SPlog

It is amazing how many coffee houses, fast food restaurants, and other businesses hosts wifi hotspots for their customers. The biggest fast food chain, McDonald’s, now has WiFi provided in many of their millions of locations. In fact I’m sitting right now at my local McDonald’s as I write this, slurping up my Dr. Pepper, and munching on my golden fries. Places like music stores and store fronts, waiting rooms and hair salons, all have the wireless hotspots. Even many hotels and motels now advertise FREE WIFI on all their signage.

So what makes these places want to serve some online browsing on their menu? I decided to look at the main reasons why I think a business would want to host a free wifi hotspot for their customers, and then look at why the customers actually take advantage of it.

The following reflect my personal opinions of the subject, and offer no credible research.

Attracts more people.
I work fairly close to a McDonald’s, and I’ve seen with my own eyes that their business has increased after they provided free wifi. People come in with their huge laptop bags and all their accessories, take up a whole table (near an outlet) and park it for a few hours. I mean let’s face it. They attract the college students with their homework and fancy gadgets. The work from home type, with their laptops and headsets, using Skype frequently. Also there are the older generation with their e-reader, or iPad, reading the news or some book. I’ve also seen just about every age group on Facebook a few times as well.
People bring the craziest things in sometimes as well. I’ve seen a guy carry in a printer before, printing off several pieces of paper. Everything is there, from the small netbooks to the huge laptops, the phones, to the tablets. I’ve seen tables filled with electronic gear, and even cords hanging from the ceiling where that was the only available outlet. It really is funny some of the things you see. But all of these people would not be there if there were no wifi. They may stop in, grab something and go, but without wifi, that’s it. With the wifi they stay a while longer, even going back for more food later. Which brings me to the next reason.

Generates more business.
People stay longer, they order more, they come back more often. I normally don’t care to eat fast food very often, however I love to sit at a restaurant and surf the web, watch movies, and write blogs. So I compromise, I’ll order a drink instead of food, or maybe just fries, that way I’m still supporting the business, and not taking advantage of the free wifi. I’ve noticed that I spend on average 5-10 more hours a week as I visit quite frequently.
Many people are staying for a while, and they keep getting up and ordering more food. I saw a lady, at Panera Bread, go up to the counter to order something 5 separate times within the 3 hours she was there on her laptop. Providing wifi generates more business. People come back, if they’ve enjoyed themselves. I’ve had more McDonald’s, Hardee’s, and Panera Bread in the last 12 months than I’ve had my entire life.

Creates a better public image.
The public image is really important for a business. So hosting a hotspot increases the positive reception of the public image. I mean the business is offering FREE WIFI. Instead of taking advantage of people’s need for internet and web, they are offering it as a free accessory to staying at their store. It a great advertisement, never mind many people already get internet everywhere they go on their phone. The business are offering it to you for free with no charge, or membership fee.
Lets face it, McDonald’s, Panera Bread, and I’m sure a few more are widely known for offering free wifi. So you know that their public image has improved a bit.  They could make you order something, and then have the access code printed on your receipt. It has been done before. But no, they offer it free of charge. They’ll even pay the electric bill for charging your device up while your there, and offer you heat in the winter, and air conditioner during the summer. So they become the nice guy, providing everything you need to be comfortable while surfing the web, and it’s FREE!

So what are some of the reasons that people actually go to these places? I feel that there are at least three main reasons why a customer will come and use the wifi.

Welcomed Homey Feel
Fist off is whole feeling of being welcomed in, and accepted, while keeping a homey feel. For instance a new McDonald’s has been built in my hometown, and I’ve already visited it. I love the design and layout of the place. They are definitely catering to people who will be coming in and staying for awhile working on homework, work, or personal projects. Also places like Panera Bread, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, and more now offer lounge areas for people to just sit and enjoy themselves. It gives a very homey feel that people tend to enjoy. Comfortable cushions and table spots. Plenty of outlets, and even a few bar stools. Walking in give the message “Come on in, and stay awhile!”
So for a lot of these businesses, they keep the place up so that people get a good reception when they come in.

Easy Access.
Personally I know that if I need to get in the internet really quick, maybe to upload something, or email a friend, I can easily look for the nearest McDonald’s or other convenient wifi hotspot and get instant internet access. This means whether or not you own a smartphone, you can still get internet just about anywhere in the states. The internet is always there and easy to get access. No special hoops to jump through, no crazy security locks that keep people away. Just free easy wifi for all within range. Why go home, when you can get your internet anywhere else? I’ve counted over 25 hotspot businesses that I pass on the way to and from work. My favorite happens to be McDonald’s in which there are several in my town.
Now I never have to go straight home to access my internet. Sure may be able to get peace and quiet there, but with everything happening around the local businesses, it’s too much entertainment not to go out. Even when I’m actually there to grab a quick bite, I can still pull out my tablet and do some things over the internet.

Social Lounge
Earlier this week, I ventured into a local Hardee’s Restaurant to work on a post for this blog. While I was there, several other people came in to lounge around and do whatever entertains them. For instance, one man was reading the local news paper, while another was watching the TV that was mounted on the wall, one other was on his laptop, while the last was simply eating with his phone out, obviously texting away. But it wasn’t long before we all were conversing with each other talking about many topics, including the end of the world, politics, Apple and Microsoft, tablets and laptops, and much more. In fact the manager of the place stopped by and mentioned that he had never heard so many interesting topics in his restaurant before, and then joined in the conversation. It reminded me of the old barbershop meetings, where all the men would lounge around the barbershop to hear the top news, and put in their two cents. It truly was awesome, and something that I would not normally get at just any restaurant, nor from my own house. It was a very pleasant conversation between several people. Some had to leave, while others joined in. I hated to leave when I had to. I was enjoying myself so much in word and conversation.

Even though offering wifi may be a gimmick to get more business, it does provide an outlet for those who want to surf the web comfortably. And since people are generally responding really well to places that offer wifi, it is a legitimate source for more customers and business.

There are a lot of music player apps on the android market today. Today I will list all of the top ones that I tested, and will give you my favorite features as to each. These are not in any particular order, each one functions just a little bit differently, so they each have their strengthens and weaknesses.

The first is the default Android Music Player. This app is not on my favorite list, and if you own an Android phone, then you know what I mean. The player isn’t the best designed music player, and is not as user friendly as other players. Just about everyone that I talk to that has an Android phone, hate their default music player. It does have tabs to access different categories of music like genres, albums, songs, and playlists. But once you start the song, it really isn’t as easy to access the view of the album and look at other songs. My guess is that the app was quickly built so the functionality isn’t as great.

WinAMP

Next is Winamp. This app is my absolute favorite free music app if I have music files loaded on my phone. The player is very sleek and user friendly. Personally I think it kills the iPod app for the iPhone. It runs smoothly and very efficiently. The ability to make and edit your playlist is the best of all the music apps I’ve tried. It also has lock screen buttons enabled so that you can access the media buttons without unlocking the screen. This allows the user to quickly pause or skip sons without actually unlocking the screen and opening the app. Full equalizer, and so much more! So this app is the absolute best if you have the mp3 files on your phone.

Doubletwist

Next is Doubletwist. This is the Android’s best app that mimics the iPod app. You can choose to download the doubletwist player for you computer (like iTunes) host your songs and make your playlists via the computer program, or it will even scan your iTunes library for songs and playlists. It then syncs to your phone so that you have your songs in sync with your computer, just like how the iPhone can sync to your iTunes. This is the best feature for this app. The player also supports lockscreen buttons that allow you to play, pause, and seek forward and backwards while the screen is still locked. The user interface is nice and smooth, it is even very similar to Winamp, but not as good. Winamp still beat Doubletwist for having a player to play your songs and such. However Doubletwist is best if you want to sync your music with your computer, as winamp can’t really do that very well.

Google Music

My favorite music player is Google Music. They allow me to upload up to 20,000 of my songs to their cloud. I then have access to my music anywhere there is an internet connection. This is really great for songs that I don’t listen to very often, but still want them accessible quickly when needed. They even make it where you can have your favorite music offline. Such a feature allows a person to access the music without a using the data. The user interface is nice, but not as nice as winamp or doubletwist. They don’t even allow for media player buttons on the lock screen. You have to unlock the screen first and then access the song player to pause. That because annoying a lot of times, but despite its many cons it does host all my music for free on the Google cloud. That is the sole feature I absolutely love.

Amazon MP3

Amazon MP3 is more of a mp3 store than it is a player, but they do have a built in player for any music on their cloud. If you purchase any music from Amazon it can be hosted on their cloud for free. They offer paid services to host you own personal music on their cloud as well. But as for their app, the style and design is not as good as Google Music.

REAL Player

Real Player, the only player on the list that does not come from a top developer. The company makes a really great music player for the pc, so I thought I’d give the android app a try. Although the app is still in Beta (and has been since I first got my android phone over a year ago) it  is still really sleek and well designed. The app is more of a media center than just a music player. It will scan you songs, videos, and pictures, and will load them to be played or viewed. The music part is the main reason for downloading so I will keep the review to that. It has a basic feel to it. The songs and albums load in list format just as any other media player would do. The functionality is basic while the design is sleak and nice. It has a nice feel to it, but it still doesn’t compare to Doubletwist and Winamp. However it does provide an upgrade compared to the default android music player, and it does effectively combine all media, pictures and music and video, into one well designed app.

PowerAMP

Equalizer for PowerAMP

Power Amp, the only one on the list that costs. The app is truly amazing. Supports both big screen tablets as well as phones. It comes with a really cool equalizer, and sound settings. It has separate Bass and Treble adjustment. They even have some presets you can browse through, or make your own custom presets. It has a customizable lock screen. The developer really did a great job on this, because it comes with swipe motions to make it more to advance to the next song or rewind. You can also use the onscreen buttons as well. You can longpress on the back or forward buttons to rewind or fast forward through a song respectively. Swipe the screen up and down to choose albums and such.
This app is really cool! I has a lot of advanced features that are awesome. It has the highest level of customization than any other music app I’ve ever seen. It supports lyrics for singing along. The design is sleek and stylish. It comes with 4 configurable widget types. It has headset support that can (it’s optional) auto play/pause when disconnected and reconnected by headset or Bluetooth. They have great support, and even a q/a section in the app description on the Market. If the app didn’t cost, I’d use it for good. You can download a 2 week trial for free, but the full app costs $4.99. This app surpasses all music apps by far, just using it once will convince anyone.

So in conclusion, currently I only use Google Music because it hosts all my music online, and I don’t have to keep any on the drive. If i had the music on my phone, then I would probably be really tempted to buy Power Amp, as it is by far the best music app I’ve ever tried. But knowing that $5 is hard to justify just for a music player, I’d use winamp instead. I may download doubletwist for movies, since it has a great movie player, but I really wouldn’t use it at all for music. Although the Real Player app is a great idea, it really hasn’t been developed well enough to use it seriously. I use Amazon MP3 mainly just for downloading new songs, and rarely ever use the music player that’s built in. And last of all, I will never use the default android music player for any of my songs as I absolutely detest it.

It is already the year 2012, and time has really flown by. This year a lot has happened. Especially in the last few months.

School has been really crazy lately. I can’t wait to graduate and head on out to Rolla, MO to finish at MO S&T. I am really excited. The last few weeks I had to work on a formal report in a group. The report had to be at least 25 pages long with a minimum of 20 sources, 6 of which had to be primary interviews. My group was given the hardest topic, “How the occupy movement affects Springfield, MO”. My group pulled through it, regardless of the 2 week deadline, with an oral report (and power-point presentation) at the end. We got an A on the whole project, which was the biggest stress reliever all month.

Are you ready for 2012?

I’ve still been busy with church events as well. I volunteered to direct the children’s Christmas play this year. It was a really fun experience. We simply did the whole Christmas story, which had not been done for a while. The kids did a great job, and the play went well. The only thing I noticed was that the kids sang a lot louder during practice than they did when it came to to actually perform the play. Overall it was a really good play. I had a lot of help from other teachers, and even had a friend work on all the costumes. She did a wonderful job, as the costumes were awesome! We had more kids participate this year than ever before, so it was a little bit more difficult to direct them all.

I’ve been working on building android apps lately. I am still in the middle of learning to program them. I following a book that leads you through each step, learning new skills and concepts n each chapter. Throughout the process of the book, you build a game app. It really has been going very well, but I’ve only been averaging a chapter a day, and the book has 24 chapter.

You will eventually see app reviews, and such on my blog as well. I decided to start reviewing apps that I thing are worthy. I am very picky about my apps. Whenever I am looking for a particular app function, like for instance a twister spinner (in case you lose the one that came with the game) I will download all 8 apps that are on the Market, try each one out, then choose the best one. I did that for a music player once, and had a lot of interesting results, but that is another topic for another post.

Last October I had my 21st birthday. There were so many reasons that I was excited about turning 21. The fact that I can now purchase a handgun is still at the top of that list.

Plans for this coming year include life guarding, moving to Rolla, Summer Camp, and TaeKwonDo instructor certification.

I plan to look for a part time life guarding job this summer. I’ve been really wanting to lifeguard, but was too busy last summer to do so. But this summer I really am going to try for an evening shift. I got my lifeguard certification last year but missed the lifeguard camp that is required for the Public Parks Pools.

Since I plan to go to school at Missouri S&T in Rolla, MO, I will be looking for an apartment this summer. By God’s grace, I already have a job lined up. My current employer is willing to keep me on as a remote employee. I hope to find an affordable studio apartment that I can use. Personally I want it big enough to have room to stretch and work out a little.

For the last two years, I’ve been going to Bible Camp with my church as a counselor. I love it and try to clear my schedule each time. I am planning on going this year, so far. I am excited to get to help the kids get their talent and sports ready. It is something I look forward to each year, and if the Lord allows it, I plan to attend every year that I possibly can.

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I am currently a second degree black belt in TaeKwonDo. I am also an instructor trainee. Unfortunately during college, I was unable to attend regularly due to homework and such. However this coming semester I plan to work on obtaining my 3rd degree, and also get my instructor-ship papers. My idea is to then instruct TaeKwondo while attending school in Rolla. This is to keep me healthy and fit, while also keeping the knowledge fresh in my mind.

The year 2011 ended with a lot accomplished, now I await for the events to unfold in 2012.

Last year I had purchased a nook color just for the purpose of hacking it, and installing CyanogenMod 7 on it. CyanogenMod is an aftermarket version of Android, and the 7th version is based off of Gingerbread.

The nook color already had a heavily modified version of android on it, but with limited capabilities and features. Barnes and Noble did a add several of their own features on it. But in all retrospect, the nook color can do soo much more once it has a full version of android running on it.

The process was easy, and in just 10 minutes I had android up and running, with all the apps of my choice including, maps, music, Netflix, Skype, Facebook, and Twitter.

I was really excited when I found out that the nook color could be hacked and a fully functional version of Android could be installed, which includes all the apps in the Android Market. Features that not even the nook color used were unlocked. For instance Bluetooth was found, and actually works on it. So with the Bluetooth working, I could connect a keyboard to be able to type better.

The nook works great. The screen is very high quality, while the controls are very good. The accelerometer works perfect. The design is sleek and comfortable. Being the size of an average reading book, it is a good size to hold, and place in your backpack or purse.

The ironic part is that, I can still access my nook books via the nook app for android. But I can now also access all my kindle books as well, along with Google books, and other book apps. I am no longer limited to reading only nook books. This is a plus for me, especially since I have a few books I’ve purchased via kindle, because it was cheaper, and a few books purchased via googe books, because they are always available online. Kindle also sells most of my school book online should I chose to purchase them.

One of the biggest plus was that I have the full android market running on it. Giving me access the biggest android app store of all time. The apps are cheaper than the ones that you get from nook store, and there’s a whole lot more to chose from. For instance I could buy Angry Birds from Barnes and Noble for around $5, yet I can get it from the Android Market for only $0.99.

At the time that I hacked it, Netflix was just coming out on the Android. So I was able to watch Netflix movies on my nook as well. This was a huge deal for me, since the tablet is soo portable and easy to carry. It had the perfect screen for private viewing. However I will admit, Netflix finally came out on the nook app store as well. But that also makes another point. Not all android apps that are in the market are available on the nook app store. Some take awhile to finally make it, while others never come out for the nook app store.

Facebook, twitter, and Skype all work great on the nook, however there is no voice inputs, nor is there a camera, so no calls or video conferencing via Skype, just IM. Facebook works like it would on a phone since they haven’t made a tablet view for the app yet.

I have my music on the device as well. The tablet has a speaker on the back which makes it work well to listen to any audio. Also there is a headphone jack on the top.

All the hardware features mimic the first iPad. No camera, or microphone inputs, yet still has a speaker and headphone jack. It accesses the android market for all the billions of apps, and will even access other app markets such as the amazon app store (kindle fire apps) and the opera app store.

So in essence, by purchasing a cheap nook color. I paid only $200 for a tablet that will access all my books, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and Google books. It will access just about any app, via the android market and the amazon app store. I can watch movies via YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and even rent from android movies. I can purchase and listen to my whole music library via Google music and amazon mp3. And I can I can keep up with all my social media via the Facebook app, Twitter app, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, and much much more.

This makes the nook color only worth it, once it’s hacked. All in all, it makes me very happy to be the owner of a nook color running cyanogen mod7.

I had been working with my nook recently when accidentaly erased over 7 gigs off my 8GB card. Here’s how it happened.

I wanted to erase all the contents off my sd card and restore it back to default settings. Since windows has an easy built formatting tool. I opened up “My Computer” and right clicked on the drive, then clicked “format”. It ran through all the contents and reset it back to factory default. Unfortunately the SD card only showed 1gig instead if 8.

It was as if the card was only a 1 gig card. I flipped out. I had spent a good deal of money on that card, and I couldn’t use one that’s only 1 gig. I did everything I could think of to fix my card. I reformatted it again, unplugged it and remounted it, and even restarted my computer and reformatted it. Nothing worked. My laptop somehow turned my 8 gig card into a 1 gig card.

I found out that according to sdcard.org the Windows OS does not have the appropriate software to reformat an SD card. The default formatting software never really suppports SD cards. However there is free software that one can download and use. Once I did download it, I tried it out, and it restored my missing 7 gigs to the card.

So for future reference, windows 7 cannot reformat your camera’s SD card in file explorer. Try these links and get supported software. https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_3/

Last year for English 101 at OTC I wrote this essay about my sister. I thought I’d share it with everyone. Hope you enjoy.

Abi and I

Samuel Paasch

Matthew Brunson

ENG-101-147

February 2, 2010

The Joy of Having a Sister

Every morning, after I wake up, I stumble my way toward the restroom. With perfume in the air, and facial makeup around the sink, I am constantly reminded of the fact that I live in the same house as a teenage girl, and that my life has been impacted so much, that I can’t imagine what life would be like without her. The birth of my sister, Abigail, has been, without a doubt, the most influential event that has made the most impact on my life. Ever since she was born, there were drastic changes that affected my life. The change didn’t come to pass in one day of my life, but rather took several years of growing up together.

Now as I look back, I see three time periods of how this entrance of this girl to the world changed my life: before my sister was born, when my sister was born, the years after she was born.

Before my sister was born I was your happy-go-lucky child. Nothing could really get me down. Since both my brothers were at least six years away from me, they really didn’t want me following them around everywhere. But I thought I was just like them, and had to do everything they did. I never grew angry quickly, and I rarely ever hit or intentionally harmed any of my brothers.  I had a real carefree lifestyle, as there was never any competition for me for anything. I had all the fun, love, and care that I wanted.

Being the youngest I had grown accustomed to getting all the attention. There was always a family member to play with or to do something with. Whether I wrestled with my oldest brother, or played cars with my dad, most of the day there was someone to have fun with. The highlight for me was whenever we had company over. This is when I became the main event. My grandparents were my favorite people to visit with. Since I was the youngest, they would pay more attention to me rather than anybody else. I enjoyed getting so much attention, and at the time I really didn’t want to share any of it.

Although the idea of having a sister sounded like a lot of fun at first, I was really in for a surprise when she did come. I thought I’d have someone to play with, someone to have fun with, since both my brothers were at least six years away from me. But when my sister finally came, things were definitely not as I fathomed. For when my sister was born, she came out angry at the world. She constantly cried and pouted, and it seemed as if she was always angry. Anytime my brothers or I got close, she would throw a fit. The idea of having fun with my sister quickly changed into thinking that my sister would never have anything to do with me.

I soon found out that my parents were no longer the authority in the house. The baby took control of the house, as she decided when we got to sleep, or get up. Everyone, including me, was running to and fro, trying the best they could to make accommodations for the baby, which proved to be almost impossible, as my sister was never pleased. Going through each day, if you wanted something, the unspoken rule was, “The baby is always first.”

As mentioned earlier, I had all the attention I needed. But then after my sister was born, I was forced to share my attention with her. As with any mother with a baby, my mom had to continuously care for my sister. I didn’t mind at first, but I had grown used to my mom being there every time I wanted her. I soon wished I could take my sister back where she came from. My mom constantly had to deal with my sister, so she ended up with the bulk of the attention.

My brothers and I were introduced to Barbie, and other “girly” toys. Our first impression of Barbie was, “whoa, look at all the accessories she has.” I quickly learned the fun it is to take a Barbie doll, decapitate it, and then add ketchup for effects. The toy box became overflowed with dolls joining with the GI Joes, and stuffed animals with the hot-wheel cars.  Play jewelry was soon mixed with the army guns and accessories. Although strange at first, I believe we finally got used to the presence of “girly” toys around.

Since Abigail and I were so close in age, we had to do stuff together, and ultimately share with each other, which sounded easy, but in reality, was one of the hardest lessons to learn. At only three years apart, Abigail was the only one around to play games with, or watch cartoons with. When it came time for cartoons, we each had our own favorite shows, which always conflicted with each others’. Also, Abigail was the only girl in our family, and with three older brothers, she grew interested in most of our toys and games. That didn’t seem fair to me, since she liked to play with my toys just as much as I did. When we got along and played together, we had a great deal of fun. But many times it wasn’t very long before we got tired of each other, or one got upset with the other, and then Abigail or I usually got angry and threw something, or hit one another.

As Abigail grew, my brothers and I quickly found out that she had an amazing throwing arm, with accuracy that would make a baseball pitcher envious.  She was also like a sharpshooter, making most of her hits a head shot. Once, while I was chasing Abigail into a room, I entered the doorway, and all I saw was a bell flying through the air, toward my face. From then on, my mother made sure her throwing habit came to its end.

During the first several years growing up together, we were mortal enemies. It seemed like we always fought every time we did something together. Whether we went swimming, playing outside, trips, or even spending the night at my grandparents, there was sure to be a fight along the way. The strife between us was so bad, that my grandparents would only let one of us stay the night at a time. It even accelerated to the point where I purposely annoyed my sister, playing mean tricks on her, and plotting out every detail. Although we were enemies at the time, I wasn’t too long that we finally changed our behavior, and became really close to each other.

As time has flown by, the tide has turned, and although once enemies, we now get along just fine. We still do so much together, since we both still have most of the same interests, and friends. The difference now, is that we no longer fight with each other like we did when we were younger. The older we became, the more we got along with each other.  Since I’ve come to college, we both came to realized how much we really miss each other. Several times, last semester, she would get angry with me, because I wouldn’t go do anything with her, for I was too busy. We have now both concluded that life could have never been as great without having one another.

I now see how much I actually like to spend time with my sister. Looking back, I realize the good that having a sister has brought to me, and the joys that came too. Although we both had our fights and scars, I wouldn’t change anything, even if I could. Abigail has made life more adventurous for me, and each adventure contains a great memory that lasts forever. And so every morning, as I smell the perfume, and clear the counter of makeup and supplies, I am reminded of the joy and blessing that was given to me when my sister was born.

Abi and I making funny faces

Do you have a zombie in your house? Do you know what a real MAN is? Are you tired of seeing gobbledydook on your computer? Do gremlins get on your nerves? Are you a gearhead? You probably are if you office looks like a geekosphere.

For my Technical Writing course, we had an assignment to go on a certain website and learn the meanings of 10 words that were new to us.

I decided to post my 10 words with the definition, and my comments on them. I hope you enjoy.

#1 m-commerce (digital commerce)

Definition: A form of e-commerce that deals in the fees a company collects for licensing, advertising, or selling subscriptions to the content or services offered on mobile devices. With the popularity of cell phones and PDAs, portable devices such as these are becoming Web-enabled through wireless networks and WAP. M-commerce is considered a form of e-commerce (just as d-commerce is) because it has to do with monies generated for a product or service that exists electronically on the Internet. In other words, even though the content appears on mobile phones and other wireless communications devices, as opposed to computer screens, m-commerce is still considered e-commerce.

The reason I chose this word is because I deal with e-commerce all the time. Also I have an android phone and was interested in learning what m-commerce meant and how it differed from regular e-commerce.

#2 Gobbledygook

Definition: A string of incoherent letters and symbols. You may see a bunch of gobbledygook on your computer screen when a program is trying to read data from a program it does not support, or when a message is encrypted.

The reason I chose this word is because it caught my eye. But now that I know what it is, I can say that I see gobbledygook quite often. It comes most often for me when I try to open a file that my computer can read. It normally opens up notepad and give a long string of code that make no sence at all. Hence, the awesome term gobbledygook.

#3 Gremlins

Definition:The mysterious characters that sometimes appear on your computer screen, often in text documents and sometimes in code or e-mail messages.

For instance, if you copy the contents of a file from one program to another by highlighting the text with your cursor and then cutting-and-pasting, strange boxes or symbols may appear in the white space. At that point, you have to figure out another way to transfer the information or you have to go through and delete the bad characters, all the while muttering, “Darn gremlins.”

Reason: Since I work with website and the encoding of websites I run into gremlins all the time. I just didn’t know they shared the same name as the 1984 movie. Very interesting. I do know that a lot of times they are caused from style formatting that tries to get copied but isn’t supported in program it is pasted into.

#4 Geekosphere

Definition: The area surrounding one’s computer, where trinkets, personal mementos, toys and monitor pets are displayed. This is the place where geeks can “show their colors.”

Reason: The reason I was interested in this is the fact that my family has a lot of geeks. And I know they have a desk that would qualify as a Geekosphere.

#5 Gearhead

Definition:Another name for a nerd or geek, this term describes a person who is interested in owning the latest gadgets or gizmos.

Reason: This describes my family to a T. (Even though there is no “t” in family) All of us, except my youngest sister, have either the Android or iPhone, including my parents. There is enough computers in all our houses combined that each person could get on one at the same time, and we’d still have a leftover computer for the dog.

#6 Hairball

Definition:Any tangled mess. Often refers to poorly written computer code with Microsoft’s name frequently invoked, but could simply be any organization’s maze of rules and regulations.

Reason: It’s another crazy word that shows today’s technical jargon. I’ve seen code for website that reminded me of this description.

#7 HotDog

Definition: The HotDog Professional Web Editor is an HTML Authoring tool for Windows 95. Even though HotDog is tremendously powerful and feature-rich, the program is very user-friendly thanks to the superb built-in help files, detailed tutorials and intuitive interface. You can download a free fully-functional evaluation copy of HotDog now and try this Web editor for 14 days. Get A HotDog Now

Reason: I was curious to find out what would be the definition for hotdog. Now that I see it’s a HTML editer, I really don’t understand why they used that term. I’ve actually never heard of this. I guess I’m too narrow in keeping with my Adobe Dreamweaver program.

#8 Link Juice

Definition:Jargon that refers to the quality of a Web site’s link power, as in page rank, number of link votes, etc. – that are obtained from backlinks. This expression was coined by SEO consultant Greg Boser, for example “I need to get some more link juice for my latest site.”

Reason: Orange juice, apple juice, beetle juice, now link juice. Don’t think I will be drinking this anytime soon. Again with working with websites, I was interested in learning this.

#9 Man

(Metropolitan Area Network)

Definition: A data network designed for a town or city. MANs are considered larger than LANs but smaller than WANs. MANs are characterized by high-speed connections over fiber-optic cable.

Reason: At first I was going to compare to see I met the definition. But after clicking on it I realized what it meant. Hilarious to know that it’s used.

#10 Zombie

Definition: Originally it referred to an abandoned Web site that remains online (such as a ghost site or an orphan annie).

The definition of “zombie” has been extended to include a PC that has received either a virus or a Trojan program which causes it to be used as a spam generator without the user’s knowledge. For example, in June of 2007 a 27-year-old man, Robert Alan Soloway, described as one of the world’s most prolific spammers was arrested and federal authorities said computer users across the Web could notice a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail. He was accused of using networks of compromised “zombie” computers to send out millions upon millions of spam e-mails.

The use of PC zombies to generate spam increases as more small businesses and individuals gain Internet connections. Spam is a major problem because it uses up bandwidth and because it can make the Internet experience very frustrating! Zombies are considered a security breach. It is necessary to use anti-virus software on your machine and run it on a regular basis.

The term zombie also describes a Unix/Linux process that have ended but the process creator/parent has not acknowledged this yet. What happens is the zombie process will consume a small amount of resources until it is killed by the parent process that created it.

My comments: I was interested to find out what zombie was used for. I was also glad to find out that I do not have a zombie living in my house. Do you have a zombie living in your house?

My dad found an article that I had wrote for our annual Christmas newsletter back in 2002. It was very interesting to read, and so I thought I would share it, and also give an update.

The letter said…

“My name is Samuel William Paasch. I’m in the 6^th grade and 12 years old. Can’t wait to be a teenager.

“I am in Tae-Kwon-Do, a yellow belt and play the piano. I love to sing with my older two brothers. My hobbies include Lego blocks, baseball, basketball, and playing on the computer. I have a girlfriend, but wont tell anybody her name.

“I have a dog named Daphne that sometimes sleeps with me. I can’t wait till I’m bigger than my brothers so I can boss them around.

“I also love to go to church, don’t you?”

Okay, now it is time for a long awaited update.

My name is still Samuel William Paasch, no change here. William, after my grandfather Taylor. I am currently in my second year of college and am getting ready to graduate with an Associates of Art Transfer degree. I am now 20 years old, and miss being a teenager!

Although I am not currently active in TaeKwonDo, I still occasionally attend. I am currently a 2^nd degree black belt. I still play the piano, and have added more instruments that I am learning: the banjo, mandolin, guitar, violin, and viola.

I still love to sing, although I actually prefer to perform the music instead. (Especially since I can play a song much better than I can sing it.) I still sing with one of my brothers and also my sister, but now with the Steppin’ Out Quartet. I also sing at church occasionally.

As for my hobbies, I still like to build, but my Lego blocks are currently packed in the shed, waiting for my own kids to play with them (whenever I have kids). Also, I no longer play baseball or basketball except for pastime occasions.

As far as the computer goes, I still enjoy a good game on the computer, but it seems like forever since I’ve played one. I don’t even have them installed on my new laptop yet. Instead I am constantly on my computer for work, church, and school.

Now for the moment you’ve really been waiting for. The actual reason why you kept reading this update. Who was this girlfriend? Well in all honesty I can’t remember. IT’S THE TRUTH! I was surprised myself when I read it. We were never allowed to engage in any relationship until our late teen years, so I imagine it was most likely a girl that I liked at the time. I will say that I have narrowed it down to two.. I know sounds bad, huh. But like I said, they were only crushes as nothing ever transpired. I can say though that one is now married. As for the other, I have no idea where she is or even what she looks like. She must have been about ten years old then?
Now about the update. I have not been in any girlfriend/boyfriend relationships yet. I really don’t have the time, and am waiting for college to get over before taking anything serious. (I’ve actually posted an article about this.) Although there are some I have liked. And just like 8 years ago, I might have a crush (for lack of better wording) on someone. But also like 8 years ago, I am not telling anybody her name.

Daphne died not too long after that year. It was a Sunday morning, when someone knocked on our door and asked if we could identify the dog collar they were holding. She had been hit by two vehicles that morning and died instantly. But I still have a dog, Pal, that sometimes sleeps with me. Actually he sneaks onto my bed after I am already asleep, because he knows I normally don’t allow him on my bed with me.

I am finally bigger than my brothers. But since they are both out of the house, married, and have kids of their own, I can’t fulfill my wish to boss them around. Hey, somethings not fair here! Actually I have a quote that its the older sibling duty to tease, boss, and be mean (in a nice way) to their younger sibling. Of course that comes with the fact that I have a younger sister!

I still love to go to church. That is my highlight of the week. Most of my trusted friends are there, and my wisest council. There I get my spiritual needs met, and also wise advise about anything in life from experienced people what are willing to help and be there when I need it. Above all though, my greatest joy is to get to worship my Lord with others, unashamed, freely, and without any fear. To be able to sing praises unto him, lift up his name, and adore him for who he is and what he’s done for me. DON’T YOU???

Not A Thru Road - Your GPS is Wrong! - Dead End

With the modern day of GPS, it’s a wonder people buy maps anymore. Especially since most smart phones now have a GPS locator build right in. It means stopping and asking for directions is officially out of style, no matter how far you drive.

Well even though the great GPS is showing the way of the future, it doesn’t mean that there may be a few speedbumps along the way.

I own a android phone as most know. And with that I have Google maps leading my way when I need to get somewhere unknown. But I’ve found out really quick not to trust the GPS completely. Especially the phones are bad because they rely on a local cell tower to give their location, not a satellite. So if there is no service, there is no GPS. Pretty bad if you drive in a dead zone and don’t know how to get out. Not only can you not call someone, but you can’t load up your maps to find your own way out.

The first problem is the maps not showing correct roads.

Let’s hear about this story http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/gps-mishaps-trust-tech-leads-trouble/story?id=10013723 This is the famous story about a lady who followed the directions of the GPS right onto a railroad track into the path of an oncoming train. Rare you say, well not when it happened several other times. GPS leading people into danger is actually a pretty common problem. Do a Google search and find out yourself.

The second problem with GPS is the places in the wrong location.

Did you know that Hammond’s Field (a local baseball field) is only a couple hundred feet away from my home church. Actually according to Google maps, it sits right on top the church parsonage, when it’s supposed to be downtown.

Take my problem just last year. I was in Oklahoma with my Dad, and we were using my phone to lead us home. Well I decide to wait until the next town to get gas hoping it would be cheaper. Well I waited to long and the gas light blinks on. I started to panic a little since the next town was about 30 miles away. So I grabbed my cell and typed in to search for near gas station. It found only one.

So we took the next exit and began our search. Well the GPS lead us to a back road, that winded around for a couple of miles, then said to turn onto a dirt road. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t have enough gas to go back to the highway, and the dirt road winded some more. It was bad. Deep holes and big rocks made for a bumpy ride.

Finally we made it to the gas station. Or at least that’s what my phone said. It led us right into someones back yard. Bummer! I was nearly out of gas and the only way out was to go the same way we got in. Luckily there were two people with chainsaws near the road (if you can call it that – it looked like a trail to me). They sent me to the nearest gas station just on down the road another mile.

Although I can laugh now about it, it has brought to my attention that if we follow blindly, we are going to eventually be led right into a trap that we can’t get out of.

It reminds me that as people, we need to be careful of what or whom we follow. We can just as easily be left stranded, or lead right into harms way. I am reminded of the verse Psalms 27:11 “Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” If we aren’t aware or careful, our enemies may be able to lead us right into danger.

This is a great story! I can relate.

   A college student was crossing a road one day when a frog called out to him and said: “If you kiss me, I’ll turn into a beautiful princess”. He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket.
   The frog spoke up again and said: “If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week.” The young man took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket.
   The frog then cried out: “If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I’ll stay with you and do anything you want”. Again the college student took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked: “What is the matter ? I’ve told you I’m a beautiful princess, that I’ll stay with you and do anything you want. Why won’t you kiss me ?”
   The young man said, “Look I’m an engineer student. I don’t have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog is cool.”