The Designspace

Questions that need to be asked about Lousiana's response to Katrina

This is best statement I've seen yet on the ineptitude with which Hurricane Katrina evacuation and recovery were handled.

After things calm down, and the memory of all this begins to fade, I hope no one forgets to ask these questions:

Why were no means of evacuation other than the SuperDome provided for those too poor or infirm to leave? These were not people who were set on remaining in their homes no matter what. They all flocked to the SuperDome for lack of a better plan.

Even if we accept the lack of leadership in facilitating the evacuation, when it quickly became obvious that the SuperDome was no longer a viable facility for the thousands of people inside - why did it still take a WEEK to get them out? Even though people were actually dying inside.

Why were people prevented from leaving the SuperDome? Even without assistance, many could have left under their own steam but were prevented by checkpoints outside from doing so, as if they were prisoners, forced to remain in completely unliveable conditions.

Why didn't Lousiana Follow its Required Emergency Plan?

Why Did Police Threaten To Shoot Anyone Walking To Safety?"

We questioned why we couldn't cross the bridge anyway, especially as there was little traffic on the six-lane highway. They responded that the West Bank was not going to become New Orleans and there would be no Superdomes in their city.

As a nation responding to 9/11, we were incensed that terrorists could kill 3000 people. What happened with Katrina was criminal negligence, and many more than 3000 people died needlessly because some politicians had their heads in the sand.

Issues with Shared Excel and Word files on Novell servers

I've been using a shared Novell drive to collaborate with a team. We use Excel and Word files, and I've attempted to make them "shareable". Quite often the file will work for a while, then "lose" its shareable attribute.

To make an excel file shareable on a Novell server, you have to do two things.

Open the file, select "Tools: Shared Workbook". Check "Allow changes by more than one user at the same time."

In Windows Explorer, right-click the Excel file, select Properties, then click on the NetWare Info tab.

Check "Shareable"

I've found that Novell loses this shareable attribute randomly, and it must be reapplied.

Adding Narration to Powerpoint

Preparation:

1. You will need to purchase a microphone or a headset Microphone. I recommend the Plantronics USB headset mics, LISTED HERE. I use the Plantronics DSP 400, but the less expensive ones work well also.
2. Find a quiet room, preferably one with no air-conditioning or heating blower hum, and no other ambient noises. If you work in an older building this can be a challenge, enough so you may want to consider doing the recording elsewhere.
3. Prepare a script for your narration. Run through it once or twice, to eliminate "umms" and "errr's" in your rendition.
4. Plug in the microphone, and if you are using Windows, you will also need to install the software that comes with it, and restart. On a Mac, simply plug in the mic, then select System Preferences from the Apple menu or the Dock, select
5. If you haven't already, create your Powerpoint slides.

Recording:

1. If your Powerpoint file is on a CD or a server, move it to a new folder created on your desktop, or within your documents folder. I've found that many people have difficulty figuring out where their files actually are after recording, and it helps if you put them all together to begin with. This also eliminates network slowdown issues when recording and playing back.

2. Open the Powerpoint file. Select "Record Narration" from the Slide Show menu.
   
3. Under "Sound Input device" select the Plantronics USB microphone from the pull-down menu.
   



4. Also select "Link Narrations" and choose the folder containing the Powerpoint file for the location of the linked narration files.

When you click "Record," the presentation will start to play with the first slide. Begin narrating, and when you have finished with the first slide, click the mouse, or hit the spacebar to advance one slide. Continue with the text for the next slide. When you are done with all the slides, Powerpoint will ask you if you want to save the timings with the narration.





To move the presentation to a laptop or CD, drag the entire project folder to the new location.