How I spend my time (an interesting pie chart!)

Create two graphs and place links to them on your blog using this link.

The first will be a bar graph with all the expenses for your college experience.

The second will be a pie chart with a pie chart showing the amount of time you spend out of school doing the following things:

• Listening to music
• Playing sports
• Doing homework
• Working for $
• Doing nothing
• Or whatever you do!!

Create a link to the chart and paste it into your blog.

http://www.wired.com/software/softwarereviews/news/2007/04/lavidagoogle

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/us/18cnd-virginia.html?hp

• Assuming an interest rate of 6.8% what is the total cost of a $50,000 loan if the minimum payment is $200 per month?
• Assuming an interest rate of 4.8% what is the total cost of a $50,000 loan if the minimum payment is $200 per month?

Assume a payback of 10 years.

http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml

ATT has a cool speech demo.

How gratifying is the work?

Continuing the theme of higher-education week, today we will focus on the costs and benefits of university using Google Spreadsheets.

Select one of the colleges from yesterday and find out the following information:

• Tuition for a semester (five classes)
• Average cost for books per semester
• Cost for a dorm for a semester or an apartment or house
• Find a meal plan for a semester on the school website or guess your food costs for a month
• Give costs for transportation
• Shopping costs?
• How much will you spend on fun?

Include links to everything you find online.

Investigate two possible majors on your blog. Write a summary of them. Here is a link to start.

By the way, here is a link to investigate the best universities and colleges in the country.

Investigate three prospective colleges.

Put a link to three universities or colleges and write a brief summary why you are interested in the school. If you are a senior, write about three schools you considered and the school you chose.

http://www.2addicted.com/words

This game is really addictive.

Two blog posts:

Do you agree with the author about "cutting and pasting" being an important skill?

Paul Graham got a lot of attention for saying this. Do you agree with his assertion?

----
If you were interested, Goowy is making a lot of people notice. Check it out.


Also don't make these grammatical errors.

Colleges are more selective. Don't be lazy.

In demand jobs.

For each of the ten jobs you need to answer the following three questions:

• Are you interested in the job? Simple yes no answer.
• What type of salary is available? (Put a link to the information.)
• What type of education is necessary for the job?

First as a class we will discuss the following terms:

1. Blog
2. Web Site
3. FTP
4. HTTP
5. Web services
6. Podcasts
7. RSS feeds
8. VOIP
9. Web mail
   
10. Web browser: Firefox vs. Internet Explorer
    
    Then you will consider each term on your own blog and whether it is relevant to a small business or a large corporation.
    

First go to this site:

http://fireftp.mozdev.org/

Click install.

Next go to edit options and ALLOW the site to install.

Restart the browser and go to Tools and click on FireFTP.

Click on Manage Accounts and enter the information I gave you on the sheet exactly as it appears.

Then click connect.

Then find your HTML and SWF files and upload them to the public_html directory.

This is just too strange...

Download template for a personal website from www.oswd.org. On the personal website include information about your personal goals and aspirations. Think of the theme of this personal website is "aptitude" and "interest". Bring together their personal and professional interests, aspirations, and favorite links and pictures.

We will put this and your business web page and business Flash online tomorrow.

Today you are going to create an excellent, professional Flash for your business!

Extra credit:
Put your template online. Here are some links.

google.com/calendar

Quiz on networking terms tomorrow.

Second, go to your business template and add three links to important businesses.

Most people saved it to the Desktop or My Documents.

Everyone of you has a blog. Apparently Israel does too.

And a Myspace (You have to watch a brief ad to read that one.)

Americans are more likely to default on their mortgages lately. Look at what this cartoonist thinks:

Today I want you to answer three questions about Warren Buffett on your blog. Who is he and how did he make all his money? Also read the part about what he is doing with the bulk of his fortune and explain on your blog.

---

Questions from yesterday due Friday before 10pm! Add me as a collaborator with your Google Docs today before you forget.

Question #4 is a Java applet to trace Internet traffic and view IP addresses.

Piggy-backing refers to "borrowing" a neighbor's signal without paying them or letting them know.

---

Today we will be customizing templates for your business that you created for the Herald business plan.

OSWD.org

1. What is a server?
   
2. http://compnetworking.about.com/od/tcpiptutorials/a/ipaddrnotation.htm How many IP addresses can IPv6 handle?
3. What is a computer network?
4. Remember traceroute? Check out this cool implementation of it here: http://visualroute.visualware.com/ and search for any web site you choose. Write a brief review of this Java applet.
5. On the home side of things, click here: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm Define 'technophile'.
6. Still at howstuffworks.com, what does a router do?
7. Consider the question of 'piggy-backingo' off a neighbor's wireless router. Is it the wrong thing to do?
8. Follow the link about 'Phone Line Networking' and summarize how it works in five sentences!
   
9. http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/wireless/2007/0129wireless2.html What is 802.11n all about?
   
10. Summarize three other articles at http://www.networkworld.com/.
11. Define 'bandwidth'.
12. Do you think this is cool? http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448 Would you ever do such a project?
    
13. What is DNS?
14. http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2005/ssl.asp Where can someone get SSL certifications?
    
15. What is a VPN? What is it used for?
    
16. What is an application server used for?
17. What is a print server?
18. What is the difference between an Intranet and Internet?

Answer these questions using Google Documents and put everything you don't write in quotation marks. Due tomorrow.

An Internet classic. First person to leave a comment on the blog with the year it was published wins an extra A.

The guy who founded Craigslist.org. He could be amazingly rich but he's not. Find out why he doesn't put ads on Craigslist.org.

Two questions:

1. Of all the things we've done this year. which are the most useful and important up to this point?
2. What do you WANT to learn about computers in the last 9 weeks?
   

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070319/ts_nm/usa_subprime_detroit_dc

Even though I love Mozilla Firefox, in this case you will need Microsoft Internet Explorer to get the resume template. Go here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC063685891033.aspx?pid=CT101449351033

Click on install Active X and verify. Download the template and fill in the information.

Save this file as Resume.doc inside a folder named "Resume" on your H:\ drive.

Read this article and write a summary on your blog.

The Fourth Nine Weeks. Lots of exciting things are planned!

http://tinyurl.com/2nuaup

Business Ethics:

Local Edition.

Story 1
Story 2
Story 3

After reading all the stories answer the following two questions:

• Was the developers' behavior ethical?
• How can this be avoided in the future?

Finding a job online.

Using the most well-known site www.monster.com you are to search for three different job descriptions in two different industries. Simply copy and paste the job descriptions on your blog. In total you will have six different jobs on the blog.

Next you are to write a cover letter asking to be considered for employment to ONE of the employers. This will be a separate post.

Go through the tour of this site:

https://www.buxfer.com/tour.php

Write a review. Is it a good idea or not? Would you use it or not?

Answer on your blog.

Business plans due before 10pm tonight.

DF

Steps to adding all the student blogs from this class to your Google Reader:

1. Go to http://www.google.com/reader
2. Click on "Manage Subscriptions" on the bottom.
3. Click on "Import/Export".
4. Browse your H: drive and select googlereader.opml
5. Click upload.
   

The Internet has revolutionized the entertainment industry. Now everyone can be a published, world-renowned movie critic.

Today you will write a critique of either (1) your favorite movie or (2) the last movie you've seen.

Today's site is http://www.imdb.com.

After you visit the site put a link to the movie main page.

Here's an example, based on a movie I saw yesterday, written by me. This is just for reference as to the length I'm looking for, I really don't care what movie you write about.

Click, by Adam Sandler and starring the familiar cast of characters from all his movies, seems to reflect Sandler's personal transformation into a devoted family man from a wild egotistical comedian. The film's lesson is simple: family before money and career. Though Sandler's character toils endlessly, he's stuck on the corporate treadmill watching others provide all the materialistic comforts he cannot yet afford (even bicycles for his young children, in fantasy movie-land junior architects make less than janitors).

At his breaking point, he finds himself drawn to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond (beware the product-placement, I found myself drawn to the store the next day) where he encounters a mad-scientist played by Christopher Walken. Walken's character gives him a remote control over every aspect of his life for free with the caveat that it can never be returned. Too bad the remote couldn't control for overly-sentimental movies.

But the message is positive and you'll feel for our collective sorry position as we forsake everything else that counts for the comforts of "Bed, Bath, and Beyond". Sandler says to embrace family, faith and fun. I loved the message and the obviously nonsensical plot moved the theme adequately. For a movie that was totally panned by the critics, however, it was a memorable film.

Final Business plan due Monday at 10pm.

A somewhat ignorant discussion of the FCAT on the Herald message board. Check it out.

This man inspired the Matrix. He died.

These are the categories to explain in your business plan:

1.0 Executive Summary

2.0 Company Summary

3.0 Products

4.0 Market Analysis Summary

5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary

6.0 Management Summary

7.0 Financial Plan

Taken from a student response:

You know those kids that you see, who dont seem to care?
Those students who just fail all the time and say they dont care.
People just are'nt born that way, they have experiences which result in their current behavior.
My proposal is to change the elementary school system first. The whole school is system is horrible, for lack of a better word. The fundamental to eduction is the wanting and craving to learn. To have the student have fun and enjoy learning. You cant make a person learn, they are going to want to. The grading system deserves ridicule, the reward system in elementary schools is disgusting, and all this creates the environment before you. This here, this forcibly creates in schools what you call the smart kids, dumb kids, and those kids who dont care. The smart kids get praise from their teahcers and the others are shuned. They give up, what do you expect?
There should be a system where kids in the early grades not follow a curriculumn but follow their curosity, and their teachers leading the way. It is important the individal drive be initiated at thier early ages.

http://plantsfromparadise.blogspot.com/

One suggestions to make class more conducive to learning.

How can a system be designed so students care more for learning?

China has blocked LiveJournal. It's like a Giant X-Stop!

In order to help better understand what a business plan should have, you are to read through the following business plans.

What do you notice about all the business plans?

Read through the following sections on this website:

1. Basic Company Information
2. Thinking Strategically About Your Company
3. Establishing Baseline Numbers For Start-up Companies
4. Describe Your Product or Service
5. Competitive Comparison

Now you need to start evaluating your business (service or product) according to the five categories above. Below what you wrote yesterday, you will need to explain your business and add me as a collaborator on Google Documents.

The Miami Herald Business Challenge.

You will be entering this.

A sensitive racial issue relating to business.

Cool way to add sounds to your Flash!

Click here.

Search for .wav sounds.

It's important to get in the habit of reading the news. There are a number of great online resources.

Divide your blog post today into three sections. Separate each section with -- as I did. Also most of you don't need to leave comments anymore.

There are many companies working to make renewable energy possible. Of course there are profit motivations, perhaps there are ethical concerns as well. Read this article and summarize it on your blog in your own words.

--

Companies state their earnings every quarter. In this case an international company is not making as much as expected: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/technology/02dell.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Why aren't they as profitable now? Answer this question with information from the article and your own personal insights.

--

How much should environmental concerns play into business? What are the states doing here?
Is it a good idea? Read the second page. How does Maine deal with recycling electronics?

My cat.

Do you have a facebook?

Kinda spooky.

Gator chomp.

The next Flash animation is either going to be of

Your favorite animal at the zoo

or...

A sporting event

The Flash needs A.) Full color B.) Animation C.) Smooth motion.

After finishing your flash, you need to put the Flash animation online at http://50megs.com within an HTML page. Then put your link on your blog.

Due tomorrow!

http://funwithflash.50megs.com/smiley.swf

1. First go to http://50megs.com
2. Sign up for a free account and free sub domain.
3. Go to File Manager and upload 1 SWF file.
4. To access the SWF file you need to publish the Flash first.
5. Then click on the SWF file and post a link on your blog.
   

My first animation online!

Another great article on what people actually read online.

Perhaps this post can help us all. Concise is the important word.

HTML is still important and we will learn it in here.

By now you have created one or two Flash animations using a motion tween and different colors. Today I'll collect your first Flash through the network but first you need to put your name at the end of the animation.

Next you are going to create a Flash animation for a business. The business you create the Flash for will be based on your last name. For instance, if your last name begins with the letter F you could create a Flash for a "Fashion Designer" or a "Football player" or ...?

We are going to put the Flash animations online. http://50megs.com offers free hosting without any ads.

An article from someone who thinks our schools are totally outdated.

We are all going to put our Flash files online eventually. Look at this cool Flash from my first period:

http://img47.imageshack.us/my.php?image=piecu6.swf

What are your first impressions of Flash? Do you enjoy it?

This guy is actually suing his school because he feels discriminated against because he is a slow typist.

I have two words for him: Micro Type.

Go to http://google.com/reader

Sign up for http://killianbusiness.blogspot.com
and three other blog feeds (at minimum).

Today we are going to start with the debate over the merger with XM and Sirius.

Start by reading the article and the opposing viewpoints.


Answer the following questions ON YOUR BLOG: Is satellite radio going to make it? Will the merger hurt or help the industry? Will the merger hurt or help consumers?

Leave your comment here only if I don't have you as part of my Google Reader.
------------------------------------------------------


Next we are going to be experimenting with Google Sketch-Up. Everyone get it started and experiment with making a house!

Later you will write me a letter about your experiences using Google Documents (http://docs.google.com).

The "Game of the Week". I hope X-Stop allows it. What a neat Flash game!!

If you are at all interested in philosophy here is a good summary.

1. On your blog write about something interesting you do online.

2. Write a summary of this article using Google Documents and add me as a collaborator (david.freer@gmail.com):

http://www.medialoper.com/hot-topics/google/how-would-you-deal-with-a-global-bandwidth-shortage/

docs.google.com

Write a paper: Which would you invest 100 million dollars in, Google and Yahoo?

Add me as a collaborator: david.freer@gmail.com

There are perhaps 5% of the population that simply *can’t* think.

There are another 5% who *can*, and *do*.

The remaining 90% *can* think, but *don’t*.

-- I find this true of my students as well.

Try out a fun game made by a student in my computer class!

You can make 100K per year blogging.

Fourth Period Leave a comment here.

Third period post your 3 links and ultra brief summaries here.

Now you are going to compare Google.com vs. Yahoo.com data can be found at : http://finance.google.com/finance?q=google

http://finance.google.com/finance?q=yahoo.

Copy Total Revenue, Gross Profit, Total Operating Expenses, Net Income from the Income Statement. Copy Total Current Assets,

Total Assets, Total Current Liabilities, Total Liabilities, Total Equity from the Balance sheet of both companies. Students will copy Net Income/Starting Line, Cash from Operating, Cash from Investing, and Cash from Financing. Then you will create a bar graph to compare the two companies for each of the italicized categories. Use information from the fourth quarter of 2006.

Students are to put the URLs to three articles from http://news.google.com and post summaries on their blogs. Explain how news.google.com will provide suggestions.

How did someone this stupid even accumulate the money in the first place?

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=48715

Pretty good site to practice for the SAT.

Fourth Period leave a comment.

Third period leave a comment here.

For your edification and pleasure:

Web 2.0

Really funny and true graph.

Silent reading today.

Read this.

1. "When it is more important to be seen than to be talented, it is hardly surprising that the less gifted among us are willing to fart our way into the spotlight." - Lakshmi Chaudhry. What is your reaction?
2. What would you do if someone took a compromising picture of you and posted it on the Internet? Should people have a right to say if they don't want a picture online?
3. Is the "truly private life" an illusion? Why or why not?
   
4. What does the author mean by the "Creolization of media"?
5. “Things that were not silly. I tried to make my posts highly stylized and short, about things I would imagine people would want to read or comment on.”- I've wondered this about websites like reddit.com. Could the same be said for newspapers?
6. "When she worked at American Apparel, management posted encouraging remarks on employee MySpace pages." Personally, I find this weird. What do you think?
   
7. Iamfacingforeclosure.com is a site written by an idiot. Acknowledge he is an idiot for getting in so much trouble with money.
   
8. What is your reaction to the article? Did you enjoy it?

Title this post: Online Life.

Maybe we are becoming more illiterate?

Three posts today.

I posted this:

We are witnessing the rise of the articulate and the marginalization of the inarticulate, whether in our political and business leaders or in our leading brands and most favored Internet sites.


http://ben.casnocha.com/


earlier in the week but the budgets consumed all of our class time.



1. You need to post the definition of "marginalization", "inarticulate" and "political" on your blog post.

2. What does this mean? Post your answer on your blog.

3. Next give your opinion. Is it true or not?

Then you need to do the posts below:
http://killianbusiness.blogspot.com/2007/02/after-you-finish-with-spreadsheet.html

After you finish with the spreadsheet, answer the following questions :

First read this:

The Internet is undergoing a profound and much needed shift. In its earliest days it was an instrument of individuals, but quickly evolved into a sphere dominated by corporate interests. It got a whole lot fancier and prettier when that happened, but it also got boring. The recent explosion of the read/write (and view/record) Web is putting the Internet back into the creative hands of individuals and the communities they form.

As those of us who are content creators and knowledge managers strive to surf the crest of this rapid change, our most important move may be to simply get out of the way by providing playgrounds where free and freewheeling exchanges of information can take place.

http://toshen.com/work-design.htm

First post. Title it "Internet History":

1. To what does "Web 2.0" refer?
2. How do you personally produce content for the web?
3. What does the "Dot Com" bubble mean? When did it occur?
   

Second post. Title it "County Information Online"

1. How does knowing that property information is completely accessible online http://www.miamidade.gov/pa/property_search.asp make you feel about personal information being too accessible?
2. What are the drawbacks of having such info that can be found at the clerk of courts website available online? http://www.miami-dadeclerk.com/dadecoc/
   
3. Find the link to pay for parking tickets in Miami. Post it here.
   

The budgets are coming along nicely.

Today you are going to compare your salary with what the government says is the average salary.

First, click here.

Find Miami. Do you make more than the average or less than the average in 2005? Put this in your Excel worksheet below your total salary.

You will be graded for the following:

1. Calculating your salary correctly and finding the average salary for Miami.
2. Including links for automobiles or bus passes, furniture, housing, communication, and gas (MPG).
3. Color coding your worksheet and applying the proper formatting. If the numbers are hard to read and in a sloppy fashion I will take off points from this grade.
4. Dividing everything correctly (pay for the larger purchases over the proper amount of time - autos 36 months and furniture and TVs 12 months) and summing everything up correctly.
   

This is a four grade assignment. Due at the end of class.

Save your Excel worksheet as "MyBudget.xls".

Today you need to add a television in your housing costs. You may try to find the best deal you can.

Although I hate to promote buying "on time" for the purposes of this simulation we will just divide the television and furniture over 1 year as opposed to the 3 year plan for the automobile.

Today you are going to divide your spreadsheet into the following categories:

Transportation
Housing
Clothing
Food
Entertainment
Misc/Total Saved

Add to your budget the following. Do you want the following?

Cell phone? If so, which plan? Provide the monthly price and a link.
Internet connection? If so, which plan? Give the monthly price and a link.
Cable television or DSL?

Also you need to add the average cost for gasoline each month. First find out the miles per gallon for your car or truck or SUV. Pretend you will drive 1000 miles per month (the average) and calculate the cost per month based on $2.10 per gallon. This is really simple math.

Look at these two points of view:

She doesn't mind living on 12000 per year.

She's scared about it.

Living on 12000 per year would be quite a challenge!!!

Today you are going to create an average meal when eating at home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Make a new section in your "Cool" budget Excel worksheet below the "Entertainment" section and title it "Food". Find the links to each of the foods and leave them below the foods.

Multiply the number of dinners by 30, multiply the number of lunches by 30, and multiply the number of breakfasts by 30. That is, if you never eat out. If you prefer to eat out, and most Americans do, indicate that in your cell by adding the appropriate amount for your meal out. Then subtract the number of dinners or lunches or breakfasts you would

You can buy your furniture used or new. Put the links next to the price.

Now you are going to add a new section to your worksheet which you will title "Clothing". Find one professional outfit online, add the price and the link. Next find a casual outfit and add the price and the link. You can't avoid buying clothes or you'll look like a high school teacher. It isn't pretty.

Now that the budget is taking shape it is time to find out the monthly payments on the vehicle you selected.

Assume a 3.5% interest rate on a new car and a 7.5% interest rate on a used car.

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/calc/CalculatorController

Give yourself 3 years to pay off the car if you are buying it outright. A lease is up to you, but note the fine print when you are comparing leases. Some leases have a high price when you are finished.

Add $108 per month for insurance if your car is not a sports car and $150 per month if it is. This number was a rough calculation based a general group of young drivers and is merely for the sake of the simulation. I figured having everyone contact insurance companies might have been beyond the scope of the class. But it still might've had pedagogical value.

Once you have all this information total up your monthly spending and compare it to the fictional salary. Are you in the red or the black? Can you splurge on a nicer car or are you in over your head?

You will need a cell with your total expenses. Below this cell you will subtract your total monthly salary from your total expenses, this is your total amount saved per month. You'll need savings for your life, notably retirement and the inevitable downturns.

...

On another note, EVERYONE will need a google account for the new blogger. We are going to be using their spreadsheet program, their reader program, and Google Groups. I gave my computer students google accounts at the beginning of the year and now it's your turn.

...
I've been too terse with this blog. Instead of merely saying everything in class, I will try to out it out more completely.

It's just funny. No need to comment.

What to say, really?

We are witnessing the rise of the articulate and the marginalization of the inarticulate, whether in our political and business leaders or in our leading brands and most favored Internet sites.


http://ben.casnocha.com/


What does this mean? Post your answer on your blog.