1st things

In the begining...
We, the People...
Forescore and seven years ago...

First things are great. First words mean a lot, like whether or not you'll actually read the rest of this.

The first amendment is currently under a major attack. The COPE Act, currently in the House, would, as it currently stands, end Network Nuetrality. What is that? GOOD QUESTION. Quite simply Network Nuetrality keeps ISPs only as ISPs, and an end to that would essentially turn the internet into a series of private toll roads for information. If a website is critical of an ISP, or belongs to a competitor, or simply doesn't want to pay the toll, your ISP would be capable of slowing the load time severly, or even blocking the site: it doesn't exist for you. This also applies to internet services, such as phone or video.

Simply put, network neutrality means that no web site's traffic has precedence over any other's...Whether a user searches for recipes using Google, reads an article on snopes.com, or looks at a friend's MySpace profile, all of that data is treated equally and delivered from the originating web site to the user's web browser with the same priority. In recent months, however, some of the telephone and cable companies that control the telecommunications networks over which Internet data flows have floated the idea of creating the electronic equivalent of a paid carpool lane.

Do you buy books online, use Google, or download to an iPod? Everything we do online will be hurt if Congress passes a radical law next week that gives giant corporations more control over what we do and see on the Internet.

Internet providers like AT&T are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality—the Internet's First Amendment and the key to Internet freedom. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. BarnesandNoble.com doesn't have to outbid Amazon for the right to work properly on your computer.

If Net Neutrality is gutted, almost every popular site—from Google to eBay to iTunes—must either pay protection money to Internet companies like AT&T or risk having their websites process slowly. That why these high-tech pioneers and others are opposing Congress' effort to gut Internet freedom.

There is a petition here. Also, see this video.
Yes, I know, it's a liberal group, but then, I'm a libertarian anymore. That's libertarian, not liberal. SMALL government.
I signed this petition, along with 250,000 others so far. This petiton will be delivered to Congress before the House of Representatives votes next week. When you sign, you'll be kept informed of the next steps we can take to keep the heat on Congress.
Thanks for listening

And now, a new plan... I hope

Well, first I start by getting a half decent job, then I start shaping up my living spaces(still in progress), so what's next? Long term goals. Yeah, I know. WEIRD. At least for me. I've been doing some good contemplation, and really, continuing my education as a musician, though fun, would most likely be futile. For now. The jobs just really aren't there. Unless you know someone. Or someone else. I... don't. So, new idea.

I am now considering going for a Master's in Library Science. Why?
1. Books are cool.
2. There's jobs for the degree.
3. As a musician and a comic book geek, I am uniquely qualified in areas most librarian are barely adequate; and a LOT of libraries are adding graphic novels these days. Why are Vertigo books in the teen section, when they couldn't go buy them at the shop?
4. I wouldn't need to take the GRE. GSLIS at UIUC doesn't require it if you have at least a 3.0 of 4.0 during junior and senior years. My last three years were as only a music major, and I'm fairly certain my GPA was better than that for that period.
5. 40 hours FT including summers= 1.5 years easy. With a 5 year limit to finish.

These are only some of the things floating in my head as such. I've also been looking at the catalog today and kinda drooling over the possibilities.

Refocusing is good. So is God.


THE NEXT MORNING...
Turns out, one of the guy's in my Mens' Bible study is a grad student in Library and Information Sciences. I talked to him about it, and he encouraged me to apply for fall, as he applied VERY late and still ot in for the year. He also mentioned seeing a graduate assistantship in the music library, which apparently tends to be harder to fill due to cataloguing skills and knowledge required. So, my goal is to finish getting everything in by the end of May. I was also informed that there are going to be a LOT of openings due to retirement within the next 5 years. Job opportunities are good.

God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good.