Content Production

A while ago, I was thinking about content creation.  And I was thinking that the ratio should probably be better than a 2:1 ratio of production versus consumption.  It was just some number that randomly popped into my head.  And the number sounded good, but that's...  quite unrealistic.

A production of that level would mean for every 2 pages you write, you would read 1 page.  Which sounds like a great idea, but I consume a page at about every 2-3 minutes.  Production of a page can take upwards of an hour.  So the time comparisons aren't really comparable.

And then you deal with esoteric subjects like measuring production of non-text info.  What about drawings?  Or 3D models?  You don't really consume 3D models.  You could consume drawings in the form of comics and cartoons.  But how do you measure progress on those things?  It's a good question.

So, rather than use absolute measures of production/consumption, I think the measure should be time spent.  I'm still convinced you should maintain a 2:1 ratio, but it's two hours to one hour.  Two hours of content production can produce different levels based on the media, but it still produces.  It also causes long term progress towards goals.

One hour of consumption allows you to get a more absolute measure.  Because really, it's all opportunity taxes.  An hour spent consuming is quite literally an hour you will never get back.  An hour spent producing is also, paradoxically, an hour you will never get back.  But it makes you feel a lot better to spend an hour working on something that will lead you to accomplish your goals.

All over the place

On top of studying learning, I’m also studying money.  The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson is quite an interesting look at money.  It looks at the history of money and finance.  But why would I want to study money? 

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.  – George Santayana

How can we understand anything without first examining the history of a thing?  Stock market bubbles come and go, and always will.  Understanding the process of bubbles helps to understand where money can be made and lost.  Do you get into the hot new stock right after you hear about it on TV, or do you hunt things down on your own and try to come up with some sort of formulation on how you believe things will occur? 

I don’t have the answers to those questions, but I still know what I intend to do with my finances, and as such I haven’t invalidated my theories.  So that’s a good thing. 

I got rid of the last book I had, and found the library is rather lacking in books on memory.  So I decided to trek into motivation.  I probably need to look at another branch in order to find what I want, but that’s another story.  The book I’m currently reading is Drive by Daniel H. Pink.  So far, I’m agreeing with most of what Pink has said in the book, and it all makes a weird sort of sense.  So I like the book and would recommend others read it. 

I’m also once again examining Arduino, but my brain is still spinning on the same thoughts and ideas I had before.  The real question is what am I going to do with such a thing?  But then, I was listening to something on iTunes U about Computer Networks.  I was really looking for a CCNA style class, but this one is a programming class.  But the end result of the first lecture in the class was to talk about building a client/server model and connecting to the server using telnet. 

Well that makes me wonder…  Combine a lot of small but specialized Arduino devices together and have them send resultant data (but not process it) to a central server level computer.  So take a piezo element to act as a feeling sensor.  Put one in the front of a foot, and another in the back of the foot to let the foot know that it has touched ground.  Combine that with an accelerometer and you have have a way to tell if the foot you have created is level.  It’s a thought… 

Tools of the Trade

So all the stuff I do requires a lot of tools.  Did I say a lot?  I should have said a whole lot.  I think I'm going to spend a bit of time discussing tools today.

I have two different cordless screwdrivers.  My favorite is a DeWalt.  I've been using it since I started the job, and it works like a champ.  Depending on how high you crank up the clutch, it can bust knuckles fairly easily.  But with all that torque it goes through cinder block pretty easily.  My only problem with DeWalt is the price. 

I recently added a Ryobi screwdriver and circular saw.  The Ryobi screw gun doesn't have the torque, but I like it anyways.  It's a good alternative to DeWalt if you don't have the money or don't want to spend the money.    A friend of mine said I should have bought the bigger super combo kit, but I didn't.   Truly, it's not my money but there are limitations to what I'll do.  If money hadn't been an issue, I'd have probably gone with this and bought DeWalt.   

For drill bits, I don't have a preference.  I generally use DeWalt because that's what someone bought me when I started the job.  I also have a set of Ryobi and Milwaukee bits.  I use what I have.  I haven't become a convert on any of this as of yet.

 My current set of crimps are a set of Paladin Datashark similar to this set. I go through a set a year.  What can I say?  I've got a grip and I tear through cheap crimps like nothing.  The next time mine break, I'm buying Klein. 

Speaking of Klein, I've also got a Klein Lan Scout, a Klein Compression Crimper , Klein 11 in 1 screwdriver , Klein Scotch lock pliers,  Klein wire cutter/stripper , and a Klein punch down tool.   I would buy everything Klein if it wasn't so darned expensive.  The only thing I wouldn't buy Klein would be fish tape.  Their fish tapes suck.

The electrician we have working for us is a beast.  He's the kind of electrician you want when you want solutions.  He also carries a full electricians' pouch full of nothing but Klein.  The only thing he doesn't use is Klein fish tapes.   Go figure. 

The 11 in 1 screwdriver and punch down tool are great for working on phone systems.  The 11 in 1 has all the tools in one needed to open most phone company demarc boxes.  The punch down tool also has a 66 block punch down device that turns working with 66 blocks from being a pain to being simple.  The right tools make certain jobs easy.

I also use a Commercial Electric wire cutters.  This is my third set.   The first set was lost by some guys we called in to run wire.  The 2nd set was broken trying to cut a fish tape. 

For a test set, I use a Fluke test set.  Once again, having the right tools makes the job easier.  For 2 years, I carried an Ideal toner, but that was a piece of junk.  I got the Fluke toner and that works like a champ. 

I've got an extra set of 6 small screw drivers from Husky.  Those are a recent addition, but I like them.  The Klein 11 in 1 is great, but sometimes I don't want to adjust the tip.   To carry it all, I use a Dead On Electricians pouch.   I've tried many different pouches, and none worked very well.  It's a matter of having the right amount of tools without being weighed down too much.  Considering I usually have all this, plus a label maker, plus a box of screws, and generally a tape measure...  it's not exactly a light pouch.   

I also carry a custom made safe pick.  And for safe repair tools (that aren't listed earlier) I have a couple of socket drivers I got from Harbor Freight.  I have the whole set, but the two I carry are sized to replace bill readers and take of most of the other safe repairs I do frequently.  I still have to pull out my full socket set to take out floor bolts, but that's about it.  

That's not everything I carry on a regular basis, but it's close enough and gives a good idea of what it takes to do my job. 

Construction II

Most training modules are mindlessly boring.  There is a definite need for the training, but do people have to make it so dull?   There's got to be a better way to train people than death by power point or some other CD based variant. 

Enough about that. 

Back to construction.  Now, it's time to add devices and create new wires for each section.  As I've said before, it's all Cat 5e bought from Deep Surplus.  The credit cards in this location have a phone line dial backup, so I check that first to make sure it's working.  Next, install a new external switch and move the ATA (analog telephone adapter) and plug that in.  At the top of the board will be a starting point for all the phone lines in the building.  Well, other than the phone company demarc.  The ATA plugs into the new external switch.  Add a cable from the ATA to the top breakout point.  RJ11 jack on one end, two bare wires on the other end.  We use blue/blue white to designate the VOIP phone line, so that's the pair I use.  I then punch it into the block at the top. 

The block at top is a "telephone expansion module".  It supports up to 4 phone lines to 9 locations.  It's kind of like a 66 block, but less complicated.  Anyways...   Trace the CATV cable on the back of the cable modem and make sure I've got enough slack.  I do, so it's time to move quickly.  The instant I unplug the cable modem, the store internet is going to go down.  With store internet down, the credit cards go down.  That's not a good thing.  It was probably about 3 in the afternoon when I was doing this, and that is a relatively slow time.

As any tech knows, the instant you have to reboot the internet or take a system off line, the location will get mobbed.  A dozen people will show up to a store that second before was a ghost town.  And they will all be mad at you for breaking things.  The second point of interest is the home run cable from the current external switch to the credit card processing device.  Is it long enough to serve my purposes, and run down my wire duct?  I know it is, but it's something to think about.  I know it is because the front of the building is to the right of the wire duct.  If it was to the left, the cable might have to be extended and this entire move couldn't happen until a later date.  As is, I made the move. 

Unplug the cable modem and pull the power cable out of the tangle and mess.  Unscrew the CATV cable from the cable modem.  Move the cable modem onto the board and strap it down.  Plug the power cable in and run it through the path I want.  Connect the pre-created Cat 5 patch cable from the new external switch to the modem.  Grab the credit card processor cable and thread it up through the ceiling and down the wire duct.  Plug it into the external switch.   The main process is finished, and the store is back up and processing credit cards in less than 10 minutes. 

The next contentious issue is getting the store internetwork online.  The Cisco 891W with the antenna (not in this picture) is where that cable goes.  Run a new cable for that, and boot it properly.  It's the orange cable with orange boot in this picture. Also a big issue because we've got an internetwork based proprietary card that processes.  So it's not something you want to go down for a long time.  It also alerts everyone and their dog if it goes offline for too long.  The last thing you want is a bunch of people calling you up asking why you are taking a store down.

This would be a good place to visually talk about our new wiring method.  We use a combination of colored wire with colored boots.  The boot is the same on both ends, so you go looking for a green wire with an orange boot, and you know you found the right cable because the other side is a green cable with an orange boot.  We have around 10 different cable colors and 10 different boot colors.  Wires are exceptionally easy to trace this way, and it doesn't take a toner to do so.  But it does take time and work to do the job right. 

Finally, tap in two biscuit jacks at the top of the board to provide service.  There is always a need for phone service on a board.  Sometimes it's for a dial-in situation.  Others it's just to test the phone lines and troubleshoot.  No matter the situation, we have phones to cover it. 

Once all that is done, attack the place like crazy with a label maker set in flag mode.  We've tried to put the labels on the cable, but those don't stay.  Flags have to be cut off.  Those suckers stay forever. 

Next time?  I don't know.  From here, it's a matter of building the replacement equipment and moving a few more devices into the back room.  But those are night of upgrade tasks. 

Construction

Construction

I suppose this is a continuation of what I was talking about back in a previous post.  So, Return of the iPhone showed the area I was beginning to work with.  Half of my job is technical, the other half is mechanical. 

The first part started with finding a 2" conduit from the back room to the front room.  There were a few wires in the conduit, so I chased them down and pulled out everything that wasn't in use.  There are still some wires in use, but those can get wiped out later when the equipment moves to the back room. 

Part 2 is to identify what devices need what kind of cables to ensure everything has its own separate wire.  Phone is the only exception, and I run those as one single CAT 5e cable.  We buy cables in all sorts of colors from Deep Surplus.  I pretty sure that's where we bought the boots that will make an appearance later.  We always go with solid core wire, though you can get stranded core wire.  I like working with solid core better. 

We run a lot of plenum cable as well.  Plenum cable is made of different outer material that doesn't create toxic smoke when it burns.  All of our buildings are one story, so to me whether you have toxic smoke in the building is a pointless argument for buying cable that's easily twice as expensive.  But code requires it, so we run it.  I'm not going to fight semantics with a building inspector.  Those guys don't give a damn. 

For this location, we needed 10 different wires, but I only brought 7 boxes of wire to the site.  So that means two pulls through the conduit.  I haven't run that second set of wires through as of writing this, and that's probably going to be part of Monday's work.  After the wires are ran, it's time to mount the cable duct.  I always get a 1GUV1 from Grainger as it is the best width for what we do.  The wire duct is screwed in using Tapcon screws as this wall was cinder block.  Otherwise, I just use course thread drywall screws. 

Up above the drop ceiling, there is piece of 1" wood that rings the outside of the building.  I screwed some zip ties into that to create a path for all my wires.  I hate moving ceiling tiles and finding some lazy jerk just left the wires on the roof.  That's sloppy work and hard to work on later. 

For the board, I used a 2'x4' piece of pre-cut wood.  So I wouldn't have to put every screw through cinder block, I took a 2"x4" and cut it into the width of the board and mounted three of them to the cinder block using Tapcon screws.  The board is then mounted to the 2x4's with wood screws.  Did I mention I painted the board white using some quick dry ceiling paint? 

Anyways.  

Lining the board up on the 2x4 shows me I'm not a carpenter and I need a better eye.  Or the right wood working tools. 

Moving on.  Mounting each device requires an angle bracket, found over in the wood framing section of the hardware store.  I prefer SimpsonStrong-Tie Framing Angles.  They are cheap, easy, and work like a champ to mount things under 20 pounds or so.  To hold the device to the wall requires a strap.  Academy has them for about $3 a piece.   For smaller devices, I use 1/2" velcro.  

 Oh...  and another picture for an out of date update.  

This one shows most of that I've been talking about to this point...  The devices are all placeholder devices at the moment, just to hold the space until the real equipment is built and moves onto the board.