Phishing Test

I was surprised at how much I had learned by taking the phishing test. (http://survey.mailfrontier.com/survey/quiztest.cgi)

The first time I took the test I noticed that I had incorrectly answered some of the questions. I followed up on these questions and learned that you may avoid most phishing attacks by going directly to the trusted website by opening up a browser and then type in the correct url.

The second test that I took I got 9 out of 10. (90%, not bad at all.)

My Ideal Future Career

After I complete all of my education and training for my IT Web Development and Design Specialist Associate degree, I will be able to find a job at any one of many different fine companies. I however I am looking forward to a career of self employment.

I intend to do some intern work during some of my schooling. The intern work will help me gain experience in my degree field. Although some intern jobs may ask me to work for free, I believe that it will still act as a beneficial way to gain some quality hands on work experience.

I will be attending job fairs in the future to build a contact list and get an idea of the prospective companies available that may hire someone in my career field.


I would like to get involved in the Entrepreneurs program at the Fox Valley Technical College. This program should allow me to get some better ideas of what is involved in setting up my own business.


I will be working on my blog while I am going through school, in an attempt to build a good reputation as an internet guru.
I intend to build a list of people whom I can build a trust worthy reputation with.

My ideal job in the future will be a pleasant place to work.
I will actually be working for myself.
I will have a hard time quitting at the end of my work day. I will enjoy it very much.
This work will be very enjoyable.

I will amaze myself daily with my creativity.
I will most likely be building websites for several different small businesses. I will also be maintaining these websites.
I will have several clients whom will trust me to do all of their computer support as well.
In my spare time I will be working on marketing some affiliate products.

I will be very proficient in all of the Microsoft Office programs. Also I will have experience in using the many Adobe products. (Flash, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop, etc.)


I will be doing some freelancing work for several different companies whom outsource their work.
I will have built excellent online reputations with these companies. I will be well trusted to do this type of work. They will come to me when they have work to offer.

The thing that concerns me the most about this career choice is the fact that being a freelancer is not guaranteed to prove as a stable career choice. I do however; think that working towards building trustworthiness with people is essential to my success. Like I said above, I do believe that I will be able to gain employment with stable a company if I am not so successful with my freelancing idea.

Either way, designing or building websites is something that I enjoy doing. I am really happy that this career choice has such a high demand and offers such a high pay range. I will be able to do what I enjoy doing and also have the funds to upgrade all of my equipment to offer my clients the best of what is available.

Generation Interview

I interviewed my wives grandmother Kathy.
She is well to do at the age of 78.

Kathy has seen many new advances in technology in her lifetime. With the ability to see what is going on in other parts of the world, as it happens, to landing on the moon. "Who would have thought," asked Kathy, "Man on the moon and food in a minute, with the microwave?"
Even though computer technology is new to her, she can honestly say that she has attempted to try out computers. She does not like the whole internet thing with the fees that they charge. She would be willing to try to use a computer again if she had a modern and up to date system.

Television is another story. When she was growing up, television was not an option; children in her youth did a lot more reading. Yet in today's day and age, Kathy says that Television is an important form of entertainment for her and she also uses it to keep up with what is going on in the world. She does not like all of the flash involved in today's technology. She does not like all of the blurred out stuff and all of the bleeping that goes on during some of the newer television shows, such as the new reality T.V shows. (She hates them)
Kathy wishes they would add a "little more meat to the television programs". This means it takes a little bit more brains in a T.V. show and a little less beauty.

Kathy cannot comprehend the reason a person would want to use a social website such as facebook or twitter. Kathy asked, "Why would someone want to tweet?" She wanted to know if my wife and I tweet each other. I told her no, but I do have a facebook account. I explained to her how I can keep up with all of my old friends from out of state much more easily, and she can understand that concept, however she has always just talked people; person to person when she has had something to say. "To tweet someone to let them know that you are sitting on the porch is just ridiculous" she said.
Kathy sees a big future in computers, even though she could care less about her class mates from so many years ago, and what they are doing.

I asked Kathy why younger people use stereotypes about older people; such as 'old people are bad drivers'   
Kathy said" Old people use driving as a security blanket" It is one of the last things that they want to give up, she said. Kathy says that many older people don't want to give up what they think "is their right to drive". Kathy knows that her ability to drive at night is not what it used to be so she has not driven at night in the past 3 years. This is because she said that we do not have a right to be a danger to other people. She thinks that it is a very ridiculous stereotype among old people about themselves, to allow themselves to think they are not too old to let go of their driving privileges, when in fact, they really are.

Kathy gets herself involved in things. She goes to quilt groups, (11 blue ribbons and 3 best of shows.)

Raising a family was the most important goal in mind when she was a young woman.
She graduated high school at 16 years of age during a time when people didn't bathe every day, in fact, most people only showered after gym class at school.
Kathy could not get a full time job at 16 years old because you had to be 18 to work full time, so her only alternative was college. She did say that her first job at the dime store was when she was a senior in high school, the job payed a minimum wage of 67 cents per hour. The year was 1949
After 2 years of college; Kathy got married and started raising her family. She went on later to get her master's degree in Comparative Literature.
A woman getting such a high education had created a lot of bitterness on her husband's side of the family, because they didn't think that a woman needed an education. All that she needed to know is "how to raise kids and put dinner on the table."

As a woman right out of high school, she was expected to "find a man, get married and live happily ever after." It was not until she was around the age of 46 or 47 years old, the sexual revolution happened. Then all of a sudden all the morals that she had grown up with were no longer there.
Kathy would have never dreamed of having sex before marriage. "Now people have sex and then think about if they want to get married 10 years from now." Kathy said.
She has raised 6 children while running her business (Kathy stated "the largest tropical fish and reptile store in the Midwest)" ("In Racine") Kathy was in charge of the census for Racine County in 1980 and 1990. She was also the president of the Racine Unified PTA Council. (In charge of the all the PTA's in Racine County).

I asked Kathy what she thinks of Euthanasia.
Kathy is pro choice and thinks that it is a personal thing, and personal choice. She does not think that anyone else should have the right to decide for her. If Euthanasia were available and if she was at the end of her life and not well, sick and unable of doing anything, she would like to have a choice. She tends to agree with Jack Kevorkian's point of views.

Just until this winter, Kathy has volunteered at a nursing home, just reading stories to people who can't very well do so for themselves because of their eye sight, just keeping in touch with the outside world. . Any older person would just love to get out of the house for awhile. It is very important to an older person to get out with their younger family members.

Kathy believes that hospices are a wonderful thing.
A hospice increases the value of a person's life. A hospice will enable someone to die with a little more grace, without having to "be stuck in a nursing home somewhere where someone sticks their head through the door every once and a while." Kathy's quilting group supports hospices by making quilts for people that have hospice care to anyone that wants one. Kathy said "a hospice improves a person's life by not institutionalize them and making them a number." A hospice has a homelike atmosphere and someone will come to tend to the person living in the home. The person who stays in a hospice will die as comfortable as possible.

Kathy lives in a community that does not discriminate against the elderly. She does not feel the effects of elderly abuse too often. Kathy believes that some types of abuse are more focused on the less fortunate. Kathy claims to be lucky to have earned a pension and she does receive her SSI. She does not need to worry about housing or residential care or any other types of assistance.

Kathy receives Social Security benefits, but still has to pay out $162 a month for health insurance. "They keep saying that people that are on Medicare or Social Security are not paying for health insurance. ' Well, the Hell were not, $162 a month" Kathy said. The $162 a month health insurance does not cover everything.

Death and dying is a topic often discussed by the elderly. Kathy thinks that 60% of her quilt group is afraid to die. Kathy's philosophy is "Look, I lived for 78 years and they have been damn good years." She is living well now and don't have much to complain about. She is realistic enough that she won't live forever. She only hopes that when she dies she does not die with a lot of pain.

Kathy finds it wonderful that her children are healthy, her grandchildren are healthy, and her great grandchildren are healthy. She considers herself lucky. She feels as though she has had an accomplished life. She still thinks that she could accomplish more.

Times have changed and so have people's morals. In Kathy's generation, people did not divorce as much, and things like abortion, were just not acceptable.