Thoughts on a Tangent

Double-layer Taco Salad

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Brown 1 pound of beef and add taco seasoning packet.
Add vegetables such as peppers, onions, olives, to the beef.
Place pieces of 6 taco shells on the bottom of a casserole dish.
Grate cheddar cheese onto taco shells.
Place two-thirds of the beef on the cheese.
Break 6 more taco shells and place on the beef.
Grate more cheese and place more beef.
Place dish in the oven for three minutes until cheese is melted.
Add toppings, such as sour cream, salsa, and lettuce.

Serves 3-4. I was able to eat about half of it. Shown with orange pepper and sour cream, as we are out of the other optional ingredients.

A Tale of Two Keys

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:41:00 +0000

Tanglewood apartments first annoyed us when we asked for a garage ready for our move-in, but they "forgot to write it down" and delayed our garage rental for a month. Then, they would not give us a spare key, claiming they only have two copies, but we are free to make our own copies.

Thus, I embarked on a mission to copy the garage key so Katie and I could have independent access to the garage.

First, I went to ACE Hardware and got a copy of the EA27-style key. It didn't fit. It was too thick to enter the lock.

Thinking this is an error only in the brand difference, I call a locksmith about it but they apparently were not amused and told me in not so many words that "Copying a key at a locksmith is a waste of money and you're an idiot for trying. Thanks for wasting my time. Go to a different hardware store."

Following the advice of someone who should know more about this than me, I traveled to Home Depot in search of another key. I explain the situation and show the copy that doesn't fit in the lock. They go ahead and copy another key of the same thickness instead of letting me look and decide if it was the proper size.

So, I travel back to the Tanglewood office and explain the situation and ask how they copy the key. The man there bumbles something about having that same problem but getting a copy somehow. Recommends a locksmith. Thanks, I hadn't thought of that.

Going to a different locksmith than I had previously called, I find the following information after one of the smiths spends half an hour looking for keys and calling his key supplier (very nice people at Lincoln Lock & Key):

My key was a copy, not an original.
My key was a Cole EA27, but the Cole brand was discontinued. Not surprising since they make keys in non-standard sizes.
The EA27 was probably chosen for the copy based on randomly guessing a similar-looking key. Only with the original would we be able to know for sure.
Before going to the locksmith, you should check the brand of the lock and/or door.

Those people were very helpful, and even copied a key that had a similar, but not exact shape, just in case the EA27 was not really the type they wanted.

That key did not work. Also, the garage door and lock had no visible branding. Nothing, nowhere.

Back to the office to explain the situation again and ask see the master key. When the master key also has no brand markings, I'm given this key and take it back to Lincoln Lock & Key, where they check and look but find no match. They recommend replacing the cylinder in the lock with something not so horribly non-standard.

Now we get to the exciting conclusion. Are you still reading this? It really is worth this crazy long story, as I would not type it all except that I am incredibly upset about the end of the tale. Enough suspense? I go to the Tanglewood office and ask them to replace the lock on the garage, as it is hopeless to get a copy. Then, the office person simply asked "Would you like another copy?" To which I reply, "But you said you didn't have any other copies!" She states very simply "Of course we do, we just don't keep them with the masters so they don't get lost. Here you go." And, I walk out of the office with a key that works perfectly in my lock. I think there were three other keys in the drawer that fit.

Think back to how many times I rode my bike to a hardware store or to a locksmith (to be specific, today I rode from 44th and O to 33rd and Holdredge to find a closer locksmith, but it didn't exist, so I rode from there to 11th and H to Lincoln Lock & Key, all in 90-degree temperatures) wasted several peoples' time and bought three bogus keys all in what could have changed at step one: give me another copy of the key.

Independance Day

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:24:00 +0000

Today was a nice break from work for both Katie and me. We used some of Katie's homemade applesauce to bake a brand new recipe: Applesauce Pie.

Seward, Nebraska is reportedly the place to be on the fourth, so we went and spent the day with Tom at his new apartment. It was so nice, we spent most of the time outside, so I do not have any pictures of the place.

There were a surprising number of Nebraska politicians there, including the governor, the senators, and the senator/representative hopefuls. That doesn't matter to me, but the large supply of thrown candy was important. Tom's college friends were pretty crazy and kept the show lively as well. After a day in the sun, walking around, it's good to finally get a bit of rest.

The Irish Experience

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:14:00 +0000

This weekend Katie and I went to an Irish pub with some friends. The occasion was a birthday, but the extravagance was the place we went: O'Malley's 1842 Irish Pub in Weston, Missouri. This pub is an excellent excuse for a road trip, as the entire pub is below ground in an ancient lagering cellar. See the video below for the walk into the depths of the pub, taped by the birthday boy himself.

The Weston Brewing Company runs the place, and does a great job of making some excellent beer. It is highly recommend that you go on a Sunday between 3 and 9PM as Bob Reeder is a fantastic entertainer in the Irish spirit. This trip will be made again, perhaps with a stay at a local hotel instead of driving all the way back to Lincoln afterward (Katie was my D.D.).

Lots of Quick Updates

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:48:00 +0000

I qualled my analysis exam. This makes me a fully-qualified mathematics student, but I still need to get the computer science portion completed. I've started studying despite the three-week break I'll get in July/August. The organization will help me when I am cramming in late August.

HOLY COW THREE WEEKS TILL THE WEDDING.

This week has been the most productive research week I have ever had. Last Friday, I figured out a definition that helped the rest of my work almost fall onto the page. This one is the "discovery" portion of mathematics, not invention. However, it seems that the work is not quite difficult enough for publication...yet.

The month is almost complete, which means a paycheck is imminent. That will most surely help as I have one more month of paying rent to two places. However, I also don't get an official paycheck at the end of July. My savings account will be sad by the end of August.

Tom came over last weekend and nabbed the acoustic guitar, which he is diligently learning in order to cater his creative side (and totally pick up the chicks). Now, it is time to have brotherly jam sessions with melodic chord patterns and harmonious vocals paired with heart-wrenching lyrics. Either that, or I write metal lyrics to NULLSTELLENSATZ and destroy our guitars.

The new Futurama movie came in yesterday and will be watched tonight with some friends new to Futurama. I think we'll start with Bender's Big Score before the Beast with a Billion Backs for their benefit. Then, they'll borrow some of the boxed sets and start from the beginning.

Joe "Beefmeister" Geisbauer has been destroying me every afternoon for the past few weeks in an attempt to put some filler so my tux doesn't look like cloth over a skeleton. He has succeeded somewhat, and I have noticed I am built more like Andrew than I thought, if only I would put some effort to fill in the arms and shoulders as he has.

Thanks for reading this far instead of just ignoring it. Seems best to let people who want short posts would not like a bunch of small ones, either.

Qual Scores Less Imminent

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:05:00 +0000

I spoke with the graduate chair here, and apparently he sent out his recommendations for the scores, but they need to be approved by the Graduate Advisory Committee. Since it is the summer, all these people are in many different places around the world, and hopefully he will have the approval tomorrow, and then the scores out the next day.

BREATHE EASY PEOPLE. For now.

Qual Scores Imminent

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:46:00 +0000

It is a high-stress situation here in the Math department as all of the qualification exam graders have submitted their scores, and we who took them anxiously anticipate their distribution.

To all my math friends: PLEASE REMAIN CALM. THE SCORES WILL BE AVAILABLE IN DUE TIME, AND YOU CAN CONTINUE TO BREATH UNTIL THAT TIME. PLEASE REFRAIN FROM HYPERVENTILATING, DESTROYING COMPUTERS, AND STAY CLEAR OF ALL SHARP OBJECTS.

To all my other friends: PLEASE EVACUATE THE BUILDING IN A HURRIED MANNER. DO NOT TAKE TIME TO BRING POSSESSIONS OR LOVED ONES. SIMPLY FIND A WELL-LIT AREA IN OPEN SPACES WHERE THERE IS AN UNLIKELY CHANCE OF A GRADUATE STUDENT EXPLODING NEAR YOU.

This has been a test of the evaluation warning system.

The Ride

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:57:00 +0000

Katie and I survived the 35-mile ride (plus two miles there and two miles back) with only a few unsightly tan lines and a slight case of heat exhaustion. We're all good after spending the day in the dark apartment watching TV and eating junk food. Here is a picture of us getting ready to start out very early this morning.

I apologize for the blinding T-shirt.

Trail Trek

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:41:00 +0000

Today, Katie and I are going on a 35-mile bike ride as part of the Lincoln Trail System's annual Trail Trek. It should be a fun time, outside of the heat and exhaustion, but we are looking forward to the opportunity to enjoy riding without it being a commute. The commute-by-bicycle method has worked wonders for us this summer, but we could use a break.

The 35-mile route covers almost all of the actual trails in Lincoln. We have seen most of them, but we may be surprised by a few. Also, they are trying to raise a ton of money to build a trail in Antelope valley, as well as taking the path below the planned J street bridge.

I am wearing the T-shirt we get when we register, but I will never wear it again. It is bright yellow. So bright, in fact, that I think it is its own light source. No one will miss me on the road.

Mathemetal

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:57:00 +0000

I thought a few of my math friends would enjoy the following metal-song lyrics I have shared with my JSRSCSM friends. Now, consider Burnside's lemma proven by an angry shouting man accompanied to raging speed metal.

BUUUUUUURRRNNNSIDES LEMMAAAAAAAAAA!

LET A GROUP G
ACT ON X
THE NUMBER OF ORBITS
IS THE AVERAGE OF FIXED POINTS
TAKEN OVER ELEMENTS OF G

PROOF!

CONSIDER THE SUM OF FIXED SETS OVER ELEMENTS OF G
EQUAL TO THE SUBSET OF G CROSS X
SUCH THAT THE ELEMENT OF G FIXES THE ELEMENT OF X

HERE IS THE TRICK TO THE
BUUUUUUURRRNNNSIDES LEMMAAAAAAAAAA!

THESE PAIRS (LITTLE g, LITTLE x) GIVES THE SUMS
OF THE FIXED SETS ARE THE SAME AS
THE SIZE OF THE STABILIZERS!
THE LENGTH OF THE ORBIT IS THE INDEX OF THE STABILIZER
(THAT'S LOOOOOIIIIISS, LOOOOOOIIIIIIISSSSS)
BUT THE INDEX IS THE ORDER OF THE GROUP OVER THE ORDER OF THE SUBGROUP!

ANOTHER TRICK TO THE
BUUUUUUURRRNNNSIDES LEMMAAAAAAAAAA!

WE KNOW X IS A DISJOINT UNION OF OOOOOORBITS!
NOW SUM OVER ALL OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORBITS
THE SUM OVER ALL ELEMENTS IN THAT OOOOORBIT
ONE OVER THE SIZE OF THE OOOOOOOOOOOOORBIT
LEADING TO THE SUM OVER ALL OOOOOOOOOORBITS
OF ONE!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNE!
WHICH MEANS WE HAVE THE ORDER OF G!
TIMES THE NUMBER OF ORBITS!
WHICH GIVES THE RESULT WITH A SIMPLE DIVISION!

BUUUUUUURRRNNNSIDES LEMMAAAAAAAAAA!

NOW GO AND UUUUUUUSE IT!
FIND THE NUMBER OF WAYS TO COLOR A CUBE
OR DODECAHEDRON, OCTAHEDRON, POLYDETRAAAAAA!
IF YOU ARE CRAZY YOU CAN FIND THE
NUMBER OF WAYS TO SET UP A RUUUUUBIKKKKS CUUUUUUUUBE!

BUUUUUUURRRNNNSIDES LEMMAAAAAAAAAA!

Electrical Repairations

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:47:00 +0000

Recently, I bought a soldering iron to fix a few broken objects.

Object 1: My electric guitar. The port where the cord hooked in was a little finicky, and required the wires within to be cut and reattached. Now, it sounds beautiful outside of user-error.

Object 2: A Playstation 2 controller. A friend has a dog that chewed through the cord almost all the way. I thought I could pull the wires out and reconnect them, but Sony did a really good job of putting the cheapest wire they possibly could in there. Tom came over and helped me do the soldering, but the wires themselves would break really easily. It wasn't worth rewiring anything, so it was called a loss.

At least the more expensive one worked.

Donormobiles

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:30:00 +0000

Motorcycles have only one purpose: to help rid the world of annoying people. Back in the day, brilliant sociologist Dr. Davidson decided that annoying people deserved to die. His generation-spanning plan was to create devices so loud that people, whose life goal is to disturb people on roads (or just near them!), cannot refuse buying one. Then, since they are also not very bright, they don't notice how dangerous and fatal these machines are. After long, patient years, all annoying people have ridden and died doing what they loved.

Note: This is probably the most offensive post I have ever written. I am just really annoyed at bikers passing me when I'm on my bike and almost blowing my ear out.

Participate, Download, Enjoy

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:50:00 +0000

Hey EVERYONE. If you want a better browser, I suggest Firefox, by the Mozilla foundation. It's a solid solution for any internet enthusiast.

If you want to participate in what will hopefully be a Guinness World Record, download the new version 3.0 today. Perhaps they will have the most downloads of a single piece of software within 24 hours.

There, I did my part.

Child Labor

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:24:00 +0000

The furniture "crew" is here now. One is the typical burly-man lifter type. The other is... probably 14 years old. Also, he has trouble carrying a nightstand. It is a good thing our furniture is durable (real wood, not particle board!), as he ran into the door frame on his way in with it.

Furniturating

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:35:00 +0000

Katie and I gave each other a fancy bedroom set as a wedding present. Right now, I am waiting for it to be delivered. It will be nice to have drawers again. The last time I was able to sort my clothing in something better than piles on the floor was when I lived in Kauffman.

It is almost as if I am growing up, losing my bachelor ways, and becoming an adult.

...Nah.

A Localization of Preppiness

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:58:00 +0000

The other day, Katie convinced me that I needed a few more nice, but casual, shirts for the office. We went to Target and got some cheap polos. In the past, I have been very anti-polos for fear of looking dweebish. However, that was reversed beyond my greatest fears when she commented "You look straight out of an Eddie Bauer catalog!"

She probably meant it as a complement...

BSG: Season Four Mid-Review

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:10:00 +0000

With the mid-season cliffhanger of Battlestar Galactica coming this Friday, sure to shake a lot of things up, I should probably seal a few opinions that I have of the season so far.

The season premiere truly delivered on the cliffhanger of the season three finale. I don't know how they did it, but it was really good. Epic space battles, crazy suspense and mystery in personal relationships (how does one deal with the fact that they just realized they are a Cylon?), and some hints at progress in future episodes.

However, they soon followed with a gutsy move. It turns out that this episode set a new mood for the following episodes. This episode hit such a personal note that I was enraged and upset for weeks. I guess a show that can move someone that much is worth watching, but it took a while to pay off. The immediate result was a complete rearrangement of the characters and their roles.

Just when the character-development episodes seemed as if they would never end, suddenly the search for Earth brings home a surprise. I doubt anyone who watched the end of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? thought the season was moving slowly anymore.

The most recent three episodes have been intense, psychological and action-packed thrillers keeping me guessing throughout. Now, the mid-season cliffhanger is coming and promises "all will be revealed." It is bound to be a good thing to see the confrontation of the five models in the fleet revealed, but it is even more enticing to see what they will pull to get 13 more episodes before the series ends.

So much has changed since the initial mini series, but it is clear that the producers and writers have had a clear vision of these final episodes since the first season was greenlit. The consistency of style allows all four seasons work together to form a single, epic tale in 45-minute segments.

The Hook Brings You Back

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Today is brought to you by Blues Traveler on Pandora. Have a great Wednesday.

Bruce Willis Awesome-Pack

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:08:00 +0000

Last night's dream was short, but odd. It seemed I was at Best Buy getting my brother (I'll let them speculate as to which one) a birthday gift, when I saw the "Bruce Willis Awesome-Pack" DVD set. It included almost all of the movies he is famous for on BluRay, and a collection of those that were not so hot in DVD form. I think there were a few movies in both formats. This random dream was not terribly interesting on its own until I was balancing my checkbook this morning and asked myself, "How much did that boxed set cost again? Oh wait, IT DOESN'T EXIST."

Analysis-Qualification-Exammed

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:55:00 +0000

The qualification exam was today for Analysis. The test is a four-hour written exam meant to see if early graduate students have the "basic" knowledge in order to continue into later studies. It's grueling, to say the least.

We had to answer five out of six questions. My exam took 14 pages, six of which were for a single problem. Those six pages included a half-page outline of the proof with labeled formulas so someone else could have a hope to follow it.

For now, I am going to relax with Katie and other friends at beer school. That will be a great reward.

A Small Tweak

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:40:00 +0000

For those who have subscribed to my atom feed, I just realized that I had the mode on "short" and will refrain from having that in the future. However, this may cause your feed readers to act strangely for a little bit.

I've also subscribed to my own feed so I can tell when the feed is working and when it is not.

Memorial Day Weekend in Canada

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:15:00 +0000

Dad and I took a quick trip to Canada after watching Tom race. It was a grueling drive, and we ended up sleeping in the car as all the hotels were booked from Duluth to Orr. That's what happens on fishing opener, I guess. Since the temperature finally stabilized above freezing, we got the water running only to find out a pipe had burst over the winter.

We didn't let that stop us from having a good time. The weekend involved a good amount of trailblazing as well as brush-clearing, finalized with a good brush fire. Grandpa even helped out, but his temper showed up in the end.

The weather was fantastic enough for me to take some scenery pictures. A few panoramas and some high-dynamic range photos. I am having difficulty deciding on my favorite sunset picture, so let me know which one you like.

I caught a ride with Katie and her mom in the Twin Cities as they were in town for a bridal shower. Thanks, everyone, for the fantastic gifts! They will be put to great use!

Tom, an All-American Hero

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:34:00 +0000

Tom racewalked his heart out on Friday. He took sixth place, which makes him an all-american outdoor track star. All I took were pictures.

My camera is really fancy, and has a mode that allows me to take pictures rapidly. Here is an animation so you can really see what racewalking looks like. Be sure to click to see the full version.

Mathematical Content!

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:25:00 +0000

While looking into symmetric functions, I came across the Newton-Girard Formulas. That page references Raymond S�roul's "Programming for Mathematicians," which seems to be an incredible resource I will surely borrow from the library more often. However, the proof of these formulas (presented on pages 278-279) is incredibly beautiful.

First, start with a function f(T) = (1-X_1*T)(1-X_2*T)...(1-X_n^T). Now, differentiate in two ways: first by expanding out the polynomial and then differentiating, or by using the product rule directly. The second method results in a summation of functions that can be represented by formal power series. By using the fact that these formulas are equal, we subtract the functions and get that the coefficients of the resulting series are zero. Thus, the formulas are simultaneously proven without induction or any case garbage.

This will be a proof for me to write formally some time and memorize for later use. The technique is so wonderful, it makes me smile.

A Guided Tour

noreply@blogger.com (stolee) — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:51:00 +0000

There were a few complaints that the new apartment pictures did not have any people in them, so I decided to fix that tonight. Here is your guided tour. You asked for it.

HI AND WELCOME TO MY APARTMENT! LET ME JUST WIPE MY FEET!

HAVE A SEAT IN OUR SPACIOUS LIVING ROOM WITH TWO FUTONS. CARE TO PLAY SOME VIDEO GAMES?

DON'T MIND ME. I JUST WANTED TO GET SOME AIR ON OUR PATIO! DON'T MAKE TOO MUCH NOISE OR YOU'LL WAKE THE DEAD PEOPLE!

LET ME COOK YOU SOME DINNER IN OUR KITCHEN! I HAVE A PAN!

WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO EAT SUCH A DELICOUS MEAL! YUM!

THIS IS WHERE I AM INCREDIBLY PRODUCTIVE! I NEVER GOOF AROUND ON A COMPUTER!

ALL THAT WORK ENTERTAINING YOU SURE GOT ME SWEATY! I HAVE TO TAKE A SHOWER IN OUR GUEST BATHROOM. THE WOMAN DOESN'T LIKE IT WHEN I STINK UP THE MASTER BATH!

GOODNIGHT! IT IS TIME FOR ME TO RETIRE IN THE GIGANTIC QUEEN SIZE BED WITH CUSTOM-MADE QUILT COVERS!