Category: General (Page 9 of 18)

I’m officially on vacation now. I took the highway bus from Koriyama to Narita Airport last night. My first flight was from Narita to Shanghai where I am now sitting in a very expensive cafe because I could get free internet.

A lot has happened over the course of the last week, and maybe I’ll get more into it later.

As for now, I wanted to talk about my vacation.
I will be flying to Bangkok where I will have a driver waiting to take me to a really nice hotel. It’s got a pool on the roof, king size bed, and just a whole lot of awesomeness. The best thing is that it only costs about $60/night. I love developing countries.

Anyhow, I haven’t made any big plans yet, except to relax as much as possible. That’s what this vacation is about. I need to recharge my batteries.

On another note, sorry to everyone to whom I promised Christmas presents. They are still coming. I’m just really bad about getting stuff in the mail (as well as not being completely sure what I’m able/not able to send).

Anyhow, pics will come later, when I don’t have so many restrictions placed on what I can do with the internet.

By the way, if you think that the US has  too many security and cameras in the airports, then don’t come to China.

As you probably know, I used to run a very basic computer maintenance and education business. I try to keep that separate from my personal blog, but I was reading something which is quite alarming.

This isn’t a new threat, but it is one that has become more popular as the “always on” internet has gained in popularity.

It’s called Ratting.

It’s a process by which a hacker gains complete control of your computer. They can see all your files, view your actions, control your devices (ie your cd/dvd rom), and even secretly record video through your webcam.
Read more about it here.

I’m not going to go into all the details of the RAT malware, except just to say it’s pretty bad stuff.

How to prevent yourself from becoming infected and targeted is rather easy.

Don’t click on links unless you know where they are pointing to.
Don’t open files e-mailed to you unless you know exactly what it is.
If you receive a strange e-mail from someone you know, there’s a good chance it’s not from them. Respond to them (by phone if you can) before you open any links or files. Ask them if they sent it. If they say yes, then maybe it isn’t so strange.
Keep antivirus and anti malware software running.
And ALWAYS update your system. Microsoft and Apple are good about fixing the worst problems in a somewhat timely manner.

If you have reason to believe that you have been the target of RAT software, unplug your computer from the internet immediately. Run your antivirus and anti malware scanners, and of course, talk to a professional. They will tell you if the symptoms indicate an infection, or if you are just being too paranoid.

On a side note, I’m preparing for Thailand now. I only have 5 days until I fly.

I’m really looking forward to it.

Of course, as always, pictures will be added once I return!

I don’t usually do this, but I read an article on Fox Business that just reaffirmed that some people don’t get it. Whatever “it” may be, they just don’t get. Life isn’t designed to be fair. If it was fair, it wouldn’t work, because everyone would have everything they wanted, and nothing would get done.

So, to begin, I give you the article.

Hopefully you took a second to read it. It’s not very long, and definitely not very thought out. This woman, who, apparently, is a life coach, makes her primary point using rhetorical questions:

The kid who thrives on Chaucer and couldn’t give a hoot about a molecule is going to be steered to an entire career in science because we need to fill those jobs? This is as opposed to finding a way for the science-inclined to afford to get the education to fill that gaping void? Does passion for the subject or talent for it even come into play? Are we looking for mediocre scientists and engineers or people gifted and wide-eyed over the marvels of the field?

I know that rhetorical questions are supposed to be left alone, but let me just start by answering those first and last questions with a NO!!! The “kid who thrives on Chaucer” will most likely still get a literary degree. He will just have to pay more for it. Passionate people will still do what they are passionate about. This is, indeed, “a way for the science-inclined to afford to get the education.” It’s the other people, who aren’t so passionate about anything, that they are trying to persuade into the science fields.

I may be in the minority here, but when I was finishing high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was very interested in science, but what kind? I had no idea. I enjoyed biology, physics, computers and IT, and even chemistry to some degree. I was also very fluent in American and European history, and I loved literature. Okay, put those things together and you get a bunch of hobbies, but nothing that points directly to a career. So, what did I do? I chose Accounting. Why? Because I was working for a CPA at the time, and he taught me a lot. Not only about working, but about life. He was a role model for me. I thought, “Hey, maybe I can follow in his footsteps or something.” Well, I enjoyed accounting for a couple years of community college, but I found out that I enjoyed economics more. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it was because anytime my teacher explained something, he used examples from Gilligan’s Island. So, when I moved to big kid school (A four-year university), I switched my major to Econ. Econ was a lot of work, and by applying the very laws I was learning to my life, I realized that I obtained more satisfaction from doing less book work, and while the business school was still very intensive, the kind of work didn’t feel as much like work to me, and there was much less book work, so I changed my major to Marketing and Advertising. The work was intensive, but fun. Had I known what it was like before I started Accounting three years earlier, I would have probably never went to Accounting.

My point with this story is that many people, like myself, have no idea what they want to be when they grow up. They are interested in everything. Many of these people follow in their parent’s or role model’s footsteps, as I was in the beginning. Others what to pave their own road.

So, back to these tuition rates based on supply and demand. This is brilliant. Had someone told me that I could go to school 15% cheaper if I went into engineering, then I would have done that in a heartbeat. I was always interested in science and design. On top of that, I would have had a better chance at finding work upon graduation. Double plus!!!

Now, the big question, would I have enjoyed it as much as I enjoy what I am doing now? I don’t know. But if not, teaching English overseas definitely doesn’t require Business degree. I could be doing this with any degree. So, “happiness” is really just a moot point.

“The message from Tallahassee could not be blunter: Give us engineers, scientists, health care specialists and technology experts,” Alvarez writes. “Do not worry so much about historians, philosophers, anthropologists and English majors.”

YES!!! EXACTLY!!! Having studied both business and econ, I have a fairly decent understanding of the law of supply and demand. That is exactly what Florida is practicing now. If you don’t need bread, then you probably won’t buy bread no matter how cheap it is, but if you’re starving, then you’ll pay nearly any price for bread, so why shouldn’t universities offer perks for fields that are in demand? Don’t get me wrong. I am a full believer that diversity of skills is essential for a working economy, but if you have too many English majors, then raise the price of tuition for the English field. If you need engineers, then make it cheaper for them to learn how to do their job!

Bryan Ogden is NOT a life coach, but tends to have common sense. His web site is www.bryan-ogden.com and you can follow him on Twitter @tuoggy.

I’m just chilling out at my client’s office waiting for students to come, and I realized it’s been a while since I’ve posted. So here’s a post to let you know I’m still alive.

Also, I will be in Tulsa the second and third weeks of October. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone!!!

I have a lot more to say, but really no time to do so. I will post again soon with new news and pictures.

So this is going to be a long-ish post about Korea.

First of all, I have to say that my experiences in Seoul are completely different from anything I’ve experienced in Japan. Here’s bullet list of some of the differences:

In Japan, people wait calmly in strait lines to enter the train. In Seoul, people crowd and push and shove around the doors to the train and all rush in together when the they finally open.
Seoul has a greater variety of western shops and restaurants. This is probably due to the vast numbers of foreigners there.
As I stated before, there are so many foreigners in Seoul. Its crazy. It kinda takes away some of the mystique of the city, but at the same time, makes it much easier to get around and find familiar things.
In Japan, the people are patient, quiet, disciplined, and nice. In Seoul, they’re… well… not. They’re rude, impatient, pushy, and loud.
In Japan, the air is pretty clear, even in big cities like Tokyo. In Seoul, there’s a yellow haze much like that of LA.

Okay, I’m tired of the whole bullet list thing already. Seoul is amazing and terrible all at the same time. Its dirty, loud, and most of the people suck. That’s not to say it’s all bad though. It’s obviously a tourist hub. Because of this, nearly everyone can speak Korean (obviously), English, Japanese, and Chinese, or any combination of those languages. This made it much easier to get around than it was when I first came to Japan.
The food in Korea is amazing, especially for those who like spicy foods. While Japan is the home of wonderful things like sushi and yakitori (meat on a stick), most foods here tend to be rather bland with wasabi being the main exception. It was refreshing to add some spice to my diet.

There are some wonderful sights in Seoul, and there’s always something to do. The shopping is really good, and everything is very cheap. For example, I got a high quality cashmere wool pea coat in Seoul for about $100. A similar coat (lower quality) costs about four times that here. Not everything is decent quality though. There are countless knock offs all over the city, so you really have to look around to find the good stuff. I just lucked into finding this particular shop when I was walking to dinner.

All in all, I had a good time in Seoul. I don’t see it as a place that I could ever live, but it is a lot of fun to visit. Pics in the Gallery =)