A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

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A year’s worth of reflection

Sometimes, it's worth taking a seat and staring into nature to get into a good place.

On this cold and somewhat snowy Sunday (winter? Really?), I wanted to post a short blog about some things I’ve realized a bit more lately.

I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, but I’ve had a bit of time to reflect the past few days. You see, Saturday was the one-year anniversary of my personal “Crap Day” as I’ll call it. The day I was unceremoniously told my services would no longer be needed as my position had been cut.

The year has been long and, at times, quite hard.

Alas, I plug along. I keep applying. I keep interviewing. I keep pushing along. Something will eventually happen. Of that, I’m sure.

My spirit remains decent, I’m usually optimistic and I try and remain upbeat.

Still, in trying times like this, one tends to look around and see things a bit differently. Items such as taking a different route in your life and where that may have led you, instead of where you are now. Alas, every turn can have positives and negatives. Should I have taken a different turn years ago, maybe I wouldn’t have the same set of friends I have now — ones who I’ve been close to for a decade or more. I’ve had the chance to see then have kids and succeed in life and for that, I’m truly thankful.

‘Tis hard as well at times, knowing the past year has pushed me backward as I see younger folks continue to push forward. It’s not easy being green, as the great prophet Kermit the Frog once said.

With all the turmoil in this world, however, it’s hard to look at things too harshly. For things like this, my mind makes the rest of my body and world realize that pushing forward can be a blessing of sorts.

But enough of the jibber jabber. How about a point?

Over the course of the past year, I’ve realized the importance of touching base with friends and family of the past. There’s certain things that are necessary to do — and the keeping touch part is one that I am trying to do better with. Now, realize this, I’m not an “add everybody to Facebook” sort of guy. By that I mean that I won’t add people on that social network just because I knew somebody one day in the past (and, to be fair, I don’t usually add people I only know online — I like to know someone in person).

So that means I don’t connect with all of my past acquaintances.

But this weekend was a nice one.

I went twice to Cooperstown for its winter Carnivale and connected with a couple of friends of old. It’s not that I don’t see them or talk to them — I do at times either on the phone or if I run into them. But this was different. I stopped in each day and chatted with them and got to see their two-year old. I couldn’t believe that it might have been the first times I had seen their child.

Crazy, right?

But seeing both of them in their daughter really made me realize something.

Losing touch with people of your past — people that mean something to you — can also make you lose touch with your future.

It’s things like this in life that make you stop for a moment. In reality, none of us know how long we have on this planet or what awaits us after. So one needs to stop and, for lack of a better cliche, smell the roses.

Believe me, I won’t be in a rush to go adding people on Facebook. I’m just not that interested in many things from my past.

But that handful of people you’ve always called friends, make an effort. You might be surprised at the outcome.

Family, too.

I still look back at this past summer and the family reunion we held and am shocked at how many new family members I know.

I know some of this has been in past blogs. But one year is a long time. A long time of plodding along and having time to think, reflect and see the world slowly turn.

A few other things I’ve really started to notice over the past year:

  • Smile. It’s good for you as it is someone else.
  • “Thank you” goes a long way.
  • The speed of technology isn’t going to slow down, so embracing it is something that needs to be done.
  • Everyone has a story to tell, if you listen.
  • And for those of you with a camera, photographs are everywhere. Just look outside the box.
One other thing I’ve really learned? Find some parks around you and explore. Walk the trails. Sit on a bench and stare out over things. I’ve really learned that the simple things in life can be some of the most beautiful. Don’t take advantage of that amazing sunset. Or a wonderful blue sky on a bitter winter day. Things like this are amazingly beautiful and well worth stopping and looking at.

It’s my hope that one year from now, I won’t be doing another reflection post because things haven’t improved for me. By then, my smiles and spirits probably would have been nailed into a tree!

The world is a crazy place, people. Connect, re-connect and see things in a wider view. You’ll be surprised at what you can see.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

Will the blackout be enough to help stop SOPA and PIPA?

Wikipedia went dark for 24 hours to protest SOPA and PIPA.

As most regular readers know, I’m not a political person.

I don’t bring politics on this blog because I find that it’s one of the most explosive and one-sided topics out there. By one-sided, I mean this: The person making the argument is going to be right. His or her opponents are going to be right. Why is everyone right? Because the majority of the time, there’s not going to be any bending. People have their beliefs and usually they won’t be swayed.

So I avoid it.

But the blackout that happened with some Internet sites yesterday — Wikipedia had a full blackout of its English language site — to oppose legislation being considered in the U.S. Congress was an admirable gesture.

Did it work?

Google blacked out its logo and linked to a page so people could sign a petition to oppose the legislation.

Only time will tell. What is being opposed are two pieces of legislation that could censor parts of the Internet. It’s being backed by the entertainment industry, which is screaming for this as a way to stop online piracy.

Wikipedia did post some startling statistics and notes from the day of the blackout. It’s worth a read. Check it out here. (There’s a ton of interesting things there, but one thing that stood out to me? More than 162 million saw the Wikipedia blackout page, according to Wikipedia).

The two bills — and maybe you’ve heard of them or seen these being talked about online — are SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act). Wikipedia also gives you two links where you can track the progress of the bills through GovTrack — SOPA and PIPA.

I can’t even begin to say I could explain these whole acts. Click the links above and they will take you to the Wikipedia page explaining each act. I’ve read a lot and don’t know if I can grasp it all, but I know this much — we should try and see what’s going on here because the future of the Internet as we know it could be on the line.

Look, I don’t agree with online piracy. I realize it needs to stop. But to have these pieces of legislation pass through — with vague writing and everything else — could possibly give too much power to people in the government and elsewhere. The normal Joe — Joe Plumber — could go to jail or be sued for something extremely small.

It could, essentially, be crippling.

I’ve spent a lot of time looking at all of this. I’m not sure I even fully understand it. But there are some great things out there for people to read to try and get a grasp on what this legislation is actually about.

Do you realize that parts of these bills could mean if you sing an artist’s song, record it and put it on YouTube that you could go to jail?

Seriously.

I’m not a fan of Justin Bieber. But he got his start doing this very thing. Find out more info about the bills and hear Bieber’s response to all of this at the website freebieber.org.

One thing is for sure — I don’t need the people in Washington deciding how I use the Internet. Or how I get information. Or if  I want to put a family video up with a song playing in the background. I’m not trying to make money off it. Leave it be.

As a journalist, I am a firm believer in the constitution and what it stands for. It seems those in Washington who support this bill might not believe in it so much. This is the reality — there are a bunch of an older generation in Washington getting ready to vote on a bill that could hamper the growth of technology and the Internet for future generations. I don’t think that should happen, personally.

That small group will decide this.

One group.

Speak up, America.

Here’s a very good video about these bills and what it could mean to all of us, from fightforthefuture.org:

If you follow the link to their website, you can also write congress directly from there and voice your opinion about these bills.

All I ask is that you see what these bills are all about. Speak your mind. Tell your congress people what you think. This is our future. The future of the upcoming generations.

Remember that genius comes from the craziest places. There are some phenomenal internet-based companies that could be shut down or sued because of these bills. Blogs could come under fire for sharing content. Sites people love — YouTube, Facebook etc. — could all get into trouble for having things that are protected. Users could get in trouble.

The Internet as we know it could be done.

Please read some stuff about it. Get educated. Sign the petition if you are against it. But make sure your voice is heard.

The future of the Internet could be in danger, so get your say in while you have the chance.

Google has a lot of information about these bills. This could be a good place to start (and there’s even a place to sign a petition there): End Piracy, Not Liberty.

My final plea is to take a stand against censorship. Do your part. This goes beyond politics. This goes beyond partisan thinking. This is life. Life as we know it. Don’t let the future be dictated by the few people in Washington who are more worried about the bigwigs in the Entertainment industry and their lobbyists.

Speak up before it’s too late.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

 

… and I’ve jumped to the iPhone

What a sweet screen this is. Very nice!

I had an upgrade available with Verizon.

So, a discount on a new phone. And with this new iPhone 4s out, I was curious. I read things. I solicitied opinions. Was it worth tossing my Motorola Droid X aside and go with the iPhone.

Yep.

What a world of difference!

I’ve had the phone since Sunday. I think I got a bit lucky, actually. I called a Verizon person I knew, who unfortunately wasn’t working at his place (which was in Binghamton, where I needed to go to pick up a suit… ya know, for the job search, interviews etc.) Alas, it didn’t matter because he knew his store didn’t have any left.

Shocker!

He did note that I should call the Oneonta (which is much closer to me) store to see. I did that. But apparently the person I talked to wasn’t supposed to tell me whether they had any in stock or not. I guess it makes sense. After all, if he tells someone they have the iPhone in the store, then that person comes in and the phones are gone… well, ya know.

So I said to the guy, “Look, if I come in and you are out, that’s my fault. But I want to know I have a fighting chance if I come over.”

He whispers that they have a few.

The new iPhone's box (created with Instagram)

Now I had to make the choice. Go with the iPhone or stick with the Droid and wait for something else down the line. Ahhh, what the heck.

Shower up, get dressed and head over. I find the guy I had talked to on the phone, he asked what I wanted (16gig, black phone) and he went to the back and came out with one.

The last one.

Sweet!

Forty-five minutes later, I was walking out with an iPhone 4s in hand — starting my journey into the world of the iPhone.

Boy was it different.

I didn’t get the chance to mess with it too much as I had to bolt to Binghamton to grab my suit. But I messed around with it that night. I looked at apps. I downloaded a few. I played with a few others and saw how the phone worked.

My first impression?

Awesome. Better operating system. Sharper image. The camera? Oh my. This camera is absolutely amazing. As someone who is a photographer, I wanted a phone camera where the images were sharp and came out nice. When I am going to do serious shooting, nothing will beat my Canon 7D. But when I am with friends or just tooling around, the iPhone will be a very nice piece of equipment to have.

Photo shot straight out of the camera.

In fact, I started a slight 365 project on my Tumblr account the day I got the iPhone — My first 365 days with the iPhone! I don’t know if I’ll complete it and if I don’t, no biggie. But I will be putting my images from the iPhone on my Tumblr account as it’s quick to upload there. Most of the images will be done with Instagram.

I still have thoughts of doing a true Project 365 (well, it will be 366 because 2012 is a Leap Year) starting Jan. 1, so who knows if this project will fully go on as I don’t know if I’ll be working on two of these projects at one time.

If you are on Tumblr, feel free to follow me to check out the photos I’ll be posting.

Here’s one thing I’ve really found out about the iPhone — it’s so much better than my Droid X was for doing social networking things and games.

I’m hoping I can connect with a few people through this post and, in some cases, learn some things.

Instagram's app page

Take, for example, Instagram.

I’m really loving this app. It’s almost worth switching to the iPhone to have this. The ability to mess around with photos taken on the iPhone and post some really cool stuff is wild.

But it’s hard to connect with people, it seems.

It will search your Twitter and Facebook accounts and your contacts list. That’s good. But it apparently doesn’t tell you that you are being followed or if you follow someone etc. I’ve talked to a few people who I followed who hadn’t even realized it. One who I needed to request to follow!

That doesn’t take away from the app. I love it. But there could be some cool things to have to make it a little more user friendly. Possibly a search for topic, too. It doesn’t appear you can search for direct subjects, rather just people.

The same leaf photo from above, fixed up via Instagram.

If you are on Instagram (name: hoohaa29), feel free to follow me. I check my followers and will follow back as well. I like finding new people and see how they use the program. It’s really wild.

I’m really starting to dig some of the other programs, too. Some of the other camera apps are really nice. They give you the chance to do some cool things with processing on the phone.

There are some cool foodie apps, too, such as Foodspotting and Epicurious. There’s apps such as Untappd, which help you rank and talk about beers.

Way too cool.

Though some of these apps are available on my former smartphone, the Motorola Droid X. I did love that phone. It was great for me for nearly two years.

There were things about it that really bothered me. Like, for example, it shut off at odd times all on its own. In the middle of phone calls even. I’d hate to be on an important call and have it turn off. Then it took a long time to start back up. The browser was decent but choppy. And many times the apps and such would go all haywire and require them to be forced closed. The thing that turned me though is that there’s no real checks and balances with their apps. I’ve read a bunch about the Droid’s marketplace having some bad stuff. And that’s not just the Droid X — that could happen to any phone operating the Droid system. So, it was time.

But this iPhone. Amazing.

The screen is crisp. The camera is awesome. The internet moves quick. It’s everything I read about it.

It’s funny because a Twitter friend noted that I needed to get it. And, if I didn’t like it, she’d buy it off me.

She doesn’t need to worry about that.

I’m keeping it.

***

Reminder! Contest going on! I am holding a contest this week for an autographed copy of Bill Walker’s book “Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail”. It runs from October16- to 12:01 a.m. Oct. 28. You can see all the details on the contest page. Enter for your chance to win!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

Notes from my noodle: August 3 edition

Ahhh the world of social networking.

Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. StumbledUpon. Tumblr.

Hash tags. Trending topics.

There is so much out there to digest. And it’s crazy to try and figure it all out. Alas, I’ve taken a jump with the social media for the HooHaa Blog and created a “fan” page. It’s not so much a page for fans, rather a spot where I will post updates for this blog and my photo blog. It’s a nice little spot to keep track of things and all that. I don’t expect anything major out of it, but it’s nice to have.

If you want to like the blog on there, hit up the HooHaa Blog Facebook page.

And now, there’s Google +.

I have accounts at other spots and got an invite for the Google +, so I’m all signed up. I’ve messed around a little with it and am trying to figure it out. Not sure if it’s the next Facebook or what, but it’s interesting.

I’m pretty sure I covered this all in a post not too long ago, but I guess I’ve taken the latest plunges into the social networking world. Well, at least for the blog!

***

Softball season is winding down.

Though it’s always disappointing when softball ends, that means there won’t be the worry of playing every Tuesday and Thursday.

Still, we have at least two games in our Oneonta City League remaining, with the possibility of three.

The championship begins Thursday as we play Miller, the lone team to earn a victory over us this season. It should be a fun series and, of course, I am hoping that we win this series and earn our second straight championship.

We ousted the Fuzzy Dogs in the semifinals, dispatching of them Tuesday for a sweep. Third-seeded Miller swept the Copper Fox (who we beat in last year’s final) to reach the championship.

Currently, we’re 17-1 and hopefully we can win two more and finish with one heck of a wild season.

***

The job hunt is going slow.

I’ve sent out things for jobs, took a workshop on some other things and have been keeping my head up as much as possible. It’s a bit frustrating, however. I have a couple of irons in the fire, so to speak, and hope that one of them catch fire a bit as they are spots I’d really dig. I keep looking and keep applying, though at times it becomes tedious.

Funny story though and it makes me wonder about some other jobs I’ve employed to.

A couple of people pointed me to an interesting job. I saw it on the company website, looked a bit more and it seemed like something I could deal with. Another friend had looked into applying for it at one time and knew the pay scale and all seemed pretty solid.

I looked at what I needed to do and one part included a digital portfolio of sorts to send along to them.

I started looking for things to include and got a few things together. But before I went any further, I figured I should call the company to see to whom I should address a cover letter and if there was anything else I needed to send.

Turns out the job has been filled, but had not been taken off the website.

I’m glad I called ahead as that would have been quite annoying to work on all of that stuff and find out the job wasn’t available any longer.

The job listing is off the website now, though, so that’s a good thing at least.

***

Researching obscure baseball players has been fun.

The thing about some of these baseball players is that they are so obscure that there isn’t much on them. There’s statistics, but not much more.

One of the ball players who I’ve sponsored on Baseball-Reference is buried in nearby Johnson City.

After touching base with the cemetery and finding out where he is buried, we went on a search. Alas, we got to the spot and there’s one headstone for someone else in this family plot, but not the person we were looking for. There were two things that seemed like they could have been bases for former headstones, but there was nothing to show that this person was buried there, other than knowing where he was supposed to be. The one headstone is for someone listed on the cemetery card for this plot, alas wasn’t the person I was hoping to find info on. It’s a shame, too, because some of the dates of his birth and death differ in certain spots.

I’ll keep up the research and will eventually have a post on him.

***

As those of you who read this blog will know, I’m quite interested in reading about, learning and hearing stories about long-distance hiking. It’s fascinating to see people who go through all of this and then see how they react at the end.

I got an e-mail the other day from hiker Skywalker (I’ve read one of his two books and will be reading the second soon), who arrived back in the states after hiking in Spain. It seems he had quite the experience. I’m working on doing an interview with him soon about his experiences, hiking and other things along those lines. If you have any questions you’d like to ask a long-distance hiker, let me know and I’ll put them in that interview.

That made me realize I hadn’t checked the hikers I started reading about at Trail Journals several months ago. Though I knew several people had dropped out of their hike of the Appalachian Trail, I knew several were still at it. Those that I was reading included both genders and ages ranging from recent high-school graduates to senior citizens.

It was sad to see that several of them had dropped out. There were various reasons, but all were valid. Many of them got several hundred miles in, too. A few of them are close to finishing or have already finished. It’s really quite impressive to think that these people will have hiked more than 2,000 miles over varying terrain to finish the AT.

I’m still intrigued by the AT. I’m not saying I will do the hike one day and I’m not saying I won’t. The odds are against it, but it does still intrigue me. It’s a shame I wasn’t better off financially or in better shape as being laid off for all this time would have been the perfect time to try it. We’ll see though. Only time can tell.

To those of you who have done it or finished this year, awesome job and congrats. For those who try it in the future, good luck.

And if you want to ask someone who has done the AT and the Pacific Crest Trail, let me know and I’ll add it to my question sheet!

***

Every year, Binghamton hosts the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally. I’ve never gone and have always wanted to as it seems like it would be great photography.

Years ago, when working a summer job as a painter at a local college, a few of us used to listen to a Binghamt0n-area radio station. That year, Eddie Money was a headliner at the Spiedie Fest. Quite often during that summer, you’d hear Money’s song “Take Me Home Tonight” on the radio and them advertising for Spiedie Fest.

And every time the chorus part of the song came on, the announcer would — in a booming voice — say “EDDIE MONEY!”

Ever since then, it’s been a running joke between a few of us.

Eddie Money is back at Spiedie Fest this year. Two of us are going Friday to check out the festival, hopefully see some balloons launch and watch Eddie Money (hopefully) rock the stage. It should be quite fun.

And there better be some good spiedies as they are tasty as can be and will be something I am looking to snack on while down there!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com.

R u 4 real?

Ugh.

When I was an adjunct instructor at a local college, I detested when students used textspeak.

U. u’re. U R kewl. Y? Y r u 2 kewl?4 real!

Get the picture?

I got so annoyed with it that I gave something at the beginning of the semester for them to see how silly it can look when written.

There is something like 100 errors in this little “story,” that I wrote. But that also includes bad spacing, punctuation, spelling and capitalization as well as silly grammar mistakes.

I submit this wonder to you now:

So, r u ready to rite this semester?

this class will require alot of writing, so u need 2 come 2 class and pay attenshun.

Details r things u need 2 work on. remember that u r graded 4 every thing u hand in. this is u’re work and what u will be graded on.

so when i wuz reading the cyllabus i was so like u have got 2 be kiddin me. but i kno that i have 2 write in i will do it my way.

but OMG, remember that u have 2 write in english !

that means proper puncuation , spelling; n nething else. so nvm the crazy txt talk or IM with my freinds. That iz SO lame. but thats what I have 2 do i guess. lol.

btw, it wouldnt b good 2 put this off 4 2nite as if u hand this in i  b all like wtf n u will fail it 2moro. 🙂

See how silly that is?

The amazing part was how many items were picked out by the students. Even the smallest errors were figured out by someone. I loved it! I then, always, followed that up with noting that if these items were in a paper, it would be an automatic F. I wouldn’t tolerate it because it’s not an acceptable way of writing, especially in a college paper.

After we did a day or two of grammar, I gave a quiz. One of the questions is as follows:

What will happen if a student uses the following “words” in a story: u, r, 2, u’re, etc.

  1. points deducted
  2. Given a star for good work
  3. Fail the paper
  4. A high five

People actually got it wrong. Seriously.

Considering I didn’t teach a class this past semester, why do I bring this up now?

Because I’ve seen it more and more in posts on Facebook. On Twitter. On blogs.

Everywhere.

It’s ridiculous. Some of the people I’ve seen do it on Facebook are educated people. I don’t use these things anywhere. Not texting. Not on Twitter. Not on Facebook. I’ll use a “hahaha” or a smiley in an instant message, but it’s hard to convey how you feel or if you are laughing in other ways.

It’s lazy and it looks stupid.

Facebook is the worst offender. To a point, I can understand on Twitter with it being 144 or fewer characters. But even then… do more than one Tweet! Texts just make me scream. There are some reporters for big papers I follow who do it in Tweets, however, and it drives me nuts.

So, I’ll end with this — srsly ppl, think b4 u rite silly things n look all stoopid. That wuld b gr8. K thanx bye.

OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com.