Most Expensive Soda I ever bought...
on
Hollow Spy Coins
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· Score: 1
Gee, imagine using that hollow coin with your client project on it that you accidently use to buy your celebration soda from the local vending machine with.
Hollow coin is the sort of idea that appeals to the geek. But, the practicality just doesn't seem nearly as useful as we perhaps wish it were.
When an owner won't follow policy, as an IT Guy, there's not often alot that can be done to initially correct the behavior, aside from gentle nagging. However, when some sort of data loss event comes to light, it's an opporunity to help correct the behavior. Don't engage in the trap of playing the "blame game." It won't win you any points or get you more influence. Instead, come along side the company owner, frown and sigh, and then say something like, "Well, let's see what WE can do to sort this out."
From there, you just have to do your best to come up with some solution sets. And if the real solution is spend several thousand dollars on data recovery, put that on the table. A company owner speaks in dollars and cents sometimes, and when they have to pay a penalty like that, they tend to be more open to listening to you, particularly if you're not terse about it, but rather more gentle with how you dicuss these sorts of issues with them. You're not advisaries, you're really partners in this. He wants the company to do well so he makes better profit margins, and you want the company to do well so they can give you raises and buy cool equipment and so forth.
After you rescue them from a disaster, or near-disaster, pose the question: "Hey, when can I schedule you in to get that backup we've been meaning to do?" And after they come in for that one, start making it a routine to just ask, "And when should we schedule you to come for the next one?"
I think you'll find, you still catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
More than just simple, rugged and durable is better, with public education, cost is always a strong consideration. With it comes down to the cost between a workstation(s), and being able t afford a good, qualified teacher...having the extra teacher or the para will win every time. As economic times get tougher, that's more and more true.
I bet we could see this quashed by National Security. I mean, while it may be useful to have the ability to get walk-thru directions in a public building or forum, but imagine how quickly security folks will want to see that feature disabled when someone 'important' will be in a public venue, political leader, rock star, etc...?
This really presumes that everyone gets an evaluation every year. I've been working for this branch since '95 and the last time I got a honest-to-goodness eval was the year after we were bought out by a larger company. My anniversery date is in March, and I've been begging for an eval, even if I know they're not giving out raises this year. Do I have an eval yet?
I find it interesting that the article poster offered a check of his credit card limit, which he states is more than enough to cover the cost of the phone, and the plan for two years. So, would that mean you could pre-pay for the plan for 2 years and forego the credit check?
So,..here's a silly question, only because it's coming more and more common: What if you don't have a credit score, because you've been paying cash for things for so long? I'm sure they'll have far more folks who have bad credit and wouldn't qualify, but...what if you've gotten on the 'save up and pay cash' plan and aren't in debt, so you don't have a credit score? You can't buy a Palm Pre?
I find it very interesting that Sprint is putting out a phone that the average millionare can't buy, because they don't have a credit score anymore, (because they've been paying cash for things for that long.)
This is the biggest reason I can point out for a patient to be an ACTIVE participant in knowing what their treatment is in a hospital or other medical facility with electronic record systems. You need to know what you're supposed to be getting and when. If you don't, you should be asking questions until you get satisfactory answers.
I've worked with a number of non-profit's as an IT-Consultant who are small enough that I *am* the IT-department. Some have used in house spreadsheets and file-maker databases, but both Tessitura and Raisers Edge are the two big products that I've seen and worked with. Both do what a non-profit needs to do. But, it's all about your budget.
Currently, I have one non-profit who is splitting Tessitura between 2 other non-profits. Cost sharing it makes it something reasonable for all three. It's hosted at a central site for them and there's someone in charge of all three data sets. It's something I'd suggest considering if you are really interested in one of the better products.
There are other areas of classrooms, beyond technology, that seem to fail when trying to apply some experimentation on. An example would be how you schedule a school day. Block schedule vs. modified block vs. traditional schedule. The LEADING schools with high student achievement are wholly split, almost evenly, across these categories. What it really says, is that this isn't a factor in high student achievement.
Technology could very well be the same way. It's not that we use it or don't use it that impacts high student achievement, as much as some other factor, such as small class sizes, etc.
In order for IT to succeed in small schools, there is one thing that is key to keep in mind: Technology, especially IT, is a TOOL for the classroom, it it not a be all and end all for making a class. If you do not have a use for a tool in the classroom, then it only gets in the way.
You can be as forward thinking and as technologically advanced, laptop/netbook in ever child's hands, but if you don't have lessons to teach that make use of that tool, ti's just dead weight.
In order to overcome this issue, you first have to have teachers and instructors in place who have a learning plan, lessons, and other means that will utilize technology, such as smart boards, 'clickers' and other items in their day-to-day lesson plans in transfering knowledge to children. If these teachers aren't trained, aren't educated with how to use these IT-tools in their classrooms, then we are indeed, just throwing away money.
I'm just curious: Presuming all these things were real events, not made up, over exagerated, etc... At what point do you consider an attempt at hacking into government or military systems by another country to be an act of war? Are there levels of it? It's okay to break into some minor functionaries system, but we draw the line when you get into command and control systems that are passing sensitive data?
Or, is it just accepted that countries will be hacking one another's systems and that's okay?
Many schools are less and less interested in older computers with CRTs. They have an infrastructure, just like any other business, and need to meet minimum standards. Ask what those are before you get crazy and try to help them with freecycle systems.
If you really want to help your local schools, start by volunteering your time and talents. Very few schools would turn down someone to sit in the back room and re-image systems while their regular techs can be freed up to do work in the field or push major projects forward. During your volunteering, you can find out what their real IT needs are, and become involved in helping them get it.
Write your congress-folks and tell them to insure your public schools are properly funded! Find out how your schools gets their funding, and speak out as a member of the public that you're concerned with the state of your public schools.
The bottom line is that you should get involved with the school and learn their needs and try to meet them before you go out and try to put something together on your own.
After you have done your analysis as to how much productivity is lost, be -certain- to equate that to a dollar figure, so it can be extrapolated over the quarter and over the year. Nothing will make or break a project more than being able to assign a hard-dollar figure to it.
If it takes you an additional hour a week to preform tasks, and your value is $100/hour, then you effectively cost an additional $5,200 a year for lost productivity. Multiply that times all users in your lab. Managers understand cost and budget impact more than passionate resistance.
We, along with ICANN, laugh in their general direction, since they have no way of compelling a U.S. corporation (which is what ICANN is) into doing anything. Except as allowed via treaties, foreign court orders and judgments aren't enforceable in the U.S., but judgments and orders from one U.S. state are enforceable in another, due to Full Faith and Credit. (Well, depending on who you ask it's either due to FF&C or due to Federal laws combined with USSC rulings, but the effect is the same either way.)
I think, unfortunately, we'll see some struggle with FF&C very soon, now that same-sex marriages are happening in some states, which other states aren't going to approve of or honor the marriage decrees handed out by those states. And when that does happen, how will it impact other intra-state processes, like this one over Domain Registry?
Does that mean that states who have an office of ICANN would be able to trump another state wishing to repeat what they have done here?
I think, in my mind, that begs the question: What do we do when an Islamic state with access to Domain Registry, decides they want to take control of all domain names that they feel are unacceptable to their beliefs and laws? Is the US just the big bully on the block when it comes to controlling Domain Names in this respect? What if Nevada wants to assume control over those Domain Names and deploy them under 'Eminent Domain' laws in order to give to a 'responsible party' in order to create more public revenues?
And tomorrows headline reads: Pornography Found on All Congressional Computers, Congressmen Run Out of Town on Rails.
I hope IT Professionals at their normal businesses and whom work for the State are well-compensated. You have to be careful about making a mess where you have to live.
Some states may not tie their eletorial votes to their popular eletcion. This is a state-by-state case. Usually the electorial college casts their votes the same way the popular election goes, but they're not always required to by law.
What strikes me about this, is the potential precident that it could set for other elections. Imagine if this precident could be applied to state offices, like Senate or House of Representatives. Or, how about for Mayor or Board of Alderman? (And where applicable..local School Board?)
I'm not sure wich is more frightening...the nearly $20k bill that was 200 pages long, or the fact that AT&T seems to have an envelope to deliver the 200 pages of the bill in.
Speaking as someone whose worked with folks who host a 120+ person LAN party every 6 weeks, there are really only 2 ways to prevent it:
1.) Only invite folks whom you know and trust. 2.) Don't have a LAN party.
But, beyond that, try to organize your folks who are coming into groups who know each other, or can at least work cooperatively outside what's going on in the LAN. That is, if you have groups of folks who know one another, then while some are napping or off getting refreshments, someone they knowand trust is there to guard their loot. That's about the most straightforward way, because you won't know everyone, but hopefully everyone there will know a few other folks. And if they don't, maybe you can create some new groups of friends.
More than that, you DO need to have some sort of hold harmless paperwork that everyone agrees and signs, so you're not left with the liability issue. I mean, let's say no one steals anything, no one hurts themselves, what if someone innocently brings in a virus or malware or keylogger that gets spread through the LAN. Sometimes, CYA is the only way to do things.
I've mixed thoughts on the issue. If we agree that it's okay to look through someones briefcase, and therefore the documents contained therein, why are we upset about electronic forms of it? Think of the contents of your hard drive as paper files, in a file cabinet. There's a much larger volume, but would we expect it to be exempt from search at a boarder crossing?
Something that does come to mind, are that there are specific software packages that are not allowed to be exported. As a result, there is software that federal law says you can't take outside the country. Should businessmen, or others, be allowed to take such software out of the country, installed on their laptops?
I think the real problem I have with this...is there shere volume of data that they'll have to sift through, leaving the traveler either waiting forever, or without their laptop. Unlike a briefcase or suitcase, there is only so much to look through before they're satisfied you're not carrying anything with you that's prohibited.
What cable companies are affected by is the Federally capped market penetration of 30%, which providers like Comcast are already bumping up against. Cable companies will soon shift from digital/analog to all digital on the shirt-tails of this change over.
This will alow them to recover bandwidth and thus allow more services, which existing users will want to subscribe to, thus increasing profits again. If one company is successful in this deployment, then others will follow a winning design.
I've been using the same level of service for years from Comcast. However, despite not getting more services, my bill keeps growing, (and growing). I'm just doing the consumer math, Cable will look for new ways to increase margins. Switching from mixed digital/analog to all digital will allow them to offer more services, since they can't increase their market size signifigantly.
You're correct, and I understand that. However, Cable Companies want to make more money, just like every other company out there. They will use the FUD factor to pull a quick one. Here's how it will go:
Cable will roll out converter boxes. Cable will end analog services and go all digitial, (you have a free converter box already.) Cable will now use the reclaimed bandwidth to provide more services that consumers have asked for. Cable will charge for new services. Cable will increase profit margins.
Cable companies like Comcast are now reaching their Federally capped market penetration of 30%, which means they need to find new ways to make money. If removing analog allows them to increase their profit margin, then other cable companies will follow suit.
I've been using Comcast for years now. My service level has never changed. My bill, however, continues to rise. I'm just doing the math as a consumer, and this is what I'm anticipating.
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Gee, imagine using that hollow coin with your client project on it that you accidently use to buy your celebration soda from the local vending machine with.
Hollow coin is the sort of idea that appeals to the geek. But, the practicality just doesn't seem nearly as useful as we perhaps wish it were.
What do you mean 'serial ports are rapidly disappearing..' They're all but gone, aren't they?! :-/
When an owner won't follow policy, as an IT Guy, there's not often alot that can be done to initially correct the behavior, aside from gentle nagging. However, when some sort of data loss event comes to light, it's an opporunity to help correct the behavior. Don't engage in the trap of playing the "blame game." It won't win you any points or get you more influence. Instead, come along side the company owner, frown and sigh, and then say something like, "Well, let's see what WE can do to sort this out."
From there, you just have to do your best to come up with some solution sets. And if the real solution is spend several thousand dollars on data recovery, put that on the table. A company owner speaks in dollars and cents sometimes, and when they have to pay a penalty like that, they tend to be more open to listening to you, particularly if you're not terse about it, but rather more gentle with how you dicuss these sorts of issues with them. You're not advisaries, you're really partners in this. He wants the company to do well so he makes better profit margins, and you want the company to do well so they can give you raises and buy cool equipment and so forth.
After you rescue them from a disaster, or near-disaster, pose the question: "Hey, when can I schedule you in to get that backup we've been meaning to do?" And after they come in for that one, start making it a routine to just ask, "And when should we schedule you to come for the next one?"
I think you'll find, you still catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
More than just simple, rugged and durable is better, with public education, cost is always a strong consideration. With it comes down to the cost between a workstation(s), and being able t afford a good, qualified teacher...having the extra teacher or the para will win every time. As economic times get tougher, that's more and more true.
I bet we could see this quashed by National Security. I mean, while it may be useful to have the ability to get walk-thru directions in a public building or forum, but imagine how quickly security folks will want to see that feature disabled when someone 'important' will be in a public venue, political leader, rock star, etc...?
This really presumes that everyone gets an evaluation every year. I've been working for this branch since '95 and the last time I got a honest-to-goodness eval was the year after we were bought out by a larger company. My anniversery date is in March, and I've been begging for an eval, even if I know they're not giving out raises this year. Do I have an eval yet?
I find it interesting that the article poster offered a check of his credit card limit, which he states is more than enough to cover the cost of the phone, and the plan for two years. So, would that mean you could pre-pay for the plan for 2 years and forego the credit check?
So, ..here's a silly question, only because it's coming more and more common: What if you don't have a credit score, because you've been paying cash for things for so long? I'm sure they'll have far more folks who have bad credit and wouldn't qualify, but ...what if you've gotten on the 'save up and pay cash' plan and aren't in debt, so you don't have a credit score? You can't buy a Palm Pre?
I find it very interesting that Sprint is putting out a phone that the average millionare can't buy, because they don't have a credit score anymore, (because they've been paying cash for things for that long.)
This is the biggest reason I can point out for a patient to be an ACTIVE participant in knowing what their treatment is in a hospital or other medical facility with electronic record systems. You need to know what you're supposed to be getting and when. If you don't, you should be asking questions until you get satisfactory answers.
I've worked with a number of non-profit's as an IT-Consultant who are small enough that I *am* the IT-department. Some have used in house spreadsheets and file-maker databases, but both Tessitura and Raisers Edge are the two big products that I've seen and worked with. Both do what a non-profit needs to do. But, it's all about your budget.
Currently, I have one non-profit who is splitting Tessitura between 2 other non-profits. Cost sharing it makes it something reasonable for all three. It's hosted at a central site for them and there's someone in charge of all three data sets. It's something I'd suggest considering if you are really interested in one of the better products.
Good luck!
There are other areas of classrooms, beyond technology, that seem to fail when trying to apply some experimentation on. An example would be how you schedule a school day. Block schedule vs. modified block vs. traditional schedule. The LEADING schools with high student achievement are wholly split, almost evenly, across these categories. What it really says, is that this isn't a factor in high student achievement.
Technology could very well be the same way. It's not that we use it or don't use it that impacts high student achievement, as much as some other factor, such as small class sizes, etc.
In order for IT to succeed in small schools, there is one thing that is key to keep in mind: Technology, especially IT, is a TOOL for the classroom, it it not a be all and end all for making a class. If you do not have a use for a tool in the classroom, then it only gets in the way.
You can be as forward thinking and as technologically advanced, laptop/netbook in ever child's hands, but if you don't have lessons to teach that make use of that tool, ti's just dead weight.
In order to overcome this issue, you first have to have teachers and instructors in place who have a learning plan, lessons, and other means that will utilize technology, such as smart boards, 'clickers' and other items in their day-to-day lesson plans in transfering knowledge to children. If these teachers aren't trained, aren't educated with how to use these IT-tools in their classrooms, then we are indeed, just throwing away money.
I'm just curious: Presuming all these things were real events, not made up, over exagerated, etc... At what point do you consider an attempt at hacking into government or military systems by another country to be an act of war? Are there levels of it? It's okay to break into some minor functionaries system, but we draw the line when you get into command and control systems that are passing sensitive data?
Or, is it just accepted that countries will be hacking one another's systems and that's okay?
Many schools are less and less interested in older computers with CRTs. They have an infrastructure, just like any other business, and need to meet minimum standards. Ask what those are before you get crazy and try to help them with freecycle systems.
If you really want to help your local schools, start by volunteering your time and talents. Very few schools would turn down someone to sit in the back room and re-image systems while their regular techs can be freed up to do work in the field or push major projects forward. During your volunteering, you can find out what their real IT needs are, and become involved in helping them get it.
Write your congress-folks and tell them to insure your public schools are properly funded! Find out how your schools gets their funding, and speak out as a member of the public that you're concerned with the state of your public schools.
The bottom line is that you should get involved with the school and learn their needs and try to meet them before you go out and try to put something together on your own.
The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The sk...wait, this is just a bag of tools. WTH?! ;-)
After you have done your analysis as to how much productivity is lost, be -certain- to equate that to a dollar figure, so it can be extrapolated over the quarter and over the year. Nothing will make or break a project more than being able to assign a hard-dollar figure to it.
If it takes you an additional hour a week to preform tasks, and your value is $100/hour, then you effectively cost an additional $5,200 a year for lost productivity. Multiply that times all users in your lab. Managers understand cost and budget impact more than passionate resistance.
Good luck!
We, along with ICANN, laugh in their general direction, since they have no way of compelling a U.S. corporation (which is what ICANN is) into doing anything. Except as allowed via treaties, foreign court orders and judgments aren't enforceable in the U.S., but judgments and orders from one U.S. state are enforceable in another, due to Full Faith and Credit. (Well, depending on who you ask it's either due to FF&C or due to Federal laws combined with USSC rulings, but the effect is the same either way.)
I think, unfortunately, we'll see some struggle with FF&C very soon, now that same-sex marriages are happening in some states, which other states aren't going to approve of or honor the marriage decrees handed out by those states. And when that does happen, how will it impact other intra-state processes, like this one over Domain Registry?
Does that mean that states who have an office of ICANN would be able to trump another state wishing to repeat what they have done here?
I think, in my mind, that begs the question: What do we do when an Islamic state with access to Domain Registry, decides they want to take control of all domain names that they feel are unacceptable to their beliefs and laws? Is the US just the big bully on the block when it comes to controlling Domain Names in this respect? What if Nevada wants to assume control over those Domain Names and deploy them under 'Eminent Domain' laws in order to give to a 'responsible party' in order to create more public revenues?
And tomorrows headline reads: Pornography Found on All Congressional Computers, Congressmen Run Out of Town on Rails.
I hope IT Professionals at their normal businesses and whom work for the State are well-compensated. You have to be careful about making a mess where you have to live.
Some states may not tie their eletorial votes to their popular eletcion. This is a state-by-state case. Usually the electorial college casts their votes the same way the popular election goes, but they're not always required to by law.
What strikes me about this, is the potential precident that it could set for other elections. Imagine if this precident could be applied to state offices, like Senate or House of Representatives. Or, how about for Mayor or Board of Alderman? (And where applicable..local School Board?)
I'm not sure wich is more frightening...the nearly $20k bill that was 200 pages long, or the fact that AT&T seems to have an envelope to deliver the 200 pages of the bill in.
Speaking as someone whose worked with folks who host a 120+ person LAN party every 6 weeks, there are really only 2 ways to prevent it:
1.) Only invite folks whom you know and trust.
2.) Don't have a LAN party.
But, beyond that, try to organize your folks who are coming into groups who know each other, or can at least work cooperatively outside what's going on in the LAN. That is, if you have groups of folks who know one another, then while some are napping or off getting refreshments, someone they knowand trust is there to guard their loot. That's about the most straightforward way, because you won't know everyone, but hopefully everyone there will know a few other folks. And if they don't, maybe you can create some new groups of friends.
More than that, you DO need to have some sort of hold harmless paperwork that everyone agrees and signs, so you're not left with the liability issue. I mean, let's say no one steals anything, no one hurts themselves, what if someone innocently brings in a virus or malware or keylogger that gets spread through the LAN. Sometimes, CYA is the only way to do things.
Just my $0.02. Good luck, either way!
I've mixed thoughts on the issue. If we agree that it's okay to look through someones briefcase, and therefore the documents contained therein, why are we upset about electronic forms of it? Think of the contents of your hard drive as paper files, in a file cabinet. There's a much larger volume, but would we expect it to be exempt from search at a boarder crossing?
Something that does come to mind, are that there are specific software packages that are not allowed to be exported. As a result, there is software that federal law says you can't take outside the country. Should businessmen, or others, be allowed to take such software out of the country, installed on their laptops?
I think the real problem I have with this...is there shere volume of data that they'll have to sift through, leaving the traveler either waiting forever, or without their laptop. Unlike a briefcase or suitcase, there is only so much to look through before they're satisfied you're not carrying anything with you that's prohibited.
What cable companies are affected by is the Federally capped market penetration of 30%, which providers like Comcast are already bumping up against. Cable companies will soon shift from digital/analog to all digital on the shirt-tails of this change over.
This will alow them to recover bandwidth and thus allow more services, which existing users will want to subscribe to, thus increasing profits again. If one company is successful in this deployment, then others will follow a winning design.
I've been using the same level of service for years from Comcast. However, despite not getting more services, my bill keeps growing, (and growing). I'm just doing the consumer math, Cable will look for new ways to increase margins. Switching from mixed digital/analog to all digital will allow them to offer more services, since they can't increase their market size signifigantly.
You're correct, and I understand that. However, Cable Companies want to make more money, just like every other company out there. They will use the FUD factor to pull a quick one. Here's how it will go:
Cable will roll out converter boxes.
Cable will end analog services and go all digitial, (you have a free converter box already.)
Cable will now use the reclaimed bandwidth to provide more services that consumers have asked for.
Cable will charge for new services.
Cable will increase profit margins.
Cable companies like Comcast are now reaching their Federally capped market penetration of 30%, which means they need to find new ways to make money. If removing analog allows them to increase their profit margin, then other cable companies will follow suit.
I've been using Comcast for years now. My service level has never changed. My bill, however, continues to rise. I'm just doing the math as a consumer, and this is what I'm anticipating.