SparkPoint

Years ago, after stumbling upon the utility of external web-based start pages like My Yahoo, My Excite, My IWon, and the like, I found I was more and more “at home” with My Excite. Unfortunately, after a year or two of that, they changed their format, added too-numerous ads, and generally messed with a good thing. Argh. Too many changes to make it enjoyable anymore. I looked around for something to fill the void and eventually found My MyWay, which was basically patterned after the old Excite personalized start pages, but without the ads. I was saved!

I still use My Way to this day. It loads quick, is very configurable, and generally does all the things a good start page should. A virtual home sweet home. You might want to check it out, even if you’re happy with your current start page or don’t even use one. And, no, I don’t get any “referrals” for this blurb - it’s just an unsolicited opinion about something I find very useful, which you might also.

I’ve taken the plunge and added ad-content to many of my more popular web pages. I do this because all this costs money, which of course I’d like to defray, and at the same time I’m all about the content that my pages provide. Well-chosen ads have actually added to the content that my visitors appreciate - things like Google’s AdSense and Chitika MiniMalls can bring to light offerings that your visitors are also interested in. They do this by only serving ads that match the subject matter of the page that they appear on - and the visitor wouldn’t be there if they weren’t interested in that subject! If you’re careful to format them, size-wise and color-wise, to match and add to your pages rather than intrude, then you can both provide useful content for your visitors and at the same time earn a few cents each time someone clicks on them. With lots of visits, this adds up. Heck, click on the ads on the right if any look interesting. Thanks. ;-)

Yep, I like electronics and gadgets. I guess that makes me a techie, a geek, a nerd, whathaveyou. I build my own computers from parts (and then build computers for family and friends out of those parts when I upgrade *grin*). I have to admit that Newegg is one of my favorite sources, along with TigerDirect - both of these are unsolicited recommendations, so make of that what you will. Like many self-respecting computer do-it-yourselfers, I prefer linux and open-source software (generally GPL). Currently I run Mandriva Linux LE2005 on my personal computer at home, and I have that acting as a firewall/router for the other 3 machines in the house through a 54g wireless network. The other machines are my wife’s and my kids’ computers, as well as my own laptop.

Of course I’m not just limited to computers - I have the requisite digital camera (with video), mp3 players, USB memory sticks, DVD players and burners, digital satellite with hard-drive, VCRs, TVs, CD players, remote-control flying saucer, USB external drives, digital bicycle speedometer, pedometer, and all sorts of other electronics gadgets. But some of the more mundane gadgets are fun and quite useful as well: table saw, cordless drill, hand-held mixer, Dremel tool, etc. These latter ones were instrumental in some renovations I’ve been doing on the house.

These days, gadgets might also extend to software since computers are so pervasive and important to everyday life. Sticking with my 0pen-source bent, my office suite is OpenOffice.org and sometimes I use AbiWord for word-processing. I try to steer clear of anything by MicroSloth - I don’t like feeling like a person that is forced to pay to be a beta-tester. Other useful software utilities I recommend include:

• the GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Program; a very full-featured image processing suite - who needs PhotoShop?
• Mozilla - the best multi-platform browser out there!
• TightVNC - an open-source remote-desktop utility for Windows; quite useful!
• Total Commander - a shareware file manager that’s loads more than that.
• Trillian - an integrated multi-Messenger (MSN, Yahoo, AOL, ICQ, etc).

And I write my own software and such - I have implemented a complex interlocking series of analysis scripts that automatically produce webpages for the online game eTapout, a MMA fighting simulator. My host for this is so good I can recommend it heartily: HostColor.com. I also write all my own web pages in raw HTML, using EditPad Lite, a tabbed highlighting text editor. And of course the normal work and analyses of all sorts of things with spreadsheets.

So, yep, I’m a techie, a geek, a gadgeteer…. I’m an addict. ;-)

I just got back from teaching freshman chemistry for nursing majors where I handed back their recent Exam. Which they bombed. I don’t know who was more unahappy about that - me or them. I seriously wanted them to get the material and do well, and I took pains to let them know exactly what they needed to go about doing in order to do well. I hoped, rather optimistically, that they would step up and knock it out of the park. It even seemed that the questions I would ask in class were coming along nicely, and they would chime in with good answers - they seemed to be getting it. Maybe paper is quite different than voice. And maybe those that were silent were just clueless.

The problem is that only a small fraction of the class even attempted the on-line review problems, and an even smaller fraction even turned in the homework problems. And no-one came to my office to get help. Furthermore, it’s obvious that people don’t read the text or even go over the in-class example problems, let alone those in the book. I’m at a loss about what to do given those kinds of things.

In the meantime, I’m having them re-work the problems they missed on the Exam - this will count as much as two quiz grades. The material is important enough that they need to get it one way or another.

My thoughts on this? Well, as I explained to them:

Listen and take notes in class. Read the chapters. Work through the examples in the text and in class. Do the homework problems. Do the online review. If you don’t do these kinds of things, how can you expect to learn what you don’t already know? And you might as well learn it before the Exams, since you’re going to have to redo what you missed afterwards anyway, only for a LOT less credit.

It’s your responsibility to actually learn – I can’t learn it for you and beam it into your head, I can only guide, point, explain and prod. It’s up to you to do what it takes for you to learn and truly understand the material.

Deepsquatter.com :: Tye’s Training

You can find my training logs for lifting and getting ready for the triathlon (now Oct 30th) at the above link. I’ll probably start using this blog as well from now on.

…And air-conditioning!

We finally have power once again. I don’t feel quite like I’m camping so much anymore. Now I have lots to catch up on with bills and upkeep and more. 8 days without power, 2 days without water - amazing how quickly you get back to basics in such a situation. It’s also amazing how quickly you get used to the heat and lack of light. Yep, humans are still adaptable - there might be some hope for us yet!

We had no damage to our property other than small branches all over the yard, so we were lucky in that regard. Hardly any rain came with this hurricane, strangely enough - and none of the predicted 10’s of inches and concomitant flooding. Most people got power days before we did, but our neighbors just down the street are still without, and likely to be so for days to come. I’ll be picking up the yard more tomorrow and doing chores and such.