People
Michael Shevlin Michael Shevlin
apostasy.dyndns.org:8080/~wildfire/
faculty.ivytech.edu/~mshevlin/

Why include myself on my own links page?  I thought it might be novel to track my own presence on the internet, both in my own sites and on the sites of others.  Here's some external sites of interest:

Michael Shevlin's IRTC page from the unofficial IRTC Statistics site.
Synthetic images by Michael Shevlin that you can purchase on www.zazzle.com
Larisa Hoke Larisa Hoke
Realm of the Flying Chaos Kitty

I met Larisa while I was living in Chicago; we started dating and she followed me when I moved back to Indiana.  We ended up going our separate ways, and this Indiana wildflower ended up wilting in the New Mexico desert.  I can only hope that someday soon a storm will blow her way and leave a rainbow behind.
Nykki Boersma Nykki Boersma
Homeward Bound

Nykki was probably the closest friend I made at the Academy in the year that we were both there (she graduated in '97), and like many such friendships the bond is very strong.  I still remember the night that I met her, the hours-long staring match, and the realization that I was a long, long way from home.  The eyes are the window to the soul; look deep enough and you will understand. 
Erica Hoffmann Erica Hoffmann
Amici Veri Pauci Sunt Numero

I dated Erica for a little more than three years.  I told her once, as she was moving from Minnesota to Indiana with me, that she was either going to end up as my partner or the sister I never had.  Even though the relationship didn't work out, she's still the best friend that I've got. 
Dan Blandford's Web Page Dan Blandford
Dan Blandford's Web Page

Dan also graduated from the Academy in 1997.  He plays lots of fun games like Cosmic Encounter and Paranoia and Die Siedler von Catan.  He's also from E'ville, so we get together over breaks and play the aforementioned neat games.  If you're ever around, we're always looking for a fourth.  Dan, if you're reading this, I could still use a real picture at some point in time. . .
Amber Sohns Amber Sohns
sohns.vg

I met Amber my first year at Rose in my very first plumbing [i.e. chemical engineering] class because we were the only two people that didn't fit in.  Under better circumstances a relationship might have developed, but we kept rubbing each other the wrong way (or the right way at the wrong time).  I eventually admitted that I do care about her, and she talks to me every once in a while when she's got nothing better to do.
Heather Cooper Heather Cooper
Waste of Space

I've known Heather longer than almost all of the rest of my friends.  We tried dating here and there back when we were little kids, but things fell apart when I went away to the Academy.  I certainly don't regret going to the Academy, but I do miss being close to her.  For the longest time we were best of friends, but time and distance washed that away.
Jo Lauck Jo Lauck
Silent Torrent

Jo was Nykki's long time roomie in college; I met her and got to know her while visiting in Ft. Wayne.  Since I'm just getting to know this wild child, I don't have any anecdotes to share yet (or at least none that I could share without making someone out there blush).
Sandra Chimon
Sandra's Homepage
Sandra is one of the first friends I made at UIC.  She's working on something related to analytical chemistry.  Her web page is still largely content-free, but I figured I'd get ahead of the game and make the link now.  Maybe if everyone visits her page and pesters her to put up something interesting, then I won't have to anymore.
Chemistry
SDBS Spectral Database This massive online database is an indispensable tool for the organic chemist.  It contains NMR, IR, Raman, and MS spectra, fully searchable, free of charge.  A particular favorite for students taking a structure determination class.
Organic Syntheses Database This neat reference I stumbled on almost by accident.  It contains the complete text of all of the Organic Syntheses volumes, also searchable and free of charge.  A great reference for proven recipies that work well.
The Organic Chemist's Companion This resource, provided by the Merlic group at UCLA, gives quite a bit of practical information relating to how to do organic chemistry in the lab.
Vapor Pressure Applet The vapor pressure applet is a handy resource to determine the boiling point of a compound at a given pressure, or vice versa.  It's more accurate than using a boiling point-pressure nomograph, and it's more convenient, too.
ChemFinder I had to revise this description since the service from Chemfinder from excellent to abysmal.  It used to be a handy reference that provided quick access to a compendium of physical properties, structures, and links about chemicals.  Some of the things in it are be incorrect (students in a class I was grading for found that one out), but its convenience used to outweigh the occasional mistake.  It doesn't anymore; the access is slow and the site is littered with irrelevant advertising and irritating popup windows, although modern browsers that block pop-up windows and the excellent Adblock suite for the Mozilla browser improve the usability of the site.  It is free, but only marginally better than nothing (at least the Aldrich catalog doesn't have advertising in it, and it's got nearly as much information, for the same price).  I find myself reaching for a book off the shelf almost all the time now.
Music
Citizen's Arrest Citizen's Arrest

Citizen's Arrest was a punk/ska band from Rose that I recorded a couple years ago in the WMHD studio.  Graduation kinda scattered them to all corners of the earth, but the music they made still rocks.
Stop the Car Stop the Car

Stop the Car was a goth rock band from Evansville whose heyday was certainly back in the '80s.  They went to Nashville to make it big and ended up splitting up.  Nearly ten years later they got back together for a short time, wrote some more music, and split up again.
Loretta The Terre Haute band that used to be known as Jihad.  Then some idiots decided to destroy the World Trade Center and all manner of everyday idiots associated them with the debacle on the east coast.  They changed their name, but not the music.  If you like old Radiohead, you'll like them.  They make for one hell of a live show.
 
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Last modified 6 May 2007
Copyright © 2007 Michael Shevlin