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Worker adjusting the wireless access point outside my window.

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The PF HYPER Blog

Saturday, November 21, 2009
 
NetRoots MN: The Blogasota Session with @RobinMarty

We are discussing the nuts and bolts of blogging with Robin Marty. Some high-powered bloggers in attendance. Shaping up to be a great discussion! We are currently talking about how to make money with your blog. 

Posted via email from Peter's posterous


Friday, November 13, 2009
 
MPR on U of M and the increasing transfer population (mostly community colleges)

Interesting article by Tim Post (@posttim) looking at the increasing population of mostly community college transfer students. The cost of tuition is a prime reason for starting at a two-year college.

The article leaves me with several unanswered questions. Community college officials state their students do as well or better than students who do all four years at the U of MN but offer no evidence.

The U of MN has survey evidence that transfer students are less satisfied with their experience than students who start as freshmen. A national survey (National Survey on Student Engagement) finds that transfer students take part in fewer campus activities.

We need student ages to understand this better. What's the median and average age of the transfer students? If they are older -- say past 25 -- it would make sense that they might feel a bit out of it and this would make them less satisfied. I would also guess that many of these students are holding down jobs and going to school part-time which does not help in integrating them in campus life.

But really, I shouldn't have to guess. The U of MN should do the research and share it. This would make a great longitudinal study (and probably should have been started a few years ago).

Posted via web from Peter's posterous

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Tuesday, November 03, 2009
 
Why I voted "No" on Minneapolis Charter Amendment #168
Here's what the amendment reads:
 
Should the City of Minneapolis adopt a change in its charter to the composition of the Board of Estimate and Taxation so that the Board's membership consists of the members of the City Council, with the actions of the Board subject to the powers and duties of the Mayor?

Here's what Green Council Member Cam Gordon says:

As we begin the constructive discussion next year about how to improve the ways that the City Council works with the Park Board, we should do so with the BET in place and ready to be reformed and more fully utilized to help make our City government more responsive, accountable, transparent and fiscally prudent.

That pretty much sums up my own take on the amendment and BET. 

I certainly agree with much of what Aaron Landry says about the BET including: 

I strongly favor having our elected City Council be held responsible and accountable for these things, like almost every other major city in the country.

But I think we need to have more discussion on how to reform the process and not just jump off the current horse. While I don't think voting "yes" will spell the end of the independent Park Board, I do think BET is one of the very few places (maybe the only place) that the Park Board and City Council sit down together and talk. 

Posted via email from Peter's posterous


Sunday, November 01, 2009
 
Fluid for Wave: Instructions on building an app
I use a Fluid app to engage with Google Wave. The TC Wave has links to how to do this but the TC Wave is becoming harder and harder to navigate and find things. So here's the blog post with links to how to integrate Fluid and Wave and Growl.

Download Fluid then drop by Guillermo Rauch's devthought blog for how to create the app (plus a link to a very nice Wave icon to use for your Fluid app). Then if you're interested in Growl notifications when new messages arrive at your waves, install Growl and then add this script to your Fluid app. (Guillermo's page describes how to install a script in a Fluid app.) Growl notifications only work when your Fluid Wave app is open. 

I'm happy with the Fluid Wave app performance and I've had no serious problems. It can be slow but no slower than Firefox (3.0.15). I have heard Chrome is snappier but I don't think Google has released an official Mac OS X Chrome yet.

Please add any useful links about Fluid, Growl, Wave etc.

Posted via email from Peter's posterous

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