My daughters gave me a great Christmas present. a Wacky Wobbler Sheldon Bobble-head.
I’m confused… I don’t know if I should open it and play with it or if I should keep it “Mint-In-Box”.
i whish i had a “tiny Spock” to advise me….
Cheers!
Pierre Roman, MCITP, ITIL | IT Pro Advisor
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(Keep in mind I wrote this before I left for Mexico. Just never got a chance to post it.)
WOW!
The original of this video is here. (
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows-8/consumer-preview)
That about sums it up.
I’m using a Lenovo W510 as my day to day production machine. its heavy but it has muscle. Here are my specs:
The performance of this machine is always been great and it probably does not compare well to most laptops in the wild. I have to admit that I love the 16GB of RAM when running VM.
Metro UI
Using the touch screen on my laptop for the Metro is challenging because the bezel is raised a bit and interferes with the smooth swipe movement from every side. So I mostly use the mouse.
I love the Metro UI as a start menu a lot more than i thought I would. I’ve organized it to show the programs i use the most to be on the left side so they always show up first. I pin all document/info that I access everyday to the Metro UI to the right. (some info has been redacted to comply with my Non-Disclosure agreements) So far it works very well.
If I need an app that’s not on my menu, I simply start typing the name and it shows up. (just like the old start menu on Windows 7) such as the Problem Step Recorder (I don’t use it all the time so i don’t pin it to the start menu.
I found that I got used to it very quickly especially after figuring out a lot of the keyboard shortcuts that make navigating Metro much easier when using a keyboard.
Here are some of the ones I’ve found very useful.
Win + Spacebar : Switch the input language and keyboard layout
Win + C : Open the Charms
Win + D: Show the desktop
Win + E: open Windows Explorer
Win + F: Open the Search panel
Win + H: Open the Share charm
Win + I: Open the Settings charm
Win + K: Open the Connect charm
Win + L: Lock the computer
Win + Q: Open the search pane
Win + R: Open run
Win + W: Opens the Settings search panel
I have not used the on-screen keyboard yet, but i take it from my friend Mitch, that it’s very useful and intuitive. see his post here
Applications
This one is easy to describe in terms of experience. ALL MY APPS WORK! all the programs I have for my day job worked, first time, without arm twisting. everything I needed installed without any issues. I’m not saying EVERY APP will run. I’m saying all the ones I installed worked….
I can’t comment on the Windows Store since it’s not running in Canada yet.
Hyper-v on Windows 8
I no longer need to dual boot Windows 2008 R2 to be able to usedemo 64 bit operating systems since we now have a full fledge Hyper-v in Windows 8. My VM were exported from Windows 2008 R2 and imported in Windows 8 Hyper-v without issues.
Now we’re cooking with butter!!
So Far that’s all I’ve got to report. I did procure a 32gb USB key and I’m planning on giving Windows To-goa run for it’s money. So, now that I’m back from vacation back to work…
Cheers.
Once in a while we need to disconnect. well this is what I’ve bee doing for a week.
Oh well…. It had to come to an end…
I started this site this week, read up on the software required, how to integrate it in my own network, deployed it, and movedcopied all my posts (well ok, most of them) from the last site I was contributing to my own. It started out as an exercise in learning something new, but it grew into something else. It’s a way for me to blend, my own stuff, home electronics discussion, consumer related issues and views and IT pro related information and guidance.
That’s not a big deal… I’ll still contribute and cross post to CanITPro. Hey I believe that anything that’s good for the IT professional community is good for me. We’re all on the same team. Right?
I figured if I put all my stuff out there, ( do not worry none of my “Stuff” is out there…) you’ll get to know the real ME. not just the MS ME.
My wife thinks I have ADD…. Why else would a few hours spent learning something new would morph into an introverted reflection of my own purpose….. Anyway.. That’s when I started thinking about my own W5.
What: I know what I do. In my professional life, I manage the post sale relationship with corporate/public sector customers. I help them have the most stable and efficient environment possible in the shared goal of helping the business units achieve their objectives. I also know what I want to do. I want to help, inform, inspire IT pros to succeed. Whether it’s succeeding in installing a single application or succeeding in deploying a complex system… no difference a step forward is a step forward.
Who: I know who I am!! I’m The Dude Playing the Dude Disguised as Another Dude… just kidding… (some of my friends will get a kick out of that last one… Right, Debbie?). Seriously, I do know who I am. My friends know who I am. and that’s good enough for me.
When: I’ve been doing it for years now… In most cases without being conscious of it, but I realized 4 or 5 years ago when I was fortunate enough to backfill a position left open during one of my friend’s maternity leave. (She got twins…) That I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life. As an IT Pro, or as a old retired man giving other pointers on their golf swing. 
Where: That one is such a non issue now… Years ago, when I started my career and I had a Bitnet account my circle of influence was pretty small. but now, WOW, the whole world can cooperate, exchange and help. And that’s fantastic. The where does not matter that much anymore….
Why: People don’t follow someone because of what they do, they follow someone because of why they do it. ( read Start With Why from Simon Sinek…. You’ll get it). I still have to really define the why part. I have a really good idea… But it’s not crystal clear yet. I feel it. but I can’t explain it.
Well it’s late Friday night and I should really be enjoying the evening with my wife instead of pounding the keys on my keyboard….
that being said…
Good night!!
