Category Archives: Uncategorized

I coudn’t boot from USB because of the battery???

I bought an older, used Dell Optiplex 7010 mini-tower and although it let me set the boot order to put USB at the top, and I had a USB stick that booted on other computers, I still got a message saying there was not a bootable OS present and the system would not boot from my USB stick.

I even flashed the BIOS to the most current one on Dell’s website but nothing changed.

I then read online about someone who replaced the motherboard CR 2032 battery so I replaced mine. It worked!

Who knew?

I tried to post my findings on dell.com but it let me write the post but then would not let me publish it because I had not yet verified my email address. I couldn’t find how to verify my email address so I am posting it here.

Out of date technology is costing me a fortune

I use a significant amount of software every day in my job and hobby. This post is focused on what happened when my technology failed me and what I will do going forward about it.

I am an amateur radio operator (also known as ham radio) and each week one of my (many) ham radio clubs conducts an on-air “net”. We check in during roll call, receive announcements and training and report on hours spent in ham radio public service the preceeding month. In this case, we were asked to participate in an exercise where we were to check into the weekly net on a different frequency than we normally use, and in a different way. I won’t bore you with the technical details, but my very aged mobile transceiver’s means of making that switch was broken and I had no idea that it was until I tried it.

I don’t use this particular radio for much more each week than checking into this particular net, but it took me well over an hour to resolve the problem, and my resolution was a workaround, nothing more. That feature on that radio is broken and the company no longer supports this radio. This kind of thing happens all the time with outdated software and hardware and because it is outdated, the OEM will simply not help you.

This experience happens to me too often, and I have made a decision: life is too short for outdated technology. Here are the six steps I will take in the future each time this happens.

  1. Determine if the problem is a failure on the part of the technology or my failure to understand it (RTFM!).
  2. If it is my problem, read up, make notes in Evernote or other appropriate system, and permanently implement the change so the problem doesn’t waste my time going forward.
  3. If it is the technology that has failed, time for a repair or replace decision. If the cost of either exceeds the value of the service provided, make a conscious decision to live with it.
  4. If repair is the answer, get it fixed immediately and simply pay the price. Life is too short to agonize over pennies in cost that wastes dollars in time.
  5. If it is time for new technology, spend a time-boxed research period finding an appropriate replacement. I may have to buy more than one solution to find the right one and there may not be a “right” one. If the service provided is mission-critical, lengthen the time box and consult with those you trust. Then invest, implement and document.
  6. Always keep in mind that the promise of technology is almost always a lie. Sometimes technology is a blessing in life but frequently it is simply expensive and time-consuming and the best solution is to sell it on eBay and find a simpler solution. When technology is needed, keep it up to date by paying for upgrades, the same way you keep your car reliable by buying a new one after about 100,000 miles.

What would you add to this list? Do you have a good workflow for managing your technology?

Can a multiple choice test prove you can program?

At my alma mater, our Computer Science department requires all graduating students to take an assessment test after their first two years and a second test as they prepare to graduate. The tests were created internally and consists of questions culled from exams used by various department faculty. It costs the student nothing out of pocket except for registration and testing time.

I should mention at this point that when we instituted these assessments, it took us several semesters to decide that we needed to establish a minimum passing score. A handful of students were simply choosing A as the answer for every question and completing a 100-question assessment in 5 minutes. We needed to help motivate our students to do their best, so we established a minimum passing score of 60%.

Most of our students just take the test as a rite of passage and get it over with. However, a few of them objected, stating that a multiple choice test about details of a certain programming language does not demonstrate programming proficiency. Of course, if the test were easy, there would be few complaints and you and I wouldn’t be having this pleasant conversation. A small minority of our students score less than 50% on the exam and have to retake it. It is this minority that are the vocal complainers.

Study “materials” are available, consisting mostly of a list of topics that might appear on the exam. The exam questions themselves come from a pool of questions and if you retake the exam, you will likely receive a different set of questions from the pool. Students failing the exam also claim the study materials are too vague to help them prepare.

All of this is standard procedure for testing at a college level, but what exactly does passing this test prove? I think it proves that you are a good test taker. Neither of these assessment tests involve the coding and testing of a complete application. Some of our students are transfer students who took their first two years of Computer Science at another institution whose credits we accept. Our tests contains many detailed questions about programming languages these students never encountered in their prior work. Students who don’t do well on our assessments are frequently transfer students who claim the test is biased.

The vast majority of our students graduate from our program well prepared to begin a career in software development, as reported by employers. Although they might encounter some sort of entrance exam given by the interviewing team, typically these exams test the applicant’s ability to solve problems and to validate what they claimed on their resume.

Now, we are an accredited university with an accredited Computer Science program. This means that assessment is a fundamental component of our curriculum. But how are we helping our students succeed in the job market and in their careers with such assessment tests? Our tests are not standardized, but neither is our curriculum. Our department prefers to remain flexible and agile to keep up with trends in the industry with input from our Industry Advisory Council.

And here is the really tough question: should we deny a diploma to any student that does not pass these assessment tests?