Welcome to the Funcave

Social Networking Does Have Value! You Could Win The Netbook Of Your Choice!

chris — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:47:21 +0000

Evidently, a whole heaping bunch of folks aren’t happy about the SMB Nation session on social networking. Evidently, the so-called “experts” chosen for the panel either didn’t believe that social networking could offer anything of value at all, or simply didn’t know anything social networking. Wow…amazing selection process, huh? I’ve heard from numerous people that not [...]

Never Forgive. Never Forget. Never Again.

chris — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:45:19 +0000

MS Exam Discounts Giveaway Held Open One More Day

chris — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:18:15 +0000

Lo and behold, the 20% off MS exam discounts were supposed to have ended as of today. But they haven’t. At least, not yet. Here’s the reason why… Basically, the “Gear To Get Your Butt In Gear” giveaway being held at the Funcave drove a whole heaping bunch of interest in the 20% off discounts. So much [...]

Changing The Future

chris — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:48:02 +0000

Last week, I had the good fortune to attend CMP’s XChange’09 event in Washington, DC. As a vendor-centric show, this kind of event gives solution providers like my company the opportunity to see new offerings from various vendors, give feedback, and forge business relationships that can mutually benefit our companies. But this year, one of the [...]

LAST CALL: 20 Percent Off MS Exams Giveaway Ends TODAY

chris — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:01:13 +0000

Today is the LAST day that the 20% discount for MS exam discounts will still be available for certain regions/countries. So if you want some, you MUST enter the giveaway TODAY! Honestly, the response to the MS exam voucher giveaway has been nothing short of AMAZING! So much so that actually delivering the vouchers to people [...]

475 Exam Discounts Given Away, But The Clock Is Ticking!

chris — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:59:16 +0000

Time’s running out for you to get in on the exam discount vouchers, folks. All exam discount vouchers generated through the MCT Rewards program will flip over to 10% off starting on August 27, 2009, now and forever, instead of the current 20% off enjoyed by some countries/regions. Current year vouchers generated BEFORE August 27, 2009, however, won’t expire [...]

Beta TS Exam for Exchange 2010 Available Now

chris — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:48:06 +0000

If you want to try to get a seat for the beta TS exam for Exchange 2010, here’s the info you need… The exam you want: 71–662 TS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Configuring Registration code: E14J Full details are available at Beta Exam Announcements. And if you get in, then good luck!

For All You Mecha Lovers Out There

chris — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:10:01 +0000

Smith & Tinker are the uber-cool folks who bought the FASA licensed properties back from Microsoft. Which really means only one thing… Gigantic fighting mecha action! Check out the whole trailer for MechWarrior 5 right here. Yummay!

Gear To Get Your Butt In Gear

chris — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:20:51 +0000

Good intentions don’t really mean much. Sure, you can vow to go rock-climbing, but if you never actually do anything about learning how to do it, and making sure you have the appropriate gear to help you learn, what happens? You’ll very quickly become a damp stain at the bottom of a rock face, that’s what. In the [...]

GIVEAWAY 2: 20 Percent Off MS Exam Vouchers Worldwide

chris — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:14:52 +0000

Since August has been unofficially dubbed “Gear To Get Your Butt in Gear” month here at the Funcave, ALL the giveaways reflect some aspect of that idea. That idea being, basically, it’s time to get off your duff and get busy making whatever you want to happen actually happen, Cap’n. And since there’s no time like the [...]

GIVEAWAY: Now With Even More MSPU

chris — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:03:18 +0000

Lo and behold, the MSP University book giveaway just started, and now there’s even MORE MSPU goodness to be had! In addition to the previously mentioned three copies of The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice, written by the incomparable Erick Simpson, I’m also giving away two copies of Erick’s The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing Book [...]

GIVEAWAY: The Next Best Thing To Being At MSPU Bootcamp

chris — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:57:01 +0000

To commemorate the MSP University bootcamp being held right now, I’ve got a special giveaway for anyone who couldn’t make it out to California. Three lucky winners will receive their very own copy of The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice (MSRP $99.95) written by none other than Erick Simpson, VP/CIO of MSP University. To enter, simply [...]

Too Hot To Handle

chris — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:47:59 +0000

That’s right. 3 out of the last 4 slides on my deck submitted for my last session at WPC were deemed “unsuitable” and “too risky.” Other words bandied about were “copyright,” “lawsuit” and “knuckle sandwich.” In other words… You really won’t want to miss this one, folks. So if you’re at WPC and wanna see what all the fuss it [...]

Selling Out

chris — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:18:32 +0000

This is the second time of which The Antelope’s aware that Amazon has sold out of its existing copies of Brand-New Emily. Which means BNE is selling. Which rocks! Please let there be lunch boxes. Please let there be lunch boxes. Please let there be lunch boxes.

Getting Dirty With Windows Mobile 6.5

chris — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:37:07 +0000

Don’t worry…this post is totally safe for work. The release of the Windows Mobile 6.5 Developer Tool Kit earlier this month means folks can finally start digging into the latest release of Windows Mobile, long before it actually shows up on any devices. Even if you’re not developing for mobile devices, there are a slew of insanely helpful reasons to [...]

The Cake Is Not A Lie

chris — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:51:51 +0000

This Father’s Day dessert brought to you (and me) by AoME, CaaB and The Antelope. All homemade, and so good you’d swear it’s gotta be illegal.

The Ripple Effect AKA Women In Technology

chris — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:25:05 +0000

Here’s what I’ve been doing this Father’s Day weekend… Apple of My Eye and Cute as a Button and I spent most of yesterday working in our brand-new Mindstorms NXT laboratory building, programming and testing robots. So far we’ve built the TriBot, Alpha Rex, and Spike AKA The Scorpion. Both of them dig getting the robots to [...]

People Are Buzzing About Brand-New Emily

chris — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:34:46 +0000

Ginger already has a slew of reviews and blurbs collected from various folks on her new site at gingerrue.com, which is all part of the whole “PR and release” process. But since the book’s come out, it’s been really super cool for her to see the responses from folks who’ve bought and read Brand-New Emily. Here are [...]

In Stock

chris — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:37:07 +0000

Never have so few words meant so much to my wife AKA Ginger AKA Running Antelope. You see, as of yesterday, her first novel, Brand-New Emily, went world-wide live and released officially! Here’s a bunch of places you can order BNE from… Books-A-Million Amazon.com Barnes & Noble Buy.com It’s also significant for me too. As agreed upon earlier, now that her first book [...]

I’m Man Enough To Be At WomenBuild Tonight. Are You?

chris — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:02:46 +0000

One of the most eye-opening moments for me during the bus tour was seeing the statistics about the decline of females taking computer science AP exams, and the attendant decline of females in the technology industry. Personally, I have a feeling that most of this trend largely boils down to the typical stereotypes about the computer [...]

Joanne’s In The Fishbowl Today

chris — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:36:58 +0000

Joanne Lin, one of the folks who rode on the bus tour to Tech-Ed 2009, will be co-presenting a session today in one of the Expo Hall fishbowl theaters. At 2:45p, Joanne and Jeff Hora will discuss “How To Get Published: What It Takes To Be A Community Author On Microsoft Technologies.” The official session code is COM19–INT. It’s [...]

Things About The Bus Tour That I’ll Always Remember

chris — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:23:26 +0000

Yes, I know I was eerily silent during the bus tour, blog-wise. Funny thing is, despite all the time spent driving, stuff was always happening. We were headed somewhere all the time, unloading or loading swag, setting up the equipment for the AYC game. And connectivity was often hit-or-miss at the stops. It was all [...]

The Last 100 Miles

chris — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:02:28 +0000

The Career Express comes to an end this morning, at the Tech-Ed North America conference in Los Angeles. Just 100 more miles to go. And I’m pretty bummed about it, all things considered. Sure it’ll be nice to get back to living without wheels. But this trip was absolutely everything I thought it would be, and [...]

And These. These Are My People….

chris — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:45:00 +0000

After dinner last night, the entire Career Express team headed to Target. It was just like a Susan Bradley Mountain Dew run, except without any Mountain Dew in any of the carts at all. What were some of the things people did get? Water…lots and lots of water Candy Trail mix More candy Music And because it was Target, there’s a whole [...]

Avengers Assemble!

chris — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:30:00 +0000

OK, so it’s not really the Avengers, but the Career Express team that assembled in Atlanta yesterday to prep for the 11 days of mayhem and awesomeness that kicks off today. My flight from BHM to ATL today would have been a completely uneventful jacknife of a flight, since the flight path for that route is [...]

The Career Express Tour Tweet-ups And You

chris — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:24:52 +0000

So, I’ve gotten a ton of nudges from folks about the cross-country Career Express Tour that starts Friday. Most of them have been virtual high-fives, etc. But there have also been some questions about the tour. The top two questions have been, in order… The bus isn’t stopping near me. You hate me, don’t you? What’s this “tweet-up” thing that’s happening in [...]

Meet Your Fairy Godmother

chris — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Or at least, the closest you’ll ever get to one anyway. This is Marie. As in Marie McFadden. Her nickname has alway been her initials, which spell MOM. But after what I’m about to tell you, Marie will be turning your world upside-down in a way that should make you stand up and cheer. Which means her nickname from [...]

Should We Stay Or Should We Go?

chris — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:31:01 +0000

It has been one non-stop set of planning meetings here at the Funcave all weekend long. Trying to wrangle my personal logistics into shape for the cross-country bus trip to Tech-Ed next month isn’t impossible, but ain’t exactly a walk in the park either. But you know what the best part of this whole thing has been/will [...]

Where I’ll Be In 2009 Redux

chris — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:28:25 +0000

Forget the whirlwind. 2009 now feels like someone just strapped a jetpack to my back and flipped the “On” switch without telling me. Problem is…the person who did that? Me! Here’s the latest rundown with relevant links to all the talks, places, and conferences currently on my schedule. April 14 – Webcast: Using System Center Essentials with Essential Business Server [...]

I’m Getting On The Bus!

chris — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:35:58 +0000

It’s officially official… MS Learning picked me as one of the six winners of a free trip to Tech-Ed 2009! Not only that, but I’m taking the road trip option. That’s right…cross-country via bus. Atlanta to L.A. in 11 days, with tons of stops in-between. Here’s the current itinerary for the Career Express tour, straight from MS Learning’s kickass [...]

T-Minus 10 Hours And Counting

chris — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:37:26 +0000

It’s not too late to sign up and attend the smokin’ hot TechNet IT Pro Tiki Hut Tour stop tonight in Huntsville. There are still a few seats left. So if you want in, get off your keister and register now: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032406292&Culture=en-US I’ve been finishing up my prep for the two presentations I’m slated to give [...]

Why Am I Passionate About Microsoft Training And Certification?

chris — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:32:01 +0000

I’ve been on record as being a big huge superfan of IT training and certification from my very first days in the IT industry. Long before I had a blog that was read by people all over the world, I told anyone who would sit still long enough to listen that if they wanted to [...]

TechNet’s Putting A Tiki Hut In Your Own Backyard

chris — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:53:28 +0000

Next Monday, April 20, the IT Pro Tiki Hut Tour blasts off for the East region in none other than Huntsville…Alabama’s very own Rocket City. Spearheaded by Blain Barton, MS Evangelist Extraordinaire, this FREE tour will be visiting 10 different cities through June 4. The fact that Blain’s leading it should already be enough to pack the [...]

One Froggy Evening

chris — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:31:05 +0000

Well, the presentation on System Center Essentials and Essential Business Server went off pretty smoothly, all things considered. I was coughing like a 3 pack a day smoker, had just barely gotten my demo environment stood up in time, and (in the interest of full disclosure) was still about 3 slides from finished when it was [...]

The Make-Or-Break Feature Of Essential Business Server

chris — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:08:14 +0000

Tomorrow night I’ll be delivering a webcast to the EBSUserGroup titled “Using System Center Essentials With Windows Essential Business Server.” This is a pretty bold statement, but I personally think SCE is THE make-or-break feature of EBS for anyone who wants to use, support, or otherwise make EBS a part of their business. We’ll talk about why that is, [...]

Where I’ll Be In 2009

chris — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:46:40 +0000

2009 quickly turned into a whirlwind, and in the pit of my stomach I feel like a cowboy who’s just about to hop on and try to ride that cyclone. Here’s a quick rundown with relevant links to all the talks, places, and conferences currently on my schedule. April 14 – Webcast: Using System Center Essentials with Essential Business Server [...]

Slam Dunking The Mid-Market, 5W/50 Style!

chris — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:11:40 +0000

Last Friday I gave a webcast as part of the 5W/50 Series for Microsoft Partners. Titled “Adding Windows Essential Business Server to Your Infrastructure Practice,” the talk was almost completely focused on the business value of Essential Business Server, including why EBS should matter to both mid-market businesses and why you, as a Partner, might [...]

Why Essential Business Server Matters

chris — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:39:07 +0000

Never sure what the optimal time for announcing this stuff is, but I’ve tended to find that the closer to time the better, strangely enough. I’ll be delivering a webcast for the 5W/50 series tomorrow titled “Adding Essential Business Server to Your Infrastructure Practice.” The webcast, which is free for Microsoft Partners, will start at 9:00a [...]

Better Than Minesweeper

chris — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:17:46 +0000

A little while back, Eileen Brown from MS UK posted her experience with a new online distraction from MS Learning called, aptly enough, Are You Certifiable? First off…this isn’t the typical online quiz game you’d prolly expect from MS. The stuff this thing throws at you are TOUGH! Unlike a real exam, you have unlimited time to look [...]

Come Get Your Mid-Market On

chris — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:24:27 +0000

Anybody who’s interested in Essential Business Server from a technical or business perspective should run, not walk, over to YahooGroups.com and sign up for the EBS Virtual UserGroup AKA EBSUserGroup. Founded by Amy Babinchak, this virtual user group focuses on (surprisingly enough) Essential Business Server and all the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious goodness it includes. Right now, there’s a live [...]

Two Webcasts For The Price Of One! Tonight!

chris — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:47:46 +0000

Just a quick heads-up here… Amy Babinchak and I will be presenting a free webcast to the Fresno SMBTN user group tonight. Amy will be talking about Calyptix and SBS 2008, while I’ll be talking about the technical capabilities of Essential Business Server from a business value perspective. As usual, if you haven’t updated LiveMeeting in a while, [...]

Never Slap A Customer With A Fish

chris — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:44:45 +0000

About a week ago I received notice that I’d been shifted from being an MVP for Small Business Server to one of the first five Essential Business Server MVPs. So what does that mean in practical terms? For those of you stopping by, there will be a whole heaping lot more focus on mid-market topics here [...]

An Irish Pub In Winter

chris — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:07:15 +0000

Is there anything more awesome than that? CiNPA AKA Cincinnati Network Professional Association put together a “Twas The Night Before The Night Before Christmas” get-together on the 23rd of December. It’s happening at Molly Malone’s, just over on the bluegrass side of the Ohio River. Since it’s Tuesday, there will be live Irish music, and Texas Hold’em (starting at 9p) [...]

EBS Installation Finalizes Exchange Server Deployment

chris — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:01:24 +0000

When installing Exchange Server 2007 as a regular old standalone product, opening the Exchange Management console for the first time presents you with this gem of a task list… There’s quite a bit of stuff on that Finalize Deployment list, some of which is required to actually get your deployment to a point where it can be considered complete AKA functional. [...]

Will The Real EBS 2008 Exam Please Stand Up?

chris — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:41:48 +0000

If you’re trying to book either the EBS 2008 or SBS 2008 exam and get a bit confused when looking at the Prometric registration site, don’t feel bad. Here’s what you’ll see right now: Word of advice: I always go by exam number, rather than titles, when I’m booking my exams. Notice how 70–653 and 70–654 both show with the [...]

DNS Settings The Essential Business Server Way

chris — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:33:18 +0000

As every good admin knows, a healthy DNS infrastructure is the second most-important aspect of a reliable network. Based on my own experience in the field, DNS has to be the least understood, and most commonly misconfigured service, on any given network. And if DNS is wrong, then that network will have problems. No argument about that. Since the configuration of EBS is [...]

Essential Business Server Premium Carries Downgrade Rights

chris — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:11:42 +0000

OK, this is something that people have been freaking out about, and with good reason. Essential Business Server 2008 Premium Edition includes an extra server. As in, an extra license of Windows Server 2008 Standard and a license for SQL Server 2008 Standard. Although this extra server can be used to hold a variety of roles, [...]

Change The Login Account Used By SCE On EBS

chris — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:52:54 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of Mark “Mr. Roboto” Stanfill, the official Essential Business Server blog just posted arguably its best article to date. http://blogs.technet.com/essentialbusinessserver/archive/2008/11/18/how-to-change-the-sce-run-as-and-data-warehouse-accounts-in-ebs.aspx Changing the service account SCE uses from the default of Administrator is prolly one of the first steps that should be taken with every new EBS installation. Mainly because doing that totally avoids the whole “Holy crap [...]

The Essential Business Server Speedrun

chris — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:08:37 +0000

With the number of times I’ve installed and re-installed the various builds of Essential Business Server over the last year, I’ve compiled a list of install notes and various shortcuts that have shaved my install time considerably. All of these have been used for a lab environment only, inside Hyper-V. Installing EBS in a production environment [...]

The Great Palm Treo Pro Giveaway For Microsoft Partners

chris — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:01:45 +0000

Maybe you also attended the virtual launch event for The Family Von WESS AKA Windows Essential Server Solutions AKA Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 last week. Interesting though it was, I got a slightly creeped out feeling during the event. Like I was starring in one of those old Twilight Zone episodes as [...]