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Aperte.org » Personal http://aperte.org Jeremy Handcock Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:42:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 new job! http://aperte.org/2009/03/18/new-job/ http://aperte.org/2009/03/18/new-job/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:43:59 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/?p=568 Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in Seattle, a non-profit biomedical research organization. ISB is full of really great people and they're doing some exciting work in proteomics and computational biology. I'll be joining the Shmulevich Lab and I'll be starting with a project to bring human proteomic data onto the Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid. Although computational biology wasn't the subject of my thesis research, I really enjoyed the coursework/research project that I did in this area and I'm looking forward to learning more. I'm also excited to get a first-hand account of how software engineering works in big science. Altogether it's a great opportunity and it will be fantastic to be back in Seattle. Yay! Share:

]]> http://aperte.org/2009/03/18/new-job/feed/ 1 the ideal of authenticity: grad school? http://aperte.org/2009/03/09/the-ideal-of-authenticity-grad-school/ http://aperte.org/2009/03/09/the-ideal-of-authenticity-grad-school/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:23:08 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/?p=550 The Rights Revolution and I had to laugh a little when I came across this section regarding authenticity:

The central idea I absorbed then---chiefly, if not exclusively, from feminism---was that each of us has a right to choose the life we lead and that we must fight to exercise this right against all comers. This could be called the ideal of authenticity. In the name of this ideal, we all went off to find ourselves. This meant getting away from family, career, society, and going in search of the self's authentic impulses. Sometimes the results were laughable: the 1960s cult of authenticity produced dull conformity in no time. We all went in search of ourselves and ended up in graduate school.

Sounds about right! Ah well, at least grad school is more productive than bumming around a ski resort for two years. Beside that point, The Rights Revolution is a really excellent read about rights culture, civic and ethnic nationalism, and the balance between individual and collective rights in Canada. Ignatieff frames Canada as three distinct founding nations that coexist with a diverse and prominent immigrant population, and when you look at the country through that lens, it's pretty amazing that it still exists in one piece. It's even more amazing that the constitutional and legal framework has managed to satisfy---more or less---all of these different interests. There is still more to be done and although there have been bumps along the way and some very dark chapters, things could be much worse. Just read Ignatieff's Blood and Belonging. Share:

]]> http://aperte.org/2009/03/09/the-ideal-of-authenticity-grad-school/feed/ 0 i am for hire! http://aperte.org/2009/02/16/i-am-for-hire/ http://aperte.org/2009/02/16/i-am-for-hire/#comments Mon, 16 Feb 2009 06:25:24 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/?p=536 my resume and feel free to get in touch. I will be in the Seattle area in a few weeks if you want to grab a coffee and chat. Share:

]]> http://aperte.org/2009/02/16/i-am-for-hire/feed/ 0 done grad school http://aperte.org/2009/01/28/done-grad-school/ http://aperte.org/2009/01/28/done-grad-school/#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:49:18 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/?p=434 University of Toronto. My thesis readers approved my work, we filed all the paperwork required for me to graduate, and that makes me a Master of Science in Computer Science! Well, you know, save for the convocation ceremony. A lot of the research papers I've read are scattered across my workspace, and as I cleaned up my cubicle in the lab today, I got a nice overview of all the interesting topics that I dove into in my courses and in my research: bioinformatics, social network systems, ubiquitous computing, human-computer interaction, information visualization, and of course, software engineering. My time at UofT has been really fulfilling and I owe that mostly to Greg Wilson, my advisor. I came to grad school with the hopes of exercising my creativity and he gave me complete freedom in choosing my area of research. It was an incredible amount of work---definitely the most challenging thing that I've ever taken on---but it was really enriching and satisfying at the same time. I'm happy to say that I'm proud of the work that I've done. I'm going to incorporate some feedback from my thesis readers and I'll make my paper available online shortly. I haven't figured out yet what's next for me. I decided a long time ago that I wouldn't be continuing on to the PhD program. I'll be starting a job search to return to industry pretty soon, but for now, I'm going to take a bit of personal time to decompress. Now, off to uncork a bottle of bubbly! Share:

]]> http://aperte.org/2009/01/28/done-grad-school/feed/ 1 happy holidays http://aperte.org/2008/12/24/happy-holidays/ http://aperte.org/2008/12/24/happy-holidays/#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 01:26:40 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/?p=426 (click for larger version)

Myself, I'm hanging out at my family's place in British Columbia and I'm planning to hop down to Seattle next week. I've mostly been writing and haven't had much time to play, but I've been able to work while looking out over the Okanagan Valley and watching the snow fall on the lake. Best office ever.

]]> http://aperte.org/2008/12/24/happy-holidays/feed/ 1 movember http://aperte.org/2008/11/25/movember/ http://aperte.org/2008/11/25/movember/#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:34:53 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/?p=414 Jack Layton wearing off, but Bay Street types are flocking in droves to adopt the fine moustache this November. It's all part of Movember, a fundraiser to raise money for prostate cancer research. The idea is that dudes grow and groom a moustache for the month and solicit pledges of support. My twin Nicholas is taking part, and I have to say: job well done, brother.

Could that photo get much creepier? Despite parents hiding their children from Nicholas as he walks down the street, I think it really is a noble mo. As one of my friends said, it's a little bit Freddie Mercury, and given time, it may be even a little bit Yves Jacques from Le Déclin de l'empire américain. Our mother recently sent Nicholas an email saying that she will gladly support his moustache, but offered some kind parental advice: "feel free to shave once you have raised sufficient funds!" If you're so inclined, you can sponsor Nicholas' incredible moustache. All funds are donated directly to the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada. Some quick facts about prostate cancer for those not in the know:

Every year around 24,700 Canadian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 4,300 die of the disease, making it the number one cancer threat to Canadian men.
1 in 7 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
All men over the age of 40 are potentially at risk and should talk to their doctor about the disease and early detection. Prostate cancer is 95% curable if detected and treated early.

]]> http://aperte.org/2008/11/25/movember/feed/ 0 pride toronto highlights http://aperte.org/2008/06/30/pride-toronto-highlights/ http://aperte.org/2008/06/30/pride-toronto-highlights/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:10:13 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/2008/06/30/pride-toronto-highlights/ Pride Toronto is hands-down the best party of the year in this city and one of the biggest Pride festivals in the world. This year I started off the weekend by dragging myself out of bed bright and early on Saturday for the 5km Pride and Remembrance run with the University of Toronto Pacer Bunnies team. It looks like we placed 4th overall -- nice running everyone!

Running star Jeremy at the Pride and Remembrance run

The parade on Sunday was over-the-top super fun as it always is. Somehow TD Bank managed to snap up a bunch of hot go-go girls and boys for their corporate contingent, which left me wondering if I should instead pursue a career in banking.

The Bears By Nature group had a great float in the parade with a full-on bear den guarded by some of the papa bears. Grrrr!!!

My favorite float was from the National Gay Pilots Association: they rocked out on a giant glittery airplane while scantily clad air men and women danced all the way down Yonge Street together.

I was really happy and proud to see the Canadian Forces participate in Pride Toronto for the first time.

The Hamilton Pride committee put on a ridiculous display and banned their participation this year, but the Forces were very well received in Toronto and their contingent definitely attracted the largest cheers from the crowd. Thankfully, Canadian military policy puts Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to shame. My friend Jodie and I took Pride weekend as an opportunity to put on our Sunday best. Don’t let those shy, innocent smiles fool you. We discovered that wearing fetish gear in public places attracts a seriously high amount of attention. Go figure.

It was also Pride weekend at my old stomping grounds in Seattle. My friend Jorge reports a spiritual experience with the Flying Spaghetti Monster after being touched by His Noodly Appendage! More photos and larger versions available here. Share:

]]> http://aperte.org/2008/06/30/pride-toronto-highlights/feed/ 3 lightfooted boot camps http://aperte.org/2008/06/17/lightfooted-boot-camps/ http://aperte.org/2008/06/17/lightfooted-boot-camps/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:13:44 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/2008/06/17/lightfooted-boot-camps/ is running outdoor boot camps this summer in central Toronto. She's an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist -- she knows her stuff -- and she will KICK YOUR BUTT into shape. She's running free Saturday classes in June to whet your appetite for a full-on assault in July. The camps are designed to be a challenge for all fitness levels, so don't be shy. I went to one of her classes last week and had a blast. Check out her website for more info and to sign up. Share:

]]> http://aperte.org/2008/06/17/lightfooted-boot-camps/feed/ 0 ottawa race weekend http://aperte.org/2008/05/29/ottawa-race-weekend/ http://aperte.org/2008/05/29/ottawa-race-weekend/#comments Thu, 29 May 2008 04:16:19 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/2008/05/29/ottawa-race-weekend/ Ottawa Race Weekend half marathon. I'm more of the short and fast type and had hoped to tear it up in the 5km race, but alas, I didn't register in time and the event sold out. My bad. Cheering on the team was still a big responsibility, however, and I'm happy to report that my efforts were successful! Jodie, Nicholas, and Jill all crossed the line with finishes that exceeded their expectations (1:48, 1:53, and 2:06). Congrats, team! Apart from some sore knees and Nicholas' Frankenstein-like shuffle for the next couple days, all is well on the recovery side.

From there we got down to the business of celebrating and hopped over to Hull, Québec to acquire the materials for our hotel room kegger. Feeling a little cloudy and regretting the drunk dials of the evening before -- my specialty, I might add -- we set out the next morning for a day on Parliament Hill.

I've been to Ottawa on a handful of occasions but I've never had time to do the touristy things. It's dorky, but I was actually a bit giddy with excitement. We even managed to score some seats in Question Period! As a Canadian politics junkie it was really fun to see. No surprises, really: Peter MacKay was hot and on it, Stockwell Day was a loser, and Michael Ignatieff carried the Liberals while Stéphane Dion was nowhere to be seen. For once though it was actually an exciting day in Canadian politics: right after the House finished sitting Stephen Harper fired Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier. It's about time. I do lament the loss of one of the Conservative cabinet's better-dressed ministers, though.

We also checked out Centre Block, the National Gallery and the Supreme Court. My friend Jill is being called to the Alberta bar in a few months and we're pretty sure that she'll be in that court some day.

I forgot how beautiful Ottawa is in the summer and it was great to finally see the insides of Parliament Hill. The buildings are stunning and full of so many lovely relics. I was up at the top of the Peace Tower at sunset and found this little gem from Bruce Hutchison's The Unknown Country mounted on the wall:

No Canadian can stand and look at this cluster of buildings [...] without feeling that somewhere on this Hill, perhaps by a happy accident, architects, masons, and stone carvers have managed to grasp and materialize the beauty of Canada, the vastness of its land, its loneliness, its youth and its hope.

]]> http://aperte.org/2008/05/29/ottawa-race-weekend/feed/ 0 spring trip to seattle http://aperte.org/2008/05/12/spring-trip-to-seattle/ http://aperte.org/2008/05/12/spring-trip-to-seattle/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 15:19:32 +0000 Jeremy Handcock http://aperte.org/2008/05/12/spring-trip-to-seattle/

I was also a spectator at one of Rob's tennis matches. Seriously Rob, I had no idea that you're such a fierce tennis player! Hot! That serve is on fire. I was going to paint my chest and hold up a "Rock 'em Rob!" sign at the court side, but since tennis is a sport of civility, I decided against it. Besides, they weren't selling draft beer in plastic cups at the tennis club and that's an essential part of the look. The big news is that I made a firm decision to move back to Seattle in January when I finish up my degree. I always kinda knew it would end up that way. There's still a lot left to be done: write my M.Sc. thesis, find exciting work, and get a U.S. work visa to name a few. Technicalities, really. In local news, I landed in Toronto and received the unfortunate news that my brother, Jodie, and I are being kicked to the curb. Our landlord sold the townhouse we've been renting and the new owners want to take it over and renovate once our lease is up in July. Sigh. Moving again is exactly what I do not need right now. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to calling Seattle home next year. Share:

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