Buy and Pay (and Pay)

I just realized that a blog is also a forum for me to rant. So, let me end the week on this quick rant against Microsoft Hotmail. Because I was using Hotmail for a business email address some time ago, I needed to access Hotmail through my Microsoft Outlook email reader. So, I paid up the price for a "premium" account with Hotmail.

Well, recently, on re-installing Outlook (my computer hard drive crashed), I found Outlook would no longer access my "premium" Hotmail account. One of the key features of a "premium" account is that you can access it using an external mail program like Microsoft Outlook (and I was using it with no trouble before my system crashed). I am reasonably computer savvy and so I tried all sorts of things including reinstalling the email account, etc. I also made sure I had my email account and password right by logging in to the email account using a browser. Finally, after spending a fair amount of time troubleshooting, I contacted Hotmail technical support and explained the problem. Since it was email technical support, I expected a quick and reasonable response. I was quite surprised when I was told that since I was able to log into the account with a browser, I would have to contact Microsoft Office technical support (despite the fact that compatibility with Outlook is one of the features of the premium Hotmail account). When I contacted Microsoft's Office technical support, I was told that I would have to pay $49.95 as a "per incident" fee for technical support. I tried complaining to the manager, but the answer was clear - you want help? Pay (at least) $49.95 to fix the problem.

Do you get this? I am trying to get TWO LEGAL AND PAID FOR MICROSOFT PRODUCTS to work with each other AS THEY PROMISED IT WOULD and I have to pay them (again) to get it to work? (sorry for shouting). I guess their argument is that this is no different than buying a car. You buy it, but if you have trouble with it, too bad - you pay to get it fixed. But give me a break - does this sound reasonable to you?

Of course, we're lucky that in this market there are options. I will NOT renew my premium Hotmail account (which I was renewing each year purely out of inertia) when it expires later this year. Instead, I got myself a nice free Gmail account that allows me to access mail via Outlook and also has other features like mail forwarding. I also found I could get a bunch of email accounts with my company domain name for less than I was paying for the Hotmail premium account.

So, if you're looking for good, reliable, feature-rich email programs, forget Hotmail. Get sensible (as I did) and get yourself a Gmail account.

Thanks for helping me see the light, Microsoft!

Getting Somewhere - Faster!

I know I walk very fast. I constantly hear people I happen to walk with exclaim "Wow, people call me a fast walker, but you're crazy - you don't walk, you run!" I have one person at work who shakes his head any time he sees me in the hallways and exclaims "There he rushes - a man on a mission!"

I've always wondered why I like to walk so fast. The answer is that it's because there is just so much to be done. I have to constantly feel like I'm getting something done. That does not mean I'm a workaholic. I really don't think I am. I have too many non-work interests to be a workaholic. I love to read, listen to music, watch movies, play on the computer, keep up with new technologies, and much more. But, it is because there are all this millions of things I like to do that I hate to "waste time" on anything.

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I walked outside on my way to my daughter's dance show at a nearby school. Even though I walk fast, being outside allowed me to see a bunch of things I normally don't see - a burbling brook a few minutes from my house, interesting looking trails leading into deeply wooded areas, and a field of wildflowers surrounding the stream. For a fleeting moment, I thought "I really ought to get out more." But that thought quickly was replaced with "well, if I need exercise, I'd rather do it on my stepping machine in front of the TV." It is not that I watch TV (I hardly watch any TV at all - we don't have cable or satellite at home and don't miss it one bit). But, watching an episode of Twilight Zone from the 6-DVD set I bought two years ago while exercising helps me feel like I'm getting something done. At least one more item on my "To Do" list is being checked off. For some strange reason, that is more satisfying to me than being out for a slow walk in the woods. It's not that I'm not spontaneous or don't enjoy just doing things for the fun of it. It's just that there has to be a goal attached to anything I do. So, if my goal is to relax and walk around aimlessly, I have no problem doing it (remember the fun I had blogging about my Australia trip?)

So, if you want to know, I walk fast so I can get somewhere and do something.

I scare myself sometimes ...

Meet Me In St. Louis

Yesterday, I visited two more "must see" sights in St. Louis. The old Union Station, which is now a Hyatt hotel connected to a massive shopping arcade is quite a sight. The grand hall, very reminiscent of the re-done Grand Central Station in NYC has been beautifully restored and has a sense of grandeur you don't see often in today's architecture.

Later in the morning, I visited St. Louis zoo which is a lot like almost any other zoo except that entry is free. Interestingly, the St. Louis zoo has now overtaken the San Diego zoo in attendance and is now #1 in the U.S.

Despite the rain, another highlight of my visit was the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The gardens cover 79 acres a few minutes drive from downtown. I found their children's garden quite unique and has several themed areas where kids can climb, explore and learn. The place was founded in 1859 and is the oldest continuously operating botanical garden in the world. Apparently the designation of "botanical garden" implies not just horticultural display, but also research and education. Thus, any "botanical garden" will have major research and education initiatives as part of their mission. Visit the garden's famous web site at http://www.mobot.org/ and learn about this place and everything you wanted to know about gardening!

Now that I'm ready to leave, you know what I think is the best part of St. Louis? It's that I know I'll find something great to keep everyone in the family happy. I can entertain the kids at City Museum and the zoo. I know the Botanical Gardens and Union Station will keep my wife happy. And I know I can spend hours walking the shops at The Loop (looked like there were some interesting record and CD stores that are worth a visit) and visiting the art museum and Missouri history museum (and these are free too - great for a cheapskate like me!)

For those of you who remember St. Louis from several years ago, I can assure you that the downtown area is much different than it used to be I walked around at about 10 PM last night and it seemed perfectly safe. So, hopefully we'll see you some time in St. Louis!

A City to Re-Visit - St. Louis

I am in St. Louis on a short visit. Although I've been here before, I realize that the reason I love to travel is that I see (and appreciate) new things each time I am in a town.

Of course, the St. Louis Gateway Arch is just awe-inspiring. When I look up at the thing (or look at it glimmering in the sky from almost any part of town), what I find most inspiring and intriguing is how Eero Saarinen (the architect) even came up with such a bold and daring design. Then, the story of how the engineers developed a structure that would actually be able to stand upright and how the builders were able to erect this incredible piece, are all cause for celebrating the human spirit. Like most of these spectacular innovations, numerous engineering inventions developed for this particular purpose proved to be of value in other building (and non-building) applications. What a story ...

The City Museum which I had never seen before is a marvel in a different way. Someone please tell me how you can combine numerous young kids running around an old factory with thousands of rusted metal structures (which the kids are encouraged to climb), steep slides, dark and convoluted mazes, massive brick or plaster ramparts from old buildings, and other dangerous items without having regular accidents? This place has to be seen to be believed. It looks like SO MUCH fun, but somehow I was not sure I would be brave enough to bring my kids there and let them run loose in this place. Quite amazing.

Then there was the breathtaking Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. I have always loved cathdrals for their art and architecture. It is amazing what passoin and belief can drive people to do. But this place exceeded my expectations. I have seen some pretty spectacular cathedrals in Europe, but this rivals the best of them. The interior is completely coverd with mosaic representations of biblical events. The mosaics seem to cover the entire church and are beyond simple description. You have to actually see it to realize how awesome it is.

I'm here for one more day. I don't know what's in store for me today. Perhaps I'll add to this post after my visits today. At the moment, this looks like a city well worth visiting (relatively inexpensive hotels and lots to do). The revitalization of downtown is also quite impressive.

What are memories made of?

I often wonder how my kids will look back on their childhood. What will they remember? What experiences will they have no memory of? Of course, like almost any parent, a great deal of my time, money, and effort is spent on trying to "create positive experiences" for my kids. But sometimes I wonder which experiences they'll cherish and which will be forgotten soon after the experience.

What triggered this line of thought is that a touring production of my favorite musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, is passing through town soon. Of course I was going to go, but my kids (aged 12, 8, and 6) jumped up and down and begged me to take them along. Now, usually, when I go for concerts and shows, I don't include the kids simply because I just don't think the huge ticket prices are worth paying for little kids who won't get as much out of it as I would. But, since my wife had no interest in the show and I usually hate going alone, I asked her if I should take the kids. She shrugged and so I went and picked up four tickets to the show at $50 a piece. As I was signing the credit card receipt for a massive $200, I wondered whether it was good use of the money. Is it worth paying $50 for a 6 and 8-year old kid to see a show. A month or two ago, I paid $100 for a ticket so my 12-year-old could join us for a Blue Man Group concert.

When I think back to my childhood, most of my memories are of vacations or trips where something scary or bad happened. I remember being completeky impressed with the way my Dad handled the situations and being so thankful that he was there to protect us from horrible things that happen to us. I remember an incident where we were stopped at a light and a guy behind us (who we must have cut off) walked over to our car, leaned through the window on the passenger side (where I was sitting) and punched my Dad repeatedly in the face. I recall sitting there petrified as the sunglasses on my Dad's face broke. I remember berating myself for months after thinking that I should have just opened the car door hard to push the guy on to the road instead of just sitting there and letting this bum hit my Dad. I frankly can't remember any specific movie or show I went to with my parents. I'm sure I did ...

On the other hand, perhaps the kids not recalling the details of this specific show years down the line is not important. Perhaps it will add to their collection of experiences and emotions of things they did with Dad. Maybe there are short-term benefits of them seeing a professional Broadway production (all of them now have acted in local plays) that don't necessarily need to translate into some long term memory. Which then brings us back to the opening question, is it worth occasionally spending $200 for one evening of entertainment? Or will it actually "spoil" the kids into not realizing how much money that really is?

The Ridiculously Unfair Grader

I certainly don't even pretend to reflect the views of all professors, but I wonder what professors think about students who complain that they thought the grade they received was unfair.

I find that I've changed a LOT on this issue over the years. When I started teaching, I guess it was natural that I was a little unsure of myself. I dreaded having students come into my office complaining about their grade. Grading presentations and reports is a subjective exercise and I hated having to come up with some explanation of why they got an 83 instead of an 87. I think I also used to be more of a pushover in those days. If a student complained enough, I think I would rationalize to myself that they deserved an increased grade because they cared enough about the class to argue for a higher grade.

Things are different now, but still the same in some ways. I had a student send me an email this week complaining that the grade he got on his class presentation was "ridiculously" low and that he really deserved a much higher grade for all he did and compared to the other lousy presentations he saw in class. He copied all his fellow group members on the email. First, I reassured him that there was no chance I would be willing to change his grade. Then, I explained that I understood his frustration and invited him to my office along with all his group members so I can explain their grade to them face to face. Since I give students a host of comments (and not just a grade), I said I would be happy to explain each of my comments in person.

Interestingly, I got emails from other members of the group telling me they were okay with the grade they got and that they were satisfied with my explanations for their grades. One student actually wrote to me apologizing privately for his fellow group member's email and hoping that this would not result in a sour ending for what he said was an outstanding class experience.

As I was replying to him and assuring him that no apology was necessary, I realized several things about myself. First, I was absolutely confident in my assigned grades and I was completely certain that I would not be "adjusting" the student's grade. Second, I did not feel the slightest bit threatened or nervous about the student's arguments regarding his grade. Finally, I honestly did not feel any anger or frustration with the student about his complaint about the grade. In fact, I realized that not only did I like the kid and think he was very bright, but I actually like students who show me they care enough about the course to be disappointed with their grade. While I don't want to engender any frustration with the grading in my classes, I actually am more disappointed in students who get very poor grades and don't bat an eyelid. It frustrates me to no end when a student who gets a really poor grade simply shrugs and goes on his or her way without bothering to come in to me and explain what led to the poor performance. I realize it is one more person I was unable to reach and who ended the course not really giving a damn.

On the other hand, I do know faculty who would definitely not view complaining as a positive indicator. So, if any students are reading this, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

Not Confident of your reading? You don't have to read this post

Okay, here's a disclaimer. I admit this is a mini-rant. And, I don't want this glimpse of thought here to make you think this is a big issue for me. The basic theme of this post is that I think that kids rise to meet the level of expectations you set for them and setting low expectations is actually doing them a disservice. I'll also let you know that my wife doesn't always agree and thinks I expect too much and can actually turn kids off by setting expectations too high.

What brought on this thought is attending a "end of year" show for all the groups in my daughters' dance class. As usual, I watch some of these performances, glance at my wife and roll my eyes. She smacks me or digs me with her elbow and gives me an exasperated look. Let me be clear, I'm not expecting professional dancing from these kids. In fact, with the little, little kids, it's great just to see them get up there and move around. They're cute and getting up in front of a gym full of parents is achievement enough. As the response to my post on my son's band concert said, it certainly helps build confidence among these little kids. But, once you get up to 6th to 8th grade kids, is it too much to expect a dance show to demonstrate that they've learned grace and coordination? Many of the kids kept looking to the others to decide what they should do and many of the kicks were uncoordinated. Many also seemed like they were going through the moves of the dance without really looking graceful or limber. I know I'm repeating myself, but I assure you I'm not looking for perfection. It's just that all the parents are payingto have these kids learn dance (and in this case paying to attend this performance but that's the subject of a different rant) and it's the time to demonstrate that they're learning something.

I remember some years ago, my son was in an acting class. The teacher of the class insisted that he was good enough to do a monologue. So, during the "final show," he got up there on stage all by himself and delivered a memorized monologue that was funny, interesting, and well acted. The following year he took another acting class and this time, although he said he was going to do a monologue, on the day of the show he never did. When I asked him why after the show, he said, "Oh, the teacher said that if we didn't feel comfortable, we didn't have to do it." Obviously, he was nervous (he was nervous the first time too), but this time the teacher was trying to be "cooperative" and "understanding" and "nice" and said the kids didn't have to do anything that they didn't feel confident about. So, he didn't. The entire show was awful. NONE of the kids had memorized any lines and almost all of them walked on stage for their "skits" with their scripts and simply read the lines with no expression, no feeling, and definitely with no attempt at acting. It was amazing to me how these kids (some of whom were actually in the earlier class with my son) actually did much worse their second time on stage than their first.

As a teacher, I have been "speaking publicly" for over 15 years now. The day I stop feeling nervous before my first day of class is the day I'll realize I've lost my passion for teaching and stopped caring about the kids I teach. To give the kids in the acting class the option of not delivering their lines if they felt nervous is, in my mind, setting low expectations and doing them a disservice. I think the kids learned the wrong lesson that day.

I'll get off my soap box now ...