Comments of amorphousplasma (47)

Comment on post looking for a tree place:
2009-03-25T17:32:17+00:00
Houston farmer's markets sell trees. We got our lemon and fig trees there and both have been very productive and grow well.

Comment on post attention world:
2009-01-26T21:07:22+00:00
It's something I would like to try. But Matt tells me it's not doable because people have to book their travel plans. :(

Comment on post hello married people/people who know about weddings:
2009-01-26T20:05:39+00:00
If I were to do an Austin wedding, I'd love to do something in hill country by the Salt Lick BBQ... just a thought. The river and country out there is really beautiful.

Comment on post i'm kinda busy, but here are some links I enjoyed and thought you might enjoy as well!:
2008-11-21T22:14:46+00:00
Uhh. Off topic from the debate here, here's a link I thought you would like, Greg!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/magazine/23Netflix-t.html

Also, I was wondering, would you think the algorithm could be made more effective if a little bit of personal data could be released (age & sex are what I'm thinking)?

Comment on post finally, FINALLY, McCain scales back the ugliness:
2008-10-12T14:55:20+00:00
Yeah and then this happens?

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/more-mixed-mess.html

Comment on post TX voter registration deadline is monday!:
2008-09-30T21:35:19+00:00
We changed our addresses recently to make sure we can vote and got an Obama yard sign today! Yay!

Comment on post genome hacking:
2008-06-01T06:18:52+00:00
half! half the battle.

Comment on post genome hacking:
2008-06-01T06:18:18+00:00
I don't know a thing about the specific companies that perform those services but in general I'd be really wary of getting those sorts of things done. The genome, and associated diseases, is a lot more complex than tests like that might lead one to believe (though I know you are really intelligent and do your research, it makes me bristle when people talk about the "gene for x" and "gene for y"). We don't fully understand or appreciate the interaction of environment and genes that may or may not influence disease, behavior, and many other factors- for a really interesting recent study, see http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11326195
Though I agree that having the data would be really, really cool- it does make it easier for one to skip to the mindset that gene x = alzheimers, or what have you, when it's really so much more complex than that. And if you get into the mindset that "well, I have the gene, so I have the disease" you may have already lost have the battle.

Comment on post *twitch*:
2008-02-13T11:48:27+00:00
It's a vitamin deficiency though I can't remember which one. Try taking some all in one vitamins and seeing if that helps :)

Comment on post big day:
2008-01-09T09:51:08+00:00
Hey I forgot to mention! When we bought the house, apparently Matt signed up for lendingtree.com. Well, we never used them but after we bought the house we got a package in the mail with $500 in Home Depot cards from them. Even though we never used them! So you might want to think of signing up!

Comment on post oh well:
2008-01-05T16:42:56+00:00
Our water is under $15, but we also live in Houston. Also we don't have sprinklers. But Matt takes hour long showers, which is kind of like a sprinkler. :)

And I know this is kind of late, but have you checked out credit unions for mortgages? They usually have the best rates, if you can find one you can become a member of.

Comment on post when there's a smoke detector...:
2007-11-11T19:51:05+00:00
911 is kind of the default "call the police" number for a lot of cities. You shouldn't feel "bad" for calling it, I think. I've called it a number of times- for stranded motorists, minor car accidents, that sort of things. You wouldn't have known if there might have been a fire, so I think you were justified. I called it for a dumpster fire at an apartment once.

Also I think there's a mandatory box at all gates for fire/police vehicles. Not sure how it works, but I've seen it before and it's how they get in.

At our last apartment complex, anytime you set off the fire alarm in your apartment it also set off a siren and strobe outside your apartment. Not just a beeping inside. No one could sleep through that. Perhaps safer, but infinitely more annoying!

Comment on post stuck in st. louis?:
2007-09-23T21:26:14+00:00
A White Castle AND a Cracker Barrel in one go! I'm jealous. I've yet to try a White Castle but I always road trip on Cracker Barrels.

Comment on post ratatouille!:
2007-07-03T10:12:31+00:00
I really want to see Ratatouille!

Comment on post happy birthday to meeee:
2007-04-20T11:07:07+00:00
Happy birthday!!!

Are there any cool math things about turning 24?

Comment on post linky linky:
2007-04-09T15:54:16+00:00
OMG <3 Josh Bell.

Comment on post Recent local laws...:
2007-02-12T13:14:58+00:00
On law 1: Superfluous. It is not the responsibility of the state, unfortunately, to keep people from being stupid. Besides, some people can listen to their ipods, etc., and remain cognizant of their surroundings.

On law 2: In this case, the action of the smoker is directly damaging to someone other than the smoker. And there's no way to inhale secondhand smoke without it being damaging.

Comment on post Public service announcements:
2007-01-29T08:51:28+00:00
Yay!!! I'm so happy for you both!

Comment on post Microresolutions:
2007-01-08T16:02:13+00:00
YES THE BENDS.

Comment on post LJBackup is here!:
2006-12-22T12:01:19+00:00
Status: ERROR - Invalid identifier (backtrace is /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/tzinfo-0.2.1/lib/tzinfo/timezone.rb:76:in `get'./getljposts.rb:431:in `initialize'./getljposts.rb:1051:in `new'./getljposts.rb:1051:in `doLJBackup'/mp3/www/secure/ljbackup/doljbackup.cgi:39/mp3/www/secure/ljbackup/doljbackup.cgi:22:in `fork'/mp3/www/secure/ljbackup/doljbackup.cgi:22
, old status: Retrieving posts...)

Comment on post LJBackup is here!:
2006-12-21T20:22:58+00:00
Error! Error!

I'll leave my password the same for a while if it helps you figure out what happened... :)

Comment on post between projects:
2006-11-08T15:14:48+00:00
Either one. Google would be cool. Hey that event idea up there is ingenious.

Comment on post between projects:
2006-11-06T10:55:00+00:00
OMG do the Livejournal thing. Better yet, figure out a way to make all your past entries friends only with one mouse click.

Can you have it export to a calendar with entry titles on the days you made entries? And then you click on the title (or beginning of entry) to read it?

Comment on post Kojo Nnamdi is ruining my diet!:
2006-10-26T13:36:58+00:00
That is so awesome!!!

Comment on post Home, sweet home(?):
2006-08-29T08:03:49+00:00
Hey, I'm an idiot! I forgot that I have friends from high school in the DC area. Can I give them your contact info or vice versa? They are cool guys, and fun to hang out with.

Comment on post Greetings from the most anti-gay state in the nation!:
2006-08-27T18:53:33+00:00
Matt and I actually had the luxury of camping in the Great Smokey Mountains on one of our road trips. Glad you got to see the area!

Comment on post LJ - Arkansas edition!:
2006-08-24T20:36:26+00:00
I suppose in fancier restaurants the waiter might be required to know more about the steak (type of beef, side orders, dressing or sauce) than a bowl of pasta, as well as making sure it's done to the customer's liking.

Tipping by number of entrees.... well would you really want to tip as much for your Coke as you do for your steak? And what about refills, in that case?

I know bartenders get a percentage of the tip. I don't think chefs do, but they get paid more.

Tennessee is really pretty! Enjoy the drive!

Comment on post one more milestone:
2006-08-22T11:50:10+00:00
Good Luck! We'll miss you... wish we'd gotten a chance to know you better!

Comment on post rehearsal me tired:
2006-07-17T13:32:12+00:00
I wonder how a college a capella group gets chosen to do something like that! That's awesome! Cool song, too. They're really good. I think I have some of their other stuff, too.

Comment on post recent happenings-on:
2006-06-07T20:43:22+00:00
I got google spreadsheets too! I'd love to see what you have. I might post a faux financial model, or a model with identifying characteristics removed, just to see how Google Spreadsheets handles it versus Excel.

Comment on post "burn baby burn" - poll:
2006-05-17T11:00:06+00:00
I answered the poll out of context because it wasn't asked in context. Out of context, I don't find the phrase offensive and don't understand why people would be offended by it in and of itself.

In this particular situation I can understand how it would be offensive. However, I don't think of it as particularly racially tinged- although I am aware that that's probably part of the problem. I think any officer or person of responsibility who shows disrespect for something which they are supposed to be protecting is committing a breach of character. That behavior is not something we look for in public figures. I guess the underlying factor is whether you can really trust him to do his job if he mocks the places he is supposed to be helping.

Comment on post just a few links:
2006-05-02T13:05:33+00:00
Apple ads are funny :)

If you are interested in FOP and other mutations, and want more info on the genetics behind them, I recommend "Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body" by Armand Marie Leroi.

Comment on post Feingold for president!:
2006-04-09T22:40:55+00:00
Oh gosh, don't go using big words now. I think we might need to clarify.

Vasectomy: in males, the surgical removal of part of the sperm duct (vas deferens) to induce infertility.

ur so pathetic you stupid pastard.

Comment on post Perhaps lust is my sin as well?:
2006-01-18T20:18:14+00:00
The only thing I don't get is, how is it normal for scoring to go from 59 to 00 and from 12 to 1?

Comment on post Link Friday!:
2006-01-16T08:26:13+00:00
What I want to know is... what is Google up to? Any ideas?

Comment on post Election 2005: not good, but not horrible:
2005-11-09T21:11:29+00:00
You... are... a dork.

And Austin is clearly the coolest city in Texas. Would that I had gotten a job there!

Comment on post quick update, since there have been lots of posts today:
2005-10-29T10:44:39+00:00
Dude, why doesn't the Alamo in Houston ever have cool events?

Comment on post last days of trip:
2005-06-07T12:25:12+00:00
Oh yah :) I saw red shirts. I pointed some out to Matt once and he said, "You know, just because they're wearing red shirts doesn't necessarily mean they're gay!" I replied, "Sure, but how often do you go out with the guys and all wear the same shirt?!?" :)

Comment on post last days of trip:
2005-06-06T23:10:49+00:00
It would have been cool if we could have seen y'all while we were there! Did you see Illuminations at Epcot?? It was absolutely amazing! We spent both days at Epcot and MGM- there's so much to do in those parks. Was Saturday sunny? We got super rained out on Friday :( but we still had fun!

Comment on post Birthday post!:
2005-04-20T13:44:55+00:00
Oh happy birthday! Yay! Hope it is a great one! How old are you now? Someday I should get all my fellow april birthday friends together and we should throw a huge party! There are a ton of us!

Comment on post thoughts on my birthday (well, about my birthday, since today isn't my birthday):
2005-04-20T12:28:56+00:00
I guess it's not exactly the same... but I sort of feel the way about piano... similarly, at least. Growing up, I was always the best- the best in my studio, class, school, etc. I got used to that and it basically became part of my identity. Coming to Rice, all of the sudden I wasn't- there were lots of people better than me- and it was really hard for me to adjust. I still haven't regained all my confidence and performance panache. But I AM starting to realize that it doesn't matter that much... well provided I find a job, of course...

If you and David feel like coming down (Cookie is!) you should come to my senior recital! It is this weekend, Sunday, at 12:30 in Duncan Recital Hall :)

Comment on post weekend, pictures, etc.:
2005-04-11T19:38:27+00:00
Crap! I went and looked around your webpage a bit (awesome pictures, by the way, but specifically I was looking at your "about me" section) and realized that in one of my thank-yous I thanked an IMAQ guy (tech writer) for showing me "visual basic"... or was it "image builder?" Now I'm second guessing myself. What's the program that IMAQ produces? Did I make an ass of myself???!?!? It was just a product demo, not an interview, so maybe he won't tell anyone... arghhhhhhhhh *smacks self*

Comment on post robolab randomness!:
2005-04-06T14:00:03+00:00
I definitely do the song thing. Don't feel bad.

Can you somehow let slip to the tech writers there that one of their prospective partners in crime wrote an 800 word paper last night in an hour and a half? :) With breaks for research and reading of the article it was on, no less!

Comment on post The pope's passing:
2005-04-04T14:05:17+00:00
I think IMAQ is the coolest part of NI!!! I hopefully paved the way, if I hopefully get hired there, to hopefully join IMAQ. (crosses all 10 fingers and frets).

Yeah, do you know how long it took for them to stop saying mass in Latin? Uhhh, I think it was sometime in the 1950s- 1960s. Amazing. Change comes slowly, especially in this church. By the way, you might find this interesting: http://www.stjosephschurch.net/jp2.htm Compared to SOME catholics, Pope JP wasn't half bad!

Comment on post The pope's passing:
2005-04-04T13:09:59+00:00
I went to Catholic school, and since then have had two catholic school friends come out of the closet with a vengence. I feel like all those years of religious oppression made it not only harder for them to come out but also more extreme when they did. I was sad to hear about the Pope, of course, but I think the bad part now is that the church is without leadership. Who knows what direction it will take. It has at least been consistent for awhile now, and I doubt that the next pontiff will be pro-gay rights (sorry), but who knows what he will stand for? I guess we'll find out soon enough...

Hey, I remember you said you work on the 8th floor. Do you work with IMAQ by any chance?

Comment on post my weekend:
2005-03-15T00:00:10+00:00
I'm supposed to come up and interview over beerbike weekend! Will you be around or are you coming to Rice for that? (Mar 31- Apr 3). Do they ask a lot of the same questions that they ask in the first round interview, just with different people? How many interviews did you have to do?

Comment on post tax volunteering:
2005-03-10T03:01:21+00:00
Yay! Yeah I'm going to NI for a second round interview. Anything I should know?!?!?!?!? I saw your name on the list of people there. Of course I know who you are! We have the Phils/Will Rice connection going on!

This backup was done by LJBackup.