Info - Useful information: September 2005 Archives

20858706.GIF.gifOfficeMax currently no longer has the Canon MP780 4-in-1 (scan/fax/print/copy) on sale for $199 (usually $249), but other mail-order companies are still selling it at a reasonable price (just Froogle for it). I mention the MP780 because it has an auto-document-feeder (ADF) which allows you to put a stack of papers in it and scan them all at once. This page contains tips on how to make the best of the MP780 or other ADF scanners.

I've been thinking about getting an ADF scanner for a while, so that I can scan to PDF all of the print articles that currently occupy several boxes in the corner of my office. Dedicated ADF scanners tend to go for about $500+, so this seemed like an inexpensive way to go. The MP780 has duplex printing but not duplex scanning, which is about the only thing that the more expensive ones have.

My MP780 arrived yesterday. Here are some of my notes:

Digg.com posted a useful link to Printing definitions and glossary of terms:

Glossary of Printing Terms

This glossary of printing terms was created by people working in today's printing industry and is brought to you by the printers at printusa.com who provide free printing quotes. It has been
revised and edited to help the desktop publisher understand the printing trade by TentMaker Publishing.
We have rewritten some technical descriptions in every day language to help the non technical person....



Accordion fold: Bindery term, two or more parallel folds which open like an accordion.

Against the grain: At right angles to direction of paper grain.

Alteration: Change in copy of specifications after production has begun.

Artboard: Alternate term for mechanical art.

Author's corrections: Also know as "AC's". Changed and additions in copy after it has been typeset.


....

Work and turn: Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from left to right ussing the same side guides and plate for the second side.

Wove paper: A paper having a uniform unlined surface with a smooth finish.


(Via Digg.com.)

The Tomorrow's Professor mailing list is a wonderful resource for new and old faculty and graduate students. Here's a gem of advice from TP#661 that I found resonated to the concept of "dashing" yesterday:

PUBLISH AND FLOURISH; BECOME A PROLIFIC SCHOLAR

The myth persists that prolific scholars are born, not made, but research suggests otherwise. Much is known about how to become more prolific-and any scholar can.

These steps will show you how.

Step 1. Write daily for 15 to 30 minutes. Many scholars believe that writing requires big blocks of time. They're wrong. Research shows that scholars who write daily publish far more than those who write in big blocks of time. The problem with big blocks of time is that they're hard to find. In contrast, when you write daily, you start writing immediately because you remember what you were writing about the day before. This leads to impressive production. In one study participants who wrote daily wrote only twice as many hours as those who wrote occasionally in big blocks of time but wrote or revised ten times as many pages (Boice 2000:144).

....

Step 4. Post your thesis on the wall, then write to it. When you sit down to write, take a stab at describing what you are going to write about. Don't make this difficult by trying to write the perfect sentence. Just jot down a word or a phrase; you can develop it later. Treat this as a working thesis: You can and should change it later. Better theses will almost invariably arise from this writing process. Eventually, you will want a short, memorable sentence that tells your reader what is at stake, what problem you are trying to solve, what claim you are making, or what your result or conclusion is. Just assert your point; don't burden the thesis with trying to prove it-you have the rest of the paper to do that. Post your thesis on the wall. Then define, refine, and write to your purpose. Keep coming back to your thesis. Work back and forth between your thesis and the rest of your paper, revising first one and then the other.

...

Step 12. Kick it out the door and make 'em say "No." You are almost ready to send your paper out, but two obstacles remain: perfectionism and fear of rejection. Expect rejection and plan for it. Select three journals for every manuscript. Address three envelopes-and stamp them. By choosing three journals, you have a long-term plan for your paper. If your paper is rejected at the first journal, you are prepared to send it to the second journal without the usual delay. And, keep your perfectionism in check. You may say that your paper is not really done. It could be better. That's true today, and it will be true 10 years from now. It's tough to know when "enough is enough." As a writer, you must find the balance between "making it better and getting it done" (Becker 1986: 122). You've written it. Trusted colleagues have read it. You've responded to their criticisms-it's time to kick it out the door (Becker 1986: 121). Artists are encouraged not to over-paint a !
picture, and bury a good idea in a muddy mess. And so it is for writers: don't overwrite your paper and bury a good idea in a muddy mess (Becker 1986: 131). Don't worry-if your writing needs more work, you'll get another chance. Anonymous reviewers are not known for being over kind. Your job is to write it and mail it. Their job is to tell you if it will embarrass you publicly. You've done your job so make 'em do theirs: Kick it out the door and make 'em say "YES!"

The ever-so-useful 43Folders site has an excellent article on how to beat the procrastinating blues - running a dash (doing timed short spurts of activity):
Procrastination can drive most of us into a spiral of shame that’s as mundane as it is painfully personal. We know what we should be doing, but some invisible hang-up keeps us on the line. Unfortunately, the guaranteed consequence of procrastination is growth in the scale of the task you’ve been putting off—as well as the anxiety that it creates. All the time you’re putting something off, your problem’s getting bigger—both in reality and in your head, where your colorful imagination is liable to turn even the most trivial item into an unsolvable juggernaut that threatens to overwhelm you. And that means extra stress, more procrastination, and the music goes round. My favorite tonic for procrastination—which I have mentioned in passing previously—is what I call a dash, which is simply a short burst of focused activity during which you force yourself to do nothing but work on the procrastinated item for a very short period of time—perhaps as little as just one minute. By breaking a few tiny pebbles off of your perceived monolith, you end up psyching yourself out of your stupor, as well as making much-needed progress on your overdue project. Neat, huh? (read more at 43Folders)
This advice is useful for both grad students who should be working on their dissertations as well as faculty who have a ton of miscellaneous projects that they should be doing (EHEM...). We know who the guilty parties are. :-)

Info - Useful information: November 2012: Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives

Sponsored Links

Powered by Movable Type 5.11

Sponsored by

 

Search

Sponsored Links

About this Archive

This page is a archive of entries in the Info - Useful information category from September 2005.

Info - Useful information: August 2005 is the previous archive.

Info - Useful information: October 2005 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

August 2014

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31