Learning to Do Something Again and Again

Posted on August 24, 2011 by SusanG

There’s nothing like learning how to do something over and over again. Ok, that’s sarcasm. Truthfully, it’s a little frustrating.

I draw and paint a bit. I usually work in pencil, some pen and ink, chalk pastels and occasionally  water colors. While I’m a little rusty, from spending a lot more time working with computers and playing guitar, I’m still pretty good at being able to pull out a pencil and sketch up something fairly easily.

Things change though. Now days with the Internet and the crisp, snazzy graphics it won’t do to whip up something on a sketch pad, scan it, crop it and call it good. It may be a pretty picture but for a logo or some of the other bits of art needed on the web, it’s just not going to fly. Sigh.

I have some artwork that I need to do for some websites and even a book. All of it needs to be done digitally. The website art because it’s the web. The book art for so many reasons, one of which is how much easier it is to send a file to the printer, exactly the way you see it, instead of worrying about the paste up.

Because of these projects I have been working with and trying to learn some of the Adobe softwares. I’ve even got a stylus and tablet to make it easier. While it helps, it’s just not there, yet. I know some people can pick this stuff up like they were born to it. Or it seems that way. It’s easy enough to goof around in the programs, it’s another thing where it comes time to sit down and do something specific with it. It takes a lot longer to do than I think it should, which makes it frustrating.

Oh, and it’s not that I’m learning to use one or another of the programs. No, I’m learning two straight graphics programs and an animation program. While there are similarities in the interface of the programs, they all function different and what takes little effort to do in one program can be challenging in another.

Still the art needs to be done and in spite of the frustrations, digital really is the best medium for the pieces. And so, I get to learn how to draw a square over and over and over again. That’s before we even get to the 3D programs.

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Sometimes You Have to Re-evaluate

Posted on August 22, 2011 by SusanG

Sometimes we take a position or point of view about something based on a reaction. That reaction might be positive or negative, mild or violent. Usually it doesn’t include any investigation or logic. It’s a reaction. It is a good thing to, on occasion, revisit those views and find out if they are still valid.

Initially my opinion of the Android platform was that it was cool, primarily because it isn’t Apple. I still think it’s cool for not being Apple, however a conversation or two and a little more reading and I have a more realistic and well rounded view of it.

I’ve been reading a most interesting book, somewhat about cyber security. It has been very enlightening while it has also helped to drive home a couple of things I already knew. Those are that Windows is the least secure computer operating system out there, though they may be getting better. Mac OSX and Linux are much more secure, and though the book doesn’t mention Android, supplemental reading points to it’s security being suspect. Adding to this information was a conversation with the Network Engineer where I work. Though the company is officially a Microsoft shop, under the “bring your own technology” campaign he was making it possible to, and would allow, Apple devices to attach to the network as well as devices running Ubuntu and possibly Red Hat Linux. He would not allow Android devices as the OS is too new and the API’s unstable.

I’ve played with Ubuntu before and liked it. I never used it as my primary OS so I can’t say I was at all proficient at it. It was, however, not too challenging to work in. At the moment though there are no tablets, netbooks or laptops that come with it installed by default. Ok, yes, I may have missed something somewhere. That means if I want to use it, I’m going to have to put a bit of work into it, and on a tablet it might not be an option.

I’m not a fan of Apple. Yes, I have an iPhone. I didn’t get it because it’s an iPhone. I got it because at the time my wireless carrier only had two choices for smartphones, the iPhone or a Windows based phone that the OS was semi-stable, and limited. My response to Apple is primarily based on not liking Steve Jobs. It’s a knee jerk reaction and it lacks logic. All I can say is, I don’t like him. And that opinion taints my opinion of Apple products.

This is one opinion I may be forced to re-evaluate. Not my opinion of Steve Jobs, rather, my opinion of Apple products. One thing still holds for me about Apple products is how expensive they seem. The security of the OS and the flexibility, however, I think I need to look at. It is just possible that some of what I do, or want to do may be easier with Apple than with Windows. It is also possible that it will be more secure, though that could change. The more popular Apple products become and the more market share they gain, the bigger a target they become. Hackers and virus writers don’t usually target Apple because it would make less of an impact. Used to, not enough people used Macs for it to be worth while to mess with them.

Still, with all that is to be taken into account with regards to the different platforms out there it looks like I may need to stop a moment and re-evaluate things and my opinion. Jumping on the Android band wagon may be much like the latest fashion trend and may require a little more time to judge it’s viability. Linux has got potential and appeals to the part of me that wants a little non-conformity. And while Apple, as well as Windows, makes the non-conformist in me cringe, it may turn out to be the platform that fills the bulk of my requirements as well as wants. I guess it can’t be all bad, they are building the Mother Ship.

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Understanding One Thing Leads to Understanding Another

Posted on August 20, 2011 by SusanG

I am reasonably smart and fairly good at math. I can plug numbers into formulas and solve for x, and I’m pretty good at estimating. Over the years the one thing that just hasn’t stuck has had to do with compound interest. Sure, if you give me the formula I can pump in the numbers. But the formula, and how to figure out how much the interest is going to be, that part has never stuck.

I’m working on a project that has me learning, or, refreshing my programming skills. For this I am using one of the myriad of programming instruction books. One of the exercises involves writing, or typing in, a small program that will calculate your monthly payment based on the principal, interest, etc. that you input, for a loan. Yes there are lots of programs out that do this. And I’ve played with a few when wondering if it might be worth it or possible to buy a house.

Even though I’ve played with the mortgage calculators and I know that paying interest on something makes it cost more, I never could really estimate how much more the interest was going to make something cost. Either I didn’t care or it didn’t click. Playing with this little program I wrote has changed that. I now get it.

I find it interesting how learning about one thing can shed light on something else. For example learning or studying a different language helped me better understand English grammar. Or how learning about programming has helped me understand compound interest.

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Ok, Maybe I’ll Wait.

Posted on August 18, 2011 by SusanG

Paying bills sucks. No, really, it does. I’m guessing most of us feel this way. It’s not that I don’t like seeing the balances go down or having a roof over my head, I do. I don’t like seeing all the money going out. And in some cases, I have to ask myself, “for what?”

Well, in addition to those regular bills for living expenses such as room, board, electricity, and such, it’s probably gone to the credit cards to pay for all that stuff. I know in my case that’s what happens. I need or want new clothes or shoes and I might put it on the credit card instead of just pay for it, because, I want to keep the cash in case I need it. Given the price of credit these days I’m starting to think that might not be the right approach.

Alright. I’ve known all along that that wasn’t the right approach. Somewhere on the road to today I got sucked into the same trap so many people have. The trap of the ‘gotta have nows’. I could blame it on media, advertising, the experience with an ex-husband and so many other things and sure, they all contributed to the situation. Ultimately, it all comes down to me and the decisions I make.

I have a choice to go out and get that new gadget, guitar, pair of boots, or whatever, right now and put it on a credit card. Or, I can wait. I can wait until the price comes down, I can wait until I have more of it in cash, I can wait until I have all of it in cash, I can wait until the credit card is paid off. There are some things that aren’t always planned for and don’t allow for waiting, like emergency car repairs or a sudden illness, or an unexpected business trip. Then, there are those things that can be planned for, and, maybe it’s best to do just that.

This line of thought tends to throw a bit of a wrinkle in my plans though. After being on again off again I was all set to go down and get a new phone and a tablet. I had been hesitant about the tablet and I had managed to justify the purchase, of both the tablet and the phone, to myself. I could see how the tablet, that seemed a bit of a splurge, could really be useful. I was all set. Then I sat down to pay my bills.

My plan had been to put the equipment purchase on the credit card and then pay all the service fees as part of my regular bill. Of course, I was going to get a data plan with my tablet which would also increase my cellular bill. When I look at it, the phone, the tablet, and the recommended accessories are going to come out to about $1000. I really, really don’t want to put another $1000 on my credit card. Not right now and not for a couple of gadgets.

While I am not particularly happy with my current wireless service or my smart phone, the truth is, the phone works. And, just because my service contract is ending, it doesn’t mean I have to get a new phone or sign a new contract, or get a new provider right away. I’ll still have service and the same bill.

Yes, I would love the potential productivity boost and functionality of the tablet. And the cost of some ebooks is considerably less than the physical book, though not in all cases. However, I have a perfectly good laptop that, while not necessarily having all the convenience of the tablet, can do more, and I can get books on it too.

Part of the purpose of the purchase of the new phone and the tablet was to be their ability to aid in my simplification and consolidation project. Perhaps though the project will be best served if I wait. Oh, I won’t wait forever, after all I am in I.T. and I am a bit of a geek. I still want my gadgets. And I do need to change my wireless provider. However, not getting them right now simplifies my bills which is just as helpful because, as I said: “Paying bills sucks.”

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Observations of the Space Race (if you can call it that)

Posted on August 17, 2011 by SusanG

Years ago I read a short science fiction story that took place on a space station. I’m sorry I don’t remember the name of the story or the author. The story stuck with me though. The gist of it is that a United States of America ambassador and a Russian ambassador are having a discussion, in the cafeteria of the space station. The discussion centers around which of their countries will launch their Mars rocket first and thus get to Mars first. At the same time a Chinese ambassador is also in the cafeteria. In the middle of the discussion, there is an announcement over the station intercom, that China had launched their rocket to Mars.

This story came to mind today as I read an article on MSNBC.com about how close China is to launching their own space lab type of facility. The analyst that are interviewed indicate this is just a test facility that won’t be the real thing. They will be doing remote docking tests and will only be sending 3 ships to it. But 2 of those ships will be manned flights.

There is also the conjecture that China isn’t likely to have a fully operational facility until after the current International Space Station has reached it’s life expectancy.

Interestingly enough just read a headline that Russia no longer considers manned space flight a priority.

Hmmm…..

Sometimes life sets about to imitate art.

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