Hello to anyone reading this:
A few things. First off, I've been invited/chosen to take part in a programming contest, Programmania, through my school (specifically Mr. Chiarelli, my former Programming teacher).
Despite the fact that I haven't done any programming since last semester, I think I'll do it. Only problem is what I'll do regarding the pizza that's likely to be consumed, as I gave up lunch for Lent. :/
Ah, well, I suppose I can extend my Lenten observation by one day.
Next up: I have recently delved deep into the world of Android. I have rooted, flashed, recovered, and messed up my phone, an underpowered Samsung Galaxy Gio (GT-S5660M, the M meaning a deviation from the regular version, specifically for Bell/Virgin Mobile/Solo Mobile customers). If you have an Android phone, or any smartphone for that matter, I strongly suggest checking out the XDA Developers' forum, where you can learn all about rooting (gaining full control over your device) and flashing a custom ROM. My current ROM is a modified port of CM9 ICS, or CyanogenMod 9 Ice Cream Sandwich, called GalaxyICS, which is for the Gio, Ace, and (I believe) Mini. A little slow sometimes, but with only 800MHz and 300MB of RAM or so, that's not a lot to work with.
So, yeah. Chose my courses for next year, but it's complicated because I need a Senior Visual Arts credit, but I'm currently taking Grade 9. I'm in Grade 11 right now. You can't take three Visual Arts courses in the same year. I talked to my teacher, and she said that I should try to get into the Grade 11 Mixed- or Open-level course, then the Grade 12 one, even though the M course requires Grade 10 as a prerequisite.
Stay tuned to my blog for more info about my personal life!
(Stalkers.)
(:P)
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Timmy's Runs
First off: if you were confused by the title, it's okay, you're probably not alone.
Probably.
I often get to work just after someone has left to go to Tim Horton's to get coffee and Timbits. This frustrates me, as I always bring my wallet to work, for the express purpose of paying a coworker to get me coffee. Or, in the rare instance, when I actually go with a coworker to Tim's. That's only happened, what, once in my entire Co-op this far? And it's already half over, too.
In fact, one of my coworkers actually asked me if I wanted to go on a "Timmy's Run" today. I would have accepted, except for one thing:
That was at 4 pm. My Co-op ends at 4.
If I had my own vehicle (and a driver's licence), then I could easily accept, walk to Tim's (it's not far from Future Shop), walk back, hang out for a bit, then drive back home. Sadly, this is not the case.
Probably.
I often get to work just after someone has left to go to Tim Horton's to get coffee and Timbits. This frustrates me, as I always bring my wallet to work, for the express purpose of paying a coworker to get me coffee. Or, in the rare instance, when I actually go with a coworker to Tim's. That's only happened, what, once in my entire Co-op this far? And it's already half over, too.
In fact, one of my coworkers actually asked me if I wanted to go on a "Timmy's Run" today. I would have accepted, except for one thing:
That was at 4 pm. My Co-op ends at 4.
If I had my own vehicle (and a driver's licence), then I could easily accept, walk to Tim's (it's not far from Future Shop), walk back, hang out for a bit, then drive back home. Sadly, this is not the case.
urg...
The presentation of our group poster didn't go over so well, in my opinion. I believe it was obvious that we didn't practise. (We couldn't, because of Billy going off on his science trip to the zoo; ironically enough, he sounded the most rehearsed out of all of us. Probably because he wrote the explanation for the pictures on the poster.) Overall, I think we did a decent enough job. The presentation isn't everything; with all the written work that we did, I'm confident my group will get a good mark.
ENG - Macbeth Group Work
Last night I stayed up way too late (in my opinion, that's 11:00 on a weekday) doing English group work. Specifically, Macbeth group work.
We were tasked with making a visual element (a poster), a 250 word explanation of the pictures used on the poster, finding 5 quotes from the play that represent different themes, and, finally, individual questions (to be answered individually. Duh).
I ended up doing most of the work for the poster. Johnny helped me out with ideas for the pictures (I ended up copying one or two almost exactly as he had done them on a lined piece of paper, just blowing them up a little to match the scale of my other drawings), while Qadry drew one of the pictures and helped out with brainstorming. Billy was away yesterday (Wednesday), so he couldn't really contribute during class, but I sent him a picture of the poster once I was done it on Facebook, so he could write the explanation for it (Johnny also said he'd do it, but he's not exactly known for his proficiency with words, so hopefully we'll have two different versions to choose from).
When I was done the poster, my right arm felt limp - I'd drawn, inked, and coloured at least 6 different images, and written a few critic quotes on the bottom-left corner (also a requirement of the assignment).
We were tasked with making a visual element (a poster), a 250 word explanation of the pictures used on the poster, finding 5 quotes from the play that represent different themes, and, finally, individual questions (to be answered individually. Duh).
I ended up doing most of the work for the poster. Johnny helped me out with ideas for the pictures (I ended up copying one or two almost exactly as he had done them on a lined piece of paper, just blowing them up a little to match the scale of my other drawings), while Qadry drew one of the pictures and helped out with brainstorming. Billy was away yesterday (Wednesday), so he couldn't really contribute during class, but I sent him a picture of the poster once I was done it on Facebook, so he could write the explanation for it (Johnny also said he'd do it, but he's not exactly known for his proficiency with words, so hopefully we'll have two different versions to choose from).
When I was done the poster, my right arm felt limp - I'd drawn, inked, and coloured at least 6 different images, and written a few critic quotes on the bottom-left corner (also a requirement of the assignment).
Friday, November 4, 2011
Weird Day
Yesterday was a weird day for me, and it was full of pain.
First was the Honour Roll assembly. Me and a few hundred other students were waiting in our respective grade lines to get into the Auditorium for about 40 minutes or so. With my flat feet, that was a killer on my lower back.Then, when we sat down in the auditorium pews, that didn't help much, either. So, through the rest of the day (including my Co-op), my back hurt like heck. When I got home, it hurt to walk, much less go up the stairs!
The Honour Roll assembly itself was okay, despite people behind me (I knew them, they were in Grade 11 as well, but I'm not naming any names) being extremely rude and talking at a normal volume, which is quite loud in a quiet auditorium. My Mom was there, trying hard to record me with our SD video camera (it was her first time using it). She successfully caught me as I was walking across the stage, shaking the (former?) superintendent's and the principal, Mr. Daly's hands. My Dad was busy at work with 6 meetings (he works in the Sales department of Digital Video Group, a division of Metroland Media), so he couldn't make it. In addition to getting almost a carbon copy of the same certificate I got last year (only the years and Grade level were changed), I also got a neat little pin with the SJB logo and motto on it.
At Co-op, I was having trouble maintaining my balance, as I was feeling slightly dizzy, though for the most part I was coordinated enough to do some work. Nonetheless, one of my coworkers offered to take me on a Tim Horton's run for the tech room and anyone else that wanted anything, which I gladly accepted. The fresh air did me good, and when I returned I was feeling much better - that is, until I reentered the tech room, which was much, much warmer than outside. I quickly finished my coffee before it got cold, but immediately regretted it, as it made me that much warmer inside.
Besides helping out with dinner and watching the Big Bang Theory, one of the best running comedies around, I spent most of the evening/night at home in my room, lying on my bed, with an ancient heating pad on my back, playing Metroid: Other M on my Wii. The heating pad didn't help much, because it's so old and barely works anymore, but the "Dual Action" hot/cold gel that I had on my back when I went to sleep really helped ease the pain, and I drifted off peacefully enough into sleep.
First was the Honour Roll assembly. Me and a few hundred other students were waiting in our respective grade lines to get into the Auditorium for about 40 minutes or so. With my flat feet, that was a killer on my lower back.Then, when we sat down in the auditorium pews, that didn't help much, either. So, through the rest of the day (including my Co-op), my back hurt like heck. When I got home, it hurt to walk, much less go up the stairs!
The Honour Roll assembly itself was okay, despite people behind me (I knew them, they were in Grade 11 as well, but I'm not naming any names) being extremely rude and talking at a normal volume, which is quite loud in a quiet auditorium. My Mom was there, trying hard to record me with our SD video camera (it was her first time using it). She successfully caught me as I was walking across the stage, shaking the (former?) superintendent's and the principal, Mr. Daly's hands. My Dad was busy at work with 6 meetings (he works in the Sales department of Digital Video Group, a division of Metroland Media), so he couldn't make it. In addition to getting almost a carbon copy of the same certificate I got last year (only the years and Grade level were changed), I also got a neat little pin with the SJB logo and motto on it.
At Co-op, I was having trouble maintaining my balance, as I was feeling slightly dizzy, though for the most part I was coordinated enough to do some work. Nonetheless, one of my coworkers offered to take me on a Tim Horton's run for the tech room and anyone else that wanted anything, which I gladly accepted. The fresh air did me good, and when I returned I was feeling much better - that is, until I reentered the tech room, which was much, much warmer than outside. I quickly finished my coffee before it got cold, but immediately regretted it, as it made me that much warmer inside.
Besides helping out with dinner and watching the Big Bang Theory, one of the best running comedies around, I spent most of the evening/night at home in my room, lying on my bed, with an ancient heating pad on my back, playing Metroid: Other M on my Wii. The heating pad didn't help much, because it's so old and barely works anymore, but the "Dual Action" hot/cold gel that I had on my back when I went to sleep really helped ease the pain, and I drifted off peacefully enough into sleep.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Power Supply, USB issues, and POST
Last night, before Youth at the church (West Highland Baptist), I went to Canada Computers and got a new power supply, a Cooler Master (http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_442&item_id=021875). I got it for three main reasons: making my computer quieter, decreasing total heat output (makes my room way too warm), and stabilizing my system.
What I mean by the latter is that, I continuously had to press the Reset button on the front of the case (often more than once) in order to get my computer to just start up. When I tested the system last night, it seemed as if for naught, as it was only a few decibels quieter, and I still had to hit the reset button!
This morning, however, when I started it up, I learned, not only that, but the front USB ports weren't working, and, since my computer's beneath my wooden desk, I have the wireless dongle for my Logitech Unity keyboard and mouse combo plugged in there. (If plugged in the back USB ports, they don't connect, or the input lags.) So, I took it apart, took out all the cables connected to the USB headers (on purpose) and power connectors for the front panel (by accident), and put them all back in. Then, when I turned it on, they worked! Hallelujah! And, so far, the 3 or 4 times I've turned it on since (different tests to see if I connected everything properly again), I haven't had to press the Reset button! And this was all before school this morning!
Now, as I mentioned earlier, my system isn't a whole lot quieter. This is not because the power supply is loud, but rather, because one of the fans, a 120mm Blue LED Cooler Master "Sickle Flow" fan (http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_130&item_id=027866), is directly connected to a Molex power connector, instead of the motherboard. My mobo (This crappy thing) only has one fan header, and that one goes to the rear case fan, though I might switch, and see if that makes a difference (in noise level, not cooling ability. I don't have very new parts that require a lot of energy, so I'm not worried much about them overheating).
What I mean by the latter is that, I continuously had to press the Reset button on the front of the case (often more than once) in order to get my computer to just start up. When I tested the system last night, it seemed as if for naught, as it was only a few decibels quieter, and I still had to hit the reset button!
This morning, however, when I started it up, I learned, not only that, but the front USB ports weren't working, and, since my computer's beneath my wooden desk, I have the wireless dongle for my Logitech Unity keyboard and mouse combo plugged in there. (If plugged in the back USB ports, they don't connect, or the input lags.) So, I took it apart, took out all the cables connected to the USB headers (on purpose) and power connectors for the front panel (by accident), and put them all back in. Then, when I turned it on, they worked! Hallelujah! And, so far, the 3 or 4 times I've turned it on since (different tests to see if I connected everything properly again), I haven't had to press the Reset button! And this was all before school this morning!
Now, as I mentioned earlier, my system isn't a whole lot quieter. This is not because the power supply is loud, but rather, because one of the fans, a 120mm Blue LED Cooler Master "Sickle Flow" fan (http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_130&item_id=027866), is directly connected to a Molex power connector, instead of the motherboard. My mobo (This crappy thing) only has one fan header, and that one goes to the rear case fan, though I might switch, and see if that makes a difference (in noise level, not cooling ability. I don't have very new parts that require a lot of energy, so I'm not worried much about them overheating).
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Python
While I'm enjoying learning Computer Programming in C#, I can't help but wish there was a course or unit that covered Python. Python is a cross-platform programming language most often used in Linux, but many programs (if Python is installed) can be found on Windows and Mac OSX. Python is usually used to create Open-Source programs, meaning, free, as in beer (you don't have to pay to get it) and free, as in, you're free to modify the source code as you see fit, while still giving credit for the original program or code, should you choose to repackage it and redistribute it.
Since I feel most at home using some sort of Linux distribution, it is very difficult for me to use C# anywhere outside of school. Most PCs have Microsoft Windows of some sort on them. Those who use Linux are considered "Power Users", and are considered a minority. Despite that, we are a very vocal, and very stubborn, minority indeed.
Since I feel most at home using some sort of Linux distribution, it is very difficult for me to use C# anywhere outside of school. Most PCs have Microsoft Windows of some sort on them. Those who use Linux are considered "Power Users", and are considered a minority. Despite that, we are a very vocal, and very stubborn, minority indeed.
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