A post or two ago, I mentioned that there were 3 other people besides our former president that were cited in the judges ruling as having done bad things--an administrator, a long time staff member, and a faculty member.
This morning when I checked my work email, I found a notice that the long time staff member is retiring, effective TOMORROW. The soon-to-be-vacant position was never advertised. No time for a coffee-and-cookies farewell party. That will be scheduled in about a month, according to the email. So, connect the dots.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Great Christmas!
I just returned from Seattle, where I spent a lovely 5 days with my son and his wife. They are very much into amateur theater, especially musical theater. My son plays woodwinds for the orchestras as he can, and his wife is into costuming. They were both doing shows this month, so I was blessed to see both of the shows on their complementary tickets while I was there. What a treat! Both shows were great. And, my son and I went up the famous Seattle space needle and got our picture taken. My daughter-in-law is a gourmet cook, so I ate very well, including an all-fondue dinner on Christmas Eve.
I can't keep up with all the musical instruments my son is into, so I asked him what he had while I was there. He has 4 saxaphones (soprano, alto, tenor and bari), two clarinets (B-flat and E-flat), a flute, piccolo, and oboe. The oboe he just began about 2 months ago, but with the others, especially the saxes and clarinets, he is quite good. He is also not shabby on the guitar and keyboard. All of this puts him in demand on the amateur musical theater curcuit. Forgive me for a little bragging, but he is my favorite son. (He is also my only son.)
I had realized recently that I must bite the bullet and purchase my first laptop computer, so while I was there I took advantage of my tech-y family to advise me on the purchase and take me around to computer stores. I settled on and purchased an HP 14" laptop. I'm glad I bought it while I was there because they were also of great help in getting it set up and loaded with software, some of which was their gift. No, I am not up-to-the minute on every new PC this and that, but I was smart enough to get the personalized help of not one, but two Microsoft people who are far ahead of even the "normal tech-y smart" people that I know. So, who's REALLY the smart one, huh?
I can't keep up with all the musical instruments my son is into, so I asked him what he had while I was there. He has 4 saxaphones (soprano, alto, tenor and bari), two clarinets (B-flat and E-flat), a flute, piccolo, and oboe. The oboe he just began about 2 months ago, but with the others, especially the saxes and clarinets, he is quite good. He is also not shabby on the guitar and keyboard. All of this puts him in demand on the amateur musical theater curcuit. Forgive me for a little bragging, but he is my favorite son. (He is also my only son.)
I had realized recently that I must bite the bullet and purchase my first laptop computer, so while I was there I took advantage of my tech-y family to advise me on the purchase and take me around to computer stores. I settled on and purchased an HP 14" laptop. I'm glad I bought it while I was there because they were also of great help in getting it set up and loaded with software, some of which was their gift. No, I am not up-to-the minute on every new PC this and that, but I was smart enough to get the personalized help of not one, but two Microsoft people who are far ahead of even the "normal tech-y smart" people that I know. So, who's REALLY the smart one, huh?
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tempest in a Teapot - last chapter (I hope!)
Back in September, I posted about our local scandal concerning the firing of our college president in a dramatic way. He asked for a formal hearing, before a judge, which was in October. It lasted 4 days. I did not go, but a friend who is a retired faculty member did go for all 4 days. He reported back that, based on what he heard, he was unsure how the judge would rule, so we were all on pins and needles concerning this, awaiting the judge's official report.
The report was released last Friday. It was 38 pages, and officially on the public record, so the University sent electronic copies to all faculty and staff. I printed it and read it. It was surprisingly clear and easy to read.
Oh, my! What a pull-no-punches report! It was in 2 parts, the "facts" part and the "conclusions of law" part. Evidently, there was written evidence, including University emails, that were not presented orally at the hearing, so my friend did not hear them. But, the judge went through the whole of it in great detail. Conclusions: Several people broke the law, others were lax in their duty, and the whole thing was at the direction and/or pressure of the president. The judge found the president guilty in other matters, as well, and the conclusion was that the Chancellor was fully justified in firing him. Now, all that is lacking is for the state board to put their seal of approval on the whole thing, which is expected soon.
The president would have been gone in any case. The thing to be decide was if the University would have had to buy out the remaining time of his contract or not. NOT, as it turns out, which will save the school a lot of money. So, that's great news! There have been some budget cuts this fall due to the fact that we were paying 2 presidents. The soon-to-be-former president may file a law suit, but given this report, I don't think he has a leg to stand on.
Now the question is...what happens with the other people in the report that the judge says broke the law?
Charged? Fired? There is one faculty member, one long-time staff member, and one administrator that were cited -- as far as I can tell, all good people who knuckled under pressure.
Here's a lesson for all of us. Let our internal moral compass always be our guide. Those skeletons in the closet can come back to life.
The report was released last Friday. It was 38 pages, and officially on the public record, so the University sent electronic copies to all faculty and staff. I printed it and read it. It was surprisingly clear and easy to read.
Oh, my! What a pull-no-punches report! It was in 2 parts, the "facts" part and the "conclusions of law" part. Evidently, there was written evidence, including University emails, that were not presented orally at the hearing, so my friend did not hear them. But, the judge went through the whole of it in great detail. Conclusions: Several people broke the law, others were lax in their duty, and the whole thing was at the direction and/or pressure of the president. The judge found the president guilty in other matters, as well, and the conclusion was that the Chancellor was fully justified in firing him. Now, all that is lacking is for the state board to put their seal of approval on the whole thing, which is expected soon.
The president would have been gone in any case. The thing to be decide was if the University would have had to buy out the remaining time of his contract or not. NOT, as it turns out, which will save the school a lot of money. So, that's great news! There have been some budget cuts this fall due to the fact that we were paying 2 presidents. The soon-to-be-former president may file a law suit, but given this report, I don't think he has a leg to stand on.
Now the question is...what happens with the other people in the report that the judge says broke the law?
Charged? Fired? There is one faculty member, one long-time staff member, and one administrator that were cited -- as far as I can tell, all good people who knuckled under pressure.
Here's a lesson for all of us. Let our internal moral compass always be our guide. Those skeletons in the closet can come back to life.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
It's Winter!
Until today, we have had a relatively mild fall. Last week, however, it started being chilly (highs in the 30s) and people started wearing warm jackets. However, it was not yet time for the winter coat.
But this morning when I fetched my paper the temperature was 9. I decided it was time for Big Purple. I have named my winter coat Big Purple because, well, it's big and purple. With Big Purple comes the ski gloves and the wool scarves.
Winter is both a friend and enemy here. It's a friend because it is severe enough to kill all chiggers, cockroaches and termites that may have wandered in from other areas over the summer. It's an enemy if it snows so much that my car gets stuck in the snow 20 feet from my driveway. Can't wait for the sun to melt the snow, because that could be months. I have to call a tow truck. Very embarrassing!
This is certainly different from my former home, in which Big Purple sometimes stayed in the closet all winter, as the folks there consider 40 degrees and drizzle to be "cold". Nuts! I now know what cold it. It's not 40 degrees or 30 degrees or even 20 degrees. It's 20 below. Actually, I think there should be another word for the cold-below-cold that we get here.
I was watching a documentary about WWII and was reminded of the Winter that Russia has. I capitalized Winter because their winter is more "winter" even than our winter. The only people who do well in a Russian winter is a Russian. This is something that both Hitler and Napolean found out when their summer offenses into Russia became bogged down and turned into winter offenses. They both went home with only a small fraction of their armies. Many of those soldiers were not killed in battle, but died from the Russian Winter. In that case, Winter was Russia's not-so-secret weapon.
In the documentary, one of the things that was pointed out was that the best kind of winter coat is not a wool coat, but a quilted one. The Russians had quilted coats, but the Germans had wool. Russians know Winter.
And, as luck would have it, Big Purple is quilted. I got it about 30 years ago, and it's still going strong. Any part of my anatomy that is under Big Purple is warm, regardless of temperature or wind chill. I have shoveled snow in 15 below weather while wearing Big Purple and actually started perspiring. Winter? I'm ready!
But this morning when I fetched my paper the temperature was 9. I decided it was time for Big Purple. I have named my winter coat Big Purple because, well, it's big and purple. With Big Purple comes the ski gloves and the wool scarves.
Winter is both a friend and enemy here. It's a friend because it is severe enough to kill all chiggers, cockroaches and termites that may have wandered in from other areas over the summer. It's an enemy if it snows so much that my car gets stuck in the snow 20 feet from my driveway. Can't wait for the sun to melt the snow, because that could be months. I have to call a tow truck. Very embarrassing!
This is certainly different from my former home, in which Big Purple sometimes stayed in the closet all winter, as the folks there consider 40 degrees and drizzle to be "cold". Nuts! I now know what cold it. It's not 40 degrees or 30 degrees or even 20 degrees. It's 20 below. Actually, I think there should be another word for the cold-below-cold that we get here.
I was watching a documentary about WWII and was reminded of the Winter that Russia has. I capitalized Winter because their winter is more "winter" even than our winter. The only people who do well in a Russian winter is a Russian. This is something that both Hitler and Napolean found out when their summer offenses into Russia became bogged down and turned into winter offenses. They both went home with only a small fraction of their armies. Many of those soldiers were not killed in battle, but died from the Russian Winter. In that case, Winter was Russia's not-so-secret weapon.
In the documentary, one of the things that was pointed out was that the best kind of winter coat is not a wool coat, but a quilted one. The Russians had quilted coats, but the Germans had wool. Russians know Winter.
And, as luck would have it, Big Purple is quilted. I got it about 30 years ago, and it's still going strong. Any part of my anatomy that is under Big Purple is warm, regardless of temperature or wind chill. I have shoveled snow in 15 below weather while wearing Big Purple and actually started perspiring. Winter? I'm ready!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
"V" for Vendetta
A few weeks ago, I happened to catch on TV the last part of a movie called "V" for Vendetta. I was intrigued, though confused, as this is a movie that makes no sense if seen from the middle. Finally, last weekend, I was able to find the time to rent it and watch it from the beginning. All I can say is WOW!
If you haven't seen it, here's the general idea. In 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes plotted to blow up the Parliament building in London because he wished to depose the king and replace him with another. The plot was discovered and Mr. Fawkes paid with his life. The destruction was to take place on Nov. 5, and for a while, Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5, was celebrated in England by burning Mr. Fawkes in effigy and shooting off fireworks.
However, in the movie, a man only known as "V" sees Guy Fawkes not as a villian, but as a hero because he tried to do something about a government he didn't like. The movie takes place in a Britain that is ruled by a Hitler-like character in a Nazi-like regime, so V doesn't like his government, either. He is also put off by the fact that he was the unwilling subject of medical experiments conducted by the same government. So, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask all the time, V starts a one-man program to do what Guy Fawkes tried and failed to do--not just blow up Parliament, but change the government. His plan is carefully thought out and flawlessly executed, and I found it altogether fascinating. It involved assasination, persuasion, and manipulation of people, playing on certain personality traits. V is a complex character--part terrorist, part philosopher, and a pretty good dancer. He quotes Shakespeare a lot, and wears a black cape, which is always a plus. V is played by Hugo Weaving, who does a marvellous job, especially considering that you never see his face. His acting must be accomplished primarily by voice inflection.
I am not surprised that some in the Occupy Wall Street bunch have started wearing the Guy Fawkes mask, because it's a powerful symbol to anyone who has seen this movie, although I would have thought that the message would have resonated more with the Tea Party folks.
Anyway, watch it, if you haven't already. I was in the middle of the movie when I realized I was watching it on Nov. 5, Guy Fawkes Day. What a coincidence! Or, as V says in the movie, there are no coincidences.
If you haven't seen it, here's the general idea. In 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes plotted to blow up the Parliament building in London because he wished to depose the king and replace him with another. The plot was discovered and Mr. Fawkes paid with his life. The destruction was to take place on Nov. 5, and for a while, Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5, was celebrated in England by burning Mr. Fawkes in effigy and shooting off fireworks.
However, in the movie, a man only known as "V" sees Guy Fawkes not as a villian, but as a hero because he tried to do something about a government he didn't like. The movie takes place in a Britain that is ruled by a Hitler-like character in a Nazi-like regime, so V doesn't like his government, either. He is also put off by the fact that he was the unwilling subject of medical experiments conducted by the same government. So, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask all the time, V starts a one-man program to do what Guy Fawkes tried and failed to do--not just blow up Parliament, but change the government. His plan is carefully thought out and flawlessly executed, and I found it altogether fascinating. It involved assasination, persuasion, and manipulation of people, playing on certain personality traits. V is a complex character--part terrorist, part philosopher, and a pretty good dancer. He quotes Shakespeare a lot, and wears a black cape, which is always a plus. V is played by Hugo Weaving, who does a marvellous job, especially considering that you never see his face. His acting must be accomplished primarily by voice inflection.
I am not surprised that some in the Occupy Wall Street bunch have started wearing the Guy Fawkes mask, because it's a powerful symbol to anyone who has seen this movie, although I would have thought that the message would have resonated more with the Tea Party folks.
Anyway, watch it, if you haven't already. I was in the middle of the movie when I realized I was watching it on Nov. 5, Guy Fawkes Day. What a coincidence! Or, as V says in the movie, there are no coincidences.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Protestant and Catholic
This post is in response to a comment on my previous post, asking how, as a Catholic, I integrated John Wesley's beliefs into my own. Since I can't figure out how to put a comment on my own post (!!), I will just add a post!
In this particular case, no "integration" is necessary. John Wesley echoes very closely the Catholic view of poverty vs. riches. Just look at the writings and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi.
Modern "prosperity theology" is a recent thing (from about the 1950's) and is very different from Catholic and mainstream Protestant beliefs. Though I can't tell for sure, some of Herman Cain's comments would lead me to believe he subscribes to this.
Since becoming Catholic a few years ago, I have spent as much time as I can studying Catholic history and theology. I have been astonished to find that the difference between Catholic theology and mainstream Protestant theology are not as profound as I had been led to believe. There is direct scriptural back-up for 99% of what Catholics believe, which shouldn't be surprising considering that the Catholic church actually wrote the New Testament, after all!
In this particular case, no "integration" is necessary. John Wesley echoes very closely the Catholic view of poverty vs. riches. Just look at the writings and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi.
Modern "prosperity theology" is a recent thing (from about the 1950's) and is very different from Catholic and mainstream Protestant beliefs. Though I can't tell for sure, some of Herman Cain's comments would lead me to believe he subscribes to this.
Since becoming Catholic a few years ago, I have spent as much time as I can studying Catholic history and theology. I have been astonished to find that the difference between Catholic theology and mainstream Protestant theology are not as profound as I had been led to believe. There is direct scriptural back-up for 99% of what Catholics believe, which shouldn't be surprising considering that the Catholic church actually wrote the New Testament, after all!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Look up
I heard a great phrase on Catholic TV last night. When it comes to political philosophies, "Don't look left, don't look right, look up!" Look to God.
There is a GREAT article about the Wall Street protesters, and Herman Cain's response to them. This article contrasts both with John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. I challege you to read it.
http://www.redletterchristians.org/if-youre-not-rich-blame-yourself-herman-cain-vs-john-wesley/
There is a GREAT article about the Wall Street protesters, and Herman Cain's response to them. This article contrasts both with John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. I challege you to read it.
http://www.redletterchristians.org/if-youre-not-rich-blame-yourself-herman-cain-vs-john-wesley/
Friday, October 14, 2011
You can't tell
Recent news events have brought back some memories. For this one, I'll relay the memory first, then the news event.
Years ago, I was a programmer at a small college. This sequence of events happened in the 80's, years after I had graduated and become an experienced, full time professional. We employed students as programmers, and the best ones were hired to continue full time after they graduated.
One of these was a young man named Kevin. He was a sweet person, even tempered, hard working, and good natured. He had married while still a student, and while he was there he and his wife had 3 sons. He had pictures of his family all over his cubicle, and seemed totally devoted to all of them. I worked in the cubicle next to his for years. We worked on lots of projects together, and I thought I knew him backwards and forwards. He did any task assigned to him without complaint, and did a great job. Eventually, he got a higher paying job in a nearby large city, and moved there.
About 2 or 3 years after he left, I was watching TV on a Sunday afternoon when a news flash interrupted my show. It seems that our Kevin had shot and killed all 3 of his sons, and then himself. His soon-to-be-ex wife was spending the weekend with her parents, or she might be dead, also. It seems that Kevin was afraid that he would not be granted custody of the boys in the divorce, and decided to kill them rather than give up control of them. He called his wife at 6:00 am, told her this, and let her listen to the gunshots over the phone.
I knew his wife a little, but not well. Later, I was talking to another co-worker who know his wife much better than I did, and found out that the entire time Kevin was being sweet and even tempered at work, he was a totally mean and controlling bastard to her and the boys at home. She was filing for divorce because of this.
I was reminded of this due to the man in the news who killed 8 people at a beauty shop. Friends and neighbors were interviewed and talked about what a great guy he was. Abusers very frequently put on a good front to those outside the family. The lesson here---you can't tell. You can't tell what a guy (or girl) is like at home from their behavior outside the home.
Controlling and abusive behavior has lots of sources. Frequently, however, it is simply a repeat of the behavior observed from parents during childhood. This is why I am such a strong supporter of battered women's shelters. Lots of times, a woman's family will not take her in because they simply don't believe her boy friend / husband is such a bad guy. By getting the woman out, you also get the kids out, and maybe that will break the chain. Some church work that I have done has convinced me that spousal abuse is not an occasional thing, but an absolute epidemic. And yes, it's true that it's sometimes the wife that's the abuser. Either way, the abused party needs to get out, and get the kids out. ASAP.
Years ago, I was a programmer at a small college. This sequence of events happened in the 80's, years after I had graduated and become an experienced, full time professional. We employed students as programmers, and the best ones were hired to continue full time after they graduated.
One of these was a young man named Kevin. He was a sweet person, even tempered, hard working, and good natured. He had married while still a student, and while he was there he and his wife had 3 sons. He had pictures of his family all over his cubicle, and seemed totally devoted to all of them. I worked in the cubicle next to his for years. We worked on lots of projects together, and I thought I knew him backwards and forwards. He did any task assigned to him without complaint, and did a great job. Eventually, he got a higher paying job in a nearby large city, and moved there.
About 2 or 3 years after he left, I was watching TV on a Sunday afternoon when a news flash interrupted my show. It seems that our Kevin had shot and killed all 3 of his sons, and then himself. His soon-to-be-ex wife was spending the weekend with her parents, or she might be dead, also. It seems that Kevin was afraid that he would not be granted custody of the boys in the divorce, and decided to kill them rather than give up control of them. He called his wife at 6:00 am, told her this, and let her listen to the gunshots over the phone.
I knew his wife a little, but not well. Later, I was talking to another co-worker who know his wife much better than I did, and found out that the entire time Kevin was being sweet and even tempered at work, he was a totally mean and controlling bastard to her and the boys at home. She was filing for divorce because of this.
I was reminded of this due to the man in the news who killed 8 people at a beauty shop. Friends and neighbors were interviewed and talked about what a great guy he was. Abusers very frequently put on a good front to those outside the family. The lesson here---you can't tell. You can't tell what a guy (or girl) is like at home from their behavior outside the home.
Controlling and abusive behavior has lots of sources. Frequently, however, it is simply a repeat of the behavior observed from parents during childhood. This is why I am such a strong supporter of battered women's shelters. Lots of times, a woman's family will not take her in because they simply don't believe her boy friend / husband is such a bad guy. By getting the woman out, you also get the kids out, and maybe that will break the chain. Some church work that I have done has convinced me that spousal abuse is not an occasional thing, but an absolute epidemic. And yes, it's true that it's sometimes the wife that's the abuser. Either way, the abused party needs to get out, and get the kids out. ASAP.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
"Confucius Say" Institute
Perhaps I should have titled this post 'Tempest...Chapter 4' because it is one of the fall-out events of the president-who-is-not-allowed-on-campus.
The Chinese government has a program in which they partner with colleges outside China in establishing something called the Confucius Institutes. They have many of these throughout the world, including the U.S.
Our little college has decided it wants to establish one. We would provide the physical facilities and a director. The Chinese send over visiting scholars who would teach Chinese language, history, culture, etc., to regular college classes, and/or high schoolers, community members, business people, etc.
Investigation into the feasibility of taking part in this evidently began here many years ago, but it was the president-who-is-barred-from-campus (I'll call him Mr. P for now) who really pushed it through, with no discussion with the faculty at all. The thing is, if these visiting scholars are to teach regular college courses, the affected departments, such as language and history, must decide if and how these are to be included in the department offerings. All departments, and the general education committee, must consider these courses also. Should they be included in the required courses for some majors? Should they be an option in the general education requirements? To consider these, we must have at least a one paragraph course description. We have no such thing. As for Chinese history, I am wondering if they would cover all of it, or would they skip over nasty details such as the cultural revolution? And now, our name is on the dotted line. One of the administrators said "it's not a done deal", but of course, it is. It would be too embarrassing to cancel the contract now.
The institute is due to begin activity one year from this fall. The fall course offerings will be decided at the beginning of the spring semester. We don't know who the visiting scholars will be, or what (specifically) they will be able to teach. We don't have any plans for where the offices will be housed. In short, we don't know what the h*** we are doing.
Yesterday, there was a meeting, open to all faculty, in which the proposed institute was finally presented in some detail. It was clear that there would have been plenty of time to plan this properly if Mr. P had taken that course of action rather than ramrodding it through with no faculty involvement. It was also very clear that NO specifics about just what these visiting scholars would do had been planned at all, not only for regular college courses, but for anything else. Yesterday's meeting gave faculty a chance to ask questions, and it was clear there is more than one that is very unhappy with the situation.
The thing is, our contract with the Chinese guarentees a certain number of students they first year, more the second, etc. Without the planning I described above, how can that happen? This is very much the style of "leadership" that Mr. P used in a lot of areas, which is why no one is shedding tears over his absence.
Evidently, someone from the local paper was at yesterday's meeting, and now it is a front page article.
As for me, it was a chance for a free lunch, and a chance to enjoy a good show, complete with potato chips and cookies.
The Chinese government has a program in which they partner with colleges outside China in establishing something called the Confucius Institutes. They have many of these throughout the world, including the U.S.
Our little college has decided it wants to establish one. We would provide the physical facilities and a director. The Chinese send over visiting scholars who would teach Chinese language, history, culture, etc., to regular college classes, and/or high schoolers, community members, business people, etc.
Investigation into the feasibility of taking part in this evidently began here many years ago, but it was the president-who-is-barred-from-campus (I'll call him Mr. P for now) who really pushed it through, with no discussion with the faculty at all. The thing is, if these visiting scholars are to teach regular college courses, the affected departments, such as language and history, must decide if and how these are to be included in the department offerings. All departments, and the general education committee, must consider these courses also. Should they be included in the required courses for some majors? Should they be an option in the general education requirements? To consider these, we must have at least a one paragraph course description. We have no such thing. As for Chinese history, I am wondering if they would cover all of it, or would they skip over nasty details such as the cultural revolution? And now, our name is on the dotted line. One of the administrators said "it's not a done deal", but of course, it is. It would be too embarrassing to cancel the contract now.
The institute is due to begin activity one year from this fall. The fall course offerings will be decided at the beginning of the spring semester. We don't know who the visiting scholars will be, or what (specifically) they will be able to teach. We don't have any plans for where the offices will be housed. In short, we don't know what the h*** we are doing.
Yesterday, there was a meeting, open to all faculty, in which the proposed institute was finally presented in some detail. It was clear that there would have been plenty of time to plan this properly if Mr. P had taken that course of action rather than ramrodding it through with no faculty involvement. It was also very clear that NO specifics about just what these visiting scholars would do had been planned at all, not only for regular college courses, but for anything else. Yesterday's meeting gave faculty a chance to ask questions, and it was clear there is more than one that is very unhappy with the situation.
The thing is, our contract with the Chinese guarentees a certain number of students they first year, more the second, etc. Without the planning I described above, how can that happen? This is very much the style of "leadership" that Mr. P used in a lot of areas, which is why no one is shedding tears over his absence.
Evidently, someone from the local paper was at yesterday's meeting, and now it is a front page article.
As for me, it was a chance for a free lunch, and a chance to enjoy a good show, complete with potato chips and cookies.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tempest....chapter 3
Several new things happened in the last few days in this ongoing soap opera. New irregularities in campus records were uncovered, with details in the local paper. The hearing date has been set--it will be in about 4 weeks. The hearing will be public, but it will be in the state capital, which will be too far away for most of us to manage. Too bad.
We were all notified that all full time employees are (for all practical purposes) required to fill out a survey, which will not be anonymous, but is supposed to be confidential. The state board seems to be as serious as it can be about going into the hearing with as much ammo as they can scrape together.
The good news is that our acting president is doing a lot to improve the atmosphere around here, and spirits are lifting.
My spirits has been good for a while! And little things tend to cheer me up. I have discovered candle warmers, which allow me to enjoy the scent of a perfumed candle in my office without having an open flame. Our department chair brings muffins to our meetings. The weather is lovely. My sewer is giving me no problems at all. The lawn has been mowed, probably for the last time this season. I just got a promotion and a small raise. What a deal!
We were all notified that all full time employees are (for all practical purposes) required to fill out a survey, which will not be anonymous, but is supposed to be confidential. The state board seems to be as serious as it can be about going into the hearing with as much ammo as they can scrape together.
The good news is that our acting president is doing a lot to improve the atmosphere around here, and spirits are lifting.
My spirits has been good for a while! And little things tend to cheer me up. I have discovered candle warmers, which allow me to enjoy the scent of a perfumed candle in my office without having an open flame. Our department chair brings muffins to our meetings. The weather is lovely. My sewer is giving me no problems at all. The lawn has been mowed, probably for the last time this season. I just got a promotion and a small raise. What a deal!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Tempest in a Teapot, Chapter 2.
There was more news today about the ongoing saga of the state education officials, who want to fire our college president, and the president, who doesn't want to go, and has requested a formal hearing.
We do now have an "acting president," so the University business can proceed in a more-or-less normal manner. Our official president is still barred from setting foot on University property.
Previous "word" had been that the hearing would be held in mid-September. Not so. The newspaper says that the state education board has hired two additional "outside" attorneys for the upcoming fight, not only for the hearing, but for any forthcoming lawsuits. The judge to preside over the hearing has been chosen. The university staff and faculty got another email about several ongoing audits on campus, urging us to cooperate. Now, the word is the hearing will be perhaps in mid-October, but the date has still not be set.
I have a feeling that when the hearing finally occurs, the fireworks will be visible for several miles.
I just keep humming that old Roy Clark song, "Thank God and Greyhound You're Gone."
We do now have an "acting president," so the University business can proceed in a more-or-less normal manner. Our official president is still barred from setting foot on University property.
Previous "word" had been that the hearing would be held in mid-September. Not so. The newspaper says that the state education board has hired two additional "outside" attorneys for the upcoming fight, not only for the hearing, but for any forthcoming lawsuits. The judge to preside over the hearing has been chosen. The university staff and faculty got another email about several ongoing audits on campus, urging us to cooperate. Now, the word is the hearing will be perhaps in mid-October, but the date has still not be set.
I have a feeling that when the hearing finally occurs, the fireworks will be visible for several miles.
I just keep humming that old Roy Clark song, "Thank God and Greyhound You're Gone."
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Why I worry.
I am very concerned about how computing interacts with the world at large. Many people are not, but perhaps if I relate some experiences from my life, it will help explain my concerns.
When I was an undergraduate, I had a part-time job working in my school's computing facility. I had a much more responsible position than I should have had given my youth and inexperience, simply because as a student I worked for minimum wage, and my boss wanted to take advantage of my cheap labor.
It is incredible to me now, but the fact is that I re-wrote the payroll system and tested with live data. I would NEVER trust an undergraduate with either of these. A payroll is a fairly sophisticated system, but I was trusted to get it right. Part of this trust was inspired by the fact that I ran my system parallel to the then-current system for a period of time, and matched every figure dollar for dollar. How did I know that? In fact, I had access to every salary and every bonus for every campus employee up to and including the college president.
What would have prevented me from doing what I shouldn't have with this kind of access, both to the data and to the software? Only my own personal compass of right and wrong. There is no professional association for computer people that has any kind of policing function on professional ethics, as exists for the medical or law professions. My boss paid no attention to my activities, my programs, or my testing.
I also wrote programs for the student academic system, and helped to run the end of semester grade reports. I had access to every grade for every student. At the time, the grades were on punched cards, and so all the grades were in big trays of cards that were fed into the computer. One evening as I was preparing to help with a "run", a student friend of mine came in and just HAD to find out his grade in so-and-so class, so I found the appropriate card and showed it to him. But, the silly boy spilled the beans on me, and I was reprimanded for this. I didn't argue the case, but the fact is, that grade was to be printed and mailed to him that very evening, so why was telling him his grade a few hours early such a problem? He could have easily found out his grade from his professor, except the professor was not in his office.
The real problem here was not that my friend found out his grade. The real problem here is that some undergraduate (me) had access to everyone's grade every semester. I could get all grades, all salaries, all accounting numbers from the general accounting system, in fact, almost all sensitive data for the entire university at any time I wished. No professional organization to know or care. No boss or any other university employee to know or care. Nothing.
This was the start of my concerns in this area. Lots and lots of people in computer related jobs have this kind of access. Data can be used. Software can be altered in subtle ways for unscrupulous ends. What's keeping them honest? Nothing.
That's why I worry.
When I was an undergraduate, I had a part-time job working in my school's computing facility. I had a much more responsible position than I should have had given my youth and inexperience, simply because as a student I worked for minimum wage, and my boss wanted to take advantage of my cheap labor.
It is incredible to me now, but the fact is that I re-wrote the payroll system and tested with live data. I would NEVER trust an undergraduate with either of these. A payroll is a fairly sophisticated system, but I was trusted to get it right. Part of this trust was inspired by the fact that I ran my system parallel to the then-current system for a period of time, and matched every figure dollar for dollar. How did I know that? In fact, I had access to every salary and every bonus for every campus employee up to and including the college president.
What would have prevented me from doing what I shouldn't have with this kind of access, both to the data and to the software? Only my own personal compass of right and wrong. There is no professional association for computer people that has any kind of policing function on professional ethics, as exists for the medical or law professions. My boss paid no attention to my activities, my programs, or my testing.
I also wrote programs for the student academic system, and helped to run the end of semester grade reports. I had access to every grade for every student. At the time, the grades were on punched cards, and so all the grades were in big trays of cards that were fed into the computer. One evening as I was preparing to help with a "run", a student friend of mine came in and just HAD to find out his grade in so-and-so class, so I found the appropriate card and showed it to him. But, the silly boy spilled the beans on me, and I was reprimanded for this. I didn't argue the case, but the fact is, that grade was to be printed and mailed to him that very evening, so why was telling him his grade a few hours early such a problem? He could have easily found out his grade from his professor, except the professor was not in his office.
The real problem here was not that my friend found out his grade. The real problem here is that some undergraduate (me) had access to everyone's grade every semester. I could get all grades, all salaries, all accounting numbers from the general accounting system, in fact, almost all sensitive data for the entire university at any time I wished. No professional organization to know or care. No boss or any other university employee to know or care. Nothing.
This was the start of my concerns in this area. Lots and lots of people in computer related jobs have this kind of access. Data can be used. Software can be altered in subtle ways for unscrupulous ends. What's keeping them honest? Nothing.
That's why I worry.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Adventures in Robotics?
Our little college will be hosting an event for high schools to build little robots and compete with them. The competition will be later this fall. Today, the teams came to learn about the competition and pick up the kits for building the robots, and I volunteered to assist with registration and other mundane tasks. But the day started off anything but mundane. We were using the auditorium that is used for theater productions, concerts, and such. It is old, but nice. I arrived at 8:30 (the kids were due to show up at 9:00). One of the other faculty volunteers heard water rushing and found something of a waterfall coming down backstage. At about 8:55, the fire alarm sounded, and strobe lights flashed, and we all left the building. The appropriate people came, and found that the theater department's costume area had a washing machine that some pea-brained person had installed on the top floor of the building, and it had been stuck on the "fill" cycle for something like 12 hours. The water eventually shorted out some alarm system, hence the fire alarm. They did manage to shut off the alarm, but the strobe lights flashed till about 12:00 noon. I don't know what will be done about the water.
The good news is that we were able to complete the planned events with no problem.
The good news is that we were able to complete the planned events with no problem.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Best movie of the summer.
I have seen a lot of movies this summer -- the last Harry Potter movie, Green Lantern, the latest Pirates of the Carribean, Captain America, Cowboys and Aliens (yuk!), and others. But the one I saw most recently I must rank as the best, and considering what a huge Harry Potter fan I am, that is something. And it is (tah-dah!) Conan the Barbarian.
When I was a teenager, I read all the Conan books the 2nd hand bookstore had, and loved them all. The Conan movies of 30 years ago, starring the Governator, were entertaining, but this new version is marvelous. It captures the essence of the books far better. Too bad it has so much nudity, which makes it off limits to kids.
I live. I love. I slay. I am content.
When I was a teenager, I read all the Conan books the 2nd hand bookstore had, and loved them all. The Conan movies of 30 years ago, starring the Governator, were entertaining, but this new version is marvelous. It captures the essence of the books far better. Too bad it has so much nudity, which makes it off limits to kids.
I live. I love. I slay. I am content.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Sewage and Angels.
Last Friday, everything seemed to be settling in for one last relaxing weekend before school starts. On Friday afternoon, I was looking forward to coffee out and dinner with friends. I had about an hour to relax before leaving home, so I decided to start my first load of weekend laundry while I watched some TV. Both the washer and the TV are in my basement, in separate but adjoining rooms. Normally, I can hear the washer while watching TV, but it's not so loud and to interfere with the show. However, this time, when the washer was draining its wash water, I heard the water much more loudly than normal, so I went to investigate. Sure enough, it was overflowing. I stopped the washer, but decided to not worry about it further that evening, as I did not want to sacrifice my evening out. So, like Scarlette O'Hara, I decided to think about it tomorrow.
The next day, I called my favorite plumber. He came over and declared it a sewer line problem, and said he did not have the equipment to clean out sewer lines, but recommended someone named George. He did locate my sewer access, which was also in the basement, in a small room next to the laundry room that also has my furnace. He expressed doubts that George could get his equipment around to the back of the furnace. But he said "Call George today so you can get on his list." None of this sounded encouraging. In the meantime, I was to not let any water go down any drain in the house. He also pointed out that the water that overflowed had probably been contaminated with sewage, and the laundry room carpet should be ripped out and disposed of.
Evidently, the sewer had been partially clogged for some time... not enough to interfere with small amounts of water draining, but when the tub or the washer drained, some water would spill over. Some noodle-brain had put shag carpeting in the laundry room, with a thick pad, which had acted like a giant sponge. So, the carpet behind the washer had gotten wetter and wetter, but I had not noticed it. Normally, I am not in the basement when the washer is running, so I had not heard it until last Friday. Now, when investigating further, I can feel that a large area of the carpet in front of the washer is also damp.
I called George, and got an answering machine, so I left my name and number. In the meantime, there was work to do.
I purchased a small plastic basin to do my dishes in so that I could dump the water out the back door. I rigged up a way to use the toilet without actually using the toilet (which I won't go into because it's probably not legal). I used a friend's shower. That left the laundry.
The partially washed load from Friday was squeezed out and put in the dryer. When it was dry, I loaded it into the car with the rest of my laundry for transport to the local coin laundry. I pulled into the parking lot and realized I had forgotten my soap. Drove back home, got the soap, went back to the laundry. I sorted and loaded my clothes, added the soap, and discovered I did not have nearly enough quarters. The place did have a change machine, but it was broken. So, I left my clothes, got in my car, and went to a local car wash that did have a working change machine, obtained a bunch of quarters, and went back to the laundry. My clothes were still there! I started the machines, and tried to settle down with a good book. But, the laundry is small, and there were two small children, about 9 and 10, chasing each other around the place, screaming, and hitting each other, and complaining loudly to Mom that "He hit me!" or "She hit me!". Mom would scream back that they should settle down and shut up, but of course she was ignored. However, I was able to wash and dry my clothes.
On Sunday after church, I went into the office and did more course prep, as I was not sure how the week would unfold. Then I decided that I really needed to tackle removing the carpet from the laundry room. The room is not big, about 8 by 10 I would guess. But the carpet had been glued in, not tacked, as if it were a giant floor tile. I had to use a box knife and some clippers to get the thing into pieces small enough for me to actually lift. Also, a putty knife was needed to scrape it off of the concrete. I worked for hours. By about 9:30, I had managed to remove about 3/4 of it. The rest was in a strip on the north wall, most of which was actually under the washer and dryer. But I was exhausted and decided to finish it another day.
Monday morning, my luck changed! George called early, and said he could be there before noon. Classes had started, but on that particular Monday my first obligation was not untill the afternoon, so that sounded great. At about 10 am, George and his assistant arrived and went right to work. With some wiggling and lifting, they were able to get their equipment around the furnace, and started working. They were in and out of the laundry room, also, using the washer to drain large amounts of warm water down the sewer as part of the process. It turned out the problem was tree roots, but they were soon dispatched.
As they were doing the final water drainage test, one of them said "Would you like us to rip out the rest of this carpet for you?" Wow! Would I ever! I had been dreading that, especially moving the washer, as they are not light. So these guys moved out the washer and dryer like they were toys, borrowed my box knife, cut up and ripped out the carpet in very short order, and hauled it out to the trash. They whole process took about 10 minutes, max.
I have seen pictures of angels, but I have discovered they don't all look like that. Sometimes they come in the form of skinny, dirty men that smell like sewage.
The next day, I called my favorite plumber. He came over and declared it a sewer line problem, and said he did not have the equipment to clean out sewer lines, but recommended someone named George. He did locate my sewer access, which was also in the basement, in a small room next to the laundry room that also has my furnace. He expressed doubts that George could get his equipment around to the back of the furnace. But he said "Call George today so you can get on his list." None of this sounded encouraging. In the meantime, I was to not let any water go down any drain in the house. He also pointed out that the water that overflowed had probably been contaminated with sewage, and the laundry room carpet should be ripped out and disposed of.
Evidently, the sewer had been partially clogged for some time... not enough to interfere with small amounts of water draining, but when the tub or the washer drained, some water would spill over. Some noodle-brain had put shag carpeting in the laundry room, with a thick pad, which had acted like a giant sponge. So, the carpet behind the washer had gotten wetter and wetter, but I had not noticed it. Normally, I am not in the basement when the washer is running, so I had not heard it until last Friday. Now, when investigating further, I can feel that a large area of the carpet in front of the washer is also damp.
I called George, and got an answering machine, so I left my name and number. In the meantime, there was work to do.
I purchased a small plastic basin to do my dishes in so that I could dump the water out the back door. I rigged up a way to use the toilet without actually using the toilet (which I won't go into because it's probably not legal). I used a friend's shower. That left the laundry.
The partially washed load from Friday was squeezed out and put in the dryer. When it was dry, I loaded it into the car with the rest of my laundry for transport to the local coin laundry. I pulled into the parking lot and realized I had forgotten my soap. Drove back home, got the soap, went back to the laundry. I sorted and loaded my clothes, added the soap, and discovered I did not have nearly enough quarters. The place did have a change machine, but it was broken. So, I left my clothes, got in my car, and went to a local car wash that did have a working change machine, obtained a bunch of quarters, and went back to the laundry. My clothes were still there! I started the machines, and tried to settle down with a good book. But, the laundry is small, and there were two small children, about 9 and 10, chasing each other around the place, screaming, and hitting each other, and complaining loudly to Mom that "He hit me!" or "She hit me!". Mom would scream back that they should settle down and shut up, but of course she was ignored. However, I was able to wash and dry my clothes.
On Sunday after church, I went into the office and did more course prep, as I was not sure how the week would unfold. Then I decided that I really needed to tackle removing the carpet from the laundry room. The room is not big, about 8 by 10 I would guess. But the carpet had been glued in, not tacked, as if it were a giant floor tile. I had to use a box knife and some clippers to get the thing into pieces small enough for me to actually lift. Also, a putty knife was needed to scrape it off of the concrete. I worked for hours. By about 9:30, I had managed to remove about 3/4 of it. The rest was in a strip on the north wall, most of which was actually under the washer and dryer. But I was exhausted and decided to finish it another day.
Monday morning, my luck changed! George called early, and said he could be there before noon. Classes had started, but on that particular Monday my first obligation was not untill the afternoon, so that sounded great. At about 10 am, George and his assistant arrived and went right to work. With some wiggling and lifting, they were able to get their equipment around the furnace, and started working. They were in and out of the laundry room, also, using the washer to drain large amounts of warm water down the sewer as part of the process. It turned out the problem was tree roots, but they were soon dispatched.
As they were doing the final water drainage test, one of them said "Would you like us to rip out the rest of this carpet for you?" Wow! Would I ever! I had been dreading that, especially moving the washer, as they are not light. So these guys moved out the washer and dryer like they were toys, borrowed my box knife, cut up and ripped out the carpet in very short order, and hauled it out to the trash. They whole process took about 10 minutes, max.
I have seen pictures of angels, but I have discovered they don't all look like that. Sometimes they come in the form of skinny, dirty men that smell like sewage.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tempest in a Teapot
This is a small school in a small town, and there is seldom anything newsworthy here. Recently, there was a front page story in the local paper about the return of a runaway dog because there was nothing else going on. (No, I'm not kidding. I couldn't make up this stuff.)
However, all this changed about 2 weeks ago. As far as I can piece together, from news articles and campus information, this is what happened.
Prior to Aug. 3. It is discovered that college enrollment numbers have been "padded" due to folks being added to the rolls that were not actually students, but people here for meetings, seminars, etc. There were other questions raised, such as the approval of an increase of scholarships to athletes who had been paid cash under the table last fall. And, probably there were other problems of various sorts uncovered, also.
Wed., Aug. 3. Meeting between our college president and state Chancellor for higher ed. Chancellor asks president to resign. They talk about it, but president did not immediately say what he would do. Chancellor asks pres. to call him the next day to discuss it further.
Thurs., Aug 4. President does NOT contact chancellor. Chancellor tries to contact president without success. Someone tells the local paper about what is going on.
Friday, Aug. 5. Local paper has banner-headlined article that college pres. has been asked to resign.
Both the chancellor and the paper try to contact president. No luck.
Saturday, Aug. 6. Local paper has front page article that president is missing. Later that day, president resurfaces and issues a statement that he has done nothing wrong and he has no intention of resigning. He also says he has hired a private attorney.
Sunday, Aug. 7. Local paper publishes president's statement. Also, the state highway patrol sends a trooper to the president's home with a letter from the Chancellor conveying an "intent to dismiss." President is prohibited from setting foot on any Univ. property except his own home. He is also instructed to turn in his keys, Univ. credit card, and laptop. Evidently, the procedure for firing a college president is that first he is notified of intent to dismiss, then is given a certain number of days to request a hearing.
Monday, Aug. 8. President turns in the stuff he is supposed to turn in.
Wed., Aug. 10. President formally requests a hearing.
Tuesday, Aug. 16. An acting president has been appointed, someone who is a VP at a large university on the other side of the state. He will be here on the 22nd.
Wed., Aug. 17. At our regular pre-school campus-wide faculty meeting, one of our deans speaks to us. Back in July, our PR person quit unexpectedly, and this dean was asked to also be the PR spokesman temporarily until a new one could be hired. He told us at the meeting, "I said yes because I thought..It's only a couple of months. What could happen?"
Thurs., Aug. 18. All employees get an email from lawyers from the State Board, saying they will be contacting persons on campus to set up interview appointments. They are finding people to testify at the president's hearing. The hearing will be public, but probably too far away for me to attend. Darn!
Fri., Aug. 19. As of today, I have not heard of a specific time or date set for the hearing, but the general sense is that it will be mid to late Sept. Also, the faculty hears through reliable sources that the president will not be allowed to come back, regardless of the outcome of the hearing. It's just a matter of finding out how much cash it will cost the state. This particular faculty member is quite relieved!!
However, all this changed about 2 weeks ago. As far as I can piece together, from news articles and campus information, this is what happened.
Prior to Aug. 3. It is discovered that college enrollment numbers have been "padded" due to folks being added to the rolls that were not actually students, but people here for meetings, seminars, etc. There were other questions raised, such as the approval of an increase of scholarships to athletes who had been paid cash under the table last fall. And, probably there were other problems of various sorts uncovered, also.
Wed., Aug. 3. Meeting between our college president and state Chancellor for higher ed. Chancellor asks president to resign. They talk about it, but president did not immediately say what he would do. Chancellor asks pres. to call him the next day to discuss it further.
Thurs., Aug 4. President does NOT contact chancellor. Chancellor tries to contact president without success. Someone tells the local paper about what is going on.
Friday, Aug. 5. Local paper has banner-headlined article that college pres. has been asked to resign.
Both the chancellor and the paper try to contact president. No luck.
Saturday, Aug. 6. Local paper has front page article that president is missing. Later that day, president resurfaces and issues a statement that he has done nothing wrong and he has no intention of resigning. He also says he has hired a private attorney.
Sunday, Aug. 7. Local paper publishes president's statement. Also, the state highway patrol sends a trooper to the president's home with a letter from the Chancellor conveying an "intent to dismiss." President is prohibited from setting foot on any Univ. property except his own home. He is also instructed to turn in his keys, Univ. credit card, and laptop. Evidently, the procedure for firing a college president is that first he is notified of intent to dismiss, then is given a certain number of days to request a hearing.
Monday, Aug. 8. President turns in the stuff he is supposed to turn in.
Wed., Aug. 10. President formally requests a hearing.
Tuesday, Aug. 16. An acting president has been appointed, someone who is a VP at a large university on the other side of the state. He will be here on the 22nd.
Wed., Aug. 17. At our regular pre-school campus-wide faculty meeting, one of our deans speaks to us. Back in July, our PR person quit unexpectedly, and this dean was asked to also be the PR spokesman temporarily until a new one could be hired. He told us at the meeting, "I said yes because I thought..It's only a couple of months. What could happen?"
Thurs., Aug. 18. All employees get an email from lawyers from the State Board, saying they will be contacting persons on campus to set up interview appointments. They are finding people to testify at the president's hearing. The hearing will be public, but probably too far away for me to attend. Darn!
Fri., Aug. 19. As of today, I have not heard of a specific time or date set for the hearing, but the general sense is that it will be mid to late Sept. Also, the faculty hears through reliable sources that the president will not be allowed to come back, regardless of the outcome of the hearing. It's just a matter of finding out how much cash it will cost the state. This particular faculty member is quite relieved!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Why is software so full of errors?
Software. Why is so much of it so buggy?
There are several reasons. One of them is that some software companies don’t always follow the rules of good software development. Another is that some of these companies also don’t always follow the rules of ethical software development. Yes, believe it or not, ethical behavior is essential to the development of good software.
The primary professional organization for computer science is the Association for Computing Machinery, or ACM. They have developed a code of ethics that is quite good. To read it, go to http://www.acm.org/about/code-of-ethics.
Or, for a much more entertaining description, go to the following address:
and read the story of The Case of the Killer Robot. This consists of 9 fictional newspaper articles, plus an introductory article introducing the cast of characters, which I recommend reading. It illustrates quite well what can go wrong in a software project. I think you will find it very entertaining!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Computers 'R' Us
The primary reason I had for beginning this blog was to comment and raise questions about the effect computing power has had and continues to have on all of us, both as individuals and as a society. But, I have strayed from that path into other topics, and I believe I should get back to my original purpose. So, starting today, I will periodically address these issues.
Computing power has an enormous potential for both good and bad, and it is up to us, the informed citizenry, to decide the difference. It is said that the most influential invention of the last 1000 years was the printing press because of how much it eased the distribution of information. Now, think how much easier the distribution of information has become because of the Internet, and you will begin to see how much of an impact computing will have on our lives.
There will be times in this blog in which I will look at computer related ethics in both the narrow sense and the broad sense. By “broad sense”, I mean that we can examine a particular use of computer technology and think in terms of “is this a good idea?” rather than just narrowly right or wrong, or legal/illegal. You can probably think of many things that are both legal and morally ok, but a bad idea overall. An example would be to play golf in a thunderstorm. This is not forbidden by any law or ethical code that I know of, only the laws of good sense. There may be computer technology related issues that fall in this same category, but since computer power is so new, this may not be something we have thought about.
Computer power raises new issues for all of us. These fall into 3 big areas:
1. Old problems may become worse because of the speed and pervasiveness of computers. An example of this are the privacy issues raised because of the wide use of databases by companies and other organizations. Since computer storage is cheap, and file sharing is easy, some of our formerly “private” information is now very public. Because saving data on a computer is cheap and easy, organizations tend to keep much more information than they did in the pre-computer era. They can also process that data much more quickly now.
2. Old problems get a new slant. An example of this is the copyright laws, and how difficult it is to interpret their meaning as it applies to digital media. We will be discussing this in more detail.
3. New problems are created that never existed before, such as computer viruses.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Decision, decisions.
Today is graduation day here. I came early so I could get a good parking place, so I am putzing around the office doing this and that. The students have their rite of passage today. That, and the fact that I will be turning 60 in a few weeks reminds me of my approaching rite of passage--retirement.
I have pretty well decided the "when" of my retirement", but not the "where". It's something frequently in the back of my mind. At this point, I can identify 4 options.
1. Stay right here. It's a nice community, no moving expenses required, and I should have everything I need. But not everything I want.
2. Move back to my old home state. I would be able to see family and friends more frequently, and the shopping is better. But the heat in the summer just kills me.
3. Move closer to my son's place so I could see him more often. It's a nice state, but the cost of living is very high.
4. My cousin and I have talked about sharing a place close to where her son and grandchildren live. Right now they live in Montana, but that could change. And if they move around from place to place in the coming years, she would want to follow them.
There are positives and negatives to every choice. I'm glad I have several years to think about it.
I have pretty well decided the "when" of my retirement", but not the "where". It's something frequently in the back of my mind. At this point, I can identify 4 options.
1. Stay right here. It's a nice community, no moving expenses required, and I should have everything I need. But not everything I want.
2. Move back to my old home state. I would be able to see family and friends more frequently, and the shopping is better. But the heat in the summer just kills me.
3. Move closer to my son's place so I could see him more often. It's a nice state, but the cost of living is very high.
4. My cousin and I have talked about sharing a place close to where her son and grandchildren live. Right now they live in Montana, but that could change. And if they move around from place to place in the coming years, she would want to follow them.
There are positives and negatives to every choice. I'm glad I have several years to think about it.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Whew!
This is finals week where I work. Today I will give my last final, then it's just grading and posting. No more watching the clock to get to class, no more meetings, no more (for a while) tyrrany of the urgent. This has been a very very busy semester, and I'm glad to see the back of it. I have 3 (count them...3!) vacations planned for the summer, and I am looking forward to all 3 of them! This is unusual for me, and I am feeling quite indulgent. I need some indulgent. Goes well with beer.
Of course, there is a long list of work-related tasks scheduled for the summer. Only in the summer do I have time for writing and publication, preparing for textbook/software changes, and so on. But there is no clock watching or calendar watching on any of these, so it's much less stressful.
My first vacation is going back to my old home state for visiting friends and family. Can't wait!
Of course, there is a long list of work-related tasks scheduled for the summer. Only in the summer do I have time for writing and publication, preparing for textbook/software changes, and so on. But there is no clock watching or calendar watching on any of these, so it's much less stressful.
My first vacation is going back to my old home state for visiting friends and family. Can't wait!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Well, now that's news!
I first found out the news about Osama b.L. this morning when I came to work. I'm very glad to see that project has been completed.
People that don't know me well tend to think I'm very even tempered. On the outside, I am. My temper tends to be very cold, cerebral and calculating. My ex used to tell me I didn't get mad, I got even.
I understand why the military needed to make sure ol' Osama received a proper Islamic ceremonial body preparation and burial. However, personally speaking, that would not have been my first choice. I think his body should have been dismembered into 10 to 12 pieces, and each piece stuck atop a tall pole in Central Park, so the New York citizens should enjoy the view. And, watch the crows eat away at his rotting flesh.
People that don't know me well tend to think I'm very even tempered. On the outside, I am. My temper tends to be very cold, cerebral and calculating. My ex used to tell me I didn't get mad, I got even.
I understand why the military needed to make sure ol' Osama received a proper Islamic ceremonial body preparation and burial. However, personally speaking, that would not have been my first choice. I think his body should have been dismembered into 10 to 12 pieces, and each piece stuck atop a tall pole in Central Park, so the New York citizens should enjoy the view. And, watch the crows eat away at his rotting flesh.
Friday, April 29, 2011
I love it when a plan comes together.
Two years ago, I took the initiative to start a student computer club here. We became an official campus club, and also became associated with a national professional group. We rocked along for three semesters, and we had some successful events, but it didn't quite "jell". This semester, another faculty member volunteered to be the official sponsor, as I was teaching an overload, but I remained attached to the club as a faculty helper. The combination turned out to be just what we needed! Suddenly, there was all sorts of stuff going on. We took an overnight road trip to the other side of the state to visit a major software firm, which was a great experience for the students. And yesterday, the club sponsored a mini-conference here on campus that turned out to be quite popular, and well attended in spite of the fact that we had unintentionally scheduled it at the same time as another on-campus event.
The students here are great, and easy to work with. The faculty is the same. So glad I'm here!
And, suddenly, BAM, spring is finally here! Easter Sunday, the temps bounced up to the 60's, the sun came out, the remainder of the snow melted, and within the next day or two the grass on my lawn all turned green and started growing. There are places in my front lawn that could use mowing already. The lilac bush by my porch is budding. It should be a great summer.
The students here are great, and easy to work with. The faculty is the same. So glad I'm here!
And, suddenly, BAM, spring is finally here! Easter Sunday, the temps bounced up to the 60's, the sun came out, the remainder of the snow melted, and within the next day or two the grass on my lawn all turned green and started growing. There are places in my front lawn that could use mowing already. The lilac bush by my porch is budding. It should be a great summer.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Did I mention snow?
We are under a winter storm warning..expected accumulations of 4 to 8 inches of snow.
There was about 2 inches of new snow on the ground when I got up this morning, and it is still snowing heavily. If it continues, the administration could feasibly cancel classes.
I'm sure Santa is confused. He must think it's December again. I'm sure I heard sleigh bells last night.
There was about 2 inches of new snow on the ground when I got up this morning, and it is still snowing heavily. If it continues, the administration could feasibly cancel classes.
I'm sure Santa is confused. He must think it's December again. I'm sure I heard sleigh bells last night.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Snow, snow, snow
Yesterday morning, Palm Sunday, I awoke to see that snow had started to fall during the night. It snowed most of the day. Since I was expecting guests Sunday evening, I found myself shoveling snow from the sidewalk in the afternoon of April 17. This morning, I found more snow had fallen, and was still falling. We are under a Winter Weather Advisory. We are used to lots of winter here, but people are really starting to grouse, because we are colder than normal for this time of year.
This morning I came to work and found that our secretary had sent out this notice to all dept. faculty:
This morning I came to work and found that our secretary had sent out this notice to all dept. faculty:
INSTALLING SPRING...
% % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % 44% DONE.
Install delayed....please wait.
Installation failed. Please try again.
% % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % 44% DONE.
Install delayed....please wait.
Installation failed. Please try again.
404 error: Season not found.
Season "Spring" cannot be located. The season you are looking for might have been removed,
Season "Spring" cannot be located. The season you are looking for might have been removed,
had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.
Please try again later.
Please try again later.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
"Snow" day
We were celebrating the fact that almost all of the winter snow had melted. The only snow left is the remainders of big piles in parking lots. But then, yesterday I awoke to see 2 inches of new snow on the ground. It did all melt by this morning, but it's just a reminder that I am a lot closer to the North Pole than I realize. I have heard that Santa lives about 30 miles north of here.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Money isn't everything, but gee..try doing without it.
A faculty member here tells students not to select a career based on the amount of money to be made, but instead on what makes him/her happy. There is some truth to that. However, I have noticed that people who say that money isn't everything tend to be people who have never had a serious lack of it.
I grew up working class. My dad did not have a high school diploma, but did have a good blue-collar job that put food on the table. We always had enough to eat, with Mom cooking it. On some occasions we could splurge on hambergers. Mom made my clothes. But there was no money for many "extra" things. We didn't have a phone until I was 13. The house we lived in had no insulation, and there was a hole in the wall in the living room that went all the way to the outside. There was no air conditioning, but we did have fans and something called a "water cooler" that was essentially a box in the window with a fan on the inside and a woven straw mat on the outside. The garden hose was hooked to the mat, to keep it wet. So, the air coming in was cooler than the outside air, at least a little.
I had no money. I had no allowance, and no opportunity to earn money from chores, or from any other source. At Christmas, I was given about $5 from which to purchase gifts for others, but nothing for myself. I can't complain, since I had food, clothes, shoes, and the other necessities, but as I grew, I did feel the lack of funds.
When I was about 13, sitting in a Sunday School class, I heard some very exciting information. Our Sunday School teacher told us that his neice (note: neice, not nephew) had just graduated from college and obtained a job as a computer programmer, earning $13,000 a year. This was a lot of money in 1964. It was more than my father made. And, it was earned by a girl. A girl programmer! At that moment in time, I decided I wanted to be a girl programmer! I had no idea what a computer was or what a programmer was, but that did not deter me. I wanted that $13,000!
Later, I saw a picture of a computer. In hindsight, I think it was an IBM 360. It showed a person sitting at a kind of a desk below a big panel of blinking red lights. I thought it must be something like a giant pinball machine. I had never played pinball (you have to put in a quarter, and I had no quarters, and no way of getting any) but I had seen other people play pinball, and I thought I could probably do it.
Later, of course, I learned about computers and programming, and found out it was nothing like pinball, but I did enjoy it. But, I got in it for the money. Money isn't everything, but try telling that to the bank that has your mortgage.
I grew up working class. My dad did not have a high school diploma, but did have a good blue-collar job that put food on the table. We always had enough to eat, with Mom cooking it. On some occasions we could splurge on hambergers. Mom made my clothes. But there was no money for many "extra" things. We didn't have a phone until I was 13. The house we lived in had no insulation, and there was a hole in the wall in the living room that went all the way to the outside. There was no air conditioning, but we did have fans and something called a "water cooler" that was essentially a box in the window with a fan on the inside and a woven straw mat on the outside. The garden hose was hooked to the mat, to keep it wet. So, the air coming in was cooler than the outside air, at least a little.
I had no money. I had no allowance, and no opportunity to earn money from chores, or from any other source. At Christmas, I was given about $5 from which to purchase gifts for others, but nothing for myself. I can't complain, since I had food, clothes, shoes, and the other necessities, but as I grew, I did feel the lack of funds.
When I was about 13, sitting in a Sunday School class, I heard some very exciting information. Our Sunday School teacher told us that his neice (note: neice, not nephew) had just graduated from college and obtained a job as a computer programmer, earning $13,000 a year. This was a lot of money in 1964. It was more than my father made. And, it was earned by a girl. A girl programmer! At that moment in time, I decided I wanted to be a girl programmer! I had no idea what a computer was or what a programmer was, but that did not deter me. I wanted that $13,000!
Later, I saw a picture of a computer. In hindsight, I think it was an IBM 360. It showed a person sitting at a kind of a desk below a big panel of blinking red lights. I thought it must be something like a giant pinball machine. I had never played pinball (you have to put in a quarter, and I had no quarters, and no way of getting any) but I had seen other people play pinball, and I thought I could probably do it.
Later, of course, I learned about computers and programming, and found out it was nothing like pinball, but I did enjoy it. But, I got in it for the money. Money isn't everything, but try telling that to the bank that has your mortgage.
Friday, April 1, 2011
If I had 9 lives....
As retirement gets closer, I realize that my working life looks much more finite than it used to. Instead of computer science teaching and publication extending far out into the future in a rather indefinite way, it now has a stopping point. This is by my choice. I feel like it will be time for me to do other things with my life. My list of projects for retirement gets longer all the time!
On the other hand, I think about the career choices that I made, and I wonder what might have been if I had chosen other paths. Or, if I had 9 lives instead of just one, what would I do with the other 8? It's been fun to plan alternate lives, even if I don't get to do them.
Life #1. Stay in math instead of going into computer science. I discovered the joy of number theory in graduate school and almost wished I was earning my Ph.D. in math, with emphasis on number theory. Number theory is about integers, and it's a wide open field. Results in number theory are used a lot in computer chip design, so it's practical as well as fun.
Life #2. Instead of math or pure computer science, go into computer history. Another fascinating field. Maybe I can publish a little in this field before I retire, who knows. However, an entire career in that area would have been interesting.
Life#3. Sell real estate. I love real estate. I would be making a lot more money that I am now, that's for sure!
Life #4. Become a professional artist. I do plan on spending a lot of my retirement doing art, so this dream isn't totally lost.
Life #5. Write novels. I nearly made this choice, as I spent a lot of time writing when my son was a baby and I didn't work. I thought at the time it would be more fun to just continue that. But computers are fun, too, and I was tempted away to be a programmer again.
Life #6. Play the clarinet for the New York Philharmonic.
Lifes #7 Be a back-up singer for the Rolling Stones.
Life #8. Still working on this one.
How about you? Leave a comment about your 9 lives.
On the other hand, I think about the career choices that I made, and I wonder what might have been if I had chosen other paths. Or, if I had 9 lives instead of just one, what would I do with the other 8? It's been fun to plan alternate lives, even if I don't get to do them.
Life #1. Stay in math instead of going into computer science. I discovered the joy of number theory in graduate school and almost wished I was earning my Ph.D. in math, with emphasis on number theory. Number theory is about integers, and it's a wide open field. Results in number theory are used a lot in computer chip design, so it's practical as well as fun.
Life #2. Instead of math or pure computer science, go into computer history. Another fascinating field. Maybe I can publish a little in this field before I retire, who knows. However, an entire career in that area would have been interesting.
Life#3. Sell real estate. I love real estate. I would be making a lot more money that I am now, that's for sure!
Life #4. Become a professional artist. I do plan on spending a lot of my retirement doing art, so this dream isn't totally lost.
Life #5. Write novels. I nearly made this choice, as I spent a lot of time writing when my son was a baby and I didn't work. I thought at the time it would be more fun to just continue that. But computers are fun, too, and I was tempted away to be a programmer again.
Life #6. Play the clarinet for the New York Philharmonic.
Lifes #7 Be a back-up singer for the Rolling Stones.
Life #8. Still working on this one.
How about you? Leave a comment about your 9 lives.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Small Victories!
This is my spring break, and great things are happening.
My garage door is fixed, thanks to some nice young men with garage door smarts.
My plumber and I both decided that my brand of toilet was the problem. (The guy that remodeled my bathroom 2 years ago had told me the same thing, but I had not heeded his advise.) So, I have purchased a new toilet and had it installed. It's a think of beauty, not to look at, but it just does everything a toilet is supposed to do, which is not something you think about until it doesn't.
After much work, my numbers are ready for me to take to my tax preparer tomorrow. No, I don't do my own taxes. Due to my rather complicated financial situation, everyone concerned is happier that I use a professional preparer.
I have purchased new tires and had them mounted. I didn't notice until I walked in the garage this morning that new tires have a pleasant "smell", kind of like a new car smell.
Of course, none of these things are paid for yet, but that's another problem for another day.
On top of that, the weather has turned relatively warm over the last several days (highs in the 40's!) and the snow is melting fast. I can actually see 3 small patches of grass in my yard. I haven't seen my grass since last November.
Now, I get to grade homework!
My garage door is fixed, thanks to some nice young men with garage door smarts.
My plumber and I both decided that my brand of toilet was the problem. (The guy that remodeled my bathroom 2 years ago had told me the same thing, but I had not heeded his advise.) So, I have purchased a new toilet and had it installed. It's a think of beauty, not to look at, but it just does everything a toilet is supposed to do, which is not something you think about until it doesn't.
After much work, my numbers are ready for me to take to my tax preparer tomorrow. No, I don't do my own taxes. Due to my rather complicated financial situation, everyone concerned is happier that I use a professional preparer.
I have purchased new tires and had them mounted. I didn't notice until I walked in the garage this morning that new tires have a pleasant "smell", kind of like a new car smell.
Of course, none of these things are paid for yet, but that's another problem for another day.
On top of that, the weather has turned relatively warm over the last several days (highs in the 40's!) and the snow is melting fast. I can actually see 3 small patches of grass in my yard. I haven't seen my grass since last November.
Now, I get to grade homework!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Pray for Japan
The more I hear about the earthquake in Japan, the worse it sounds. It was 8.9 strength, which is pretty darn big. Massive damage in a country that has tried to make its buildings and roads more earthquake-tolerant for years and years. Not enough.
Here, we are having some cold and snow after several days of relatively warm weather, so people are grousing. After hearing about Japan, we must realize we have nothing to complain about.
Here, we are having some cold and snow after several days of relatively warm weather, so people are grousing. After hearing about Japan, we must realize we have nothing to complain about.
The New Puritanism
As a relatively new Catholic, I have found it of great value to watch the Catholic network, EWTN, to get a better understanding of the Church and its practices. I especially like the two shows hosted by Father Mitch Pacqua, a Jesuit priest who has a Ph.D. and is fluent in 12 languages. He is a very nice person and an excellent teacher, also. One of the shows he hosts is EWTN Live, in which he interviews various guests. This Wednesday night his guest was a Catholic psychologist (I forgot his name!) who mentioned something called the New Puritanism.
Essentially, if a society abandons traditional faith-based morality (as much of the US has done) it invents its own morality. He mentioned several new "sins" in our modern culture that were not sins in the traditional sense. But he did not mention one that I have noticed for a while, and one that is probably more obvious to women. The body standard for today's woman is thin, thin, thin, in spite of some who say it shouldn't be. And, now, you need to be both muscular and thin. Yes, it's true that many Christian churches promote maintaining a healthy weight and taking care of your body, but this goes well beyond that. So today, we have the young single woman who will, in one evening, have sex with a man she just met and also have a piece of cheesecake, feel guilty about the cheesecake but not about the sex. There is something backwards about that.
Essentially, if a society abandons traditional faith-based morality (as much of the US has done) it invents its own morality. He mentioned several new "sins" in our modern culture that were not sins in the traditional sense. But he did not mention one that I have noticed for a while, and one that is probably more obvious to women. The body standard for today's woman is thin, thin, thin, in spite of some who say it shouldn't be. And, now, you need to be both muscular and thin. Yes, it's true that many Christian churches promote maintaining a healthy weight and taking care of your body, but this goes well beyond that. So today, we have the young single woman who will, in one evening, have sex with a man she just met and also have a piece of cheesecake, feel guilty about the cheesecake but not about the sex. There is something backwards about that.
Monday, February 28, 2011
About a garage door and a toilet.
I continue to have lots of toilet clogs. The Dawn dishwashing liquid "cure" only works part of the time. The last two times I had to call a plumber, and this last time we decided that the brand of toilet was at least part of the problem, so that will be replaced. At least I will have one that I can use a plunger with. The toilet I have now has a weird shape in the bottom of the bowl..kind of like a loaf pan. It's long, narrow, and rectangular. Can't plunge it.
When it became clear that my most recent clog would not give way to the Dawn, I made the mistake of visiting my local hardware store. My original intent was fine--perhaps to find a really, really big plunger that would fit all the way around the "loaf pan." They didn't have one. So I asked if they had something I could pour down the thing, as Drano is a no-no. They sold me a quart of a substance called Liquid Fire, which sounds like it would do something, for good or for ill. The fine print said it was sulfuric acid, and again, that sounded like it would be effective. Maybe effective in eating through the pipes, but would do something.
The directions said that for a toilet, pour in 8 oz. and wait 15 minutes. Nothing happened. I put in more and more and more. In the end, I had poured in the entire quart. Then, I waited. I waited 2 days. Nothing happened, except I had a toilet full of bad smelling sulfuric acid.
I was talking to a fellow faculty member about this, who happens to teach chemistry. She said that she had been told by more than one plumber that they would have nothing to do with any toilet that had been "treated" with sulfuric acid. Ooops. I got out my old turkey baster and emptied the acid out of the toilet bowl into old kitchen bowls as best as I could. It filled 3 bowls. I took each outside in 15 below weather and dumped bicarbonate of soda into them until all the acid seemed to be neutralized, they threw away the bowls and the baster, and one bathroom towel. It was great fun. Can't wait to do that again. So, now the expense for the clog is $10 for the liquid fire, 3 bowls, one towel, and one baster.
I called my plumber, confessed my sulfuric acid sins to him, and received absolution. He then came to my house, placed his hands on the toilet, and healed it. He was not surprised that my "liquid fire" did nothing. Now my expense is up by $55, but at least that actually worked! Now I need to call and make an appointment for getting a new toilet.
You may be wondering what this has to do with my garage door. Actually, nothing, except it broke at about the same time as the toilet got clogged this last time. I don't know exactly what's wrong except that it no longer goes up and down straight, but crooked. It will open, though it makes a funny clanking noise, but the only way it will close is if I push down on one side to keep it straight while it is closing. I can do this if I am on the inside, but as there is no outside handle, I can't if I am on the outside. So, if I want to go anywhere in my car, I must do the following: Open the garage door, drive the car out into the driveway, turn off the car, get out of the car, lock the car, go back into the garage, hit the button to close the door, dash back down to the garage door and push on it so it will close, go back through the house and out the front door (which is on the east side of the house, lock the front door, and walk back to the rear of the house on the south side, get into the car, and be on my way. An inconvenient process, but at least it works.
But, I'm not spending any significant time in an unheated garage trying to figure out the problem until the weather is a little warmer!!
When it became clear that my most recent clog would not give way to the Dawn, I made the mistake of visiting my local hardware store. My original intent was fine--perhaps to find a really, really big plunger that would fit all the way around the "loaf pan." They didn't have one. So I asked if they had something I could pour down the thing, as Drano is a no-no. They sold me a quart of a substance called Liquid Fire, which sounds like it would do something, for good or for ill. The fine print said it was sulfuric acid, and again, that sounded like it would be effective. Maybe effective in eating through the pipes, but would do something.
The directions said that for a toilet, pour in 8 oz. and wait 15 minutes. Nothing happened. I put in more and more and more. In the end, I had poured in the entire quart. Then, I waited. I waited 2 days. Nothing happened, except I had a toilet full of bad smelling sulfuric acid.
I was talking to a fellow faculty member about this, who happens to teach chemistry. She said that she had been told by more than one plumber that they would have nothing to do with any toilet that had been "treated" with sulfuric acid. Ooops. I got out my old turkey baster and emptied the acid out of the toilet bowl into old kitchen bowls as best as I could. It filled 3 bowls. I took each outside in 15 below weather and dumped bicarbonate of soda into them until all the acid seemed to be neutralized, they threw away the bowls and the baster, and one bathroom towel. It was great fun. Can't wait to do that again. So, now the expense for the clog is $10 for the liquid fire, 3 bowls, one towel, and one baster.
I called my plumber, confessed my sulfuric acid sins to him, and received absolution. He then came to my house, placed his hands on the toilet, and healed it. He was not surprised that my "liquid fire" did nothing. Now my expense is up by $55, but at least that actually worked! Now I need to call and make an appointment for getting a new toilet.
You may be wondering what this has to do with my garage door. Actually, nothing, except it broke at about the same time as the toilet got clogged this last time. I don't know exactly what's wrong except that it no longer goes up and down straight, but crooked. It will open, though it makes a funny clanking noise, but the only way it will close is if I push down on one side to keep it straight while it is closing. I can do this if I am on the inside, but as there is no outside handle, I can't if I am on the outside. So, if I want to go anywhere in my car, I must do the following: Open the garage door, drive the car out into the driveway, turn off the car, get out of the car, lock the car, go back into the garage, hit the button to close the door, dash back down to the garage door and push on it so it will close, go back through the house and out the front door (which is on the east side of the house, lock the front door, and walk back to the rear of the house on the south side, get into the car, and be on my way. An inconvenient process, but at least it works.
But, I'm not spending any significant time in an unheated garage trying to figure out the problem until the weather is a little warmer!!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Viva Senor Cruz!
I was astonished to discover that my favorite musician from my old home was scheduled to play a concert here in the frozen north! Mr. Edgar Cruz delighted an auditorium full of us. This gentleman is probably one of the finest living guitarists in the world. What a treat! I was transported back to not only the times I saw him live in my old home state, but to my childhood when my father played recordings of mariachi music and flamenco guitars.
Boy, did I get a case of homesickness!
Boy, did I get a case of homesickness!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Why?
The link below is to an on-line news article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41609536/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/?GT1=43001
It's about an "informant" that admits he lied to the US about his knowledge of UMDs. This is really not news, as we all know the information was bad. But buried in the article is the fact that 100,000 Iraqui civilians were killed in the war. Why is it the news agencies don't think that's important? Why do they never mention that? Are Iraqui children somehow human trash, and their deaths are only a side bar?
Why? Why? Why?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41609536/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/?GT1=43001
It's about an "informant" that admits he lied to the US about his knowledge of UMDs. This is really not news, as we all know the information was bad. But buried in the article is the fact that 100,000 Iraqui civilians were killed in the war. Why is it the news agencies don't think that's important? Why do they never mention that? Are Iraqui children somehow human trash, and their deaths are only a side bar?
Why? Why? Why?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Lawrence Welk lives.
I had one of those head-shaking, did I really see that? experiences last night.
A sweet, little, white-haired, 90 year old lady who I sit next to in church choir unexpectedly asked me to accompany her to supper at St. Anthony's last night. I had never heard of St. Anthony's. She (I'll call her Mary for the purposes of this post) said it was a club, and they were serving supper. So, I went.
St. Anthony's is indeed a night club. Many establishments that call themselves night clubs are not actually clubs, but this one is. We went up some stairs and passed through a bar area that looked much like any bar, full of people drinking, smoking, and laughing, then we went back to another room where they were serving a very good buffet supper. Mary paid the member's price for her supper and the non-member's price for mine. She seemed to be a regular there, as I lost count of the people who said "Hello, Mary!" as we walked in.
This night club is unusual in many respects. First, it is named for a saint. Second, the supper room has a big crucifix on the wall--unusual for a night club. Third, almost every patron was over the age of 60. The place was packed, both the bar area and the supper area. Except for one table of 20-somethings, I believe I was the youngest person there, at the tender age of 59. Many of them seemed to be ranchers and farmers from the surrounding area, with their wives. I saw a lot of boots and Western hats. When we finished our meal, we were expected to take our dirty plates to the back, and many hands rapidly folded up the tables in the middle of the room, opened up the walls between the supper area and the bar area, and sprinkled sand in the middle of the room.
Then, two middle-aged (or older) gentlemen took the stage. One had an electric accordian (yes, they exist!) that lit up and had a built-in sythesizer, and the other had a clarinet and a whole row of various sizes of saxaphones. And they began to play. They played tunes from country, old standards, big band hits, and others, but the style of all of them was identical--Lawrence Welk. Yes, Lawrence Welk lives on in spirit. Who knew?
As soon as the music started, the grizzled old ranchers grabbed their wives and started dancing with practiced and agile steps, with no prompting from the wives at all. The dance floor was soon full. I have never seen anything like it in my life. They danced every dance.
People here seem to live extra long lives, and they stay lively for longer than most. My friend Mary still lives alone and mows her own lawn. The lady that checked me out at Wal Mart was remarking to another customer that her mother's family all died young - in their 70s and 80s. Her father's family all made it past 100, which seemed more normal to her. After what I witnessed last night, I believe there is something around here that is making long life more the norm. Is it in the water? Or is it hard work at 20 below zero?
A sweet, little, white-haired, 90 year old lady who I sit next to in church choir unexpectedly asked me to accompany her to supper at St. Anthony's last night. I had never heard of St. Anthony's. She (I'll call her Mary for the purposes of this post) said it was a club, and they were serving supper. So, I went.
St. Anthony's is indeed a night club. Many establishments that call themselves night clubs are not actually clubs, but this one is. We went up some stairs and passed through a bar area that looked much like any bar, full of people drinking, smoking, and laughing, then we went back to another room where they were serving a very good buffet supper. Mary paid the member's price for her supper and the non-member's price for mine. She seemed to be a regular there, as I lost count of the people who said "Hello, Mary!" as we walked in.
This night club is unusual in many respects. First, it is named for a saint. Second, the supper room has a big crucifix on the wall--unusual for a night club. Third, almost every patron was over the age of 60. The place was packed, both the bar area and the supper area. Except for one table of 20-somethings, I believe I was the youngest person there, at the tender age of 59. Many of them seemed to be ranchers and farmers from the surrounding area, with their wives. I saw a lot of boots and Western hats. When we finished our meal, we were expected to take our dirty plates to the back, and many hands rapidly folded up the tables in the middle of the room, opened up the walls between the supper area and the bar area, and sprinkled sand in the middle of the room.
Then, two middle-aged (or older) gentlemen took the stage. One had an electric accordian (yes, they exist!) that lit up and had a built-in sythesizer, and the other had a clarinet and a whole row of various sizes of saxaphones. And they began to play. They played tunes from country, old standards, big band hits, and others, but the style of all of them was identical--Lawrence Welk. Yes, Lawrence Welk lives on in spirit. Who knew?
As soon as the music started, the grizzled old ranchers grabbed their wives and started dancing with practiced and agile steps, with no prompting from the wives at all. The dance floor was soon full. I have never seen anything like it in my life. They danced every dance.
People here seem to live extra long lives, and they stay lively for longer than most. My friend Mary still lives alone and mows her own lawn. The lady that checked me out at Wal Mart was remarking to another customer that her mother's family all died young - in their 70s and 80s. Her father's family all made it past 100, which seemed more normal to her. After what I witnessed last night, I believe there is something around here that is making long life more the norm. Is it in the water? Or is it hard work at 20 below zero?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Can't resist...sorry
I can't resist one more weather post. I saw on the news about more record snow and cold in my old home state, which is about 1000 miles south of where I am now. I envy my friends there getting off school and work for the weather. I have not had one single "snow day" this entire school year. Not one. 7 inches of snow is not enough to close anything here, though I have seen some events cancelled in the evening for extreme cold.
I am enrolled in a 6 week course in watercolors that meets every Tuesday night. Last Tuesday (the 2nd) it was 15 below when I was driving home from work at 5 pm. I was concerned that at 8 pm, when the art class was due to be out, it would be too cold for my car to start, so I did not go. Last night it was not that cold, so I went. We waited and waited for the teacher, and when it seemed she wouldn't show, we decided to get out our supplies and just paint whatever we wanted to paint. Finally, 30 minutes after class was supposed to start, the instructor called the on-duty student monitor in the art building and reported that her car just would not start, and we could paint whatever we wanted. She didn't say it was due to the cold, but I'm sure that was a contributing factor.
In this state, if you don't have an attached garage, you need to install a block heater in your car. Then, when it's due to get cold, you plug it into an outlet overnight so your engine block stays reasonably warm, and the car will actually start. Fortunately, I do have an attached garage, and my little car has always started, even without a block heater. However, on the evening it was 15 below at 5 pm, it did grind kind of slowly! I guess when we have electric cars, we will need 2 cords and 2 outlets.
But, this is for cars. For humans, cold is very subjective. There is a faculty member in my department that grew up in the Persian Gulf area, and spent most of his adult life in Texas and Florida. The poor guy turns blue in November and stays blue until April.
My cousin, on the other hand, is more like me. She likes the cold! She spent most of her teenage years in Alaska. She told me about one particular morning when she really did feel cold while standing outside waiting for the school bus. She doesn't feel cold very often, but that morning she did. She waited and waited for the bus, but it never came, so she went back inside. The TV said that school had been cancelled due to extreme cold. It was 50 below! Makes 20 below seem balmy!
I am enrolled in a 6 week course in watercolors that meets every Tuesday night. Last Tuesday (the 2nd) it was 15 below when I was driving home from work at 5 pm. I was concerned that at 8 pm, when the art class was due to be out, it would be too cold for my car to start, so I did not go. Last night it was not that cold, so I went. We waited and waited for the teacher, and when it seemed she wouldn't show, we decided to get out our supplies and just paint whatever we wanted to paint. Finally, 30 minutes after class was supposed to start, the instructor called the on-duty student monitor in the art building and reported that her car just would not start, and we could paint whatever we wanted. She didn't say it was due to the cold, but I'm sure that was a contributing factor.
In this state, if you don't have an attached garage, you need to install a block heater in your car. Then, when it's due to get cold, you plug it into an outlet overnight so your engine block stays reasonably warm, and the car will actually start. Fortunately, I do have an attached garage, and my little car has always started, even without a block heater. However, on the evening it was 15 below at 5 pm, it did grind kind of slowly! I guess when we have electric cars, we will need 2 cords and 2 outlets.
But, this is for cars. For humans, cold is very subjective. There is a faculty member in my department that grew up in the Persian Gulf area, and spent most of his adult life in Texas and Florida. The poor guy turns blue in November and stays blue until April.
My cousin, on the other hand, is more like me. She likes the cold! She spent most of her teenage years in Alaska. She told me about one particular morning when she really did feel cold while standing outside waiting for the school bus. She doesn't feel cold very often, but that morning she did. She waited and waited for the bus, but it never came, so she went back inside. The TV said that school had been cancelled due to extreme cold. It was 50 below! Makes 20 below seem balmy!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Everything old is new again.
I started this blog to comment about computers, their use and misuse, and the joy and pain of programming them. However, I seem to use it for commenting on everything else except computers! Today, I would like to get back to them. And, since I am at the office on a Saturday with an enormous pile of work to do, it seems the ideal time to add a blog entry.
For the first half of my adult life, before I began teaching college, I was a computer programmer. Today, they call them software engineers, or software developers. It's the same thing, just a nicer title. In my new job, I actually teach software engineering, which I had not (for no particular reason) at my old job. In the process, of course, I must constantly bring myself up to date on the latest trends, tricks, and techniques.
I just got through developing my software engineering lecture for Monday, and I must comment that I am delighted with many of the new trends. These youngsters in their 30s and 40s are discovering through research the truths I knew from hard experience, but now they have fancier names and an air of legitimacy. When I proposed them, back in the day, they were laughed at. Now they are modern and trendy. Cool!
One example: the value of a program well structured. I had a boss once that delighted in the "quick and dirty" and scofffed at the idea that a program needed to be well structured. I remember trying to maintain a one-off program he threw together, badly designed, and therefore every time we added a feature we broke an old one. Finally, one of us threw it out and rewrote it in a more structured, sensible manner, and it was amazing how the angry calls from the user disappeared.
Much to my delight, this process is today called "refactoring" and is a recognized step in one of the newer software engineering processes. I love people that agree with me. I think they are so smart!
For the first half of my adult life, before I began teaching college, I was a computer programmer. Today, they call them software engineers, or software developers. It's the same thing, just a nicer title. In my new job, I actually teach software engineering, which I had not (for no particular reason) at my old job. In the process, of course, I must constantly bring myself up to date on the latest trends, tricks, and techniques.
I just got through developing my software engineering lecture for Monday, and I must comment that I am delighted with many of the new trends. These youngsters in their 30s and 40s are discovering through research the truths I knew from hard experience, but now they have fancier names and an air of legitimacy. When I proposed them, back in the day, they were laughed at. Now they are modern and trendy. Cool!
One example: the value of a program well structured. I had a boss once that delighted in the "quick and dirty" and scofffed at the idea that a program needed to be well structured. I remember trying to maintain a one-off program he threw together, badly designed, and therefore every time we added a feature we broke an old one. Finally, one of us threw it out and rewrote it in a more structured, sensible manner, and it was amazing how the angry calls from the user disappeared.
Much to my delight, this process is today called "refactoring" and is a recognized step in one of the newer software engineering processes. I love people that agree with me. I think they are so smart!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Is it cold?
I am always amazed at different folks' appraisal of if the weather is too hot or too cold. I know people that can do hard labor outside in 100 degree heat and be perfectly happy. I used to mow my lawn in 100 degree heat. "Perfectly happy" was miles away from how I felt. I am completely opposite. In my former home, I was totally miserable from July 1 to Sept. 15. People would say "you'll get used to the heat." But I lived there for 57 years. When does the "get used to it" start to kick in? I would get dizzy and nauseous just going to the mail box.
Here, I am about 1000 miles further north. Summers are balmy and beautiful, but winters have brought a whole new definition of cold. Last Tuesday morning it was about 20 below zero when I went to work. I have a really good pair of gloves, padded and warm, but by the time I got to my office, my hands were nonetheless hurting from the cold - even though for much of the trip I was in my car. That's snot-freezing temperatures. In that extreme cold, I wear 2 wool scarves, one horizontal around my neck, nose, and mouth, and one verticle across the top of my head and ears. I look like a baby in swaddling clothes. And this is from a hot-natured person.
A friend from my old home town emailed me asking for some helpful tips for removing a 5 foot snow drift from the front of her car port so she could go somewhere. I said do as I do, get a snow shovel. I must shovel snow from my sidewalk on a regular basis so it doesn't get too deep, as we have snow about once a week here. Kind of like mowing the lawn, only cooler.
I must say, though, I have a good coat. Any part of my body that is under the coat is ALWAYS warm, regardless of the temperature or the wind. And that's saying a lot, because we can get a stiff wind here during the snow storms. A wind chill of 40 below is not unusual. White-out conditions on the highways happen quite frequently, sometimes once a week. But it doesn't make the news when it happens to us.
But, I still love it here! I would much rather shovel snow at 10 below than mow the lawn at 100 above!!!!!
I was born to live here. It just took me 57 years to figure it out!
Here, I am about 1000 miles further north. Summers are balmy and beautiful, but winters have brought a whole new definition of cold. Last Tuesday morning it was about 20 below zero when I went to work. I have a really good pair of gloves, padded and warm, but by the time I got to my office, my hands were nonetheless hurting from the cold - even though for much of the trip I was in my car. That's snot-freezing temperatures. In that extreme cold, I wear 2 wool scarves, one horizontal around my neck, nose, and mouth, and one verticle across the top of my head and ears. I look like a baby in swaddling clothes. And this is from a hot-natured person.
A friend from my old home town emailed me asking for some helpful tips for removing a 5 foot snow drift from the front of her car port so she could go somewhere. I said do as I do, get a snow shovel. I must shovel snow from my sidewalk on a regular basis so it doesn't get too deep, as we have snow about once a week here. Kind of like mowing the lawn, only cooler.
I must say, though, I have a good coat. Any part of my body that is under the coat is ALWAYS warm, regardless of the temperature or the wind. And that's saying a lot, because we can get a stiff wind here during the snow storms. A wind chill of 40 below is not unusual. White-out conditions on the highways happen quite frequently, sometimes once a week. But it doesn't make the news when it happens to us.
But, I still love it here! I would much rather shovel snow at 10 below than mow the lawn at 100 above!!!!!
I was born to live here. It just took me 57 years to figure it out!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Wikipedia puzzle
A friend of mine posted a blog item recently, commenting on a news article that pointed out that 85% (or so) of Wikipedia contributors were men. He also had a link to a third party comment about this. I read both with considerable interest, and it started me doing some very interesting self-examination about why it had never occured to me to contribute to Wikipedia. Both the friend and the third party commenter are men. I hereby offer up a purely subjective female perspective.
Both my friend and the third party commenter looked at contributing to Wikipedia as a selfless, altruistic, service oriented kind of activity. I don't know the 3rd party person, but I know my friend, and I totally believe him when he talks about the satisfaction of being part of something "larger". However, I was completely surprised by this motivation. If I had been asked a few days ago why a person would be motivated to contribute to Wikipedia, I would have said by an enormous ego...setting himself/herself up as the world's foremost authority on whatever. Obviously, I was wrong. That's not what is going on here. I had no idea my friend contributed to Wikipedia. I never would have guessed that, given that he is NOT an egotistical jerk.
I do disagree with the 3rd party gentlemen about one thing. He says women don't care about Wikipedia. I can't speak for all women, but I AM interested in Wikipedia. I use it all the time, as a reader, not a writer. I can't believe I am that unusual. Are there any stats on the genders of Wikipedia readers?
I do know that in general, females have less self-confidence than males. I don't know why. I know computers better than people. I do know, however, that I will never, ever, write an entry for Wikipedia because I would never have the confidence to do so. Yes, I have a Ph.D. in computer science, but that only persuades me that I know enough to teach my classes. Not to pose as an expert on Wikipedia. Can't go there. Is this right or wrong? I don't know.
Both my friend and the third party commenter looked at contributing to Wikipedia as a selfless, altruistic, service oriented kind of activity. I don't know the 3rd party person, but I know my friend, and I totally believe him when he talks about the satisfaction of being part of something "larger". However, I was completely surprised by this motivation. If I had been asked a few days ago why a person would be motivated to contribute to Wikipedia, I would have said by an enormous ego...setting himself/herself up as the world's foremost authority on whatever. Obviously, I was wrong. That's not what is going on here. I had no idea my friend contributed to Wikipedia. I never would have guessed that, given that he is NOT an egotistical jerk.
I do disagree with the 3rd party gentlemen about one thing. He says women don't care about Wikipedia. I can't speak for all women, but I AM interested in Wikipedia. I use it all the time, as a reader, not a writer. I can't believe I am that unusual. Are there any stats on the genders of Wikipedia readers?
I do know that in general, females have less self-confidence than males. I don't know why. I know computers better than people. I do know, however, that I will never, ever, write an entry for Wikipedia because I would never have the confidence to do so. Yes, I have a Ph.D. in computer science, but that only persuades me that I know enough to teach my classes. Not to pose as an expert on Wikipedia. Can't go there. Is this right or wrong? I don't know.
Friday, January 28, 2011
All of our students are thoroughly gruntled.
After 15 years of a very bad work situation, I am continuously pleased with my current one. In my old job, I seemed to be eternally surrounded by very unhappy students that argued incessantly, complained to the administration, and bordered on illegal harassment when they dealt with faculty. Some of the department faculty were, let's face it, nuts. Department meetings could and did sometimes turn into agitated arguments. And,the last dean I worked for was so bad that I referred to him as the Antichrist.
This college is SO much different. This is my third year. I have had only two instances of disgruntled students. In May of last year, right after (note: after) the final exams, I was approached by a group of football playing students who wanted a C so they could stay on the team. Their grades were very much buried in the F range, so there was nothing I could do. This semester, I have an on-line student who likes to complain, but he lives about 100 miles from the campus, so I doubt I will ever see him in person. I'll just get complaining email, and I can certainly deal with that. These 2 situations simply highlight how nice the vast majority of my students are. My co-workers are pleasant, the departmental evironment is nice, the chair is both nice and smart. My office is nice, with a great view out of my window. I am currently in the process of applying for tenure, and I just found out that 4 of the 6 approvals I need have already been submitted. I have received a raise both last fall and the fall before. If I get tenure, I will also get a promotion and another pay raise.
The area is great, also. One unexpected perk is that my car insurance cost was cut in half. Also, my commute time went from 45 minutes to 5 minutes.
Why didn't I come here a long time ago?
This college is SO much different. This is my third year. I have had only two instances of disgruntled students. In May of last year, right after (note: after) the final exams, I was approached by a group of football playing students who wanted a C so they could stay on the team. Their grades were very much buried in the F range, so there was nothing I could do. This semester, I have an on-line student who likes to complain, but he lives about 100 miles from the campus, so I doubt I will ever see him in person. I'll just get complaining email, and I can certainly deal with that. These 2 situations simply highlight how nice the vast majority of my students are. My co-workers are pleasant, the departmental evironment is nice, the chair is both nice and smart. My office is nice, with a great view out of my window. I am currently in the process of applying for tenure, and I just found out that 4 of the 6 approvals I need have already been submitted. I have received a raise both last fall and the fall before. If I get tenure, I will also get a promotion and another pay raise.
The area is great, also. One unexpected perk is that my car insurance cost was cut in half. Also, my commute time went from 45 minutes to 5 minutes.
Why didn't I come here a long time ago?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Hail Mary, Full of Grace--A Football Reflection.
As the time for the Superbowl approaches, I am reminded of a football story you probably don't know. (And after you read this, you still won't.)
Christians are familiar with the passage in Luke where Mary is told she will bear the Messiah. In the passage, the angel begins with "Hail, Mary, full of grace." Of course, many Christian churches, particularly Catholic, interpret the phrase "full of grace" as having theological meaning. However, it is a little known fact that the phrase "full of grace" was applied to Mary before she was addressed by the angel.
What is known now as American style football was played in ancient times, and teams had both men and women on them. Mary was a star wide receiver for the Jerusalem Giants, and was quite famous for her ability to evade defenders. Hence, the nickname "full of grace", as she gracefully zigged and zagged down the gridiron, rolling off tackles with ease. The Giants' colors were blue and white, which is why we often see her depicted in those colors in works of art.
Of course, knowling that marriage and motherhood would put too many demands of her time, Mary retired from football at the peak of her game. But the phrase "full of grace" lives on.
Some people think that she played for the Cairo Camels while she was living in Egypt, but there is absolutely no historical evidince for that.
Christians are familiar with the passage in Luke where Mary is told she will bear the Messiah. In the passage, the angel begins with "Hail, Mary, full of grace." Of course, many Christian churches, particularly Catholic, interpret the phrase "full of grace" as having theological meaning. However, it is a little known fact that the phrase "full of grace" was applied to Mary before she was addressed by the angel.
What is known now as American style football was played in ancient times, and teams had both men and women on them. Mary was a star wide receiver for the Jerusalem Giants, and was quite famous for her ability to evade defenders. Hence, the nickname "full of grace", as she gracefully zigged and zagged down the gridiron, rolling off tackles with ease. The Giants' colors were blue and white, which is why we often see her depicted in those colors in works of art.
Of course, knowling that marriage and motherhood would put too many demands of her time, Mary retired from football at the peak of her game. But the phrase "full of grace" lives on.
Some people think that she played for the Cairo Camels while she was living in Egypt, but there is absolutely no historical evidince for that.
Friday, January 21, 2011
That's 14
In my previous post, I listed all (I thought) the programming languages I have learned. In a lecture this morning, I talked about another language I learned and used on the job, and realized that I had forgotten to list it. It's the old RPG language. RPG stands for Report Program Generator, though I understand it also stands for Rocket Propelled Grenade. They both blow up, so that's OK. That's 14 languages in 41 years, or an average of one new language every 2.9 years.
I still see jobs listed for RPG programmers. An RPG program is easy to write but impossible to maintain. My advise is to avoid RPG like it was the stomach flu.
I still see jobs listed for RPG programmers. An RPG program is easy to write but impossible to maintain. My advise is to avoid RPG like it was the stomach flu.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
No more, thanks
It was 41 years ago this month that I wrote my first program. It was in Fortran IV, as I started my undergraduate course in programming. About a year later, I got my first programming job, using Fortran IV.
Then, I realized that if I were to ever work someplace else, I needed to learn Cobol, the language of choice at that time for implementing business systems. So, I took a class in Cobol. I used Cobol in my next job extensively.
At that time, the experts were predicting that a new language called PL/I would replace both Fortran and Cobol. A large university nearby switched the undergraduate curriculum to PL/I. So, I bought a book about PL/I and studied it, though it fell into disuse almost immediately, and I never used it in a job environment.
I also took a class in assembler, which was required for a degree that I started but did not complete until many years later. It was IBM 360 assembler, which was widely used at the time. Now, the 360 is gone, and the assembler with it.
About this time, the PC revolution was underway. Most PCs at that time came with Basic compilers (the old, original Basic). To write for PCs required mastery of Basic. So, I learned Basic for my night job writing for PCs. After that project was over, I never used the old Basic again.
I got a new day job, which started using Cobol. Then, we obtained a system from a third party that was written in Pascal, so I learned Pascal. Pascal was a very good language, but had a short run. Now, no one uses Pascal, and younger people have never heard of it. In our shop, and most others, Cobol fell by the wayside, and is now never used for new systems in most places.
My job was in a Hewlett-Packard shop. That company had developed an excellent language called Transact. I learned Transact and used it for years. But, it fell by the wayside, also.
I went back to graduate school and was required to use the language C. The problem with C was that too many people tried to use it for purposes for which it was not designed. C is now used less and less.
At my first full time teaching position, I was assigned the beginning programming course. I started using Fortran 90 (similar to Fortran IV, but with modern block structures) because the syntax is so simple. But the chair didn't like my choice, and I was told to switch to Java, So I learned Java.
I also taught computer organization, and the book used MIPS assembler. So, I learned MIPS assembler.
When I got my current teaching job, I was required to learn two more programming languages, Alice and Visual Basic (VB). This last language only bears a very slight resemblance to old Basic, so I count it as a new language, especially since at this school, anyway, it requires the mastery of a development environment, Visual Studio, which is more complicated than VB.
So, let's count the languages. Fortran IV, Cobol, PL/I, 360 assembler, Basic, Pascal, Transact, C, Fortran 90, Java, MIPS assembler, Alice, and VB. That's 13 languages. Currently, I only use the last 3. Java is still around, but I don't currently teach it. Most of the other languages are dead or dying, and I will probably never even see them again, never mind use them.
Yesterday I was attending a training/orientation session to prepare this school to become a "hub" for high school robotics contests. The robot controllers are programmed by a language called EasyC. For some reason, one of the participants wanted me to become the EasyC expert here. I found myself saying "no." Fortunately, another faculty member present was eager and delighted to become the EasyC expert, and I was eager for her (and not me) to be "delighted." Problem solved.
I am basically sick to death of spending hours and hours of work on obtaining a skilll that becomes almost immediately useless. I started thinking about the many languages I have learned, some good, some bad, but most now useless to me. An experienced person can learn the essentials of a language quickly, but it takes years of use to really understand all the quirks and tricks, and how to really use it well. I'm tired of it getting really good at a language, then being forced to abandon it. I have taken the attitude that I will only learn a new language if I really, really must. EasyC did not qualify, I don't care how "easy" it is. You may notice that C++ is not on my list, and that's why. Only if I must. Time to cut my losses.
Then, I realized that if I were to ever work someplace else, I needed to learn Cobol, the language of choice at that time for implementing business systems. So, I took a class in Cobol. I used Cobol in my next job extensively.
At that time, the experts were predicting that a new language called PL/I would replace both Fortran and Cobol. A large university nearby switched the undergraduate curriculum to PL/I. So, I bought a book about PL/I and studied it, though it fell into disuse almost immediately, and I never used it in a job environment.
I also took a class in assembler, which was required for a degree that I started but did not complete until many years later. It was IBM 360 assembler, which was widely used at the time. Now, the 360 is gone, and the assembler with it.
About this time, the PC revolution was underway. Most PCs at that time came with Basic compilers (the old, original Basic). To write for PCs required mastery of Basic. So, I learned Basic for my night job writing for PCs. After that project was over, I never used the old Basic again.
I got a new day job, which started using Cobol. Then, we obtained a system from a third party that was written in Pascal, so I learned Pascal. Pascal was a very good language, but had a short run. Now, no one uses Pascal, and younger people have never heard of it. In our shop, and most others, Cobol fell by the wayside, and is now never used for new systems in most places.
My job was in a Hewlett-Packard shop. That company had developed an excellent language called Transact. I learned Transact and used it for years. But, it fell by the wayside, also.
I went back to graduate school and was required to use the language C. The problem with C was that too many people tried to use it for purposes for which it was not designed. C is now used less and less.
At my first full time teaching position, I was assigned the beginning programming course. I started using Fortran 90 (similar to Fortran IV, but with modern block structures) because the syntax is so simple. But the chair didn't like my choice, and I was told to switch to Java, So I learned Java.
I also taught computer organization, and the book used MIPS assembler. So, I learned MIPS assembler.
When I got my current teaching job, I was required to learn two more programming languages, Alice and Visual Basic (VB). This last language only bears a very slight resemblance to old Basic, so I count it as a new language, especially since at this school, anyway, it requires the mastery of a development environment, Visual Studio, which is more complicated than VB.
So, let's count the languages. Fortran IV, Cobol, PL/I, 360 assembler, Basic, Pascal, Transact, C, Fortran 90, Java, MIPS assembler, Alice, and VB. That's 13 languages. Currently, I only use the last 3. Java is still around, but I don't currently teach it. Most of the other languages are dead or dying, and I will probably never even see them again, never mind use them.
Yesterday I was attending a training/orientation session to prepare this school to become a "hub" for high school robotics contests. The robot controllers are programmed by a language called EasyC. For some reason, one of the participants wanted me to become the EasyC expert here. I found myself saying "no." Fortunately, another faculty member present was eager and delighted to become the EasyC expert, and I was eager for her (and not me) to be "delighted." Problem solved.
I am basically sick to death of spending hours and hours of work on obtaining a skilll that becomes almost immediately useless. I started thinking about the many languages I have learned, some good, some bad, but most now useless to me. An experienced person can learn the essentials of a language quickly, but it takes years of use to really understand all the quirks and tricks, and how to really use it well. I'm tired of it getting really good at a language, then being forced to abandon it. I have taken the attitude that I will only learn a new language if I really, really must. EasyC did not qualify, I don't care how "easy" it is. You may notice that C++ is not on my list, and that's why. Only if I must. Time to cut my losses.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sad day in Arizona.
I have been following the events and aftermath of the Arizona shooting this last weekend. I have been particularly dismayed by folks critical of the suspect's parents, stating that they should have seen it coming and done something about it. First, I'm sure they did know that there was something amiss with their son, though how much detail they knew, such as from a medical diagnosis, has not been made public. However, from what I have been able to glean from the news, he had never been violent before this, and had not even talked about being violent until very recently. For an adult (he was 22) family member, it is very, very hard for family members to find anything that can be "done" is such situations. I have had some small experiences in this area. Unless you can demonstrate that the person is a danger to himself or others in some convincing way, there is generally nothing at all that his parents could have done, no matter how bizzare the young man was acting, or how alarmed his parents might have been. There is no law against being bizzare or irrational, and an adult cannot be compelled into psychiatric treatment in most circumstances.
My heart goes out to all victims and their families, including the suspect's friends and family.
My heart goes out to all victims and their families, including the suspect's friends and family.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Winter to Summer to Winter
I'm back from my 3 legged holiday trip. I left here (winter) on the 22nd, flew to Phoenix (summer) to spend several days with my son and his wife and her family and had a GREAT time, then flew to Bozeman, MT (winter again) to spend several days with my cousin, her son and family and had a GREAT time again. Now, I'm home and totally exhausted, but glad I went. Each flight required me to awaken at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. or thereabouts, and of course, I can't really sleep well on the plane, and I didn't want to waste precious visiting time in napping, so I am trying to get caught up now.
On the flight home from Bozeman, we were delayed getting off the ground because it took more time than anticipated to clear the runway of several inches of snow, and then de-ice us. So, we were sitting on the tarmac for 45 minutes. It was warm, quiet, and dark, so I dozed off. I woke myself with a particularly loud snore from my own nose, followed by everyone on the plane giggling. I guess I'm glad I gave everyone a laugh, but I'm glad the plane was dark!!!
On the flight home from Bozeman, we were delayed getting off the ground because it took more time than anticipated to clear the runway of several inches of snow, and then de-ice us. So, we were sitting on the tarmac for 45 minutes. It was warm, quiet, and dark, so I dozed off. I woke myself with a particularly loud snore from my own nose, followed by everyone on the plane giggling. I guess I'm glad I gave everyone a laugh, but I'm glad the plane was dark!!!
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