Andrew Benton

Is This Really News? Honestly…

Andrew Benton — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:13:46 +0000

So, the Marine who they believed killed a fellow Marine and fled to Mexico… big news, everyone is following it, but on the frontpage of CNN they have this interview with someone who knew him well, and they say:

A woman who once worked with fugitive Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean and the pregnant Marine he allegedly killed said Wednesday that Laurean has “MacGyver” skills and training that could enable him to adapt to life on the run…

He can rig just about anything — as could the lead character in the “MacGyver” television series of 1985 to 1992 — is strong, a fast runner and can handle weapons, including an M-16, she said.

Okay, so you just described the exact kind of person that all Armed Forces try to train, someone who has smarts to get out of sticky situations, can use his surroundings, and can shoot. I thought the mention of the M-16 was extra laughable… you know, because he’s the only Marine who can probably use an M-16…

/sarcasm

Anyways, just venting, I hope they get this guy though, Marine or not, he committed a crime.

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Google is NOT White Bread for the Mind

Andrew Benton — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:37:08 +0000

I recently read a short post on Mashable.com that was titled “Google is White Bread for the Mind, Says Teacher”. The article isn’t too in depth, but it basically comes down to a teacher banning the use of Google and Wikipedia as forms of research for projects in her class. FTA:

The story goes like this: professor Tara Brabazon, from the University of Brighton, is unhappy about their students taking the easy route and using Google and Wikipedia for their research. She calls this phenomenon “The University of Google”, saying that “The education world has pursued new technology with an almost evangelical zeal and it is time to take a step back and give proper consideration of how we use it. Too many students don’t use their own brains enough. We need to bring back the important values of research and analysis.”

The author of the post goes on to link to his article “Why Google is Making Us Dumber”. He has the following to say:

Let’s face it: we’re not exactly becoming brighter by using Google. In fact, in the traditional education sense, we’re getting stupider, at least with certain types of tasks. However, we’ve learned to do something else. We’ve learned how to use Google to get information. It sounds like an evolutionary step, a natural progression. Instead of using your brain, you’re using something else - something that works faster and easier. It will be interesting to see how this - if it keeps up, and my bet is that it will - will affect our ability to think in the future.

While I think both arguments hold weight, I think that ultimately Google is not making us dumber, just a hell lot more efficient. If they would have used the word “lazy” instead of dumb, I may agree with them, but I think both titles can replace “dumber” with “more efficient”. My reasoning for this is through a look at our history of learning, and how we as humans condense knowledge over time to make it easier to digest.

While I think Stan’s example of memorizing that 1LB is 0.45 kilograms, I think his point is lost to most ears for a simple reason. Why? Why should we be required to memorize that 1Lb is 0.45kg? There is something to be said for memorizing really important things, like birth dates of loved ones, facts and information for your career, what your yearly income was for 2007, when your last oil change was, etc. I don’t believe however that for what people generally use Google and Wikipedia for makes us dumber. It truly just makes information sharing and learning more transparent. It makes knowledge that would traditionally waste a persons Saturday in the library, instantly available, thus allowing them to continue on with things that truly matter… like life.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that while Google and Wikipedia can make us lose track of the ancient form of research that included 4 Tons of books, which google tells me is 3,628,738.96 grams, it is a change in both society and education. It is a change in the way we think, learn, discover and grow. But then again, isn’t that what the Internet and evolving societies are all about?

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No Country For Old Men

Andrew Benton — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:00:25 +0000

My Review: It Sucked

Sorry for the short post, but this movie, which was heralded as a absolutely great film, was quite possibly my biggest let down for a movie in 2007. I usually “get” the whole deeper message and all that stuff, but this film seriously left me saying “WTF”.

Maybe someone can explain why I should have enjoyed it more, but it was just a very well directed, acted, and casted movie, that I completely wish I hadn’t watched. It had hints of “chance” and “luck” struck by similar movies like Magnolia and Crash, but just for me, it didn’t get it right.

They should rename it to “No Good For Andrew Benton”…

So, am I way off here? If I am let me know, maybe I missed a part of the movie that was the “groundbreaking” section.

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Why MC Hammer Might Have it Right This Time

Andrew Benton — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:00:46 +0000

You all remember MC Hammer, the parachute-pants wearing guy who brought you the heavily sued, “stuck in your head and cant help but know every word” song “Can’t touch this” guy, right? If you don’t, you either lived under a rock or were just born (if you’re the latter you have mad skills to be able to read at age 0).

Well, it seems MC Hammer is throwing his hat into the ring with DanceJam. Basically, its a social website to share dance moves. I think this will absolutely be successful. It’s a niche that has no real base. Sure, you can find this kind of stuff on youtube, but they usually suck, and plus, MC Hammer is a good force behind this. Here is an excerpt from an AP report: (more…)

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Beginning of a Permanent Change

Andrew Benton — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:04:44 +0000

So tomorrow will be the first day of my new fitness routine, and also the beginning of my attempts to put more weight on. I’ve decided that I’m going to do 5 core workouts per week, splitting up body parts and trying to hit everything twice per week. Sounds weird, but I guess I’m becoming a body builder. (more…)

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My New Years Resolutions For 2008

Andrew Benton — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:29:17 +0000

So, new year, everyone has their resolutions, here are mine:

250 Subscribers
I would really love to get up to at least 250 subscribers to this site. That’s why I’m going to focus more time to this blog, and give the masses what they want; great content, a good message, and understandable. I’d also like to shoot for 400 on my other site, which is growing more quickly it seems than this blog.

Develop More Blogs
So I already have this one and That Single Guy, which is taking off quickly. I’d really like to start some more, and devote more time to writing, as I really do enjoy it. I think any new projects would be unique and let me experiment with my writing style and imagination…

Run a Half-Marathon
Ever since I enlisted in the Army, I’ve been an avid runner. The feeling you get after a long, hard run is unrivaled. I ran my first 5K in early December, and plan to run many more 5 and 10K races in 2008. My real goal is to run a half-marathon without stopping once.

Gain 15 Pounds
Yes, you read that correctly, I want to gain weight, but not fat. I’ve been lifting heavily for the past year and a half, and before I left for the Army, was up to about 190-192. The Army life really took a toll on my body, and I’m back down to about 184-5. I would like to get up to 200lbs, while lowering my body fat and looking better. The half-marathon training will help with this.

With that said, I’ll probably add more to this list, who know what 2008 can hold for me? I hope you all enjoy the ride, and even maybe make it a better year. Happy New Year to everyone, and best of luck on this new year.

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Wordpress 2.4: What I Hope to See

Andrew Benton — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:05:22 +0000

So, its been announced that Wordpress 2.4 will be released on January 24th. While it seems that they just released 2.3, and even more recently released a critical security update, here are some things I’m really, really hoping for in Wordpress 2.4. (more…)

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Injecting Any Ads in Wordpress Posts Automatically

Andrew Benton — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:32:39 +0000

So, on one of my other sites (http://www.thatsingleguy.com), I wanted a way to automatically insert adsense (or any other ads source) into my posts without having to remember to use the adsense deluxe, select the correct one, and put the tag in ever single post I had written. Here is what I’m going to show you how to do:

(more…)

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How to Transfer Your Wordpress Install to A New Host

Andrew Benton — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:45:11 +0000

So, for whatever reason, be it Digg effect, the fact your girlfriend doesn’t like the name, or you just can’t stand the service, you decide you’re going to switch webhosts. Or, for that matter, going to switch your Wordpress install to another domain/subdomain. While for inter-domain transfers you could probably get away by just moving the directory (carefully), when you switch to a new host, the question becomes, “How do I save all my stuff?”

Well, that’s where the awesome export/import feature comes in with Wordpress. Here in easy to follow steps is how to backup and restore your wordpress install:

Login to Admin Panel, then go to Manage > Export … Select all in the drop down menu to get all authors posts
Click Download Export File, save it locally.
Once you have setup your new hosting service, do a fresh install of Wordpress (I’d make sure it’s the same version).
Login to the Admin Panel and go to Manage > Import, choose Wordpress.
Click ‘Browse’ and choose the file (XML) that you currently have saved from Step 2.

The only thing this doesn’t cover, unfortunately, is themes and plug-ins, but those are as easy as uploading and re-activating.

Backing Up Themes/Plugins
The easiest way to do this would just to get on FTP and copy the folders. They are located in ‘wp-content/themes’ and ‘wp-content/plugins’ respectfull.

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Weekly Web Design Roundup

Andrew Benton — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:51:11 +0000

Coda Slider - Javascript navigational slider thing. Kind of hard to explain, just check it out.
Maximum and Minimum Height and Width in Internet Explorer

Behold the seventh wonder of the virtual world: max/min-height and max/min-width properties are possible in Internet Explorer! Indeed, by taking advantage of IE’s proprietary CSS attribute, expression, you too can whip IE widths and heights into desirable proportions. The CSS expression attribute enables JavaScript commands to be executed within Internet Explorer. JavaScript via CSS? Thanks, Microsoft!
Creating Sexy Stylesheets

Being a CSS expert is more than just memorizing selectors. It’s also working to improve the maintainability and efficiency of your stylesheets, planning for the future and mastering your workflow. In this article Jina Bolton gives 10 CSS tips culled from surveys with 12 top designers.

A Preview of HTML 5

The web is constantly evolving. New and innovative websites are being created every day, pushing the boundaries of HTML in every direction. HTML 4 has been around for nearly a decade now, and publishers seeking new techniques to provide enhanced functionality are being held back by the constraints of the language and browsers.
CSSDOC

This is starting as a little approach to help individuals and teams to improve writing/coding/styling/managing CSS files. The main concept is to put all the good and tested usage of DocBlock comments into CSS. That’s putting style, docblocks and tags together.