[Kylan's Blog] Classes Canceled, Mass Confusion

It snowed A LOT last night, and I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. Of course, with snow drifts up to my knees, walking in that winter wonderland was not a pleasant proposition.  My roomates and I checked the WSU website and our email accounts, hoping that classes would be cancelled. Nothing. Then, right as I was about to leave for my 9AM class, Matt found a message that said WSU would be closing at 10. What?? Did that mean I still had to go to school? I don't understand how it could be more treacherous to venture onto campus after 10AM than before. Confused, I trudged off to my class.

Once I arrived at Sloan, no one knew what was going on. The only certain thing was that most people had chosen to stay home. When I arrived at my classroom, there were only two other students there. We all took out our laptops to find out what was going on, but myWSU had crashed due to too much traffic. Eventually we concluded that classes were in fact canceled.

I think it's interesting that everyone was so confused this morning. With the amount of snow we got, closing down the campus seems like a no-brainer. During the summer, WSU installed a very expensive campus-wide emergency alert system. It was designed for situations exactly like this, serving information to students via phone calls, emails, text messages, and loudspeakers during confusing and potentially dangerous times. Today, in my opinion, the system flat out failed. It was unable to coordinate a timely response to a predicted winter storm, so how effective would it be in an unexpected situation like a terrorist attack? The administration needs to find out what went wrong and fix it before next time.

[Six Weeks in Rwanda] Truman Award Update

I was able to finish the application for the Truman Award with plenty of time to spare. Jutta offered to nominate me, and Colleen and Dr. Pedrow were kind enough to write my reference letters. I sent all of the materials to Jutta on Monday, and she received them today. Now it's up to the judges...

[Kylan's Blog] FAWM Banner

[Kylan's Blog] February: A Month of Music

A few days ago I wrote about joining the RPM Challenge, a project where Jaron and I will record a ten-song album over the course of next month. Today I signed up for another complimentary project called FAWM, the 5th annual February Album Writing Month. For this endeavor, I will try to write 14.5 songs during February 2008.  (The half song comes from collaborating with someone else, and is included in the project because the idea is to write one song for every two days.)  My strategy will be to record my FAWM songs for RPM. If Jaron decides to join FAWM as well, we will have a larger 'songbook' to draw from as we record.

One of the things I like about FAWM is the way participants are encouraged to provide feedback on other artists' songs. Also, I like the fact that the project has a weekly theme that participants are encouraged to follow. For instance, last year one challenge was to title a song after a street name.

It going to be a melodic month! Check the DupyBlog for lyrics, and watch the DupyCast for recordings.

[Kylan's Blog] Quicksilver and Mouseless Computing

I just discovered an application called Quicksilver. If you're a Mac user, I highly suggest that you install it on your machine. Quicksilver allows you to launch applications and perform all sorts of tasks with a few simple keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are great because they avoid keyboard-mouse-keyboard transfers. These transfers take time, and can end up cutting down on productivity. I've already learned a bunch of shortcuts to use in Gmail and Google Reader, and now Quicksilver will help me streamline more of my computer-related activities.

Firefox Shortcuts
Mac OS X Shortcuts
Gmail Shortcuts
Google Reader Shortcuts
Emacs Commands
vi Commands

[HiPerCoPS] A First Try at Multiplier Algorithms

Unsigned Multipliers

Create a square array of cells:

a[n/m][n/m]

Assign functions to each cell:

for(i = 0, i < n/m, i++)
   for(j = 0, j < n/m, j++)
     a[i][j] = A                       //all cells are of type A
   end
end

Two's Complement Multipliers

Create a square array of cells:

a[n/m][n/m]

Assign functions to each cell:

• configure the first row-

  a[0][0] = B                        //upper left cell is of type B
   for(i = 1, i < n/m, i++)
     a[0][i] = A                      //the rest of the row is of type A
   end

• configure the inner rows-

  for(i = 1, i < n/m - 1, i++)       //iterate through the inner rows
     a[i][0] = D                      //the first cell of each inner row is of type D
     for(j = 1, j < n/m, j++)
       if(j = i)
        a[i][j] = C                  //the diagonal positions are of type C
       else
        a[i][j] = A                  //all others are of type A
       end
    end
  end

• configure the last row-

  a[n/m - 1][0] = H                  //the lower left corner is of type H
   a[n/m - 1][n/m - 1] = E            //the lower right corner is of type E
   for(i = 1, i < n/m - 1, i++)
     a[n/m][i] = F                    //all of the others are of type F
   end

[HiPerCoPS] System Diagram

Over the weekend I came up with a preliminary system diagram for the project. It's still pretty high-level, but it includes three modes of functional unit creation:

1. Library Based
2. Algorithmic
3. User Specified

The library based mode will be utilized for common functional units. For instance, multipliers and adders with simple dimensions will be found in most applications. Instead of spending time and resources to create these functional units dynamically, a predetermined optimal layout can be looked up from a library.

For functional units with well-known behaviors but uncommon dimensions, the application can determine their layout by using an algorithm. This saves the user time and effort by allowing them to ignore the inner workings of the functional unit.

The user specified mode requires the formatted user input to define the exact layout of the functional unit. This will be good for designs that don't fit into either of the other categories.

[Kylan's Blog] RPM Challenge Enrollment

Jaron and I have just enrolled in the RPM Challenge. The goal of this project is to get a bunch of people to record 10-song albums during the month of February. The RPM Challenge website explains all of the details, and has a complete jukebox of the 850+ albums produced last year. We're calling our group DupyBand, and we'll be posting our songs to the project site as well as the DupyCast. Should be fun, more details to come.

[Kylan's Blog] Water Torture

There's been a lot of talk in the news lately about waterboarding, and I think everyone is familiar with the old concept of Chineese water torture. Well, a couple of nights ago my MacBook underwent it's own version of water torture. I was at Kristen's duplex and had brought her a glass of water while we were watching TV. She didn't see the water on the coffee table, and accidentally knocked it over with her foot. The glass proceeded to spill its contents over everything on the table, including my poor laptop.

I rushed to get some paper towels and dry it off, and then I shut it down and took out the battery. By acting quickly, I hoped to prevent any of the electronic components from shorting out. The MacBook was left to dry overnight, but I was dismayed to find that it wouldn't power up the next day. Thankfully, though, I was able to coax it back to life with some strategic hair blow drying.

During the few hours when I thought my MacBook had gone to laptop heaven, I couldn't decided if I was sad or elated. I really like this machine; it's my favorite computer I've ever owned. However, this situation also presented me with the possible opportunity to buy a new computer (remember, Apple just unveiled the MacBook Air). In the end, though, I'm very glad this computer came back to life, because it saves me the pain of spending a couple thousand dollars on something new.

[Six Weeks in Rwanda] A Linux Distro for Rwanda? Part II

A while back, I made the case for a custom Linux distribution designed specifically for Rwanda. As it turns out, this is much easier than you might expect. When I have some time, I'd really like to take a shot at doing it. Lifehacker recently linked to this Information Week article , and this prompted me to look into the prospect of rolling a distro all by myself. I could make a number of different flavors of the operating system, tailoring specific packages and applications for the governments, the schools, or the telecenters. A more generalized version could even be targeted for Swahili-speaking countries or even Africa as a whole. The first step will be to choose an initial target audience and select a suite of applications appropriate for their needs. Stay tuned.

[Kylan's Blog] Green Handkercheifs

Since it's cold and flu season, there are a lot of people buying boxes and packs tissues. Runny noses are annoying and need to be wiped often. I'm surprised, though, in this age of An Inconvenient Truth and carbon footprints, that Kleenex and the related brands are doing so much business. There is a stigma against cloth tissues because they are seen as "gross," but I think they must be more environmentally friendly than tissues made from trees. They're reusable and can be made completely from sustainable resources. Here's my idea: enviro-conscious people can start walking around with green colored cloth handkerchiefs, blowing their noses in support of the environment. This could become a big hit, with celebrities joining the craze and so on. Just remember... I thought of if first.

[Six Weeks in Rwanda] WSU Rwanda Commercial

In 2006, I went to Rwanda on an internship with Washington State University's Center to Bridge the Digital Divide. My team helped establish an Internet telecenter in a rural village, and WSU decided to make a television commercial about it. Now they show it on television during breaks of Cougar football and basketball games.



I found some discussion of this commercial on the Spokesman Review's website. Check it out, it's kind of fun.

[Six Weeks in Rwanda] Paul Rusesabagina

These are some notes I took at a lecture by Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the Academy Award nominated film Hotel Rwanda. He visited Washington State University on February 7, 2006.

1. "You can always find a solution."
2. "You can always get what you want."  (when talking about cramming 32 people into a car and a van)
3. he called the Mille Colline "a small island of fear in a sea for fighting"
4. the phone lines were cut, but the fax machine still worked
5. the UN's 2500 person peacekeeping force was reduced to 260
6. he tried "calling the White House to shame them into helping"
7. April 23
   1. woken up at 6AM after going to bed at 4AM
   2. at gunpoint, told to get all refugees out of the hotel
   3. negotiated for 30 minutes to get dressed
   4. used that time to call Rwandan generals
   5. was able to avoid any deaths
8. the refugees at the hotel were forced to drink the water in the pool and eat only corn and beans
9. the dead bodies on the side of the road were all people that Paul knew, lived with
10. the hotel used generator for a while, but they all broke down, they lived without any electricity
11. his wife was injured in the first evacuation attempt, was bedridden for weeks
12. the people at the hotel established a "blood brotherhood"
    1. if the parents were killed, the eldest child was in charge
13. Paul told a military officer "one day this will all end and you and I will have to face history"
14. he went to ask Gen. Bizimungu for protection
    1. militia men entered the Mille Colline
    2. Bizimungu and Rusesabagina went to Mille Colline
    3. Bizimungu stopped the militia men just as the refugees were about to be killed
    4. they had been dragged out of their rooms and been made to kneel at the edge of the pool
15. after the genocide, dogs were fighting over human flesh, flies were everywhere
16. Paul returned to Kigali after evacuating to the RPF side
    1. reopened the two hotels in July
17. "the best fight is to fight with words" "the best fight is to win because you are stronger"
18. "with a gun, you can win for a day"
19. he was almost assasinated in September, fled to Belgium
20. there is genocide happening right now in Burundi, Uganda, Darfur, and the Congo
21. "never again are the two most abused words" "they have become again and again"
22. What we can do
    1. raise awareness
    2. freeze Darfur oil money
    3. "one day they will have to face history"
    4. "they are calling fro the darkness, somewhere from a forgotten continent"

[Kylan's Blog] Last.fm

I've just started using Last.fm, a popular Internet music service. It allows you to listen to streamed music while learning your style preferences and targeting content based on this information. It also provides nice integration with iTunes and publishes a variety of RSS feeds containing your listening history. This might be a neat feature to integrate with Dupyshon.com. On the Contributors page, I could have a dynamic list of each contributor's favorite music and most recently played tracks. Maybe I'll try to do that this weekend. The first step is to get Jaron on last.fm...

[Six Weeks in Rwanda] Truman Award Application

Yesterday I was talking to Jutta online and she pointed me toward The Truman Award of Leadership and Innovation by Young Professionals in International Development , sponsored by the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Society for International Development. It's a $500 cash award for young individuals who are focused on international development, and includes an award ceremony in Washington, D.C. The application looks relatively simple, but I need to ask two people for letters of reference. This would be a very prestigious award to receive.

[DupySite] DupyBook Update

Right now I'm working on an update to the DupyBook web application that I wrote for Kristen. Currently, there's no way to edit an entry once its been created. Of course, this would be a really useful feature, especially for fixing entry mistakes or moving a book from the wish list to the book list. I think I'll accomplish this by make the book titles link to an Edit page which receives the book's id via an argument in the URL. Shouldn't be too hard, but will require some time and some fighting with my lack of PHP skills.

[Kylan's Blog] Springtime for Switchfoot

It looks like Switchfoot will be going on a college tour this spring. Please let Washington State University be one of the stops, or at least Gonzaga! Thanks for the heads up, LOBH.

[The Ministry of Culture] The Complete History of Valiant Isle, Chapter 3, Part 1

Chapter 3: The Regal Lathos Dynasty and the Age of Power

"…The Heir, though he has come, must be hidden within our ranks, for this is a time that will bring strife within the Mesaica due to the traitorous spies of wicked Galbrethi. It shall be divinely assured that the Begai will sink to shadow. But it is very much likely that they will take our hope and peace with them to their stony grave, for this is an age not bereft of great and terrible deeds, an Age of Power that will test the Sons of Kon. Though the water of the present is bitter, our final landfall will find us in the Land of Hope, the future…"

-Daev Mendis II, The Volumes of the Blue Order

General Mendis ruled over the land for nineteen years, as a steward in place of the Royal Line. During that time he oversaw several great projects of building and social reform in the demilitarized period. The foreign enemies of the Konai had been effectively defeated and the military was no longer so vital. Yet Mendis, being a general and understanding the need for a standing army and navy, kept the armed forces about 80% of their wartime strength, but cutting the treasury budget for military projects in half. He writes:

"It is not enough to expect our men to defeat any force in the world by just sitting and doing nothing. The very essence of military readiness and defense is the practice it takes to prepare for the unseen battle and the unknown hostility that lurks across the sea. Therefore, let it be decreed that the men of war apply themselves to great tasks of building and learning, searching for more ways to increase their renown in Deanda."

This policy of innovation became very popular in a short time, not only with the military, but also with the general population of about 615,000 citizens. In reflection of this, a flood of devices and contraptions were developed and invented during Mendis' reign that increased the efficiency of the Konai life. The population in turn continued to increase. It would reach a relative peak in around 870 B.C. of about 700,000 people.

Mendis' rule was cut short when the Mesaica decided that Mendis did not have the royal authority or permission of the people to rule. This move was most decidedly political, by a Royal Senate that coveted the power of the Daevini. Mendis agreed to abdicate the throne and subject the nation to the rule of the council, which promised to choose an able and willing monarch, a promise that took thirty-three years to fulfill. During this time Mendis was still a strong figure in the Konai political realm, accepted into the Mesaica for his outstanding work as a national leader. Secretly though, Mendis had also joined the Blue Order, a legendary group that had pledged itself to the preservation of the Royal Family and its line.

Mendis, along with the other Blue Order sages, believed that most of the work in the Mesaica was being directed by a secret conspiracy. It was in fact discovered to be true by Konai anthropologists in the 1800s. Viscount Begas III of Galbrethi in the Mesaica had bribed and bought nearly a third of the Royal Senate into his power as explained in the Black Manuscript of the Galbrethi Shadow Lords. This book, discovered in the late 1700s laid to rest many of the questions before anthropologists about Galbrethi, a land which many Konai histories sparingly mention, save in passing and with very much negative bias.

So Mendis and the Blue Order had realized that the House of Begas had gripped the assembly in a hostile hold. In light of this, the lost heir of the Yangi line was hidden from the Mesaica, doomed to only have his descendents come upon the throne. Upon one of the outgoing trade ships, the boy and his mother, Isana III, were sent to a haven made for them in the south of Gaul, later known as Spain. There, the line would survive until its return in nearly a thousand years.

Begas' plan was to end the kingdom by making the Mesaica in charge indefinitely, and then to disrupt and terrorize the members into his submission and eventually declare him the king of Deanda.

The Blue Order was able to foil the plan of Begas II by organizing votes against the Begas bloc. Wessex the Younger, Daevma of Memranda, who became the appointed regent, had no idea of all the intricate secrets behind the opposing secret societies, one of the reasons he had been unintentionally chosen as the Regent. The Blue Order had backed Mendis, while Begas II naturally pushed for himself. The two blocs were tied, and the tie vote fell to Daev Tagas of Jakanda, who voted for neither of the two major candidates but chose Wessex, who had shown a great capacity for fair and good judgment.

Both parties, the Blue Order, and the House of Begas, sent representatives to Wessex when he went to his bedchamber to rest. First to speak to him was Traga Madar, the Keeper of Xenoz-Ramba and member of the Blue Order. Madar only warned Wessex of a dangerous man that may visit him later in the night and that he would ask Wessex, or threaten him, to choose Begas II's grandson as the first king of the new line. Then Madar left out the palace window and joined the Blue Sages at the Cavern Cathedral. Then, Vidquathi, the Chief of Arms for the Galbrethi court came to Wessex with a wave edged dagger at his side and spoke harsh words of retribution and pain if Wessex did not choose the House of Begas as the new dynasty. Vidquathi then left the room out the door and stuck the dagger upon Wessex's door with a note in rude characters, saying:

"In six years the power of the hand of Begas will destroy you if you have not named the House of Begas the successor… Six years…"

These nightly visits happened annually for five years in a row as Wessex readied Deanda for transition back to royal rule. Of his highest candidates for the throne were Lathos, the grandson of Mendis, and Begas III, the grandson of Begas. Both displayed the strength and will to rule the land, but Lathos displayed the qualities of grace that Begas did not, the qualities that Wessex had searched for.

Thus on the last nightly visit, Traga Madar once more visited Wessex and asked him what his decision was, for it would be announced the following morning. Wessex, knowing from where Madar had come from, told him that Lathos would be king. But Vidquari, standing outside, broke down the door and charged Wessex to kill him.

Madar threw himself against the sword of Vidquari to save Wessex and caught jagged blade among his bones. With his main sword stuck, Vidquari charged Wessex with his naked hands and took hold of the Regent in a choke hold. The Regent was being suffocated but took hold of a nearby gemstone upon his desk and crushed Vidquari's hand with it. Vidquari took a wavy bladed dagger with his other hand and held it high over his head to make for a deathblow to Wessex, but the Regent took the Chief's other sword blade from his own sheath and ran his heart through with it.

Thus the plans of Begas II were foiled and this was the last he heard upon his deathbed in Galbrethi before dawn arrived. In darkness his plans died, and he died with them. A disgruntled House of Begas began to plot against the new Royal Line in Xenoz.

[HiPerCoPS] Goals for 1/29

I met with Dr. Delgado today, and discussed the next steps for my project. These are my goals for the coming week:

1. Create a high-level flowchart showing the system components.
2. Focus on the steps for creating functional units.
3. Re-read Mitch's papers on the Washington architecture and multipliers.
   
4. Create a diagram showing the basic structural hierarchy.
5. Work on algorithms for multiplier creation.

[Kylan's Blog] CSOTW

During my undergraduate years, I really learned to appreciate country music. My roommate Weston and I became western aficionados, you might say, and we began publishing a list called the Country Song of the Week (CSOTW) on an early version of Dupyshon.com.  This went on for over a year, and we celebrated our first anniversary with a big top ten countdown party (we called it the "Big Bash"). Here's the complete list of country songs of the week, as well as a few details about awards from the Big Bash.

Date    Song    Artist
August 31, 2006    My Kind of Music    Ray Scott
August 24, 2006    How 'Bout You    Eric Church
August 17, 2006    Yee Haw    Jake Owen
August 10, 2006    I Don't Know What She Said    Blaine Larsen
August 3, 2006    A Little Too Late    Toby Keith
July 27, 2006    When It Rains    Eli Young Band
July 20, 2006    Nothin' But a Love Thang    Darryl Worley
July 13, 2006    Whever You Are    Jack Ingram
July 6, 2006    Brand New Girlfriend    Steve Holy
June 29, 2006    Real Good Man    Tim McGraw
June 22, 2006    Backwards    Rascal Flatts
June 15, 2006    Favorite State of Mind    Josh Gracin
June 8, 2006    Good Little Girls    Blue County
June 1, 2006    Yes!    Chad Brock
May 25, 2006    (This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing    Trace Adkins
May 18, 2006    Size Matters (Someday)    Joe Nichols
May 11, 2006    The World    Brad Paisley
May 4, 2006    Summertime    Kenny Chesney
April 27, 2006    Hillbillies    Hot Apple Pie
April 20, 2006    Get Drunk and Be Somebody    Toby Keith
April 13, 2006    Down on the Farm    Tim McGraw
April 6, 2006    Comin' to Your City    Big and Rich

Date    Song    Artist
March 30, 2006    You're Like Coming Home    Lonestar
March 23, 2006    She Don't Tell Me To    Montgomery Gentry
March 16, 2006    Drunker Than Me    Trent Tomlinson
March 9, 2006    Ain't Nothing 'Bout You    Brooks and Dunn
March 2, 2006    Mrs. Steven Rudy    Mark McGuinn
February 23, 2006    Celebrity    Brad Paisley
February 16, 2006    Good to Go to Mexico    Toby Keith
February 9, 2006    Nobody But Me    Blake Shelton
February 2, 2006    Good Ride Cowboy    Garth Brooks
January 26, 2006    Me Neither    Brad Paisley
January 19, 2006    Honky Tonk Badonkadonk    Trace Adkins
January 12, 2006    I Got a Feelin'    Billy Currington
January 5, 2006    I Should Be Sleeping    Emerson Drive
December 29, 2005    It's a Great Day to Be Alive    Travis Tritt
December 22, 2005    Best I Ever Had    Gary Allan
December 15, 2005    Dream Big    Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband
December 8, 2005    Everything I Want    Jace Everett
December 1, 2005    Nineteen Somethin'    Mark Wills
November 24, 2005    Friends in Low Places    Garth Brooks
November 17, 2005    Watch the Wind Blow By    Tim McGraw
November 10, 2005    Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off    Joe Nichols
November 3, 2005    Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right    Billy Currington
October 27, 2005    99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before)    Brian McComas
October 20, 2005    Prayin' for Daylight    Rascal Flatts
October 13, 2005    Awful Beautiful Life    Darryl Worley
October 6, 2005    God Blessed Texas    Little Texas
September 29, 2005    That's What I Love About Sunday    Craig Morgan
September 22, 2005    Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)    John Michael Montgomery
September 15, 2005    So So Long    Dierks Bentley
September 8, 2005    Hicktown    Jason Aldean
September 1, 2005    Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On    Neal McCoy
August 25, 2005    Something to Be Proud Of    Montgomery Gentry
August 18, 2005    Pickup Man    Joe Diffie
August 11, 2005    Summertime Blues    Alan Jackson
August 4, 2005    Some Beach    Blake Shelton
July 28, 2005    Nothing On but the Radio    Gary Allan
July 21, 2005    Baby Girl    Sugarland
July 14, 2005    I'll Take That As A Yes    Phil Vassar
July 7, 2005    Arlington    Trace Adkins
June 30, 2005    Boot Scootin' Boogie    Brooks and Dunn
June 23, 2005    Five O'Clock Somewhere    Alan Jackson
June 16, 2005    How Am I Doin'    Dierks Bentley
June 9, 2005    When the Sun Goes Down    Kenny Chesney
June 2, 2005    Chicks Dig It    Chris Cagle
May 26, 2005    Pickin' Wildflowers    Keith Anderson
May 19, 2005    Big Time    Big and Rich
May 12, 2005    Somethin' Like That    Tim McGraw
May 5, 2005    Stays in Mexico    Toby Keith
April 28, 2005    Nothin' to Lose    Josh Gracin
April 21, 2005    I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday)    Steve Azar
April 14, 2005    What's a Guy Gotta Do    Joe Nichols
April 7, 2005    Gone    Montgomery Gentry

The Top Ten Country Songs of 2005/06
1. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
This song by the talented Texapino has it all. It has great lyics, it's fun to dance to, has a strong beat, and a phenomenal ending. Not much more to say than that, except that it is truly deserving of CSOTW's highest honor. Don't believe us? Then you obviously have never heard it before.
2. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
We had a chance to see Dierks Bentley in concert this year, and boy was it a treat. He is a great performer, and sounds every bit as good live as he does on his albums. Dierks has a perfect voice for singing country, and he sings catchy songs which get stuck in your head and stay there for days. His sound is a bit more traditional than some of the Alt-Country artists we've been hearing lately, so there's a good chance that his music will stand the test of time and still sound good decades from now. "So So Long" was the encore tune that Dierks played when he was in Pullman, and we knew it was a good song from the first chord.
3. Honkeytonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
Has there ever been a country song with more attitude? We are hard-pressed to think of one. Trace's relationship to the Country Song of the Week list is quite interesting. It all started over the summer, when Trace first heard about the list. He recognized the value and prestige of the list, and called his agent. "Why haven't I been listed on the CSOTW yet!? I think I am definitely qualified for such an honor. Maybe you haven't been doing your job very well. Do I have to fire you?" Now, Trace is a very good country artist, but Weston and I just hadn't been exposed to his music very much. He ended up firing his agent and publicist for not getting him enough attention, and began to handle all of his scheduling and advertising by himself. (Currently, he is the only major country star who manages himself.) At the top of Trace's To Do List: get on the CSOTW. He immediately booked a flight to Woodland, Oregon to talk to Christine Baker. (He had to buy new tickets when he found out that Woodland is technically in Washington, but his mistake is quite understandable). Anyway, Trace really wanted to talk to Kylan or Weston, but he figured that they were too busy making important decisions. He was a little intimidated because he had heard so many great things about us. Trace figured that he could tell Christine that he wanted to be on the list, and she could relay the message to us. It was nearly the Fourth of July, and he decided that his new patriotic song, Arlington, was his best shot. Trace went to the country club where Christine was working and gave her his autograph along with his request. Then Christine told Weston and I that he wanted to be on the CSOTW. We were impressed by both Trace's persistence and musicianship, so we agreed to give him the July 7th spot. When he came out with Honkeytonk Badonkadonk later this year, we were very excited. Here are our favorite parts of this song: "Slap your grandma," "like Donkey Kong," and "you hate to see her go but love to watch her leave."
4. Pickin' Wildflowers - Keith Anderson
This song is the definition of B.A. The best moment is at the end of the first verse, with the "Uh-ha-haw." Utilizing the Jew's harp was definitely a good choice. What cha' say we go pickin' wildflowers? You and me, baby.
5. What's a Guy Gotta Do - Joe Nichols
Artichoke hearts, Super Walmarts, and pretty girls with shopping carts make this a very, very good song. It's hard to sing the whole chorus in one breath (just try it sometime). This song makes the top ten because Joe Nichols is such a protagonist. By the end of the song you're really rooting for him to get a girl.
6. Something Like That - Tim McGraw
This guy just came out with a Greatest Hits album, and he has lots of material that would qualify as a "greatest hit." Tim McGraw is very well-respected in the country world, so we couldn't resist putting him on this list. "Something Like That" tells a good story about barbeque stains, mini skirts, Labor Day weekends, and New Orleans. Very American.
7. Gone - Montgomery Gentry
This is the one that started it all. "Gone" was the first ever CSOTW, and for good reason. It has a good dose of bad attitude and a real country-flavored theme. The chorus is the best part, though. What other songs talk about freight trains and the Civil War? What other songs include an onomatopoetic "Bang! Bang!"?
8. 99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before) - Brian McComas
Another young artist, Brian sings this song with good energy and a clear voice. Truly a great song to dance to. The fast-paced lyrics make the it fun, reminiscant of Josh Gracin's "Nothin' to Lose" or "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" by John Michael Montgomery. Personally, I am a big fan of the banjo work of Leigh Reynolds in the background.
9. Me Neither - Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley has a way with lyrics... this song is hilarious. How can a guy get shut down so many times in the same conversation? This is a fast song with a good beat, and the guitar solo is quite impressive. Very fun.
10. Hicktown - Jason Aldean
Jason is a young, emerging country artist with a bright future. This song is his best so far, and it was selected primarily because it reminds us of Pullman, WA. Yes, Jason, we do like the way that sounds. And we know you ain't finished yet.

The CSOTW Artist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
The CSOTW Rookie of the Year
Jace Everett
The CSOTW Brokeback Artist of the Year
Cowboy Troy

Rachael's Predictions:
1. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
2. Some Beach - Blake Shelton
3. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
4. Nothin' to Lose - Josh Gracin
Christine's Predictions:
1. So So Long - Dierks Bentley
2. Honkeytonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
3. Stays in Mexico - Toby Keith
4. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles One - Neal McCoy

[Kylan's Blog] Senior Design Website

This semester I'm the TA for EE 415, Senior Design. One of my main duties is creating and maintaining pages on the class wiki, which is located here. I spent a good amount of time last week getting the site ready. Hopefully the teams will find it to be a good resource for information and a simple tool for collaboration.

[HiPerCoPS] Research Website

Since last week, I've been using a website hosted by Google Code to perform all of my research-related work. You can use this site to see what I've been up to, download the most recent version of my code, or even make comments on the site's wiki. If anyone is interested in being added as a collaborator to this project (which is also possible), just shoot me an email. I'm sure I can use all/any of the help I can get.

Here's the URL: http://hipercops-washington.googlecode.com/

[Kylan's Blog] DupyServer

This past weekend I began the process of installing a server at Kristen's duplex. I put Ubuntu 7.10 Server Edition on my old Dell Inspiron after backing up some files, and began adding services one by one. So far I have the web server, SSH, and FTP working the way I want them to. I'd still like to get VNC, file sharing, and some kind of dynamic DNS set up. Right now the server has a local IP address and is not visible to the world outside my local network. It's a fun little project, and up to this point much more easy than I had anticipated.

[HiPerCoPS] Java It Is!

I finished my programming language selection today. The analysis I performed is outlined below, but it might be changed in the future. The most current version is kept here.

LanguageSelection  

Choosing the project's implementation language.

Introduction

After completing the design phase, the system will have to be implemented using a computer programming language. Different programming languages offer different trade-offs, so selecting the right language for this application can improve implementation speed and application performance.

The Candidates

The following programming languages were selected because they are standard, tried-and-true tools used by most of academia and industry.

• C
• C++
• C#
• Java

The Selection Process

The selection process will include the following steps:

1. List the pros and cons of each language.
2. Assign a score of +1 to each pro to get the ProScore.
3. Assign a score of -1 to each con to get the ConScore.
4. The language's overall score is ProsScore + ConScore = LangScore.
5. The language with the highest overall LangScore will be selected.

C (LangScore: -1)

Pros (ProScore: 3)

1. Very familiar language.
2. Fast program execution.
3. Highly standardized.

Cons (ConScore: 4)

1. Not object oriented.
2. Weak type strength.
3. GUI support only in Linux?
4. Type unsafe.

C++ (LangScore: 3)

Pros (ProScore: 6)

1. Familiar language.
2. Object oriented.
3. Good for multi-platform applications.
4. Strong type strength.
5. Standardized.
6. Nominative compatibility.

Cons (ConScore: 3)

1. No simple GUI tools.
2. Multi-threading unsupported.
3. Type unsafe.

C# (LangScore: 4)

Pros (ProScore: 7)

1. Language of the existing simulator.
2. Designed for rapid development.
3. Fast and easy GUI implementation.
4. Object Oriented.
5. Strong type strength.
6. Type safe.
7. Standardized.

Cons (ConScore: 3)

1. Targeted for Windows only.
2. Unfamiliar syntax.
3. Multi-threading unsupported.

Java (LangScore: 6)

Pros (ProScore: 8)

1. Cross-platform.
2. Object Oriented.
3. Multi-threading is supported.
4. GUI tools are standard.
5. Widely used in industry (would make me more marketable).
6. Strong type strength.
7. Type safe.
8. Nominative compatibility.

Cons (ConScore : 2)

1. Unfamiliar syntax.
2. Not standardized.

Conclusion

Java received the highest overall LangScore, so it will be used to implement the system's modules and functions.

References

I used the following web pages to inform my decision:

Comparison of Programming Languages

Programming of Programming Languages

Computer Language Shootout Scorecard

[HiPerCoPS] SRS Continues, Language Choice

I'm working on the second draft of the software specifications requirements document. I hope to have it done by tomorrow so I can deliver it to Dr. Delgado at our weekly meeting.

One of the first design choices I'll have to make is the programming language to be used. At the moment, I'm leaning toward Java, but I'll do a formal writeup of my choice soon.

[Jaron's Blog] Jazz Band Schedule

I've uploaded all the dates and times for my Jazz Band gigs onto the DupyCalendar.  I'm sure that if anyone wanted to come and check us out they would not be disappointed.  Some of the dates are for performances in Yakima and other special events, so be sure to check out where it is happening too.

[Kylan's Blog] Winter EP Downloaded

I downloaded Jon Foreman's Winter EP this morning. I've already listened to it three times, and I'm liking what I'm hearing. Jaron and I are planning to get together and write a review by the end of this weekend, and we'll have lots to say.

[HiPerCoPS] SRS, Version 1.0

Right now I'm working on the first iteration of my Software Requirements Specification (SRS). It's really rough so far, but the details will become more clear as the project progresses. It's already forced me to think about a lot of aspects of the application that I haven't considered before.

[HiPerCoPS] Software Engineering

For this project, I'm trying to do a really good job of engineering my code. I want to plan everything carefully so I don't run into too many dead ends. If I can be logical and methodical, it will save me a lot of confusion and frustration over time. With this in mind, I went to the library today and checked out a bunch of book on software engineering. My favorite one of the bunch is Software Engineering by I. Sommerville.  This is a really nice book because it's thin enough (only about 270 pages), but provides good coverage on the subject. The author's style is pleasant, and he uses just enough words to get his point across. The concepts are arranged in a methodical way, making the text extremely readable. I think my copy is the first edition, because I looked the book up online and those copies are much thicker. For my purposes, though, it's perfect.

[Kylan's Blog] Winter EP Out Tomorrow

Jon Foreman's Winter EP comes out tomorrow. I'm very excited to hear what it sounds like. You download the tracks from jonforeman.com for only $5, which is quite a deal. Stay tuned and I'll write a review for it sometime this week.

[HiPerCoPS] Research Blog

Here at WSU, I'm part of the High Performance Computer Systems Research Group (HiPerCoPS). While I perform my research, I'll use this blog to record my thoughts and my progress.

[Jaron's Blog] Government Internships

I've been poking around recently trying to find an internship with the state government of some sort, and I did find one with the Office of the Governor.  I think it would be really interesting and exciting to work with the Governor's office.  It really lines up with what I want to do ( e.g. government work and policy).  So, I'm hoping I can find out more about it and it would be awesome if I could find myself doing something like that this summer or the next.

[DupyWed] Karl and Vic's Site

Right now I'm working on a wedding website for our friends Karl Campbell and Victoria Dubigk. They're getting married August, but I want to get as far as I can on their site before the semester gets busy for me. I'll be implementing my newest version of the PHP guestbook as well as a couple of snapshots albums.

[Kylan's Blog] A Bad Day in Sports

Today was a bad day in sports. Both the Cougars and the Seahawks lost.

The Cougar game was horrible at the start, but improved as the game went along. Before the game, I predicted that the team would need lots of help from Derek Low. A lot of focus had been on Kyle Weaver and Daven Harmeling lately, so our opponents have been putting their best defenders on them. Low ended up hitting a hot streak, but it took him until the second half to begin scoring points.

UCLA was a very good team overall. They knew how to penetrate our defense, and they knew how to stop us from scoring. Their style looked like a page out of our own playbook! We were getting beaten badly during most of the game, but kudos to the Cougars for never giving up. I look forward to playing them later this season at home. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to beat them then.

The Seahawks game was also depressing to watch. After the first two scores, everything just went down the drain. One of the only things that kept me watching was the impressive amount of snow falling on the field. I'm glad the Brett Favre is having such a good year at his age, but I wish the Seahawks would've played much better.

[Kylan's Blog] The Solution to Facebook Evolution

I've always been against Facebook's practice of adding more and more junk features to its service. I would prefer that it remained simple and clean looking. All I care about is the ability to add friends, search for other users, and perform basic communication. That's all that's needed for a good social networking site. Anything else is a distraction. This is why I was pretty excited when I found a Greasemonkey Facebook cleanup script on Lifehacker. It automatically hides the mini-feed as well as any applications users have added to their profile. Much better.

[Kylan's Blog] Insurance Rates

I've been insured with State Farm insurance since I first got my driver's license. Until today, my policy was with an agent in Tacoma. Talking to Kristen's parents over break, I realized that I might be able to save money by moving my policy to a Pullman agent. Apparently, insurance rates vary from region to region because of a variety of factors. It turns out that I can pay dramatically less for my monthly premiums because Pullman is a more rural community. I made the switch this afternoon. If you're a student at WSU, you might considering transferring your policy so you can save some valuable cash.

[Kylan's Blog] Lots of Snow

With the exception of today, it's been snowing like crazy here in Pullman. It's barely let up since Sunday night, and this morning I found eight inches of fresh snow on top of my car. It took so long to clear off that I was a bit late to SEL! Today was clear, though, and the sun was out in the afternoon. Hopefully the melted snow won't freeze into black ice overnight. This is probably the snowiest winter I've seen during my time in Pullman.

[Kylan's Blog] Schedule Changes

Just like last semester, my schedule is going through a shakeup right now. I found out this morning that one of my classes had been canceled due to a "lack of an instructor." To compensate, I added another class that my adviser had recommended. I went to that class, which began this morning, only to find out that I don't have the necessary prerequisite. I sat through the lecture, just in case there was some misunderstanding, but visited my adviser immediately after class. He told me to drop this class and add the prerequisite in its place. Luckily, this class also takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which still leaves my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays class-free.

On a related note, I also found out my TA assignment today. I'll be helping Dr. Campbell with his EE 415 Senior Design course. That should be a fun and relatively
simple class to TA for.

[Kylan's Blog] TV and Internet

Today Kristen and I were able to kill two birds with one stone. We scheduled our satellite TV and cable Internet to be installed at the same time, and the whole thing took less than an hour.

Our satellite contract is with Dish Network. We had to string the incoming coax cable all around the living room, but the rest of the install went pretty smoothly. The best part of this service is the DVR paired with the program guide. I'll have to experiment with that more later.

We chose to get our Internet through Time Warner. Their RoadRunner service wasn't our first choice, but we were unable to get the wireless signal from Cactus Computers. So far, I'm actually pretty impressed with the speed that RoadRunner offers. The only drawback is that we weren't able to get a static IP address. Oh well, I might play around with DynDNS or something like that if I want to set up a web server.

Conclusion: From our first impressions, Dish TV and RoadRunner Internet are pretty good services if you live in Pullman.

[The Ministry of Culture] The Complete History of Valiant Isle, Chapter 2, Part 2

When Yangi III died in 1397 B.C., there was a peculiar problem. He had left two daughters, and no sons. The Priesthood of the Spheres around the island consulted their divining methods and proclaimed after two days that a lady would take the throne, Yangi's eldest daughter Analia, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Hathsas and Analia the Angel. Two weeks after her father's death she took the crown and represented the first Brotherhood combined monarchy in Valiant history, with traces from all brothers save Begri in her blood. Unlike tradition of the past, she did not choose a spouse to accompany her to Xenoz. This led to a virtual pell-mell parade of suitors to the Royal Palace of Xenoz, not surprisingly known as the Endless Parade.

The story of Analia's life and love is contained in the Myth of Penda-Hanji, or the Myth of the Golden Heart. In it, Analia refuses all suitors, even those of the Darkling Princes who offered vast quantities of power and wealth. Every single man seemed unsuitable for her, and because of this she took a minor leave of absence and fled into the countryside, in the province of Jaksi, the farming land. One night upon a hill by the southern shore she sat alone watching the stars in silence.

A young man in a boat landed upon the shore in a short time. Analia hid in fear that some new suitor had come to assail her with gold or pearls, but in reality, it was a young Hathsan adolescent who recently left his small island home off of the western coast in search of adventure. He had never even heard of Analia and, in his uninformed youth, did not know of the growing power of the Konai monarchy and civilization. He was tired and decided to bed upon the beach sand that night, so he bundled himself in the fur clothing he had brought along. During the night, Analia snuck into the boat to find out who this mysterious (and apparently uninterested) boy was. But upon waking only minutes later, the boy, whose name was Hanji, or "heart" in Konai, readied his boat for sailing, with the Queen inside.

Hours after he began sailing, Analia came to the top deck. The story is a familiar one after that, a version of a love story that many cultures have. Without knowing who she was, Hanji fell in love with her and Analia with him. When they arrived a week later through storm and danger by the corsairs of Galbrethi to Royal Harbor, Analia stepped into Xenoz with her chosen king. They married that day, Analia and Hanji being re-coroneted together, and they lived happily for many years with a small family of two sons and one daughter.

When Analia I died in 1340 B.C., the rule of Valiant would have fallen to Hanji the Great-Hearted, but he relinquished the scepter to his eldest son Thorasso II and built a ship bound for Atlantis and the home of his mysterious Varadonai ancestry along with his youngest son who wished to accompany him.

Thorasso II reigned from 1340 B.C. to 1282 B.C. beginning when he was 12 years old. Through his youth, some of the nobility was chosen to guide and direct his actions upon the throne. The Regency had thus been unofficially established. When he was 23, Thorasso II in the prudence of his mind and appreciation for the guidance afforded to him, created the Mesaica, or the Royal Senate, or Assembly of Nobles. This body represented a very small step into the democratic process of the Konai, and consequently the National Republic of Columbia. Thorasso II left the throne at age 60 to his eldest child, Isana, out of two girls and two boys.

Queen Isana I reigned from 1282 to 1236. While military prowess in the show-off sea parades against the Darklings still claimed a generous amount of the treasury, Isana I poured enormous effort into promoting the arts and the culture of the Konai Civilization. Konai language was minutely refined, new forms of artwork began, and the queen herself expertly developed Konai Calligraphy, a form of characterization that is all but forgotten today: few people exist that can still perform the art satisfactorily. This is what earned Isana I the epithet "Daughter of Joy." She died in 1237 B.C. but had passed the kingdom to her youngest son, Teytin III.

Above tradition, Isana I had made Teytin III the next monarch of Valiant. By now, the monarch could choose their successor regardless of whether they were the eldest, what gender they were, and very soon, whether they were their children or not. Teytin III was a mystery to the monarchy puzzle.

Anthropologists had to ask themselves, what made this young man so special that he was chosen over his older siblings, in opposition to tradition? The answer: he apparently had prophetic powers that set him apart from the other royal children.

In several of his literary works, known as the Books of the Prophet King, Teytin III explores the situation of the Ro-Wain and the future of the Konai civilization. Here is an excerpt from the Fifth Book, one of the most important in Konai culture:

"It is difficult for those upon this earth to understand the ways of De. No one has seen the great drawing board of Him who gives motion to all things, and yea, had one the bravery to witness such present glory, he would still die. The minds of the Naiya (humankind) have not the strength to contemplate infinite light and splendor.

"Thus, De will send his sign, the sign of Hathalin (water and speech). This mysterious world shall be thrust into the knowledge of the Living Tree, though that which moves and works within the will of De shall be marshaled in esoteric existence, hidden across the world.

"In a time when the Naiya cry out from oppression by the Cruel Ones, those in shackles will rise up and claim the scepter from those who so greedily held it against them. Peace and mercy in the land shall be theirs to dispense. Prosperity will smile upon the Konai and their friends.

"In time of contention, one will come with the blood of fantastic warriors and kings and angels in his blood. His reign shall be blissful, but cut short by the anger and rage of one great villain who had desired the throne from the beginning. He shall die, saving his line that he will never see. But that line itself will see no ending while this Deanda endures, even to the final ends of creation.

"Eight hundreds of anniversaries of death and deceit and gloom shall pass over this land as the wicked family shall seize themselves in treachery, but in the end of that time, the son of the endless line shall emerge to reclaim the rightful throne of his fathers. In time, this line shall be shrouded from the sight of the world, but will re-emerge ever stronger in times of need. The line of kings, from the very beginning, shall not be broken, only hidden, until dire need draws the Golden Crowned from their repose to action and salvation. Such is the way of the unknown road before our people, but the sails shall light our way…"

This entire passage prophetically encapsulates a majority of Columbian history in quite a specific way. Teytin III's most major accomplishment was the discovery of the Cathedral Caverns near the edge of the central mountain range. Underneath the largest plain just east of the central mountains is one of the largest caverns in the world.

The entire volume of this cave is still unknown due to the fact that all the passageways have not yet been explored. It appears that the spider-web-like tunnel system radiating from the central Cathedral touches nearly every edge of the island.

It was kept a royal secret until 1657 AD during the Second War of Vengeance. Many royal orders, such as the Esoteric Marshals and the Knights Valiant used the caverns as their main area of transportation and a base of operations.

In 1197 B.C., Queen Natalia I, Teytin's only daughter among three other boys, succeeded Teytin III. While only ruling for eight years, Natalia I was able to make the Konai a virtual south Atlantic superpower. No attacks by the increasingly hostile Darklings made it within 100 miles of Valiant, and the trade power of the Konai increased five-fold. She died from a medical condition in 1189 B.C. and her younger brother, Yangi IV, took the throne at Xenoz.

For seventy years, Yangi IV ruled Valiant with a strong administration. Trade became the lifeblood of the Konai, mining and logging increased, and the island became a virtual fortress against foreign attack. But even with all this advancement, the cultural aspect of the Konai began to fade. From Galbrethi and the Kingdom of the Gara-Zami, several envoys were finally allowed to participate in the Mesaica. This move was partly political, to assure that Galbrethi would not add more stress to the defense of Valiant Isle, but also reconciliatory: it had been 450 years since the death of Begri and the visible end of treachery in the brotherhood, and the Konai began to allow the Begai back into the fold. This would later prove to be a dangerous and unhappy decision.

By the end of Yangi IV's reign, about half a million people bowed their heads to the Scepter in Xenoz, and under no great constraint. The government had begun to establish social programs to support the vast population that it ruled. One of the most notable events of this period was the short time of the Galbrethi Witches, a horde of wicked magical women who terrorized the southern part of the island. According to mythical tradition, these were the descendents of Begri's mistresses and were back to complete his unjust revenge upon the rest of the Konai race. In a myth known as the Ulgar-Jarday, "A History of Magic", the epic battles between Solu, a Xenozian High Priest, and the Witches of Galbrethi are recorded. During Yangi IV's reign, references to magic and miraculous events became common, but whether they are true or embellished is unknown and much criticized by skeptics. Eventually, the Galbrethi Witches were either defeated by Solu's Blue Order of wizard-priests or chased into hiding. Several times later the witches appear in the mythology, but only in intervals of hundreds of years.

In 1119 B.C. after the death of Yangi IV, Queen Analia II took up the crown and began to mobilize military forces against the increasingly strong attacks by the Darkling fleets. It was rumored that information from the Mesaica proceedings had been leaked to the enemy, and it was no secret that the only thing that had changed was the introduction of the Begai representatives.

Therefore, the Mesaica began to destabilize as factions began to coalesce and suspicion grew. Analia II was in no position to exercise tight control on the nobles after being bedridden because of the birth of her single child, Yangi V. After 48 years of rule, Analia II died due to medical complications, leaving her only child of eight years to rule the island.

In light of his age, Yangi V was given a regent to look after the kingdom until he could rule with knowledge and power. The foremost noble in the Mesaica, Wessex the Elder of the line of Memraar, was given the task of raising little Yangi for twelve years until his coming of age. Darkling attacks continued to intensify, and the kingdom began to slightly deteriorate under corruption in the Mesaica during the regency, but in 1059 B.C. after his coronation, Yangi V took a vital hold of the Mesaica and reformed several portions of the government, jump starting the Konai Kingdom into effective action. After taking his queen, Isana III, and taking a brief honeymoon, Yangi V became the first monarch to leave the island since the creation of the realm upon a mission of war against the Darkling nation. The year was 1022 B.C.

With a fleet rumored to rival the Greeks' at Troy, Yangi V took to the ocean to end the attacks once and for all and prove Konai supremacy over the South Atlantic. At the Battle of the Equinox (it was fought on the equator on the equinox), the Darkling forces were routed and the majority of their war fleet was sunk. But in the battle, Yangi was struck down and killed by an arrow that was not from the other fleet. Common tradition holds that a Begai archer had finally fulfilled the vengeful wrath of Begri against the brotherhood.

Thus the fleet arrived home victorious but in great mourning, for their victory had been turned to great defeat and the king had been struck down. There was no current heir to the throne, and Queen Isana III refused to take the throne. Yangi V was aware of Isana's unwillingness to take up the administration of the kingdom, and before he breathed his last, in the presence of the witnesses around him, passed the temporary rule onto a young General Mendis who had served as a counselor to the king. Thus the line of kings had finally come to the end of its first ruling dynasty and the end of the Age of Peace.