Imablog Perspectives of a Canadian in the Old/Deep/New/Geographic South: This is where I ramble on about nothing in particular and post a few nice pictures.

Xbox || !Xbox

For a while now, I've been pondering getting some kind of gaming console, because I've never had one before. Do I want a Wii? Maybe a PS3. Xbox is kinda cool.

This past week, I borrowed an Xbox 360 and a few games from a friend while he was on vacation. Started playing Fallout 3 and promptly got sucked into the game. The first day I played for about 4 hours without realizing how much time had gone by. The rest of the week would go pretty much the same way (thus the lack of blog entries).

So now I'm thinking maybe a gaming console might not be such a good idea, especially with school starting next month. Then again, if I get one now, the novelty aspect of it will probably wear off by the time classes start and I probably won't be quite as into it by then.

Actually, getting one now would take a significant chunk out of my new computer fund, so I think I'll wait a while on the console system. Or maybe I'll just build a kick-ass gaming system.

Matrix size, image resolution and count density

One of the things I do with the radiology residents is do some practical labs with them, where they get to see some of the things they've been learning about in the classes we give them before they take the first part of their board certification exams.

A few months ago, it was a demonstration on the gamma cameras in nuclear medicine, where I attempted to show them how changing the image matrix size affects the image.

Nuclear medicine images are typically acquired using matrix sizes ranging from 64² all the way up to 1024². Most are acquired using a 128² image matrix size.

Generally, as you increase the matrix size, the resolution of the image improves. Most people might think that because of this, you should always use the highest matrix size possible, because that will give you the best image. But you'd be wrong.

Nuclear medicine images are acquired either for a fixed time, or a fixed number of counts. Let's suppose an image is acquired containing a total of 10⁶ (1 million) counts. If the image matrix size is 64², that 10⁶ counts is spread out over 4096 pixels (which gets you about 244 counts/pixel).

Below is an image of a bar quadrant phantom acquired in a 64² matrix for 10⁶ counts.

It's a fairly smooth looking image, not a lot of noise, but none of the bars are resolved.

If that image matrix size is 128² instead, now that million counts is spread out over 4 times as many pixels (16384 pixels), and now you only have 61 counts/pixel. Below is the same bar quadrant phantom, same 10⁶ counts but acquired in a 128² matrix size

Now one set of bars is visible but the noise has increased a little bit.

You can resolve smaller structures with the larger matrix size, but now the count density of your image has decreased by a factor of 4 (and the noise in your image has also increased).

Let's go to 256²

The next set of bars is visible but notice how the noise has increased significantly.

Let's see what 1024² looks like. You might expect that we would be able to see even more bars at this matrix size.

Nope, no more bars visible, and the noise has really gone up. At 1024², the count density has decreased to less than 1 count/pixel.

Of course there are ways around this. At higher matrix sizes, you can acquire more counts in your image but this requires either imaging with more activity in the patient or imaging for a longer time, which may or may not be feasible.

Photographers, take note. The same thing happens with digital cameras. Naturally, the amount of light digital cameras capture is orders of magnitude higher than in nuclear medicine, but problem is the same. More megapixels (MP) is not always better.

Where I am, and where I came from

According to Wolfram|Alpha

I only wish it was just a 4 hour flight back home.

Reflections before 40

40 is approaching me with alarming speed.

I've never been one to dwell in the past, or spend much time pondering "what-ifs", but over the past few years as 40 gets closer, I have found myself reflecting on what I suppose could be considered sentinel moments in my life.

During my undergrad, I decided to take a summer job that ended up switching my intended career plans onto a completely different track. Not sure what I would have ended up doing if I hadn't taken that job.

How would things have turned out if I had decided to throw caution to the wind and pack myself off to McGill to do my Masters instead of staying at U of A? One of the reasons I chose not to go to McGill was funding. McGill didn't fund MSc students, but at U of A, I could get funded as a grad student.

After I finished my Masters degree, I spent a few months doing sysadmin work and being the resident computer geek for a couple of departments at the U of A Hospitals. I got a call asking me if I was still interested in a residency position in Detroit that to this day I still I don't remember applying for. I moved to Detroit with nothing more than a couple of suitcases and a few hundred dollars in my bank account and spent three years there learning my craft. It was arguably the biggest leap my normally conservative and safe self has ever made so far. Where would I have ended up if I didn't move?

A few years ago, shortly after starting this blog, I had a chance to take a research position at Duke University. I decided to stay. It would have switched me to a slightly different track had I taken it.

A few months ago, I decided to pursue an opportunity to do a PhD. It's not something that's necessary for me to do my job, but has been on my TODO list for a long time. In a couple of months, I should be starting classes. The voices in my head that say "WTF are you doing!" are getting a little louder, but I'm still looking forward to this. It's going to be a big shift for me for the next 5 or 6 years.

I've never regretted any of the decisions I made. Looking back, I don't know that there were really any other decisions that I could have made. If I had, I'm pretty sure my life would quite different from what it is now.

When I find myself in these moments, I can't help but think of this scene from The Matrix: Reloaded:

Neo: Well, that didn't go so well.
Morpheus: Are you certain the Oracle didn't say anything else?
Neo: Yes.
Trinity: Maybe we did something wrong.
Neo: Or didn't do something.
Morpheus: No, what happened, happened and couldn't have happened any other way.
Neo: How do you know?
Morpheus: We are still alive.

Bacon + Chocolate = Win!

At Ted's Butcherblock today, I spotted this bacon chocolate bar (by Vosges Chocolate) at the counter. It was the last one, so I had to buy it to check it out.

It's milk chocolate bar with little bits of bacon in it!

As a chocolate bar it was actually pretty good, despite the milk chocolate. It's a little bit salty, a little bit smoky from the bacon and sweet from the chocolate. Maybe a little bit strange at first look, and I'm sure it's not going to suit everybody's tastes who expect chocolate to be a sweet treat, but this one works pretty well. It's pretty expensive for a chocolate bar, but makes for an interesting and different treat. Looks like there's a dark chocolate version of the bar out now, which I think might be even better. I'll have to keep an eye out for it now.

$12 dinners at Ted's Butcherblock

Met a bunch of fellow CSCLUGers at Ted's Butcherblock today for one of their $12 Friday night dinners. Today's menu was grilled domestic shrimp with truffled summer succotash, crisp parmesan grit cake with cauliflower buttermilk puree.

First of all, cauliflower buttermilk puree? Totally not yuck like you might think. In fact, if you didn't read the menu, you'd never know it was even made of cauliflower. I wanted more of it on my plate. Shrimp: Yum. Grit cake: excellent with the puree.

Everything on the plate was really yummy.

For dessert there were a couple of Chocolate-Banana Eclairs

Delicious.

Yeah, I have to go back for more of these $12 Friday night dinners.

Social media happy hour

Today I ventured out to the downtown Taco Boy for the the Social Media Club (Charleston) happy hour. It was a nice fun and informal get-together with a surprisingly diverse crowd of people.

It was my first trip to Taco Boy, and it turned out pretty good. The Taco Boy is dog friendly, something I wish I had known earlier. I'm sure the dogs would have loved to go meet everybody.

There was a pretty good turn out of people at today's event. There were a few familiar faces, but also a lot of new ones. It was nice meeting new people, and also meeting some of the people I've met on Twitter.

Jared told me the guy in the hat is the TwitPic guy.

Wax covered

Anchors away!

Swamp Thing

Hickory Hawg

Today's LowcountryBBQ meatup at Hickory Hawg was pretty well attended and turned out to be a big family affair. I got there a little after 6 thinking I'd be early, but everybody was there already.

Unlike the last few BBQ places, Hickory Hawg isn't a buffet style place. You walk up to the counter, pick something from the menu (and they're pretty flexible about letting you pick and choose) and when it's ready they'll bring your food out to you.

I ordered the Hickory Hawg platter for $8 and change, which is a big heaping serving of BBQ pork and two sides (I got the hash and baked beans).

The pork was pretty tasty; really good all by itself, but made even better with a little of their sauce, a slightly vinegary tomato based sauce. You can even buy some of their sauce to take home with you.

The platter is just a bigger version of a plate, and is a pretty substantial amount of food. If you're really, really hungry, the platter is the way to go. Otherwise you might want to stick with the plate version for $5 and change. Regardless of which one you get, the prices at Hickory Hawg make the place a terrific value.

I'll have to go back another day and try out the ribs. They looked pretty good too.

Worldwide Photowalking

Organizing a photowalk can be a lot of work. Yesterday was the Worldwide Photowalk, with photowalks organized in 900 locations. I helped put together the Charleston, SC photowalk which turned out to be a resounding success. Had about 45 people show up for the photowalk, and I think we even picked up a few people along the way. Had a great time wandering around the peninsula taking pictures and meeting fellow photography enthusiasts.

The day started off pretty nice, but started to get pretty warm towards the end of the walk. I finished off the day with close to 150 photos that I eventually culled down to 111 which I posted in my photo gallery.

This one turned out to be one of my favourites. At Elliot St and Bedon's Alley, there's a shell of an old building that now serves as a parking lot. I was in there looking around and saw this through one of the windows.

The top of the Cumberland parkade offered some pretty good views as well.

Quite happy with the way the photowalk turned out. I'll have to try to find some time to organize more of them.

The rest of my photos.

Charleston Worldwide Photowalk Flickr group

BarCamp Charleston!

Calvin and Jared have started working towards setting up a BarCamp in Charleston.

What's a BarCamp?

BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants who are the main actors of the event.

BarCamp is all about the participants. It's the participants that give talks and presentations on stuff they know about. It's about sharing the stuff you know with others who have similar interests or want to find out about what you're talking about. If you've ever watched a large group of people, you'll inevitably see small groups of people form together. Typically those in the groups are connected by a common factor (friends, interests, etc). Others are just joining in on the conversation. That's more or less what a BarCamp is, only with a little more (but not much) structure and organization. It can be organized around a theme or particular topic, or just one big free-for-all. Most importantly,

Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. When you come, be prepared to share with barcampers. When you leave, be prepared to share it with the world.

There's a meeting tomorrow (July 22) at the Muddy Waters West Ashley for the initial planning meeting. Come along if you're intersted in helping to organize Charleston's first Barcamp! You can also keep up with what's happening with the BarCamp on Twitter and Facebook.

Silver Lining

From this morning on my walk in to work

Party on a tree

Fungi.

Get it?

Hahahaha!

I slay me sometimes :)

Mirth Man

Created using HeroMachine 2.5

Street level view

View from the cobblestones on Chalmers St

Winding down at Ted's

My new favourite thing to wind down the week with is the Friday night dinner at Ted's Butcherblock.

The best deal in town: $12 for for a hot, home-cooked, gourmet meal. Each Friday, Chef Eva prepares a creative, restaurant-style meal, including dessert

Ted's has been around for a few years now, but aside from the occasional trip there to ogle at all the neat meat and not-meat items, I hadn't gone there too often. A few weeks ago a few CSCLUG members gathered there for a Friday night dinner. It was my first one and the food was pretty phenomenal. I've made it a regular Friday stop for the past few weeks now, and each time the food never fails to put a smile on my face. It's a nice place to relax with some good food and to indulge the inner foodie.

After dinner (and the wine tasting should you choose), it's also hard to walk out of Ted's without picking up something else, like the house roasted Wagyu beef from the deli, the very tempting hunks of meat in the butcher case, or all the goodies in the freezer.

So after a long week, head over to Ted's Butcherblock for a nice relaxing dinner. Then bring something back home with you to throw on the grill for the next day.