the iMentor

Hints & rants

This weB-LOG is about the musing of a technical consultant. It is the iMentor's thoughts on technology and the human condition.

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Author: Rick Thues

icons

October 1, 2019 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode 557 October 5, 2019 icon: ˈī-kän : a graphic symbol on a computer display screen that represents an app, an object (such as a file), or a function (such as the command to save).— Merriam-Webster   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcpAfOZlMnk Virtually everything you see on your computer desktop is an icon. The pictorial symbols on your desktop and in Finder windows are icons which represent apps, documents, folders and aliases (short cuts). The words in a directory are icons that represent the files that they name. Menu items are icons that represent the commands that they name. The keyboard shortcuts next to...
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Never trust a machine

September 22, 2019 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode 556 September 28, 2019 Over the years my best consult has been: “Never trust a computer.”   Computers are human machinations and therefore flawed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkbAx63e1wI There are things about a computer on which you can absolutely count. When a computer is working it will process a program (application) exactly as designed. Bits and bytes that enter the processor are processed as they are in the order that they occur.  This loop of processing will continue reliably until the program ends, is interrupted, the power goes down or an error occurs. It is in the errors that trust is lost....
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Where am i?

September 20, 2019 Uncategorized 1 Comment
Episode #555 September 21, 2019 i use the Maps app on my iPhone as a tour guide when i am out and about. Maps tells me where to shop, how to get there, what is the best route, when to turn, where to go for what i want to eat and how other people like the restaurant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njtM09ki5nY Last week i was following directions to home after a day trip to San Diego. i became hungry for dinner “What restaurants are near by?” i asked the Maps app. Maps gave me a list of restaurants. One was the Cork and...
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Adventure in Problems

September 9, 2019 Uncategorized No Comments
Episode #554 September 14, 2019 Life is full of problems. A computer is hung up. Traffic is too heavy and you are late. You have an unexplained pain. The sprinkler valves keep sticking in the ON position. A problem is a statement which begs for a solution. Adventure is a string of solutions which lead from one problem to another. Solutions lead one from another to the conclusion of an adventure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qmNOZ81tjw i had a sprinkler system made up of 12 hose end water valve timers.  They were connected to 5 hose risers around my property.  When more than one...
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Intractable

September 4, 2019 Uncategorized 3 Comments
Episode 553 September 7, 2019 Some people are intractable. It is a defense mechanism.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO5sFeGbeMU For some, learning is simply not an option. Repeated failures have conditioned some to close their minds to new ideas. i like to write flow charts or draw maps before i begin a project.  A map serves as a logical plan that can be used to execute a process or procedure.   i drew a map of how i wanted an irrigation system to be installed. The map assured that all the areas i wanted covered were, in fact, covered. When the irrigation system...
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Getting it Right

August 25, 2019 Uncategorized 5 Comments
Episode 552 August 31, 2019 In last week’s bLog "Getting it Wrong" i told the saga of Customer Service gone wrong. It began with my greed. i expected to buy a chainsaw for almost nothing and receive something in exchange. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKi0RDwEUtE As i described in last week’s bLog, i bought a cheap Chinese made chainsaw from Sears Marketplace. The saw did not start. After much time and negotiations i settled for a partial refund and i recycled the chainsaw.   i still needed a chainsaw. There are trees to fell and branches to limb. (Felling is cutting a tree down and...
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