FireHaus Network

• If the price seems too good to be true that is because it probably isn’t true.
• The lowest price is not always the best price. Verify shipping charges before the final step of your order and if shipping charges cannot be verified then stop the order process immediately (close your browser if you have to).
• If it isn’t in stock then move on.
• Make sure you get a receipt online immediately, don’t wait for it to come via e-mail.
• Use search tools such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing to find reviews if the online retailer is unfamiliar to you. Try a search similar to “newegg opinions” or “best buy reviews“. You can also check up on a company using the bizrate.com store rating guide, resellerratings.com store ratings, or epinions.com.
• Read the customer reviews–if available–of the product you are buying as this may save you a headache later.
• Follow up afterwards by checking your credit/debit cards statements to make sure what you charged is what you were charged.

Sit back and enjoy the holiday shopping madness from the comfort of home.

I am a sysadmin, aka “systems administrator”, which means that yes, I manage servers and networks, but I also manage circuit breakers, AC units, desktop and laptop computers, Blackberrys, iPhones, and the occasional audio cassette. I am a guru of technology (or so all the users I support hope I am).

The reality is that I become a generalist and even though I have a few things I am definitely an expert at, with most things I know “something” about them but not everything.

Occasionally, I find that it is simpler and quicker to do something myself rather than hire an expert (in this case an electrician) and because I am a generalist this is often what I do. For example the ancient air circulation fan that was in the telco closet of the firm I support simply died. Without this fan there is no true air circulation in the small closet that hosts the main PBX phone switch. I ordered an industrial blower instead of a fan simply because of the small space the fan has to fit. The blower moves a much larger volume of air per minute compared to a slightly larger fan.

So here’s what the sysadmin had to do to complete this Information Technology related project:

1. Research and purchase the replacement parts (purchasing dept.)
2. Cut a piece of wood to serve as a mount for the blower (facilities dept.)
3. Purchase the mounting hardware and electrical cord (facilities dept.)
4. Connect the AC cord to the blower unit safely and maintaining the ground (facilities dept.)
5. Mount the blower to the board and then attach everything to the wall (facilities dept.)
6. Plug in the blower unit to test (IT dept.)

My dad would be proud of the electrical wiring because it was done properly and I maintained the ground connection of the 3-pronged power cord. In fact all of the skills for this project I pretty much learned from my dad (my dad worked for United Air Lines (UAL) for some 36 years as a mechanic before retiring and before that served as an electrician in the US Army).

This is the telco closet with the blower installed near the ceiling in the center. The Tadiran phone switch is the big white thing near the bottom and the iBook serves as the hold music player.

This is a detailed view of the blower mounted on the board now mounted securely to the wall.

Unlike most of the Macgeeks I know I was not surprised by Mr. Jobs announcement that he will not be giving the keynote speach at MacWorld Expo 2009. I was slightly surprised that Apple says they are pulling out of the MacWorld Expo altogether but you know what? I don’t care.

During the past few year’s MacWorld Expo shows I’ve spent very little time at the typically huge Apple pavilion because the really interesting and exciting stuff is spread all over the rest of the convention floor.

At the show earlier this year I encountered a host of interesting products and emerging technologies that are taking full advantage of either Mac OS X or the Mac hardware or both. The number of products out there for iPods and iPhones is stagering in it’s breadth and depth and quality. At almost every MacWorld Expo I stumble onto some software that I had heard about but never investigated but after using it hands on I buy it before I leave the show floor. Although I rarely ever buy a new computer at the Expo I was very tempted at the show earlier this year.

I might miss Mr. Jobs giving the keynote a little–maybe more than a little–as it is a little bit like getting to see your favorite actor give a talk about his favorite pet project. Could you imagine Charlton Heston coming out to present the MacBook Air? That would be wild but I don’t know if it would help Apple sell more Macs which, like any well managed company, is why they are in business.

OK, first things first, what is metadata? For that we turn to everyone’s favorite authority Wikipedia:

Metadata (meta data, meta-data, or sometimes metainformation) is “data about data”, of any sort in any media. An item of metadata may describe an individual datum, or content item, or a collection of data including multiple content items and hierarchical levels, for example a database schema.

For most small businesses I expect they have no idea what metadata is so the small business owner may assume they don’t need to know (“I don’t know what it is so I must not be using it“). Do you ever provide an electronic copy of a Microsoft Word document to a customer or client? If you answered yes then you have exchanged metadata with your customers or clients. Sounds a little like a one night stand doesn’t it?

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I don’t have any “free” time these days but I was staring at my terminal window and started chuckling when I saw the output displayed in one of the windows. So here it is. Enjoy!

System going down IMMEDIATELY

Like many successful businesses, the partners and associates at the firm I support donate to a variety of charities. The senior partner found that there was a need for a non-profit organization to provide a service that was not at the time available. When this non-profit was set up it was incubated within the support structure of the firm and that meant I provided their IT support and advice. Initially many of their technology needs were simply dictated to me so unfortunately I was not able to provide the guidance and development I would have liked to.

I have been thinking about what I would have liked to do and thought my ideas would be both helpful and useful to anyone confronted with a typical non-profit start up dilema: no bucks, no computers, no internet, no technology to communicate with those they wish to serve and those who may want to donate.

So how do you get useful computer technologies into the hands of a freshly started non-profit that may not have significant financial resources available?

To do it right from the start I recommend:

• That you get some donated computers that include a “current” operating system
• Set up a Google Docs account for the staff and volunteers to share
• Include one extra computer to act as a network file server and backup system
• Dig up printers, fax machines, and copiers as necessary

My firm had recently upgraded many of its old computers to newer models so there were several 4-5 year old computers available. All of these computers could run the latest operating system and applications from Apple and third parties. This meant that the non-profit could run any applications that they might need to. Here is a short list of some of the most useful and necessary apps I set them up with:

• Google Docs
• Intuit Quickbooks for Mac
• Filemaker Pro and Filemaker Server with Filemaker Donations
• Open Office for Mac Suite
• Adobe Contribute (for their web site editing)
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Apple Mac OS X (Mail, iCal, Safari, iChat, Text Edit, Address Book and more)
• Omniplan for Project Planning and Management (used for events and long-term fund raising plans)

If you are willing to send a few emails and make a few phone calls you should be able to purchase most of the software at discounts of up to 50% if your non-profit has the appropriate IRS tax status. By using Macs and Mac OS X the non-profit saved the daily hassle and frustration of having to defend against the thousands of computer viruses, trojans, spyware and adware that is out there. Also the Mac OS included applications such as Mail and the Address Book that initially were able to handle the large mailing lists and such the non-profit quickly developed. I later recommended that they switch to an affordable online service for their mailing lists in order to have a better feedback loop with their supporters.

A simple Mac mini with Mac OS X Server and Filemaker Server installed serves up their databases as well as a critical network share. The inexpensive Mac mini combined with an external hard drive is a very affordable and reliable server.

Several of the ISPs providing service at their headquarters location (on an unused floor in the same building as the firm) offered a discounted rate for a non-profit. I have checked around and this is somewhat common in most areas.

Although all the computers used at the non-profit were donated by the firm it wouldn’t have been a problem to reach out to the local community to find other sources for computers. Again it is a matter of having a knowledgeable person who has the time and energy to devote to picking up computers from individuals, businesses and schools.

Before I forget to mention it, what did I do about a web site?

The firm hosts several domains with a hosting provider that offers unlimited domains for a low monthly price. That meant in this case I simply added their domain to our hosting plan and set up an account for them that had administrator access to their domain and email hosting. The senior partner of the firm negotiated a deal with a interactive agency to provide web site design and development at no cost to the non-profit. This is actually version 2.0 of the web site as the initial site was set up by a designer who donated her time as well. Again some legwork, both real and virtual, and good design and services can be found. It is all about being open to opportunities and creative in your approach.

If you are an IT Guy or Gal tasked with setting up a non-profit I feel this process won’t be as hard as you may have first thought. You will be able to get all the gear together in a timely manner at an affordable cost to your non-profit.

And what of the non-profit that was set up by my firm? They have had several successful seminars with notable presenters. The Filemaker Donations solution has helped them track their donors as well as the campaigns conducted to raise funds, the old computers have–mostly–operated flawlessly for the past 2-years, their staff has increased a little bit and they are planning future events and seminars to get their message out.

I finished all the seminars and toured the two show floors one more time and found a few more things to share.

In the opening day MacIT Administrator session we learned is that starting in 2009 two new ships of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line will be outfitted with 2905 Apple Mac minis and 2200 Apple TVs. Um, yes that is not a typo. The Mac mini and Apple TVs will be used to drive HDTV displays used throughout the new ships to provide helpful information as well as entertainment. This set up also includes 50 Mac Xserves on the back end serving up all the content. The tech guy from Royal Caribbean says going this route over using a Windows based system is saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars (mostly in licensing fees paid to Microsoft). If you want to know more about this just head over to TUAW.

Need to take a nap? Need to take a high tech nap?

Each Pod has a Mac mini inside that plays ambient music, colored lights that glow across the dome as you nap, and it even controls the temperature of the bed.

This guy drew the picture on the display seen in the photo in about 20 seconds. It is a very good sketch of the guy speaking a few feet away. He drew it directly on the screen on this highly modified (“modded”) MacBook. These modded MacBooks are from Axiotron.

I decided that actually the new MacBook Air is thinner than my iPhone.

I’m going to have to take out a second mortgage to pay for all these gadgets.

I’d like to thank a few people: My mom for buying me lunch on Tuesday, Junsong Xue for taking care of dinner with my parents and I at the restaurant he manages after our service got a bit slow Joseph Cohen, his lovely assistant and dad for some great geek talk over breakfast on Wednesday, and my friend Chris Colvin for buying me dinner on Thursday night and of course the partners for sending me on this trip to expand my knowledge and learn about cool gadgets.

Speaking of cool gadgets: The Incline laptop support. It weighs seemingly nothing yet supports a laptop in style and keeps it cool while being cool.

I thought it was really impresive that when I asked if they had any good pictures of this laptop support they simply handed me a CD with all their PR images. I was impressed with how well prepared they were. Especially with such a small niche product from a small company.

Also Griffin Technology has many nice iPod accessories for you, your car, and your home. I also liked KB Covers at last years show and they had even more nice keyboard covers at this year’s show (the whole business just seems to be run by one guy). Tunewear for having the widest selection of covers and cases for iPhones, iPods, and the iTouch and for selling me one for really really cheap. Microsoft finally released their updated Microsoft Office for Mac and it is much better than the Windows version they released last year. And don’t forget about Apple for introducing six new incredible products:

• MacBook Air
• Time Capsule
• Apple TV Take 2
• iTunes Movies Rentals
• Updated software for iTouch and iPhone
• And don’t forget all the new processors they added to MacBooks, Mac Pros, and Xserves last week

There was only one session on Friday as the other one I wanted to attend was cancelled.

IT864: Version Control via Workgroup Services – Tracking File Changes Automatically
This session explains specifically how to setup and use the Wiki server, augmented accounts, group sites, and group calendaring to enable versioning control in a variety of departments-for example a Catalog department, to automatically extract accounts out of AD, assign them to custom groups, and allow management of each group to manage the Wiki and calendars. This permits users to view and edit various versions of documents and can be used to track each version for legal or auditing purposes. This methodology applies to any area users require version control, good calendaring, and can be applied across almost any platform.
Sara Porter, Musician’s Friend

Some time ago I decided the best thing for the firm I support and its Knowledge Management would be to kill it’s legacy network share. The way we they use their network share is like a free for all library. Imagine if your local library changed the way it organized the books – everyday! Or the librarian du jour moved everything based on what he/she felt like at that moment. That is what they have now. Imagine instead if they had a system that was easy to use, completely searchable, and organized like a proper library (think Dewey Decimal System). I hope that sounds as good to you as it does to me. So your challenge for this week is to learn what a Wiki is because that is what I am going to use to correct these issues. All the tools to create a wiki that is integrated with the Directory in Mac OS X Server is included in the latest version so this is a very cost effective implementation for any business that is less than Enterprise or Fortune 500 size.

And now more pictures:

Very cool skins for your MacBook, iPod, iPhone, iTouch and whatever else you have that is Mac or i something.

The show is in two separate buildings at the SF Moscone Center so you have to walk between the two frequently. All the people on the sidewalks in the photo are making that walk. Sometimes it is so thick with people you can’t see the sidewalk or the crosswalks.

This is the Apple Store in SF. It is about five blocks from the MacWorld show. It was mobbed on Tuesday as nearby financial district workers flocked to the store to see the new MacBook Air.

Speaking of the new Macbook Air it is about as thick as my iPhone, it weighs seemingly nothing, and the screen is seriously bright due to the LED backlighting. Also the Apple ads are telling the truth when they say the screen comes to life immediately when the lid is flipped open. It really does and that is seriously cool to a geek like me.

A reporter from Peru interviews a spanish speaking MacBook Air expert.

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My favorite quote heard from the show floor:

I think being Steve Jobs is just like a license to print money

So if you’re wondering why I didn’t post more stuff from the show yesterday or why there aren’t more photos here’s my quote:

Think of a seething mass of frenzied zombies all moving without any idea of where they are going but when they see the next shiny box they’ll all lung for it at the same time

It’s like Times Square on New Year’s Eve. I have no idea how many people attending the show yesterday but there was no elbow room at all. My left elbow in fact has a bruise from all the people who kept bumping into me.

The new MacBook Air laptops are cool, and I mean that in the sense of they are as cool as cool can get. There are many other products I will spend time looking at as some of them could save us money in the future or they are just really cool.

And last but not least the two trailers that held all of the stuff used for Steve Job’s keynote. That’s all the stuff one man needs to make a speech. Nuts.

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