Being a Doctor

Since I was unable to post the last few months, several things have happened that I wasn't able to write about during the forced hiatus, the most important being I finished my PhD degree! 

But it wasn't easy; I have no doubt that the months leading up to my dissertation defense were the most stressful of my life.  By my reckoning, during the month of April I was spending approximately 80 hours per week working on writing and performing last minute projects related to my research.  While there are certainly plenty of people that make that workload manageable, it certainly wasn't something I was used to.  Days began around 8 when I would head into the office and begin work, typically bouncing between writing chapters on one computer and running simulations on another.  I would work through lunch into the afternoon, when I would head home around 5 o'clock.  I would take a break for about an hour to have lunch and relax, then begin working again until around 11.  Weekends also disappeared from the conversation, which was something I never thought I would have to do. 

But, eventually I did realize I was nearing the end of the process and began to relax somewhat.  The dissertation defense itself was a relatively simple affair, with my 5 faculty committee members listening to my 90-minute presentation then asking questions for another 30 minutes or so.  While that may seem like a lot, with my experience teaching 75 minute lectures the time just flew by.  As a waited outside the conference room for the committee's final decision, I reflected back on the 10 years I spent as a student here in Norman.  While I always enjoyed the student experience, I was very happy to be ending it and moving on to something new.  As my committee exited the conference room, they came over to me and said "Congratulations Doctor."  I of course was excited and relieved, but also a little taken aback by that title.  Here is a picture of me at graduation:

Even now, after being official for about 4 months, I still find it funny to be referred to as "Doctor."  Especially now that the semester has started and students have been coming to visit to ask questions, I get addressed by that several times a day.  I really don't feel any different than I did a few months ago - same job, same place, same life, but through finishing my degree I have gained a new identity, even among my friends and family.  I'm sure at some point any additional effect of being addressed this way will wear off, but at least now it's a constant reminder that I'm in a new phase of my life. 

2010 College Football Predictions!

One of the big reasons I wanted to restore the blog to its former glory was my desire to keep my tradition of college football predictions going.  Last year's picks were reasonably successful (6 out of 10 BCS teams), so we'll see if I can do even better this year.

ACC:  The ACC looks stacked this year with 5 teams in the preseason top 25.  Because of this, I don't anticipate an ACC team being part of the national title discussion, but there will be plenty of good games to look forward to.  I think Florida State actually benefits from Bobby Bowden retiring, but I think they will have a couple years of rebuilding.  I enjoy watching the classic option offense of Georgia Tech, but their defense lacks a lot of punch.  I was excited about the possibility with North Carolina, but with all the off-field issues that have popped up the last 2-3 weeks, I'm not so sure a team with no recent success can rise above.  This leaves Miami and Virginia Tech (as it seems to be most years), and like most years, I give the edge to the Hokies.  Their month of November will be very tough, but with only 4 road games they have a built in schedule advantage. 

Big East:  With Brian Kelly leaving Cincinnati for Notre Dame, we have one less contender in the Big East to worry about.  With all due respect to West Virginia, Pittsburgh should roll through this conference relatively untarnished.  In fact, Pitt could be a national title contender if they make it past Miami early in the season, which I think they will.  Dion Lewis should have a big year as Pitt finishes somewhere in the top 5. 

Big 10:  Sorry, Hawkeye fans:  I'm not buying that Iowa is a national title contender.  With Penn State still unsure at QB, and Michigan still transitioning to Rich Rodriguez's offense, I think the conference comes down to Ohio State and Wisconsin.  Terrelle Pryor will get lots of publicity for the Buckeyes, but John Clay (think a shorter Toby Gerhart) could prove to be just as potent a scorer for the Badgers.  On October 16th when Ohio State visits Wisconsin, I think the Badgers are victorious and go on to the Big 10 title. 

Big 12:  What will become of the Big 12 in the years to come is an interesting question, but less interesting is how the final (for now) Big 12 championship will set up.  In a surprisingly weak year, Nebraska will coast to the North title, with Texas and Oklahoma battling yet again in the south.  With Texas having to replace Colt McCoy, OU will have the advantage in the Red River Rivalry and win the South, though I am inclined to think that the South champion will have at least one loss in conference.  With a classic (and perhaps final) match up in the Big 12 title, I think Nebraska finishes up an undefeated conference season with a win over the Sooners - sad I know. 

Pac 10:  Let me be clear here:  NOTHING pleases me more than seeing the USC Trojans slowly begin to go down the tubes.  Mark my words:  USC will not be in a BCS bowl in the next 5 years, NCAA bans or not.  Just like last year, I believe the conference will come down to the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State.  The Rodgers brothers are a lot of fun to watch for the Beavers, but Oregon has a much more balanced offensive attack and I think will stand atop the conference. 

SEC:  With the majority of their starters returning, I don't think there's many people that would pick against Alabama this year.  Even with the recent news that Mark Ingram will be out to begin the season I still think 'Bama will have a relatively easy ride through the SEC West.  Arkansas could make some noise early in the season, but Alabama's superhuman defense should be able to shut them down.  In the East, a 2-team race between Florida and Georgia will be settled at the Cocktail party, with the Gators moving on to the SEC title game (Tebow was important, but not the only talented player for Florida).  With a rematch of last year's title game, Alabama once again wins and makes their way to the BCS.

Once again, we will have at least a few teams outside of the major 6 conferences making a run at the BCS.  Last year's two outside participants, Boise State and TCU will most likely be the two to compete yet again this year for any at-large spots.  However, I think the attention will finally catch up to Boise State; with matchups against 2 top 25 teams in the first month, I think Boise will end up losing at least once and dropping out of consideration.  TCU, however, I think has an excellent chance of returning to the BCS yet again, perhaps to the national title, given that they are already ranked quite high. 

So, here is my BCS 10:

Fiesta Bowl:  Texas vs. TCU

Rose Bowl:  Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Orange Bowl:  Virginia Tech vs. Florida

Sugar Bowl:  Alabama vs. Ohio State

BCS Championship:  Pittsburgh vs. Nebraska

A matchup of two stellar defense may prove less than entertaining, but I believe Pittsburgh will triumph in a low-scoring affair. 

And now, for some Heisman thoughts.  Since Mark Ingram appears to be out of the running due to injury, and no other returning finalists, this could be a wide-open race.  Here are a few people I think could be in the conversation in December:

John Clay, RB, Wisconsin.  If the Badgers due manage to win the Big 10, a lot of the credit will have to go to Clay, who could have a huge year running the ball.

Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh.  Heisman loves stars on championship teams, and Lewis had a huge freshman season which could lead to the 4th sophomore Heisman in a row.

Andy Dalton, QB, TCU.  Gotta put a vote in for my fellow Dalton!  His numbers will not be eye-popping so he is likely a long-shot but a second undefeated regular season could get some attention for him. 

Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas.  Will no doubtedly put up gaudy numbers for the Razobacks, but the question will be whether he can guide his team to a 9 or 10 win season.  If he does, he might earn some consideration.

That's the list!  As always, if you think I'm off my rocker, let me know in the comments below, or if you'd like to commit your predictions before the season gets underway, do that as well. 

The New Doctor Chris!

Yes, once again, I have a new website.  Issues arose with the previous incarnation that prevented me from posting pictures, so the site fell out of use.  However, with my schooling finished and more time on my hands, I wanted to bring the website back and hopefully use it in new and exciting ways, as well as old ones.

Avatar

Another semester, has come to a close in Norman, and now it looks like I only have one semester left in school!  To celebrate finishing the semester, a couple friends and I went to take in Avatar, the latest film spectacle from James Cameron, the director behind The Terminator, Aliens, and Titanic to name a few.  This film has been touted by many to be a industry changer with its use of 3-D and motion capture technology, not to mention that it is most likely the most expensive film ever made.  So needless to say, expectations were pretty high.

If you're unaware of the story of this film it's basically this:  a paralyzed marine travels to a distant planet to assist in a mining operation of a valuable mineral.  However, the planet is inhabited by an alien species that is reluctant to move, and of course, this leads to conflict.  If you've seen Dances with Wolves, The New World, or The Last Samurai, you probably have a good idea of how this plays out.  The one unique thing about this particular film however is how the humans interact with the aliens - through the use of "avatars," which is transporting your consciousness into an alien body, which happens to be about 10 feet tall and blue. 

While the story itself isn't terribly revelatory (not too surprising given Cameron's other movies), the imagery is astounding to say the least.  First, I don't know if I've ever seen a digitally produced landscape this impressive; I was constantly scanning the entire screen to try and take in as much of the alien landscape as possible.  Add the fact that its 3-D, and it's even more impressive.  I've seen a few movies in 3-D in the last couple years, and was never that impressed with what they did with it.  In Avatar however, the 3-D is not used in a gimmicky fashion (pop outs and stuff flying out of the screen), but rather to create an immersive environment - after a while I completely forgot I had the glasses on.  If you think you're interested in seeing this movie, you owe it to yourself to see it on as big a screen as possible, and in 3-D. 

Also impressive on the technological side was the use of motion capture technology for the alien species.  Again in prior circumstances where this  technology was used it only sometimes succeeded (Gollum in LOTR was good, Beowulf not so much), but there seems to have been a huge leap forward in the realism involved, especially in terms of facial characterization.  You can definitely see the emotions in the characters faces, and you can totally believe that these creatures exist, at least in this environment.  It also helps that the actors involved did a good job, especially Zoe Saldana as one of the alien leaders (she almost certainly would be nominated for awards had this not been a motion-capture performance).

While this movie is technologically impressive, the big critique has been on the story side.  Yes, the story is fairly predictable and has been seen in a few other incarnations before (the movies listed above as a few examples).  However, I feel like the story is done well enough, and most importantly, the emotion behind the story is strong enough that it still keeps the movie from being too hokey.  For instance, the main character (played by Sam Worthington) is paralyzed, but when he inhabits his alien body, he can walk again, and the emotion at being able to regain mobility is shown well.  I also found it interesting at how after several months inhabiting his alien body, he began to have difficulties returning to his human body and interacting with his human counterparts.  I think if the story had focused more on these ideas than the traditional story it has, it might have been looked upon as one of the greatest movies in recent history.  That being said, this movie will still be well received and will make a bundle of money.  I enjoyed Avatar quite a bit, and it's definitely one I look forward to seeing again.

Another hurdle cleared

This last week I took my general exam, which is one of the big points in a doctoral degree process.  I gave a 45 minute presentation on my research, answered questions over it for another 30, then I was questioned over all of my course work for another 30 minutes.  As you can imagine, this was pretty harrowing given they could ask just about anything, and so I spent about 2 months studying my old notes and textbooks in preparation.  The last couple weeks proved pretty stressful due to the amount of studying, but the presentation and everything went well, and I passed!  It was a great relief to have it all finished.  Now the only thing left for me to do is wrap up my research and write my dissertation, which should take most of my time between now and May.  But the end is in sight, which is sort of weird considering I've been in school without any long breaks for about 8 years. 

I've held off from writing about the Sooner's football season because it's been so depressing to watch - the combination of bad luck and poor play has been frustrating for most Oklahoma fans.  While I was fairly certain OU would not compete for the national title this year, I have been surprised to see how quickly we dropped from the national picture.  I've been trying to come up with a good term to describe this year's team - with so many injuries and bad luck in games, it's like the opposite of what most call "a team of destiny."  In 2000, OU was called a team of destiny because they had almost no injuries, and when the team needed points or a defensive stop, they always got it.  This year injuries have been almost weekly, and no one seems willing to step up to be a leader to get the team through the tough moments.  While injuries can't really be avoided, having no leaders really troubles me, especially for next year.