06.12.08
I Admit It...I Suck At Blogging
And it’s taken me a whole week to write a post that says I suck at this…
Well, maybe I’ll go for more of a tumble log type setup – that way I can be short, sweet and simple.
Then again… how would that be any different from my Twitter account ?
Well, maybe I’ll post soon… maybe not. I make no promises, but I’ll try harder.
Ciao
03.04.08
Micro-blogging For Businesses
Earlier today I wrote an article for the MetaSpring blog called ‘5 Ways Your Business Can Embrace Micro-blogging’.
In it, I discuss the micro-blogging trend and a few different ways that businesses can take advantage of it. Check it out and let us know how you’ve seen micro-blogging used in the business world.
03.01.08
I've Finally Converted!...sort of
Well… after several months of not being able to blog due to random Typo errors, I’ve finally made a transition to Mephisto CMS. It was a surprisingly smooth conversion once I found the proper combination of script hacks. There are still a few problems though, unfortunately. Mainly, that pagination seems to have “disappearred” with the newest release – so please, enjoy my most recent 15 entries until I can make this damn plugin work.
On to the update… It’s been about 5 1/2 months since my last post, I was freelancing then – but now I’ve got a real job – Project Manager at MetaSpring, a marketing, design and development startup studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And awesomely enough, I primarily get to work with Rails! We just launched our redesigned website and blog so please check them out and leave a comment!
08.16.07
No, I'm Not Dead...Just Busy
NOTE: This post was supposed to go up like a month ago, but I’ve been having serious technical difficulties with my blogging software and did not have a chance to fix it all up until now. Update post coming soon, I hope. Here you go…
Hi, how are ya? I’m pretty well. Yeah, I know it’s been a while since you last heard from me, but it’s been a crazy year. I apologize for my absence and promise to remain actively social, at least until grad school…
A rather lengthy update follows the break.
04.24.07
SaveNetRadio.org
Recent government action has dramatically increased (300-1200%) the fees internet radio companies must pay to play the music you enjoy.
This means that sites like Pandora and Last.fm, as well as many other online radio stations, could be shut down due to bankruptcy.
You can help, let your voice be heard. Visit SaveNetRadio.org to see how you can help prevent the death of online radio.
04.04.07
Robert Dempsey & Craig Ambrose - RoR Gurus Interviewed
About a month ago I conducted a couple informational interviews for my Job Search Strategies class.
The first interview was with Robert Dempsey, Project Director of Atlantic Dominion Solutions a Ruby on Rails website and application development firm, and Founder and Director of Rails For All a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of Ruby on Rails to developers and businesses.
My interview with Robert is available in the Interviews section at Rails for All.
The second interview was with Craig Ambrose, a freelance agile web developer specializing in Ruby on Rails. In November, Craig began producing his Freelancing On Rails podcasts which have been a great insight into the world of freelance web development (something I’d like to try full time down the road).
Read on to view my interview with Craig…
03.30.07
JulieMarie.net - Overdue Launch Announcement
Well, I’m really not sure why I didn’t do this a month ago, or why it took me this long to think of it, but my new portfolio site is up at JulieMarie.net.
I built the site with Radiant, a simple, Ruby on Rails based content management system and designed the layout myself.
Check it out! Let me know what you think :)
Jewls
03.21.07
Twitter: My More Regularly Updated Mini-Blog
Well, since I don’t really have a lot of time to write more than one blog post per month, I figured I’d link you all to my Twitter page where I have the chance to post once or twice a day.
You can find me at twitter.com/jewlofthelotus. Add me if you’re a Twitter-er (?), too. :)
I don’t tweet too often and I don’t necessarily tweet about what I am doing. But if I have something meaningful to say in less than 140 characters, I’ll tweet about it.
And so I give in to this Twitter thing.
Jewls
02.20.07
Post-grad ideas (and the story of my college career)
Post-graduate plans are something that I’ve been thinking about rather frequently since the beginning of the new year. To really see where I’m coming from, I guess I should tell you how I got to where I am now…
02.01.07
ExpressiveConnections.com - Alpha Launch
Check it out, kids: ExpressiveConnections.com has finally been announced.
Expressive Connections is a network for creative professionals – aimed at aspiring and accomplished writers and artists who are looking to begin or advance in a career utilizing their talent.
The site is in a sort of alpha-mode right now. We think it’s got a pretty solid start, though – which is why we’re inviting you to take a look around, create an account and let us know what you think – if you’d use it, or what features you’d like to see added, etc. It’s still got some kinks and we’re still working things out here and there. But we’ve got big plans.
The site started out as a class project for my Interactive Media class. If you’ve read my blog at all, then you have probably heard me speak of it vaguely – referring to it as my first real RoR, HTML, and CSS application. You may have also noticed that I keep referring to “us” and “we,” by that I mean myself and AJ Gorczyca – we are the “team.” Well, once again we find ourselves in the same course – this time it’s TC448 – Scripting Web 2.0. And if you read my very last post, then you would know that this class entails Ruby on Rails, MySQL, and Apache, and other things of the “Web 2.0” nature. Pretty f-ing awesome, basically. Well just like the last course we took together, this one has a group project – that is to develop a web site utilizing the ideas and languages learned in class. Since Expressive Connections already fit into these project requirements, we decided to ask the professor, Kurt Demaagd, if we could continue building onto the project rather than start again from scratch. He agreed and so you can expect to see a lot of new features and changes. Here’s what we’re aiming for:
- On-site private messaging
- Member endorsements and letters of recommendation
- Ability to watch favorite users, see who other users are watching, and see who is watching you
- User-submitted audio and video content for portfolios
It would just be wrong if a network for creative professionals left out musicians, producers, actors, directors, and everyone in between. So, we’re not going to leave you out.
This is where we stand and these are our plans for the next semester. I think you’ll see some exciting changes along the way. And, hopefully you’ll help us, too – by checking it out, creating a profile, or spreading the word around to others who may be interested.
It’s a work in progress and we want you all to help us in building the most exciting site we can, so any feedback you give would be greatly appreciated.
Jewls
01.26.07
New Semester, New Life
Well, it’s been an entire month since my last post. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to write about – I’ve just been really, really busy. We’re three weeks into the spring semester now and classes are going pretty well. I’m taking:
- TC448 – Scripting Web 2.0
- ADV456 – Interactive Advertising
- REL491 – Is God Dead? Pantheism, Nihilism, and the Pursuit of Divine Knowledge
- PSY330 – Personality from a Psychoanalytic Perspective
- CAS380 – Job Search Strategies
Two of my classes are relatively related to my field, Scripting Web 2.0 goes over Ruby on Rails, MySQL, and Apache, and is taught by Kurt Demaagd, co-founder of Slashdot and board member on the Perl Foundation. So, needless to say – I’m pretty excited about that one.
The other class potentially beneficial to my future is Interactive Advertising. The class is centered around a group project in which we have to develop a predominantly online advertising plan for a local business. My group is working with John Kodeski of Relish Culinary Boutique. Now, if you visited that link – you’ll see that the site could use some work and this is where our group comes in with a plan (and also where I come in with my web skills – if he likes our plan, maybe I’d be the one to redesign the site, eh?).
The “Is God Dead?” class, is one of my more enjoyable courses. We’re currently discussing the viewpoints of the Dutch philosopher, Spinoza (Pantheism), and the German philosopher, Jacobi, who argued against Spinoza’s views. It’s pretty interesting stuff, if you’re into deep philosophical thoughts of God and the freedom of man, that is.
Next, there’s Personality from a Psychoanalytic Perspective with Bertram Karon. Pretty smart guy, pretty interesting stuff – however, I had him before in Abnormal Psychology and already I’m hearing the same stories . Still, interesting stuff.
And finally, Job Search Strategies. I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do.
Additionally, I’m taking introductory yoga classes at Center for Yoga in East Lansing. Those are pretty nice. Good stress relief.
Between all of these classes, I have been working on the site – which will probably be in some sort of alpha mode within in the next few weeks. Once finalized, I’ll of course post it here. I’ve also been working on a portfolio site for myself, once that is up – I’ll post it here, too. And on the weekends, I spend time with Adam. And that’s pretty much life.
Some other random thoughts over the last month:
- iPhone is AWESOME.
- I should have said this back in November but Incubus’ new album – Light Grenades is AWESOME.
- Going back to Europe in July will be AWESOME.
- And if you’ve read this far into my post, YOU ARE AWESOME.
I’ll stop now.
Take care now, bye-bye then. Jewls
12.25.06
It's Official, I <3 RoR (& Merry Christmas, too!)
Sigh. Wow. I’ve just successfully created a Ruby on Rails forum for the site that you’ve all been eagerly awaiting (don’t worry, it’ll be public soon – just a few more weeks!). It’s pretty simple thus far. I spent the last two days just working on basic functionality. Nothing fancy…yet. ;)
This forum is the first major RoR feature that I’ve done almost entirely on my own. It’s my baby. And, I can’t believe it only took me two days – yeah Rails!
Having no programming experience behind me, learning Ruby on Rails started out as quite the challenge. However, this experience has definitely turned me into a lover of the language. I often have trouble stopping myself from working into the night.
So thanks to Adam for inspiring me to give Rails a try! :)
Oh yeah, one last thing… Happy Holidays!
Jewls
12.12.06
Winter Break, Here I Come!
My apologies for the downtime. Over a long weekend of unsuccessfully attempting to launch my Rails app on Dreamhost, I managed to also break my JewloftheLotus site. Well now that my final (..my one and only final) is over, I had a chance to sit down and fix the problem. So, I’m back!
Coming VERY soon – My First Rails App :)
11.28.06
What NOT to do if you're the MPAA
This is a satirical article posted on BBSpot that had WAY too many of us fooled…
To sum it up:
The MPAA defines a home theater as any home with a television larger than 29” with stereo sound and at least two comfortable chairs, couch, or futon. Anyone with a home theater would need to pay a $50 registration fee with the MPAA or face fines up to $500,000 per movie shown…
The bill would require that any hardware manufactured in the future contain technology that tells the MPAA directly of what is being shown and specific details on the audience. The data would be gathered using various motion sensors and biometric technology…
‘Just because you buy a DVD to watch at home doesn’t give you the right to invite friends over to watch it too. That’s a violation of copyright and denies us the revenue that would be generated from DVD sales to your friends,’ said Glickman.
mcatrage’s digg comment explains why we were so easily fooled:
Sad part is would you really put it past the MPAA to actually try and do this?
...man, I was REALLY pissed off for a second there.
11.16.06
Student tasered multiple times at UCLA library for not having his ID
Remember a few days ago, when we saw LAPD officers repeatedly punching an arrested man in the face before cuffing him? Well, that video prompted an FBI investigation.
Here’s a new video, taken by a student’s camera phone, displaying similar police brutality, again, in Los Angelas. The student was asked to leave the library when he could not produce an ID. As the student was headed towards the doors, an officer grabbed his arm (I would assume to “escort” him out) at which point the student began yelling “Get off me!” A second officer approached and it was at this point when the student was tased for the first time… Let’s hope that this video can generate enough attention to prompt another FBI investigation in LA.
In an article on Yahoo! about the first instance, it is said that:
Legal observers said the public has become somewhat desensitized to questionable police tactics caught on tape because such videos have become more prevalent since the King beating. In many cases, officers have been exonerated.
“The first reaction by people is one of outrage,” said Eugene O’Donnell, a professor of police studies at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. “But the more you see police officers using force on tape, the more you get used to it.”
I sincerely hope that people don’t just “get used” to seeing this sort of thing. It should make you sick to your stomach, and if it doesn’t – I would wonder if you’re really human.
