future

My beautiful face to the world

with all my weaknesses

I reach all my dreams were

I can not escape from you

like my first life

choose a world filled with evil is

full of obstacles and barriers

winding - the road turns right at the travel

a choice that could change your life

in just a blink of an eye

all missing from your life

for a future

invisible but meaningful in your life

until no air you can breathe.

New Germanna Community College class schedules online; 'Quake Break 2011' about to end

Students,



Thank you for your understanding as we prepare to re-open the College.



You may now view your schedule at www.germanna.edu/class_schedules/, but you cannot make changes at this time. You should view your schedule in SIS and online so that you can see the notes that describe the changes made to your schedule.



Due to the earthquake on Tuesday, we have had to move classes out of FAC I. We had to change a lot of classes so students could take classes on the Fredericksburg Campus. Some classes that were completely face to face are now hybrid—a combination of face-to-face classroom instruction and online instruction. A few of those classes have gone totally online. We have made some time changes but have tried to keep those changes minimal.



We will be offering training in online learning next Wednesday and Thursday at the Fredericksburg Campus in the Workforce & Technology Building (FAC 2). We strongly encourage all students who are new to online learning to attend one of these sessions. Sessions for online training will be Wednesday, August 31, and Thursday, Sept. 1 beginning at 9:00 AM and running every hour, on the hour, with the last session of the day beginning at 8:00 PM and ending at 9:00 PM. We’ll have signs posted on the campus to direct you to the session locations.



Student Services will be available at all college locations on August 31 and September 1 from 8:30 AM until 7PM. Student Services will be available on Friday, September 2 from 8:30AM to 5:00PM. Financial Aid, Counseling Services, the Tuition Office, and Admissions & Records will be available to assist you as Germanna reopens. At the Fredericksburg Campus location, please be advised that services will be available at the Workforce & Technology Building (FAC 2).



We are developing a new academic calendar. We have revised the dates you can drop a course and get a refund as well as the time you can withdraw from a course without academic penalty. You will be able to see the revised calendar online by noon on Monday. It will also be available at the counseling sessions.



We will communicate further on Monday about the specifics of your individual schedule changes.





Germanna Community College

Bollywood Celebrities Twitters – Know their tweets about Independence Day wishes

First of all,



Bollywood Actress Bipasha Basu Twitter tweets – “Proud to be an Indian independent girl. Happy Independence Day! Let's all value d efforts of all the brave people who fought for our Independence! Jai Hind!”



Dabangg Movie Girl Sonakshi Sinha Wrote – “Swatantrata diwas ki hardik shubhkamnaye. Jai Hind (sic).”



Pregnant Actress Lara Dutta Bhupathi – “Little nieces just came back from hoisting the Indian Tiranga at school. Miss that ritual! Have a wonderful Independence Day Folks!(sic).”



Shahid Kapoor said – “Respect to all armed forces ...We feel the independence due to them!!!”



Anil Kapoor Daughter Sonam Kapoor – “Happy Independence Day. The best thing about me is that I'm an Indian. My country is the strongest wisest (sic).R Madhavan: Happy Independence Day to you all (sic).”



Director Actor Farhan Akhtar – “Happy Independence Day to all on both sides of the most undesirable border ever created between children of the same mother (sic).”



Zindagi Milenge Na Dobara Kalki Koechlin – “Let's be free from corrupt systems in our working lives and corrupt systems in our governing forces. Have a thoughtful Independence Day.”

Selamat Hari Raya Aldifitri

Dear Customers,



BusOnlineTicket staff and managemnment would like to wish all the Muslim Selama Hari Raya Aldifitri. For those who are taking public transport, please buy your ticket early to avoid dissapointment. For those who are driving, travel safe.



Brought to you by

BusOnlineTicket.com Pte Ltd

http://www.busonlineticket.com/

Selamat Hari Raya Aldifitri

Dear Customers,



BusOnlineTicket staff and managemnment would like to wish all the Muslim Selama Hari Raya Aldifitri. For those who are taking public transport, please buy your ticket early to avoid dissapointment. For those who are driving, travel safe.



Brought to you by

BusOnlineTicket.com Pte Ltd

http://www.busonlineticket.com/

FAQ on Germanna Community College earthquake status

Has Germanna closed for the semester?



No. On Aug. 30, Germanna Community College nursing and dental hygiene students will restart classes. All other students will resume classes on Sept. 6. Details will be available via email and on the Germanna Web site within 24 hours.(CLARIFICATION: Only nursing classes start on Aug. 30. Other classes being taken by nursing students start on Sept. 6.)

Check Blackboard, Germanna email and germanna.edu for the class schedule with new room assignments.



Is the Sept. 6 restart date (for non-nursing students) effective for online classes as well?





Yes.





Has the Fredericksburg Campus closed?



No. One building, FAC I, also known as the Dickinson Building, suffered structural damage that has put it out of commission for the semester. FAC II, the Workforce Building, was not damaged. Officials are working to move classes into FAC II. All classes will resume. Some students may have to go to classroom/online hybrid classes or to online classes to avoid moving to a classroom in another location. College officials are also considering space near the Fredericksburg Campus for classrooms.



Will the semester be extended? Will the final exams schedule change?



No and no.



Were other Germanna locations damaged in the quake?



The Locust Grove Campus and the Stafford Center are in good shape. The Daniel Center in Culpeper sustained minor damage to tiles in the auditorium ceiling and to an overhead projector. But classrooms at the Daniel Center were not affected. There was some damage to the George Washington Carver Center in Culpeper, where automotive program classes are to be held in the Fall. Culpeper County is determining how serious the damage is.



Will I be able to buy my text books before classes resume?



Yes. The book store will be operating out of the Locust Grove Campus and all of the text books are also available for order online. Those who had books waiting for pickup at the FAC I store will now have to drive to LGC to get them.

UPDATE: If you ordered books and have received an email advising you that your order is ready for pick up, you may pick up your order at the Locust Grove Campus bookstore beginning Wednesday, August 31st. We'll continue to post updates as we receive them.





What will the Fredericksburg Campus be like this semester?



FAC II will be cramped. There will be no room for lounging or studying, no food service and no cafeteria. Students will need to find other places to hang out, study and eat.

Spa Watch: Travers Week

--Brian DiDonato

FRIDAY

Race 9 - GII Bernard Baruch H., 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT
The result of this race will depend almost completely on the pace scenario--which is very muddled. If favored Get Stormy (Stormy Atlantic) is allowed to get loose, he'll win--he's just too good for his opponents without early pressure. But if the deserving chalk is pestered, it'll be a wide open affair late. While there are no other confirmed frontrunners in the Baruch (like there was last time when speedy Get Serious {City Zip} hounded Get Stormy into a third-place finish in the June 12 GIII Monmouth S.), there are a number of stalker/presser types who could keep things honest up front if their pilots realize they can't allow Get Stormy to waltz along on the lead. This race, therefore, is one to be played with conflicting race shapes in mind. Get Stormy is a must-use in vertical wagers (Pk3s/4s), but one should also include other runners whose chances of winning depend on a drastically different pace scenario than what will benefit the favorite. Under the pace collapse possibility, Paris Vegas (Maria's Mon), the longest shot on the morning line at 30-1, has a live look. A minor stakes winner in France last winter, Paris Vegas showed flashes of ability at varying distances and surfaces upon his arrival in the U.S., but only tried the grass once while under the care of Fabrice Chappet. That one turf attempt came when he was sixth of six in last year's GII Hall of Fame S. here while rank and unrate-able. The grey was privately purchased and turned over to astute horseman Tom Voss this spring, and after a very poor effort on the dirt at Pimlico in May, he has shown new life returning to the sod. The 4-year-old was a late-running second with trouble in a 7 1/2-furlong allowance at Delaware in June, and was the horse most victimized by a laughably run, merry-go-round renewal of the GII Fourstardave H. July 31 (TDN Video). Paris Vegas was in last place early behind a half in :50.49, and was pinned inside when trying to rally. He never found a seam, ducking in at one point and brushing with another rival before finishing sixth of seven. His finish was deceptively strong, however, and he covered the final five sixtheenths in :28.39--a fifth of a second faster than anyone else in the field. Paris Vegas still might not be good enough, and he might not get the set-up he needs, but he'll offer exceptional value on top and underneath.

Race 10 - $35K CLM, N2L, f/m, 3yo/up, 1mT
Demure Halo (Quiet American) will return to turf first off the claim for Mike Maker, and she has deceptively strong back class. The bay began her career last year at two with a fourth and two thirds over the lawn in Kentucky, beaten only 3 1/4 lengths by subsequent MGSW Kathmanblu (Bluegrass Cat) July 17 and two lengths by GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf fourth-place finisher Forest Legend (Forest Camp) Aug. 15 at Ellis. Neversaidiwassweet (Eurosilver), the sixth-place finisher from that Aug. 15 heat, would go on to score in the GIII Miesque S. over the Hollywood lawn that November. Demure Halo finished off her juvenile season with a sixth-place finish in a tough Polytrack route at Keeneland, and returned for trainer Eddie Kenneally to break her maiden sprinting on the main track at Churchill Downs June 26 for a $30K tag. Maker and Ken and Sarah Ramsey picked up the sophomore for $25K off a fifth-place run sprinting in the mud here Aug. 8. Her conditioner sports exceptional stats first off the claim--he's 31% with a $2.07 ROI over the past five years overall, and has connected at a 38% clip with a $3.47 ROI when switching his new acquisitions from dirt to turf. Tapaway (Tapit) broke his maiden easily at 6-1 despite serious trouble with very similar-looking form and the same trainer angle for the Ramseys last Saturday--a repeat seems much more likely than what Demure Halo's odds will reflect. I'll also use Frontaine (Lemon Drop Kid), who has a chance to go gate to wire.

SATURDAY
Race 2 - MSW, 2yo, 6f
Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher, who unveiled Uncle Mo on this card last year, send out a well-bred coupled entry that could dip down below even money. Neither runner figures to be particularly precocious based on pedigree, however. Fire On Ice (Unbridled's Song) is a very intriguing alternative. The $160,000 FTKJUL yearling RNA'd for $190,000 at KEEAPR after working a quarter in :21 3/5, but the grey never looked completely comfortable over the Polytrack--he was spinning his wheels noticeably (Video)--and will probably prefer the conventional stuff. Fire On Ice is out of an expensive unraced Storm Cat mare who is a half-sister to champion sprinter Squirtle Squirt (Marquetry). He has been working steadily for John Kimmel, who co-owns the grey along with Eli Gindi, and appears to have prepped in company with Vexor (Wildcat Heir), a front-running winner here at second asking Aug. 10. Vexor earned an 80 Beyer for his graduation score--three points above par for this level--and Kimmel has hit the board with two of the four juveniles he has unveiled so far this meet.

Race 9 - GIII Victory Ride S., f, 3yo, 6f
Hot Summer (Malibu Moon), two-for-three at this distance last term, returns off a three-month break and turns back to her preferred one-turn trip. The David Fawkes trainee took the one-mile GIII Comely S. at Aqueduct two back in an effort that was subsequently flattered by her competitors. Runner-up Her Smile (Include) annexed the GI Prioress S. two starts later, and fourth-place finisher R Holiday Mood (Trippi) scored in the Miss Preakness S. over a good field next out. Comely show horse Ava K. (Dixie Union) won a pair of stakes two and three starts later. Hot Summer's last performance--a well-beaten third in the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. after setting a hot pace--looks better after the fact. Both winner Royal Delta (Empire Maker) and runner-up Buster's Ready (More Than Ready) are now Grade I winners. Hot Summer has worked well here in the interim, possesses a good stalking style in a race with some speed, and should be a generous price.

Race 11 - GI King's Bishop S., 3yo, 7f
Obviously, any discussion of this race begins with champion Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie)--if he were back to being the horse he was at two, he'd be very tough to beat in this spot. But there's certainly no guarantee of that, regardless of the bullet drills and positive reports. At 9-5 on the morning line and likely to drop from there, Uncle Mo is a significant underlay, and his presence will inflate the odds on almost every other runner beyond what they should be. A case can be made for everyone in this field, and this might be a spot to hit the "ALL" button on some tickets, but the two biggest overlays appear to be the two closers--Caleb's Posse (Posse) and Cool Blue Red Hot (Harlan's Holiday). Caleb's Posse's romp in the GII Amsterdam S. last time was simply excellent. He closed from dead last behind a slow pace, and earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure. A repeat of that effort is probably good enough to win this race seven times out of 10, and there's no obvious reason to think Caleb's Posse can't duplicate it. Cool Blue Red Hot will make a similar turnback to the one Caleb's Posse made for the Amsterdam. His fastest race from a Beyer standpoint came in his debut going a one-turn mile at Belmont last October when he dropped a tight one to recent runaway allowance winner Buffum (Bernardini), and he has run well in his last three efforts back at one turn despite poor pace set-ups. He had no chance to win from dead last behind a glacial pace in the GII Dwyer S. last time, and to run third with a 92 Beyer was an accomplishment. It does look like he hung after looping up to join the top two in upper stretch, but he had to work hard just to catch up with them and his kick was probably dulled slightly by the distance. He'll be able to relax and move when ready here with plenty to close into--Cool Blue Red Hot is the longshot play in the King's Bishop.

Race 12 - GI Travers S., 3yo, 1 1/4m
Stay Thirsty (Bernardini)'s last race was a big step forward, and he deserves to be favored off of that effort. His previous races make him only one of a number of contenders, though, and to take too short a price on him would be a mistake. Raison d'Etat (A.P. Indy) was all the rage following a 7 3/4-length maiden-breaking romp at Belmont June 18 in his third  career start, but appears to have fallen out of favor a bit after finishing a well-beaten second at 9-5 in the Curlin S. here July 29. That effort was much better than what he has been given credit for, however. Unhurried behind a pacesetter who had everything his own way, the Juddmonte representative rallied up wide and easily swept by everyone but the leader (TDN Video). Winner Turbo Compressor (Halo's Image) just had to keep going--he had done nothing early to tire himself out--and he and Raison d'Etat both finished up well to earn 101 and 97 Beyer Speed Figures respectively and late Moss Pace Figures that fall into the "very fast late" category. Raison d'Etat was very green in the stretch of the Curlin--he reacted sharply to Eddie Castro's reminders as if he were on a slalom course--and, with only four starts under his belt, he has plenty of room still for improvement and maturity. The 10 furlong distance of the Travers adds to Bill Mott's charge's upside, and the son of A.P. Indy out of seven-time GISW Sightseek has been working a hole in the wind since his last race. Raison d'Etat is similar to GI Alabama S. winner Royal Delta (Empire Maker) in many ways, and Mott just might find himself in the winner's circle for the second consecutive Saturday following a Grade I for 3-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles.

*All trainer stats courtesy of DRF Formulator.

We are our own worst enemy.

In my last post I discussed how I fell victim to Impostor Syndrome, and how I eventually dealt with it.

The response to the topic (mostly on Twitter) was great.

I learned a lot.


I learned about the Dunning–Kruger effect which according to Wikipedia is:

"a cognitive bias in which unskilled people make poor decisions and reach erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to recognize their mistakes. 

The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their ability as above average, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled underrate their own abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority. 

Actual competence may weaken self-confidence, as competent individuals may falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. As Kruger and Dunning conclude, 'the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others'"

Essentially, the more you know, the more you realize you don't know.  According to Kruger and Dunning, we have a tendency to overestimate our knowledge and ability if we are unskilled in a particular area.

I see it all the time in the workplace. People take on projects and soon find themselves overwhelmed by complexity, or do a less than optimal job.  (If I look at the wiring renovation in my home done by a previous owner, I'd say he was in this category).

Conversely, those who are skilled can fall victim to underestimating their skill and ability, and may convince themselves that they are frauds and posers - the Impostor Syndrome

I also was reminded about the Fundamental Attribution Error. I had heard about the Fundamental Attribution Error before from Patrick Lencioni in his book Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

This is where we explain the behaviors of others differently than we explain our own.  For example, if I saw a person back into another car in a parking lot, I would think they were a poor driver who doesn't pay attention.  If I happen to back into another car, then I would think that somebody parked their car in the wrong place. (Note: this is an example.  If you notice a fresh dent on your car, it wasn't me!)

This type of thinking creates a problem for effective leadership. We are not being honest about ourselves, or others.

All of this interaction reminded me of a great book I read about 10 years ago - Why Smart People Do Dumb Things: The Greatest Business Blunders - How They Happened, and How They Could Have Been Prevented
It is well worth locating a copy of this book and giving this a read.

All of this to say - your thinking can sabotage your leadership. It influences the quality of your decisions and undermines your authenticity as a leader.

Self awareness for any leader is foundational.  I previously posted on this topic in CIO Know Thyself.

Don't say you weren't warned.

An insider's view of ebooks

The other day, information about a series of interviews conducted on the BBC came out across a library email list I belong to. The bits that caught my attention were from Victoria Barnsley who is the Chief Executive of HarperCollins UK.  Here are a few of the things she said:

• 50% of their fiction to be digital within 2 years,
  
• eBooks will replace paperbacks,
• hardbacks will improve in quality to be the books people keep.

 Hardbacks will improve in quality!  Wait...what?  You mean you think there will still be a market for ...(GASP)...paper books?  OK, while I might mean to sound a little sarcastic here, I would like to think that the opinion that I and many others have held for a while now, might also be a consideration in the publishing world.  Paper will not be going away any time soon. The ebook format lends itself well to replacement of paperbacks and fiction titles.  Paper copies will also be wanted and even preferred in some cases, and ebooks for lending will help libraries expand their collections, patrons discover new authors, and ultimately purchase more e- and regular books.

Of course, HarperCollins has also made the controversial decision to make their loanable ebooks to libraries "wear out" after 26 checkouts thereby requiring the library to purchase a "new" copy.  While I don't think it is unreasonable for publishers to make these sorts of requirements of libraries, I think 26 circulations is a pretty low number.  Apparently HarperCollins needs to improve their hardback quality now if all they think we can expect from their products is essentially a year's worth of checkouts!

Impostor Syndrome

Image: MS Office Imagebank

Several years ago, back when I had hair, I attended a conference in Colorado.

The fact that I had hair meant I was just starting out in my career and had lots to learn.  I was young, and impressionable.

The fact that the conference was in Colorado meant it was a two hour time difference from where I lived.  Which meant that my body hadn't adjusted to the time zone yet and  I was up very early in the morning.

There was one other person in the hotel restaurant at 6am - the keynote speaker from the night before.  He invited me to join him at his table.

This gentleman was highly renowned in the world of computer aided design (CAD). He was also a PhD level scientist with some impressive research under his belt, and although he seemed ancient at the time, he was likely in his mid forties.  I was sitting with one impressive, experienced person who's portfolio of experience was a treasure for me.  I knew I could learn from him, I just didn't expect the lesson I got, which impacted me for years.


The conversation went well until he said. "Do you ever get the feeling that one day you'll go into work, or stand up to speak at a conference and that will be the day that 'they' discover you really aren't qualified?"

Perhaps he was joking.

Maybe it was the time zone induced insomnia talking.

Maybe he was going through a personal reflective time.

It didn't matter.  The outcome in my life was profound.

To an impressionable mind, hearing this from the defacto expert meant that I probably didn't stand a chance in my career. But having been raised on John Wayne movies and Batman comics, I wasn't about to share that with anyone.  But it haunted me for a lot of years.

I continued in my career, but every time I met was sitting around a table of people who I judged "more qualified" - having more education, or more experience, then the insecurity would arise.

This lasted for years.

There are a lot of obstacles to overcome in developing a successful career as a leader, but the biggest obstacle can be yourself.

It is one thing to have an over-inflated sense of your abilities, but constantly undermining oneself with a feeling of being an impostor, not fitting in to the team, the company, or with your colleagues is more common, and more insidious.

Does any of this resonate?

Thankfully, I think I have resolved my core issue.  And the answer came out in a golf game.

I was on the links with a good friend who was a CIO who had gone through University on a golf scholarship (if you knew how I golf, you would know that this was an opportunity for me to reinforce my feelings of inadequacy, but I digress).

I asked him about competition on the course.  He replied "You are not in competition with anyone else on the course.  You are in competition with yourself.  Your last game. Your last shot."

That was my epiphany that addressed my case of the Impostor Syndrome.

I had been measuring my abilities and qualifications against other people's abilities and qualifications, rather than the goals and objectives I had set for myself to achieve my responsibilities.

If I achieved my goals with excellence, then certainly I was qualified.

I could also talk about my experiences in achieving the goals.  It removed the need to be "right", and gave me the freedom to tell my story.

Setting measurable career goals was a key ingredient in my recovery.

Reviewing my progress on these goals allowed me to see and believe that I was actually accomplishing things.  I can also see my progress over time as I continually stretch myself with new big, hairy audacious goals. (BHAGs as Jim Collins calls them in Built to Last.)

Some of the goals are about education, credentials and key experience that round out your experience as an IT leader, but they should be pursued because they help you be a better leader, not because everyone else is doing it.

If you find yourself in a room full of people, and you are quietly measuring yourself (and your qualifications) against theirs, you are severely limiting your potential as a leader.

I'd love to hear your feedback on this.

Maybe I'm the only one who was bothered by Impostor Syndrome... but I doubt it.

K-Drama: Scent Of A Woman

I'm not sure it can be considered a worthy successor to 'Secret Garden' and 'The Greatest Love' yet but I'm starting to enjoy this drama more and more.

Did we really need another Cinderella (poor/pitiful girl meets rich handsome guy) storyline though?

Shakin' All Over: Earthquake at the TDN Office

-Sarah Andrew

While the state of Virginia experienced the second most powerful earthquake in recorded history today, the effects in New Jersey were more mild.

Eight TDN staffers were in the Red Bank office this afternoon when we felt the building shake and sway. Being East Coasters, none of us had much earthquake experience, and by the time the rumbling had ended, we were just realizing what had happened.

It was not until later when we saw the DEVASTATION that our office had endured:

The Reasons to Take a Bus From Singapore to Malacca

There are a lot of people travelling between Malaysia and Singapore each day. The bus tickets are reasonably price therefore they are able to afford it. You can buy the ticket for Bus from Singapore to Malacca and travel with comfort and ease. It is the most preferred mode of transport as it is cheap as well as convenient. If you are travelling during peak season you will find that if you have not booked the ticket in advance, the ticket would have been sold out.

You can save a lot of your precious time if you buy the tickets in advance through online booking. Many coach/bus companies have started selling their coach/bus ticket online as there in an increase in this trend of travelling by bus to Penang or Kuala Lumpur. If you buy your ticket online you will be saving your time of travelling to the counter twice, saving transportation cost from travelling to the counter twice, have the facility of real time booking and choosing the seat that you want on the spot. Avoid the queue for buying bus ticket, have the convenience of using credit card, buy your ticket now, pay your ticket money later by using credit card.

The bus from Kuala Lumpur to Penang is a comfortable journey that has gained popularity. Now more and more people prefer to travel by bus. The bus service is prompt, punctual, comfortable and very convenient.

Holidays to Malaysia can be a lot of fun, provided you choose the itinerary that suits you best. Go on a tour to Malaysia with excellent holiday packages and travel deals with the convenient bus service. The buses from Singapore to and fro Kuala Lumpur are there throughput the day. There are a lot of options available that you can have while travelling by bus. You can be sure that you will get a coach suitable to your comfort and within your budget as well. The bus service provides for all types of services that can be suitable for luxury travellers or for those travellers who are travelling on a tight budget. The timings of the bus are also suitable as there is bus after every hour or so. Why waste your money on any other mode of travel when you can travel with comfort on a bus.

The Reasons to Take a Bus From Singapore to Malacca

There are a lot of people travelling between Malaysia and Singapore each day. The bus tickets are reasonably price therefore they are able to afford it. You can buy the ticket for Bus from Singapore to Malacca and travel with comfort and ease. It is the most preferred mode of transport as it is cheap as well as convenient. If you are travelling during peak season you will find that if you have not booked the ticket in advance, the ticket would have been sold out.

You can save a lot of your precious time if you buy the tickets in advance through online booking. Many coach/bus companies have started selling their coach/bus ticket online as there in an increase in this trend of travelling by bus to Penang or Kuala Lumpur. If you buy your ticket online you will be saving your time of travelling to the counter twice, saving transportation cost from travelling to the counter twice, have the facility of real time booking and choosing the seat that you want on the spot. Avoid the queue for buying bus ticket, have the convenience of using credit card, buy your ticket now, pay your ticket money later by using credit card.

The bus from Kuala Lumpur to Penang is a comfortable journey that has gained popularity. Now more and more people prefer to travel by bus. The bus service is prompt, punctual, comfortable and very convenient.

Holidays to Malaysia can be a lot of fun, provided you choose the itinerary that suits you best. Go on a tour to Malaysia with excellent holiday packages and travel deals with the convenient bus service. The buses from Singapore to and fro Kuala Lumpur are there throughput the day. There are a lot of options available that you can have while travelling by bus. You can be sure that you will get a coach suitable to your comfort and within your budget as well. The bus service provides for all types of services that can be suitable for luxury travellers or for those travellers who are travelling on a tight budget. The timings of the bus are also suitable as there is bus after every hour or so. Why waste your money on any other mode of travel when you can travel with comfort on a bus.

iPads in our school? Not quite yet.

Image: Apple.com

Everyone seems to be excited about iPads and other tablet computers (with the possible exception of HP). They are a great personal extension to the internet.   I was recently forwarded the results of a survey done by Staples who (surprise) found people are thrilled with tablets and one of the benefits of having a tablet is that it allowed a number of the survey respondents to have a better work/life balance.

Coincidentally, Staples happens to sell tablets. I am sure the survey results were unbiased. :)

So what about tablets in education?

I recently came across this posting via one of our teachers from Jim Gates (Twitter #JGates513) a long time educator who doesn’t feel the iPad is ready for the classroom. I would agree with many of his points. His post can be found on his blog here.  It is highly recommended you check out his site.

He’s not anti-iPad, but there is a dichotomy between the tablet’s capabilities and the ability to achieve academic outcomes, or develop key competencies (i.e. collaboration on a project or document vs using email or Skype), or use them to full capacity with the core educational programs such as Moodle, WebCT, etc. Creation of documents and presentations are a challenge on tablets without the ability to have true multitasking (e.g. image editing in one window, presentation material in another with drag and drop between them).

Having iPads in Appleby College classrooms is not likely in the near future given that we have integrated extensive collaboration using shared workspaces in OneNote/Sharepoint, technology enhanced curriculum, and a high reliance on our student info system (built in Sharepoint). The poor iPad could not keep up with our curriculum.

At Appleby, we supply every student and faculty member with a pen based tablet PC running Win7.  Over 90% of school work is assigned, completed, and turned in using the computer.  There are no notebooks in class, just textbooks and computers.

Watching how technology is leveraged in the classroom is remarkable.  Listening to the students describe how the technology is used is even more remarkable. It's not about the device, but the ability of the device to extend and enhance the 45 min of teaching time to layer in new discoveries and new competencies.  It allows the focus to be on the educational outcome, not the fact that there is a computer in the classroom.

That doesn't mean there isn’t a place for iPads in Appleby.

Given the exceptional ability of  iPads and tablets to extend the work desktop by making it very easy to check and respond to email, review documents and do minor edits, perhaps we should look at buying everyone a desktop and provide those who need mobility, an iPad or Slate PC vs a laptop.

As for me, you’ll have to pry my iPad from my cold, dead, fingers, but I do disagree with the article I was sent… it doesn’t help me maintain a work/life balance… it makes it much easier to never leave work.

Librarian / tech nerd nirvana

A colleague of mine (who also happens to be something of a tech nerd AND a great guy) sent me a link to this product  - Boopsie - today.  It's an app for libraries and library users that does a whole bunch of cool things in all-in-one fashion.  Feature description from their site:

• BookLook - Scan the barcode of that new best seller at the bookstore and instantly know whether your library has the book available.
• Publisher Reviews - Integration with book review providers such as Syndetics, Goodreads etc.
• Overdrive Access - search, view, download and read Overdrive titles right from mobile device.
• BookCheck - Mobile checkout from the palm of your hand!  Simply scan, click (check) and go!

They seem to have a reasonable subscription rate for us here in Small Town America!  We've talked about having a mobile app developed for us locally, but why reinvent the wheel?  These folks seem to have thought about how it might be used by patrons, so we'll give it a serious look to see how it would integrate with our systems and network.

Malioboro

Malioboro is the name of the street in the city of Yogyakarta, which stretches from Tugu Yogyakarta to the intersection of Post Office in Yogyakarta which consists of Pangeran Mangkubumi and Jend. A. Yani streets, This road is an imaginary axis line of Yogyakarta Kingdom.

There are several historic objects in this street include Tugu Yogyakarta, Tugu Stasiun(station monument), the Great House, Market Beringharjo, and  March 1 Attack Monuments.

Malioboro crowds and splendor can not be separated from the many vendors lined along Malioboro street hawking wares, almost everything is offered goods / objects of Jogja as a souvenir / souvenir for tourists. They traded handicrafts typical of Jogjakarta, among other crafts Imitation Key Chain rattan, leather, batik, silver, bamboo and others, in the form of batik clothes, leather bags, leather shoes, rattan ornament, leather puppets, keychains bamboo, spoon / fork silver, blangkon batik [is kind of typical cap Yogyakarta / Java], t-shirts with various models / writings and many others.

jogja famous as a gathering place for artists who often express their abilities such as playing music, painting, hapening art, mime and others along this path.

Walking along Malioboro street is just like entering into a big craft market where crafts sellers sell handicraft to the visitors. There are hand-made crafts and batiks, also sandals, sarongs, hats and bags all made from leather, dry plants, shellfish, coconuts, and rattan. You can barter the price for crafts and batiks and can purchase them for quarter of the price and often half the original asking price so don't hesitate to bargain!. The holiday season during July - August is the busiest time in Malioboro street and it can get very crowded with international tourists as well as visitors from around Indonesia.

If you are feeling hungry on Malioboro street there are many options of restaurants and places to eat and drink and there are plenty of food vendors available in the night from 10pm-4am. Local food is sold on the side of the road and includes gudeg, steak, onion sauce, tea, coffee and juice. You can choose whatever food you like from the Lesehan Vendors, put it on a plate, then sit on the footpath and enjoy!

There are many places available to stay if you intend to visit overnight or for an extended period near Marlioboro street. At the northern end of Malioboro street there are two main streets; Pasar Kembang and Sosrowijayan where several hotels and motels open 24 hours for guests. It's easy to get to Pasar Kembang and Sosrowijayan as you can walk to the north until near Tugu Railway Station. The hotels and motels are the most strategic places to stay as they are located in a central position and you can go anywhere from this point and there are many options for transportation available.