Striking a Blow. The Hawai'i Department of Education and the University of Hawai'i are still out on strike. Talks have been intermittent but one way or another, it will probably be settled this week. Why do I think this? Because most people live pretty much paycheck to paycheck and this is week two of the strike. Thus, the strikers will be out a paycheck and won't be able to pay the mortgage, or utilities, or everything else you would normally pay. So even if the unions don't settle, the strikers will.
Now, don't get me wrong, I support the strikers. I was in their position not that long ago so I speak from personal experience. But today, management has the upper hand. They are much better organized and in a depressed economy, like the one we are heading into, all they have to do is wait and the union will come to them.
As an aside, the Governor, who says he is a Democrat, will have done more to push people to the Republican party than any other person in the history of the state. I am predicting that the next Governor will be a Republican and the state House of Representatives will also go Republican. Not only because of this Governor's actions, but also because the in migration of mainlanders to the islands. Republican mainlanders. If they are not in the majority yet, they soon will be. And as good Republicans, like their missionary forefathers, they will do everything they can to transform these islands to look exactly like the place they fled from in the first place.
Sorry Dr. Jim. I watched the game yesterday. What game? The Los Angeles Lakers basketball team versus the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers won 105-100. The Lakers thus move into first place in the Pacific Division.
I also spent the long weekend away from things digital. I needed a break and I took it. And you know, the world went on. The sun shined. The birds flew. I can't say all is well with the world but it's still there.
Thank you to Tom Syroid for his work in trying to keep the Daynotes Gang headed in the right direction. It was, and is, an impossible task. But thanks for trying. Much appreciated. Happy Trails to You, Until We Meet Again.
Thank you to Bob Walder for stepping in and being willing to help get a valuable resource back up and running.
And thank you, dear readers, for spending a few minutes to read my Misc. Ramblings. Aloha!
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Tuesday - 17 April 2001
Clearing the Waters. Here's a geek toy I just couldn't pass up. The Steri-Pen (see it here) is described as a pocket-sized ultraviolet water disinfection system. At $239 (USD) and $12 shipping, it is not cheap. In fact, there are smaller, simpler, and cheaper ways of purifying water. But if you want the latest kwel toy, then you have to check it out. Having said that, I have no idea if it actually works but who else on your block will be sitting there stirring (not shaking) their glass of water with an ultraviolet wand?. YMMV. UAYOR (Use At Your Own Risk).
The Fat Lady Sings. Opera 5.1 is now out (see it here). Why choose this browser over IE or Mozilla? Speed, size, and standards. Points against it? The "free" version has ads, and the paid version costs money [well, duh - Ed.]. That and the fact that it is standards based. So to the extent that IE/FrontPage embraces and extends HTML is the extent that Opera will reject and not display such differences.
They are Out There. For those with ties to Hawai'i, or for those who would like to have such ties, here is a list of blogs of folks from Hawai'i (see it here). It is by no means exhaustive (hey! Why my name no stay?) but it's the only listing that I know of.
Mice with Eyes. So you've heard of cordless mice. Now comes the second generation. Optical cordless mice with 800 dpi resolution, no less. The Logitech MouseMan Optical (am I the only one getting TiRed of these nAmes that haVe more than one caPItol letter in them?) lists for $69.95 (see it here).
Words of Wisdom. Found these at http://www.geocities.com/teka_marux/sayings.html
Don't piss me off! I'm running out of places to hide the bodies.
Cat: The other white meat.
I do whatever the voices in my head tell me to do...
EVIL...shouldn't look this good.
BROKE. Rob me only if you need the PRACTICE!
I smile 'cause you've all finally driven me INSANE.
I'm out of bed and dressed, what more do you want?
So many CATS! So few good recipes.
What part of http://www.kissmyass.com don't you understand?
I got me a can of Whup-ass!
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
Remember my name-you'll be screaming it later.
I hate everybody.
He who laughs last has the best lawyer.
I'm just one big #X@%!! ray of sunshine, aren't I ?!
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.
Have a Great Day Everyone - Aloha!
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Hump Day Wednesday - 18 April 2001 (T-26)
University Strike Settled! The University of Hawai'i union reached a settlement with the state last night. Classes are scheduled to resume immediately even though the proposed contract has yet to be ratified. This means it's back to class for me tomorrow night (and Saturday). On the other hand, the teachers strike continues so Hawaii's elementary and high school students are still on the loose.
Rote vs. Reason. When Jerry gets back from gay Paris I'm sure he can correct any mistakes I may make (its been 20 years since I took classes in learning theory) but it is my recollection that the answer to the question posted on the Daynotes Backchannel; "Is there any point in making kids just learn stuff by rote any more?" is - It depends. Each has its place. The learning theorists (Behaviorists = Pavlov, Thorndike, Watson, and Skinner vs. Cognitive = Piaget) each illustrate different theories about how we learn.
But the context in which the learning needs to be expressed is as important as how that learning occurred. For example, if you are a business manager that needs to make a decision *Right Now*, signing up for a semester-long class on the Theories of Business Management (no matter how insightful the class may be in identifying the problem or goal, generating alternative solutions, establishing objective criteria, deciding on a solution that best fits each criterion, proceeding with the solution, and then evaluating the solution) is not useful in her present situation.
Conversely, if you are presented with a unique problem, which by definition would be outside your sphere of experience, having a mind full of rote memorizations may not help you. At that point, you have to analyze, synthesize, and sometimes use insight (i.e., "think outside the box") to solve the problem. And there is much evidence that prior learning acts as a lens or filter which, paradoxically, brings into focus some details while ignoring others.
It seems to me that if we want well rounded citizens, we need to teach the pragmatic view of all problem solving techniques. It is a false dichotomy to say learning should be based on one or the other and not both because the more flexible we are in problem solving, the lower the likelihood we will win a Darwin Award ;).
Aloha!
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Thursday - 19 April 2001 (T-25)
Jobs in Hawai'i. The Hawai'i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has a list of what they say are the fastest growing occupations here (for businesses with over 300 employees, comparing 1998 to a projected 2008). As always, when dealing with percentages, you have to remember that relatively small changes in small numbers will produce relatively large changes. With that note:
You would expect the computer related jobs to be on the list, but paving/surfacing/tamping operators? Hmmm. What was that about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot?
Hilo Hula Happening. What many describe as the premier hula festival in Hawai'i begins tonight through Saturday night (a live video stream will be shown here from 6:00pm to 10:00pm HST).
The 38th Annual Merrie Monarch, held in Hilo's Edith Kanakaole Stadium, is expected to draw thousands of people from around the world to watch the hula competition. The festival is divided up between the Miss Aloha Hula (tonight), hula kahiko or ancient form (Friday night), and hula 'auana or modern form (Saturday night).
I have a lot of reading to do for tonight's class so I gotta go - Aloha!
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Aloha Friday - 20 April 2001 (T-24)
It's Friday! Whoo Hoo
The Empire Strikes Back. Use the Force, Luke. Use the Force. What? Sorry. Flashback. Must be a bad batch of mushrooms or something. The New York Times reports (see it here) Microsoft sales up 14% for the Q3 ending 31 March.
Surprisingly, the increased sales centered on Windows 2000 Pro, MS Office 2000, and unspecified operating systems and database products for "larger centralized computers."
My personal speculation is that people are buying these products to avoid the soon to be released MS licensing and .NET initiatives. I don't plan on "upgrading" to XP or .NET (or as I originally put it, .NYET) for these very reasons. YMMV.
I have lots to do at work and lots of reading to do for tomorrow's class. Yes, another Saturday class. So I gotta go - Aloha!
© 2001 Daniel K. Seto. All rights reserved. Best viewed on a computer screen. No electrons were harmed during the preparation of this page.