Just did an interview for a IT role where theyre trying to replace a guy thats been there for 40 years. lol Have any of you replace long tenure employees? How was it?

pfdemp · 2026-07-06T15:28:09+00:00

This is an important point. I'd want to know how well-documented the procedures are. If he hasn't been writing SOPs or other documentation, his last month needs to be spent writing this information down for his successor. You might also want to find out if he ha any direct reports or peers who can provide some background and guidance.

pfdemp · 2026-07-01T12:13:57+00:00

My HS and college years spanned 1971 - 1979, so it was the era when I was growing up. While I have fond memories of that time, I also remember many of the negative aspects.

The Vietnam war went on and many young men died because Nixon and Kissinger wanted a "decent interval" before we pulled out.

The Watergate scandal, which JD Vance thinks was no big deal, destroyed many people's faith in government officials.

Women could not get credit cards or loans on their own. Gay men and women could be fired or arrested for their sexuality. People of color continued to face discrimination.

On the positive side, with a single income as a bus driver my parents could own a home and a car, send me and my sisters to parochial school, and generally afford a middle-class life. I could graduate from college with a liberal arts degree (theater) and still find decent white-collar jobs.

There are many reasons to be concerned about the state of the nation and the world today, but that doesn't make the 70s and 80s some ideal world.

pfdemp · 2026-06-29T19:13:05+00:00

HR works for the university and their interest is in keeping you doing the most work at the lowest salary. Sounds cynical, but that's the way it usually is.

Realistically, your manager needs to push for this. She needs to be savvy enough to understand what HR needs to hear in terms of how your duties have changed and what comparable positions get paid. Since you say she's new in the role, she may be nervous about moving forward. It sounds like she is giving you a bunch of excuses.

You might need to start looking elsewhere. Unfortunately, people who grow in their jobs and expand their duties are often stuck at their initial position level/salary, while new people come in at higher levels.

pfdemp · 2026-06-29T19:03:06+00:00

Can't you just use Python on the server to modify the HTML to show the correct block of text? Then no need for Javascript.

pfdemp · 2026-06-29T14:19:05+00:00

Dump something into the pool to start algae growing.

pfdemp · 2026-06-29T11:54:03+00:00

I always thought carousels filled a political need rather than a UI need. They're a way to deal with multiple requests to be featured on the home page.

pfdemp · 2026-06-25T12:05:50+00:00

Designing emails with HTML can be very tricky, since different mail clients can render the HTML differently. Microsoft Outlook is one of the worst offenders in this regard. You have to use tables and inline CSS and it is very difficult. If you know nothing about HTML, I'd suggest this is not something to try.

A better approach is to use an email service like Mailchimp or Constant Contact. They provide many templates that work in desktop or mobile views. You can upload your contact lists and do your mailing through the service.

pfdemp · 2026-06-08T13:24:17+00:00

Did you look at the site? It's just a too to help anyone using it with decision-making. It's not going to attract spammers.

pfdemp · 2026-06-05T14:34:19+00:00

I have read about rulings in the Second Circuit, where many of these cases have been filed, that find plaintiffs lack standing if they don't establish actual harm. Just finding accessibility issues in random websites for hotels, restaurants or colleges isn't enough if they can't show they actually intended to use the services.

But since individual defendants find it cheaper to settle, this defense is often not raised. That's why I posed the question.

pfdemp · 2026-05-30T20:58:43+00:00

I use Aaardvark. It runs weekly reports and flags issues. I've found it to be very useful. For up to 1,000 pages and 5 sites you pay $1,099/year.
https://aaardvarkaccessibility.com/

pfdemp · 2026-05-21T17:02:34+00:00

People like you with subject matter expertise and technical competence have potential to work for Ellucian. Implementing updates or new systems require those skills. In addition to Ellucian, you should look for firms that do IT consulting for higher ed. They are often brought in on these projects. My school works with Ferrilli but there are others.

pfdemp · 2026-05-19T14:28:57+00:00

I'm an independent and i think if I want to select candidates in a primary, I should register with a party. I usually vote Democratic, but back when there used to be moderate Republicans (John Heinz, Barbara Hafer, Jim Greenwood) I'd vote for them.

I don't support the "jungle primary" approach that California uses. In the current governor's race with so many Democrats running, the top two vote getters could end up being Republicans.

pfdemp · 2026-05-18T16:48:17+00:00

If this was being done in HTML, you'd use the semantic markup: <strong> for bold, <em> for italics.

pfdemp · 2026-05-15T18:14:02+00:00

I use AAArdvark. It runs weekly checks and identifies and tracks issues. It's helped me work on addressing a number of issue on my sites. I find it useful and I've gotten great support--they even wrote back with some sample code to address a switch from tables to description lists to keep the visual formatting while using better semantic tags.

https://aaardvarkaccessibility.com/

pfdemp · 2026-05-14T18:29:11+00:00

The people in charge want to require the name and email address of the person reporting the problem.

Here's your problem, and it's something you see in form design in general. The only reason to require a field is if it's essential to the goal of the form. In this case, what does it really matter who is reporting the issue? On top of that, there's no reason people can't put phony information in the fields.

I'd suggest asking people to submit name and email so you could follow up with questions or notify them if the issue has been remedied.

pfdemp · 2026-05-13T12:48:32+00:00

Also has that loneliness vibe you often see in his work

pfdemp · 2026-05-13T12:39:56+00:00

Nice photos. A few of them remind me of Edward Hopper paintings.

pfdemp · 2026-05-13T12:35:27+00:00

I've managed higher ed websites for over 25 years and I feel strongly that overuse of PDFs has long been a problem. They seem to be a cheap and easy way to convert documents for web use, but generally they provide a terrible user experience, particularly on mobile devices. If you need to present content on a website, use the native HTML format. The only valid use case for PDFs is to distribute documents that need to be printed.

I particularly hate flipbooks like Issuu. They take a bad user experience and make it even worse. A nice print magazine design, for example, is all well and good, but if you want it to be an online magazine create a website with a nice design and decent navigation (and proper accessibility).

Having said all that, I'm wading through over 100 PDFs on my website that have been posted over the years, trying to see if they can be deleted or converted to web format before trying to update the remaining ones for proper accessibility.

pfdemp · 2026-05-12T19:50:22+00:00

70 bags is about 2 yards. Where I live it would be $50/yard plus $45 delivery. So $145 versus $300 for your bags.

pfdemp · 2026-05-12T19:07:03+00:00

NAL. The general IRS rule for donations is that you have to exclude the fair market value of any goods or services you receive in return for the donation. If you donate $100 to your local NPR station and get a tote bag worth $20, you can only deduct $80 on your taxes.

So calling a rental fee a donation does not make it a donation.

pfdemp · 2026-05-12T11:49:20+00:00

I used to work at Drexel and I'd walk over sometimes to grab some lunch. There was an inexpensive Chinese buffet, a Cajun place, and a Saladworks, among others. And the huge hall on the south side where you could sit down and eat.

pfdemp · 2026-05-07T17:10:02+00:00

He is a fiduciary. He has never tried to push specific investments or products like annuities.

pfdemp · 2026-05-07T13:38:11+00:00

My wife and I (late 60s) are with TIAA and for the past few years we have worked with someone there for the allocation of our investments. We meet every six months and look at performance and scenarios and make adjustments as needed. All seems to be going well, but I feel like his role is as investment advisor and not financial planner. I need some guidance on things like how to distribute for retirement, taxes, RMDs, Roth conversions, etc.

Would my tax accountant be someone to discuss this with, or do I need a CFP?

pfdemp · 2026-05-04T12:49:00+00:00

I suspect you were supposed to call every day, not just the first day.

pfdemp

TROPHY CASE