… and thank god for that. This semester seems to be bugging me for some reason, and I don’t konw why… but I should probably figure that out soon. So what do I plan to do for my time off? Most of it will be spent sleeping and being a bum, but I do have a few things planned. One of the things that I’m doing is going to the NAGA New England tournement to watch a friend or two or three compete. This was supposed to take place the weekend that I was home for my birthday, but it got postponed when a pipe burst at the venue (or something like that).

Other things I want to get done over the break include:

• Get a job for over the summer
• Build something. I used to love building models and (especially) Lego sets when I was younger. As time went on, the sets I wanted got more expensive, so I kind of gave it up. Since I’m getting a little extra money from working tonight, I figure I might as well spend it on either a Lego set or a model (if there are any that I want when I go to Wal-Mart next).
• Figure out where I’m putting stuff when I move out of the dorm. It’s either figure it out now, or wait until school’s over and figure it out then, since I’m living at home next year (school only provides 3 years of on campus housing). There actually isn’t all that much to figure out, but it’s more of doing the next item…
• Clean my room and the area where the downstairs computer is. Both are a bit of a mess as they’ve just been places to throw stuff and worry about it later. My computer is going in one of those two areas, its just a matter of where I’d rather have it.

And I’m sure I’m going to have to do some other things around the house… but hopefully not much.

Late last year, I first used Subversion (SVN) to download the developmental version of WordPress (the software this site runs off of). I wanted to help in some way, even if that way was small due to my lack of knowing PHP.

As the semester went on, I realized that DreamHost, my webhost, offered SVN. I used the control panel to install it on a subdomain, and then waited until I got the email that said it was finished installing. It took me a few tries to figure out how to import files into the repository, but I finally figured it out. After that, it was easy to add new files as I needed to; I was using it to store programs I was writing for my Java class.

But just as I was getting comfortable, the semester ended. With the exception of updating my local installation of WordPress (the run running on my computer), I did not have a need to subversion. But I did not forget about it. As December came to a close, and the new year began, I was trying to think of how I could incorporate SVN into my “academic toolbox”, the programs I use to get stuff done. As I was packing my things up to move back into the dorm, I finally realized how using SVN would make my life easier.

See, I use two computers while I’m at school, or at least I do now, with the addition of my desktop. In fact, if the computer science server is counted, I use three computers. I would need some easy way to move the notes that I take on my laptop to the desktop, and whatever work I started on the desktop I would be able to work on while “on the move”. Subversion would accomplish this. In addition being able to commit changes on one machine and updating the other, it also provides me with an offsite backup in case something were to happen with my local copies. And I’m not limited to just doing this to programs; almost any file can be commited to the repository. Although I only have one SVN repository set up right now (for my Java 2 class), I will eventually create one for each class that I need/want one for.

Do I think that Subversion could be able to be used as an actual classroom tool (i.e by the professor as well as the students)? Yes, but it would take some getting used to, and some extra care would have to be taken with permissions. This is the way I picture it:

• There would be a folder that only the professor or whoever is teaching the class has permission to commit (upload) stuff to. This could be used for class notes, handouts, etc.
• Each student would have a folder that they could commit stuff to; this would be how they would hand things in to be graded/checked. The professor would also be able to commit to this folder (comments to assignments, etc.).
• A folder for each group (if groups are used for something): used for group assignments and projects. I’m not entirely sure how Subversion would handle certain formats though, such as PowerPoint presentations.

Do I think that some professors here at Quinnipiac could incorporate SVN into their classes? Yes, I really do. I could see some of the programming classes using this (of course, Subversion was intended for programmers, so this is a no brainer), but I could also see research based classes (such as the criminal justice major thesis that is a required course for all seniors). In the case of that class, it would also be useful when you wanted to see previous versions of the document, as you could revert to earlier revisions. This would also save paper since the professor would also be able to revert to previous versions, and you wouldn’t need to hand in paper copies of them.

The past year or so, there has been a lot of talk about why mac is better than windows and vice-versa. In Chris Pirillo’s IRC channel for his live video feed, this debate seems to be a daily occurrence, and it seems to be mostly fanboy-ism (people saying X is better, or Y is the best, and not being able to offer an proof as to why). And you know what? I’m getting pretty sick of the whole debate.

Chris Pirillo recently posted 50 Reasons to Switch from Microsoft Windows to Mac OS X. Jeff from BestTechie.net countered Chris’ post with 50 Reasons to Switch From Mac to PC. When Chris first posted his list, I was going to create my own list of 50 reasons why you would want to switch from a Mac to Windows, but as I was thinking about it, I was only able to come up with one solid reason.

I may not have as many reasons as they do, but I think mine is stronger than their 50. My reason to switch from a Mac to Windows (and to switch from Windows to a Mac, oddly enough) is that it works better for you. The only reason to switch operating systems is if you’re current one cannot do something that you need to do. If there was something that I could do on Windows, then I wouldn’t be typing this on Windows Vista; I’d be typing it on a Mac

The only other thing that I will say is that I don’t buy the argument that Mac’s are safer because there aren’t any viruses for them. Sorry, but that’s just not true (1, 2, 3), and as the user base of Mac systems increases, more viruses will be created (or existing ones modified) to wreck havoc on Macs.

Oddly, I haven’t seen a T-Shirt stand though…

Source: http://xkcd.com/281/

The WordPress lead developers released WordPress 2.3.3 the other day. This update fixes a security flaw that allowed people to edit others’ posts using the XML-RPC implementation in WordPress. There were also three other bugfixes that fixed minor issues that were discovered. Read more about WordPress 2.3.3 at the Development Blog

And at the same time, WordPressMU 1.3.3 has also been released. WordPressMU is the WordPress based software designed to serve multiple blogs from one installation of WordPress. This is also a security update, and syncs with WordPress 2.3.3. More can be found at the forum annoucment about WordPressMU 1.3.3

So I wrote about some of the parts that went into my new computer, but what else did I use? And what did it all cost me? Let’s take a look…

So why did I buy all that RAM? Well, one of the sticks was bad from the first order… it happens. So I was going to return it, but since I tend to procrastinate, I decided to just buy some more. And well, the fact that I could get four gigs of RAM at that price was cool too. So now I’m running with six GB of RAM, the computer runs a bit better than it did with only three. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Right now I’m using about 2.5 GB, so the extra three will help out once I get back into using virtual machines.

I really love the fact that I saved almost $600. A lot of this savings was due to buying the monitors used. I bought them from a friend; they were in great condition for a great price, and work great - what else could I ask for.

How would I rate the build overall? So far I’m liking it, but it is too early to tell… which means that I’ll probably make that a post next week

Can’t remember how I found this post (which is a bit sad, cuz I found it 10 minutes ago, but let’s blame it on the fact that it’s 1010 and I didn’t go to bed yet).

68%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I didn’t think that I would get that high of score. I think most of my points came from the fact that I spend a bit of time reading other blogs and not from posting on my blog, since this is the first post since before Christmas…I have a few things to post, but maybe not know…not until I get some sleep later…so more posts tomorrow then

So how do I see what’s going on inside of the computer and know what it is I am doing? The monitor, of course! Or in my case, the monitors. Yes, I finally made the jump to using a dual monitor set up. I use one during the summer when I was using the spare computer I had as a linux box, and since I was doing command line work only, I could just use SSH. So I took the spare monitor, and used it as a second monitor on my laptop. After using dual monitors for the summer, it was a little hard to go back the the 14 inch monitor that was on my laptop.

When I was looking at monitors, I knew that I wanted LCD monitors. There’s not much space on my desk, and LCD’s take up a lot less space than monitors of years past. I also wanted DVI. Although DVI has been around for eight years, I’ve never really heard of it until a year or so ago. Since DVI is a digital signal, it can produce better quality displays than VGA could. Although nothing I do really depends on having super fine graphics, it won’t hurt having better graphics, and since I would need a video card anyways to use some of the new visuals in Windows Vista, one with dual DVI ports was the way to go.

I was looking at Acer, since I recommended them to a friend (without having using them before) based on the reviews, and now it was time to buy my own. I ended up buying a pair of Acer 19 inch monitors. They support both DVI and VGA (which allowed me to use one with my latop since I bought them before the rest of the parts were even all picked out), and are widescreen. I didn’t buy them from Newegg, or from any other online store. I bought them used from a friend - Jeff, the owner of BestTechie.net. They were in great condition, and look nicer in person than they did in photos. I can’t wait to put them to use once I get the last piece I ordered - the operating system (Vista Ultimate x64).

In my current quest to finally build myself a computer, I have purchased some additional parts that I will require for it. In this post, we take a quick look into the RAM, DVD burner, and keyboard/mouse combo that I chose.

As usual, the only place that I looked for parts was Newegg, and once again, they amaze me with their shipping and pricing. At the end of the project, I will post a total list of what everything cost me, but I will say that I got the RAM with almost a 50% discount that newegg was giving everybody. And the shipping, the package was at the school (since I’m at school right now, going into finals week) before I got the email that had the tracking number.

For the DVD Burner, there were a few things to consider. Did I want a drive that could take advantage of LightScribe? What was the maximum speed I wanted the drive to handle? Which manufacturer did I want to support? OEM or retail? In the end, I went with Lite-ON, the same people that made the external DVD burner that I’ve had for the past 2.5 years, and have been pleased with. I definitely wanted a retail box, since it would also include DVD burning software. I chose a 20X DVD-R model, since while most of the DVD’s that I use right now are only 16X, I might want to use 20X when the price drops.

Choosing the RAM was easier than choosing anything else was. There are only a few companies that I know of that are good with RAM, and the only one that had good reviews (well, as good reviews come as far as RAM is concerned) and a low price for what I was looking for was G.Skill. I was looking for 2GB dual channel kits, since the motherboard I’m going to get supports dual channel, and I wanted a total of 4GB, since I have four RAM slots, and plan on running Windows Vista. I also wanted heat spreaders on the RAM to help distribute the heat, even though I don’t think the case will be very hot on the inside once everything’s running (but the inside can never be cool enough).

The final piece that I purchased this time around was the keyboard and mouse. What was I looking for when I searched for them? Wireless, so I can move them elsewhere when I need the deskspace, made by a company that I’ve heard of (in a good light)…and that was about it. Oh, and it had to be a combo unit, I didn’t want to buy a keyboard and then have to buy a mouse.This was the first item I looked at, since one of my friend’s has a similar model and likes it. Reading the reviews on newegg, most of the issues seemed to be related to the range of the wireless, which shouldn’t be an issue for me. After that, it seemed to be random flukes with the manufacturing, which considering how many they make, will happen time to time. I think that’s about all I can say on the mouse and keyboard until I’ve had some time to use them and form my own opinion about them.

In less than a week I’m done with finals, and getting paid again. So it should only be a matter of weeks until I have all the parts and the computer is built. And I can’t wait until it is done and it is running. But what will I end up doing with my laptop? That is another story for some other time.

Healthy eating really does cost more.

That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.

To sum the entire article up: 1000 Calories of healthy food costs 10 times more than 1000 Calories of junk food. That is something that just amazes me, and something that should somehow be changed.