More than meets the eye

As a child, I was always entranced by robots. Whether it was in cartoons that showed us "visions of the future", Robotech, Transformers, or in video games like Virtual ON, robots were always present in my imagination. Everytime I see articles describing what new advanced scientists have made in robotic engineering, I always read over it and research where we are. But listed below is a cool piece on something the Mythbusters did with a robotics kit from Radio Shack.

Mythbusters Test the VEX Robotics Design System: Article 1

Mythbusters Test the VEX Robotics Design System: Article 2

I have seen things no one else has seen ...

Not really, but I have had a good time this past week.

At work, my training has completed. Had a good time working with some of the other departments within our IT division. I may have even learned a few things, but I try to keep them from knowing that.

Between the end of my training and the resumption of my normal work week, I had 4 days off. So I flew out to visit a friend of mine in San Jose, CA. The weather was pretty cold (at least compared to what we are getting in Florida), but overall I cannot complain. Met my friend at his work on Saturday. Learned a little about what he does, and then we went out and met his girlfriend and some of their friends for some drinks and dinner. We first went off to the Tonga Room, which is a cool Polynesian-themed bar. Had a drink or two there, then we met the rest of our group at a sushi restaurant in San Francisco. Sushi was pretty good, but they did not have a Volcano Roll of some kind so their rating is lowered a little in my book. After dinner, I realized I had been nearing about 24 hours of being awake so I felt like I should get to my hotel room and check in. It was a 40-45 minute drive over to the hotel from San Francisco and luckily I only attempted to kill myself once (I don't know what it is about driving that puts you to sleep, but I gotta stock some Full Throtle or Bawls next time). Sunday we ended up going around San Jose and hanging out. I asked him about the working environment out there, as well as what companies are where. Monday we went back over to San Francisco to Chinatown. Bought a couple of DVDs, Tom-Yum-Goong and The God of Cookery, then purchased some freshly baked pork buns from a local bakery. I always enjoy the area of Chinatown as it is so different than anything I am used to where I live. The trip pretty much ended here, as I had a full day of travel on Tuesday to get back home. I already plan on going back for at least a week next time.

God, there's really nothing else to talk about. St. Patrick's Day today, but I haven't been feeling too well so I don't know if I will do anything other than sleep.

Link time:

• Well, I guess I know some people who will never get prostrate cancer.
• For my next gaming rig setup, I would like to have this.

Hope everyone is doing well, and I will post more soon.

Still fat, just not as much

Oh, forgot to post this earlier. Had my body fat % and weight done at the gym the other day. Weighed in at 174 lbs. again (no change) but only went down to 20.8% body fat. I really wanted to be lower than that, preferably sub-20% so I am not too happy. Need to work out harder and faster I guess. Bah.

And looking back, I see I haven't posted my progression for this three-month period. I stayed at roughly the same weight, going from 173 --> 174 --> 174 lbs. My body fat % has gone from 22.1% --> 21.2% --> 20.8%. So I am losing fat, but not at the rate I would like. And don't talk to me about how it takes time and I should be happy with any loss. I'm impatient and want to work harder.

I *really* need to get out of here

I can't wait for this week to be over. This will be my last week of "training" at work and then I'll be back on my 4-day work week. Feels like I've gotten a little worn down these last few weeks, so getting back to my normal schedule will probably help. A couple of other activities will help as well. Got somewhere to be tonight. Then I will be going on vacation this Saturday, March 11 through Tuesday, March 14. I will be visiting a friend of mine out in San Jose, CA. I go out to visit him about once a year, and I always have a good time. Got some plans for my time out there, and hopefully I'll be able to speak more on that later. Regardless, it's only Tuesday and I wish it were Friday already.

Fun links for the week:

• http://chrono.ocremix.org/ -- remixed songs from the RPG Chrono Trigger. I had a lot of friends who loved this game back in the day, so this is for all of them.
• Suntory has some commercials in Japan for some kind of FF “potion” energy drinks, linked here and here.
  
• This has got to be a joke. And if not, then I worry for my German heritage. Look everyone, it's Accordian Hero!
• Rockstar, makers of the Grand Theft Auto games, Manhunt and Red Dead Revolver have now come up with their most auspicious and violent game yet. Table Tennis!
• Ever wanted to build your own Linux distribution. Well, now you can.
• And for those of us that spend time posting stuff out on the web, here's a resource about free icons for use.

That's it for now. Later!

I need to get out of here

Sorry, posting from work right now. Shouldn't be doing this, but right now I don't care.

Not too much to talk about right now. Been trying to go to the gym consistently now, and eventually I may see some results. My gym attendance averages about 4 times a week now. Sometime this week I'll have my weight and body fat % taken, so we'll see if I have continued to lose fat.

I will be out of town in a couple of weeks. I will be visiting a friend of mine in San Jose, CA for a few days. It's partly a vacation, and partly personal work. I have certain expectations I want to meet for this trip, but I won't be too disappointed if nothing comes to fruition. At the very least, I just want to go out there and get to meet some people and do some social networking.

Will probably post some new links soon. I am working on a few personal projects which I hope to have finished shortly. Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll post again soon.

CCNA/CCDA Training: Day 6 & 7 Recap

OK, where did I leave off. Last time I spoke, I had just taken the ICND exam to complete my attempt to become a CCNA. I passed with a 900 out of 1000, and that combined with my 914 out of 1000 on the INTRO exam means I had achieved my goal of becoming a Cisco Certified Network Associate.

Now, during most of the training camp I did nothing except go to class and study in my room. There were 12 people attending this camp in Austin, TX and I met quite a few intelligent and cool people. After our ICND exam, I went out with two guys for a quick night on the town. Before leaving for Texas a friend of mine from work was giving me advice on where to spend my time in Austin. Evidently, the place to go in downtown Austin is 6th Street. So, we left off to eat and see what the big deal was about 6th. On a recommendation from our instructor we tried the Iron Works BBQ. The food there was excellent, as evidenced by the fact that the beef briskett could be cut with a plastic fork. From there we walked out to 6th Street and we stopped into a local pool hall. I can't remember the name, but this was a nice place to shoot pool. They had plenty of tables for billiards, as well as dart boards, foosball tables and shuffleboard tables. And let's not forget a good amount of beer on tap. We shot a couple rounds of pool, then headed back to the hotel because it would be back to work tomorrow.


Saturday we spent the entire day studying for the second certification offered in this course, the Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA). Our teacher pretty much admitted it was a joke that we were only taking one day to study for this exam, since we studied 5-6 days for the CCNA and the CCDA contained quite a bit of material itself. I honestly did not care too much about this certification. I mainly did this bootcamp to get the CCNA, so if I could get the CCDA on top of that then great. So, we worked through the material all day and then that evening I went out with two others to go to Chuy's. It's a Tex-Mex restaurant that was recommended to me and it did not disappoint. Really good food and service, and it was a good ending to my trip. We didn't go out on the town that evening, since most of us had to take our test in the morning and then we were all leaving to go home.

Woke up Sunday, grabbed some breakfast and met the others in the classroom. Took the CCDA exam at about 10:30. Only got a 600 out of 1000, but again I wasn't too interested in this certification so I wasn't too disappointed. Thanked the instructor, said goodbye to the people I met, and then headed for the airport. Had a bit of time to wait until my flight left for Houston, then once I arrived in Houston I had a slight layover until my second flight left for Tampa. I finally arrived home at about 23:15 EST. Got home, dumped my baggage on the floor and pretty much went to bed since I had work the next morning. But I got my CCNA, so it was a great trip and experience.

Argh

I don't know whether to curse Firefox or Blogger, but I had a pretty decent post going before one of the two crashed on me and I had to End Task to get out. Bah! Will try again later.

This is all you get for Valentine's Day

Choose one of the following cards ...

CCNA/CCDA Training: Day 5 -- Cram and Exam

So, all we did today was cram for our second exam. Those of us that passed the first exam last Tuesday were now taking the second part to the CCNA certification. So, after passing the first one (640-821 INTRO) I was now set to take the final part (640-811 ICND). Again, to make a long story short I needed to get a score of at least 849 out of 1000 to pass. I scored a 900.

CCNA/CCDA Training: Days 3 & 4

Thought I forgot to post, didn't you? Well, there really isn't much to say about yesterday or today. We moved on to studying for the second exam, so we covered a lot of new material yesterday from 09:00 - 21:00. It should be the same for today. I'll be studying like crazy tonight and tomorrow, so wish me luck.

CCNA/CCDA Training: Day 2 -- Subnetting and Examination

I am not going to go over most of the boring details of what went on today. Just know that most of the morning we covered the topic of Subnetting, as it has traditionally been a heavily tested subject on the CCNA exams. We pretty much spent most of the time up until our lunch working on this, which was fine with me because I wanted more practice.

For this class, we are testing for CCNA certification in two parts. The first test was this afternoon, where we could start it anytime between 16:00 -- 18:00. After lunch I was feeling pretty confident, and pretty much considered myself a subnetting god at that point. I spent a majority of my time before the test studying more on the concepts and troubleshooting aspects of routing, and I spent some time going over the router commands.

Ugh, I said I was going to spare you the details and here I am explaining the day to you in bloody, boring detail. To pass the first test, one needs to score an 825 out of 1000. I scored a 914.

You remember what ol' Jack Burton says at a time like that: Have you paid your dues, Jack? Yes, sir, the check is in the mail.

CCNA/CCDA Training: Day 1 (continued)

Well, we got the missing part that was necessary so we could connect our laptops (HP Compaq nx9010) to the Cisco 1600 router. So, I was able to get to work on about 5 labs today. And now I have homework. It's also 10:45 CST, so it would be nice if I am in bed by midnight. Tomorrow we get more lecture and work, and then in the evening we take the first part of the CCNA test (we are testing for the CCNA by taking two tests, one Tuesday and one Friday; CCDA will be tested on Sunday). Fun, fun.

On a totally different note, I must ask that all heterosexual men out there purchase the March 2006 issue of Stuff Magazine. The pictures aren't even up on the website yet, but the covergirl is Stacy Keibler from the WWE and also Dancing with the Stars. Christ, just look at the cover and buy this magazine.

CCNA/CCDA Training: Day 1

Class started at 08:00. For the rest of the week, we should be starting at 09:00, but today was an early start to get introductions and other incidentals out of the way. My class is pretty full as we are at 12 students. As usual, we all have varying degrees of competence when it comes to networking and Cisco products. Lecture pretty much began at 08:30 and went on until 13:00 when we stopped for lunch (We did have breaks for the instructor and others to take smoke breaks). Breakfasts and lunches will be provided for the entire week, which helps out. We came back to class at 13:30, and we were going through the material until we hit the point where we were just about to get into our first lab.

Now, the camp has provided each student with some items they can use for the duration of the camp. We were provided with 2 books, a CCNA Study Guide and a CCNA Cram Guide. We were provided with our own laptops (some type of Compaq) which have a lot of self-test materials pre-loaded. And then for use in the lab we have been provided with Cisco routers and switches. Our first lab is to connect to the Cisco router through a console connection and configure the router for use. We have been provided with a rollover cable, which allows us to connect to the RJ-45 port on the router through the Serial Port (RS-232) on the back of the laptop. Normally this would be no problem, except for one tiny little detail. There is no serial port on the back of these laptops. I have one on the back of my Dell Inspiron 8200 that I am using to write this, but there is no serial port on the back of the Compaq. So, we took an early break for dinner while they go find serial-to-USB adaptors. Even away from work, the fun never ceases.

Time's up, let's do this!

So, I am writing y'all from my hotel room here in Austin, TX. Met my training class instructor about an hour ago. It looks like the class will be fun since the instructor has a wealth of knowledge, both pertaining to Cisco and to utter nonsense. But make no mistake, it will also be a lot of work. Teach didn't give us anything to do for tonight, but he promised us pain for the rest of the week. OK, he really didn't do that either but he did say we were going to be in for 16-hour days. It should be fun.

Chuck F'ing Norris!

OK, I cannot find the article online yet, but the St. Petersburg Times has a front-page article on the Chuck Norris phenomenon. It was also being discussed on one local radio station, 97X, when I came in to work this morning. That's simply awesome.

We can rebuild him. We have the technology!

Earlier I had mentioned that I was trying to improve myself, professionally and personally.

On the personal side, I want to say that I have made a decent start. I go to the Total Blitz gym about 4 times a week, and I still manage to go to Bally Total Fitness at least once a week. I started this all on December 30, 2005. I weighed in at 173 lbs. and was at 22.1% Body Fat. My goal is to get down to about 14% Body Fat. I'm not too concerned with my weight, as I would love to weigh 165-170 lbs. if it was predominantly muscle. I don't know where I am after a month, but I honestly won't consider myself to be losing weight until I see inches come off my love handles and gut. I'll just have to work harder to achieve the goals I want.

On the professional side, I have signed myself up for accelerated computer training, i.e., a boot camp. Specifically, from February 6-12 I will be in Austin, TX working my ass off to get CCNA & CCDA certified. I am not being sent there by my company (although it is much appreciated that they are giving me payed time off to attend); I am paying out of my own pocket to take this course. I am excited and nervous. I believe this is the best action I can take, as I have found it harder to self-study for the CCNA certification. My hope is that by attending this boot camp I am placing myself in an atmosphere where I will thrive and learn. As opposed to reading a book on the subject, I will be able to engage in labs, simulations and lectures from a CCIE professional. I hope to be a CCIE myself someday, so this CCNA certification is the first step on that path. A friend and coworker of mine has already taken this course and has given me some good advice (doesn't hurt that I also see this in terms of a friendly competition as well, so I'll want to do as well as he did).

I haven't achieved my goal of finding a girlfriend, but then again I haven't really tried since I have this training class next week. Also doesn't help that I love geeky things like this:

• http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/timetravel1.htm
• http://www.gamerevolution.com/news/view.php?id=800
• http://blog.livedoor.jp/affilive/archives/50347434.html
• http://www.lemonzoo.com/funny_videos/216/tom_kills_oprah.html

Well, I hope to be updating you all next week from Austin. One friend of mine has already started suggested places for me to visit while I am there. I hope you all are well, and I will post again soon.

(Update, 02/02/2006: OK, I do know how well I've done working out this past month. My weight has risen to 174 lbs. but I went down to 21.2% Body Fat. So I am losing fat and building muscle. It's a good start.)

Quick post

Just wanted to post a link to some simple truths we should all be aware of. Enjoy the read if you decide to risk the link ;-p

... and yet not the way I would have liked to start off

So in my last post I spoke about how I would like to start off 2006 on the right foot, by getting myself in shape and working to increase my skills professionally. I joined a second gym and was being diligent in working out 3-5 times a week. Then I go and get myself sick.

I hate being sick, especially when all I've got is a slight case of a cold but it's enough to keep me from doing anything strenuous. I've had it for the past week, and made it through most of the stages (i.e., sore throat -> low fever -> stuffy/runny nose -> congestion/sinus pain -> cough) so I expect to be over it pretty soon. I just hate how I know I'm sick and feel winded by this illness, yet I think I can still go out an exercise. Either make me sick enough where I'm bedridden or leave me alone!

Anyway, that's enough of my whining. Got some things to work on today, but I hope to be posting again soon.

Starting the New Year off right

This is what I call a good start to the New Year.

The Bears are the NFC North Champions and the 2nd seed in the NFL playoffs.

The Buccaneers are the NFC South Champions and the 3rd seed in the NFL playoffs.


The Gators won the Outback Bowl by beating Iowa 31-24.

Spent New Year's Eve with all my friends at one of their houses. Had a very good time, but kind of took a laid-back attitude to it all. Plenty of food was eaten, but I didn't really drink much. Honestly didn't feel like it, and was driving that evening anyway. I never make any resolutions, but I do have some goals for this year.

1. Get in shape! I already have a membership to Bally Total Fitness which I use as much as I can, but sometimes I get lazy and don't drive out there to workout. Usually, this happens after I get home from work and I know I should workout but I end up staying home. Well, no more excuses. I joined a second gym, The Blitz, which opened up in the shopping center across the street from my neighborhood. It offers a complete workout in 20 minutes so I have no reason why I can't go there everyday. I just started with them, so I'll see how I look and feel in a couple of months.
2. Improve myself professionally! Lately I have not felt as though I have been accomplishing the goals that I have set for myself professionally. I honestly feel that I have let myself become complacent in terms of my job and skills, and as I look back I believe that I have wasted my talents in doing so. There is nothing wrong with my job, but I always set high expectations for myself and as I evaluate myself up to this point in my life I feel I haven't lived up to my standards. What I hope to do to change this is to get back in to programming, maybe learn a specific skill or get a certification (CCNA), or change my surroundings. It will also require me to make some changes to my lifestyle, mainly just set aside time to start educating myself but that is not a big deal and will only require some discipline.
3. Improve myself personally! Besides getting myself in to shape, I have also set aside some personal goals for myself. I would like to learn some foreign languages, as I have traveled quite a bit in my life and I would like to continue to do so (already planning on going back to Japan later this year). I would like to learn to play the guitar. And I would like to find myself a girlfriend.

Now, this all sounds like resolutions but I don't think so because I haven't set any kind of time frame on any of the goals I have listed. I know it will take time for me to achieve what I want, so I have no illusions about getting all this done this year. I will use this blog to make periodic updates on my progress on all these goals, and hopefully I will be able to look back at previous posts and see the differences.

Lastly, some of you may have noticed a new item up at the top-right of the blog. That would be my Xbox Live Gamertag. Yeah, if I wasn't enough of a gamer before now I have an Xbox 360. I never really intended to get one but circumstances brought one to me. I have to say it's a pretty neat little system. I only have two games for it, Dead or Alive 4 & Perfect Dark Zero, but that is good enough for now.

I hope everyone has gotten off to a good start here in 2006, and I wish you all well. Check back soon.

Hail to the Holidays

I always enjoy this time of year. Despite the increase in traffic everywhere I go, I have great fun around Christmas. Last week I attended two Christmas parties, and my thanks go to KS-1 & his wife, and Jersey & Jill for being such wonderful hosts. I would have liked to do more myself for Christmas, like send out Christmas cards to my out-of-town friends and buy some more personalized gifts for people instead of handing out gift cards. But regardless of that, I've had a great week.

Now, my family celebrates the entirety of Christmas on Christmas Eve. It's the way my Dad was raised, so it's been our tradition as well. I went to my parent's house yesterday afternoon and we had a nice, quiet dinner. My Dad had requested we have roast turkey, just like on Thanksgiving, which ended up tasting perfect. Round that out with some home made sides and it was the perfect meal. Afterwards we opened gifts. I didn't ask for much this year, but I received a nice set of martini glasses from my sister and her family, and from my parents I got some newer clothes. I also received many gifts from my friends, among them being some DVDs, shirts, games and books. But the best part for me now is hanging out with family and friends.

Being Christmas Day today, I find myself not doing too much. I've been catching up reading some magazines (Maxim, Play, Newtype) and I plan on watching some DVDs today. Also need to finish up Darkwatch and play some more of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.

Well, we're fast approaching the new year. I have some great hopes for next year, which I will expound upon at a later date. I hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy whatever you celebrate!