Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Santa's Big Secret
A short story
Santa’s Big Secret
A short story by
Dan A. North
copyright 2001 - 2009 All rights reserved
Each year I hear at least one child ask “Daddy, how come Santa’s eyes were blue and now they are brown?” Then I see the fear on “Daddy’s” face as he tries to explain about the magic and wonder that is Santa Claus. How do you tell a child one of life’s greatest mysteries without your child feeling as though you are lying? How do you keep the great secret that all parents have been entrusted with for centuries?
You see I have several children and have faced this question several times myself. Let me tell you a story about that jolly old elf.
Long long ago in a quiet little village not too far and a bit north from Bethlehem there lived a kindly little man with his loving wife. He was a very skilled artisan and it was said he could make anything out of nothing, just give him some time. Indeed, he was very skilled with his hands. He had the eye of an artist and could have easily been compared to Michelangelo himself, if not for one thing. He was a kid at heart.
He never took anything as seriously as he did playing with the little children in his village; he was very well known in the neighboring villages as well. His wife loved him for this, but worried that some would not understand his love of children, laughter, and life.
No, there was nothing sinister or evil about him, nothing at all. They could not have any more children and the one child they did have, had perished in an accident while saving a strangers life in a fire. The old man and his wife missed their son, but realized he had died for the greatest cause a person can die for, saving the life of another, and would not want them to grieve. Therefore, they honored his memory by rejoicing in life and the special purity of heart found only in little children and so rarely in adults.
She, being an excellent cook, homemaker, and wife, baked treats and taught the little neighbor girls the things little girls need to know. Sometimes he wondered if she was not such a kid at heart herself, though she would never admit it.
He made toys whenever he could and gave them away to each child that he came upon. His only request was that they always be kind and choose the right. If he heard of a child being mean or starting a fight, that child would not see any more toys until he made it right.
“Now you go apologize and atone for your sins, do what is right, and be good, there is one coming soon that will show you the way” he would say to them. They never quite understood, but he just smiled and held a knowing grin.
They say he knew things no one could know. He would say, “There is no great trick, you can know too, just humble your heart and pray.” Life went on for this couple pleasant and sweet. They grew older happier and wiser, but felt incomplete. All the villagers loved them, and the old man continued to give most of his works away and asked only kindness to one another in return. The village people he had helped to raise, and to whom he had taught so much, always made sure the old couple had whatever they needed.
They were like the parents of that old village and it seemed that it would never change. Each year the village council would worry about losing the old couple, since they were getting on in years and each year they were at a loss. They wanted to honor this loving old couple, and give to them trinkets and gold. They wanted the other villages to know how fortunate they were to have this couple in their midst.
The old man would have none of it. Each year he would say to the council as they approached him again “We are not heroes, nor do we need or want for anything. You keep your gold and trinkets to feed your families. Make no statues, make no fuss, just keep and obey the commandments and treat each other well.”
In fact, he had said it so many times, the villagers could almost say it along with him, and some did. This usually started everyone laughing and it was forgotten for another year.
Over time, it came to be a ritual and a time of celebration and good cheer.
One year though something changed. The old couple was frail and there was a great fear that they would not last another year. The mood in the village grew somber and tense. People were quiet and a bit sad. No one wanted to lose this beloved old couple. One day the couple started packing for a great trip. They seemed filled with joy and anticipation at the prospect of their trip, and seemed to have more energy than they had had in many months. The village council grew concerned, and tried to stop them, fearing the long journey would be too much for them. But, the old couple would not hear of it. They packed for a very long trip though they admitted when asked “We don’t know how long we’ll be gone or even were we must go, take care of yourselves we will be back soon you will see.”
That night as they left, a few of the villagers that had helped the old couple in their waning years decided to go with them promising the rest of the villagers to care for the couple, and help them return, for there was no stopping them from going on this journey.
As they began their trip, a star appeared in the night sky, beautiful and bright as no other before or since has been. The old man pointed to it and said his voice tinged with excitement and reverence. “There’s our guide. It will lead us to something wonderful, something this old world desperately needs!” Under his breath, some heard him say, “What took you so long old friend? We were afraid we would miss you” and they did not understand.
At length they came to the town of Bethlehem, following the star to a small manger in which lay a small child in swaddling cloth. It was the baby Jesus, and upon seeing him, the old man and his wife fell to their knees and wept with joy. They knew that this child like theirs would one day give his life to save us all. As the old man looked on and wept, he produced and unwrapped, a very special gift he had, just for this child. He had poured his heart and soul into it for the past several years, sanding and polishing, and never letting anyone see it. As he handed the gift to the child he said, “I have made something special just for you little master, it’s a symbol of whom you are.” Others looked on bewildered, confused only the child’s parents Joseph and Mary seemed to understand. The gift was a Shepard’s staff and it was exquisite.
They stayed and they spoke not another word, they just sat smiling and weeping at the sight of the child that would later come to mean so much to the world.
As they were leaving, a light brighter than any other they had ever seen shone down on them and the few villagers that had come along. As their eyes focused they could see two persons standing in the light, one was their own long gone son. As he looked upon them smiling, tears of joy on his cheek, he said not a word.
Then the other spoke saying, “Hello old friends, I am glad you came. Thank you for honoring my only begotten son. You have done well in your time here. Now it is time for you to return home.” The old man and his wife looked at each other and said, “Father we know it’s our time and we are grateful, but father, if we may, a favor we ask of thee…”
Therefore, they spoke this old couple and their Heavenly Father, and at length they came to an agreement, honored to this very day. No one knows exactly what was said, though many have guessed. It is known only that great gifts, blessings, and a promise were exchanged that joyous day.
The couple did not die, nor did they stay. Instead, they went far away. And what of the villagers that joined them on their fateful trip? Some went with them; some returned to the village that special promise to keep. They gathered the parents of the village and related the story of what they had seen and the promise they made to honor the old couple, at last a way had been made possible that the old man would not argue.
Each parent was given a gift without end.
A child of their own, a little heavenly friend.
As the children grew, the parents were taught,
To keep the covenant their forefathers had wrought.
To honor the old couples heart,
Each parent in turn would be called to the part.
Each parent in his or her own way made a sacred covenant to honor the day. Each year the old couple was permitted a single day to return to each village giving toys to the children and instructions to the parents and to teach them to always remember and honor the special child born that night so long ago. The old couple knew the world would grow, and there would come a time when they could not visit each village in the short time they had.
Each year the parents around the world, having been taught the story of the old loving couple and in honor of the baby Jesus take on the part of this loving old couple, helping keep the memory alive and distributing toys and good cheer.
From time to time the old couple returns and a new story is born, whenever there is danger of the memory of that special child being lost or taken for granted. They are known by many names now but no one is certain of their true names having been forgotten long ago. The child’s name was always more important anyway, is all they will say.
Every parent is Santa, and as long as we remember the child in a manger, we honor the gifts that were given, and the greatest gift of all, that the child gave to each of us.
Always remember it is not just an old story. Keep and obey the commandments and always choose the right. Pay close attention to each Santa you see, one of them is the real Santa, one of them is me.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
SEMPER FI Devil Dogs!
Happy birthday United States Marine Corp!
Protecting the world since 1775.
The USMC is 234 years today and better than ever.
My Father in law was a Marine Gunny and one of the greatest men, I ever had the honor to know.
This old retired Air Force Rotorhead offers a salute to The Few, The Proud!
Semper Fi!
77 Windows 7 Tips
The following article is from the Microsoft TechNet website. I pass it along for your information. It is an excellent overview of some of the new features of Window 7. Click on the link above to read the original article with the figures that are missing from this copy.
Dan
77 Windows 7 Tips
Edited by Keith Ward
At a Glance:
Make Windows 7 faster
Get more done with Windows 7
The best Windows 7 shortcuts
Securing Windows 7
Windows 7 may be Microsoft’s most anticipated product ever. It builds on Windows Vista’s positives, and eliminates many of that OS’s negatives. It adds new functionality, too—all in a package that is less resource-hungry than its predecessor.
And whether or not you're upgrading from Vista or skipping it altogether and moving up from Windows XP, you'll need to know how to make the most of it in your environment. Here are 77 tips and tricks to get you there.
1. Pick Your Edition. Most business users do not need the more expensive Ultimate Edition; stick with Professional unless you specifically need BitLocker.
2. Upgrading? Go 64-bit. As the second major Windows release to fully support 64-bit, the x64 architecture has definitely arrived on the desktop. Don't buy new 32-bit hardware unless it's a netbook.
3. Use Windows XP Mode. Yes, it's only an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of WinXP—but it's an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of Windows XP! This is the first profoundly intelligent use of desktop virtualization we've seen—and a great way to move to Windows 7 without giving up full Windows XP compatibility.
4. Use Windows PowerShell v2. More than just a shell, this is the administration tool you've always wanted: Parallel, distributed processing for administrative tasks! Manage 100 machines literally as easily as you manage one with the new Remoting feature. Windows PowerShell v2 ships for the first time in Windows 7, and within six months will be available for older versions of Windows.
5. Use AppLocker. We've been fans of Software Restriction Policies since Windows XP, and AppLocker finally makes application whitelisting possible. Use it to enhance or even replace your anti-virus software, ensuring that only the software you want to run will run.
6. Shift to and from Explorer and CommandPrompt. The classic Windows power toy Open Command Prompt Here is now an integral part of Windows 7 Explorer. Hold down the shift key then right-click a folder to add this option to the property menu. While you're in a command prompt, if you want to open an Explorer window with the focus of the window on the current directory, enter start.
7. Record Problems. The Problem Steps Recorder (PSR) is a great new feature that helps in troubleshooting a system (see Figure 1). At times, Remote Assistance may not be possible. However, if a person types psr in their Instant Search, it will launch the recorder. Now they can perform the actions needed to recreate the problem and each click will record the screen and the step. They can even add comments. Once complete, the PSR compiles the whole thing into an MHTML file and zips it up so that it can be e-mailed for analysis to the network admin (or family problem solver, depending on how it's being used).
8. Make Training Videos. Use a tool like Camtasia to record short, two to three minute video tutorials to help your users find relocated features, operate the new Taskbar and so forth. Get them excited about Windows 7—and prepared for it.
9. Start Thinking About Windows Server 2008 R2. Some of Windows 7's more compelling features, like BranchCache, work in conjunction with the new server OS. The R2 upgrade path is pretty straightforward, so there's little reason not to take advantage of the synergies if you can afford upgrade licenses.
10. Prepare Those XP Machines. There's no in-place upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, so start planning to migrate user data now, in advance of a Windows 7 upgrade deployment.
11. Consider Clean Installs. Even when upgrading Windows Vista machines, consider a clean install rather than an in-place upgrade. Yes, it's more hassle, but it'll produce a more trouble-free computer in the long run.
12. Consider Upgrade Assurance. Even if you've never bought it before, consider it for your new Windows 7 licenses. Access to the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), which includes App-V, MED-V and other cool technologies, is worth the premium.
13. Find New Tools. Within Control Panel is a single Troubleshooting link that leads you to all of your diagnostic tools on the system. There are additional tools, however, not installed by default. Selecting the "View all" link in the top left-hand corner will help you to see which troubleshooting packs are local and which ones are online. If you find a tool that you don't have, you can grab it from here.
14. Understand Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Windows 7 plays an important role in Microsoft's VDI strategy, where virtualized Windows 7 machines are hosted on a central virtualization server using a special blanket "Enterprise Centralized Desktop" license. Read up and figure out if you can take advantage of this new strategy.
15. Prepare for DirectAccess. DirectAccess makes it easier for users to remotely access their office-based resources, without a VPN. DirectAccess also opens up remote computers more fully to Group Policy—but it requires Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2.
16. Employ Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM). If you quickly want to list or manage Windows packages, features or drivers, use the command-line utility DISM. The "image" in the name may fool you into thinking that this is solely a deployment tool. An online command-line switch lets you manage the features in the currently loaded OS. To get a list of the loaded Windows features, enter dism /online /get-features /format:table. To enable a feature, enter dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:.
17. Embrace Troubleshooting Packs. Designed to help users troubleshoot and solve problems on their own, you need to update your support procedures to acknowledge these Packs. For example, don't force users to repeat steps the Pack already walked them through, and consider developing your own Packs (in Windows PowerShell) to support in-house systems.
18. Check Reliability. The Reliability Monitor was introduced in Windows Vista as 'The Reliability and Performance Monitor." In Windows 7 it has been separated from Performance Monitor and moved to a new location under the Action Center. You open the Action Center in Control Panel and then look under the Maintenance options for the "View reliability history" link. You can also just type in Reliability Monitor from the Instant Search (see Figure 2).
19. Accept Diversity. Not every organization will be ready to move entirely to Windows 7 right away. That's fine—but that shouldn't mean the entire organization stays on Windows XP, either. The myths of the cost savings of having only one OS have been largely disproven or downplayed, so use Windows 7 where it makes sense to do so.
20. Get Snippy. The snipping tool has also been around in various incarnations but it's even easier to use in Windows 7. Launch the tool, then drag and drop any part of your screen. The tool will snip the selection. You can save it as a graphic file or annotate with basic drawing tools. Teach your end users how to use this tool so they can grab the snapshots of their problems and send them to the help desk. Or create your own library of visual notes.
21. Presentation Nirvana. Press Windows+P to access the new Presentation mode, and easily turn on your projector and laptop screen at the same time. No more messing with vendor-specific utilities and arcane keystrokes. (Windows+X accesses the Mobility Center, with additional presentation options.)
22. Cut the Clutter. Press Windows+Home to minimize all but the current window, removing background clutter and letting you focus on that report your boss has been bugging you about.
23. Be a Mouse-Click Administrator. Windows 7 makes it easy to gain admin rights with a keyboard shortcut. Click on Ctrl+Shift on a taskbar-locked icon, and voila! You've launched it with appropriate admin rights.
24. Faster Installations. If your computer is capable of booting from USB, try this: XCopy the Windows 7 installation DVD to a sufficiently large USB drive, boot from that drive, and install Windows from there. It's faster than a spinning platter.
25. Burn Discs with a Click. Or two; double-click an ISO file to burn it to your CD or DVD writer.
26. Restore Point Previews. Many of us used to shut off System Restore because we were terrified to actually use it; under Windows 7, we can be much calmer. After selecting a Restore Point, Windows will now offer to show you which files and folders will be affected by restoring to that point.
27. Sync Time Zones. If you work with offices in different time zones and frequently find yourself missing meeting times because you are not in sync with their time zone, try the "Additional Clocks" feature that was first introduced in Vista. Within your Date and Time settings is a tab called Additional Clocks, where you can add two or more clocks to your taskbar time, and set them to provide different time zones from your current time zone.
28. Configure User Account Control (UAC). Even if you're a UAC hater, give it another try. Go to the Control Panel to configure its behavior to something slightly less obnoxious than what Windows Vista had, and see if you can't live with the extra protection it offers (see Figure 3).
29. RoboCopyCopyCopy. The always-useful Robocopy.exe can now run multi-threaded; run Robocopy /? to review its new parameters (like /MT for multithreading) and make your copies go faster.
30. Remote Desktop Console. Windows 7 Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) does not include a console-based remote desktop utility. And even if it did, the standard remote desktop console has some nagging limitations: It can't move connections around in the list; it can't sort by folders and so forth. If you manage lots of servers from your Windows 7 workstation, try downloading a copy of mRemote from mremote.org. This donation-requested utility allows you to mix together a variety of remote control applications, including Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), Secure Shell (SSH) and rlogin. All host names are displayed in a standard tree control that can be divided into folders, sorted alphabetically, and allow you to assign different logon accounts and secure passwords to each connection.
31. Multiple Monitors. Windows 7 makes working with multiple monitors intuitive and flexible. There are a variety of shortcuts and mouse motions that flick windows from monitor to monitor. To make the most of this, you need lots and lots of screen real estate. Try one of the new QWXGA monitors from Samsung (tinyurl.com/qwxgasamsung) or Dell (tinyurl.com/qwxgadell). These 23-inch monitors have a 2048x1152 resolution, making it possible to put two full-sized pages on the same monitor. Pair them together and you'll get enough space to have all your admin tools open along with Office, Visio, your intranet sites and a little note to your mom in Live Mail. Move your taskbar to the left or right side of the window instead of along the bottom to free up even more real estate.
32. Windows PowerShell Scripting. If you want to make the most of Windows PowerShell on Windows 7, you'll need a quick way to build and debug scripts. Windows 7 comes with an interactive editor that allows you to try out cmdlets and test functions on the fly.
33. Drag-and-Drop Notification Icons. The redesigned notification area displays only a minimum number of icons; all other notification icons are moved to a side window. Rather than using the Customize option to select icons for the main display, you can drag-and-drop icons from the side window to the notification area.
34. Add Unindexed Shared Folders to Library. You can add UNC paths such as \\servername\sharename to a Library, but the server must index the folder. If you want to add a UNC path to an unindexed server, you can create a symbolic link to the UNC path, then add the link or links to the library. Use the mklink command. For example, mklink HomeFolder \\ServerName\Homefolder.
35. Simplify Cloned Machine Setups. You can't run Sysinternals' newsid utility to change the identity of a cloned Windows 7 machine (either a virtual machine or imaged PC). Instead, create a template installation then run sysprep /oobe /generalize /reboot /shutdown /unattend:scriptfile. Clone or copy this virtual machine file. When it launches, it will get a new SID and you can fill in the name. The reference for building unattended script files is at tinyurl.com/winunattend.
36. Snap That Aero. The Windows key is great for all your shortcuts. Now you can use it to work with the new AeroSnap feature in Windows 7. Select a window, hit the Windows key and a left or right arrow to snap the window to that half of the screen, or use the up arrow to snap it to the top of the screen.
37. Shortcut the Taskbar. The Windows key is great for shortcuts. You can select the Windows key and a number to correspond to items on your taskbar. So, if IE (for example) is the third icon on your taskbar (not counting the Start button), you can hit the Windows key and the number three to launch or open IE.
38. Manage Passwords. Control Panel includes a new application called Credential Manager. This may appear to be a completely new tool that allows you to save your credentials (usernames and passwords) for Web sites you log into and other resources you connect to (such as other systems). Those credentials are saved in the Windows Vault, which can be backed up and restored. However, you might see this as similar to a tool we have in XP and Vista. From the Instant Search, type in control /userpasswords2 and you will be brought to the Advanced User Accounts Control Panel, where you can also manage passwords for your account (see Figure 4).
39. Trigger Actions. Event Viewer is closely tied into Task Scheduler. You have the ability to take an event (select it in Event Viewer) and then from the Actions pane, select the option "Attach a Task" to have that event, when it appears, trigger an action. That action can be: launch a program; send an e-mail; or display a message. This feature may be very helpful in troubleshooting a problem.
40. Browse InPrivate. A new feature in IE8 is the ability to open the browser in an InPrivate Browsing session that allows you to perform banking and so forth from a public location without fear of leaving behind any residue. IE will not retain anything you do in an InPrivate Browsing session. You can perform this action if you are already within IE by selecting the Safety button and then InPrivate Browsing. This will open another IE window altogether. However, you can save a few steps by using the shortcut. Right-click the desktop IE icon, click InPrivate and the windows will open in an InPrivate session already.
41. Go Live. Many applications installed on past versions of Windows have been removed. Starting with Windows 7, these applications (and a few others not typically installed with Windows) have been moved into the Live Essentials downloadable applications, at download.live.com. These applications include Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety and a few others.
42. Remove Apps. Although some applications have been moved off of Windows to become an optional download, other apps, such as IE8, Media Player, Media Center and DVD Maker are still included. In times past, especially when it came to IE, the applications were tied into the OS. However, in Windows 7 you can easily remove them if desired. Head to the Program and Features applet in Control Panel and select the "Turn Windows features on or off" link in the top left-hand corner. Then you can select the checkbox of the features you want to lose or add for your system (see Figure 5).
43. Are You Windows 7 Experienced? System properties has a rating called the Windows Experience Index (WEI). This rating is a collection of five different ratings that are determined by the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT). The highest rating score is 7.9 (compared to 5.9 in Vista), using the categories of Processor, RAM, Graphics, Gaming Graphics and Primary Hard Disk. The final rating is not an average of all the ratings, but the lowest of the subcomponent scores.
44. Analyze Processes. One of the coolest new features in the revamped Resource Monitor (resmon) is the ability to see the "wait chain traversal." An unresponsive process will be shown in red in the Resource Monitor; right-click the process and choose Analyze Process. This will show the threads in the process and see who holds the resources that are holding up the process itself. You can then kill that part of the process if you like.
45. Create Virtual Worlds. Virtualization capability has been added to the Disk Management tools. If you open Computer Management, go to the Disk Manager tool and then click the Action button at top, you will see the options Create VHD and/or Attach VHD. This allows you to create and mount a virtual hard drive directly from within the GUI. Note: With Windows 7 you even have the ability to boot a Windows 7 VHD
46. Encrypt USB Sticks. Use BitLocker To Go. Maybe you've managed to never misplace or lose a USB key, but for the rest of us mere mortals, it's a fact of life. Most of the time it's no big deal, but what if it contains sensitive data? BitLocker To Go enables you to encrypt data on removable storage devices with a password or a digital certificate stored on a smart card.
48. Be Our Guest. Guest mode proves a convenient method to give a guest or child access to your computer with limits on making system changes, installing software, or writing to the disk outside the user profile. After the user is done and logs off, data saved inside of the user profile is deleted. You cannot use Guest mode in an AD environment.
49. Restore from Backed up Restore Points. You can choose to include restore points in your backups and restore from them when using System Restore. This is convenient if you want to create a baseline of a working configuration and be able to restore to it in the future without overwriting other data on the hard disk.
50. Benefit from BranchCache. BranchCache helps you save on round trips for requested files in remote branch scenarios. If one person requests a file over the WAN, it's cached locally and either distributed across computers at the remote branch or stored on a central server at the remote branch.
51. Disable Search Suggestion Popups. As you type in the Search Box, Windows 7 makes suggestions based on past queries by pulling past queries from the Registry. You can disable this in the Local Group Policy by enabling User Configuration
Administrative Templates
Windows Components
Windows Explorer
Turn Off Display Of Recent Search Entries In the Windows Explorer.
52. Pin Control Panel to Taskbar. If you use the Control Panel frequently, you may have noticed that you cannot simply right-click the Control Panel and select Pin to Taskbar. Instead, you must first Open Control Panel so its icon appears in the taskbar. From there, you can right-click the icon in the taskbar and select Pin this program to taskbar.
53. Leverage Search Connectors. You can now search the Web using the search functionality. Windows 7 includes Federated Search to increase the search scope beyond the local and network resources. Several search connectors are available, such as for YouTube and Twitter, or you can create custom ones to fit your needs.
54. Use Stickier Notes. Even though this feature has existed in previous versions of Windows in one form or another, it's much easier to use in Windows 7. You can stick a note on your desktop for quick reminders. It's a snap to change the font or note color. If you have a note selected, use Ctrl-N to create a new one.
55. Try out Improved WordPad. You probably haven't given much thought to WordPad lately, but the version shipping with Windows 7 has undergone a major renovation. Think of it as a lite version of Microsoft Word. WordPad sports a spiffy ribbon interface, making it a snap to create well-formatted documents. Plus, you are no longer relegated to saving them as .RTF files. WordPad now supports the Office Open XML document (.DOCX) format. This makes it even easier to open .DOCX files created in Word in WordPad.
56. Calculate. Another basic utility that received a major overhaul is the venerable calculator. In addition to standard and scientific views, there are now programmer and statistic modes. You will also love the conversion and calculation features. Want to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit but can never remember the formula? Use the conversion panel. You'll also enjoy the data calculation extension. Quickly find the difference between two dates or calculate a new date by adding or subtracting years, months or days.
57. Manage Services from Task Manager. The Windows 7 Task Manager now includes a tab to manage services. You can quickly see at a glance the status of all services on your machine. Click a column heading to sort. You can even start and stop services with a simple right-click. If you need full-blown service management, use the Services button to launch the Services management console. You may often have the Task Manager running in the system tray; now, having service management access means one less window to have open.
58. Get Under the Hood. Windows 7 offers more ways to peek under the hood without adding third-party solutions. A terrific example is the Resource Monitor. The performance tab in Windows Task Manager is a good start, but sometimes you need more information. Click the Resource Monitor button to get more detailed information and performance graphs for key subsystems like CPU and Disk. You can also find the Resource Monitor under Accessories
System Tools.
59. Check Vital Signs. Another new system tool you'll enjoy is the System Health report. In the Run dialog box, type perfmon /report, which generates a system health report. This report records details about your computer's performance, resource usage and more. The report also includes diagnostic information about things that aren't working as they should and suggested steps to resolve. The reports are saved and can be accessed with the Performance Monitor management console. You can also save as an HTML file or send via e-mail.
60. Get More Windows PowerShell. Windows PowerShell v2 promises to be a game-changer for many system administrators. Many will prefer to use the graphical Windows PowerShell console, also known as the Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE). You'll find this in the Windows PowerShell folder under Accessories. Add a keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+Alt+I to quickly launch it. Run any Windows PowerShell command in the lower panel and see the results in the middle. Create or edit scripts in the top pane. Open multiple Windows PowerShell sessions connected to remote computers. The ISE makes Windows PowerShell v2 easy to use and fun (see Figure 7).
61. Put It on Old Stuff. One perhaps-not-so-obvious Windows 7 tip is that you should attempt to install it everywhere. One user has a 6-year-old laptop that originally shipped with Windows XP. He could never get Windows Vista to install on it. But Windows 7 installed without complaint and runs extremely smooth. Granted, there are some Windows 7 features he can't take advantage of because the processor lacks certain features, but these are minor issues considering the laptop now has life again.
62. Improve Security. In Vista it was difficult to manage system protection via restore points. The System Protection tab in Windows 7 is a vast improvement. In one spot you can configure how much space to devote to restore points, delete and create restore points or even turn off system protection altogether. This is very useful on older systems where disk space may be at a premium.
63. Actually Use Help and Support. Much of Vista's clutter has been reduced in Windows 7. For instance, the Help and Support page has three links, a search window and a link back to Microsoft's Windows site. It's much less intimidating for end users, so make sure they know about it. Search is much improved as well, making for a better, faster experience.
The 14 Best Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts
The Windows key now performs a wide variety of functions. Here are a handful of the most useful ones:
64. Win+h - Move current window to full screen
65. Win+i - Restore current full screen window to normal size or minimize current window if not full screen
66. Win+Shift+arrow - Move current window to alternate screen
67. Win+D - Minimize all windows and show the desktop
68. Win+E - Launch Explorer with Computer as the focus
69. Win+F - Launch a search window
70. Win+G - Cycle through gadgets
71. Win+L - Lock the desktop
72. Win+M - Minimize the current window
73. Win+R - Open the Run window
74. Win+T - Cycle through task bar opening Aero Peek for each running item
75. Win+U - Open the Ease of Use center
76. Win+Space - Aero Peek the desktop
77. Ctrl+Win+Tab - Open persistent task selection window, roll mouse over each icon to preview item and minimize others47. Lock with Group Policy. Take control through AppLocker application control. AppLocker intercepts kernel calls that try to create new processes or load libraries and ensures the code is allowed to execute. Practically, that means you can eliminate unknown and unwanted software by implementing AppLocker through Group Policy.
A number of writers contributed to this article. They include:
Bill Boswell is a Senior Consultant in Microsoft Consulting Services, Desert Mountain region.
Pav Cherny is an IT expert and author specializing in Microsoft technologies for collaboration and unified communication. His publications include white papers, product manuals, and books with a focus on IT operations and system administration. Cherny is President of Biblioso Corp, a company that specializes in managed documentation and localization services.
Don Jones is a co-founder of ConcentratedTech.com, where he contributes daily technical education articles on Windows, Windows PowerShell, SQL Server, and other Microsoft and related technologies. You can reach him through the Web site.
J. Peter Bruzzese, Triple-MCSE, MCT, MCITP: Messaging, is the co-founder of ClipTraining, a provider of task-based screencast training with a proprietary corporate Learning Management Solution (LMS) CT LMS 5.0. He's the author of "Microsoft Windows 7 Unveiled" (Que, 2009). He can be reached at jpb@cliptraining.com
Jeffery Hicks (MCSE,MCSA,MCT) is an independent author, trainer, consultant and a Microsoft MVP for Windows PowerShell. He is the co-author and author of several scripting-related books and perhaps best known for his Mr. Roboto and Prof. PowerShell columns. Follow Hicks at jdhitsolutions.com/blog and twitter.com/jeffhicks.
Dan
77 Windows 7 Tips
Edited by Keith Ward
At a Glance:
Make Windows 7 faster
Get more done with Windows 7
The best Windows 7 shortcuts
Securing Windows 7
Windows 7 may be Microsoft’s most anticipated product ever. It builds on Windows Vista’s positives, and eliminates many of that OS’s negatives. It adds new functionality, too—all in a package that is less resource-hungry than its predecessor.
And whether or not you're upgrading from Vista or skipping it altogether and moving up from Windows XP, you'll need to know how to make the most of it in your environment. Here are 77 tips and tricks to get you there.
1. Pick Your Edition. Most business users do not need the more expensive Ultimate Edition; stick with Professional unless you specifically need BitLocker.
2. Upgrading? Go 64-bit. As the second major Windows release to fully support 64-bit, the x64 architecture has definitely arrived on the desktop. Don't buy new 32-bit hardware unless it's a netbook.
3. Use Windows XP Mode. Yes, it's only an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of WinXP—but it's an embedded Virtual PC with a full copy of Windows XP! This is the first profoundly intelligent use of desktop virtualization we've seen—and a great way to move to Windows 7 without giving up full Windows XP compatibility.
4. Use Windows PowerShell v2. More than just a shell, this is the administration tool you've always wanted: Parallel, distributed processing for administrative tasks! Manage 100 machines literally as easily as you manage one with the new Remoting feature. Windows PowerShell v2 ships for the first time in Windows 7, and within six months will be available for older versions of Windows.
5. Use AppLocker. We've been fans of Software Restriction Policies since Windows XP, and AppLocker finally makes application whitelisting possible. Use it to enhance or even replace your anti-virus software, ensuring that only the software you want to run will run.
6. Shift to and from Explorer and CommandPrompt. The classic Windows power toy Open Command Prompt Here is now an integral part of Windows 7 Explorer. Hold down the shift key then right-click a folder to add this option to the property menu. While you're in a command prompt, if you want to open an Explorer window with the focus of the window on the current directory, enter start.
7. Record Problems. The Problem Steps Recorder (PSR) is a great new feature that helps in troubleshooting a system (see Figure 1). At times, Remote Assistance may not be possible. However, if a person types psr in their Instant Search, it will launch the recorder. Now they can perform the actions needed to recreate the problem and each click will record the screen and the step. They can even add comments. Once complete, the PSR compiles the whole thing into an MHTML file and zips it up so that it can be e-mailed for analysis to the network admin (or family problem solver, depending on how it's being used).
8. Make Training Videos. Use a tool like Camtasia to record short, two to three minute video tutorials to help your users find relocated features, operate the new Taskbar and so forth. Get them excited about Windows 7—and prepared for it.
9. Start Thinking About Windows Server 2008 R2. Some of Windows 7's more compelling features, like BranchCache, work in conjunction with the new server OS. The R2 upgrade path is pretty straightforward, so there's little reason not to take advantage of the synergies if you can afford upgrade licenses.
10. Prepare Those XP Machines. There's no in-place upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7, so start planning to migrate user data now, in advance of a Windows 7 upgrade deployment.
11. Consider Clean Installs. Even when upgrading Windows Vista machines, consider a clean install rather than an in-place upgrade. Yes, it's more hassle, but it'll produce a more trouble-free computer in the long run.
12. Consider Upgrade Assurance. Even if you've never bought it before, consider it for your new Windows 7 licenses. Access to the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), which includes App-V, MED-V and other cool technologies, is worth the premium.
13. Find New Tools. Within Control Panel is a single Troubleshooting link that leads you to all of your diagnostic tools on the system. There are additional tools, however, not installed by default. Selecting the "View all" link in the top left-hand corner will help you to see which troubleshooting packs are local and which ones are online. If you find a tool that you don't have, you can grab it from here.
14. Understand Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Windows 7 plays an important role in Microsoft's VDI strategy, where virtualized Windows 7 machines are hosted on a central virtualization server using a special blanket "Enterprise Centralized Desktop" license. Read up and figure out if you can take advantage of this new strategy.
15. Prepare for DirectAccess. DirectAccess makes it easier for users to remotely access their office-based resources, without a VPN. DirectAccess also opens up remote computers more fully to Group Policy—but it requires Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2.
16. Employ Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM). If you quickly want to list or manage Windows packages, features or drivers, use the command-line utility DISM. The "image" in the name may fool you into thinking that this is solely a deployment tool. An online command-line switch lets you manage the features in the currently loaded OS. To get a list of the loaded Windows features, enter dism /online /get-features /format:table. To enable a feature, enter dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:
17. Embrace Troubleshooting Packs. Designed to help users troubleshoot and solve problems on their own, you need to update your support procedures to acknowledge these Packs. For example, don't force users to repeat steps the Pack already walked them through, and consider developing your own Packs (in Windows PowerShell) to support in-house systems.
18. Check Reliability. The Reliability Monitor was introduced in Windows Vista as 'The Reliability and Performance Monitor." In Windows 7 it has been separated from Performance Monitor and moved to a new location under the Action Center. You open the Action Center in Control Panel and then look under the Maintenance options for the "View reliability history" link. You can also just type in Reliability Monitor from the Instant Search (see Figure 2).
19. Accept Diversity. Not every organization will be ready to move entirely to Windows 7 right away. That's fine—but that shouldn't mean the entire organization stays on Windows XP, either. The myths of the cost savings of having only one OS have been largely disproven or downplayed, so use Windows 7 where it makes sense to do so.
20. Get Snippy. The snipping tool has also been around in various incarnations but it's even easier to use in Windows 7. Launch the tool, then drag and drop any part of your screen. The tool will snip the selection. You can save it as a graphic file or annotate with basic drawing tools. Teach your end users how to use this tool so they can grab the snapshots of their problems and send them to the help desk. Or create your own library of visual notes.
21. Presentation Nirvana. Press Windows+P to access the new Presentation mode, and easily turn on your projector and laptop screen at the same time. No more messing with vendor-specific utilities and arcane keystrokes. (Windows+X accesses the Mobility Center, with additional presentation options.)
22. Cut the Clutter. Press Windows+Home to minimize all but the current window, removing background clutter and letting you focus on that report your boss has been bugging you about.
23. Be a Mouse-Click Administrator. Windows 7 makes it easy to gain admin rights with a keyboard shortcut. Click on Ctrl+Shift on a taskbar-locked icon, and voila! You've launched it with appropriate admin rights.
24. Faster Installations. If your computer is capable of booting from USB, try this: XCopy the Windows 7 installation DVD to a sufficiently large USB drive, boot from that drive, and install Windows from there. It's faster than a spinning platter.
25. Burn Discs with a Click. Or two; double-click an ISO file to burn it to your CD or DVD writer.
26. Restore Point Previews. Many of us used to shut off System Restore because we were terrified to actually use it; under Windows 7, we can be much calmer. After selecting a Restore Point, Windows will now offer to show you which files and folders will be affected by restoring to that point.
27. Sync Time Zones. If you work with offices in different time zones and frequently find yourself missing meeting times because you are not in sync with their time zone, try the "Additional Clocks" feature that was first introduced in Vista. Within your Date and Time settings is a tab called Additional Clocks, where you can add two or more clocks to your taskbar time, and set them to provide different time zones from your current time zone.
28. Configure User Account Control (UAC). Even if you're a UAC hater, give it another try. Go to the Control Panel to configure its behavior to something slightly less obnoxious than what Windows Vista had, and see if you can't live with the extra protection it offers (see Figure 3).
29. RoboCopyCopyCopy. The always-useful Robocopy.exe can now run multi-threaded; run Robocopy /? to review its new parameters (like /MT for multithreading) and make your copies go faster.
30. Remote Desktop Console. Windows 7 Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) does not include a console-based remote desktop utility. And even if it did, the standard remote desktop console has some nagging limitations: It can't move connections around in the list; it can't sort by folders and so forth. If you manage lots of servers from your Windows 7 workstation, try downloading a copy of mRemote from mremote.org. This donation-requested utility allows you to mix together a variety of remote control applications, including Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), Secure Shell (SSH) and rlogin. All host names are displayed in a standard tree control that can be divided into folders, sorted alphabetically, and allow you to assign different logon accounts and secure passwords to each connection.
31. Multiple Monitors. Windows 7 makes working with multiple monitors intuitive and flexible. There are a variety of shortcuts and mouse motions that flick windows from monitor to monitor. To make the most of this, you need lots and lots of screen real estate. Try one of the new QWXGA monitors from Samsung (tinyurl.com/qwxgasamsung) or Dell (tinyurl.com/qwxgadell). These 23-inch monitors have a 2048x1152 resolution, making it possible to put two full-sized pages on the same monitor. Pair them together and you'll get enough space to have all your admin tools open along with Office, Visio, your intranet sites and a little note to your mom in Live Mail. Move your taskbar to the left or right side of the window instead of along the bottom to free up even more real estate.
32. Windows PowerShell Scripting. If you want to make the most of Windows PowerShell on Windows 7, you'll need a quick way to build and debug scripts. Windows 7 comes with an interactive editor that allows you to try out cmdlets and test functions on the fly.
33. Drag-and-Drop Notification Icons. The redesigned notification area displays only a minimum number of icons; all other notification icons are moved to a side window. Rather than using the Customize option to select icons for the main display, you can drag-and-drop icons from the side window to the notification area.
34. Add Unindexed Shared Folders to Library. You can add UNC paths such as \\servername\sharename to a Library, but the server must index the folder. If you want to add a UNC path to an unindexed server, you can create a symbolic link to the UNC path, then add the link or links to the library. Use the mklink command. For example, mklink HomeFolder \\ServerName\Homefolder.
35. Simplify Cloned Machine Setups. You can't run Sysinternals' newsid utility to change the identity of a cloned Windows 7 machine (either a virtual machine or imaged PC). Instead, create a template installation then run sysprep /oobe /generalize /reboot /shutdown /unattend:scriptfile. Clone or copy this virtual machine file. When it launches, it will get a new SID and you can fill in the name. The reference for building unattended script files is at tinyurl.com/winunattend.
36. Snap That Aero. The Windows key is great for all your shortcuts. Now you can use it to work with the new AeroSnap feature in Windows 7. Select a window, hit the Windows key and a left or right arrow to snap the window to that half of the screen, or use the up arrow to snap it to the top of the screen.
37. Shortcut the Taskbar. The Windows key is great for shortcuts. You can select the Windows key and a number to correspond to items on your taskbar. So, if IE (for example) is the third icon on your taskbar (not counting the Start button), you can hit the Windows key and the number three to launch or open IE.
38. Manage Passwords. Control Panel includes a new application called Credential Manager. This may appear to be a completely new tool that allows you to save your credentials (usernames and passwords) for Web sites you log into and other resources you connect to (such as other systems). Those credentials are saved in the Windows Vault, which can be backed up and restored. However, you might see this as similar to a tool we have in XP and Vista. From the Instant Search, type in control /userpasswords2 and you will be brought to the Advanced User Accounts Control Panel, where you can also manage passwords for your account (see Figure 4).
39. Trigger Actions. Event Viewer is closely tied into Task Scheduler. You have the ability to take an event (select it in Event Viewer) and then from the Actions pane, select the option "Attach a Task" to have that event, when it appears, trigger an action. That action can be: launch a program; send an e-mail; or display a message. This feature may be very helpful in troubleshooting a problem.
40. Browse InPrivate. A new feature in IE8 is the ability to open the browser in an InPrivate Browsing session that allows you to perform banking and so forth from a public location without fear of leaving behind any residue. IE will not retain anything you do in an InPrivate Browsing session. You can perform this action if you are already within IE by selecting the Safety button and then InPrivate Browsing. This will open another IE window altogether. However, you can save a few steps by using the shortcut. Right-click the desktop IE icon, click InPrivate and the windows will open in an InPrivate session already.
41. Go Live. Many applications installed on past versions of Windows have been removed. Starting with Windows 7, these applications (and a few others not typically installed with Windows) have been moved into the Live Essentials downloadable applications, at download.live.com. These applications include Messenger, Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Family Safety and a few others.
42. Remove Apps. Although some applications have been moved off of Windows to become an optional download, other apps, such as IE8, Media Player, Media Center and DVD Maker are still included. In times past, especially when it came to IE, the applications were tied into the OS. However, in Windows 7 you can easily remove them if desired. Head to the Program and Features applet in Control Panel and select the "Turn Windows features on or off" link in the top left-hand corner. Then you can select the checkbox of the features you want to lose or add for your system (see Figure 5).
43. Are You Windows 7 Experienced? System properties has a rating called the Windows Experience Index (WEI). This rating is a collection of five different ratings that are determined by the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT). The highest rating score is 7.9 (compared to 5.9 in Vista), using the categories of Processor, RAM, Graphics, Gaming Graphics and Primary Hard Disk. The final rating is not an average of all the ratings, but the lowest of the subcomponent scores.
44. Analyze Processes. One of the coolest new features in the revamped Resource Monitor (resmon) is the ability to see the "wait chain traversal." An unresponsive process will be shown in red in the Resource Monitor; right-click the process and choose Analyze Process. This will show the threads in the process and see who holds the resources that are holding up the process itself. You can then kill that part of the process if you like.
45. Create Virtual Worlds. Virtualization capability has been added to the Disk Management tools. If you open Computer Management, go to the Disk Manager tool and then click the Action button at top, you will see the options Create VHD and/or Attach VHD. This allows you to create and mount a virtual hard drive directly from within the GUI. Note: With Windows 7 you even have the ability to boot a Windows 7 VHD
46. Encrypt USB Sticks. Use BitLocker To Go. Maybe you've managed to never misplace or lose a USB key, but for the rest of us mere mortals, it's a fact of life. Most of the time it's no big deal, but what if it contains sensitive data? BitLocker To Go enables you to encrypt data on removable storage devices with a password or a digital certificate stored on a smart card.
48. Be Our Guest. Guest mode proves a convenient method to give a guest or child access to your computer with limits on making system changes, installing software, or writing to the disk outside the user profile. After the user is done and logs off, data saved inside of the user profile is deleted. You cannot use Guest mode in an AD environment.
49. Restore from Backed up Restore Points. You can choose to include restore points in your backups and restore from them when using System Restore. This is convenient if you want to create a baseline of a working configuration and be able to restore to it in the future without overwriting other data on the hard disk.
50. Benefit from BranchCache. BranchCache helps you save on round trips for requested files in remote branch scenarios. If one person requests a file over the WAN, it's cached locally and either distributed across computers at the remote branch or stored on a central server at the remote branch.
51. Disable Search Suggestion Popups. As you type in the Search Box, Windows 7 makes suggestions based on past queries by pulling past queries from the Registry. You can disable this in the Local Group Policy by enabling User Configuration
Administrative Templates
Windows Components
Windows Explorer
Turn Off Display Of Recent Search Entries In the Windows Explorer.
52. Pin Control Panel to Taskbar. If you use the Control Panel frequently, you may have noticed that you cannot simply right-click the Control Panel and select Pin to Taskbar. Instead, you must first Open Control Panel so its icon appears in the taskbar. From there, you can right-click the icon in the taskbar and select Pin this program to taskbar.
53. Leverage Search Connectors. You can now search the Web using the search functionality. Windows 7 includes Federated Search to increase the search scope beyond the local and network resources. Several search connectors are available, such as for YouTube and Twitter, or you can create custom ones to fit your needs.
54. Use Stickier Notes. Even though this feature has existed in previous versions of Windows in one form or another, it's much easier to use in Windows 7. You can stick a note on your desktop for quick reminders. It's a snap to change the font or note color. If you have a note selected, use Ctrl-N to create a new one.
55. Try out Improved WordPad. You probably haven't given much thought to WordPad lately, but the version shipping with Windows 7 has undergone a major renovation. Think of it as a lite version of Microsoft Word. WordPad sports a spiffy ribbon interface, making it a snap to create well-formatted documents. Plus, you are no longer relegated to saving them as .RTF files. WordPad now supports the Office Open XML document (.DOCX) format. This makes it even easier to open .DOCX files created in Word in WordPad.
56. Calculate. Another basic utility that received a major overhaul is the venerable calculator. In addition to standard and scientific views, there are now programmer and statistic modes. You will also love the conversion and calculation features. Want to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit but can never remember the formula? Use the conversion panel. You'll also enjoy the data calculation extension. Quickly find the difference between two dates or calculate a new date by adding or subtracting years, months or days.
57. Manage Services from Task Manager. The Windows 7 Task Manager now includes a tab to manage services. You can quickly see at a glance the status of all services on your machine. Click a column heading to sort. You can even start and stop services with a simple right-click. If you need full-blown service management, use the Services button to launch the Services management console. You may often have the Task Manager running in the system tray; now, having service management access means one less window to have open.
58. Get Under the Hood. Windows 7 offers more ways to peek under the hood without adding third-party solutions. A terrific example is the Resource Monitor. The performance tab in Windows Task Manager is a good start, but sometimes you need more information. Click the Resource Monitor button to get more detailed information and performance graphs for key subsystems like CPU and Disk. You can also find the Resource Monitor under Accessories
System Tools.
59. Check Vital Signs. Another new system tool you'll enjoy is the System Health report. In the Run dialog box, type perfmon /report, which generates a system health report. This report records details about your computer's performance, resource usage and more. The report also includes diagnostic information about things that aren't working as they should and suggested steps to resolve. The reports are saved and can be accessed with the Performance Monitor management console. You can also save as an HTML file or send via e-mail.
60. Get More Windows PowerShell. Windows PowerShell v2 promises to be a game-changer for many system administrators. Many will prefer to use the graphical Windows PowerShell console, also known as the Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE). You'll find this in the Windows PowerShell folder under Accessories. Add a keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+Alt+I to quickly launch it. Run any Windows PowerShell command in the lower panel and see the results in the middle. Create or edit scripts in the top pane. Open multiple Windows PowerShell sessions connected to remote computers. The ISE makes Windows PowerShell v2 easy to use and fun (see Figure 7).
61. Put It on Old Stuff. One perhaps-not-so-obvious Windows 7 tip is that you should attempt to install it everywhere. One user has a 6-year-old laptop that originally shipped with Windows XP. He could never get Windows Vista to install on it. But Windows 7 installed without complaint and runs extremely smooth. Granted, there are some Windows 7 features he can't take advantage of because the processor lacks certain features, but these are minor issues considering the laptop now has life again.
62. Improve Security. In Vista it was difficult to manage system protection via restore points. The System Protection tab in Windows 7 is a vast improvement. In one spot you can configure how much space to devote to restore points, delete and create restore points or even turn off system protection altogether. This is very useful on older systems where disk space may be at a premium.
63. Actually Use Help and Support. Much of Vista's clutter has been reduced in Windows 7. For instance, the Help and Support page has three links, a search window and a link back to Microsoft's Windows site. It's much less intimidating for end users, so make sure they know about it. Search is much improved as well, making for a better, faster experience.
The 14 Best Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts
The Windows key now performs a wide variety of functions. Here are a handful of the most useful ones:
64. Win+h - Move current window to full screen
65. Win+i - Restore current full screen window to normal size or minimize current window if not full screen
66. Win+Shift+arrow - Move current window to alternate screen
67. Win+D - Minimize all windows and show the desktop
68. Win+E - Launch Explorer with Computer as the focus
69. Win+F - Launch a search window
70. Win+G - Cycle through gadgets
71. Win+L - Lock the desktop
72. Win+M - Minimize the current window
73. Win+R - Open the Run window
74. Win+T - Cycle through task bar opening Aero Peek for each running item
75. Win+U - Open the Ease of Use center
76. Win+Space - Aero Peek the desktop
77. Ctrl+Win+Tab - Open persistent task selection window, roll mouse over each icon to preview item and minimize others47. Lock with Group Policy. Take control through AppLocker application control. AppLocker intercepts kernel calls that try to create new processes or load libraries and ensures the code is allowed to execute. Practically, that means you can eliminate unknown and unwanted software by implementing AppLocker through Group Policy.
A number of writers contributed to this article. They include:
Bill Boswell is a Senior Consultant in Microsoft Consulting Services, Desert Mountain region.
Pav Cherny is an IT expert and author specializing in Microsoft technologies for collaboration and unified communication. His publications include white papers, product manuals, and books with a focus on IT operations and system administration. Cherny is President of Biblioso Corp, a company that specializes in managed documentation and localization services.
Don Jones is a co-founder of ConcentratedTech.com, where he contributes daily technical education articles on Windows, Windows PowerShell, SQL Server, and other Microsoft and related technologies. You can reach him through the Web site.
J. Peter Bruzzese, Triple-MCSE, MCT, MCITP: Messaging, is the co-founder of ClipTraining, a provider of task-based screencast training with a proprietary corporate Learning Management Solution (LMS) CT LMS 5.0. He's the author of "Microsoft Windows 7 Unveiled" (Que, 2009). He can be reached at jpb@cliptraining.com
Jeffery Hicks (MCSE,MCSA,MCT) is an independent author, trainer, consultant and a Microsoft MVP for Windows PowerShell. He is the co-author and author of several scripting-related books and perhaps best known for his Mr. Roboto and Prof. PowerShell columns. Follow Hicks at jdhitsolutions.com/blog and twitter.com/jeffhicks.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Red Light Runner Crushed by City Bus
See video and original article here
I drove this route for nearly three years.
Unfortunately this accident was just a matter of time in coming.
Please SLOW DOWN around city busses and Big rigs! They cannot stop as fast as your little car. This bus weighs ~67,000 pounds, and where this accident happend, was going down hill at probably 30 MPH. A case of "get_home_itis" can be fatal, the driver of this SUV was VERY lucky.
From watching the video it appears, the driver of the bus may have put his own life at risk by swerving into the bridge to try to avoid the SUV. There is less than 2 feet between the front of the bus and the bus driver and whatever he/she may hit.
That bus driver is lucky to be alive, and should be considered a hero!
Friday, October 9, 2009
A Cool New Way to Read RSS Feeds
There is a new FREE (my favorite price) service being offered called http://www.tabbloid.com/ What this service does is take a generic list, or if you prefer, a custom list of RSS feeds and email any new headlines to you in the form of a PDF file.
The reason I like this option is that rather than sift through all of the various RSS feeds I like to watch one at a time, I simply open the PDF and get a nice clean summary of what is new. This is a huge time saver. It used to take me over an hour to go through all of the feeds only to find that most had not updated or what showed as an update was simply someone replying to a previous post. Now I can scan a couple pages of a PDF and select the articles I'm interested in reading in more detail in about 5 minutes.
Click here to download a copy of the PDF I received this morning: http://www.tabbloid.com/share/58470/a7b2ed36b4ba11de8e66001cc4dec67c
Like it? Visit http://www.tabbloid.com/
I offer no warranties on the performance of this service. I can only say I've been using it for several weeks with no problems.
As usual my opinions and advice are free and frequently worth the price.
Dan
"When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." -- Jacob A. Riis
The reason I like this option is that rather than sift through all of the various RSS feeds I like to watch one at a time, I simply open the PDF and get a nice clean summary of what is new. This is a huge time saver. It used to take me over an hour to go through all of the feeds only to find that most had not updated or what showed as an update was simply someone replying to a previous post. Now I can scan a couple pages of a PDF and select the articles I'm interested in reading in more detail in about 5 minutes.
Click here to download a copy of the PDF I received this morning: http://www.tabbloid.com/share/58470/a7b2ed36b4ba11de8e66001cc4dec67c
Like it? Visit http://www.tabbloid.com/
I offer no warranties on the performance of this service. I can only say I've been using it for several weeks with no problems.
As usual my opinions and advice are free and frequently worth the price.
Dan
"When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." -- Jacob A. Riis
Monday, August 24, 2009
Trust Not Thy Backup
Do you back up your files regularly? If so good for you, you’re at least trying to protect your important files. Now for the hard question, do you trust your backup? Do you really? Are you sure?
When was the last time you ran a fire drill? No I’m not talking about making sure the family knows how to get out of the house in case of a fire. Yes that is an excellent idea, but the fire drill I refer to in this case involves your latest backup.
At the office where I work, at least once a month, I will pull one of our backup tapes (we have 16) and try to restore a random file. In the I.T. world, this is known as a fire drill. The 16 backup tapes I have, would be nothing more than paperweights, if I could not restore the files from them. I run the fire drills for my own peace of mind. My job security would be worth about as much as a paperweight if the need were to arise and I had to tell my employer that not only does the backup not work, but I took no action to make sure it was working.
Okay, so you may not be running a business, but aren’t your personal files just as important to you as a business’s files are to the business? Would you want to risk losing those family photos or the family history records? How about your bank or tax records? A fire drill takes about five minutes to run, costs nothing, and you may be surprised how often that DVD you burned, cannot be read by your newer computer.
Next question, do you store all of your backups in the same location? Is that location the same room as your computer? Do you take a copy of your backups and put them in, at the very least another room in the house, or better yet in another building. Do you have copies in you safe deposit box? Are you covered in the event of a disaster?
Final question, are you aware of some online options available to you for backup? There are companies like www.Carbonite.com that will store and backup your files for you on their servers. I do not use Carbonite myself, but I have been told they are an excellent service for a price.
The service I do use is hosted by Uncle Bill’s kids at Microsoft. This service, Skydrive (http://skydrive.live.com/) is free and provides 25 gigabytes of storage on their servers. It is available with any decent internet connection, and is as secure as any online bank.
The only real restriction they place on the service is that you may not upload any single file that is larger than 50 megabytes. Other than that it’s like having a free 25 gig thumb drive that you can access anywhere you have an internet connection. In addition to backups of files I DO NOT want to lose, I keep copies of my school files there, so I can always pull down my homework, and know that it is as safe as any DVD.
So what are you waiting for? Run a fire drill today, you may be surprised at what you find.
Remember; Trust Not Thy Backup!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Testing Windows 7 RC1 - Part Two
Sat 8:00am June 13, 2009
Testing is complete as far as I am concerned and I am returning to Windows XP Pro for now. Results will be posted when I can get my system back on XP and stable.
Sat 9:00 am July 3, 2009
RESULTS: This is not a comprehensive evaluation of Win7 as that would take several pages, but a brief overview of some of the things that stuck out while testing.
AESTHETICS: Win7 in appearance is nearly identical to Vista. About the only way to tell the difference is the fact that Win7 actually works. The Aero feature can best be described as COOL. The “Clear Pane” feature is pretty handy if like me you tend to have several windows open at once, and need to find something on your desktop. To use the feature, press the “Windows” key and the spacebar at the same time; all open windows become transparent. You can now see everything on the desktop as though looking through a pane of glass.
AVAILABILITY: Win7 is scheduled to release on October 22, 2009 in time for Christmas. Some stores such as Sam's Club and http://www.newegg.com/ are already offering to reserve copies at a discount for those that want it.
COST: According to a June 25th article in Information Week, Microsoft has announced that Win7 will be priced about 10% less than Vista, with prices starting at $119 for an upgrade version and going as high as $319 for the full "Ultimate" version.
LEGACY: One of the biggest complaints about Vista was the need to upgrade hardware and most of your software, in order to use it. Apparently uncle Bill’s kids in Redmond did not understand that most of us do not have unlimited resources and keep older version of software, because 1) they work and 2) we cannot afford to drop a few thousand hard earned dollars to update every year as Microsoft seems to think we need to do. This has been mostly fixed in Win7. The fix was accomplished partially simply by the passage of time. Most hardware available today meets the requirements of Vista and therefore Win7. Most software now available is Vista compatible and again by default Win7 compatible. The good news is that a lot of the software that works with XP also works fine on Win7. Yes there may still be some upgrade costs, but nowhere near as severe as was required by Vista.
NEW AND NOT ALWAYS IMPROVED: A new feature is the ability to arrange the items on the taskbar. No more starting programs in a specific order to get them to line up the way you want. Also new is the system of “Libraries,” basically an extension of the “My Documents” folder. It is supposed to make file organization easier. It does not. In fact it adds yet another layer of complexity when trying to find files the old fashioned way of looking at the folder structure. Save yourself some headaches and take a little time to familiarize yourself with this “feature”. Another new “feature” is the directory tree in the Windows Explorer file browser. For some reason, Microsoft changed the tree, which has worked perfectly all the way back to Win 3.1. I am not real impressed. It is a minor change, but annoying to me. The classic “[+]” option to dig to the next directory level has been replaced with a kind of triangle system that works sometimes and sometimes it fails.
The last new “feature” I will discuss today is the copy/replace function. Apparently Microsoft is trying to protect us from ourselves again. In win7 when copying a new file over an existing file, the usual “File exists, Replace?” option comes up, but now even though you tell the program “Yes to All” rather than replace the file it creates a new file with “Copy of” added to the file name. So now you must go back to the folder, manually remove all of the old files and then rename the new files before they may be used.
Sorry Microsoft, you blew it on that one, this new “feature” is terrible.
PERFORMANCE: Win7 is far superior to Vista in almost every way. That being said, here are the caveats. If your CPU is a single core processor, DO NOT switch from XP, until you can upgrade your system. Win7 is very processor intensive and while a huge improvement over XP, it is still slow to respond on a single core CPU. If you have a low end "bargain" video card upgrade it. Win7 will work on a lesser video card, but it will be SLOW to respond unless you turn off the aero features. Turning off Aero from a visual standpoint almost defeats the purpose of the upgrade (yes I said upgrade) to Win7.
PERMISSION: Win7 does still ask for permission to do what you told it to like Vista does. However, unlike Vista’s irritating “you’re so stupid I must verify everything you ask” attitude (one of my biggest reasons for NOT using Vista), Win7 gives you the option to reduce the intrusiveness of this “feature” by levels or turn it off entirely. Warning though if turned off entirely the feature for some reason disables the aero display features. But at least now you CAN turn it off.
OVERALL: I like Win7 and will most likely install it AFTER I upgrade my present motherboard and video card.
Testing is complete as far as I am concerned and I am returning to Windows XP Pro for now. Results will be posted when I can get my system back on XP and stable.
Sat 9:00 am July 3, 2009
RESULTS: This is not a comprehensive evaluation of Win7 as that would take several pages, but a brief overview of some of the things that stuck out while testing.
AESTHETICS: Win7 in appearance is nearly identical to Vista. About the only way to tell the difference is the fact that Win7 actually works. The Aero feature can best be described as COOL. The “Clear Pane” feature is pretty handy if like me you tend to have several windows open at once, and need to find something on your desktop. To use the feature, press the “Windows” key and the spacebar at the same time; all open windows become transparent. You can now see everything on the desktop as though looking through a pane of glass.
AVAILABILITY: Win7 is scheduled to release on October 22, 2009 in time for Christmas. Some stores such as Sam's Club and http://www.newegg.com/ are already offering to reserve copies at a discount for those that want it.
COST: According to a June 25th article in Information Week, Microsoft has announced that Win7 will be priced about 10% less than Vista, with prices starting at $119 for an upgrade version and going as high as $319 for the full "Ultimate" version.
LEGACY: One of the biggest complaints about Vista was the need to upgrade hardware and most of your software, in order to use it. Apparently uncle Bill’s kids in Redmond did not understand that most of us do not have unlimited resources and keep older version of software, because 1) they work and 2) we cannot afford to drop a few thousand hard earned dollars to update every year as Microsoft seems to think we need to do. This has been mostly fixed in Win7. The fix was accomplished partially simply by the passage of time. Most hardware available today meets the requirements of Vista and therefore Win7. Most software now available is Vista compatible and again by default Win7 compatible. The good news is that a lot of the software that works with XP also works fine on Win7. Yes there may still be some upgrade costs, but nowhere near as severe as was required by Vista.
NEW AND NOT ALWAYS IMPROVED: A new feature is the ability to arrange the items on the taskbar. No more starting programs in a specific order to get them to line up the way you want. Also new is the system of “Libraries,” basically an extension of the “My Documents” folder. It is supposed to make file organization easier. It does not. In fact it adds yet another layer of complexity when trying to find files the old fashioned way of looking at the folder structure. Save yourself some headaches and take a little time to familiarize yourself with this “feature”. Another new “feature” is the directory tree in the Windows Explorer file browser. For some reason, Microsoft changed the tree, which has worked perfectly all the way back to Win 3.1. I am not real impressed. It is a minor change, but annoying to me. The classic “[+]” option to dig to the next directory level has been replaced with a kind of triangle system that works sometimes and sometimes it fails.
The last new “feature” I will discuss today is the copy/replace function. Apparently Microsoft is trying to protect us from ourselves again. In win7 when copying a new file over an existing file, the usual “File exists, Replace?” option comes up, but now even though you tell the program “Yes to All” rather than replace the file it creates a new file with “Copy of” added to the file name. So now you must go back to the folder, manually remove all of the old files and then rename the new files before they may be used.
Sorry Microsoft, you blew it on that one, this new “feature” is terrible.
PERFORMANCE: Win7 is far superior to Vista in almost every way. That being said, here are the caveats. If your CPU is a single core processor, DO NOT switch from XP, until you can upgrade your system. Win7 is very processor intensive and while a huge improvement over XP, it is still slow to respond on a single core CPU. If you have a low end "bargain" video card upgrade it. Win7 will work on a lesser video card, but it will be SLOW to respond unless you turn off the aero features. Turning off Aero from a visual standpoint almost defeats the purpose of the upgrade (yes I said upgrade) to Win7.
PERMISSION: Win7 does still ask for permission to do what you told it to like Vista does. However, unlike Vista’s irritating “you’re so stupid I must verify everything you ask” attitude (one of my biggest reasons for NOT using Vista), Win7 gives you the option to reduce the intrusiveness of this “feature” by levels or turn it off entirely. Warning though if turned off entirely the feature for some reason disables the aero display features. But at least now you CAN turn it off.
OVERALL: I like Win7 and will most likely install it AFTER I upgrade my present motherboard and video card.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Testing Windows 7 RC1
My nephew Tony, and some others have asked me to post my findings on Windows 7. Here is a log of what I find as I find it. Mostly I am happy with it, having tested an earlier version, I am testing this version to see how stable it is.
Fri 7:45am May 22
Testing Windows 7. Better than Vista at least. Still some minor compatibility issues.
System is a single core (I don't want to hear it) AMD processor with 1.5gb ram.
Sound card is not happy, no sound for now.
Had to replace my ATI video card with a slightly newer Nvidia e-GeoForce 6200. Video must be able to play with Directx 10 to use the Aero feature. Good luck finding an AGP slot video card these days.
Fri 11:28pm May 22
Mahjong Titans Rocks!
10:23am May 22
Sound card is happy again. Must remember to use the Vista drivers when reinstalling things.
Office 2007 installed and working, no problems.
Turned on the new text messaging feature in Outlook and it is working perfectly. Outlook will now text me if Jeri or one of the websites I'm developing send me an email message. Very cool feature, nothing to do with Win7, but still very cool.
11:28pm May 22
Palm Software is playing mostly nice, the status message gives an error after syncing with my phone. Kind of ironic. Sync works fine otherwise
Gadgets are working nicely, I can see weather in Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah all across top top of my screen.
Aero feature is working nicely.
9:00pm May 23
HP Photoshop 2600 printer is working, had to use the Vista drivers from HP. Cannot see the 7500 printer as it is on a different branch of our home network.
Abobe Reader and Flash install and working with no issues.
Adobe Shockwave would not install - OS not supported.
Borrowed some RAM from my son Patrick and upgraded system to 2.5gb. Like most MS products, Win7 likes the extra RAM. The monitor gadget say's I'm using 42.16% right now with Outlook, IE8, and 11 gadgets running. Not bad will see how it plays tomorrow when I have about 4 - 6 Word docs open for homework.
Fri 7:45am May 22
Testing Windows 7. Better than Vista at least. Still some minor compatibility issues.
System is a single core (I don't want to hear it) AMD processor with 1.5gb ram.
Sound card is not happy, no sound for now.
Had to replace my ATI video card with a slightly newer Nvidia e-GeoForce 6200. Video must be able to play with Directx 10 to use the Aero feature. Good luck finding an AGP slot video card these days.
Fri 11:28pm May 22
Mahjong Titans Rocks!
10:23am May 22
Sound card is happy again. Must remember to use the Vista drivers when reinstalling things.
Office 2007 installed and working, no problems.
Turned on the new text messaging feature in Outlook and it is working perfectly. Outlook will now text me if Jeri or one of the websites I'm developing send me an email message. Very cool feature, nothing to do with Win7, but still very cool.
11:28pm May 22
Palm Software is playing mostly nice, the status message gives an error after syncing with my phone. Kind of ironic. Sync works fine otherwise
Gadgets are working nicely, I can see weather in Oregon, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah all across top top of my screen.
Aero feature is working nicely.
9:00pm May 23
HP Photoshop 2600 printer is working, had to use the Vista drivers from HP. Cannot see the 7500 printer as it is on a different branch of our home network.
Abobe Reader and Flash install and working with no issues.
Adobe Shockwave would not install - OS not supported.
Borrowed some RAM from my son Patrick and upgraded system to 2.5gb. Like most MS products, Win7 likes the extra RAM. The monitor gadget say's I'm using 42.16% right now with Outlook, IE8, and 11 gadgets running. Not bad will see how it plays tomorrow when I have about 4 - 6 Word docs open for homework.
Obama gets his grade part II
Well as promised I waited to see if the Obamites tweaked the results of the survey from the LA Times, a very left leaning rag. I must admit I am in shock! The numbers have not really changed that much and HRH Obama still has for an overall grade "61.7 % Whatever comes beneath F" with 4176 total responses to that question.
The survey is located at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/04/obama-100-days-aretha-franklin.html
Since they let you answer the quiz multiple times I would have thought Jug Ears followers would have flooded the thing to make their messiah look good. Guess they are starting to see the light. We can only hope for this change.
Here are the unedited results copied directly from the LA Times website.
Besides the hat, the oath flub, the Cabinet tax problems and cheesy gifts for Britain's leader, how's Barack Obama doing?
5.8 %
Really well
1.7 %
Good
2.5 %
So-so
7.1 %
Disappointing
8.6 %
Bad
74.3 %
Scary bad
4158 total responses
Obama's policies are:
90.1 %
Too liberal
3.0 %
Insufficiently liberal
5.9 %
Just right
1.0 %
Too conservative
4140 total responses
Obama's spending plans and deficits:
2.4 %
Inspire me
0.6 %
Don't matter
3.9 %
Are about right
8.3 %
Worry me
84.8 %
Really scare me
4158 total responses
Slowly withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq for now and sending more to Afghanistan strikes me as:
22.9 %
Just the right thing
9.3 %
Doesn't matter
21.3 %
A betrayal of his anti-war stance
46.6 %
Real trouble later
4117 total responses
Talking with Iran and North Korea about their nuclear weapons programs is:
8.6 %
Appropriate
12.6 %
Naive but necessary
78.8 %
Hopeless
4128 total responses
Watching and listening to Obama speak makes me feel:
5.4 %
Hopeful
2.8 %
Confident
74.4 %
Suspicious
17.4 %
Sleepy
4140 total responses
What I like most about Obama so far is:
7.8 %
His confidence
1.7 %
His speeches
0.6 %
His spending
0.6 %
His Cabinet
5.7 %
His family
83.7 %
His dog
4035 total responses
What I like least about Obama so far is:
30.3 %
His arrogance
2.3 %
His speeches
33.0 %
His spending
16.0 %
His national security plans
18.4 %
His other plans like healthcare reform
4043 total responses
As a vice president who was a senator since Obama was in elementary school, Joe Biden has turned out so far to be:
1.6 %
An inspiration
3.3 %
Better than I expected
5.1 %
OK
58.4 %
An embarrassment
31.6 %
Who cares?
4145 total responses
Overall, so far I'd give the Obama administration an:
2.9 %
A+
2.9 %
A
1.8 %
B
2.7 %
C
12.4 %
D
15.5 %
F
61.7 %
Whatever comes beneath F
4176 total responses
The survey is located at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/04/obama-100-days-aretha-franklin.html
Since they let you answer the quiz multiple times I would have thought Jug Ears followers would have flooded the thing to make their messiah look good. Guess they are starting to see the light. We can only hope for this change.
Here are the unedited results copied directly from the LA Times website.
Besides the hat, the oath flub, the Cabinet tax problems and cheesy gifts for Britain's leader, how's Barack Obama doing?
5.8 %
Really well
1.7 %
Good
2.5 %
So-so
7.1 %
Disappointing
8.6 %
Bad
74.3 %
Scary bad
4158 total responses
Obama's policies are:
90.1 %
Too liberal
3.0 %
Insufficiently liberal
5.9 %
Just right
1.0 %
Too conservative
4140 total responses
Obama's spending plans and deficits:
2.4 %
Inspire me
0.6 %
Don't matter
3.9 %
Are about right
8.3 %
Worry me
84.8 %
Really scare me
4158 total responses
Slowly withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq for now and sending more to Afghanistan strikes me as:
22.9 %
Just the right thing
9.3 %
Doesn't matter
21.3 %
A betrayal of his anti-war stance
46.6 %
Real trouble later
4117 total responses
Talking with Iran and North Korea about their nuclear weapons programs is:
8.6 %
Appropriate
12.6 %
Naive but necessary
78.8 %
Hopeless
4128 total responses
Watching and listening to Obama speak makes me feel:
5.4 %
Hopeful
2.8 %
Confident
74.4 %
Suspicious
17.4 %
Sleepy
4140 total responses
What I like most about Obama so far is:
7.8 %
His confidence
1.7 %
His speeches
0.6 %
His spending
0.6 %
His Cabinet
5.7 %
His family
83.7 %
His dog
4035 total responses
What I like least about Obama so far is:
30.3 %
His arrogance
2.3 %
His speeches
33.0 %
His spending
16.0 %
His national security plans
18.4 %
His other plans like healthcare reform
4043 total responses
As a vice president who was a senator since Obama was in elementary school, Joe Biden has turned out so far to be:
1.6 %
An inspiration
3.3 %
Better than I expected
5.1 %
OK
58.4 %
An embarrassment
31.6 %
Who cares?
4145 total responses
Overall, so far I'd give the Obama administration an:
2.9 %
A+
2.9 %
A
1.8 %
B
2.7 %
C
12.4 %
D
15.5 %
F
61.7 %
Whatever comes beneath F
4176 total responses
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Obama Gets his Grade
And it is not good for him. Guess he will have to get his disciples to flood this poll like he has all of the others, to make him look good. For now though this is probably a much more accurate score of how American's fee about His highness.
We will chack back on this poll in a few days to watch the MIRACLE change in the vote once the Obamites find out about it and stuff the ballot box again. Gotta give them credit, stuffing ballot boxes is one theing they do really well.
From the LA Times
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/04/obama-100-days-aretha-franklin.html
Besides the hat, the oath flub, the Cabinet tax problems and cheesy gifts for Britain's leader, how's Barack Obama doing?
6.2 %
Really well
1.7 %
Good
2.2 %
So-so
6.5 %
Disappointing
8.6 %
Bad
74.8 %
Scary bad
3623 total responses
Obama's policies are:
90.0 %
Too liberal
2.9 %
Insufficiently liberal
6.0 %
Just right
1.1 %
Too conservative
3607 total responses
Obama's spending plans and deficits:
2.5 %
Inspire me
0.6 %
Don't matter
4.2 %
Are about right
7.9 %
Worry me
84.8 %
Really scare me
3626 total responses
Slowly withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq for now and sending more to Afghanistan strikes me as:
23.3 %
Just the right thing
9.5 %
Doesn't matter
21.1 %
A betrayal of his anti-war stance
46.2 %
Real trouble later
3588 total responses
Talking with Iran and North Korea about their nuclear weapons programs is:
8.8 %
Appropriate
11.4 %
Naive but necessary
79.8 %
Hopeless
3601 total responses
Watching and listening to Obama speak makes me feel:
5.5 %
Hopeful
2.9 %
Confident
73.2 %
Suspicious
18.4 %
Sleepy
3609 total responses
What I like most about Obama so far is:
7.8 %
His confidence
1.5 %
His speeches
0.6 %
His spending
0.7 %
His Cabinet
5.4 %
His family
84.0 %
His dog
3517 total responses
What I like least about Obama so far is:
30.2 %
His arrogance
2.4 %
His speeches
33.0 %
His spending
16.1 %
His national security plans
18.3 %
His other plans like healthcare reform
3524 total responses
As a vice president who was a senator since Obama was in elementary school, Joe Biden has turned out so far to be:
1.7 %
An inspiration
3.4 %
Better than I expected
5.0 %
OK
57.8 %
An embarrassment
32.1 %
Who cares?
3618 total responses
Overall, so far I'd give the Obama administration an:
3.0 %
A+
3.2 %
A
1.8 %
B
2.4 %
C
11.7 %
D
15.6 %
F
62.5 %
Whatever comes beneath F
3638 total responses
We will chack back on this poll in a few days to watch the MIRACLE change in the vote once the Obamites find out about it and stuff the ballot box again. Gotta give them credit, stuffing ballot boxes is one theing they do really well.
From the LA Times
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/04/obama-100-days-aretha-franklin.html
Besides the hat, the oath flub, the Cabinet tax problems and cheesy gifts for Britain's leader, how's Barack Obama doing?
6.2 %
Really well
1.7 %
Good
2.2 %
So-so
6.5 %
Disappointing
8.6 %
Bad
74.8 %
Scary bad
3623 total responses
Obama's policies are:
90.0 %
Too liberal
2.9 %
Insufficiently liberal
6.0 %
Just right
1.1 %
Too conservative
3607 total responses
Obama's spending plans and deficits:
2.5 %
Inspire me
0.6 %
Don't matter
4.2 %
Are about right
7.9 %
Worry me
84.8 %
Really scare me
3626 total responses
Slowly withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq for now and sending more to Afghanistan strikes me as:
23.3 %
Just the right thing
9.5 %
Doesn't matter
21.1 %
A betrayal of his anti-war stance
46.2 %
Real trouble later
3588 total responses
Talking with Iran and North Korea about their nuclear weapons programs is:
8.8 %
Appropriate
11.4 %
Naive but necessary
79.8 %
Hopeless
3601 total responses
Watching and listening to Obama speak makes me feel:
5.5 %
Hopeful
2.9 %
Confident
73.2 %
Suspicious
18.4 %
Sleepy
3609 total responses
What I like most about Obama so far is:
7.8 %
His confidence
1.5 %
His speeches
0.6 %
His spending
0.7 %
His Cabinet
5.4 %
His family
84.0 %
His dog
3517 total responses
What I like least about Obama so far is:
30.2 %
His arrogance
2.4 %
His speeches
33.0 %
His spending
16.1 %
His national security plans
18.3 %
His other plans like healthcare reform
3524 total responses
As a vice president who was a senator since Obama was in elementary school, Joe Biden has turned out so far to be:
1.7 %
An inspiration
3.4 %
Better than I expected
5.0 %
OK
57.8 %
An embarrassment
32.1 %
Who cares?
3618 total responses
Overall, so far I'd give the Obama administration an:
3.0 %
A+
3.2 %
A
1.8 %
B
2.4 %
C
11.7 %
D
15.6 %
F
62.5 %
Whatever comes beneath F
3638 total responses
Sunday, March 22, 2009
PETA Kills
The following story is from This is True dated 17 July 2005. It is Copyright 2005 Randy Cassingham, all rights reserved, and reprinted here with permission:
"Ethical" Defined
After more than 100 dead dogs were dumped in a trash dumpster over four weeks, police in Ahoskie, N.C., kept an eye on the trash receptacle behind a supermarket. Sure enough, a van drove up and officers watched the occupants throw in heavy plastic bags. They detained the two people in the van and found 18 dead dogs in plastic bags in the dumpster, including puppies; 13 more dead dogs were still in the van. Police say the van is registered to the headquarters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the two occupants, Andrew B. Cook, 24, and Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, identified themselves as PETA employees. An autopsy performed on one of the dogs found it was healthy before it was killed. Police say PETA has been picking up the animals -- alive -- from North Carolina animal shelters, promising to find them good homes. Cook and Hinkle have been charged with 62 felony counts of animal cruelty. In response to the arrests PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said it's against the group's policy for employees to dump animals in the trash, but "that for some animals in North Carolina, there is no kinder option than euthanasia." (Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald) ...Oops, my mistake: that's "Playing God" Defined.
In his author's notes section, Cassingham had more to say about this story:
The more I learn about PETA, the less I think of them. The story of them killing animals isn't even unusual. According to PETA's own filings, in 2004 PETA killed 86.3 percent of the animals entrusted to its care -- a number that's rising, not falling. Meanwhile, the SPCA in PETA's home town (Norfolk, Va.) was able to find loving homes for 73 percent of the animals put in its care. A shortage of funds? Nope: last year PETA took in $29 million in tax-exempt donations. It simply has other priorities for the funds, like funding terrorism (yes, really). But don't take my word for it: I got my figures from http://www.PETAkillsAnimals.com -- and they have copies of PETA's state and federal filings to back it up. The bottom line: if you donate money to PETA because you think they care for and about animals, you need to think some more. PETA literally yells and screams about how others "kill animals" but this is how they operate? Pathetic.And you know what I wonder? PETA's official count of animals they kill is 86.3 percent. But if they're going around picking up animals, killing them while they drive around and not even giving them a chance to be adopted, and then destroying the evidence by dumping the bodies in the trash, are those deaths being reported? My guess: no. While 86.3 percent is awful, the actual number is probably much, much higher. How dare they lecture anyone about the "ethical" treatment of animals!
(This is True is a weekly column featuring weird-but-true news stories from around the world, and has been published since 1994. Click the link for info about free subscriptions.)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
BBS - Blast From the Past - Showing My Age
This morning, my nephew Paul, asked me about the letter attached below on BBS etiquette. This was written by my father many years ago. Think late 1970's to early 1980's. Paul wanted to know among other things what the terms SYSOP and BBS stood for.
SYSOP is an old term for System Operator. The person that runs or owns the BBS was referred to as the SYSOP. He or she was lord and master of the BBS realm. As a rule, SYSOP’s ran their BBS’s completely out of pocket as a hobby. They purchased all of the hardware and software, as well as paying the phone bill, which could become very high.
BBS is an acronym for Bulletin Board Service. BBS's were the forerunners of today’s websites. You had to know a phone number to dial in with a conventional modem. Once connected to the BBS the user had to log in to an account. If the user did not have an account, they would be required to create one. On most BBS’s the system would do an automated call back to the new user to verify they were whom they claimed. This call back was done to reduce abuse.
Each BBS usually had a theme and offered among other things, some of the first online games ever available. This was LONG before the days of the Xbox or PlayStation. BBS’s were also the birthplace of the modern day MUDD sites, which still use technology very similar to the BBS of yesterday. Users still logon to MUDD’s with a plain text editor that uses in many cases old ASCII art as a rudimentary form of graphics.
Dad was the SYSOP for one of, if not the, oldest BBS in the Las Vegas, NV metro area. He ran it all on an old Radio Shack TRS-80 model IV computer with a whopping 4MB of Ram. I think he had two hard drives on that system, about 20MB each and two or four 5 1/4" floppy disk drives. He would rotate the floppies daily to load new or different programs for people to download. Each floppy had its own basic menu that listed and offered a brief description of the files on the disk. People would dial in to his BBS from around the country, paying long distance charges, just to use his files, play the games, or leave him a note. The messaging system on BBS's was the forerunner to today’s text messaging and email.
Among the people dad traded programs with was a much younger Steve Jobs.
Here is dad’s letter on BBS etiquette or “Netiquette.” Some of the terms are no longer used, but the principles are still largely the same.
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Computer Etiquette, By Mel North
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The following are a few points of general BBS etiquette. If you wish to maintain your welcome on whatever system you happen to call, it would be to your advantage to observe these few rules.
1. Don't habitually hang up on a system. Every Sysop is aware that accidental disconnections happen once in a while, but we do tend to get annoyed with people who hang up every single time they call because they are either too lazy to terminate properly or they labor under the mistaken assumption that the 10 seconds they save online is going to significantly alter their phone bill. "Call Waiting" is not an acceptable excuse for long. If you have it and intend
to use the line to call BBS systems, you should either have it disconnected or find some other way to circumvent it.
2. Don't do dumb things like leave yourself a message that says, "Just testing
to see if this thing works." Where do you think all those other messages came
from if it did not work? Also, don't leave whiney messages that say "Please leave me a message." If ever there was a person to ignore, it's the one who begs someone to leave him a message. If you want to get messages, start by reading the ones that are already online and getting involved in the conversations that exist.
3. Don't use the local equivalent of a chat command unless you really have some clear cut notion of what you want to say and why. Almost any Sysop is more than happy to answer questions or offer help concerning his system. Unfortunately, because about 85% of the people who call want to chat and about 99% of those people have absolutely nothing to say besides "How old are you?" or something equally irrelevant, fewer Sysops even bother answering their pagers every day.
4. When you are offered a place to leave comments when exiting a system, do not try to use this area to ask the Sysop questions. It is very rude to the other callers to expect the Sysop to carry on a half-visible conversation with someone. If you have a question or statement to make and expect the Sysop to respond to it, it should always be made in the section where all the other
messages are kept. This allows the Sysop to help many people with the same problem with the least amount of effort on his part.
5. Before you log on with your favorite pseudonym, make sure that handles are allowed. Most Sysops do not want people using handles on the system. There is not enough room for them, they get silly games of one-upmanship started, it is much nicer to deal with a person on a personal basis, and last, but not least, everyone should be willing to take full responsibility for his actions or comments instead of slinging mud from behind a phony name.
Also when signing on, why not sign on just like you would introduce yourself in your own society? How many of you usually introduce yourselves as Joe W Smutz the 3rd or 4th?
6. Take the time to log on properly. There is no such place as RIV, HB, ANA or any of a thousand other abbreviations people use instead of their proper city. You may think that everyone knows what RIV is supposed to mean, but every BBS has people calling from all around the country, and I assure you that someone from Podunk, Iowa has no idea what you're talking about.
7. Don't go out of your way to make rude observations like "Gee, this system is slow." Every BBS is a tradeoff of features. You can generally assume that if someone is running a particular brand of software, that, he is either happy with it or he'll decide to find another system he likes better. It does nobody any good when you make comments about something that you perceive to be a flaw when it is running the way the Sysop wants it to. Constructive criticism is somewhat more welcome. If you have an alternative, method that seems to make good sense
then run it up the flagpole.
8. When leaving messages, stop and ask yourself, whether it is necessary to make it private. Unless there is some particular reason that everyone, should not know what you're saying, don't make it private. We don't call them PUBLIC bulletin boards for nothing, folks. It is very irritating to other callers when there are huge blank spots in the messages that they cannot read and it stifles interaction between callers.
9. If your favorite BBS has a time limit, observe it. If it does not, set a limit for yourself and abide by it instead. Do not tie up a system until it finally kicks you off and then call back with another name. This same rule applies to downloading or playing games. Only one person at a time can be logged on to a BBS and it is not fair to everyone else if you overstay your welcome. Remember, a BBS is best when it can be left wide open. If you try to cheat the rules, you just hurt everybody by forcing the Sysop to adopt more stringent policies. I cannot count the number of systems that are now locked tighter than a drum because of people who cheat and abuse.
10. Do not call a BBS just to look at the list of other BBS numbers. Most especially do not call a system as a new user and run right to the other numbers list. There is probably very little that is more annoying to any Sysop than to have his board completely passed over by you on your way to another board.
11. Have the common courtesy to pay attention to what passes in front of your face. When a BBS displays your name and asks, "Is this you?" do not say yes when you can see perfectly well that it is misspelled. Also, don't start asking questions about simple operation of a system until you have thoroughly read all of the instructions that are available to you. I assure you that it isn't any fun to answer a question for the thousandth time when the answer is prominently displayed in the system bulletins or instructions. Use some common sense when you ask your questions. The person who said "There's no such thing as a stupid question" obviously never operated a BBS.
12. Do not be personally abusive. It doesn't matter whether you like a Sysop or think he's a jerk. The fact remains that he has a large investment in making his computer available, usually out of the goodness of his heart. If you don't like a Sysop or his system, just remember that you can change the channel any time you want. Besides, whether you are aware of it or not, if you make
yourself enough of an annoyance to any Sysop, he can take the time to trace you down and make your life, or that of your parents, miserable.
13. Keep firmly in mind that you are a guest on any BBS you happen to call. Do not think of logging on as one of your basic human rights. Every person that has ever put a computer system online for the use of other people has spent a lot of time and money to do so. While he doesn't expect nonstop pats on the back, it seems reasonable that he should at least be able to expect fair
treatment the way he does. Your business is to either, abide by what he says, or call some other BBS where you feel that you can obey the rules.
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SYSOP is an old term for System Operator. The person that runs or owns the BBS was referred to as the SYSOP. He or she was lord and master of the BBS realm. As a rule, SYSOP’s ran their BBS’s completely out of pocket as a hobby. They purchased all of the hardware and software, as well as paying the phone bill, which could become very high.
BBS is an acronym for Bulletin Board Service. BBS's were the forerunners of today’s websites. You had to know a phone number to dial in with a conventional modem. Once connected to the BBS the user had to log in to an account. If the user did not have an account, they would be required to create one. On most BBS’s the system would do an automated call back to the new user to verify they were whom they claimed. This call back was done to reduce abuse.
Each BBS usually had a theme and offered among other things, some of the first online games ever available. This was LONG before the days of the Xbox or PlayStation. BBS’s were also the birthplace of the modern day MUDD sites, which still use technology very similar to the BBS of yesterday. Users still logon to MUDD’s with a plain text editor that uses in many cases old ASCII art as a rudimentary form of graphics.
Dad was the SYSOP for one of, if not the, oldest BBS in the Las Vegas, NV metro area. He ran it all on an old Radio Shack TRS-80 model IV computer with a whopping 4MB of Ram. I think he had two hard drives on that system, about 20MB each and two or four 5 1/4" floppy disk drives. He would rotate the floppies daily to load new or different programs for people to download. Each floppy had its own basic menu that listed and offered a brief description of the files on the disk. People would dial in to his BBS from around the country, paying long distance charges, just to use his files, play the games, or leave him a note. The messaging system on BBS's was the forerunner to today’s text messaging and email.
Among the people dad traded programs with was a much younger Steve Jobs.
Here is dad’s letter on BBS etiquette or “Netiquette.” Some of the terms are no longer used, but the principles are still largely the same.
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Computer Etiquette, By Mel North
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
The following are a few points of general BBS etiquette. If you wish to maintain your welcome on whatever system you happen to call, it would be to your advantage to observe these few rules.
1. Don't habitually hang up on a system. Every Sysop is aware that accidental disconnections happen once in a while, but we do tend to get annoyed with people who hang up every single time they call because they are either too lazy to terminate properly or they labor under the mistaken assumption that the 10 seconds they save online is going to significantly alter their phone bill. "Call Waiting" is not an acceptable excuse for long. If you have it and intend
to use the line to call BBS systems, you should either have it disconnected or find some other way to circumvent it.
2. Don't do dumb things like leave yourself a message that says, "Just testing
to see if this thing works." Where do you think all those other messages came
from if it did not work? Also, don't leave whiney messages that say "Please leave me a message." If ever there was a person to ignore, it's the one who begs someone to leave him a message. If you want to get messages, start by reading the ones that are already online and getting involved in the conversations that exist.
3. Don't use the local equivalent of a chat command unless you really have some clear cut notion of what you want to say and why. Almost any Sysop is more than happy to answer questions or offer help concerning his system. Unfortunately, because about 85% of the people who call want to chat and about 99% of those people have absolutely nothing to say besides "How old are you?" or something equally irrelevant, fewer Sysops even bother answering their pagers every day.
4. When you are offered a place to leave comments when exiting a system, do not try to use this area to ask the Sysop questions. It is very rude to the other callers to expect the Sysop to carry on a half-visible conversation with someone. If you have a question or statement to make and expect the Sysop to respond to it, it should always be made in the section where all the other
messages are kept. This allows the Sysop to help many people with the same problem with the least amount of effort on his part.
5. Before you log on with your favorite pseudonym, make sure that handles are allowed. Most Sysops do not want people using handles on the system. There is not enough room for them, they get silly games of one-upmanship started, it is much nicer to deal with a person on a personal basis, and last, but not least, everyone should be willing to take full responsibility for his actions or comments instead of slinging mud from behind a phony name.
Also when signing on, why not sign on just like you would introduce yourself in your own society? How many of you usually introduce yourselves as Joe W Smutz the 3rd or 4th?
6. Take the time to log on properly. There is no such place as RIV, HB, ANA or any of a thousand other abbreviations people use instead of their proper city. You may think that everyone knows what RIV is supposed to mean, but every BBS has people calling from all around the country, and I assure you that someone from Podunk, Iowa has no idea what you're talking about.
7. Don't go out of your way to make rude observations like "Gee, this system is slow." Every BBS is a tradeoff of features. You can generally assume that if someone is running a particular brand of software, that, he is either happy with it or he'll decide to find another system he likes better. It does nobody any good when you make comments about something that you perceive to be a flaw when it is running the way the Sysop wants it to. Constructive criticism is somewhat more welcome. If you have an alternative, method that seems to make good sense
then run it up the flagpole.
8. When leaving messages, stop and ask yourself, whether it is necessary to make it private. Unless there is some particular reason that everyone, should not know what you're saying, don't make it private. We don't call them PUBLIC bulletin boards for nothing, folks. It is very irritating to other callers when there are huge blank spots in the messages that they cannot read and it stifles interaction between callers.
9. If your favorite BBS has a time limit, observe it. If it does not, set a limit for yourself and abide by it instead. Do not tie up a system until it finally kicks you off and then call back with another name. This same rule applies to downloading or playing games. Only one person at a time can be logged on to a BBS and it is not fair to everyone else if you overstay your welcome. Remember, a BBS is best when it can be left wide open. If you try to cheat the rules, you just hurt everybody by forcing the Sysop to adopt more stringent policies. I cannot count the number of systems that are now locked tighter than a drum because of people who cheat and abuse.
10. Do not call a BBS just to look at the list of other BBS numbers. Most especially do not call a system as a new user and run right to the other numbers list. There is probably very little that is more annoying to any Sysop than to have his board completely passed over by you on your way to another board.
11. Have the common courtesy to pay attention to what passes in front of your face. When a BBS displays your name and asks, "Is this you?" do not say yes when you can see perfectly well that it is misspelled. Also, don't start asking questions about simple operation of a system until you have thoroughly read all of the instructions that are available to you. I assure you that it isn't any fun to answer a question for the thousandth time when the answer is prominently displayed in the system bulletins or instructions. Use some common sense when you ask your questions. The person who said "There's no such thing as a stupid question" obviously never operated a BBS.
12. Do not be personally abusive. It doesn't matter whether you like a Sysop or think he's a jerk. The fact remains that he has a large investment in making his computer available, usually out of the goodness of his heart. If you don't like a Sysop or his system, just remember that you can change the channel any time you want. Besides, whether you are aware of it or not, if you make
yourself enough of an annoyance to any Sysop, he can take the time to trace you down and make your life, or that of your parents, miserable.
13. Keep firmly in mind that you are a guest on any BBS you happen to call. Do not think of logging on as one of your basic human rights. Every person that has ever put a computer system online for the use of other people has spent a lot of time and money to do so. While he doesn't expect nonstop pats on the back, it seems reasonable that he should at least be able to expect fair
treatment the way he does. Your business is to either, abide by what he says, or call some other BBS where you feel that you can obey the rules.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tailgating
I will put this as politely and as politically correct as I can; TAILGATERS SHOULD BE SHOT!
I take the freeway to work every morning and invariably some genius gets on my tail. It is not as if I drive slowly, I rarely speed, however I routinely catch myself going up to 5mph over the posted limit. The only time I drive under the limit, is if I am having trouble with my truck or I am tired and looking to pull over.
I use the Professional Truck Driver Institute of America (PTDI) guideline to determine what a tailgater is. Simply put if I cannot see your headlights, you are too close. The PTDI guideline is a little more detailed than that, they recommend a spacing of one second for every 10 feet of your vehicles length with a minimum of two seconds. So if you are driving a typical passenger car, you should be AT LEAST two seconds behind me. If you are driving a 40 foot motor home, you should be at least four seconds behind me. Add another second over 40mph, and yet another second over 70mph. So if you are in that 40 foot motor home and doing the speed limit of 75 mph on the open freeway, you should be at least six seconds (4+1+1=6) behind the vehicle in front of you, anything less and you are tailgating!
It is not that difficult a guideline to follow, it could save your life, and you do not even have to take your eyes off the road to do it. Simply find a reference point on the road (a crack in the pavement, a shadow, a mileage post, etc), and when the car in front of you passes, count one one thousand, two one thousand, and so on until you reach the proper distance for your vehicle. If you are the example motor home on the freeway and cannot count to six one thousand, you need to back off.
Consider this, in EVERY state in the United States, if you rear-end someone, you are automatically considered to be at fault. Your insurance rate will go up, you will get the ticket, and if you injure anyone because you had to be on his or her tail, you get to pay for his or her medical expenses. Quite simply, tailgating is a stupid proposition.
One final thought, if you are foolish enough to tailgate me, do not worry, I will not tap the brakes to scare you. I am a professional driver; instead, I will resort to a simple tried and proven method recommended by the PTDI. I will simply ease off on my speed a little at a time until you either get the message and back off, or get frustrated and pass me. So if I am doing 75, and you crawl up my tailpipe I WILL drop to 73, then 70, then 68, then, 65, and so on, until you figure it out. Do not bother flashing your high beams, we are not in Europe and this practice is illegal in most states, it will not make me drive any faster and you may earn a ticket. Go ahead and flip me off if that makes you feel any better, I simply view that as a statement of your intellect and smile. n 36+ years of driving, I have been flipped off by many and have yet to speed up for the morons.
End of rant, I feel better now. =)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Let's get Started
I think that I shall never see, an aircraft as lovely as a 53. (with apologies)
WhileI am still not sure about this whole blogging thing, I have been encouraged to try to write more. Apparently, some folks I know are laboring under the misconception that I have some talent in this area. This blog should prove the error of that belief in short order.
Now then, on to the title of this blog and the reference to the "53" above. I am a retired US Air Force fixed wing and helicopter mechanic. I retired in 1993, just a few days shy of my 37th birthday, yes that makes me an OLD fart. While in the USAF I worked on various types of aircraft, including the F-4c/e/g Phantom II, the F-105g Thunder Chief/Wild Weasel, the HH-3e Jolly Green Giant, and the HH/MH-53 c/e/j Super Jolly Green Giant. The Super Jolly was by far my favorite, followed by the Phantom. Both were excellent aircraft, both did their respective jobs like no other. During the time I experiment with this writing thing and this blog, I will likely refer to these aircraft, especially the 53, a lot. You have been warned.
Since retiring I have embarked on two new careers with varying degrees of success. I hold a Class A CDL and have been a "professional" driver since 2002. I also have had some success in the Information Technology (IT) industry.
As a result of these varying careers, I have had the opportunity to learn many things, chief among them is just how little we all really know. I think that is enough for today, I tend to get long winded, and part of this excersize is brevity, and to teach myself to order my thoughts a little more.
Enjoy and welcome to my ramblings
Now then, on to the title of this blog and the reference to the "53" above. I am a retired US Air Force fixed wing and helicopter mechanic. I retired in 1993, just a few days shy of my 37th birthday, yes that makes me an OLD fart. While in the USAF I worked on various types of aircraft, including the F-4c/e/g Phantom II, the F-105g Thunder Chief/Wild Weasel, the HH-3e Jolly Green Giant, and the HH/MH-53 c/e/j Super Jolly Green Giant. The Super Jolly was by far my favorite, followed by the Phantom. Both were excellent aircraft, both did their respective jobs like no other. During the time I experiment with this writing thing and this blog, I will likely refer to these aircraft, especially the 53, a lot. You have been warned.
Since retiring I have embarked on two new careers with varying degrees of success. I hold a Class A CDL and have been a "professional" driver since 2002. I also have had some success in the Information Technology (IT) industry.
As a result of these varying careers, I have had the opportunity to learn many things, chief among them is just how little we all really know. I think that is enough for today, I tend to get long winded, and part of this excersize is brevity, and to teach myself to order my thoughts a little more.
Enjoy and welcome to my ramblings
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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