I love it. The link leads to list of system admin truths, each one of them obvious to me now…after a year as a system admin.

From how a user will lie to you, to how screwed you’ll be if you don’t have a good reliable backup system, each one of them underlines some important ideas in cya. (cover yo’ ass).

I was also pleasantly surprised by how many of them I already agree with…

#1 – Users Lie- OHHHHHH yes. This alone is important enough to be 1-5.

#2 – Email is the Lifeblood of Non-Techies – Well, you gotta stay in touch with clients, right?

#3 – Printers Suck – He mentions HP printer network cards crashing out…both of ours at work have…need I say more?

#4 – Cleanliness is Godliness-Yeah, just look at their desktop…if it’s a mess, be wary…

#5 – Backups are Crucial – Duh. So obvious and yet no one actually backs up their shit.

#6 – Switches and Hubs (Usually) Die One Port At A Time – I knew a guy who never used port 1 in linksys routers…said they always went bad. I have no idea if it’s true or not.

#7 – No One Ever Got Fired For Buying Microsoft – Except an Apple Employee.

#8 – Politeness > Brevity – Watch it with this tho…talk to much, you’re longwinded…not enough, your stuck up. Probably the single most difficult skill to master.

# 9 – Know Your Needs – It’s tough when you always want to play with the new stuff..but new stuff is just that, new. You never want to be a ‘test pilot’.

#10 – The Holy Grail of Tech Support…is the reboot. So true. There are so many things that can go wrong without any outward signs. Apps crash, preferences get messed up, network settings can be effected. Restart, and -poof- they’re all gone.

Read this, it’s a great post…

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Google was providing free web-traffic analysis based on Urchin (a company they bought a while back). All you have to do is implant a small bit of code into your web pages and -poof- instant stats.

Except demand was so great that it was a little less than instant. In addition it doesn’t work with Safari (I don’t know why) and now the service is down.

Once they get it ironed out, people will still adopt it in droves. Before you go on a ‘Google is taking over the internet’ rant, just remember that other companies have offered very similar services, in the form of page visit counters and other such things.

But yeah…Google -is- taking over the internet. Just hit this site for the proof: http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20051117.html

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256 colors is more than enough for anyone!

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More an more my friends talk about iPod ‘ready’ cars and stereo’s etc. Seems to me that more and more every day, the iPod becomes a pseudo-standard which other devices are designed for and around.

Funny how more and more, the iPod becomes ‘the’ device, and everything else becomes the ‘accessory’

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Such as helping me understand what Einstein’s talking about.

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ATMs? Down
Online Access? Down
Phone Access? Down.

Ahh, so this is why it’s bad to have one SUPERbank…

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This makes me sad, kinda. I’ll explain (i.e. settle in)

I’m sad becuase Apple has convinced me over time that I’m different from everyone else…that I’m smarter, that I’m more of an individual (just like all the other Apple followers). It’s nice to be told that you’re part of different, and that by comparison, that there are people who aren’t. You’re one of the cool kids, says the marketing.
Yeah, it’s a blatent example of the marketing BS that Apple spews out. I’m aware of it, but still buy into it a little.

Firewire was a physical example of how much smarter the mac was than PC’s.

Originally appearing as a standard port on the original G3 towers, Firewire, a great marketing name, was one of those ‘new’ ports like USB, universal serial bus (both had acutally been around for years, but Apple was one of (if not -the-) first to start shipping it standard on a machine). Firewire was one of those NEW PORTS!!! that in -TheFuture- (TM) no one would be able to live without– but for the time being, no one had a use for. Power and data over one cable. Pc’s started to include firewire over time, but the crappy 4 pin version which didn’t have the ability to power devices over the cable. Mac specialness was preserved. Score one for the Mac marketing.

Over time, digital video cameras came out using firewire for data transfer. Then came firewire external drives, cd burners, and digital card readers. All the while USB 1 was struggling to maintain relevance. It seemed destined for nothing more than printers and crappy CD burners. Firewire on the otherhand was gaining strength. A shining example of the ‘Firewire-Future’ was born…the iPod. This showed one of the best potential uses for fireiwre…a device that needed to be charged, and at the same time needed to have files transferred, it was the perfect use.

Apple shipped a custom ‘dock’ connector with the 3rd Generation (3G) iPod. A smaller connection meant 1) a smaller iPod case 2) a cool dock to connect to your stereo and that 3) you’d need an adaptor to use a standard firewire cable. The dock connection also allowed the use of a USB cable.

A USB cable?

This should have been a sign. This change was originally viewed as a way to add easier compatibility with PC, and remove the need for a firewire card (as most PC’s still didn’t have them). Meanwhile, USB 2 was on the scene, and since it transferred at the same speed (theoretically) as firewire…there was little or no performance difference between firewire and it’s old arch nemesis, USB.

USB 2 external drives now commonplace, offer the speed of firewire and the widespread use of USB by both PC and Mac machines, ensured that no matter what you could connect to pretty much any machine. So what if you were connected to slow USB 1 machine….you were -connected- and no matter how fast, firewire couldn’t compare the widespread inclusion of USB on nearly all new computers.

Apple brought out new iPods. The iPod shuffle only has USB. The new 4th Generation color iPods only included USB cables to connect. Sure you could buy a firewire cable…but why? You already had USB. And now the Nano -only- transfers data via USB.

USB wins. And why? Because Apple decided that it made more sense? Apple can use one less chip in the Nano-no need for a Texas Instruments Firewire controller- that keeps the size, as well as the cost, down? Is that why? I really don’t know.

But as a result the iPod Nano feels, to me at least, a bit more common. A bit less sexy, and a bit less Apple. Firewire was Apple’s creation, Apple’s mark of difference, and now, it’s unnecessary.

Funny the side effects of Apple Marketing…all this about a data cable.

But it’s not really about the data cable. It’s about Apple telling me that I’m special, and different, for buying a Mac. Soon the heart of the Mac will change too. The PowerPC G5 is not long for this world, soon to be replaced by an just another run of the mill Intel processor. So if I get this worked up over the choice of a data cable, just imagine how I’ll feel about a Mac that’s got the same heart in it as every other PC. How will Apple help me maintain my ‘individuality? With the switch to USB only iPods, Apple is saying that different doesn’t sell iPods. Probably because it doesn’t need to. And that’s a good thing.

So I’m sad…kinda.

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Fix.

My system.

Becasuse it isn’t properly setup.

What they really are saying is ‘hey, you know how you have you gear setup to do things in certain ways? Well ya’ see, it’s kinda going agains the grain for us, because you aren’t using our programs for everything you do…and well, how are we supposed to make any money if you don’t become completely reliant on us?’

Case in point? Adobe Acrobat ‘Pro’ for the Mac. This app allows you to author PDFs and that’s cool. But what’s not cool is that it tries to fool you into thinking that your gear is messed up the first time you start it up.

Download the book of your choice!

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This website, can help start that process if your a little rusty, or just want some outside help.

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It’s all that and more. I wonder what it would feel like to have your life put on screen, public and private, for the whole world to see? Your achievements, and your follies?

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