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
Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
As it has been the tradition since the Roman Empire used to make promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named, we too are preparing to make our new year’s resolutions.
Mine is to update my Certifications now that the Microsoft Certification program has been revamped to bring back the MCSE designation.
If you’re already certified as a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Administrator or MCITP: Server Administrator, you only need to complete steps 4 and 5 above to earn your Private Cloud certification
Cheers!
Pierre Roman, MCITP, ITIL | IT Pro Advisor
Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
Hey!
Last night… OK, early this morning after my hockey game, I’m at the bar with my teammates and the subject of social network comes up. The guys are mostly dismissing the whole subject as a purely useless timewaster. I try to tell them that it’s a great way to stay connected and to share life experience with your friends.
As usual when hockey players get to the bar some ridiculous prank/dare is bound to happen…
BOOM…. Here it is…
“I bet’cha cant reach 5000 people in 2 weeks!” say one of them… “Yeah!” chimes in the other… “It’s on” i say without spending too much time thinking about it.
So here it is. People! i need your help. to track this bet I created a URL (http://aka.ms/socialexperiment ) I can track. Please download the eval and get your friends to do the same and to tell their friends…
You know, tell two friends and they tell two friends and they…. you get the drift…
http://www.aka.ms/socialexperiment
Please hit the link and download the eval. I can track those numbers and show these guys the power of being social. and get a few free beers in the process.
Cheers!
(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…
In this business people move around a lot. So it gets a little tricky to keep tabs on the folks that have had an impact in you life (private and professional alike).
Rick Claus has been a great friend and mentor for many years. We meet while he was teaching an Active Directory class about 13 years ago. We were having lunch between running some labs when I suggested that he’d be a great addition to the Microsoft practice at the consulting firm I was working with. A few calls and a few interviews later he was a key member of our team. When he joined Microsoft I followed suit soon after and we were again working together.
Rick has always been a mentor for me. He pushed and helps me do my first product launch in Montreal in January 2007. He got me hooked. Not hooked on doing Product Launches, hooked on figuring out what relevant and fun for IT pros and talking about it. Hooked on being a part of the IT Pro community in Canada.
Rick is now moved on to the next chapter in his career and I could not be happier for him. He’s truly doing what he loves and now will have even more impact. However, keeping in touch with someone that is 3 time zones away is not always easy.
So I was very happy to view his last episode of TechNet Edge where he tells us a little bit about his new environment.
see for yourself…
As Rick himself would say…. AWESOME!!!
Cheers!
I found this image and it fits. I should make it part of my coat of arms.
I’ve been asked why I put that as my tag line. “Keep Calm and Make a backup…. no really, right now, just in case….”
Well it’s because I try to always attempt something new. I change things around, I am somewhat of a cowboy when dealing with my home network. But my home network is also my wife and kids location for all their music, files, pictures, videos…
Before anyone asks, yes I have screwed things up on my home network before because I treated it as a complete, separate, and disposable environment. Now.. I make backups. Multiple Backups and even offsite backups. (finally found a usage for the safety deposit box)
That is about to change, I’ve redesigned the home network and I now have my own sandbox environment. separate from the family’s files and stuff.
But that’s for another post. Gotta go!
Cheers!
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!!
Hello folks,
Today my daughters helped me realize something. they convinced me to stop watching videos and reading “howto” articles and actually strap on the snowboard and go to the hills with them. You see… I’ve been contemplating learning to Snowboard. I went out I bought a board, boots, a helmet, the whole kit and kaboodle. (I don’t know where this expression comes from but this is something my dad used to say all the time…) Then to prepare, I read articles, I watched videos. I thought I was learning. WRONG!!!! I was definitely fooling myself.
I thought I would look like this picture after my research.
I was so far from learning to snowboard. in fact it looked like I was learning to snowplow down the hill, with my face. I looked a lot more like this…
I then realized that this translate very well to my professional life. I’ve never been a book learner. I need to do it. As my wife the grade 6 teacher tells me I’m a tactile learner. I need to put my hands on the stuff I’m trying to learn to get it. That’s why when trying to rap my head around new products like the new System Center 2012 Suite that just got it’s RC release I need to download it put it up in my lab and start playing with it. As I run in to situations, I then go to blogs and TechNet to figure out the details. there is nothing like getting your hands on the goods.
that why I always go to the Microsoft Evaluation Center and download the evaluation copies that I need.
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Select a product from
Review system requirements
Register for evaluation
Download and install software
Receive emails to access expert resources
Use blogs & forums to share tips
I’m telling you I spent more time reading and watching about Snowboarding then I did actually going down the mountain. but I can tell you that the last run of the day was the best. I stayed mostly upright, did not break anything and learned a little. but a lot more than just reading about it. I love the last run of the day, because it leads to the chalet. but whether its learning to snowboard or learning to take advantage of the System Center 2012 suite somehow I always end up here!
Now, get going! go the the evaluation center, and download something. Never stop learning. Whether it learning new IT skills, or learning not to break your neck. They both can bring you satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment that only that kind of personal growth can bring you.
Pierre Roman, MCITP, ITIL | Senior Technical Account Manager | Directeur de Compte Technique Senior
IT Pro blog | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you a little story about my trip to the Halifax edition of TechDays 2009. The reason why it’s interesting is the fact that all IT pros at some point need to “demo” or talk about certain solutions. So we must always be prepared.
So here i am on Sunday morning trying to get quickly through security with 4 laptops, 3 external hard drives, a wireless access point and a bag full of cable. Quickly… yeah right…
Anyway, the security personnel were very puzzled as to why I carry so much hardware, so a discussion followed regarding TechDays 2009. They actually were very interested to talk about Windows 7 once they noticed all the stickers on one of my laptops.
Also because of the amount of hardware I had they made me turn them on. Which lead to more questions and impromptu demo of Windows 7 at the security counter. Other travelers were starting to gather around and we had very good discussion regarding performance, usability, simplicity.
The moral of this story is that when you’re the IT guy people will want to pick your brain about things that will make their lives easier and simpler. If you want to get prepared, check out the Windows 7 How-to videos that you can base you own demo experience on.
Be prepared there’s an impromptu demo waiting for you just around the corner….
Cheers!
_________________________________________________
Pierre Roman | Senior Technical Account Manager | Directeur de Compte Technique Senior
Microsoft Canada
