Clearly not a "Fluency Milestone"

Okay, this is clearly not a fluency milestone. Just had to put something a bit more personal on here...so here it is: My Dad and I watching one of the many winning Steeler games...

Fluency Milestone #5

We had a guest speaker on Wiki culture last night...very interesting and very insightful. Of course this prompted me to explore Wikipedia and all of it's opportunities...In my spare time, I think I will now finally learn Serbo-Croatian...

Also, my friend sat in on the class. And, he has his own Wiki site run by colleagues at Carnegie Mellon's Celluar Biomechanics Labortory. I took a look and other than the subject matter being completely foreign to me, it is an interesting protocol for a lab environment.

Fluency Milestone #4

Okay, here is one example of a GIS map I created using a prototype of an upcoming database project I have been working on. And, for whatever reason, using Picasa is easier said than done...I know I am missing something here.

Fluency Milestone #3

More Google....Google is entering a more traditional media. If anyone is interested in this subject and interested in participating and reading an online discussion with a Washington Post writer and author of "The Google Story", the chat begins at 1pm, January 18th.

Fluency Milestone #2

On Google...

Some of this weeks readings focus on the internet superpower-Google. I have to admit, I really haven't thought about an negative consequences of this new Google age. But, after watching the short film, "Epic 2015", and reading these various editorials mostly on the implications of Google Scholar, it has me thinking.

One editorial asks the obvious question of what will a generation look like that relies solely on Google Scholar, a generation that has never actually held a book or conducted traditional research in a library. But aren't we almost there? Although, university library collections may not be available online, academic journals and articles are, making that aspect of library research obsolete. It is unnecessary to go to the library for articles. And this has transpired in just the past few years. While at American, I worked in the periodical section of the library. I graduated in 1999, not THAT long ago...but while I was there, my research was conducted through volumes and volumes of bound periodicals. And this seems so arduous to me now. That was just seven years ago.

Fluency Milestone #1 and some other stuff

I am in my fourth and final (hopefully) semester in the Masters in Public Administration Program at GSPIA.

I came to GSPIA with the goal of preparing myself academically and professionally for a career in Urban Planning. And hopefully this will happen come May 2006...Before GSPIA, I lived in Washington, D.C. for about 9 years. I am a graduate of American University with a degree in Justice and from there embarked upon a stint in the field of Securities and Exchange Commission regulation and compliance at two large corporate law firms. I did want to go to law school. But as many who have worked in law firms may have experienced, I some what quickly learned that this was not for me. Hence, graduate school...

So, I am now in this capstone: Digital Governance. I have to admit that prior to January 10th, 2006 I was not thrilled about the idea of this capstone. But, now it seems to be a blessing in disguise, which is true to form for a lot of my graduate school experience.

My experience with the field of Digital Governance. Not much. However, through class, an internship at Pitt's COPC, and involvement with a non-profit plotting illegal dumpsites with GIS, I am becoming very proficient in ArcGIS and really enjoy it. And hope that this skill will land me a seat in some company that pays me less than I was making before having this expensive out of state Masters degree. But, a seat in a company or organization that I enjoy. And that is worth the expensive out of state Masters degree...

I should comment on the Lessig reading, which was my initial intent of today's blog. But, I think I will come back to that in another installment.

Keep posted. I think I will comment on Piracy next. Watch out.

Test

This is my first official blog entry. I have tried to post bloggesque postings on sites such as myspace.com and friendster.com, but this seems more official. So here goes..