.the gpb kids.

Me Too!

Posted by Mike - October 30, 2008 at 09:10:14 pm

I tried the tablet in photoshop.

Bamboo Fun

Posted by Jules - October 30, 2008 at 09:10:44 pm

I bought a little Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet to play around on. It’s a little awkward to use right now, but I’m sure it will get more comfortable with time. And hopefully my drawing skills will improve as well. Time to get back to work!

Yip Yips at Wondercon 2008

Posted by Mike - February 25, 2008 at 08:02:00 am

Stan invited me to go to Wondercon with him this year in one of his Yip Yip costumes. The first thing we did was go the costume contest Saturday night where we did a short skit similar to the telephone one seen on Sesame Street. We didn’t have anyone filming for us, but maybe I can find us on Youtube later. It was pretty simple, we didn’t have any audio clip to give to the coordinators so we just yipped loudly. But we got a pretty amazing reaction from the audience. I couldn’t really see because I took my glasses off and the lights are shining toward you on stage, but they sounded pretty happy. I’m surprised they could even hear us actually. After our skit, we stumbled off stage (I almost missed the stairs). At the end of the night, the awards were announced and wouldn’t you know it, Stan and I got “Best Humorous.” He has the trophy on his desk at work. Maybe I can get him to take a picture of it.

On Sunday we went back for a couple of hours and walked the floor in costume for a short period. I have to say that the reaction people have toward the costumes is addictive. Everybody at least smiles when they see us and a lot of people want to take pictures with us. At sound points we would have a little group surrounding us with cameras. A few people has us pose in their booths and one website “interviewed” us. Most of the people knew who we were. I was surprised that both adults and children recognized us. Some, however, thought Stan (in blue) was the cookie monster.

The whole thing was very fun and addicting. If Jules and I didn’t have to make it back for a Joshua Bell concert I’m sure we would have walked the floor for a couple more hours. Yip yip yip.

Update: Stan posted the pictures at flickr. And here’s a video someone took of us backstage.

Infernal Unicorn!

Posted by Mike - February 22, 2008 at 05:02:36 pm

I think Netflix needs to take another look at their recommendation algorithms. Here’s the description of Infernal Affairs:

A veteran cop, Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung), is given an enormous task: to go undercover within his own department and finger the detective who’s been deceiving everyone and leaking information to the criminal underworld. But the mole (Andy Lau), whose identity Chan doesn’t know, also has no idea who the internal investigator is, and the two soon embark on a dangerous and perilous game of cat and mouse.

And the description for Wonder Pets:

Linny the guinea pig, Ming-Ming Duckling and Turtle Tuck join forces to save a new crop of animals in distress in this family-friendly program that employs the fascinating technique of “photo-puppetry.” In this collection of exciting rescue episodes, the Wonder Pets jump into a storybook to help a unicorn whose horn is lodged in a tree. Later, they head to the South Pole to save a baby penguin who’s stranded on an ice floe.

Maybe there’s something I’m missing. Maybe Turtle Tuck is just like Andy Lau.

Recommendation Engine

Posted by Mike - February 13, 2008 at 09:02:14 am

Oh Netflix, you’re so smart! How did you know??

I saw that today when I logged on to Netflix.

What Happens When You Type Half Asleep

Posted by Jules - October 25, 2007 at 10:10:18 pm

So I was browsing through my Resume folder that I pulled off an old hard drive. Usually I label what type of resume, and who it’s for. There was a document in there that was labelled “New Microsoft Word Document”. And all I can say is, woah. I have no recollection of typing it. I suspect that I may have been trying to remember a dream- I do recall a conversation several years back where a friend and I discussed trying to remember dreams by writing them down as soon as we woke up. I drop letters and words left and right, so I must have been sleepy.

Dream.

I’m at the bus stop comparing bus passes with my sister. Up at UW, there’s goes until midnight. I open my black wallet, and a bright blue ticket stub is in the front pocket. My Berkeley. With all the times listed. The bus pass stops at 6 pm. I remark that all the shops close down early, so the bus also stops early. I’m in farm country.

Suddenly I’m in front of a strange house. I know this is where I used to live with my family, but
Weird house, torn down, apt with strange lady, 330 / sq ft

Going to grad school. In mathematics. Prof Schilling. Trying to figure mathematic relationship between planet and leaf

Run off to grad school classes. Realize don’t know what classes I’m taking. Rush off to use computers in a room a few doors down, bump into a female teacher consulting with two other adults. It’s really like a kindergarten, room, the desks are so small. But there are a row of MACs. I race over and grap a pink post it pad, but I have to remove all the post its with writing on them already before I can find to blank ones. The post it’s I peeled off had strings of numbers on them- nothing I knew. I grabbed a red pen, but no computers work. Run around in building until find a class. Sit in and hope it’s mine. Teacher calls on me to tell about self. I stumble at first. She reprimands me I speak again.

Name
Plant genetics grad student and math grad student
I sometimes like punk music (someone scoffs)
I like fuzzy pajamas
I’m done

It is at this point I realize I still have my retainer on.

I think it’s kind of funny that I rediscover this when I’ve just started grad school. But mathematics grad student?? At least I stuck in plant genetics grad student at the end. I guess being a crazy math grad would be useful if I wanted to determine the mathematical relationship between planet and leaf. Hehe..

Maybe I’ll try writing down my dream next time I have one to see what I come with.

The ’stache

Posted by Mike - October 15, 2007 at 12:10:49 pm

Well here it is. The end product. Took me a while to shave off the beard this morning. But it was obviously worth it.

Maybe someday I can compete with these fine gentlemen.

Beard Update

Posted by Mike - October 12, 2007 at 11:10:53 am

Well there it is. The end result of my beard growing adventure. I’m planning on chopping it all off on Monday and rolling with just a mustache for a day. Sure it will look silly, but it’s something that needs to be done. Perhaps I’ll take a picture of that.

Also, this weekend my dad is going to play drums at my aunt’s fundraiser. Woot!

Beard Update

Posted by Mike - October 3, 2007 at 08:10:49 am

Here’s a update on the beard status. Oddly enough I’m wearing the same shirt that I was wearing for the last picture.

I think it’s coming along quite nicely. Not much to say about it. Still itches, Jules still doesn’t like it, and it still makes me look cool.

Anti-aging

Posted by Jules - August 29, 2007 at 02:08:25 pm

It’s kind of funny, because this week I have been told by various people- bank teller, fellow students, and even a couple of random Thailand tourists to name a few- that I look really young. As in I look like a high school or college student, and not the getting-near-26 that I am. Which is fine, really, but I’ve never garnered this much comment before. I’m either regressing at an alarming rate or I’m just having more new human social interaction than I’ve had in years. Ah, the mysteries of life.

My Shirt of The Day (it’s good to have kiwi aunt uncles with a good sense of humor):

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