New Year

I write this during a little break that I have this weekend. I have been working at a summer camp all this time, so blog posts have not exactly been on my mind! But as the summer is coming to a close, and I have to report in just 3 weeks to my CA duties on campus, I've been thinking about what summer break is, and how it feels to be so close to heading back to school.

I believe that summer break is an absolutely awesome opportunity to take time to explore yourself, and explore things outside of what you study in school. Of course people look for internships or research experiences, but these provide so much more than just school does, because they allow growth through new experience. Like I said, I've been at a summer camp, specifically a Bible camp. No, this is not the place where I am going to share my faith or what I've learned about God, but I am going to share what this experience has done for me moving forward in college, beginning an extremely busy year at school.

Working at camp has really helped open my eyes to what the world can be like when everyone allows themselves to be on equal footing, and have a common goal; in this case, that goal was to serve the campers and help them. I've learned so much by interacting with all of these new people, and have also learned a lot about myself from campers. When you're around people and in charge of people for 23 hours a day for 6 days, you get to know each other well, and who you really are starts to come out. That was fun for me, and it is fun for me to see in other counselors who are figuring out what they want to do outside of camp.

I've been so lucky to be so supported by people, and I've learned so much about working with others that I hope I can bring back to school and share through being a CA. I know this post isn't very well-written, but what I want to say is to enjoy your breaks from school, explore new areas of yourself and create interest in other things. Grow from new experiences, and don't be afraid to take on a new challenge during the summer!

As far as going back to school goes, this summer flew by. I'm excited for what school has to hold, but I'm also afraid I might be shocked when I go back, as camp is such a reviving, inspiring and relaxing place to be. I hope my excitement grows, and I will be prepared for the onslaught of classes and responsibilities that I have coming my way. I hope that I learned this summer to be prepared, to be flexible, and to face obstacles with strength. I hope everyone who reads this has enjoyed their summer and learned something new about themselves, and is prepared to head back into school and do awesome!

Deep Thought

It has been a while. I only have one thought that I wish to share at this time though:

Is the hokey pokey really what it's all about?

Finals Week

Finals week is just about to begin, and the one thing on my mind is how much sleep I can get now.

Think about it: People are going to be busy studying. Quiet hours are enforced, and they are 22 hours a day! Even if I commit to studying everyday, the most I can do is 8, maybe 10 hours, and not continuously. The time that is left over is devoted to food and sleep. I'm a math major, but you don't need to be to realize what a deal that is.

I have three finals to study for and 10 days to do it. That is a much better ratio than I ever experienced in high school, and I am going to take full advantage of it! I am someone who firmly believes that a good night's sleep is far superior to anything else when it comes to school and studying. The ability to relax, to just go through the work and then be able to congratulate myself with rest, is something I am looking forward to it.

Now yes, I know many of you will be cringing as you read this. Many people psych themselves into believing that there is not nearly enough time to study. For some people this may be true. But I still say that enjoying the time you have to sleep, to get a solid 8 hours at least, is well worth it. Try to relax. Focus, keep working hard, but stay relaxed.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of the different opportunities the university gives us to unwind a bit while studying. Go out for ice cream, go find some free event in a hall! There's a lot to do, and taking at least an hour every day during these next 10 days to be out and away from your books will not only make studying easier, but will help your brain rest and synthesize the information better!

Just hang in there everyone, we'll make it though this one.

New Thing...

Jack and I have started a new thing: a math problem of the week. For those of you around here, the question will be posted outside our door. For everyone else, you can see them at mathprobumn.blogspot.com .

All answers submitted must be submitted to mdrichard05@gmail.com with proof work done. This first week the winner (first correct answer we get) will receive a free meal at Chipotle (or somewhere similar if you don't happen to enjoy Chipotle.)

Even if you aren't in college and/or don't go to UMN, that's okay. We can try to keep our offer for those of you that we know and can establish an IOU for. If other people who don't know us happen to find these problems... well I appreciate you participating!

Thank you, and Jack and I should have another good post up soon!

What's In A Name?

I was trying to figure out what to post, as I have not written much in a while. While I was considering this, I started absentmindedly assigning numbers to letters, and trying to figure out what I could do with these. As I am a math major, and this blog has contained a disproportionately low amount of math, sadly, I figured I would come up with something related to math to post.

Now, the first idea that came to me before the numbers and letters and math was the idea of what is in a name. I believe that many people consider this to be a first name. What stereotypes are associated with various first names? To me, the meat of the subject is in the last name, your history and what nature has given you. I must admit though that there are merits to both ideas.

So, we have what is in a name. And letters equaling numbers. We have all the necessary tools to do some interesting math.
a  b  c  d  e  f   g   h   i     j   k     l     m    n     o    p    q    r    s    t    u     v    w    x    y     z
1  2  3 4  5  6  7   8   9   10 11   12   13   14  15  16  17  18  19  20 21  22  23   24  25   26

I was considering how to approach creating an idea of using numbers to define what is in a name. Personality characteristics are to intangible to define numerically (at least at my low level of math), but maybe something like precision or accuracy. I figured, lets take a look at the likelihood that a statement someone says is correct based on their name. It must be considered that this should be less than 100% for your average name. So maybe the fraction of your first and last names would help this:

Mark / Richard=43/61=0.705 or 70.5%

Here the value of the name is defined as the summation of each of the values of the letters. So Mark = m + a + r + k = 13 + 1 + 18 + 11 = 43.

I can't tell if that is way too often or not often enough. Either way, a second test that I considered is that there are many names that this model would not follow. I thought instantly of Yao Meng, both a physics TA here at the University and an NBA player:

Yao / Meng = 41/39 = 1.05 or 105%

So this idea was not going to work. 

At this point it is rather clear that it is not letters in general that make a good name. Someone with the name Zzzzzz A would not necessarily be better than someone else. So, I decided to add another rule.

Some of the most successful people seem to have a trend of consecutive vowels in their names (especially French and Asian people). With this idea, I thought that the value of a name changes depending on vowels, which to me seem like the more powerful letters, giving definition and form to a word. So, now if two or more vowels are consecutive, you multiply them. However, a = 1 so that wouldn't positively affect the value, so let's say that if a is being multiplied, a = 2. So now:

Yao does not equal Y + a + o, Yao = Y + a*o = 25 + (2*15) = 55.

Now, simply adding the two names does not seem sufficient to determine an inherent value, as discussed above with the Z A thing. Some other manipulation must occur.

I assume that your first name is indicative of the nurture you are going to receive, and your last name is indicative of the nature you are receiving. As such, the value of first names that contain an apostrophe are deducted 5 "points". 

Let us say that the added value of your nature and nurture is proportional to the amount of valuable, positive experience you expect to gain by adulthood. However, if your nature value is greater than your nurture value, we can expect some conflict as your inherent nature, whether it be your interests or physical condition, are not good for the molding that your nurture wants.

One way I thought to deal with this is to simply divide your nature value by ten, and use that as a percentage change.

In my case, Mark = 43 and Richard = 61. I expect conflict as a result. 

43/10 = 4.3. So to reduce my nurture value, we say 43* (1 - 0.043) = 43*.957 = 41.2

Thus the quality of my experience from being nurtured is reduced by my inherent nature.

So far we have deduced how to roughly, very roughly,  determine the value of the experience you are gaining by analyzing your name. Give it a try!

I plan on continuing this train of thought, but I believe this is a good place to end before we start graphing functions related to our names.

If you made it this far, I congratulate you. This post is a large step from the norm, but I think that it is kind of fun to calculate! I will be back with more later.

What's So Great About Classical Music?

The class that I decided to take this semester for a break from the math and science classes was a freshmen seminar class called "What's So Great About Classical Music?" In it, my professor, a man whose formal training is in linguistics but has played piano since the age of 7 and is quite knowledgeable, teaches us ways to understand classical music and analyze why it is appealing. The music theory behind it is not something to be described in this post, but let it suffice to say that the two-and-a -half hours I spend every Friday afternoon listening to and discussing classical music is well worth the time.

The reason I mention this at midnight on a Monday night is largely due to Jack and I sitting here, him doing his physics lab report, me biding my time, while listening to Brahms' Symphony no. 1 and Holst's The Planets. It is interesting how classical music flicks a certain switch in many of us, allowing clarity of thought and focus. For some it doesn't work, and other music is preferred. But I have learned that it works extraordinarily well for me. I feel that this is largely due to the stereotype of classical music that has developed in our modern society. 

Classical music is thought of as either stuffy and boring or refined and tasteful, as many pieces of art associated with nostalgia or history seem this way. Those of us who view it as refined allow the music to shape our mood into a refined, focused and slightly aloof feeling. This seems to work better with romantic music, Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy, than Bach. Bach is often viewed as more stuff ywith the heavy use of the plunky harpsichord and limited use of dynamics. I am partial to slightly heavier, more daring works. The Planets and Carmina Burana are great examples. These provide an intensity that I need to focus, and this makes sense as these pieces are often heard in action scenes in media. Piano pieces give me a more lulling sensation that makes me want to lie down. The sense that the music gives, in addition to the social connotation, really drives its effectiveness in studying. Even if it is not the center of a room, simply used as background white noise, it helps release tension in the air. 

Regardless of your music preference or if classical music is helpful to you, give it a try. Though I have already developed a taste for it, my professor has helped open my eyes to an even more varied repertoire. The beauty, intelligence and pure with that went into the creation of many of these pieces is something rarely seen these days in popular music. Even listening to modern orchestral works or band works is a new experience, and often worth a try.

Coming Home

This weekend is my first at home since I moved into my dorm. It was a rather surreal experience. It's weird to think about a point in my life where my home suddenly stops really feeling like home... As far as the love of my family, it will always be my home, and home-cooked meals will always have a special place in my heart (especially when compared to dining hall food), yet after living with Jack for a month, having most of my necessary possessions in my dorm, and a new era of my life being introduced, it's scary to think of home as something other than home.

Of course coming back to my girlfriend is something that is special. Seeing my little sister and listening to her bubble along about what is going on is fun. And working again, however tiring and monotonous it feels after a one month hiatus, makes me feel a little better. It's nice to have constants in your life. College is such an amorphous, strange experience for me, and having ties to things I know helps keep me balanced and grounded with all of the new experiences.

I advise everyone to take their first visit home seriously. While we have all been having a great time connecting with new people, enjoying new clubs and groups and stressing over quizzes, it is important to remember that our home is a place (I hope for most of us) that has helped us get where we are. When we go back home we can remember moments that helped us become who we are, helped guide us into this great experience at the University. Enjoy the food put in front of you; there is something about food produced for 4 instead of 4000 that is just more enjoyable sometimes. Tell your parents about what has been happening, keep them in the loop (and censor stories as necessary.)

Maybe this is just me as a nerd in CSE, but even doing a little bit of homework at home where I used to helps me focus and gives me a little nostalgia about awful problems in physics, difficult readings and fun projects. It is good to embrace your new experiences; clinging onto the past is never a healthy or productive way to succeed. I just think that it is important to remember your roots, remember the significant experiences in your life. Doing so will help you be more self-aware. In my mind self-awareness is one of the most important traits that helps one really enjoy life. When you know who you are, you can tailor what you do to who you are, rather than the other way around.

Remember to thank your parents, your siblings, teachers, friends or anyone else who really impacted your life and helped you get where you are. Those who helped drive you to your goals, whether directly or indirectly, deserve an enormous amount of thanks from you. There are so many teachers and friends that I need to thank for everything they did to help me get into the college I wanted and helped prepare me for this academic onslaught.

Keep in mind those who helped you. Remember your roots. Enjoy any stay at home that you get, even if it is just for your own bed or a home-cooked meal. And if you do all of this, your past will drive you forward into the future that you have dreamed of.