tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148477992012-01-31T21:07:00.366-05:00Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.comBlogger9281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-65153497320057270232012-01-31T21:07:00.000-05:002012-01-31T21:07:00.372-05:00

Despite being a technology-focused conference, the two most influential talks I attended at CodeMash 2012  had very little to do with technology. Scott Hanselman's "Dealing With Information Overload" and Leon Gersing's "Love" touched upon two areas of my life that could definitely use some restructuring. Scott taught me the importance of being organized and balanced between my personal and

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-34261189102463789272012-01-24T22:37:00.001-05:002012-01-24T22:37:16.322-05:00

Here is a little-known fact about me: in the summer of 1996, leaving the fifth grade and preparing to enter my sixth and final year at Haskins Elementary, I opted to take a basic two-week introduction to photography class at BGSU. This class was geared for young minds and was taught by Jeffery Hall, a local photographer in Haskins. My passing interest in photography was evident enough for my

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-48047364689894789742012-01-12T23:15:00.000-05:002012-01-12T23:15:12.994-05:00

What a doozy of a day. Let me just get this over. I was up early this morning and arrived at Kalahari Resort around 6:45am - just in time to make the breakfast buffet. The meal was spectacular as usual: endless scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, and other food filled me up only as well as a CodeMash breakfast can. The 8:15am keynote speaker, Ted Newart, was a bit slow to start, but ultimately

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-47868379914604806362012-01-11T21:14:00.000-05:002012-01-11T21:14:37.617-05:00

I have arrived at CodeMash 2012. Goddamn does it feel good to be back. I am staying at an offsite hotel (a Hampton Inn in Milan, Ohio), which means I get to commute to Kalahari and work out of my car for the day. This is not as glamorous as having a room at Kalahari, it will have to do. While it sucks that I was not able to attend today's Pre-Compiler sessions, I still took some time to check

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-82862419431815033542012-01-08T19:03:00.000-05:002012-01-08T19:03:03.750-05:00

Last January I attended a technology conference known as "CodeMash." It was hosted at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. A technology conference with dozens of sessions, multiple keynotes, huge attendance, catered meals, and hosted at a huge indoor waterpark? Sign me up! This year I am returning to CodeMash and could not be more excited. This whole week will be one for the record books. I am 

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-81207714408983797632012-01-02T13:54:00.000-05:002012-01-05T21:47:25.843-05:00

2011 was the first year that I set specific goals for me to accomplish over the course of the year. I started the year strong and was well above and beyond most of my goals by June. The last six months of the year were much slower, and I actually ended 2011 with two of my eight goals unfinished, but well underway. I have rolled up a new set of goals for 2012, although unlike last year's goals,

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-43540271436114642952012-01-01T10:05:00.000-05:002012-01-02T12:26:21.940-05:00

The new year is starting with a lot of new games pouring my way, and there is no better way to kick of 2012 than with a few micro-reviews! The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Easily the most hyped game of 2011, Skyrim actually delivers in almost everything it sets out to do. Unlike Morrowind's vague goals or Oblivion's awkward setting and level scaling, Skyrim feels like a genuine blockbuster tuned to

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-18891059321282986162011-12-28T17:05:00.000-05:002011-12-28T17:05:00.163-05:00

2011 was a polarizing year for me - a year of change in every area of my life. I came into 2011 with a solid set of goals that focused on improving my professional career. Those goal paid of better than I hoped, as I transitioned to a new job in May that ultimately lead to one of the best years of my life. Here is the breakdown of the highlights of my 2011. January I started 2011 with a

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-61588860368133552322011-12-18T13:56:00.001-05:002011-12-18T21:54:44.373-05:00

I generally look at 2011 as one of the best years of my life, and while my Year-In-Review next weekend will touch upon that quite a bit, I thought I would first take a good hard look at one of my biggest personal failures in 2011: my closest personal relationships being hurt by the culmination of three years of relative social isolation. Allow me: I graduated from BGSU in 2008 and my overall

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-22544186556729375732011-12-15T20:14:00.000-05:002011-12-15T20:14:44.595-05:00

Facebook is rolling out its Timeline this week and I have to say: It is awesome. For the uninitiated, the Facebook Timeline is an overhaul of your profile. Instead of showing a reverse-chronological listing of Status Updates, photos, wall posts, etc., the Timeline places everything from your profile in a tile-based timeline that visually places items in chronological relation to one another. In

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-13058553510628305862011-12-01T21:52:00.001-05:002011-12-01T21:53:19.164-05:00

Tomorrow at 9:00pm I am kicking off an emergency Reboot Weekend. Somewhere in the last month my awesome 2011 has run off course, and I need to get it back on track as soon as possible. I'll report back in Monday with a full explanation. I sure hope this works... B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-32543976222978289702011-11-28T21:44:00.001-05:002011-11-28T21:49:58.258-05:00

Oh winter, you are not even here yet and you are taking your massive toll on me. If the first half of 2011 was nothing but incredible, the late latter half is proving to be somewhat of a challenge: in and out of various doctors, huge financial burdens to handle, a very unfortunate funeral, and terrible uncertainty in a few areas of my personal life. 2011, you were good to me, but you are not

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-81842445320065300752011-11-14T19:37:00.001-05:002011-11-18T12:53:00.233-05:00

Nostalgia is a powerful thing and Nintendo knows it. Since 1985 the gaming world has been shaped by Nintendo's everlasting franchises that strike a balance between today's twenty-something childhood nostalgia and interesting new designs. Nintendo's biggest games consistently deliver fun challenges, occasionally innovate genres, and always impress the masses. Chief among its franchises is Mario,

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-91685390433569010102011-11-10T13:14:00.001-05:002011-11-10T13:15:15.133-05:00

Skyrim tomorrow. Super Mario 3D Land Sunday. Skyward Sword and Minecraft next weekend. I get to be stuck in front of a TV screen just in time for the cold of winter. Beautiful. B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-46132459017249922892011-11-06T19:27:00.001-05:002011-11-06T19:27:16.914-05:00

This upcoming week of work will be something spectacular. I have a major project coming together and I am making the big, final push to get it completed this week. I am planning for a heavy work week that will spill over into almost every night this week. The positive of all this? I like my job, so I do not mind the extra work at all! Next weekend will be something special. This weekend I bought

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-77251478432178894552011-11-05T01:21:00.000-04:002011-11-05T01:21:00.276-04:00

Six years ago today my life changed in ways I never could have anticipated. Today I officially declare the beginning of a fantastic new chapter in my life. B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-48263744347412964152011-11-02T20:14:00.000-04:002011-11-02T23:04:35.375-04:00

This week I watched all six episodes of AMC's The Walking Dead on Netflix, and tonight I offer my review of the show thus far. I will keep this review brief: I should have finished Meltdown ten years ago. The Walking Dead (in its comic book form) launched in 2003, exactly when I hoped to finish my original draft for Meltdown. I agonize over this because The Walking Dead is nearly identical to

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-28545587113105106682011-10-29T16:52:00.002-04:002011-10-31T21:48:25.061-04:00

This October is wrapping up in spectacular fashion. Sweet and Chunky This past Friday was a bit surprising for me. Work was "meh" at best, but I got through it knowing that I had a full weekend ahead of me. Friday night turned out to be very interesting. I ended up at the Toledo Museum of Art (for which I am a member now) with Aryn for a dessert-themed wine tasting. This was the sweetest set of

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-54577069849213094122011-10-25T19:34:00.001-04:002011-10-25T19:34:58.234-04:00

This past January I attended my first CodeMash in Sandusky, Ohio. This upcoming January, I will be attending my second CodeMash, but unfortunately it most likely will not be as sweet as my first. CodeMash 2012 has proven to be immensely popular. Tickets for the 1,200-person conference sold out in just twenty minutes. Luckily myself and everyone at work got tickets. Not so lucky: my chances of

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-57213357969127903362011-10-24T20:49:00.002-04:002011-10-24T20:49:59.222-04:00

It has been a fairly busy October for me this year. The first half of the month was spent exactly as it is every year: I celebrated my birthday, went to the Apple Butter Festival in Grand Rapids, and wrapped up the last of my summer and fall activities. Now I look forward to a few more unique events in the coming weeks: a sleep study this Thursday, Ann Arbor Day of .NET, a possible concert in

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-85486268068237303052011-10-05T21:47:00.002-04:002011-10-05T21:48:00.180-04:00

I make a special point to keep my banter on my blog as positive as possible, but sometimes something comes along that requires me to bend the rules a bit. Today, October 5th, 2011, Steve Jobs passed away. Death is not necessarily a time for mourning, although it is hard to not tear up at Apple.com's bleak memorial to the company's visionary leader. Rather than mourn the loss of a great

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-13468004346257587802011-10-04T06:35:00.000-04:002011-10-04T06:35:00.600-04:00

Today is the portrait of aging. I am twenty-seven; lots to reflect on. B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-89148623830306564352011-09-25T21:29:00.000-04:002011-09-25T21:29:07.787-04:00

Several years ago I wrote one of my favorite pieces on Critically Correct: The "What If..." Post. Today I return with a long-overdue Part II. When: 2003 The Event: I signed up for English 111 in the 11:30am time slot as my very first class at BGSU. The Fallout: I meet a friend who affects my entire social experience in college. What Happened: Aryn and I met in English 111 on day one of college,

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-59696664787316651652011-09-24T14:08:00.001-04:002011-09-24T14:08:46.777-04:00

Blue October's last album was a bit of a disappointment for me. While the album grew on me over several months of repeated listening, I ultimately did not care for Justin Furstenfeld's constant whining and the album's inconsistent musical focus. The latest album from Blue October, Any Man In America, is another romp through Furstenfeld's tumultuous  personal life (as is most Blue October music).

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-56826973413486870852011-09-20T21:35:00.001-04:002011-09-20T21:35:22.051-04:00

As of this writing I am 26 years old. Facebook is 7 years old. I was with Facebook from Day One way back in 2004. It was a different kind of beauty back then - simple, clean, and easy to use. The Facebook we all know and love today is more like 4 years old - the birth of the News Feed changed everything. All in all, I think I have a few years of maturity on this baby. Between Facebook and I, I am

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-45078054346046509272011-09-17T13:11:00.000-04:002011-09-17T18:07:17.345-04:00

What made Summer 2011 so memorable and significant for me? A new job, the glory of rekindling old friendships, staying active on my bike, and plenty of other changes that will define me for years to come. In short, change defines the best years of my life, and this year has been the prime example of positive change. What follows is a full list of just what happened this summer. From Findlay to

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-23222797592736312442011-09-06T22:05:00.001-04:002011-09-06T22:05:06.902-04:00

The title says it all, really. As this summer comes to an abrupt end (who turned the heat off?), I look forward to fall as a time of change in a couple areas of my life: The New BrandonBruno.com This week I will be launching a revised, updated, and outright-cooler home on the web. The new BrandonBruno.com features a new design, revised content, and a couple of new features - chief among them

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-67792655645244326352011-09-04T20:24:00.000-04:002011-09-04T20:27:11.482-04:00

Notice anything different about Critcally Correct? Just one of many changes rolling out this week as part of a massive redesign and rebranding of BrandonBruno.com. As always, stay tuned. B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-35702456198433614902011-08-30T20:04:00.004-04:002011-08-30T22:13:57.320-04:00

I write this as my first post from my new TouchPad, but there is far more significance to tonight than a new toy. As cicadas scream from every direction around my comfortable outdoor chair, as the hair on my leg stands on end, and as my body chills from the air, not from the ice cream I am eating, one thing is very clear: fall is coming. Never mind the fact that I am constantly hammered by an

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-17483487552954169482011-08-20T21:30:00.003-04:002011-08-20T22:08:05.811-04:00

About a month ago I noted that I would be getting in the tablet game sometime this year. First I would see what Amazon produces for the Kindle line this year - a quality color Android tablet, perhaps? If that was not an option, I would simply give in to the Apple-mania and go with an iPad 2 or 3. Today I have an HP TouchPad. Here's the story behind it: Everyone knows this part: this past week HP

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-61613022652941061262011-08-14T19:44:00.001-04:002011-08-14T19:56:50.353-04:00

Today's (nearly-random) trip to Cedar Point was one for the record books - as in, the record for the least number of rides ridden during a visit to Cedar Point. I was to meet with Jason and Denise for a day at The Point. I arrived right on schedule at 9:00am, but due to some outside influences, Jason and Denise were late by an hour and a half. I used this time to indulge in some of my favorite

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-49933396421960794452011-08-05T20:09:00.002-04:002011-08-05T20:34:53.078-04:00

At the beginning of 2011 I made a promise to myself: I would buy a tablet sometime this year.The iPad 2 came out in February - and it was beautiful (it still is). This year has seen tablets take off, however, and I am now sitting on quite an interesting fence. Here is the full story:Last November I bought my Droid Incredible and became a fan of Android. The platform is of decent quality, easy to

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-58657843984094857382011-07-30T21:26:00.001-04:002011-08-01T22:17:23.975-04:00

Remember that post of mine about a week ago where I complained about my fall schedule being light this year? I lied.I have a super-busy fall season ahead. Almost every weekend between now and early October has something going on, and in keeping with my yearly tradition, here is the full schedule.August 2nd - 8th: Wood County FairAs I said before, this yearly event is the traditional kick-off to

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-37380222615011268452011-07-27T22:05:00.004-04:002011-07-27T22:38:20.825-04:00

Say hello to the 900th post on Critically Correct. One-hundred to go before the big 1,000 mark.To be honest, I kind of hoped I would be well-past the 1,000 mark by now, but the last few years of my life have just been boring as far as blogger is concerned. Obviously that is changing in 2011, so I am looking forward to hitting 1,000 posts sometime early next year. It will be one hell of a

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-65329775540929443912011-07-25T07:30:00.000-04:002011-07-25T13:30:21.404-04:00

This past weekend was not entirely what I thought it would have been.Friday was a day to relax. After work I curled up with video games and writing all night - a solid six hours of relaxation B3-style.Saturday was all over the map - a little exercise, a little lunch, a little swimming, and a little dinner out. I went out for a nice dinner with a friend, but that was where the night ended - kind

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-30464708024499306142011-07-23T07:05:00.002-04:002011-07-23T09:05:54.948-04:00

I will just say this plain and simple: Summer 2011 has been one for the record books. This summer has easily been one of the best of my adult life, in no small part thanks to The Trifecta, my extremely active lifestyle, countless trips to Cedar Point, and a seemingly unlimited amount of potential in my life over the next four years.As July comes to a close, I am looking forward to one of my

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-52823878114067169672011-07-18T17:32:00.000-04:002011-07-18T17:32:00.170-04:00

In June of 2010 I began growing a beard just for fun. It was one of those "can I even do it?" kind of things. Well after about a month of shaving and shaping some funny peach-fuzz-style hair, I finally began to grow a decent beard. It turned out all my friends loved the beard and it has definitely become a part of me.On my birthday of last year I considered shaving the beard, but I made an

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-41011757592747629062011-07-17T13:52:00.000-04:002011-07-17T13:54:21.724-04:00

I am constantly reminded by several people that I am a busy man - too busy, perhaps? It is going to get worse before it gets better.Yesterday I bought a new bike. A Trek 7.3 FX fitness bike, to be exact. I began this summer with a strong desire to bike my ass off, and thus far that is what I have done. I have also been very serious about accomplishing all of my goals for the year, number one of

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-43762707394900747252011-07-14T21:32:00.002-04:002011-07-14T21:47:56.298-04:00

So I have spent the past three years being frustrated at my lack of creative drive to write any worthwhile fiction, and tonight I get tanked and crank out an extremely worthwhile plot and story outline for one of my newer pieces, "Event Horizon."I'm writing this entire story this weekend, I swear it.B3 up, up and away! Or out. B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-82722131307209294862011-07-12T21:45:00.004-04:002011-07-13T09:32:34.650-04:00

Like most people, I learn and grow a little bit each day. Sometimes I grow professionally by overcoming a crucial obstacle at work. Sometimes I grow personally by making better decisions day in and day out. Sometimes, though, something happens in my life that ends up defining who I am for years to come - essentially becoming a major milestone, a turning point, if you will.These changes were not

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-27080314439248633972011-07-10T16:02:00.001-04:002011-07-10T16:03:37.415-04:00

Remember that Part II that I was going to write about my Reboot Weekend? Yeah, never mind :-)

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-36196500833032490232011-07-05T20:30:00.000-04:002011-07-06T07:39:12.993-04:00

I have not had a weekend to myself in months - if not at least a year. This past Friday I disconnected myself with the outside world - no phone, no Internet, no friends - for 48 hours. I absolutely needed this weekend.I will cover this latest Reboot Weekend in two parts. Part I will cover what I did all weekend long and why it was one of the most memorable weekends in recent memory. Part II will

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-76691797978992553532011-07-01T12:51:00.004-04:002011-07-01T12:56:06.334-04:00

I am taking this coming weekend - beginning tonight at 9:00pm - to relax and reset. I have not been taking all the success in my life quite the right way, and I need time to step back, analyze where I am, and plan for the future.Like all of my Reboot Weekends, I will be 100% unavailable beginning late tonight through Sunday evening. I will be checking my phone for messages once Saturday and once

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-49046081278215798942011-06-26T19:49:00.000-04:002011-06-26T21:52:18.169-04:00

Critically Correct will not be updated for the foreseeable future. I am driving myself into a massive pile of dung this week, followed by a Reboot Weekend beginning next Friday.It is long overdue.Until next time, B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-51844118392935745702011-06-20T20:10:00.000-04:002011-06-20T20:10:07.901-04:00

I just returned home from a couple of hours out on my bike, so I am writing this with a bit of a biker's high. Biking has always been my way of sorting out my thoughts - a way of clearing my head - so it is no surprise that I come home with plenty to say.As I bolted around downtown Perrysburg, over the Maumee River, through Side Cut Metropark, and back again, I really began to understand how

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-85996317371888408042011-06-18T15:33:00.003-04:002011-06-18T19:01:36.988-04:00

82 degrees. Sunny. Two bike rides and a walk with Elli. My parents' deck with a beer and grilled food. Yessir, today is goddamn near perfect. Time for a hit-list.Am I not my old self? According to my closest friends, no. Something is different about me. After a little reflection on my life in the past two months, I can only say this for now: I am not necessarily a changed man, but one

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-79784558408327049822011-06-10T21:17:00.002-04:002011-06-10T21:52:17.909-04:00

Tonight was something special - super special.Let me back up for a moment: I was really hoping to hang out in Toledo tonight, but that plan fell-through (for good reason). So what was I do to on this relaxingly-cool Friday night?Easy: I went biking. I hustled down the Towpath Trail tonight just like I did so often ten years ago. The best part of the ride came three miles into the seven mile ride:

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-74818940814710554492011-06-04T20:15:00.001-04:002011-06-04T21:53:37.841-04:00

Brace yourself, I am about to ramble a bit. And break some hearts. I enjoy doing that.No, not really. I do my best to not be a heart breaker, but dammit, I have to say this: I am kind of selfish. No person is ready for a real, solid relationship until they have been broken. I do not mean "dumped" - I mean walked on, tossed aside, torn asunder - insert whatever overly-dramatic hoo-ha you wish, but

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-70207622696222098982011-06-02T21:01:00.003-04:002011-06-02T21:39:39.162-04:00

Well here we are in June. Where is 2011 going?I spent some time this week looking at my goals for the year and realizing that I am nearly right on track with most of them. I have put to rest most of the programming-related goals on my list and I am left with some grander ambitions from now until December. Let me summarize:Finish 40 Pounds Down. This is now the number one item on my list and

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-28002438217621074612011-05-30T18:53:00.004-04:002011-06-02T21:02:07.306-04:00

Exhaustion, sunburn and an empty wallet - all signs of an incredible and unforgettable weekend.While last weekend was an experiment of what this summer could be like, this three-day holiday weekend has it written in cement: summer 2011 will be amazing.This past Saturday was excellent: I ventured off to Maumee Bay State Park for the boardwalk and to Sandusky for food. The trip home was highlighted

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-24782686372654598352011-05-27T19:13:00.002-04:002011-05-27T19:26:08.985-04:00

B3's Summer Bash gets another shot at life: Bash '11 is happening.I am expanding Bash a bit this year. For one, Bash will be a two-day event, with a casual atmosphere on a Friday night and the main event (read: Mentos geysers) happening on a Saturday afternoon and night.Bash will also be open to all of my Facebook friends. I am hoping to see a wide variety of people show up, if even for a little

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-5525479391608141972011-05-22T21:58:00.001-04:002011-05-22T21:58:00.113-04:00

Remember when I said I was going to kick summer off this weekend? Done.I know I did it right when I come home Sunday night exhausted and ready for another day off work. Sadly, I will not get another day off work. Monday is Monday.Saturday was an odd day for me. I woke up with absolutely no idea about what was going to happen. I had plans to canoe with my parents, but those fell through pretty

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-73018189923631937162011-05-19T21:21:00.003-04:002011-05-19T22:19:03.028-04:00

Shit is all over the map lately, so here is a hit-list to sum everything up.Summer 2011 kicks off this weekend. I usually wait until the first week of June to really get summer underway, but given how crappy this week has been weather-wise, I am looking forward to two things: sunshine and heat. Lots of heat. This weekend has both. Beginning this Saturday and every other weekend for the remainder

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-10053158301054411532011-05-14T09:44:00.000-04:002011-05-14T09:44:50.715-04:00

I am pretty much tossing my much-maligned B3.0 Initiative from 2009 (or 2010, whenever the hell it was) out the window: I am rocking some fucking awesome memories right now.So here I am in Perrysburg, Ohio. I have a new job and a new apartment. The moment I have been waiting for has arrived. I am exactly where I want to be in my life: successful, comfortable, yet on the verge of major

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-84625169296033603472011-05-03T20:31:00.000-04:002011-05-03T20:31:02.197-04:00

Portal 2 is Valve's best game, which is to say, it is one of the best games on PC.Sadly, Portal 2 is not perfect, so I will break it down very quickly:The Good: The voice acting in Portal 2 is flawless. Literally perfect. No other video game ever created has featured such genuine talent, delivery, and to a degree, scripting. The dynamics between Stephen Merchant as Wheatley, J.K. Simmons as Cave

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-61497210848061499352011-05-01T10:22:00.003-04:002011-05-01T10:24:44.122-04:00

The second-scariest thing I've ever done was to let go of my past.The scariest thing I've ever had to do, without a doubt, was to look forward to my future.B3, circa August 2008

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-14970340402866043502011-04-30T20:50:00.000-04:002011-04-30T22:43:46.082-04:00

Yep.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-74643290534792683172011-04-28T19:50:00.002-04:002011-04-28T21:12:18.615-04:00

My time at CRI in Findlay, Ohio is over. My first post-college job as a professional programmer was an interesting mix of learning, challenges, and stress. I moved out of my house, I made some new friends, and I learned a lot about myself in the last three years.Now my attention turns to a whole new set of awesomeness. I get to work a job doing more of what I love (front-end and some back-end web

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-66677868427703898912011-04-26T21:32:00.002-04:002011-04-26T22:16:34.053-04:00

Oh how I love weeks like this:Tomorrow is my last day at CRI. Enough said, I think.My sister is visiting this week, and I am looking forward to seeing her, even if it is just for dinner or so at the most.I get a little time to transition into my new job, so I will be getting around and ready for that Thursday and Friday.This weekend is looking great weather-wise, so I plan to hang out with a

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-39917107718439375572011-04-23T03:35:00.000-04:002011-04-23T03:35:00.395-04:00

In terms of relationships, I absolutely consider myself to be a fair, logical, and sensible person - not terribly romantic overall, although I used to be in high school. What I am looking for in a relationship right now - as a twenty-six year old successful male - is not unconditional love, but something that is balanced between our careers, our personal time, and our own mutual interests as a

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-56445183303278904902011-04-17T20:15:00.002-04:002011-04-17T21:05:06.906-04:00

The me I once knew - and almost everything that B3 stood for in my high school and college days - is part of a past full of drama, mistakes, love, hate - just about everything but regret (life is too short to regret). Unfortunately, some of the better parts of me were left in that past.I have grown stale over the last few years, complacent in all the worst ways. My job has been good to me, my

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-45594171853484988702011-04-13T22:21:00.002-04:002011-04-13T22:33:56.477-04:00

And now the severity of my situation punches me in the gut.I am changing.While a part of me is scared to death about all the changes coming over the next few months of my life, the vast majority of me is excited beyond any expressible means. For me, change tends to come in large, chaotic, sweeping waves (versus small, calculated twitches). In my case, I have had a great run of fortune in 2011. My

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-59596159098423020412011-04-13T18:00:00.003-04:002011-04-13T18:00:02.929-04:00

Having informed all the proper people, I can now safely make this announcement:I am leaving my current job, Corporate Research International, and starting at a wonderful company in Perrysburg called Computol.I. Am. Thrilled.First, I can definitely say that I had a wonderful time at CRI. Having been my first post-college job, CRI helped me learn a lot about programming, project management, and

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-33631452843777396432011-04-09T10:11:00.000-04:002011-04-09T09:55:35.672-04:00

It is month number four of twelve, and that means the year is about a third of the way over. Am I a third of the way complete with my goals? Ha! Here is where I stand:Become a Better DeveloperThrough projects at work and personal projects at home, I have learned quite a bit about "the basics" of programming. I have learned a little RegEx, a few new algorithms, and new best-practices in a few

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-72117515929750638812011-04-02T22:01:00.000-04:002011-04-02T22:07:24.753-04:00

It is no secret among my friends that I have been busy with work: tomorrow begins week six of another 50 - 60 hour work week. There is light at the end of the tunnel within the next two weeks, however, so I am really pushing hard to get through my busy schedule.I will make this admission: I did not always have to be as busy as I am. A portion of my extra work hours were by no means the "required"

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-69053938050377880742011-03-29T21:11:00.000-04:002011-03-29T21:11:03.476-04:00

Beginning in April or May, my ISP will begin to limit the amount of data that I can download over the course of a month.That is right: AT&T is instituting data caps on their Internet services, with my U-Verse service specifically getting a 250 GB / month cap.Here is why I am extremely pissed about this and why I am totally chill about the whole thing:I am PISSED because: data caps are simply a

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-34476740888579693912011-03-24T19:32:00.003-04:002011-03-24T19:47:54.574-04:00

This week my desktop computer embarked on a new era: the Windows 7 era. After sticking with Windows XP for ten years, I finally purchased (yes, with real money) Windows 7 Home Premium. Ignoring Microsoft's awkwardly-vague OEM licencing rules, I bought a copy from NewEgg, along with another hard drive so as to keep my WinXP install intact. (Side note: I am sick of partitioning drives, so a new

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-79998195784406932662011-03-20T21:13:00.003-04:002011-03-20T21:41:28.373-04:00

Thanks to a painfully-busy month of work, blogging has been the last thing on my mind. I absolutely want to return to writing, however, once the month of March is over. I have some new fiction I want to work on (Meltdown-related!!!), some JavaScript articles I want to write, and plenty of old articles that need completed.I am alive, I promise.B3 out.PS: Spring weather absolutely rocks.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-52920451412869872552011-03-10T20:05:00.003-05:002011-03-10T22:26:57.830-05:00

I feel that my very first foray into writing - Meltdown - will be my very last. Meltdown has always been my baby - certainly not my most active writing interest, but one day it should be completed as my life's work. Will it happen that way? I doubt it, but I do revisit my original opus from time to time, and lately I have been tackling my survival-horror story not as a novel concept, but as I

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-80008590362811353282011-03-04T17:35:00.000-05:002011-03-04T13:29:41.002-05:00

Here I am again, wishing for the impossible, the unbelievable: I wish I could study.My 2011 push into learning advanced JavaScript, SQL, and ASP.NET has come to a grinding halt because of... work! Thanks to the biggest workload that I have seen in quite a while, everyone at work is putting in sixty-hour weeks.Rather than work ten-hour days over the weekends, I am breaking my extra time up

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-75533265718108285762011-03-02T17:35:00.001-05:002011-03-02T20:18:13.966-05:00

In my free time this past week (there is not a lot of that nowadays), I updated one of my mini-JavaScript projects, SimpleModal.The biggest changes between version 1.01 and 1.10: Internet Explorer compatibility and namespacing - the entire project now sits in the JavaScript equivalent to a namespace, an object literal. This should help prevent my function declarations from conflicting with others

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-65222393065140567352011-03-01T19:52:00.002-05:002011-03-01T19:58:23.993-05:00

I was able to experience my first major flood in Findlay yesterday and today, and I have the pics and a video to prove it!Facebook AlbumYouTube VideoB3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-13759564801551168652011-02-27T16:35:00.003-05:002011-02-27T16:39:31.606-05:00

I have been non-stop busy since last Monday. Work has kept me busy (especially this weekend with full-time hours being put in at the office), my dad's surgery kept me on my toes last week, and for the foreseeable future (i.e., the next seven days), I will still be busy non-stop.Thanks to my busy schedule, I have not had time to work on any of my own projects, which right now include a lot of

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-20140306602706850242011-02-23T19:25:00.000-05:002011-02-23T19:25:00.600-05:00

I will be attending CodeStock 2011 this year.After the amazing success that was my first tech conference - CodeMash 2.0.1.1. - this past January, I have been looking forward to attending many more conferences in the coming years. CodeStock 2011 looks like it will be my next big conference.What am I most looking forward to for CodeStock? How about...The Journey - CodeMash was held in Sandusky,

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-66115667376379821322011-02-21T21:35:00.002-05:002011-02-21T21:38:26.095-05:00

In case you already did not see it coming here, I have updated my BrandonBruno.com portal with a new design, less clutter, and easier navigation.I hope for the site to become a destination for my professional career as a web developer, and that is strongly reflected in the About, Portfolio, and Services sections of the site.I removed the Writing section and will launch a new site dedicated to my

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-68937792806208807582011-02-16T19:22:00.006-05:002011-02-16T19:52:02.142-05:00

Lady Gaga looks poised to be on the right track for 2011 - her new single "Born This Way" is unavoidably catchy and in my humble opinion, may very likely become one of the best singles of the year.Gaga hit it big on the dance floor with "Just Dance," exploded into music video history with the monster hit "Bad Romance," and flexed her unique writing muscle with the gentle non-hit "Speechless."

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-82936112307817779152011-02-14T19:00:00.000-05:002011-02-14T19:00:47.706-05:00

Less than two months into 2011 and I am changing my goals for the year around a little bit.Am I cutting material from my initial list of goals? Absolutely! Am I trimming down because I am lazy? Nope! This past weekend I examined all my goals for the year and came to this conclusion: I need more focus in my goals!My goals for the year now look like this:Reduce overall stressBecome a JavaScript

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-91589714961172797992011-02-10T21:15:00.002-05:002011-02-10T21:35:17.968-05:00

It is time to admit it: I am amid a writing crisis and I need to fix it now.I consider my professional self a software developer and creative writer - except the latter is something I have struggled to do consistently for the last couple of years.After spending all of today at home (with a nasty fever, natch), I devoted some time tonight to do some creative writing. Ninety minutes of my night

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-18318127641067100312011-02-08T07:30:00.001-05:002011-02-08T07:30:02.092-05:00

Here it is, my next project, complete!Recipe ManagerFor future reference, a link to Recipe Manager will always be available on my BrandonBruno.com portal. What follows is a quick tour of my latest creation.SCREENSHOT: Login PagePlain and simple. I use a common user-authentication system, so once you have an account set up on BrandonBruno.com, your credentials will perpetuate across any future

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-48955558911776118332011-02-07T07:35:00.001-05:002011-02-07T07:35:00.332-05:00

Magicka is the type of game I have been dreaming about for years. As far as dungeon crawlers go, I have always dreamed of a game based heavily on magic, where the player is free to craft his or her own spells from a basic set of elements.That basic idea is Magicka in a nutshell. Seriously.Using a pool of eight basic elements such as Fire, Ice, Healing, Water, Stone, etc., the player taps out

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-44170872882443100192011-02-06T13:25:00.000-05:002011-02-06T13:25:00.864-05:00

I love modern technology - it enables so many great things.One gap that exists between my parents and myself, however, is that of financial security online. I do not have a problem storing my credit card information on dozens of websites. I buy from Amazon, NewEgg, Woot, iTunes, Steam and Blizzard enough that it is just common sense to let them keep my credit card while I buy, buy, buy.Lately,

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-12115455233102657142011-02-05T20:05:00.004-05:002011-02-05T20:44:52.402-05:00

Today was quite interesting (and extraordinarily life-changing, but that is another story!). I have new glasses - really! - after wearing my old, scratched-up frames for the last four years. The new frames are a much looser fit on my big head, which means they fit much better than either of my first two pairs of glasses. The design is not anything radical for me, but I still like the new

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-25264252456689123792011-02-04T19:29:00.002-05:002011-02-04T19:48:45.648-05:00

I recently played through Undead Nightmare, the first major single-player expansion to 2010's amazing Red Dead Redemption. I own the Xbox 360 version.As where RDR was a very solid action-western adventure with a first-rate narrative, Undead Nightmare is a campy romp with the uncomfortably fun scenario of "zombies in the Wild West." The narrative is 100% B-movie material, and luckily, never takes

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-18853504701994642402011-02-04T07:15:00.000-05:002011-02-04T11:39:29.799-05:00

Google now has an Android app for blogging directly to Blogger?!This is a great way to start my weekend! Awesome.B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-60390962353167183342011-01-31T20:25:00.002-05:002011-01-31T20:41:08.859-05:00

As January comes to a close, Northwest Ohio is on the verge of being hit by a major snowstorm - more likely than not the worst we have seen since 1998. I am looking forward to it, although I am not looking forward to potentially being cooped up in my tiny apartment for the next two days.I am however, very proud to point out the fact that I have blogged everyday in January thus far in 2011: one

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-77334503328168630902011-01-30T21:25:00.000-05:002011-01-30T21:25:00.718-05:00

January is nearly over, and I can say this: I started 2011 off strong.I have a very precise set of goals to accomplish this year, and I have already begun three of them. I kept my promise to blog more often (everyday!), and while it is not always easy, I have found that taking time to write everyday keeps me in a healthy creative rhythm.This coming week will be great. I am wrapping up one of my

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-26551415754926680392011-01-29T19:52:00.000-05:002011-01-29T20:22:28.859-05:00

Over the las ten years, I wrote fiction that was a bit shallow, definitely experimental, but always forward-thinking: I wanted to write for my future. I loved writing what could be, what I envisioned could happen to me, my friends, or the world in general. Meltdown, Almost Home, Translucency - these are the bread-and-butter of what I consider to be my past as an author.All of my drafts and starts

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-65115297859718227392011-01-28T17:35:00.002-05:002011-01-28T21:00:09.153-05:00

This past week I took advantage of a sale on XBox Live and bought two great games: the Undead Nightmare DLC pack for Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Both cost me under $20.It really struck me this week how much I really enjoy Rockstar games - the open-world style of games. I have been getting great pleasure from playing both Undead Nightmare and San Andreas, but

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-34919972492552132242011-01-27T22:05:00.002-05:002011-01-28T09:24:47.071-05:00

I'm making a pit-stop at my parents house tonight to get some sleep before I head to the Honda dealer in the morning to get some work done on my car.Elli was extremely happy to see me, and that alone made the treacherous drive up here worth it.I have a long Friday and hopefully long weekend ahead of me: games, dog-sitting (maybe?), and some more web development.B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-59760082433179929492011-01-26T19:00:00.002-05:002011-01-26T19:32:52.120-05:00

At today's lunch meeting at work, I had Applebee's for my first time, and I have one word to say about it: salty.I was extremely surprised by the breadth of the menu, but not I was not impressed the depth. I ordered a Trio platter: shrimp, hamburger sliders, and boneless chicken. My meal was all-around American food: decent portions, classic flavor, but amazingly salty.In fact, besides the

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-68222173759327158692011-01-25T18:25:00.000-05:002011-01-26T16:02:04.282-05:00

I have a new, small project in the pipeline simply called "Recipe Manager."I spent all of last weekend getting it started, and I am spending this upcoming weekend to wrap it up, test it, and prepare it for publishing in the first week of February.Recipe Manger is essentially a small spin-off of my Tint concept: a private network that lets users store, sort, and share recipes among one another. I

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-79361395542852160722011-01-24T20:21:00.002-05:002011-01-24T20:47:22.574-05:00

I originally played the demo of Super Meat Boy on my XBox 360 and loved it. I could not bring myself to buy it, however, because I knew there was a PC version coming out eventually, so I waited. And waited.Thanks to the Steam Holiday sale this past season, I now own Super Meat Boy on the PC. Thanks to my XBox 360 Controller for Windows, I can get all the benefits of both worlds: the customization

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-89455479426134093902011-01-23T20:30:00.004-05:002011-01-23T20:56:03.246-05:00

I love the XBox 360 controller - next to the stock PlayStation 2/3 controller design, it is one of the most comfortable designs available on the market today. (Okay, the D-Pad and Left and Right shoulder buttons are atrocious, but everything else is just peachy.)Having bought Super Meat Boy for Steam a while back, I knew I wanted to play it with an XBox 360 controller, so I spent nearly $50 on

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-20939668796901534472011-01-22T15:14:00.000-05:002011-01-22T16:10:14.994-05:00

Oh buddy, these productive days sure feel good. I woke up around 7:30 this morning and was off to a rough start (Elli is a bit difficult to sleep with ever since her surgery), but I was out the door by 9:00am anyhow.In the span of three hours, I accomplished the following:I stopped by BG Vision Center and ordered a new pair of eyeglasses finally, which has been a project of mine since November.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-78863158268298173172011-01-21T18:16:00.003-05:002011-01-21T18:16:00.699-05:00

Today our last remaining senior developer left the company where I work.This creates an interesting situation: in the last two months, we have lost our two most-knowledgeable developers, leaving only eight people with varying levels of knowledge about our company's IT infrastructure.While it is a little scary to be out of so much knowledge, I am also presented with the opportunity to step up and

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-52407149108214278972011-01-20T21:02:00.000-05:002011-01-20T21:02:00.355-05:00

Today was a mega-workday. I had a ton to get done at work, and I pushed right on through from 8:00am to about 8:00pm to get everything done, save for lunch and dinner.I do not mind the extra time spent at work, however, since I have a weekend coming up that will keep me busy as well, and all to my benefit.Saturday alone I have to buy two new pairs of glasses, get an oil change for my car, and do

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-58759713525887225652011-01-19T17:52:00.000-05:002011-01-19T17:52:32.038-05:00

If anyone like myself is studying JavaScript, this video is necessary material to watch!10 Things I Learned From the jQuery SourceB3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-24536782636047680472011-01-18T17:30:00.000-05:002011-01-18T17:30:00.212-05:00

This discussion needs to happen, because quite frankly, society is disgusting in its fear of men.Reddit: We think we are protecting our kids by treating all men as potential predators.B3 out.

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-4567412776271625542011-01-17T19:36:00.000-05:002011-01-17T19:36:37.236-05:00

I am faced with the following dilemma as a writer:Do I write fiction that is crowd-pleasing or deep? Should my readers or my critics love my fiction? Why not the best of both worlds?I do not read a lot of fiction - not nearly as much as I probably should - but I do encounter this basic dilemma in other mediums just as much as I am sure it arises in literature. How many works of fiction are

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14847799.post-66409410483495410092011-01-16T15:02:00.000-05:002011-01-16T15:04:37.928-05:00

Last week's CodeMash finally gave me enough time to think about my career as a software developer in depth enough to answer this question: Where do I see myself in five years?I have never actually been asked that question for any job interview, nor have I given it much thought. My answer has generally been "Wherever I end up." I would supposed that I am missing the point of the question, however:

Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15740642240225153376noreply@blogger.com0