Category Archives: Ideas (blog)

bug babble.

The Big Day

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I took my first class at Penn State on April 29, 2002. I took my last class August 27, 2005. I received my diploma back in September or October of ’05. Last Sunday, I went to a brunch where I was honored with a certificate of academic achievement for getting a 4.0 GPA. And all of that pales in comparsion to how nervous I feel today, when I finally commence at a ceremony at 7:00 tonight.

Realistically? I don’t even have to go. I already have the diploma. I’ve already been honored for my achievements. It’s just pomp and circumstance. My sister talked me into doing it, because she likes pomp and circumstance.

But there is something to be said for real closure – the feeling that this is done, it can be put away now, and there are other things to do. And after today I can say without any doubt that I am a Master of Software Engineering, which has a pretty hefty ring to it.

That’s kind of cool.

Time to sink or graduate

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Picked this one up off of Fark, about students who can’t graduate until they prove they can swim 4 lengths of the pool, and I have to say I’m amazed.

Granted, I was raised by a man who spent four years in the Coast Guard, and who quickly taught me that learning to swim was critical to safety.

Despite a plethora of lessons when I was a kid, I also didn’t learn to swim myself until I was about 8 and my parents put a pool in the back yard. (Motivator!) I didn’t learn how to dive until I was about 13 and I’m not sure I could swim properly for four lengths myself.

But there are so many situations where knowing how to swim is critical here in the States. Too many pools, ponds, oceans, boats, etc.

If you don’t know how to swim, I urge you to learn how — especially if you plan to have kids of your own — you don’t want to be the helpless person standing on the shore while someone you love is in trouble.

And I applaud MIT and other universities for maintaining this graduation requirement.

See, this is how things get out of control.

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So I have a new teeshirt idea, and it’s about 2/3 of the way finished. But I don’t like any of the fonts that I have with the teeshirt. So instead of settling on any of those fonts, I go font hunting.

Two hours later, I still haven’t found a font I like that can be used for commercial purposes. So I decide I want to make a font.

But just finding the right software to do that has been a trick, and now I’m downloading a demo for software that I don’t know how to use, which has already said it’s going to mark up some of the characters because it’s a demo. Whee!

I should be drawing comics right now. arrgh.