Re computers and things

I was a bit stunned at a recent interview when the interviewer mentioned that some teachers did not have computers. I took my netbook out of my bag and that seemed to have a very positive influence on the interview. This may well be a selling point.

I have started using the calendar feature in G mail and by some electrickery the calendar also appears on my phone. This is a very useful function indeed.

For those of you that want to improve your vocabulary (and that includes me) you should try Free Rice. The level can be changed to suit the learner. A further feature of this is when you play rice gets donated to the needy.

My dodgy 320 Gb hard disk has proved to be very stubborn indeed. I doubt that I will get anything off it now. There is a moral there, if you have vital information store it in multiple locations.

My notebook is having a few issues and really I need to reinstall all the software on it. Windows 7 has a "Reliability Monitor" that assess the stability of a system. This can be found be going into the start menu and typing "Reliability" into the "Search programs and files" window. Every so often my computer hangs, usually at the worst moment.

A gem from a native English speaker !

There was literally two heads on me, I had literally two heads…”
LAURA MOORE
The Apprentice, BBC1

With thanks to Private Eye.

A bit Luddite !

I attended an interview at a learning centre on Hong Kong Island. Naturally I mentioned about You Tube and the enormous wealth of suitable material on the Internet. The boss told me that the parents did not want computers in the classroom as they could use computers at home. I became aware of this in Taipei a decade ago. It strikes me as being a bit Luddite. I would have thought getting youngsters involved with computers and keyboard skills was the way to go. If they get familiar with using and interacting with computers at kindergarten level it will greatly aid them later on in life.

I realize most people have grown up with computers, I am of the generation that did not. When I was at school if I wanted information I had to go to a library to find it. This was a laborious task that fortunately has been replaced by search engines.

Streaker Foomeister

I wonder if Streaker Foomeister will be true to form and will streak with just his mortarboard on the 16th of November ?

Dodgy external drive

I have an old 320Gb external hard disk that is not behaving itself. It is making odd noises and I can access it sometimes. I think I will have to buy another external hard disk, this time a 2 1/2 inch one and when I can access my old hard disk copy the files elsewhere. I fear then I can assign the old hard disk to the circular filing cabinet (this is a term for the trash can, garbage can, or what the Brits call the dustbin).

This dodgy hard disk has been causing my computer to hang. The disk sounds like a 747 on take off at times and this cannot be good. I am trying to extract files from it on an old computer. I find it very disturbing that it causes this computer to crash. Even using alt-ctrl-del does nothing. I fear this old hard disk is definitely destined for the circular filing cabinet.

In 1990 I helped a woman buy a computer with a *big* hard disk, 20 Mb ! The computer world has made huge advances since then.

A domain name and web site

I am going through the motions of establishing a web site with a domain name. The domain name was a name that is suitable for my company. I got the domain name from this web site. The web host is from this web site. It is all a bit confusing for me. However in due course I am sure I will have a greater understanding. I will have to find somebody to build the web site for me, I do not know how much this will cost. It strikes me that a web site is a very useful thing. I will have an e mail address with this very nice domain name. For me this is all a learning process, if I write about it in this blog maybe somebody else can learn from this. All suggestions about how to go about this are welcomed !

Thank God I have a warped sense of humour !