Ownage
(Update 12:43 9/28) It seems my JavaScript and Netscape Video JavaScript just don’t play well together. In anycase, here’s a link to the Netscape Video story, holding the video. 
I’m interested in why users vote on Netscape stories. Voting will raise the number next to the story, and therefore make it move “higher”, making it visible on the homepage. In addition it will be retained in your voting history on Netscape. Feel free to vote in the poll below.
{democracy:2}
Note: Results are non-scientific.
[tags] Netscape, Voting, Social News, Bookmarking, Poll [/tags]
I rarely, if ever, listen to radio. In Tucson, the conglomerate like elsewhere is ClearChannel, and I happened to hear the new Weird Al tune “White and Nerdy”. It’s a parody of Chamillionaire’s Ridin’ Dirty song. I found it quite funny, and rings home to me. Just in case you want to check it out, I have the lyrics and the links to the video/sound to it so you can hear it.
Lyrics: Wierd Al Yankovic ‘White & Nerdy‘
They see me mowin’
My front lawn
I know they’re all thinking I’m so white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white and nerdy?
Look at me, I’m white and nerdy
I wanna roll with
The gangstas
But so far they all think I’m too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
I’m just too white and nerdy.
Really really white and nerdy.First in my class here at MIT
Got skills, I’m a champion at D&D
MC Escher - that’s my favorite MC
Keep your 40, I’ll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin, to the contrary
You’ll find that they’re quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Steven Hawking’s in my library
My MySpace page is all totally pimped out
Got people beggin’ for my top eight spaces
Yo, I know pi to a thousand places
Ain’t got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I’m a whiz at Minesweeper - I could play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you’re gonna stay amazed
My fingers’ movin’ so fast I’ll set the place ablaze
There’s no killer app I haven’t run
At Pascal, well I’m number one
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain’t got a gat but I got a soldering gun
Happy Days is my favorite theme song
I could sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I’ll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I’m fluent in JavaScript as well as KlingonThey see me roll on
My Segway
I know in my heart they think I’m white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white and nerdy
Look at me, I’m white and nerdy
I’d like to roll with
The gangstas
Although it’s apparent I’m too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
I’m just too white and nerdy
How’d I get so white and nerdyI’ve been browsin’, inspectin’
X-Men comics, you know I collect ‘em
The pens in my pocket, I must protect ‘em
My ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you ROTFLOL
I got a business doing websites
When my friends need some code, who do they call?
I do HTML for ‘em all
Even made a homepage for my dog
Yo, I got myself a fanny pack
They were havin’ a sale down at The Gap
Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap
Pop, pop, hope no one sees me
Gettin’ freaky
I’m nerdy in the extreme
And whiter than sour cream
I was in AV Club and Glee Club and even the Chess Team
Only question I
Ever thought was hard
Was do I like Kirk
Or do I like Picard
Spend every weekend at the Renaissance Fair
Got my name on my underwearThey see me strollin’
They laughin’
And rollin’ their eyes ‘cause I’m so white and nerdy
Just because I’m white and nerdy
Just because I’m white and nerdy
All because I’m white and nerdy
Holy cow, I’m white and nerdy
I wanna bowl with
The gangstas
But, oh well, it’s obvious I’m white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
I’m just too white and nerdy
Look at me, I’m white and nerdy
Downloads:
MP3 - http://f9.putfile.com/videos/24412412355.mp3
Google Video (streaming) - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5850712885114934940&q=White+Nerdy
I reinstalled a copy of Windows on my other computer and like clockwork I remove the junk from the installation. One of the things I like to permanently remove is MSN Messenger. Personally, it’s annoying and serves me no purpose. With this tip you can quickly uninstall MSN Messenger with total success!
How to Uninstall MSN Messenger
Want to reinstall MSN? Never fear, Microsoft definitely has that option. Just navigate to Microsoft’s MSN Live Messenger website and redownload it.
[tags]MSN Messenger, Uninstall, Geeky, Tips, Windows, Microsoft, Software, Bundled Software, Do it Yourself[/tags]
I’d like to share some tips for others on how to properly tag Netscape posts properly. The benefits of tagging is that it benefits everyone for finding their information and related articles easily. I will highlight good examples of Tagging and examples of what not to do.
What is tagging? Tagging is the term used to classify something, such as a story. Tagging is also known as Meta Data, like the extra details. Tagging itself is designed to link related things together with one link. I’ll let Wikipedia help me here:
A tag is a keyword or descriptive term associated with an item as means of classification by means of a folksonomy. Tags are usually chosen informally and personally by the author/creator of the item — i.e. not usually as part of some formally defined classification scheme. Tags are typically used in dynamic, flexible, automatically generated internet taxonomies for online resources such as computer files, web pages, digital images, and internet bookmarks (both in social bookmarking services, and in the current generation of web browsers - see Flock and Mozilla Firefox 2.0x). For this reason, “Tagging” has become associated with the Web 2.0 movement.
Typically, an item will have one or more “tags” associated with it, as part of some classification software or system. The software will provide links to other items that share that keyword tag, or even to specified collections of tags. This allows for multiple “browseable paths” through the items which can quickly and easily be altered by the collection’s administrator, with minimal effort and planning.
Now how do we properly tag?
Tagging involves the classification of items. So topics can include the specifics, then the niche, then the general category. Personally, I like to tag from detailed to general. Tagging should mainly consist of one word, a keyword if you will. It’s like you are writing the index of a book, and you want to think of one word that will be related to this story.
Here’s a good example of what I used to tag a story:
Net simul-attacks expose US security holes
Simulated internet attacks in the US have uncovered gaps in the nation’s cybersecurity defences. In particular, cyber-defenders struggled to understand if simulated hack attacks were isolated or part of a more co-ordinated assault.The four-day cyber-war exercise, conducted in February and the biggest such exercise to date, tested the US government’
Channel: Technology | Tags: Security Vulnerability Government Hacking Simulations
I posted a story that was about government security and simulated hacking attacks. I tagged with general terms like Government, Hacking, Simulations. See how I tagged with fairly general terms. Now if people click one of those tags they will find all stories with the same tags. Nifty, eh?
A poor example of tagging:
Firefox 2.0 Beta 2 unleashed
Mozilla released a second beta version of its upcoming Firefox 2.0 browser on Thursday. The release is targeted at developers and intended to generate more feedback while also incorporating a number of bug fixes contained in the Beta 1 version of the code, released in July.Channel: Technology | Tags: Firefox
I posted a story about the new Firefox 2.0 beta. I had a lack of tags, although accurate with “Firefox”, I could have improved the tagging and list “Mozilla, Web Browsers, Internet” as well. The reason this is not good is because there is not enough tags to classify the story. Sometimes I forget to tag a lot and just submit the story; but overall the more tags, the better. A further example of tagging again, is my Technorati tags down below.
So now that I shared a good and bad example of tagging. I think top contributors should tweak up on their Tagging abilities and offer better tags for stories so we all can read up on related stories. Tagging will increase the relevance of the tags themselves when they are tagged properly.
‘Scape on
[tags]Netscape, Tags, Tagging, Web 2.0, Internet[/tags]
I often have an internal conflict on why should I go to college. My main point is that college teaches theory and not reality, nor does it properly prepare you with the skills necessary to handle it in the real world. I respect those that go to college, however, I just feel it isn’t for me.
College lacks the ability of teaching reality. College is for pretentious folk who want to validate age-old theories on topics. I am very mechanical and learn things by ‘doing’. I went straight to work during and after high school and there is not a day that goes by that I learn more business techniques and tips from my peers or management. I don’t make a LOT of money, but I earn an acceptable amount to be satisfied. When it comes down to it, I dislike the overvalued perspective employers have on college. College is just book work, and a waste of time since you will still be behind the times when it comes to graduation.
Now, why do I want to go to college? I want to go so I have the insight and accountability to prove I know what I know. I would go to college so I have the perfect blend between higher education and real-world business experience. Perhaps, I just have a slanted view of college cause I never really tried it, it might actually be cool and beneficial. I think I’ve always discounted college because I value vocational abilities more than theory.
So what I want to do is hear it from you. What do you think of higher education when it comes to real world benefits? I’m considering going, I even have our college’s course book here.
[tags]College, Education, Higher Education, Business, Benefits, Skills, Money, Goals[/tags]
At times, I will take a moment to reflect on my life, what I’ve accomplished, and what I want to do. In this reflection, I will list off my inspirations and goals. It’s somewhat personal, so unless you want to know more about me, then keep surfing. I’m inspired by forms of power, in their own way. I guess that says psychologically, I feel without, but I’m not.
My friend Seth P. inspires me to work hard for what I get, you know, earn it. He has worked hard for where he’s at and always puts his best effort in his work and life. He may be a bit older than me, however, that goes without saying he is still a kid at heart.
My friend Shawn Christopher inspires me to (in a good way) to not just follow the rules on things, re-write the rules. He has insight from a developer’s perspective, and he is a good fellow to talk to. He knows his stuff, and he earned his way to his position, not from politics. I know he has some personal challenges set in front of him now, but he’s a soldier and will conquer them and end out on top. He’s been very cool about teaching Boxely and sharing technical insight on how OCP operates. His command and control on his own life, ownership, is what specifically inspires me.
Jason Calacanis inspires me by his ability to take chances. It shows that even in a megacorporate such as AOL, someone can still hold his own values, take chances, and take charge. His transparency on his blog inspires me to be as forward with my life in my blog. I enjoy his blend of confidence, arrogance, and insight he has on topics. He’s a fellow from NY, much like my parents and if that isn’t thick skinned, I’m not sure what is. He also listens to feedback, even as high up in the corporate food chain as he is, he still is all ears for good and negative feedback. If only other CEO’s or AOL VP’s can be that way.
My sister, Melissa, is my inspiration because she has a strong control of mathematics and education. Personally, I haven’t entered into higher education yet, but whenever I consider it, she backs me up (more on that in a bit). She also is very technological and she knows her stuff and earns her way through life. I know that if I fall in life, she’s there to help give me direction. I guess it is nice having an older sister.
Rachel, former co-worker and friend, is my inspiration because she wouldn’t be a victim of corporate policy and would hold her own values. She is an owner when it comes to life, and she shared those ideals with me. When I went to work, she was the first middle management to actually say “Hi” and talk to me. She cracked me open to find my own values and interests and she was able to help give me more of a sense of control to them. Rachel was my leader at my work. She gave me the tools necessary to succeed in the workplace and all I have to do is use them. She was still inspires me because even if an employer drops you, she brushed the dirt off her shoulders and got back up, and her current employer sees that, and hell I bet by year end she will be a manager there.
My goals I still want to accomplish are pretty straightforward. I need to enroll in school and have accountability on paper of my knowledge. In addition, I need to get my industry certifications (ties in with accountability on paper). I still want to see my family this Christmas and therefore I need to save money. I want to become more integrated in the Tech community, and learn more. I want to get promoted to a better position where I can help more people on a broader scale. I need to find a healthy way to relieve stress. I also would like to have a significant other by my side to help me through things.
That is it for now. Today I am 20, tomorrow I will be 21. Woo hoo!
[tags]Personal, Inspirations, Seth P, Melissa, Shawn Christopher, Jason Calacanis, Rachel M, Alithium, Goals[/tags]
I have a suggestion for Netscape concerning a few observations on their Netscape Anchors and Navigators; which are essentially moderators and paid contributors. In light of reading C.K.’s informational news about how Navigators will have the ability to kill off duplicate articles raises my concern about the quality. In addition, C.K. highlights the new trackers to track Anchor activity/comments.
I want to explain why I have a concern about the quality on Netscape. I’ve seen numerous (hundreds) of articles that have been posted by a regular user, get overruled by a Navigator posting their syndicated article and essentially shutting out the lil’ guy. I won’t name off specific Navigators, but rather the group as a whole needs to seriously focus on quality over quantity. Over 40% of my duplicate post reports are of the Navigators themselves. Now, if I place myself in the visionary’s shoes, paid contributors must post quality, unique, rare articles. I would not waste my time, nor their time to repost stuff someone already did for free. Essentially; my argument is Navigators need not worry about their post count, and focus on the novelty of hot articles that let people become interested. As added clarification, and equality, C.K. has elaborated on this, in the commentary:
“…we’ve discussed the dupe closing policy with the Navs and it is very clear cut. Whichever story came later gets closed. Even if it is a Navigator story. The only exception to this rule is when the linked to story by the original source is a broken link / a site trying to break the middleman rule by quoting heavily and not linking to the original story.
That being said, I should also note that the Navigators are not employees of Netscape, but freelance contractors working on a work for hire basis. Yes, they should be held to a higher level of editorial and moderator quality, but the Anchors are the definitive editorial presence on the site, so if you notice any issues feel free to contact any of the Anchors, myself, or Jason. That’s the feedback methodology for Netscape. We are open to messages. We read them. Contact us with your issues and we will do our best to look into them and resolve them.“
(Note, I didn’t necessarily imply the Navigators worked FOR Netscape, but they are getting paid, therefore supplemented with income from Netscape. I’m doubting Calacanis himself is cutting personal checks for paying them. Hence, if you are earning the Netscape dollar, it should be earned with quality and integrity — which generally a majority of what I see is that the Navigators do earn it.)
Now, how should Netscape rate Navigators/users and collect feedback? Great question. (Aren’t I good at the 2-person dialogue in my mind?) Netscape should institute a Karma system. Karma meaning the overall rating of a user’s comments and contributions to the Netscape Social News website. Karma will carry the same “One user, One Vote” as Calacanis describes, and will merely be utilized for FEEDBACK to Netscape Staffers on their Navigators/users on who is favored, who is causing a ruckus. My suggestion is to institute the Karma system. I made a mock-up of what I am suggesting:
1a. The original, current look of Netscape homepage.
1b. My suggestion with Karma ratings next to the post author, and on the user’s main page.
The benefit of the Karma rankings is to empower the users to give feedback to the user on the posting, and also give feedback to Netscape staffers on the quality of the posts. Anonymous of course, and again only used for feedback and review. In addition, it can also give a chance for people to reward contributors who offer valuable insight (comments) and also story submitters that are authoritative in their view. This lets Navigators and regular contributors be judged equally and on the same plane.
My next suggestion is to segment two forms of Anchor follow-up into two main categories: Actions and Commentary. This will help add validity and closure when Anchors merge similar stories, pinning, and other “actions” to a given story. Also, this yields the opportunity to cleanse the Commentary section for follow-up, interviews, and even their personal opinion. Reading articles quicker, faster, and more efficiently is a benefit for all. I have a mock-up of my suggestion on this:
2a. Original, current story article layout
2b. My suggested, modification in segmenting Netscape Anchor contributions
2c. Now same thing, but with commentary as well. (No change in the commentary format)
So what do you think? I suggest that Netscape does this to better serve their users for quick reading, and also accountability on which stories got merged; why things got pinned, and generally a check and balances system. I think Netscape is great; and I just want to keep it real and have it be a hopping social news portal on the web.
P.S. - I mean no offense to the Navigators that do an excellent job posting stories, keeping Netscape a hot spot on the net. I just want to make it clear that if you post a story; please verify that there are no duplicates. Aside from that, Keep Scapin’!
[tags]Netscape, Calacanis, Social News, Social Bookmarking, Editors, Moderators, Suggestions, Opinions[/tags]
This day marks the terrible day that attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Pennsylvania took place. A lot of questions I see people asking is are we more secure? Well that’s a tough question to answer. There are still exploits in the system, as of course we will never be able be 100% certain about it; but we can atleast be more alert and accepting of security checks.
Anyhow, as a tribute to this day, I will share some links of interest about 9/11:
[tags]September 11th, 9-11, World Trade Center, WTC, 2001, News, Terrorism, National Security, Security, Mourning, Loss, Deaths, New York, NYC[/tags]
