Cubeville and Pain

Sometime on Wednesday, I was getting up from the drivers seat of the car, and I felt a twinge in my back. I had that before, and knew I was going to have back issues the next day. Thursday was uncomfortable, and by the time my speech class came around, I couldn't find a position that didn't hurt. By the next morning, it was worse. I barely got through training my clients, and by lunch time had difficulty walking. Even after using the over-the-counter pain med cocktail, it wasn't getting any better. I had to call into work.

I don't like feeling this dibilitated. It does suck. But, at least I know it won't last too long. In a few days, it will calm down, and I can 'rehab' it, so-to-speak. It happens about once a year, but this one really took me down.

Other than my back, the communications class went well. I think this class might be a wee bit more difficult than my Operating Systems class. I forget how much busy work can be involved with school. The thing I like best about going back to school? This time, I don't care what the other kids think of me.

Oh, wait,....I didn't care the first time around.

Nevermind.

The difference for me this time, I think, is purpose. When I'm studying in my subject, it doesn't feel like studying; it feels like I'm playing. I think that's a good sign. I'm enjoying the learning the same way a kid would love playing with tonka toy dumptrucks in the sandbox. And soon, I'll get paid to play with my toys.

I don't yet have a vision for what I want to be doing in a few years, after I graduate. Technology can swing is so many different directions, so fast. Right now, I try to keep up with the up and coming trends, demands, interests, and stuff like that. Some trends I see right now are:

• Complete user controlled content - Satelite radio, iPod, iTunes, Video and Podcast downloads. People will have more control of when, where, and how the experience content. TV networks will lose ratings if they keep to a 'watch at this time' schedule. New musicians will become popular through iTunes, with free music.
• Less emphasis on the CPU speed, and more emphasis on FSB (Front-side Bus) speed. The fastest processors are still limited by the FSB speed. Other things need to catch up on speed before the real speed of the current crop of processors can really be experienced.
• As some of the Linux Distributions improve, and readily work on Laptops, it will gain in popularity, especially among the lower income users. Second hand hardware, and Linux Fedora, Ubuntu, and SuSE are really good alternatives to Windows and Mac OS. The fact that they are free, and come with a complete office suite, internet browser, etc, make them a hard thing to beat. You might not see a whole lot of new linux programs this year, but you should see current popular programs creating a Linux version.

Somehow, I'd eventually like to be involved in helping low income people get access to the internet with their own computer. I really liked the MIT "One laptop per child" initiative, but. Recycled hardware and Linux will give many people reliable internet access. It might not be part of my future job, but maybe I could do something toward that type of volunteer work. I'm sure it's out there.

Cubeville, here I come.