Summer Session Online at CCSU

For the second summer in a row, I'm teaching a course on severe and hazardous weather that is being offered only online. I find online courses to be a mixed blessing for both me and the students in the course.

For me, the fact that I don't have to maintain a presence on campus every day is a nice change of pace. I spend much of the day online, waiting for students to ask questions, grading assignments as they are submitted, and moderating chat rooms where students can interact with me and each other. Even though I never see any of these students face-to-face, I actually feel that I get to know them better than most students in my larger in-class courses. That's the part I like.

What I don't like, however, is, in fact, the lack of face-to-face contact. I pride myself on my ability to get difficult concepts across to students through use of the board (black or white). That aspect of teaching doesn't exist in an online course. I rely on the students to keep up with, and learn and understand the material presented to them online, but I know that for some, it just doesn't happen.

Online courses are moneymakers for the university, as there are little or no overhead costs involved (no classroom lights to keep on, no air conditioned rooms to keep cool, etc.). But they are not for everyone, and students often don't realize that until they are in over their heads.

Auto Updates? Thanks, but no thanks.

Recently, I've been having problems with my computers at home. I have a somewhat unique situation in that my desktop computer (now over four years old) runs Windows XP and is still working well for me. My notebook computer came with Windows Vista Home Edition, and, while it took me awhile to adjust to the differences, it also works well, and (contrary to what those smug Mac folks would have you believe) hardly ever crashes or malfunctions. I have a home wireless network, and both computers speak to one another with never a harsh word between the two of them.

However, I've always been one of those types who wants to have the latest updates for every piece of software that I have. So I usually set my computer to automatically download and install these updates (for XP, Vista, Firefox, IE, etc.). Most of the time, they install with no problems and often provide improved functionality. Recently, however, that hasn't been the case.

I tried to install the Service Pack 3 update to Windows XP. It didn't work. In fact, I got a message telling me that the update installation failed. So I went back to where I was, and now I get continuously reminded that I need to update to Service Pack 3.

Then I installed an update to Windows Vista on my notebook. No problem with the installation, but when I restarted the computer, it refused to recognize the CD/DVD drive. In fact, it told me I didn't have one. I restored the system to its old, non-updated state, but still no CD/DVD drive. Luckily, I found a solution on Google, and all is well. But I won't run the update again, that's for sure.

Finally, there's Firefox 3.0.10. It updated itself automatically then proceeded to crash my computers (both of them) over and over again. I finally uninstalled it, and cycled back to a much earlier version of Firefox that works fine. And I no longer get automatic updates for it.

Newer isn't always better.

Mirror Images

People who have a hard time understanding how weather moves across the country from west to east should only look at east coast vs. west coast weather this week and weekend.  Last week and into early this week, the western U.S., particularly in California, was in the grip of an early spring heat wave.  Temperatures in Los Angeles were in the upper 80's, which is unusually warm for this time of year.  At the same time, here in Connecticut, we were looking at temperatures in the 50's for most of the early part of the week.

The upcoming weekend promises a reverse of those conditions.  Here in Connecticut, record-high temperatures are possible, as the mercury on both Saturday and Sunday will rise into the upper 80's.  Only those regions near the coastal waters will escape the extreme heat, as cool water temperatures act to keep temperatures lower as a sea breeze develops both days.  On the left coast, however, things will swing back to a slightly below normal condition, as temperatures in southern California will return to the mid to upper 60's.

The hot weather will not help firefighters in South Carolina who are fighting a major wildfire in the North Myrtle Beach area.  Conditions have been very dry, and some of the expensive homes and golf courses around Myrtle Beach have been threatened.  At least 69 homes have been destroyed as of this writing, and more are under the gun.

Baseball's Back...Spring, Not Quite

What a cold Easter weekend it's been here in Connecticut. Both yesterday and today featured temperatures that did not make it out of the 40's. Hard to believe that the calendar says mid-April, and we're one week into the 2009 baseball season. At least there's hope for the upcoming week that we'll see temperatures into the 60's as we move into mid-week.

The Yankees will officially open their new Stadium on Thursday, and I'd love to go, but I can't, for two reasons. First (and most importantly) I have classes to teach. Second, I don't have a ticket, and at this point, I can't afford one. There are still tickets to be had from the official Ticketmaster website. Face value......$2625.00!!! Obviously not an option. And I've seen nothing on StubHub (MLB's official ticket resale site) for less than $225. I'll just have to record the game, and watch it when I get home from work. At least the weather should cooperate for the opener, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 60's. A nice day for baseball. In fact, any day they can play is a nice day for baseball.

Out Like a Lamb

March lives up to its reputation here in Connecticut.  In like a lion, out like a lamb.  That couldn't be more true than it's been this month.  On March 3rd, we had the coldest  day of the month, with a high temperature of only 22 degrees F here in New Britain.  Today, on the last day of March, we've seen the mercury top out at a balmy 59 degrees.   At Bradley International Aiport, almost 8 inches of snow fell on March 2nd.  There was no more snow for the rest of the month, even though March is climatologically the second snowiest month of the year.

That's not to imply that there won't be any more winter weather here in New England.  There are plenty of reports of accumulating snow in past years, even into the early part of May.  But as the length of daylight grows longer, and the intensity of the sunlight grows stronger, winter is finally losing the battle as springtime weather takes over.

Only 6 more days till the Yankees open the 2009 regular season in Baltimore.  I can't wait!

What a Turnaround!

Just eight days ago, in my last post, I talked about the impending 8-12 inch snowstorm that had just begun around Connecticut.  In fact, much of the state got exactly that amount of snow, with some regions getting upwards of 14 inches of new snow.  And this, just after all the winter's snow cover had finally melted.

Now, little more than a week later, all of that snow is gone.  With the past weekend's 60+ degree weather on both Saturday and Sunday, it has all melted away.  Even after living in New England for over 30 years, I am still amazed by how quickly the weather can change around here.

Let the Fun Begin!

After a dusting of snow early this morning, the main event here in Connecticut is finally underway. Snow began here in the Hartford area around 9 PM, and should become quite heavy overnight.

Looks like a good 6-12 inches for the Hartford-New Britain area. Highest amounts (12-15 inches) will be in northeastern Connecticut and across central Massachusetts and southern Vermont and New Hampshire.

Oh well! Who wants to look at dull brown ground anyway? Fresh snow is much prettier.