Technology and CS in Dallas

Author: kathleen

  • Today’s goal–Decide if I want to keep a laptop

    I’ve been downsizing.  I’ve already sold two machines. 

    One was a Windows 8 Lenovo without a touch screen.  I bought it when my Sony failed.  It was cheap and I got most of my money back selling it on email.

    I sold my Asus Touch Screen.  I got it when I got scared to move my Sony machine around – the touch screen cracked when I moved it.  It had a couple of dents, and I did pretty good on it.

    By the way, I didn’t try to sell them on Ebay on myself.  I’ve never had much luck but the guy who runs my mailbox service does Ebay pretty extensively as http://www.ebay.com/usr/eaglepostalexpress972?_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2754 and I’ve been happy with the service.  Besides, he is already equipped to ship.

    I’m trying to decide if I want to sell that Sony.

    To start with I have a Lenovo Yoga 13 that works.  It doesn’t have a big hard drive, but then I have an extensive collection of Thumbdrives and External drives.  Yeah, said.  I am a neat hoarder with limits.  My problem is that I can’t stand to throw anything away.  Sometime because the next ham radio sell, I should go through, wipe them and then see if I can get someone to add them to their booth.

    Back to the Sony.  Things don’t work right on.  I can do something on the Yoga but it doesn’t work on the laptop.  Plus I’m afraid the screen will crack again.

    I’d like something that has as many pixels as my surface but with a huge hard drive.  I’m really looking for something that has a Hybrid Drive.  There are two Lenovo’s I really like.

    Another option is just to make the Yoga my main computer and settle for the Surface as my going around computer.  Scott Hanselman would LOVE this model as it has regular HDMI output. 

    So I wiped the Sony yesterday and trying to figure out if if the way I had it configured is the problem. 

  • Getting used to programming again

    I’ve worked maintenance for years, and our attitude was get it fixed fast.  I’m not sure if it is because I’m older, but it is introducing some mistakes.  I’m going to have to learn to slow down.

    Oh, and in the education space, it is getting it done fast and worry about the errors later too, especially in grading.

  • Python Project

    Something I’ve just figured out on the Python stuff.  I’m used to following documentation line by line.  With the Python stuff, you need to read the WHOLE file, before you try again.

    I’m wondering if it is because I come from the Windows world, that I don’t do that.

    You also need to learn to look for “read me” files and read them.

  • OPW Progress

    I’m participating in the Outreach Program for Women.  Working on Python with Windows.

    I’m made quite a bit of progress.

    I’ve help close one bug already:

       http://bugs.python.org/issue20266 – though it’s being fixed by

       http://bugs.python.org/issue20265 – I’ve submitted a patch for this one and the patch has been reviewed once already

    Now I working on http://bugs.python.org/issue17846#msg187810

       I have gotten Python to build with Visual Studio 2012 but it throws a ton of error messages, the first saying I don’t have SQLite on my machine.  I know that but I can’t figure out why Python still builds.

    —

       Found it in the readme and in the document I’m supposed to be fixing. 

    —

    Best yet, I’ve figured out how to get rid of changes I’ve made and restore things from the repository.

  • Working on Python is “Cool”

    Defining cool as:

    Meeting very helpful people

    Working on an interesting project

    Knowing that my work will help the next guy

    Learning new stuff

    However, as I told the gal at the nail salon this morning:  “Yes, I’m a nerd and I’m okay with that.

    I have been working on two pages of documentation for the Python project:

    using/windows
        FAQ/windows

    It has meant trying every link and fixing the broken links.  Installing Python on two Windows 7 machines and three Windows 8 machines and figuring out what was broken after the installation and fixing it.  Then writing documentation.

    Also moving a section from using to FAQ

    I’ve learned how to use the Python bug fixing tools (not sure what they are called), learning how to use their documentation program their patch program.  Also lots of other stuff.

    Like I said: “cool”.

    And the most satisfying work I’ve done since January.

  • Updating my Skills

    Like all springs, I have some extra time – this spring, more than most. 

    Curriculum and lesson plans are written for the year, can't work on next year until new staff development and requirements by others are written.  Students take longer to do assignments and there is more time between questions.

    I’ve been looking to fill some of it, and to expand my ability.  I experimented with free lancing, and so far have found that very unsatisfying.  The things I feel capable of doing either feel like a scam, or the person isn’t interested in hiring me.  Same thing is happening with tutoring. 

    What has been satisfying is working on Python.  Oddly, it isn’t a language I have done much with, though I’ve seen it at some workshops – computational media for example.  And I’ve played with it on Code Academy but haven’t seen much of it to be of use yet.

    I’ve only been working on the project for two days, but everyone has been extremely helpful and I have started working in an area that I am comfortable – Windows and documentation.

    Right now, I’m going through all the Windows docs, have added what I think is missing.

    It’s been a real stretch for me, and I’ve learned a ton, just in the two days.  I also think I will be working on this or other FOSS projects for a while.  It’s very satisfying work.  In fact, it gives me a bit of the feeling I got when I went to Grace Hopper.

  • Opening up My Private Moodle Courses

    I have several moodle courses I set up in order to do staff development.  I’ve opened them up and made them available to guest access.

    http://www.mykweaver.com/moodle/

    They include how to make a movie, fund raising, Gridworld (AP Computer Science) and some stuff on programming robots.

    Let me know what you think.

  • Tara blogged at My crazy life with my diabetic service dog.: Choosing to Disagree

     With the growing trend of people flocking to get diabetic alert dogs I have also seen a growing trend of bad ideas from people training their own diabetic alert dogs. Recently I was on an online forum and a young woman was asking questions about alerts for her diabetic alert dog. I know she said she wanted the dog to alert by barking.

    via tarraandduchess.blogspot.com

     

    I can't agree more.  Sad part about using a beagle for a diabetes alert dog is that everyone DOES expecct her to bark at me.

    Yes, beagles can be noisy.  The ones that are ignored.   I do have a very noisy beagle, but she's a rescue, and had to learn one volume to survive, and hasn't unlearned it.

    I have another beagle, Macy, who makes noise when she is unhappy.

    However, Dulce rarely barks, and when she does, I immediately drop everything to see what is going on. 

    Alert dogs should not be barking.

  • I am finally getting some “round to its”

    I’ve gotten Microsoft Writer to work on my Windows 8.1 machines.  Hint, there are a couple of versions out there.  The first one I tried said I already had the latest version of Windows Live Essentials, the second one worked.

    I have finally gotten Eclipse to work with the Java materials we use (we’ve been using Stacy Armstrong’s materials, but I have also used Leon Scham’s).  We’ll go with whatever text book the district went with the textbook adoption.

    I know, I’ve used Eclipse before – either on a Linux Virtual Machine or on a machine someone setup.  We had been using JCreator, but it doesn’t look like its supported anymore – the forum was saying it was being updated with a January date, and they don’t answer their support requests – well, you get a canned supply.

    Plus, using a real IDE is a good idea.  I’ve also had trouble setting it up in workshops.

    I used the Litvin’s site to figure out how to set it up – http://www.skylit.com – look for the how-to’s

    I’m doing some reviewing of Java, and then I think I will play with writing some Android apps.

  • Just updated my Lenovo Yoga to 8 gb of RAM

    I remember when 8 bits was a lot….

    Yes, I’m old.

    I’ve been thinking about upgrading this machine almost since the day I got it.  I went to the local Microsoft Store and was going to get a Surface Pro, and they talked me into this machine.  They didn’t have the 8gb version, just the 4 and I’ve been thinking of the upgrade for a while.

    Good news about waiting – it was cheaper.

    I’m still thinking of upgrading the solid state drive but that still scares me.  You have to take off the keyboard, unplug it and take off the case.

    This was bad enough.

    Of course, the longer I wait, the cheaper the drives get.  They are down to about $80 for a 126 gig.  I know because I had it ordered from Amazon and chickened out.

    There are lots of other sites that will tell you how to do the upgrade.  I watched a video and then followed written instructions.