Windows 7 Deployment – An Insider’s Guide – Webinar

For many thinking of moving to Windows 7 can be a huge task, you have been using XP for what seems like forever.  You know all there is to know about Windows XP.  You had a reason to delay when VISTA arrived, but today you may not have a choice in moving to Windows 7.

Why not take an hour out of your busy schedule and attend the webinar from Microsoft, learn about moving to Windows 7 – the tools and issues etc…

Need to build your Windows 7 deployment knowledge?  Looking to for some deployment tips and tricks that can help save you time (and headaches)?  Join Steve Campbell, Microsoft Services, Deployment Architect and myself at 9am (PST) on February 2 for a webinar: “Windows 7 Deployment – An Insider’s Guide.”   

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE and details about the Webinar

Junk – Can everything be JUNK! Disposible Technology

I have been saying this for years…   No one can really keep up with technology, but companies are certainly trying to force the issue with the methods they produce product today.  It’s truly sad that we have gone down this route, might be too late to turn around though.

Companies creating product that cannot be upgraded, batteries that cannot be replaced and the quality of the product just not standing up.  This includes everything from little electronics to large appliances!

Found this great article today that I wanted to share, it positions the current situation perfectly using the products of today!

That shiny new Android phone you just bought? Yeah, it’s a piece of trash. No, I’m not some Google-hating Apple fanboy. The iPhone 4 is junk, too.

So is that giant, flat-screen 3D TV and tablet you bought in the past year. It’s trash. All trash.

Of course, everything ends up broken, obsolete and unusable at some point. The trouble is, the companies that make our consumer electronics are deliberately or carelessly decreasing the useful life of our gadgets so they can sell us another one sooner 

Gadgets: Built to Not Last READ MORE

OpenOffice or LibreOffice 3.3 – OpenSource Productivity Software FREE

The race is on…  last year Oracle who owns OPENOFFICE lost a number of key people from their OpenOffice team due to the uncertainty of where Oracle was going with the open source software group.  These individuals founded “THE DOCUMENT FOUNDATION” which took the open source and released several BETA versions of LibreOffice the last few months.

Today it has been released to the general public and has several new features that you will have to wait for the next release before seeing it in the OpenOffice camp.   Ultimately having two groups developing on the same base can only be a positive thing.  Competition for the most part can be a very positive thing for the users of the product.

LibreOffice 3.3 brings several unique new features. The 10 most-popular among community members are, in no particular order: the ability to import and work with SVG files; an easy way to format title pages and their numbering in Writer; a more-helpful Navigator Tool for Writer; improved ergonomics in Calc for sheet and cell management; and Microsoft Works and Lotus Word Pro document import filters. In addition, many great extensions are now bundled, providing PDF import, a slide-show presenter console, a much improved report builder, and more besides. A more-complete and detailed list of all the new features offered by LibreOffice 3.3 is viewable on the following web page: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/new-features-and-fixes/.

LibreOffice 3.3 also provides all the new features of OpenOffice.org 3.3, such as new custom properties handling; embedding of standard PDF fonts in PDF documents; new Liberation Narrow font; increased document protection in Writer and Calc; auto decimal digits for “General” format in Calc; 1 million rows in a spreadsheet; new options for CSV import in Calc; insert drawing objects in Charts; hierarchical axis labels for Charts; improved slide layout handling in Impress; a new easier-to-use print interface; more options for changing case; and colored sheet tabs in Calc. Several of these new features were contributed by members of the LibreOffice team prior to the formation of The Document Foundation.

The home of The Document Foundation is at http://documentfoundation.org. The home of LibreOffice is at http://www.libreoffice.org, where the download page has been redesigned by the community to be more user-friendly.

Securtiy – Password STRENGTH – Can yours be CRACKED?

There are a number of places you can enter in your password and it will give you the level of strength of that password.  Meaning just how quickly can someone crack your password.  The stronger they are, the harder they are to remember, but you really do not have a choice.  There are just too many people out there that want to take advantage of you and anyone else who doesn’t follow certain rules.

I have posted before about idea’s and methods to make your password stronger – I have suggested two applications that manage and create strong passwords for you.  If your interested in reviewing these posts – do a search on Security or passwords.

Like me I have lots of passwords and have not changed them since using LastPass, it would be nice to see just how strong the passwords I am using are!

Microsoft has a WEB page that tells you how strong your password is and methods to increase its security.

Check your password — is it strong?

Windows 7 – Thinking of MOVING! Need HELP?

Change is always difficult and moving from something you have had for 10 years – you know how to fix almost everything from just experience because you have had to do it so many times.  Vista and negative press made it really easy not to upgrade when it came out a few years ago, but not the case with Windows 7.

With support and security issues moving to Windows 7 today make a lot of sense, but just because it makes sense doesn’t mean it makes it easy to move forward and start your upgrades.  It’s in Microsoft best interest to try to make it as easy as possible to help you make that move and they have been releasing tools to do just that.

You need to look at and use the following program to really position your current state and to get a true picture of where you need to be tomorrow.

Are you looking for a tool to simplify your organization’s migration to Windows 7 and Windows Internet Explorer 8—and, in turn, benefit from improved desktop security, reliability and manageability? The MAP 5.5 Internet Explorer migration assessment inventories your environment and reports on deployed web browsers, Microsoft ActiveX controls, and add-ons, and then generates a migration assessment report and proposal—information you need to more easily migrate to Windows 7 and Internet Explorer. The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and the Security Compliance Manager are the essential toolset to automate your desktop and server deployment of new Microsoft technologies. Using MDT and SCM, you can significantly reduce the costs and time to securely deploy and manage Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Hyper-V, and Microsoft Office 2010 across your organization.

What can I do with it??? Identify and analyze web application and database readiness for migration to the Windows Azure platform.

FULL ARTICLE – Assess your environment for migration to Windows 7 with MAP 5.5

TRICK & TIP – Gmail Accounts – If you have Multiple accounts and want to VIEW!

Nice little trick if you have multiple Gmail accounts like many tech type people do…..

Switch Between Multiple Gmail Accounts With a URL Hack

Software – APPS for your iPAD – REVIEWED

 If your one of the few schools that had funds last year and where able to purchase iPads, you should take a look at the article below to find some key APPS to help you use the hardware.

Math Tutor Lite: Practice basic math skills with this great Math app. Math Tutor Lite is the free version of Math Tutor, but it has more than enough content to make it a worthwhile download.So, whether you want your students to brush up on addition, multiplication, subtraction or division, you will find that all skills are covered here. There are six levels of difficulty for each skill, and students are given instant feedback on how well they have done. The games can be played with a timer for an extra challenge, or without.

 

iFormulas: This useful app contains over 330 formulas, definitions, laws and properties and would be a great quick reference guide for secondary level Math classes. Algebra, Geometry, Calculus and Trigonometry are all covered by iFormulas. It won’t tell you the answers, but it will provide you with the formulas you need to calculate the answer. It is like having a Math book in your pocket, so easily earns a spot as one of the top10 iPod Touch apps for Math classrooms.

 

Number Line: This award winning app will help your students learn about fractions, decimals, percentages and their equivalents. The game features several levels where the object is to drag objects onto a number line in the correct numerical order. Points are awarded for the correct placement of the numbers, as well as for completing the level in a quick time. Points are subtracted for placing numbers in the wrong place. Great fun.

The Top 10 iPod Touch Apps to Use in Math Class

Security – Passwords – Improve your security & still remember them!

 

I have talked about passwords in the past – suggested some password managers as well. 

Security – Passwords TOO MANY or TOO Little!

Security – Passwords – Can yours be CRACKED

The last few days there has been a few articles around making your important passwords stronger and still remembering them.  These two items don’t normally go together, but I think they do if you use one of the two suggestions below.

You don’t have to use either method for all your passwords, but you might want to consider them for your Windows Login – Password Manager program and your Banking passwords.  These are key to keeping your information and money safe!  The methods add a another level of complexity making it harder to break and easy to remember.

Getting Organized – Kids need help – some Adults as well!

I think today more than any other time, being able to organize is a key life skill that we all have to MASTER! 

Technology has given us some great advancements and I improved a lives in certain ways.  The same technology that has improved our lives has also given us an always on life style – there is very little down time and way too much information for anyone to manage.

There are books and seminars that you as an adult can attend or read, but what about our kids.  How are we going to help them master this very difficult process.  For some it can be really easy, but I think for most it is something that has to be learned and our kids need our help.

Ten Ways to Help Your Child Get Organized

by Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities

Developing good organizational skills is a key ingredient for success in school and in life. Although some people are by nature more organized than others, anyone can put routines and systems in place to help a child “get it together.” The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities has compiled a list of strategies that you can use to help your child get — and keep — her life under control.

1. Use checklists.
Help your child get into the habit of keeping a “to-do” list. Use checklists to post assignments, household chores, and reminders about what materials to bring to class. Your child should keep a small pad or notebook dedicated to listing homework assignments. Crossing completed items off the list will give him a sense of accomplishment.

Read more on FamilyEducation

USB Keys – Drive imaging for USB made easy!

More and more tech people are using USB keys to load up images on systems, it’s convenient and easy to carry with you.  Have you ever had to make multiple USB keys with images?

Well a simple to use FREE software tool available to create multiple USBimages for Windows.  Plug in your devices to your USB ports – as many as you want or can – select the image – press GO and walk away.  When you come back your done!

IMAGEUSB

Overview

ImageUSB is a free utility which lets you write an image concurrently to multiple USB Flash Drives. Capable of creating exact bit-level copies of USB Flash Drive (UFDs), ImageUSB is an extremely effective tool for the mass duplication of UFDs. ImageUSB can also be used to install OSFClone to a USB Drive for use with PassMark OSForensics™.

Unlike other USB duplication tools, ImageUSB can preserve all unused and slack space during the cloning process, including the Master Boot Record (MBR). ImageUSB can perform flawless mass duplications of all UFD images, including bootable UFDs.