View Full Version : question for all mentors
cbeavers6790
04-01-2011, 13:38
do you mentors keep this page up during work on your computer? I just wonder how we get so much help when all of you must have jobs and/or other obligations?
Robert Cawthon
04-01-2011, 13:41
do you mentors keep this page up during work on your computer? I just wonder how we get so much help when all of you must have jobs and/or other obligations?
A very slow time of the year for me. Most of my work time is spent away from the computer fixing things that break. And when they don't break...
For the most part yes. I try to check it atleat once every half an hour or so. I typically don't do a whole lot of posting, but a lot of reading. I am finally getting the hang of things and will be able to help with more technical questions this year!
do you mentors keep this page up during work on your computer? I just wonder how we get so much help when all of you must have jobs and/or other obligations?
The forum software (vBulletin) has an email notification feature for new posts
DarrinMunter
04-01-2011, 13:43
I just look at it during lunch, along with the news.
thefro526
04-01-2011, 13:44
My Supervisor is pretty relaxed about internet use at work as long as I still get everything done so I check CD pretty frequently when I'm at my desk.
Technically, visiting message boards and forums is against company policy, but since my employer is a sponsor for our team it's not really a problem.
JaneYoung
04-01-2011, 13:45
Good question. :) I bet there will be lots of different answers.
I have worked 2 different jobs since I've begun posting in CD. In the first job, I would check CD before work, during a 15 minute break, lunch, and after work.
In the 2nd job, I would check CD before and after work.
Right now, I'm between jobs and during this awesome time of year, I've been celebrating being a part of CD during all times of the day and night. It's been fun but I think I need a job. A little CD goes a loooong way. :)
Jane
MrForbes
04-01-2011, 13:53
Work? what's that?
Al Skierkiewicz
04-01-2011, 14:10
I use the email notification but do not leave email active. I check in periodically throughout the day and night. Most days I start at 6 AM and checkin then. Those that are night owls, cover while I sleep.
sanddrag
04-01-2011, 14:24
When I wake up, before I go to sleep, and maybe once during the day if I'm working.
Tetraman
04-01-2011, 14:29
During FRC Season I check and stay on CD more then any other website.
Jared Russell
04-01-2011, 14:47
I do probably 90% of my job on a PC, so I often have a CD tab open in my browser (at least during/near build and competition season).
It's excellent Time Management and Multi-Tasking skills that allow it.
JamesCH95
04-01-2011, 15:45
I browse during work, especially when a computer model is crunching away and I can't do much else.
synth3tk
04-01-2011, 15:49
One of the curses of working from home. :P But I'm generally good with balancing between the two before January. After that, it's all downhill from there. :D
When stuff is working the way it's supposed to there's nothing much else to do.
NEMO has a private forum on cd (and we cannot thank cd enough for this service!)
I have the pleasure of "letting" mentors through the door (and keeping all the spambots out. Who the heck is "Dark Helmet" anyway and why are then spending so much time trying to sign up for NEMO :confused: ?)So I am on cd at least once a week to do that task.
I don't keep this page open, but probably do check in at least once a day, scanning the portal for topics of interest.
Gary Dillard
04-01-2011, 16:14
I check CD while I'm waiting for ProE to reload everytime it crashes.
So that's about 20 times a day :ahh:
gvarndell
04-01-2011, 16:23
Sorry, I was working.... what was the question? :rolleyes:
Tim Delles
04-01-2011, 16:27
Gotta love working at a computer... And yes, as we begin to move into the season, one window for CD will be kept open here and at my apartment... You never know when you might see something good on here.
Mike Schreiber
04-01-2011, 19:50
As a Kettering student who does co-op it looks somewhat bad to be browsing the internet instead of doing my job. I generally restrict my CD usage to lunch and boring meetings.
DonRotolo
04-01-2011, 20:13
I don't keep CD open all day, but I do check in more or less every day, scan "new posts" and some threads I've subscribed to. Drop answers where I can be helpful, keep quiet where I can't. 15-20 minutes per day average.
Work? what's that?
Work is what you must do.
Fun is what you like to do.
Most ideal circumstance is when work = fun.
No one told me FRC mentors were allowed to have jobs or other obligations.
Clem1640
05-01-2011, 01:21
No. My day job is too demanding.
I try to check approximately daily.
But there are a lot of mentors...
ttakashima
05-01-2011, 05:17
I am a college student so I leave CD on only during the easy classes or the realy boring classes where ill fall asleep... - I know that is not good :rolleyes: .
I also work at the high school I graduated from as the robotics advisor to help our teacher sponsor. When I am at the HS I leave CD, USfirst and VEX forums up all the time.:D
Jon Stratis
05-01-2011, 10:33
Doing software development professionally gives you plenty of free time during the day...
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/compiling.png
The sad thing is, the comic isn't too far from the truth. Make a small code change, compile, build, deploy, and restart the server... 15 CD-filled minutes later I can finally see if it does what I want!
Peter Matteson
05-01-2011, 11:18
I leave CD open on a tab and periodically check in while Teamcenter/NX are loading or I'm stuck on a conference call that I don't really have to do anything for.
CrazyCarl461
05-01-2011, 11:40
It's the whole reason I have a second monitor on my laptop at work.:ahh:
Gary Dillard
05-01-2011, 13:00
It's the whole reason I have a second monitor on my laptop at work.:ahh:
Hmmmmm... your picture looks like your first monitor is for designing FIRST robot parts. I guess you need a third monitor for work.
I have it up most of the day (during build season) when teaching at school. 1/5 of my teaching salary is to be a robotics mentor/coach.
When I go home, it a different story. Family duties take priority, usually :)
Ted Weisse
05-01-2011, 13:38
This is my home page on my phones browser and one of 4 FIRST tabs (Bill's Blog, USFIRST, Q&A) that are set on my laptop at home and multiple machine profiles I have at work. Yea I check it.
CrazyCarl461
05-01-2011, 13:39
Hmmmmm... your picture looks like your first monitor is for designing FIRST robot parts. I guess you need a third monitor for work.That is just some random COTS part I pulled up to hide the stuff I'm actually working on, which I can't show because of some pesky documents I signed when I was hired.
The evil bunch of FIRST haters that own the servers I work behind block CD. You're gonna have to step up to the plate one of these days, NASA.
Joe Ross
05-01-2011, 22:36
If I have a few minutes here or there at work, I'll check chiefdelphi. If it's an easy answer, I'll answer it when I read it. If it's harder, I'll leave it until after work and usually someone else will have answered ;). I also check for a few minutes in the morning and the evening.
I looked at the 50 people with the highest reputation. Most post less then once a day, and very few post more then twice a day. See the attached histogram. It may seem like some people are always posting, but looks can be deceiving.
bcieslak
06-01-2011, 13:08
I check daily during the build season...
Brian C
good luck to all teams in 2011...
Especially Programmers....
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