rePost:: Die Trying

click here to see the graphic.:
http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=028de8672d5f9a229f15e9edf&id=9de45e418f&e=d7f0ee7f37

It has always amused me how willing the “Do Nothing” crowd are to join in the pile-on every time they see a member the “Do Something” crowd stumble.
And Everybody stumbles. Nobody’s perfect. Everybody is capable of having a bad week.
“We told you it would never work! We told you he was no good!”
Useless packs of toothless, wannabe wolves. I have no time for them.
Better to die trying, than to be just another loser commentator with an opinion.

Rant.Musings.2010 07 16

Whilst watching before sunset last night for the nth time I realized that if celine’s definition of depressed people is accurate I might be. Ewan, if you don’t know what I’m talking about well you really need to see before sunset now,as in right now. if you are to bored here’s a more boring list to find out what I mean. from imdb here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381681/quotes

Celine: Do I look any different?
[long pause]
Celine: I do?
Jesse: I’d have to see you naked.
Share this quote

Musings 2010 06 11

-Just heard Eminem’s Recovery album (I didn’t Illegally download it , found it in YouTube). Marshal Mather’s is back! The album solidifies his claim as one of the greats with the customary “awesome” comeback album.
-Spent yesterday going 16 hours coding/testing/ and didn’t want to sleep because I know I wouldn’t be able to wake up for the UAT with PRC’s cash division today. Found the Cash Division/PRC people nice.
-Beware of brilliant jerks, if you don’t have the hard shell necessary in dealing with them you’d better just stay away. We all have to learn to still be polite and cordial even in high pressure situations. Be more understanding of the shortcomings of our colleagues. We aren’t all geniuses.
-Went home around 3:30 am, was in a jeepney with 3 dancers, I hate this very sharp sense of overhearing. It seems for non big nights they can go home earlier than usual.
-Pangasinan trip cancelled, turned to a dinner instead. nice pa rin.

Musings 2010 06 24

-Very nice day all in all.
-We have a Lydia’s Lechon branch near the office. We like to eat there for dinner after 8 because they give us extra lechon skin near closing time.
-Woah, I just realized na ang tagal kong hindi kinilig for myself. This has been a very nice day.
-I’m slowly falling into sin. Why is REM’s classic always running through my mind.
-Why can’t I seem to shake of the feeling that the song FEEL was sooo made for me.

Thinking Out Loud 2010 06 04

  • If I have anything against my UP EEE education, it would be that failure was always too costly, this is probably one of the reasons why only the braniacs leave EEE with lot’s of confidence. I feel I’m not alone in feeling initially insecure with my skill and competence. It took about 2 years before I regained my confidence again.

QUOTE:
Today, many critics lament the lack of innovation in our society and draw the conclusion that more emphasis on teaching mathematics and science will lead to innovation. That will probably fail. Innovation comes from repeated successes in innovating. Innovation means trying ideas outside the accepted patterns. It means providing the opportunity to fail as a learning experience rather than as an embarrassment. … the traditional school powerfully suppresses any tendency toward being innovative. Both teachers and students are driven to conform.
from this book : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1568814763?ie=UTF8&tag=theende-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1568814763
via: http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2010/06/01/preparing-students-for-innovation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheEndeavour+(The+Endeavour)

  • Shout out to people from my generation. You have a choice.  Life is too short to waste in a job you don’t love.
Now for the hard question: What to do with your life?
First, it’s important to understand that once you have the basics, happiness comes primarily from healthy social connections and a sense of purpose. If you quit your job and move to a new city where you don’t know anyone or have a clear purpose, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up depressed or even suicidal. So unless your current life is very broken, don’t do that. Take it slow.
Many people with jobs have a fantasy about all the amazing things they would do if they didn’t need to work. In reality, if they had the drive and commitment to do actually do those things, they wouldn’t let a job get in the way. Unfortunately, if given a lot of money, they are much more likely to end up addicted to crack, or even worse, World of Warcraft(edit, since people are getting offended: there are, as always, exceptions, but the point is that actually doing stuff is about a million times harder than just dreaming about it, which is why 99% of people wouldn’t actually do it even if money weren’t an issue) If you’ve been institutionalized your entire life (school, work, etc), it can be very difficult to adjust to life on “the outside”.
  • Education part 2.  I’ve always felt that grading/test taking was always getting in the way of my learning. Fortunately learning almost always won. In school the non-braniacs study to pass the test and the secondary goal is to learn.  In a way exams hinder learning for non-braniacs like me.

The evidence strongly suggests that students learn better when they are not graded and certainly not when they are graded on a curve.  … When drill instructors were tricked into believing that certain randomly selected soldiers would achieve superior performance, those soldiers subsequently performacned far better on tasks like firing weapons and reading maps.  (p.38)
from here : http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/03/hard-facts-teaching.html

Thinking Out Loud 2010 06 03 2217H

  • Was filling up OT form had 71 hours of overtime last month excluding those less than 2 hours.
  • Enjoyed last Saturday’s wanderings with jayson and vince. Hope I can climb Mt Makiling (as far as I can) sometime soon.
  • Enjoyed the Thai resto jayson took us near the entrance of UPLB’s campus.
  • The Calamba/Laguna area need wider highways. The heavy traffic was irritating.
  • Words/phrase for the day would have to be “Living at the edge of competence”. A phrase I take to heart. I’m currently in this position right now. Doing things I’ve never done before, having to force your tools to lots of hoops to accomodate what you have to do. If you had asked me even 2 months ago (this is my third month in my new job) why I had left my previous job I wouldn’t be able to explain it. I’d just have to make you understand through verbal acrobatics. I realize now that I wanted to live in the edge of my competence, this is the only way I can grow as fast as I want, and the ups and downs of learning/implementing/programming is so acute and depressing and exhilarating I haven’t felt this psyched in working.
  • I’m alone in the office while typing this, the only reason I am able to is because I needed a break after grappling with jar dependency hell.
  • I miss my friends. It’s fun seeing people grow, learn and change. What isn’t fun is trying to schedule something, anything. I know you probably know the feeling. Even trying to meet with 2 friends and it’s a given that one of you is going to have to adjust to the schedules of the other two.
  • Part of me wants to make posts on some rudimentary stuff that made my past few days hellish, but it always seems to be a battle between standing still or moving forward.

rePost :: :: Op-Ed Columnist – Winning the Worm War – NYTimes.com

In recent decades, the world has learned that fighting poverty is harder than it looks. But the Guinea worm campaign underscores that a determined effort, with local people playing a central role, can overcome a scourge that has plagued humanity for thousands of years.
My favorite moment came when we were bouncing along with Anyak toward the Carter Center compound. I asked him what he wants to be when he grows up, and he answered with the most prestigious and altruistic position he could imagine: “I’d like to be a Guinea worm volunteer.”
via Op-Ed Columnist – Winning the Worm War – NYTimes.com.

rePost :: Op-Ed Columnist – New Alarm Bells About Chemicals and Cancer – NYTimes.com

I know only smart people read this blog but I think I have to give the context or subtext of this article. I am assuming that  Kristoff highlighted that the two doctors in the 3 doctor panels were both appointees of former president bush to inform the readers of how grave these results/reviews appear to be. The Bush appointees have had a long reputation proven time and time again of an ideological problem with regulation and in general government intervention of any kind. To declare make a report like this is akin to a climate change skeptic (the rational evidence based ones) warning against climate change. Now my problem with this is what the fuck do I drink when I travel?  damn.

Traditionally, we reduce cancer risks through regular doctor visits, self-examinations and screenings such as mammograms. The President’s Cancer Panel suggests other eye-opening steps as well, such as giving preference to organic food, checking radon levels in the home and microwaving food in glass containers rather than plastic.
In particular, the report warns about exposures to chemicals during pregnancy, when risk of damage seems to be greatest. Noting that 300 contaminants have been detected in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies, the study warns that: “to a disturbing extent, babies are born ‘pre-polluted.’ ”
It’s striking that this report emerges not from the fringe but from the mission control of mainstream scientific and medical thinking, the President’s Cancer Panel. Established in 1971, this is a group of three distinguished experts who review America’s cancer program and report directly to the president.
One of the seats is now vacant, but the panel members who joined in this report are Dr. LaSalle Leffall Jr., an oncologist and professor of surgery at Howard University, and Dr. Margaret Kripke, an immunologist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Both were originally appointed to the panel by former President George W. Bush.
“We wanted to let people know that we’re concerned, and that they should be concerned,” Professor Leffall told me.
The report blames weak laws, lax enforcement and fragmented authority, as well as the existing regulatory presumption that chemicals are safe unless strong evidence emerges to the contrary.
“Only a few hundred of the more than 80,000 chemicals in use in the United States have been tested for safety,” the report says. It adds: “Many known or suspected carcinogens are completely unregulated.”
via Op-Ed Columnist – New Alarm Bells About Chemicals and Cancer – NYTimes.com.

Book To Buy :: Amazon.com: Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World (9781591843320): Mark Frauenfelder: Books

Hope Fully Booked has this on the shelves.

“The problem wasn’t how much money we were spending, it was how we were spending our time. Did we really want to raise our kids in an environment of prepackaged diversions, theme-park rides, trips to the mall, freeway traffic, and incessant e-mails?” -from Made by Hand
From his unique vantage point as editor-in-chief of Make magazine, the hub of the newly invigorated do-it-yourself movement, Mark Frauenfelder takes readers on an inspiring and surprising tour of the vibrant world of DIY. The Internet has brought together large communities of people who share ideas, tips, and blueprints for making everything from unmanned aerial vehicles to pedal- powered iPhone chargers to an automatic cat feeder jury-rigged from a VCR.
DIY is a direct reflection of our basic human desire to invent and improve, long suppressed by the availability of cheap, mass-produced products that have drowned us in bland convenience and cultivated our most wasteful habits. Frauenfelder spent a year trying a variety of offbeat projects such as keeping chickens and bees, tricking out his espresso machine, whittling wooden spoons, making guitars out of cigar boxes, and doing citizen science with his daughters in the garage. His whole family found that DIY helped them take control of their lives, offering a path that was simple, direct, and clear. Working with their hands and minds helped them feel more engaged with the world around them.
Frauenfelder also reveals how DIY is changing our culture for the better. He profiles fascinating “alpha makers” leading various DIY movements and grills them for their best tips and insights.
Beginning his journey with hands as smooth as those of a typical geek, Frauenfelder offers a unique perspective on how earning a few calluses can be far more rewarding and satisfying than another trip to the mall.
via Amazon.com: Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World (9781591843320): Mark Frauenfelder: Books.

rePost :: Lightweight lifestyle

Like everyone else, hikers become attached to their possessions. But the successful hiker will quickly give up a cherished possession as soon as he learns of a better way. For example, before this hike Wolf taught us how to make a one-ounce stove from a pineapple can which burned alcohol or solid fuel tablets. This replaced our 15-ounce $59 MSR Whisperlight stove which had served us well for over 4,000 miles of hiking. The cooking times were slower with the new stove, but there was a big gain in simplicity.
This principle is not easy to see in our modern culture, where success is generally viewed as proportional to the value and quantity of one’s possessions. Society percieves the owner of a big house which can hold more possessions as more successful, when in fact he may be held in bondage by high house payments, taxes, utilities, repair costs, and a general lack of freedom. In an ever-increasing need for protection he acquires security lights, burglar alarms, double locks, fences, and moves into a subdivision with a locked gate. He pays large insurance premiums so he can afford to replace everything in case all his protection doesn’t work.
via Lightweight lifestyle.