The Republicans are trying to reach a younger audience.
On November 28th, they had a televised debate on CNN. They also put it on YouTube.
I think this is an interesting way for politicians to try to reach a younger audience. This sort of reminds me of how Howard Dean went from being somewhat unknown to almost being the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 because he had a blog. People are tired of political ramblings, I think the time is coming where politicians will be more "real people" who admit mistakes, rather than hide them.
Ok, maybe not, but I can hope.
Anyway...Here is the YouTube link. It apparently got very ugly, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani faced some sharp questions from some of the other candidates.
http://www.youtube.com/republicandebate
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Greening: PC Recycling
One of the terms that has been thrown out a lot this year is going green. Basically, this term implies being environmentally sound.
One thing that many people don't know is that most computer (and electronics, for that matter) should not simply be disposed of. There are some things that can cause contamination and all sorts of other bad things.
According to the Web site I will link you to, it's estimated that fewer than 1 in 4 Americans (less than 25%) recycle their computer components.
What can you do? Many towns locally (West Paterson, North Haledon) have free drop offs for technology. You can look these things up on Earth911 - a Web site devoted to recycling and "going green".
Earth911's computer recycling Web site:
http://earth911.org/recycling/computer-recycling-reuse/
(when you search, you want to find only "Municipal drop-offs" - those are the free ones)
Earth911's main Web site
http://earth911.org/
One thing that many people don't know is that most computer (and electronics, for that matter) should not simply be disposed of. There are some things that can cause contamination and all sorts of other bad things.
According to the Web site I will link you to, it's estimated that fewer than 1 in 4 Americans (less than 25%) recycle their computer components.
What can you do? Many towns locally (West Paterson, North Haledon) have free drop offs for technology. You can look these things up on Earth911 - a Web site devoted to recycling and "going green".
Earth911's computer recycling Web site:
http://earth911.org/recycling/computer-recycling-reuse/
(when you search, you want to find only "Municipal drop-offs" - those are the free ones)
Earth911's main Web site
http://earth911.org/
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tenure
I just received the phone call from my Vice President, Dr. Kineavy. The PCCC Board of Trustees has accepted the school's recommendation to grant me tenure.
What does this mean for me? Well, for one, job security. Secondly, the ability to really say what I feel in meetings without having to worry about angering this person or that person. Third, the satisfaction of a job well done so far.
Looks like I'll be at PCCC for a while, and I look forward to it!
What does this mean for me? Well, for one, job security. Secondly, the ability to really say what I feel in meetings without having to worry about angering this person or that person. Third, the satisfaction of a job well done so far.
Looks like I'll be at PCCC for a while, and I look forward to it!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Myspace hoax leads to a suicide
People can be mean sometimes.
Apparently, some people created a fake myspace account and contacted a young woman, who was prone to depression. The young woman apparently befriended the person, who eventually told her she was a bad person, and this was enough for her to commit suicide.
It's amazing a) how cruel people can be and b) how easily people will throw their lives away in this country sometimes.
It's kind of bizarre, because there was an adult in on this hoax, doing this to the young woman.
http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/technology/2007/11/17/Internet.Suicide/?cvqh=itn_myspace
Apparently, some people created a fake myspace account and contacted a young woman, who was prone to depression. The young woman apparently befriended the person, who eventually told her she was a bad person, and this was enough for her to commit suicide.
It's amazing a) how cruel people can be and b) how easily people will throw their lives away in this country sometimes.
It's kind of bizarre, because there was an adult in on this hoax, doing this to the young woman.
http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/technology/2007/11/17/Internet.Suicide/?cvqh=itn_myspace
Monday, November 12, 2007
Black Friday
My favorite holiday of the year? Black Friday.
What is Black Friday? Basically, it's the day after Thanksgiving. Since many people have the day off, companies offer excellent deals. For example, I got a $400 brand new laptop last year, with a printer. The drawback? It sometimes requires being at a store at 5:00 am.
For more info, check out Wikipedia's entry on Black Friday.
Anyway, this year, Staples apparently has a color laser printer under $100, and a laptop for $350. Best Buy apparently has some DVDs as low as $2.50, a $35 MP3 player (2 GB), and many more things. Target has a 19" LCD television with a built in DVD player for $200.
How do I know? Well, you can get your Sunday paper next week to get a list...or you can find a site that has them.
http://bfads.net
http://www.blackfriday.info
I love this day.
What is Black Friday? Basically, it's the day after Thanksgiving. Since many people have the day off, companies offer excellent deals. For example, I got a $400 brand new laptop last year, with a printer. The drawback? It sometimes requires being at a store at 5:00 am.
For more info, check out Wikipedia's entry on Black Friday.
Anyway, this year, Staples apparently has a color laser printer under $100, and a laptop for $350. Best Buy apparently has some DVDs as low as $2.50, a $35 MP3 player (2 GB), and many more things. Target has a 19" LCD television with a built in DVD player for $200.
How do I know? Well, you can get your Sunday paper next week to get a list...or you can find a site that has them.
http://bfads.net
http://www.blackfriday.info
I love this day.
Linking to Illegal Stuff - Illegal?
If you link your Web site to someone providing illegal stuff, is that necessarily illegal?
It's a gray area, to be sure, but one of the British sites that did that, TV-links, was recently shut down, EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOTHING ILLEGAL.
It's a scary precedent.
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/10/tv-links-is-the.html
It's a gray area, to be sure, but one of the British sites that did that, TV-links, was recently shut down, EVEN THOUGH THEY DID NOTHING ILLEGAL.
It's a scary precedent.
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/10/tv-links-is-the.html
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Finland Shooting - Foreshadowed on Youtube
A student in Finland posted a disturbing video and comments on YouTube hinting at killing people in high school...and then did it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071107/ts_nm/finland_shooting_dc_13
The video has been removed from YouTube, but at the moment, it's on this Web site.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=369_1194449557
Always sad to see this sort of thing happen.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071107/ts_nm/finland_shooting_dc_13
The video has been removed from YouTube, but at the moment, it's on this Web site.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=369_1194449557
Always sad to see this sort of thing happen.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Vote Smarter
Project Vote Smart is a Web site devoted to giving you information about all candidates running for a position. You can find what they've voted on, what their education is, even what their parents did!
http://www.vote-smart.org/
I personally have a tendency to boycott any candidate who negatively campaigns. You should sell yourself by saying "here's why you should pick me", not "this is why the other person is a piece of garbage". This is why, even though I liked Jon Corzine, I voted against him in the NJ Governor election. I didn't vote for Forrester, either for the record. I voted for one of the third party candidates.
Why bother? Well, Democrats and Republicans wonder, "why are all these people voting for this person". If you had one million people vote for a third party candidate, you can bet they would take note. This is my own personal little protest.
Anyway, if you are planning on voting, check out the Web site. They treat every candidate, from the Corzines of the world to the NJ Weedman the same, and that's what politics are about, right?
http://www.vote-smart.org/
I personally have a tendency to boycott any candidate who negatively campaigns. You should sell yourself by saying "here's why you should pick me", not "this is why the other person is a piece of garbage". This is why, even though I liked Jon Corzine, I voted against him in the NJ Governor election. I didn't vote for Forrester, either for the record. I voted for one of the third party candidates.
Why bother? Well, Democrats and Republicans wonder, "why are all these people voting for this person". If you had one million people vote for a third party candidate, you can bet they would take note. This is my own personal little protest.
Anyway, if you are planning on voting, check out the Web site. They treat every candidate, from the Corzines of the world to the NJ Weedman the same, and that's what politics are about, right?
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Paterson Garage is open...finally!
You may have received the email, but after about a year's worth of delays, the PCCC/Paterson Parking Garage is opening tomorrow (Monday, 10/29). They will be shutting down a few of the student lots gradually in an effort to consolidate security in to one general parking area, so keep your eyes open from email from the school on that.
For those of you who haven't noticed, it's the new parking garage located next to Wendy's, across from the Dunkin' Donuts and PCCC Bookstore. Make sure your hangtag is in place and you have your student ID, because I would bet the security is tight at first.
For those of you who haven't noticed, it's the new parking garage located next to Wendy's, across from the Dunkin' Donuts and PCCC Bookstore. Make sure your hangtag is in place and you have your student ID, because I would bet the security is tight at first.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Spring 2008 already?
It's that time.
The Spring 2008 semester is available in the portal. You can check what classes are available here:
PCCC Schedule of Classes
If you want to pick classes, you can meet with an advisor in your major starting Monday the 29th. See a faculty member you are comfortable with, and one who knows your field! For Information Technology and Computer Science majors, you can see myself or any of the other faculty members in the department, and we'll be glad to sit down and discuss classes with you.
Early registration starts October 29th for students with 24+ college level credits, and November 5th for all current students - this means you can get your scheduling done and get the sections of the classes you want, before other people register for them.
Even if you are unsure of how you are doing in some classes (for example, let's say you are having trouble in EN 101 and fear you might need to repeat it) - you can register for other classes and add another class later.
The Spring 2008 semester is available in the portal. You can check what classes are available here:
PCCC Schedule of Classes
If you want to pick classes, you can meet with an advisor in your major starting Monday the 29th. See a faculty member you are comfortable with, and one who knows your field! For Information Technology and Computer Science majors, you can see myself or any of the other faculty members in the department, and we'll be glad to sit down and discuss classes with you.
Early registration starts October 29th for students with 24+ college level credits, and November 5th for all current students - this means you can get your scheduling done and get the sections of the classes you want, before other people register for them.
Even if you are unsure of how you are doing in some classes (for example, let's say you are having trouble in EN 101 and fear you might need to repeat it) - you can register for other classes and add another class later.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
File Sharing and You
I equate file sharing to speeding.
If you're doing 80 miles per hour on route 80, you're speeding. However, people will point to the fact that many other people are doing 80 miles per hour, so it's not like they are the only one breaking the law. It's true, but if a police officer pulls you over, it's not an excuse.
Same thing with file sharing.
Sharing and downloading music or movies on the Internet is illegal, if you don't have permission of the person who copyrighted that work. I'd guess that you probably don't have that permission.
Can you get sued? Yes. Can they catch you? Yes. Is it likely? Well, with all the people doing it, it's not likely, but it can happen.
Here's a partial list of people who have been sued:
A 12 year old girl from New York
A grandmother who doesn't know how to file share
Students at Arizona State U.; Marshall; North Carolina State; North Dakota State; Northern Illinois; Ohio U.; Syracuse; U. of Massachusetts, Amherst; U. of Nebraska, Lincoln; U. of South Florida; USC; U. of Tennessee, Knoxville; and U. of Texas, Austin.
Do they have the right to? Yes. When you go on the Internet, every computer is assigned a unique identifier called an IP address. You are assigned one when you connect to the Internet, so if you are online, you can be tracked. If they think you did it, they can get a court order and present that to your Internet service provider, such as Comcast, Optimum Online, or Verizon.
Example Comcast letter
Example Cox letter (another Internet service provider)
Keep in mind that your Internet service provider wants to protect you - after all, you are their customer, and if you broke, you won't be paying for Internet service.
If you're doing 80 miles per hour on route 80, you're speeding. However, people will point to the fact that many other people are doing 80 miles per hour, so it's not like they are the only one breaking the law. It's true, but if a police officer pulls you over, it's not an excuse.
Same thing with file sharing.
Sharing and downloading music or movies on the Internet is illegal, if you don't have permission of the person who copyrighted that work. I'd guess that you probably don't have that permission.
Can you get sued? Yes. Can they catch you? Yes. Is it likely? Well, with all the people doing it, it's not likely, but it can happen.
Here's a partial list of people who have been sued:
A 12 year old girl from New York
A grandmother who doesn't know how to file share
Students at Arizona State U.; Marshall; North Carolina State; North Dakota State; Northern Illinois; Ohio U.; Syracuse; U. of Massachusetts, Amherst; U. of Nebraska, Lincoln; U. of South Florida; USC; U. of Tennessee, Knoxville; and U. of Texas, Austin.
Do they have the right to? Yes. When you go on the Internet, every computer is assigned a unique identifier called an IP address. You are assigned one when you connect to the Internet, so if you are online, you can be tracked. If they think you did it, they can get a court order and present that to your Internet service provider, such as Comcast, Optimum Online, or Verizon.
Example Comcast letter
Example Cox letter (another Internet service provider)
Keep in mind that your Internet service provider wants to protect you - after all, you are their customer, and if you broke, you won't be paying for Internet service.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Hacking Online Gambling Sites
Cheating has always happened in cards. Be it as simple as someone seeing your cards or as complex as "counting cards", people have found ways to make real money gambling in person.
It seems to have happened online at the third biggest online gambling site in the world. I'm not shocked that he apparently won at least $400,000 illegally. He apparently was a former employee, and as we all know, once you've worked somewhere, you know the weaknesses of that company.
Read more...
It seems to have happened online at the third biggest online gambling site in the world. I'm not shocked that he apparently won at least $400,000 illegally. He apparently was a former employee, and as we all know, once you've worked somewhere, you know the weaknesses of that company.
Read more...
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Myspace phishing
Click here to see a myspace phishing scheme I ran across today. Don't worry, I've disabled all links.
The key: look at the URL up top!!
The key: look at the URL up top!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Rate your Doctors, too!
Just like rating your professors, you can also rate your doctors online as well! It's an interesting idea, if you are considering finding a new doctor or just want to see what people think about yours. Certainly worth a look!
http://ratemds.com/
http://ratemds.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)