I finally finished fixing up my mom’s laptop. Several mis-diagnoses later, and it’s back with the original fan, new processor, new thermal compound, fast maxed-out RAM, new battery, and new install of Windows 7. Whew. One CAN buy laptop processors on Ebay if one pays attention. The past few months have also taught me that some Amazon sellers will sneak a knock-off product to your doorstep. I attribute this to malice, and not a listing mis-match.
Continue reading

Recently I became aware that while teaching I sometimes go on and on for far too long. It usually happens when I realize a student isn’t “getting it” after a period of time, after the rest of the group has moved on. I address them personally, repeat the nugget on information, and then I may go into the “why” portion of what I’m talking about, after which I may go into variations that might be helpful to think about, and then I may go back to the original point and re-iterate.
Continue reading

Read linked content The article hits home (click the title). And when you’re a creative type giving things away for free it can make you feel run-down and used. I’ve had a few thoughts for infusing my Flam Swiss “brand” with more value. Producing more content that teaches is one idea. Wish I could say I had others.
Continue reading

It was a week ago that I first felt the inevitability of my change of heart, and Sunday the camel’s back broke. I’ve since stopped offering my drumline music for free. The initial decision to offer my music at no cost wasn’t hastily made. At first, I priced my music between $3 and $10, which is what I thought it was worth, and had a few takers. Then I began split-testing to evaluate the effectiveness of “pay what you want” as well as “pay what you want with some proceeds going to charity”, with no takers.
Continue reading