Saturday, February 15, 2020
Yesterday, I completed most of the work on a new tool that will provide Alexa Rank information for a specified website.
Plans are to install the tool on the WiredPages Technology page, however not sure when this opportunity will present itself. Related issues include; (1) Access to Amazon Web Services (AWS) data is billed based on usage, (2) the popularity of a tool like this could affect my web hosting plan and (3) security is always an issue for me. At this time, too many have access to areas of my site, which I cannot prevent.
Keep in mind, I am a sole proprietor and have no business partners as related to software development (see Business Partnerships for more details). I do maintain several advertising affiliate relationships as outlined in my disclosure policy.
Also note, the tool is still in checkout mode so I may change elements of the user interface, i.e., graphics, font sizes, etc., before the actual installation.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Yesterday, I stopped by Costco and Safeway. I thought I would be doing all of this shopping on Friday, however weather forecasts though calling for rain, seemed to indicate the precipitation would begin late in the day, so I thought I could get most of this done by noon. Actually, arrived home after two, so it took longer than I expected.
For some reason, I have been craving a ham and cheese sandwich on a croissant along with a strawberry milkshake. So along with necessary staples, i.e., bottled water, paper products, coffee, etc., I thought I would get the ingredients to satisfy my cravings.
Strawberries were a little more expensive than I thought they would be, so I did not get the ingredients for a shake but did get everything I needed for my sandwich.
The croissants and pepper jack cheese purchased from Costco, and the ham, lettuce and tomato picked up from Safeway.
Other things I have been working on?
- Updating my local master copy of the Celebrity Birthday Database (security issues preventing the online installation of the master version of the database). The almost 4000 entries included in the offline version are being checked for dead biography.com links which are being replaced with Wiki links. Very tedious process, however the database should be pretty robust by the time the work is complete.
- Researching a problem with the "Who Are My Legislators?" interface accessed from the WiredPages Government page.
- Reading, "Secrets of a Charmed Life" by Susan Meissner
Things are working out with my new Windows10 Mini insofar as duplicating my software development environment. Working a number of issues and ensuring I can duplicate development efforts normally worked on my older Mac system.
The cost to provide this duplicate development environment, given I needed new hardware and operating system to work effectively with newer technologies, was something I could afford at this time.
Wednesday, February 05, 2020
I use the OverDrive App to borrow books from the Maryland Digital Library. Just finished the latest Grisham release "The Guardians". Now reading "The Silent Wife".
Also happy to report, I am done with my 2019 taxes. Any refunds due, already deposited to my personal checking account.
Here are recent photos from other things going on around here. Lunch today, cookies I made Monday, watching the banana plant I moved to the guest bedroom flourish.
Other things I am watching? Recent news reports indicate FICO score computations are changing. One of my credit cards provides free access to my personal FICO score and my business bank provides reports about my business scores (in my case these scores should be the same because I am a sole proprietor and use the same tax information for both personal and business accounts).
That said, I noticed a 13 point drop in the FICO score being reported by my business bank in early January 2020 and think this may explain the change. The fluctuations seem to be more reflective of spending. Holiday spending using credit cards may have been used in the business FICO score, however I always pay the entire balance on my credit cards so I think the new computations maybe a little trigger happy.
Are you noticing changes with your FICO scores?
Monday, February 03, 2020
Originally posted: 2/3/21
I have started my online class and it did not go exactly as planned.
Number one, I made a mistake and asked the entire class to join my class events. How did I do this? When I joined the Microsoft Team for the class, I created events in the Team Calendar. I thought it was another student (semi-private) calendar. I was able to cancel all of the events, however it left some in the class confused.
Though no one said anything to me, the number of messages and emails I received before the start of class showed my mistake. "Most could not log in". The class coordinator had to help some of my classmates to the correct event. I was rather embarrassed by the whole thing and could only smile at my mistake.
Two, I love understanding software and all aspects of a new user interface. During the class, I played with every button/icon I could find-- to make sure I understood its function. Never worried everything was being recorded.
For the last two months I have been trying to test lighting, camera resolution, etc. however did not actually create a video. I should have done this.
The two videos the professor uploaded after the class, showed me and a handful of my classmates with our video cameras never turned off. Every move I made was recorded and I have a lot of bad angles.
I think I have figured out options to avoid my first day of class mistakes-- however have no problem if you learn from my mistakes.
I take solace in the fact, I thought the real time video streams of my classmates were a lot nicer than the videos. I was using a high resolution monitor so I thought I could see most of the flaws. I recommend testing if you plan on keeping the video on for most of your class time.
The good news, I feel the study time I put in over the last month- is going to pay off.
