Completion of my Chainmail Shirt!Apr. 29, 2013

I have been making chainmail since 8th grade... Containing (as long as I didn't miscount or miscalculate) 27,305 rings and 653 meters (715 yards) of galvanized steel and brass wire, it took me over 150 hours... I timed my rate of chainmail-creation, from wrapping the wire into a coil to weaving the rings together... Read more → View Comments

SurveyMar. 26, 2013

I have been holding coffee shops on Tuesday nights for my fellow seniors. However, not everyone can come on Tuesdays, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to take a survey. It's very easy to create a form with Google Docs. You can see other people's responses after submitting your own or by clicking here.

TRISS and Site UpdatesMar. 10, 2013

It's been a long time since my last update. The primary reason is that I've been quite busy, and updating my website is not one of my top priorities. Now however, I have several updates to share! Make sure you totally refresh your browser (F5 or Ctrl-R) to get all the changes.

Firstly, I have added a page about a robot I created called TRISS, which you can find here. On that page you can see the next major change: I have moved all my activities to unique pages and added comments powered by Disqus. I'd like to add comments for each of my blog posts, too, but that will take some more changes in site design because Disqus allows only one comment box per page. For now if you'd like to say something about a post of mine, you can contact me directly.

Lastly, I would like to comment on the fact that according to Google Analytics, I've had 24 visits from Cambridge residents. As I've applied to MIT, I'm hoping it's their admissions officers! Admissions decisions are announced 3/14 at 6:28pm, which is Friday morning for me. And The Phantom of the Opera has some pretty cool music (I'm currently listening to them)!

Homepage Intro prior to Jan. 19, 2013

This is the first website I've ever created, and I'm coding it completely by hand. Bask in the glory of unadulterated CSS styling! Since some people disable JavaScript, I'm trying to avoid it for now. I may have some JavaScript in the future, but I don't think it should ever ruin functionality if it's disabled. If you want to make your own site, all I can say is start making it! This is the third time I've made significant changes, and the second I've completely re-built everything. Check my About page for some more info and help.

Jan. 19, 2013

I've added some content here on my Activities page, specifically some woodworking.

If you look closely at the cutting board, you'll notice that the horizontal strip of whitish wood actually has a whiter strip on the top half. This is because when I was carrying my cutting board home right after I finished it, I accidentally dropped it. And it broke. So I had to bring it back to school, sand out the broken edge, and glue in a strip of wood to bring the board back to a square. Unfortunately there was no more wood of the same type as the original, so the extra strip is a slightly lighter wood. In any case, though I would have preferred a perfectly matching strip, it isn't too noticeable, and overall I am satisfied.

I've also updated Bluefish to version 2.2.3 and installed enchant. Hopefully this means I'll have far fewer spelling errors. I've already found and corrected at least 10!

Jan. 3, 2013 - SUPER EXTRA BONUS

Maybe this is not a bonus for you, but I've signed up for Google Analytics, which lets me track what people from where visit the different pages on my site. It tracks by user account and browser, so as far as I'm concerned it's completely anonymous. I'm fairly certain it works with cookies, so if you want to ensure anonymity, disable cookies.

Hopefully the statistics become a bonus for you, too, as I find out what people like looking at. Then I can spend more time posting content that more people like. If you want to see the site analysis, just come and ask me in person sometime and I'll be happy to show you, as long as I know and trust you sufficiently :)

P.S. I'm making yet another update in the same day for the heck of it. I discovered that site analytics were pretty simple to set up, so I did. And I figured all those privacy-minded people out there would appreciate the prompt notification.

Jan. 3, 2013 - BONUS UPDATE

I was with one of my friends, and he was showing me some stuff he found online. Most of it was pretty darn funny, and it worthy of re-posting. I looked for the original source online, but couldn't find it. The closest I could find was this. In any case, read, enjoy, and post it on your homepage.

You Might Be An Engineer If...

  • You have no life - and you can PROVE it mathematically.
  • You enjoy pain.
  • You know vector calculus but you can't remember how to do long division.
  • You chuckle whenever anyone says "centrifugal force".
  • You've actually used every single function on your graphing calculator.
  • It is sunny and 70 degrees outside, and you are working on a computer.
  • You frequently whistle the theme song to MacGyver.
  • You know how to integrate a chicken and can take the derivative of water.
  • You think in "math".
  • You've calculated that the World Series actually diverges.
  • You hesitate to look at something because you don't want to break down its wave function.
  • You have a pet named after a scientist.
  • You laugh at jokes about mathematicians.
  • The Humane society has you arrested because you actually performed the Schrödinger's Cat experiment.
  • You can translate English into Binary.
  • You can't remember what's behind the door in the engineering building which says "Exit".
  • You have to bring a jacket with you, in the middle of summer, because there's a wind-chill factor in the lab.
  • You are completely addicted to caffeine.
  • You avoid doing anything because you don't want to contribute to the eventual heat-death of the universe.
  • You consider ANY non-engineering course easy.
  • When your professor asks you where your homework is, you claim to have accidentally determined its momentum so precisely, that according to Heisenberg it could be anywhere in the universe.
  • The "fun" center of your brain has deteriorated from lack of use.
  • You'll assume that a "horse" is a "sphere" in order to make the math easier.
  • The blinking 12:00 on someone's VCR draws you in like a tractor beam to fix it.
  • You bring a computer manual / technical journal as vacation reading.
  • The salesperson at Circuit City can't answer any of your questions.
  • You can't help eavesdropping in computer stores... and correcting the salesperson.
  • You're in line for the guillotine... it stops working properly... and you offer to fix it.
  • You go on the rides at Disneyland and sit backwards to see how they do the special effects.
  • You have any "Dilbert" comics displayed in your work area.
  • You have a habit of destroying things in order to see how they work.
  • You have never backed up your hard drive.
  • You haven't bought any new underwear or socks for yourself since you got married.
  • You spent more on your calculator than on your wedding ring.
  • You think that when people around you yawn, it's because they didn't get enough sleep.
  • You would rather get more dots per inch than miles per gallon
  • You've ever calculated how much you make per second.
  • Your favorite James Bond character is "Q," the guy who makes the gadgets.
  • You understood more than five of these jokes.
  • You make a copy of this list, and post it on your door (or your homepage!)

Jan. 3, 2013

明けましておめでとうございます！

I had my birthday recently. I had an excellent chocolate cake, possibly the best I've ever had. It didn't look as nice as it could've, but I think that it's because we're at such a high altitude (5000+ ft.). In any case, here's the recipe:

Fudge Ribbon Cake slice

Fudge Ribbon Cake(from Pillsbury Kitchen's Family Cookbook)

Filling

  • ¼ c. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

Cake

  • 2 c. flour
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp soda
  • 1⅓ c. milk
  • ½ c. butter, softened
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 4 oz. (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted
  • 2 eggs

Frosting

  • ¼ c. butter
  • ¼ c. milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 6 oz. (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 c. powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease (not oil) and lightly flour bottom of 13x9-inch pan. In small bowl, blend all Filling ingredients 1 minute at low speed; beat at high speed until smooth. Set aside. In large bowl, blend all Cake ingredients at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour half of batter (about 2½ cups) into prepared pan. Spoon Filling over batter; spread carefully to cover. Spoon remaining batter by teaspoonfuls uniformly over Filling; spread to edges as evenly as possible. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. In small saucepan, heat butter and milk to boiling; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips. Blend in powdered sugar until smooth. If necessary, thin with milk to spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cake.

Dec. 30, 2012

This site has been online since the 23rd, and I've already had some excellent suggestions for improvement. Thank you all! Any other feedback is and always will be welcomed, as long as it is polite and constructive. See my contact page for up-to-date contact info.

I highly recommend this and this, in case you haven't noticed them yet.