Diary of a Network Geek

No, this won’t organize your papers.
But, it is a cheap alternative to having an easily outdated PDA. As much as I love my old PalmIIIc, I have to admit, sometimes, a low-tech approach to this stuff is best. So, if you’re as cheap as I am, the free, disposable personal-organizer, PocketMod, might be just right for you. You can use this little baby to make yourself a little, paper organizer that you won’t even mind losing all that much. It’s simple to use and, if you’re afraid the website will mysteriously disappear, you can download the offline standalone version. That way, you can keep it forever and ever and make as many throw-away organizers as you need. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

Well, cool enough for a Friday Fun link, anyway. And, considering the technological horror last Friday, it seemed appropriate!

Well, I survived my first day at the new job.
Oh, what’s that? New job? Oh, didn’t I mention it before?
Yeah, okay, there’s a funny story behind that. Well, there’s a story behind that which involves things like lawyers and teenagers and medical insurance and divorce. Come to think of it, it’s not a very funny story at all. But, I hope that it will be one day.

Anyway, I’m the IT Manager at a new company called SeaTrax now. We make cranes. Big cranes that are based on big platforms in the ocean. It’s actually pretty cool. It’s a Windows shop, but, well, nothing’s perfect. With any luck at all, I’ll be able to convert them to either a Linux shop or a Novell shop, or both!
It was a long, hard day trying to set priorities, so when I got home, I microwaved some chicken-fried steak and gravy followed by a dessert of Krispy Kreme mini-crullers. And, I washed it all down with a Sam Adams. Yes, even the Krispy Kreme! (Hey, back off! It was a long day!) And, my sweet doggie was so happy to see me when I got home, I let her lick off my dinner plate. She loves gravy!
Anyway, all I managed to do was get a rudimentary “To Do” list put together. Actually, I even stole that idea from a faithful reader, BlueCube. But, here it is anyway. Feel free to make suggestions!

Jim’s Great Big, Enormous To Do List of Doom

Short Term
* Get specs for hardware for server upgrade
* Figure out solution for PeachTree for server upgrade
* Figure out OS for server upgrade
* Document security layout for new server
* Order enought Backup tapes for Full GFS at for every backup server
* Tape Inventory & sign out
* Tape backup courier or a whole new scheme for backupadmins
* Clean up Edirectory
* Clean up data junk on servers
* Clean up active directory

Long Term:
* Address Windows Server Updates
* Work out Tape Cleaning procedure for all backups
* Upgrade Anti-virus software and automate
* Figure out Name Changes and write up procedures
* Figure out to do with multi-user accounts
* Create New user/change form
* Write backup procedures guidelines
* Write anti-virus procedures
* Write workstation software and hardware policies and procedures
* Evaluate T1/WAN connection, price and reliability
* Come up with plan for “roaming” staff
* Create Firewall maintenance/monitoring guidelines
* Create montly network maintenance procedures
* Create shutdown scripts for server

Blue Sky:
* create monthly newsletter
* Build wishlist for end of budget
* Formulate server percentage uptime
* Clean computer room
* Clean tech room
* Setup IDS system
* Implement PDA synchornization system and standards

Hey, I always like free!

I’ve had a PalmIIIc for years and years. Originally, I got it with the idea that I could use it to play games and read books, too. The problem was that there just weren’t a lot of books available in a Palm readable format. Problem solved: ManyBooks.net. Not only do they have literally thousands of books in multiple formats, including several for the Palm, but they’re all free!
Well, they do ask for donations, but it’s not absolutely required. I’ve just started to explore their titles, but they seem to have quite a few classics, so it’s worth checking out. Besides, it’s Friday, what else are you going to do?

Oh, this is so cool.

And, I’m glad I haven’t gotten a new Palm yet! According to this article on Wired News, Palm is buying Handspring. Now, to me, that’s cool because I hope to see some of the better features in the Handspring products integrated into the Palm. I like the look and feel of the Palm better than Handspring, but I think they had the right idea when it came to add-ons. This is a killer move by Palm, as far as I’m concerned. I really look forward to seeing what this means to the future of Palm.

Is such a thing possible?

Well, according to this article on Yahoo, it just might be! Imagine what it might mean to the future of publishing. Add in some wireless connectivity and you’ve really got something here. Textbooks that change based on which class a student is in when they’re opened. An entire university library available to students on campus, wirelessly. Books that can be downloaded from the ‘net directly to a reading device.
Then, of course, there is the interactivity aspect. The article talks about catalogs that can be used to place electronic orders. Add in the ability to automatically update inventory, price and availability and you’ve really got something.
Of course, we’re a ways off from that, so it’s still science-fiction, but the possibilities are endless. In a fully networked world, devices like this might replace PCs alltogether. They would become the ultimate PDA. It could be the Next Big Thing. We’re always looking for that Next Big Thing to invest in or adopt. The concept of “digital ink” has been around for some time, but it looks like they’re finally getting somewhere with it. It sure will be interesting to see if they finally pull it off!

This is a test of the PDA/AvantGo method of posting. If you can read this, it works. The only problem with it is the small data-entry area.

Well, that and the fact that it doesn’t automatically reindex on the live blog, ergo, it posts, but doesn’t show up.

Have to see about automating the rebuilds…..