Knowledge Quest Project

I've used blogs before taking the class, and feel its a quick way to extend the online environment. I found it very useful in our first class as an introduction to online learning and for keeping track of ideas, links and resources. Its important for students to have a virtual scratchpad but also a more functional way of putting their thoughts and ideas online. These tools have become very sophisticated and are a great shortcut to getting online web pages.

My preference would be to use the Blackboard system, but I wasn't able to configure it in time. I finally figured it out and installed it on our Instructor test. I tried to produce a public link, but you need to be inside the Blackboard system to view it. For this project I used the Blogger site and created an entry for this class.

During the quest I went to various sites (blogger; https://www.blogger.com/start, wordpress) to see how the signup process and accounts functioned. I used some of our resource links provided by instructor to study issues related to web writing, such as Christopher Meeks: http://efuse.com/Design/wa-writing_and_the_web.htm. He sets down a simple process for creating web content. Starting points, organizing and outlining information. I also explored the open wiki service sponsored by wikipedia called Wikia: http://education.wikia.com/wiki/Educational_networking, it has a great set of resources and allows open editing of content.

I will definitely use this resource in online courses, but will restrict the focus, otherwise it becomes a time waster. We need to encourage students to track ideas, use it as a scratch pad, or add to the exercises rather than use it as a journal or typical blog.

I love self directed aspect of this work, but I'm prone to wandering, especially when working on the web. It can be difficult to focus and when I get side-tracked, I end up missing deadlines. The final part of this project shows this, as I became more interested in installation on my servers at HostMonster, and forgot to really build the content.

The difficulty is that there are so many options. Its challenging to decide on an application to use, they all have various strong points. Overall it was interesting to see the different models applied to blog applications, theme styles, focus, and content.

My list of resources are here:

Blog sites:
http://www.blogger.com/
http://wordpress.com/
Online blog:
http://wiringkit.blogspot.com/

Blackboard Blog installed on Test Instructor site:
http://bb.csueastbay.edu/webapps/lobj-journal-bb_bb60/wiki_home/Handler?course_id=_164758_1&content_id=course&store=course&type=loi-journal

I also used accounts at HostMonster to setup test versions of Wordpress, and some online forums.
http://www.hostmonster.com/

David Triebwasser
WiringKit
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Blog experiment for CSU class

I decided to use this blog software for my Knowledge Quest project. I investigated WordPress and even installed it on a server, but this system is completely functional and works for needs I envision. In a online class, students would be required to keep daily or weekly track of their thoughts and issues on a blog. We also have the blog tool in Blackboard, which I found quite useful. I would have preferred to use it as my example but I didn't have the time to set it up on our test Blackboard account. In a real class, I would have this option in Blackboard and include it in the weekly exercises

Using the openSocial platform and lots of helper scripts, I've gone through the tutorial to create my first Google gadget for blogging. Not counting the hello world app....

David Triebwasser
WiringKit
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startup
Setting up a new company means trying to do by myself what 30 of my co-workers used to do. That's the old way. Its not possible and you'll die trying. Now we have access to 30 squared co-workers with online tools, freeware, openware, blogs and all those startups giving it away. A list is in order, but we'll start with

• MySQL Query Browser: ssh into the box, mysql from the command line, yes its manly but now we need speed and accuracy and a little help from the tools.
  
• VMWare Server and Player: you need that guy in the Ukraine to refactor your app, but please don't give him root access on your box! I'll show you lines from /var/log/secure that'll make you wake up at 2am if you aren't already up. Send him an image of the whole darn server.
• JotSpot: thanks to gooble, this site is free. Now you can put everyone's email/phone number up there for when the database goes down.
• LinkedIn: networking and careers.
  
• craigslist,hotjobs,dice: you will be looking for talent, yes?
  

David Triebwasser
WiringKit
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serenity and sea faring

out at berkeley marina after 4 days of windless hot weather unrelated to usual east bay summer fare. hot tubs, windsurfing, java server faces, php and meditation makes my imprisonment here on earth bearable. also keeps me from analyzing too closely the foibles and follies of my fellows. vanity, thy name is human.


found my old acid CD, loaded it and created. careful, its 5 MBs.

penalty kicks and funding

Why do web2.0 humans respond to these things
France outplays Italy in last half, but penalty kicks decide the winner. An almost somnambulant ending to what should be the epitome of world sports.
A startup squirms and releases, screams and pouts and prevails and enjoys. Add 50 people, inject some low level managers, change some titles to "Global VP of Something" and "Worldwide Director of Something Else", add another 50 people. Now get more funding
Why are these events exciting? Because they aren't. They are just things that happen and they have as much to do with achievement and personal growth as the Bay Bridge rebuild has to do with windsurfing at Treasure Island. They are a means to some end.

Hopefully the people that are working at your company are motivated beyond the few stock options they have been promised. Unless you've given them preferred stock and lots of it. Steve Albini has already covered this topic in reference to Major Labels and Bands.

I think stock options and growth are great, but hasn't anyone read Milton lately. Success and Failure are imaginary destinations. You are alive in the 21st Century, so go do some good work.

One Year Later

out of the frying pan into the fire. landed at a little startup called idetic.com which turned into mobitv.com. was enjoying a couple of months windsurfing when a desperate company reeled me in. Putting TV on cell phones which my mother thinks is the just wrong. Enough geeks to make me switch to a linux laptop and they feed us lunch every friday.

careful what you ask for
after several months of consideration, i have had to let my company go. Its me, not them. It was love at first site, the internet stock options, being flown down for an interview/hiring, free lunch. Then one morning the familar heads that once populated my neighboring cubicles are missing. We retool, build another company, go pitch to VC's at Sand Hill. Jump on the wi-fi, 80211.x band wagon. Become familiar with 3rd avenue. Work and the dance continues.

Just for fun here's a list of jobs i've had:
molecular biologist
drummer in rock band
web developer
there's more but the wind is up.