Tis’ been a while
Neil 
Busy with everything in the world + too much Team Fortress == no blog posts. (odd that I’d edit that twice wondering if I should set “fortress” equal to “no” or simply compare the two… too much PHP, anyone?)
Anyways, thought I’d write a blog post to describe what’s been happening in my life!
I am now an official Support Representative for x10Hosting LLC. Signed the NDA and everything else last week. 
Hopefully I’ll be able to start answering tickets when Corey gets the damned permissions fixed!
Other than that.. let’s see… Oh yeah. The day after I signed the NDA, I was recruited for a secret project.. which.. being secret, I can’t divulge any information about (yet), but hopefully we’ll be able to announce it soon! (Thus the variable comparision vs. assignment… oh God I’m losing my mind…).
What else.. what else…. hmmmm….
Built my own computer! 
That was/is a fun experience! I’ve been doing cable management for weeks now because this case simply SUCKS at it.. but it’s not an open/windowed case.. so ascetics only matter to those who open it up to change stuff… that’d be me… >.>
Quick run down of parts!
- Antec 300 Mid tower Case
- Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge @ 3.10GHz
- MSI PH67S-C43 Motherboard w/ Sandy Bridge chipset
- 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 RAM
- Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 260 GFX
- Rosewill Wireless N Draft/g/b PCI card
- Antec EarthWatts 750W PSU (80+ Certified)
- Acer 21.5″ LCD 1080p Monitor (AKA the second love of my life)
- 1TB Seagate HDD
- Acer DVD R/W Combo
Then a bunch of cables, screws, frustrated times later.. I have OS X and Windows 7 Dual booting!
I can’t even begin to describe how awesome playing games is when you can actually play them without lagging out and dying because you have integrated graphics! 
That’s all I can think of right now.. more later? maybe. My foot hurts though. Cause I just had part of my toenail removed (yay ingrown tonails!)
Band Blog – Including Friday, and other various things.
I was going to do a vlog on this, but I decided I’d get nasty comments on Youtube.
So, the song Friday by Rebecca Black:
It’s actually not a bad song. Sure, the lyrics suck, and pretty much the entire melody was copied from Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” but the song in and of itself wasn’t half bad! I think Ms. Black has a lot of potential, and especially if she doesn’t go back to the devil himself (AKA Ark Music Factory). She is talented, despite what many people think, and the talent has to be nurtured, not laughed at and looked down upon.
On to real music (kidding):
Band has been going pretty well the past few weeks. My lips have been warming up rapidly and they’re starting to gain the stability they used to have. The main part is that I need to get back to practicing, and build up the stamina they had a while back – so I can really play and out perform during concerts and et cetera. I know that I can’t just take a break from it at all, because as soon as I do, my lips just won’t be able to do what they need to do.
I really like the music we’re doing in Concert band and jazz band this half of the year. It’s a lot of marches and generally upbeat stuff. It’s well within my comfort zone, and now that my lips aren’t fighting with me, the range is perfect to continue to build up stamina.
Tis all for now.
Still working on wsr.im, and a couple other projects. Sadly, I’ve not been working on insprr.me, since I have almost no communication with Tim, and the project has died (at least for me). It went through the initial, “YEAH! Let’s do this!” phase, but for me, it’s pretty much dead. =/
Around the bend
Well, we’re in the first home stretch towards the end of school, which ultimately means a whole lot more work, and not a whole heck of a lot to look forward too. Luckily, this year I do have much more to look forward to than normal.
In the next few weeks, I’ll be starting work again at the Clambake, which is very good, since I have a lot of expenses coming up.. Driving Lessons, Road Test money, etc.
I’ll also be preparing for this summer and all the stuff I need to get done. I really need to work a bunch so I can get the money and make my fall less hectic. Since I’ll *hopefully* be getting a car and license this summer, I’ll need money for Gas and et cetera (and a whole bunch of cash at this current rate). I also am going to be talking with my boss about what shifts I’ll be working, because I don’t want to get locked into working every Friday night like I did last year. It’s not like I have anything to do, per say, but I’d like to have the night off once in a while. I’ll also be looking at taking off thursdays this year, as I want to spend as much time as humanly possible with Danielle before she goes off to college, and Thursdays = Castle Concert = probably the only times I’ll be able to see her. I didn’t really see her all that much last summer didn’t see her at all last summer, and I don’t want that to happen again.
Along with all this, I have school work, as well as potential job opportunities (web) popping up everywhere.. It’d just be nice if people would reply to me in a timely manner with answers to my questions. To explain this, I’ve written a poem:
If I’m asked to email you,
and I do so right away.
I expect a response.
Particularly if I know you’ve received my email.
Vacation? Sure, whatever.
But when it takes over two weeks for you to get back.
And we’re now soon approaching another week and a half
since you last emailed me, saying “Here’s this and that, now go.”
1: That’s not enough information.
I cannot read minds.
I cannot know the answers to my own questions.
I cannot do things without instruction.
2. ANSWER MY EMAILS.
If you need my phone number, ASK
If you need time to get back to me, TELL ME.
Because if I don’t get a reply soon,
I swear.
I will email you telling I have a full workload, and that I cannot complete your project.
Either that, or I can charge you $2,000 for my services.
You pick.
That’s it.
–Neil
Oh, vacation
Today marks the start of February vacation – if you can really call it a vacation. It’s a vacation in the sense that there’s no school, but I’ll be pretty much booked solid for the entire week. Why? Drivers Ed. is why. 8-3 Monday through Friday. It’s a pain, but I know it’ll be worth it, and I definitely know I’d rather do one week instead of many, many weeks at night – especially over break.
Luckily, it’s only until 3, so I’ll have a bit of time to do what I need to get done, and maybe have time to work on WSR.im, Insprr.me, and a couple other projects (maybe push through a portfolio? yeah.. probably not)
I may or may not have had a point for this blog, but to be honest, I can’t remember. And I’m sure one reader of this blog in particular can figure out why I can’t focus on writing. 
I guess I’ll do a quick update on wsr.im:
We’ve gotten through the initial push. After our quick, one night alpha, we rolled out a version 0.2 alpha, with a fair amount of new features, including JavaScript interaction and error handling, structured filesystem, and an abuse page.
Version 0.3 includes a script we’ve made to check submitted urls against Google’s database of badware/malware/phishing/etc. We’ve been warned a lot about this happening, and we don’t want to have to get shut down because someone goes directly to the Datacenter instead of contacting us directly. >.>
Our API is being actively developed, and I know Chris has a lot planned for it. Once we get a stable version, I’ll roll out a wordpress plugin for url-shortening inside posts themselves. I for one will use it (but that might just be because I’m me).
In other, completely unrelated news:
I’ve had a crazy week, with a number of projects for school being due. Because of this, development on everything (including wsr and insprr.me) has been all but gone. Which I apologize to Tim of Insprr.me for, because I haven’t even helped develop the site yet. I don’t apologize to brandon though, because he knows he can’t control me (that much).
The week itself has been crazy, with drama, arrests, and just all sorts of crazy. I’ve been pretty moody/sad/depressed-ish for a number of different reasons, but I’m over it, and things are beginning to look up.
I’ve also written a quick script, commented so that everyone can understand:
<?php
class girlfriend extends boyfriend { //define class “girlfriend” which extends upon class “boyfriend”
function __construct($girlfriend,$boyfriend){ //constructing function, to be run when the class is initialized
if(!in_array($boyfriend,$boyfriends){ die(‘No Boyfriend’); } else { return true; } // If boyfriend isn’t found in the array of boyfriends, die. If it is, continue.
} // end function __construct
public function reply($id,$time){ //define public function reply, with variables $id and $time
$this->reply_to_query($id,$time); //calls upon a function in class “boyfriend” named “reply_to_query” passing both variables sent to the function.
} //ends function reply
} //ends class
$g = new girlfriend(“Girlfriend”,”Boyfriend”); //initialize class “girlfriend”
$g->reply($g->;last_message(),time() – 60); //performs “reply” function using class girlfriend, using another function called “last_message” which retrieves the last message sent from either party (girlfriend or boyfriend)
?>
Mine Warriors, Insprr.me, wsr.im, Forr.st, new portfolio
So lately, I’ve been up to quite a bit. 
Many many things running around, so I’ll try and organize this post a bit.
I bought MineCraft last week while I was sick. It cost me $21.04 USD… Was it worth it? Hell yes. It’s probably one of the best games I’ve played in a long time. Single Player isn’t really all that fun.. but multiplayer? It’s amazing.
Brandon Long a good friend of mine from x10Hosting runs a server called Mine Warriors, and since I started playing on the server, he’s made me an administrator, and I’ve been helping him out with a bunch of stuff for the website, including doing some design work. (Check out the logo there. ) Which.. leads me on to my next linky.
WSR.im is short for Wicked Short Redricts. It’s another startup by me and Brandon.. with a pretty funny beginning. It all happened last night, around 5:00pm, Feb 5th.
Brandon basically told me in x10′s IRC #chat that he was starting it, and that I was helping — a common thing for us. I went along with it. And before I knew it, I was coding a simple layout for the site… the one we’re using on the site now. We’re still in beta, but it’s all functioning. More features will be added later, including registration, and special perks. Check it out!
Insprr.me is a inspiration warehouse of sorts. A developer from webdevRefinery was looking for some help with the site, so I volunteered my services. I haven’t yet done anything with the site, since I’ve been rather busy with other things (see above). But we plan on making it a great site.
Basically, you can use the website to store your ideas online, with the option to upload a sketch or design idea for it. Then, you can access it at any time, anywhere, and remember what you were inspired by! I believe we plan on making it mobile too, so you can take a snapshot on your mobile phone, and upload it straight from there.
Forr.st is a community of developers and designers to share work, ask questions, and get feedback on their designs and other work. It’s invite only, but it’s by no means a small community. It has many, many members, so it means a lot to be invited. I’ve been looking for an invite for a while, and I finally got one from a guy at webdevRefinery. They’re very nice over there.
I look forward to using this service to get people to critique my work, get inspiration, ideas, and to help other people with theirs.
My Portfolio:
Revision #<?= rand(1,10); ?> No.. Seriously. I’ve revised this so many times it’s not even funny. I keep over-critiquing myself, and I always end up hating what I’ve made. I checked with Forr.st, and apparently it’s completely.. So until I find a design I’m happy with, Photoshop will be running constantly.
That’s all for now!
Darn lips
So this month I’ve really been struggling in band. Not Jazz band, but rather Concert Band.
For whatever reason, I’m able to play pretty much as high as I want in Jazz Band, but in Concert Band, I’ve been failing to hit even an F (High). It’s been extremely frustrating, especially since I can’t hide behind anyone, and Justin hasn’t been there all the time for me to match (Usually when I’m playing with him, I can match his pitches).
I talked to Mr. Braunech about it, and we essentially came to the conclusion that I needed to retrain my lips, which I agreed. We haven’t yet begun to start retraining yet, but I’ve been able to shoot a bit higher.
A breakthrough occurred today, and I was actually able to bust out the notes. I don’t know why, but something just made me extremely relaxed and I was able to pop the notes out with a certain amount of ease. I know I still have a long way to go, and that I DO need to retrain my lips. But at least I don’t have to embarrass myself by trying to play high and getting just a woosh of air and a crappy sounding trumpet noise.
Introducing So Said the Sun
Originally posted by Jilv at http://www.volumecity.co.uk/2011/01/introducingfree-music-so-said-the-sun-demo/
Demo free from Bandcamp/Soundcloud: (2 songs): http://sosaidthesun.bandcamp.com
So Said the Sun is a band from the North Shore of Massachusetts that’s been receiving a lot of local hype. Currently there are 2 members, Justin Kelley and Carter Gray Shelter, who passionately strum their guitars and sing their souls out. The most amazing thing about this dual is that they are teens. They might not want me to write that but they are. This is quite an amazing demo for two guys still in high school.
Wait a Minute
What I like most about ‘Wait a Minute’ is the emotion behind the singing. The song eases in with a hurtful ending of a relationship but they won’t give up and walk away. They start banging on their guitars not willing to give up so easily on love lost. This song reflects that inner struggle of fighting for life through their lyrics, the strenuous rock vocals, and the unforgiving guitar voicing. Just when I think this is going to be another melancholic shoegazer, So Said the Sun ramps it up and banks on the intensity of what life really is as expressed through their lyrics and vocals. As soon as they get strumming and singing I feel like they are sitting in the room with me singing as if this break-up were fresh on their souls. As the song builds to climax, the awkwardness of the first “and” at 2:58 is quickly forgotten by the smooth transition of the higher-pitched second “and”. Carter’s guttural vocals juxtapose with the light soothing back-up vocals of Justin so well it sounds as if they’ve been playing in a band for years. They know when to fuse their vocals, provide the guitar support, and let the note linger like pros. When the two unite in the chorus it blends harmoniously, making me wonder what has led them to write such mournful lyrics as well as dumbfounding me that they are teenagers (sorry guys, don’t mean to harp on that).
My Way Out
Justin’s soft voice creates a very clear concise song. His ability to reach the higher pitches is a great contrast against Carter’s vocals in ‘Wait a Minute’. The most impressive aspect about this song is the lyrics; they are simple and clear. So Said the Sun captures what it means to be a teen living in a small New England town. This song is appealing in that I feel it actually embodies the hopeful naivete of their age and brilliantly so. While other young singers are out creating over-produced pop songs, So Said the Sun is saying “fuck that” that’s not reality and they don’t seem to care what people think. They are who they are. These lyrics are not verbose nor are they full of the typical bullshit angst-ridden themes that teens tend to harp on. So Said the Sun captures the simplicity of life in ‘My Way Out’ and it’s delicately charming for that.
Two of my best friends — doing what they love. It’s really amazing. I admire their love for music, and making other people having. With these two songs, and also the music I know they have coming up, I know they’ll be a hit. Both of their lyrics and guitar work is simply amazing, and I wonder how they do it. I have trouble remembering songs, let alone being able to write them as wonderfully as they do. I especially like Justin’s truly heartfelt lyrics in upcoming songs, stuff that just won’t get out of my head.
Please, do them a favor and check them out. If you like them, let them know! Blog about them, tweet about them, do whatever it takes. They put all their energy into their music. They’re truly talented people, and deserve to be recognized.
Connect: Bandcamp | Soundcloud | Facebook
Windows 7
So, I’ve finally gotten up to speed on the latest and greatest (or so they say) technology.. Windows 7. I installed it yesterday, after confirming that my fan was in fact working properly, and that I could safely install it without running the risk of killing my computer (not from the software, but rather from me physically smashing it with a hammer or similar blunt object.
What I’ve found so far:
It’s really not that much different from Vista — except it being a bazillion times better. No crashes.. Well, one crash. But I’m not sure what caused it. The computer just randomly locked up on me… but I digress. I haven’t had explorer.exe crash on my once, and I’ve been moving my laptop all over the place! (It used to freeze if I moved my laptop in the slightest). Additionally, I love all the ascetic changes, especially the slideshow background, and features like Snap, Peek, and Shake (I’m using Snap right now to monitor IRC while I write this post). All of my programs seem to work, and doing things is so much easier now that I don’t have to deal with slow, crappy, (I won’t use other words..) Vista.
The Installation:
The installation of Windows 7 was really great. I wasn’t going to take the time to find my copy of GPartedLive, and since the install directions claim they overwrite the existing partition, I figured it would be fine just to install it over Vista. I’d already backed up my files and settings, so I went ahead. It took me twice to boot the CD (I’d been having issues loading GUI’s) but it finally loaded, and the setup process went fine. Unfortunately, despite the numerous warnings about data being erased, the setup copied windows into Windows.old, and left 59.6gb of crap I didn’t need to delete (It took 2 1/2 hours to get rid of).
It installed relatively fast (I wasn’t really keeping track ‘cause I was studying, but I’d say ~45 minutes). And I logged right in. After a couple restarts to validate Windows (hey, I never said I bought it), I got to installing all my programs (Especially easy with the added use of Nineite). Everything installed fine, and I got all my necessary files back onto the internal HDD from my new HP 1tb external drive. 
Yay for birthday presents!
The Use:
So far, it’s been extremely easy to use Windows 7. Despite not being able to throw certain applications into the notification area anymore (namely Skype, MSN Messenger, etc), the taskbar is working out very well for me. I have Google Chrome, and IceChat, and that’s all I need. 
Programmer’s Notepad is on the Desktop, right alongside Netbeans, Photoshop, and FileZilla. What else could a man want?
Besides having to manually change my screen resolution (Windows was saying the max was 1024×748), the display is very crisp, and I’m able to see everything I need to see. I was worried about not being able to see notifications with the new taskbar, but IceChat and all other applications light up really well, and they’re big enough that I see them out of the corner of my eye if I’m doing something else, like writing a blog post on the right side of my screen.
I’m definitely going to be seeing how it all works out for me, and how far I can push it before my 1gb of RAM explodes, but overall, it seems to be a great setup. New battery is on the way (Windows is telling me I should replace it.), and hopefully I’ll be getting some more RAM, as well as a good webcam (because this one doesn’t have one built in)
That’s all for now!
New Portfolio Design!
I’ve done a sorta-rough-draft for my new portfolio. As I said before, I’ll be moving VizOxidy Design off to it’s own little addon domain, and using NeilHanlon.com as my portfolio page.
So, since not too much else is happening in my life besides a couple of projects including PrayerLine, and iClassroom, here’s the design (so far)!
First Ever Choral Performance
So the Holiday Concert this year is the first time I’ve ever preformed in a choral group. I auditioned for Jazz Choir at the end of the year on a whim, and had no clue what I was getting into. Apparently, I was getting no only into Jazz Choir, but also into a group where I had to put 100% effort, 100% work, and also where I had to learn not only music for that group, but also for Singers! I was extremely surprised to hear this, and it was crazy that I actually got it all down… eventually.
This year, we ushered in an almost-completely-new group of people to Jazz Choir, myself being one of them. 3/5s of the tenors are new, 3/4 of the basses are new, and altos and sopranos.. Well. I don’t quite remember. 
Regardless, we’ve struggled a lot with getting along with each other. We have some very strong personalities, and along with those personalities, some very strong power-struggles. Mostly this is between
This being the first time I’ve been in a choral group, and being that I’d invested (and still invest) a lot into this group, it doesn’t put my mind at ease that we’ll be able to work any better in the spring, or even be able to get anything done at all.
I think these three personalities, and the people that own them, need to calm down, and take a step back.
I love all three of you very dearly, but for my sake and the sake of all sanity, LIVE AND LET LIVE!
Follow us on Twitter!