Using Facebook feeds to advertise your new blog posts
I’ve been wanting to do this for a week or so, but only now got a minute to look it up. It’s actually really simple. Here are two different websites that explain how to do it:
Text&Images:
http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/02/22/how-to-import-your-blog-into-facebook/
Video tutorial:
http://everything.typepad.com/blog/2009/01/how-to-add-your-blog-feed-to-your-facebook-profile.html
It seems to work, the only disadvantage I see so far being that the link to your actual blog doesn’t seem to show up in the notes. I guess you could fix this somehow, but I haven’t looked at it yet.
Dear Santa
December 2009
Dear Santa,
It’s been a while since I last wrote to you about anything at all. I’m really sorry about that, I’ve been very very busy. I know it’s not an excuse and I’m sure you will understand; but now I think it’s time we caught up a bit.
I guess the two of us go back a long long time, for better and for worse. Well, at least for me it’s a long time, I’m sure you might not think of it that way. You never told me how old you are and I’m still asking. C’mon, be proud, don’t hide! Anyway, I’m really sorry we never got to meet, but somehow you’ve always seemed to sneak right past me. I mean I tried, Santa, I really tried. I would stay up waiting, but you’d always show up when I wasn’t there. How you managed it, I will never understand. I was either taking a shower, in the kitchen, outside or who knows where. Well, it doesn’t matter, but it would’ve been nice to chat over a cup of tea or hot cocoa, wouldn’t it? Yes I know, I know, you’re always on the run. For the last two years or so, I know exactly how that is. How do you do it Santa? It’s so hard…
And then, yes, there were those darker times when I denied you existed. I know I really shouldn’t have done that, but you must understand: I was young and I thought I knew a lot more than I really did. We all have our moments of wandering at young ages, as I am sure you have had also. I hope there are no hard feelings about that, Santa, I really did not mean to offend.
But then I came around. You surely must remember that, don’t you? I wrote to you that winter. And I tried to make up for my mistake by telling everyone how you ARE real and you are everything people say you are and more. And then I thought, I could help you out a little. After all, there is so much for you to do, I just don’t know how you can do it! Remember what I wrote to you that winter? I told you don’t worry about the little things, we can take care of that ourselves. Everyone can buy a gift or two for their loved ones, it’s not such a big deal. We can do that, don’t waste your time and power on that. Instead, you take care of the bigger things. Help end the hunger. Help end the wars. Help the children, Santa, there are so many sick children out there. Don’t worry about us, we’ll manage.
Ah, but the years have passed Santa and I lost some of that altruism and hope. Maybe you did too, who knows. Not to say that you didn’t try, but not much has changed. I did my part, did you do yours? I… I know you did Santa, I’m not doubting you, but there is still so much to be done and so little power to do it. We’re not as strong as you are, we’re weak. We want to give, but we don’t find it in us to do so. Not as much as you give.
So I’ve been thinking Santa. Remember when I asked you for good health and good friends and true love? I really shouldn’t have, it was greedy of me. I know now that it was, to ask for so much when so many have so little. But you stopped by in your swiftly flying manner and you gave me all of that anyhow. And I didn’t even know how to properly appreciate it. So I won’t ask you for anything like that anymore. But there is something I want to ask you for.
If you would, if you can spare that, give us but one thing. Let us see the world through your eyes. Give us the power to care just like you care. Give us the power to give, ourselves, to others, without regret, without profit. Santa, give us the power to be like you. Give us that and I promise you that we will do the rest. We are stronger than I thought we were a few years ago. We are strong enough to save our world. We just don’t bother trying. We just don’t want to look at its dark side. Give us the power to try Santa, and we will make it happen. All of us, together, united in caring for others. And if that’s too much to ask, at least give us back our ability to love, to truly love ourselves and others. I fear we lost it somewhere and maybe.. maybe just with that and a little bit of luck, we’ll build on that.
We’re not lost yet, Santa, we’re just wandering. If you can, give us that. If not, I’ll understand and I won’t judge you for it, don’t worry.
Well Santa, I would really like to chat some more, but I’m afraid I have to go. There’s still some work I have to do before the winter holidays and I don’t want to keep you for too long either. You have less than two weeks to go and I know how it can get pretty crazy right before deadlines, so hang in there. I hope everyone there is well and you’re keeping yourself healthy. Don’t burn yourself out, I don’t think this world could survive a winter without you. As always, we’ll try and help out where we can so you can stay focused on what’s important.
Good luck with everything, Santa!
Best,
-Alex
PS: Okay, I just remembered something. I found these really AWESOME socks they sell at HTO. You really have got to get yourself some of those, they are the second softest thing I’ve ever touched in my life. They’re incredible, trust me, you’ll adore them. Write to me after you’ve tried them, ok? Bye bye Santa!
Locul potrivit
Guess Who, omule, de cand te-am auzit cu Ombladon pe “Noapte buna bucuresti” te-am notat. Melodia aia mi-a adus lacrimi in ochi si ti-am fredonat refrenul toata vara. Dar acolo aveai doar un featuring, care chiar daca aducea o nuanta super melodiei, nu schimba faptul ca melodia era Ombladon all-over. Nu stiam inca cine esti tu si ce stil ai.
Dupa aceea am auzit “Tu”, cu tine si Spike, alta piesa foarte faina a valului “tanar” de rapperi romani. Versuri misto, foarte faine rimele si rapul si un videoclip amuzant.
Dar cu “Locul potrivit” chiar ca ai urcat acolo sus alaturi de Parazitii si Bitza, cel putin in sufletul meu. Excelenta melodie, super videoclip si moment mai bun pentru lansare ca acum nici ca se putea. De abia astept sa ajung acasa sa-ti cumpar albumul. Tine-o tot asa si vei ajunge departe!
Debugging C with print statements
This is the most basic tip I can give all students that have to start working in C. Use: fflush(stdout);
If your program crashes, the output stream just gets dumped instead of well.. outputted. So then, even if you use printf statements to figure out where your program crashed, the last print statement you see might not be the last one that was executed. BUT, if you put fflush(stdout) after your debug prints, then they will be immediately shown, so you know what’s going on. That simple!
Fitness – übermenschlich
Before I even start, I just want to make one quick note. This entire section will contain a lot of things that will overlap with other articles and blogs on the web (for example my friend Cristi recently wrote a short blog post about a very similar idea to what I’ll be writing today). Nonetheless, everything I write is my own creation, my own experience and my own opinion, unless stated otherwise. I will soon name all my main sources of documentation, but do not confuse documentation with stealing. I do not steal anyone’s work, this is all my own babbling. Also, unlike most of the stuff out there, I do not look to advise anyone. I am just presenting my view and it should be clear that anyone should build their own, not borrow mine without thinking it through before. Now, let’s start.
I decided to call this category fitness, because I couldn’t find a better word to encompass my vision. I believe in what I call complete training. A person should train their mind, their body and their soul, with equal interest. Further more, for each of these, variety is required to cover all grounds. Here we will only focus on training your body. If I extend to some of the other areas, I might actually just call it Übermensch.
1) Build muscle: Weight lifting
Why: If you would only have to do one thing, this would probably be it. More than any other amateur sport, this builds the kind of discipline that training requires. That extra dessert, that pint of beer on Friday, that party you went to last week, all of these show right away. Bodybuilding doesn’t happen in the gym, it happens 24/7. It’s training right, eating right and sleeping right.
Advantages: Develops muscle. Helps to create a proper hormonal environment. Can be used to target specific weak areas. Generally safer than others. All-season, all-weather. Cheap.
Disadvantages: Doesn’t do as much for cardiovascular health. Could affect mobility if done by itself. A lot of legends and BS surrounding this sport, it’s hard to get stuff straight.
2) Use muscle: Martial arts
Why: Because you’re meant to move and you should be able to do so easily. You may look like Arnold, if you can’t go up two floors without gasping for air, it doesn’t mean much. My general recommendation here is martial arts, although I guess any cardio will do. But martial arts require more coordination, they add discipline in using your muscles and they help with a lot of other things, such as confidence. Finally, it’s a hell of a workout.
Advantages: Heart pumping, calorie burning. Builds confidence. Usually includes some mobility work.
Disadvantages: Can easily lead to overtraining. Will significantly reduce rate of muscle gains.
3) Care for muscle: Stretching
Why: Because otherwise you will get hurt. Because it helps muscle grows. Because you should still be able to scratch your back, even if your biceps looks like a normal person’s leg. Also, because it helps fix your messed up posture.
Advantages: Helps mobility; some studies suggest it helps muscle growth and it prevents injuries.
Disadvantages: Can’t really think of many… Some say there is such a thing as too much stretching, but I don’t think amateurs have anything to worry about.
Note: I have limited experience here, so in the future Yoga might take the place of regular stretching, but I haven’t done much of that yet.
If you do all of these you will be what I call an athlete. You are training your body in all ways, not just bits and pieces of a broken puzzle.
NOTES:
Pictures are from:
http://www.screwyourecession.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/free-muscle-building-workout.jpg
http://www.thaimartialarts.org/assets/pictures/Mai_Muay_Thai/Muay_Thai_10.jpg
http://peakrunningperformance.com/webpages/images/stories/stretching.jpg
