Michael Rybin

Everyone should get a new house and a new car ... Not!

2014-10-29T01:13:00.001-06:00

First, let me say that I am an honorably discharged veteran who served weekly on a part-time firefighting crew for 4 years of active duty. This post has nothing to do with the profession of firefighting or the good people who serve our country in a civil service position.

Local city officials proposed a bond to pay for a new fire station and other buildings.
Many people have expressed concern about this bond because of the current tough economic season.

I heard the argument on the news that firefighters feared their building would collapse in an earthquake. Using the same logic, many homes are in the same condition.
Should families, take on a larger mortgage and more debt to buy a new home?

Considering the current difficult economic season, most families are tightening their budget vs buying a new home. Is it unreasonable for firefighters and city officials to be conservative in these tough economic conditions?

When times become prosperous, some wise families keep a very tight budget and save up the money to pay off their house in 10 years or less. They save themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest debt ... and are better prepared to survive the next economic low. Would it be impractical for firefighters and city officials to plan likewise? Conservative financial practices like these would save families millions of dollars in interest debt paid by taxes.

Should fathers and mothers who are firefighters be required to purchase new homes for their families if it is older and has a higher risk of collapsing in an earthquake? What if the firefighter is unable to afford the purchase of a new home right now? Should we double their pay so they can buy a new home?

Perhaps anyone in a home that does not meet the latest earthquake building codes should be given a tax break to buy a new home, regardless of their financial ability to pay for it. In addition, old cars are not as safe as new cars - so we should all have new cars. Firefighters deserve a safe place to work and live, and a safe vehicle to drive home, and so does everyone else. Where does this logic stop?

On the other hand, the fire station may be absolutely terrible and unsafe.
If my house was that bad, I would sell it and move into a newer used home – within my budget. If my sister's house were terrible and unsafe, we would work together as family and friends to get her a newer house.

Since newer fire stations are not readily available, a new building may be required.
Perhaps retrofitting the existing building would make it adequately safe until a prosperous economy returned. Alternatively, if a new building is required, can we be much better about competitive bids and conservative with cost? How about contracts with cost “not to exceed”. We hate to hear the final results cost $X million more than the original bid.

As a public service - the architecture office that I work at would probably offer a significant discount to the city, compared to other architecture firms. Perhaps other builders and suppliers would also pitch in to help.

It sounds like a healthy discussion – as long both sides maintain their self-respect and exercise genuine kindness to every person with an opposing argument. We do not want to be rash and irresponsible, buy a new fire station and a new car for everyone, and bankrupt the city like so many other states and public organizations around the country.

Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2014 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Hope and Water in Africa

2013-05-28T23:48:00.001-06:00

Tonight, watching the movie "Running the Sahara" had such an impact on me, words cannot describe. A true story documenting three men who ran and traveled over 4,300 miles (6,920 kilometers) in 111 days through 6 countries: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt. Part of their goal was to bring attention and support to the water crisis in Africa through H2O Africa. As life goes, my feelings about this movie include a culmination of other personal experiences, about which I will briefly mention a few for context.

Many years ago when visiting different countries, another emotional experience that has imprinted an incomprehensible and eternal memory on the character of my soul is feeling the tug of starving children on my leg and looking into their faces. Repeated one asks, what is the difference between watching a TV commercial soliciting financial donations to feed a starving child and facing that child in person? No one can describe, define, or measure it because it is completely different for every person. What would I do if this was my child, or my sister’s child, or my neighbor’s child, and is not everyone my brother and neighbor no matter what nationality or where they live?

My son, Matthew is currently on a full-time LDS mission in Africa (personal letters). We have learned that electricity and clean drinking water are not a primary standard of the infrastructure of some cities in Africa, let alone rural suburbs. Human sewage disposal is very limited, even when it might be provided by a secondary non-drinkable water source. Where water is available filters are necessary. Electricity and water services are shut-off without notice, and offered on a limited or conditional basis. Google Earth provides a view of some cities in Africa with a few 8-12 story modern buildings across the street from shacks. This is shocking and heart wrenching to me.

From my Architecture Human Dimensions college-course here is another perspective. Socially, we honor the enormous mansions and palaces of Greek, Roman and French architecture history. The size of some of these castles or estates is a waste of resources contrary to common sense and practical good judgment; let alone the exploited taxation of malnourished lower class citizens. Yet we perpetuate this social architectural behavior today in skyscrapers and massive multi-million dollar single-family houses and cabins while approximately 10 million children under the age of 5 die every year because of preventable diseases and starvation. For a comparative analysis, we have already killed more children – from preventable causes – in the last decade than the 75 million people who died during one of the deadliest wars in history, the Holocaust.

The movie Running the Sahara gave me hope because these three men accomplished something that had never been done before, and especially because it was previously believe to be impossible or thought to be impractical or useless. Their experience reminded me of the first time I watched Joel Barker’s video the Business ofParadigms because it provided another forever memory with an indefatigable question, “What is impossible to do today in your business, but, if it could be done, would fundamentally change it for the better?”. Now whenever someone says, “that is impossible” my heart is stirred to ask, but what if it could be done.

Too many times we find ourselves being inspired by reading a book, inspired by listening to a person tell a true story, or inspired by any number of other experiences, only to find ourselves waking up the next day with no change of heart or motivation to do anything. Once in a great while the sparks in our soul are fueled by a combination of events and experiences that ignite the flames of fire to positive change. We look back on these “forks in the road” changes where we have been able to take the road less traveled – or in some cases never traveled or attempted – with a feeling of profound gratitude and joy for the good that we accomplished. Despite the pain and suffering they caused us and others, we would never go back. Upon further reflection, we wish and pray for more of these life changing experiences in order to overcome other personal and social challenges – some with deep burdens that feel overwhelming because of many years of failed attempts to solve.

The culmination of my experiences plus the movie "Running the Sahara" gave me a feeling of renewed hope to make a personal change, despite the severe challenges we face in the world, personally, socially, economically, and culturally. It was very good.

---
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2013 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Favorite Ted Talks

2013-04-02T19:53:00.001-06:00

This web page includes my favorite Ted Talks, and is updated periodically with the most recent posts at the top.

Adam Baker - Sell your crap. Pay your debt. Do what you love (Jan 2, 2014)

TEDTalks: Life Hack (1 of 8)
Your body language shapes who you are - Amy Cuddy (Dec 27, 2013)

Evelyn Glennie: How to truly listen (April 3, 2013)

Charles Limb: Your brain on improve (April 3, 2013)

Jim Ferrell - Resolving the Heart of Conflict

Viktor Frankl: Why to believe in others

David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization

Doris Kim Sung: Metal that breathes

Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2013 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Chocolate Milk Healthy or Not?

2013-03-18T14:59:00.000-06:00

Kelly L. Phillips published “Got Milk? Try Chocolate After Your Workout” in the online fitnessmagazine.com. I posted the following comment on that website, and am waiting for a response:

Many studies report benefits of chocolate, yet few articulate the difference to unprocessed dark cocoa. I like the idea about the exercise recovery benefits from protein and carbohydrate. Yet, we trade those benefits for other health risks.

Questions 1.high fructose corn syrup in chocolate milk, 2.studies that report diseases like cancer and Parkinson's from milk, 3.protein and carbohydrates from natural foods versus processed foods or energy drinks?

= = = = = = =
Also, I sent the following email, and am waiting for a response:

Professor Stager:

In 2006 Kelly L. Phillips published “Got Milk? Try Chocolate After Your Workout”

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/chocolate-milk-after-workout/

in the online fitnessmagazine.com that continues to receive comments today. It mentions your study and I was perplexed. Many studies report the benefits (and probably some risks) of eating chocolate, yet few articulate it is the unprocessed dark cocoa powder that holds the genuine health benefits and not processed milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Your claim about chocolate milk intrigued me to read your study. I appreciate your objective tone.

I like your idea about the exercise recovery benefits from protein and carbohydrate. On the other hand, it sounds like we trade those benefits for other health risks from high fructose corn syrup and milk. I have four questions about your recommendation to drink chocolate milk. (1) the high fructose corn syrup found in chocolate milk (2) the scientific studies that report health risks and diseases like cancer and Parkinson's from milk, (3) who paid you to conduct and publish the study?, and (4) the health benefits of protein and carbohydrates from natural foods versus processed foods or supplemental energy drinks?

Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2013 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Shocking Documentary Film, Inside Job 2010

2013-02-19T21:54:00.002-07:00

Another shocking documentary about the 2008 financial economic crisis. Is the corruption of individuals, companies, and the United States government without conscience and beyond repair?

See the Movie from Netflix or Vimeo ...
Inside Job (2010) Vimeo
"DOCUMENTARY : 'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China".

Download the complete transcript from Sony / Google ...
"Inside Job Transcript - Final Version - 9.30.10 - Sony Pictures Classics

www.sonyclassics.com/awards-information/insidejob_screenplay.pdf

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
Sep 30, 2010 – Inside Job transcript – Sony Pictures – September 2010. 1. 01:00:00.00 {START} ... ANDRI MAGNASON: We had the complete infrastructure of a modern society; clean energy, food ... A REPRESENTATIONAL PICTURES FILM ..."

Inside Job (film) Wikipedia
"Inside Job is a 2010 documentary film about the late-2000s financial crisis directed by Charles H. Ferguson. The film is described by Ferguson as being about "the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption."^[3] In five parts, the film explores how changes in the policy environment and banking practices helped create the financial crisis.
Inside Job was well received by film critics who praised its pacing, research, and exposition of complex material. The film was screened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival in May and won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature".

Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2013 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Activity Ideas to Remember

2013-02-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

This is web page includes activity ideas to remember and is updated periodically.

http://www.utahvalley.com/events.aspx

http://www.haletheater.org/

http://ic.byu.edu/

http://arts.byu.edu/calendar/

http://www.townecinema.com/

Family History Resources to Remember

2013-02-10T21:48:00.001-07:00

I am taking a short course in family history or family search. This web page includes resources I learn about that are worth remembering. This web page is updated periodically.

* Special Collections & Family History

* http://archives.utah.gov/research/index.html

* https://login.ulc.idm.oclc.org/login

* Search google for digital newspapers - separate search for each state - examples:

* Utah http://digitalnewspapers.org/

* Nebraska http://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/info/about/NDNP

* familysearch.org
* digitalnewspapers.org

* history.lds.org/overlandtravel

* pioneer.utah.gov/rsearch census

* abish.byui.edu/specialcollections (western States Marriage Search)

* http://lib.byu.edu/sites/familyhistory/

* https://familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp.

. . by state or country

* http://lib.byu.edu/sites/familyhistory/research_outlines/...

* https://createfan.com/

Other areas of searching to find links for...
cemetery records

obituaries

vital records

military records

daughters of utah pioneers

records from Navoo Illionis

land records from county recorders

byu library

University of Utah library

Michael Rybin~۩~

Through Endurance we Conquer ™
Copyright© 2013 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Some economic trivia: why high unemployment?. . .

2013-01-17T23:08:00.002-07:00

“… since 1929, employment grew more than enough to keep up with raising population” (Econ 2020 Macroeconomics p85).

Years 1929 to 2010:

~ population growth from 122 to 309 = 187 million = 153%

~ employment growth from 47 to 140 = 93 million = 198%

If true, WHY do we have current high unemployment?

Increased of women in labor force from 34% to 60% (p104) . . . or 26% increase

Decline of men in labor force from 86% to 73% (p104) . . . or 13% decrease

. . . so adding increase of women and decrease of men = net increase of 13% labor force

Sources of Unemployment (p106)

~ book cites 4 types of unemployment and estimates 4-6% unemployment is normal

~ (1 of 4) Cyclical unemployment = corporate layoffs due to recessions and depression

It seems although employment grew more than the population, I am guessing the labor force grew even more. Along with above reasons for unemployment my speculations include:

Increased number of jobs exported overseas (employees in China and India earn less than 1/10 pay of US)?

Increased number of immigrants or new citizens? (2008 sees most new U.S. citizens in more than 100 years)

~ 1960s and '70s up to 200,000

~ 1980s up to 300,000

~ 1990s Congress voted to legalize 2.7 million

~ 2007 up to 886,000

~~ Increased number of unauthorized immigrants?

~~ from 8.5 million in 2000 to 11.8 million 2007

Finally “Employment during the decade increased by only about 4 million, not nearly enough to absorb the 13 million people joining the labor force. As a result, the number of unemployed swelled from 6 million in 2000 to 15 million in 2010, and the unemployment rate climbed from only 4% to 10%. This was the worst decade of employment growth since the Great Depression” (p104).

Considering the book’s “normal range” of 4-6%, this statement on page 104 seems to contradict the book’s statement on page 85. I asked the economics instructor to explain.

Among friends: it seems we are exporting jobs overseas so corporations can earn ten times the revenue or at least reduce their employee cost by that amount; layoff their neighbors and stuff their pockets with more profit. Also, we are importing unauthorized immigrants by the millions who are consequently taking American jobs. Are American corporations and congress are in cahoots? We are in a very tough baseball pickle or rundown.

Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright © 2013 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Grant Resources

2013-01-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/research/sec_page.php?sub_item=029

Net Zero Architecture Links

2013-01-17T22:47:00.001-07:00

Net Zero Architecture Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_building
http://www.arch.utah.edu/?netZero

Best Usability Experts

2013-01-12T19:19:00.002-07:00

Stop reading and following usability public opinions blogs or surveys about users' personal preferences. Check out these usability experts who report facts and evidence based on scientific studies measuring the performance of users. These are the best usability experts or leaders.

Jakob Nielson
NNGroup, formally 18 years of Alertbox at Useit.com
"Evidence-Based User Experience Research, Training, and Consulting"
Regarding the old useit.com website, I would say don't be fooled by the look of the website.
Consultant and published studies

Bob Bailey
ComputerPsychology
"User Interface Update" (an excellent annual course covering a reader's digest version of more than a year of published usability studies from many professional and academic sources - a brief consumer reports style). It looks like Bob may be retired, but any of his published work you can collect is worth its weight in gold.

Human Factors International
http://www.humanfactors.com/home/usability.asp
Published studies

Ben Shneiderman
University of Maryland, Human Computer Interaction Lab
More than 25 years of fantastic usability videos and studies

SIGCHI
Special Interest Group on Human-ComputerInteraction
“SIGCHI is the premier international society for professionals, academics and students who are interested in human-technology & human-computer interaction (HCI).”
... parent is Association for ComputingMachinery (ACM)

Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright © 2013 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Movies or Videos

2012-12-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

This list is updated periodically.

* Inside Job (Film) is a 2010 documentary film about the late-2000s financial crisis."
http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Job_(film)
...{for more Movies and Videos on American Economics go to}
In one word terrifying!

* First Freedom: The Fight for Religious Liberty
The adoption of separating church and state caused a shift in human history. A PBS Video

* Ernest Shackleton

* Lord of the Ring

* Limitless

* Star Thrower ...and all the Joel Barker Programs:
Innovation at the Verge
The New Business of Paradigms
Wealth, Innovation & Diversity
Joel Barker's Leadershift
Tactics of Innovation
Paradigm Mastery Series
The Power of Vision
The Business of Paradigms
Paradigm Pioneers
Paradigm Principles

* NOVA Extreme Ice ~ A chilling perspective about global warming

* Blue Gold, World Water Wars ~ an earth shacking, must see, movie

Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Dear Daily Infographics and Milk Mustache

2012-12-15T19:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Daily Infographics and Milk Mustache:

It is very sad, to say the least, that you have not objectively considered the scientific studies that show cow milk is not digestible by humans or causes other harmful diseases. For example, check out the below Wikipedia link with no less than 12 such references. A blanket one-sided Infographic puts your integrity at risk, and we wonder if you are telling the truth. Should we continue to read and believe your Daily Infographics? Do you want to be known as a source for fancy graphic displays of inaccurate and questionable information --- perhaps because of paid sponsors? Now granted news reporters and experts can provide evidence for arguments on either side of the issue, yet it is nice to at least have evidence and references to their opinions. We like to see both sides of the issue thoroughly and objectively covered with references at the bottom of Infographics. Keep up the good work.

Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright © 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

References:

Milk Controversy, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Some studies suggest that milk consumption may increase the risk of suffering from certain health problems. Cow milk allergy (CMA) is an immunologically mediated adverse reaction to one or more cow's milk proteins. Rarely is it severe enough to cause death.[80]

Milk contains casein, a substance that breaks down in the human stomach to produce casomorphin, an opioid peptide. In the early 1990s it was hypothesized that casomorphin can cause or aggravate autism spectrum disorders,[81][82] and casein-free diets are widely promoted. Studies supporting these claims have had significant flaws, and the data are inadequate to guide autism treatment recommendations.[82]
A study demonstrated that men who drink a large amount of milk and consume dairy products were at a slightly increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease; the effect for women was smaller.[83] The reason behind this is not fully understood, and it also remains unclear why there is less of a risk for women.[83][84] Several sources suggest a correlation between high calcium intake (2000 mg per day, or twice the US recommended daily allowance, equivalent to six or more glasses of milk per day) and prostate cancer.[85] A large study specifically implicates dairy, i.e. low-fat milk and other dairy to which vitamin A palmitate has been added.[86][87]
A review published by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research states that at least eleven human population studies have linked excessive dairy product consumption and prostate cancer.[88][89]
Medical studies also have shown a possible link between milk consumption and the exacerbation of diseases such as Crohn's disease,[90] Hirschsprung's disease–mimicking symptoms in babies with existing cow's milk allergies,[91] and the aggravation of Behçet's disease.[92]"

>>>>>>>
Friday December 21, 2012

A few days ago the following reply was posted on http://dailyinfographic.com/the-merry-merits-of-milk-infographic ...
Dear Michael Rybin:
It is very sad that you had to use Wikipedia to make your point. Surely you could've cited the very scientific studies to which you make reference? And if we're going to be technical here, perhaps you could have linked to scientific studies that point out that Santa Claus doesn't exist?
Thank you,
Elizabeth Miervaldis

>>>>>>>
I tried to post a reply on the Daily Infographics page, but it would not stick, so my reply is posted here.

Dear Elizabeth:

I said, “We like to see both sides of the issue thoroughly and objectively covered with references at the bottom of Infographics … we know anyone could come up with an equal number of medical studies in favor of milk.”

My point was not as much to argue for or against milk, but since you insist, here is a list of citations from Wikipedia, plus two other articles, each with over 50 citations. Since the original article was bias to the benefits of milk without any citations, all of my citations show the problems and diseases caused by milk in order to present some information for the other side of the issue.

Citations and References
1. ^ Høst A (1994). "Cow's milk protein allergy and intolerance in infancy. Some clinical, epidemiological and immunological aspects". Pediatric Allergy and Immunology 5 (5 Suppl): 1–36. PMID 7704117.
2. ^ Reichelt KL, Knivsberg A-M, Lind G, Nødland M (1991). "Probable etiology and possible treatment of childhood autism". Brain Dysfunct 4: 308–19.
3. ^ a b Christison GW, Ivany K (2006). "Elimination diets in autism spectrum disorders: any wheat amidst the chaff?". J Dev Behav Pediatr 27 (2 Suppl 2): S162–71. doi:10.1097/00004703-200604002-00015. PMID 16685183.
4. ^ a b Chen, H.; O'Reilly, E.; McCullough, M. L.; Rodriguez, C.; Schwarzschild, M. A.; Calle, E. E.; Thun, M. J.; Ascherio, A. (2007). "Consumption of Dairy Products and Risk of Parkinson's Disease". American Journal of Epidemiology 165 (9): 998–1006. doi:10.1093/aje/kwk089. PMC 2232901. PMID 17272289. //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2232901/.
5. ^ "Milk linked to Parkinson's risk". BBC News. 7 April 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4419477.stm. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
6. ^ Giovannucci E; Rimm EB; Wolk A; Ascherio, A; Stampfer, MJ; Colditz, GA; Willett, WC (1998). "Calcium and fructose intake in relation to risk of prostate cancer". Cancer Research 58 (3): 442–7. PMID 9458087.
7. ^ "Low fat milk causes prostate cancer on Yedda". Yedda.com. 2008-01-03. http://yedda.com/questions/Low_fat_milk_causes_prostate_cancer_7351021963170/. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
8. ^ Chan JM, Stampfer MJ, Ma J, Gann PH, Gaziano JM, Giovannucci EL (2001). "Dairy products, calcium, and prostate cancer risk in the Physicians' Health Study". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 74 (4): 549–54. PMID 11566656.
9. ^ Glade MJ (1997). "Food, nutrition and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective". Nutrition 15 (6): 523–6. PMID 10378216.
10. ^ Chan JM; Gann, PH; Giovannucci, EL (2005). "Role of diet in prostate cancer development and progression". J Clin Oncol 23 (32): 8152–60. doi:10.1200/JCO.2005.03.1492. PMID 16278466.
11. ^ "How Bacteria In Cows' (sic) Milk May Cause Crohn's Disease". Sciencedaily.com. 2007-12-13. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071210104002.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
12. ^ Kubota, A; Kawahara, H; Okuyama, H; Shimizu, Y; Nakacho, M; Ida, S; Nakayama, M; Okada, A (2006). "Cow's milk protein allergy presenting with Hirschsprung's disease–mimicking symptoms". Journal of Pediatric Surgery 41 (12): 2056–8. doi:10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2006.08.031. PMID 17161204.
13. ^ Triolo, G; Accardo-Palumbo, A; Dieli, F; Ciccia, F; Ferrante, A; Giardina, E; Licata, G (2002). "Humoral and cell mediated immune response to cow's milk proteins in Behçet's disease". Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 61 (5): 459–62. doi:10.1136/ard.61.5.459. PMC 1754076. PMID 11959773. //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1754076/.
14. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste.400, Washington DC, 20016, Phone: 202-686-2210 Email: pcrm@pcrm.org, http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/health-concerns-about-dairy-products ... INCLUDING 51 CITATIONS
15. Dangers Of Milk And Dairy Products - The Facts http://rense.com/general26/milk.htm ... INCLUDING 65 CITATIONS

(Elder) Benjamin Rybin returns home

2012-06-15T10:15:00.001-06:00

We are excited about my son, (Elder) Benjamin Rybin, returning home June 28th from his full-time mission in Florida.

You are invited to attend Benjamin’s mission report and homecoming talk.

DATE: Sunday July 8^th

TIME: 2:00 pm

PLACE: 261 North 900 East, American Fork, UT 84003 (Church)

Afterwards, everyone is welcome to visit him and enjoy refreshments.

TIME: 3:15 pm

PLACE: Rybin home

Blog of Elder Rybin's letters to home each week

Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright © 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Certified Autodesk Alienware Hardware, Not!

2012-06-08T14:18:00.001-06:00

While conducting a comparative analysis of computer hardware research and configuring a Dell M6600 computer system with a Quadro graphics card to run Autodesk Revit, 3DMax, and the Adobe Master Suite including Photoshop you may be shocked to discover a $2-3,000 price difference for a similar Alienware computer system. Unable to find an Autodesk certified graphics cards for Alienware computers, an email to both the Dell and Autodesk teams seemed useless because if they tested and certified those machines and cards they would have published the results. A Google search of “autodesk hardware certification” produced excellent forum feedback. Some people said GeForce graphics cards run CAD just fine but other people provided insights to the contrary. In addition, there were plenty of people reporting problems running CAD on GeForce graphics cards. Finally, a great short article by Uwe Scheffel on Tom’s Hardware sealed the deal for me, Performance Gaming Vs. Workstation: GeForce GTX 280 And Quadro FX 4800 --- a Dell M6600 workstation computer system with a Quadro graphics card is the better system. Tom's Hardware test results validate why they do not recommend using GeForce gaming graphics cards for Autodesk and provide the evidence for an intelligent and objective decision on the matter.

Another distinguishing fact that sets Dell M6600 computers apart from all the competition is their 5 years next business day (NBD), all parts, all labor, and all shipping paid support. For students and companies with real deadlines, there is no substitute. Consideration of Boxx computers quickly dissolved because of Boxx's poor 1-year hardware warranty which sadly they try to cloak with three year software support. In other words, if Boxx is the best, then why don't they back it up with the best hardware warranty?

Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright © 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Architecture NCARB + GRE

2012-04-18T12:40:00.000-06:00

Architecture Friends:

For those seeking to become a licensed Architect, NCARB lists the Architecture initial registration requirements for every state.

As you probably know, Utah requires a masters,
http://www.ncarb.org/en/Getting-an-Initial-License/Registration-Board-Requirements.aspx?jurisid=70
("5a With a four-year pre-professional degree? = No)

but Arizona and Colorado only require a BS (probably other states too)
http://www.ncarb.org/Getting-an-Initial-License/Registration-Board-Requirements.aspx?jurisid=7
("5a With a four-year pre-professional degree? = Yes).

For those states that do require a masters degree we need to remember that some universities architecture masters programs require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Here is a short incomplete list of some universities provided by a friend that do not require the GRE (verification needed).

Utah
California College of Arts - San Francisco
University of Colorado - Denver
Taliesin - Scottsdale, AZ and Wisconsin
Woodbury - Burbank, CA
University of Hawaii

--
Michael Rybin~۩~
College e-Portfolio
http://netzeroenergyarchitecture.wordpress.com/

© Copyright 2012 Michael Rybin, All Rights Reserved.

Best IT Tools or Free Utilities THAT I USE and Highly Recommend

2012-01-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

The best IT tools or free utilities, THAT I USE, and highly recommend.

7zip

easy to use, great file compression and extraction of any file format

CCleaner

cleans registry and old cookies

AVG (download)

virus protection I let monitor and protect my computer ~ I use the free version and only for virus protection

Beyond compare

excellent file copy and folder comparison, I use an old version and wish it could copy long filenames (see Microsoft RichCopy below)

Eusing Free Registry Cleaner

the newest addition to my tools

K9 Protection

peace of mind with porn protection for me and my family, without slowing down my internet connection

Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File

excellent protection with very fast performance

Black Viper’s Windows XP x86 (32-bit) Service Pack 3 Service Configurations
Twenty Critical Controls for Effective Cyber Defense: Consensus Audit Guidelines
Mcafee Stinger

virus cleaner I use as-needed

Microsoft Syssinternals Suite

many great very advanced tech tools, top 10 downloads: Process Explorer, AutoRuns, Process Monitor, PsTools, PageDefrag, RootkitRevealer, TcpView, BgInfo, BlueScreen, and Desktops

Microsoft Robocopy GUI

the absolute best tool and only free copy utility that does not choke on long filenames (includes valuable backup features too), with special thanks to an intelligent engineer Derk Benisch for developing the GUI version for our non-geek friends and relatives

Microsoft RichCopy

more powerful than copy and paste, with granular control and excellent usability thanks to from Ken Tamaru

Startup Applications List

good resource to screen Windows startup programs - Database search

Pareto logic

I used this to help my son recover from the terrible Apple iTunes auto sync features that deletes music instead of syncing. It is not free, but it worked great.

Spybot

best free spyware cleaner! --- I use the above host file instead of the Spybot immunize feature because it is faster

Lavasoft Adaware

good spyware cleaner (free version) --- I do not use these as monitors because they slow down the system

Trend Micro House Call Launcher

virus cleaner I use as-needed

Trend Micro HijackThis

used as-needed

4th Wonder of the World ~ Kings Peak at 13,528 ft elevation

2011-08-22T17:28:00.000-06:00

The 4th wonder of the world is the fact that I conquered the 13,528 ft Kings Peak 4 times. The first time I climbed Kings Peak was with my son Brett and some Boy Scouts, the second with some engineering buddies, and the third time with my son Benjamin and some Boy Scouts.

My son Matthew and I reached the peak on Friday, August 12, 2011 with some members of his Boy Scout Troup. The meadows were covered with thousands of beautiful wild flowers, about a dozen different varieties. My blisters and aches were worth the experience of accomplishing something difficult. I look forward to climbing Kings Peak with my son Nathanael, and taking a special trip with my wife and youngest daughter.

In preparation, I hiked to Timpanogos Cave several times a week.

It is a wonderful view. Check out these pictures.

Excellent Career Development Resource

2011-07-09T23:39:00.000-06:00

Do not mislead by the website name UtahFutures.org. The website is not about Utah jobs, but much more about future careers – in any state. I have used this website a bunch and I find it an excellent career development resource. You have to create an account, but other than our good tax dollars, there are no additional charges. As one example of its capabilities, from the home page select “Occupations and Jobs”, then select “Occupation Index.” This displays an alphabetical list of careers occupations. Select any career to discover a comprehensive list of topics including Working conditions, Wages, Employment and outlook, Program of study, and many more. Each of these topics is a link to logical sub-topics with a gold mine of valuable information.

Copyright© 2011 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

MyEdu Website Brief Review

2011-04-28T07:23:00.000-06:00

As for the MyEdu.com website, so far so good. I like the website. It is becoming useful, even with the odd kinks. I would be interested in posting grades and ratings if they are going to continue to improve and develop the website -- are you? In addition, will these services continue to be free to college students, or do you plan to limit services and charge unreasonable fees for little value functions like Linkedin.com? If yes, I wonder if they will the fix website to allow the addition of future semesters like spring 2012. This would help make their website more "recommendable". Check it out for yourself.

© Copyright 2011 Michael Rybin, All Rights Reserved.

NOVA Extreme Ice ~ A chilling perspective about global warming

2011-04-26T00:12:00.000-06:00

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/extreme-ice.html

Blue Gold, World Water Wars ~ an earth shacking, must see, movie

2011-04-23T17:52:00.000-06:00

http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/

Blue Gold, World Water Wars ~ an earth shacking, must see, movie

Architectural Symbols on the Salt Lake Temple

2010-12-23T01:26:00.000-07:00

How does a building or temple with stone symbols send a message or communicate anything when it does not speak? Famous architects say that great buildings influence how you feel. How is that possible? Color, windows, light, large or small spaces, organization, and the architectural design of a building impact how you think and feel. Think about your experience and impressions in and around different buildings.

The Salt Lake Temple was commissioned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and under the direction of the Prophet Brigham Young, it was designed by architect Truman O. Angell. Truman was very skilled and humble. His dedication and the details of his masterful designs and drawings were cited as an inspiration to every craftsman. The architectural design of the Salt Lake Temple is a unique composite of Romanesque modified by castellated style. Construction commenced in 1853 with the manual labor of cutting and carving granite stones and stone symbols. The exterior architecture of the Salt Lake Temple movingly uses the ethos, pathos, logos, repetition, contrast, and balance of stone symbols like the earth, moon, sun, and stars to invite all people to ponder the awesome universe and believe in God.

Webster defines “symbol” as an object used to represent something abstract with the example, “the dove is a symbol of peace.” In other words, symbols are something physical that represent something intellectual and intangible, or an idea. Regarding temple, “The Latin templum was the equivalent of the Hebrew beth Elohim and signified the abode of Deity; hence it meant literally the house of the Lord.” We know of several ancient temples including the Tabernacle of Israel, Solomon’s Temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple, Herod’s Temple, and temples in ancient America.

The Salt Lake Temple’s design includes 34 earth-stones with spheres 3 feet in diameter, 28” above the ground. These are the largest blocks at 5’6” x 4’6” x 1’8” tall and weigh about 3.5 tons each. It is very difficult to imagine hand carving a granite stone of this size, let alone transporting it by wagon pulled by oxen. This kind of manual labor and level of dedication, faith, and passion represents strong pathos, especially when we find out it took 40 backbreaking years to finish the Temple!

The Temple uses ethos, contrast, and repetition with 50 moon-stones, each representing a different lunar phase. How do you feel when you periodically recognize the moon in the night sky, the moon in the daytime sky and its changing shape from day to day or week to week? Its brightness at night is inspiring. Its contrast of lunar phases both at night and during the day is captivating.

There are 50 sun-stones, each with a perimeter edge of 52 points representing the sun’s hot ethos rays! The sun is the center of our solar system. Without the light of the sun, the earth and all people, plants, and animals would cease to exist. This idea had never come to mind before writing this essay. This is a good example of the teaching power of symbols because they can always bring new meaning and understanding to those who seek truth.

Five-point star-stones are numerous. There is one constellation of star stones, Ursa Major or Great Bear, commonly known as the Big Dipper - which actually points to the true North Star in heaven. Who says a constellation is not an excellent example of ethos? Nobody! Think about how the Big Dipper has helped men, from the beginning of time, navigate across the oceans of the earth. What happens to the pathos in our hearts when we see a clear night sky filled with billions and billions of stars? Even casual viewers love the moon and the stars. Some stars are like our sun, which is incredible. In addition, some suns are a part of solar systems something like ours. These ideas magnify our understanding of the idea of stars that look like a tiny speck of light in the night sky. The universe with galaxies and solar systems is wonderful and astonishing.

There are light rays piercing through cloud-stones, two record-stones, inscription-stones, one clasped-hands stone, and other symbols. If the idea of clouds is not spectacular enough with ethos-light¬ piercing rays, consider the contrast of ideas between clouds, which usually represent a cover or light inhibitor and the rays of light piercing trough the clouds.

We see repetition by the large number of stone symbols. Contrast and balance is evident with the different types of symbols and lunar variations. At the same time, the number and types of stone symbols may seem immense and overwhelming, yet that is not what people feel when looking at the temple. The stone symbols on the building are apparent but subtle and balanced. If you do not already know what to look for, or were not paying attention, you would not recognize all the different types of stone symbols. They do not intrusively jump out at you or shout, “Look at me.” Their appearance is like a calm voice, or a whisper. All these stone symbols on the Temple represent a masterful balance in Truman’s overall architectural design of the building.

The response is different from person to person, yet the stone symbols do make us think and feel. The stone symbols seem to say, “Remember.” Do you remember the excitement of seeing a shooting star? Remember how amazingly bright a full moon is at night? Remember a sunset on the beach? Remember a sky full of billions of stars on a clear night in the mountains or desert? Remember the beautiful plants, trees, flowers, rivers, oceans, mountains and valleys you have visited on the earth? Remember the birds, fish, insects, and animals? Remember the sun and the seasons of the year? How does it all function together?

The Salt Lake Temple stone symbols invite people to ponder life, the creation of the earth, our solar system, and the universe. Looking beyond the basic symbolic representation, the stone symbols cause us to ask deeper questions. Is there life after death? Is there a heaven? Why am I here? Where did I come from? Did life begin when I was born? Was I alive before I came to earth? Is God a real person?

There is no dispute about the existence of the physical objects that these stone symbols represent. The basic questions of the existence, credibility, trustworthiness, logic, and function of the earth, sun, moon, and stars is full of logos and is almost undisputable. At the same time, we know that historically people used to think the earth was flat, that the sun rotated around the earth, and that our solar system was the whole universe. Today most people believe that the earth rotates around the sun. Yet we keep discovering and learning more every year. The more we learn, the more we realize that we do not know. From experience, we know that some of today’s facts become tomorrow’s fallacies. Nevertheless, we cannot escape what we know today, or the basic questions about life.

Symbols are understandably open to individual interpretation and I personally do not claim any expertise on the subject, let alone provide a thorough list of possible meanings. Quite the contrary, I have intentionally limited my translation and definition of symbols. Like most words, symbols have multiple definitions and meanings. Their translation and interpretation may seem cryptographic. Their meaning is the context of personal and individual understanding, and can be intelligent and wise no matter if you are a PhD or in the first grade. Robert L. Millet wrote, “We do not see things as they really are; we see things as we really are.” What do the stone symbols mean to you? What do you think about and feel when you see a sunrise or beautiful sunset?

Although I have visited and gazed at the Salt Lake Temple, from my research on this essay, I have learned there are more symbols than I had previously recognized. I have been reminded that buildings do communicate. Buildings make us think and feel. Symbols have more meanings that I perceive, and are well worth pondering more about. For me, I certainly can learn more by pondering about stone symbols.

Finally, I heard that a California college president proposed that there are three questions every student should ask him or herself to be happy in life. One of those questions was something like, “Regardless of what religion you believe, how do you feel about God and what are you going to do about it?”

The Salt Lake Temple’s stone symbols’ claim the earth, moon, sun, and stars are awesome, and God lives. Buildings and temples can speak and send messages. Temples communicate by their architectural design and stone symbols. It is the meaning of what they represent that causes each of us to think and feel more deeply. More importantly, how do these Temple stone symbols make you feel about the awesome universe and God?

Works Cited

* Hamilton, Ph.D. & Cutrubus, C. Nina

“The Salt Lake Temple: A Monument to a People”

University Services Corporation, 1983

* Hansen, Gerald E.,

“Sacred Walls, Learning from Temple Symbols”

Covenant Communications, Inc, 2009

* Madsen, Truman G.,

“The Temple, Where Heaven Meets Earth”

Desert Book Company, 2008, p. 59

*McConkie, Bruce R.,

“Mormon Doctrine”

Bookcraft, 1966, Symbolism

* Packer, Boyd K.,

“The Holy Temple”

Bookcraft, 1980, p. 40

* Talmage, James E.,

“The House of the Lord”

Desert Book Company, 1971

---, ---, “Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”

Ensign, Special Issue, October 2010, p. 53

Copyright © 2010 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.

Federal Government IT Specialists earn almost as much as an IT Vice President

2010-11-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

(updated December 18, 2010)

The following chart has a few Federal-government job announcements. Notice the IT Specialist job with a maximum salary up to 140k. Wow! It looks like some Federal Government IT Specialists earn almost as much as a Director or Vice President of a publicly traded company.

Title	Pay Plan/Series/Grade	Salary Range	Agency
IT Specialist (Network)	GS-2210-13	$81,823-$106,369	Department Of The Air Force/Air Force Elements, U.S. Strategic Command
SUPV IT SPECIALIST (PLCYPLN)	GS-2210-13	$81,823-$106,369	Department Of The Air Force/Air Force Elements, U.S. Strategic Command
IT SPECIALIST (SA/AS) PC/Server & Web Applications Developer	GS-2210-09/12	$54,032-$97,333	Department of the Treasury/Internal Revenue Service
IT SPECIALIST (SA/AS) PC/Server & Web Applications Developer	GS-2210-13/13	$81,823-$115,742	Department of the Treasury/Internal Revenue Service
Lead IT SPECIALIST (SA/AS) PC/Server & Web Applications Developer	GS-2210-13/13	$81,823-$115,742	Department of the Treasury/Internal Revenue Service
IT Specialist (SA/AS) Cobol Applications Developer	GS-2210-09/12	$54,032-$97,333	Department of the Treasury/Internal Revenue Service
IT Specialist (SA/AS) Cobol Applications Developer	GS-2210-13/13	$81,823-$115,742	Department of the Treasury/Internal Revenue Service
IT Specialist (PLCYPLN)	GS-2210-14/14	$107,701-$140,008	Department Of Defense/Defense Contract Management Agency
Supv IT Specialist (INFOSEC)	GS-2210-13/13	$96,867-$125,926	Department Of The Army/Army Network Enterprise Tech/9th Army Signal Cmd

Demographic Details

The above government IT-Specialist salary ranges reminded me of the recent Computer World Salary survey. Computer World has been publishing their annual salary report for more than 12 years. It is more accurate and creditable than recently born Internet sites like salary.com.

This small government salary sample is not a face-to-face comparison to the Computer World salary report. Nor is this article intended to be a comprehensive analytical study, meaning, it does not include a job-to-job analysis, or a study of duties and skills. However, there are some insights in the following perspective.

Computer World's survey of IT-salaries do not include pay ranges that represent the entire career-life of an employee like the Federal government salary ranges. Yet, comparing the starting-salary of Federal government jobs to the entry-level job salary in the Computer World's salary report is equitable, particularly because the difference of averages was greater and therefore unsuitable. In addition, the lowest salary jobs were compared to each other, or highest to highest, not the lowest to the highest.

Apples to Apples

Computer World had six IT job titles including the term “Specialist.” In the government sample data, the lowest IT Specialist salary was $54k compared to the lowest Computer World IT Specialist salary at $50k, for a minor difference of $4k in favor of the government job. The highest government IT Specialist salary was $107 compared to the highest Computer World IT Specialist salary at $93k, for a difference of $14k in favor of the government job.

The maximum salary range of the best paying government IT Specialist job is $140k. No entry-level jobs or middle-management jobs, in the 2010 Computer World salary survey, matched the government IT Specialist salary of $140k. The closest comparison was in the Computer World Senior-management level of an “IT Architect / Strategist” at $143k, and a “Director / Vice President” at $146k.

When this article was published the first 24 government IT Specialist jobs listed paid over $100k, and the salary range for the top government IT Specialist was $127k to $210k USD per year. If you would like to see more detailed data, click on this link.

In the past, government jobs paid less but their retirement benefits were much better than most civilian company's. Today, at least for IT workers it looks like government pay, benefits and retirement are better than private companies salary and benefits, especially because many U.S. private IT jobs are now given to foreign citizens employees, overseas and here in the States.

Here are some related questions. Will the Federal government offshore more jobs, in the future, like publicly traded companies today? However, does that mean that the Federal government salary for an IT Specialist job in India will be less or equal to the same U.S. based position? We know that public companies pay India employees much less. If we subcontracted our Federal Government jobs, could we expect a significant tax cut? On the other hand, are public companies paying enough today? Sorry, the complexities of these issues have generated more questions than answers for this short article.

On a side note, recently a friend told me that he went into the State government office and the person at the counter could barely speak English. Understandably, the service representative was unable to understand or help.

In conclusion, the sample government salary-data makes us question if we are reaching equality or just getting greedier like Enron executives. It would be interesting to see a comprehensive analytical study of government to private-company salary and benefits.

NASA Software Engineering Laboratory

2010-08-18T20:52:00.000-06:00

Updated Nov. 3, 2010

A Brief Overview of the NASA Software Engineering Laboratory (NASA SEL)

Preface to the 2010 Edition

The following article was presented in 1999 to introduce the value of measurable software process improvement to commercial and publicly traded software development companies. These ideas are vital today, so I am publishing it again.

Executive Summary

The cost to "implement measurable software process improvement" is 11 percent of the total software development cost. Some argue that is too expensive or the following results are not accurate. The question is, how much do you pay for current improvements and do your results show a return on investment? In addition, are there any SEL ideas that are worth the investment and testing in your company?

The SEL reports the following results over the long term.

85-percent reduction in software errors
35-percent reduction in cost to develop a new line of code
60-percent reduction in development cost
340-percent increase in overall improvement reuse
25-percent reduction in cycle time

Goal of this Paper
The goal of this paper is to prompt further investigation and study of the SEL resources and processes and their potential benefit to your organization. It provides a brief overview of the experience of the NASA's Software Engineering Laboratory (NASA SEL) and a basic understanding of its organization, process improvement approach, and its experimentation and operations -- including their "Keys to Software Development Success" and "Do's and Don'ts for Project Success" plus a list of some of their experiments and reports.

Foreword
The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) for the purpose of studying the effectiveness of software engineering technologies and improving the overall software process and products that are developed within the GSFC Flight Dynamics Division (FDD). The SEL was created in 1976 and has three primary organizational members:

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
* the user and manager of all of the relevant software systems
University of Maryland, Department of Computer Science
or Experimental Software Engineering Group (ESEG)
* with the focus of advanced concepts in software process and experimentation
Computer Sciences Corporation, Software Engineering Operation
* the major contractor responsible for building and maintaining the software used to support the NASA missions (note: the CSC recently won the milti-billion dollar IRS upgrade contract)

SEL Background
At the time the SEL was established, significant advances were being made in software engineering. However, very little empirical evidence existed for selecting and applying promising techniques and processes. In fact, little guidance was available regarding which approaches were of any value in software production. Additionally, there was very limited data available to qualify or quantify the existing software process and associated products, or to aid in understanding the impact of specific methods. Thus, the SEL staff developed a means by which the software process and products could be understood, measured, qualified, and objectively improved.

SEL Introduction
Since its inception, the SEL has conducted experiments on approximately 130 production software projects at NASA/GSFC, in which numerous software process changes have been applied, measured, and analyzed. Software engineering projects have approximately 250 personnel who, in roughly 1-2 years, develop and maintain complex products and systems with about 10K to 1.5 million software lines of code. The continual experimentation with software process and products has yielded an extensive set of empirical studies that has guided the evolution of standards, management practices, technologies, and training within the organization. Because of these studies, appropriate processes have been adopted and tailored within the environment, which has guided the SEL to improve the software products, significantly. Additionally, the SEL has produced over 200 reports that describe experiences from the experimentation process and its overall software process improvement approach.

Through experimentation and sustained study of software process and its resultant product, the SEL has been able to identify refinements to its software process and to improve product characteristics. This effort has been driven throughout by the goals of achieving significant overall improvement in three product measures:

Reduction in defect rate of delivered software
Reduction in cost of software to support similar missions
Reduction in average cycle time to produce mission support software

Since a major GSFC reorganization in January 1998, GSFC sponsorship for the SEL has transferred from the FDD to the new Information Systems Center (ISC). The wider scope of the ISC's software responsibilities should lead to the SEL collecting data across more software domains and processes.

SEL Goals

Understand the software development process in the GSFC environment
Measure the effect of various methodologies and tools on the process and product during development
Identify, publish, standardize, and apply successful development practices

SEL Organizational Structure

The SEL organization consists of three functional areas: software developers, software engineering process analysts, and data base support.

SEL Process Improvement Strategy - reuse of experience/tasks
Over the years, the SEL has selected from an array of evolving software technologies (e.g., new languages, tools, and processes) and applied the chosen ones in the FDD production environment during development, testing, and maintenance. It simultaneously measured the impact of these technologies on the products being created. In this way, the most beneficial approaches were identified through these empirical studies and then standardized, once improvements were identified.

SEL Bottom-Up Process Improvement Concept
The most significant changes to the SEL process improvement concept are being driven by experience at attempts to infuse process change and improvements within a "real" production organization. The SEL improvement concept can be described as a “bottom-up” software improvement approach, where the focus is process, defined and improved based on corporate knowledge that is extracted from the experiences of people at the lowest level or bottom of the project organization. This reuse of experience is the driving element for change and improvement in the software process. It is used with the more traditional top-down approach, or Capability Maturity Model, which focus is product changes. Each concept plays an important role in the goal of improving software development business.

SEL Reuse of Experience
Historically, a significant shortcoming in software development organizations has been their failure to capitalize on experience gained from similar completed projects. Most of the insight gained has been passively obtained instead of being aggressively pursued. One example, the SEL conducts post phase analysis compared with the more traditional post project analysis. Software developers and managers generally do not have the time or resources to focus on building corporate knowledge or planning organizational process improvements. They have projects to run and software to deliver. Thus, reuse of experience and collective learning must become a corporate priority and asset. Reuse of experience and collective learning must be supported by an organizational infrastructure dedicated to developing, updating, and supplying regular synthesized experiences and competencies. This organizational infrastructure emphasizes achieving continuous sustained improvement over identifying possible technology breakthroughs.

SEL Experimentation and Analysis
For each project, detailed measurements were provided toward the end goal of analyzing the impact that any change to software process had on the resultant software product. If a new process experiment did not prove beneficial to the product, it is not incorporated into the SEL standards.

SEL Analyzing Data
"One of the most important facts that the SEL has learned from its experience with analysis of software data is that the actual measurement data represent only one small element of experimental software engineering. Too often, data can be misinterpreted, used out of context, or weighted too heavily even when the quality of the information may be suspect." One of several key rules: "Software measures will be flawed, inconsistent, and incomplete; the analysis must take this into account. Do not place unfounded confidence in raw measurement data." Note: SEL data can be acquired for independent studies, research, and analyses.

SEL Data Collection Categories

Project information high-level information about projects and personnel.
Product information estimated and actual counts of components, applications, and source lines of code (SLOC).
Process information effort estimates, test estimates, actual effort data, inspection data, change data, and testing data.
Schedule information actual and estimated phase start and end dates, build start and end dates, and milestone dates.
Metadata data about data or the database, form status, SEL terminology and database table descriptions.

SEL Data Collection Forms

Application/Subsystem Information
Component Name Change
Component Origination
Change Request
Development Completion
Development Estimates
Development Status
Inspection Data Collection
Independent Testing Status
Project Information
Project Messages
Project Startup
Reuse Information
Software Release Estimates
Weekly Effort & Help
Weekly Services
Weekly Independent Testing Effort
Instructions for the COTS & Tool Information

SEL Improving Process
The SEL conducts three general types of analysis, all of which are active continually in the environment:

Pilot Studies of specific techniques and technologies on a project(s)
Studies of completed projects for development and refinement of local process and product models
Trend analysis of completed projects to track impact of specific process changes on whole environment

SEL Process Improvement Paradigm - Experimentation: Understanding, Assessing, Packaging

SEL Improvement Cycles

Each improvement cycle begins with setting improvement goals based on the current business needs and strategic direction of the organization.
The next step is to identify software engineering technologies (processes, methods, and/or tools) that are likely to affect the leverage area.
The third and longest step of the improvement cycle is to conduct experiments to understand the value and applicability of the new technology in the local organization.
The final step in an improvement cycle is to deploy the beneficial process/technology throughout the organization.

Understanding
"During the understanding phase of the SEL paradigm, the goal is to produce a baseline of development practices and products attributes against which change can be measured as process modifications are applied. . . . The most critical element of the SEL’s process improvement program is the understanding step -- where the only goal is to gain insight into the local software business."

The two most critical core measures that the SEL has found are:

error data including numbers and five types of errors (Computational, Initialization, Logic/control, Interface, and Calculation); and
effort data including total weekly hours by life-cycle phase and by activity.

Assessing / Experiments
Of all the models and relations that the SEL has developed during the understanding phase, the most useful for project planning and management and for observing change have been:

Effort distribution (cost characteristics).
Error characteristics (numbers, types, origins).
Change and growth rates (of the source code during development).

Packaging
The primary products of the packaging step are standards, tools, and training that give practical guidance on how to apply the new techniques in the context of the local process. See the following sections titled "Recent SEL Technology Case Studies" and "Short SEL Documentation List" for a list of public documents.

Although the technology reports are valuable, the full value of the process analysis is felt when modifications and enhancements are made to the instruments that actually guide the way the development/maintenance organization carries out its business. These include standards, tools, and training classes.

Probably the most important lesson that has been derived from the studies is that specific techniques can help the overall goals of process improvement when appropriately selected and tailored. However, the most effective element of the improvement paradigm is the continuous analysis of the software business and the continuous expansion of the understanding of the software process and product.

SEL Tools
An important packaging concept is the infusion of technology in the form of support tools for use by project personnel. The SEL developed a project management tool called the Software Management Environment (SME). SME provides project managers access to the SEL database of previous project data and access to the baseline set of SEL process models. The SEL also provides tools to automate parts of the software measurement process, working forms and a detailed training plan.

SEL Standards
Although the initial plan was to begin experimenting with various techniques, the SEL soon learned that without a firm, well-understood baseline of process and product characteristics, valid experimentation was impossible. However, most important is the process by which the SEL gathers the information and ensures that the standards reflect the actual process -- process that experiments, analyses and more importantly experience, proved measurably beneficial to the product.

The SEL development organization uses a standard set of policies that is updated on a periodic basis to reflect new experimentation results. It comprises a set of guidebooks that describe the SEL’s baseline methodology and several guidebooks that define major tailoring instances of the baseline process.

The SEL has evolved its approach to standards over the years. The SEL has found that the baseline process is best presented at a medium level of detail (between principles and detailed procedures); it is more important to communicate the rationale and guidance for applying the methods on projects rather than providing detailed procedures for them. This allows the detailed procedures to evolve as improvements are made and specific project needs change, without requiring waivers or continual updates to the formal standards. The SEL typically updates its baseline standards every 5 years.

SEL Baseline Standards

Manager’s Handbook for Software Development
Recommended Approach to Software Development
Operational Software Maintenance Procedures
Cost and Schedule Estimation Study Report
Data Collection Procedures for the SEL Database

SEL Tailored Standards

Ada Developer’s Supplement to the Recommended Approach
C Style Guide
Cleanroom Process Model

SEL Cost
The total investment that the SEL has made in the improvement of process and products has been approximately 11 percent of the total software development cost.

SEL Results on Process
Although specific techniques or methodologies may have measurable impact on a class of projects, significant improvement to the software development process occurs where the sustained, continuous incorporation of detailed techniques into higher-level organizational process effects an overall change in the environment. The most significant process attributes that distinguish the current SEL production environment from the environment of a decade ago include:

1. Process change has been infused as a standard business practice
All standards and training material now contain elements of the continuous improvement approach to experimentation that has been promoted by the SEL.

2. Measurement is now our way of doing business
The measurement activity is as common a part of the software standards as documentation.

3. Change is now driven by product and process, not merely process alone
A set of product goals is always defined before process change is infused, and because of this, measures of product are as important as (and probably more important than) those of process.

4. Change is now bottom-up
Direct input from developers as well as measures extracted from development activities are essential factors in change.

5. “People-oriented” technologies are emphasized rather than automation
Automation techniques have sometimes provided improvement, but people-driven approaches, leverage the thinking ability of the developers, have had farther-reaching effects.

6. Focus on a single goal for each process/technology change
Provide a clear definition of the expected change and measure its effect, rather than overload a single project with multiple changes hoping that at least one will work.

7. Deploy a subset of the changes as soon as the benefit is shown
Often it is clear that certain sub-processes or techniques, deployed early, are very beneficial even though the entire new process/technology may not yet be proven.

8. Allocate sufficient experimental time for iterative application/learning of new concepts
The SEL’s experience shows the benefit of taking a little more time to develop a more usable product rather than deploying the more abstract concepts first.

9. Set improvement time expectations appropriately
The more familiar the organization is with the process being changed, the faster it can be tuned and deployed, and its impact realized.

SEL Results on Products
The SEL process produces systems with about 50 bugs compared to 850 bugs without the SEL process, with approximately the same software lines of code, resources, cost, and schedule. The metrics collected have been critical for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of new modifications to the software development process that are frequently incorporated within special experiments or standard projects. Such evaluations of new techniques have allowed the SEL to tailor the techniques to the best advantage of the environment. The SEL was able to document these achievements through its rigorous Data Collection and Reporting System (DC&RS).

The SEL reports the following results over the long term. The baseline measurements to evaluate improvement include total cost, total duration, development error rate, reuse percentage, cost per new line of code, and cost per delivered line of code.

85-percent reduction in software errors
35-percent reduction in cost to develop a new line of code
60-percent reduction in development cost
340-percent increase in overall improvement reuse
25-percent reduction in cycle time
Also a measure of predictability, a subjective measure difficult to quantify

SEL Award
Because of its history of achievement, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in 1994 recognized the NASA SEL as the inaugural recipient of the IEEE Computer Society Award for Software Process Achievement.

SEL Technology Case Studies

Requirement Metrics for Risk Identification
Baselining the New GSFC Information Systems Center
The SEL Adapts to Meet Changing Times
Packaged-Based Development Process in the FDD
The Web Measurement Environment: A Tool for Combining and Modeling Distributed Data
The Improvement Cycle: Analyzing Our Experience
Evolving the Reuse Process
Studies on Reading Techniques
Risk Knowledge Capture in the Riskit Method
Package-Based System Development
Development Process for Generic Reusable Systems
Perspective-Based Requirements Reading
Recent Research Results for Software Maintenance
Improving the Software Testing Process in the SEL

SEL Documentation List
Publications are available to the public at no charge. The entire collection of SEL literature is described in the Annotated Bibliography of SEL Literature. See also the “Standard Bibliography of SEL Literature”, which lists all current SEL titles.

Recommended Approach to Software Development
Ada Developers' Supplement to the Recommended Approach
Manager's Handbook for Software Development
Cost and Schedule Estimation Study Report
C Style Guide
An Overview of the Software Engineering Laboratory
Software Measurement Guidebook
Impact of Ada and Object-Oriented Design in the Flight Dynamics Division at NASA/GSFC
Software Process Improvement Guide
SEL COTS Study, Phase 1 - Initial Characterization Study Report

SEL Guidebooks
The SEL has packaged its process improvement experience (methods) in the form of guidebooks, such as the Software Measurement Guidebook, that are designed to be used outside, as well as inside, the SEL. Many of these results are published in software engineering journals and presented at major international conferences.

SEL Workshops
To facilitate the sharing of software engineering experiences among practitioners, the SEL sponsors an annual Software Engineering Workshop, with paper sessions, panels, and tutorials -- which has been rated as the best conference for software practitioners.

Conclusion
The SEL’s success with incremental process change, as opposed to leading edge technology adoption, has led them to select the experimental approach to changing process gradually. The improvements in product characteristics and development process standards illustrate the impact of the SEL improvement program and it is value to other organizations. Today, software developers in this organization are building better software more efficiently using many techniques and methods considered experimental only a few years ago because of the SEL.

For a comprehensive overview see "The Improvement Cycle: Analyzing Our Experience" and An Overview of the Software Engineering Laboratory and other reports and forms go to The NASA Software Engineering Laboratory Database or The Goddard Library.

References, Updates, Forms, and Studies
Old links were updated and connected to archives where the original source was no longer available. There was simply not enough time to post all the original reference documents to my Scribd archive. So if you are interested in a referenced document that has no link, let me know. If I have a copy, I will post it.

Some reference links to forms and studies were removed because the original source was not maintained and no archive was available at the time of this publication. If you know of a link to an original reference or archive, please let me know and I will add a link. In addition, where links or documents are no long available, I can add copies to my Scribd archive, if you would like to share copies.

Additional References
Software Process Improvement In the NASA Software Engineering Laboratory

Copyright © 2010 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.
Originally published and Copyright © 1999 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.
Many direct and indirect references to NASA SEL information are included. Copyright information, documents, graphics, brand names, and trademarks from NASA and SEL affiliates are open-source, public domain, or the property of the respective owners. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.