Tether to the Rescue

Glad that it is Friday! It has been a long week of teaching, and training and am looking forward to some down time this weekend. Since I often do most of my training in the schools I generally have access to there WiFi network and can jump right on. This past week it was a bit of hassle to get me on their wireless network but I came prepared and used Tether and my BlackBerry Curve to access the internet. Within seconds I was connected to the web and was able to access all of the sites that I needed to. The page downloads were acceptable considering that I was working in a classroom with a lot of brick and mortar. In any case if you haven't heard...

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Posted in: tether,tether for blackberry

IIUG 2010 conference: 3rd and last day

Well, all good things must come to an end, and the 2010 IIUG conference is no exception.This last day started with a Q&A sessions with some IBM executives and we heard about how they plan to face the challenges ahead. Right after that I skipped the regular sessions and went to one off track session I was anxiously waiting: The Panther session. Kevin Brown talked about all the new stuff and it's really amazing. From small but crucial to big new features we got a clear view of what's coming. Unfortunately everyone present there has to comply with a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so I can't really talk about it... What I can say is that it's great!!! But, if you didn't have the chance to be there it does not mean you can't find more about it. You just have to join the Panther beta program....

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Posted in: advanced data tools,fastest informix dba contest,IIUG 2010,informix,informix beta,panther

IIUG 2010 conference: day 2...

I like to end the day with this report... I'm not sure if it's because I really want to report on all the exciting things happening in Kansas City (and I'd say this usually is a quiet place), or simply because I want to write posts here to feel better with my conscience... Even so, my Brazilian friends keep punishing me for leaving the blog stalled for so long :)... And they are right.Today I had the opportunity to listen to Art Kagel and understand why he is so highly rated in the community, and then I skipped the second part of his presentation to see what Carlos Garcia had to say about the tax department in Guadalajara (Mexico) implementation of Informix cluster facilities. Then a short break, and there I was listening to another guru, Lester Knutsen from Advanced Datatools, explaining...

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Posted in: encryption expert,IIUG 2010

More on WolframAlpha

It's no secret (to anyone who knows me) that I'm a HUGE fan of the WolframAlpha project and of the creator, Stephen Wolfram. How can you NOT like a guy who says, "Ever since I was a kid I've been thinking about systematizing knowledge and somehow making it computable." (I feel like such a loser! All I ever thought about were girls and hunting or fishing, depending upon the time of the year.)Watch this video of Stephen Wolfram talking at the TED conference. Share it with your math students or those AP or Gifted students. Then, ask them what THEY think about. Ask them, "If you could take any path in life right now, where would you want to go and what would you want to do?" No, it's not a question that will appear on any test, so it won't a test score, but it just might get them thinking about...

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Posted in: wolframalpha

1st day at IIUG conference

This has been a busy day... it started out with a presentation from Jerry Keesee with some funny notes... He showed us that he reads the c.d.i.... Then I decided to try the IDS 11 certification and went straight to the exam... It took me around 1H10, but I managed to get 65 out of 74 questions right... This means I'm now an happy System Administration for IBM Informix Dynamic Server V11.The morning was already won, but I had the chance to attend an interesting session about external tables, presented by Khaled Bentebal, president of the French user group. Some questions were raised and things got really interesting. External tables are not only flexible, easy to use but also damn fast! They deserve an article...After lunch I had my own session to present.... I will have to publish a complete...

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Posted in: discover informix,external tables,IIUG 2010,informix,Informix Stategy,Rob Thomas

The day I managed to get time...

Well... I'm currently in Kansas City, at the place where the 2010 IIUG conference will happen (in fact it already started). I'll have the pleasure of presenting one of the sessions, and while preparing it I was writing a brief introduction of myself... bla, bla, bla.... author of a blog... Then I wonder when was the last time I wrote something here and I felt bad... Around 6 months! And in this time a new fixpack was released (FC6) so there is plenty to write about... It's a fact I've been very busy professionally, but I guess having a 1 year child really takes away a lot of what used to be free time (and I'm not complaining of course!).I realized that this is the first really "free" day I have in a lot of time. The conference started with the pre-conference tutorials and since I didn't register...

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Posted in: 2010 conference,explain_sql,IIUG,visual explain

Post weekly (weekly)

ShareTabs - Share your links as tabs"Add a list of links to the form below and submit it to get a single link to them all, conveniently displayed in tabs. Great for sharing in Email, IM, Twitter, or SMS."tags: sharing, toolsGoogle_Info.pdf - Google DocsThis is the handout that Google gave during a training. Nice information! Shared by one of our coaches on the listserv todaytags: googleVicarious Learning: Developing Cultural Literacy Through Global Collaboration | Radio TICALGive this a listen. I like what she says about what the technology and the openness allows schools to do that they cannot do otherwise.tags: learningBlog Smarter | Zemanta Ltd.Shown by Tim Tyson at today's 1 to 1 preconference. Looks FANTASTIC! Another reason to use Firefox.tags: blog, tools, Firefoxhttp://classroom.history.com/america-dvd/event/formGet...

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The Many Uses for Mind Maps

I have a number of training workshops coming up in the next couple of weeks and what better way to plan them out then with a mind map. Using a mind map gives you the ability to get your ideas down and then gives you the flexibility to move your ideas around as you survey the landscape. When I first open up the mind map I quickly to a "brain dump" on the topics I plan to cover and once that is in place, I can begin to see how all the pieces fit together. It gives me a great deal of freedom knowing that I have complete control of how to structure the day by getting a snap shot of the activities and topics planned. Once I have decided on my topics...

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Posted in: Adobe Acrobat,handouts,Matchware,mind mapping,Mindmanager 8,MindView 3

Using PaperShow in a Training Workshop

Yesterday I had the opportunity to work with high teachers to teach them how they could use SOLO 6 in their classrooms to make the curriculum more accessible. Knowing that I would be doing the training in their computer lab, I brought along PaperShow so that I could use it as a digital flip chart to share information that needed to be communicated. The teachers were very excited to see how I was using PapaerShow and immediately wanted to know how they could use it in their classrooms. Many of the teachers were very excited to see how it could be used to convey information and when I shared with them that the notes could be saved as a PDF or PowerPoint...

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Posted in: digital pen,Papershow,papershow for mac

The Worlds Largest Garbage Patch

Here's another video to show your students. This would make a great writing prompt, I think.This is an issue that our students will have to deal with as adults. You can't help but watch this and feel horrifi...

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Another Great TED video for your science teachers

Once again TED has shared an amazing talk on their webites, this time from Edith Widder. She shares her passion for underwater sea life that produce light. Share this video with your students. It's perhaps one of the few wonders left for some of your students. This is just cool stu...

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Posted in: TED video

Tony Buzan Brings His Mind Mapping Techniques to the U.S.

PRESS RELEASE TONY BUZAN BRINGS HIS MIND MAPPING TECHNIQUE FOR IMPROVING DECISION MAKING, CREATIVITY, COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS TO U.S.Best Selling Author, Lecturer, Consultant To Tour US CitiesNEW YORK, NY—APRIL 4, 2010—In a career that has spanned decades, Tony Buzan has helped millions around the world to improve their professional and personal lives by improving decision making, unlocking their creativity and enhancing their memory skills with Mind Mapping techniques.Now Tony is bringing his program to the United States.A best selling author and consultant to major international corporations, Tony will host workshops and seminars in New York,...

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Posted in: buzan,mind mapping,tony buzan

CS Odessa Releases Japanese Language Version of ConceptDraw MINDMAP

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui)...

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Posted in: ConceptDraw Office,CS Odessa,mind mapping

Boogie Board- New Age Etch A Sketch

I received a Boogie Board to review a couple of days ago and have been using it ever since. The Boogie Board reminds me of my youth when I would spend endless hours using my Etch a Sketch to draw and write my name. Luckily for me, the Boogie Board doesn't require as much coordination but the best part of it is that it is easy to use and I know that students and teachers will really enjoy using them. You see, the Boogie Board is a LCD Writing Tablet. You can write on it with the supplied stylus or with your finger nail. The Boogie Board has a dark black background and when you write on it your image appears in a greenish hue. Once you start using...

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Posted in: Boogie Board,etch a sketch,tablet,writing

Lyrics dan kontroversi Lagu Rihanna - Rude Boy

Mengapa lagu Rihanna - Rude Boy (Cowok Kasar) cukup kontroversial dengan Rihanna..Jawabanya karena dia pernah disakiti dan dianiaya mantan kekasihnya Chris Brown..namun mengapa pula dia seolah mengajak / menikmati bersama Rude Boy (Cowok Kasar)..?Mungkin pemberitaan berikut bisa disimak :Chris Brown sempat diperiksa Kepolisian Los Angeles atas tuduhan tindakan kekerasan terhadap seorang perempuan. Perempuan itu diduga Rihanna.Namun, polisi dan jaksa tak cukup memiliki bukti bahwa Rihanna merupakan korban penganiayaan yang dilakukan Chris Brown menjelang perhelatan Grammy Awards 2009 di Los Angeles. Dia dikabarkan bebas setelah membayar uang jaminan US$ 50 ribu. Sementara sumber kepolisian kepada Los Angeles Times dan sejumlah media setempat menyebut pelantun 'Umbrella' itulah korbannya....

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Posted in: Entertaintment

Apple unveils 'faster' MacBook Pros

Apple wants to forget the iPad. The company has implemented its MacBook Pro notebook computers after Tuesday, promising faster processors and greater autonomy, and those who remember, the machine can specialize in computer recognition of slate. The update of the popular Apple launches new 13-inch, 15 inch and 17 inch. The update was long overdue, more than 300 days after the record was updated. Apple aims to update more often. and includes 17-inch models - and many fans was a new Mac with an Intel Core i7 i5, 15, was very strong.Apple said that the Pioneer 13-inch, built-in battery that can go 10 hours without recharging, and graphics, as they say, 80 percent faster than the current model. 15 - and 17-inch unions to 50 percent faster than current models, Apple said. ; New MacBook Pro Advanced...

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Posted in: Technology news

NASA unveils sweeping new programs

One week before President Obama is scheduled to attend a major "space summit" in Florida, NASA unveiled sweeping new programs Thursday designed to implement the administration's proposed shift to commercial manned rockets and development of new technologies to enable eventual deep space exploration.The president's fiscal 2011 budget request, which would cancel the Bush administration's Constellation moon program, does not specify a long-range target for manned exploration or a timetable for moving beyond low-Earth orbit, factors that have generated widespread criticism.But NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former shuttle commander, defended the agency's new direction Thursday, saying the president's controversial "vision" is, unlike past programs, affordable and sustainable."This budget...

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Posted in: Technology news

Kids on YouTube: How much is too much?

A 10-minute YouTube video called "The Yippity Yo Cooking Show" falls somewhere to the left of "Saturday Night Live" at its most surreal: The host, "Zaylee Jean," alternates between extreme seriousness and manic outbursts, with diction so slurred that it's subtitled (in the cartoonish Comic Sans font).Among other antics, she smears the mix for a batch of chocolate chip cookies all over her face, nibbles ingredients off the counter, and routinely pauses to scream something like "I LOVE COOKIES!" at the top of her lungs.A key point: Zaylee Jean is 3 years old. The plucky toddler in a flowered sundress and wispy blond ponytail has become YouTube's most unlikely new hit, with a steady cult following of offbeat hipsters fast propelling it to the milestone of 100,000 views.Like so many videos of...

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Posted in: Social