(no subject)
I'm halfway through the Amber series by Roger Zelazny, and I can't recommend them enough if you're a fan of classic fantasy. The thing that strikes me the most, especially about the first book, is that he knows how to string a chain of events together so that each section is worth something all on its own, but also contributes to the big plot. Without going into spoilers, he manages to bring in scads of tired, overused fantasy tropes and add twists and details that make them compelling. It happens often enough that I wonder if he's doing it intentionally.
In Dana-related news, I'm still plowing through my bifurcating neural net project, which seems to have taken a life of its own and gets bigger whenever I take my eyes off it for a second. Serious case of feature creep, and now's the time to decide what stays and what goes. I also have the itch to work on an online game again, but I'm making myself wait until the neural net stuff is finished.
I've also started volunteering at a filer at the Center for Plant Diversity at UC Davis. I take stacks of pressed plants glued onto archival paper and file them by species. It's a good way to get a handle on plant taxonomy, and for now I'm working almost exclusively with native California species, which I like.
My New Years' resolution this year is to take care of myself better in four ways: eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, and drinking enough water. They tend to go together: when I exercise I pay more attention to what I eat, when I exercise and eat well I sleep better, when I'm rested and hydrated I feel more like exercising, etc.
In Dana-related news, I'm still plowing through my bifurcating neural net project, which seems to have taken a life of its own and gets bigger whenever I take my eyes off it for a second. Serious case of feature creep, and now's the time to decide what stays and what goes. I also have the itch to work on an online game again, but I'm making myself wait until the neural net stuff is finished.
I've also started volunteering at a filer at the Center for Plant Diversity at UC Davis. I take stacks of pressed plants glued onto archival paper and file them by species. It's a good way to get a handle on plant taxonomy, and for now I'm working almost exclusively with native California species, which I like.
My New Years' resolution this year is to take care of myself better in four ways: eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep, and drinking enough water. They tend to go together: when I exercise I pay more attention to what I eat, when I exercise and eat well I sleep better, when I'm rested and hydrated I feel more like exercising, etc.