http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/ en Copyright 2009 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:20:21 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss article that rings very true to me about the pitfalls of multi-tasking. The idea that stuck with me is the notion of the multi-task zone out that you get when an email comes in while you're doing something else, particularly talking with someone on the phone or in person. Suddenly your mind is not on the conversation any more as your brain tries to process the email.]]> http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/10/borrowed_time.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/10/borrowed_time.html Health Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:20:21 -0500 tips and tricks, some of which I didn't even know and plan to start using! David Pogue's articles in the NY Times are diverting - Even though I love my iMac, I find his obsession with things Apple a little overboard, but when he's avoiding Apple topics, I think he's dead on most of the time.]]> http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/10/someone_elses_tips.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/10/someone_elses_tips.html General Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:35:34 -0500 I have been bad at posting again - this past week has been very hectic, really ever since I cleared my desk before my last post. It's very easy to slip into bad habits and my worst habits are: 1. Letting work pile up on my desk with no organization. 2. Letting email pile up in my inbox with no organization. When these two things happen, I start to spend more time trying to figure out what I need to do than actually doing it again. Not good. And what is the point of staying organized when if the chips are down and it's crunch time, it doesn't help anyway. However, I find myself falling back on one BIG tip that keeps me sane during the very disorganized times, and that's free text search, Ctrl-F, either in Eudora, MeetingMaker, on web pages, or big documents (Word, PDF). When I'm in a hurry, I press Ctrl-F and search for a word in what I'm looking for. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people panic and search through their email, email by email, instead of just using Ctrl-F and searching for a key word. I've even found something similar in Datatel that unfortunately won't apply to 99% of the people reading this post, but maybe take an opportunity to think more about how you can quickly find things in the programs you use, instead of hunting and searching line by line, or screen by screen. Yep, this is a repeat idea, but I wanted to at least post something to prove I hadn't forgotten about you guys. http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/instant_karma.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/instant_karma.html General Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:47:59 -0500 I recently cleared my desk and it feels great. For those of you who don't know my office, let me step back. There are three types of offices in my opinion. The sterile office, the trashed office, and those in between. I fall in between for sure. I won't suggest what's best, because what's best is what works for you. Permit me a story about retired professor James Lombardi. (Not the current Lombardi, but his dad.) He got a call from security one night saying that Carr Hall had been broken in to. The intruders got into his office and absolutely trashed it. James hurried over that night to inspect the damage to his office, looked at the horrified security guard, and said something like "What? It looks fine to me!" http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/cleaning_your_office_2.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/cleaning_your_office_2.html Old Skool Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:31:25 -0500 Yeah, the title doesn't make sense unless you are picking up on the John Lennon lyrics. But, this is a continuation of last week's post about resources available from off-campus "getting you through the night". The rest of the resources are a little more self-explanatory. http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/its_alright_yep_its_alright.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/its_alright_yep_its_alright.html General Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:54:26 -0500 This is a basic post, but sometimes it surprises me the number of people unaware of the computing resources available to employees off campus, so I thought I'd catalog them over the next few posts. Today's post is about email. http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/whatever_gets_you_through_the.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/whatever_gets_you_through_the.html General Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:43:01 -0500 So, I'm scrounging today - first time in a while I haven't had a post lined up and ready to go ahead of time. And I'm thinking of things I did today, since it was the first work day (for me) of the month, and I thought of something very useful. Stationery in Eudora! Stationery is a great way to save yourself from having to retype the same, or similar emails over and over again over time. Read on... http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/save_retyping_in_eudora.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/09/save_retyping_in_eudora.html Email Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:28:19 -0500 link from the help desk! Feel free to peruse the past articles, comment, and if you want to know more about a topic, let me know. I had to post this though, because I've tried hard to average TWO posts a week (rather than the advertised "one post" on the help desk), and for the most part, I've done it. I guess that's what I get for free advertising... I do try to schedule posts to hit Tuesday and Thursday mornings, but if you do want to add my little old blog to your reading cycle, I really recommend an RSS reader, like Google Reader.]]> http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/welcome_again.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/welcome_again.html General Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:10:58 -0500 So I promised to explain the holy grail of a clean backup, especially in the context of the last post regarding massively changing the location of all of your documents. Stick with me on this one, since it's conceptual, but hopefully will help you understand the intricate gears of our backup plan for users. http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/watching_the_ftp_wheels.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/watching_the_ftp_wheels.html Files Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:40:38 -0500 It's a new academic year and the kids are back. I always love this time of year because I don't work directly with the kids, so my work load is roughly the same, but everyone seems so much more urgent and energetic around me and it rubs off... It's a good time to make a "new academic year's resolution", and here is mine. We have a shared folder our department uses to keep track of stuff, but it's grown by leaps and bounds and there are a ton of things in there. I've had cause to look for a couple of things recently and found I couldn't tell where things were, then once I found them, I wasn't sure if what I had found was accurate documentation. What should we do? http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/just_like_starting_over.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/just_like_starting_over.html Files Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:26:40 -0500 Faygo Rock & Rye and get back to working, hopefully in a more organized fashion than when I started this blog.]]> http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/we_made_it.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/we_made_it.html General Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0500 I learned this project organization method from my boss, and it appeals to my obsessive compulsive nature.... http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/low_tech_project_organization.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/low_tech_project_organization.html Old Skool Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:08:44 -0500 Do your backup. I don't care how. http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/remember_to_do_your_backup.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/remember_to_do_your_backup.html Files Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:32:44 -0500 We've all done it, browsing the internet while you're at work. Some of us have done it a little, some of us have done it a LOT. I'm probably in the middle... the worst for me is that a lot of the things I do at my desk require waiting at times for longer than I'm patient enough to wait. It's far easier to read a quick article somewhere than try to work on two or three projects at once. (I know this sounds dumb, but in programmer terms, think of trying to write three essays, one in French, one in German, and one in Mandarin... It's tough to switch gears.) http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/browsing_and_internet_addictio.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/browsing_and_internet_addictio.html Health Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:01:18 -0500 article in the New York Times and I wanted to post it.]]> http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/digital_keys.html http://webpub.allegheny.edu/dept/computing/blogs/stayingsane/2008/08/digital_keys.html General Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:11:40 -0500