Comments for Failing Forward http://blog.thetonk.com Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:17:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Comment on Windows 7 Doesn’t Like the French by Andy http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/windows-7-doesnt-like-the-french/comment-page-1#comment-489 Andy Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:17:36 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=689#comment-489 So, in other words...Windows 7 saw Bonjour and was all like "Au Revoir, Monsieur" So, in other words…Windows 7 saw Bonjour and was all like “Au Revoir, Monsieur”

]]> Comment on Dude, Kill the Caps Lock by Frank http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/dude-kill-the-caps-lock/comment-page-1#comment-488 Frank Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:58:06 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=681#comment-488 I have started a new Facebook group. Join the <em>stop-joining-groups-that-petition-the-company-that-hosts-the-group</em> group. Hope to see you there! I have started a new Facebook group. Join the stop-joining-groups-that-petition-the-company-that-hosts-the-group group. Hope to see you there!

]]> Comment on Function Overloading in PHP by Jason Coleman http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/function-overloading-in-php/comment-page-1#comment-481 Jason Coleman Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:08:22 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=511#comment-481 I do this all the time in PHP. Often I have a method that say updates a MySQL table. You can pass it an array to update multiple values, or pass it a single string to update just that field. Also useful on class constructors. Did you pass an integer? Okay, I'll assume that's the id and look it up in a table. Did you pass a string? Okay, I'll just use that data to create the object. It's a little janky, but if you comment well... I do this all the time in PHP. Often I have a method that say updates a MySQL table. You can pass it an array to update multiple values, or pass it a single string to update just that field.

Also useful on class constructors. Did you pass an integer? Okay, I’ll assume that’s the id and look it up in a table. Did you pass a string? Okay, I’ll just use that data to create the object.

It’s a little janky, but if you comment well…

]]> Comment on Geek Poetry by Elyse http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/geek-poetry/comment-page-1#comment-467 Elyse Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:32:41 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=657#comment-467 definitely the best geek love poem ever. hahaha! definitely the best geek love poem ever. hahaha!

]]> Comment on The Wrong Attitude by Chris http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/the-wrong-attitude/comment-page-1#comment-444 Chris Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:41:52 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=653#comment-444 <a href="#comment-443" rel="nofollow">@Frank </a> I couldn't agree more with your extended analysis; as idealistic as anyone cares to be, there can be no denial that the domain of higher education is a market like any other. As such, poor leadership (interpersonal, political, and fiscal alike) will be penalized by the market in the long haul. The only difference is that unlike other markets (think automakers), there is relatively little controversy when the government steps into academia to artificially prop up faltering organizations. Which, (again in the long run) can only cause more harm to the ecosystem of colleges, trade schools, and universities. @Frank I couldn’t agree more with your extended analysis; as idealistic as anyone cares to be, there can be no denial that the domain of higher education is a market like any other. As such, poor leadership (interpersonal, political, and fiscal alike) will be penalized by the market in the long haul. The only difference is that unlike other markets (think automakers), there is relatively little controversy when the government steps into academia to artificially prop up faltering organizations. Which, (again in the long run) can only cause more harm to the ecosystem of colleges, trade schools, and universities.

]]> Comment on The Wrong Attitude by Frank http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/the-wrong-attitude/comment-page-1#comment-443 Frank Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:55:01 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=653#comment-443 Very insightful of you to recognize the problems described with this situation. However there's a larger core problem that your issues point to: the school stopped acting like a <strong>business</strong>. Sure they take your money and hand out diploma's, but somewhere along the way they stopped feeling the competitive pressure from other institutions, and they got lazy. Most schools like to act as if they are above the fray when it comes to school comparisons. But if you're not competing against other schools to recruit students, what's driving you to improve <strong>anything</strong> -- prices, classes, services, etc. -- at all? The unsung antagonist in these situations is general government incursion into higher education. While the idea of sending more people to college who otherwise couldn't is noble, the reality is that uber-low-interest loans and subsidies throw the free market off kilter, resulting in the inflation that we're seeing now. Ironically, these high prices are now drawing ire from activist groups who say the prices are segregating schools, keeping out poor and minorities, thus generating calls for even more government intervention. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The CBO has a <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=4958&type=0" rel="nofollow">great writeup on these trends</a>, and <a href="http://www.heritage.org/Search.aspx?query=tuition&section=|&index=1&page=1&sort=score" rel="nofollow">research from the Heritage Foundation</a> really makes the case for the problem airtight. Very insightful of you to recognize the problems described with this situation. However there’s a larger core problem that your issues point to: the school stopped acting like a business. Sure they take your money and hand out diploma’s, but somewhere along the way they stopped feeling the competitive pressure from other institutions, and they got lazy. Most schools like to act as if they are above the fray when it comes to school comparisons. But if you’re not competing against other schools to recruit students, what’s driving you to improve anything — prices, classes, services, etc. — at all?

The unsung antagonist in these situations is general government incursion into higher education. While the idea of sending more people to college who otherwise couldn’t is noble, the reality is that uber-low-interest loans and subsidies throw the free market off kilter, resulting in the inflation that we’re seeing now. Ironically, these high prices are now drawing ire from activist groups who say the prices are segregating schools, keeping out poor and minorities, thus generating calls for even more government intervention. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The CBO has a great writeup on these trends, and research from the Heritage Foundation really makes the case for the problem airtight.

]]> Comment on Failure by K.B. Toys http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/failure/comment-page-1#comment-442 K.B. Toys Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:28:11 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=456#comment-442 I vote we create a little black book of websites that do this...you don't want to be in the little black book... I vote we create a little black book of websites that do this…you don’t want to be in the little black book…

]]> Comment on Configuring Gmail to Access an Outlook Account by Chris http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/configuring-gmail-to-access-an-outlook-account/comment-page-1#comment-441 Chris Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:22:43 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=549#comment-441 <a href="#comment-440" rel="nofollow">@floated in </a> Glad I could help! @floated in Glad I could help!

]]> Comment on Configuring Gmail to Access an Outlook Account by floated in http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/configuring-gmail-to-access-an-outlook-account/comment-page-1#comment-440 floated in Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:39:25 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=549#comment-440 Alright, here's your obligatory heap of thanks from this corner of the internet that you normally see on how-to snippets on blogs. THANK YOU YOU SAVED MY LIFE (or rather, the frustration of having to log into !@#$ing outlook to send mail without the tacky On Behalf Of thing. Which is about the same thing, really) Alright, here’s your obligatory heap of thanks from this corner of the internet that you normally see on how-to snippets on blogs. THANK YOU YOU SAVED MY LIFE (or rather, the frustration of having to log into !@#$ing outlook to send mail without the tacky On Behalf Of thing. Which is about the same thing, really)

]]> Comment on Review of Windows 7 by Chris http://blog.thetonk.com/archives/review-of-windows-7/comment-page-1#comment-423 Chris Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:06:20 +0000 http://blog.thetonk.com/?p=582#comment-423 <a href="#comment-422" rel="nofollow">@Herbie </a> That should read "Windows NT 6.1" - thanks for the heads up. @Herbie That should read “Windows NT 6.1″ – thanks for the heads up.

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