"We dream of having a clean house - but who dreams of actually doing the cleaning? We don't have to dream about doing the work, because doing the work is always within our grasp; the dream, in this sense, is to attain the goal without the work." -Marcus Buckingham
I thought this was appropriate for a day full of chores. When I think about this, it's so true for me. I come up with all kinds of ideas and projects, but it takes a lot of self convincing to do the work. Even if it's something that I enjoy doing but has just a bit of discomfort involved.
Today we got the final prep done on our playset. we trimmed the grass super low, hit the areas I missed the first time with the power sprayer and sanded the high traffic areas. Tomorrow we'll spray on stain and when that's all dried we'll get the hardware all back on and tighten all the screws and bolts. We also got the pool all back to good shape after the trip and the boys made some big strides on their learning to swim today. I tried my hand at stir fry, and I think focusing on the techniques and flavor combinations rather than the specifics is really paying off on my cooking ability. I made some honey garlic teriyaki steak in the wok with wild rice pilaf in the rice cooker. No recipes!
I learned today that researchers have made a 6 step Memristor. Memristors were announced in my last years of college and they are incredibly promising for density of memory. In this case, If the Memristor was the size of a standard flash memory bit, it would be 6 times more memory in the same space.
Friday, July 31, 2015
"If you’re not crazy there’s something wrong with you." - Willie Nelson
We were on the road again today, so I had Willie Nelson on the mind when looking for today's quote. I can assure you, Mr. Nelson, I am certainly one crazy human being, and I'm also definitely raising two new crazies.
Today started by packing up and finding a really cool nature trail in Branson that descends a limestone wall by lake Taneycomo. We went down 338 steps to see a neat little cave and a really cool grotto. The steps were laid down in the 20's by hand and I can only imagine the pain it would have been to haul that many buckets of cement. So the pain of climbing back up the steps (halfway with a 5 year old on my back) was relatively minor in comparison.
The drive back to Kansas City was uneventful, just how I like it! We unpacked, and I tried my hand at cutting open a geode with my Dremel tool and a diamond disc. The geode was 99% solid, so I had to cut it all the way, but was able to do it! patience, steady hands, and some skills passed down from Dad meant that both halves were clean and smooth when I finished. I then rigged up a belt sander upside down in my vice and tried my hand at making obelisks out of river rocks. So far so good, but it's slow work.
Today I learned that lapidary work absolutely requires water and that a dremel tool can only run for about 20 minutes before getting too hot to hold onto. I also learned that I'll have to work extra hard because Julianne and I share a dream of a second home in the wilderness someday.
We were on the road again today, so I had Willie Nelson on the mind when looking for today's quote. I can assure you, Mr. Nelson, I am certainly one crazy human being, and I'm also definitely raising two new crazies.
Today started by packing up and finding a really cool nature trail in Branson that descends a limestone wall by lake Taneycomo. We went down 338 steps to see a neat little cave and a really cool grotto. The steps were laid down in the 20's by hand and I can only imagine the pain it would have been to haul that many buckets of cement. So the pain of climbing back up the steps (halfway with a 5 year old on my back) was relatively minor in comparison.
The drive back to Kansas City was uneventful, just how I like it! We unpacked, and I tried my hand at cutting open a geode with my Dremel tool and a diamond disc. The geode was 99% solid, so I had to cut it all the way, but was able to do it! patience, steady hands, and some skills passed down from Dad meant that both halves were clean and smooth when I finished. I then rigged up a belt sander upside down in my vice and tried my hand at making obelisks out of river rocks. So far so good, but it's slow work.
Today I learned that lapidary work absolutely requires water and that a dremel tool can only run for about 20 minutes before getting too hot to hold onto. I also learned that I'll have to work extra hard because Julianne and I share a dream of a second home in the wilderness someday.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
"It is the malady of our age that the young are so busy teaching us that they have no time left to learn." - Eric Hoffer
I would like to think that people my age and younger are now constantly learning thanks to the internet. I'm wonder if Mr. Hoffer would agree, but I'm more curious if any of my peers would agree. has the balance shifted? are we too busy learning to have time left to be productive?
What a busy day! Today we went to the trout hatchery here in Branson and learned all kinds of things about how the trout are grown. next we went to try go karts, but both of the boys took one look and were not wanting to try out the noisy things. So we went and did some indoor mini-golf instead. Both boys got a hole in one! we checked out an arcade, and had a blast there. Then we headed over to a the talking rocks cavern. It was a frightening experience for Logan given that it was cold, dark wet and high up at points. We tried out Rocco's Pizza based on some reviews on trip advisor and were not disappointed. Finally, we went to The Landing and did some shopping and watched the Fountain and Fire show.
Today I learned that the trout in lake Taneycomo need to be constantly stocked because the variability in the outflow from the Tablerock dam means that the trout spawning will not be successful. I also learned that by creating the tablerock dam, that we've effectively made the waters inhospitable for most of the native fish, and that of course means that trout are not native to Missouri.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
“Here and there among men, there are those who pause in the hurried rush to listen to the call of a life that is more real… He who sees and hears too much is cursed for a dreamer, a fanatic, or a fool, by the mad mob who, having eyes, see not, ears and hear not, and refuse to understand… ” - Harold Bell Wright, The Shepherd of the Hills
I felt this quote was appropriate given that I'm in Branson while writing this and The Shepard of the Hills is the most famous book that i'm aware of set in this region. It also appeals to me as it causes me to reflect on my own feelings. And being an introvert, It's quite calming to think inwardly. It's certainly easy to deny other's truths for our own, I would say it's the representation of "common sense." I've found that most people I meet believe that they have common sense, and perhaps the wisest people I have met believe themselves to be foolish or are unsure of themselves. I wish I could claim to be one or the other but when I really think about it, I think when I make snap judgements, I believe I have common sense. When I really think about an issue, I'm sure that i don't know it all or only see both sides of a story as perfectly valid.
Today was a great day of travel. Gone are the days of stress filled driving, Striving to make it to a decently clean place to change a diaper or emergency pull overs for bathroom breaks. In fact Julianne and I got to discuss actual news topics like adults while the kids watched DVDs or played games on their IPads. I know that before electronic games my parents/grandparents must have had frayed nerves at the end of every trip. I remember fondly playing travel games like "who can yell the loudest when they find something the right color during I SPY" and "lets sing a horrible repetitive song badly!" It's hard to think of myself as anything of myself today, but I do honestly remember doing that and at the time. It was definitely fun and not "horrible torture of the adults in my life trying to keep a metal box going at breakneck speed from crashing into the ditch." My adult me apologizes for my child me's behavior.
On the way we checked out the Osceola Cheese Company, way better than i expected. Julianne got many types of cheese that includes peppers that will melt your face off, or as she likes to say, "delicious." The boys and I made sure to admire the crazy foods, everything from 4 different types of pickled eggs, to 8 different types of flavored honeys and many many types of cheeses.
Before we could check in to our room, we went to Pirate Cove mini golf. Thanks Jerry and Doris for the room by the way! It was plenty hot but the elaborate decoration of this place was great! I've never played mini golf with water hazards before! We did have to leave after 14 holes due to the heat, but we had a great time and we got some sweet pirate gear for the boys. Preston wore his eye patch off and on all day which made us all laugh a bit. Then we just cooked up some dinner and relaxed the rest of the night, taking in the pool.
Today I learned that the ozarks are actually divided into 4 distinct geological regions. Branson is in the Springfield Plateau and specifically in the White River Hills subregion, with Karst features. I'll leave the Karst wikipedia adventure to you to follow on your own :)
I felt this quote was appropriate given that I'm in Branson while writing this and The Shepard of the Hills is the most famous book that i'm aware of set in this region. It also appeals to me as it causes me to reflect on my own feelings. And being an introvert, It's quite calming to think inwardly. It's certainly easy to deny other's truths for our own, I would say it's the representation of "common sense." I've found that most people I meet believe that they have common sense, and perhaps the wisest people I have met believe themselves to be foolish or are unsure of themselves. I wish I could claim to be one or the other but when I really think about it, I think when I make snap judgements, I believe I have common sense. When I really think about an issue, I'm sure that i don't know it all or only see both sides of a story as perfectly valid.
Today was a great day of travel. Gone are the days of stress filled driving, Striving to make it to a decently clean place to change a diaper or emergency pull overs for bathroom breaks. In fact Julianne and I got to discuss actual news topics like adults while the kids watched DVDs or played games on their IPads. I know that before electronic games my parents/grandparents must have had frayed nerves at the end of every trip. I remember fondly playing travel games like "who can yell the loudest when they find something the right color during I SPY" and "lets sing a horrible repetitive song badly!" It's hard to think of myself as anything of myself today, but I do honestly remember doing that and at the time. It was definitely fun and not "horrible torture of the adults in my life trying to keep a metal box going at breakneck speed from crashing into the ditch." My adult me apologizes for my child me's behavior.
On the way we checked out the Osceola Cheese Company, way better than i expected. Julianne got many types of cheese that includes peppers that will melt your face off, or as she likes to say, "delicious." The boys and I made sure to admire the crazy foods, everything from 4 different types of pickled eggs, to 8 different types of flavored honeys and many many types of cheeses.
Before we could check in to our room, we went to Pirate Cove mini golf. Thanks Jerry and Doris for the room by the way! It was plenty hot but the elaborate decoration of this place was great! I've never played mini golf with water hazards before! We did have to leave after 14 holes due to the heat, but we had a great time and we got some sweet pirate gear for the boys. Preston wore his eye patch off and on all day which made us all laugh a bit. Then we just cooked up some dinner and relaxed the rest of the night, taking in the pool.
Today I learned that the ozarks are actually divided into 4 distinct geological regions. Branson is in the Springfield Plateau and specifically in the White River Hills subregion, with Karst features. I'll leave the Karst wikipedia adventure to you to follow on your own :)
"A full belly is little worth where the mind is starved" - Samuel Clemens
Today we had nothing planned, so we went to Sea life here in Kansas City. If you haven't been, It's an awesome aquarium with consistently unique and spotless tanks, with interesting sea creatures to look at. I'm especially fond of the huge rays, but the sharks and the sea turtle are pretty cool too. The best part is several places throughout the building you can walk under the aquarium as the creatures in the large tank swim over you. And it turns out that with a Friends of the Kansas City Zoo pass you can get a huge discount.
After Sea life, we hit grabbed a snack on took in the children's play area at Crown Center. Julianne and I decided that someone had a dream job designing and building this thing. This one was based on favorite childhood stories and was really imaginative and engaging for the kiddos.
After that we went to the Wonderscope Children's museum (also in Crown Center). The kids get to run around creating with a really well supplied area of markers, die cut paper, and tape. It was cool to get to make our own puzzle on a board decorated by the boys, make a custom keep sake box, water color some glossy paper and dry it in what looked like a modified pizza oven.
After all that excitement we took it easy the rest of the day, and by take it easy I mean started thinking about prime numbers again. Prime numbers trigger something strange in my mind. It's a feeling like there should be some devilishly simple way of predicting them, but every attempt to do so is thwarted. So it's that interesting puzzle that is fun to think about.
The same goes for prime factorization of semiprime numbers, that is more simply put: figure out what two prime numbers we multiplies together to get this number. RSA put out a challenge years ago to factor some of these numbers. I've been working on RSA-1024 for all of an hour now, so I can tell you definitively, This number's prime factors are (...3 * ...1) or (...7 * ...9) since as we know when you multiply big numbers, only the last digit has any effect on the last digit of the result. we also know that the numbers at the end must be 1,3,7 or 9 because anything even greater than 2 is not prime because it is then divisible by 2, and anything ending in 0 or 5 that is greater than 5 is also not prime because it is then divisible by 5. An interesting thing I've found is the the only possible prime ending numbers also are the only ones that exhibit the behavior of having the whole set of numbers contained in the last digit of the result of that number multiplied by all other numbers[1]. Or said another way, if you take the last digit from the result of 3 * [1-9] all of the numbers 1-9 come up, and the same for 1, 7 and 9. But no other numbers. I also know that adding the digits of the prime factors there will be 1023-1024 total digits and we can guess that it's likely more in the middle of the range and not a 2 digit number * a 1021 digit number.
knowing these two things, if both primes are already known we should be able to just look them up and guess at which ones they might be from this list, [2] but to be fair it's an awfully big list. I think it may be possible to branch out the initial known endings of 1-3 or 7-9 into the last two digit combinations and that should help narrow things down considerably.
[1]
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
----------------------------
1| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
2| 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8
3| 3 6 9 2 5 8 1 4 7
4| 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2 4
5| 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5
6| 6 2 8 4 0 6 2 8 4
7| 7 4 1 8 5 2 9 6 3
8| 8 6 4 2 0 8 6 4 2
9| 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Today we had nothing planned, so we went to Sea life here in Kansas City. If you haven't been, It's an awesome aquarium with consistently unique and spotless tanks, with interesting sea creatures to look at. I'm especially fond of the huge rays, but the sharks and the sea turtle are pretty cool too. The best part is several places throughout the building you can walk under the aquarium as the creatures in the large tank swim over you. And it turns out that with a Friends of the Kansas City Zoo pass you can get a huge discount.
After Sea life, we hit grabbed a snack on took in the children's play area at Crown Center. Julianne and I decided that someone had a dream job designing and building this thing. This one was based on favorite childhood stories and was really imaginative and engaging for the kiddos.
After that we went to the Wonderscope Children's museum (also in Crown Center). The kids get to run around creating with a really well supplied area of markers, die cut paper, and tape. It was cool to get to make our own puzzle on a board decorated by the boys, make a custom keep sake box, water color some glossy paper and dry it in what looked like a modified pizza oven.
After all that excitement we took it easy the rest of the day, and by take it easy I mean started thinking about prime numbers again. Prime numbers trigger something strange in my mind. It's a feeling like there should be some devilishly simple way of predicting them, but every attempt to do so is thwarted. So it's that interesting puzzle that is fun to think about.
The same goes for prime factorization of semiprime numbers, that is more simply put: figure out what two prime numbers we multiplies together to get this number. RSA put out a challenge years ago to factor some of these numbers. I've been working on RSA-1024 for all of an hour now, so I can tell you definitively, This number's prime factors are (...3 * ...1) or (...7 * ...9) since as we know when you multiply big numbers, only the last digit has any effect on the last digit of the result. we also know that the numbers at the end must be 1,3,7 or 9 because anything even greater than 2 is not prime because it is then divisible by 2, and anything ending in 0 or 5 that is greater than 5 is also not prime because it is then divisible by 5. An interesting thing I've found is the the only possible prime ending numbers also are the only ones that exhibit the behavior of having the whole set of numbers contained in the last digit of the result of that number multiplied by all other numbers[1]. Or said another way, if you take the last digit from the result of 3 * [1-9] all of the numbers 1-9 come up, and the same for 1, 7 and 9. But no other numbers. I also know that adding the digits of the prime factors there will be 1023-1024 total digits and we can guess that it's likely more in the middle of the range and not a 2 digit number * a 1021 digit number.
knowing these two things, if both primes are already known we should be able to just look them up and guess at which ones they might be from this list, [2] but to be fair it's an awfully big list. I think it may be possible to branch out the initial known endings of 1-3 or 7-9 into the last two digit combinations and that should help narrow things down considerably.
[1]
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
----------------------------
1| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
2| 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8
3| 3 6 9 2 5 8 1 4 7
4| 4 8 2 6 0 4 8 2 4
5| 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5
6| 6 2 8 4 0 6 2 8 4
7| 7 4 1 8 5 2 9 6 3
8| 8 6 4 2 0 8 6 4 2
9| 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
[2]
Sunday, July 26, 2015
"I must not Fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration." - Frank Herbert, Dune.
I've struggled with anxiety since at least middle school. These wise words from Frank Herbert and introduced to me by my father get me through the day. Armed with these words I'm able to be eventually confident in my actions. I think the only thing that saves me sometimes is that I focus and act well when under pressure.
This means that I naturally procrastinate. My fear grips me until I consciously arm myself against it or I run into crunch time. I mention this because I caught myself being anxious about our upcoming trip to Branson, MO. I know of course that there is nothing to be anxious about. This trip is meant to be purely about relaxation. We have no set agenda, we have no expectations to meet, but anxiety knocks anyway.
So today I slept in. Like really slept in. As in, 1:00 PM wake up time slept in. It was glorious.
But luckily I caught myself halfway through the day and had a good day measuring the attic for lumber dimensions needed to add some storage to our house and starting planning on materials. Also as my role of chief child spoiler, I took the kids to get a third xbox controller so that I could join them in their Minecraft world. They are so creative! It makes me proud and rest a bit easier that their imaginations have taken off. Next we went to the store and got all the supplies needed for our trip and of course spoiled the children a bit more with their own special snacks for the ride there and back. I also researched how to air condition a tent for my trip back to my hometown with the boys. I wanted to spend some time with Dad and the boys on the lease, and a tent should make it cheap, but the heat will be oppressive and the boys have historically not done well with tent life in general.
Today I learned all kinds of things. Like that there is a product that you can add to your tent to make a standard window unit fit. That designing a AC system for a space is a balance, If you have too big of a unit, you don't remove the humidity and you get a damp cold feeling. But if you get too small of a unit, you won't be able to fully cool the room. That a R-Value of no less than 38 is recommended for attics in the KC area, and that you need at least 12 inches of cellulose blown in insulation to provide that. I also learned that the ton rating on AC units is how many tons of ice per day equivalent in cooling power, if the unit ran 100% of the time. And that 1 ton of Ice is a block 6'x6'x1'
Saturday, July 25, 2015
"There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of The Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning" - Robert Jordan, Wheel of Time Series
Today marks the first day of my sabbatical from Cerner. For those who don't know, Cerner offers sabbaticals to all associates who have spent 7 years continuously on the job, and every 6 years after that.
I noticed yesterday and increased drive and motivation, I knocked out a lot of tasks at work and am
already planning on improvements to the house. Today we got our family photo taken, got the boys their shirts as a reward for the summer reading program, and I used our power sprayer to finish preparing the play set for staining. We went out to the amazing Woodneath public library and got together with friends to play board games. I also tried cooking meatballs for the first time with middling success. Finally Logan insisted we try dragonfruit, which was okay but certainly not worth what we paid for it.
So far, so good. For my work compatriots, 1 day down, 30 more to go.
If you know me, you know that I'm all about learning something everyday. Today I learned that dragonfruit is also called Pitaya and that the Hylocereus Costaricensis type that we had will stain your fingers a very unique purplish pink neon color.
Today marks the first day of my sabbatical from Cerner. For those who don't know, Cerner offers sabbaticals to all associates who have spent 7 years continuously on the job, and every 6 years after that.
I noticed yesterday and increased drive and motivation, I knocked out a lot of tasks at work and am
already planning on improvements to the house. Today we got our family photo taken, got the boys their shirts as a reward for the summer reading program, and I used our power sprayer to finish preparing the play set for staining. We went out to the amazing Woodneath public library and got together with friends to play board games. I also tried cooking meatballs for the first time with middling success. Finally Logan insisted we try dragonfruit, which was okay but certainly not worth what we paid for it.
So far, so good. For my work compatriots, 1 day down, 30 more to go.
If you know me, you know that I'm all about learning something everyday. Today I learned that dragonfruit is also called Pitaya and that the Hylocereus Costaricensis type that we had will stain your fingers a very unique purplish pink neon color.
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