Dallas Stars--4 OT, postponed the OS posts

Okay, so I said yesterday that I would have the first part of the three part series about Mac vs. Windows vs. Linux, but I lied. The Dallas Stars game is about to go into the fourth overtime and I really can't concentrate long enough while listening to the game to write a good post. Yes, I am only listening to this game because here in Oklahoma we didn't get it on TV, so I am forced to listen to the web broadcast. I will do my best to get the first part out tomorrow.

Even though I can't offer you a post about operating systems (OS), I did learn a neat trick for all of you Firefox users. If you've ever wondered if you can open up multiple tabs as your homepage (or even if you haven't) well I will tell you how to do that right now! First of all you need to open up Firefox. Then:

• Go to the Tools Menu on the Menu Bar at the top of the page
• Click on Options at the bottom of the menu
• Make Sure the Main (it may have a different name in your browser) tab is open. This tab should have the homepage settings on it.
• Place your cursor after the homepage you have currently and insert a vertical line "|"
• The vertical line is a combination of (Shift+\)
• Add another web page. You can add as many as you want.

Hope this has been a cool tip because I have always wondered if this was possible. Well now that you know that I hope by the time you have read this that the Stars have won! Keep on the look out for the first part of that operating system post! Take it easy.

-Jamie

A tweener post

I am planning on writing a three part series about the Mac vs. Windows vs. Linux battle. I was going to write it tonight but I figured I could be writing forever and I should gather some thoughts and research before I begin this endeavor. I will definitely have the first part of this series up tomorrow, promise. If you have any thoughts on this subject before it hits the site let me know and I will incorporate it in my posts.

In other news, I am now the (co) Webmaster for the NSCS (National Society of Collegiate Scholars). I'm not even gonna link to the current website because, well I'll just say it needs some work. The website might not be updated for a while but when it is I'll let everyone see it.

So, while you're waiting for my fabulous future posts, please go read some fantastic poetry at my very good friend James Barger's website (link). Also, check out this new site that has become an internet phenomenon called Twitter. It is a mix between a blog and IM, it allows you to post what you are doing right at the moment. You can read more about Twitter and its other rival Jaiku (which I have not used) here at Rubennerd's Blog (link).
Okay, that is all for now. Don't forget about my posts for tomorrow! They will definitely appear.

-Jamie

The tax man cometh

It's mid April and for all you working folk, this is one of the worst times of the year. Well, for those of you that only work summer jobs, tax time consists of five minutes of filling out a form and getting back anywhere from ten to thirty dollars. If you work full time and have money all over the place, well this is a terrible time for you. My father has always held the belief that if he is getting money back from the IRS he fills out his forms in January but if the IRS wants money, he waits till the very last day. This is obviously a good idea because you want your money from the IRS as soon as possible but when you have to give up your money to the IRS, keep it as long as possible. Personally, I did my taxes two weeks ago and got nine dollars back! Yet for some people, they wait until the very last day and stand in line for hours at the post office.

Why must people insist to wait until the very last minute? Is it the inherent procrastination gene found in most of us? I believe that when are raised as kids and we put off assignments or tasks to do until the very last minute and this carries over into our adult lives. Throughout our schooling, most of us have at one time or another put off that five page paper until the night before. Some of us are good enough writers to pull off the high B but many of us need the extra time to earn that quality grade. Therefore, we end up getting a C because we rushed through the paper so we could get to sleep. These values of timeliness and perseverance that we are lacking came from our school days. Most of the times, our parents try to instill these values in us from an early age but we just shrug them off and think we'll do stuff on our own. Very quickly do we learn how very wrong we were. Now that we are all grown (most of us), we should try to "re-learn" those values that will help us succeed later on in life. Taxes are due, so if you haven't done them, start out "re-learning" those values by getting those taxes in before the end of the week and don't wait till next Tuesday.

On a related note, I was doing my taxes online and came across a funny picture. It asks the user if they are blind. Now, I know that there is software that allows people who are blind to read websites but I really found this photo funny. Is it as funny as I think or am I crazy?

-Jamie

YouTube and the election

Well, I'm back in Norman and have just a month left of school. First year of college flew by pretty fast, but it was also a great experience. Easter was just fine and dandy, I got Caddy Shack from the "Easter Bunny" which I will watch sometime this week. I have been taking time to post because I enjoy blogging but I also want it to be about something of interest. A topic that (hopefully) will not bore you away from my page.


On my way from Dallas to Norman I plugged in my mp3 player (an old school Creative 256MB) to a FM transmitter and found a station full of static, just what I needed. Before I left home, I loaded up some podcasts (for those of you who don't know, a podcast is sort of like a radio show but it can be downloaded and listened to whenever you like; Wikipedia Link) to listen to but to my dismay, my AAA battery was running out of life! Luckily there was just enough battery to listen to about three podcasts. The last one I listened to was a show called Cranky Geeks (Episode 57), a show hosted by long time tech journalist John C. Dvorak (dvorak.org/blog) and they talked about the internet being utilized in the upcoming election. On YouTube, a mash up of the 1984 Apple Super Bowl commercial (Original Commercial) was released with Hillary Clinton as the talking head and the girl with the sledge hammer wearing the Barack Obama logo (Link). This ad has caused a bit of controversy because the creator of the video mash up is unknown, so it could be anyone.


On Cranky Geeks, the panel discussed what they thought would happen with sites like YouTube and MySpace. I wrote about the primary elections on MySpace a few days ago which you can find a link to on the right side of the page. YouTube in the election seems very intriguing, could this be the election where we see the highest 18-34 year old turnout since the seventies? On many of the candidates MySpace profiles, videos have shown up of the candidates speaking to the viewer as if they were one-on-one. This provides candidates a way to speak to voters without the media being involved or having to explain their platforms in thirty seconds. YouTube videos also let regular people like you and I create video questions for the candidates to answer--and many times they will. Advertisers will also be able to advertise to a greater number of people for half of the cost. Will the Internet play a large role in the 2008 election? I think it will effect us in a way larger than any of us can imagine. So many people's lives in my generation (18-34) revolve around the Internet and thus far these candidates have done an exceptional job of tailoring to us. If you are 18 or older (or are going to be 18 or older) by November 4, 2008, listen to what the candidates have to say and vote for one that you agree with, not the one with the biggest fan base or money. Use the resources on the Internet and vote with your brain.

Here are some more thoughts from another blogger on the Election and MySpace: (Link)

-Jamie

British soldiers say they were put through a mock execution

The other day I posted about Iran releasing British soldiers and that the soldiers had not been harmed (Link). Well yesterday, seven of the fifteen soldiers who had been captured and released held a press conference and told their story to the press. Some of the soldiers believed they would be executed at some point during the thirteen days. The soldiers told of being blindfolded and hearing gun cocks while one of the soldiers exclaimed "Lads, lads, we're going to be executed - do something." Lieutenant Felix Carman told about their ordeal:

"The following morning we were flown to Tehran and transported to a prison where the atmosphere changed completely. We were blindfolded, our hands were bound and we were forced up against a wall. Throughout our ordeal we faced constant psychological pressure.

"Later we were stripped and then dressed in pyjamas. The next few nights were spent in stone cells, approximately 8ft by 6ft, sleeping on piles of blankets. All of us were kept in isolation.

"We were interrogated most nights, and presented with two options. If we admitted we had strayed, we would be on a plane back to the UK soon. If we didn't we faced up to seven years in prison. We all at one time or another made a conscious decision to make a controlled release of non-operational information.

"We were kept in isolation until the last few nights when we were allowed to gather for a few hours together, in the full glare of Iranian media.

"On day 12 we were taken to a Governmental complex, blindfolded and then given three piece suits to wear. We watched the President's statement live on TV, and it was only then that we realised we were to be sent home."

It is a good thing that the soldiers were not killed but this is an awful thing for Iran to do. The soldiers even talked about how they were just doing a routine boarding patrol which was 1.7 nautical miles away from Iranian waters. 66 other patrols had taken place in the same waters where the British soldiers were captured. So, what was the Iranian Navy doing in Iraqi waters? Once again, Iran shows their defiance to any kind of rules governing warfare. How far will Iran have to go, defying rules of engagement, before anyone tries to stop them?

-Jamie

Snow in April--in Texas, Football, and DRM less music

Today's Weather (4/7): High of 46 F with chances of snow. This is April, when was the last time it snowed in Texas at this time of the year?Well, this is some pretty crazy weather for Easter weekend. I'm back home for the holiday and luckily I don't have much to do besides relax.

OU is having their "spring" football game today in Norman and I know last year that it attracted 20,000 people. That's gonna be 20,000 really cold people today good thing I decided not to go. Although, I would be really interested to see the quarterback battle again. From what I've read in The Oklahoma Daily, OU's student newspaper, Sam Bradford has the edge in the competition but freshman phenom Keith Nichol is pushing hard at the starting job. The Running Back position is stocked full of amazing runners. Allen Patrick, the experienced senior who filled in when Adrian Peterson was hurt last year did an awesome job. Then we have DeMarrco Murray, another freshman phenom who has had some long runs in spring practice looks to be the next Adrian Peterson. Okay, enough about Oklahoma football for now--for those of you who don't really care.

The other day I talked about iTunes taking the DRM out of their music catalog (Link). I would like to encourage everyone to purchase at least one track from the store. This will show Apple that the consumers really don't like DRM and soon the price of the tracks will fall. DRM music tracks may cost less but they also limit who can buy the tracks. Right now, only iPod users can put iTunes music on their MP3 players but without DRM anyone can buy music and put it anywhere they want. Un-DRM music also makes it easier to share a couple of tracks between friends instead of them being locked out. So once again, if everyone could just spend $1.30 on a DRM less music track (not to mention the quality of the music has doubled!) Apple would reduce the price and other online music stores would take the DRM out of their music. One day it will happen, lets make it sooner rather than later. If you want some more information about this situation, check out Boing Boing's article here.

-Jamie


EDIT: News was released today that Microsoft will be taking the DRM out of their Zune music store! See, its already happening! (Link)

Summer internship.

Everyone is searching for a job or internship this summer and I am not exception to this. I have been searching for an internship to gain some experience over the summer but haven't had any luck until yesterday. Most companies only have internships for juniors and seniors because they are more experienced than freshman. I got an email from OU career services about an internship at Site Selection Group, a company that helps large corporations find locations for distribution centers, call centers, and other things of the sort. They contact communities around the world and gather information from them. Information like:

• Education
• Demographics
  
• Population
• Tax Rates
  

This gives companies a good idea of what would happen if they moved some of their offices or other buildings to the community. So, I contacted the VP of this company and he set up phone interview with me. This was a very new thing for me because I have always done interviews in person. The interview went very well and the VP seemed like a nice person. He told me about what the company does and what I would be doing over the summer. My job would be to enter data into databases, it would be a good experience and I would be making $10 an hour and working 40 hours a week. I'm hoping to hear if I got this internship next week, so here's for hoping.

Here's a link to the company: Site Selection Group

-Jamie