Were you expecting something?

Sorry, no update here. I'm just chilling. Playing WoW. Relaxing and enjoying my days before I must return to work. But I did get a nice nav bar working. It only uses CSS and HTML, no Javascript. Going to make plenty of use of CSS in my new site. It's what all the cool kids are doing.

Merry Xmas
Happy Holidays

-Ty

We should now be live

Assuming I did everything properly my blog should be from Blog*Spot now and not Wordpress, and exactly how I want it to be none the less. I feel cheated that I was able to do all of this for free with Blog*Spot but WordPress charged me for it. $25 is $25. That's like 10 carefully planned meals for a college student.

-Ty

Second Weekly Comic Friday

Yay! I actually made it on friday. Based off an actual conversation that I had with Emi.

Important Blog Info

I may be moving my blog back to Blog*Spot. They have all the tools I need, and domain mapping seems to be a lot more free than it is with WordPress. Current mapping is set to expire on 12/22, so if you see it go offline, don't be afraid. I'll try not to let it go offline though. I should have enough time to get all this done. I will also look into being able to customize my color scheme. The way my page is looking right now is not nice with the oranges. I'm well aware and unable to change.

Important Ty Info

The interview at Duco Technologies Inc. went well. I shall send my interviewer a thank you email after writing this post. I think I have a fairly good chance of getting this job. There are several reasons why getting this job would be amazing for me. One is that ITT Tech is right across the street from Duco Technologies Inc. Another is that I would be able to move into an apartment that is across the street from Duco Technologies Inc., and diagonally across said street from ITT Tech. My brother (who got me the interview) will also be moving into that complex, so we can walk to work together (safety in numbers!). Finally, I've been craving a predictable schedule since I graduated from high school. So should I get this job, I would be a happy camper. I will know whether or not I am chosen early next year. And all two of you who read this blog can bet I will post news as soon as I get it.

TB133 Strategies for the Technical Professional + Other News

We have a new permanant instructor for class now. He dislikes how the education system is set up. He said he had a large number of teachers and only remembers 3. I find myself a bit more amiable with the education system, but I realize that for many people it really just doesn't work for them. He's definitely going to try and make sure everyone learns in this class though.

Sadly. I am not learning in this class right now. I'm considering trying to test out of it now. This is what I thought Intro to PC's was going to be. Last week was by far much more interesting, even if it was still trivial. I was not expecting to learn MS word. Not much else to say.

Important Dates

Winter Break Starts : 12/20/10
Winter Break Ends : 1/3/11
Classes Resume : 1/4/11
Pizza Extravaganza : 1/5/11 and 1/6/11 (must get pizza!)
Presidents Day : 2/21/11 (no classes)
Winter Quarter Ends : 3/12/11

Other News

I have an interview tomorrow with Duco Tech Inc. for an entry level Technician Position. According to my brother it involves testing, and building stuff, and keeping detailed records about said stuff. I will learn to solder and be expected to be very organized. I think it would be a really fun position for me, and definitely a great opportunity.

-Ty

TB143 Introduction to Personal Computers

So today we learned about CPU's and Memory. Here's the official class outline today.

Unit 2: CPUs and Memory

Objectives
2: Identify the major components of the motherboard in a PC including the CPU, chipset, memory, and expansion bus, and describe how they coexist.

1. Describe the different types of CPUs found in a PC and explain why one type is preferred over another.
2. Explain how to identify the different types of memory modules and how they interface with the CPU.
3. Explain the relationship between the CPU, memory, and the chipset.

Content Covered

Introduction to Personal Computers
• Unit 2, “CPUs and Memory”

• Today's Lesson
• CPU & Memory Powerpoint presentation
• Today's Labs
• Unit 2 Labs Word document
• Lab unit 2 Upload Assignment
• Today's Homework
• Unit 2 homework Word document
• Homework unit 2 Upload

I am also expected to find out how SSD's handle cache if they do at all. Me personally, because I'm awesome enough to ask a question like that.

Homework:

The following homework is designed to cover the course objectives for this unit.
Assignment 2.1 (Submit week 3)
Use the following tasks to evaluate your understanding of the material covered in Unit 2.

• Draw a timeline showing the history of the Intel CPUs used in PCs.
• You are going to be delivering a short presentation of the benefits of upgrading the department’s computers to quad-core processors. Draw a simple illustration/block diagram that demonstrates multiprocessing. Include multiple applications.
• Draw an illustration of a typical motherboard. Point out the major connection points and components.

We've also got a nifty research assignment where we get to select all the components to build our dream pc. Fortunately for me, my dream pc is in my room so I just need to look up my parts and specs on newegg. Good times. Also made a friend because I'm helpful.

I think I will also start signing off on my posts from now on like this:

-Ty

GE173 - National State and Local Government

So today in class the discussion was about the beginnings of The Constitution, how the Articles of the Confederation sucked as a government. Also the class sidetracked into a lot of discussions on the state of gay marriage in the states, the legal status of marijuana at state and federal levels, and the don't ask don't tell policy in the military. I had read the assigned reading and found everything to be mostly a review.

I think the best part of class though is when Mr. Bencivenga gives his personal thoughts about things. I often find he feels the same way that I do about certain things. The only difference between he and I is that he is much more respectable looking. He speaks so intelligently on so many subjects that I find I admire his wisdom even on things I disagree with him on. I think there's a term for that somewhere on Urban Dictionary.

I've come to a conclusion on what I wish to do for my research assignment. I will take on the question "What place should "creationism" have in the public education system?" The answer is obvious, but it's not as simple as certain people would like us to believe. It's not like creationism just appeared out of no where fully formed in all its inherent beauty. (This line of rhetoric is killing me!)

Homework for class:
go to http://www.prenhall.com/volkomer/
go to chapter 2, chapter overview

• do multiple choice, get 100%
• do true false, get 100%
• four question essay assignment

email everything to instructor
???
profit!

The most important thing

Still all of this class is not the most important thing that happened, the most important thing that has happened - and perhaps made me happy - is that I am homing on a design I would like to use for my website update. Currently it's nice, it's simple, it's what I need, but who uses rectangles these days? Squares, that's who. So I'm employing some overly used, and hopefully non-eye-sore-manifesting web 2.0 concepts. Glossy buttons with lens flares, 3d animation, drop shadow, outer glow, and a bevel. Okay not really all of that stuff, but there is going to be an update to my navigation bar to accommodate my new logo.

Slightly less important is that Emi has a friend who says he can code for me some manner of web comic application. So perhaps I'll make it my new years resolution to get that up and running. Once that is up and running, I won't post any links to it due to the nature of the content I would like to cover. I doubt many potential employers will enjoy seeing what I have in store. It will, however, be located at comic.tynation.com, and it shall be called something more creative/funny than comic.tynation.

New logo

I decided it was necessary to update my logo. I'm pretty sure everyone who has ever looked at it hates it since its so messy. It also doesn't make much sense. The logo was for my name Tyler Cooper, but my website is tynation. Anyway here it is.



I feel this logo is much cleaner and nicer to look at. I probably put about an hour into just editing the letters to get them just perfect. The font I picked was great, but not perfect. the t needed some tweaking and the y needed to be changed. All in all, it was the kind of look I was looking for in this.



I am also updating my favicon as a result, the jaggey t wont cut it anymore, so this nice little "tynat" icon suits me well. I think there's an optical illusion in there too because something looks really bright but it shouldn't be. At any rate I am happy with all of this

What I'm not happy with is the prospect of needing to update my entire website to suit my changing persona.

First Weekly Comic Friday

From this friday on I shall draw a comic on at least a weekly basis. I've had some great ideas in the past but now seems like a fine time to start making these.

This was the title of a headline on the LVRJ.

TB133 Strategies for the Technical Professional

So tonight the class I am attending is called Strategies for the Technical Professional. We're going to be learning how to use ITT Tech and other resources for our benefit. Mildly useful since I don't know exactly what is available to me at ITT, but do know - for the most part - what the rest of the world has to offer.

The instructor (who was a sub apparently) told us to keep track of people around us, those who miss class, are late, etc. This is something that I was actually doing already. I am on the look out for likable individuals who are in the same major as me. I have some projects that I want to work on, and I know that I will need help on some of them. About these projects I will explain a little bit in a post later, but for the most part they're a secret.

The focus on today's class was team work. My team did alright. We got bonus points and that's all I cared for. I also made the whole class laugh for a good 10-15 seconds. Good times. I'm much better surviving out at sea than I am surviving in Canada.

This is unrelated, but the other day I noticed the need to update my resume. With my new schooling, finished projects, and new employer, it seemed appropriate to fill in the new information. It ended up looking hilariously squished, but I couldn't find the will to remove anything because it was all terribly relevant to the kind of work I'm looking for. Someone should look it over for me.

TB143 Introduction to Personal Computers

So on Tuesday nights I will be attending Introduction to Personal Computers. As it would indicate, it's an introduction course to PC's. Right now we're going over the history of computers and PC's. A lot of this stuff I am familiar with. The instructor says we shall tear apart one of these computers at one point and I'm tempted to show him the post of my own pc in construction.

I actually tried to test out but got either a 60 or 70% which wasn't enough to pass. Which is okay because it seems like we shall be learning a few networking and security things that I know not of. Not that I know nothing of security, so don't hax my box plz.

Note to self: Do not defy the teacher by taking more parts out of the pc than instructed to.

Important stuff for me:

http://10.90.110.36/fresh/login - only accessible at school

School and New Job Commence

So today I officially started working for InfoTV and attending ITT Tech. I'm thinking of doing a weekly update if any for my work with InfoTV and updates after every class in order to get into the swing of keeping an updated blog.

InfoTV

Nothing too amazing here. I'm just working on a pamphlet for a service that they wish to offer. I don't want to reveal too much, but I will say that I am enjoying the time spent drawing people using vector art.

GE 173
National, State, and Local Governments

I now will be attending this class on Monday nights. It's taught by Mr. Robert Bencivenga, of whom my first impressions are that he is a really cool guy and good teacher. Today he spoke mostly of the basics of our federal government and how The Constitution is a collection of other ideas from other philosophers in Europe. Which shouldn't be really too shocking, all of the best ideas are formed in a combination of several good ones, and are rarely ever original. The topic was often derailed by the truth train, but that's unimportant.

We were given a page of 51 topics for a research assignment we are to do. I narrowed my choices down to three topics I am well versed in.

Where and how, if at all, should sex education be conducted?

Should mandatory (or voluntary) prayer be permitted in public schools?

What place should "creationism" have in the public education system?

I have encouraged my friends to help me choose a topic at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/tynation/posts/172444059442649

Now I am off to do the ridiculously easy homework and read about 21 pages of a book.

Important stuff for me:

http://ge173govt.weebly.com/
http://www.prenhall.com/volkomer/