Scott Moura

Every Game Counts

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:09:00 +0000

Today I had two pleasant Cal football related surprises. The media department e-mailed out an awesome promotional video for the upcoming season. Enjoy it below. Also, I was watching the Detroit Tigers play and Michigan State's head coach Mark Dantonio came into the broadcast booth to talk about the upcoming season. He said they are kicking it off right away with a "quality" opponent in Cal. He also seems slightly concerned about how the travel will affect his team. Hopefully adversely! I cannot wait for August 30th!

Get pumped!

Invited Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:25:00 +0000

Today a professor from Ohio State invited me to submit an abstract of my work at a conference he's helping to organize. Now, I'm new to this whole ordeal, so I'm not 100% sure how to react. On the one hand, getting a personal invitation from a superstar researcher in my own area is awesome. On the other hand, this is Ohio State and I'd have to head down to Columbus during the heart of football season. Ugh. Either way, my advisors seem to be stoked. If I recall correctly, I think researchers typically put invited talks on their CV. Additionally, I am told that representatives from national research labs, electric utilities, and automotive companies will be in attendance. This could be a HUGE networking opportunity! Sweet!

Qualifying Exams

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:37:00 +0000

Today I learned that I passed the written portion of my qualifying exams! My ambition level just got a temporary lift!

August Rush

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:54:00 +0000

Today I walked into the dollar movie theater at the Briarwood Mall. Two hours later, I walked out in complete tears. No, I wasn't crying because I sat in spilled slushy syrup. No, it wasn't because the theater smelt like flatulence and Cheeto's. No, it wasn't because the top third was cutoff by the crappy projection angle. It was because August Rush is THE MOST POWERFUL movie I have ever seen, PERIOD. Without exaggeration, I was crying almost the entire movie. In fact, the ending was so powerful that I started getting concerned about bothering the other patrons.

Freddie Highmore, Kerri Russell, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers are absolutely amazing. Robin Williams plays a role I have never seen him play before, and is utterly brilliant. Not to mention, the soundtrack is incredible. If you love music, watch this movie. It'll take your heart and shred it into pieces like a dog with a cheap chew toy.

Cal Alumni Association of Michigan

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:37:00 +0000

Last Fall Jovauna and I often got together with other Cal alums at UM to watch football games. It was so much fun that we decided to make ourselves official: Introducing the Cal Alumni Association of Michigan! We are now an official regional chapter of the Cal Alumni Association (CAA). Check out our website here. We plan to host picnics, seminars, and many more viewing parties.

Besides organizing glorified viewing parties, this group has introduced the opportunity to meet other Berkeley alumni in Michigan. Some of you back on the left coast are probably saying "big whoop," but consider this influential list of alumni: Jennifer Granholm (Michigan's governor), Bob Lutz (General Motors Vice Chairman), Larry Burns (General Motors Vice President of R&D), and Ron English (former Michigan football defensive coordinator) to name a few. It also begins what I hope to be a very involved membership with CAA.

P.S. Larry Burns is NOT Mr. Burns' deadbeat son. Sorry, bud.

Fun with Needles

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Here's the scenario: I come home after an EXHAUSTING day, in which I took the final portion of my controls PhD qualifying exam. I was so relieved it was over, and looked forward to a quiet relaxing night at home. After I walk through the door and hang my jacket up, Jovauna says: "Scott, I need to practice taking blood. Give me your arm."

WHAT THE F!? Practice taking blood!? Why me!? For those that don't know, Jovauna works as a medical assistant, so it might not seem that bad. But what most people don't know is that Jovauna is the CLUMSIEST person I have ever known. Clumsy + needles = get me out of here!

Being the good boyfriend that I am, I capitulate. Without exaggeration, I'm literally giving up my blood, sweat, and tears. So she straps my arm down, pulls out a 3 inch needle, and jabs it into my arm. Then she pulls the syringe and nothing comes out.

J: "Aw, that's interesting."

S: [Look of panic, while sweating profusely and holding back tears]
"What the hell does that mean!?"

Then she pulls back a little bit and pulls the syringe again. Blood rushes into the vile.

J: "I just learned what it feels like when I go too far! Yay! Now give me your other arm."

S: [Shreaking in panic] "No way!"

[Side Note: I writing this as I hide underneath my bed. Someone call Jovauna to distract her, because she's searching for me, needle in hand...and NO, I didn't get a sugar cookie!]

News Powered by Yahoo! Pipes

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:55:00 +0000

For the past six months or so, I've been experimenting with different ways of collecting and processing news feeds to get a nice cross section of Cal Athletics News. Well I think I have my best product yet, thanks to Yahoo! Pipes. The idea is to deliver news items regarding Cal Athletics from national media, university publications, Bay Area newspapers, and online blogs to my website on a periodic basis. Now I don't have to scour the web when I'm aching to read about Tedford's staff changes. Check it out here, and let me know what you think.

LIVE: Jek the Multipom

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:32:00 +0000

Today we enter a new era of self-indulgence: Jek the Multipom LIVE! For weeks Jovauna has been asking me if there's a way to stream live video of Jek during the day while we're both at work. I thought it wasn't easily possible, but USTREAM.TV has proved me wrong. Cool or what? Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!

Cal Power Forwards

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:19:00 +0000

Let's play a game! What do all of these former and current Cal basketball players have in common?

Ryan Anderson
Leon Powe
Amit Tamir
Sean Lampley
Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Okay, so maybe the title gives it away, but for whatever reason Cal has been stacked at the power forward position for at least the last ten years. Honestly, I think this is quite phenomenal, considering the dearth of big men in the college game.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Ryan Anderson. Last year he averaged 16.3 ppg and 8.2 reb while being snubbed Pac-10 freshman of the year (that Jewish looking kid from Arizona has got hops, but he's over-hyped). This year Ryan's averaging 22.8 ppg and 9.8 reb through 9 games, though he battles for rebounds alongside DeVon. Moreover he hits the three with regularity (39%) and is an excellent free throw shooter (85%). What's even more amazing is the only other schools to offer Ryan out of high school were U$C and Pacific. Wow, did we get a steal! Yet, you never hear his name on Sports Center or as a potential NBA draft pick. Ryan could become the greatest Cal power forward of all time no one (outside of the Pac-10) has heard of. That's astonishing considering Cal's history!

So let's root on Ryan and the rest of the Golden Bears this weekend at the Golden Bear Classic.

Go Ryan, Go Bears!

P.S. Harper Kamp (the next great PF) is probably Cal's most productive player on a per minute basis. This guy is gonna explode if he ever gets starter minutes.

Jek the Maltipom

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 22:00:00 +0000

The weekend after Thanksgiving, Jovauna and I adopted a puppy from some crazy dog lady from Sherwood, MI. His name is Jek. My dad says Jek is a common dog name back in Portugal. No, it doesn't mean Jack in Portuguese but rather it's just some name that is easy to yell loudly when you want the dog to bring in the cows. My mom would argue that all words in Portuguese are loud and I doubt this dog will bring in any cows. Anywho, that's his name so get over it.

He's half Maltese and half Pomeranian, a so-called "Maltipom." Is he not the cutest thing in the world? He is also obviously the perfect dog for us because his favorite toy is a plush Cal Football. Jovauna also wants to get him a #1 DeSean Jackson / Max Zhang athletic jersey. If this isn't enough to make you sick, you have to check out his Facebook profile for more pics and vids. He already has more friends than me! If looking at cute dogs ain't your thing, check out this web gem.

Backup Cal QB

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:08:00 +0000

Last night Jeff Tedford announced that's our backup quarterback going into this season will be Kevin Riley, winning a narrow race over Kyle Reed. In fact, it was so close that Tedford nearly suggested he flipped a coin to make his decision:

Kevin Riley "is going to take the No. 2 reps, and (Kyle Reed) will take the No. 3 reps," Tedford said. "There really isn't a huge gap there whatsoever. It's just a matter of not being able to practice them all."

Check out references from Calbears.com and the Contra Costa Times. I had several immediately reactions.

First, I'm somewhat disappointed Kyle wasn't given the job. The SF Chronicle recently wrote up a real nice article about how he has stayed focused on learning the offense and ignoring detractors who say he should transfer. Also, a couple years back a large black man in the elevator of MLK asked me "Do you go to school here? My son's the quarterback!" At the time Aaron Rodgers was QB, but a quick mental calculation told me he must be Kyle's Dad. He seemed so proud and clearly wanted to tell everyone he saw. Secondly, how sweet is it that this discussion does not concern our first-string quarterback?

Anyways, I sure hope Kyle gets some snaps this season, if at least to gain experience for the future.

ME Website Lovin'

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 20:48:00 +0000

The Mechanical Engineering website has given me some love by posting my IUTAM Symposium website as the first link under the News.

In Loving Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 01:53:00 +0000

Today we lost the lives of two influential teachers, Rabbi Carole Meyers and Coach Bill Walsh.

Rabbi Meyers lead my childhood congregation at Temple Sinai in Glendale, CA between 1986 and 2001. She died of bone cancer at the age of 50, ten weeks after doctors discovered a rapidly growing tumor in her back. I will always remember when Rabbi Meyers would invite all the children of the congregation to sit at the front stage steps while she entertained us with stories from the Old Testament. I will remember her for being a very patient listener and excellent communicator who connected to people of all ages and viewpoints. My father informed me that she was instrumental to helping my mother and aunt cope with the losses of their parents. Honestly, I never liked synagogue and was never very religious, but I could listen to Rabbi Meyers forever. In her obituary I learned that she was the first female rabbi in the Los Angeles area. Nice! I wish the best for her family and want them to know how she truly made a positive impact during the time she was here.

Bill Walsh, former coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Stanfurd Cardinal, and Cal Football defensive assistant under Marv Levy lost his bout with leukemia today. Bill Walsh is credited with inventing the so-called West Coast Offense, which he used to guide the 49ers from a gutter team into a premier NFL franchise while winning three Super Bowls in six years. Although he is a huge symbol in Stanford football history, I can't ignore his significance to the Bay Area. Moreover, a ridiculously large number of coaches trace their lineage back to Walsh on his coaching "tree".

In other, infinitely scarier news, my grandma broke her arm while walking to the bathroom last night. Thank goodness she's okay and won't require any surgery. However, she'll be in even more pain than usual for the next couple months. We always joke that our dog Teddy's bones are practically dust, but that phrase may apply better for Grandma Moura. She's too proud to ask for help, but at her age broken arms don't heal quickly. I hope she gets through this okay and feels better soon.

Simpsonize Me

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:06:00 +0000

As most of you are probably aware, Fox is releasing "The Simpsons Movie" this Friday, July 27. I will spare you with my opinion about the degradation of the greatest TV series that ever existed. Instead I'll point out that, as part of their marketing campaign, Fox has collaborated with Burger King to create a website in which you can "Simpsonize" yourself. The idea is that you can upload a picture of yourself (needs to be a headshot) and the website will convert your picture into a Simpsons-style character. When I first heard about this, I thought it was genius. Who doesn't want to know what they'd look like as a Simpson? Also, how in the world are they able to analyze a photo and convert it? I was intrigued to find out more.

I immediately tried to log on to the site: www.simpsonizeme.com only to find out that it doesn't work. After 24 hours of checking back and receiving errors that say something like "The doo-hi-ki isn't reading the watcha-ma call it," I was ready to throw the computer monitor out the window. However, I finally got it to work at 2am EST. The picture at the above right is me, Simpsonized. Wow, I don't ride a skateboard, but that's pretty accurate. He's got spiky hair, he's short, and a slightly evil grin. Okay, so I'm just kidding. But my aunt (former HR VP at Fox) always told me they modeled Bart after me. Anyways, I Simpsonized myself and Jovauna. The results are at the right. That's sorta close, I guess. They give you the option of modifying the picture but I didn't do too much. Go try it for yourself, if you can get it to work.

Medical School Applications

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:33:00 +0000

Yesterday, Monday July 16, Jovauna's AMCAS medical school application was officially processed. Now the secondary applications are flooding her e-mail box. This is both exciting and intimidating. It's exciting because it appears many schools are going to give Jovauna serious consideration (even though most, if not all, these secondaries are automatic). It's intimidating because Jovauna has to turn back these secondary applications within two weeks, at the most. That's a lot of work. The good news is that most applications feature similar question prompts, so Jovauna can recycle essays. However, many schools also have essay questions to the effect of "Describe your interest in our University," which requires individual research into each school. That's lots of work, but I'm sure she'll pump them out quickly once she gets into a groove.

Given that Jo applied to 38 schools, I created a so-called "application matrix" to track her progress and keep friends and family up to date. Check it out here.

By the way, she received a secondary from the University of Michigan today.

Google Never Ceases to Amaze Me: RechargeIT

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:30:00 +0000

So here I am diligently reading the latest V2G research for my lit review when I come across the intellectual equivalent of finding Carmen Electra naked in my bed. Google's philanthropic arm, Google.org, has launched a program called RechargeIT, a plug-in hybrid car initiative working in collaboration with PG&E, EPRI, CalCars, and Prof. Willett Kempton, among others. Press release here.

This pleasantly shocked me for many reasons:

Those that know me well are aware that I have a passion for website technologies. As such, Google is one of my favorite resources. Now I stumble across Google investing millions of dollars into my very own research topic: vehicle to grid hybrid vehicles. I love Google! Yes, that's right! I'm not afraid to admit that I LOVE the company founded by two Stanford PhD students.
Besides providing basic information about the RechargeIT project, the website (rechargeit.org) displays nearly live data about their hybrid fleet, including vehicle speed, engine RPM, battery charge, current, and temp. To help present this data, Google has clearly utilized their very own API's. They combined my two passions into one comprehensive marketing/engineering tool. Wow! Do they have jobs available?
Google's list of collaborators is extremeley impressive. They have all the big names in plug-in hybrid / V2G technology. Moreover, they have pledged to invest $10 million in companies and organizations doing related work. Sometime later this summer they will publish a request for proposals. Why can't I submit a proposal? They gave Kempton $150K, which approximately funds one PhD student for 5 years. Maybe if they grant it to me, they will offer a job when I graduate. What a dream scenario that would be.

This is unquestionably the most awesome collaborative project I have ever come across. Let me know what you all think. In the mean time, check out this cool video:

Vehicle-to-Grid Support for BART

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:08:00 +0000

While working on my literature review, I came across the most intriguing technical publication. Eugene Nishinaga, Manager of Research & Development at BART, is proposing the use of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) to support the electric power demands of the BART system. For those not hip to the V2G concept, it's the idea of using a plug-in hybrid vehicle to charge your car's batteries AND using the car to send power back to the grid.

With that background in mind, here's the essence of Nishinaga's idea: BART buys bulk amounts of electricity in advance at a wholesale price. Sometimes BART has unused electricity and other times it doesn't have enough. In the latter case BART pays over three times as much for short-term demand power. Maybe this is why BART tickets are so expensive.

Nishinaga's solution is to send the unused electricity to charge V2G-capable vehicles in the BART parking lots and request backup power from these vehicles when demand exceeds supply. His calculations state consumers will achieve a $1,000 savings in gas and BART saves $260,000 per year. Those two factors combined effectively mean most V2G car owners ride BART for free. That's phenomenal, not to mention the environmental advantages! Maybe I should apply for a research position at BART after graduation.

If this ever becomes reality, Jovauna can stop complaining about the crowded BART parking lots and spend the extra dough on Starbucks.

Interested readers can refer to Nishinaga's presentation here.

High Def Heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 03:41:00 +0000

It finally came! After extensive research, numerous phone calls to the bank, and 3 (that's no typo) botched orders, my Vizio 37" HDTV arrived today. When I flipped the TV around to view the plethora of HDMI and color component connections, I felt inadequate hooking up a simple coaxial cable. Oh well, I still get Fox HD, NBC HD, ABC HD (which is AMAZING by the way) and a few others. Sadly, no ESPN HD. That costs an extra $8/month from Crapcast, not to mention the additional HDTV tuner and installation fees they probably slap on. I might have to wait on that until college football season starts.

To inaugurate my new toy, I watched "So You Think You Can Dance" in HD. I must say, with complete confidence in my sexuality, that "So You Think You Can Dance" is awesome! I wouldn't call myself a dance aficionado by any stretch, but watching dance performed at such a high level is good entertainment. Also, has anybody else noticed how HOT the girls in the audience are? Not to mention the female dancers and that 7-foot Australian chick. Yes... good entertainment.

THA1 for Heisman

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:43:00 +0000

It's Official! Desean Jackson (aka THA1) has thrown his hat into the Heisman trophy competition. The Berkeley publicity machine has put together an impressive website to advertise our superstar.

After watching the highlight videos, I'm absolutely stoked for Cal Football 2007 and watching THA1 take it to the house! However, I seriously doubt THA1 will have as much success on punt returns this year. Unless you're mentally retarded or outrageously daring, why would you punt to him? Tedford will most likely be content with allowing the other team to punt out of bounds and take the field position. However, how sweet would it be if they put THA1 AND Jahvid Best both back on punt returns, Ginn Jr and Holmes/Gonzalez style? That would force the ball into the hands of either one of two sub 4.3 guys. Money in the bank baby!

Speaking of money, there should be NO DOUBT in the minds of Cal football fans that THA1 bolts to the big leagues after this year. There is NO wideout more explosive, and that includes Super Mario here in Ann Arbor. Furthermore, watch the one-on-one videos on THA1's Heisman site and the writing on the wall becomes clear.

Despite THA1's big play potential, he MUST have a good game against Tennessee on Sept 1. Recall that Marshawn's Heisman pub dwindled after posting a modest performance against the Vols last year. Even more so, THA1 will have an uphill battle against East Coast Bias and U$C's hype train. His chief competition will likely be JD Booty, Mike Hart, Colt Brennan, Steve Slaton, and Pat White. Overall, I think THA1 might have a better shot than Marshawn, but let's recognize that many of our big games occur at 5pm PST / 8pm EST. If THA1 shows up big on Sept 1 and then puts on a show for Corso and Herbstriet against U$C, Berkeley will boast their first Heisman Trophy winner ever!

Hello Blogosphere

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:21:00 +0000

Hello, Blogosphere! I'm excited to announce the introduction of my new blog.