Asa Jay's weblog

It’s now Sunday, the third day since my first class.  Wow, what a rush.  I’m reading essays in a book titled “Point Taken, A Brief Thematic Reader” which has so far, been an interesting read.  Each week, our class is to read certain essays an comment on them in our on-line discussion board.  The board is only open to the class, so I am unable to link to it from here.  I’ve been pretty busy making mental notes and writing a bit about everything I’ve been reading.

Something this is causing me to do, is to think more critically of what I’m reading.  I tend to be a slow reader; my wife can finish two or three books in the time it takes me to read one.  I tend to believe I have a higher comprehension level, but I can’t be sure.  What I do know, is that with these essays I’m currently reading, I begin to absorb more of the topic -after- I’ve finished.  In one case, I started making judgments early about the piece, but later, after finishing the essay, I began to see things differently.

In that case, I learned that sometimes, if not all times, I need to finish what I’m reading in order to absorb the entire intent or to find a connection.  In other reading, it’s been easy to finish and then sit back and think about what I read.  With any of the reading I’ve done so far, the need to comment on the writing for class, has caused me to think much deeper into the essays; to analyze them for greater meaning, or to contrast my own life, beliefs or assumptions.

Overall, I think it’s been good for me.  And I’m barely one week into it.

Asa Jay

Last night, was my first time back in school for almost three years.  This time, instead of taking simple courses related to my current project or job, I am starting my path toward an actual four-year degree.  I’m starting out, with a basic course in Research and Writing.

This is a good way for me to get back into school.  As the course of study I have chosen will require a lot of writing, this class is going to be a good primer for me.  The focus will be on writing a total of four assigned papers.  The progression of the class will concentrate on the process of turning an idea, into a polished paper; progressing through first draft, revision, second draft/revision/repeat, to final draft.  Our instructor, giving us some insight into what usually happens without discipline, told us that most people will write a first draft, and then move right on to a final draft, without considering much in the way of revision.  We will be focusing on that most difficult step, revision.

I can certainly see the value in revising written works until the ideas of a paper are clearly presented in a concise and easy to read manner.  I know that many times I myself have struggled with this concept.  I’m sure some of my entries here on my blog have been a mish-mash of random thoughts and ramblings.  Of course, that’s more what this medium is really for, though I many times read later, what I have written, and end up making corrections.  For the next six weeks however, I will need to concentrate more on polishing my prose than just letting the words leak out of my head.

Our first paper is to be about ourself.  We are to write something autobiographical.  Being in my forties, I have a vast amount of experiences to draw upon, but we’re not supposed to write a book.  What I will have to do is narrow my focus into one area, about myself, that I think could provide a quick insight to who I am.  I’ve not considered it much as yet, but I’ll certainly have to start thinking hard about this over the weekend.  Only meeting once a week for class seems like a long time, but from my present perspective, it’s only about five more days away.  I have to get started.

What ever shall I write about, that tells people who I am?

Asa Jay

. . . or “How I upgraded WebCalendar from 0.9.4, to 1.0.2”

For those who are paying attention, (as if anyone is really reading this), I have just finished an upgrade to my WebCalendar.  This serves two purposes.  Mainly, so I can get to my schedule no matter where I am, and second, to let others who would like to know my goings-about, to know what I am up to.  I spent a good deal of time yesterday, making the upgrade.

The author of WebCalendar keeps a homepage here, where you can find out the latest news, get information on the product, download, etc.  The product is also linked from Sourceforge.net with an immediate re-direct at the moment.  It was here that I found updated versions available, and the documentation I needed to get it installed and working properly.  Of course, nothing comes cheap, as they say.  It was not without some pain and frustration that I finally got it to work.

Upgrade summary:

– Export calendar in iCal format, to local drive
– Use phpMyAdmin to remove all tables from the database
– Delete all old files in the webcalendar directory (note: I had no specially modified pages)
– Install new webcalendar files in old top-level directory (to preserve proper database paths)
– Use phpMyAdmin to execute SQL Query using provided tables-mysql.sql file (this builds the new tables)
– Delete all cookies for WebCalendar (this is a necessary step as authentication has changed)
– Goto the WebCalendar page in a browser
– Configure the administrative options
– Test
– Import iCal file from local hard drive
– Done

The cookies thing was a killer, and actually delayed my success by at least an hour or more.  It wasn’t until the next day that I really found out it was all about the cookie, because all I knew, was that after the install, I kept getting a “login” error message, but everything seemed to be fine and checked out.  Once I finally closed my browser and re-opened it, all went well.  I documented my frustrations and my progress on the Help/Troubleshooting forums at Sourceforge.  Not knowing why it worked after closing my browser, I checked the next day and someone had posted a note about cookies.  Ah, it all started to make sense.

The rest was pretty straight-forward.  You might note, if you are upgrading from a previous version, the upgrade notes suggest you take each version a step at a time.  This might be a good idea if you have a huge database and don’t wish to simply download your calendar into an iCal file.  Every other upgrade has instructions on performing a bunch of sql table commands, which I would rather just bypass.  So I figured I would.

The only information that I really needed to keep, was the actual data in the database for all my appointments.  This was easy enough to extract using the export utility in WebCalendar.  Once I had the data out, it was simply a matter of using phpMyAdmin to delete all the tables in the database, without actually deleting the database.  I had to delete all the old tables because at first, I tried to do the tables-sql query, but got an error about duplicate table entries.  Thus, I just deleted the old, then ran the query and the new tables built just fine.  From my perspective, this saved a lot of headache trying to perform each table modification, for each release.

Later, after entering the database information in the admin page that first comes up, all I had to do was import the iCal file and everything was restored.  Now I had the latest stable release of code, a much sharper looking interface, more options, and I was about to install an RSS feed.  Then I hit the cookie problem, but I’ve covered that already.

One of the reasons I had started down the upgrade path, was so that I could use the new RSS Feed feature.  Well, as it turns out, the latest stable release does not contain the RSS feed code yet; the beta of 1.1 does.  Not wishing to play with an unkown quantity (the unreleased version), I decided to at least move up to the latest stable version.  I also found they had perfected an RSS php script that would be integrated to the next release.  Well, there it was.

I downloaded and installed the rss.php file to the root of my WebCalendar.  I changed the default user from __public__ to my username, and then had to enable public access in the administration panel, and in my personal settings panel.  I also enabled the header file, and edited it to include the RSS feed code.  Once that was all accomplished, the RSS feed appeared in the address bar of Firefox.  I was able to successfully add it to my bookmarks, and it displays the next 10 events.  It looks like it works as advertised.  I’m very pleased.

In summary, I now have an upgraded WebCalendar, with RSS feed.  Very cool.

Asa Jay

Briefly: How I got Knoppix 4.x to work on my new HP ze2315us to include sound, video and wireless.
Related blog postings (as I have time to write them):

– Knoppix 4.0.2 on HP ze2315us

– SUSE 10.0 on HP ze2315us

After over four years of using a refurbished HP n5120 notebook computer, I found it was time to upgrade. Rather, it was time to buy a new one, not that the old one doesn’t work anymore, it does. The old one performs marvelously, it’s just getting a bit slow and outdated. After looking through the ads in Sunday’s paper, I found what looked to be a good deal at Office Depot for an HP model, so I took a look the next day, Monday.

What I came away with, was not the advertised special, but rather, another clearance model that was sold out, except for the display model. This fact alone got me an additional 10% off the posted price. Between the 10% display model discount, the $200 Office Depot rebate and the $50 HP rebate. . . my end cost (once rebates are received) will be about $550. Though not “feature packed”, this notebook has everything I should need for the foreseeable future.

I purchased an HP ze2315us. It would appear to be a special model, similar to those greatly discounted models given away by Wal-Mart earlier this Christmas. It has an AMD Sempron processor, 512MB RAM, a 60G Hard disk, a couple of USB ports, and other standard I/O. It does however, lack a docking port of any kind, which I’m only a little bummed about, and does not contain the additional two USB ports, or media card ports of the full-feature model. At first, I was very disappointed, mostly at myself because I hadn’t thought to look closely enough when I first purchased it; I was in lust with the price. And after trying Ubuntu 5.10 Live and Knoppix 3.2, without full success, I almost took it back. That all changed after a little research on the internet.

Enter Linux on Laptops, where I found at least one other person had tried, and there were testimonials about Linux working on other similar HP models. Okay, it was worth a little more trying.

The Plan:
– Download and burn a copy of SUSE 10.0 Live DVD
– Try a burn of Knoppix 4.x
– Try different boot parameters on the Ubuntu Live CD

The Results:
– Ubuntu still won’t work
– Knoppix, was a total success
– SUSE 10.0 looks good as well.

The short story:
I started off with the Ubuntu 5.10 live CD, rebooting several times and passing it various boot paramaters such as vga=771, noapic, pci=noacpi, etc. all with no luck. The system would boot through to the graphic interface but not actually build it on the screen. I would get an error message about the graphic display not being correct, and then before I had a chance to answer yes, or no to reviewing the problem, the system would start respawning endlessly. I was totally helpless. So I finally gave up on Ubuntu. It may be noted however, the disc I was using works fine in another desktop system. So, strike one against the new HP notebook. Let’s move on the Knoppix.

I have Knoppix actually installed on my other HP notebook, in a dual boot partition. I can run either Windows, or Knoppix, selected at boot time. It’s worked very well on that computer. However, when I tried that same version of Knoppix on the ze2315us, it didn’t quite work as desired. First, though it -did- build the graphic display properly, there was -no- sound, and wireless was right out.

Now I should explain that my older HP has no internal wireless card; I have to use PCMCIA or USB wireless devices, and I’ve never actually got anything working via Linux. My hope here was that systems have progressed to a point that I might be able to use the internal wireless with Linux. So I needed to do some investigation. Right off the bat, I now knew the old version of Knoppix I was using, wasn’t going to work, but I also knew there had been several revisions of Knoppix since the version I was using.

I grabbed my latest Knoppix burn from work and proceeded to try it out on the new notebook. The first thing I noticed was that sound worked; I immediately squirmed in my seat, this might work after all. The keyboard repeat rate was extremely annoying and virtually un-adjustable since I was running a live CD at the moment, but I got through it. The major work involved trying to get the wireless working.

Knoppix 4.x comes with some tools for working with wireless, this was the good news. The bad news was, it wasn’t quite working as well as I wanted. After doing some reading from Linux on Laptops, I found that one person had to install the drivers using the ndiswrappers. Knoppix comes with a utility that is supposed to configure the ndiswrapper once you point to the .inf file for the driver you need. In my case, it just didn’t work; the utility kept telling me the file was corrupt, or failed to load. This meant I had to do a few things by hand. Working from instructions found on another site linked from Linux on Laptops, I manually installed the drivers using the ndiswrapper. Everything checked out just as it was in those instructions. Then using things like ifconfig, and the WLAN Configurator in Knoppix, before long, the Wireless LED was ON, telling me the wireless was active. Then using the Knoppix wireless utility for connections, I was able to connect to my home wireless network and actually surf the internet.

Well, that did it. I was sold. I got sound, I got video, right off the bat using Knoppix 4.x. I was able to get wireless using the ndiswrapper; I got all the functionality I really needed. At this point I was very glad I had not taken the notebook back to the store, and instead had invested a little more time in discovery. Next, I was going to try the SUSE 10.0 Live DVD, because when I install Linux, it will most likely be a SUSE install.

Now one must remember, that because I was using Knoppix from a live CD, all changes I made while running would be lost. Therefore, once I restarted the computer, all the ndiswrapper stuff I had done to enable wireless connectivity, would be gone. I wasn’t sad about that though, because I knew it worked. At this point, I just needed to see if SUSE was going to work right off, or if it was going to have problems.

SUSE 10.0 live DVD booted just fine. The graphics loaded perfectly. I have not yet tried sound or wireless, as I ran out of time, but I will tonight. Knowing that I was able to get wireless working under Knoppix, I have a high confidence I can get it working under SUSE. As I recall, SUSE does not have a default start-up sound, though I may be wrong, which is why I believe I didn’t hear any sound. I will need to check if sound works under SUSE 10.0 or not, and if not, I’ll see how difficult or easy it is to get working.

I plan to work out the details and document them in separate posts. Once that is done, I will have them linked at the top of this page.

Linux has certainly come quite a long way since I first started playing with it almost 10 years ago. I was pleased at how little I really had to do in the end, to get everything I wanted, working. I am most pleased with how I was able to get it all working on a notebook computer that I got a killer deal on though. Happiness all around.

Asa Jay

Well, here we are and I’m already a day late. I had planned to start blogging on a daily basis, as of yesterday. I guess in a way, it’s a good thing it wasn’t a “New Year’s Resolution”, because I would already have broken it.

I don’t really believe in New Year’s Resolutions. Most people end up making promises they will never keep. As for me, I just resolve to keep on going the way I am. However, this new year does bring some new direction to my life.

For the first time in almost 20 years, I’m going back to school. I’ve been either putting it off, or convincing myself I wouldn’t need it. For the past 20 years I’ve been telling myself I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, and I’ve worked enough various jobs to prove it.

I worked for U-Haul, doing everything from cleaning and maintaining trucks and trailers, to completing contracts to opening and closing the business every day.

I worked for Avis, just cleaning cars.

I got a degree in Automotive Technology.

I worked for an instant lube place, doing oil changes and tune-ups on cars, trucks, etc.

I worked as an inside sales rep for an industrial process control company.

I worked for HP as a production operator.

I worked for Itron as a technician.

I did 20 years in the Washington Air National Guard in electronics maintenance.

I’ve been a worker, a supervisor and a manager.

All that time, I’ve tried to figure out what it is I want to do. All that time I kept getting my feet wet in various jobs, but I don’t think it was until I took my last job, that I really realized where I wanted to go and what it was going to take, to get there.

Even in my very first job, during High School, working for that U-Haul, I was given a taste of management. Oh at that time it wasn’t a big taste, but it -was- a taste. Later, working at HP, I was given a little more, when I was asked to help manage part of the flexible workforce program. Then, when I started work for Itron, I had a manager that relied on me very early on, to help out with things normally taken care of by the principle electrical engineer.

I worked at Itron for nearly 10 years. I had a great desire to do more in project management, and lower level management in general, but I wasn’t getting anywhere.

I was too consumed with just “getting there”, that I wasn’t paying attention to the path. In today’s world, especially with larger companies, the path starts with that little piece of paper that says you have a degree, and I didn’t have one. I sincerely admired those people who had taken a large portion of their life and earned a degree. I also knew that experience was half the battle. Unfortunately, I eventually found out you can’t win the battle with just experience. Sad really.

So late last year, I resolved that if I wanted to get any further down this road, I had to go back to school. To that end, I took the advice of a friend, and looked into an accelerated program of education, offered by one of our local colleges.

Whitworth College has a program for adults working full time, who wish to get the same level of education and earn a degree, as those going to school full-time. The program is an “accelerated” one; structured a bit differently, and contrary to the name, taking almost as much time to complete as a full-time student. The difference is in how the classes are taught.

Instead of attending several classes a day, five days a week for an entire semester, students attend one night a week for six weeks, plus two Saturdays’. The one night each week usually consists of a four hour session. The two Saturdays are all-day. The overall credit hours end up being very close to what it would be for a regular class. The classes are taken one at a time, instead of taking several at once. The advantage here is the student can focus on one topic, one class, until it is done. Instead of studying two, three or more subjects, the student can really dig in deep on just one, get it done, and move on.

After transferring credits from The Community College of The Air Force, from my National Guard days, and from the local community colleges which I’ve attended off and on throughout the years, I am entering Whitworth as a high-level Sophomore, or an entry-level Junior. All that really means, is that most of my general credits have been taken care of. There are still a number of requirements that I will be taking, but I’m pretty much half-way there. The rest of the program is what they call a “cohort”.

When I took Automotive Technology back in 1983, it was called a “block” program. Whitworth’s cohort program is very similar. In simple terms, a student enters the program at one of two times each each year when the program is offered. Each entry point starts the same path. The student enters the program in a specific class, then progresses through each class, in sequence, until finished. In essence, once a student starts the cohort, their path through college is already mapped out and planned for the next two years. What could be simpler?

Well, already having your books and other fees paid for, up front would be simpler, and that is exactly what happens in the accelerated classes. If a person were to break down the costs, it might be a bit more or a bit less, but the tuition fees for the accelerated programs are pre-set. That pre-set fee covers the cost of class enrollment, plus any textbooks, lab fees, or other fees. A student shows up for the first day of class, and the books are already there. This is very convenient, especially for those (like me) who work during the day and would find it difficult to get to the college to buy books.

So here I am, about to embark on the next major journey of my life. My course map takes me through late 2008, that’s over two and half years. I guess if I got through the last 20, I’ll get through the next two without too much trouble. I also have a wife who is providing encouragement, and other friends who know I wish to become more. Thankfully, I have a lot of good friends, and I’m sure they will see me through it.

Currently, my course schedule can be found on my Web Calendar. I’ll be updating it as time goes on and putting a link to it in the sidebar.

Oh yes, once finished, I will have a BA degree in Organizational Management. I pray I learn a lot.

Asa Jay