Getting ready for Playa Del Fuego - it's one week from today!!! My friends and I will be running a theme camp this time and I'm very excited for it.

Otherwise, I'm working on costumes for the halloween party at PEX.  Unfortunately it's the same night as NYC decom, but my heart belongs to Philly. Sorry big apple! :D   Random and I will be a steampunkified Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland.  Currently looking for gears/mechanisms, glasses for him, and possibly a pink flamingo for me...  Started cutting out fabric for my dress last night.  On the floor.  For over an hour.  I have muscles hurting in strange places.  o.O

That's about it.  This weekend, hitting up a Cranberry Festival (a project at work involves Cranbury Brook in NJ - just when I learned to type it as a -bury, I need to switch back to the -berry. ayeayeaye)  because who doesn't like cranberries?  And Bordentown looks like a cool area, so adventuring we will go.  The rest of the weekend will probably be crafting/sewing time as I attempt to make a top hat, and teach Random how to make pants.

Oct 18 will be a NJ Burner Fall Outing day at Doyle's Farm - anyone is welcome, contact me if you aren't on the NJ Burning Man email list and need details (once they are decided!)

I need to hoop more.  I need to clean up the apartment - the weekend after PDF I'll be hosting a small meeting/crafting party.  I need to take more photos.  I need more hours in the day and longer weekends....

Men det finns ju faktiskt de killar som vill ha en redig "hylla", och jag syftar inte på "man-bobbies" som hänger nere vid knävecken. Nej, jag syftar på stenhårda, välformade, manligt fyrkantiga bröst som de utav en grekisk gud. Jag tror inte jag är ensam om att stå på gymmet dag in och dag ut, i strävan efter den perfekta kroppen... Så där står man och lyfter skrot - bicepsen växer, tvättbrädan blir hårdare men hur går det egentligen med brösten? Man ser killar som tror att gymträning endast innefattar bänkpress, vilket indikerar hur gärna killar vill ha vältränade pex.     

Bröst verkar vara den muskelgrupp som flest killar har svårt att få till. Tur är väl det dock, för annars skulle ju alla burdar förlora den lilla makt de faktiskt har, tack vare sina rattar? Men vill du ge brudarna "A run for their money" eller för all del få lika fina grekiska bröst, som jag, bör du lyssna på min mentor, här nedan: (Jag kör programet en gång/vecka)

Sammanfattning av mig; Explosive Chest Workout 

Shivprasad Koirala brings us his Ajax quick start FAQ

Patterns & Practices

Alan Holubs Everything you know is wrong slides. Worth reviewing :)
Spiderman_Anhvu shows us an easy example for implementing the Observer Pattern

jQuery

I love jQuery, and the things it enables you to do. As we come closer to managed javascript and JIT script and a whole bunch of other javascript engine enhancements I really do start to wonder where the best RIA development environment and accessibility is going to come from. This little plugin which draws the users attention to a particular area of the page is a great wee example of this without the need for browser plugins. Nice one James.

Other

Jackie Goldstein reports on a Great Tool for Learning LINQ to Entities
CodeGuru have a nice ADO.NET Entity Framework Tutorial and Basics

Silverlight

Jonas Folles� (sorry for the prior misspelling Jonas) reports that Google Chrome now plays nicely with Silverlight 2 (except for when in windowless mode apparently, but definately a step in the right direction). Personal update on this one: Both Googles and Jon Galloways instructions on this (both linked to in Jonas' article are really easy to follow. I have just done the update and all is sweet :) Even the easter egg in the hard rock cafe deep zoom app works great :) (Press V when the deep zoom has focus then use your mouse wheel to scroll out). /me now sets google chrome as default browser - its just so fast :) - don't worry firefox you are still my dev browser of choice
Manish Dalal brings us the next part of his Silverlight Business Application Part 6: IEditableObject and add new time (Take 3!)
Dr Z gives us more links to a whole bunch of Silverlight event recorded sessions. You will want to at least see what gems are on offer here.
Jesse Liberty brings more Silverlight godness with Dependency Properties ? Background for Custom Controls
Mike Snow's Tip of the Day: How to create a web service for your Silverlight app. Thanks Mike, love the series, keep em coming :)
Jeff Paries brings more animation goodies to the table from his forthcoming book
Martin Grayson introduces Blacklight - his new Silverlight codeplex project
Shawn Burke outlines some of the upcoming Silverlight controls

TDD

Jonathan de Halleux outlines combining traditionand TDD and automated test generation

WPF

Jeremiah Morrill reports that his WPF MediaKit is now available on CodePlex here

And over at the house, some things have been happening.  The PEX was completely installed and terminated into the manifold. But there's a hitch.  The plumbers weren't all that familiar with PEX and in order to make the install work more easily they 90'd every line into the manifold. (see pic)

Is this the end of the world? probably not.  Will it have some effect on how quickly the water gets to the faucet?? Probably won't even notice.    It's unfortunate though, cause there is now a 3rd possible leak point where before I had only 2.

Next we have that ERV that I've lugged around for so long, installed. This device should provide us with clean/fresh from outside at all times while not losing energy through introducing opposite temperatures from the indoors.

Lastly, we have our siding and more excitingly our rain-screen installed. You can see the rain-screen on the left hand side.  The underlayer is Vapro-shield and the siding is hardi plank.  To the left we have hardi panels applied directly to the substrate and separated by Tamlyn guide tracks.  These help provide this look and also allow for a place to do some back caulking.  Around the back doors we chose a red version of the hardi panel.

They'll finish up the siding this week and start the insulation on the inside next week.  Maybe I'll grab the hose and run a test on the rain-screen before the insulation/dry-wall goes up.

Definitivo, como hay gente extraña en este mundo, y para decirlo mejor, como es que hay tanta gente guarra caminando sobre este planeta.

Un pobre chico Indú de 14 años fue a dar al hospital con mucho dolor en las vías urinarias y cual habrá sido la sorpresa de los médicos cuando encontraron que el adolescente tenía un pez en la vejiga.

Cuando le preguntaron al niño pecera como había pasado esto, su explicación fue aún más extraordinaria. Dicha declaración está registrada en el "Internet Journal of Urology", así que no se trata de broma o fantasía.

Según su versión, se encontraba en casa dándole mantenimiento a la pecera que incluye el clásico cambio de agua y limpieza de las paredes. Mientras sostenía el pez en la mano, le dieron muchas ganas de ir al sanitario para liberar su "agüita amarilla" (me recuerda la canción).   Cuando el joven disfrutaba de expulsar el chorrito de orina, el pez que tenía en la mano se le escapó y de un salto se introdujo en su uretra, lo que posteriormente le ocasionaría los síntomas por los que fue a parar al hospital.

Un primer análisis usando rayos-x no mostró nada raro en el chico, pero una revisión posterior usando un ultrasonograma en el abdomen del chico reveló que había un "objeto ecogénico" de tamaño pequeño, indicando la presencia de un cuerpo extraño dentro de la vejiga.

Los médicos Vezhavenththan y Jeyaraman decidieron usar un uretroscopio rígido que es empleado para remover piedras en la vejiga. El procedimiento no  es nada grato ya que se colocan una especie de forceps en el pene del paciente y se inserta el equipo médico por la uretra.

Una vez removido el cuerpo extraño  se descubrió que se trataba de un especimen "Beta genus" de 2 cm de largo por 1.5 cm de alto.  No tan pequeño que digamos.

¿Quién cree lo que declaró el chico?

Vaya, me resulta una historia increíble que desde luego el adolescente inventó para evitar la vergüenza de declarar que estaba "experimentando" nuevas sensaciones.  En primer lugar por qué razón vas al sanitario con un pez en la mano, y en segundo, como un pez de ese tamaño se introdujo tan fácilmente.

Es cierto, hay una variedad de pez en el río Amazonas que hace precisamente eso.  Hay varios casos registrados de personas que por orinar dentro del río han sido victimas del pez "willy" el cual nada a través de la uretra o la vagina.

Pero no creo que ese sea el caso del Beta genus.

Sin duda, GUARRO.

The other side says boring, wasteful since you require more lights because their effective range is limited and energy inefficient if you need these additional bulbs. In any case they're in and I'm happy for that, plus they're air tight which means that heated air can't leak into the floor space.

Another small item is the wall heater in the master bathroom.  You might think this is a luxury, but it's actually a great way to place heat in a very small location where you need it the most in the winter.  With this in place, we'll be able to keep the house relatively cool, but not feel the arctic chill when coming out of the shower (which is my biggest annoyance.)

Other energy saving electric features come later.

Plumbing: rough-in is almost complete as you can see by the maze of PEX plumbing in the basement.  We already know that PEX is fabulous because it delivers water to the faucet more quickly (thus not having to waste water while waiting for it to heat), but combined w/ our home design of having all facilities on one side, we should be able to even more quickly get the hot water when we want it.

Speaking of hotwater, the tankless hotwater heater is also going in.  We ended up going w/ a Takagi TK-3 because of the great reviews online and because if you need to expand your capacity in the future, these units can be daisy chained together.  Its a gas unit because of the crazy, crazy requirement for electric tankless products (I basically would've needed a small nuke power plant in my basement to produce the electricity).  I'll take some pics of all of this completed tomorrow.

More updates provided as they happen.

My name is Pepeton Conde and I am a sportswriter wannabe.This is my site and I hope it touches every basketball fan and for others to appreaciate it. I hope you understand this. Thanks!\

- The Man in the Hudle

August, 26, 2008

http://research.microsoft.com/pex/
http://research.microsoft.com/pex/screencast.aspx
http://csdl2.computer.org/persagen/DLAbsToc.jsp?resourcePath=/dl/proceedings/&toc=comp/proceedings/ase/2006/2579/00/2579toc.xml&DOI=10.1109/ASE.2006.51
http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/briankel/Pex-Automated-Exploratory-Testing-for-NET/
http://research.microsoft.com/pex/wiki/Reference%20Manual.html
http://research.microsoft.com/pex/articles/pextutorial.pdf
http://research.microsoft.com/pex/downloads.aspx

Silverlight, Surface

http://silverlight.interknowlogy.com/Videos/VitruView/default.html

Design Patterns

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_Object_pattern
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/architecture/DotNetMVPFramework_Part1.aspx

SQL Optimization

http://wiki.lessthandot.com/index.php/SQL_Server_Programming_Hacks_-_100%2B_List#Query_Optimization

Friday 8/8/8! An auspicious day, and World Hoop Day!!!! For jersey folks, Teri is having a gathering in Wayne from 5:30 onwards. Contact me for more details! I'll be there until dusk-ish.

Saturday 8/9/08 - PEX Compression Party!!!!  You know the PEX parties of past, through experience or reputation.  Yes, this is a different venue - we broke it in for Phoenix Rising.  It still has the awesome PEX energy (despite overpriced drinks and thorough searches by bouncers! Be respectful and law abiding and they'll treat you fine. You are allowed in and out of the place however, not that I'm condoning any illegal behaviour... But I suppose a drinkypoo in the parking lot is not illegal if you don't drive with an open container or while inebriated! right? ;o)  AND no pesky limits on invites, we have plenty of room for all! Just remember to dress up (ARrrrgh! pirate or ninja??) or you'll pay a hefty entrance fee. 

The following weekend I'll be winemaking Friday night, hanging with some cool cats in frenchtown Saturday night, and freaking out about packing the rest of the time. 

Friday Aug 15th, 9 pm, Playa del Fuego tickets go on sale!  My awesome crew of gals is talking about making our group an official theme camp this time... If you are interested in attending for the first time, or camping with us, contact me because space near me will be limited! But we'll have a satellite area in open camping as well.  Fall PDF is October 9 - 13.

August 25 - Sept 1: Burning Man WHEEEEEEEE!!! I'll be camped along 5:30 somewhere, look for a casket bar/keg system on a corner, a bunch of old hippies in tiedye, and possibly a pool table as well.  Home brew for the home brew is the name of our unofficial theme camp.  Catch my conclave group performance at PEX's camp (Esplanade and 8:00) Thursday evening, 8 pm, or right before the Man burns Saturday night!

Is there life after Burning Man? Yes, there is.... It just gets much more relaxed. ;o)  I'm not planning on fall Wildfire (and it sold out in less than 2 days!) and we have PDF of course.  And before you plan any fun halloween parties, put PEX's decompression halloween party on your calendar for October 25!!!

This will be the last Philadelphia Experiment fundraiser before Burning Man. Please feel free to blast this out to all of your peeps. The club has a capacity of 2,500, so we are not doing invitation only this time. We have an exciting line-up and are looking forward to sharing this experience with YOU!

Our website is going through some major exciting changes. If you haven’t already registered with our new mailing form, please do so at:

http://thephiladelphiaexperiment.org/index.php/forums/member/register/

And now we present….

Pirates Vs Ninjas
BRC Compression Party
A Philadelphia Experiment Costume Event
August 9, 2008

Shampoo Nightclub
416 N 8th St. 10pm - 6am
21+ /w ID Required
$20 in Costume
$30 Without

This is a COSTUME PARTY
We really want EVERYONE to participate

----DJ Lineup:----
Marques Wyatt
King Britt
Oscar P
Braden Anderson
mr. caparro
Foxxy
Lee Mayjahs?
O'keef
Kezner
Mia Ink
Justin Paul
Nick Cosmo
Ross D
DJ Everyday
Big Jawn
Friar Tuck
Meeshu
Glenn Weikert
Discount
Matt Tanz
ADre
Kris Murphy
Terryl
Tubbo & KBunny

----Live Performance By:----
Arche-Dream for HumanKind
The Philadelphia Fire Arts Tribe
Live Burlesques Dance Troop featuring Heather Belman
plus Live Stilters, Hoopers, Face Painters & Performance Art

----
Live Music By:
----
Mohenjo
Dr.Fish featuring Jenny Jamz & Heather Belman
The Innerfluents
The Plum Dragoness

----
Visuals By:
----
Optical Digital Distortion
Dr. Fish
Peter Parker
the Blackouts
On-House

Please note that the lineup list is subject to change, so check frequently for updates! We hope to see YOU there!

Much Love! And many many thanks for all for your contributions, without
which these events and this community would not exist!

-Giant Bear

But there was another section of the department that interested me greatly.  It was the Zurn Pex Tubing section.  If you have ever worked with Pex tubing, maybe you can attest to the splendor of the product.  There is no sweating (that's fancy plumber talk for soldering pipe and fittings together), no heat at all actually, just some fancy clamp rings and brass fittings.  The tubing is used to deliver pressurized water, one type is used for radiant floor heating, and the other is for drinking water.  Its all the rage in new home construction, especially when I was there and copper prices were hitting all time highs.  That was years ago so I can't even imagine what copper costs now when people are willing to steal the wiring from street lamps for scrap.

One of the most interesting parts of Zern Pex tubing was that it could be used for radiant floor heating, and that system could be supplied with hot water in several ways.  Another employee talked at great length of the flexibility of a radiant floor heating system with Zern.  He told me great stories of how an electric water heater could be used to efficiently heat the water for the tubing.  Lately I've been imagining such a system in combination with a solar water heater. 

It was then that I stumbled upon a really interesting article on Make Magazine where some one had created a parabolic focused mirror array out of an old satellite dish.  The dish is twelve feet in diameter and they used several mirrors broken into pieces and carefully arranged to focus sunlight at a fixed point about five feet above the center of the dish.  The results were astounding.  There are plenty of videos on youtube.com featuring chicken roasted to charcoal on the dish side yet still frozen on the other side.  The focal point quickly raises the temperature of an oven thermometer to the max reading. 

That's when it hit me, why not use such a device to focus sunlight on a pipe of water to heat your home in the winter time? Furthermore, why not use that sunlight to heat water to steam and push it through some sort of electricity generating device that could be used in the summer to reduce your power bill? While we are on the subject, why not use mirrors more in general? Imagine how much more light a solar panel could collect on an overcast day if it had a bunch of mirrors pointed on it! Mirrors are much less expensive than solar panels so it could increase their productivity at a fraction of the cost of adding more solar panels to your array.  Maybe we could even make some sort of cold water heat sink for a solar panel at the focal point of such a dish and harness light and heat from the sun.

Call me a crack pot, but I think its a completely possible idea.  If anyone has any experience with such an experiment, I would love to see the data and results.  A proof of concept is in order for this one, and maybe I will have the time to try it out. Last summer I bought the four foot tall mirror and a glass cutter for about $10 and started cutting the mirror into small squares.  I wasn't able to find a suitable parabolic curve and work was demanding a lot of my time.  The project was pushed to the back burner, but I'm going to bring it back to the front very soon.  Comments, suggestions, or angry responses?

Pex is a tool being developed by Microsoft Research which has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of software testing while requiring minimal, if any, effort on the part of the developer. Pex can automatically generate a set of inputs for a paramaterized unit test which can effectively excercise most, if not all, possible code paths.

Pex is cool! :) I'm doing some testing on it myself, but the warm weather is stopping me from working really hard on it... ;)

At the bottom of this page you will find the link to our conclave submission video, which we are all very proud of. This labor of love is a testament to what happened when people take their arts to new levels, pushing concepts, dedicating their time and energy, and working together.

With mighty hopes, next stop: The Playa. (burning man) 
 
wording above by Lucky (the conclave shin/leader), because well I can't say it any better than that.... ;o)

The conclave video (for application to Burning Man in order to perform there) is online!!!! Click here!!!

My connection from work (and work like people hanging around me) has kept me from seeing more than the first 1/3 so far, but it's. freaking. amazing.  Of course I knew it would be, Hedy and Erik are amazing videographers!!  So since I haven't seen it all, I have no idea if there are any embarassing bits with me, but I'm sure if there are, only I will think so because I trust their judgement.

As we journey to Burning Man 2008, we embrace the theme of the American Dream. This country was founded on two concepts: Patriotism and Liberty, represented by the figures of Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty.

Aish Tamid (eternal fire) is born.

Xdresser

IMG_1543, originally uploaded by k8et.

Angela rocks at bringing a little peace and spirituality to a not-so-normal club night at Shampoo, where PEX held Phoenix Rising this past weekend.

IMG_1554, originally uploaded by k8et.

what else can I say...

Phoenix Rising

IMG_1558, originally uploaded by k8et.

New venue, new rules... and BOY were they harsh if you broke one! ;o)

(Kidding! Shampoo staff rocked.)

(Phoenix Rising)

IMG_1589rev, originally uploaded by k8et.

Follow the white rabbit, down the rabbit hole.... (Phoenix Rising)

IMG_1586, originally uploaded by k8et.

From Phoenix Rising. With this much beauty around, and alcohol and steez, who can sleep???

IMG_1579, originally uploaded by k8et.

The lovely Mayra from PEX's Phoenix Rising

O objetivo do trabalho é conscientizar as pessoas sobre certos cuidados que devem ser tomados no dia-a-dia para que o futuro dos descendentes seja preservado e que tenham qualidade. Este tema vai ser desenvolvido através de um programa de rádio.

A acadêmica conta que a maior dificuldade para a realização do trabalho é a falta de tempo para realizar as pesquisas. Cristiane trabalha em uma emissora de rádio em Chapecó e tem muitas atividades para desenvolver fora da sala de aula e por isso a falta de tempo esta sendo o seu maior inimigo.

Ao mesmo tempo, Cristiane está realizando o trabalho de conclusão de curso (TCC) e o tema do trabalho é “A VOZ FEMININA NAS ONDAS DO RÁDIO: A presença das mulheres nas emissoras de rádios de Chapecó”. O assunto abordado é a participação da mulher como locutora/apresentadora de programas de rádio e a acadêmica conta ainda que sua maior dificuldade está sendo a pesquisa de campo.

Para Cristiane, o tema foi escolhido pelo fato dela trabalhar em uma rádio, por ser mulher e por ter a oportunidade de produzir um material de pesquisa sobre algo que é tão importante, que são as conquistas das mulheres.

O objetivo principal do TCC é saber um pouco mais de como se deu essa participação da mulher no meio rádio, os preconceitos, os desafios enfrentados e suas vitórias e derrotas nos dias atuais. Além de produzir uma pesquisa para que posteriormente mais pessoas tenham acesso a esse tipo de informação, visto que, pouco material referente ao trabalho feminino nas rádios chapecoenses foi encontrado.

Okay, first of all, PinoyExchange is very much alive and kicking. I’m not saying goodbye to it nor is it saying goodbye to us.

This particular entry just merits my sheer love and appreciation for the longest-running Pinoy online community, which has become an influential avenue for Filipinos all over the world to “speak their mind” (as their previous tagline suggests) about various issues talked about and dealt with in the society. These issues range from the most serious and pressing matters shared within the political, religious, professional and academic circle to the lighter and more personal topics that revolve in a typical Filipino way of life.

Obviously, it’s about Pinoys exchanging ideas, thoughts and interests by interacting with, fighting with, and teaching/learning from each other.

Founded by Dr. Michael Nolledo (username: "batanguliran") in 1999, PinoyExchange (or PEX for the more familiar) has grown to become more than just an online forum over the years. It does not only offer key information and valuable knowledge on different “topics under the sun” but also serve as a significant channel to unite Filipinos in interest-sharing, critical thinking and unabashed assessing on the most challenging issues of the modern times.

I’ve been a member of PEX since 2003. But prior to that, I was already a member of our university’s own online community, which first introduced me to the world of online forums. Right then, I was easily fascinated with the exchange of ideas and preferences between various types of people. The feeling was altogether thought-provoking, overwhelming and fun as you go along with it. It was even addictive at times as it demands all your attention, away from homework and weekly readings for school. Along the way, I realized my fellow Thomasians clearly are an opinionated lot. We were talking about school and student affairs, the ridiculously difficult (and often unnecessary) subjects, the professors we respect or frown upon and other issues around the country and the globe which we think merited a student’s point of view.

However, I felt that the avenue I was in was too “constrained” for my taste as I only get to converse with people who were studying or studied at the university. In the most opportune times, a friend introduced me to PinoyExchange, which at that time was where he’d particularly spend a lot of time dissing and teasing haters of the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe (for which my friend and I were both fans of.) He told me to join him so we can both kick a freakin’ ass or two.

Of course, I was curious enough to check it out. FYI, I wasn’t intending on the possibility of waging war with other university students. They were bitter. Period. That was all I knew and wanted to point out to my friend. I was most convinced to join because it seemed like the perfect opportunity to extend my online forums heydays to a notch. This time, it’ll have a wider coverage, encompassing thousands of people not just living in the Philippines but also abroad. It’s a welcome change as being a daughter of an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) also sparked my interests to know more about how the Filipinos are doing on the other side of the planet.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, PinoyExchange has become more aggressive at promoting this unique hub for quality thinkers, opinion makers and key influencers in the country. It now has 249,398 members, 302,860 threads and 24,873,894 posts. Loads of corporate advertisers have recognized its effectiveness in terms of reaching out to their targeted publics. (I’ve forgiven the frequent downtime because of the availability of avatars. I know, shallow. :D)

Through PEX, I’ve come to know great people along the way and even made friends with some of them. These people I came across with in various topic threads where we share our random POVs. My frequently visited threads delve on basic interests like In The Zone, Music and Radio, International TV and Movies and Arts and Literature; "scholastic" matters like The Realm of Thought, The Academe, Local And Foreign Issues; daily social and personal affairs like Love Courtship and Marriage, Buhay Pinoy and Family Friends Society and interactive threads like Campus Chat and Small Talk. In Small Talk, we also get to enjoy a little Petiks time with its array of short Q&As and games. Once, I also signed up and was chosen to participate in a Survivor online fantasy game based on the popular reality TV show. I was busy with school, though, and didn’t last longer than I had hoped for. (Benj was a co-player during that installment. In fact, he was the one who got me voted out. LOL Remember your “my tribe” declaration? :-P During the game, he kind of had a reputation with everyone. I won’t elaborate anymore. Haha!)

PEX also triggered my once-closet fangirlism. Sometimes, I hate myself for being so gaga over someone or something that it seemed almost ridiculous. But knowing that there are people like you who also get obsessed over a show or something, it makes you feel normal around these people. It makes your excessive fixation forgivable.

I only got a few encounters of abrasions from the flames and the trolls who only post at PEX for the stupidity of it all. A heated (sometimes too personal) argument is an unfortunate staple in this community. The longer your patience and the tougher your composure, the longer you’ll survive. Just like life in general.

Although at one point I did take a hiatus over PEXing around 2006, I always find myself checking it out once in a while during that time (read: LURK). However, I started actively posting again the moment I realized that I feel like I’m missing out on something. (Once you’re a member, you’ll get to appreciate the fact that sometimes PEX (pre-blog phenomenon) gets faster and more comprehensive information than our national dailies.)

When I came out of the said hiatus and went back, I discovered how much I’ve changed, judging on the previous and current posts I made. Looking back at previous threads and re-reading my previous comments, some of those beliefs I shared before were no longer intact with me. Those issues I used to disagree with, I now employ in my life. It’s part of the big change, I guess. And it’s nice to know that PEX has the technology to keep your thoughts when you need to reassess at one point in your life.

Some of the PEXers I knew are also some of the smartest people I’ve come to know in my sweet existence. Those who are not only intelligent, logical and eloquent but also who have shared a wonderful story of success or failure that have inspired me. In PEX life, it’s not just about the braggadocio of knowing a thing or two about something. It’s not just about vanity. It’s not just about getting extensive information on the latest Cinema Francaise films or the US Presidential campaign. It’s not even about having the best-viewed and top-commented threads.

It’s also about being able to share what you know because you want to and you need to. It’s also about helping someone make sense of certain situations and letting them know that there’s another way out. It’s about having your experiences teach someone so he/she can learn from them.

It’s not just about conversing with strangers. It’s about communicating with people.

Disclaimer: Hah. This is hardly a commercial for it. @_@

Junto aos PEXs, os formandos deverão entregar um relatório sobre todo o processo de produção. De acordo com a professora Ilka Goldschmidt, coordenadora dos projetos, “a intenção é possibilitar ao aluno justificar, argumentar as decisões editoriais, jornalísticas tomadas ao longo do processo e refletir sobre as etapas e o 'produto' final”.

Os alunos se encontram na fase de produção. Eles também estão envolvidos no desenvolvimento dos Trabalhos de Conclusão de Curso (TCCs) e, por isso, estão em uma luta contra o tempo para que tudo ocorra da melhor maneira possível.

A professora Ilka aconselha que os formandos se dediquem e deêm o máximo de si. “É hora de mostrar como as habilidades técnicas e discursivas adquiridas e desenvolvidas ao longo do curso podem determinar um trabalho de excelência jornalística”, conclui.