Tic Tac Toe

This week’s assignment was to create a Tic Tac Toe game using jQuery. Creating this game was definitely the trickiest and most complicated assignment of the semester. Since this was the last assignment it stands to reason that it would be the hardest. One of my problems, when working through an exercise such as this, is that I tend to want to skip some of the learning steps. I watched the video provided by the instructor and then wanted to skip the steps where I would test to make sure that jQuery was working. Then when I tried to make the program I created interactive, it didn’t work and I had to start all over again. But once I forced myself to go through all the steps I didn’t have a problem getting it to render correctly.

I also had to figure out how to get back to the index page with the clickable link. I knew how to move up one directory (because the professor had shown us,) but didn’t know how to move up the second directory. Moving up one directory looked like this: “../”  while , after a little research, I found that moving up two directories needed to be rendered like this: “../../” I tried to write it with four periods and one backslash and that wasn’t working. Once I figured that out it was very easy to load and get up and running.

If you’re dying to play Tic Tac Toe you can check it out here. 

Web Application: RPM?

If you’ve read my blog you’ve probably noticed I’m big into goal setting and achievement. I’ve tried many time/life management software programs and none have really worked for me. Probably the best piece of software for the desktop is Plan Plus by Franklin Covey. I was going to write about turning the Covey software into a Web application, even through his time management system doesn’t work well for me. But after some research I found that there was, in fact, a version created for the Web. In lieu of talking about Plan Plus, I am instead going to discuss the Rapid Planning Method (RPM) from the Anthony Robbins Companies. 

Anthony Robbins (Yes, the big guy with the teeth from the infomercials) has probably created the best time/life management system on the planet. Although, the introduction to his system is much more complex than Coveys, but is well worth the effort to learn. Recorded on 16 CD’s (in the audio program Time of Your Life), Anthony Robbins guides you step by step through his RPM system. To provide a tool for users, he originally created a paper planner to go with it. Later, he also put out at least two versions of a software program that most users, including this blogger, found useless. Users couldn’t believe that such a powerful system of life management wouldn’t translate into a powerful software program to assist the user in the management of their life. 

Currently, the software has been discontinued, though if you still use paper planners they’re still available from the company website. Talk on the company message board seems to indicate that software for both desktop and mobile apps are in production, but most RPM users are not holding their breath.

This brings us to the idea of turning the RPM desktop planner into a Web application. A Web application could be a remedy to any memory or size constraints that would also provide a steady stream of income for the company, since a Web site like this would be subscription based. 

With a Website like this, the user could plan their whole life in one location and access it from anywhere (as long as they had an Internet connection). Also, just like the software program was supposed to do, the user would be able to plan out their year and then move the goal and action item(s) to the correct month, week, and day, that the user scheduled for it to be worked on (saving a ton of retyping), something the software program was never able to accomplish. Additionally, on the daily plan, especially if JavaScript were utilized, the user would be able to take a goal for the day with its action items under it and move the entire block, depending on what order they wanted to accomplish their goals, without the need to rewrite. 

jQuery

JavaScript and HTML can get very complicated, especially to beginners who are trying to create Webpages. Enter jQuery. As it says on jquery.com, “jQuery is a fast and concise JavaScript Library that simplifies HTML document traversing, event handling, animating, and Ajax interactions for rapid web development. jQuery is designed to change the way that you write JavaScript.” And it does!

jQuery made it very easy for me to create a paragraph that I or visitors can drag anywhere we want in the blog. My paragraph is set up so that once you navigate away from the page or reload, the paragraph goes back to its original location. There is so much you can do with jQuery that you’ll need to set aside some time to really get used to the coding, but once you do, you’ll find that it’s a very powerful tool.

Luckily for me, this is an intro class and I was able to have a teacher show me step by step how to create a basic draggable paragraph. Since I understand the process now, (and I already have the coding added to the default HTML) I should have no problem at least adding that basic feature to my blog when it’s appropriate. You can check out my draggable paragraph here.

Draggable Elements

this paragraph is draggable

This one is not

Launch Party

I wanted to let everyone know that I made a story sale. My short story "The Language of Ice" is included in the  Extinct Doesn't Mean Forever anthology, put out by Dare to Dream Press.

Everyone is welcome to go to the Launch Party  (this will be held at the editors blog) where you'll have a chance to win a copy of the anthology and possibly other prizes. Stop on by between the hours of 8a.m. EST March 23rd 2011 to 8.am. EST March 24th 2011. Launch Party

Introduction to JavaScript

This week we worked with JavaScript for the first time. This was also my first time working with JavaScript. JavaScript allows for interactive functionality, something that can’t be done with HTML coding. As you can probably tell from my interactive Website idea post, JavaScript works very well with math calculation Websites. This year I’ve used sites like this a lot for my Introduction to Statistics class. JavaScript also works well for time stamping, where time and date need to change depending on, well, the current time date when the site has been accessed.

Learning HTML or JavaScript is like learning another language, because it is—it’s a computer language. I’ve found that the lessons in this class are made more efficient by the use of videos that have been created by the professor (I wish other classes like Statistics would follow suit). We’re able to follow along and learn by example. This makes learning the basics of these languages much easier. Once we’re complete, we have a template that we can examine and learn from. It gives us a great framework and foundation.

We also mixed HTML and JavaScript, working with the strengths of each language. I particularly liked being able to create a pop-up button that could display a welcome message and the name of the website visitor.

Check out my Javascript page here.

Interactive Website Idea

This week one of our assignments is to come up with an interactive website idea that we haven't seen on the internet. Here it is: 


I’ve been taking statistics this year and have used some interactive Web pages to make some calculations. The problem is, everything I use is spread out over many different websites. I would love to see an interactive Web page or complete website that included all calculations for statistics in an easy and accessible format. 

Ideally, a site like this would include statistical calculators that would be easier to use than the physical calculators currently available. Needing to learn statistics while also learning how to use one of these complicated calculators is a little much—especially when the class is accelerated. I’m also utilizing a program called CrunchIT, but even that program doesn’t provide everything I need. A Web site like this could be set up so that a student could go step by step through a calculation, making it easier to learn. The student could enter in the numbers they have available and the Web site would not only do the calculation but show and explained why the program came to that conclusion. 

Another concept would be to have pages set up so that the student could go through a complete calculations or an abridged version more in line for passing a statistics for social scientist class. 

After completing the homework for this class this week, it appears that JavaScript would be the ideal programming language to set up this type of page. 

Creating Goal Lists

Every year starting in December and culminating on New Years Eve, I set my goals for the coming year. Then I keep track of everything I’m accomplishing so that at the end of the year I can see all the progress I’ve made.  It’s amazing how much you can accomplish during a year, but if you don’t keep track of it you won’t feel a “sense of accomplishment.”

If you want to do the same thing, the first thing you need to do is write down all the categories in your life.  In my professional life that’s stuff like: freelance writer, martial arts instructor, and Amazon seller. In my personal life I list things like: Family life, health, financial, spiritual/emotional, etc.

Then write down a mission or vision statement that declares what you want in your life and how you want to live.

Next, create at least a list of goals for each area of life that you’d like to work on for the upcoming year. Then write down what you’re going to do this month, this week, and this day to accomplish them.  Basically, you want to know your endgame (the goal you want to accomplish) and then take steps everyday toward its accomplishment. 

If you’re interested in looking at a sample, you can find a link to my completed goal list for 2010 here. 

Forms and JotForm

This week in Exploring the Internet we had to go to www.jotform.com and create a feedback form. Jotforms was very easy to use. Basically, all you have to do is drop and drag the elements you want and then type in the information you want to display.  The great thing about this application is you don’t need to know HTML coding to use this service. When you’re done you can grab the coding and paste it on your page.  The basic services are free but you can also pay to upgrade to a professional or premium service.

Then we worked on creating a from from scratch. To do that we used HTML tags. Once you know which HTML tags to use, it’s fairly easy. The only problem comes when you want to enter a long string of data. If you want a drop down menu with all the months, the days of the week, and years, you have to do each by hand, one at a time.  This can get very tedious, especially when entering the years. This is when a drag and drop service like Jotform comes in handy.

We had to use the forms on our collogues Web pages to give them some feedback. I've had a few forms in my email box. Most seem to like my website. I was told it was clean and organized. The only constructive criticism was to change the font on my h2 titles to more define the letters. Thanks all!

Web App idea...

For this week we were supposed to create an idea for a Web application. Here's a Web app I’d like to see:

I would love to see a complete plot to print writer’s web application. There are a lot of great software solutions for writers but all of them have drawbacks and you end up needing a lot of programs to do everything.

First you need a word processor of some type. Word, Open Office, and Google Docs all do this very well. Next it can be helpful to have a place to put all your research. Evernote, Scrivener, and others are good for this. Then being able to look at your work in outline form (especially a novel) and move things around is done very well by Scrivener and well, at least to some extent, by others. Searching market listings can be accomplished by going to Duotrope and other engines. Then using Excel, Duotrope, or others you can track submissions. You get the picture.

What if a complete writing solution were created. You’d be able to do all this in the cloud without having to switch back and forth from application to application. And there would be no compatibility issues.

You’d be able to research your story and keep links, photos, or anything else that would help you later in your writing. Imagine then writing in Doc or RTF format while also having the flexibility of moving around scenes with ease.  After you edit and format your work (with help provided if needed) you’d be able to research markets, automatically update your formatting per guidelines from the publisher, and then submit directly from the application. For a small fee, the company would actually mail out hardcopies of stories, manuscripts, or samples if needed.  And if you were more interested in indie self-publishing, you could do all the work of preparing your book right in the application. This would be my idea of a fantastic web solution. 

UJAM

If you’ve ever wanted to use Apple’s Garage Band but didn’t have a Mac, you can get much of the same functionality from UJAM. Actually, I think you can get more functionality from UJAM. UJAM allows you to either record live instruments and mix them or, even if you have no musical skill, create music either by what they call       rejamming (where you use prerecorded tracks) or by singing the tune that’s in your head and allowing UJAM to turn it into a full string orchestra or rock band.  This last feature is pretty amazing.

Along with writing stories and novels, I’ve written many song lyrics, but I don’t have the chops to play my own music. I used to play drums in a band in the 80’s but what I really need is someone to play guitar and bass. With UJAM I can sing the song, have UJAM turn it into a backing track, and fix my notes and vocals. I almost wish I didn’t find this web app because I’m going to spend a lot of time using it, time that could be spent more productively. But it will be fun!

You can sign in using your facebook account and be up and running in just a few minutes. Then you can share your music with your facebook friends. I won’t be sharing my test vocals but if I’m able to make something that sounds semi-decent you can bet I’ll be posting it on facebook.

After going through all the tutorials, I found that UJAM is in a Beta stage (they’re calling it Alpha). For now you can use the program for free. They’re hoping for feedback and waiting for Adobe to fix some things in Flash. Once that happens, and they’re ready to go live,  you’ll still be able to use basic functions for free, but if you want premium functionality you’ll have to pay for a subscription.

If you have music in your head, and want to let it out, I can think of no better way to do it (aside from having real music ability) than by using UJAM.

Try out UJAM here 

Writing Part II—The First Sale

In a previous post I talked about the basics of writing and submitting short stories for sale in magazines, webzines, and anthologies. Instead of moving onto novels I though I would talk about what happens when you get your first sale.

I made my first sale in 2006. I had been writing in my free time since 2000 and had spent most of my time learning how to write novels. But I was still interested in writing and placing some short fiction. Dark Recesses Press, an up and coming .PDF horror magazine, was running a short-story contest with a prize of $500.00 and a $40.00 special edition hardcover copy of Douglas Clegg’s The Priest of Blood. What’s more, they were looking for a vampire story that did something special with the well-worn trope. As it turned out, I had a story ready and waiting for the right market. I figured my story wouldn’t make the cut but it would be good to go through the process.

Before this submission I had been getting what you call “good rejections.” What’s a good rejection? A good rejection is when the editor doesn’t want your story but praises it, tells you what you’re doing right or wrong, and maybe even encourages you to submit another story. I had been getting the “this is close but not quite right for us” type of rejection for years so when I received a response in my e-mail inbox I just figured it was another rejection. 

My wife, who was reading over my shoulder, realized that I had won the contest before I had the chance to process the acceptance. Getting my first acceptance was a very surreal experience and one that validated all the hard work that I had put in over the years.

My latest story sale (The Language of Ice) was to Phoenix Sullivan’s upcoming Extinct Doesn’t Mean Forever anthology.  This time my story is more along the lines of urban fantasy in an anthology that will be mostly science fiction & fantasy stories.

When you are dealing with a professional (like in the two examples above), the editor will send out an acceptance letter and then provide you with a contract. Some editors will require a small bio to go with your story. After you send back the contract the editor will send you a proof that you’ll read through and request any changes before publication.  Then, either on acceptance or after publication, you will receive the payment for the story that you agreed upon in the contract. In the case of anthologies you will sometimes also receive pro-rated royalties for each copy sold.

Well, that’s it for now. Maybe next time we’ll talk about novels. 

The Halfway Point

I’m finding this class very interesting and useful. I always wondered how someone could build a webpage from scratch. The video tutorials have been very useful and have helped me to work through all the HTML coding. The closest thing I’ve done to HTML coding was back in the 1980’s when I worked a little with Basic language programming. Back then I used to buy Run magazine and would try to type in the codes, included in the magazine, into my $50.00 TRS80 Micro computer. The program, when it worked and it rarely did, could only be saved on a cassette tape and that didn’t work very well either.  A few years later I would buy a Commodore 64/128 but I spent more time playing games then I did  working with programming.  But now I’m showing my age.

I’ve been using social media for a good amount of time to network with other writers. But this class has pushed me to move beyond facebook and also join Linkedin and twitter where a lot of writers are also networking. I’ve also been inconsistently writing a blog at Wordpress but I just set up a separate one at Blogger and I think I like it better. I’m hoping to learn more about personalizing my blog. I know a lot of writers use them as substitutes for a Webpage. I’m not sure I’ll learn enough in this class to go beyond creating a basic Webpage, and I’m not sure I’m want to go that far anyway. But the class  has given me a greater appreciation of the process.  

My Website

I decided to work on two different pages since I separated the index page from the “About Me” information. I had already placed a share tag at the top of my index page. I decided to change the background and the colors of the fonts on the index page and then matched them to the “about me” page. I also changed the background color.

On the “about me page” I matched the colors to my index page, and taking a cue from Wayne, I was able to post my picture. I went to Google Images and looked myself up. I was able to find a URL to my facebook photo and use the HTML coding to put it on the page. Then, I darkened the color of the fonts by adding the color code into the HTML coding in the “About Me” section and the “Career” section just to provide a little contrast. I don’t think it turned out too badly for a first try.

Before taking this class I had no idea how to make even a simple Webpage so I’m pretty happy to have learned the beginning of the process. I didn’t find it that difficult as long as I used the previous examples and worked off of them.

If you want to check out my pages here go

here

or

here

Thanks! 

What is a Black Belt?

For this week, since I’m not done with my website tasks for the week, I’m going to post my second blog post first.

In 1992, after five years of hard training, and a four-hour test demonstrating everything I had learned over the years, I earned the coveted rank of 1^st Degree Black Belt (Cho Dan in Korean and Shodan in Japanese) in Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan (A.K.A. Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan). With that, my teacher welcomed me to the beginning of my training.

Yes, when I reached 1^st degree black belt I was considered a beginner, a true beginner. Perhaps I was an “advanced” beginner, but I was really just beginning my training. All the training and the colored belts that came before were considered to be pre-beginning material, things that needed to be learned before the real training could begin. In the West we tend to think of a black belt as an expert, but a new black belt is anything but an expert. In contrast to a new student who ties on a white belt, the black belt is very knowledgeable but she or he still has a long way to go in their learning and understanding of the art and martial arts in general.

It’s also important to understand that every independent school and every organization sets their own standards for awarding martial arts rank. My school required a minimum of four years of study and very specific techniques and principles that had to be demonstrated to be eligible to earn a black belt rank. I have also trained at a school that required a minimum of ten years of training. Then there are schools that only require two years to reach the black belt rank. On average three to four years seems the minimum time for most schools in the West but they do vary widely.

To me a black belt is someone who has learned the basics of the art they are studying and has internalized what she or he has learned. This means they can perform the basics without needing to think about them. But understand that every school or organization sets their own standards. They also set their own standards for earning higher-level black belt rank. Some require learning and demonstrating specific kata and techniques, others only require a specific amount of time in grade, some will award higher rank based only on what the teacher has done for the art (publishing book, appearing in national magazines, or otherwise being an ambassador for the art), some base ranking of quality of students produced, and some award higher rank based on how often the candidate travels to the arts home country.

In the end, it’s not the rank that matters but the skill and ability that the martial artist gains over the years. Since ability can vary widely, rank should not be a sole determinate when looking for a martial arts instructor. You want to make sure you like the instructor and like their teaching style. How you feel about the instructor , their teaching ability, and how well you work with them are better indicators than any paper rank they can display on their school walls.

Earning a black belt is certainly a worthy endeavor that has the potential of making you into a better person, helping you to achieve your life goals, and making you more secure and confident. But we should never forget that the skills learned are vastly more important than a black piece of cloth worn around ones waist. And, as the oft used and very true cliché states: it’s the journey and not the destination.

The imaged I used is from: http://www.marketingmergenetwork.com/black-belt-recruiting-dillard/

How to be a Freelance Writer

Recently I had a student ask me how to get into the business of freelance writing. I tried to give him some basic information, and I figured I would use my second blog post this week to expand on the answer. I’m going to focus on fiction writing since I don’t have any experience selling commercial writing or ad copy.

I usually make the joke that being a freelance fiction writer is a euphemism for being unemployed. The same thing can be said for most people who call themselves actors. Writers spend most of their time writing and submitting their work, hoping that an editor will buy it, while actors spend most of their time auditioning and looking for work.

If you want to be a writer make sure you enjoy spending long periods of time alone, that you actually like the process or writing and editing, and that you can take a great deal of rejection. If you decide you want to make writing your primary job, you’re going to have to deal with a lot of economic uncertainly, unless that is, you have a spouse with a good job or you’re independently wealthy.

You’re going to have to make a choice whether you want to primarily write short fiction or novels. If you want to write for a living then you’re probably better off focusing on novels. Novels take longer to write but they usually pay much better than short fiction. Still, writing short fiction is a great way to start. You’ll create a complete story in a shorter period of time, and then you can send it out and hope for an acceptance or at least some feedback. Just remember it’s not the editor’s job to give you feedback.

Let’s say that you wanted to start out by writing some short fiction. I suggest you start out by searching for fiction markets (print magazines and e-zines) in the genre of your choice. Some good places to start your search would be the Websites Duotrope and Ralan. The tried and true advice is to send your stories to the highest paying markets that take the style of fiction that your write, first. Then, if you get rejected, you would work your way down to the next highest paying, and so on.  Preferably, you would read some of the markets and write stories specifically for them. You would then want to edit your stories and put them in standard manuscript format. Follow the markets submission directions carefully as they may have specific formatting guidelines. And then submit your manuscript to them per their instructions. You’ll want to make a list of markets you submitted to so that you don’t accidently send them the same story twice.

After you have submitted your story, begin on a new story for another market. Take any rejections you get in stride. Rejection is part of the business. Learn from the rejections you can and ignore the rest. If you keep submitting and learning from your mistakes you’ll eventually be published.

I just got word that one of my stories was just accepted for publication in an upcoming anthology. That same story had been rejected many times but I finally found the right market, and an editor who liked it enough to give me money for it and publish it.

Well, that’s it for now. This should be enough to get you started. In the future I may write a Part II to this blog post with information on how to begin the novel writing process. Until then, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I don’t consider myself an expert but I may be able to point you in the right direction.

The image above was borrowed from stuffjournalistslike.wordpress.com using Google Image. 

The Internet and Communications

My experience with the Internet in regards to communicating with friends, family, and colleagues has been a good one. Let’s start with email. When I was working as a security manager in the mid to late 1990’s I found that email really helped to create quick efficient communication. The communication wasn’t always polite, but in my experience, communication improved, as long as the other employees were willing to use the technology. This was especially important when it came to communicating with employees who were stationed in different locations. Then, when I worked as a recruiter from the early to mid 2000’s, I found it much easier to reach my clientele. 

Social networking has been a godsend to me. First, I get to stay in contact with a lot of my family on facebook. Then, I’ve been able to find old friends and past work colleagues that I had lost contact with for years. I can keep up with a lot of my martial art friends at the schools where I have trained. And I’ve been friends with classmates at UMASS and communicate with them over facebook. 

Before the Internet it was more difficult to network with other writers. In the early 2000’s I found some message boards where professional fiction writers hung out. After meeting these people online, I went to book signings and conventions to meet them in person. And now that most everyone has migrated to facebook , I’m able to stay in contact with them all the time. 

I think young people might have difficulty with live social interactions if they’re constantly communicating though social networking and texting. But for adults I think it can be a valuable addition to a friendship, especially when life gets busy. I don’t think social networking cheapens friendship since, even if I make friends with people I barely know (and I do this sometimes when I’m networking with writers) I still usually only keep in touch regularly with friends. 

In my opinion, Social networking does contribute to political unrest. But that’s a good thing. Large groups of people can come together, communicate, and then take action. Can it be a double-edged sword? Sure, especially if you are on the other side. But the Internet can be a great vehicle for free speech. 

Goal Setting and Achievement

I found a blog called Advanced Life Skills: Strategies for Positive Change and read the post 3 Keys to Realizing your Dreams and Goals. I used the search term “personal development to find this blog.

The author gives the three keys he feels necessary for goal accomplishment. He begins by talking about going from a state of wishful thinking to absolute certainty and clarity.  When you have a goal you must be clear about exactly what you want. This is difficult but you really have to put the time in to define your outcome. The author doesn’t go into the reason why but from my experience it’s because of the Reticular Activating System (RES). The RES is a filter in the brain that filters out stimuli from your conscious mind that isn’t important. When you are clear about what you want and make it important you program the RES to allow you to see things in your environment that would help you with your goals that you normally wouldn’t notice.

The second and most important step is take action. And while taking action, notice what is working and what isn’t and change your approach when necessary.

His third step deals with traversing the gap between where you are and where you want to be. A practical way to do this would be to write down where you are now and your outcome on a piece of paper. Leave a gap between them and then in that gap write down the steps you will take to get to your goal.

The original post can be found here

Embedding Images in Blogs

Here is one of my favorite planets

Embedding Movies in Blogs

Here's a first look at The Daily for the iPad:

Books in the Internet Age

Until recently the age old wisdom for writers was not to self-publish, especially fiction writers. One of the major hurdles for a self-published writer (they’re now calling them indie writers) was distribution. And distribution was the exclusive domain of the publishing house. If you wanted to get your book into a store you had to go through traditional means and usually suffer an apprenticeship filled with disappointment and rejection. But once you got a book contract you could focus on the writing and some promotion and let the publishing house do the rest (cover art, editing, distribution).

Within the last couple of years everything has changed.  Now with the advent of desirable e-readers like the Amazon Kindle the would be author has the ability to publish their own work, have a cover image created and uploaded, pay for a professional editing service, and reach readers all over the country and even the world with the almost unlimited potential of the Internet.

One downside of digitizing written media is the potential for piracy through file sharing. This is still very widespread with music files despite the ability to buy songs cheaply. Google Books may be stretching the concept of fair use by digitizing and uploading millions of books. But they claim that most of the books they’ve uploaded are already in public domain or long out of print. They have also partnered with some authors, allowing them to turn their book samples into an advertisement where the reader is only a click away from purchasing the book if they like what they’ve read.  

Adding Images to a Blog Post

Here is a photo of one of my martial art’s teacher’s teacher’s teacher, Dr. Massaaki Hatsumi with his teacher 33^rd Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu Grandmaster Toshitsugu Takamatsu. In the photo they are practicing the art of kuji-in which is derived from esoteric Buddhism. This practice is a series of mind-setting techniques used to alter the personality and allow the practitioner to accomplish their goals. I found this image here. 

Organizations

I am a member of the Horror Writers Association. I was able to join this organization as an affiliate member (semi-pro) because I have sold short fiction to magazine markets. 

I am a member of New England Horror Writers. I'm not on the members list for some reason. I need to contact them to get that fixed. 

I am a member of the UMASS Lowell chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda. 

Links to Other Sites

I’m creating links to other sites of interest.

Click here to go to one of my neighbor’s blogs.

I’m also learning to create hyperlinks. I learned how to create hyperlinks at annuziato.org.

The Internet and Politics

The Internet and the World Wide Web have created a lot of changes in politics. We have more alternative venues to get political information. We are not confined by the major networks, cable news stations, or the local papers. This allows us to be better informed and have more information quicker than ever before. 

Through message boards, social networking, blogs, and web pages, we are able to create a discourse with people all over the country, broadening our perspective. Social networking also allows the average citizen unprecedented access to politicians. For instance, I’m facebook friends with my State Reprehensive. And social networking helped him immensely during his campaign. The Internet also made it easier for him and other politicians to raise funds for their campaigns. 

Collective groups of citizens can pool their voices to sway policy decisions, and writing to politicians is made easier and more efficient through the use of e-mail and web forms. 

The availability of information makes it more difficult for politicians to hide what they are doing. One politician even stated that he wished the Internet had never been created. When a politician makes a statement like this, you know the Internet is a good thing. 

Course Expectations

By taking this class I’m hoping to improve my knowledge of the Internet and learn more about HTML and website creation.

I enjoy following many Blogs. Most of the Blogs I follow are related to the business of writing fiction for a living or they are related to martial arts training and research.

Here are some of the Blogs that I follow:

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/

http://hauntedcomputer.blogspot.com/

http://www.briankeene.com/

http://jonfmerz.net/blog/

http://stephenkhayes.com/the-densho/

http://www.myspace.com/marcmacyoung

You can also feel free to check out The Pen and the Sword, my blog about writing, martial arts, and personal development. As you can see, I haven’t done much with it yet. And feel free to friend me on facebook.

http://davidnorthmartino.wordpress.com/

www.facebook.com/dnorthmartino

Besides martial arts and writing I’m interested in many subjects. I enjoy politics, comparative religion, history, technology, and fitness among others.  

My experience with the Internet has been varied. I enjoy social networking, shopping, blogging, visiting news sites, and researching. 

Introduction

Hello everyone and welcome to my Blog. My name is David North-Martino and I am 39 years old. I'm in my senior year at UMASS Lowell finishing up a BLA with concentrations in English and psychology. I live in Blackstone, MA with my wife, Patty. Although my primary focus right now is school, I’m also self-employed as both a freelance writer and a martial arts instructor. 

I’m taking this class to fulfill course requirements, but I’m very interested in the Internet and hope to learn more about this tool that I utilize every day.