Retrievr - This is awesome! Draw a picture and it will find photos that resemble what you've drawn.

The Memory Project - Supporting and enhancing memory with the help of technology

This is for you! (but everyone should look ;-)

Today has been a stellar day. I'm tired, but it's an extremely good tired, and things are starting to look up.

First, a question: Who on earth has the brilliant foresight to put half neked pictures of himself on his blog only a few days before a big, important job interview? Me, of course. Great idea that was...anyway, I don't think it caused too much trouble, likely because the people at the company are cool.

Speaking of which, I had my interviews today with ThoughtWorks, which was actually kind of fun. I'm pretty comfortable in interview situations, I have found, and have a somewhat "take it or leave it" approach. If the people like me, then that's great, but if they don't, I probably wouldn't enjoy working there anyway, so I just go ahead and act like myself. The people I spoke with were brilliant and fun, and I think I'm pretty well suited to the type of work I'd do there. So yeah, I'll let you know when I get more info...who knows...there may be other job situations on the horizon as well. ;-)

I came home tonight from Chicago to a quite full inbox, filled mostly with great news. First, this program I've been working on for my User Interface Design class is coming along swimmingly. My teammate uploaded the latest version, so I downloaded and tested it...AND IT LOOKS AMAZING! I am so impressed. We should pat ourselves on the back. I still have some more work to do on it from my end of the bargain, but it's looking good thus far.

In another email, I found out that I've been bumped to "Active Duty" with regarts to my CHI 2006 Student Volunteer status. That means I don't have to pay $450 to get in to the conference. Perfect timing...I was really banking on this, and got lucky. I'm really pumped.

Tomorrow is THE day. Big deal day. It ain't over 'til the fat lady... day. It's capstone presentation day. I'm ready. So ready. Ready to rock, ready to roll. In the morning I'll go for a run, then finish up my capstone website, then do a practice run through. My presentation is from 4:30-5 in Informatics 107, if you're in the area. Hopefully we'll get it on video, so I can spread my words across the internets.

Anyway, this long long day must come to an end. I'm off to bed. Big smiles all 'round.

So you wanna be a rock 'n roll star, well listen now to what I say:
Just get an electric guitar, take some time, and learn how to play...

If it were only so easy...

Have a listen:

A hearty congrats to Carolyn & Ralph. They were married last weekend in CA. I wish I could have been there...Carolyn's watched me (& my sister & all the other CH kids) grow up, and has been like a second mom. I wish you two all the happiness in the world!

(Thanks to my mom for the picture!)

That's all. Carry on with your Easter Sunday.

Ahh, college...

Yup, that's me alright. Or at least was me...

Yesterday was an awesome day, another fantastic birthday. 24 feels good, same as 23 for the most part.

Last night, after a 9pm to 10pm phone interview, I headed out to Yogi's to meet up with a group of friends. I haven't been out in a long long time, and that made last night feel really really good. Just a relaxing, kick-back conversation session over beer, well drinks, and Long Island Iced Tea. Perfect ending to a great day.

If you click on the image above, you'll be able to see the details about some of the things I received for my bday. Thanks to all those who sent gifts from all over the country. :-)

Thanks also to all of you who left bithday songs on my voicemail. It was a busy morning and afternoon, and if I didn't call you back yesterday, I'll definitely find time to do it over the weekend. Hearing the birthday song over and over is one of my favorite parts of the birthday celebration. You all made my day.

Thanks y'all, much love.

At 1:02 a.m and 3 seconds, tomorrow, on April 5, 2006, it will be: "01:02:03 04-05-06"

Scientists say that's once in a lifetime!

I've received that email about a million times now...

What else is on April 5th...hmm?

Lap 1: 50 seconds
Laps 2-5: 55-65 seconds
Lap 6: 60 seconds

Total time: 6:15

"Holy crap!" That was unexpected. I've written here before about my goal of running a sub-6 minute mile. I hadn't been able to get there since high school, and thought my body still might be up to it. Now I know my body is up to the task. I'm a mere 16 seconds away.

The run felt good today, too. I feel like I've been suffering a lot on my runs lately. Lots of little aches and pains. For me it's the minor aches that hurt most. It seems that a tiny little tingle in my shin leads to me thinking that my whole leg will be in pain soon. Generally I'm right about these things, but I wonder how much of the pain is psychological. If I expect pain, then maybe my body is simply trying to match the expectation...

Anyway...I'll continue my diligence, keep hitting the track, and will soon get that goal. 5:59, here I come. :-)

I stopped by the Informatics building this morning to check my mail (My office is in a building on the other side of campus) and to my surprise I found a BIG GIANT BOX! I popped it open and found birthday presents! Wahoo!

Until this point it didn't really sink in that my birthday is approaching. April 5, for those who aren't sure. I haven't done an updated wishlist, but there's always stuff on my Amazon wish list, if you're inclined to get me a gift...

Anyway, back to the Wahoo! Sally (Suzanna) sent a sandwich maker, which I will do oh so much with! Also she sent me the The Fray album, How to Save a Life. (Which, to my surprise, actually has nothing to do with machine-based implementations of living systems.) I'm listening to it now, and it sounds great! Thanks Suzanna! (Oh, and was Putnam part of this too?)

You should read this review because it says exactly what I wanted to express about the podcast. Alternatively, you can listen to the podcast and judge for yourself.