All blog posts in the year 2006
I graduated!
Last month, I walked across two stages and turned my tassel twice. My family — all of whom have supported me throughout the past five years — were there. My friends — who have studied, sweated, toiled, programmed computers, and dissected animals with me — all were present.
We're done! read more→
Graduation Ceremonies!
Submitted by Steven on 16 May, 2006 - 8:42am
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I finally get to walk at not one, but two (two! 2!!!) ceremonies. As you can see, I am quite excited.
I have lots of tickets leftover, so post a comment here if you'd like me to get you one. :)
- Molecular Cell Biology: Friday, May 19, 2006, 7:00pm at Greek Theatre
- Computer Science:
Sunday, May 21, 2006, 2:00pm at Zellerbach Auditorium
Getting back into gaming
I've been playing games a little bit more lately, not just because they're fun, but because I suck at it. I should've realized this a long time ago when my own sister beat me at Bomberman, but it hasn't quite sunken in until I saw my co-worker cleanly slice through Geometry Wars, a space arcade game, on the new Xbox 360 at work.
Oh, and half a year ago, my sweetie thrashed me soundly on Puzzle Fighter.
Maybe I'm missing something. Is it because everyone else has better visual reaction times? I don't drive a car, so maybe that's part of the problem. Driving a car is essentially a game in itself, except, if you mess up, you lose your life. Literally. read more→
Microsoft Origami ultra-mobile PC's: any use in the medical environment?
Submitted by Steven on 15 March, 2006 - 12:22am
At first, I was skeptical of whether such devices would even occupy the PDA niche, let alone carve its own niche. An article from eWeek seems to think so, though it lightly sketches over the details of how physicians and nurses can use the Origami. They quote a UCSF MD-Ph.D: “I do think there's a lot of interest by physicians and nurses for ultraportable PCs, especially for physicians who split their time between inpatient and outpatient settings and need something that can travel in and out of the hospitals and offices with them.” read more→
Major Asian/Pacific Islander health issues
The book Never Eat Alone suggested going to conferences to meet people: folks who share similar interests and passions, folks who can quickly become your peers, friends, and mentors. I found this to be very true at the APAMSA Western Regional Conference in UC San Francisco last weekend (Steve's very first conference! He's growing up!).
I met new people from different walks of life, including a physician and director of SF General Hospital's clinic. I even met some of my former students from way back when I taught organic chemistry at the SLC (Student Learning Center at Berkeley). I also breathed in knowledge from other folks, folks I haven't gotten a chance to meet, folks who are really at the forefront of Asian-Pacific Islander health issues, folks who run whole hospitals, clinics, and medical institutions. read more→
Down to business
Submitted by Steven on 27 February, 2006 - 8:44pm
So, I'm thinking of starting a side business in graphic and web design, to earn more money for the *ahem*treofund*ahem* and in case I'll need it for the future. It'll be especially for folks in the sciences and health fields, but it would be for non-profits too. ;)
What do people think about these logos? And this, as a business card design? It would sure look nice on glossy cards, wouldn't you agree?
Side note: I'll be taking my very first official graphic design course at nearby Foothill College! :D Yay! read more→
Do I really need a Treo?
Submitted by Steven on 27 February, 2006 - 1:29am
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I'm trying to decide whether I need a Palm Treo. These gadgets are amazing devices that let you take photos, listen to music, talk to friends and family, send e-mails, surf the net, play old-school Game Boy and even some DOS games, ... yes, the list does go on. But with a subscription rate of $600+ a year, it's a rather large cost to factor in to my budget. There are plenty of areas in my life where I could use such a device. read more→
Learning to Give Effective Speeches
Submitted by Steven on 5 February, 2006 - 8:31pm
My list of personal goals has grown ever since I graduated: one of them, public speaking. And, as I'm typing this on BART, I should brainstorm what my real motivations are behind pursuing public speaking. Getting up in front of a crowd wracks the nerves, so why do something outside my comfort zone? read more→
Beginning a new life
Submitted by Steven on 31 January, 2006 - 10:57am
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A new job, a new place to live, and, starting Monday, a new life! I am now a proud Software Engineer at TellMe Networks, which works on linking telephones to Internet services so you can access things like stocks, news, and traffic reports using a regular telephone instead of an Internet connection. The unique thing about their products is that they use a voice interface, so you have to speak to navigate around their menus. I have Tingting to thank for helping me introduce me to her friends, too. I can't wait to start work this coming Monday!
I also am almost moved out to Mountain View, which is arguably the heart of Silicon Valley. It's exciting to know that the Mozilla Foundation is down the street from me, TellMe is a short walk away, and that companies like Google and SGI are nearby. The thing is, it's hard to get around without a car since this place was built in a Southern California-like suburban sprawl. I spent a good deal of walking around yesterday trying to find a bookstore, but all the bookstores here are too small, too old, and a 20-minute walk away. The buses pass by every half hour. Here, the car is king. :( read more→
Her life is held together by a tiny little computer
Submitted by Steven on 25 January, 2006 - 12:49pm
This past weekend, I helped Carolen get her life organized. We spent, oh, six or more hours poring over paper planners and Palm PDA. (Pocket PC's have a user interface from hell and we Berkeley students like to stick it to the man when we can, so we avoided it.) After much debate over the advantages and disadvantages of each, we concluded that although Palms were much more expensive than paper, it was, by far, the most flexible and most portable way to get one's thoughts down. read more→
