Monthly Archive for May, 2008

Summer; The Web Takes a Back Seat

I like the summer for a lot of reasons. I don’t like the humidity now that it’s hot, but I like not having to worry about classes or programming assignments. In return I do have to worry about an internship at ORNL and finishing up a left over web project from my work at school (converting ionFolio from tables/images to XHTML/CSS). I also have a duty to figure out databases and some easier way to program for them (plain PHP is tedious). I’m thinking about learning to use either Django or Rails, or as a last resort ASP.net. Once I get my mind made up on that issue, my old roommate’s dad is self employed and needs a database solution for his business that nothing on the market really comes close to having everything he needs.

Most importantly, I like how the expectations for a post on Twitter are exponentially lower than for a post on a full-on blog like here. Twitter is also much more social, and I care more about doing stuff with people in the summer because I have time to. So if you’re looking to find out what I’m doing this summer, I this site will not tell you much. Instead, look to my Twitter page (also seen on the right at the top of my sidebar).

International Travel 101

Today I left the United States for the first time. I’m on a mission trip with The UCSC in Piedras Negras, Mexico, and will be for the next week. Look for twitter updates and pics on Flickr.

The Family of the American Dream and How the 20th Century Lost It

Originally submitted as my final for HIST-2020. Citations have been removed, since they were mostly bull anyway.

"Look the island!" The cry ran throughout the passengers on the deck. "You can see her arm!" Sure enough, on the horizon a gleam had appeared. All eyes watched with anticipation as lady liberty crept into view astride that beacon of promise: Ellis Island. This was where millions had taken their first steps towards achieving the American Dream for themselves, and it held the same promise for everyone on board. Minds raced as stories of the abounding opportunities suddenly seemed believable. People imagined their future jobs and the regular income they could provide or the open country waiting to be settled; and in both cases, the better life that children and grandchildren would be able to share in.

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