Unless they ask you specifically if you are going to be there in 15 months, then don't tell. Don't lie, but don't volunteer the information. Your plans could change by then. 15 months is a long ways off.
Personally, I don't like cds to come in my books. I prefer an accompanying web site. I do see positives and negatives for this though.
On the positive side, with a web site you could easily keep the code up to date and make corrections to bugs and errors, it might reduce the cost of the book and even speed up production if you don't have to develop a cd, and the book is easier to return. Its also nice because if the cd has been taken before you get the book (like if its from the library) then the source is still available.
On the other hand, how long will you keep the web site up to date? Will the money for the man hours, hosting costs, etc. that will go into the project fade after the book has been out for a year or so? How about in 5 years? If so, then the book without the source code available could be pretty much useless. In that case, a cd at least could still be useful where the web site might be gone.
Is it possible that this significant change in time has come about because people have started getting broadband connections?
The time I spend looking for things at home on my 24.4kbps dialup connection is signficantly more than the time I spend at work on the T-1. I would be willing to bet there is at least a ten minute difference. And if I got broadband at home next year (I wish), then the change would be noted in my internet habits too.
This site: http://12simplesecrets.com/management.htm says that the productivity rate is 2.5x better for people in offices over those in cubes. They draw on several other studies to come to that conclusion.
My personal opinion is that as long as the walls are high and thick enough to block some of the other person's nasty choice of music and hang up cabinets, then cubicles seem to be ok.:) And having one with a real wall that has a window on it is the best. I do find that now that I have my own office I tend to get a lot less done. Nobody to look over my shoulder and see I'm not on task.
One of my husband's relatives got a letter like that from Verisign. He was previously with NetSol. and hadn't even noticed the offer was from a different company. He just wanted to know what to do with it. I switched him to Doster. A helluva lot cheaper and easier to work with than either of the other two.
I guess I didn't consider the letter deceptive because it referred to transfering and the poor uncle just thought it was from his regular host to begin with. He had no idea what their name was.
I'm not sure of any software in specific to test computer skills, but I found this link to a North Carolina State Board of Education page about what they put in thier computer skills tests. It gives an explanation of content with some of their sample questions. Not sure if this is what you had in mind though. I found it to be quite interesting.
My own ideas on the subject are that I know how to use Word and other Office applications for what I need them for and that's it. I'm sure that's the same boat the kids are in. But I don't know all the little nuances and specifics that a class might teach them. For instance, in a class I learned to use mail merge. I'd never use that in my day to day life, but that skill turned out to be somewhat helpful in an office setting where I could help the admin assistants with their duties.
Sure, it might be a bit boring, but everyone now and then they'd pick up on a new concept. If they know everything that you're teaching already, I'd say let them work ahead and finish all the projects for the term and then start to work on a project of their choice in something a little more interesting, such as programming, web site design, etc. Do make sure they do the work that everybody else has to do. That makes it seem fair to the other kids.
If people can just remember those words, they'll find the site right away. Search for that on google and xenu.net comes up first. Of course most people don't know about or won't remember those words, but I remember the site only because of the phrase and the big pictures of the clams on the front of it.
Its a long shot but... is it your own computer that you are using it on? On the campus I work on students are issued laptops. If they want to add, remove, etc. hardware, cards, etc. from the laptop it must be done by IT. If it wasn't - they can be punished. This falls under permission to modify school equipment.
If its your own equipment, does your school have a policy about using your own equipment on school networks? Ours does. Its stupid, but they won't let students hook up to the network with their own machines. They don't want them to compromise the security of the network so they say.
I'd say what rights you have to force the school to do anything are slim to none. However a lot of it will depend on whether you have previously violated computer policy. And I'd highlight the fact that you didn't get a warning before your disconnection. You might have more luck pushing for another department (like student life) to pressure IT instead of you going to them themselves. Tell them how important the connection is to you and why.
Unless the person was going to be teaching Power Point, I wouldn't be worried about a lack of skills with that program. How were his other technical skills, like in the areas he would be teaching? How was his professional demeanor - would he interact well with students? That's what you were really bringing him there for anyway, not for his Power Point expertise. Using Star Office or not, I wonder why he would bring a non-working, sub-par presentation along in the first place though.
As for tech savvy people being teachers, I agree with many below that its probably not even a consideration for those who are more interested in salary than job satisfaction. I work at a college and think that our CS/MIS teachers might be working here because of a shortage of tech related jobs in our area of the country. That's why I'm here.:) One of them has strong industry related experience, the other two have been teachers for quite some time. And when you teach the same classes every year, where do you find time to learn and keep up with new technologies?
That may also be why you got so many unqualified applicants. Do you have a shortage of tech related jobs where you live? People tend to look for anything even close to the field they want to work in, rather than move to a new industry.
It talks about taking control away from the users. It also mentions Microsofts "trusted" PCs. The author seems to think mainstream userse will gladly buy a computer with limited capability if its easier to use and less likely to crash (more like a vcr, gaming system, etc.)
I tried to look for more information about Gavin Menzies, to find out what his background is and previous work he may have done. I suppose amateur historians are just as credible, but I wanted to know if he was well established and would be well receieved. I came up with relatively nothing about him or his previous work. I did however find a ton of information on Gavin Menzies, guitar tech for the stars. : )
I also came across another couple places carrying this same story with slightly different angles.
HTML Is free. Its easy to learn. You can use a simple tool like notepad to create and edit your pages and do just as good a job as someone who used an expensive WYSIWYG tool.
So how does one go about learning flash? Can you do it as easily and cheaply as you can HTML? NO. You must buy the Macromedia development software. The full version of Flash is $399 and there's no open source alternative. That cuts out a lot of people that make web pages.
I know this may be considered a good thing, because John Doe who makes the pages about his pet dog won't shell out the bucks to buy flash thus eliminating his web presence, but what about the good and informative pages out there that are created entirely for free by people without the $400 to spend?? Flash is not a affordable solution.
That aside, I can think of dozens of reasons why I hate Flash. Many of them are already listed here. I see it Flash as mainly a tool to use for graphics, movies, etc. and all the little bells and whistles that need to be on certain sites. I don't see its practicality for dealing with text and information only pages. In addition, I don't like using it in most cases. This may be due to designer ineptitude, but it makes no difference to me why the page is bad. Flash also encourages people to design things with moving parts, mouseovers, etc. that are unnecessary, just by stressing that as one of its primary functions. Just what we need, more animated crap.
I just looked a few up to make sure my range was right. It depends on which town you choose. The slightly bigger towns are higher. For $18.5K you can get a two bedroom with CA and hardwood floors on a 60 x 132 lot. Only 800 sq. ft. but still very nice. For $35k you can get an acreage (2.5 acres) 3 bedroom property. If you want to spend a little more, for $70k you can get a 1700sq ft on each level, two fire place, two car garage home. I'd give the links to some of the realtors, but I don't want to slashdot any of them. Just do a search.
My area is trying to promote economic development and the tech sector would do great up here. Take a place that has DSL and T-1s available, plenty of space to build or buildings to take over, a willing community that is eagerly accepting new business and even offering incentives, houses that cost $20-$40k on average, good schools systems, etc. and you have a very alluring place for people to come work. A local sofware company in Bancroft, IA also has a California branch. They offer their employees the choice of which they want to work at. Lately more have chosen Bancroft - especially those with families. Not as good an option for companies that need quick access to airports and major shipping routes, or for people who really need a good nightlife, but for many software or internet cos it would be great.
Slashdot Mirror
Unless they ask you specifically if you are going to be there in 15 months, then don't tell. Don't lie, but don't volunteer the information. Your plans could change by then. 15 months is a long ways off.
Personally, I don't like cds to come in my books. I prefer an accompanying web site. I do see positives and negatives for this though.
On the positive side, with a web site you could easily keep the code up to date and make corrections to bugs and errors, it might reduce the cost of the book and even speed up production if you don't have to develop a cd, and the book is easier to return. Its also nice because if the cd has been taken before you get the book (like if its from the library) then the source is still available.
On the other hand, how long will you keep the web site up to date? Will the money for the man hours, hosting costs, etc. that will go into the project fade after the book has been out for a year or so? How about in 5 years? If so, then the book without the source code available could be pretty much useless. In that case, a cd at least could still be useful where the web site might be gone.
Is it possible that this significant change in time has come about because people have started getting broadband connections?
The time I spend looking for things at home on my 24.4kbps dialup connection is signficantly more than the time I spend at work on the T-1. I would be willing to bet there is at least a ten minute difference. And if I got broadband at home next year (I wish), then the change would be noted in my internet habits too.
This site: http://12simplesecrets.com/management.htm says that the productivity rate is 2.5x better for people in offices over those in cubes. They draw on several other studies to come to that conclusion.
:) And having one with a real wall that has a window on it is the best. I do find that now that I have my own office I tend to get a lot less done. Nobody to look over my shoulder and see I'm not on task.
My personal opinion is that as long as the walls are high and thick enough to block some of the other person's nasty choice of music and hang up cabinets, then cubicles seem to be ok.
Try www.sqlcourse.com and www.sqlcourse2.com
That's where I learned SQL. It uses an interpreter and a live practice database.
Got to think, are the two (Verisign and NetSol) the same? I just know that they both are overpriced.
One of my husband's relatives got a letter like that from Verisign. He was previously with NetSol. and hadn't even noticed the offer was from a different company. He just wanted to know what to do with it. I switched him to Doster. A helluva lot cheaper and easier to work with than either of the other two.
I guess I didn't consider the letter deceptive because it referred to transfering and the poor uncle just thought it was from his regular host to begin with. He had no idea what their name was.
I'm not sure of any software in specific to test computer skills, but I found this link to a North Carolina State Board of Education page about what they put in thier computer skills tests. It gives an explanation of content with some of their sample questions. Not sure if this is what you had in mind though. I found it to be quite interesting.
My own ideas on the subject are that I know how to use Word and other Office applications for what I need them for and that's it. I'm sure that's the same boat the kids are in. But I don't know all the little nuances and specifics that a class might teach them. For instance, in a class I learned to use mail merge. I'd never use that in my day to day life, but that skill turned out to be somewhat helpful in an office setting where I could help the admin assistants with their duties.
Sure, it might be a bit boring, but everyone now and then they'd pick up on a new concept. If they know everything that you're teaching already, I'd say let them work ahead and finish all the projects for the term and then start to work on a project of their choice in something a little more interesting, such as programming, web site design, etc. Do make sure they do the work that everybody else has to do. That makes it seem fair to the other kids.
If people can just remember those words, they'll find the site right away. Search for that on google and xenu.net comes up first. Of course most people don't know about or won't remember those words, but I remember the site only because of the phrase and the big pictures of the clams on the front of it.
In a related NPR broadcast they talked about taking control of people's cell phones to broadcast emergency warnings
a tc /data_atc/seg_136975.htm
http://search1.npr.org/opt/collections/torched/
Its all part of the Partnership for Public Warning's big plan.
Drug Prohibition drives up prices 17,000%
http://www.lp.org/drugwar/
I wrote a paper about the Oracle around five years ago and at the time research suggested a lot of people still thought the myth was credible.
Its always nice when scientists find hard proof of events that were previously considered myths. Who knows what legend they'll prove/disprove next?
Its a long shot but... is it your own computer that you are using it on? On the campus I work on students are issued laptops. If they want to add, remove, etc. hardware, cards, etc. from the laptop it must be done by IT. If it wasn't - they can be punished. This falls under permission to modify school equipment.
If its your own equipment, does your school have a policy about using your own equipment on school networks? Ours does. Its stupid, but they won't let students hook up to the network with their own machines. They don't want them to compromise the security of the network so they say.
I'd say what rights you have to force the school to do anything are slim to none. However a lot of it will depend on whether you have previously violated computer policy. And I'd highlight the fact that you didn't get a warning before your disconnection. You might have more luck pushing for another department (like student life) to pressure IT instead of you going to them themselves. Tell them how important the connection is to you and why.
Unless the person was going to be teaching Power Point, I wouldn't be worried about a lack of skills with that program. How were his other technical skills, like in the areas he would be teaching? How was his professional demeanor - would he interact well with students? That's what you were really bringing him there for anyway, not for his Power Point expertise. Using Star Office or not, I wonder why he would bring a non-working, sub-par presentation along in the first place though.
:) One of them has strong industry related experience, the other two have been teachers for quite some time. And when you teach the same classes every year, where do you find time to learn and keep up with new technologies?
As for tech savvy people being teachers, I agree with many below that its probably not even a consideration for those who are more interested in salary than job satisfaction. I work at a college and think that our CS/MIS teachers might be working here because of a shortage of tech related jobs in our area of the country. That's why I'm here.
That may also be why you got so many unqualified applicants. Do you have a shortage of tech related jobs where you live? People tend to look for anything even close to the field they want to work in, rather than move to a new industry.
Oh my god. I can't believe I was so stupid as to post the same link. I guess I'll be burning some karma for this mistake...
*pounds head on desk*
-1 extreme stupidity
Had an article today about taming the consumer
h tml
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/11/opinion/11ZITT.
It talks about taking control away from the users. It also mentions Microsofts "trusted" PCs. The author seems to think mainstream userse will gladly buy a computer with limited capability if its easier to use and less likely to crash (more like a vcr, gaming system, etc.)
I tried to look for more information about Gavin Menzies, to find out what his background is and previous work he may have done. I suppose amateur historians are just as credible, but I wanted to know if he was well established and would be well receieved. I came up with relatively nothing about him or his previous work. I did however find a ton of information on Gavin Menzies, guitar tech for the stars. : )
0 20307_91604.shtml F news%2F2002%2F03%2F04%2Fnexp04.xml
I also came across another couple places carrying this same story with slightly different angles.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200203/07/eng20
and
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2
Yeah, that will really get the girls...
http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2002 /flash_mx_accessibility.html
They WILL have that support. As of yet the only verion that you can download off their site is 5.0. It remains to be seen just how good their accesibility features are.
Just in case anyone was doubting your statistic, Macromedia has a breakdown of Flash adoption stats at http://www.macromedia.com/software/player_census/f lashplayer/. They say their penetration is 98.3% of the browser market as of 12/01.
HTML Is free. Its easy to learn. You can use a simple tool like notepad to create and edit your pages and do just as good a job as someone who used an expensive WYSIWYG tool.
So how does one go about learning flash? Can you do it as easily and cheaply as you can HTML? NO. You must buy the Macromedia development software. The full version of Flash is $399 and there's no open source alternative. That cuts out a lot of people that make web pages.
I know this may be considered a good thing, because John Doe who makes the pages about his pet dog won't shell out the bucks to buy flash thus eliminating his web presence, but what about the good and informative pages out there that are created entirely for free by people without the $400 to spend?? Flash is not a affordable solution.
That aside, I can think of dozens of reasons why I hate Flash. Many of them are already listed here. I see it Flash as mainly a tool to use for graphics, movies, etc. and all the little bells and whistles that need to be on certain sites. I don't see its practicality for dealing with text and information only pages. In addition, I don't like using it in most cases. This may be due to designer ineptitude, but it makes no difference to me why the page is bad. Flash also encourages people to design things with moving parts, mouseovers, etc. that are unnecessary, just by stressing that as one of its primary functions. Just what we need, more animated crap.
I certainly hope nothing becomes of this idea.
You mean the part in the moderator's comments???
I just looked a few up to make sure my range was right. It depends on which town you choose. The slightly bigger towns are higher. For $18.5K you can get a two bedroom with CA and hardwood floors on a 60 x 132 lot. Only 800 sq. ft. but still very nice. For $35k you can get an acreage (2.5 acres) 3 bedroom property. If you want to spend a little more, for $70k you can get a 1700sq ft on each level, two fire place, two car garage home. I'd give the links to some of the realtors, but I don't want to slashdot any of them. Just do a search.
www.onlycanada.net
My area is trying to promote economic development and the tech sector would do great up here. Take a place that has DSL and T-1s available, plenty of space to build or buildings to take over, a willing community that is eagerly accepting new business and even offering incentives, houses that cost $20-$40k on average, good schools systems, etc. and you have a very alluring place for people to come work. A local sofware company in Bancroft, IA also has a California branch. They offer their employees the choice of which they want to work at. Lately more have chosen Bancroft - especially those with families. Not as good an option for companies that need quick access to airports and major shipping routes, or for people who really need a good nightlife, but for many software or internet cos it would be great.