Jim MacLachlan's Blog, page 2
July 10, 2018
Authors Must Publish A Blog...
... or so I've been informed. It makes sense since there are over a million books published annually just in English. Anything authors can do to get the reader's attention is a good thing, except bitching about piracy or promoting DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Readers: Pay for the book. Preorder if you can. Write reviews, even if they're just short ones. Don't write mean reviews. It means way more than you'd think even for popular, well established authors. A mean review can ruin a budding author.
Authors: DRM just punishes your honest customers & does nothing to stop piracy. I'm a computer guy. I know these things. If people can display it, they can steal it. Once stolen, it will likely be shared. Fact of life. Write more & think of piracy as advertising; the cost of doing business.
I don't really feel like an author, though. Sure, I've self-published a few books, but the one that is doing the best, Inkle Loom Design & Construction, is really just a woodworker's thoughts filling a void. It had to be written by someone & it amazes me that no one had written one before. The portable hobby looms been around for about 150 years, after all. You'd think in all that time... Well, it's my good fortune & has been a source of much joy.
I email a PDF to those who buy the Amazon version, a far larger number than I would have imagined, so get to chat with some great people that way. One guy sent me picture of 4 looms he'd made for his kids & the local 4H group. Fantastic work where he'd mixed maple & walnut for some stunningly pretty looms. Another guy sent me a big thank you for the Oven Rack Tool Plans that he's making with Boy Scouts. Good stuff & it gets even better!
I went to the local Kentucky Highland Renaissance Festival a couple of weeks ago & was talking to a friend. Jess is in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) & was weaving on her Inkle loom when a gal walked up & asked about the loom. Debra proceeded to tell us how she'd found a great book on the subject & sang its praises. I was basking in the glow while Jess kept pointing at me. Finally Debra stopped & looked at us curiously. Jess told her I was the author. The poor woman was embarrassed then & the praises became polite & reserved. Well, it was fantastic while it lasted.
The book I'd most like acknowledged, Horses and Farms for Fiction Writers will likely never be popular among authors since realism in fiction doesn't seem to be a big concern. It's something I appreciate & I've mentioned it in many book reviews, but it's trivial stuff & there's a lot more to writing a novel. Getting the trivia right makes the novel, but most seem content with movie caricatures of both, unfortunately.
The other two books are just Instructables that I wrote as practice for publishing my 'real' books. They're ebooks only, available at Smashwords.com, where the Instructables for free or Amazon. There the Instructables are a $1 since Amazon does nothing for free. I recommend using Smashwords for the 3 woodworking books since a PDF version is available which is best for printing out to use in the shop.
Readers: Pay for the book. Preorder if you can. Write reviews, even if they're just short ones. Don't write mean reviews. It means way more than you'd think even for popular, well established authors. A mean review can ruin a budding author.
Authors: DRM just punishes your honest customers & does nothing to stop piracy. I'm a computer guy. I know these things. If people can display it, they can steal it. Once stolen, it will likely be shared. Fact of life. Write more & think of piracy as advertising; the cost of doing business.
I don't really feel like an author, though. Sure, I've self-published a few books, but the one that is doing the best, Inkle Loom Design & Construction, is really just a woodworker's thoughts filling a void. It had to be written by someone & it amazes me that no one had written one before. The portable hobby looms been around for about 150 years, after all. You'd think in all that time... Well, it's my good fortune & has been a source of much joy.
I email a PDF to those who buy the Amazon version, a far larger number than I would have imagined, so get to chat with some great people that way. One guy sent me picture of 4 looms he'd made for his kids & the local 4H group. Fantastic work where he'd mixed maple & walnut for some stunningly pretty looms. Another guy sent me a big thank you for the Oven Rack Tool Plans that he's making with Boy Scouts. Good stuff & it gets even better!
I went to the local Kentucky Highland Renaissance Festival a couple of weeks ago & was talking to a friend. Jess is in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) & was weaving on her Inkle loom when a gal walked up & asked about the loom. Debra proceeded to tell us how she'd found a great book on the subject & sang its praises. I was basking in the glow while Jess kept pointing at me. Finally Debra stopped & looked at us curiously. Jess told her I was the author. The poor woman was embarrassed then & the praises became polite & reserved. Well, it was fantastic while it lasted.
The book I'd most like acknowledged, Horses and Farms for Fiction Writers will likely never be popular among authors since realism in fiction doesn't seem to be a big concern. It's something I appreciate & I've mentioned it in many book reviews, but it's trivial stuff & there's a lot more to writing a novel. Getting the trivia right makes the novel, but most seem content with movie caricatures of both, unfortunately.
The other two books are just Instructables that I wrote as practice for publishing my 'real' books. They're ebooks only, available at Smashwords.com, where the Instructables for free or Amazon. There the Instructables are a $1 since Amazon does nothing for free. I recommend using Smashwords for the 3 woodworking books since a PDF version is available which is best for printing out to use in the shop.
September 29, 2011
Get Real
I read a review today of "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell on GoodReads.com . The reviewer said it was one of the books that scarred him for life. Like "The Yearling", "Where the Red Fern Grows", & "Old Yeller", the reviewer wrote that "...I have to assume that somewhere there is a Marquis de Sade school of children's literature...." & he would never give them to his children to read. Others agreed with him & one mentioned they preferred "The Wizard of Oz".
What exactly did they find wrong with these books? Obviously, they were too realistic. They want their kids to grow up in a happier world & not to experience such horrors through books. Why not? Childhood should be a happy time, but kids need to learn what real life is about before they're suddenly faced with it. What better way to learn than through a good book?
Life isn't always nice. Bad things happen to good people & good things happen to bad people. Well loved animals & people die. It's a fact of life, not one to shy away from or protect kids from too much. It WILL happen to them. They need to learn to deal with it & accept it. It's not the journey's end, but the journey itself that is important. That's what all of the books listed above are about - learning that no matter what life throws at you, you can survive. You should not only live with it, but learn from it & still be a decent person contributing good things to the world.
Most people in the U.S. live incredibly sheltered lives now. We're born & raised in artificial, relatively well-protected environments, & never realize just how far away from the 'real' world they are. We're smothered with information carefully packaged to appeal to our sense of entertainment & short attention spans. Too many people don't know what a true commitment is now. They switch jobs, spouses, & homes more often than some people used to bathe. Disgusting, but true. But which is more disgusting when you really think about it?
Have you ever had to think about it? Most kids don't understand responsibility or commitment now until they're a lot older because they don't have pets or other animals to take care of. Growing up on a farm, we were surrounded by animals & learned from & with them. We watched them from birth to death - sometimes nurturing them, sometimes killing them, but at all times realizing they were similar to us in many ways. We invested a lot of time, money, & energy trying to make things go our way. Sometimes it panned out perfectly, but often things didn't work out as well as we planned & we had to deal with it. In any case, it was an ever-changing commitment & lesson in life. We had to think about our actions & the long term consequences of them.
The lessons of the farm aren't all that common to most people any more. All too often, the only animals they see are on TV. There puppies are cute & magically become well trained dogs that live forever. They don't get lost & disappear, leaving you to forever wonder what became of them. You don't have to make the painful decision of when to put them down or even just make sure you come home every day & give them the attention they need. Every single day - no matter how much you'd like to go out & party - first you have to see to the animal's needs.
There are many wonderful lessons a kid learns from having a pet; commitment, responsibility, & empathy. Sometimes that hurts & often it's a hassle, but they're all attributes we need to cultivate in our children. No matter the pain they can bring, they tend to bring greater joy. (I read somewhere that the average family doesn't keep a dog as long as they do their car. How the hell can anyone do that?!!! Our dogs are family. It's not quite like having a kid, but close.) Sure, you can't just do what you want when you want, but what better life lesson is there for being a productive person, good spouse, & loving parent? It's work, a hard reality, not all fun & pleasure, like in a TV induced dream.
Sloppy, dream-like thinking is what led to stopping the slaughter of horses in the U.S. with disastrous consequences for the horses. Thousands of horses are bred every year for racing, shows, & pleasure. Only a few make the grade & often only for a short time. Each one needs a lot of space & fairly expensive maintenance no matter whether they meet expectations or not. Relatively few wind up like our horses, rescued from race track retirement, & living in luxury. Far too many wind up living in poor conditions where they die of neglect or are still sold for slaughter. Since there is no longer a slaughter house nearby, they're packed into trucks & hauled out of the country to meet the same end we've outlawed. Some don't survive the trip & the laws regulating their proper treatment aren't ours.
Stopping horse slaughter has done nothing except take a bad situation for the horses & made it far worse by ignoring reality - we can't give every horse a dream home to live in until it dies naturally. The resources aren't available & they are just one more commodity to far too many people. This disconnect is a natural consequence of our high tech, sheltered lives. Now, more than ever, people need to read classics like those listed above & honestly think through tough situations. These books are classics for a very good reason - they show us a reality of our existence & make people think beyond their sheltered lives. More, they do so through some heart-warming, well written examples.
What exactly did they find wrong with these books? Obviously, they were too realistic. They want their kids to grow up in a happier world & not to experience such horrors through books. Why not? Childhood should be a happy time, but kids need to learn what real life is about before they're suddenly faced with it. What better way to learn than through a good book?
Life isn't always nice. Bad things happen to good people & good things happen to bad people. Well loved animals & people die. It's a fact of life, not one to shy away from or protect kids from too much. It WILL happen to them. They need to learn to deal with it & accept it. It's not the journey's end, but the journey itself that is important. That's what all of the books listed above are about - learning that no matter what life throws at you, you can survive. You should not only live with it, but learn from it & still be a decent person contributing good things to the world.
Most people in the U.S. live incredibly sheltered lives now. We're born & raised in artificial, relatively well-protected environments, & never realize just how far away from the 'real' world they are. We're smothered with information carefully packaged to appeal to our sense of entertainment & short attention spans. Too many people don't know what a true commitment is now. They switch jobs, spouses, & homes more often than some people used to bathe. Disgusting, but true. But which is more disgusting when you really think about it?
Have you ever had to think about it? Most kids don't understand responsibility or commitment now until they're a lot older because they don't have pets or other animals to take care of. Growing up on a farm, we were surrounded by animals & learned from & with them. We watched them from birth to death - sometimes nurturing them, sometimes killing them, but at all times realizing they were similar to us in many ways. We invested a lot of time, money, & energy trying to make things go our way. Sometimes it panned out perfectly, but often things didn't work out as well as we planned & we had to deal with it. In any case, it was an ever-changing commitment & lesson in life. We had to think about our actions & the long term consequences of them.
The lessons of the farm aren't all that common to most people any more. All too often, the only animals they see are on TV. There puppies are cute & magically become well trained dogs that live forever. They don't get lost & disappear, leaving you to forever wonder what became of them. You don't have to make the painful decision of when to put them down or even just make sure you come home every day & give them the attention they need. Every single day - no matter how much you'd like to go out & party - first you have to see to the animal's needs.
There are many wonderful lessons a kid learns from having a pet; commitment, responsibility, & empathy. Sometimes that hurts & often it's a hassle, but they're all attributes we need to cultivate in our children. No matter the pain they can bring, they tend to bring greater joy. (I read somewhere that the average family doesn't keep a dog as long as they do their car. How the hell can anyone do that?!!! Our dogs are family. It's not quite like having a kid, but close.) Sure, you can't just do what you want when you want, but what better life lesson is there for being a productive person, good spouse, & loving parent? It's work, a hard reality, not all fun & pleasure, like in a TV induced dream.
Sloppy, dream-like thinking is what led to stopping the slaughter of horses in the U.S. with disastrous consequences for the horses. Thousands of horses are bred every year for racing, shows, & pleasure. Only a few make the grade & often only for a short time. Each one needs a lot of space & fairly expensive maintenance no matter whether they meet expectations or not. Relatively few wind up like our horses, rescued from race track retirement, & living in luxury. Far too many wind up living in poor conditions where they die of neglect or are still sold for slaughter. Since there is no longer a slaughter house nearby, they're packed into trucks & hauled out of the country to meet the same end we've outlawed. Some don't survive the trip & the laws regulating their proper treatment aren't ours.
Stopping horse slaughter has done nothing except take a bad situation for the horses & made it far worse by ignoring reality - we can't give every horse a dream home to live in until it dies naturally. The resources aren't available & they are just one more commodity to far too many people. This disconnect is a natural consequence of our high tech, sheltered lives. Now, more than ever, people need to read classics like those listed above & honestly think through tough situations. These books are classics for a very good reason - they show us a reality of our existence & make people think beyond their sheltered lives. More, they do so through some heart-warming, well written examples.
February 12, 2010
Cell Phone Follies
I've been trying to find a decent cell phone with a good antenna, since I live in a marginal area. Just a phone. I don't travel, except between home & work. I just want to talk occasionally on my cell, not take pictures, email, text or anything else. I have a couple of good cameras & computers to do those tasks. So I want a cell phone that is just a GOOD phone.
I can't find one.
I tried a lot of different searches for cell phones, specifically for antenna ratings. Nothing comes up. I found a couple of sites that would help me search for features on particular cell phones, but they were geared to the wrong direction. Take a look at
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/find...
Phone Scoop might be wonderful for you, but I can't tell it that I don't want a feature. I can only say that I don't care if the feature is available. I do care - I don't want a crappy camera, a keyboard or a touch screen! I'd rather have the extra space used for a good battery & antenna. I can choose a specific type of antenna, but I'm no expert on antenna types. Is a stub antenna better than an extendable one or not? I would think it would depend more on the antenna design.
My cell phone search illustrates a problem I've seen growing with our society my entire life. Our economy is based on conspicuous consumption, a trend that has grown until finding a good product is becoming impossible. We can find cheap, trendy, feature-packed, but a solid, no-nonsense, quality product is becoming a thing of the past, especially in consumer electronics.
I can't find one.
I tried a lot of different searches for cell phones, specifically for antenna ratings. Nothing comes up. I found a couple of sites that would help me search for features on particular cell phones, but they were geared to the wrong direction. Take a look at
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/find...
Phone Scoop might be wonderful for you, but I can't tell it that I don't want a feature. I can only say that I don't care if the feature is available. I do care - I don't want a crappy camera, a keyboard or a touch screen! I'd rather have the extra space used for a good battery & antenna. I can choose a specific type of antenna, but I'm no expert on antenna types. Is a stub antenna better than an extendable one or not? I would think it would depend more on the antenna design.
My cell phone search illustrates a problem I've seen growing with our society my entire life. Our economy is based on conspicuous consumption, a trend that has grown until finding a good product is becoming impossible. We can find cheap, trendy, feature-packed, but a solid, no-nonsense, quality product is becoming a thing of the past, especially in consumer electronics.
February 11, 2010
Google & my virtual world...
Gmail was the best email client I'd ever found & I've been using web based email clients since they came out. So I got an account & have used it ever since. Then they added other items. The personalized home page has long been a favorite. Google docs, not so much, but I've used them on occasion. I share a Google Calendar with the family.
I avoided any social networking sites for years. Then I found Goodreads.com, a place for folks that like to read. The wall of my resistance to social networking was breached & I found myself joining Facebook. Why? I'm not really sure. It's kind of a nice way to keep up with friends & family. I don't do a lot on there.
Now Google has packaged all their offerings together into something that's very Facebook like, but much more comprehensive: Google Buzz. I'm getting sucked in & can't help it.
I have limited time, interest & capacity. I like discussing books on GoodReads, but I've abandoned my LibraryThing account, even though I paid for a lifetime membership. The duplication of effort & time just isn't worth it. I can see the same thing happening between Facebook & Google Buzz.
Google has trained me over the years to use their web apps. They did one thing, did it well to start, then tweaked it until it was awesome. I got used to each app, used them & incorporated them into my daily routine. My Gmail login gives me instant access to them. Now they're rolled together into a better, single package. Is this a Facebook Killer? It just may be for me.
I avoided any social networking sites for years. Then I found Goodreads.com, a place for folks that like to read. The wall of my resistance to social networking was breached & I found myself joining Facebook. Why? I'm not really sure. It's kind of a nice way to keep up with friends & family. I don't do a lot on there.
Now Google has packaged all their offerings together into something that's very Facebook like, but much more comprehensive: Google Buzz. I'm getting sucked in & can't help it.
I have limited time, interest & capacity. I like discussing books on GoodReads, but I've abandoned my LibraryThing account, even though I paid for a lifetime membership. The duplication of effort & time just isn't worth it. I can see the same thing happening between Facebook & Google Buzz.
Google has trained me over the years to use their web apps. They did one thing, did it well to start, then tweaked it until it was awesome. I got used to each app, used them & incorporated them into my daily routine. My Gmail login gives me instant access to them. Now they're rolled together into a better, single package. Is this a Facebook Killer? It just may be for me.
September 25, 2007
Online Translation
Online translators have a ways to go, as proved by the new Microsoft Live Translator at http://translator.live.com/Default.aspx
I ran a test, taking one English phrase, translating from it directly to a single language & then translating the results back to English. What I got back was always pretty far off the mark & often funny. I wound up sticking people & stores into cupboards. All the dishes never did get done. I wonder if this is how the teenage mind works?
Starting in English:
Put the groceries in the cupboard and then wash the dishes thoroughly.
------------------
to Dutch:
Zet de kruidenierswinkels in de kast en was grondig dan de schotels.
Back to English:
And were thorough then the dishes put the grocers in the cupboard.
------------------
to German:
Setzen Sie die Lebensmittelgeschäfte in den Schrank ein und waschen Sie dann die Teller gänzlich.
Back to English:
Insert the grocer's shops into the cabinet and wash you then the plates completely.
-----------------
To Arabic:
وضعت الدكّان بقالة في الخزانة وبعد ذلك غسلت الأطباق تماما.
Back to English:
The shop put grocer in the cupboard and after that washers of the dishes completely.
-------------------
To Japanese:
食料雑貨を食器棚に置き、次に皿を完全に洗浄しなさい。
Back To English:
Put the food miscellaneous goods on the china cabinet, next wash the plate completely.
-------------------
After 10 years of similar results, I didn't have my hopes set too high - a good thing!
I ran a test, taking one English phrase, translating from it directly to a single language & then translating the results back to English. What I got back was always pretty far off the mark & often funny. I wound up sticking people & stores into cupboards. All the dishes never did get done. I wonder if this is how the teenage mind works?
Starting in English:
Put the groceries in the cupboard and then wash the dishes thoroughly.
------------------
to Dutch:
Zet de kruidenierswinkels in de kast en was grondig dan de schotels.
Back to English:
And were thorough then the dishes put the grocers in the cupboard.
------------------
to German:
Setzen Sie die Lebensmittelgeschäfte in den Schrank ein und waschen Sie dann die Teller gänzlich.
Back to English:
Insert the grocer's shops into the cabinet and wash you then the plates completely.
-----------------
To Arabic:
وضعت الدكّان بقالة في الخزانة وبعد ذلك غسلت الأطباق تماما.
Back to English:
The shop put grocer in the cupboard and after that washers of the dishes completely.
-------------------
To Japanese:
食料雑貨を食器棚に置き、次に皿を完全に洗浄しなさい。
Back To English:
Put the food miscellaneous goods on the china cabinet, next wash the plate completely.
-------------------
After 10 years of similar results, I didn't have my hopes set too high - a good thing!
August 23, 2007
Second Tier Vendors
Second tier software vendors are those who aren't one of the big, household names. They don't advertise on TV, but they're selling perfectly acceptable products - often very good ones - & they're generally trying really hard to become one of the big guys. That means, if you're careful, you can get a great product & excellent support for a very attractive price. There are dangers, of course. Some go under, but that happens even with the big guys. Look at what Symantec did with their firewall hardware in June 2006. Dropped it cold & the customer can go to hell.
Another disadvantage is that it's tough to sell a high profile system, such as email, to the suits if they've never heard of it. Everyone has heard of the big 3 of email (Microsoft, Lotus, Novell) although Novell's perceived future isn't as good as it could be. (I've struggled to keep Novell for years. Their marketing department hasn't helped a lick. They should be shot!)
It's not just the suits. I'm making extensive changes to our network, a great time to put in new systems, but my VARs (Value Added Reseller, sells me hardware, software & engineering support) don't seem to know anyone except the big names, either.
Backup: Symantec's Veritas or CA's ArcServe. (Acronis? Why not?)
Antivirus: Symantec or McAfee - one mentioned TrendMicro. No Sophos?
Firewall: Cisco, maybe SonicWall (WatchGuard, Fortigate?)
I hate Symantec & CA. They’re big companies who have grown far too big. They’re more interested in running me through paperwork games than letting purchase the software & get on with the job at hand. Their default tech support generally sucks, is hard to get to & hampered by language or draconian rules. Their better grades of support are generall too expensive for small companies. I don't recall what Symantec wanted for their Platinum AV support, but I do recall I've never been able to afford it. Since their AV product now sucks, I've gone to Sophos. They're small enough to try harder, support their customers 24x7 & send me licensing along with the purchase. No hoops to jump through!
I bought a Fortigate FW rather than a Cisco (I also looked at SonicWall & WatchGuard), but I have limited time & experience to pick out all my own products. I need to know they work in the field. Who can better tell me than my VAR? I'm looking at 3 different VARs since they mostly don't want to look at new solutions, but only at the ‘proven’, big name companies.
Another disadvantage is that it's tough to sell a high profile system, such as email, to the suits if they've never heard of it. Everyone has heard of the big 3 of email (Microsoft, Lotus, Novell) although Novell's perceived future isn't as good as it could be. (I've struggled to keep Novell for years. Their marketing department hasn't helped a lick. They should be shot!)
It's not just the suits. I'm making extensive changes to our network, a great time to put in new systems, but my VARs (Value Added Reseller, sells me hardware, software & engineering support) don't seem to know anyone except the big names, either.
Backup: Symantec's Veritas or CA's ArcServe. (Acronis? Why not?)
Antivirus: Symantec or McAfee - one mentioned TrendMicro. No Sophos?
Firewall: Cisco, maybe SonicWall (WatchGuard, Fortigate?)
I hate Symantec & CA. They’re big companies who have grown far too big. They’re more interested in running me through paperwork games than letting purchase the software & get on with the job at hand. Their default tech support generally sucks, is hard to get to & hampered by language or draconian rules. Their better grades of support are generall too expensive for small companies. I don't recall what Symantec wanted for their Platinum AV support, but I do recall I've never been able to afford it. Since their AV product now sucks, I've gone to Sophos. They're small enough to try harder, support their customers 24x7 & send me licensing along with the purchase. No hoops to jump through!
I bought a Fortigate FW rather than a Cisco (I also looked at SonicWall & WatchGuard), but I have limited time & experience to pick out all my own products. I need to know they work in the field. Who can better tell me than my VAR? I'm looking at 3 different VARs since they mostly don't want to look at new solutions, but only at the ‘proven’, big name companies.
August 22, 2007
Cell phones don't cause car crashes...
A new study shows no correlation between car wrecks and cell phones. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=132130
This perfectly illustrates that a study can show anything you like, if you massage the data correctly or have your head so firmly shoved up your ivory tower that you can't see the light of day. Most people have trouble doing more than one complicated thing at a time. Driving is complicated. Sure you can do it on cruise control most of the time, but you have to be alert and prepared for anything. At 60mph, you're moving at 88 feet per second. That's a lot of ground in a hurry.
A distracted driver will have more car accidents than one who is paying attention to the road. That's common sense. The key is how the accident is reported to the police.
- People in an accident will slant the story to make themselves look better. Are they going to admit they were chatting away? I think not.
- What about the accidents caused that they weren't involved in? I'm sure they're not reported to the police. I've seen an instance where a person in a large SUV weaved out into another lane, causing another car to go into the ditch. The police said since the SUV didn't make contact with the other car, they could not consider it to be at fault.
I think these budding scientists need to come out and commute an hour every day. As the roads get more crowded, vehicles get faster and people get busier at the wheel, we'll continue to see more accidents. People are getting more options to get distracted everyday. GPS, phones, onboard computers, dvd players - a host of things.
This perfectly illustrates that a study can show anything you like, if you massage the data correctly or have your head so firmly shoved up your ivory tower that you can't see the light of day. Most people have trouble doing more than one complicated thing at a time. Driving is complicated. Sure you can do it on cruise control most of the time, but you have to be alert and prepared for anything. At 60mph, you're moving at 88 feet per second. That's a lot of ground in a hurry.
A distracted driver will have more car accidents than one who is paying attention to the road. That's common sense. The key is how the accident is reported to the police.
- People in an accident will slant the story to make themselves look better. Are they going to admit they were chatting away? I think not.
- What about the accidents caused that they weren't involved in? I'm sure they're not reported to the police. I've seen an instance where a person in a large SUV weaved out into another lane, causing another car to go into the ditch. The police said since the SUV didn't make contact with the other car, they could not consider it to be at fault.
I think these budding scientists need to come out and commute an hour every day. As the roads get more crowded, vehicles get faster and people get busier at the wheel, we'll continue to see more accidents. People are getting more options to get distracted everyday. GPS, phones, onboard computers, dvd players - a host of things.
August 16, 2007
Moving Out
I’ve lived all around the US at various times, but was born in Long Island, NY & spent most of my life in north-central MD. I remember our small farm out by Lake Ronkonkoma. We had a couple of horses and used to ride through the surrounding fields. I went back maybe 10 years later & the farm was a bunch of houses, the surrounding fields had more houses & a strip mall.
Thirty years later, the same thing had happened where I lived in north central Maryland. Traffic was horrible as the original roads had twenty times the traffic. I didn’t know most of the people I’d meet in the local hardware store any more. There is farmland around, but all those moving out to take advantage of ‘country living’ have ruined the area. They want street lights, curbs, sidewalks and a McDonalds. Watch them get behind a combine or a hay wagon. They’ll wet themselves as they are forced to slow down and can’t pass. Watch them pass a horse and rider on the road – half the time the idiots beep their horn – and slowing down isn’t even a passing thought.
I got tired of the rat race on the east coast. It’s become wall-to-wall city slickers, all who seem to think another law is the answer to every problem. They’re building mansions on 5 acres of old field and usually aren’t home to enjoy it because they’ve stretched themselves beyond their means. All their kids are perfect little angles and they’d never dream of actually hitting the little brat to teach it some manners – they appeal to its ‘better nature’ instead – like any young animal is born with a moral sense.
I’ve looked for years to find a place that was rural and had a decent job market. My son and his wife found one, mentioned it to me and we were off. Within 6 months, even in the current, lousy real estate market, we’d sold our half acre home in MD and moved 10 hours away to 15 acres in central KY. I found a good job before the first week was over.
I see the same seeds of growth here though. This area is very similar to where I lived in MD about 25 years ago. The 15 acres we have was once part of a much larger farm that was mostly sold in 5 acre lots. The people are still country minded, though. They slow down for animals. Tractors are almost as common on the roads as cars. The neighbors stop to chat or at least wave as they go by.
Thirty years later, the same thing had happened where I lived in north central Maryland. Traffic was horrible as the original roads had twenty times the traffic. I didn’t know most of the people I’d meet in the local hardware store any more. There is farmland around, but all those moving out to take advantage of ‘country living’ have ruined the area. They want street lights, curbs, sidewalks and a McDonalds. Watch them get behind a combine or a hay wagon. They’ll wet themselves as they are forced to slow down and can’t pass. Watch them pass a horse and rider on the road – half the time the idiots beep their horn – and slowing down isn’t even a passing thought.
I got tired of the rat race on the east coast. It’s become wall-to-wall city slickers, all who seem to think another law is the answer to every problem. They’re building mansions on 5 acres of old field and usually aren’t home to enjoy it because they’ve stretched themselves beyond their means. All their kids are perfect little angles and they’d never dream of actually hitting the little brat to teach it some manners – they appeal to its ‘better nature’ instead – like any young animal is born with a moral sense.
I’ve looked for years to find a place that was rural and had a decent job market. My son and his wife found one, mentioned it to me and we were off. Within 6 months, even in the current, lousy real estate market, we’d sold our half acre home in MD and moved 10 hours away to 15 acres in central KY. I found a good job before the first week was over.
I see the same seeds of growth here though. This area is very similar to where I lived in MD about 25 years ago. The 15 acres we have was once part of a much larger farm that was mostly sold in 5 acre lots. The people are still country minded, though. They slow down for animals. Tractors are almost as common on the roads as cars. The neighbors stop to chat or at least wave as they go by.
August 15, 2007
What's on the user's PC?
I started a new job and one of the toughest challanges has been determining what applications the users have on their PCs. The users don't seem to know. A printed form with check boxes for the main, standard applications and blanks for others comes back mostly empty. How can a person use their PC all day and not know what applications they use?
One issue seems to be understanding what an application is. They can't tell the difference between a web portal and an installed program. They can't tell when one program calls on another. Worst of all, they don't know the difference between a business application and something they or their predecessor installed for fun or to test.
Much of the blame for their ignorance lies in a complete lack of policies and policing of the system. No one has ever taught them what a business application is or what unwanted software, such as the Weather Bug or an IM client is. Some of these PCs are 7 years old and they've never been cleaned between users. More RAM was added, the OS upgraded and that was all.
Cleaning up a mess like this isn't something that can be done quickly. Software policy has to come from the top and one of the worst abusers is one of the company owners. Training that person is the priority. Cleaning up systems properly and educating users as they get new or recycled PCs is also a big part, but unless upper management toes the same line, abuses will happen again and be harder to stop without causing resentment.
One issue seems to be understanding what an application is. They can't tell the difference between a web portal and an installed program. They can't tell when one program calls on another. Worst of all, they don't know the difference between a business application and something they or their predecessor installed for fun or to test.
Much of the blame for their ignorance lies in a complete lack of policies and policing of the system. No one has ever taught them what a business application is or what unwanted software, such as the Weather Bug or an IM client is. Some of these PCs are 7 years old and they've never been cleaned between users. More RAM was added, the OS upgraded and that was all.
Cleaning up a mess like this isn't something that can be done quickly. Software policy has to come from the top and one of the worst abusers is one of the company owners. Training that person is the priority. Cleaning up systems properly and educating users as they get new or recycled PCs is also a big part, but unless upper management toes the same line, abuses will happen again and be harder to stop without causing resentment.
August 14, 2007
The Magic Black Box
"The system is broken! It's been down for days!!! When are you going to fix it?!!!" asked a panicked user yesterday. I'd heard no complaints from anyone else, hadn't heard a thing from her & I've been here reading emails, walking the building & picking up the phone. I've even talked to her a couple of times, so her statement was obviously way off. This is pretty typical behavior from users that are computer illiterate, yet work on them all day.
I calmed her down, showed my concern & asked some pointed (simple!) questions. I found out that one application wasn't working & the problem was a simple drive mapping that she had disconnected. It took 10 minutes to figure it out & 10 seconds to fix.
I've never understood how someone can work with a piece of equipment all day for years & still not have the foggiest idea of how it works. Is it just because I'm a tech that I always try to understand at least the basic concepts of everything I use? I'm not a mechanic & new vehicles or my heat pump are beyond my capabilities to fix in a lot of cases, but I can generally tell what has gone wrong when something does & how to maintain it. I tend to question any technician that works on them & try to find out more. Even my wife, who makes me check her oil, is pretty good at describing issues with her car & has some basic troubleshooting skills.
But many of my users display no curiosity about how their PC works & refuse to maintain it. They often revel in their ignorance, proclaiming with pride how they know nothing about it. They're proud that - to them - it is a 'magic black box'.
All efforts at educating them fall on deaf ears or the knowledge seems to dribble out shortly after I leave. So far, the only way to teach them has been if their boss teams up with me to hold them accountable for their ignorance & that's a dicey proposition. I have to make sure EVERYTHING is documented, both sign off and it always causes hard feelings all the way around.
How else can I get this type of user to desire to know more?
I calmed her down, showed my concern & asked some pointed (simple!) questions. I found out that one application wasn't working & the problem was a simple drive mapping that she had disconnected. It took 10 minutes to figure it out & 10 seconds to fix.
I've never understood how someone can work with a piece of equipment all day for years & still not have the foggiest idea of how it works. Is it just because I'm a tech that I always try to understand at least the basic concepts of everything I use? I'm not a mechanic & new vehicles or my heat pump are beyond my capabilities to fix in a lot of cases, but I can generally tell what has gone wrong when something does & how to maintain it. I tend to question any technician that works on them & try to find out more. Even my wife, who makes me check her oil, is pretty good at describing issues with her car & has some basic troubleshooting skills.
But many of my users display no curiosity about how their PC works & refuse to maintain it. They often revel in their ignorance, proclaiming with pride how they know nothing about it. They're proud that - to them - it is a 'magic black box'.
All efforts at educating them fall on deaf ears or the knowledge seems to dribble out shortly after I leave. So far, the only way to teach them has been if their boss teams up with me to hold them accountable for their ignorance & that's a dicey proposition. I have to make sure EVERYTHING is documented, both sign off and it always causes hard feelings all the way around.
How else can I get this type of user to desire to know more?
