dj whitebread

bump

2008-11-21T14:32:00.001-06:00

I accidentally published the last post to soon. So just to make sure people actually read the whole thing... (I swear, it used to be much slower to show up on the feeds.)

Tangibles

2008-11-21T14:24:00.002-06:00

Man, I have really been dropping the bloggy-ball lately. Not sure exactly why. I was sick this week for one day. Seriously, for 24 hours I felt terrible. Fever, the whole bit. And then I woke up the next day and felt fine. I still don't have much of an appetite though, but I am counting that as a blessing in disguise.

The main thing that has made me write this post is that I picked up my doctoral regalia today. To me, the regalia is the real tangible item that comes with getting a Ph.D. Some people say the diploma is more of a symbol, but to me the regalia wins out. The custom colors of the different universities and disciplines just has a certain element to it that a piece of paper can't match.

It was seeing all the professors at David's graduation so many years ago that first put the idea in my head. And today, as I stood in my regalia, in a beautiful dark version of the UT colors, and looked in the mirror, it really, truly hit me. Wow. I did it.

It's been a while...

2008-11-14T15:15:00.003-06:00

And a lot has happened. I've gone to California, returned, and we went to Wurstfest. My parents have moved to Baton Rouge. I'm trying to figure out what to do with next several years of my life. Interesting times.

But as not to get too abstract, specifically, I can't complain. My wife is still wonderful. Our cat is still fuzzy and cute. And finally, we have started the renovation process on the condo. Dec. 1st we will have a finished shower. Thank God. We picked out countertops today for the kitchen and bathrooms. It will be nice to have all that work done.

The World of Warcraft Expansion came out yesterday. So far, very cool. The artwork is amazing. The quests are good, and the story is great. Blizzard truly has some talented employees.

Okay, that's all I got right now. I'm going to return to my latte here at Thunderbird.

Polls

2008-11-02T13:56:00.001-06:00

The AP poll makes sense to me. The ordering in several situations seems to be determined by true on-the-field matchups and such. The coaches poll is absolutely out-of-whack with reality. OU ahead of UT? Huh??

ugh

2008-11-02T00:12:00.000-05:00

Well, that game was an emotional roller coaster.

Not keeping up

2008-10-20T23:40:00.003-05:00

I have very much not been keeping up with things.

Last Saturday was pretty fun. I went to help out with LCCS #3 and decided to actually race the beginner race. Cyclocross is an odd sport. You ride effectively a road bike with knobby tires over grass. You occasionally have to get off of your bike and either 1) run through sand, 2) jump over barriers, or 3) run up a hill. Sometimes combinations of these things. To say I did poorly is an understatement. I actually would have done less poorly had it not taken me 45 seconds to remember how to put a dropped chain back on. But still... I could tell on the first lap that my legs didn't know what intensity was.

But was it fun? Of course! As somebody told me afterward, I beat all the people who didn't bother to show up. It was fun to actually put on my UT kit and go race again. I mean, I'm technically no longer on the UT team, but it was still fun. I plan to do it again this Saturday. The rumor is the big man may actually show up as LCCS #4: Austincross is presented by Mellow Johnny's.

Harry is arriving in Austin tomorrow and staying with us. That should be fun! :)

Lots of stuff is going on at work. All of it is interesting. I hope to actually be able to finish all of it as well.

We have contacted a few people for prices on the work to the condo. Yes, we may actually have a fixed condo eventually.

I am excited to see UT play so well in football. They look really solid on both sides of the ball. It's a pretty intense schedule, and if they can make it through the next two weeks unscathed, that will be impressive.

I have a haircut tomorrow. Not sure if I'm going to do anything different. But, I need to get some sleep.

New Boots

2008-10-05T00:11:00.002-05:00

So we went out to dinner tonight to Enoteca Vespaio. Very tasty. But the main point of this post is to discuss my new acquisition in footwear.

I've always wanted some cowboy boots. Well, there was a significant wait at the restaurant, so we were wandering around on SoCo in the various stores, and we went in the boot store. So I found this pair of boots, tried them on, and after discussing proper boot fit with the sales guy decided, I'm finally going to do... I'm going to get these boots. So here they are:

NBC is not on my TV

2008-10-03T10:25:00.002-05:00

After we got home from a lovely time at the Bircher's watching the debate (resistin' urge of makin' fun at Gov. Palin... oops, failed) I noticed it was 3 minutes after midnight. I then switched on the TV and tuned into the cable channel where KXAN (our local NBC affiliate) usually is. Instead of Conan I found a looping message saying that KXAN was being unreasonable. Both sides are screwing the consumers over. I hope they come to an agreement before Monday... I want my Heroes and Chuck!

Not the ACL post

2008-10-01T10:37:00.003-05:00

Need to get pictures and movies off of the camera for that one.

Another edition of the dirt derby last night. The A mountain bike race went from fast to silly fast to "yooooo." The lead guy sped up so much that we ended up making his race too short, but other people were still out there a little long. But it seems like good times were had by all. This Saturday is the first event in the Lonestar Cyclocross Series at the 2nd Annual Pflugerville Grand Prix. If you have any interest in cyclocross, and have a bike that won't break in the dirt, then head on up Saturday morning.

Weeks are going by really quickly.

Today is the first LASR Colloquium that I'm not hosting. I'm glad that it has been a success, but it is weird to let it go. I mean, I'm not all torn up about this or anything, it's just a little weird. But, it's in good hands with one of my fellow LASRians, so I know it will continue to go on and get better.

One thing that has come up with this whole "economic crisis" is that apparently less people will be business/finance majors as the lucrative payout of being an investment banker has lost its luster. They think CS enrollment will grow. In a purely selfish light, this is good for me as if enrollments grow that means that schools will be more likely to hire new professors.

But there is a disturbing trend that comes out there. Do that many people really pick their college major based on what is going to make them the most money? I truly find that sort of disturbing. An undergraduate education should teach one how to think and give you an opportunity to learn about a field that you have a passion for, or at least find interesting. I think too many people think of college as an entitlement certificate for making money. Are there really that many people who just suffer through all of their classes in college because they know they'll make a lot of money? How miserable of an existence is that? College is an amazing opportunity... something I feel too many of us take for granted these days. I find it disturbing that so many people are wasting it so that they can get whatever job is hot right now and attain, "success." Success is being truly happy and fulfilled intellectually and spiritually... success is not making 300k a year when you're 24.

ACL Post coming

2008-09-30T07:53:00.002-05:00

We have a good bit of pictures, and I need to recap all the bands we saw. I want to do a proper job, however. Anyway, just wanted to let everybody know (all 10 of you) that a proper ACL post is on the way.

An Experiment

2008-09-26T10:01:00.000-05:00

Yeah... we'll see how this goes.

Fountain pen restored

2008-09-25T12:04:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite, if at times not used, possessions was the fountain pen that Carrie gave me as a wedding present. I have a things for fountain pens. It's sort of funny... I work in a field that is responsible for the lack of people actually writing yet I yearn for the tradition of fine paper, fine pens, and beautiful, rich inks. I'm weird what can you say. So Carrie gave me this beautiful Italian pen. It was simple, but gorgeous. Well, at some point during the Spring I had decided to actually start using it. What's the good of just looking at it?

I was at Thunderbird working one day and after I got home I realized I didn't have my pen. I went by there and there was no pen to be found. I think somebody took it while I was in the bathroom. Anyway, I felt really bad. I mean... I just lost my wedding present for goodness sakes. Carrie wasn't mad (because she's awesome) and I just felt like a dolt.

Though... I really missed my pen. Well, the next several months were dominated by me finishing my degree, so my longing for the pen sort of got pushed onto the back burner. After I graduated, however, I felt the need to replace my pen.

Here's a basic fact: fountain pens are way expensive. There exist some absolutely gorgeous pens out there, and man, do they make you pay for them. But then I found a pen by Pelikan that seemed to have good reviews, and was significantly cheaper than the other pens that I liked. I was actually able to find it on significant sale, so I felt this was the time to get it. I also got myself a bottle of blue ink... I have a nice gray, and a really subtle grass green, but I really felt that I need some blue.

So my pen arrived yesterday, and I'm very happy. Maybe it's my fascination with the tradition of academia, but I feel that there is something special about writing things down. I should do it more. So now I have my new pen (I still miss my old one, though, and always will!) and am ready to write!

Siiiike

2008-09-23T08:49:00.004-05:00

That would be what the weather is saying right now. After last week's gorgeous weather, we are back into the 90s. First day of Fall? Not here! Bleh. It's almost October, I just wish it would feel like it.

We went up to Dallas this weekend. For all of the djwhitebread readers who don't know, my parents are moving away from Dallas and going back to Baton Rouge. It is kind of strange for me as I was still somewhat young (19) when they moved away, so I've become an adult with them living in Dallas. When I think of Baton Rouge I don't really think of them being there. Anyway, it will be a new adventure like everything in life; we just see where things go and try to enjoy what we have. :)

We had a great meal at The Grape. We talked about how when my parents took us and Richard and Mary there and Richard ordered a drink for dessert. ;) That restaurant has been sort of a staple of life in Dallas, so it was cool to go back one more time.

We gave my parents a webcam for their collective birthday. It's cool to talk over skype. There is something more real about seeing somebody's face while you're talking to them, even if it is over the internet. So if you have a web camera, and I know you, let me and Carrie know!

Work is going well. This is the first time in my life that I actually am enjoying having more than one thing to focus on. I think the dissertation process sort of burned me out on just looking at one thing for a while. It's nice to think about different things. The trick is making the context switches efficient... if you can pull that off you're golden.

Tonight I'm once again headed to the dirt derby. If you live in or around Austin, own a mountain or CX bike, and are in the least bit competitive (even against yourself!) you need to be out here tonight.

I guess that's all I have at the moment. I need to be more consistent with the blogging. I've been going on a weekly basis lately, but I hope to step that up some. The more you write, the easier it is to write. Strange. Happy Tuesday!

Fall?

2008-09-15T10:05:00.003-05:00

The weather here is supposed to be pretty nice this week. No 90s all week, temperatures in the 60s in the morning. I'm pretty thrilled.

I went for a bike ride yesterday. That was an interesting experience... that first time you really get back on the bike after a long absence is always weird. Not only do your legs get tired, you feel fatigued in weird ways because you just aren't used to riding a bike anymore. Hip flexers, hamstrings, back. Just odd feelings. By the end of the ride it was pretty warm, so I think I'm still somewhat dehydrated. It was a nice ride though.

There are certain things around town that I've ridden so many times that I can use them to gauge my relative fitness. Getting up the Far West pedestrian bridge is one of those things. When I've been more in shape, getting up it is not even really a concern. I stay in a decent gear and just push right up. When I'm out of shape (like yesterday) I have to drop it into the 23 really early and just slowly grind up. It's amusing how these little tests crop up. Going up a little bit of 360 yesterday I was going so slowly up the hills. I had neither power nor aerobic fitness, so I was just slowly turning the pedals in my easiest gear. I couldn't push even if I had wanted to.

The nice thing about bike riding is how much just being consistent will make you stronger. You don't really have to do anything too crazy... it's just about making getting on your bike a habit. I'm really hoping to get that going. Though, I know I sound like a broken record some times. I'm enjoying the strength routine that I'm doing at the gym, and I just hope to get my aerobic fitness back on track by consistent cycling.

For those who love fresh mozzarella.

Okay... have a good week everybody!

The Ike question

2008-09-11T16:53:00.002-05:00

Everybody here is wondering if Ike is going to make it to Austin. Currently it looks like we're only going to run into the "dry side" of the storm, so we may not get much of anything. But you never know.

I got my new computer for work. It's a white MacBook, and it is really nice. A definite upgrade over the old Powerbook.

Not too much else on the top of my head a the moment. Take it easy.

At school

2008-09-03T14:52:00.003-05:00

While I don't yet have a laptop to call my own, I still do have my CS account, and I have tracked down a public workstation to use. The seminar series I have put on for the last year and a half starts up today at 4 PM, so I felt the need to actually show up to school, regardless of the laptop.

We had a great time at the party this weekend. Thanks again to everybody who was able to make it. The margarita machine was a big hit. I think people enjoyed the food and it seemed like people had a good time.

The dirt dirby started up last night in earnest. It was a lot of fun, even though I didn't race at all. ;) If you have a mountain or CX bike and you live in Austin, you need to come out and do this. There are three skill levels and the dirt provides a very safe racing environment. Not to mention it's under the lights, so the darkness doesn't matter. Come on out!

I am now officially a post-doc. It's strange to not be a student. I also have forgotten just how crowded campus is during the school year, especially in the beginning of the fall semester because everybody actually still feels the need to show up to class. ;)

College football started this past weekend. The Tigers and Horns took care of business, but unfortunately Carrie's Aggies weren't so lucky.

Carrie and I got a lot of stuff done around the house on Monday, which was fun. The kitchen cabinet is painted and filled back up. It's cool to actually see our cabinets all be white, and all have doors. We did some serious cleaning, and I was even able to fit in a trip to Fry's to get a few necessary items.

I have always made a point not to discuss politics on here, but this election is just getting so wacky I may have to break my rule. But I'm holding out as long as I can.

Finally, I'm very glad to know that the family all made it through Gustav. It sounds like a large number of trees came down. Baton Rouge has some gorgeous trees, so I'm curious to know how many of the big oaks took a hit. Here's hoping they get the power on sooner than later... 3 weeks with no power starts to become a real problem.

Happy Wednesday!

Shower

2008-08-29T09:50:00.002-05:00

The handyman guy is putting the final touches on the siding outside. That's right... we have a functional shower again. It has been exactly three weeks since we stopped using our shower. I am very happy that this is all done.

The amusing thing was the plumbing repair took literally 10 minutes. The shower pipe just had to be reconnected. That was it. However, getting there took a little longer.

There was the outside siding. Then foam insulation. Then the original masonite siding, which had to be sawed through. Then backer board, which had to be sawed through. Then finally, the puffy fiberglass insulation that just got pulled off... and then, there were the pipes. Amazing... all that for such a simple fix. Our next residence needs to have special plumbing access doors. This is ridiculous.

But, the net effect is that I have a shower. Thank God.

Bathroom update

2008-08-26T16:50:00.001-05:00

There is a strong possibility that the guest bathroom will be back to functional as of Friday. I'll see it when I believe, but here's hoping.

Lazy Saturday

2008-08-23T14:25:00.002-05:00

We're taking it easy today. It's nice. I think I might try to get some more painting done on the new cabinet in the kitchen before the day is out. I also intend to make it to the gym... both to work out, and of course, because they have a working shower.

The Olympics are coming to an end. It's always sad when they end because they are so much fun to watch. I still can't believe both of the USA 4x100 teams dropped the batons. That's pretty amazing.

I went swimming yesterday... sort of. All gains achieved in the beginning of the summer were gone. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised considering I haven't done anything for the past several months. But, I would like to keep it up and get back to being able to actually do a swim workout. I am thinking of getting on my bike tomorrow. That should be exciting. I'll probably take it pretty easy as I haven't done anything in a while. I think the last time I rode was in June, and I was actually starting to feel pretty good on the bike. But I know that will probably have disappeared at this point. Consistency is the key in getting back that aerobic fitness, so we'll see if I can actually get in a routine.

I'm really loving the watch that Carrie gave me as a graduation present. I've never really had a real "grown-up" watch. It's nice because while it is very pretty, it isn't too big or gaudy. It's just right.

I started to get back to work this week, and I'm really excited about the directions I am going to be pursuing this semester research-wise. I don't remember, actually, the last time I've been this inspired about research. It's amusing, because right before the defense and right after, I really was just so tired of looking at the stuff. It helps that we're taking a little bit different of an approach now, but mainly, I'm working with some new people and that I think is injecting a great amount of excitement into the work.

So my official title this semester is going to be, "Postdoctoral Fellow." It sounds so fancy.

Well, I think I might go try to get that painting done. It involves oil-based paint (yuck) but it will be nice to just get it done and off the queue.

I hope everybody has a good Saturday!

Relax

2008-08-19T13:47:00.001-05:00

Last week was the most stressful 8 days of my life. Starting with the second broken shower and the laptop theft, and ending with turning in my forms a 7 days later, I don't think I've ever been that stressed. But, it's all over. Yesterday was the official, "graduation," and the day on which the university officially confers diplomas. So yep, it's now officially: Taylor L. Riche', Ph.D. Hard to imagine.

This afternoon I'm going to tackle getting rid of the remaining tile in the master bathroom. It has to come down. I'm also going to call the plumbers as I still haven't heard from them regarding an estimate.

Anyway, I hope everybody is taking it easy. Later!

Acknowledgments

2008-08-15T15:17:00.001-05:00

First, I want to begin my thanking my wife, Carrie. Her love and support is unbounded. Specifically, I want to thank her for one thing that relates directly to this dissertation. I was working at IBM in 2001 when I was accepted into the doctoral program in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. I was somewhat hesitant to quit my job; I honestly had not expected to get in. I figured I would get into the Masters program and go back part-time.

Everything changed when I got that acceptance letter. I had been given the opportunity to pursue my dream that I had had since I was 13: to get a Ph.D. and become a professor. Still, I was not sure. I remember telling Carrie that I had been accepted. We were not dating at the time, but we were close friends, and she was so happy for me. It was this excitement that helped reignite my own dream and made me realize that we only get to live the dreams we follow. I remember telling her that I had decided to accept the offer, quit my job, and come back to school full time. She seemed proud and happy that I made that decision, and seeing her response filled me with joy. We started dating my first year of graduate school and got married two years later. It has been the best four and a half years of my life since March 13, 2004. I dedicate this dissertation to her, but she shares that line with two other important people.

My parents, Robert and Bobbie Riche, have always supported me throughout my life. I was not a tough kid or an athletic kid. I was a smart kid who liked to talk a lot. My parents always listened, though. My parents always encouraged me to learn more. I thank them for instilling in me the passion for learning that has pushed me this far. I also thank them for teaching me that doing the right thing is right, regardless of how much it may hurt or inconvenience you. Most of all, I thank them for their constant love; without that I most definitely would not be here right now.

I would be amiss if I did not thank my adviser, Harrick Vin. The most important thing that Harrick has taught me is to always ask the question, ``Why?'' It is the perpetual asking, and answering, of this question that sets us apart as scientists. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Harrick at length about his time here at UTCS. Not only am I forever grateful for the lessons he has taught me specifically, I am very grateful for the hard work that he put into the last 15 years to make our department a wonderful place.

There is a chance that I may be Harrick's last doctoral student. While on some level I am honored, I feel more sadness about this fact than anything. I really hope one day I hear that I am no longer his last student, because UT is losing a great teacher and adviser.

Greg Lavender, my co-adviser, deserves my utmost thanks. During several rough parts of my career here, Greg was there to remind me of the positive things and help to get my spirits up and to keep me going. Also, I thank Greg for introducing me to the research areas of programming languages and software engineering. I knew nothing of these things. Greg's instruction in these areas has helped me develop a passion for an entire area of research I did not even really know about when I started.

I would like to thank all of my committee members for their insightful comments and suggestions: Mike Dahlin, Don Batory, and Raj Yavatkar. I hope to continue to work with all three of these great researchers and teachers and to continue to learn from them as well.

I thank Lorenzo Alvisi for continuing to remind me why I want to be a professor.

There are five graduate students that I have had the honor of knowing during the time I spent working on this dissertation---I want to thank them now. Ravi Kokku and Jayaram Mudigonda were mentors to me, and two people from whom I have learned so much. Jeff Napper, Harry Li, and Allen Clement have become some of my best friends and have continued to push me to work harder and smarter. Conversations with a white board and these five people have helped to push many of the ideas in this dissertation forward.

I thank all of LASR. This research group has been an amazing place to work and learn. Seeing it develop from a relatively small group to what it is today has been a great experience. Further, I thank Sara Strandtman for keeping LASR running. Nothing would actually work without Sara.

Finally, I thank God for giving me so many blessings in life. Reconciling faith and science is a tough thing to do, and it is always a work in progress. I feel that God wants us to learn and never stop asking questions. Treating faith as fact does not do the beautiful mystery that is faith justice, and using religion as a tool to judge and demean goes against everything God teaches us. I believe that God gives us all two very important things: brains and love. I intend to use both of these to their fullest extent for the rest of my life.

Taylor Louis Riche'

The University of Texas at Austin, 2008

Limbo

2008-08-13T10:13:00.003-05:00

I feel that I'm in a weird limbo right now. I have all the approvals I need, but I still have stuff to do on the actual document. It's an odd feeling. I think with these changes it will read pretty well. Today I hope to get two of the chapters redone, and get all of my illustrations made. Then I will spend tomorrow on the related work areas that I need to add and on polishing up the evaluation section.

Our new iMac is scheduled to arrive Friday morning by 10:30 AM so I am pretty pumped about that.

We are supposed to receive a quote about the guest shower repair today, so I really hope they can get that fixed tomorrow or Friday. I'll deal with the specifics of the master bathroom once we close the deal on the guest bathroom. Next week I'll at least have the time to go workout up at Pure Austin and take a shower there, which will be a nice change of pace from the shower at the gym on campus. Notice the use of the single article... "the" shower. Yeah, not a fan.

I am currently sitting in the discussion area on the corner of the sixth floor. I brought the laptop over here to work for a little bit. It's nice because it has a great view of downtown. I can see the capitol building, the Frost tower, and all the others. I love views.

Well, I'm going to dig into writing. Happy Wednesday!

Success

2008-08-11T18:29:00.002-05:00

Just to let everybody know, I passed my defense today. I have a good bit to do to my dissertation between now and Friday at 5PM when all the paper work is due, but being able to just work on the document and not have to worry about whether or not I'm going to pass is a nice feeling. I have all the signatures I need.

Today has been sort of a draining day. It finally all caught up to me a little while ago and I had to take a nap in the lounge... I all of a sudden felt completely and totally exhausted.

I had lots of good commentary from the committee. I think it is going to be fun over the next semester to work on stuff and really take Lagniappe to the next level.

I'm going to grab a light supper and some coffee. Thanks to everybody for the good wishes of luck that were sent my way. I really appreciate it. I could have not done this whole thing without the wonderful network of friends and family that I have! :)

So here we are

2008-08-11T08:41:00.002-05:00

Day of. Part of you never actually believe this day will come. But it has, and I'm pretty excited. And nervous... but pretty excited nonetheless.

I was hoping for a nice sunny morning... the sun in the morning I always find very peaceful. We have some clouds today, but they're supposed to burn off before too long, though apparently we're getting rain tomorrow, which is really needed.

I'll update the blog and twitter/facebook with the result. Wish me luck!

It's official...

2008-08-10T10:33:00.003-05:00

there are less than 24 hours until my defense. That fact (and the realization thereof) is totally blowing my mind.

I have some work to do today on the slides. Harrick is here, and we'll probably go through the slides this afternoon. I've tightened them up a good bit and added more contextual story, so I think the flow is much improved.

Showering at the gym is kind of a pain, I'm not going to lie. I'm sure the plumber is going to call me during my defense tomorrow to give me the quote on the outside work to fix the guest bathroom. Note to self... turn off cell phone.

So Friday was pretty unpleasant, I think most people will give me that. But honestly, I am still thankful of all the wonderful blessing and opportunities I've been given in my life. Yeah, I can't shower at home and my laptop got stolen... but I still have a wonderful, loving, beautiful wife. I still have a fantastic family that has always supported me. I have amazing friends who I count as family. And barring disaster, I should have a Ph.D. in the next week. All in all, I really can't complain. There are so many people out there in the world who have nothing, and who face horrible injustice everyday that I really can feel nothing but lucky.

And regarding the person who actually stole the laptop. I mean, yes I am angry at them. But most of all, I just feel pity for somebody who's life has gotten to the point where stealing something like that is the best option. It's sad, and that is the feeling that I have when I think about it all.

But like I said, there's too much good in my life to be sad or angry for more than a little bit. Time to focus on the good, focus on the work, and get through these last few days and the defense tomorrow morning.