tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41429012008-05-15T12:31:24.762-05:00stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comBlogger564125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-20646347685074910002008-05-15T12:25:00.002-05:002008-05-15T12:31:25.066-05:00

While looking into symmetric functions, I came across the Newton-Girard Formulas. That page references Raymond Séroul's "Programming for Mathematicians," which seems to be an incredible resource I will surely borrow from the library more often. However, the proof of these formulas (presented on pages 278-279) is incredibly beautiful. First, start with a function f(T) = (1-X_1*T)(1-X_2*T)...(1-

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-500150615301486792008-05-12T20:51:00.003-05:002008-05-12T21:48:10.040-05:00

There were a few complaints that the new apartment pictures did not have any people in them, so I decided to fix that tonight. Here is your guided tour. You asked for it. HI AND WELCOME TO MY APARTMENT! LET ME JUST WIPE MY FEET!HAVE A SEAT IN OUR SPACIOUS LIVING ROOM WITH TWO FUTONS. CARE TO PLAY SOME VIDEO GAMES?DON'T MIND ME. I JUST WANTED TO GET SOME AIR ON OUR PATIO! DON'T MAKE TOO

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-44592164878689043672008-05-12T16:22:00.001-05:002008-05-12T16:24:29.346-05:00

Atlantic, Iowa is the least likely place I would expect a bunch of theoretical computer scientists to get together and talk shop, but it happened.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-87986904843659264472008-05-12T06:44:00.002-05:002008-05-12T06:56:59.620-05:00

This weekend, Katie is out of town. So, I have been staying in the new apartment, finishing some honey-dos and generally fixing what needs to be fixed. A big thanks to Joe for helping me install a rack above the washer. This morning was way too early to be awake. The sun had not come up, and it is hard to maneuver in a dark place that has boxes and cables strewn about. I stepped on plenty on

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-29244473916845050602008-05-09T09:04:00.002-05:002008-05-09T09:07:41.087-05:00

Sorry for the delay. My previous batch of photos were out of focus due to me forgetting to switch the lens from manual to auto. Here are some pictures of our living room, dining room, kitchen, and a couple different views of the disaster that is our office. In one, you can see Katie's bike on the patio.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-60988903592489481852008-05-08T23:32:00.002-05:002008-05-08T23:37:51.098-05:00

I have just finished grading calc finals, which means my first year in grad school is complete (outside of quals, which are really in the summer). However, I thought I would share some aggravating answers to what should have been a really easy problem. Here's the setup: Vectors v and w are given, and they already calculated that they are orthogonal. The question is, does there exist a unit

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-68938164822932644752008-05-08T14:53:00.004-05:002008-05-08T14:56:56.493-05:00

The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) sent out invitations to the graduate students to pay them for membership. The American Mathematical Society gives free memberships, why can't they! Clearly, it is because they need to increase their budget for data entry:

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-54740561706792549632008-05-07T18:54:00.003-05:002008-05-08T09:53:34.639-05:00

Katie and I have been busy filling our new apartment with all sorts of things. However, the place is very big and we are just starting our life together (also, we are waiting for all of you to buy things on our registry). It turns out, this place is built for tall people. The cabinets go all the way to the ceiling, and the shower heads are six and a half feet off the ground. I was shocked to

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-55752196033736692832008-05-01T00:11:00.002-05:002008-05-01T00:17:14.820-05:00

This year, I experimented with a new style of note taking. Some pads of graph paper were binded into books, and I have used them for notes in class all year. Now that the year is done, I re-bound these books and covered them with old jeans or khakis. Here are some pictures of the end result: I like the results, and will plan to do this in the future. Now, my notes will sit upon my

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-17674707715006789612008-04-28T09:16:00.002-05:002008-04-28T09:19:04.784-05:00

As I prepared my breakfast this morning, I poured some juice and thought to myself, "I should make a GraphJam of `mind on my money and money on my mind' from the Gin & Juice song..." However, I read that somebody beat me to it. Today.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-51154923928237356372008-04-25T11:22:00.001-05:002008-04-25T11:29:25.026-05:00

This evening, we celebrate the most recent class of JDE seniors, including Katie. Congratulations, everyone! Especially to Katie, who has maintained a GPA I have not seen since freshman year. The event is a little fancy. Fancy enough for shiny pants. However, I did not want to risk ruining my nice pants while biking to work, so I fastened the pant legs with office supplies. It was classy.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-63415638575360021242008-04-17T22:46:00.003-05:002008-04-17T22:48:30.366-05:00

While reading for what seems like the hundredth time tonight "the proof is simple and hints are given as Exercises 1-5," I had the incredible urge to throw my heavy Algebra book violently against the wall. Quicker than my arm could fly, my brain reminded me that those kinds of things get people in trouble and I refrained. Back to the worst take-home exam ever.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-49747046403498676102008-04-11T18:58:00.002-05:002008-04-11T19:10:51.584-05:00

While waiting for my shuttle from the Sacramento Airport to Davis, I met a guy wearing a tweed jacket. Since he was also heading to Davis, I thought it a natural question to ask if he was attending the Graduate Student Combinatorics Conference. So I asked, "Are you going to the conference as well?" He replies, "Why yes! You are too, how fascinating? What is your research area?" I respond "

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-63534095331206708032008-04-06T19:13:00.003-05:002008-04-06T19:32:52.077-05:00

I had recently been looking at the Wikipedia entry for Futurama and read the section on Futurama in Popular Culture. Tonight's brand-new Simpson's episode had a Futurama reference that I knew was not in there. I rushed to put it in the article, but was beaten. The internet is so epic. On a side note, I find the episode hilarious for several reasons. Not only are they taking credit for every

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-58201537775974456802008-04-03T17:52:00.002-05:002008-04-03T17:59:53.417-05:00

Grading calculus exams is one of the most depressing things one could ever do. It involves balancing the sadness of causing others grief (by significantly reducing their course grade in mere minutes) with the anger of their lack of understanding of "basic" concepts. I perform limit comparison tests in my sleep, why shouldn't they be able to do it once? The most depressing part is that either

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-84269310251272485922008-03-27T23:05:00.001-05:002008-03-27T23:13:40.037-05:00

The new screensaver in Mac OS X Leopard that randomly displays album artwork is amazing. I never had enough music on my laptop to try it, and now that I have recompile a music collection on my newly-upgraded G5, it is now what I see when I lock my computer from my shady officemates. Sometimes I just start the screensaver and watch it. My best guess is a week before it gets old.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-78683631021865975202008-03-26T23:57:00.002-05:002008-03-27T00:09:26.738-05:00

A computer wipe and operating system upgrade is normally a pleasant affair. That is, when it is not forced by instantaneous data loss, including time-sensitive homework and grade reports. I will give just one advice to Apple users: never ever use FileVault, as it slows programs down that may actually cause the computer to freeze and when you force a power-down your data is stuck in the middle

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-5898951244162472362008-03-25T20:47:00.002-05:002008-03-25T21:00:35.053-05:00

I resurrected my Sudoku code long enough to export an executable Jar so I can share it with the world. Give it a try and see how you like it. It doesn't solve it for you, just helps with keeping track of info.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-42392962243838627752008-03-23T22:57:00.002-05:002008-03-23T22:59:49.136-05:00

It is a frequent occurrence when I find something hilarious when no one else would. The most recent example was when I was making Beefaroni and began to argue with myself about the comparison of this fine dish to one of similar nomenclature but based on a slightly different pasta.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-70006637462147793492008-03-08T16:27:00.002-06:002008-03-08T16:33:21.413-06:00

I bought a new toy this week: a Keyspan Presentation Remote. It is essentially a powerpoint clicker with a built-in laser pointer. There are some other features that I don't care about, but these are the two things I needed. However, I plugged it into my G5 to test it with my presentation, and it didn't work. Apparently, all of the Powerpoint/Keynote applications advance slides with up and

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-17854315058311240922008-02-27T10:19:00.002-06:002008-02-27T10:33:53.548-06:00

A few friends and I saw Cloverfield at the dinner-and-drinks theater last night. The movie was a great idea, had an important cultural meaning, and a very unique monster. The narrative was suspenseful and unpredictable as well as emotionally engaging. However, they could have made the camera much less shaky and have it still be believable without inducing motion sickness. Three out of the

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-76381788030142841112008-02-26T13:05:00.003-06:002008-02-26T13:27:37.004-06:00

It has been announced for quite some time that the album "Who's Next" is supposed to come as downloadable content to Rock Band. In order to be ready to play what I expect to be a challenging set (Won't Get Fooled Again is one of the hardest drum parts, with only Foreplay/Long Time and Run to the Hills beating it out) I started listening to the full album. This classic rock masterpiece makes me

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-46970112315170400422008-02-25T01:45:00.002-06:002008-02-25T01:52:08.155-06:00

Last night, I forced myself to leave my office and get some sleep around 4 AM. Tonight, I'm retiring a little earlier, but still hesitantly. My advisor and I are working with some undergrads on a specific problem and I had an insight at the end of our last meeting. This led me to work really late on an algorithms to solve the problem and organize the results in a very well-formatted TeX

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-13256705758221102692008-02-18T13:08:00.002-06:002008-02-18T13:10:06.248-06:00

Sunday's closing hymn was one that I had not heard before except through this video of Stephen Colbert singing it in his Strangers with Candy character.

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142901.post-86798533733977167932008-02-18T10:00:00.002-06:002008-02-18T10:02:04.496-06:00

Katie and I are looking for a place to live in Lincoln. We thought we found the perfect place, got really excited about it, but then found out that waiting two days to make the decision was a bad call. In fact, not making the decision on the spot lost us the place, since someone called immediately after us and took it. So, if you know of any good rental property in Lincoln, let us know!

stoleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788683962503964865noreply@blogger.com