SPARTA News July 2001

July 2001

SPARTA Chapter President’s Corner

- by Brad Carson

Last month John Bryant gave us all a look at the capabilities of TMONMVS, and then showed us some of the great tools that are available for MVS (or OS/390, or z/OS, or whatever . . .) on the net. I was a TMON user back at ECU (for TMON for MVS, CICS, and DB2) and found their monitors easy to navigate and they provided the tools needed for a systems programmer to do his job. Right now I’m still getting used to the Mainview suite from BMC which is what we run here at LabCorp. Of course that will be changing as we swap out our BMC, CA, and Compuware products. Right now Candle looks like it will be our replacement monitor.

One thing that I have learned over the years is that there is an abundant amount of software on the net for a systems programmer to use. For years we have had the CBT tape and now it is even easy to get to on the web at http://www.cbttape.org. I have used it to keep our copy of REVIEW (and friends) current as well as the TSSO package. Just checkout the sites on the dinos ring on the web and you will find a lot of tools, tips, knowledge and humor on mainframes.

This month brings us a presentation from EMC on some of their latest products. I look forward to seeing what they have to offer. Right now we have about 12 Terabytes of EMC DASD on our OS/390 systems alone. See you all on the 31^st.

Our next meeting is on Tuesday July 31st at LabCorp. Subs, drinks, and dessert will be provided.


Future Speakers
(subject to change)

July 31 Randall Greset of EMC
August 28 SHARE Conference Report by Ed Webb of SAS and others
Sept. 25 TBA


We need ideas and volunteers for future speakers. Presentations don’t have to be fancy, just informative and interesting. Even a 5 or 10 minute talk can start an interesting interaction. Contact John Bryant by phone or e-mail as noted below.

2001-2002 SPARTA
Board of Directors

Brad Carson - President
LabCorp 919-572-7504
1912 Alexander Drive
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 Brad_Carson@labcorp.com

John Bryant - Vice President
GlaxoSmithKline 919-483-9548
5 Moore Drive; D.111
RTP, NC 27709 JEB33378@gsk.com

Mike Lockey - Secretary
Guilford Co. Information Services 336-412-6235
201 N. Eugene St. 336-227-2021 (Home)
Greensboro, NC 27401 MLOCKEY@netpath.net

Duane Reaugh - Treasurer
DTS Software 919-833-8426
2913 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, NC 27609-7841 Duane@DTSsoftware.com

Ed Webb - Communications Director
SAS Institute 919-531-4162
SAS Campus Drive 919-362-0232 (Home)
Cary, NC 27513 EDWISTUO@aol.com

Meetings

Meetings are scheduled for the last Tuesday evening of each month (except no meeting in December), with optional dinner at 6:15 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m.

These monthly meetings are held at LabCorp’s Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology (CMBP) near the Research Triangle Park (see last page). Take I-40 to Miami Boulevard and go north. Turn right onto Alexander Drive. Go about a mile or so. Then turn right into LabCorp complex and turn Left to the CMBP Building. In the lobby, sign in as a visitor to see Brad Carson. Brad will escort you to the conference room.

Call for Articles

If you have any ideas for speakers, presentations, newsletter articles, or are interested in taking part in a presentation, PLEASE contact one of the Board of Directors with your suggestions.

Newsletter Mailings

The SPARTA chapter policy is to mail a copy of the monthly chapter newsletter to each SPARTA member, NaSPA national, each advertiser, persons who have requested a copy, and to other chapters who send us a copy of their newsletter. The newsletter is mailed about the 20th of each month so you can prepare for the meeting. The mailing list is maintained by Mike Lockey at (336) 412-6235; if you have corrections or problems receiving your newsletter, call Mike.

Latest CBT Tape Online

The directory and files from the latest CBT tape V436 (dated June 12, 2001) are available from www.cbttape.org.

If you need a complete tape, contact Brad Carson at LabCorp or Ed Webb at SAS (see Board of Director’s list for contact info).

Minutes of the June 26, 2001 Meeting

•Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Brad Carson, the Chapter President.

•Eleven (11) people were present; ten (10) were members.

•Everyone in the room introduced themselves, told where they worked, and briefly described their job function.

•The minutes of May 2001 meeting were accepted as published in the June 2001 newsletter.

•The Treasurer’s Report was accepted as published in the June 2001 newsletter. As of June 18, 2001 the balance is $543.90

OLD BUSINESS

•Articles are needed for this newsletter. If you would like to write an article for this newsletter, please contact Ed Webb. Keep in mind that you don’t really need to write the article, it can be an article that you read that you would like to share with the membership.

•The SPARTA Web page is now available. To access the SPARTA Web page, point your Web browser to this site: www.netpath.net/~mlockey/sparta.html. Please send any comments or suggestions about the Web page to Mike Lockey (mlockey@netpath.net). Be sure to check the Web page every once in a while to see any new or changed information.

NEW BUSINESS

•Future Speakers and Topics:

July 2001 - Randall Greset of EMC
August 2001 - SHARE Conference report
Other ideas:
- TDMF - Ken Frump
- WLM Goal Mode - Jim Horne
- UNIX Services for OS/390
- IBM New Announcements
- CICS Web Bridge

If you have suggestions about speakers and topics, contact John Bryant.

•Food for the July 2001 meeting will be subs and sodas.

•The July SPARTA meeting will be held at LabCorp.

•The August SPARTA meeting will be held at SAS Institute.

•Thanks to Brad Carson of LabCorp for hosting the June meeting.

•The business portion of the meeting ended at 7:25 PM.

•John Bryant of GlaxoSmithKline talked about his experiences with TMON. In addition he discussed some freeware utilities he has used.

- John discussed and demoed many of the screens and functions of TMON/MVS (from Landmark Corporation).

- John also discussed several freeware utilities:

TCP/IP Monitor which is an ISPF application that makes it easy to monitor your TCP/IP network using the IBM provided monitor commands. The monitor is freeware and can be downloaded from www.planetmvs.com/freeware/tcpipm.html

TASID has functions similar to ISRDDN. It also displays system information. TASID is freeware and can be downloaded from
www.mindspring.com/~somebody/index.html?tasid.htm

SHOWMVS and PDS are available on the CBT tape. The CBT tape is available at www.cbttape.org.

•The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM.

Treasurer’s Report for June 2001

contributed by Duane Reaugh

As of June 18th we have $543.90 in the bank, but I have not paid the receipts from the last meeting.

Items of Interest

Feng Shui for Cubicles

contributed by Chris Blackshire

Six steps to ancient Chinese wisdom for your modern workspace.

By Kirsten M. Lagatree - July 10, 2001

The cubicle is a fitting symbol for what bothers many people about work. Cubicles isolate without providing privacy and create barriers without blocking out distractions. For many, working in a cubicle means working in an alienating environment. It’s no coincidence that an overhead view of a cubicle-filled room looks like a rat maze. Whether or not you’ve actually felt like a rat, intuitively you realize you’re in the presence of bad feng shui. This may sound a bit mystical, but it’s actually very down to earth. All it means is that you feel uneasy in your surroundings.

Feng shui is about creating a comfortable physical space that puts occupants in the right frame of mind to do whatever needs to be done. An office with good feng shui would most likely help you feel focused, creative, productive, and more comfortable doing your job. Here are six steps to bring good feng shui to your little corner of the maze.

1. No matter what kind of office you occupy, it’s vital to sit where you can easily see the entry. When your back is to the entrance, a certain paranoid energy builds up because you’re always vulnerable to surprise. One way or another, you’ll be among the last to know when something important is going on. But don’t despair, there is a remedy.

If you work with a computer all day, the first thing to do is move your chair or rearrange your cubicle so you can at least glimpse the entry while at your keyboard. If you can’t rearrange anything, place an attractive mirror in the direction you face so the reflection allows you a rear view.

2. Make employment goals, and decide which aspects of your career you would like to enhance. Keep it simple; focus on one or two improvements at a time. Now, make a firm commitment to yourself to achieve these goals.

3. Use a compass to locate the four major compass directions in your workspace. In classical compass feng shui, enhancing the direction that governs your goals is one way to work toward them.

4. Create enhancements in the compass direction appropriate for your aspirations.

General business success: Look to the north, its color is black, water is its element, and the dependable turtle is its animal.

Improved creativity: Enhance the west with the color white, the element metal, or possibly its animal, the fierce tiger.

Fame and fortune: Look to the south. In this case we’ll translate fame as your professional reputation or the level of recognition you achieve in your company or business. Red, fire, and birds (especially the phoenix) go with the south.

Business growth and overall professional health: Look to the east, which is represented by the color green, the element wood, and the inspiring and powerful dragon.

Use the following examples to jump-start your own feng shui process: if you’d like to achieve more recognition this year, focus on the south because of its influence on fame and fortune. A simple choice would be one red candle -- using the color and the element. Or, to enhance your creativity, use a silver (metal) frame on a picture that inspires your own creativity, and place it in the west.

5. Know that feng shui is not magic and isn’t a substitute for taking “real world” steps to achieve your goals. Yes, an aspect of feng shui transcends rational thinking and defies explanation, but assuming that’s all there is to it is a mistake.

6. Make sure your workspace is pleasing to your eye, uncluttered, and comfortable to work in. Consider using a curved keyboard designed to be easy on the hands and wrists. Choose an optical scan mouse that allows you to scroll more easily and doesn’t require a mouse pad, clutter you can do without.

Kirsten M. Lagatree is the author of several feng shui books, including “Feng Shui at Work.”


Humor


Evolution of a Programmer

contributed by Chris Blackshire

Check out this joke on the web:

http://www.ariel.com.au/jokes/The_Evolution_of_a_Programmer.html


Internet Axioms

contributed by Chris Blackshire

1. Home is where you hang your @.
2. The e-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail.
3. A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click.
4. You can’t teach a new mouse old clicks.
5. Great groups from little icons grow.
6. Speak softly and carry a cellular phone.
7. C:\ is the root of all directories.
8. Don’t put all your hypes in one home page.
9. Pentium wise; pen and paper foolish.
10. The modem is the message.
11. Too many clicks spoil the browse.
12. The geek shall inherit the earth.
13. A chat has nine lives.
14. Don’t byte off more than you can view.
15. Fax is stranger than fiction.
16. What boots up must come down.
17. Windows will never cease.
18. Virtual reality is its own reward.
19. Modulation in all things.
20. A user and his leisure time are soon parted.
21. There’s no place like home.com.
22. Know what to expect before you connect.
23. Oh, what a tangled website we weave when first we practice.
24. Speed thrills.
25. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use the Net and he won’t bother you for weeks.

(Axiom: A statement that is generally accepted as true.)


25 Signs That You’ve Had Too Much of the 90’s

contributed by Chris Blackshire

1. You just tried to enter your password on the microwave.
2. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
3. You call your son’s beeper to let him know it’s time to eat. He e-mails you back from his bedroom, “What’s for dinner?”
4. Your daughter sells Girl Scout cookies via her web site.
5. You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven’t spoken with your next door neighbor yet this year.
6. You check the ingredients on a can of chicken noodle soup to see if it contains Echinacea.
7. You check your blow dryer to see if it’s Y2K compliant.
8. Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail inbox asking you to send her a JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.
9. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.
10. Every commercial on television has a website address at the bottom of the screen.
11. You buy a computer and a week later it is out of date and now sells for half the price you paid.
12. The concept of using real money, instead of a credit card or debit card, to make a purchase is foreign to you.
13. Cleaning up the dining room means getting the fast food bags out of the back seat of your car.
14. Your reason for not staying in touch with family is that they do not have e-mail addresses.
15. You consider second-day air delivery painfully slow.
16. Your dining room table is now your flat filing cabinet.
17. Your idea of being organized is multiple-colored Post-It notes.
18. You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.
19. You get an extra phone line so you can get phone calls. 20. You turn off your modem and get this awful feeling, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one.
21. You get up in morning and go on-line before getting your coffee.
22. You wake up at 1 a.m. to go to the bathroom and check your e-mail on your way back to bed.
23. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)
24. You’re reading this.
25. Even worse; you’re going to forward it to someone else.