January | 2014 | Thomas' Work Space

“Server busy” dialogue on system startup and Speech recognition listening on by default

2014/01/14 plagwitz Leave a comment

How can one find the program that causes this error? It is not immediately obvious from the dialogue itself, including “Switch to”.
Speech recognition should not be on (saying “listening”) by default (we have seen it freaking students out when it goes into command or typing mode).

Categories: e-infrastructure, os Tags: image2014spring, speech-recognition

SDL-Trados 2011 configuration issues

2014/01/14 plagwitz Leave a comment

This is on the teacher PC during a demo – student PCs may not display this behavior, but should be checked also):
1. We do not need the demo on each login for each user (“do not show me this again”).
2. We have a duplicate project?
3. Screenshots:

Categories: e-languages, Translation, translation-software Tags: image2014spring, sdl-trados

Deepfreeze rebooting the lab computers again during use

2014/01/14 plagwitz Leave a comment

I have been told that Deepfreeze will reboot lab computers (hourly?) only when they are idle (on login screen).
However, I have observed the unsolicited reboot also when trying to work with these computers.
Today, I had both lab computers that I was working on with the Sanako , reboot in the middle of my testing, with the 1 minute warning dialogue.
Will pressing “cancel” prevent this, especially during high-stakes writing and speaking assessments with the Sanako? What if the users misses it (we sometimes deliberately have the screens blocked/blacked out during parts of classes).

Categories: audience-is-IT-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, e-infrastructure, Glitches&Errors Tags: faronics-deepfreeze, image2014spring, rebooting, sanako-study-1200, security

New supervisor role for senior LRC Assistants

2014/01/13 plagwitz Leave a comment

A new LRC Assistant list, sorted by hire date, has been posted on the inside LRC reception desk. Use it to determine who is currently the most senior LRC assistant at the desk. The current most senior LRC assistant serves as supervisor and always wears the green supervisor badge pictured below. When the supervisor leaves, the supervisor passes on the badge to the next senior LRC assistant in line.
Supervisors do not have to perform clerical tasks (meeting requests, equipment handling, etc.) as long as there are enough less senior LRC assistants to handle the client load. Rather, supervisors monitor less experienced LRC assistants operating the reception desk computers, equipment etc. , help train them and avoid mistakes.

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, Reception-desk, service-is-hr-managing

Camera available to document issues

2014/01/13 plagwitz Leave a comment

Find it in coed436 and take it with you during routine checks and when assisting clients.

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, e-infrastructure, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte, service-is-documenting

Google etymology feature

2014/01/11 plagwitz Leave a comment

Etymology information has been added to Google end of August, still need to review this more closely (other languages supported?), but for now:
Type “etymology” followed by the English word to get the Etymology (and unfold the arrow below to get additional dictionary information, including historical frequency)
Of course this feature cannot replace a historical legal dictionary, but I what I was looking for was the juxtaposition with “freeman” in English feudal history, which I would have liked to find a reference here to also
Etymology does not seem to be supported if I type “Etymology Schmetterling” (or “Etymologie Schmetterling”), the feature does not come up. It does if I type “etymology butterfly", however: Is this right?! The next thing which is missing (and this reminds me too much of how our students use Google translate) is the admission of that these explanations are theories which are contentious, and should be debated:

Categories: Dictionaries, e-languages, English, mental-notes Tags: etymology, google

Positioning of Language Lab PCs needs improving

2014/01/11 plagwitz 3 comments

Update: We worked around the issue with a male/female USB extension cord (black) to connect the Sanako USB connector (blue) into, this way, the whole setup can be aligned with the rear of the PC and won’t stick out and get in the way:
Problem: Rear connectors of computers get disconnected or even damaged. Input (keyboard, mouse, microphone) and output devices (headset) get disconnected connected and therefore fails to work. Damaged equipment needs to be ordered and replaced, at considerable cost of time and money ($TBA per Sanako cable). It is too time-consuming to test equipment functionality (30 headsets and mice and keyboards) before each assessments and exam.
Example of student in seat:
We have observed these and similar damages regularly:
3. Cause: Our language lab computer desks and rows are too narrow, for individual student sitting in front of the computer, not to mention classes moving in and out of their seats
4. Other requirements:
  1. We need to have equipment plugged in the rear connectors of the computer and cable-tied to prevent students from trying to adjust or “fix” computers by re-plugging the equipment (often improperly, making them fail to work), and also because there is limited desk surface in front of the computers, given keyboard and mouse need to fit in front.
  2. For the functionality of the Sanako digital audio language lab system, we especially need to make sure, that the headset is plugged in on the same USB port in all computers.
5. Solutionsthat we have
  1. already tried
    1. we have tied down the connectors with cable ties, but this has not worked sufficiently.
  2. yet to try: is there a way
    1. to permanently attach computers in a different, safer position on the existing furniture?
    2. or to buy and install different furniture, computers seated under desks inaccessible for end user and locked?