Monthly Archives: March 2005

Spring Quarter 2005

I’m not actually taking a program next quarter — instead, I’m taking an eight-credit independent contract. I decided not to take a full-time 16-credit load in order to allow myself a bit more flexibility in my schedule and the ability to take on a 19-hour work schedule without worrying about balancing it with a long class schedule.

The contract is entitled Inkslingers: Creative Writing and is actually what’s called a cluster contract with six other people also doing independent work in creative writing. Cluster contracts basically mean that there is some group work, but that it isn’t the primary component of the contract itself. I’ve posted a PDF version of the contract minus some crucial details needed for registration, but the text is the same as the version being submitted to Registration and Records and the Dean’s Office.

I am working once again in the Writing Center next quarter for what is currently a limited number of hours — nine out of a possible nineteen per week. The other ten hours are going towards a programming aide position for Algebra to Algorithms and Designing Languages, taught by Brian Walter and Judy Cushing, respectively. Both of these faculty are excellent , and I’ve worked with them both in the past. I’m hoping that I get to grade some assignments instead of being just a lab aide, but we’ll find out what happens — the first lab meeting is on the 31st at 8AM, and Brian told me to just show up and details would be sorted out from there.

It’s looking to be a slightly more relaxing quarter than it usually is, but, again, that’s intentional — we’ll see how relaxing it really ends up being.

Autumn Damage 3/12/2005 – Summary

At some point yesterday when autumn was sitting out in the living room, I happened to be adjusting the angle of the screen when I noticed that the bevel that holds the power button and a number of other function buttons specific to Dell Inspiton laptops had popped out of space by a very noticeable amount. Looking at the side of the laptop, it became clear that something wasn’t quite right, though the extent of the damage wasn’t obvious. After spending about ten minutes looking at Dell support manuals, I shut down the computer and set to work.

It took a little bit to remove the bevel that had popped out, primarily because I hadn’t noticed that the screen had to be all the way back for the protective bevel to be properly removed. After we removed it, there was fairly obvious damage to the hinge on the left side of the laptop. We had to disconnect the LCD from an anchor point on the back of the plastic, then we were able to pull the LCD unit out of its retaining slots. After we did that, a side-by-side comparison of the hinges that allow the LCD to open and close became quite easy. It was quite clear that the left-hand hinge was badly damaged while the right-hand hinge was still intact.

Apparently, at some point within the last couple of weeks, the protective metal encasement on the left-side hinge began to bend back so that it was no longer covering the vast majority of the hinge. This seems to be supported quite well by this image, though the length of time it took for this damage to happen isn’t clear.

So after some consultation with Amanda, we decided to bend the hinge back into place if we could. Using a pair of needlenose pliers, we tried to do just that, but the deformed metal component ended up snapping off instead. Well, no biggie — that fixed the problem either one. But now the hinge on the left side is busted, though the bevel fits correctly again. This doesn’t seem to have drastically affected the usability of the LCD itself, though if I push the LCD too far back, it’ll go back as far as it can without my prompting. Well, I’m willing to live with slight defects.

My Ideal 2005 Prius

I did it again, darn it — I customized a 2005 Prius.

<exasperated sigh>

4-Dr Gas/Elec Hybrid Constant Variable Transmission (1224) MSRP
  $20,875.00
Delivery, Processing and Handling Fee $540.00
Exterior / Interior

Tideland pearl (06S9)/ Ivory/Brown (FA08)
Options $2,190.00
50 state emissions, Package #5 (AI) includes: Rear Intermittent Wiper, Driver & front passenger seat-mounted side airbags and front & rear side curtain airbags, Security Alarm, Homelink Garage Door Opener,JBL Premium AM/FM/Cassette/6 disc changer w/9 speakers
Accessories
Preferred accessory package includes: Cargo net, First aid kit, carpeted floor mats & cargo mat (Z1)
Total MSRP $23,605.00
Standard Features

  • Rear Spoiler

    • Comfort & Convenience

  • Auto Climate Control w/Air Filtration
  • AM/FM/CD with 6 Speakers
  • Remote Keyless Entry/Engine Immobilizer
  • Cruise Control
  • Solar Energy Absorbing Glass
    		•

    She’s Alive! ALIIIIVE!

    Mount St. Helens is apparently acting up again — another eruption was reported at around 5:30PM Pacific time. On a hunch, I checked the VolcanoCam image archives for the last two hours — it did indeed pick this eruption up, but as noted by the Seattle Times, it’s obscured by cloud cover. It’s highlighted in the modified VolcanoCam image below — look at the red circle.



    The image above is from the USGS Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam web site and is used without permission.

    May Be a Programming Lab Aide

    I was recently offered a position as a programming lab aide for both Algebra to Algorithms and Designing Languages next quarter, but there’s a slight problem — one, I don’t know the details for this, so I don’t even know if I’m eligible, and two, the group contract I’m working on for next quarter seems to like the idea of meeting at the same time that this paid position would require me to be there.

    I’ve requested some clarification from a few people, but I’ll so be all over that position if I can do it.

    naturalaxis Announcements Page

    I have just finished the PHP code needed to put naturalaxis’ Announcements and Press Releases page online. This has been offline for quite a while, but now has all the naturalaxis newsletters that have ever gone out, including the new ones in HTML format. It will also dynamically update itself when I add in a new newsletter to the system.

    And with that, back to reading James Joyce’s Ulysses.

    Energy Usage Update

    I thought, for purposes of comparison, that I would post the last three months of EnergyTracker history for my apartment. The first image was displayed in the first blog entry I wrote on the subject, with the second and third energy usage tracking for January and February 2005, respectively.