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January 31, 2006
It works :)
So I've been spending my evenings over the past couple of weeks teaching myself PHP and MySQL enough so that I could make some little helpful things like an online scheduling system for my experiments. Well that was relatively easy since someone else sent me the code and all I really had to do was figure out how to get the PHP and MySQL database up and running on my web service provider.
However, I had begun to see the possibilities and was hooked. I wanted to create a committee scheduler. I wanted to create one table of times and one table of committee members. I wanted to then create the great schedule matrix (rows equalling specific dates and columns equalling specific committee members). I could then send the committee members a link to the website, where they would log in and tell me their availability for a certain meeting time. The idea being that if they could see that the times they were available did not match up with the times that anyone else was available, they might be more willing to move things around in their schedules (without consulting me) and get things working.
Well I had a little trouble with the date formats, but eventually pulled it off. It is now working! If you would like to pretend to be a committee member and try it out, you can go here. And pretend to be a committee member. Please note that although there are names of real people on the page these individuals have not yet been asked to join my committee -- so don't mention it to any of them.
Happy form filling out!
Posted by kfeigh at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)
January 26, 2006
Deadlines
One would think that after essentially finishing all of my classes that the number of deadlines that I could face in a small period of time would be decreasing. No, on the contrary, it seems that the month of February is everyone's favoite deadline month. Never again will I attempt to leave the country for two weeks in February. Let's see, first I've got a project proposal for the one class I am taking due March 1st. Then I've got abstracts for three confrence papers due on or about the 1st of March. Then I've got a full paper for a conference in Belgrade this summer due on the 26th of Feburary. To top that off I've got scholarship applications due on the 31st of January and the 3rd of March.
Of course I'm leaving town on the 17th, so all of these deadlines are actually due on the 17th for me. Fun, fun, fun. In addition the DASC and HFES conferences are both during the same week -- so now I have to decide which one I should go to.
On the literal bright side though, the sun has come back out.
Posted by kfeigh at 08:43 AM | Comments (643)
January 23, 2006
Dark and Dank
It has rained all weekend, and while it hasn't been especially cold it has been dark and dank. I think I managed to leave the apt about 3 times in total, whereas Brian only left once. It is depressing. This is why I could never live in Seattle.
In other news I spent a few hours and $20 and now have 20 GB more hard drive space on my laptop. What is the secret? Blowing away a linux partition that I don't use any more. I'm now fully windows -- its sad.
I'm still kind of in the market for a new laptop, but it isn't as urgent any more. So Ir, if I wait to buy after Vista comes out, will I have to get all new software, or will my old office and other programs continue to work under Vista?
Posted by kfeigh at 09:08 AM | Comments (1)
January 19, 2006
Still Sore
Yes, I am still sore from Yoga. What is most surprising is how sore my back and ribs are. I don't think my ribs have ever been sore before...
Posted by kfeigh at 08:53 AM | Comments (85)
January 18, 2006
Yoga
So every semester I sign up for some group fitness classes at the gym. Usually it is something low impact, yet entertaining. Well one of my favorite classes has been shortened from 1 hour to 30 minutes, so I decided to try something new this semester -- power yoga. Apparently power yoga is like regular yoga only we hold poses for shorter periods of time and transition between poses faster.
Well after one session, I can clearly say that it did something -- I am sore today. I was rather surprised that I made it through most poses with little trouble. However I have to say that it would be a lot more enjoyable class if I could get over my urge to giggle every time the instructor begins to talk about releasing the "energy", embracing life, and other such greeting card esq speak. Also the names for the poses also make me laugh "strong mountain" etc. Very ammusing -- why not just say stand up straight?
I'll keep at it and keep all of your posted on my progress.
Posted by kfeigh at 01:06 PM | Comments (1)
January 12, 2006
Houston in January
So this morning as I dragged my body from bed in order to go to the gym, I had good intentions of running on the treadmill. Normally I run in spurts 5min running 2 walking, repeat. This morning though when I walked in to the gym I walked straight in to Houston in Juyly. It was horrible. OK so maybe it was only as hot and humid as Houston in May, but it was still horrible. Must have been pushing 88 degrees inside-- and there was no circulations what so ever.
Aparently they are "testing" the heating system. Seems like it works to me. So instead of running like I wanted I actually ended up walking for 5 minutes, running for 5, walking for 5, running for 5 (realizing just how high my heart rate was) and walking for the remaining 10. The really sad thing was that walking that last 10 minutes my heart never fell below 148. Now I'm not sure if I believe this train to heart-rate stuff or not (perhaps Ir could chime in with his newfound expertise) but if it is true, then I got the equivalent of running by walking in an excessively hot gym.
In academic news I'm reading and writing for my thesis proposal.
Posted by kfeigh at 09:19 AM | Comments (6)
January 10, 2006
Good to be back
Well my vacation was mentally restful, but physically energetic. You see on the third of January my parents began a huge remodelling project which will integrate the kitchen and the family room by knocking down part of a wall. So the day after Christmas all of the decorations came down and the packing began. We essentially had to pack up and move the entire downstairs because part of the project will entail refinishing the floors.
Once back in Atlanta the same thing happened here, but on a much smaller scale. All of the Christmas decorations had to be backed up and stored away for another year. The place always looks so barren after taking down the Christmas decorations. Of course then there was the hooking up of the new electronic toys. Yesterday I spent 1 hour watching the IT guy here at work try to install my palm pilot software.
Things are moving quickly here an my little electronic calendar is quickly filling up. I'm in the beginning of writing my thesis proposal/introductory chapters for my thesis. This is a painfull process and as such I am loathe to do it.
Why is it that there are certain tasks in life that we just put off because they are painful. And I'm not talking painful in any kind of long term head throbbing way, but for some reason the transition into the correct mindset needed to accomplish these tasks is painful. For example: writing literature reviews (or really anything that will need a bibliography), coding (in any language for any reason), cleaning out the refridgerator... the list goes on.
So as I try to convince myself to make the transition into 'lit review' mode, I am instead writing this entry.
Posted by kfeigh at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)