DJCrock

The Interim

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:33:16 PST

Woah, it's been quite a while! A lot has happened since the beginning of last summer, so I will lay out some key points.

Built a new computer. With some parts from a friend, some from Newegg, and an extra monitor I had lying around, I put together a powerful machine. Now I can play games and encode video to my heart's content. I'm loving the dual-screens.

Got accepted to RIT. Not only that, but I also received their $15,000 presidential scholarship, the largest they offer! I had a little trouble deciding what to write about for my application essay, but I finally settled on the old standby: Tying my shoes. I'm looking forward to studying IT this fall.

Learned how to whistle loudly. I've always wanted to know how to do this, so I sat down one day, looked up how-to videos, and practiced until I got it right.
Won the state one-act play competition. For the second year in a row! We performed a translation of the kabuki play The Undercover Lover.

And much more! Let's see if I can start putting more stuff on here again, shall we?

School's Out!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:22:55 PDT

I just finished eleventh grade today and I feel overwhelmed with time. I feel like I have to find some project to work on. Perhaps I will try to improve my python skills, or maybe I will co-host a podcast. Possibly both.

Probably both.

Speaking of the podcasting, I now have most of my equipment in order. Mic, check. Cables, check. Mixer, check. Stand... Not so much. Apparently Musician's Friend is backordered, even though they didn't state that when I ordered from them over a week ago. They still haven't shipped. Needless to say, I probably won't be ordering from them again unless I have to.

I might consider taking up The Glove Compartment's offer for a spot on their show; that is, if I'm able to use skype without too many bandwidth glitches (and if they'll have me on). We'll see. I'll think about it.

I'll be heading up to Michigan again in about a week. Maybe I'll make another attempt at the dorodango...

Photo: My previous dorodango attempt.

(I really want to get my hands on some more volumes of Akira)

Dedication

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Tue, 31 May 2011 17:31:18 PDT

I ordered a mic, a stand, some cables, and a mixer. It should all be here by sometime next week. I'mma do this podcasting stuff yo! I've got inklings of ideas for show formats/topics, but I'll have to get some practice recording sessions in before I make any decisions.

Hopefully I am more successful at podcasting regularly than I was at posting daily photos (though, doing something once or twice a week during the summer shouldn't be that difficult... Right?).

From what I've heard, shows seem to have a better flow when there's some kind of co-hosting going on: one person talking is a little difficult to pull off. Plus, having a co-host would be motivating; I don't want to slack off on this. I'm not sure I know anyone who would be up for doing a podcast, but we'll see.

If you've got any ideas or suggestions, leave a comment. I'd like to hear what you think.

p.s. If you are thinking to yourself, "no understand, what are podcast?" you should read up. A podcast is basically a downloadable radio show that, despite its name, you can listen to on pretty much any computer (not just an iPod).

Audio Equipment (aka. Gift Cards are Awesome)

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:44:40 PDT

I have recently been considering purchasing some audio recording equipment with which to produce a podcast. We'll see about that. For now I'm just researching basic sound engineering/recording techniques and brainstorming ideas for what the show might be like.

In other happenings, I ordered V for Vendetta and the first two volumes of Akira from Barnes and Noble. Now, I have been saving up B&N gift cards for quite some time, and it's nice to have them around whenever I feel like getting some printed material. Unfortunately, the order is shipping from Nevada, so it won't be hare for another week. Oh well.

Bitcoin: Potentially Useful

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:02:01 PDT

I recently discovered Bitcoin, a promising digital decentralized cryptocurrency. What exactly does that mean? Let's break it down.

Digital
All Bitcoin transactions are carried out by computers. There are no physical coins. It is somewhat like PayPal in this regard, but differs in several important ways, the most important being that bitcoins (BTC) are not dollars (although they can be exchanged); it is a separate currency entirely.

Decentralized
Bitcoin is not regulated by any central authority. Instead, the service relies on peer-to-peer connections between its users. Each and every transaction is announced and propagated throughout the network of Bitcoin users, who's clients store the information. Every ten minutes or so, this transaction information is formed into blocks by miners (we'll discuss that later) and is added to the block chain. This block chain serves as the master transaction record, and a copy of it is held by every user.

Cryptocurrency
You may be wondering: "But, if everyone has a copy of every transaction ever, how can I retain my privacy?" The answer is this: Bitcoin does not use account numbers, it uses keys. Instead of sending BTC to an account, you send them to a randomly generated unique address. Each person can have as many addresses as they want, and any BTC sent to any of them goes into that person's wallet. To anyone looking at the transaction records, there is no connection between any of a person's addresses. This operates on the principle of public key cryptography; read here and here for more details.

Now, as promised, miners. Miners are Bitcoin users who create blocks for the block chain in exchange for BTC. For every block a miner creates, they receive some BTC; this is how bitcoins are "minted." There is a set limit to the total number of bitcoins that will ever exist; there will never be more than about 21 million. A user creates a block by dedicating their computer's CPU and GPU to finding a solution to a cryptographic problem. The first to find a solution gets the reward. The difficulty of the problem is adjusted regularly to make sure that only one block is made every 10 minutes.

Mining will most likely not be profitable for you, seeing as it could take several years for you to find a single block, and by then your electricity bill would have already exceeded your profits. It is a practice best left to those who know what they are doing.

Bitcoin is a fascinating currency system, and I hope that it continues to grow and thrive. Perhaps it will eventually be adopted by various vendors such as Amazon. If you want to learn more about Bitcoin (or if you are confused by my explanation), you can check out this site. If you feel like donating any BTC in my general direction, you can send them to:

145dDGvtB6o4shk3rx8pxcf5YEpoczRJKH

Wow, that was a long post.

P.S. Uhh Yeah Dude is pretty funny.

Week's Synopsis

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:50:15 PDT

Put off psychology paper--play Tetris instead
Leave home late--run to bus stop
Consider health of ears--adjust volume on iPod
Eat saltwater taffy
Make egg-drop ramen
TWICE
Old pen runs out of ink--new pen is better
Way better
Discuss GMOs in Biology--read FRCF thread about it
Watch snake videos in Biology--find snake in driveway

I MUST EXPLAIN TO YOU

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:01:06 PDT

Look guys. I know that that break was much loner than a weekend. But you're cool with that, right?

Good. I thought so.

So, I'm going to be in New York City this weekend, and I plan on taking many pictures. I may even post while I'm there. We'll see.

Anyways

Check out this food.

I took this photo a while ago (that french toast was so good!).

An Explanation

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:30:19 PST

Look. I'm busy right now. I'll start posting again next week, after I'm done with the musical/the essay/the SAT/catching up on my psychology reading.

Good?

Good.

Pages: Turned

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:52:56 PST

Success!

Now, about that critical analysis...

Pets

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:52:13 PST

It has come to my attention that I have not posted any pictures of our pets (except Rosie). So, without further delay, this is Teeny, the craziest.

The beard and eyebrows should clue you in to her craziness.

Keep it Down!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:36:23 PDT

The graphing calculator I was assigned this semester is pretty loud; the keys keep sticking.

I have a feeling one of its prior users spilt orange juice on it.

Math Clock

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:06:26 PST

Yeah, I'm cool.

I really only know what 6, 7 ,8, 9, 11, and 12 mean, but the rest look pretty awesome.

The 2010 Penny

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:33:26 PST

The (somewhat) new 2010 penny.

I've only seen two or three of these around. I wonder why I haven't seen more...

Paper Clip

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:24:12 PST

Several days ago I bent this paper clip.

I think it looks like either a submarine's periscope or the Loch Ness Monster.

More‽

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:20:31 PST

We go through candy really fast.

And yes, that is an interrobang you see in the title.

It's Time!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:37:40 PST

I make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches very thick.

They are usually hard to eat; the PB&J often leaks out of the sides.

Voila!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:18:24 PST

Rosie came out of hiding!

On another note: I have been playing around with PHP and MySQL. I'm really liking them. So far I've made a simple "contact information" page and a web interface file server.

New Hamster

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:56:19 PST

My sister got a hamster today!

Her name is Rosie.

She's hiding right now.

A Taste of Spring

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 17:35:15 PST

My mom brought in these cuttings from a forsythia. They bloomed because of the warmth indoors.

Spring isn't that far off!

Suddenly...

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:18:21 PST

Ramen!

I want to get some real ramen when I'm in New York this spring.

The Jew's Harp

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:40:15 PST

Simple, fun, awesome, annoying, and dangerous, all at the same time. The danger: you could chip your tooth pretty easily if you're not careful.

Don't mess around with the Jew's harp.

Typing

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:13:22 PST

It has come to my attention that I am not good at typing; I'm at about 20 wpm right now. Unacceptable. I'm working on improving that.

For the photo, a paper ninja star.

Dare I Try?

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:52:50 PST

I am afraid.

I am very afraid.

Choco-Cane

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:26:51 PST

This candy cane has chocolate in it!

Also, I will no longer be including a high-res link for each photo I post; I will reserve that for pictures that deserve it. When a post's photos are linked to a high-res version I will include the "high-res" tag below the post.

Take That, Soy Grits!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ Crocker) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:15:09 PST

I had chili dogs for dinner tonight.

No soy grits this time. Ha!