Coping with the Last-Minute Lab Blues

12-01-00 - Yes, I know it snowed today, and it is colder than usual outside, which explains why I am finally posting a new article. Not that the C.O.D. can be likened to a circle of Hell freezing over (although, with the way it heats up in room 446, we could qualify), but things have gotten a bit tense and busy in preparation for the last two weeks of the semester.

If you haven't guessed already, this is the article I always write at the end of a semester giving helpful hints on getting through this trying time without having computers drop-kicked across the lab or anxious students resorting to cat-fights over the last available computer.

So, here goes.

1. Vote early and often. Okay, not voting exactly, but the best way to cope is to get to the labs early in the morning so as to avoid the rush. Things are quiet and cool, and it is easier to get a machine. Try to spread out your work. Don't expect to spend 10 hours in the labs working on your final project the day before it is due. It's unrealistic and very harmful to your health and the mental health of those around you as you swear for the umpteenth time because your Quark doc won't print out on 11 x 17 paper. Start early and plan to spread out your work over several days. You'll be happier for it.

2. Be prepared for emergencies. No, I don't mean that caffeine emergency. I mean be prepared for a zip disk failure, or the possibility that room 446 could error-out its network connection, or a tripped circuit breaker that takes out half of the open lab (ahh, shades of earlier disasters…). Seriously, this is why you should always back-up your data to multiple zip disks (notice, I did not say just multiple copies on ONE zip). It is too easy to lose a zip, or have serious directory corruption. Don't bet your whole semester on the fate of one disk.

3. Be kind - Rewind. Be kind to the next person to use the computer. Make sure that you logout of the Macs before leaving. If you are on a Windows machine, restart the machine when you are done. This will clear out the RAM and reset the machine to a known good state. If you accidentally leave something on the machine, it will be moved to the Lost & Found folder on the Macs and to the old_files directory on the Windows machines.

4. Be considerate to others. This is a real tricky one. Please remember that you are not the only one who uses the labs. This applies to following the policies as posted in the labs. To recap: it is not, under any circumstances (even deadlines), allowable to use the labs for rendering during open hours. There are many students who also need to use the lab machines, especially the two video editing stations. You can render overnight without causing any problems. Just get here about 30 minutes before close and you can take up as many machines as you need. You just have to be here at opening time to pick it up.

5. Don't Panic! I'm thinking of having plaques engraved with this motto for the labs. Seriously folks, deep and even breathing WILL help you stay conscious during a computer, disk or file emergency. Just take a deep breath, count to ten, and take notes about what went wrong. Come find me during my hours, and I will try to get you back on track. This is another time that a good backup will keep you from hyperventilating. Many problems with the machines can be resolved by simply restarting the application or the machine. Save frequently. You shouldn't have any problems, but you never know when you may get the illegal instruction error in Windows, or an error-type 2 on the Mac.

Well, that's all I have time for today folks. I am off to avoid work…, I mean work hard, for the rest of this snowy Friday afternoon!

-J

Jennifer Nieland is the lab coordinator for the College of the Design student computer labs. She really doesn't plan on playing Harry the Handsome Executive for the rest of the afternoon. Really.