So, it's been eventful... well, few months, but I think I will just focus on the last week here. This is hopefully wrapping up a lot of things that I've been talking about over the last few months.
As many already know, I have been finishing up my degree for a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering over this past year. On Saturday, I officially graduated from the University with my degree. It was definitely an exciting time, and I am very thankful that I've had great family and friends to keep me sane through all of it. They all came down to see me this weekend, and I enjoyed seeing them all. All in all, it was an amazing weekend with some amazing people.
Of course, graduation is only a small piece of everything else that's happened.
First of all, our senior design was finished a few weeks ago. It looked amazing at design day, although it sadly did not win any awards. We're prepping for a full flight coming up this week, so that will be very exciting. The theory behind it implies a huge potential benefit, so that is something I'm really looking forward to.
I think, though, that one of the best (and/or weirdest) moments from this weekend is concerning the final tally of grad school.
For reference, I applied to three schools initially - Penn State, The University of Illinois, and The University of Washington. As I've mentioned in previous entries, I have gone out to tour Penn State, and the University of Illinois.
The University of Illinois actually flew me out while making no secret of my likely acceptance into their program, and I went feeling that it was actually a very interesting opportunity. My day there, as I already wrote, was very interesting, although I ultimately felt it was not for me. As a result, I declined their offer.
Penn State and the University of Washington ultimately ended up not offering me admission to their programs. For those of you doing the math, this presents a bit of an issue, doesn't it? 3 programs - 2 said no, and I declined the third. Therefore, I'm kind of up the creek without a paddle in terms of Grad School, aren't I?
Not so quickly.
Due to some life events in March, I started seriously considering my options for graduate schools. Due to a passing in my family, amongst other things, I began to seriously question whether or not I really wanted to move away from my family. All told, it is actually quite nice to be able to see my family on a whim instead of having to arrange a plane ticket and fly out. Definitely not something that is as easy to do. To that end, I decided to see if I could work in Arizona for a year and then apply to grad school again for next year.
I sat down with the department head of AME to ask him about what I could do to make myself competitive to apply for graduate school again next year (seeing as the deadline had passed). He actually encouraged me to apply to the program if I was even considering it as the deadline was more of a suggestion/deadline for university funding than a deadline for admission. This funding was separate from TA/RA positions, so I went ahead and threw an application in. This was all before Penn State or Washington had gotten back to me (I had already declined Illinois), so I was back up to 3 applications in the pool.
At this point, school got... "hectic". The next several weeks were best described as a blur as I worked to complete everything I needed to. It all gone done, but as of the beginning of May, I had not yet heard back from Arizona, although Penn State and Washington had already sent their letters. This was slightly frustrating as I had hoped to know about grad school in time to tell my extended family.
So, Friday came and went. The department graduation was nice, and it felt good to be recognized for my work. I went to lunch and dinner with my family and my girlfriend. It was a great chance to just talk, and to introduce her to my family. All told, we were out until about 8 or 9 that night before heading home to get sleep for the next day's events.
I went to check my email before heading to bed - and lo and behold, what should be in my inbox but the response to my application to the U of A. Needless to say, there was a moment of "do I really want to open this?" before I finally bit the bullet and began to read.
To that end, I am pleased to say that I have been accepted to the University of Arizona's Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering program for Fall of 2012. I have accepted the offer, and am in the process of getting everything set up. The opportunity is more than exciting, and I've had some great people help me get this far. I'm also positive that those great people will help me as I continue my education - hopefully all the way to my Doctorate degree.
I was sorely tempted to call my parents right away. Given the time, though, I decided to wait until lunch the next day when I could tell everyone all at once. The reaction on everyone's faces made it well worth waiting - although some will say I should've said anyway :P
This is also convenient as I was running out of topic ideas after this graduate school stuff began to wrap up. Instead, I now have graduate school, this summer, moving, and everything else to make for an interesting chronicle of life events.
So, at the end of it all, I've graduated with my B.S in Aerospace Engineering, and I will be continuing on into graduate school. I've had some amazing things come my way in the last few months, and I'm feeling very lucky and happy about my current state. I hope that things continue to go this way, and with the support that I have been so fortunate to have, there's nothing that can't be done right now.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Wind on the Plains
For those who are following my progress with grad school, you are already aware that I was invited out to Illinois (specifically, the University of Illinois) to tour their graduate program in Atmospheric Science. I indicated that I had a few concerns, chiefly whether or not the program was ultimately for me.
I chose to go over the first few days of spring break. Namely, Monday through Wednesday. This wasn't optimal (due to senior project commitments), but it worked for the best all things considered as I would not have to work around classes.
From here on, I'm going to give fair warning that my writing may be fairly train-of-thought. The day that I spent with the department was filled with a LOT of information, and I am admittedly still processing a lot of it. That said, I think writing it out will help me to that end, and provide for some new reading for anyone who is interested.
My first day there (Monday), I arrived around 7:30 at night. The professor who picked me up from the airport took me to dinner (a nice italian restaurant - quite good!) and then to the hotel. Interestingly, the hotel is actually located within their student union - a concept that I found to be actually quite interesting. That said, I had been travelling for about 12 hours by that point, and also had an early morning on Tuesday, so I quickly fell asleep.
Tuesday was the really busy day. From breakfast onwards, I met with professors in the department to discuss their work, as well as the grad students of those professors to see what life as a grad student is like. It was this part of the trip that really surprised me, and not in a bad way.
Two themes really recurred during the entire trip. The first was that we (there was 3 of us) were constantly being asked if we had any questions - about the program, expectations, the school, or even the city/life in general there. The second was the very very obvious commitment to their grad students. Not just in the 'cheap labor' sense, but it was very clear that the success and happiness of their grad students was a priority there. You weren't just there to work for 2 or 3 years for a degree - you also were expected to publish, to go to conferences, and to really establish yourself as a research scientist.
Also worth noting is that the entire department is very informal. Professors preferred to be called by their first name instead of "doctor ...". This was the case with us, and with their undergraduates and grad students. I recognize that that sort of informal attitude isn't for everyone, but a relaxed atmosphere was a definite plus for me.
Also interesting to note is that, provided your advisor is okay with it, you were not expected to appear in the office every day if you did not need to (This was the grad students saying this, not the professors). If your work could be done remotely, you were more than welcome to be outside or even at home working. Once again, the flexibility in the department is such a great thing - something I definitely valued.
Of course, so far I have talked only about the campus and the personal side of it - interactions, mentality, etc. To that end, I absolutely loved the campus and the department. The other side of the coin is the work that I'd be doing, and that is where things get a little more blurry.
Every professor I met with talked about the work that they were doing. This ranged from forecasting to climate modeling. A big recurring theme in the work is the use of numerics to simulate the atmosphere - something which is a core interest of mine even now. To that end, there is no shortage of work in modeling, numerics, and programming.
By the same token, however, this isn't all a good thing. While yes, there are opportunities to gain 'in the field' experience - something which the department strongly encourages - those opportunities are not incredibly common, on the order of once or twice per year. This of course brings to light the question of what I'd be doing the other weeks of the year, and that is where the question mark (for me) comes in.
Something I've always enjoyed about my major now is the hands on aspect - yes, I'll spend time working, simulating, and modeling - but at the end of it I ultimately go and build the thing and then test it. Based on the impression I got in speaking with professors, far more time is spent in the former rather than the latter part of this.
Then again - that is to be expected. Engineering is about developing and deploying new technologies. In research, that simply means you're on the cutting edge. For the sciences, it's about developing a better understanding of the world around us - once again on the cutting edge in the case of research - even though you may not get anything immediately useful out of it. But it's that dichotomy that has me worried.
The hands-on aspect of Engineering is what I love. The fact that you get to hold your work. I won't mince words and say that it's that lack of hands-on work that makes a decision difficult. The people are awesome and the campus is gorgeous... but if I'm going to be bored, then what is that ultimately worth? I also hold a lot of pride in my title as an Engineer - I've worked hard to get it, and I admit I'd have a hard time walking way from that. A scientist is also a prestigious title, and one that I am sure someone who's spent as much time working on it would hold equally valuable.
At the end of it, I guess that is what the ultimate question for me is. Is this the right choice for me? I will have the opportunity to use some of the most powerful computing resources in the world (I learned that Deep Blue, soon to be the world's most powerful supercomputer, will be built on that campus) and develop models that explain our world. But the final goal of my degree would not be those models - it would be interpreting what those models say. While it's definitely exciting, I find the idea of a new technology a bit more so.
There is little doubt that I will be admitted. I will not be making a decision until I hear back from the other schools to which I've applied (which should be any day now), but this trip has made a big impression on me. I loved the campus and the people, but I admit that the work has me concerned. It would be challenging, and I will get to work with some of the most powerful computers in the world working on things no one else has ever done (quoting the professors - 'Your thesis will not be on something that's been investigated before'), but is the result ultimately interesting to me? That is a question I still do not know how to answer, and something I will have to think long and hard on when it comes time to make my decision in the coming weeks.
Naturally, I will keep updating here as things progress. I suspect my next entry on the subject will be once I hear from another school - and again when I make a final decision. It may be to try working for a year, or maybe I will find the answer in grad school and go from there. At this point, I can't honestly say I know for sure.
Until then.
I chose to go over the first few days of spring break. Namely, Monday through Wednesday. This wasn't optimal (due to senior project commitments), but it worked for the best all things considered as I would not have to work around classes.
From here on, I'm going to give fair warning that my writing may be fairly train-of-thought. The day that I spent with the department was filled with a LOT of information, and I am admittedly still processing a lot of it. That said, I think writing it out will help me to that end, and provide for some new reading for anyone who is interested.
My first day there (Monday), I arrived around 7:30 at night. The professor who picked me up from the airport took me to dinner (a nice italian restaurant - quite good!) and then to the hotel. Interestingly, the hotel is actually located within their student union - a concept that I found to be actually quite interesting. That said, I had been travelling for about 12 hours by that point, and also had an early morning on Tuesday, so I quickly fell asleep.
Tuesday was the really busy day. From breakfast onwards, I met with professors in the department to discuss their work, as well as the grad students of those professors to see what life as a grad student is like. It was this part of the trip that really surprised me, and not in a bad way.
Two themes really recurred during the entire trip. The first was that we (there was 3 of us) were constantly being asked if we had any questions - about the program, expectations, the school, or even the city/life in general there. The second was the very very obvious commitment to their grad students. Not just in the 'cheap labor' sense, but it was very clear that the success and happiness of their grad students was a priority there. You weren't just there to work for 2 or 3 years for a degree - you also were expected to publish, to go to conferences, and to really establish yourself as a research scientist.
Also worth noting is that the entire department is very informal. Professors preferred to be called by their first name instead of "doctor ...". This was the case with us, and with their undergraduates and grad students. I recognize that that sort of informal attitude isn't for everyone, but a relaxed atmosphere was a definite plus for me.
Also interesting to note is that, provided your advisor is okay with it, you were not expected to appear in the office every day if you did not need to (This was the grad students saying this, not the professors). If your work could be done remotely, you were more than welcome to be outside or even at home working. Once again, the flexibility in the department is such a great thing - something I definitely valued.
Of course, so far I have talked only about the campus and the personal side of it - interactions, mentality, etc. To that end, I absolutely loved the campus and the department. The other side of the coin is the work that I'd be doing, and that is where things get a little more blurry.
Every professor I met with talked about the work that they were doing. This ranged from forecasting to climate modeling. A big recurring theme in the work is the use of numerics to simulate the atmosphere - something which is a core interest of mine even now. To that end, there is no shortage of work in modeling, numerics, and programming.
By the same token, however, this isn't all a good thing. While yes, there are opportunities to gain 'in the field' experience - something which the department strongly encourages - those opportunities are not incredibly common, on the order of once or twice per year. This of course brings to light the question of what I'd be doing the other weeks of the year, and that is where the question mark (for me) comes in.
Something I've always enjoyed about my major now is the hands on aspect - yes, I'll spend time working, simulating, and modeling - but at the end of it I ultimately go and build the thing and then test it. Based on the impression I got in speaking with professors, far more time is spent in the former rather than the latter part of this.
Then again - that is to be expected. Engineering is about developing and deploying new technologies. In research, that simply means you're on the cutting edge. For the sciences, it's about developing a better understanding of the world around us - once again on the cutting edge in the case of research - even though you may not get anything immediately useful out of it. But it's that dichotomy that has me worried.
The hands-on aspect of Engineering is what I love. The fact that you get to hold your work. I won't mince words and say that it's that lack of hands-on work that makes a decision difficult. The people are awesome and the campus is gorgeous... but if I'm going to be bored, then what is that ultimately worth? I also hold a lot of pride in my title as an Engineer - I've worked hard to get it, and I admit I'd have a hard time walking way from that. A scientist is also a prestigious title, and one that I am sure someone who's spent as much time working on it would hold equally valuable.
At the end of it, I guess that is what the ultimate question for me is. Is this the right choice for me? I will have the opportunity to use some of the most powerful computing resources in the world (I learned that Deep Blue, soon to be the world's most powerful supercomputer, will be built on that campus) and develop models that explain our world. But the final goal of my degree would not be those models - it would be interpreting what those models say. While it's definitely exciting, I find the idea of a new technology a bit more so.
There is little doubt that I will be admitted. I will not be making a decision until I hear back from the other schools to which I've applied (which should be any day now), but this trip has made a big impression on me. I loved the campus and the people, but I admit that the work has me concerned. It would be challenging, and I will get to work with some of the most powerful computers in the world working on things no one else has ever done (quoting the professors - 'Your thesis will not be on something that's been investigated before'), but is the result ultimately interesting to me? That is a question I still do not know how to answer, and something I will have to think long and hard on when it comes time to make my decision in the coming weeks.
Naturally, I will keep updating here as things progress. I suspect my next entry on the subject will be once I hear from another school - and again when I make a final decision. It may be to try working for a year, or maybe I will find the answer in grad school and go from there. At this point, I can't honestly say I know for sure.
Until then.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Game time!
So, it's spring break (Finally!), and I've had a bit of time to think about how I want my game to progress forward. I've made a few changes to it since my last post on the matter to address what I felt was an interesting, but ultimately hard to work with idea.
Taking a leaf from games like Advance Wars, I wondered what would happen if you instead added a turn-based element to the game. Pure turn-based strategy is not where I want to go with this, though. I feel those have been done about as well as they can be, especially for another battle simulation game. My idea is to exploit a mix between the two, and address what I ultimately felt was a weakness in my initial iteration of the idea.
Something I thought (and was echoed by those I asked) could be an issue was that commanding a fully real-time army from the large and small scale would ultimately be very tricky. At the small scale, it's hard to say that your actions ultimately make a difference in a battle involving thousands of units. At the large scale, it's too easy to forget the smaller details that only appear at the close levels. When you've got the option (or have to) switch between the two, something is bound to be lost. Your small scale decisions don't matter, but your large scale decisions are too broad to be effective. It becomes so detail-oriented that it would only be fun for the most hardened of strategists. While that could be a fun concept for later, it's not what I'm aiming for now.
This iteration also had the problem of storytelling. From battle to battle, there is only a few opportunities to actually tell a story, and none of them in any truly meaningful way. While RTS or turn-based games aren't known for story (Except maybe Final Fantasy), it'd still be nice to have something.
In this new iteration, I've had the idea of mixing the RTS and turn based elements that I've liked from previous games.
At the highest level, the game is a turn-based strategy. You have control of individual armies where you are able to assign special attributes, adjust the mix of unit types, etc. Each army will also have a commander who can impart traits (such as additional unit capacity, higher cohesion/damage/accuracy, etc) upon the army he commands. The benefits that the commander brings are also related to the number of battles he has been in. If an army is overrun in battle, the commander also runs the risk of being killed/captured.
Each turn, an army can move over the map in a certain radius from its position at the beginning of the day. It may move to a city to reenforce it, or to relieve a battered army that is in battle. To that end, it's up to the player.
Each turn as well, the player will have the option to either directly oversee a battle, or allow the computer to run simulations that determine losses/victory/defeat, etc. The thing is, a battle is not guaranteed to end in one turn. With enough reinforcements, battles can carry on for multiple turns. In certain situations for plot advancement, the player will be required to oversee a battle, but otherwise it's totally up to the player. They can oversee all or none of a battles in a turn.
Controlling individual points on the map are also important - they give you defensive positions, and maybe certain cities/etc can provide you with beneficial items.
Within an individual battle, I figure that it would last... say... 10 minutes per turn. During this 10 minutes the battle progresses in real time, and you are able to control whatever assets you have available, which is decided from what armies you have moved to the battle. You can then attempt to best your opponent in real time as opposed to letting the computer decide.
A cool idea I had would be how to handle an army reaching the city mid turn. Let's say I have one army in battle, and another stationed half of a turn outside the city. Since the battle is going badly for me, I move that second army into the city at the beginning of the turn. Now, in a traditional turn based game, my new army won't be available to me until the beginning of the next turn, and may never actually reenforce my existing army (who will then be wiped out).
Instead, the game will calculate the time required to reach the city (half of it's movement distance = half a turn). If I oversee the battle, I will see my new units arrive on the field halfway through the fight. I can then reenforce my positions and perhaps turn the tide of battle, or at least stem the casualties. If I don't oversee the battle directly, the simulation will take into account the arrival of the new units on the field.
This is more or less train-of-thought, and I'm sure several other changes will come, but there's a few ideas here that I really like, and will likely incorporate. Hopefully full-on programming will begin before too long!
Taking a leaf from games like Advance Wars, I wondered what would happen if you instead added a turn-based element to the game. Pure turn-based strategy is not where I want to go with this, though. I feel those have been done about as well as they can be, especially for another battle simulation game. My idea is to exploit a mix between the two, and address what I ultimately felt was a weakness in my initial iteration of the idea.
Something I thought (and was echoed by those I asked) could be an issue was that commanding a fully real-time army from the large and small scale would ultimately be very tricky. At the small scale, it's hard to say that your actions ultimately make a difference in a battle involving thousands of units. At the large scale, it's too easy to forget the smaller details that only appear at the close levels. When you've got the option (or have to) switch between the two, something is bound to be lost. Your small scale decisions don't matter, but your large scale decisions are too broad to be effective. It becomes so detail-oriented that it would only be fun for the most hardened of strategists. While that could be a fun concept for later, it's not what I'm aiming for now.
This iteration also had the problem of storytelling. From battle to battle, there is only a few opportunities to actually tell a story, and none of them in any truly meaningful way. While RTS or turn-based games aren't known for story (Except maybe Final Fantasy), it'd still be nice to have something.
In this new iteration, I've had the idea of mixing the RTS and turn based elements that I've liked from previous games.
At the highest level, the game is a turn-based strategy. You have control of individual armies where you are able to assign special attributes, adjust the mix of unit types, etc. Each army will also have a commander who can impart traits (such as additional unit capacity, higher cohesion/damage/accuracy, etc) upon the army he commands. The benefits that the commander brings are also related to the number of battles he has been in. If an army is overrun in battle, the commander also runs the risk of being killed/captured.
Each turn, an army can move over the map in a certain radius from its position at the beginning of the day. It may move to a city to reenforce it, or to relieve a battered army that is in battle. To that end, it's up to the player.
Each turn as well, the player will have the option to either directly oversee a battle, or allow the computer to run simulations that determine losses/victory/defeat, etc. The thing is, a battle is not guaranteed to end in one turn. With enough reinforcements, battles can carry on for multiple turns. In certain situations for plot advancement, the player will be required to oversee a battle, but otherwise it's totally up to the player. They can oversee all or none of a battles in a turn.
Controlling individual points on the map are also important - they give you defensive positions, and maybe certain cities/etc can provide you with beneficial items.
Within an individual battle, I figure that it would last... say... 10 minutes per turn. During this 10 minutes the battle progresses in real time, and you are able to control whatever assets you have available, which is decided from what armies you have moved to the battle. You can then attempt to best your opponent in real time as opposed to letting the computer decide.
A cool idea I had would be how to handle an army reaching the city mid turn. Let's say I have one army in battle, and another stationed half of a turn outside the city. Since the battle is going badly for me, I move that second army into the city at the beginning of the turn. Now, in a traditional turn based game, my new army won't be available to me until the beginning of the next turn, and may never actually reenforce my existing army (who will then be wiped out).
Instead, the game will calculate the time required to reach the city (half of it's movement distance = half a turn). If I oversee the battle, I will see my new units arrive on the field halfway through the fight. I can then reenforce my positions and perhaps turn the tide of battle, or at least stem the casualties. If I don't oversee the battle directly, the simulation will take into account the arrival of the new units on the field.
This is more or less train-of-thought, and I'm sure several other changes will come, but there's a few ideas here that I really like, and will likely incorporate. Hopefully full-on programming will begin before too long!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Paydirt!
I promised I would keep up to date with this as I heard back from grad schools, regardless of how certain I was with the progress, so here's how it stands now.
Last time I wrote on the topic, I had mentioned switching my applications around, and how that had put me in a sticky situation. Well, sticky situations remain complicated, but at least the ending is becoming a bit clearer now.
About a week ago, I got an interview with Honeywell which I felt went really well. Monday morning I was contacted to inform me that my application had advanced to the next level, which is good news. I won't hear anything for a few weeks, but it's out there which is a definite plus.
On Thursday morning I was emailed by the department head of the Atmospheric Sciences department at UIUC saying he wanted to talk to me about a potential opportunity there. (UIUC is one school where I kept my application at Atmospheric Science) He asked that I let him know when I'd be available for a 15 minute conversation, and he would call me. I let him know I was available as soon as class was over.
When we spoke, he mentioned that they were looking at TA positions for the year, and that I was being considered for one. He gave me a short description of what I'd be doing, and asked if I was interested - I was. I let him know that I was definitely not in a position to commit just yet, but I was definitely interested. UIUC has, up to this point, continually impressed me with how pleasant they've been to work with, something which is massively factoring into my decision.
The next part of the conversation is where things got impressive, to me anyway. He asked if I would be able to come see the campus to see if I felt I would be a good fit, and if it's somewhere I wanted to be. I told him I would love to, but I honestly didn't have the funds to do so. His immediate response was that that was no issue - the department would cover all of that, plane, hotel, etc. The only cost to me would be my time. It would definitely be an interview for both parties (The dept. head said they would also like to see if I'd be a good fit for them), but it's gone far beyond my wildest thoughts so far.
So, here I am, with a chance to really get a look into whether Atmospheric Science would let me do what I want to do with a degree. The department is really making me feel like they want me there, which is such a huge thing for me. And they're paying to have me come out there.
I'm still going to wait to hear back from PSU and UWash, but with one (unofficial) acceptance down with funding, and an interview for a job that's gone well, I'm in a much better spot than I could've hoped to be at this point. After kicking and punching the wall for so long, it looks like it's finally starting to come down.
Last time I wrote on the topic, I had mentioned switching my applications around, and how that had put me in a sticky situation. Well, sticky situations remain complicated, but at least the ending is becoming a bit clearer now.
About a week ago, I got an interview with Honeywell which I felt went really well. Monday morning I was contacted to inform me that my application had advanced to the next level, which is good news. I won't hear anything for a few weeks, but it's out there which is a definite plus.
On Thursday morning I was emailed by the department head of the Atmospheric Sciences department at UIUC saying he wanted to talk to me about a potential opportunity there. (UIUC is one school where I kept my application at Atmospheric Science) He asked that I let him know when I'd be available for a 15 minute conversation, and he would call me. I let him know I was available as soon as class was over.
When we spoke, he mentioned that they were looking at TA positions for the year, and that I was being considered for one. He gave me a short description of what I'd be doing, and asked if I was interested - I was. I let him know that I was definitely not in a position to commit just yet, but I was definitely interested. UIUC has, up to this point, continually impressed me with how pleasant they've been to work with, something which is massively factoring into my decision.
The next part of the conversation is where things got impressive, to me anyway. He asked if I would be able to come see the campus to see if I felt I would be a good fit, and if it's somewhere I wanted to be. I told him I would love to, but I honestly didn't have the funds to do so. His immediate response was that that was no issue - the department would cover all of that, plane, hotel, etc. The only cost to me would be my time. It would definitely be an interview for both parties (The dept. head said they would also like to see if I'd be a good fit for them), but it's gone far beyond my wildest thoughts so far.
So, here I am, with a chance to really get a look into whether Atmospheric Science would let me do what I want to do with a degree. The department is really making me feel like they want me there, which is such a huge thing for me. And they're paying to have me come out there.
I'm still going to wait to hear back from PSU and UWash, but with one (unofficial) acceptance down with funding, and an interview for a job that's gone well, I'm in a much better spot than I could've hoped to be at this point. After kicking and punching the wall for so long, it looks like it's finally starting to come down.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The game has changed
So, aside from ripping off Tron for the title, the grad school stories never get boring, do they?
The last time I talked about Grad School on here, I talked about how I was focusing on a new program for grad school. That is still (mostly) the case.
I have this nasty tendency to have a hard time settling on one thing and consequently putting myself in a situation I shouldn't be in. I decidedly managed that one here.
At the beginning of this semester, I began to have some doubts regarding whether I was actually doing the right thing by looking into a different program. Would it ultimately take me where I wanted to go? I started thinking that maybe I just switched because I was getting burned out on everything last semester.
I spent some time thinking about it, and ultimately decided that maybe I did kind of act on a knee-jerk reaction to a string of setbacks. This all came very (very) late in the application cycle, so there's no real doubt that I picked probably the least opportune time to have that change of heart.
I managed (with some luck) to switch my application at one university to Aerospace Engineering. Deadlines had passed at other universities, so I didn't bother there.
As it stands, I have not yet heard back in any official context from any of the universities I applied to. That said, some of the unofficial communication I've had seems to imply that the writing is on the wall - and that is that I should probably be considering what my other options are after May. These options are definitely not what I want to have to resort to, but I may have no other choice.
Ultimately, I have no one other than myself to blame should I wind up in that situation - after all, it was me that chose to change directions - twice, really.
So at this point, I'm decidedly even more in the dark than I was when I began, and this time I'm not so sure if it's the fun kind of dark. A lot will be decided in the coming weeks, and I can't honestly say how those hammers will fall.
The last time I talked about Grad School on here, I talked about how I was focusing on a new program for grad school. That is still (mostly) the case.
I have this nasty tendency to have a hard time settling on one thing and consequently putting myself in a situation I shouldn't be in. I decidedly managed that one here.
At the beginning of this semester, I began to have some doubts regarding whether I was actually doing the right thing by looking into a different program. Would it ultimately take me where I wanted to go? I started thinking that maybe I just switched because I was getting burned out on everything last semester.
I spent some time thinking about it, and ultimately decided that maybe I did kind of act on a knee-jerk reaction to a string of setbacks. This all came very (very) late in the application cycle, so there's no real doubt that I picked probably the least opportune time to have that change of heart.
I managed (with some luck) to switch my application at one university to Aerospace Engineering. Deadlines had passed at other universities, so I didn't bother there.
As it stands, I have not yet heard back in any official context from any of the universities I applied to. That said, some of the unofficial communication I've had seems to imply that the writing is on the wall - and that is that I should probably be considering what my other options are after May. These options are definitely not what I want to have to resort to, but I may have no other choice.
Ultimately, I have no one other than myself to blame should I wind up in that situation - after all, it was me that chose to change directions - twice, really.
So at this point, I'm decidedly even more in the dark than I was when I began, and this time I'm not so sure if it's the fun kind of dark. A lot will be decided in the coming weeks, and I can't honestly say how those hammers will fall.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
SOPA-y
Today, on January 18th, 2012, Wikipedia, Google, and Reddit have voluntarily blacked out their websites (In Google's case, the logo is blocked though the site remains functional). Additionally, sites such as 4chan have inserted a 'censor bar' into their logo.
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| www.google.com on 1/18/12 |
It should come as no surprise that I, along with many tech companies such as Google, Wikipedia, and Reddit, am opposed to this bill. While those companies carry far more weight than I do, even one voice adds to the collective against a measure.
So why the big deal, you wonder? I mean, it's not the first time the government's tried to pull something stupid. It gets signed, it gets challenged in court, and it gets overturned. What makes this so different?
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| www.wikipedia.org on 1/18/12 |
Hollywood, the RIAA, and the MPAA will assert that these bills are needed to combat the growing threat of online piracy of their products. The thing is, that isn't what it's about. Yes, software/movies/music gets pirated, and yes, some of those copies result in lost revenue. Any programmer will tell you that piracy cannot be stopped. The most advanced anti-piracy and DRM measures can and will be defeated with time. If someone wants it bad enough, they will take it. Even software giant Valve has said that Piracy is a service issue, and that DRM drives gamers away from paying.
No, this is about money, and not wanting to respond to a changing global economy.
Look at modern movies and music. How long has it been since something truly revolutionary has come out? The problem is that Hollywood has realized, perhaps a bit too late, that they cannot keep pushing the same rehashed movie plots, nor can they sell another CD that sounds like all the rest. Furthermore, they cannot charge top dollar for these movies and music that come with region lock and content restrictions, or can only be listened to on X computers. The problem is that Hollywood doesn't want to change that.
Welcome to the free market. Either you adapt, you change, and you innovate, or you perish. This is exactly what Hollywood does not want to do. They want to keep in on their terms.
It's hard to have sympathy for the mess that contents holder are in. After all, the Big 3 automakers found themselves in the same situation when they refused to adapt to a changing marketplace. If Hollywood can't keep up, let them fail. Don't allow a poorly phrased and politically backed bill that would ultimately solve nothing be passed. Don't take the chance with free information that someone, somewhere will not want you to have that information.
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Beginnings
So, I promised that I would spend a bit more time on here focusing on technology and/or things that aren't quite so... 'inflammatory'. I have no problem being that way, but I figured it's time for at least a short break.
This post is in regards to a project I'm undertaking this semester for my own benefit. It (almost certainly) will not be done this semester, but my goal is to at least make significant progress.
I've always wanted to be involved in major gaming production - y'know, the kind with credits and the like. While I can't ever hope (in the near future) to be on a design team that releases the game that people are out at midnight to buy, I can definitely try to create a game that people will at least talk about. And if that gets me noticed by a major design team, then that's awesome. If it doesn't, then I can at least say I've put a major checkmark on my list - lead and complete a major programming project.
Don't get me wrong, by the way. I love what I'm studying, and I still have major plans for my future that don't revolve around game design. The reason I never pursued this as a program of study is largely because it's very hard to get into the game development field, and if you do you're almost certainly relegated to small time (boring) projects for a majority of your career with the hope that any big-name project that comes about will be of interest to you.
The idea of being unable to work on something that interests me just takes the excitement out of it. Even if it was the biggest game to come out in 10 years with iPhone-esque lines waiting to pick it up, if the concept is boring, then there's no fun to be had. In short, it's not about the recognition, it's about the excitement of the design and being a part of something so big. The idea that you can look around and see people enjoying what you helped create, and being able to tell yourself "Hey, I was a part of that", and that not only is the game fun, the development was as well.
I've begun tossing over a few ideas for game concepts in my head. The first was an FPS not unlike the Marathon games released by Bungie, with a few moderate RPG elements tied in. The problem with this concept is that, while fun, there were some inherent problems in creating an atmosphere for the game. This, of course, is an aspect that makes or breaks almost all RPG/freeroam games. So I decided to table that idea for now given my lack of experience in programming 3D games (or more specifically, creating the resources for them). As my skills grow, however, I will certainly look into revisiting the idea as it has some concepts that were really exciting.
My newest idea is an almost pure RTS style game. Many RTS's share several key concepts - resource gathering, supply management, etc - which I am not opposed to including in this game. Examples include Age of Empires, Stronghold, and Starcraft. However, another idea interested me. A game known as Myth (also by Bungie) introduced the idea of a set squad size with no reinforcements or supply gathering. Essentially, you complete the level with a set number of troops. While the implementation of the game isn't like what I have in mind, the mechanics provide an interesting idea.
I've always wondered what it'd be like to be able to control the battle from multiple viewpoints - That of a general, overseeing the large scale deployment of troops, or maybe a platoon or squad leader, overseeing progressively smaller groups of soldiers on the battlefield with increased refinement to their deployment and individual commands.
In this way, I would also like to have the battles be truly large. Instead of a few dozen troops, there would be hundreds. From the general's viewpoint, you can manage general deployment of battalions. Zooming in, you can selectively rearrange the squads to form a defensive line, and command individual squads or even individual units to attack, retreat, or move to position much like a traditional RTS. So you can command the battle from on high, or oversee a small part of the larger conflict.
There are definitely problems to be solved with this type of game, don't get me wrong. Pathfinding, for one, is a tricky concept. Map creation is another. Perhaps the one of greatest interest, and importance, is the development of a story. I have some ideas to allow for the creation of multiple campaigns easily, but telling the story will be a trick.
So, that is how it stands now. I hope to update soon with some actual images, but keep an eye here to follow development as it progresses! I will also be looking for help eventually, mostly with testing and perhaps some art, so keep an eye out if you'd like to be a part of this!
This post is in regards to a project I'm undertaking this semester for my own benefit. It (almost certainly) will not be done this semester, but my goal is to at least make significant progress.
I've always wanted to be involved in major gaming production - y'know, the kind with credits and the like. While I can't ever hope (in the near future) to be on a design team that releases the game that people are out at midnight to buy, I can definitely try to create a game that people will at least talk about. And if that gets me noticed by a major design team, then that's awesome. If it doesn't, then I can at least say I've put a major checkmark on my list - lead and complete a major programming project.
Don't get me wrong, by the way. I love what I'm studying, and I still have major plans for my future that don't revolve around game design. The reason I never pursued this as a program of study is largely because it's very hard to get into the game development field, and if you do you're almost certainly relegated to small time (boring) projects for a majority of your career with the hope that any big-name project that comes about will be of interest to you.
The idea of being unable to work on something that interests me just takes the excitement out of it. Even if it was the biggest game to come out in 10 years with iPhone-esque lines waiting to pick it up, if the concept is boring, then there's no fun to be had. In short, it's not about the recognition, it's about the excitement of the design and being a part of something so big. The idea that you can look around and see people enjoying what you helped create, and being able to tell yourself "Hey, I was a part of that", and that not only is the game fun, the development was as well.
I've begun tossing over a few ideas for game concepts in my head. The first was an FPS not unlike the Marathon games released by Bungie, with a few moderate RPG elements tied in. The problem with this concept is that, while fun, there were some inherent problems in creating an atmosphere for the game. This, of course, is an aspect that makes or breaks almost all RPG/freeroam games. So I decided to table that idea for now given my lack of experience in programming 3D games (or more specifically, creating the resources for them). As my skills grow, however, I will certainly look into revisiting the idea as it has some concepts that were really exciting.
My newest idea is an almost pure RTS style game. Many RTS's share several key concepts - resource gathering, supply management, etc - which I am not opposed to including in this game. Examples include Age of Empires, Stronghold, and Starcraft. However, another idea interested me. A game known as Myth (also by Bungie) introduced the idea of a set squad size with no reinforcements or supply gathering. Essentially, you complete the level with a set number of troops. While the implementation of the game isn't like what I have in mind, the mechanics provide an interesting idea.
I've always wondered what it'd be like to be able to control the battle from multiple viewpoints - That of a general, overseeing the large scale deployment of troops, or maybe a platoon or squad leader, overseeing progressively smaller groups of soldiers on the battlefield with increased refinement to their deployment and individual commands.
In this way, I would also like to have the battles be truly large. Instead of a few dozen troops, there would be hundreds. From the general's viewpoint, you can manage general deployment of battalions. Zooming in, you can selectively rearrange the squads to form a defensive line, and command individual squads or even individual units to attack, retreat, or move to position much like a traditional RTS. So you can command the battle from on high, or oversee a small part of the larger conflict.
There are definitely problems to be solved with this type of game, don't get me wrong. Pathfinding, for one, is a tricky concept. Map creation is another. Perhaps the one of greatest interest, and importance, is the development of a story. I have some ideas to allow for the creation of multiple campaigns easily, but telling the story will be a trick.
So, that is how it stands now. I hope to update soon with some actual images, but keep an eye here to follow development as it progresses! I will also be looking for help eventually, mostly with testing and perhaps some art, so keep an eye out if you'd like to be a part of this!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Stardust
I've got a resolution this year. It's the same one I had last year, and the year before that. And every year so far, I've managed to succeed. I don't mean a resolution in the 'go to the gym more' sense, but rather as an outlook on life. Any more, it is a standing goal rather than a resolution. Every year, I resolve to understand more about this world, and my place in it. Every year I leave knowing more than I did about myself, about others, and about the world I inhabit.
Recently, I've been struggling with some of the issues that beset many at this stage in life. Many big changes are coming, and I can only hope I'm ready. There's so much to be sure is done, and so little time to do so. Am I really ready? What if I'm not? Then there's my social situation, which has admittedly stagnated slightly, mostly by my own hand.
The other night I was mulling many of these issues over in my head, and couldn't sleep. In my restlessness, I decided to go for a drive up Mount Lemmon, a relatively large mountain in the Catalinas that peaks about 5,000 feet above Tucson metro. It is home to multiple world-class observatories, and is a pretty drive in its own right. It's also dark, and you can easily loose yourself in the wilderness, making it a great place to think.
This particular night, the moon was new, so it was almost pitch black as I drove up the mountain save for my headlights. About 3/4 of the way to the top of the mountain, I stopped at a pull out on the road that overlooked a valley to take in the view.
While there, I took a moment to look up at the stars above me. This is something I've done many times before (though this was probably one of the finer nights of doing so), but something was different this time. As I looked up at the vast expanse of stars and space above me, something clicked. Not in the a-ha! sense, but rather that I became intimately aware of just how big it all was.
In that moment, I became aware that I was viewing the light of stars millions of years old. I was looking into our universe as it existed millennia before I did. I was looking towards civilizations that have risen, fallen, and risen again hundreds of times over since the light that I was now viewing at the top of a mountain left its source.
We are one planet ofnine eight in our solar system, and our solar system is one of countless others in the Milky Way galaxy, which is in turn one of many more other galaxies in our universe. Trillions upon trillions upon trillions of stars and planets, each proceeding in its own way in the universe. There is no doubt in my mind that there is other life out there, manifesting in ways we cannot comprehend on planets that exceed our wildest imaginations.
And, in that moment, my problems just didn't feel that big anymore. Out of all time that has passed, out of each galaxy, each star, and each planet, I somehow came to be there at that moment. Against impossible odds, I manifested out of the same chaos that created the nebulas, stars, planets, and even the other life that I now viewed. Impossibly long odds that the planet I now stood upon existed at all, never mind my own existence upon it. Suddenly, worrying about what I would do in May seemed trivial.
I didn't solve any problems that night, but they were definitely put into perspective. Employment and romance have been a subject of humansuffering interest for a long time, and not for the wrong reasons. But maybe that's not the point. Maybe having lots of money, a secure job, and a perfect relationship isn't the only way to be, or even the best way.
I looked up that night and realized that my problems, seemingly big to me, were very small in the grand scheme of what surrounded me. The stars were not concerned with my relationships, and the planets were not troubled with grad school letters. And while this may sound somewhat dismal, to me it was liberating. To realize that, at the end of it all, a single event just isn't that big of a deal. What really matters is how I use the summation of time that I've got here.
I hope to see mankind reach into the stars during my lifetime, that we may some day see these countless and fascinating worlds with our own eyes. And in the meantime, I intend to continue to better myself with the knowledge that no matter how bad some things may seem, I am the product of impossible odds. I am all at once tiny in the grand scheme of things, and yet there is not another like me out there, anywhere.
And being that rare has to count for something.
Recently, I've been struggling with some of the issues that beset many at this stage in life. Many big changes are coming, and I can only hope I'm ready. There's so much to be sure is done, and so little time to do so. Am I really ready? What if I'm not? Then there's my social situation, which has admittedly stagnated slightly, mostly by my own hand.
The other night I was mulling many of these issues over in my head, and couldn't sleep. In my restlessness, I decided to go for a drive up Mount Lemmon, a relatively large mountain in the Catalinas that peaks about 5,000 feet above Tucson metro. It is home to multiple world-class observatories, and is a pretty drive in its own right. It's also dark, and you can easily loose yourself in the wilderness, making it a great place to think.
This particular night, the moon was new, so it was almost pitch black as I drove up the mountain save for my headlights. About 3/4 of the way to the top of the mountain, I stopped at a pull out on the road that overlooked a valley to take in the view.
While there, I took a moment to look up at the stars above me. This is something I've done many times before (though this was probably one of the finer nights of doing so), but something was different this time. As I looked up at the vast expanse of stars and space above me, something clicked. Not in the a-ha! sense, but rather that I became intimately aware of just how big it all was.
In that moment, I became aware that I was viewing the light of stars millions of years old. I was looking into our universe as it existed millennia before I did. I was looking towards civilizations that have risen, fallen, and risen again hundreds of times over since the light that I was now viewing at the top of a mountain left its source.
We are one planet of
And, in that moment, my problems just didn't feel that big anymore. Out of all time that has passed, out of each galaxy, each star, and each planet, I somehow came to be there at that moment. Against impossible odds, I manifested out of the same chaos that created the nebulas, stars, planets, and even the other life that I now viewed. Impossibly long odds that the planet I now stood upon existed at all, never mind my own existence upon it. Suddenly, worrying about what I would do in May seemed trivial.
I didn't solve any problems that night, but they were definitely put into perspective. Employment and romance have been a subject of human
I looked up that night and realized that my problems, seemingly big to me, were very small in the grand scheme of what surrounded me. The stars were not concerned with my relationships, and the planets were not troubled with grad school letters. And while this may sound somewhat dismal, to me it was liberating. To realize that, at the end of it all, a single event just isn't that big of a deal. What really matters is how I use the summation of time that I've got here.
I hope to see mankind reach into the stars during my lifetime, that we may some day see these countless and fascinating worlds with our own eyes. And in the meantime, I intend to continue to better myself with the knowledge that no matter how bad some things may seem, I am the product of impossible odds. I am all at once tiny in the grand scheme of things, and yet there is not another like me out there, anywhere.
And being that rare has to count for something.
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