Busy week

     Another busy week.  Maybe these will slow down eventually.  Looks like I'm not gonna get anything done that I wanted to get done.  Oh well, I guess that's life.  One badass thing I did pick up today.  My Top 5 Strengths in order of importance:

Strategic
Futuristic
Maximizer
Competition
Analytical

So that all seems pretty cool.  It sounds as if I would dominate the board game of Risk, or maybe be a sweet Army commander.  I don't know, but whatever it means, it looks as if I'm headed in a good direction with great tools.

JMO

I'm Back Baby!

Alright, well I'm back up in CS, and the "stage is set".  I'm overloaded with CP stuff for this first week (month, year...)  But I will get around to the first video.  I'm excited.

 

JMO

More Phil's fault than Lidge

    First, let me say this: Brad Lidge has been a sinking ship ever since that fateful 9th inning in game 5 of last years NLCS.  Given that, I must place a good majority of the blame for the Astro's sinking on Phil Garner.  Let's take this afternoon as an example.  Bottom of the 6th, 2 outs, man on 1st and 3rd, and we are down by 1.  Andy Pettitte is about to step up to the plate.  He should be about to sit back down on the bench.  PINCH HIT!  Not only do you have Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, and Adam Everett batting 5-6-7, but you have Ausmus and Pettitte filling out the line-up.  You should be so lucky that 2 of those guys even got on base.  But instead, you batted Pettitte, who struck out swinging.  While Andy did deliver a full game (a loss), you had some arms left.  Bad Garner! Very bad Garner!  And don't getting me started on letting Preston Wilson  go, while moving Jason Lane back into the line-up.  Although I will thank Phil for one thing.  I am no longer worrying if the Astro's are gonna "make it" this year.  You might as well let Lidge pitch every 9th from here on out, just to get the work in.

JMO

Last week

Well, it's my last week in Katy, and at Fluor, so I guess not much else can be said. It was a great summer, very low-key and laid back. I've got big plans for this in the fall, as well as for CP. As long as class doesn't get in the way too much, I should be just fine. you will be seeing me (literally) very soon. Watch for a Ze Frank take-off.

JMO

This fabulous series of tubes

     First there was AOL (at least in the eye of the general public.)  They brought the web to the masses.  That is, if the masses are a small percentage of the population that was online in 1997.  Then came Web 1.0, although we didn't call it that.  Things busted, but a few guys hung around.  Google became a household name, along with eBay, Amazon, and Yahoo.  Now we've moved to online apps and blogs and this thing they call Web 2.0.  Now Blogger, Digg, iTunes, and podcasts are in our vocabulary.  But people only want to see the negative.  The Web 2.0 bust has been talked about, forecasted, and is already "in the books" for many.  To me, that's not what matters.  Throughout the life of the Internet, companies have come and gone almost as fast as the technology the use has.  What's here today will be gone soon, replaced by it's newer/faster/better update.  But I believe the Internet is about much more than business.

     While some portions of the Internet can look like popularity contests (Del.icio.us, YouTube's most discussed, Digg's front page), the Internet door is open to everyone.  Any Joe Blo can come up with a site name, register it, and begin creating content in minutes.  It's been said that Content is King for any medium.  I think on the Internet, any content is king.  This is the freedom the web allows.  The single most powerful thing about the Internet has nothing to do with .asp applications, or AJAX, or any soon-to-be outdated technology.  It's all about the ability to be a voice.  The Internet is the world's biggest party, and every one's invited.  The current struggle on the web, however, is similar to an 8th grade dance.

     It's one thing to get everyone in the door, but getting them to dance is quite another.  The collaboration tools are here.  They always have been.  The attitude of participation is not.  People are still private, still grounded in the "real world", where they have their network of real friends and work real jobs and so on.  For the majority of the Internet populace, there is a tangibility factor that is hard to overcome.  People read forums, but don't offer input.  People have great ideas, but are addicted to brain crack.  It's time to make a change.  It's time to contribute.  Some may argue that it's a waste of time, that nothing is accomplished.  But in it's very least, a world-wide collaboration is a great accomplishment on it's own, regardless of content.  So in the end, the goal is to give what you've got, and you just might get something in return.

JMO

Success is good

Success comes in many ways.  Little or big, it's important to appreciate when you succeed.  If you manage to outlast the mistakes, continue to get up, and finally achieve the success you were looking for (or something close to it), you should enjoy it in the opposite way that you were frustrated or stressed by the failures.  I got a win today (a tiny one), and I'm excited about.

JMO

Getting noticed by girls

I was watching winter passing last night, and it gave me an idea.  Girls wear make-up, guys don't.  So it could be assumed that girls have a better knowledge of make-up, and can better recognize make-up.  So if a guy was to wear enough make-up that a girl could pick up it's subtle hint, but other guys could not detect it, wouldn't this make a guy get noticed more by girls without looking like an idiot in front of other guys?  If anyone tries this out, let me know.

JMO