So....Where does the plan start?

This is what I've come up with so far in my quest to make sense of the business that is going on around me everyday. I do know that I still need to learn and read a lot more.

Pipeline Prospecting

Use various marketing materials to dig, analyze, and qualify all passive leads

· Customer Events

· White Paper Marketing

· Online Surveys

· Webcasts

· Online Advertisement Tracking

· Link Tracker

· Online Newsletters

Initial Sales Call and Opportunity Discovery

· Schedule interview

· Send out needs analysis

1^st Meeting – Conduct Business Assessment

Discuss challenges and needs to develop an overall picture of the business. This is done by determining the technologies that a business currently uses and then using that information to identify all of the business' services that execute and support the business mission.

Docs used: CSIR, SBSTAT

Proposal Development

After meeting

· Document key observations

· Feature proposal

· Risk Assessment

· Document Vision/Scope

· Document Project Structure

· Develop Project Plan and form teams

· Combine to design complimentary plan based on observations, risks, & business drivers

Schedule 2^nd meeting

Docs used: CSIR, FP, MRR, PS, RTT, SRAT, TLPPR, TMPPR, V/S, DTN, WS, SBSTAT, BR, CD, SR, UR, US, OR, ITRM, LD

2^nd Meeting – Present Proposal

Sales presents recommended proposal to client

· Discuss key areas of proposal with client

· Upon acceptance of proposal schedule site survey

Schedule 3^rd meeting

Docs used: TLPPR, TMPPR, ITRM

3^rd Meeting – Comprehensive Site Survey

· Perform technology assessment using assessment toolkit

Docs used: CSIR, MRR, TLPPR, TMPPR, SBSTAT

After technology assessment

Sales and Engineering work on developing customized deployment / migration plan and functional specifications

· Identify Core IT Gap Analysis

· Document Key Business Drivers

· Refine Vision/Scope

· Create IT Roadmap

· Detail Deployment architecture

· Draw up Microsoft Project Plan

Docs used: FP, FS, MRR, TLPPR, TMPPR, DTN, SBS, RMSS, WS, V/S, MPP, ITRM

Final Pricing and Agreement Development

· Bring together all relevant data for project including any updates in price, business drivers, scope, vision, etc

· Basis for SLA

Docs used: FP, TLPPR, TMPPR, MPP, FS

4^th Meeting – Present Final Agreement

· Discuss proposed project plan and come to agreement on pricing and features

· At this meeting all final pricing and requirements will be laid out for the project

Docs used: TLPPR, TMPPR

Upon signing of agreement begin Technical Design

· Use specifications to develop plans

· Begin performing traceability audits

· Update Project Plan and begin to follow

Docs used: MRR, TLPPR, TMPPR, DTN, SBS, RMSS, WS, TG, MPP, FS, PD

[TechLife] Firefox Extensions For Geeks

Mozilla's Firefox browser is a great tool for surfing the Net. And thanks to a growing number of free Firefox extensions, it's an especially good tool for people who want every possible ounce of browser power.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/29/2006 05:06:03 AM

[TechLife] All About the Processes

I think the problem I am having at work is directly related to the processes that we use for our business processes.... there are none. The company is still being ran the same way it was ran back when it was a one man shop 12 years ago. Since the company doesn't really have to stand on its own to survive I think that has actually stunted growth. There was an attempt to bring the company up to speed but that didn't work out. So that brings us up to now and with us trying to move to a new business model we need to get some processes in place.

So here is a starter list of what I need to create:

Managed Services Transition Plan

• Site Survey Process
• Managed Services Technical Design Process
• Flowchart Process
• Managed Services Migration Plan
• Pilot Implementation Process
• Functionality Acceptance Process
• Disaster Recovery Plan

Internal Communication Proceeses

• Internal Change Management Process
• Internal Configuration Management Process
• Internal Release Management Process
• Internal Incident Management Process
• Internal Problem Management Process

External Communication Processes

• External Change Management Process
• External Configuration Management Process
• External Release Management Process
• External Incident Management Process
• External Problem Management Process

Sales Process

• Qualification

I'll have to work with the team to get these processes knocked out. I already have the Qualification in the Sales Process and the Site Survey in the Managed Services Transition Plan.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/17/2006 10:03:00 AM

Business, Technology, and Analysis Paralysis

I am currently at a point in my life where it is time for me to start realizing the goals and paths that I have put down on paper. It really doesn't have anything to do with any time based deadline I placed upon myself but actually everything at this point in time is coming together and I need to move in order to keep the momentum going.
I work as a Network Consultant for a small IT firm and last year I came up with an idea of how to move the company onto a more profitable path. I created a plan and pitched it to the president, he liked it but wanted it to be implemented by someone else. Fortunately that fell through and after a few more months of revising the plan I got other people on board with my idea and pitched it again. This time I was in the drivers seat and it was my chance to show what I had. This is where the analysis paralysis started kicking in, things happened to be going pretty well but the momentum has somewhat slowed down and now I'm seem to be in a loop of researching and brainstorming. I need to do research for tools, research for marketing, research for operations... all this research but it seems I may be spinning my wheels a bit too much. I also do work for the parent company and I don't quite have it balanced out yet. I need to get on the ball and treat this as if I was doing this for my own company. I already have the backing from everyone and I need to make good on my promises.

[TechLife] NX server and client released under GPL license

2X software have released an NX server as well as a client to the community. Finally a fully featured GPL server as well as client is available to the general public and can be included by DEFAULT in all the distributions thus making them Terminal Servers.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/31/2006 10:13:16 AM

[TechLife] Robotics vs. Helotics - Will Japan be the mid-21st century superpower?

Technological progress rarely goes at a steady pace, though. It has its spurts and leaps, generally driven by force of necessity, and there are signs that the advance of robotics may be about to speed up dramatically. Necessity, well-known as the mother of invention, may be about to go into labor.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/06/2006 05:10:58 AM

[TechLife] The Pirate Party of the United States site launches

We are proud to announce the creation of a new website on this famous date of July 4th, 2006. Now you too can fight the good fight against the lack of representation for the user and draconian laws used to serve the corporations while ignoring the will of the people. Find official stances and forums at our site. Let this day mark a new era.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/05/2006 04:41:45 PM

[TechLife] Senator Ted Stevens Downloads the Entire Internet and Complains It's Slow!

Regarding a recent vote, Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) explained why he voted against the amendment (basic net neutrality) and gave an amazing primer on how the Internet works: "It's a series of tubes." and "...an Internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday." Story includes an mp3 link.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 7/02/2006 09:45:49 AM

[TechLife] Teach your kids some real computers skills, the hard way - install linux

I'm one who has come to learn Linux and actually enjoy it, so teaching my kids how to use Linux is definitely a must. I think they could also benefit from a whole lesson in computers and how they work. Of course, this is coming from a guy who pretty much lives on the computer.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 6/30/2006 01:29:20 PM

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

[TechLife] Jon Stewart Takes On Congress' Gamer Haters

Jon Stewart took on congress, again, last night and their idiotic attack on video games.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 6/22/2006 04:08:05 PM

[TechLife] AT&T rewrites rules: Your data isn't yours

AT&T has issued an updated privacy policy that takes effect Friday. The new policy says that AT&T -- not customers -- owns customers' confidential info and can use it "to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process."

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 6/21/2006 04:57:16 PM

Testing sidenotes

Just seeing if this will really work on this blog.

[TechLife] Open Source Shooter Nexuiz at version 2.0

The best open source shooter has been released at version 2.0. Many improvements have been made, specialy performance and netcode. But also the visuals have improved. All in all, best open source shooter ever.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 6/19/2006 10:30:12 AM

[TechLife] How To Remotely Monitor Windows Memory Usage

Adding extra RAM when your machine doesn't really need it is pointless. Here's how to tell when it's time.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 6/17/2006 09:52:44 AM

[TechLife] How To Run Your Own Name Servers With ISPConfig And GoDaddy

This tutorial shows how you can run your own name servers for domains that you register with GoDaddy. Of course, this works with every other registrar as well, although the procedure might differ a little bit. To do this, you need two servers with two different public IP addresses and with ISPConfig installed, and of course a GoDaddy account.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 6/14/2006 07:03:51 PM

Pirate Party

Pirate Party USA forums
Pirate-party.us
Pirate Party (Lane Media Site)

[TechLife] Documentation for Windows Small Business Server 2003

Very useful list of documentation for anyone who works with SBS 2003.

Backing Up and Restoring Windows Small Business Server 2003

Connecting Mobile and Remote Users

Deploying Windows 2000 Server Terminal Server to Host User Desktops in a Windows Small Business Server 2003 Environment

Deploying Windows Mobile 5.0 with Windows Small Business Server 2003

Deploying Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server to Host User Desktops in a Windows Small Business Server 2003 Environment

Documentation for Windows Small Business Server 2003 with SP1 Transition Pack

Getting Started: Windows Small Business Server 2003 with SP1

Hosting a Business Card Web Site

How to Install and Configure Small Business Accounting 2006 on Windows SBS 2003

Information Workers Guide to the Windows SBS Computer Network

Installing and Securing Microsoft CRM 1.2 on a Windows Small Business Server 2003 Network

Installing and Securing Microsoft Small Business Manager 7.5 on Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003

Migrating from a Peer-to-Peer Network to a Windows Small Business Server 2003 Network

Migrating from Small Business Server 2000 or Windows 2000 Server to Windows Small Business Server 2003

Migrating from Small Business Server 4.5 or Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Small Business Server 2003

Moving Data Folders for Windows Small Business Server 2003

Publishing a SharePoint Web Site Accessible to External Users

Running Multiple Servers in a Windows Small Business Server Environment

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding and Managing Additional Servers in a Windows Small Business Server Network

Windows Small Business Server 2003 with SP1 Release Notes

Securing Your Windows Small Business Server 2003 Network

Step-by-Step Guide for Configuring and Using Fax on Windows Small Business Server 2003

Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Started with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services on Windows Small Business Server 2003

Updating a Windows Small Business Server 2003 Network Using Software Update Services Server 1.0

Upgrade Requirement Messages for Windows Small Business Server 2003 Setup

Windows Small Business Server 2003 Upgrade Best Practices

Windows Small Business Server 2003 Troubleshooting

Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Small Business Server

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 6/06/2006 07:27:00 PM

[TechLife] Repairing Windows XP in Eight Commands

Article describing how to repair Windows XP when your PC is inaccessible from the standard boot procedures, and you have to use the recovery console as your last resort!

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 5/25/2006 05:33:26 AM

10 Principles for Life (Playing the Game)

These principles for life are:

1. You will receive a body
2. You will be presented with lessons
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons
4. A lesson is repeated until learned
5. Learning does not end
6. "There" is no better than "here"
7. Others are only mirrors of you
8. What you make of your life is up to you
9. All your answers lie inside of you
10. You will forget all of this at birth

There are rules to life..... but of course I'm just stating the obvious. It is a game that we all play and one that is either won or lost based off of how its perceived. As we go through life we learn the unspoken rules of the game at the same time we are learning the "general" rules that everyone learned (depending on where you are). We use those rules, the guidance from our parents, the influence from our friends and the world around us to navigate through this maze of a game. Even though we may seem to be lost, we are still in control.

Get Moving

There hasn't been that much blogging from me for awhile, I'll give a quote here or there and possibly a story I found on Digg. Other than that there really hasn't been much to really say what the hell is going on. I guess one of the big things going on right now is the fact that I finally got my plan approved at work. Well what does that really mean and why is it a good thing for me? Well I get to change the business model of the company I work for, planning to make it go from an unprofitable VAR (Value Added Reseller) to a business based off of Managed Services. Other than the possibility of earning more money I'll be acquiring new skills in just about every area of business (Sales, Marketing, Operations,...). So if I decide to stay for a while or move on to start my own place, I'll leave with a lot of skills that are going to benefit me greatly.

[TechLife] Windows vista delayed to 2007

Microsoft has delayed the release of its forthcoming Windows Vista operating system to 2007.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 3/22/2006 05:48:40 AM

My Path

"Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore, a warrior must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if he feels that he should not follow it, he must not stay with it under any conditions. His decision to keep on that path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. He must look at every path closely and deliberately. There is a question that a warrior has to ask, mandatorily: 'Does this path have a heart?'"

~ Carlos Castaneda, 20th century mystic and Toltec warrior
from The Teachings of Don Juan
Vision Quotes

[TechLife] ISPs will soon back the P2P and bittorrent revolution for Television

This article explains why it is in the best interest of ISPs to actually back the TV over P2P and bittorrent revolution.
GREAT READ!!!

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 3/04/2006 08:35:23 AM

[TechLife] Huge collection of videos of MIT lectures

Learn as if you were there...

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 2/24/2006 05:10:31 AM

[TechLife] The End of the Internet?

"Industry planners are mulling new subscription plans that would further limit the online experience, establishing "platinum," "gold" and "silver" levels of Internet access that would set limits on the number of downloads, media streams or even e-mail messages that could be sent or received."

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 2/02/2006 09:41:22 AM

[TechLife] How To Troubleshoot Any Networking Problem

Tech author extraordinaire Mark Minasi shares a bit over two dozen "rules of network troubleshooting." This will be new for some, a good review for others, and a handy reference for all.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 2/15/2006 05:08:34 AM

[TechLife] The End of the Internet?

"Industry planners are mulling new subscription plans that would further limit the online experience, establishing "platinum," "gold" and "silver" levels of Internet access that would set limits on the number of downloads, media streams or even e-mail messages that could be sent or received."

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 2/02/2006 09:41:22 AM

[TechLife] They are trying to ban IM

Ever since my co-worker started talking about the upcoming ban on IM clients in the office I set out looking for away around it. Even though I am one of the IT guys here and I could just ignore the nonsense my co-worker was talking about and go on my merry way I figure I had better be nice. So being nice is to continue to use IM but just use it in a way that any eyes peering over my shoulder wouldn't know what in the world I was doing.

I ran into Meebo in its early stages but my attention span then jumped to some other new shiny tech gadget, so I forgot all about it. I can't remember how I stumbled upon it again but I'm glad that I did. If need be I can talk on Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ, MSN, Jabber, or GTalk all from the comfort of my tabbed browser. What it lacks in fancy icons, audibles, and animated emoticons in makes up for in the This-is-just-really-cool department...not to mention useful for those who need ways to get around the ban of IM clients wherever they are at. If you need help with that just check out their forums for some advice.

So don't just try it because I say its cool, try it because you want to stick it to the man!!!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 1/12/2006 11:16:00 AM

[TechLife] 25 Reasons to Convert to Linux

25 reasons why many institutions, companies and governments are changing to Linux.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 1/11/2006 01:52:18 PM

[TechLife] Play more than 10,000 Nintendo and Sega games !

NES, GameBoy, Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, Colecovision, PC Engine are all here ! Playable straight in your browser without any install !

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 1/11/2006 02:06:14 PM

[TechLife] Color Photos taken 96 years ago!

Color film was non-existent in 1909 Russia, yet in that year a photographer named Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii captured hundreds of photos in full, vivid color. His photographic plates were black and white, but he had developed an ingenious photographic technique which allowed him to use them to produce accurate color images

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 12/08/2005 06:23:59 PM

[TechLife] Set up Linux and OSX to login using Active Directory

The Big Nerd Ranch has posted a blog on how to setup Linux and OSX so that you can login using your AD user name and password settings.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 11/17/2005 12:10:57 PM

Where is my head at today?

"All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy."

Wayne Dyer quotes (American motivational Speaker and Author of self-help best selling books. b.1940)

Let my actions speak for themselves

As far as work goes I have never been much of a talker, I like to do my work without all they hype. I do good work so I also like to be at least recognized for it from time to time. So I guess I didn't see a problem when I gave the president of the company my ideas for the future of the company. Before I go any farther though, let me give some background info.
The company I work for is a very small consulting company that is owned by a larger manufacturing company. Recently my immediate supervisor moved out of state and another lady was brought over to fill her role. She was a very valuable person and she pretty much did the work of 3 people to keep everything running. She did all this work because our previous business manager was fired a few months earlier for reasons I'm not really sure of. I had my own difficulties with her and we had words....so that's the gist of it.

Now, continuing on.... Last week we had a trade show we had to do and we were told at the last minute she was going to be brought in to "consult" this one time to get everything together. The president somehow thought that she needed to do this since she signed up for it. This made a lot of people upset but I just tried to work with it because I pretty much had no choice. After the show there were obviously rumors going around that she was on her way back into the company, I wasn't really sure if he would hire her back or not. I mean when he fired her the rest of the people in the office had a party....I mean like a real party with cake and everything, so you know a person like that was not going to get a warm reception. Again, It didn't really bother me because I found out she wasn't going to have the same job she had before and she wasn't going to be my boss.
Then all that me not being bothered changed yesterday when my supervisor informed me that the president had a plan to have her start on Monday but she pretty much talked him out of it. The biggest reason he had for bringing her back was to implement my plan......say what?!?....He was going to bring her back to implement MY plan. Oh Hell No! What in the world is he thinking? Since I was not in the meeting I only have secondhand accounts of what went on but the president that since my background is technical that I don't have what it takes to handle a lot of the sales and marketing that needs to happen. I guess I can understand a little bit but we were supposed to have a meeting to go over all of this, so I thought I could make my case there. It just seems like he wants to hire her back no matter what though..... Well, one of the stipulations to keep her gone is that we have to get a plan together to develop a partnership with one particular vendor by Monday or she comes back. I had that plan done in 1 hour.....we'll see what happens next.

[TechLife] VOIP No Longer for the Underdog

This is a good eWeek commentary on how VOIP "telephony" has progressed and where it's running into trouble.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 11/11/2005 04:44:49 AM

"The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be"

Marcel Pagnol quotes (French Writer, Producer and Film Director, 1895-1974)

[TechLife] Start your own GeekSquad

Put GeekSquad out of business. Here are some helpful tips on how you can set up a remote support website to make extra money fixing people's computer problems using One Click VNC servers.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 11/07/2005 03:34:20 PM

Our Greatest Fear

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson
from her book 'A return to love'

[TechLife] Dreamcast 2.0?

Is the Xbox 360 the second coming of the Sega Dreamcast? 1up.com lists 23 parallels between the consoles that spell doom, and 10 reasons why the 360 could succeed where the Dreamcast failed.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 11/05/2005 03:29:35 AM

[TechLife] Could Not Parse File

I had an issue this morning when I tried to do an update with yum

[root@localhost yum.repos.d]# yum update
Setting up Update Process
Setting up Repos
dag 100% |=========================| 0 B 00:00
//var/cache/yum/dag/repomd.xml:1: parser error : Document is empty

^
//var/cache/yum/dag/repomd.xml:1: parser error : Start tag expected, '<' not found

^
Cannot open/read repomd.xml file for repository: dag
Error importing repomd.xml from dag: Error: could not parse file //var/cache/yum/dag/repomd.xml

I did a search and found out that it pretty much had to do with the file "repomd.xml" that it was downloading from the DAG mirror, so I just switched mirrors in my /etc/yum.conf and everything started working as it should have.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/29/2005 08:13:00 AM

Get the Google Web Accelerator

It's funny how when I try to go to the page of Google's Web Accelerator I get a message saying:

Thank you for your
interest in Google Web Accelerator.
We have currently reached our
maximum capacity of users and
are actively working to increase
the number of users we can support.

But the funny part about all of this is it doesn't happen when i go to the site on my linux box. When I do I get the download button and I'm able to actually download it. I even put on a friend of mines computer to see how it worked.

My Golden Ticket has arrived

Well I just got my golden ticket....alright!!! I guess some explanation is needed huh.

Well a while ago I put my name on a list on wordpress.com to pretty much get an invite whenever it becomes available so I can create a blog on wordpress.com. My invite came today so I went ahead and set it up. We'll see what I can do with that one and see if I can do what I originally planned to do with this one over there. I somehow thought that I could be honest with myself and even honest with the world right from the start and spill everything onto this site....of course that didn't happen. So we'll see how this one goes, I even gave it the original name I had here.

::: Mindstates :::

I have 1 invite for anyone who is interested.....

Friends

Since I've put myself on a journey of self-awareness I have been going through books and things looking at different ways of understanding me, pretty much. I was on Selfcreation.com going through their articles when I came upon their list of questions dealing with self awareness. The two questions that I'm going to touch base on now are "Where have I met most of the friends I currently have?
(family, work, community, childhood, online, etc.)" and "What does where I met these friends tell me about myself?"
Answer for question #1: I would have to say that the majority of the friends that I have are friends of some of my closer friends and the others are people that I meet online.

Answer #2: I think in a way I need to get friends from a trusted source and if they are not from a trusted source then I need to test them from a distance to make sure they are trustworthy enough for me to be friends with them.

The next question after that was "Why am I still friends with those people?" and I guess the answer to that is that since I've put them through these series of tests I feel I can trust them to a certain extent.

Mad Man

Mad, adj. Affected with a high degree of intellectual independence. I consider myself to be a Mad Man... I have a tattoo that says it too lol

The Power of Thought

Well I first would like to say that Yes, I have been reading a few too many self-improvement books in the past few weeks. I guess its not really too many but enough o where people think you're sounding like Dr. Phil or something if you start talking about them. On top of the self-improvement I've read a few on succeeding in business, finances and pretty much being happy with life in general and they all share the same underlying message that it all starts with where your mind is?

A good place to start would definitely be with yourself, even the first chapter of "Tony Soprano on Management" is about knowing yourself. Know who you are, know what you've got, and know how to use it. This is echoed through many many different works by many many different people, but its still something that people don't really tend to do. The reason all those people feel it is so important to know yourself is because knowing yourself is where you'll receive true knowledge that will better help you understand everyone else as well. It seems funny how knowing yourself can lead to a better understanding of others.

Setting goals is another thing that is shared among the books I've read. Without a clear definition of where you are going, how are you ever going to get there? Most people just tend to wander long enough until they bump into something and get stuck. Setting goals and actually writing them out gives you a framework for a plan and it shows you what you're aiming for. With that it is also said that once you have your goals in mind that it seems that everywhere you turn there are opportunities that help you get one step closer to that goal. Its sort of like the thought of your goal flips this switch in your brain to where you start to see all the opportunities around you, that may have already been there in the beginning. The same concept when you get a new car and then everywhere you turn you start to see other people driving the same car.

So knowing yourself, setting goals, and then your thoughts will show you opportunities, what else? Doing what you love and what makes you happy is next on the list. Now I know a few people (me included) that aren't always on the path to do what you love or what makes you happy. The things we do are based on other peoples' feelings, their thoughts, could be based on money...bills, willingness, determination, dedication... there are so many different reasons why people don't do what they love and they end up just doing what they are told. Even with being happy we all want to get there but it seems no one has a map, and then some of the people with the maps don't want to get there because the road is seemingly difficult. To some true happiness may not mean a mansion overlooking the ocean off the coast of Spain, it could be something very small and simple like being able to help people that can't help themselves. With either one of those though people will find it equally difficult to do. The goal to help people may have to come at the cost of a lower paying job and the mansion in Spain may only come about after years of saving money and strict financial planning. Either way people have to really know themselves to determine if their true happiness is something their willing to sacrifice for.
I won't go into every topic that I saw in the books but a lot of what you do in the world, what in the world, and how you see it beings with your thoughts. It affects so much of our lives but people don't seem to use them effectively.

[TechLife] Slashdot is losing its edge to digg.com

Digg.com is quickly reaching Slashdot when comparing daily visitors according to Alexa's Traffic Rankings (see link). Slashdot isn't as cutting edge as it used to be: stories get barely 200 replies. Maybe that CSS update was too little and too late.

read more | digg story

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/17/2005 04:31:18 PM

[TechLife] Make Ubuntu usable in few minutes

Easy Ubuntu allows you to Add extra repositories, Activate the "audio preview" feature in Nautilus, Active the num lock at system startup, Replace the GNOME foot logo with Ubuntu's logo and Install: multimedia codecs, Firefox plugins, support for RAR and ACE, P2P software, Skype, AMSN cvs with webcam support, NVIDA or ATI driver for 3D support.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/16/2005 01:55:57 PM

[TechLife] Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger Has Been Released!!!

The Breezy Badger is available for download now! Plese use the torrents to help the server.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/16/2005 01:55:46 PM

[TechLife] Microsoft, others teach kids to code

A story about a new kids-oriented Web site by MS dedicated to teaching kids about computer programming. Includes a roundup of other kids' programming resources we've discussed in the past.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/16/2005 01:54:36 PM

Random Quote

"No one should abandon duties because he sees defects in them. Every action, every activity, is surrounded by defects as a fire is surrounded by smoke.”

~ Krishna
from The Bhagavad Gita

Internal

Take note of your feelings and thoughts today and examine them. What are they saying about you, your life, your mindstate, where you want to be, what you want to do......
Be aware of what your thoughts, feelings, and actions are saying about yourself. If you don't like it.... then change it!

[TechLife] Geek goes popular on Myspace

Looks like this guy really wanted to be popular on myspace. Actually kind of interesting when you read it, heh.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/13/2005 04:38:21 PM

[TechLife] Hacking the hackers

Take a look at this video profiling the world of computer hacking -- it's not just for nerds anymore.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 10/01/2005 03:25:01 AM

[TechLife] Ingenious $100 Laptop at MIT

Not only is this laptop cheap, but its design is very well thought out. The battery doubles as a handle and the shoulder strap is the power supply and plug. I would definitely buy a few of these.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/28/2005 10:03:05 AM

[TechLife] How to log on to Windows XP if you forget your password

This article describes how to log on to Windows XP if you forget your password or your password expires and you cannot create a new one.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/28/2005 10:02:59 AM

[TechLife] Microsoft's nightmare inches closer to reality

A decade ago, Microsoft worried that the Internet could become a software platform that threatens Windows. Ten years later, that amorphous nightmare has a name: Google.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/24/2005 04:26:03 AM

[TechLife] Hacking the Linksys WRT54G wireless router

Pretty much everything you need to know about hacking the Linksys WRT-54G.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/23/2005 03:14:47 PM

[TechLife] Tutorial: Setting up a server with SuSE 10.0

this is a very detailed tutorial about how to use the new SuSE 10.0 to set up a web, mail, and ftp server.
It covers every aspect of the installation and demonstrates the setup process with the help of 50 screenshots, allowing even beginners to follow this guide. Experienced system administrators will benefit from this tutorial as well.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/19/2005 08:03:55 AM

Business Development

Like with most of the things I'm interested in I've never really had any real training or classes on the subjects, except for maybe psychology and motorcycles. From the psych classes I learned so much and it helped me think differently about a lot of things, with the motorcycles I just didn't want to kill myself.
Computers and Technology is one of the areas that I'm really good at and probably where I've had the least amount of formal training. Most of the stuff I learned was either picked up from my Dad, a book, or just plain trial and error. I think I've done quite well on just that. Another area that I'm becoming more interested in is Business, I guess more specifically the business side of technology. I haven't had any formal training in this area either but I'm learning a lot from all these books I'm reading. Even though I have gotten the gist of everything I've read so far its probably time for me to either looking into some professional development courses or really try and sit down with some one to see if they can mentor me.

Right now I'm in a situation where I can definitely see my future plans taking shape right in front of me. My business manager was let go about 2 months ago and since then I've been doing little things to fill in her void. Which has been fairly easy to do since she apparently didn't have a clue herself. So by now I've made a lot more strides in the 2 months than she had in her 2 years. So now I'm getting the interest of the president of the company to possibly take over her spot, although it hasn't been official. There are two major projects that are standing in my way right now before I feel I've made a good enough impression, I'm not sure what he thinks. One is a trade show we have to do in Nov. and the other is an ERP implementation. Going from a mainly techie background to a business position is posing quite a challenge since I have to try and learn so much in so little time.

[TechLife] Bare metal Linux server restore with tar

When my production Web server, running Red Hat Enterprise Linux, began generating filesystem errors, I found my backup system put to the ultimate test. My bare-metal restore saved the day for me. Here's how you can put a similar scheme to work.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/17/2005 04:43:50 PM

[TechLife] The first page ever on the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web began as a CERN project. The first website went on-line in 1991. This is a link to a copy of the original "World-Wide Web Home" of CERN, created by Berners-Lee.

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN#Computer_Science_and_CERN

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/17/2005 05:38:55 AM

[TechLife] G4 Founder/CEO Replaced (TechTV programming to return?)

Charles Hirschhorn, Founder and CEO of G4TV has been replaced! Charles was best known for his acquisition and transformation of TechTV into what is now the game centric G4TV. Will the new CEO add more tech programming? Time will tell..

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/17/2005 05:35:43 AM

[TechLife] Cool FireFox Wallpapers

Very nice FireFox wallpapers. High Quality.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/16/2005 05:15:47 AM

[TechLife] Light transmitting concrete

A wall made of LitraCon has the strength of traditional concrete but thanks to an embedded array of optical glass fibers, view of the outside world, such as the silhouette of trees, houses and passersby, are transmitted inside the building.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/16/2005 05:15:18 AM

[TechLife] How to bypass those annoying automated recordings at most major companies

Strategies and how to get directly connected to someone with a pulse instead of listening to a damn recording at most major companies. Very interesting and helpful.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/16/2005 05:12:17 AM

[TechLife] Inside the iPod Nano (subSystm)

So you've seen pictures of the iPod Nano insides, but what about video? This video compares the Nano to older iPods, and of course shows you how easy it is to crack one open.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/16/2005 05:11:43 AM

[TechLife] REVIEW: Yahoo! Mail Beta

First complete review of the new Yahoo! Mail, unavailable to most users. Screen shots. Tabbed mail reading.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 03:53:00 PM

[TechLife] Windows In Your Pocket

All it takes is a minor error in the Windows Registry or a virus infection, and your operating system can become unbootable. But with a properly configured USB flash drive on hand, you'll always have a compatible replacement no further away than your pocket or keychain. In addition, the flash drive can also provide...

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 04:59:15 AM

[TechLife] Microsoft releases new photo sharing app

Microsoft Codename Max allows you to import photos, arrange them in a photo album, and share them with your friends. It's very cool, check it out!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 04:52:29 AM

[TechLife] Photoshop - how to make people look Pretty

A great tutorial by Lunacore.com on "Beautify a Face".. very detailed with downloadable image so you can follow along... lots of other nice tuts over at www.lunacore.com.

Be sure to mouse over the last picture so you can see the difference.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 04:52:18 AM

[TechLife] Google Blog Search Launched!!!

Google's latest service "Blog Search" has been launched!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/14/2005 04:51:53 AM

[TechLife] Firefox gets "Supernatural"

"A couple weeks ago, we were approached by some very cool people in Hollywood working on a new show called Supernatural on The WB. Not only were they Firefox users, they wanted to help spread the word about Firefox too."

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/13/2005 04:43:56 AM

On the Quest for Knowledge, Stop at Koobe

I usually think of myself as a pretty smart individual even though I have my duh moments. Besides the duh moments I always feel that I have an answer for a lot of things, or at least know where to find them. I tend to read a lot of books to get some of those answers that I'm trying to find. I stumbled upon Koobe on one of my searches to find a repository of ebooks that would happen to have the book I was looking for. I'm not sure if I found it at Koobe because once I realized what I had found I was pleasently suprised. So go there and check it out.

[TechLife] Google Official Says Frustration Drove Him From Microsoft

A former Microsoft executive whose defection to Google set off a legal battle testified that a tirade from Bill Gates was a low point before he decided to leave.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/07/2005 12:09:03 PM

[TechLife] Websense Bypass PoC

I'm not sure why but one of the things that bugged me most at my previous job was the web filtering. They used websense and for awhile wherever you went you would get that stupid block page. I guess it really only got to me because I couldn't find any lasting solutions to get around it, I found one but that caught on pretty quickly till it was found out by the admins. Here is another one of those solutions that I'm not sure will last but hey its worth a shot.

Websense URL Filtering Bypass PoC

Oh and yes you do need Perl to run this

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/07/2005 05:01:00 AM

Vision for the Future

It really is amazing where all these different decisions in life take you. The goals you set, the mistakes you make, the dreams you have all come together.

[TechLife] Linux Newbie Administrator Guide

The Linux Newbie Administrator Guide is "A complete reference for new Linux users who wish to set up and administer their own Linux home computer, workstation and/or their home or small office network." Weening myself off WinTendo seemed nearly impossible until I found this jewel.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/06/2005 04:38:46 PM

[TechLife] New file format causes Mass panic at Microsoft - POOR MICROSOFT

The decision to adopt OASIS formats, pioneered by the open source OpenOffice project, has naturally angered Microsoft whose Office suite dominates the commercial market.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/05/2005 01:19:09 PM

[TechLife] In central New Orleans, a Web firm pushes on

Employees of New Orleans-based Web firm, Intercosmos Media Group Inc., have chosen to stay with their servers, located in a 27-story skyscraper. They're goal is to keep the servers, which house some 800,000 Web sites, up and running.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/02/2005 03:58:59 PM

[TechLife] The 20 Biggest Tech Secrets

We reveal some of what vendors are keeping mum, such as: You never have to pay full price, extended warranties rarely pay for themselves, and the big sites do have customer service numbers.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 9/01/2005 06:19:01 PM

[TechLife] Parasites brainwash grasshoppers into death dive

A parasitic worm that makes the grasshopper it invades jump into water and commit suicide does so by chemically influencing its brain, a study of the insects' proteins reveal.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/31/2005 10:55:23 AM

[TechLife] How the vi editor would look if it had been made my Microsoft

See how things might have been if Microsoft had done vi. Truly funny!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/30/2005 02:16:49 PM

[TechLife] Build Your Own Home Television Server

Rig your tv to your computer LAN. Interesting hacks on creating DVDs from the tv, editing video, and more. Includes details and step-by-step instructions on software and hardware required. Cool project.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/30/2005 02:12:30 PM

[TechLife] The most accurate broadband Speed Test on the internet.

The most accurate broadband Speed Test on the internet. Very easy to use. DSL, Cable, Dial Up, you name it, this one test covers them all. Results appear on the screen in a easy to understand format

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/30/2005 09:17:34 AM

[TechLife] Five Reasons NOT to use Linux.

I love Linux. I use it on my servers, I use it on my desktops, and I use it on my entertainment center, where it powers my HDTV TiVo and my D-Link DSM-320 media player, which turns my network into a media library with terabytes of storage. Heck, I even run Linux on my Linksys WRT54G Wi-Fi access points, which hook the whole shebang together.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/30/2005 04:58:54 AM

[TechLife] The 46 Best Freeware utilities EVER!!!

Here are the best freeware utilities ever made. it even includes fire fox. And a free spy-ware remover.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/29/2005 05:23:24 AM

[TechLife] GM will launch self-driving car in 2008

This will totally give new meaning to the term auto-pilot: GM will be launching a vehicle with an actual self-driving system in its 2008 Opel Vectra.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/27/2005 03:58:44 PM

[TechLife] Top 15 Tech Shows

The 15 best free downloadable tech shows currently available on the Internet.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/25/2005 03:03:33 AM

[TechLife] Apply Custom Views to All Folders in Outlook 2003

I just have to say that ever since this client asked me to change the folder view on all their users I was searching everywhere for a solution. It would appear to be all too easy, but I guess it didn't make sense enough to become an actual feature. I pretty much followed this article and got it working.... Minus the creating the shortcut with the special "/cleanviews". I just started up Outlook and began making the changes as it said. View the article here.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/24/2005 12:42:00 PM

[TechLife] Hacking Related Videos and Demos

...and other fun stuff

The videos can be found at Remote Exploit, Iron Geek, Crime Machine, and Hacking Defined.
CiscoRemote Router Traffic Sniffing
Wireless
WPA CrackingVoid11 Mass De-Authentication128 bit WEP Cracking

Bluetooth
Bluesnarfing a Bluetooth Enabled Mobile Phone
Network & Vulnerability Scanning
Basic Introduction to Nessus Security ScannerBasic Introduction to Network Mapping using nmapPenetration Test Reconstruction

Link Encryption Analysis
Exploiting Weaknesses of PPTP VPNDecrypting SSL Traffic using Man In The Middle Techniques (MITM)Tunneling Exploits via SSH

Password Recovery
Cracking Syskey and the SAM on Windows Using Samdump2 and JohnLocal Password Cracking Presentation

Hardware ModificationsNetgear WG511 External Antenna Modification

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/23/2005 10:36:00 AM
Edited on May 30th, 2006 --took out bluesnafing

[TechLife] More Whax and Auditor hacking demos

I've scoured the net to locate every single movie and flash demo for Whax (formerly known as Whoppix) as well as Auditor. These are essentially hacker distros of Linux made to boot directly from a CD with no installation. Also, for those screaming dupe, the torrent actually works this time: http://members.cox.net/puzzlepants/whax.torrent

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/18/2005 06:45:05 PM

[TechLife] The New Project List

Well I have a list of definite projects I have to work on at work now.

Rebuild Spamshield solution
Create Webapp to interface with MySQL database
Redesign two company websites

Then I'm also going to be working on a business plan, marketing plan, and a sales plan. So I'm gonna start enlisting some help for that stuff.

As far as the projects go, The Spamshield is pretty much my company's attempt at an Anti-Spam offering. It never really made it out of development before it was sold and promoted though, so now I have to make it work.... which really means redo it. It was Gentoo based and I'll probably end up using Catalyst , after I get it how I want on the main machine, to create the installation CDs. The webapp I was thinking of using Ruby on Rails to build with, the current asp web front is in need of some feature overhaul. So instead of learning ASP and working with it, I decided to use Ruby on Rails and see where it will take me. The two company websites are for the company I work for and the parent company, they are pretty much in need of some help....badly. So I just have to see what my imagination comes up with on those.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/18/2005 01:30:00 PM

[TechLife] HOW TO: Shopping for major discounts at Dell

I no longer work for Dell, I quit my job there, but I worked in Nashville in the S&P Small business division...

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/16/2005 10:45:44 AM

[TechLife] Mad rush for $50 computers

The day is here... the 7AM rush for the $50 ibooks. See the video of what went down. This is some pretty hilarious stuff, especially the old lady talking about kicking people in the balls.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/16/2005 08:58:54 AM

[TechLife] Call For Help Is Coming Back To The USA!!!

Through the 18th episode of TWiT (this week in tech) from Leo LaPorte's mouth, Call For Help is going "worldwide" with details to follow. So stay tuned all you techie freaks and TechTV lovers, cause Call For Help is coming back to US shores soon!

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/15/2005 12:57:47 PM

[TechLife] Hybrid Supercar

Wow, this Hybrid Supercar can do 0-60 in the low 4-seconds and can get 50mpg. Developed by a bunch of High School kids, the car is call "The Attack" and looks just as good as it performs.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/15/2005 12:56:14 PM

[TechLife] Run Your Own Wireless Internet Service provider (WISP)

Setting up a wireless Internet Service provider (WISP) for your office or neighborhood doesn't have to be a taxing or expensive ordeal. If you build your network from easy-to-buy equipment and use Linux, you can use the power of shell scripts to make network management easy. This article gives you the tips and scripts you need.

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Posted by TJ to TechLife at 8/14/2005 11:27:19 PM