When asked to weigh the various pedagogical and learning objectives involved in experimenting with a pre-install virtual machine as opposed to building my own, I can look back on my own experience and say I have benefited from a combination of the two. I certainly learned a lot in IRLS 671 and IRLS 675 about the nuts-and-bolts of technology. I feel much more comfortable with working at the command line interface. I understand more about my wireless network at my home (although not well enough in some instances). I grasp the fundamentals of using virtual machines.
However, I still am not and probably never will become an “IT guy.” More importantly, I am thankful that I probably never be asked to fill the role of an IT guy. There are plenty of other folks in the IT industry who will probably find themselves migrating to the library and cultural heritage sectors in the future. As libraries and archives continue to evolve in the 21st century, they will inevitably adopt more technologies and undergo a rapid cycle of upgrading. I accept that. I feel relatively comfortable as an end-user of new software programs. I cannot say that I would ever feel comfortable installing and configuring sophisticated new software programs—like the virtual machines and content management software packages we have been experimenting with—in a production environment. In addition to lacking the technical skills, I think I also lack some necessary character traits—the resiliency to troubleshoot complex bugs or the determination to pour over system documentation.
On several of the practice installations of our IR systems, I had to sacrifice a lot of time troubleshooting the configurations and achieving basic functionality, instead of exploring the software features and refining my collection. For future iterations of IRLS 675 I would recommend limiting the number of virtual machine installs to one or two—perhaps Drupal and Omeka since they had the most modular plug-in applications and the installs were easier. Since EPrints and DSpace are the main contenders for most students’ final project platforms, I think students should be able to concentrate more on evaluating all the features of the systems as opposed to getting hung up on troubleshooting the installation and configuration. Personally, I have had to completely rule out using DSpace for my final project because I spent so much time troubleshooting and still didn’t get it right—even after I got it to work briefly once; I was never able to get it to work again. It’s unfortunate too, because many of my classmates feel it is the strongest IR software package.
Working from the per-installed VM was much easier than building my own VM. I experienced no serious problems with the Omeka install. The only problem I ran into was configuring the themes because of the version change.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
OAI Services Registry Reviews
I chose the following OAI Services to review:
1) OAIster http://www.oaister.org/
I think that OAIster is one of the largest OAI Services with 1034 contributing members.
2) Sheet Music Consortium
http://digital.library.ucla.edu/sheetmusic/
The Sheet Music Consortium is a collaboration between UC Los Angeles, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University and Duke University.
3) Australasian Digital Theses Program http://leven.comp.utas.edu.au/AuseAccess/pmwiki.php?n=Activity.ADTP
"The majority of Australian universities are signed up and deliver thesis metadata to the [[http://adt-beta.library.unsw.edu.au/|ADT Program gateway]] at the University of New South Wales, while in late 2005 New Zealand also agreed inter-nationally to feed theses to the Program, making it the ''Australasian'' Digital Theses Program.The gateway (holding e-thesis metadata) is harvested by Google, Google Scholar, etc."
The primary criteria for a "good" federated collection is a clear scope and useful purpose. I feel these are important qualities for both the back-end institutions so that they can maintain a manageable and practical project as well as for end-users who desire quality over quantity. I am definitely a novice in the world of harvesting, but "quality over quantity" strikes me as a adage with near universal applicability. On the other hand, OAIster is a mega-service registry. I suppose that it serves a useful function in the harvesting world as the biggest, broadest federated collection. However, I think that for every one OAIster, there should be many more digital theses and specialized format or topic collections that feed into a meta-harvester; otherwise, the balance of expertise, quality control and project management might be tipped toward a circular, 6 degrees of seperation-type phenomenon with much redundancy and little value added.
1) OAIster http://www.oaister.org/
I think that OAIster is one of the largest OAI Services with 1034 contributing members.
2) Sheet Music Consortium
http://digital.library.ucla.edu/sheetmusic/
The Sheet Music Consortium is a collaboration between UC Los Angeles, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University and Duke University.
3) Australasian Digital Theses Program http://leven.comp.utas.edu.au/AuseAccess/pmwiki.php?n=Activity.ADTP
"The majority of Australian universities are signed up and deliver thesis metadata to the [[http://adt-beta.library.unsw.edu.au/|ADT Program gateway]] at the University of New South Wales, while in late 2005 New Zealand also agreed inter-nationally to feed theses to the Program, making it the ''Australasian'' Digital Theses Program.The gateway (holding e-thesis metadata) is harvested by Google, Google Scholar, etc."
The primary criteria for a "good" federated collection is a clear scope and useful purpose. I feel these are important qualities for both the back-end institutions so that they can maintain a manageable and practical project as well as for end-users who desire quality over quantity. I am definitely a novice in the world of harvesting, but "quality over quantity" strikes me as a adage with near universal applicability. On the other hand, OAIster is a mega-service registry. I suppose that it serves a useful function in the harvesting world as the biggest, broadest federated collection. However, I think that for every one OAIster, there should be many more digital theses and specialized format or topic collections that feed into a meta-harvester; otherwise, the balance of expertise, quality control and project management might be tipped toward a circular, 6 degrees of seperation-type phenomenon with much redundancy and little value added.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Cataloging with EPrints
Well first of all, I must say that I enjoyed entering items into a digital repository using EPrints. The process was pretty straightforward and user-friendly. I especially enjoyed the automatic-fill feature that remembered previous field entries. I also liked the built-in LCSH feature for the subject headings. Overall, as I discussed in more detail in my discussion post for this week, EPrints mapped well to my application profile for my digital collection.
Regarding the question of consistency in my approach to cataloging using EPrints, I feel that the tight match between my application profile and the EPrints default categories and features was sufficient to ensure a reasonable degree of consistency among items in my repository The auto-fill feature ensures that I do not have redundant variations of the same name on the creator and publisher fields. I wish the auto-fill functionality could be extended to the keyword field as well, because this is the most vulnerable area of my cataloging approach in terms of consistency. The main problem I encountered in tagging the keywords for my items was the potential for alternate versions of the same word due to hyphenation. For example, I use the prefix "post" for several keyword entries such as "postmodern" and "post-custodial". In the word content of the items I think there is variation between the "post-modern" and "postmodern" spellings of the word. I tried to overcome this problem by entering both version of hyphenated words so that end-users will get the same result regardless of how they search. Another slight problem I encountered was the lack of precision in the built-in LCSH categories. The default EPrints LCSH are very broad--I suspect there might be a way to update EPrints with a module that would expand the LCSH so that I could label my items with more accuracy.
Regarding the question of consistency in my approach to cataloging using EPrints, I feel that the tight match between my application profile and the EPrints default categories and features was sufficient to ensure a reasonable degree of consistency among items in my repository The auto-fill feature ensures that I do not have redundant variations of the same name on the creator and publisher fields. I wish the auto-fill functionality could be extended to the keyword field as well, because this is the most vulnerable area of my cataloging approach in terms of consistency. The main problem I encountered in tagging the keywords for my items was the potential for alternate versions of the same word due to hyphenation. For example, I use the prefix "post" for several keyword entries such as "postmodern" and "post-custodial". In the word content of the items I think there is variation between the "post-modern" and "postmodern" spellings of the word. I tried to overcome this problem by entering both version of hyphenated words so that end-users will get the same result regardless of how they search. Another slight problem I encountered was the lack of precision in the built-in LCSH categories. The default EPrints LCSH are very broad--I suspect there might be a way to update EPrints with a module that would expand the LCSH so that I could label my items with more accuracy.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Unit5Assignment5--Drupal module install
After reviewing available modules from Drupal, my experimental content management system, I decided to download the "Avatar Selection" module. I chose this module because, at first glance, it seemed relatively straightforward. It did not have any dependencies with other prerequisite modules. After I installed the module, I discovered otherwise during configuration in the Drupal interface.
I downloaded the module using the VMWare CLI to 1) download the tar file, 2) unpack the tar file, and 3) move the unpacked file to the /var/www/drupal/modules directory. This went well. Afterwards I went to the Drupal GUI and activated the module under Administer >> Site Building >> Modules and checked the "Avatar Selection" box under "Other". After enabling the module, I got a message in green text at the top notifying me that I had to enable the "Picture Support" setting at Administer >> User Management >> User Settings. So after I did that, I needed to create a directory in Ubuntu using VMWare to hold the pictures that users select for their avatars.
I had to look back at the instructions for the Image module installation to create a storage directory. The commands were as follows:
$ sudo mkdir /var/www/drupal/sites/default/files/avatar
$ sudo chmod o+w /var/www/drupal/sites/default/files/avatar
After creating the directory, I tested the avatar selection module by selecting the URL pathway to a default image for users. The image I chose was a JPEG of my Italian Greyhound, Coco. I copied and pasted the URL from the JPEG had posted earlier using the Image module into the "Default picture" box. I also increased the maximum file size and picture dimension settings, just in case. The module seems to have worked because when I click on "My Account" my user profile now has my dog Coco as the avatar image.
The Avatar Selection module does not necessarily enhance the search or retrieval capabilities of my digital collection, but it does add some style and user interaction to the interface. I consider this part of personalizing the collection building process and user interface, which is fitting because my digital collection is inherently personal as it is self-archiving of my own portfolio of graduate work.
I downloaded the module using the VMWare CLI to 1) download the tar file, 2) unpack the tar file, and 3) move the unpacked file to the /var/www/drupal/modules directory. This went well. Afterwards I went to the Drupal GUI and activated the module under Administer >> Site Building >> Modules and checked the "Avatar Selection" box under "Other". After enabling the module, I got a message in green text at the top notifying me that I had to enable the "Picture Support" setting at Administer >> User Management >> User Settings. So after I did that, I needed to create a directory in Ubuntu using VMWare to hold the pictures that users select for their avatars.
I had to look back at the instructions for the Image module installation to create a storage directory. The commands were as follows:
$ sudo mkdir /var/www/drupal/sites/default/files/avatar
$ sudo chmod o+w /var/www/drupal/sites/default/files/avatar
After creating the directory, I tested the avatar selection module by selecting the URL pathway to a default image for users. The image I chose was a JPEG of my Italian Greyhound, Coco. I copied and pasted the URL from the JPEG had posted earlier using the Image module into the "Default picture" box. I also increased the maximum file size and picture dimension settings, just in case. The module seems to have worked because when I click on "My Account" my user profile now has my dog Coco as the avatar image.
The Avatar Selection module does not necessarily enhance the search or retrieval capabilities of my digital collection, but it does add some style and user interaction to the interface. I consider this part of personalizing the collection building process and user interface, which is fitting because my digital collection is inherently personal as it is self-archiving of my own portfolio of graduate work.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Unit 3 comments
So far I feel the tech assignments for 675 (Advanced Digital Collections) are less intense than those of 672 (Introduction to Applied Tech). This is a relief. The assignments are not yet as complex and I have encountered no significant trouble-shooting problems. However, as a whole, 675 is a demanding course because the case management assignments combined with the tech assignments constitute a substantial time commitment. But so far I have been able to keep up with the deadlines. I like the fact that the syllabi for this semester include allowances for several extensions without penalty. I feel like this provides us students taking both courses with some insurance and breathing room to reconcile the challenges of each course should we encounter some difficulties with the material in future modules.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Response to 2006 Hi Tech Library Special Issue article
For this weeks blog assignment I used the U of A library to access an online article from Hi Tech Library journal:
Benzing, Matt. "Luwak: a content management solution." Library Hi Tech 24, no. 1 (2006): 8-13. Emerald. Database on-line. Emerald Publishing Group: accessed 15 September, 2008.
This article is a case study that summarizes and analyzes how librarians at the Rensselaer Research Libraries at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in Troy, New York implemented a content management system for their library website. The libraries adapted a home-grown XML-based application named "Luwak," which was developed by the Communication & Collaborative Technologies division of their university. The story behind the name was quite interesting. A Luwak, also known as the Palm Civet, is a jungle feline that ingests ripe red coffee beans. The cat's digestive system adds value to the beans and people harvest its excrement to create one of the world's most expensive gourmet coffees. The name seen as a good choice because it is a metaphor for what a content management system does to inputted content--digests it and adds value.
I was intrigued by many aspects of this article, which illuminated for me the real world benefits of a content management system by putting them in the context of a case study. Luwak, like all content management systems, uses XML to separate content from form for dynamic manipulation. The Luwak system had three levels of user permissions--creator, editor, and administrator--each with clearly defined roles in a work process for generating web content. Also Luwak incorporates features for setting and automatically enforcing records retention and disposition functionality for web content, so that content can be assigned a "lifecycle" to avoid becoming outdated and cluttering the system. I think this is a ingenious way to be proactive about records management across an entire enterprise; I suppose that if a records officer had the right user permission they could ensure RM compliance across an organization without having to deal directly with myriad users, a near impossible feat without a content management system. Other obvious benefits to the new system were its open source code and in-house tech support with the developers based out of the same institution.
The case study concluded that the new content management system was mostly well received as a replacement for a distributed, decentralized confederation of individual librarians creating content in Dreamweaver. There is now less risk of catastrophic loss or accidental alterations to the website by less tech-savvy users. Dead links have been largely eliminated thanks to the records management functionality and separation of content from form for easy maintenance. I would really like to implement a content management system in my workplace to organize our digital collections. It would have to be a intranet site as opposed to an internet site, but I think that would be feasible. The records management and user permission levels would be valuable features for my role as archivist of a records center housing active, inactive, and permanent records in electronic and paper formats. However, there is much to learn about content management systems before I could begin trying to negotiate all the red tape involved in launching such an initiative.
Benzing, Matt. "Luwak: a content management solution." Library Hi Tech 24, no. 1 (2006): 8-13. Emerald. Database on-line. Emerald Publishing Group: accessed 15 September, 2008.
This article is a case study that summarizes and analyzes how librarians at the Rensselaer Research Libraries at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in Troy, New York implemented a content management system for their library website. The libraries adapted a home-grown XML-based application named "Luwak," which was developed by the Communication & Collaborative Technologies division of their university. The story behind the name was quite interesting. A Luwak, also known as the Palm Civet, is a jungle feline that ingests ripe red coffee beans. The cat's digestive system adds value to the beans and people harvest its excrement to create one of the world's most expensive gourmet coffees. The name seen as a good choice because it is a metaphor for what a content management system does to inputted content--digests it and adds value.
I was intrigued by many aspects of this article, which illuminated for me the real world benefits of a content management system by putting them in the context of a case study. Luwak, like all content management systems, uses XML to separate content from form for dynamic manipulation. The Luwak system had three levels of user permissions--creator, editor, and administrator--each with clearly defined roles in a work process for generating web content. Also Luwak incorporates features for setting and automatically enforcing records retention and disposition functionality for web content, so that content can be assigned a "lifecycle" to avoid becoming outdated and cluttering the system. I think this is a ingenious way to be proactive about records management across an entire enterprise; I suppose that if a records officer had the right user permission they could ensure RM compliance across an organization without having to deal directly with myriad users, a near impossible feat without a content management system. Other obvious benefits to the new system were its open source code and in-house tech support with the developers based out of the same institution.
The case study concluded that the new content management system was mostly well received as a replacement for a distributed, decentralized confederation of individual librarians creating content in Dreamweaver. There is now less risk of catastrophic loss or accidental alterations to the website by less tech-savvy users. Dead links have been largely eliminated thanks to the records management functionality and separation of content from form for easy maintenance. I would really like to implement a content management system in my workplace to organize our digital collections. It would have to be a intranet site as opposed to an internet site, but I think that would be feasible. The records management and user permission levels would be valuable features for my role as archivist of a records center housing active, inactive, and permanent records in electronic and paper formats. However, there is much to learn about content management systems before I could begin trying to negotiate all the red tape involved in launching such an initiative.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Starting Advanced Digital Collections...my proposed collection
The collection I propose to build for uploading to a Drupal content management system (CMS) will consist of academic papers and projects I have written over last four years for various different classes. The files will be mostly in Word format, with perhaps a couple of PowerPoint or XML files for variety's sake. Should we focus on making the files all in one format or are we encouraged to use several different file formats? Once I find out, I'll tailor my pretty extensive body of work accordingly. I think this will be a good collection to work with for several reasons. First, I am familiar with the collection because I am the author. As such, it will give me an opportunity to do a retrospective of what I have written to serve as both a refresher and a confidence booster to encourage myself about what I am capable as I encounter difficult aspects of DigIn assignments. It's been a long road for me to get to where I am now and I feel like I don't always pause to reflect enough.
Another reason why I'm using my own work to build a collection is that this project could become a valuable personal asset. I could possibly see myself building a personal website with representative samples of my work as part of a "virtual" resume or CV complete with links to a digital repository of papers for potential employers or professional colleagues to access. Posting text files to a digital repository should be one of the simplest formats to work with as opposed to something more complex like digital images or audio which have more proprietary and varied formats that could pose problems. In a worst case scenario, I could post the papers as plain text files instead of Word files if I encounter any interoperability problems or something.
Finally, my personal papers can be arranged into a logical taxonomy fairly easily. I envision structuring a hierarchy based mostly on chronology with year composed at the top of the pyramid, then semester (fall, spring or summer) as the next layer, followed by spefic month. Additional links among the hierarchy could be based on instructor, class number and title, subject (e.g. history, archival theory, library science, preservation, applied technology, etc.), topic (e.g. provenance, early railroad development in the South, library preservation planning, etc.) or function (thesis, finding aid, internship overview and analysis, etc.). I could also create separate taxonomies according to educational degree objective such as MLIS, MA Public History or certificate program. For now I will try to select a sample of my best work that also includes a wide selection of different subjects, topics, years, functions, and educational objectives.
Another reason why I'm using my own work to build a collection is that this project could become a valuable personal asset. I could possibly see myself building a personal website with representative samples of my work as part of a "virtual" resume or CV complete with links to a digital repository of papers for potential employers or professional colleagues to access. Posting text files to a digital repository should be one of the simplest formats to work with as opposed to something more complex like digital images or audio which have more proprietary and varied formats that could pose problems. In a worst case scenario, I could post the papers as plain text files instead of Word files if I encounter any interoperability problems or something.
Finally, my personal papers can be arranged into a logical taxonomy fairly easily. I envision structuring a hierarchy based mostly on chronology with year composed at the top of the pyramid, then semester (fall, spring or summer) as the next layer, followed by spefic month. Additional links among the hierarchy could be based on instructor, class number and title, subject (e.g. history, archival theory, library science, preservation, applied technology, etc.), topic (e.g. provenance, early railroad development in the South, library preservation planning, etc.) or function (thesis, finding aid, internship overview and analysis, etc.). I could also create separate taxonomies according to educational degree objective such as MLIS, MA Public History or certificate program. For now I will try to select a sample of my best work that also includes a wide selection of different subjects, topics, years, functions, and educational objectives.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Climbing the technology ladder: The view from a few rungs higher
As this course draws to a close, I now pause to reflect not only on what I have learned, but also on how my new knowledge has altered my perspective on technology in several ways. Going into this class, I thought I was fairly proficient with technology, especially regarding using a personal computer. Of course I never thought of myself as an "expert" in any respect, but at least I knew how to operate a computer to satisfy my daily needs for the last 17 years or so--I'm 27 and have been using computers since I was around 10. Much of my so-called "proficiency" with computers, in retrospect, was very limited. My skills consisted primarily of: installing and mastering several different editions of Sid Meier's' "Civilizations" video games, using Microsoft Word to type school assignments, surfing the Internet, using e-mail, instant messaging, social networking websites, iTunes, and a few other entertainment-related GUI applications. Other instances of work-related computer proficiency I had limited experience with were: Excel spreadsheet, online database and library catalog searches, two instances of creating a simple personal webpage, one instance of using Oxygen XML software for a school assignment, one instance of using FileMaker Pro database software for an internship--and that is it! During our class introductions and throughout the discussions in most modules I felt like I was behind the curve in my experience with and knowledge of work-related technology. Sometimes it was a struggle for me to even express myself adequately in the Activity section to get the assistance I needed to complete the assignments.
Therefore, in many respects, this course was a "Trial by Fire" in technological competency for me. Most, if not all the topics, were completely new to me. Additionally, I struggled in the beginning to trouble-shoot my Linux setup in the virtual machine. I think that was the scariest part of this class, since it was so frustrating and all my future success in the class hinged on getting the setup correct. After Module 4 though, I started to feel more comfortable with the course setup and that in turn helped me to cope better with the course material and assignments. Looking back at what I have learned and created in this class compared to what I knew at the start, I feel as if I have completed a bachelor's degree in computer science in one summer semester! The course definitely covered a plethora of material at a fast pace, which is only possible by addressing each topic at the most introductory level, focusing on providing us an overview of the concepts and their relations to each other across modules. I certainly realize that there is much more to learn in each and every module we covered, so much so that people devote entire careers dedicated to mastering a single aspect of some of the lessons (e.g. database managers, webmasters, etc.).
Now that I have gained significantly more exposure to the technology behind creating a simple LAMP server, I am much more cognizant of all that I don't know. So I feel both smarter and more ignorant at the same time. This class was a poignant experience for me in dealing with the so-called "digital divide." On the one hand, I still feel like I'm much more competent in technology than complete novices like my parents. However, I also realize that I'm still pretty low on the technology totem pole even with everything I now know.
My perspective on technology has also fundamentally been changed. I feel more confident in attempting to learn about computer languages or applications that I know nothing about yet. This course exposed me to some great resources for self-directed learning, particularly the W3School website and the Harvard technology tutorials. I probably won't have the time to explore these resources on my own anytime soon, since I expect to be plenty busy keeping up with assignments for the rest of the classes in the DigIn Certificate, but someday I suspect I will come back to these resources and explore on my own. I used to panic when computer programs didn't work, but now I think I can keep my head and work through some of the simpler trouble-shooting processes. Another insight that has come into sharper focus for me is the pervasive, perhaps exponential, spread of technology in the workplace and society. Thank goodness for good ol' Wikipedia!
In thinking about which modules were most useful and interesting to me, I have some clear favorites. First and foremost I am very happy to have gained some database application experience. I had very little understanding of databases coming into the course and a basic familiarity with database applications is a prerequisite to almost every job in my field. Fixing the glaring hole in my resume regarding databases was more than enough to make this course worth my time. I know that I will build on my current level of understanding with database applications in the future and I see this as a vital skill for my career. The most interesting module for me was project management. I can definitely see the usefulness of this broad discipline and enjoyed learning about it. Again, I had only the most basic understanding of project management going into this class, maybe enough to define it; but now I feel like I know most of the core concepts, as though I learned enough to learn more on my own. However, I look forward to learning more in a structured environment during the spring semester in the Project Management class for the DigIn certificate.
Therefore, in many respects, this course was a "Trial by Fire" in technological competency for me. Most, if not all the topics, were completely new to me. Additionally, I struggled in the beginning to trouble-shoot my Linux setup in the virtual machine. I think that was the scariest part of this class, since it was so frustrating and all my future success in the class hinged on getting the setup correct. After Module 4 though, I started to feel more comfortable with the course setup and that in turn helped me to cope better with the course material and assignments. Looking back at what I have learned and created in this class compared to what I knew at the start, I feel as if I have completed a bachelor's degree in computer science in one summer semester! The course definitely covered a plethora of material at a fast pace, which is only possible by addressing each topic at the most introductory level, focusing on providing us an overview of the concepts and their relations to each other across modules. I certainly realize that there is much more to learn in each and every module we covered, so much so that people devote entire careers dedicated to mastering a single aspect of some of the lessons (e.g. database managers, webmasters, etc.).
Now that I have gained significantly more exposure to the technology behind creating a simple LAMP server, I am much more cognizant of all that I don't know. So I feel both smarter and more ignorant at the same time. This class was a poignant experience for me in dealing with the so-called "digital divide." On the one hand, I still feel like I'm much more competent in technology than complete novices like my parents. However, I also realize that I'm still pretty low on the technology totem pole even with everything I now know.
My perspective on technology has also fundamentally been changed. I feel more confident in attempting to learn about computer languages or applications that I know nothing about yet. This course exposed me to some great resources for self-directed learning, particularly the W3School website and the Harvard technology tutorials. I probably won't have the time to explore these resources on my own anytime soon, since I expect to be plenty busy keeping up with assignments for the rest of the classes in the DigIn Certificate, but someday I suspect I will come back to these resources and explore on my own. I used to panic when computer programs didn't work, but now I think I can keep my head and work through some of the simpler trouble-shooting processes. Another insight that has come into sharper focus for me is the pervasive, perhaps exponential, spread of technology in the workplace and society. Thank goodness for good ol' Wikipedia!
In thinking about which modules were most useful and interesting to me, I have some clear favorites. First and foremost I am very happy to have gained some database application experience. I had very little understanding of databases coming into the course and a basic familiarity with database applications is a prerequisite to almost every job in my field. Fixing the glaring hole in my resume regarding databases was more than enough to make this course worth my time. I know that I will build on my current level of understanding with database applications in the future and I see this as a vital skill for my career. The most interesting module for me was project management. I can definitely see the usefulness of this broad discipline and enjoyed learning about it. Again, I had only the most basic understanding of project management going into this class, maybe enough to define it; but now I feel like I know most of the core concepts, as though I learned enough to learn more on my own. However, I look forward to learning more in a structured environment during the spring semester in the Project Management class for the DigIn certificate.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Project Management Readings Response
The readings this week were interesting. I like project management and see myself using it in the future. I like how it is so broadly applicable to a variety of endeavors. However, some articles were more useful than others to me in learning about project management.
The "Microsoft Project and the Project Management Domain" article was concise and provided a distilled overview of the most critical aspects of PMBOK. It also introduced some good examples of practical project management methodologies. While it was mostly centered on software industry, I thought the examples aided me in understanding how project management works in "real world" scenarios. Another article I thought was helpful was the H. Frank Cervone "Project risk management" article. I felt that unlike the other three "fluff" articles by Cervone we read this week, the project risk management was more in-depth and offered real, prescriptive advice for project managers rather than very general overviews or listings of "don't do this," which I felt constituted most of his other articles.
I had mixed feelings about the Edward F. McDonough III article, "Investigation of Factors Contributing to the Success of Cross-Functional Teams." My first impressions where 1) this doesn't seem very relevant to library and information sciences, 2) the terminology is foreign and this is hard to read, and 3) this article from 2000 isn't that current, given the fact that he proposes so many ideas for future research--I kept wondering what he was suggesting had already been settled by someone else in the field. However, once I finished the article I realized that this article was a true research article and I appreciate the amount of methodological work that went into it. Also I started to see how team members in a digital library project could be thought of a cross-functional team in the sense that he was discussing if you substituted "services" for "products" in his continual focus on "new product development." I still have some reservations about how directly relevant this study is to the library and information professions, but it provided some good exposure to serious research in the field of project management and outlined some interesting ideas.
Perhaps the most helpful article I read this week to me personally was the article I selected and reviewed for my assignment three. For the sake of any interested parties besides Bruce, I'll post my review below. The last paragraph details why I thought it was most personally beneficial.
Cervone, H. F. “Working through resistance to change by using the ‘competing
commitments model.’” OCLC Systems & Services, 23 no.3 (2007): 250-53.
Library Literature. Database on-line. OCLC FirstSearch: accessed 11
August, 2008.
This article provides a brief overview of four primary perspectives regarding how scholars in the fields of management science and applied psychology have traditionally viewed resistance to change in the workplace. Following a review of the existing literature, Cervone then describes the relative advantages of a new perspective called the “competing commitments model” and outlines the steps involved in its utilization. Cervone argues that the main advantages of the competing commitments model lies in its ability to diagnose the principle underlying assumptions of an individual’s resistant to change, which he argues are the root causes of their sometimes ambiguous unproductive behavior. This approach is especially useful in the context of project management situations where cooperation and “buy-in” is a necessity for effective teamwork.
I enjoyed reading this article and believe that it addresses an important topic in the project management field—dealing with “difficult” people. Cervone’s article distills an approach first outlined by Kegan and Lahey in a 2001 Harvard Business Review article and provides some analysis on how it can be used as an effective project management tool in the context of a digital library project. Cervone effectively supports his thesis regarding the relative advantages of addressing resistance to change using the competing commitments model as opposed to other more traditional models, which ultimately do a poor job of providing guidance to project managers on how to positively impact such behavior. The competing commitments model is a two step method. The first step is an interactive dialogue in which the project manager asks a series of hypothetical questions in a specific sequence in order to elicit the true causes or assumptions that are driving an individual’s resistance to change. In the second step, the project manager basically follows the scientific method: 1) observe and record an employee’s behavior over a period of time, 2) look for evidence contrary to their assumptions (identified in step one), 3) hypothesize about the origin and history of the identified assumption, 4) test the assumption and 5) evaluate the results. Cervone points out that when evaluating the results of step two, the project manager can determine whether the employee’s assumption underlying their resistance to change is true or not, which then can be used a basis for either re-evaluating the project if the employee’s resistance is well-founded or discovering ways to accommodate the assumption in ways that still promote the goals of the project now that the root cause has been correctly identified.
I found this article extremely topical to my own work environment. In my work for a state government agency, I have found that some covered state employees harbor many assumptions that can impede teamwork on projects. In my situation, interpersonal conflicts among my team members had gone unresolved for years due to the drawn-out and complex nature of progressive discipline policies regarding unacceptable behavior. After a year of dealing with this situation, appropriate disciplinary action is just now unfolding after much waiting, watching, counseling, and documenting among several supervisors and managers while instances of bad behavior escalated to the point of a pending termination.
The "Microsoft Project and the Project Management Domain" article was concise and provided a distilled overview of the most critical aspects of PMBOK. It also introduced some good examples of practical project management methodologies. While it was mostly centered on software industry, I thought the examples aided me in understanding how project management works in "real world" scenarios. Another article I thought was helpful was the H. Frank Cervone "Project risk management" article. I felt that unlike the other three "fluff" articles by Cervone we read this week, the project risk management was more in-depth and offered real, prescriptive advice for project managers rather than very general overviews or listings of "don't do this," which I felt constituted most of his other articles.
I had mixed feelings about the Edward F. McDonough III article, "Investigation of Factors Contributing to the Success of Cross-Functional Teams." My first impressions where 1) this doesn't seem very relevant to library and information sciences, 2) the terminology is foreign and this is hard to read, and 3) this article from 2000 isn't that current, given the fact that he proposes so many ideas for future research--I kept wondering what he was suggesting had already been settled by someone else in the field. However, once I finished the article I realized that this article was a true research article and I appreciate the amount of methodological work that went into it. Also I started to see how team members in a digital library project could be thought of a cross-functional team in the sense that he was discussing if you substituted "services" for "products" in his continual focus on "new product development." I still have some reservations about how directly relevant this study is to the library and information professions, but it provided some good exposure to serious research in the field of project management and outlined some interesting ideas.
Perhaps the most helpful article I read this week to me personally was the article I selected and reviewed for my assignment three. For the sake of any interested parties besides Bruce, I'll post my review below. The last paragraph details why I thought it was most personally beneficial.
Cervone, H. F. “Working through resistance to change by using the ‘competing
commitments model.’” OCLC Systems & Services, 23 no.3 (2007): 250-53.
Library Literature. Database on-line. OCLC FirstSearch: accessed 11
August, 2008.
This article provides a brief overview of four primary perspectives regarding how scholars in the fields of management science and applied psychology have traditionally viewed resistance to change in the workplace. Following a review of the existing literature, Cervone then describes the relative advantages of a new perspective called the “competing commitments model” and outlines the steps involved in its utilization. Cervone argues that the main advantages of the competing commitments model lies in its ability to diagnose the principle underlying assumptions of an individual’s resistant to change, which he argues are the root causes of their sometimes ambiguous unproductive behavior. This approach is especially useful in the context of project management situations where cooperation and “buy-in” is a necessity for effective teamwork.
I enjoyed reading this article and believe that it addresses an important topic in the project management field—dealing with “difficult” people. Cervone’s article distills an approach first outlined by Kegan and Lahey in a 2001 Harvard Business Review article and provides some analysis on how it can be used as an effective project management tool in the context of a digital library project. Cervone effectively supports his thesis regarding the relative advantages of addressing resistance to change using the competing commitments model as opposed to other more traditional models, which ultimately do a poor job of providing guidance to project managers on how to positively impact such behavior. The competing commitments model is a two step method. The first step is an interactive dialogue in which the project manager asks a series of hypothetical questions in a specific sequence in order to elicit the true causes or assumptions that are driving an individual’s resistance to change. In the second step, the project manager basically follows the scientific method: 1) observe and record an employee’s behavior over a period of time, 2) look for evidence contrary to their assumptions (identified in step one), 3) hypothesize about the origin and history of the identified assumption, 4) test the assumption and 5) evaluate the results. Cervone points out that when evaluating the results of step two, the project manager can determine whether the employee’s assumption underlying their resistance to change is true or not, which then can be used a basis for either re-evaluating the project if the employee’s resistance is well-founded or discovering ways to accommodate the assumption in ways that still promote the goals of the project now that the root cause has been correctly identified.
I found this article extremely topical to my own work environment. In my work for a state government agency, I have found that some covered state employees harbor many assumptions that can impede teamwork on projects. In my situation, interpersonal conflicts among my team members had gone unresolved for years due to the drawn-out and complex nature of progressive discipline policies regarding unacceptable behavior. After a year of dealing with this situation, appropriate disciplinary action is just now unfolding after much waiting, watching, counseling, and documenting among several supervisors and managers while instances of bad behavior escalated to the point of a pending termination.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Databases Part Deux: The Reckoning
There were many things about MySQL that I found conceptually difficult. Overall, I believe this module has been the hardest one yet. The most difficult aspect of this module is a tie between 1) having to watch so many video tutorials and 2) the sheer amount of new linguistic/mathematic syntax rules and commands we needed to master in such a compact lesson. My eyes started to blur after watching so many of the tutorials back to back, which couldn't be helped because unlike reading assignments, which I can just print out and work on anywhere, I have a limited amount of time I can budget in my busy schedule to sit down and watch (and try to comprehend) hours of fast paced tutorials. There is absolutely no way I would have been able to actually follow along on the virtual machine with the tutorial, as I think was suggested, given the short timeframe. Conceptually, all the new material was difficult. I have no prior experience with MySQL per se. I have learned about some aspects of Boolian logic for using wildcards in searching online databases, presumably since they have SQL beneath them. However, I've never built a database or had to use one consciously so this was all Greek to me. I am relieved that the next module is more reading intensive and centered on a less technical topic. I look forward to learning more about project management.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Data Modeling or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Maths
This week's readings were real brain teasers! Lots of symbolic logic and math concepts I haven't thought about since algebra 2. The Wikipedia article of "normalization" was very challenging and I think it obfuscated the process. I found the University of Texas tutorial much more comprehensible. I wish I would have read UT's explanation first. Although I think I got the core idea of normalization, I am still unclear about the data manipulation operations used to perform the process. I didn't get how to multiply two data relational tables.
Another confusing thing to me was the lack of standards for notation of the Entity-Relationship Diagrams. I saw the relative strengths and weaknesses of the "crow's foot" style in the Data Modeling: Finding the Perfect Fit article as well as the "Martin" notational style used in all the University of Texas ERD diagrams. Martin does a better job of indicating parent-child relationships, but "crow's foot" does a better job at illustrating mandatory vs. optional existence of relationships and one-to-many relationships.
Another confusing thing to me was the lack of standards for notation of the Entity-Relationship Diagrams. I saw the relative strengths and weaknesses of the "crow's foot" style in the Data Modeling: Finding the Perfect Fit article as well as the "Martin" notational style used in all the University of Texas ERD diagrams. Martin does a better job of indicating parent-child relationships, but "crow's foot" does a better job at illustrating mandatory vs. optional existence of relationships and one-to-many relationships.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Reactions to Unit 9 readings
The readings for this week covered technology planning for many types of institutions and environments. I was most interested in the readings this week that addressed government IT project management, because that is the environment in which I currently work (state government). I particularly liked the Brenda Whittaker article "What went wrong? Unsuccessful information technology projects," because of her in depth statistical analysis and research methodology. Don Sager's article on environmental scanning also piqued my interest, because I think that lifetime learning among information professionals is one of the most important aspects of the profession due to the rate of technology innovation and its affects on society.
The Michael Schuyler article made me think. I agree that a technology plan is primarily a "political" document. It is essential for there to be clear communication and assurance of accountability between a project team and its stakeholders in technology initiatives. Unfortunately, as Schuyler, Whittaker, and others point out, there is often a lack of understanding and enthusiasm among top managers for sponsoring innovative or "modern" tech projects. It has been my experience so far in state government that top management has little incentive to sponsor such projects, despite the lip service paid to technology in official vision statements. Why? I believe its a combination of aversion to risk from potential failure of the projects (top management ultimately bears responsibility) and the organizational culture of many state employees who prefer the status quo.
The Michael Schuyler article made me think. I agree that a technology plan is primarily a "political" document. It is essential for there to be clear communication and assurance of accountability between a project team and its stakeholders in technology initiatives. Unfortunately, as Schuyler, Whittaker, and others point out, there is often a lack of understanding and enthusiasm among top managers for sponsoring innovative or "modern" tech projects. It has been my experience so far in state government that top management has little incentive to sponsor such projects, despite the lip service paid to technology in official vision statements. Why? I believe its a combination of aversion to risk from potential failure of the projects (top management ultimately bears responsibility) and the organizational culture of many state employees who prefer the status quo.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Learning XML
I got an introduction to and basic working knowledge of XML using the W3C tutorial website: http://www.w3schools.com/xml/default.asp
I found this tutorial to be intuitively designed and easy to follow. Since I am a novice to XML (I've only used it once before for a school assignment back in 2006), I only went through the first 12 lessons under "Basic." My XML assignment was challenging to construct. I had to trouble-shoot many aspects of the XML coding, especially when I tried to go beyond the simple tutorial exercise examples and integrate the XML principles with the HTML code tags for link and images. I kept getting errors saying my XML code was not "well formed" because of "lack of necessary spacing" in my links to the images, but I eventually through trial and error made it display using a web-browser syntax-error free.
My demo system is running well. I was able to follow the instructions for this unit to set up a basic Apache server with no problems. The steps were straight-forward.
I found this tutorial to be intuitively designed and easy to follow. Since I am a novice to XML (I've only used it once before for a school assignment back in 2006), I only went through the first 12 lessons under "Basic." My XML assignment was challenging to construct. I had to trouble-shoot many aspects of the XML coding, especially when I tried to go beyond the simple tutorial exercise examples and integrate the XML principles with the HTML code tags for link and images. I kept getting errors saying my XML code was not "well formed" because of "lack of necessary spacing" in my links to the images, but I eventually through trial and error made it display using a web-browser syntax-error free.
My demo system is running well. I was able to follow the instructions for this unit to set up a basic Apache server with no problems. The steps were straight-forward.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Learning HTML
For the Assignment 2 of Unit 7, I consulted several sources for learning basic HTML. First I looked at Bruce Fulton's PowerPoint slide for an general overview. Then I went to the W3C for some more in-depth online tutorials. I found the W3C tutorials pretty straighforward. Several times I wished they would have periodically combined several of the simple lessons together in a more complex source code example because I got confused about the syntax of combining multiple tags and elements while I was trying to create my first HTML webpage for Assignment 3. There was definitely some trial and error going on!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Unit 6 post
I really got a lot out of the video links for this unit. Most especially, the Harvard distance ed tutorials. I can't adequately express the amount of frustration and wasted time I've experienced in the past blindly trying to trouble-shoot wireless networks for my home. I wish I would known about these types of video tutorials earlier. I will definitely consult Harvard's tutorial website again (I book marked it) when I experiment with a new technology project. Or if that doesn't do the trick, I'll give YouTube a try. Video is the way to go!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Unit 5 update
Unit 5 posed no significant problems. I was slightly confused after using the less /etc/group command...I fumbled around trying to get out of the screen before figuring out the "q" stroke. Another thing that I'm slightly confused about is assignment 5. I had no problem following the explicit instructions, but the new user and new user group I created using Ubuntu desktop VM did not transfer over to the Ubuntu workstation VM. Was it supposed to?
Assignment 6 was alittle confusing at the beginning. I typed the "https://localhost:10000" command and everything worked and I completed the assignment. I don't know what all the notes in the brackets were about though....I noticed that some of the information showed up on the quiz as well. I guess it was just a FYI, because the didn't use my primary machine to use Webin.
Overall, things are still going well. I feel like I'm absorbing the material pretty well and things are making more sense. Not much readings this week. Everything was pretty straightforward.
Finally, I'm glad that I finally seem to have got Ubuntu desktop VM resolved. I had some issues with the Live CD earlier, but my VM machine is working great.
Assignment 6 was alittle confusing at the beginning. I typed the "https://localhost:10000" command and everything worked and I completed the assignment. I don't know what all the notes in the brackets were about though....I noticed that some of the information showed up on the quiz as well. I guess it was just a FYI, because the didn't use my primary machine to use Webin.
Overall, things are still going well. I feel like I'm absorbing the material pretty well and things are making more sense. Not much readings this week. Everything was pretty straightforward.
Finally, I'm glad that I finally seem to have got Ubuntu desktop VM resolved. I had some issues with the Live CD earlier, but my VM machine is working great.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Text editors and assignments
I was relieved that all the hands-on assignments this week went smoothly. The vim tutorial was pretty neat--old school! I've never used a pure text (no GUI) computer tutorial before; the only comparison I can draw was when I tried playing a MUD RPG as a kid a couple of times. So it was sort of fun in that respect.
The Ubuntu server configuration tweaks were, as advertised in the introduction for this week, pretty straightforward. No problems. I admit that they were one of the first things I tackled, so I didn't comprehend much of what I was actually doing at the time. But after getting through the readings, I feel like I have a better idea.
Judging from the discussion boards, everyone says that mastering the commands in the CLI is all about practice, practice, practice. That seems good in that it implies most people rely heavily on user guides and lists of commands for reference. This could be a bad comparison, but the Command Line Interface seems sort of like the AACR2 rules for cataloging library and archival materials. Not many people have all the rules memorized and you don't have to be familiar with everything to know how to catalog. You just have to be familiar with the fundamental cataloging rules and literate in consulting the AACR2 manual and its updates for detailed information on any specific situation. The materials you deal with often you will eventually memorize from practice, but not grasping everything all at once won't prevent you doing some original cataloging and there are user groups you can go to for help; to push this analogy a little further, CLI scripting performs the same function as the LC catalog, both save a lot of people a lot of redundant work.
I don't know how much of the commands in vim tutor I have retained. I remember being slightly confused with the "!" in some of the way some of the commands were presented. I didn't know if the tutorial getting excited about telling me how to exit the program at first, but I soon realized that the exclamation mark is a vital part of the command :q!
The Ubuntu server configuration tweaks were, as advertised in the introduction for this week, pretty straightforward. No problems. I admit that they were one of the first things I tackled, so I didn't comprehend much of what I was actually doing at the time. But after getting through the readings, I feel like I have a better idea.
Judging from the discussion boards, everyone says that mastering the commands in the CLI is all about practice, practice, practice. That seems good in that it implies most people rely heavily on user guides and lists of commands for reference. This could be a bad comparison, but the Command Line Interface seems sort of like the AACR2 rules for cataloging library and archival materials. Not many people have all the rules memorized and you don't have to be familiar with everything to know how to catalog. You just have to be familiar with the fundamental cataloging rules and literate in consulting the AACR2 manual and its updates for detailed information on any specific situation. The materials you deal with often you will eventually memorize from practice, but not grasping everything all at once won't prevent you doing some original cataloging and there are user groups you can go to for help; to push this analogy a little further, CLI scripting performs the same function as the LC catalog, both save a lot of people a lot of redundant work.
I don't know how much of the commands in vim tutor I have retained. I remember being slightly confused with the "!" in some of the way some of the commands were presented. I didn't know if the tutorial getting excited about telling me how to exit the program at first, but I soon realized that the exclamation mark is a vital part of the command :q!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Ubuntu Server 8.04 install
I did it! Thanks to our instructor Bruce Fulton's Youtube videos that provided detailed step-by-step instructions, I was able to install Ubuntu Server on VMWare Workstation. I came into the class unsure about whether my computer was going to be powerful enough to handle all the downloads and run the software properly with only 760 MB RAM instead of the recommended 1GB RAM, but so far so good. I hit a snag early on in the installation process with VMWare Workstation. I got an unusual error message when I tried to start a new virtual machine session: "Unable to open kernel device "\\.\vmx86": The operation completed successfully. Did you reboot after installing VMware Workstation? Failed to initialize monitor device." But after I posted it to the "Activity" section of the course discussion board, Bruce recommended I re-install VMware and select the "repair" option. It worked and I was able to proceed with the rest of the installation instructions. I have an older Pentium M chip, so I also had to take some extra steps to make the Ubuntu installation work using the third Youtube video, but the instructions guided me through fine.
I don't have much experience in performing complicated download and installation steps or trouble-shooting sophisticated programs. I'm used to the "plug and play" software models where Install Wizards do all the work for you. However, I'm starting to get used to performing these new tasks. The resources we have for the class--the video tutorials, the discussion boards, and shared experiences from classmates--are very helpful. My usual frustration and uneasiness with technology trouble-shooting is slowly giving way to more patient, exploratory approaches where I am better able to cope with the inevitable glitches and hangups that go along with making technology work for individual systems setups. I'm starting to feel more empowered from this class and that seems like a very good thing, especially since this is probably only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the rest of the programs we will need to configure for this class to get the the LAMP server up and running.
I don't have much experience in performing complicated download and installation steps or trouble-shooting sophisticated programs. I'm used to the "plug and play" software models where Install Wizards do all the work for you. However, I'm starting to get used to performing these new tasks. The resources we have for the class--the video tutorials, the discussion boards, and shared experiences from classmates--are very helpful. My usual frustration and uneasiness with technology trouble-shooting is slowly giving way to more patient, exploratory approaches where I am better able to cope with the inevitable glitches and hangups that go along with making technology work for individual systems setups. I'm starting to feel more empowered from this class and that seems like a very good thing, especially since this is probably only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the rest of the programs we will need to configure for this class to get the the LAMP server up and running.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Ubuntu and adventures in myriad downloads
A big part of my class this summer is setting up a Linux-based server-client, aka a LAMP server. LAMP is a computer speak acronym that represents a combination of popular and effective open-source software applications designed to create a server-client, namely--Linux (an operating system), Apache (server software), MySQL (database software), and PhP/Perl/Python (programming languages.
For this week we were supposed to download the Linux-based operating system. Computer experts and users come together to build and trouble-shoot various Linux-based OS platforms that go by different names. We are working with "Ubuntu"--it's an African word meaning "humanity toward others." Neat.
So I was able to successfully download both the desktop and server editions of Ubuntu 8.04 and copy the ISO images to burned CD-Rs. I was glad that I was able to boot the OS from my disk drive, something I had never tried before and I had to consult my owner's manual about. So far so good.
However, I've had a heck of a time trying to successfully download the last piece of software for this week. It's called VMware and it will allow me to run a "virtual machine" on my computer using the Ubuntu OS. I've gotten so close--once at 95% and another at 97%--but it always ends up freezing. I must have tried 30 or so times with mixed results. My network connection is stable and I have plenty of HD space, so I don't know what the problem is. Hopefully I can get this settled soon enough. I think I'll try to download it to my external HD at work tomorrow and see if that helps.
Another aspect of our Ubuntu assignment was to troll around in the Ubuntu user forum, in a specially designated "Absolute Beginner Talk" section. I spent some time looking through the most recent posts on the first page for awhile. Then I decided to do a search for "VMware" and see if I could find any help regarding my problem downloading the this software. I got 8 pages of results. Nothing posted was able to help me resolve my specific problem. Alot of it was geared toward another Linux-based OS called "Xubuntu". Someone was having trouble installing VMware in Xubuntu and he got replies suggesting that he use "virtualbox" instead because it is generally a lot easier to use. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=806883&highlight=VMware
Maybe I'll find out more about this later. Perhaps it could be an alternative to VMware if I can't get it to work.
For this week we were supposed to download the Linux-based operating system. Computer experts and users come together to build and trouble-shoot various Linux-based OS platforms that go by different names. We are working with "Ubuntu"--it's an African word meaning "humanity toward others." Neat.
So I was able to successfully download both the desktop and server editions of Ubuntu 8.04 and copy the ISO images to burned CD-Rs. I was glad that I was able to boot the OS from my disk drive, something I had never tried before and I had to consult my owner's manual about. So far so good.
However, I've had a heck of a time trying to successfully download the last piece of software for this week. It's called VMware and it will allow me to run a "virtual machine" on my computer using the Ubuntu OS. I've gotten so close--once at 95% and another at 97%--but it always ends up freezing. I must have tried 30 or so times with mixed results. My network connection is stable and I have plenty of HD space, so I don't know what the problem is. Hopefully I can get this settled soon enough. I think I'll try to download it to my external HD at work tomorrow and see if that helps.
Another aspect of our Ubuntu assignment was to troll around in the Ubuntu user forum, in a specially designated "Absolute Beginner Talk" section. I spent some time looking through the most recent posts on the first page for awhile. Then I decided to do a search for "VMware" and see if I could find any help regarding my problem downloading the this software. I got 8 pages of results. Nothing posted was able to help me resolve my specific problem. Alot of it was geared toward another Linux-based OS called "Xubuntu". Someone was having trouble installing VMware in Xubuntu and he got replies suggesting that he use "virtualbox" instead because it is generally a lot easier to use. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=806883&highlight=VMware
Maybe I'll find out more about this later. Perhaps it could be an alternative to VMware if I can't get it to work.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I'm 10 pounds of blog in a 5 pound bag
Blogging is tough. I'm so used to scrutinizing and editing all my writing from years of school work that it's hard find my flow. This is my third foray into social networking--I've got MySpace and Facebook accounts. But "blogging"...that seems different to me, because it's so unstructured. I've never kept a diary and I've always thought of blogging as just an online diary. Am I wrong?
Well, now that I need to create a blog for school, I'm motivated to see what all the fuss is about.
Well, now that I need to create a blog for school, I'm motivated to see what all the fuss is about.
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