Looking at the most well rested and least, there's only a difference of like 4 minutes. Really, 4 minutes makes the difference between a good night's rest and being "sleep deprived?"
@Missing.Matter Amen. @PHCOsci Amen.
The conversation here should be more about " Useless Stats" than about who sleeps more or less. Even more disturbing than the tiny difference or 4 mins, is the overall ~24 mins between the extremes on this list.
+agree with others about how this is a statistician FAIL. +agree with others about uniqueness of humans.
I personally prefer about 9 hrs.. I don't know who is sleeping 5 to balance me, but thanks whomever you are.
@ACs and others talking about Pilots, Truck Drivers and others with "mandatory" rest - well,
I've been there & done that. regulatory rest periods don't include your 1- or 2- hour commute home to sleep or see your kid's little league game; and don't include any pre-shift prep or post-shift paperwork you need to do.
( Late - I know) I have a lot of experience working in the local government / edu systems ( not K-12, though)
I get that you can make all the plans you like, but tomorrow the boss's boss can steal 99% of your budget, your people, even your offices.
All I try to do is get written - or spoken plans out in the open as soon as practical; even creative or what-if ideas.. like committing $$ from next-year's budget to pay part of a bigger project.
That way, when evaluation time / raise / bonus / layoff / scapegoat or what not rolls around.. you at least have something to fall back to.
" We planned xxx... then we lost resources ( time, money, people).. and I did the best I could to work around it by... [possibly - 'again, as we discussed when it happened']
Also, I was trying to pass along some advice it took 10 years to sink in for me... the job stinks. Most jobs working for any gov't agency do. Anyone who has really "worked" at one will tell you that. But, after a while we humans can get used to living near a smelly swamp or noisy airport.. if we let the silly bureaucratic process/ people drown back into the other background noises.. then it isn't so stressful for folks like us - who still want to do things the "right way". If I could have gotten that Idea 10 years ago... I'd still be at a lousy job, but at roughly 2.5 X the pay.
As this poster says, mixed with some previous posts.. the people are the problem.
"they" - the users or folks buying these doorstop machines are doing it because they think they have to. bosses / beancounters : if nobody is getting raped, killed, or sued.. then your problem isn't scary enough to throw money at.
You are in a key position to make a difference.
In addition to your technology know-how, you also have the position of being inside the system.
Most of us IT folks have to learn on the fly. Just change your tactic a little.
Learn the laws and policies that your State, county, school district, etc needs to live by. Put together a binder if that helps you.
Student info needs to be protected under many US laws.. learn them, quote them, hang them in your office, sign your email with it.. anything that helps.
In addition to having your boss - who is obviously in a position to control some money (just not the way you think it should be done).. you are allowed, and probably encouraged to participate in School Board meetings, Educator's Union or other trade council meetings, and technology groups ( like ACM education SIG) . Learn to speak the bureaucratic language. Heck, I bet you need a signature to request a vacation day. Get a signature every time you make an adjustment or installation on a computer. Not just when you want to - all the time. This becomes a "policy". When you see that users are trying to work around the system - something isn't working. The IT department is only there to make the job of education (and administration) easier. When you help , you are probably not noticed. When you impede, then you become the big problem everyone will blame.
Make it work. You are on/. Have you ever heard of Linux, Samba, Open Office, Apache? Get open source software, install it on as many machines as you can - then put all the work on a server that you keep secure. If the users can get what they need on your website, they won't need high-end machines. Watch your system logs, and document the heck out of things. Make sure users know they are being logged.
( raises your visibility without becoming THE problem)
If your dept has money to spend and bail out other people's pet projects, then you are doing it wrong. Start the year out with a planning meeting. Discuss how your department will most effectively use the budget you have. Put these goals on paper, and periodically refer back to them. This gives you concrete items to work towards, and the money is all "spent" on paper.
If another department has a project / problem / cash shortfall that impacts your IT department, then you have the backup to say, " Okay, if we deviate from our original plans, do you want me to lower standards or cut out project 1, 2, or 3 ? "
For as long as you keep this job, think of it like a small boutique store that you manage. Everything is documented, the customer is always right, and nothing is free. --If nothing else, that will cut your frustration and headache levels.
This general question has been a part-time quest of my own. I cared for a loved blind grandmother for several years, and realize my own fragility. There are a lot of agencies out there, and support groups / not-for-profit orgs working on different areas. Many of these are slowly starving because of the economy ( less subsidy, less generous donors) - but still around and happy to help.
In the big picture, just keep in mind that I found help and helpful advise just by reading/trolling on Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimers, and other orgs - in addition to the " Senior Services" and various blind orgs. ( props to LightHouse!)
In the short term, if you can afford an iPad, why are you concerned about 'extra' stuff? Believe me, I've been on the neutral-evil side when it comes to Apple fanaticism, but the iPad is in my home. For the set of purposes you laid out, this is probably one of the lightest, easiest to use devices. Borrow (or buy) one, and some bluetooth devices ( mouse, keyboard, trackball, drawing pad) that can work with it.
-- my purchase came from (USA) Target, with a 45-day no questions refund policy.
(plus a 10% discount for accepting their credit card)
I just mean, if you want something "like the iPad", then get the iPad. Android devices have many similar abilities, (and WebOS devices, too) but few have the quality screen, battery life, and natural resistance to tampering that is genetic to the Apple family. By all means - get what you can afford, and what is useful - not a dust collector.
And yes.. as other folks have suggested, there is nothing.. **NOTHING** that is more fulfilling, mentally stimulating, and emotionally positive than loved company. The basic stuff like reading a book together, reminiscing, or even learning to use two iPads (or Androids, or tablet PCs) to play scrabble, yahtzee, bingo, or whatever.. as long as you do it together, is a lot more fun and fulfilling. Plus it will help Grandma learn if she knows you are coming back to play or video chat to see that new baby in the family.
Caveat: get the service contract, and take photos of the serial numbers. Use tracking software. Even in a "good" place, lots of stuff gets misplaced/lost/stolen in retirement/rehab homes. If Grandma does actually like the device, then losing it to a crash or light-fingered help will be depressing.
working in IT support, I see so many professors who are frustrated by students who are playing solitaire, chatting, or even doing homework for another class during a lecture. The most insecure want some kind of technology solution to shut down all the student wi-fi during classes. These tend to be the same professors reading the text copied from the publisher's PowerPoint pack in a monotone drone.
Anyone contemplating using PP or any other class presentation software/s should be forced to sit through at least one Edward Tufte lecture.. some of his proposals are a little extreme, but I've seen the lectures and bought the library. http://www.edwardtufte.com/
Notary here too. I didn't see any notification yet, so I'm not sure if this is true.
If it is, then I won't need to worry about those pesky " check ID" and "keep paperwork on file for 5 years" rules. I wonder if I can get my notary fees back.. I paid them since I couldn't find any other Notaries in my area.
If this really is true, I might not be opposed to giving away 30 points to anyone that seems reasonable enough. If we get another few notaries on board, maybe we can register a couple thousand slashdotters in the next few weeks - so at least they all get free VeriSign email certs.
PS - in addition to Lotus Notes, I've done a fair job with Novell GroupWise and individual Eudora and T-Bird clients as far as certificate management for the masses. At one point, (obviously a while back with Eudora) I had nearly three dozen non-IT folks using this appropriately to sign and verify their inter-office email. That 'trial' lasted about two weeks, and many still ask me to renew their certificates annually.
I work at a Law School. If my building full of lawyers couldn't figure an angle to make this work, I'm pretty sure it isn't going to work.
It isn't legal, and if it were, it will open up a whole lotta liability for the school.
Scenario: Columbine-like event. Students & instructors try but cannot call for help because attackers first control the prinicpal's / Dean's office where the equipment can be shut off.
Sceanrio2: I'm a (age of majority)-year old (substitute teacher | student | janitor ), and my (Parent |spouse | child | ward) is (sick | giving birth| dying | being attacked | at the hospital | being sent home from school).. and I'm the number they were able to reach on speed-dial... but I can't receive signals.
Possible solutions:
1) make a no-phones rule and enforce it. Make parents sign consent to confiscate phones as condition of attendance.
If a student is disruptive with a phone, confiscate it and make parent come to school to retrieve it. Inconvenience the parents and they'll deal with the kids.
2) Actually teach. In many (not all) cases, the teachers/professors most upset by this are the same 'educators' who can't keep a student's attention for more than 15 seconds.
If you made your class interesting ( presupposing: you care, you know the material, you work at presenting it fresh).. then students would watch you, and not try to find something else to do.
3) Make it worth Verizon's or ATT's investment. For the right price, you know there's got to be a switching solution.
(a) - refuse to route calls unless the parties are registered in advance.. i.e.: Johnny's cell can always rcv calls from 20 numbers his parents register plus appropriate emergncy numbers, but during school hours, and while in the school+corporate "cell" range, he cannot rcv any other calls / send to other numbers at certain times. Optionally leave recess and 'free period" schedules open.
(b) - make it a condition of class attendance that -Privacy is lost- all cell phone records of calls made inside the School's cell are open for School officials to review. If caught using a cell phone for anything non-emergent during any class or exam, penalize, suspend or expel student.
(c) come up with (or activate existing) remote programming modes. While ( in [area of school] and [hours= school time]) force ringer to (vibrate) + disable email / internet browsing + limit text count to 3 - 5 per hour. ( naturally, allow fairly easy remote or local override by parent or LE when necessary and appropriate)
One of my first machines was a Compaq 386 desktop. I bought it almost bare-bones, and slowly upgraded.. I got the 387 coprocessor, then saved a few hundred dollars for 4MB of RAM (not a misprint).
As part of the owner-registration process, Compaq actually sent me written updates to my user manuals. Among the correspondence I received there were occasional invitations to "Upgrade your BIOS".
I did that, two or three times over the life of the machine. For all but the last, I paid around $30 (1990-ish), a local vendor drop-shipped me the new BIOS chip,with a plastic chip puller, wrist-ground strap, and instructions. After changing the chip and making sure everything worked, I returned the old BIOS to them in the packing they provided. On the last, I was just told to pay $40, and don't return the old one.
If we returned to this model, then as long as you could protect the physical integrity of the box, you can protect the BIOS. Of course, this adds to the TCO in long-term maintenance if a critical issue is found and the BIOS must be replaced.
Microsoft has changed the computer industry. They have made the largest influences leading to the millions of computers being used by the masses. Yes, it is a lot of marketing crap. Yes, it is very insecure. Yes, it is a lot of ideas and technology assimilated from other sources. Bottom line - it works enough, cheap enough, easily enough.
Novell has been declared 'dead' so often it is boring. NetWare has some great security features - one being the basis for AD. Over history, Novell has made a lot of industry deals, and many have turned out bad. Search for Caldera - and you'll find more jokes or lawsuit references than to Novell. Few people even remember Word Perfect existed in the time between version 5.1/DOS and when Corel started marketing it. Scarred, yes - but Novell is still standing. Would these deals be any 'smarter' if someone like IBM or MS swallows your company?
Last year, before any 'official' announcement - NetWare began down the open-compatibilty path. Most of their major products [ GroupWise, ZENworks, Nsure identity...] are ported to Windows- and Linux- compatible packages. Most of the server products are moving towards a linux core - especially illustrated with a default choice of a LAMP configuration out-of-the box, while most of the client-side works are Windows-centric. This 'deal' is a logical business step.
Bottom line - MS Windows is on most desktops, and isn't going anywhere. NetWare is a great product with a loyal installed base. Why not find a way to work together and share some profits?
As the IT guy, you provide solutions for problems. Using podcasts == a good thing.
Many Universities & other institutions use recorded lectures; some allow only access to enrolled students.
-- this is how technologies like BlackBoard & WebCT behave. Some enlightened institutions allow free, open access to these materials.
Restricting access to the podcasts is a business decision. What costs / benefits are there to restricting access?
As a grad student, I digitally recorded every lecture I ever attended. I learn that way. I show up for every class, I do every homework, I listen over again to the lectures, I re-write my notes... and I still get B's. BTW- the extra material is what helped me be a "good student". If my classmates ever asked, I freely shared those audio files, and any notes I took. They shared notes, homework, and previous exams with me, too. If I never had access to "extras" like this, I would have become frustrated and dropped out. Are you now asked to provide an IT solution to "bad students"? The knuckleheads among us still failed.
Keeping it in business terms, what are the costs of trying to protect this content vs. the cost of making this professor take attendance? Has the printed attendance sheet really caused that many classroom disruptions? If the issue is truancy, take attendance.
* Does the professor actually know that everyone in the lecture hall is currently enrolled? You may protect the digital version, but who will keep people from watching his lecture in realtime without proper credentials? If the issue is fair grading, then take away the 'curve', and make the exams include reading and research that isn't in the lecture.
This guy was recently featured in an often-repeated Discovery Health special about coma & brain damage. "The Man Who Slept for 19 Years"
DHC website doesn't have a lot on it, but this guy's http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:fl6GNF-iDgsJ:n athanjones.blogspot.com/2005/03/man-who-slept-for- 19-years.html+%22discovery+health+channel%22+%22Th e+Man+Who+Slept+for+19+Years%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=cln k&cd=3 blog [google cache copy] describes it pretty well.
I don't recall if they specifically said for this guy, but the other patients in that show were in JFK Medical Center, NJ.
This show was done shortly after he woke up about 2 years ago. At that point, he had come out of his 19 year coma, and refused to beleive any time had passed. He thought Reagan was still President, and he was still 19 and able-bodied. Every day was the same, and he had no learned memory. Like the blog says, every day was "groundhog day".
Apparently, his family refused to give up on him, and dragged his limp body around to family events - even hunting and fishing trips. - I think this is odd, but amazing. I doubt I could have this much faith.
Really creepy was how his 19 year old daughter was dealing. Since he thought he was still 19, his 40-ish ex-wife (she gave up and moved on) wasn't anything he was interested in. He was flirting with the daughter, though. She was uncomfortable, but knows that Dad doesn't realize what he is doing.
Friends & Family in the service have told me that not only are eyes checked, but other parts, too. Any dentistry that isn't done right is fixed by military dentists - or you get disqualified from some jobs. One can't be expected to perform on high-altitiude jumps & flights or high-pressure underwater dives when air bubbles inside fillings could expand / boil / explode. It makes sense that certain medical procedures need to be done to a different tolerance level in the military.
Excellent points.
On the 'expensive' issue, though.. GEnie was charging up to $36 per hour for dial-up connections for "prime time gaming". At it's worst, AOL only extorted $6 or so per hour.
I remember having to explain the $300+ monthly bills until I took an in-game "job" with SimuTronics (now Play.net ) so they would pay my net bill.
Other Novell users have already solved this for you, too.
Cool Solutions
This covers installs with or without ZEN.
+mod parent up - not a troll, he actually offered helpful info! Using a carefully crafted.reg file might actually preserve some level of security, too; isn't that the point of using Novell?
Yes: Dell is and has been shipping this for a while now.
Rumor has it that Dell makes up to $1.75 for each machine shipped with the Google package. InsideGoogle
It's been out long enough to develop a De-Crapifier
NO: Dell is shipping 'clean' gaming systems Slashdot
Dell has been offering customers who want to develop their own disk image the ImageBuilder and X-Image programs.
Anyone using the imaging process, or having another existing contract doesn't get the extra garbage.
This makes it really inconvenient, considering that Dell's Image Restore is kinda neat for tech support. Just have users restart and press a couple keys - 10 minutes later you have OOBE back again. Unfortunately, out-of-box includes all this crap again. I'd still like a disk for when I replace the HDD, but this has potential to save a lot of time.
It looks to me like Dell is padding the machines at the low end with a more pennies of profit.
When Joe Cubicle calls the building manager about his heat or AC problems, he has (or soon learns) a reasonable expectation of what he can ask for, and what will get done for him.
When Fred Copyguy calls the Xero/Canon tech because he jammed the double-sided collated stapler function again, his company is paying for either a hefty contract or a site visit. If Fred does this too often, he is dealt with.
When Phil McCracken gets sued for sexual harassment, he makes an appointment to see counsel, and waits while the case is dragged through depositions and hearings.
Unfortunately, when these same nitwits call IT because they installed the latest Free Poker game/Napster/Skype / weatherbug/ etc.. and the company VPN connection won't work - they expect instant gratification.
Corporate-think needs to perceive the computing infrasructure,including the personnel, as an expensive, specialized tool. If you want me to replace this [machine, router, 1st-level support tech] like a $10 pencil sharpener, then always keep a dozen spares around and ready, or give me an expense account so I can just run down to CompUSA and buy 6 or 8 on any given day. OTOH, if you want me to save that $80,000+ in dusty equipment and redundant training then treat the entire system with the respect and care just like you do the building / campus / Corporate Counsel office.
The FermiLab press release speaks about this new experiment being much more precise in measuring the number of Neutrinos and the energies expended in their oscillations.
They also refer to the earlier experiments, "Our first result corroborates earlier observations of muon neutrino disappearance, made by the Japanese Super-Kamiokande and K2K experiments. Over the next few years, we will collect about fifteen times more data, yielding more results with higher precision, paving the way to better understanding this phenomenon. Our current results already rival the Super-Kamiokande and K2K results in precision." http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/press_releases/m inos_3-30-06.html
Amen! I even invested in a high-quality digital recorder to help automate the process. In my study group - where we each recorded or shared CDs of class lectures - every one of us scored a B- or better. (Class averages were C+ to B)
At least one instructor objected to recording, so we had to work around that.
As to "... who wants to listen to lectures when preparing for exams?" I can't imagine -not- going over my notes and the recorded lecture within a couple of days after class. I also -do- spend my spare time in the week before exams re-reading my notes, and listening to lectures on my car stereo and MP3 player.
Now, this works for me with grad-level Crypto, Abstract Algebra, and number theory. I can't imagine that I would have recorded the droning "discussions" in my undergrad American History or basic(-level) programming classes. I guess it all depends on personal preference, and how difficult your subject matter is.
I also worked with Simutronics for a while - apparently during the period she was working out of St. Louis apartments. I never knew that at the time.
As a GameHost for GemStone III, I always thought that they ran a very slick, professional site.
We had several developers,had mandatory weekly meetings (online) to discuss game developments and maintenance and they ran 24/7/365 operations.
I was amazed to see a MMORPG that could handle 1000+ average simultaneous users, and I was proud to have redundant dial-up access through both AOL and CompuServe because AOL went down so much.
I was there for the breakaway transition, but left before they became play.com. I assumed they had a fancy office campus outside St. Louis right from the beginning. (For the younger among us, this was the time when those ISPs were charging $3 per hour -or much more on GEnie- for people to connect and play these games.)
I even considered applying and moving there to work. (I got married instead.)
I didn't think Elonka (then SimuElonka) was on-board from the beginning. I guess that shows how little a peon like me really knew about the business end. I was supervised by GameMasters and a management-type guy called SimuJosh. I only met Elonka (virtually) once or twice in our weekly meetings. I thought she was more involved with DragonRealms and another murder-mystery type game.
Since those days, I have also become interested in crypto - now back in school and working on my MS with a concentration in security. Elonka is definitely one of the most knowledgeable in the field - and she has remained relatively accessible, as opposed to some elite acadmics.
Before this article, I had read about Elonka's public work & glanced at her website but I never put the name together.
Thanks for bringing this all together for me SlashDot!
At least they aren't trying to regulate the entire system.
The A-D ratings are advisories, but the over-18 is the only govt regulated level.
This whole rating thing is good for parents (aunts, uncles, cousins, gift-buyers) who actually participate in the moral upbringing of the child-consumers. OTOH, it creates interest for those teens/adults who have disposable income of their own, and may drive sales of 'randier' rated games.
The censorship of any information - even video games, just creates mystery, interest, and an underground market. In that respect - these rating systems probably backfire against their intention.
"...The Republican mayor stopped by the city's legislative office in Albany a few weeks ago..."
Cost of living in Albany is considerably lower than NYC. Original article also implies this guy had been reminded of the computer policies in 2004. Sounds like a repeat offender, and moreover he embarrassed the boss in front of company.
Slashdot Mirror
Looking at the most well rested and least, there's only a difference of like 4 minutes. Really, 4 minutes makes the difference between a good night's rest and being "sleep deprived?"
@Missing.Matter Amen.
@PHCOsci Amen.
The conversation here should be more about " Useless Stats" than about who sleeps more or less.
Even more disturbing than the tiny difference or 4 mins, is the overall ~24 mins between the extremes on this list.
+agree with others about how this is a statistician FAIL. .. I don't know who is sleeping 5 to balance me, but thanks whomever you are.
+agree with others about uniqueness of humans.
I personally prefer about 9 hrs
@ACs and others talking about Pilots, Truck Drivers and others with "mandatory" rest - well,
I've been there & done that. regulatory rest periods don't include your 1- or 2- hour commute home to sleep or see your kid's little league game; and don't include any pre-shift prep or post-shift paperwork you need to do.
( Late - I know) .. like committing $$ from next-year's budget to pay part of a bigger project.
I have a lot of experience working in the local government / edu systems ( not K-12, though)
I get that you can make all the plans you like, but tomorrow the boss's boss can steal 99% of your budget, your people, even your offices.
All I try to do is get written - or spoken plans out in the open as soon as practical; even creative or what-if ideas
That way, when evaluation time / raise / bonus / layoff / scapegoat or what not rolls around.. you at least have something to fall back to. ... [possibly - 'again, as we discussed when it happened']
" We planned xxx... then we lost resources ( time, money, people).. and I did the best I could to work around it by
Also, I was trying to pass along some advice it took 10 years to sink in for me... the job stinks. Most jobs working for any gov't agency do. Anyone who has really "worked" at one will tell you that. ... I'd still be at a lousy job, but at roughly 2.5 X the pay.
But, after a while we humans can get used to living near a smelly swamp or noisy airport.. if we let the silly bureaucratic process/ people drown back into the other background noises.. then it isn't so stressful for folks like us - who still want to do things the "right way".
If I could have gotten that Idea 10 years ago
Amen.
As this poster says, mixed with some previous posts.. the people are the problem.
"they" - the users or folks buying these doorstop machines are doing it because they think they have to. .. then your problem isn't scary enough to throw money at.
bosses / beancounters : if nobody is getting raped, killed, or sued
You are in a key position to make a difference.
In addition to your technology know-how, you also have the position of being inside the system.
Most of us IT folks have to learn on the fly. Just change your tactic a little.
Learn the laws and policies that your State, county, school district, etc needs to live by. Put together a binder if that helps you.
Student info needs to be protected under many US laws.. learn them, quote them, hang them in your office, sign your email with it.. anything that helps.
In addition to having your boss - who is obviously in a position to control some money (just not the way you think it should be done).. you are allowed, and probably encouraged to participate in School Board meetings, Educator's Union or other trade council meetings, and technology groups ( like ACM education SIG) .
Learn to speak the bureaucratic language. Heck, I bet you need a signature to request a vacation day. Get a signature every time you make an adjustment or installation on a computer. Not just when you want to - all the time. This becomes a "policy".
When you see that users are trying to work around the system - something isn't working. The IT department is only there to make the job of education (and administration) easier. When you help , you are probably not noticed. When you impede, then you become the big problem everyone will blame.
Make it work. You are on /. Have you ever heard of Linux, Samba, Open Office, Apache?
Get open source software, install it on as many machines as you can - then put all the work on a server that you keep secure.
If the users can get what they need on your website, they won't need high-end machines.
Watch your system logs, and document the heck out of things. Make sure users know they are being logged.
( raises your visibility without becoming THE problem)
If your dept has money to spend and bail out other people's pet projects, then you are doing it wrong.
Start the year out with a planning meeting. Discuss how your department will most effectively use the budget you have.
Put these goals on paper, and periodically refer back to them.
This gives you concrete items to work towards, and the money is all "spent" on paper.
If another department has a project / problem / cash shortfall that impacts your IT department, then you have the backup to say,
" Okay, if we deviate from our original plans, do you want me to lower standards or cut out project 1, 2, or 3 ? "
For as long as you keep this job, think of it like a small boutique store that you manage.
Everything is documented, the customer is always right, and nothing is free.
--If nothing else, that will cut your frustration and headache levels.
This general question has been a part-time quest of my own. I cared for a loved blind grandmother for several years, and realize my own fragility. There are a lot of agencies out there, and support groups / not-for-profit orgs working on different areas. Many of these are slowly starving because of the economy ( less subsidy, less generous donors) - but still around and happy to help.
In the big picture, just keep in mind that I found help and helpful advise just by reading/trolling on Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimers, and other orgs - in addition to the " Senior Services" and various blind orgs. ( props to LightHouse!)
In the short term, if you can afford an iPad, why are you concerned about 'extra' stuff? Believe me, I've been on the neutral-evil side when it comes to Apple fanaticism, but the iPad is in my home. For the set of purposes you laid out, this is probably one of the lightest, easiest to use devices.
Borrow (or buy) one, and some bluetooth devices ( mouse, keyboard, trackball, drawing pad) that can work with it.
-- my purchase came from (USA) Target, with a 45-day no questions refund policy.
(plus a 10% discount for accepting their credit card)
I just mean, if you want something "like the iPad", then get the iPad. Android devices have many similar abilities, (and WebOS devices, too) but few have the quality screen, battery life, and natural resistance to tampering that is genetic to the Apple family.
By all means - get what you can afford, and what is useful - not a dust collector.
And yes.. as other folks have suggested, there is nothing .. **NOTHING** that is more fulfilling, mentally stimulating, and emotionally positive than loved company. The basic stuff like reading a book together, reminiscing, or even learning to use two iPads (or Androids, or tablet PCs) to play scrabble, yahtzee, bingo, or whatever.. as long as you do it together, is a lot more fun and fulfilling.
Plus it will help Grandma learn if she knows you are coming back to play or video chat to see that new baby in the family.
Caveat: get the service contract, and take photos of the serial numbers. Use tracking software. Even in a "good" place, lots of stuff gets misplaced/lost/stolen in retirement/rehab homes. If Grandma does actually like the device, then losing it to a crash or light-fingered help will be depressing.
True -
working in IT support, I see so many professors who are frustrated by students who are playing solitaire, chatting, or even doing homework for another class during a lecture. The most insecure want some kind of technology solution to shut down all the student wi-fi during classes. These tend to be the same professors reading the text copied from the publisher's PowerPoint pack in a monotone drone.
Anyone contemplating using PP or any other class presentation software/s should be forced to sit through at least one Edward Tufte lecture.. some of his proposals are a little extreme, but I've seen the lectures and bought the library. http://www.edwardtufte.com/
Notary here too.
I didn't see any notification yet, so I'm not sure if this is true.
If it is, then I won't need to worry about those pesky " check ID" and "keep paperwork on file for 5 years" rules.
I wonder if I can get my notary fees back.. I paid them since I couldn't find any other Notaries in my area.
If this really is true, I might not be opposed to giving away 30 points to anyone that seems reasonable enough. If we get another few notaries on board, maybe we can register a couple thousand slashdotters in the next few weeks - so at least they all get free VeriSign email certs.
PS - in addition to Lotus Notes, I've done a fair job with Novell GroupWise and individual Eudora and T-Bird clients as far as certificate management for the masses. At one point, (obviously a while back with Eudora) I had nearly three dozen non-IT folks using this appropriately to sign and verify their inter-office email. That 'trial' lasted about two weeks, and many still ask me to renew their certificates annually.
I work at a Law School. If my building full of lawyers couldn't figure an angle to make this work, I'm pretty sure it isn't going to work.
It isn't legal, and if it were, it will open up a whole lotta liability for the school.
Scenario: Columbine-like event. Students & instructors try but cannot call for help because attackers first control the prinicpal's / Dean's office where the equipment can be shut off.
Sceanrio2: I'm a (age of majority)-year old (substitute teacher | student | janitor ), and my (Parent |spouse | child | ward) is (sick | giving birth| dying | being attacked | at the hospital | being sent home from school) .. and I'm the number they were able to reach on speed-dial. .. but I can't receive signals.
Possible solutions:
1) make a no-phones rule and enforce it. Make parents sign consent to confiscate phones as condition of attendance.
If a student is disruptive with a phone, confiscate it and make parent come to school to retrieve it. Inconvenience the parents and they'll deal with the kids.
2) Actually teach. In many (not all) cases, the teachers/professors most upset by this are the same 'educators' who can't keep a student's attention for more than 15 seconds.
If you made your class interesting ( presupposing: you care, you know the material, you work at presenting it fresh).. then students would watch you, and not try to find something else to do.
3) Make it worth Verizon's or ATT's investment. For the right price, you know there's got to be a switching solution.
(a) - refuse to route calls unless the parties are registered in advance.. i.e.: Johnny's cell can always rcv calls from 20 numbers his parents register plus appropriate emergncy numbers, but during school hours, and while in the school+corporate "cell" range, he cannot rcv any other calls / send to other numbers at certain times. Optionally leave recess and 'free period" schedules open.
(b) - make it a condition of class attendance that -Privacy is lost- all cell phone records of calls made inside the School's cell are open for School officials to review. If caught using a cell phone for anything non-emergent during any class or exam, penalize, suspend or expel student.
(c) come up with (or activate existing) remote programming modes. While ( in [area of school] and [hours= school time]) force ringer to (vibrate) + disable email / internet browsing + limit text count to 3 - 5 per hour. ( naturally, allow fairly easy remote or local override by parent or LE when necessary and appropriate)
It is possible, but not cost-effective.
One of my first machines was a Compaq 386 desktop.
I bought it almost bare-bones, and slowly upgraded..
I got the 387 coprocessor, then saved a few hundred dollars for 4MB of RAM (not a misprint).
As part of the owner-registration process, Compaq actually sent me written updates to my user manuals.
Among the correspondence I received there were occasional invitations to "Upgrade your BIOS".
I did that, two or three times over the life of the machine.
For all but the last, I paid around $30 (1990-ish), a local vendor drop-shipped me the new BIOS chip,with a plastic chip puller, wrist-ground strap, and instructions. After changing the chip and making sure everything worked, I returned the old BIOS to them in the packing they provided.
On the last, I was just told to pay $40, and don't return the old one.
If we returned to this model, then as long as you could protect the physical integrity of the box, you can protect the BIOS.
Of course, this adds to the TCO in long-term maintenance if a critical issue is found and the BIOS must be replaced.
Yes, with this caveat;
I'd love to see 100% law enforcement, as long as 100% of the enforcement (or enforcing agent's) action is also monitored.
Agree.
Microsoft has changed the computer industry. They have made the largest influences leading to the millions of computers being used by the masses.
Yes, it is a lot of marketing crap. Yes, it is very insecure. Yes, it is a lot of ideas and technology assimilated from other sources. Bottom line - it works enough, cheap enough, easily enough.
Novell has been declared 'dead' so often it is boring. NetWare has some great security features - one being the basis for AD. Over history, Novell has made a lot of industry deals, and many have turned out bad. Search for Caldera - and you'll find more jokes or lawsuit references than to Novell. Few people even remember Word Perfect existed in the time between version 5.1/DOS and when Corel started marketing it. Scarred, yes - but Novell is still standing. Would these deals be any 'smarter' if someone like IBM or MS swallows your company?
Last year, before any 'official' announcement - NetWare began down the open-compatibilty path. Most of their major products [ GroupWise, ZENworks, Nsure identity...] are ported to Windows- and Linux- compatible packages. Most of the server products are moving towards a linux core - especially illustrated with a default choice of a LAMP configuration out-of-the box, while most of the client-side works are Windows-centric. This 'deal' is a logical business step.
Bottom line - MS Windows is on most desktops, and isn't going anywhere. NetWare is a great product with a loyal installed base. Why not find a way to work together and share some profits?
They've been warning us. The doom is coming Nov.8.
As the IT guy, you provide solutions for problems.
Using podcasts == a good thing.
Many Universities & other institutions use recorded lectures; some allow only access to enrolled students.
-- this is how technologies like BlackBoard & WebCT behave.
Some enlightened institutions allow free, open access to these materials.
Restricting access to the podcasts is a business decision.
What costs / benefits are there to restricting access?
As a grad student, I digitally recorded every lecture I ever attended. I learn that way.
I show up for every class, I do every homework, I listen over again to the lectures, I re-write my notes... and I still get B's.
BTW- the extra material is what helped me be a "good student".
If my classmates ever asked, I freely shared those audio files, and any notes I took. They shared notes, homework, and previous exams with me, too. If I never had access to "extras" like this, I would have become frustrated and dropped out.
Are you now asked to provide an IT solution to "bad students"?
The knuckleheads among us still failed.
Keeping it in business terms, what are the costs of trying to protect this content vs. the cost of making this professor take attendance? Has the printed attendance sheet really caused that many classroom disruptions?
If the issue is truancy, take attendance.
* Does the professor actually know that everyone in the lecture hall is currently enrolled?
You may protect the digital version, but who will keep people from watching his lecture in realtime without proper credentials?
If the issue is fair grading, then take away the 'curve', and make the exams include reading and research that isn't in the lecture.
This guy was recently featured in an often-repeated Discovery Health special about coma & brain damage. "The Man Who Slept for 19 Years"n athanjones.blogspot.com/2005/03/man-who-slept-for- 19-years.html+%22discovery+health+channel%22+%22Th e+Man+Who+Slept+for+19+Years%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=cln k&cd=3 blog [google cache copy] describes it pretty well.
I don't recall if they specifically said for this guy, but the other patients in that show were in JFK Medical Center, NJ.
g y/04coma.html?hp&ex=1152072000&en=31378eedf4a85e5c &ei=5094&partner=homepage Pictures and other links there.
DHC website doesn't have a lot on it, but this guy's http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:fl6GNF-iDgsJ:
This show was done shortly after he woke up about 2 years ago. At that point, he had come out of his 19 year coma, and refused to beleive any time had passed. He thought Reagan was still President, and he was still 19 and able-bodied. Every day was the same, and he had no learned memory. Like the blog says, every day was "groundhog day".
Apparently, his family refused to give up on him, and dragged his limp body around to family events - even hunting and fishing trips. - I think this is odd, but amazing. I doubt I could have this much faith.
Really creepy was how his 19 year old daughter was dealing. Since he thought he was still 19, his 40-ish ex-wife (she gave up and moved on) wasn't anything he was interested in. He was flirting with the daughter, though. She was uncomfortable, but knows that Dad doesn't realize what he is doing.
NYTimes also picked the current story up. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/health/psycholo
Friends & Family in the service have told me that not only are eyes checked, but other parts, too.
Any dentistry that isn't done right is fixed by military dentists - or you get disqualified from some jobs. One can't be expected to perform on high-altitiude jumps & flights or high-pressure underwater dives when air bubbles inside fillings could expand / boil / explode.
It makes sense that certain medical procedures need to be done to a different tolerance level in the military.
Excellent points. On the 'expensive' issue, though.. GEnie was charging up to $36 per hour for dial-up connections for "prime time gaming". At it's worst, AOL only extorted $6 or so per hour.
I remember having to explain the $300+ monthly bills until I took an in-game "job" with SimuTronics (now Play.net ) so they would pay my net bill.
Other Novell users have already solved this for you, too. Cool Solutions .reg file might actually preserve some level of security, too; isn't that the point of using Novell?
This covers installs with or without ZEN.
+mod parent up - not a troll, he actually offered helpful info! Using a carefully crafted
Yes: Dell is and has been shipping this for a while now.
Rumor has it that Dell makes up to $1.75 for each machine shipped with the Google package. InsideGoogle
It's been out long enough to develop a De-Crapifier
And of course, Dell's own Technical Support Document FA1094103 - "Where can I find assistance for my Google Toolbar and Google Desktop?
NO: Dell is shipping 'clean' gaming systems
Slashdot
Dell has been offering customers who want to develop their own disk image the ImageBuilder and X-Image programs.
Anyone using the imaging process, or having another existing contract doesn't get the extra garbage.
This makes it really inconvenient, considering that Dell's Image Restore is kinda neat for tech support. Just have users restart and press a couple keys - 10 minutes later you have OOBE back again. Unfortunately, out-of-box includes all this crap again. I'd still like a disk for when I replace the HDD, but this has potential to save a lot of time.
It looks to me like Dell is padding the machines at the low end with a more pennies of profit.
When Joe Cubicle calls the building manager about his heat or AC problems, he has (or soon learns) a reasonable expectation of what he can ask for, and what will get done for him.
/Napster /Skype / weatherbug/ etc.. and the company VPN connection won't work - they expect instant gratification.
When Fred Copyguy calls the Xero/Canon tech because he jammed the double-sided collated stapler function again, his company is paying for either a hefty contract or a site visit. If Fred does this too often, he is dealt with.
When Phil McCracken gets sued for sexual harassment, he makes an appointment to see counsel, and waits while the case is dragged through depositions and hearings.
Unfortunately, when these same nitwits call IT because they installed the latest Free Poker game
Corporate-think needs to perceive the computing infrasructure,including the personnel, as an expensive, specialized tool. If you want me to replace this [machine, router, 1st-level support tech] like a $10 pencil sharpener, then always keep a dozen spares around and ready, or give me an expense account so I can just run down to CompUSA and buy 6 or 8 on any given day. OTOH, if you want me to save that $80,000+ in dusty equipment and redundant training then treat the entire system with the respect and care just like you do the building / campus / Corporate Counsel office.
Damn - from the guy who gave us SpiderMan /Venom , X-Men and countless original storylines
We now get reality TV http://www.whowantstobeasuperhero.tv/ and storylines already beaten to death by Slashdot.
What's next - will Tony Stark release Iron Man's suit code under GPL?
feh
IND = "improvised networking device"
The FermiLab press release speaks about this new experiment being much more precise in measuring the number of Neutrinos and the energies expended in their oscillations.
m inos_3-30-06.html
They also refer to the earlier experiments, "Our first result corroborates earlier observations of muon neutrino disappearance, made by the Japanese Super-Kamiokande and K2K experiments. Over the next few years, we will collect about fifteen times more data, yielding more results with higher precision, paving the way to better understanding this phenomenon. Our current results already rival the Super-Kamiokande and K2K results in precision."
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/press_releases/
Amen! I even invested in a high-quality digital recorder to help automate the process. In my study group - where we each recorded or shared CDs of class lectures - every one of us scored a B- or better. (Class averages were C+ to B)
At least one instructor objected to recording, so we had to work around that.
As to "... who wants to listen to lectures when preparing for exams?" I can't imagine -not- going over my notes and the recorded lecture within a couple of days after class. I also -do- spend my spare time in the week before exams re-reading my notes, and listening to lectures on my car stereo and MP3 player.
Now, this works for me with grad-level Crypto, Abstract Algebra, and number theory. I can't imagine that I would have recorded the droning "discussions" in my undergrad American History or basic(-level) programming classes. I guess it all depends on personal preference, and how difficult your subject matter is.
I also worked with Simutronics for a while - apparently during the period she was working out of St. Louis apartments. I never knew that at the time. As a GameHost for GemStone III, I always thought that they ran a very slick, professional site. We had several developers,had mandatory weekly meetings (online) to discuss game developments and maintenance and they ran 24/7/365 operations. I was amazed to see a MMORPG that could handle 1000+ average simultaneous users, and I was proud to have redundant dial-up access through both AOL and CompuServe because AOL went down so much. I was there for the breakaway transition, but left before they became play.com. I assumed they had a fancy office campus outside St. Louis right from the beginning. (For the younger among us, this was the time when those ISPs were charging $3 per hour -or much more on GEnie- for people to connect and play these games.) I even considered applying and moving there to work. (I got married instead.) I didn't think Elonka (then SimuElonka) was on-board from the beginning. I guess that shows how little a peon like me really knew about the business end. I was supervised by GameMasters and a management-type guy called SimuJosh. I only met Elonka (virtually) once or twice in our weekly meetings. I thought she was more involved with DragonRealms and another murder-mystery type game. Since those days, I have also become interested in crypto - now back in school and working on my MS with a concentration in security. Elonka is definitely one of the most knowledgeable in the field - and she has remained relatively accessible, as opposed to some elite acadmics. Before this article, I had read about Elonka's public work & glanced at her website but I never put the name together. Thanks for bringing this all together for me SlashDot!
At least they aren't trying to regulate the entire system. The A-D ratings are advisories, but the over-18 is the only govt regulated level. This whole rating thing is good for parents (aunts, uncles, cousins, gift-buyers) who actually participate in the moral upbringing of the child-consumers. OTOH, it creates interest for those teens/adults who have disposable income of their own, and may drive sales of 'randier' rated games. The censorship of any information - even video games, just creates mystery, interest, and an underground market. In that respect - these rating systems probably backfire against their intention.
"...The Republican mayor stopped by the city's legislative office in Albany a few weeks ago ..."
Cost of living in Albany is considerably lower than NYC. Original article also implies this guy had been reminded of the computer policies in 2004. Sounds like a repeat offender, and moreover he embarrassed the boss in front of company.