One More for the Record

Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!

2014-05-21T09:42:00.000-04:00

Amazon recently launched Smile, a way to shop and help charities to get money. This is noble and devious. The noble part is obvious, The devious part is the smile. And I'm not talking about McDonald's horrible mistake.

Normally, when I go to Amazon, I type "amazon" in my browser and off I go. now, I type "smile" and if just feels better. Fun even. OH MY GOD THEY'RE CONDITIONING ME TO ENJOY THEIR SHOPPING! Seriously though, it does seem a little insidious.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of donating some of those corporate dollars to charities. It's not altruistic as it's going to help drum up business and allow them tax write-offs. That perfectly fine. But every time I shop on their site... SMILE!

Whoever thought of this is freaking genius. Not the charity thing, that's been done plenty of times before this. No, the Smile is the stroke that makes me come back for more.

#XboxReveal Kind of Disappointing

2013-05-21T14:47:00.000-04:00

Before I start on this, let me preface this with not liking sports or racing games. That said, I understand why they highlighted those and I consider them for their gaming value rather than my personal tastes.

The big reveal was a little disappointing.

I love what they're doing with the XBox One. Bringing together media, entertainment, usability, ease of use and so on. The power should usher in a whole new age of games. But that's what was really lacking in the reveal: no game play. The demo of CoD: Ghosts at the end was more trailer than actually showing someone playing the game.

So let's look at what we do know: Impressive system specs, expanded XBox Live support, exclusivity deals, blended (not just combined) entertainment options. It's all nice. I really like the idea of not having to find the remote to switch between TV, XBox, and what not. Hmm, can I have XBox One switch to my PS3 for me? That'd be funny.

I have to admit, making the Kinect more built-in is quite the gambit. I know the Kinect wasn't originally as successful as Microsoft was hoping, but they put time and effort in to it and evolved its integration. The ability to include voice commands in games in a less clunky way would also be divine. Playing CoD: Ghosts and telling everyone to take cover rather than pull up some menu would make for a much more unique experience.

The work that EA (yes, I don't like them much, but I still have to analyze what they're doing) is putting in to their sports games is refinement. Let's face it, you play a football or soccer game, there are rules that just won't change. The only difference in competing game franchises is how well the game runs. Everything else is more or less gimmicks. EA is telling everyone they can improve how well their games will run. Better calculations, improved AI, greater graphical detail, all of it a step up. This translates well to other games yet to come.

One of the things that caught my ear was "persistent worlds". I hear that and I envision MMOs. Whether it's RPGs or otherwise, this could have a big impact. The style of free play or subscriptions is getting old, especially with so many companies getting it wrong. This could introduce new gaming models that will bring more satisfaction to players.

Let's looking at "Trending" next. Cool story, bro. I'll be blunt, there's nothing to convince me that anything trending isn't sponsored or that I'll care about it. I'd be more interested in watching The Price Is Right than The Today Show. However, given that I myself generally don't watch "trending" stuff, it could introduce me to some new content. Personally, I'll be more interested in Netflix support. But like everything else, there's potential. Possibilities. Promise.

Yeah, that's all it is right now. Promise. I'll be watching E3 for both Sony's and Microsoft's game play demos. Given its early stage of development, I really shouldn't have expected a whole lot, but when you're selling a game system, and it is a game system with a built-in media center, you need to sell games. Telling us there's a new CoD arc on the way is cool and all, but don't show brief demo clips and call it game play footage. Something more substantial would be needed. Even 15 to 20 seconds of continuous, actual game playing would be better.

For now, we have specs to help us determine base possibilities. I look forward to seeing what can actually be produced. Give us an appetizer at E3, not smells from the kitchen that you gave us at the Reveal. Looking forward to it and have fun!

PS: Did you see that plug for Halo: the TV series? Who would have thought they'd have a commercial in such a big presentation?

Disruption of innovation

2013-03-14T20:37:00.000-04:00

"Soft SOPA" & How Copyright Disrupts Technological Innovation

Copyright and free speech have been at the forefront quite a bit lately. To some, we need to afford protections to creators. To others, it is manipulation of laws to suit their personal wants. The result is everybody losing.

The internet has created a huge disruption in sales and distribution of many kinds of media, including movies and music. The biggest problem many people have pointed out has been that, rather than adapt, old business models refused to adapt and instead tried to get laws to force things from changing. This is especially obvious of the RIAA who simply fought against the MP3 format rather than embrace and use it. Now, Apple, Amazon, Google, and many others are making a lot of money they never will. All because they refused to change.

Instead, they tried manipulating laws and suing people in order to extract money. For this, the popular media and the public have demonized them. Yet they continue for the sake of stagnation.

This is a disruption of innovation.

Disruption in the business world is supposed to strengthen the money that goes in and out of coffers, but this is because people are “building better mousetraps”. When innovation is disrupted, they are essentially happy to let the mice run free if their product does not work properly.

The issue here is copyright. Copyright is not a bad thing in and of itself. Nevertheless, the way it has been manipulated has forced people to fight in ways that are shocking to the old business models. In the past, if someone profited off your work without permission, you could sue him or her for profits. With the modern internet, they have encouraged people to fight back by not making money off those works.

This strikes me as interesting. They know these people are not making money and yet they sue them anyway. Where exactly is the profit? I could go on and on, but plenty of people have realized this is a dead horse. Well, everyone except lawyers…

The point is, we have a broken system, and that is our current copyright laws. We need to overhaul it. It used to be your work was yours for 14 to 28 years, which may not seem long now, but let us consider how long a work is profitable. A book comes out. It will sell, make some money, movie rights are sold, it becomes a blockbuster, toy action figures are sold, kids have the characters on their lunchboxes (do they still do that?), and so on. The time frame for this? Let us take Harry Potter as an example. The first book was released in 1997 and the last movie was released in 2011. If we take that series as a whole for our argument, that is 14 years alone. Obviously, the series was VERY profitable. To this day, it is still making money. The 28-year limit above was if an author applied for an extension, and you can be sure J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. would have applied for that extension.

By 2025, Harry Potter’s fame and profitability should be very much diminished, such that entry in to the public domain would not really cost anyone. That is 28 years. So what about Disney? Mickey Mouse is still popular and they are making money off of it, right? Disney is a poor example of protecting copyrights. Simply put, they have made quite a bit of money off of public domain properties. Disney’s first feature length film was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The movie was derived from Snow White, first officially published, if I understand my sources correctly, in 1857. They made a fortune off that movie using nothing but a public domain work.

Disruption of games

2013-03-14T19:39:00.001-04:00

The Next Xbox Has Mandatory Kinect, Game-Swapping and New Controllers, According To Leaked Info

The speculation of Microsoft’s next-gen console having systems in place to stop people from playing used game discs has many people speculating. If true, the used game market could take a nosedive in an empty pool. The idea is that once a game is installed and played on a single console, it cannot be installed on any other console. So, once you install it, it’s your for life. Even if you lend to a friend, he couldn’t play it.

Now, I know quite a few people who, once they are bored with a game, will trade it in for store credit and get another game. This business would come to a halt. While I know people who would not shed tears for their $10 credit for a $50 game being around anymore, there is also a misunderstanding about how the used games market works. When you trade in your game, they are essentially taking a chance that the game will be bought by somebody else. While they give you a $10 credit and them mark it up to $30 on their shelves, if the game does not sell, they’re out that money for good.

“So what? They make plenty of money from new games, right?” Wrong. Game stores usually buy a game for $45 and sell them for $50. Not a big profit. Now perhaps you can understand why they are willing to take such risks: much bigger profits.

So what is the uproar then? Developers do not get a cut of used game sales. They make money based on how many new games are sold. While people purchase a game 10 million times, only 5 million of that may be new games.

With this new suggestion of locking a disc to a console, the used game market is cut. The business of selling games becomes disrupted. So why is this “better” for consumers? Well, if developers can make more money on their games, they can lower the prices on them. Naturally, consumers win.

This begs the question; why not just go digital on games? XBox Arcade does that now. There is Steam as well. Why not just sell those AAA titles digitally? This is because of places like Walmart who threaten to cut shelf space for everything if they do. Stores do not make much money on games, but they do make money on peripherals, like controllers and HDMI cables. Companies like Microsoft make good money on those too. With games on the shelves, people will come in to buy the games and increases the chances of buying peripherals as well. Walmart makes money, Microsoft makes money, and prices stay high.

This has been true for quite some time, but physical stores are losing to virtual stores. Amazon can give you a comparable deal to Walmart. What’s more, they could set themselves up to sell games digitally as well. By cutting out more need for physical game discs, they can cut prices. At that point, if Walmart were to do away with selling peripherals, they would only be hurting their own bottom line.

We have two cases of disruption that essentially cut out the middleman. Companies can sell virtually direct to consumers without shelling out money to print millions of discs and get a much better return. This may take some time to bring about, but at this point, it seems inevitable.

Disruption of smartphones

2013-03-14T19:05:00.001-04:00

Is the Samsung-Google alliance heading for a crossroads?

The article describes how Samsung and Google may have cooperation problems in the future. However, let us back pedal a bit.

Apple released the iPhone. Suddenly, the smartphone was at the forefront of the electronics consumer market. Sure, it built of the popularity of the iPod. However, the iPhone was quick to take the market by storm and if you did not have one, you were behind the times.

Sometime after, Google unleashed the Android operating system. It was obviously a competitor to the iOS system, and thus to Apple’s successful iPhone. Apple, who enjoyed a virtual stranglehold on the smartphone market, suddenly was losing market share. The war was on.

Now, Samsung has the option to insert more competition in to the smartphone market. With a new smartphone operating system, they can wean themselves off Google’s Android system and launch their own.

They are disrupting Google and Apple’s dominance.

This, as many people will argue, is a good thing. While Samsung has not innovated software or hardware, they have made great strides in combining the two. Their smartphone OS, named Tizen right now, would reduce their reliance on Android OS and allow them a substantial boost to their bottom line if successful. Google and Apple would have to step up their game.

Apple has shown, in my humble opinion, a lack of creativity. We see less and less innovation from them. Their latest phone sought to throw off Google Maps simply because they wanted to cash in on ad revenue. They failed miserably and their replacement app has become the laughingstock of the tech world. Meanwhile, Google released a replacement that many people quickly downloaded.

Google, on the other hand, is very versatile. They are very familiar with trying new things and cutting what does not work. In their latest “spring cleaning”, they are eliminating Google Reader, simply because it is not working as they want any more. Sure, many people jumped to other services. I myself tried to join Feedly, but I couldn’t right away because of the vast amount of people accessing their servers.

So, if we end up having 3 viable smartphone sources, the only thing that can happen is competition. Innovation. Improvement. These are good things. Not only would Samsung bring a new product that would make the market stronger, but also Google would respond by stepping up their game. Hopefully Apple will react appropriately and bring some new ideas to light. Win for the companies and win for the consumers.

Disruption in our world

2013-03-14T18:36:00.000-04:00

Of all the words to become buzz-worthy, I would not have imagined that disruption would be one of them. After reading the articles, I have come to believe that it's more than buzz. It is fear.

There are plenty of stories of "the student becoming the master", and I am not talking of Darth Vader. Usually these stories are of the old masters teaching new students who eventually out do their master. However, I rarely see these successes being "Oh, I just did a better job than you." They are more along the lines of "Oh, I can do it in a better way." This is disruption. We are seeing it more and more in our modern world at a faster pace than before. I would like to look at a few of these cases and evaluate them and what impact they could have. In addition, we will see what is being done to stop it.

Connecting History to Diverstity

2013-02-14T10:44:00.002-05:00

One of the classes I have to take for my Associate's degree is Intercultural Communication (COM 225). This is not like "I just HAVE to get that toy/gadget/pair of shoes/midget!" It's more like "Aw, do I have to?" Despite that, I figured it should be fun or at least an experience.

One of the other classes I have to take is American History to 1877 (HST 201). This time it is more along the lines of "You HAVE to eat a vegetable! Do you want broccoli, green beans, or vegetable medley?" If you're wondering why I'm making these have quotes sound childish, it's because the objections I have are really minor. If I were not required to take the other classes, it would really narrow my views and education.

Yesterday in COM 225, we were looking at diversity and how it can enrich your experiences. One of the questions asked during the class was "How much empathy should a president have?" Now, I considered this a loaded question. Clearly, it was asking for an opinion. The catch was, any office of president, whether of a country, a school, a company, or a local hobby club, is executive. That means he carries out the will of others. In other words, a president should not have any empathy.

That said, I thought back to HST 201 from the day before. We had covered the Whiskey Rebellion. Simple summary, the newly formed Congress passed a tax on distilling alcohol and people in Western Pennsylvania refused to pay it. Washington gathered a militia to march on the rebels using a force of about 12,000 men. The rebels who were completely outnumbered changed their minds and agreed to pay the taxes.

Now, this is an example of a president. He enforced the laws that were passed did not need empathy. However, what followed after was somewhat surprising. Two men were convicted of treason and sentenced to hang. Washington pardoned these men. He had no requirement or need to do so. That alone showed a sense of empathy that was certainly not required of his position.

In the end, even if your job does not call for it, you are going to have some sense of empathy and compassion for other people. It is an aspect of human nature. We might as well accept it and use it. Well, unless you are a psychopath or sociopath.

Have fun!

Too soon?

2012-09-25T16:02:00.000-04:00

"Snape kills Dumbledore!" At 11:59 PM, right before the 6th Harry Potter book was going to be sold on the east coast of the US, a guy pulls out a bullhorn and announced that to the long line of people (many of which were children) waiting for the release in a Walmart. Naturally this caused a mighty uproar and caused a lot of kids to cry. The big problem? The book hadn't been released yet and he revealed a major plot point. Soime people considered it illegal, except for one problem: The book had been released five hours earlier in the U.K. where the book was published. (This exact story is hearsay and I couldn't find a news article directly pointing to it, but this story has been around for some time as well as many versions of it.)

I think everyone will agree that 5 hours from release is way too soon for spoilers, whether it's a book, game, movie, whatever. But just how soon is too soon?

The standard fallback of "It varies for everyone" never applies. When one friend of mine was getting ready to watch the 6th movie, I asked "Are you gonna shout 'SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE!' when he kills him?"
He looked at me aghast and said "Dude! Way to ruin the movie!"
"What are you talking about?"
"The movie just came out two days ago! I hadn't seen it yet!"
"... Dude, the book's been out for four years."
"... What book?"
Yeah, I didn't cut him any slack. I had a similar occurrence with the Lord of the Ring movies and had no shame in talking about books that had been out longer than I had been alive while others whined that I was spoiling things.

So I think we can agree as far as a standard goes, 5 hours can generally be too soon and 4 years is more than long enough. But then we have issues with people who honestly haven't experienced something yet.

My girlfriend has never seen the original Wizard of Oz movie. She knows a lot of the references though and doesn't really care to see the movie since she pretty much know what happens. Part of me is aghast as it's a deeply woven part of American culture. Heck, if you say "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," people not only know what you mean, but where the reference comes from. (For added spice in outer space, use a more local reference. Imagine Luke Skywalker saying "I don't think we're on Tatooine anymore.")

I guess it really does come down to personal consideration. If someone is expressing interest is enjoying something for the first time, don't ruin it. Let them enjoy it in its unfettered beauty.

Except for Snape killing Dumbledore. Everyone already knew that. Have fun!

Borderlands 2: Be careful what you wish for

2012-09-24T10:23:00.000-04:00

Borderlands was a good game, but it was lacking in story. Sure it had plenty of chuckles, but not a lot of substance. So when the sequel was announced, a lot of the fan base asked for more of a story.

We got it. And it ain't pretty.

While Borderlands 2 has lots of laughs, it also delves more in to the who/what/etc. of the planet. There are some very dark moments, which definitely changes the tone of the game when you hit them. I'm not one for putting out spoilers, so you'll have to play through. I hit one point where suddenly I felt extremely horrible about what had happened. In a sense, "Shit just got real, yo."

Good job, Gearbox and 2KGames. I want to kill Handsome Jack not because it's the goal, but because it's personal. And I don't mean that "Good job" sarcastically. This is a story that starts off light and layers it on heavier and heavier. I'm now vested in my character and her motivations (Yeah, I'm playing Maya) and want to see this through to the end.

Oh, and if you want to know what the gameplay is like, it's a lot like Borderlands with more variety, which is a good thing. They took what worked and improved on it. They added a few new elements to re-balance the game and tied it in with the story. And the music just fits everything so well. It's also nice to have some more landscape colors other than Brown and More Brown.

Yogurt Boost

2012-09-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

So here's an interesting kick twist for breakfast: Yogurt and Pancakes. No, I don't mean put yogurt on top, I mean inside the pancakes. This recipe for pancakes serves as an excellent base, but you may want to change the ingredients to...

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup yogurt and milk
1 egg

Instead of adding milk, you can add a single serving of yogurt mixed with milk. Most yogurt comes in 6 oz. containers, so you won't need much milk. The easiest way to do this is to put the yogurt in a one cup measuring cup and fill it the rest of the way with milk. The pancakes come out a little heavier and more cake like. The batter is also much thicker, so you can't pour it like regular batter. I've found a couple spoonfuls make a good sized pancake.

Another fun mix is pudding. Many smaller instant pudding packages call for 2 cups cold milk. Again, replace some of the milk with a container of yogurt and you'll get a creamier pudding. What's more, you can have some fun mixing flavors of pudding. Strawberry yogurt and banana pudding make for a great combination, but experimenting can really produce some excellent results, like Jell-O's French Vanilla pudding and Yoplait's Triple Berry Torte yogurt.

There are other recipes you can do the swap with and eHow.com has some guidelines you can follow. Are you making things a little healthier? That's debatable, but you can certainly make them tastier. Have fun!

Eurocuisine 2-Quart Yogurt Maker from chefscatalog.com

College Classes Teach Each Other

2012-09-14T11:27:00.000-04:00

Right now, I'm taking 3 college classes: Intro to Java Programming, Precalculus, and Intro to MS Office. One of my biggest obstacles I've had to tackle is "How can I use this?" Let's go back to high school. Or rather, let's think back to the classes in high school. Not many people actually want to go back. Anyway...

In high school, we came across a number of things that we didn't quite see how it applied to real life. Unless you were going on Jeopardy, why did it matter when the Magna Carta was signed? What did balancing a chemical equation have to do with the price of tea in China? And would someone please tell me when you would ever use the Pythagorean Theorem? All of these were just stuff we were taught in school, and we were rarely given real world examples.

This stuff bored the crap out of me and now I'm facing the same kind of boredom in my current classes. Sure, I'm happy to be learning all this, but it's aggravating. So I found ways to put my knowledge to use. Specifically, I've been using my classes to work with each other.

All my precalc homework is being done in MS Office and exported as PDF, e-mailed to the teacher. I've also been playing with Java and doing some of the calculations with Java programs instead of just a calculator. This actually gives me a connection with each of my classes on how to solve issues, even if it's just to do my homework.

If you find yourself struggling with the "boring" classes, see how you can relate each class to one another. It might just give you a little bit of an edge and make that information stick. Have fun!

Microsoft Office 2010 PC Home And Student Edition

Morals vs. Ethics

2012-09-07T08:27:00.000-04:00

I generally thought morals and ethics were interchangeable, and in some instances they are. But like rectangles and squares, it's only in certain circumstances. All squares are rectangles because they all have four 90° angles. Not all rectangles are squares because not all of them have four equal sides.

Morals are personal. Let's get that right straight out of the gate: Morals are PERSONAL. They're something you grow up learning, applying, sometimes changing because you find that one isn't as right as you thought. Your own sense of right and wrong are your morals. They may copy or follow someone else's morals, but they are yours. Morals are generally associated with organized religions, despite being personal.

Ethics are much more social. They are debated, refined, and applied over systems. Ethics may conflict directly with morals or work perfectly aside them. Ethics tend to develop over time and only end up really changing when they are found not to be practical.

This is really a big difference. Morals are personal, simple, and easily changeable. Ethics are social, complex, and difficult to change. The bigger difference is ethics can become laws much easier.

In order for a law to have some bearing, it has to at least pass general consent. A wide variety of morals by their nature disagree with one another because each moral identifies what is good by only a personal point of view. Say a local council is deciding whether to make fishing in the local streams legal or illegal. You can have morals go like this:

Good: Fishing is relaxing
Bad: Fishing kills animals
Bad: Fishing wastes time
Good: I like to eat fish
Bad: Fishing is boring
Good: Some fishing will get me away from the family

Ethics, on the other hand, tackle it from a different point of view:

Good: It doesn't hurt other people
Good: it doesn't encroach on others rights
OK: It would have minor environmental impact
Good: It could encourage business in the area
Good: Licenses can be sold, generating revenue and reducing over-fishing

The ethics would say that fishing should be made legal. Is it snubbing those who think fishing is bad? No, because they decide for themselves that fishing is bad.

In my opinion, one of the more famous examples of recognizing morals vs. ethics comes from the Book of Matthew

"Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" - Matthew 22:21, Christian bible

This has been interpreted many ways, not the least of which is "You can't say you don't have to pay taxes because of religious reasons." For me, it's puts morals and ethics is the spotlight as well. A little back story for the quote, Jesus is approached and asked if people should pay taxes. The question was a trap because if he said no, they would turn him over for defying the government. His statement did more than just say "yes", however.

By ethical standards, paying the taxes was the right thing to do because it was the law. From a moral standard, you don't want to give up your money so you think it's a bad thing, thus it's immoral to impose taxes on you. Here's where the disconnect happens: Because you're attempting to apply your moral to someone else's behavior, it's no longer your moral; it is now an ethic, and the ethical thing to do would be to pay your taxes. In this way, Jesus was teaching that it was possible to be ethical and moral at the same time.

Where I've seen a lot of people improperly apply their morals is when dictating how other people should behave. Once you try to apply a moral standard to someone else, it's no longer your moral, it becomes part of an ethic. If there's an ethic in place already, your moral is automatically... I'm not sure what the right word for this is. Vetoed? Trumped? Ignored? In any case, it becomes unimportant.

In that vein, it's impossible to say someone is immoral. If they're doing something, they believe it is moral to do it. On the other hand, if someone is unethical, they're either rude or breaking the law. That sounds about right. Have fun!

Retro Review Relevance

2012-09-02T14:59:00.001-04:00

A lot of people are familiar with the Angry Video Game Nerd. If not, here's a simple summary: He reviews old games from the Atari 2600 to the Nintendo 64 (the oldest I recall) which are exceedingly bad. I had a laugh and agreed on quite a few points. But what relevance does that have in today's video game market?

I was doing some cleaning up and decided to hook up the GameCube and play some Wind Waker. And I found myself wishing there were games that used some of these elements.

And then I put two and two together.

A lot of people I talked to see retro reviews as something to just draw in the nostalgia crowd. I'm realizing there are more valuable lessons to learned. In the case Angry Video Game Nerd, it's what NOT to do. The majority of these reviews also point out what worked.

As an example, let's consider Super Mario 64, which was the first game for the Mario franchise to leap from the 2D to the 3D. It's a great game. Are the two related? Not directly. Though 3D gaming was becoming more popular, what made SM64 a great game was it was a great game. I know, a simplistic analogy, but hear me out. The level designs were excellent, the controls worked well, it gave a great challenge, the music fit the game very well (I loved the Metal Mario music!), and it's story, while not monumental, was just right for the game. The graphics were good for when it was released, but by 2012 they'd be considered crap. So why is it hailed still as a great game? Because it is a great game.

Retro reviews only mentions crappy graphics or horrible sound if they are truly awful. They do consider the available technology of the game's time. When they cite bad music, it's because it was badly composed or played inappropriately, such as only having a single ten second track looping endlessly without pause. When the graphics are hit, it from seeing the artists not even trying, especially if you're questioning if something is a gun or a dildo.

Even though they talk about games made 20 or 30 years ago, a number of lessons from those times can still be learned. A good game cannot rely on good graphics alone. If it has no substance, it'll make people ask why they even bothered picking up the game and playing it.

If you can, I invite you to play a couple of yesteryear games and see what made them good and what made them bad. Not for nostalgia's sake, but to make you appreciate all the work that helped make some of the good game what they are today. And on the topic of games, I just lost the game! Have fun!

Java 6 and 7 updated

2012-08-31T17:54:00.000-04:00

A short while ago, I wrote about an exploit in Java 7 that made computers, regardless of operating system or browser, very vulnerable. Thursday, an update was released for Java 7 (update 7) that fixes this. An update was released for Java 6 (update 35) as well. Needless to say, it would behoove you to download and install the updates you need.

Myself, I use Java 6 and 7. I have a few older programs that won't work with 7, so I keep 6 around for that very reason. All in all, I haven't been too disappointed with Java. That's the main reason I'm taking college courses to learn Java programming.

Now, a lot of people are still saying if you don't need Java, you should uninstall it still. It's like that weight set you bought and never used; it's just lying there, taking up space, and someone could trip over it. The difference? That weight set cost you money, Java is free. So if you don't need Java, you can uninstall it and install it later if you do need it. Have fun!

Java All-in-one for Dummies from cdsbooksdvds.com

How much money is enough?

2012-08-31T12:55:00.000-04:00

I've heard the stories plenty of times. "If I win the lottery, I'm quitting my job!" A lot of us without much money can comment about what we'd do if we had enough money. But it's hard to actually say what we'd do when we actually get that kind of money.

Right now, I have 3 things on my list if I got a lucky break and won a lot of money. They are, in order:

Pay off my girlfriend's loans
Buy myself a car
Buy my best friend a car

Honestly, with $200 grand, I could do that and I'd be happy. But what about funds over that? I honestly don't know what I'd do with anything more. If I win some sweepstakes that gives me a whole bunch of cash, I'd probably be at a loss. Do I save it? Invest it? Do something else that I haven't thought of?

I could see a number of options when I think about it. First would be to make sure the freaking taxes are handled. Depending on how much was left, I could use it to go to school. If it was a whole lot, I wouldn't even have to worry about retiring. It'd be like BAM! no need to work. Get a house, secure my retirement (which would start right away), maybe take a trip. Hell, I could always open that restaurant that I've wanted.

I'm not mentioning charity because I kind of see that as a given. Not for tax purposes either, but because I wouldn't be able to say otherwise; help some of the local food banks or shelters, donate to the Red Cross, even fund cleaning up the parks. I would have options.

Of course, it's easy to say something like that now. Once I actually had the money, will I have a different opinion or do different things? It's hard to tell. I'd like to say no, but then again, I don't have the money now. At least I can dream.

I do know one thing for sure that I would do: big awesome super party! With lots of pizza! Have fun!

Phoney Lottery Tickets from spencersonline.com

Wish I had a car

2012-08-29T18:23:00.000-04:00

A little more than a year ago, I had a little blue '85 Chevy S-10. She got me where I needed to go. Then her engine block cracked in 3 places. Needless to say, I was sad.

Now, I mostly rely on foot power and public transportation. I don't mind it, but there's a certain freedom that comes with having a vehicle. Munchies? Drive right down to the burger joint. College? I'll get there at my own leisurely pace. Time for work? Just gotta get in and drive.

There were downsides, to be sure. Gas, insurance, maintenance, all of these cost money. But that's part of the problem of having such a toy; you have to keep it going if you want to play with it.

While I miss my old girl, I do take a little heart in the money we're not spending on the costs that come with it. Maybe instead of driving to the burger joint, we'll order out for a pizza. Have fun!

Java 7 update 6 exploitable

2012-08-28T15:25:00.000-04:00

In the last update of Java (v7 update 6) there was a 0-day exploit found and being used. This can affect all computers running Java 7 and all web browsers.

What this means is that there's a big problem in using the latest Java and it could hurt your computer. You can go to www.isjavaexploitable.com to test your computer. The site is run by a reputable computer security company and will show if you're vulnerable to the exploit.

It has been recommended by numerous security companies to remove Java 7 completely, though some are calling for complete removal until Oracle fixes it, and some are saying it's okay to use Java 6 in the mean time. If you use Java 6, be aware that it comes with its own vulnerabilities.

Another option, if you think you're savvy enough, is to request an unofficial patch from DeepEnd Research. They'll e-mail patches on request, but this is not intended for home use. Note that this has not been verified or approved by Oracle.

Now, you may be wondering, "Won't Oracle, who is responsible for Java, patch this as soon as possible?" The answer is "Perhaps not." Oracle usually releases 3 major updates a year in February, June, and October with bug fixes released around 2 months after the major update. The next update is expected to come in October. It is rare for Oracle to update at all outside of this schedule, though the attention might change their minds. To my knowledge and searching, Oracle has not released a comment pertaining to this yet.

If you don't know what version of Java you have, go to a command prompt.

For Windows, you can press Win-R, type "cmd", hit enter.
For Macs, Go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
For Linux, just go to a shell.

Then type in "java -version" and see what comes up. If you see a version of 1.7 or higher, you susceptible to the exploit. If it says 1.6, you should be OK. Well, as OK as you can be with Java 6 at least.

So be on your guard. Don't go to suspicious websites as usual. Play it safe.

World needs more goofy stuff

2012-08-28T11:41:00.000-04:00

You ever play YouTube Roulette? You watch a video and then click on another video in the sidebar. I always go for second to last. Fair warning: If you play this game, you may end up in THAT part of the internet. Again.

Every now and then you win big and find something like this. It's originally from a website called albinoblacksheep.com which itself is host to many more bits of awesome. Have fun!

Good morning and then some!

2012-08-28T09:10:00.000-04:00

It's strange how a change can impact you. I ended being burned out from my first day of classes yesterday, but it was a refreshing kind of burn out. The kind of burn out you get for playing at an amusement park all day with nothing but sugar drinks and cheap processed meat for fuel. As soon as I hit that pillow last night, even though I was energetic the whole evening, I was almost out like a light. If I was a kid, Daddy would have been carrying me in to bed while I dozed on his shoulder.

This morning, I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Well, as much as you could get without being a furry anyway. Usually I have to down a couple Monsters to get that kind of pep. It's nice to be able to get up and go.

Pre-calc is turning out easier than I thought. It's just a case of memorizing the formulas so far. Once I have them down, applying them should be simple enough. Intro to Java should be fun. The teacher seems like he has a case of "Duuuuude, check this out."

Lately, I've felt myself in a slump. Maybe what I needed was something to give me some direction again. This could be just what I need to make a life. I owe most of the credit to my girlfriend. If she hadn't talked me in to it, I would just be bumming around the apartment still. Have fun!

Monster Energy Drink - 24/16 oz. - Energy (Google Affiliate Ad)

First class simple...

2012-08-27T13:57:00.001-04:00

I've finished my first class, Pre-Calculus. The class itself was not a problem. Matter of fact, it was easy. Well, as easy as it could be. I find myself more anxious around others. That's what had me so nervous, it was other people.

I had problems in school, due in part to being the "new kid". Never fit in. It was in part responsible for my violent and hostile behavior. Here, it's a new page for pretty much everyone. I can taste the fear in some them and I find it quite enjoyable. For once, I have an advantage socially.

I'm not going to be a bully. I just feel like I don't have to size up everyone for a fight. It's nice to relax and enjoy my classes for a change. Have fun!

Tick tock

2012-08-27T07:51:00.001-04:00

Ten minutes to go until I leave for class. Nervous isn't a proper description. Hopefully I can make these classes mine. Also I'm finding I don't like the Blogger app as much as sitting at my desk.

Godspeed Neil Armstrong

2012-08-25T15:59:00.000-04:00

It's hitting everywhere. Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, has passed away at age 82.

My heart goes out to his family, as anyone who loses a family member will be saddened.

Neil Armstrong will be remembered through history as the first man to walk on the moon. When Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, his achievement brought forth a real possibility to go further. But with Neil Armstrong's step, I think his epic voyage drove home the idea that what we merely dreamed in science fiction was actually possible. In truth, Neil has been the only person to trump Yuri and until we set foot someplace further away, they will hold their places solid as the first space pioneers.

Mr. Armstrong didn't just make history books however. While Yuri died early, Neil went on to encourage many children to seek the stars, both literally and metaphorically. I think it was the prospect of knowing someone really could set foot on some place as far off as the Moon encouraged my amateur study of astronomy. It also likely encouraged my father who loved looking at the moon. I remember late nights looking through a telescope to observe lunar landmasses.

For many of us who look forward to the future in the stars, you will be missed.

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong, July 21, 1969

Godspeed to splash down, Neil Armstrong.

Apple vs. Samsung: Winner is NOBODY!

2012-08-25T12:27:00.002-04:00

So the decision is final. Apple "wins". From my point of view, no they didn't really win. It's kind of like a boxing match that goes all the way to the end and a winner gets decided based on points rather than someone getting knocked out.

Apple is starting to act like a stereotypical old man. "Get off my lawn!" The prices show it too. The iPhone 4S prices for $649 or $199 with a two-year wireless contract, even though it's old news. Many of the better Android-based phones are either comparable or cheaper, usually both.

The problem that exists with the iPhone and the iPad is they are starting to be seen as old. Slapping a number or letter after it won't change that anymore. The conceptions I had over each version of the iPhone was:

The first iPhone: "OOOOOOH! ME WANT!"
iPhone 2: "Cool!"
3: "Yay, I guess."
4: "OK..."
4S: "Whatever."

That only reason I wanted one was it was a toy I could play with and not much else. The iPod Touch I had was similar to it. It seemed like an iPhone that couldn't make calls or send texts. And while it had some nice apps, it wasn't anything special.

When I finally did get a smartphone, I shopped around. I read the reviews, talked to friends, compared capabilities, and in the end, I went with the HTC Evo Design 4G. It was offered at a good price and had capabilities that iPhone don't have. The big one being it wasn't Apple. Why was that important? It meant I had more control over my phone. (For the record, I have some Linux experience, so you know what kind of control I'm talking about!)

I think that's the main thing that gets me: Who could say that they could confuse a Samsung made phone for an iPhone? I pick up a phone and I can easily tell the difference from any Apple product. How? Their logo is a dead giveaway. The claim of "rectangles with rounded corners" doesn't belong to Apple. Playing cards have been using them for centuries. The original Game Boy was rectangular with rounded corners. Heck, my old Acer Inspire One is rectangular with rounded corners.

I'm not saying Apple has no case at all. Hardware (not simply design) patents are one thing. If Apple shows that Samsung was using their technology, beat Samsung down with a dirty stick.

Now, feel is trickier. I admit, the first time I saw the "bounce back" feature, it was on my iPod and it was novel, but it didn't register as something major. At first, I actually thought it was a bug; I relied more on the scroll bar. But does it belong solely to Apple? I have to say yes, if they invented it first. Apple does have experience in this matter.

In the end, I think Apple is keeping themselves on life support. They need a new product, and not just a renaming. Right now, all they make are iPhones and iPads. Oh yeah, and those Mac things too. Renaming their phone line to the iBam! is not going to cut it. Siri is cute but nothing new. If they really want to make the claim as the mac daddy of smartphones, they're going to need to be iNnovative.

I do admit, I don't understand every aspect of this case, but if the only things being released are these few bits, then the PR is not doing their jobs. Maybe someone else can explain it better or give a link. Have fun!

Stay Away From the Cubicle!

2012-08-24T20:04:00.000-04:00

Let's face it. I'm no expert on prisons. My only visit to a prison was to find out if the eGranary Digital Library was working for the inmates. Cubicle jobs, however, those I know plenty about.

I used to think I could be content to work in a cubicle. Cut off from others. Just me and a computer. How naive of a graduate student. You'd think that after my first year of working in my cubicle (open to three other cubicles) I'd have learned to adjust my mindset to survive and possibly thrive. Almost two years in and I still haven't been able to do it. Why? Because I refuse to be institutionalized.

Over the years I have, perhaps, read too many dystopian future books or watched too many mind control movies to ever be comfortable working a cubicle job. I see the building from afar and instantly my fight or flight reflex kicks in. My job is killing me with stress, paranoia, and a lack of exercise. It is also killing my brain with an overgrowth of the mundane and a shortage of mental workouts. My IQ used to be in the 150's. It's down at least 10 points.

But, of course, it's all my fault. No excuse I provide will ever be good enough for those jackasses who believe that everyone is able to do everything for themselves and those who don't are pansies. Fuck you. After a day at work, trying to survive amongst other people and the threat of unemployment I'd prefer to go back to my cell (apartment) and give my traumatized mind and body a chance to rest up so I can survive tomorrow. There is no more energy to be given to further studies to keep my brain active. The closest I have to that are the books I get from the library. I used to watch the Discovery Channel and whatnot, but can no longer afford cable TV.

I've seen it happen to many times. A person starts out a cubicle job thinking "it'll just be for a year or so until I find another job that is more suited to what I want out of a career." Fat chance sucker. The economy is so deep in the toilet that the only other jobs available are for plumbing. Let's face it, no matter how bad the economy gets, plumbers will always be needed. And now you're wishing you would have taken up a blue collar specialty because, hey, there's a lot of shit, but at least you get to see sunshine every now and then.

So, what do you do? Well, if you've got a cubicle job, chances are VERY good that you've already completed your Bachelor's Degree. Let's hope it was a good one because it's the only one you'll ever get. Why? Because you're already so many thousands of dollars in debt no bank would ever give you another loan to go back and get another degree. And even if they did, you'll never be able to pay off the debt accrued by getting two degrees. I know, I have a BA and and MA. Shoot me now.

As a result of not being able to go anywhere else because you can't afford any more college and your skills are now passe for everything except your cubicle job, you have two choices: go bat-shit crazy and have an incredibly early mid-life crisis or adopt the company persona. I've seen them; the personas. They scare me. They believe they are part of the company, an important part, despite the fact they could be replaced by the next day. The company accomplishes something they were advised not to do but did so anyways because it "looks progressive" and the personas cheer. They believe in the company. They do not see what they have lost to the company: individuality, personality, respect, a fair wage. They see only the company's "progress".

I work for one of the main educational database companies. Which one, I will not say. But there has been no major shift in popularity, income, titles, etc. to favor one company or another. They claim they are in competition with each other, but in truth they are more akin to monopolies. They only complain about the other databases for appearances. In truth, all the corporate databases have universities and libraries wrapped around their fingers. If there is truly a competition, why must the companies charge prices that are easily 50% of the library's budget? I was trained to be a librarian. Now I work for the enemy and I cannot face myself in the mirror.

It is difficult, but I have not surrendered my identity. It has nearly crushed my soul, but the company will not take me. I will find a better job...or win the lottery. Because right now, both have the same chance of happening.

"If you are not a thinking man, to what purpose are you a man at all?" - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

AdSense because why not?

2012-08-24T19:09:00.000-04:00

One of the funniest things I encountered was someone complaining about a rock band. They weren't complaining about the music or the songs. They didn't mention their outfits. They complained because their band "sold out".

Well DUH! That's why people start up rock bands. They want to be popular and awesome with thousands of screaming fans, or in other words, have a whole lot of money.

Let's face it, not a lot of people are going to be rock stars. But everyone still has that base desire of earning money. Whether it's just enough to help get by, enough to buy some extra gifts at Christmas, enough to make it their job, or enough to have a mattress stuffed full of Benjamins to flop on each night, people do things for money.

There are opportunities out there for people. They're not always easy to find, but people can stumble across a win now and then. Sometimes they find a potential way to make cash without having a goal. I found that I could create an AdSense account and use it to potentially turn my blog in to something a little profitable.

I started this blog as a way to write down and share my ideas with anyone who might be interested. It has a nice relaxing feeling to it. Considering school, being unemployed, and future plans, I could use a bit of extra cash. So while I may be "selling out", I'm going to feel good about it. It may not be backstage with groupies, but I never wanted to be a rock star anyway.

Now, captain of an intergalactic cruiser, that's a different story. Have fun!