Busy Schedule

The end of the semester is just around the corner and so are final exams. These next two weeks are going to be extremely hectic but I'm looking forward to them. I've started to compile a list of the seemingly endless tasks I need to accomplish. Below is a list of some of these tasks:

• Figure out why the charge for my Spring meal plan has shown up on this semester's bill
• Wrap up my DBMS class project and create a presentation for it
• Study for DBMS final exam
• Write last paper and three blog posts for English II
• Do readings for World Lit, finish the last couple class writings, and study for the final exam
• Study for Discrete Math final exam and do class homework
  

Blog Posts

So there's just a few weeks of school left and I'm currently shy five blog posts (and just four once I post this).

I've never been a fan of classes with online assignments. The main reason for this dislike is that I find it difficult to remember to do the assignments. All my past experience deals with assignments that require turning in a physical product. However, when there is no longer a physical aspect to the assignment it proves hard for me to remember to do it.

Despite my dislike for online class assignments, I must say that this has been the most enjoyable English class assignment I've ever had. I feel that this is a great way to get students to write weekly and not dread doing so. Also, being able to write about any desired topic makes it much more enjoyable. I am definitely an advocate of teachers allowing students to learn and express themselves through enjoyable, real-world activities such as this.

Website Layouts

I've spent a lot of time lately working on a class project for one of my computer science classes. Basically, the project is a website for the department of Residence Life here at The University of Southern Mississippi. The purpose of the site is to provide an online system for Residence Life staff members.

One aspect of the site that I have spent a lot of time working on is the layout. One issue I have with many sites on the Internet is that they are designed with a fixed width (take this blog for example). That is, the content on the page is always a certain width no matter how wide the web browser window may be. This is fine and dandy with traditional media, such as newspapers, magazines, books, and the like. However, electronic media does not have physical size restrictions as traditional media. Despite this, many web designers still restrict their websites to a predetermined size. Why? I believe it's because many people are stuck thinking about being confined by the physical restrictions of the material world.

I prefer sites that have a layout that flows. If a user chooses to make his/her window 500, 1000, or even 10000 pixels wide the site should fill the entire window accordingly. For example, take a look at the following screen shots of my design:





Notice how the page fills the entire window no matter how wide it is? Now take a look at a fixed-width website:





I find the large, empty white space very ugly and distracting.

Saul Williams

I came across a music artist yesterday that I thought was amazing. His name is Saul Williams and he mixes poetry and hip-hop. I am not usually a fan of this type of music but he demonstrates true talent and artistry in his work. His album "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!" was released today (November 1st) and is freely available on his website. It was produced by Trent Reznor (from Nine Inch Nails) which is really interesting because the two artists have very different music styles. I first heard Saul Williams in the following video on YouTube:



If you're interested in downloading his new album, it can be found on his website.

Reactive Hypoglycemia

Today I went to the hospital because I was feeling extremely weak and shaky. I have always had problems with my blood-sugar but I finally got to the point where enough was enough. The doctor I saw did multiple blood tests and came back to tell me that I have reactive hypoglycemia. Basically, my body releases too much insulin in response to my eating and after a period of time my blood-sugar drops below normal levels.

This semester I have missed a lot of classes because of the symptoms that go along with reactive hypoglycemia. Many times I have woken up for my morning classes but slept through my later classes. From what I understand this is because the breakfast I eat in the morning causes my body to start producing insulin and by the time noon comes too much insulin has been released which makes my blood sugar levels drop too low. This results in me being extremely tired and weak so I usually need to lay down for a nap. Also, I usually have headaches and cannot think clearly which deters me from wanting to go to class as well.

Upon reading about reactive hypoglycemia on the Internet, I came across references to a bacteria (Helicobacter pylori) that is related to both stomach problems and reactive hypoglycemia. This is really interesting because I also have problems with acid reflux.

Here's the Wikipedia article on reactive hypoglycemia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia