While I lived in Germany, I learned to love a well planned out bus and Bahn schedule. In Europe the trains are well timed and well placed, while the busses take the same ticket as the train, and you don't have to purchase them from the driver (eating up precious time). I often wished that Salt Lake would adopt the same principle as Europe to make mass transit more timely.
While I was gone in Chicago, UTA launched the new MAX bus line along 3500 South. This line is faster than the usual bus line, and the bus itself is brand new. The line only stops at all the major intersections along 35th, which means the bus isn't stopping as often. It also goes directly from the stop on 35th to the TRAXX line, with no usual transfer at the Valley Fair Mall. The bus therefore can travel from 72nd West to the TRAXX station in 45 minutes, instead of close to 1 hr. 30 minutes. Add to that another 30 minutes of travel time from the TRAXX station to the University, the commute now becomes a 1 hour 15 minute commute, which is only a half an hour longer than driving (with traffic).
The bus is new too: it's more like a European bus, with three doors on the side. People purchase their tickets at the MAX stop (most of them have a ticket dispenser), and the tickets are checked periodically as they do on the TRAXX train. The train is also larger and low to the ground, so it's easier to get in and out of. Bikes are placed on the front of the bus, making local commuting beyond a TRAXX or MAX station faster and provide more exercise.
Now, you may be asking why I am going on and on about the new MAX line. Well, with the MAX line in place, the commute to work without a car is now very possible, time effective, and well within my budget. Not only could I purchase a monthly bus pass for the same price that I would a tank of gas, but because I'm a University employee I get a free yearly bus pass (which includes the TRAXX, MAX, and most bus lines).
What this means is that we as a family can now go down to one car (or at least will be able to, depending on some factors). If that's the case, we may be able to sell both our cars and purchase a more fuel efficient vehicle: a Toyota Prius, and the total savings will mean more budget for projects and building a very useful infrastructure here at home for a home business. All of a sudden, funding becomes available.
So if UTA happens to read this post, please note that I am quite happy with the new MAX bus line. I look forward to it being implemented across the valley, perhaps replacing many of the multiple stop busses. It would reduce the fleet of UTA busses overall, increase ridership. Tickets can be purchased before boarding, people don't have to check in with the bus driver while boarding, and the bus gets you to your location faster.
If you haven't tried the new MAX line, and there is one in your area, I would recommend it.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Directory Services and Advanced System Administration: The T3
I'm back from the Chicagoland area, and It's good to be back home. The trip home was mostly without incident, with both planes actually arriving on time (or earlier). The trip was pleasant, and I made some really great friends with other instructors and developers out there within the ranks of the Apple Certified Instructor network.
So, what about the training?
Directory Services: The Directory Services class was phenomenal. It focused on connecting to various directory systems out there (both Active Directory and OpenLDAP), using the built in GUI tools, third party tools, and using the command line utility.
We spent a lot of time demoting and promoting our servers to Open Directory Masters, while connecting to another directory system and making an Open Directory Replica.
I learned a lot of new things at the training, mostly on how to replicate and create backup Directory systems for failover. I'll start covering each chapter in more detail as time permits, but needless to say it was a very useful class.
Overall the flow was well designed. The material was a little lacking in that some work in the workbook was not available or mentioned in the reference guide. But other than that, it was well done. The cognitive load was well managed with the timing of the class, and the constructivist method was well represented in this material. Arek Dreyer, who wrote the reference guide, did a great job with the work. I hope he works on the material again with the new 10.6 materials for which Apple Training is already planning.
Advanced System Administration: I want to preface this review by mentioning how this class was originally conceived. When 10.5 came out, Apple Training looked at the existing certification and noticed that an Apple Certified Systems Administrator could go the whole certification process without once taking anything more than Server Essentials.
Apple wanted to make the certification more meaningful, and so decided that knowing how to set up the environment was more important than knowing how to manage an Xsan or Podcast Producer. And, quite honestly, they were right. A Systems Administrator needed to focus on the core system that allows for Xsan and Podcast Producer to work well with the rest of the system, and not just the peripheral systems.
So, basically, anything that didn't fit into Deployment (system imaging and image maintenance) and Directory Services needed to be dumped into this class. As such, the class is 5 days long and still too short for the material. It's also a fairly new class, as it is the only class that was not recreated from Tiger classes.
So, what do I think of it? It definitely shows the signs of a kitchen sink class. If you don't have experience in the Command Line and didn't take any of the other classes, you would be totally lost on this one. It is completely designed to be a capstone course, and allow the student to design their own solution while completing the class.
But there are problems: If you don't focus on the on-going narration (which the instructor had better be creating along the way for the sanity of the learners), then you can easily get lost in the details. There is a lot of focus on current UNIX solutions, potential issues, tools that are still in development, and proprietary command line tools that Apple has created to manage their utilities. All this is thrown at the student in four pillars: Planning and Implementation, Networking, Administration (monitoring, security, and automation), and Troubleshooting.
The narration is thus: You have just been hired as the new PretendCo Systems Administrator, and the company is on the cusp of huge growth. You find out that the company, up to now, has been running on one server, set up as a Standard configuration system for convenience. You now have to do some real management to scale up the system you put in place in order to cope with the new growth expectations.
For me, it's going to be a challenge to teach this in a For-Credit schedule, if just because the course narration will be really difficult to keep in the student's mind. When I offer this class, I'll be spending a lot of time focusing on the instructor notes, so that I can keep that narration flowing. I may need to build the narration into some online exercises as well.
So, overall, Directory Services was a hit, and a blast to teach. Advanced System Administration was great, but I was honestly only able to keep up because of what I had already known having both taken all the previous Apple classes, and my experience with Linux. I'm thinking that I may make the Linux Fundamentals a prerequisite for taking this class. That way I can know that my students have had time to whet their experience on a UNIX environment in the command line.
So, what about the training?
Directory Services: The Directory Services class was phenomenal. It focused on connecting to various directory systems out there (both Active Directory and OpenLDAP), using the built in GUI tools, third party tools, and using the command line utility.
We spent a lot of time demoting and promoting our servers to Open Directory Masters, while connecting to another directory system and making an Open Directory Replica.
I learned a lot of new things at the training, mostly on how to replicate and create backup Directory systems for failover. I'll start covering each chapter in more detail as time permits, but needless to say it was a very useful class.
Overall the flow was well designed. The material was a little lacking in that some work in the workbook was not available or mentioned in the reference guide. But other than that, it was well done. The cognitive load was well managed with the timing of the class, and the constructivist method was well represented in this material. Arek Dreyer, who wrote the reference guide, did a great job with the work. I hope he works on the material again with the new 10.6 materials for which Apple Training is already planning.
Advanced System Administration: I want to preface this review by mentioning how this class was originally conceived. When 10.5 came out, Apple Training looked at the existing certification and noticed that an Apple Certified Systems Administrator could go the whole certification process without once taking anything more than Server Essentials.
Apple wanted to make the certification more meaningful, and so decided that knowing how to set up the environment was more important than knowing how to manage an Xsan or Podcast Producer. And, quite honestly, they were right. A Systems Administrator needed to focus on the core system that allows for Xsan and Podcast Producer to work well with the rest of the system, and not just the peripheral systems.
So, basically, anything that didn't fit into Deployment (system imaging and image maintenance) and Directory Services needed to be dumped into this class. As such, the class is 5 days long and still too short for the material. It's also a fairly new class, as it is the only class that was not recreated from Tiger classes.
So, what do I think of it? It definitely shows the signs of a kitchen sink class. If you don't have experience in the Command Line and didn't take any of the other classes, you would be totally lost on this one. It is completely designed to be a capstone course, and allow the student to design their own solution while completing the class.
But there are problems: If you don't focus on the on-going narration (which the instructor had better be creating along the way for the sanity of the learners), then you can easily get lost in the details. There is a lot of focus on current UNIX solutions, potential issues, tools that are still in development, and proprietary command line tools that Apple has created to manage their utilities. All this is thrown at the student in four pillars: Planning and Implementation, Networking, Administration (monitoring, security, and automation), and Troubleshooting.
The narration is thus: You have just been hired as the new PretendCo Systems Administrator, and the company is on the cusp of huge growth. You find out that the company, up to now, has been running on one server, set up as a Standard configuration system for convenience. You now have to do some real management to scale up the system you put in place in order to cope with the new growth expectations.
For me, it's going to be a challenge to teach this in a For-Credit schedule, if just because the course narration will be really difficult to keep in the student's mind. When I offer this class, I'll be spending a lot of time focusing on the instructor notes, so that I can keep that narration flowing. I may need to build the narration into some online exercises as well.
So, overall, Directory Services was a hit, and a blast to teach. Advanced System Administration was great, but I was honestly only able to keep up because of what I had already known having both taken all the previous Apple classes, and my experience with Linux. I'm thinking that I may make the Linux Fundamentals a prerequisite for taking this class. That way I can know that my students have had time to whet their experience on a UNIX environment in the command line.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Final Stretch in Villa Park: Advanced Server Administration
This week I finish up with my T3's for Apple with Advanced Server Administration. This class is focused primarily on running the ADDIE process (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate) throughout the IT infrastructure of a company, and build it up using both the GUI and Command Line tools. Because it is assumed that you have been learning the GUI tools up to this point (this is the capstone course), it primarily focuses on the command line tools available to the Mac.
I'm not sure when we will offer the class at the U, as much depends on other training offerings and any additional infrastructure we would need, but I already have a lot of people interested in this class. Most of them are Linux administrators who are going to be supporting the Apple platform, and want to do so with SSH (just as they would with Linux). I already have a list of people who would love to take that class.
Anyway, it all hinges on whether or not I'm judged "good enough" to train. Partly judged by my peers, partly judged by the Master Trainer, my fate rests in their hands. At this point, however, I'm less concerned. I'm rather more concerned with how my family is doing back home. I'm literally counting the days until I fly out. But I will miss the Chicago area.
Anyway, more details on the classes I attended during this trip sometime next week. I'll give a teaser for the classes, and give you my opinion of the materials and flow of the class.
I'm not sure when we will offer the class at the U, as much depends on other training offerings and any additional infrastructure we would need, but I already have a lot of people interested in this class. Most of them are Linux administrators who are going to be supporting the Apple platform, and want to do so with SSH (just as they would with Linux). I already have a list of people who would love to take that class.
Anyway, it all hinges on whether or not I'm judged "good enough" to train. Partly judged by my peers, partly judged by the Master Trainer, my fate rests in their hands. At this point, however, I'm less concerned. I'm rather more concerned with how my family is doing back home. I'm literally counting the days until I fly out. But I will miss the Chicago area.
Anyway, more details on the classes I attended during this trip sometime next week. I'll give a teaser for the classes, and give you my opinion of the materials and flow of the class.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Still Alive, And Back In Villa Park
I haven't been posting a lot lately, because I'm back in Villa Park for another set of T3's. This time it's Directory Services and Advanced Server Admin. Both are great, but high on the cognitive load. I'm actually looking forward to the Advanced Server class, because it's focused more on the command line administration of servers, and scripting and interacting with launchd. I'll post about the Directory Services class this weekend, and Advanced Server sometime the week after it completes (when I have time).
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Mac OS X Deployment 10.5 T3: Review
As promised, here is my review for the Mac OS X Deployment 10.5 T3 that I attended this last week.
First, the location. Of course I'm biased, but I have always loved Chicago, and as such enjoyed the trip Villa Park and Oakbrook Terrace. The hotel was nice, and the location of the training facility was fairly easy to get to. The only problem: no sidewalks. It makes it difficult to walk when you don't have sidewalks, and there isn't enough room to walk on the street (without getting hit). Other than that, the location was nothing to complain about.
The materials: There are quite a lot of material for this class, and I was a little concerned that it would be impossible to fit it all into a 2 day training. Luckily, that was the thought of the course developers as well, and as such the training was extended to 3 days. That fits in perfectly with my training schedule I have planned for the University, so I didn't complain.
The Subject Matter: There was still a lot that I wanted to cover but couldn't in the class, mostly those focusing around the command line. But then, there is a separate class for that, which I will be attending in two weeks. ^_^ But those important topics, such as deploying through the command line, and imaging through the command line, were covered in depth. Also planning, scaling, and third party utilities for managing a deployment option was well covered.
One really nice thing I liked about the class was a mandate for the student to immediately apply what they have learned to a real world situation. They do this through a Deployment planning sheet, which the trainer should have printed out for each student. We didn't have it, but it was made available to us in PDF form, and there is a link that comes with the learning materials to PeachPit's website for the same PDF. Once the form is filled out, the last chapter talks about real world solutions in many large companies, school districts, and training centers, and gives the student time to go through their document to see what they find useful, and what they don't need, in their deployment of OS X.
The Requirements: It is essential the student have a command of both the Mac OS X GUI and have command line experience before starting this course. Basically, students would need to have completed at least the Server Essentials course, and be able to manage a UNIX command line experience. Why? Because at the beginning of the course you are just expected to set up your computers with little assistance from the book. At this point, it is expected that the student knows already how to set up a brand new install of Mac OS X.
The command line experience would be more along the lines of familiar with syntax of commands. Most, if not all, of the commands used are Mac OS X Utilities and not your typical UNIX commands, yet the syntax is the same and therefore the student needs to be familiar with that syntax. There may be some situations when troubleshooting is necessary, and as such the student will need to know how to get to the man pages.
Something else that would be important before taking this class is having troubleshooting knowledge, and an understanding of what you are being prepared to learn. This way if something doesn't quite work they way it's written in the book, you can step outside of the given examples and find alternatives. That's part of learning, something that many students I have had in the past didn't quite understand. It requires reading/studying ahead of time, asking questions, and being attentive.
The Pace: Unlike both Support and Server Essentials where we pend a lot of time trying to catch the class up after some really long first setup exercises, this class is paced just right for the materials. We as a training class (of 10 trainers) finished with plenty of time on the last day to cover some topics more in depth, and that was with us doing the majority of the optional exercises. So with a typical class at this level, the pacing will be such that students will have some time to play with some configuration, or perhaps have a long lunch as a thank you for coming to the class.
Overall, it is the best designed Apple training course I have attended so far. The materials are well designed, the pace is just right (low to medium cognitive load), and the course talks well to adult students (through Constructivist methods). This is a class that may not run often here in Utah, but will most likely be a well attended class when it does. It is by far my most favorite class to date. ^_^
Also, I'd like to say thanks to everyone that attended, because they gave me some very welcomed constructive criticism, and the Master Trainer was a great host. If only the Cubs could have won all three games I was there, rather than just one of the two. Oh well, there is always next time.
First, the location. Of course I'm biased, but I have always loved Chicago, and as such enjoyed the trip Villa Park and Oakbrook Terrace. The hotel was nice, and the location of the training facility was fairly easy to get to. The only problem: no sidewalks. It makes it difficult to walk when you don't have sidewalks, and there isn't enough room to walk on the street (without getting hit). Other than that, the location was nothing to complain about.
The materials: There are quite a lot of material for this class, and I was a little concerned that it would be impossible to fit it all into a 2 day training. Luckily, that was the thought of the course developers as well, and as such the training was extended to 3 days. That fits in perfectly with my training schedule I have planned for the University, so I didn't complain.
The Subject Matter: There was still a lot that I wanted to cover but couldn't in the class, mostly those focusing around the command line. But then, there is a separate class for that, which I will be attending in two weeks. ^_^ But those important topics, such as deploying through the command line, and imaging through the command line, were covered in depth. Also planning, scaling, and third party utilities for managing a deployment option was well covered.
One really nice thing I liked about the class was a mandate for the student to immediately apply what they have learned to a real world situation. They do this through a Deployment planning sheet, which the trainer should have printed out for each student. We didn't have it, but it was made available to us in PDF form, and there is a link that comes with the learning materials to PeachPit's website for the same PDF. Once the form is filled out, the last chapter talks about real world solutions in many large companies, school districts, and training centers, and gives the student time to go through their document to see what they find useful, and what they don't need, in their deployment of OS X.
The Requirements: It is essential the student have a command of both the Mac OS X GUI and have command line experience before starting this course. Basically, students would need to have completed at least the Server Essentials course, and be able to manage a UNIX command line experience. Why? Because at the beginning of the course you are just expected to set up your computers with little assistance from the book. At this point, it is expected that the student knows already how to set up a brand new install of Mac OS X.
The command line experience would be more along the lines of familiar with syntax of commands. Most, if not all, of the commands used are Mac OS X Utilities and not your typical UNIX commands, yet the syntax is the same and therefore the student needs to be familiar with that syntax. There may be some situations when troubleshooting is necessary, and as such the student will need to know how to get to the man pages.
Something else that would be important before taking this class is having troubleshooting knowledge, and an understanding of what you are being prepared to learn. This way if something doesn't quite work they way it's written in the book, you can step outside of the given examples and find alternatives. That's part of learning, something that many students I have had in the past didn't quite understand. It requires reading/studying ahead of time, asking questions, and being attentive.
The Pace: Unlike both Support and Server Essentials where we pend a lot of time trying to catch the class up after some really long first setup exercises, this class is paced just right for the materials. We as a training class (of 10 trainers) finished with plenty of time on the last day to cover some topics more in depth, and that was with us doing the majority of the optional exercises. So with a typical class at this level, the pacing will be such that students will have some time to play with some configuration, or perhaps have a long lunch as a thank you for coming to the class.
Overall, it is the best designed Apple training course I have attended so far. The materials are well designed, the pace is just right (low to medium cognitive load), and the course talks well to adult students (through Constructivist methods). This is a class that may not run often here in Utah, but will most likely be a well attended class when it does. It is by far my most favorite class to date. ^_^
Also, I'd like to say thanks to everyone that attended, because they gave me some very welcomed constructive criticism, and the Master Trainer was a great host. If only the Cubs could have won all three games I was there, rather than just one of the two. Oh well, there is always next time.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Adventures in Villa Park, IL
Last night, at 10:30 PM, I flew into the Chicago Midway Airport. Why? Because I am taking a Train the Trainer class for OS X Deployment for 10.5. I have never been East of the Mississippi, unless you count the quick stop in JFK on my way to and from Germany. As such, I didn't know what to expect.
The flight was, bumpy at first. I flew Frontier Airlines, which is based out of Denver. The runway in Denver was really rough, and the plane I was on first made noises as though someone was literally riveting the thing together as we took off and landed. Other than that, it was a pretty nice flight.
From Denver to Chicago was different. Because I was in such a hurry to make my connection (the plane was supposed to be taking off when I landed), I had to place my smaller bag overhead, which had my reading material. So, I read the magazine available to me, until the entertainment was turned off and then on again. They had to reboot (and on these planes each person had their own TV screen). The good news is that we all got free TV content without having to pay for it (normally it was $3.99). Also, the leg room was MUCH better than either Delta or American Airlines. I was impressed.
The taxi ride was a bit longer than I would have expected, and the traffic was really light (but then, it WAS after 10:00 at night). It was pleasant, and the hotel attendant that checked me in was very courteous. I hadn't eaten all day (my delay at Denver was more of a mad dash), so I ate the cookie in my room. I'm sure I'll be paying for it later, but I was really hungry.
The room was really warm. I didn't see an air conditioning unit, and didn't know how to cool things off, so I just dealt with it. It was still cooler than my house had been lately back home with a broken swamp cooler (which I managed to fix for my wife Sunday, before I flew out). By that time it was midnight Chicago time, and I was planning on waking up at 6:00, since I didn't know where I was going the next day.
I woke up at 7:00 AM, checked my email, and breathed a sigh of relief that the training was not starting until 9:00. I got ready and headed down to breakfast, which was filling, yet light. Not too much meat, plenty of egg, a half a danish, and some yogurt.
I then headed out to the training building. I'm walking, because the training building was supposed to be less than a mile away from my location... except I got some rather dodgy directions and ended up going the wrong way. By now the heat and humidity was getting to me, and I was 15 minutes late to the training. Luckily they didn't start anything important, and I was able to get settled. I'll comment on the training on the last day (but for now I'll just say I'm enjoying it. ^_^).
Lunch was at the Baker's Place (I think), which has the exact same menu items as Village Inn, which apparently no one on either side of the Rockies had heard of. It was good, even though the meal came slow. But it was right next to the training center, which gave us plenty of time to get back (five of us ate there).
After the training, I headed back to the hotel. The traffic was horrendous, making me quite happy I opted to walking. I hate traffic, even in Salt Lake which didn't even compare to what I saw on my way back to the hotel.
Along the way, I was looking for options to try for my dinner. I'm not really that picky, and I like to make something light while on the road. That way I can study while eating and not be bothered by anyone. Well, I was about to give up on any type of grocery store until I saw it: An Aldi.
Now, many of you may think I'm being silly, but I love Aldi. Why? Because I used to always shop there in Frankfurt. They were everywhere, and held the cheapest, almost tasteless food imaginable. But it brought back fond memories of the old days, and I picked up some things for dinner and lunch for the next two days. I picked up fruit, bottled water (mostly for the bottles), and two dinner items. All total it came to $14.00. I just had to carry it the rest of the way back to the hotel (again, another Germany moment).
So, how do I rate my trip to the Chicago area so far? Traffic is a definite minus, no sidewalks reminds me of Austin Texas (and the blisters I got), and I don't really like the heat.
The plus sides are close shops, a nice, comfortable hotel room (I've since found the AC ^_^), and an ALDI close by. I'd say that this is definitely the best training trip I've been on. The only thing that could make this better than going to Cupertino for training would be an Apple Company Store with employee discount. ^_^
Stay tuned for details on my Training experience!
The flight was, bumpy at first. I flew Frontier Airlines, which is based out of Denver. The runway in Denver was really rough, and the plane I was on first made noises as though someone was literally riveting the thing together as we took off and landed. Other than that, it was a pretty nice flight.
From Denver to Chicago was different. Because I was in such a hurry to make my connection (the plane was supposed to be taking off when I landed), I had to place my smaller bag overhead, which had my reading material. So, I read the magazine available to me, until the entertainment was turned off and then on again. They had to reboot (and on these planes each person had their own TV screen). The good news is that we all got free TV content without having to pay for it (normally it was $3.99). Also, the leg room was MUCH better than either Delta or American Airlines. I was impressed.
The taxi ride was a bit longer than I would have expected, and the traffic was really light (but then, it WAS after 10:00 at night). It was pleasant, and the hotel attendant that checked me in was very courteous. I hadn't eaten all day (my delay at Denver was more of a mad dash), so I ate the cookie in my room. I'm sure I'll be paying for it later, but I was really hungry.
The room was really warm. I didn't see an air conditioning unit, and didn't know how to cool things off, so I just dealt with it. It was still cooler than my house had been lately back home with a broken swamp cooler (which I managed to fix for my wife Sunday, before I flew out). By that time it was midnight Chicago time, and I was planning on waking up at 6:00, since I didn't know where I was going the next day.
I woke up at 7:00 AM, checked my email, and breathed a sigh of relief that the training was not starting until 9:00. I got ready and headed down to breakfast, which was filling, yet light. Not too much meat, plenty of egg, a half a danish, and some yogurt.
I then headed out to the training building. I'm walking, because the training building was supposed to be less than a mile away from my location... except I got some rather dodgy directions and ended up going the wrong way. By now the heat and humidity was getting to me, and I was 15 minutes late to the training. Luckily they didn't start anything important, and I was able to get settled. I'll comment on the training on the last day (but for now I'll just say I'm enjoying it. ^_^).
Lunch was at the Baker's Place (I think), which has the exact same menu items as Village Inn, which apparently no one on either side of the Rockies had heard of. It was good, even though the meal came slow. But it was right next to the training center, which gave us plenty of time to get back (five of us ate there).
After the training, I headed back to the hotel. The traffic was horrendous, making me quite happy I opted to walking. I hate traffic, even in Salt Lake which didn't even compare to what I saw on my way back to the hotel.
Along the way, I was looking for options to try for my dinner. I'm not really that picky, and I like to make something light while on the road. That way I can study while eating and not be bothered by anyone. Well, I was about to give up on any type of grocery store until I saw it: An Aldi.
Now, many of you may think I'm being silly, but I love Aldi. Why? Because I used to always shop there in Frankfurt. They were everywhere, and held the cheapest, almost tasteless food imaginable. But it brought back fond memories of the old days, and I picked up some things for dinner and lunch for the next two days. I picked up fruit, bottled water (mostly for the bottles), and two dinner items. All total it came to $14.00. I just had to carry it the rest of the way back to the hotel (again, another Germany moment).
So, how do I rate my trip to the Chicago area so far? Traffic is a definite minus, no sidewalks reminds me of Austin Texas (and the blisters I got), and I don't really like the heat.
The plus sides are close shops, a nice, comfortable hotel room (I've since found the AC ^_^), and an ALDI close by. I'd say that this is definitely the best training trip I've been on. The only thing that could make this better than going to Cupertino for training would be an Apple Company Store with employee discount. ^_^
Stay tuned for details on my Training experience!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Why 10.6 So Soon? A New Kernel? Could it be Xen? Arguments for and against
The speed of the new Mac OS release has me thinking. It's really soon since Leopard was released, and Exchange support really isn't enough to warrant it. Then I keep coming back to the reasons Apple said they are releasing it: Security, Efficiency, and Power Consumption. This is really low-level stuff, down to the kernel.
When Mac OS X was first released, the OS was built around the Mach kernel. To date, there are only two OSes that I am aware of that have successfully used the Mach kernel: Mac OS X and the NeXT OS. THis shouldn't be surprising, since Steve Jobs owned NeXT, and just brought it over to Apple when he came back.
But the Mach kernel is very limiting, meaning that there is a lot of overhead to make it work across platforms. While it can work fine on various architectures, the Mach kernel has to be developed specifically for that platform before it will work. As such, there is an inherent flaw in using this core in an OS that is poised to do so many things.
Another problem with the Mach kernel is virtualization. Now, I'm not talking about virtualization in a desktop sense, but rather a server sense. While it is possible to use the current OS in a virtual machine (both Parallels and VMWare are doing something just like that), it's very difficult to get it to work in Compatibility Mode, because the kernel needs to be modified heavily. Since Compatibility mode is more efficient than HVM, it should be a goal of Apple.
But then I read this article regarding the possibility of using Xen as a replacement for the Mach kernel, as tested and run by Moshe Bar. All of a sudden, my heart skipped a beat. Xen! Running natively on the Mac as a Bare-bones OS, virtualizing the Mac OS! I started looking back at the evidence: no PPC support, which means Intel only. The Core 2 Duo and Atom chips all have Intel VT technology, so it should be no problem. With Xen at the core, they can still keep Darwin open source, which is a huge plus. And, you no longer need to boot up to Windows to use it: Just run it through Xen. It would work almost like fast user switching, but fast OS switching.
And, virtualization no longer becomes a problem, either for desktop or server level. The OS can still be targeted specifically for Mac Hardware (though I think that will no longer be an issue as there is a law against requiring software to run on specific hardware), and could even be easily migrated to other hardware platforms, should Apple so choose.
Okay, once the euphoria of the possibility of Xen being the platform for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, the nagging started to hit me. Could there be reasons why Apple wouldn't go with Xen?
When Mac OS X was first released, the OS was built around the Mach kernel. To date, there are only two OSes that I am aware of that have successfully used the Mach kernel: Mac OS X and the NeXT OS. THis shouldn't be surprising, since Steve Jobs owned NeXT, and just brought it over to Apple when he came back.
But the Mach kernel is very limiting, meaning that there is a lot of overhead to make it work across platforms. While it can work fine on various architectures, the Mach kernel has to be developed specifically for that platform before it will work. As such, there is an inherent flaw in using this core in an OS that is poised to do so many things.
Another problem with the Mach kernel is virtualization. Now, I'm not talking about virtualization in a desktop sense, but rather a server sense. While it is possible to use the current OS in a virtual machine (both Parallels and VMWare are doing something just like that), it's very difficult to get it to work in Compatibility Mode, because the kernel needs to be modified heavily. Since Compatibility mode is more efficient than HVM, it should be a goal of Apple.
But then I read this article regarding the possibility of using Xen as a replacement for the Mach kernel, as tested and run by Moshe Bar. All of a sudden, my heart skipped a beat. Xen! Running natively on the Mac as a Bare-bones OS, virtualizing the Mac OS! I started looking back at the evidence: no PPC support, which means Intel only. The Core 2 Duo and Atom chips all have Intel VT technology, so it should be no problem. With Xen at the core, they can still keep Darwin open source, which is a huge plus. And, you no longer need to boot up to Windows to use it: Just run it through Xen. It would work almost like fast user switching, but fast OS switching.
And, virtualization no longer becomes a problem, either for desktop or server level. The OS can still be targeted specifically for Mac Hardware (though I think that will no longer be an issue as there is a law against requiring software to run on specific hardware), and could even be easily migrated to other hardware platforms, should Apple so choose.
Okay, once the euphoria of the possibility of Xen being the platform for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, the nagging started to hit me. Could there be reasons why Apple wouldn't go with Xen?
- The new "Grand Central" multi-core optimization project. It *could* be Xen, but why rename it? Perhaps because it isn't Xen at all. Of course it still could be, just modified to fix the Mac even more.
- XenSource was purchased by Citrix not long ago, and the question of it's Open Source status is still hanging. There could be some collaboration here, but Apple likes to have control of everything from start to finish. It now becomes very unlikely.
So the possibility starts to dim, and my hopes start to dim with them. Perhaps the new core will be more Xen-friendly.
So what do you think?
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Mac OS X 10.6: First Impressions of Snow Leopard as Announced so Far
When Apple announced they were releasing a new version of the Mac OS so soon after the initial release, I nearly threw a hammer through the dashboard. Why so soon? We were just getting Mac OS X 10.5 training down, and now they have 10.6 coming as soon as January? That's Crazy!
But then, when I heard about the goal of 10.6, it made a bit more sense. So what is that goal?
But then, when I heard about the goal of 10.6, it made a bit more sense. So what is that goal?
- Streamline the OS. They want to streamline Mac OS X so that it runs more efficiently, particularly when it comes to power consumption. Apple is no fool: They know that energy prices are going up, and more people are moving to notebooks. They also know that notebook owners are away from an outlet longer these days. So, battery life needs to be improved. The OS will be optimized for this event.
- OpenCL Processing Power: All that processing power in the GPU that can't be accessed, all going to waste! Why not use it as another processor in the machine? The processing speed goes up overall on the machine while decreasing the need for faster (and more power-intensive) processors. I'm not fully aware of what OpenCL can do, but from the whitepapers on the topic, it looks promising.
- Security: Apple has been plagued with some security news lately, mostly due to Safari's vulnerabilities. That will be focused on within this release, making Mac OS X more secure as a result. I'm interested to see the results when they are done.
- Exchange Integration: Finally! Mac is going to integrate Exchange into iCal and AddressBook (or Directory, either of which will be fine). That means users can finally stop having to use that train-wreck, er, I mean program called Entourage to work with their Exchange calendars. I'd also like to see some Exchange plugins for Calendar Server, allowing integration and publishing from the Server side of things.
There are a couple of other features that are slated to come to Snow Leopard, but nothing major. No new features like Spaces or Dashboard, which make the next upgrade necessary. So why will people move to Snow Leopard after having purchased Leopard a little over a year ago? Because of the Exchange features. That is the Spaces of Leopard, and the Dashboard of Tiger. It's the killer app that everyone will want, because they need to work in an Exchange environment.
Now, the question is whether or not the upgrade will be free to all Leopard owners, or a paid upgrade. Well, that's hard to say. Traditionally all major updates (10.3 to 10.4 and so on) have been paid updates. But then they didn't come out so soon after the last OS was released. And Steve hasn't been too stingy when it comes to upgrading a device OS because the money is made on the device (i.e., iPhone or Apple TV). Will that be the case here, since the money is made on the computer, and it's so soon after 10.5 was released? Only time will tell.
So those are my impressions of Snow Leopard. The only thing left to say is I hope the Training doesn't change significantly, because it would mean going through the upgrade certification all over again, and I'm not sure it's something the department can do so soon.
Advanced Mac OS X IT Training: Getting Certified
This week I am preparing for training in Chicago (Villa Park) for OS X Deployment, 10.5. The class is newly remade, with a pretty hefty schedule for something that was supposed to be just 2 days long. As it sits now, It looks like it will be a good 3 days for the class, though I will find out for sure next week.
The course seems to be pretty straightforward, focusing on deploying Mac OS X to a large audience. All the bases are covered from planning to execution. It will be a great class to sit through, and prepare to take the certification exam.
This will be the second time I am leaving my wife and son for training. Luckily, this week will be a short one, as I am leaving on Monday, and coming back late Thursday night. This way I will still be able to teach my Server Essentials class on Friday, and not put the students one more day behind.
The next step will be going to Mac OS X Directory Services 10.5, and Advanced Server. These classes are 4 and 5 days each, respectively, and will put me a full 11 days away from my wife and son. I didn't do well last time around Christmas, but this time the major holiday will be behind me, and I will have another that following week to devote to my son.
At any rate, it will be the first time I have ever been to Chicago in my life, and I'm really excited. I'm a big Chicago Cubs fan, and have always wanted to see the Windy City. Perhaps I'll get a chance to head into town for the weekend. One can only hope.
The course seems to be pretty straightforward, focusing on deploying Mac OS X to a large audience. All the bases are covered from planning to execution. It will be a great class to sit through, and prepare to take the certification exam.
This will be the second time I am leaving my wife and son for training. Luckily, this week will be a short one, as I am leaving on Monday, and coming back late Thursday night. This way I will still be able to teach my Server Essentials class on Friday, and not put the students one more day behind.
The next step will be going to Mac OS X Directory Services 10.5, and Advanced Server. These classes are 4 and 5 days each, respectively, and will put me a full 11 days away from my wife and son. I didn't do well last time around Christmas, but this time the major holiday will be behind me, and I will have another that following week to devote to my son.
At any rate, it will be the first time I have ever been to Chicago in my life, and I'm really excited. I'm a big Chicago Cubs fan, and have always wanted to see the Windy City. Perhaps I'll get a chance to head into town for the weekend. One can only hope.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Thoughts on Independence
Today we spent the morning at the Utah Scottish Festival, celebrating my Scottish heritage by listening to bagpipes, watching people by various weapons, wearing a kilt, and eating haggis. It was a great day, one which I really enjoyed.
At noon they had the Gathering of the Clans, when the Clan representatives march in a parade, proudly hefting their banners and showing their unity in Scottish culture. It's a grand sight, makes one's Celtic blood heat up in pride.
But it got me thinking: Scotland was rarely that unified in it's focus. In fact, they were often fragmented against each other regarding alliances to England, cattle lands, etc. They fought more against each other than against England. So where did this idea of "Scotland" come from?
First, it came from the idea of Independence. Not independence from England, though that was a major concern for centuries, but rather independent in their lifestyle. They loved being responsible for themselves, and would always rebel against any perceived slight to that independence.
So what is independence? It's being able to be completely self-determinate. You don't depend on another entity to run your life, or augment your life. Sadly, this concept is often overlooked when we go about our daily lives. Are you really independent? Are you able to take care of your needs, or do you need to rely on external support?
For instance, financial independence is one that we all strive for. Living without credit cards, bank loans, etc. is perhaps the greatest "American Dream", though I'm sure all people everywhere would like this same independence. The quest for financial independence is often troubled by the need for conveniences. Traveling quickly and freely, being connected through communication in various forms, and bringing in external amusement and entertainment often make us dependent on one service or another.
Consumptive dependence has become rampant since the creation of the Super Market. We rely on specialized growers that produce one product, package it, process it, and ship it to us from all over the world. We don't see the origins of the product, we don't know the grower. We just know that the product is ready for consumption.
But if something goes wrong, what recourse do we have? For instance, the nation is currently experiencing a tomato shortage because of a salmonella outbreak. It's been weeks, and the FDA only knows that it should be from the crops on the East coast, not the West. That's how dependent and disconnected we are from our food production.
Of course, there is also National Independence, or rather a lack of dependence of the Nation on other nations. The original Independence Day, July 4th, marks our political independence from England. We could then decide what was best for our nation without another nation showing influence. Since then we have become dependent on a global economy, particularly in energy, and as such that dependence highly influences our internal politics. All I hear now regarding the 3rd District Congressional race here in Utah is focus on "Foreign Oil Dependency", high gas prices, and illegal immigration.
Now, I'm not arguing any specific political position. Lots of people have strong feelings on both sides of any of these issues. But rather I was focusing on the concept of independence. At what level can you call yourself independent, whether at a personal, familial, communal, or national level? What does it mean to be independent, to you?
It's a weekend thought, but one by which I have been troubled. You tell me: What do you consider independence? How would you define an Independent nation? Perhaps it's something we should think about as we approach the Independence Day holiday on July 4th.
At noon they had the Gathering of the Clans, when the Clan representatives march in a parade, proudly hefting their banners and showing their unity in Scottish culture. It's a grand sight, makes one's Celtic blood heat up in pride.
But it got me thinking: Scotland was rarely that unified in it's focus. In fact, they were often fragmented against each other regarding alliances to England, cattle lands, etc. They fought more against each other than against England. So where did this idea of "Scotland" come from?
First, it came from the idea of Independence. Not independence from England, though that was a major concern for centuries, but rather independent in their lifestyle. They loved being responsible for themselves, and would always rebel against any perceived slight to that independence.
So what is independence? It's being able to be completely self-determinate. You don't depend on another entity to run your life, or augment your life. Sadly, this concept is often overlooked when we go about our daily lives. Are you really independent? Are you able to take care of your needs, or do you need to rely on external support?
For instance, financial independence is one that we all strive for. Living without credit cards, bank loans, etc. is perhaps the greatest "American Dream", though I'm sure all people everywhere would like this same independence. The quest for financial independence is often troubled by the need for conveniences. Traveling quickly and freely, being connected through communication in various forms, and bringing in external amusement and entertainment often make us dependent on one service or another.
Consumptive dependence has become rampant since the creation of the Super Market. We rely on specialized growers that produce one product, package it, process it, and ship it to us from all over the world. We don't see the origins of the product, we don't know the grower. We just know that the product is ready for consumption.
But if something goes wrong, what recourse do we have? For instance, the nation is currently experiencing a tomato shortage because of a salmonella outbreak. It's been weeks, and the FDA only knows that it should be from the crops on the East coast, not the West. That's how dependent and disconnected we are from our food production.
Of course, there is also National Independence, or rather a lack of dependence of the Nation on other nations. The original Independence Day, July 4th, marks our political independence from England. We could then decide what was best for our nation without another nation showing influence. Since then we have become dependent on a global economy, particularly in energy, and as such that dependence highly influences our internal politics. All I hear now regarding the 3rd District Congressional race here in Utah is focus on "Foreign Oil Dependency", high gas prices, and illegal immigration.
Now, I'm not arguing any specific political position. Lots of people have strong feelings on both sides of any of these issues. But rather I was focusing on the concept of independence. At what level can you call yourself independent, whether at a personal, familial, communal, or national level? What does it mean to be independent, to you?
It's a weekend thought, but one by which I have been troubled. You tell me: What do you consider independence? How would you define an Independent nation? Perhaps it's something we should think about as we approach the Independence Day holiday on July 4th.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The New iPhone 3G: My First Impressions
When the first iPhone was released, I got all excited, just like everyone else. I thought it would be the perfect phone for me, until I saw what it didn't come with, i.e. apps. The price was high, but my euphoric response didn't see that. But the 2 year contract with AT&T did slap me into real life. It just became too impractical for me to own, and so I let go of the dream. Much like Nick in GPF Comics, I walked away. It was just too impractical for what I was hoping it would be: a replacement for my laptop.
Now the new iPhone 3G has been announced, with the release on July 11th. I can honestly say I am excited for the release. This time the price for the device is lower, and I already have a 2 year contract with AT&T (when my wife and I found out we were expecting, we thought cell phones would be a good idea). And I hate my current phone. Why do I hate it? Because it has a blasted camera button on the side of it, and I keep taking pictures of my pocket when I pull it out. I need a new phone.
So, I'm seriously looking at the iPhone 3G. The data price hasn't gone up for my Business account, but it's still pretty steep. That's one strike against it. The other will be determined entirely by the application offerings that are available for the iPhone. The teaser pictures are encouraging, but there are some pretty specific applications I would like to see for the new iPhone.
Also, I'm still holding out for a UMPC from Apple. I want an iPod Slate, and there is some evidence that it will be happening in the next quarter, just in time for Christmas. So instead of both my wife and I getting an iPhone, we are getting one, and hopefully the Slate will be released on time.
So, my over all impression: the new iPhone is a definite buy, but with some reservations. Look for September to at least have a refreshed version of the iPod Touch, and perhaps have the iPod Slate. If not, then I may get another iPhone. After all, with 10.6 not supporting PPC processors, I need a new laptop anyway.
Now the new iPhone 3G has been announced, with the release on July 11th. I can honestly say I am excited for the release. This time the price for the device is lower, and I already have a 2 year contract with AT&T (when my wife and I found out we were expecting, we thought cell phones would be a good idea). And I hate my current phone. Why do I hate it? Because it has a blasted camera button on the side of it, and I keep taking pictures of my pocket when I pull it out. I need a new phone.
So, I'm seriously looking at the iPhone 3G. The data price hasn't gone up for my Business account, but it's still pretty steep. That's one strike against it. The other will be determined entirely by the application offerings that are available for the iPhone. The teaser pictures are encouraging, but there are some pretty specific applications I would like to see for the new iPhone.
Also, I'm still holding out for a UMPC from Apple. I want an iPod Slate, and there is some evidence that it will be happening in the next quarter, just in time for Christmas. So instead of both my wife and I getting an iPhone, we are getting one, and hopefully the Slate will be released on time.
So, my over all impression: the new iPhone is a definite buy, but with some reservations. Look for September to at least have a refreshed version of the iPod Touch, and perhaps have the iPod Slate. If not, then I may get another iPhone. After all, with 10.6 not supporting PPC processors, I need a new laptop anyway.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Going Gluten and Casein Free: The first couple days.
My wife and I decided to try the diet with our son and see if it would improve his behavior positively. Unlike medicating him, a diet is easily reversible if necessary, and doesn't have any adverse effects overall. Of course, it means looking for the right resources, and has far reaching implications if it turns out his behavior is caused or aggravated by gluten or casein. So, we thought we would try out the alternatives.
For Gluten, we purchased some Gluten Free/Casein Free flour from our local grocery store. Smiths, Albertsons, and Harmons all had this same flour, all for about $5.00 a pound. It's expensive, but for a trial it is worth it. We also purchased (from the same makers) some gluten/casein free brownie mix, polenta, and chocolate chip cookie mix.
The first one we tried was the brownies. They were easy to mix, and the batter tasted the same. The only thing I didn't add to it was the recommended vanilla, but other than that all was mixed according to the instructions. Once finished, I spread it out in a pan, and baked according to directions.
I was amazed! They came out very moist, and have retained that moisture far longer than other brownies I have ever made. More cake-like than the traditional gooey brownie you may think of, it's been quite impressive. I was sold, and my son ate it with relish (and he doesn't normally eat anything but icing on cake-like products). It's still too early to tell, but I think we had a hit with these brownies.
Next, dealing without milk. Casein is one of the primary milk proteins, making any milk-based product a problem. And a huge problem, as my son has almost an addiction to cottage cheese (though that may make sense if it's becoming an opiate in his system). So, how to break him of his milk kick?
I started with the replacement milks: soy and rice. Now, I'm not a big fan of soy based products. Soy is another food high on the food allergy list, and it's not something I wanted to try on Jonathan at such an early age. So, I tested it myself.
The soy milk we purchased was a small one quart carton of Silk, which was calcium fortified. I poured a small amount in a cup and tasted it: it was really sweet and surprisingly good! I gave some to Jonathan, and he drank it, and took more. A small victory, and no side effects.
Next, I tried the rice milk. We could only find a two quart carton, so we purchased that. I poured it out, taking a small taste. It paled in comparison to the soy milk. It had less flavor out of the carton, and seemed more watered down. I tried it on Jonathan, and he took a taste and poured it out on the floor. Well, the verdict was out, he didn't like it. But I may try it again on him in another form, because he did try it just after tasting the Soy milk.
So, that has been our experience so far. As it stands, the conversion hasn't been too difficult with Jonathan eating more fruits and almost no cheese (just need to continue to remind the in-laws of the new diet), and his behavior has improved noticeably. We are cautiously optimistic on this front.
For Gluten, we purchased some Gluten Free/Casein Free flour from our local grocery store. Smiths, Albertsons, and Harmons all had this same flour, all for about $5.00 a pound. It's expensive, but for a trial it is worth it. We also purchased (from the same makers) some gluten/casein free brownie mix, polenta, and chocolate chip cookie mix.
The first one we tried was the brownies. They were easy to mix, and the batter tasted the same. The only thing I didn't add to it was the recommended vanilla, but other than that all was mixed according to the instructions. Once finished, I spread it out in a pan, and baked according to directions.
I was amazed! They came out very moist, and have retained that moisture far longer than other brownies I have ever made. More cake-like than the traditional gooey brownie you may think of, it's been quite impressive. I was sold, and my son ate it with relish (and he doesn't normally eat anything but icing on cake-like products). It's still too early to tell, but I think we had a hit with these brownies.
Next, dealing without milk. Casein is one of the primary milk proteins, making any milk-based product a problem. And a huge problem, as my son has almost an addiction to cottage cheese (though that may make sense if it's becoming an opiate in his system). So, how to break him of his milk kick?
I started with the replacement milks: soy and rice. Now, I'm not a big fan of soy based products. Soy is another food high on the food allergy list, and it's not something I wanted to try on Jonathan at such an early age. So, I tested it myself.
The soy milk we purchased was a small one quart carton of Silk, which was calcium fortified. I poured a small amount in a cup and tasted it: it was really sweet and surprisingly good! I gave some to Jonathan, and he drank it, and took more. A small victory, and no side effects.
Next, I tried the rice milk. We could only find a two quart carton, so we purchased that. I poured it out, taking a small taste. It paled in comparison to the soy milk. It had less flavor out of the carton, and seemed more watered down. I tried it on Jonathan, and he took a taste and poured it out on the floor. Well, the verdict was out, he didn't like it. But I may try it again on him in another form, because he did try it just after tasting the Soy milk.
So, that has been our experience so far. As it stands, the conversion hasn't been too difficult with Jonathan eating more fruits and almost no cheese (just need to continue to remind the in-laws of the new diet), and his behavior has improved noticeably. We are cautiously optimistic on this front.
Going Gluten and Casein Free: The first couple days.
My wife and I decided to try the diet with our son and see if it would improve his behavior positively. Unlike medicating him, a diet is easily reversible if necessary, and doesn't have any adverse effects overall. Of course, it means looking for the right resources, and has far reaching implications if it turns out his behavior is caused or aggravated by gluten or casein. So, we thought we would try out the alternatives.
For Gluten, we purchased some Gluten Free/Casein Free flour from our local grocery store. Smiths, Albertsons, and Harmons all had this same flour, all for about $5.00 a pound. It's expensive, but for a trial it is worth it. We also purchased (from the same makers) some gluten/casein free brownie mix, polenta, and chocolate chip cookie mix.
The first one we tried was the brownies. They were easy to mix, and the batter tasted the same. The only thing I didn't add to it was the recommended vanilla, but other than that all was mixed according to the instructions. Once finished, I spread it out in a pan, and baked according to directions.
I was amazed! They came out very moist, and have retained that moisture far longer than other brownies I have ever made. More cake-like than the traditional gooey brownie you may think of, it's been quite impressive. I was sold, and my son ate it with relish (and he doesn't normally eat anything but icing on cake-like products). It's still too early to tell, but I think we had a hit with these brownies.
Next, dealing without milk. Casein is one of the primary milk proteins, making any milk-based product a problem. And a huge problem, as my son has almost an addiction to cottage cheese (though that may make sense if it's becoming an opiate in his system). So, how to break him of his milk kick?
I started with the replacement milks: soy and rice. Now, I'm not a big fan of soy based products. Soy is another food high on the food allergy list, and it's not something I wanted to try on Jonathan at such an early age. So, I tested it myself.
The soy milk we purchased was a small one quart carton of Silk, which was calcium fortified. I poured a small amount in a cup and tasted it: it was really sweet and surprisingly good! I gave some to Jonathan, and he drank it, and took more. A small victory, and no side effects.
Next, I tried the rice milk. We could only find a two quart carton, so we purchased that. I poured it out, taking a small taste. It paled in comparison to the soy milk. It had less flavor out of the carton, and seemed more watered down. I tried it on Jonathan, and he took a taste and poured it out on the floor. Well, the verdict was out, he didn't like it. But I may try it again on him in another form, because he did try it just after tasting the Soy milk.
So, that has been our experience so far. As it stands, the conversion hasn't been too difficult with Jonathan eating more fruits and almost no cheese (just need to continue to remind the in-laws of the new diet), and his behavior has improved noticeably. We are cautiously optimistic on this front.
For Gluten, we purchased some Gluten Free/Casein Free flour from our local grocery store. Smiths, Albertsons, and Harmons all had this same flour, all for about $5.00 a pound. It's expensive, but for a trial it is worth it. We also purchased (from the same makers) some gluten/casein free brownie mix, polenta, and chocolate chip cookie mix.
The first one we tried was the brownies. They were easy to mix, and the batter tasted the same. The only thing I didn't add to it was the recommended vanilla, but other than that all was mixed according to the instructions. Once finished, I spread it out in a pan, and baked according to directions.
I was amazed! They came out very moist, and have retained that moisture far longer than other brownies I have ever made. More cake-like than the traditional gooey brownie you may think of, it's been quite impressive. I was sold, and my son ate it with relish (and he doesn't normally eat anything but icing on cake-like products). It's still too early to tell, but I think we had a hit with these brownies.
Next, dealing without milk. Casein is one of the primary milk proteins, making any milk-based product a problem. And a huge problem, as my son has almost an addiction to cottage cheese (though that may make sense if it's becoming an opiate in his system). So, how to break him of his milk kick?
I started with the replacement milks: soy and rice. Now, I'm not a big fan of soy based products. Soy is another food high on the food allergy list, and it's not something I wanted to try on Jonathan at such an early age. So, I tested it myself.
The soy milk we purchased was a small one quart carton of Silk, which was calcium fortified. I poured a small amount in a cup and tasted it: it was really sweet and surprisingly good! I gave some to Jonathan, and he drank it, and took more. A small victory, and no side effects.
Next, I tried the rice milk. We could only find a two quart carton, so we purchased that. I poured it out, taking a small taste. It paled in comparison to the soy milk. It had less flavor out of the carton, and seemed more watered down. I tried it on Jonathan, and he took a taste and poured it out on the floor. Well, the verdict was out, he didn't like it. But I may try it again on him in another form, because he did try it just after tasting the Soy milk.
So, that has been our experience so far. As it stands, the conversion hasn't been too difficult with Jonathan eating more fruits and almost no cheese (just need to continue to remind the in-laws of the new diet), and his behavior has improved noticeably. We are cautiously optimistic on this front.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Autism and a Possible Dietary Link
Parents with autistic children are always looking for something to link a change that causes autism. The thing is, there isn't a single cause that is yet discovered or understood. We don't know what causes autism, because we don't know really what autism is beyond a behavior disorder. But, there is some evidence that a change in diet can increase the chance of autistic children to alter their behavior.
The evidence I am referring to is potential link to food allergies and autistic behavior. It's been documented at autismweb.com. It seems that there is a possible reaction to gluten and casein that can cause autistic behavior. It's because the body produces an opiate that causes a reduction in attention, eye contact, and overall speech.
Now, the research on this is pretty mixed, as it has been fairly new to the clinical focus. Many trials done came up with little statistically significant results, while some found some real results.
The department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine did a study on the effects of Peptoids on autistic children that exhibited gastrointestinal problems. These problems include vomiting, stomach aches, and diarrhea.
The findings were promising, in that eye contact and verbal communication increased. While it is not a "smoking gun" for autism, it is something to focus on for parents when they go to their doctor.
Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that removing gluten and casein is not the end all beat all for autistic children. Several other clinical studies did not find a link, and in fact found no statistically significant results. But there is a potential link, and it gives some hope.
The first thing to do is to talk to the doctor. We are going to take out son in and talk to him about the research done, see what he thinks, and go from there. Next, check to see if my boy has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten and/or casein. If so, then the next thing is to obviously remove them from his diet. It isn't going to be easy, he loves his cottage cheese.
The evidence I am referring to is potential link to food allergies and autistic behavior. It's been documented at autismweb.com. It seems that there is a possible reaction to gluten and casein that can cause autistic behavior. It's because the body produces an opiate that causes a reduction in attention, eye contact, and overall speech.
Now, the research on this is pretty mixed, as it has been fairly new to the clinical focus. Many trials done came up with little statistically significant results, while some found some real results.
The department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine did a study on the effects of Peptoids on autistic children that exhibited gastrointestinal problems. These problems include vomiting, stomach aches, and diarrhea.
The findings were promising, in that eye contact and verbal communication increased. While it is not a "smoking gun" for autism, it is something to focus on for parents when they go to their doctor.
Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that removing gluten and casein is not the end all beat all for autistic children. Several other clinical studies did not find a link, and in fact found no statistically significant results. But there is a potential link, and it gives some hope.
The first thing to do is to talk to the doctor. We are going to take out son in and talk to him about the research done, see what he thinks, and go from there. Next, check to see if my boy has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten and/or casein. If so, then the next thing is to obviously remove them from his diet. It isn't going to be easy, he loves his cottage cheese.
Autism and a Possible Dietary Link
Parents with autistic children are always looking for something to link a change that causes autism. The thing is, there isn't a single cause that is yet discovered or understood. We don't know what causes autism, because we don't know really what autism is beyond a behavior disorder. But, there is some evidence that a change in diet can increase the chance of autistic children to alter their behavior.
The evidence I am referring to is potential link to food allergies and autistic behavior. It's been documented at autismweb.com. It seems that there is a possible reaction to gluten and casein that can cause autistic behavior. It's because the body produces an opiate that causes a reduction in attention, eye contact, and overall speech.
Now, the research on this is pretty mixed, as it has been fairly new to the clinical focus. Many trials done came up with little statistically significant results, while some found some real results.
The department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine did a study on the effects of Peptoids on autistic children that exhibited gastrointestinal problems. These problems include vomiting, stomach aches, and diarrhea.
The findings were promising, in that eye contact and verbal communication increased. While it is not a "smoking gun" for autism, it is something to focus on for parents when they go to their doctor.
Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that removing gluten and casein is not the end all beat all for autistic children. Several other clinical studies did not find a link, and in fact found no statistically significant results. But there is a potential link, and it gives some hope.
The first thing to do is to talk to the doctor. We are going to take out son in and talk to him about the research done, see what he thinks, and go from there. Next, check to see if my boy has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten and/or casein. If so, then the next thing is to obviously remove them from his diet. It isn't going to be easy, he loves his cottage cheese.
The evidence I am referring to is potential link to food allergies and autistic behavior. It's been documented at autismweb.com. It seems that there is a possible reaction to gluten and casein that can cause autistic behavior. It's because the body produces an opiate that causes a reduction in attention, eye contact, and overall speech.
Now, the research on this is pretty mixed, as it has been fairly new to the clinical focus. Many trials done came up with little statistically significant results, while some found some real results.
The department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine did a study on the effects of Peptoids on autistic children that exhibited gastrointestinal problems. These problems include vomiting, stomach aches, and diarrhea.
The findings were promising, in that eye contact and verbal communication increased. While it is not a "smoking gun" for autism, it is something to focus on for parents when they go to their doctor.
Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that removing gluten and casein is not the end all beat all for autistic children. Several other clinical studies did not find a link, and in fact found no statistically significant results. But there is a potential link, and it gives some hope.
The first thing to do is to talk to the doctor. We are going to take out son in and talk to him about the research done, see what he thinks, and go from there. Next, check to see if my boy has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten and/or casein. If so, then the next thing is to obviously remove them from his diet. It isn't going to be easy, he loves his cottage cheese.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Busy Week and Training Growth
This week has been extremely busy for me at work. Normally I average two classes a week, with time in between to work on preparation for each class, managing my inbox, and research for new teaching methods. This week, I am teaching every day, with two full day classes and three 4-hour classes. That means less time for prep (the classes are all different subjects), less time to correspond, and less time to prepare for some upcoming training at the end of the month.
Now, while all this work is exhausting and tends to be confusing (jumping from Linux to Microsoft Office to Mac), it is a good sign of growth to our program. As of last week, we hit a record registration for this time of the year. More people are signing up for our classes than before, and more people are retaking classes for newer versions of software.
So how does one deal with such growth? Right now we are nearly at a breaking point, and need some additional contract instructors on board. Also necessary would be more administrative staff, which we hope to have on board soon. And there seems to be a growing need for training in other parts of the State, which suggests more travel in the near future.
So what does this all mean in the long-term? Growth across a larger area to provide more training facilities in our growing market. It also means more staff, either as contract instructors or as full time instructors.
The second question is how we managed to grow. The answer is with diversity. Our demographics are so wide within Technology education that we manage to provide quality training in a number of areas that are often overlooked by other training facilities. After all, we are the only Apple Authorized Training Center in the State of Utah, and as such provide a growing variety of training in a commonly overlooked but growing market.
The exciting thing is the potential growth coming in the coming years. It's a real exciting time, if rather stressful for the instructor covering classes for others on vacation in the Summer. Luckily my marathons will be run by the end of the month, giving me more time to work on my most recent research project: distance education for tech classes. ^_^
Now, while all this work is exhausting and tends to be confusing (jumping from Linux to Microsoft Office to Mac), it is a good sign of growth to our program. As of last week, we hit a record registration for this time of the year. More people are signing up for our classes than before, and more people are retaking classes for newer versions of software.
So how does one deal with such growth? Right now we are nearly at a breaking point, and need some additional contract instructors on board. Also necessary would be more administrative staff, which we hope to have on board soon. And there seems to be a growing need for training in other parts of the State, which suggests more travel in the near future.
So what does this all mean in the long-term? Growth across a larger area to provide more training facilities in our growing market. It also means more staff, either as contract instructors or as full time instructors.
The second question is how we managed to grow. The answer is with diversity. Our demographics are so wide within Technology education that we manage to provide quality training in a number of areas that are often overlooked by other training facilities. After all, we are the only Apple Authorized Training Center in the State of Utah, and as such provide a growing variety of training in a commonly overlooked but growing market.
The exciting thing is the potential growth coming in the coming years. It's a real exciting time, if rather stressful for the instructor covering classes for others on vacation in the Summer. Luckily my marathons will be run by the end of the month, giving me more time to work on my most recent research project: distance education for tech classes. ^_^
Friday, May 30, 2008
Virtual Machines in the Classroom: Teaching one OS inside of another
Education is an interesting beast. There are so many different needs and environments that it often can become expensive to provide a comprehensive, controlled platform for students to work. As such, often topics are ignored or just not offered.
Case in point: We have two closed computer labs here at the Annex that we use for teaching. Both are Windows labs, because the primary platform our software classes run on is Windows. To become a Mac lab required an investment in Apple hardware and software, which represented a huge cost on our part. And now we are running Linux classes, thanks to our good friends at Guru Labs. But we ran into a problem running the class in a semester-long format: How do you keep the environment static for one platform while teaching in another platform?
The eventual obvious answer was using a Virtual machine. With a virtual machine we have the ability to keep a separate image for each class (or series of classes) run, and continue to teach Windows software without having to re-image the lab every day.
The second most obvious answer would be to use VM Ware. Why? Because it's free and easy to use. Now, we could opt to use Xen (and will eventually), but the base install for these systems needs to be Windows. Why? Because it's the lowest common denominator when it comes to user experience. This way people don't panic when they see something other than a Windows XP login screen.
Another reason to use VM Ware is the availability of VM Ware on the Mac (via VM Ware Fusion). It's easy to use, and allows us to use multiple OS distributions on the Mac machines without difficulty. That means that the Linux class can now be mobile. ^_^
So that is a current solution. But what of the future? There is a lot of potential for the Virtual machine setup in education. Distance education becomes possible with a completely controlled environment, as long as one has a significant internet connection. That, and some well organized VPN settings can make a remote Technical education setup quite possible.
So, what makes virtual machines useful in an educational setting? One distribution of an application, free of any potential conflicts, that can be distributed across a network through a mounted file system. And all you have to do is double-click to execute.
Have any of you used Virtual Machines in the classroom? Which of you find it useful? Which of you don't?
Case in point: We have two closed computer labs here at the Annex that we use for teaching. Both are Windows labs, because the primary platform our software classes run on is Windows. To become a Mac lab required an investment in Apple hardware and software, which represented a huge cost on our part. And now we are running Linux classes, thanks to our good friends at Guru Labs. But we ran into a problem running the class in a semester-long format: How do you keep the environment static for one platform while teaching in another platform?
The eventual obvious answer was using a Virtual machine. With a virtual machine we have the ability to keep a separate image for each class (or series of classes) run, and continue to teach Windows software without having to re-image the lab every day.
The second most obvious answer would be to use VM Ware. Why? Because it's free and easy to use. Now, we could opt to use Xen (and will eventually), but the base install for these systems needs to be Windows. Why? Because it's the lowest common denominator when it comes to user experience. This way people don't panic when they see something other than a Windows XP login screen.
Another reason to use VM Ware is the availability of VM Ware on the Mac (via VM Ware Fusion). It's easy to use, and allows us to use multiple OS distributions on the Mac machines without difficulty. That means that the Linux class can now be mobile. ^_^
So that is a current solution. But what of the future? There is a lot of potential for the Virtual machine setup in education. Distance education becomes possible with a completely controlled environment, as long as one has a significant internet connection. That, and some well organized VPN settings can make a remote Technical education setup quite possible.
So, what makes virtual machines useful in an educational setting? One distribution of an application, free of any potential conflicts, that can be distributed across a network through a mounted file system. And all you have to do is double-click to execute.
Have any of you used Virtual Machines in the classroom? Which of you find it useful? Which of you don't?
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Quality Visits vs. Quantity
This post is my 200th post, so I thought I would focus on traffic for my blog. Since I moved my blog to my own server using WordPress, I've noticed that I don't have nearly as much traffic as I did with Blogger. At first I thought that it may be a simple case of people not following my link to the new site, or people just not interested in my posts. Both is quite likely.
So, I thought I would check out my Google Analytics for both sites and compare the data, just to see what I may be doing wrong in regards to my WordPress site vs. the original Blogger site. The numbers are really interesting:
As you can see, the numbers are quite different, equaling out in weight. While the Blogger site still gets more hits over the period of a year, the WordPress site keeps visitors longer, provides a higher likelihood of additional page views, and has a lower bounce rate.
For me, while I may have lost a lot of visitors, I have gained readership. How? By keeping more people on the site and reading my posts. For me, that is far more valuable and flattering than thousands of people visiting over a month, but no one reading anything I post. It's actually pretty exciting! Now I wonder how the readership will evolve over time. Will I gain more readers while keeping the bounce rate the same? Perhaps I will increase the average time on the site with more interesting content.
I'm glad I moved from Blogger, if for nothing else than having a control specimen to compare my new site against. Now I can more objectively determine how well my blog is doing, and in what areas.
So, I thought I would check out my Google Analytics for both sites and compare the data, just to see what I may be doing wrong in regards to my WordPress site vs. the original Blogger site. The numbers are really interesting:
| WordPress Results | Blogger Results | |
| Visits | 208 | 2,050 |
| Page Views | 306 | 2,313 |
| Pages Per Visit | 1.47 | 1.13 |
| Bounce Rate | 72.60% | 91.02% |
| Average Time On Site | 00:03:08 | 00:00:28 |
| New Visits | 52.40% | 94.39% |
As you can see, the numbers are quite different, equaling out in weight. While the Blogger site still gets more hits over the period of a year, the WordPress site keeps visitors longer, provides a higher likelihood of additional page views, and has a lower bounce rate.
For me, while I may have lost a lot of visitors, I have gained readership. How? By keeping more people on the site and reading my posts. For me, that is far more valuable and flattering than thousands of people visiting over a month, but no one reading anything I post. It's actually pretty exciting! Now I wonder how the readership will evolve over time. Will I gain more readers while keeping the bounce rate the same? Perhaps I will increase the average time on the site with more interesting content.
I'm glad I moved from Blogger, if for nothing else than having a control specimen to compare my new site against. Now I can more objectively determine how well my blog is doing, and in what areas.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
3G iPhone Hype: Where is the News that Really Counts?
Yes, it's started. So many bloggers, "news" sites, and rumor mills are talking about the expected 3G iPhone, and how it will change the world. Lots of sources "close to the 3G iPhone project" have been touting the appearance of the new Wunderkind of the Smart Phone genre, and the many bells and whistles that they will be sporting. But one aspect of the new iPhone has been oddly silent: the up and coming applications that everyone is expecting.
Now, as I'm sure comes as no surprise to those who follow my blog (thanks you two! ^_^), I'm very pro-Mac. I like the Mac platform, I like the fact that it's now 100% UNIX compatible as of 10.5, and I like the fact that it's simple to use. Part of that has to do with the design of the hardware, but most of it has to do with the applications that are available for the Mac. That's what really makes a Mac a Mac. You can change a windowing system on either Vista or even Linux to look like a Mac, but it still doesn't have the same applications running.
Well, we know that Apple already has released various beta versions of the iPhone OS SDK in order to encourage developers to write programs. This is great, but we haven't heard much from developers as to the applications they are writing. Many have speculated, but none confirmed the release of a Microsoft Office suite (surely watered down if not just a viewer) for the iPhone, and some other apps like a version of Flash from Adobe. But nothing concrete.
Well, if I were calling the shots, or at least if I were looking for Apps that would appeal to me, here would be my list:
Now, as I'm sure comes as no surprise to those who follow my blog (thanks you two! ^_^), I'm very pro-Mac. I like the Mac platform, I like the fact that it's now 100% UNIX compatible as of 10.5, and I like the fact that it's simple to use. Part of that has to do with the design of the hardware, but most of it has to do with the applications that are available for the Mac. That's what really makes a Mac a Mac. You can change a windowing system on either Vista or even Linux to look like a Mac, but it still doesn't have the same applications running.
Well, we know that Apple already has released various beta versions of the iPhone OS SDK in order to encourage developers to write programs. This is great, but we haven't heard much from developers as to the applications they are writing. Many have speculated, but none confirmed the release of a Microsoft Office suite (surely watered down if not just a viewer) for the iPhone, and some other apps like a version of Flash from Adobe. But nothing concrete.
Well, if I were calling the shots, or at least if I were looking for Apps that would appeal to me, here would be my list:
- Presentation Software: I want to be able to show a Keynote from my iPhone. This could be either something built into iTunes sharing (like photo albums), or an actual Keynote viewer and basic editor. Either way, I would like to see an app that will let me present Keynotes. Then I would just need to have a way to hook up the iPhone to a projector.
- Text Editing: This could be as simple as a plugin for Google Docs (which didn't work well on the first gen iPhone), or a separate application that is more than just a note taker, but could be less then a full fledged version of Pages or Word. But typing on the software keyboard? let's talk about:
- Bluetooth Keyboard Support: Yes! Let us tether a bluetooth keyboard to the blasted thing! It would be convenient on so many levels. And it's one major requirement I have for the rumored iPod Slate.
- Spreadsheet Viewing: This could be just as simple as adding the Preview option from Leopard into the iPhone OS. I'm not thinking about using a spreadsheet program on the iPhone, that's something to do on a real computer. But it would be nice to be able to read a spreadsheet that is sent to you, or review it before a presentation.
- Terminal: Yes, I want a terminal on my Mac. Why? Because I use it constantly while checking connections, servers, ports, and running various apps. It would be invaluable for any IT professional to be able to SSH into a remote machine while traveling, check on a server status, restart services, etc. all while away from a real computer.
- Full Version of iCal: I want something more robust than the current iCal software on the iPhone. All new events created on the thing shouldn't create a new calendar. It should also be able to subscribe to new calendars, and color-code them. That would be nice.
Those are the applications that I would most likely need. It would be ideal for presentations while teaching, quick video demos, and technical support. Of course, these would be high on the list, but what of other wants? Here is my wishlist:
- Second Life Client: It's been compiled for smart phones, why not for the iPhone? It would be ideal for any instructor or student taking an online course in Second Life. And with many institutions utilizing Second Life as an online learning platform, it would be nice to have it truly portable.
- Twitter App: Even if it's just using a Dashboard Widget or something, a nice little Twitter widget that didn't use SMS would be nice. ^_^
- VNC/rdesktop/X11 Client: A VNC/rdesktop/X11 client would be nice, partly for Technical Support, and partly for screen sharing for other machines. Now, I'm not talking about sharing the iPhone screen (which would require a running VNC/X11 Server), but rather just a client. Security shouldn't be an issue at that point, and technical support/distance learning will be that much easier.
- Parental Controls: You know there are parents out there that will give in to their kids and buy them an iPhone. It might be a good idea to have some sort of parental controls for browsing, sharing, etc.
- DOS Emulator: Purely for entertainment value, I would like to play a number of old DOS games when ever I get in the mood. ^_^ I'd like to see something like DOSBox ported to the iPhone.
- Games: Yes, occasionally I would like to be able to get caught up in a game to relieve stress. Something simple like a pinball game would be cool, or even something really advanced like World of Warcraft. I can almost guarantee that if there were a WoW client for the iPhone, it would be the number 1 machine out there. ^_^
- SSHFS: Let me upload my files securely to a server, and retrieve them in the same way. SSHFS would be sweet for the iPhone.
- VoIP Software: Yes, let me have my VoIP software on my iPhone, even if I can't use the phone network for it. Not that it should matter, I would be paying for the phone minutes whether I use them or not. But at least this way, in case of an emergency, I can always have some type of phone working as long as there is some sort of network connection, and I won't have to rely on possible bottle-necked Cellular networks.
So, that is my list, be it ever so humble. Now, do I really expect everything to be incorporated into the new Wunderkind? Well, if I did, then I'm up for a big disappointment. But I do hope that at least someone takes on some of the ideas here and runs with them. There are a lot of great ideas out there, and with Internet distribution you can easily target the right people that would be interested in such applications, like me!
Is there anything that you would like to see on the iPhone by the way of apps?
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A New Facet in Sustainability: Energy Recycling
Ever since I can remember, the argument for environmentalists have been to move to Solar and Wind power as the only way to save the planet. Their position is from a green point of view: that is, if it isn't natural, it isn't an option. This is fine, and there are a lot of merits to these methods of generating energy, but right now it just isn't enough. We need something else to bolster our energy needs until these more green technologies can be made more efficient. And the best move that can be made right now is energy recycling.
What's Energy Recycling? It's the process of using the excess heat created by a process to boil water, create steam, and move a generator. One excellent example of wasted energy this way would be many cooling towers in Atomic plants.
But that isn't all! Many factories, refineries, and smelters are major sources of excess heat, and as such could be producing electricity. Just place a boiler on top of the plant, capture the heat, boil water, create steam, use that steam to move a generator and you are all set!
Now, you may ask where I got this idea in the first place. Well, I'm guilty of perpetuating an idea of others. It seems that Europe and Japan has been doing this practice for years, bolstering their grids with additional energy from their factories, refineries, etc. Heat is not wasted if it's sufficient enough to boil water. This was reported this morning on my way to work on NPR, by the way.
So why don't we do the same thing? It's such a simple idea, why haven't the US thought of this before? Because there are currently State and Civil laws that protect power companies from having to pay retail prices for the power that gets pumped back into the grid from an non-system source. That, and most older facilities would be subject to new EPA regulations if they made any modifications to their facility.
Now, the other day, I was listening to Sean Hannity on the radio. Now, this isn't a regular thing for me, as I don't like to get just one side of the story (I find NPR the least biased news source). But he had an interesting argument for the Republican Party: Rebuild yourself. He pointed out 10 items the Republicans could do in order to rebuild the party. Number 4 was Energy Independence. What could be more independent than using recycled energy?
So, my challenge to Government, both parties actually, is to challenge the protection laws currently in place for energy companies to allow energy recycling. We could generate almost twice the energy we have now, if we follow Denmark's model (half their energy comes from recycled energy projects), and lower our energy growth needs. That's the kicker: the need for foreign oil could be lowered as far as overall energy production, and allow more oil to be diverted to transportation (at least for now).
Now, I don't expect it will magically solve our nation's energy needs overnight. But wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about rolling blackouts? More energy means cheaper electric manufacturing costs, and cheaper overall bills on the consumer. Also, those factories that produce a lot of heat in order to produce their product can save even more money as they generate that excess heat into energy savings, or potentially a secondary revenue line.
Those are the benefits, at any case. Now the hard part needs to be hammered out: negotiating with power companies and potential power generating sources a fair and sustainable model. Perhaps they can offer to buy the recycled energy at wholesale costs.. Anyway, that's a fight that will be well worth the effort.
What's Energy Recycling? It's the process of using the excess heat created by a process to boil water, create steam, and move a generator. One excellent example of wasted energy this way would be many cooling towers in Atomic plants.
But that isn't all! Many factories, refineries, and smelters are major sources of excess heat, and as such could be producing electricity. Just place a boiler on top of the plant, capture the heat, boil water, create steam, use that steam to move a generator and you are all set!
Now, you may ask where I got this idea in the first place. Well, I'm guilty of perpetuating an idea of others. It seems that Europe and Japan has been doing this practice for years, bolstering their grids with additional energy from their factories, refineries, etc. Heat is not wasted if it's sufficient enough to boil water. This was reported this morning on my way to work on NPR, by the way.
So why don't we do the same thing? It's such a simple idea, why haven't the US thought of this before? Because there are currently State and Civil laws that protect power companies from having to pay retail prices for the power that gets pumped back into the grid from an non-system source. That, and most older facilities would be subject to new EPA regulations if they made any modifications to their facility.
Now, the other day, I was listening to Sean Hannity on the radio. Now, this isn't a regular thing for me, as I don't like to get just one side of the story (I find NPR the least biased news source). But he had an interesting argument for the Republican Party: Rebuild yourself. He pointed out 10 items the Republicans could do in order to rebuild the party. Number 4 was Energy Independence. What could be more independent than using recycled energy?
So, my challenge to Government, both parties actually, is to challenge the protection laws currently in place for energy companies to allow energy recycling. We could generate almost twice the energy we have now, if we follow Denmark's model (half their energy comes from recycled energy projects), and lower our energy growth needs. That's the kicker: the need for foreign oil could be lowered as far as overall energy production, and allow more oil to be diverted to transportation (at least for now).
Now, I don't expect it will magically solve our nation's energy needs overnight. But wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about rolling blackouts? More energy means cheaper electric manufacturing costs, and cheaper overall bills on the consumer. Also, those factories that produce a lot of heat in order to produce their product can save even more money as they generate that excess heat into energy savings, or potentially a secondary revenue line.
Those are the benefits, at any case. Now the hard part needs to be hammered out: negotiating with power companies and potential power generating sources a fair and sustainable model. Perhaps they can offer to buy the recycled energy at wholesale costs.. Anyway, that's a fight that will be well worth the effort.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tourism Industry in Second Life
Second Life isn't really a game, because there are no real objectives that you need to accomplish. For this reason, a lot of people are turned off. But, let's say you don't have the money to visit exotic locations around the world, but would like to see them for yourself? Second Life is a very inexpensive way to see the locations through someone else's eyes.
ROMA Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/204/29/22
The Roma sim is a simulation of ancient Rome. It's not really clear which specific slice of time was taken to use it, as the buildings are all from different Emperors, but it's fun to walk around the town. You are not allowed to fly in this sim, but you can click on any fountain and take a "litter" to several locations. Check out the Temple, the Museum, or the Circus Maximus. There is even a Calilgula's Pleasure Palace, though it's geared more to the adult crowd.
The rules in the sim: Dress in roman togas. You can get some free from the Dock that you land on when teleporting to the sim.
Scotland Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Scotland/93/202/30
For those that know me, this is perhaps my most favorite sim. The Scotland sim has some great information about the country, the Royal Mile (shopping district in Edinburgh), a ride on Nessie, events, a haunted dungeon, a castle, and Highland games. It's a great place to pick up a kilt for your Avatar, or various other goodies. never tossed a caber before? Check out the sim in the Highland Games! There is also a pub that allows one to dance a jig. Also, take a guided horse-drawn carriage tour of the sim.
Paris 1900
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Paris%201900/11/173/16
My wife has always wanted to go to Paris, just to see the Eiffel Tower. Well, in this sim you not only get to see the Tower, but you can ride up to the top, put on a parachute and jump off! The parachute automatically deploys, and you float down to earth. Also, you can take a bike ride around the sim, and take a zip line from the Arch de Triumph! It's a great sim, with loads of fun.
Egypt Empire Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Egyptian%20Empire/128/128/0
This sim is one of several sims, such as the Roman Empire (not Roma) Sim, Greek Islands, British Islands, and the Spartan Empire. It's well stocked with shop locations, and has a combat arena for those interested in fighting in second life. Be sure to read the rules carefully. From your teleport location, you can actually take a boat ride through the other sims. I would highly recommend it!
Africa Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Africa/128/128/0
I love the Africa sim, though there isn't a lot to do there. But there is a lot to see! It's like taking a wild animal safari, getting up close and personal with the animals. There are shops, and even a balloon tour you can take. The animals are not animated, but they are 3D. It's great, and I think anyone would enjoy it.
China Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/China/128/128/0
The China Sim lands you on a barge, with several levels. Again, not a lot to do there at the sim, but there are tons of free things you can get on the decks. If for nothing else, you can get some nice avatars, clothing, and various other freebies from this sim.
Germany Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Germany/128/128/0
Though there isn't a lot here on the Germany sim, there are some really nice houses and castles for sale. Other than that, it's a great place to set up a shop if you are looking to sell objects in Second Life, because there is plenty of space.
Official Greece Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/GreeceOfficial/128/128/0
Finally, there is the official Greece sim. This sim was created to reflect the modern Greek culture, and does a fabulous job. There are various activities for someone to experience, including a visit to the Parthenon. It's well built, and everything is in Greek and English. Check out the movie theatre, or go shopping.
Anyway, those are the sims I would recommend visiting, if you are new to Second Life. If you are looking for educational resources, I would recommend checking out Laura's Blog. She has a list of educational locations in Second Life that are very useful.
ROMA Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/ROMA/204/29/22
The Roma sim is a simulation of ancient Rome. It's not really clear which specific slice of time was taken to use it, as the buildings are all from different Emperors, but it's fun to walk around the town. You are not allowed to fly in this sim, but you can click on any fountain and take a "litter" to several locations. Check out the Temple, the Museum, or the Circus Maximus. There is even a Calilgula's Pleasure Palace, though it's geared more to the adult crowd.
The rules in the sim: Dress in roman togas. You can get some free from the Dock that you land on when teleporting to the sim.
Scotland Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Scotland/93/202/30
For those that know me, this is perhaps my most favorite sim. The Scotland sim has some great information about the country, the Royal Mile (shopping district in Edinburgh), a ride on Nessie, events, a haunted dungeon, a castle, and Highland games. It's a great place to pick up a kilt for your Avatar, or various other goodies. never tossed a caber before? Check out the sim in the Highland Games! There is also a pub that allows one to dance a jig. Also, take a guided horse-drawn carriage tour of the sim.
Paris 1900
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Paris%201900/11/173/16
My wife has always wanted to go to Paris, just to see the Eiffel Tower. Well, in this sim you not only get to see the Tower, but you can ride up to the top, put on a parachute and jump off! The parachute automatically deploys, and you float down to earth. Also, you can take a bike ride around the sim, and take a zip line from the Arch de Triumph! It's a great sim, with loads of fun.
Egypt Empire Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Egyptian%20Empire/128/128/0
This sim is one of several sims, such as the Roman Empire (not Roma) Sim, Greek Islands, British Islands, and the Spartan Empire. It's well stocked with shop locations, and has a combat arena for those interested in fighting in second life. Be sure to read the rules carefully. From your teleport location, you can actually take a boat ride through the other sims. I would highly recommend it!
Africa Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Africa/128/128/0
I love the Africa sim, though there isn't a lot to do there. But there is a lot to see! It's like taking a wild animal safari, getting up close and personal with the animals. There are shops, and even a balloon tour you can take. The animals are not animated, but they are 3D. It's great, and I think anyone would enjoy it.
China Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/China/128/128/0
The China Sim lands you on a barge, with several levels. Again, not a lot to do there at the sim, but there are tons of free things you can get on the decks. If for nothing else, you can get some nice avatars, clothing, and various other freebies from this sim.
Germany Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Germany/128/128/0
Though there isn't a lot here on the Germany sim, there are some really nice houses and castles for sale. Other than that, it's a great place to set up a shop if you are looking to sell objects in Second Life, because there is plenty of space.
Official Greece Sim
http://slurl.com/secondlife/GreeceOfficial/128/128/0
Finally, there is the official Greece sim. This sim was created to reflect the modern Greek culture, and does a fabulous job. There are various activities for someone to experience, including a visit to the Parthenon. It's well built, and everything is in Greek and English. Check out the movie theatre, or go shopping.
Anyway, those are the sims I would recommend visiting, if you are new to Second Life. If you are looking for educational resources, I would recommend checking out Laura's Blog. She has a list of educational locations in Second Life that are very useful.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Politics, Presidents, and History: Why Can't They Get Along?
It often surprises me when Politicians are able to make vague historical references, say they won't make the same mistakes, and the people just eat it up like candy. I'm also surprised with the failure of the Media to provide adequate background information for candidates that run for office. Is it that they just don't want to look at the past, or perhaps they feel the American people don't have the attention span for a history lesson?
What prompted this statement, you might ask? Last night I was watching the American Experience on PBS in an attempt to get my son to sleep. He's not feeling well in the heat wave that hit Salt Lake this week, and was restless. This night, it was a special on George H.W. Bush. It covered his rise to politics from his father's involvement in the Eisenhower Administration to his eventual election to President.
Now, I wasn't a big fan of George Bush Sr. while he was in office. Granted, I was just a kid in Jr. High at the time, but with some politically minded friends, I was kept in the loop. He provided little in the way of what I expected, because I loved Reagan. Why did I love Reagan? Because he made Americans feel good about being Americans. George didn't do that. He wasn't the showman that Reagan was, nor was he the actor.
But he was a Statesman, and if I had known what a Statesman did at the time, I would have applauded his efforts. George H.W. Bush was first and foremost an Ambassador. From his few years of working at the UN, he managed to build a huge relationship with all nations and use it to his advantage while both Vice President under Reagan, and while working with the Soviet Union during the fall of the Berlin Wall.
He was willing to let the Germans be Germans, instead of puppets of the US, and thereby fueling the anti-American block in the Kremlin that would have taken any excuse to tighten their hold on the Eastern Block. He made Eisenhower-esque moves and decisions that allowed other people and nations to shine, all the while keeping the US economy strong.
But even further back, George H.W. Bush built the current idea of Republican Conservatism that pervades in politics today. He did so in the 60's by welcoming those Democrats into the Republican party that were a little angered by President Kennedy and Johnson. And this was in Texas, where at the time you couldn't find a Republican.
His foray into politics in the 60's represents a clean shift in the ideals of the Republican party, and forced the Democrats to shift to their current position. It's interesting that now, 50 years later, his son instigated a shift in the Democratic party in the same way Kennedy and Johnson forced the Republicans to shift. Now the Republicans are shifting again, back to the Eisenhower days.
So why am I writing about President George H.W. Bush? Because it's information I would have liked 15 years ago! And I keep asking myself, where is the analysis on the current candidates? Quick snapshots don't help, nor do sound-bytes. In order to make a truly informed decision on a candidate, you have to know where they come from, where they have gone, and what they have been willing to do to get there. That is a full measure of a candidate, because now you can predict with relative certainty what they will do in office.
Now, the American Experience is gearing up for the Election, preparing for it by providing profiles of the past Presidents. I'm sure, once the Democratic candidate has been chosen, we will see well documented profiles of that person as well as John McCain. But until then, I would urge anyone to watch the American Experience series on the Presidents. Learn about what past presidents have done, both right and wrong. For now, President George H.W. Bush has risen to one of my favorite presidents, right up there with President Ford, President Eisenhower, and President James K. Polk.
What prompted this statement, you might ask? Last night I was watching the American Experience on PBS in an attempt to get my son to sleep. He's not feeling well in the heat wave that hit Salt Lake this week, and was restless. This night, it was a special on George H.W. Bush. It covered his rise to politics from his father's involvement in the Eisenhower Administration to his eventual election to President.
Now, I wasn't a big fan of George Bush Sr. while he was in office. Granted, I was just a kid in Jr. High at the time, but with some politically minded friends, I was kept in the loop. He provided little in the way of what I expected, because I loved Reagan. Why did I love Reagan? Because he made Americans feel good about being Americans. George didn't do that. He wasn't the showman that Reagan was, nor was he the actor.
But he was a Statesman, and if I had known what a Statesman did at the time, I would have applauded his efforts. George H.W. Bush was first and foremost an Ambassador. From his few years of working at the UN, he managed to build a huge relationship with all nations and use it to his advantage while both Vice President under Reagan, and while working with the Soviet Union during the fall of the Berlin Wall.
He was willing to let the Germans be Germans, instead of puppets of the US, and thereby fueling the anti-American block in the Kremlin that would have taken any excuse to tighten their hold on the Eastern Block. He made Eisenhower-esque moves and decisions that allowed other people and nations to shine, all the while keeping the US economy strong.
But even further back, George H.W. Bush built the current idea of Republican Conservatism that pervades in politics today. He did so in the 60's by welcoming those Democrats into the Republican party that were a little angered by President Kennedy and Johnson. And this was in Texas, where at the time you couldn't find a Republican.
His foray into politics in the 60's represents a clean shift in the ideals of the Republican party, and forced the Democrats to shift to their current position. It's interesting that now, 50 years later, his son instigated a shift in the Democratic party in the same way Kennedy and Johnson forced the Republicans to shift. Now the Republicans are shifting again, back to the Eisenhower days.
So why am I writing about President George H.W. Bush? Because it's information I would have liked 15 years ago! And I keep asking myself, where is the analysis on the current candidates? Quick snapshots don't help, nor do sound-bytes. In order to make a truly informed decision on a candidate, you have to know where they come from, where they have gone, and what they have been willing to do to get there. That is a full measure of a candidate, because now you can predict with relative certainty what they will do in office.
Now, the American Experience is gearing up for the Election, preparing for it by providing profiles of the past Presidents. I'm sure, once the Democratic candidate has been chosen, we will see well documented profiles of that person as well as John McCain. But until then, I would urge anyone to watch the American Experience series on the Presidents. Learn about what past presidents have done, both right and wrong. For now, President George H.W. Bush has risen to one of my favorite presidents, right up there with President Ford, President Eisenhower, and President James K. Polk.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Home in Second Life: Caledon Downs
It's taken a while, but I finally have my home in Second Life. I figured I really didn't need a large home, so I opted for a smaller home that I bought. It's a Celtic round house, and I love it. It didn't have many prims, so it made for a better design overall.
So instead of having a huge house with no yard, I have a tiny house with a huge garden. I haven't placed any flowers out yet, but I will soon. Right now, I'm more concerned with meeting spaces to allow students to come and visit me during office hours.
In the near future I will be adding a video feed to the screen in my home, and will be working on some presentation tools for my students. Stay tuned for more developments on the Second Life distance education tools.
If you have a second life account, feel free to visit! If not, feel free to sign up! It's free, and there are a lot of fun things you can do in Second Life. For instance, if you go to the Paris 1900 sim, you can ride up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and parachute off. ^_^
To visit my home in Caledon Downs, follow this URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Downs/59/144/45
Hope to see you there!
So instead of having a huge house with no yard, I have a tiny house with a huge garden. I haven't placed any flowers out yet, but I will soon. Right now, I'm more concerned with meeting spaces to allow students to come and visit me during office hours.
In the near future I will be adding a video feed to the screen in my home, and will be working on some presentation tools for my students. Stay tuned for more developments on the Second Life distance education tools.
If you have a second life account, feel free to visit! If not, feel free to sign up! It's free, and there are a lot of fun things you can do in Second Life. For instance, if you go to the Paris 1900 sim, you can ride up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and parachute off. ^_^
To visit my home in Caledon Downs, follow this URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Downs/59/144/45
Hope to see you there!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Autism and Vaccines
Any parent with an autistic child will look for something that may have triggered autism in the family. As there has yet to be a gene discovered that causes autism, more focus is being made on the possible causes in the environment.
One modern concern is that vaccines with thimerosal, a mercury-based compound used in some vaccines as a preservative, could be causing autism. Why? Because autism is very similar in symptoms to mercury poisoning, and all children get several series of vaccines before they are 2. The timing is right, the source is identified, everything seems to be pointing in the right direction: Except there is no scientific proof that thimerosal causes autism.
But that isn't stopping some families, which have gone to court. Most studies rejecting thimerosal as a cause of autism were conducted before 2004. Since then, according to the plaintiff's lawyer, 35 articles that were peer-reviewed and published suggest a possible link. That is what their court argument is running on.
The problem is they have a huge opponent: The US Center for Disease Control has not found any link, and therefore considers the claim baseless. Instead they warn parents to the dangers of not having their children vaccinated. In fact, there was a recent article on a national outbreak of measles among children. The MMR vaccine should be protecting them, so either the vaccine is not working or parents are not letting their children have the vaccine.
What's my take on it? Children need to be vaccinated. Vaccines are very important, particularly for those diseases that are very dangerous (small pox, polio, measles, etc.). The good news is that thimerosal is being used less and less, and was actually removed from most infant vaccines in 1999.
Where is it still being used? The Flu shot. So, don't give your children the shot, have them use the nose spray instead. It was recently approved for child usage, and works just as well. There are some other shots that you should look out for, and if you have any questions or concerns, ask your doctor. There are alternatives to thimerosal vaccines for those parents that are concerned, and your doctor can help you make that decision.
One modern concern is that vaccines with thimerosal, a mercury-based compound used in some vaccines as a preservative, could be causing autism. Why? Because autism is very similar in symptoms to mercury poisoning, and all children get several series of vaccines before they are 2. The timing is right, the source is identified, everything seems to be pointing in the right direction: Except there is no scientific proof that thimerosal causes autism.
But that isn't stopping some families, which have gone to court. Most studies rejecting thimerosal as a cause of autism were conducted before 2004. Since then, according to the plaintiff's lawyer, 35 articles that were peer-reviewed and published suggest a possible link. That is what their court argument is running on.
The problem is they have a huge opponent: The US Center for Disease Control has not found any link, and therefore considers the claim baseless. Instead they warn parents to the dangers of not having their children vaccinated. In fact, there was a recent article on a national outbreak of measles among children. The MMR vaccine should be protecting them, so either the vaccine is not working or parents are not letting their children have the vaccine.
What's my take on it? Children need to be vaccinated. Vaccines are very important, particularly for those diseases that are very dangerous (small pox, polio, measles, etc.). The good news is that thimerosal is being used less and less, and was actually removed from most infant vaccines in 1999.
Where is it still being used? The Flu shot. So, don't give your children the shot, have them use the nose spray instead. It was recently approved for child usage, and works just as well. There are some other shots that you should look out for, and if you have any questions or concerns, ask your doctor. There are alternatives to thimerosal vaccines for those parents that are concerned, and your doctor can help you make that decision.
Autism and Vaccines
Any parent with an autistic child will look for something that may have triggered autism in the family. As there has yet to be a gene discovered that causes autism, more focus is being made on the possible causes in the environment.
One modern concern is that vaccines with thimerosal, a mercury-based compound used in some vaccines as a preservative, could be causing autism. Why? Because autism is very similar in symptoms to mercury poisoning, and all children get several series of vaccines before they are 2. The timing is right, the source is identified, everything seems to be pointing in the right direction: Except there is no scientific proof that thimerosal causes autism.
But that isn't stopping some families, which have gone to court. Most studies rejecting thimerosal as a cause of autism were conducted before 2004. Since then, according to the plaintiff's lawyer, 35 articles that were peer-reviewed and published suggest a possible link. That is what their court argument is running on.
The problem is they have a huge opponent: The US Center for Disease Control has not found any link, and therefore considers the claim baseless. Instead they warn parents to the dangers of not having their children vaccinated. In fact, there was a recent article on a national outbreak of measles among children. The MMR vaccine should be protecting them, so either the vaccine is not working or parents are not letting their children have the vaccine.
What's my take on it? Children need to be vaccinated. Vaccines are very important, particularly for those diseases that are very dangerous (small pox, polio, measles, etc.). The good news is that thimerosal is being used less and less, and was actually removed from most infant vaccines in 1999.
Where is it still being used? The Flu shot. So, don't give your children the shot, have them use the nose spray instead. It was recently approved for child usage, and works just as well. There are some other shots that you should look out for, and if you have any questions or concerns, ask your doctor. There are alternatives to thimerosal vaccines for those parents that are concerned, and your doctor can help you make that decision.
One modern concern is that vaccines with thimerosal, a mercury-based compound used in some vaccines as a preservative, could be causing autism. Why? Because autism is very similar in symptoms to mercury poisoning, and all children get several series of vaccines before they are 2. The timing is right, the source is identified, everything seems to be pointing in the right direction: Except there is no scientific proof that thimerosal causes autism.
But that isn't stopping some families, which have gone to court. Most studies rejecting thimerosal as a cause of autism were conducted before 2004. Since then, according to the plaintiff's lawyer, 35 articles that were peer-reviewed and published suggest a possible link. That is what their court argument is running on.
The problem is they have a huge opponent: The US Center for Disease Control has not found any link, and therefore considers the claim baseless. Instead they warn parents to the dangers of not having their children vaccinated. In fact, there was a recent article on a national outbreak of measles among children. The MMR vaccine should be protecting them, so either the vaccine is not working or parents are not letting their children have the vaccine.
What's my take on it? Children need to be vaccinated. Vaccines are very important, particularly for those diseases that are very dangerous (small pox, polio, measles, etc.). The good news is that thimerosal is being used less and less, and was actually removed from most infant vaccines in 1999.
Where is it still being used? The Flu shot. So, don't give your children the shot, have them use the nose spray instead. It was recently approved for child usage, and works just as well. There are some other shots that you should look out for, and if you have any questions or concerns, ask your doctor. There are alternatives to thimerosal vaccines for those parents that are concerned, and your doctor can help you make that decision.
Summer Projects: Food Storage and Urban Farming
My parents have been really concerned with food storage lately, and feeling an urgency to get it in place. As such, they are looking at ways to augment the food storage they already have in as many ways as possible. The main method? Self-sufficient urban farming.
I've talked about urban farming before. It's a process of growing and raising farm food in an urban environment while complying with city ordinances. Now, most cities allow quite a lot of latitude, depending on the reaction of the neighbors. So if you are not on good terms with your neighbors, you may want to warm them up to you.
The first and easiest method of urban farming is growing a garden. many people will plant whole sections of their yards in garden, others in selected areas. I chose selected areas, because our yard isn't that big to begin with. I have one small section in the back that has some eggplant, artichokes, corn, beans, pumpkin, peas, radishes, lettuce, cucumber and grapes growing. It's small, so there isn't a lot growing in this location. But the plants are well managed, allowing for good usage of the land.
This week I will be planting some watermelon in the front yard, in what is currently a garden plot covered with bark. It will give the appearance of green in the plot while utilizing less water. Why less water? Because the bark and weed barrier will keep the weeds down, leaving more water for the melons.
But, because the food that is grown isn't going to be able to feed us all, or provide all the nutrients we need, more needs to be done. Unfortunately, there isn't enough land in an urban environment to have livestock (nor is it zoned as such, generally). So, what can one do to get their farm-fresh foods?
First, you can learn how to make cheese. I've tried one recipe, and the cheese was pretty good. Now, this summer my family and I will be making more cheeses by investing in some cultures, rennet, and probably building a cheese press. Cheese was originally developed as a way to provide the benefits of milk and milk protein without worrying about it going sour in a short amount of time.
Next, there is preserved meats. We plan on making jerky this summer, along with some bottled and preserved meats. It requires some investment in a bath bottler (instead of just steam), but it's worth it in the end. Along with that, my family has a killer recipe for sweet pickled beets, dill pickled green beans, and hot pickled carrots. Perhaps this year I'll get to use my purple carrots I planted (assuming my son hasn't killed them all already).
But once you have all this done, where do you store them? A basement is great if it's rarely used. Unfortunately, our basement is being used. So what to do? Well, you can build a root cellar. Root cellars are great, because they can double as cheese caves. They stay naturally cool in summer, and don't freeze in the winter. Also, they don't have to be really large. You can build a small pit that is covered (so no one falls in), and then cover it up with a decent covering. As long as there is a drainage area for rain, you should be good to go.
So, are we planning on the end of the world? Is that why we are going nuts with this urban farming plan? No, not really. It's because we want to have good food, save some money on gas and buying at the store. It's all about economics. The fact that the food supply will still be useful and very viable in the case of a disaster is just icing on the cake.
And the real great thing about these projects this time is my wife's support of it. Before she thought I was just crazy, but now she understands the benefits of fresh vegetables and fruits that are just a short walk away.
I've talked about urban farming before. It's a process of growing and raising farm food in an urban environment while complying with city ordinances. Now, most cities allow quite a lot of latitude, depending on the reaction of the neighbors. So if you are not on good terms with your neighbors, you may want to warm them up to you.
The first and easiest method of urban farming is growing a garden. many people will plant whole sections of their yards in garden, others in selected areas. I chose selected areas, because our yard isn't that big to begin with. I have one small section in the back that has some eggplant, artichokes, corn, beans, pumpkin, peas, radishes, lettuce, cucumber and grapes growing. It's small, so there isn't a lot growing in this location. But the plants are well managed, allowing for good usage of the land.
This week I will be planting some watermelon in the front yard, in what is currently a garden plot covered with bark. It will give the appearance of green in the plot while utilizing less water. Why less water? Because the bark and weed barrier will keep the weeds down, leaving more water for the melons.
But, because the food that is grown isn't going to be able to feed us all, or provide all the nutrients we need, more needs to be done. Unfortunately, there isn't enough land in an urban environment to have livestock (nor is it zoned as such, generally). So, what can one do to get their farm-fresh foods?
First, you can learn how to make cheese. I've tried one recipe, and the cheese was pretty good. Now, this summer my family and I will be making more cheeses by investing in some cultures, rennet, and probably building a cheese press. Cheese was originally developed as a way to provide the benefits of milk and milk protein without worrying about it going sour in a short amount of time.
Next, there is preserved meats. We plan on making jerky this summer, along with some bottled and preserved meats. It requires some investment in a bath bottler (instead of just steam), but it's worth it in the end. Along with that, my family has a killer recipe for sweet pickled beets, dill pickled green beans, and hot pickled carrots. Perhaps this year I'll get to use my purple carrots I planted (assuming my son hasn't killed them all already).
But once you have all this done, where do you store them? A basement is great if it's rarely used. Unfortunately, our basement is being used. So what to do? Well, you can build a root cellar. Root cellars are great, because they can double as cheese caves. They stay naturally cool in summer, and don't freeze in the winter. Also, they don't have to be really large. You can build a small pit that is covered (so no one falls in), and then cover it up with a decent covering. As long as there is a drainage area for rain, you should be good to go.
So, are we planning on the end of the world? Is that why we are going nuts with this urban farming plan? No, not really. It's because we want to have good food, save some money on gas and buying at the store. It's all about economics. The fact that the food supply will still be useful and very viable in the case of a disaster is just icing on the cake.
And the real great thing about these projects this time is my wife's support of it. Before she thought I was just crazy, but now she understands the benefits of fresh vegetables and fruits that are just a short walk away.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Teaching Ad: Need a vi Editor and Shell Scripting Instructor
This summer, we had an instructor cancel on us for three classes we had scheduled. Unfortunately, we don't have the staff to cover these classes, so we are looking for a contract instructor that would be interested in teaching these classes, non-credit, for students should they register. If you are interested or curious, please contact Inita Lyon at 801-585-1964 for details.
vi Editor
The first class is the vi Editor class. It's scheduled for June 18th, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Shell Scripting Level 1
An introduction to shell scripting taught in the evening, scheduled for June 3rd and June 5th from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
Shell Scripting Level 2
Also an evening class, taught June 17th and 19th from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
If anyone is interested in teaching these classes, please let us know as soon as possible. Inita will be happy to answer any questions, give you an idea as to how the class should be structured, and which books are being used.
Thanks in advance for anyone who signs up!
vi Editor
The first class is the vi Editor class. It's scheduled for June 18th, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Shell Scripting Level 1
An introduction to shell scripting taught in the evening, scheduled for June 3rd and June 5th from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
Shell Scripting Level 2
Also an evening class, taught June 17th and 19th from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.
If anyone is interested in teaching these classes, please let us know as soon as possible. Inita will be happy to answer any questions, give you an idea as to how the class should be structured, and which books are being used.
Thanks in advance for anyone who signs up!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Looking for A New Car: A Hybrid
This past week has been a beast. The weekend before, my car would not start. It just died, with no apparent reason for the problem. It's a Volkswagen Jetta 2003 TDI. I've had little problems with it before, but now that the warranty has gone out, I get the major one.
Of course, I'm of the school of thought that it's easier to fix your car than to take it in. Boy was I wrong. The last car I had to fix was my Geo Metro, which is more of a toy, and has mostly all mechanical parts. I loved it, because I could troubleshoot and replace just about anything on that baby. I was real cut up when the thing finally gave up the ghost, and I needed a new car.
I chose the Volkswagen because they had a good reputation for reliability, and they were filled with the features I was looking for. Also, they had a Turbo Diesel Injection engine that gets up to 52 mpg with the Jetta (the New Beetle got 60). That's why I really wanted it. Sure, diesel was more expensive than regular gas, but I could burn biodiesel.
Well, biodiesel hit a snag when I found out about a Salt Lake County law that prohibited the transportation of used cooking oil without a $million insurance policy. My guess is a company business was being protected from biodiesel hobbyists, but none the less it put a dampener on my plans. Still, it was cheaper to drive my car than my wife's Subaru, because I got just great mileage.
Well, now the thing will not start, and I have to take it into the shop. It's not the starter as I originally thought, but something with the electrical equipment. Add that with my botched attempt to tow the sucker (apparently there isn't a tow hook on the front of the thing), it's going to be rather expensive to get it fixed.
So now I'm looking for a new car. With the option of biodiesel pretty much null, I need another vehicle with excellent fuel economy, and will be comfortable for me, my wife, my son, and the new baby on the way. So, I started checking out Hybrids.
Now, don't get me wrong, I would rather have another alternative, i.e. electric car, but currently there isn't an electric car option that will give me the range that I need. The batteries are just not efficient enough (though they may be in the next 5 years). Hydrogen isn't really an option, because there isn't an environmentally friendly way of creating it in a timely manner. That, and fuel cells are just too expensive (can't imagine why, with all that platinum).
The Hybrids I checked out were listed on http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybrid_sbs_Cars.shtml, which is the government's fuel efficiency listing of vehicles. I was looking for a cost-effective vehicle that would get roughly the same fuel efficiency that I get with my Jetta TDI.
The Prius
The first car I think of when I think Hybrid is the Prius. At first I thought it was a joke, not getting the fuel efficiency that most other economy vehicles get. But then I actually took a ride in one. It's nice, very geeky, and has a great display. The ride was smooth, and when running just on battery power, it's very silent. You can also urk more bang for your buck if you let the wheels charge the battery for you. For those on a hill (like the one here at the U), it's great! And finally, the fuel efficiency is about 50 mpg on the Highway. That I like.
The Civic
The runner-up is the Honda Civic Hybrid. It's a little more expensive, gets almost the same mpg, and has roughly the same options. Why didn't I choose it? because it's a little more expensive! I'm a Scot, after all. ^_^
Other options were looked at, but nothing else came even remotely close. I looked at GM cars, Ford, and others, but none offered the same level of fuel efficiency as either the Prius or the Civic. I never thought I would go back to a Japanese car after driving a German one, but it looks like I may. After all, my Korean vehicle lasted longer than any other car I've had.
There is still one thing missing before my wife and I actually get the car, and that is the ability to car-pool. Once we get that worked out, we will be all set. It means one of us relocating our work spaces, which could happen soon, and it will not be me. ^_^
Of course, I'm of the school of thought that it's easier to fix your car than to take it in. Boy was I wrong. The last car I had to fix was my Geo Metro, which is more of a toy, and has mostly all mechanical parts. I loved it, because I could troubleshoot and replace just about anything on that baby. I was real cut up when the thing finally gave up the ghost, and I needed a new car.
I chose the Volkswagen because they had a good reputation for reliability, and they were filled with the features I was looking for. Also, they had a Turbo Diesel Injection engine that gets up to 52 mpg with the Jetta (the New Beetle got 60). That's why I really wanted it. Sure, diesel was more expensive than regular gas, but I could burn biodiesel.
Well, biodiesel hit a snag when I found out about a Salt Lake County law that prohibited the transportation of used cooking oil without a $million insurance policy. My guess is a company business was being protected from biodiesel hobbyists, but none the less it put a dampener on my plans. Still, it was cheaper to drive my car than my wife's Subaru, because I got just great mileage.
Well, now the thing will not start, and I have to take it into the shop. It's not the starter as I originally thought, but something with the electrical equipment. Add that with my botched attempt to tow the sucker (apparently there isn't a tow hook on the front of the thing), it's going to be rather expensive to get it fixed.
So now I'm looking for a new car. With the option of biodiesel pretty much null, I need another vehicle with excellent fuel economy, and will be comfortable for me, my wife, my son, and the new baby on the way. So, I started checking out Hybrids.
Now, don't get me wrong, I would rather have another alternative, i.e. electric car, but currently there isn't an electric car option that will give me the range that I need. The batteries are just not efficient enough (though they may be in the next 5 years). Hydrogen isn't really an option, because there isn't an environmentally friendly way of creating it in a timely manner. That, and fuel cells are just too expensive (can't imagine why, with all that platinum).
The Hybrids I checked out were listed on http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybrid_sbs_Cars.shtml, which is the government's fuel efficiency listing of vehicles. I was looking for a cost-effective vehicle that would get roughly the same fuel efficiency that I get with my Jetta TDI.
The Prius
The first car I think of when I think Hybrid is the Prius. At first I thought it was a joke, not getting the fuel efficiency that most other economy vehicles get. But then I actually took a ride in one. It's nice, very geeky, and has a great display. The ride was smooth, and when running just on battery power, it's very silent. You can also urk more bang for your buck if you let the wheels charge the battery for you. For those on a hill (like the one here at the U), it's great! And finally, the fuel efficiency is about 50 mpg on the Highway. That I like.
The Civic
The runner-up is the Honda Civic Hybrid. It's a little more expensive, gets almost the same mpg, and has roughly the same options. Why didn't I choose it? because it's a little more expensive! I'm a Scot, after all. ^_^
Other options were looked at, but nothing else came even remotely close. I looked at GM cars, Ford, and others, but none offered the same level of fuel efficiency as either the Prius or the Civic. I never thought I would go back to a Japanese car after driving a German one, but it looks like I may. After all, my Korean vehicle lasted longer than any other car I've had.
There is still one thing missing before my wife and I actually get the car, and that is the ability to car-pool. Once we get that worked out, we will be all set. It means one of us relocating our work spaces, which could happen soon, and it will not be me. ^_^
Monday, May 05, 2008
The Little Things
Today my wife was feeling really bad, and we needed to work out a way for my son to get to school and get home. So, I took a sick day to take care of my wife and my son. So I ran to work first to set up the CCNA Bootcamp that started today, and then I ran back home to take my son to school.
Once there, I checked with my son's teacher and told her the results of his psychologist visit. Jonathan couldn't wait to start playing, and ran right in with the other children.
I then came home, did some yard work, got some Jello for my wife, and then headed back to get my son. He was sitting on the teacher's lap, and looking at a book! Now, you may think this isn't a big deal, but my son has no attention span for books as part of his disorder.
As we were leaving, he gave his teacher some eye contact. Eye contact! He doesn't give people eye contact, as part of his disorder. This is a huge advancement for him. It means that he is working through his disorder in order to communicate.
Overjoyed, I brought him home. He then asked for juice, which he never has before. His vocabulary is growing, and each day I get more and more excited. He's spending more time indicating, and less time trying to make me get what he wants. Of course, he still wants to do things on his own, and I'm still willing to let him dress himself and get his own dinner. But all things considered, I'm excited that he is willing to include us in his life.
Once there, I checked with my son's teacher and told her the results of his psychologist visit. Jonathan couldn't wait to start playing, and ran right in with the other children.
I then came home, did some yard work, got some Jello for my wife, and then headed back to get my son. He was sitting on the teacher's lap, and looking at a book! Now, you may think this isn't a big deal, but my son has no attention span for books as part of his disorder.
As we were leaving, he gave his teacher some eye contact. Eye contact! He doesn't give people eye contact, as part of his disorder. This is a huge advancement for him. It means that he is working through his disorder in order to communicate.
Overjoyed, I brought him home. He then asked for juice, which he never has before. His vocabulary is growing, and each day I get more and more excited. He's spending more time indicating, and less time trying to make me get what he wants. Of course, he still wants to do things on his own, and I'm still willing to let him dress himself and get his own dinner. But all things considered, I'm excited that he is willing to include us in his life.
The Little Things
Today my wife was feeling really bad, and we needed to work out a way for my son to get to school and get home. So, I took a sick day to take care of my wife and my son. So I ran to work first to set up the CCNA Bootcamp that started today, and then I ran back home to take my son to school.
Once there, I checked with my son's teacher and told her the results of his psychologist visit. Jonathan couldn't wait to start playing, and ran right in with the other children.
I then came home, did some yard work, got some Jello for my wife, and then headed back to get my son. He was sitting on the teacher's lap, and looking at a book! Now, you may think this isn't a big deal, but my son has no attention span for books as part of his disorder.
As we were leaving, he gave his teacher some eye contact. Eye contact! He doesn't give people eye contact, as part of his disorder. This is a huge advancement for him. It means that he is working through his disorder in order to communicate.
Overjoyed, I brought him home. He then asked for juice, which he never has before. His vocabulary is growing, and each day I get more and more excited. He's spending more time indicating, and less time trying to make me get what he wants. Of course, he still wants to do things on his own, and I'm still willing to let him dress himself and get his own dinner. But all things considered, I'm excited that he is willing to include us in his life.
Once there, I checked with my son's teacher and told her the results of his psychologist visit. Jonathan couldn't wait to start playing, and ran right in with the other children.
I then came home, did some yard work, got some Jello for my wife, and then headed back to get my son. He was sitting on the teacher's lap, and looking at a book! Now, you may think this isn't a big deal, but my son has no attention span for books as part of his disorder.
As we were leaving, he gave his teacher some eye contact. Eye contact! He doesn't give people eye contact, as part of his disorder. This is a huge advancement for him. It means that he is working through his disorder in order to communicate.
Overjoyed, I brought him home. He then asked for juice, which he never has before. His vocabulary is growing, and each day I get more and more excited. He's spending more time indicating, and less time trying to make me get what he wants. Of course, he still wants to do things on his own, and I'm still willing to let him dress himself and get his own dinner. But all things considered, I'm excited that he is willing to include us in his life.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Getting a Handle on Professional Training: Cognitive Load
Education is an interesting beast. Everyone wants to learn as much as possible in as little time as possible, so that they can apply what they have learned right away. Unfortunately, the human mind doesn't work that way. Instead the brain keeps your short term memory locked up and passes on only a small portion to your long term memory. So no matter how much you can technically cram into a small amount of time, only a small portion will be translated to long term memory.
So what is a professional trainer to do? How do you deal with cognitive load while still giving a high-quality and timely education experience? it's a problem that educators have worked on for generations.
I was thinking about this in preparation for a training trip. I will be participating in training to expand our Mac OS X 10.5 Certification offerings, and I want to be sure that any feedback will be timely and well placed. So I started reviewing in my mind the events, lectures, and material from the first couple classes I attended.
For those couple of people who have been following my blog, you may recall previous posts that covered these events. The materials have a much better design, and provide a lot of great material. But that's just the problem: they have a lot of material.
Both classes have been tight to teach in the allotted time. Why? Mostly because the exercises tend to be longer, and there are more details in the topics. In fact, both classes would do well to have an additional day added to the course format.
So what can we learn from this in terms of cognitive load? More is not better. In fact, more is definitely that: just more. Instead, the material should be either watered down (so more time can be spent on reinforcing the concepts), or more time should be added to the course.
But what's the magic number? How do you determine the cognitive load distribution for your students? The best way would be to 1) make your lecture time and exercise time half the total course time, and 2) Multiply the Lecture time and Exercise time by the number of skills and knowledge per sub-task. This gives you roughly equal time per sub-task for students to focus on. And finally, 3) take the time of day into consideration: morning is great for lecture while after lunch is best for an exercise.
Of course, in reality, one doesn't necessarily have complete control on the amount of time the training can take. Most employers want a content-heavy training so as to decrease the training costs. So the best thing a trainer can do is provide additional, supplemental information in an external resource. Online materials are ideal. Also, continuing discussions long after the training is over is wonderful, if time and resources allow. With reinforcing materials provided in a central repository (either online or in take away materials), the learners are able to refer back to what they think they recall, but can't quite remember.
So what is a professional trainer to do? How do you deal with cognitive load while still giving a high-quality and timely education experience? it's a problem that educators have worked on for generations.
I was thinking about this in preparation for a training trip. I will be participating in training to expand our Mac OS X 10.5 Certification offerings, and I want to be sure that any feedback will be timely and well placed. So I started reviewing in my mind the events, lectures, and material from the first couple classes I attended.
For those couple of people who have been following my blog, you may recall previous posts that covered these events. The materials have a much better design, and provide a lot of great material. But that's just the problem: they have a lot of material.
Both classes have been tight to teach in the allotted time. Why? Mostly because the exercises tend to be longer, and there are more details in the topics. In fact, both classes would do well to have an additional day added to the course format.
So what can we learn from this in terms of cognitive load? More is not better. In fact, more is definitely that: just more. Instead, the material should be either watered down (so more time can be spent on reinforcing the concepts), or more time should be added to the course.
But what's the magic number? How do you determine the cognitive load distribution for your students? The best way would be to 1) make your lecture time and exercise time half the total course time, and 2) Multiply the Lecture time and Exercise time by the number of skills and knowledge per sub-task. This gives you roughly equal time per sub-task for students to focus on. And finally, 3) take the time of day into consideration: morning is great for lecture while after lunch is best for an exercise.
Of course, in reality, one doesn't necessarily have complete control on the amount of time the training can take. Most employers want a content-heavy training so as to decrease the training costs. So the best thing a trainer can do is provide additional, supplemental information in an external resource. Online materials are ideal. Also, continuing discussions long after the training is over is wonderful, if time and resources allow. With reinforcing materials provided in a central repository (either online or in take away materials), the learners are able to refer back to what they think they recall, but can't quite remember.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
The Steampunk Landscape
Steampunk has had my attention for a while now, and fascinated me with their attention to detail. Steampunk mods for computers have been springing up all over the place, with varying degrees of modification. The great thing about Steampunk, in my opinion, is that it focuses on the aesthetic, with form and function both being important. But also, there is a huge focus on technologies that have been abandoned because of varying reasons.
As such, there are very different ideas as to what makes Steampunk "Steam". Some say it requires the presence of some sort of Steam component, such as a steam engine. Others say that anything Victorian is fair game. Still others focus on the gothic and punk aspects with brass and leather thrown in. The thing is, they are all correct in their assumptions! Steampunk is still in it's infancy, and more people are finding that they fit in this designation. To me, Steampunk is characterized by the following:
Victorian Technology
First of all, the Steampunk genre is a reflection of the Victorian era, when science and art blended together. Beautiful creations of brass, iron, steel, and hand-carved wood accent this beautiful period, and meets the craftsmanship of the earlier eras while providing a scientific advance in technology. The reason why it's called Steampunk is because the primary locomotive method of the time was Steam. Some may argue that it still is, as all our internal combustion engines use expanding gasses to operate, as do Steam Engines.
And then, there were the early science fiction writers, like Verne and Wells. While many of their imagined inventions have come to life, others are still in the realms of fantasy. These men and women were responsible for many advancements because of their imaginations they provided. And what's more (and arguably more important), they romanticized science by appealing to our most basic nature in discovery. That is what makes their work just as compelling today as it did in the 19th century.
Adventure and Exploration
I've been a strong supporter of space exploration ever since I saw Star Trek. I couldn't understand why, or even why the show was appealing to me. But then it hit: It's because of the adventure of finding something new. Growing up my friends and I would try to come up with new ways to travel, if just for that experience in exploration. Steampunk continues that same experience.
Rudyard Kipling and Egar Rice Burroughs exemplified these feelings of exploration with their books. Ever since I saw and subsequently read the "Jungle Book" and "Tarzan", I was hooked. The idea of living in the wild, with new and exciting things around the next tree appealed to me. And of course, the lack of a lot of people around. That in particular appealed to me. ^_^ Exploration and adventure is just something that I feel reflects the spirit of Steampunk, whether it be the adventure of a new land, or the adventure in a new skill.
Romance
My wife will be the first to tell you that I'm not a very romantic person. I'm not the type that buys flowers (I prefer to grow them myself and cut them for my wife), nor am I the type that likes to watch a romantic comedy (unless it's "While you were Sleeping", where I can watch the kid wipe out on his bike on the sidewalk ^_^). But I do feel romance and infatuation: I love my wife in all aspects, and not because of any one characteristic.
And this is the same with Steampunk. Quality is more important than any one aspect. Technology that just works is nice, but it has to have the form to go with it. Would you prefer just plastic, or does a polished Oak finish turn your eye? Those things that are real, tangible, grounded, physical... these things are of benefit to the Steampunk community because they can be enjoyed beyond the simple function.
The Intangible
Having just explained the necessity for the tangible, I'm now making an argument for the intangible. Those forces that are not explained, not understood, and not documented. Partly supernatural, partly fantastic, the Steampunk genre focuses on the unknown. From Vampires and wizards to unexplained power sources, Steampunk makes tangible devices that can interact with the intangible.
The Darker Side of Steampunk
Disasters, governmental collapse, colonial defense from the "Horde", it's all part of the darker side of Steampunk. Part Gothic, part Cyberpunk, part "Mad Max", you find that Steampunk can survive well in this situation. And how? By building their own machines, generating their own power, being resourceful in dismantling the old and worn out, then breathing new life into it.
Aristocracy
Another interesting aspect of Steampunk is it's tendency for Oligarchies or Aristocracies. Many Steampunk proponents adopt aristocratic names, "Baron", "Dutchess", "von", "Sir", and so on. This suggests a need to be set apart, above those that are more "common". Perhaps it's a feeling of elitism, or perhaps it's the need to feel important and unique. My inclination is to believe the latter.
Education
Those of the Steampunk genre that are not particularly connected to the aristocracy will generally adopt an education title, "Dean", "Professor", "Doctor", and so on. What is interesting is that most of the Steampunk participants that I know actually hold those titles: a suggestion that the Steampunk genre appeals best to the most educated.
So those are my theories behind the genre of Steampunk. It's interesting because it appeals to so many people on so many levels, and still manages to create a community around it. Don't believe me? Try getting some land in Caledon in Second Life. This is a Steampunk/Victorian land that is very, very difficult to join. Once my land is complete, I'll post a link to a friend of mine, Sea Beaumont. She is building a repository of all things Steampunk, and will be housed across the street from my home in Caledon Downs.
So the question you can now ask yourself is whether or not you would fit into the Steampunk genre. Do you like anything above? And in particular, do you like to craft anything by hand?
As such, there are very different ideas as to what makes Steampunk "Steam". Some say it requires the presence of some sort of Steam component, such as a steam engine. Others say that anything Victorian is fair game. Still others focus on the gothic and punk aspects with brass and leather thrown in. The thing is, they are all correct in their assumptions! Steampunk is still in it's infancy, and more people are finding that they fit in this designation. To me, Steampunk is characterized by the following:
Victorian Technology
First of all, the Steampunk genre is a reflection of the Victorian era, when science and art blended together. Beautiful creations of brass, iron, steel, and hand-carved wood accent this beautiful period, and meets the craftsmanship of the earlier eras while providing a scientific advance in technology. The reason why it's called Steampunk is because the primary locomotive method of the time was Steam. Some may argue that it still is, as all our internal combustion engines use expanding gasses to operate, as do Steam Engines.
And then, there were the early science fiction writers, like Verne and Wells. While many of their imagined inventions have come to life, others are still in the realms of fantasy. These men and women were responsible for many advancements because of their imaginations they provided. And what's more (and arguably more important), they romanticized science by appealing to our most basic nature in discovery. That is what makes their work just as compelling today as it did in the 19th century.
Adventure and Exploration
I've been a strong supporter of space exploration ever since I saw Star Trek. I couldn't understand why, or even why the show was appealing to me. But then it hit: It's because of the adventure of finding something new. Growing up my friends and I would try to come up with new ways to travel, if just for that experience in exploration. Steampunk continues that same experience.
Rudyard Kipling and Egar Rice Burroughs exemplified these feelings of exploration with their books. Ever since I saw and subsequently read the "Jungle Book" and "Tarzan", I was hooked. The idea of living in the wild, with new and exciting things around the next tree appealed to me. And of course, the lack of a lot of people around. That in particular appealed to me. ^_^ Exploration and adventure is just something that I feel reflects the spirit of Steampunk, whether it be the adventure of a new land, or the adventure in a new skill.
Romance
My wife will be the first to tell you that I'm not a very romantic person. I'm not the type that buys flowers (I prefer to grow them myself and cut them for my wife), nor am I the type that likes to watch a romantic comedy (unless it's "While you were Sleeping", where I can watch the kid wipe out on his bike on the sidewalk ^_^). But I do feel romance and infatuation: I love my wife in all aspects, and not because of any one characteristic.
And this is the same with Steampunk. Quality is more important than any one aspect. Technology that just works is nice, but it has to have the form to go with it. Would you prefer just plastic, or does a polished Oak finish turn your eye? Those things that are real, tangible, grounded, physical... these things are of benefit to the Steampunk community because they can be enjoyed beyond the simple function.
The Intangible
Having just explained the necessity for the tangible, I'm now making an argument for the intangible. Those forces that are not explained, not understood, and not documented. Partly supernatural, partly fantastic, the Steampunk genre focuses on the unknown. From Vampires and wizards to unexplained power sources, Steampunk makes tangible devices that can interact with the intangible.
The Darker Side of Steampunk
Disasters, governmental collapse, colonial defense from the "Horde", it's all part of the darker side of Steampunk. Part Gothic, part Cyberpunk, part "Mad Max", you find that Steampunk can survive well in this situation. And how? By building their own machines, generating their own power, being resourceful in dismantling the old and worn out, then breathing new life into it.
Aristocracy
Another interesting aspect of Steampunk is it's tendency for Oligarchies or Aristocracies. Many Steampunk proponents adopt aristocratic names, "Baron", "Dutchess", "von", "Sir", and so on. This suggests a need to be set apart, above those that are more "common". Perhaps it's a feeling of elitism, or perhaps it's the need to feel important and unique. My inclination is to believe the latter.
Education
Those of the Steampunk genre that are not particularly connected to the aristocracy will generally adopt an education title, "Dean", "Professor", "Doctor", and so on. What is interesting is that most of the Steampunk participants that I know actually hold those titles: a suggestion that the Steampunk genre appeals best to the most educated.
So those are my theories behind the genre of Steampunk. It's interesting because it appeals to so many people on so many levels, and still manages to create a community around it. Don't believe me? Try getting some land in Caledon in Second Life. This is a Steampunk/Victorian land that is very, very difficult to join. Once my land is complete, I'll post a link to a friend of mine, Sea Beaumont. She is building a repository of all things Steampunk, and will be housed across the street from my home in Caledon Downs.
So the question you can now ask yourself is whether or not you would fit into the Steampunk genre. Do you like anything above? And in particular, do you like to craft anything by hand?
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Taking the Social Networking Plunge: Using Twitter
Lately I have been sucked into the Social Networking scheme. I think someone is trying to tell me something about individuality and the need to collaborate, but I have been creating social networking logins all over the scene.
It started with my sister-in-law convincing my sister to sign up at GoodReads, and my sister subsequently sending it to me. I didn't see any harm in it, as it was a place for me to post the books that I have read and currently reading. Not too invasive, right?
Next, my colleague introduced me to Last.FM, which is quickly taking the place of my regular iTunes materials. After all, where else can I get Abney Park mixed with Vernian Process and Dolphins? It's now become an addiction, and I've only had it for one day.
The final straw now is getting a Twitter account. I've never seen the point in spending so much time writing about what I am doing. Isn't that what a blog is for? well, yes and no. A blog is great for longer thoughts, essays, comments, etc. that take a lot of thought and time to explain. But what about those single thoughts, complaints about something not compiling, or little projects that just don't take a lot of time? This is what Twitter allows you to do.
And I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my productivity. I can use it to document the projects I do during the day, so I can look back and see just what it was I accomplished while working. So, believe it or not, I've actually taken the plunge into the Social Networking scene. Perhaps soon, I may actually become a social person. ^_^
It started with my sister-in-law convincing my sister to sign up at GoodReads, and my sister subsequently sending it to me. I didn't see any harm in it, as it was a place for me to post the books that I have read and currently reading. Not too invasive, right?
Next, my colleague introduced me to Last.FM, which is quickly taking the place of my regular iTunes materials. After all, where else can I get Abney Park mixed with Vernian Process and Dolphins? It's now become an addiction, and I've only had it for one day.
The final straw now is getting a Twitter account. I've never seen the point in spending so much time writing about what I am doing. Isn't that what a blog is for? well, yes and no. A blog is great for longer thoughts, essays, comments, etc. that take a lot of thought and time to explain. But what about those single thoughts, complaints about something not compiling, or little projects that just don't take a lot of time? This is what Twitter allows you to do.
And I'm now using Twitter to keep track of my productivity. I can use it to document the projects I do during the day, so I can look back and see just what it was I accomplished while working. So, believe it or not, I've actually taken the plunge into the Social Networking scene. Perhaps soon, I may actually become a social person. ^_^
Monday, April 28, 2008
New Theme!
Generally I don't change designs of a site, mostly because I'm not a big design person. But today I found a really cool Steampunk theme that I just had to implement. I really like it, and I hope you all do too. ^_^
I think I'll stick with this one, since it's a pretty nice theme. At least until I find one that is a bit more in line with the topics I cover.
Let me know what you think!
I think I'll stick with this one, since it's a pretty nice theme. At least until I find one that is a bit more in line with the topics I cover.
Let me know what you think!
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