Matt Keally's Blog

Or has it?

There were some bugs in the gridding software I am using for my Master’s project which kept me stuck for the past week and a half. Now that the issues have been worked out, it’s still slow going. The more I get done the more likely I will graduate (or more appropriately, the sooner I will get my Master’s degree). I also got handed a bunch of papers by my to-be PhD adviser so I have to finish those by the time school starts next week. On top of all that, there are a bunch of things that NASA Ames wants implemented. I finish up with Ames at the end of the month regardless, but I should be able to handle their requests.

It looks like I’ll be a part time TA this semester too so that will add more stuff for me to handle. I think it’s going to be a rough semester, one that will either make me or break me. I’m going to have to make a good effort not to waste time since I tend to screw around on the Internet sometimes when I should be doing work (like now). I probably won’t be able to go to practice much due to my class times and work load, but it would be nice. Actually, at this point, I just hope I can continue to train as I have during previous semesters. I’ve got to have some kind of release since I’m not big on the social scene sort of things.

If things turn out well, my RA stuff will start in the summer, which is probably good. First, I won’t have to get another summer internship and deal with looking for places that will take me. Second, I’ll be able to get a head start on my PhD research which is also a good thing. The downside is that I’ll most likely be in Williamsburg in the summer, which is a lifeless, bug-infested jungle. I’ll probably be able to come home a lot since I won’t have classes, but I’ll have plenty of stuff to do from my advisor, I’m sure. At this point, I think I would like to try to find my own apartment so I won’t have to deal with roommates making a mess of things. Living in the graduate complex is getting old and it still has a bit of a dorm atmosphere to it. Regardless, that’s about number 4000 on the things I have to do this semester and I’m on number 6.

The replacements for my failing equipment came this week. The watch arrived yesterday and unlike the first, actually worked. There isn’t much to say about it except that it does what I want it to do. It’s better than the last one since the numbers are larger and easier to read when running. Also, I can make the primary display show the lap split and not the total running time. I’ve had a few watches that only show the total running time in the primary display for the chronograph, which seems pointless. The whole purpose of the lap/split feature is for interval type training. When you use it, you want to see the time of your current interval, not the total running time. Anyways, that’s definitely a plus with the new watch. Unlike my last watch, you can’t set the year, so I’m wondering what happens on leap years. I’m guessing it will have to be reset.

Frustrated with the intermittent R key on the Saitek Eclipse 2, I broke down and ordered the new Apple wired keyboard from Newegg. I looked at the Razer Lycoza, mentioned by , but most reviews said it was too expensive for what you got. Apparently the back lighting is weak and you can’t read the keys without it on, either. If the lighting was better, I might have gone for it. It then came down between the Apple wired and wireless keyboards. The wireless was more expensive and I would have to get a Bluetooth adapter for my Windows computer so I could use it with that. That would effectively double the price over the wired version. Plus, the wired version has a full set of keys since I use Delete, Home, End, and sometimes the keypad when programming.

The keyboard came an hour ago and plugging it in gave me an excuse to pound out this entry. Two things right off the bat — the cord is really short, less than three feet long. It comes with a small extension cable, but together it still isn’t very long and barely reaches behind my desk to connect with the computer. I have a 10 foot USB extension cable at school I can use if I really need it. The other thing is that it has two USB ports, which won’t power my mouse. They are both low power ports. I’m not sure what USB devices are low power anymore. Maybe something with its own internal power supply, like a camera.

With that aside, the keyboard is definitely good. It’s really compact, even smaller than the Saitek Eclipse 2. It’s also well made — very heavy and not flimsy at all. Since it has such a low profile, there isn’t a need for a wrist pad, which really helps. The keys have a bit more feedback than the Macbook, but have a similar feel to most laptop keyboards. They are spaced out a bit more than a normal keyboard which causes me to mistype occasionally, but it’s something I can get used to in time. And, of course, the R key works. Compared to a regular keyboard, I feel I can type faster on this since I don’t have to slam down my fingers to make every keystroke register. I have yet to try it out in any games, but I can’t see it being any different than playing games on a laptop. It seems that many hardcore gamers are using laptop style keyboards nowadays anyway.

Another weird thing I just noticed — my Dell LCD seems to have experienced some burn in since I’ve plugged it into the Macbook. The Apple menu bar is slightly visible during the boot sequence. Doing some reading suggests that it can be removed by running an all-white screen as a screensaver. The 2001FP is another “older” piece of equipment I’ve got that hopefully won’t break down anytime soon like my keyboard or watch. I would like to get a massive 1080P TV/monitor to use with my computer or even the new Dell 30 inch display. Those would be great for games and for displaying a ton of junk on the screen at once when I’m working. Unfortunately, monitors that big aren’t conducive to someone in my situation who moves back and forth to school every few months (and likely will for awhile).

The weather has been weird again lately, with it being very warm and windy. Each day the forecast is for the cold to return, but it never really does. It’s been good for running, but I’m sure it will be back to cold and nasty rain just in time for school to start next week.

I also saw No Country for Old Men this week, which was definitely the best movie I’ve seen all year with the exception of the ending. The bad guy gets away after killing all but one of the good guys. There isn’t any final showdown, either — each character dies in a different scene without putting up much of a fight. The one guy you want to win dies a quick death offscreen while the one good character left stops chasing the bad guy simply because he just doesn’t care anymore. The first three quarters were great though, a couple of street smart rednecks barely outsmarting a cool and calculated hit man. There were plenty of tense moments mixed in with slower paced character and setting building scenes. The atmosphere and dialog were great and reminded me a lot of the driving out west this summer.

Well, back to work some more before it gets any later.