pyrosarco

Five days shy of a month ago, I posted some goals.  To keep on track, I am going to make myself accountable to you.  Here are the goals (reposted)–I put a two month time limit on them–and what I have accomplished.

1. Make a portfolio of art that will get me accepeted into another college.

I submitted my portfolio to RIT on the 6th, it went into evaluation on the 9th.  I talked to an advisor today, she said I will know in a week or two.

2. Read three more books about investing/business.  Read as many books as I want for pleasure.

I have completed one book on business by Robert Kiyosaki and am now reading a book by Ken McElroy on investing in Real Estate.  For pleasure, I have read Lirael, the book after Sabriel in a trilogy by Garth Nix.  I started Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood last evening.
3. Put another 30 hours into drawing to improve my skills.

Between the homework and out of class projects, I think I have racked up 30 hours.  I lose incentive when I don’t have to do it for a grade.
4. Do another 10 photoshop tutorials.

I am suffering in this category, I have only done one tutorial.
5. Read more about / do more web layout.

I was investigating MooTools for my new site design, I however, don’t know enough about javascript. I should learn more and am trying to convince myself that I feel like it.
6. Design a new layout for my site.

I really wish I could get MooTools to work, then I would have a lot of incentive. I have been messing around with ColourLovers.com to get possible color schemes.
7. Get a job???  If it is possible — but honestly I am learning so much with out one right now.

I don’t have a job yet, I am mowing my friends lawn and working for an old lady part time.
8. Do more work on my car in order to learn more.

Besides checking tire pressures and making sure my tires are tight, I have not yet done any work on my car.  I do think more oil will be necessary soon, but that isn’t really hard.
9. Take a trip to Philadelphia and Baltimore.  Not on the same weekend like last week.

I took a trip to Baltimore on Sunday with my friends Josh and Kenny.  We saw the Orioles play the Pirates, although we left early and spent little time in Baltimore outside the stadium.  I wish I could have wandered around more.  I am not even sure who won the game?  Anyone know?
10. Cook dinner for my parents once a week to help out.

Sadly lacking on this one, does picking up takeout count?
11. Run errand with my grandmothers.

I am completing this one a bit one sided, but I still have time.  I did wash my one grandmothers car and take the other out for some errands and lunch.

In my studies this summer, I have been trying to stay motivated.  I would just like to say thanks to Adam Hake for the motivation he gives me to learn.  I know I haven’t talked to him in person for almost a year, but when we were in school together he was always studying something on his own–because he was curious.  So thanks for the inspiration to learn, I aspire to your study habbits and inquisitive nature.

Two new Twitter applications that need to be implemented immediately.

The first should allow you to search your time line by putting in your user name and then a search term or phrase.  It needs to be online based and return you results. I believe I saw a wget form of this written in Ruby that didn’t have a user interface.

The second could be eliminated if the first one is made properly.  A program that archives your tweet time line and allows you to download it.  I believe I saw a version of this in raw python today, but I don’t know how to make it work.

Both ideas could easily be expanded upon by the producers of Twitter or by a third party.  Have a go.

I was in church today.  And my mind was wondering.  Like it always does.  Maybe if I was good at skateboarding I would pull a double kick flip off the alter, or if it was covered in snow, try the rail with my snowboard, hey that girl over there looks really good, the minister is talking about something to do with Jesus, I’m really hungry, when is this going to be over, wait… is he talking about Indonesia?  Cool, I wish I could go there…

Today the sermon was all about mission trips and how they spread the word of Christ.  Yes, I am a Christian, but I have to agree with my father, at least a little bit when he said, “I don’t understand why we go over there and try and convert these people when they have a religion that is working for them already.  I wouldn’t be happy if someone came and tried to convert me.”  I mean, it makes a lot of sense.  I wouldn’t want someone coming up to me and trying to tell me the benefits of becoming Hindu or Buddhist.  Why are we going and medling in their lives?  It is one thing to talk to a friend who has lost their way, it is another to try and convert someone who already is happy.

But herin lies the problem.  In Christianity you are supposed to share the word of Christ.  Become “fishers of men” if you will.  You are supposed to go out and spread the word.  But to what extent?  No one put guidelines in the Bible that says, “Go out and talk to people who are willing to hear the message and are not already set in their ways.”

I don’t have a problem talking about religion with people who are naturally curious, people who I deem need guidance because of lack of religion, or people I’ve known for awhile and just want to argue about religion.  I wouldn’t have a problem going over to countries to do service projects–build houses, do physical labor, help out, whatever.  But I don’t want to go over and be like, “Hey, I built you a house.  Now listen to me grill you about Christ and what he’s done for you, for half an hour.”  I would be more comfortable with going over and building the house and then leaving some literature about what I stand for.  Sure through the grace of God, people will read it and formulate their own ideas.  I just gave the initial bump.

…maybe they will let me go and I could take photos of the projects, I want to get out of here early so I don’t have to wait in all the traffic, what was I watching on T.V. last night, where did my iPod go?, whoa someone is texting me, pass the offering plate, oh yeah I was watching SNL, wow that girl still looks good…

When visiting a college, everyone asks about the dorms or the food.  Here are somethings that should be asked, but often are not.  In many cases the parent may have to ask the tour guide or admissions person about these:

1. Health Care

Don’t just take it for granted.  Sure the school could be huge, and most likely they will have a docotor and nurse on campus.  However, some schools are small and may not have these facilities available to students.  Especially if the school is mostly a commuter college.  So be sure to ask what kind of health care is available to students.

2. Anti-Drug/Alcohol Housing

I was just at RIT and it is the first college that said they offer housing for students who are totally against drugs and alcohol.  The students make a pledge not to bring drugs or alcohol on campus and not to use off campus.  This is something worth investigating if you don’t feel comfortable around people who abuse substances.  I personally know someone who came into school clean, not having alcohol or drugs, but is now using both every weekend.  Parents, you will probably have to be the person who initiates this question.

3.  Teaching Assistants

Ask if the teaching assistants teach or if they are just used as helpers in labs.  Teaching assistants are just that, assistants; they should not be teaching.  In my experience, every time I have had a TA assigned to me to teach a class, I have learned less, become more frustrated, and had less questions answered because they don’t know what the professor meant by X in this situation or Y in that.  Get into a school that does not allow TA’s to teach, but to do research, help in class, field questions, and collect papers.

4.  Ask for more money

This is something you will have to do after you have been accepted at a college or university.  When you receive your letter of acceptance, some schools will include a scholarship package.  In many cases you will be blown away at how much money they are willing to give you.  It will bring many schools into the affordable range.  However, don’t be afraid to ask for more money.  A simple letter to the admissions office explaining why you deserve more money is usually enough.  Tell them about your good grades, all the extra-extra-curricular things you participated in, and most of all tell them what you will bring to their school–why you are deserving.  In many cases, just asking for more money will be enough.  I know someone who asked for more money and they just about doubled his scholarship.  It doesn’t cost them anything, and you gain a lot more.

5.  Cost to education ratio

This may sound weird and it isn’t something you ask the admissions people.  It is something you will ask current students and yourself based on observations.  Ask other students if they feel they are getting a good education for the price they are paying.  Ask them about the professors, do they let out before class is scheduled to be over?  Do the professors seem knowledgeable or do they just b.s. their way through the class?  Ask students about events that the school puts on.  What speakers does the school bring in, are there perks for students in the community?  After all part of the college education is learning and experiencing things that make us more cultured; these happen outside of the class room.  And after you have done this asking, ask yourself based on the information you have gathered and your experience: Is the cost to education ration even? or would I be wasting my money by coming here?

So there you have it.  Some uncommon things to ask when visiting a college.

For years now I have been mooching off of the online world.  Just taking, taking, taking and never thinking of giving back.  Well now, I have made a step in the right direction.  I finally purchased some webspace and intend to begin learning like I should.

I have always blamed the fact that I have used post to hosts as my inability to or desire not to, try and create something good, or to learn more about the web, applications, and the design process.   In case you don’t know, post to hosts are sites like http://core-fusion.net that offer webspace to people who meet a monthly post requirement on their forums.  While it is good for people who just want to play around, develope small things, and teach their kids, it has been my experience that they are unstable and slow to respond to your problems.  Core-fusion was one of the better ones that I have used and would recommend it if you just want some free space.  Post to hosts like Roxr.com are now gone, probably due to legality issues.  I think Roxr was run by the same people who manage Rapidshare.

A few weeks ago, I had already promised myself that I was going to do this as soon as possible.  After a meeting with Alex Hillman and Bart Mroz, two of the three founding partners of Round3Media, I was even more excited and compelled to do so. They mentioned that I should be blogging like crazy, which I already realized, but I was having trouble adjusting to the fact that I would have to use some known CMS rather than something I whipped together myself.  I did, and still do recognize the fact that I am, at this moment in time, not capable of writing something flexible, manageable, automated, and secure enough that I wouldn’t have to use a CMS like WordPress.

With that in mind, and already having used WordPress before, I set out with that option.  So here I am.

What I want to do:

First and foremost, I want to learn.  Learn everything that I can.  I guess this leans on the side of take, take, take, again, but at this point it is necessary.

Secondly, I want to share.  Share things I find, what I am doing, where I am going, who I have met, what has been discussed, all so that the world can progress and grow around me and through others.

Finally, I want to give back.  I want to be able to mentor and/or be able to help people with furthering their learning and developing of ideas.  However, there are no promises in this category for the time being.

What I am most interested in learning about:

Graphic Design - color theory, typography, Photoshop, etc.
Web Design - Why pages are laid out a certain way, why the code works the way it does (I have experience in HTML and some CSS), best practice
Web Development - Writing applications for the web (this is probably furthest out on my timeline)
Photography - self explanatory

If you have resources, please share them with me through commenting.  That way others will be just as able to benefit from them.