I'm currently a grad student at GeorgiaTech?, working primarily with Prof. Alex Gray on computational statistics. It's a real barrel o'fun, as evidenced by the page of equations sitting on my desk containing no less than 68 capital sigmas. But don't get me wrong, I actually like mathematics, algorithms, and code optimization. Plus, I get to work with numerous very powerful computers, not really go to any classes, live in not just a single, but a whole appartment, and they're paying me for it all. The only downside is that the deadlines can be deadlier and I don't have much of an excuse to ever do anything other than work (e.g., it's 11 p.m. on a Saturday and I'm at the office... but then again, I'm editing a wiki page and studying a ConLang).
Anyway, I was the first official DormCheese, a position charged with providing fine cheeses at the barbecue and other occasions. There's probably a current DormCheese, maybe StephGrush, maybe someone else, but it's not me. The RyanRiegelMemorialCheeseKnife, on the other hand, remains at Mudd to this day, and legend has it that I will return and reclaim it, thus bringing about the end of... well, nothing in particular. I still maintain a ready supply of cheese, in the rare case that happenstance calls for its immediate application. My cheese paraphanalia consists of a BedBath?&Beyond-bought clearance-priced (but still better than bargain-brand) set of knives, an anti-bacterial cutting board, and a kitchen-starter-set grater, which I have yet to use. My LiveJournal alias is dormcheese, by the way (but my AIM s/n is 'lord rriegs').
Oh, and SeleneTan says I should link to WuZZles.
In my younger, more free-time-laden past, I tried my luck at developing a ConLang, but the furthest I got was a fairly powerful 12 character alphabet and an interesting dialect of English revolving around the particles "ula", "ular", and "ulate". For example, "Dracula's umbrelula impedulated the globular particulas of watrula." Gah, so much more it could have been... Anyway, now, in all the free time I don't have, I'm studying LojBan?, which I highly recommend to all those sorely disappointed with English and its worldly alternatives. Plus, I want people to whom I can speak in it.
In my senior year I DMed a campaign and a half of modified DonJon, and have been working on revising the rules ever since. That's not to say that DonJon's rules are at all lacking; it's just not quite my game. My endeavor has been subject to numerous side-quests, ranging from enumerating the axioms of role-playing to constructing more flexible spell-casting systems for computer games, and even to developing a nifty UI modification for WoW, if that counts.
Quotes:
Ryan: "Where are the rest of the eggs?" Kai: "In the Crepe." Ryan: "ALL of them!?!"
Ryan: "All right, NO-ONE keeps empty nut containers around!" *picks up 3 containers consecutively* "Dang... Dang... Dang!" -Ryan trying to get cashews out of Selene and Katie
Eli: "I think the idea of cases full of Ryan is rather more entertaining though."
Ryan: "Gandalf is TOTALLY bishounen!"
Ryan: "Don't you think women would be more likely to want Pocky for Men?" ChainMaille: "You're stereotyping. Not all women want bigger Pocky." Ryan: "Hmm... and then there's Gay Pocky..."
Ryan: "Chris, you're horrible." ChainMaille: "It's a living." Ryan: "... You get paid for this?" ChainMaille: "Yeah. Well, a little." Ryan: "Dude, I've got to look into this..." ChainMaille: "Ryan, you're horrible." Ryan: "Yeah. It's a hobby."
Ryan: That's bad! It means I have to use my brain for something other than formatting! ChainMaille: You're formatting your brain?
Ryan: "Gyah! I smell like cookie!"
Ryan: It's gotta milk the cow or something, and gah! it's an aardvark!
Ryan: I see my fork has decided to get nasty. ChainMaille: Is it a dirty fork? Ryan: It's a very dirty fork. And it's naughty!
Ryan: A way cool type system is not necessary for awesomeness SeleneTan: But it is!! Ryan: So do you use them for good, or for way cool type systems?
Ryan: I've got, like, Cro-Magnon toes. They've got... foreheads.
Ryan: well, I'll just try to organize my search order so that I can prune off dumb ideas early... wait, that's what my algorithm does - I could use my algorithm to write my algorithm! of course!
Co-writer of TheresAKnifeInMyPocket. (The other writer was SeleneTan)