TC 346: Basic Interactive Media Design

What the Hell Happened to the Pop Quizzes, and What We're Going to do About it!

2004-12-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

Well, as some of you may have noticed, we've only had one Pop Quiz. I wanted to at least have one more, but since I was out sick last week (the day on which I wanted to have the quiz), we didn't get to have it. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a big deal. However, this means that 15% of your grade would be based on one pop quiz - which, frankly, is not fair. So, here is what I am going to do. I want you to do one last blog entry in order to get credit for that second pop quiz that I was going to give. Now, it isn't going to be a regular IDM. Instead, it will be a "Post Mortem" on your Final Project. I want at least 250 words talking about the process of doing your Final Project - things that went right, things that went wrong, things that you would have done differently. This is pretty much a "gimme." Do the Post Mortem, get full credit. Its as easy as that. Now, this Post Mortem post is going to be due 24 hrs after the Final Project due date - which is December 13th @ 5pm. So, the Post Mortem will be due no later than 5pm on December 14th

Feedback Time!

2004-12-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

Hey folks...well, seeing that we're at the end of the semester, its feedback time! Yup, now you get to chance to tell me how much you loved the class. Or, how much you hated the class. Whatever. The point is, I crave honest constructive feedback so that I can make the class better. So, please be honest with your criticism or your praise. Above all, if you are going to be critical, make sure you are constructive.

Visit the following the URL, and do your thing:

https://rateyourclass.msu.edu/AppLogin.Asp

Labs Graded

2004-11-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

I double-checked all the lab assignment folders today. It doesn't seem like anyone tried for the bonus points. Those that said they were going to didn't have a file that counted or resembled the bonus lab.

If you did try for the bonus points, and used a strange file name or I somehow passed you over, please e-mail me.

Class Cancelled Today (Nov 29)

2004-11-29T05:14:00.000-08:00

Hey folks...I started feeling sick last night, and it only got worse. As a result, I'm canceling class today. Its unfortunate (given the limited time we've got left in the semester), but I'm in no state to teach right now (and its too late to ask someone to cover for me).

Labs this week will not be cancelled - though they will be "open," providing you with time to work on your Final Project.

Anyway, sorry for the inconvenience.

Ethan

Get a Scholarship to Attend the GDC...

2004-11-26T14:21:00.000-08:00

For those who are interested in game design, the IGDA has just launched the 5th annual Student Scholarship Program. Twenty-five college students will be awarded complimentary full access passes to the Game Developers Conference. Students can now apply online. The deadline to enter is Tuesday, January 18, 2004. Recipients will be announced in early February.

Applicants are required to be full-time college students (or equivalent) and IGDA student members for consideration. The IGDA's Education Committee and board members will judge scholarship applications.

http://www.igda.org/scholarships/

Who to Send the Final Project Prototype URL to

2004-11-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

Contrary to what the website says I've got to get around to doing some updating), I want you to send me the URL for your final project prototype, and not Amanda.

Enjoy your break!

Its (relatively) Official - Game Design and Development Specialization

2004-11-22T13:11:00.001-08:00

Well, its (relatively) official. The department of Telecom, Information Studies, and Media will be getting a specialization in Game Design and Development (its official name). It still has to make its way through the college as well as the university administrative structure, but the biggest hurdle, the department, has been dealt with. Here are the application requirements:

minimum 3.0 grade point average in major
completion of prerequisites
submission of portfolio

The TC prerequisites are TC 240, TC241, and TC346. If you are a STA or CSE major, the three prerequisites are different. If you aren't a TC, CSE, or STA major, we will make a case by case admission decision.

You'll notice that TC 241 is a completely new class (called Authoring Interactivity"). I'm prototyping the class under a TC391 number next semester. If you want to get a jump on the specialization's prerequisites, I would strongly suggest that you take TC391 in the spring (which we'll accept in lew of TC241). If you don't take the class next semester, you'll probably have to wait until next Spring to take it - thereby putting off your application into the specialization.

If anyone has any questions, give me a yell.

Please remember, this is not an official announcement, just some casual info because there were so many people in the class interested in the specialization. When we have final official info, I'll pass it on to you folks immediately.

Amanda's Office Hours

2004-11-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

Next week, since we aren't having labs, I won't be keeping my Wednesday office hours.

You can still catch me on my Monday hours at the regular time if you need to see me about projects or questions. Or just pop me an e-mail with quick concerns.

If there's any major issues that you really needed to see me about regarding your prototype, you can hit me up after lecture on Monday or e-mail to schedule a time.

Also:

PLEASE don't forget that you have an IDM due Friday!
There's no IDM next week, but there is one due this week.
Becominghuman.org

The Skinny on the New Macromedia Products...

2004-11-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well, as some of you might know, MAX 2004, one of the largest Macromedia conferences in the universe, was held in New Orleans over the weekend. I didn't go, but it sounds like fun was had by all. Particularity interesting was a sneak peak session in which some of the Macromedians demo'ed early (probably alpha or even pre-alpha) version of upcoming software. Here are some of the highlights:

BREEZE

If you were ever worried about missing a Breeze conference/presentation, worry no more. Tom Hale & Peter Ryce showed a cell phone notification system that will be integrated in a future release version of Breeze. Personally, I don't think I would ever be worried about missing a Breeze conference/presentation because, frankly, I don't know of a single soul who actually uses the service/application - but that speaks more to the circles I run in than the popularity of the actual program. Nonetheless, the feature sounds interesting.

FIREWORKS

Frankly, the news from MAX about Fireworks was rather underwhelming. I know its not Macromedia's particular focus right now (and there have been rumors circulating about the fact that Macromedia is going to roll Fireworks into Dreamweaver one of these days), but come on! Fireworks is a great program that is only enhanced by its super duper tight integration with DWMX2004. Anyway, new features such as improved red eye reduction, text along paths, automated text layer on text creation, and improved "Save As" functionality.

FLASH PLAYER

The new features of the upcoming Flash player (code named Maelstrom) at MAX come on the heels of a demo my Mike Chambers at the Macromedia Flash Conference in Tokyo at the end of October. Interestingly enough, Colin Moock recorded the demo in Tokyo, so you can have a look at what I'm talking about (http://www.moock.org/blog/archives/000147.html). Features included dramatic framerate improvement, realtime graphic effects rendered by eh player (glow, drop shadow, blur, etc.), vastly improved text rendering (courtesy of a new text engine called Saffron), and a new video codec that produces incredible looking video.

DREAMWEAVER

As was expected, Dreamweaver was heavily featured. It look like there are going to be a lot of new and interesting features in the next version of DW...can't wait to get my hands on a beta (whenever they get to that point). Stuff that was discussed included template driven design using XML/XSL, binding with XSL stylesheets, a code toolbar (ala Homesite), drag and drop XML/XLS, including repeating regions, a new zoom tool (that would allow you to zoom in on troublesome areas of a table for examples, and new/improved CSS layout tools. I think I'm most excited about the CSS stuff. I would be happier than hell if they created some sort of visual CSS layout tool (something like WestCiv's Layout Master).

MACROMEDIA HELP

One of the unexpected sneak peaks didn't have anything to do with new software at all. Instead, it was a look at the completely re-designed knowledge management/help system. Anyone who has ever tried to extract some useful information out of the mess of technotes on Macromedia's website will be familiar with the sense of extreme frustration that many feel. As a result, Macromedia has really made an effort to make their online help system far more usable and approachable. First off, we're going to see a true centralized knowledge base that will contain help documents for all of the software and be accessible by a very powerful and flexible search engine. There was also talk of interactive software/technique demos powered by Macromedia Captivate (formerly eHelp RoboDemo). On top of all of this, they are going to be instituting RSS feeds for almost everything -product tech notes, forums threads, etc. I'm particularity excited about this one since I've become so damn obsessed with RSS (especially how it integrates into Firefox via LiveBookmarks) as of late.

It looks like Macromedia is definitely on the road to another significant round of releases. The good thing is that it also looks like they are going to let the current versions of their applications have a little more in the way of lifespan before they release the next versions. So, don't look for these new releases any time soon - I would guess that they are at least a year away (perhaps more),

Great CSS Reference...

2004-11-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

One of the biggest problems when teaching CSS is the sheer number of possible properties/values that you can use. There are simply too many to cover during class time. So, here is a great resource for all of your syntactical CSS needs.

http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp

Check it out.

Ethan

Class Website Down and Link to this Week's IDM...

2004-11-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

Well, for whatever reason, the class website for the class (as well as all of my other classes) is down. For those of you who haven't done your IDM yet, here is the link:

Percept (http://www.percept.be)

Cheers,

Ethan

UPDATE (November 5th): The course website is back up (and has been for awhile). Some people seem to be experiencing trouble with blogger (sporadic off and on login/logout/posting issues). The situation seems to be resolved (since I'm writing this blog and have had no problems). If, however, for some reason, the problem continues, you can email Amanda your blog (so we know you did it on time). However, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't still post your blog when the problem you are having with blogger clears up.

Articles about CSS

2004-11-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

Here's another good site I found surfing with some CSS resources and tips. If I find any more, I'll post. This site has some articles about why CSS is great, and, about doing some advanced tricks like text replacement and "tabbed" interfaces.

Stopdesign.com/articles

These are the people that designed some of the Blogger templates, so you've already looked at a lot of their designs.

Office Hours...

2004-11-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

I just wanted to let you know that I've got truncated office hours tomorrow...11-1:30 instead of 11-3.

Cheers,

Ethan

Labs

2004-10-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Your labs through Lab 6 are all graded. Grades and comments are on Angel.

I graded labs 4, 5, and 6 this time around.

If Lab 4 was a little late, I didn't notice, since the FTP was down and I let this go. Labs 5 and 6 needed to be on time. Everything was supposed to be in a seperate file--if your files were confusingly named, I did my best to find the assignment. If they weren't seperate files you lost points.

Be sure you look at the comments that I left so you can see if there is a place where you missed points. In some cases, I made comments even if you got full points, if there was a mistake I noticed.

The most common mistake in Lab 6 was forgetting to use an </TABLE> tag at the end of the table. I took off a point in this case.

If you're not happy with your grade on one of your labs, remember that there is a bonus lab where you have a chance to make up missing points.

If you have any questions about the different skills we went over in each assignment, or are confused about something, ask me in lab or at my office hours and I'll help you out.

Class Server Issues...

2004-10-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Some of you were having trouble with uploading stuff to the class server. Amanda posted a blog regarding the issue. I wanted to give you an update as to what has been going on. Brian Kusch, who is, among other things, responsible for dealing with the college's servers, sent me the following email:

Actually its a "feature" from Apple in their last Panther server update. What happens is the FTP service fails, and then xftpd services start running and then another one starts and another, pretty soon a new one is starting about every 5 minutes until it just chokes the CPU. I had a conversation with our Apple SE the other day and Apple is working on it and hopes to have a fix. Our solution in the meantime is restarting the server every couple of hours. We are trying an experiment over the weekend and turning the ftp service off to see if that helps.

I haven't checked to see whether the issue had been resolved or not. If there are still problems this week, we'll make arrangements for an alternate method of assignment submission.

Final Project Proposals...

2004-10-23T16:51:00.001-07:00

Hey folks,

I just wanted to let you know that about 75% of the grades for the Final Project Proposals are on ANGEL - including the comments.

UPDATE: I've uploaded all of the grades. For those of you who sent in electronic versions, you should receive a copy of the PDF back with my comments.

Cheers,

Ethan

FTP and Folder usage

2004-10-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

FTP on the class/student folder has not been working this week. This has been posing a problem for a lot of people who are panicking trying to get their assignments turned in on time.

We don't have any control over this right now, so make sure you are always backing your assignments up. For the lab assignments, I give you plenty of time to do them during lab. Turning things in with the Go-Connect to Server option still works. If you got caught unawares by the FTP going down, just try to turn in Lab 5 as soon as you possibly can.

This is something extra that I've been repeating a lot in class. I'm going to repeat it one more time here...
It's good to back up what you are working with in your student folder at the end of every class, and it's fine to pull old files off of that folder to work.

but

Please

Please do not work directly off of the server for in-class assignments. Work on the new files on your desktop. Then you can save or delete them as needed.

If you are working off of the server, everyone is working out of the same drive. That slows down overall server response time, which slows everything down, which means your files may not save as you've expected. Also, there's always the risk that you will accidentally save one of our in-class excercises over an old assignment. You've been noticing the slowdown on the server especially this week as other students have been working large video projects off the server. Don't add to the bulk. Just work off the desktop and backup when you're done.

Thanks!

URGENT NEED FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

2004-10-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

The TISM department is considering creating a 15 credit game design specialization. The specialization would give those students seriously interested in game design as a career the necessary foundation to get into the industry. The thing is, we need to get an immediate idea as to the potential interest among students. I apologize that this request is so last minute, but if you would be interested in the specialization send me an email before the end of the day (we've got a faculty meeting to discuss the issue tomorrow).

Cheers,

Ethan

Table Examples...

2004-10-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

AS promised, I've uploaded the table examples I was going to use in Monday's class. They are painfully simple, but help to illustrate all of the stuff we were talking about. You can find them in the Links section of the website.

Cheers,

Ethan

Wired Magazine Seeking Interns

2004-10-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

Wired magazine is seeking some interns (info below). This is an incredible opportunity for anyone interested in bleeding edge socio-gadget-geekdom. Its bound to be uber competitive, so be prepared for a fight if you are interested.

WIRED Magazine seeks four interns for its San Francisco office. The full-time internships will run January 3 to June 30, 2005, and focus on editorial assistance, product research, fact-checking, and reporting, respectively. All four positions involve working closely with senior editors.

As an applicant, you must be pursuing journalism as a career and have experience working in a deadline-oriented environment, such as a school newspaper. You also need to be enthusiastic, highly organized, and interested in technology. And, of course, a passion for great reporting and writing is essential.

Job descriptions:

GENERAL EDIT intern. This position is ideal for a recent college grad with little or no professional journalism experience. The job involves fielding all of the email, mail, faxes, and phone submissions received by the editorial department. This intern is also charged with finding notable events for our monthly calendar, mailing issues to authors, and interviewing a Wired celebrity for the Readme column.

PRODUCT intern. This position is best suited to a recent college grad with a strong interest in gadgets and technology. Responsibilities include keeping PR contacts up to date, assisting with research on special product packages, and reviewing products for our online newsletter. There are light clerical duties as well, such as responding to story and product pitches, and ordering products for review.

RESEARCH intern. This position is for a detail-oriented individual, ideally a college grad with some entry-level fact-checking experience. The primary duty is checking the accuracy of editorial content in a timely manner. Other responsibilities include LexisNexis searches, checking online links to stories prior to posting, and filing copies of magazines.

REPORTING intern. This position is best suited to a college grad with entry-level reporting and writing experience in the field of journalism. Responsibilities include pitching ideas to section editors and assisting them with special projects. There are light administrative duties as well, such as mailing, updating databases, and ordering products for review.

The pay: $10 per hour. The hours: 9:30am to 6:30pm, Monday through Friday. No relocation; Bay Area applicants preferred.

APPLICATION DEADLINE is November 10.

To apply, please email a cover letter, resume, and three writing samples (preferably related to WIRED subject matter) to internships@wiredmag.com. Please put YOUR FULL NAME and specify WHICH INTERNSHIP you're applying for in the subject line of your email.

You may apply for only ONE of the four internships; based on your qualifications, you will be considered for others, as appropriate.

Include cover letter and resume in TEXT of email; clips may be submitted as attached files or URLs to stories posted online.

* * * Failure to follow these instructions will disqualify you as an applicant. * * *

Local Company Looking for Some Web Design Interns...

2004-10-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hey folks - I just was contacted by the lead web designer at Small Planet Media. They are looking for a couple of interns. I'm not sure if its paid or not. If anyone is interested, drop me a line, and I'll put you in contact with them.

Final Project Proposal...A Reminder & More info...

2004-10-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, first off...yes, the Final Project Proposal is due next week. As a result, you don't have a regular lab assignment due (in order to give you the time to focus totally on the proposal). I think some of you are panicking because you weren't keeping an eye on the schedule, and it kind of crept up on you. As a result, I'm going to give you a slight break on the due date. Instead of it being due on Monday, I'm going to make it due on Friday by 3:30pm. Since we don't meet then, you'll need to come by my office and drop it off. If you want, you can create a digital version (in PDF format) that you can email to me...either way, its still due by Friday (the 15th of October). Everything you need to know about the proposal is on the website. In case you haven't actually looked at the description/directions, here they are:

Final Project Proposal (15%) The Final Project Proposal is the blueprint upon which your Final Project will be based. The proposal itself needs to be . detailed and include the following: full description and breakdown of concept, market analysis (what other comparable websites are out there - compare and contrast with your proposal), audience profile, technology use analysis (what technology you are going to be using and how that fits into your audicen profile), detailed information architecture diagram, professional story boards/concept art, and realistic and detailed production timeline (including the Final Project Prototype due date).

It is fundamentally important that the Final Project Proposal be done in a highly professional manner. As a result, when it is handed in, it must be bound (duotang, binder, etc) with descriptive title page. While the majority of the mark for the Final Project Proposal will be based upon the ideas, detail, and completeness of the document, a portion will be based upon the level of professionalism shown in the presentation of the ideas. If students wish, they can submit the Final Project Proposal electronically in PDF format.

Now, in terms of what you propose, it can be anything you want. Want to do a personal portfolio website...sure! Want to do an informational website of some sort...sure! If I think your project is a little on the weak side, I'll offer some suggestions to make it a little more robust. The other thing that I want you to realize is that what you propose won't be written in stone. When I grade your final project, lie won't have your proposal in one hand, constantly checking if you did exactly what you said you were going to do. There is lots of room for minor deviation. Things change during the production process, and I recognize that...so, minor changes are cool. If you are going to change something major, you need to submit an addendum to your proposal.

If anyone has any additional questions, you can pop by my office hours or drop me an email.

Cheers,

Ethan

The Tao of Relative Paths/Links...

2004-10-04T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Today we're going to be talking about hyperlinks. I'll be briefly refreshing your memory as to the difference between relative and absolute links/paths are. However, as some people often have a hard time getting a handle on the exact syntax necessary to create a relative link, I dug up this resource:

http://www.helpcommunity.ehelp.com/robohelp/kb/MISC/46832.htm

The page does a great job of outlining the syntax necessary to create a relative link.

Lab Assignment Files With No File Extension...Bad!

2004-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

I've just finished going through lab assignment 3 (the grades of which you can check on angel). I did run across one problem that many people experienced...no file extensions! Remember, you need to save your files with either an .html or .htm file extensions. Otherwise, a browser won't automatically recognize them.

IDMs

2004-09-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone. Your IDMs are all caught up and graded. You can look at your grades for all of your assignments on Angel.

I occasionally made a comment in your blog about the critique or your blog formatting, but I didn't comment in everyone's. I know it's fun to get comments, though.

The most important thing I can say right now about the IDMs is: do them. They are a really easy way to get points for the class, and they should really only take a few minutes of your time. Plus, you get to explore new web sites; it really isn't so bad. Most of you did a really good job.

This Week's Week's Lab Assignment...

2004-09-27T05:21:00.000-07:00

As you know, you've got a lab assignment due this week. Unlike the previous assignment, this one has to be uploaded to the class file server. The details (host name, login, password, etc.) are in the Class Info section of the course website. After this week, I'm taking down the login/password (for security purposes), so make sure you write it down. In terms of the assignment name, anything that indicates that its Lab Assignment 3 is fine.

File Under Friendly Reminder...

2004-09-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to remind everyone that 15% of your grade is based on an indeterminate number of unannounced pop quizzes. These quizzes will cover both reading and lecture material. For more info, check out the grading section of the course website.

Your Blogs Are Up!

2004-09-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well folks, as promised (finally), I've put all of your blog URLs in the Student Blogs section of the course website. If yours doesn't appear on that list, that means we don't have it and you aren't receiving credit for any blogs you post ( in which case I would strongly suggest getting in contact with either me or Amanda ASAP)

Content Design (Lecture Slides w/ Full Audio)

2004-09-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

As promised (in order to make up for the fact that I was sick and cut off Monday's lecture early), I've uploaded the slides to the stuff I didn't get to cover (content design). This isn't that big a deal given the fact that I make all of my slides available. The difference is that I've also included full audio for the slides, so you get the "total lecture experience." You must watch/listen to these slides - they are mandatory just like the lecture material is mandatory. When it comes to the pop quizzes, I won't hesitate to include this material. The good thing is that you can sit around at home and watch them in your underwear if you want (something I don't usually encourage in the actual lecture).

So, go check 'em out in the Links section of the course website.

Lab Assignment 2

2004-09-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Lab Assignment 2 is due next week. While the course server problems seem to be resolved (I hope), this is actually one of the lab assignments that I physically want handed in. So, as with last week's lab assignment, they are to be handed in to Amanda at the beginning of your lab. Just as a reminder, hand drawn IA diagrams, no matter how earth shatteringly beautiful, will simply not be accepted.

See everyone tomorrow.

Cheers,

Ethan

Office Hours Cancellation...

2004-09-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm cancelling my office hours this week due to a scheduling conflict. If you wanted to see me this week, just send an email (or talk to me after class), and we can arrange an alternate time that works for both of us.

Cheers,

Ethan

Amanda's New Office Hours...

2004-09-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Amanda has changed her office hours. I've updated the Contact section of the course websiote acordingly. My office hours are still the same.

Cheers,

Ethan

Course Slides...

2004-09-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hey folks - well, I've uploaded (in Flash format, not PowerPoint) the slides from Monday to the website. You'll find them in the Links section.

Thanks

2004-09-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everybody that did Assignment One on time for Monday.

For those of you that are still doing the assignment for class tomorrow or Thursday: don't be afraid to choose web sites that are interesting or different. Something that reflects your interests or personality helps me remember you more quickly and recognize you in class!

The way I'll get to know you outside of class is through your blogs, too, so don't be too timid to post photos (even bad ones) or personal thoughts or hobbies.

Firefox 1.0 Preview Release Available...

2004-09-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Firefox - Rediscover the web

Finally! The fine folks at the Mozilla Foundation have released a preview version of Firefox 1.0...wheee! Now, don't get too crazy, this is only a preview release. The bottom line is that there will be a *real* v1.0 somewhat soon. The new version features:

:: Improved FastFind
:: Improved Security
:: Master Password
:: Software Update
:: Smaller Download

The release also sports a new feature called Live Bookmarks, which I'm particularily excited about. Live Bookmarks is a new technology in Firefox that lets you view RSS news and blog headlines in the bookmarks toolbar or bookmarks menu. With one glance, quickly see the latest headlines from your favorite sites. Go directly to the articles that interest you.

So, go forth and download.

Class Server Woes...

2004-09-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Well, Lab Assignment 1 is due this week. And, as I said in a previous blog, it was to be uploaded to the course file server. However, for some reason, everyone in the class was only given read privileges, and not write privileges. As a result, you can't actually upload anything. I've talked to the people who manage the server, but I'm worries that the problem won't get resolved before this week's first labs. So, instead of uploading the assignment, you are going to have this one in to Amanda at the start of your lab. From this point on, we will hopefully have no more technical issues, and all assignments (unless otherwise noted) will be uploaded to the server.

Cheers,

Ethan

Class Blogs

2004-09-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

I'm still getting e-mails from all of you with your blogs. Thanks!

I'll be helping Ethan put them on the web site after Monday.

Remember if you haven't sent me a blog, I absolutely must have an e-mail from you by Monday!

Also, the lab assignment is due at the start of lab. See you in class!

Another Lab Section 003 Reminder

2004-09-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, another reminder for those in Lab Section 003 - we're going to be moving the lab from 6-8:50 to 7-9:50 (same place, same day).

Cheers,

Ethan

Nest Week, Assignments, and the Course Server

2004-09-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Bunch of things that I wanted to blog. First off, I wanted to remind you that next week is business as usual. You've got lecture and you've all got lab.

Assignments

If you are paying attention to the syllabus (which I hope you are), you'll have noticed that you've three upcoming things:

You need to create a blog and email the URL to Amanda by the 13th @ 5pm. If you don't do this by the deadline, it will count against your lab participation grade.

Lab Assignment 1, which is to be uploaded to the course server (more info below) is due by the start of your lab next week (yes, the assignments are due when they appear in the syllabus). So, if your lab is Monday night, its due then. If your lab is on Thursday, its due then. Despite the fact that Lab Assignment 1 is sort of like your IDMs, it is not to be posted to your blog. In terms of the file format for the assignment. We prefer Word, but will accept pretty much anything else (simple text, rich text, or a PDF would be ideal if you aren't using word).

IDM 1 is due next Friday by 5pm

Course Server

You'll remember that you are going to be uploading the vast majority of assignments to a course server. I've got updated directions as to how you login in the Course Info section of the website (http://www.msu.edu/course/tc/346/course_info.htm). Be absolutely sure to read the new instructions, because the server name, login, and passwords have changed. I would strongly suggest that you try it out before you actually have to upload your first assignment. If you leave it until the last minute and there are technical difficulties that could have been dealt with before the deadline (like the folder with your NetID is missing), your assignment will be considered late.

A few things that I want you to take into consideration when uploading stuff to the server:

Make absolutely sure that when you upload an assignment, the file name is descriptive - ie. lab_assignment_1.doc

Make absolutely sure that when you are uploading stuff, it goes in your folder. If you mistakenly upload a file into another student's directory (and don't remedy the problem), your assignment will be considered late.

Under no circumstances are you to override another student's work. If you do it intentionally, it will be filed under "academic dishonesty," and treated accordingly.

I think that's about it. See everyone on Monday.

Holy Free .info Domains Batman...

2004-09-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Just ran across this deal while doing some procrastinatory surfing. It seems genuine and legit. Basically, domainsite.com is offering 1 year registration of .info domains for free. Just create an account, and register away. It seems like the max is 25 domains. Ive already registered about 15 domains. Hey, what the hell, its free.

Reminder...

2004-09-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Hope everyone is enjoying thier long weekend. I just wanted to remind everyone that in addition to not having class today (duh), you also don't have labs this week at all. So, I'll see you in class next Monday.

Cheers,

Ethan

Next Week's Class/Labs

2004-09-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

As you probably know, you don't have lecture on Monday because of the labor day break. If you'll gander at the schedule, you'll notice that it skips all of next week (your first lab assignment is due in week 2 of the class, which is Sept 13th to 17th). What this means is that not only don't you have lecture next week, I've also cancelled all of next week's labs. So, NO LABS NEXT WEEK!

I've also updated the schedule section of website to include a more detail as to when (exactly) your blogs are due.

If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate do give me a yell.

Cheers,

Ethan

Hello From Amanda!

2004-08-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. This is Amanda. Ethan gave me permissions to post to the class Blog, too, so occasionally you'll see posts from me.

There are many of you that I'll see in labs tomorrow or Thursday so you can get to know me a bit more. My office hours and contact information is now up-to-date on the course web site.

Don't forget to send me links to your personal blogs, whenever you get them set up! We'll talk more about how to set up blogs in lab. I have a 'Blogger' Blog and a 'LiveJournal' as well, so after you get your blogs set up don't be alarmed if I comment to your posts. I like to chatter about things I find interesting in your writing, and one of the cool things about blogging is instant feedback!

Lab Section 003 Schedule Change...

2004-08-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I'd just like to offer a reminder for everyone enrolled in the 003 Lab section - we're going to be moving the lab from 6-8:50 to 7-9:50 (same place, same day).

Cheers,

Ethan

Holy Hacker Attack Batman...

2004-08-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Well, apparently an attack (probably a Directed Denial of Service attack) was launched at the msu.edu server (and any sub servers). This is not a great big surprise, and apparently its happened before on the first day of classes. The point is that the course website (whose URL is http://www.msu.edu/course/tc/346) is down. I'm told that the problem will be resolved ASAP, but you never know. So, if you try to go to the website and your browser times out, it aint your fault.

Cheers,

Ethan

Course File Server...

2004-08-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

I just wanted to let you know in advance that the Course File Server will not be accessible unitl the beginning of the second week of class.

Welcome to TC 346...

2004-08-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Welcome to TC 346! As said in the syllabus, this blog (which will change relatively soon to be more integrated with the actual course website) is your one stop shopping spot for all course announcements (both lecture & lab). I (and your TA) will post reminders about assignments, extra info, neat resources, and important announcements via this blog. As a result (especially when it comes to important announcements), it is your responsibility to check this blog daily by 9am to make sure there isn't anything important pertaining to that day's lecture or lab.