New Year's Resolutions:

Anyone have an IT Related New Year's Resolutions that you wish to share?

One of mine is the convert the home PC from Windows to Linux.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

Cajun,
Yes, here are my computer related ones:

1. Take up technical certification and training if I don't get an IT job by the end of January. I may not think much of it, but many employers do.

2. Learn the ADO object model and coding. I am very well versed in DAO, but know very little about ADO.

3. Get the first pre release version of my MDB Doc addin v1.3 ready by the end of February. I thought I may be able to get it done by end of Jan, but it is taking longer than I thought. Also I keep on thinking of useful extra features to put in, so they go in the To Do list.

John

How about this?

> Spend less time on work projects.  While I enjoy my job, I want to leave the office at the office.  Devote that time to other, more important people & things.

> Finish my degree.  I need 9 credit-hours to graduate.  I am SO tired of profs teaching me to do things they can't do (which seems to be a major problem at my school, where most of the CS professors haven't worked a day in their lives outside of academia)

> Work on a "fun" programming project (write a game) that I can just do whenever I feel like it... something to sharpen my skills, but not be something that consumes outrageous amounts of my time.

Ben
A programmer was drowning. Lots of people watched but did nothing. They couldn't understand why he yelled "F1!"

Go through my enormous stack of Dilbert cartoons and eliminate those which depict situations I've never encounterd on my many jobs. (Might eliminate 2 or 3.)

I keeping last year's resolution not to make any more New Year resolutions...

I am resolving to retire as a multi-billionaire in '04.

Hey, if you are going to fall short of a resolution, make it a doosey.  It sucks to think back and realize you had all year and failed to meet some little goal of losing 20 lbs. or whatever.  I'll be sitting pretty if I only meet a fraction of my resolution :)

Start preparing to get OUT of IT.

AJ


If at first you do not succeed, cheat!

 

Repeat of last years resolution (only partially successful):

Don't let the company interfere with what little personal life I have.

Chip H.

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

To get a new job where the project manager actually knows the difference between a lilobyte and a megabyte and isn't the CEO's girlfriend with no qualifications for her job whatsoever.

Ouch SQLSister ;)

My resolution is to try and learn some form of programming, probably C.

This is new to me:  What's a lilobyte?

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

Cajun:
I googled for it: apparently, it's a kilobyte with enlarged fingers.

Ben
A programmer was drowning. Lots of people watched but did nothing. They couldn't understand why he yelled "F1!"

I've only a few
1) learn another programming language
2) find a new job....this company is run by idiots(I think they must suck out all common sense from people when they get into management positions)
3) pay more attention to the important stuff---family---fun
and finally
4)  take my vacation days instead of letting them drop off at the end of the year!

SQLSister, I used to work for that company.
We had a third level whose girlfriend knew nothing but could do no wrong. Been there done that!

Jim

Cajun a lilobyte is a kilobyte for those of us who are typing challenged.

Note to self, must learn to proofread before hitting submit button.

watch more south park . . . last week they had an awesome episode where they just trashed canada :)

other than that . . . get a full time job (why can't I wish for the impossible?)

actually put an index.html page on my personal website.

learn some sys admin so can install freebsd without deleting everything (did that when I first installed linux :p)

do more yoga, get back on atkins diet, world domination (based on theoxyde's rationale), credit-card debt lower than my annual income (and lower than the GDP of bangladesh)

Main purpose:
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

Resolution.
(1) Avoid jargon.
(2) Write simpler user manuals.

Q.
Whats with ending an assertion with :p? I saw it in another forum too. I understand that "lisp" does that. Also, is it old hackish jargon?

End

AnanthaP
<Q.
Whats with ending an assertion with :p? I saw it in another forum too. I understand that "lisp" does that. Also, is it old hackish jargon?>

It's a pathetic 90's script kiddie thing, usually only used these days by people who describle themselves as 'kewl'. I'm always amazed when I see that sort of thing on a 'professional' post, and I (and I guess many others) will tend to ignore such posts as unprofessional

________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

'If we're supposed to work in Hex, why have we only got A fingers?'

Ouch !

I always thought it was a man with a pipe.

I'm sorry SQLSister.  I thought that it might be either an exteme prefix (> 10²⁴ or < 10^-24), or is one of the now obsolete prefixes -- How many people (without using Google) know what a myriabyte is?

While we're talking about this, I wonder how long it will be before we stop talking about megabytes and gigabytes, and use the more accurate binary prefixes like mebabyte (2²⁰) and gibabytes (2³⁰) so that with precision you can say:
1 megabyte = 10⁶=1 000 000 and
1 mebabyte = 2²⁰=1 048 576

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

myriabyte?

I can't even find that out on google!

I had to Google for it but I think this might explain it...

http://home.att.net/~numericana/answer/units.htm

BAKEMAN

I think I just found my resolution.
Spend a little less time telling others how to do or fix things, and clean up my own mess
With all test and tryouts to help members here, I made a real mess on some of my systems!

Marc
_{If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
Free Tip: The F1 Key does NOT destroy your PC!}

:p  :)  :(  lol  

Happy New Year


;o)

AJ


If at first you do not succeed, cheat!

 

yes i use :p

you don't like it?

that's your problem :p

:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p

Ah yes of course, myria=10,000.

That was interesting Bakeman.

A purple hart to you.

Anand

My resolutions for 2004:

1) Find an IT job in the bay area (california).
2) Get my main side-project done.
3) Continue game programming on the side.

Take Care,
Mike

:p is an emoticon.  Represents a smiley sticking his tongue out -- a symbol of enlightened apathy.  Used by those of us too old-school to link to a smiley graphic.

bbarr, if you achieve your resolution of world domination, please be benevolent.

I vow to go to http://www.webopedia.com/totd.asp each day I am online to learn a new internet or computer term. I am tired of reading articles with buzzwords I must stop to look up.

^{Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw}
Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000

Actually bbarr, it's not our problem if we don't like it.  Our problem is how to maintain the high professional standards which Tek-Tips strives to achieve.  Would you ever use that symbol in any form of professional correspondence?  If Tek-Tips truely is "Technical Work Forms for Computer Professionals", (see title in upper left hand corner of the screen), then sticking your tongue out at anyone does not belong as it is not professional behavior.  johnwm has already said this, and in far better words.

I think that now, one of my Resolutions will be that I will be more diligent in Red-Flagging unprofessional posts and language and asking that those posts be removed from the site.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

Though Tek-Tips does provide a means to stick out your tongue.

Cajun, while I do agree that certain levels of unprofessionalism should be discouraged, I do think that the friendliness and casual atmosphere provided by the smileys is an important part of helping each other out.

While it might not be strictly professional, as in professional use in professional documents, etc., I do believe it is an integral part of IT culture. It also keeps things lively and from drying up.

At least that's my perspective on smileys.

Take Care,
Mike

Just so long as we all understand that in some cultures, sticking out one's tongue at a person is a grave insult.

Want the best answers?  Ask the best questions: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
TANSTAAFL!!

sleipnir214,

If you put it this way, yes. But that smiley with the tongue sticking out was used here number of times, and no one got insulted so far. And a lot of other emoticons and animated pictures that I would definitely consider unprofessional and childish in a corporate e-mail or on a resume, are widely used and appropriate on a forum, even the most professional. Probably there is a reason why Tek-Tips is providing the means of using them.

stella740pl - How do you know that no one has been offended or insulted?

MichaelBronner - While I completely agree that the use of emoticons has become part of the "on-line" culture, I would not agree that it's part of the professional IT culture.

I also agree that the key is finding the level between between too unprofessional and too staid.  I don't think either extreme is where we want to be.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

CajunCenturion,

Well, I just believe it is so, because I haven't seen any messages of insulted people asking to stop using that (or any other) smiley; also I believe all (most?) of them are still there and hadn't been red-flagged; and last, the whole set of 'offending' symbols, some of them racially and otherwise classifying people, is still there and there is no remark from Tek-Tips next to them, warning that some of those pictures are potentially politically incorrect. Am I missing something?

This thread is starting to remind me couple of threads on political correctness from "Information Technology Ethics in the Workplace" forum - swastika in the font set, master-slave terminology, etc. No one in particular is insulted yet, but someone just assumed that it could be potentially insulting to some group of people to which, most likely, that someone doesn't belong personally, but we should ban this [fill in] anyway, because it's just not right to have it, even though it was there for years and may have different meaning to different people.

LOL, I think CajunCenturion is on the same page as all of us. Sometimes the overuse of smileys makes it seem like we're in kindergarten again, and then again, if they're out of context, they might seem inappropriate.

Perhaps we should all resolute to using smileys in a responsible fashion for the coming year :) LOL

crystalshan, a little off-topic, are we?

Take Care,
Mike

Smileys?  Better than frowneys! j/k

I like to keep things learthearted (where appropriate).  If I don't, I'd go mad after one day in this environment.

Back on subject:

Resolutions:

1. Put my 4 year CIS degree into good use by not using Frontpage for my personal website anymore.  

2. Get my documentation organized!

#1 resolution is to get off my typing butt and get indepth in learning the .NET Frame and utilizing C# and what it has to offer.  

#2 is to brush up the java skills as it seems to be a higher and higher demand out there.  

talk about getting into two sides of the world of programming

_____________________________________________________________________

_{Hakuna matata!!}

 

stella740pl - I respect that you've acknowledged that to be your belief and opinion, and you may very well be right.  In my experience, as a general rule, those who scream when offended are those who have taken up a cause and looking for reasons to take their place in the pulpit.  When you truly offend someone, they don't respond.  They simply walk away, with a very long memory.  Often the ones you hurt the most, say the least.

A good IT Resolution for me to adopt is not assume that just because the user's are quiet, that they are satisfied.  Not to assume that just because they aren't saying anything, means they don't have something to say.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

As you will see by my ending quote, I have sometimes have reservations about switching jobs. Next year I will definitely switch jobs. Here's hoping I don't find too much manure on the other side.....Happy and Prosperus 2004 to All!

Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side because there is more manure there - original.

Are emoticons unprofessional, per se?  I, personally, rarely use them.  I tend to assume people know what I mean.

BUT it’s easy for me to assume that my “throw away” remarks will be taken in the spirit they are intended, (however, I’ve just discovered that I’ve really offended someone, totally unintentionally and, fortunately, I have been challenged, so hopefully any offence has genuinely been mitigated).

There is a danger that the “two nations divided by a single language” will cause problems on a forum such as this.  It’s very easy to assume that remarks which would be regarded as totally unexceptional in the UK, will be treated similarly here – and they are often not.

So, in my view, there is a place for emoticons, even in a professional environment, especially in an international environment – properly used, they add to the posts and confirm the tone intended.

As for resolutions, do it better (and insist on PROPER specifications - well, I can dream).

I hope to improve my written communication skills in the coming year.  One of the main reasons why smileys and such continue to be necessary is as a shortcut to that goal.  Maybe by improving my skills I won't need those sorts of crutches as much.

Typically our text-dominated rapid communication tools such as chat, IM, email, and forums or newsgroups are not handled the same way we might approach more conventional written business communication.  There is a natural tendency to bang out something more akin to telephone or face-to-face conversational English rather than standard written English.

This is a well-worn subject, so I'll try to refrain from belaboring the point.  Suffice it to say that such artifices as smileys do indeed serve a purpose even though they are imperfect, even more so when they are bits of arcana to important members of the audience.  Their main purpose is to substitute for things like facial expressions or body language in general and tone of voice.  In this way they can help soften what might otherwise seem a harsh statement, help indicate sarcasm, and so on.

The graphic smileys can facilitate this process by making it a little bit easier for the bulk of us to interpret them.

"You think Microsoft's marketing is predatory? Please explain."

"Don't accidentally format your boot drive! "

"Well, you are entitled to your opinion. "

"Sorry, I can be such  a stuffed shirt at times. "

Actually about the only one I ever use myself is a basic as an indicator of mild sarcasm or humor or to show that I don't mean my words to be taken as flatly as they might appear.


Oops!   I see I already failed at one of my own goals right here in this response.  

Sorry to run on so.

In the spirit of things, I wish everyone a happy new year and hope that everyone will achieve what they set out for!
May the coming year be better than the last!

See you all in 2004! **Cheers!**

Take Care,
Mike