As a computer programming student I am taught to find the most efficient way of writing a program. We a told to write somewhat generic code that could be implemented in many programs as to save time and effort to focus on the other obstacles that could occur. We spend tiresome hours debugging code and figuring out why things are not working the way we mean them too.

So I can’t help but compare what I have learned to other aspects of life. Like who is my programmer, who is the one who programmed all the living things around me. The computer revolution is to create something which is not in our own image but more in the antithesis thereof. We are trying to create something to complete us, we feel imperfect so we try to create that which will do all the work we can’t do ourselves.

Is that what we are, the work that something else can’t do themselves? Are we truly trying to find the question to 42?

sunset
Originally uploaded by countzachula.

As I have been writing this and other blogs of late, I have begun to wonder what blogs would have been like if I would have had the opportunity or inspiration to write in my younger years.

“I went to this punk show where everybody was moshing and stage diving.”

“I met this awsome girl; she has so much in common with me.”

“Dude I went to this killer show last night, they did a twenty minute jam into a thirty minute one. I did this and that and had the best time since the night before.”

“I screwed up now I’m going to jail.”

“We played this gig last night for a thousand kids, having the best time. It was the biggest stage we played at since the night before.”

I think to myself how much my life has slowed down in the past two years as it has almost come to a screeching halt, and I’m just waiting at that red light, waiting for it to turn green again so I can speed off into the sunset. I can feel the light turning green, I feel a change coming and the anticipation is peaking. I know that in a short time something really cool is going to happen I just haven’t quite figured out what.

Well today was my first day of class. It went well; most of it was just the usual first day of class overview. I was slacking a little bit today and wasn’t one of the first people to class so I couldn’t catch myself the usual back row seat. Though I did well for myself, the first class I was a minute of two early for and I found a seat with a clear view of the overhead. I was five minutes late to my Java class so I found myself sitting in the front row, which I never did in high school unless a teacher placed me there. These days it doesn’t matter as most teachers at my school spend more time in the back of the room where their computer is placed.

As I walked in late I saw a familiar face, one of a fellow classmate that I talked to quite a bit last semester. He called me out by name and put me on the spot as he welcomed me to his class. Yes you read that right; my classmate from c++ last semester is now my teacher for Java. I felt good with him as a teacher because he used his Apple Powerbook all last year instead of the windows boxes that clutter the campus. Before I started classes here I was almost fully in the world of Linux, but this program is so Microsoft oriented that I have found myself using windows almost 100% of the time. I don’t think I have used Linux in months.

This semester should be good as it will be more platform independent as there are versions of the software I’ll be using for each operating system.

Well I am all ready to start school again on Monday. I registered and paid for my classes on Thursday. Last night I started searching for all my books online, found all of them in a matter of minutes and saved some serious $$. Turns out that I will be able to access one of my books through my O’Reilly safari subscription, which is cool because the book is entirely online and I will be able to use their search engine to find anything quickly. It will also be nice to cut and paste code snippets into my compiler to debug them and see how they work.

I also figured out that after this semester if I continue at the rate that I am going, I’ll be able to graduate from this program in three more semesters. I might have to go to classes next summer to finish next fall. It could be an accomplishable goal I think. I guess I have to start planning the next step.

So life without cable has led me to seeking out other viewing materials. I like so many people these days am hooked on TV, now I have limited myself to watching podcasts and whatever shows I can download of the internet. Now more of my paycheck is going to itunes but still not as much as I was paying for cable, even if you tie in the netflix subscription.

The main podcasts I have been watching are channel frederator which is full of original cartoons submitted by a variety of artists, all of the national geographic podcast to get my wildlife and nature fix, and the comedy central stand up clips. I have also been building my French with the French podcast and watching the yoga podcast to pick up some moves. On the occasion I watch the Vintage tooncast to see old merry melodies, popeye, superman, and other cartoons of the like.

So as long as I keep finding good podcasts and itunes keeps offering shows like the daily show, battlestar galactica, and lost I’ll never have to get cable again, which is nice because I’m sick of all the commercials.