IST 195- Week 2 Post

I never knew about what exactly binary was until this week's lecture. Counting in binary was an interesting little talent to have, but I'm not sure how exactly that would help my product. That seems to be something that would be far more useful to a programmer, which I am clearly not.

On the other had, talking about bits and ASCII will definitely help if I need to send important information to my customers. Professor Rubin said that ASCII was a 7-bit language and that viruses and trojans couldn't be transmitted in ASCII messages. This means that if I had to send messages with sensitive information, I would send that as an ASCII text file to prevent a virus or key-logger from becoming embedded in the file and using that sensitive information against my company or clients.

Knowing about UNICODE will also benefit my product, especially if I decide to expand into different countries. Since ASCII is based on the English language, non-English speakers would not be able to used ASCII to transmit messages and data. However, UNICODE would allow my company and my overseas customers to translate each others messages and websites.

IST 195- Week 1 Post

Professor Rubin discussed Twitter this week in lecture. I had heard of Twitter before, but I never really thought about how it might be used beyond a social networking tool. And especially not for anything like news or politics. A little research after class showed that both the Obama and to a lesser extent McCain campaigns used Twitter to update their followers.

This opened up my expectations for that networking tool. Perhaps Twitter could be used as a way to advertise my awesome new pillow. I could use the site to spread the word on my product.

Maybe I could even use Twitter to update clients and customers on shipments. Something like a Tweet saying "the first shipment of pillows is out the door!" This would then be passed on to all my followers so that everyone would know when my pillows would be in stores or on their way.

Word about my product could also grow by using Twitter. If someone who was interested in my pillows tweeted about it, then all of their followers would find out about it. Then maybe some of them would tweet, and so on. In this way, a Twitter could serve as a way of marketing using a kind of technological word-of-mouth.

IST 195 Idea- Catching Up On My Zee's

Have you ever suffered from insomnia? Have you rolled over in bed countless times, hoping that eventually you'll nod off to sleep? Have you watched the clock tick on and on into the night as your precious sleep slowly slips away?

If so, then you are undoubtedly aware of what I like to call "Warm Pillow Syndrome." When you first rest your head on a pillow, you're greeted with a cool soft feeling that normally would lull you into a deep sleep. But on those nights when sleep is elusive, the heat of your head warms the pillow up, making it uncomfortable and hot. You would likely try to flip the pillow over to reach a cool spot, hoping that you could nod off before the dreaded warmth returned.

But what if you never had to worry about that ever again? What if you had a pillow that would stay cool no matter how long you were resting?

Allow me to submit an idea: A pillow that stays cool at night when you try to sleep. This pillow would stay a constant cool temperature that is relieving in the hot summer, as well as comfortable enough in winter. I'm not marketing an ice-pack, just a better pillow.

Best of all, the new pillow will be just as soft as it's traditional predecessors. You won't be able to tell the difference!

So stop wrestling and fighting with your pillows. Just lie back, relax, and catch up on your zee's.

New Years Resolutions

Ah, 2008. The fun we had, the things we played, the people we met... good times.

And now 2009 has rolled in. Another new year, and a few new resolutions.

1.) Post more often: This blog has fallen on the way-side, again. Again.

2.) Learn songs the whole way through: I suffer from musical ADD. I get a piece of music, fall in love with it, and start to learn it, only to fall in love with a different song, and get started on that one. As a result, I have a vast repertoire of half-learned and partial songs. Going to try to stick to my guns this year. Starting with "Maybe I'm Amazed," by the brilliant Sir Paul.

3.) Learn to play the harmonica: The poor baby is gathering dust. And watching "Survivorman" on TV makes me want to learn it again.

4.) Watch the movies in my DVD collection: I'm something of a movie nut. So when I find a good bargain on a movie that I've heard is really superb, or already seen, I make the impulse purchase. A Beautiful Mind for $5? Please and thank you! But there are a bunch of movies in my collection that have yet to be watched (you know who you are). I've got to get around to watching these sometime.

5.) Meet new people: A little cliched perhaps, but nevertheless true. Classes are always pretty big up at school, but that is not a good excuse. For the new year, I'm going to say hello to at least 3 new people in each of my classes on the first day.

When She Loved Me- Piano Cover

So I joined the ranks....I uploaded a cover onto YouTube. Long have I debated putting something up on the website... not counting the Smash Brothers combo videos I uploaded for a friend..

The song was bouncing around my head for weeks. It's from Toy Story 2. I was surfing the tubes one night, and I came across someone covering the song the cowgirl doll sings about how her owner left her. And just like that, I was hooked. I had to learn it...no matter how depressing it was.

So I went with a friend to the chapel at my school and recorded this. It's on the Baldwin grand piano inside the main chapel, which gets great acoustics that you really can't hear on the recording.

I was especially pround of the section around the 1:00 mark. Made those chords up myself! :) I was trying to learn the song, and I ended up stumbling upon those chords... there's a very jazzy, Charlie-Brown-Christmas feel to them that I really liked, so I threw out the original chords and used those.

Check it out and be sure to comment! I may put up more in the future! Let me know if I should!

New Jet Force Gemini?!

In Rare's latest Banjo-fest, a little Easter Egg hints at some major news...new installments for a lot of Rare standards. Among them...Jet Force Gemini!!!

Jet Force Gemini...wow...really brings me back. Remember those good old N64 days with that goofy looking controller, and the little robot Floyd flying in circles around Player One shooting away? And don't forget the dog with rockets for paws.

Goooood times.

Sure, Rare may just be toying around with us, but I'll bite.

Bring it on Rare! Make it so!

Vote!

So the big day has come. 2 years in the making, it's Election Day 2008!

We're pretty lucky to live in a country where we have the right to vote and freedom to do so, so don't waste it!

So get out there, people! It's VOTING TIME!