I have a big decision I'm trying to make. I'm wondering if I should change my minor from Cyber Security, to Programming. If I do, I should change schools because I think a straight computer science degree would be better than Central Penn's programming minor. A Cyber Security job, I'm afraid, would be too hard to do when I'm married. It involves a LOT of work and knowledge, always staying even or one step ahead of the Hackers. It is almost like an infactuation, you have LOVE it. I enjoy doing it, but nowhere near the amount that I enjoy programming for about four hours straight. This has been a matter a prayer. Just another one of those big decision I'm facing right now. No one said growing up was easy, but everyone else has lived through it, why should I be any different?

G' night.

I finished my paper at 2:30 last night, or rather this morninging. It was about whether or not the internet and new technologies have given us new ethical issues to concider, or if they just allow people to do what they already would have done without computers.
Not much else new to report.

Well, school is done for today. It was a weird day. My teacher started knocking religion today in my Cyber Ethics class, equating Jerry Fauwell to a terrorist in Afganistan. He said that all fundementalists of the same. He then said the religion provides no way making ethical decisions, that if God says to kill someone, religion makes it suddenly ethical. I had to deal with this last semester, but not nearly so bad as this. This guy has been my favorite teacher. He is also my Advisor. He is very easy going and friendly, but his comments today made me a little upset.
I have a four page paper due friday (working on it tonight, update this is just an excuse to put it off longer) in that class, and I hope to show how I stand on the ethical and moral viewpoints. I did the same thing last semester in my regular Ethics class, I wrote two papers that totally went against what the teacher taught and got 98 out of 100 on one and 90 out of 100 on the other. He said they were well written and well argued.
I got to talk to a guy tonight in church, incedently the same guy that I'm writting the software for, about ethics. He said the issue of ethics doesn't change a lot even when looking at computers. I think that computers and the internet give us new technologies that we need to consider the ethical implications of, but in the end we still are left with the question of the morality of an act, regardless of whether a computer was used in the "crime". For example, it is now very easy to copy a song and give it to someone. The record companies complain that they are lossing a "prospective sale", meaning, maybe the person you lent the song too WOULD have purchased it, maybe not. Regardless, the original work is still intact, and nothing was stolen from the artist or recording company. This is just one of the issues we are dealling with in class. I'm looking forward to a few good arguments.....just like last semester! :)

Well there isn't much new to report about the new job prospective. I have been playing with the software like the guy recommened and I am very impressed! It is a valuable and powerful tool, it cost over $500 for the bare minimum, up into the $1250+ range. I glad the company already has this software, I just get to use it....if I'm hired. That is a PRAYER REQUEST: That I would have wisdom as to whether or now to accept this if it is offered. I would really like it. I challenging work enviroment such as this sounds like something I would enjoy.

Well I better get cranking on that paper---I just had a Red-Bull.....a staple for college life. :)

Well I have good news! No I didn't just save a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Gieco, the guy offering the computer job called me today! He told me I was the only applicant, and that they would be willing to allow me to play with the software and get used to it before I wrote any critical applications. He didn't say he would hire me, but almost talked like it, using words like "when you do this..."
I haven't asked about pay yet, we have an interview coming up as soon as we can both get a free weekend, so I'll ask then. He acted like he would sort of let me do my own thing in relation to how I wrote the software. He said that I would be doing a lot of other small things in the office, anything from hooking up a printer, to creating other custom software. I really hope this job is something I can handle. I looks like it will be a good challenge for me and a great way to learn.
I have to catch back up on all of the stuff I learned in my Database class, as I'll be
doing a lot of that.

In other news, I think I'm over this stomach virus. I felt so weird to stay home all day, I'm used to running all over to school, work, or other errands. I have a headache, so I think I'll take Tylenol PM, and go to bed, get a good night sleep for school tomorrow.

-bye

Well it's been a while. I have been sick :(. I started feeling it about 3 pm on monday. I called off of work today, and I'm sitting here. I have had some correspondance about that computer job. The job responsiblities are, I'm afraid, a little above me. I have been totally honest with the guy about my knowledge level, and would not be suprised if he turns me down. However, a job working with computers, even if it is mentally challenging, would still be better than loading trucks at lowes. :)

Well, no word on the computer job. Maybe my skills weren't enough. Oh well. I'm sitting here at almost 1 am. I was sitting in bed and remembered I had an assignment due sunday, I wasn't going to be home on sunday to do it.
My home word assignment was about which branch of the government had the most power. I am the only one so far that has posted "The Judicial Branch" Everyone else says the President or Congress. Congress was my first choice, until mom reminded me that the Supreme court routinely oversteps it's given bounds and decided matters on its own. So heres hoping he likes that reply. My Teacher for this class was part of the Kerry/Edwards campain. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out, so far he has been pretty neutral.

good night....um morning?

Done with work! The 12 hours went buy fast. Last hour the main conveyer system broke so I had to SWEEP for the last hour, but I didn't mind. I was tired and sore from loading trucks for the 11 previous hours, however the massive amount of caffeine I had did help. I JUST drank TWO of the new Coke Blaks. They are good! Coke and coffee...yum!
Part of my family is sick today, so that means I have to help more tonight, oh well no rest for the weary.
I was talking to my cousin Jeffery the other night (Call me if you read this! :) ) and we were discussing the great work ethics handed down through our Dads, who got it from THEIR dad while working on the farm. So to BOTH of my Grandfathers: Thanks for the respect you taught your children about work, who then taught us! I love you guys!

-Paul

I'm dreading going to work tomorrow. The day does go by relatively fast, and most people are getting nicer to me, but 12 hours of ANYTHING gets hard after a while. I can't imagine how people work 18 hour shifts. HOWEVER! I applied for a computer job today!!! I'm praying that I get accepted, and that they would work with school. They want a someone to work on about 5-10 computers and the skills that they ask for I have.

I just changed the oil in the Escort, after having it go over 6000 miles. I then realized that the inspection ran out in march! So I went to a local mechanic. He looked at the tires, and gave me the sticker :) So now I'm all set for the 120 mile trip both ways to school tonight! :)

I've been busy taking down A lot of the these phishing sites. In case you don't know, these sites look like a real bank or online money transfer service like paypal, and trick users into using their username and password for the real sites on these fake ones.
I have taken 3 out of 5 down, by working with the website administators, but 2 continue to be up. I recieved a very good looking one a few days ago. It was just an image, but it made it look like someone used my account to buy a laptop:

So, If anyone out there that reads this gets any of these, please feel free to forward them to me at prtsoft@yahoo.com, i'll do my best and see what I can do.

Well, I'm at school. Just got done with my first class, Cyber Ethics. It was good, but some people get annoying, yelling out random stuff during class. I got some good notes today, this is looking like it will be a good class.

I did ALOT of homwork last night. I did two weeks of homework in Linux, and I'm done with Comp II already. This semester looks like it will be a lot harder to get good grades, as the standards are a lot higher in my two computer classes.

Got to go, c ya!

Took the program to church tonite, the guy liked it, but he really changed around the buttons so everything is out of place. I'll have to clean it up a bit. However, he is the "boss" as he asked for the program to begin with....oh well....I hear that that is what software development is like...

Starting school back up weds. Looks good. I have: President's and First ladies weds morning, Cyber Ethics weds afternoon, Comp II online, and Linux on thursday night.
Linux appears to be easy as I run it all the time. I am looking forward to starting back up.

I think the Autorun program is done. I'll take it to church tonite to see what they think of it. It looks alot better. Cleaner buttons and a better way of launching the software. I'd really like this to take off. I see a lot of ways that this could really be used. The software is for a Christian Publishing company, and they want to send a CD to all of the churches the will use the material. I'd love to see them put it on small business card CDs and attach them to the book. That way everyone can use them.

Feeling Woozy.. Just drank some NASTY licorice tasting Nyquil for my cold...It does provide a nice warming sensation in my tummy :) hope it takes this cold away.

Just sitting here with a cold. I wrote a small VB app for A CD autorun for Shepherd Press. It looks pretty bad, and its not final but they wanted simple.

Well, I'm sick of all of the stupid slashdot april fools jokes, I WAS looking forward to seeing what they were but they are all stupid and obiously fake. If I submitted one I'd do one like the ones I fell for last year on: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/access-wireless-on-the-serial-port.html. I came SOOO close to building this, Until I got to thinking, how does the serial port resonate at 2.4 ghz?? How does the TV antenna recieve 2.4ghz? THAT is an april fools joke.