Summer Time

Hello everyone and welcome back to BCB. I apologize for the long delay but May is never a good month for my family as there are some many things going on. Just a reminder to everyone that the semester is nearing the end and if you have not registered for the summer time is running out. So much has occurred over the past month which is why i have not been able to post. The major thing is my wife unfortunately has been very sick for the month of May with some sort of mysterious ailment of her stomach. She has been to three different doctors and we are awaiting the results of an endoscopy that she took a week ago. In the middle of it all was my birthday, mothers day, a wedding, my daughters 3rd birthday and school. I have also been doing some extra curricular studying for some IT certifications. I achieved my first official certification which is the CompTia Network+ exam. It is a non-vendor specific and it is the start of the rest of the certifications i will be attempting. If all goes planned by the time the summer is over i will have a total of 3 certifications, Network+, Security+ and CCNA.

May was not only a hectic month but also a very positive month for me and my family. About a week and a half ago i received my acceptance email from Boston University into their Master of Science program. I feel confident that Berkeley has prepared me to tackle the Master program and that experience combined with my work experience is going to lead me to success. As for the progress of this semester it is going very well for my final semester. I am batting an A in poetry and i would recommend anyone who wants an easy grade and fulfill an upper level liberal arts requirement to take poetry. I finally got my midterm grade from International economics and i got an 87. So as it stands with three weeks left i am in excellent shape to finish strong.

I had a very interesting conversation with some of my classmates in my economics class. We were discussing our future plans and what is needed to succeed. One of my classmates is an Accounting major and has two more semesters left at Berkeley. His goal is to try and get as many Master degrees he can because he is running out of time due to his age. I basically agreed, except for the age, but i want to get my degrees and certifications before my daughter is 5 and my son is 4 which gives me 2 years. The reason why is I want to be able to go to ball games and dance recitals without having to worry about school or studying for exams. We both agreed that security in IT and Accounting are fields that are growing and that we both are respectively trying to get into. Anyway that is all for now i will see all of you later on this week.

MTA and McAfee Fail

Hello everyone and welcome back to BCB. Just a reminder for everyone that registration for summer semester has begun so please register in order to allow you get the classes you want. As posted in my last post i have a very interesting news regarding our very own MTA as well as a security fail from McAfee.

It seems like this is becoming a weekly occurrence. Huge companies having complete lapses in security. This weeks victim is New Yorks very own MTA. We all know the MTA is under extreme pressure to validate their budgets and explain where the money goes without raising our fares (which they will do regardless). The latest security issue can possibly cost the MTA millions of dollars which can spell bad news for New York transit riders. I first heard the story on a Paul DotCom Security Weekly podcast and read it on The Renderlab. The story was originally reported in the NY Daily News on April 24th. Supposedly the MTA has an issue with people selling Magic Keys for $27 a piece, why this is an issue is because the Magic Key is a key that allows riders to not have to pay for rides on the subway and also opens some private areas in stations. According to the NY Daily News article the police have been diligent in arresting people either using or selling the Magic Keys but it is still an ongoing problem. To make matters worse is in the NY Daily News article there is a picture of one of the reporters holding up a key that may be the actual “Magic Key.” The problem with that is that hackers and professional locksmiths can make copies of these keys using the photograph. The Renderlab article explains how this can be done and that researches have successfully made working copies of keys using photographs. If this is an issue the MTA will have to replace hundreds of locks on security gates and doors at hundreds of stations costing millions of dollars, and who do you think is going to pay for it, you guessed it every New Yorker and every rider of the subway.

This is a serious issue and i hate to see what the fall out will be if the MTA investigation into the issue comes up with the solution to replace all the locks. The next security fail story is from McAfee.

As many know on April 21, 2010 McAfee had what we call in the IT realm as an “Epic Fail.” As reported on CNET on April 22nd, McAfee released a buggy virus definition that attacked a specific Windows XP executable. The virus software registered the SVCHOST.exe as a virus and either quarantined the file or deleted it. This prompts a Blue Screen of Death that starts a reboot process. Upon reboot the system cannot find the SVCHOST.exe and reboots again and this continues. Svchost.exe is an executable that is needed to run certain services on your computer such as audio, themes and DHCP to name a few. Without that file these services cannot run and crashes the system. Many businesses such as police, hospitals, financial institutions and jails were brought to a grinding halt when their systems crashed. McAfee quickly pulled the bad file from its distribution servers but the damage had already been done. This raises a whole slew of questions such as, “Are Anti-Virus companies actually testing the virus definitions?” If the answer to that question is yes then how did this get out without being noticed? The biggest concern is if all it took was one bad bug to cause this much disruption, what must we do to fix this? Just some food for thought!!!

This goes to show you that no matter how much big companies focus on security and making sure things are working properly. For these two companies to have such huge lapses in security is baffling and the bottom line it will or has cost consumers millions of dollars.

Graduation and Week 5

Hey every one and welcome back to the BCB. A reminder to all students that registration for the summer session is now underway and to register as soon as possible in order to insure that you get the classes you want. I cannot tell you how many times i have heard students complain about their schedule because they waited to long to register. I want to apologize for taking so long to post but i am now just coming off my Graduation/Birthday high. As many Berkeley college students know commencement took place last friday April 30th at the IZOD center. A total of 1400 students graduated as the class of 2010 but by my estimate we had about 500 or so in attendance for the ceremony. Despite having that many students the ceremony took only 2 hours and 15 minutes which is outstanding. I remember going to my wife's graduation from LaGuardia Community College which had roughly about the same amount of students and it took over 3 hours to get done so i tip my hat to Student Development and Campus Life.

We have just finished week 5 and are entering the half way point of the Spring semester. Week 6 is usually Midterm week so i wish everyone who is taking a Midterm this week good luck. So far classes have been good so far. Poetry is a really easy Upper Liberal Arts class to take. I would recommend it to anyone that needs to get rid of an Upper Liberal Arts class but are already taking a lot of difficult classes. International economics is an interesting class because there is a lot of stuff going on now that pertain to the class. One of those topics are what is currently going on in Europe with Greece. Greece as a country is practically bankrupt and is soliciting the European Union (EU) for some help. There are a lot of issues that led to Greece's downfall and it is a combination of investing in a lot of public works and countries while not keeping money in the country. What didn't help is they have not been collecting the taxes needed to keep the country afloat. This has spurred a lot of controversy among the EU to solve the issue of helping Greece.

It also just so happen that on the day of class we had the biggest swing in stock prices dropping all the way down by 1000 points before rebounding. That alone opened up a discussion in my class about the volatility of the markets. The next day NASDAQ confirmed that it was not a computer glitch and cancelled all trades that were executed during the time frame when the markets plummeted. It looks like this is going to be even more of an interesting class given the current state of the world markets. Anyway that is all for now i will have a new security post that will be important for all New Yorkers and I will also have some album reviews for Sevendust, Bullet For MY Valentine, Godsmack and Deftones. I will also be going to a Korn concert so i will have all these details for everyone.

Countdown to Graduation

Hello everyone and welcome back to BCB. Just a few administrative announcements, we are currently now in week four of the spring semester. Registration has now begun for the Summer semester. Please register early in order to be able to get the classes you want as well as give you enough time to clear for the Summer semester. Graduation is this week and i want to take this time out to say Congratulations to the class of 2010. The journey has finally come to an end for many of us and either we will continue on or enter our respective fields. So I tip my cap and look forward to seeing all of you on Friday.

As many of you know despite the fact that i am walking on Friday i am still in my final semester at Berkeley. One of the classes i am taking this semester is Poetry and so far it has been pretty easy going. This past week we read a sonnet written by Shakespeare. It focused on the true meaning of love and how true love can endure anything. It got me thinking a lot about my life and my marriage to my wife. I am happy to say that i celebrated my 3 year anniversary last week I have been with my wife for almost 6 years. I still can remember when we were dating and i asked her to marry me. She said yes but had all these concerns and always focused on her weaknesses instead of her strengths. I told her that all her weaknesses are my strengths and all her strengths are my weaknesses. I told her that together we can work to strengthen those weaknesses, i told her that 6 years ago.

Last night we were talking about a conversation she had with a friend of hers earlier in the day. The friend was astounded how mature my wife had become and how her thoughts and ideas were so much well structured. Needless to say that was one of the weaknesses she thought she had. I always knew she was intelligent, trust me i wouldn't have married her if i didn't think she was. I also knew that given the right encouragement she could tap into what she thought was a weakness. It has been a long battle but i am seeing it pay off. The way she is able to educate the kids all the way through our conversations, she has become more and more sophisticated. The difference now is that other people are noticing it. This is where true love is shown in the fact despite her negative view of herself i only saw the positives. She still has work to do but then again so do i. Anyway that is all for now, i will see you guys later on this week as i recap graduation.

CPR

Hello everyone and welcome back to BCB. Just a reminder for everyone that registration for the summer will begin next week. Please make sure you register early to ensure that you get the classes you want. For all the graduates a reminder that graduation is next Friday April 30th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ. All graduates must be at the Center by 8 am and commencement will start promptly at nine. This blog post is going to focus on the NYPD motto of CPR, Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect.

As most New Yorkers know that the NYPD motto that is written on every squad car is CPR. This motto should not only apply to our police officers but should apply to everyone, everywhere whether your on the job or not. One of the many things i have learned and that is constantly told at my job is that we represent the company no matter where we are, on or off the clock. Showing Courtesy, Professionalism and Respect reflects well not only on you but for the company that you work for. Many people tend to think that because they are off the clock they can act anyway they want with no consequences. Normally that is fine as long as your behavior is not something that will get you in trouble with your employer.

We see this problem in every facet of employment. The NFL is currently dealing with this issue in regards to Ben Rothelesberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although he has not been charged with any crimes he has had two cases brought against him of sexual assault. This is in violation of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy since it is a result of pattern behavior. He is facing possible suspension from the League and also a suspension or fine from the team itself and it has warned everyone that issues like this will result in being traded or cut. My job is the same way in the fact that if you do anything that can reflect negatively on the company you can and will be terminated.

Always remember to be courteous, professional and respectful in your day to day transactions, whether it is with a client or a fellow co-worker. It also benefits you if you apply CPR to your personal life as it tends to keep you out of silly situations that can be avoided. Anyway that is all for this blog i will see you guys next time.

Week 2 and iPhone 4.0 overview

Hello everyone and welcome back to BCB. Just a reminder that in 2 weeks registration for the summer will begin so start looking at your Degree Audit to see what classes you may want to take. So far week 1 is in the books and so far it is pretty easy going. Unfortunately due to Physical Therapy i was unable to attend my thursday class but i will definitely make it this week. I will let all of you know how International Economics is. Today's blog is keeping up with the technical aspect that i am trying to introduce into my blogs. Last week on Thursday, Apple, Inc. had a press conference to announce the next iPhone OS which is OS 4.0. They also took the liberty of announcing sales statistics for the iPad which was released the prior weekend. I was one of many eagerly awaiting the conference to find out what they would be deploying with this release. I am sharing this with you because a couple of months ago Berkeley had a poll about iPhones and many people had either the iPhone or the iPod Touch. So here is the overview and my perspective on the release:

The iPhone OS 4.0 is based around seven key developments that Apple has been working on. Apple called them "Tentpoles" during the conference and those tentpoles are:

1. Multitasking
2. Folders
3. Enhanced Mail
4. iBooks
5. Enterprise Support
6. Game Center
7. iAd

Here is the break down of each tentpole.

1. Multitasking: According to Apple it is built on 7 API's (Application Programing Interface). The first is background audio. Apple worked on trying to get streaming audio to run in the background so the user can use a different app. This was important to Apple as one of the most popular apps on the iPhone and Touch is Pandora which provides streaming music. With the update you will be able to stream music in the background without killing the battery. This API also applies to other apps that stream audio such as MLB at Bat. The second API is VoIP (Voice over IP). Applications such as skype can now run in the background while you are in another app. You can recieve calls and an interface pops up just as if you were recieving a call over the AT&T network. It even will display incoming calls while the phone is locked, so skype users rejoice. The next API is GPS. Right now the GPS program closes when a call comes in or you cannot play music from your iPhone or Touch and still recieve directions. With the new OS you will be able to do both and not have to relaunch the application. The other aspect is social networking as certain apps like Loopt track you through GPS. As it is now with the current OS the application will always ask if you want to use you current location. In the new build their will be an indicator that the application is still tracking you through GPS. The fourth API is push notifications. This was added to the most recent updates of the OS but now these notifications can be done locally. So lets say you use a third party alarm clock, right now your phone must be on all night in order for the alarm to work, not any more in 4.0. The fifth API revolves around task completion. Some apps like Flickr take awhile to upload, now it can continue to uploading in the background while you use other apps on your phone. The sixth API is based on notification services which can now be controlled through the settings menu. The final API is fast app switching. When you switch to another app the app you were just using gets stored in the background. When you switch back you don't need to relaunch the program or restore the session becuase everything is as exactly the way you left it. In order to switch between applications just double click the home button. If running four or more apps after you double click the home just swipe left or right.

2. Folders: Folders have now been added to the OS. To create a folder drag one app onto another and a folder is automatically created and named. The naming comes from the categories associated with the app. On the folder itself will have small tiles that will show you what apps are stored within the folder. When you tap the folder it expands down to display apps. You will also have the ability to change the wallpaper on the home and locked screens.

3. Enhanced Mail: Unified inbox, multiple email accounts and more than one Exchange account. All incoming mail is stored in one inbox. You can move quickly between inboxs by tapping the accounts list on top. There are threaded discussions and you can open attachments on apps you have downloaded.

4. iBooks: Smaller version of the iPad bookshelf and iBookstore. You will have the ability to sync page and bookmarks between devices (ie iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad).

5. Enterprise: The new OS will give you the ability to encrypt email including attachments using your pin code. Wireless distribution of applications to all company issued iPhones through company servers. There is support for multiple exchange accounts, Exchange 2010, and SSL VPN support for both Juniper and Cisco.

6. Game Center: The App Store boasts the largest number of game applications. Apple is going further by adding a social gamming network, where you can invite friends, auto-matchmaking, leaderboards and achievements.

7. iAd: iAd is moble advertising built directly into the OS. The advertising is built into the application itself. An example would be opening Yelp to find a place to eat and seeing an advertisement for a restaurant near by. The advertisements keep you within the app and allows you to close the ad at anytime using the X. The Ads are done in HTML5 and provide animation and video as well as games or other modes of interactivity. Advertisers will be able to provide wallpapers to be saved directly to the device, theater listing and embedded maps (for movies) and even games that you can buy directly from the advertisement without having to go to the App Store.

This new OS will roll out to iPhones and iPod Touches this summer with a fall release scheduled for the iPad. There are limitations a the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2nd generation will not support multitasking.

Overall i think this is a step in the right direction for Apple. It was a little late in comming to the show with features such as Folders and Multitasking but the delay seems to be well worth it. I personally have an iPhone 3G so i wont get the chance to test multitasking when it first comes out but my contract is up shortly there after so i am not to worried. Anyway that is the end of this post, i will see you all later.


P.S. All information was gathered through Macworld.com.

Baseball is here! Time for new beginnings

Hello everyone and welcome back to BCB. As you can tell by the title i am extremely excited that baseball has now return to fill my sports void. It has been painful during this break between football and baseball since the team i normally watch for basketball has been horrible this year. Now as baseball season begins so does my final semester here at Berkeley College. It has been a long and hard trip through my two years at Berkeley and i want to take the time out to thank some of the staff at Berkeley that has made it easier. The biggest thank you goes to the whole continue education staff from Diana all the way to Carol Alleyne have made my experience with the department less stressful than it could have been. I would also like to thank all the people who have read my blog during this time and i hope it has been informative and fun.

As my last semester begins a new process begins which is application to a Graduate program. One of the tasks that i have to do for my application is to write a personal statement on why i want to pursue a Graduate program. This assignment is going to be used not only to gauge my writing skills but also as a way to see why i am even going for my graduate studies in the first place. This task can become difficult because you have to explain your reasons fully and clearly in order to convince them that you are right for the program. I have already done my draft and have begun revisions but i am sure this will be the most revised work i have ever written. This assignment has made me realize a lot about my goals and what i am on a mission to achieve.

Anyone that knows the IT field knows that there is so much information and so many different specializations that it can become overwhelming. This is especially true in the field i am focusing on and hoping to get my Masters in which is Information Security. At my current position i am just a help desk tech that does routine tasks re guarding computers. Most of it i learned on the job as i was actually pursuing a degree in accounting when i was first hired by my current employer. I have not taken any advanced computer classes until i started attending Berkeley but unfortunately it is not in the area i am pursuing. The classes are perfect for the Bachelors i am receiving though and it has given me a base to build my knowledge on. Most of the studying will have to be done on my own through self-study books which makes up a large portion of the computer bookshelves at any Barnes and Noble. Even taking the classes in my graduate program will also need to be aided by outside studying of different materials. This is a hard thing for one person to acquire and it is the current task that i have undertook. My goal is to have at least two certifications by the time i enter my graduate program and i hope to have a total of 5 or 6 by the time i graduate. Given the immense amount of information i have to study, i have my work cut out for me.

Well i hope everyone has a great semester. A reminder to those that are continuing on pass this semester that registration begins in week 4 so start looking at your degree audit and figuring out what you need. Thanks again to all those at Berkeley who have made my time there enjoyable and thanks to all the readers for sticking with me throughout the whole process.

Spring is in the Air

Hello everyone and welcome back to BCB. I hope some of you have taken the chance to look at The Funky Apple. I want to thank Nigel again for taking the time out for the interview. Spring is in the air, not so much for the semester but because baseball is in the air. I just finished participating in two live drafts, one that i was about an hour late for. I think i did well overall and now begins the arduous task of managing both teams. I also have to help my wife who is participating in Fantasy baseball for the first time. I have to make sure maintains her team and if push comes to shove i may have to take over. I am also entering my final semester here at Berkeley College. I cannot believe it has been two years since i started here and how quickly time flew. I now begin my process of applying to Master degree programs.

The two schools i am looking at is Boston university and Drexel university. Boston University is my favorite choice as it has the program that i want. It is also recognized by the Department of Homeland security as having an outstanding IT Security program. I also read that the government tends to send their employees there for training and since i want to get into the government BU may give me the key to the door. I still have a busy schedule despite the fact that i am only taking one class online and another in building. I have to do PT three times a week for the next 4-5 weeks as i rehab my knee on top of seeing my therapist again in the office. We have been communicating over the phone for the past months until time elapsed that i can go and see him at his private practice. On top of all that there are preparations for my anniversary, graduation, birthday, two weddings, mothers day and my daughters birthday. Over the next few weeks it will be utter chaos so i need to make sure i get all my application stuff in as soon as possible.

One of the interesting things that i have to do as part of the application is submit my resume. That in itself is not weird but they told me not to stay to the one page minimum since they want all the information possible on what i do. It will be difficult because i am currently studying for things on my own and that doesn't necessarily reflect in what i do at work. I guess i will have to just add that in to both the resume and writing portion that i must submit. I will keep all of you abreast of the process in the hopes that you will be prepared when you are ready to go for a Masters program. I have heard that Berkeley College is in the process of having a Masters program but I will be gone by the time it is ready and implemented. Anyway i will catch all of you guys later on BCB. Have a great week!

The Funky Apple

Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog. I have decided going forward to referencing the blog as BCB for Berkeley College Blog. If i come up with anything more creative i will change it then. We are in week 12 and if you have not cleared for the Spring Semester you have until next week to do so or risk being dropped from classes. Today's blog is actually an interview of a friend of mine who runs the blog called The Funky Apple. The Funky Apple is all about NYC but instead of me telling all of you here is what the Editor himself, Nigel Chiwaya had to say:

1. Where did you go to college? I went to college at New York Institute of Technology located at 61st and Broadway in Columbus Circle.


2. What degree did you earn at NYIT? I earned a BSA in Communication Arts.


3. What do you do now besides running The Funky Apple? I am the production design director and sports editor for the Queens Ledger.


4. What is The Funky Apple? The Funky Apple is a blog and a network that lets New Yorkers know what interesting or cheap things to do in their city.


5. How did the concept of The Funky Apple come to be? One day i was sitting in a chair and figured i want to start a blog about NYC. I goatherd old classmates from my old student paper at NYIT and some other friends to contribute. The Funky Apple officially launched on January 25, 2010.


6. Who writes for The Funky Apple? Typically the editors of the blog are college students and people who are entering or have entered their career fields.


7. Are there any requirements to write for The Funky Apple? No not really, just live in the NY Metro Area and have a passion for the city.


8. Where do you hope The Funky Apple will go? This year we have a lot of interesting things in the works. We are currently planning to publish an EBook, and have discount cards. I also have high hopes for the overall community that it will continue to grow.


9. If someone is interested in writing for The Funky Apple how or who do they contact? They can contact me by shooting me an email at nigel@thefunkyapple.com with just a brief description of yourself. NO Resumes, this is not a job.


10. How is the blog doing since January? On average the blog has 50 unique visitors a day but average 100 visitors in total. Currently we are trying to build a consistent fan base and readership and focus on developing good content.


11. Is there anything else you would like to add? If there is anything you want to see on The Funky Apple or have any suggestions do not hesitate to email any of the editors. We are quick in responding and listen to ideas. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

I would like to thank Nigel for taking the time out for this interview. The Funky Apple is a quick and easy way to find out interesting things going on in NYC. If you are interested in contributing they would love to hear from you. That is all for now and i will see all of you next time.

Don't Get Owned

Hello everyone and welcome back. I can finally say i am all caught up with school work from the weeks i was out from surgery. We are in week 12 and if you have not paid your bill for next semester you have until the end of the week. I personally have to go and do that on Wednesday. Today's blog is taking a different approach to what i normally write. I figured that since i am an Information Systems Management major that i should do some posts regarding my field. This will also help me practice communicating technical things into easier to understand language.

Today's blog is about some vulnerabilities that have come out recently. some of you may have heard that Google, along with approximately 33 high tech industries were hacked sometime last year. The blame is being put on China but I am not here to tell you who did what. What i am trying to focus in on here is this concept, if Google can be hacked what about me? We all know of viruses, spyware and malware that infect our personal systems but never do we think about being hacked or as the industry calls it "owned."

This threat has become so important they now have training on how to test your network and how to ethically hack it. You can actually receive a certification in Ethical Hacking. A lot of this information is very technical in nature, in fact I personally am doing my own work at home with a test network. The average user is usually unaware of any attempts to gain access to your computer from the outside. There are simple things the average user can do at home that can help minimize the risk. The first thing is that if you have a wireless router please put a passcode to lock it and also change the default password to the admin menu. The other day i was testing a wireless card at my house and it joined me to an unlock router. I decided to see if i can get access to the admin menu since i knew the standard username and password for Linksys routers. Low and behold i got into the admin menu. From their i could have easily changed all passwords and locked the router out and when they try to connect they will be out of luck.

The next tip is to not always click on things that are sent by people you know. This week i got three emails from my business partner. I clicked on one because i recognized the website the others i did not. I sent him an email because i knew his email address had been compromised. This is probably because of weak passwords. Many people have simple passwords that can eventually be broken, using complex passwords can minimize the likelihood of your email address being compromised. Make sure the sites you go to are legit sites and if you question anything do not open just delete it. These are just some of the ways you can help protect yourself, is it absolutely fool proof, probably not but it will help minimize any attacks that can occur. Well that is all for now see you guys next time when i interview the editor to a new blog that is all about NYC and written by college students for college students.

March Madness

Hello everyone and welcome back. I apologize but i am still recovering from surgery and trying to make up for the two weeks worth of work. I am back to work and back to school and i am feeling pretty good. Registration is still on going for the spring but now your down to two weeks. Tomorrow is also the first of three graduation pick up days. Pictures, Cap and Gown and rings will be there tomorrow in the student center on 43rd street in the city. Check the Campus Life link on Blackboard for more information. As you know March Madness is in the air and that means office pools and brackets are being thrown around. Not to mention that next week is FINALS week. As we whine down our semester i reflect on everything that has occurred in my time at Berkeley college.

I started at Berkeley College two years ago and i through myself right in. I started blogging for Berkeley pretty much from the get go. I started with all the basic classes and did pretty well that semester. It was a tough semester as my wife was in a lot of pain as she was pregnant with my son Jose. As the months went by i realized that the program i was in was not quite what i had in mind but was great none-the-less. The professors were great and the staff was overall friendly and helpful. I don't know if it was because they knew i blogged or that was my experience. As i continued my studies at Berkeley i made some decisions on where i wanted to do with the degree i was earning. All my experiences have now culminated in to wanting to do my Masters in IT Security.

I do believe Berkeley has prepared me for a Masters degree program. I am applying to both Boston University and Drexel University. My current first choice is Boston University because it is where a lot of government agencies send their personnel to get trained. Since i do want to possibly enter the public sector it seems like a good place to start. I am planning to do my Masters online because i cannot physically take the demands of traveling late and getting up really early. If i was single or even married with no kids i may have the energy but those little clones of mine sap me of a lot of my strength. I cannot wait to enter the next part of my education i am grateful and glad that Berkeley prepared me for it. The next post will be more technical as i want to add some technology into my blogs. I feel since i am in the IT field why not share so interesting tips and warnings to everyone. So tune in next time and i will see you guys later.

Weekend Review Part 2

Hello everyone and welcome back. I apologize for not writing last Friday before surgery but they moved me to the prep area with in 15 minutes of arrival and i had to lock up all my belongings. The surgery was a success and i am feeling a lot better but i will go through all that in another post. As promised i am going to review the restaurants me and my wife went to during our three day mini staycation.

Saju Bistro
Saju Bistro is a French Bistro located on West 44th street. It has an affordable and tasty 3 course Pre Theater dinner menu. I had the mussel soup, salmon and Chocolate Mousse. All of it was good and the bill was not so bad considering the quality of the food. The atmosphere was very quaint, with dim lighting and is the perfect place to spend a nice dinner with that special someone. I rate Saju Bistro an 8 out of 10.

Aspen Social Club
Aspen Social Club is located on West 47th street. It has a very modern vibe and feel to the location and the lighting really set the mood. They also had a 3 course menu but the wife and I did not find anything we were willing to try on that menu so it was a little downer. On the other hand their main menu had many choices as well as reasonable prices and my wife and I chose the sliders for dinner. Despite the name they were very filling and tasted great and also were a little healthier than your average slider since they use Bison meat. Overall the experience was enjoyable and the service was great and i would have to rate Aspen Social Club a 7 out of 10.

Dervish Mediterranean Restaurant
Dervish Mediterranean Restaurant is located also on West 47th street in Manhattan. Dervish serves many Mediterranean and Turkish dishes and was something different for my wife and I to try. They had a Valentines Day special menu which was a 4 course meal that included an Appetizer, Salad, Entree and dessert. The food was excellent and both the wife and i were stuffed when we left there. The bill was a little heavy but given that we had four courses each, i personally think we under paid. So if you are looking for a great Mediterranean Restaurant give Dervish a try as i rate it an 8 out of 10.

Well that is all for this post. I am hoping to write either later today or tomorrow depending on how my knee is feeling as sitting at a computer causes me pain sometimes. Anyway see everyone later.

Weekend Review Part 1

Hello everyone and welcome to back to the blog. As promised i am going to devote this blog and the next one on the attractions that me and my wife did over the Valentines day weekend. It was a great weekend but before we get to that, registration for the spring is still ongoing and there are still plenty of classes still open. Register now before it is to late, you want to give yourself enough time to clear with financial aid. For those who are graduating, graduation is April 30th at 9 am at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ. More information can be found on Blackboard by looking under the Student Life and Development link under the Community tab. I just found out that i actually only need 8 credits to complete my degree and that qualifies me to walk in this year's graduation. Any way on to the review, me and my wife saw three Broadway plays this weekend, Chicago, Avenue Q and Rock of Ages.

Chicago
As its namesake states the play takes place in Chicago during the forties and fifties and revolves around two women who are in jail for murder. The musical goes through their relationship and how the fight to be the top story in the papers is more difficult than it seams. It is a riveting musical with hits like "All that Jazz," "Razzle Dazzle," and many more. Combine the music with witty dialogue between the two main stars and your in for a fun filled evening. I personally enjoyed it and my wife who was seeing for the second time said this show was better than the first one she saw. I would give Chicago a 7 out of 10.

Avenue Q
Avenue Q takes place in one of the outer boroughs of New York, my guess is Brooklyn since there is an Avenue Q i believe there. This off-broadway comedy provides humor seamlessly every time a character speaks. Using a mixture of puppets and human actors and actresses, Avenue Q tackles topics that are normally taboo in society such as racism, porn and stereotypes. The songs are just as humorous with songs like "The Internet is for Porn," "It Sucks to be me," and "Purpose" to keep the audience laughing. My wife got an extra bonus when one of the puppets decided to lay on my lap and sing to me which had my wife rolling. It is a definite must see and it is not for children despite having puppets. I give Avenue Q a 9 out of 10.

Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages follows the story of Drew and Sherrie during the 1980s. The two meet at a bar in Los Angeles that ultimately is being closed due to gentrification. Using popular songs from the 1980s such as "Wanted Dead or Alive," "I Wanna Rock" and "Sister Christian" the story becomes something bigger than Drew or Sherrie. Along with great rock music is witty commentary and some audience participation in the play as characters tend to interact with the crowd through out the play. My wife and I both agree we will be back to see it and in better seats since we were slightly obstructed from some of the action. I give Rock of Ages an 8 out of 10.

So there you have it my review for the plays we saw. I also finally got to go to MOMA and my wife and i have to go back to see the Tim Burton Exhibition that is going there until April. Tomorrow is my surgery and i do have time to kill before the surgery so i will be blogging tomorrow part two of this review and reviewing the restaurants we went to as well as my feelings just before the surgery. Stay tuned and i will catch everyone tomorrow.

Let it snow!

Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog. I hope everyone enjoyed their snow day yesterday, i am enjoying mine today. I actually made the trek into work yesterday but i was not risking the bad roads and mounds of snow with my bad knee. I will be definitely going back to work tomorrow since things should be a lot better. Just a reminder registration for the spring is still ongoing so if you haven't registered time is running out. I had my midterm on tuesday and it wasn't so bad. Hopefully i did well as well as my fellow classmates. The presentation was supposed to be yesterday but thanks to the snow it was postponed to next week. This week as stated in the last post is valentines day. I have now not only bought the show tickets but i have reserved all our restaurants for the weekend. We are going to Saju Bistro, Aspen Social Club and Dervish Mediterranean Restaurant. I will have reviews of all of them in a blog post on monday or tuesday of next week. I think it is important to know the different things the city has to offer. Living in New York all my life i tend to not be a tourist for a day and enjoy New York. That is what me and my wife are becoming for the weekend. Berkeley has a lot of international students and i feel as being a New Yorker i can review these things so when they come to school or their family comes to visit they have things to do besides the typical attractions.

It is interesting to know that despite living their for 24 years i have never been to the Statue of Liberty, MOMA, the Central Park Zoo and some of the other attractions New York has to offer. I do have plans to visit most of these locations but i don't know when that will be. Me and my wife actually have some time to kill saturday afternoon and trying to figure out what we are going to do. If any of you got any suggestions i would be open to it. It is difficult since i cannot stand and walk around for long periods of time do to my knee. Speaking of my knee i am now 8 days away from the surgery. I cannot wait and i will let everyone know how it goes and if i get any pictures of it i may post it. I also will post pictures of this valentines day weekend. School so far is going well. I made the Honor society which is such a positive thing since it is nice to feel that your work is appreciated especially being a night student. It is difficult to measure your success by GPAs because that may not always fully reflect the amount of work that is put in.

Anyway i just found out that my class today was cancelled so i have my midterm postponed to next week. So as it stands i have my presentation and my midterm next week just before my surgery on friday. On top of that i have a sexual harassment class at my job that is mandatory for all employees. So a quiet week has now become a very eventful one. Anyway i will see all of you guys later.

Who 'dat

Hello everyone and Congratulations to the city of New Orleans and the New Orleans Saints on their first super bowl victory. It feels good to see Drew Breese finally solidify himself as a top tier quarterback. The team represents a lot of Americans in the fact that in the face of overwhelming adversity they pulled through. It takes a lot of heart and grit to pull of the impossible and the New Orleans Saints did that. A reminder registration for the spring is still on going so if you haven't registered do so soon. This week is midterm week for most of the Berkeley college population. I would like to send a big good luck to all as they take their respective exams. I have a 100 question open book midterm tomorrow, a presentation on Wednesday and a vocabulary exam on Thursdays. This is going to be one hectic week but at least at the end of it all is a three day weekend with Valentines day squeezed in between.

Valentines day is a holiday that i particularly do not like to celebrate nor do i think it should be a holiday. It lost its original meaning and now has become a day where your supposed to show your love for your significant other. I am from the small group of people that believe that your love should be shown through out the entire year and little gifts to show you were thinking of them should be spread out through out the year. Unfortunately for me my wife loves Valentines day and loves to celebrate it so i lovingly give in and celebrate it. This year we are making up for lost time since we have not gone out on a date in over a year. On Friday my wife is dropping the kids with my mother-in-law and we are spending the weekend in a hotel in the city. We are catching three Broadway shows this weekend, Chicago, Avenue Q and Rock of Ages. I will have a review of all of them next Monday. This will also be the last time i will be able to go out for awhile since next Friday the 19Th is the day for my surgery.

I am eagerly waiting for that day to arrive. After five agonizing months i have the chance to feel relief and be pain free. I am also looking forward to the two weeks off from school and work. I will be blogging a lot more since i will have a lot of free time on my hand. It will also give me a chance to finish up all the papers i have due when i return from my time off. So i have vowed to enjoy this weekend to the fullest and make sure i give my wife the break and enjoyment she deserves. Anyway that is all for now i will catch you guys on Wednesday as i recap my first 2 midterms of the week.

Ethics

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blog. Today's discussion is on ethics but before we get into it some administrative notices. Registration for the Spring semester is now open so if you have not registered, be quick before classes get filled up. I still have to enroll for the Spring but i am at the point where i don't know what free elective classes to take. I would love to take one in computers but they are a little short in the computer sciences area for the spring. It looks as i may have to take an elective in management. There are two that i am eyeing but i am not sure if i am going to do one or both. My situation is a little weird because i may or may not be graduating next semester depending on what goes on with my course re-evaluation. If there is anyone in registrar or admissions that can tell me how long usually that process takes that would be cool. The downside is that i may not be able to walk until next year anyway and that is a bummer for me and my family as i am unsure if i would walk. We shall see what the next few weeks have in store and i will keep everyone abreast of what the situation is and what the policy is.

As stated earlier the topic for this blog is ethics. The reason why i bring it up is because we discussed ethics this week in my organizational behavior. Now many of you may wonder what does ethics have to do with organizational behavior? Well it has to do with the fact that ethics plays a huge part in how an organization behaves and flows. If the organization has a culture ans history of shady ethics then that attitude and behavior seeps all the way down the corporate ladder ans can affect how employees behave. Our professor posed to us some questions based on ethics and some of them can be easily determined to be unethical. Others border on the edge of ethical and unethical. Now how can a situation be borderline ethical and unethical. Well let me pose this question to all my readers, "Can a gift be considered a bribe or just a gift?" That is one of those situations in which more information is needed in order to deduce how ethical the gift is. In my opinion if the gift is being given because you did outstanding work and went above and beyond and are getting recognized for it then it is a gift. If the gift is given with the intent of getting a favor in return then that is a bribe. The real issue occurs when dealing with people from different countries. Sometimes a bribe is mandatory before any business negotiations can begin. In this instance the bribe is ethical because it is a necessary component for business transactions. There are many other situations that without enough information can border that line between ethical and unethical. Can any of you come up with situations in which that may be the case? Was any of you put in a situation where your personal code of ethics conflicted with what the organization wanted you to do? Let me know.

I have a more in depth review of Star Trek Online. The bugs are all but gone. There are still some minor issues but i believe they will be rectified shortly. The gameplay is much improved compared to the beta and i think Cryptic is doing a good job handling all the issues. If you are a Star Trek fan i would definitely recommend this game to anyone. I also began playing Eve online again in attempt to get back to computer gaming. This will allow my wife to use the TV and i can still relax and play some games. I am currently on the train home now and looking forward to getting home in order to play Star Trek and hopefully i can upgrade my ship by the time the night is out but i don't think so. Anyway thanks for visiting and i hope to have an update on things regarding Berkeley and things going on personally. Good night everyone.

week 4

Good morning everyone. I say good morning because it is Friday at 6:37 am. You may ask why am i up at this ungodly hour and it is because i am coming to you from the NJ Transit express train to Penn Station. It is difficult to get up at 5 in the morning everyday but you gotta do what you gotta do. Registration for the Spring quarter has begun so submit your class request either online or in person. Check blackboard for information on how to and where to send your requests via online. I still have not figured out what classes i am taking as i am down to just free electives and there is nothing really good to take. Berkeley has great classes and the computer classes they give are great, just wish there were more of them. I found a couple that i will take online and probably come in one day of the week for class. I will definitely look it over again this weekend and try and figure out what i am going to do. With that said it is onto how my classes are going.

Week 4 not only signifies open registration but also that midterms are approaching and that we are half way through the winter semester. That is the focus now in most of my classes. In forensic science we have a review this Tuesday in preparation for the exam. I have to figure out how i am going to print the chapters necessary for the exam as it is 8 chapters we may have to sort through. I am also printing the index page in order to find anything. It is a 100 hundred question exam so i figure i should be out after about and hour to and hour and a half. My Wednesday class is not really having a midterm per se but our presentation is due week 6 so i guess you can figure that it is our midterm. So far out of my group i got information from everyone but two members. Hopefully i will get that this weekend in order to put the PowerPoint presentation together and make it look as nice as it should be. In Advance Database we have our first exam next week and luckily it is open book just in case i need to refer to one of the tutorials that we have done. I do know that the exam will be on tutorial 3 which is querying a database. If that is the case then the test should be easy. We may have some multiple choice or word fills in order to make sure we understand the vocabulary but that should not be to bad.

So far this semester has gone by okay and i am hoping it continues. I know that i am on the home stretch and that if i can make it through the next semesters i will be done. I am definitely considering taking a year before i go for my masters. Reason why is because depending on what happens with my transcript re-evaluation will determine ultimately what happens. If i am stuck through the summer then i will not have enough time to apply for the fall and that leave the spring or the following fall. Since i have been hurt and trying to balance everything i have not been able to study much for the GMAT or my CCNA. I was speaking to my coworker and he said i do have some time but to try and get it as soon as i can. He especially encouraged me to do the security portion in order to get a better paying job and a more stable job such as working for the government. I am also at an impasse because i want to try and find another job but i am currently using my current employer as my internship. I have to contact my department chair to see if i have the ability to change because some of the offers people have sent me look great and would be a nice jump in salary which would help the family. Lets cross fingers and i will keep all of you abreast of what transpires over the next few weeks. I think i can hold out until march but i fear most of the good jobs and stable jobs will be taken. Later for now.

Game Review

Hey everyone and welcome back. I know it is a little late in the week to try and get two posts in but i am determined. I have been sick for most of the week so that is part of the reason for the huge lapse in time. Hope everyone enjoyed their three day weekend last week as we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. As stated i spent most of my three day weekend sleeping and fighting a cold i got from my coworker. Life at the cube farm i guess. I am still sick but at least it is just congestion now and nothing else, although sinus pressure is not fun. While i was trying to get myself feeling better i did get the chance to play some video games i figured i would give you my views on the ones i played. I have never done a game review blog post and i know this blog is about Berkeley College and it is. We all have to relax sometime, especially when you work full time and go to school full time. It can become physically and mentally taxing, especially the mental part. So i personally like to unwind by playing some video games and escaping into the fantasy realms they create. So here goes my first Berkeley Blog game review.

The first game i played, which i actually started the week before is, Darksiders. It is a game where you play as one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and you have unknowingly started the war between heaven and hell. You are on a quest to rectify your mistake and punish those who tricked you. Graphically it is a beautiful game and the gameplay is solid. The moves are easy to learn and the puzzles are a welcomed addition to the game itself. Some of the negatives for me at least is sometimes the levels are too long and the boss battles, whether mini or main, are long and there is no notification of how much life the boss has left. I have put a solid 7 hours into the game and i have only fought and beaten two bosses when normally i should be half way through the game. I still have at least 4 to 5 bosses remaining. Other than that the game is solid and i would definitely recommend it to any games out there.

The next game i played was one that got great ratings yet i don't know why it did. The game is called Bayonetta, who is a witch that has lost her memory and is trying to figure out what her past is. The game is graphically stunning and beautiful to look at but that is where the game ends. The storyline is lackluster and confusing as characters are introduced into the game with no knowledge of their role in the game. The controls are simple and you can pretty much just press every button on the control and win battles. The battles are usually difficult and i have died countless times but that just makes it even more frustrating. I don't mind dying countless times but it better be because i have advanced further in the game and are facing harder levels. This game is difficult from the get go. The tutorial is lame and most of the controls you learn by trial and error. Outside of the graphics i find little joy in the game. I am hoping that it improves as i play but i have a feeling that it wont. Once i am finished i will probably return it and swap for another game. I would not recommend this game to others, unless you really like that type of a game.

The final game is actually a Beta test of a game that will be released soon. It is an MMORPG called Star Trek. Now for all you Star Trek fans it is actually a decent game to play. Right now i am beta testing it and it is very buggy but when the game runs smoothly it can be very enjoyable. There is a lot to do as far as missions are concerned and i know it will increase once they add the PVP portion of the game. Graphically they could have done a better job with it. It is nothing like Eve Online which is another popular MMORPG. I am hoping the developer will fix these minor annoyances before the release in February. I will have more on this game as i continue to play.

It is always important to find time for yourself. Do something that you enjoy at least once or twice a week and dedicate a large amount of time for it. I normally play on the weekends and i a lot myself about 3-6 hours just to relax since i do not get to do so the rest of the week. I would love to hear how everyone else spends there down time so drop me a comment. I will see all of you tomorrow when i go over some important things more Berkeley related. Later.

An Intro to Blended Learning

Hello everyone and welcome back. I know it has only been two days but a lot of stuff has happened in the past two days both academically and personally. First i want to give a reminder to all that registration for the spring will begin in two weeks so start planning. Currently i am on the train ride home from school and using my new little gadget, which is the AT&T connect card, and so far so good. Load times don't appear to be much different than standard wireless signal. The only fear i have of using not only this device but my laptop is there tends to be some unsavory characters on the train, or at least they appear that way. I don't know why people insist on looking poor when they can present themselves in such a better light. Anyway i digress, on to the top of this blog which is intro to blended learning. Now i knew Berkeley College offered it but i have never ever taken such a class and it just so happens that i put myself in it, quite accidentally but it works out well. What blended learning is a combination of in-class and online class time with the professor. The good thing about it is you don't necessarily have to come into class every week which allows you a much need break sometimes. I personally was wondering how i could go three days in a row and now i get a break in the middle thanks to blended learning. Now i personally do not know the particulars of how to tell if a course is blended learning, hopefully any one of the staff members that read this post can give me the answer to that question.

Forensic science was again an interesting class, the problems usually with week 2 is that professors tend to do a lot of review from week 1 for those students that missed it. Now i personally have never missed a week 1 class, but there are a lot of people that do. Personally i think professors should offer only a quick recap, like 15 minutes and then move on, if the student missed it, it is there responsibility to get the info. We all paid for 12 weeks of classes not 11 and that is just my personal opinion, let me know if you differ. Now my only exception would be the winter because a lot of international students go home for the holidays and that usually tends to be the only time they get to go home so they want to spend that extra time. Outside of that i don't think there is any excuse. Tomorrow i have Advance Database and hopefully i can get out early of that class as well by posting what need to do quickly can correctly. We shall definitely see what the day has in store.

I mentioned that a lot has transpired in two days personally and that is true. It was the worst two days of my professional career as unrealistic deadlines forced me to stay late yesterday and come in bright and early today. I had to wake up at 4 am after getting home late yesterday from school so basically i am running on approximately three hours of sleep, how do i do, perseverance. It got to the point i almost go into it with my boss for being a jerk, which is putting it mildly as this blog is a G to PG rating on the Berkeley System. I am now even more motivated to jump ship in order to better my position. The worse feeling of it all is i do a lot of work for the company and i always put 110% into everything i do and i do it efficiently and correctly. When situations arrive like what had transpired today i would expect some courtesy back, instead big slap in the face and a job well done. Ah well we shall see what becomes of this. Anyway i will see you guys in the next couple of days. Later.

Week 2 is Among US

Hello everyone and welcome back. It is the start of week 2 and there is a lot that has happened since we last met. First off as a reminder registration for the Spring Semester will begin in two weeks so start scanning your Degree Audit Report to figure out what you are going to take. If you last read i was in my forensic science class which turned out to be quite fun. The professor is very lively which it what you need after working for 8 hours. We discussed the basics of forensic science and some of the cases the professor has worked on himself. It was quite interesting and he seemed very enthusiastic about the subject matter. The next class was on Wednesday and it was very short since the professor was not in. His mother, who must be a professor at Berkeley, filled in briefly as she took attendance, and told us all our groups. I am a little disappointed because i would have rather picked my own group because at least you have a shot with working people you know who can do the work. I know that my group looks reliable and i got to meet all of them and fortunately i have someone i know in my group.

The next class was on Thursday and that was Advanced Database Management. Prior to class starting the IT department was repairing the computers and it gave me a shot to talk to them and trade war stories about IT. I felt that i was in a Dilbert comic strip just like at work. It was a boring class as we just went over the basics of Office 2007 which most of us should know especially since this is an advanced course. I was bored and i cannot wait until this week when we actually get to do some work so that way i can start moving ahead. The other thing is i found out when i will have surgery on my knee which will be February 19th which will be 5 months and a day after the accident. I am happy that i don't have anything life threatening or else my wife would be a widow, but that is Workers Comp for you.

On Friday I went to handle the situation about my Degree Audit Report not being correct. Once again i got excellent treatment from the staff in advisement. Unfortunately due to a technical malfunction she could not access my archived transfer credit report from when i first enrolled. She did give me alternates such as asking for a reevaluation of my transfer credits to see if there are any other classes that can be transferred. She found three and i have to bring in course descriptions from the LaGuardia course description. Hopefully i can shave off twelve credits which would put me in line to graduate in the spring like i am supposed to. That is for now, i will see you guys later this week.

Happy New Year

Hello everyone and Happy New Year to all. It is not only the start of the New Year but it is also the start of the Winter quarter here at Berkeley College. Currently i am sitting in my Forensic Science class waiting for the class to begin. It is annoying that classes on Tuesday start at 6:25 but we all have to make due. I hope everyone had a great New Year, mine was particularly quiet as it always is, such is the life of having kids. I actually had to work New Years Eve but lucky for me we got out at 3pm so i was home in no time. I am now gearing up for this semester with a new attitude and a new resolve especially since i had my worst academic semester last semester i am eager to get back to work. As stated in a previous post i am going to be subjecting myself to a lot of work as i not only have to study for the classes in Berkeley but i am also studying for my CCNA and my GMAT. This will be tough not only on my but also my family as they rarely see me as it is and it is very difficult not to want to play with my children as they along with my wife give me motivation to keep going. It is not easy being full time at work and in school and i know there are many other Continuing Education students that are in the same boat. So those that are with me i salute you and encourage you to continue to push through to graduation.

As previously stated i am currently sitting in my forensic science class awaiting for the class to begin. This semester i am taking, organizational behavior, advanced database management and my internship which just so happens to be my job. I am especially eager because if i get an A in that class it is a 5 credit course so it should boost the GPA a bit. Forensic science looks to be fun and i hope the professor is good and entertaining as with most sciences it can get very boring very quickly if not taught right. It is going to be a long night and i hope the soda i am drinking will at least get me through half the class or at least until the break if we get one. The easiest class i think, besides the internship will be the advanced database management as it is simple Microsoft Access work and i intend to get all or most of it done by the first few weeks. The biggest obstacle i see this semester is that i will be undergoing surgery for the tears in my meniscus's that i obtained while on the job. I will probably miss at least two weeks of school and i am hoping that does not set me back from all the work i will be missing. my goal is for every class to find a friend or familiar face that i can get any important information from. Forensic science is taken care of because i have a long time friend and classmate of mine in the class.

On top of all that is going on i still have the responsibility to blog for Berkeley and i intend to do so with all my energy. I know i say it every year and every semester so i understand if most don't believe me but only time will tell. I intend to treat blogging as a discussion board assignment for one of my classes. Figuring i am going to be online, i might as well make an extra effort to post, the biggest issue i have is finding things to write about, so i am asking all of you, students and faculty a like to help out. Is there any questions or topics that you want me to discuss besides the day to day musing of my life and stay here at Berkeley? To the Faculty, the bloggers are an excellent way to get events and other things out to current and prospective students, let me know and i will post it. That is it for now and i will see all of you again at the end of the week.