I am referring to my wife. While she is very good at her job, a wonderful gardener, and a great cook, when she sits in front of her PC she more often than not is very challenged, even after having her own computer for over 5 years.
In my wife's case, it was the recent purchase of an up-to-date mobile phone that was a trigger. After attending a free phone orientation class at her service providers store, she came home and immediately sequestered herself in her computer room for the remainder of the day. I didn't hear from her until early evening.
The next thing I heard was her calling from the lower floor that she needed my help in accessing a new account on Facebook. It's a brave new world when my wife takes this kind of step forward.
It turns out that her orientation class demonstrated all the features that was now offered on her phone and the the opportunity and fun of making contact with old and new friends served as a platform for her be more involved in new technology. Being a social person it was something she felt she could understand and desired.
As it is with so many of us it took an outside influence to spark her interest in learning more. For me it was my interest in airbrush illustration, followed by the introduction of Adobe Photoshop 1.0 as a graphic design aid, that drove me to want to understand more about computers as a tool and eventually grasp desktop publishing. Again, a practical need for the technology is the key.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
More on Google Buzz
As it turns out there was a new story about both Google Wave and Google Buzz on the March 16 cnet news. While both Wave and Buzz are similar they each address slightly different audiences.
According to the story, Wave is supposed to be "designed around making users more productive in their work lives as a collaboration tool", in other words a work related tool. Buzz is "more about social sharing and passive sharing with people who are interested in what you think." In other words a social networking tool.
Google apparently wants the general public to use both technologies for an unspecified time, and based on feed back Google would then decide which technology survives or if a merger of the two might occur.
The writers add that the major downside to this approach is that there might be a perception that Google is being indecisive and is guessing at which technology will really work the best. Ultimately any companies considering partnering with Google could become confused with which project Google is really committed to following through with.
My opinion is still why are two such similar products being released by one company so close together? Sure, it does appear confusing. But to me it also seems counter productive. One company having two development teams working on similar projects sounds like a lot of duplicated effort, and not cost effective. I personally only adopt new technology if I see a personal need for it. If Google Buzz was released alone, but also offered work related productivity benefits, then sure, why not try it? If it is really another social networking tool, then I don't think I am interested. Linkedin is more to my liking, thanks.
According to the story, Wave is supposed to be "designed around making users more productive in their work lives as a collaboration tool", in other words a work related tool. Buzz is "more about social sharing and passive sharing with people who are interested in what you think." In other words a social networking tool.
Google apparently wants the general public to use both technologies for an unspecified time, and based on feed back Google would then decide which technology survives or if a merger of the two might occur.
The writers add that the major downside to this approach is that there might be a perception that Google is being indecisive and is guessing at which technology will really work the best. Ultimately any companies considering partnering with Google could become confused with which project Google is really committed to following through with.
My opinion is still why are two such similar products being released by one company so close together? Sure, it does appear confusing. But to me it also seems counter productive. One company having two development teams working on similar projects sounds like a lot of duplicated effort, and not cost effective. I personally only adopt new technology if I see a personal need for it. If Google Buzz was released alone, but also offered work related productivity benefits, then sure, why not try it? If it is really another social networking tool, then I don't think I am interested. Linkedin is more to my liking, thanks.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The World of Wikis
Last week in class we participated as a group in creating and using a wiki. The weird thing for me was conducting an online discussion with someone who was sitting 20 feet away from me.
The purpose of the exercise was to familiarize the class with this particular technology and to explore the possibilities. We discussed a current event related to technology, in this case a pending law suit by Apple Computer about copyright infringement on their telephone technology. After an bit of an awkward start my wiki partner and I had a fun discussion. I am not always up to date on all technology current events, but we both made interesting observations that followed our individual points of view.
My point of view was based mostly on the practical need for the Apple product, and what their litigation really meant to me. In a nutshell my opinion is that the law suit would no doubt be settled out of trial, simply because technology these days seem to become outdated in about a years time, then companies are on to the next generation of product. I have other opinions, but they are not important at the moment.
My need for a practical use for any new technology seems to take the high priority over just accepting or adopting a technology because it is new. Generally I view something new from a comfortable distance, deciding in time if it is for me or not. In the case of wikis, my experience last year was positive, in that we used it to communicate together on our ideas for a group web design project including the sharing of graphics files. This to me served a more practical use, then simply posting of ideas.
I would continue to use the wiki that we started last week, provided there was a need for it in the class. Outside of this class, I would probably use new wikis on an as needed basis, perhaps as a way to communicate with a future client on a web site, where we needed to share files when an FTP site is not available.
The purpose of the exercise was to familiarize the class with this particular technology and to explore the possibilities. We discussed a current event related to technology, in this case a pending law suit by Apple Computer about copyright infringement on their telephone technology. After an bit of an awkward start my wiki partner and I had a fun discussion. I am not always up to date on all technology current events, but we both made interesting observations that followed our individual points of view.
My point of view was based mostly on the practical need for the Apple product, and what their litigation really meant to me. In a nutshell my opinion is that the law suit would no doubt be settled out of trial, simply because technology these days seem to become outdated in about a years time, then companies are on to the next generation of product. I have other opinions, but they are not important at the moment.
My need for a practical use for any new technology seems to take the high priority over just accepting or adopting a technology because it is new. Generally I view something new from a comfortable distance, deciding in time if it is for me or not. In the case of wikis, my experience last year was positive, in that we used it to communicate together on our ideas for a group web design project including the sharing of graphics files. This to me served a more practical use, then simply posting of ideas.
I would continue to use the wiki that we started last week, provided there was a need for it in the class. Outside of this class, I would probably use new wikis on an as needed basis, perhaps as a way to communicate with a future client on a web site, where we needed to share files when an FTP site is not available.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Our Childhood in Black and White
According to statistics, people in the 55-65 year age group are quitting facebook.com. I am including this short anonymous essay, as it parallels some of our class discussion about how older people, even though many embraced new computer technology in the 1980s and 90's, some are now seeking to simplify their lives 20 years later.
I received this short anonymous essay from a cousin of my wife over the weekend. In a way it reminded me that new technology isn’t always the best or the most satisfying to our well being.
I received this short anonymous essay from a cousin of my wife over the weekend. In a way it reminded me that new technology isn’t always the best or the most satisfying to our well being.
Our Childhood in Black and White
(Under age 40? You won't understand.)
(Under age 40? You won't understand.)
You could hardly see for all the snow, spread the rabbit ears as far as they go.
Pull a chair up to the TV set, 'Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet.'
My mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.
My mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice-pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.
Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring)-- no beach closures then.
The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.
We all took gym, not PE, and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries, but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.
Flunking gym was not an option, even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.
Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.
We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.
I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.
I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.
Oh yeah ... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!
We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.
Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.
We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then and we got butt spanked again when we got home.
I recall Donny Reynolds from next door com ing over and doing his tricks on the front step, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.
To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?
We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?
Love to all of us who shared this era, and to all who didn't; sorry for what you missed. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
My mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.
My mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice-pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.
Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring)-- no beach closures then.
The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.
We all took gym, not PE, and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries, but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.
Flunking gym was not an option, even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.
Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.
We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.
I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.
I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.
Oh yeah ... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!
We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.
Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.
We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then and we got butt spanked again when we got home.
I recall Donny Reynolds from next door com ing over and doing his tricks on the front step, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.
To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?
We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?
Love to all of us who shared this era, and to all who didn't; sorry for what you missed. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
The Case of the "Lost" Laptop
The school district accused of spying on a student by remotely activating a school owned laptops camera has been ordered to cease the practice. It appears that both the media and the public are viewing the school officials as the bad guy in this instance. I tend to agree with that general opinion.
While there is a lot of unanswered questions and vagueness in the details, in an official statement the school district superintendant admitted that in instances where a laptop is reported missing or stolen, the school could turn on the camera remotely. In this case the camera recorded the student consuming what the officials identified as drugs. That was their version. The student claimed that he was eating candy drops that had the appearance of drugs. That’s his version. Is it the school's responsibility to police the student on his time in the evening at his parents home?
To me the real questions are these. If they where tracking a missing laptop, was this particular unit really missing? Did the student or his parents report it missing? Was the laptop overdue for return, and if so, was the family contacted first? If it wasn't missing, then why did the school administrator turn on the camera? That seems a violation of their stated policy.
OK, the school district is nervous and paranoid that a student may be trying to rip off their laptop. I understand that concern. But I would suggest that their established procedure to check out a laptop be revised. Since laptops might cost from $500 to $1000, the student’s parents should be made financially responsible for the loss if their child gets careless. A cash deposit and / or credit card should be presented for security before a computer can be checked out, just like any other rental programs. Anything is better than adopting a practice that could be misused by violating the right to privacy of the individual. And as far as I am concerned that is what is at issue here.
Maybe we should be able turn on the school administrators laptop cams remotely as well. It might be interesting to know what they do on their time. I would like to hear their thoughts on that suggestion.
While there is a lot of unanswered questions and vagueness in the details, in an official statement the school district superintendant admitted that in instances where a laptop is reported missing or stolen, the school could turn on the camera remotely. In this case the camera recorded the student consuming what the officials identified as drugs. That was their version. The student claimed that he was eating candy drops that had the appearance of drugs. That’s his version. Is it the school's responsibility to police the student on his time in the evening at his parents home?
To me the real questions are these. If they where tracking a missing laptop, was this particular unit really missing? Did the student or his parents report it missing? Was the laptop overdue for return, and if so, was the family contacted first? If it wasn't missing, then why did the school administrator turn on the camera? That seems a violation of their stated policy.
OK, the school district is nervous and paranoid that a student may be trying to rip off their laptop. I understand that concern. But I would suggest that their established procedure to check out a laptop be revised. Since laptops might cost from $500 to $1000, the student’s parents should be made financially responsible for the loss if their child gets careless. A cash deposit and / or credit card should be presented for security before a computer can be checked out, just like any other rental programs. Anything is better than adopting a practice that could be misused by violating the right to privacy of the individual. And as far as I am concerned that is what is at issue here.
Maybe we should be able turn on the school administrators laptop cams remotely as well. It might be interesting to know what they do on their time. I would like to hear their thoughts on that suggestion.
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