intodimensions.com

NewsForge:

My work involves administering Unix Web servers and a mix of office desktops, along with developing the applications we run on them. I use Mac OS X to do it because it is something like a superset of those other popular OS choices. While much of the software I deploy is free, both as in speech and as in beer, I’m willing to open my wallet for OS X.

I need to connect to, and develop for, more than one platform, and OS X lets me keep all the tools I need in one (really shiny) toolbox. The Mac helps filter complexity for me as I use it, working with a variety of systems, standards, languages, and networking protocols, but presenting them in uncluttered, simple ways.

[posted with ecto]

Gui Avoider:

There is a school of thought out there that seems to think that there is little difference anymore between a Mac and Windows. Given that as a core belief, it is easy to see how those same people can dismiss the claims of Mac users that they are, in fact, more productive on their Macs. I’m going to tell you why I AM more productive on my Mac, and hopefully, give some concrete reasons why.

I am also going to say that I believe that workflow preferences are probably dependent upon a complex matrix of background, understanding of the software tools, the specific tasks that must be accomplished, and brain wiring. Others may have different preferences than I voice here. I’m only telling MY story, in the hope that it will inspire someone somewhere to “think different(ly)”.

I’m also sick of one day/week/month with a Mac” stories. Some switchers just want to see how much they can get away with NOT relearning. If you can do everything that you did before, the same way that you did before, then why switch? And you’ll inevitably reach the “there is no difference” conclusion. Some things about the Mac took me more than a month to get used to, ultimately to find that I liked the Mac way better. Some things struck me as better (at least for me) right away. Some things did not even occur to me until I read or was told about them, and their discovery turned out to be very significant to my computer-using habits.

Bottom line, if you switch to a Mac or are contemplating a switch, you should spend some time and effort learning how it is different in order to see why cost shouldn’t be the sole determiner in choosing a platform.

I’d also like to try to convince people that there is utilitarian value in the attention that Apple pays to details of UI appearance. It is not merely “eye candy” (how desperately I wish that that term would go away).

[posted with ecto]

This is what happens when people have too much free time on their hands

[posted with ecto]

CNET News.com:

Monthly subscription fees for XM Satellite Radio will rise approximately 30 percent, to $12.95, as the company expands its basic service, XM said on Monday.

This makes it even less appealing to subscribe to XM, in my opinion. I’d rather put that money into buying songs from the iTunes Music Store and play them on my iPod on the way to work.

[posted with ecto]

The Writing Center’s next workshop, “Research and the Internet,” will be held on Tuesday, March 1, at 2:15 p.m. in the Lowrimore Auditorium (CEMC 114).� During this workshop, students will learn strategies for conducting an effective Internet search.� We will also review methods for evaluating the credibility and accuracy of web resources.� I recommend this workshop for any student who may be using Internet sources to construct a research paper.
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[posted with ecto]

I just received the Belkin KVM switch I recently won on eBay for $17 and it works great. It lets me use two computers with the same keyboard, monitor (video), mouse, microphone, and speakers (KVMMS?). In my case it’s a Dell desktop running Windows XP and a home-built desktop running Linux. Both computers are on the floor next to the desk and I only have one set of KVMMS on the desk which certainly saves space. It’s easy to change between computers with a switch on the KVM. The main reason for picking this KVM was that it has USB ports. Most cheaper KVMs only have PS/2 ports which is okay but I wanted USB ports.

[posted with ecto]

Boxes and Arrows:

Ads: IAs dislike ‘em; I dislike ‘em. And, as an information purist, I believe everyone dislikes ads. They interfere with navigation. They flash annoyingly. They disrupt the flow of content, awkwardly placed, as so many of them are, right in the middle of the content we want to read. Even worse is when they have been somehow blended into the content, as if we wouldn’t notice. Ads, in short, dilute content and diminish the effect of a page.

This interference can be especially frustrating for IAs. We spend time architecting a page that will meet user needs in the best way possible. We’ve done user research. We’ve understood business models. We’ve brainstormed. We may even know that a page has to support ads, but if you’re like me, you try to place them somewhere out of the way, like the bottom of the page. And then the dreaded moment occurs, probably at the final schematic review, when the marketing director or some other important stakeholder looks at the page, searches in vain (ignoring all your fine work), and finally points to the top of the page and says, “We need an ad right there.”

What’s an IA to do?

[posted with ecto]

E-Commerce News:

When the Internet was still new and e-anything was touted as holding all the promise of tomorrow, e-learning was expected to revolutionize education. It was promoted as a way to help stretch resources on crowded campuses and to teach people who might otherwise be unable or unwilling to attend conventional institutions.

That was then. Not only have some of the earliest efforts by mainstream universities to offer in-depth online programs ended in failure, but other less-ambitious endeavors that attracted an initial burst of interest have seen much flatter growth as the idea failed to generate broad appeal.

That is the experience of the University of Washington. “The numbers of students taking online classes and the number of online programs increased dramatically about three years ago, but have slowed somewhat since then,” said Bob Roseth, a spokesman for the university in Seattle.

Interesting reading, especially considering I had a engaging discussion not too long ago with some of my students about why Francis Marion University doesn’t offer more courses online. They were pretty much in agreement that FMU, and especially the School of Business, should offer more courses online. It’s been my position that in MIS, where we badly need new courses but currently don’t have the resources to offer more course, teaching more online could be helpful. I’m not saying that all courses are suitable for online delivery - they’re not - and I’m also aware that some students are not comfortable with with online delivery. That said, it’s something seriously worth considering.

[posted with ecto]

A graduate school survival guide: “So long, and thanks for the Ph.D!”:

A computer science graduate school survival guide, intended for prospective or novice graduate students. This guide describes what I wish I had known at the start of graduate school but had to learn the hard way instead. It focuses on mental toughness and the skills a graduate student needs. The guide also discusses finding a job after completing the Ph.D. and points to many other related web pages.

It’s funny! Perhaps a bit too particular to CS but funny and helpful nonetheless. I always tell people a PhD is much more about discipline and persistence than it is about intelligence. You don’t have to be particularly smart to finish a PhD, but you need some good luck and the ability to stick with one thing for long enough to finish it, even if it looks gloomy at times (which it will!).

[posted with ecto]

If you’re ever in Myrtle Beach and what to try something a little different in terms of food, try Loyal Thai Restaurant. They have really good food at reasonable prices and a nice atmosphere. A problem might be parking but it shouldn’t detract you from going. If you like spicy food there’s a range of hotness from “mild” to “authentic thai hot”. I can tell you I haven’t tried the “authentic hot” - yet - “medium” is plenty spicy for me.

[posted with ecto]