PRO's & CON's: Energy Balances (Jacob's Version)

I haven't posted to the main blog in a while either, so when I saw Christine's recent past, I thought I would do my own version of it (although I didn't really get her permission... better to seek forgiveness, right?).

So I've recently come to the conclusion that I'm basically not in the right major. I honestly should have realized this earlier... I think I just wasn't paying enough attention to! ;)

I want to be a chemical engineer (which is reflected by my current major, chemical engineering), but I don't want to run a plant. According to the reliable source that is Wikipedia, there are two types of chemical engineers: chemical product engineers and chemical process engineers. Chemical product engineers work to develop new products and materials (think research and development), while chemical process engineers work on methods to synthesize products (think designing and running a plant). I want to work on the development of materials (possibly polymers, but I'm open to other things too).

I went into this major expecting it to at least be partially focused on product engineering, but the closest the curriculum gets to covering material relevant to what I actually want to do is just the required chemistry classes. Almost every single class actually offered by my major is a class regarding some sort of mass or energy balance/transfer -- essentially, figuring out what goes in/out of a pipe.

When I figured this out a couple weeks ago, I kind of had an internal crisis because I really didn't want to change majors. So I talked to an ad advisor, and apparently I can easily get a job in chemical product engineering with the degree towards which I'm currently working (keep in mind that my school doesn't have a materials science major), which was a relief, but didn't really solve my problem... SO! here's my list, to finish things up:

Pro's:

• I can get a job in a field in which I'm actually interested.
• I can gain some extra knowledge that might come in handy down the road.

Con's:

• I have to deal with all these God-awful transfer classes for two more years...

</rant>

Jacob

Music Monday 2/24 Song 5: Robotic Love

To finish it off for this week, I'm bringing back an oldie but goodie, Lenno's remix of Robotic Love by Labtracks. I recently rediscovered this one when Lenno reposted a mashup containing it. It's got a great disco house vibe to it, so if you feel like dancing this week, look no further than this track :)

Music Monday 2/24 Song 4: Carousel

Song 4 this week is an indie folk song called Carousel by Miner. I remember seeing Miner's debut single in a couple playlists when it first came out, and I didn't exactly fall in love with it, but I'm all for this new one! It's got some great banjo and a general cheery vibe. Hope you like it!

Music Monday 2/24 Song 3: The One

Here's a chill, deep electronic track for Song 3 this week! It's called The One by Lane 8. It has a really cool, nostalgic chime synth, combined with an intense, building synth bass that sounds really analog. This is yet another song that I may have to add to an expanded musical bucket list! Without further adieu...

Music Monday 2/24 Song 2: The Struggle

Yay! Indie Dance! I basically like anything that RAC puts out these days, but this track in particular has been stuck in my head for the last week or so. It's RAC's remix of The Struggle by Grizfolk, and I love it soooo much. It's got some great vocals with a subdued indie dance drop. I really like how RAC used staccato guitar (or bass?) instead of synth in the drop; it gives it a really unique, natural sound. Anyway, here it is!

Music Monday 2/24 Song 1: New Country

Hello! Sorry about the measly two songs I posted last week... but I have more this week! Today's first song is called New Country by Racing Glaciers. It's a cool alternative rock track with some neat distorted male vocals and guitar riffs. It has a bit of an indie vibe to it as well, which I obviously like... well, here it is!

Music Monday 2/17 Song 2: Wake Up

Today's second song is Something Good's remix of Wake Up by Mike La Funk featuring Colonel Red (which is an exhausting name). It's a really funky disco house track with an interesting and fresh-sounding base riff that really reminds me that this is 2014, not the eighties... it's always good to be reminded of that! :) Hope y'all like it!

Music Monday 2/17 Song 1: Tundra

Hey y'all! There are still twenty minutes left in this Music Monday, so I'd better post quick ;)

Today's first song is a chill progressive house song by PrototypeRaptor called Tundra. It's got a really cool progression to it, with some really neat separate parts of the song. Some of the sound effects are reminiscent of the winter areas of more recent Zelda games (which I like). Maybe I'll have to make an updated musical bucket list and add this to it... anyway, enjoy!

Music Monday 2/10 Song 3: I See Fire (Kygo Remix)

Song three for this week is a remix of one of my favorite artists, Ed Sheeran. I remember when this song, I See Fire, first came out (a song he wrote for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) and I thought it was kind of bland compared to some of his other fantastic songs. Kygo added some really cool parts to the song, though. It has a bit of a chillout, nostalgic feeling to it now, but it still maintains the minimalism of the original. it's just a little less... quiet. It also reminds me of the kinds of synths programmed into my old Casio keyboard... either way, enjoy!

Music Monday 2/10 Song 2: High You Are (Branchez Remix)

Song numba two this week is the Branchez remix of High You Are by What So Not. One of my longest standing friends recommended me to this song, and although it is a bit to trappy for me, I'm still addicted. It's got some really catchy reverb-ed vocals, along with some pulsating synth bass... I like it. Hope you do as well!

Music Monday 2/10 Song 1: Wrong Or Right

Hello, internet people! It's time for Music Monday again!

Okay, I know, it's technically Tuesday when I'm posting this, but I'll change the post date so it'll at least say I posted it on Monday (which is all that really matters, right?).

This week's first Music Monday song is Wrong Or Right by Kwabs. I don't usually like soul/R&B, but I was sold once I saw that SOHN was credited for the track's production. I really like the background synths, especially right after the vocals kick in. They get pretty nostalgic... they remind me of the background music of the old SNES Donkey Kong Country series. Hope you like it!

I did stuff, I promise!

Hey so I didn't really have any songs to post today (maybe one, but I'll save it for next week), so I instead implemented a new, faster way to link to Soundcloud's website (since if you didn't notice already, it was being really slow). Now you press a little button and the song pops up right where it's supposed to be! Fun stuff right?

Okay, that's all... see you next week!

Music Monday 1/27 Song 4: Hide

Here's a nice, haunting indie folk track as the fourth and final track for this week's Music Monday! It's called Hide by Little May, and it has a catchy chorus, but a beautiful and simple intro... love those heavy strums... hope you do too, because otherwise we can't be friends anymore... jk but srsly.

Music Monday 1/27 Song 3: All By My Self

Song #3 for this week's Music Monday is an original track by Fehrplay called All By My Self. It's a neat, retro house track with some throwback vocals, a clean beat, some atari-sounding synths and a grumbling bass line much like when you don't eat for a while and your stomach be all like what's going on, bro... but in a good way! Enjoy:

Music Monday 1/27 Song 2: Help Me Lose My Mind

Song two of today's Music Monday is an atmostpheric, minimal remix by SOHN of Disclosure's Help Me Lose My Mind (featuring vocals by London Grammar). It's got a great progression to it, and the cuts between parts are interestingly abrupt. It also has some cool vocal effects (including the trademark SOHN pitch-lowered vocals). Hope ya like it!

Music Monday 1/27 Song 1: Lucid Dreams

Hey y'all! I'm doing Music Mondays now, because if I try and post every day, if I miss a post I avoid posting out of guilt. We'll see if this works better ;)

Song #1 on this beautiful (yet still hella frigid) Monday is The M Machine's remix of Lucid Dreams by Mat Zo (known for his collab with Porter Robinson). This song is cool in that it's kind of separated into parts. It's got a trap-ish section that's very minimal, some sharp vocal slices throughout, and really great chords that somehow bring more out of the four or so bars of lyrics that are actually used in the song. Fun stuff overall.

I can't commit to anything, apparently (JIP Sep-Nov 2013 Playlist)

So apparently I have blog commitment problems, because I can't even post a freaking end-of-time playlist... here's the one from September to November of 2013!

Also, since I obviously can't post every day, I'm going to do weekly sets of song posts, probs on Mondays. Happy 2014!