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by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
I've been using Apple computers since around 1990. I remember when I first saw a Mac - it was in the fall of 1984. A buddy who had gone to another college came back home with one, and I was immediately smitten with the idea of graphical computing.
In between then and 1991, when I received my first Mac at work, I did a fair amount of programming and work with DOS and Windows -
by trule
I have worked in several organizations now that were heavy computer users, or were trying to be. In every single case there was a dearth of training for the users of the machines. This is (surprisingly, I think) even more true for the educational institutions (both secondary and colleges).
What management - and even the eventual users of the machines often did get, was that comptuers are
by trule
So what could training save a person, department, or organization that would make it worth the moeny spent?
Time!
One of the things I train on is using the Web effectively - especially search techniques. Teaching a handful of people in a department more effective uses of the Web - especially search techniques - can DRAMATICALLY reduce the amount of time wasted looking for some specific piece of
by trule
I am a firm believer in using things - especially technology - as long as it
is practical. That's why I have been using a powerMac 8500 for my writing
and transcription work for a good long while.I bought it off of eBay for $150 to replace a Mac clone that got fried by
lightning. I use it for digital audio work, sequencing, and Finale stuff.I purchased my first ever new Mac in February - a Mini.
by trule
I am typing this on the Mac Mini now comfortably ensconced in the "outhouse" (the outbuilding where my studio is located). It was a bit of a challenge to get the KVM working with both the Mini and the 8500. It turns out that the 8500 - since it has an added USB/Firewire PCI card, doesn't power up the card until after the OS is loaded - which means that the KVM switch doesn't receive a full-powered
by trule
Here is a link to an article with some food for thought, for those who say
the Macintosh does not belong in business.http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/052305schwartau.html...and here is a great blog regarding the Mac's inherent security advantage.http://securityawareness.blogspot.com/Today's announcement that Apple will transistion to using intel processors
should have no affect on
by trule
http://www.softlab.ece.ntua.gr/~sivann/pub/swf/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swfThe above is a link to a flash cartoon that everyone who emails should watch
- ESPECIALLY those people who insist on forwarding every "funny" or
"interesting" thing that crosses their inbox.It is truly amazing how durable some of the material floating around the
'net is. (This would probably be a good subject for a
by trule
Don Mayer, from SmallDog.com, wrote something incredibly concise and
apropos:--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are about 20 thousand things that distinguish Apple's OS X Tiger from
the "operating" (using that term very loosely) systems found on PCs. Here's
an overview of some of the important ones:Reliability and Stability1) Beneath the surface of
by trule
How often do we use these machines, trying to get some work done (or what
passes for work in this information economy of ours) - and are stymied by
one little thing......that one little checkbox left unchecked, or one
setting left not set, or one button not pushed.....Case in point: I've been trying to send in some blog entries for three
weeks, but nothing was posting. It turns out that there was
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
Part 2 of semi-random thoughts about Apple, the Mac OS, and computing in
general.
My experience with the Mac dates back to around 1991, when I, as head of a
college music department, purchased a Mac Classic. That was the start of a
budding music technology center that eventually expanded into the James T
Bass, Jr. Center for music Technology - a 12 station netwroked music
technology lab
by trule
by trule
Ever been looking for
something specific on the web, and just had a frustrating time finding
that one fact? Here is a process you can follow to quit wasting time
searching the web - developed out of a compuiter training class I
taught for several years at mount de Sales Academy and Mercer
University: Step 1. Know EXACTLY what you are looking for. You can't
vaguely look for "something about
This post originally appeared on an external website
by trule
From eWeek, July 11 2005 edition, page 42, in an article looking at what IT
will be like in 2010:"Are these people a reinvention of the systems analysts of the 60s and 70s?
Or is there something more sophisticated there?Rosen: I think one of the key things you'll need is people who know how to
learn - not so much people who know language X, Y, and Z, but people capable
of learning a lot of
by trule
by trule
The downloadable
cellphone ringtone industry has created a huge buzz among a certain
segment of the internet industry. Although you don't yet see reports of
this stuff on the broadcast network news reports, there is a lot of
money changing hands. One big question: Why? I asked my teenaged son
this question: Why do kids like to customize their phones? After
getting the typical "Dad you just don't
This post originally appeared on an external website
by trule
A bit o' background:
You might say I'm young old-school. I was first bitten by the
technology bug in the 70's, in my teens.The first personal computers
came out, and I was fascinated by them. I was never able to actually
AFFORD one, but I followed the trends and read articles about
everythign computer-related that I could find. I even did a paper on
what a system-analyst did!
I took a couple of programming courses in college at UTC
(Tennessee-Chattanooga) - PL/1 and Fortran. The Fortran class was done
using punched cards - the jobs were sent up to Knoxville and we waited
hours for the results of our little programs.
(There was something satisfyingly organic about punching cards. I still
remember the feel of the CLUNK when the card was punched as I hit a key
on the keyboard.)
Back then, programming was on a much lower level language-wise. Great
programmers could do assembler so their stuff would run faster or have
additional features not easilyimplemented in the upper-level language
they were using. I knew people did that, but I never got into spending
hours twiddling bits so a routine would run faster. I had music to
make!
Nowadays, things are different. I read a piece a few years back about
how programming was becoming just connecting pieces of pre-existing
code together, and lamenting the loss of "real" programming".
Modular coding is a great thing overall, because it allows many more
people (and talent types) to create code. It also allows a developer to
easily add features to a project. For example, I don't really care to
learn Javascript in-depth - but because of the modularity of the
language when used in a webpage, it is easy to grab a script off some
website and pop into my html. A few tweaks here and there and poof -
added functionality!
There
is also a parallel in music production. It used to be normal for
composers to write their pieces line by line - making sure one line fit
with the previous line, or one part with the other. Now, so much music
is created by loops - let's use this loop, mess with it a bit, then add
this other loop to it, etc etc.
This has the benefit of allowing
mroe people to create music. The downside, just as with programming, is
that the music created is often not very good - or at best is merely
derivative. This is ok if that's what you WANT, but it isn't a
long-term viable thing - people get bored listening to the same
mediocre stuff after a while.
Any conclusions to this?
Hmmmmmm.........I'm willing to bet this is just a phase we're going
through. The techniques - both programming and in music production -
being used today will spark yet another way of working - and the
creative people (no, the REALLY creative people - the ones willing to
work at it) will take what we do now and make up something new.
Some of them might actually do it away from the computer!
by trule
http://www.infonegocio.com/xeron/bruno/olympics.html
A great Flash movie. Prepare to laugh - cartoon humor in the best tradition of bugs bunny!
by trule
The mac 8600 died - a
moment of silence, please.
Well, it didn't EXACTLY die. I had decided to simplify my setup, so I
pulled the external hard drives out of the setup after copying the data
and system to one of the internal drives. After getting things settled,
naturally, the 700 meg drive died rather catastraophically - and with
no warning, of course.
It took every app I had with it. The larger
This post originally appeared on an external website
by trule
One of the fundamental
problems with computing is that it requires us humans to be less than
human. 'Course, that true in life as well, oftentimes.
Maybe I should rephrase that - the problem is that too often to go
through a day PROBLEM-FREE requires us to be less than human.
Two examples:
I've heard a story about NASA losing a Mars Lander because of a
misplaced comma. Now, you would think that
This post originally appeared on an external website
by trule
A bit o' background:
You might say I'm young old-school. I was first bitten by the technology bug in the 70's, in my teens.The first personal computers came out, and I was fascinated by them. I was never able to actually AFFORD one, but I followed the trends and read articles about everythign computer-related that I could find. I even did a paper on what a system-analyst did!
I took a couple of
by trule
Perhaps a better title would be "The press is more gaga over new technologies than regular people are".
Hmm, that would qualify as an obvious statement.
My Mercer classes started today. Becuase of the research I do, and the things I read, I am very aware of many of the technology trends happening. I've read all the hype about RSS and blogs and how they are going to change the world yada yada
by trule
Perhaps a better title
would be "The press is more gaga over new technologies than regular
people are".
Hmm, that would qualify as an obvious statement.
My Mercer classes started today. Because of the research I do, and the
things I read, I am very aware of many of the technology trends
happening. I've read all the hype about RSS and blogs and how they are
going to change the world yada yada
This post originally appeared on an external website
by trule
Perhaps a better title would be "The press is more gaga over new technologies than regular people are".
Hmm, that would qualify as an obvious statement.
My Mercer classes started today. Becuase of the research I do, and the things I read, I am very aware of many of the technology trends happening. I've read all the hype about RSS and blogs and how they are going to change the world yada yada
by trule
As a kid, I dreamed of sorts of techno-toys that I'd be playing with.....mostly revolving around music and recording. I figured I'd never be able to afford anything, or ever get into a studio because of the expense.
Well, as I sit here in the "outhouse" - my name for the little building out back that has my workshop and studio - I have 3 computers in the room, an 88-key synth, aKorg DW8000 that I
by trule
I am again teaching a beginning computer class at Mercer University - focusing more on Office than anything else.
The class gave self-designed powerpoint presentations, and I have to admit I was fairly impressed. A few students had taken my teaching to heart and had gone way beyond the builtin stuff - several didn't use a single bullet point (which was WONDERFUL).
I stated that my goal for the
by trule
In class today I talk about some of the collaboration features that Microsoft put into Word - specifically the change tracking options.
That got me thinking about software, features, and the tree falling into a forest (does it make a sound if no one is there to hear it?)
My answer to the question is yes - it makes a sound. The real question is: does it matter if no one is there to hear it?
In
by trule
Ever heard of monk-e-mail?
http://www.careerbuilder.com/monk-e-mail/
You can have a (customizable) monkey either read a message to a recipient (using text to speech technology), or you can record your own voice via microphone or regular land line/cell phone.
A very cool technology demonstration "brought to you by careerbuilder.com"......and a potentially good marketing tool in the right
by trule
OK, so that title is probably an obvious statement. What may not be so obvious is that there are two basic schools of thought regarding setting one up. Think about the online versions of a particular company - there might be one or several websites, some blogs, forums, entries in a usergroup, emails - all of these work together to create the virtual company. For the virtual version to be effective - or at the very least reflective of the flesh-and-blood version - these elements need to be coordinated to some degree. This is where too many compnies, especially Small companies, miss the boat.
I have been involved with a small company where there was little recognition of the "fabric effect" created by having multiple online presences. As webmaster it was my responsibility - I thought - to make sure there was some coordination, or at least some crosslinking going on (plus a modicum of SEO work done). Sadly there was little recognition of the need for this, and those duties were given to some else who has few if any web skills. As a result the organization will not get the full benefit of those sites they have labored to create, and they will be of use only for those people who are already part of the oprganization.
To me this is a waste - sites should not only be sources of information for those already involved (for a business, the customers, for a nonprofit, the members), but also serve as a resource for those who stumble across it....and you increase the "stumbling odds" by cross-coordinating the virtual fabric created by these multiple threads.
There are 2 organizing principals I have seen at work in the virtual companies. The first says that everything should spring from some central location - perhaps the primary company website. The theory here is that one central location makes it easier to find, and from there a potential customer can locate just about anything.
This version requires significant search engine awareness when designing the primary website - and even much MORE awareness when looking at the online fabric that makes up the virtual version. If there is only one entry point, then there MUST be some effort and time put into making the site search engine friendly, and some effort spent marketing the site in some form.
The other school of thought what I call the "Cast your bread" model - a biblical reference that is particularly appropos. The original quote reads "Cast your bread upon many waters......". In this case I am referring to the idea of having multiple online presences, each cross-linked and referring to each other. IF all of the resources are search engine friendly, then you increase the odds of an online browser stumbling across your resources.
So what's a webmaster to do when cast aside? In my case, go find some other clients!
by trule
OK, so that title is probably an obvious statement. What may not be so obvious is that there are two basic schools of thought regarding setting one up. Think about the online versions of a particular company - there might be one or several websites, some blogs, forums, entries in a usergroup, emails - all of these work together to create the virtual company. For the virtual version to be effective - or at the very least reflective of the flesh-and-blood version - these elements need to be coordinated to some degree. This is where too many compnies, especially Small companies, miss the boat.
I have been involved with a small company where there was little recognition of the "fabric effect" created by having multiple online presences. As webmaster it was my responsibility - I thought - to make sure there was some coordination, or at least some crosslinking going on (plus a mdoicum of SEO work done). Sadly there was little recognition of the need for this, and those duties were given to some else who has few if any web skills. As a result the organization will not get the full benefit of those sites they have labored to create, and they will be of use only for those people who are already part of the oprganization.
To me this is a waste - sites should not only be sources of information for those already involved (for a business, the customers, for a nonprofit, the members), but also serve as a resource for those who stumble across it....and you increase the "stumbling odds" by cross-coordinating the virtual fabric created by these multiple threads.
There are 2 organizing principals I have seen at work in the virtual companies. The first says that everything should spring from some central location - perhaps the primary company website. The theory here is that one central location makes it easier to find, and from there a potential customer can locate just about anything.
This version requires significant search engine awareness when designing the primary website - and even much MORE awareness when looking at the online fabric that makes up the virtual version. If there is only one entry point, then there MUST be some effort and time put into making the site search engine friendly, and some effort spent marketing the site in some form.
The other school of thought what I call the "Cast your bread" model - a biblical reference that is particularly appropos. The original quote reads "Cast your bread upon many waters......". In this case I am referring to the idea of having multiple online presences, each cross-linked and referring to each other. IF all of the resources are search engine friendly, then you increase the odds of an online browser stumbling across your resources.
So what's a webmaster to do when cast aside? In my case, go find some other clients!
by trule
From a newsletter that just arrived from Small Dog:
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the HIPerWall is an array
of no fewer than FIFTY Apple 30-inch Cinema Displays. These units are
in a grid ten wide by five high. There are 25 Power Mac G5 Dual Core
towers, each with two displays attached, and an extra Power Mac G5
just for coordinating the graphics and managing the high-level
display functions.
The Apple 30-inch Cinema Display is a perfect fit for this
application due to its extensive resolution capabilities, and narrow
border design. If you haven't seen one of these brilliant displays,
you need to get to an Apple location and see it in person.
The Mac platform provides the robust UNIX-based operating system
that's integrated with the open source components used by so many
research teams. The machines are fast, the video capabilities
provided are outstanding, and the hardware is plug and play.
The goal in building the HIPerWall was to provide a tool that allows
researchers to view and manipulate data sets at extremely high
resolutions.
Be it terrain visualization, disaster simulations, or a large digital
microscope, the HIPerWall allows researchers to seeks solutions to
problems as never before.
For more information on this topic:
by trule
As a long-time web designer for small businesses in the mniddle Georgia area, I've been watching the growth of Flash (from Macromedia - oops, now Adobe).
When Flash started appearing on the scene, it was hailed as the end-all be-all, and was used for all sorts of goofy things. Then there was a backlash - search engines didn't know anything about Flash, so designers decided to use Flash for just some bells and whistles.
Now, it seems the industry has matured to the point where Flash is - as it should be - just another tool in the web designer's arsenal. (There's a corollary in music and the 12-tone music of Arnold Schoenberg, and how it started out as a musical philosophy, but has ended up as a tool in film composer's arsenal for getting a certain sound - but I digress).
I'm aware of the huge number of things Flash can do - but at this point have had no need for most of the, - especially the back-end database capability. I have been taking advantage of the new video capabilities in Flash 8 - that has been nice for a campaign website I'm webmastering (Dale Washburn for State House, Georgia district 137).
One of the things that attracted me to web design is that there is always something new to learn - and for me the key is keeping track of what the capabilites are. I can always go learn how to do something new - heavens there are tons of tutorials on the web, if you know how to search - but you've got to know something is possible first!
Well, back to the websites.
by trule
I joined getafreelancer.com
a few weeks ago - I've placed a couple of bids, and have won one job so
far.
It has been fascinating watching the projects that come up on my
5-times-a-day emails.....and the bids that come through. Quite a few of
the projects are from people who apparently think that having 1500
articles that are keyword rich will make their site successful......but
they are willing to only pay $50 for 1000 articles.
There are also a lot of obviously pre-fabricated bids on projects -
often with terrible grammar. I wonder if those companies ever get any
work.
Why would anyone assume that you could get quality copywriting -
articles - by paying $1 a page?
I've also seen projects where someone wants a Flash intro page plus a
35-page site - and it has to be modern, high quality design, mind you -
but they have a $100 budget.
Maybe I should start thinking of getafreelancer as a flea market
instead of a project area.
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