And this little blog went to FL...

"What Dad means by "see" of course, is "drive past at 67 miles per hour." Dad feels it is a foolish waste of valuable vacation time to get out of the car and actually go look at an attraction." - Dave Berry (Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need)

A couple of weeks ago I went on vacation to Key Biscayne, FL. (Key Biscayne is very close to Miami/Fort Lauderdale). The beach was wonderful. Unfortunately, it did rain quiet a bit while we were there - but I actually don't think that really took away from the experience. It rained every afternoon - which made it a perfect time to go shopping or eat lunch.

Arrived in the early afternoon - the perfect time for a late lunch. I would highly recommend the Sawgrass Mills Shopping/Outlet Mall in Sunrise. FL. For lunch I recommend the always amusing Rainforest Cafe (I just love when the restaurant has the "storm" part). Rainforest Cafe has a very yummy veggie burger. I always enjoy looking at the outlet stores.

I would also like to mention (not that any of you care - but I am going to anyway) that we had a spiffy Escape Hybrid as a rental car which I absolutely loved. The ride was smooth and the car was really quiet. I also like the size of the Escape - you get the nice space in the trunk for everything but the car isn't "big" (easy to park, etc). Drove fabulous in the rain too.

Other shopping that I recommend: Dadeland Mall and Village of Merrick Park. Dadeland Mall is extremely large! Every store you can think of is located in Dadeland Mall! (There was a very large Apple Store - and yes I did go look in it...just because...it was there...).

The Village of Merrick Park is an absolutely beautiful outdoor shopping area (since it really isn't a "mall" exactly). I purchased a book at the Border Store there that I been thinking about buying: China Bayles' Book of Days. Excellent book all about herbs and a wonderful companion to the mystery series. (This could have something to do with all the herbs I planted...)

During the trip we also eat at the Hard Rock Cafe in Miami. It is located on the bay - very pretty surroundings. (There is also a mall there too). I do believe that the Hard Rock Cafes have the absolutely best veggie burger anywhere! (There are some fabulous desserts too...but I really do go for the veggie burgers!)

The rest of the vacation was spent sitting on the beach, relaxing, and reading. In the late evenings I watched movies: Quantum of Solace and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1957). As I mentioned in my tweets, I enjoyed both movies. (So I will not bore you with the details yet again!)

Books I recommend from my vacation/beach reads:

• The Lara McClintoch Archaeological Mystery Series by Lyn Hamilton
• The Victorian/Edwardian Mysteries by Robin Paige
• The Sir John Fielding Mysteries by Bruce Alexander

Summary: Had great time on vacation! Highly recommend the area for anyone looking to go on vacation. Well thanks for reading!

One Big Sigh of Relief

The semester is finally starting to wrap-up! I got tons of stuff to work on over the summer for my research, but the spring term is pretty much finished. I just have to finish grading and post grades.

My immediate plans for the summer include shopping, watching movies, and catching up on my reading. I just finished Carol Higgins Clark's new book Zapped. Absolutely loved it. I also recently finished Julie Andrews's new book Home. Wonderful book about the her early career.

I recently purchased the The Thin Man DVD set. The movies are from the late 30s and early 40s. The stories and mysteries are pretty good. I love the clothes! The movies have some very funny moments as well - so it is nicely rounded out. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. I am hopefully going to update more often (I can't really update any less)!

Reading List

As promised from my last blog, I was going to point out some books that I am currently reading. I picked up these books during my vacation over the semester break. I have included (if possible) a link to the historical location where I purchased the books.

Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty by Helen Bryan: This book covers Martha Washington's entire life and is rich with details. Although there is not much historical information about Martha Washington before her marriage to George Washington, the author did through research and found much informaiton. I most enjoyed the years regarding the revolutionary war and Martha Washington's role in helping George Washington. The book also talks a lot about women's role in colonial american life. I also enjoy the way the author presented the historical facts without interrupation and then clearly stated when she was interrupted facts. In some cases, she even provided more than one plossible interrupation. Excellent read. I actually read most of this while we were in Colonial Williamsburg (since we had stopped at Mount Veron first). Right before we had tea at one of the taverns I read that it was the tavern that Martha Washington and her children often ate with George Washington when he went to Williamsburg. Then when we were at the tea, they made reference to that fact! (I was very surprised!)

Jefferson's Secrete: Death And Desire In Monticello by Andrew Burstein: This book mostly focuses on the later years of Thomas Jefferson's life. The book dives into the question of Sally Hemming's children and the relationship that Jefferson might have had with her. The book actually discusses various interruptations of the facts and historical writings of Jefferson regarding the issue. The book begins by discussing Jefferson's views on medicine (and his dislike of bleeding people). I found the book to have many sections of this writing from the years after Jefferson was president. These pieces give us a unique view of Jefferson in his later years. I was very interested in learning Jefferson's involvement in many behind-the-scene political matters. This book is not a biography in the traditional sense, but takes a unique and interesting dive into the mind of Thomas Jefferson (focusing on his later years). I picked this book about at the Jefferson Visitor Center Museum Shop and I have currently read a little over 3/4 of it, but figured I would go ahead and write up a little summary for your enjoyment.

The next book I plan on reading is Mr. Jefferson's Women by Jon Kukla. I picked up this book at the Monticello gift shop and I can't wait to start it. After I finish it (and a few of the others I picked up) I will write up summaries and post them here for your reading pleasure.

Thanks for stopping by and reading! Have a happy weekend! Hopefully, we don't get to much snow.

Cold Snap

"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." - Benjamin Franklin

The weather has definately changed around here. Last weekend it was in the upper 80s. This weekend it is hardly 60. Of course, the great part has been getting out all of my sweaters :-)

Stargate Atlantis was on last night. An interesting episode with two story lines and some interesting action sequences. There was a lot of funny dialoge (especailly over the fruit basket).

I don't have much exciting to talk about. Because of the recent climate change (and temperature drop) my allergies have been acting up. However, I started taking my allergy medication before the temperature drop so I haven't been that bad off - just some coughing and occational sneeze!

My life is pretty much filled up with research. Two research projects (one for a class) is keeping me busy. I have been hunting down articles from the 80s. Interestingly, most of these articles have only been archieved online back to the mid 90s. Therefore, I have to find either authors who have posted copies of these articles or libraries that have bound copies. Scare part is when the closet library is in a different country (and they actually give you the distance from said library).

Finished another interesting mystery book "Murder of a Botoxed Blonde: A Scumble River Mystery" by Denise Swanson. This is the most recent book in the series (I haven't read the other yet but I am planning too). The book is like many of the others I read - young unmarried woman solving crimes. I liked the humor in many of the scenes and the fact that the main character was often concerned with what other people might think of her or her behavior. This gave the character a much more down to earth feel. Also, the plot was complex that I actually didn't figure it out until the end when the main character figure it out. (I always like it better when I can figure out the whole plot before the end, but that is just my personal preference).

Well, I better get back to work since those research papers are not going to read and summarize themselves. Hmm...maybe I could invent some sort of artifical intelligent agent that could do that for me...

It's About Time...

Well, I am back. I know I have totally not been keeping my blog up. Bad me. I took a couple of months off this summar and found it very relaxing. School has started back up and I am getting back to my old routine. Maybe this will include a blog every once and a while. We shall see.

There was a couple of interesting things I wanted to point out:

iPod Touch: Could the world get any cooler? I am seriously considering getting one. (Actually, I can't decided which of the iPod family to get). The fact that it has WiFi is a huge "neat-o" factor - plus direct downloads from the iTunes store (I just love iTunes). But the iPod video does have tons more storage space. Choices, choices...

SYNC My Ride: A joint venture between Ford and Microsoft that allows people to connect their phone or digital music player to the car. The system includes voice-activation and other interest features. The SYNC is available on 7 Ford, 3 Mercury, and 2 Lincoln models. Ford Motor Company did choose excellent models to include the features - like the Focus and Fusion - which apeal to a younger more digital crowd.

What have I been up to? Not much. Started my research. Over the summar I watched a lot of older movies staring the very interesting and before her time Katharine Hepburn. She was quiet an interesting actress.

I also spend a lot of time reading. I read the recently published Kathy Reichs book "Bones to Ashes" - excellent, absolutely excellent. I have also started reading three additional series: Nancy Martin's The Blackbird Sisters Mysteries, Kate White's Bailey Weggins mystery series, and Susan Kandel's Cece Caruso mystery series. All of which I highly recommend.

The books by Nancy Martin are about three sisters (although mostly focus on the one sister Nora). The books are an entertaining who-done-it that is fairly complex especially when the character Mick gets involved. Some actually have a pretty surprising conclusion. Nora wears great designer vintage clothes from her grandmothers closet (which adds interesting side plots to the stories). Totally worth checking out. Each book has some very funny parts.

Kate White's books are focused on the magazine writer Bailey Weggins who always accidently gets involved in murder cases through either her job or her friends. They too are complex but are done a little more like traditional mysteries since the main character goes about things very logically (like any good investigative reporter). I like the pace of these books and how many characters don't always turn out the way you thought they would.

The books by Susan Kandel are a bit different. Cece Caruso (the main character) writes biographies about famous mystery authors. The book is packed with true information about the current biography Cece is working on. Again, complex plots but a little less traditional mystery style. Any of the books with a bases in an author you read or are familiar with makes for additional interested. Vintage clothes are also mentioned a bit in the plot.

Come to think of it all of the series mentioned above (Kathy Reichs, Nancy Martin, Kate White, and Susan Kandel) are all about woman who are single (some get engaged several books in). Hmmm...well isn't that weird. I swear it wasn't intentional.

This week is the start of the new season for three excellent tv shows: Bones (check out the new look to the website), Boston Legal, and Stargate Atlantis. I am so looking forward to next week!

Well, I better get back to my research and reading. I do a lot of reading these days. Thanks for stopping by. Hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy the last days of summar and the early days of fall!

TV, Book, Etc

"Kudos on the childrearing. Let me know how the therapy goes." - Shawn (Psych)

This week is the final episode of Stargate SG-1 - <>. Such a good show. I look forward to the DVD movie in the fall. Anyway, I will so be watching Stargate SG-1 on Friday. Actually, they are running Stargate SG-1 episodes all this week if you are looking for good tv.

Which reminds me that the next Sanctuary episode is available. You can see it for free at Sanctuary Fans. Graphics are wonderful - even in low res. If you are looking for the lastest news on the show check out the blog written by Damian Kindler. You should so check out the promo for episode 4 - isn't that player super cool?

I recently finished Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes. The plot has an excellent twisted in the middle. It took a few chapters to figure out what was going on. Excellent read with plenty of funny parts.

Doesn't the new Disney/Pixar movie Ratatouille look really funny? Not to mention how great the computer graphics look? If you are an iTunes user you can see some interesting stuff about the movie via the podcast. Plus, there is an excellent 9 minute sneak peek. Anyway, the Ratatouille website has a lot of great stuff to look at and explore. There is even a pinball game.

Well, I better get back to work. The class I am taking is starting to finish up. There is only this week and next week left. I am looking forward to my vacation :) Not that I am going anyway, I am just not taking classes.

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

Post #500

I noticed when I logged in that is my 500th blog. Boy-o-boy to I ramble!

Anyway, the temperature is getting warmer recently. It is currently in the 50s. The only downside is my allergies. I have been taking my allergy medication which seems to be helping. Unfortunately, everytime the medication begins to wear off I start sneezing a lot. Anyway, I am enjoying the sunny and warm weather. Tomorrows forcast - 65 :-D

Because I lack anything that could be considered a real topic I decided to toss up some links regarding music and books I have been reading recently. (I figure that will work until I actually finding some sort of profound topic to discuss).

Music of the Day:
The Guide by Borne (warning site plays music)
Why I like this song: I am a sucker for any slow songs that you can easily mouth the words to. I know I can't sing, so I don't ever try. The song has a surprising music "twist" starting about half way through that I like. The first time you hear the song it is unexpected. I dare you not to start bobbing your head.

Going Nowhere by Wynoona Judd
Why I like this song: Another song that I find myself mouth the words to. It's a little rock, it has a little country 'twang, the lyrics are fun. I love the chorus especially the line: "I'm chasing my tail/spinning my wheels".

When You Love Someone by Bryan Adams (from MTV Unplugged cd)
Why I like this song: It is at the end of the movie Hope Floats. That was when it first came to my attention. To me the song has an inner power to it. I can't exactly put my fingure on it, but it's just there.

Books of recent:
Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs: This book was so good, I had a hard time putting it down. I just had to know how it turned out. The twists and turns of the plot take you on a wild ride!

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella: This book is quiet funny. The adventures of Becky continue with all of the fun the last books have ofter. Definately "chick lit". Excellent fun time reading.

Well, that is all I have time to share right now. School started back up this week and I have a project for my compiler class due on Friday. So I better get back to it. Hmm...but first I need food. Actually, I need chocolate. Yummy chocolate. Thanks for stopping by and reading! Hope you weather is getting warmer too!

P.S. The real truth about thesis is denoted in this comic...

Talk of Songs, Phones, and Things

"What we in the news business can never forget is that we are only as good as the stories we tell." - Tally Atwater (Up Close & Personal)

I am sure that everyone is blogging Apple's new iPhone commercial to death to I figured I would join in :-) If you were like me and trying to recongized the background song look no further - it is "Inside Your Head" by Eberg

Other news I thought was interesting:
Shoes, Ships and Sealing Wax: "Wash. Artifacts Show History of Old Fort"

What would we do without math? "Mathematicians unlock major number theory puzzle"

Most surprising (and interesting) headline I read this morning: "Termite digestion findings could lead to new strategies for ethanol production"

On a completely off topic side note: It appears that the former MacHall guys have a new comic Three Panel Soul.

I found this article amusing: "28 Days? Why February gets the shaft."

On another completely un-related side note: A new book in Shopaholic seriesShopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella came out this week. I haven't made it to the book store yet, but I am hoping to later this week.

Blogs will be slow after this week through next week because it it Spring Break! Yippee! I am sooo looking forward to it. Nope, I am not going anywhere. However, I will be sleeping in, shopping, and doing a little relaxing on the side. My big plan is to get a lot of work done - well it's the plan anyway. I always come up with plans, but the execution part is not always there ;-)

Thanks for stopping by a reading my rambles. Now if you will excuse me I have to get back to writing a presentation on LR parser (or also known as LR grammar depending on whether you are taking a compiler course or a theory course).

It's a Dell!

"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backward." - Lewis Carroll (The Queen, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There)

Currently Listening To: "Mo Ghile Mear" by Celtic Woman

Currently Reading: Better Than Sex by Susan Holtzer (which happens to be the final book in the Anneke Haagen series).

Will be reading soon:
Deception Point by Dan Brown
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs

About a week ago I tried to turn on my (Windows) laptop and it seemed to get "stuck" on the Windows sign-in screen. I thought it was a bit odd. Anyway, after several hours of analysis (and digging out all those disks that you get with a laptop by never use until something goes wrong) I have discovered that a portion of the hard drive is bad. The computer is about 4 years old and has received quiet a bit of wear.

I decided that it was time to purchase a new laptop. I probably won't have purchased a laptop midterm like this since I do have my PowerBook. However, I teach a Visual Basic 2005 and well not having a Windows machine is a bit inconvient. So after great consideration I purchased a new Dell XPS M1210 last night.

It is scheduled to be delieved in a couple of weeks (they gave me a date, but I can't think of it off-hand). Once I get it, I am sure I will force onto you, the reader, to learn all kinds of informaiton regarding the laptop that you really don't care about ;-) On a side note, does anyone know a good place to get a replacement hard drive for my old Dell laptop? If I can find a reasonable priced replacement then I have geeky plans for the old laptop.

A Bit of New:
Survey's can say anything: "Health written in the stars?"

On the quantum front: "Scientists Dubious of Quantum Claims"

This comic will be enjoyed by any grad student who teaches :)

Well, I better get back to working on my presentation for one of my classes. I am presenting a section of the book focusing on proving 3SAT is NP-Complete. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Logically Speaking...

"'Contrariwise,' continued Tweedledee, 'if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.' " - Lewis Carroll (Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There)

Current Music Obsession - the 90's:
"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve
"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers
"What is Love" by Haddaway

Did you know that today is Darwin Day? No I didn't either. Of course that is what things like Wikipedia are for! So you can find out all kinds of interesting informaiton like that - information you didn't know you might need to know.

New's Evolution:
Computer Science meets Medical: "Virtual reality is therapy for injuries"

"The Landscape of Parallel Computing Research: A View from Berkeley" (found via Slashdot).

One large step for woman-kind: "Harvard Expected To Name First Woman to Lead University"

I wish I lived in the east: "Plan Ahead: Total Lunar Eclipse March 3"

Study says: "To sleep... perchance to learn". I am so going to have to start sleeping more ;-)

It's a beginning of a new week. Michigan is still a frozen mess. The roads have improved vastly and temperatures have started to warm up a little (which is really nice). The snow and icicles hanging off of buildings is pretty wacky.

There is nothing I like better than hanging out inside with a good book and a warm blanket in this kind of weather. I am currently reading another book in the Anneke Haagen Series. This time it is "The Wedding Game" by Susan Holtzer. Of course, real life often pops up and I spend my time doing homework. Not that its a bad thing - I find it highly rewarding especially when I get the homework completed!

Well, thanks for stopping by and reading. I better get a move on. The program isn't going to write itself!

Current Rambles

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." - Lewis Carroll

Current Music Obsession: "Trouble Sleeping" by Corinne Bailey Rae

The icey roads are starting to melt! It only snowed for part of the day and it wasn't nearly as cold as it has been. So life is continuing on. I only slightly notice the passage of time. But that's the way it is during the middle of a semester. Busy, busy, busy.

Current readings:
"Bleeding Maize and Blue" by Susan Holtzer. (More information, I suggest looking here). This is actually the third book in the mystery series. If you are familar with Ann Arbor (or the univerisity there), you will find the references in the book even more interesting. (For other books set in Ann Arbor check out this list). Great mystery series with the main character being a female computer programmer! Hail to the Victors.

New Bytes:
"Forensic photography brings color back to ancient textiles"

The Bubbles! Just sounds so cool: "Flow of tiny bubbles mimics computer circuitry"

"Vista Makes PC Sales Pop"

I'm thinking of a fork: "Scientists becoming mind-readers"

Now if you will excuse me I have to get back to trying to show that the class of languages in P is closed under inverse homomorphism. (I know you are jealous because that just sounds like so much fun). Thanks for reading. Stay warm!

By the way, I feel like this comic a lot.

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy new year! Wow - 2007. It is hard to believe another year has come and gone. The holidays have been a fun time for me. I have been watching movies, reading, sleeping, and shopping. So I decided to share with you my current reading obsessions.

Angles and Demons and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown: These have to be two of the best books I have ever read. I loved the movie, but the books are just amazing. You are so missing out if you haven't read them yet. Love the fact that the main character wears a Mickey Mouse watch - it just so works. Anyway, hightly recommended!

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot: It is one of those click-lit/mysteries. Wonderfully entertaining. I like reading these books on vacation or at the beach. Highly recommended!

My Own Two Feet by Beverly Cleary: I remember reading Ramona books and who can forget Dear Mr. Henshaw? In this book Beverly Cleary discusses her life and what lead her to writing children books. Interesting book.

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

It's Wednesday...

"Winds in the east, mist coming in, Like somethin' is brewin' and bout to begin. Can't put me finger on what lies in store, But I fear what's to happen all happened before." - Bert (Mary Poppins)*

I honestly don't have anything to tell. I have been working on research and teaching. The students are working on classes and overloading operators. Fun stuff todo, not so fun on the teaching aspect. You feel like you have gone over the same couple topics so many times...with so many students...it gets to be interesting. Of course, I know have my little "speal" memorized. Would you like to hear it? No, I wouldn't either if I were you. It's not that good - honest.

Otherwise, I have spending a bit of time reading all about The Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy system. I am trying to write this program see - for research see - and well at least I sort have a little bit of understanding regarding fuzzy stuff. I know a lot more the fuzzy terms now which helps a lot when I am reading some of the papers. Still have a long way to go.

Links to articles I thought you might find interesting:
"Scientists develop algorithm for ultra-secret security technique"

"Researchers uncover earliest dental work in this hemisphere"

"Microsoft Adds Webcams To Hardware Line"

"Two Butterfly Species Evolved Into Third, Study Finds"

*I absolutely love the Mary Poppins movie. I have read the books that the movie was based. Of course, the movie makes Mary Poppins a much more lovable character then the books. Anyway, the point is, yes I like the movie and there is no point in smirking at me regarding it. You know who you are. For everyone else, please continue having a bright and shiney day! Thanks for stopping by :-D

Busy, Busy, Busy...

"Yeah, well, just remember there's no perfect sunsets. There's a little crack in every cloud, but that's what gives you your silver lining." - Perry (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)

Hello! I'm back :-)

Actually, I didn't actually go anywhere. Well, only around Michigan. I spend a week shopping, relaxing, reading, watching TV, and sleeping. I actually had time to read books that are not about computer science! In all seriousness I read all the time, but usually only a few pages at a time (because that is really all the time I have). So I decided to give you a little list of books I have been reading. (Of course, this might have something to do with the fact that I don't have any other blog topics...but lets not dwell shall we?)

The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot - I am a huge fan of Meg Cabot's writing style. In this book the story unfolds via a bunch of emails between all of the characters. It a great book, but you have to like romantic comedies.

Hitched by Carol Higgins Clark - Another book in a series about her character Regan Reilly. Excellent mystery for any mystery fan.

Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark - An excellent mystery with great characters that keep you on your seat the entire time. However, like any good mystery I can't tell you too much or I will ruin it for you.

See Jane Date by Melissa Senate - Another romantic comedy that was quiet interesting and very funny.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger - so far I like it but I haven't finished it - yet.

On a complete side note I wanted to post a link to the new Get a Mac ads from apple.

Well, I better get back to reviewing C#. I am going to be teaching a lab this summer session for a C# course. It is going to be a fun summer session :-D I am quiet excited. Thanks for stopping by and reading!