Loving Life

[sh4n3k1rk]

KeepassX + Keyboard Maestro on OSX

                                      I had written about my love and use of keepass with my Macbook, and was living in bliss until I updated to Mavericks 10.9.2.

After updating I was unable to use Keepass, and could not figure out a way to fix it.

I began to revisit the native ports of Keepass to OSX, but did not find something stable enough for my heavy use. I began to panic. I even contemplated running Windows 24x7 in a VM just to make sure I had Keepass!!

Then I decided to revisit KeepassX. Lo and behold they have come along way since I had used it last, and now includes support if Keepass 2.xx databases! Awesome :)

I downloaded the latest KeepassX Alpha release (Alpha 5 as of this writing) for OSX and went off on my merry way.

It worked great and was very reliable however I immediately began lamenting the loss of the keepass http plugin which I had gotten so used to having.

I do not currently have the time or know-how to contribute this ability to KeepassX, however I thought that I could at least improve the functionality of KeepassX Alpha on my Macbook by using some atomization courtesy of my new favorite tool Keyboard Maestro.

I will definitely have to write a more about how I am using Keyboard Maestro but that is for another day!

This is the Macro I made for keepass:

                   Click here to see the full sized image of the Macro

What It Is

I use ⌃⌥⇧⌘K to get the party started. The Internet is full of great tutorials, on how you can set a a hyper-key on your Macbook to equal ⌃⌥⇧⌘ , I use my capslock  as is often recommended by Mac Power Users to do, as this allows you to freely assign hot-key shortcuts as you see fit without ever worrying about it conflicting with any applications you use.

If KeepassX is not running, this macro simply opens my Keepass database for me then minimizes Keepass.

If KeepassX is already running, it switches to the Keepass window and pauses, until I press ⌘b which is the hot-key in Keepass for copying the "username" for a given entry. Upon copying the username, the macro switches back to the previous window (99.9% of the time this is my web browser) and simply pastes the username, waits a second then presses tab , and then switches back to KeepassX. The Macro then pauses and waits for me to press ⌘c which is the KeepassX hot-key for copying the password, the macro then switches back to the previous window, pastes the password and then presses enter . This usually satisfies MOST website login forms and very rarely do I find myself having to manually copy and paste my credentials.

My traditional use case for this macro:

 I am surfing the web and come to a site I want to login to, say like Amazon

 I click on the "username" box for logging into my account and then press the hotkey to start the macro ⌃⌥⇧⌘K

 I choose the entry for Amazon.com and press ⌘b

 I choose the entry for Amazon.com and press ⌘c

Voila! I am now logged in :)

See it action via this short screencast I made.

What It Isn't

This is not as convenient as Keepass2's ability to 'auto-type' nor does it obfuscate the text output like Keepass2 does either.

This does not compensate for the ability to use the http plugin either! It is faster than doing things manually but still not as fast as using the browser plugin.

What Could It Do?

Things I would like to improve upon in the future?

The ability to obfuscate the text output, perhaps using Keyboard Maestro to copy the username's and password into variables or a different clipboard and then running a script to jumble the string of text, and then keeping track of the order so that a dynamic output can be given to a variable as to how to type the password again into a web-form.

The ability to have Keyboard Maestro type in my password to open my .kdbx file, this could be done by saving the password in OSX's keychain and then having Keyboard Maestro get that and use it to log me into myfile. I like using both a password and a keyfile for my Keepass Databases.

 Help contribute to the project by working on the ability to use plugins like Keepass2 does.

Hopefully this will be useful for someone out there, to use. Another plus to using KeepassX over Keepass2 is that I no longer have to have Mono on my machine either.

To use this on your Mac all you need is to download and install KeepassX and Keyboard Maestro. If you would like to use my macro or improve upon it, feel free to download it here.

Happy Keepassing! :)

[sh4n3k1rk]

Using Keepass 2.25 with OSX Mavericks

UPDATE [APR 24,14] - This is currently deprecated for me running the latest 10.9.2 version of OSX on my Haswell Macbook Pro 13". I have switched to using KeepassX with Keyboard Maestro for the time being.   

***************************

Years ago, I began using keepass to create and store all of my passwords. Keepass won my heart because it was cross platform, free and open sourced.

     One of the first things I do with any computer or handheld that I will access the internet with is get keepass up and running.

     While the classic keepassx is natively cross platform and works well indeed, I had updated to the 2.x version form the original 1.x version to use some of the extra features it offers READ: PLUGINS GALORE!!

     Additionally I use the Keepass HTTP plugin coupled with chromeIPass, and the favicon downloader plugin as well.

     While no official release is available for OSX, you can run keepass 2.x if you run mono, just like in Ubuntu by adding this PPA. The good folks over at Openix offer an unofficial keepass package for OSX that they built for those of us who may nor yet be comfy with doing that ourselves READ noobs!

1. Get Mono

Following the instructions provided by Openix, the first thing we need to do is download the most current Mono Runtime for OSX Version 3.2.6 at the time of this writing.

To install the runtime open the downloaded package, you may have to use control+right click if you don’t have the ability to install non-Mac store and identified developer applications enabled.

Once the installer finishes you can verify that you have mono by opening an instance of terminal and running the command

mono --version

Mono Version

2. Get X11

Download the latest release of XQuartz , an open sourced X.org Windowing system for OSX. Version 2.7.5 as of this writing.

Install Xquartz using the .dmg you downloaded

 Xquartz

2. Keepass 2.x

Get the unofficial keepass 2.x package Version 2.23 as of this writing.

Extract the file KeePass2.23.app and put into your Applications directory.

KeePass

You should now be able to open any keepass 2.x database on you Mac, but what if you want to run a newer build of keepass, say Keepass 2.25 ?

3. Update Keepass 2.x

Download newer release of Keepass as a .zip (source) from sourceforge. Version 2.25 as of this writing.

Find your KeePass2.23.app in Finder and right click, select Show Package Contents. Now in a new tab in Finder, unzip the Keepass 2.x ZIP that you downloaded.

Look at the two open file tabs in Finder. Notice they are both keepass? ;)

KeePass2.23.app package contents

KeePass2.25.zip contents

Drag all of the contents form the downloaded Keepass 2.x ZIP into the KeePass2.23.app and overwrite any files when prompted.

Now when you run Keepass and you check the about panel you should see that it has been updated!

KeePass2.25 About Info

4. Adding Plugins

In order to add any plugins to Keepass on OSX, you must first download then follow the same steps like we just did to update Keepass, opening the package contents of the Keepass App in Finder and inserting the plugin files, then restarting keepass.

Here you can see what the package contents look like after I have added my two favorite plugins

KeePass2.25 plugins

KeePass2.25 plugin info

You can use web browser plugins for keepass, etc the same as you would if running keepass on Windows or Linux!!

     I hope this post is easy to follow and helps someone out who wants to use keepass on their Mac. There are other alternatives, such as this native Keepass client developed by Michael Starke. I have not yet devoted the time to use it properly (it is still in alpha too) but it is definitely on my to do list, if you want to learn more about it I found this great blog post by techie Simon Fredsted about it, His blog is great, and is filled with all sorts of cool articles about OSX and more.

     Cheers and happy Keepasing!!

     Remember, friends don't let friends use the internet without Keepass!

[demand-progress]

The NSA “is gathering nearly 5 billion records a day on the whereabouts of cellphones around the world.” (Washington Post)

Join us in protesting the National Security Agency’s wide-ranging invasion of privacy.

Take action →

[sh4n3k1rk]

The Developer Bundle!!!

Want to get $120 worth of tools for only $5??? If you are a Computer Science student and you use OSX you are in luck! 

Paddle has launched a Developer Bundle in the spirit and pricing model of the popular Humble Bundle that has taken the Gaming world by storm!

Included in this bundle is the following tools....

If you break it down individually the cost of these tools is:

Code Journal....$4.99 RCode...........$9.99 VirtualHostX...$49.00 Marked.........$11.99 Minco..........$14.99 Codebug........$29.00 ---------------------

Total.........$119.26

The current running average required to get all the tools with purchase is only $4.95. Yeah that's right... it's $114.31 cheaper. Even if you don't utilize all of the tools it is still a great way to validate the field of work that you are studying for and hoping to contribute to!

What are you waiting for? GO GO GO GO....

$$$ BUY NOW $$$

[sh4n3k1rk]

Graduation Time

     Three amazing years later, I have been through some crazy times, full of challenges, laughs, frustration, joy, disappointment, dedication, and lots of pizza fueled Android sessions.

     On May 15, I had the distinct pleasure of graduating with my Bachelors in Science degree from Pace University, attending the 2013 commencement ceremony at Radio City Music Hall. As if that was not amazing enough, I had the honor of joining the faculty and staff on stage during the ceremony as the 2013 Undergraduate Achievement Award Winner from the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, graduating with Summa Cum Laude honors, among the best that Pace University has to offer the world.

     To put it bluntly: I was shocked and blown away from start to finish of the ceremony, it happened so fast and was almost too much for me to take in. At times I found myself in disbelief, unable to process the fact that I was there side by side with some of the brightest minds I have met in recent years, all in all I felt very blessed and now that I have had a few days to shake off my disbelief I wanted to take the time to say thank you to the people that made it all possible………

First and foremost…

My wife

Danielle!

 My best friend, and soul mate. Without you none of this would be possible. Thank you for dealing with my shenanigans, and always being there to support me and push me in the right direction.

Dad 

Thank you for always being honest with me and providing me with down to earth advice, and for allowing all my junk mail and packages to pile up in the hallway. You have always served as an example on how to be a honest hard working guy and I would like to think I inherited my sense of humor from you as well. I know we haven't had the most time together but you have always gone out of your way to make every moment count. Thank you for your wisdom, jokes, and sayings.

My family 

Thank you for trying your best to give me a solid foundation and send me off into the world with a decent head on my shoulders. Right wrong or indifferent I am who I am today because of the thoughts and ideas you believed and taught to me.

The Staff & Faculty of Seidenberg

     Thank you for providing guidance and empowering your students. Since day one of wandering on campus during a tour of the school the Seidenberg staff, often led by the admirable Dr. Jonathin Hill,  have always welcomed me and believed in me. The amount of motivation that brews around the pizza on Wednesdays could power NYC startups for generations to come.

Dr. Cathy Dwyer - without your belief in me and kind words, my time at Pace would not have been the same. Thank you for taking your personal time to offer advice and to truly care about your students.

Wilfredo Pena - thank you for storing my things and staying on me to be engaged with others. With great hot sauce comes great responsibility.

Demosthenes Long & Thomas Breidenbach

     Two of the most passionate professors I have met outside of the House of Seidenberg. They challenge their students to not just learn materials from a syllabus or a book, but to learn who they are as people. I always left their classes charged up and feeling like I could actually make a difference in my world. Prof Breidenbach - I check often online for your book to drop, and I hope you never stop asking questions and providing the best answers to your students.

USS LOUISVILLE  “Sluggers”

                     To any of my shipmates who helped me in one way or the other, albeit covering for my stupidity, cleaning my section of middle level p-way, teaching me the right way to do things, or just sharing the mid-watch – I think of you all quite often. Going through school has been a breeze compared to living on the boat, earning your fish, and making sacrifices. My time spent on board has made my everyday annoyances or hardships as a student seem laughable and enjoyable to me now. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the guys I knew in the Navy who I know for a fact are way better sailors than I was – who are out there doing their job day in and day out away from the comforts of home, it always puts things into perspective for me and makes me extremely thankful.

     If it wasn't for the POST 9/11 GI BILL I wouldn't be here typing this today. I honestly have no idea where I would be. Probably leaving some shore duty for another boat. I hope any veteran who has the chance to use the BILL, does so and succeeds. The very existence of the BILL offers the actual hope that the “all American dream” is still actually obtainable.

     For anyone who actually reads this and does not have a Bachelors degree – YOU CAN DO IT! Everyone always says it but I can’t come up with anything original that says it better – “If I could do it……Anyone could do it” I left high school without  a clue in the world, landed in a recruiter’s office and signed up for submarines without even knowing what they even were. I got to the end of my enlistment with exactly what I said I wanted when I joined the Navy “a sense of direction”. I knew for a fact I never wanted to see a submarine ever again, mission accomplished. It wasn't until studying at Pace University where it all just came together. At the age of 26 I can finally say I know what I want to be when I grow up. I am still changing, and learning more and more every day. To anyone who was in my position, whether you think you are stuck somewhere in life or you don’t see a way achieve your goals – don’t give up. Ask for help, be ready to admit when you are wrong or don’t know something and be ready to learn.

TLDR; 

I feel so blessed for all that I have in life. I can’t say thank you enough to my family, friends, and the people I have met along the way. I can only hope to one day return the favor.

-Shane

[sh4n3k1rk]

Developers! Developers! Developers!

     The economy still needs them, many earn their living as one, and many are hoping to one day be one. I guess I would consider myself the later. Me and about millions of others bursting at the seam to catch a break and begin working in the field of software development/programming.

     In my never ending quest to find the perfect internship to complete my upcoming summer, I searched and scoured for any good opportunity for an aspiring student who is still wet behind the ears when it comes to coding, and the world of a developer.

Apply Everywhere!

     I have nothing to lose. My github account is nothing impressive yet, and my stack exchange credentials may be lack luster, but I am a new kid in town, and that is all right. What matters is that I go for broke, demonstrate I am capable of learning and that I am motivated to grow and pursue a career in this field.

              I could write for hours about how I came to the conclusion that this is what I want to do when I grow up to be “big me” but I will save that for another post! For now, behold: a small sample of code to read over and marvel at and mostly to show potential HR reps what I am dedicating hours of my personal time to getting better, because that is really key in the world of Computer Science more so than any other technical filed. I mean think about it. How many kids do you know who grow up in love with video games, infatuated with electronics, and programming from a younger age on their computers? You probably know at least one “nerd” as you may refer to them ;) OK, now how many kids went out and built a waste management system in their backyard as a kid? How about a highway or sky scraper? NO huh? Computer Science is one of those crazy fields of study where form the get go you are competing against hobbyists and people who love the art, because that is what makes it all the more rewarding : this is an amazing field! Again, for another post/rant.

     Today we venture to the magical world of Spotify! Having been a huge fan boy since they debuted here in the US, I figured I would check out their website to see if they have internships. Well long story short they do… er did, you see the deadline to apply has already passed, and I will explain.

                                          Spotify lists a “U.S. Technical Internship Program (Summer 2013)” and it sounds like a music fan/programmers wildest wet dream come true:

     “You will work on a project for 12 weeks and be mentored by a team of world-class engineers. This could be almost anywhere within our technology organization, depending on your skills and our needs. You will have regular catch-ups to check progress, and we will support you in your problem solving. It will be hard work, but you will surely enjoy the challenge of putting your academic experience into a real world problem.”

     This seemed too good to be true! I quickly went to their puzzles page where they post riddles, and test problems to test your intellect and programming knowledge in order to separate the top notch rock stars form the garage band lackeys.

     I attempted the Reversed Binary Numbers problem, it was the easiest posted and to be quite honest it was the only one I knew I could quickly solve and submit to meet the deadline of Feb 8th.

                              Task

Your task will be to write a program for reversing numbers in binary. For instance, the binary representation of 13 is 1101, and reversing it gives 1011, which corresponds to number 11.

Input

The input contains a single line with an integer N, 1 ≤ N ≤ 1000000000.

Output

Output one line with one integer, the number we get by reversing the binary representation ofN.

Sample input 1

13

Sample output 1

11

Sample input 2

47

Sample output 2

61

     I fired up Eclipse and quickly hashed out an answer. I was certain it was right. It was a basic problem, but I was having fun and I was excited, I mean who doesn't like puzzles? I frantically attempted to submit the puzzle to their grading bot in hopes I would be accepted and able to submit my resume, but alas, I must have a ways to go because I continually got my submissions denied. I am not sure why I was rejected and would more than welcome a tip from anyone as to what I did wrong, although I have a sneaky suspicion it has to with utilizing input/output stdin/out with java, since this was my language of choice for my submission. I tried creating a series of printouts using panes, and even attempted to at least demonstrate that I know some theory about recursion or using separate methods…. I know nothing much beyond Programming 101 “Hello World” stuff but still I wanted to make a good impression… after several rejections I reduced my code to the simplest means I knew how in hopes that they just wanted a simple straight forward answer…..

My answer (the simplest one I could come up with):

//*******************************************************************

//  reversebinary.java       Author: Shane Kirk

//  Program for reversing numbers in binary.

//  Written for application for Spotify NYC Summer Internship 2013.

//*******************************************************************

import java.util.Scanner;

public class reversebinary {

     public static void main(String[] args) {

          Scanner scan = new Scanner(System.in);

          System.out.println ("INPUT:");

          int n = scan.nextInt();

          String dectobi = "";

          while(n>0){

              int i = n % 2;

              dectobi += i;

              n /= 2;

              }

          int output = Integer.parseInt(dectobi, 2);

          System.out.println ("OUTPUT:" + output);

     }

}

     Very straightforward. Take am integer form our user, although there is no control in place to ensure we meet our demand for “n” N, 1 ≤ N ≤ 1000000000, although believe me previous versions had their fair share of while loops 

And behold my intellectual prowess:

int n = scan.nextInt();

          String dectobi = "";

          while(n>0){

              int i = n % 2;

              dectobi += i;

              n /= 2;

              }

     For any human to take a decimal number and convert it binary we would most likely use basic short division by 2 (since binary is base 2) and adding a “1” or “0” based on whether the result was odd or even, or perhaps to sketch out a small binary table and begin plugging in values for 0,1,2,4,8,16, etc etc. But in java it seemed much easier to simply use % modulus to produce the remainder of dividing the first value by the second value… for instance….

If the user input the decimal integer “10”….

10%2 = 0 because…..

Modulus is not division, it only tells us the remainder!

10/2 = 5 with a remainder of “0”…..

     So my little for loop, would merely tack this “0” at the end of my empty string of text ‘dectobi’. We then take the value of “n” and divide by 2, and continue the loop so long as “n>0” to continue getting “1’s” and “0’s”…. 

Loop iterative 1:

10%2 = 0   so ‘dectobi’ = “0”

10/2 = 5

N = 5

Loop iterative 2:

5%2 = 1   so ‘dectobi’ = “01”

5/2 = 2

(because of integer division… 5/2 = 2.5 for us humans but for computers the integer data type can only hold whole numbers, so only the whole number is stored in the variable and the decimals are discarded)

N = 2

Loop iterative 3:

2%2 = 0   so ‘dectobi’ = “010”

2/2 = 1

N = 1

Loop iterative 4:

1%2 = 1 (because .5 would round to 1)   so ‘dectobi’ = “0101”

1/2 = 0

N = 0

See the same thing in human form:

     OK now our loop ends and the binary result is “0101” which is the reversed output of the decimal number 10’s binary equivalent “1010” this is because I added the result at the end of my string each time.. this was done on purpose so we could then convert that result back into a new decimal!

  int output = Integer.parseInt(dectobi, 2);

          System.out.println ("OUTPUT:" + output);

     Finally we use the java Integer class method parseInt using the given constructor to provide the radix “2” because binary is base 2, to get a value form the given string of text.

“0101” == 5

Because…… “0101” (binary) == +4+1 = 5 (decimal)

     Anyways… that seemed like a simple little puzzle to solve, but I just couldn't seem to get their bot to accept it, I kept getting it mailed back and listed as “wrong answer”, so I will just have to keep trying for a different summer internship.

     For anyone interested in tackling fun little problems, I strongly recommend trying out the puzzles listed on spotify’s website, and who knows maybe you will find yourself with the internship of a lifetime next summer ;)

[sh4n3k1rk]

Up Against The Ropes......

    Whether you are wealthy or poor, great at something or you struggle to make it by the fact remains you have the same 24 hours in a day that everyone else does. What often determines the success or failure of person, idea, or business is the overall efficiency and management of that time. It can make all the difference in the world. It is all too easy to focus on that idea and ponder about the little moments in life where a matter of minutes on either side of an event or decision could have changed outcomes of human history or personal destiny. Likewise it is naïve to rationalize that time management is the sole difference between someone achieving success or failure, but its importance should never be negated.

Something I have come to accept is that many material items used as a measurement of success such as money, personal wealth, property, etc are often finite in supply. For every winner there is and must be a multitude of losers. That is a simple truth. How boring would the NFL be if every team was considered to be the champions? Would there be any celebration to winning a gold medal in the Olympics if every eligible contender received a gold medal for their efforts? This principle is easy to visualize financially: there is a finite supply of money based on resources and economic conditions. Sure governments can inflate their currency but simply put: there is only “x” amount of monetary currency in circulation at any given moment, and for every unit earned or profited there is also a unit lost or spent.

This same principle applies to the job market. It can often be hard to maintain a positive outlook as a modern day college student. For every graduate that gets a job and is able to eventually repay their student debt and sustain themselves, there are those who don’t and struggle to survive. Life just isn’t fair, but the point that I am trying to make is that no matter what hand of cards you are dealt, the fact still remains that as long as you are alive and breathing you have the same 24 hours in a day that everyone else does. There is always tomorrow. How you manage your time and choices you make today will play a role in how well you fair tomorrow.

                So while today may have not been a success the most important things is whether or not the mistakes you have made can be used as lessons and prevented from happening again. Not everyone is destined for greatness. No matter how special your Mother says you are, or how many pep talks a guidance counselor can give you, statistically the odds of you becoming a pioneer in any given field or playing a significant role in history is very minute. The most important thing is that you find your own sense of purpose, your reason to continue pressing forward, and that you continue to improve yourself every day.

           Write your goals down – this will help you articulate what you are trying to accomplish

         Fail in public – telling others can help keep you honest and give you solid feedback

         Always try – You are guaranteed to fail at everything you do not attempt!

     Strive to be the best at whatever it is that you are, because it may be all you ever have in this life. Even if you fall short of achieving the goals you may have set for yourself, so long as you know you have given 110% effort and that you’re continually improving you will have something to be proud of.

[sh4n3k1rk]

Dropbox to the Rescue!

Hey everyone, help me gain more space for use with my school homework and assignments! Also, Dropbox is now running a special promotions the "Great Space Race" so by creating a Dropbox account, not only do you get to enjoy life in the cloud, but you will be helping me gain free space AND even helping others who go to school with me at Pace University to earn more free storage on their own Dropbox accounts!

Click the photo-link below!! You know want to, it's the gift that keeps on giving!

[sh4n3k1rk]

Habitat for Humanity Annual Fall Dinner

If you are in the M-town area and want some good eats, The Habitat for Humanity's Annual Fall Dinner will be held on Thursday, October, 25, at the United Presbyterian Church of Middletown. Serving starts at 6 PM. Cost to adults is $13, children ages 6 to 12 is $6, children under age 6 are free. Dinner is prepared by the Ward's Bridge Inn of Montgomery and baskets will be raffled.  Come show support, every dollar they raise will go towards improving M-town, building a better community one house, and one family at a time! :) For more information, call 469-9191. http://www.habitatmiddletown.org/news.php

[sh4n3k1rk]

Pace University App

Seems like all the tuition money has been put to some use this year! Pace University has launched its own app! The really good news about this is that Pace has ponied up the money for all students to use Blackboard services from a mobile device so now you don't have to be on Sprint and it costs you nothing to use! If you search your mobile marketplace of choice you will be able to get the Pace University App, or just get the Blackboard App itself! Long overdue and I will be using this a lot in the future... one step closer to replacing my laptop with my phone entirely!

Check it out: http://goo.gl/WlbXU

[sh4n3k1rk]

Serenity

          Sorry nerds... no time for the whedonverse today; but rest assure the future is indeed still worth fighting for :)

What is serenity?

                                                    The Serenity Prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference”

     I am heavily convinced that there is no God, and I don’t regularly entertain the idea of pre-destined fate. Frankly, based on my limited years of life spent gathering images, facts, traditions, opinions, and experiences; the more I learn or see about the world, the more I cannot accept the probability that there is an omnipotent entity that created everything and rules over it. I do however recognize faith and religion as an important tool and way of life for many people that should be cherished and protected. I often find myself remembering this simple Serenity prayer, not as a call to God for help, but rather a solid mantra to live m own life by. To have Serenity is to be able to remain calm even despite going through a change, a valuable skill to have!

“…to accept the things I cannot change”

     The ability to “accept” is powerful. Acceptance can make a world of difference. I have wasted many days of my youth in rebellion of this simple truth: there are things in life you cannot change. You must deal with it.

                 “..courage..”

               Courage is something that is built up every day bit by bit. For me, it means making mistakes. Admitting I am wrong. Saying sorry. Things that are often painful or humbling but very rewarding. Experience usually yields courage and it should be shared with others. You would be surprised how the courage of one person could greatly inspire someone else!

 “…the wisdom to know the difference”

     Lastly: wisdom. So little seems to be in supply! Wisdom is often thought to be something that is only obtainable by time, but I try to adhere to the mentality that a Wise man learns from the mistakes and teachings of others. I am thankful to the friends, mentors, and family members that have been placed in my life who have given me insight beyond my years. It may often appear as though I am too busy marching to the beat of my own drum to have followed your guidance, but I assure you this is not always the case and I find that with each day as I get older (perhaps less stubborn) I am ever thankful for it.

     I guess I like the Serenity prayer because it is often how I find myself living my life.

How can I be more efficient?

              Am I making the best use of my time or resources?

                                              What things can I change?

                                                                         What things must I accept?

     As another school year begins and my life warps into go go gadget multitasking mode, it is good to take time to sit and try to think about the choices I have before me each day and realize that although I cannot always have control over the things that happen to me, I ALWAYS have control over the things that I do in response. That is something I hope I never forget...

     Here’s to a new fall season, I hope everyone is able to make the best of it. Cheers,

- Shane

[sh4n3k1rk]

First World Problems

Hello world, it has been a while since we last spoke. This summer has been a refreshing dose of reality for me, defining my true limitations and showing me how finite I am. Many of the goals and aspirations I had for the summer have gone unfulfilled, but all is not lost, I have been enjoying my new job and have been salvaging little lessons and experiences when and where I can. My views have gone from curious and hopeful to realistic and analytical. Sometimes it can be hard to accept certain truths in life, and acceptance can often be a bitter pill to swallow.

My dad always tells me that people get up every day to go to work because they have to; that’s why it is called “work”, it’s a job and means of sustenance. I’ve always admired his work ethic and dedication to doing things because they needed to be done, despite whether or not he actually wanted to do them. Cue the all American dream. What if I can have my cake and eat it too? Is it really possible to do something I love and get paid at the same time? Can I earn a living doing something that I feel will be worthwhile and meaningful at the end of the day to not just me and immediately family but to others in that field as well, and as corny as it sounds the world on the whole. Now, I am in no way saying that my parents don’t enjoy their jobs or that they aren’t making a positive impact with their lives, I am merely speaking in generality.

What my Dad knows from years of experience that I don’t yet is that sometimes life isn’t always what you think it is going to be, rather what you do about it. A sailor can’t change the winds just the directions of his sails… that whole chestnut. Long and short of it.. It’s definitely true! It is easy to get caught up in a feeling of narcism and I am often guilty of it. Sometimes it is hard to remember how lucky I am to be where I am in life, and how things could be so much worse off than they actually are. It is really disgusting how many people live their lives with a sense of entitlement, albeit from being raised in a financially comfortable environment or never having to truly struggle to achieve anything, but I need to safeguard myself against that sort of mindset.

Every day that I wake up and get to keep going to school or to work is a good day no matter what my intellectual or financial shortcomings are. I am here and this is it. I only get to live today once, no matter what, and that simple truth applies to everyone in all walks of life, no matter how much or how little they have. 

[sh4n3k1rk]

Whoever Dies With Unlimited Data...

                                            In my instance, shared data was a huge no-no. We currently pay (pre-tax) about $117.36 a month for a 2 smartphone family plan, with bare bones minutes and NO sms texting but unlimited data. Under Verizon’s new shared plans, we would pay(pre-tax) $40 per phone for access charges, and $50 for only 1 gig of data! On average I use about 6-8 gigs, and my wife uses 500mb (she is unusually low compared to the average user, Verizon states on their website that the average consumer uses 2 gigs)

               So the cheapest my plan would be is $130 a month with 1 gig of shared data, $170 if we got 4 gigs of shared data which Verizon recommends, and $170 if we were to get 8 gigs of data to share…. Now assuming we get a newer top shelf phone like the upcoming iPhone5 or the current Galaxy S3, which usually retail full price for around $600 (cheaper if you wait and buy them used), say we stayed on our current plan paying $160 a month, and purchased 2 new phones unsubsidized for $1,200, as opposed to buying 2 subsidized new smartphones for the Verizon standard of $200 a pop, so $400 total plus the lovely $30 “fee” per device….. On a month to month basis, we loose money but only due to unsubsidized phones, hence why Verizon has done away with allowing unlimited data customers to buy new phones at cheaper cost from them, however if you buy into the used resale market, updating your phone every 6-12 months instead of every 2 years, you simply roll over your debt with each phone, so the bottom line is debatable….

                                         Anyways..... a lot has happened to me and the world I live in. I started a new job (READ: internship), bath salts = zombies, Father’s day has come and gone, and summer is marching onward whether I am ready for it or not. It’s the “or not” part that often plagues my mind. In regards to my initially hopes to become a coding genius, progress has been slow if at all. I have discovered that a 60 gig SSD does not warrant many IDE’s and files at any given time, so have had to move some things around and make room in my life for learning Visual Studio. I am only on chapter 2 of my ANSI C bible, with several books on Python and C++, C#, and other .net languages awaiting me.

     In other positive news, I was finally able to pry myself away from bed and onto the Habitat for Humanity Jobsite again, although to be fair there were a few weekends where they were closed dude to Lead/Asbestos testing ;)

     We spent about 4 hours tearing down old drywall, and lythe, smashing it with mallets and hammers, sending old spray insulation into the air. Smashing old walls is a lot of fun, if you ever get a chance to do it, go for it, let it all out. However, that being said, it is a huge pain in the ass to clean up! We still were unable to complete the upstairs floor of the house, and will be going back next weekend to continue with the work. If you live near the Middletown NY area, and want something feel-good to do on a Saturday morning, stop on by the Middletown Habitat for Humantiy jobsite at 70 1/2 Wicham Avenue by 9:00 AM, all you need is a pair of work gloves, some water and some spare time (must be 16+ years old too). 

Here are some updated photos:

                                  In starting my new job I have been learning some new things, meeting some new people and was able to join the company in the J.P Morgan Corporate Run challenge last Thursday in Central Park. The 3.5 mile run was a lot of fun, and I had a really good time, although I certainly did not enjoy sharing the road with thousands of people!

        I hope everyone had a healthy/happy father's day and are making more progress this summer with their perspective goals in life... time to get some sleep! 

- Shane

[sh4n3k1rk]

I entered a whole different atmosphere....I was in ......

I entered the main lobby not knowing what in the world to expect. A security guard stopped me and asked for identification. I clearly stood out from the myriad of wing tipped suits scurrying about with briefcases, and blackberries. I cleared my throat, “I’m here for the facebook thing-“

-          “right this way.” he motioned me to a security desk where I was issued a temporary badge and my bag was scanned.  I was amazed. This place was huge. It seemed larger than life, very etiquette and professional, not the kind of place I imagined Mark Zuckenberg and crew dominating the internet whilst wearing hoodies, blue jeans, and sandals.  However as I walked in to the elevator and rode up 17 floors, I entered a whole different atmosphere. I wasn’t just in the Bank of America Plaza anymore.

I was in facebook.                       

As I walked through the main corridor to the receptionist’s desk, I couldn’t help but notice the giant red letters painted behind me… “PROCEED AND BE BOLD”. Whoa. I checked in and sat quietly with a few other guests in anticipation. I know I am a bit of a nerd but I couldn’t help but feel excited. Facebook had just moved in only about 2 months earlier, this was Facebook’s first major office outside of the west coast, not only that but a self-proclaimed engineering office, which would be essential to their stack and work flow! Their IPO had just happened days ago, and although I was bummed that I wasn’t able to be here for it (due to facebook re-scheduling) I had forgotten about that and couldn’t sit still.

The tour began as Serkan Piantino, the veteran engineering manager in charge of the whole NYC office and the very forefather (so to speak) of “timeline”, lead the way pointing out various pieces of art or furniture that resided in the office. We paused at the giant facebook “write something wall”. We were all handed a marker and told to write whatever we wanted wherever it could fit. So neat, I thought, as I etched the slogan to my former boat in the Navy. Corny as hell, I know, but I couldn’t resist. How many submarines are on facebook’s wall? Mine is, I can tell you that much.

We navigated through a maze of laptops, computers, gadgets, and engineers working. Artwork and witty slogans decorated the walls. We walked past some giant post-it note masterpieces: the infamous “like” thumbs up, and Mrs. Pacman. The level of décor was pretty damn hipster but just the right amount; enough to start a trend but not to the point of stuffing it down your throat. Needless to say I was impressed at how pleasant everyone treated our tour group and how much they all seemed to actually be enjoying just another day at work. The conference rooms had crazy names… “Shake-Weight”, “Miller time”…. One of the rooms even had Star Wars insignia decorating the door frame!! (a huge bonus in my book)

Suddenly we stumbled upon the mecca of vending machines. A facebook branded snack machine filled with computer peripherals, headphones, iPod/Phone accessories. We stared in envy. “That’s our vending machine for replacement components,” a facebooker explained. “You simply swipe your badge and punch in the code for what you need; it’s all on the honor system and helps us from having congestion with our IT-department.” Very cool indeed!

                                        As we passed through the main eating area and began to conclude the tour I realized that this office had totally blown me away. It had an undeniable energy to it. It didn’t feel like a multi-billion dollar company to me, it felt like a small start-up filled with like-minded, passionate people. Perhaps this was the secret sauce to facebook. Facebook has a product which it serves for free, in exchange for the loyalty and trust of its users to share their private data and interests. That is a powerful thing. This is the company that was able to raise $16 billion because people believe in it. People use it. Why isn’t Google+ or Microsoft’s newly released so.cl the place where users congregate? Because all of their friends are on Facebook! Even if you hate facebook you have to use it, that’s how dominant it is, which means that they are obviously continuing to do something right. I fit wasn’t for facebook, I personally would have no way of ever being able to keep in touch with people I had gone to school with, or served with in the military. The drifts through time and location can no longer keep people from staying in touch, thanks to social networks like facebook.

                                As I got ready to leave, Serkan was kind enough to give me a shirt to take home for my wife. He didn’t have to take the time to do that for me, so I am very grateful.  She was very upset they had cancelled on the day of the IPO, and she had to work today. Lastly I got some information on how to apply for the internship program that would be starting next summer, and packed my bag and headed home.

Perhaps though, the thing that touched me most about my visit, were the words that Benjamin, a newly transferred engineer from the California office, imparted to me about why he choose to work at Facebook right out of college as opposed to a smaller start-up:

“Two months after I graduated I was working on releases. That’s a big deal. The code I am working on is being used by millions of people. It’s good to know that I am making a difference,”

he remarked. I couldn’t agree more. His words left me inspired. I felt charged. There was a positive energy in that place. Good things are on the way for New York, when companies like Facebook wish to tap into its talent pool for resources.  I wish them the best of luck.

- Shane

[sh4n3k1rk]

Happy Mother's Day :)

My wife Danielle decided to sign up with me for the day, so I changed some of my choices so we could go together. Mid-week many new companies decided to open their doors this Friday, such as Facebook, OMGPOP, and IndabaMusic. I am sooooo excited for this event, and look forward greatly to checking out behind the scenes at some of the best tech companies located in NYC. Here are the places I will be going to:

I started taking a first home buyer’s course hosted by Cornell University, and it has been really interesting. Most of the information presented my wife and I had already gotten together, but it is good to get all the knowledge we can get about the current housing market where we live and the legal ins and outs for a first time home buyer. We are hoping to be able to purchase something while the market is still down & out and rates are at an all-time low, but time will tell…

Unfortunately I was introduced to yoga this week. Turns out I am horrible at it and don’t enjoy it at all. I am not so great at relaxing and finding my inner spirit frog. I have a new-found respect for those that practice it though, it requires a crazy amount of patience that I just don’t have. I much prefer the sounds of heavy metal as I run, rather than peaceful babbling brooks and ocean noises while I stretch it all out on the yoga mat; so to each their own.

This week was a blast at the local H4H. The weather was nice and sunny, and a great group of people were on scene lending a hand. The third dumpster full of trash was filled, and the house is finally devoid of clutter, dead cats, and junk! In the coming weeks, the real work of tearing down, and restoring the floors, walls, foundation, and much more can begin! Come join the fun every Saturday morning at 70 1/2 Wicham Avenue by 9:00 AM, all you need is a pair of work gloves, some water and some spare time (must be 16+ years old too). Here are a few photos of the work so far:

I look forward to posting later this week from the Walkabout NYC event, and also digging into my first of many books on coding.

                                        I am learning some old school skills, reading the 1988 classic  “C bible” by Brian Kernighan and C creator himself Dennis Ritchie. Many have told me this is the best book to start with, and every other programming I have done has been mostly with Object Oriented Languages so this should help me learn more!

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day and was able to start May off on the right foot.

- Shane

[sh4n3k1rk]

Today is the first day for the rest of your life!!

First and foremost, a huge thank you to all those who helped me this semester to overcome and learn! From the fellow students who were apart of the Lambda Sigma Beta Zeta chapter at Pace, who never cease to impress, to all those who studied, crammed, and prepped for finals with me.

Big shout out to the staff and mentors over at the Seidenberg School of computer science! Thanks to some key personnel’s guidance and support I was put in touch with an IT firm and I interviewed for an internship that will hopefully transform my summer into one of my best ones yet. I am really excited to have the opportunity to work there; everyone I have met there so far has blown me away with their level of knowledge and passion for what they do.

I am extremely thankful to be blessed with finishing another semester at Pace and for being in good health (and hopefully good grades too). I spent this weekend catching my breathe and thinking of the 3 months that lay ahead, and I can’t help but feel like they are filled to the brim with potential!

I hope everyone I know from Pace University is sitting back reaping the rewards from the semester, and that they all enjoy the summer break. I have decided to not take any additional classes this summer to focus more on personal goals…..

Top Goals for this summer:

Work on coding (emphasis on android development)

Spend more time getting back in better shape

Make at least one road trip

Laugh as much as possible

Read at least 3 books that are not nerd-related literature

Newsworthy:

·    

If you live in or around NYC and haven’t signed up for this event, do so NOW! It’s going to be a great fun filled day of first hand experience touring and meeting the minds behind great companies like Tumblr, Spotify, Buisness Insider, Squarespace….and many many more! I am already signed up and super stoked to go!

Habitat for Humanity is continuing the work on the house located 70 1/2 Wicham Avenue in Middletown for anyone who lives in the local Orange County area and would like to get involved. My wife and I have been there and met the local team, and let me tell you they are great people! You will have a lot of fun and make a difference for a family and Middletown. If you want to come lend a hand, they meet up every Saturday morning at 70 1/2 Wicham Avenue by 9:00 AM, all you need is a pair of work gloves, some water and some spare time (must be 16+ years old too).

Well that’s all I can think of typing up at the moment, hope everyone had a safe Cinco De Mayo ;)

-Shane

[sh4n3k1rk]

The Journey Begins

Finally got the site up and running and started a tumblr. Sound the social media trumpets, I haz arrived. More than anything I am excited to spill my thoughts and experiences in a way that will at least serve as a memoir for myself in the future. I look foward to the future.