found_drama

The inconsistency principle.

    Archive for September 2006

    #Really Simple Publication (part one)

    ¶ September 30th, 2006 by found_drama @ tech § 1 Comment »

    When we last saw our hero, he was pondering the question: “How do I teach web publication to a scientist and/or university professor? Someone who is obviously smart but also technologically UN-savvy?”

    It is a tough question.

    As we previously discussed, the question is not just “how do I most easily make an HTML document?” but also: “How do I publish it so that it is accessible by my audience?”

    Let’s use this “part one” of the series to make a couple of ground rules and assumptions:

    1. “Really Simple Publication” is aimed at answering the above question and assumes an audience that is NOT interested in become particularly web-savvy. Our audience is about as push-button as we can get.
    2. Given #1, we want to use as few applications to create, edit, and publish our content as possible. We’ll set 2 applications as our absolute maximum. In fact, if we can’t do complete this assignment with only one application, we only get partial credit.
    3. Given #3, web-based blogging/[tag]CMS[/tag] utilities (e.g., our dear [tag]WordPress[/tag]), while not out of the question, are given secondary status because:
      1. We must assume the most bare-bones of server environments (e.g., no server-side scripting, no database access, etc.), and
      2. For the sanity of our subject (i.e., consistency of user experience, etc.) we want to keep this on the desktop
    4. This solution should apply regardless of platform (assume our subject will be flipping back and forth between a Windows-based PC and a Mac)

      CAVEAT: Linux will not be under consideration here because it is fair to assume that a Linux user is already out-classing our subject in the “tech savvy” realm.

    5. Our solution must be flexible and user-friendly enough to easily accommodate posting a variety of media (e.g., video content, images, PowerPoint presentations)

    Alrighty… Let’s get out thinking caps on and … begin!

    #links for 2006-09-30

    ¶ September 29th, 2006 by found_drama @ Cold War Nostalgia & Link Dump § No Comments »

    #From The People That Brought You The Home Defibrillator

    ¶ September 29th, 2006 by found_drama @ Sundry § No Comments »

    From the “I’m glad someone did and I’m also glad it wasn’t me” file:

    I’m pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs. The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, “do it again, do it again!”

    What happens when you [tag]Stun Gun[/tag] yourself? Let’s be glad this guy can’t afford his own home [tag]defibrillator[/tag]. He probably enjoys a good vagus nerve shock every now and then though.

    Previously:

    #dream.20060929: move in, shut out

    ¶ September 29th, 2006 by found_drama @ Dream § 1 Comment »

    It’s move-in day at St. Mary’s College and we’re moving back in for some kind of repeat of our senior year. The roster for the house has changed up a bit and there are six of us instead of four. M.G. is there, as is B.T. (and myself, of course) but K.M. is not, replaced instead by this kid “Keith” that I went to middle school with, someone named Dan, and a woman with whom I supposedly work.

    We get about half of our stuff moved in before everyone just sort of takes up seats in the living room of the townhouse. At first it’s to just “take a break” but it seems to go on for quite some time (the sitting). This would not be as bad if the townhouse had been updated to more easily accommodate six residents but there are still really only seats for four. The woman is spinning records, so she’s not worried but I didn’t manage to get a seat. I’m pacing around the room, trying to participate in the conversation (which is working marginally well) but most of what everyone is talking about is articles and ads that appear in the newspaper (which I can’t see at all).

    I try ducking back into the kitchen, as though fixing myself something to eat (or else putting some more items away) will help to move things along but every time I duck back into the living room, they’re still talking about what’s in the paper (mostly: shows and club nights in D.C.). I keep trying to divert my attention away from what’s going on in the center of the room (thinking that things will settle down if I don’t look concerned), so I make up alternate tasks: organize the bookshelves, locate my bottle of Russian vodka (which seems to have disappeared), get my own turn on the decks. But I’m just shut out of things and more and more self-conscious about it all the time.

    #links for 2006-09-29

    ¶ September 28th, 2006 by found_drama @ Link Dump & Mac & tech § 1 Comment »

    #dream.20060928: accidental rental

    ¶ September 28th, 2006 by found_drama @ Dream § No Comments »

    A. & I rent a DVD from the store but when we pop it in, it turns out to be a porno instead of what we thought we’d rented.  But we decide to watch it anyway (for kicks).  However, the actors seem completely uncommitted to their roles.  The logical thing to do would be to call it a wash and start over, go back to the video store and complain.  We make food instead.

    #Really Simple Publication (a prelude)

    ¶ September 27th, 2006 by found_drama @ tech § 3 Comments »

    “Will you teach me how to make a web site?”

    This question was recently posed to me by someone who is utterly brilliant about so many things and yet completely stymied when it comes to computers.

    “Um…” (I begin) “What for?”

    “Because I’m tired of emailing people back with the same explanations.  And sometimes I have videos that they need to see for class and…”

    Videos?  Say no more.  Of course you shouldn’t be emailing the same video over and over again.  Or at all.  “Sure, just…”

    And then it hit me: How do you set up a super-easy publication system for someone that isn’t very technical and not particularly interested in learning the tools necessary to publish on the web.  And I think that this is an important question to get answered: because the web is a great way for certain folks to get their information out there to those that need it but it’s not always easy to get that message out there.

    Seriously: in the above conversation, the first thing I thought to blurt out was: “Well, you can always just use word to ‘save as HTML’…”  But even as my inner web developer shuddered, I realized that this is only the tip of the iceberg.  That may make output a nasty HTML document that will (sort of) render in a browser but how do you get it onto a server if you don’t really know what you’re doing?

    All of these questions to be answered and perhaps more in this upcoming parade of meditation that we’ll call: Really Simple Publication…

    #links for 2006-09-28

    ¶ September 27th, 2006 by found_drama @ Link Dump & Science & tech § No Comments »

    #23rd Anniversary of Saving the World

    ¶ September 27th, 2006 by found_drama @ Cold War Nostalgia § No Comments »

    Via /.: 23 years ago today, Soviet Missle Commander [tag]Stanislav Petrov[/tag] saved the world by refusing to believe that the United States had launched a concerted nuclear attack against The Mother Country.

    Nice going, man.

    #links for 2006-09-27

    ¶ September 26th, 2006 by found_drama @ Code & Comics & Link Dump & Mac § No Comments »
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