Based upon Don McLean's "American Pie"

Karaoke Version from www.karaoke-version.com

On landofsilly.mypodcast.com you can hear the badly sung version :)

Hope this all works out,  Maybe you can sing and feel sillier and laugh about it some day.

It the meantime here is

"The Day the Stocks All Died"

Long long time go, I remember when
Mom and Dad they got a house
It had a variable rate you see ,
and it had no money down
Signed right off by some goofy clown

Then one day a bank went broke
Then two or three more, they took a choke
The money was not there for spendin'
Their reign it was an endin'
And all those loans they took on out
And didn't collect, those dumb old lout
Investors phreaked and the people shout

The day the stocks, all died.

And I'm singing My My watching stock markets die
High risk bankers all got tankered
and they left us to fry
And all those loans make your mom and dad cry
Sayin' bank account' completely gone dry
Yeah Bank account's completely gone dry

Yeah find them all and kick them down
String those Lehman guys up around
Drop them into a big hole in the ground

Yeah everyone shove them in the grass
Stuff those crappy loans right up their ass
Let them see how it feels to get screwed

Watch those fingers jab left and right
Blaming each other in the fight

The stocks they took a dive
Oh God did any survive??

And the world leaders I admired most
Buggered off to a trip right down the coast
When we called and they were weeded most

The day the Stocks all Died

I said My My watching stock markets die
High risk bankers all got tankered
and they left us to fry
And all those loans make your mom and dad cry
Sayin' bank account' completely gone dry
Yeah Bank account's completely gone dry

Well the bailout was flushed cuz the congress was week
bunch of guys that were spineless and meek
smart as a bunch of fleas
and the Dow dropped down and it made a splash
Watch those investments turn to zero cash
Cuz money, just doesn't grow, from trees

Well the congress went and ran away
Buried their gold for another day
It' Lehman's fault they said
Now those loans are burnt and dead

Watch those investors run an yell
panicing away in the scary nell
as their money went straight to hell

the Day the Stocks all Died.

And I'm singing My My watching stock markets die
High risk bankers all got tankered
and they left us to fry
And all those loans make your mom and dad cry
Sayin' bank account' completely gone dry
Yeah Bank account's completely gone dry

An early morning.  The phone rings.  A technician sleeps soundly.  Oh so soundly.  Peacefully.

The ringing hammers at his ears.

Trying to ignore it doesn't work.  The phone leaps off the coffee table tugging at the covers.   The technician oozes out of bed, red eyed looking up at the clock.

The clocks blinks thoughtlessly "3:14am"

"What the... who the..." curses the poor helpless creature dragged forth from blissful sleep by a cursed phone.

Glancing at the display he sees the name.

"Mr. Trouble 416-555-PEST"

The eyes leap back.  Why is he being awoken at 3:00am in the morning.  Why so insistently.  Why did the phone leap off the table and drag off the bed covers.

Why indeed.  He answers the phone dreading the words on the other side.

A voice powered by fifteen Espresso coffees and twelve bags of premium brown sugar fires through the ear piece.

"ARE YOU UP?! ARE YOU UP?! HURRY HURRY!  YOU'VE GOT TO HURRY! WE GET TO DELIVER IT TODAY!  YES! MUST GET THE PRECIOUS OUT!  HURRY!"

The poor junior tech glances at the phone willing for the noise to go away and the sound to diminish.  All he can respond is with "...Huuhhh..." moaning away with death crawling in his voice.

The voice leaps back from the phone, fired up and unwilling to stop. "WE GET TO DELIVER IT TODAY!  HURRY HURRY! RUN RUN! GO GO GO!  FASTER!  HOHOHO!  HEE HEE HEE!"

Unable to avoid such an onslaught of enthusiasm, the junior tech finally gives in with the question that would set his day down a dark path.

"...w-what do we get to deliver..." he yawns with dis-interest.

The voice launches a final phrase.   The words booming like something from the sky.  "* THE COUGAR! *  We get to turn * THE COUGAR * loose on the client."

At this point all sanity has left the poor tech in bed.  Turning a Cougar loose on a client, even a bad client.  That was just simply a bad idea in the works.   What the *Beep beep* was he on about.    They could get sued over this.

A final leap of enthusiasm and finally clarity bursts through the phone.  "* THE COUGAR! * *SBS 2008 * NEW! FAST! COOL!  YEAH! HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!" the voice rips maniacally through the phone.

Finally.  It settled in.  The reason the Senior Tech was so excited.   Uncontrollably excited.  To the point of insanity.   Their first SBS 2008 production server.  Going live.   The phone slams shut.   The phrase echoes.

"THE COUGAR!"

The junior tech bolts up as if plugged into a 220 volt outlet.  *WHAM* His head hits the ceiling as he leaps out of bed, diving into the shower still wearing clothes brushing teeth at the same time.   Fleeing out the door sopping wet, shoes untied, laptop bag dragging on the ground.  What a site to see.

"THE COUGAR! THE COUGAR!" He bounces left and right with glee echoing the senior tech as hops along into his car.   Revving up the engine he targets the supplier.   Fear not that nobody actually would open up for another six hours.   Fear not that car lights weren't on.   Forget the fact he was driving on the sidewalks in such a hurry.

"THE COUGAR!" the thoughts echoing the excitement in his voice.  "YEAH!"

Small squirrels and cats leapt out of the way, the occasional early morning paper delivery.  Even a cockroach.  Nothing stood in his way.  

Arriving 4:17am.  They stood together.  Excited and chattering like squirrels.  So much so an army of squirrels stood about them.

Dancing about the sidewalk, in the pre morning hours of everything they danced.  "COUGAR COUGAR! THE COUGAR IS OUT!" making growling cat noises as they chattered back and forth excitedly.

"64 bit power!"

"NAP Protection!"

"Exchange 2007!"

"Live office!"

"Live Onecare!"

"Forefront!"

"Sharepoint 3!"

"Central Faxing!"

"File filtration!"

"Shadow Copy!"

"More RAM!"

"More SPEED!"

"Secure PushEmail technology!"

"Secure seamless web based remote access!"

"Built on Server 2008!"

The words and features fired back and forth through the early morning air.  They began to dance.   They began to sing.  A bad Friday Funny Song.

"It's coming, released and from it's cage.  The Cougar's Out..."

The small crowd of squirrels about them danced along and sang unknowing but somehow caught up in the excitement chattering in Squirrel chirp "*cOUGAr* *cOUGAr*"

And so it ensued.   In the final minutes.   Eyes glued to the front window of the store, red eyed and bleary.

9:01am.   A click of the window.   The supplier opens the door.  They spill in.   They look up.  Boxed.  Sealed packaged and ready to go.  A beautiful cabinet of power for under $2000 between hardware and software.

A single sticker placed upon it.  A picture of an actual Cougar for good measure.

And the logo.

Glowing in that early morning light.

Microsoft Small Business Server 2008.

They looked at each other smiling.

The Cougar.  Now in their hands.

Delicately, hand in hand.  They carried their new friend lovingly into the rear seat of the car.  Seat belts strapping it inattached.   They were about to give this new server a good home.

The day and the future was about to get a lot more exciting now.

The Cougar, Small Business Server 2008, was about to go into production. 

Life was about to get a lot more powerful.

I'll start with a weird one.  This is less of an article and more of "Finding a needle in a haystack" story.  It started with a client that had a series of laptops that would not surf off site.

First answer "WINSOCK! FIX THE WINSOCK! SPYWARE!"

Nice try smart guy.

Running the NETSH RESET doesn't fix it, nor does renaming the WINSOCK,WINSOCK2 and reinstalling TCP/IP OR getting your hands on any one of a dozen "Stack fixers"

NEXT!

How about this

Onsite (Corporate lan) no issue.

Offsite Not working.

"EASY!" You scream out. "PROXY SERVERS!"

Swat.  Back down and sit at the back of the class.  Checking the Proxy settings in the browser.  Clean.

"STATIC DNS!" I see somebody jumping up "STATIC ENTRIES IN THE HOSTS FILE!"

No no no no and No.   Remember I said "Needle in a Haystack."

So let's see what I have for info.  Notebooks had Novell Client32, 3 party dialup, any one of three internet connections and a domain configuration.

And to boot?  A new install was doing it too.

Right.  System restore.  Back to domain membership and before applications installed.   Install dialer.  Hey it works! It works!  Reboot and test several times STILL WORKING.

Now add in Novell Client32.   Login working.  Offsite NOT WORKING.  My first GUT reaction.  Some type of policy applied with Novell.   Other than the Service Pack, nothing had really changed.  Must be a service pack issue.  I beam with pride having pointed out the troublemaker.

Client taps me on the back.

"We have one with SP2 doing it as well as SP4 Novell Client32"

Magic words burst forth to the computer gods in the sky.   The gods look down and smile with glee.  "Buah hah hah hah! Ye shalt not solveth this one! Buah hah hah hah!"

The only hint.  Running NSLOOKUP would show the two internal Corporate DNS servers as default, hard coded.  Finally in desperation, a regedit search.  Maybe it's in plain text.

FIND 10.x.x.x

DING.  It shows up under a policy "DNS SERVERS".  My eyes roll in my head.  Some old legacy policy? NT 4! An NTCONFIG.POL file!  But why today?

Why is not relevant.  A fix.   Try renaming the key.  Poof.  Internet surfing working immediately.  The bandaid?  A simple REG file created for the user to purge that entry.

Deleting a registry key is not difficult.  You can do some fancy RUNDLL or Vbscript stuff.  If you have Powershell that's built in (LOVE Powershell!)

But with a .REG file (text file for importing changes to a registry) it's not difficult.

Using REGEDIT, use the File/Export option to export the key in question.  Now it all depends if you want to delete the WHOLE KEY or just specific entries.  It's still easy but a teeny bit different.

So let's say the contents of "SAVED.REG" is

-----------------------

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"iTunesHelper"="\"C:\\Program Files\\iTunes\\iTunesHelper.exe\""
"SunJavaUpdateSched"="\"C:\\Program Files\\Java\\jre1.6.0_07\\bin\\jusched.exe\""

-----------------------

Let's pretend the offending key I want to remove is the "iTunesHelper" (not picking on Apple, just a random sample, so put the lawyers away!)

To remove the "Bad Apple" (sorry, bad pun!) from the system you simple make the file look like this.

----------------------

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"iTunesHelper"="-

-----------------------

So you change the contents being assigned to the value in the .REG file with a simple "-" (Minus, dash, hyphen, pokey thing) character

Resaving the file as FIX.REG or UNDO.REG or OHJANESTOPTHISCRAZYTHING.REG will get you a nice little file that will allow a merge into the registry to purge THAT SINGLE ITEM.  You will of course need adminstrative privaledges to do this but it IS handy to know this.

Now if you wanted to delete the entire key (BACK IT UP FIRST!) the command looks like this

----------------------

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

---------------------------

Did anybody spot the difference and what we use to pull all of this off?  That's right, the "-" (minus, dash, hyphen or whatever you would LIKE to call it).  Placed just after the "[" in that entry of the REG file will cause it to purge that ENTIRE key.  Careful.   This is a VERY powerful and dangerous option and should be used with extreme caution.

Now back to my "Needle in the Haystack" story

So digging into Group Policy later we found entries in the Default Domain applying hard coded DNS servers.  Why today.   That we didn't isolate.  But it was revealed to me that the original consultant who setup the network years ago (Think just as A/D came out in Windows 2000) didn't like using Active Directory Users and Computers and had turned on EVERY stupid legacy feature they could.  Best we could guess some automatic update triggered something between Windows and Novell to cause this beast to rise to the surface.   Normally I would have assumed a Group Policy, but it only applied when Client32 logged in.  

Boy doesn't THAT throw you for a loop?

But I'll tell you it was both interesting and frustrating to find it.  It also goes to show what can happen when you start over customizing the system.   Especially a) If you don't document it and B) if you know JUST enough to get in trouble.

But it also shows that almost ANY problem CAN be solved without a full re-install of the operating system.  You just have to dig sometimes.

Sean
The Energized Tech
Dedication and Inspiration creating the new Generation

Been on the train back and forth lately.  I've been noticing a fun new game being employed by Commuters.

It's called :

"JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU FIT IN A MOVING OBJECT."

It's a fun game too.  You see everybody (for some God awful reason) wants to or needs to get to work.  There is generally a finite amount of space to work with in these rolling metallic toys.   But you'd be oh so surprised how people can and will fit in.

You see.  A normal person will glance and say "There are 50 feets and at 2 people per seat that's 100 people"

The normal person will stand there proudly and smugly smiling at their highly intelligent mathematical calculation.

Silly fool.

But they're not so smart.  They don't know "Commuter Math".

You see "Commuter Math" is used to account for the various "bonus unknowns" and "expansion formulae" required to see how many people can REALLY fit on a bus or train (or subway car) for that matter.

With "Commuter Math" you must analyze every conceivable square inch of the Car/Train in question, drop safety factors into a small trash can, and possibly crack open a large bottle of whiskey to boot.

In "Commuter Math" there is floor space, there is stair space, there in aisle standing room.

Normal person says "Ok done."

To which "Commuter Math" hits normal person over the head with a rolled up newspaper.   In "Commuter Math" you must also allow for potential storage area between laps, hanging from bars and potentially even bathroom stalls.

Normal person still reeling will scream out "But..."

To which "Commuter Math" will knock that thought down with a Cyclist crammed and hanging from the ceiling along with a large crowd of laptop users stealing power however they can in the "hidden" spots between cars.

Factor in that the garbage cans may also double as seating and top up a 25% "Squish" factor along with a 50% Moronity base and you would be quite impressed just how many can REALLY fit into a train/subway car or bus.

Then of course, another piece to "Commuter Math" is the "Grumpy Driver" factor.   The Grumpy Driver factor is directly related to the density of commuters on the train or bus.    The "Grumpy Driver" factor will place a direct modification to the "Speed and Comfort" variable.  It also directly modifies the "Accuracy Factor on Bump Targeting" and "Stop Start Delay" feature.

In English, the more people there are crammed in, the madder the driver gets, the faster the train/bus goes, the more likely it is to hit bumps, and the quicker it stop's and starts.

We're not even going to touch on the "Stink Smell" variants or the "Groped and now VERY Angry" sub equations.

Yes this is truly more difficult to calculate that Quantum Physics.

Of course you must, to really appreciate "Commuter Math", try to calculate mathematically the unbelievably fast pace a Bus or Train will empty out once any large surley and rather ill drunk let's loose his contents.  Or when a small child has a "small solidified accident"

Well let's just say, even Mr. Spock can't map that speed out.

Whoo!  There's are mouthful in a title. 

Quite a challenge as well.  Productivity has a number of things to slow it down.

But I propose I have found a solution.  A PERFECT solution.  

Oh there will initially be a lot of resistance to this but please hear me out.

First off let's get the work week down to three days.

"WHAT?!" I hear managers shouting and yelling. "ARE YOU NUTS?!"

Hear me out.   The days are Monday and Friday.  

I mean let's face it. Nothing ever REALLY gets done on a Monday.  It's the slowest day of the week, most people show up late, don't bother getting into a good workflow since they're recovering from a heavy weekend.  If you were to examine the results of a typical Monday's work, you'd most likely find most of the staff sat down for most of the day complaining about the weekend or arguing about why the coffee is off taste.   Monday morning is the day most of the equipment breaks down too.

So all in all, eight hours of nothing done, man power wasted, unhappy people.  Not very good on output or morale.

The other day of course is Friday.

Friday, that "End of the week" day.  The day of Friday Funnies and Water cooler jokes.    The day everybody loves to show up late and get home early.   The day of perpetual Solitaire marathons and paper airplane invasions.  Fridays.

Fat waste of money they are.

So eliminating those two days, now gives people a FOUR DAY WEEKEND! AHA!  Brilliant!  You know have a team of fully refreshed staff ready to take on the world.

"But that mean's we save money right?"

Sneaky.  This is not about saving money, but about being more productive.   But since two days, nobody was really working in the first place.  No change.  Except for the electricity not wasted on computers on pong, lights, photocopiers.  So in effect you WILL save money.

And in effect people might get the idea that on a per hour basis, they've actually gotten a raise!  It is just perception but it could fuel the production in workers.

Now that means that Tuesday and Thursday have effectively replaced Friday and Monday.    So let's eliminate those two days as well.   Because we just KNOW how that's going to turn out long term. 

So we now have one day of work.   Now what do you think will happen?

Productivity overdrive.   I mean don't most people work better under stress?  So you now have a staff of fully rested (six days remember) in for one day backed up by a full week on their work.

Watch them run.  You won't see one trip to the water cooler.   Not on bathroom break.  Nobody will have time to play solitaire.  They'll work until the task is done.

And having a full weeks pay for one day of work, man will they work hard!

Of course there are flaws to this plan.  There will still be lazy people sitting about.  But life won't be very good for them as they are trampled under foot by the rampaging busy masses.

So there you have it.  A free seminar on completely revamping productivity.

Of course, be sure NOT sue me if this backfires.  After all.  This is only a Friday Funny.

My son was trying to find me a Rock version of O Canada when we stumbled on this young artist out in BC.

Picture Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen.  Young Mozarts on the Electric Guitar.

This is one such artist.  I can't wait to hear more.  Hoping I get his name right.

Phong Yuottitham.   Check out his page on www.myspace.com/lai_y and decide for yourself.

A march from the postive.  So often the news brings us the bad

I witnessed this in action waiting for the bus.

The world needs to see good when it happens.

My son was digging for a Rock version of O Canada.

I have one word.  "BEAUTIFUL"

YouTube - Happy Canada day - O Canada ((( ( eh!) )))
  

That's right everybody.  In a short time of barely 40 days Techdays_CA 2008, THE premier technology tour will be making it's way through the dangerous highways and bi-ways.  Facing danger like no other human has ever seen. 

Professionals armed only with knowledge and NOTHING ELSE, are coming your way.

All joking aside, it will be here before you know it.  Techdays_ca 2008 is barely 40 days away.  Registration should happen soon.  Remember to register before October 15th 2008 to get the best price.

And you know what?

HERE'S THE INSIDE TRACK!

That's right! An actual GLIMPSE inside the tour-de-force that is Techdays_ca 2008.

"You mean they're going to show us the whole show before we get in?"

No, I mean I can tell you what you should be in store for.  

Think of it this way.   You want to learn?  Techdays_ca 2008 is cheaper than most courses.   It's a day (or two depending where you are) away from work, hanging out learning stuff, inspiring AND relaxing at once.  

Like a peek?

Track details on Day one

Track Details on Day two

One word.  WOW!  Your brain will be stuffed good by the the end of THIS!

So ready to jump in? Convinced?  Get registered now, get two those two days off !  Do it now!  Get registered online.  Do it before Octobert 15th for the best rate.  Do it before all the spots are filled.

Do it before your boss finds out.  They just might want to go too... :)

It's a time for learning and a time for growing.

Techdays_ca 2008.   It's a time for you.

Oh this is AMAZING! 

Microsoft is going to release a Stand-alone free version of Hyper-V!

So the ability to have Virtualization without having to buy Server 2008 to get INTO Virtualization!

Check out this video from Adam Carter of Microsoft and you tell me why I shouldn't be excited!

It's common place knowledge with any IT Professional, Generalist or Enthusiast that Sysinternals has some astounding free tools for Windows.  

But not everybody knows.     Especially people new to the field.

www.sysinternals.com

Now don't be shocked, yes it now re-directs to Microsoft.    But the same Utilities (and some New ones) are still available.

"What are you talking about?" a new long Enthusiast asks.

How would you like a Task Manager pumped up with so much power your eyeballs will pop open?  Or multiple desktops in Windows?  Like to get a gander at potential Rootkits hooking into your system?

That's all part of Mark Russinovich and his amazing pile of utilities (which is STILL be added on and expanded to this very day!)

Think about this.  If you're troubleshooting some obscure problem and you'd just LOVE to see what the O/S is doing... YOU CAN!

The "Process Monitor" is astounding for that need! You can selectively isolate what application you're watching and note what it IS or ISN'T able to do with the file system and registry.  Great for Developers too if you're banging your head why and application worked in XP and ISN'T working in Vista.

Don't forget there's also the "Process Explorer".  Think of this as "Task Manager" meets Arnold Schwarzenegger.   IT'S PUMPED UP!

"Rootkit Revealer" is a snazzy little scanner.  It doesn't remove, but it can certainly point you down the path if there is a problem with a Rootkit infestation.

"BGINFO" is a VERY simple and nice program that builds a "BMP" File to use as a background.  That file contains whatever descriptive information you would require for a desktop (MachineName, CPU, Speed etc).  Managing multiple computers?  Use this.  Free and simple and no real overhead.

And if you don't have the time to poke through the entire list on Technet, Sysinternals. now has a live File Listing you can access off the internet.  Think of it as a memory of files from Microsoft.   The list is not descriptive but it IS complete.

http://live.sysinternals.com/

There are so many others to delve into but I highly recommend going into there and poking about.   I could spend all night long talking about this bag of goodies.

And probably will.

Sometimes your browser just "hangs" and "bags out for no reason".  You begin shaking your fist at the sky "STUPID MICROSOFT".

But what's interesting, is most of the time.  The browser itself is not at fault.

There are components known as "Add-ins" which are additional bits of software that interact with your browser to enhance your Web surfing experience.

Examples of some add-ins you may be aware of would be the "Flash Player", "Adobe Reader", "Silverlight" and third party applications written by Web site designers for specific use within their systems.

Now in the newer versions of Internet Explorer I find it sometimes catches the problem and automatically disables the add-in.

But sometimes it doesn't know.   It can't figure out what add-in did it or why things went 'Wonky'

Here's a quick way to find out if an "Add-in" is the cause.

Run Internet Explorer with no add-ons.  It's not a solution but it does help in troubleshooting.   You may find the shortcut on the Start menu marked as "Internet Explorer (No Add-ons)"

If for any reason the shortcut is not there (Aliens, mad overdone recycle bin, Murphy's Law) the command line is

IEXPLORE.EXE -extoff

If you find the browser runs a lot better in this mode, one of the add-ins is not working right.  

How to figure out which one is a bit of Trial and Error.

Go into your Internet options, Click on the "Programs" tab.  Somewhere on there (depending on your particular version of Internet Explorer) should be a "Manage Addons" button.

Now for the fun.

Disable ALL the addons (WHAT?!) You heard me right.   You need to turn off all the add-ons (even ones that are probably ok) to find the bad one. 

To do this, click on each add-on in the list, choose "Disable".  Once you've shut down the entire list.  Start your browsing.  All good?  

Fanstastic.  Now go back in and turn the add-ins back on through the same procedure ONE AT A TIME.   Do this until you've identified the trouble maker.

Once you have nailed the trouble maker down, turn the rest of your add-ins back on.  You should be good to go.

Take note sometimes, the cause of a browsing issue can also be a corrupted folder holding your history data, Temporary Internet Files, bad cookies.  

A quick way to determine that would be to create a new user in the system temporarily in Windows.  Log in and use the browser as that user.  If all works well, it's probably something specific to that user and personal data.

If this is the case, you can usually purge or even just move the data to a new location.  I personally prefer purging which makes the system assume it's not there and make it fresh.  A quick method to do this I have found is the good old command prompt.

Log off and restart the computer.   Once powered up, login as a different account with administrative access.  Start up a command prompt, browse to the suspect location with the Temporary Internet Files.   Fire up good old "RD" (Remove directory) and execute a "RD /S /Q TEMPOR~1" to purge out the Temporary Internet Files folder structure.   Take note, this will also purge out the "Temporary Outlook Attachments" cache. 

This should give you as clean a template as possible for your Temporary Files.  Failing that, recreate the user and copy the necessary information to the new profile locations directly.

There are also items known as BHO or "Browser Helper Objects". Similar to add-ins.   To get rid of these links I've found using a utility known as "HijackThis" written by an excellent programmer works amazing.  It's meant for spyware removal (which in itself can cause the browser to absolutely freak).   Using this utility you MUST BE 100% comfortable with what you're doing and KNOW what you're removing.  It is possible to mess up the TCP/IP stack severely if you're not careful.  

But you might be able to spot links to BHO that are dead, BHO's pointing to "K001FreeWAREZ.DLL" or BHO's trying to run from a TEMP or TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES location.   Those are all pretty much suspect.

Remember this is not "The only way to fix it".  This is just another piece of ammunition in your utility belt.   You can apply to this to a Mac and Linux browser as well.   Although the commands and parameters are different.  The reasons for failure WILL be similar.   Something added to the browser not by the original programmer that failed.    A bad file the system is tripping over.  Something the programming team could not foresee.

Remember often a small problem creates a much larger problem.  I have found more often than not, stepping back and thinking simple helps nail down the big problem.

Sean
The Energized Tech
Dedication and Inspiration creating the new Generation

For a long long time.   Canada has been forgotten.

One of the biggest arms in the beast of technology.  A place where technological passion and innovation happens daily yet sometimes quietly forgotten.

But not by it's community.   Not by it's people. 

Not by Microsoft.

It started with Energize IT.   A free conference sponsored by Microsoft and several partners in Toronto to bring the community together.  It continued with Influencers conferences tying the various links of those communities together.  From high end Enterprise specialists, IT Pros, Managers, Community groups and Enthusiasts alike.

And this year, we have something wonderful in Canada.  A True conference to bring computer people together.   To get technology into our hands in a tightly intense session.

Because Microsoft Canada recognized that we as a country are a huge IT Community.   It recognized shortages in the industry.    Microsoft Canada saw that one of the biggest problems is all the conferences that put hands on technology, seminars and training are for the most part south of the border.

But not anymore. No more!   A huge conference is going on across Canada province Wide.   Held inside just about every key IT Hotspot in Canada.   Not a marketing tour.   A Technology tour.

What does Techdays_CA 2008 mean to you as an IT Pro? As a Developer? As a Human who even likes the way a pack of DVD's smells?

It means that chance to hear from people using new technology, getting your fingers into it.  Touching it feeling it.   Expanding your horizons.   And for FAR less than the cost of a lot of the training classes out there.

It also brings people together.  People of a common thread, common country, a common mindset.

Where and When is TechDays_CA 2008?

Presently there are seven planned dates on the calendar across Canada

What is the cost?

If you register early you'll save half the cost on the conference in your local area!  Two days conferences such as Toronto will run $499.99 Canadian.  One day conferences like Winnipeg will cost $249.99.   Registering BEFORE October 15th will get you the early bird price which is almost 1/2 OFF! And space is limited to 5,000 people total!  So hurry!

Christmas Presents when it's not's Christmas?

That's right folks!   What's a great conference without something to take away (other that intense knowledge and a fantastic time!).

Check out the the bag of goodies!

6-month TechNet Plus Subscription
Visual Studio 2008 Professional – Full Package Product
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No matter how you add it up, Techdays_CA 2008 is worth more than it's dollar value!  I can tell you that Technet Plus Subscription by itself it outstanding!  "Here computer professional.  You've just gotten every key Microsoft application in your hands for the next six months!"

Yes.  Even Server 2008 DATACENTER Edition!  If you're an IT Pro, you know how rare that is.  If you're a budding developer Visual Studio 2008 Professional nullifies the cost and THEN some.

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http://www.techdays.ca

TECHDAYS_CA 2008! DON'T MISS IT!

 
I'd like to share something that just hit me hard today.   The real power the internet has brought to surface.

I don't mean the ability to swap games, download illegal software or try to get bootleg DVD's.

I'm not even referring to whole e-Commerce thing with sites like eBay or systems like Zune Marketplace or iTunes.

I'm talking about people.   The fact that it interconnects people worldwide.  People who may never have met (or had a chance to meet years ago).

And again I'm not referring to the humble email (which in itself can keep families connected across thousands of miles).  No let's step it up a notch.

Introduce Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and so many other Web 2.0 and social networking sites.  I'll give you a small example of how it has changed and expanded my world.

Initially I used them to try to connect up with the few people I knew on Facebook via email.   Then Twitter came into my world after being introduced to it by an IT Advisor at Microsoft Canada.

With these two in hand, my world has changed and grown.  Why you ask?

Using these two systems, I began adding in the people at Microsoft Canada I knew of.   People who inspired me and caused me to wonder what it was like for them inside this grand company.  

With Twitter I continued on the same path.  Adding in those I knew.   The wonderful thing about this is it provided a view into a world I never knew.  Their good days and their bad.   Now my world expands.

I began adding in Influencers I had met in the past two years as well as other individuals I had heard of inside Microsoft.   One day I sat down looking for people inside the company I didn't know inside Twitter.  To get that inside view of the people more than the company

An interesting thing happened.

The people were real.   Young and old with kids and young ones   Trials and tribulations came forth in this tiny miniature news system.   Others who heard silly songs I had composed joined in.    It has become an extended family of sorts.

Now the interesting part.

IKE

Yes Hurricane IKE.  It's passing through the coasts of Texas as we speak.  Initially something like this affected me on a very small level.  I would think of "Oh no.  Gas expensive." or something quite selfish and personal.

But it changed with IKE.   I now have friends and people I know down there (including my own parents and sister).  I had a potential job with Microsoft once in Texas.

How is Twitter and Facebook involved?

People are the best reporters about their own lives.  My friends and the people I follow on Twitter have been posting updates about IKE.   You can actually see better than any news reporter what other people are dealing with and worried about.  Real people.  Not some politically jaded news program.  Real people.   In the past 48 hours I have seen Tweets (posts on Twitter) from various people describing how they were staying to ride out the store, heading against the traffic or seeing gas stations that were completely empty and out of gas.

Most recently I seen a set of posts from someone inside Microsoft Consulting services who is riding out the storm inside Texas right now.    About and hour or so, the eye of the storm was passing over him and his family.  

With any luck they all pass through the storm without issue.

But I guess what I needed to say is that none of this would have been possible without Twitter and Facebook and their ilk.   It enables a person who may not have the finances to travel the world (or even to cross a border) to see more of the world about themselves.   

The one thing I have discovered?  The one absolutely amazing thing?

Right deep down.  We're all pretty much the same.