Dewbert's thoughts on...

Oh, hey blog.

John — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:13:33 +0000

Where to start? So much has gone on over the past 6 months, it’s hard to know where to begin. I’m going to try to make an effort to start blogging here and posting to Flickr again.

So… bullet-style for now, notables of the past 6 months (links to Flickr albums, where applicable)

Ice Cream Sandwich

John — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 08:05:04 +0000

One of my favorite things about the Android platform is its openness. Google gives its users the freedom to tinker, which results in an incredibly active and engaged developer community. Yesterday, Google released the source code for the latest version of Android Ice Cream Sandwich for the GSM version of the Nexus S. I have the CDMA/WiMax version of the Nexus S, which would have meant that I would be stuck running the old Gingerbread (Android 2.3.7) software until an official release… but tonight, a fully compiled, almost 100% functional version is available for my phone, thanks to a dedicated bunch on the XDA-Developers forum.

I’ve always thought that the Android OS lagged behind Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone in terms of aesthetics, but not anymore. Ice Cream Sandwich features a totally overhauled User Interface on par with the other mobile OSes on the market.

The one bit of functionality that’s missing from this build of ICS is Google Wallet and Near-Field Communications. Community developers have managed to get Wallet working on the “officially unsupported” Galaxy Nexus, so I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before they get it up and running on the Nexus S. If not, I’ll gladly trade Wallet functionality for early access to the otherwise flawless build of this fantastic operating system.

Fin.

John — Mon, 30 May 2011 02:28:19 +0000

A little over a week ago, I submitted the last paper for my last seminar at Norwich University. All that’s left is the week-long residency that starts on June 12 on campus in Northfield, Vermont. On June 18, I will have a Master of Science in Information Assurance, and the longest 15 months of my life will have come to an end. As soon as I got my grade, it was like the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. The program was not particularly difficult for me content-wise, but keeping up with the assignments and pace of the classes caused me more stress and anxiety than I realized. I’m confident that the effort will pay off, though.

I have a pretty quiet summer coming up, hopefully in contrast to last year. I’m no longer studying, not planning to get another dog, and I won’t be traveling as much. Chris and I are going to Montreal for a few days after my graduation ceremony, then to Tokyo for four days in July, thanks to an incredible fare sale that Delta was running a few days ago.

I’m looking forward to being able to read for fun again, hopefully keeping this blog up some more, gardening and refocusing on my career and some other personal goals that I have now that this school business is over with.

A Capella Earworm

John — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:39:38 +0000

Anyone who has ever shuffled through my iPod or ridden with me in my car could probably tell that I’m a pretty big fan of a capella music. Katy Perry? Not so much. Even I’m still surprised at how much I like the various a capella versions of Teenage Dream.

It all started with Mike Tompkins’ a capella mashup of Teenage Dream with Bruno Mars’ Just The Way You Are. I showed it to a coworker, and now it’s on daily rotation in our office.

Last week’s Glee just fed my addiction, and the dance remix by DJ MichaelAngelo went really well with my morning coffee. Check those out after the jump.

(via Towleroad)

Long Overdue

John — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:15:16 +0000

I suck at this.

Summer/Early Fall in Review:

June:

Grover

Pride

July:

Massachusetts (photo: Heather Lariviere)

Tomatoes (and nothing else) from my Garden

City Sunsets

August:

Rehoboth Beach, DE

Boston

September:

New Orleans (photo: Chris Trott)

Outer Banks, NC (photo: Chris Trott)

October:

Pottsville/Centralia, PA (Photos: Chris Trott)

November:

It could have been worse.

Jacksonville, FL

Ongoing:

School: Doing well. Finishing up my 4th Seminar, two more to go. If all goes well, I’ll be spending a week in Northfield, VT in June 2011 for residency and commencement.
Grover: I lucked out with a great dog. Aside from some stomach issues, he’s about perfect. Low-key, fairly well-trained, and now trusted out of the crate during the day.
Work: Meh. Pretty unrewarding most days, but nothing is perfect.

That’s about all I got for now.

Insomnia…

John — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:55:18 +0000

…sometimes has advantages. I heard Grover rustling around in my closet at 4am, so turned on the light. I’d have missed this if I were sleeping.

Ah, the joys of dog ownership.

Independence

John — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:38:20 +0000

Photo Credit: Mark Castonguay

Introducing Grover

John — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:12:21 +0000

Grover

Meet Grover, a sweet, spunky 1 year old black and tan shepherd mix rescued from a hoarder in Mississippi. The Washington Animal Rescue League took in 70 dogs that “had been confined to a 3 ½ acre property—some inside the house, some in pens outside, and some loose in the yard,” and “were covered with mange and suffering from a variety of other medical problems, including gunshot wounds.”

Grover was one of the luckier pups. His mange wasn’t as bad as the others, and he’s obviously been somebody’s buddy in the past, since he’s trained to sit and lie down. He’s just finished treatment for heartworm, and needs to rest for a couple more weeks, but then will be good as new.

He comes home with me on Tuesday, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Chris and I are headed to New York City tomorrow to spend the long weekend relaxing and celebrating the end of my first seminar at Norwich (Straight A’s!) and my birthday. I am so looking forward to the break.

Everything’s Perfect and Nobody’s Happy

John — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:00:34 +0000

Food for thought from Louis C.K. Thanks to Tom for pointing this out to me.

Procrastination

John — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:30:09 +0000

It’s amazing how much I can get done when I have a deadline bearing down on me. Unfortunately, none of what I did this weekend was in any way related to the 7-10,000 word paper I have due this coming Saturday at 11:59PM.

I spent much of my weekend on various home and garden projects. In addition to the grow light I devised for the Rosemary and Basil in the kitchen window, Jamie and I put up a fence around our garden plots and I replaced the blighty tomato plants in my garden with (hopefully) healthy new ones, though it appears that late blight might end up being a big problem in our area this season. I also installed a dimmer switch in the kitchen, converted a switched outlet in my bedroom to un-switched and visited the Washington Humane Society shelter. Exciting stuff, I tell you.

I’m not sure what the point of this post was, other than to not be working on stuff that I should be. So I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom from my girlfriend, Rachel Maddow. Watch it, it’s worth it.