It has been a long time coming, but here is a post!

Why has it been so long? That is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately. Why can’t I finish what I start? Why is motivation such a scant resource for me? The answer I came upon was actually a rather simple one: Habit. I began to realize the driving role that habit really plays in human behavior. Nearly everything we do is a habit, even doing nothing is a habit. That last little realization is what gave me the solution to all of my problems.

The answer is of course persistence. Stick to something, even when it hurts, and eventually it will become second nature. In fact, the more uncomfortable you are in any situation, the quicker you will learn new skills and behaviors. When the pressure to fold is the highest, you cannot give in. That is giving up right as you are about to win!

A pretty simple lesson, but an important one, and I will try my hardest to keep it fresh in my mind.

Today is the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing. Driving to and from work, I’ve been listening to the news reports and interviews, soaking in the reminiscence of a bygone era. To think, this all happened 20 years before I was even born. And then 20 years later still, the magic of that time and place seems distant, abstract, and alien.

We live in a different place now.

As I grew up, I could still feel the lingering hopes and expectations of my ancestors. Star Trek taught me of man’s need to journey outwardly, to discover new worlds. To go where no man has gone before. So then why does it seem like we’ve taken a huge step backwards? There is no more Star Trek. No more exploring. It feels like a world caught in the quagmire of its own muddled affairs. We can never seem to agree on even one ideal to pull with us into the future. Instead we stand here and debate, never acting, only worrying about how we should act.

But there is still exploring to do! You can’t just decide how things are, you have to see them for yourself! We must explore space, just as we must explore ourselves and our own world. To explore in any direction is to move forward. Perhaps the only way forward is to let go of all we already know. A knowledgeable man knows many things, but more than anything, he knows that there is much more he does not. We must abandon all preconceived notions. Even a flashlight hides from us the truth of darkness.

We must walk into the unknown, with fear always in our hearts, yet an undeniable urge to move ahead into that inky darkness of our futures.

(As a side note, as I was writing this post I have been listening to this audio feed of mission control communications during the lunar landing with ambient electronic music in the background. It is excellent and if you are working on any projects or just chilling in bed, give it a listen.)

Sorry for the delay in posting stuff!

While I get my life sorted out, have a look at this mind blowing video of the milky way as seen from earth:

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

These images were taken at the 2009 Texas Star Party. For a larger version of this video with HD playback, click here.

Also, check out this wonderfully clever and very inspiring short animation by a fellow named Paul Watts, titled “The Crone”.

The Crone from Paul Watts on Vimeo.

Buckets is the best! :3

Sorry for not posting this yesterday! I spent the whole day working on a jQuery script for this blog. (Check out the navigation bar, isn’t it cool?) It took me awhile but I was learning as I went, and I gained MANY valuable insights about coding in jQuery and WordPress. (I might share them later!)

Anyways, when we last left off, I had just taught you about the modicum of selectors available for use in jQuery.

For this tutorial I will teach you about some of the functions included in the jQuery library, and how you can use them.

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Alright, bare with me for a bit here, because it’s going to get really nerdy.

I figured that I should talk about Javascript, since I have spent the last few days teaching it to myself, and maybe keep some notes here, almost writing it as a tutorial for myself (and anyone who might find it interesting.)

By teaching, I think I will earn a greater understanding of what I am doing, and also build myself a reference to come to whenever I forgot something. For now I will keep it extremely basic. If I am going to write a tutorial, I might as well start from the beginning. I figure, hey, it is Summer, I have a lot of time on my hands, and I should do my best to make something of it.

Instead of playing video games and watching television and reading my Google Reader for hours on end, I will do something productive. There are hundreds of resources on the internet where you can learn this stuff, from people much more knowledgeable than me, but, hey, this is my piece of the pie.

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My creative juices tend to ebb and flow with each day, and today they are in a definite ebb. It is cloudy outside. This is the type of day that seems to glide by without notice, as a parade of cheezy flash games and television distracts you from the world.

Well, it’s only 6:30. Plenty of time to make something of my day.

Introduction

This is both my personal blog and portfolio, where I will showcase my creations and experiences in web design, game development, the ancient Chinese game of Go, art, and photography, and blog about the learning process as I acquire new skills. This blog is for me just as much as it is for you.

In the coming summer months I plan to learn as much as I can about web development, while actively seeking out internships in the field. This blog and the soon to be added portfolio section are the first steps towards this goal.

In due time, this dusty little corner of the internet will blossom into a collection that I hope will someday have value. In the mean time, come back often and enjoy the ride with me! It’s going to be a bumpy one.

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