Daily Reading
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A possible interview and a book review are coming soon. Updates are sporadic I know, but I'm shooting for quality not quantity.
I did, however, just check out RPI's distance education setup. I'm signed up for Lans, Mans and Internetworking to start off with. They're using WebCT, which takes a little getting used to (I am used to Blackboard) but looks to be really cool. The frontpage for the Fall course schedule has video introductions by the professors, which include slide shows. As you watch the video, the slides open up in your web browser. It's neat to me. Of course having the slides proceed without opening a new window for each one would be cooler... hmm... I should investigate the scripting techniques for Windows Media. Of course it could just be my settings on this end of the spectrum.
All in all, I like it. I will try to do some posts from time to time detailing the online education experience. Maybe an insider's view can show more?
Thanks for stopping by.
12:03 PM
"Leo would not be on TV if he wasn't so pretty." - Lili Von Schtupp
Gnomedex. A great conference, with amazing speakers discussing a range of topics that all have a bit of controversy in them. Audience responses of cheer, applause, "Oooh... aaahhh... eeee!" and the occasional boo did help to sort out just whose side the Gnomies were on. However, one comment that drew a lot of attention and controversy was something said by the keynote speaker himself, Mr. Leo Laporte. When asked a question concerning women, technology and the female presence on TechTV, Leo tried to respond along the lines of it was hard to find smart women who were interested in both technology and broadcast communications (fancy wording on my part for being a TV show host/co-host).
Tried would be the operative word. It ended up coming out as, "It's hard to find smart women..." He was interrupted before he could finish, and that drew a lot of boo'ing from the audience.
Someone that took great issue with the statement was none other than Online Tonight's very own Lili Von Schtupp. Miss Von Schtupp, a smart woman interested in both technology and broadcast communications, did not appreciate the comment, and offered the opening quote in response to it.
However, this article is not about Mr. Laporte's comment or the resulting fallout. It is about Lili Von Schtupp, who did later resolve the issue concerning the comment, and still loves Leo.
When discussing the comment with Miss Von Schtupp, I was granted the opportunity to have a conversation with her for a bit and get some real insight into the type of person she is. Our conversation, off the record, will remain just that (see very important disclaimer) however I would like to offer my thoughts.
Lili Von Schtupp is an intelligent woman with a good heart and a sharp mind.
Open to debate on issues such as the legality of mp3's, Miss Von Schtupp offers well thought out opinions backed by hard facts. Persuasive, persistent and honest, Miss Von Schtupp is someone that can make even the most ardent supporters of a cause give pause to think and consider their beliefs and motivations.
While certainly one of the rowdiest partiers at Gnomedex, beneath that exterior is a dedicated and determined worker who takes her job as producer very seriously. With considerable talent and skill, Miss Von Schtupp acts as a sort of Jane of All Trades at her job, clearly illustrating her fiercely independent attitude.
Independent, smart, funny and persuasive. All words that can describe Miss Von Schtupp. In all honesty, this strong combination can be a bit intimidating and/or off-putting at times. However, don't let that stop you from taking the opportunity to talk to and get to know her. You'll be glad you did.
So, are smart women so hard to find? Find Lili Von Schtupp and you'll have found at least one. :)
3:30 PM
Well, my first article has been written up, I am just waiting for the approval of the article's subject. This does give me time though to address something. The idea of people meeting people over the Internet.
Now, I just got back from Gnomedex, and most likely the only people reading this did too. A great time was had by all, I'm pretty sure, with meeting new people, putting faces to names, etc. So that in and of itself should drive away any arguments like, "Well, you really don't know who's on the other end of the computer" or another reason that making friends online is something the general populace should be wary of.
Last night, while checking the message boards for Witchblade (a great TV show, by far), I saw that someone had posted their AIM name and invited other fans to contact her. So I did just that. We talked about the show, music, etc. We decided to talk again later. Nice person. Just an example of how things can go well when you meet new people on the Net. There are plenty of horror stories, so for my article here I think it is appropriate to include a positive example.
With that said, please feel free to e-mail me here.
I have AIM, ICQ, Yahoo!, MSN (and no I'm not getting Trillian) so if you'd like to talk, just drop me a note with your screennames. Fast, simple, easy.
Don't be afraid to meet new people. You may only know them by a screenname, but sometimes that can be enough.
2:27 PM
Well, I have updated the template, added the Gnomedex blogroll and I have written up the disclaimer. Very important the disclaimer.
Sadly, real content is still brewing, not yet ready to be posted. In the meantime, after viewing the VERY IMPORTANT disclaimer, read up on some of my friend Spike's essays and rants. Interesting, thought provoking, somewhat spooky. Spike's Writing.
12:10 AM
You'd think I'd know what I'm doing, wouldn't you? To be honest, I am not sure why the blogroll is suddenly centered like that. Yet another reason I am going to create my own template, sometime.
Sorry there's no journalism yet. I honestly am trying.
3:35 PM
Well, here's my second attempt at starting a blog. I am sincerely not in the mood to troubleshoot AT&T Broadband's network. Anyway, this is a test post. I will be contemplating my template options, visiting a variety of URLs I learned about at Gnomedex, e-mailing people, and trying to deal with school admissions processes. I sincerely hope this works.
Oh yeah, see pictures! http://www.photoaccess.com/share/guest.jsp?ID=AB81CF2491A&cb=PA
3:04 PM
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