People are amazing!

 Hi Friends!

We are currently at a lovely state park in Florida, Topsail Hill Preserve.  It is beautiful, with lots of great bike trails and a beautiful beach.  When we got here we got a big suprise;there were other Airstreams!  We usually don't see a lot of Airstreams in campgrounds, maybe one or two, but there were so many. Turns out there is a rally at this park that we landed persfectly in middle of!  Over 70 Airstream campers are here for the Canopener Rally.  We have made a lot of new friends and are constantly learning from them.

On Tuesday I decided to put up the awning.  We haven't had it up in a while because it's either been too cold, too rainy or too windy but Tuesday was perfect.  As I was lifting the rear support it broke!  The spring unwound and wacked me in the head and arm pretty badly.  There was blood everywhere - head wounds are the worst according to everyone.  So we went to Emergency, probably the last place you want to go to in a pandemic.  But after three hours and lots of bleeding, I got eight staples in my head!

When we left for the hospital the awning was sprawled over the camper half unrolled, half still attached.  While I was getting fixed up, the other campers at the campground put the awning back together so we didn't have to deal with it when we got back!  People are amazing!

Now I'm going to continue with my recap of how we got here.  We left off in my last post dropping the AS at Woodland Airstream in Grand Rapids in February.

We gave them a massive list of projects:

• The major issues to start was the rotted floor in the back storage space so that had to be completly replaced.
• Replace the roof fans with new Fantastic Fans
• Replace the front skylight
• Make the furnace work - the previous owner had removed the controller so you couldn't even turn it on.
• Install a new Natures Head composting toilet and plumb it into the black tank.
• Install a new Truma on Demand instant hot water heater. 
• Fix any leaks they could find (I now know that is an impossible task - but worth a shot)
• Remove the old satellite dish and patch the holes
• Replace all the bulbs with LEDs
• Replace the old power ports with USB.
• Add a back up camera

They set to work and then Covid hit. The dealership was closed for a couple months, but so was everyone so we understood. 

I made a "before" video at the dealership. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wa3UfqPLc4MTyzW6

We picked up the completed camper on May 7.

Meanwhile, we scheduled The Dry Campers, a couple who travel around installing Solar systems on RV rigs, to come work on our camper. They had a great way of working.  We ordered all the parts they would need to be delivered to our house before they showed up.  Then they camped near by, Mike worked on our camper during the day and they get to enjoy a new part of the country. They were at our house the first week of June and put in 900w of solar panels and 4 lithium batteries. I highly recommend working with them.  Mike and Leanne are just great people.

When Mike pulled up the floor to put in the batteries he discovered some black mold! It wasn't bad but we decided to pull up the the laminate floor and take out the cork floor a previous owner had installed. I marked the existing laminate and reinstalled it - badly I will admit.  We should have replaced the floor at that time but didn't.  

I started working on the interior. We decided to use the Moose picture that was in the camper when we got it as our theme. I didn't care for all the oak and decided to paint it all.  I went with Annie Sloan paint because it covers everything.  It was a huge learning curve getting it right and I'm still touching it up where I didn't get it on correctly but I love the look.

The jackknife sofa was in dire need of reupholstery.

Pleather peeling

I wanted to use the leather from our sofas in our home.  It was buttery soft and the perfect color.  I called around to find someone to do the work but most people said it was impossible.  Finally found a wonderful man in Holland who said he would take on the challenge.

I "skinned" our old sofa and loveseat and delivered the leather and sofa to him.  He did an amazing job. I even convinced him to make a poof, an empty storage pillow for blankets and extra clothing.

I loved this sofa, so comfortable

Leather after skinning it and the loveseat.

Randy, the artist who did the work.

The sofa and the poof!

The leftover sofa and cushions were reused by our good friends the Spratts.  Randy did an amazing job for them as well.

I put up press-on wallpaper in the bedroom, bathroom and main room. I installed press-on tile in the kitchen. The difference was amazing.

Bathroom

Bedroom wall

Hard to believe it's press on

The last project was the desk.  We removed the dinette and sold it to The Dry Campers - well, actually used it to pay for some of our solar installation. :)  A good friend built a custom desk and I painted it.

At this point we were ready to move in. Over the summer we had sold our house and most of our stuff.  We still had some issues with where to put what we wanted to keep.  I'll save that for my next post.

Now it's time to enjoy this lovely park.

Take care of yourself and each other,

Cate

Purchase and pick up

Hi Friends,

Our move to living full-time in an Airstream has had so many ups and downs that our friends have suggested I write about it.  Yes, I should have started the minute we brought it home, but I didn't.  So today I'm going to start journaling what's going on.  But first I need to go back in time and journal what we did to get here.

January 2020

Starting in the fall of 2019 I began researching online looking for the perfect camper.  I knew I wanted an Airstream and I knew it had to fit in our budget.  I wanted to keep the total for both the truck and camper around $50,000.   That's seemed almost impossible. 

I had an idea of the layout we wanted. We didn't like the rear bathroom because the bed was much to small for the two of us but other than that we looked at every model. I scoured Airstream Classified, RV Trader, FB Marketplace and Craigslist every day for months.  It was frustrating when I would find the perfect camper on the west coast because I knew it would be more to trasport it home than to buy it.  Eventually I found one in Florida that seemed about perfect, a 2001 31' Excella wide body with a rear bed.

Buying something for that much money sight unseen is scary.  I asked the very helpful people on the Airstream Forums page what to do to make sure it was a good purchase and they gave me the name of an inspector in Florida who really helped us out. He gave a full report, found some issues (in hindsight, missed a few - but not many) and we negotiated the price down to cover the repairs. 

But there was still a problem, we didn't have a TV (tow vehicle).  I set my two amazing brothers to work on this one.  They are car geeks, they love old cars and fixing old things.  If anyone could find us a great vehicle Norm and Rich would be the ones.  Sure enough, they found the perfect truck outside of St. Louis, a 2004 Silverado Diesel 2500 with low miles and in great shape.  The thing was the dealer knew it was a great deal and we had to pay cash for him to hold it for us.  Again, pretty terrifiying buying something sight unseen. Norm assured me with his research and insight that it was the right thing to do and we did it!  Wired the money to them and then had to figure out how to get it.

February

On Feb. 3 we flew to St. Louis.  I had booked the night at Americas Best next to the truck dealership in Eureka MO, I thought, but it turns out there is an Americas Best in Eureka CA as well!  Yes, I had booked the wrong hotel; (hard to believe I travel for work all the time).  We stayed at the airport Marriott that night took an Uber to the dealership in the morning and by noon had our first truck! 

We drove to Macon GA en route to pick up the Airstream only to realize I had booked us at the WORSE hotel ever.  I was trying to save money and had grabbed a budget hotel.  YIKES! I can't even describe how nasty the room was. So at 2:00 am I called around and found a Fairfield for the night.  

Next day we drove to Tampa to pick up our new camper.  It was what we expected, except it felt smaller and dirtier.  Photos can be so deceptive.  I paid the owner and we hooked up.  

Our first photo with the camper

The truck's trailer brakes didn't work but we took off.  I called ahead along our route and found someone who could install a new brake controler.  With a small detour and some time spent in a tiny town in Georgia we were back on our way.

We spent our first night at a Cracker Barrel in Georga.  It was hot and we had no idea how to open the windows. The batteries were dead and we had no water but it was ours!  We bought some ice, beer, candles and food.  

Our first night!

The next day we drove most of the way to Michigan.  By mid-afternoon it started to snow. The second night we spent at a rest stop in Ohio.  We had no idea how to turn on the heat and we froze.

We drove into Woodland Airstream mid-afternoon Feb. 7th.  I went over a huge list of things to fix, replace and add with Erich the service manager and left our new camper with him.

We had done it! Bought an Airstream and truck for under $50,000. Now the work had to start.

Enough for today.

Cate

My New Years letter

Hi Friends,

Like many people I didn't send cards this year but still wanted to touch base. This year would have been extremely dramatic for us even if there hadn't been a pandemic. Indulge me while I recap.

In February Dennis and I flew to St. Louis and bought a 2004 Silverado 250 truck. Then drove to Florida to buy a 2001 31' Airstream Excella.  We pulled the camper home and dropped it off at the Airstream dealer in Grand Rapids for major updates. 

The shut down in March hit Liam hard.  He had had his best swim season and was poised to break a school record in the 200 Free at the State meet on March 13th. The meet was canceled on the 13th.  To come so close and miss it was tough, but he never complained or got upset.  He just went on with his dreams of writing music and was accepted to the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (CCM) to study Music Composition.

 

Like everyone else, we stayed home for the next couple months.  Dennis had been working at a bike shop for a while and my online training went crazy, I usually had a couple classes a month, but my schedule filled up every week, thankfully.

 

Liam graduated with little pomp or celebrating.  He didn't seem to mind missing prom, graduation or all the awards ceremonies.  He went to a few graduation parties and we had one for him.

In July we put our house up for sale and it sold in 3 days for more than we were asking! Two weeks later we closed!  Luckily, we had till the end of August to move.  The rest of July and August was spent getting the Airstream completely ready and selling/donating everything we owned.  That is a huge chore!

We dropped Liam off at UC mid-August and he has been LOVING school.  His classes have been mostly online, but he loves being in the dorms around "his people''. He lives in a dorm with a couple floors completely dedicated to CCM students. The jam sessions, the creativity, the fact that other kids get his jokes has been a gift.

 

August 30, we left our house for the last time.  Our old boy Gus had passed earlier in the month, but we still have Jazzy, our cat. So, the 3 of us set out.  She has taken to Airstream living well but the travel days are still filled with hours of her singing the song of her people.  We must get that figured out!

Labor Day weekend we had a tire on the trailer blow on the highway and it caused a lot of damage to the septic system (tore the valves right off).  We could live in it but couldn't camp in a campground because, well, we leak!  We camped by mom's house in Harrison for most of October and helped sell everything in her house, getting it ready to sell. In November we went to Tennessee to stay at Rich and Sharon's country house. It's a peaceful, beautiful place and we loved being there.  Except for getting Covid.  We both had a mild case and thankfully after a couple months are pretty much back to normal.

Thanksgiving week we dropped off the Airstream at the dealership in Grand Rapids to finally get the repairs it needed.  We spent 10 days in Cincinnati at a lovely Airbnb.  Thanksgiving with Liam was wonderful.  We miss him so much and it was great to laze around and visit.

 

December finally got us to be truly full time RV'ers.  We went to Florida and got our new license plates and driver's licenses updated. Liam chose to stay at the dorms over the holidays and work.  He is a lifeguard at the UC pool and says he's glad he didn't make the team.  Their warmups are tougher than his hardest practices were in high school!

 

We are looking forward to traveling around the country.  I'm still training a couple weeks a month from the camper and Dennis is starting a bike repair business.  My goal is to visit as many of my friends and family as I can.  Hopefully, moochdocking with them occasionally. I would love to get invites to visit!  (hint, hint)

We miss our friends, and I am so thankful for technology that lets me stay in touch. We are blessed beyond words to have been able to do what we love and live life simply.

 

Hope to see you on our adventures.

 

Love,

Cate and Dennis

 

Here are the links to Liam’s music:

https://soundcloud.com/liam-khaye-269745324  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV3gB61lUUT_nwj4RHpJgw/videos

 

Follow us on Instagram to see photos of our adventures:

https://www.instagram.com/catesword/

https://www.instagram.com/khayedennis/

CET Designer Printing Tips

Printing the Architects drawing Grey in CET Designer

First day of spring and it's time to post a tip for my friends using Configura CET Designer. I've been doing loads on online and on-site training with CET users and haven't made time to post any tips.  So today, I'm making time.

I had a user ask me how to make the AutoCAD drawing print grey and the furniture print black.  In AutoCAD we had plot setting that we made to do this but CET Designer doesn't have an easy way.  (Yet. You've heard me say it - send it in as a Feature Request).

So here is the work around. Set all the layers of the AutoCAD drawing to grey.  Set up the viewport in Paperview.  Make a copy of it.  In one viewport turn on the furniture layers set it to print in Black and White.  In the copy turn on just the AutoCAD drawing set it to print in color. Move one on top of the other and you will be all set.

Here is a quick video on how to do it.

Hope this helps.  I always welcome challenges so if you are trying to do something in CET Designer or AutoCAD or CAP let me know.  

I hope it's spring where you are, we still have snow!

Cate

Subtle not Random

If you've been in one of my classes you've probably heard me say, "It's subtle, not random".

I get a lot of very frustrated users telling me how their computer or software does this crazy thing and they can't figure it out.  Many times I know exactly what is causing it.

It could be where your mouse is located when you pick or that you hit escape in the middle of a command or maybe you are in the wrong "silo". Once you understand what is causing this crazy behavior you can control it, predict it, and even use it to your advantage.

One of the reasons I love training is to see the ah-ha moment. That moment when I explain "when you do this, that happens" and the student's eyes light up as they "get it".

The trouble with subtle things is figuring it out. That's my job. Discovering what is happening and sharing with you. I hate things that are random in the software. I test, test, test, read the manual, test some more, and sometimes call the developer to find out what the heck is going on. Then I share it with you.

A few months ago I was explaining to my son why the cat's were meowing for treats at 9 PM instead of 10 PM and I said, "It's subtle, not random.  Cat's don't know about time change."  That's when I realized it's not just software.  There are so many things in life that seem random. Then I dig in and find out what subtle thing is causing that seeming crazy behavior.

Here is another one for you.  Have you ever really looked at the FedEd logo?

Do you see the arrow?  They did that on purpose. 

Subtle nor Random.

Today, I don't have a software tip, I have a life tip.  If something seems random, look for the subtle action causing it. You might be able to use that info to your advantage, if nothing else it won't be a mystery any more.

Thanks for reading.  Take care.

Cate

Back to School Special! Two tips in one post.

Hi friends, I've taken the summer off from posting but with school about to start I thought it would be time for me to start sharing with you again.

First, a surprise new feature was added to blocks this month (or maybe it was a bug fixed, I don’t really know).  You can apply materials from schemes to blocks now without editing them!  Try it.  Or watch the video, I’ll demo it.

Second, the categories function is much more powerful.  Again, it might have just been a bug fix but there are some nice things you can do with it.  For example see your AutoCAD drawing in the Electrical View tab.  Handy when you want to place base power in feeds and dimensions to the base plan. 

Pretty slick! 

Don’t forget to sign up for the Users Conference in October.  It will be both informative and a lot of FUN!

Check it out at:  http://www.configura.com/userconference

I'm doing two presentations and attending as much of the fun things at night as possible.  :)

Hope you had a great summer and holiday weekend.  Now, it's time to get back to work!

Take care,

Cate

PS:  I just tested the materials applying to Canvas symbols and it doesn't work the same!  I'm so sorry.  If it looks like something you want to have send a Feature Request.

Cate

Creating your own symbols in CET Designer or Non supported Symbols

I promised you I'd show more cool uses for the CET Designer Edit Graphics extension. Here is the second one.

Have you ever wanted to put something in your drawing that isn't supported by SmartTools, Canvas, or ProjectSymbols? I've come up with a method to create your own symbol by using ProjectSymbols and Edit Graphics.

You will need a couple things to do this procedure.

• First you need to find a good 3D symbol either in AutoCAD or SketchUp.

• Second you need to have a manufacturer other than Steelcase or Haworth installed in ProjectSymbols.

After that you are ready to go!

Here are the basic steps.  Watch the video to get the details.

1. Import the AutoCAD or SketchUp symbol.
2. Place a ProjectSpec Symbol that is about the same size as the one you are creating.
3. Use Edit Graphics Replace Symbol to switch the PS Symbol to the new symbol.
4. Use the Query command, Make Special to edit all the part info.
5. Change the Install Text.

I also show you how to change the colors on the symbol.  :)

Let me know if this is helpful.

Thank you and have a great day!

Cate

Another quick CET Designer rendering tip

Sometimes new features are slipped in and we don't notice them or we don't really know what they are useful for.  I've found another one that Configura added to CET Designer that I think you will like.

It's the Camera Angle Step function and it helps you get the same angle on a rendering every time.  Or you can do a birds eye view of a plan. Have a client that just isn't getting the plan view?  Render it from above to help them understand.

Rendered from above

Front view; I used a clipping plane to show the inside of the workstation.

Rendered in elevation

How to use it:

As always have fun.  Let me know if you want to see something special here.

Hope you aren't snowed in.  :)

Cate

Other uses for CET Edit Graphics

Happy New Year!!

The holidays flew by as usual and now it's back to work.  I hope you all had a wonderful time.

By now I hope you have played with Edit Graphics in CET Designer.  If you haven't installed it you should, then download the reference guide from the Configura site and read the section on Edit Graphics.

A few cool ways to use Edit Graphics have occurred to me to share with you.

1. Show a worksurface that is going to be cut to fit in the field.
2. Apply a COM easily.
3. Have multiple colors on the same item.

You may never have to do these things but if you do it's helpful to know how.

Here is the video on how to make a cut-to-fit worksurface.

I'll give you videos on the other two soon.

Have a great day!

Cate

New CET 3.2 rendering technique

No longer need the "white room" to render!

It's been a while since I posted and a lot has happened. I'll get to that later. But for now, my friends, the best new thing in CET 3.2 is a little check box called Emissive background.  What that means is there is a nice white ambient light that is shining all around our layout that we can use with the Natural Light render mode.  So, no more need for the white room to get a nice natural light effect.
Here is an example:

I've made a short video to get you started.

As always, I appreciate your feedback and comments. Enjoy!!

Cate

Ghost Panels

Rendering in CET Designer is a hot topic for me these days.  A lot of my time in training is spent on it and I've been showing some of my students this nifty way to create Ghost Panels.  It's very similar to the process you use for the SketchUp look but with a twist. 

Here is the result:

I created a short video with the steps if you'd like to watch it.

Hope this works for you.

Cate

Announcing In-Depth, Topic Focused, Webinar Series

Get in-depth education in two 2-hour one topic training, specifically geared for your users.  The webinars are hands on; you sit comfortably at your own computer with CET running as I demonstrate, watch, and guide you as you learn. The first session ends with a homework assignment to reinforce the topics covered. 
Part of the second session is a Q&A discussion about best practices.

Cost:

Each course is $250 per person. Class is limited to 6 participants.

Dates:

CET Rendering:

• September 17 & 18, 2012, 11:00 to 1:00 EST
• September 19 & 20, 2012, 2:00 to 4:00 EST

CET ProjectSymbols In Depth:

• September 19 & 20, 2012 11:00 to 1:00 EST

CET Edit Graphics and Specials:

• September 17 & 18, 2012, 2:00 to 4:00 EST

Sign up now:

Sign up at www.catesword.com or email me at cate@catesword.com for more information. More classes will be added as needed, check the web site for more times and dates.

Course Outlines

CET Rendering Class

Session 1 Topics:

• Basic rendering tips – angle, composition, depth
• Capture Image
• Lighting – simple, multiple sun, grid, ceiling tile
• PhotoLab setting
• Photo Series
• Paperview
• Output

Session 2 Topics

• Environment
• Materials
• SketchUp
• Special effects

CET ProjectSymbols in depth

Session 1 Topics:

• Placement, rotation
• Layers
• Resolution
• Block replace
• Specification

Session 2 Topics

• Standard options

• Specials
• Non supported Catalogs
• Converting drawing

CET Edit Graphics and Specials

Session 1 Topics:

• Replace Graphic
• Simple modifications
• Advanced modifications

Session 2 Topics:

• Review Advance modifications

A CET Dimension Tip

Wow, where has the time gone! So much for giving you tips every month!  I'll try harder, but for now I have another tip for the CET Designer users.


For many of you as you start using the software for installation drawings you find that you don't have the control over the dimensioning you'd like.  Sure, now we can set a preset size and change them all globally but we are still missing the true ability to link them to specific "layers" or as they are called in CET Visibility Categories. I know it is coming but until CET has it solved I have a work around.


I had a client ask me the other day if she could have dimensions for a panel plan and then other dimensions for components.  The answer is not really.  But I found a way she could do it.  I'll share it with you.

• First you rename one of the Part Tagging Tags to Panel Dimensions and the other to Component Dimensions (you don't really HAVE to do this but it gets confusing if you don't).

• Then right click on the dimension and pick Visibility and Categorization.

• In the Categorization tab check either Panel Dimensions or Component Dimensions.

• When you set up your PaperView Viewports just make sure that you don't have Normal View selected and then go to the Part Tagging and check the dimensions you want to print.

There you go.  I suspect there are more uses for this tip, let me know if you find other ways to use it.

Also, don't forget to order your renewal before August 1.  If you plan on renewing in the future do it now before the rates go up!!

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Cate

CET Materials

I am always looking for resources for great materials to use in rendering.  Configura has a nice zip file on their web site that you can download. It's on the documentation page. But there isn't quite enough choices.

Another resource I found was on my own hard drive! AutoCAD installed a huge library of wonderful materials.  I found it in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\Materials2011\assetlibrary_base.fbm\2\Mats directory.  Some of the files are Bump files which give AutoCAD the texture information, others are Mask files that AutoCAD uses for creating holes in the material (think of chain link fence).  You probably won't use those type of files. However, if you look through the directory you will find some nice stone and brick patterns.

Here is a screen capture of the directory:

Hope you are able to use these materials.

Cheers!
Cate

New Configura CET Tip

Hello friends,
I haven't had much to share lately but today I want to tell you about a CET trick I discovered when I was testing.

Updating multiple alternatives at the same time

Lots of people ask me if they can make changes to all their alternative at once and I have always said no.  But I found a work around using Blocks.

See, a block is the same in all your alternatives, so if you make a block of your architecture you can update it in one and all the other alternative will also update.

Here are the steps:

1. Draw your room in one of your alternatives.
2. Select the whole room and right click to pick Make Block.
3. Leave the Block dialog open and switch to another Alternative.
4. Place the Block.

When you change the Block in any alternative they all will change.

You can do this with other things that are the same in all the alternatives as well, like accessories or even the workstations.

Hope this is something you can use!

Have a great day,

Cate 

Christmas Gifts to You

Tis the season for giving.

Sure you hear about free apps for your smart phone all the time but did you know that there are free programs for your computer too?

Here are some that I use and some that come recommended but I haven’t had to use yet... but might now.

1. SketchUp  http://sketchup.google.com/download/ - I’ve talked about it before and it’s still the best deal out there.
2. Trillian  http://www.trillian.im/ - this chat program is a great way to combine all the different chat programs (AOL, MSN, Skype, Google+, Facebook) in one so you don’t have to load each program to chat with different friends.  It also has an app for your phone if you really can’t get enough chatting! Pidgin is another program like this that my husband uses.  
3. Picassa https://picasaweb.google.com/home - I use this program for organizing my photos uploading to their web site so I can see them on my smartphone without actually using space on my phone.
4. CutePDF http://www.cutepdf.com/ - installs a printer driver to print to pdf.  It doesn’t have all the functions of Adobe but it’s all I need.
5. Jing http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html?gclid=CMOxk5_8la0CFWkDQAoduDOplw - fun and easy way to capture either images or short clips from your screen.  It’s great for tech support when you want to send in the steps you did and don’t want to write each one out.  Just start the recorder and do it, you can even narrate.
6. Evernote http://www.evernote.com/ - I use this to take notes and capture web sites on my laptop, smartphone, or when I’m on someone else’s computer.  They all sync up so if a friend gives me a great recipe when I’m at her house I have it when I get home on my laptop. Now, there are people who say the DropBox is better, I’m tempted to download it and try but I don’t know if I can transfer my notes from one to the other and I’ve got a lot of notes.
7. GIMP (Graphic Image Manipulation Program) http://www.gimp.org/  - If you don’t have PhotoShop you can get this one for free.
8. CCleaner http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner - cleans up the junk on your computer great if you are running out of hard disk space.

Here are some recommended ones that I’m going to try:

• 7-zip - zips up your files
• imgburn - copys files to a DVD - great if you have a lot of files to send to a client
• teamViewer - online viewer of other peoples computer, similar to GoToMeeing but free.

BEWARE: Make sure you download these programs from their actual web site or a trusted site like CNet.  There are lots of hackers out there setting up fake versions of the populars free downloads with their own bad stuff on them.

I hope you can use some of these programs to life a little easier. 

From my family to yours I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

(Yes, we are geeks)

Cate

Comfortably numb

I've been thinking about the user experience lately. And I've come to the conclusion: It's amazing what you can get used to.

Case in point. CET Changed the behavior of the Schemes dialog pop up box. It used to pop up in the upper right hand corner but now it remembers where it was last and pops up there. This is so much nicer. I forgot that it bugged me and I simply got used to it.

This happens to power users all the time. We find work arounds or just get used to it. But the bug is still there.

As a trainer and a power user I’m in a unique position to watch new users get frustrated by bugs that have long since stopped bugging me. This fresh perspective is something most of us gloss over.

A couple weeks ago I was training some designers who are dealing with very badly drawn furniture symbols.  They learned to deal with them by redrawing the symbols correctly. All this extra work because the people who drew the symbols originally haven't responded to their complaints. Like most of us, after a while you stop complaining and just deal with it.

My challenge to you is, UNITE.

You need to make yourself a thorn in the side of the software companies.That's what I do. A lot of times complaining to a huge company like Microsoft or AutoCAD makes you feel like you’re the only one not clapping at the end of a rock concert. Smaller companies are different. They tend to care about complaints. CET, CAP, ProjectMatrix, and others like them fall into this category.  

A lot of my students say they don't have time to report the little things but I say if we all complain a little, maybe they will fix it.

Every thing they fix is one less thing you have to remember when using the software. And that makes your job a tiny bit easier. All these tiny bits add up.

So instead of being numb to the weird idiosyncrasies, tell someone.  

If you don't know who to tell, tell me.

I'll tell them!  

Be thankful!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Cate