Anika Jade Rehberg was born at 2:53 AM today. She weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Beth was a superstar during the whole ordeal, which led to a cesarian section operation. Anika and Beth are doing just fine. I forgot to bring the pictures home, but I'll make another post later linking to some at my site. Busy now, more later.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Monday, January 31, 2005
What? This is still an issue?
Kerry blames defeat on Bin Laden
I realize this comes from overseas, but it's a little late to talk about this. I think we've accepted that Kerry wasn't inaugurated two Thursdays ago. What is the usefulness of this information?
Don't go thinking I'm a right-wing fascist, either. I would have liked to see Kerry win; I'm just confused as to why this even came up today.
I realize this comes from overseas, but it's a little late to talk about this. I think we've accepted that Kerry wasn't inaugurated two Thursdays ago. What is the usefulness of this information?
Don't go thinking I'm a right-wing fascist, either. I would have liked to see Kerry win; I'm just confused as to why this even came up today.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
The Daily Retort
Scott wanted some links, so here's one more. I've given him two already. Will anyone help me?
Anyway, The Daily Retort is a left-leaning blog (from what I can tell, he's pretty long-winded), and I say that because he got flamed by some dickhead who got completely retarded and off-topic as my conservative friends do whilst arguing politics, genetics, or the quality of 3M adhesives. I thought Scott would like someone to talk to since the election is over and I'm pretty much out of politics.
Actually, lately I've been blogging elsewhere. I started a new series on technology issues, and as of yet I've had to make up the issue or pull it right out of my ass just to have something to write (actually, I've been depending on the Washington Post) except for that first topic. If there's something about using a computer, or anything related to computing that really bothers you, drop by and ask, or just e-mail me.
Not to fear; I'll keep posting here when I have my Random Thoughts.
Anyway, The Daily Retort is a left-leaning blog (from what I can tell, he's pretty long-winded), and I say that because he got flamed by some dickhead who got completely retarded and off-topic as my conservative friends do whilst arguing politics, genetics, or the quality of 3M adhesives. I thought Scott would like someone to talk to since the election is over and I'm pretty much out of politics.
Actually, lately I've been blogging elsewhere. I started a new series on technology issues, and as of yet I've had to make up the issue or pull it right out of my ass just to have something to write (actually, I've been depending on the Washington Post) except for that first topic. If there's something about using a computer, or anything related to computing that really bothers you, drop by and ask, or just e-mail me.
Not to fear; I'll keep posting here when I have my Random Thoughts.
Friday, January 28, 2005
"Just Another Search Engine" (not) (from tech_pickle)
I read an article about amazon.com's new search site, A9, at the Washington Post. Just thought you should check it out. It's pretty good (enhanced by Google) because it employs various methods of searching the Internet for whatever you want - even searching inside the text of almost every book they have at amazon.
Once a search term is entered, your hits are returned for a web search, but you have more options to choose from. Here's the rundown:
Update: I forgot to mention that one can initiate a search just by typing the search term after "http://a9.com/". For instance, if I wanted to search for the term "salt," I would simply type "http://a9.com/salt" and the results would load instantly, instead of waiting for the page to load to enter a search. Go now, people, and tell your friends about this wonderful information portal. Become smarter.
Once a search term is entered, your hits are returned for a web search, but you have more options to choose from. Here's the rundown:
- Web - as expected, web page listings as with any search engine provided by A9.com and Alexa, and enhanced by Google.
- Books - searches for your term in the texts at amazon.com.
- Images - returns a collage of images related (or not) to your search term. It seems about as accurate as AltaVista or Google image search.
- Movies - queries data from the Internet Movie Database, imdb.com. This includes movie titles and descriptions, names of directors/producers/actors, and many other things related to cinema.
- Reference - GuruNet provides quite the bottomless pit of encyclopedic information, and spits it out in every form under this reference section. Very clever, I'd say.
- Yellow Pages - this feature is what got them in the papers. They have sent some poor guys 'round the country to take pictures of businesses to list in the online phone book, and they got trigger-happy. They have taken over 20 million pictures. The listings are tailored to the address you provided when you created your account at amazon.com (assuming you've signed in). I searched for the term 'bonds' and got "Brinson Bonding Agency" in Camilla, GA, and "Bond's Septic Tank Service" in Pelham, to name a couple.
- History - I haven't figured this out yet (maybe it will take longer), but I can search my search history. Little help?
- Bookmarks - since an account is needed to use all of the features of A9, you should get one. They're free, and I trust them with my privacy. You can create bookmarks of pages you've searched and want to save if you are signed in. That way you don't have to try to remember that exact search phrase, or tell a friend on the phone "...it should be the fifteenth listing on the fourth page..." You can just show them.
- Diary - Yep, a diary. Write anything in it that you want. It's there for your notes while surfing the web. All you need is the A9 toolbar.
This is a pretty good reference tool, especially for winning bets. Where else could you find a link to Andrew Johnson's obituary right next to five different listings describing him? I highly encourage the use of this site. Thank you for your time, and please feel free to post a comment or a question. Somebody?
Update: I forgot to mention that one can initiate a search just by typing the search term after "http://a9.com/". For instance, if I wanted to search for the term "salt," I would simply type "http://a9.com/salt" and the results would load instantly, instead of waiting for the page to load to enter a search. Go now, people, and tell your friends about this wonderful information portal. Become smarter.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
I Expected This. (from tech_pickle)
Microsoft to Launch Anti-Piracy Initiative (washingtonpost.com)
As soon as I figured out that they didn't employ this method with the release of XP, I wondered why. If there is such a complicated authentication process with the installation, why wouldn't there be with updates?
When I was first told about the hacked version of XP, they told me that "all you have to do is not install Service Pack 1; then it doesn't 'phone home.'" The guys said one would have trouble sharing devices over a network, too. What good is a hacked version of a powerful operating system if you can't use the cool features or "phone home" for security updates?
Anyway, I imagine someone figured out how to hack XP and make it look like a legitimate machine to run Windows Update. Apparently that won't happen anymore. It's Microsoft's product, after all. If I wrote a program for money and sold it to a person for five bucks, I wouldn't want the whole town using my program and being productive and successful, leaving me with five bucks. I'd like my part of their success. You can hate Microsoft all you want, but they actually have a great line of products and services, and chances are you're using at least one of them to read this post.
I'm not saying this post wouldn't be possible without Microsoft, but there's no denying that the pair (Bill Gates and Paul Allen) wasn't a catalyst of the PC explosion. Where was I?
Oh, yeah -> the authentication of XP (and succeeding operating systems) in order to run Windows Update successfully should be implemented this year. To find out if you have a genuine installation of Windows, click here.
As soon as I figured out that they didn't employ this method with the release of XP, I wondered why. If there is such a complicated authentication process with the installation, why wouldn't there be with updates?
When I was first told about the hacked version of XP, they told me that "all you have to do is not install Service Pack 1; then it doesn't 'phone home.'" The guys said one would have trouble sharing devices over a network, too. What good is a hacked version of a powerful operating system if you can't use the cool features or "phone home" for security updates?
Anyway, I imagine someone figured out how to hack XP and make it look like a legitimate machine to run Windows Update. Apparently that won't happen anymore. It's Microsoft's product, after all. If I wrote a program for money and sold it to a person for five bucks, I wouldn't want the whole town using my program and being productive and successful, leaving me with five bucks. I'd like my part of their success. You can hate Microsoft all you want, but they actually have a great line of products and services, and chances are you're using at least one of them to read this post.
I'm not saying this post wouldn't be possible without Microsoft, but there's no denying that the pair (Bill Gates and Paul Allen) wasn't a catalyst of the PC explosion. Where was I?
Oh, yeah -> the authentication of XP (and succeeding operating systems) in order to run Windows Update successfully should be implemented this year. To find out if you have a genuine installation of Windows, click here.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Apple Didn't Cheat on You (from tech_pickle)
I got a question yesterday from Scott about why his 20GB iPod only holds just over 18GB. Without research, I am going to try to answer this. When a hard drive is made, it is theoretically capable of holding (in close proximity to) the amount of data it is designed to capacitate. With every microprocess, however, there are bound to be errors (due to dust, material quality, processes used, etc.) in the product. When the iPod is turned on (or that hard drive is powered up and formatted), those bad spots, or bad sectors, appear and are marked as such in the drive's file allocation table (FAT). This is one reason the drive is below stated capacity.
Another reason is the file allocation table itself. The FAT (someone please let me know if I'm wrong) is the part of the hard drive that indexes every sector and keeps track of what files and directories are where on the drive. If a file is fragmented on the drive, every part of the file is kept track of in this table. This is how the computer knows how to access the file, even if it is broken up and spread about the disk. Am I getting away from the subject?
Anyway, the bigger the hard drive, the bigger this FAT has to be. That takes up a bit of space, too. My 40GB iPod actually says I have 37.1GB available. I imagine part of the space on the iPod is taken by the databases that keep track of all the song titles, photo properties, album artwork, and your notes/calendar/other stuff. This isn't accessible to the user, so it shouldn't be counted as useable space. Also, don't forget there's an operating system on the iPod itself. Mine probably takes up even more space since it's the iPod photo, which must provide tools to display the photos, and display color throughout the interface.
One more reason the capacity could be misstated: a difference in the measurement of the actual capacity. You see, a bit is the lowest unit of measurement for computer storage. A byte is made of eight bits. A kilobyte (KB), however, is not conventionally 1000 bytes; a kilobyte is actually 1024 bytes. Okay:
I'd go over what 1024TB is, but the average consumer doesn't need to worry anyway for another ten years or so (I could be wrong about that), and this column isn't research-based.
Some manufacturers, for marketing purposes (so I've heard), measure the capacity with one kilobyte = 1000 bytes. Let's do the math: suppose you take a hard disk with a capacity of 40,000,000,000 bytes. Divide by 1,000 to get kilobytes, and you'll have 40,000,000 of them. Divide again by 1,000 and you'll have 40,000 megabytes. Now again for 40 gigabytes. There.
Now let's take the same drive and use the conventional measurement: 40,000,000,000 divided by 1024 to attain kilobytes: 39,062,500 kilobytes. Again, ~38,146 megabytes, and finally ~37.253 gigabytes. Sound familiar? Some unknown legal loophole lets them say 40 GB because that's the marketing department's hard drive measurement system, and it's easy to use. Every operating system I know of (including Windows) measures hard drive capacity in 1024-byte kilos.
Take a look here and see the small disclaimer in the footnotes: "1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less."
So that's why your drive is almost never what it says. Want a way around it?
Buy two.
Another reason is the file allocation table itself. The FAT (someone please let me know if I'm wrong) is the part of the hard drive that indexes every sector and keeps track of what files and directories are where on the drive. If a file is fragmented on the drive, every part of the file is kept track of in this table. This is how the computer knows how to access the file, even if it is broken up and spread about the disk. Am I getting away from the subject?
Anyway, the bigger the hard drive, the bigger this FAT has to be. That takes up a bit of space, too. My 40GB iPod actually says I have 37.1GB available. I imagine part of the space on the iPod is taken by the databases that keep track of all the song titles, photo properties, album artwork, and your notes/calendar/other stuff. This isn't accessible to the user, so it shouldn't be counted as useable space. Also, don't forget there's an operating system on the iPod itself. Mine probably takes up even more space since it's the iPod photo, which must provide tools to display the photos, and display color throughout the interface.
One more reason the capacity could be misstated: a difference in the measurement of the actual capacity. You see, a bit is the lowest unit of measurement for computer storage. A byte is made of eight bits. A kilobyte (KB), however, is not conventionally 1000 bytes; a kilobyte is actually 1024 bytes. Okay:
- byte: 8 bits
- kilobyte (KB): 1024 bytes
- megabyte (MB): 1024 KB
- gigabyte (GB): 1024 MB
- terabyte (TB): 1024 GB
I'd go over what 1024TB is, but the average consumer doesn't need to worry anyway for another ten years or so (I could be wrong about that), and this column isn't research-based.
Some manufacturers, for marketing purposes (so I've heard), measure the capacity with one kilobyte = 1000 bytes. Let's do the math: suppose you take a hard disk with a capacity of 40,000,000,000 bytes. Divide by 1,000 to get kilobytes, and you'll have 40,000,000 of them. Divide again by 1,000 and you'll have 40,000 megabytes. Now again for 40 gigabytes. There.
Now let's take the same drive and use the conventional measurement: 40,000,000,000 divided by 1024 to attain kilobytes: 39,062,500 kilobytes. Again, ~38,146 megabytes, and finally ~37.253 gigabytes. Sound familiar? Some unknown legal loophole lets them say 40 GB because that's the marketing department's hard drive measurement system, and it's easy to use. Every operating system I know of (including Windows) measures hard drive capacity in 1024-byte kilos.
Take a look here and see the small disclaimer in the footnotes: "1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less."
So that's why your drive is almost never what it says. Want a way around it?
Buy two.
Monday, January 24, 2005
I'm Not Cool, But
...I'll live past most of you! My life expectancy has dramatically increased since I quit smoking:
Is this line indented five spaces?
Is this line indented five spaces?
I've Figured it Out.
I'm not cool. That's the answer to all the shit thrown at me. All these years I was wrong about my social status; I thought I was on par with the crowds. Today, from a link at Scott's blog, I discovered that I was wrong.
Maybe I can get things done now that I know my place in life.
How am I not cool? I'm one of the coolest fuckers on the planet! I'm not racist or sexist or homophobic, I don't get in to science fiction, I'd rather play pro golf than any of those other jobs, how am I not cool?
Oh, God. This is the beginning of my demise. It's all over now...
Maybe I can get things done now that I know my place in life.
How am I not cool? I'm one of the coolest fuckers on the planet! I'm not racist or sexist or homophobic, I don't get in to science fiction, I'd rather play pro golf than any of those other jobs, how am I not cool?
Oh, God. This is the beginning of my demise. It's all over now...
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Brain Food and Drink
Daily Drink Helps Keep Brain Sharp, Data Suggest (washingtonpost.com)
While I'm not very productive today, I thought I'd catch up on my blogging. I found this article very interesting, since I like to drink moderately. This only supports my theory that daily doses of alcohol are actually good for a person. I'm not saying that it's okay to drink constantly, but one or two a day should not be harmful.
Beer is probably not the best choice for daily use, due to its abdominal-expanding effects. I would choose something like vodka or brandy. Now we know why the wealthy in the movies always have that carafe of favorite drink on the credenza and pour a glass when they get home.
Also, I've heard for many years that tuna is "brain food." If this is so, I encourage the consumption of tuna and related fish for further brain development (the world could use a few more smart people.) The mercury content in the tuna has adverse effects, though, so maybe you should limit your tuna to twice a week.
I'm rambling. Sorry.
While I'm not very productive today, I thought I'd catch up on my blogging. I found this article very interesting, since I like to drink moderately. This only supports my theory that daily doses of alcohol are actually good for a person. I'm not saying that it's okay to drink constantly, but one or two a day should not be harmful.
Beer is probably not the best choice for daily use, due to its abdominal-expanding effects. I would choose something like vodka or brandy. Now we know why the wealthy in the movies always have that carafe of favorite drink on the credenza and pour a glass when they get home.
Also, I've heard for many years that tuna is "brain food." If this is so, I encourage the consumption of tuna and related fish for further brain development (the world could use a few more smart people.) The mercury content in the tuna has adverse effects, though, so maybe you should limit your tuna to twice a week.
I'm rambling. Sorry.
Today I feel...
Drowsy. Tired. Frustrated. I work for a person who has a lot of education, but has a severe lack of management skills. My "manager" wanted something three weeks ago, and I got it to her. It wasn't exactly on time, due to other problems in the office and the organization, but it got done in the shortest amount of time possible.
This project was stemmed off of another I was working on and was closely related. I was asked to replicate the process using only one different variable, which I promptly did. This took some time getting data, but I got it done, had it verified by a coworker, and sent it to my "manager". Two weeks later (last week), my "manager" sent the document back to me (via someone else) and noted a problem with it. I took it straight to her and told her that there was no problem; I just shouldn't have included that one piece of information; it wasn't relevant.
So she made up some case where it would be relevant and wanted the right answer by the end of the day. I was a big pushover and told her I'd try. I'm a good sport. For this one small change, I'd have to get more data with which I'm not familiar and use it blindly.
It took two people to decide which data was best (they've been here longer, so they should know). After thirty minutes, one of them found a nearly-two-year-old file on a CD somewhere, and said "...that should be it." Two hours later, it was time to go, and there were problems with the whole thing. This wasn't going to get done that day (Friday). My "manager" notified me and the guy helping that she couldn't wait around for us to finish, but she'd be in through the weekend and to leave it in her inbox. Two hours after that, we sent a "give up for now" letter along with the evidence of the (lack of) progress. We would have to start again the next week with other data.
Keep in mind that I wasn't given a date that she needed this stuff, or who else to talk to about it, or exactly the purpose of the analysis. I was not empowered to even make assumptions, because I didn't have the context of the project. I call myself "Internal Third-Party."
So we started late yesterday on getting new data from a more reliable source, and started over. Apparently, my "manager" needed this data on that day, and wasn't in the office. We looked very closely at this new data today and deemed it fit. I completed the analysis, took it to my "manager" and got a "...and you were aware that I needed this last week?"
"Yes," I replied, but I didn't tell her that she held the "wrong" shit for two weeks, when I could have got the whole thing sorted for her well before she "needed" it.
This is horrible. I hate that "manager." She's probably a good person, but she's a (what's the opposite of fantastic?) communicator. I know she expects a lot from me, but I don't see that as a burden until she makes me look like an asshole. Then it's a lot. I would love to do my work and have immediate responses to it so I can be a better analyst. I'd love a job where I can be creative and feel free to ask questions without getting shot down.
I see that this has become my outlet. I didn't want it that way, but you're reading, aren't you? I recently thought about writing on technology here, but I haven't had the time to read anything interesting. I promise I'll get 'round to it. After I read all those books, buy a house, get a baby, and settle down a bit. Then I'll keep you more informed.
This project was stemmed off of another I was working on and was closely related. I was asked to replicate the process using only one different variable, which I promptly did. This took some time getting data, but I got it done, had it verified by a coworker, and sent it to my "manager". Two weeks later (last week), my "manager" sent the document back to me (via someone else) and noted a problem with it. I took it straight to her and told her that there was no problem; I just shouldn't have included that one piece of information; it wasn't relevant.
So she made up some case where it would be relevant and wanted the right answer by the end of the day. I was a big pushover and told her I'd try. I'm a good sport. For this one small change, I'd have to get more data with which I'm not familiar and use it blindly.
It took two people to decide which data was best (they've been here longer, so they should know). After thirty minutes, one of them found a nearly-two-year-old file on a CD somewhere, and said "...that should be it." Two hours later, it was time to go, and there were problems with the whole thing. This wasn't going to get done that day (Friday). My "manager" notified me and the guy helping that she couldn't wait around for us to finish, but she'd be in through the weekend and to leave it in her inbox. Two hours after that, we sent a "give up for now" letter along with the evidence of the (lack of) progress. We would have to start again the next week with other data.
Keep in mind that I wasn't given a date that she needed this stuff, or who else to talk to about it, or exactly the purpose of the analysis. I was not empowered to even make assumptions, because I didn't have the context of the project. I call myself "Internal Third-Party."
So we started late yesterday on getting new data from a more reliable source, and started over. Apparently, my "manager" needed this data on that day, and wasn't in the office. We looked very closely at this new data today and deemed it fit. I completed the analysis, took it to my "manager" and got a "...and you were aware that I needed this last week?"
"Yes," I replied, but I didn't tell her that she held the "wrong" shit for two weeks, when I could have got the whole thing sorted for her well before she "needed" it.
This is horrible. I hate that "manager." She's probably a good person, but she's a (what's the opposite of fantastic?) communicator. I know she expects a lot from me, but I don't see that as a burden until she makes me look like an asshole. Then it's a lot. I would love to do my work and have immediate responses to it so I can be a better analyst. I'd love a job where I can be creative and feel free to ask questions without getting shot down.
I see that this has become my outlet. I didn't want it that way, but you're reading, aren't you? I recently thought about writing on technology here, but I haven't had the time to read anything interesting. I promise I'll get 'round to it. After I read all those books, buy a house, get a baby, and settle down a bit. Then I'll keep you more informed.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Prayer in Schools
Scott had an interesting post yesterday and it got me thinking about prayer in schools. It hasn't been in the news lately, but I just got off on a rant and thought I'd write a bit.
Prayer in schools: Ban? No. That's disrespectful. You shouldn't be punished for practicing your religion. If that's the case, no prayer anywhere is the answer. Mandate prayer? No. No one would do that in a public institution in this country. Allow prayer? I say yes, but don't limit the allowance to Christians. If I want to pray to my left pinkie finger, I should be allowed to so long as it doesn't interfere with my lessons at school.
I thought I had more to say, but I lost it. "O left pinkie finger, grant me the words...."
Prayer in schools: Ban? No. That's disrespectful. You shouldn't be punished for practicing your religion. If that's the case, no prayer anywhere is the answer. Mandate prayer? No. No one would do that in a public institution in this country. Allow prayer? I say yes, but don't limit the allowance to Christians. If I want to pray to my left pinkie finger, I should be allowed to so long as it doesn't interfere with my lessons at school.
I thought I had more to say, but I lost it. "O left pinkie finger, grant me the words...."
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Legos and Wonka
My four-year-old nephew is over this week at my mother's place. What a kid. We ate dinner last night and played with Legos for close to an hour. I helped him build a house and some farm animals that were in the accompanying Lego book. He had a little trouble with the sheep, but made a mean-looking cow. I was inspired by this moment; maybe I'll really be okay having my own child after this little preview. I enjoyed being a kid again, and relished in the fact that I could still remember the thoughts that passed through my brain when I was 4. I remember what was really important, what hurt, and what was scary.
We can't treat kids as if they were grown-ups with a calloused view at the trifles we are faced with. When you're four, there aren't any trifles. Everything's new, and it's a big deal. Hell, even maintaining a certain level of concentration is a feat. It was pretty hard to keep my nephew interested in the whole Lego thing, but we made it. So we sat there, I in my shorts and sweatshirt, legs spread about the floor, and he in his Spider-Man pajamas, doing what I always loved to do. He was amazed as I was at his age at a grown-up making things that looked just as they did in the pictures. I remember that being hard, and I lost interest, too. I miss being a child; maybe I'll get my chance to live it again vicariously through my son or daughter.
After Legos, I went home and watched "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and wondered why I enjoyed it so much.
We can't treat kids as if they were grown-ups with a calloused view at the trifles we are faced with. When you're four, there aren't any trifles. Everything's new, and it's a big deal. Hell, even maintaining a certain level of concentration is a feat. It was pretty hard to keep my nephew interested in the whole Lego thing, but we made it. So we sat there, I in my shorts and sweatshirt, legs spread about the floor, and he in his Spider-Man pajamas, doing what I always loved to do. He was amazed as I was at his age at a grown-up making things that looked just as they did in the pictures. I remember that being hard, and I lost interest, too. I miss being a child; maybe I'll get my chance to live it again vicariously through my son or daughter.
After Legos, I went home and watched "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and wondered why I enjoyed it so much.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
On Reading
I've finally come to my senses and updated the in-progress book list (see "What I'm Reading" in the sidebar.) It's disgusting. Should one read that much, or be able to keep up with that many texts?
It's not that I read too much. It's my inability to finish a book. I've been trying for seven months now to finish the Harry Potter books (I'm done with #2.) I read a little every night, but it's becoming overwhelming.
If I could just pick one...
It's not that I read too much. It's my inability to finish a book. I've been trying for seven months now to finish the Harry Potter books (I'm done with #2.) I read a little every night, but it's becoming overwhelming.
If I could just pick one...
On Writing
I had a college English professor who told us to just start writing if we couldn't think of what to say. "You know what to write if you don't know what to write?," he would ask, "Write 'I don't know what to write about.'" So, here goes:
I honestly don't know what to write about these days. I stay so busy at work, and can't connect to the Internet from home, so I lazily ignore this blog. To my readers, I apologize. I don't have time to talk about politics or leadership, or what I had for breakfast yesterday. I could write about programming and the common problems I have, but my current readers might not be too interested or able to provide insight.
I could talk about how I want a different job, which requires certification and experience that I don't have. I could talk about what I would rather be doing with my life at present, but that would be futile and boring. I hate to bore you.
So I'm writing this, mostly to let you know I'm still here, but might not be posting too often about large issues unless I feel strongly about them.
I honestly don't know what to write about these days. I stay so busy at work, and can't connect to the Internet from home, so I lazily ignore this blog. To my readers, I apologize. I don't have time to talk about politics or leadership, or what I had for breakfast yesterday. I could write about programming and the common problems I have, but my current readers might not be too interested or able to provide insight.
I could talk about how I want a different job, which requires certification and experience that I don't have. I could talk about what I would rather be doing with my life at present, but that would be futile and boring. I hate to bore you.
So I'm writing this, mostly to let you know I'm still here, but might not be posting too often about large issues unless I feel strongly about them.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Full Potential, or Not?
I didn't do well in high school. I failed Algebra II my Junior year. I started working at the local auto parts store just before tenth grade, and I didn't make too much time for school. The teachers weren't interested in me, nor I in them. Sure, there were the few who stuck out. My coin collecting is a result of my fourth-grade teacher, and my painting skill I owe to my high-school art instructor. The light on the rest seems to fade when it comes to their accomplishments in my life.
So I sold auto parts and didn't care too much for school. No one was there to tell me what I could do or should do; I don't think I was expected to go to college or actually be anybody. So I joined the Army to get something started.
Sometime in my second year of service, it hit me. The Army had taught me something: I should have gone to college. I'm actually smarter than I thought I was after high school. I kept telling myself that I'd made the wrong choice, that I should have never signed that contract.
I tried to attend a local for-profit college, but my military agenda conflicted and overruled that of my educational one. When I finally got out, I immediately enrolled in another private college of a bit higher standing.
I finished an Associate of Information Technology (Honors) at Colorado Tech earlier this year, and got a job in Florida. I'm beginning to think I made the wrong choice again, as I thought in the military. I want to think I would be better off having stayed where I was and finishing a Computer Science or Engineering degree. I saw in the latest IEEE magazine that their president is now a professor at the Computer Science department at CU-Boulder. I'm sure I could have gone there. In fact, I think I could attend and succeed at MIT. But could I even think about applying? If accepted, would it be a possibility to attend? I'm 26, not 18. I've got a child on the way. A family to support.
What I'm really trying to get at is why I'm 26 and not finished with college, and why I'm not where I feel that I'm operating at my full potential.
I'm constantly in the process of reading five or more books at any given time. I want to know everything. I like to listen to and play music. I want to be a good father. I love computing, but I don't make enough time for it. I want to be more knowledgeable about politics and law so I can be an informed and involved citizen. I want to contribute to my community, but I don't have the time.
Or is this my full potential? Never. I am better than this. Given the opportunity, I will do so much more. In the words of John Mayer, "I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for."
So I sold auto parts and didn't care too much for school. No one was there to tell me what I could do or should do; I don't think I was expected to go to college or actually be anybody. So I joined the Army to get something started.
Sometime in my second year of service, it hit me. The Army had taught me something: I should have gone to college. I'm actually smarter than I thought I was after high school. I kept telling myself that I'd made the wrong choice, that I should have never signed that contract.
I tried to attend a local for-profit college, but my military agenda conflicted and overruled that of my educational one. When I finally got out, I immediately enrolled in another private college of a bit higher standing.
I finished an Associate of Information Technology (Honors) at Colorado Tech earlier this year, and got a job in Florida. I'm beginning to think I made the wrong choice again, as I thought in the military. I want to think I would be better off having stayed where I was and finishing a Computer Science or Engineering degree. I saw in the latest IEEE magazine that their president is now a professor at the Computer Science department at CU-Boulder. I'm sure I could have gone there. In fact, I think I could attend and succeed at MIT. But could I even think about applying? If accepted, would it be a possibility to attend? I'm 26, not 18. I've got a child on the way. A family to support.
What I'm really trying to get at is why I'm 26 and not finished with college, and why I'm not where I feel that I'm operating at my full potential.
I'm constantly in the process of reading five or more books at any given time. I want to know everything. I like to listen to and play music. I want to be a good father. I love computing, but I don't make enough time for it. I want to be more knowledgeable about politics and law so I can be an informed and involved citizen. I want to contribute to my community, but I don't have the time.
Or is this my full potential? Never. I am better than this. Given the opportunity, I will do so much more. In the words of John Mayer, "I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for."
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Home is...Where?
There's a Schlotsky's sub shop up in north Colorado Springs on Hwy. 83. Beth and I visited there a few times to have lunch together. It's near the only McDonald's I know of that has wireless public Internet access.
I wanted to go there today. Things like these still come to me automatically. Just when I thought of lunch, that Schlotsky's across from the Phil Long Suzuki popped into my mind, and I wanted to meet my wife for a sandwich.
I miss so much of what I know. Change is tough.
I wanted to go there today. Things like these still come to me automatically. Just when I thought of lunch, that Schlotsky's across from the Phil Long Suzuki popped into my mind, and I wanted to meet my wife for a sandwich.
I miss so much of what I know. Change is tough.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
The Dog's Tub Fart
One would imagine that a dog doesn't spend too much time in the tub. Given this small opportunity, my dog Ashton took advantage of it.
He got a few fleas recently from the woods around our place, so we were letting him soak in a tub of slightly-chlorinated water to try to kill them. Once Ashton got relaxed, he promptly farted in the tub. Just like I would do. My wife was there; we all had a family moment. It wasn't a big explosion, just a steady trail of bubbles from the rear for a solid four or five seconds. He was just like a child, though: oblivious to it.
Have a good day, people.
He got a few fleas recently from the woods around our place, so we were letting him soak in a tub of slightly-chlorinated water to try to kill them. Once Ashton got relaxed, he promptly farted in the tub. Just like I would do. My wife was there; we all had a family moment. It wasn't a big explosion, just a steady trail of bubbles from the rear for a solid four or five seconds. He was just like a child, though: oblivious to it.
Have a good day, people.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Bush Did Something Good
Bush Signs Internet Access Tax Ban (washingtonpost.com)
He signed the ban on Internet service taxation. There. I said it. Don't expect me to point out everything he does. This benefits me.
He signed the ban on Internet service taxation. There. I said it. Don't expect me to point out everything he does. This benefits me.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Finally, My Column on Leadership
This will be somewhat half-hearted, because I'm not as driven as I was when I said I'd do this. I should actually wait until I'm fired up about it again, but you guys are begging for my views on leadership.
So..
Leadership and all parts of it are key to an organization's success. I use the word organization because it applies not only to corporations, but government entities, religious groups, sports teams, and even AOL. I served in the military and saw my share of good and bad leaders, I went to school and learned a bit about corporations and how leadership and communication work together. I now work for a state government entity and see worse leadership than I saw in the Army. Surprised? I'm not.
The structure of this column should be as follows: What is Leadership? | Leadership in State Government | Leadership in the Army | Leadership at NFC | Conclusion (maybe)
What is Leadership?
This is a question not easily answered. Leadership is a property, or attribute, of a person. This property gives the person an advantage in making decisions and influencing people. Correctly applied leadership also implies a high ethical standard about that person. That's about as vague as I can get. It's a quality about a person that grants the ability to lead effectively.
Leadership in State Government
My supervisor is a woman who possesses few leadership skills. She is somewhat of a trained leader, but doesn't apply the necessary amount of communication to the office's diet of bullshit. She kicked someone out last week because he "didn't help out." Problem is, he wasn't asked to. He didn't work for us, he just occupied a cubicle here. Our department didn't pay him; this was just where he worked. When he didn't have anything going on, he had said he'd help out if she needed some help. Nothing was requested of him, so he didn't do anything. She claimed he was a distraction to the office and he finally left this week.
Anyway, back to my communication thing. That's important in a leader- the ability to communicate. Among the other skills are reading people, knowing what to say, knowing when you're wrong, and knowing who to ask when you admit that you don't know something.
Oh, yeah, back on State Government... I have never worked in a more inefficient place. I go to meetings in which plans are made and nothing happens. No decisions are made, and not a single person knows what is going on. Therefore, it takes months and months to do very simple changes. That has a lot to do with working in government, but it shouldn't take that long to get something done internally.
A lot of people here (Dept. of Education) are former teachers, and somehow they've forgotten where they came from and who they're here to help. Many decisions are politically based, and they seem to have forgotten that we work to better the children in this state and make it easier to teach and measure performance.
Maybe I should wait a while to comment further about my workplace. I haven't been here for that long, so I'll wait until I've decided whether I can make a difference here.
Leadership in the Army
Noncommissioned officers are supposedly the backbone of the Army. Most of the leadership training they get is provided by the Army itself, and I don't remember being under the influence of many good NCOs. Promotion to the noncommissioned ranks was only a few steps away for me, but it was time to get out. I had better things to do.
Commissioned officers, however, are college-educated (or have at least some college) and are supposed to be self-sufficient and good leaders. I believe I saw more commissioned officers as good leaders than NCOs, but I attribute that to the officer's discipline gained at West Point (or dragging himself to college and ROTC or OCS). That made him actually want to be there. Maybe I'm getting off the subject. No I'm not. Leadership in the Army was only better than the leadership in my current agency for two reasons: Soldiers actually go through leadership training, and those methods of management used in the military are time-proven.
The people here at work didn't go to school for management; they have degrees in education. They learned the educational system and how to teach children (from what I know about the college of education, which could be nothing). Some of them (most of them) just can't lead.
Leadership at NFC
NFC is the computer consulting company I own. No it isn't. But it will be. This is how I envision my organization:
I will lead the company with people I trust personally and professionally (there is a difference.) My primary goal inside the organization is to have people unlike I was in my teenage years working at an auto parts store: I didn’t care about the company because the company didn’t care about me. Their internal and external goals were the same: profits. And it showed.
I will care about my subordinates and not announce the vacation with my family to our house in Aspen while they work. I will try to remember everyone’s name (it won’t be a large corporation) and I will help even the lowest-level position get his or her job done. I will pay for their education if I can. I will be the one to call about anything. The people I work with will be the same person. It will feel good to work with me.
I will always listen to any idea about how to make the workplace better and more comfortable so that my employees can work efficiently without the distraction of something ludicrous as a strict dress code. I wore jeans to work today and felt like I was free to think – and I got work done like no other day I’ve had there yet. I once saw a show about an engineering firm filled with very creative people. Quite a few of them rode bicycles to work but had nowhere to put them. Someone got the idea to string his bike up to the rafters and hoist it high above his desk. I think that was a great idea. Some people followed this method, and no one approached the management about it. The engineers were free to do as they please and be as creative as they were capable of. I encourage this as well.
The education of my employees will be paramount at NFC (which, by the way, stands for “No Fucking Clue”. I didn’t have any idea what to call the company, so that was it.) The importance of education will be another topic later.
If I’m not getting anywhere with this according to you, here’s a list of a few things about the leaders at NFC:
Okay, people. Let’s act like I actually own NFC and you’re my employees. I need help from you on the company website. Go to the NFC website and use the link to my e-mail to send me your suggestions.
So..
Leadership and all parts of it are key to an organization's success. I use the word organization because it applies not only to corporations, but government entities, religious groups, sports teams, and even AOL. I served in the military and saw my share of good and bad leaders, I went to school and learned a bit about corporations and how leadership and communication work together. I now work for a state government entity and see worse leadership than I saw in the Army. Surprised? I'm not.
The structure of this column should be as follows: What is Leadership? | Leadership in State Government | Leadership in the Army | Leadership at NFC | Conclusion (maybe)
What is Leadership?
This is a question not easily answered. Leadership is a property, or attribute, of a person. This property gives the person an advantage in making decisions and influencing people. Correctly applied leadership also implies a high ethical standard about that person. That's about as vague as I can get. It's a quality about a person that grants the ability to lead effectively.
Leadership in State Government
My supervisor is a woman who possesses few leadership skills. She is somewhat of a trained leader, but doesn't apply the necessary amount of communication to the office's diet of bullshit. She kicked someone out last week because he "didn't help out." Problem is, he wasn't asked to. He didn't work for us, he just occupied a cubicle here. Our department didn't pay him; this was just where he worked. When he didn't have anything going on, he had said he'd help out if she needed some help. Nothing was requested of him, so he didn't do anything. She claimed he was a distraction to the office and he finally left this week.
Anyway, back to my communication thing. That's important in a leader- the ability to communicate. Among the other skills are reading people, knowing what to say, knowing when you're wrong, and knowing who to ask when you admit that you don't know something.
Oh, yeah, back on State Government... I have never worked in a more inefficient place. I go to meetings in which plans are made and nothing happens. No decisions are made, and not a single person knows what is going on. Therefore, it takes months and months to do very simple changes. That has a lot to do with working in government, but it shouldn't take that long to get something done internally.
A lot of people here (Dept. of Education) are former teachers, and somehow they've forgotten where they came from and who they're here to help. Many decisions are politically based, and they seem to have forgotten that we work to better the children in this state and make it easier to teach and measure performance.
Maybe I should wait a while to comment further about my workplace. I haven't been here for that long, so I'll wait until I've decided whether I can make a difference here.
Leadership in the Army
Noncommissioned officers are supposedly the backbone of the Army. Most of the leadership training they get is provided by the Army itself, and I don't remember being under the influence of many good NCOs. Promotion to the noncommissioned ranks was only a few steps away for me, but it was time to get out. I had better things to do.
Commissioned officers, however, are college-educated (or have at least some college) and are supposed to be self-sufficient and good leaders. I believe I saw more commissioned officers as good leaders than NCOs, but I attribute that to the officer's discipline gained at West Point (or dragging himself to college and ROTC or OCS). That made him actually want to be there. Maybe I'm getting off the subject. No I'm not. Leadership in the Army was only better than the leadership in my current agency for two reasons: Soldiers actually go through leadership training, and those methods of management used in the military are time-proven.
The people here at work didn't go to school for management; they have degrees in education. They learned the educational system and how to teach children (from what I know about the college of education, which could be nothing). Some of them (most of them) just can't lead.
Leadership at NFC
NFC is the computer consulting company I own. No it isn't. But it will be. This is how I envision my organization:
I will lead the company with people I trust personally and professionally (there is a difference.) My primary goal inside the organization is to have people unlike I was in my teenage years working at an auto parts store: I didn’t care about the company because the company didn’t care about me. Their internal and external goals were the same: profits. And it showed.
I will care about my subordinates and not announce the vacation with my family to our house in Aspen while they work. I will try to remember everyone’s name (it won’t be a large corporation) and I will help even the lowest-level position get his or her job done. I will pay for their education if I can. I will be the one to call about anything. The people I work with will be the same person. It will feel good to work with me.
I will always listen to any idea about how to make the workplace better and more comfortable so that my employees can work efficiently without the distraction of something ludicrous as a strict dress code. I wore jeans to work today and felt like I was free to think – and I got work done like no other day I’ve had there yet. I once saw a show about an engineering firm filled with very creative people. Quite a few of them rode bicycles to work but had nowhere to put them. Someone got the idea to string his bike up to the rafters and hoist it high above his desk. I think that was a great idea. Some people followed this method, and no one approached the management about it. The engineers were free to do as they please and be as creative as they were capable of. I encourage this as well.
The education of my employees will be paramount at NFC (which, by the way, stands for “No Fucking Clue”. I didn’t have any idea what to call the company, so that was it.) The importance of education will be another topic later.
If I’m not getting anywhere with this according to you, here’s a list of a few things about the leaders at NFC:
- They teach their subordinates
- They treat subordinates with respect and form bonds with them
- They know the job and more
- They set a good example for others
- They know how to listen and read people so they understand questions and provide accurate answers
- They earn their trust
Okay, people. Let’s act like I actually own NFC and you’re my employees. I need help from you on the company website. Go to the NFC website and use the link to my e-mail to send me your suggestions.
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