Well, I finally received my black belt in Tae Kwon Do this weekend. I've been training for almost four and a half years to reach this point. Saturday wasn't really quite as bad as I previously expected either. When we got word that my instructor's teacher would be coming in for the test, I feared that the test would be unduly long and excruciating, but that turned out to not be the case. No, in fact, the test was very much like most of the other tests I have been through. In fact, although it was a black belt test, the students from one of the college white belt classes were also testing, so this helped to ease the situation a little bit.
During the test, I broke both a board with a spinning wheel kick, and a concrete block with a downward palm. We also did a bit of sparring and some forms. Of course, the previous Saturday was the true test of our physical prowess. Last Saturday, we ran 2 miles, ten 150-yard wind sprints, jumped rope for 10 minutes, did ab workouts for 5 minutes, and finished off with a review of all of our material. That was quite grueling, but surviveable at least. Perhaps I really do need to start running more often. I actually seem to be improving a bit. :)
Monday, March 29, 2004
Monday, March 15, 2004
invasion of the pigs
Our parking lot just got taken over by seven pigs. I guess that's what you get for having an office all the way out in the middle of "farm country". I've never seen any this big before though. All I can think of is bacon....mmmmmmmm.... :)
Saturday, February 28, 2004
xslt is a fickle, fickle friend
I'm spending this weekend learning the ins and outs of XSLT. I got to thinking earlier this week that this RSS Reader I've been working on could really benefit from only having to parse one style of XML. So now all I have to do is create some XSL transforms that will convert from the nine different formats of RSS into my desired XML format so that my application can read various types of feeds. It amazes me how many various forms of RSS are out there, and with barely any similarity between most of them. I'm concentrating my efforts right now on RSS versions 0.91, 1.0, and 2.0 since they seem to be the most popular.
I've never had a reason to work with XSL and XSLT before, so I'm also having to learn that as I go. I think it's perhaps XPath and the concept of XML namespaces that's given me the most trouble so far, but after a fair amount of study this morning and plenty of trial and error, I feel that I might be starting to grasp the basics. XSLT is a really powerful technology, but it's surprising that there aren't more tools out there to assist in creating the documents. Perhaps I've just been spoiled by some of the IDEs I'm accustomed to working with...:)
Later today, we're going to try to go see 'The Passion' movie. I stress the word try because I've heard that many of the local churches are buying up entire showings for this movie. I'm really excited about seeing it, so hopefully we'll manage to get a couple of seats!
I've never had a reason to work with XSL and XSLT before, so I'm also having to learn that as I go. I think it's perhaps XPath and the concept of XML namespaces that's given me the most trouble so far, but after a fair amount of study this morning and plenty of trial and error, I feel that I might be starting to grasp the basics. XSLT is a really powerful technology, but it's surprising that there aren't more tools out there to assist in creating the documents. Perhaps I've just been spoiled by some of the IDEs I'm accustomed to working with...:)
Later today, we're going to try to go see 'The Passion' movie. I stress the word try because I've heard that many of the local churches are buying up entire showings for this movie. I'm really excited about seeing it, so hopefully we'll manage to get a couple of seats!
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
the pragmatic programmer
I cannot fully express how completely wonderful this book is. I bought it on a whim the last time I was in Nashville and am thrilled that I did. This book, unlike many other technical books, does not espouse any language, technology, or platform as the be-all-end-all to the programming community. Instead, they emphasize the fact that programming is more of an art than a methodology. Any coder can glean something immensely beneficial from this book.
One concept that I have found most useful during my reading is that of a "Knowledge Portfolio". The authors state that in order to stay competitive in a very competitive sector, we must constantly treat our repository of knowledge as an investor might his stock portfolio. They reccommend things such as learning a new language every year, and reading technical and non-technical books regularly. Sounds like common sense, right? But having it put in words does something; now it has become a goal. In keeping with this goal, I'm currently evaluating which language I'm going to learn this year. Technically, I suppose I could count C#, but I'd like to get a jump start on this goal by learning at least one other language this year. I'm leaning a little towards Ruby, but I'd also like to pick up my studies on Java as well, since that's a language I started learning several years ago. Plus, having become a recent convert to C#, my learning curve would be slightly less steep with that language.
On another note, I've been whittling away at an RSS reader in my spare time. I've got a basic implementation coded up and running, but it was done quickly and has a rather hackish nature to it. I'm hoping to go back and rethink/rewrite the core libraries as I have free time, but I've got a few other projects that I'd like to get started on as well. I'll never understand why I can never keep just one project...I either have no ideas for projects or a ton of ideas for projects. Guess I'll just have to prioritize them and decide which to keep and which to push off til' later....
One concept that I have found most useful during my reading is that of a "Knowledge Portfolio". The authors state that in order to stay competitive in a very competitive sector, we must constantly treat our repository of knowledge as an investor might his stock portfolio. They reccommend things such as learning a new language every year, and reading technical and non-technical books regularly. Sounds like common sense, right? But having it put in words does something; now it has become a goal. In keeping with this goal, I'm currently evaluating which language I'm going to learn this year. Technically, I suppose I could count C#, but I'd like to get a jump start on this goal by learning at least one other language this year. I'm leaning a little towards Ruby, but I'd also like to pick up my studies on Java as well, since that's a language I started learning several years ago. Plus, having become a recent convert to C#, my learning curve would be slightly less steep with that language.
On another note, I've been whittling away at an RSS reader in my spare time. I've got a basic implementation coded up and running, but it was done quickly and has a rather hackish nature to it. I'm hoping to go back and rethink/rewrite the core libraries as I have free time, but I've got a few other projects that I'd like to get started on as well. I'll never understand why I can never keep just one project...I either have no ideas for projects or a ton of ideas for projects. Guess I'll just have to prioritize them and decide which to keep and which to push off til' later....
Saturday, February 14, 2004
too much to do
I've come to the conclusion that I am far too busy these days. It's funny, really; back in high school, I used to think I was busy, and that I'd have more free time when I started college because I wouldn't be involved in as much. I was dead wrong there. In fact, I think I got myself involved in even more time consuming things during college than I did in high school. Because of this, I again made the foolish assumption that I would have more time to do things after college. After all, I would only have a job to concentrate on rather than school and work. Wrong again. Of course, most of the things I want to find time to do are pretty trivial and meaningless. Like finding more time to play Final Fantasy XI or Crystal Chronicles.
Ah, Crystal Chronicles...what a wonderful time sink. Although I don't imagine that it will take me that long to finish the single player mode. I sat down in about two hours and completed what was probably 15-20% of the game (and I thought I was taking my time at that). I'd really like to find someone else to play with so that I can try out the multiplayer mode. Of course, nobody I know (save one person) owns or has any interest in owning a Game Boy Advance. So I will probably be relegated to playing the single player mode.
On another note, I also picked up a copy of Lunar Legend for the GBA last weekend. I was completely shocked to find it at an electronics store in Nashville. I mean, I didn't even know this game existed, so it was quite a pleasant surprise. I'm a little at odds with the game though since they do change several key plot points. The sprites and in-game graphics are amazing, however, even rivaling some of the in-game graphics of Silver Star Story Complete. Lunar always has been one of my all-time favorite RPGs, so this was a must-have for me.
I'm still studying for the MCSD tests, hoping to take the first one sometime in the next few months. I'm working my way through a couple of books that I picked up a few weeks ago. So far, I haven't run across anything I didn't already know, so maybe this test won't be as difficult as I was led to believe at first. I just need to find some time to make it through the rest of these books.
Just today, I decided to start messing around with the Managed DirectX Framework for .NET. I've programmed a little in C++ using DirectX 7, so I was slightly familiar with the framework this go around, but I've still got a lot to learn. Hopefully I'll be able to find some good examples and tutorials around that I can use to familiarize myself more with how things are done under this system. I'd love to be able to write some games of my own, even if they'll never be commercial quality. I had a few small games and demos coded up in C++ that I might try to translate to C# given the time.
Tomorrow, we're heading up to Paducah to have a nice lunch and also to attend my uncle's wedding, so it will be good to get out of the house. We really need to clean up a little bit, so there's nothing like a good excuse to push that chore back a little longer. :)
Ah, Crystal Chronicles...what a wonderful time sink. Although I don't imagine that it will take me that long to finish the single player mode. I sat down in about two hours and completed what was probably 15-20% of the game (and I thought I was taking my time at that). I'd really like to find someone else to play with so that I can try out the multiplayer mode. Of course, nobody I know (save one person) owns or has any interest in owning a Game Boy Advance. So I will probably be relegated to playing the single player mode.
On another note, I also picked up a copy of Lunar Legend for the GBA last weekend. I was completely shocked to find it at an electronics store in Nashville. I mean, I didn't even know this game existed, so it was quite a pleasant surprise. I'm a little at odds with the game though since they do change several key plot points. The sprites and in-game graphics are amazing, however, even rivaling some of the in-game graphics of Silver Star Story Complete. Lunar always has been one of my all-time favorite RPGs, so this was a must-have for me.
I'm still studying for the MCSD tests, hoping to take the first one sometime in the next few months. I'm working my way through a couple of books that I picked up a few weeks ago. So far, I haven't run across anything I didn't already know, so maybe this test won't be as difficult as I was led to believe at first. I just need to find some time to make it through the rest of these books.
Just today, I decided to start messing around with the Managed DirectX Framework for .NET. I've programmed a little in C++ using DirectX 7, so I was slightly familiar with the framework this go around, but I've still got a lot to learn. Hopefully I'll be able to find some good examples and tutorials around that I can use to familiarize myself more with how things are done under this system. I'd love to be able to write some games of my own, even if they'll never be commercial quality. I had a few small games and demos coded up in C++ that I might try to translate to C# given the time.
Tomorrow, we're heading up to Paducah to have a nice lunch and also to attend my uncle's wedding, so it will be good to get out of the house. We really need to clean up a little bit, so there's nothing like a good excuse to push that chore back a little longer. :)
Monday, February 02, 2004
enter the dragon
Wow, what a busy weekend. I've pretty well been going nonstop since Friday. Don "The Dragon" Wilson (11 time world kickboxing champion and star of several martial arts films) paid a visit to our Taekwondo school this weekend. He taught two seminars on self-defense and kickboxing which were very enjoyable. I really enjoyed the fact that he focused on the basics of punching and kicking; something we probably don't do often enough. It's so easy to get into the habit of just throwing a punch or kick or triple spinning tornado kick that you forget about the dynamics of how that attack gets its power and accuracy. What's more, I even got the chance to bowl, eat dinner, and even go to church with Mr. Wilson, since my Taekwondo instructor also attends the same church I do.
Sunday afternoon was quite the trip also. I finally convinced my wife that we need a digital camera and so we headed to the local Wal-Mart to pick one out. After about 30 minutes of looking, comparing, and discussing, we finally settled on a particular Kodak camera with 3.1 megapixels, so we asked the sales person to get it for us. They hunted for another 15 minutes before coming to the conclusion that they were out of stock. So we ended up making the half-hour trip to the next nearest Wal-Mart to purchase the camera. Talk about a wasted afternoon. But the camera we picked up is supremely cool (or I'm just completely naive when it comes to digital photography, which is an equally plausible case). I took a few pictures last night and uploaded them to the computer. I was completely taken aback by the quality; I guess I'm just accustomed to seeing sub-1 megapixel photos from digital cameras I've had in the past. I'm sure we'll definitely enjoy the camera...now I just have to teach my wife to use it! :)
Sunday afternoon was quite the trip also. I finally convinced my wife that we need a digital camera and so we headed to the local Wal-Mart to pick one out. After about 30 minutes of looking, comparing, and discussing, we finally settled on a particular Kodak camera with 3.1 megapixels, so we asked the sales person to get it for us. They hunted for another 15 minutes before coming to the conclusion that they were out of stock. So we ended up making the half-hour trip to the next nearest Wal-Mart to purchase the camera. Talk about a wasted afternoon. But the camera we picked up is supremely cool (or I'm just completely naive when it comes to digital photography, which is an equally plausible case). I took a few pictures last night and uploaded them to the computer. I was completely taken aback by the quality; I guess I'm just accustomed to seeing sub-1 megapixel photos from digital cameras I've had in the past. I'm sure we'll definitely enjoy the camera...now I just have to teach my wife to use it! :)
Monday, December 08, 2003
the future is open
Just had to share this.
Linux. The future is open
This has to be one of the best commercials I have seen in a long time.
Linux. The future is open
This has to be one of the best commercials I have seen in a long time.
a long time coming
It's been a while since I've posted, I know. Things have really picked up here at work. We have been hard at work on our next-gen program, which has meant lots of overtime. Not to mention all the time that moving into a new house has taken up. I have never felt so mentally and physically drained as I have lately. I think I'm going to need a vacation soon...
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
negotiations
I believe that I have found the single most stressful thing in the world: buying a home.
We have begun the arduous process of making offers and counter-offers, demands and concessions. I lost plenty of sleep a few nights ago, worrying over downpayments, interest rates, and the like. I'm at the point now where I can't wait for the whole process to be over with. I've read more legal documents and signed more things in the past three days than I think I have in the past three years. The worst part is, there's much more to come. I'm sure it will all be worth it, though, when we're doing the happy dance in the middle of our newly purchased home. Right?
One thing that this ordeal has taught me however is the permeance that technology and the Internet in particular is gaining within society. Realtor.com, for instance, was absolutely invaluable during our home search. With the wealth of information that this and other similar services have, I'm surprised that anyone would ever need to visit a realtor in person to search for homes. You enter your preferences, and instantly get just about every home that falls within your price range and specifications, complete with pictures, detailed descriptions, and maps. This is a perfect win-win-win situation. The buyer has an easier time searching for a home, the seller gets more exposure for the home, and the realtor has less work to do.
We have begun the arduous process of making offers and counter-offers, demands and concessions. I lost plenty of sleep a few nights ago, worrying over downpayments, interest rates, and the like. I'm at the point now where I can't wait for the whole process to be over with. I've read more legal documents and signed more things in the past three days than I think I have in the past three years. The worst part is, there's much more to come. I'm sure it will all be worth it, though, when we're doing the happy dance in the middle of our newly purchased home. Right?
One thing that this ordeal has taught me however is the permeance that technology and the Internet in particular is gaining within society. Realtor.com, for instance, was absolutely invaluable during our home search. With the wealth of information that this and other similar services have, I'm surprised that anyone would ever need to visit a realtor in person to search for homes. You enter your preferences, and instantly get just about every home that falls within your price range and specifications, complete with pictures, detailed descriptions, and maps. This is a perfect win-win-win situation. The buyer has an easier time searching for a home, the seller gets more exposure for the home, and the realtor has less work to do.
Friday, September 26, 2003
software patents suck
More and more, I'm coming to the realization that software patents are a VERY bad thing. I recently discovered that one of my favorite utility apps for Windows was permanently suspended because it infringed on a software patent. The patent in question is located here.
The patent describes, in brief, a GUI element that allows for selecting and launching programs from a "drawer-like" toolbar. The first question I have concerns prior art. This patent was filed in late 2000. How is there not prior art? Microsoft had the Office toolbar going well before that (not to mention the Start menu or the quick launch toolbar). Both KDE and GNOME have had "drawer-like" GUI elements for some time.
The problem is just that software patents tend to be overly broad and it seems blatantly obvious that those reviewing the patent submissions typically are completely ignorant of the subject matter. This alone should be enough of an argument against software patents, not to mention the fact that software patents are basically patents on ideas and concepts. Can a musical artists patent a chord progression, or a type of composition? Of course not! Why then are software companies able to do the exact same thing; especially when most of the software patents tend to deal with something overly broad or blatantly obvious (such as "one-click shopping")? It seems that most companies nowadays like to earn their money through the legal system instead of producing quality software.
The patent describes, in brief, a GUI element that allows for selecting and launching programs from a "drawer-like" toolbar. The first question I have concerns prior art. This patent was filed in late 2000. How is there not prior art? Microsoft had the Office toolbar going well before that (not to mention the Start menu or the quick launch toolbar). Both KDE and GNOME have had "drawer-like" GUI elements for some time.
The problem is just that software patents tend to be overly broad and it seems blatantly obvious that those reviewing the patent submissions typically are completely ignorant of the subject matter. This alone should be enough of an argument against software patents, not to mention the fact that software patents are basically patents on ideas and concepts. Can a musical artists patent a chord progression, or a type of composition? Of course not! Why then are software companies able to do the exact same thing; especially when most of the software patents tend to deal with something overly broad or blatantly obvious (such as "one-click shopping")? It seems that most companies nowadays like to earn their money through the legal system instead of producing quality software.
Friday, September 19, 2003
harrrrr....
Jest in case ye scurvy dogs didn't mark ye calendars, today be National Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Thursday, September 18, 2003
the apathy monster pays a visit
I don't know what it is, but I have been downright apathetic about everything today. It's just one of those days that I wish I could've just stayed home and vegged out. Seems I've been having more and more days like this lately; perhaps I need a vacation or something. All I know is that 5 o'clock just won't come fast enough...
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
happy birthday to me
Woohoo! I turned 23 today!
In other news, I've come to the realization that, in the software development industry, the clients never know what they want. I've been working on a project for the past two months or so. Everything was supposedly figured out and the software was designed according to the current spec. We actually had plenty of time for testing (which is generally a rarity), and only had a few minor issues to work out.
Now, two weeks before the software is supposed to be used in the "real world", the clients call us up and tell us that the software needs to work in a completely different way because they changed the way they were doing things. Wonderful. We'll get our crack team of ONE programmer (me) on this right away. I just wish that some things would be thoroughly thought out before coding started. I always laugh at those software development books and articles that proselytize the Software Development Lifecycle. To actually have an analysis phase; how utopian would that be? Unfortunately, there is always a deadline pressing down and the first two steps to get thrown out of the SDL are the analysis and design phases.
I guess I shouldn't complain too much though; all this extra time is not neccessarily wasted, per se. There's just so many other projects that I actually want to be working on that I hate being bogged down by this one in particular. Such is the life of a developer, I suppose.
In other news, I've come to the realization that, in the software development industry, the clients never know what they want. I've been working on a project for the past two months or so. Everything was supposedly figured out and the software was designed according to the current spec. We actually had plenty of time for testing (which is generally a rarity), and only had a few minor issues to work out.
Now, two weeks before the software is supposed to be used in the "real world", the clients call us up and tell us that the software needs to work in a completely different way because they changed the way they were doing things. Wonderful. We'll get our crack team of ONE programmer (me) on this right away. I just wish that some things would be thoroughly thought out before coding started. I always laugh at those software development books and articles that proselytize the Software Development Lifecycle. To actually have an analysis phase; how utopian would that be? Unfortunately, there is always a deadline pressing down and the first two steps to get thrown out of the SDL are the analysis and design phases.
I guess I shouldn't complain too much though; all this extra time is not neccessarily wasted, per se. There's just so many other projects that I actually want to be working on that I hate being bogged down by this one in particular. Such is the life of a developer, I suppose.
Monday, September 15, 2003
let the music play
Check out iRate Radio. It's a fledgling project on SourceForge.net that allows you to rate tracks of music and get more music based on your ratings. Best of all, the tracks all come from unsigned, independent artists who allow their music to be freely downloaded. No more legal worries from the RIAA! Joy!
Saturday, September 13, 2003
skeletons in the digital closet
Wow...
Starting this blog got me to thinking of all the previous homepages that I've built in the past. Somehow, someway, GeoCities has kept my oldest site online. Ah, the days when the web was young and so naive.... It's hilarious, yet somewhat humbling to see retrospectively my tastes, ideas, and passions. Just be glad that my appreciation for visual style has improved somewhat. I probably included every flashy gimmick I could find on that web page. Of course, in my defense, so did everyone else! Times on the web back then were so much simpler. Advertisers had yet to discover the reach of the web, Netscape 2 and 3 were the browsers of choice, and Java had only recently come on the scene. Geez....I feel old now.
My second site, which was hosted on a computer I had in college and is no longer available, but was at least easier on the eyes. If any site had survived, I wish it would have been that one, as it definitely reflected a much more mature and intelligent side of me. I've definitely learned the lesson that simple web sites are better. If you can't impress, entertain, or educate with actual content, then flashy graphics and obnoxious music certainly won't do it for you.
Starting this blog got me to thinking of all the previous homepages that I've built in the past. Somehow, someway, GeoCities has kept my oldest site online. Ah, the days when the web was young and so naive.... It's hilarious, yet somewhat humbling to see retrospectively my tastes, ideas, and passions. Just be glad that my appreciation for visual style has improved somewhat. I probably included every flashy gimmick I could find on that web page. Of course, in my defense, so did everyone else! Times on the web back then were so much simpler. Advertisers had yet to discover the reach of the web, Netscape 2 and 3 were the browsers of choice, and Java had only recently come on the scene. Geez....I feel old now.
My second site, which was hosted on a computer I had in college and is no longer available, but was at least easier on the eyes. If any site had survived, I wish it would have been that one, as it definitely reflected a much more mature and intelligent side of me. I've definitely learned the lesson that simple web sites are better. If you can't impress, entertain, or educate with actual content, then flashy graphics and obnoxious music certainly won't do it for you.
Friday, September 12, 2003
first post and all that jazz...
I've considered starting a blog for some time now, but apathy and procrastination have always shot the idea down. But tonight, for whatever reason, the urge struck me to force upon the world my musings, ramblings, and meandering experiences.
Now that we have the trite, yet obligatory "Reasons For Starting Your Blog" out of the way....
I'm currently pining away for the latest episodes of Naruto and Scrapped Princess, constantly refreshing my browser like the little anime fan-boy I am. I swear, AnimeSuki.com is probably the worst thing to ever happen to my bandwidth... :) Seriously, if you need an anime fix, they have plenty to sate your appetite. Just be sure to grab a copy of BitTorrent in order to download things.
Now that we have the trite, yet obligatory "Reasons For Starting Your Blog" out of the way....
I'm currently pining away for the latest episodes of Naruto and Scrapped Princess, constantly refreshing my browser like the little anime fan-boy I am. I swear, AnimeSuki.com is probably the worst thing to ever happen to my bandwidth... :) Seriously, if you need an anime fix, they have plenty to sate your appetite. Just be sure to grab a copy of BitTorrent in order to download things.
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