Divide by Null - undefined

So, now I've been spending more time with my new SUSE Linux. And I have to say, I'm frustrated.

I know how to do what I want... in Windows. I know where everything goes... in Windows. This is Linux. I'm lost.

I still can't get connected to the internet, but if I boot to Windows, the connection is fine. So the connection works, but the settings are incorrect. It actually says it's connected, but my ability to visit websites suggests otherwise. I'm also having trouble accessing localhost to be able to test PHP scripts and such.

Those cover the bulk of my problem. Anything from there just is a branch from that. I'm also a bit too lazy to really get into it and fix it.

So all you Linux people... I'll be going back to my windows for now until I make time to fix all that.

And anyway, I prefer a mouse over a touchpad.

While at school, the subject about one's online identity came up with regards to interviews. Some colleges look up applicants on the internet as a sort of prescreen. Many employers do as well. Some high schools even suspend students based on myspace profiles and a few private schools completely ban the site.

Is this ok? Can employers, school administrators, etc. penalize a worker/student over something they wrote on the internet?

A blogger, Dooce, got fired for writing about her job without consent of the company or coworkers. Another blog, Waiter Rant, is completely about his job, but he keeps just about all identifiable information as secret as possible, as well as having gotten permission to write.

There have also been stories of kids getting suspended because of myspace. These students, however, engaged in these activities outside of school and not directly concerning school (aside from another student in the first story). Thus, should the school intervene? It seems more appropriate, to me, that parents or the police/authorities get involved with those examples of hate crimes and underage drinking. Since it didn't happen on school grounds or involved a school threat, the school, I believe, should not have the authority except to pass on the information.

Then there are also the cases of job interviewers doing a quick google search of the applicant. This seems to be valid. It's a quick background check and can give insight to the person's personality when outside of an interview. Blogs and such are different, in that information goes online and stays there, unlike a conversation between friends in a bar. This might be bad, however, for people who can easily separate their social life from their business life. As technology progresses, some lines lose their definition.

I feel as though I'm digressing. Perhaps it's that it's late. Perhaps I'm tired. Perhaps I'm just forcing myself to write without actually thinking about what I'm typing. In any case. I'll leave this open to see what other people think about this.

So I got a laptop. Then SUSE linux is now installed on it. Woot.

So I've been playing around with it recently. I wanted to get it to be able to run my own personal web server and play around with new programming languages. The problem is... I'm having trouble connecting it to the internet. Ah well. I'll clear it up eventually, I hope.

Java feels really bloated. I've been experimenting with Ruby and Python and I like those quite a bit. I've also been dipping into Common Lisp and... it's different. I also want to try Haskell for a different kind of functional language, but I think I shouldn't overload myself. I should work on one thing at a time.

Back to linux... Windows is user-friendly in that it helps you do stuff, but it makes it difficult to do other things. Linux is user-friendly in that you can do a lot of stuff with it, but you have to have a bit of knowledge on how first.

This distro actually reminds me a lot of Windows. It has it's own style, sure, but it's not too much of a paradigm shift.

It's weird having two keyboards though. As I research stuff on this computer to use on the other, I sometimes find myself typing on the wrong keyboard.

Also, it's a bit of a hassle not having a router. I have to switch the connection from the back of the desktop to the laptop to test out the connection then if it fails (which it has always done, so far), I need to switch again to research online. Hopefully I can get the problem worked out soon. It worked on windows, so I know the connection is there. I just need to get the settings right in the controls.

But anyway, that's the story of my first experience with Linux.

On a separate note, I think I may need to modify the tag system. The tags on the side are growing too long.

So today went as normal... but not really. 6th day of band camp. Third to the last. But what made it most interesting... it started at lunch.

We got our lunch, took a seat and began eating. Halfway through, Sharon proposed a third person contest: everyone must speak in third person. Ryan decided it was a good idea. Others joined in with Ryan and Sharon, for instance, Dillon. It lasted quite a while for everyone. Ryan was doing pretty well, but some people were annoyed with Ryan and co. It was then decided that pronouns and refereneces to oneself by name should be eliminated. Passive voice was used often. Ryan thought it seems as though he was narrating his life, going so far as to say, "Ryan laughs. haha." or "Ryan gets a drink of water."

So dinner came and Sharon, Ryan, and all the others were still at it. On the way to the field, Ryan proposed that he should end the 3rd person contest and start a game in which 1st and 2nd person were switched. You thought it would be more interesting and definitely more challenging. They decided, because plural you is confusing, that we and they would also be switched. They had a lot of fun at lunch. Chris joined in with them. They were angering some people though, for instance, Bree and Malerie. On the other hand, they managed to ensnare other people with them, including Christine and many more. They had fun. You thought it was interesting when they asked "How am I?" or "Do I understand what you're saying? They decided to modify the language a bit." It lasted a long time and they had a lot of fun. They went around to a lot of people who either got it and joined in, got it and was too confused to join it, or didn't get it at all. There was also the group that understood them, but we were too... well something, and we just didn't join in. You thought it was fun at least, and certain phrases become really confusing, such as "Thank me", "You'll see me later", and "You're sorry", among others.

So anyway, that's the grammar nightmare. Pronouns lost, modified, confused, removed, and with that, the subject verb agreement had problems. I should try it some time. You mean, you had fun. Ryan believes that he will do it again soon.

Ryan exits.

What do I think?

So, this is just a quick update about school. I want to go to sleep... soonish... nowish.

First news: I got my AP US score! It's a 4! That means my grades should be an A now. That's good! Yay.

Next: SAT rescore. Apparently there was no change. It said I omitted 8 questions on the math section. I'm thinking that I probably didn't bubble in the free response part. I guess that means I'm retaking it. On that note, I also should sign up for the ACT.

Next: Schedule. I'm sure many of you want to know. If not, humor me. I wasn't able to take one class. So that's one less AP class to bolster my grade, but the replacement, I think, will end up being rather enjoyable.

So here it is!

So basically, I had to drop AP Music Theory to make room for AP Government. That's the gist. I'm too lazy to give the details - conflicting periods and all that. None of my classes were available in 5th period so I requested to see the list, as I did last year, getting my stuck with AP Stats. Ew. Newspaper was the first and seemingly only one that interested me. So, I took it! I'm sure it will be a fun experience, regardless.

So on that note, It's time for bed, just about.