Billy Joel Fan? Check these Guys Out!

Posted by admin on May 7, 2008 in Interesting News | Comments

Billy Joel tribute band “Big Shot” hails from Long Island New York and plays a lot of local venues throughout the Long Island, NYC and PA areas.

I happened to come across their website a few months ago, and I was really impressed by the quality of their music.  Exceptionally tight, and they sound just like Billy Joel.

On their site they make mention that someone called Billy Joel on the phone and played their music to him over the phone…  and he thought he was listening to himself.  After you see their video of their performances, you’ll understand why.

If you’re into Billy Joel music but haven’t had a chance to see him live, these guys are about as close as you’re going to get to the real thing.

Check out their video from their website, showcasing some of their performances to see what I mean. 

If you live close to the Long Island area, definitely worth checking out.

Windows XP SP3 RC1 RDP Client Time-Bombed!

Posted by admin on Apr 12, 2008 in Technology | Comments

If you installed Windows XP SP3, thinking you’ll be ahead of the curve and check out the new features, enhanced security, etc., I’m right there with you. 

I like to be up on things as much as possible, and Release Candidates certainly don’t scare me away.  I routinely run them on production boxes, and have never had an issue (and if I did, I’d simply reinstall – no big deal).

That’s worked for me for quite awhile, until just last week when apparently the RDP client in XP SP3 RC1 is set to time-bomb.  The bad part is, you can’t just download and reinstall the older client because it gives you and error stating the version you’re trying to install is older than the version on your system.

Protect Your ClickBank "Thank You" Page

Posted by admin on Apr 11, 2008 in Interesting News, Technology | Comments

Selling digital products on ClickBank is a great way to earn extra income, and link up with affiliates from all over the Internet.  When you first set up your account and create your sales page and thank you page, there really isn’t any security built in to keep people from trying to figure out your thank you page’s address, and going there directly, bypassing the ordering system.

Amazing Artist – Autism and the Human Camera

Posted by admin on Mar 22, 2008 in Interesting News | Comments

I came across a video of Stephen Wiltshire, a London artist who is an absolutely amazing artist.  He’s able to look at something once, and draw it in amazing detail days later.

In this video, he’s taken up in a helicopter over the City of Rome and given a 45-minute aerial tour of the city.  He spends the next three days drawing the entire city-scape, down the cars on the streets and the correct number of windows in the buildings – in amazing detail and exacting scale.

Truly an amazing talent and a gift the world.  The fact he is autistic makes in even more amazing.   Check out the video and see his website at http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/

Windows XP SP3 and HD Audio

Posted by admin on Feb 12, 2008 in Uncategorized | Comments

I recently was playing around with Windows XP SP3 (build 3264) and I slipstreamed the service pack into my Windows XP install media to make installing a new build easier (SP3 would already be installed).

Normally, it’s a pretty straightforward process, however with SP3 (at least the RC build I was using) didn’t take HD audio into account.  When you’re installing onto a PC (Lenovo R60 laptop in my case) you typically need to install an HD Audio hotfix (KB888111) prior to installing the HD audio drivers.

The issue in this case it that SP3 supercedes the hotfix, so when you try to install KB888111 you’re presented with an error saying SP3 is newer and you don’t need the hotfix.  Unfortuantely, you can’t install the drivers without the hotfix, and you can’t install the hotfix because SP3 thinks it’s newer and doesn’t need it.  This is supposed to be fixed in the final release of SP3.

You can work around this however, by downloading the hotfix KB888111, then using WinZIP or WinRAR to extract the files within the hotfix.  Once you install the files, you’ll see a folder called “common files”.  From within the folder, you’ll find the driver files for the HD audio and HD modem driver. 

Open device manager, right click on the “PCI Device” under the “unknown devices” section, choose properties, update driver and point it to the “common files” folder you just extracted. 

The drivers will install, and you can then go back and install the HD Audio driver file (if necessary).

Again, this is not necessary if you install XP with SP2 first, and then install SP3 afterward.  Additionally, the final release of SP3 should have that fixed, but we’ll have to wait and see on that.

Baby Middle Names

Posted by admin on Jan 28, 2008 in Miscellaneous | Comments

Having three children, my wife and I named our children months ahead of time to (with names picked out if they were a boy or girl) and I never really gave much thought to how difficult a task that could be. 

We have a few sets of friends who are a few years behind us in the “baby realm” are and having their first kids.  The amount of effort they’re putting in to finding baby middle names is pretty mind boggling.  It’s apparently even more difficult if they when searching for baby boy names.  The don’t want to go the more traditional route and name their children either after themselves (junior) or after the grandparents.  They also don’t want to choose a middle name that belongs to their favorite stars (sports, movies, etc).  They also don’t want to use common inanimate names like apple, star, silver, etc.  

So in their quest for rare baby names, I can almost guarantee that as soon as they find the special one, they will instantly start seeing that name everywhere; much like when you buy a new car and then all of a sudden you see that car everywhere.  It’s the nature of the beast.

So as the magic date approaches, they’re still without a middle name for their baby.  If it’s a girl, they are close to settling, but choosing a baby boy name might just send them over the edge.

Any good sources for baby middle names would be appreciated, I’ll pass it on to them. If you happen across some that are truly unique, please feel free to comment.

Top IT Certifications for 2008

Posted by admin on Jan 23, 2008 in Technology, Training | Comments

Many companies are already chomping at the bit to take advantage of many of the features Windows Server 2008 offers, such as improvements to Terminal Services, Server Virtualization and security enhancements including bitlocker and read-only domain controllers for branch-office type installations. 

Many of the services and features included in Windows Server 2008 will be able to replace software and applications many companies pay for currently.  While this is certainly going to be a welcome addition by many IT departments, it also creates opportunities as well.

Training and certification will continue to play a big part in securing higher paying jobs, opening doors, being considered for new opportunities, changing careers, earning the promotion, etc.  Some of the Top IT Certifications for 2008 will continue to be the perennial favorites, including CompTIA A+ Certification and Cisco CCNA Certification. 

Networking and Support are Key Components

One of the most sought after certifications is Cisco’s CCNA certification.  Virtually every business, regardless of industry, needs qualified people to design, configure, troubleshoot and maintain their networks.  This isn’t going to change for 2008.  In addition, these same companies need people to troubleshoot hardware and software issues, provide desktop and desk-side support and rollout new machines; along with refreshing existing ones.  For these reasons, CompTIA A+ Certification training, and Microsoft’s MCDST Certification training will continue to be offer an excellent return on investment.  If you are looking to either get into the information technology field, or increase your current level, then A+, MCDST or CCNA certification is definitely a worthwhile endeavor.

Project Management

According to a recent Gartner survey, project management is another area that will continue to be a high-paying profession that will be in demand in 2008.  Project Managers manage the project lifecycle, from conception through design, testing and implementation.  They coordinate with the various individual contributors involved in the project, and make sure timelines, deliverables and budgets are met.  They also are able to determine when things are getting off-track and adjust accordingly to ensure timely completion of the project.

As a result, Project Management related certifications like CompTIA Project+ and the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications will be in demand, along with technical certifications and training centering around enabling project management and collaboration, such as Microsoft’s SharePoint 2007.

Security

Perhaps one of the biggest areas for new growth is the security sector, just based on the fact that so many companies are now realizing the need to secure their environments.  Hacking is becoming easier to do, as new tools are released and information is quickly disseminated.  Every company has, or should have, a need to secure their environments from being compromised both physically and virtually.  Even companies that feel they don’t have anything that necessitates additional funding to secure their networks, should understand that failure to do so opens them up to not only being attacked; but also to being used as an intermediary step in a larger attack against other targets (i.e. Denial of Service attacks against remote targets).

Virtualization

As word grows of how great server virtualization can be for a company’s bottom line, not to mention how it improves adminstration, fault tolerance and reduces hardware expenditures, certifications centering around virtualization technologies will be in high demand.  The two dominant players in this field currently are VMware and Microsoft.  Of the two, VMware’s ESX Server platform is a more mature technology and can enable some organizations to consolidate 30 or more hosts onto a single ESX server.

Get Certified and Get Ahead

The bottom line is, if you want the maximize your opportunities for 2008, continue to educate yourself, broaden your skills as much as possible, and stay ahead of the curve.  By keeping a step ahead and learning the skills that companies need to maintain their businesses, you’ll keep yourself marketable and in demand.  If you’re not already certified, you should definitely be working on:

• CompTIA A+ Certification
• Microsoft MCDST Certification
• Cisco CCNA Certification

Those three certifications provide an excellent body of knowledge that forms the foundation of a successful and prosperous IT Career.  From there, you can grow in many directions and specialize in any one of a dozen or more areas.

Best of luck in your Training and Certification Endeavors!!