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Wednesday February 15, 2012
NEW FEATURE: I added a new column to all of my bike logs to display a link button that will open up the Fly-By video for each individual ride entry. I think this is one of the coolest things that I’ve ever added to my site. I updated all entries that I’ve submitted since I started using the map app to log my rides. Each of those entries now have a link to the Fly-By video.
So far, all I’ve done are work commutes on the “Urban” bike. I only have a couple different routes that I take to and from work so once you’ve watched a couple of those it’ll get kind of monotonous. But once I start doing some long road bike rides out west it’ll generate some more interesting videos. I do have one Fly-By video on the Road log right now from the hill loops that I started doing last week. That one is particularly monotonous since it just goes around and around. If you find things like video games or stuff like that nauseating then I’d suggest NOT watching that one.
On another note, I just cross-posted a new lesson that I published on my guitar instruction site to the Guitar Lessons page.
Tuesday February 07, 2012
DEGREE: I applied for graduation a couple of weeks ago. Now, it’s official. I will be awarded a sheepskin at the end of the current semester. Of course, I have to pass the individualized study of XML that I’m currently progressing though right now. That shouldn’t be a problem though. And I’m gonna try to knock out all of the requirements in 6 weeks even though I have until May to complete the course. I’ve been just motoring through the material with an obsession. I’m actually kinda digging the content of this course. It’s interesting to learn a different formulation of markup.
This is the message that the registrar sent to me today:
The preliminary degree evaluation of your records for graduation has been processed. All course requirements are either satisfied or will be satisfied upon successful completion of your currently registered courses.
Thursday January 26, 2012
THE BACHELOR: I’ve started to look at opportunities for further education. Unfortunately, one of the first steps I took last night was filling in an online form which sent my information to several schools at one time. Most of the schools are nowhere near the Lehigh Valley even though I included in my query that I was looking for local or online schools. This resulted in multiple phone calls and text messages that woke me up several times today forcing me to switch to airplane mode because I couldn’t take it anymore. Can’t people use email? Lesson learned.
The smarter move I made last night was contacting one of my instructors at LCCC. I know that she is pretty close with her Web Dev students and she stays in touch, so I figured that she may have some suggestions about where I could go from here. It turns out that I may not have to go very far.
My instructor did give me a contact for the transfer counselor to look at opportunities at local 4-year institutions. The 4-year schools focus on management of IT instead of the technical aspects like I’ve experienced in the Web Dev program at LCCC. I realized this when I started looking at schools when I first considered going back to school 3 years ago. I chose LCCC because it was the only local school that had an explicit program for Web Development. None of the other schools were offering anything specific for that field. Other schools just offered general degrees in Computer Science. I was looking for something more specific. LCCC had what I wanted.
My instructor also told me about a brand new program that they have developed with Bloomsburg University which conveniently premiers in the fall of this year. That program is explained HERE. I’m very interested in this. I could achieve a 4-year degree while still attending classes locally at LCCC. I’d be in a familiar environment that’s close to home. The program isn’t full technical. It’s a mix of technical, professional, management, and business courses. I think that it’ll be very interesting. It would allow me to get more accredited education under my belt while continuing to enhance the technical skills that I’ve developed already over the last few years.
I’m gonna get more information about this…
Wednesday January 25, 2012
XML: So it begins. The last class for me to complete to get my degree has begun. I finally got the required text in the mail today. It got held up a bit due to that fierce snowstorm that we got over the weekend (for some reason they didn't wanna leave it on the doorstep). But I used the power of the Web to get the USPS to redeliver the book to me. I used their online redelivery form. I already started ripping into my assignments today.
I was given many recommendations for developing XML as far as the environment and validation goes. I've decided to roll with the ultimate editor for me; Visual Studio. Using the VS.PHP plugin with Visual Studio I'm able to write XML code as quick as a boss. And I can save my XML files on the school server (or any of my host servers) and easily use a free XML validator to validate my markup.
This semester is gonna go by like a breeze...
Friday January 20, 2012
FLY-BY: I've been writing in my bike logs about the new ride mapping app that I've been testing out this week. It's a Smartphone app that you use in conjunction with an online account at MapMyRide.com. I still have some tweaks to make with the whole process yet but I'm digging it. One cool feature is the "Course Fly-By Video". I thought that I'd share my work and home commute videos for those who are curious about my bike commute routes. So, if you have the Google Earth Plugin then you can enjoy my fly-by videos by clicking the links below.
Work Commute
2.79 mi Work Commute on Jan 19, 2012 18:59
Home Commute
2.54 mi Home Commute on Jan 20, 2012 7:12
Wednesday January 18, 2012
LOGS: My activity logs are starting to see some activity again. Got a boarding session in this past weekend and I started riding the bike to work again this week. I can't wait to try out my Bluetooth headphones with the iPhone during my commutes into work. I've had those headphones for at least a year now and I haven't really used them that much.
I wanted to add a little geek blog entry here. I learned a little something new about my iPhone today. Sometimes, for whatever reason, apps that you've downloaded won't launch. This happened to me today. It happened right after I synced some music from iTunes into the phone. All of a sudden all of the apps that I downloaded wouldn't open. There's a simple fix for this. All you gotta do is delete one of the apps that you added (preferably a FREE one) and then reinstall it from the app store. And then all of your apps will launch again.
I also wanted to share a cool, little video with some helpful tips about extending the life of your iPhone battery between charges. So here you go...
Monday January 16, 2012
VIDEO: I narrated a video project for Lys. Here is the video:
Saturday January 14, 2012
LAST DITCH: Now that my individualized study has been approved and I successfully registered for the course I know that I'm gonna start immersing myself in code soon. I'm gonna learn what they know about the XML. Plus, I'll continue enhancing my abilities in JavaScript and PHP. But, within the last week or so, I decided that I'm gonna focus on the guitar for a bit. So I started publishing new lessons and I also started to finish learning the Hendrix catalog. I never even started learning Electric Ladyland so that's what I'm doing now.
Learning and playing Hendrix music has become what Slayer's music once was to me. There was a point in time when I was obsessed with learning EVERY Slayer song recorded. And I did that. Now, Hendrix music has become my obsession. It's been quite an educational experience. His playing was well-seated in R&B. I've never studied R&B. So I'm learning a lot of chord structures that I've never worked with before. Not only am I learning some great guitar music but I'm also getting a huge theoretical lesson out of it.
Friday January 13, 2012
YES!... individualized study is approved!
Friday January 13, 2012
FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH: I just cross-posted a new guitar lesson from onlinguitarteacher.net on my Guitar Lessons page. I'm continuing to focus on the modes of the Major scale.
Happy Birthday Lys. Knock knock Hello Lana by Pontiac...... Bath sponge
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