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Nuns, Training, too much work and thesis paralysis
The weekend I spent at Maubara Carmelite convent near the Indonesian border as part of an AVI retreat for finishing volunteers (they visit twice a year). The scenery was wonderful, high on a hill overlooking the ocean and with the island of Flores in the distance. The sessions were very useful (with the exception of the guest speakers) and it seems that AVI is going to sponsor me for a grant to do a Tetun-language website upon my return.
Listening to the nuns singing in their chapel at dusk (sans electricity) was quite beautiful. I stood just outside, peering in as they held candles over their sheets of lyrics. It was otherworldly and had both a dream-like quality yet also dredged memories some of the more pleasant memories from my childhood in the Catherine McAulley Centre.
I've started the training sessions for Ministerial staff. Even though only fourteen were supposed to attend on the opening day over twenty turned up. It was on hardware and software concepts and to teach people like I learned (and unlike the way most computer trainers "teach"), I pulled apart a computer in front of everyone and explained how each piece worked. At the end of the session, judging by the bright eyes and the big smiles, it was a success. For nearly everyone there it was the first time they'd seen inside a computer.
The next session was on networks and communications. A lot of discussion on how the Internet really works from both a hardware and software perspective and with a great deal of Timor-specific information ("why is the Internet so slow?", "why do our connections keep failing?" etc). They went into DOS and did a ping test as well.
Today's session will be on Operating Systems and Thursday's on Applications.
I'm mostly through section 3-3 of my PhD on "Content Censorship". I really should have finished this subchapter, seeming that most of it is already written. Feeling a bit hard on myself about it actually, as I know the issues inside out, I know the theory and history inside out, and I only have a couple of thousand words to add to what I have already written.
A big part of the problem is the amount of work I have stacked up and the Promethen agendas I have set myself before leaving. I'm doing some significant revisions to the website in an attempt to win the DiploAward 2003 for the best Foreign Affairs website and I actually do think we have a chance. Making sure that we have World Wide Web Consortium accessibility conformance is a current priority for this week. I like to design websites that work on the assumption that the person trying to reach it is blind, using a dial-up account with a 2400 baud modem, and only has Lynx as a browser.
Oh, and if anyone is unsure how irrational and subjective some individuals can be check out this thread on a person who (ahem, allegedly) had their pet bunny die and decided to eat it in honour...
Listening to the nuns singing in their chapel at dusk (sans electricity) was quite beautiful. I stood just outside, peering in as they held candles over their sheets of lyrics. It was otherworldly and had both a dream-like quality yet also dredged memories some of the more pleasant memories from my childhood in the Catherine McAulley Centre.
I've started the training sessions for Ministerial staff. Even though only fourteen were supposed to attend on the opening day over twenty turned up. It was on hardware and software concepts and to teach people like I learned (and unlike the way most computer trainers "teach"), I pulled apart a computer in front of everyone and explained how each piece worked. At the end of the session, judging by the bright eyes and the big smiles, it was a success. For nearly everyone there it was the first time they'd seen inside a computer.
The next session was on networks and communications. A lot of discussion on how the Internet really works from both a hardware and software perspective and with a great deal of Timor-specific information ("why is the Internet so slow?", "why do our connections keep failing?" etc). They went into DOS and did a ping test as well.
Today's session will be on Operating Systems and Thursday's on Applications.
I'm mostly through section 3-3 of my PhD on "Content Censorship". I really should have finished this subchapter, seeming that most of it is already written. Feeling a bit hard on myself about it actually, as I know the issues inside out, I know the theory and history inside out, and I only have a couple of thousand words to add to what I have already written.
A big part of the problem is the amount of work I have stacked up and the Promethen agendas I have set myself before leaving. I'm doing some significant revisions to the website in an attempt to win the DiploAward 2003 for the best Foreign Affairs website and I actually do think we have a chance. Making sure that we have World Wide Web Consortium accessibility conformance is a current priority for this week. I like to design websites that work on the assumption that the person trying to reach it is blind, using a dial-up account with a 2400 baud modem, and only has Lynx as a browser.
Oh, and if anyone is unsure how irrational and subjective some individuals can be check out this thread on a person who (ahem, allegedly) had their pet bunny die and decided to eat it in honour...
no subject
From what I gather it seems that it is an extremely enriching experience for almost every-one involved when approached with the right motivation. Although I did like a story he tells of one person who wrote on the feedback form of a session they were having that it was not good enough that they could not hear the speaker all oof the time because of the waves crashing on the beach outside.....Oh to have those sort of woes!
no subject
I might have to let Mr Pxx have a squizz at your Journal if that would be OK.
Please do. This journal exists to be read.
Oh to have those sort of woes!
There can be no doubt that there's some pretty spectacular landscape and environment in those countries that receive AVI support. But the individual poverty and lack of infrastrutcure can be damn grinding at time.