What defines a generation?
(November 05, 2008 01:13 PM)
Every generation has their defining moment or moments. These are the moments in time that stick with us for all eternity. Mention of these events conjures up vivid memories of what we were doing or where we were when the event happened or we first learned of it. For my grandparents, it was the great crash of the stock market or the bombing of Pearl Harbor. For my parents, putting a man on the moon, the assassination of JFK, or the sexual revolution defines their generation. My generation will forever be defined by the Challenger disaster or the great tragedy of September 11th. I can recall those events as if they happened yesterday, and in some regards, they did.
As a parent, I often wonder what the future will bring for my daughter. What will the world be like, what will the technology be like, and what will she be like? None of these questions can be answered, and I don't think I want them to be, at least not yet. Another question that comes to mind is what will be the event(s) that defines her generation? I believe we got part of that answer last night. For the first time in the storied history of our great nation, the American people have proven they can put race largely behind them, and elect a man to the highest of offices based on ideas and a common goal, rather than race or creed. It's moments like these that give me hope, that ensure me that we are headed in the right direction, and that say we will turn our one true home over to the next generation in better shape than we inherited it.
This is an exciting time to be alive, and I look forward to seeing what comes.
Save on string comparisons
(January 28, 2008 11:49 AM)
I can't claim credit for this, neither can I claim credit for finding it, but I can pass along this tip.
When doing a string comparison, save yourself the NULL check by flipping the left and right side of the comparison.
Instead of writing
if (x != null && x.equals("x")) {
//do something
}
you can write
if ("x".equals(x)) {
//do something
}
You will eliminate the need to check for null.
You'll be missed, Mr. Way
(November 13, 2007 10:03 PM)
High school for me was a very rough time. Those of you that know me, know what I went through, and know that there were a select few people I can attribute with pulling me through that time. One of those great persons was lost this weekend. My 9th grade chemistry/physics teacher died suddenly of a brain tumor on Sunday. I have not seen or talked to him for over 7 years, but his death has hit me hard. I can attribute this to his enormous impact he had on my life, and saving my life, 12 years ago.
Mr. Way had a very unique personality, one of charisma, affection, passion. He truly loved his students and loved teaching, a true gift. His gift was one to encourage, to inspire, to bring out the best, all things he did frequently. For our paths having crossed only briefly, that crossing forever changed my life.
I've been watching the facebook page, and the outpouring of support from students, both past and present, as well as faculty and friends is unfathomable. To think that Mr. Way had such an impact on so many lives is both inspiring and awe inspiring. I can only hope to touch a fraction of the lives he has touched, and not just touched, but had such a large impact on.
Looking back, many memories flood in. It was Mr. Way that taught me physics, held tutoring sessions over Thanksgiving vacation to tutor his class in Chemistry, introduced me to "stories with holes", gave up a job with NASA to teach science to a bunch of teenagers, helped me through college Calculus, believed in me, even when I didn't, and gave me something to look forward to at Hempfield. His unique personality, commitment, and love is something I will always remember.
How long?
(August 27, 2007 07:36 AM)
Trying to uninstall some third party controls so I can re-install them, and apparently it's going to take over 5 hours to uninstall! I know MS has issues with time estimating, but come on!
Handbags for sale!
(June 05, 2007 09:56 AM)
A career change for me? Not what I want, but apparently I now sell handbags on Ebay, 23 of them to be exact, with listing fees totaling $161.00! I checked my email this morning to discover 23 from Ebay that were seller listing confirmations. Now, I get a lot of spam, and assumed these were more of the same, until I checked the headers. They were legitimate emails, from Ebay, stating that I had listed a "@@New Authentic Cc Purse /Handbag / Bag" with a starting price of $75.00 and a duration of 1 day. Some good potential there, but I don't have them to fulfill any orders.
I logged into Ebay to do some further investigation, only to find out that my account was suspended by their security team and they were investigating the fraudulent activity. Kudos to Ebay for this. I was able to talk to a customer service representative and get everything squared away, my account re-instated, and the fees reversed. My password is now changed, on paypal as well, and I will be watching this closely over the next several days to see what develops. I'm just glad I didn't have my bank account hooked up to my Ebay account to pay the fees.
