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SSN Remediation: One Step Closer
We’re one step closer to the happy world of SSN Remediation. Our development SIS database is now using the HP-ID, which is the new primary key we’ve designated to replace the SSN in SIS. HP-IDs look distinctly familiar: They’re 9-digit numbers just like SSNs. That way, we cleverly avoid having to rewrite most of the…
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Saturday’s Hijinks
Another fun Saturday around the house… First up: The security system. I finally got around to relocating the wireless receiver to try to get better performance out of our new keyfobs. At the same time, I installed the status transmitter module so the keyfobs can receive status information. So far, things look good. the status…
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Howard County, MD property tax installments
Background: My home county bills my property tax in two semiannual installments. The first installment is always larger than the second installment. But I’ve never been able to ascertain the formula they use for figuring the amount of the first installment vs. the second installment. The other day I spent a half hour or so…
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Not-So-Flexible Spending Accounts
Between my wife’s broken foot and my son’s infection, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in doctors’ offices this past week. This week, we have doctor’s appointments every day except Friday. Next week, we have appointments Monday and Tuesday. Every visit means another co-pay. We’ve got a pre-tax health care spending account (HCSA), but…
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A bit of everything today
I skipped work today so I could ferry the clan around on various errands, and seized the opportunity to knock a few odd things off the to-do list. First off, I paid my first visit to Namco, my favorite place to get pool supplies. The prices have gone up this year, which comes as absolutely…
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Maryland’s 529 Plan
I’m getting ready to open a new college savings account for our new son, Andrew. This time around, I’ve decided to go with a 529, the Maryland College Savings Plan. For our older son, I have a Coverdell Education Savings Account. I’ve always been partial to the Coverdell accounts, mainly because I like freedom —…
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Post-setting indoctrination
I set a 4×4 post today, complete with concrete footing. While this may not seem like much, it was a big deal for me as I’d never done it before. My parting impression: it’s a lot of work. Between digging the hole and handling the concrete, it’s quite the back breaker. To dig the hole,…
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Sorting Tables with Javascript
I just wanted to take a minute to plug Standardista Table Sorting, a nifty set of Javascript routines that automagically sorts rows in HTML tables. I was recently asked to add row sorting to myUMBC’s class list function, and my first thought was to do it in Javascript, which would give the end user instant…
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SSN Remediation Can’t Come Soon Enough..
This June, we’re finally, finally going to stop using SSN as a primary key at UMBC, and frankly, the big day can’t come soon enough. And it’s not for the reasons you’d think. Yeah, there are a lot of privacy and liability issues at stake, but putting that aside, it causes us nothing but headaches.…
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Quick Bike-to-work Update
Well, here it is May 1 and I’ve biked to work 6 times now (well, 5-1/2 times actually, since I’m at work now and still have to ride home today). The weather has been almost perfect for biking. It’d be nice if it were ever-so-slightly warmer in the mornings, because then I could lose the…