• Who am I?

    I am Qrystal; or at least, that's my dot-name! Har har. (My name is really Crystal, but that's not as internet-searchable; hence, switching the C for the little-used letter Q.)

    I am here because I enjoy writing. I do this mostly for myself, but I also have a passion for helping others learn things from the things I write. Now that I am done my Ph.D. in Physics, I am stepping away from academic research so that I can indulge in some creative ways to share my knowledge and inspire the appreciation of scientific thinking in others. I am also working as a tutor, which is one of the jobs I've most enjoyed doing in my life so far.


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  • Paying for Txt Msgs Isn’t Funny

    Posted by Qrystal on July 23, 2008 at 20:21.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: humour, mobile.

    Behulsive Compaviour: Text Messy

    Some comics are so good, they make you laugh out loud.  This one did that to me, but it was a sad laughter, as the topic was about something close to my heart: my cell service provider.  It’s not mentioned by name though, but I found [...] Continue Reading…

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    Horribly Cheesy, But Fun

    Posted by Qrystal on July 20, 2008 at 1:44.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: culture, humour.

    I just finished watching Act III (of three.. so far?) of Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. I happen to be a fan of cheesy humour, and so the show was totally right up my alley.  I recommend it to anyone who has about 45 minutes to spare, before it [...] Continue Reading…

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    Analyzing my procrastination

    Posted by Qrystal on July 19, 2008 at 1:08.
    Category: Life. Tags: dreams, goals, mindmapping, myself, procrastination, task-management.

    I’ve been doing it again: procrastinating madly. The way it seems to happen without my awareness is completely unnerving, and I’m really starting to feel the urge to make it stop. But how? I seem to be addicted to being happy-go-lucky, paying no attention to what I’m doing, just [...] Continue Reading…

    9 Comments »

    How to Really Have Fun on a Roller Coaster

    Posted by Qrystal on July 18, 2008 at 18:33.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: fun, humour.

    I am SO going to take a chessboard with me, next time I go to an amusement park!!!  This page shows a bunch of great images of people living out the dream of xkcd comic #249.

    No Comments »

    Am I a Nerd, Geek, or Dork?

    Posted by Qrystal on July 18, 2008 at 18:29.
    Category: Life. Tags: fun, personality.

    According to the The Nerd, Geek, or Dork Test test, I am Pure Nerd: 78% Nerd, 17% Geek, 30% Dork … and as confirmation, I’m nerdy enough to be bothered that the percentages don’t add up to 100%! Are the three supposed to be taken as independent scales, despite [...] Continue Reading…

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    Big Earth, Little Moon

    Posted by Qrystal on July 17, 2008 at 23:56.
    Category: Concepts. Tags: astronomy, beauty, perspective, science.

    “HOLY FRAK! Moon transits Earth!”

    So says Phil Plait, famed “Bad Astronomy” debunker. This video is indeed awe-inspiring, and even though his article prepared me for awesomeness, I still found myself with my breath caught in my throat.  The moon really looks like such a little rock orbiting the earth, [...] Continue Reading…

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    Poe.h.D

    Posted by Qrystal on July 17, 2008 at 11:56.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: humour, thesis.

    Once upon a thesis dreary, while I pondered, eyes so bleary, Over a many terse and tort(u)’rous volume of old physics lore…
    Joel Gilmore’s Home » Once Upon a Thesis Dreary

    Not only is this poem a great version of Poe’s best-known work, but it is also a beautiful ode to the [...] Continue Reading…

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    The Meaning of Life, to a Child

    Posted by Qrystal on July 15, 2008 at 21:05.
    Category: Advice. Tags: philosophy, purpose.

    The meaning of life is to live.
    An 8-year-old child, as quoted at A Day in the Life of a Pagan Parent.

    Kids say the darndest things, eh? The author of the article had no idea the child would come up with an answer at all, let alone such a thoughtful [...] Continue Reading…

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    Words as Visual Art

    Posted by Qrystal on July 15, 2008 at 11:55.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: art, fun, words.

    Who hasn’t wanted to make a random mish-mash of words look all colourful and fun, in order to give some kind of visual impact to a message or idea?  Wordle can do it for you.  Just watch out for how dangerously fun this site is…!!!

    Despite the danger to my [...] Continue Reading…

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    Thoughts on a Radiohead Video

    Posted by Qrystal on July 15, 2008 at 11:17.
    Category: Miscellany. Tags: art, music, rainbows.

    RA DIOHEA_D / HOU SE OF_C ARDS @ Google Code

    So, it’s bizarre, but that’s to be expected from Radiohead.  It’s also quite a beautiful visualization, done in an intriguing way (check out the making-of by following the link above).

    My viewing notes:  the weird distorting-face imagery is a little difficult [...] Continue Reading…

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