ThePlaz: move to seperate page

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These are my old [[Personal Updates]] from 2008.
[[Category:Personal Updates]]

==12/17/2008 State of ThePlaz (Michael Plasmeier)==
[[12th Grade]] is almost half over. This year has certainly been less work than previous years. I am enjoying my final year in high school with about half the workload of previous years.

I've been using my tablet to take notes in school. Before the year started, I detailed my experiences in [[The Quest for the Perfect Notetaking Medium]], an essay I wrote for [[College Application|College Applications]]. It has certainly allowed me to be more organized while spending far less time organizing. Also, being in front of a computer allows me to accomplish tasks when I think of them, not at home. It makes the day feel like it lasts longer. As for notes on ThePlaz.com, I am now more aware of copyright concerns and I am developing my strategy for posting this years notes.

This also means I am deep into college applications. I have applied at about 5 or 6 schools. I am looking for a large university in an urban environment with an information science program. I would also like a minor in business. My final decision will come down to a decision between a number of alternative paths I am looking into. Financial concerns will also play a large part into choosing a school.

For the holidays, I have asked for a GPS tagger for a digital camera. I hope to look more into geotagging in the future. I have not found an application that can give you an overview of all of your geotagged photos......

[[Tecker 911]] is up to 60 episodes online. I have about 7 which I have edited but are giving me a lot of trouble to render (or finalize). Also, we filmed 7 more last weekend. In the meantime you can enjoy: [http://911.tecker.net/?p=174 60: Cell Phone Internet], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=172 59: Digital Camera Workflow], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=170 58: Firefox 3], and [http://911.tecker.net more on our website]! We are hoping to make it to 100 episodes by the end of the school year.

With [[SocialView]] we are working on 2 new products. I need to dedicate more time for this. After working on the outsourced GridView rearrange feature I need to find the passion for continuing to do interesting projects. I am finding it is hard to do a full day of school and homework and then come home and work.

I am also using [http://delicious.com/theplaz Delicious] to "micro-blog" sites I find interesting. [http://feeds.delicious.com/v2/rss/theplaz Subscribe to that RSS feed!] or watch the sidebar on every page.

''[http://theplaz.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:ThePlaz&action=edit&section=new Leave Plaz a (public) message] [[Image:File_icon.gif]] or [[User:ThePlaz:E-mail me|send me a (private) e-mail.]][[Image:Mail_icon.gif]]''--[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 18:55, 17 December 2008 (EST)

==9/14/2008 State of ThePlaz (Michael Plasmeier)==
Hey everyone! It's been 2 and a half months since I last wrote and much has happened since then! For one of those months I was at the the [[Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence in Information, Society & Technology]] at Drexel. While I was there I had lots of fun spending time with technical minded people. ([http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157606519874023/ Photos on Flickr]) I wrote [[My Experiences at Gov School|an article on what I learned there]] I lead a team which created [[Videre]], a proof of concept for how to improve online gradebooks. Check out the demo!

The month after Gov School, I had off. I relaxed at home and more importantly launched the [[GridView]] arrange feature! It was very long awaited, unfortunately. This was cool because it was the longest, largest, most expensive project I had ever designed and led. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F3YL0kIt3U Watch a 3 minute demo on YouTube] I am very proud of the design and the integration challenges we overcame.

[[Tecker 911]] is up to 51 episodes online with 9 more coming in a few days (they are uploading as I type). Meanwhile enjoy: [http://911.tecker.net/?p=127 51: Podcasting], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=125 50: Taking a Break], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=120 49: TiVo], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=117 48: OLPC], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=115 47: PayPal Security Key], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=113 46: Bookmooch], and [http://911.tecker.net more on our website]!

On ThePlaz.com, I added my work from [[PreCalc]] (and there is a lot of it), [[AP Micro Econ]] and a few things I did in [[Biology]]. For [[11th Grade]], I only uploaded the notes from structured courses. Less structured courses I did not bother with, and I tried not to upload worksheets and teacher's papers.

I also wrote [[Laptops for Students and E-Note Taking]] over the summer which gives some of my experience using laptops in school, and I am branching off [[The Quest for the Perfect Notetaking Medium]] as a [[College Application]] essay.

In the last 2 weeks, I have started [[12th Grade]]. [[:Image:12th Grade Schedule.xls|This quarter]], I am taking [[Entrepreneurship]], [[English 12]], [[Business Law]], and [[Calculus]]. I have also started applying to colleges. I have look at more than 130 colleges and I have developed 3 "paths" I can follow. What I like best right now is an Information Science program at a school that keeps you in the real world like [[Drexel]] and [[Northeastern]]. A second choice is a more academically rigorous, less "practical" Computer Science program at a prestigious liberal arts school. A third choice is a school which is more geared for entrepreneurship. I would also like to minor in business.

[[SeniorQuoter]] 2.0beta2 was released yesterday. Beta2 fixes almost 95% of the outstanding [http://bugzilla.theplaz.com/bugzilla-3.0.2/buglist.cgi?product=SeniorQuoter&bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPEN bugs] in version 2.0. Check it out!

At [[Haverford High School|school]] this year, I am the CTO this year at the publications office. I am also a senior host at H-Vision which is further evolving this year.

I am also using [http://delicious.com/theplaz Delicious] now and I am tagging and commenting pages I find interesting. [http://feeds.delicious.com/v2/rss/theplaz Subscribe to that RSS feed!] or watch the sidebar on every page.

''[http://theplaz.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:ThePlaz&action=edit&section=new Leave Plaz a (public) message] [[Image:File_icon.gif]] or [[User:ThePlaz:E-mail me|send me a (private) e-mail.]][[Image:Mail_icon.gif]]''--[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 22:20, 14 September 2008 (EDT)

==6/30/2008 Personal Message==
Hey everyone! I am in the [[Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence in Information, Society & Technology]] at Drexel now for 5 weeks. It's great to be around people with the same passion for technology. It's a diverse group - about half have some programming experience. I'm the only PHP expert and the only one who knew about version control systems. Still they have a lot of creative ideas and good input for fleshing out ideas. It looks like our [[ITP]] will be a reboot of [[SeniorQuoter]] making it modular and building a voting system (favorite song, class couple, prom song, etc).

We are also very close to launching new features for [[GridView]]! It's going to be very cool! It's been in the works for many months now!

I finished uploading my notes for [[American Studies]]. [[PreCalc]] is next. I don't think I will do any others. I know [[Physics]] still says "coming soon" even though that class ended 6 months ago.....

[[Tecker 911]] is up to 52 episodes edited and 60 filmed. I just have to release more!

''[http://theplaz.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:ThePlaz&action=edit&section=new Leave Plaz a (public) message] [[Image:File_icon.gif]] or [[User:ThePlaz:E-mail me|send me a (private) e-mail.]][[Image:Mail_icon.gif]]''--[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 21:37, 30 June 2008 (EDT)
==5/18/2008 Personal Message==
Hey everyone! I think I just went through the hardest months of my life. I was taking 4 major classes in school (the maximum) and I just took 3 AP exams ([[American Studies|US History]], [[AP Psychology|Psychology]], and [[AP Micro Econ|Micro Econ]])

In the meantime, I've been very busy with [[GridView]]. Things are shaping up with 876,340 users, and some cool features in the works.

I also have a month of school left! And I don't think I ever said that I was accepted into [[Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence in Information, Society & Technology]]. It's a 5 week residence program at Drexel University. Since I am looking closely at the iSchool at Drexel (it is at the top of my list) for colleges, this is like a 5-week free trial. According to one graduate of the person I talked to, it was the best thing in her life (above regular college too).

With all of this hectic things, I've neglected [[Tecker 911]], [[SeniorQuoter]] and posting stuff to this site. All I managed to put up was my projects, if that. I haven't added any scanned papers in the last 3 months.

I am also active in school events. I was the media manager for [[Locks of Love]] which is tomorrow and I ran the TV operations for [[Mr. Haverford]] with a crew of 4-5.

Recent [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/ Flickr] photos include: [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157605114520931/ the 2008 BLAST (after-prom)], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157604501232397/ Mr. Haverford 2008], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157604471058744/ Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/theplaz/collections/72157604303866637/ thousands of photos from my Spring Break trip out West to the natural sights], and [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157603862460856/ the addition on my house is done]. [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets See all]

Also, I bought a new tablet pc! It's a [http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=T4220 Fujitsu T4220]. It's a perfect blend of performance, portability, and since I bought a refurb at 60% of the list price, a good value too. It's running Microsoft Vista, which has new features for tablets (and is not all that bad!). It's only got 1GB of RAM, but I haven't noticed that at all! I was all ready to buy an upgrade, but I'm waiting now. I really like taking notes in OneNote (and that will make it easier to update this site) Also, since I am using Outlook with the Connector for MSN, I get my email (even sent mail), calender, contacts, and tasks synced online and on my 2 computers. It's very nice! I have an unboxing video I need to find the time to put together.

Plus, my family signed up for the Verizon FiOS triple play. I am waiting for the 15/2MBS internet, but I am not looking forward to getting rid of my HD DirecTivo! (sorry Tivo- it was really great when it came out)

PS Hi [[AP Psychology|Mr. Siegerman]]!

''[http://theplaz.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:ThePlaz&action=edit&section=new Leave Plaz a (public) message] [[Image:File_icon.gif]] or [[User:ThePlaz:E-mail me|send me a (private) e-mail.]][[Image:Mail_icon.gif]]''--[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 23:36, 18 May 2008 (EDT)

==2/28/2008 Personal Update==
Hey everyone! It has been 2 months since I last wrote an update.

The [[Dynamic Website Building Instruction and Practical Experience Group Study]] has been over for a month and we shipped [[SeniorQuoter]] [http://seniorquoter.org/?q=node/33 2.0beta1]. Visit the [http://seniorquoter.org/ SeniorQuoter site] for all the details, screenshots, downloads, and ways you can help. Version 2 adds an administration interface. We are only 20 bugs away from releasing version 2.0, so please [http://seniorquoter.org/?q=node/34 see how you can help].

[[Tecker 911]] is coming along nicely. We have 44 episodes done and edited with the last 7 in HD (not out yet). The last few that were released are: [http://911.tecker.net/?p=85 Episode 33: Portable Apps], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=84 Episode 32: Web Hosting], and [http://911.tecker.net/?p=83 Episode 31: Flickr]

And you can join in the discussion on education reform on [http://etceteraward.blogspot.com/ Ms. Ward's blog] and [http://students2oh.org/2008/02/23/amateur-education/ Arthus Erea's Amateur Learning post].

The second semester started at my school. This brings [[AP Psychology]], [[AP Micro Econ]], and [[Biology]], along with more of [[American Studies]] and [[English 11]]. Scanned work from [[PreCalc]] is being added slowly, and the first half of notes from [[American Studies]] is now up.

Also I recently wrote an article for the yearbook [[Greystones]] about [[Technology Article 2008 Yearbook|technology]].

Recent [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/ Flickr] photos include: [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157603997424846/ the Prom Expo at my school], [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157603960477791/ my trip to Drexel University], and [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157603866311931/ the new school near my house]. [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets See all]

Oh, I am getting an addition put on my house. [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157603862460856/ Check out the photos as they come in]

''[http://theplaz.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:ThePlaz&action=edit&section=new Leave Plaz a (public) message] [[Image:File_icon.gif]] or [[User:ThePlaz:E-mail me|send me a (private) e-mail.]][[Image:Mail_icon.gif]]''--[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 22:36, 28 February 2008 (EST)

==1/6/2008 Personal Message==
Happy new year!

[[GridView]], my app for [[Facebook]] is at '''490,000''' users! Growth this month was slow because I did not launch any features during December. GridView lets you add all your friends profile pics to you Facebook profile for you and your profile visitors to see.

I also moved GridView to a dedicated server (for which I am paying $100/month)! This lets it run without running up thousands of dollars of (mt) overage charges! Server utilization seems to peak around 80%!

I also brought on a partner to GridView, by selling him a minority piece of [[GridView]]. He works in advertising at a major social network and should help me focus on features and make GridView profitable. Speaking of that, I am currently working on a major change to GridView. Lots of you said it world be nice if you could move your friends around... Plus I found some much better mosaic code and I hope to drastically improve the user experience for Mosaics.

Our [[Dynamic Website Building Instruction and Practical Experience Group Study]] has only a few weeks left. We are working on the [[SeniorQuoter]] admin site which is coming together nicely. [http://flickr.com/photos/theplaz/sets/72157603456826020/ Photos and Screenshots on Flickr]

I also finished my [[Governor's School Application]]. That was enough writing about me for a few months. Also, [[Social Issue-Technological Solution: Wikis|an essay on the power of Wikis]]. However, I will now have a leg up for the college application process. Where do I want to go? I don't know. I do have a few top choices.

Also, [[Tecker 911]] will be filming new episodes in HD. We have 37 episodes done and edited. The last few that were released are: [http://911.tecker.net/?p=79 Episode 27: Notebook Cards], [http://911.tecker.net/?p=78 Episode 26: Words: The Latin Dictionary], and [http://911.tecker.net/?p=77 Episode 25: Behind the Scenes]

Oh, I also just posted my [[Three Days for the USA PATRIOT Act Of 2001 (PL 107-56)|research paper]] I did on the Patriot Act in [[8th Grade]].

All for now!

''[http://theplaz.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:ThePlaz&action=edit&section=new Leave Plaz a (public) message] [[Image:File_icon.gif]] or [[User:ThePlaz:E-mail me|send me a (private) e-mail.]][[Image:Mail_icon.gif]]''--[[User:ThePlaz|ThePlaz]] 21:04, 6 January 2008 (EST)

Personal Updates/2008 - Revision history

ThePlaz: move to seperate page