foxpro.catalyst «

FoxPro workBLOGS and MORE… . . .

Tool-warp: MAJORGEEKS.com. (Consider this a filler since I’m having problems with my keyboard.)

Hands down. Rubix cube solved in 20.09 seconds using just one hand. (Left hand… though I’m not sure if he’s a leftie.)

RobW: Personality Traits of the Best Software Developers.

… related but unrelated (Go figure)… here’s how to spot a liar. (via GeekPress)

FireFox Circle. (via skirmisher.org)

Hehe.

So here I am still bummed out because of the events I scribbled earlier, listening to ColdPlay’s Pour Me (though it is beginning to sound like Poor Me already)… reading about that Microsoft demo glitch (again..?), about a study that women these days would prefer a new plasma TV over a diamond necklace (sweet!)…

… about news on Israel and Hezbollah, about Rumsfield…

… about The 25 Most Important Questions in the History of the Universe, about wikipedia critiques, blobs, how to write things on water…

… and yes about smart eggs.

Reading… and surfing around instead of getting into the usual protocols that put me into a coding zone.

And then I stumbled upon this Why your school matters in getting a job post from Greg Moreno (via Pinoy TechScene).

I can only count 7 of my neurons working so I’m not sure whether to agree or not. But I do agree on some parts.

And disagree on others.

I’ve been what… working in the academe’s IT department for 8 years. Tortured college CS and IT students for five years, been free lancing, doing database systems, consultations (and even referee-ing admin/personnel-related fights) for 10 more schools and colleges here in Manila after I have transferred from Davao.

I have seen how things work from a student’s point of view. In a first person point of view as a teacher/staff/employee… in the diffferent admins’ bird-eye-views (with an s), in a different insider’s and outsider’s points of views… and compared notes with other academe dwelling entities as well.

All I can say is what matters is what the school does to you… to her students.

If she pampers you like a spoiled brat so afraid that their school population would decrease if the idealist teacher decides to flank you… then their graduates would speak for themselves, or not.

If they punish you, torture you… readies you for the real world, develops attitude instead of employing mere lectures and depending on non-existent listening skills… then… they’re probably doing something good.

That is if you survive the ordeal.

Bottom line… what matters is how they mold you.

… and how you handled things when you were in their folds.

Did you spend more time complaining..? Playing Ragnie… visiting Friendster instead of doing the ‘school stuff.’

Were you able to surpass the trickier part.

That is…

How to fight the existing educational system from preventing you from really, really learning.

The three universities that were mentioned, objectively, have proven to have done their part for the past years. (Well at least 2 of those mentioned. I’m not sure why the other one was even included. Flame gear on.)

That is something their students are gaining from.

Reputations don’t just pop out.

They’re built. Through years. Not days. Not through commercials. Through extensive processes. Not through luxurious buildings named after recent enrollees with huge ‘donations’.

But that doesn’t really mean that their students are the only best there is.

One of the most hardcore coders I have met doesn’t even come from these schools but I would bet my three month old keyboard that he can kick the collective arses of probably 3 out of 5 graduates from those exclusives.

I’ll include my USB thumbdrive if you would allow him to code with two hands.

But then again the only one who was able to survive working with me did graduate from one of those schools. She codes and is even by far better (and has more real coding experience) than some comsci graduates.

Ah… I’m getting scrambled thoughts already. Allow me to re-organize and defrag my mind and I’ll go back to this topic later.

Before I’ll end let me CP this first.

If you are a smart programmer in college, you will forever be a smart programmer. If you are a lousy programmer in college, you will never become a good programmer. (Source Link )

On that part… I definitely do not agree… : ]

“There is something fundamentally wrong with the war where there are more dead children than armed men.” – U.N. Special Coordinator Jan Egeland.

Source: Mideast: Ripples of War.

YouTube users explore Israel-Hezbollah violence – On tour with Bill Gates and Bill Clinton.

I was reading an archived copy of Mark Cuban’s blog last week. (see wikipedia.org/Mark_Cuban)

This was after I watched Game 6 of the NBA Finals 2006 on a bus enroute to a client visit. The first game I watched since Michael Jordan left. But more on that later, now let’s go back to Mark Cuban’s blog.

There are very interesting points he mentioned in his blog which I’d like to CP.

Substance comes from detail. Luck comes from detail. Winning comes from being willing to do the work on the details. Learning comes from investing in details.

…

Aggregate data from a lot of games over a lot of seasons, and all of the sudden you have a database with value.

Once you have information, then you can add brainpower and try to do things better.

Once you have information, then you can start to define excellence and strive for it, measuring your progress along the way.

Source: I know you are… but what am I…

Cool blog. Cool dude.

Back to that game. Miami won and I think everyone knows that part already. But watching an NBA game after years… five… four or even more I’m not really sure. All I recognize is the NBA logo, Shaq who’s now a little old and slower but wiser… Payton and two more players whose names I could not remember.

I recognized Pat Riley though.

What amazed me is the camera movement though. It was seemingly hovering, rotating and being in the best angles. It was far far better than when I was following game after game way way back before.

Hmm… can we implement that on database systems. Like a sort of hovering software/sentient being or something that really monitors how data travels, bumps and all.

Dennis Kneale: Will Gates really relinquish power..?

Greg Moreno: Interruption is Your Enemy.

Amen.

Sometimes it even takes weeks for me to get into the zone. I received a Level III certification on the pretending-to-be-working skill seven years ago.

I don’t agree with the Josh Groban part though… : )

Related link: (Music… war… and neurons, baby.)

Here are some links to compensate for that vircrash blogblabbering… the Top 10 Windows XP Tips of All Time. (via GeekPress.com)

Here are two more signs of alien invasion: subliminal advertising and an invention machine.

And here’s an artwork you can post in your door to drive those aliens away.

How Lara Croft Steals Hearts.

NetGear. Neat.

How to Wow ‘Em Like Steve Jobs (via Beakman‘s)

Here… something to lighten your week… from Steve Jobs.

Unless you plan on spending the weekend with this kind of experiment.

Ah… this is why pampered and cuddable aliens like Andy Kramek. (via AkselSoft)

But then… they’re after these robots these days. (Don’t forget the video (Watch closely and you’ll see the aliens in the background))

Here… settle with some interesting Entrepreneurial Proverbs.

Museum of The Improbable. Yeah… pixelwarp warps here. For now.

Tech Experts Urge Cable to Embrace New Technologies. (via TorrentFreak)

Here are more articles from Jim Carroll.

18 Tricks to Teach Your Body (… and delay the alien invasion).

014 Prevent near-sightedness!

Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics, says Anne Barber, O.D., an optometrist in Tacoma, Washington. “It’s usually caused by near-point stress.” In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles — like the eyes — into relaxing as well.

That one I need.