So I think I have heard “So when do you celebrate your birthday?” about 50 times in the last couple of weeks. I always respond with something witty, like, “whenever I want…”. For those having trouble following along, I am a leap year baby. Technically, I only have a birthday every four years. My last “real” birthday was in 2004, and I won’t have another until 2008. Weird right?

So when will I celebrate it this year? Probably on the weekend, it’s just easier that way…

A recent push for the state of Montana to start production of the first diesel fuel created by the Fischer-Tropsch process has led to a lot of debate over the method

Don Knotts, of The Andy Griffith Show, passed away friday from pulmonary and respiratory complications. Rest in peace.

Harry Fuecks has written a great article on PHP and its place in web development.

At the top of his list is the scaling possible with PHP and arrays (which a lot of people hate). It’s great to actually read something from someone who loves PHP and knows how well it works.

Canon has announced a whole new set of digital cameras that will be available starting in April.

Of particular interest to me is the Powershot S3 IS. Set to be priced at $499 it has a 12x zoom, macro and super-macro modes, and image stabilization. The price is perfect for such a how powered camera.

Personal space is something that we all cherish and as such we respect other people’s space. But it seems there is always that one person that just doesn’t understand basic etiquette.

Today in class I had written down some notes and was quietly listening to what the teacher was saying, we were 20 minutes into class. About that time I hear the door open and in walks a guy from my group. He makes a lot of noise and for some reason decides to sit down beside me. He proceeds to remove a pen and a composition notebook from his backpack and then do that neck lean thing where he’s trying to hint to you that he wants to look at what you have written down. At first I ignore him, then he leans over more and continues to read my notes and copy them down.

My pen is sitting near the end of the notes and when he reaches that point he grabs my pen and moves it. Who does that?! We aren’t buddies, we are simply members of a class group that works on projects together. I always seem to have one of these types of people every semester. I just do not understand why people think something is owed to them or they have to have something right that second.

According to this MSN Money article, I should not even worry about an exact figure for what I need to retire. Instead, I should save up as much as possible as soon as I enter the workforce and continually add to that amount. Really?

Now, some of the suggestions are actually useful, such as the 15% rule and the leaning towards a Roth IRA.

A Roth has actually been on my list of things to do and I want to contribute the maximum amount allowed every year. That way when I do retire the money that I pull out is completely tax free, unlike the money pulled from a 401(k).

I think that Andrew Wilkinson has hit the nail on the head when it comes to professors podcasting their classes.

If a professor puts a podcast up of their lectures there is no reason for them to come to class, the students to come to class, or heck, for there to even be a class. So, basically what ends up happening is, you pay $600 for a class where you listen to your computer or iPod and you occasionally e-mail the professor.

Being homeschooled till I was in 8th grade, I do feel like I learned more on my own than I did in public school. I also feel like here in college I learn more by just picking up a book and reading or doing my own research.

I think universities need to step back and re-think the way they do business and run their curriculum. Think from a student’s perspective, think about the consequences of podcasting everything.

This image:

Over took the following image on the “interestingness” section of flickr.

At least people are thinking about the world. 🙂

I wonder how long it will take for me to get boycotted.

In response to the Danish cartoons, the Iranian paper Hamshahri has created a competition to see who can create the best Holocaust cartoon.

Why I find this so insulting is that just a few weeks ago the Iranian president claimed that the Holocaust was a ‘myth’.

This has now just become an international belly bumping contest. Give it a couple of more weeks and hopefully this thing will just run its course, or we’ll see a giant outcry from Israel over these cartoons.