Kevin Milner's Blog

Kevin Milner's Blog http://kevinmilner.net:8011/ Random thoughts, links, and videos from Kevin! en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Kevin's RSSmaker bigkevdogg@cox.net bigkevdogg@cox.net In case you didn't notice... http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0030.html Well in case you didn't notice, this website is pretty much dead. I originally created it Spring 2007 (Junior year at USC) because I wanted to learn about PHP and Linux/Apache server administration. It was definitely a valuable experience, but with work and music and life in general, I haven't had the desire to update it in quite some time. I'll leave it up for the time being, but may or may not start updating it again. I think I did a pretty good job of creating my own dynamic content management system (considering my then lack of knowledge about web programming and databases), but would definitely do it differently nowadays. If I do decide to start posting again I'll most likely do a pretty major overhaul of at least the server-side stuff. I still use my web server for file hosting, subversion, and interal band-related stuff - just not public content. Thanks for stopping by anyway though! :-) ~Kevin Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:36:48 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0030.html I'm Graduating! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0029.html First of all, sorry that I haven't updated this thing in a while. Credit it to USC losing a 2nd game and getting out of the national championship discussion, or to me finishing up a hard FINAL semester of college. That's right, as of Friday, December 14, 2007, I will be a graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science! After 3 1/2 amazing years of college, and 16 1/2 (sometimes amazing, sometimes frustrating) years of school in general, I am DONE! And that leads me to discussing what's next... <center> <img src="/content/blog-0029-scec.jpg"/></center> I've decided to take a job with the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) as a "Research Programmer II." I have interned with SCEC for the past 2 years and am excited to work on their larger and more challenging projects as a full time employee. I will technically be a USC employee, but will be working primarily for a Scientist at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) at Cal Tech, Ned Field. I will be working with Ned on a project called <a href="http://www.opensha.org/">OpenSHA</a> which is "an effort to develop object-oriented, web- & GUI-enabled, open-source, and freely available code for conducting Seismic Hazard Analyses (SHA)." I have had nothing but great experiences working with scientists in the past and am really excited for this new opportunity. It will provide a way for me to contribute to something worthwhile, while enjoying the benefits of an unbeatable work environment. Also, I am really excited about the free and open source nature of this project, as I strongly support truly free software and the ideals of the <a href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/free-sw.html">Free Software Federation</a>. I never thought that I would be able to get paid to work on something open source at this point in my career. I will be starting that job in early February, and will be enjoying family, friends, and snowboarding in the meantime! I am extremely excited for this next phase in my life (it may be the biggest fundamental change since the first day of kindergarten for me), and am grateful for the opportunity. Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:13:28 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0029.html The Death of the Irish http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0028.html Well that couldn't have gone much better! The Jeweled Shillelagh is getting nice and cozy in sunny (fiery) Southern California after six straight Trojan victories...as it should be. There was so much good stuff in this game that I can't come close to covering all of it, so I won't even try. Instead I will highlight a few key performances. 1. Sanchez What a great game for his first road start. Of course, it was against the lowly Irish, but lets not let that detract TOO much. He did a great job, throwing some great balls (with a few bad), and really showcasing his arm strength. He did a great job especially of putting the ball where only his receiver could make the play. He still has a lot to work on, and I'm not saying he should start over a healthy booty, but I'm not NECESSARILY saying the contrary. 2. Stanley Havili Maybe most of the this praise should actually go to the coaches for finally giving the guy a chance to run the ball in short yardage situations. We've known he has the skill, but finally got a chance to showcase it. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm kind of tired of seeing Chauncey Washington fall to the ground at the line of scrimmage on third and short. He also did a great job in the passing game, both catching and blocking (not to mention his lead blocks). Let me just say this: the more Havili, the better! 3. The Defense Pressure, seven sacks (yes, the original stats said five, but they were wrong), a blocked field goal, and oh, a SHUT OUT. 'Nuff said. <center><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2pb0a-mkTk">Sanchez Touchdowns</a> <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k2pb0a-mkTk&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k2pb0a-mkTk&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></center> I also really liked some of the plays we ran against the Irish. The complexity at every spot just blows my mind. Take, for example, Fred Davis' touchdown pass in the first quarter. The play starts out as a fake quick pass to Patrick Turner behind the line of scrimmage, where PT takes a step forward then jumps back right as Sanchez pump fakes to him. This whole time Davis is running by the defensive back guarding Turner, acting like he is going to block him, before slipping around him and heading for the end zone (where he of course made an absolutely spectacular catch for the score). It's just a great example of how faking a play that we run constantly can open up a big gain or touchdown...well done Sark! Go to the 30 second mark of the above YouTube video to watch the play for yourself! Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:55:49 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0028.html WE WON! (Arizona recap) http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0027.html To be honest I’m not exactly sure what to say about this game. It started off decent (minus that 3rd and long Desmond Reed run play call to end the first drive), was extremely frustrating in the middle, and got fun at the end. I am loud at USC football games, no matter what, yelling before every single defensive play, but the middle of this game was one of the few times when I felt like I was mostly yelling out of duty to help the defense than out of true excitement. The game was pretty stalled and frustrating at that point, after we had picked up 10 points only to give them 13 straight. The defense played decent, but the missed tackles showed a lack of intensity. I caught Cary Harris, Thomas Williams, and Kyle Moore all with missed tackles in the 2nd, and Rey Maualuga, Keith Rivers, and Thomas Williams flat out got beat on the play that set up Arizona’s first touchdown (same play where Maualuga got injured when Kevin Ellison’s helmet smashed into his side giving him a hip pointer and breathing problems). Ellison missed a tackle to start the 3rd as well on the play that Maualuga exited the game again, this time for good. Sanchez performed as expected, made a few good throws, a few terrible ones, and impressed with his toughness. We saw it at the end of the Stanford game last season in garbage time when he ran the bootleg repeatedly, finally forcing himself into the end zone. His 10 yard 3rd down scramble was impressive and awesome from a fans point of view, but got him a lot of flack in the film room for putting both himself and the ball at risk multiple times on one play. I was pretty impressed with his stiff arm to hold off the pass rush before smartly throwing the ball away instead of taking the sack. And of course there’s the Fred Davis fumble that wasn’t (called back, he was down), where Sanchez took down Arizona’s Spencer Larsen, the 240 pound line backer who racked up 17 tackles of his own during the game. His first pick should have been a touchdown as Ronald Johnson had the defender beat and just needed to be lead a little bit before putting up the longest pass play of the season, but Sanchez under threw him on a play where you are supposed to air on the side of the over throw. Of course when he did get it right on RoJo’s number at the end of the 3rd it hit him in the chest. The second pick was just bad, no excuses. It will be really interesting to see who gets the start this weekend, as John David Booty came back yesterday and had a supposedly stellar performance throwing the ball with power and accuracy (he never took snaps however, just participating in 7-on-7 drills). <center><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4uz-TKbuxM">Highlights</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C4uz-TKbuxM"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C4uz-TKbuxM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></center> OK now for a little Joe McKnight! Throughout the week coach Pete Carroll reiterated that Hershel Dennis would get the second string duties at running back, and although I wanted to see a lot of Joe, it was unexpected, especially as early as the first play of the second drive. From everything Carroll has said it seems like we’ll be seeing a lot more McKnight, both in the punting game and as a regular contributor at running back as he continues to get more comfortable on the college stage. His punt return truly turned the whole game around and (finally) got the crowd of only 84,671 involved (Sanchez’s 23 yard touchdown pass to Fred Davis on the next play didn’t hurt, of course), and his 59 yard run with 4:33 left in the game was just plain awesome. It’s amazing how something that we took for granted just a few years back when Reggie Bush pulled out a few a game is now so rare. I say we just keep giving him the rock and watch Joe run, juke, spin, and do what he does. Since we’re on the topic of the running game I do have one major bone to pick with the offensive staff: WHY DON’T WE RUN HAVILI MORE IN SHORT YARDAGE SITUATIONS? Chauncey had a tendency to just fall down at the line, but Havili won’t go down without a fight and can actually move a pile. Now onto the polls…how is it that one BCS computer has us at #8 while the other five have us at either #25 or unranked? But besides that, I’m still not too worried. If Cal, Oregon, and Arizona State keep winning until we play them then we’re in a good spot. I don’t think anyone (pollsters included) actually thinks that Ohio State is the best Team in the country, they ‘re just the only “traditional powerhouse” left without a loss (Penn State, Illinois, Wisconsin, and/or Michigan should be able to take care of that). If there’s any year that a #14 team could move up to play in the championship it’s this year. We just have to focus on one thing: getting better. There’s a lot of work to do before Oregon, not to mention Arizona State and Cal. We will start getting a few players back in the next couple of weeks which should help, but we still have destiny in our hands. We win out and it’s Rose Bowl at the worst, which isn’t that bad. All we can do is FIGHT ON! Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:38:19 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0027.html Yesterday http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0026.html I have nothing to say. Sun, 07 Oct 2007 09:48:46 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0026.html The Trojans Escape the Maddness on Upset Saturday http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0025.html I couldn't have scripted it better myself: A week after Louisville's 2nd embarrassment, #5 West Virginia effectively gets the Big East out of the championship discussion with a turnover laden loss at South Florida. In their first week at #3, Oklahoma gets shocked by a mediocre Colorado team as QB Sam Bradford shows he's human. #7 Texas gets embarrassed at home by a Kansas State team that did them the same favor last year. #10 Rutgers gets out of the way (not like they were ever really in the way) with a home loss to Maryland. And finally, #4 Florida drops one at home to Auburn (who served up their only loss last year). What a weekend! I never believed Oklahoma would go down that easily, but I had high hopes for the Auburn team going into Tallahassee, especially with Florida going to LSU next week. If Florida can take down the Tigers in Death Vally, my wildest dreams will be complete and the road will be paved. Of course with a strong showing LSU could strengthen their newfound #1 AP ranking, we'll just have to see. Now for the SC game...what a frustrating night! ABC's Brent Musburger said it best right after the blocked punt late in the 4th quarter: "And this game can't end soon enough for the Trojans." I''ll get to that punt attempt later, but lets start at the top. The Trojans seemed to be dazed for most of the game, after suffering multiple injuries and receiving many questionable calls from the officials resulting in 16 penalties for 161 yards. Both late hit penalties were sketchy...if Washington quarterback Brett Locker didn't want to get lit up by Shareece Wright, he should have stepped out a yard earlier. The hit was worth it anyways, and Wright absolutely drilled Locker, affecting his performance according to Huskies offensive coordinator Tim Lappano. Booty's interception after Thomas William's pick was flat out terrible. He should never have made that pass...I can't believe he didn't see that safety there. It could have been a depth perception issue (like his Idaho pick), but he had big Fred Davis running a slant inside of Turner who could have picked up a huge gain (and possibly 6) if Booty had gone his way. Booty just never really got into a rhythm, and really got hurt by some dropped balls. I counted four drops for Stanley Havili, who had done nothing but impress through three games. Something was just off. He did make a great catch late in the game, but let too many easy ones drop, including one that he deflected into the hands of the defense. Sure it was thrown a little behind him (somewhat of a theme for Booty on the night), but not a terrible throw. Booty did have some great throws, but an overall sub par performance. Granted he didn't go 13/28 like Locker, but I expect better. And how about those injuries? Losing two offensive linemen in one play is bad. Losing your 5th corner back of the season is just terrible. After injuries to Cary Harris, Josh Pinkard, Kevin Thomas, Vincent Joseph, and Shareece Wright, it was up to Mozique McCurtis to lock down a side of the field. We need Harris back, and soon! Now for the blocked punt. Will Collins' snap was high, which contributed to the block, but the bulk of the blame lies on safety Kevin Ellison. He completely let the Washington defender who blocked the punt by untouched...very disappointing from a usually solid performer. All things considered, I'm just glad they got out of there with the victory. Despite everything imaginable going against the Trojans, their superior athleticism kept things in hand for most of the game. In fact I was never really worried, just frustrated. We obviously can't play like that later in the season, but hopefully this was out "Oregon State" - the fire that will propel the team to greatness for the rest of the season! Luckily they have Stanford to beat up on at home this Saturday. One thing I know for sure..."Tell The Truth Monday" will NOT be a fun day for the Trojans as they review film. (p.s. That pass interference call on 3rd and 19 with 14:51 left in the game that lead to a Washington field goal was just absolutely bogus. Yes they were a little tangled up, but the pass wasn't even close to catchable, landing a good 8 yards away from the receiver!) Mon, 01 Oct 2007 01:09:48 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0025.html USC vs Washington St Dominance http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0024.html What a show on Saturday. There will always be Booty doubters out there, but wow was he spectacular. Get this guy in a rhythm and he can pick a secondary apart. I can only imagine how frustrated the Wazzu defense was after the USC passing game continually passed through their soft coverage, with Booty picking up 289 yards in the air in a 29/36 performance including 4 touchdowns and a pick. That's an 80.6% completion rate, which is just plain incredible considering the amount of passes he threw. The first drive was almost picture perfect with JD completing 10/11 (yes the original stats said 9/10, but one of those was ruled a forward pass on Monday) on the drive for 84 yards. Oh yeah...and FRED DAVIS! Often considered one of the most under-utilized weapons of the USC offense, Davis was absolutely dominant in Saturday's win. With 9 catches for 124 yards Davis set the campus record for most receiving hards from a tight end. He also showed some incredible athleticism on multiple occasions, including both of his touchdown receptions, a complete hurdle of a defender, and domination stiff arm that pounded a Wazzu defender to the turf as he ran by. Remember that Davis was a wide receiver in high school, and he clearly knows how to run with the ball after a catch. <center><img src="/content/blog-0024_fred.jpg"> <img src="/content/blog-0024_fred2.jpg"></center> It's great to see these incredible performances from Davis in the tight end spot and Stanley Havili at fullback in the absence of a true big game wide receiver. But that's not to say that the receiver's didn't step up, they were solid and consistent, leaving the drop balls that plagued the offense against Nebraska behind. On another note, it was incredible to see what Joe McKnight can do when he holds onto the ball! He did an incredible job, sowing some great flash both up the middle and on the perimeter. He made sure to grab the ball with both hands before getting hit every time on Saturday, after surly being worked with by the coaching staff at the weekly Turnover Tuesday practice. I am, of course, a little concerned about our secondary. They did a pretty good job after giving up the long pass play on the first drive, but we are getting thin at corner. With Josh Pinkard and Kevin Thomas both out for the season, it was up to Shareece Wright to replace Cary Harris when he went down in the first half. Of course Wright did a pretty good job...no complaints here, but we'll have to keep the first string healthy down the stretch, especially against Cal and Oregon. Luckily Harris should be back soon. As for Brian Cushing, who went out again on Saturday, I think we should rest him until he's 100% better to avoid another re-injury. We should be fine without him for the next few games, why push it? Well that's all for now, expect Washington coach Ty Winningham to have a few things up his sleeve this weekend, and for Steve Sarkisian and the offense to return to a more balance offensive attack. <center>I made it onto TV! See if you can spot me! <img src="/content/blog-0024_meTV.jpg"></center> Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:30:49 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0024.html USC vs. Nebraska Thoughts and Analysis http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0023.html Here is my somewhat belated review of the USC Trojans absolutely dominating performance against the Nebraska Corhuskers in Lincoln, Nebraska last Saturday. It was the first of five ABC Saturday Night Football featured games for the Trojans this season, and didn't disappoint. USC absolutely dominated in the trenches, opening up HUGE holes on offense and negating Nebraska's rushing game on defense (only giving up 50 rushing yards not including sacks for -19 yards). Just look at this hole: <center><img src="/content/blog_0023-hole1.jpg"></center> Stafon Johnson has a complete body length of room on either side of him running up the gut of the defense. This would/should have been a long touchdown run but for the unaware play of Patrick turner who is at the top of the screen. It looks like he's setting a block in this frame, but he's actually just running past the Nebraska defender who ends up tackling Johnson. A few yards later he stops, turns around, and watches the man the he ran right by bring Johnson down. At least make an attempt at a block! Turner also disappointed in the passing game by dropping a couple balls that should have been caught, but I guess I'll chalk that up to him sitting the last few weeks out. Anyways, I was very impressed with Johnson's play Saturday. With the offensive line providing gaping holes we got a chance to see what the tailbacks could do in space and in the secondary...and it was good. Speaking of gaping holes... <center><img src="/content/blog_0023-hole2.jpg"></center> I could score a touchdown on that play...my mom could too! Gable looked amazing as well on the 4 carries he had (for 17.3 apiece), and Washington was less than spectacular but did provide a little bit of a power game. Bradford continued to disappoint (6 carries for 4 yards), but I've come to expect that at this point. Havili continues to impress with all facets of his game...obviously his first run was amazing (breaking through traffic and outrunning defenders...as a fullback) but he also had an amazing catch where he looked more like a seasoned wide receiver going up and grabbing a high pass. McKnight provided nothing but frustration, dropping an easy pass and fumbling for the second straight week, not to mention letting a punt drop and bounce for extra yards instead of going for the easy fair catch on his one shot at fielding punts). I guess we'll have to wait a year or two for him to live up to the hype! Also I have to give some props to Kristofer O'Dowd, the true freshman center who had another amazing performance. Looks like Matt Spanos might not get his job back after getting injured! This week Washington State is coming to the Coliseum for the first real home game. USC's secondary should get another good test, they gave up 389 yards through the air against Nebraska and Washington is 17th nationally in passing (320.7 YPG). It's time for the secondary to finally step up and lock down, this will be a good opportunity for them to prove themselves! Look for another dominating performance in both the offensive and defensive trenches as USC's PAC-10 play begins. I can only hope that Patrick Turner will start playing for real this week! The game's at 5 PM PST on ABC, tune in and enjoy! Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:41:22 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0023.html Get Ready Nebraska! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0022.html <center><img src="/content/blog_0022-ready.jpg"></center> Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:17:01 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0022.html Thoughts on USC vs. Idaho and the 2007 Season http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0021.html After 243 days spent in excruciating anticipation, the #1 ranked USC Trojans returned to the field Saturday with a 38-10 victory over the Idaho Vandals. Over the next few paragraphs I will share my thoughts on the game and individual performances and what this game meant for the 2007 season. We were always going to win this game, and it was never going to be close. And no, not in the way that Michigan was of course going to beat Appalachian State in the Big House, but in the way that USC actually deserves it's top ranking and the Pac-10 is a strong conference (insults to Michigan and the Big 10/11 implied). Obviously some fans were a little disappointed that the score wasn't higher, but unlike the 2005 USC team that routed Arkansas 70-17 in the home opener, this years team has a fairly unestablished offense. It was pretty much the same offense from the 2004 National Championship team that was already in a rhythm with a set-in-stone starting lineup that dominated Hawaii and Arkansas early in that 2005 season, but this years first game was an exploration for Pete Carroll and the coaching staff. They tried a ton of different players (8 true/redshirt freshman saw their debut for the offense in the game) to see who would shine. An offense can't get into a rhythm with that many substitutions, and Pete didn't care...it was about figuring out the depth chart for the real opener...Nebraska, while giving young players some experience! Now onto some great and not-so-great moments and performances from the game: The Great: The first extra point attempt. In memory of the late Mario Danelo, the Trojans lined up for the extra point without a kicker, letting the clock run down and accepting a delay of game penalty. It was a touching and fitting tribute for a young man that is incredibly missed. See video below from the telecast. <center><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD2U9J4Nwj8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD2U9J4Nwj8</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zD2U9J4Nwj8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zD2U9J4Nwj8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></center> Stafon Johnson, CJ Gable. These two back's showed some great flash, especially Gable's 33 yard spinning/darting run early in the game. Johnson picked up 64 yards in 12 carries with gable grabbing 68 in 8. It's great to see Johnson finally starting to live up to his potential with his new-and-improved work ethic and attitude. I expect great things from both this season. Joe McNight's 21 yard "run." I'll call it a "run" because it technically was that because John David Booty's throw to the highly touted recruit went backwards. He quickly ran in for a few yards, then reversed his field and ran down the other sideline for a total of 21 yards. It was beautiful and exactly what everyone expects from him - way to deliver. Obviously his fumble was a little disappointing, but nonetheless it was good to see him out there. Video below. <center><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=8WQPyNJLCa8">http://youtube.com/watch?v=8WQPyNJLCa8</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8WQPyNJLCa8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8WQPyNJLCa8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></center> Vidal Hazelton. And not just because of the circus catch...although it was absolutely amazing, reminding me of a Mike Williams catch in that same endzone back in 2003. He ran good routes and put up good numbers making his case for the starting spot opposite Patrick Turner. Ausberry did well also, but not spectacular...it should be a good battle. <center><a href="http:// youtube.com/watch?v=mmmTipZLWNw">http://youtube.com/watch?v=mmmTipZLWNw</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mmmTipZLWNw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mmmTipZLWNw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></center> Stanley Havili. A very bright spot in the game was the return of the dominant fullback to USC. Havili had a flat out awesome performance as a fullback, with his usual blocking prowess, 5 receptions for 22 yards, and a run for 10. He showed a great deal of athleticism, just see him hurdling this Idaho defender: <center><img src="/content/blog_0021-havili.jpg"></center> The Not-So-Great The Play Calling. The play calling in this game was bland at best, especially coming against an Idaho team that could have been seriously exploited. Maybe they were just trying to hide their play book from Nebraska, or maybe it was for the benefit of the new Trojans on the field, but we better see much more from this offense in the weeks to come. Alan Bradford. I expected a lot more from Bradford who had a pretty pathetic outing on Saturday, especially after hearing such good things about him in Fall camp. He rushed 8 time for a dismal 15 yards, never showing any spark. With his size he should have been able to blow over the undersized Vandal front seven, but didn't. Granted he was running behind the second/third string offensive line, but that excuse only goes so far against a team from Idaho. Terrell Thomas and the Secondary. T2 definitely didn't live up to his performances from last year. Hopefully it's just being rusty or (gasp) not giving the opponents enough credit, but he got burned multiple times, with the secondary giving up 155 yards through the air without any picks. Final Notes. Booty had a decent game with three TD's, 66% completions, and 206 yards, but not spectacular. That interception was very ugly as he didn't see that the Vandals' Shiloh Keo was inside of Hazelton. He did all of that without his #1 receiver however, with Patrick Turner still recovering from a Rey Maualuga hit in practice last week. As long as the coaching staff opens up the play book and everyone stays healthy we should be more than ready on September 15th in Lincoln. As always, Fight On, and I'll be back to give my thoughts after the Nebraska game! Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:34:17 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0021.html Amazing NASA Satellite Image of Zaca fire north of Santa Barbara http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0020.html During my summers work at the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) I came across NASA's Web Map Service (WMS), a service that lets you get images of any region from many different sources. For my SCEC software I used the NASA Blue Marble Next Generation, but they also have daily composites of the pictures taken by their MODIS Terra and Aqua satellites (the source of the Blue Marble projects). I saw this image on the news today (and immediately suspected it was from the NASA WMS) and grabbed it. This is from the 08/06/07 Daily Composite of the MODIS aqua satellite. You can see the immense area that it covers just north of Santa Barbara (on the other side of the Santa Ynez mountains). Luckily the wind is taking the ash away from Santa Barbara right now, but last week it was practically snowing it down all over the city and may reportedly do so again soon (HOPE NOT!). Anyways here's the image, pretty amazing! <center><img src="/content/blog-0020_fireFromSpace.jpg"></center> To see more imagery or learn more about the NASA WMS, go to <a href="http://onearth.jpl.nasa.gov/">http://onearth.jpl.nasa.gov/</a> Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:46:05 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0020.html Cell Phone Industry Rant http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0019.html <rant> Did you know that Verizon was offered a chance to have the iphone on its network but passed? It's because they're so damn opposed to unrestricted innovation, and would never give Apple the freedom to include all of those features without charging extra on top of the phone. They continually take good phones, replace the default (read: GOOD) firmware with their own stupid, bloated, and dumbed down versions. For example I have a LG-VX8300 from verizon, and although the phone has the capability to play mp3's they disabled it so that its harder to play music that you didn't buy from them. Luckily I was able to find a way around it, but still. They also don't allow you to put any user developed apps on phones or anything by using BREW instead of java mobile edition, thus making you get (read: BUY) everything from them. The other cell phone companies aren't much better (and Apple isn't even allowing outside development for the iphone). I just want a linux phone (like <a href="http://www.openmoko.org/">OpenMoko</a>), but of course Verizon won't allow that on their network. </rant> Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:36:35 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0019.html Tonight Show!!! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0018.html Today I went to the Tonight Show with Kristin (Paul's subletter for the summer)! She got the hookup for tickets and skip-the-line privileges since she works at NBC. It was really fun, Jay had some good crown interaction. The main guest was Fred Thompson, currently 2nd in the polls for the Republican presidential nomination! Then there was Lauren Graham from the now-canceled Gilmore Girls and the upcoming movie Bruce Almighty. Musical guest was Toby Keith, which was fun. Afterwards we got to go out the back way and wait by their cars (including Jay's sick old car of the day). Right when we walked out I heard someone yell "Kevin," turned and looked, and it was none other than Alice and Scott Birch (good family friends from SB)!!!!!! They caught the show as part of Thompson's entourage since apparently their Uncle Jimmy knows him well or something. I had fun catching up with them, and then Lauren Graham came out and I got a picture with her, and then Jay came out and I got to chat, get an autograph, and a picture! Lauren Graham got into a little fender bender pulling out of her parking space while we were there also, which was funny. Check out the pics: <center><img src="/content/blog-0018_graham.jpg"> <img src="/content/blog-0018_leno.jpg"></center> Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:38:38 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0018.html BBC Documentary: "Scientology and Me" - the documentary that Scientologists DON'T want you to watch! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0017.html Monday, May 14 2007, the BBC aired a documentary entitled "Scientology and Me," part of their Panorama series. The only reason I found out about it is because Scientologists are going to extreme measures to keep you from watching it! They started a slander campaign (on YouTube among other places) and even made their own video trying to discredit it (http://www.bbcpanorama-exposed.org/). The reality is, these guys have a LOT to hide, and they're willing to go TOO far to keep it hidden. I suggest that everyone watches this documentary by going to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/programmes/panorama/default.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/programmes/panorama/default.stm</a> and clicking "Watch Now." This link will only work for the next week probably, so look for it on YouTube or BitTorrent after that. I also suggest you read up on Scientology. Visit <a href="http://www.xenu.net/">http://www.xenu.net/</a> to read all about it, as well as learn about their creation story (which is only revealed to members after paying $100,000 and becoming a Level III). Basically it says this guy Xenu needed to solve a population problem and put a bunch of people in volcanoes on earth, dropped a hydrogen bomb on them and they became spirits that attached themselves to humans. Sound like science fiction? Well it is, and Scientology was founded by a science fiction writer and drug abuser named L. Ron Hubbard (look him up). Don't let them hide anymore, spread the word. It'll be interesting to see how they will survive in a connected world. Feel free to leave you <a href="/comment.php?id=blog-0017.html">comments</a>, I'd love to hear responses from those who want to engage in discussion! Tue, 15 May 2007 00:27:52 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0017.html One Amazing Night of Music http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0016.html This was my 5th full Ben Harper show (plus a few TV appearances), and every single show tops the previous one as my BEST concert experience ever. For the previous 4 I was literally the closest person (in the Santa Barbara bowl) to Ben, but this time, even though I was in row Y (by the end I was close to front), was even better than the previous shows. Ben took the stage at 9:22, and said his final goodbye at midnight. Think about that...WOW. His first set (which was composed of 3 little mini sets as outlined below, but without ANY breaks) lasted OVER 2:20, followed by a quick break then ending on Burn One Down. That's almost 2 and a half hours of pure BHIC without a single break! It had all of the elements...started off with an acoustic guitar set (Oppression) that lasted a while, then an acoustic Weisenborn set that lasted a LONG time, followed by a more electric Weisenborn set, leading into his electric guitar set. I don't know how his voice held up that long, but it was absolutely AMAZING. The electric Weisenborn set of Whipping Boy to God Fearing Man to Ground on Down (with a cover of Hendrix's Who Knows mixed in) was absolutely STIRRING. Like I'm talking HENDRIX territory. Ben never ceases to amaze me. And BTW, the whole thing was filmed! I hope this gets released commercially, and SOON! I had heard how awesome his Bridges shows were, but I was still shocked. Here are a few low quality pictures I took on my phone, mixed in with the AMAZING set list! I have a new lifelong resolution: NEVER miss a chance to see Ben Harper live. It is ALWAYS worth it! Set I: Oppression People Lead Gather 'Round The Stone Masters Of War There Will Be A Light Morning Yearning Waiting For You Give A Man A Home Fool For A Lonesome Train Welcome To The Cruel World Set II: Pleasure And Pain When It's Good Walk Away Lifeline <center><img src="/content/blog-0016_ben1.jpg"></center> Set III: Whipping Boy God Fearing Man Ground On Down/Who Knows With My Own Two Hands The Woman In You Please Bleed Forgiven Better Way <center><img src="/content/blog-0016_ben2.jpg"></center> Encore I: Burn One Down Sun, 06 May 2007 14:27:53 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0016.html Fascinating Read: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0015.html If you have some free time, this is a really interesting read from Wired. It chronicle's an extremely elaborate CIA plan to rescue some embassy staffers who were in hiding during the Iran hostage crisis. It's long, but pretty awesome. <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.05/feat_cia.html">How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran</a> Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:10:11 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0015.html AWESOME Picture of a Praying Mantis http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0014.html <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=278635073&context=photostream&size=o"><img src="/content/blog-0014_bug_small.jpg"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=278635073&context=photostream&size=o">(Click for Full Size)</a> Sat, 21 Apr 2007 13:28:10 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0014.html Cool Website: We Feel Fine http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0013.html Grant turned me on to this awesome website. The creators describe it as "an exploration of human emotion on a global scale." Basically, it scours blog entries worldwide for statements of emotion, then represents them graphically. You really have to see it! You can also sort by country, gender, age, date, specific emotion, and even weather conditions in that location at the time of the post. <a href="http://www.wefeelfine.org/">Check It Out: We Feel Fine</a> Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:33:00 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0013.html Some Awesome Ben Harper Vids! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0012.html Ben Harper's talent, passion, and songwriting never cease to amaze me. Here are a few video's that just absolutely needed sharing. I'll rise just has some of the best lyrics (actually Ben didn't write "I'll Rise," it's a poem by Maya Angelou). You'll need Realplayer to see this one, and have to click on the link: <a href="http://www.hosting-media.com/fr/virgin/benharper/video/bercy/smilrtsp/I_ll_rise.ram">Ben Harper - I'll Rise</a> This is also a pretty awesome YouTube video of Ben singing "Where Could I Go" with an absolutely amazing no-microphone part! Check it! <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=LdLFK78oL6o">Ben Harper - Where Could I Go</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LdLFK78oL6o"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LdLFK78oL6o" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> Sun, 08 Apr 2007 00:01:54 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0012.html Yay for April Fools Day! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0011.html Well it's that time of the year. When people across the world play pranks on each other, and the geekiest of websites pull jokes on their viewers. There are a few good ones this year...the first one (which spurred my search to find others) is <a href="http://http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=1151717">woot.com</a>'s $1,000,001.00 Bag O Crap (if you're familiar with woot and their BOC's). Another good one is <a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/help/paper/more.html">GMail Paper</a> which will print out and mail you all of your e-mails (with relevant/targeted ads printed on the back). Facebook is apparently also putting weird stuff in people's news feeds, but it's too early in the day for me to see them. I found a pretty exhaustive list of them at <a href="http://aprilfools.urgo.org/2007.html">this page</a>, check it out if you want more. Also, for all of you "technically inclined" people out there, you may find this quite hilarious! It's an internet standards proposal for sending packets by way of carrier pigeon! The original memo can be found <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1149.txt">here</a>, with an amendment with provisions for quality of service <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2549.txt">here</a>! The great thing is that some guys in Europe actually tried it out...and it WORKED! See <a href="http://news.com.com/2100-1001-257064.html">this CNET article</a> for more info! EDIT: OK found some more cool ones! <a href="http://thegeekhouse.com/040107/">This</a> may be my favorite of the year. It is really subtle, so if check it out first, but if you need a hint here it is: page may display differently in firefox vs IE. These products are also pretty great: <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/apparel/hats-ties/9352/">The 8-Bit Tie</a> and <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/wiihelm.shtml">The WiiHelm</a>. Google also put a few more jokes out there, the most notable (and elaborate one) being <a href="http://www.google.com/tisp/">TiSP</a>, their "free wireless broadband system" utilizing the sewer system. Check it out! Also, as these are all joke linkts, they may not be valid after April 1 2007. Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:13:29 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0011.html Congress Honors USC http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0010.html I can't believe it took me this long to find out about this, but on Feb 27, 2007, Congress passed a resolution commending USC on our 2006 football season and Rose Bowl victory. I think it's pretty awesome, but the <a href="http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2007/02/28/Sports/Congress.Needs.To.Straighten.Priorities-2747775.shtml">Daily Trojan</a> was slightly more critical (it seems as though they occasionally try to anger people in an attempt to get them to actually read the thing). Congress also commended Florida right after the National Championship. While an interesting use of Congress' time, I'm OK with it. <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/hr126_eh.xml">Full Resolution Text</a> Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:59:38 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0010.html ITP-215 Final Project: "Light" Rock http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0009.html This is a short 3D animation I made for my ITP-215 at USC, Spring 2006. It was done in 3D Studio Max. Most of the sounds were recorded by me in my room, with the exception of the walking, car, and song at the end (Ben Harper - Ground On Down, Live at the Hollywood Bowl DVD). That particular slide guitar does not exist in real life, but the amp shown is based off of a Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3) clone that I built. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbSxChO0goQ">"Light" Rock</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PbSxChO0goQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PbSxChO0goQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> if you would like to download a higher quality/resolution version, <a href="/content/blog-0008_light_rock.avi">click here</a>! Sun, 04 Mar 2007 20:07:51 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0009.html Video of Jack Johnson live at Tower Records (2005) http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0008.html Back in March of 2005, right after "In Between Dreams" came out, <a href="http://www.jackjohnsonmusic.com">Jack Johnson</a> did a small round of performances in record stores. This is video that I shot of one such performance at Tower Records. At first I was a little timid because I wasn't sure if we were allowed to film or not, but I soon realized that no one cared and held the camera high. The audio is from another taper who was at the show. Anyways, I hope some of you enjoy it! You can either watch it embedded in the page if you are reading this on <a href="http://www.kevinmilner.net">my web page</a>, or you can just click on the links to watch it if you are reading this on facebook. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3AsjB0XwSM">Part 1: Better Together, Flake</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H3AsjB0XwSM"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H3AsjB0XwSM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpN_kEFZ7kk">Part 2: No Other Way, Times Like These</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KpN_kEFZ7kk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KpN_kEFZ7kk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEtf4vCybq8">Part 3: Sitting Waiting Wishing, Bubble Toes (Stir it up)</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SEtf4vCybq8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SEtf4vCybq8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H2TLRjdwck">Part 4: Belle, Banana Pancakes, Girl I Wanna Lay You Down</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5H2TLRjdwck"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5H2TLRjdwck" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbQ7A3fp-ro">Part 5: Never Know, Good People</a> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PbQ7A3fp-ro"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PbQ7A3fp-ro" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> Sun, 04 Mar 2007 14:51:35 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0008.html My Blog Now Has Comments! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0007.html Check it out...and leave a message! :-) Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:03:24 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0007.html I Have A New Address...KevinMilner.net!!! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0006.html It's official, my page has moved! It is no longer the long/annoying address "thebigkevdogg.homeip.net:8011" but now has it's own domain name, www.kevinmilner.net. Be advised, you have to either include the www, or specify port 8011. So the two valid addresses would be <a href="http://www.kevinmilner.net">http://www.kevinmilner.net</a> and <a href="http://kevinmilner.net:8011/">http://kevinmilner.net:8011/</a> Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:55:16 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0006.html Vacuum Tube Guitar Amps: One Electrician’s Trash is Another Guitarist’s Treasure http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0005.html One of my writing 340 assignments this semester was to write an article for the <a href="http://illumin.usc.edu/" target="_blank">Illumin</a>, an undergraduate engineering journal published by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. As a guitarist, I am really interested in why vintage vacuum tubes sound so much better in guitar amps than transistors. Anyways I wrote this article which attempts to explain why tubes are superior, if you are interested give it a read (or a skim): <a href="/content/blog-0005_article.pdf" target="_blank">Vacuum Tube Guitar Amps: One Electrician’s Trash is Another Guitarist’s Treasure</a> ABSTRACT: The transistor is the backbone of modern digital technology, but most professional guitarists insist on only using amplifiers that use vintage vacuum tubes and mid-twentieth century technology. This article transposes the technological advantages of transistors with the physical and perceived benefits of using vacuum tubes in guitar amplifiers, from their emphasis of even order harmonics to their simplicity of design and the subculture of musicians who build them themselves. Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:05:18 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0005.html P24 Programming Competition http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0004.html From 1pm on Sunday to 1pm Monday Upsilon Pi Epsilon (CS honors society) held a 24 hour group programming contest. I entered with Paul Pham, and PJ Kamp (friends and also my csci402 group). They announced a topic at the start of the competition, and we had 24 hours to make something that was at least remotely related. This year's theme was "tubes," which was kindof odd but mostly applies to the internet. Before I describe what we ended up doing, I thought I'd describe the sick setup we had. Right after they announced the topic, I ran upstairs with pj to secure the best room. We quickly grabbed a conference room that was PERFECT! It was big enough to give us way more than enough space to spread out, but too small for 2 groups so we had it all to ourselves! I think it was the only room with a white board also, which we used heavily. I brought my laptop, a keyboard/mouse, and borrowed my roommate's old monitor so I'd have 2 screens. Paul brought his desktop and laptop, and pj brought a lappy. I also had my ipod, speakers, a coffee maker and grinder, and enough cabling to climb a mountain. Here's a pic of our little workspace: <center><IMG src="/content/blog-0004_room.jpg"></center> Anyways, we decided to make an online collaboration application, that you can see at the top of this post. It has an interactive whiteboard that will update on other connected client's screens, and a chat room. We wanted to implement filesharing, but didn't have the time. Speaking of time, we used a code sharing server (cvs) to help us share code, and here's an graph of our committed code over time: <center><IMG src="/content/blog-0004_commits.png"></center> I thought it was really interesting how I coded at pretty much a constant level throughout the entire 24 hours. There were times that I didn't commit for a little while, but when I committted what I had been working on I was still on pace. At the end I increased my tempo a little bit because we were scrambling and I was doing most of the work, but overall really consistant! Anyways, that's all for now, but I'll probably post it on my webpage at some point. We may even work on it more in the future! It was a fun experience, albeit extremely exhausting...definitely glad I did it! Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:55:00 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0004.html Japanese Flash Mob http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0003.html Check it out! I thought it was cool... <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bj0Ma2CsHME"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bj0Ma2CsHME" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj0Ma2CsHME">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj0Ma2CsHME</a> Thanks to Flash Flash Lovdahl's facebook group for the link! Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:55:00 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0003.html Intel Builds 80 Core CPU http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0002.html From BusinessWeek: "Capable of processing 1 trillion calculations a second, Intel's latest test chip, when used commercially, will revolutionize computing." This is a very interesting concept, that is, having 80 cores. Although it can process 1 trillion calculations per second, it would only be able to actually do so if your system has 80 threads that are ready for execution. This would require SIGNIFICANT redesign of pretty much all current software, and wouldn't help with many large scale computations that cannot be divided into multiple threads. This is, nonetheless, an awesome advance in technology! Thanks to Paul for the link! Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:55:00 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0002.html Welcome! http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0001.html Welcome to my personal web page. This is a place for me to post my ramblings, projects, personal, and professional information. This website is maintained and hosted on my personal computer, so uptime is not guaranteed, but expected nonetheless. This front page will serve as a blog, should I find anything of interest to post (from stories to links). Enjoy your stay! Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:55:00 PST http://kevinmilner.net:8011/blog.php?id=blog-0001.html