Technology: Interference and Unlimited

          I don’t know what platform is currently being used by stake.  There have been several complaints coming from our ward but I don’t know if it’s like that for all wards.  Recently three of the wards have been upgraded.  We are among the four that receive not-so-great viewing options.  Last week seemed fine, but we did have lots of interference yesterday.  We also had lots of rain.  So I suppose the weather interfered with – I’m guessing Frontier though I had suspected it had gone out of business as it is awful.

          We heard the opening hymn four times intermingled with Mormon Tabernacle Choir who were vibrant and definitely easier to hear.  I had the volume up as loud as it would go.  We heard the opening prayer three times.  Announcements twice.  And the first part of Elder Miller’s talk.  And then it reverted back and I finally turned it off.  But Jenna and I wanted to hear the rest of Elder Miller’s talk and so I signed in again.  We heard the end.  Nothing in the middle.

          The high counselor made a joke about the “dry council” as it was called when we were growing up. He wasn’t dry, but his deliverance somehow didn’t appeal to me and I lost track of the message.  We turned it off as Roland blessed and passed the sacrament.  And then I tried signing into Relief Society.  

        RS and SS use zoom.  Sunday School works great but RS and the Priesthood have different Zoom ID's seem to compete. At first I could only hear bits and pieces of the priesthood and then I couldn’t hear at all – though I wasn’t the only one with issues.  I could also hear another who had signed on and couldn’t hear.  We both ended up signing out and back in again.  It was about fifteen minutes before I got sound.  I could see seven aside the instructor but guessed there were at least three more as I could hear sisters I recognized by voice but did not have a view of them.

          My next stop was St. George – which worked the best of the three.  Elder Cooper showed me around Brigham Young’s winter home starting at the rear of the house.

though I was shown this hallway to begin with, we
did not use the stairs until the end of the tour - they
had been put in as part of the tour and not part of the original house

he referred to this as a "Mormon Couch" which can be used as a bed

He said that this was called a flat grand piano

The floors and much of the furniture is made out of white
 pine -though all have an appearance of something else

he said the two framed drawings are original to the house; the dishes are original
to the Young Collection but not a part of the winter house in St. George

 

this is the kitchen.  A hired helper roomed above the kitchen

another view of the kitchen and pantry through the door

though the stove is not the original the chair is

these are the stairs between the kitchen and the hired
hands' room; short skinny steps.  Not roomy at all

Amelia Young's bedroom; she never bore children

bedroom of Brigham Young.  Some original pieces - mostly copies.  I was most
interested in the dresser which my tour guide referred to as a trunk.  He said that
each of the drawers are numbered as the dimensions were of different sizes.

the cane on the bed is one that Brigham Young used

we spent a few minutes outside as he walked around 
and back; pay attention to the white bench

He referred to this as an office which I understood was not
built until after the dedication of the St. George Temple

As we walked inside Elder Cooper said the dedicatory prayer of the
temple had not been recorded and so the officials would use this office
to write down the prayer so that they would have it

The benches are originals but NOT to the house or office.  They were a part
of the 4th floor in the St. George Temple but were removed as the forth floor 
in temples (I think he said there were five of them) is no longer used

This shows behind the office. The colors
on house match original coloring

         When the tour was near its end and after I had thanked him, a group of four entered the gate and Elder Cooper let him know that the inside is for virtual touring right now but he would be happy to show them around outside and answer any questions.  Perhaps I should have stayed and listened but chose to sign off so that he could devote his attention to them.

If you would like to take a virtual tour in one of St. George historic sites click here to set up a time.

How Great the Passion

Last night I booked a tour to tour Winter Quarters this morning.  It wasn’t anything like what I had imagined.  Oh, but Elder Anderson shared his testimony through his passion of explaining historic moments through paintings and artifacts.  I think he was a little frustrated that I was not as live as he.  My laptop rarely gets turned on anymore, because it is always such an ordeal as though I am using AOL dialup (that is a reference to old school internet) and overall prefer my PC which does not include camera or microphone and so I have to use the chat box.  Of course my fingers don’t fly as quickly as my tongue.

I’d been introduced to Zoom almost four years ago when I started taking classes online. But I have never used Google Meet until this morning and didn’t know where the chat was located.  As I was searching, I inadvertently chose the closed caption and it played as I took screenshots of various pics – none which I might choose to keep if it weren’t for the captions which are more meaningful than the pictures.  Some of the captions don’t really go with the pictures that I took but are continued from something we just saw or where we are headed.

Elder Anderson would often focus on that which
was meaningful but did not "zoom" as well from
my perspective and often came out blurry

The weird brush-looking thing above is used for splicing tares from plants to make threads for sewing

Brigham Young's violin

More explanation of the Mormon Battalion – though not as much detail.  I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post that the white band was the most important part of the uniform.  The soldier’s HAD to wear the white band.  Rather than don themselves with the uniform in it’s entirety (blue uniforms pictured within frame to the right) money was sent to the pioneers in winter quarters

Elder Anderson focused on the dirt road and pointed
out a spot to represent where the Mormon Trail Center
(Winter Quarter Museum) is located.

 I thought the tour would include more outdoors than it did.  Truth is we never even left the building.  He pointed out the temple and the cemetery across the parking lot.  He even pointed out a man who was mowing the lawn, but the pictures were so distorted I couldn’t see much of what he was telling me about.

I took several pictures of this same replica as he said to me “You may want to write this down” – oh, as though I can write that fast.  I waited for words to move and took several screenshots as he spoke.  It was interesting but I know I wouldn’t have been able to write down even a fourth of it.

This was Orson Hyde's printing press
or at least a replica of it

The captions are still about the printing press though the subject had moved to blacksmiths and carpentry

I’m not certain who this rifle belonged to.  He talks about Jonathan Browning pistols and rifles in the picture but caption did not come until the screenshot below

He would zoom in on the maps and other features that would either blur or pick reflection.  I had laughed at the armature filming knowing fully well that I would have probably done worse.  Bless those missionaries who may have never had to work with modern technology before

 I also had many pics of this area as Elder Anderson explained the roles of Brigham Young and those circled in the chart to his right (well, Brigham Young’s left, our right) but kept many of the same picture with the different captions

This is an example of the blurriness that just didn’t convey through to my end.  Though Elder Anderson may have been frustrated at times not knowing I was still with him, I am grateful he could not hear me laugh as I know it must have sounded disrespectful.  Of course I would have muted my mike if I had made that option.  But I am not disrespectful about anything he said.

This is what was on the screen when Jenna came in to ask if I would like to take a walk with her and Bonnie.  She asked me if we had been there before.  I said the layout looked a lot like the Church Museum in Salt Lake City – and so did many of the displays.  But I really did love Elder Anderson’s enthusiasm as he shared his love and gratitude for the pioneers and the many sacrifices that were made.

I love Elder Anderson's tender explanation as
he zoomed on this part of the painting

 

I didn’t realize until the end I had gone through my screenshots that I made the connection of having a view of the Nauvoo Temple when I started the tour and ended up at the Salt Lake Temple (or what represented the Salt Lake Temple) Elder Anderson had summarized Pres. Gordon Hinckley’s quote on bookends but I did not make the connection right away.  

  “Today, facing west, on the high bluff overlooking the city of Nauvoo, thence across the Mississippi, and over the plains of Iowa, there stands Joseph’s temple, a magnificent house of God. Here in the Salt Lake Valley, facing east to that beautiful temple in Nauvoo, stands Brigham’s temple, the Salt Lake Temple. They look toward one another as bookends between which there are volumes that speak of the suffering, the sorrow, the sacrifice, even the deaths of thousands who made the long journey from the Mississippi River to the valley of the Great Salt Lake.”  - Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, “O That I Were an Angel, and Could Have the Wish of Mine Heart”, Conference October 2002 (here)

When COVID hit all of the church’s historical sites were shut down, but they now offer virtual tours for everybody.  Tours are offered in many languages.  Please go to this site to sign on.  Pick a language and find your options.  Have fun.

Invitation Answers post 2

         A year in April I had started a class called Sociology of Ageism.  A class that seemed more to do with life than with career choice. It was during this class that I was able to meet one of my favorite instructors that I had during my three years online.  She was really quite animated and did her entire lecture with the camera on. 

          I had seen other instructors use the camera before the lecture started, but not for the entire lecture.  I don’t know how many students watched the video.  I was the only one present for her live lectures.  I had become familiar with Zoom during those three years at school.  I did not realize that this year it would be an essential for so many.

          I’ve had several instructors who cared about their students as well as the subject they were teaching.  I didn’t have many who didn’t seem to care, but I do remember a couple that didn’t seem like they wanted to be there and expressed a “whatever” attitude.  But at times I understood the tone in their voice.  Either the subject was boring or else they just weren’t getting the feedback that they were looking for.

          I think it was during my last year that the students were required to elaborate on the quote of an instructor and to ask a question related to the lecture.  Thus I was forced to take notes which actually helped me to retain more.  What a concept, right?

          I have written posts about many of the classes that I had taken.  Some I did not.  I can’t seem to find any mention of my entrepreneur assignments.  I think entrepreneurship is the American Dream for many, but not for me.  I never wanted to own a business or invent something in order to gain profit.  There are so many advertisements right now that are related to Covid19 or current situation.  Some offer product out of concern for their clients but I think overall companies are taking advantage of marketing by preying on weaknesses or necessities even that volunteers have given but of course the company product is much better and so you should buy.

          I never did take the marketing class that was a part of the agenda when I had first started taking courses.  The agenda was changed and the marketing class was removed.  In Salt Lake marketing was always in my face.  In this little town of Myrtle Creek, only a handful of people understand what marketing is.

Two Classes and Strobe Lights

Scenario: You are an instructor about to present a lecture that you will need to record anyway.  It is 11:30 mountain time - the time announced to students when live lecture takes place.  You turn on your computer ready to start the meeting and there is no one there to listen to you live

question:    Do you start the lecture on time? Do you walk away from your computer and decide to return a few minutes later?  Do you wait half an hour after designated time before you start?  or would you start on time even though there isn't anybody with you at the start?

I would hope you would start on time.  five or ten minutes after the designated time, maybe, but not half an hour.  

I was late for class, I'll admit that.  Maybe 15 to 20 minutes.  There was somebody else signed on beside the instructor.  Why isn't he talking?  I am late for class.  What am I missing?  How come the sign on screen is on and I don't see a lecture.  I typed:

"Have you started the lecture yet?  I don't see anything."

My classmate answers that she is double checking the schedule because she can't see or hear anything either.  So what do we do?

I continued working on an assignment that I had started for my other class, but as time marched on, I grew concerned.  What if our instructor, who had obviously signed in to start the lecture, had had a heart attack or something?    It had been half an hour since the lecture was supposed to start.  I didn't feel like I was jumping the gun, but apparently, I was.  At 11:01 his voice came on and he announced that we would get started.  Just getting started?  What?  

I asked about the time and he said that he'd been there on time but that no one else was.  But two of us had been waiting for at least 20 minutes - though I told him half an hour because that's how long it had been from when he should have gotten started.  

Toward the end of his lecture, my screen started strobing - well, not my entire screen, just the lecture. "What is with your screen?" I asked my instructor - believing that he could see the same thing as I.  He suggested that the problem might be with zoom.  Oh, goody.  A third party device.  Who'm I suppose to address those concerns to?

I get someone at Tech support who says there is a glitch and did I try restarting my computer.  I guess I'll just use my laptop next week.  My last instructor (three mods now) made the screen so huge - almost too huge, but at least I could see it.  The class I had today was bigger than the one I had yesterday.  Back to a post-it-note size framed in black background.  Why does there have to be so much background???

I am excited about one class and will learn to adjust to the other.  I will be kept busy for the rest of this month.  I don't know how often I'll be able to post to my blog.  Weekends, maybe?

Where My Discussion Post Ends and My Blog Post Begins

          When I was in my twelvth mod, I had two classes.  I would try to attend the live lecture of each class.  I think I had attended all four lectures in my algebra class - perhaps only three.  Fortunately there was no problem with the hook-up system (the school uses a program called Zoom) but the instructor in my management class would always have a problem with the system cutting out or recording only audio or video, but not both.  It generally happened whenever she played a video in addition to her lecture.  I told her to stop showing videos and just send us the links.  I don't know if it would have made any difference.

          Last mod I also had two classes - two accounting classes.  I still don't understand the language, but I actually did well in both classes.  That is amazing considering what torture it was trying to get into a live lecture or (in most cases) listen to the recording . . . as it wasn't just one or two instructors having issues with Zoom;  the entire school was affected.  That is what Roland had told me anyway.  Not only is he a full time student at the same online school as I am, but is employed with them as well.

          This mod I am taking only one class (hooray) again in accounting (boo) and I don't know if Zoom has been fixed or not.  Thus far it does not look promising.  No one in the class appears to have been contacted by our instructor - usually he or she will introduce self or remind us of upcoming lecture or something.  There was supposed to be a live lecture yesterday, which starts at the same time as the children's summer reading program. I had already made a commitment to summer reading.  In addition, it seems I have been recruited to be the story lady - for the last two weeks anyway. 

          Yesterday the library (or the one in charge of the program rather) decided to celebrate SpongeBob's birthday and shared some trivia while children were coloring.  I shared Allison Jackson's "There was an old lady who swallowed a pie" - only I changed the wording a little bit and used SpongeBob as the character instead of an old lady, asking the children between each item of food, "do you think he'll die?"  they would always answer "No"  and they were right.

          I like Allison Jackson's version better than the original "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly"  because (with the exception of one item) her story deals with real food and no one dies.

          Neither Jenna nor I are avid SpongeBob fans - in fact we'd be okay with knowing that he had croaked.  But the idea of a sponge and some of Allison Jackson's rhymes gave me an opportunity to educate rather than just read or tell.

          So back to my accounting - I was hoping to watch the lecture before posting my discussion to perhaps get a better idea of what is expected.  As of now, I don't even know if my instructor tried to give the lecture or if he has started working for the university this week or is on sabbatical or what.  His discussion post was created on Saturday before the class had even started.

          Our topic is on importance of accurately accounting for costs in Job Order Cost Accounting.  Also, discuss the consequences of errors in this area. From what I understand, overhead charges and cost of labor that must be paid by the company is figured in the cost that a consumer must pay.

          The video example that had been given is building a burger and breaking down the cost of said burger.  There is the obvious cost for the meat, the bun and other ingredients, but the breakdown also includes the employee's wage.  Just suppose he was getting paid 10.00 an hour and it takes 3 minutes for him (or her) to build each burger.  That is 3 minutes to every 60 or 5% of 10.00.  and a predetermined overhead cost.

          The cost of electricity (for instance) is not figured into each burger, per se.  Utilities, indirect labor [that would be the supervisor making certain the employees are working, or the time spent cleaning (or idling) after all the customers have been served], indirect materials [someone has to pay for the cost of that grill] and property taxes or rent) are all part of that predetermined rate.  All of those costs are all added up together for the year and then more math is deducted and combined and made into a percentage that is also added to the cost of the burger.

          One of my class mates used auto labor as an example which I was actually able to understand a little more and have been trying to come up with my own examples using my false lawn care service from my former management class, or the cost of labor that we have seen (and will expect to see more) for the demolition and restoration of our floor, walls and spaces in between.  Thus far we've had to dole out checks for the plumber, the electrician and the pest control.  All with overhead costs - though we don't understand why on the electrician.

          Roland had asked for a card and wondered if he would be able to make a deal with trading services for a future project.  Wiring in the front room to put in a ceiling fan for new cards and marketing.  This area really needs to be educated in marketing. They either don't believe about it or know about it or care.  The font on the business cards was very hard to read.  Roland thought the shape of the font looked like an anchor.  I thought it looked like an open mouth - like perhaps a dentist would use.  I don't know what the overhead would be.  There is no sign on the truck.  I don't know how their pricing breaks down.  I suspect they can charge what they want as there doesn't seem to be any competition.

          I personally am not impressed with big vans and trucks bearing fancy names - especially now that I know it is part of my cost and I don't wish to support brand names when they have so many employees that the company has lost sight of them as well as the consumers.  Let me give a "for instance" which I wasn't planning to call by name, but because of my dissatisfaction, I want to warn others about why I stopped using the services of a certain company.

          Whipple Plumbing and Heating is a chain in Utah (Salt Lake/Ogden areas) which I believe has gotten too big for its breeches.  I don't know how many employees it staffs nor do I understand why we tried their services several times.  We ALWAYS had to call them to return to finish or correct a job and then ended up calling someone else to permanently fix it.

          I think they were called three times while we lived in Kearns and twice in West Valley.  For the poor plumbing issues (one project, never resolved by Whipple) we had three different guys, none which corrected the mistake of the other, we finally called an elderly man that Roland had been in contact through some clients of his. 

          Elwin Shipley arrived in his unmarked truck and fixed the problem.  He was awesome!  He fixed problems one time.  If you were to contact him again, it would be for a different problem.  Unlike Whipple, who got it right only one time (which will be my next paragraph), Elwin didn't charge an arm and a leg.  He didn't need to.  He didn't have the extra overhead cost.  I wasn't paying for the logo on his truck.  (Whipple had definitely figured a LOT of overhead expenses - had I continued to use them, I would have probably ended up paying for an entire fleet of trucks)

          Whipple had a promotion on toilets and as ours had to be replaced, we gave them another try (first one in WV).  The plumber who came out was very friendly toward Jenna and the dog and just a down to earth wholesome guy - or so it appeared.  He said that when I called, I could ask for a specific plumber.  That was our exception.  That was the only thing that we didn't have to have work redone on.

          Because I had liked the plumber, when another situation we had required plumbing services, I called Whipple with another opportunity and the name of the plumber who seemed to have the attitude "I've got you in my snare now, I don't have to be nice to you."

          Perhaps he was just having a bad day - perhaps there had been a recent death in the family or someone in his flipped him off on his way to work . . .  who knows.  The point is he just rubbed me the wrong way.  That was the last time we used Whipple.

          My discussion post was about Gil's heating and air conditioning - a business that relies on word of mouth.  I just thought of another.  Remarkable Rooter also gets the job done.  WITHOUT THE OVERHEAD!  Why pay more?  Really?  Because the competition has a brand name and drive a fancy van?  My consumer attitude may get me into trouble with my classes . . . although they haven't so far.  Did I mention that I LOVE living in a small town with an ignorance to marketing?  Well, I do.