From the monthly archives:
August 2010
I am new to the content creation business, with my articles on Delimiter.com.au and my own blog Oz-e-books.com. So I decided to reactivate my Google Adsense account I created 3 abandoned blogs ago.
I decided to do this mainly to learn how to monitise my content. I felt that if I decided to focus more time and effort in my writing, the lessons learnt here would be useful. The fact I could make money was a secondary consideration, as I considered myself lucky if I was able to pay for my hosting with bloggin ...
I am new to the content creation business, with my articles on Delimiter.com.au and my own blog Oz-e-books.com. So I decided to reactivate my Google Adsense account I created 3 abandoned blogs ago.
I decided to do this mainly to learn how to monitise my content. I felt that if I decided to focus more time and effort in my writing, the lessons learnt here would be useful. The fact I could make money was a secondary consideration, as I considered myself lucky if I was able to pay for my hosting with blogging income.
Let’s look at my August figures. With one day left in the month, I have managed to earn A$9.58. This is not bad, and considering my hosting costs is US$14, a step in the right direction.
Here is my monthly total:
&nbs ...
DPM 2010 makes some aspects of storage planning easier. Nowadays instead of planning our storage requirements in full, I can add disk on demand, thanks to new features!
I had the opportunity at Tech.Ed Australia 2010 to catch up again with Jason Buffington, the product manager for System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2010. I talk to him on Twitter at times, but there's nothing like face to face! Jason (@jbuff) has been particularly supportive of my efforts in helping people with DPM on Twitter, and was quick to remind me of my promised blog posts!
I have certainly blogged before about DPM - both here at AuTechHeads and on a previous Windows Live Spaces blog (since deleted) - and I'm an enthusiast about pretty much all System Center and Forefront products. But I've been promising to do some DPM blogs for some time, and Jason's push was all I needed.
My previous blog post on DPM (linked above) is not a bad introduction to this one. In it, I cautioned of the need to plan ahead. That's true of most infrastructure, and sadly I've seen it neglected quite a bit. It's kind of mind boggling to be honest, because Microsoft nowadays ...
The AuTechHeads 1st Anniversary Party was a blast! Or so I'm told - it took a lot of my time and attention behind the scenes, not to mention other Core Team members! Here's the prize winners!
Wow! What an awesome ride the 1st Anniversary AuTechHeads party turned out to be! Great turnout, great sponsors, and great prizes!
We always expected to see less than the RSVP and invited number - that's just the way of things, especially at a conference like Tech.Ed. Around 250 people had RSVP'd or been invited. But as it turned out, around 200 people still turned up! I've already uploaded a few videos to the Webcasts section, and I'm sure our AuTechEd 2010 group will show some photos from the party soon!
A lot of the Core Team had helped in various ways with the party, but by the end of Tuesday and heading into the Tech.Ed welcome party, I was feeling distinctly ruffled! There's a lot of organisation in things like this, and without the help of Steve Molkentin and all the others, we could never have made it. We did, in fact, come quite close to the wire - sponsor logos needing to be displayed onscreen, demos to be provided, and so forth. Thank goodness for the resourcefulness a ...
So I caved and am now running an Android device! Here's my thoughts on it - spoiler: I'm pretty happy!
As is usually the case at Tech.Ed Australia, I came back with a bunch of new ideas and an eagerness to write about them. This is the first year I've had a blog to make it happen, and in this case I also came back with something altogether new - an Android-based HTC Desire.
My Blackberry 9700 stopped working properly at all just a couple of days into the week - I had intermittent data (mostly working only via Wi-Fi), I couldn't hear people I rang or who rang me, and it was rebooting randomly. Given that I'm on-call for work and depend on my mobile so much, something had to be done. I manage the mobile phone budget and supply, but even for me it would be hard to justify buying a new Blackberry outright at a Telstra store rather than buying another model (which probably worked out cheaper, too). I was also interested in increasing the functionality I could get out of my phone.
Based on feedback from Twitter, I knew the two current recommended models were the HTC Desire and Sams ...
Since I've now been dragged into the "Meter Maids Scandal" from Tech.Ed, I might as well give you my take on it - since anyone would think that this dominated the event, rather than being a single incident followed by the obligatory media beatup!
The Meter Maids at Tech.Ed Australia this year had some media attention. Well, of course:
ScantilyCladWomen + TechConference + Microsoft + NewsArticle = PageViews + AdRevenue
Funnily enough, I was oblivious to it for the most part, since at the Welcome party on Tuesday 24th, I had other things on my mind - the AuTechHeads party, which was notable for its lack of organised Meter Maid appearances. In fact, although I heard a bit about it, I really only paid attention somewhere around late Thursday. It took me a while to come down from our party, I had other things to do, and frankly, it just wasn't what I was there for. But by end of Thursday I had a picture of what had happened.
So what did happen? Denials and apologies aside, we know that Microsoft had made some form of arrangement to have the Meter Maids at the event. Now, if I know Australian tech-based organisations like I think I do, this is the most likely truth:
Someone (ie. 1 o ...
Teched Australia 2010 has just ended, but is having 3100 delegates in one place just too much of a good thing?
Teched Australia has just ended for another year, the second year running they've held it on the Gold Coast.
By all accounts, the event was a success, thanks to the hard work put in by the teams at Microsoft.
Unfortunately, Teched Australia 2010 seems to have been a victim of its own success, with over 3100 delegates attending this year. Many of the 300 and 400 level tracks were held in rooms that were simply not adequate to fit the number of attendees.
A stunning example was Joel Pobar and Nick Gunn's talk - the meeting room it was held in was filled beyond capacity over 15 minutes BEFORE the session was due to start and ended up with people sitting on the stage, in the aisle and beside the podium, just to be able to see the talk. Even then, people were turned away, not being able to even stick their head in the door.
This is not an isolated example, based on the discussions I've had with colleagues and other attendees - many of the In ...
Gotta say that with a little better preparation on my part, this could have been my best TechEd ever.
I've only just found out about you guys and I'm looking forward to making some new friends and having fun.
One of my key mistakes (don't get me wrong, having a great time at TechEd) was not getting involved with you before this, so i've been pretty much flying solo.
People like you really add the extra oomph to these kinds of events and our kind of industry.
I hope your afterparty drinks ...
Gotta say that with a little better preparation on my part, this could have been my best TechEd ever.
I've only just found out about you guys and I'm looking forward to making some new friends and having fun.
One of my key mistakes (don't get me wrong, having a great time at TechEd) was not getting involved with you before this, so i've been pretty much flying solo.
People like you really add the extra oomph to these kinds of events and our kind of industry.
I hope your afterparty drinks were groovy and everyone had a grand time at the house party.
Keep adding the oomph and avagoodone
Regards
Pez
Edited by Elly Hart, 10.26am, August 29, 2010. ...
This is possibly the most excited I have been heading in to any TechEd. Last year, I really involved myself in the community side of TechEd and met a bunch of awesome people. This year #autechheads has formed, and through it I’ve had the opportunity to meet even more awesome folks.
So this year, as well as the content, the community side of TechEd will rock. I will be a part of the #EyeForce crew filming interviews with speakers and delegates to discover the unspoken side of TechEd.
If you wan ...
This is possibly the most excited I have been heading in to any TechEd. Last year, I really involved myself in the community side of TechEd and met a bunch of awesome people. This year #autechheads has formed, and through it I’ve had the opportunity to meet even more awesome folks.
So this year, as well as the content, the community side of TechEd will rock. I will be a part of the #EyeForce crew filming interviews with speakers and delegates to discover the unspoken side of TechEd.
If you want quick and punch updates follow me on twitter @thehuxman or follow the #auteched tag. I will be blogging everyday as well, with more in-depth coverage of my time here at TechEd.
Of course, don’t forget to become a fan of TechEd Australia on Facebook to see the videos, the other #EyeForce and me.
Edited by Elly Hart, 10.50am, August 29, 2010.
...
Michael Kordahi (aka The Delicate Genius) delivered the keynote at REMIX10 back in June and will be opening the proceedings at TechEd Australia 2010. We caught up for a wide-ranging conversation, touching on trends in application and web development, online security and privacy, social media and innovation, cloud technology and why devs and IT pros just can't do without each other.
Note: This is a cross-post from my blog, Demonic Talking Skull.
JB: In the IT Pro community, whenever there’s a new management tool introduced which contains a lot of backend smarts, there’s often a feeling that technical knowledge has somehow been lost. With the latest release of the Expression Suite, is this also true for designers and developers?
MK: From the days of Assembler, every generation abstracted away from its predecessor, which meant that every new generation could solve bigger, more complex problems. Controls are a great example of this – instead of working out how to capture text in a box, it became far simpler to create a control which handled all the necessary logic. Scenarios based around capturing and manipulating data are the same. We don’t want our developers to have to worry about writing their own algorithms to move objects around a screen or play videos; we want them to think ...
TechEd starts tomorrow if like me you are not doing training or examinations. So it therefore falls to this time to ensure you are ready for the days ahead. Of course, proactive people will already be prepared, but why deprive myself of this last-minute rush? ;)
This will be my third TechEd, though for some reason it feels like more. And I thought I'd throw in my two cents about how to prepare and get the most out of it.
Firstly, as usual, when packing I create a brief itinerary.
4 shirts, 9 sock ...
TechEd starts tomorrow if like me you are not doing training or examinations. So it therefore falls to this time to ensure you are ready for the days ahead. Of course, proactive people will already be prepared, but why deprive myself of this last-minute rush? ;)
This will be my third TechEd, though for some reason it feels like more. And I thought I'd throw in my two cents about how to prepare and get the most out of it.
Firstly, as usual, when packing I create a brief itinerary.
4 shirts, 9 socks, 2... Nah, I'm not going to bore you with my wardrobe. And why not? Well, as I often tell people, clothes and toiletries aren't important - the most important things to pack are your chargers!
It's usually at this point that they look at me as some kind of ubergeek, that has abandoned all regard for society and moral responsibility. But no, I am not going only clad in bacon (although that is an option). The truth is it's a hell of a lot easier to find some clothes to wear, or ...
Wanna have a great #AuTechEd experience? Here's a guidepost to help with that along the way...
For what this week will end up being, I'm up far too early already. But let's face it; if you work in technology and have anything to do with the range of Microsoft products available, this week is a five-day Christmas.
For those living under a rock - Microsoft's TechEd Australia event is their annual premier technical training and product conference. 2700 attendees will descend on the Gold Coast from today to take part in an amazing opportunity for learning, training, networking and, for some, drinking and shenanigans.
I'm excited about this year's conference for a number of reasons: A great number of products have or are about to experience a refresh/update which leads to a lot of new features and, in some cases, changes to the way they operate. This is leading to a number of technical tracks featuring these products with some quality speakers attached to the sessions. I'm expecting to learn many, many things. Brain fill, brain full, brain empty, repeat.
< ...
So the election has come and gone, and we still don't have a clear result. Surprised? Not sure you should be, but what does it mean to geeks if we have a hung parliament? Here's my opinion.
I've had my fair share of say on where I see the government failures in Australia as existing - as pertains to technology and ICT in general. You could say I made it very clear as to how I felt the present Federal and State governments were performing in this regard.
So finally, an election was announced. And it didn't take me long to realise that my dissatisfaction and contempt for not only our governments but their respective oppositions meant that for the first time ever I was a genuine swinging voter. And that put me at a loss. You see, you may not have realised, but I truly detest spin. That's a tongue-in-cheek comment for those who struggle to spot them, because I think I've made that eminently clear in past posts! So my ideal was to find a party or candidate that would eliminate or drastically reduce spin and yet have enough clout to make a difference.
Sadly, I was badly disappointed in this regard. The major entrenched parties - even the Greens - are dependent on it. My o ...
Today I picked up a HANVON BC10C. I was listening to a “Frankly Speaking” podcast and the guys were discussing a HANVON that one of their guests Shane Morris had.Purchased from Officeworks. For those that know me, I’m not to be outdone, so I went out to get one.
There was no way that I was going to head to #auteched this year with an iPad, and I needed a new toy. I’ve had an iPhone 3GS now for almost 12 months, and I’m on my eighth replacement, and wit ...
Today I picked up a HANVON BC10C. I was listening to a “Frankly Speaking” podcast and the guys were discussing a HANVON that one of their guests Shane Morris had.Purchased from Officeworks. For those that know me, I’m not to be outdone, so I went out to get one.
There was no way that I was going to head to #auteched this year with an iPad, and I needed a new toy. I’ve had an iPhone 3GS now for almost 12 months, and I’m on my eighth replacement, and with the experiences I had dealing with Apple support and the "Genius Bar", I’m so over it. Deep down though, I’m finding it hard to get rid of it because of some actually functional apps I’ve purchased and use religiously. It’s a bit like that relationship you form with that flea-bitten rampant dog you once had (your yard ends up like a mortar practice range with all the holes, rips-ups and destroys every ...
Following on from my iPad review, here's my opinion of the iPhone 4.
Good %timeofday%,
I'll start by voicing my opinions on what I expected: a 3GS with a 'torch' and a slightly nicer screen, and a waste of money for anyone with an existing 3GS. Was this the case? Read on!
My new iPhone 4 (again provided by my lovely workplace) arrived. Packed in a rather small box, I removed the clear plastic and eagerly slid off the lid. Why was I getting excited again? It's hard to avoid all the hype, and even though this is not a device I would pay for (I'd love an Android!), I still do enjoy the iPhone experience.
The phone is, of course, boxier looking than previous models, but I must say I prefer it. It looks cleaner and neater - the volume buttons, being separate, are nicer to press too. Apart from that, there's not much difference apart from needing a micro-sim. It's a bit of an annoyance to have to swap sims over, but I'm sure that extra several millimetres of space saved is utilised somehow. *cough*
Anyway, as I wa ...
This series is about the journey to bring a pre-school into the 21st century for technology. Pre-Schools are governed in a different way to primary schools, and hopefully I can map out some of the issues that others might experience in working with this forgotten corner of the education world.
For the past year and a half, I've served our local community pre-school as their IT Officer. It's been an interesting ride. What started as a simple reactive role - fixing the odd printer and wireless working glitch, validating software licence status, documenting passwords - is now at a point where I can turn my mind to longer term planning and strategy.
My professional life is about operational performance improvement. I work with clients to understand how they work and help them add sustainable value to their business by working to change business systems and process. So it's easy to see how I'm going to approach an IT management role for a pre-school. </end pitch>
Circumstances in 2009 had me workshopping with the teachers around what they would like to achieve in the classroom with the kids and constructing an estimate of what was needed to refresh the hardware. At the time, one of the machines (which has since died a natural) was over 10 year ...
Just over a week to go before a bunch of geeks start converging on the Gold Coast for TechEd Australia 2010. Whether you're a first-timer or a grizzled veteran, everyone has their story to tell. I'd be interested to hear yours!
Sunglasses ... check.
Reading glasses ... check.
Camera ... check.
Notebook ... check.
Netbook ... check.
Backpack .. check.
Mobile ... check.
Charger ... and charger ... and charger ... and charger ... wait, better put in another charger. Check.
Miscellaneous cables. Check.
Zune. Check.
Party sponsorships. Um. Check?
AntiFail™, road repellent, sense of direction... hmm, better stock up.
While I think of it, better take some clothes and toiletries.
Are you getting ready for TechEd yet? I am, though in my usual style, the real preparation will happen late Saturday night. At the moment, I'm mainly following up on AuTechHeads party details, fixing the odd site bug, answering and sending all manner of odd emails, looking after various family emergencies and, of course, working at my day job.
This will be my third year in a row at AuTechEd, and second time for Gold Coast as the venue ...
Catch me at #TechEd 2010 on the Gold Coast August 23-27. I'll be presenting at session #THBTU03, "Everything you need to learn Windows PowerShell" with Shane Hoey.
Our session will cover key concepts to help IT pros get up to speed with Windows PowerShell 2.0. These key concepts, which include objects, cmdlets and the pipeline, will help you transition to using Windows PowerShell today. PowerShell has an extensive help system, and we explore that further and show you how you c ...
Catch me at #TechEd 2010 on the Gold Coast August 23-27. I'll be presenting at session #THBTU03, "Everything you need to learn Windows PowerShell" with Shane Hoey.
Our session will cover key concepts to help IT pros get up to speed with Windows PowerShell 2.0. These key concepts, which include objects, cmdlets and the pipeline, will help you transition to using Windows PowerShell today. PowerShell has an extensive help system, and we explore that further and show you how you can learn to script almost anything with just three cmdlets. Though only 30 minutes long, participants will leave this session with a new outlook on Windows PowerShell and realise that its not so daunting after all.
Afterwards, we can knock back a few cool ones at the #AuTechHeads 1st Birthday Bash at WAXY's Irish Pub in Surfers.
See you there.
http://australia.msteched.com
Edited by Elly Hart, 12.30am, August 14, 2010. ...
In this edition of Good to Great, I will discuss several tips that will help any service desk go from one of those places where users love to hate, to a fully functioning department that any organisation will value. You may not work at a service desk, but this info is still useful if you are part of the IT services team.
In this edition of Good to Great, I will discuss several tips that will help any service desk go from one of those places where users love to hate, to a fully functioning department that any organisation will value. You may not work at a service desk, but this info is still useful if you are part of the IT services team.
A lot of the information below has been put together through experience and research over the years, as well as from the IT manager’s best friend, the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). For those who might not be familiar with the ITIL, it is a framework of best practices for service delivery.
ITIL: the IT service delivery bible
I have had experience with and qualifications in both V2 and V3 editions of ITIL, and in my opinion, while V3 focuses on continual service improvement which is a very functional model, I think the V2 framework was easier for an IT manager to implement ...
The aftermath...
So I have been standing up continually for two days. I have seen many old friends and potential new friends, heckled other booth people, generally had a good time of it. But now, in the aftermath, comes the hard part. We have to write the reports of who visited, who was interested in our products, who went into the lucky-prize draw for the Lenovo netbook. (We have removed the booth people's cards; after all this is a prize for the end users, not booth people.) We have to look at all the work done and the actual return on our investment to see if we have a chance to plead to go again next year. The next couple of weeks are the time when we call the contacts and see if there is any additional business that we can gain from the exercise.
Events are hard; they are time consuming, they impact you physically and take you out of the loop for a couple of days. (Especially at the Hyatt Canberra; if you are with Telstra, full coverage. Everyone else, find a vantage point outside that allows you to get a coup ...
After day 1, with aching back, legs, feet and a fear that when I took off my business shoes my feet would never ever fit in them again, I slept pretty soundly, awoke at 6 again, got ready and headed out viaa coffee shop to the event again.
The second day way pretty much the same as the first. We had worked out a plan of attack: I would go and engage with people I knew and bring them back to the stand to explain who insitec was and what we do. I had got to the event very early, but this time I had stopped off at the local coffee shop and was full of cheaper, nicer coffee. The start time had allowed me to write the first day's events and be ready for the new faces at the event. It seemed that the delegates were running tag teams. The people who came yesterday weren't all there, and there were people who were new and interested in the company and me.
I had sat in on Don Easter's presentation on the first day and was able to meet the IT Supplier Advocate on the second day. He had mentioned my article on CRN and I was filled with trepidation as to how that went down. I was worried that I had overstepped the boundaries as to my perception of his role, but I needn't have worried. He is a very interesting man and was very interested to see t ...