Tuesday, September 29, 2009

A College Learning Model adapted to the Workplace

There is a unique college learning model that would be well suited to train workers for new tasks and assignments. The learning model that LDS Business College has designed is a 3 step repetitive cycle.
The principles can be applied to different aspects of the learning process.
They are
  • Prepare
  • Teach One Another
  • Ponder and Prove
I would like to think of these steps as cyclical, meaning that passing through the three steps once will not produce the maximum result.

As I think of the word prepare many ideas come into my head, "a Boy Scout is always prepared", "prepare for the unexpected", and "prepare for the worst". I would apply the Prepare principle in the job setting by first, studying an enterprises history before going to the job interview. Prepare can also be seen from an angle that a future employee would need to have developed certain skills learned desired principles before applying to a position. Another way of interpreting the Prepare principle is that the employer would encourage use of notes, made by the employee, created to make a knowledge base and thus a more effective and efficient work flow throughout the business.
It is a known fact that when one teaches a skill that skill is reinforced into the teacher. When we teach others, we give our selves the opportunity to strengthen the knowledge we gained previously. Also when one teaches they receive commentary from those they teach, whether peers or not, and this commentary can be used as constructive guidance to strengthen the teacher's developing knowledge. If we teach what we know than we reinforce that knowledge and also strengthen that knowledge by following constructive guidance. If employees are encouraged to teach the new skills to other employees than the retention level of these new skills will increase.
When I say Ponder and Prove, I simply mean that one needs to think about a task or problem before attempting to resolve it hands on. For example, if a pop-up error window appears as you are designing a company worksheet, do you click through the error message without reading what the possible errors could be and repeat the same process again and again, but expecting a different result? The purpose of pondering and proving is to use methodical and systematic problem solving when approached with problems. Formally stated, know the problem, research the problem, search for solutions, from your research determine a course of action and prove that it works or prove it infective. When your result is infective, research further and continue the process until you've proven a hypothesis effective.

Restated in my words this would the learning model to implement in training employees.
  • Be Prepared
  • Reinforce material through teaching and take constructive guidance
  • Use Systematic Problem Solving
To learn more about LDS Business College's recent activity go to http://www.utahcampuscompact.org/ldsbc.html
The LDS Business College website ldsbc.edu
For more information on the LDSBC Learning Model click here.
Picture of LDSBC learning model created by LDSBC and I take no ownership for its structure or design.

PC Slow After Login? Small Changes, Quicker Startup

Problem: Slow Start-up time after login to windows.
We all know that you have a computer or have used a computer that has taken several minutes just to start-up after the logging-in to Windows.
The change is simple, you need only go to one place to choose which programs will initiate at startup.

Research: http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Remove-Unwanted-Startup-Programs-As-Fast-As-Possible&id=685807

Hypothesis Tested and Proven:
  1. Click the Start Button
  2. Open the "Run" program
  3. Type msconfig into the text field
  4. Click on the Startup tab
  5. Choose which programs you want to begin at startup by clicking on the box. The boxes with green checkmarks will begin at startup.
Note to user: Please, either search on the internet about each startup program before deselecting it or don't touch it at all. Obviously, some startup processes are necessary for windows startup.Conclusion: With a little research weather it be on the internet, through an acquaintance, or in a manual, a person can find the solution to almost any computer problem.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Friday, September 18, 2009

Setting-up Wireless on the Network Security Toolkit (NST)

This link will give you detailed steps on how to set-up your wireless on you Network Security Toolkit.
http://24.97.150.195/nstwiki/index.php/Wireless_Setup_Tips#Detailed_Steps
  1. Boot Live CD
  2. Run the command "setup_x". After configuring the display you'll be returned to the console prompt.
  3. Run the command "init 5"
  4. Right click the desktop. Select NST WUI, then Documentation and then NST WUI Start Page (w)
  5. Login using "root" for "User Name" and your original password for "password"
  6. Using the menu bar, select Networking, then Wireless, and then WPA-PSK Setup
  7. Select your wireless interface. Click AP Scan. Choose your SSID. Enter the PSK (key). Click Perform WPA-PSK Setup.
  8. Close the Firefox browser. From the terminal window, run the command: "init 3". From the console prompt run the command "init 5"
The Main Page for NST Wiki http://24.97.150.195/nstwiki/index.php/Main_Page
You can check out the latest news about NST at http://networksecuritytoolkit.org/nst/index.html

Learning about Snort

I found some very informative articles about Snort.


Figure 1: Snort Architecture by Nalneesh Gaur of Linux Journal


The Linux Journal will provide you with information about the architecture, Snort rules, the principles upon which Snort is based, some examples of what the back end or output will be, and also great diagrams like the one above to help grasp the concept.

From Snort's home site snort.org I found that 4 programs are required before installing Snort:
  • Libpcap
  • PCRE
  • Libnet
  • Barnyard
As well there were programs to help and assit Snort like Oinkmaster.
http://www.snort.org/downloads/additional-downloads/#oinkmaster

You can download you Snort Rules at snort.org as well.
http://www.snort.org/start/rules

For information on Snort, read Docs from Snort like Snort Manual.
http://www.snort.org/start/documentation

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Implementing Information Systems

A SWOT analysis aids in strategically examining a company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

S-Strengths
W-Weaknesses
O-Opportunities
T-Threats

This can be applied to an IT department to identify human, technical, and financial resources.
Dilbert.com
If you see the need for a systems request or someone else mentions they need IT support, it is probably for one or more of the following reasons:
  • better performance
  • improved services
  • reduced cost
  • more information
  • stronger controls
  • support for new products and services
When you decide you want to implement a new information system consider these internal factors:
  • Strategic Plan
  • Top Managers
  • User Requests
  • Information Technology Department
  • Existing Systems and Data
Also consider these external factors:
  • Technology
  • Suppliers
  • Customers
  • Competitors
  • The Economy
  • Government

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Snort Install Round One: no C compiler (gcc)

I downloaded Snort from http://www.snort.org/downloads. I downloaded the 2.8.4.1 version.
This site http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1421 has the instructions to install Snort. This is where I got the instructions to install 'libpcap'.
It also has instuctions on trouble shooting and understanding SNORT
I downloaded libpcap-0.8.1 from http://sourceforge.net/projects/libpcap/.
As I read the Install.txt file I found how to use the command console to install libpcap.

I entered the following into the console
su ---to bring up the root
usergzip -d -c libpcap-0.8.1.tar.gz tar xvf - ---then all the files were listed inside
cd libpcap-0.8.1/ ---going into the folder now
./configure ---and then it configured the setting of computers settings as well it checked the C compiler (gcc ) and recieved a works... no as well as the configure: error: intallation or configuration problem: C compiler cannot create executibles.

Then from there obviously the 'make' commands would not work because the config could not make a file in MakeIn folder adjusted to my system.

After searching through all the following documents and sites I Downloaded cc-4.3.4.tar.gz from http://gcc-ca.internet.bs/releases/gcc-4.3.4/ a mirror of gcc.gnu.org. I'm not sure what to do from here?
How do I install this gcc since I didn't have one.
What is a gcc? It must have something to do with a compiler.

These are the links of numerous sites I have searched inorder to find a solution:


Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Advanced Speadsheets with Microsoft Excel: Beginning

Pondering: Starting with today's work the first exercise proved simple and purposeful because of the pre-reading and examples I completed. The examples became, as discussed in class, more difficult to understand and less practical. I find the business, finance, and managerial viewpoint and application of Information Systems very interesting.
Learning: One must read the text before assuming that the exercises are inapplicable to the text. Read, learn, before you work.