I “again” need to remind anyone who may choose to read this online diary that all of the opinions, views, and feeling expressed here are explicitly my OWN and DO NOT necessarily reflect ANY ONE ELSE’S including co-workers, family, friends, or casual relationships. I strongly encourage everyone who does read my personal thoughts to leave comments at the bottom by using this link.

I write this entry publicly because I understand how important words and experiences like this can make other people (such as yourself who are reading this feel very good inside).

I can tell you that when I experienced my first Christian mass that took place in the middle of the chaotic work week, which also happened to be on All Saints Day of Celebration, I was converted inside my heart from an only partial belief to a full-fledged believer of the Catholic Faith. This took place just as I happened to be at one of my low self-esteem moments with still trying to find work.

It has now been three days since I was converted to the way of Christ in my heart from November 1st, 2005. And on that third day, I felt it very important to make a personal reconciliation with Christ that I now share with whom ever is reading this to make my penance more public in nature, and personally more real for myself that I will never consciously give into temptation ever again, and thank Christ for all my Earthly Blessings.

I ask that Christ and God forgive my biological father Fredrick for the things he did in life, and to seriously look at his last act of selfless sacrifice before he gave up his spirit in death for the safety of a perfect stranger. I also ask that Christ and God forgive my Cousin, Mark Arthur Hanna, for unwisely letting an impaired friend do the driving before the accident. I ask that Christ and God bless all our dearly beloved that have passed into your heavenly kingdom and your care dear Lord.

I have not yet found exactly who my Patron Saint is, but I sincerely hope through prayer, meditation, research, and my name which so happens to be Matthew James, that I might discover who this is.

On April 16, 2006, I will receive my full confirmation into the Catholic Faith, yet I am already prepared to give up everything to follow Christ.

Thank you for everything, and to you for sharing in this prayer to Christ our Lord, ah men.

I understand that its been quite sometime since last I posted to my blog. But rest assured for anyone still subscribing or reading my blog entries for good reason.

The last time I posted to this blog, I was slammed by fraud requests from “ebay” and “paypal,” and I also happened to graduate again from college with my bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering from Oregon Tech. Since then I’ve been engaged in another almost full time job brushing up on my skills with more reading and studying along with trying to land my first full-time programming job. So far things are looking very up, but as I was brushing up on my SQL skills, I happened across a rather convoluted data model.

If you have programmed with MDX other wise commonly known as Multidimensional Expressions query language, you probably then known what I’m taking about. The particular model uses Members, Tuples, and Sets to define a cubic style form of a data structure that from what I can gather, posses no form of relationships when compared to the Relational Data Model. I have to ask anyone reading this that if you have been able to glean one single ounce of useful amount of information using this Data Model SELECT statement construct:

SELECT
   { [Measures].[Unit Sales], [Measures].[Store Sales] } ON AXIS(0),
   { [Time].[1997], [Time].[1998] } ON AXIS(1)
FROM Sales
WHERE ( [Store].[USA].[CA] )

I would very much like to hear your example, and how you were able to make it even REMOTELY useful?!?

Here is the core model for this rather convoluted data model:

Set Example:

Tuple Example:

If you get a message like this that landed in the trash folder of your email client DON’T JUST LEAVE IT THERE FORWARD IT TO THE PROPER AUTHORITIES TO SHUT THESE PEOPLE DOWN!

This particular piece of mail had an extremely suspicious header even though it was forwarded to my main address from my mklump@comcast.net account:

Received: from [63.240.76.44] by mx254a.mysite4now.com [66.102.133.254] with SmartMax MailMax for matthew@klump-pdx.com; Fri, 05 Aug 2005 11:07:05 -0700
Return-Path: <securitycenter@paypal.com>
X-SmartMax-AuthUser:
Received: from 201-0-91-38.dsl.telesp.net.br ([201.0.91.38])
          by sccrmxc20.comcast.net (sccrmxc20) with SMTP
          id <20050805175955s2000f9dgge>; Fri, 5 Aug 2005 18:00:16 +0000
X-Originating-IP: [201.0.91.38]
Received: from web33.nix.paypal.com (web87.nix.paypal.com [10.192.2.49]) by smtp-outbound.nix.paypal.com (Postfix) with SMTP id 659NB1CC814 for <mklafoll@comcast.net>; Fri, 05 Aug 2005 10:56:21 -0800

Obviously mklafoll@comcast.net is NO WHERE NEAR mklump@comcast.net…

Received: (qmail 84229 invoked by uid 92); Fri, 05 Aug 2005 10:56:21 -0800
Message-ID: 0585098601.85788@paypal.com
From: "Paypal Security" <securitycenter@paypal.com>
Reply-To: "Paypal Security" <securitycenter@paypal.com>
Subject: New Security Requirements
X-Email-Type-Id: PP%RND_DIGI%RND_DIGI%RND_DIGI
Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2005 10:56:21 -0800
X-MaxCode-Template: email-transaction-counterparty
X-XPT-XSL-Name: /en_US/transaction/seller/TransactionCounterparty.xsl
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
 boundary="--03566965836101187173"
X-NAS-Language: English
X-NAS-Bayes: #0: 4.39383E-066; #1: 1
X-NAS-Classification: 0
X-NAS-MessageID: 517
X-NAS-Validation: {5B5B9485-C143-4BF7-A92E-7AE728A34958}

Dear valued PayPal® member,

Due to recent fraudulent transactions, we have issued the following security requirements.

It has come to our attion that 98% of all fraudulent transactions are caused by members using stolen credit cards to purchase or sell non existant items. Thus we require our members to add a Debit/Check card to their billing records as part of our continuing commitment to protect your account and to reduce the instance of fraud on our website. Your Debit/Check card will only be used to identify you. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and renew your records you will not run into any future problems with the PayPal® service. However, failure to confirm your records will result in your account suspension.

We are requesting this information to verify and protect your identity. Federal regulations require all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record identification from all persons opening new accounts or obtaining ongoing payment services. This is in order to prevent the use of the U.S. banking system in terrorist and other illegal activity. For these reasons, PayPal® will utilize services provided by various credit reporting agencies to verify the information you submit to us.

Once you have updated your account records your pending PayPal® account transactions will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

To update your billing records please login to your account by clicking here. (DO NOT CLICK HERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!) This web site with the following querry string http://paypal.signin2.com/cgi-bin/webscr.html?cmd=_login-run points to GOD ONLY KNOWS WHO’s home desktop pc just like a loaded pistol!

Thank you for your time,
PayPal® Billing Department.

Copyright © 1995-2005 PayPal Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the PayPal User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

I’m forwarding this belligerently obvious case of of fraud to the proper paypal authorities, and with any luck, we’ll never hear from these people at this particular domain again…

You know you’ve inadvertently spaced out if you’ve just now remembered to lookup the date for Nerd Dinner, and too little too late come to find out you snoozed! Sorry guys. I’ll have to make it double at Code Camp, and you bet your bunions I wouldn’t miss this event for the world!

While you guys are getting ready for presentations tonight here, I’ll checking my schedule for how I’ll navigate this incredible event this weekend. See you all at code camp!

Needless to say, we are far to spoiled in our house for our own good.

Being late again to work has got to worth something. Although, how may blasted hints does it take for the wife to unintelligibly and inaudibly utter the words that she want your entire breakfast, exclusively meant for just your diet, simply because she wants cookies and cream for breakfast?!

The answer is quite simple: Go get her some generic stuff for her own! And before you know it, you have you time back to read the news paper. And honey, don’t worry about it being public knowledge. No one else reads about this kind of stuff.

I think NOT! You know you’re in the line to get into hell if the sign above the door reads “DMV Express.” Due to the obvious fact that “DMV” and “Express” is a contradiction in terms, and is very similar to if not exactly the same as the relationship of “Government” and “Intelligence.”

The way it worked out is this, twice I felt kind enough to send in our new vehicles title and registration and twice the darn thing was returned due to check not arriving at the same time as the application or vice versa. So I have to admit that I took the plunge, at 1 pm when that darn place was at there busiest! From 1 to 3 pm I was gloriously subjected to full blunder that the magnitude of such a mistake could possibly render: Having to look at that blasted sign “DMV” and “Express,” in line, for over two hours with one person at the desk helping the people in line… Are we asleep back there? Or is every one STILL out to lunch?

In the humble opinion of this blogger, there is no single greater government bottle neck than the department of motor vehicles offices served up any how you like. If any one out there has ever had a similar experience, please do comment about it here! What were you able to do in line to pass the time?

The solum reminder / moral of this story is: Don't waste your time at any of the DMV offices, always insist on does business by mail, phone, fax, email, or http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/. If you can get away with it, insist on setting up appointments for any of the driver / knowledge test without waiting in line (for example you just picked up number 465 while the last person called is number 6!! :( ).

It feels great to finally be back from our long June vacation back to the mid-west to spread the word about this monumental academic achievement. Oregon Tech truly has given me height for my level of skill with programming, and I know I can carry this with me like I mentioned in my commencement address “for the rest of my life,” as expected of me with the talents I’ve always had, and until now have been able to almost fully develop.

The two people I still owe a huge debt to for sticking with me through all the tough times with at home project dead lines, Jill my beautiful wife, and Jay Bockelman the Oregon Tech Portland, Software Engineering Program Director. I could not have asked for a better friend and mentor through over two years of a Mentor/Pier relationship as we walked through the whole software conception, design, development, and testing iteratively driven development process not once, but twice! Here are the two best photographs that captured these moments in time:

Of course none of the above exceptional moments in time would have been possible if it weren’t for the most software and logic puzzle project anyone may have conceived: The 3–Dimensional Hidden Word Puzzle Generator and Solver Ultimate Project: The Puzzler – 3D Style! Maybe some day, in a later version, this will also have the ultimate 3–Dimensional Hidden Word Cube Puzzle Displayer as well. In other words, actually use another 3D render technology some day such as OpenGL or FLASH! to make the cube more visible.

Here are my favorite senior project exposition photographs:

The entire endeavour took just slightly over a year to conceive the idea of, design from scratch, build, test, document, and release for the exposition. The binder itself is a little of a thousand five hundred (1,500) pages of original design notes, testing material, and documentation (all of which amounted to about two thirds (2/3) of the binder’s volume). The remaining third of the binder was code all done with .NET technologies.

For all of you who I did not name, and you most definitely know who you are, I thank you and appreciate you for helping to advance my software engineering career.

Upgrading Dasblog turned out to be more challenging than I had originally anticipated due to, once again, not precisely following the instructions as clearly defined by Scott Hanselman's and Brian O'mare's instructions (link soon to be posted) for the upgrade to version 1.7.

More precisely, I neglected to use the new web.config for version 1.7 that contains the code that implements the new features that come with 1.7 such as the referral spam blocker and the capatcha comment robot blocker. To me, these are the two most important new enhancements in version 1.7 dasblog. Low and behold, with the correct web.config written over the old one, all the features actually work.

I know I must have said this over again too many times for the people close to me in my life:

That designing, building, and fully testing The Puzzler - 3D Style Challenge has been the hardest, and most memorable temporary undertaking I've ever done in my entire life.

The entire project itself took the entire YEAR to conceive, define, design, layout, build, and fully tested with documented results from DAY ONE! Anyone who knows me understands who much time I had to put into this project on a regular and extremely predictive daily basis.

I'm very thankful to say that everything I defined and set out to do for this massive undertaking is completely finished and tested 100%. For the group of seniors I'm graduating with today for software engineering under Jay Bockelman, this was very unusual since only about half actually finished their projects they were working on in the time alloted.

And quite frankly, the "finishing with in the planned amount of time" should as IS the critical part for any professional software engineer in my humble opinion.