greek Orthodox and an Anglican Church in Nablus were fire-bombed.
• On 17 September 2006 two Somali gunmen shot and killed an elderly Italian nun, sister Leonella, working at the Austrian-run childen hospital of Mogadishu, with her Somali bodyguard. (On a personal note, I have no mercy for anyone that attacks a hospital)
• The Iraqi militia Jaish al-Mujahedin (Holy Warriors' Army) announced its intention to "destroy their cross in the heart of Rome… and to hit the Vatican."
• Islamic Salafist Boy Scout Battalions threatened to kill all Christians in Iraq if the Pope does not apologize to Muhammad within three days.

Is that not enough proof? It doesn't surprise me that these people can't see the hypocritical nature of their actions. What's the only continuing major conflict that wasn't instigated by the Muslim religion? (I'll tell you- IRA & the Irish). No major world religion directly advocates violence in their scripture nor beliefs, but one comes close and it's the twisting of these words that many MANY people use to their advantage.

http://www.newsone.ca/piercelandherald/ViewArticle.aspx?id=8863&source=2

It is time. I knew it was coming. I say 4-5 years before American GI's are crawling all over that place.
....


These politically charged blogs are going to pwn me one day.

Lewis.

Seriously awesome.

Today, I finally realized something. When I signed up for my BME class, the BME advisor was like.. "I'm warning you... it's a difficult class". Of course, with the enormous hubris that physics instills in you, I thought "yeah. right." WRONG. WRONG.

This class will be difficult. Although he did guarantee MIT acceptance to anyone that does well. :-/

Squall, Ligers, and Smothering Pillows.

I had a squall moment in cell bio today. Now I usually don't chronicle this, so enjoy it while it lasts. The question: How would chaperone proteins recognize new proteins that have just been ejected from the ribosome to help them fold?

I waited, as I usually do. There's a saying that goes "It's better to sit there and look stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". I usually follow that. Making a mistake in my mind is not salvageable by any means whatsoever, even if the next couple of answers are right. So I waited and no one gave an answer! 10 seconds later, my mind began to waver and also, I was itching to know, so I thought a little and came up with an answer.

[Academic]
It's worth it to try, and even if you make a mistake, you're bringing up a good point

[Moral]
You can't just wantonly shout out random thoughts. The fact that no one else knows means you're probably wrong too.

[Academic]
I call in situational veto powers, overrule on Moral, working on determining validity of the answer.

1 second later, I was convinced I was right.

[Academic]
It's time to make the move. Get me voluntary control and communications, let's start the process.

0.25 seconds later, my hand was in the air, ready to dish out a response. In fact, I hadn't even completed 4 words when _____[Professor] was like 'you're right, exactly'. That's a squall moment.


Today I saw a shirt that said LIGER on it. Ligers and Tions are those things that I'm always amazed only to realize a minute later that I've seen & read about them before. This time was different. How exactly do you make a liger? Rather, how exactly do you make a male lion mate with a female tiger? That got me thinking... and weird things happen when I think. I thought...you would probably have make the tiger EMULATE a female lion by dressing up the tiger! Yet this isn't your run-of-the-mill dress up fantasy. The tiger wouldn't actually KNOW it was being dressed up say... after it's bath. It's casually eating a steak while a bunch of zookeepers are spraypainting lionish graffiti on its back. So after it's done with its steak, although she doesn't know it, she looks like a lion. Ok. Part II: 10 minutes later, they're grazing the field, and then WTF WTF WTF. The female tiger looks back and it has a lion mounted on it. "WTF? STUPID LION! I'M A TIGER!" says the Tiger. But the deed is done.

Either that, or the lion is just retarded.

All these movies about people dying from being smothered by pillows. I tried it. Nothing happens. Pillows are completely breathable. In fact, they smell good. People should stop being pussies.

Why Physics?

So I can do things like that.