Good Idea, Bad Idea

So I'm going to start a new weekly posting entitled "Good Idea, Bad Idea". In the spirit of the concept, the first week will be based on the concept.

Good Idea: "Good Idea, Bad Idea"

I wish I could say I made this up. My first remembrance comes from the old cartoon The Anamaniacs. If you don't remember this show, you missed out on a lot as a child. This show was a children's show that aired on Saturday mornings. Something I forgot until just recently is that it was made by Steven Spielberg. Pretty cool. It was a really funny show, and I owe it the proper homage since I'm using one of their premises. To make things more interesting, here is a compilation of original "Good Idea, Bad Idea" bits from Anamaniacs:

Bad Idea: Creating a weekly posting topic

Its not that I'm not reliable, I just forget things. I mean, I would love to say that you, the reader, is the most important thing in my life, but the reality is far from that. In fact, on the scale of things that are important to me, you rate pretty low (at last count, 237th, just after duct tape and just before Smallville). Anyways, I will attempt to do this every Thursday to add some consistency to the site. I hope you all enjoy.

Wireless Wednesday: More Android, But It's Google's Fault, Not Mine!

Look, I know I talk a lot about Android here on Wireless Wednesday. I get it. But it's really not my fault. Blame Google. They keep coming out with new stuff. I could take 3 paragraphs about last week's IO conference, which announced (officially) Android 2.2, code named Froyo, which adds full Flash ability and runs 400-something times faster. I could also harp on the issue of fragmentation that a lot of people have talked about extensively. So I won't, because unless you're a geek like me, you really don't care. I'll spare you this time.

Instead, we're gonna talk about the future (yay conjecture that you can't disagree with me on because it's based entirely on opinion!). So, the future! I know I've discussed where I see technology going in the next few years in one of the first posts on this site (if you're new, check it out. It's pretty awesome really), but I need to change a little something there. I said previously that two of the few relevant devices in the future will be the TV/Desktop PC hybrid (hello, Google TV?) and the smartphone. Well, I still think I'm right, and I think we'll continue to have these devices. But what I didn't think would be coming so quickly is that these will essentially be extensions of each other. Android's upcoming Froyo update will allow a lot of wireless PC syncing, like link sharing, music upload, and app control. Basically, instead of emailing myself a link so I can click on it on my phone, all I'll do is click one button, and my PC sends the link directly to my Android phone, which I can access with one click in the notification panel. How cool is that? And being able to tell my phone to automatically go out to the Marketplace and download a specific application, all without having to lay a hand on my device is awesome.

What I mean by these two very different devices being extensions of each other is that I see it as a very distinct possibility that we'll see the same operating systems on both, just with minor tweaks to optimize performance for whatever device it's on. And if I had two things that do the same thing, but just have different size and power levels (and no, this is not a justification for small "manhood") it would consolidate my life so much. No more wondering "How do I get this information from my PC to my phone" or vice versa. Now we're already seeing a lot of prototype netbooks and tablets getting Android make overs, and we'll most likely see similar advances for iPhone OS, Windows Phone 7, etc. so this isn't something limited to Android or anything. I personally love the thought of just having all of my information accessible no matter where I am or what device I'm using.

Hello, hello!

Hello, hello!

My name is Matt Cavanagh and I am a twenty-four year old husband, father and student from Orlando, Florida (which we'll certainly get into at a later point). I was invited to write for Blueprints blog by my brothers Brad and Travis, and I will forever abhor them for it (but the joke's on them -- I will tarnish their names with poor writing and pelnty fo speling, syntaxically and grammeristic misktaes).

Yup, that's me!

I suppose the one thing that I hope to contribute to Blueprints is positivity. I've noticed that most socially-ept humans, like that of the likes of our very own Blueprints staff, have an ultimately negative outlook on humanity. I feel that I have been selected by the Blueprints staff for my contentious perspective and ability to recognize the positive aspects of humankind as we know it -- OR -- I too hate humankind far beyond the point of understanding and will offer a recycled analysis. I believe that this fact is up to you, the reader, to decide.

I mentioned earlier that I am a father. What I meant by this is that I am the world's first man-child with a kid and a half. That's right -- I'll admit it: I have some growing up to do, but it could also mean that I will better relate to my children.

Thus far, I have a daughter named Samantha, and an unborn son tentatively named Isaac (until he turns out a girl!). For some reason I always find it difficult to write about them. Maybe I don't want to cheapen what it is that I feel for them; or maybe it's one of those inexplicable feelings that you become certain others won't believe. Either way, you won't hear about how either of them are "the light at the end of my tunnel","my everything" or "loved with the very fiber of my being" --I love them, and they deserve better than that.

I am married. That's right! Sorry, ladies! I know that my writing really turns the gears for a lot of people, but this guy is taken. By "taken", I don't mean it in the traditional or political sense, wherein a person can be "taken" and simultaneously bang a secretary, two stewardesses and a third of the wait-staff at Houlihans, but rather a more "spectral reservation". What do I mean by this? I suppose that the best way to describe it is that when I die, assuming my separated being is a sentient one, I will wait. See? I can't even talk about my wife without sounding like I'm trying to moisten my reader-base.

This all brings me to a good point: realism and egoism. Human beings can claim to be realists or honest, but the fact of the matter is that we are all just selfish. We'll talk openly and honestly, but neglect to provide the actual, organically-selfish agenda that each and every one of us works so hard for. I suppose that it is the thesis of my existence; to provide evidence to the contrary. I'm trying my hardest (and failing miserably) to be a person that exists not for self, but for the likes of others, but how can I? For instance, what I just said up there could be poignant and honest, or it could have been a ploy to loosen up all of the hussies out there by identify, analyzing and exploiting an emotional weakness. Well, which one was it? I know -- do you?

Long story short, I am not writing in this blog so that you'll like me or want to buy the cool gadgets that I have (that's Travis' job), but rather provide a vitally important understanding as to who you and I really are (by which I mean, try to impress my brothers with under-achieved, short and sporadic chirography.)

Also, there is already a Matt on board, so I need a pseudonym. I think that I have the perfect one too! While substitute teaching (that's right, I do it too , but don't worry about me wasting your time blogging about it - J/K) a young, urban kid contrived the gangsterest name in the whole world for me by combining the term "Hitman" with first letter of my last name, and a method of describing how it is that I "creep". The name in its entirety looks like this: The Hitman C-Lo. I liked it so much that I decided that, from then on, whenever I was going to do something gangster, I was going to be known by this name. The Hitman C-Lo it is.

Thanks and I'll see you around!

A Series Finale, and I'm Still LOST

So lets just get it out of the way to start: That sucked. I watch some really crappy shows with my time (Private Practice, Desperate Housewives, and most notably, Smallville, which The CW refuses to cancel even though its nothing short of a black hole for entertainment value), but this finale just jumped LOST to the head of the pack.

I've been listening to a lot of people talk about the finale, and it seems that in typical LOST fashion, nobody actually understands what happened, so let me quickly explain the one and only answer they gave us in the finale (at least the way I understand it, and since I'm saying it, its the right way). The "sideways universe" was an afterlife of sorts. If you want to know my evidence, here it is:

1. Everyone had events that made them "remember" their previous lives (primarily caused by Desmond).
2. Symbolism on the window behind Jack's dad when he's talking to him (symbols for 6 major religions)
3. Oh, and Jack's dad (who just so happens to be named Christian Shepard, because that's subtle) says they're all dead.

I've heard a lot of people claiming its an alternate universe, but more accurately its Purgatory, a place where you go after you die to cleanse and prepare yourself for heaven.  Christian gives us the basic idea, and states that there is "no now here," claiming that time is irrelevant in this place (more proof that its afterlife, not an alternate dimension, as all earthly realms would have to be time bound in order for the fabric of the universe be held together). This is where things really start to go a little weird with the afterlife areas. If time is not a factor, why are a great number of the members not present here? Walt, Michael, Mr. Echo, Anna-Lucia (who we see in this afterlife, so we know she could be there), Faraday, Charlotte, Miles, Richard, and Lapidus were all suspiciously absent (and countless other smaller characters that survived the crash). Despite the obviousness of the sideways universe/afterlife, at least it was explained. Lets move on to the MAJOR disappointments of the finale.

The main story arc was completely unexplained in this episode. Quite literally, not a single question left to be answered was actually answered in the finale. We know from the Jacob-as-a-kid episode that the light in the heart of the island is "the light that is in all men" which is meant to be all that is good in people. By extension, we could ASSUME that if this light goes out, then evil would run rampant and unchecked in the world (AKA the smoke monster could leave), but it never actually tells us this. Plus, if that's the case, then the extinguishing of the light should make Locke/The Man in Black STRONGER, not mortal.

We know that Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Miles, Richard, and Lapidus make it off the island, but it tells us NOTHING of the life they have after these events. The fact that Richard is not in the afterlife stories, can we assume that he never dies? Such an assumption would clash with the grey hair that Miles found on him while they were getting on the row boat. If Ben is given a chance to move on, why shouldn't Richard? Ben is at least 100,000 times less deserving than Richard for salvation.

Then there's the question of Hurley. He's supposed to be the protector of the island now, but what's he protecting it from? There's no more Others, The Man in Black is dead. Even Ben is working to help protect it. So what's to protect it from? Its a hidden island that can't be found unless The Protector allows it to be found, so if there is no protector, no one finds it, and the light is protected. How long does Hurley stay there? Does he do a good job (at doing nothing)? Does he have the same powers Jacob did? If so, then how does he die?

What about Desmond? He's beaten and about to die. Then Ben tells Hurley that he could help him get home. How does Hurley do that? Can he just whisk him away with thought, or is there some other undestroyed mode of transportation available? I guess he could take the boat that he used to get to the island (the same one that Sawyer and Kate used to get to Hydra Island), but that's pretty beat up, and without sails if I remember right.

Ultimately, it comes down to this. A great show should teach us something. Something about how people live, or a life lesson. After 6 years of watching this show (and a number of those years unbelievable boring and needlessly complex), LOST left us with one undenible fact: "Everyone dies." Really? We've spent hours learning meta-physics and string theory. Had entire seasons explaining the complexity of time travel, and intertwining time lines. We've endured polar bears, drug dealers, and black smoke monsters. Mixing of Egyptian, Myan, and Christian symbology. We've endured needlessly complicated story lines with ridiculous intersections of the lives of these people before they ended up on the island. And in the end, they give us a reminder of our own mortality? And then in the most absolutely ridiculous statement of contradictions ever, they state that what they did mattered, even though they still just died. Wow, that was useful. Thank you Damon Lindelof, for a completely pointless waste of the last 6 years of my life. At least Smallville never tried to act like anything more than what they are.

A Tale of Stereotypes

The following story is 100% true. Unlike the vast majority of the stories I write, this one is not exaggerated. I point this out because otherwise, you would just assume I am making it up. Names have been made up to protect the innocent (and because I didn't care enough to actually learn anyone's name).

Yesterday, I spent the day as I usually do, subbing in a school around town. A quick explanation of how my job works. When a teacher misses a day of school, they post to a website that says they're not going to be there. That website then takes that absence and makes it available to the subs in the county. They are visible to us subs through our own logins and we simply take them as they come. We can work whenever we want, and if we don't take a job for a day, its just a day off (obviously, we don't get paid if we don't work though). Typically, assignments are hard to find on Wednesdays and Thursdays, since its the middle of the week, so when a multi-day assignment is available, I usually jump on it.

A three day assignment appeared, and even though I hadn't heard of the school, I figured I would grab it. I arrived at this school and immediately noticed that there was a metal detector just inside the front door. While this not seem like too strange a thing to some people, we do not have metal detectors in the schools in this county. However, I noticed that this particular metal detector wasn't plugged in at the time, so I was not too concerned.  I checked in as usual and was escorted to my room. The room itself was a standard shape with two doors in the back, one which leads to a hallway containing two bathrooms and at the other end, another room. The other door leads to a closet. I am then approached by the admin assistant, Maria, who explains to me the bell schedule, tells me that I will be teaching math, and that the bathroom door will be closed because "the kids just act ridiculous back there." Kids tend to act ridiculous in the bathrooms in all schools, so I was still not too terribly concerned. Maria's last statement would obliterate this sense of safety quite quickly.

She left and I sat in my room for a few minutes, in which I realized I left my Mountain Dew in my car. As I'm walking out of the room, I ask Maria if I have time to run to my car and grab my drink. She says "Sure. Oh, and I forgot to tell you: Don't leave any personal belongings in your room if you ever want to see them again. These kids are all court mandated to be here...they're thieves." Not knowing exactly what to say, I just kinda nodded and walked out to my car. Saying that kids are thieves is not even all that shocking. I'm used to other teachers and office staff exaggerating things. I'm not used to kids being court mandated to be there. I find out eventually that this is a school for kids that have a criminal record, and have also been expelled from regular county schools. In other words, these are the worst of the worst.

When the kids finally arrive, they all work their way into my room. I was already told that the kids were not allowed to use the computers, so I told them that they were not allowed. A few of them got on them anyways, so I told them to get off. I was directly behind one of them who I told to get off. He folded his hands in his lap, and started breathing deep. The guy next to him started saying "Calm down man. Don't do it. You don't want to get sent back. Just calm down." Dude was gonna hit me!! I should point out, that this was high school level, so he probably would have kicked my ass. Being the guy that likes to push things, I took a couple steps back and told him again "Get off the computer." He never did get off, so I eventually gave up.

As other kids came in, they noticed that the door to the bathroom hall was closed, Instead of asking me to open it for them, they would walk up to it, and pick the lock. All of the kids in the class seemed to be able to do it. They would take off their belt, jimmy the lock, and the door would pop open, This just seemed funny to me. In a room full of juvenile delinquents, locked doors are apparently not an issue.

At lunch, I learned that two of the kids had left after first period, gone to a convenience store nearby, bought alcohol (something called Locos?), got hammered, then CAME BACK TO SCHOOL!!!! There's a couple things wrong here. For one, why would you come back to school? You've walked out, bought alcohol underage, and are now drunk. What part of their feeble brain's make them think they should go back to class? I mean, sure I did my fair share of drinking before class in college, but I didn't get absolutely hammered, then go to class, and I was certainly over 21 when I did it. What's even more frustrating to me is that I was told this by one of the teachers. Apparently, all the teachers knew it, but none of them really seemed to care, and none of them did anything about it. The kids stayed the rest of the day.

Getting any work done in class wasn't even possible. I handed out the worksheet, and half of them ripped it up in my face. Then they spent their time talking/yelling at each other. I'm even used to kids cursing in class, but in this place, there was more curse words than not. It sounded like a hack comedian over doing an impression of gangsters. It was insane.

At the end of the day, there was a kid talking and acting a little annoying, so I gave him a dirty look. He started saying something about "trying him" (which I had an impossible time understanding) and then walked into the hall. I went to the hall to see what he was doing, and he was talking to Maria (the admin assistant). When he saw me, he started saying things again (which I could still not understand), and then lunged at me to make me flinch. I of course flinched, because there's no way not to, and he started laughing. I just walked back into my room, and as I did, I hear Maria laughing with him!!

Overall, it was a horrendous experience that made me appreciate even the worst classes in regular schools. Needless to say, I had the job canceled for the other days I was supposed to be there. In fact, I was already on the phone before I even got to my car.

Operation Hero™

I was having problems hearing my cell phone ring last week so I set it on top of a display. The hope was that when a phone call came in, I could also see the device light up and not miss the call. What I didn't realize was that inside the place I worked there was an opportunistic thief who would see my phone laying there and pocket it while I wasn't looking.

Moments after the offender left my location, I looked up and noticed the phone missing. This person was the only one in my kiosk, but I upheld strict rules and having not physically seen the device pocketed I maintained that I didn't have enough probable cause to stop and detain him with Loss Prevention in the store. What I did do, however, was take the wireless phone and follow this person around calling my phone time after time. This was a completely useless measure since I couldn't hear the phone to begin with but I felt I had to do something. Recognizing my defeat, I had to let the person exit the store. Without my phone, I was lost.

It is at this point in the story I'd like to give thanks to the first person who helped me in Operation Hero™: Travis (one of the contributors on this blog). In fact it was he who had coined the term and named this operation. He and I share our locations in real time with the Latitude, a Google mapping service. I wanted him to watch my dot on the map and see if it indeed did leave the perimeter of the store and wasn't a terrible trick being played on my by one of my coworkers. Within minutes, my phone's location updated and it was absolutely outside of the area where I work.

With his permission, I switched to viewing his account directly so that I could get the most up to date readings of where my phone was. First it went away from my location, then drove right past me on the main street to another location. I continued to call my phone non stop (yes, they actually left both the phone AND the GPS on the entire time). I even sent a text message to my phone saying I would pay $100 to recover my phone. While this was going on, a deputy from Orange County Sheriff's Office came by to take a report and record my phone's serial number as stolen in the police database. It's important to note that while my phone is just a standard smartphone, the retail value of it puts the crime at Grand Theft.

Then it happened: A few hours after my phone was stolen I was being called (from my phone) to the phone I was temporarily using by some guy claiming he had found my phone in a parking lot. I feigned excitement articulating that my phone was stolen from me and I was "glad" he found it. He informed me that since he was such a nice guy it would be swell of me to give him $10-$20 in my appreciation. I agreed and we set up a meeting point for me to get the phone. As I was leaving I got a call back from him again. He just saw my text and now wanted the full $100 ransom. What a great guy he is! To keep the meet, I agreed.

The second thanks in this story goes out to my best friend and contributor of this blog, Brad. I had seen on the map that he was near the meet point. On my way over, I asked him if he would get to that location early and order food to act like a patron. To his credit, he performed his role perfectly. When I would enter the store later on, he made no visual sign that he recognized or even knew me, and this sting operation was set.

Before I got there though, I placed one additional call. The final thanks in Operation Hero™ goes to the deputies of the Sheriff's office. Connecting with dispatch, I let them know of what was happening and asked that if they had the deputies in the area, could they meet up with me and possibly get this guy. Dealing in stolen property is a 2nd degree Felony, and if it turned out the person that showed up was also the person I saw on the kiosk, we would potentially have the Grand Theft charges on him as well.

A staging area was set up down the street at a local gas station. The deputies arrived on scene shortly before our sting operation was set to go down. A briefing of the events was given to them and we also connected my guy on the inside with the deputies cell phone number. The plan was to have me go in and participate in the drop, while my friend would relay all information about the suspect. Minutes later I was inside and placed my call to the thieves, letting them know I had arrived.

A van rolls up with two people, the passenger of whom had my phone and came inside. Like clockwork, his description was being fed back in real time. As soon as he was back in the vehicle and had pulled out of the parking spot, the deputy sheriffs drove around quickly and pulled the van over. This is now a felony stop so the proper amount of care was given to drawing these (potentially dangerous) suspects out of the vehicle one by one.

All in all, it was great to get my phone back. I was one of the very lucky ones, and you can better believe I'm not leaving my phone laying around even for a second, and EVEN when I still intend to only be two feet away from it like I was this time. The great coordination of all involved, my report / statement, and ultimately the person confessing to the crime made this a successful operation. I felt great in that moment, reinvigorated as to why I want to be in law enforcement. Because on that day, one more person who was up to no good was taken off the streets.

And speaking of EVO... Travis' EXCLUSIVELY BRIEF HAND'S ON!

So we already talked about the EVO on Wednesday, so if you want the info on that, scroll down a little. Seriously, it's RIGHT below this.

Are you caught up? Cool. How was your day? Yeah? No way, that's crazy! What? Oh, you want the review already? Fine!

So today, I somehow managed to get my hands on HTC's EVO 4G, but unfortunately not long enough to run away with it. I did however get to take it out for a brief test drive. And in an effort to keep this blog PG, let's just say that I had to buy new pants. I'll let you take that however you want.

If you've played around with any Android phone, you know the basics of how it works, so I don't really need to go into too much detail. And if you have any experience with SenseUI, it's all the same to you. 7 panels of customizable homescreen goodness, all the familiar HTC-exclusive widgets with just a few new visual tweaks, but nothing earth-shattering.

What is earth-shattering is the "Holy crap this thing is HUGE" factor (it's a technical term, look it up). What shocked me more was how light it was. It certainly doesn't feel like what a 4.3" screen device should. For this next part, I'm aware that that's what she said: Despite the fact that it seems like it would be too big, it really fits and feels good in your hands. Ok, get that out of your system. We good? Good.

I am usually the kind of guy who does not like an on-screen keyboard when I have the option for buttons, so typing was my biggest concern. I've typed on the Nexus One and even the iPhone a lot, and I just could never get the hang of it with my big hands. The EVO is the exception. The software keyboard is seriously just as big as hardware options out there, and the haptic feedback (mini-vibrate at each keystroke) replaces the satisfying click that a physical button provides.

Now, unfortunately I didn't get to test out video conferencing, but I made a point of it to try out the camera. The 1.3 front facing one looked good on it, which made the overshadowing 8mp camera on the back look insane. Even when fully zoomed in on a picture, every tiny detail is clear. Definitely impressive. And the video was smooth as can be in both stationary and quick action recording. And it's a testament to the 1GHz Snapdragon processor (in non-tech terms: The thing that makes it go VROOM!) that switching from the front camera to the back took seriously 1 second.

Overall, I'm absolutely impressed. The EVO is just snappy and lag-free, and if there were any doubt in my mind that I was going to be buying it (at the thankfully low $450 contract-free price even), it's now gone. In the coming year, this will be the phone to beat. Even when the Droid first came out, we knew of the upcoming Snapdragon processor. But I haven't even really read any rumors of what might possibly surpass this bad boy yet. And that includes all the protohypes Apple has "lost". Definitely worth checking out come June 4th!

Wireless Wednesday: All About Android! And EVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, this week was huge in the world of Android. So let's just jump in!


First up, some ridiculous and cool stuff. We saw Android 2.2 (codenamed Froyo) run on the Nexus One. What's the big deal? Flash, my friends, Flash. It will run full Flash. It's a very smart way of doing it. When Flash content comes up (be it games, menus, etc.), you click on it and you see the familiar orange box around it. Then, all your gestures are used for the Flash content. So even if you swipe past the box that has all the stuff, you stay stationary on the page and scroll through the content. It looks super slick, and it kind of shows that Steve Jobs' claims that it cannot run smoothly are wrong (shocking, I know). Also, some awesome modders made an app that allows for a WiiMote to control your Droid. Yeah, a WiiMote. Hello, N64 games!



In even bigger news, the NPD just released the results of it's latest research on the smartphone marketshares of the current biggest smartphone operating systems here in the States. Not surprisingly, BlackBerries held on to their long time lead. Here's the shocker. In a matter of just a quarter, Google's Android OS leap-frogged over Apple's iPhone OS by 7%. Steve Jobs' exact reaction: "NUH UH!" Not a day later, Apple released their take on the recent survey. Shockingly, they denied the figures, calling them inaccurate because it doesn't account for how many iPhones and iPod Touches were sold worldwide. Um, no ****, Sherlock? Of course the worldwide sales of your mp3 player weren't including in a report on US smartphone marketshare. Apple then continued by saying that with the upcoming release of the iPhone OS 4.0, they "see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon." Yup, Google's behind on multitasking and folders, apparently.



And finally, the biggest news. Today, Sprint had it's big pre-launch party for the HTC EVO 4G. If you remember from CES, the EVO is the world's first 4G enabled phone (I know, the name can be confusing) running Android 2.1 with SenseUI, and oh yeah has 2 cameras! But we FINALLY got some damn launch details! Sprint will start selling the device on June 4th for $199.99 with a contract (only $450 without). There is an extra plan add-on of $10 a month for the 4G use, which isn't bad, considering the massive speed boost and the free (yes $0) video conferencing which will be provided by Qik. As for the wireless hotspot use, only $30 a month extra for up to 8 devices to connect using 4G speeds unlimited. I think it's a brilliant move on Sprint's part. The phone price could have easily been more, but $200 seems to be the magic smartphone price these days. And the $10 extra, while not ideal, still puts you at the same price as a T-Mobile smartphone and less than Verizon or AT&T. I honestly believe that with the proper marketing (not the guys who made the creepy Palm girl ads) we might have a phone set the record in sales again.

And tomorrow, look for my video review of ANOTHER new browser for Android: Dolphin HD!

Better late than never.

Hello all, my name is Ned.

This is the post they thought would never come. No, seriously, Brad gave up. I think that was my motivation. Brad finally gave up. As I look back into my inbox, I see that he invited me to write something a good solid month ago. I think that it's about time for the procrastination to be put to rest, so I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself.

I'm 22 and a local Floridan. I was born and raised in Apopka, and I'm currently a student at the University of Central Florida. I was originally an English major, but I begrudgingly changed my major to Information Technology a few years ago. This was due to the fact that I figured out I don't want a job as a teacher, and because, well, I just don't have the drive to sit down and write consistently (Ahem). I have about a semester left at UCF, which really just depends on if I can get the classes I need this go-round. Assuming everything goes well, come this December I'll be a fresh college grad with no idea where I'm going in life. Hooray for ambition.

I am the self admitted nerd of the group. I guess we're all nerds, though the rest of the guys prefer to refer to themselves as “geeks.” The difference is that they are tech geeks. I'm a gamer. I love video games. Don't take this as “Oh, this kid must never leave his computer screen.” To be totally honest, I probably do spend an hour a day on some game or another, and I'm always occupied by some MMO or another. But I do get out. After all, I play Dungeons & Dragons. Go on, have a laugh. If you've got any good jokes about it, make sure you tell Brad. I'm sure he'll love some new ones.

Outside of the games, I enjoy biking, hiking, kayaking, pretty much anything outdoors, provided I'm not doing it alone. In addition, I've been taking martial arts for 6 years now, and I'm testing for my black belt in a few months, so that's been occupying most of my free time.

One last thing: I'm an avid music lover. I go everywhere with my headphones on. And I will listen to anything. Rock, Pop, R&B, instrumentals, metal; you name it, I listen to it. In all likelihood, you will hear this pop up time and time again. But if you're reading this and you have some great band you feel like sharing, send me a link. I'm always up for trying something new.

Well, that's me in a nutshell. I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me soon enough, so I will drop the proverbial pen for the moment. Until the next time I find myself motivated to write, farewell.
-Ned

Oh, and by the way, I like salads. I'm sure that'll be important at some point...

Travis' Review of Iron Man 2! It Rhymes!

So last night I saw Iron Man 2 at midnight on a legit IMAX. The 6 stories tall kind, not the half-assed things some theaters call IMAX. First off, my fellow movie-goers were not, uh, to put it nicely, "socially capable" on average. To give you an idea, if I can't tell what sex you are because your hair is chick-length and you are in such bad shape that you should either wear a better bra or a girdle, your chances of ending your virginity streak are pretty slim. I know that's really vicious, but I don't feel even the slightest guilt for my assessment because A) It's correct. And B) The audience was endlessly annoying. And I used to work at a movie theater, so it's rare that these types bother me. Just unnecessary amounts of screaming before the show started, during the trailers (though the Tron Legacy trailer is pretty understandable in this regard). Though I must give my auditorium credit. As soon as the trailer for Twilight: Attack of the Vivacious Vamps and Fabulous Furballs started, the entire crowd erupted in boos until it ended. That I was ok with.

Now, the movie itself has received some mixed reviews elsewhere. It was definitely less action-packed than the last one, something that most people don't like about it. I, on the other hand, loved it. Can we just reflect on how cool Robert Downey Jr. is for a second? I mean seriously, the guy is just awesome, and this movie is no exception. The RDJ returns yet again as Tony Stark, eccentric millionaire with the killer suit (both Iron and tux) and that douchebaggy attitude that you can't help but love. Don Cheadle replaced Terrance Howard as Lt. Rhodes, aka. War Machine, and while I wasn't thrilled about it at first, he definitely grew on me, and the change of casting is for the better ultimately. Pepper Potts is reprized by Gweneth Paltrow, as is Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Oh, and Scarlett Johansson plays someone who is usually in tight and revealing clothing. She was important to the plot I'm sure.....

Anyway, IM2 was less actiony, but the fight scenes were very cool, especially seeing Iron Man and War Machine kicking some serious ass together against Mickey Rourke. But where there were less guns a-blazing, there was a LOT more humor and witty banter, which I loved. RDJ is normally known for being the wise-cracking type, and he does it as well here as he does anywhere else. It was Paltrow and Cheadle's ability to keep up that really made it all work together.

My favorite part of the movie was (unsurprisingly) the technology (Scarlett was a close second, don't worry). Not only did the gadgets and gizmos look super cool, but a thought hit me as I was walking out of the theater: "Holy crap. None of that was really too unrealistic". Now obviously that's an exaggeration, we're quite some time away from even basic jetpacks (seriously, wtf is taking so long, Science?), but the augmented reality displays, multitouch clear glass displays, and even the 3D gesture-based computing Tony does is not out of the realm of possibility right now.

Overall, I have to give this movie a solid 7/10. Great effects and fight scenes, as expected, great performances by the cast all around, SCARLETTT JOHANSSON, and some awesome semi-realistic tech. Definitely worth seeing, and it WILL get you excited for next summer's Thor and Captain America (since you see a little of both), and even more excited for 2012's The Avengers movie. And did I mention Scarlett Johansson?

What Really Grinds My Gears - Undeserved Promotions

So, as you already know - I work for an engineering firm (who's name will remain... un-named).

The company has this training program... it's an 18 month program that fresh college graduates join, and rotate from department to department learning a little bit about each group. In the end, they and the managers of each department work together to find the best fit for their permanent position. I went through it, and now am permanently placed into the ITS department.

A young lady has been in her rotation with us for a little while now... Longer than the typical rotation because we are so busy and don't have time to "catch up" a new member. She's an only child who's father works in engineering in South Florida. I was at her interview, where she said "I moved to Orlando so that my dad's successful career would not drive mine". I admired that. I asked her a few weeks ago if she wanted to join ITS permanently when she was done with the program and she replied "I don't know, I want to finish going through my other rotations".

Now, I've been her direct supervisor throughout this rotation. My boss has me working on a project and I'm delegating the work between her and another trainee and myself. Point being - I'm very unimpressed with the work I've received back. I'll give her a task that is easier than the task I give the other trainee... and it will be submitted 3 days later... with plenty of mistakes. At first I thought, "she's learning... there is a drop in productivity because of that... and quality". As time went on, however, and I saw more and more mistakes... I realized - she just doesn't really care. She's working just to get the job done, without actually thinking about it. So she's not even grasping the simple understanding of the design. In addition, anytime I walk into her cube - I can find at least three windows at the bottom of the screen flashing... What does this mean? Every one of those flashing windows is an internal instant message communicator - she's talking to her work buddies... ALL DAY.

I've been sure to express this to my boss. That I feel she needs to be talked to about her time management, and her attention to quality. In addition, she needs a reality check that just because she's in this program doesn't mean she doesn't have responsibilities.

A few weeks ago, our department manager had lunch with her father. Strictly business... discussing the possibilities of teaming up on projects. I come back from my vacation this week and find - she's been hired permanently.

I immediately go to my boss... "Did any of my observations of her work get through?"
His reply? "Of course they did... but as soon as that dinner was over, her father was giving us work... so she got hired". He proceded to explain that because of her Daddy, she could very well be our bosses before we get promoted.

1. Didn't she say she wasn't even sure if she wants ITS? Why do we want someone who may not even want us long term?
2. Didn't she say she didn't want Daddy paving the path of her career?
3. Doesn't anyone care that she doesn't produce quality work? Or work at all?
4. Isn't it unethical to hire someone under the implication that you will get work for it? Or on the other end... to give a company work under the implication that your daughter will get hired?

I have been working 80 hours a week... trying to do my job, and fix the mistakes she makes on her tasks. She has been working 40 hours a week... talking half of that time on communicator. I have learned the field very quickly and am able to lead a project without my bosses help... and with my rosey colored glasses on - just cannot fathom how this goes unnoticed.

My boss ensures me that come time for promotions, he will be in the department managers office fighting for me... but in the end the decision is out of our hands... and the girl with the golden Daddy will likely win.

I just need to quit working and find a rich engineer who will adopt me.
Anyone? Anyone?

... and That, BluePrints Blog, Is what really grinds my gears...

Social Networking and Big Business, Or How to Threaten Your Employees!

So, today at work, I received a memo from the dreaded and ambiguous "Corporate". Now I don't know who this Corporate fellow is, but he's a real jackass and a fun sucker. Before I get any further, allow me to say something openly that makes a lot of sense later.

My name is Travis and I work for Radioshack.

Ok, so I received this memo, which contained some stuff about stuff, the boring crap I glance over as per usual. Then one section's title caught my attention: Social Media Policy. "Huh, weird," I thought. I figured it would be about using social networking and blog sites at work. Nope. It was about using social networking in your own personal life. It starts with a fun definition of social media, calling Twitter a micro-blog. Then it says that of course it's all on your own personal time, even if you're going to post, Tweet, vlog, blog (AHEM), etc. That's fine, though I'd love to get paid to blog (again, AHEM!). Here was the scary part: They will be "monitoring all publicly posted content". The fun part was that my first reaction was "Thanks, RadioShack! I needed new posting material!"

It then continues to give some vague and brief guidelines on what kind of work-related posting I should be doing. Well expecting me to be "helpful, respectful, [and] smart" is fine, but I'm not sure I can manage the cleverly bolded "positive". I'm totally cool with saying don't post proprietary info, like if I knew the release date of a product before it were announced I shouldn't make that publicly available. But to try to tell me how I should talk about my company on my own website on my own time is ridiculous. And counter-productive, because here I am making this publicly seen bash.

To be fair, RadioShack guy who is hopefully "review[ing this] in accordance with... employee policies", you're not the only company who thinks they can pretend to be the beloved Big Brother. Many companies have started perusing Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to decide on who to hire. I assume they search MySpace because it's a good way to determine who's 13 or under. The problem is, this is a legal gray area. On the one hand, the individual is putting out this information willingly, and if they don't close it to the public and allow Professional Facebook Stalkers to view their drunken pictures, it's their fault. But on the other hand, is Corporate America trying to invade our private life now?

It comes down to this: At the very moment I'm writing this, they are not paying me. They hold no accountability for my actions. If they couldn't be held liable for any criminal activities I may be involved in, or if they wouldn't cover any injuries through workman's comp, they shouldn't be able to use anything I do against me. Is it a smart idea to release a caustic editorial on a company you want to stay with for some time? Probably not. But how about you let me decide whether or not I tell the world how much I think you suck, RadioShack?

The Phone Battle Continues

The other day a friend of mine posted a status update asking for simple advice: should he get the iPhone 3GS with AT&T or go with the HTC Droid Incredible on Verizon Wireless. Most people are very emotional about the phone choices they make, and that usually leads to irrational thought. Contained below is a simple spreadsheet I designed compiling stats on both the phone's hardware and software. The Apple iPhone 3GS outperformed in only one metric while the HTC Droid Incredible outperformed in twenty six metrics. Which one would you choose?