Sol.Net

Wordpress and new blog!

2007-02-23T19:04:00.000-05:00

It's truely bittersweet when you have called one place home for so long, but I had to do it!

I simply have gotten tired of trying to edit my blog here on blogger and have moved to the more customizible and self-hosted Wordpress.

This space will still be here for everyone to see, but I will be updating in a new place. http://www.thinksea.info/blog

So check it out! HERE

hello world

2007-02-23T07:26:00.001-05:00

hi this is a post

self deprication

2007-02-18T02:32:00.000-05:00

Well, here i sit in the weee hours of the morning, wondering why...oh why, I am just that absent minded.

Aside: self deprication seems to drive the most traffic to my corner of cyberworld...might as well continue the trend. every search engine places really high my blog Sol.Net when you search 'self deprication'

I have a relatively new laptop...and lately I have been doing a lot of web developing work on it, as well as a lot of stuff for my current job. As it was, I configured a dual-booting system with fedora core 5 and win xp. I partitioned my hard drive for this to work, because microsoft and linux have different types of file structure.

well, i decided i needed more space on one partition (windows) because i was using it alot to view itunes music and the like. and with my haste, i decided i needed to change the partition size without backing up my systems.......

i was happily playing with mandriva's automated partitioning helper, when i accidentally removed both partitions on my hard drive, effectively ERASING EVERYTHING on my laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

what will i do with myself....im soooo stupid!

Been Making Websites :)

2007-02-12T07:50:00.000-05:00

Well, recently I've been pretty active making some websites:
One for this really cool organization called Green Ambassadors

Check 'em out!

HERE IS THE SITE I am making for them, spread the news, they are AWESOME!

Also though, where I work, I have been playing around with some templates and random picture scripts HERE

I made videos! kinda lame-o, but sometimes funny.

2007-01-14T16:17:00.000-05:00

the above video is a brief intro to the beach in Salter Path, NC

In the above video, we discuss a few animals found in Bogue Sound, NC

This above video talks about a native plant that can be made into tea called, Illex Vomitoria (Yaupon Holly)

Rip Curl Pipe Master Final - Slats/AI/Machado/Lopez

2006-12-23T13:50:00.000-05:00

Pipeline Masters Final

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Just thought I'd share with everyone!

Slater lost in a close bout with Irons, but a great final!

Kiva.org - Microlending is changing the world!

2006-12-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

Nearing the corner of Christmas, I feel compelled to talk a little about an organization I truely think is doing something to help others. I am not the only one who shares this idea. Recently this year, the Nobel Committee awarded their Peace Prize to Yunus Grameen for microfinance. Although lending to the poor is not new, including 'microfinance,' Kiva's approach seems ripe with 'Web 2.0'

From their webpage, you can donate in $25 dollar increments to an enterprise of your choosing, thus creating a portfolio. Each profile is rich in learning of the prospective borrower's business, although no detailed business plan is available. What I feel is effective about the way Kiva operates lies in it's torrent-like way to garner money.

On their site you can create a profile which is showcased with others on the entrepreneur's profile page. Also included, once the borrower is fully funded, is a journal in which they update you on their progress and 'prosperous' business. Once they pay the borrowed amount in full, you will be credited back with the original amount of money you invested, which you can withdrawl or reinvest into another business.

What I feel unique about giving this way is that you feel connected to the borrowers although you are thousands of miles away. Kiva presumably spends a lot of time finding the right partner lending institutions to disperse their funds where the loans are low interest from qualified borrowers. Here is their due dilligence on choosing 'Field Partners'

So if you are in the giving mood, have a paypal account or credit/debit card and $25 dollars, you can give a far reaching gift that will have an impact on someone's life, possibly whole families.

A few cautions:

Kiva claims 100% repayment so far and say to diversify your loans to more than one organization rather than all into one business.
If repayment is not made, it is not tax deductable since it is a loan and you will not get your money back (although you should treat it as a donation)
There is no interest gained on this investment

Please do not let these cautions sway your decision to give, if not in money....to something that you believe in!

Empowerment. Sustainability. Hope.

season of giving!

2006-12-10T23:21:00.000-05:00

So, I've not posted in nearly a month or so, but I'd like to defend this late posting to the fact that I have indeed been very busy!

Ahh, how the holiday season takes hold, especially in times of cold;
people bundle together or want to be closer;
so the giving spirit embraces our souls

what a great way to take part;
but to give, not recieve the abundance of love;
the heart grows fonder in apropos;

for the many faces of the sparkle, glimmer;
shine into dark corners, revealing what might not have known;
as the greatest give is to love, without condition or ration;

a gift will present in a time of need;
because we all must love, in these times indeed;
the hour draws near for many a convergence;

a place of fortitudes, solidifying urgency;
to create hope in this world, unbounded;
outcry to those in far off places;

not just places far, distancewise;
but to other planes, emotionwise;
how can you be cold and not cover up;

hope in this world warms my soul;
how about yours, inspire your role;
in your heart you will listen;

beat beat, listen;
you're alive now and then;
feel the world grow, not just immediate bustle;

Okay, so i got off on a tangent and started to write in code...poetic code, that is. But I feel good at the turn of this month, in the way things are going and the possibilities that linger. I hold on to things sometimes to my detriment, but I am letting go. Letting go and trusting myself have been obstacles in my growth. I need to make big decisions which lend to my wellbeing in the near future.

So yeah, I've been busy. Working usually takes up 95% of my days, with kids, coworkers, and in thought about what to do for the next day. It is a good feeling to be working in a place that places such high value on quality, comraderie, compassion, and teamwork.

I have grown immensly lately just by working like I normally would. The difference is how I am approaching everything and living wide-open. I recently took the GRE, did well enough to be proud, and also have been working on some meaningful projects at work outside of my regular duties. Not to jinx things, I will be posting at a later date on more details on what my projects entail, but they should stand as something I leave behind at Sound to Sea that will have a lasting impact.

Going to graduate school or continuing to find work have been ever-pressing on my near future. As much as I love my current job, it is not sustainable to me financially. I have been looking at jobs lately and also graduate school programs, both of my searches and research being very very diverse in the job fields and academic programs, but I am diligent and propelled to find something that makes me happy with myself. I maintain my need to make a large impact on society and hope that either training formally in the Academe or through experience in another job will enable my aspirations to be actualized.

As the year comes to an end, I feel like I've made many strides towards my goals of who I want to become and how I want to live. I thank, truely thank, my close friends and coworkers for this progress, for without them, I feel I would have a large void and not be a better person.

I have been given a lot :)

things are GRE-at

2006-11-10T17:21:00.000-05:00

so yeah, im taking the GRE....Graduate Record Examination...tomorrow and I feel oddly relaxed. I've studied my butt off and taken a few test practices, but I feel like I should be a little nervous, but the fact is that things are okay; things are good.

What do you say when you have a group of outstanding coworkers and children/teacher/chaperones? I say you live it up! Although busy, this past week has been very good for me in the fact that I am more confident in my teaching, not to mention that I was evaluated by my bosses last week...which went super great. I feel validated and also like my work has been paying off! This time last year, I would not consider myself a competent teacher.

I think a lot of people should consider teaching and it's rewards, especially those who might be a little timid, but where do I want to go???!!! In my life, that is....

Well the other night i was talking to one of my friends/coworkers (thanks Cheryl) on things I could do in the future and she thought I should be a professor!! It's kinda funny she said that because I actually have never entertained that idea before, but it makes sense. I will be around a bunch of idealistic people, be able to talk all of the time, while doing research on cool things, and also being able to write grants and help others! Who could ask for more, right? Well, I definitely feel like I am moving and starting to shake the coconuts out of the tree.

The GRE will be a great starting point for me to align myself and think about 4 to 10 more years of education. Phew....could I overcome that hurdle? I get distracted by so many different areas of knowledge.

times are busy: this weekend I will be taking the GRE, then next weekend I will be in cambridge, ma for a job interview, then the following weekend I will be turning 27 along with some turkey lovin.

times fly by!

Slats and his 8th world title!!!

2006-10-19T18:14:00.000-05:00

How amazing it is to actually see someone accomplish this feat. To have been in an ultra-competitive environment as long as Kelly has, and to still be at the top is amazing! If there were any doubts about Kelly Slater being the greatest competitive surfer ever, they have evaporated! In character, spirit, drive, and inspiration, Kelly truely has become one of my heros.

You may ask why I like Kelly so much? Well, i like surfing, of course, but more importantly, I strive to somehow, oneday, become as good at something like he has...from learning about him and watching him, I find him a great person, and an innovator! I'm not a very great surfer, nor am I good anything to a degree that would merit 'World's Best'...but it gives me hope that maybe one day I can do something as cool as that! (this pic is from ASP's website...i copied it, then cropped it...)

marriage, engagement, and babies

2006-10-16T02:31:00.000-05:00

Well, this has been an exciting weekend!

My friends Darren and Kim got married this past saturday, my little sister Michelle has a healthy baby, and my cousin got engaged!

When good things happen, they happen in groups.....Im exhausted!

Between driving and riding a lot this weekend, keeping a nervous groom at ease and helping getting a wedding together, having a million phone calls, and hearing lots of good news, it seems this definitely is harvest season!

I hope to post pictures in the near future, but until then, I am super excited for everyone.

I guess it's time for me to meet someone too...sheesh

insight, independence, and i

2006-10-04T22:46:00.000-05:00

October seems to always creep up on me.....no matter the year. Well here it is....OCTOBER '06!

Things have been busy for me lately, but I do have to say that I have been enjoying my 'busy-ness' I feel like the longer I am immersed in nature, the more profound understandings of myself become exposed.

I tend to appreciate things more, little things...little people, and little gestures that random people do for me.

I like bugs more now (which, if you know me, is amazing news since ive been deathly scared of bugs since I was little)...like argiope spiders, rolypolies, damsel fly nymphs, and grasshoppers...I also am starting to finally and totally let things shed away pastwise. I really don't care, well I care, just am not as interested in holding onto things that have brought me down lately. I've accepted what has happened in my life's past, and I am here now as consequence, or more as reward.

I am coming into my own - and finally feeling more like an adult.

Found a baby snapping turtle yesterday and just stared at him/her for almost an hour trying to figure out how it felt right before I snatched him from the ghost crab that was going to eat him. It kept on being itself and didn't really care if I was holding him/her or not, just that it could crawl how it wanted.

I want to crawl...and not be afraid of doing what I want and need. I think I am there now and ready to fully apply myself in any endeavor.

I can soar like a hawk...like the red tailed hawk on my arm yesterday. it bated and squeezed its talons through my glove, but looked at me in a knowing way (it's okay, im just trying to get balance) So I trusted him.

I like validation in my efforts and knowledge...and it felt really good today when my bosses gave me good feedback on my teaching...but something was different in myself, something that I just realized about myself...the fact that although the feedback keeps me striving to be better, I can do things. Do things that make me who I am.

I guess it's kinda hard to articulate what I feel, but feel I do...more passionately than I have in a while about myself....and what I want and what I have interface to create this comforting web of independence and ambition.

2006-09-29T15:14:00.000-05:00

You are a
Social Liberal
(71% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(21% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Strong Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Podcasting in my classes!

2006-09-15T19:45:00.000-05:00

Well, the debut of podcasting for reflection in my classes has finally arrived!!!

I am sooo excited about continuing to do this!

We recently had a wonderful school who was in full support of interviewing their children!

The two podcasts focus on pollution and sea turtles. It was pretty fluid using conservation as the theme, and I was very delighted on how the kids focused on the issues and not the fact that they were talking into a microphone.

I am using wordpress 2.0 which runs great natively for podcasting...to which there are some pretty stable plugins.

Here is the site

In other news, I am testing out the uses of Moodle to run in an outdoor education environment. I am not sure if it will be suited for our type of curriculum, and might pose to be too much work for us to keep up with. The whole idea of having the site is to extend the learning after the students who experience our program continue to utilize our knowledgebase and for teachers to use the site as a 'hand-off' for when they are back in the classroom.

Moodle is an awesomely extensible platform with many modules for gradebooks, theme customization, and very easy visual installation.

Both Wordpress and Moodle took about 30 minutes to completely install, minus ftp'ing the files to the server.

the more surfing the better!!

2006-09-10T16:25:00.000-05:00

Ahhh. Today, yesterday, last week.....Ernesto, Florence...GREAT!

So I went surfing :D I am worn out, but feel good. What is really cool is that I have some surf buddies now! Lately surfing has been fun, but with the added bonus of sharing 'sweet' rides, I am totally stoked. They are newbies, but are rapidly adapting. They definitely CHARGE!

I am really excited about working with my coworkers at Sound to Sea, seeing as how talented they are. After a solid week of teaching and seeing how the kids react to them...I can already tell we are going to have a great year full of surfing and good times!

Update on me

2006-08-23T22:52:00.000-05:00

So I haven't really been blogging much lately on here. Things have been pretty busy since I've been working 'outdoors' with children which has kept me a little more unplugged than usual.

We recently finished up our Summer Day Camp for younger children. It was very fun and laid back with us being in the water half of the day, swimming at the beach or pool, but I really missed the meat of my job. I truely can say that I love teaching, and in a few weeks I will be able to concentrate more on conveying knowlege rather than making crafts. The unfortunate part is that some of our staff are now moving on into different positions, so they will be missed, but we have very capable and awesome new staff aboard.

It still, in my few years out of college, amazes me how amazingly cool the people I've met in my various positions. World travellers, scientists, activists, conservationists, and genuinely interesting and sincere people who want to change this world into a place where everyone can enjoy a better life. How inspiring!

It's just, and I think a recurring theme for myself, where do I fit into this fabric? As I sit on the edge of where I am going, I start to get a little nervous about my future and what it holds. With the ever-present escalation of war and tragedy, I also find myself wondering how I can be a part of the solution. Rather, I wonder how I can be in the position where I can make decisions that help others most effectively. I could go into politics, become a lawmaker, lobbyist, or elected leader or I could go into nonprofit world where I do some politics, provide direct service and aid to the needy.....or I could educate others with the knowledge that intensifies my passions and hope they also feel the same.....or be a scientist where some discovery or health issue may be mitigated.

I guess the question for me is how can I effect the most change as a single person? Do I have the charisma and integrity for politics? Do I have the creativity to discovery something that will enable society to be more free or able? Am I an effective enough teacher to teach discernment and critical thinking with a moral mission?

I don't know....but I want answers and I feel school is the best beginning.

I like many things and am getting prepared to take the GRE for graduate school in a few months, but find myself at a crossroads into what sort of education I need.

They don't tell you explicitly how to find the tools to be a good leader or good steward.

Chomsky at West Point

2006-08-23T22:40:00.000-05:00

Although this is somewhat of an old video, i thought it expressed some points on how military institutions truncate or censor someone's message when it exposes a relatively unknown (in the general public) negative aspect of U.S. history or news. Now I may be taking it out of context when, at the end of this video, the gentleman interrupts Chomsky and say's they 'are constrained to military time', but it does seem ironic.

Koji and Naazli

2006-07-27T20:52:00.000-05:00

I recently had an adventure with friends Koji and Naazli in Cincinnati, Ohio...and found out some good news!!!

Podcasting in Outdoor/Environmental Education!

2006-07-26T05:07:00.000-05:00

Just Click below to listen :D Enjoy!

powered by ODEO

This podcast is just some vocal notes (usually when I say something, it's harder for me to forget) on utilizing podcasting for reflection for my students in the fall.

As as sidenote: I've really been starting to play around with Odeo Studio and Audacity!!! There is sooooo much you can do!

Let the Podcasting Begin!!!

2006-07-26T01:43:00.000-05:00

Below is an introduction of myself and my purpose for podcasting...more to come!

powered by ODEO

Nail it down!

2006-06-19T20:06:00.000-05:00

It seems as though yesterday I was in high school sitting in a classroom where I thought nothing of my future, but the next wrestling match or perfect surfing journey.

Fast forward to today...where my priorities have dramitically shifted, and my future sits presently in my 'living'room. Where am I going? How am I getting there? Who am I, and what do I really want?!?

The only major constants in my life have been to contribute positively to society, be a good big brother, son, uncle, friend and loving husband & father (one day)...

Am I making progress? Certainly...but it seems slow because of my indecisiveness and inability to choose a solid career path. I am a career gypsy of sorts, hopping from one interest to another; notwithstanding my youth and propensity to be intensely focused for short bursts which accounts for my jump from idleness to research, to computers, to education, and finally to my realization of how I must advance my formal education.

Hallmark of me in choosing a program in which to enroll is the gamut of disciplines. Recently I have been thinking of applying to a Coastal Environmental Management program, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Social Work, Computer Science, Masters of Information Science, Masters in Educational Leadership...blah, blah, blah

What to do?

I want to continue to work as well so I can support myself and build experience. I guess it is just a frustrating time for me in what I should choose. However, I increasingly feel that I should already know! I'm single, almost 27, no children and have established some formal training and experience...shouldn't I be entering a career? I can go anywhere, right?

My current job is wonderful, but unfortunately somewhat temporary as I'm on contract (again, like americorps). While I am learning so much from my coworkers and supervisors and having a blast playing with kids on the beach, the pay is not ideal (still considered poverty) while also considered transitional and meant as a stepping block to a teaching or educational career. I love teaching, but am torn in thinking that is my primary career focus.

I have a lot of passion for technology and its uses, fighting inequality across all barriers, while also wanting to be an entrepreneur, social activist, techno-saavy-open-source-evangelist, and a globetrotter.

Can I do it all?

Maybe, but here I am trying to figure it out in one night.

Muggles learn to make invisibility cloak without magic!

2006-06-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and Imperial College London have found a way to manipulate the electromagentic spectrum to cloak objects , using 'metamaterials'.

It's actually quite fascinating! And although it's hard to imagine the implications, technology like this could expose the Wizarding world!!

Electromagnetic waves would flow around an object hidden inside the metamaterial cloak just as water in a river flows virtually undisturbed around a smooth rock

- Dr. Smith

here is the link for the news story:
http://dukenews.duke.edu/2006/05/cloaking.html

2006-06-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison, fourth US president (1751-1836)

Love for Science!

2006-05-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

After a solid 3 weeks of teaching gradeschool children about coastal ecology, I can honestly say I feel closer to our environment and more excited about science that I've been since I was little!! This sentiment has also afforded me a lot of new knowledge about whales, sharks, beaches, saltwater marshes, and succession. The main reason I took leave of science is because I got burned out of trying to become a doctor, which is a bottleneck field and very competitive.

Health is fascinating, interesting, and totally saves lives, but the pressure, responsibility, and expectation started to become overwhelming.

I chose to involve myself completely with computers and digital technology:
: Textbooks are free online -- there are so many how-tos
: It still satisfies my logic and analytical predisposition
: You can still help others through digital means

Now, it seems, I am torn between the two with my new profession:

All this nature has led me to a new level of romantic where I am looking inward and upward more, but truely feeling nature nurture and ground my life in a way that gives me peace. I used to get this nervous tick when I wasn't near a computer for an extended period of time, but now I can enjoy and appreciate being 'unplugged' for a stint.

I can definitely see how your stereotypical 'hippi' can be so mellow and see how things are so related. From chaos theory to an emotion, there is an echoing movement of consciousness or some harmonic that oscillates truth. . .

The beach is nice. I am lucky. I love science!

Marriage in the Air! (not me)

2006-05-07T11:08:00.000-05:00

So recently I found out two of my very good friends in Charleston will be getting married! And they want me to be their best man!!!!

Darren and Kim Cumbie? It has a nice ring to it! It truely is going to be an honor to be in your wedding!

Kim and Darren both enjoy the vintage/beachy atmosphere of Charleston, SC.

Kim is an Editor/Statistician and Darren is an IT analyst.

It's another wonderful excuse to travel to Charleston too :D

So congrats you guys!!! And thanks for all the help you provided me when I was living down there. I couldn't ask for better friends...and now you will be Married!!

Your own radio station!

2006-04-29T17:48:00.000-05:00

Blogging beyond the web! Make your own media/podcasts! It's truely exciting stuff!

Recently I inquired about recieving a fm transmitter from "Broadcast Your Podcast" via Audioactivism.org so that I could possibly give a platform for friends and community to say something about their country, recent happenings, or their own music. I really am excited about the potential for use and the empowerment of creating your own broadcasts from your computer and bringing them to people driving by tuning in!

How it basically works is you get this FM transmitter that you attach to your computer and tune it to a specific frequency...(an unused one, I imagine, at the top or bottom of your of the spectrum like 89.1 or 106.7) then you just start playing your media! Whomever tunes their radio station to your preset frequency will be able to hear what you have to say.

After I have tinker with it and learn how to make them on my own, I hope to provide them for free to anyone who wants one and will use it. When I recieve mine (via the generosity of Lotte Meijer of Broadcast Your Podcast), I will be posting more on how I use it, the range, etc.

My favorite professor dies :(

2006-04-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

From UNC Pembroke Newswire:

A professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Physics, Reissner died Saturday, April 15, 2006. Dr. Reissner, 64, lived in Wilmington, N.C., and in Lumberton for many years. He joined the UNCP faculty in 1976 and continued to teach in the phased retirement program until his death.

Dr. Reissner was born in Boston, Mass., on December 3, 1941, and was the son of the late M. Eric and Johanna Siegel Reissner. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at San Diego.

I think we all owe a lot to the people that helped shape us who we are today. Saying that, I owe a lot to Dr. Reissner, who captured my imagination and turned it into something.

He was very math oriented, which I was not. Thought about the universe in very wierd ways, which I did not...until he taught me.

He taught me that math is fun in biophysics and that physics is fun in quantum mechanics, two subjects notorious for their difficulty and comprehension. But he championed my motivation and built my confidence!

If anyone knew whether or not Schrodinger's Cat was alive, Dr. Reissner certainly had a good idea.

Thank you Dr. Reissner for the knowledge and thank you for your friendship!

Random screen shots of some cms's

2006-04-18T19:10:00.000-05:00

Just a clean shot of my desktop

(background is a drop of water getting ready to penetrate through surface tension)

Mambo run site with clean template and pretty flowerDrupal Based Civic Space

Joomla/Mambo, Drupal - CMS heaven!

2006-04-18T07:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm proud to say that I've come a long way from when I started to seriously convert from MS Windows to Linux. I have arrived to a point where I can effectively update/install/remove packages with yum and synaptic using the command line :D...while also compiling from source(this is where I brag some more) and I can install and do basic configurations for Apache, MySQL, and PHP using vi, gedit...whatever text program. So fun, so fun....and sooooo much light with my new LAMP.

I am really excited, and I should be, because there are so many mature open source content managment systems (CMS) available. Most recently I have been testing out Drupal and Joomla. I am pretty happy with both, but more excited about Drupal and it's fork, civicspace (well, not sure if a fork, but based off of drupal) because of its social-activismish preference.

Both Drupal and Joomla are pretty simple to install and use. (both take advantage of a web autoinstaller) Drupal is a little more complex, but I think because it's more robust of a CMS than Joomla.

Civicspace, derived from Drupal and causing a stir in grassroots campaigning via Howard Dean during the presidential race, comes bundled with some really powerful components like CiviCRM, CiviContribute and an Event & Calendar system which really rocks. This totally blew me away. To think (I am still absorbing how gracious I am to have linux for FREE) that CiviCRM and CiviContribute are free, not to mention the CMS itself....!!! It's hard for me to imagine how much it would be if I were to purchase proprietary software that did the same, literally thousands of dollars!

CiviCRM would equate to what many businesses call their sales database to which many solely rely for survival! I would love to become an expert in implementing this so that nonprofits could harness its power and ability!

I've been excited a lot more lately in large part to my fanatical reading and tinkering with open source softwares.

I have a test site up online HERE using mambo CMS. (I hope to make live a Civicspace or Drupal based site in the near future) Feel free to try it out!

Oh yeah, and while we are talking about my new test site for mambo, I wanted to mention that the site hosts for free with no ads, 1 MySQL database and lots of resonable space and traffic quotas. Check it out if you wanna create your own CMS and put it online all for free!!!

Not a Development Coordinator, but an Environmental Educator!

2006-04-18T05:46:00.000-05:00

So, well, I jumped the gun when I announced my employment with the Boys & Girls Club. Although it would have been fun to raise money, manage donors, etc...it just wasn't the right fit for me in the end, so I decided on another, more my area kind of job....

drumroll.....dun du dunnnnnn...

I will be an Environmental Educator with the Sound to Sea program at the Trinity Center in Salter Path, NC. Yaaayyy!!!

I am really excited and look forward to teaching children about our environment!!

I am also looking forward to:

- Living right on the beach!
- Free housing and meals at a retreat center
- Learning from my co-worker's world economic development experience
- Helping to create online games for environmental education
- Becoming a better steward to the environment
- Being close to my parents
- Being able to surf more and more

Opportunities abound for interaction, personal development, and having fun with children!

And as you can clearly see, this place is beautiful!

These pictures were pulled from the Trinity Center Website (I really had to show them to ya'll).

Oh yeah, and just because I will be teaching about the environment, doesn't mean I will not be enhancing my 'geek' status!! Stay tuned!

Penguins are my friend! Part I

2006-04-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Probably about a month ago from this writing I was explaining how I was beginning in my path down Open Source, a revelation from my previous job.

Well, now I am in! Actually I took a head first dive.

(this post may be longer than usual)
Saying that, let me tell you all what I did, give you some specs, and tell you some hardships.

Here is my physical computer details:

Dell Dimension L667
Pentium III 664 MHz
120GB hard drive
RAM 512MB
(pretty standard computer, with necessary components 'ex. integrated ethernet, VGA monitor, etc.)

Operating Systems

Now this is where I get a little overkill, but I truely wanted to see which linux distribution to use based on its flexibility, beginner usability, and documentation-support.

My father bought me VMware Workstation 5 for my Windows XP (thanks dad), but I also created a dual boot using GRUB (Grand Unified Bootloader).

VMware made it a breeze to configure settings like how much RAM usage to allocate, hard disk space, audio, ethernet, all with a simple gui (graphical user interface). What is also nice is that since I do not have a cd burner, I didnt have to get someone to burn me cd's of the images for the different distributions because you can set the path to where the 'iso' is located on your host operating system (OS) I will like to mention that Ubuntu sends FREE, and yes I said FREE, cd's to anyone who asks, which I also have 4 sets. They ship in attractive packaging and contain the live CD (to run from your cd drive) and a 1 disk installation cd.

So, with the ease of VMware, I proceeded to install Fedora Core 4, Ubuntu Breezy Badger, Gentoo, and Mandrake based on some internet reviews and recommendations from friends, familiy, and IT professionals.

For each OS, I allocated 10GB of space and pretty much used the default config for each. One really tricky thing did not have anything to do with the installation, but actually getting the VMware tools installed on each system because I have an older video card so my screens (after the install) were 640X480 and not rendering properly. Compounding that it was hard to view the screens and my beginner status, it was very difficult realizing that I couldn't just double click on something and have it install it. In Fedora, I had to use the rpm and Debian based, I had to unpack and compile using the tarball file. After installation of the VMware tools, however, everything worked smoothly.

The dual boot was easier than I thought! When you install MS Windows, it takes up the whole hard drive, so you have to shrink it. After reading some, and installing Mandrake Linux, I discovered that Mandrake has a nice gui utility that lets you graphically shrink the windows partition. So I did that, then installed Fedora Core 4, removing all other linux partitions. This worked well and fast.

After testing out each OS, I dropped Mandrake and Gentoo for now, and concentrated on Fedora Core 4 and Ubuntu Breezy Badger because after using them all, they seemed the easiest to use and have the largest base of support forums and tutorials. My father is also Red Hat certified, so my choice of Fedora might be a little biased since I have on-demand support whenever.

Books
Seeing this as a long-term investment, I also bought some books for reference as well as guides to aid me. I will note though that you can also find everything in these books somewhere online for free; it just takes some looking and printing if you want to read while you are away from a computer.

I am also a big fan of O'reilly books because they seem really easy to understand and provide lots of content.

I bought (keeping in mind my desire to use a lamp architecture):
Running Linux 5th ed.
Linux in a Nutshell 5th ed.
MYSQL in a Nutshell
Information Dashboard Design
Apache: The Definitive Guide
Web Service Essentials
Learning PHP5

A long list, I know, but they have already helped me so much.

While the excitement lingers!

2006-03-23T22:18:00.000-05:00

I recently found out I will be employed by the Boys & Girls Club of Coastal Carolina as their Development Coordinator!

As I seek to expand and improve upon my knowledge in making lasting impact, this job provides a solid impetus for me to challenge myself as well as help others!

I am totally stoked because I will be close to home, not be in poverty anymore, and will be able to surf on a regular basis!!!

Finally on linux!!!

2006-03-05T14:46:00.000-05:00

It is so gratifying to say that I am finally using linux!!!

I am still on MS Windows, but one step closer to leaving it behind!

It is both exciting and liberating to be able to change things to make them how I want them while also seeing exactly what the operating system is doing!

I ended up using VMware, which is a virtualization software upon my dad's recommendation. It was nice not having to create a dual boot, and I also have added 2 linux distributions, Fedora Core 4 and Ubuntu (Breezy Badger). It just sucks that my host platform is the memory hog of XP.

After being in GUI world for so long, it was really nice to play around with the terminal and moving around the filesystem.

VMware lets you allocate RAM, diskspace and has virtual drivers for all hardware devices so it makes it pretty easy to configure. After installation, I realized that it also is pretty easy to do this with linux without the virtualisation software, but VMware lets you take snapshots of the configurations so you can always revert back to an older config.

I am still rather new to these 2 distributions, but here is what I found so far:

Fedora Core 4:
-Installer is more graphical
-takes 4 cd's to install!!
-has an interactive startup
-seems to want to install way toomany modules than needed (at least for me - did the workstation install)
-has an annoying subscription updater from red hat that always loads on startup
-had trouble with video card configuration (might be because of VMware)
-sound was harder to install (also might be due to VMware)
-the default text editor is a little hard to use (vi)
-overall not too hard to configure

Ubuntu (Breezy Badger)
-can't login at root, must do it from usr login (i assume good default setting)
-isn't bundled with support for 'rpm' files, just tarball
-have to have a little more understanding of terminal usage (at least for me)
-has pretty awesome package installer
-nice graphical interface (layout similar to fedora)
-had same troubles with display as in fedora (must be VMware issue) after i installed vmware tools, things were cool
-network settings weren't as intuitive as fedora (maybe biased because father helped with fedora and i followed with ubuntu == father is Red Hat expert)

Overall both operating systems are up and running and doing good. as I learn more I would like to post more comparisons.

(Thanks to Brian for suggestion on using Ubuntu too! I really like it!)

Service Learning! typology, best practice -- and IMPACT!

2006-02-17T00:19:00.000-05:00

Adhered to emotion and assimilated through a cumulating framework of skill, motivation,learning, service, adversity, and failure, this past week has been a keystone reflection for my 'Service-Learning' experience during my term with NC Campus Compact. I feel accomodated in that I have gained an invaluable perspective on my career path as well as definitive insight on how a pedagogy of service learning can have profound impact in higher education, across all disciplines.

It has been a great year of service and learning. Being provided with challenging work, professional training, valued friends & colleagues, and meaningful rewards, I could not ask for a better year of 'education.'

Imagine how coincidental that, in these last few days of my service, I get to attend a conference of specialists in educating, evaluating, and motivating the leaders of tomorrow? There is so much energy and inspiration! I want to be permanently involved with these people.

At the conference:
Robert Sigmon spoke briefly about his experience in Service Learning. He is truely an inspirational person who has greatly given credence in the Academy to the field.

Service-learning combines service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity change both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities that link the task to self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content.

His typology:

service-LEARNING: learning goals primary, service outcomes secondary

SERVICE-learning: service outcomes primary, learning goals secondary

service learning: service and learning goals completely separate

SERVICE-LEARNING: service and learning goals of equal weight and each
enhances the other for all participants

I also attended a sessions talking about:
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration and Service Learning

and

NC Campus Compact Research and Scholarship Initiative: Pitfalls and Possibilities in Statewide Collaboration on Service Learning Scholarship

Both of these workshops provide me a solid platform to think about how we unite efforts at different institutions as well as to gain buy-in to service learning. I've heard by some that there are 'academic fads' that come and go, but I truely see this (service learning) becoming a mainstay in education and a change agent in tomorrow's society, not to mention how it already affects people nationwide.

The 'Cross Discipline Collaboration and Service Learning' workshop was presented by the APPLES program at UNC Chapel Hill, with presenters Jenny Huq, Martha Arnold, and Janaka Lagoo.

Through their workshop, they highlighted how they interest faculty in service learning and how they collaborate with their Center for Teaching and Learning. What I gained most from their presentation was how they draw resources from different parts of campus (Center for Teaching and Learing, Research and Assessment) and really push students in the forefront (APPLES was started by students)...as well as truely seek community collaboration and feedback.

The 'NC Campus Compact Research and Scholarship Initiative' was also very informative. Although initial phases are still underway, the presenters: Patti Clayton, Cathy Hamilton, Jenny Huq, Lynne Bercaw, Beth Warner, and Vicki Stocking provided a clear itinerary on how they are gaining ground for a statewide network of collaborators to refine the scholary pursuits around civic engagement and service learning. I hope to become involved in this effort.

I think I could go on for days on how these sessions have been refreshing to experience! I am definitely going to try and write more about my interest in service learning.

It's hard to believe that this year in service has passed so quickly, when I have only begun to scratch the surface....but I'm not done yet!

Seeing the light with LAMP

2006-02-13T01:14:00.000-05:00

So I am taking the plunge!

I've always loved the application and elegance of open source applications, but have never really had/taken the time to really learn them myself.

This whole past year I've been struggling with Microsoft products, most specifically MS Access, but also a lot of tech support for MS Windows and Office Suite. After all my work, assessment, and discussions with many talented and knowledgeable people...MySQL has been the favored choice of database for the data management solution I've been tasked with solving.

Which brings me to the LAMP architecture:

MySQL is benefiting from the growing interest in the so-called LAMP stack of open-source components for building business applications, Urlocker said. Rather than purchase Java or Microsoft .Net development tools, corporate customers are building new applications on the LAMP combination of Linux; Apache Web server; MySQL; and PHP, Python or Perl scripting languages.

- CNet

I want to eventually become a social entrepreneur and truely help bridge the digital divide gap...seeing this aspiration, it is hard for me to realize accomplishing that goal with expensive, proprietary products. Albeit, open source does not equate to free, it does, however, seem to mean a better, more proactive business model in engaging people to help others make technology better and ubiquitious while collaborating and working together.

For me, first steps are picking a distribution of linux. I am still in the preliminary research for myself of what best suits me. So far, the big ones, Fedora, Debian, and Mandrake seem the most mature and widely supported.

I am just excited at the possibilities!

A little overwhelmed, I will be using VMWare at first, hopefully soon following a total adoption.

I hope to document my learning as I progress: More to come!

Phone blogz....another voice posting app.

2006-01-26T23:03:00.000-05:00

This post is just a test of another phone/VoIP way of posting audio to blogs. They support:

Blogger (of course)
Drupal (would like to see an application this)
Wordpress
LiveJournal
Serendipity

When posting, they ask you to leave your 15 second message....but I left longer on here. I am unsure how long it will let you record. Of course this is still in its beta phase, so I am sure some of that will get worked out.
A new message has been posted via PhoneBlogz. Click here to listen to it.

S.T.A.R

2006-01-03T23:28:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been searching for job opportunities in preparation for my departure from my current termed position. It seems without certifications in computer world, it is very hard to identify any employers who will consider you for a position because there are many qualified people with the necessary certificates. Also, I feel it increasingly difficult to find jobs with just a bachelors degree. To date, most jobs that have interested me have required at least a Master's.

I have hope, and have only begun to tap into all of my contacts, web searches, and newspaper ads to find another wonderful position.

My good friend Koji, who has sucessfully been applying for positions, really gave me some good insight for interviews and resume building.

One of his suggestions is a method for interviewing that I thought I would share on this blog for anyone seeking additional help in enhancing their performance during interviews.

The method is called S.T.A.R:

S -- Situation
T -- Task
A -- Action
R -- Results

When going into an interview you should have certain scenarios in mind that the potential employers may ask.

Case: Leadership

Situation: At UNC Pembroke, I became the Campus Activities Board Chairman, the organization responsible for the majority of campus programming, including movies, comdians, open mic, etc.
--In the situation portion, be sure to be brief, but efficiently describe a little background on your position and what it means.

Task: As Campus Activities Board Chairman, I was tasked with managing a group of 40 volunteers to schedule, plan, and implement entertaining programs using student fees (I would go into a little more detail...but you get the idea)

Action: This is one of the key elements of STAR...where you explain in detail how you where a leader, in what capacity, and how you operated.

Results: This is where you brag about what you accomplished.

This little insight that Koji has given me is helping me alot now with what I need to do in order to prepare for my coming interviews.

I look forward to using this method :D

Holidays = Family, Friends, and BABIES!!!!

2005-12-26T23:09:00.000-05:00

So I've had a lovely time so far this holiday season, hanging out with friends, chatting and playing games with family, and most of all...playing with everyone's children!!! This must be the year of the baby...bc everyone I know is having one!

Below are just a few pics I'd like to share:

Everyone, meet Baxter - a bright-eyed, laughing and very intelligent baby. Father and mother are both good friends of mine. Baxter, meet internet friends!!

Next up, little Troy! He is very quiet, but very inquisitive. He likes long crawls on the blanket, with shiny Christmas ornaments.

And it wouldn't be a party without my nephew, Jaheim! Always ready to laugh, and play tricks, one must always have a discerning eye!

We have a little heartbreaker in the making in Kiana! She melts people with her stare!

Truely a fun Christmas and one that I will remember! I think it is times like these that really keep me motivated to help others in need, especially children who are less fortunate. I am not an expert on foreign trade, farm subsidies, global hunger, but the facts still remain. We, as humans, fight for resources that allow us a certain quality of life which usually means others might not have access to the same quality.

Let us fight for others to acheive the same qualities as us. Chip away at poverty and inequality by teaching, loving, and giving.

Am I leaving a legacy?

2005-12-18T21:45:00.000-05:00

My Americorps*VISTA term as Technology Coordinator is coming to a close. I have a few months left.

I am both incredibly excited about what lies ahead and sad to let go.

About a month ago I would've told you that I will be a VISTA for another year because of my willingness and ambition to complete everything in my workplan, but I realize it is time to move on. Cultivating a career path is daunting, but necessary and I am definitely a step closer to knowing exactly what I want to do because of my experience in this program.

I have been blessed with so much lattitude and free space to create and deliver programs relating to systems analysis and design to computer literacy workshops, while also directing research efforts of an undergrad and leading a team of grad students in shaping the information architecture and future of data management for the office I work in....It is soo rewarding...and diverse! I also helped facilitate, plan, and coordinate a grant to dialogue about war and terrorism, work with professors on health disparities, and consult an organization on how to develop a board of directors and obtain 501c3 tax code status.

What is amazing to me is that I have had little training or knowledge going into doing all these really cool things, but have grown and dramatically increased my capacity to achieve and learn how to do them. I am better for that, a better person for the interaction. I am moved. Inspired. And changed to see a profound reality of hope to cause change.

So I am sad to leave this incubator. So I am humbled to appreciate what I have.

So what now?

Find a job, that's what! It is so exciting to look at everything available!

I really want to further my eduation to a point where I can more effectively cause more positive change, but the realities of debt and living in poverty leave me to seek employment first (a recent revelation).

I've begun to recieve the first round of rejection letters in the mail, but I will prevail...armed with hope, experience, and inspiration....

and knowing that I can 'get things done'

I will miss the people I've met...and I truely thank them for helping me along.

Podcastercon 2006!

2005-12-13T20:28:00.000-05:00

Podcasting?...subscribable audio on a blog?

With the ever-increasing tools to create your own audio and put it online, content-creators and people that have something to say should come to this conference. What is great about it is that it is totally FREE!!!!

What is also so awesome about this conference is that there is not just for 'techies' or your typical 'geek'. You can attend this conference if you have no prior knowledge of podcasting, but are very interested in learning about it.

What is PodcasterCon?
PodcasterCon 2006 is a free one day conference open to all participants to discuss and learn about podcasting. This not for profit event is being organized by a group of volunteers from around the world. PodcasterCon is an Open Event.

The event will not have traditional speakers, commercial product pitches, or bags full of conference swag. The event will have free food and drink, pre-organized sessions, and will be conducted in an unconference style. Please goto this page on our blog to learn more about this style of event.

I am definitely going....and I hope you are too! Click Here to sign up and learn more about it!

NPR: Talk of the Nation -- Marc Comments

2005-11-30T16:55:00.000-05:00

This is an audiopost created by Marc.

He called into National Public Radio on Wednesday's Talk of the Nation with speakers

*Michael Rubin - former political advisor to Paul Bremer and the Coalition Provisional Authority, 2003-2004. Visits Iraq frequently; was there for two weeks in September; will visit again in December after Iraqi elections; now a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.

and

*Sam Gardiner - retired Air Force colonel; has taught strategy and military operations at the National War College, Air War College and Naval War College

Marc sought more explanation of the US's role in exacerbating the conflict previous to the first Gulf War.

FACEBOOK -- the addictive phenomenon

2005-11-10T23:48:00.000-05:00

So I've been using Facebook now for about a month and have found it very addictive and fun!

While fun, this social networking application is amazing and extremely addictive because you can look up friends from all over, some you haven't even seen in years (if you are more of an older person a few years removed from undergrad)

...and I have done just that (found friends from long ago)...and also have added friends I have met recently.

Facebook has many features that you probably would find in an online dating website like interests, looking for [insert gender]...or in a relationship....shows clubs and affiliations as well as hometown and age...

but Facebook goes a little further and provides more substance to your 'profile' like asking favorite books, movies, music, political and professional affiliation, and quotes. You can also list your website.

what I feel is really unique about Facebook is the networking aspects, like the ways in which you can search for friends via geographic region, school, or high school.

while facebook is an 'access only' website, meaning you have to have a university email domain, once you sign up, you can search for anyone and everyone and view people in your region or school. And if you know a person, it is very easy to add them as a friend (pending the 'friend's' approval) then view all of their info

Facebook makes it extremely easy to write messages to friends though a mailbox of sorts, but you also have a 'wall' which is a public view of comments people write on your wall. Facebook is a live/realtime application because after a party or before or any social event, people can write on your wall and tell you how much fun they had with you, etc. or they can tell you how much you missed out. So if you are friends with a friend, you can view their wall (pending they are viewable)...and see what their friends, including you, have written, which spurs more discussion.

This friend of a friend phenomenon can also explain the popularity of Facebook...by combining the intrinsic motivations to be accepted to know people or identify with people....you are constantly looking to see who are friends with your friends...and if they are your friend....and if you see those 'friends' in real live, many Facebookers want to 'collect' you on their friends list.

With just that aspect, Facebook could stand as a very popular application, but it also has a photo album feature. So if you have a photo with a friend in it, and you label that picture with your friend, it will show up on their profile for other people to view....as well as show up in your profile for anyone that knows you to view....it truely connects people!

You can also create events on facebook and people can join!...yet another way to learn about people.

when you strip the nervous tensions of meeting people face-to-face, Facebook undresses people's inhibitions on being themselves or saying what they want or just asking people to be your friend.

It is truely amazing what people will share on facebook as well. A PhD student named Fred Stutzman at UNC will also agree and has cool insight into what kinds of information you can retrieve from Facebook users (courtesy of Brian's blog)

check it out!!!

Slater snags his 7th world title!!!!!

2005-11-08T17:57:00.000-05:00

Kelly Slater, undeniably the best professional surfer of all time has won an unprecedented 7th world title according to the Association of Surfing Professionals (the Governing Body of Professional Surfing)

Kelly Slater, like Lance Armstrong embodies many of the characteristics I strive to assimilate in my own persona. Although I can't quite pin down, aside from his good outlook and purity in life and his raw ability, what makes me look up to him so much, I can say I respect his innovations in a sport where he was very influential in shaping the new image of surfers from being drugged-beach bums to legitimate athletes, while also changing the outlook on scoring a wave.

I think I was surfing Ala Moana, Hawaii at a spot called Magic Island one time in the late 1990's and I saw first hand how awesomely good he was!! there were a lot of people out there surfing, but I couldn't help but notice this guy flying through the air and fanning out water like an ice sculptor...I was starstruck...and didn't even surf, but sat on my board watching the show!

He is very civically minded and does a lot for a lot of people.

So thanks Kelly and congratulations!!!!

Turn up the heat!!??!!

2005-11-08T17:48:00.000-05:00

So for the past few weeks I have been in agony!

It is freakin hot!!! I dont know if there is a furnace under my floor or an invisible wall keeping the heat in my room from the windows and doorway, but it sucks....and I have tried everything to expell the heat, from opening all the windows and door and blaring the fan from every possible permutational configuration, while also trying to get the housing staff to see what the problem is.

I usually don't complain; growing up in a house where my parents love 80 plus degree warmth...but, but, but....my room (no exaggeration) is probably upwards of 95 degrees F.

So I have this routine of stripping down once I enter my furnace and wake up every few hours to rehydrate so that I dont wake up in the morning with a profound headache and soaked sheets. I even ration the time I spend on the computer.

So this post is just a vent, literally, of my frustrations of living in a terribly hot environment....I just hopes it gets really cold soon outside, so the head subsides in my room...

The Dichotomy of the Web

2005-11-04T21:15:00.000-05:00

dichotomy in anything is usually a cliche...but usually true.

I watched dateline tonight and they caught some really disturbing and scary people: Online Sexual Predators of children.

Why!! why does this exist in society?

When the world is at your fingertips, why do people dive into pornography, hate, crime, drugs, and predation?

It is truely sad, both limiting the positive potential of what great things can be done online as well as making luddites in a generation of technology, information, and communication, not to mention the obvious emotional and physical damage to the children and families.

It is great to know that there are groups out there that are taking action, namely http://www.perverted-justice.com which is a group of people who guise as young teenagers and expose the online predators.

here is the dateline blog with the information about tonight's show:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9878187/#051103a

Ahhh...Smallville

2005-11-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

When I rarely get a chance to watch regular television, most of my time is spent on the food channel...or now, more recently, Smallville on Thursdays...man I need some help! Smallville is soooo addictive!

I think I know now why I don't watch too much tv! I am very prone to become very involved in the shows. When I went home about a month ago, my father bought seasons 1-4....and catching the season finale of the 4th season....I couldn't stop there!!! So I end up watching the whole first season in one sitting, then moving on through the rest throughout the month of October.

Its a good show! Check it out!

¡traductor del google!!!!

2005-11-02T12:56:00.000-05:00

So you're wondering if I can speak spanish now, eh?

Actually I can speak many languages:

Google の訳者用具は実際に素晴らしく, 私は完全にそれに回転を与える!

L'outil de traducteur de google est vraiment intéressant et je lui donnerais certainement un mouvement giratoire!

Das googleübersetzerwerkzeug ist wirklich nett und ich würde ihm einen Whirl definitiv geben!

All kidding aside, I do not have a firm grasp on any foreign language, but now with this new google translator, you can decode or encode your language into french, german, italian, japanese, chinese, portugese, and, of course, spanish!

check the site out! http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

Google now has an online aggregator!

2005-11-01T08:38:00.000-05:00

I am on so many different computers at so many different times of the day, it's hard for me to download my own aggregator, so I have opted to use the online aggregators....Bloglines has been great to me.

I do use a lot of Google stuff though, like gmail, google groups, the search history, google earth, etc.....and the other day I found out that google had an aggregator.

To the right is a screenshot of it in action:

I do like the google reader for a few reasons.

1. There is a lot of the same functionality as gmail and google groups in that you can star your favorites and of course the searching capability. The labels from gmail are also utilized in here.

2. the interface is fairly easy to use (might be because I am already accustomed to gmail and google groups)

3. It is tied into my google account (which might be a little scary that google knows all about me, but hey, i dont have things to hide, right?)

4. Some sites have multiple feeds for multiple things, google reader lets you add them all with ease.

Things I didn't really like:

1. It is totally up to you to find the news feeds, albeit you can search in the top search bar for feeds, but still, Bloglines provides much more ease when concerning things you want to subscribe to.

2. The way to find feeds is a little basic, and I would like to have seen more ways to search for feeds.

3. Although the scrolling through recent feeds is nice, the fact that they are all lumped together on the home screen is a little confusing...although, to be fair, google reader does have the subscription view.

But all in all, I like the google reader and will use it for a little while and see if its as convincing as Bloglines.

who'da thought

2005-10-30T23:23:00.000-05:00

thought I would share a poem i just wrote....it has literally been a few years since i have written anything, but for some reason this evening I wrote this poem in a matter of a few minutes.

no name...just words:

Creative collect
gatherings of lustful hegemony
concatenate the growth of eternal fortitudes

retreat into regression
repeat introspection
repair the loaded chambers
reduce the inflammation of desire

design
deliver and;

comb over the prejudices of flattery
for the fad look of modesty to obtain
abstain
refrain

sustain the deliverance from solace
identify with the souls of change

manage to manage
life's cliché of amount

to mount, to ride
to experience
confide

on occasion while i sleep i hear i weep

i dance on the night with the blanket
doused in my own calamities
of viscous rendition

to enjoy my ambiguous condition

to liver is to bleed
being eaten with greed

i live liver live her
relegate; deliver
come between the scene
of crow-like macabre

to entice my world of infinite
drawing on the pragmatic enigmatic

one, two....or three
to count is to fail
as the days seem short
but my heart will prevail

overcome
be undone, overheard
and persist
beat, beat the odds

a little about this poem:
not really sure what it means...the words really just came out of my head to my fingers to this blog....
but seeing how lately i've been reflecting a lot on things in my life, mostly dealings in romance...i find it a relevant insight, but also right before i wrote the poem, i heard and really liked Frankie J's remake of "More Than Words" by Extreme, conjuring up lots of feelings in the past.

My friend Koji and I use to sing that song to his guitar in college to vent some of the pains of us having a long distance relationships....ahhh, not the most ideal type of relationship - lesson learned.

Hiatus is over!!!!

2005-10-29T21:09:00.000-05:00

I absolutely cannot believe that I almost skipped October in my blogging!!!

Things have definitely been busy, that's for sure!

Work
The software development project (FASC-IS) has consumed a large portion of my time....but more in a re-tooling process.

Just started some computer literacy workshops in collaboration with National Student Partnerships and TOP CAT

Got a mini-grant to host a dialogue on the United Nations and the US working together via NC Campus Compact and the UN Foundation

Moved office locations and set-up all the computers with the lab.

Leading a student to do ethnographic research on volunteer impact of NCCU and the Durham community.

Beginning to write a grant with my Director utilizing technology.

Still trying to figure out the craziness called Microsoft Access!

Prepare and submit my quarterly report!

Helped organize a Service Learning workshop.

Took lots of pictures and enhanced them with photoshop for the website!

ahhh....lots more

Friends

Mark and Danyel had their baby boy, Calvin Baxter Warren
(Picture on Right)

Dane and Bobbi had their baby girl, Kelsy Onorio

Rory came back from Iraq for a brief period of time.

Leisure

Watched seasons 1-4 of smallville (quite a feat!)
Read "The Historian"
Read "Memoirs of a Geisha" again
Read "Leadership on the Line" again
Read lotsa computer books -- not that leisurely

-----

I guess thats a summary....

Today and yesterday I went to the SCALE Conference and was pleasantly suprised with all of the awesome programs in literacy education!

Some highlights:

"Poetry is not a Jukebox"
The presenter, Raina, was really great in her examples and her interactive approach.

She showed us really awesome ways to create poetry in almost a quiltlike way and also using newspaper articles and pulling words from columns to make your own poetry. THATS COOL!
We took a field trip to the art museum and wrote a little poem about a piece.

What I really like about this session was that she wasn't really trying to tell us how to do 'her' program/s, but just to have fun. It was really relaxed. She provided us working knowledge of ways to use poetry by allowing us to experience it!

"Theater of the Oppressed"

While very interactive, it wasn't forced on us to participate....more like slowly raising the temperature throughout, engaging us to 'want' to participate.

Dr. Mittman showed us through 'spect-acting', playing someone's personal unresolved issue with a small group of 4 or 5, but not talking.....posing each person to display a scene in that issue.

This example slowly progressed into each actor of the scene saying something from their scene....with everyone else trying to figure out what it was all about.

I can see far reaching application of these techniques and will see how I can infuse it somehow into my work...might be hard since I am focused on technology though.

"Volunteers as Public Advocates"

Both David Rosen and Daniella Cook provide a lot of insight and good suggestions on advocating policy, but what I really gained from this is Daniella's passionate explanation of 'Bush's' "No Child Left Behind".....which now, more than ever, pisses me off. I didn't really have a full understanding of all the players involved and the demands on the teachers....but after hearing Daniella talk, it all made sense.

"Engaging Adults in Literacy Education"

The main thing I gained from this session was "IGI" or "Individualized Group Instruction".....It is my hope that this methodology might be very useful in the newly established computer literacy workshops.

All in all this conference was wonderful.....seemed like everyone was from a different state, but collectively we were in this 'together'.

Next week I am attending NC Campus Compact's annual student conference and presenting some of my work in Academic Community Service Learning as well as providing some technology tools for students to use in organizing, reflection, and social action. I will post more when I attend next week! I hope its not too cold as I will be at Appalachian State University...in the mountains...

Shame on me for not posting in so long!

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. "
Aristotle

Define Terrorism

2005-09-27T18:03:00.000-05:00

Marc delivers some interesting facts to consider when thinking about our government's involvement in the middle east previous to this war.

Decompression Session

2005-09-24T13:20:00.000-05:00

Coming off a very inspirational day, I just wanted to document my thoughts and rattle out some ramblings.

Seeing thousands of people convene in one place was very empowering to me...knowing that there are people who really feel the urgency to create change and stop this war has given me more confidence in speaking out....and not worrying about how people percieve me.

People of every race, religion, class, and age....were in attendance, with kids chanting right along with with the drummers, hard-core activists, parents, former military, college students, and myself. It would have certainly took some effort to not be moved.

People are people are people are people!

Smiles, comraderie, and purpose fueled the energy for the day, culminating in a concert that channeled our emotions toward action.

North Carolina Represented well, and I truely have been honored to share this day with so many changemakers.

I caught up with Brian Russell (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!) of Audio Activism and Ruby Sinreich of Lotus Media as well as THE Andrew Pearson of NC Peace & Justice coalition, lead organizer the big anti-war rally in Fayetteville, NC...among many other things.

Not to single out one person for the difference they are making, but I wanted to dedicate this post to Lanya Shapiro who tirelessly fights for change with everything she has, everything. It seems everyone surrounding her is infected with her passion and willingness to move forward. Progress. Change. And check out Traction http:/www.gettraction.org for more in store! Thank you Lanya for awakening in me that progress, that passion.

Also...I want to thank the many friends I made on the Traction Bus ride to and from DC!

So what now?...probably more posts for sure, but for now I must go to bed!

Great Day!

Below are some audioposts from my phone. The more I 'mobcast,' the more I feel the need to invest in more quality recording equipment....these posts are hard to hear, but at least may give you a small glimpse into my day at the Anti-War Rally in Washington, DC.

Free awesome live music!!!

2005-09-24T03:02:00.000-05:00

Man, this is what I do late/early....when I don't have anything to do!

I was looking at http://www.archive.org and found some really cool resources. Now, I've used archive.org many times, but only for their wayback machine. To think that until now I have never taken the time to look at their live recordings!!!!

I love live music and bands I haven't heard of, but sheesh, its all free, all legal...and has some pretty mainstream bands as well....

Of A Revolution
Jack Johnson
Howie Day
Jason Mraz

and many others!

i am so psyched!....need more disc space....i can see a crash coming!

Excited about my DC Trip!!

2005-09-24T00:18:00.000-05:00

Well, its pretty late here, but I had to work the bugs out...literally! I've been pretty busy with a lot of technology work and am excited to say that I actually get to shadow my father and see how they put together their IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and framework for the Java Applications they will be making. It's so cool when you can actually go home and visit with family while being productive and doing work.

Ahh...to be productive! Today I got put on a technology committee at The Volunteer Center of Durham, so I am pretty excited to learn from the other members as well as check out their IT situation....also, I am finding out, when making a website in a large institution, there is a lot of 'red tape'....meaning I've been waiting on Public Relations to approve the look, for the head webmaster to give me suggestions, for the web committee to look at the site, for my supervisor to plan the 'rollout' party, then to make the changes, and resubmit....it is insane and I don't know if it will ever grace a browser!...just need a vent

Also today, I met up with fellow VISTA, Tabitha McEachin of Communities in Schools, former at Durham Literacy Center to talk about Katrina relief. One really big thing I learned about today was the amount of people living in hotels in Durham from the different affected states. I really want to help NCCU's organizations focus more on helping the people here, but more with finding them resources, than just giving them food and clothes. There seems to be a lot of deep-seated issues relating to the relief efforts!..something needs to be done...in a more organized way.

Anyways, the whole title of this post was just to say that I am really excited about going to Washington, DC today, so much in fact, that I really can't sleep...hence the post. But I am also nervous as I've never done anything like this before, but feel it important for me to be exposed and possibly network with activists around the country.

It's pretty silly when I tell most of my friends that I am going for those purposes because I get really mixed reactions. Either they don't say anything and move the conversation along, or they give a little laugh or chuckle....or they just kind of stop talking. Why is it such a sensitive thing when you say you are going to speak out against this war? In private or in close groups it's okay to say things, but whenever you want to publicly display your opinions....a lot of people shy away....is it extreme? they don't want to rock the boat....people need to be pushed a little to react. The most effective activists and change makers in my mind have all been people who prod people to think....and make others uncomfortable.

the more I learn about our occupation in the gulf, the more visceral I feel....ahh...to go on

My Southpark Likeness!

2005-09-23T16:38:00.000-05:00

Really cool site! Not totally looking like me, but cool nonetheless! here is the site to create your own! http://www.planearium2.de/

Ophelia's East Coast Tour.

2005-09-14T19:13:00.000-05:00

So now I am watching television and on the news they are standing where I was surfing this past weekend to comment on Ophelia. They are in Atlantic Beach, NC!

I truely hope no one gets hurt by this hurricane and that my family are safe!

Ophelia -- Surf is up!!

2005-09-10T23:34:00.000-05:00

Hurricanes, obvious due to the recent tragedy of Katrina, do a lot of damage...physically, emotionally, and financially....but this weekend Ophelia has brought me good times with my friends and a more real sense of how 'real' our world is.

Not even knowing there was going to be waves this weekend, I returned home to Morehead City, NC....to find that a hurricane is developing right off the coast. I have grown up in this area my whole life and have seen many hurricanes...but I have always kept track....somehow things got really busy for me this past week and I totally did not realize! Now, growing up in this area and if you surf, you go surfing.

So first thing this morning I headed out to check things out and found a solid waist/chest high glassy rides...(above picture is a little bigger, but somewhat small compared to what grew through out the day)

As the day drew on and I kept surfing, with my friend Marc, things got bigger...the waves were breaking past the pier and becoming well overhead!

On the right is what it started to look like when I left today! I cannot really express how amazingly fun this sport is and how humbling going out in these conditions can be.

Surfing, to me, is very cleansing and gives me a real sense of who I am and where I want to be. Out there in the water, you get to reflect a lot on what matters to you...and thats exactly what I did today.

These conditions are not for the novice of heart, mind, and will, but have given me a generous dose of those very things today (things have been hard lately with my learning curve and the volumous nature of my work)....so I got to vent, got to shout...and got to finally drain some pent up energy by not sitting by a computer.

On a real positive note, I got to see some friends I haven't seen since high school. I was paddling into a really big wave and heard someone hooting at me (surfer behavior to say, 'right on, take it!')...and as I was getting up, I saw MJ Marsh...one of the local professional surfers who is just an amazing surfer and very humble. Also, I got to see my friend Matt Orbach, who I didn't realize till today is a full time volunteer in the peace corps...in the Ukraine...and also that his dad, how crazily coincidental is the director of Duke Marine Lab, Dr. Mike Orbach...who I also truely admire for his policy work and ability to mobilize people to save our oceans, wetlands, and beachs. I actually applied to work at the North Carolina Coastal Federation before moving to Charleston, SC to which he is very instrumental....

and of course I got to surf with Marc, a true friend who is soon going to be a daddy of Calvin Baxter Warren!!

I only hope tomorrow is as replenishing as today!

Peace

Introduction of Jessica of National Student Partnerships!

2005-09-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

It is truely amazing the resources we have here in Durham, NC.

Jessica and I are collaborating on developing Computer Literacy Workshops for clients of NSP and students of NCCU. I am totally excited!

Below is a demonstration of Podcasting with a brief description of National Student Partnerships:

2005-09-08T13:42:00.000-05:00

Emotional Overload

2005-09-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

"And nothing about this is natural. War isn’t natural; and neither is poverty. That’s what people are dying of, not a hurricane. They are dying of war and poverty. They are consumed with rage because of war and poverty. They are paralyzed with helplessness because of war and poverty. They are twisted and driven crazy by war and poverty." -- Stan Goff on his blog, Feral Scholar regarding the US Government's response in New Orleans.

I highly suggest reading Stan Goff's post on, "The Butterfly Effect - Katrina and Occupation"

The more I read, the more I find it hard to contain my anger towards some of the inequalities and injustices in our country...I also recently read that the American Red Cross..yes, the American Red Cross was denied access to New Orleans for relief efforts...due to the US Forces evacuating the unsafe area. Understandably, precautions must be taken in a hazard zone, but, like Stan Goff so frankly elucidates, how can so many media crews and irrelevant groups visit this 'hazard area' and not one of the country's most practiced disaster relief organizations!

It also makes me wonder about gas and its rising value....the delay of response to New Orleans...leading to lack of Gulf gas...and the War in Iraq....support to establishing stable gas reserves overseas?

just some thoughts

Katrina People Finder

2005-09-06T00:31:00.000-05:00

Per Deborah Elizabeth Finn's blog I found this link on wikipedia to help locate your loved ones affected by the devastation of Hurricane katrina.

Diversity...unexpected ingnorance

2005-09-05T15:29:00.000-05:00

I like to believe that I have grown up in a very diverse upbringing, having a sister of same blood that also very much appears to look african american, my mother, primarily asian, but raised catholic, and a white father, whose baptist upbringing with a twist of a pentecostal black youth. My friends all have been of many races, black, hispanic, and white, but even now I still feel ignorant of the many cultures and norms.

To most, I am mongol, with an ambiguous look that can be interpreted in many ways. In Durham, I am often viewed as hispanic by both hispanics and not, usually with them attempting to speak spanish to me. I find this very compelling that people will go out of their way to communicate with me. On the beach, I am hawaiian, especially when seen with a surfboard. I usually get comments relating to some Samoan descent and how 'we' invented surfing. In Pembroke, NC, where I went to school, many locals thought I was related to someone's brother or father, claiming I was pure native american. With other asians, I am viewed as Fillipino, or Chinese which sometimes makes me wonder who I really am, or what sort of person I look like.

In many ways, being 'ambiguous' has its rewards in that I can move easily in and out of many different cultures without the pains of being lablelled someone outside of thier acceptable circle as far as race. The tribal benefit of being included has afforded me much insight into how people view each others racially, but there are also drawbacks. Sometimes I feel I do not belong to any category and upon declaration of my ethnicity, I am sometimes feel marginalized or not totally accepted. I feel this normal, but do not see it as a hindrance to learning more about others, but is also why I like to let people make assumptions of my ethnicity to see their perspective on my behaviors and attitudes. I think it's amazing when you can make a connection with someone under their premise of who they view you as, then to shatter thier perception with compassion and understanding.

Last week I totally forgot the boundaries of religion and race when I was working with a student. As the technology coordinator, I usually give explanations and tutorials on how to use our department's website. Well, upon finishing this explanation, I went to shake that student's hand, only to be withdrawn and told they cannot and it's against their religion. It sort of blew me away in a wierd way because in my upbringing a handshake is commonplace and considered a respectable way to meet someone...so when I was denied something I thought to be a humble way to show respect, I felt a little hurt. I had to think on this because the conviction in that student's voice did not hint at being cruel or non-appreciative, but just a matter of fact.

The more I thought on this, the more I understood that I have not been exposed to culture not related to Christianity and in the Muslim world, touch by the other gender is not allowed unless married or kin. I see this more now and am interested to learn more. It seems I need to learn more of other cultures so that I won't be as suprised, but understand reasons behind certain norms.

Other Blog

2005-09-02T21:19:00.000-05:00

I was just looking at my ancient blog of yesteryear...so much has happened since then; I think its really cool how you can look at your thoughts years ago...this blog is my first attempt at 'blogging'...and most of the writings are meant as a theraputic outlet.

I felt like linking that blog on here as a continuous flow...so here it is:

http://www.xanga.com/calweb

2005-09-01T18:40:00.000-05:00

Baby Talk = They are having a baby meeting about their next undertaking! New addition, baby Troy is the mastermind

Martin Luther King, Jr. -- Relevant recitation on 'Strange Liberators'

2005-08-29T17:25:00.000-05:00

This Podcast is mainly a recitation by my friend, Marc, of the late Martin Luther King, Jr.regarding his opposition to the war in Vietnam.

Be expecting more of these from him ;)

Making Music --- First ever live recording!!

2005-08-29T14:52:00.000-05:00

A sunrise like this gets my creativity going; listen in to the music to hear what I mean!

Okay...I am having fun with this Audioblogger

In these recordings I am just playing around with some friends.

Nothing special...and very very incoherent!

Iraq -- a soldier's view part 2

2005-08-28T20:48:00.000-05:00

This post is a follow up with focus towards his view on the occupation in Iraq.

Iraq -- a soldier's view part 1

2005-08-28T20:41:00.000-05:00

This is what I hope to be a series of opinions on the occupation in Iraq.

The speaker of this post wishes to remain anonymous for certain policy issues regarding the recently discharged.

Being overseas for him was tough...and this post mainly is regarding his position on support for soldiers and their homecoming and NOT for Bush's decision to remain and the general undercurrents of the purpose of the war.

Please be mindful that this gentleman was a little nervous commenting as he has never done this before.

Leadership

2005-08-26T22:49:00.000-05:00

This is just a personal nod to a blog post on 'Fast Company's' website

I've been asked before what leadership means to me...and usually I always hear people shooting off a giant list of desirable traits, myself included...like what Fast Company says...

Visionary, strategic planning, charismatic..et cetera are prevalent and desireable qualities of leaders.

I think a leader is like an iceberg in that normal, day-to-day operations usually provide the mainstay of leadership practice and principle, giving major example, thread, and cohesion amongst colleagues, coworkers and the like, but when crisis, emergency, and desperation torrent the 'office'...the salinity of the environment rises, in which more of the leader's actions, good/bad, are exposed and more pronounced.

In Fast Company's short post they talk about defining the leader by the actions and behaviors of their followers....with great questions for personal growth!!

I feel in the context of IT professionals/managers being leaders, they are tasked with many behavioral changes in the people they serve and manage. I am finding that there is a great digital divide gap, even amongst academic communities...because some mentalities are that there will be someone to always do this or that. Also, many people feel that some innovations occur too rapid, or there is no point in vesting time when there are specialists, but I feel as we become more integrated...and with the people I meet and read about...its hard to believe we are not heading towards that end.

Demonstration of Audioblogging Technology.

2005-08-25T20:14:00.000-05:00

Below is an Audioblogger test to demonstrate the mobility of and speed of posting a self-made audiofile online.

It's so awesome to share this technology with people, and it's amazing everytime someone see's the potential of it!

In this case, the speaker is Emilio Williams (who now has a blog :)) I think blogger provides a good springboard for more advanced implementations of a blog....and I cannot wait to see how my collaboration with Emilio develops!!

My very first 'Podcast'....I'm totally stoked!

2005-08-24T01:09:00.000-05:00

This is great...to create your own podcasts on blogger visit: Audioblogger

Brian Russell's blog, Audio Activism, has a wonderfully concise tutorial on Podcasting

Nonprofit w/ database issues? Need Volunteers?

2005-08-22T21:42:00.000-05:00

Okay....this is my last post for today, but I just wanted to put this out there for anyone working in Nonprofit world who has a database or wants one....and is near the Triangle, NC area.

I have had huge successes in getting responses from quality volunteers that want to help develop databases...the problem is...I am starting to overflow with talented and wonderful people that want to lend a hand.

These people have PhD's, MBA's, and extensive experience in Tomcat, Oracle, MySQL Java, J2EE, SAS, C#, C++.....pretty much you name it...and many are certified.

Please comment to this post if interested.

Note of warning: hosting volunteers is not a 'turn key' affair. In order for me to refer and connect you with these people, you must first provide to me your organization/EIN #, disparity/need, and your committment to ensuring their value and accomodation.

Patent Law & Syndication Standards

2005-08-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

You know, I can't get enough!

I feel like I have to write about everything, if just to reflect on later...

Reading my new 'Bloglines' feeds, I am starting to get more info from many more sources...

In my previous job where the company's worth was primarily vested in its intelletual property in scientific techniques and patents on specific genes acquired through research, I found a recent article that I want to follow. HERE

Apparently Congress (Patent Reform Act of 2005, HR 2795) is going to do some major reform to patent law...which may have resounding effects in the future...and there is an interesting debate on funding the office beforehand...which makes sense to me because you need highly skilled patent examiners to ensure sound justification for a patent...(I've actually read some ridiculous claims...)...the article I read also seemed to point out that money the patent office recieved got redirected in totally unrelated places....which asks the question....where??!!??

on a side note: One thing I learned while being involved in the patent process is that in order to patent your stuff, you have to buy a patent in every country you want the patent in...with the rising economies in other countries with no sign of patent enforcement infrastructure...I wonder if this new patent overhaul might address those concerns? Albeit the USA cannot totally enforce things in other countries....well...oil..umm...democracy...umm...yeah.

To me, this is kinda scary....so I am definitely going to keep watch on that!

In other news recently read....I hear that the RSS syndication standard is now the momentous favorite of standard. Although I am somewhat illiterate on both Atom and RSS, why RSS?...(I will probably read some more on it)...but I also wonder what effects that might have on the open source community?...I mean the article is saying Microsoft, Yahoo, and Apple are all behind this standard (RSS)...and Google with Atom...think Google is going to maintain favor for Atom?

Sustainability in IT!!!

2005-08-22T19:28:00.000-05:00

I am totally stoked, enthralled at the fact that I got a very simple phone call this morning at work.

For the past 4 months I have been recruiting high tech volunteers, both being students and Industry professionals, to aid in the development in a new breed of web database for tracking volunteer hours, providing new ways of collaborating and communicating at North Carolina Central University and the Triangle, NC community...up to this point I have managed to distill a core group of highly motivated mix of student and IT professional (group of 6) in this project.

They are volunteers, great ones at that with a lot of talent and dedication. The only thing is they are what I call, "transient"...or here for a short time. Like it or not...they have lives and probably won't see this new database 3 years from now. Our project leader will be leaving us in January, and three others are actively seeking IT jobs, which may limit their involvement...and the students involved...will move on eventually.

So, even with best practices in mind...utilizing MVC model 2 architecture....with extensive documentation and UML practices....the institution of this database will not be fully realized in the future unless there are people at this university to see it through. In other words, SUSTAINABILITY, which remains key and the centric meaning of my job.

Well, that happened today to an extent with more momentum following....
The Graduate School of Library Science has decided to become involved a great deal....continuously and with vigor!!! I love it!!!

With a simple call she said,

Professor--"Hi, may I speak with Calvin Webster?"

me--"Sure, this is Calvin, how may I help you?"

Professor-- "Well, my name is Dr. Swain...and I want to provide students in developing the database you are developing, possibly work with your office to make this a collaboration."

me--"Really!?!?..."

Professor--"Yes, we have our graduate students needing projects, and there are many professors here that are interested in this project; I am sure they want involvement."

me--"Wonderful! I will send you the information on our current status."

Professor--"Great, and I will relay this information to the professors."

AWESOME!!!

Of course there was a lot more to that conversation, but that is the gist of it...and it seems she isn't the only one! Last Friday my supervisor told me a professor stopped her and asked if she can be involved. I am so stoked!!

The power of networking is an amazing thing...and I thinkI am off to a good start with this project and its longevity.

Rank # 1, 3, 9, 10 on Forbes America Richest!

2005-08-21T16:36:00.000-05:00

Not one to criticize formal education...(I believe college education is fundamental to society's advancement and progression)....but I could not help but notice something pretty interesting while 'surfing' the net today.

Somehow I wandered over to the Forbes 400 richest Americans...and noticed in the top 10, 4 of them are college drop-outs....of the top 10, 4 are technology related innovators.....
http://www.forbes.com/lists/forbes400/2004/09/22/rl04land.html?chan=b1usrichest05

here they are:
#1. Bill Gates (Microsoft coFounder)-- Harvard Drop-out
#3. Paul Allan (Microsoft coFounder)-- Washington State University Drop-out
#9. Michael Dell (Founder Dell Corp.)-- University of Texas at Austin Drop-out
#10. Lawrence Ellison (Founder Oracle)-- University of Illinois Drop-out

The rest of the list consists of #2 Warren Buffet --Investments and the Walmart family.

This leads me to ask a few questions:
Did they know they already had a lottery ticket?
Did they leave college to persue the businesses that made them rich?
Does formal education somehow limit entrepreneurship in technology?
Is this a coincidence?
And is this why when looking for a job in IT, certifications rather than degrees hold more weight?

I find this information quite silly and probably useless, but...I would be interested to see if this correlation applies to other technology entrepreneurs.

Cool way to use flickr!

2005-08-21T11:25:00.000-05:00

It's a Sunday and I am just lounging around, playing with my blog and trying to dig deeper into blogworld.

Today I started using Bloglines to organize the blogs that I want to read on a regular basis. One of them was the 'Make' magazine blog, where I found a cool post about using your flickr photos to make magazine front page templates.

It's really fun and I've already made about 10 of them and sent them out to my friends! To the left is one I did for my friend Koji, who is just now starting grad school at Perdue getting his MBA. Go Koji!!!

I don't believe you just have to have a flickr account, but they are free and provide so much storage!!!

A little on bloglines: with all the agregators out there used to collect all your atom or rss feeds, bloglines provides an online means to do the same, accesible from anywhere you can connect to the internet. I really like it because it's super-easy to use and now I dont have to type all the links to check every single site I want to visit! As I dig deeper in blog world, I find it harder to keep up with all the interesting blogs and developments....

Enjoy!

'Make:' - O'reilly's newest publication!

2005-08-18T23:49:00.000-05:00

Just a quick nod to O'reilly's newest publication, MAKE. My father recently subscribed and over the weekend I got to get a nice read out of it!

Check out the site: http://www.makezine.com/

If you are into taking scrap computer parts and making things with them...like an old mouse becoming a robot...or some pretty digestable tutorials on things spanning from podcasting to hacking your PSP or iPod...then this is the magazine!

O'reilly, being a computing book publisher fav for me already....has a wonderful reputation for getting the information across while being entertaining! As a self-taught computing person....their books are great!

I love my hobbies!

2005-08-18T22:58:00.000-05:00

I work hard, but I also play hard!

Usually during the week, you will find me in the office or on a computer somewhere...but on the weekends...I really get away.

I am always a sucker for obsessive balance...if there is such a thing...when I am into something, I am totally immersed, but I like to round myself out with a few hobbies on the premise of mind body and soul.

this past week I got some 'balance'....

Mind
I play a game called 'Magic: The Gathering" whenever I am with friends. Now..this game is pretty stigmatized with the likes of Dungeons & Dragons, and other role playing games, because of its fantasy nature and the active use of your imagination...and I guess there is a cultish following of fanatics that do nothing but collect these cards and play every single day! But D&D cannot boast a world professional tour and worldwide intergenerational appeal. Magic is more like chess but with another dimension, randomness. also the game was created out of the graduate work towards a PhD in combinatory mathematics at UPenn by Richard Garfield.

I like statistics and probability and the way the game works. In Magic, you have to make a deck that consists of at least 60 cards...from literally thousands of cards available. In that deck, you can only have 4 copies of any single card, except for the currency of the game(mana)...and most decks that are good have a strategy. There are five colors, each having certain strengths and weaknesses...and you can only play on 'mana' a turn.....and in order to play any other cards, you have to 'tap' or pay mana that you have on the board. Well, I just realized that I could write a book on explaining this game....so for brevity...here is a link to check out: http://www.wizards.com/magic/playmagic/

Ultimately, its just fun for hours of strategy and fun problem solving...and this past weekend I got to really play a lot with some friends. The cool thing is once you make a deck...you can play that same deck for hours, the cards are worth money(virtually no loss of value on the secondary market), and you can play a quick 5 minute game to a 3 hour one as well. There is even an open source online playing tool on sourceforge at http://sourceforge.net/projects/mindless (its called mindless automation)

Body & Soul
Surfing pretty much is my food for body and soul. Since the age of 13 I have surfed...from the beaches of Hawaii to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Lately I haven't been able to surf as much as I would like, but the love and passion remain.

This past weekend I got to surf after a long hiatus...and it was very replenishing. Not only does it keep you in shape with all the paddling, push-ups...and trunk-twisting carves, but in the downtime, you, or at least I, get to reflect on life, love, passion, meaning, and nature. I have brushed against dolphins, sharks, and turtles...and they all were nice. Well, there was one shark incident tht shook me up, but it was a great White and it was swimming towards me. Also, its so freakin humbling.

This past weekend the waves were a nice 3'-4' and fairly clean lines....with sun, friends, and food :D

I hope after all the hustle of college starting again, I can kick back and enjoy my hobbies!

CDT -- A VISTA experience.

2005-08-09T20:10:00.000-05:00

Wonderful, wonderful VISTA!

How can a concentration of so many inspiring people not cause change?!?

This week I am in my mandatory CDT (Continuing Development Training) at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Raleigh. It's pretty nice and I have been stuff all day with catered food.

Now this development training is supposed to enhance our VISTA efforts by teaching us skills for stress management, sustainability, infrastructure, grant writing, etc....but what, at least so far, have gained from it is the networking and just meeting all of the people. As luck would have it, I am one of the first to meet our new Campus Compact VISTAs, JJ, Chris, Ben, Beth, Bethany, and Shannon who, I'd like to add, are all so talented and personable! Not only that though; I am reuniting with some North Carolina VISTAs I met at PSO (Pre Service Orientation)...Tabitha, Carrie, Ida, and Jocelyn. Not to go on too much about it, but I really enjoy these gatherings of mind, heart, and determination.

I am also excited to learn what our trainer has in store for us. He seems to be very knowledgable and experienced...and is good with groups (keeps conversation flowing, quenching too many personal examples)

Technology and Playboy Enterprises

2005-08-04T19:09:00.000-05:00

An interesting thing happened yesterday when downloading Tomcat to test locally.

There was a Playboy logo beside the mirror site....I thought, "How funny! I am downloading Tomcat from Playboy!"

Not sure of the legalities of posting this screenshot with the Playboy logo, but just want to share what I saw!

Model - View - Controller ....A shift in development

2005-08-02T23:02:00.000-05:00

This time last week I would not even know what you were talking about if you mentioned to me about, "Model-View-Controller (MVC) [which] is a software architecture that separates an application's data model, user interface, and control logic into three distinct components so that modifications to the view component can be made with minimal impact to the data model component." (www.wikipedia.org)

Renato, my new technology volunteer, has been really teaching me some cool stuff about design, development, testing, java, jsp, and overall project management. All this being accomplished in 2 meetings. I am really looking forward to learning more.

Today he changed my mind about the future implementation of the web database, formerly mysql with php scripting....now, mysql with jsp. This makes total sense to me because all of the technology volunteers involved in the database work have backgrounds in java and oracle, not mysql and php.

I initially chose mysql because of its ubiquity and support from university computing and php naturally followed because of the usual marriage between the two. Also, by choosing mysql and php, knowing they both follow the GNU GPL (General Public License) agreement, I wanted to be able to replicate or essentially package the work in making a data management system of tracking volunteers and operational tasks to give to nonprofits as a means to address their data management needs. Using .jsp pages can achieve this as well.

The deeper I am involved in learning about nonprofits and their lack of budget to maintain an efficient data management solution, the more I see the opportunities for service and possibly sustaining an internship program for college students for service learning.

I am learning that java is a nice solution to develop web applications for a web database, while also allowing growth for php if the need arises. To this extent, I am excited about what can be accomplished! Regardless of implementation, I am increasingly confident that ANYTHING is better than Microsoft's Access, which has been a major thorn in my daily tasks.

The perfect Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

2005-08-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

Okay, I am not one to really watch television too often, but tonight I just wanted to wind down and watch some shows and fall asleep. Been pushing hard lately.

All of my favorite things were showcased on Jay Leno tonight -- Computing, supermodel, surfing, and music.

Now I had no idea that Al Gore was seriously involved in technology, but his new Television network, Current, seems really promising. I don't want to count my chickens, but user-submitted content, web interaction, and many shorts covering a broad array of content...almost in the continuous computer, social-connecting way all seem to be what this new network is trying to exhibit. Bravo!...citizen journalism (thanks Brian) creativity and flexibility really have a lot of potential in this new venue. I wish I was more savvy so that I could send my content.

Really interesting, that Al Gore, but the show got even better!

Gisele came on and started talking about surfing!!! What is hotter than a supermodel surfing?...hmm...I dont think it gets much better than that.

To top the show, one of my favorite bands, Incubus, performed! From Pardon Me to Wish you were here to Megalomaniac....they really rock...fuse many styles, artfully blend cacophonic missed timing with curvy-jazzy improv with slow melodic sweet tones. Great show tonight; thought I would share :D

Technology Volunteers Rock!

2005-07-27T20:16:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have to just unload some excitement in this blog because I am totally excited and stoked about the prospects and the future of the work that will be accomplished in the coming months.

Today I met with 2 volunteers on very different sides of the spectrum in experience and background, while also totally impressing and blowing me away with thier motivation and sincerity.

The first volunteer has knowledge in html and little database using MS Access. His name is Derek. He is 11 years old and in 6th grade. On his own volition, he sought this volunteer opportunity as a Technology Page and upon meeting him, I was mezmerized with his insight and his dedication to making the world a better place. So young!!! so young, yet so excited!

The second volunteer is also very inspiring. His name is Renato. What is truely amazing about this guy is that he and his wife just moved from Brazil, basically do not know anyone and he wants to commit hours of his time helping lead the project team on our new mysql database. To top it off he is very knowledgable both in database modeling and analysis in Oracle and many other platforms as well as software engineering. He almost singlehandedly built databases for major financial institutions in Brazil and engineered software to comply to best standards with thorough documentation.

This is why I am here. This is why I work so hard. This is why I am where I am; people like this truely inspire me to reach, learn, and deliver my very best every single day.

Babies, BABIES everywhere!!!

2005-07-26T19:34:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I went home to visit some good friends and attend a baby shower! It was great! We got to play games and play with a bunch of kids. Being my first baby shower proved not to phase me since I wasn't the only guy there and I kept busy meeting a lot of Marc and Danyel's friends that I've never met before. It was fun, hot, and full of food. I made my sidedish staple, Lumpia, which is basically an eggroll filled with ground beef with spices and everybody loved it.

What was really crazy about the baby shower, and I don't know if I was just keen on babies since thats sort of the theme, but there were literally babies everywhere!!!! Cute cuddly, chummy, googly, BABIES! I'm a pretty baby friendly person so I fit right in playing with them.

Surfing....with impending hurricane season.

2005-07-18T20:40:00.000-05:00

The time of year is again here! As an avid surfer for 13 years, hurricane season always brings excitement, danger, and anticipation for those sweet nice rides. However, living the furthest away from a beach than ever, I find myself missing it more than ever. The only way I can quench my desire to skip out on work and just sit at the beach and surf all day is to check out the latest contests in pro surfing via ASP World Tour and the local surf scene found where I grew up in the Central North Carolina District. Talking to non-surfers, and agreeably so, whenever the mention of hurricanes comes to topic, a shudder of danger and loathing soon follows. I completely understand, but with an almost macabre delight. Not to say that I want people hurt by a hurricane, but its the only time of year that a sustainable amount of good waves comes rolling through the outer banks, for weeks on some stints. This season proves to be more promising than ever, with all the hurricanes already formed this early...could this be a record?

Hurricanes aside, the CNC Eastern Surfing Association District continues to churn out some of the best Surfers on the East Coast, Kelly Nicely, for example attends NCSU and is currently ranked one of the best in the nation and is even on the International US surf Team. In an alternate world, I wish I could dedicate all my time to getting better at surfing and learning how to surf. I'm just lonely for waves....

2 cents on technology's role in social change

2005-07-13T20:33:00.000-05:00

Realizing my role and upon my first days as a VISTA at NCCU, technology has permeated the very fabric of my purpose, both in my personal and professional aspirations/endeavors to engage citizens in communication, understanding, and change..

From the second day at 'work,' attending the "Raise Your Voice: Get a Job or Get a Life, or Both" to plucking away at the keyboard programming a webpage, communication remains the underlying dogma to which my motivations lie for exchanging knowledge, ideas, and culture. More than ever, technology is connecting people on very profound levels, finding common grounds to move towards a better world understanding. One of my charges as a VISTA is to combat poverty...through closing the digital divide gap, which still remains a major barrier to access with competitive job markets, functional literacy in communicating ideals, and actualizing dreams (i.e. business ownership, social justice) where distance, realtime information, and organizing find profound relevance and technology a weapon to combat inequality.

Dissolving those barriers to access via communication (digital divide) begets class mobility, confidence, and preserving one of our most valuable resources, time. This is my role, my purpose and the 'education' to which I am offering citizens of the 'Greater Durham Area' through my workings in creating a quicker, more easily usable web-database, teaching people web/graphic design, assessing CBO technology needs, and empowering volunteers both within the NCCU campus community and beyond with a sense of vision, hope, and opportunity for growth.

With communication increased and made more efficient, civic responsibility is strengthened and engagement is enhanced.

inspiration via Continuous Computing

2005-07-07T22:06:00.000-05:00

Being a VISTA really has its perks, let me tell ya! Not only is Poverty your theme through living under 10K a year salary, crazy workloads charged with creating hope, opportunity, and change, but also it has to all be packaged with sustainability! Combine that with the label of volunteer which sometimes undermines your leverage in 'getting things done' and the fact that these 'real life' issues we fight daily through our work are so integrated, encompassing, and unrelenting that you try to understand how you can make a mark...a change, a dent in the world you live in.

My answer to that is you can make a mark, but only if you embrace the very things you instill in others. But also, and I feel more important, is to recharge your batteries by being with the ones you love, reading the books you enjoy, and to constantly revisit the reasons for your committment. Live through your actions, practice integrity, and by all means have a few beers with some friends!

While 'recharging my battery' on the July 4th holiday, I was reading one of my favorite magazines, "MIT's Technology Review," which has a lot of cool articles relating to cutting edge...also dispersed with neat links and places to wander in cyberworld. One article in the recent issue really stuck out to me and kicked me back into inspiration mode. The article is titled, "Social Machines" by Wade Roush.

In the article, they talk mainly about continuous computing, which is basically a term used to describe the ubiquity and continuity of computers and how they are 'always on', meaning in a train, park, bedroom, bathroom, classroom, meeting, etc.

The article really frames it in a social context(Social Machines, duh) by explaining how continuous computing enables people to constantly communicate, relate, and exchange experience, culture, and ideas and how it will 'continue' to progress and become more integrated in our interactions with one another.

The article really had an impact on me and reaffirmed my motivations for doing what I do in the technology arena. Connecting people and stripping communication down to the core meanings by providing more personal interactions and realtime 'feelings', I believe, is the core of causing change and what drives the engine of understanding....if you can get past the many words in this blog post, of course.

batteries recharged!

Bush--Fort Bragg Speech 06/28/05

2005-06-29T22:59:00.000-05:00

Last minute, last night I went with a friend to Fayetteville, NC to join others in a Vigil against the war in Iraq.

My attendance shovelled up memories of days past and shook my core. While Bush was doing damage control on the war and the 'liberation' of Iraqis, I was seeing children holding up signs saying, "Toddlers for Peace"...one even said to me that he was, "..waiting for daddy to come." Now he was just talking about his dad filming the president's speech down the road, but it totally threw my heart at the wall.

Waiting for my father to call, write, and come home was probably one of the toughest times in my life while he served in Desert Shield and Storm. Sure, it was cool when he came in my 5th grade class in full chemical warfare gear showing my classmates some of the things they wore, but whenever we had to hang out in the hanger and watch him get on that monsterous plane with all the other families, I would cry for days. I guess I was a little more mature when I was younger, realizing he could die any moment. He never sugar coated things.

Coming home after Desert Shield and then almost immediately leaving again for Desert Storm left a permanent scar and resentment for war...why did he leave? will he come back? how will my little sisters and mom survive?

At the Quaker house in Fayetteville there were names of all the dead US soldiers in this 'war on terror'...I read some of those names, trying my best to pronounce and say them as if their families were right in front of me. I started to feel like that 5th grader again. I have a few friends in Iraq right now and started to think about what they were doing and if one of the names would come up on the list I was reading.

At the demonstration, I met a man named Stan Goff, who's writings I am just now noticing. His insight and experience truely give me hope that there are more people who have 'awakened' from the dogmatic 'loyalty' I've seen in some soldiers, my father included. My dad is a great man, but it seems he still follows Bush...and sometimes this pulls the carpet from my feet.

Here is an excerpt from Stan's speech:

Yet, tonight the President of the United States is going to come here to Fort Bragg and tell everyone in the country that this war is making people safer. In fact, since the Bush administration opportunistically used the terrible shock of 9-11 to advance what we now know to have been a pre-determined agenda, the number of terror attacks in the world has dramatically increased.
Let me say this very clearly, because the empirical evidence is very clear. Bush’s war has not made anyone safer. It has, however, destroyed the lives of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and according to international polls, the United States is now held in lower public esteem in the world than China.
The United States is already suffering higher casualties than we were at the same stage of the Vietnam War. So, okay, Iraq is NOT Vietnam. It could, in fact, get
worse. Rumsfeld is now telling us that the war could last for 12 more years.

This trip was an experience and I am very glad I went.

Rock'n roll, tigers, and drag queens!

2005-06-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

What a great week!

Not only did I come face to face with tigers leopards and panthers, see a good live free concert, and see drag queens perform, but I got to share it with great people!!!!!

Thursday night I went to the annual 'Live after Five' concert in Raleigh..leading to Friday spending all day at Carrboro's 'Carnivore Preservation Trust', then heading off to 'Drag Bingo'!

Release or Re-leash

2005-06-21T00:12:00.000-05:00

Monday, Monday....MONDAY!

Coming off yet another great weekend, Mondays are like a brick wall, especially posed with what needs to be done for the rest of the week. But after fishing with my nephew, basking at the beach and enjoying the water, catching up with old friends, and appreciating my father, this week will be amazing.

I still cannot believe how lucky I am to be doing what I am doing! It's just hard, taxing, and incredibly thought draining, but man, if I can at least accomplish some of my duties, I think I can contribute a great deal.

So, coming off a wonderful weekend and facing a week of challenges, do I feel release or like I am re-leashed? I feel both!!! Refreshed, relaxed, but strapped in and ready to go!!!

I'm not really sure the purpose of this post, but I guess I am just a little overwhelmed...not to be taken by challenges, but to take them on.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!!

Disturbing News about blogging censorship in China!

2005-06-13T16:58:00.000-05:00

I feel like spreading this news because, if you are new to blogging or don't realize how much freedom you have in posting, its very shocking to know that in China they are making everyone with a blog register with the government!!!!

'Big Brother is watching'!!!

[Net-Gold] China orders bloggers to register with governmentChina orders bloggers to register with government
Associated Press
Tuesday June 7, 2005
The Chinese authorities have ordered all weblogs andwebsites in the country to register with thegovernment or face closure in Beijing's latest attempt to control online dissent. Commercial publishers and advertisers could be finedup to 1m yuan (へ6,000) for failing to register, according to documents on the Chinese information industry ministry's website. Private bloggers or websites must register the complete identity of the person responsible for the site, and the ministry - which has set a June 30 deadline for compliance - said 74% of all sites had already registered.

More at http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1501184,00.html

Phil Shapiro's explanation of 'Wink' w/example

2005-06-10T22:33:00.000-05:00

as quoted by Phil Shapiro on the Digital Divide Listserve:

"hi everyone -
last month i mentioned to you about the neat free software named Wink for creating screencasts on Windows and GNU/Linux computers.

a screencast is a narrated explanatory movie with accompanying mouse movements on the screen. although Wink doesn't have audio capabilities yet, that shouldn't stop folks from creating compelling screencasts with a separate mp3 audio file. such audio files can be played concurrently in a separate tab within firefox or safari.

check out this short screencast i created explaining about the freeInkscape vector drawingprogram. http://www.writersforliteracy.org/canyoumakethis.htm

the accompanying audio for this is athttp://www.writersforliteracy.org/inkscapeaudio1.mp3

note -- the appropriate time to start the audio playing is when my mouse chooses the rectangular drawing tool -- about 20 seconds into the screencast. (i'm still learning how to do this kind of stuff.)

Wink is available at http://www.debugmode.com/wink/if you'd like to give it a try.

use shift-pause to start and stop your screen capture. onwindows computers you'll see a small animated box with 4 squaresin it in your system tray (bottom right of screen) when you arerecording your screen capture. right click on that box to finishyour screen capture.

you could fit several hours of home-made computer tutorials on acd-rom in this way.although created on Windows computers, these tutorials are in Flash format, and play fine on Mac and GNU/Linux computers. (there is also aversion of Wink for creating tutorials on GNU/Linux computers.)

surprise us with what you make. there's a lot of stuff out therethat needs explaining.

- philbtw, if you'd like to download all the files associated with the abovescreencast, i've zipped them into an archive athttp://www.writersforliteracy.org/inkscapetutorial.zip the 3 fileswithin this archive are: a very small html file, a shockwave format file showing the screen activity and an mp3 audio file containing thenarration.

click on the html file to start the shockwave file playing.the mp3 audio file can play in any of several different programs alreadyon your computer -- itunes, quicktime, and other mp3 playing software.thanks for telling others you know about Wink."

Using 'Wink' to create screencasts!!

2005-06-10T22:25:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

I found some really cool new software via Phil Shapiro on the Digital Divide listserve!

It's called Wink, and you can download it free at http://www.debugmode.com/wink/

I played a little bit with it as well HERE

The potential for this software is unlimited! And Free! Personally, I have a lot of training that I do in my job, so this will be awesome to do a bunch of tutorials and burn them on a disc, but this technology is so portable because it is a shockwave file and most browsers support it!! If you can't play it, you can download the plug-in from Macromedia's website!!

Alcohol!

2005-06-04T20:08:00.000-05:00

This is just a random rant.

I still subscribe to a listserve of plant geneticists and found this particular thread pretty funny.

As qtd by Dr. Arditti, " some orchids seemed to like a little alcohol... hmmm? Maybe Arrack is their preference. I'f I'm not mistaken, even people seem to multiply at a greater rate when
alcohol is present ;)"

It may not be funny without some background, but the bane of many plant geneticists' work lies in their ability to grow plants after they have inserted genes in them, thus propagating a clone for cultivation. Alcohol in small amounts seems to do this...although, like humans, overdosing or an excess can lead to death.

Humans = ethanol = propagation
Plants = ethanol = propagation

Humans = ethanol[unbounded] = death
Plants = ethanol [unbounded] = death

Dude! Killer bee!

2005-06-04T17:05:00.000-05:00

This is just a silly realization about my phobia of bugs!

The other day I was getting into my truck and a bumble bee flew in. Not knowing what to do, I tried my hardest to get him from trying to go through the back window, which has no opening, but he kept buzzing and trying to dig through the sealing...so i used some mail to try and pry him away and let him fly away. Just a little background on me and bugs; I never have liked them...to look at hear or know are around...i get really really scared when a bug is near me...so you can imagine how scared I was. After trying to get him away several times, he fell between the seat and the back of the truck....so I popped the seat to see if i could help him further...but after about an hour of trying, he was just sitting in one place....i thought he died....so i didnt want to mess with him. This morning I forgot about him, but after I did a little grocery shopping, he flew right by my face out of my truck. I didnt believe it was him, so i popped the seat again, and he was gone!!!!

Silly bees....then as I was driving away, I realized that there was a lady bug on my driver-side window...not wanting to roll it alll the way down, i put it partially down with hope that my driving will blow him off. That little sucker stayed on until i arrived at my destination. How wierd!

Bugs....

Exploration bears fruit!

2005-05-29T18:14:00.000-05:00

Well, this weekend rapidly is reaching an end, but at least I have a free Monday! Yesterday I went out on an adventure, today my mind went on an adventure...all fun!

Yesterday I was driving back from playing with Macho and Gumbo and right next to my dorm room, where I usually park, was a guy and his son. Usually I slow down and move totally out of the way, but as I got closer, I saw one of those recogizable faces that brings admiration and total respect. It was Abdul Ghaffar, my college mentor who ignited the fire that leads me here today. You see, Abdul is student activities director at UNC Pembroke and also advisor for Student Government, where I was fully involved. Through his leadership, I was inspired to start a service program called, Campaign for Compassion and do many other things that lead me here today! So you can imagine my excitement when I saw him with his son, Walter. It turns out that he was there for a track meet that his daughter was competing in. That's a whole different story, but his daughter is on an olympic laureate trek. She already broke a national AAU record for high jump at 10, but anyways, I went down and hung out with him and we just caught up, of course he bragged about his daughter, talked with his wife and we boomeranged effective practices in service learning and leadership! It was great, and when I thought it couldn't get any better, I met him and his wife's family friend, Tracey Williams who was so nice. Now I would be lying if I said I knew who she was at first, but didnt really know until I came back to my computer to see who she was. Such a nice lady and what a wonderful job to have, giving opportunities to women in basketball! I also met her fiance, who is also very nice and funny!

To think my weekend was going well, was an understatement...today I woke up to dogs licking me caught back up with a childhood friend and read a really good book called "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel.

Jay, my childhood friend, was my first best friend. When I first moved to North Carolina he was the first to say hi, come over and play and to share my first childhood romance with the neighboorhood girl. It's pretty amazing, but thanks to google's search engine I found his email, emailed him this morning, then he called me mid-day! We caught up and a reunion is in the works. He lives in Oklahoma City, OK so it might a little bit, but to finally reconnect with a friend I haven't seen or heard of in a while means a lot to me. He was also the first friend to move away, and through some of the rough times when my dad fought in the first gulf war, "Desert Shield/Storm" he provided me friendship and support! But as custom with military families, he moved to Missouri and I visited once, but then he moved to Alaska, explaining why it was harder to keep in touch!

The book, "Life of Pi" is fascinating and really provides me some entertainment as well as deep thought on religion and where I stand beliefwise. It's a tale about a boy who is lucky at surviving a shipwreck, only to be stranded on a lifeboat with an orangutan, zebra, hyena, and tiger(Richard Parker)....its about survival, love, and just life. Hearfully punctuated with insight and how to live, it proves to be very worth the read!

Then my father called me, always a pleasure and the best dad anyone could ask for! He is buying me a much needed fridge for my pseudo-apartment...so now i can actually go grocery shopping!

so my weekend is not over yet! I do not know if anymore events could top these past couple of days though, but I will keep you all posted!

Calvin

Google Jobs!

2005-05-28T12:35:00.000-05:00

Now, I am pretty happy with my job, but in another universe, my dream job would be...

some of the listed jobs at Google!!!

I keept track of their initial public offering and it was fun to see how exploited it became with all the pundits scrambling to insert their predictions! I am sure the job opportunities are a product of the successful IPO.

I don't know why I am thinking of this, but lately I've been reading some cool magazines.

There are a few magazines for the savvy that I'd like to recommend: Fast Company and MIT's Technology Review

These two magazines always seem to have something interesting to read and I usually learn a lot of emerging ideas/issues regarding business and innovation.

So its a nice day, been hanging out with Gumbo and Macho...I think they had a fight or something yesterday because they growl at each other, at least when I am around. Gumbo is definitely a 'male' dog with his little antics. He always tries to plop in my lap and he is a fairly large dog! Macho is more reserved, sophisticated almost, but very loving!

Its a beautiful day and I really miss the beach. I know there are some cool things to do around here, but I just havent tapped into them yet...Maybe a lake will ease my beach longing.

Anyways, I'm going out to explore...Have a great day!!!

Photoshop fun II

2005-05-28T10:10:00.000-05:00

After Retouching

My photoshop fun!

2005-05-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

Before retouching

Ahhh....Weekend!

2005-05-27T15:34:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post because I felt like writing some!

Last evening I heard in Durham, where I live, that there were 3 cross burnings! Its hard for me to stay collected when news like that comes to my attention. Why is it that people still 'hate' so much? People are people, period! To orchestrate 3 cross burnings in three different areas of Durham on the same night is quite disturbing, meaning they are organized, are pretty good at delivering messages and must have somewhat of a network. From reading a local news outlet, I found that the Mayor had no warnings to such doings...not that he would be forewarned, but that I guess when there is a sect, uprising, group doing activities, he probably is informed, especially when it could be a detriment to the livelyhood of his city. So this is even more disturbing...that no one really knew there was a group operating in this area. What to do? Where is compassion to them?

In techie news, today our office recieved the computers that I ordered and I am quite excited except that the one I ordered for web/database development was failed to be put on the purchase order...so everyone gets a new computer except me. The IRONY!!! I think its kinda funny in that that computer, the one for development, was explicitly requested! Challenges at every corner, so I just have to make what I have work I suppose! At least the office now has computers that are all current and have the software/hardware to function. I went with Dell because they seem to have good deals and are super easy to put together and open up. I know in the future, when my VISTA term ends, someone will have to work on them. So I will be playing with them here shortly! Yippee, fun!!

Also a friend of mine, Lanya Shapiro, is doing some organizing in El Salvador so I am watching her doggies, Macho and Gumbo! I am looking forward to it because I'm a pretty big animal lover and I havent really had contact with any animals lately so the company will be fun! Just the other day, in Black Mountain, I was walking around and saw a chipmunk. Those little guys are soooo cool. Its like when they spread out, they become little squares....and not to imply cruelty,but they would look cool as little carpets....they are the kind of animal you could hug....with their cuteness!

Anyways, on to playing with these computers!
Calvin