The road winds interminably, miles on miles of browning grass and gentle grazing slopes.

S: Hey, so are you from around here?
E: Not really, I live on a small farm outside of town.
S: Oh yah?  Do you work on the farm?  What do you do?
E: I'm a rabbit farmer.
S: Really... so how many rabbits do you have on your farm?
E: I have 1000 rabbits.
S: That's a lot of rabbits... where do you keep them all?
E: They just run around.  That's all they do all day.  Run around and eat.  I feed them lots.
S: So what do you do with the rabbits then?
E: I call them "Fat Bunnies" and market them all around the world.  Mostly in developing countries though.
S: Developing countries?  Is this a niche market?
E: Yes, you'd be surprised at how many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) buy bunnies to start micro-enterprises.

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S: So what are you up to when you have some free time available?
E: I race rabbits.

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S: Do you have any siblings?  
E: No siblings.  
S: How bout your parents?  Are they still on the farm?
E: My parents are rabbits.

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S: So what's your fav...
E: I don't want to play anymore.  

 Ellen (to a friend's request of how to talk to women): "If you're good looking, you need a good personality.  If you're ok looking, you need a great personality.  If you're ugly, you need an amazing personality."

Sam: "It's a good thing that I only needed a good personality."

Music wafts jauntily out of the saloon, the keys of the piano merrily cascading in self-volition.  An elderly man slides up to the piano  with a quick grin to his wife and air plays his heart out as his wife laughs and pulls out her camera.

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At the head of a procession of strollers is a curious pair.  A skipping little girl with a big smile pushes the stroller as a chubby baby  wails, huge head lolling side to side.  Behind them, more pairs of kids push wheeled babies with chatting adults bringing up the rear.

A while ago (nearly a year now), Ellen and I took a weekend (with a couple days tossed in as bookends) and embarked on a mini-road trip.  The first leg was driven in the dark of night after a full day of work - from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.  On the way there, we started discussing, what makes an answer, "wrong".  The question started off in the realm of teaching.  Ellen mentioned that a lot of her students were able to grasp the mechanics of adding and subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions correctly, but most were unable to correctly reduce the fractions.  

For question 1, please solve the equation and simply the fraction.
2/3 + 6/2 = ?

The solution is of course 11/3.  However, the answer Ellen often got was 22/6 - an unreduced fraction.  This answer does not fully address the question; although the quantity is correct, the form of the answer reveals one of two things, 1) insufficient understanding for the reduction of fractions or 2) problems with reading the directions.  If no partial credit is given, we can think of right and wrong in terms of logic.  If 1 and 1, then 1 (right).  If 1 and 0, then 0 (wrong).  if 0 and 0, then 0 (wrong).  

This assumes that an answer is strictly binary in nature.  However, 'Right' and 'Wrong' absolute standard, then it is impossible to really live at the polar extremes.  We live in the in between, in the shades of grey.  For the student who answered 22/6, it is clear that he/she did not get it 'right'.  But nor did he get it completely wrong.  

I guess it depends on who the whom the burden of proof falls upon.  In statistical research, one of the most basic and fundamental things to do is to develop a hypothesis.  Then the null hypothesis is formulated and used in further experiments as a baseline to compare against.  The p-value is the probability of the test result assuming the null hypothesis is true.  If the p-value is within a certain arbitrary preordained probability limit (generally over 5%), then the null hypothesis stands.  If the p-value is less than the significance level (results that are should be observed 5% or less of the time), then test results are 'statistically significant' and the null hypothesis can be rejected.  

Hypothesis:  Chelsea knows how to add and simplify fractions.
Null Hypothesis:  Chelsea does not know how to add and simplify fractions.
Significance level: 5%
Experiment: 100 math problems of adding and simplifying fractions.  

With this setup, the burden of proof is clearly on Chelsea.
Now it's harder than just saying, if Chelsea gets over 95/100 of the problems correct than she has disproved the null hypothesis.  What is the probability - if Chelsea doesn't understand how to do the problems correctly - that she gets 10 correct?  30?  50?  I think that ideally, you would be able to test this maybe with the class grade level below to determine a probability curve.  Let's say it is statistically significant (under 5% likelihood) if Chelsea scores above 40/100.  This means if she scores a 50/100, that it is very unlikely (outside of 2 standard deviations) for her that she simply does not know how to add or simplify fractions.  But what does this prove?  This disproves the null hypothesis but it really doesn't prove the hypothesis, that Chelsea actually knows it.  Let's try switching it around.

2nd Hypothesis: Chelsea does not know how to add and simplify fractions.
2nd Null Hypothesis:  Chelsea knows how to add and simplify fractions.

Now the burden of proof is on the tester to show that Chelsea's scores are low enough that it is unlikely that she understands the math.  If the p-value of her test results are less than 0.05, this implies that her scores have only a 5% probability of occurring if she really did understand how to do the math.  Or in other words, how likely is it that - if she really understands it - she scores a 90?  Very likely.  A 70?  Less likely... but still possible.  A 50?  Let's say that it is statistically significant if she scores below 60/100.  If Chelsea's test results are above the 60% mark, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected, but neither has it been proven.

I think our educational grading system has traditionally used the second null hypothesis.  Does having a higher p-value imply a higher probability of the null hypothesis being true?  Yes.  So if Chelsea's p-value is 0.90, then it would be extremely probable that she understood how to do the math.  Would having a higher probability that she understands fractions then equate with having an understanding of 90% of the material?  Another dissonance is that while we set the null hypothesis to put the burden of proof on the tester to show that the student doesn't understand the material, we often grade as if though the burden of proof is on the student.  In other words, we should be saying, the student understands it unless he/she "proves" it otherwise.  I think that that means that partial credit should always be given because in essence, we should be docking points only in places where the student shows a lack of understanding.

I often hear that nearly all little boys fall in love with dinosaurs.  If so, I was no exception; I had dinosaurs on my brain.  As an elementary school student, I used to beg my parents to take me to the library.  I read every dinosaur book I could find, including the academic ones heavy on research and paleontology.  I remember searching through the "D" book of my mom's World Book encyclopedias and fact checking the account with the other books I was reading.  It was the fictional accounts though, that really drew the attention of my youthful imagination.  I wish I could remember the titles of the books I loved as a kid.  There was one story that I know for a fact that's been the basis of reoccurring dreams; it's a story set in a dinosaur park where the protagonists are all kids.  No, it's not Jurassic Park (although after I read Jurassic Park, I said to myself, this would be an awesome movie... and a year later, I heard that a deal was struck and the movie was being produced).

In January, 2007, Wired magazine ran an article on Pleo and I once again reverted to my childhood obsession.  I ran down every link and every review on this dinosaur toy that was to be the dawn of a new age of autonomous robots.  While the Pleo did finally get released to the public, the high cost and the still-developing software and tools made for a weak splash in the consumer markets.  Ugobe, the manufacturer, recently filed for bankruptcy.  

Ellen came back about a month ago now from China and one of the many gifts she brought back was a series of small magnetic balls.  You can make all sorts of shapes with the magnets - build bracelets, necklaces, cubes, modern art sculptures.  For my first attempt, I elected to make the following:

tick tock tick tock
"the following events take place between the hours of..."
heroes and villains flicker on the screen
snarling dialog, intrigue, explosions, and me
watching even as i lather dishes,
fold laundry and chat online

layers on layers
a ticker tape to my daily life

i stay up late, unwilling to part from the longing
and exquisite prose scrawled on page after page
unwilling to forsake cecil, kain, and rosa
on their treacherous Final Fantasy quest
unwilling to turn off
all the noise, all the distractions

you ask me, do you miss me yet?
i think about the deepening
relationships with Jack Bauer, Echo, Rois,
and Dr. House,
about my Rockets in the Finals
led by my thumb-twitching mastery

i think about the quiet emptiness
the void next to me in bed

and i answer back to your pixelated cuteness
"i've missed you from Day 1"

Guilty pleasures. It's under $5 at Albertson's on Fridays and man, it's way better than I expected. The pizza eschews tomato sauce for a white creamy sauce topped with cheese, spinach and mushrooms. The crust is better than most of the pizza chains.

Oh, and can't forget these bad boys... they're usually soggy after microwaving and eating more than two causes heart burn BUT... it's just so good.



And finally, Tony keyed me in on this delectable surprise from Trader Joes.  The mango and cream dessert is made from soy -which initially raised all sorts of white flags.  Not to fear, however, it's fantastic.




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I used to say I'd like to be published by the time I was 30. I don't think that'll happen any more. I'm gonna reload, aim, and fire at another target. 2011. They say that writing, like every other skill, is one that requires dedication and practice. I don't know if I have the constitution to maintain that level of focus over an extended period of time but it'll be worth a go.

To that end, I'll be revisiting my blog more frequently, teasing out small details in life, exploring subjects that spark interest.

I gorged tonight on leafy spinach, beets, mushrooms, and croutons.  I can't remember the last time I was this full off of mainly salads and soups.  But after a long day, a tiny lunch, and the first real exercise I've had since I hurt my leg, I was due for some replenishment.

Souplantation has a bright and cheery vibe to it.  I'm impressed with how they've managed to upgrade the old, stodgy feel of buffets through a combination of brighter decor, a clean room layout, and younger, smiling employees.  It's a very obvious attempt to tap into the mainstream desire to "go green" and attract younger crowds.  Make no mistake however, this is still a place of gluttony; only, now the gluttony makes the gluttonous feel more virtuous.

What I noticed was that probably 70% of the restaurants' patrons were Asians.  A lot of families but also a wide variety of younger high school aged kids.  It makes sense to me; Asians are usually super cheap and flock to buffets.  However, Californian Asians are driven by a conflicting influence from Californian culture to eat healthy.  Places like Souplantation provide that perfect convergence of value and health.  I'm guessing that if one could see the balance sheets of Souplantation over the past year, there would be an inverse correlation between the health of the economy and the profits of Souplantation.

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Skype is great.  I've gotten to talk with Ellen on webcam everyday this week so far since she's been at her brother, Eugene's place in Beijing.  She's on her way to Chengdu - a city known for being near to the largest Panda research facility in the world.  She's back in a week and a half!

Wifey was gone for 26 hours and I managed to hurt myself and garner 7 stitches.

Eight days into the studying for the PE exam.  Most people aren't aware that in order to officially be called a Mechanical Engineer (or a Civil or an Electrical, etc), you have to undergo a lengthy application process - including requesting referrals from four licenced engineers - and then take an eight hour engineering test to confirm your qualifications.  This test isn't a walk in the park either; it has an average pass rate in any given year of just under 50%.  My test is near the end of April, in essence giving me 94 more days before the exam.  The average passing participant studies around 300 hours; that works out to about three hours a night for me.

I've been taking a review class on Sunday mornings from 9am to 4pm.  There are only 8 students enrolled; gives me fighting odds that I'll actually be able to remember some names  :P  The one thing that impressed me was the enthusiasm that everyone had.  Everyone was fully engaged during the class - making suggestions, taking notes, responding to the instructor.  Even laughing at bad jokes and exchanging banalities about how hard the test was going to be was done in a very earnest manner.  

I have a tendency to hold back before engaging fully.  I think most people go into new situations in a slightly guarded stance.  In elementary school, there was once a band who came to sing at a school assembly.  They covered the Beach Boys and had everyone dancing and smiling.  I was dancing and smiling too, until I overheard one of the cool kids nearby saying, "Dude, this is so lame."  He completely squashed that good feeling I had; I remember vividly thinking, he should be having fun too... we're only ten.  In junior high schools across the country, you see this transformation completed; kids adopt a facade and a wariness in new situations.

Thus, it's rare when you see whole groups drop that facade.  I think it happens when people are fully vested in a particular goal and the challenges are so great that it becomes a near imperative to work together with the people around you.  The earnestness I saw in my fellow classmates reminded me of the last time I saw this, in the beginning training sessions for Peace Corps deployment.

We flew from all over the country to converge on Philly three days before the scheduled departure for Guinea.  Workshops ranged from fears and concerns to what we were bringing and how to be sensitive to the local cultures.  I remember listening to the advice and the response of other volunteers and thinking, "Man this is pretty cheesy," but then forcing myself to drop the attitude of the cynic.  In the face of incredible unknowns and personal insecurities, the team pulled together in a manner that I wish I could see more of in a day to day basis.  
 
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I've been sick for 3 days now.  My nose is red from being rubbed raw and I keep Ellen up at night with my labored breathing.  Sucks.  The day is mine however; today is Martin Luther King Jr. day and we have no plans, no people to meet up with.  

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vi⋅vac⋅i⋅ty

 : 
1. liveliness; animation; sprightliness
2. Slumdog Millionaire