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Heather

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Posts posted by Heather

    Hole in baby's heart

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    FWIW, I have VSD. I still have a visible hole. The only way it has ever affected my life is when I have any major medical procedure (e.g. childbirth, surgery, etc.) I have to take antibiotics. The ADA used to recommend antibiotics before routine dental procedures, but they removed that recommendation a couple of years ago. VSD is actually not all that uncommon and the hole usually closes up on its own.

    cnn article (one of many out there thanks to google )

    Oral Histories. Anybody ever done one?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Hi Sue,

     

    I recorded an oral history of my grandparents a few years ago. I used my video camera and the questions from WTM. I burned it onto DVDs and gave them as Christmas gifts. My grandfather died 2 months before Christmas so it was a very special gift.

     

    A few things I learned:

    -- audio is great, but video is priceless. Watching my grandparents interact--complete with the eye rolls :001_rolleyes: and hand gestures--was wonderful. It will also be helpful for my daughter to get a sense of who her great-grandparents were when she watches it someday.

    -- I hate video editing. It is very time-intensive. Lucky for me, I had no children and an easy day job at the time.

    -- my voice sounds awful (see pointer 2, below)

    -- a question is just a jumping off point. During our interview, my grandfather got off on many tangents. One of his *best* was political in nature. Although it wasn't part of the original questions, it was entertaining enough that I kept it and even added a "BONUS: Grandpa's political views" graphic on the DVD cover I made. People love to talk about themselves. Once they get started, you will likely have a hard time stopping them.

     

    Some pointers:

    -- if you use video, make sure it is digital. Having a digital camera makes the copy/burn process much easier.

    -- I bought a video editing program (around $100) that allowed me to add transitions, menus, titles and such. It was probably overkill. My finished DVD was Frasier-esque--white text on a black background. I faded the questions in and out before the segment my grandparents were answering. That way, those watching didn't have to hear me talk. :tongue_smilie:

    -- Windows Movie Maker is available free as part of Windows XP sp2, I think. That should work well enough for editing and burning.

    -- break the interview out over multiple days. My grandparents got tired after a few hours of talking. Also, when we came back each day, my Grandfather would say, "I was thinking about __________ we talked about yesterday. I have something more to tell you about that." (Makes for more difficult editing though.)

     

    I am so glad I did it. You and your kids will have a great time.

     

    Heather

     

    P.S. I'm going to move this to the general board since it isn't necessarily curriculum-related.

    Rep points question regarding buy/sell boards.

    in Introductions & Test Posting

    Posted

    You're right. This is definitely not an ideal system. In addition to rep, we encourage buyers to leave feedback in the thread. We hope that potential buyers do a bit of research about the seller. We are working on implementing another system, but it is a matter of time and resources and software release schedules.

     

    We could hire someone to do nothing but upgrade and manage the boards, but that would cost money, which would require us to do something crazy, like charge people who visit here. :eek:

     

    Please keep in mind that PHP writes books for homeschoolers. We don't want to be the next eBay, nor is our focus on forum development. ;)

    Why would a post of mine disappear from the middle of a thread?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I see from several managerial posts that rep has finally been explained. I'm not sure why it wasn't just explained to begin with.....

     

    Regena

     

    It wasn't explained previously because the explanation was written BY engineers FOR engineers :ack2: and we just haven't had time to write it to be user-friendly. As you may recall, the old boards were on life support so we had to drop everything and rush to get these boards up before the others died. We're slowly working to post all the appropriate information but we have a zillion other things on our plates and the big curriculum-buying season is upon us, so it may be awhile longer before we get to all the FAQs. Thanks for your patience.

    Let's bump Kelli and GothicGyrl up to two squares!

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Hi Everyone -

     

    I'm going to respond to a couple of comments here, then this thread is closed.

     

     

    As the system currently stands, the rep points are fun (or can be), but meaningless. In theory, they could be valuable on the sale board, if others could see the rep and it was accompanied by useful comments and identifying info. But let's say I make a sale and receive a positive rep point from a satisfied buyer. Who knows that? No one. And on the flip side, maybe I rip someone off and they give me negative rep. Does that serve to "warn" others? Nope ~ not unless the dissatisfied buyer actually posts about the problem. But the rep on its own is meaningless.

     

     

    We know the system isn't perfect. We publish books, we don't design and create message boards. ;) We have asked people to leave comments on the thread of the product they purchased. As more people use the boards and become more familiar with how things work, they can search through the Sale & Swap listings and read the threads/posts of the person they are thinking of doing a deal with. And as more upgrades are available for the forum software, more opportunities may exists to beef this up.

     

     

    Yep. The fact that people can leave anon rep is the #1 thing that renders the system meaningless.

     

    So what would happen if someone who left a neg rep left their name? What would y'all do? Flame them openly on the boards? I can't see that doing anything but creating hostility. That's not what we're trying to do. As Kelli has said, it is a way to check your attitude. If you don't agree with the neg, fine. Ignore it. With anything like this, 1 bad rep here or there isn't going to make a difference in the overall picture. It is a cumulation of the points over the long term that is the real measure.

     

    I just sort of use a negative rep as an opportunity to give myself an attitude check. I know I too easily become emotional about issues and get to running my mouth. Er...keyboard. I speak more boldly here than I ever would in real life and I sort of appreciate that people can tell me to straighten up privately. If I were to get reamed in front of the whole board I would be humiliated.

     

     

    Agreed.

     

     

    But if I genuinely thought you needed an attitude check, would giving you anon negative rep be a worthy means of sending that message? I could send you a private message. Or I could at least have the balls not to "hide" behind the negative rep. But how is it genuinely helpful if I just anonymously strike out at you?[/Quote]

     

    If someone wants call you (general "you") out on something without fear of repercussions, the rep system is the way to do it. If they want to call you out AND engage in dialog (AND you are set to accept PMs from everyone) they are more than welcome to do that.

     

    But many, many other people have mentioned getting negative rep that completely mystified them. They wonder if these red squares are coming from folks who just disagree ~ and why disagreement has to be veiled in secrecy; or whether they've unintentionally offended someone; or...what. I honestly feel bad for the people who get hurt like this.

     

    And the sticky says that the admins will remove trivial or hurtful reps.

     

    I've had 1 bad rep but the next day it was gone. I thought maybe the moderator deleted it because in the comment section it said "Baa! Baa!"

    Do you think that is possible?

     

    Yes, we will delete a neg rep that appears trivial or outright hurtful. We had some people who felt the need to give neg reps for no apparent reason. We talked to them and deleted the reps in question.

     

    And with websites like Amazon, you have to post a comment. As a buyer, I find the comments even more useful then the rating.

     

    I see your point...

     

    Yes, Amazon is great. :thumbup: (Are you signed up for Amazon Prime?? Free 2 day shipping ROCKS!) Amazon also has an entire team of developers coding away on their website. Comments and feedback as essential to Amazon's business. We, on the other hand, write books for homeschoolers. This forum is merely a service we offer. It's a fun service, but definitely not the primary service of PHP. Our IT department (Jedi Bob!) has a day job that pays the bills and a family who requires his attention. He works on the forums when he can, but they aren't on the top of his list.

     

     

    I agree. From a buyer's standpoint (if that is the purpose) it is most helpful to know if a person has recieved a bad rating, how long ago and why. With this system you really have no way of knowing.

     

    Yes and no. Since the admins can see the reps, when we notice a bunch of them, we can choose to do things like ban the seller from listing on the Sale & Swap board.

     

    We know the system isn't perfect. No system is. As we said in the sticky, we are trying to create a safe and friendly place where homeschoolers--whether or not they use our products:D--can come and chat. We don't care which style style, religion, or type of pajamas your wear. Everyone is welcome.

     

    And I do have to say: I'm relatively new here at PHP, but I've been amazed at the kindness and wisdom you ladies (and men!) so openly share with each other--newbies and regulars. You guys are really great!

     

    Now, I'm off to work on some of the many projects on my desk right now. I'm sure you guys can all go find something far more interesting to talk about.

     

    Have a good weekend!

    For those who selectively vaccinate their dc, which ones do you pick?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Some vaccine books:

     

    The Vaccine Book, by Dr Sears

     

    What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccines, by Dr Stephanie Cave (Janna just mentioned)

     

    I've read the 2nd and am currently reading the first. Neither is anti-vaccine, but they both suggest spacing out the shots. Both have their own recommended shots and schedules. There are a few that Sears skips altogether.

    Got a new washer/dryer...detergent on those front loaders....

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Thanks guys...I will look at Tide. I actually break out in hives if I do not use a Hypo-allergenic detergent. We need the scent free for dh. If I do not find any then I will just use the All Clear and fill the well at 1/2 or less.

     

    Thanks guys!!

     

    Holly

    FWIW, I am still using my regular (non-HE) Tide Free in my FL and I use FAAARRRR less than 1/2 the well. I only use about a tablespoon, if that. Our clothes have been coming out clean. Have you looked at other allergy-safe options:

     

    Allen's Naturally or

    Country Save

     

    The Allen's works great for us, as well. I haven't tried the Country Save, but people who use it really love it. They are probably a bit pricier than mainstream brands though.

    Can we talk cloth diapers for a moment?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Hey! Something I can talk about...kind of.

     

    I just switched to cloth for our 9 month old. I've been using Bum Genius AIO and the Bum Genius One Size. I also have a Fuzzi Bunz, some Thirsties Fab Fitted and a Crickett's hemp.

     

    So far, I like them all, but I am leaning more toward the AIOs because they are so easy (and thus, Daddy-friendly). The complaint many people seem to have is that they take too long to dry. Since I have so many to cycle through, the additional drying time for the AIOs isn't a big deal.

     

    I like the Crickett's for nap time because they are very absorbent, but also quite bulky.

     

    The Thirsties are super soft, but require a cover (although the just came out with an AIO that I haven't tried) and they are bulkier than the AIOs and FBs.

     

    Since the pocket styles are supposed to be better for heavy wetters--because you can add more layers--I may like those better as the WeeOne gets older.

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