updates

I have been horribly delinquent on this blog but in order to push some of the other posts down I am doing this random list of thoughts:

1. MySQL is way faster when you take out the MySQL part.  And you can use it both ways.  So all you NoSQL people let it go.
2. I completed my master's thesis at the beginning of September (a system called Dixie), and submitted a paper to Eurosys which probably won't get in, but that's ok!
3. Despite that, I am not quitting grad school, so everyone stop asking me when I'm leaving.
4. I have seen the following artists recently:  Sinden, Rusko, Crystal Castles, Holy Fuck (twice), Caribou, the Drums, Sleigh Bells, LCD Soundsystem (twice), Four Tet (twice),  Miike Snow, El Ten Eleven, !!!, Die Antwoord, Deadmau5, and Connector (friends' band).
5. After months of auditioning, I bought a pair of kickass new speakers, a new amplifier and a DAC which probably deserves its own post.  I am officially an audiophile.  My soundsystem is amazing and I love it.
6. I just got back from a week long trip to SF and it was fantastic.  I stayed with Niniane which was awesome (slumber party!) and realized that I could live there again.  There are so many things I love and hate about San Francisco.  Hard decisions in my future!
7. I'm going to India for three weeks in November.  New Delhi for most of the time, Goa, and then either Rajasthan or Mumbai.  Advice on SIM cards and internet connectivity would be greatly appreciated!
8. I am trying to figure out what new computers to buy.  I want a very lightweight laptop, and am thinking one of the new Macbook Airs pending reviews.  But then I also want some kind of home server/media center, and I'm not sure if I should buy one of those little boxes or get a massively powerful linux server or what.