I recently joined SIGGRAPH, the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. I thought this would be good to add to my resume and a good way to get more info about the graphics community. But I’m not an ACM member, so I still don’t have access to most of the information on the ACM website. I don’t really want to shell out $99 to become an ACM member after I already paid for a membership to SIGGRAPH, but maybe I will anyways… just have to decide if it’s worth it.

I’m going to start putting some occasional “Task” posts on my blog, where I’ll propose something (possibly off the wall) that I’d like to accomplish soon. For instance, I might say that I’ll start a new hobby, learn a new skill, or just do something simple like take pictures of certain things. Then I’ll update the post as I accomplish the tasks. I figure that if I make a post about it, I’d be more likely to push myself to accomplish those tasks.

(I guess you could say that this is the first “Task” post…)

I’d like to get a new vehicle pretty soon, but I don’t have anything really in mind. I’m being kind of picky, but that’s because I’d like to spend some money and get a brand-new car for its reliability. Here are my main priorities:

1. Reliability (also easiness to fix/least $$ to get fixed)
2. Looks/Overall enjoyment
3. Price (under $20–25k if possible)
4. Gas mileage
5. Insurance Rates

Some vehicles I’m kind of thinking about are a Dodge Dakota or a Ford Mustang, but they might not really fit the priorities very well other than #2 and maybe #1. I’m thinking about possibly going foreign, but I don’t know much about any foreign cars. Any suggestions?

The NBA Champion Detroit Pistons look to get even better next season. They’re almost ready to re-sign Rasheed Wallace and sign Antonio McDyess. They’ve just signed last year’s draft pick Carlos Delfino (who they’re saying should be real good). Take a look at the possible roster:

(Players in bold will probably be on the team)

• Ben Wallace (PF)
• Rasheed Wallace (F/C)
• Tayshaun Prince (SF)
• Chauncey Billups (PG)
• Richard Hamilton (SG)
• Antonio McDyess (PF)
• Carlos Delfino (F/G)
• Lindsey Hunter (G)
• Mike James (G)
• Corliss Williamson (SF)
• Darvin Ham (F) or Elden Campbell (C)
• Darko Milicic (F/C)

Jacob Koczman, an old neighbor of mine who moved away about 8 years ago, tried out for this year’s Olympics and got 8th place in the 800-meter. He won’t be in this year’s Olympics, but he is going to aim for the 2008 Olympics. Check out the article I came across.

Most people have probably heard that you should drink 8 glasses of water per day, but is that really true? Many health experts say no. They say that most Americans are well hydrated, mostly because there’s a good amount of water in food, and that water in coffee and soft drinks can actually help our bodies. (See the articles from Dartmouth Medical School, CBC News, and an LA Times writer.)

Personally, I feel better if I try to drink more water (and less pop). What do you think?

I don’t read a lot of books, but The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is definitely one to check out!! It’s a hilarious science fiction story about an adventure in space. There are lots of subtle jokes that can make you laugh at life as we know it. They are actually working on a movie based on this book. One of my favorite quotes from the book is below:

“You cannot see what I see because you see what you see. You cannot know what I know because you know what you know. What I see and what I know cannot be added to what you see and what you know because they are not of the same kind. Neither can it replace what you see and what you know, because that would be to replace yourself.”�

It seems like nonsense, but it really does makes sense in that each and every person has their own perception of the world. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you like action-packed, wacky comedies and have an open mind. (You really have to read it to understand what I’m trying to say.)

Do you believe in superstitions, such as a full moon bringing bad luck? I wouldn’t say that I’m superstitous, but some things make me wonder…

Just the other day, everything seemed to be going wrong at work, one thing after another. After awhile, I started wondering if there was a full moon. I had no idea if the moon was even close to being full, but later on I found out it in fact was a full moon!! This has actually happened several times, and I never knew beforehand if it was a full moon or not!

Have you ever had experiences like this? If not, try paying attention on days that things just seem to go wrong, and see if it happens to be a full moon.