Midikat

http://www.midikat.com/

I saw the MidiKat car on the way home a week or two ago.

Radio songs

Heard on 88.9 FM KXPR out of Sacramento, CA:

Alan Hovhaness: Symphony No. 2 "Mysterious Mountain" Opus 132 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic; Gerard Schwarz, conductor; Label: Telarc; Number: 80604 (audio). The intermittent xylophone sounds like the Legend of Zelda secret passage music. : o D

Audio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlXBmIjjzAc (part 1 of 3)

Putting my head through the firmament - GTD

"A traveller puts his head under the edge of the firmament in the original (1888) printing of the Flammarion engraving."

Via Carl Sagan's Cosmos: Vangelis' Heaven and Hell
http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=qDvKsQAafGU (image above appears at 3:51 mark)

A part of me seems to harbor a distrust of "drinking the Koolaid", which has delayed my adaption of GTD.

It seems like taking a leap of faith. When I came back from a summer vacation in 2011, I began focusing on working smarter, to get myself better cope with the heavy workload my position demanded.

Fast forward 14 months--I have read the GTD book, watched a few videos, and am in the process of re-reading it, underlining key phrases and noting critical points.

It feels like standing on the high dive for the first time, looking down at the water, rationally knowing the jump will not kill me, but fearing the unknown and increased risk.

Maintaining a consistent system for both home and work seems to represent the point of procrastination. Do I need a complicated system to track my projects or will a simpler system suffice? David Allen himself seems to make clear the person needs to figure out the complexity needed after collecting everything for the first time. So, now that I have everything collected, I need to process everything for the first time and figure out how complicated a system I need.

Will I see the bang for the buck in using the system? If I adopt something, I want to look smart doing it.

Will I feel the emotional benefit of the weekly review? If I do not, the effort to invest and dedicate time up-front will fail as the review portion becomes the weak link. David Allen recommends thinking about it like brushing one's teeth...after a period of forced habit, it begins feeling "right" to have clean teeth.

Have I invested enough money to purchase the tools I need to succeed? I have a stackable three-level shelf from IKEA, a Brother P-Touch labeler and extra label tape cartridges, a folder holder from Target, the GTD book, paper pads and pens. David Allen uses a few other tools: a BlackBerry, a voice recorder, a scanner, Lotus Notes...none of theses seems like necessities, and I think he would probably agree.

Do I understand the process fully enough to begin the Process phase? After watching a few videos and re-reading the book, the process flow seems straightforward enough....figuring out if I need to take action on each item, doing it if less than two minutes, otherwise deferring it, delegating it, or archiving it.

Can I imagine myself successfully implementing GTD? Yes, I think so, but I have not really thought about how it might feel to have a system in place to move my brain to function primarily as a decision making tool rather than a tool for remembering priorities and actions. I imagine manilla file folder containing...what? Next actions, I suppose, if I choose a paper-based system. A folder for active projects. No, the manilla folders would contain the support material for each of the ongoing projects. With the tiered folder hold showing those I am currently engaged in on a regular basis. I think the Next Actions lists for each Project folder probably deserve a digital format.

Psychologically, having physical folders seems very important, to me. My PhD folder: boom. My @Errands folder: boom. And so forth.

As an aside: people reading this obviously cannot see this, but I have a purple throw on my lap and a very content cat sleeping on it. :3

It seems to come down to: my lazy side complaining about the extra work needed to learn a new habit. Like exercising a muscle. I think I want some reassurance I will feel the emotional benefits of using the new system. From my research, it seems reasonable to feel cautiously optimistic the GTD system will help bring structure to the way I collect my thoughts and process those collections into actionable projects. I will trust my system and lean on it to support my intuitive judgment calls on what to work on next...or what not to work on. I look forward to capturing as much as I can into the system, so I can live my life focused on actions rather than to-do lists.

UPDATE: important to note David Allen does not say this will make life easier...it does not represent a silver bullet...it simply represents a tool to allow people to focus fully on the challenges one identifies as the most important to focus on, at any point in time...it "clears the decks" of the mind, so to speak.

Vision

The Zendone GTD workflow overview

Thinking through a lot of options for managing GTD; something workable at both home and at the office where corporate IT limits my options (for example, EverNote).

It all boils down to list management; getting everything out of my head and into Collection dumps; then a Process and/or Organize phase for each of the Collection dumps to figure out whether to take immediate action or to Organize it for later or to trash it ... and so forth.

GTD web software

Some web-based vendors:

• Nirvana
• Doit.im 
• ToodleDo
• ZenDone (wow, beautiful)

Notetaker wallets

Some variations on taking notes while away from a PC:

• David Allen notetaker wallet
• Levenger SwiftNotes

Principles

"A great way to think about what your principles are is to complete this sentence: "I would give others totally free rein to do this as long as they ..."--what?

David Allen, GTD

Inuyasha anime run

Chibi Koga, Kagome, and Inuyasha

Hachi (flying form), Shippo (balloon form), Kirara (normal form)

Dawn and I spent the last month making a run through Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha.

167 first run episodes + 26 final act episodes + four movies later, we completed the run on Wednesday evening.

Random notes (SPOILERS)

• Shippo's drawings of Kagome and Inuyasha in Episode 38 (~15:50) at the beginning of Episode 39 looked great
• Episoe 53 ("Father's Old Enemy: Ryukotsusei"; 父の宿敵 竜骨精) represents one of my favorite mini-clips: Miroku, Sango, and Shippo riding on Kirara...the demon cat sort of just moves statically across the screen...just looks sort of silly, contrasted the audio of the demon cat roar at the same time
• Episode 68, (""Shippo Receives an Angry Challenge"; 七宝へ怒りの挑戦状) has a cute-looking mini-dragon demon named Koryu...plus more kid drawings by Shippo and Soten.
• Episode 106 ("Kagome, Miroku, and Sango: A Desperate Situation"; かごめ、弥勒、珊瑚、絶体絶命) shows Shippo's full bag of tricks around the 13:16 mark
• Episode 130 ("Shippo's New Technique, The Heart Scar!"; 吠えろ七宝奥義 心の傷!) with the young fox demons, was cute
• Episode 3 of The Final Act ("Meido Zangetsuha"; 冥道残月破), where Shippo advances in rank by pulling tricks on Inuyasha, also was cute
• We noticed a steady improvement in the production quality as the seasons progressed
• Hachi, the Tanuki demon, transforms into a floating bus...one of our favorite characters, even though he seems to show a general character flaw 
• Buyo the family cat seemed really nice...Inuyasha seemed to really like playing with him
• In the final episode, Inuyasha dumps the twins on Shippo, saying, "Slay the fox"
• It was weird watching Sesshomaru in the second ending credits in such a melancholy attitude, after watching him as a pseudo-antagonist
• Ugh, English dub...thankfully, we watched all as English sub...they even say the names of the characters wrong x_x "Kuh-GO-mey" instead of "KAH-go-mey", "Nah-RAH-koo" instead of "NAH-rah-koo" , "Seh-SHO-mah-roo" instead of "SESH-oh-mah-roo"
• A lot of beautifully-done incidental artwork and audio ... pictures of feudal Japan life, such as cooking, vendors, dress, mountains, shrines, statuary, buildings
• I think Kagome's mom comes across wonderfully understanding and supportive...almost to the point of incredulity...I suspect she harbors secret superpowers. ; o )
• Totsai's three-eyed cow seems like a really inventive addition
• Sexual advances of Miroku really awkward and struck me as not aging well...
• Favorite song: "Come" by Namie Amuro. (audio)
• Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! : o )

Teeth

Cannot stop looking at them in the mirror after getting them cleaned...so white and perfect. : o )

Adam Savage on learning

Via:

1. I don’t know how
2. I can’t afford to pay someone else to do it
3. I have to do it
4. hey, that wasn’t so hard!

I have experienced this many times this Fall...heater core, carpets, EGR, and HVAC unit.

It helps to see things as systems, as Adam says.

Graduate studies applications - computer engineering

Georgia Tech
ECE graduate admissions: http://www.ece.gatech.edu/academics/graduate/apply.html
Online application: http://www.gradadmiss.gatech.edu/apply/apply_now.php
Deadline for Fall: December 1
Letters of recommendation: three (online)
Offers: Starting in late January for U.S. citizens with the vast majority completed by late March for fall semester.

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
ECE graduate admissions: http://www.ece.umn.edu/ProspectiveStudentsGraduate/index.htm#phd
Online application: https://app.applyyourself.com/AYApplicantLogin/ApplicantConnectLogin.asp?id=UMN-GRAD
Deadline for Fall 2013: December 1
GRE: no minimum
GPA: ?
Letters of recommendation: three (online)

University of California - Berkeley
EECS graduate admissions: http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Gradadm/
Online application: http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/index.shtml
Deadline for Fall 2013: December 13
GPA: 3.0 minimum
Letters of recommendation: three (online)

Offers: All of our decisions will be sent by e-mail by April 1st.

Carnegie Mellon
ECE graduate admissions: http://www.ece.cmu.edu/programs-admissions/admissions/index.html
Online application: https://www.ece.cmu.edu/prospective/graduate/application/
Deadline for Fall 2013: December 15
Letters of recommendation: three (online)

MIT
EECS graduate admissions: http://www.eecs.mit.edu/academics-admissions/graduate-program/admissions
Online application: https://apply.eecs.mit.edu/apply/login/?next=/
Deadline for Fall 2013: December 15
Letters of recommendation: three (online)Offers: mid-February
GPA: ?
GRE: no minimum

University of Texas - Austin
ECE graduate admissions: http://www.ece.utexas.edu/graduate/admissions.cfm
Online application: http://www.engr.utexas.edu/graduate/admission/apply
Deadline for Fall 2013: December 15
Letters of recommendation: three (online)

University of Wisconsin - Madison
ECE graduate admissions: http://www.engr.wisc.edu/ece/ece-future-graduates-main.html
Online application: https://www.gradsch.wisc.edu/eapp/eapp.pl
Deadline for Fall 2013: December 15
Letters of recommendation: three (online)

GRE: no stated minimum; admitted had 154 (verbal) and 163 (quantitative)

Offers: about two to three months after we receive a completed application.

University of California - Santa Barbara
CE graduate admissions: http://www.ece.ucsb.edu/academics/grad/
Online application: http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/eapp/
Deadline for Fall 2013: December 17 (priority); January 15 (admission only)
GPA: 3.0 minimum
GRE: no minimum
Pre-application: No

Stanford
EE graduate admissions: http://ee.stanford.edu/admissions
Online application: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/gradadmissions/applying/start
Deadline for Fall 2013: December 18
Offers: by the second week of March
GRE: no minimum
GPA: no minimum
Letters of recommendation: three (online)

University of California - San Diego
ECE graduate admissions: http://www.ece.ucsd.edu/grad_overview
Online application: https://gradapply.ucsd.edu/
Deadline for Fall 2013: January 7
Letters of recommendation: three (online)
GPA: 3.0 minimum
GRE: no minimum
Offers: (First round) January/February; (Second round) March/April

University of California - Davis
CE graduate admissions: http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/research/compeng.html
Online application: http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/prospective/applicationlanding.html
Deadline for Fall 2013: January 15 (priority); April 15 (admission only)
Letters of recommendation: three (online)Offers: between March and May
GPA: 3.5 minimum
GRE minimum: 163 (verbal); 155 (quantitative)

Graduate admissions financial support

Via

Financial Support
Highly competitive fellowships and teaching and research assistantships are available through the
Highly competitive fellowships and teaching and research assistantships are available through the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Offers are generally for the academic year and
in some instances include summer support.  Priority for support is given to PhD applicants.

Your application file is also available to faculty members for consideration for Research Assistant
positions.  Faculty will contact applicants directly with questions and information about their research
group.

We also encourage applicants to apply for external fellowships.
Below are links to some programs that provide fellowships:AT&T Labs Summer Internship Program 
Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowships 
Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowships 
Ford Foundation Fellowship Program
GEM Fellowship Program (open to underrepresented groups (African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanic Americans)
The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Fellowship 
National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program 
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowships 
National Physical Science Consortium Fellowships 
The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans 
Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) Fellowship 
Symantec Graduate Fellowship Program 
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Fellowships

Other Funding Opportunities (list provided by the Graduate School)