14 Weeks and Keyboarding

Has it really been 14 weeks? For years I've heard about the powers Linux, and SQL. The command line interface was something that I had to use on occasion but only in a very elementary way. The experience gained using these tools, though I just got my feet wet, was enlightening. It built my confidence level up to the point that I might develop a media server for the family.

I was asked did the course change my perspectives on any aspect of digital information. The term digital information is a misnomer. The information isn't digital but it is information stored and handled in a digital environment. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, yes, my point of view has changed. It seems that there is a long history of many people developing the science of handling information digitally. I felt that this aspect of our "age" was an afterthought by many. I'm glad to see that isn't true.

You Need a Plan Stan

This week we dove into the theories of project management. We know what is the best way to achieve a successful outcome or at least know why the project failed? The Project Body of Knowledge was a good read. It outlined how to go about things. It also reaffirmed many of the strategies I used when I was producing television programs. Most interesting to me was H. Frank Cervone's article on Project Risk Management. The fact that there is a formula to measure risk in a project is enlightening Of course the variables are subjective but is seems that you can get close.

After doing the readings, I asked around where people are doing projects to see what they use to manage their projects. The answer I got was from a WAG to a written plan. What drove their decision was budget and scope. The larger the budget, the larger the scope, the more pages to the plan.

The Mark of the SQL'er

Years ago, I traveled to France but did not speak French. On the plane over I thought I could learn enough to get by. In a way learning sql was like that. I understood it but it was the details that got in the way. I spent a lot of time troubleshooting syntax from database I'm developing, sometimes it was missing comma or an inverted letter, other times it was more. I spent a very very long time looking at it, trying to get it to perform. When there was a problem back to the videos or my notes or a tutorial. When it worked it was like magic.