tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:24:34 +0000Musings on Science, Politics, and Nature from Aspen, Colorado.http://klassica.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)Blogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-3047524272009608013Sat, 26 Dec 2009 02:49:00 +00002009-12-25T19:49:59.102-07:00Dear Friends and Family,Well, I considered writing letters to everyone, but now that it's December 24, and I'm at Denver International Airport, waiting for my flight to Seattle to board, I figure I'll just write an email. The second half of 2009 has been very eventful, busy, and has brought many new things into my life.As you probably know, I have been working in Aspen since I graduated http://klassica.blogspot.com/2009/12/1st-annual-christmas-letter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-7212701401929097780Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:17:00 +00002009-10-26T13:27:43.451-06:00tourismvisitingtravelvacationMoscowholidayRussiaA friend of mine asked me on Facebook to tell her the top 10 things I'd recommend doing in Moscow, Russia, during a short trip. I was there in September for 9 days, in addition to the year I spent teaching English, while a university student (in 2005). Here are my suggestions:The Kremlin, of course, and Red Square and St. Basil's Cathedral. The Kremlin charges quite a bit for foreigners - if you http://klassica.blogspot.com/2009/10/10-fun-things-to-do-in-moscow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-5513454861125760726Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:10:00 +00002009-10-26T13:17:06.176-06:00movingboulderupdatejobrelocationA lot has happened in recent weeks. For one, I've relocated to Boulder, Colorado, and have a new job there as as web programmer. It's been great, and am enjoying it a lot. I'm still working on establishing myself, and finding new friends here. It's a fairly sizable college town, so I'm sure that won't be too difficult.http://klassica.blogspot.com/2009/10/moved-to-boulder.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-6943101011101155251Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:48:00 +00002009-07-13T21:50:35.633-06:00evoluitionpsaBecause it's good to know how your world works.http://klassica.blogspot.com/2009/07/evolution.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-7126911237666988080Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:59:00 +00002009-02-12T23:43:04.301-07:00societybirthdayevolutionlincolnsciencedarwinTwo hundred years ago, on the the same day, were born two men who brought about revolutionary changes in the perspective of how society reflects upon itself. These revolutions in though were and still are fraught with great tension, and these men are regarded as heroes to many and villains to some unwilling to accept the new ideas these men have brought out in the open.I, as well as most people, http://klassica.blogspot.com/2009/02/happy-200th-darwin-and-lincoln.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-483713851022233684Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:56:00 +00002009-02-12T22:57:44.478-07:00Wow. I'd really like to try this out:http://klassica.blogspot.com/2009/02/drinking-space-coffee.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-7646062683057129541Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:25:00 +00002009-02-10T00:43:28.983-07:00So, It's been brought to my attention that my blog is very out of date, and that I need to post something. Lately, my life has been fairly unremarkable. I've been mostly working, getting out on the mountain (skiing and snowboarding) on weekends, or just doing nothing. I did go to Las Vegas again for a work project a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I can't talk about the project, or I'd have to killhttp://klassica.blogspot.com/2009/02/obligatory-blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-5729544393804118431Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:54:00 +00002008-12-14T22:58:48.734-07:00birthdayfriendsToday is my birthday, and it's been a really great day. I went snowboarding today, and my roommates and another friend of mine treated me to a delicious Mexican dinner and dessert. They even got the waitstaff to sing to me and give me cake. :)I just wanted to give a big thanks to all my friends and family that have made it (and every other day of the year) so wonderful. Blessings to you all.http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/12/25-trips-around-sun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-1789644475952999745Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:18:00 +00002008-12-05T23:54:32.042-07:00gas pricescookiespetroleconomybusinessYesterday, I was so excited to see the big red and white sign reading$2.139 that I immediately had to text a relative and share the news, since the price had dropped 9 cents in 2 days. Today I rolled into my town, Carbondale, after a long day at work, and with the realization that my tank was near empty, I started scanning for that familiar Co-op gas station sign. Then I found it. The sign read http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/12/bittersweet-recession.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-2858617017562643365Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:20:00 +00002008-11-23T02:31:04.106-07:00misceconomicscarsbiketriviaI got a new bike today! This was a cheap bike from a Big-Box Mart that I could use to ride to the bus stop in the mornings, and leave out all day in the weather. I definitely didn't want to risk leaving my nice mountain bike at the bus stop all day, and walking takes too much precious time in the morning, when 1 minute can make a big difference in how the rest of the day will unfold.So here are http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/11/new-bike.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-3498100341803328126Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:05:00 +00002008-10-22T00:06:04.865-06:00http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/10/ouch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-1516685013265462242Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:47:00 +00002008-10-19T23:53:23.998-06:00This week and next, I'll be in Las Vegas, working on a development project. This will be a big project, where I will set up a web control system, allowing this building's owners to control everything over the internet! Fun stuff. And on my off time, I'll get to bum around Las Vegas, unfortunately, on my own. I will be there for Halloween! That should be exciting. Also, the summery weather in the http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/10/viva-las-vegas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-1026182559886441109Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:45:00 +00002008-09-25T22:57:05.930-06:00bankingwamucurrenteventsWell, my main bank just failed a few hours ago. Washington Mutual, which I've had an account with since I was about 7 years old is no more. They've been in pretty bad shape recently due to the subprime mortgage mess. Tonight, they were seized by the FDIC and their deposit base was acquired by JP Morgan Chase. This marks the largest bank failure in American history, as WaMu was a 309 billion http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/09/boo-hoo-to-wamu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-3958091684661283375Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:49:00 +00002008-09-24T00:06:56.672-06:00newsfinancecurrenteventspoliticseconomyI'm up late reading emails and listening to NPR. I received this email today, which passed along from another Ron Paul supporter. It is written by a financial analyst who has some very interesting things to say about this financial crisis the United States is in. Read this. It'll scare you a bit. If you have some thoughts on this, write your senators and representatives and tell them what you http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/09/reality-of-financial-crisis.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-208788668771777683Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:46:00 +00002008-09-24T00:06:04.470-06:00videopoliticsyoutubeeconomyhttp://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/09/playing-bailout-game-one-congresswomans.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-9137300977879184737Mon, 15 Sep 2008 06:15:00 +00002008-09-15T00:17:51.681-06:00ddlinuxtechcomputingI'm writing this post on a computer that currently is running the Linux command:dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdaAmazingly, things are still working. I can even browse the web. But then, clearing a 120 GB disk bit by bit does take a while.http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/09/this-computer-will-self-destruct-in-32.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-3004517635404684645Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:07:00 +00002008-09-14T22:15:43.302-06:00I moved to the lovely town of Carbondale, Colorado on Friday. Today I climbed the twin peaks of Mount Sopris, which is a 12,965 foot mountain that overlooks Carbondale. This was the biggest climb I have ever done, made more difficult by the endless fields of scree that cover almost every bit of the mountain, and the two false summits, and the two actual summits which both are exactly equal in http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-climbed-mount-sopris.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-915054676562565712Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:02:00 +00002008-09-14T20:03:25.121-06:00The photos are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/ketcar/BurningMan2008#http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/09/burning-man-2008-pictures.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-5849518274552581869Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:47:00 +00002008-08-24T12:06:56.686-06:00nevadavacationeventsburninmanI'm leaving today for Burning Man, a large arts and community festival in Nevada. At Burning Man, everyone camps out for a week on an ancient dry lake bed, and you subsist entirely on what you bring in, including all your water, food, and shelter.Burning man is an annual event, which is associated with many misconceptions. It's often associated with Hippies doing drugs in the desert, but that's http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/08/black-rock-city-or-bust.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-550567713980447353Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:29:00 +00002008-08-18T14:41:57.481-06:00random stuffcarsdaily lifeSo today, I went to the dump for lunch. Actually, not so much "for" lunch as "on my lunch break". I had to recycle some transmission fluid from my car. It was interesting that since there was no container for transmission fluid (and my drain pan is the reusable type), they told me to rummage through the plastic recycle pile at the other end of the dump to find a bucket for disposing of it in!http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/08/going-to-dump-for-lunch-and-blogging.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-4269154969173516938Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:28:00 +00002008-07-31T19:30:20.452-06:00This is the last post from my home in Basalt, Colorado. I am moving to Aspen for a month, then to Carbondale! I'm pretty excited about both moves, and look forward to the new friends I'll be living with. With that, farewell to my first home (condo) in Colorado.Also, Monday of this week marked one year of me having lived in Colorado!http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/07/last-post-from-basalt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-4858803791248346001Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:28:00 +00002008-07-27T16:30:50.511-06:00travelvacationnewyorkSo, I'm flying home from New York at the moment. Actually, I'm stuck in LaGuardia Airport an hour later than I should be, due to stormy weather here and in Denver. LaGuardia is by far the grossest, most overcrowded and disorganized airport I've ever been to, including places like Russia and Costa Rica. But besides that, I've had a really good trip here in NYC this weekend.Coming here was a last http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/07/im-in-new-york.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-524783080894093697Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:50:00 +00002008-07-01T23:33:09.061-06:00booksevolutionscienceToday is the 150th anniversary of the theory of evolution! This marks the anniversary of the Linnaean Society of London reviewing a composite paper on how natural selection accounts for the evolution and variety of species. The authors are Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, and as Wired Magazine proclaims, modern biology was born.Biology is a really amazing area to me (I just bought a http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/07/evolutions-birthday-cake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-6471997189038606206Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:28:00 +00002008-06-29T23:36:13.570-06:00wmdwarnuclear weaponspoliticsI was reading this thread on Reddit.com just now, about North Korea giving up their nuclear armaments in exchange for increased diplomacy with the United States.In that thread's comments I found this interesting conversation about Mutual Assured Destruction, the de-facto policy of nuclear retaliation against a nuclear attack, which in my opinion is why World War III hasn't happened yet. It works,http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/06/geo-politics-and-mad-doctorine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12854613.post-4838091777901211188Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:38:00 +00002008-06-03T22:43:29.122-06:00Well, Barack Obama has finally won the democratic nomination, at least that was the big political news of the day. On the popular internet forum, reddit.com, there was an headline imploring him not to choose Hillary as his running mate. One of the replies to that thread was the following, which I found amusing:Obama needs a VP who:1) Is successful at business interests to attract Republicans. http://klassica.blogspot.com/2008/06/obamas-running-mate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Excalibur)0