Apr 05 2010
It has come to my attention that it apparently isn’t as far-fetched as I thought that automaticable could be sold for a ridiculous amount of money. Just to clear things up – automaticable is going nowhere. And if this post is news to you: APRIL FOOLS!
It was the professional looking logo that got you, huh?
Feb 09 2009
So within the last couple days I’ve really been reminiscing about the past and I’ve come to the conclusion that I truly miss my childhood. All this growing up and making adult decisions really isn’t something that I want to be doing. I’m sitting here drinking coffee out of a mug the size of my head that’s decorated like Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas and watching my roommate and my neighbor putt in my family room. This sort of relaxation and carefree lifestyle reminds me so much of when I was 10 years old and would gather all my friends on the street to play hide-and-go-seek or flashlight tag. Twelve people all around the age of ten gathering around a cul-de-sac at 8 o’clock with a curfew of 10:00. Being a seasoned veteran of the game, I knew exactly where to hide, when to pop out, and when to run like hell to try to tag safe. Of course people began to catch onto my plan and began to look specifically for me, but that’s when I would start working as a team with the other hiders and tell them to all hide together and where, and they would all come out like thirty seconds after the seekers pass them up. Oh I miss the old days.
Wow this coffee’s strong….
But yeah, that doesn’t really keep you updated with what I’m doing down here, but that’s alright, because I don’t even remember what I’ve done within the last couple days. I know I went to the theme parks and saw more of Hollywood Studios than I’ve ever seen before, I started up my new classes (they were just general information days, no real work yet), but other than that, it’s been a pretty mellow week. I’ll try to see what I can do about posting more often, or waking up earlier to post, because so far it’s looking like I’m only really going to be able to post on days that I have off, just because I’m too busy otherwise. I’m off to go bake in the sun, rotisary style, catch ya’ll later!
Dec 21 2008
Hey loyal readers! I know it’s been a while (Holy crap, 3 months?!?!?) since our last post, but that does NOT mean that we Wegnerians have given up on you. We’ve just all been swamped with school, work, social lives, or lack there of. There are some changes that you will notice to the site as soon as the New Year, which includes a brand new Tab dedicated to me! Why me? Because #1 I’m awesome, #2 I’m special, #3 I have a class project with my new internship that requires me to keep record of what I’m doing (I’ll post more on this later on).
So, I’m sitting here thinking, and I realize I only have about 32 more hours before I’m off on a flight, leaving the U.S.A. to go be in warm, 85 degree weather during some of the most brutal snow storms Chicago’s had in quite a while. The family and I (yes, all automaticable bloggers) are taking a GLORIOUS trip down to Jamaica for my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary. This is a trip that has been in the makings for about six months now, and I’m as gitty as a school girl. With a brand new camera, and skin as white as the snow we’re leaving behind, I’m fully prepared for a 7 day, all expenses paid vacation in the Caribbean. Our resort includes a poolside bar, sailboats at our leisure, a beach, and endless amount of sunshine. I don’t want to brag or anything, but it’s supposed to be 85 degrees EVERY day that we’re there.
Now, being it the holiday season, we were torn at first, at what to do about “The Big C” (Christmas), but in the end, we decided…..we’re skipping Christmas. Yes, I know, shocking, because every year we have Christmas Eve at our place, and 45 people will all be disappointed this year because Santa will be coming down the stairs this year, instead of the elevator. The fact that we’re skipping Christmas this year, is kind of difficult. All my friends are asking me what I want for Christmas, and the only good answer I have come up with is “A Tan.” I’m saving a bunch of money for not having to buy any gifts this year, but I can’t seem to put a close to 2008, even with New Years on its way. Without Christmas, my year just doesn’t seem to be complete. Oh well, Jamaica will still be fun, and I’ll be tan for my arrival in Orlando.
So here’s the deal, starting January 7th, I’m leaving the cold once again to live in Orlando, Florida for 5 months. I have been offered (and I graciously accepted) an internship at Walt Disney World. I will be working in Quick Service Food and Beverage, but I won’t know which exact park or where IN the park until I arrive down there. The new tab I was talking about is for the Coop-Internship side of things, where I have to keep in contact with a faculty member at my college so they know I’m actually doing something down there instead of just enjoying the warm weather. I’ll try to post ATLEAST once a week, and there will also be pictures to support my posts. This is an exciting thing for me, because it’s an opportunity of a life time, and will give me direction and motivation on what I really want my future to hold. With that being said, it’s now close to midnight on Saturday and I only have 30 more hours, before my flight leaves for Jamaica.
A Bon Voyage to you all, as well as a Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah with a Jolly good New Year!
Sep 22 2008
In this week’s Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, there’s a link to an article on the Canonical Blog about their new offering of proprietary media codecs available for purchase. Canonical has partnered with Fluendo and Cyberlink to give Ubuntu users a legal option for viewing and listening to their media. This is similar to those who purchased a computer with Ubuntu preinstalled– generally there is a small premium factored in to have the media codecs pre-bundled.
This is a wise move by Canonical. Giving their users a legal option for playing their media will encourage more software and companies to also invest in Ubuntu and all Linux media alike. The announcement doesn’t quite make it clear, but it sounds like the Medibuntu repository will still be available with instructions for Ubuntu users to download similar codecs for free– illegally in many countries. The adoption of the legal, non-free software will depend largely on how it is marketed inside Ubuntu. That is, when you try to play an MP3 for the first time, will a dialog prompt you to purchase MP3 support, or offer an easier link to Medibuntu and the ubuntu-restricted-extras package?
One of the reasons that I moved to Ubuntu in the first place was so I could have software I wanted, free and legally. It’s nice to finally have the option of legal media codecs as well. What do you think of the announcement? Will you pay the $40 for most non-free media codecs, or the additional $50 for DVD support?
Jun 25 2008
Have you ever wanted to set up a subversion repository on your home computer? Whether it be for a new software project, versioning your personal documents, or any other reason, there are many benefits to using version control. Some free websites that will host your project for you, such as SourceForge or Google Code, but it’s often necessary to have a little bit more control.
I set up a subversion repository for a new project the other day, and the process was relatively painless. I’m using a standard Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 desktop setup, with OpenDNS and DD-WRT for port-forwarding, and without an Apache web server. Keep reading to host your own subversion repository server.
Continue reading “How To: Host a Subversion Repository in Ubuntu Hardy”
Jun 24 2008
To help me in my search for inspiration, Stacy recommended I write something on this story that talks about improved portable shelters for the homeless. It is hard to be against something that raises the standard of living of anyone, especially those at the bottom of the social and economic ladder. I would like to take a fairly objective view on this subject, the well being of the homeless living in the streets, and look at the economic and social impacts of something like free, comfortably designed portable shelters.
Probably one of the most positive aspects of having free, high quality shelter for the homeless are the health benefits of staying dry and warm. Not only does staying well improve the standard of living for the homeless, but it also decreases a huge social and economic burden from cities who have to treat the uninsured homeless population. With fewer uninsured people getting sick, this will not only decrease the cost of healthcare for those that can and do pay for it, but it will lighten the already overfilled load of patients that hospital emergency rooms have to take care of. The healthcare aspect is a win-win for the homeless population and the surrounding society.
This will be a hard point for many people to agree with, but as the lifestyle of the homeless becomes better, the homeless population will increase. I am not saying more people will choose to be homeless. Nobody really ever willingly makes that choice. What will happen, though, as the standard of living increases, is that less people will make the choice to stop being homeless. If the main motivation for people to look for work and get out of their rut is a terrible lifestyle, having comfortable, attractive, and portable shelter will not provide as much of this motivation. This is a hard concept to swallow, that certain homeless people will not move into a more productive lifestyle if they are given suitable shelter, but I believe it to be 100% true. My following points will rely on this fact, so if you cannot agree with this, then you probably will not agree with the rest of my post either.
Because of the deprived lifestyle many homeless people lead, there is a natural increase in crime rates where there is high homeless population density. This is not to say that all homeless people are criminals, just that there are enough that are desparate enough within the homeless communities to raise crime rates. This increase in crime not only costs cities more for policing the crimes committed, but increased crime rates lower property values, decreases the social welfare of the surrounding population, and attracts additional negative externalities such as drugs and prostitution.
With an increase in the homeless population and larger, brighter portable shelters being used, the homeless will be impossible to ignore. This can have 2 different effects, and I haven’t yet decided whether this will have a net positive or negative. First the positive: the more the homeless population stands out, the more people will be aware of and want to fix the problem. Philanthropy will increase out of pity, concern, and also out of selfishness. The selfishness stems from the negativity surrounding the homeless population. Nobody wants to see their streets filled with homeless people for many reasons, and this increased publicity from the homeless will make it that much worse. With the homeless population standing out more, this could drive down housing prices and social welfare even further than the current homeless population does.
There are a number of other externalities that increase the social and economic costs associated with a well-kept homeless population, but I think these cover the main points I have been thinking about. The positives related to improved portable shelters for the homeless are extremely positive: an increased standard of living, lower healthcare costs for society as a whole, and cleaner looking streets. At what cost do these come, though? It is never easy to put a pricetag on happiness, but there will always be economic elements that are taken into consideration. In the end, without hard numbers, it is a hard call to make. The well-being of the homeless increases substantially, but the economic costs of an increased homeless population are also significant.
What do you think? Does it matter that there will be more homeless if they are better taken care of? Will the benefits outweigh the costs? There is a lot to think about here, and I think we can have a good discussion about this in the comments. I’m sure there is a ton I haven’t thought about, so leave your opinions below.
May 12 2008
Alternative title: Summer is here.
As you may have noticed, I haven’t posted in over a week, because I’ve been so busy with other things. But summer is finally here, so now I’ll (maybe) have some more time. But a quick recap of the last week, in bullet-list form:
May 06 2008
With Finals just around the corner, I look back at my college career thus far and I see all the good decisions that I’ve made. I switched from Medical Science with a hopes for Orthotics and Prosthesis to Recreation Management and I couldn’t be happier. I came back home from SIU to finish up my general education classes and receive my AA from College of DuPage and I love every minute of being home. I’ve switched around from a couple jobs and finally found something that I enjoy doing and that gives me hope for a brighter future. The relationship aspect of my life couldn’t be better. I have a steady girlfriend of over two years now, and we’re always talking about what the future brings, planning little trips with each other, and we can never stop smiling when we’re with each other.
With the weather turning nice I’m becoming more and more optimistic and becoming less stressed. Finals should be pretty much a breeze this year due to the classes and the requirements that they have for me. I gave two huge project presentations yesterday that I worked for 6 hours straight on over the weekend, and I found out immediately afterwards that I had aced both of them. I feel a sense of accomplishment this semester through all the trouble and stress that my classes brought me. I feel I did the best I could in all my classes and I’m not afraid of anything that future classes throw at me.
I used to sit in my room with the blinds closed to keep the heat in my room so it doesn’t get too cold, but I came home the other day and my mom had opened them, and I realized how beautiful of a view out my window I have. There’s a beautiful backyard with trees lining the perimeter of the half acre backyard, thick green grass, a flower island in the middle of the yard, and horseshoe pits in the back. I could probably sit and look out my window all day and watch the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and the neighbors cats run through our yard all day and be content.
Basically what I’m getting at here is that through all the stress and hard work that have been hitting me this entire semester, I’m glad that it’s finally over and I have a bright, relaxing summer to look forward to. The warm afternoons, the stormy nights, the bonfires, the hookah parties, or just relaxing on the screen porch, falling asleep in the chase lounge are all things that I have to look forward to. So all you college students out there fretting over finals and worrying about grades and their futures, take a step back and look at all the good things you’ve done so far and all the great things in the future that lie ahead of you. Realize that ultimately they’re just grades and a beige piece of paper, and that what you should be worrying about is how many times your going to ride Superman at Six Flags this summer.
Apr 11 2008
A friend and I were talking the other day and she started telling me about a trip her and some friends took to a haunted house. Not the kind on Halloween, but the tourist attraction type. While they were in the house, one of the people there started talking about how they could feel the presence of the spirits and that she may have physically been touched by something while she was in there. My friend commented about how ridiculous that was and how silly her friend was for saying anything like that. At that point an interesting sequence of thoughts ran through my head, in this order:
I don’t think I would necessarily call my friend’s judgements (which aren’t isolated to just her) hypocrisies, I think of it more as ignorance. Although ignorance has a negative connotation, what else do you call it when someone doesn’t realize their own shortcomings? Anyway, moving past that, this actually helped me realize something about myself. Because I am 1) non-religious, and 2) socially liberal, I feel like I have fostered a highly non-judgmental character, and am very proud of that. My first instinct when I hear about someone’s beliefs is not to ridicule or stereotype them, but to accept their beliefs as just another facet of their character. While Christianity (and most other religions) preach about acceptance of others, I am much happier actually living that acceptance instead of merely preaching it.
Apr 04 2008
The trash on the ground, the gum under the desk, the empty toilet paper roll in the bathroom, and the smudges on the windows of the doors all are cleaned up or taken care of by type of person in public areas: the Janitor. When you think of a Janitor, do you think of the guy with the raggity old clothing that has a faded name patch on the side? Maybe the loveable gray cart with the yellow trash bag on the back? There’s many things that come to mind when you think of a janitor, but the sad thing is, none of it is positive. When ever someone thinks of a janitor they always think of them as a nothing, not a person. People don’t realize that they are people too, just like you and me. Most of the people in this position are NOT high school drop outs that took that sort of job because they have nothing going for them, or ever will. Some of them have graduated from either a two year or four year technical school or university with a major in engineering or something of that sort, and decided that an easier job like this best sooted their needs. Then there’s also the younger kids and young adults you see doing this job. Most parents look at these kids as worthless individuals who wasted away their lives and have to resort to doing shit jobs because they can’t make anything of their lives. This is false. I currently hold position where some of my duties require me to take care of custodial tasks, and I haven’t wasted away my life, I’m not going nowhere, I haven’t dropped out of school. I’m working my way up from the very bottom in hopes to make it to the very top, so that way I can see what it really takes to run a business where all the employees are happy and treated equally.
The workplace is no different. You would think your fellow employees would treat you with more respect because they work with you and know how bad of a job it is, but this is entirely false. I receive radio call after radio call from people at the front desk for the smallest little tasks that we have 5 different people on staff that could do the job, but they always call me because no one else wants to do it. The most ridiculous call I ever got was someone had dropped a piece of paper on the floor and they wanted me to come pick it up. Now, let me just set the scene here. It was a Saturday afternoon, so there was a Building Supervisor, two Open Gym Supervisors, a person running Registration, a Fit Desk worker, and me working that day. I was busy downstairs cleaning a fitness studio when I get this call, and when I go upstairs to find this piece of paper, I find it on the opposite side of the desk where the Registration lady sits, and behind the desk are the Open Gym Supervisors, and the Building supervisor, all talking, doing nothing. One of them is actually on the computer checking their facebook. Even though these people were sitting right there, doing nothing, the registration lady thought it would be best to pull me from what I was busy doing to come pick up this piece of paper for her.
This is the type of ignorance that I’m talking about. The simple tasks that they can take two seconds out of their time to do themselves, they decide to just pawn it off onto someone else, they pawn it off to someone else, until finally it gets down to the lowest guy on the food chain who has no one to pawn it off to, so he has to do it himself. I have multiple examples of this sort of stuff but it’d just turn into me ranting about how people become so much lazier once there’s a janitor employed at their workplace.
I want to change the stereotype of janitors, especially the ones that are younger individuals like myself. They’re not worthless individuals, and they shouldn’t be looked over. These people work hard and are good at what they do. They’re the reason why when you walk into a building and you think “Wow, this place looks awesome!” They’re the ones that make it look awesome. Next time you see a janitor, young or old, take a look around and realize that the place they’re in charge of looks the way it does because of the hard work and commitment they put into their job. Don’t overlook them, appreciate them.
