The Sisyphus Comments

Keep Private Files Private

If you had important personal information, naturally you would keep it locked up in a secure location. However, more and more of our important information is stored on a computer. Now you can secure your important digital information using My Lockbox.

My Lockbox gives you the ability to password protect any folder on your computer. The protected folder is hidden from any user and application on your system, including the administrator and system itself.

The program is a breeze to set up and use. Just set the “lockbox” location and the password during the setup procedure. After the set up, the My Lockbox Control Panel allows you easily change basic lockbox location, protection status and password. You can even change the look and feel of the program using interface skins. Unfortunately, this is a Windows only program.

My Lockbox is great program that everyone should have on their computer. By the way, did I mention that its free (as in beer)? Check it out.

CLICK HERE:

Download My Lockbox

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Remove Thumb Drives Quickly

Thumb drives are handy little gadgets. They let you carry around music files or even programs and they are much more convenient than floppy discs or CDs.

Thumb drives are also durable but they must be treated properly. You can’t just yank them from your computer’s USB port.

Unfortunately, the Windows Safely Remove Hardware option is cumbersome. You need to go through a couple of dialog boxes before you can remove a flash drive. You also get an annoying message when you’re done.

However, there is a better option. It’s called USB Disk Ejector. This standalone program opens a window on your desktop. You’ll see all the drives connected to your USB ports. Press the corresponding key to eject one or simply click it.

USB Disk Ejector also works with iPods, external hard drives and other USB gadgets plus there are no annoying pop-up messages. Check it out!

CLICK HERE:

Quick and Easy Software

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Time For A Benefits Checkup

The economy has not been kind to folks that are trying to make ends meet on a fixed income. Even if you have not reached your golden years, you may know someone that has and it tough. Its one thing not to be able to buy a new car but it is something else to be unable to pay for prescriptions or heating.

Fortunately, there are federal, state and local assistance programs that can help out. Just visit BenefitsCheckUp.org to see what is available. Start by applying for Medicare prescription drug coverage then check out the other programs.

Depending on your situation, there are programs to help with critical needs including utility bills, food and health care. You can even sign up from the site.

CLICK HERE:

BenefitsCheckup.org

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You Have A Camera In Your Pocket – Use It!

Do you have a camera on your cellphone? If you are like me, you thought it was a big deal when you first bought your phone but the novelty quickly wore off. In fact, I not sure I still remember how to take a picture with my Motorola Razr phone. It sort of makes you wonder what good it is to have camera on your cellphone doesn’t it? Of course, there are probably a lot of ways we could use our pocket cameras if we put a little thought into it so lets give it try.

First, you may want to consider putting it to use when you travel. Do you have a tendency to forget where you parked your car? Get in the habit of taking a picture of the garage level and space number where you parked. Next, before you venture out from your motel when you are staying in a strange city, snap a picture of the front of your motel and the street signs at the nearest intersection. This way if you have to ask for directions, you can provide the name of the motel and names of the nearby streets.

If you are at a training conference, you can use your camera to take pictures of the white board, important documents and business cards. You won’t miss any important information and you can use the pictures to flesh out your notes when you get back to your room. If you are conducting a training course and you need to rearrange the furniture in the room, take a picture of a room layout before rearranging the furniture so you can put it back to normal when you finish teaching.

You can also use your camera to take pics of products and prices when you are comparison shopping for cars, electronics or other items.

My son was recently trying to program a remote control for use with his television and he needed the model number that was on back of the television. Instead of moving his heavy 32″ television, he just reached behind it with his cellphone camera and took a picture. It was quick, easy and he didn’t need to worry about dropping the television on his foot.

Finally, you can use your camera to provide an historical view when you are working on a complex project. For instance, if you are tearing apart an engine, you can take a picture of each step so when it comes time to put it back together, you have a picture map of the process.

Now all you need to do is remember that you have a camera in your pocket – then put it to use. If you have any additional uses for your cellphone camera, take a minute to leave a comment and tell us about them.

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Your Training Calendar – Why Ask Why?

When was the last time that you examined your training calendar with “why” in mind? When most people look at the annual training calendar, they are interested in “what” training courses are available and “when” they are scheduled to occur. However, as a training manager it is very important for you to periodically step back from the day to day challenges of conducting training long enough to ask yourself “why” certain courses keep finding their way on to your annual training calendar. If you are an agency administrator who is working with a limited training budget, it may be time to start asking yourself why you are sending your officers or deputies to certain training courses year after year.

In its purest form, the purpose of training is to change the students’ behavior. Simply put, there is a “performance gap” between the target group’s current knowledge, skills and abilities and the desired knowledge, skills and abilities. In other words, a problem exists that can be solved through training. Let’s take a look at how to systematically design a training course to solve the problem.

The traditional systematic approach to instructional design is the ADDIE model. The ADDIE model’s dynamic approach to training development includes five phases – Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. The flexibility of this model makes it an ideal tool for building effective training courses.

In the analysis phase, the instructional problem is clarified but the most important part of this phase is determining if there is a problem that can be solved through training. The first step is to identify what “problem” the agency is experiencing that prompted a request for training.

It is not uncommon for administrators to confuse personnel issues with training issues. The bottom line here is when a person has the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to perform a task correctly, but doesn’t do so, no amount of training is going to correct the problem. It’s time to pull up your big boy pants and drop the hammer.

However, if you determine that training may solve your problem, the analysis phase is where you determine the target audience’s current knowledge and skills then develop your instructional goals and training criteria (objectives). In other words, you need to find out what people are doing that they shouldn’t, or not doing that they should.

In the design phase we use our training objectives as the foundation for developing assessment instruments, practical exercises, subject matter content, lesson plans and media selection. This is where concept meets implementation through the logical development of strategies that are designed to help us bridge the performance gap that we previously identified. You should find out how the work environment compares to the potential learning environment. What tools and resources are available that will enable desired performance or or discourage poor performance? Who are your learners and what characteristics influence, positively or negatively, their ability to do the work? What is the experience level of the target audience?

The development phase is where all of the players come together to build the “house” that we created in the design phase. The subject matter experts, writers, editors and programmers work to develop the initial prototype. The testers review the product and it is revised based on their feedback.

During the implementation phase, a procedure for training the trainers must also be developed. The instructors’ training should provide an overview of the course curriculum, training criteria, method of delivery, and testing procedures. From a training management perspective, this is also where you ensure that the books, hands-on equipment, tools, CD-ROMs, software and websites are available and functional.

The evaluation phase is actually a two part process. First, a formative evaluation should be conducted during each step of the ADDIE process. Finally, a summative evaluation should be conducted consisting of both testing instruments and an opportunity for feedback from the students.

Finally, examine your training calendar with an eye toward eliminating courses for which there is no longer a valid training need. If you broaden your planning perspective from one year to a four years, you can schedule training courses on a two years cycle. This will keep your training fresh and free your staff to develop new training programs that address current training needs.

A good training calendar in not a simple matter of filling in blocks of time with outdated training courses. Remember, training should be a means to an end – not an end in itself! Instead of using the “If you build it they will come” approach, identify the performance issues and then build a training calendar that bridges the performance gap.

Posted in In-service, Training | No Comments »

Free PDF Conversion On-line

Getting text and other content out of a PDF document can be a real pain. You can use Preview on the Mac or buy the full version of Acrobat for Window to get copy-and-paste capability but sometimes that is not enough. Acrobat’s “save as text” option is always a crap shoot – particularly on a long document.

This why I think PDFTextOnline is a great website. You can convert PDF text quickly and accurately and provide easy access to form data, document properties, and bookmarks. Plus there is no software download — it works in your browser! Check it out.

CLICK HERE:

PDFTextOnlin

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Pick The Hill You Want To Die On Carefully

I was reading the newspaper last Sunday when I came across a story that was picked up by the Associated Press about a 70-year-old Utah woman who was arrested for not watering her lawn. Over the years, I have learned to take the accuracy of newspaper articles with a grain of salt. I can still remember one occasion where I responded to homicide during a evening shift. When I got up the next day, I scanned the newspaper to see if they had reported anything about the incident. There was an article in the paper about a homicide but, with the exception of the location, the facts were so inaccurate that at first I didn’t even recognize the incident they were describing as the one I had worked the night before. However, for the purposes of this article, we will assume that the information contained in the article was essentially accurate.

When the story is distilled down, the facts are as follows. A 70-year-old woman hadn’t watered her lawn in more than a year, and the condition of her yard violated an city zoning ordinance. An officer attempted to issue her a summons for the violation but she refused to provide her name or sign the summons promising to appear at the hearing. If you are a cop, you can probably guess what happened next. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to go to jail either, so a struggle ensued and it went downhill from there. The woman ended up being arrested, booked and thrown in jail. I guess you could say that by following the letter of the law, justice was served and the cop did what had to be done . . . or not!

There is no way that a cop is going to come out of a situation like this looking good. Unfortunately, most of us have found ourselves in a similar situation where, what started as a minor situation somehow escalated into a knock down, drag out fight. My moment in the sun started as a truancy at 1:30 pm on the nearly deserted streets of a downtown housing project and ended with an all units call for assistance and seven arrests. I will spare you the messy details but it definitely got a little exciting for a while.

The common theme in these incidents is that neither of us acted outside the authority granted to us under the law. However, neither of us probably exercised the type of judgment and self-control that the public might reasonably expect from a professional law enforcement officer.

In my case, the cops that worked in the projects had an unwritten code of survival – never back down. We firmly believed that a cop wouldn’t last long in the projects once he got a reputation for backing down from the bad guys. Fortunately, no one was injured but I learned that an ego can be a terrible thing.

In the case of the Utah officer, a police spokesman diplomatically explained the situation saying, “Every officer in his career has situations they find themselves getting into, at the end of it they scratch their head and say, ‘gosh, how did this happen?’ Today, I think, was one of those days. Clearly there were some other options available.” The police are not pressing any charges against the woman for either neglecting her yard or resisting the ticket and the cop has been placed on administrative leave.

Sometimes it takes years of experience and maturity to figure out that just because the law says you “can” do something it doesn’t mean that you “must” do it on every occasion. During your entry level academy, someone probably mentioned the concept of discretion. Unfortunately, some officers never grasp the importance of this concept and it can create a public relations nightmare for their agencies.

Lets consider how the situation might have turned out if we could go back in time to the point when the officer realized that the woman was not going to cooperate with his effort to issue her a summons. At that point, he had a decision to make. On the one hand, the law in most states says that if a person fails to promise to appear in court they should be taken into custody. Of course, failing to provide one’s name or refusing to sign a summons will normally get you a quick ride in a patrol car – as it did in this case. However, the officer could have used a problem solving approach to the situation that may have prevented it from escalating into an embarrassing incident for himself and his agency.

Here are some of the facts that the officer should have considered. The “crime” was a relatively minor violation of the law that was not a danger to public safety. The situation had been going on for over a year and a summons was not going fix the situation. The violator was a 70-year-old woman that either didn’t fully understand the consequences of her actions or was very upset or both. The officer was probably becoming upset by the woman’s failure to obey his instructions.

At this point, I would argue that the best course of action would have been to take no action. Had the officer just said, “Ms. Perry, you are obviously upset right now so I’m going to give you a day to think about your situation. You need to contact the city to work out a solution to this issue. If you fail to do so by tomorrow at this time, I am going to come back and issue you a summons. If you fail to cooperate with me by providing the information that is required on the summons or you fail to sign the summons indicating that you will appear in court, I will be forced to arrest you, place you in handcuffs and take you to jail. I don’t want to do that but if you don’t do as I say, you will leave me with no alternative.” Had the officer done this, made a note of his instructions and then informed his supervisor of his actions, this situation would have probably turned out differently.

The manner in which the arresting officer handled this situation was probably “legally” correct but it was not “reasonably” correct. The officer’s actual actions failed the “Reasonableness Test” which is a really simple way to stay out of hot water.

Here’s how it works. When you realize that a situation is starting to escalate, ask yourself one question, “Is what I am about to do reasonable given all of the facts and circumstances?” If the answer is no, back off and try to de-escalate the situation even if it means backing down for now and coming back later when you are better prepared to deal with the situation. That’s it!

Remember, even General Douglas MacArthur was forced to back down and return at a later date to accomplish his mission.

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Getting Started With Fitness – Long Term Benefits

When I was younger and wasting away my youth and my money on partying, the only exercise in which I consistently engaged was chasing skirts. With the exception of the annual PT tests when I was in the Army, I never really had any fitness goals. I was always quick to point out that there were more old drunks around than old doctors. I later found out that it wasn’t uncommon for them to be one in the same but I digress.

I used to be able to get in shape in a week or two and I could lose five pounds in a few days without much sacrifice – then I hit thirty. Just when I began to realize that getting in shape after a long lay off wasn’t as easy as it used to be – I hit forty. I won’t even go into what happens when you hit fifty but it isn’t pretty.

Fortunately, there is a fountain of youth that can not only help keep you feeling young, it can actually turn back the clock. What’s even better is you don’t have to kill yourself to experience the benefits. Just devoting a few minutes a day is all it takes. In fact, you can experience fantastic results by exercising for just thirty minutes a day, four or five day per week. Bump it up to an hour and the world will be your oyster – not really but you get my point.

Exercise can improve your overall quality of life in a variety of ways. Experts recommend that we sleep a minimum of eight hours per night but very few Americans devote this much time to recharging their batteries. Even if you don’t get the recommended number of hours of sleep, exercise can help you sleep better.

Regular aerobic activity will strengthen your heart and lungs, help you lose weight and give you more energy. You can do sit-ups until the cows come home but you are not going to get rid of your spare tire. You simply can’t spot reduce – diet and fat burning aerobic exercise are the only route to a washboard midsection. From a long term perspective, your exercise routine will also help reduce your risk of developing heart disease and some types of cancer.

It always amazes me when I read about the number of people that rely on medication to relieve the stresses of day to day living. Exercise is free and it has been proven to reduce stress, improve your mood and relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Osteoporosis is another serious problem for a lot of older folks, particularly women. Regular strength (anaerobic) training helps strengthen your bones by increasing bone density.

The benefits of a regular exercise programs go on and on. The great thing is all of these benefits are available to you for the taking. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a health club membership. In fact, the only thing you need to “spend” is some time. Each day, just do little stretching, a few calisthenics and then lace up your walking shoes and take a brisk walk around your neighborhood. Try to increase the length and intensity of your workouts each week and before long you will see how investing a few minutes a day in exercise can significantly improve your overall quality of life.

Posted in In-service, Training | No Comments »

Getting Started With Fitness – Daily Motivation

As I mentioned yesterday, the hardest part of getting back in shape is starting. However, even after you have gotten over the hump of starting, there are going to be days that you just don’t feel like hitting the gym (or the road). So how do you stay motivated? Without motivation, your fitness plan is dead in the water and motivation doesn’t just happen – you have to motivate yourself everyday.

You took the first step toward motivating yourself when you decided on your fitness goal or goals. When you don’t feel like working out, remind yourself of your fitness goal. Remember, your daily workouts are your roadmap to achieving the your fitness goal. If that doesn’t do it , think of an upcoming event like a vacation that you want to get in shape for.

In addition to overall fitness, there are other beneficial side effects of a regular exercise program. After you get past the initial aches and pains of starting an exercise program, you’ll find that your daily exercise will leave you feeling energized. Use this as motivator when you’re having trouble getting started.

One of the reasons you feel so fatigued at the end of the day is stress. Exercise relieves stress – leaving you with a relaxed feeling after a workout.

For many busy people, the time they spend in the gym or out on the road running is the only time that they are disconnected from their cell phones and Blackberries. Tell your self that exercise is not something that you “have” to do. Instead think of it as the only time that you have to yourself during the day.

Still not motivated? You know that you are going to feel guilty if you let the day slip by without a workout. Try thinking about how good you will feel when you finish your workout, even if you cut a deal with yourself by doing a less intensive workout.

How about a bribe? The greatest management principle ever developed is “the things that get rewarded are the things that get done!” In other words, if you want people to complete a task, give them a reward. You can use this same technique to motivate yourself. Your reward can be something as simple as taking some “me time” to watch your favorite television show after you finish your workout.

Finally, you can always focus on the long range health benefits of your exercise program to get yourself out the door. However, you have already spent too much time in front of a computer for today so go workout and we’ll discuss the long range benefits exercise tomorrow. See how having a fitness buddy can help keep you on track?

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Getting Started With Fitness – The Basics

Recently, we’ve had a few days of really nice weather. In addition, to being a bright spot in a gray winter, it should also serve as a wake up call for those of you who have been using the cold weather as an excuse to hibernate for the past couple of months. It time to start exercising and get back in shape.

For those of you who are a little more seasoned, you have probably noticed that it is getting a lot harder to get back in shape than it used to be. There is an old adage among the gray haired set that says, “It used to be if I took a month off, I could get back in shape in a week. Now if I take week off, it takes me a month to get back in shape.” For most people, part the problem has to do with attitude and motivation. Getting back in shape can be painful – but it doesn’t have to be.

Just so we are all on the sheet of paper, let’s start by defining “exercise.” Wikipedia defines exercise as “bodily activity that develops or maintains physical fitness and overall health.” Exercise can also shape your body and improve your performance in a variety of areas. Part of the problem is that most people have a preconceived idea of what exercise is and that idea may no longer be applicable to your life situation.

Face it, you are no longer in high school so you don’t need to train like you did when you were preparing for the upcoming football season. The first step in your exercise program is to establish your fitness goal. Keep it simple – decide whether you train for a sport, lose weight or simply improve your health. After you determine your exercise goal, write it on a Post-it note and affix it to your refrigerator where you will see it everyday. Your exercise goal will dictate the type of exercise program that you will follow.

If we break exercise down to its most basic level, there are three fundamental types of exercise – flexibility, aerobic and anaerobic. For most of us former jocks, flexibility exercises were an afterthought. When you are young and flexible, flexibility exercises just don’t seem important. However, now that you are beginning to age, you have probably noticed a reduction in your range of motion for both muscles and joints. Regular static stretching each day can help you get that old flexibility back. You may even want to consider enrolling in a Yoga class to learn some proper stretching techniques. Even if your exercise goals are on the more ambitious side, like training for a sporting event, flexibility exercises should be part of your regimen.

The second type of exercise is aerobic activity such as cycling, walking, running, hiking, and swimming. These activities focus on increasing your cardiovascular endurance. I realize that ten years ago you were have been capable running three miles at an eight minute per mile pace but that was then and this is now. Remember, you are in this for the long haul so start off slow. Over training causes a host of problems that can bring your exercise program to screeching halt so keep your target distances reasonable and your pace slow. In fact, it may be a good idea to start off by walking at a brisk pace. If you want to make it a little more challenging, try hiking in the mountains.

The final type of exercise is anaerobic activity such as weight training which is intended to increase muscle strength. Again, it is critical that you start off slow. Don’t try to start by determining your one repetition bench press limit. Instead, try starting off with lower weights and higher repetitions. The quality of the exercises is more important than the quantity, so concentrate on your form.

Remember, the most difficult part of an exercise program is “starting.” If you are still having trouble getting motivated to start a regular program, find a training buddy. It’s always harder to duck out on your workout when you have someone else that is depending on you. The great thing about being an adult is freedom of choice. Lace up the walking shoes, dust off the weight bench or join a health club, it’s your choice but make the choice to start today.

Posted in In-service, Training | No Comments »

CheckFree Introduces On-line Deposits

Finally, we will be able to almost totally eliminate those trips to the bank. For those of us who have been using on-line banking for a while, that trip to the bank to deposit a check remained the final impediment to totally on-line banking. Now CheckFree Corporation is introducing a new service will let us deposit checks from home.

You will need a scanner, a computer and an Internet connection. Once the service is available at your bank, you’ll simply go to your home banking site, enter the amount of the check, scan both sides and send it of to your bank with a click of your mouse.

Of course, depending on where you do your banking, you may have to wait a while. Banks must offer the technology in order for customers to use it but the service is expected to become a standard in the banking industry.

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Fat? Don’t Go To Mississippi

A Mississippi politician introduced legislation that would ban obese people from restaurants. He says he was “trying to shed light on the issue.” If it was public debate that he wanted, boy did he get it.  I wonder how fat you have to be before you are too fat.

CLICK HERE:

Read Full Story

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100 Things We Didn’t Know Last Year

This article actually appeared in the BBC News Magazine Monitor on January 1st but I just came across it. Some of the items are a bit British in nature but the article includes links to a lot of interesting stories. Check out how the Brits kicked off there 2008 by looking back at the best of last year.

CLICK HERE:

100 Things We Didn’t Know Last Year

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How Many Five Year Olds Could You Take In A Fight?

I’m just reviewing this website because it’s off the wall. However, if you enjoyed the Excel game from last week, you’ll probably be really excited about this website. Juvenile officers may also find it to be a good stress reliever and also useful information to know.

Just take a short survey to find out how many five year old children you could fight at once. The results are based on your physical prowess, training, swarm-combating experience, and whether you have a moral issue with kicking ass on young kids.

The site lays down the following ground rules. You’re in an enclosed area roughly the size of a basketball court and there are no weapons or foreign objects to use when doing battle. The children are hardcore combatants they show no fear. If a child is knocked unconscious, he is “out” and the same goes for you.

I can take on 28 of the little curtain climbers before they can get the better of me. Check it out!

CLICK HERE:

How Many Five Year Olds Could You Take In A Fight

Posted in Useful Websites | 1 Comment »