KOTESOL REVIEW # 1

I hope to describe a few of the seminars I went to. I wanted to do this last year, but lost enthusiasm; here's hoping I don't this time.

I almost missed the first presentation as I had trouble with registration. Luckily, I had a small receipt from the bank machine showing that I had transferred money to the treasurer's account. Part of the problem is that the Korean software only accepts Korean length names. We found 'Bria' on a page of unknown depositors on the date listed on my receipt. Anyway, I had to enter my name into a word processor and my card was printed on the spot. It wasn't a big deal, but I waited more than half an hour to get it straightened out. I entered my name and university, but if it happens next time, I will be entering my name and "presenter" to get access to the behind-the-scenes areas.

Anyway, I did make it in in time to see Raymond Wong's presentation on having student make presentations in listening class. He clearly had put a lot of work into his class and his presentation and the information he gave us will allow me to plug it into next semester's classes without great adjustments.

Briefly, he prepared information on eight or so videos and the students (working in teams or pairs) could choose the video they liked. The students needed to find Japanese definitions (his is a Japanese university) for a word list he created. Then, he provided them with a videoscript and they made two pages of questions. Teams that chose the same videos peer-reviewed the question pages, then they were provided to other students.

Mr (Doctor?) Wong used TV programs and burned them to DVDs but I think Youtube would work just as well. He also used documentaries, rather than TV shows.

I found it very interesting and also found the person I sat next to interesting. She was wearing a nametag saying "Chris Backe" and I had thought that person was a he. Anyway, she was, in fact, Mr Backe's "guest" - part of how the registration worked. I later met the man himself.

Oh, Chris and his guest were interesting in their own rights as well. I later had lunch with them and JoeSeoulMan.

Joe taught us a new term for something I admit I had long done but hadn't known such a term existed. Spousal Money Laundering is something a man married to a Korean particularly might do. As many such men are put on an 'allowance' from wives who control finances, one way to get a little more pocket money is to go out to lunch with a group, collect cash from that group, then pay by credit card. Suddenly, one has a surplus of cash.

"My blog and Facebook account are private"

... or are they?

Government officials in bozeman, Montana are requiring job applicants, on their application, not merely to list their social networking sites, but also their passwords.

“Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.,” the City form states. There are then three lines where applicants can list the Web sites, their user names and log-in information and their passwords.

I have been somewhat careful to speak well or neutrally about my workplace and seldom mention it by name at all.  This blog is not found by searching for me by name.

I think I would be comfortable with an employer or prospective employer reading this blog, but I would have to think about it before posting it on my resume, for example.

Facebook is another story, and especially with my password.  With my password, you can visit the pages of all my friends so it isn't even my privacy I would be concerned about.  Although I would be concerned about that as well.  Readers of this blog and visitors to my Facebook profile can easily see my thoughts on religion, although no student learns of them except occasionally after a direct question.

Cory Doctorow at Boingboing is up in arms and a Google search seems pretty full of relevant links.

UPDATE: Here is a link to the form - which may soon change, I suspect.

Born with the gift of laughter and the knowledge the world was mad

The quote above might be as true for me as it was for Sabitini's Scaramouch.

Random bit of bad news: KwandongAlex was sick and feverish ten days ago, KwandongWife was sick and feverish two days ago (and may still be) and now I, too, have tonsillitis.  It looks like I won't need surgery, just medicine and I've started taking the normal-for-Korea pack of six pills after each meal.

I have always had a cold or a runny nose.  I have a few allergies and foreigner's long nose but mine is pinched and narrow so all my life I have sneezed a few times a day -except now.  Tonsillitis has given me a sore throat but my breathing is so much clearer and easier.

I don't really understand the random illnesses I have had here. I've had pneumonia, Bells Palsy and now tonsillitis.  Bell's Palsy, in particular, is disease that strikes randomly and I've always considered myself too healthy to worry about pneumonia.

Random bit of good news: MSN Messenger on the Windows side side of the partition has 'found' the video camera so KwandongAlex chatted with GeorgianBayGrandma last night.  I had started to investigate why the camera wouldn't work, wasn't recognized, in Windows, but hadn't done anything.  Suddenly, now it works.  woo-hoo!

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Oh, Scaramouch is a great, swashbuckling sort of movie, but the end of the book resorts to some ugly politics (for our era, at least) to sort out the plot.

Video Chatting

When MSN Messenger first came out, I put everyone I knew on my contact list and chatted with many of them frequently.  When circumstances allowed, I bought a web-cam and used it with a few people.

In the last two or more years, I have only chatted with my mother.  We chat using the web-cams so she can see her grandson -well, also to talk to me and such, but mostly for the chance to see her grandson that her cruel, unfeeling son keeps 10,000 km away.

In buying the new computer, an iMac with built in web-cam, I figured that video chat would improve or at least stay the same.

This is not the case.  Apple's iChat does not work with MSN Messenger.  I have the Windows OS as well and when I use it, the built in web-cam isn't found or recognized.  anyway, it isn't functional while using Windows.

Does anyone know if this is a problem with my version of Boot Camp?  I started checking an iMac forum, but was called away just as I started reading something on that subject.

I am tempted to set up Google Video Chat - I use Google for just about everything else - but it seems like a step backward.  I expected a new computer to expand my options (and it has, mostly) not simply exchange one option with another.  If I were changing because Google Chat were a better service, that would be one thing.  But to change due to software incompatibilities is another, less palatable thing.

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Oh, I downloaded Chrome on the Windows side and I like it.  Very functional but without any flash (I mean ostentation, I guess it features Flash animation and the like).

Cyworld: Explorer, Firefox and Safari

As part of their homework, third year students are required to make three videos through the semester. Most post their videos to Cyworld and send me a link. I am able to access most of these videos with any of the three browsers I use.

Well, until two weeks ago, I used Firefox almost all the time and Explorer the rest. These days, I use Safari (Apple's browser). if it doesn't work, I shut down, change OS and try Firefox. Finally, I try Explorer. Explorer always works but I wonder about viruses and spyware, feeling that Firefox offers more protection. Sarfari apparently offers so much protection I don't see any anti-virus software or concerns.

Anyway, today, I was able to watch all but four videos on Safari. The "mini-hompy"s (a typical Korean abreviation of Mini -homepage) didn't even open. On Firefox, they opened, but the video wouldn't play. Finally, after re-entering my login data manytimes, I was able to get to my emails in Explorer, follow the link and watch the video.

Maybe, for completeness, I should try Chrome, Google's browser.
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One other thing about Safari is that when I hover over a link, the link doesn't appear anywhere for me to read. In Firefox and Explorer, I can see the link URL before clicking on it. I like that better.

Posting a pic on Safari

I'm not hunting wild animals in Africa, I'm trying out my new iMac.  It's beautiful and seems to have a lot of features but I don't know how to shrink a picture - I normally post pics around 100kb, but this is likely around 2mb.

Oh, the picture itself?  My son's footprint -concave although it looks convex - at Sokcho Beach.

I expect to love this computer, but it will take a while to stop expecting things to work the way Windows does.

Computer down again - possible virus identified

I use Google's version of Norton anti-virus and PC Tool's Spyware Doctor. Now, I also use Ahnlab V3 because it is required at work.

A few weeks ago, Spyware Doctor informed me that I had around 200 copies of "BACKDOOR GirlinRed " on my computer and chose to have them removed. Afterwards, I lost internet capability but I wasn't ready to link the two events chiefly because my computer is so old loss of services is common.

The great people at the service centre at my university fixed me up and I enjoyed the internet for four days before learning that I had 194 copies of "BACKDOOR GirlinRed" on my computer. Once they were removed, no more internet.

Now, I am pretty sure that the virus (to an oldtimer like me, all these things are viruses - should I be saying malware or something?) or the anti-virus software process of removing the virus is the culprit, but I can't really say. For what it's worth, the problem seems to be a change in the Windows software that requires a backdoor and reinstall. MSN Messenger troubleshooting tells me that I have an invalid IP address.

From the Threatexperts: (link above)

Possible Security Risk
Attention! Characteristics of the following security risk was identified in the system:

Security Risk
Description
Backdoor.GirlinRed
Backdoor GirlinRed is a backdoor which will let infected system to be controlled for malicious purpose.
Attention! The following threat categories were identified:

Threat Category
Description
A malicious backdoor trojan that runs in the background and allows remote access to the compromised system

A malicious trojan horse or bot that may represent security risk for the compromised system and/or its network environment

A program that downloads files to the local computer that may represent security risk

Not at my house

Photo from here.

I was ready today to take the plunge and buy a Mac computer today. I went to the dealer with a list of requests for how i wanted the computer set up and the dealer was entirely willing to help me do that. He didn't have one in stock, but should have one the next day and he would text me later in the day with the price.

Unfortunately, the text didn't have a price but did have bad news; new models are coming in so there are none in the model I wanted. Next month, they will have some.

So, all I can do is wait.

Thanks to Masuro for driving me to the store and translating.