Hi,
Here is my update to my Vistaaahhh post. I successfully installed the Novell Client and am able to log in to eDirectory and Active Directory. No problems. I have access to all my network resources. Well, except printing. I will need to add them manually. The Novell Client for Vista doesn't support NDPS. I also installed Microsoft Office 2003, along with Project and Visio. Including all necessary Microsoft updates. Seems to be running fine for me.
I will try and use my notebook more than usual to give it a good test. So far I am alright with it. I do wonder why though. Why the need for an upgrade to Vista? Personally I haven't found anything in Vista that I can't do in XP. Except for the addition of Chess Titans Now that would have been nice to have with XP. I like the transparent Windows, but they aren't that big of a deal to me. Better security, but other than that which is intended to protect you while on line. I do not need the rest. I am the only one who uses use my notebook.
Well that's about it for now. Oh, one more thing, but it is not totally Vista related. Why do some people get so emotional over a computer operating system? It is just a tool and a preference. Use what you like and if you can't well learn how to use what you have. They are no different than the tools you might have in your garage. I have one to remove and oil filter, another for sparkplugs, and so forth. Some I use to pry with, even though they weren't designed for it. Then when they break I have only myself too blame. People are like that with computer programs, operating systems included. Before you start worrying about how it wont do this or that. Maybe it wasn't designed to do this or that. I think half our frustration with technology is our inablitiy to learn what it is for and how to use it. We shouldn't be affraid to ask for some help.
Well that's it.
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Do We Take the Time?
I am on the ITS Help Desk and just had a call from a patron who was trying to watch a live TV stream from Access Fort Wayne. They were trying to watch (online) the Board of Public Works, Live. Scheduled for 9:00 am on Channel 58.
At first I was confused. Is there a live stream that isn't working and should I just transfer the caller to Access Fort Wayne? But wait, this goes out from our network so it could be an ITS problem. Being a bit bewildered, I spent some more time with him. I found out he was at the City of Fort Wayne's website and was looking at the schedule for Channel 58. I asked him to walk me through to where he encountered the problem. As I clicked through I ended up at Access Video On the Web. This page has a link to watch CityTV live streams from 1pm to 5pm. Problem solved!
This call made me think of some of the transfers we get. For example I had a call that was transferred because "the person is having trouble connecting". They were actually using their own Internet Service Provider to connect to an E-Resource and were being asked to authenticate to gain access. It was an E-Resource that is only available to users at a library branch or who use our dial up. Another call that I remember that was transferred had to do with a patrons library card account. Why ITS got the transfer beats me. Maybe staff entered our extension by mistake, or the caller asked for the Help Desk. We have several that address specific concerns. I ended up having to transfer the caller to the Circulation Department. These were all questions that could have been answered or appropriately transferred by staff who had the initial contact with the patron.
So what is my point? None really. I just noticed that when I took the time to fully understand what the patron was trying to do. I was then able to give them an appropriate answer. Thus, avoiding transferring them to someone else that would have eventually given them the same answer.
Comments are welcome. Please... be kind. :-)
At first I was confused. Is there a live stream that isn't working and should I just transfer the caller to Access Fort Wayne? But wait, this goes out from our network so it could be an ITS problem. Being a bit bewildered, I spent some more time with him. I found out he was at the City of Fort Wayne's website and was looking at the schedule for Channel 58. I asked him to walk me through to where he encountered the problem. As I clicked through I ended up at Access Video On the Web. This page has a link to watch CityTV live streams from 1pm to 5pm. Problem solved!
This call made me think of some of the transfers we get. For example I had a call that was transferred because "the person is having trouble connecting". They were actually using their own Internet Service Provider to connect to an E-Resource and were being asked to authenticate to gain access. It was an E-Resource that is only available to users at a library branch or who use our dial up. Another call that I remember that was transferred had to do with a patrons library card account. Why ITS got the transfer beats me. Maybe staff entered our extension by mistake, or the caller asked for the Help Desk. We have several that address specific concerns. I ended up having to transfer the caller to the Circulation Department. These were all questions that could have been answered or appropriately transferred by staff who had the initial contact with the patron.
So what is my point? None really. I just noticed that when I took the time to fully understand what the patron was trying to do. I was then able to give them an appropriate answer. Thus, avoiding transferring them to someone else that would have eventually given them the same answer.
Comments are welcome. Please... be kind. :-)
Monday, May 12, 2008
Vistaaahhh
I installed Vista on my Dell notebook a while ago. All I use it for is to remote into my Desktop computer at Library Plaza. I also use it for Overdrive, WOWO streams (when I feel like listening to a bunch of wind bags hehe), and the occasional DVD from AMM. So I am not your typical user of Vista. Now my desktop has XP on it. That is another story. Power User babyyyyyyy!
All the default Windows drivers seem to work OK on my Dell Inspiron 8600. I recently had it refurbished. Seven days left on the warranty and Dell replaced the palm rest, touch pad, LCD and cover. The hard drive was replaced about a year ago. I also upgraded from a Gig of RAM to 2 GB.
What do I think of Vista? Well... I can't say. First I am learning where things are. It is a new OS so Microsoft had to go and change some things. Once I get all that figured out and more comfortable with the desktop environment I will let you know. I, for one, don't understand why they had to push out a new OS. Windows XPSP2 was fine. It runs all our software at work and all my games at home. So why the need? I will leave that answer up to you. I have my ideas but I am not going to go postal at the moment I did that yesterday on my health kick post.
Service Packs
Recently Microsoft pushed out a major service packs for their two main flavors of Windows. Vista SP1 and XPSP3. Here is my take. Service packs are good especially if they fix flaws in the system. As for the installation of Windows XPSP3 on my desktop computer at work. NOT! My system became a bit unstable. Fortunately I was able to uninstall it through Add/Remove Programs and things are back to normal. Now Vista was a 1800. Flawless installation for SP1 and my notebook seems to be doing just fine.
One thing I learned is that operating systems are essentially tools. It is a matter of preference and what you want to use them for that guides many of us to choose the one we use. In some cases its because one OS over another is already pre-installed from the factory. Professionally speaking, I do need to become better acquainted with Linux. That is for another day and post.
Right now Vista suits my notebook pretty good. As soon as I install more programs, or use it for more than a remote gateway so to speak, I will let you know how it goes.
All the default Windows drivers seem to work OK on my Dell Inspiron 8600. I recently had it refurbished. Seven days left on the warranty and Dell replaced the palm rest, touch pad, LCD and cover. The hard drive was replaced about a year ago. I also upgraded from a Gig of RAM to 2 GB.
What do I think of Vista? Well... I can't say. First I am learning where things are. It is a new OS so Microsoft had to go and change some things. Once I get all that figured out and more comfortable with the desktop environment I will let you know. I, for one, don't understand why they had to push out a new OS. Windows XPSP2 was fine. It runs all our software at work and all my games at home. So why the need? I will leave that answer up to you. I have my ideas but I am not going to go postal at the moment I did that yesterday on my health kick post.
Service Packs
Recently Microsoft pushed out a major service packs for their two main flavors of Windows. Vista SP1 and XPSP3. Here is my take. Service packs are good especially if they fix flaws in the system. As for the installation of Windows XPSP3 on my desktop computer at work. NOT! My system became a bit unstable. Fortunately I was able to uninstall it through Add/Remove Programs and things are back to normal. Now Vista was a 1800. Flawless installation for SP1 and my notebook seems to be doing just fine.
One thing I learned is that operating systems are essentially tools. It is a matter of preference and what you want to use them for that guides many of us to choose the one we use. In some cases its because one OS over another is already pre-installed from the factory. Professionally speaking, I do need to become better acquainted with Linux. That is for another day and post.
Right now Vista suits my notebook pretty good. As soon as I install more programs, or use it for more than a remote gateway so to speak, I will let you know how it goes.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Healthy Wellness Fitness and all that other Crap
You know, I am so tired of people giving medical advice. Especially about my health. What gets me more is many of these people don't even have a medical degree, let alone the medical background I have (Thank you Uncle Sam). Enough about me.
On to all this healthy talk. First off we all started to die the day we were born. Once you accept this fact life is good. You begin to realize the beauty and wonder of life. Second, no one really knows when they will die. If they do then maybe they should apply for a job as the Messiah. Once you accept this fact, you wont have to worry about other people and their health. In fact, you may begin to spend more time focusing on your own. The third thing is even the healthiest people die.
Shocker isn't it! How can this be? Simple... Life. In case you haven't noticed it, the human body can be very fragile. The smallest most undetected thing, or even something common in all of us could contribute to our early demise. A lot of people have blebs, they are like small blisters on your lungs. When one of these rupture it feels very painful and like the wind was knocked out of you. Doctors usually give patients something for the pain and bed rest. On rare occasions fluid can enter into the chest cavity and without proper treatment the person can die. We have also all heard stories of people dieing from heart problems that had previously been undetected. Marathon runner dies from stroke or something like that. You could also get into an accident and die from your injuries. So there, even the best and worse of us can pass on from any unknown reason. Why does one lifelong smoker live well into their 80's while another one in their 30's ends up with lung cancer and dies? Life.
Why we are so concerned with health bugs me. I think we should be concerned with quality or quantity. Yes, being healthy plays a role in all of this. But if you were to ask someone who is dieing prematurely they might be more concerned with quality than quantity. They know their life is being cut short and they are probably going to live as much of it as they can to the fullest of their ability. Someone else might have suffered a heart attack or some other health scare that causes them to reevaluate their life style and personal health. This person may be more concerned with quantity. The health scare was enough to make them realize that maybe they want to be around to see their kid graduate or get married. Maybe they just aren't ready to call it quits.
OK, I know I am rambling and venting. But I think if we all just took a moment to sit back, smell the coffee, and decide to live life. I think we would be happier. Just wake up and seize the day, live for that day as if it was the last day. Do you really want the last thing someone remembers about you, is how you ragged on them about their health? Would you feel superior if the person you ragged on died after you spoke to them? Did you ever consider that the coworker you are ragging on may feel that it contributes to a hostile workplace? You know they might. Maybe they just think it is just plain rude. Why can't you see past these things? Maybe they decided to let a few people in on their health issues not because they need or want your advice. Maybe it is so an EMT will know what to do for them in case the are incapacitated. People have died from being given meds that didn't mis well with what they were already taking.
Healthy talk is fine. I just would like us all to consider the other person's feelings before we start giving unsolicited advice.
Thanks for letting me rant!
Remember to smile and laugh, it is your greatest gift to give.
On to all this healthy talk. First off we all started to die the day we were born. Once you accept this fact life is good. You begin to realize the beauty and wonder of life. Second, no one really knows when they will die. If they do then maybe they should apply for a job as the Messiah. Once you accept this fact, you wont have to worry about other people and their health. In fact, you may begin to spend more time focusing on your own. The third thing is even the healthiest people die.
Shocker isn't it! How can this be? Simple... Life. In case you haven't noticed it, the human body can be very fragile. The smallest most undetected thing, or even something common in all of us could contribute to our early demise. A lot of people have blebs, they are like small blisters on your lungs. When one of these rupture it feels very painful and like the wind was knocked out of you. Doctors usually give patients something for the pain and bed rest. On rare occasions fluid can enter into the chest cavity and without proper treatment the person can die. We have also all heard stories of people dieing from heart problems that had previously been undetected. Marathon runner dies from stroke or something like that. You could also get into an accident and die from your injuries. So there, even the best and worse of us can pass on from any unknown reason. Why does one lifelong smoker live well into their 80's while another one in their 30's ends up with lung cancer and dies? Life.
Why we are so concerned with health bugs me. I think we should be concerned with quality or quantity. Yes, being healthy plays a role in all of this. But if you were to ask someone who is dieing prematurely they might be more concerned with quality than quantity. They know their life is being cut short and they are probably going to live as much of it as they can to the fullest of their ability. Someone else might have suffered a heart attack or some other health scare that causes them to reevaluate their life style and personal health. This person may be more concerned with quantity. The health scare was enough to make them realize that maybe they want to be around to see their kid graduate or get married. Maybe they just aren't ready to call it quits.
OK, I know I am rambling and venting. But I think if we all just took a moment to sit back, smell the coffee, and decide to live life. I think we would be happier. Just wake up and seize the day, live for that day as if it was the last day. Do you really want the last thing someone remembers about you, is how you ragged on them about their health? Would you feel superior if the person you ragged on died after you spoke to them? Did you ever consider that the coworker you are ragging on may feel that it contributes to a hostile workplace? You know they might. Maybe they just think it is just plain rude. Why can't you see past these things? Maybe they decided to let a few people in on their health issues not because they need or want your advice. Maybe it is so an EMT will know what to do for them in case the are incapacitated. People have died from being given meds that didn't mis well with what they were already taking.
Healthy talk is fine. I just would like us all to consider the other person's feelings before we start giving unsolicited advice.
Thanks for letting me rant!
Remember to smile and laugh, it is your greatest gift to give.
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