Exams, Stress, and Javascript

The title alone entails for a great read.

Or so you thought.......


It is that final week of the year that I usually find myself scurrying for all of my notes, library hours, and an enormous pot of pure black coffee. Yes, that's right folks, it's exam time. Fortunately this year is my true, last semester of exams. I will have two next fall, but hey - two are better than a full course load.

On to bigger and better things - my independent study has been approved. This means I get to dabble into the tech world and apply existing technologies to help the student body at large. What? Yes - I will be creating a true web site and application for the students of the new RU School of Communication. If you aren't in the program (or have been under a rock the past year), the Media Studies and Communications departments are merging together to form one school (about time right?).

With this - I will be creating a web site to assist in the process. What are my goals? Glad you asked!

• True web 2.0 application that provides databased content
• Calendar for upcoming events, presentations, and deadlines for applications
• The ability for students to rate their courses online
• RSS Feed capability for instant update notifications

That is just few ideas I've penciled down. I really feel that if all goes well this can be one of the first truly interactive and helpful department web sites Radford University has seen. Students, teachers, faculty and alumni will be the judge of this project's success though.

As for everything else - I'm stressed to the max looking for a full-time job. I have a nice lead though that I think will turn out well. I'm a confident kid with a resume to back it up.

Wish me luck folks

XHTML/CSS provide a better MTV experience

While scoping Simple Bits the other day I saw that the new MTV.com has officially launched. Granted, I was a huge MTV fan growing up. The web experience though, for years, has simply sucked. Engineered predominantly as a Flash based broadband beast, it kept a lot of dialup users from enjoying the experience (i.e. ME).

Fortunately Dan Cederholm and Simple Bits have put the power of XHTML and CSS to use and have really cleaned up MTV.com. No more do I have to wait 5 minutes for anything to load. It's clean, it's simple and it still has that MTV feel. Great job guys!

Plain and simple - web standards the evolution of keeping things simple is finally getting some mainstream attention. What is even more astonishing is that there are a lot of people that don't even realize it.

School nearing year's end

2006-2007 proved to be quite a year for me.

Then again, I'm glad to see it gone. Just one more semester and I'll have my Bachelor's of Science in Media Studies - Web Design. Then - its off to a career.

One wonders how time can pass by so fast. The fact of the matter is, we have no conscience of time when we are having fun.

Thanks to everyone for making this a memorable year. I shall now go slave in the libraries so that I will perform nicely on my exams & finals.

Good luck to you all!

Why I would be an effective web candidate

Typically I never have a problem finding inspiration to write an article. In this installment I will discuss some of my positive points on why I feel employers should look into me for their companies.

Web Design and Development isn't "work"
I think this is very important with the success of hiring efficient and effective employees. Personally, I do not see web design or development as "work" or a "job". Not to say I don't take it seriously, that is not it at all. The fact of the matter is that I can wake up each and everyday and not feel drained from it. I LOVE what I do and that is why I want to make it a career one day.

Knowledge Junkie
This is very important in my industry just because technology and the way society uses it is constantly changing. I adore learning new techniques and methods of implementation. It is nice to keep up to date with new software too because it keeps you one step ahead of the game. I must admit - I am guilty of spending more time in my university's library reading material related to my field rather than what relates to my homework.

Honest About What I Know - And What I Don't
This is a very important trait in anyone, in any field, and in any location. Nothing will drive a person up the wall more is when they find out someone has lied about their abilities. It saves a lot of time, money, and stress when you are just straight forward about something being outside of your abilities.

Challenges are nice
I feel I am at my best when I am challenged. We all are. If you have no challenges laid in front of you then you will only accomplish what you KNOW you can do. Challenges arise, they take us out of our loop and we see exactly what we are made of.