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Temptations of Black Friday

2007-11-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

The temptations of the Black Friday Sales. Pretty geek toys at pretty low prices. The cost lines, insanity, pre-Friday game plans, and the other assorted fun of Black Friday. Despite looking into and considering various game plans, I decided to sleep in late and not do the whole Black Friday shopping at the stores. The main deterrent while on the way home from my Thanksgiving meal which was delicious me and my mom drove by best buy. From the road I could already see tents and a line that looked to go around the side of the building. This was 11pm on Thanksgiving.

Funny thing is the tradition of making ones game plans as early as possible is spoilers of the actual ads. Which are gotten off various websites which is cool. Walmart the major no-fun decided to send sites letters saying no spoilers before Nov 19. While this may have ruined some pre-planing who would even begin planing that early. Still it sounds a bit silly to me. I mean Apple doesn't even tell until the day of what sales they are having. So I don't see what the big deal with the no spoilers until what 4 days before. However everyone loves spoilers so I can see how they are ruining some of the fun for the e-bay reselling competitive shoppers.

Trying Black Friday online I went and looked at a few sites I really like normally to see if online on Black Friday they had the spirit. ThinkGeek had the cool 8-bit tie for 10 bucks which was cool. Apple once you clicked on the red holiday banner on there store site you could see some sales. Looking at it they were mostly 10% off. Which on some computers could be a ram or hard drive upgrade. Circuit City has some online apparently T-day sales. I think they should call it T-day plus one.

I managed to resist the sales. Go me.

Interesting Philly Picture

2007-11-17T21:06:00.001-05:00

The Philly convention center will be expanding. To be a big place that more conventions will be held. The one I am most excited about is Fairiecon. As I went to this years and it was great fun. The most entertaining part of this was a picture I managed to take. With Philadelphia's city hall in the background and a building that will be demolished for the convention center's expansion in the foreground.

From what little I have overheard about the expansion the emphasis is either on the added funds coming into the city as the center can hold more events. Or on the other side the displaced members of the art community. However I find the picture to be interesting destruction of a building that used to hold parts of the arts community to enable expansion of the tourist draw of the city threw the convention center.

Philcon Blog Panel : Social Network and Spam Theory

2007-11-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

This weekend I was at Philcon and went to many panels. One of the more entertaining ones was a panel on blogging. It was interesting to see how the 4 on the panel saw blogging. I walked in late to the panel and only heard about the last 20 minutes. Which means I may have missed a few things. The individuals were authors in the sci-fi fantasy genre and had blogs from what I could see in part to promote themselves as well to post interesting musings. Which is the main reason people have blogs. I also give made props to them for dedicating so much of there time to there blogs. One thing I found interesting is a Google search of there names only 2 of them had there blogs come up directly on the first page.

The most entertaining part of the panel was a discussion on promoting there blog. One person X used Facebook friend requests to people to get them to accept being there friend and look into there stuff. I think this is a reasonable idea. As to me it seems the person showing an interest in the other person and hoping the target shows interest back in them. Another person Y used messages to users on social networks - I forget which ones - and sent messages to the tune of --I think you will be interested in my stuff.-- IE messages many would see as Spam; or if also interested would probably appreciate those messages. However this seems to me as if this person has little interest in the person they are contacting and trying to just promote themselves.

Note: Only about 5 minutes of the Panel was on this topic. However I found it interesting, so I am expanding on it.

I found it interesting the line I personally saw between reasonable promotion and spam. When I first heard person Y's method I shook my head going what that is spam but he saw it as promotion. Then I thought about the different networks on myspace that really would not have been spam. As that is part of MySpace people even post comments on people's pages to that respect. So on MySpace it is not spam. it was just However on Facebook if I saw those messages I would delete them right away thinking them spam. As the vast differences between the site. Both are social networking sites.

Facebook is more sophisticated and the pages are more controlled - which keeps them neat and clean. MySpace is more free and creative. Since Facebook started as in school only and the things within it are controlled by emails from groups you belong to. Like on Facebook if you go to a college you have to have a college email to post that you are from there on Facebook. However on MySpace you can just write whatever for anything and is based on the social networking entertainment scene. This difference in perception of spam is one of the many things that makes one think of the differences between the sites. Both of which are good for what they were created for.

Panel Description:
# 3:00 PM—Why I Decided to Start a Blog (458)
Authors explain why they decided to start blogging.
David Louis Edelman (mod), Jay Smith, Alyce Wilson, Tony Ruggiero, Michael Swanwick

Monopoly

2007-11-11T18:56:00.000-05:00

Observations of the world seen by watching to much TV and seeing one two many commercials. I remember when I was a kid and I had to keep track of my monopoly money while attempting to buy Park Place. As once I had it I enjoyed the sitting fees the others had to pay me when the dice placed them there. Seemed those little blue properties just before you passed go were essential in having a good portfolio of properties. Unfortunately buying one of those similar places on the real boardwalk in Atlantic City would cost more than $500 dollars. But it still taught basic lessons of how to handle money.

Now I watch a commercial for the new monopoly the electronic banking edition. As it takes away the preparation I received when I was a kid for handling money to prepare a new generation. To do everything electronically. Which will happen eventually with how technology is going. But this transition is still a bit odd to observe.

However is it really that hard to count money and buy properties off the monopoly board. Is this the beginning of transition of everything being done electronically so people stop worrying about money and amounts. Just swipe the card and purchase the property. Kinda a scary thought. Plus even scarier is the reason why it is an electronic banking edition because people are to stupid to track money and play monopoly. All the math is simple everything ends in a 0 or a 5.

Either way I will probably end up playing this game at some point just to see how it is. Plus it will be easier to play - but really how hard was it before.

Gusty Gibbon part 1

2007-10-20T21:11:00.000-04:00

Like many other geeks I downloaded my Gusty disk the day it came out. With the actual install happening the next. Now I finally have had a bit of time to play around with it. I am definitely pleased however the odds of me being displeased with it were low. Note it was entertaining just how many places had there server busy that first night as I tried place after place to download it before finding one that was less busy.

I have found a new favorite window pop-up - the one for gparted. A very nice little linux utility for doing partitioning and playing with hard drives. Very dangerous yes but nice all the same. The error message when I forgot to run it with root permissions is great. Not only because it is absolutely correct.

To Quote the Message
"Since GParted can be a weapon of mass destruction only root may run it"

Just a note it would never be a weapon of mass destruction as the worse it could do is kill your hard drive and make it unbootable. With the odds of that being low if you know what you are doing. The highest odds for a mistake would be a messed up partition table - which I have done and is easy enough to fix with a reinstall or additional playage with gparted.

I would also have put a picture but the picture thing gave me an error code bX-9pjt6o pity the page did not have a link to where to post the error and I am to lazy to look.

Chinese vs Arabic

2007-08-31T20:28:00.000-04:00

The local community college is offering both elementary Arabic and elementary Chinese. The debate which is better to take - for me.

Chinese PRO list
- Know people who speak the language
- Go to Chinese grocery store on occasion
- love the bakery (pork buns are the best)
- Wider usage on the internet stats from wiki
- Live near a Chinatown in a major city so can get papers and books to practice reading Chinese from

Chinese CON list
- So many characters
- Missed first class

Arabic PRO list
- Large number of speakers in different countries
- Is the root language for many other languages in Islamic world (like Latin is for European languages)
- Also has influenced some words in English

Arabic CON list
- Do not currently know anyone who speaks
- Less usage on the Internet and in technology

Windows - HUH

2007-08-28T18:59:00.000-04:00

Windows - the operating system that ends up on my laptop computer to make others life easier. Most often this is in the form of need to prove it isn't the fact I am using Linux that is the reason that I cant get a wireless connection - FYI Ubuntu actually recognizes my wireless card and I have had no problems with it as of yet in that manner. Or to demonstrate how to do something - that will later be repeated by a windows user - that the person would only do on windows.

This time Windows stays on my computer because I am taking a course at the local community college on routers - and the CISCO cd that came with the book is windows only. As while working in corporate I want to keep learning new things that I enjoy. Yea I know routers will most likely not be used in my job but hey they are fun to play with - or at least I am crazy enough to think so. Plus you never know when a random tidbit of info can help you do something that is not directly related. After all it is amazing how often comparing computers to art helps people who know art understand a bit about computers.

So the goal is to make windows as small on my hard drive as possible while using Vista Business. Which prior to graduation my school was so nice to give me through one of those Microsoft get the students used to our products and they will want them in the workplace. Thus we can make money in the future from business who happen to hire students that know how to use the technology.

Things new to Vista in that respect:
defrag - the one you click out of accessories - doesn't tell you anything except if it is done
defrag.exe - defrag from the command line - tells you information; however since i spend alot of time looking at terminal windows the old dos command prompt doesn't bother me. With that being likly the one thing that works in the command prompt.
Manage->Disk Management - a ehh disk partitioner - It is a bit to protective of windows might be a factor of it running within windows so it likely cannot move system files during run time. From what I read will let you shrink to the first system file it cannot move.

SUNW to JAVA

2007-08-27T19:42:00.000-04:00

As a note the changing SUNW to JAVA on the stock exchange is a good way to move to the future. Representing the diversity of technology that Sun produces. One just hopes that they don't replace every instance of SUNW with JAVA in there Solaris source. I noticed it in Solaris packaging specs as part of field names. As that will cause the same type of confusion calling Solaris's gnome desktop the Java desktop.

Simpsons

2007-07-31T19:29:00.000-04:00

Well like the majority of my generation I spent to much time watching cartoons as a kids. Now the Simpson's has a movie - which I will see eventually. However for now I decided to check out the simpsonizeme.com web site. The results were fun and as far as cool/cute websites it ranks on the fun level. Was it designed bad - yes - but considering the browser statistics it proves it is still safe to make a commercially popular application that runs better on internet explorer (apparently over 50% of people use it)

Note funny how every time I tried to access it on Firefox it was overloaded and when I try on internet explorer it works. Odd usually it is internet explorer that breaks everything. Some advice for the people at simpsonizeme.com if your site doesn't work as well with Firefox might wanna add that to the error message. While advertising you use a crappy browser - internet explorer - might make you look bad (don't worry most people don't know any better). However not working makes it look like you had no idea the popularity and the load levels a Simpson's site. Also note how I blame this on Burger King not the Simpson's - because they are awesome.

Wii

2007-07-21T21:41:00.000-04:00

The Nintendo Wii. If you have not heard of it open your ears; redirect your web browser to google and search for the wii. It is great fun.

I managed to get mine successfully at Walmart. The shipment came in at noon and by the time it was picked up at 2 the store was sold out. Wow those things go fast. The lesson learned. The shipment to Jersey comes in at noon and is gone before the close of business.

The games Wii Sports - awsome fun and active plus good if you have multiple people wanting to play your new toy. Wii Play 10 bucks more than a new controller and comes with a fun game that makes you better at using the remote. Super Paper Mario - bust all you want on the 2D parts - it is awsome. It should be noted I loved the original nintendo old school 2D games. Super Paper Mario reminds me of that and adds a 3D component that builds upon the game play and fun. Harry Potter the game teaches you how to be at Hogwarts casting spells - pity it only works on the rooms on the telly I would love to point it around and have everything repair and fly through the air. However lots would likly be broken in the learning curve so I guess playing Harry Potter on the Wii will be training for when that technology finally comes.

Trip to Sun

2007-07-21T17:38:00.001-04:00

Wow took me a while to update this - guess it helps the coolness of it all sink in. The second week of June I got the opportunity to Sun Microsystem's campus in Menlo Park. Me along side 4 other Sun Campus Ambassadors were invited to meet with the SUN ELT to discuss the ambassador program and student perspectives on Sun. The ambassadors represented the BRIC countries and New Jersey which delivered a good perspective of the world.

During this week I also got to go see Sun labs - they are really doing some cool stuff in there. Even cooler got to return back to Jersey with a pair of Sun Spots which are tons of fun to play with. I also enjoyed seeing OpenWork 3.0 in the Blackbox on Sun's Menlo Park campus. Great april fools day joke - I am very happy it remained up for me to see.

Also got to see San Francisco again and this time visit the Golden Gate Bridge which is really just like it looked in Full House. And visit Palo Alto where all the start ups are and drove by the Google offices as well as other local business - mostly tech along with good food. The conclusion there must be a bunch of geeks in Silicon Vally to support all these businesses. With a good taste for food as every place we went for dinner was excellent.

This trip was a great way to end my time as a Sun Microsystems Campus Ambassador. Now after graduation I am working in corporate as a code monkey for 40 hours a week. With my spare time playing with computers, the wii, and of course my new spots.

JavaOne

2007-05-10T13:29:00.000-04:00

Working as an intern for Sun Microsystems as a Campus Ambassador for Rutgers University over the past year has resulted in much pushing for me to start a blog. So where better to start one during a break between activities at JavaOne - Sun's big Java developers conference.

The activities I have gone to vary from open-source (which Java was GPL V2.0 - made the talking points interesting), mobile (JavaME and Motorola), Sun Spots (cool lil robots), AJAX, Java and anything to do with yet more Java.