[Kylan's Blog] Opening Ceremonies

Last night I watched the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was interesting to see all of the teams carrying flags and representing their countries, and I was amazed to see so many foreign leaders in attendance. My family and I wondered if the hundreds of fireworks were affecting the already bad air quality in the city.

I really like the Olympics, so it will be fun to see all of the sporting events over the next month or so. I'm rooting for the USA, Rwanda, the Czech Republic, and India. In particular, I'd really like to see the decathlon because American Diana Pickler, a former Cougar, is competing in this event.

[Kylan's Blog] August Sprint

During the month of August, my group at SEL is doing a sprint. That means that all of the members of the group set "ambitious goals" for themselves and work extra hard (AKA overtime) to meet them. Doesn't sound very fun, but it helps keep everything on schedule.

[Kylan's Blog] The Kite Runner

I just finished reading The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hosseini. The subject matter was depressing, but the book was very well-written. It gives the reader a good feel for Afghanistan's culture, history, and current situation.

[Kylan's Blog] Junior Miss at the Hospital

On Wednesday night, one of our Junior Misses hurt her wrist at practice. We decided to play it safe and take her to the emergency room for an X-ray. Turns out that it was just a bad sprain, but the doctors outfitted her with a pretty serious looking splint. It's the kind you have to wear in the shower and everything. For the competition, she'll be allowed to do a modified fitness routine so she won't have to put too much weight on that wrist.

[Kylan's Blog] Junior Misses

This week Kristen and I are hosting a couple of high school girls who are taking part in the Washington's Junior Miss competition. They came over tonight and will be staying with us through Saturday. By volunteering to be hosts, we earned two free tickets to the competition on Saturday night. Tonight we took the girls out to Tucci's and then went bowling at Zeppos.

[Kylan's Blog] New Radiator for the Caddy

Today we spent over $500 to have the radiator on the Cadillac replaced. Kristen and I have been meaning to get the car checked out for a while now, but we were forced to take action once I started noticing green fluid leaking onto the ground. I wish I could have just bought the parts and done the work myself, because most of that cost was due to the labor involved. The shop actually wanted to do an additional thousand dollars of work to get the Caddy into tip-top shape, but I think I'd rather try my hand at a couple of these repairs. First up: replacing the windshield wiper fluid pump.

[Kylan's Blog] Experimenting with FreeNAS

For a while now, I've wanted to set up a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) drive for Kristen and myself. It would allow us to consolidate our digital music libraries, store our pictures, back up our computers, share printers, and even serve web pages. After some looking around, I decided to install FreeNAS on my old Dell laptop. If it works out well, I might have to upgrade to an old desktop someday.

At the moment, the laptop is connected to our router via Ethernet. I can FTP and SSH into it, but I'm having a couple of minor issues with CIFS and SMB at the moment. The setup is pretty easy, and the administration GUI is very usable. This is definitely a valuable piece of free software.

[Kylan's Blog] Switchfoot at the Gorge

Tonight Switchfoot will be playing at The Gorge in George, WA for Creation 2008. Sadly, I won't be able to go. Hopefully they'll do this gig again next year. If so, I'll definitely be there.

[Kylan's Blog] Flobots

I actually really like this song: "Handlebars" by the Flobots.

[Kylan's Blog] Tacoma Reception

This weekend, Kristen and I went to Tacoma for our wedding reception. It was really fun to see our friends and family, especially the ones that weren't able to make it out for the wedding. Thanks to the generous preparation and planning of my mom, everything went really smoothly. It was held at ERC, with indoor and outdoor tables. Each table had flowers and wedding pictures. Taco soup was served, along with carrots, cookies, and watermelon. I made a slideshow of wedding pictures so the guests could get a feel for what the wedding was like. A lot of different people came. Both sides of my family, friends from high school, friends from WSU, and people from my parents' church. I think everyone had a good time.

[Kylan's Blog] West Side Wedding Reception

This Saturday (July 19th, 2008), Kristen and I are having a wedding reception on the West Side for our friends and family that couldn't make it the wedding. It's a casual event, and guests can "drop in" any time between 1PM and 4PM. We'll have a bit of taco salad, a slideshow of wedding pictures, and more. It will be held at my parent's church:

Evangelical Reformed Church
7435 South Madison
Tacoma, WA. 98409

This information is also available here. If you'd like to come, the only thing we ask is that you RSVP by contacting us. Hope to see you there!

[Kylan's Blog] Three Great Things

Three great things happened today!

1. Kristen and I have been married for one month.
2. We bought a car, a 2002 Ford Escort. (More details and pictures to come.)
3. Kristen got a job at Sunnyside Elementary as a third grade teacher!

Thank God, we are truly blessed.

[Kylan's Blog] Burger King Steakhouse

Every once in a while, a TV commercial comes along that actually makes me laugh. Why can't that happen more often?

[Kylan's Blog] Snap Fitness

For the past few weeks, I've joined Kristen for her workouts at Snap Fitness here in Pullman. The gym itself is simple and clean, and the staff is really nice. It feels good to be working out again, and a little bit of physical fitness is long overdue for me. I just copy Kristen's workouts, which are pretty intense with weights, abs, and cardio. Yesterday I ran a seven minute mile on the treadmill, so it looks like I'm on the right track.

[Kylan's Blog] First Batch of Wedding Pictures

I posted the first batch of our wedding pictures to KylanAndKristen.com tonight. These first photos are part of an album called The Setting. All of the pictures in this album help give an impression of where the wedding took place and how everything looked.

Over the next few days, I'll be finalizing the rest of the wedding picture albums. Every time I finish one, I'll post the highlights to KylanAndKristen.com. In the end, there should be about eighteen or nineteen albums in all. If you're too impatient for all of that, you can already view the entire collection here. Feel free to download the pictures and share them with others. If you have a Flickr membership, you can also print photos directly from their website.

Lastly, if you were at the wedding and you brought a camera, I'd really like to get my hands on the pictures you took. Flickr, Email, and snail mail are all good options. Kristen and I would really appreciate it.

Anyway, enjoy the pics.

[Kylan's Blog] The Bird and the Bee Sides

I just bought Relient K's new album, The Bird and the Bee Sides. I was warned that this album is only for die-hard fans, but I'm really enjoying it so far. It's a compilation of previously unreleased and/or unfamiliar tunes that really shows off the diverse abilities of the band. Besides, $10 for 26 songs is never a bad deal.

[Kylan's Blog] Wedding Pictures Are In

Yesterday in the mail, we received three CDs of wedding pictures from our photographer. There were 577 shots in all!

Now we're beginning the long process of reviewing, editing, and sorting. The plan is to upload all of the original and edited versions to Flickr, so everyone can look at them and (optionally) print copies for themselves.

I will also categorize the photos by theme and create a Flickr set for each theme. These sets will contain the better-looking pictures, and will be featured on KylanAndKristen.com.

In addition to the Flickr uploads and our personal website, I will be working on a slideshow for our reception in Tacoma. Kristen is creating a picture book on Shutterfly.com, and will also be printing some of the pictures to put in frames around our house.

If you took any good pictures at our wedding, please send them our way. We would really appreciate it!

[Kylan's Blog] SEL Wedding Gift

Apparently, the company I work for gives a gift and a card to its employees that get married. What a nice gesture! It certainly reminds me that I am part of a great community.

[Kylan's Blog] Switchfoot Webcam

Live webcam video of Switchfoot in the studio working on their new album:

[Kylan's Blog] Airplanes Running on Empty

This is an amazing article: "Airlines are running out of gas. Literally," by Tekla Perry. Apparently, airlines are trying to minimize the amount of fuel on board in order to lighten their load. Outrageous! This practice will become increasingly annoying to air travelers if it continues, and could be very dangerous, as well.

[Kylan's Blog] Wedding Day

I know this is nearly two weeks late, but Kristen and I were married on June 14th in a beautiful ceremony.  We are now getting adjusted to married life and are loving every minute of it.  Check back soon for pictures and more details!

[Kylan's Blog] Photo Albums

Using our new camera, I've been taking quite a few pictures lately. You can check out the good ones via DupyPics. The recent albums are also listed below.

Pre-Wedding
Jeff's Baseball Game
Jim's Birthday
St. Louis
Wedding
(Pictures to come, be patient)
Honeymoon
Ana Maria Island
Key West
Sanibel Island
The Everglades

[Kylan's Blog] Summer EP Release

Jon Foreman's Summer EP was released today, which was unexpected. I haven't had a chance to listen to the tracks yet, but I'll post a review sometime in the near future. Buy your copy of the tunes here. Also be sure to check out JonForeman.com.

[Kylan's Blog] New Camera

In anticipation for all of the photo opportunities that a wedding and a honeymoon are bound to present, Kristen and I purchased a new camera. It's a Sony DSC-H50, featuring 9.1 megapixels and 15x optical zoom. It was hard to decide between the Sony and a comparable Canon model, especially since I enjoyed my old Canon so much, but the Sony had a few features that made it seem like a better camera.

In particular, I really liked the sports modes available on the DSC-H50. The shutter speed is excellent, and the minimum time between pictures is a lot smaller than any DSLR-like camera that Canon has on the market. There is a "shoot continuously" option that allows you to take consecutive pictures only 1/3 second apart from each other.

Another cool feature is the SmileShutter capability. In this mode, the user presses and releases the shutter button, but the camera only takes a picture once it detects that the subject in the frame is smiling. This could be really nice when photographing camera-shy children. So far, it seems to work really well.

We bought this camera at Circuit City, and we were extremely pleased with the customer service we received. Earlier in the day, we tried going to a shop called "Camera Corner" because we thought that the staff there would be more knowledgeable about cameras. Instead, they turned out to be snobs and were completely rude to us. When asked to compare two different models, the attendant simply shrugged her shoulders. "Apple and oranges," she said. She refused to give us any help on how to pick out a camera. We would have been more than happy to give her our money if only she had been nicer. There's another company to add to my Customer Service Blacklist.

[Kylan's Blog] Wedding Prep

So, a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. With the wedding only a week away, we have a lot of plans to finalize. Here's a quick recap of what's been going on.

The drive from Pullman, WA to Normal, IL was pretty uneventful. Except for the fact that we broke down in South Dakota. Sound familiar? It should, because that's what happened two years ago, the last time that Kristen and I made this drive. In fact, we broke down only about seventy miles away from our previous spot. Since Kristen had an important fitting for her wedding dress the next day, her grandpa drove six hours to trade cars with us so we could get back on the road. That was so nice of him!

After arriving in Normal, Kristen went to her dress fitting and then we drove down to Quincy to visit her other grandparents (the wedding is going to be at their house). We spent two days in Quincy talking to the caterer, the party supply store, the hair dresser, etc. We got a lot done during this time, which helped alleviate a lot of the pressure associated with the wedding plans.

Since getting back to Normal, Kristen and I have continued to work on some of the finer details. I bought some groomsman gifts, Kristen designed the ceremony program, etc. We have an action item list that separates our tasks by day. So far it's worked out really well. All we have to do today is make signs for the road and the mail box to direct the wedding guests to the right house. (Since today is relatively free, I have time to write this blog post.)

Our wedding is only a week away! I'm starting to get very excited.

[Kylan's Blog] New Phone Number

I have a new phone number, 509-432-1069.

[Kylan's Blog] Sprint Cell Phones Considered Harmful

If you're shopping around for new cell phone service plans, DO NOT go with Sprint. Kristen and I bought a new plan from them last weekend, and it has been nothing but trouble for us so far. The store representative signed us up for a number of features that we explicitly declined, and the customer service has been horrible. I've spent hours and hours talking to rude, unmotivated, impatient, defiant Sprint employees, trying to repair the damage done by their underhanded and unethical store representative.

After getting nowhere, I decided to talk to someone in the Pullman Sprint store to see what could be done. She suggested calling customer service again, asking for the "Retention" department and threatening to cancel my contract. Since Sprint offers a 30-day money back guarantee, this is good leverage. I followed her advice, and the representative I was connected to was actually quite helpful. Apparently, Sprint really wants to hold on to their new customers. I was able to resolve our issue, and our plan finally looks like what we agreed to originally.

Still, I am completely disappointed with my Sprint experience. I will never recommend Sprint to any of my friends or family. In fact, I will encourage them to go with any service that is NOT Sprint. I despise companies that treat their customers like dirt. In a business of this nature, customer satisfaction should be of paramount importance.

[Kylan's Blog] Cougar Baseball

Today Kristen and I went to the last Cougar baseball game of the year, against USC at Bailey-Brayton field. The game started at noon, leaving us just enough time for us to get done with church and grab some lunch. The game was actually pretty good, even though the Cougs were down 8-1 for most of it.  In the ninth inning, they scored six straight runs to pull within one point of the Trojans.  USC was able to hang on, leaving two of our guys on base by the time they retired the side. The weather was great, with an enjoyable combination of the warm sun and a soft breeze.

[Kylan's Blog] Posting Drought

There have been plenty of blog-worthy things to write about lately, but I haven't had a chance to sit down and actually post them.  I'll try to get back on top of things this week.

[Kylan's Blog] Switchfoot "This is Home" Video

Switchfoot's new song, the featured track for the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia movie.

[Kylan's Blog] Building Blocks Auction

Last night Building Blocks (where Kristen works) had a dinner and silent auction. Kristen and I went, and it was pretty fun. We ended up bidding on and winning a Cougar-themed grill set and a party platter from Quizno's. Both of those will come in handy for our wedding reception in Pullman this summer.

[Kylan's Blog] End-of-Semester Roundup

These are the tasks I have to complete before the end of the semester:

CptS 562 - Fault Tolerant Computing

• Pseudo-Clusters of Faults
• "Bit Packing"
• Graceful Performance Degradation (GPD)
• Non-Square Modules (adders and subtracters)
• Rotation of Non-Square Modules on Placement Failures
• Test Setup
• Test Execution
• Result Analysis
• Writeup
• References
• Demo
• Submission
  

EE 451 - Digital Communication Systems

• Concepts
• Implementation
• Debugging
• Analysis
• Writeup
• Study Homeworks
• Study Notes
• Study Past Exams
• Study Text Book
• Final Exam

TA EE 415 - Senior Design

• Grade Lab Books
• Call Scott for Grading Guidelines
  
• Grade Final Reports
  

[Kylan's Blog] Seussical the Musical

Last Saturday, Kristen and I saw Seussical the Musical at the Regional Theater of the Palouse (RTOP) in Pullman. One of Kristen's coworkers played the Cat in the Hat. It was a great show that was well directed, and the actors did a wonderful job.

I really liked the small, intimate atmosphere of the theater. It only seats about 85 people, and the front of the stage is literally inches from the first row of the audience. Since the theater is so small, though, a live orchestra is not possible. That's the only thing I would change, since a real band is always more fun.

RTOP will be presenting Fiddler on the Roof this September, and I'm definitely planning on getting tickets to that.

[Kylan's Blog] Carl Spackler

Bill Murray played a character named Carl Spackler in the 1980 movie Caddy Shack. One of my favorite movie characters of all time.

[Kylan's Blog] American Idol Predictions

1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Carly Smithson
4. Brooke White
5. Syesha Mercado
   
6. Jason Castro

[Kylan's Blog] Dr. William E. Johns

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a really interesting lecture by Dr. William E. Johns from the materials engineering department at WSU. He spoke about his experience in academics and in industry, and offered good anecdotal advice on how to be an engineer. To conclude his lecture, Dr. Johns presented his Rules of Life, which I've reproduced below:

1. If you get into a fight with a skunk, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, you lose. Pick your battles very carefully, CYA with paper. (Never write anything negative in a memo!)

2. Never test the depth of the water with both feet. Do your homework. Always leave yourself an out. An out can be an alternative project, a transfer guaranteed in hand--in writing, a large savings account, a winning lotto ticket, etc., anything to fall back on when the water turns out to be really deep, and ugly and swirling.

3. When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging. Know when to hold them, and know when to fold. It's OK and indeed wise, to back out of a bad project or endless argument in a timely manner. 

4. When the boss asks for "vigorous, open, candid discussion" on a particular topic, the boss is lying. That statement is a classic red flag. If your supervisor is worthy of the position, statements such as the one above need not be said, it should be the working policy of the group. If a weak or domineering boss says that, that person is only looking for agreement. SHUT UP. DON'T ARGUE. Trust me on this one. 

5. Good enough is good enough. As engineers, you will never get it perfect as "perfection" is not an achievable goal. There are many correct solutions to every engineering problem. Within the constraints of time, budget, other resources, you can fill a need and complete a task. At that point the job is done. Stop working on it. 

6. When you are in up to your ears, keep your mouth shut. More damage has been done by trying to argue and defend a position than probably any other factor. It doesn't matter that you were right or wrong, when the discussion morphs into an argument, logic is irrelevant. At that point it is not what you say, but your saying anything that might very well be held against you. (NMAOTKYMS) [Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut]

7. Good--Fast--Cheap. Pick two. If it is good and fast, it won't be cheap. If it is cheap and good, it won't be fast. If it is fast and cheap, it won't be good. This has been an engineering maxim since year 1. The original space program was good and fast. It was not cheap. In the past bunch of years, the official publicly stated policy for NASA was Good-Fast-Cheap. We've lost two shuttles, 2 Mars probes, and had a major problem with deep space and outer planet probes and had to do a major repair on Hubble. Enough said. 

8. Responsibility without authority is fatal. Never accept responsibility for a project unless you have the parallel authority to influence the outcome. Alternately, when given a project make sure of exactly what authority you have and then make sure that your responsibility matches the authority. Make sure that everyone up and down the line knows who is responsible for what. CYA with paper.  

9. You cannot inspect quality into a product. Design and materials selection is the basis for a quality. Inspection simply insures that you've met design specs. A perfectly manufactured and assembled Yugo is still a Yugo, not a Porsche. This goes for all aspects of life. 

10. Career--Family--Major Hobbies: Pick two. Try as you may, you will not have time for all three. Heavy decisions. To attempt all three is to assure failure. 

11. Be patient. It may take thirty years, but sooner or later they'll listen to you, and in the meantime, keep kicking ass. -- Florynce R. Kennedy

[Kylan's Blog] Job Accepted

Today I formally accepted the position at SEL and signed all of the papers. My official start date is May 1.

[Kylan's Blog] President's Award

I found out today that I was selected as a winner of the 2008 WSU President's Award. There will be a dinner and reception on April 27 at 5:30PM in the Rec Center.

[Kylan's Blog] Birthday Weekend

This weekend I went home with Kristen and Jaron. We all took Friday off and left Pullman on Thursday night. This was a good weekend to go to Tacoma because my birthday was on Friday and ERC wanted to throw us a wedding shower.

The ride home was uneventful. The pass was clear, and the road crews had finished their avalanche repairs by the time we got there.

On Friday morning Kristen convinced me to open my presents in the morning. It was a good idea, because she surprised me with a Wii. I've been wanting one for quite some time, but didn't expect to get it as a gift. Needless to say, the rest of the morning and afternoon were spent swinging our arms about while staring at the television. Wii Sports came with the console, and Wii Play was bundled with the extra controller that was part of my present. Jaron and Christine pitched in to buy me Guitar Hero III for the Wii, and it should arrive in Pullman within a day or two. My parents gave me a box full of camping supplies, which will come in very handy this summer. The box included a table cloth covered with Cougar heads, a guidebook to Washington state parks, a cast iron skillet, a lamp that turns a Nalgene into a lantern, and more. I can't wait to try these things out with the rest of my gear.

For Saturday, Kristen and I went up to Kent to see Victoria and Karl. We had breakfast together, and it was enjoyable to catch up with them. The weather was amazing (in the high 70's), so we decided to go mini golfing after the meal. Then it was off to the mall, since Kristen had a gift card she needed to use. She was able to get some great clothes at pretty good deals. After eating dinner with my family, Kristen and I drove to Puyallup to hang out with Jake. With him, we went to The Rock (since he hadn't eaten dinner yet) and then back to his apartment. I brought along the Wii and we played a couple of the games together. Jake also pulled out a copy of the Lewis and Clark video we made in high school. It was really fun to reminisce about that project, especially since I haven't thought about it in a while.

On Sunday we all went to church. Afterward was the shower, which was attended by 60 or 70 people. It included a taco salad lunch, a couple of games, and words of wisdom from married couples. It was really nice of the church to put this on for us. Kristen and I appreciated it a lot. After that, Kristen, Jaron, and I drove back to Pullman, arriving there around 8PM.

[Kylan's Blog] Noisy Cars are Better?

Apparently, the US House of Representatives may soon consider a law setting minimum noise emission requirements for new automobiles. In my opinion, this would be a horrible idea. Sure, being able to hear a car might prevent a small number of pedestrian-automobile accidents from happening. But there has to be a better way. First of all, it's the driver's responsibility to watch for pedestrians. If they run into someone on the street, it's their fault. Pedestrians have the right-of-way. Second, our world has too much noise pollution as it is. Silencing modern cars would be a good thing, not a danger. Installing speakers in new cars just sounds ridiculous. This type of law would simply perpetuate a flaw (noisy engines) that can be solved by modern engineering.

[Kylan's Blog] New Job

Today I accepted an Associate Software Engineer position at SEL. I'll be working for Doug Arlt in research and development, writing code for new products.

[Kylan's Blog] DIVA Presentation

In a few minutes, I'll be giving a paper presentation in my fault tolerant computing class. It's on "DIVA: a reliable substrate for deep submicron microarchitecture design." (original paper) (my slides)

By the way, I've started saving my presentations as PDF files lately. I find them to be much more portable than PowerPoint files. Of course, this probably isn't an option if you like fancy swooping text and bells and whistles exploding everywhere.

[Kylan's Blog] NSF GRFP Results

During the fall semester this year, I applied for a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) award. I just got the results back yesterday. I wasn't one of the award recipients, but all of the participants were given a copy of the judges' comments (1) (2). This feedback is helpful, although it's interesting that these two responses actually contradict each other on a number of points. For example, one judge said that my "societal involvement explanation is weak" while the other commends me for "a specific plan for involving undergraduates in [my] research problem."

[Kylan's Blog] Switchfoot Bootlegs

I just discovered an excellent site called SwitchfootBootlegs.com. With permission from the band itself, this website hosts bootleg recordings of live performances by Switchfoot. The home page is nothing special, but I've subscribed to their podcast, which as A LOT of content. Right now I'm listening to a few tunes from the Switchfoot concert I attended in February of 2007. It's worth noting that this site can be very slow at times, and their server was down all of yesterday.

[Kylan's Blog] CptS 562 Final Project Proposal

I just completed my half-page final project proposal for my fault tolerant computing class (CptS 562). You can view it if you want.

[Kylan's Blog] TraCS Logo

I've created a new logo for the transmitter control simulator (TraCS) program I'm working on:

[Kylan's Blog] The Cougars and God -- faith in basketball

This article from the Spokesman Review talks about God's role in this year's Cougar Men's Basketball team. With this in mind, it's easy to see where the team gets its composure, maturity, and humility.

If you enjoyed this, I also suggest that you check out Why We Play, an article by Peter Leithart, a pastor in Moscow, Idaho.

[Kylan's Blog] Snow!?

Pullman is getting dumped on. This is a lot of snow, especially considering the fact that we're half way through the last week in March.

[Kylan's Blog] Weston Visit

Weston's back on the Palouse this week with a spring break missions team from Western. He's leading the group, which will be doing contact evangelism at U of I. They're pretty busy, though, so my only chance to see him was last night at Chi Alpha. It was good to see him, although we didn't have much of a chance to talk about anything in depth.

[Kylan's Blog] Spring EP Released

You can now download Jon Foreman's new Spring EP. I suggest getting it here, because it's cheaper. I listening to the first track right now, and it's very springy. A full review is coming, so stay tuned.

[Kylan's Blog] Tourney Update

After two rounds, my bracket has 42 points on Facebook and 46 on Google. I've had a lot of problems with the Midwest and the West, and that will continue to hurt for the rest of the tournament. The South didn't do very well for me in the first round, but everything got corrected in the second round. Finally, I'm 100% in the East. Let's hope that streak continues, especially since I have WSU beating UNC to get to the Elite Eight!

[Kylan's Blog] Sweet Sixteen!

How sweet it is! Go Cougs, all the way!

[Kylan's Blog] Palouse Discovery Science Center

Sometime last fall, EECS decided that Project Fuji's work would be good material for a display at the Palouse Discovery Science Center. A few weeks ago, Dr. Pedrow emailed me with some questions regarding the project. I told him what I knew, and offered to help in any way I could. Today we visited the science center with Dr. Mohamed Osman and Patricia Arnold. We spoke with the executive director, Victoria Scalise, and discussed the possibility of an EECS-sponsored exhibit. It was very helpful to get a tour of the science center and get a feel for what kinds of exhibits were there. Maybe I'll come up with some conceptual drawings for the new display this weekend.

[Kylan's Blog] Literature Survey

Over spring break and the past week, I've been working on a literature survey for my fault tolerance class. Well, it's finally done!  Here it is, in case you want to read it. Now I can get on with the rest of my life.

[Kylan's Blog] Georgia on My Mind

Dang, my Cinderella team didn't even make it past the first round. Oh, Georgia, your were doing so well! Now my bracket is already ruined.

[Kylan's Blog] My Bracket

Here's my bracket for the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Go Cougs!

[Kylan's Blog] Silo Sandwiches

This week WSU reopened the Rotunda dining center, with new food options, modern architecture, and a new name - The Southside Cafe. Before leaving for spring break, I saw an advertisement for new features being offered at Southside. It championed these things called "silo sandwiches," which seemed strangely familiar to me.

Before going on, I have to tell you about The Staggering Ox, a Spokane restaurant Kristen and I ate at last semester. I really liked the novel idea of "bread tubes" that hold sandwich fillings. In fact, I liked it so much that I asked the employees about how they make them. They informed me that their company holds a patent on the bread pan and corer tool design, so their franchise is the only company that can produce these sandwiches.

From what I can tell, silo sandwiches are same thing as what's sold at the Staggering Ox. Considering the Staggering Ox patents, how can Southside legally make and sell these sandwiches? If they haven't made the necessary arrangements, WSU could be sued and lose a lot of money. If I were the Staggering Ox, I would license out the pan and corer for a cut of the dining center profits. If they could get 5 or 10 cents per sandwich, it would be a great deal.

I wish there was an easier way to find out more about this whole situation. Maybe the Daily Evergreen could run a story on it.

[Kylan's Blog] Spring EP Release: March 25th

Jon Foreman's Spring EP, the third of four he's releasing this year, will be available for download on March 25th. You'll be able to purchase it from the Amazon.com music store, or from JonForeman.com. The preview clips are very promising, and I anticipate that the last three songs will be the best.

[Kylan's Blog] Basketball Signage

I know this is belated, but I'm still very happy that the Cougars beat the Huskies last Saturday. It was the perfect way for our beloved seniors to go out. I think they stretched the game to two overtimes just to prolong their departure. I just wanted to note that our student section was displaying some great signage at the game. I even saw two "Allez Les Cougs" posters, which I especially appreciated. My favorite, though, was one directed to the Huskies and their fans:

Just Face It:
You're A
Football
Basketball
Volleyball
School

[Kylan's Blog] Home for the Week

Today Jaron and I traveled to the west side of the state for spring break. We got an early start and arrived home just before 1PM. It's nice to be back over here again, and it's especially good to see my folks. Both Mom and Dad seemed excited to see us. Tonight we had salmon for dinner and went over to the Pasquans' to watch Premonition.

My dad is working on moving his classroom to a new campus, and one of his goals is to get a working transmitter simulator his students can use. He asked if I could write some software to simulate different types of transmitter-related alarms and I said I could give it a try. Since I've been really happy with NetBeans lately, I decided to take my first shot at GUI programming in Java. So far it's going pretty well, and I'm gaining a lot of exposure to Swing and AWT. One thing I still need to figure out is how to play sound clips to represent alarms. There doesn't seem to be any super-simple way to do this, so it might have to get creative. Once I get a little further along I'll post the code along with some screen shots.

With this new project, I now have three major goals to accomplish over spring break:

1. Write a 20-page literature review
2. Work out all of the kinks in my research simulator
3. Finish at least a beta version of my transmitter simulator

Should be a busy break.

[Kylan's Blog] Tolerating Hard Faults in Microprocessor Array Structures

Last Thursday I made a presentation to my fault tolerant computing class. It was on a paper entitled "Tolerating Hard Faults in Microprocessor Array Structures" by Fred A. Bower, Paul G. Shealy, Sule Ozev, and Daniel J. Sorin. My slides are here. It went pretty well, although I wish I could have found a topic that's more in line with my research.

[Kylan's Blog] Invitations in the Wild

Last weekend Vic and Karl visited Pullman, and they helped us assemble our wedding invitations. Even with so many hands working feverishly, the project still took over 5 hours to complete. I was in charge of numbering the response cards, applying stamps, stuffing the envelopes, and licking them shut. Yesterday Kristen dropped them in the mail, so be looking for them to arrive within the next few days.

[Kylan's Blog] My February Songbook

This year, the end of February means the end of FAWM and the RPM Challenge. From the start, it was clear to me that I probably wouldn't be able to complete the RPM part of my goal. I just can't play enough instruments, I don't own any fancy recording equipment, and Jaron and I weren't able to get together often enough to lay down tracks. I did have high hopes for FAWM, though. That is, until this past week of school buried me alive.

I'm sad to say that I only ended up with 9 complete songs, but I'm happy to report that this is still a major accomplishment. Remember, prior to this month I had never written a song in my life. It was a completely new experience, and it helped me understand a lot more about music. For the most part, I'm pretty proud of my songs, too. Here they are:

"The Reason for Pain"

If our God is a God of Love
what's the reason for all this pain?
Our days are long, our lives are rough
we're just tired of toil and strain

Chorus:
The truth is that we're sinners
and we deserve so much worse
Father, save us from ourselves
forgive us, wicked and perverse

Almighty God, consume our hearts
apart from You, no one is good
We still do what we should not do
and keep avoiding what we should

But God alone has the power
to transform and renew your life
Call on Him to receive freedom
and meaning deeper than your pain

"If We Lived in Mexico"

I wish we lived in Mexico
I'd write my songs in Espanol
It'd be so fantastico
If we lived in Mexico

We'd spend all day in a siesta
Then at night have a fiesta
That's the life, it'd be the best-a
If we lived in Mexico

Play a game of street futbol
Drink tequila alcohol
Hear Arturo Sandoval
If we lived in Mexico

We'd invite good ol' Vicente
Yes, the former Presidente
To our humble little partay
If we lived in Mexico

"How Awesome Are Your Deeds"

Shout with joy, all the earth
Sing the glory of His name
Come and see what God has done
the awesome works on our behalf

Chorus:
How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
all that hate you cringe and run away
And all the earth bows down
they sing praise to you
They sing and shout and yell praise to your name

He turned the sea into dry land
They walked across on foot
He rules forever by his power
His eyes watch o'er the nations

Test us, O God
Refine us like silver
(x2)

"Think About These Things"

Chorus:
Whatever is true
Whatever is noble
Whatever is right and pure and lovely
Think about these things
Whatever is admirable
Whatever is excellent
Whatever is worthy of your praise
Think about these things

The enemies of the cross of Christ
Their destination is destruction
They are ruled by their stomachs
Shame is their glory
Their mind is on earthly things

Do everything without complaining
that you may become blameless and pure
children of God without fault
Shining like the stars
Holding out the word of life

Rejoice, show your gentleness to all
The Lord is near, so do not worry
Present your requests to God
And the peace of God
will guard your hearts and your minds

"To My Fiance"

I promise you will always know
how much I love you, baby
My love for you will always grow
no ifs or buts or maybes
Cause when I look into your eyes
or see your smile I realize
Our loves the kind that drives out fears
keeps up together throughout the years

I remember when we became friends
we spoke so long after the movie's end
We both like someone else
so we were free to be ourselves
Then every week we met for lunch
we talked and ate and laughed a bunch
In the hard times we cried
but you were always by my side

Standing that day on that bridge
you didn't know but I sure did
Our lives were about to change
a better kind of change
I said some words, you listened to me
we both looked at the scenery
I dropped down on one knee
and asked you to marry me

I can't wait to marry you in June
you'll be my bride and I'll be your groom
Surrounded by friends and family
It'll be a beautiful ceremony
We'll start a new life, have kids of our own
work really hard and buy a home
Fill it with love and laughter
live happily ever after

"Valentines"

Kristen when I look in your eyes
I feel a love so deep inside

You have a smile that warms my day
And makes my cares just melt away

I love you more than songs can show
But I wrote this so you would know

I am yours and you are mine
We make the perfect Valentines.

"Hear My Cry, O God"

From the ends of the earth I call,
I call you as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock
that's higher than I.

For you have been my refuge, God,
a strong tower against the foe.
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.

I long to dwell in your tent
and take refuge forever in
the shelter of your wings.
the shelter of your wings.

"Lots of Snow"

Snow snow snow-snow snow
snow-snow-snow snow snow

Oh no! Oh no snow!
Snow oh no! Oh snow no!

Snow is here, snow is there
Snow is even in your hair.

Everywhere. Snow is there.
Who is there? snow is there!

Do you even really care?
You should really truly care?

I just saw a polar bear.
Who what where? A Polar Bear.

Was he at the county fair? No
hibernating in his lair.

Wait that's just snowshoe hare
Stupid boy,
Hey that's not fair!

If you hunt him use a snare
Eat that yellow snow I dare

Snow snow snow-snow snow
snow-snow-snow snow snow

Snow snow snow-snow snow
snow-snow-snow snow snow

The end.

"Like Losing a Friend"

I refused to believe that last spring was the end
We were roommates and pals... you were my best friend
But I should've known better, I'd seen all the signs
When summers came round, you cut all the lines

--- Chorus ---
I miss you my friend, you seem so far away
I wish we could talk, every couple of days
A phone call, an email, a letter or card
You'd think that it wouldn't be hard
You'd think that it wouldn't be hard

--- Verse 2 ---
Now, I'm half to blame, yes I could've done more
More patient persistence, keep an open door
But this time around, the summer is endless
Please tell me now, how do we mend this

--- Bridge ---
We're at a grand canyon, you're on that side
I'm reaching out, but your face you hide
Come back to me friend, we'll turn a new leaf
We'll start over new, and forget all this grief

-- Outro ---
I refused to believe that last spring was the end
But it felt a whole lot, like losing a friend
It felt a whole lot... like losing a friend

[Kylan's Blog] Honeymoon Tickets

A couple of days ago, Kristen and I purchased the airplane tickets for our honeymoon.  We're flying down to Tampa, Florida for a week, starting from St. Louis and returning to Spokane. Now we just have to figure out what to do while we're there. It will probably involve venturing down to Naples, and maybe even Key West. We'll have to see.

[Kylan's Blog] Almost Through

Well, this week has gone surprisingly well, considering the to-do list from my previous post. I finished the computer exercise by staying up all night, but didn't lose much more sleep over anything else. I worked hard on my research-related activities, and my adviser was really impressed at the final product. Studying for my exam was one of the last things I wanted to do, but I put in my time and the exam went well. Now all I have left are a couple of hours at SEL and my presentation this afternoon. Thank God for His help this week, it would have been too much to handle on my own.

[Kylan's Blog] No Rest for the Weary

This is a very packed week for me. It's funny because most of the semester has been pretty reasonable, and now I'm staying up late every night. Last night (this morning?) I went to bed at 6:30AM, only to wake up for class again at 8. Here's what I've been working on:

1. creating multiplier algorithm and demo program for my research
2. reading a proposal for future work by my research group
   
3. completing computer exercise for my data communications class
4. studying for an exam in data communications
5. reading papers for my fault tolerance class
6. choosing papers for my fault tolerance literature survey
   
7. selecting a paper for presentation in fault tolerance
8. preparing the slides for my fault tolerance presentation
9. helping EECS start a solar power display for the Palouse Science Discovery Center

At least it will all be over by Friday.

[Kylan's Blog] The Reason for Pain

Another song in my quest for deeper praise and worship songs. This one covers a serious question that many people find quite troublesome.

The idea for this subject came to me after listening to an interview on NPR's Fresh Air. It featured religious studies professor Bart D. Ehrman, an individual who "converted" from Christianity to agnosticism after he couldn't reconcile the problem of pain ('If God is Love, why do people suffer?'). On the show he stated his arguments and rebutted common explanations, but I was surprised that he didn't consider the possibility that we deserve at least as much pain as we get in our lives.

There was no pain before the Fall, and the Bible is very clear that the consequences of sin are pain and, eventually, death. We are depraved creatures who don't deserve to live in God's world. The Bible teaches that God is just and that He hates sin. It is only by God's grace and love that we are saved from His awesome wrath. We are unworthy of everything we have in our lives, especially since we should be experiencing the ultimate punishment of Hell. With this point of view, we should even rejoice in our worst suffering because it is still better than what we really deserve.

Of course, my arguments rely on a number of presuppositions, so atheists and others will be quick to discount them. Fine, I can argue the merits of my assumptions later. But Mr. Ehrman was a Christian before he lost his faith in God. This means that he shared my basis for thought. I just don't see how we as Christians can have the audacity to expect a cushy life from God. Instead, we should realize how blessed we are and praise God for the overly gracious gifts He's given us.

Mr. Ehrman, I think your should reconsider your position. This song's for you.

"The Reason for Pain"

If our God is a God of Love
what's the reason for all this pain?
Our days are long, our lives are rough
we're just tired of toil and strain

Chorus:
The truth is that we're sinners
and we deserve so much worse
Father, save us from ourselves
forgive us, wicked and perverse

Almighty God, consume our hearts
apart from You, no one is good
We still do what we should not do
and keep avoiding what we should

But God alone has the power
to transform and renew your life
Call on Him to receive freedom
and meaning deeper than your pain

[Kylan's Blog] If We Lived In Mexico

"If We Lived in Mexico"

I wish we lived in Mexico
I'd write my songs in Espanol
It'd be so fantastico
If we lived in Mexico

We'd spend all day in a siesta
Then at night have a fiesta
That's the life, it'd be the best-a
If we lived in Mexico

Play a game of street futbol
Drink tequila alcohol
Hear Arturo Sandoval
If we lived in Mexico

We'd invite good ol' Vicente
Yes, the former Presidente
To our humble little partay
If we lived in Mexico

[Kylan's Blog] Switchfoot Tour Poster

This came to me via LOBH.

[Kylan's Blog] Opportunities with Avista

Today I went to a talk given by Don Kopczynski, Vice President of
Operations at Avista Utilities. He spoke on the current and future
challenges facing power utilities, with an emphasis on opportunities
for new graduates at Avista. As I've learned from my time at SEL, the
business of power generation and distribution is dynamic and exciting.
Also, because of the pending retirement of the baby boomers, utility
companies are hurting for young engineers. Don said that Avista will
experience 50% employee turnover over the next five years on account
of this.

[Kylan's Blog] Fidel's Void

I don't expect it to make any sense... but it's funny to us.

Kylan Robinson wrote
at 4:59pm

Che....

Here are my picks for "Leaders of the Enslaved World, Version 2.0." The world is a rapidly changing place, so it makes sense that evil must evolve over the course of time.

1) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran and avid hockey fan
2) Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defense Commission, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, and former James Bond villain
3) Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela and Beach Boys enthusiast. Plus, he has prior experience.

I admit that some of these qualifications are unverified, but I feel that I am a very good judge of character so they must be true.

What do you think?

Your friend,
Fuser

Weston Stover wrote
at 11:36pm yesterday

Fuser,
Do you realize that two-thirds of the "Leaders of the Enslaved World" are now defunct? Shall we find replacements or simply retire their numbers? I feel there may be deserving candidates waiting for a chance.
Regretfully,
Che

Kylan Robinson wrote
at 10:52pm yesterday

Dear Che,
We must organize a fitting memorial for our beloved Fidel. This is a very sad day. And he's not even dead yet.
-Fuser

[Kylan's Blog] Planet EECS Down

Planet EECS has been down for the last few days. On February 7th, it contributed 1,247 page views to the DupyBlog, according to Feedburner. The next day, after that insane amount of traffic, the site went down. I emailed the administrator, and he said he was working on a solution. Hopefully it will come soon, because most of the DupyBlog's publicity comes from this site.

[Kylan's Blog] Philippians 4:8

In Sunday school last week, the topic related to Philippians 4:8. I decided to try to write a song about it.

"Think About These Things"

Chorus:
Whatever is true
Whatever is noble
Whatever is right and pure and lovely
Think about these things
Whatever is admirable
Whatever is excellent
Whatever is worthy of your praise
Think about these things

The enemies of the cross of Christ
Their destination is destruction
They are ruled by their stomachs
Shame is their glory
Their mind is on earthly things

Do everything without complaining
that you may become blameless and pure
children of God without fault
Shining like the stars
Holding out the word of life

Rejoice, show your gentleness to all
The Lord is near, so  do not worry
Present your requests to God
And the peace of God
will guard your hearts and your minds

[Kylan's Blog] Praise and Worship

Here's a try at an interesting song. I wanted to try something in the style of modern day praise and worship songs, but with lyrics straight from the Bible. I didn't change the words too much, so it's kind of a fun contrast.

"How Awesome are Your Deeds"

Shout with joy, all the earth
Sing the glory of His name
Come and see what God has done
the awesome works on our behalf

Chorus:
How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
all that hate you cringe and run away
And all the earth bows down
they sing praise to you
They sing and shout and yell praise to your name

He turned the sea into dry land
They walked across on foot
He rules forever by his power
His eyes watch o'er the nations

Test us, O God
Refine us like silver
(x2)

[Kylan's Blog] Falling Behind

Well, I'm falling behind for FAWM and RPM. I've written 5 songs, so it's not hopeless, but I have to write a few songs this weekend. Here's my latest one. I wrote it for Valentine's day.

"To My Fiance"

I promise you will always know
how much I love you, baby
My love for you will always grow
no ifs or buts or maybes
Cause when I look into your eyes
or see your smile I realize
Our loves the kind that drives out fears
keeps up together throughout the years

I remember when we became friends
we spoke so long after the movie's end
We both like someone else
so we were free to be ourselves
Then every week we met for lunch
we talked and ate and laughed a bunch
In the hard times we cried
but you were always by my side

Standing that day on that bridge
you didn't know but I sure did
Our lives were about to change
a better kind of change
I said some words, you listened to me
we both looked at the scenery
I dropped down on one knee
and asked you to marry me

I can't wait to marry you in June
you'll be my bride and I'll be your groom
Surrounded by friends and family
It'll be a beautiful ceremony
We'll start a new life, have kids of our own
work really hard and buy a home
Fill it with love and laughter
live happily ever after

[Kylan's Blog] Current Playlist

A couple of weeks ago I made an "On the Go" playlist for my iPod, and it has quickly become my favorite set of songs to listen to.

"Pretender" - Foo Fighters

I've liked this song ever since hearing about it on NPR's Fresh Air.

"Check Yes Juliet" - We the Kings

Once in a while, one of the iTunes free songs is actually good music.

"New Soul" - Yael Naim

This is the song on the MacBook Air commercials. I like it because I would really like to get a MacBook Air, but I also think it's a creative song with an unusual but great sound.

"Learning to Die" - Jon Foreman

In my opinion, this is one of the best songs Jon has ever written. In his life. I really like the melody and the lyrics. The background horns and vocals are spot on.

"Calling You" - Blue October

Kristen and I discovered this song together. My favorite part is the last chorus.

"Rebuild" - Switchfoot with Relient K

I kick myself every time I remember that I missed out on seeing them perform live. Also, I like the idea of being called part of the "Re" generation.

There it is. Six songs. Check them out.

[Kylan's Blog] Valentines

This one's a little early for Valentine's Day, but that's okay.

Kristen when I look in your eyes
I feel a love so deep inside

You have a smile that warms my day
And makes my cares just melt away

I love you more than songs can show
But I wrote this so you would know

I am yours and you are mine
We make the perfect Valentines.

FAWM page

[Kylan's Blog] A Disappointing "Beyond" Department

Yesterday Kristen and I went over to Moscow to start our wedding gift registry at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It was pretty fun to run around the store with bar code scanners and zap everything in sight. We registered for a lot of kitchen and bath items that will come in really handy. We also selected couple of more expensive items as "wish list" items. In the end, we scanned over 120 different bar codes. The whole process took a couple of hours, and I was exhausted when it was all over. It was fun, but I must say that I was a bit disappointed with the "beyond" department of the store. I was expecting more gizmos and gadgets, but it was mostly filled with massage pads and shaving mirrors.

[Kylan's Blog] "Hear My Cry, O God"

This is song number three on the month. One of my goals for FAWM was to adapt some scripture into song lyrics. This is the first song in that category, and it's based on the first half of Psalm 61.

"Hear My Cry, O God"

From the ends of the earth I call,
I call you as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock
that's higher than I.

For you have been my refuge, God,
a strong tower against the foe.
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.

I long to dwell in your tent
and take refuge forever in
the shelter of your wings.
the shelter of your wings.

[Kylan's Blog] Craigslist Post

I just posted Kristen's entertainment center on Craigslist. You can view it here.

[Kylan's Blog] More Difficult than I Thought

This songwriting stuff is more difficult than I thought it would be. I hadn't anticipated the way other music I listen to tends to seep into the songs I write. For instance, the other day I wrote a song and the melody of the verse sounds an awful lot like "Somebody's Baby" by Jon Foreman. That's a shame because I really liked how it worked with the rest of the song. I'm hoping to be able to change a few of the notes but keep the same feeling. Maybe I should stop listening to music for the rest of the month. Today is day six of the project, so I need to pump out my third full song this afternoon.

[Kylan's Blog] Collaborative Song

For FAWM this year, one of the songs needs to be written in collaboration with someone else. I took care of that requirement this afternoon with Jaron. We came up with this one pretty quickly, actually, and we're both quite happy with it. A recorded demo is available on the DupyCast, although you can also listen to it here.

"Lots of Snow"

A               D
Snow snow snow-snow snow
G                      A
snow-snow-snow snow snow

Oh no! Oh no snow!
Snow oh no! Oh snow no!

Snow is here, snow is there
Snow is even in your hair.

Everywhere. Snow is there.
Who is there? snow is there!

Do you even really care?
You should really truly care?

I just saw a polar bear.
Who what where? A Polar Bear.

Was he at the county fair? No
hibernating in his lair.

Wait that's just snowshoe hare
Stupid boy,
Hey that's not fair!

If you hunt him use a snare
Eat that yellow snow I dare

Snow snow snow-snow snow
snow-snow-snow snow snow

Snow snow snow-snow snow
snow-snow-snow snow snow

The end.

[Kylan's Blog] First Song Finished

I've finished my first song for FAWM and the RPM Challenge. It's called "Like Losing a Friend." I worked out the chords and the melody with Jaron this afternoon, so expect a recording to show up on the DupyCast by the end of the month.

--- Verse 1 ---
D D7
I refused to believe that last spring was the end
D D7
We were roommates and pals... you were my best friend
Gmaj7 G6
But I should've known better, I'd seen all the signs
D
When summers came round, you cut all the lines

--- Chorus ---
A Bmin
I miss you my friend, you seem so far away
A Bmin
I wish we could talk, every couple of days
G A Bmin G
A phone call, an email, a letter or card
Emin A
You'd think that it wouldn't be hard
G A D
You'd think that it wouldn't be hard

--- Verse 2 ---
Now, I'm half to blame, yes I could've done more
More patient persistence, keep an open door
But this time around, the summer is endless
Please tell me now, how do we mend this

--- Bridge ---
C A
We're at a grand canyon, you're on that side
C A
I'm reaching out, but your face you hide
C A
Come back to me friend, we'll turn a new leaf
C A
We'll start over new, and forget all this grief

-- Outro ---
D D7
I refused to believe that last spring was the end
D D7
But it felt a whole lot, like losing a friend
G A D
It felt a whole lot... like losing a friend

You can also view these lyrics (with comments from other fawmers) here.

[Kylan's Blog] Classes Canceled, Mass Confusion

It snowed A LOT last night, and I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. Of course, with snow drifts up to my knees, walking in that winter wonderland was not a pleasant proposition.  My roomates and I checked the WSU website and our email accounts, hoping that classes would be cancelled. Nothing. Then, right as I was about to leave for my 9AM class, Matt found a message that said WSU would be closing at 10. What?? Did that mean I still had to go to school? I don't understand how it could be more treacherous to venture onto campus after 10AM than before. Confused, I trudged off to my class.

Once I arrived at Sloan, no one knew what was going on. The only certain thing was that most people had chosen to stay home. When I arrived at my classroom, there were only two other students there. We all took out our laptops to find out what was going on, but myWSU had crashed due to too much traffic. Eventually we concluded that classes were in fact canceled.

I think it's interesting that everyone was so confused this morning. With the amount of snow we got, closing down the campus seems like a no-brainer. During the summer, WSU installed a very expensive campus-wide emergency alert system. It was designed for situations exactly like this, serving information to students via phone calls, emails, text messages, and loudspeakers during confusing and potentially dangerous times. Today, in my opinion, the system flat out failed. It was unable to coordinate a timely response to a predicted winter storm, so how effective would it be in an unexpected situation like a terrorist attack? The administration needs to find out what went wrong and fix it before next time.

[Kylan's Blog] FAWM Banner

[Kylan's Blog] February: A Month of Music

A few days ago I wrote about joining the RPM Challenge, a project where Jaron and I will record a ten-song album over the course of next month. Today I signed up for another complimentary project called FAWM, the 5th annual February Album Writing Month. For this endeavor, I will try to write 14.5 songs during February 2008.  (The half song comes from collaborating with someone else, and is included in the project because the idea is to write one song for every two days.)  My strategy will be to record my FAWM songs for RPM. If Jaron decides to join FAWM as well, we will have a larger 'songbook' to draw from as we record.

One of the things I like about FAWM is the way participants are encouraged to provide feedback on other artists' songs. Also, I like the fact that the project has a weekly theme that participants are encouraged to follow. For instance, last year one challenge was to title a song after a street name.

It going to be a melodic month! Check the DupyBlog for lyrics, and watch the DupyCast for recordings.

[Kylan's Blog] Quicksilver and Mouseless Computing

I just discovered an application called Quicksilver. If you're a Mac user, I highly suggest that you install it on your machine. Quicksilver allows you to launch applications and perform all sorts of tasks with a few simple keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are great because they avoid keyboard-mouse-keyboard transfers. These transfers take time, and can end up cutting down on productivity. I've already learned a bunch of shortcuts to use in Gmail and Google Reader, and now Quicksilver will help me streamline more of my computer-related activities.

Firefox Shortcuts
Mac OS X Shortcuts
Gmail Shortcuts
Google Reader Shortcuts
Emacs Commands
vi Commands

[Kylan's Blog] RPM Challenge Enrollment

Jaron and I have just enrolled in the RPM Challenge. The goal of this project is to get a bunch of people to record 10-song albums during the month of February. The RPM Challenge website explains all of the details, and has a complete jukebox of the 850+ albums produced last year. We're calling our group DupyBand, and we'll be posting our songs to the project site as well as the DupyCast. Should be fun, more details to come.

[Kylan's Blog] Water Torture

There's been a lot of talk in the news lately about waterboarding, and I think everyone is familiar with the old concept of Chineese water torture. Well, a couple of nights ago my MacBook underwent it's own version of water torture. I was at Kristen's duplex and had brought her a glass of water while we were watching TV. She didn't see the water on the coffee table, and accidentally knocked it over with her foot. The glass proceeded to spill its contents over everything on the table, including my poor laptop.

I rushed to get some paper towels and dry it off, and then I shut it down and took out the battery. By acting quickly, I hoped to prevent any of the electronic components from shorting out. The MacBook was left to dry overnight, but I was dismayed to find that it wouldn't power up the next day. Thankfully, though, I was able to coax it back to life with some strategic hair blow drying.

During the few hours when I thought my MacBook had gone to laptop heaven, I couldn't decided if I was sad or elated. I really like this machine; it's my favorite computer I've ever owned. However, this situation also presented me with the possible opportunity to buy a new computer (remember, Apple just unveiled the MacBook Air). In the end, though, I'm very glad this computer came back to life, because it saves me the pain of spending a couple thousand dollars on something new.

[Kylan's Blog] Green Handkercheifs

Since it's cold and flu season, there are a lot of people buying boxes and packs tissues. Runny noses are annoying and need to be wiped often. I'm surprised, though, in this age of An Inconvenient Truth and carbon footprints, that Kleenex and the related brands are doing so much business. There is a stigma against cloth tissues because they are seen as "gross," but I think they must be more environmentally friendly than tissues made from trees. They're reusable and can be made completely from sustainable resources. Here's my idea: enviro-conscious people can start walking around with green colored cloth handkerchiefs, blowing their noses in support of the environment. This could become a big hit, with celebrities joining the craze and so on. Just remember... I thought of if first.

[Kylan's Blog] Last.fm

I've just started using Last.fm, a popular Internet music service. It allows you to listen to streamed music while learning your style preferences and targeting content based on this information. It also provides nice integration with iTunes and publishes a variety of RSS feeds containing your listening history. This might be a neat feature to integrate with Dupyshon.com. On the Contributors page, I could have a dynamic list of each contributor's favorite music and most recently played tracks. Maybe I'll try to do that this weekend. The first step is to get Jaron on last.fm...

[Kylan's Blog] Springtime for Switchfoot

It looks like Switchfoot will be going on a college tour this spring. Please let Washington State University be one of the stops, or at least Gonzaga! Thanks for the heads up, LOBH.

[Kylan's Blog] CSOTW

During my undergraduate years, I really learned to appreciate country music. My roommate Weston and I became western aficionados, you might say, and we began publishing a list called the Country Song of the Week (CSOTW) on an early version of Dupyshon.com.  This went on for over a year, and we celebrated our first anniversary with a big top ten countdown party (we called it the "Big Bash"). Here's the complete list of country songs of the week, as well as a few details about awards from the Big Bash.

Date    Song    Artist
August 31, 2006    My Kind of Music    Ray Scott
August 24, 2006    How 'Bout You    Eric Church
August 17, 2006    Yee Haw    Jake Owen
August 10, 2006    I Don't Know What She Said    Blaine Larsen
August 3, 2006    A Little Too Late    Toby Keith
July 27, 2006    When It Rains    Eli Young Band
July 20, 2006    Nothin' But a Love Thang    Darryl Worley
July 13, 2006    Whever You Are    Jack Ingram
July 6, 2006    Brand New Girlfriend    Steve Holy
June 29, 2006    Real Good Man    Tim McGraw
June 22, 2006    Backwards    Rascal Flatts
June 15, 2006    Favorite State of Mind    Josh Gracin
June 8, 2006    Good Little Girls    Blue County
June 1, 2006    Yes!    Chad Brock
May 25, 2006    (This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing    Trace Adkins
May 18, 2006    Size Matters (Someday)    Joe Nichols
May 11, 2006    The World    Brad Paisley
May 4, 2006    Summertime    Kenny Chesney
April 27, 2006    Hillbillies    Hot Apple Pie
April 20, 2006    Get Drunk and Be Somebody    Toby Keith
April 13, 2006    Down on the Farm    Tim McGraw
April 6, 2006    Comin' to Your City    Big and Rich

Date    Song    Artist
March 30, 2006    You're Like Coming Home    Lonestar
March 23, 2006    She Don't Tell Me To    Montgomery Gentry
March 16, 2006    Drunker Than Me    Trent Tomlinson
March 9, 2006    Ain't Nothing 'Bout You    Brooks and Dunn
March 2, 2006    Mrs. Steven Rudy    Mark McGuinn
February 23, 2006    Celebrity    Brad Paisley
February 16, 2006    Good to Go to Mexico    Toby Keith
February 9, 2006    Nobody But Me    Blake Shelton
February 2, 2006    Good Ride Cowboy    Garth Brooks
January 26, 2006    Me Neither    Brad Paisley
January 19, 2006    Honky Tonk Badonkadonk    Trace Adkins
January 12, 2006    I Got a Feelin'    Billy Currington
January 5, 2006    I Should Be Sleeping    Emerson Drive
December 29, 2005    It's a Great Day to Be Alive    Travis Tritt
December 22, 2005    Best I Ever Had    Gary Allan
December 15, 2005    Dream Big    Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband
December 8, 2005    Everything I Want    Jace Everett
December 1, 2005    Nineteen Somethin'    Mark Wills
November 24, 2005    Friends in Low Places    Garth Brooks
November 17, 2005    Watch the Wind Blow By    Tim McGraw
November 10, 2005    Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off    Joe Nichols
November 3, 2005    Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right    Billy Currington
October 27, 2005    99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before)    Brian McComas
October 20, 2005    Prayin' for Daylight    Rascal Flatts
October 13, 2005    Awful Beautiful Life    Darryl Worley
October 6, 2005    God Blessed Texas    Little Texas
September 29, 2005    That's What I Love About Sunday    Craig Morgan
September 22, 2005    Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)    John Michael Montgomery
September 15, 2005    So So Long    Dierks Bentley
September 8, 2005    Hicktown    Jason Aldean
September 1, 2005    Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On    Neal McCoy
August 25, 2005    Something to Be Proud Of    Montgomery Gentry
August 18, 2005    Pickup Man    Joe Diffie
August 11, 2005    Summertime Blues    Alan Jackson
August 4, 2005    Some Beach    Blake Shelton
July 28, 2005    Nothing On but the Radio    Gary Allan
July 21, 2005    Baby Girl    Sugarland
July 14, 2005    I'll Take That As A Yes    Phil Vassar
July 7, 2005    Arlington    Trace Adkins
June 30, 2005    Boot Scootin' Boogie    Brooks and Dunn
June 23, 2005    Five O'Clock Somewhere    Alan Jackson
June 16, 2005    How Am I Doin'    Dierks Bentley
June 9, 2005    When the Sun Goes Down    Kenny Chesney
June 2, 2005    Chicks Dig It    Chris Cagle
May 26, 2005    Pickin' Wildflowers    Keith Anderson
May 19, 2005    Big Time    Big and Rich
May 12, 2005    Somethin' Like That    Tim McGraw
May 5, 2005    Stays in Mexico    Toby Keith
April 28, 2005    Nothin' to Lose    Josh Gracin
April 21, 2005    I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday)    Steve Azar
April 14, 2005    What's a Guy Gotta Do    Joe Nichols
April 7, 2005    Gone    Montgomery Gentry

The Top Ten Country Songs of 2005/06
1. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
This song by the talented Texapino has it all. It has great lyics, it's fun to dance to, has a strong beat, and a phenomenal ending. Not much more to say than that, except that it is truly deserving of CSOTW's highest honor. Don't believe us? Then you obviously have never heard it before.
2. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
We had a chance to see Dierks Bentley in concert this year, and boy was it a treat. He is a great performer, and sounds every bit as good live as he does on his albums. Dierks has a perfect voice for singing country, and he sings catchy songs which get stuck in your head and stay there for days. His sound is a bit more traditional than some of the Alt-Country artists we've been hearing lately, so there's a good chance that his music will stand the test of time and still sound good decades from now. "So So Long" was the encore tune that Dierks played when he was in Pullman, and we knew it was a good song from the first chord.
3. Honkeytonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
Has there ever been a country song with more attitude? We are hard-pressed to think of one. Trace's relationship to the Country Song of the Week list is quite interesting. It all started over the summer, when Trace first heard about the list. He recognized the value and prestige of the list, and called his agent. "Why haven't I been listed on the CSOTW yet!? I think I am definitely qualified for such an honor. Maybe you haven't been doing your job very well. Do I have to fire you?" Now, Trace is a very good country artist, but Weston and I just hadn't been exposed to his music very much. He ended up firing his agent and publicist for not getting him enough attention, and began to handle all of his scheduling and advertising by himself. (Currently, he is the only major country star who manages himself.) At the top of Trace's To Do List: get on the CSOTW. He immediately booked a flight to Woodland, Oregon to talk to Christine Baker. (He had to buy new tickets when he found out that Woodland is technically in Washington, but his mistake is quite understandable). Anyway, Trace really wanted to talk to Kylan or Weston, but he figured that they were too busy making important decisions. He was a little intimidated because he had heard so many great things about us. Trace figured that he could tell Christine that he wanted to be on the list, and she could relay the message to us. It was nearly the Fourth of July, and he decided that his new patriotic song, Arlington, was his best shot. Trace went to the country club where Christine was working and gave her his autograph along with his request. Then Christine told Weston and I that he wanted to be on the CSOTW. We were impressed by both Trace's persistence and musicianship, so we agreed to give him the July 7th spot. When he came out with Honkeytonk Badonkadonk later this year, we were very excited. Here are our favorite parts of this song: "Slap your grandma," "like Donkey Kong," and "you hate to see her go but love to watch her leave."
4. Pickin' Wildflowers - Keith Anderson
This song is the definition of B.A. The best moment is at the end of the first verse, with the "Uh-ha-haw." Utilizing the Jew's harp was definitely a good choice. What cha' say we go pickin' wildflowers? You and me, baby.
5. What's a Guy Gotta Do - Joe Nichols
Artichoke hearts, Super Walmarts, and pretty girls with shopping carts make this a very, very good song. It's hard to sing the whole chorus in one breath (just try it sometime). This song makes the top ten because Joe Nichols is such a protagonist. By the end of the song you're really rooting for him to get a girl.
6. Something Like That - Tim McGraw
This guy just came out with a Greatest Hits album, and he has lots of material that would qualify as a "greatest hit." Tim McGraw is very well-respected in the country world, so we couldn't resist putting him on this list. "Something Like That" tells a good story about barbeque stains, mini skirts, Labor Day weekends, and New Orleans. Very American.
7. Gone - Montgomery Gentry
This is the one that started it all. "Gone" was the first ever CSOTW, and for good reason. It has a good dose of bad attitude and a real country-flavored theme. The chorus is the best part, though. What other songs talk about freight trains and the Civil War? What other songs include an onomatopoetic "Bang! Bang!"?
8. 99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before) - Brian McComas
Another young artist, Brian sings this song with good energy and a clear voice. Truly a great song to dance to. The fast-paced lyrics make the it fun, reminiscant of Josh Gracin's "Nothin' to Lose" or "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" by John Michael Montgomery. Personally, I am a big fan of the banjo work of Leigh Reynolds in the background.
9. Me Neither - Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley has a way with lyrics... this song is hilarious. How can a guy get shut down so many times in the same conversation? This is a fast song with a good beat, and the guitar solo is quite impressive. Very fun.
10. Hicktown - Jason Aldean
Jason is a young, emerging country artist with a bright future. This song is his best so far, and it was selected primarily because it reminds us of Pullman, WA. Yes, Jason, we do like the way that sounds. And we know you ain't finished yet.

The CSOTW Artist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
The CSOTW Rookie of the Year
Jace Everett
The CSOTW Brokeback Artist of the Year
Cowboy Troy

Rachael's Predictions:
1. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
2. Some Beach - Blake Shelton
3. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
4. Nothin' to Lose - Josh Gracin
Christine's Predictions:
1. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
2. Honkeytonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
3. Stays in Mexico - Toby Keith
4. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles One - Neal McCoy

[Kylan's Blog] Senior Design Website

This semester I'm the TA for EE 415, Senior Design. One of my main duties is creating and maintaining pages on the class wiki, which is located here. I spent a good amount of time last week getting the site ready. Hopefully the teams will find it to be a good resource for information and a simple tool for collaboration.

[Kylan's Blog] DupyServer

This past weekend I began the process of installing a server at Kristen's duplex. I put Ubuntu 7.10 Server Edition on my old Dell Inspiron after backing up some files, and began adding services one by one. So far I have the web server, SSH, and FTP working the way I want them to. I'd still like to get VNC, file sharing, and some kind of dynamic DNS set up. Right now the server has a local IP address and is not visible to the world outside my local network. It's a fun little project, and up to this point much more easy than I had anticipated.

[Kylan's Blog] Winter EP Downloaded

I downloaded Jon Foreman's Winter EP this morning. I've already listened to it three times, and I'm liking what I'm hearing. Jaron and I are planning to get together and write a review by the end of this weekend, and we'll have lots to say.

[Kylan's Blog] Winter EP Out Tomorrow

Jon Foreman's Winter EP comes out tomorrow. I'm very excited to hear what it sounds like. You download the tracks from jonforeman.com for only $5, which is quite a deal. Stay tuned and I'll write a review for it sometime this week.

[Kylan's Blog] A Bad Day in Sports

Today was a bad day in sports. Both the Cougars and the Seahawks lost.

The Cougar game was horrible at the start, but improved as the game went along. Before the game, I predicted that the team would need lots of help from Derek Low. A lot of focus had been on Kyle Weaver and Daven Harmeling lately, so our opponents have been putting their best defenders on them. Low ended up hitting a hot streak, but it took him until the second half to begin scoring points.

UCLA was a very good team overall. They knew how to penetrate our defense, and they knew how to stop us from scoring. Their style looked like a page out of our own playbook! We were getting beaten badly during most of the game, but kudos to the Cougars for never giving up. I look forward to playing them later this season at home. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to beat them then.

The Seahawks game was also depressing to watch. After the first two scores, everything just went down the drain. One of the only things that kept me watching was the impressive amount of snow falling on the field. I'm glad the Brett Favre is having such a good year at his age, but I wish the Seahawks would've played much better.

[Kylan's Blog] The Solution to Facebook Evolution

I've always been against Facebook's practice of adding more and more junk features to its service. I would prefer that it remained simple and clean looking. All I care about is the ability to add friends, search for other users, and perform basic communication. That's all that's needed for a good social networking site. Anything else is a distraction. This is why I was pretty excited when I found a Greasemonkey Facebook cleanup script on Lifehacker. It automatically hides the mini-feed as well as any applications users have added to their profile. Much better.

[Kylan's Blog] Insurance Rates

I've been insured with State Farm insurance since I first got my driver's license. Until today, my policy was with an agent in Tacoma. Talking to Kristen's parents over break, I realized that I might be able to save money by moving my policy to a Pullman agent. Apparently, insurance rates vary from region to region because of a variety of factors. It turns out that I can pay dramatically less for my monthly premiums because Pullman is a more rural community. I made the switch this afternoon. If you're a student at WSU, you might considering transferring your policy so you can save some valuable cash.

[Kylan's Blog] Lots of Snow

With the exception of today, it's been snowing like crazy here in Pullman. It's barely let up since Sunday night, and this morning I found eight inches of fresh snow on top of my car. It took so long to clear off that I was a bit late to SEL! Today was clear, though, and the sun was out in the afternoon. Hopefully the melted snow won't freeze into black ice overnight. This is probably the snowiest winter I've seen during my time in Pullman.

[Kylan's Blog] Schedule Changes

Just like last semester, my schedule is going through a shakeup right now. I found out this morning that one of my classes had been canceled due to a "lack of an instructor." To compensate, I added another class that my adviser had recommended. I went to that class, which began this morning, only to find out that I don't have the necessary prerequisite. I sat through the lecture, just in case there was some misunderstanding, but visited my adviser immediately after class. He told me to drop this class and add the prerequisite in its place. Luckily, this class also takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which still leaves my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays class-free.

On a related note, I also found out my TA assignment today. I'll be helping Dr. Campbell with his EE 415 Senior Design course. That should be a fun and relatively
simple class to TA for.

[Kylan's Blog] TV and Internet

Today Kristen and I were able to kill two birds with one stone. We scheduled our satellite TV and cable Internet to be installed at the same time, and the whole thing took less than an hour.

Our satellite contract is with Dish Network. We had to string the incoming coax cable all around the living room, but the rest of the install went pretty smoothly. The best part of this service is the DVR paired with the program guide. I'll have to experiment with that more later.

We chose to get our Internet through Time Warner. Their RoadRunner service wasn't our first choice, but we were unable to get the wireless signal from Cactus Computers. So far, I'm actually pretty impressed with the speed that RoadRunner offers. The only drawback is that we weren't able to get a static IP address. Oh well, I might play around with DynDNS or something like that if I want to set up a web server.

Conclusion: From our first impressions, Dish TV and RoadRunner Internet are pretty good services if you live in Pullman.