tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49761640198920148752008-12-16T09:00:02.349-05:00life of an engineeraigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-58042267363195651262008-12-16T09:00:00.000-05:002008-12-16T09:00:02.384-05:00

President-Elect Obama announced his selection for the Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu. He's probably not someone you've heard of, I know I hadn't, but he won the Nobel prize for Physics in 1997, and is currently a Professor at UC Berkeley, and Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. I'm extremely glad to see a Nobel Laureate nominated to the Cabinet, and this isn't just

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-18880986247323255602008-12-15T19:39:00.000-05:002008-12-15T19:42:06.622-05:00

Do you see the lengths to which I have to go in order to get cookies? -aigulf

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-3775575638142156312008-12-13T17:04:00.001-05:002008-12-15T19:21:30.571-05:00

The largest full moon in 15 years drew me out last night. I wasn't howling, I was shooting. Unfortunately, the clouds over Pittsburgh would not relent, so I was forced to satisfy myself with some snow shots at Schenley Park. Not Just Green Courts Open And, of course, a self-portrait (who doesn't like looking at my ugly mug?). Self Portrait I will try to capture the perigee moon tonight,

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com040.43272098033893 -79.94182348251343tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-23116857552548710132008-12-09T01:03:00.001-05:002008-12-09T01:12:06.609-05:00

My parents sent a care package for finals. It's a pretty nice one, at that. Care Package I won't tell them that I'm already done with finals (I only had 1, on the last day of class), since I'm still under the gun to get some meaningful research done before I go home for the break. -aigulf

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-51761790378984611402008-12-04T00:30:00.001-05:002008-12-04T00:38:24.636-05:00

My new Nikon D90 arrived last night... It may look a lot like the D40x (b/c the bodies are very similar), but the LCD screen on the top is new, and it's about 1" thicker (that's b/c of the auto-focus motor). The rest of the improvements are all electronic: better sensors, smarter AF, and a movie mode. It didn't take me long to fire off a test shot at ISO 3200. With my old D40x, I was afraid

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-61801561821228608642008-12-01T13:08:00.000-05:002008-12-01T13:10:30.867-05:00

Well, it's back to the grind, after a week of rest and relaxation (I was going to get some work done, but I left my laptop's AC adapter in Pittsburgh). Before I head off to class, I thought I'd leave this photo, I think it reflects my calm vacation. Still Life -aigulf

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-501243555878547062008-11-17T15:49:00.000-05:002008-11-17T15:57:11.411-05:00

It seems that every morning I wake up a little later than the morning before, at least I'm still waking up in the morning, though. Fuzzy Mornings I wonder if it has anything to do with my new xbox, and recently setting up the media sharing so I can watch all of my tv and movies downstairs on Kyle's big tv. -aigulf

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-84267707327423256322008-11-13T12:44:00.000-05:002008-11-13T13:02:24.097-05:00

The World Economic Forum, based in Geneva, ranks Canada's banking system as the most sound in the world. It's worth noting that Germany comes in at 39, the U.S. at 40, and Britain at 44. Switzerland, known for its banks, was 16th on the list. Why? Canada's banking system is unscathed by the credit crisis that has frozen all of the other major financial markets in the world. So, why is Canada

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-19822419397217706452008-11-10T15:07:00.001-05:002008-11-10T15:21:36.865-05:00

Over the past 7 years, many people have criticized the Islamic community for not providing, with one resounding voice, a denouncement of terrorism. There has been a spattering of individual clerics speaking out against it, but for each cleric decrying the evils of terrorism, there has been a fundamentalist cleric issuing fatwas (a call to holy war) against the west. That is not the case anymore

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-60533857969777333072008-11-03T09:41:00.001-05:002008-11-03T10:11:31.850-05:00

You know that creepy mental hospital from Silence of the Lambs?... Well, it's a real mental hospital...it's been abandoned since 2000. Rose Rust Spiral Iron City Beer You can find the whole set here, and more photos of the hospital here. -aigulf

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-9235940639846247562008-09-27T11:16:00.000-04:002008-09-27T11:44:37.314-04:00

Okay, so maybe I'm a little late to the news, but last week I heard Wolfgang Puck on NPR's "Think" podcast and they discussed his unique culinary philosophy, employed at all of the restaurants bearing his name. In March of 2007, Puck announced that all of his restaurants were to begin serving sustainable, organic, humanely raised foods. The philosophy is called Wolfgang's Eating, Loving, and

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-81284618863197567662008-09-25T14:22:00.005-04:002008-09-26T09:56:28.723-04:00

It seems I've been writing a lot of these, but this is how it goes the first year you sign up for a CSA. Once again, I have been forced, through the powers that be at Penn's Corner, to try a vegetable that I told myself years ago I would never try. I'm not sure why, but growing up I always had a hatred for pumpkins and their squash brethren...maybe it was the interesting aroma that a fresh

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-10337091048230672762008-09-15T11:38:00.002-04:002008-09-15T13:01:15.543-04:00

The remnants of Hurricane Ike hit western Pennsylvania and Ohio last night. By no means am I saying that we received a heavy hit, but the 50mph gusts we got east of downtown caused some minor damage. Unfortunately, the tree in my backyard was not quite up to withstanding the winds. Around 10:00 we heard a loud bang, followed immediately by a complete loss of power. We went outside and saw

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-55259754269402599832008-09-09T14:25:00.000-04:002008-09-09T14:34:48.774-04:00

While the title may seem a little misleading, the point is clear. According to the UN's top Climate Scientist, Rajendra Pachuari, switching to a vegetarian diet should be something anyone trying to reduce their environmental impact should consider. UN data says that meat production accounts for about 18% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, topping even transportation, which accounts for 13%

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-36211463362073326172008-08-29T09:28:00.002-04:002008-08-29T12:35:14.888-04:00

I took this shot yesterday, in about 14 hours it has shot up my list of 'interesting' photos on flickR to #3. No one knows what's in their 'interestingness' filter, but I thought I'd share it with the handful who read my blog, maybe see if I can get the view count up a little more. :-) EDITOR'S NOTE: Since writing this post, my Vertigo shot has taken over as my most interesting photo. :-) A

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-46652076957978785542008-08-22T10:36:00.002-04:002008-08-22T12:39:34.253-04:00

If you don't feel like reading all this, just listen to the NPR:Science Friday segment that got me started. 17m49s In March, the global food crisis reached a tipping point. Rising cost of many food basics (wheat, rice, and corn, for example) cause tightening of the budgets that are felt even in middle America, not to mention the devastating impact it can have on poor countries. There were

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-21387676941203314982008-08-20T09:00:00.002-04:002008-08-22T12:33:06.830-04:00

So, I got this nifty new toy this week...probably the cheapest accessory for my camera that I've purchased yet. It's called a lens coupler. Basically it's a lens filter (like UV filters, polarizing filters), except that it's just a hollow ring, and it has male threads on both sides. What this lets you do is attach two lenses face-to-face. That way, you can hook one lens up to your camera...

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-5743117107807563062008-08-15T09:00:00.000-04:002008-08-15T09:00:32.362-04:00

I was ecstatic earlier this week, when I got my weekly CSA newsletter, informing us of the goodness to come in the next day's basket. This week, the item of choice was a watermelon...our first of the season. Take a look at that beautiful green skin, this is sure to be a glorious watermelon. But, I never knew that watermelons came in a hand-held variety. :-) Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-4717431587156718962008-08-12T13:00:00.000-04:002008-08-12T13:00:02.900-04:00

This ad sums up why I'm psyched for the new season of The Office...

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-27607782902053981372008-08-11T22:14:00.000-04:002008-08-11T22:24:27.166-04:00

I'm taking the challenge. It's a 6 week program. A challenge to improve your upper body strength and fitness. I've never been happy with my upper body, and this seems like a great way to complement my running, as I try to get into better shape and prepare for the hockey season. The best part is, it takes about 5 minutes, Monday/Wednesday/Friday. You start with a simple test..see how many

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-36588062660066207222008-08-07T09:00:00.000-04:002008-08-07T09:00:18.142-04:00

In a major reversal of his previous policy statements, Illinois Senator Barack Obama announced at a speech near the Kennedy Space Center that he would back at least one additional shuttle flight after 2010 and will support the Constellation missions. Duran a Q&A session after the speech, Obama explained his policy shift:"I know it's still being reported that we were talking about delaying some

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-64112879253671011392008-07-30T14:24:00.003-04:002008-07-30T14:30:43.800-04:00

I've had my car for almost 2 years now, and I noticed over the weekend that it was about to roll over to 70,000. So, I pulled out my phone, waited for a straight and level patch of road, and took a shot of my odometer. It's not as special as catching the 100k mark, but I'm pretty happy with how low the mileage is on a 13-year old car. -aigulf

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-39318961104560569052008-07-25T10:06:00.001-04:002008-07-25T10:33:09.154-04:00

Today is a sad day, indeed. Randy Pausch, professor and mentor to hundreds, and inspiration to thousands, passed away this morning. Carnegie Mellon University's President Jared Cohon sent a message to the campus community at 9:56am to inform them of the tragedy earlier this morning. Randy was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in September 2006, and in August 2007 was told to expect

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-64061112362640455242008-07-22T09:00:00.000-04:002008-07-22T09:00:00.937-04:00

So, I was playing softball tonight in CMU's grad student rec league. Yeah, I know. I didn't learn my lesson with the broken nose... We play on one half of a football field, so that we can have two games going simultaneously. My team was playing on the left half of the field tonight, so our right field fence (across the football field, across the track, and up a small embankment) is about 60

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976164019892014875.post-55224224175565493542008-07-21T13:20:00.000-04:002008-07-21T13:35:18.980-04:00

In a previous post, I mentioned France's ambitious plans for an eventual manned mission to Mars and their hopes to put this plan into place during France's rotating position as head of the European Space Agency (ESA). Well, NASA has responded to the challenge to our primacy in space! Australia's The Daily Telegraph is reporting on a 3-day conference at NASA's Ames Research Center beginning

aigulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04967769678969389647noreply@blogger.com0