GPS stuff and the next two weeks of D00M!!!

Well, learning how to import GPS data to ArcGIS was pretty cool and I don't have any questions or concerns at this time.

Over the next two weeks the hardest thing will probably be the combination of a Mineralogy midterm followed by the final for that class. Ouch...

ArcGIS and Favorite Internet Site

Well, today I didn't have any questions or concerns because everything worked out good. My a, ha! moment was seeing how to add colors and labels to everything (much more complicated than it needed to be, but it works).

My favorite internet site is probably askaninja.com (for pure laughs), but I have favorites for different things. For news I go to the drudge report, for games I go to eve-online.com and so forth.

ArcGIS and Thanksgiving plans

Today we did a lot on making 3D elevation maps and it was pretty cool. I didn't have any ah, ha! moments, but I did have a question. My arc scene map was really weird when I overlayed the hillshade over the raster map. It would have boxes with both layers clipping over each other...

My thanksgiving plans are to go to Cody, Wyoming to be with my Aunt and Uncle for thanksgiving.
:-)

ArcGIS and Christmas Music

I don't have any ah, HA! moments or questions as of yet...

I've already started listening to some Christmas music, but after Thanksgiving is when I get all of it out.

ArcGIS and favorite place to eat

With arcGIS my ah, ha moment was seeing where to get the data for the maps and my only concern is figuring out where the units are on arial photo at this point.

My favorite place to eat is Perry's Steakhouse in Houston, mmm... melt in your mouth steaks...

Joke time plus Review

No questions or a, ha moments today.

My joke:

Back in the cold war the Americans and the Russians kept building more and more weapons and they realized they were going to destroy each other. So they got together to decide how to end this without wiping each other out, but still having a winner. So, they decided that they would be given 5 years to breed a dog and then they would decide who won the cold war by having a dog fight. So, the Russians went back and they found the meanest, nastiest, siberian wolves and dogs they could find... They bred these dogs and at the end of 5 years they had a vicious monster of a dog. Several of its trainers had lost limb, it took massive thick steel bars to hold this dog, and everyone was scared of it. When the day of the fight came the Russians were confident, but they waited for the Americans to arrive to see for sure. When the Americans arrived with their dog they couldn't help laughing because the Americans' dog was a little Dachsand in a tidy, but standard looking cage and was tiny compared to their dog. When the laughing subsided the Russians shouted, "Lets get this over with!!!" And both sides released their dogs... The Russian one bounded out of its cage with a snarl and the little american dog waddled out of its cage. The Russian dog charged and leaped to tear the Americans' dog limb from limb, but then... Just before it stuck the American Dog opened up wide and swallowed the Russian dog whole.

The Russians stood it disbelief, they couldn't believe it! They walked over to the Americans and said, "How!!! We spent 5 years on that dog, it was the meanest, toughest, biggest dog in all of Russia." The Americans replyed, "Well it took us 5 years to make an Alligator look like a dog."

Powerpoint and Jessica's Presentation

Today, we went over powerpoint. I liked seeing some of the new features for 2007 like the slide master. I didn't have any questions.

In the presentation by Jessica she didn't sound interested and just vaguely read the slides, she used a lot of ums and ahs, and didn't talk loud. The slides had lots of small text, no theme, hard to read and understand graphics.

Posters and my favorite college class

Today we went over making posters in illustrator. I didn't really have any questions or ah, ha! moments today, although the BYU logo site was a good thing to know.

My favorite class in college so far was probably the entrepreneurship lecture series that a took about a couple of years ago. I've enjoyed a lot of my classes including the geology ones (a good thing for a geology major I suppose...) alot as well.

MORE illustrator and places I've lived

Today was fairly easy, I really liked going over the gradient tool and the reflect tool was cool. I don't have any questions today.

I lived in Corpus Cristi, TX for about 1 month after I was born, then I lived in New Orleans, LA for 18 years. Then, I went to school in Provo, UT for a couple of semesters. Then, I went and lived in Japan during my mission. Then, I lived in Houston for about 4 or 5 months. Now I have been alternating living in Provo and Houston.

Crossections and my Thanksgiving plans

Today we went over illustrator and making cross-sections. I really liked seeing the transparency demo and what all the modes did. I had experimented with them in Photoshop and kind of knew what they did, but it was good to see a concise demo of it. Seeing how to add arrowheads was pretty cool as well. I didn't have any questions about illustrator today.

I will be going to Cody Wyoming to see my aunt this Thanksgiving so that should be cool. Nice job trying to put a positive spin on not coming up with a question today...

Happy Halloween!

Today, I didn't have any questions on the illustrator stuff we covered. I liked learning about the divide tool and will definitely be using that for my paper.

My Halloween plans are to go to a party tonight put on by someone in my ward... I will be dressed up like a soldier and it should be fun!

Lines and halloween

Today my ah, HA! moment was the holding shift to keep the line straight trick, that was pretty cool... I didn't have any questions about what we went over today though.

My favorite Halloween costume... I can't think of the last time I wore one... I think did a GI Joe type costume that was pretty cool a long time ago...

Illustrator and the Future

Well, today was the first time I've used Illustrator, but it is a lot like other programs I have used so I don't have any questions about it yet, but I may in the future. I had no a HA! moments today as we went over the basics, but it was good to see what is different from Photoshop.\

What would I like to know about the future... There is a lot I wouldn't like to know, like how I am going to die, who I am going to marry, etc. Those things are best left to be surprises because knowing them could actually change the future... It would be nice to know when the 2nd coming would be or what the best stock for the next 20 years would be...

Monkeys, explosions, Murphy, and superstitions

My mini assignment 4 is posted here. I took one of the photo series (it had 3 photos) on the k-drive and merged them. I replaced the sky and cropped it. Then, I added a monkey and gorilla and a nuclear explosion. Then I made some text and blended the monkeys and text to look like they are sprayed on the rocks.

No questions for today or concerns. My assignment 8 is posted on my website under 210 assignments.

I can't think of any superstitions. I don't ever open umbrellas indoors because it is supposed to be unlucky. Murphy's law takes away a lot of the motivation to be superstitious (or adds a lot depending on your perspective I suppose.). I believe in a lot of corollaries to Murphy's Law that could be considered superstitious... For example, A dropped object will always hit where it can do the most damage... The reality is that Murphy was probably an optimist...

Mini Assignment 3 and sports

Ok the top is the finished assignment 4. I took the original and cropped it with the help of the ruler. I adjusted the levels to make it clearer and used gaussian blur and the eraser tool on it. Below is the original. I had no questions for today and no a ha moments.

Yes, I am a sports fan and I cheer for BYU (college) and the New Orleans Saints for professional football. (Go Saints!!!)

Fall and Photoshop

Well, today we went over photoshop again. I had never used the burn and dodge tool so it was great learning about that today. Everything seemed pretty straight forward today, so I have no questions or concerns at this time.

My favorite fall activity is probably fishing. The weather is often perfect for it and the fish are usually biting. Unfortunately, I won't have enough time this fall, but maybe next year...

Dates and photoshop

Ok, the top picture is edited, while the lower picture is the original. The original was slightly crooked so I adjusted it and cropped it afterwards. I did tweak the levels, color balance, and brightness slightly, but the nature of the picture makes it a little hard to see. I could have looked for another picture, but I heard in class that you would like me to use my own pictures if possible and this was the only viable one I had available on short notice.

As for today, I didn't have any a, HA! moments, but it was fun nonetheless. I also didn't have any questions about what we did today. My best date so far... I think the simple dates are the ones that turn out best for me. Things like making cheap kites out of dowel rods and trash bags, eating lunch at the creamery, going to a play or event on campus, etc. No one of these dates really stands out for me, but they were all my best memories of dating.

More Photoshop and grevious wounds

Today, I thought that the ruler tool was pretty cool. I had never used it before... I can't think of any concerns or questions about today. Monday's assignment is on the left. I added the text in complementary colors as well as combining and cropping a picture of a monkey with a picture of a car wreck...

My worst injury was likely when I got a biopsy that slightly punctured both lungs. It was painful enough that morphine did little to ease my discomfort. When they put a chest tube in they went in through a muscle, which was painful and rendered my left arm useless for about 24 hrs as well as being quite painful the whole time and when they pulled it out.

Seasons and Photoshop

Today, my ah, HA! moment consisted of learning about the different color settings and what they are for. I had never paid much attention to that in the past so it was good to know. I had a question about where to find a color wheel for the complementary colors assignment, but I found one in those little booklets.

My favorite season is definitely spring. This is especially true since my mission to Northern Japan. The winter there was long and nasty with lots and lots of snow. I was sick for most of that winter and when the spring finally came, it was like a completely different world. The cherry blossoms came on, the air was warm with a cool breeze, people seemed nicer, my sickness ended, and the area I was in seemed to come alive and I saw a lot of success. I have always liked spring, but since then, it has become my clear favorite.

Test Review!!!

Yeah... I don't think there was any ah, HA! moment today besides refreshing my memory about some of the things we have been learning. I have no concerns (beyond what the test questions are...).

My favorite pet is my cat Felix. He has a funny personality and was a comfort when I was fighting cancer. I have another interesting pet that is not my favorite, but is interesting nonetheless. I call him the mafia fish. He grew to fill most of the tank and would bully the other fish until they jumped out of the tank committing suicide. He was one mean fish... There was one fish who survived his tyranny. We found him shriveled up on the floor and when we went to flush down the toilet he started swimming... Apparently he was an African fish capable of surviving outside of water for a while...

More Excel and High adventure

Well, today, my a HA! moment was seeing where the chart options tabs appear when you click on the graph. I hadn't known where the they went to in 2007, because I learned 2003. My only concern was that I couldn't figure out how to get multiple plots to appear on the same scatterplot. It would give error messages or not appear... I know we didn't try to go over that in class, but it still bugged me...

If money weren't an issue, I would go scuba diving to go and see shipwrecks (and sharks/fish). When I finished with that I would go marlin fishing for the rest of the trip...

Excel and breakfast

The greatest difference was object 36 with a difference of 8,592.5. I didn't have any concerns today due to the excel class I took at BYU a few years back.

My favorite breakfast food is hot chocolate cereal with plenty of sugar with milk. There is nothing like it to get you ready for the day... Mmm... Time to go...

-8592.8

PDFs n' Stuff

Today, my a HA! moment was that making bookmarks appear when PDFs are opened is going to be on the test... ;-)

I had no questions or concerns today.

My musical instrument is the elegant, beautiful, and mighty kazoo. Yes, I know, so difficult to master and the sound brings tears of joy to your eyes, but yes I can play it. Nothing beats the sound of "Amazing Grace" played with a kazoo or the patriotic sound of "The Star Spangled Banner". Unfortunately, I, as a poor college student don't own a kazoo at this time, but if you get a kazoo and want me to play in class then I will.

Acrobats and Relatives

Well, my aHA! moment was when I saw how to do bookmarks in Adobe as I haven't used them before.I didn't have any questions about it for now.

I have a relative that decided to blow up his car with gasoline (and lots of guns) when it died. He also went scuba diving in the Yellowstone river near fishing bridge. He has gone down the subway in Zion when the water was too high (that one almost got him killed...). He has done much much more that can't all be told in 5 minutes...

Boring word stuff, plus horrible movies!!!

Today, we went over editing in word. I have already used many of these tools before, but my ah HA! moment was probably when I saw the options for identifying the editor (or editors) of the document. I didn't have any questions about how to do this as I have used most of this stuff before.

The worst movie ever was battlefield earth. I've never seen, but the reviews I saw of it were like this: Good points: It ended. Bad points: It started. That about sums it up. I saw some really bad ones on Mystery Science Theater 3000 as well, but I can't remember the names.

A Paragraph Analysis

I am investigating the facies of the cretaceous Dakota Sandstone and their potential for trapping fluids and gas. Right now there is huge demand for new sources of oil and gas. The high demand is causing prices to quickly climb to record highs. There is also huge potential for foreign supply disruptions. The Dakota Sandstone Formation is found at the surface and in the subsurface throughout a large area of the mountain west and has many prospects for oil and gas. There is active exploration in the Dakota Sandstone which illustrates the potential rewards of the Dakota Sandstone. The increasing demand and risk for disruptions of supply overseas highlight the need to find more oil here in in the Dakota Sandstone and in North America.

Web pages, cadavers... need I say more?

Well, today was good for getting me going on my geology web page/ portfolio. I really liked the ideas looking at Nicole's site gave me for my own site and so hopefully mine will look good when I'm done too.

When I was growing up, I thought I wanted to be a doctor because they made the big bucks while helping people. Unfortunately, I discovered I had an unfortunate propensity to pass out when exposed to excessively gory things such as when I got to hold a human heart ( I was able to pass it on before going down...). This then gave way to a desire to be a meteorologist which I held for many years before switching to business, then, finally, geology.

Give me CHOCOLATE anyday (webpages are nice too...)

I must say I really like the Geology dept. web page's setup. It is fairly easy to get an online portfolio going and it looks pretty good. I understood how to set it up and after I play with it a bit, I may have more questions. For now, I think I'm ok.

My favorite food is definitely chocolate... Mmm... Chocolate...

Abstract Teleportation...

Today I really appreciated the specific requirements for abstracts and the practice on simple stories. I can't think of anything I really needed more clarification on today...

If I had a superpower, I would want the ability to teleport anything (including myself) anywhere in the world in an instant. That way I could save the 15 mins it takes to walk to school and I would never need to fly or drive again...

If I had a hammer... I'd buy a nail gun (and use refworks)

I wasn't introduced to refworks until today. I love how you can check off the papers you want to reference online and then directly import them to the program and then pop them into your paper. It will take some doing to figure exactly how to do some things (like how word and refworks work together), but I should be able to figure it out.

If I could be a tool, I would be a nail gun. Why? Well first off it is a power tool. Secondly, it's a gun (which is cool... obviously...). Lastly, you can build things really fast and defend yourself with it. So... um... yeah... Have a good day!

Papers and Vacations oh my!

Well, today I got a lot of help with choosing my research topic. I had forgotten about the library's extensive library of journals so being reminded of that was very helpful. The proposal tips were also very helpful although a few of the principles will be difficult to apply with a class research paper as opposed to a project where there is field work/ laboratory work involved (and money required to do it...). Still it is good practice to try and apply all of them.

My dream vacation would be 3 months in Yellowstone where I would get to see Giant geyser and a major eruption of steamboat geyser along with many other geysers. I would also do a lot of hiking to back country geyser basins. That would be an awesome vacation...

Jobs n' Such

Today, I think it most useful to me to hear about the importance of researching the company beforehand and asking questions. It is easy to forget what is important to interviewers when you're going in. The most frustrating thing is trying to figure out what would differentiate me from everybody else. I heard a few good ways, but it seems like the best way is to just be creative with it, without being over the top.

What makes me unique is my experiences. Last year I did battle with cancer and I am still here. I have also had similar challenges during my mission. Those experiences are big part of who and what I am today.

Makin' Resumes with a side order of prank stories...

Well, today we went over resumes and CVs. I think what helped the most today was knowing what we were writing the resume for (grad school resume). I was still a little confused about what format would be best for this, but that is probably a matter of what I've done that could go on the resume as well as personal preference and style.

Now for best prank... Well, I can't remember any that I've done (though I have done a few) at the moment. The best one I can think of is one that my mom did to her brother. He came in one day and threw a shirt in her face saying, "Fix this!" and left without another word. So, she fixed it, but she carefully sewed each button hole closed in the shirt. Apparently it took a while before he realized that they were sewed closed... :-)

Learning Word

Well, today I tried not to fall asleep... Just kidding. My AHA! moment today was probably the tab tool. I didn't even know that existed and I can see how helpful that would be for things like the table of contents. I didn't find anything frustrating today with what we covered.

Now for my scar story... Well, I have a few to choose from, but the best is probably when I was messing around with an electric motor with a model airplane propeller attached. I was checking to see if it had power and holding it in my hand when it got a little out of hand and sliced my hand. It was a pretty good sized slice and I went upstairs to show the gruesome wound to my mom and uncles (I was at my relatives place). My Uncle promptly checked the wound and while he squeezed it I saw a cross-sectional view of my skin to the bone briefly and passed out cold. Later two of my Uncles (both dentists) stitched up my hand with lots of extra thick thread so now I have a nice big scar.

Style at the NHC

I looked at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/today with an eye towards their type style. They use a sans serif type font. On this page my eye is drawn to the main title of the page and the map showing where the active tropical systems are. They use a fairly small type size for links that doesn't stand out much, slightly larger for the tropical system names, and even larger font for regional titles. The line length is short and heading oriented.

Well, if you're still awake... Go and look at the satellite picture of Hurricane Ike. It is pretty neat looking. On the left, Storm info -> Satellite -> Hurricane Ike Floater visible or IR.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my geology 230 blog!! The name of my blog comes from the schist in Wind River Canyon, Utah. My dad and I would often stop there and he would lament the fact that he couldn't have been there to name the area first. The reason was that he always wanted to name it "a pile if schist" (for obvious reasons).

Anyway, I will be writing here often over the next few months so stay tuned in!