Sunday
April 15, 2001
Umm, hello. Yes, I know. It's the second week (er...the end of the second week) of April and I'm just now posting something. It's not for a lack of things to report -- not that any of it is particularly interesting. But, after all, this is a journal of minutiae -- and nobody ever said minutiae had to be interesting. Sigh. I'm not one to wax esoteric in order to add wordage to my journal. Oh well. I could always talk politics. But we so don't want to go there, do we?
Soooo...this leaves me with a short and random list of minutiae-type happenings to report:
I have now completed my fifth Math Mentor Flash movie (which we call "activities") -- the sixth one will be a bit more complicated, but fun. (Unfortunately, I can't show the .swf files here because I'd be in violation of the copyright agreement I signed when I joined the program.) I found a really helpful book on Flash 5 action-scripting by Bill Sanders called Flash ActionScript f/x & Design from Coriolis. It contains a CD-ROM (Mac & PC) which contains all of the .fla files pertaining to each lesson and example. The author explains programming terms in the simplest way possible -- which really helps the more right-brain inclined among us.
I really enjoy working with the other Math Mentor team members -- it's cool to be surrounded by creative people. Unfortunately the Bat Cave is so small and windowless, we usually have to prop the door open for "real" air. This also allows other unwanted elements to enter...like...cigarette smoke (we're right next door to the elevator) and the sound of construction workers pounding on the metal girders of the new LRC being built across the street. And of course there is the occasional inquisitive student popping their head in and asking what we're doing. "Software development." is usually our quick (and sometimes terse) reply.
My 'puter ("Mtrop") is a 266MHz Mac G3 with a 19" monitor -- poor little guy only has 92 mb of RAM. This means that Flash occasional informs me that I'm running out of RAM and that "some areas may become gray." GRRRR! One time I just kept going and sure enough, when I ran "Test Movie," the upper right corner of the screen was gray! Don't mess with Flash -- it means business! Anyway, at least I have OS 9.1 -- upgraded from 8.1 a month ago. About a week ago, one of the networking/hardware people brought in a beautiful 750 MHz G4, its eventual destination the Math Lab methinks. Sigh. It's still sitting on the floor, and I'm thinking: "Please become Mtrop. I know you've got 256 mb of RAM in that gorgeous graphite hull of yours..." Actually, everyone's been eyeing the little bugger. Professor Kater is hoping that we can eventually replace all the G3s -- but...budgets, you know.
I have to tell you that it truly SUCKS to come home to a 15" monitor. I mean, after all that screen real estate in the lab (I sometimes use another G3 with a 21-freaking-inch monitor), I have to make due with tiny monitor. My dream set-up (finances willing)? 17" monitors for both my PC and future Mac, with a 21" monitor in between with both 'puters hooked up to it. Oh YEAH. I'd still keep my 15" hooked up to my PC to test pages at 800 x 600. In the meantime, I must cope. Sigh.
That's it for the moment. I'll try to update a bit more frequently -- two entries per month is rather pitiful. Don't bother checking my Writing Dare page -- nothing new there. I'm just soooo bad.
This page webbed by Anne Hutchins. Yes I did it myself. Honest. Copyright © 2001. All rights reserved.