This We Can Fix Now...

When I was approached by the folks at Texas Linux Fest to present the keynote, I was a bit surprised.  My focus from the "geeky" side of Linux shifted to the social aspects when I began The HeliOS Project.  I put away Eric and my Gedit scripts and began "working the streets" to get Linux onto more computers and those computers into the hands that needed them most.

Six years and over 1200 computers later, I believe that HeliOS has gained some significant insight into how people react to the Linux Desktop.

That insight is what we discussed during the keynote.  It wasn't my best public speaking engagement.  I'm having some issues with my throat and larynx so my presentation wasn't exactly smooth.  It didn't help that I changed some of the subject matter at the last moment so I may have rambled a bit.

Fact is, I was a bit disappointed with my showing, but we got our point across.

I think this would be a good time to talk about them.

The biggest fixes are the simple ones.

Given the development models within the Linuxsphere, it's a wonder that Linux exists in a workable fashion.  The fact that Linux is gaining slow but sure market share stands as a testament to the brilliance and tenacity of those that develop our software.

However, having sat with hundreds of people in the past six years as they explore and learn the OS, I've noted that there are dozens of problems and inconsistencies that are universally present.

What I note here is just a couple of things that should or need to be addressed.  There are hundreds of examples throughout the Linux Desktop.  I'm not picking on any particular project or system...I'm simply pointing out things that have been obvious in my experience.  The Linux Desktop is ripe for many of these easy improvements, and often they will be easy to fix...

If only the people in command of the GUI take them seriously.

One of the first things we do when we introduce a student to Linux is to show and demonstrate Open/LibreOffice.  This office suite has improved greatly over the years but often, there is one issue that creates a bottleneck or confusion.

The saving format.

Like it or not, the majority of people who utilize an office suite are accustomed to using the Microsoft offering.  More often or not, the user isn't concerned with the format of the document as they assume any other user of MS Office will be able to read the document.

You and I know that this isn't true.  The state of Texas, within its various agencies has fought this for years now.  Many agencies still use Office 2003, which creates minor havoc when another agency using Office 2007 or 2010 tries to open the 2003 document...

But those problems are seemingly taken in stride.

However, if this happens with a Linux user sending a MS Office user an ODT document, the entire problem is laid at the feet of the Linux user or system.

That's just the way it is...

Many times, the fact that the Open/LibreOffice user needs to make a choice is not made clear.  I can't count how many times we've been contacted with this problem.  This could be fixed simply with a line or two of text within the save dialog.

Let's take a look at it.

 Note the annotated red arrow and bold text to the right.  We've added this simply as an example of what can be done to cue the user.  Sure, some see the drop down menu to the right, but just as many or more do not.  Just adding some text here would drop the end user confusion down to a rounding error.

You are not speaking our language.

I think one of the most significant issues we've encountered is the way we communicate with our users within the GUI.  Problems are going to manifest themselves when we assume the end user understands our language.

I want you to think back to the first time you encountered a Linux desktop after using MS or Mac environments.

Let's take a simple term such as "mount point".

I can tell you for a fact that this simple term in itself has caused a lot of confusion and inertia.  We can see an example of this in one GUI right away.

 Note at the bottom of the GUI, the instructions state to "Select the mount point of the Bluray Disk."

Now, some would argue that this stands as a learning opportunity for the user, and maybe in this specific instance it does.  Maybe it tends to teach the user what a "mount point" is.

However, in my experience, the term mount point is used in an isolated environment where there is no frame of reference by which to match it.

I argue that it's just one more alien term that reinforces the myth that Linux is a system built by geeks for other geeks.  I further argue that it isn't our "job" to teach a new user our language.  Our "job" should be to provide intuitive software that doesn't get in the way.

Instead of the instructions offered above, why not change it to:

"Click below to choose your Bluray player."

The results are the same and they are presented in a language that the new user understands.  It wouldn't take much effort to implement this change, but unfortunately, in our development community, I don't think the mindset of language will be taken seriously at all.

That's too bad.  It discourages the new user from exploring further.  Sure those most adept at using a computer will trudge on...much like you and I did, but keep in mind, we are a minority.

Probably on par with Linux Desktop market share.  I'd be interested to see how the market share of Linux matches up with the number of Windows Users who make the switch permanently.

Now let's get personal.

I've talked about the way we name our applications and programs before.  I've been told that what we name a program isn't near as important as how the program works.

That's not true.

Three weeks ago, I accepted a reference from the Dell Children's Hospital to deliver a computer to a 12 year old girl.  Valyncia is an A and B student and home schooled.  She is home schooled for a good reason.

She has a rare, incurable and terminal blood disorder.  She won't live to see her 15th birthday.  On top of that she has Cerebral Palsy and she lives her waking hours in leg braces.

Had I not known that she suffered these afflictions, I would have marched into that house and found a great deal of discomfort in showing her how to use The Gimp.

You're going to say that this isn't a big deal.  You're going to say that this doesn't happen enough to merit any real consideration.

It does in my world...

And in Valyncia's.

Roughly 15 percent of the kids we serve have debilitating disabilities.

Until you are constantly faced with the same situation, don't tell me it doesn't make a difference.

Fact is, we are in the process of removing The Gimp from our custom distro.  In its place, we will insert the application Pinta.  I'd rather suffer the wrath of a few open source people for our choice of a Mono app than offer The Gimp to a little girl in prosthetics. 

Will this have any bearing or impact on getting app names changed?  No, probably not and that's not my intent.

What I would like to see happen is some simple forethought.  forethought in how we present our GUI, how we present our language, and ultimately, how we present ourselves.

You are probably unaware of the positive impact your software is having on people, but I am fully aware...I see it hundreds of times a year.  It's a damn shame you present your work with such an irreverent or unthoughtful manner.

Many would assume you just don't take what you do seriously.  Some of these application names seem to be the product of you and your friends, passing around the bong and seeing just how goofy of a name you can come up with.  Given the names of some of the apps in the Linux environment, I can see why some people would think that.

Just a few simple fixes...

All-Righty Then

HeliOS Project Store Expands Product Line

In a time when operational funding for non profits has been difficult to find, The HeliOS Project had to find more innovative ways to obtain money to do what we do.

Thanks to a great equipment donation from a brick and mortar store which closed its doors, we have a ton of stuff that we can offer.  Much of this inventory is not directly useful to us but has a value on the market.

Especially to you sysadmins and IT guys who might need cables and connectors.

We also offer some 19 inch monitors, mice in 10 lot, keyboards, speaker systems and assorted DVI and HDMI cables.  We currently do not have the keyboards listed but we have them in stock.  They are the Dell multimedia SK-8135's.  contact us here if you want them individually or in bulk...we're letting them go pretty cheap.

 

Diane has set up a store for us on Ebay so if you see anything you want, just keep in mind that your purchases go to keep us going.

And as always, thanks for helping us do what we do.

All-Righty Then.

HeliOS - A Moving Experience...

It was a long time coming...but we finally got our stuff transferred from the old place in Lakeway and into our new, stand-alone building in Taylor Texas.

At 10 AM on a beautiful Saturday morning, our volunteers began arriving and surveying the day before them.

I'm sure there was more than one sigh of resignation.....


We had the downstairs work area to clear out, and then we had the upstairs storage area to empty out and into various trucks and vehicles.

There was easily 2 tons of stuff upstairs alone.

Two tons of stuff that had to be brought down 17 steep stairs, and none of the packed boxes were light.

First, we organized teams to decide what needed to go to recycle and what we would keep.  Because the Lakeway facility had been unusable for several months, the work area had become a jumbled mass of junk and treasure.  Mark Thornburg took on the task of getting a team together and sorting through the stuff and loading the recycle into his one ton van.

Carolyn Smith climbed the stairs and began the daunting task of organizing the dozens of boxes and containers for transport downstairs.  Her husband Jason and Andy Krell organized the teams to bring the stuff down and then loading it onto a large truck donated by Gene Arant, a realtor in Lakeway.



By 3 PM, we had the Lakeway place cleared out and we began the 40 mile trip to Taylor.


 Since we have yet to build our interior wall, we weren't able to do a lot of organizing.  Aside from the wall, we still need to come up with some shelving.  A good friend from Atlanta Georgia has committed to providing the funds for the cost of building the interior wall, so once that comes through, we can start.

The big thing was to get our stuff into the building.  We could not have done it without the absolutely outstanding group of volunteers that showed up last Saturday.  A lousy pizza lunch wasn't near payment enough for these folks.

I've been remiss in mentioning that during the Texas Linux Fest this year, I took a few minutes to name Ron West as the HeliOS Project Volunteer of the Year.  Ron has been the backbone of our volunteer efforts and we cannot thank him enough.

Getting everything in was much easier than getting it out.  We are fortunate to gain a building that has a full ramp for wheelchair accessibility and that made things much easier.

So now, it's just a matter of getting this mess organized.  Once we have the storage and workshop wall built, we can start organizing things the way they need to be.

Let me take a minute and introduce you to many of those who gave us a hand.   From left to right, they are:  Tyler Guenter, Andy Krell, Skip Guenter, Jason Smith, Diane Franklin, Carolyn Smith, Ron West and Adam Schneckloth.  Not pictured are Kevin and Jesse Guenter along with Austin Dell'Abate and Mark Thornburg.  They had to leave before the pictures were taken.  My further thanks to Jason Smith for taking pictures of the day.

Again, I want to thank everyone that took their Saturday to help us.  Even after the move, most of the people stuck around for an extra hour or so to share some beverages and help us plan for the future.

A future that you made possible.

All-Righty Then

HeliOS - The Move is On

Skip Guenter is a focused man.  Tenacious doesn't quite describe Skip's drive.  From the moment we got wind of the possibility of having our own place, Skip has been the unstoppable force that made this happen.  Some who know him less than his closest friends would consider him a bit obsessed.

Did I say "a bit"?


 Due to his focus, we now have the keys to the new home of HeliOS. 

Skip and his wife Sharon, along with Diane and myself have spent an evening there already getting the bathrooms cleaned.  We've laid out the floor plan for our classroom and planned then re-planned the work and storage areas.

Now, all we have to do is start moving stuff into the new home of The HeliOS Project.

While we still have some major interior construction to complete, we will begin moving stuff from the old Lakeway place to the Taylor facility on the 16th of April.  We need to vacate that space so they can expand their business...

And so we can expand ours.

There is a ton of stuff to move and it won't be easy work.  There is a large amount of equipment that needs to be moved from an upstairs loft and loaded onto trucks.  Much of the stuff will need to go to recycle.  It will be hot, sweaty work so I don't want anyone to think it's going to be glamorous.

What we do rarely is.

If you are interested in giving us a hand, please email me: helios at fixedbylinux dott kom and we'll plan on you being there.  Of course, everyone helping will be invited to the grand opening sometime in May.

My thanks to those who have already stepped up for this move.  This is a pivotal time for HeliOS and I am glad that you will be a part of it.

All-Righty Then...

Texas Linux Fest - It's on Bay-bee....

Sorry 'bout the title...March Madness and all that.

I had the privilege of attending the first-ever Texas Linux Fest last year and I was surprised at the people that attended.  In particular, I had the chance to rub elbows with the likes of Joe Brockmeier and John Hall.   For a first-time event, it went pretty well.  The venue was perfect because if we had more than the 400+ daily attendees, they would have had to grease us down coming in the door.

This year, TXLF will be held at the spacious and opulent Downtown Hilton hotel.  I've been in aircraft hangers that were not as big as the speaking halls and let's face it...it's the Hilton.  I believe current numbers are already surpassing last year's attendance.

If you want to attend, you can register here.  There are two levels upon which you can register...as an enthusiast which is $15.00 or as a supporter which is $40.00.  See the preceding linked site for the differences.  But yes, I will be there this year.

I'll probably even wear big boy pants.

That might be a good idea after some thought...

I've been asked to give the 2011 Texas Linux Fest keynote.

I had submitted a paper that discussed our experience with the kids that receive  our HeliOS Project computers.  We've distributed over 1200 of them in 6 years and some of the empirical data we've collected is not only interesting, it takes turns giving us encouragement and completely destroying some of the myths that exist concerning Desktop Linux.  I thought that would be a good topic for one of the halls during the day.

Nope...HeliOS is the opening act.

Now listen...this is a humbling experience and after doing a quick review in my head of those that may be in attendance, I'm not quite sure I am the right person for a keynote.  But now that I've accepted, I'm going to tell you exactly how and where I think we are on the Linux Desktop.

And I will be honest...maybe too honest for some, but I think The HeliOS Project has been in the trenches long enough to pass muster.  We've logged hundreds of hours. sitting with kids and parents, teaching, observing and learning a bit ourselves.  The learning part is what I want to share with you in particular.  We can do a better job, and it's the simple things we can correct that will make it better.  Since some of the people that can affect change may be in the audience, it's these simple things that we'll talk about.

One of them, and my personal pet peeve, is how we name our applications in the Linux Community.  If you would care to offer them, I would like to hear your ideas on how you would have named current apps and programs in Linux. We're not going to spend a lot of time on it but enough to accentuate the point.  

We are going to talk about this in the keynote so I will offer your ideas then.  The argument is that for a new user, seeing these strange names only enforces or perpetuates the idea that Linux is a distro for geeks, written by geeks.

There should be some cognitive pathway between the name of the app and what it does.  I've offered some examples, but feel free to add your own in the comments.  If given the chance, what would you have named:

Compiz

Ailurus

Conky

Yakuake

I'm going to share much of that information with you starting at 9:15 AM on the 2nd of April and I hope to see you there.  While I will be covering some of the social and educational aspects of the Linux Desktop, there is plenty to satisfy your geek tooth as well.  Click the preceding link to see the complete lineup of speakers for the 2011 Texas Linux Fest.

I hope to see you there.

All-Righty Then

The Austin Prometheus Project

Unfortunately, Anthony Gilbert's situation is not uncommon.

Anthony is a senior in high school.  He is a talented musician, an honor roll student and he aspires to study music in college.

He has a plan, he has a goal and he has the discipline to make it all happen.

Anthony now has a computer, and The HeliOS Project was privileged to give him one.

But there's one thing Anthony doesn't have...and probably wouldn't have for a while.

Anthony Gilbert has no access to the Internet.

Since 2005, The HeliOS Project has rebuilt over 1200 computers and distributed them to disadvantaged and exceptional students in the Austin area.

Anthony is both but we will emphasis exceptional.  He works after school, but the money he makes goes to help his dad with the bills and his own academic needs.  Anthony and his dad live in a small home right off of 12th street in East Austin.

Anthony and his Dad Albert outside their home after a HeliOS install

He buys his own clothes, helps provide his household with food and what is left over...well that goes to guitar strings and patch cords.  Anthony takes the bus anywhere he goes...he does not own a car.

Our closest estimates tell us that just over 60 percent of the 1262 computers we've distributed still remain unconnected to the Internet.

And it's bothering me more and more.

It bothers me to the point that I've organized a sub-effort under The HeliOS Project.

The Austin Prometheus Project.

We will set up a dedicated fund to provide our HeliOS kids with Internet service.  Now, the point I want to make clear is this.  This is an Austin problem and I am going to seek an Austin solution.  We'll update our website soon to announce the presence of the program and to make people aware of it.

I'm going door-knocking.  I will approach businesses within the community to let them know what we are doing and what they can do to help.

Often, the families that we present computers to will find a way to get connected...but for people like Anthony and his dad, it is a luxury.  It's instances like these that Austin Prometheus will focus.

To this point, and with few exceptions, we've been fairly well ignored.  Many Austin businesses and companies have been asked to help us when we needed it, and the results were poor.  Time-Warner, Clear and Cricket have been contacted about this problem and we were either ignored or our in-office appointments were canceled by them and never re-scheduled.

Regardless of how often we tried to reschedule.

In 2008, I was granted an appointment with an executive within Time-Warner's Corporate Responsibility Department.  After a 40 minute wait, I was asked by the receptionist what my appointment was for.  I explained that I needed to discuss  Internet connections for the disadvantaged.  An hour and 15 minutes after that, I was informed that the executive was called away unexpectedly and she would not return for the day.  She would contact me and reschedule the appointment.

The call never came and my subsequent calls were never returned.

How nice.

That's fine...what Austin business hasn't done for their own, the Free Software and Linux communities have stepped in and allowed us to do our work.

But not this time.

I've made arrangements for Time-Warner to connect Anthony's home to the Internet and I am going to pay for the first month and the setup fees from my own pocket.  I can't do this often but in this case, I believe it to be important.

We spent a 2008 and a good part of 2009 building a guerrilla or "bandit" network in East Austin. It worked fine while the user base was at 30 homes or less but as it grew, we experienced more and more problems.  Not in just lost connectivity but in failing or vandalized equipment and directionals.  It got to the point where we were spending inordinate amounts of time just keeping the network up.  Unfortunately, due to lack of manpower and resources, we had to let it go.

But as far as this project goes... 

All I ask you to do is stand back and watch.  I want you to keep track of Austin Prometheus as I report our progress and results.

I will post them as they happen in real time.  We've set up a facebook page for that purpose.


All-Righty Then

The Inner Chime...

You won't find this published anywhere but here.  Not by my effort anyway.

Fact is, this is being written for the consumption of only two people.  After writing this as an email, I re-read it and realized that many things I say might have an impact on others...or not.

Although it isn't meant for them.

Recently, there was a mini "intervention" held in my "best interest".  I was assured that it was being done in love and concern for my well-being.


I was told it was time to re-evaluate the priorities in my life....that I should look at my life within the bigger frame and not from the strict paradigm established now. 

It's been just over a year that I turned down a position at Google, and that upset some close to me.  It was a good job, as jobs go for tech.  It was a job that 20-somethings would consider their dream job.  Great money, fantastic environment and a level of autonomy not often found in our world.  And let's face it...getting a job offer like this after the age of 50 is by most accounts, a gift.

I think the problem my captors had wasn't only that I rejected the offer, but at the speed I did so.

It didn't take long for me to say no.

I didn't "fall into" The HeliOS Project.  Doing what I do has been a slow, methodically-planned thing.  And at the risk of sounding completely hokey, what I do isn't really a job...

It's a calling.

Not necessarily in a spiritual way, although I won't discount the possibility.  Doing what I do is simply a matter of seeing something that needs to be done and noticing that no one else is doing it.

That's not a condemnation or criticism of anyone, it's simply an observation.

I've spent the majority of my life in service to my country and family.  Many of us have done one or another...or like me, both.  While it is gratifying, some of us find ourselves within our quiet moments, not really happy with what we are doing.

Maybe the job pays great but sucks on every other level.  Maybe the pay sucks but there just aren't any other immediate options available at the time.

Or maybe some of us just made a wrong choice and are stuck in place.

However, there are those rare times...those golden occasions where everything is in sync.  Within the deepest parts of you, it is understood that you are where you are supposed to be, doing the thing you are supposed to do.

The Inner Chime resounds within you....

and you just know.

So to the two people that love me and are concerned for my well-being, let this be said.  I will always find a roof over my head.  I will always do my best to care for myself and those that count on me.  And no, I won't ever again own a 3500 square foot home or a new car.  I will never again earn a six figure income.  The truth is, I don't earn a dime doing what I do, but someday I plan to draw a small salary when it's possible.

I'll struggle with the simple things like insurance and vehicle repairs...just like you.

But you know what?  If that's the best I ever do, that's good enough.

This is something I feel I need to do, and that feeling is so strong within me that I've made my choices.  I choose to do what I do until I can no longer physically do it.

I don't hear the swirling winds of unsure decisions or circumstance.  I have no nagging feeling, prompting me to "examine my priorities."

I have a goal, a job to do and good, decent people helping me to do it....

and at my center is calm.

May I suggest that you search for the same.  On the day you take your last breath, that big house and expensive car won't mean a thing.

Those you touch will.

This is where I am, this is where I will stay, and I need to be here.

If the best you can do is simply accept this, then there's nothing left to be said.

All-Righty Then...

HeliOS is on the Move...

It's been months in the cooker but things have solidified to the point where we can make the announcement.

The HeliOS Project will now have our own dedicated building.

We will call Taylor Texas our new home.

Taylor sits just a few short miles from Austin.  It is a small community, originally founded to supply and support The Great International Northern Railroad in the 1850's.  With a population of 15,436, many people would assume that Taylor is a "sleepy" town.

 Nothing could be more incorrect.  Taylor remains an active and important hub for the railroad and the businesses in and around Taylor are thriving.

Skip Guenter, our Director of Systems and Engineering, through a series of contacts and associates; introduced us to the City Manager and City Engineer of Taylor.  With assistance and further introductions from Marge Tripp of the Inter-agency Support Council of Eastern Williamson County, we were able to introduce the leaders of Taylor to HeliOS and what we do.

They were impressed enough to offer us an extremely generous deal on a 2200 square foot building for our use.

Of course, we have an interest in this corner of the county because of the number of kids we will be able to serve.  While we will still work within Austin to provide computers to the disadvantaged there, Eastern Williamson County will benefit from our presence.

There are many kids in that area that need our help.

We will now, literally, be in a better position to help them.

But, in kind, we will need a bit of help ourselves.  This area has been hit harder than most by the recession.  Our numbers of qualified recipients here will more than double.

While Taylor will be donating us the use of this building for three years, it is going to take some assistance to make it work.  There will be a fairly large amount of interior construction and electrical work to be done.  We have the workers but we will need some help with building materials, electrical components and costs associated with the move itself.

This will cost us several hundred dollars to complete so if you can see your way clear to give us a hand, I would sincerely appreciate it.  Your donations are, as always, tax deductible and you can make donations to our construction and moving fund here.  Or you can click the HeliOS logo at the top left of the page.

If you prefer to use your paypal account, contact me, helios at fixedbylinux dott komm and we can make the arrangements.

Since we are still working out some minor details and the necessary insurance coverage, we do not have a solid move date, but we've been told that it will be within the next couple of weeks.  We have a substantial amount of inventory to move from Lakeway and Hutto to the new facility so if you want to participate in the move itself, let me know.  We will have at least one large truck but can always use pickups and vans to assist.

We will also have a grand opening when this is completed, so if you are local, you will be more than welcome to attend.  I will send out the invites myself.  Just let me know that you are interested.

This is a huge step in the evolution of The HeliOS Project.  We will be able to impact entire neighborhoods and area's, not households in one's and two's.  We will finally have some autonomy and freedom in our operation, and as always, it will be the Free Software and Linux Communities that makes it happen.

You always do.

All-Righty Then

Video Drives the Computing Experience

"Video drives the computing Experience..."

That seems to be a statement made by Captain Obvious...

and obvious it is, but it doesn't make it any less true.  Good video devices can mean the difference between a choppy, frustrating experience and a smooth, fulfilling one.

The HeliOS Project has been getting some fairly decent computers in the past year.  People are starting to let go of their hyper-thread and dual core machines more and more.  We tend to get donations within the third and fourth generation machines.  Most times these computers come with adequate video cards or chipsets...

But many don't.

With the upcoming release of Ubuntu 11.04 and the default Unity Desktop, compiz is going to be a requirement for full functionality within the Unity environment..  This would seem like fertile ground to argue Gnome 3 vs Unity but let's not go there.  Others have already made their arguments elsewhere...plentifully so.

Canonical has made their decision and we'll go with the flow.

Skip Guenter, our Director of Systems and Engineering has ordered three different models of video cards for HeliOS use.  We find that we have to either replace or upgrade video for about 1 out of every 3 computers we rebuild for our kids.  We've ordered one of each of the below video cards to see how they work in our systems.  Keep in mind, many of our kids are being asked to use software that requires moderate to heavy 3D capability.

1 x ($49.99) VGA SPARKLE|SXT430512S3LNM GT430 R

$49.99

---

1 x ($34.99) VGA GALAXY|21GFE4HX2HUN G210 512M R

$34.99

---

1 x ($29.99) VGA SPARKLE|SX84GS256D2LDPP 8400GS

$29.99

---

In addition to your opinion about these different cards, we also want to ask that if you have Nvidia or ATI cards that you are not using, please donate them to HeliOS.  Email me directly or see our mailing address here.  

 

We can provide you tax receipts if necessary and it would greatly reduce the money we have to spend.  We've already budgeted about half of what we were donated from Rock A Charity for video card purchase but those won't last us long.

I would personally appreciate it if you would take a look and see what you have just laying around.  If you could pass this along to your IT guys, that would be good.  We will put them to good use.

All-Righty Then

HeliOS Rocks at Rock A Charity

It started with an email inviting us to take part in a Facebook competition.

Now, I don't keep up with Facebook much.  I have an account that I do use to keep up with my kids and a few friends, but that's about it.

Even at that low level, I've found it to be a huge time sink.  Before I know it, I have clicked several links that further takes me down the Facebook rabbit hole....about 30 degrees separated from where I started.

What caught my eye was the fact that this contest would be used to raise funds for local non profits and charities.

OK, now they had my attention.

From the Rock A Charity website...

"The goal of RockaCharity is to raise awareness and money for local charities while also helping them perfect their elevator pitch. Guests to the event will donate a minimum of $20 for a rock. Guests will then visit three of the small meeting rooms at Link Coworking and hear pitches from three charities. In another meeting room, guests will cast their vote for whom they believe is the most deserving of their donation. At the end of the night we will announce the winner who will receive 50% of the money raised. The remaining charities will split 50%."

So I hastily set up a community page from my parent page and announced our presence in the competition and we blogged about it here.  The premise was simple.

Each contestant's page would be visited at 9 AM on Tuesday and after 48 hours, it would be visited again.  The top three pages with the most "likes" gained in that 48 hours would be invited to compete at Rock A Charity.

Holy cow...we gained well over 1100 new votes in that 48 hours.

Needless to say, we received our invite, along with two other non profits...

Well Aware and English at Work.

Diane and I arrived at Link Coworking at 5 PM that Friday and began setting up our display room.  It was small, measuring about 10 X 11 feet and it held 4 comfy chairs and a couple of tables.  But there were rules...

You couldn't take anything out of the room...you worked with what you had.  The previous week, we attended a meet-and-greet breakfast to introduce ourselves to the other charities and we "drew" for rooms.  While we drew the smallest room, we were just happy to have a shot.

Ron West showed up a few minutes after us, bringing with him a 23 inch wide screen monitor for the display.  Diane took care of getting things set up and organized so the room could accommodate as many people as possible while still having a decent flow and appearence.


She did a great job...had I done it, it would have been a man-cave, streaming sports on the monitor with a cooler of beer in the corner.

When the doors opened at 7 PM, Link Coworking filled quickly.  Only the first 200 people would be allowed admittance, so there was a bit of a line when the big hand crossed the 12.

We had our first visitors at 7:02.

The idea was to give an "elevator pitch" to your audience.  Imagine trying to explain what your organization does while sharing an elevator with someone...give them the facts and doing so while maintaining their attention and not boring them into leaving the elevator short of their destination.



And really, what we do at HeliOS is perfectly suited for such a presentation...there's not a lot of fluff here.  We simply do what we do.

The evening progressed at a busy level.  We rarely found ourselves alone and between Skip Guenter, Diane and me, we took turns giving the presentation.

Like I said, it was a small room.  At one time, we had 9 people in there with us...

Did I mention it was a small room? 9 people sharing that space at once got a bit cozy. Not a claustrophobic's favored environment.

The people visiting us were an extremely eclectic group.  From foundation directors to school teachers and state employees, we were able to inform over 100 people about HeliOS.

And it paid off...

Literally.



At 9:30 PM, the "counting room" that contained the three bowls of rocks was closed and the organizers tallied the scores...

HeliOS won the competition with a total of 50 rocks, each rock representing a 20.00 donation.  We were donated $1300.00 that evening.  However, no one went home empty-handed.  While we received 50 percent of the total amount of donations, Well Aware and English at work split the other 50 percent.

I want to thank the people that took the time to "like" our Facebook page.  Some commented to me privately that they thought it was a silly way to measure an organization's worth, and maybe they are right.  Only a fraction of the votes we received were from the Austin area.  Two-thirds of our votes came from the international Free Software community.

While what we do does not impact most of these people directly, they still saw value in HeliOS and helped us get to the dance.  And that was all I had originally asked of you.  Just get us in the door and we would do the rest.  Thank you.

I want to also offer my sincerest and warm thanks to Brian Beck.  Brian drove over 3 hours to get here from San Angelo Texas.  Brian has been a long-time friend of HeliOS and he is a champion of Free Software and the Linux eco-system.  As an Instructional Technology Specialist at Angelo State University, he is most aware of how Free Software can impact the world of academics.

Brian also acted as our official photographer and he has provided all the pictures published here and in our albums.  Thank you Brian.


And of course, most importantly, I want to thank Liz Elam and Courtney Clark, from Link Coworking and Austininvolved.org for making this event happen.  I am more than sure a collective "whew" was uttered when the event ended.  These ladies are making possible the funding for non profits that need it most.

And as an aside, Sarah from Well Aware climbed on a plane this morning to go to Kenya and supervise the digging of another well for that drought-stricken area....while I sit here at my computer and piddle with inventories...

God Speed Sarah.

We will take part in the next Rock A Charity, but not as a contestant.  We will, in one form or another, help sponsor the event.

All-Righty Then...

Meet our competition...Austin Rock A Charity.

I can be a pretty competitive guy, especially when it comes to bringing funding to my project.

But sometimes you have to step back and appreciate the efforts of others.

Three Austin non profits will compete for funding at the February 18th Rock A Charity event in Austin Texas.


 English At Work

HeliOS Project

Well Aware

First off, our thanks to Link Coworking and Austin Involved for putting this event together.  They did a fantastic job of bringing sponsors together to make the a successful event.  Liz Elam and Courtney Clark have worked their backsides off to make Rock A Charity a reality.

The fact that some people in the Austin community realize there are worthy charities out here in need of funding is encouraging.  These folks have planned an event that will allow the above-mentioned non profits to compete for some of that funding.

"The goal of RockaCharity is to raise awareness and money for local charities while also helping them perfect their elevator pitch. Guests to the event will donate a minimum of $20 for a rock. Guests will then visit three of the small meeting rooms at Link Coworking and hear pitches from three charities. In another meeting room, guests will cast their vote for whom they believe is the most deserving of their donation. At the end of the night we will announce the winner who will receive 50% of the money raised. The remaining charities will split 50%."

We've spent a couple of weeks talking about our part in Rock A Charity.  Let me introduce you to the other non profits that will be in attendance that evening.

"English at Work is an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide essential language instruction at the workplace in order to increase employees’ opportunities for improved quality of life and to increase employers’ competitive advantage.

The organization’s vision is to build a community where language proficiency gives all people access to opportunity. To achieve this vision, English at Work engages employers and employees in the curriculum development process, creating lessons that are specific to the workplace. Lessons are also specific to Austin and incorporate local bus schedules, information on public officials, and visits from English at Work partner agencies."

Well Aware is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization formed in 2006 to provide life-saving water for the people of rural Kenya. We are a grassroots group of Austin-ites reaching out globally for a solution to the suffering caused by water deprivation in parts of East Africa.

The most severe drought in their history has claimed more than just the traditional livelihood of rural Kenyans. Most children no longer attend school because they must walk all day to find water that is not sanitary. Savagery and tribal warfare has increased dramatically due to competition over resources, and community leaders are abandoning their villages altogether in shame for being unable to provide. But the most tragic of the victims are infants, 25% of whom will not survive.

This does not have to remain the case. Access to clean, safe drinking water will return them to prosperity.

We had the privilege of meeting some of the folks from both of these non profits last Friday and it is my sincere pleasure to be included with these fine organizations.  My best wishes to both of them during the evening.  I don't think anyone will come out a "loser" on the 18th.  Just knowing there are such caring people here in Austin is enriching to me.

All-Righty Then


 

Headless Chickens Come Home to Roost

It's not like people did not see this coming...but somehow, this issue recently dropped like a bomb on the residents of Austin Texas.

And stay with me here...this will get to the subject matter this blog works toward.

In the face of a 50 million + dollar budget shortfall, The Austin Independent School District Superintendent is recommending the layoff of 1017 teachers and varied staff.


This, according to the Superintendent, would free up 53 million dollars.

That's the problem when you have bean counters as your advisors.  As long as the dollar columns line up, the easiest solution should be the one deployed.  As long as the money is right, then the ends justify the means...and the added bodies to the unemployment lines.

I'm not saying that the Superintendent took this route...but if it looks like a duck...until there is clarification, then all theories are pliable.

First off, let's keep the politics out of this. I'm not going to let this degrade into a Republicans vs Democrats thing.

It runs deeper than that.  Much deeper.

This is a matter of short-sighted planning and ignorance on all sides.

I am a political layman.  I despise politics and all the infighting and ego that comes with it.  Naive?  Yes.  I am naive when placed in the political arena.  But there are times when common sense should wield sharp elbows and knock unnecessary players out of that space.

From the comments  -  "...While you may detest politics, they are still very much present in the equation...Do they once again raise property taxes and evoke the ire of every voter in that district or do they lay off a thousand employees whos stories will be forgotten in two weeks?" -  
Anonymous retired School District employee. 
 

In the first place, I would suggest that AISD live within their means.  The AISD headquarters now resides on a 30 million dollar piece of prime real estate on 6th Street.  Real estate that would be purchased quickly by commercial developers.  As of now, many Austin students attend classes in "temporary" buildings...prefabricated and aging "portable" buildings that should shame the administration of this school district.

My daughter, thankfully, is graduating high school this year.  I have personally attended parent-student meetings in these buildings.  Many of the ceilings are bowed, the doors have to be slammed in order to close and they are grossly inefficient from a heating and cooling standpoint.

I have an idea...to save money, why doesn't AISD move their headquarters into a series of these "portable" buildings...in say, oh I don't know...East Austin?  The real estate costs there are low and they could save millions by doing so.  Sure, it would take a while to realize their savings...


While we're on the subject of planning ahead to save money...

 In 2006, I started a personal campaign to find out what AISD was spending in software.  Since I am a Free Software (Open Source) guy, it seemed to me that adopting an Open Source solution could at least help with lowering the overall operating costs.

Cue up the crickets chirping and lonely-blowing-wind sound effects.

After badgering enough people, by 2008, I finally got through to someone who was able to give me the answer and she would be happy to give me access to that information.

For a $2000.00 administration fee.

Really?

Yeah, really.

So I attended various PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) meetings and presented my ideas when I could.  There was a large amount of support within those meetings of at least exploring the idea, but that's where it died.

The magic sword that protected the disclosure of software expenditure costs turned out to be the vendor agreements AISD signed with Microsoft and other various software companies.  At least, that was what I was told and to be honest, I had neither the time or resources to pursue it further.

Filing for this data under the Freedom of Information Act of 1974 was impotent.  It seems our laws, the way they are currently written, gives the corporates protection...

Even if federal law says differently.


However, a seemingly disconnected event in 2008 was able to dislodge some of this information.  Maybe not as much as I wanted, but enough to sharpen the pencil and do a bit of cipherin'.

Many will remember the row that ensued after an AISD teacher admonished one of our HeliOS kids and myself for him bringing a laptop and Linux disks into her classroom.

And no...no direct citation is needed.  I'm not going to link-bait my own story.  However, this not only went viral in hours, many online and dead tree newspapers picked it up as well.

It is within one of those that we can discern some important figures.

The AISD IT Director at that time defended their IT structure by saying that 1/3 of their computers ran software other than Windows.

"...and while the district uses Windows on 24,000 of its 36,000 computers, it uses Linux for many of its servers and open-source applications, such as Open Office, whenever possible."

OK, great...Linux is obviously the superior choice for server deployments, but if we were to dig deeper into that statement, how many of the OS choices are Linux?  I am guessing that the majority of them run Windows with some Open Source solutions installed therein.  The article does mention the use of Mac computers as well.  Oh, and those aren't expensive...

But Linux desktops?

I am guessing about 27...maybe....but I am an optimist.

"When asked about the possibility of dumping Windows in favor of Linux, AISD technol­o­gy director Gray Salada said that in terms of a cost-benefit analysis, it simply isn't worth it. Windows comes preinstalled on most computers, he said, so there is little savings to be realized from removing it and incurring the costs of retraining teachers and the district's 12 engineers, who are already proficient in Windows, to support Linux."

And therein lies the problem within the Austin Independent School District.

Don't think long-term...and for Heaven's sake, don't extend the life of a good computer.  Buy new ones at all costs.

"Windows comes preinstalled on most computers..."

So I am guessing they are paying the Microsoft Tax on every computer refresh that comes along on the calendar?  Are these older machines being re-deployed within the system?  Again, I am guessing since no one will give me any specifics on these particular question-sets.

And if these machines are re-deployed, are they being upgraded to a newer Windows OS at taxpayer expense?



From The comments  -  "Ken, the administration listens to whatever compu-babble the head IT guy spews out. They will pay any amount of money necessary to keep things working and if the head guy says we need to spend X amount of dollars on MS licensing, then we spend it. He is never questioned nor does anyone care. As long as things are running smoothly on the surface, they will spend the money he says needs to be spent as long as they don't have to deal with it."
 - Anonymous currently employed IT specialist within a Texas school district

After all, I am simply a lowly taxpayer with a child in their system.  What right do I have to know as to how they are spending my money?

Time and time again, Linux and Free Software have provided The Enterprise, Governments and individuals amazing cost savings over the long term.

A recent conversation with Amazon tech support concerning our store account  revealed that most of the desktops used at that call center ran Suse Linux.  They made the switch a couple of years ago.  Amazon is thinking long-term.

But AISD isn't thinking long-term.

24K of those computers are running Windows.  Even at their licensing costs of maybe $50.00 per machine, how much money could they save?

The math is simple.  $1,200.000.00

That isn't taking into consideration the cost for support software like anti virus applications.   

How many teacher's positions could be saved by that alone?

Yeah, yeah...cost of training, cost of adaptation...

If this had been done in 2006, would it have made a difference today?

I am thinking so.  Just ask those in various Indiana School Districts.

"We have a million kids in the state of Indiana," he continued. "If we were to pay $100 for software on each machine, each year, that’s $100 million for software. That’s well beyond our ability. That’s why open source is so attractive. We can cut those costs down to $5 [on each computer] per year.".

So while AISD accountants may consider these savings a "drop in the bucket", they don't realize that after a few years, those drops add up to a quantitative amount.

That doesn't matter right now...it appears they're in panic mode, running in circles with their hands flailing in the air.

They'll lay off or fire 1000+ teachers and staff members to get this monetary monkey off their backs....for now.

I'm guessing that in 5 years, we will be revisiting this crisis.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

My organization has deployed over 1200 Linux-powered computers to disadvantaged Austin students since 2005.  I don't want to hear how "Linux doesn't work".  It works fine and has proven to be superior in both performance and security.  Sure we use some MS-only software via Crossover, but that's another advantage of Linux.  We can and we do so without the inherent cost or peril of a native windows operating system.

Look, I'm not suggesting that this should happen overnight, nor am I silly enough to think that Linux on the desktop would solve all their woes.  What I am saying is that if the State of Indiana can do this, then it's not out of the realm of possibility for AISD to do this....at least do a feasibility study.  Look for vendors that offer Linux on the desktop. 

There is the matter of critical Windows-only software...yes I know, but I also know that there are other such Free Software solutions such as Moodle.  There are hundreds of Open Source software solutions that meet or exceed their Windows counterparts.  The people making the IT decisions simply have to have the will to look into it.

Of that, I am not hopeful.

From the comments  -  "I am a recently retired teacher from AISD. You might want to ask them what they pay in licensing costs for their Blackboard software."
Anonymous retired AISD teacher

Many of the financial injuries that the Austin Independent School District suffer are self-inflicted.  Mind the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.

All-Righty Then...