Now, I didn't create this. I was sent this a while back in an email so if anyone knows who created this, please let me know so I can give them recognition.
1. If you ask me technical questions please don’t argue with me because you don’t like my answer. If you think you know more about the topic, why ask? And if I’m arguing with you…it’s because I am positive that I am correct, otherwise I’d just say “I don’t know” or give you some tips on where to look it up, I don’t have the time to just argue for the sake of it.
2. Starting a conversation by insulting yourself (i.e. “I’m such an idiot”) will not make me laugh, or feel sorry for you; all it will do is remind me that yes, you are an idiot and that I am going to hate having to talk to you. Trust me; you don’t want to start a call that way.
3. I am ok with you making mistakes, fixing them is my job. I am not ok with you lying to me about a mistake you made. It makes it much harder to resolve and thus makes my job more difficult. Be honest and we can get the problem resolved and continue on with our business.
4. There is no magic “Fix it” button. Everything takes some amount of work to fix, and not everything is worth fixing or even possible to fix. If I say that you just need to re-do a document that you accidentally deleted 2 months ago, please don’t get mad at me. I’m not ignoring your problem, and it’s not that I don’t like you, I just cant always fix everything.
5. Not everything you ask me to do is “urgent”. In fact, by marking things as “urgent” every time, you almost ensure that I treat none of it as a priority.
6. You are not the only one who needs help, and you usually don’t have the most urgent issue. Give me some time to get to your problem, it will get fixed.
7. Emailing me several times about the same issue in the same day is not only unnecessary, it’s highly annoying. Emails will stay until I delete them, I won’t delete them until I’m done with them. I will typically respond as soon as I have a useful update. If it is an urgent issue, let me know (see number 5).
8. Yes, I prefer email over telephone calls. It has nothing to do with being friendly, it’s about efficiency. It is much faster and easier for me to list out a set of questions that I need you to answer than it is for me to call and ask you them one by one. You can find the answers at your leisure and while I’m waiting I can work on other problems.
9. Yes, I seem blunt and rude. It’s not that I mean to, I just don’t have the time to sugar coat things for you. I assume we are both adults and can handle the reality of a problem. If you did something wrong, I will tell you. I don’t care that it was a mistake, because it really makes no difference to me. Don’t take it personal, I just don’t want it to happen again.
10. And finally, yes, I can read your email, I can see what web pages you look at while you are at work, yes, I can access every file on your work computer, and I can tell if you are chatting with people on an instant messenger or chat room (and can also read what you are typing). But no, I don’t do it. It’s unethical, I’m busy, and in all reality you aren’t all that interesting. So unless I am instructed to specifically monitor or investigate your actions, I don’t. There really are much more interesting things on the internet than you.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Cybercrime.gov (people getting 'Pwnd')
For those of you who have never checked this site out, please take a minute and go there (http://www.cybercrime.gov/). Here is a site that tells you all about those who decide to break the law via computers and technology. Everything from Hackers to Copyright infringement. Don't think it can happen to you? It can. All the government needs is for you to accrue $15,000 in damages so that they can put you on trial. Think that's a lot of money? Did you know that with one song download they can reach that $15,000 mark? Believe it!! According to them you have affected the band, the record company, the people who make the CDs, etc, and then they bring in Lawyer fees, court fees, cost of putting you away and so on and so forth. They can reach that $15,000 mark very, very quickly. So, check out the site. There's a lot of interesting stuff on there. Here's a couple articles I found very interesting: (http://www.cybercrime.gov/thomasPlea.pdf) (http://www.cybercrime.gov/martinezSent2.pdf)
(http://www.cybercrime.gov/kunselmanIndict.pdf)
Have fun all!
(http://www.cybercrime.gov/kunselmanIndict.pdf)
Have fun all!
Danger Will Robinson, Danger!
Well well well. It looks like some hacker has done it again! There is a new variation of the Conficker worm out there called Conficker C. This little worm is tricky to get rid of and even trickier for the IT gods to stop! Yahoo! Tech posted an article today about the new version and how on April 1st it will go active (http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/128643/beware-conficker-worm-come-april-1/). No one really knows what it'll do, but it has the potential to be a big nightmare...obviously so if Microsoft is offering a $250,000 bounty to whoever turns the hacker in! That'd be a nice little gift. :) You would, however, be the target of every hacker out there for the rest of your life though. I guess that you could spend that large pay check on a highly sophisticated firewall, or you could just unplug your computer from the internet. Anyway, the point is, keep your antivirus up to date, download and install Microsofts patches and always be aware of what you are downloading and installing from third parties. Microsoft is currently offering a free scan from one-care here: http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm. Be ware though, if you have an illegal copy of Windows or any other software, don't run this. It will let Microsoft know and then you'll be in a load of trouble. ;)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Lego Video Games = Geniusness! ;)
So, I've been playing the Lego video games for PS3 with my GF lately. We've completed a literal 99% of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, and are now working on Lego Indiana Jones. I'm no hard core gamer, but I do spend quite a bit of time behind the dual joysticks of my PS3 control and the keyboard of my Desktop. I love everything from Crash Bandicoot, to God of War, to Command and Conquer. I've been playing around with F.E.A.R 2 and I'm a somewhat regular to Metal Gear Online and Call of Duty: World at War online. These games are awesome! The graphics of both are superb and I believe they, at times, rival PIXAR Animation. My girlfriend will argue that point till we are both blue in the face, but I stand by my MGS animators. : ) However much as I love these two games for their excellent story line and animation, neither compare to Lego Star Wars and Indiana Jones for level of simple entertainment. When I say ‘simple’ I don’t mean that any old Joe could play with one hand behind the back and one eye stapled shut. These two games have offered a nice challenge while still remaining interesting and fun! They can be a bit tedious when being chased by something, such as the boulder from the beginning of, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” but they are never the less fun. The light hearted comedy produced by no voice acting and well… playing with Lego characters, is pure genius! They are definitely worth picking up at some point and time. We will hopefully complete the Indiana Jones game and move onto Lego Batman. By the time we finish that, hopefully there will be a Lego Harry Potter. Hint Hint. ;)
Friday, March 20, 2009
The danger of not having Antivirus and Internet Security tools
I fully agree with the thought that if every single computer in the world had an up to date security software package, and every single user of that computer had knowledge of how to protect their information, viruses would become things of the past. However, that will most likely never be realistic. Virus', Malware, Spyware, Botnets, Rootkits... They are some of the biggest pains you will ever face on a computer system. They can steal data, ruin the Operating System and destroy your life. Yahoo! Tech posted an article a few days ago regarding a server farm that had been housing stolen data. They pretty much summed it up when they said, "Getting hacked is like having your computer turn traitor on you, spying on everything you do and shipping your secrets to identity thieves." The article can be found here: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090315/ap_on_hi_te/tec_inside_a_botnet
and I suggest that you read it if you have a few minutes.
I have tried quite a few different antivirus and Internet Security software packages over the last 3 years. Everything from AVG, DefenderPro, Kaspersky, McAfee and many many others. So far, my favorite would be Kaskpersky but it is a lot of work to initially set up. I've owned it for about 4 months now and I haven't had any issues with it letting malicious content in. It's a bit pricey though and can frustrate users who don't have patience or time to devote to getting it set up. McAfee has been pretty helpful as well and is a little less expensive. I had a few issues where it wasn't pulling updates down from the server but I got that resolved by calling the tech support. AVG is probably the next on my list of ones to trust. It worked, but I didn't care for the user interface. And finally, DefenderPro. The 15in1 package was awesome the 10in1 is good but the 5in1 is too basic. Most people wouldn't use half of the stuff on the 15in1, but it gets the job done for a fairly decent price. I did have a few issues where I upgraded from a previous version and it didn't install correctly. This had a very negative effect on my computer. It made the alg.exe process start for every file that it scanned on my computer. I would start scanning and would have 300 processes running in no time that I couldn't kill! Not the most pleasant experience. :-P Other than that, all of them kept the malware at bay. I don’t routinely surf dangerous web sites that are know to have malware though. I did test them out by infecting my system with the Antivirus 2009 and Police Antivirus 2009 viruses. All of them were able to remove these with no problem. The only virus that I did have a problem with fully removing was a couple of Vundo variants. I will post about them some other time though. They can be nasty buggers to get rid of!!
Well, that’s all for now. I will try and post something tonight, but as I’m living out of a hotel I may not have enough free time.
and I suggest that you read it if you have a few minutes.
I have tried quite a few different antivirus and Internet Security software packages over the last 3 years. Everything from AVG, DefenderPro, Kaspersky, McAfee and many many others. So far, my favorite would be Kaskpersky but it is a lot of work to initially set up. I've owned it for about 4 months now and I haven't had any issues with it letting malicious content in. It's a bit pricey though and can frustrate users who don't have patience or time to devote to getting it set up. McAfee has been pretty helpful as well and is a little less expensive. I had a few issues where it wasn't pulling updates down from the server but I got that resolved by calling the tech support. AVG is probably the next on my list of ones to trust. It worked, but I didn't care for the user interface. And finally, DefenderPro. The 15in1 package was awesome the 10in1 is good but the 5in1 is too basic. Most people wouldn't use half of the stuff on the 15in1, but it gets the job done for a fairly decent price. I did have a few issues where I upgraded from a previous version and it didn't install correctly. This had a very negative effect on my computer. It made the alg.exe process start for every file that it scanned on my computer. I would start scanning and would have 300 processes running in no time that I couldn't kill! Not the most pleasant experience. :-P Other than that, all of them kept the malware at bay. I don’t routinely surf dangerous web sites that are know to have malware though. I did test them out by infecting my system with the Antivirus 2009 and Police Antivirus 2009 viruses. All of them were able to remove these with no problem. The only virus that I did have a problem with fully removing was a couple of Vundo variants. I will post about them some other time though. They can be nasty buggers to get rid of!!
Well, that’s all for now. I will try and post something tonight, but as I’m living out of a hotel I may not have enough free time.
First Post: YAY!
Hello,
It's my first post. This may be deleted later, but I figured that I needed something on here. I will be working on getting a new/better background up tonight and this weekend. This is my very first blog ever so I'm still getting use to the idea of posting junk. I do follow www.picture-bliss.blogspot.com and it's actually the reason why I started this blog. Plus, she's my Girlfriend so I figured I better mention her. ;) This site will hopefully contain technical help, a daily 'rant' about IT or something, and place for questions. If I have an answer for the question you ask, and your permission, I will post it to the site. There will also be the occasional funny picture posted or funny story about every day things. For example:
I recently moved back up to Iowa for my job. It is a good move for me because I have a smaller footprint to cover. In Missouri it was about 71 Retail locations and in Iowa it's about 20. : ) I had lived in Iowa while I went to high school and college, and outside my parents front yard was a very large Corn/soy bean field. It is common knowledge to most individuals that Iowa raises Corn, Soy beans and Pigs. The occasional cow can be found grazing as well, but they are usually few and far between.
I moved a couple weeks ago and after getting settled at my temporary location in a medium sized farming town I decided that my shaggy head of hair needed to go. I drove over to one of the local hair cutting places and signed in. About 15 minutes later I was happily seated and getting my head buzzed. The sweet lady, about 45 years in age, who was cutting my hair tried making small talk with me. She asked questions about my job, where I lived, if I was married, so on and so forth. I told her that I was taken but not married and that I had recently moved back here from Missouri. She says, "Wow! Do you like it back here?" I answered with a, "yup," and tried to move the conversation along. Figuring that it would be polite to continue chatting, I asked her if she was from the area originally. She replied with a yes and started blow drying the hair off my neck. She then stopped, put down the dryer, looked at me and said, "Well, you're all finished. And by the way, welcome back to the land of Potatoes." I sat there dumbfounded. "Land of Potatoes..." I thought. She couldn't be serious! What, did she think that Potatoes grow on Stalks?? I was completely lost for words and got out of my chair to go pay. After leaving I sat in my pickup for a bit and wondered if the lady was really serious....potatoes....how does some one from Iowa think they are in Idaho?
It's my first post. This may be deleted later, but I figured that I needed something on here. I will be working on getting a new/better background up tonight and this weekend. This is my very first blog ever so I'm still getting use to the idea of posting junk. I do follow www.picture-bliss.blogspot.com and it's actually the reason why I started this blog. Plus, she's my Girlfriend so I figured I better mention her. ;) This site will hopefully contain technical help, a daily 'rant' about IT or something, and place for questions. If I have an answer for the question you ask, and your permission, I will post it to the site. There will also be the occasional funny picture posted or funny story about every day things. For example:
I recently moved back up to Iowa for my job. It is a good move for me because I have a smaller footprint to cover. In Missouri it was about 71 Retail locations and in Iowa it's about 20. : ) I had lived in Iowa while I went to high school and college, and outside my parents front yard was a very large Corn/soy bean field. It is common knowledge to most individuals that Iowa raises Corn, Soy beans and Pigs. The occasional cow can be found grazing as well, but they are usually few and far between.
I moved a couple weeks ago and after getting settled at my temporary location in a medium sized farming town I decided that my shaggy head of hair needed to go. I drove over to one of the local hair cutting places and signed in. About 15 minutes later I was happily seated and getting my head buzzed. The sweet lady, about 45 years in age, who was cutting my hair tried making small talk with me. She asked questions about my job, where I lived, if I was married, so on and so forth. I told her that I was taken but not married and that I had recently moved back here from Missouri. She says, "Wow! Do you like it back here?" I answered with a, "yup," and tried to move the conversation along. Figuring that it would be polite to continue chatting, I asked her if she was from the area originally. She replied with a yes and started blow drying the hair off my neck. She then stopped, put down the dryer, looked at me and said, "Well, you're all finished. And by the way, welcome back to the land of Potatoes." I sat there dumbfounded. "Land of Potatoes..." I thought. She couldn't be serious! What, did she think that Potatoes grow on Stalks?? I was completely lost for words and got out of my chair to go pay. After leaving I sat in my pickup for a bit and wondered if the lady was really serious....potatoes....how does some one from Iowa think they are in Idaho?
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