Long’s Peak, Sepia

I usually hate sepia tone photos. It seems to be just a pointless “old-timey” effect. You could say the same thing about black and white photography, except you would then receive hate mail from thousands of photographers. I understand why black and white is an important medium since it takes the emphasis away from color in a composition and rests it more in contrast, form, space, etc. But why sepia? It seems like black and white but with weak coffee spilled on it.

However, today I found a good use for it. It seems to smooth out tones in the photo, makes them easier on the eye. I seems to reduce contrast too, but maybe that’s just the (digital) filter I’m using. Above is Long’s Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. It now makes a nice background on my computer. It is easy on my eyes.

Run Mapping

There are several websites that utilize Google Maps to allow users to create custom “route” type maps and measure mileage. This is great for measuring the distance of runs and cycling trips.

I’ve used two sites, both of which are free. The first is called Gmaps Pedometer. It is a nice, light weight, site. It allows you to track mileage, calories burned (assuming some value for (#cal/mile)/pound)), and elevation change.

Another website I’ve used is called Map My Run. It has more features, but as a consequence is much slower than Gmaps Pedometer. The features include accounts, ability to save runs, log training miles and times, publish maps, and add symbols (like a toilet or drinking fountain) to your maps.

Out of curiosity I mapped the same run which skirts the boundary of Notre Dame. The results:

• Gmaps Pedometer: 3.44 mi
• Map My Run: 3.44 mi

Exactly the same. Note though, Gmaps returns mileage at much higher accuracy (5 significant digits) as opposed to 3 with Map My Run. I don’t know if this can be trusted or not. I rounded 3.4352 in the Gmaps Pedometer result to 3.44.

Ph.D. Defense

During Defense, originally uploaded by brunoj.

I defended my Ph.D. dissertation on Friday. The title of my dissertation is:

On the Singular Chern Classes of Schubert Varieties via Small Resolution 

Above is a photo taken by Sarah at the end of the public talk portion of the defense.

Trying Xgl and compiz

I’m testing out Xgl, the OpenGL accelerated X server for linux, along with the compiz compositing window manager. Most things seem to work.

One annoyance is that the opening window animation that is standard in gnome is incredibly slow for some reason when using Xgl. To solve this I got some internet advice and messed around with gconf which I haven’t done before:


ben@calamity:~$ gconftool-2 --get /apps/panel/global/enable_animations
true
ben@calamity:~$ gconftool-2 --type bool --set /apps/panel/global/enable_animations false


The Phone Broke My DSL

Lately (the past 3 days), the internet speed at my house has been dismally slow. Almost a factor of 5 slower than normal. I found some advice online, I’m fond of internet advice, to the effect that sometimes noisy phone sets and/or answering machines can cause line noise. Thus the modem slows down as the error rate goes up. So I tried unplugging our old land line phone which has in fact been acting up lately (not charging mainly), and presto! The interweb is back to its speedy self:

via Speakeasy (Chicago, IL Server)

Download Speed: 3390 kbps (423.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 647 kbps (80.9 KB/sec transfer rate)


update–

It’s 3/27/08 now, and I’m having internet problems again, so I thought I’d record my current bandwidth for posterity:

Download Speed: 1840 kbps (230 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 324 kbps (40.5 KB/sec transfer rate)

My Former Life as a Physicist

During the summer of 2002, I worked as a research assistant on an experimental high-energy physics project at SLAC: the Stanford Linear ACcelerator. I worked on the FLASH experiment (specifically the T-461 test) which sought to measure nitrogen flourescence in the presence of high-energy electrons. The purpose of this was mainly the callibration of air flourescence detectors for ultra high-energy cosmic rays.

I was thinking about this the other day and found the SLAC site on Google Maps. I made my own map of some points of interest from when I was there. I think I have some photos somewhere that I could post too, but I’ll have to go look for them. Here is the MAP (note: view the map in Satellite mode, otherwise you won’t see anything but the markers).

Update 6/26/07 –

I found the badge I was issued while working at SLAC, but can’t find any photos from when I was there. Note the Hawaiian shirt, which I no longer have, sadly.

Copies of my thesis

Copies of my thesis, originally uploaded by brunoj.

It is a momentous occasion! I just delivered hard copies of my thesis to the professors on my thesis committee. It is 12:14am and the cleaning crew is rocking out in the hallway as they work. I too am rocking out.

Quote

James Newman (Mathematician and Historian):

The theory of groups is a branch of mathematics in which one does something to something and then compares the results with the result of doing the same thing to something else, or something else to the same thing.

That sounds like what I do.