Welcome to CommuniCrossings | CommuniCrossings

Courses

Courses that I am currently teaching (or proposing) at OLLI at SOU
(Osher Lifelong Learning Inst. at So. Oregon Univ.) -- let me know of your interest in these or others.
[Spring 2024] Constructing Crosswords: understand themes, grids, fill, clues, publishing [4 sessions]
[?] CROSSWORDS and YOU: history & culture; solving strategies;
puzzle sources & apps; construction (intro) -- plus solve & discuss selected puzzles as a group [5 sessions]
[?] P@s$w0rdz: strong passwords, password managers [3 sessions]
[?] Disaster Preparedness: The Really Big One:
alert systems, family disaster plans, evacuation vs. sheltering-in-place, emergency supplies & go-bags,
community programs, training courses and online resources [3 sessions]
-- in the meanwhile, check out CERT's Basic Training course
[?] Crosswords: Practicum: solve & discuss crosswords as a group [5 sessions]
[?] Be Safer on the Internet: protecting privacy & improving security -- tips and tools [3 sessions];
shorter version of original course, omitting several other topics; separate course: P@s$w0rdz
[currently on hold] OLLI Shared Interest Group (SIG): Sci-Fi Movies: watch movies with other Sci-Fi fans
see bottom of my OLLI page for other previous and possible courses

Media

Some interviews & articles, in addition to selected, older publications:

Crossword articles & interviews; Steve's crosswords (NYT, Wed, 11/1/2023!)
OLLI Disaster Class Spurred by Almeda Fire; Mail Tribune; 1/20/2021; print (.pdf); 1/11/2021;
lede: "OLLI course trains for zombie disasters"; original title: "Get rOLLIng to avert CERTain disaster"
Love Notes to Newton: several cameos/comments; Newt's Cape free 'bonus' interview scene; ~2:00; 7/2018
Enneagram Crucigram: Nine Points Magazine of the International Enneagram Association; 1/1/2013;
Steve's puzzle and solution page (.pdf, .puz, interactive)
Steve Weyer: Confessions of a technology addict Ashland Tidings; 8/29/2012; [.pdf]
"An OLLI Olio: Ooh La La" (crossword), "Clued in Cruciverbalist" (interview); OLLI LINK Newsletter, p5; Fall 2011
Maya's Mix: Crosswords radio program, music and interview with Steve mp3; 96:22; audio no longer publicly available;
KSKQ-LP 94.9 FM, Ashland; 4/29/2011
Newt's Cape (abstract): an HTML environment for the Newton PDA; ACM SIGWEB Newsletter;6/1996; .pdf
Questing for the "Dao": DowQuest and Intelligent Text Retrieval. Weyer, Stephen A. Online. 13(5): 39-48; 9/1989.
As We May Learn; Weyer, Stephen A.; in Interactive Multimedia: Visions of Multimedia for Developers, Educators,
and Information Providers, Ambron, Sueann and Hooper, Kristina (eds).; pp. 87-103, Microsoft Press; 1988.
also in Learning Tomorrow. Journal of the Apple Education Advisory Council, 3, 89-109
A prototype electronic encyclopedia; Weyer, Stephen A.; Borning, Alan H. ACM Transactions on Office
Information Systems. 3(1): 63-88; 1/1985. (reprinted in Educational Computing, Scanlon, Eileen and
O'Shea, Tim (eds.); pp. 271-296. John Wiley, New York; 1986); [.pdf]
Knoesphere: building expert systems with encyclopedic knowledge; Lenat, D., Borning, A., McDonald, D.,
Taylor, C., Weyer, S.; Proceedings of the 8th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence
(IJCAI-83) Karlsruhe, West Germany, 1983. pp. 167-169.
Design of a dynamic book for information search; Weyer, Stephen A.
International Journal of Man-Machine Studies. 17(1): 87-107; 7/1982; [.pdf].
(based on 1981 Stanford PhD dissertation (Xerox PARC SCG 82-1): Searching for Information in a Dynamic Book)
Steve Weyer's bio; Contact: Steve

Software

For learning and communicating on mobile devices (note: no longer actively supported):

JavaScript
Newton: Newt's Cape (e-book-based web browser);
NewtDevEnv (NewtonScript development environment);
newtVNC (network screen sharing);
Sloup (notes/data xfer);
Waba (Java development); ...
Swift
Zaurus: CrozzWord (crossword application); ...
(complete software list)

CommuniCrossings / Steve

CommuniCrossings -- Software for Mobile Learning and Communication.
My former company's name intersected "communication" with many other things: learning, computers, life, ....
It was also influenced by our living then in Washington Crossing, PA, and my love of crosswords.
I will continue pursuing these interests, especially mobile computing, software, e-books and crosswords,
while on permanent sabbatical (I really don't like the term 'retired') in wonderful Ashland in southern Oregon
-- when not hiking, backpacking, biking, cross-country skiing, taking / teaching OLLI classes,
volunteering for CERT (emergency preparedness), attending theater, e.g., OSF, etc.

Trips

backpacking: Lower Rogue River; Trinity Alps; Marble Mts.; Russian Wilderness;
on right: atop Pilot Rock; iPad with Topomaps at Sky High Lakes in Marble Mtn Wilderness
Ecuador; Cuenca, Chimborazo, Quilotoa, Cotopaxi; Jan 2020
Tour de Mont Blanc; Aug 2018
Italian Dolomites Alta Via 1: 70 mi., 26,500+/30,000-, 10 days; Jul 2017
Bicycling around Crater Lake: 30 mi., 3300'; Sep 2019 & 2017 & 2015
South Sister (near Bend); 7 mi., 4000'; Sep 2015
New Zealand (So. Island): Dec 2013-Jan 2014; Milford and Routeburn Tracks
Mt. McLoughlin, Sep 2013
Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego: Torres del Paine, Fitzroy, Cochamo Valley; Jan. 2012; Jan. 2013
Mt. Ashland Hillclimb 5600' gain over 13.3 miles from Lithia Park to the top of Mt. Ashland; Aug 2010 & 2009
Peru: Machu Picchu via Salkantay; Summer 2007