Friday, September 30, 2005

What is it exactly?

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." - Charles M. Schultz

The latest concept car from Nissan appears to be egg in shape and makes getting out of parking spaces easier.

For laughs read: "Did you say dogging or blogging? Brits confused"

Thursday, September 29, 2005

"Its always something"

"My father always used to say, it's always something. If it's not one thing, it's another" - Gilda Radner

Today is Thursday - which means lab day. Or as I like to thing of it - disaster class day. My day started very nicely. I slept in and got up shortly after 9:30 am. (OK, so really I got up closer to 10, but that is not the point). I eat a small snack for lunch and watch MacGyver (it's a pretty funny show). I loaded up my car for going to my parents over the weekend. It was so nice outside - peaceful and the air had a crispness of fall. It was colder today then it had been (the high today is 62) and there was a gental breeze. I enjoyed my nice day - until (play scary music here) lab!!!

Well, I better end this and review for my computer network quiz at 5:30. I have to look at DNS stuff, IP addresses, network layers, and email protocols. I think I got the main ideas, but I always like to review right before the quiz. Get it fresh in my mind and all that. Hope you have a great weekend! Enjoy the fall.

Cost Cutting

A friend of mine Ken posted a link about Georgia schools having 2 days less days in order to save gas.

This struck me as pretty funny? Why do you ask? Because on Tuesday Western Michigan altered their schedule by 1 week. It is stated that: "with recent national events expected to lead to substantial increases in winter energy costs, Western Michigan University's administration and faculty agreed Sept. 26 to implement changes to the 2005-06 academic calendar designed to curtail those increases."

So WMU will start 1 week later, end one week later, and all that. However, they didn't alter the Spring Break week. I have no complaints - an extra week in January means less driving in the snow time. It will also give me longer to catch up on sleep (and shopping). I found it funny that they changed the calender in the middle of the year. Universities are usually so slow to change and then every once in a while they surprise you - like with this whole pushing back the calender by 1 week thing.

When it Rains, It Pours

"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet." - Roger Miller

I think Kalamazoo is going to wash away. No really. Don't laugh (to hard). It has been raining since 6:17 P.M. How do I know the exact time it started raining? I was on my way home from class when it began. It has been raining ever since. Around midnight it showed into a lighter drizzle, but it is now back to a what I consider a medium rain. I can hear the rain falling off the roof, which is a sound I find very soothing. I like when it rains. I like watching the rain falling down hitting the pavement and bouncing ever so slightly. OK, I am weird but everyone already knew that.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Funny thing happened to me...

Quote from Stargate SG-1:
Jack O'Neill: So what's your impression of Alar?
Teal'c: That he is concealing something.
Jack O'Neill: Like what?
Teal'c: I am unsure - he is concealing it.

On my way to office hours I was driving behind this weird SUV thing. Anyway, they had a "hidden hatch". How do I know they had a "hidden hatch"? Because it stated so - in three places. Now wouldn't you think if you wanted a "hidden hatch" for your car you would want it like I don't know - hidden?

This was on my mind my whole drive to school (which is like 5 minutes tops so I didn't think about it that long). Then I got this great idea to write about it in my blog. Why? I have no idea. I am guessing you really don't even care. (But that doesn't stop me from telling you about it did it? hehe).

So I am hanging out at my office hours. No one has come to see me. I have working on review problems/questions for my class (CS 1060 - Intro VB programming) for next Tuesday. I had finished the review sheet for my students on Monday. So, anyway, I was making up these problems and qustions for the review and yikes. I remembered when I took intro programming and thought these problems were difficult. It was an odd realization - but in a cool way.

Anyway, I better get back to my actual "work". Hope you are all well and having fun.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Google-y

"I have always wished for a computer that would be as easy to use as my telephone. My wish came true. I no longer know how to use my telephone." - Bjarne Stronstrup

Google Turns 7. You can also read all about Google's history.

Google just might be getting a little competition ("MSN takes on Google AdWords"). I swear some people have no original thoughts of their own.

Monday, September 26, 2005

"Don Adams of 'Get Smart' Dies at 82"

Very sad news.

Better GPS

"GPS modernization begins with Delta rocket launch". You can read all about the actual launch here.

So it's Monday again - back to the ... well school stuff I guess is the best way of putting it. I am here holding "office hours" - but I am highly doubting anyone is going to come (well at least not in the first 10 minutes). Assignment #1 is due this evening and I figured it would be good to hold a few extra office hours for those last minute questions. This way I can cancel a few hours in October before I present my project (see BGSU's CS calander for date and topic).

Hmm...I think it might be time to pick up some lunch. The only thing I brought from my apartment was an orange. (I think it was actually a clementine but still...)

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Well, Spam Comments

I had to turn word verification on for the comment sections because it appears that I am getting comment spam. Yikes. I am surprised that anyone found it - let along want to spam it. Wacky.

Hurricanes and Global Warming

It appears that some believe there is link between more hurricanes and global warming. However, as the article points out - it might not have any correlation what-so-ever: "One problem is that not all of those answers exist. Another problem is that some scientists - not to mention lobby groups, environmental organisations, politicians, newspapers and commentators - will go much further in their public statements than the data allow."

Other unrelated stuff:

Reasons we all laugh about the wacky stuff on the Internet: Number 184. No comment.

Watch out for those squirrels, you never know what they might be planning next.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Favorite Song of the Week: "Dreams"

According to my iTunes play count I have listened to "Dreams" by The Cranberries 233 times since I downloaded it Tuesday night. The counter would probabily be higher, except I am still listening to "Ice Cream". Anyway, moving on...

Have a bit of homework to do this weekend. I have been busy getting ready for class on Tuesday. I am covering reading a file in Visual Basic, input boxes, message boxes, and output this week. I am also beginning review (they have an exam in three weeks). Funny, I am giving my class an exam on the same week as my presentation. I have working on writing up a review sheet for the exam - give them a place to start.

I have been getting a lot of questions regarding "Dim" in Visual Basic. It is a difficult to explain "optional" to a bunch of new programmers. Dim in visual basic is used to "declare" variables. However, it is not a requirement of the language (unless you state so using Option Explicit which we haven't covered yet). To make things even more interesting I program in a very different style then the other grad student I am teaching with. OK, so I know that none of you are surprised by this - but the students in the class find this (at times) confussing. I am some what of a "if it works its good" type where the other grad student programs in a very structured manner.

The horrible part - I didn't realized that this was a issue until I was helping people in the lab on Thursday and a student mentioned that the other grad student's code looked totally different than my examples in class. I just hadn't even thought about it. I am use to working with several people who code differently from me and the thought hadn't even crossed my mind in the least. So I went and change all my examples for Tuesday lecture on Friday afternoon. Then I realized that I didn't want to because that was going to compound the problem. I decided it would be way better to show them that both parts of the code of equal. Now if I could just figure out a way to make strings clearer to the class... well I have until Tuesday morning to figure something out. I already tried by example (in lecture and part of the homework). Maybe if I just explain it again and use another example. Anyway, enough about my class.

Some links:

Noooooo......"Palm to unveil cell phone with Microsoft software" (everything is becoming Microsofted...grumble, grumble)

I saw this ("Top 50 Science Fiction TV shows") over on Slashdot.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

I Still Don't "Get It"

"Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake - as almost all hats are." - Kathleen Kelly (You've Got Mail)

So I have decided that today is "funny link" day. That's right. So sit back and let your mouse do all the work:

Hey, I just post the links. I don't force you to click on the links. If I could figure out how to do that then I would.... Anyway, moving on....

"One product more than any other has overwhelmed the relief effort: pet food".

Walk your elephant everyday - or buy him a treadmill

It's for the birds

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Sometimes, I Just Don't Get It

"The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino. " - Joe Fox (You've Got Mail)

It is Wednesday. The middle of the week. The time when I begin to breath and sleep again. The first part of the week I always feel behind - like there are twenty things I should have done over the weekend and didn't, twenty more things that professors have assigned for me todo in those last two days, and on top of that I have to give a lecture to about 60 students on Tuesdays. By Wednesday I have finished up the work, I have given my lecture, prepared the next lecture, and have already started on all the new stuff. So like I said, it is the time during the week where I start sleeping again.

Of course, this time during the week I always start feeling insightful and really I am just rambling. Like this whole blog - one long ramble written by me which has probably some sort of reading audiance of like 5 whole people. That's the part you really don't know isn't it? I place my blog out here on the Internet where anyone can see it, but how many people actually read it? I am still guess about 5. Of course, I am always hoping I am wrong. OK, I am guessing this is all of my rambling you can tolerate for one day. Now on to the part you came for:

"Nature gives a lesson in armor design"

"The Free Standards Group has released its third version of the Linux Standard Base"

For the extremely busy, yet religious type

"Challenging the World's Largest Computing Grid"

I feel so much better knowing they did a whole study on this (I am of course being as sarcastic as one can possibly be in a blog)

"Most of the city may be without clean drinking water, but US coffee chain Starbucks has still managed to reopen its first outlet in New Orleans since the city was pounded by Hurricane Katrina".

Monday, September 19, 2005

Yes, it will fix anything

I always have a large supply when I start any new programming assignment.


I am back at school after a lovely weekend at home. It is the beginning of apple season in Michigan, which also marks the beginning of cinnamon donut season! Yummy. Apples are OK, but really I like the donuts.

Anyway, I have to get to class soon. Both of my classes are in the evening and I teach in the early afternoon which works really well for me. I don't have to get up early and I can have my office hours in the afternoon (before my evening classes). Tomorrow I give my fourth lecture for CS1060. Ducky.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

One Small Step...

"NASA to replace shuttle" - it appears that NASA has been working on big things, a new spacecraft. Wow.

Of course, this ("Purdue scientists treat cancer with RNA nanotechnology") sounds like something out of Star Trek. It is really ducky, but it really sounds like the plot line for a Sci-Fi show.

Speaking of Sci-Fi shows - I did watch the 2 episodes on Friday and thought they were just excellent. Was it just me of was it very "old style" Stargate SG-1? If you don't understand that last statement - never mind. I also watched this weeks Battlestar Galactica and the preview for next week's (Summer Finale) episode. Of course, I thought it was amusing that Beau Bridges is on Stargate SG-1 and is the son of Lloyd Bridges who appeared in a couple of episodes of the original Battlestar. If you ware wondering why I mentioned this watch the preview for next weeks episode of Battlestar Galactica.

Well, back to all that homework I have piled up...

Friday, September 16, 2005

Hackers and Legos

"When Lego executives recently discovered that adult fans of the iconic plastic bricks had hacked one of the company's new development tools for digital designers, they did a surprising thing: They cheered". (Very ducky article).

Still listening to the song "Ice Cream" (and I am up to a play count of 390 - wait 391). I have to have something to listen to while I do homework, prep for CS1060 lectures, hangout at for my office hours, and checking my email. Hope you have a fab weekend. I better get back to making Visual Basic example for my lecture on Tuesday (currently teaching numbers and strings) - fun stuff. Anyway, have a good weekend!

Thursday, September 15, 2005

The Nose Knows...

"Researchers Create DNA-Based Sensors for Nano-Tongues and Nano-Noses". Applications? "domestic security to medical detectors". Interesting - never interesting. What will they think of next?

Ice Cream

This weeks song obsession: Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan. Why? I have no idea but I can tell you that I have listened to it 281 times since Tuesday night. (Gotta love iTunes 'Play Count').

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

New Stuff

"Fix this, would you please? There's a story out there we're obstructing justice, and another -- we're like in a Ray Bradbury yarn. These things make me crazy." - Leo (The West Wing)

Microsoft has a new product: Microsoft® Expression. What is it? It is a bunch of "tools for the design and production of enhanced user experiences and rich content for the Web and Windows Vista(TM) platform". Yikes - it does what again?

Now you can search for blogs on Blogger. Ducky. Of course, I know where my blog is and don't find it that useful. But still - it might be handy and some point.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Death by Hard Drive...

Sounds like some sort of mystery novel.

Anyway, the point is "Samsung predicts death of hard drive". They have created a 16Gbit NAND chip. This little chip contains 16.4 billion transistors. Yikes. If this becomes true we will not only learn Moorse's law, but Samsung's NAND law as well (i.e., "doubling every 12 months"). OK, so not so funny now that I write it. Oh well.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Funny Comic

I just had to post a link to this comic because of how funny I thought it was.

Well, I have to get back to homework and coding in Visual Basic. I have figured out two examples to do during my lecture on Tuesday. Hopefully, I will have time for both. Also, I have a project proposel (for my computer networking) course to write. Oh and I am also writing the use case descriptions (for my class on software requirement anaylsis) for Monday. I heard we are making a sequence diagram next...

I love grad school! (no I am not being sarcastic). This stuff is fun. Plus, teaching is a blast. Happy weekend!

Thursday, September 8, 2005

iPod nano

The newest member of the iPod family: the iPod nano. It only weights 1.5 ounces and it has a color display. Ducky.

Apple also announced the the the first mobile phone with iTunes. It works with a Motorola ROKR phone. You get the phone from Cingular Wireless.

Well, I better get back to work. Lots to do. If I don't post again, have a nice weekend! Enjoy the warmer weather while it lasts.

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Manic Wednesday

Just got my cable installed in my apartment. Now I surf the web and check email at my apartment. Not being able to do so was starting to become a pain. Next I need to set up my router and I am all set. Of course, I have a router, but I never used it in BG. It wasn't wireless or anything - maybe that was why. Anyway...

Found the following. Maybe you will find it interesting:
"Tiny computers go where no computer has gone before"

Well, I am off to have office hours (i.e., sit around and doing other work). Then I have class this evening. We are working on UML case diagrams (and descriptions) at the moment. Yep, a software engineering course. The assignment (due today) for the class had me a little confussed - I hope I did the right thing...<::sigh::>

Thursday, September 1, 2005

Space the final frontier...

to boldy go where no one has gone before...and all that jazz...

Today's blog is all about Space news. Hope you find something you enjoy!

"Phoenix Mars Lander: Strong Arming The Red Planet "

"Starbirth Reconsidered"

"Space Penguin could hop around moon to explore"

"Only Minor Damage at Fuel Tank Plant"

"Making the Universe Shake"

I actually wrote most of this blog on Wednesday, but I couldn't post it. So it has become my Thursday blog. Hope everyone has a happy weekend! I know I am going to - I get a nice 4 day weekend to relax and do homework. Yes, doing homework is going to fun. I have to make this UML diagram for Wednesday. Anyway, I won't bore you with the details.