I just finished up my homework for my SCI-204 course, and it was pretty interesting. We're currently discussing the impact of the human population's growth rate, and to answer a number of questions for the "lab" portion of the homework I had to run a number of equations. I never expected that I would have to dust off my old TI-85 scientific calculator for something as simple as an "environmental science" course, but there you have it. Higher learning is full of surprises like that! I'm just glad I was able to locate it after a few minutes of searching around Z'ha'dum. I had taken great pains to tuck it somewhere safe and accessable when I moved in, but I couldn't remember where that was for a while. Eventually I found it in the closet of the Blue Room of Death, sitting in the original box, along with the original manual. Equally surprising is the fact the batteries still worked! This calculator is almost a decade old (I think I got it in 1992) and the last time I used it was... lord, back in 1999 or so before I threw it into the box and withdrew from school.

All hail the power of the equation solver on the TI-85, and the ability to actually have a calculator that knows the value of e right out of the box! My poor little SideKick's built-in calculator is nice, but by no means of the imagination is it ready to deal with something like t=(1/k)*ln (N_O/O).

In other news I placed an order with Amazon. On the shipping list is the widescreen edition of Schindler's List (Thank you for finally releasing that, Steve!), the Jurassic Park soundtrack to replace the one I had on casette years and years ago, FLA's Epitath, Neil Young's latest release Greendale, Spectators by Wolfsheim and various other albums. I'm looking forward to expanding my music and movie collection!

Speaking of looking forward to things, my dillemma with getting another cat has been solved for me: Eli was adopted today. I found out that he'd gotten a new home when I stopped by PetSmart on the way ouf of Borders, where I had gone to pick up a couple of sketchbooks. Don't ask what I'm going to do with the sketchbooks, I honestly don't know. I certainly won't be drawing in them (unless you count stick figures as "drawings," but as a caveman I should be out scratching on walls of rock, not in nice bound sketchbooks). Maybe I can pay a few artists to draw some silliness in there for me.

Tomorrow I go back to work, configure a few routers and try to make sense of where I stand on a number of high-profile but painfully elaborate projects. I never knew that as a Network Engineer I would be doing Project Management-type work for free.

Tell me why

Tags: school
Current Mood: crazy
Current Music: Neil Young -- Eldorado