What is the Trivium?

In medieval universities, the trivium comprised the three subjects that were taught first: grammar, logic and rhetoric. The word is a Latin term meaning "the three ways" or "the three roads" forming the foundation of a medieval liberal arts education. This study was preparatory for the quadrivium, which consists of geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music. Combining the trivium and quadrivium results in the seven liberal arts of classical study.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivium

Definition of a Human Being

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an inva­sion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
 – Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love

Really Get Paid to Shop

Everyone likes rebates, right?

Well, Ebates really does pay you back. I've received a couple of checks for the purchases I've made. If interested, click the link below:
ebates

Formatting Numbers in MySQL

I like SQL output to align properly for numbers, so I did some digging and came up with this:

lpad(format(seconds/60,2),9,' ')

The lpad function will pad the output from the left with whatever the 3rd argument is. In this case, I set it to ' ' (a space between quotes) for 9 characters.

The format function will round the output to the number of decimals specified. The example is set for 2 decimal places.

The "seconds/60" is obviously a math equation to convert seconds to minutes. The seconds is the data field I am formatting.

In Navicat, under Tools>Options..., I set the Grid Font (found under Appearance>Font) to DejaVu Sans Mono at 8 pt. This is nice, smooth mono-spaced font.

Pay Attention to Your Receipts

Fast food and restaurant receipts usually offer some kind of discount for your next visit if you answer their survey.

Pie Five will give 20% your next order.
Panda Express gives you a free entree item with a purchase of a 2-Entree Plate.
Sonic will give you a free 44oz drink.
Long John Silvers will give you a free 1pc. fish & fry basket.
El Fenix will give you a free cup of chili con queso on your next visit.
Outback will give you a 15% discount if you come back within 10 days.
Black-eyed Pea will give you $5 off your next order over $25.

Some are not so great.
Taco Bell just gives you a chance to win $500.
Five Guys gets your contact info and gives you a chance of being one of 10 people to get a $25 Five Guys Gift Card.
Raising Cane's Rocks Concert Getaway 2013. Win an international rock flight. Ugh! You have to figure out two captchas to enter.
Olive Garden has a drawing for $1,000 upon entry of a survey.

As I come across more, I'll add to this post.

99 Bugs in the Code

Found online, tune of 99 bottles: 99 bugs in the code in all/99 bugs in the code/take one down/patch all around/117 bugs in the code in all.

— HDWP (@KeyAlly) July 22, 2013

Being a Hacker

Eric S. Raymond defines being a hacker right HERE.

The Linux Server Hacks book by Rob Flickenger can be found HERE.