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Topics - nhibbard

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16
General Discussion / Constable
« on: February 26, 2014, 06:39:07 PM »
I was reading the town report and wondered about the number of dog bites that occurred. I don't see any numbers but wondered just how man there were. I know there was a good amount of burglaries during the year.

What kind of tickets can this position give out? Maybe this would be a good way to slow down some traffic around the school. I know some people like to be speedy on Hunt and School streets after school.

17
Reviews / Kingston SSD (Solid State Drive) Kit
« on: January 23, 2014, 06:48:17 PM »
Solid state drives live up to their reputation. The drive I got was 128Gb which is small compared to what more computers come with. It makes up for that difference in speed and silence. The drive makes almost no sound at all and is much more responsive than the 5,400 and 7.200 rpm drives most computers have. The idea is that you put your operating system on the SSD with your programs and you videos and pictures live on a secondary or external drive.

Setup time wasn't bad. I had to start from scratch because I had too much stuff on there. The kit comes with the software to clone your current hard drive to the SSD and an enclosure to turn a laptop drive into an external drive. If you feel like your drive is slow or want a great upgrade, this is a decent start.

18
Reviews / Raspberry Pi
« on: November 05, 2013, 07:27:19 PM »
A fun little computer to setup linux on. I've set one up with a video game emulator, a media center and minecraft. You can build cases out of legos or other building materials. There are a lot of accessories online. This is great for small project for techies or a cheap computer toy for kids getting to know computers. I've seen lots of projects on MagPi online. The price is $35. Keep in mind this is not a full blown computer, it's uses are fun but limited.

19
Reviews / Grand Theft Auto IV
« on: November 05, 2013, 07:21:55 PM »
Great game, poor language. This is one of the most open free roaming games with very little loading except between missions. The character language and themes make this game unacceptable for anyone under 18. I say that having played a lot of games and the use of racial terms offended me pretty well. What you hear depends on which character you use. The plot itself is great and the side games are nice. Do not buy this for a kid, I can't stress that enough.

20
Reviews / Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
« on: November 05, 2013, 07:18:41 PM »
Who doesn't like pirates. This is an amazing followup to the American Revolution of Assassin's Creed III. It contains actual historical elements and great gameplay. A free running environment with ships, pirates, wenches and scaliwags make for a great time. The base story surrounds technology and historical memories. There are side stories of assassination and greater understanding of the time period. Period characters make cameos throughout. This is definitely a 13+ game because of the violence, sexuality and plot.

21
Reviews / Skylanders Swap Force
« on: November 05, 2013, 07:14:58 PM »
This is the 3rd game in the Skylanders series for console. The figures are high quality and worth the investment. The only issue is that in many cases you'll need all the characters to complete all the achievements. I believe there are 55 new figures with this release. This includes 20 figures that are rehashes of the old ones. The plot line is fun and the puzzles are amusing. Swap Force lets some of the characters change the upper and lower half of their body to form a new character, in essence a hybrid. This hybrid is needed to open some of the areas of the game.

You only need a starter set to complete the main story. If you're looking to fully complete all achievements and aspects of the game, it will cost around $700 for the starter set and all the other figures.

22
Current News & Events / F-35 Ad
« on: October 23, 2013, 05:51:17 PM »
Just saw an ad on ESPN with a mother speaking out for the F-35 because the Air Guard provides a job for her husband and supports her family. At the same time made the comment that voting against it is basically voting against her family. Now I'm all for service, but when your a government employee (local, state, federal, international), you are in service to the community. The community does not serve to provide you a job. It would be very sad if the 1,100 jobs were "moved" but that is what happens if a community decides against something.

I was pretty well floored with the assumption that voting against something you don't support is voting against a family. That's the same as saying that if I don't vote to spend every dime that ever created a job, I didn't support the families that provided that job. My job is strongly funded by political views as is every government funded job. To think that people should vote for something just so you can have the lifestyle your used to is obscene. Capitalism at its heart means that if someone doesn't want something, a job will be lost. Conversely, if someone wants to base the F-35, jobs will be created or transferred.

I just thought it was a low blow to pickup pity support.

23
Reviews / Now you see me
« on: July 11, 2013, 04:45:19 PM »
This is going to be the best movie of the year. David Copperfield, Catch Me If You Can, and The Italian Job all in one. I can't say enough good things about how much I enjoyed this movie. From beginning to end a nice consistent pace with limited violence. Excluding a few scenes this is a perfect movie for kids who enjoy magic. The plot is interesting with a few twists and keeps the watcher engaged.

24
Current News & Events / School All Call System
« on: June 10, 2013, 06:08:50 PM »
Is using the all call system to promote the exchange program really one of the intended uses? I didn't mind the email but I thought the system was for emergencies. Over using the system may create a desensitizing effect when it is truly needed.

25
Political Issues/Comments / Fairfax School Budget Voter Guide
« on: February 27, 2013, 06:51:02 PM »
This may seem out of place for me because I love technology, but I don't get the 1:1 iPad programs. I understand the apps that are fun and teach kids through games, my own kids loves to watch Dora on ours. However, I never had that kind of access to technology in school and neither did most of my college friends. We have degrees in Finance, Business and Networking among any other degree you can get from Champlain College. I had access a few times a week to learn to type, occasionally play games, study halls if they were free and other classes when necessary. I'm fine with a labs worth of iPads/Macs/PCs in each school where kids can get the experience, but I don't see the use when it will be obsolete in a few years when the operating system is no longer updated. For those who don't know about that part, Apple likes to phase out is support for older generations of their devices in 2-3 years so that you'll have to buy new ones. That doesn't mean it won't work, it just means there won't be software updates and/or new programs can't work on them. The shelf life on a Windows computer is far greater at 5-8 years with proper maintenance. I know this because I support over 60 computers at work and have for the last 8 years. The more you have the more the cost, this type of program won't generally get cheaper because it will always require more resources. If you kept it to small labs, you could curtail some of that cost while maintaining the exposure.

I'm not saying I don't believe in the benefits, I'm saying I don't believe in the scale. I'm saying I'd like to know exactly how these are going to be used and how they are of greater benefit in reality than traditional learning. You can't type as fast on an iPad so it isn't useful for teaching that. You can't program on an iPad so that's out. They don't run Flash so that excludes a chunk of the internet. What's the long term plan when the updates aren't there? Just my point of view and questions, if there are answers to these, I'm happy to read up on them. But since the first iPads didn't release until 2010, I can guarantee you there is no data to support any long term theory that iPads will lead to any greater success at lower or higher grades.

26
General Discussion / Girl Scout Cookies
« on: February 21, 2013, 07:35:23 PM »
Anyone know where to get cookies?

27
Political Issues/Comments / Selectboard Candidacy
« on: February 07, 2013, 10:06:41 AM »
I wanted to take a minute to thank all those that signed my petition to be considered for a position on the Seclectboard at the upcoming election in March. My family and I moved to Fairfax in May of last year because we wanted more room for our family in a community where we had friends and could afford to live. In the short time that I have been here, we have been extremely happy with our decision. The Selectboard has been very open to discussions on issues, Town employees have been friendly and helpful, and everyone we've met has been kind and courteous.

I have decided to seek election because I believe the skills and views I have can help the Fairfax move forward on fiscal, social and technological issues. Below I have outlined some of my views:

The reason I started to attend meetings was to point out the glaring need for Fairfax to have a website that contained factual information about the Town that was both up to date and historical. I have been working on this project with the Selectboard and community members for the last few months. While Henry's website does contain much of that information, Fairfax should have an OFFICIAL town website that is controlled by the Town and maintained directly by it's staff. A website for Fairfax would enable the community to formally reach out and inform anyone about what is going on, why this is such a great community and the resources available. This information could include historic tax rates for those looking to buy homes, links to departments in the town with policy documents and forms, a place to post town specific meeting dates/agendas/minutes and highlight projects in Town such as the new office building.

I believe my experience providing financial and IT support at work puts me in a position to help evaluate the cost and usefulness of new technology initiatives as well as to communicate their practical uses to taxpayers. I'm especially interested in the current issues of remote water meter readings and smart meters in Fairfax. I also have interest in helping Town employees better understand and efficiently use the technology they have.

I'm a believer in open government and the ability for people to fully understand issues. Currently, this isn't available. This is not to fault anyone because I know the current processes are historic for many towns. I'd like to see a progressive move to record meetings and making them fully available to the public who may not be able to find the time to attend meetings but still want to know what is going on. I would reach out to public access channels see about recording the meetings much like Burlington, Essex and other towns. The intent is to provide better clarity on the decision and discussion process. I'd like to see clear postings outside the offices of when meetings are held or where I can find that information. This could simply be a piece of paper pointed toward the outside of the Town offices and not sitting in behind the locked doors. This could be a message on the phone system of the date of the next meeting.

Fiscal responsibility is another issue that I believe needs to be worked on. I feel strongly that every meeting should have a clear financial component. In the months that I have attended meetings, I have seen very few financial reports provided. This is not to say they may not have been provided, but I have not seen a clear presentation during the meetings of each department and their expenditures. This should be a monthly presentation to keep events clear in the minds of the presenter and the viewer. Without this information, the public and their representatives cannot make clear decisions on the financial position of the Town.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would appreciate your support at the upcoming election. If you have any questions about my positions or experience, feel free to contact me through the forum or my personal email at nicholas.hibbard@gmail.com.

28
Reviews / Dredd
« on: January 07, 2013, 10:29:55 PM »
This was a bit better than the old Judge Dredd with Stalone. Don't expect much outside some gruesome violence and action. Weak acting and not much character development. If you don't know who Dredd is, this movie won't help. I'd suggest watching the older movie first to get an idea of the backstory and then watch this one.

29
Reviews / Taken 2
« on: December 26, 2012, 09:14:32 PM »
Decent followup to an interesting plot. As unbelievable as it was, the action scenes were well done. It didn't feel too long and there were a few subtitled scenes. I'm not sure why they made it but it sucked up a few late night hours.

30
General Discussion / Business Disaster Planning
« on: December 19, 2012, 08:53:35 AM »
This is a topic that came up at the latest Selectboard meeting in the form of document scanning. I love this topic only because it involves so many different types of technology and you learn a lot more about what you do as a business. I thought I share some of what I've learned.

Disaster Planning/Business Continuity Planning are similar but I'm sure vendors will present them in different lights. Both focus on learning about your business and in the event a disaster occurs, have a plan to put in place. Disaster is as broad as the type of business. Technology companies could suffer from power failures or flooding. A bakery could have broken equipment. A law firm could have a computer/server that held case files break.  Almost all business are susceptible to fire and flood. These are two of the worst because paper and technology don't survive well and the cost to recover the original document is expensive.

Your plan should start with identifying where your records are, what you need to run your business and how long you could afford to be out of business if something happened.
     Where:
     If you have mostly paper files in your business, do you have all the same information on a computer or a copy elsewhere?
     If you have computer files, are they backed up at another location?
     What:
     What services can you perform if you lose major pieces of equipment?
     Do you need your old records immediately?
     Do you need an office?
     How Long:
     With the resources you have, how long can you afford to be out of business while recovering?
     How much income would you lose during that time?

Backup copies of computer files should be stored in two places, one on site (backup harddrive/ tapes/ flash drive) and off site. That backup won't do any good sitting next to your computer in a flood or fire. It will come in handy if the computer breaks or a file gets deleted. The off site if your disaster copy in case something happens. Computer files will usually let you recreate your invoices, but what about the invoices a vendor sent your or ones you've paid. If could take weeks or longer to get copies of those again.

If you provide a service, do you have a vendor where you can get replacement equipment in a timely manner? Have you talked to that vendor lately to know what replacement equipment would cost and if they have it. Some equipment requires weeks of lead time, including computers and this needs to be considered when planning. You might need to plan to use some lower grade equipment while your replacement is being made. If your physical structure suffers a loss, can you still provide your service. If not, have you spoken with other local business to see if you could share space with them in these events. An agreement to temporarily share space could benefit both businesses if it is mutual. They might need the same type of space you have to share in an emergency.

Figuring out how long you can be out of business helps to decide your replacement options and justify some of the costs you might have to pay to put a plan in place. Making a plan won't cost you anything but time, but could save you the hassle of figuring everything out later.

Make your plan, inventory your equipment in detail and talk through your plan with others to see if something was missed.

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