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It is here, my friends, at long last.

One of the things that always bugged me at WordPress was how cluttered it was. It was difficult to navigate, and just looked all sorts of messy.

The developers at WordPress have switched things up with 2.5. Gone is the day of a messy admin layout, and come is the day of the clean layout.

Thus far, I’m impressed. I feel things are laid out in a more common sense fashion than previous versions. The more common elements are enlarged and placed on the left side. The least common elements of the admin panel are made smaller and aligned right.

I also like the new dashboard. I didn’t have much beef with the old version, but the layout in 2.5 is very nice.

Finally, there are some new features to the write/edit screens that I like. WordPress has finally added the ability to embed videos. Previously, you had to use a plug-in, which kind of sucked, given the flexible nature of today’s blog. I think if anything, that’s where WordPress was lagging behind. They have also made it easier to add photos and other media. Good for them.

I’m not an incredibly big fan of the new placement of the category selection. If they’re trying to promote tags over categories, it shows, as the tag form comes before the categories. They used to be at the right of the textbox, and I can’t speak for others, but I preferred them there.

A Change

As I’ve spoken about before, I’ll be bringing my laptop with me to Las Vegas, so that I might try and live blog the NAB/BEA conferences. Thus circumstances require some changes. My hotel has free wireless, and I’m fairly certain I’ll be able to get to wi-fi hotspots easily enough on the floor of the convention. Now, assuming this, it’ll be easy enough to get to the blog. But, I’ll be looking around all day. I don’t want to constantly have to go over to the WP admin panel.

Therefore, I’ve downloaded Windows Live Writer. It’s Microsoft’s answer to all the other desktop clients out there, and the official client of their Spaces service. I figure that it’ll be a lot more convenient. I just open that up, write what I want, add any pictures, and publish. A lot easier than even the new-fangled photo and video adding features of WP can give me, I think.

Next week will give me a chance to really try the program out. If I like it, it’ll became a permanent fixture in my blogging. We shall see.

Now off to bed…

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I’m going to be changing things up a bit for IC 2008.  I will no longer list the issues and the candidate’s stance on them.  They have websites.  You can see for yourselves.  I will continue to analyize them, however.

For the first time in the IC 2008 series, the one I’ve picked to analyze has a Vice Presidential running mate!

Bios

Steve Adams is  a software designer at a local technology company.  At 42, Adams volunteers at his local Methodist and Lutheran Church.  Adams graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a B.S. in Computer Science.  In his spare time, he practices Tae Kwon Do and Okinawan Kempo.  He is a rider with the Patriot Guard Riders.

His running mate, Bob Hargis, is the Executive Director of the largest Ambulance Service in Southern Oklahoma.  Like Adams, Hargis has a record of community service, working with church groups, and going around to help people.  Mostly recently (via the website), he traveled to Kenya to teach EMT instructors, so that they can better teach their own EMTs.

Analyis of Issues

  • Adams does not support abortion.  As I’ve mentioned in the past, neither do I, but neither do I think such an issue comes under governmental control.
  • Like several of the mainstream candidates such as Mike Huckabee, Mike Gravel, and like some other independents, such as Donald K. Allen, Adams supports the Fair Tax system.  You know, the more I see the widespread support it has among candidates, from conservatives to liberals, the more it’s catching on to me.  The tax system as we have now is a mess.  And yes, we hear all kinds of rhetoric about wanting to fix it, but no real plans.  Nothing that has any meat, anyway.  So far, Fair Tax is the most thought out plan I’ve found.
  • I like Adams’ ideas on energy and the environment.  I throw up in my mouth a little when I hear the phrase “carbon credits.”  What a stupid idea.  “Let me buy these credits so I can pollute more and not be penalized!  And all kinds of corporations do it, including “do no evil” Google.  Instead, as I’ve noted before in this blog, we need a mixture of solutions.  One solution for electricity generation and one for cars isn’t going to do it.  This is America.  Bring ’em all on, I say, and may the best idea for energy independence/conservation win.
  • He is for removing the electoral college, and he has my backing there.  It needs to be scrapped.  He is also against Gerrymandering, as am I.  No matter which party is doing it, gerrymandering should be illegal.
  • I support his moderate gun control policies.  This isn’t a guy who’s like, “My god, I can’t get my gun in 5 minutes?  Gwarsh!” but he’s also not a “Take ’em all away.” liberal.  He seems to understand the need for proper background checking.  Nothing specific on checks for prior mental illness, but I’m guessing he’d be for it.
  • I’m a little confused on his stance on marriage. I understand that he seems to be against gay marriage, and says that he’d support legislation or a constitutional amendment to ban it.  Yet, later in that section, he says the government should stay out of moral issues such as marriage.  Search me, but I think a little clarity is needed there.  So, hard to analyze this one, except to say I’m against the particular stance on gay marriage.
  • Finally, war and the military.  I definitely agree with what he says on the need to be ready for action where needed.  He also thinks that if Iraq is in the midst of a civil war, then we need to get out, leave a small force for training, and turn things over to the Iraqi government.  This appears to be a little older, but with the exception of the civil war part, mostly I agree.  It is time to trim down our forces.  If al-Maliki really is making some headway, doesn’t that mean we can start leaving?  I say, leave some forces for training, and perhaps small missions, and get most of our forces out.  Bring them home.

I need to study Adams/Hargis some more.  So far, I believe they are the most intriguing independent candidates for the Presidency/VP I’ve seen so far.

That’s it for IC this time.  Unfortunately, I can’t promise another one until after Vegas.  Simply no time to do it until then.

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I would like to take a moment to quote that oft-quoted quote: “Hindsight is 20/20.”

In this case, it’s about college choices. Lets go back to the beginning:

In my Freshman year, my first ever political science teacher made the suggestion that I consider double majoring in the subject along with communications. I did consider it for a little while, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was more work than I was willing to put myself through. I reasoned that if failed to live up to the major, that would suck. Plus, at the time, I had a goal of getting out of college in four years, a goal I have now more or less achieved (knock on wood Spring semester classes!). So since halfway through my Sophomore year, political science has been my minor.

Fast forward three and a half years to tonight. I took a break in my studies for my Communication Theory class, and waltzed over to the student information website, which displays all sorts of details about my history at college, including what classes I’ve taken.

Well, I already knew I’d completed most of my requirements, except that lagging Writing Portfolio, which was handed in on Tuesday; it’s just waiting for a grade. The “Degree Evaluation” program is a wonder; it lets you know what you’ve done, what still needs to be done, and all the classes you’ve taken.

On the other hand, it’s not perfect. For example, some classes that are clearly part of my communication major are not listed under that section. It says I have 36 credits done; it’s more like 48. For some reason, it counts some of them only under electives, even though in other sections of the DE, it double dips on the counting.

For my political science minor, some classes are listed as completing General Education Requirements, because apparently those classes are not exclusive to the minor you’re taking, like the major ones are. Still, a couple classes are still not listed in the minor section. Well, I decided to count up all the minor-related classes I’ve taken, including the ones counted as GERs.

It turns out that at this point in time I am one class short of completing the political science major. I have all of the following requirements completed:

  1. The two introductory courses, American Government and Politics and International Relations.
  2. The five political science electives (I actually have six).
  3. Three “skills courses.”

The only course I don’t have is the “Political Research Methods” course.

That sort of sucks. Three and a half years after deciding not to double major, I have almost all the requirements to do it. At this point, I’m unsure if changing the minor into a major would affect much. According to the website, six of the 36 credits can be used to satisfy GERs. Currently, six of my credits do this. However, the website does have discrepancies in other areas, including stating in the introductory paragraph that four skills courses are required compared to the three used elsewhere, and an initial statement of requiring 36 credits for the minor, then saying 24 in the very next sentence.

There’s another problem I currently have. I believe that in most majors at my school, a C or better is required to avoid needing to re-take a class. In one of my skills courses, I didn’t do so hot, so I might of had to re-take it, had I double majored.

All that aside, there are three possible options, depending on certain circumstances:

  1. Assuming that I didn’t have to substitute any GERs, and that I didn’t have to re-take the skills course, I could see if the Research Methods course is offered during the summer. Of course, this would require $900 I just don’t have and already used for my internship last summer; money gone to waste for never seeing my adviser in person.
  2. Take another semester. This might be my preferred option between this and the first, since it would cost less for me if I got financial aid. Not having filled out a FAFSA this year might makes things difficult, though. Still, assuming I could get financial aid, I would get the chance to be part of the TV club for one more semester. On the other hand, getting financial aid would also mean having to take at least 12 credits, and I’m not sure if I could actually find any courses at this point. Everybody’s already registered. So, while is the preferred option, it’s highly unachievable at this late in the game.
  3. Do nothing, and graduate in May. Of all three options, this is probably the one I like the most, yet the one I’m most torn about. I’m happy to move on from the academic side of things, but don’t want to leave the club, which is what’s appealing about option . Still, between not having $900, and the unlikeliness of getting financial aid, is the most realistic option at this point.

If I had foreseen three and a half years ago that at this point in my college career, I’d be one course away from getting two degrees this May, I probably would have gone for it. It would have required significantly more work, but I think I could have done it.

Yet, here I am, with 20/20 hindsight hitting me hard. Still, I’m not very disappointed about my decision to go with a minor back then instead of a major. Since halfway through my Sophomore year of high school, I felt pretty confident I knew where my future lie. And in the almost six and a half years since then, I haven’t felt wrong about it once. On the other hand, the thought of knowing I could have gotten two degrees in May will live with me for a long time.

Here’s to the future…

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Well, I know one sign that my cold/allergies/upper respiratory infection is more or less gone.  More productivity!

Last week and the week before were pretty much marked by a general unwillingness to do stuff.  Sure, I got stuff done – a rough draft of a PSA I’m working on for a competition, among other things – but the two weeks just felt like a real lull.  I was tired, fatigued, and felt burnt out every night.

Compare to this week.  I shot a package yesterday, got the VOs done today, got halfway done with a video resume last night, more or less completed major work on the PSA today, handed in my writing portfolio today.  Heck, I even sat through two hours of a class that I took last semester, just because I wanted to hear critiques of the PSA (a member of the team is working on it for the class).

Then I came back here, wrote readers, a VO, and an intro and tag and emailed them, changed my sheets, and folded my clothes.  I’d claim reading 98 blog posts in my productivity list, but I actually just skimmed through a lot of them, and only read ones that got my attention.  Can’t win them all, I guess.

I don’t know what it is.  Some of it is that I know I needed to get some stuff done.  Like the Writing Portfolio.  It’s a school requirement that everybody has to do, major independent.  With my trip to Vegas coming up, that’d be a whole week gone without doing it.  Then I’d come back and be caught up with planning for the next Eastern Expedition.  Under the circumstances, I guess this is the best week to do it.

Stuff to get done:

  1. Finish editing the package, including capturing the VOs (tomorrow)
  2. Finish editing the video resume, and get some opinions on it.
  3. Do a one-over of my resume for next week, and make a generalized cover letter.
  4. Prepare for phone interview.
  5. Get letter from gastro doctor (tomorrow I hope).
  6. Pack for Vegas (Friday & the weekend)

Quite a bit to before Monday, but I know it’ll get done.

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Update 9:07pm: Hmm.  If there’s anything I can say, it’s that they didn’t get destroyed.  Lost by 9.

Oh boy. I’m watching the game right now, and it’s not looking good for my home state team, UConn, right now.

They’ve been down since at least shortly before the half, and haven’t caught up since. They’ve come close, but are now down by 9 with 1:07 to go. I’m not seeing a comeback here, but you never know.

I’m not confident that UConn is going to the championship.

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The LA Times has reported that actress and former anti-Vietnam war activist Jane Fonda has endorsed Barack Obama.

This endorsement is not surprising in itself, nor is it the first time a liberal like Fonda has given their nod to Obama.  However, some people, such as Michael van der Galien over at Poligazette, have a warning for Obama:

My advise for Obama, then: don’t appear publicly with Fonda. It can only hurt you; you’ve already got the support of the far-left of the Democratic Party, you don’t need her to in order to get the radicals to support you.

Though I don’t think that Fonda can really harm Obama that much (he weathered the Wright affair), I am inclined to agree with this statement.  We’re on the final leg of the primaries, and while Obama still needs all the liberals he can get to the win the nomination, that will soon change.

Assuming he becomes the nominee, appearing with Fonda may become a bad idea.  This is because he’ll need to start reaching out to moderates and conservatives if he wishes to become President.  Now, I can’t speak for everybody, but I’m willing to bet the old stigma Fonda has for appearing in those photos with the Vietcong still exists for perhaps all but the most liberal of people in this country.  That’s an association Obama really doesn’t need, given his already vocal denunciation of the Iraq war.

Lets face the facts.  The conservatives will start sending out their troops again if Obama does appear with Fonda, just as the liberals did with John McCain and John Hagee.  I don’t agree with the tactics employed by either side, but it is what happens.

Obama came through Wrightgate with some scratches, but also with some newfound respect by supporters and opponents alike.  Could he survive yet another pounding by the media and blogosphere?  Probably.  But why incur such wrath if you don’t need to?

My advice therefore remains largely the same.  Quietly accept the endorsement,  but stay away from Jane Fonda.

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Just when I thought I was getting sick of writing about the events of the primary season, a class assignment recharges my enthusiasm. So, for the first time, cross-posted from class.

Over at Firedoglake, Jane Hamsher says that Senator Joe Lieberman has stabbed Barack Obama in the back. Lieberman recently appeared on Fox News and discussed those two words that have come back to haunt John McCain, “100 years.” Says Lieberman:

If we did what Sen. Obama wanted us to do last year, Al-Qaeda in Iran would be in control of Iraq today. The whole Middle East would be in turmoil and American security and credibility would be jeopardized.

On the specific question of the 100 years, I think that’s an unfortunate example of the way Sen. Obama has used it, of playing political gotcha with a national security question.

Hamsher does not much appreciate Lieberman speaking out against a fellow Democrat, and makes it pretty clear:

This is gold for McCain, having “liberal, bipartisan Democrat Joe Lieberman” standing by his side, trashing Obama on experience and national security credentials.”

For the longest of time, I have considered McCain’s “100 years” statement to be taken out of context. So does McCain, because he’s gone back to clarify the comments. He has explained that he sees a presence in Iraq lasting long after the majority of operations have ended there.

A presence.

Like the one we have in Germany, or in Japan, or in South Korea. You know, in all those places that we have gone to fought over the last 100 years. I know the reason why we have maintained a presence there: stability. Who wouldn’t want to make sure Germany didn’t return to Nazi control after 1945, or make sure Japan didn’t continue fighting after their surrender?

Now, I would argue that a place like Germany or Japan no longer needs our presence. On one hand, I know in the case of Japan, their constitution bars the formation of a military. Yet, I think the time has been long past where these countries are a threat to the U.S.

Likewise, Iraq will need a presence after major military operations are over, if that’s ever the case. Assuming the extremists can be weeded out, and assuming the government of Iraq gets off their kiesters and starts taking control of their country (both huge assumptions), most of our people can be taken out. However, to ensure that someone like Iran is not going to immediately invade, we’ll need some kind of presence there. Whether we’ll actually need 100 years or not is the question that must be asked, but it isn’t one that can be academically debated, I think. However, once the U.S. government sees that things will remain relatively stable, then I think it will be time to fully remove our forces from the country.

So, McCain is not referring to 100 years of the continued military presence and operation we’ve been seeing for the past five years. He refers to ensuring stability, and I think it will be needed. Perhaps it will not take 100 years, but I think it will take several years.

That Obama keeps playing on the “100 years” statement is smart in some ways, and annoying in others. It’s a good way to pull in those who are sick of the war. On the other hand, it smells of the old and dirty politics that everybody hates in this election cycle. The kind of tactics the mainstream media keeps linking with the likes of Hillary Clinton or Karl Rove. Yet, because it’s Obama, he seems to get a pass on it.

Obama has shown he is better than that. It’s all right to question your opponent on something they have said, but to keep bringing it up is annoying to me.

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Am I prophetic, or what? Only a couple days after I get done saying how the fight between the Dems is allowing John McCain to start the general election with a lead, he makes his first move.

A lot of people are saying the ad appears to be targeted toward Obama, and that McCain assumes he’ll be the eventual nominee. It’s definitely possible, given Obama’s current lead. Yet, the ad is vague enough so that even if he doesn’t win, it is generalized enough so that it can also be used in a campaign with Clinton.

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I’d continue maintaining that my lack of posting here was due to my sickness, and although it’s partially true, I could at least get a few words in, I think.

In any case, the first part of my entry title is true.  They always say that sickness or medical injuries get worse before they get better, and so that seems to be the case here. Yesterday, I could barely speak, mostly likely due to my throat being blocked up from phlegm (I love that word).  I’ve been able to clear some of it out, via both the physiological way (love those throat muscles) and the medicinal way (I love Robitussin CF so much).  The result is that I can speak closer to my normal pitch again, rather than sounding like some kind of tenor.

I’m still hacking like a lifetime smoker, but that’s usually the case with this allergy/sinus/cold/whatever I get at this time of year, so I know what to expect.  I’m hopeful that on this day next weekend, I’ll be able to report that all is back to normal with my health (as normal as it can be for someone with asthma and Crohn’s).  Perhaps I can make that report before then.  We shall see.

It’s important that I get better, for as I noted in my last entry, I will be attending the back-to-back (and actually slightly overlapping) National Association of Broadcasters and Broadcast Education Association conventions in Las Vegas, NV in mid-April.  For those who don’t know, the NAB convention, one of the biggest in the world, is the place for everybody who is anybody in broadcasting to come and show all their latest and greatest stuff.  I’m talking mobile control rooms perfectly built into RVs, news helicopters (they actually have some there), video cameras, audio equipment, and so much more.  There’s also video servers, routers, amplifiers; you name it, somebody is showing it off there.  There are also training sessions for Avid, Apple, Adobe, and other major video products.

BEA is maybe a bit more boring for someone my age, and who holds more of an interest in the technical side of things, but it is interesting none-the-less.  There are more training sessions, discussion panels, demonstrations of papers by both students and professors, radio and video festivals (alas none of my school’s entries won anything), and most importantly to me, a career fair.  So, it is a lot more academic in nature, but we’re students, right?  So, nothing wrong with that.

Finally, there are some side events that take place at the same time.  The one that I definitely plan to attend is the Final Cut Pro Users Group meeting.  Affiliate groups from all around the country come out to hear from the big boys in video production (Adobe, Apple, etc) on what is new and great in their products.  More fun, though, are raffle prizes!  When I last went to the meeting (April, 2005), I won a Steady Tracker.  It’s a kind of handheld version of a SteadyCam device, that allows one to make moving shots with ease and without shakiness.  There were two available, a lighter version and a heavier version, and guess who got the latter one.  Ooh, the envy eminating through the audience was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife.  Then, the next year, one of the attending members won a very nice video camera.  I’m talking a camera worth about $5000.  So, that’ll be fun.

But, alas!  I digress from the true purpose of this part of my entry.  It is important that I get better, so I can feel good when I go, so I can bring all of you updates!  That’s right.  Foregoing any terrible circumstances to its operation, I will be bringing along my laptop.  I hope to bring everyone some daily updates as to what I’ve seen, along with plenty of pictures!  However, I cannot commit to that entirely, since I’m not sure of our entire itinerary, which really is probably not going to be made until we get there.  Sure, there will be a few things planned out, but outside planned meetings, it’ll all probably be up-in-the-air.  So, I’ll do my best to bring you what I can, but do I promise something everyday?  Well, given my past track record, I cannot do that.  But, expect several entries at least!

Well, I have to get ready for a shoot I’m doing in an hour, so I’m off.  I wanted to do a pre-review of WordPress 2.5, given what I’ve seen so far from their site, but it must wait!  Until next time…