DygiScape

It Feels Good To Be Home (Again)

My intermission of blogging has ceased. I feel at this point I am finally “home,” back in Arizona, with my new employer. (Before I fully disclose my employment status here, I think it’s a good idea to run it by the bosses to let them know before they Google me and find out that way.) It was a fun, long and enjoyable three weeks of packing and traveling across the country to re-establish myself.

It was somewhat frustrating though because as I left, the weather where I lived became livable at 60F. Only those who live in NoVA would understand, that 9/12 months of the year it’s cold, overcast and it’s disappointing to be homebound for all that time. In addition to the fortunate weather pattern, there were many headlines that broke that I would’ve loved to dish my two cents on. Well, I digress from that, and will opine on the following headlines that I recall:

• Hillary Clinton Allegedly Releasing Adverse Photos of Barack Obama — Alright, I know it’s politics, but I find it incredibly disappointing that another opponent in the same political party would release photos of someone who was in a cultural ceremony, wearing a Turbin, completely playing on the fear of Muslims in America, further, denying all knowledge of it.
• Use of Barack ‘Hussein’ Obama by the Tennessee RNC — In a campaign speech (dare I even call it that), Bill Cunningham, said numerous disparaging statements with exaggerated Armageddon-like references against Barack Obama. McCain rightfully responded that he disapproved of those statements and intends to conduct his interactions with other candidates with respect. It’s disappointing to see that all it takes to attack someone in this day is to use their middle name.
• Gas Prices Expected to Soar Above $4.00/Gal. — While not surprising, it’s interesting to see that despite the upcoming (or present) recession, Gasoline continues to increase while Exxon rejoiced in their highest 4th quarter earnings, record breaking at that. What about that whole “blood for oil” thing that people were talking about? In any case, I live two miles from work, so I won’t be truly affected, but I do feel for those who have to sit on the 495 or commute in excess of five miles daily.
• Barack’s Pastor’s Remarks, Racially Motivated — While I do question Obama’s mechanics on how he plans on resolving healthcare, social security and the economy, I do not doubt his views. Since when is it appropriate to bring someone’s pastor into the media and chastise a politician on someone else’s remarks? I agree the Pastor made some rather radical statements, but I do not believe those are necessarily anything that falls into Obama’s agenda. So far, all three attacks on Obama all based on fear, insecurity and race — are we still stuck in the 60’s?
• Hillary’s ‘Who do you want to answer the call at 3am’ Propaganda — I usually try to cut Hillary some slack, but her TV commercial crosses the line. She has no right to claim “fear-mongering” from the right, when her own ad insinuates another terrorist attack at 3am, and she somehow believes she is in a better position to answer the phone. Sorry, Hillary, McCain is probably a little better equipped to handle a Military situation than you.

I don’t claim to be a political pundit by any means, nor do I believe I have all the answers, but I just want someone to shrink the size of government. This will accomplish two things: force people to become independent thinkers, lower taxes and once again restore the very qualities that makes America the best, freedom. I’m tired of empty promises, facist propaganda and corporate interests in DC! As I ponder this deeper, expect a future entry dissecting the very values of the two political parties, since that too is on my mind.

Another topic that I’ve had some time to think about — Photo Traffic Enforcement. For those who may not know, Phoenix was one of the first cities to deploy technology that combated Red Light Running (since, they’re #1). That technology eventually matured to include speed enforcement. I think it’s a great idea to make intersections safer and a good way to exploit technology to allow human resources (police) to handle higher priority matters. On the contrary, I disagree with speed enforcement, since speeding is subjective since it varies with the conditions of the road. My five priors are evident of this belief, but I must say the enhanced Radar speed limit signs that blink when you exceed 5MPH are keeping me off the gas pedal. Also, I am less likely to accelerate to beat the yellow mainly since if I get tagged, I will get two tickets in the mail and I wouldn’t exactly want that.

My new apartment is very spacious, good views, good neighborhood (sans theft) and I’m loving my Cox Cable package. The results speak for themselves:

I feel I got out what was on my mind for a while. My apologies for the lack of any pictures. Most of my driving took place at night, and there really wasn’t anything that interesting on the way. When I eventually get my pictures off my camera I’ll post them.

~Joe

So Far, So Good

Earlier last week, I informed you that I’d be moving to Arizona. I just wanted to share an update as to things and apologize for the lack of blog entries.

The ride over here wasn’t so bad, I did go through a few rain storms and one patch of snow in Texas at the time. Texas took forever, but eventually I got out of it. Later, we made it to El Paso and instead of resting at a hotel like any sane person would, I continued driving all the way to Tucson, all powered on Rockstar energy drinks.

My sister has some pictures, but the problem is there really wasn’t any interesting pictures, since most of my driving occurred during the night.

Aside from that, all I need to do today is sign my lease, get utilities in my name, and unload all the stuff from my moving truck. I’ll get some help from a few friends whose payment is in the form of pizza or a fine sampling of alcohols.

For the remaining fragment of visitors here who do drop by frequently, thanks for your patience. My stats have shown there’s a number of folks who still checked the blog out despite having stale content. In the meantime until my next blog entry, share some suggestions or topics that you’d like me to pursue. I appreciate it.

~Joe

I Did It For The Lulz

Well, not exactly. I’ll be trekking 2300 miles back to Arizona to join my new employer as well as being generally closer to my family. I’m excited, but very occupied in packing all my possessions. As a side effect, you’ll probably notice some reduced activity here, but I’ll try to give some updates or post some interesting photos.

Some notes on the title:

• “Did it for the –” refers to a famous line sung by Fred Durst in Limp Bizkit’s “Nookie” song.
• Lulz refers to a variance from the plural form of (LOL –>LOLs) as “Lolz” to now, “Lulz.”
• Not really doing it for the lulz.

Things to Do

Now that I have completed my last day at AOL, I was thinking of things to do. In the interest of full disclosure, here goes:

• Relax. Anyone who has worked with me for any amount of time knows that I invested a lot of my personal life into work life; and have made sacrifices along the way. Having worked a little over three years for the company, I need to relax and explore my other hobbies.
• Get my Amateur Radio License. I’ve always been interested in amateur radio and now that I picked up a nice transceiver, it’s expected that I know how to properly communicate. I intend on using my knowledge and licensing to become an emergency radio operator. Oh, and I like those snazzy license plates with their FCC call-sign, too.
• Volunteer. Probably one of the things I was meaning to do for a while while I was working at AOL, but I never got a chance to do. I want to share my expertise and skills and help teach some safety and security fundamentals to folks who need to learn it.
• Catch Up in Car Maintenance. I’ve been bad, I haven’t done my timing chain, water pump or motor mounts yet. I also need to do transmission flush and inspect my brakes. I imagine with my newfound time, I can put it to constructive use. I’ve also got two front speakers to install since mine blew out a while ago.
• Blog More. I intend to blog more frequently providing my visitors (old and new) great value from my blog. So, if you have any suggestions on things that you might be interested in, drop me a comment or an e-mail.
• Visit my other Online Communities. Some of my “fanclub” knows me from the Computing message boards on AOL. I’ll see if I can spot some time to helping folks out again. I also was found on Extreme Overclocking a lot, too, so as I build my next rig, I shall be there quite a bit.
• Upload and Organize My Photos. Organizing my photos is always a challenge. I have different categories, tags and descriptions for photos and also the retouching to make them stand out often takes time and some planning so I’m not caught re-organizing the reorganized. Yes, I know that’s redundant. Flickr, here I come!
• Visit the Spy and the NRA museums. Two places I wanted to visit, but I just never found the time. I’m intrigued by national espionage and I also have a passion for firearms. Expect a lot of pictures when this happens.
• Redesign my Web site. Personally, I’m probably the most dynamic person when it comes to Web site aesthetics. What I like one week, I’ll likely toss out the next. I intend to clean it up, add a few little things here and there and make it look good. I can probably spend more than an afternoon tweaking the CSS so it looks just right.
• Exercise. Earlier last year, I attempted to try a high-protein diet and work out. It was good for about a month, but it just wasn’t sustainable. My long work hours often handicapped my ability to make it to the local gym to work out. With more free time, I plan to go more often and become a little healthier.
• Read. AOL was really good about keeping their folks keen to industry related news and topics. They would often host conferences where a guest speaker comes in, shares their presentation and give their book to employees. I have several books I acquired that I can actually read, not just skim through in between projects. Additionally, a friend gave me a gift certificate that was good for Barnes & Noble, so I picked up a few books, too.

That should cover most things, among landing another gig doing what I like to do in Social Media. I’ll try to keep myself busy and productive. I should have Instant Messaging available, so feel free to IM me on AIM at JVManna. Thanks again to everyone who supported me. If you’d like you can subscribe to my blog and you will be e-mailed when I post new entries automatically.

~Joe

Last Blog Entry for Work

I’ve finally posted my last blog entry on my employer’s blog. I’ll be leaving the company tomorrow. I just wanted to thank everyone that supported (and challenged) me along the way. I look forward to carving a new path for myself.

This decision was one made outside of my control, and I will truly miss my time at AOL. That is, all the customers, the workers and the technology.

Thanks,
Joe

Weekly Roundup IV

Ah, yes, time to take a slice of my life and post it on my blog. I know it’s been some time since I posted my roundups, but I figure now I can get into the swing of things. (Word to the technical — move on, this is one of those “personal” blog entries.)

Relationships
Rockin’ it single. I’ve been preening my online profiles and keeping them updated while seeking out that perfect someone. There was this one interesting gal, but she’s moving to Italy. I’m not sure if that would even work out. Other than that, I haven’t been doing too much in this arena because I appreciate solitude, sometimes. It’s not a huge priority for me, now.

Finances
I’m on the verge of ending my relationship to Bank of America. They should be all paid off shortly. Next objective is CapitalOne. Other than that, my savings are tapped out since my last trip to NJ. It’s alright, I’ll continue saving. I’d like to save more, but in this time, it’s even more challenging. My lease has finished and I’m not sure if I want to renew it, and because of this I pay $400 more than I normally would expect to pay monthly. I found some other apartments in Ashburn (right near me) for $300 less than what I pay normally. If/when I move, I shall have those in my sights.

Car
My car has been running well, all things considered. I changed its oil before I went to NJ. It misfires at certain speeds (60 - 75), but runs great at 95. I suspect the valves since I haven’t ever serviced those. I’ve already replaced it with new spark plug wires and plugs. The car recently turned 100,000 miles, and is almost 101K. I’m anticipating some maintenance needs to take place soon if I plan on using my car for a while. That is, the timing chain, water pump, motor mounts, transmission mount, transmission flush, radiator and radiator flush.

Other
Aside from that, I’ve been watching Family Guy. I love that show! The way it took the best subtleties from The Simpsons and magnified them (so they aren’t subtle any longer), making it the best darn show since South Park. I’ve lost interest in South Park. Could be because I’m not in middle or high school; could be the humor is too lame for me any more.

Oh, so regarding my Sprint debacle. After several calls and attempts to fix my account with them, I just sat down, wrote a letter citing my frustrations with a few reasonable demands to their corporate offices. As expected, I was contacted by their executive escalations team — three months later — and we negotiated out how they were going to close my non-working cellular plan. At first the woman offered 50% off my termination fee, I argued that the service was notreliable and all I’m asking for is to waive the fee, not any money back. She finally conceded and waive my fees. Since when does an executive escalations department “negotiates” with people in a sales-like atmosphere, especially with veiled threats of going to the State AG/BBB/FTC with regulatory complaints? This was surprising, but I know how to hold my own on the phone so all in all it was a win-win. Shut me off and shut me up. If you’d like to know the Sprint executive offices number and contact, e-mail me and I’ll let you know.

That was all that has clouded my mind. Catch ya later!

Happy New Year 2008

If it wasn’t for the chills and the sore throat I have, I’d be having a great time this evening. Well, it’s alright, I’ll be watching the ball drop on TV.  I still remember the great times I had in Times Square last year.

~Joe

Happy Holidays 2007

Happy Holidays. I’m visiting my relatives in New Jersey. So far, it has been quite pleasant. The drive wasn’t that bad and spent a less than an hour on the Turnpike.

My grandfather came by. He’s doing well. He’s probably the most active one in the family. Always something to do, a hike to go on or a place to visit.  While I don’t always see eye to eye with him politically, he is a great guy all around.

My uncle has been doing well at his firm, and has been enjoying his time off, like me. He also has quite a bit of work to do. My aunt has been doing well herself, too. Their house has a few rooms repainted and looks awesome.

My cousins … well are my cousins. They are like brothers and sisters to me. My cousin is in school and should have his AS in computer science next semester, and my other cousin should be graduating in a couple years from high school. She’s a part of the true MySpace generation, and it’s interesting to watch her text her friends all the time during family gatherings.

I’m kinda tired, so I will write later. For now, take care and have a beer on me.Merry Christmas and happy holidays. 

~ Joe

My Sister Graduated University of Arizona!

Congrats, Melissa!

She graduated with a BA in Computer Science and Psychology (I think). Her endless excuses for not hanging out with our social circle due to hours of studying and “homework” reaches its end.

Now its time to reflect, look back, forward and enjoy some seafood. Pictures to come later.

Empty Cubicles

You might already know that a large restructuring took effect today at my employer. It’s always a shame to see talent, skill, and centuries of experience leave their empty cubicle with one to four boxes of their belongings.

I wasn’t in this round (which makes 0-3 for me). But plenty of colleagues that I worked with were. It was sad to see them already packing their desks in a form of box. Many expected it, thanks to the rumor-mill tech gossip blogs, but some were still surprised.

I really wish you were here still with us. Stand strong and keep your head up. There’s plenty of opportunity that awaits you in the D.C. area. In your pursuit for a new paycheck, check out EMurse. You might like it — very Web 2.0, free, and helpful for formatting your resume on the fly.

Lastly, if you read this — keep in touch. Bother me with random IMs when you’re bored, I’ll chat.