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January 31, 2003
Your Blinker Is On
A funny thing happened today on my way home from school. I was tooling down the freeway, and a guy merged in front of me from the lane to my left. After merging, he left his right blinker on.
I did what I normally do in this situation. Namely, I pulled over a lane, passed him, pulled in front of him, and left my blinker on. The idea here is that he'll go, "Look at that idiot leaving his blinker on", and then realize, "Oh shoot, mine's on too." Well, this guy did not get the hint. I went probably two or three miles in front of the guy with my left blinker on!
The best part of the story is that I finally gave up (I was getting close to my exit) and pulled over two lanes so I could get off. What do I see next, but another guy in front of him trying to get his attention by flashing his hazard lights for a few seconds at a time every minute or so. The guy just would not get the hint! Has this ever been one of those "things that must go" on X96? If it hasn't, it should be.
Posted by Joey at 05:27 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2003
ContentPurity Scam
Want to see something really interesting? Compare my company's website, ContentWatch, to this company's website: ContentPurity. I've configured the links to open in separate windows so you can open them both at the same time.
Someone from our office stumbled across this other site last night. Apparently the guys running "ContentPurity" used to be part of our affiliate program. They've ripped off all of our stuff, right down to the product descriptions! Originally, even their product names were the same as ours, but someone from our office contacted them this morning and since then they've changed a lot of stuff on their site. They've also blocked access to their website from anywhere in our office (as if they think we won't notice them anymore). I don't know how they did that, but now from inside the office we get a "403 Forbidden" Error.
Everything on the ContentWatch website is protected by copyrights and trademarks, and we've gone through the proper legal channels to get that done. It will be interesting to see if the owners of ContentWatch decide to sue.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (4)
January 21, 2003
Unexpected Job Offer
Janene recently received an unexpected job offer. For those who don't know, Janene works in a medical billing office. By April 2003 all medical facilities are required to be compliant with a set of government privacy regulations known as HIPAA. Janene had a doctor appointment last week. While she was there she couldn't help but notice that the clinic was not compliant yet. After the physical, when her doctor asked if she had any questions, she explained to him some of her concerns. She wasn't at all expecting what happened next. The doctor took her down the hall to speak with the clinic administrator!
The administrator listened carefully as Janene explained her background in medical billing, along with the things she had seen in his office and why she was concerned. He expressed that he was also concerned, and needed someone to help him train his staff. He offered Janene a job making four dollars an hour more than her current job. She really only knows the billing side of HIPAA, and would have to do a lot of studying before she can start training people. The administrator seemed to understand this, and has already offered to set up a desk and a computer in the basement of the clinic so she can do her research. He also said he'd like to keep her on as a receptionist after April.
Janene hasn't really decided yet whether she'll take the job. I think her biggest concern is just the stress involved. She's agreed to take a week and study some of the material the clinic has given her just to test the water a bit. After the first week she'll have a little better idea of whether or not she can handle the position.
I want to ask everyone to please pray for Janene. She already feels like God may be working in the situation simply because it was so unexpected, but (from what I understand) the clinic administrator seems to cut corners occasionally in his business practices, so Janene's a little worried about working with him. Please pray that Janene can know what God would have her do, and that she can accept His will and do her best to see it through.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (2)
January 18, 2003
I Have A Dream
Janene and I spent this evening with Mike and Lisa. We had dinner and played a dominoes game called Chicken Feet. Libby is still as cute as ever. Mike and Lisa will be the first to tell you she cries a lot, but the whole time we were there she was (in Mike's words) a peach.
During the dinner conversation the subject briefly touched upon Martin Luther King Day. Mike made the comment that Dr. King's famous speech argued not just for black rights, but for human rights in general. It's so easy to see Martin Luther King Day as just another three day weekend, but I'm starting to think we should really stop and ask ourselves why we celebrate it. In light of this, I've posted Rev. King's speech below. I hope each of us can take a moment to read it and ponder its message sometime during this weekend. May all of us strive to treat those around us—of all colors and nationalities—with the same respect we long for ourselves.
Delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check—a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
— Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 28, 1963
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (1)
January 16, 2003
Libby, Psychology, and Community Band
(Click for a
larger image)
Lisa sent Janene this picture of Libby last night. Look how cute she is! Maybe someday she'll be famous and I'll be able to say I had the first picture of her on my website. :)
The second week of Spring Semester 2003 will be over tomorrow. We've got a three day weekend coming up so I'm kindof excited. My first WebWork assignment was due yesterday and I'm happy to say I was able to complete it fairly easily. Seeing as how it's the first one of the semester I can only guess they'll get harder from here.
My Psychology class will be posting a lot of class material on WebCT, but they haven't been able to get it going for some reason. I guess the University upgraded to a new system and a lot of classes have been affected slightly. It's amazing (and sometimes a little scary) how a university education these days really relies heavily on the Internet. I'd say over two thirds of my classes at the U have had some form of email list, and at least half have had a class webpage where they posted assignments and other handouts. Crazy!
Janene and I went to a rehearsal Monday night for a local city concert band (a friend from church sortof recruited us). The band is made up of older people from all over the community who get together once a week at a local junior high school. They also perform in concert from time to time. They're having a concert in February and I guess they've got a need for percussionists. They seemed like quite a shabby group, but it was obvious to me that they have a lot of fun together. Janene and I were about the youngest ones there, so I felt somewhat out of place. I think I'll keep going to rehearsals and perform with them in February, but I'm not sure what I'll do after that.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2003
It's A Girl!
Janene got a call from her friend Lisa tonight, and we made a trip out to the hospital to see her. Some of you reading the site may guess what is coming next. You see, Lisa was pregnant—emphasis on was. That's right, Mike and Lisa's daughter, Libby, was born on January 9, 2003. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 2 oz., and measured about 19 inches long. She has to be one of the most precious babies I've ever seen. Congratulations Mike and Lisa, and Happy Birthday Libby!
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2003
Ups and Downs
The first week of school is almost over, and I'm not failing yet. Cross your fingers for me, okay? Just kidding :). On Tuesday I used my ThumbDrive to update the site (the About page) from the Multimedia Center on campus. It worked really well. The MMC PCs have Dreamweaver and the USB slots are right on the front of the tower—pretty slick.
Tuesday was another interesting day for ContentWatch. Our Chief Technology Officer resigned. I guess he wasn't happy with some of the restructuring going on and decided to pull out. Understandably, there's a lot of tension and anxiety throughout the office. The President of the company has ensured everyone that ContentWatch has made some neccessary course corrections and is not going out of business any time soon.
I put EmailProtect on my computer at work yesterday. So far it seems like a great product. Today when I opened my inbox it said it had blocked two emails, and sure enough both of them were junk. I'm impressed and very much appreciative of such a great program. I know that ContentWatch has several very viable products right now and will continue to progress toward its goals.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 06, 2003
Welcome to Spring Semester 2003
Today was the first day of Spring Semester 2003. I'm taking Calculus III, General Psychology, World Religions, and Symphonic Band. I don't know yet which of the first three will be the most difficult. My professors appear to be quite knowledgable and able to teach well. I think my World Religions teacher is from the Middle East. He has a noticable accent, but I was able to understand him okay. Psychology might be weird since there are five different professors that will be teaching throughout the semester as the various aspects of Psychology are presented.
What really surprised me is that (with the exception of Calculus, where we will be doing weekly WebWorks assignments) the grades in each class are based entirely off of three or four exams. In fact, in my Psychology class they'll even drop the lowest one out of the four. This could be very good or very bad depending on how I choose to handle myself over the next four months, but I'm hoping that I will do well.
This was probably the first day of school for many of you who read the site, and if not, school has already started or will start soon. I want to wish everyone well this semester. Know that I'm hanging in there with you and praying for you all to do well.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2003
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I've had a very interesting week. On Thursday ContentWatch announced a furlough of 28 employees and pay cuts to a handful of those who stayed. I guess a furlough is just like a layoff but with the slight possibility (and false hope if you ask me) of being called back once the company becomes profitable again. Stu was one of the employees who got furloughed. He writes all about it on his site, here. He sounds like he's doing okay, but I'm worried about him nonetheless.
I can't believe school is starting again on Monday. I already got an email from my General Psychology professor outlining some details of class procedures. It also included instructions for logging into the online system we'll be using for some of the assignments. It's all starting up again so fast.
Janene and I went to lunch today and then visited her Grandmother. Granny's doing much better at the rehabilitation facility and it looks like they'll be sending her home on Monday. She's rooming with a lady who broke her hip. The two of them are getting along very well—cracking jokes and laughing together. It was good to see Granny able to enjoy herself. Once again thanks to all those who've prayed for her and helped her to feel comfortable.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)