Usbong is still certainly alive and kicking!
Here are our updates:
1) One double-click Usbong installer for Windows (Updated)
Thanks to IT expert, Deni Jaramillo, the Usbong installer
has now been updated and is already downloadable
from:
http://www.usbong.ph/guide.
2) OpenMRS Server Scheduler
After a number of trial and error, our OpenMRS server
for a partner clinic in Marikina, Philippines
has now been configured through Windows scheduler
to sleep and wake at certain hours of the day.
It took us awhile to get this running, but it now works.
The main issue was that we could not get the server
to automatically sleep, although automatically waking it up
had not been a major problem.
As it turns out, when Windows scheduler
creates an instance of cmd prompt to run the program (i.e. .bat file),
it does this command: C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\cmd.exe
This means that the default directory is at:
C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\
Therefore, in my .bat file, I'll need to specify
the location of the psshutdown program to run,
and not assume that it's in the same directory,
because it's evidently not.
Psshutdown is part of PsTools,
which can be downloaded here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897541.aspx
Again, special thanks to Deni Jaramillo for the support.
3) Completion of the Introduction to Complexity Course
Just before the Dec. 31, 2014 deadline,
I was able to successfully complete and pass
the Intro to Complexity course
offered by the Santa Fe Institute (SFI)
online and without fee.
http://www.complexityexplorer.org/
To get a certificate, I had to do
and pass all the 9 Unit Tests,
and get an average score of at least 70%.
I was able to get a score grade of 96%.
Here are some of the things that I like about the course:
a) As long as I watch the videos
(sometimes multiple times),
do the quizzes, and, most importantly,
understand the material,
I can pass the exams and not feel
like a small fish in a big pond.
Doing the tests actually helped me
understand the material more
(it was open notes).
b) They added interviews with experts in Complexity Science
to share how they actually define it,
what is the most exciting thing they're doing now,
and their advice to people who'd want to work on Complexity.
c) They offer extra homework and references
for those who'd want to know more about certain topics.
d) I was able to apply what I've learned for a conference paper
(I'll let you know what it is and if it gets accepted
as soon as the results are out).
Special Thanks to Dr. Greg Tangonan for the heads up,
Dr. Kardi Teknomo for the encouragement,
and the Santa Fe Institute for doing a great job with the course.
4) Usbong Teacher Training
We've done Intro to Java, and we're now moving on
to our Teacher Training on Android Development.
This is part of our capacity building initiative,
where we're helping people not only gain technical skills,
but also soft skills such as self-confidence,
communication (even technical ideas),
persuasiveness, etc. through mentorship
and providing a venue (and eventually, hopefully,
a community) to learn these things.
5) Japanese Studies Apps Using Usbong
This semester, I have 7 teams working on their apps using Usbong.
We've gotten more structured and process-oriented,
using Project Management tools, such as
Gantt Charts, Critical Path Methods (CPM),
Weekly Status Updates, Lessons-learned Reports, etc.
It is our hope that students will be able to build
apps that are of high quality and on time.
I'll keep you guys posted then.
Well, this is all for now.
There's a lot more stuff coming up this 2015,
and I should also mention that we are accepting
applications for internships at Usbong.
We offer training on Java, Android Development,
Software Engineering, Social Entrepreneurship, etc.
If any of you are interested or would want to collaborate,
feel free to drop me an email,
or send a shout-out via our google groups.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/usbong-users
Again, happy 2015 to all!
Mike
