Technology Planning

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I've been stressed writing our new three year technology plan for the system. It has been a major chore for me, and it's the first one I've ever done. I don't lack a whole lot with it, but just enough to make me jittery and know that I must finish it. I'll be glad when May 1st comes and goes!

Georgia Photo Blog

Some of us Georgia educators have gotten together and formed our own photo blog called Georgia Photos. We each upload our own photos taken in various areas of the state and write little captions about them. We each have a separate blog, and I have included the links in my blogroll. Thanks to Stephen of Stephen's Untold Stories for doing this!

Google Calendar is Here!

Google Calendar has finally arrived. You can add events, share with friends, import items from Outlook, and search for events on the web.

Google Calendar

Icon of the Past

Originally uploaded by Bluester.

I found this as I was strolling through flickr. I didn't have an SE, but I had a Classic II which looked very similar to this computer. I bought it in 1991, and I am pretty sure it probably still works even though I haven't booted in up in a few years. This is supposedly displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, according to the description on flickr.

Not responsible for pictures on this external link

My visit to the Georgia Aquarium

I took a little trip to Atlanta yesterday. I went with a group of people from the southeast who decided to take a day trip into Atlanta for a little tourism. One of our stops was the Georgia Aquarium. I was so excited to get to go without having to worry about traffic and parking. Wow...was it EVER crowded. I don't think I've ever been to an attraction where there were so many baby strollers, wheelchairs, kids, and adults. I heard there were about 16,000 people there yesterday. I can believe it. I managed to take about 100 pictures in the 45 minutes I was in there, but I had to get out because the crowd was just making me nervous. It's a great attraction and offers a great view of the marine life, but I think I'll wait until the "new wears off a little." I uploaded my pictures to flickr so you can see them.

Maintenance List

I've compiled a little list of things that need to be done regularly to computers. I am trying to get into a routine of this hopefully a couple of times per month.

1. Update your OS with all patches.
2. Scan your computer with updated virus software.
3. Schedule and run scandisk.
4. Schedule and run a defrag.
5. Scan for spyware/adware. Make sure these programs are updated.
6. Uninstall unused programs, especially if you downloaded freebies.
7. Backup your My Documents folder. This typically contains most users' documents.
8. Empty the Recycle Bin. Yes, it takes up space, too!
9. Run cleanup utilities such as disk cleanup or CCleaner.
10. If you're up to it, image your machine and store the image on a network storage device or CD/DVD.
11. Clean up and back up your email accounts, particularly if you use Outlook or Outlook Express.
12. Clean out your temporary Internet files, as well as any temp files. Some of this will be done with disk cleanup.
13. If you use wireless encryption on your home network, change your passphrase or security phrase.
14. Dust off your keyboard and inside of your computer with a can of compressed air. You can do this every 2-3 months depending upon your environment. Schools are very dusty, so once a month is probably a good choice!

Regular maintenance on your computer is just like changing the oil on your car. It can mean the life of the machine.

My Butterfly Pictures

Today was such a gorgeous day outside. I got out my mom's new camera, and I chased a couple of butterflies around the cherry blossoms. One of them just seemed to enjoy posing for me! He would sit so still and motionless as I snapped pic after pic. At one point, I noticed he has a little hole in his wing, but he went from tree to tree to land on the blossoms. The wind was blowing a little and the butterflies would just hover around because they were trying to fly into the wind, but it was too strong for them! They kept plugging along, though, until they could finally get back to the trees.

You can view more of them here.

Password Strength

This is a very cool article on using strong passwords and what it takes to crack them. This is a good reference in creating strong passwords.

Link to Article

Another Prodigy?

Check out this video on CBS News of a 4 year old playing his little "pocket trumpet."

LOL...check out the shoulders when he takes a breath. He plays one mean Satin Doll.

Link to Story

Amazing!

Prodigy?

This is a great video of a kid playing a rendition of Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D Major. The tune, actually written around 1680, is the composer's most famous work. It is popular in crossover music, and this video is a great example. Why once, according to its wikipedia article, it was even the chord progression to the popular 1970s Burger King jingle, "Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us..."

You learn something every day, I guess.

Enjoy...it's a little loud, so turn down the speakers some.



I think it's cool when kids show off their talents like this.