Sometimes I need to try something new, a new hobby, a different approach to a project, something just to break up the day in day out. So I’ve started exploring the hobby of Cowboy Action Shooting which combines some role play and shooting. This seems like a natural mix for me since I’ve played table top RPGs forever and I enjoy time on the range poking holes in pizza boxes.
Students at Vermont Tech are using a petition on change.org to ask for the Pass/No Pass grading option to remain in effect for the Spring 2021 semester. The petition can be found here http://chng.it/V7DYdhGwyG
I’m ambivalent on the subject, but those who have taken my classes know that I am more focused on skills development and don’t really care about GPAs. I’ve had a role in hiring employees for two decades and I have NEVER once looked at a GPA or asked about grades during an interview. In my professional life I want people who can DO things over people who can score well on tests or pester professors enough for the poor prof to offer some kind of extra credit deal.
I am very please that the students are doing something about the issue and taking ownership of their educational experience. Well done Falit and team. If more students demanded value for their tuition many colleges would be better places.
As things merge and consolidate I wonder if there is a point were a company or organization is too big to succeed. We have been told that certain businesses are too big to fail, but I think the opposite may be true. Yes, I’m older and there is an element of ‘kids these days’ in my thoughts, just want to get that out there right now.
Lot’s a brands consolidate and economists tell us that there is always room in the market for three big guys. Once you hit “bug guy” status are you at risk of becoming so large you cannot satisfy your customers? If there is a small market for Moxie soda but Coca Cola decides that it can be more profitable turning off Moxie production you leave a market behind.
The idea is that Moxie drinkers will just go without or swap to something else. The majority doesn’t like Moxie so it’s okay to stop producing a soda only a few people enjoy.
Eventually we are pushed into either the Pepsi camp or the Coke camp and there’s no room for others. This is happening in alot of places where the organizations are so large you have to be either one or the other and outliers are wierd or forgotten.
You cannot make everyone happy so these large organizations are just trying to make people the least unhappy and providing mediocre things that are so unoffensive they are bland.
Many student ask me for a letter of recommendation or if I would allow them to list me as a reference on their resume. You should ALWAYS ask BEFORE you use me. I love Jimmy Dolittle’s quote when he was being driven to the White House to receive the Medal of Honor:
“I think there’s something going on that I don’t know about. I’m not a very smart fellow and if it involves me I think somebody had better tell me so they won’t be embarrassed.”
When I receive inquiries about students I ALWAYS ask how they got my name and I will inform the caller/emailer that I did or did NOT grant permission for the use of my information.
When you ask my permission to list me as a reference or you ask me for a letter of recommendation please send me an email that answers the following questions:
It takes about 14 calendar days for me to write a letter and about 3 calendar days to reply to a “may I list you on my resume” request. Please plan accordingly.
After countless Covid-19/Corona Virus meetings across nearly all aspects of my life my dark sense of humor won’t let me rest until I do something fun and share it. So here it is. Covid-19 Response Meeting Bingo!
Enjoy!
You may find yourself in a situation where you need to start teaching on-line soon. If you are a classroom teacher who uses PowerPoint you are in luck! You can add audio content to your slides and then post the presentation for students. Here’s a demo video that walks you through the process of adding audio content to slides and two methods for saving your presentation to use.
Here’s a link to a list of inexpensive microphones that would be helpful for recording lectures. I use the SAMSON Go Mic USB at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001R76D42 and it works well, but you may have better luck with one of these USB Microphones under $50
I’ve started podcasting with my son about RPGs. We are tackling topics related to being a new GM and also talking about our favorite RPGs and pop culture stuff. Head over to https://jmskoda5.skoda.com and look for Set The Table.
Today I cancelled my Kindle Unlimited and Audible subscriptions. The latter because I’m not using audio books as frequently as I once did and the former because Amazon adds and removed content to the unlimited library in a similar fashion to Netflix. I don’t see the value in maybe having something I like to read. I’d rather own the book and not a license to maybe see the book when Amazon feels like it. I wonder if a market exists for devices that allow you to interact with digital content that you own. It would be a huge up hill battle to make such a company and try to compete with the likes of Apple, Amazon, and Google.
After migrating to the Note 4 from the iPhone a few years back I decided to try the Galaxy Tab S 3 as a replacement for my aging iPad. I figured that the Samsung phone was an able replacement for the iPhone, why not the S 3?
It’s been two years now with the S3 and I’ve nearly stopped using my laptop. Everything I need to do works via the S3 with the keyboard cover. I can access Office 365, run openVPN, and interact with machines via ssh. I do miss some of the games I purchased on the iPad but I doubt there’s anything that can draw me back to the Apple ecosystem now.
I’ve been in a few places where teamwork dries up. I’m not sure why it happens, but when it does the results are usually pretty bad. For some reason across the entire enterprise people just stop being kind to one another. Sometimes they hide behind rules and policies and stop trying to help each other. “I’m sorry I’d like to email you a heads up about situation X but my supervisor has to approve any inter-departmental emails now.” is an example. Sometimes they don’t share information because they worry it will be used against them. Sometimes they just don’t consider their fellow workers because they are too self focused or stressed out.
I wonder if senior leaders see this happening from their vantage point? How does one see friction in an organization?
