
<p class="main">&nbsp;</p>

<h2> Staff (mitch) Activities and Schools for Week of 2007/03/31</h2>
[i.e., Two weeks back]
<h2> School Hours Summary</h2>
<h3>[CPS Spring Vacation week!]</h3>
<ul>
	<li>Fermi: Tuesday 4/3 with group, 4:15</li>
	<li>ENTR/LDR: wednesday 4/4 with group, 3:00</li>
</ul>
<strong>===============================</strong><strong> </strong>

<hr />
<h2>Status on previously deferred items, ongoing projects, and specific to-do’s</h2>
<ul>
	<li>        Finish data backup then clean-reinstall w2K on compromised staff desktop computer
<ul>
	<li>Done -- twice :( .</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li>Investigate the printer setup by registry idea
<ul>
	<li>Still viable</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Murray — find out what the story is with the printer replacements
<ul>
	<li>See Melissa’s report, <a href="http://reporting.cuip.net/2007/03/30/murray-week-4/">http://reporting.cuip.net/2007/03/30/murray-week-4/</a></li>
	<li>If, as Melissa’s mention of parallel cable suggests, these are being shared  from computers, what is the method to make them work for multi student logins?  Go see Joe about whether they need sme additional system, like Location-Based  Printing [requiring a VBS login script] or this new Printer-Setup-by-Registry  idea.</li>
	<li>Didn't fnd out dring break week, will do so first week back</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Fermi - finish lounge  <em>computer</em> OS reinstall.
<ul>
	<li>Checked up on this computer during our visit to Fermi, concluded the disk problems wll keep us from dealing wth it even by format-reinstall.  Took Service Tag number, Erik will check with Dell to see if it's still on warrantee.</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>ENTR/Leadr - How is the Athena station doing? Can we string a cable
<ul>
	<li>We <em>did </em>string a cable.  Russ will work with Mary-Ellen on using the system.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li> Server backups
<ul>
	<li>CWD continues okay -- check</li>
	<li>See if PSD or NSIT really will not do their part</li>
	<li>Start on WIT: no progress this week</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Schedule a Tech Coordinators meeting!
<ul>
	<li>Not looking good</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Start on Apache 2 / PHP 5 installation on WIT server
<ul>
	<li>To support WPMU among other things</li>
	<li>Probably should be done (solo task essentially) <strong>AHEAD of CPS spring  break week</strong>, so that we can do some group development in WPMU and  transfer of standalone blogs to WPMU, when staff and NSPs will be available to  execute those. [May be toolate for this resolution...]</li>
	<li>2 weeks back: No progress.</li>
	<li>Last week: No progress</li>
	<li>This week: indirect progress</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>WP standalones upgrade to 2.1.2
<ul>
	<li>WIT (blogs.cuip.net) server done 3 weeks back!</li>
	<li>Meet with Jimmy, Tuesday(?), for script development, meet with TRAs Thursday(?) to demo database access and demo the script.</li>
	<li>Okay, but couldn't complete group plan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>WP standalones theme and plugin distribution
<ul>
	<li>Erin has completed selecting themes (back 2 weeks)</li>
	<li>NEW OBSERVATION: The version of the themes really matters!</li>
	<li>Further strategizing is needed</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Carried forward: Techwiki entries for
<ul>
	<li>INSTR updates from legacy SI, part I, how to get from SI to file: this entry  exsts, add note about not trusting floppies, use thumbdrive or direct upload to  server</li>
	<li>INSTR updates from legacy SI, part II, what to do with the file — stub only  in place, take from email sent to Bryan</li>
	<li>Power-on passwords and Setup Admin Passwords: take from email with Jimmy and  Linda Sudduth</li>
	<li>Added to this to-do list: the CPSWIRELESS notes</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<strong>———————————————</strong>
<h3>Longer-term plans, noted pro-forma, progress not particularly expected in any given week</h3>
<ul>
	<li>Carried forward:: Installation and tryout of Retrospect for desktop backups  in CUIP lab, using WD NetCenter Drive
<ul>
	<li>Brought in my own copy of the CD (the office copy is misplaced)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
	<li>Did not install. Try again next week.</li>
	<li><strong>NEW last week 07/03/22:</strong> I like the newer NAS better!</li>
	<li>Server backups (using new NAS) entered in non-stalled section as separate  item.</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Deferred longer term: Trial installation of Skeletonz CMS or other CMS. Last  week, this week, any week: –Still deferred.
<ul>
	<li>This week: Developer of Skeletonz got a new job, will not be  offering as much support.  Other candidates should be moved up on the list.</li>
</ul>
</li>
	<li>Look into other Wikis, which may support more CMS-like features, plus  individual page ownerships</li>
	<li>Waiting for spring break or summer: look into “Google Apps for Domains” [as  it is no longer called]</li>
</ul>
<strong>———————————————</strong>
<h3>To-do items added this week for next, or new continuing projects</h3>
<strong>===============================</strong>
<h2> This week’s activity not at or for a specific school</h2>
<strong>————————————————</strong>
<h3> CUIP Team Building</h3>
<ul>
	<li>    Sara and Shaz have modified some NSP/School matchings</li>
</ul>
<strong>————————————————</strong>
<h3> Chicago Web Docent</h3>
<ul>
	<li>    Worked on staff desktop computer recovery.</li>
</ul>
<strong>————————————————</strong>
<h3>Personal Professional-Development Activities</h3>
<ul>
	<li>Started familiarizing myself more intensively with Mac OS X
<ul>
	<li>Underlying "Darwin" Unix system is BSD-like, not Linux.</li>
	<li>Found out how to set root password.  Made some folders in system areas without ruining things...</li>
	<li>Personal web server for "Sites" folders is on by default.  The server software is simply Apache 1.3.33.  I don't  yet follow how "launchd" works. Considering trying out an install of Apache 2 just to practice ....</li>
	<li>Mac/Windows comparison #1:  The Mac  handling of laptop  sleep / hibernate / wake is way ahead of Windows.</li>
	<li>Mac/Windows comparison #2: No, the one-button mouse is not a wonder of simplicity, since you then need to master additional modifier keys.  However, a "Mighty Mouse"helps a lot -- provides a right-click which works as a Mac option key plus mouse-click.</li>
	<li>The magnifier is great!  [I use from the Mighty Mouse, not sure where it is in regular interface.]  The tiny wheel on the Mighty Mouse is also surprisingly effective, more efficient scrolling.   I also like the option setting for whether clicking in a window scroll bar means advance one page or jump all the way to the proportional location; I much prefer the latter; not sure if it's a mouse feature or is an available setting with the touchpad as well.  The main feature of this mouse that I haven't caught on to yet is the side-squeeze feature.</li>
	<li>Terminal is built-in and thus ssh client is easily done without a separate program.  However, I miss the per-profile font and background settings in the SSH.COM windows program.</li>
	<li>Programs that apparently do not have Mac versions: SSH.com free client with graphical SFTP (but ssh itself is built-in); Microsoft Internet Explorer (don't care)</li>
	<li>Programs that do have Mac versions, much like the Windows versions: Eudora email client (Yay!!); Opera web browser!!; Firefox of course; MS Remote Desktop Connection</li>
	<li>Wi-Fi performance excellent, interface okay. Combined with excellent sleep/wake handling, this is really good! With Windows laptop it was always a struggle to get it to wake up, and then additionally re-establish WiFi connection; often failed and required reboot.</li>
	<li> Connection to Windows file sharing is okay, but not quite as many features as in native Windows interfaces.</li>
	<li>Mac-specialized programs I haven't really explored yet: Microsoft's Office pack (academic version -- I used my UofC discount); Apple's iWork.</li>
	<li>Either QuickTime itself is much quicker and better-behaved on the Mac than on Windows, or the way iTunes runs QT.  The observable effect anyway is that I can background run a playlist in iTunes that includes a music video without freezing or crawling my foreground work, which on Windows just doesn't work together.</li>
	<li>Have not yet installed Parallels Desktop (even though seeing it demo'ed was sort-of what sold me on trying Mac).  Probably because I haven't decided/obtained which version of Windows to install.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<strong>===============================</strong>
<h2> This week’s activity at or for specific schools</h2>
<h3>Entrepreneurship at South Shore</h3>
<ul>
	<li>Led by Erik, the whole group visited on Tuesday 4/3 and cleaned out the storage vault.  We uncovered some tech items, notably a box of 512 M  RAM DIMMs for Macs,  some Mac HDDs, and a few hubs.</li>
	<li>In the Library, Russ and I strung a CAT5 cable overhead (there was already one, so this was adding to the unsightliness but not initiating it) to connect the main desk to the concentrator box.  The computer where the librarian will be doing circulation via the Athena program should not be relying on a  (somewhat cranky anyway) wireless connection.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Fermi</h3>
<ul>
	<li>On Wednesday 4/4 we made a group visit.  Shaz and Pierre conferred with Dr. Sanders and Mr. Taylor, while the remainder of our group got started checking &amp; updating the computer cluster in the Library.</li>
	<li>Are they short of mice and keyboards, or do they have a "lock them away"  strategy (like the South Shore High Schools) to  keep these peripherals from being taken away or damaged by unsupervised students?  In either case, we had to use our own mice, which luckily most of us do pack in our carrybags.</li>
	<li>We  finished up several of those okay, but others  need further attention in the first week back.</li>
	<li>We also inspected a collection of laptop computers.  Some we had to recommend Asset Disposal for, but a very nice HP was in good shape and mostly was correctly configured for OTS remediation specs.  We ran some Windows Updates and turned it over to the Principal for her use.</li>
	<li>The Dell Optiplex 280 (with SATA drive) in the teachers' lounge is not even completing a disk format reliably.  It should be handled as a repair item, hopefully under a warranty.  (Erik has the Service Tag and will check whether still warrantied.)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Leadership at South Shore</h3>
<ul>
	<li>See Entrepreneurship report.  The Library is shared by the two schools.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Ray</h3>
<ul>
	<li>Email on Ray website revision with Dawei and with Gabe Sheridan — who it turns out was away taking a real vacation!</li>
</ul>
<strong>Thought for the week</strong>

"Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod." -- "Dark is life, [dark] is death."

<strong>What's playing now?</strong>

It's a little quick and lively ... it's delightfully graceful ... must be <em>Allegretto gracioso</em>!

<a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=9253067&amp;s=143441&amp;i=9252982" target="_blank">http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=9253067&amp;s=143441&amp;i=9252982</a>