Messages

661

General Weather Chat / Re: What's the weather in your area?

« on: January 19, 2012, 12:41:15 AM »

Double post, sorry.

Hartsville, SC
Current Conditions: 41 and Mostly Cloudy
Forecast Tonight: 28 and Partly Cloudy

Grand Forks, ND
Current Conditions: -16 and Fair. Wind chill -34.
Forecast Tonight: -21 and Clear

662

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 19, 2012, 12:14:11 AM »

And...everybody's back online. A very large and apparently successful protest, given the news below. And the issue has been shelved, so we can focus on more pressing issues.

I do like Wikipedia's response to this event.

The Wikipedia blackout is over — and you have spoken.

More than 162 million people saw our message asking if you could imagine a world without free knowledge. You said no. You shut down Congress’s switchboards. You melted their servers. Your voice was loud and strong. Millions of people have spoken in defense of a free and open Internet.

For us, this is not about money. It’s about knowledge. As a community of authors, editors, photographers, and programmers, we invite everyone to share and build upon our work.

Our mission is to empower and engage people to document the sum of all human knowledge, and to make it available to all humanity, in perpetuity. We care passionately about the rights of authors, because we are authors.

SOPA and PIPA are not dead: they are waiting in the shadows. What’s happened in the last 24 hours, though, is extraordinary. The internet has enabled creativity, knowledge, and innovation to shine, and as Wikipedia went dark, you've directed your energy to protecting it.

We’re turning the lights back on. Help us keep them shining brightly.

EDIT: I can hear college students rejoicing so they can work on their essays again.

663

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 18, 2012, 01:23:57 AM »

Well, as we've reached midnight on January 18, 2012, some sites have been blacked out (as Zach has mentioned above) to protest the SOPA.  Wikipedia is among one of many sites participating in this protest, so don't count on it for any last-minute reports today!

What does everything think about the protest and act in general?

The Weather Center is shut down in protest as well. I'm no fan of the bill, but I understand both sides of the coin.

664

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 17, 2012, 04:09:05 PM »

Ugh, I can't wait for Saturday to roll around and be done with. God knows how many phone calls I've gotten from "Mitt Romney" and "Newt Gingrich" over the last few days. I already know who I'm voting for in the damn primary, so stop calling me! 

665

General Weather Chat / Re: What's the weather in your area?

« on: January 17, 2012, 11:52:55 AM »

SC: 63 and Partly Cloudy.
UND: -6 and Mostly Sunny. Wind chill -24.

666

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 17, 2012, 11:51:47 AM »

Looks like the Grand Forks and Bismarck offices are going to be the first to use the new "Extreme Cold Watch" and "Extreme Cold Warning" implimented by NWS. A watch is currently out for Wednesday in Grand Forks. The expected low that evening is -18, and the wind chill as -40. "Frostbite can occur within minutes." Not a good day to be outside there.

Sigh...welcome to North Dakota. 

667

General Weather Chat / Re: What's the weather in your area?

« on: January 17, 2012, 02:17:11 AM »

Late night check.

SC: 47 and mostly cloudy.
UND: -4 and partly cloudy.

668

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 16, 2012, 02:30:17 PM »

Well, I am headed back to university tomorrow as I have classes in the afternoon. I'm concerned that the poor weather will hamper the 2 hour drive up to New Brunswick. But, I don't know if I can start doing work again because I feel like I can't memorize or remember things anymore since finals were over lol.

I'm also concerned about after spring semester, in regards to what to do over the summer break. For you guys in or have attended college, during the summer do you take summer courses, work, intern or volunteer in your field of interest or do some combo of these?

I didn't take any summer courses, but I volunteered for two summers at the NWS in Blacksburg, VA and did an internship during a third summer at HPC in Silver Spring, MD.  I would strongly urge you to find some opportunities that fit within your planned major so that you have a foot in the door when you graduate and start applying for full-time jobs.

That sounds logical. Well, I cannot do any summer research/internships until next summer or junior year (when I'll look for some) as I have not completed my main math and science courses yet, but I was thinking about maybe working part-time as a Pharm Tech and taking a science class at the local CC. Volunteering also sounds like a good option, but it will be difficult for me to afford next year's tuition if I do not earn some income, so I figured having a job in a related field can't hurt.

But regardless of major, if you work in a field that doesn't exactly pertain to your major and you write this information down in your application to professional/graduate school or on a resume, would that hurt your chances in any way?

Well, first off, what is your major? For the resume, any addition employment is good to see, as it shows you have job experience. As for graduate school, I think they're more worried about your academic grades more than your job. I can't answer this for sure, though.

669

General Weather Chat / Re: What's the weather in your area?

« on: January 16, 2012, 01:57:47 PM »

Here in SC: 50 degrees and fair. Drop dead gorgeous outside.
Back at UND: 8 degrees and overcast. Wind chill -11.

670

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 16, 2012, 01:31:11 PM »

Well, I am headed back to university tomorrow as I have classes in the afternoon. I'm concerned that the poor weather will hamper the 2 hour drive up to New Brunswick. But, I don't know if I can start doing work again because I feel like I can't memorize or remember things anymore since finals were over lol.

I'm also concerned about after spring semester, in regards to what to do over the summer break. For you guys in or have attended college, during the summer do you take summer courses, work, intern or volunteer in your field of interest or do some combo of these?

Well, I just started, but I can give you some insight on what my plans are. I've got a double major to work with, which extends my college time to 5 to 5.5 semesters, so I'm going to be spending several summers there working on classes to possibly reduce that time. I also found a job, although not in my interest field. I'll be working for the TSA with airport security in Grand Forks over the summer until junior year, at which point I'll be eligible to apply for an internship at NWS Grand Forks.

671

The Game Room / Re: Ban the Person above you

« on: January 16, 2012, 11:49:37 AM »

All of you banned because this needs to be settled privately, and not in this thread.

Trevor: Banned because you own a French Horn.
GTAIVman: Banned because you live in close proximity to the Big Apple, which I'm jealous of.
Zach: Banned because your office page is currently under construction.

672

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 16, 2012, 10:30:09 AM »

Yeah, sorry. I was brought up being very patient for things, as I don't have a whole lot of money. I'm betting that prices will continue to drop over 5 years, though. Martin is right, though...keep in mind your future expenses. College is usually a big one (that was a problem I narrowly avoided a year ago).

673

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 16, 2012, 01:31:23 AM »

Sorry, but I agree, you shouldn't get a MacBook Air at age 14. Kids get higher end electronics and gadgets younger and younger. Go out and play or something, or better yet, make due with what you have or can afford. The time will come when you can work and come up with the money on your own. And, if it's for video editing, a MBA isn't necessary. There are plenty of cheaper Windows machines out there that have better specs. Just my two cents, although you probably disagree.

Second that. Besides, Apple discounts a 150 bucks once you get into college. Worth waiting for the savings, in my opinion.

674

General Discussion / Re: The Pot Belly Stove

« on: January 14, 2012, 04:28:02 PM »

I just realized Google became way more personal by displaying sites or events that you or your friends like under relative links. This...I am not a fan of.

675

The Game Room / Re: Name that OCM!

« on: January 14, 2012, 02:51:00 PM »

Correctomundo.