russt

Category: Life

  • A Refresh

    A Refresh

    I was going to title this post A New Beginning, but then I realized that all beginnings are really new, aren’t they? It just seemed a bit repetitive. That said, I’m writing this to inform you of my intention to update this blog on a more regular basis. Initially, I intend to write at least once a month, perhaps increasing that to once a week soon thereafter.

    I’ve also realized that, since this is my personal blog, I shouldn’t restrict what I post here to just one topic. While I don’t intend to just write about my life, I also shouldn’t just make this about technology.

    So, I guess what I’m getting at is that I’ll be posting here more often, sometimes about tech discoveries or thoughts, sometimes about things that I’ve developed, and sometimes just about thoughts I have about random topics. After all, why restrict yourself to just one thing? We all have varied interests, and I want my space on the web to reflect that.

  • Google’s Zeitgeist – 2010 In Review

    Zeitgeist

    My second post of the day – and month – is all about Google. This may seem familiar, because it just so happens that my previous post also dealt with Google.

    Google recently released, as is their custom, their Zeitgeist (which, defined, is the spirit characteristic of an age or generation). (more…)

  • Android Honeycomb Tablet

    Honeycomb Tablet

    A video of an Android tablet running Android version 3 (otherwise known as Honeycomb) is out. It’s incredible! First, Google has updated Google Maps to be totally vector-based (meaning it uses mathematical formulas to create the graphics, rather than downloading pictures), which makes downloading map information much faster. Second, it’s a tablet… Running a version of Android made for tablets… (more…)

  • A Steady Pattern

    Over the past two years, I’ve been able to enjoy a steady pattern of weight loss. It’s been amazing. I’ve never been (at least that I can remember) very skinny, and for a long time had simply given up hope that I’d be able to be what I considered to be skinny. However, I’ve finally been able to conquer that. And let me tell you, it’s pretty stellar. (more…)

  • A Proper Workspace

    I’ve been at college, I mean, officially at college, for a whole two weeks now, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that having a proper place to work makes all the difference. (more…)

  • Facebook-Style Annotations

    Facebook-Style Annotations

    Annotating, or 'tagging' images, similar to Facebook

    As part of one of my projects, I’ve been working on creating (or, rather, patching together) an image tagging system. The web application for which I am building it is meant archive some of my family’s genealogical records. It will allow members of my family (both close and distant) to access records and information about our families. This includes photos, documents, and stories. (more…)

  • A Squishy Spud

    The Squishy SpudWell, this is gonna be a short post, but I decided that since most of you are, in some way, connected to Idaho in some way or another, I’d put it up.

    While giving blood, it is customary to squeeze a stress-relieving ball with the hand located at the end of the arm that is donating. When I was ready to give blood (after some miscommunication between the staff members), I received the spud shown above.

    I thought it very appropriate that a spud be emblazoned with BYU-Idaho’s logo, so I thought I would share.

  • My Portfolio

    As you will have noticed, if you actually visit this site, I recently made some changes. If you follow this via a feed reader (such as Google Reader), you wouldn’t have. If that’s the case, I suggest you visit http://russ-taylor.com. There, you’ll see my new, updated portfolio. (more…)

  • Why I Track Every Second of my Time

    Tracking Time

    Lately, pretty much every second of my productive time has been logged. Now, this may seem a bit strange to many of you, but it’s been awfully good for me. (more…)

  • The Fun Theory

    People tend to enjoy things more when they’re fun to do. Have you ever noticed that? Well, just in case you hadn’t, it’s true. For example, if I think climbing a tree is fun, I’m more likely to climb it than I would otherwise be. (more…)