MSP a.k.a Monkey Sex Pot

Ok so today a user (Let's call her M.S.P for Monkey Sex Pot) i'll explain later comes to my office complaining that her email is not working. Of course i asked the same question i always do did it give you an error message and if so what is it. Her response as usual ummmm ahhhh it said unk unk im not sure but ummmm ahhhh I can’t send or receive email. I hope it’s obvious why I call her M.S.P every time she talks she makes these sounds that can only be describe as a Monkey having Sex while smoking Pot. J I should record that ish one day

Anyway I digress, so I tell her give me a sec let me log into the server and see what’s going on. Low and behold it’s the same problem as always she cant send or receive because her mailbox is at 112% of capacity that I just increased last month for the 4th time in the last 4 months. To put that in perspective most user have a mail quota of say 200 megs M.S.P’s mail quota is 700 megs almost 4X that of a regular use but somehow she still manages to go over. Mind you I send out emails almost every week advising users who are at risk of exceeding the email quota once they near 75%.
After months of this ish I know the only way to get her to stop doing this is for me to sit down with her and show her how to archive in Outlook and delete email via Webmail…But then ill have to hear all her nasty ummmm , ahhhh, unk unk unk and I’ll be damned if im going to sit and listen to that shit for more than 60 seconds.

Needless to say I’m working extra hours everyday and working from home at night to migrate over from Groupwise to Exchange (all users will have much bigger quotas) that way M.S.P can continue to be an E-packrat and finally leave me alone…so in the words or should I say sounds of M.S.P… ummmm ahhhh unk unk unk

I'm Back

Today as you can tell I'm back to posting amongst other things . For the last couple months well almost a year I've been coasting in life in general. I haven't been updating this blog haven't been working on any certifications or doing any major projects at work or at home for that matter.

Well that's all about to change
I will be posting at a minimum once a week and hopefully that will become semi daily.
Blog check

As for home I'm finally gonna finish those damn painting projects I've left undone around the house and organize my garage.
House Check

I have already started the changes at work the first Windows 2003 server is up and running and handling DHCP and DNS taking the place of the 233mhz POS wanna be server that died 2 weeks ago.
Work Check


To sum it up I believe Diana Ross said it best

I'm coming out
I'm coming
I'm coming out
I'm coming out
I'm coming out
I'm coming out
I'm coming out

I want the world to know
Got to let it show
I'm coming out
I want the world to know
I got to let it show

There's a new me coming out
And I just had to live
And I wanna give
I'm completely positive
I think this time around
I am gonna do it
Like you never do it
Like you never knew it
Ooh, I'll make it through

How to organize your cluttered desktop and regain your sanity

I’ve always been known as the messy kid, so it’s no surprise that zillions of random files and folders often litter my desktop. Every time I clear my desktop, it gets congested again a few days later, each icon reminding me how much I suck at organizing. What I lack is a system.
After reading David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done, I’ve finally found a system for organization that’s both logical and fun. The book doesn’t give detailed information on how to organize files on the computer, but I’ve adapted his ideas into a system that’s kept my computer desktop pristine. Here’s how I did it:

Setup: Five folders for everything
These folders will contain all of your documents. Once you’ve implemented the system, nothing should touch your desktop again. Create them in your “Documents” folder on the Mac, or your “My Documents” folder on a PC. They’re numbered so that when you arrange the folders by name, they remain in order:

“0. Inbox”Put unprocessed items that don’t have a place yet in here. This may be items like software installers you’ve downloaded, files sent to you from colleagues, and random text clippings. I numbered this “0” to reinforce the idea of it being a temporary folder. This folder must be emptied everyday, at the end of the day.

“1. Actions”Put items requiring an action that takes more than 2 minutes in here. This may be items such as forms to fill out, large applications to install and setup, and files to upload.

“2. Incubate”Put items you aren’t yet ready to do or complete in here. These may be articles you’re thinking of reading, sketches for potential projects, and information about classes you’re thinking about taking.

“3. Current Projects”Put files related to active projects in here. This folder contains files you’re currently working on as well as reference files for a project. Each project gets it’s own unique folder. For client projects, I organized each project folder with subfolders that map to phases shown on the project schedule. Once the entire project is complete, move it into “4. Archive”

“4. Archive”Put completed projects, general reference items, and anything else you might want to look at again in here. I have aliases of Mac OS X’s “Music”, “Pictures”, and “Movies” folders in here. I also have an “Archived Projects” folder in here to hold completed projects.

After you’ve created the five folders above, make aliases or shortcuts to them on your desktop. On my Mac, I’ve applied a green Finder label to each folder so they stand out from mounted volumes such as DVDs and hard drives.

Usage: Process, Organize, Review
You’re now all set and ready to clean your desktop. The steps below are adapted from David Allen’s GTD system:

Process

Put all files and folders (except the five you’ve just created) on your desktop into the “0. Inbox” folder. Other scattered items may be floating around in your “Documents” folder and on your hard drive in random places. Find these, and put these in the “0. Inbox” folder also. Now open up this folder and process them one at a time. Start by asking yoursefl: can I act on this file? If yes:

• Do it.If it takes less than two minutes, just do it.
  
• Delegate it.If you’re not the right person to do it, then send it to someone who can.
  
• Defer it. If it takes more than two minutes to do, but it in “2. Actions.” Or if it’s project-related, put it in “3. Current Projects.”

Organize

If the file has no immediate action for you to do, you can:

• Trash it, if you don’t need it
  
• Put it in “2. Incubate,” if you’re not ready to deal with it
  
• Put it in “4. Archive,” as a reference for later

Review

The most important part of the system is setting up reviews for you to process your inbox and organize your files:

• Daily

Process your “0. Inbox” as often as you like throughout the day, but do it at least twice a day: once around noon and again at day’s end. You must empty it at the end of the day, so that your inbox is nice and fresh in the morning.

• Weekly

At the end of the week, move completed projects in “3. Current Projects” into “4. Archive.” Go through your “2. Incubate” folder and decide if you’re ready to act on any of the files, following the steps you would to process your “0. Inbox.” This is the time to delete or archive anything you thought you might do, but for some reason decided not to do. If you’re still waiting for information from someone to act on a file, remind the person.

• Monthly

At the end of the month, go through your “5. Archive” folder and prune any files you don’t think you’ll ever need again. Backup your archive to DVD or external hard drive. I’ve had computers and hard drives die on me several times, so I recommend you backup to DVDs and store them in non-scratchable place.

Your desktop should now be clutter-free, saving you from the visual onslaught of icons and preserving your sanity. Because each icon on the desktop takes up some bit of RAM, you might also notice your computer running faster.

Additional Tips

• 
  Downloads

Set your web browsers, FTP, and other sharing applications to download files to “0. Inbox” instead of the desktop.

• 
  Mac OS X Finder window sidebar

For quick access, make shortcuts of the five folders by dragging them into the sidebar.

Posting Courtesy of Chanpory of LifeClever

Personal Outsourcing

5 Things You Can Outsource In Life

It seems that we are all too often uttering the phrase "there are not enough hours in the day." From the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed there is something important that you could not get to because there was not enough time. While most of us sleep 6-8 hours during the night and work at least 8-10 hours a day, it is hard to find time to either enjoy yourself or work on something productive. Well, it is time to outsource parts of your life. Outsourcing in the business world is when companies transfer portions of work to outside suppliers rather than completing it internally. So why can't your outsource certain aspects of your life? Read on as we give you tips to free up your time.

• Hire a Cleaning ServiceDo you find that you don't have enough time to clean your house the way it should be cleaned? Well hire a cleaning service to take care of it for you. Most people tend to think that a "maid" is expensive. This cannot be further from the truth. Most cleaning services charge you based on the size of your house or apartment. They also do different levels of cleaning. Some will clean all the rooms, including all woodwork and pictures. They clean bathrooms from top to bottom and even wash dishes and clean all kitchen countertops and appliances. Some of the extra services they provide are packing and unpacking after trips, full "spring cleaning" and even window washing. Before you hire a maid service make sure that they are bonded and insured. That way if they trip over your XBox 360 controller and break a leg, you are not held liable for their injuries. Also, they will ask you many questions about your lifestyle and about pets which will give them an opportunity to provide you with a accurate quote. It is always better to hire a cleaning service instead of an individual maid. Individual maids will require you to consider them a "Household Employee" and therefore you are responsible for their taxes and workers compensation. Not to mention, an individual maid is much more expensive

• Get Clothes Laundered or Dry Cleaned and DeliveredWe all know it is a pain to do laundry. Not to mention that if you don't hang some clothing immediately after the dryer stops your clothes will get very wrinkled. Even some clothing that is considered "wrinkle free" can become wrinkled if it sits at the bottom of a laundry basket. Also, if you have tough stains then it will require you a little extra time to treat with a third party solution (you should invest in clothing with stain defender also). Well, in steps your local dry cleaner! Not only do most dry cleaners provide dry cleaning services, but they launder clothes too. Most will charge you a dollar amount by the pound and they will wash, dry and fold or hang your clothing for you. And if you have tough stains then they can easily remove them. Well, how does this save you time? You still have to pick the clothes up, even drop them off, right? Not true. Most will come and pick up your clothes for you and deliver them back to you in a few days. They can even deliver to your office if needed.

• Lawn ServiceUnless you are one of the few people that love mowing the lawn on a 90 degree summer day, then you know the amount of hard work that goes into managing your yard. Not to mention that you need to apply certain treatments during certain months. Taking care of the lawn is no longer something that you do in the summer, it can be an 8 month process. If you don't care if your lawn looks like Snoop's from the G-Thang video, then this does not apply to you. There are lawn care services that will take care of all this for you. Companies such as Scott's or Chemlawn will come out on a schedule and apply treatments that will kill weeds and feed your grass what it needs to make it very healthy and green. There are companies (or small businesses) that will even mow your lawn for you. They will come to the house and give you a quote based on what you want and the size of the yard. They will give you a program based on what you want to accomplish. This will allow you more time to stay in the air condition and play XBox 360! I personally recommend Scott's Lawncare Service.

• Pre-Made MealsThis is quickly catching on with a lot of families that are very busy. This will allow busy couples to take it easy when they get home, only having to make the effort of warming the dish that they want to eat. It's a simple solution. You attend a place or company where you get an opportunity to sample every dish that they provide. You decide what items and sides you want to have included in your meal. They provide you with a family size portion of the items for you to take home and put in your freezer. And when you are ready to eat them, simply warm them up. No prepping and cooking needed! Guys, this is really good also because you can provide your lady with a gourmet meal with little prep time! Check in your area for companies that provide pre-made meals.

• House Calls From the BarberYou know the routine. You try to get up early in the morning to get a good spot at the barbershop, but you still have a long wait once you are in the shop. And while most barbers take appointments, they can still not be done with a previous customer when you arrive. And I am all for the environment of the barbershop but I still can go without Hustle Man coming into the shop trying to sell me bootleg movies and incense. Most barbers now make house calls. Even though they may charge you a little more you get the convenience of having a one on one session with your barber. They can provide the same services that they do at the shop such as steam towels, cuts and shaves and "VIP" treatments. Once you feel comfortable with your barber see if they provide this service. If possible make a few appointments ahead of time especially if you travel a lot, you can get hooked up before you catch your flight. This will allow you to cut down on sitting in the shop and waiting for a chair to open up.
  
• Posting Coutesy of Donte Morrisette of 2 Guys 2Cities

IT Pet Peeves

Regardless of the IT department, many of the irritants tend to remain the same. Becky Roberts lists her top 10 persistent peeves.



We all work in different environments, in different industries, with different departmental structures, different installed bases, and different users. But as support techs, we share the common goal of helping people and computers live in harmony. Over the years, I've worked in a variety of industries, from commercial aircraft manufacturing to management consulting, from a chemical plant to a ceramics factory. And although the hardware, software, and people have changed, the irritants have had an alarming tendency to remain the same. So here, in no particular order, are my top 10 persistent peeves.

#1 Users who insist on giving you their diagnosis of a problem rather than a neutral description of the symptoms.
A classic example of this is the VP who constantly tells me that the T1 is down whenever he can't browse the Web or log into SAP. Instead of describing the symptoms, the VP tells me, "The T1 is down; fix it." This type of behavior is doubly annoying. Not only does it complicate the troubleshooting process, but it is also often difficult to disabuse the user of his misconception, leaving him, in this instance, with a false impression of an unreliable T1.

#2 Users who hover around asking questions while you're troubleshooting—and worse, making suggestions.
As much as I like to share my knowledge and educate users, I don’t want to do so while I’m struggling to figure out exactly why Ethel can’t print. This is particularly irritating when dealing with an apparently insoluble problem, as the user’s probing questions, which I can’t answer, are a reminder of my incompetence.

#3 Users who deny having done anything that may have caused the problem.
This is the "What? Doom is installed on my computer? I have absolutely no idea how that could’ve happened" phenomenon. In one instance, a summer intern from the local university MBA program called the help desk to complain that he couldn’t access the network. A quick survey of his computer revealed that it no longer contained any files beginning with the letter n. The intern vehemently denied having deleted any files whatsoever but eventually confessed that he didn’t have anything to do so thought he’d delete all the files he didn’t recognize. Why he started with the letter n remains a mystery.

#4 Being treated like a user by tech support from another company.
I dread problems that result in a call to the manufacturer’s tech support department. I will experiment, read manuals, Google the error message, and sacrifice chickens on the keyboard before I will call a tech support number for a problem I can’t resolve. My pride simply can’t handle answering the most basic questions: Have you checked that the printer is in fact plugged in and turned on? ARRRGGGH. Get me out of here. Please, please, please, put me straight through to your highest support level because I can guarantee that I have tried everything you are going to suggest at least three times. Oh wait, never mind, the power strip was turned off….

#5 Purchasing departments that change purchase requests.
I understand and appreciate that part of the role of the purchasing department is to find the best possible price, but I do not appreciate it when they substitute what they consider to be an equivalent item because it is cheaper. One particularly irritating instance of this was an order I submitted for Kingston RAM for a Lexmark printer. When the RAM arrived, I failed to notice that it was Golden RAM instead of Kingston. It simply didn’t work. A quick check of the Lexmark documentation confirmed that Golden RAM was not acceptable, but as the RAM was now “used” it could not be returned. The purchasing clerk had made the substitution on the advice of our VAR, as there was a special on the Golden RAM that made it a third of the cost of the Kingston RAM. This proved to be a very expensive attempt at cost savings.

#6 Internal junk mail.
We go to great lengths to minimize the junk mail being sent into the organization, but there seems to be little we can do to eliminate the jokes, photos, and movies being shared internally. Policies preventing or in some way restricting personal mail are of limited use unless mail is manually screened or spot checks are made. Merely using the corporate e-mail system for sending the occasional personal message is not a big deal, but when people start liberally using “Everyone” or create folders for “Recipes,” “Baseball,” and “Boy Scouts,” I tend to get a little annoyed.

#7 Users who think part of my job is to spend my lunch break telling them how to fix their home computers.
During one particular job interview, my prospective new boss announced that he would hire only people who “eat, breath, sleep, and think computers 24/7.” I stood up, shook his hand, and told him I was wasting his time and wished him luck. Not that there’s anything wrong with being computer-obsessed; it just so happens that I’m not. If I were, I would probably welcome having my peanut butter sandwich interrupted by, “Uh, every time I try to access the Internet, this message pops up and then the mouse freezes. What’s the deal?” I’m more than happy to help people out. I just resent being asked at work where I’m a captive audience.

#8 Users who complain about not being able to use a new application, when they “didn’t have time” to attend training or read the documentation you painstakingly prepared.
I find this situation especially irritating because in most cases, the user really didn’t have time to attend training or read the documentation—so it wouldn’t be fair of me to vent my frustration on the user. This is a symptom of the far bigger problem of expecting too much of too few employees. Instead of being irritated at these people, I find that they have my deepest sympathy, as they are usually the most overworked and pressured people in the organization.

#9 Being summoned to a user’s office to resolve an urgent computer problem, only to be kept waiting.
This is extra annoying when the person in question is on a personal phone call with her husband to discuss plans for the weekend. I never know how long to wait. Leaving instantly would seem churlish, but once I have waited beyond a certain length of time, leaving and having to return a few minutes later simply increases the total time wasted. Fortunately, in all but the most intractable cases, treating the user as a used car salesperson by starting to walk away usually elicits a cooperative response.

#10 The positioning of the IT department in the organization.
During the course of my career, I have reported to an office manager who reported to a regional office VP; to an IT manager who reported to the CFO; to an IT manager who reported to another IT manager who reported to the CFO; to an IT manager who reported to a committee; and to a department head who wasn’t sure who he reported to. Whereas most departments know where they are positioned within a company, no one seems to quite know what to do with IT. All too often, the IT department is made into a subdivision of some other department, which then has unfair control over the IT resources. In other instances, each department or division has its own IT function, which may or may not have a well-defined relationship with corporate IT.

What The Game's Been Missin

I think the picture says it all

Future

Today as I sit at my desk I think about Future.

• I remember the good times we had. (And the bad)


• I remember losing hundred of dollars on Fulton St. in 3 card monty because Future thought he had the hustle all figured out. (Needless to say we left broke but we had a blast!)


• I remember his pit-bull Lady having babies in his bedroom in the apartment below my grandmother’s. (You know he sold most of them in Ft. Green projects)


• I remember being able to buy anything and tell my mother it not mines

(It’s Future’s he just let me use it)

• I remember playing Cee-lo till all hours of the night (winning all Future’s money then him asking for some of it back)


• I remember Future getting shot in the butt (Then going to jail because he was holding when the ambulance and police came )


• I remember Alice his Hot and Sexy girlfiend (turned sturng out crack head )


• I remember the last time I saw Future when he came home in 2003

Most of all I remember Future R.I.P

****Souvenir and Preacher Stay UP****

TOCARRA

I knew there was a reason why I watched America's Next Top Model with my wife...
Well three to be exact




TOCARRA ! TOCARRA !! TOCARRA !!!

Xbox 360

It looks like some people on eBay are apparently snapping up pre-release Xbox 360 units for sometimes over $1,000, even despite the caveat that it’s not really actually properly pre-release, per se, since the units won’t ship until their release date (hey, even eBay peeps have to follow the rules). So yes, basically these people are paying for the privilege of not having to wait in line, safe in the knowledge that they have nothing to worry about when it comes to the console being sold out. But damn, didn’t they get the memo that you’re supposed to pay through the nose for your new toy after everyone’s out, not before?

I was going to pre-order Xbox 360 but ebworld.com was sold out at the time. Since than I have decided to save my money and wait for PS3 to drop. I have a good feeling Sony will drop the price of PS2 for the holiday rush to compete with Xbox 360. Then finally ill be able to play Burnout again Damn! I miss playing that game.

My work week

This past week at work went pretty smooth no major issues with the exception of a critical error on our file server. Which caused the machine to reboot unexpectedly during the middle of the business day. It’s funny no one even noticed until 10 mins later that there was a problem and by than I had already fixed it. Aside from some minor email issues and the constant password reset problem life, as the one man IT department wasn’t half bad. I wish every week could go this way but who am I kidding the chances of that are slim to none.

I’m sooo glad this week is almost over for no other reason than the fact i don’t have to work Saturday or Sunday. I don’t have any plans except to get some seating for my basement so my wife (love you) will stop complaining.
Hopefully I’ll get a chance to play some pool this weekend. Ive had the table for the last 6 months but I only play about 1 or 2 games every week or so due to various other things. (Damn Apple)
I can’t seem to keep my hands off my Ibook
I know I’ll never get better at pool if I keep playing as sparingly, but as they say knowing is half the battle. This weekend I hope to play more than one game of pool so I can prepare myself for when I start playing in the pool league.

Jay-Z "I Declare War" Powerhouse Concert

Last Night at the Continental Airlines arena was the often talked about concert. Rumors were everywhere as to who Jay-Z would call out. Some said 50 others said Jim Jones and or Camron it had also been said that Footage would be shown of The Game (Stripping for Men). It appears everyone was wrong. Instead of dissin’ anyone Jay-Z actually publicly made up with Nas can you imagine that! I never thought I’d see the day when they could be on stage together
(Well technically still haven’t seen the day because I was to lazy or cheap to go get tickets Damn sometimes I miss living in N.Y).

I remember back when I was living in N.Y and Nas released "Ether" the streets were buzzing over the Jay-Z and Nas beef. I remember sitting outside in the car waiting for my wife (then girlfriend) when Angie from Hot 97 played the Jay-Z response. I witnessed an entire New York City block listening to "Super Ugly". It seemed like time stopped for those couple minutes while that song played. Once the song ended everyone formed their opinions on who won...
Fast-forward 3 years to last night's concert and its clear who won

Hip-Hop that's who!