Network Redneck

Blogging on the iPad

2011-08-04T17:52:00.001-05:00

I saw on TV several months ago where Oprah was giving away iPads, and she loved hers so, and she blogged on hers, and it was the best gadget ever. Uh, yeah right. Either she didn't format her own blogs (well of course not, she has a staff of grunts to do the dirty work) or she was using unreleased software. I searched. Tried the "best" ones. All crap relative to decent PC (win or mac) blogging software. I'm hoping that has changed. If this post looks pretty slick with a rose from my Flickr account integrated, credit Blogsy for leading the blog software pack. Credit Oprah for being an awesome individual who may be able to see into the future a bit more than the average Jo. :)

The iPad Update

2011-08-04T17:29:00.001-05:00

Short version: I am now OK with replacing my notebook with an iPad. Not perfect, but I can make it work while traveling.

Long version: I've been keeping an ultra-portable PC (Sony TZ series, fwiw) in my bag for years. You pay extra for a PC that weighs less than 3 pounds.

I'm on the road again today and brought both a larger notebook (Dell Latitude) and the new iPad2 with Logitech keyboard/case by Zagg. Last night it took about an hour for the Win7 notebook to get its service pack applied...a machine that was supposed to have been "up to date." So much for grab and go. I'm using that Win7 notebook to connect to the console (9pin serial port) of a router. I suspect there is or will be cable for the iPad to do that too. The iPad will need updates, but thus far they've been pretty small/fast.

So while I wait on technicians to do their part of this road trip extravaganza, I've been using a Verizon MyFi to get online. The iPad has a built-in VPN client which works great. The Win7 notebook has a larger screen, better remote desktop, and other features which make it much preferred for remote Windows work, BUT...when I've tried to connect our Cisco Anywhere client it fails miserably. No VPN=no remote access. I expect a configuration error, but haven't gotten it working. So instead I'm learning my way around the iPad. I don't think I could do it without a keyboard. I was unwilling to haul around the original Apple bluetooth keyboard. The Zagg/Logitech keyboard and case is for sure the accessory to have.

As for completely replacing my ole trusty Sony ultra-portable...consider it done. This iPad2 has 2 cameras for conferencing and, more importantly, it has the built-in ability to ship its display out a VGA adapter. That will allow me to do the occasional presentation directly from iPad. I wouldn't call this iPad experience to be flawless. In fact it is far from it. The important factors in the iPad's favor are 1) cost 2) weight 3) battery life (which was great on the Sony too) 4) fewer OS updates. Something tells me there are plenty of folks who will want one just to have an iPod that will read Facebook. It might be nice to distinguish posers from users, but it isn't worth it. We had typewriters once too, but those have been replaced by computers that have the capability of allowing people to watch porn. I'm not willing to throw out the baby with the bath water. This iPad is pretty darned convenient.

Don't think for an instant this changes my view of Apple. :)

Pruning Peaches & Muscadines 2011

2011-02-27T21:47:00.002-06:00

It's late winter, so hopefully most of the hardest freezes are behind us here in central Alabama. That makes it time to prune fruit trees. I was unable to attend the local pruning workshops, so I settled for a series of videos to freshen my memory. The following one by the UMass Fruit Advisor provides an overview of the process. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBrwFTYrlc4

Since every tree is a different, I dug around youtube a bit more and came up with the following series of videos by Gurney’s Seed on how to train young trees.
2nd year pruning => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lILzh8_hmuo
3rd year pruning => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcIycAFKPI8
4th year => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VnQwEsOEuY

Important peach pruning notes:

Remove diseased or dead limbs.
Peaches bear fruit on last year's wood.
Keep fruit low enough to pick
Thin branches for good air circulation, to minimize disease, and to provide sunlight to leaves
Provide sturdy "scaffolding" to carry the weight of fruit
Limit number of fruiting branches so remainder of fruit will be large and healthy.

I got out my trusty Corona bypass pruners and mixed a container of bleach to wash off diseases instead of spreading them everywhere I make a cut.

I cut this tree back to 4 scaffold branches a couple of years ago, so this year I just needed to clean up the new growth.

Before 2011 Pruning

After 2011 Pruning

In a few months we’ll see how well it worked.

I also have several muscadine grape vines which needed pruning. They were planted and trained to a geneva double curtain trellis as described in http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0774/ANR-0774.pdf

If you especially like videos, here’s one from goGardenNow in south Georgia about pruning his vineyard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdcaKO4Lk10

Now if I can find a professional in this area to critique my work I’ll know better what to do next year. Luckily, pruning is a fairly forgiving venture. Go enjoy your garden!

Learning To Work

2011-02-05T10:19:00.001-06:00

Quite possibly for the first time ever, I am glad to have been assigned a particular book as a "textbook." I had to first get over the rather nebulous term "evaluative inquiry" and move on. You should too. "Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in Organizations" is all about the changes happening in our workplaces and economy and how we can be more effective working as teams. Whether we like it or not, we are moving into an era where knowledge is the key to prosperity. Ironically, sharing and continued learning, rather than hoarding information, is critical to success. As PF Drucker stated, knowledge "constantly makes itself obsolete, with the result that today's advanced knowledge is tomorrow's ignorance."

"Evaluative inquiry" is a method of evaluation which accepts and thrives upon regular review of our goals and progress as we move forward. A team working together with excitement and commitment to a common goal is capable of far more than would seem possible.

Preskill & Torres point out that a team's ability to work together will not happen instantly. No doubt we would agree everyone comes around at their own pace. Most of us have been taught (or inadvertently trained) NOT to share. The book outlines ways to create effective teams. Effective teams result in effective organizations, making this worthwhile for any individual or leader.

Some key quotes:

Adults learn most effectively when there is
* A perceived need for new knowledge or skills
* An opportunity to apply what has been learned
* An emphasis on integrating new learning with what is already known
* An appreciation for past experiences

Creating the environment for individuals to learn means that organization members must
* Have accurate and complete information
* Be free from coercion and distorting self-perception
* Be open to alternative perspectives
* Be able to reflect critically on presuppositions and their consequences
* Have equal opportunity to participate
* Be able to accept an informed, objective, and rational consensus as a legitimate test of validity.

The authors point out that "discussion" comes from similar root as percussion (breaking apart) whereas "dialog" can be thought of as "a stream of meaning flowing through and among us where the goal is a spirit of understanding, not competition of ideas."

I'm not sure I'll use the formal evaluation process, but it is encouraging to have it so plainly described. The abundance of practical examples and outlines should make a useful reference, but I am most impressed by the early chapters and the potential to use evaluative inquiry with informal team "projects."

- posted (messed up?) from Blogpress on iPad

Rose Garden Irrigation

2010-12-20T20:47:00.013-06:00

After reading that fellow rose enthusiast Chris VanCleave (see his blog at http://vancleaverose.blogspot.com/) is working on an irrigation system, it occurred to me that I should share my experiences...and gain the wisdom of other gardeners' comments.

For those new to irrigation, you should know that sprinklers waste a lot of water to evaporation. Drip irrigation minimizes this waste and allows you to direct water exactly where it is needed. When watering roses it is important for the leaves to remain dry, as roses are often susceptible to a fungus called blackspot, which loves our hot, humid, Alabama climate. Together, these issues make drip irrigation the obvious choice for roses.

When you're learning what you want/need it is hard to beat the bargain prices of a starter drip irrigation kit on sale from Harbor Freight. As a friend of mine says, "cheap is a quality overcoming many faults." Such a kit typically includes a pressure reducer and an adapter to hook 1/4" drip tubing onto a garden hose. One step "better" involves using 1/2" polypropylene for the main lines.

When paired with a timer it can keep your roses and other plants happy all summer. I'm hoping this timer will last more than a year, but if it does it'll be the first. This one was used with my rain barrel during the summer of 2010, but is typical of my first few rose irrigation timers.

For the first several years in our current home I wished I could water roses with the same timer installed for the lawn and other flowerbeds. Instead I used a system primarily comprised of parts like the above plus extensive lengths of 1/4" drip tubing, soaker hoses, and eventually 1/2" polypropylene. It worked fine but required extensive annual repair/rebuilding.

My wishes came to life when we added a pool and enlarged the lawn. It was easy to justify the integrated sprinkler/dripper system while the yard was already a mess. I buried 3/4" schedule 40 PVC at the edge of the rose bed, just as if we were going to install sprinklers. By using the higher quality indoor timer, solenoids, and PVC, the primary parts of this system should last for years. The key component is an adapter which allows the drippers to connect. I bought these at Lowe's.

If you want a sprinkler head AND the dripper, you can use an adapter like this one.

Since there's only a few feet of 1/4" tubing it should be fairly long lived and easy to replace when the time comes. In the past I used standard drippers rated at 5 gallons/hour. Those worked OK but my ability to accidentally get sand in the lines meant that actual rates varied widely. If only there were a way to open the dripper and clean it out. Enter the adjustable rate "bubbler." The top unscrews for cleaning and the rate is adjustable, making the same part number work for every plant and its individual water needs. Drip irrigation bliss!

For the finale I added a soaker hose to one of the risers so our water loving Mexican Heather could be kept happy. It all adds up to an automated irrigation system which requires very little maintenance, should last a very long time, and lets me spend more time smelling roses and less time digging around under them.

Old Farmers Advice (via e-mail)

2010-10-15T09:45:00.003-05:00

(My apologies to the author(s), but these words of wisdom seemed worth keeping. -greg)

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a Ford or John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered....not yelled.

Meanness don't just happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It doesn't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about, ain't never gonna happen anyway.

Don 't judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good and honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you'll be happier.

Don 't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, Speak kindly, and leave the rest to God.

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Food Inc on PBS

2010-04-22T13:34:00.008-05:00

Food Inc is currently airing on PBS and is available to watch online from their website. I think it was on the air last night and will be available to watch online from your computer later today (Apr 22, 2010). See http://www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/watch.php The show is to re-air next week. If you haven't seen it, I suggest watching online rather than waiting. (btw--not after munching on a sausage biscuit or McD's burger)

This is an important movie because it publicizes some disgusting facts about our food system, but likely contains some exaggeration and/or misinformation as well. It certainly has the capability of leading people to some very wrong conclusions and bad decisions. No doubt it is getting people energized and motivated. If you are trying to DO something with people, motivation is the hardest part.

Here's why it's important to look at this now...

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=foodinc

That link should take you to a web page of what people are saying about "foodinc" on twitter (as I repeat myself) NOW. Our opinions of twitter don't really matter--this should provide you with an idea of the pulse at the moment. When I watched the movie a couple of months ago (my notes are at http://networkredneck.blogspot.com/2010/02/food-inc.html -- read, comment, correct, disagree, it's all fine by me) there was very little chatter. PBS has changed that. Just as importantly, you can watch it without directly sending a check to the producers, whose values are apparently different from mine. They paint a picture of chickens and cows living a rough life. I have serious problems with that allegation, but that's a different discussion.

There's also a show on TV called Jamie's Food Revolution (ABC Fri at 8pm central) which is not necessarily good TV, but is helping to fuel this fire. http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution His campaign is to get people to eat more healthy foods and to reduce health problems. I don't necessarily expect the show to go too far, but it's something you should know about. The cause is a good one.

Those are things I think you must know. As for my personal opinion...

I've mentioned to colleague and friend Dr Taylor that a business like Super Suppers (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Suppers for a description plus others) could be the bridge for making a "local food system" work. The primary reason is that it provides a funnel for local producers without the necessity of a CSA contract by individuals. Once people are on board, direct marketing should be easier. This is not without risk but if there was ever a time, it's now. See http://mealassemblywatch.com/ for risks and guidance.

You can add your own ideas. My point is that now is the time to do anything you want to see done related to local foods. There wasn't a lot of motivation prior. Either the motivation will die, or the competition will make ventures tougher in the future.

As you look at the twitter posts you should see links pertinent to local foods, direct marketing, and other web sites related to the cause. The information is flowing. How to use that to make something worthwhile is up to us.

Food, Inc

2010-02-07T23:58:00.001-06:00

I watched interviews with the producers of Food, Inc when the movie was released and didn’t agree with their apparent “agenda,” but my professor, Dr Fowler, suggested it was worth paying the rental. As it turns out, Netflix has it available for instant streaming. I still don’t agree with all of their conclusions, but the ugly truth about the industry is indeed worth viewing. Here are a few points brought out in the movie (with hopeful accuracy, but mostly not quotes):

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There are 47,000 products in average American supermarket.

There are no seasons for food. We ship produce around the world, or whatever else is required to maintain stock.

A very small group of multinational corporations control the food system.

Industrial food began in 30s with fast food. McDonalds brought the factory system to the restaurant business in order to improve efficiency. Uniformity and cheapness changed the food industry. McDonalds corporation is largest purchaser of potatoes.

In the 1970s the top 5 companies controlled 25%. Now the top 4 corporations control 80% of the food industry. Tyson is biggest meat packing company in history of world.

30% of our land base is planted in corn. Market for corn is sometimes lower than cost of production due to corporate pressures and government subsidies. Corn can be stored easily, therefore it has become a staple in our food supply. Practically every product in the supermarket contains corn and/or soybeans.

Cattle have historically eaten grass. The concept of grain fed beef is relatively new, and due to the abundance of cheap corn. The glut of corn has caused new products to be created, like high-fructose corn syrup, which take advantage of the cheap input.

At turn of century a farmer could feed 6-8 people. Now a farmer can feed 126 people. More efficient than ever.

In 1996, when Monsanto began selling Roundup Ready soybeans, only 2% of soybeans in the US contained their patented gene. By 2008, over 90% of soybeans in the US contained Monsanto’s patented gene. Monsanto owns patent on seeds so farmers can’t save seeds from their own crops. They have people hired to investigate and verify that farmers aren’t keeping patented seeds. It drives others out of business completely for a variety of reasons, the court system being one.

We should be buying locally grown food. We should be willing to pay more for locally grown carrots and broccoli than industrially produced hamburger patties. A food system which produces more healthy food would reduce our health care needs.

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You may not be hungry again for quite some time after watching, but you’ll get over it. In the meantime, you might want to visit http://www.fma.alabama.gov/ (or look for a similar listing in your state) to find a direct marketing farm near you.

Healthcare Reform by House

2010-01-09T22:53:00.001-06:00

In a recent episode (“Epic Fail”) of the TV series “House,” the hospitalized patient, Vince, posts details of his case online. One of his attempts at online self-diagnosis is based on “the wisdom of crowds,” as he explains “studies show the collective decision of a group can be more accurate than any individual’s decision.” This effectively put the team of doctors in competition with the Internet. Eventually his online quest did work, but I won’t describe that here. My important takeaway was the possibility of using “the wisdom of crowds” in healthcare. It doesn’t take many trips to a doctor to realize that medical care is just like any other undertaking. There will always be those who are better than others. The writers of House have proposed one method of reforming healthcare which could provide every patient with the absolute best possible care. It was thought provoking at the very least.

While this episode was not my favorite, if you are into IT and a follower of the series, you should be sure to '>watch. I doubt any video game programmers will be impressed, but it certainly addresses the collision of modern day healthcare with the Internet.

Marketing of Extension

2009-08-07T15:16:00.001-05:00

[this post is primarily aimed at fellow ACES employees]

The number one thing we need to do to make campus (and the public) aware of Extension is the same as any other organization…take advantage of free public opportunities to make a positive impression.

Seems generic and simple enough, but making it happen is different. It seems that administrative folks spend so much time worried about budgets and programs and personnel that they become institutionalized (thanks Jason). So when there’s a meeting by department heads and administrative leadership where there is the potential to promote “Auburn” or “Extension” it is tough to get visionary, fresh, promotional ideas. How to fix that long-term is a problem for later. There are things we can do today.

Auburn University will have some sort of a ribbon cutting ceremony for new buildings and green spaces near the new student union building on Sept 23, 2009. As I understand it, the theme will be “Green on Green.” It will be an opportunity for Colleges and departments on campus to make displays and recruit students, while promoting environmentally friendly projects. Seems like a great place for a display about Extension, and a nice warm-up for the Sunbelt Ag Expo on Oct 20-22, 2009—where Auburn’s theme will be “Sustainability” (this is still open to some debate, since it isn’t necessarily good to jump on the buzzword bandwagon).

So what would make a good display, promote Auburn, and invite people to learn more about Extension? [Biosystems Engineering has already committed to both events with the gasifier, a photovoltaic demo, and the biotruck. It is expected that Fisheries will again bring the fish tank.] Couldn’t Extension, Agronomy, Master Gardeners, and others combine to make a very nice display? Perhaps a water cycle demo, with new low pressure irrigation, plants, a mini-lawn, a rain barrel, a sand filter, and a re-circulating pump? (with related publications about each) Last year AU had a stationary bicycle powered generator, where you pedal to light up various electrical things (light bulb, fan, TV, etc). The generator is expected to be back. How about a flip-flops display? That was the hottest AU story of 2008.

The question is, who is willing to promote what they do in Extension in an organized, coherent fashion, as part of a group project? What are you doing for local fairs, shows, events, etc? How could you contribute (that?) to a University/ACES sponsored display? What can you do to remind college students of the good times they had in 4H? How could you relate that something you are doing now, or to something they’d like to do?

Assuming that our University is training leaders for tomorrow, all we’d have to do to connect Extension with main campus (and beyond) is take advantage of opportunities like the “Green on Green” ceremony to (re)make the connection for students. After that ceremony the Sunbelt Ag Expo is a tremendous opportunity to be seen and heard. Since preparing displays for these expos normally seen as drudgery, I think any and all Extension personnel would be more than welcome to contribute. If you’ve got ideas, please contact me or your supervisor, or department head, or someone. Your administration isn’t going to pull an idea out of thin air and expect you to do it. Maybe sometimes, but probably not this one.

Extension in Transition?

2009-07-12T22:30:00.001-05:00

Any sizable review of Extension is ill-fated if it does not seek review and input from University leadership. The Smith-Lever Act formally established Extension in order to get University research out to the
people. At the time it was primarily for Agricultural research, which would explain the widely used term "Agricultural Extension." On the other hand, federal guidelines now require Extension to also provide education in other priority areas as well. If the Alabama Cooperative Extension System is to remain viable, it will have to improve its ability to educate in other areas. The current budget crises make it an appropriate time to address some critical problems related to this. The most critical is the lack of integration with the rest of Auburn University's faculty and mission. The lack of integration isn't isolated to Auburn and has led multiple authors to refer to Extension as the "Extinction Service." Lest anyone doubt that "Extension" is being pushed aside as a historical term, note our own Faculty Outreach Guide (http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/events/publications/faculty_outreach_guide.pdf) which describes Extension by saying, "This historical term reflects work performed in designated programs by faculty specialists affiliated with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System." This is not the only reference to Extension as a historical term within that document. In my view, "Outreach" is simply a new marketing term used to describe what Extension has been doing for nearly a century, yet multiple colleges have created departments and positions to focus on Outreach...instead of bolstering a system which works well, but has far greater potential than has thus far been realized.

Extension does a good job of keeping in touch with communities. Based on results of marketing studies it is clear that Extension could do a better job of identifying itself to the people, but it is already far superior to any other form of University Outreach due to the connections with county governments, school systems, businesses, and etc.

Extension is able to communicate with residents by breaking research and statistics down into real people terms and providing it directly to real communities to have a direct effect on lives. Academia is ill-suited for this task. Professors who deal with college students and other researchers on a daily basis have a very difficult time providing understandable training for the general public…especially children and the uneducated. Extension has the experience to make that connection.

Extension should be the primary conduit for Outreach, as stated in the "see also" section of Auburn University's Wikipedia page
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn_University#See_also). The term "conduit" is critically important because it defines what
Extension is...or should be. It should be the primary delivery medium for the research and knowledge of the Land-Grant system to the people. The terms Outreach and Extension need to become synonymous, since the missions are already the same.

In order to capitalize on the strengths of Extension, Land-Grant Universities must make clear our formal commitment to Outreach since 1914. It is also essential to eliminate the duplication of effort which has already begun. One way to promote this intrinsic cooperation is to provide Academic credit for Extension publications in the promotion and tenure process. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System will have to make changes to handle the workload, and I suspect Extension at other states would also, but it is the right thing to do. That makes it worth the effort.

This doesn’t even scratch the surface of the things which could be done to merge Extension into the mainstream of University activities. Some might even argue that we should not attempt cooperation outside of Agriculture. Nonetheless, I hope this sparks some thought into how Extension fits into University functions, and how to save money while providing a greater community impact.

Your Opinion Matters

2009-07-04T13:56:00.001-05:00

I love "Play-Doh." When I was six I created snakes, dogs, pigs, cups, buildings, and complete landscapes out of the stuff. I'd show off my creations, then smash them up and start all over again. Occasionally we'd keep a cup & saucer until it turned into a brittle piece of clay that no longer could be re-used. Today if I created a cup & saucer I'd probably use modeling clay or potter's clay. I'd probably go with a potter's wheel and try "throwing" the items as they spin. What's remarkable is the vastly different end result. Today I'd be left with a "piece" or "work," regardless of how misshapen or unusable it might be. If I used "Play-Doh" today to create a cup it would be laughed at as a joke if I displayed it as a "work." But why the difference? If you say "Because it's Play-Doh!" then we should ban Play-Doh and only sell potter's clay. That would make every six year old into an artist! If that's not true, then why the difference?

Have you ever heard, "If he jumped off a cliff would you jump too?" If enough people think something is worthy of being called "a work of art," then so it is. How unfortunate that gang mentality could affect something as moving as art. Art is based on your personal experiences and perceptions. Art is created as someone puts their own emotions, skills, and pride into the creation of something of beauty. When others experience it, that emotion and sense of pride is transferred by our appreciation. But "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." My sense of beauty has been shaped by my experiences. The things for which I have greatest appreciation are likely very different from yours. In other words, art is individualized.

If you tend towards negativity, you might immediately conclude, "This guy has no culture. He's one of those people who would think Picasso's work was a general mess." You'd undoubtedly be correct, but you should know that it is possible to appreciate something based only on the fact that others find it intriguing.

The art that I find most attractive is that which moves me personally. It is based on my experiences and those things which I value most. And why shouldn't you? Art is created as someone puts their own emotions, skills, and pride into its creation. If witnessing that moves you, doesn't that make it "art" for you?

The fallout from this is far reaching and very satisfying. Aside from allowing me to appreciate a car or truck which has been modified in ways the casual observer would never notice, it also means that you too can find art in the most mundane of places. A field of beans planted around the contour of the earth by a skillful tractor driver is a beautiful thing. Sheetrock, hung and mudded so it turns into one giant wall without a seam, can be a thing of beauty because of what you *don't* see. A lawn, so perfectly manicured that it looks as if each blade of grade were individually cut by hand, can be so beautiful as to stir emotion. Taken to the extreme, anything and everything you do is art. The pride and skill you use becomes evident to the knowledgeable audience. Take pride in what you do and appreciate the job you've done. Chances are someone else will too. For the two of you, you'll connect on an artistic level. Witness the world around you and let "art" stand on its own merits. Your opinion matters too. In fact...it is really the only thing that matters.

Redneck Fix for the US Economy - Part II

2009-07-04T13:39:00.001-05:00

Dear Wall Street: You should be ashamed for encouraging the fallacy that you offer something of inherent value. Wall Street was founded on the principle of investment in companies. That principle has given way to bidding on paper stocks rather than what they represent. Your problem is a limited number of products to sell and an enormous number of people who need an investment. At some point you must pave the road back to Main Street because pure speculation is a recipe for disaster.

Venture capitalists provide money to businesses in return for a portion of earnings. The process sounds a lot like the theory of buying a company's stock and getting dividends based on the company's profit. The process could be similar if there were a sufficient number of stocks available. With the limited number of stocks traded on Wall Street, people buy and sell based completely on what they think others are willing to pay. As wise investors realize that their stocks are going nowhere they will use the benefits of the “Information Age” to find true business investments.

Wall Street is nothing without investors. The historically steady increase in stock prices over time does not represent company returns on investments for those people who own stocks. Instead it is indicative of the added money in the system as people continue to buy into the stock market. As confidence in the stock market erodes this steady climb will disappear and we’ll see a very flat or down market.

Wall Street must re-establish itself a viable means of investing in real companies or risk being overcome by those opportunities which can. This will require making sure that there are sufficient supplies of stocks available to satisfy the demands of customers. When this balance of supply and demand exists, stock values will be determined by the real earnings potential of companies, not the value of the paper stock.

What does this mean as you save for your retirement? It means when you run across a business opportunity which can’t lose…you should let me know too!

Redneck Fix for the US Economy - Part I

2008-11-10T22:24:00.001-06:00

Dear Fed: For the sake of our kids, please raise the US interest rates at least to a point consistent with the growth of the world economy. It'll sound bass-awkards the first time you say it, but it is required for stability. As stated by Ted Turner this morning on Good Morning America, the American people have been overspending and going into debt for a long time. Eventually it catches up with you. He didn't offer a solution, only identification of the problem. With the problem identified however, you can figure out incentives to fix it. Whala! Raise interest rates annually until they are back where they should be. Our interest rates have been set artificially low to encourage spending. What's worse is that it forces people to invest in a broken Wall Street in order to gain any semblance of a return on their savings. In other words, every incentive is to be deeply in debt and highly invested in the stock market. An interest rate which reflects the true growth of the economy will help stabilize our markets because some people will "invest" in banks by saving while others will seek the riskier rewards of Wall Street. It might even prevent the need to give some overpaid executives the $700+ billion most of us have to work for.

Anyone have Bernanke's (or Greenspan's) number?

Next time we'll address how to fix Wall Street.

ADED - Can we teach older learners?

2008-10-29T22:14:00.002-05:00

Class tonight was about "the older learner." Of course older people can learn. In fact, learning helps rejuvenate the mind. Actively using one's brain helps keep a person sharp. From my own observation, it seems like those who actively engage in learning during their retirement years enjoy life the most. While no single, generic thing has been identified as the reason older adults seek learning, I'd offer that it might be they've figured out that learning makes them feel alive and connected. After all, learning is living according to some.

As the segment of our population which is 65 years of age or older grows, as is suggested will happen by some sources, the question of how to improve life for our citizens begins to shift its focus toward an older audience. What should we be teaching our older adults?

Glynn Smith Van Repair

2008-10-16T22:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I took my wife's van to the dealer so they could fix the power sliding door. My description was that the door wasn't opening and closing correctly. While there, I decided to have them check out the digital thermometer and fuel gauge.

They called in the early afternoon to tell me that had fixed the door by cleaning the electrical contacts and re-programming. If I decided to do the rest, the thermometer replacement would be $175, and the fuel gauge needed a sending unit which would cost a total of $450 for parts and labor. I said "OK" and then the fun started. He tells me that I need to have that fuel gauge fixed or it will ruin the fuel pump. If he'd kept his mouth shut I was thinking I'd go ahead and take the beating. Instead I get the distinct impression he's trying to justify an expensive part by telling me a lie. It's going to take some serious proof to convince me that he's not a swindler. The gauge operates on milli-amps and the pump on amps...in other words, the pump needs at least 100 times as much current. One can also assume the circuits are *completely* separate, but I'll check the diagram later.

Why I didn't check the power door before I left the dealership is something I'd rather not admit. I was stupid and trusting. You always check your bag at the McDonald's drive-thru, so why wouldn't you verify that something as expensive as a car repair was done before driving off? Stupidity.

At this point I should admit that I didn't precisely describe the power door problem, because I thought any idiot would recognize what was wrong. I told them it didn't open and close properly. You could push the button and it would open, but if you tried to drive after closing it a buzzer would go off. So it was possible that the technician wouldn't have realized anything was wrong...until he drove it out of the shop. But he had. And he had then turned off power to the door so the alarm would stop buzzing. He couldn't have tested it with the power off so I am rather certain he turned the switch on and off.

This morning I took the van back and told them the door was still not closing correctly. The service rep called me after a bit and says I told him it wasn't opening and closing correctly, not that the alarm was buzzing. As long as I am writing the checks, he really shouldn't be making excuses. Whether or not we didn't communicate about the exact problem yesterday is of no consequence if I am the customer. He didn't seem to appreciate my response, which was "Well the door may be covering up the hole in the side of the van, but it either isn't closing, or it thinks it isn't closing because the "door open" alarm continues to buzz telling me it didn't close." I wanted to add some four letter adjectives, but didn't.

Some period of time later he calls me again to tell me the repair will cost right about $100. I told him he was welcome to do that if it would fix it, but he blew my confidence with the fuel gauge comment. Interestingly, the part (a switch) which needed replacing cost $10.70. The labor to install it was $85. I'll describe my economic philosophy and how this relates later, but I'm glad to feel like the power door is finally fixed, even if I overpaid (2 trips, remember?).

I think I've got a wiring diagram of the fuel gauge circuit so I can be prepared for their return call. They do follow up calls to find out your satisfaction level with the visit. It's going to be most satisfying to take that call.

Listen?

2008-10-16T16:34:00.001-05:00

Over the last couple of months it has become evident to me that people can't hear one another. We've all become so accustomed to tuning in/out of the conversation that we can't hear basic answers. You ask someone what time it is; they answer 11am and you still don't know what time it is! This is not strictly tied to co-workers, husbands, wives, or kids. I've noticed the phenomenon by all of the above...recently.

I figured I'd remind folks that we should spend less time talking and more time listening. Listening to the answer of a question you just asked is simple respect, but listening to what a person is really trying to say in basic conversation would be darned useful too.

Boy am I behind. I figured that out when I got the following twitter message from Barbara Nixon:

Tomorrow is deadline for proposals for Int'l Listening Assoc. conference in spring. Have you submitted yet? http://www.listen.org

Far too many of us have been doing more talking than listening. There's an association, a website, and a convention. Cool, eh?

Meaning of Adult Education

2008-09-28T23:39:00.001-05:00

While Malcolm Knowles is widely known as the Father of Adult Learning, and the program I am taking will undoubtedly be largely dictated by his work, he is far from the first to study the topic. One of Knowles mentors was Eduard C Lindeman, whose 1926 writing "The Meaning of Adult Education" was described as so fascinating he could not put it down. It is a rather small book, so I set out to see what was so interesting.

It is clear from the start that this is an essay about life. Any reference to the book will almost certainly quote "Education is life." The more you learn, the more aspects of life you are able to enjoy. While the words were never printed, I found myself thinking over and over, "The journey is the destination. Enjoy it!"

Most of the book is quotable in some learning context, but I'll start with some more radical quotes to provide some critical food for thought.

p 170 - "The real distinction between educated and uneducated persons is not to be found in such superficial criteria as academic degrees, formal study or accumulation of facts; indeed, formal learning may, and often does, lead people into narrow scholarship and out of life."

Hang on to your hat. This could be a bumpy ride. I'm starting a degree in Adult Education by learning that someone agrees with my dim view of Academia?

p 195 - "It is perhaps true that no single group in modern life stands in greater need of adult education than experts, specialists: those who continue to know "more and more about less and less."

I chose these quotes not as representative, but rather as an expression that I'd wanted to make but didn't feel it my place. Having made that connection with the author, I'll point out that the majority of the text is NOT about the woes of Academia. It is a rather enlightening view of what makes people so special. "Human nature is predisposed to optimism" he writes. He identifies aspects that are needed for people to lead their most satisfying lives. He reminds us that we need to cultivate our own personalities and experiences in order to truly live.

He discusses the social aspects of learning and what an important role it plays. Then he drops this bombshell about new technologies (1926 remember?):

Does it not bring us closer together? And will we not therefore learn to have more respect and good-will toward each other? This naive manner of placing human relations upon the quantity-contact basis probably stands in the way of our making the best use of communication inventions. It undoubtedly causes us to overlook the fact that highly-developed means of communication are indispensable to highly-centralized forms of social control. Some important differences persisted in the various regions of the United States before we all read the same syndicated news, listened to the same radio announcers, witnessed the same motion pictures, ate the same food, wore the same clothes, et cetera. Rapid means of transportation and communication tend to standardize us and therefore render us easier of control by single authorities...Our personalities can be redeemed if we insist upon a proper share in the solution of problems which specially concern us. This means giving more attention to small groups; it means as much decentralization, diversity and local autonomy as is consistent with order.

I don't take this to mean he was at all a conspiracy theorist. In context, this is related to the fact that each person can and should be able to intelligently form his/her own judgement. It is a development of one's personality based on that person's experience. Advanced communications make it very easy to accept the judgement of another instead of living your own life and enjoying it for yourself.

Experiencing life, learning from it, and then experiencing that much more is likely a vicious circle Eduard C. Lindeman would consider key to the good life. If Adult Education is rooted in that type of philosophy, I guess it is time to learn how to better richen the lives of others.

(If you do read or have read this book, please let me know if you enjoyed it too.)

Adult Education

2008-09-25T21:35:00.001-05:00

In spite of (or because of?) my employment at a University, I have developed a rather dim view of Academia over the years. When the University announced that it would offer a Master's Program in Adult Education it was very hard for me to seriously consider it. The encouragement of one Adult Education professor and a program specifically designed for Extension employees have made the offer too good to pass up. As encouraging as anything is the realization that plenty of people in Academia share my dim view of the system. Adult Education researcher Allen Tough noted that as little as 10% of what an adult learns comes from any type of formal instruction. This doesn't say much positive about adults in Academia, but sheds a whole new light on the possibilities for Extension.

As long as I stick with this program, I'll most likely use this space as a place to post notes, quotes, and maybe even a challenge question for the reader. As always, the primary purpose is for me, but I suspect others will find some points of interest too. If nothing else you can amuse yourself with my constantly changing attitude.

Potted Meat and Crackers

2008-09-07T23:11:00.001-05:00

In January of 1975 my family took a road trip to see the University of Alabama play football against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. I think my Great Uncle had gotten tickets through his contacts at the phone company where he worked. Mom prepared for the trip by getting find-a-word puzzles, books, snacks, and all those other necessities Moms are so good at remembering. She knew I'd be bored to death on the car ride and she was right. I think I read some stupid learning to read book about a horse named Bessie about a hundred times. I guess we didn't take that big ole Pontiac Catalina we had for so many years, because I don't remember lying on the "hat rack" and watching the clouds that day (a Pontiac had to have been the best car in the world for a kid who liked to watch clouds and stars out of the back window). Instead, I recall being in a seat just like the poor kids of today who are forced to miss out on some of the finer pleasures of growing up. Anyway...

When we arrived in Miami we were welcomed by my Grandmother's Sister, my Uncle, a bunch of cousins, and other family friends. The whole lot of us went to see the Orange Bowl Parade, of which I remember very little. I think there were clowns but I wouldn't even guarantee that. When the tailing fire truck passed we piled in behind with a mob of people and followed the parade back to an area close to our cars.

On the day of the game we road a bus to the stadium. I remember talk of how nice it was to be able to pass right by cars which were stopped in bumper to bumper traffic. Looking back now, I assume the tickets & bus ride were probably part of a package deal of the type given out as a company bonus. I'm not sure if the game was really slow, or if I just had the attention span of an 8 year old, but I recall it being very boring and disappointing. As best as I can tell that'd be about right, as historical records indicate my home state's team lost 13-11. Riding in a car for what seemed like an eternity, just to sit through a losing football effort may well be what started my interest in Auburn, my home state's other well known University.

The most memorable part of the trip was the football party held at my Aunt and Uncle's house. I wasn't especially close to my cousins whom I'd hardly met (since they were so physically distant for the time) and I was hanging close to Mom and Dad. My Uncle attempted to make me comfortable and offered something from a plate of appetizers. "Here you go, son. Wouldn't you like to try an hors d'oeurve?" My response was one which our family has laughed about for years, since it cut right to the bone of his seeming feeling of aristocracy. If there were a way to bottle the innocence and sincerity of an 8 year old child I'd love to have a few cases of this to use on University professors. I answered, "What is it? Looks like potted meat and crackers to me."

"What Do You Call Work?"

2008-06-23T22:52:00.001-05:00

Fictional character Tom Sawyer may have asked it while tricking his buddies to whitewash a fence for him, but his words are true to life.

On a recent trip to the beach I noticed people up and down the shore digging holes in the sand. Some were building sand castles and others were digging holes just for fun. I wondered if they'd dig a hole back at home with similar vigor and enthusiasm.

The choice of whether your work will be fun or drudgery is in your attitude. Just ask Tom.

“Like it? Well, I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?”

Fishin' on Friday 13th

2008-06-16T15:13:00.001-05:00

Captain Jeff Lassiter said he'd always had good luck on Friday the 13th, and that was the only day when our group of guys could go. My FIL (yes, I have the best in-laws ever) booked us a 12 hour fishing trip Friday 13, 2008 in the Gulf of Mexico. Getting up at 3:30am was a little harsh, but worth it. We began boarding "Catch It" from Port St Joe at 6am with a cooler full of water and a sack full of food. When deck hand Jim said "You can't come on this boat with that banana" we were worried, but food wasn't the problem...it was the banana. Bananas are bad luck on a boat, or so we were told. Funny to hear it from guys who weren't the least bit worried about Friday the 13th, but we complied.

We stopped on the way out to catch bait fish on rigs with 6 hooks each. The Cap'n would spot a school of fish on his finder, circle a time or two, then we'd "Run 'em down!" Nobody ever reeled in 6, but doubles were very common. It was interesting that 3 or 4 other boats were at this same spot in the Gulf. One could either assume that it really is a small world, or that there might be a Volkswagen or other such illegal artificial habitat dunked there in a prime spot. We were paying guests, and we were treated to something akin to fishing in a barrel. (I couldn't help thinking of "Fall Festival" where the 1st graders "fish" in a wooden box. Someone in the box puts a prize in the young fisherman's clothespin fishing rig and everyone leaves happy.)

Anyway, we left the spot with a live well full of various types of bait fish and headed farther out. We stopped at several spots catching a few fish at each one. I think I might have hung the first red snapper, which turned out to be quite a load. I didn't know what to expect, but red snapper and red grouper are quite a workout to reel up from 150ft down (or however far...I dunno...seemed like a few miles). For the first several spots we were in fairly close proximity to a couple of the same boats I'd seen at the bait fishing spot. I'm convinced the tour wasn't unique.

The crew got all excited when they spotted mahi mahi swimming around the boat. As it turned out, this was exactly like bream fishing with bread off the end of a dock. You'd bait up and dangle it in the water. Two or three would come after it and then there'd be a winner/loser.

We tried a couple of spots looking for some black grouper, but ran out of time and made our 3 hour journey back to shore. I was thankful to have just made it out and back without getting sea-sick, but the fishing was super. We returned with the limit of red snapper and red grouper, a nice catch of mahi mahi, and some white snapper. I wouldn't know large from small, but the snapper and grouper seemed quite nice. Apparently I've now been spoiled by having such great luck on my first and only trip to date, but that's just too darned bad. Life is ~~good~~ great. Thanks Captain Jeff and FIL Rod!

Fire: Handle with Care

2008-03-16T22:15:00.001-05:00

Here's a story that only our colleague John Dorner (firefighter and scout master) is likely to believe. One week ago today I burned a pile of limbs and such in my back yard (ok, in the garden area). It burned down to a couple of small logs and a pile of coals just about right for slow roasting of marshmallows.

About 9pm or so I used a tractor to bury the coals in a heaping pile of dirt. I put lots of dirt on the pile to be sure it was safe. To give you an idea, it was barely warm on top of the dirt.

Fast forward 7 days...I scattered the pile of dirt tonight-a full 7 days since the coals were covered.

Here's part of the bed of coals after having been underground for 7 days, through 2 rainstorms, and a few cold nights. Interesting that you can make out a hint of glowing red in the very center.

What? Could it still be burning after a full week? Don't you know it! I blew on it to see if it'd blaze back up. Yep. Here it is without the flash so you don't think this is just a picture of ashy coals.

The moral of the story: a smoldering fire can live for days and still be perfectly able to blaze back up. Be very careful with fire.

Thank You to Firefighters everywhere! Especially volunteers!

Why Network Redneck?

2008-02-18T22:38:00.001-06:00

To co-workers and colleagues the "Network" part is obvious enough. I've been administering computer systems and networks for my whole career. The "Redneck" part is clearer to my closer friends. I feel quite at home discussing vehicles, cockleburs, hog breeds, or Grandmother's chamber pot. For many generations, my family has at one time or another made a living from sharecropping. Relative to many I've had it quite easy, but I am certainly familiar with the rural South. Familiar enough that I don't find anything derogatory in the term "redneck." Funny maybe, but not derogatory.

[Two old small block chevy engine blocks and a couple of pieces of pipe make one fine redneck log rack!]

Growing up I thoroughly enjoyed watching hogs root around in South Alabama creeks (before ADEM decided that was taboo). I enjoyed helping butcher a hog for the New Year's Day barbeque over a pit of coals. I enjoyed riding on the tailgate of a pickup with my feet touching the ground every now and again as we went from pasture to pasture. I enjoyed digging for worms around the kitchen sink drain before going crappie fishing. Most of the things I enjoyed about my youth would fall squarely in the redneck category. With a little luck I'll retire to a place which lets me relive those days and avoid being hauled off to jail by a "revenuer" or someone else who thinks I'm an old loon who belongs in an asylum.

In the meantime I'll continue to administer a computer network here or there, and enjoy helping people learn that technology and rednecks are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Maybe somewhere along the way I'll take time to share a story or two just for entertainment. Thanks for sharing in my journey.

Parent Guides to Internet Safety, Video Games, MySpace, Facebook, and more

2008-02-11T10:06:00.001-06:00

Seldom do I agree with everything anyone has to say, but I find myself in complete agreement with the folks from the "National Institute on MEDIA and the FAMILY"...and they have *lots* of advice. I wish you didn't have to sign up for an account to download the parent guides, but they are worth it. As with any site that asks for a username and password, create a new one (not the one you use for finances/email/etc) and store it in a password manager if necessary. Look for advice related to Social Networking, Online Gaming, Cell Phones, Parental Ratings, Emerging Technologies, MySpace, Facebook, and other areas.

The Institute also has some "plans" to serve as a contract between child and parent for rules related to online activities, but I prefer the one from the Family Online Safety Institute. Its length makes it less reasonable, but it is rather inclusive...including a reminder for parents not to overreact when kids show them something bad.

I'll use a quote from the Parent Buying Guide to close this post.

When we buy our kids everything they want, they miss out on some of the things they really need to succeed - like perseverance, generosity and the ability to delay gratification. Some things you can’t buy at a store. Does this mean we can’t buy our kids anything, ever? Of course not. It does mean it’s okay to say no sometimes.

Spend twice as much time, and half as much money as you can afford, with your kids.

Electoral College and US Presidential Elections

2008-02-07T21:05:00.001-06:00

At first glance one might think the map below shows that almost the whole US voted Republican in the 2004 Presidential Election.

Wikipedia's article about Red vs Blue states - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_states_and_blue_states

In reality, the vote was rather evenly split between the Democratic and Republican candidates. It is even possible that the candidate getting the most total votes could lose our Presidential election (it happened in the 2000 Presidential Election.) The reason is described in detail on that web page, but the bottom line is that the Electoral College takes into account population and geographic factors. From the population map below it is easy to see that a Presidential voting system based purely on popular vote would leave Montana and Wyoming with practically no say in the election whatsoever, while the New York area would rule supreme.

http://www.time.com/time/covers/20061030/where_we_live/

Our forefathers didn't establish the US without such considerations. It may not be perfect, but the US governmental system is one of the most successful ventures ever produced by a committee.

Why blog?

2008-01-15T16:31:00.001-06:00

Hahaha. Here are 4 different blogs I created for 4 different reasons, not including the ones at http://gparmer.spaces.live.com/ . Delete this now and save yourself some time. :)

A blog entry of my (little used) blogs=
http://eblnotes.blogspot.com
http://parmer.blogspot.com/
http://chs1984.blogspot.com/
http://gparmer.livejournal.com/

There are lots of reasons to blog, and the penalty for "jumping right in" isn't as high as some will tell you. I rather liked jumping in and then abandoning what I didn't like. It works for millions of teens and it worked for me.

Broadband via Cell Phone

2008-01-15T15:40:00.001-06:00

If you travel a lot, or if you live in an area without DSL or CableModem broadband possibilities, a product like the Verizon EVDO AirCard could really help you out...especially when teamed with the matching router which can broadcast a connection to several PCs or WiFi devices. It is also a very good solution for a rolling lab or mobile classroom.

The setup I've tested (thanks Jonas!) is a "PC5750" Verizon AirCard with a LinkSys "WRT54G3G-ST" wireless router. The AirCard normally fits in a normal PCMCIA slot of a notebook computer. It has a very small flip up antenna and a place to connect a larger external antenna. The tested router has a PCMCIA slot which accepts the card without any configuration whatsoever.

The AirCard picked up a signal and worked reliably in a remote location in Alabama where a voice call via cell phone is very unreliable, so the AirCard's external antenna port will likely be unnecessary.

The combination worked so well that a client VPN connection over WiFi, through the router and AirCard did not drop while traveling on an AL Interstate. The AirCard hopped from cell tower to cell tower without ever missing a beat.

The fine print of Verizon's agreement says that if usage exceeds 5GB/line/month they reserve the right to reduce speeds to a max of approx 200Kbps. I've not heard of that happening yet, but I guess it'll still beat the heck out of a 56k modem. I think it'd still be much better than a satellite connection too, since the satellite connection has a very annoying lag. Other than the high price and the possibility of a bandwidth restriction, I'd say this type of broadband connection is as nice as DSL or cablemodem. Congrats and thanks to Verizon for a network that really does work.

iPod Touch

2008-01-07T10:58:00.001-06:00

(trying out Windows Live Writer posting to iGoogle here)

I purchased an iPod Touch mp3 player for my wife this past Christmas. It has a WiFi connection and uses a very nice touch screen interface. I was fairly impressed before I decided to do the "jailbreak" on it so that we could install other applications (like Google Maps which is on the iPhone by default). Since the "jailbreak" I'm more convinced than ever that Apple is a clueless company. The Touch is awesome if only they'd package it with applications, or the ability to add them. Once the iPhone is released from it's AT&T stranglehold I'll be in the market for one. I doubt I'd be so enamored with the Touch if we hadn't done the jailbreak procedure on it.

The basic overview for the jailbreak I read came from Jeremy Keith's Adactio blog. The only issue I had was figuring out how to do the procedure from a PC. The biggest difference was learning how to do the "Restore" from a file instead of using the default restore file. It was as simple as holding the shift key in windows while clicking Restore. The file required an .ipsw extension, iirc, but I think that was in the instructions too. I also referred to this howto on the instructables site.

Saturday while visiting my parents, I helped my (non-computer using) Dad use it to look up wiring harness diagrams for his 1950 Ford Truck. He had *very* little difficulty using the Touch. The interface is much easier to use than a PC. The biggest hurdle was how to get Wi-Fi access in Texasville, AL. Surprisingly, a Verizon Wireless AirCard worked great. I'll save details about that for another post.

Programming Not Deterministic After All

2008-01-02T22:26:00.000-06:00

In theory, I could've just saved this link to Bruce Eckel's commencement address to my bookmarks, but since I agree so completely this one deserves a bigger star. Nice job, Bruce!

Kids' Tech

2007-12-27T23:04:00.000-06:00

While visiting with family for Christmas I asked my nieces if they used RSS. It seemed legitimate enough, since they are from a very metropolitan suburb of Atlanta and two of them live in Athens, GA...home of the University of Georgia. I figured if anyone knew about this stuff it'd be them. They didn't know what RSS was...or news...or Google Reader...or the orange box. I'm convinced it is still too difficult to use for the mainstream. The informal mini-survey just supported that feeling.

I also asked about Facebook. The answer was that it's a way to waste time instead of doing homework. My assessment is that it serves the same purpose as "the Mall" did 30 years ago. It's a place to hang out and talk to friends...albeit one extremely large mall.

I was also told of an instructor that "gets it." I had to ask what that meant. He was "able to relate" is the answer I got. It seems that's the phrase used when more than one person thinks the same way. It doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong, if people agree they think the other one "gets it." I wonder how often I've heard that applied to IT. Tech people tend to think everything we see is a nail just because we have a new hammer. In many cases, paper is all the information system a person needs. Paper is one very robust system for storing data. Any IT person that doesn't recognize that apparently "doesn't get it." :)

Reflecting and Forecasting about the Beloved RSS Feed

2007-12-22T22:02:00.000-06:00

We haven't even begun to see the power of RSS feeds. The searching, sorting, re-using, and general acceptance of feeds are still in their infancy.

Remember when it required serious 'net savvy to find stuff on the WWW? Google (and other services to a lesser degree) changed that. Expect to see similar advances in the way we use RSS feeds. Web browsers (d)evolved to the point they are intuitive for the most computer illiterate user. The same will happen in feed reading, because the masses don't want to think about the technology. It should happen naturally, obviously, and intuitively. It shouldn't require hours of search, cut, paste, and re-type to find and download podcasts on a particular topic, for example. It's bound to happen, and reassuring to think it won't be Microsoft or Apple that makes this a user-centric technology. The Google Reader and iGoogle are making headway fast.

Losing Weight without Dieting

2007-12-22T08:44:00.000-06:00

Standing will be priority one for losing weight easily. Regular exercise will be the primary regimine, but simply standing more and sitting less should help get things moving.

One of the first things I've learned as a lab rat in a weight loss study is that my perception of exercise isn't necessarily related to how many calories I'm burning. Heart rate was a much better indicator during my last exercise session. Sitting down decreases heart rate, which I do a lot since I spend so much time using a computer. Luckily, I have a notebook PC which works great while standing at our bar. The solution is obvious...more time at the bar! I wonder if that's how one of my co-workers avoids gaining weight too. :)

If standing and computing is something easy for you, I'd be curious to know if it makes a difference for you.

Presidential Election 2008

2007-12-20T20:32:00.000-06:00

ABC News' Match-O-Matic for finding which Presidential candidate agrees with your personal views. Answer the questions and find your match.

I've done a good enough job avoiding all things political that I'm not sure who's even running, but it said Romney, Hunter, then Paul for me. All Republicans? Neat, but I probably have a better chance of winning *myself* on a private party ticket than any Republican. You make your bed, then you lie in it (pun intended).

The Demise of Google

2007-12-20T09:34:00.000-06:00

Make a local copy of anything you have on any Google site. They'll be filing bankruptcy in a matter of days. How can I be so sure? I bought a share of GOOG stock. My track record with such things is impeccable.

School Prayer

2007-12-19T23:04:00.000-06:00

Another great irony...notice the upper right hand corner of this magazine. "A Christian View: Behind The Fight Against School Prayer." This is Look Magazine from June 18, 1963! Contrary to popular belief, this is not a new issue.

Behind the Wikipedia Controversy

2007-12-19T11:13:00.000-06:00

Make no mistake about it, I love wikipedia. What makes it work is the passion that people have about their interests, and the general good nature of people. Ironically, that same passion is also its greatest problem.

I've been a part of a similar "experiment" for 10+ years. This experiment is simply a social network originated (and primarily maintained) via e-mail. The basic rules are that there are no rules. It is commonly agreed that we'll not show blatant disrespect for one another, but that occassionally takes a back seat to the passion. The result is an e-network vastly superior to any engineering reference I've ever known. I'd love to discuss the details, but for now it's better to get to the point.

Heaven only knows if there is validity to the Register's article about the secret mailing list of administrators behind Wikipedia , but the comments highlight the pros and cons of such a resource nicely.

Where this all ties together is in the behavior of people and their passions...more explicitly in the comment made by David Wiernicki, which I'll dub my quote of the year.

I am not an expert...
By David Wiernicki
Posted Tuesday 4th December 2007 02:25 GMT
...but my understanding of the Wikipedia project is that its strength comes from a vast number of people making small changes.

However, the process self-selects to self-destruction - to wit, people who have lots of free time get the most power. But those people are usually the ones who are involved in order to gain personal prestige - the antithesis of Wikipedia in the first place. They're experts in the expert-less community.

So the community automatically becomes run by unstable people who care more about their personal power than the results. And this becomes impossible to stop, because reasonable people by definition will not be obsessed enough to fight the tendency.

And therein lies the doom of a good idea.

I should clarify my interpretation of that to say that a passionate person's power and prestige is often simply ego. Eventually the "reasonable" contributor gives up the fight and becomes a foe to the project. It doesn't necessarily ruin the data, but it is a huge distraction. The typical result is division, with multiple authorities...be that for good or bad.

E-Networking

2007-12-15T15:26:00.000-06:00

If if were rich and famous (or even poor and influential), I'd start my own term called "e-networking" to replace all the social crap being spewed about. Why do we need social networking, social bookmarking, social annotating, or social anything else? Doesn't the term "social" imply that it is not for business?

If it were up to me, I'd drop the social and make it electronic networking. It's really all about people building networks of relationships and using those relationships to share information. In other words, it is the electronic version of the same networking we've always done.

My kids' peers think it's funny to make up words. My peers (my e-network) will probably just laugh at me. :)

Zen, Dudes!

2007-12-15T15:06:00.000-06:00

Zen Habits describes at least 2 reasons to blog (without saying so). If you blog, you can cover items 2 and 15 in their recent post entitled 15 Can’t-Miss Ways to Declutter Your Mind.

Web2.0 is Outdated

2007-12-13T09:11:00.000-06:00

Viddler.com is yet another video sharing site, but one that lets you add tags and comments inline with the video. More neat technology.

One video shared there is "How to Bluff Your Way In Web2.0" by Andy Budd and Jeremy Keith recorded at SXSW.

The video is a humorous look at web design aspects currently dubbed "Web2.0." You'll likely pick up a few new sites and terms, just in time for them to tell you that the term "Web2.0" has outlived its usefulness. It is now holding us back rather than moving us forward. When companies come to web designers asking for a "Web2.0 design" it means we have a problem. There is a website to create responses for those folks. It's called "The Web2.0 BS (sic) Generator." Just click the button and it'll give you terms to use in your presentations. :)

Facebook Gadget Brings New Hope

2007-12-07T13:59:00.000-06:00

There is a gadget for displaying Facebook updates on your iGoogle page!

Anyone with a Google/Gmail account has the ability to create their own custom Google search page. It is called "iGoogle" and is a very customizable personal portal. "iGoogle" has Gadgets (aka widgets on other sites) for putting things like email and RSS feeds on our personal iGoogle page. The Facebook gadget means that you can get important data out of Facebook without having to go to the Facebook site directly. This is a beautiful discovery for those of us dying to see the "walled garden" philosophy of Facebook change.

The only problem with this type of solution is that it teaches users to enter do entirely the wrong thing. Namely, it wrongly teaches them that it is OK to enter a username and password somewhere other than the website from whence it came. That brings me to a third option, which is just to use a different password for every website's registration and use a password manager like password safe to handle the mess.

"Monte, I think I'll take what's behind door number 3."

I still hate Facebook, but maybe I'll miss fewer updates now. Once again Google saves the day.

Avoid Adobe (Macromedia) Contribute

2007-12-07T13:34:00.000-06:00

The Contribute (web) Publishing System has huge shortcomings in any reasonably sized environment. The standard install uses unencrypted LDAP queries to authenticate with Active Directory. Plain text logins like this should have gone away years ago. Implementation of LDAPS for secure authentication in Contribute is done via arcane java commands.

Once you get a secure connection running you must ensure that the email address field in AD is complete. That's the (un-configurable) field used as the key in the CPS database to check a user's permissions.

The need for this configuration assumes that you can get the server to run at all. There seems to be some conflict between the Contribute service and the ColdFusion service when using a secure connection. The 2 services to not automatically restart when the server restarts.

Bottom line: avoid Contribute. There are better ways to allow a novice user to update a webpage without sacrificing the security of your entire network.

Will Facebook Adapt Faster Than AOL Did?

2007-12-02T21:56:00.000-06:00

As we were doing our In-Service training last week I was reminded that we ('net users that is) are quickly moving toward an online experience that allows us to choose what news comes to us, esp via RSS technologies. We no longer take the time to visit our favorite websites to check for updates. How ironic was it that the next topic of training was about the popularity of Facebook as a social networking site. Facebook requires you to visit the site to find out your news. It tells me that some big changes are coming. Either Facebook will figure out how to adopt to a different business model, and will drop the walls around their garden, or they'll become the next AOL.

Web2.0, Money, and Education Part II

2007-11-23T21:42:00.000-06:00

It was less than 3 weeks ago that I wrote how important I thought it was that we recognize how to make money on the Internet. The second bullet in Dave Winer's post about creating a maintainable and thriving web refers to the way money and competition is changing the landscape of blogging. Companies are putting together teams of bloggers to increase their readership and their revenues.

I think Fred Wilson's post on the topic spells it out nicely. I'm going to post a giant piece of that post, but if you find it as interesting as I did you'll want to visit his site to read the comments also. Fred wrote:

For years, I've been using curators to filter my web experience. I can't and won't subscribe to the hundreds (maybe thousands) of blogs I want to stay on top of. I realize that everything I write here, or on fredwilson.vc, unionsquareventures, or at newcritics, won't be read by every reader/subscriber. I know that all of you are doing the same thing as I am. We are relying on the world of social media curators to surface up the things that are interesting and we read that.

Techmeme has been the killer social media curator for my world of tech blogs. Lore has it that it was created using Scoble's OPML file. It doesn't matter to me if that's true or not, I love that story. Because my OPML file was unusable until I found Techeme and after that I stopped reading feeds and started reading curated feeds.

But curated systems will be gamed. Everything on the Interent will be gamed. And user generated content won't stay "user" generated forever. The pros will crash any party that's worth crashing and make it their own.

I don't think this is a bad thing, it's just worth noting.

Just when you are starting to get the hang of another new technology and starting to see the writing on the wall you are hit with a moment like this. I'd never heard the term "curated feed" before now. I was just noticing how worthless the local newspaper feed is because all stories receive equal billing, unlike the printed paper which contains headlines of varying sizes. I'd thought useful it'd be for someone to moderate stories and provide only stories I might find interesting. Glory be, I just read that Fred's been using "curated feeds" for years. I feel so inadequate.

Centralization Bad for Internet

2007-11-23T20:15:00.000-06:00

How could tinyurl, feedburner, and webcite be bad things? "Centralizing stuff is not good for the Internet," wrote Dave Winer recently. De-centralization is at the core of RSS and re-use of content. Centralization is for control freaks, bean counters, and moochers.

Most of us love tinyurl for what it provides, but did you ever consider what happens when it breaks, or what would happen if it disappeared for good? Steve Rubel addresses the idea recently in his post entitled "Could a Billion TinyURLs Go 404?" The possibility certainly exists. A better solution for a maintainable Internet would be using our own tinyurl services, rather than relying on a centralized service which could easily become overloaded or go extinct for other reasons.

So what about feedburner? A glitch in this service could render all subscriptions through it useless, with no notification to the users. RSS was created as an infinitely scalable method for distributing content. Feedburner works by funnelling traffic through a central site for the purpose of counting hits. It's very tempting to want to know who's reading, but using feedburner to do so makes us no better than the control happy paper publishers we so often criticize.

For kicks I checked the preferred subscription method to local newspaper columnist Joe McAdory's blog and the feed(s) from nearby newspaper The Montgomery Advertiser. Neither used feedburner. I was relieved to find that, and reminded of a familiar Confucious saying--"He who lives in glass house shouldn't throw stones."

Solar Collector Alignment

2007-11-21T17:26:00.000-06:00

According to this article about a Solar Heater in Mother Earth News:

The ideal angle at which to position a southfacing solar collector (in the Northern Hemisphere) or a north-facing collector (in the Southern Hemisphere) is your latitude plus 10°.

Looks like I'm at a touch over 32d latitude, which makes 42d the ideal angle. That's close enough to the 45d SWAG that I shouldn't have even bothered to note it...except that it's neat to know someone cared enough to make a recommendation.

Post Veterans' Day Thank You

2007-11-21T13:12:00.000-06:00

On the way back from our Smokey Mountain vacation we took the old highway through Madisonville to get some smoked bacon from Benton's Country Hams. While waiting for our smoked bacon order to be freshly sliced to our liking, a gentleman noticed our Auburn University attire and asked "you folks are too young to remember the games, but have y'all ever heard of Jerry Wilson...or Tommy Lorino?"

He recalled meeting a large man named Jerry Wilson (and Tommy Lorino, both from the 1957 Nat'l Championship Auburn football team) in France during the war. He had asked "are you the Jerry Wilson that spent the afternoon in our backfield," referring to the Auburn vs Tennessee football game. I'm not sure if he played or if he was just another faithful fan, but the man was obviously in the presence of someone he admired. What's more, they were now on the same team, fighting for the USA. Jerry had responded by asking where he was from. "Aww...just a little town you've probably never heard of in Eastern TN called Madisonville" the man had answered. Jerry said he knew exactly where Madisonville was located because he went through there on the way to Gatlinburg...a trip many folks from Auburn made for honeymoons and anniversary trips. The man told us that his little town was like so many others since the Interstate had been built. He explained that Madisonville is now a place people travel by, not through. Such true words the man had shared. My wife and I were on our way back from Gatlinburg on our anniversary trip and had elected to take Hyw 411 so we could stop at Benton's. The trip north had been via Interstate, and had taken us right by his beautiful little country town.

It was nice meeting the gentleman, sharing his memories, and enjoying the flashback by visiting the smokehouse filled with the aroma of fresh pork. If you never visited a country slaughter house as a child you might not appreciate the smell as much as I did. For those of you--I hope there will always be Wal-Mart, Bruno's, and Kroger for your culinary purposes. Thanks to the military service of the man from Madisonville, Jerry Wilson, Tommy Lorino, and thousands of others, we have our choice. Thank you, US Veterans.

PS: Mr Allan Benton himself was there at his place of business too. The sausage was excellent, and I can't wait to try the bacon. It was reassuring to see that it's possible for a business to remain viable in a day of automated processing and imported goods. Hurray for the little guy!

Security Issues with Facebook, MySpace, and Social Sites

2007-11-11T21:43:00.000-06:00

Security concerns with Facebook, Social Networking, and Web2.0 sites are huge, because they teach users to do all the wrong things.

Perhaps the worst offender is when an application asks for you to "authenticate" an application with your username and password from a third party site. Example--the app which includes your photos from flickr.com on your Facebook page. This is teaching users to be "phished."

Jeremy Keith, a web developer in Brighton England, pledges to do the right thing in his "The password anti-pattern" post.

So here’s what I’m going to do: even if it costs me a contract in the short-term, I will refuse to implement any kind of interface that involves asking the user for a password from a third-party site. I urge you to do the same. And if you feel equally strongly about this, make your thoughts known: blog about it, talk about it…

I urge you to read his complete post for a better explanation of the problem.

There are also issues of privacy and Personally Identifiable Information which people politely ignore to be "social." It is ironic that organizations are being forced to eliminate PII online, but users are posting far more personal information by their own free will.

Security is not at all a priority when people are trying "cool" new things, because the "secure" way is rarely the fun way. It is unfortunate that security does not become a priority until after it is compromised.

Education's Use of Myspace, Facebook, Second Life

2007-11-07T16:26:00.001-06:00

Have you ever read an article full of typos and grammar mistakes and questioned its legitimacy? As you spend a few hours setting up your educational Myspace page amidst thousands of other users who have spent years learning the culture and etiquette you should realize you are not the leader of this pack. Your youthful mistakes distract from the message you bring in the same way typos distract from what you read. This is not to say that you shouldn't try. Rather it is a reminder that the most efficient way to get a message out to a population is to use someone from that population spread the word.

If one of your employees loves participating in MySpace, Facebook, Second Life, or some other possible new media conduit, use that love and energy to do what you can't. That person who is familiar with the method, excited about the message, and motivated by having fun at work can quickly do something you may never be able to do--earn the respect of a target audience, and then teach them something new.

As for yourself...learn and participate, but don't kid yourself into thinking you're gonna be an instant expert.

Web2.0, Money, and Education

2007-11-04T20:53:00.000-06:00

We (Education) really need to be learning and teaching more about how to make money on the Internet. The reason is not so that we can make money, but so that we know when we're being taken. Most of what we read about Web2.0 and Social Networking and 'blogging is firmly centered around the almighty dollar. Understanding how and why things work like they do requires knowledge of the online monetary system. The "how to 'blog" tutorials are great, but you should keep in mind how people get paid to write while you're reading them. In order to get reasonable statistics needed for maximizing profits, you need tracking information. The very nature of RSS prevents tracking exactly who reads what. The multitude of sites offering hit statistics and rankings should be your first clue that Web2.0 (a marketing term itself) is all about making money online.

'Blogging is a great evolution of the web so I don't want to hinder that process, but it is worthwhile to understand the monetary system before even reading the "what to do before you begin blogging" kinds of information.

You could do your own search and not bother with mine, but I'll list two hits which seem particularly relevant.
1) Google Adsense is a very common pay-per-click option. Users click on the ads and you get the money. Your job is to build a readership, knowing some percentage will click.
2) The second half of this post by grownupgeek.com is great! (notice the google ads?)

Microsoft Embracing the New 'Net

2007-10-29T13:36:00.000-05:00

I try to save blog posts for after hours, but these links are worthy of notice. The parent Sharepoint blog is certainly worth a subscription for those of us considering its usage.

Microsoft and Facebook expand partnership

Microsoft Sharepoint Usage for Social Networking and "Communities of Practice"

Say whatever you'd like about Microsoft, but they will not remain a sleeping giant for long. The development teams are far from asleep. Apple appears content on grabbing short term revenue here and there. Sun hangs their hat on what is left of Java. Microsoft is very in touch with Web2.0. I love the way Photo Gallery now lets you upload directly to Flickr.

Social Networking Sites

2007-10-20T08:55:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me last night why social networking sites are so popular with teens. Like the way we're trained to click here and there on the web itself, the key may not be in what SNS adds, but instead the key may be with its lack of penalty. Studies by Deborah Yurgelun-Todd at the McLean Hospital Neuroimaging Center are showing that adolescent brains are not fully developed to interpret emotion from visual cues, which could mean that the online experience for them is just as good as face to face.

Adults tend to rely on the gestures and sounds associated with a response as much as the actual words. This makes it more work for us to convey emotion via e-mail, text messaging, IM, and SNS than in a face to face meeting.

The latest generation will likely be better at expressing emotion online than most currrent adults, but their natural development should steer the ship toward a healthy combination of online and face to face interaction.

Cyber Security

2007-10-19T15:18:00.000-05:00

SANS is a trusted source for security related material. While you may not care about the nitty gritty details of computer hacks and security incidents, you can certainly benefit from the daily tips offered there. See their Security Awareness Tip of the Day at
http://www.sans.org/tip_of_the_day.php

Solaris Patching
If you happen to be a Solaris admin, you should probably run "pca" (Patch Check Advanced) at least once to see if your systems are as well patched as you think. The patch utility is a single perl script which does more than a boatload of different Sun products...and better.

4H Camp Day Three

2007-10-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

Breakfast on the third day once again featured biscuits, bacon, grits, and eggs. When the total food waste for 110 plus was weighed, we had only 2.5 pounds!

Our morning lesson was Orienteering. I have used a compass before, but learning the parts of a compass and how to navigate was much fun. When we began navigating my son was completely lost. His compass wasn't working at all. The Instructor traded her compass and it still didn't work. We joked about his natural magnetism before she realized that he had purchased a stuffed eagle at the souvenoir shop and it was wrapped around his wrist. That eagle had magnets in the wings for clipping it onto things. His compass worked much better once the eagle wasn't near. We played some games using the compass for navigation and concluded our final lesson.

After a quick lunch, I checked my son out of school so he could ride home with me. He slept about an hour and a half on the way home. Even though he got a good night's sleep that night, he obviously benefitted from a forced nap the next day too. It was an exciting 3 days to say the least. I am incredibly grateful for teachers and a Principal who see the value in this experience and are willing to put their necks on the line to make it happen. There are no 3 days anywhere in grade school that will compare to these. Thank You to my Dearest Principal, Teachers, Camp Educators and others who made this trip possible.

4H Camp Day Two

2007-10-14T23:04:00.000-05:00

The plan for day two was to have the boys get ready by 7am and we'd take a hike or something to pass the time before our 7:50 Flag Raising. One of the chaperones had to tell his kids to go back to bed at 4, since they were up showering and getting ready. The lack of a clock has both good and bad points. As I wandered out of my room at around 6:30, putting on my pants as I went, one of the boys noticed the belt in my hand. He screamed, "He's taking off his belt! Get back in your rooms!" Figuring that was my best opportunity to get things back in line I said "5 seconds...1,2." They were already in place. All I could do was laugh to myself.

The AL 4H Center serves great meals. Breakfast offered grits, eggs, bacon, and biscuits. We ate as much as we could eat, then weighed our scraps as before. The tally was 8.5 pounds and my table was one of those with nothing at all on the waste plate. A little competition goes a long way.

It was a chilly morning and our first lesson was Lake Ecology. We studied types of bugs and critters then waded into the lake up to our knees digging for anything that moves. We didn't find a whole bunch other than mud, but the snails (and some kind of penny thing I forget) were the type which live in good water. We were happy that the water was good, since leeches live in polluted water according to the "environmental indicators."

Our Principal shared with me during lunch that a man had approached her and asked "Do you let the kids take the canoes into that lake?" She responded in the affirmative and told him that our school even owns canoes which we use for regular trips. He looked rather puzzled and then asked, "Is this a private school?" She laughed "No, Sir," and thought again just how great our opportunities really are. The schools in our system are all good, but I'm very glad we live in the neighborhood where we do.

Our lunch waste from chicken strips and tater tots was up a little at 12 pounds or so, but still much improved from the initial 16.5 pounds.

After lunch we proved to our Instructor just how many nautical terms we already knew, then added parts of an oar to our vocabulary. We loaded up 3 per canoe and went out onto Lay Lake. It's pretty hard to handle a canoe in a strong crosswind, but we all managed to get out and back without assistance from the motorboat.

Our second afternoon session was rock climbing. The center has a new climbing wall with 3 levels of difficulty. The kids helped one another a ton with encouragement and pointing out where and how to move up. Climbing that wall is quite a workout.

Supper was excellent and our waste was down to 2 pounds. Yet another skit enforced the message not to waste food.

For sports night my tribe went to the putt-putt course first. Some of the boys went together and some paired up with girls for the course. It was very cute to watch. They all knew exactly what the best way to do every hole was, and were quick to share their excellence. It was nice to watch them encourage one another again though.

We played a bit more basketball, then took a break before Astronomy class. The staff had a tarp spread out in the middle of a large field where the kids sat or lay down for Astronomy. It was a perfectly clear night and slightly cool. Shortly after our Instructor started teaching a bright falling star streaked across the sky. She explained to us about what falling stars really are and that we should be experiencing showers for the next few weeks. Stars change colors with their age as they burn up. The color changes from blue to yellow to red to dark as they burn out. Stars appear to twinkle but planets generally do not. We listened to stories about constellations as she pointed them out with a lazer pointer in the night sky. It didn't touch the stars obvioiusly, but the beam was visible enough to point out stars of interest. It was a beautiful night and was enjoyed by kids and adults alike. A few took advantage of the stillness for an extra nap.

Once back at the boys' dorm, we again prepared for the night and wrote in daily journals. It was easier to get the boys to sleep this night, since it had been a very long day and the adrenaline rush was long since past. As we waited for the boys to fall asleep I had a nice visit with my roommate who had married a lady from my home town. It really is a small world.

4H Camp Day One

2007-10-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

My son's elementary school is the one (out of five in our school system) which has managed to twist the Superintendant's arm into letting us (110 or so 4th graders plus teachers and chaperones) go to the 4H Center for 3 days of school. It's an educational experience that I wish every child could have. In fact, it's a shame that every adult doesn't get to go as a chaperone.

When we arrived the excitement was high. Boys ran wild looking for their rooms, and girls wandered their way too. The buildings were obviously not fragile, since these rooms see kids just like ours almost every day.

While the kids were in an Orientation session, the teachers and parents met with leaders from the 4H Center to determine rules for our group. Things like "one snack per child" were confirmed and they asked us about meal prayer. Neither the staff nor the teachers are allowed to lead a prayer. Parents or students apparently do have that legal option. A parent immediately volunteered and there were no objections by the rest of us. I'm sure there were non-Christians in the student body, but the pre-meal prayer was very comfortable for most of us. With administrative tasks out of the way we settled into education.

They divided us up into tribes so we'd have manageable class sizes. We were dubbed the Chickasaw tribe, which started with Ornithology. Our tribe had a Korean boy who had just moved to the US a few months ago. Watching the other boys help him out was nothing short of incredible. We learned what allows birds to fly and what types of beaks different birds have, and various other things. We each got our own binoculars and went in search of a bird. 2 o'clock in the afternoon with screaming kids all around doesn't make the best condition for bird watching, but our Instructor barged on, undeterred. They had built a "bird blind" for viewing a group of feeders nestled in a low corner. As we entered the structure this group of 18 kids got so quiet you could've heard a pin drop. It was fascinating to see them pointing out birds to one another. We visited the raptor cages to see injured birds they are caring for at the center. The great horned owl didn't seem too impressed by our presence. His expression suggested we'd best leave before he ripped out of his cage.

Our second class was called Team Initiatives. The class was about teamwork, and featured games similar to those you might see in leadership classes for adults. The group was given a task and had to come up with ways to solve the problem. There's always a leader in a bunch, and this group was no different. These tasks require input from several people to solve, however. They did an excellent job of listening to one another's ideas and trying different ways to solve a problem. If you doubt the ability of 4th graders to work together, you should have been there to see it. Our Instructor for the course had them eating out of her hand. They learned teamwork, integrity, strategy, and persistence...and had a great time doing it.

Meals at the Center are served family dining style. The kids set the table and brought food to the table. Bowls were passed and each person served themselves. At the end of the meal the waste from our plates was collected as solids and liquids, then weighed. We had a total of 16.5 pounds of waste from our first meal (spaghetti). It was explained that wasting food wastes energy, food, and money. Several skits were done at mealtime enforcing this concept.

After a short break we went out in a field for a campfire with more stories, skits, and educational fun. Kids circled 'round the fire while adults roasted marshmellows and made s'mores for all the kids. Yes, that's lots of marshmellows. Our Principal was seated on the ground next to the fire, assembling s'mores until she was club-fisted with melted marshmellow goo. I can't imagine a Principal more dedicated to her students.

After cleaning marshmellows from our paws we assembled for "sports night." My tribe went to volleyball and played boys against girls. I was afraid it'd be ugly, since the boys were seriously outnumbered, and girls tend to be more mature at this age, but the boys won handily...even tho we weren't keeping score. :)

We moved to basketball for a bit and divided the group into 2 even teams. We figured a full court game would wear them out before bed. Turns out they were pretty tired and we had an injury quick with short, tired fuses in abundance. To solve the problem another adult and myself played against the remaining kids. Basketball is a game where the height advantage allowed us to do that.

I shared a bunk bed with a teacher in the boys' dorm. As we were getting ready for bed we had them write in their journals about what they'd seen, done, and learned for the day. During journal time, I witnessed a pair of Korean boys working together. They would communicate in Korean, then the one whose English was better would spell words out in English. It was neat to watch.

It took a while before the lot of them went to sleep and the homesick gave way to exhaustion, but when the last one dropped we did as well. Apparently one of them had a dream that someone had stolen his sleeping bag, but he managed to find one for the rest of the night after waking us at 3:30 in the morning.

Voice Thread

2007-10-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

It's an elephant, or so they say. Apparently my idea of using VoiceThread to create a presentation or slideshow is like using a sledgehammer to drive a tack, so grab a hammer if you want to try a new toy. It's blogger. It's slideshare. It's flickr. It's YouTube. It's entertaining...unless you hate to hear your own voice worse than you hate to see your own picture. Get over it. I did.

I created this little thread about making a good password to try it out. See http://voicethread.com/view.php?b=9536

Hmmm...and they give you a friendly way to include it as an image...

I think it'll put your picture next to the voicethread if you make a comment. Crap. Now they've got my picture and voice.

Telemarketing: a Two Way Street

2007-09-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

When a telemarketer calls I like to see how long I can keep them on the phone. This prevents them from calling and bugging someone else. Tonight's call was from my beloved College of Engineering. He couldn't figure out how to nicely get rid of me, since I did offer that I would love to support Engineering...on one condition.

I babbled several minutes about how I work for Extension at the Univ, and how our statewide network of offices is ideally suited for providing information from the main campus to the people and blah, blah, blah rambling here and there. He was surprised to find that 4-H is a function of Extension, right here on campus. We shared stories about new buildings and buildings to be abandoned ('bout time).

Anyway, the condition was this. I'd like to support Extension *and* Engineering. Since I graduated from one and work for the other, it'd be really nice to be able to make a donation which could be recognized by each. Nope, I'd not like to split the money between the 2 and let them each do their own thing. I'd like to support a program in Engineering which would be delivered by Extension. We have offices all over this state, especially for that purpose.

I made a similar offer/pledge several years ago and it was coded for "Outreach" when I received the contribution form. That's exactly what I told them I would not do, since I despise the idea that Land-Grant Institutions would allow the word the word "Extension" to be replaced with "Outreach." The AU Seal has special significance to me, as it bears the words "Research, Instruction, and Extension." When the official seal is changed, I'll drop my swords and accept that Extension has no right to be recognized for anything other than Agriculture. 4-H will have to carry their own flag (which would probably be easier without Extension anyway).

There is one Engineering department on campus which already is affiliated with Extension (hmm...I wonder how many Universities have an Ag Engineering major, and how many Engineering Colleges claim it). If they remember it exists I'll write the check. If they actually try to funnel research based education through Extension in something not related to Agriculture...I'll at least double my offer.

Die, Facebook and Flickr!

2007-09-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

Die, Facebook.

XXXXXX sent a message to the members of Cooperative Extension Second Life.

To read this message, follow the link below:

Facebook, if you wanted me to get the message, you could've sent it to me. If you don't care about me, I don't care about you.

Flickr, you're dying without my help.
It was a perfectly valid suggestion to help them make money and increase usability. Over a month later...

Hello Greg:

Thanks for writing Flickr Customer Care, and many, many
apologies for the massive delay in our response.

I'm sorry, but currently there is no feature to allow for
ordering of prints from the m.flickr.com site.

Regards,
Joe

On 14th August 2007, gparmer wrote:
> When using the mobile website (or the full version,
> actually) from a mobile device (tried Motorola Q and Treo
> 700wx) I was unable to "ORDER PRINTS." That seems like
it'd
> be a decent money-maker for you, and a nice convenience
for
> users. Thanks for a nice job with flickr. -greg

And thus the honeymoon for Flickr ends too. You could've teased me just a little and I'd have forgiven the tardiness. At least I've learned to get the pre-nup with Web2.0 relationships.

Marketing Close To Home

2007-09-15T19:52:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure the group of college students residing on our lawn today should've been considered "tailgaters"; they were sitting under a canopy tent in horrible weather, drinking warm beer. They are certainly dedicated young men, whose spot shall be reserved for the game tomorrow.

I asked if they knew someone who worked in this building, or had family associated with Extension. They seemed a touch worried (each had an open beer, and not the first) that I was asking and picked a scapegoat in the group who had written a paper on Extension some time ago. "He knows about Extension" they said. Turns out he remembered that the "System" in AL consists of AU and AL A&M (I actually helped with the A&M part).

Their impressions of ACES? 1) Our 1st floor bathroom urinal is huge. 2) Lots of pizza deliveries today. 3) The mirrored windows are eery. It leaves one wondering what's happening in there.

They all remembered 4-H, so calling the building 4-H Headquarters struck a note. They didn't know of Francesca Adler-Baeder and her Alabama Marriage and Family Handbook, but one of them was struggling in a colleague's class on a similar topic. I suggested he'd probably get introduced to Dr Adler-Baeder in due time, and pointed out that we distribute her excellent publication.

They were excited by news that our Auburn Cookbook was only $10 and were ready to go make the first Christmas purchase of the year. I think they were just excited to have something to do, but I'll admit the response made me feel good. By next weekend maybe we can have a display set up to show off the Wild Game Cookbook too.

As I left campus an hour later I saw that one of the new recruits still had the pencil I'd given him behind his ear. I encourage you to try a little personal advertising. It is MUCH more satisfying than spending a day in meetings.

Wal-Mart, Starbucks, and Extension

2007-09-12T21:23:00.000-05:00

Did you see the news this morning where they highlighted how Wal-Mart's growth has slowed? Other big box stores and supercenters are outpacing their growth. Their plan is the same as the one Starbucks' recently used. "Re-focus" on what made them strong. Extension would do well to take note. It is important to stay in touch with new trends, but that doesn't mean abandon your strengths.

For the last 2 weekends I've watched football fans flood our campus as they "tailgate" before home football games. There are tents, grills, widescreen TVs, and spreads that would make your Grandmother proud. Many of these people are tailgating on Extension grounds, then knocking on the door to use our facilities. I seriously doubt they have any idea what Extension is. Oh, what irony! We'll build a virtual island in a virtual land on a computer thousands of miles away, but not enlighten the people who are literally knocking on the door? Wake up and smell the coffee!

Cool Microsoft 'Blog

2007-09-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

There are recent posts about Media Center, RSS, video production, photo gallery, and other niceties.
http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsexperience/default.aspx

Microsoft's social networking site is "spaces.live.com". It claims a very large user base primarily because MS owns hotmail (all hotmail accounts are valid). MS Word 2007 has the ability to publish directly to a 'blog (spaces,sharepoint,blogger,etc).

Vista's photo gallery (new release due soon) looks very nice and should help in the battle against Flickr and Snapfish.

In a new world of social networking tools, it is ironic that MS could've taken on the role of sleeping giant. Ironically, "spaces" has better support for RSS than myspace or facebook, and it will use Atom for publishing. They've pledged support for OpenID. They're becoming "open." Weird.

Obesity in the US

2007-08-30T08:22:00.000-05:00

One cure to rising obesity rates is simple. Turn off the electricity. Knowing that it'd work leads to many thoughts about our society. Convenience is a double edged sword.

Delicious Stinks

2007-08-22T09:56:00.000-05:00

I much prefer diigo for "social tagging." It also adds social annotating (shared post-its on the www), which could be an awesome tool.

My #1 problem with delicious was this, right out of their FAQ page which explains that I cannot import and share my current bookmarks:

How do I share all my imported bookmarks?
To make a bookmark public, click the "share" link located on the right of its description. We don't have a "share all" button right now for a few reasons...

So right out of the gate, they are making excuses for why I can't continue to make my bookmarks public via their system. Customer service is not their strong point.

I've been saving my bookmarks online since Netscape was the world's web browser. I'll not waste my time moving thousands of bookmarks one at a time.

If you watch the RSS feed from my delicious account, you will see added bookmarks. That's because I've set diigo to automatically update delicious for me, rather than force others to use the information system I've chosen. The *only* advantage I can find with delicious is its large user base. Thank goodness diigo offers a bridge between systems that lets me do what I want...with the potential for other more exciting features as well.

2007-08-20T23:50:00.000-05:00

There's a growing trend to evaluate our educational system based on test scores. Undoubtedly, our test scores will improve, but at what price? Are those tests designed to help students who will never attend college? It might surprise some people to realize that half of our students are below average! As important as education is, Academia will not save the world by raising test scores. It is a worthy goal to bring a college education within reach of all children, but not realistic. Luckily, there will always be a need for manual labor.

There is a solution which helps everyone. The solution is to teach all students a variety of skills, and not just academic skills. Among those skills is the ability to do things with your hands. John Ratzenberger created http://www.nutsandboltsfoundation.org/ because of what he sees as a crisis in America. You probably remember him as the actor who portrayed "Cliff" on "Cheers." He is also the host of a TV series called "Made in America" and the author of a book called "We've Got It Made In America," which I own and would be glad to share. His message is that kids love to tinker, and we need to foster that inquisitiveness. It is the curiosity of how stuff works which makes for better engineers, inventors, and even art museum archivists(1). What he does not say, but bears pointing out, is that a manual skill can be applied even if one does not pursue higher education.

Ratzenberger's position is that promoting manual skills prepares kids to be the inventors of tomorrow. This past summer my 9 year old son attended a week long summer camp called "Camp Invention." It would come as no surprise to Ratzenberger or myself that the kids' favorite part of the week was the "Take Apart" activity during the "I Can Invent" module. They had a blast learning to use hand tools and examing the gears and pulleys inside discarded appliances.

While the idea behind No Child Left Behind is an honorable one, it will do us more harm than good if it serves to distract our efforts from those things which have historically been our strengths. The teaching of technical or manual skills is just as imperitive as the teaching of the 3 Rs or digital skills if we are to prosper in a future of unknown problems solved by unknown tools.

(1) an Aug 19, 2007 article in our local paper depicts art museum archivist using an open end wrench to tighten a nut on the tail of a 1930 Savoia Marchetti flying boat. My initial response to seeing the image was "Why on earth would he be ruining that nut with an open end wrench? A six point box end wrench should minimize the marring of a museum piece!"

Wikipedia's Weasel Words

2007-08-15T08:33:00.000-05:00

There are apparently a growing number of useful wikis available on the 'net. Wikipedia has a Manual of Style that aims to make the site read more like an encyclopedia. It is interesting reading if you've ever wondered what makes wikipedia a civil place for contributors and credible resource for researchers, while maintaining the feel of an encyclopedia. The term weasel words is among my favorites taken from that manual. The full weasel words page is a quick read, but just in case you're a strict RSS type reader I'll include the following excerpt:

Wikipedia, as an encyclopedia, aspires to be authoritative by definition. Including the opinions of "some people" in an encyclopedia article implicitly gives credibility to their opinion and vouches for its relevance, because if it weren't important or relevant, it wouldn't have been included. Given the unique nature and status of Wikipedia, this makes its articles troublingly easy to exploit in this way in order to spread hearsay, personal opinion and even propaganda. The first line of defense against this is verifiability policy, which provides specific criteria for the sort of support a claim must have to survive a challenge in article space.

As you read the core content policies you see how ironic it is that Wikipedia in one way doesn't contain any data. It is a collection of metadata with references to published data--effectively a huge database of links maintained by the public. How backward is that?

PTA Needs

2007-08-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

Tonight's PTA meeting featured the results of a survey which asked about interest in information meetings. Respondents entered ideas and comments for future speakers and events. Top billing went to "study tips & rewards", but tied for second place was "Internet Safety." I doubt there's anything unique about our school. I wish this were already part of standard Extension programming, but I'll start with my own brand of good will. We can do this, Extension People.

Universal Dispenser II

2007-08-06T15:24:00.000-05:00

If you happen to own a Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator (or one of its sisters of a different name), there's something you should know, other than how NOT to use it to dispense Coke.

While removing my Coke slushy from the ice reservoir, I determined that a mixture of ice, Coke, and running water tends to produce some very sharp ice cubes. These icy razors don't last long enough to serve a useful purpose, unless you think combining the medieval practice of bloodletting with the 1970's practice of making a Coke Icee to be useful.

Given that this fiasco happened at the end of a very long day, my reaction was somewhat similar to that of Tom Hanks' character in Money Pit when his evening bath went awry.

Be safe out there. The kitchen is no place for a hurry-up offense.

The Universal Dispenser

2007-08-06T08:47:00.000-05:00

How not to save time using your Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator with "ice-n-water through the door"--

1) place one can of Coke in the ice container for quick cooling.
2) dispense one glass of ice for a family member
3) dispense a second glass of ice, complete with chilled Coke ready for immediate consumption...(after adding a triple shot of your favorite "relaxing" additive).

This could be considered a "feature" since the fridge will actually dispense Coke and ice together through the door, but it is a very messy feature.

As it turns out, there is a bar which stirs the ice to keep it in individual pieces and allow free feeding to the door. That bar can also rip an aluminum can in half.

Perspective

2007-08-01T22:34:00.000-05:00

Doubt the importance of perspective? "Clockwise" is the opposite of what you'd expect when looking at a wall clock from the wall's perspective!

Always consider the other point of view.

Another Sign

2007-07-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

This video camera is located a few miles from my home. Looks like "legal" suggested they announce the camera's presence, since it is in public. Apparently "facilities" nor the copy editor really mastered those 4th grade contractions.

"Your" is actually a common misspelling of "You're."

(k1v1n, thanks for the comment on my previous post. I'd have replied but I didn't wanna spoil this one!)

People at SGI

2007-07-08T00:02:00.000-05:00

The first individual I met on my morning ride was a well-tanned lady about my age, walking 3 dogs. "Good Morning!" she exclaimed with a smile, seemingly geniunely happy to see me. I returned the smile, the gesture, and pedaled on. It was interesting because her confidence and assertiveness was very attractive, although she was as normal as the proverbial "girl next door." I speculated that she might be a "local."

The next group of 3 ladies were focused entirely on themselves. They seemed to be discussing the woes of their lives and were oblivious to me or my "Hi." I couldn't help but compare them to a TV show of sisters entertaining bad marriages. The reason was obvious, I thought.

A man in his 30s jogged passed and managed a "good morning" even as he was panting for breath. He was apparently taken by the surreal surrounding of the island and was pushing himself pretty hard to get some exercise and private time. That was why I was out too, afterall.

At a narrow on the path I passed a girl in her 20s, quite well covered in clothing with a hat pulled down over her head. Her complexion was rather pale as you might expect of someone who is quite shy and reclusive in personality. My "Good Morning" was acknowledged and almost, barely, kinda sorta returned out of politeness. Wow, I thought. She should get out more.

There were also a couple of older ladies headed to the pool in their covertible VW bug, and others who made for interesting people watching, but my zen moment (or whatever JAY wants to call that) was already set in stone. While I could identify much more with the man grasping for air, I'd most like to be like the self-confident lady who was out enjoying her morning walk with her best friends. The primary thing differentiating her from the younger girl was attitude. Don't let people get you down--approach life with a positive attitude and you'll reap rewards (and smiles!) from people you don't even know.

Signs

2007-06-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

Why do people try so hard to make simple stupid things sound important?

I'm putting up an electric fence around my rose garden as a deer deterrant. Lowe's had a package of danger signs which I purchased to warn away children and neighbors, should they wander near the fence. A plastic yellow sign which says "Electric Fence" (in three languages, for well travelled deer) seemed self-explanatory, but nooo...this is so much more...

The packaging points out that they have "two holes in top for fastening to fence wire" which I thought was nice of them. But it continues, "or for nailing to wood post." Wow! Without those holes I couldn't have done it.

Lest you think I'm being over-critical, let me share the final line of the description. "MADE OF RUSTPROOF PLASTIC." I'll sleep well tonight knowing my plastic signs will never rust.

What will them thar Tennessee folks (Fi-Shock inc) think of next? Dehydrated powder?

The Manual Arts

2007-06-27T14:09:00.000-05:00

John Ratzenberger (Cliff Clavin) was on GMA this morning promoting Pixar's new Ratatouille film. His other comments were most notable to me. He started the "Nuts, Bolts, and Thingamajigs Foundation" to foster manual skills required by industries.
http://www.nutsandboltsfoundation.org/

His book, Made in America, honors skilled labor within the United States. The following excerpt caught my attention:

ON WORKERS: The manual arts always has and always will take precedence over the fine arts. Everything physical that the fine arts depends on—from theaters to canvases to printing and binding—depends on the manual arts. Educators who make the rules have bought into the popular notion that we’ve moved out of an industrial economy and into an information age, and therefore, they think, every student has to be educated in the same cookie-cutter way that ignores the importance of manual skills.

See http://www.ratzenberger.com

I guess I should at least look for his show on the Discovery Channel.

Information Systems

2007-06-27T09:09:00.000-05:00

The most important part of an information system is not what features it has, it is who uses the system. Wherever your network of people and information resides, that is where you must be to operate effectively.

The World Wide Web is an information system. The world participates and search engines like google make it useful. It'd be technically simple to create an all new WWW and use a different port and protocol, but futilely ignorant. The world uses the WWW. Join the system or be irrelevant.

Wikipedia.org is effective because that is the wiki that the world updates. There must be millions of other public wikis, but they don't work as well as wikipedia...because the people use wikipedia. It is an information system all its own. Join the system or be irrelevant to it.

Digg, Delicious, and reddit are information systems for labelling and sharing information on the Internet. These systems can be useful when that is where the people and information reside. Same with myspace,facebook,live spaces,xanga, and tons of others. Which tools will eventually win over the people? Those will be the ones with relevance.

How many information systems exist within your organization? How do you migrate people from one system to another? Every system has it's strengths and weaknesses, so 100% buy in is impossible when you suggest any "upgrade." The result is a splintered mess of information systems which do not work. The solution is seldom technical. The solution lies with the people.

Life's Lessons

2007-06-26T11:08:00.000-05:00

Years ago while I was working as a software engineer at a small company I was reminded to respect those who take pride in their craft...by the janitor. I had moved my pc and was wiping the dust off my desk (as any anal-retentive engineer might do) when the janitor appeared in my cubicle doorway. He was quite put out by the fact that I was cleaning my own desk. It took a bit to sink in what this man was telling me. He was quite proud of the way he did his job. Cleaning was his duty and he took it very seriously. I've thought back to that moment many times. Take pride in what you do to gain the respect of others.

Professional Development Challenge?

2007-06-21T11:27:00.000-05:00

Anyone up for a challenge?

Professional Development for anyone associated with education should include updating http://www.wikipedia.org/. It'll be easy to add to your list of personal goals. It'll be a little tougher to add it to your co-workers' list of goals. It'll be even harder to get credit noted as part of promotion and tenure, but it *should* happen.

The reasons are many. Fill in your own. Meanwhile, start with updating a private wiki if you'd like, but make it a priority to edit wikipedia.org. Blogs may be nice because everyone has something to say, but wikipedia is better because everyone has something to add!

The best part if the deal is that your additions will then be reviewed and made better by ~~the largest group of editors in~~ the world.

The challenge is to make it happen.

Saving iTunes to non-iPod

2007-06-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

I don't like sharing external links via blog, but this one is likely very useful for so many of us. My experience with iTunes was that it didn't like anything other than an iPod. This should eliminate that problem.

http://lifehacker.com/software/featured-windows-download/itunes-sync-transfers-your-itunes-library-to-other-mp3-players-269105.php

Sagging Door Repair

2007-06-15T09:38:00.001-05:00

DSC02410
Originally uploaded by gparmer

I got tired of slamming the side door to our garage to make it close. The fix was easier than I expected, so I'm sharing...

(The "Network Redneck" content is simply that I'm able to be social after taking out the trash without using foul language.)

Everyone Comes Around At Their Own Pace

2007-06-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

When you introduce a new idea or concept to someone, don't automatically expect them to share your enthusiasm. Everyone needs time to adjust to new ideas. If you're reading this you probably are someone who "comes around" to new tech ideas fairly quickly. On the other hand, most folks need time for things to really sink in. In fact, it is a common response for people to be defensive about their old way of doing things. When a person is heavily invested in something, change is difficult (and often expensive). If you doubt this concept applies to you...give it a little while to sink in. You'll come around.

Flickaday

2007-06-07T11:29:00.000-05:00

I don't really want a picture a day of me, but if "I" were a plant or a termite or a garden...the tools could really be neat...

http://www.flickaday.com/

Random snippets from the day (2 from AA's twittering)

2007-06-06T13:40:00.000-05:00

Interesting movie about learning in the future..."Shift Happens"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q

'Nuther social networking site -- ning.com

How many social relationships can a person maintain?
Dunbar's Number http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number

Source code search tool http://www.krugle.com

MDM -- Master Data Management -- new buzzword. Rich Kochhar's advice "Don't start with the technology as the centerpiece of the solution. Start with the corporate strategy."

Funny...back to that question..."What is the strategic goal of the University?"

Newsfeeds

2007-06-02T01:30:00.000-05:00

I was recently discussing with a colleague that RSS feeds and newsreaders weren't really anything new, since Usenet has been doing that since 1979. Why should I really care about RSS? The difference I was told, is that Usenet is now gone but RSS is still here. I'm not really sure which viewpoint was more obsurd.

Usenet news is as popular now as it ever has been. My organization abandoned our feed because we were unable to keep up with the volume. We kind of let it slip into oblivion without a second thought. When you are researching a technical problem and don't find the answer you need on google.com what do you do next? You click "google groups" of course, since there's as much up to date technical information (if not more) available there as archived on the web. Did you know that Google Groups searches a Usenet News archive? If you'd like to download audio books or other likely copyrighted works while "flying under the radar" where do you turn? Still Usenet News. Sites like "www.easynews.com" have nice interfaces to let you read or download news, since you've probably forgotten or never heard of the now ancient "nn" news reader and it's many counterparts. The interfaces may have changed, but Usenet News lives on.

That brings us to RSS feeds. 'Blogs, forums, and discussion boards all tend to have RSS built into their websites. RSS gives us a mechanism similar to Usenet News (syndication) for obtaining information. What's new is that this technology exists over the top of web pages. In other words, it is basically a way to subscribe to only the updated pages on web sites which cover topics of your interest. That's almost perfect, since it means you can use a newsreader (like Google Reader) to get new content without having to visit a list of websites. What's just as important is that the same content is also accessible from a web browser for those slow adopters not inclined to use a newsreader.

I say "that's almost perfect" because there's very little reason (ok, no reason at all) to keep an RSS feed on topic. This is my 'blog and even though I've posted relatively few times, the topics are all over the map. Eventually the tagging systems and filtering mechanisms will evolve to maximize the signal to noise ratio in RSS. Until then, I'm not terribly impressed with RSS, but will continue to use it just as my colleagues continue to use "Google Groups."

Incidentally, it seems quite simple to feed Usenet News to a website and syndicate it via RSS. Is that not being done? Seems like a great project for www.archive.org or google.

1936 Nash/Lafayette Engine

2007-05-27T23:43:00.001-05:00

DSC02405
Originally uploaded by gparmer

The craftsmanship from 1936 is nice. No computers were harmed in the production of this engine. Almost every nut here is fine threaded. Note the safety wire on rod and main caps. The prominent plumbing is the oil feed to the main and rod bearings. Apparently they hadn't mastered the art of drilling internally through the length of the block yet. I've got 2 of these now, and hoping to build one that runs. Why? I don't know, other than preservation of history. The second engine has one *very* busted cylinder. Oh well.

Free HDTV -- Telecommunications' Best Kept Secret

2007-05-25T22:49:00.000-05:00

Cable television companies and Satellite TV providers have managed to grab such a large percentage of the TV viewing market that people have forgotten free Over the Air (OTA) transmissions exist. It still wouldn't be worth mentioning *if* the FCC weren't forcing TV stations to switch to a digital signal. What it means for consumers is that if you're willing to put up with a 1960s style outdoor antenna you can get free HDTV.

Since we are deep into the transition phase (analog is set to go away completely by Feb 17, 2009) most stations seem to already be broadcasting a digital signal. Actually, most of the stations in Montgomery, AL and Columbus, GA are broadcasting at least 3 digital signals. There is typically a High Definition version, a Standard Definition version, and an all weather version for each station.

Still not convinced to put up an antenna? Consider this. Our local cable company charges several dollars extra per month for the HD package. They have a total of 6 possible HD channels, none of which are as clear as that provided via an OTA antenna. The cable company doesn't distribute the "extra" channels which stations are broadcasting. The Satellite providers offer more HD channels at an even higher price, but my ignorant legistors won't let me waste my money on local channels at all, let alone HD versions. To top it off, the best looking channel on our TV, bar none, is Alabama Public Television. It's shocking, when you consider I'm comparing to the high end HDTV signal offered by Dish Network...including HD Discovery.

FWIW--I bought a Samsung DLP TV from TigerDirect.com because it was relatively cheap and I had no expectation of getting an HD signal. Even the TVs at Best Buy looked pretty crappy relative to our old Standard Definition set (as in, they didn't look much better...Standard Def on a widescreen can even look worse!). It seemed like it'd be a waste of money to get a really nice tv and then feed it a crappy signal. Well...(especially) with the OTA antenna...the Samsung looks as good as any I've seen, including sets that cost much more and are fed a paid-for signal from the cable company. If you pass a rusted mobile home and think how well off you are, check to see if there's an antenna. They just might be laughing at YOU! Now you have 2 reasons to be ashamed.

Very Slow WinXP

2007-05-24T15:55:00.000-05:00

The automagic update service in WinXP has been causing users fits. Machines are so bogged down they appear to be locked up. The latest from ComputerWorld--

"Microsoft swears Automatic Updates lockup fix works"
(excerpt)
The "svchost/msi issue" issue has plagued Windows users, particularly those running Windows XP, for months. For more info...

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9021201&source=NLT_PM&nlid=8

Urban Chickens

2007-05-23T18:05:00.000-05:00

Apparently my better half was attracted to my agrarian roots. She's decided we need fresh eggs. Google tells me she's far from alone in this desire for "city chickens". When she shared with the kids we all got quite a laugh. Our son said, "Let's name them Chicken Nugget, Chicken Tender, and Chicken Finger." He's my boy alright. He was convinced it was like the Alpaca and sheep suggestions (which thank goodness never happened) until we built an 8x8x8 chicken coop. There's no turning back now. My wife says we can't eat any pet that has a name, so we'll have to eat the eggs only. Time will tell.

(Warning: non-PETA approved material follows!)
We've agreed to purchase 1/4th of a 4H Steer any day now. Don't you know that calf had a name too. I can hardly wait for one of those tender pampered steaks.

If you see pictures of chickens scattered amongst our family photos, now you know why. There's plenty of Redneck left in this Network guy. Aren't you glad you're not our neighbor?

Introducing the Book

2007-05-22T16:17:00.000-05:00

Most of us have seen this already, but it fits in with the "Shiny New Penny" concept soooo well...
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/introducing-the-book-p1.php

Shiny New Penny Syndrome

2007-05-21T06:34:00.000-05:00

My supervisor gets credit for the term "shiny new penny syndrome," but I'll help spread it. If you're in IT, you probably know someone with this issue. He loves the new gadget, the neat gizmo, the cool idea, the latest buzz. He's always excited about what he's found and looking for a way it can solve a problem (oftentimes a problem we don't even have!). After he's played with the penny a while it begins to tarnish, he gets bored, and he moves on in search of another new penny.

IT professionals must be careful not to let social trends and "the shiny new penny syndrome" affect the way we conduct our professional lives. If every new and fun thing we find gets touted as a must-have technology then we lose our credibility. It makes us no better than the boy who cried wolf. It also means we can't give full support to the technologies which we have in place and working.

That leads to my cardinal rule of IT. "Everyone Comes Around At Their Own Pace." I'll save that for a later post, but I'm sure you can figure out what it means without explanation.

ESPA Conference Trip

2007-05-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

We blew right through Mobile hoping for a few hours of socializing on some of the nicest beaches in the US...what we found was an afternoon of rain, so the balcony had to suffice for a nice visit and discussion of work.

Lab setup in conference room went pretty well, but they had to lock up at 10pm, and we needed food, extension cords, and some final prep for the presentation.

'Bout 1am I thought..."It really would be nice to have the presentation printed for handouts." I connected the VPN, installed the network printer for the nearest office, and printed 60 double sided, collated, and stapled copies of the presentation. Damn it's nice to be a Network Redneck and know how to do that so quickly and easily. Anne picked up the handouts and final bits of equipment from that office about 7:15am, and we were all set to go before 8 o'clock. 30mins to spare was just about right for stress prevention.

The presentation went great. It was nice to put faces with the voices we talk to on the phones. We even had some attendees from North Carolina...I wonder if John put them up to it? :)

Blogs Themselves

2007-04-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

My eXtension buddies claim blogging as something one should do because "everyone has something to say." To take that one step farther, I'll suggest that it allows a person some therapy from the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." It does so by allowing one to vent about things in their circle of concern, while spending our productive time within our circle of influence. With a little luck, someone will read your posts who *does* have influence over things with which you are concerned.

Blogging is more about the writer than the reader. Much of the notion is exactly like a diary. No need to be defensive -- indeed the opportunity for learning does exist.

Plugging back in to the Social Network

2007-04-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

As a result of plugging back in...I've already touched base with a bunch of dear old friends, learned some IT stuff, and scored 2 free 1937 flathead engines. Now back to work...

Human Defensiveness

2007-04-30T09:58:00.000-05:00

Why are we so defensive? It's more than fear, miscommunication, or intimidation, but those all seem to contribute. The trick is to not let your defensiveness prevent you from listening to the other point of view.

I'm here partly because I was defensive about my "social network." I was complaining about mine and was told, "you need a new network." While that was true, the reality is that my social network of years past had become so successful that it was interfering with work, family, and other fun. At that point I cut the best part of it off completely for several years. Like most everything else in life, the key is taking all things in moderation.

First Post

2007-04-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

See...the irony of my (lost) first post is that it said..."apparently blogging started in 1995. After 8 years I guess it is about time for me to try it." In case you're sleepy, or your math is horrible, that was 2003! Here we are 4 years later and I realize that "Network Redneck" is the most apropos of my blogs to take public. I've been posting primarily on a daily work blog, which I contend should not be public for security reasons. On the other hand, my colleagues are into social networking at the moment. Being as I find people, personalities, and the human condition in general to be fascinating...I just had to join in.

Arrgggghhhh!!!

2007-04-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well I'm back. It's been a 4 year hiatus from this address, and the archives are gone. Boo hiss.