So I decided to ignore my other responsibilities and focus on editing my thesis so I could get it done before I have to return this computer. I was working my way diligently through my edits when I noticed that a page reference was missing. I knew what the page was from my edited copy to I just added it in. Then I noticed another page reference was missing so I tried to get into "Edit Citations" to see if I had added it, but, although there was a space before the period, the computer said there wasn't a citation there to edit. When I clicked on a citation that included the author's name and the publishing date, but not the page, there, in the editing field, was the page reference.
I checked several others. Consistently the page references weren't showing in the document but had been added in the editing field. What-to-do? What-to-do? After much exploring and manual reading, it seemed to me that it must be something to do with Output Styles. So repeatedly I tried to open APA 5. The little icon that signals that something is opening appears then a quick flash of a field which immediately disappears. So I can't change anything to get the pages to show. Which means I have a problem because I have to have the pages references there when I print up the next version for my final committee meeting.
I use Google to get to EndNote, find "Technical Support" and describe the problem. The page says that they guarantee a response within 3 working days. That should be just about when I have to turn this computer back to its owner.
I'm tired of fighting with software!!!!!
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Working at Work Avoidance
The first time I heard about EndNote I was fascinated. A software that does all the finicky detail work of citing and building a bibliography! I was immediately sold. As soon as I was back at school, despite the cost, I picked up a student version. Anything to free myself from bibliographic hell.
For a long time I was enthralled by filling out the reference cards, citing while I wrote, and then checking my References which kept magically growing. And EndNote took care of the nasty APA details. I did have a few problems. I'm a tad manual-adverse and figuring out some of the steps I had to take took some time. By-and-large, though, I was happy with the way EndNote worked.
Then the first of my computer migrations happened, and I had to migrate across platforms. To keep using EndNote I had to purchase a Mac upgrade for my Windows version. What a messy experience! I emailed and ordered it from a pleasant memail help-person. First he sent me a Windows upgrade, then a Mac 5 for OS 9, and finally, finally EndNote 6 for OS X. Lots of emailing there and the guy was apologetic about the confusion and I got to keep the various CDs and manuals.
I'm a bit detail adverse too, and I avoided learning about APA, figuring the software would take care of all that for me. Luckily my thesis supervisor is kind and supportive. As he told me things like, no author's name here, and page number there, I worked with the manual enough to figure it out a little bit here and a little bit there. Worked for me.
It took me a while to figure out how important the library is, and that an alias is not a library. I did lose one version of my thesis library, but a backup existed and I was able to get it and add in the references I'd lost. It wasn't too bad, except for the anxiety attach I had until I got the backup installed. So, ... I learned a lot.
Then I had to move to another Mac, an iBook, and now I'm back to a second G4. The good news is my institution issues me computers; the bad news is there's a lot of change. As a result, the good news is, I am forced to learn a lot. Now I am squatting temporarily on my mate's G4 while he's travelling. While I was trying to edit my thesis, EndNote would either not open, or "unexpectedly quit" over and over and over. I tried all kinds of variations; nothing worked. But all the elements showed up in Word undertools and in the icon bar. They just wouldn't open.
I began feeling a bit anxious. I pulled out the manual. Didn't find it helpful. I uninstalled and reinstalled the program. Still kept quitting. Went to the EndNote site, and found the FAQ. After stumbling through the list of questions for a while, I found one that seemed to fit. It told me to get a free download to update EndNote 6 for OS X. I did, and in one of the most common of the current cliches, the rest is history. More or less.
On the computer previous to this one, the iBook, EndNote developed the twitch of whenever I put in a citation, the rainbow ball would spin and spin, then suddenly the last page of the references would be on the screen. I scroll back up to the page I was on and edit the citation, whereupon the same thing would happen. The bad news is this happens for every single citation. The good news is I'm mostly finished and don't have to add too many more citations. And the other good news is that I've learned how to use the scroll bar to find the heading and page number with it. Learning by accident.
So, is that work avoidance, or simply a different kind of work? Don't know, don't care, would rather play with the computer than work out where commas go and where periods go and type it all up manually.
I can cite while I write again and I know more about how to use EndNote. I'm sure I must be avoiding some work.
For a long time I was enthralled by filling out the reference cards, citing while I wrote, and then checking my References which kept magically growing. And EndNote took care of the nasty APA details. I did have a few problems. I'm a tad manual-adverse and figuring out some of the steps I had to take took some time. By-and-large, though, I was happy with the way EndNote worked.
Then the first of my computer migrations happened, and I had to migrate across platforms. To keep using EndNote I had to purchase a Mac upgrade for my Windows version. What a messy experience! I emailed and ordered it from a pleasant memail help-person. First he sent me a Windows upgrade, then a Mac 5 for OS 9, and finally, finally EndNote 6 for OS X. Lots of emailing there and the guy was apologetic about the confusion and I got to keep the various CDs and manuals.
I'm a bit detail adverse too, and I avoided learning about APA, figuring the software would take care of all that for me. Luckily my thesis supervisor is kind and supportive. As he told me things like, no author's name here, and page number there, I worked with the manual enough to figure it out a little bit here and a little bit there. Worked for me.
It took me a while to figure out how important the library is, and that an alias is not a library. I did lose one version of my thesis library, but a backup existed and I was able to get it and add in the references I'd lost. It wasn't too bad, except for the anxiety attach I had until I got the backup installed. So, ... I learned a lot.
Then I had to move to another Mac, an iBook, and now I'm back to a second G4. The good news is my institution issues me computers; the bad news is there's a lot of change. As a result, the good news is, I am forced to learn a lot. Now I am squatting temporarily on my mate's G4 while he's travelling. While I was trying to edit my thesis, EndNote would either not open, or "unexpectedly quit" over and over and over. I tried all kinds of variations; nothing worked. But all the elements showed up in Word undertools and in the icon bar. They just wouldn't open.
I began feeling a bit anxious. I pulled out the manual. Didn't find it helpful. I uninstalled and reinstalled the program. Still kept quitting. Went to the EndNote site, and found the FAQ. After stumbling through the list of questions for a while, I found one that seemed to fit. It told me to get a free download to update EndNote 6 for OS X. I did, and in one of the most common of the current cliches, the rest is history. More or less.
On the computer previous to this one, the iBook, EndNote developed the twitch of whenever I put in a citation, the rainbow ball would spin and spin, then suddenly the last page of the references would be on the screen. I scroll back up to the page I was on and edit the citation, whereupon the same thing would happen. The bad news is this happens for every single citation. The good news is I'm mostly finished and don't have to add too many more citations. And the other good news is that I've learned how to use the scroll bar to find the heading and page number with it. Learning by accident.
So, is that work avoidance, or simply a different kind of work? Don't know, don't care, would rather play with the computer than work out where commas go and where periods go and type it all up manually.
I can cite while I write again and I know more about how to use EndNote. I'm sure I must be avoiding some work.
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
The Digital Disconnect
One of the things I've learned through putting up a few sites is that it is actually quick and easy to fix or update a single page, and then upload it to its site. You don't have to take months. I've also noticed that it's more interesting to create a new site than update an old one. Which may be why there's a lot of out-of-date stuff up there on the web. So what?
So an institution should figure out how to keep its web site up-to-date, especially when it comes to a page referring to someone who has died. I don't know why it has to be a secret who is in charge of getting the web changed when something has changed. The presisdent of the institution must have better things to do with his time than redirecting concerns about seriously out-of-date material to the one in charge of the technitions who will actually make the changes. Why don't institutional web sites encourage their employees to help them by having, in a prominent spot, an address where problems could be directed?
Why not use the interest of people in their part of the institution by encouraging their participation rather than discouraging them! I suspect that many people including managers have no idea how simple small changes are. It's part of the great digital disconnect where people who don't understand make decisions, or don't make decisions because they don't know how things work!
So an institution should figure out how to keep its web site up-to-date, especially when it comes to a page referring to someone who has died. I don't know why it has to be a secret who is in charge of getting the web changed when something has changed. The presisdent of the institution must have better things to do with his time than redirecting concerns about seriously out-of-date material to the one in charge of the technitions who will actually make the changes. Why don't institutional web sites encourage their employees to help them by having, in a prominent spot, an address where problems could be directed?
Why not use the interest of people in their part of the institution by encouraging their participation rather than discouraging them! I suspect that many people including managers have no idea how simple small changes are. It's part of the great digital disconnect where people who don't understand make decisions, or don't make decisions because they don't know how things work!
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