So we get here, and what's the first thing we do? File trouble tickets. I gotta say, UM Housing maintenance needs a better ticketing system. Their email confirming your case number doesn't include the area, subject or description of the problem. No email when tickets are closed. No way to see your open tickets. So for now, I'm focussing on writing a ticket I'd like to see: describe symptoms, not a diagnosis; provide steps to reproduce whenever possible; ... what have I become?
After expecting to place out of the intro to GIS (Geographic Information Systems), I was told I still need to take UP 406. This could be a good excuse to learn multiple mapping systems and solid ways to document and script my work. (For example, TIG: I'll be learning a fair bit of Python. Rejoice or despair as you will.) Unfortunately, by the time I worked this all out, UP 406 was quite full. I'll know within a week or so if I can sqqeeze in.
There are three-prong outlets _everywhere_! *happy dance* The lights don't even flicker when the laser printer spins up.
We're in Northwood, a University-owned housing development. This year they migrated from phone/DSL to cable for everything ("triple-play"). Our landline comes out of the back of the cable modem. I am happy to report that voice-over-cableTV technology works, with the exception that the bedroom extension is now disconnected from anything.
I'm less happy with the signal strength of the HDTV channels though. Both TiVo and the TV intermittently report "searching for signal", and the TiVo frequently records artifacts/jaggies. Anyone have an idea on how to isolate this type of problem? I checked all the connections I could find downstairs (the splitter for our apartment and for the apartment downstairs) and they looked secure...
There are 25 wireless networks within earshot. We're all getting our bandwidth from ITS. There's got to be a better way. (I've been meaning to see how they're allocated across channels in the hopes of avoiding once-a-week signal dropout, but that's probably a lost cause.)
Still working out how/how much to use laptops for note-taking in class. I took a MacBook Air with me from work "as is" because it was overheating and discharging its battery quickly. I had hoped it wouldn't take much more than compressed air and software fixes to set it right, but no such luck...it's started refusing to charge sometimes. (Resetting SMC hasn't helped.) In any case, I figure I'll probably end up with digital notes for most classes, and paper notebooks for the more graphically-oriented ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment