Several years ago I stopped working on computers for free. I was beginning to think the requests for free work would never end. There is nothing less satisfying than spending your whole work week working with computers to have to spend your time off work doing the same thing for free. This is a common issue for people who have  trade skills like automotive repair, plumbing, and computer repair. But, this has started to get more complex recently.

Most of my friends have a vague understanding of what I do. I imagine to them it is like “something, something, Internet, with something, something, websites, something, computer stuff.” Most of my friends are not computer savvy, in fact, few of them actually have computers and of those friends even fewer use their computers frequently. So it’s no surprise that they don’t understand the details that go into things like high-availability, high-traffic websites. But it is annoying when a friend comes to me and says “I have an awesome idea for a website, you could make it for me, right? Oh and you’ll do it for free, right?”

There is a sentiment among many tech professions that our skills are undervalued and the work is seen as simple. I suspect there are several reasons for this. The first reason is that there are few physical results from our labors. When I create a web site there is nothing to hold and what people see they think can be created in programs they are familiar with, like word processing applications and imaging programs. Since all the hard work is done behind the scenes to produce what the person sees, they are not apt to think it is labor intensive.

A second reason I believe tech skills are undervalued is the over simplification or such portrayed in the cinema and media. A few good examples of this can be found in Maxim’s “The 13 Hackiest Hacking Movie Moments,” or weekly on any one of the 4 trillion CSI programs on TV. These depictions, while meant for entertainment sake, do influence the perceptions of those who watch them. As a result, people assume that things like hacking the Gibson are just a few simple keystrokes. These are the same people who say, “It’s probably really easy, but I don’t want to learn how to do it.”

The last statement brings me to my final reason I believe tech skills are undervalued. Anything is easy when you are skilled at doing it. I have a friend who can juggle live blades like it’s nothing. He practiced at it for quite awhile to be able to do it on command with little fear of injury. But someone looking at that trick would be quick to say, “That takes skill and must have taken a lot of practice.” But those same people when watching me work my magic on a system just assume I’m hording some simple knowledge from them so they’ll have to pay me to do it. It’s not simple, it takes skill, education, and practice to become good at it.

So, despite the great relationships I have with my friends, I quote exactly how much I would charge a private client. Please realize that good, functional websites are worth their price tag. Unless you want a one-page site with simple text and questionable uptime, good websites cost good money. I encourage everyone to do their research before finding a webmaster/designer/developer. Friends, I have no qualms giving you my real quote if you have no qualms with asking me for free labor.  C’est La Vie!

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Texting while driving? No way! Though statistics would prove that you are at least 23 times more likely to get into an accident while texting, and spend on average 4.6 seconds looking away from the roadway while texting, you wouldn’t be included in that, would you?

It’s hard to discern fact from fiction from everything we read online. The truth is,  texting while driving is not a wise idea. The real problem is, how do you help to alleviate the issue? Oprah’s highly endorsed No-Phone-Zone Pledge offers a tiered promissory system where you can pledge to “I will not text while I am driving”, “I will not text while driving and will use only handsfree calling if I need to speak on the phone while I am driving.”, and lastly “I will not text or use my phone while I am driving. If I need to use my phone, I will pull over to the side of the road.”.

This type of system sets up clear rules for cell phone users to live by. It is like a condensed 12-step program to wean motorists off of cell phone use slowly and in bite size pieces. But hearing all the horror stories about texting/cell use while driving can leave us feeling a bit of guilty about using cells at all. Knowing that in some way, we’re breaking a rule of general safety by ignoring the facts and using a cell phone while driving still.

First off, let us not be so hard on ourselves. Sometimes driving and talking is a necessary evil. Though I agree that in-car talking should be kept to a minimum, I myself have had situations where I’ve had to take a call in the middle of a long business day or when driving home for the evening. Unless you’re just simply shutting your phone off when you get into the car or don’t have a cell phone at all, you’ll have to encounter the scenario some time.

Consider this; if you have to pull off to the side of the road, you also have to merge back on. Most driving safety courses will teach that you have to be driving at the same speeds as other motorists on the road in order to merge successfully and safely with  traffic.

I do agree with “no texting.” I’ll admit I’ve done it before. The response time is iffy at best, you are always overestimating your own awareness, and eventually, statistically, it can catch up with you. It’s not the same as texting, I know. But if you do have to take a call on the road, why not use a hands-free option? Yes! I said it, why not use Bluetooth?  Since most phones come Bluetooth enabled, it makes it pretty simple and inexpensive to get one. Of course, if you want the fancy Jawbone headset for around $80.00 you will be investing more in your safety, but there are plenty of sub $50 options out there for headsets.

It’s something to think about. But regardless of what you choose, please be respectful, courteous and safe. Don’t text and drive, and if you have to use your phone, get a hands-free unit.

We have to remember that accidents will still happen. But as a fellow driver who has a job to drive to and a family to come home to, please be careful out there.

Legislation is already in effect in school zones and other areas locally that restricts your phone use. Be a part of the solution and talk it out, but not while driving.

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Olympic Photographers Storm the Mountains

With technology constantly changing the way we live, I knew this year’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic in Vancouver was going to be pretty epic. Getty Images sent their photographers up to Vancouver for the games, locked and loaded with artillery a marine would envy.

Two Nikon D3ses, 24-70mm lens, 400mm lens, 500/600mm lens, 1.4x teleconverter, batteries and memory cards.

We’re talking some serious lenses, plus a 3+ mile hike up the mountain. Perspiration will ensue. Change of clothes will be needed. Chocolate is a must.

With competitions speeds of over 90mph, one can imagine the preparation and pure luck involved with getting the right shot.  Being an amateur shutterbug myself, I know that positioning is crucial. And if you don’t have a key position from the start, you have to make the best with what you got. You have to really love this stuff to be a photographer, and you have to really love this sport to be a winter sports photographer.

Of course the money isn’t terrible. With publications all over the world covering the 2010 Winter Games, the perfect shot could yield some decent kickback.

Read more at: pocket-lint.com

Olympic Mission Control

Behind the scenes at mission control, there are teams of people making sure the information network between competition locations is up and running smoothly. A slip up here could mean cascading failures for many.

With around 6,000 PCs, 800 servers, 800 networking devices and 130 terabytes of data, surprisingly, computers have not been a problem.

“In here, our objective is to be bored,” said Atos Origin’s Magnus Alvarsson, one of those in charge of overseeing the Olympics’ IT setup.

When asked about the team behind the scenes by CNET correspondent Ina Fried, Alvarsson responded, “On the ground here employed by Atos Origin in Vancouver, we are about 115 people. The cool thing there is we are 32 nationalities (represented) in those 115 people. During the Games I get help from the rest of (the company). We will be about 250 people here just specialized on running major events. The full scope of the people we have to manage including the rest of the partners and volunteers is about 2,000–Acer, Sun, Avaya, and so forth.”

So with all this delicate equipment, what’s giving Magnus the most problems? Humans. Remembering passwords seems to be the biggest issue, says Alvarsson. We hear ya, Magnus.

Read more at: CNET.com

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Jay – Sales

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By limiting the base hardware configuration to pre-installed RAM and hard drives, we can now offer clients a much faster time from order to deployment without having to allocate components, de-rack servers, modify the configuration, re-rack the server and test.  And with about 30 server configurations available, clients will likely find a plan to meet their needs when they need it fast.  For those clients requiring a very specific configuration not found in the Rapid Deployment plans, the option to custom-configure a plan to their specific needs is available with our Dedicated Server and Managed Server plans.

Additionally, Rapid Deployment Server plans, just like all of our Dedicated Servers and Managed Servers, can be upgraded in the future with additional RAM or larger hard drives, and all with minimal downtime during non-peak traffic times – even Sunday morning at 3:00 AM if that best meets client’s requirements.

Jay – Sales

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During my eighth trip around the sun, my dad came home from work one night with a surprise for the family. It was a shiny new PC! It was the first PC I had ever seen, an interesting contrast from the terminal stations I was used to seeing at my father’s office. My dad had brought this computer home so that he could work overtime from home instead of the office. I took this as a double blessing as I would see more of my father and also have a new toy.

I was already familiar with the QWERTY layout from my constant exposure and experimentation with the several typewriters we owned, but the keys on this keyboard were very different. They made a more satisfying clicking sound, still mechanical but less so than the typewriters. The orange monochromatic monitor was superior, in my opinion, to the green terminals at dad’s work. Always a proponent of white noise, the sound of the chassis fan was soothing and comforting. My first time seated in front of this now less-powerful-than-most-modern-cell-phones device was absolute heaven.

We had to boot the computer off our MS-DOS disks and even then we could only run a few programs available on the hard drive or choose from the multitude of black, truly floppy disks with so many programs. My dad primarily used the computer for work, which meant he would write up reports in LEWP, or compile spreadsheets in Quatro Pro. I also used LEWP, but to write creative stories, some of which are stored on the floppy I recently found. My working with Quatro Pro consisted of filling cells and compiling massive images I would print off our form fed printer.

I used to enjoy the sounds of the floppy disks as the system booted. It was nearly melodic and not as stereotypically repetitive as you would expect. My excitement would build in the 10 minutes it would take to get the blinking command prompt cursor. When I would finally type my first command after boot, I was experiencing a euphoria that rivals any I’ve felt since.

This computer was the reason I choose computers as a career. It was the start of my love for computing. These days, I sometimes dread touching a computer. I get annoyed at waiting “short” periods of time to load programs or download content. It’s difficult  to even comprehend how it once was and how much better off things truly are. But, finding that floppy took me back and reaffirmed my love for computers.

We recycled the family Leading Edge Model D several years ago. I was sad to do so because it was still in perfect working condition and had outlived 2 PC’s we owned since. It was a sad day to lose something so pivotal in my life. I felt the same way about recycling that computer as I did losing my first pet.

Here’s to you, PC of my past! You may no longer buzz and hum in my living room, but you will always do so in my heart.

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It took a few days for me to comprehend the magnitude of the earthquake in Haiti but once it was clear, I wanted to help immediately. It was easy, quick, painless and even though it can feel like a black hole, it’s not. In no particular order, here are 10 reasons to give (to Haiti).

1. It’s easy (most major credit cards are accepted).

2. It’s fast and can be done online or via the telephone.

3. It’s always helpful whether you believe that or not.

4. It feels good (this is the wrong reason to give, but hey, if that’s what it takes).

5. If you are reading this then odds are that others are in greater need than you.

6. You don’t have to give much. One million people giving $1 adds up quickly.

7. It’s 100% tax deductible.

8. You might be in need one day yourself.

9. You can pick where the money goes by choosing where to give.

10. Makes for great blog articles : )

Go ahead, do the right thing..

Donations made to “Hope for Haiti Now” will benefit these nonprofit organizations who are providing Haiti earthquake relief:

Hope for Haiti Now http://www.hopeforhaitinow.org
The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund: www.clintonbushhaitifund.org
United Nations World Food Program: www.wfp.org
Red Cross: www.redcross.org
UNICEF: www.unicef.org

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