Tuesday, October 25, 2005
1:16 AM: There are three kinds of people in the world -- those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. You can't get past CNN.com or Yahoo.com these days without stumbling across Nationwide's Life Comes At You Fast flash ads. The dude in the white shirt--yeah, the one with his hands glued into his pockets--gets to me every time. See if I got it right...
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
8:52 PM: Politicians in action...
I've always thought the idea of a payday loan (and its often-exorbitant fees) to be somewhat sketchy. You might think that few people are willing to give up 15% or more of their paycheck just to get instant cash a week earlier, which only makes me believe not everyone is fully aware of the fees involved. That's why I mentally applauded the efforts of Oregon lawmakers who introduced and nearly passed a consumer protection bill, similar to those already in place in 10 other states, that would cap the fee percent at payday loans.
[and meanwhile...]
A report was released last week from the Money in Politics Research Action Project, indicating that two House Republicans recently received a total of $25,500 from the payday loan industry.
[back at the House...]
angered by the idea that his fellow Republicans might have been "bought" by the industry, perhaps to stall the Senate-passed bill in the House, the committee chairman abruptly torpedoed the bill. Now why would you torpedo legislation designed to limit an industry you suspect of sidelining two representatives? To me, it looks like the pro payday loan camp wins.
See Gazette Times, Salem Statesman.
As a footnote, a 15% payday loan fee calculates to an approximately 370% interest rate on a conventional loan.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
2:00 PM: Apparently washing machines can crash, too. My grandma's washing machine--100% electronically controlled--went on the fritz. Just needed a good power cycle and it's back to normal! Wonder if it runs Windows in there... :)
Saturday, January 01, 2005
9:29 PM: Happy New Year!
Sunday, November 21, 2004
1:40 PM: [tap tap] Is this thing on? Sure is dusty. Time has really flown by since the start of summer. I've established a fairly solid work routine, began throwing money at school loans with an attempt to make some dent, and unfortunately learned of the gut-wrenching damage to the new truck. As cool things happen I'll try to do a better job of posting them here! ...if anyone still reads it :)
Sunday, July 18, 2004
3:16 PM: Seems crazy I'm entering the 7th week at Intel. Work life is long hours and hectic, but there's always something new to work on and different challenges every day. I spend very little time in my cube, most of it is spent in a meeting room or the fab; many days my lunch hour is longer than the time at my desk.
My official title is an equipment engineer for darkfield inspection systems. This factory makes Pentium 4's and Pentium M's, among other products. Benefits can't be beat, and my team of engineers and techs are very enjoyable to be around.
Part of me misses Cornell, especially Cornell EMS, but it was an easy transition to getting paid to be an engineer rather than paying someone else to make me an engineer. I have a feeling August 26th will pass and I won't blink an eye.
Monday, June 07, 2004
9:10 AM: Clinton was a good speaker, graduation was fun and it was awesome to have so much family there. I already miss my friends from Cornell. I somehow managed to unpack and organize the majority of what I brought home on the plane, as well as five boxes through FedEx ground. My computer arrived in basically working order, but the loose IDE cable was clear evidence of rough handling.
Today marks Day 1 of my venture into the corporate world as a Yield Engineer with Intel. A half-day "transfer" orientation begins at 7:30am, and the rest of the day is an introduction to my cubicle, the team I work with, and who knows what else. More to come later!
Thursday, May 27, 2004
1:53 PM: I made the news! Thanks to the recommendation from Penny Beebe of the Engineering Communications Program.
Monday, May 24, 2004
8:02 PM: Passed wines, new truck arrived... Life is good.
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