Dissertation Road Blocks

OK, so I've got an idea for my dissertation. I want to quantify the reduction in your probability of having a crime at your address if you have a security system. However, I need some data that's a little bit sensitive. In fact, it's legally "confidential data." I am in the approval process with the Human Subjects board at FSU right now. I've called around to places asking what I'd need to do to get data (I can't actually get anything before HS approves me). I keep getting told that there's nothing I can do and they can't give out the info I need. I just need to keep going higher up the chain, I guess.

I don't know what I can do to help myself out...I'm thinking: 1. letter from my advisor asking for the data on FSU letterhead. 2. encrypt data? I don't know a whole lot about that. 3. Password protected hard drive...I know they do it with USB flash drives...why not big hard drives? 4. Offer to get fingerprinted, tap my phones, & monitor my internet usage to prove that I'm not sharing this data with anyone. 5. Promise never to reveal any individually identifiable information.

Let me know if you have suggestions for things I could do to convince people to let me use their data. Basically, I just want the address and when it first had a security system installed. I see why that's confidential, but confidential doesn't mean unobtainable. At least I know that these data exist.

Finding Money

I like finding money. Even coins on the ground. Even pennies. I especially like it when I'm on my bike at a stop light and see some change and pick it up. I'm still trying to fill up that stupid piggy bank. I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with the money once it's full.

Pick #155

Blue October - "Calling You"

Overgrown Yard

This house is on Carmen's street. They never mow their yard. She says that the city levies some sort of monthly fine for not mowing your yard and that the owners happily pay that fine instead of mowing. Kinda cool.

Overachieving

Why do people hate on overachievers? You know, the slackers who look down on someone who's doing lots of stuff. Or a really good job at something. There's nothing bad about doing a lot of activities. In fact, I think it forces one to manage one's time better and be all around more productive. Why not hate on slackers for being a drain on society?

LÄRABAR

Let me tell you about a tasty, tasty bar. The LÄRABAR is amazing. I've liked every one of their flavors that I've tried...even flavors that don't normally do much for me, like apple pie. They're a little expensive, so I only get them as a treat. They don't have anything bad for you in them. All natural and all that other crap. I highly recommend you pick one up next time you get the chance.

Beach Blast Triathlon Recap

It looks like I did better than I thought. Actually won my age group. Results at http://members.cox.net/kei1race/blast2093.txt. Let me also mention that I didn't sleep at all on Friday night and I don't know why. Furthermore I guess I didn't eat enough because I was pretty hungry when the race started.

Race recap:
Swim: started way behind schedule. Not good for my hunger. It was getting cold outside the water. The Gulf was pretty warm, though. We swam clockwise and Doug told me later that counter-clockwise would have been much faster due to a rip current. I had some people up in my personal space and gave one person a knee in the side. I stayed pretty well on course.

T1: Everything was soaked...my helmet was half full of water. I didn't wear my sunglasses. Forgot to grab granola bar to eat on bike.

Bike: Ended up taking my gel before the turn around instead of near the finish, like I had planned. At times there were wind gusts that made my bike a little hard to handle with the Blackwell 100mm front wheel. There was an insane head wind going down the bridge over the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway on FL-386 on the way out. I had to downshift on the downhill! I didn't get a very strong climb up that bridge either. The roads were all wet and I was trying not to run anything over. I guess I failed at that...found out at the end of the race that I got a flat tire...on the Blackwell...freaking tubular tires...I don't like 'em. It happened near the end of the bike course. I heard the brakes start to rub the rim and wasn't sure why. Now I know. I rode it in to T2 on a low pressure tire.

T2: yummy wet socks for the run. No visor needed. Still left the sunglasses. and a 10 second mess up: left my race number belt on the ground. Had to turn around halfway through transition to go back and get it! What a rookie mistake!

Run: had to eat granola bar on the run...not as easy as on bike. Ran around 7:11 pace for the first few. Guess I got a little faster after the food kicked in. Nobody passed me, but I didn't feel fast. I ran about 10 seconds faster than last year.