Assorted Biographical Information


Education and Academic Interests

I received a BS in physics from Stanford in 1999. Like many other physics majors, I ended up switching fields upon graduation, and I am now a second-year graduate student in computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My interests lie in graphics, computer vision, and artifical intelligence.

I'm currently working as a research assistant with Prof. Michael Gleicher. A description of our current project is forthcoming.

Hobbies

My main interest is martial arts. It's the purest, most satisfyingly visceral form of competition around. I took tae kwon do for about a year and a half while in high school and a brand of aiki-jujitsu and an aikido weapons class (jo and bokken) throughout college. I also dabbled a bit in wrestling and Thai boxing. Since coming to Madison, I've branched out into one of the less traditional styles: I'm now learning capoeira, which is the only "playful" art I've encountered. I also recently joined a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class, and I deeply regret not having discovered it sooner.

Assuming a reasonable set of rules, I'm always willing to spar. If you'd like to arrange something, you can email me. Be forewarned that the arts I've spent the most time with aren't renowned for their streetfighting applicability, and hence I may prove to be something of a pushover.

In the vast mudpit of usenet, one occasionally happens upon pearls of truly quality information. One source of such pearls is Frank Benn, a regular poster to rec.martial-arts. Check out this page for a sampling of his posts. No matter your level of training, you'll probably find you can learn a lot from FB.

Errata

I talk fast. More accurately, I talk really fast. In fact, experience suggests that I talk faster than anyone else you know. Unless one is used to it, I can be rather difficult to understand. This occasionally creates problems in my social life; following is a representative example.

     Romeo: Hark, it is the east, and Juliet is the sun!
     Juliet: What say thou, Romeo? Thou speakest too fast.
     Romeo: Er. I was comparing thee to a summer's day.
     Juliet: Thou was "compring" me? And what's a "smer's day"?
     Romeo: COM-PAR-ING thee, you twit! And it's SUM-MER'S-DAY!
     Tybald: Is this little man bothering you, fair Juliet?
     Juliet: He is at that. Perhaps you might teach him manners.
     Tybald: Certainly. [flexes]

I'm, er, physically unimpressive. I'm just under 5'8", and after a good meal I weigh 135lbs fully-clothed. I've tried to put on weight - preferably muscle, but I'll accept fat to start off - and have utterly failed. I have the metabolism of a humming bird. While many people are predictably antagonistic toward my situation ("Wait 'til you're my age! Then you'll have to work to maintain that weight! *cough* *wheeze*"), the fact is that small males are at a disadvantage. We're passed over for leadership positions, we have a hard time getting jobs as professional athletes, and yuppie couples trying to construct designer children couldn't care less about our sperm.