Tires Explode When You Least Expect It

Do you think you are safe from exploding tires? I used to think I was as well. But then, I found out that no one is safe. Let me elaborate.

Last night, as I was driving my future spouse home form the airport, we were along I-215. A little thing popped out in front of me, and I was unable to get out of the way without causing a problem. I went over it, and everything seemed fine. When I shortly thereafter merged onto I-15 towards Provo, we suddenly noticed a very loud sound coming from the front left side of the car. It was odd.

The car started pulling, and I began to make my move to get off of the freeway. I succeeded, and then got to a parking lot. Turned out that the front left tire had completely shred, and it was smoking. It smelled awful. I got out, and changed the tire. My fiancee did find it sexy that I knew how to change a tire. We were joined by a peace officer who drove by and wanted to check on us and make sure that all was ok. Anyway, I got the tire changed, and we drove home. Slowly. It was a long drive.

On another note. I was picking my fiancee up from the airport after her trip home to CA for two, yes 2 bridal showers this weekend. We racked up the gear, and I'm pretty stoked about that.

Check out my favorite three ladies in the world.

Sleep, sleep the magical fruit

So, I love to sleep. I don't think I'm in the minority on this one. But sleeping is a wonderful thing. I mean, just look at some benefits (from http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongenergy/tp/healthy_sleep.htm):

• Keeps your heart healthy
• May prevent cancer
• Reduces stress
• Reduces inflammation
• Makes you more alert (duh)
• Bolsters your memory
• May help lose weight
• Naps make you smarter
• Reduce risk of depression
• Helps the body repair

No joking here. Sleep is like the best thing ever. I love to go to bed at night and just fall asleep to a good episode of Family Guy. You may ask yourself why I am writing about sleep -- I'm TIRED RIGHT NOW! That's why. I'm sitting here at work and I can barely keep my darn eyes open. I am writing this blog entry to keep me functioning for the next 10 minutes until I can head home and take a nap.

So there.

Go sleep people!

BASIC

So, how many of you out there have actually written program code in BASIC? I know it's pretty much a dead language, but there are many different types of microprocessors out there that actually eat the stuff for lunch. I'm taking an Enterprise Infrastructure course in this, my last semester of college. It's pretty fun so far. Our first assignment involved writing a couple very simple programs in BASIC, compiling them to assembly and then running them through a microprocessor simulation. It's interesting. Here's a code snippet:

So, this program very simply creates a counter variable which increments and outputs to a port. The final variable outputs alternating 1's and 0's to a port upon completion of the counter. Obviously, the counter is designed to count up to 9, and then kick to the end of the if statement and loop.

Here's a slightly more complex program:

This program starts with a word variable (2 byte variable) which responds to the input from port d. If port d is lit up, meaning it returns a value of 1 from the bit in the zeroth location, it will increment the counter by three and output the high bits to port c and the low bits to port b. Meaning that port c doesn't light up until the value is at least 256, or beyond the storage capacity of one byte.

It's interesting to look at this. It may as well be sudocode. I mean, I barely had to think too much about the complication of the code, and realize that BASIC was a simple program to write in. It is not object oriented like Java or C++ or even VB, however, it is a simple language. As I write more in BASIC, I will have to deal with such things as memory deletion, clean up, and memory buffering. That's the ugly part of simple languages.

I'll post more as I learn more.

/coding

Add: By the way, if you want to play with some BASIC programming, you can check out www.oshonsoft.com for a pic simulator (pic is a microprocessor for many different industrial uses). It's fun!

What to do in these times

This is a just a quick post to point out a wonderful article:

http://consumerist.com/5051714/what-to-do-in-these-uncertain-financial-times

This is courtesy of consumerist.com, and is a fantastic way to prepare for the financial problems of today.

I add -- Pulling all your money out of the stock market won't help it. You are going to make money, the market will recover. Selling all of your stock when it is worth almost nothing will not be any better. Weather the storm. Don't run and hide. There's no where to go. If we all pull our money out, the economy WILL collapse.

Just weather the storm.

A Wonderful Birthday and my Presents

So, this last Friday was my birthday. It was a great day. I'd like to thank, first of all, my future wife. She's  amazing. Wanna know how well she knows me? She got me a Garmin Nuvi 250. It's awesome. It's already been super useful, seeing as I had to go somewhere yesterday that I had never been to, in an area I was unfamiliar with. I plugged in the address, and said "Go!" And there was no problem getting there. Fast drawing, accurate maps, and spoken directions are fantastic. I really do recommend it.

My parents decided that I deserved a new iPod after all. My first generation iPod nano was finally starting to die. The battery didn't last long enough, and it was only a 2 gig. I had almost 10 gigs worth of stuff, and so it just wasn't enough space anymore. So, I bought a 16 gig iPod Touch (first generation) and software upgraded it to 2.1. That means lots of app store fun for me, and it's been incredible. I have to say, the capabilities of the iPod Touch is great. It's like a mini computer. I can check my email when I wake up in the morning by turning over and looking at my iPod. I check the weather, sports, and anything else that I want. It's a great invention. The touchscreen is as nice as anything I've seen in my life, and it has a great resolution. I HIGHLY recommend it.

I also got some great itunes gift cards from my future in laws, and my sister. And I've used the money to load up my iPod just a touch more. :)

Also, my (future) wife made a great cheesecake for dinner, and also did a great belgian waffle bar with apple juice, orange juice, real maple syrup, fruit, eggs and bacon. My sister and brother-in-law joined us for dinner and the white chocolate cheesecake. It was a wonderful meal. Afterwards, we watched Son of Rambow (which I really should review). As a precursor, it was a pretty entertaining movie. I do suggest that you add it to your netflix account.

 

Overall, it was a wonderful day, and I'm super grateful to everyone that had a part in it. As a side note, I turned 25. Yes, I feel old.

I've included some of the engagement pictures of me and my future wife. I truly love her. 

     

All photos are copyright Jon Tehero Photography (www.jontehero.com)

My Rant on Hypocrisy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/17/palins-email-account-hack_n_127184.html

So, recently I've been doing a lot of reading online. Granted, online may not be the best location to get honest and good opinions from either democratic or republican points of view, however, it's been a hot bed recently for political news. Now, I'd like to state for the record that I have both republican and democratic leanings, but I will focus here on some blatant problems I have encountered on the internet.

The internet provides an anonymity that is not available in real life. So, perhaps the commentary that I read online is not representative of how the majority of democrats feel about the republican party -- however, it's definitely swayed me in my opinion of the entire party itself. Allow me to explain.

The article above is from the Huffington Post, known to be a notoriously liberal news site. The article talks about how a hacker named Anonymous, who previously took on Scientology, recently took it upon himself to hack Palin's email address and post the contents of her email online. The accounts have since been deleted, however, the damage has been done. Now, this could be bad enough itself. Imagine the uproar if someone hacked Biden's or Obama's email address. The whole nation would be up in arms, democrats and republicans a like. It's not ok to violate someone's privacy in this way and then use it against them. The problem with this is the legal ramifications. Obviously, we don't know if it was her real email, or if it was planted now. None of this evidence is viable in a court of law because it was obtained illegally. Some may argue, "what about Bush's illegal wiretaps?" Oh, I'm not supporting those (although he does have the Patriot Act on his side, but we'll leave the legality and constitutionality of that for another post), however I am saying that this is ludicrous. And what have the reactions been online? Just a sampling:

• since the email has been hacked, the account has been deleted. which means that the GOP was prob behind this as an attempt to destroy evidence and blame "liberals"
• Why should she complain? Bush reads everyone's email -- if she's done nothing wrong she has nothing to worry about.
• Just downloaded the contents. very interesting.

There are plenty of others who decry the action, but a great majority blame her for being an "idiot" and other things of the like. It's frustrating to see that something like this is ok because it is Sarah Palin. I state again: imagine if this was Obama's email.

Anyway, let me come back to another point. The sheer superiority of the democratic party has recently turned me off to their politics and their followers. Now, this does not apply to everyone, and I'm aware of that. However, the vocal minority has truly begun to affect my feelings and political leanings. At every turn it seems to be that someone decries the morality of being a republican. No longer is it a choice what they are going to support -- it's become a matter of intelligence. According to many internet commentaries, no one can understand how any intelligent person can truly support the republican cause. While I do not agree with everything that has happened in either party, I feel it is a little dramatic to claim that any person who supports a republican viewpoint is an idiot. The facts exist: no one could foresee the complete collapse of our economy. No one could have predicted the outcome of the Iraq war. Just like no one could possibly predict the storms years ahead of time when they ravaged the gulf coast. Everything we have to do is reactionary at this point. Let's not fool ourselves: having someone else in the presidency could not have stopped the collapse of the mortgage industry nor the credit industry. Don't be fools.

It's scary to see the division being preached by the democratic party. I understand that their ultimate goal is to destroy the republican campaign, but a divided US is not better than a united country. They would preach tolerance and understanding for those that agree with them: That's the beauty of the US. Not everyone has to agree. And that's what keeps this country from utter chaos. Let's be a little more careful with how we choose to approach commentary and subjects, and decry all that is illegal. If you want to preach acceptance of all, accept all, whether or not their opinion differs from you.

I know, people will disagree with me, and I'm ok with that. My experience has lead me to this point. It's frustrating, but it's what drives this country. It's ok for people to have differing opinions on things. But let's remember: that doesn't mean that anyone is smarter or dumber. Most of the time it just means the opinion is different. There are exceptions to the rule, however, it's a good one to live by.

/rant.

The Manchurian Candidate: Wow.

So, I've been thinking about what my next post could entail. Should I write more on the yucky mess of politics? Should I write about the new iPods and the like that Apple, Inc. officially announced yesterday? Should I do some random writings about weddings? How about write about my wonderful fiancee? There are a million subjects that I could knock out today. But I think I'm going to be simple and talk a touch about a  movie called The Manchurian Candidate.

For those of you that are unaware, I have a Netflix membership. It's one of the great choices that I have made, seeing as I am a major movie buff. I love to watch them, review them, talk about them, and be entertained by them. However, I've never been much into classic movies. I think it has something to do with the audio. The audio just never seems quite right -- it just appears to make the actors very rigid and boring. It's a factor that has kept me from renting and/or enjoying many of the classic movies that make up American cinema. That's not to say that I don't love the stories or don't appreciate the actors of the bygone eras, however the rigidity and audio quality is a major barrier to getting my attention and keeping me involved in the movie. That being said, I'd like to tackle some of the messages from The Manchurian Candidate, however, I just want you to remember that my impressions may not be wholly accurate.

The Manchurian Candidate (wikipedia) is a disturbing story about Raymond Shaw (played by Laurence Harvey), a military man captured during the Korean War. He is captured and brainwashed to be an assassin sleeper agent for the communist party. His trigger is the queen of diamonds playing card, after which he can be given assignments to carry out. The original 1962 film was directed by John Frankenheimer and opened to critical acclaim. In fact, it's one of few movies to have received a 98% rating on RottenTomatoes. The man who unravels the mystery and eventually saves the day is Bennett Marco (played by Frank Sinatra). You see, Raymond's mother is behind much of the conspiracy, and is attempting to place her husband into the presidency (he is the manchurian candidate). The hopes of the communist regime is that he will be a puppet to their wishes and they will control the US presidency. However, Raymond's mother (a creepy part played by Angela Lansbury, who looks EXACTLY the same) plans revenge after the presidency has been obtained because they used her son as the assassin. Anyway, as convoluted as the plot may seem, this plays out in utter perfection under his direction. Now, let me make one qualifying statement: this is a LONG movie. It could have used some editing during some of the slower sections. It is deliberately paced, and can drag at certain parts. For example, as Captain Marco discovers the secret behind the trigger, this is played out in a scene that occupies far more screen time than it truly needs. Therefore, to truly enjoy the picture, one should go in aware that the film will move forward, however, it will drag at many moments.

Now, this is considered a masterpiece of American cinema, and I completely understand why. The implications of what this says about our society and our strengths have never been more true today. Our fight may no longer be against communists, but we have new enemies. And the scary part is that this is an effective and scary method for them to gain access to our political system. As the Manchurian Candidate, Raymond's step father does not know that he is being controlled and propelled into the presidency. This is certainly not his goal, but much more placed upon him by his controlling and manipulative wife. While the parallels my not be so direct, it is quite a timely commentary on our current political machine. Often, we grabbed people and thrust them into the spotlight and the presidency perhaps before they are ready. They aren't necessarily evil people, nor even aware that they have been thrust in such a manner, however, our system is providing for them to become candidates for the US presidency and inviting them to promise things that may be far out control of the presidency. This is a strange thing that has not been popularized only recently. In fact, many presidential candidates make sweeping promises and fail to deliver on 90% of them during their actual presidency, when they discover that many of their promises were out of the reach of the presidency.

It's not that I don't believe in the reach of "change", however, I do believe that their are limits. And I think it's important to realize that change requires concrete plans, not aloof promises. While we all may be searching for that, it's something that must be obtained with plans, not merely wishes.

But I digress. The Manchurian Candidate is disturbing on another level based on the motivations of the mother. Someone who is willing to allow her son to be brainwashed and murder people for her own political aspirations is scary. Some will do anything to reach that pinnacle of power; it's important to be aware of the internal motivations and the reasons behind the search for power. When we can realize why someone aspires to such a position, we can truly find someone who is worthy to receive such power.

Anyway, if you want an intense thriller, I invite you to see the 1962 version of The Manchurian Candidate. It's slow, deliberate, and brutally honest.

Let's be careful.

P.S. I have the best fiancee ever. She's beautiful, smart, alluring, wonderful, and motivated. And she's great! :)

Commentary follows.

The Week Long Wrap Up

This has been an entertaining week. I've gotten a lot done in the last seven days, and learned even more about random things. First of all, attending my first week of classes is always an enlightening experience. Finding out that I will be working with XLMiner (data mining and business intelligence software), Windows PowerShell (powerful scripting software for the Windows environment) and even Quicken Deluxe 2008 is exciting for me. Discussions on personal finance (personalfinance.byu.edu), change management in organizations and enterprise infrastructure creation and management were insightful and engaging. It's interesting the types of things that interest me. Most people I know would fall asleep quickly if they were subjected to such abject "torture" as this. However, I find myself intrigued -- quite a relief when I think that this is what I have selected as my future career.

My wife-to-be's birthday was on Monday. We had an exciting day of laying around, watching Just Married (an entertaining honeymoon movie) and many episodes of Friends on DVD (she LOVES it). We ate chocolate cake from Costco, proscuito, swiss cheese, and sourdough bread. It was a fun day, and one that was desperately needed by both of us. A little relaxation before the start of school is always a good benefit. It also allowed us to experience an entire day just being with each other and we loved it! That makes the wedding even more thrilling for me as we come closer to November 8. She's an amazing woman, and I feel more and more lucky every day to truly be able to call her mine. That's the thrill of a lifetime. And yes, I'm 24 (25 on the 12th), but I've never been more sure of anything in my life. It's great!

I came back to work at the lab this week. It's been entertaining. It's very crazy though. I went from making REAL money at Ernst & Young during the summer to my pittance that I receive for working at the lab. Granted, it's an easy job that allows me the freedom to do my homework and add to my blog here on the internet, however, it would still be nice to make more money and prepare to be better suited to support my future wife. It's all good still -- I'll be making real money soon. January and I get to be back in California and working at a real job and putting actual money in my bank account!

Next week is exciting. Check it:

• Tuesday, September 9th: Apple has a new product announcement at an event called "Let's Rock". Check it out here: Engadget Blog
• Friday, September 12th: I turn 25, officially. That's a crazy day.

Ok, so only two things may not qualify it as the most exciting of weeks, but I'm certainly looking forward to it.

I love technology. I just had to say that.

I can't wait for some more fun next week!

The Complications of American Politics

Recently, I've taken a turn of interest in American politics. That would seem to make sense, seeing as this is an election year, and the election has never been more in the media and on the minds of the American people. However, my interest has developed for a reason separate from the actual candidates. My interest has been piqued more by the reaction of the American public to the candidates running this year. Allow me to elaborate.

Barack Obama is the democratic choice for president. I have no problem with him in a general sense of the word. I do find some of his claims interesting (wanting to downsize the government, but increasing taxes and providing for universal health care would seem to be at odds with this, among other things) but it is not this I would like to focus on. It is more that he is being praised so greatly in all media publications. He is looked at almost like a Savior, someone who will bring us back from the brink and save us all. It is a well known fact that a president only has so much power to influence the economy and political opinion during his first term. Normally, the effects of a presidency aren't seen for around 4 - 8 years. Some could argue then that the economic results we are currently experiencing are a result of President Clinton's decisions while in office. However, this is not the argument I wish to make.

Obama, while a worthwhile candidate for the presidency, is not a "savior" of the American people. He is a good man, and will probably be a worthwhile president -- however, he is not without his faults. Much has already been said about his mysteriously absent flag pin, the flags in his campaign office, the pastor to which he listens. I'm not about to talk about these subjects, as they have been covered. However, it would seem in the media that Obama can do no wrong and that McCain can do no right. Obama is praised for his VP; McCain is made fun of. Lack of experience of the McCain's VP candidate? What about lack of experience of Obama?

Obama's speech was watched by more people than the Olympics. Why is there such an intense interest in this? The American people have been truly polarized by George W. Bush, however, does this mean that Obama will be THAT much better as a president? Let me say: the economic prosperity of the US is much more influenced by the secretary of the treasury than by the president. In the same breath, bring back Greenspan! But that's for another day.

I agree that Obama is a good man. But he's not the only hope for the American people. I think that we need to be careful in our lauding of everything that he does. I encourage people to analyze the issues and make sense of them. Don't vote for Obama just because you don't want another republican. Let's not forget that not every republican agrees with everything that Bush has done while in office. While there are certainly polarizing issues, Obama is not perfect either. It would seem that he can do no wrong, but I would contend that both candidates are human beings and are perfectly capable of making mistakes. Please, don't get caught up in the hype, and remember to evaluate the issues individually to determine what is best for you.

In the same breath, I want to state that I have not yet decided who will receive my vote. I am just disturbed that it seems that Obama can do no wrong.

You know where the comments go.

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

And better than ever!

I'm engaged, starting my last semester, applying for graduation, not super poor, and ready for everything that life can throw. It's going to be a fun one.

Just as an update:

• November 8, 2008 -- My wedding day, in Oakland, CA
• August 17, 2008 -- The day I proposed to Lindsay
• August 17, 2008 -- The day Lindsay said yes :)
• September 2, 2008 -- My last semester starts
• September 12, 2008 -- I'll be 25
• December 19, 2008 -- I have my Master's degree
• December 27, 2008 - January 3, 2009 -- My official honeymoon
• January 5, 2009 -- Official start date at EY

Any questions?

More soon.