[--------------------------------------------------------------------------] ooooo ooooo .oooooo. oooooooooooo HOE E'ZINE RELEASE #687 `888' `888' d8P' `Y8b `888' `8 888 888 888 888 888 "A Complete Repudiation" 888ooooo888 888 888 888oooo8 888 888 888 888 888 " by AIDS 888 888 `88b d88' 888 o 6/14/99 o888o o888o `Y8bood8P' o888ooooood8 [--------------------------------------------------------------------------] Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 17:20:12 -0500 To: jwk208@is8.nyu.edu, et. al. From: Alexander Schuessler Subject: PDC office (IMPORTANT!) PDC staff, We absolutely need to improve both the use and the appearance of the Data Center office. At present we have at least 5 PDC-affiliated individuals plus occasional outsiders using the office. The office does not appear to the outside world like a research institution, WHICH IT IS BEING FUNDED AS! This was particularly noticeable during a visit yesterday by people from the Dean's and Budget office seeking to maximize the use of space at the Department. We do not score well on that dimension. Consequently, beginning after Spring Break, the following rules are in effect. Please give them utmost priority: 1. Only individuals formally associated with the Data Center and who are currently working on Data Center projects are to use the office. At present this group consists of Bill, Heidi, Jarett, and Sona. 2. During these office hours, computers in the office are to be used for research-related and lab-maintenance work only. 3. Lights are to be kept ON during the day. In order to make them more bearable, we will request that the current neon light tubes be replaced with a more pleasant light. In addition we will order from the catalog some suitable additional halogen lamps. Both these things will happen during the first week after spring break. 4. There will be absolutely no computer gaming by anyone before 8:30pm (after the last class of the day has ended). 5. All office machines need to be put and kept in a workable condition. Regardless of operating system (95 or NT), it has to be possible for any one of us has to sit by any of the computers and use Microsoft Office, for example. Do not clutter the machines' desktops with shortcuts to computer games, live 3D interactive sessions, etc. This is a National-Science-Foundation and University-funded academic lab office, not our old room in our parents' house! 6. There is SERIOUS need to improve the office's professional appearance and our professional conduct. In addition to questions of lighting, etc., this means that: - The office needs to be tidy, and all work surfaces are kept clear. - Absolutely no food remains are to clutter the work space. (The last two times I dropped by were pretty disgusting!) - Currently the office is littered with papers, CD's, gaming magazines etc. None of these should be visible to the visiting eye. - The telephone should be answered with words like "Politics Data Center, speaking" (never again with "hello" or "what?!"). - A weekly schedule with office hours for user consulting are to be posted on the door and need to be considered an absolute promise! Users need to know when they can expect to ask for help, and they have to be able to rely on the schedule posted. Again, that's what we are being funded for (i.e. where your paycheck comes from)! Currently, nobody (myself included) knows when one can stop by and get help. 7. After 8:15 in the evening, priority of computer and office use will still be given to those doing research work. We need to do this, both to secure funding in the future, as well as to remain in (or, at this point, regain our) good standing with the rest of the Department. As I have stressed before, there is some ill-feeling about us having gotten this space when several faculty members are not being given space. This absolutely requires of us a professional, as well as respectful appearance. Thanks, Alex Alexander A. Schuessler tel. 212-998-8533 Asst. Professor of Politics fax 1. 212-995-3455 Director, Politics Data Center fax 2. 212-995-4184 New York University; 715 Broadway, 4th floor; New York, NY 10003 [-----] Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 22:48:18 -0500 To: jwk208@is8.nyu.edu, et. al. From: Alexander Schuessler Subject: next week Jarett and Bill, I will be away all of next week. Here are some projects that need to be worked on. There is probably more than can be done in one week, but now is a good time to start! 1. We need that inventory of all machines -- in the data center, the data center office, and all faculty offices. Serial numbers and model numbers are really all we need. Also add the serial number on the NYU stickers -- many machines have two such stickers. Please use both, and keep track of which is the yellow-striped sticker and which is not. Then please call Mark Sodden, fax him the serial numbers and ask him to get back to you with the status of all service contracts, etc. Get a price quote for 3-year extensions for all machines. 2. You were going to get back to me on the memory needs for machines. Please find out from Mark Sodden what type of RAM chips we need. Then put together an estimate of how much we should beef up each of the machines. When I get back, we'll put this together, I'll sign an order form, and we'll get the memory ordered. Then Jarett can begin installation on lab and office machines. 3. We need a good scanner for the lab. Please research this and make a recommendation for what we should get. 4. We need to purchase printer counting software, so that we can start keeping track of how much people print. It should be the kind that resides on the network where you can limit people's printing, so that we can eventually start charging them for their output (starting in the Fall). Please research this. 5. The lab looks like a disaster. The three of us can get together the first Friday after Spring break and do a proper cleaning and rewiring. (Currently the wires are all over the place.) Alternatively, if you feel like it, start doing this over Spring break, when things will be quiet. Either way, please do this AFTER the data center office has been cleaned up. 6. We need two small network printers that can attach to the ethernet and serve a couple of computers. One will go into your office to serve the four machines, and one into mine, so that I don't need separate printers for the NT workstation and the unix box. Please research what we should get. 7. I need precise information on disk space on our server. There are several pieces of software we will be purchasing over the Spring and the Summer, and we need to see if we need to add more disk volume. As you do this, please also note what our memory requirement will be: memory is a function of diskspace on Novell servers. See what the current memory utilization is, look up what it should be (in the reference manual), and also look up the calculation of what it will need to be once we've upgraded. Alternatively, consider the suggestion of migrating to a new server. (Which would happen in the summer.) In that case, please research what type of manufacturer etc. we should be using. 8. The NT machine in the office needs to be fully functional for all users. That means it requires MS Office as well as Stata to be installed, and this should be in a manner that will allow ALL users access to it. This is important. Please do this a.s.a.p. 9. In the week after I get back we should launch majordomo. I've been late on this, but will force time for it after my return. 10. I need from you guys a wish list of what you think we should get, what we should change, what needs to be improved, etc. Please take this request very very seriously. This concerns the lab space, the office, any kind of equipment (we have a fair amount of money that we need to spend by mid-August), and user services. 11. I want a welcome web page for the data center that will load up when people use netscape. It should contain information about the data center, user support, user support hours, and a simple request form for ordering data or sending in user requests. This obviously means that when people use netscape (or any other web browser), that their login will automatically set the browser to their email address and configuration, etc. But I do want communication with the data center staff to go cyber, etc. This may take some time to figure out, but will be crucial pretty soon. Now may be a good time to start putting together ideas. (Though please do the other things on the list first.) 12. Please see if you can get from Jewel a catalog with office furniture and lighting, etc. Come up with some ideas for lighting that you require in the office. This will be a high priority for when I get back, so see if you can find something before then. Make sure it's Halogen: you will thank me for that advice. There's more, but let's leave it at that for now. As you move through these items, please use this list for reference, and annotate it showing everything you have completed, etc. Everytime you've done this, bounce it to the other two of us three, so that we can keep adding more updates. I will be on e-mail throughout, so let me know how things are going! Also, if you need to reach me, it's a local call: (917) 822-9407. (To be cellular!) If I am not there, voice mail will be. Have a great time. Looking forward to coming back to a spanking new place. Alexander A. Schuessler tel. 212-998-8533 Asst. Professor of Politics fax 1. 212-995-3455 Director, Politics Data Center fax 2. 212-995-4184 New York University; 715 Broadway, 4th floor; New York, NY 10003 [--------------------------------------------------------------------------] [ (c) !LA HOE REVOLUCION PRESS! HOE #687 - WRITTEN BY: AIDS - 6/14/99 ]