I used to pride myself in making or installing things to withstand the test of time.  I would make sure whatever I was installing was securely fastened and not budge.  This usually works for most things unless if there is anything mechanical or electrical involved.

The idea of permanently installing something like a sprinkler anti-siphon valve seemed like a very noble idea.  I have to admit, now that some time has passed, that it wasn’t such a great idea .

Now that I am more mature and a little wiser, my philosophy is to consider all the different ways a device can fail and design serviceability into the installation.

Things to consider when installing anything electrical or mechanical:

• Electrical / Mechanical devices fail
• What are you going to do if you want to upgrade it someday?
• What if it needs to be serviced?
• What happens if a key-component fails and you’re forced to replace it?

I recently experienced a failure in my sprinkler system.  The valve that failed was an Anti-Siphon valve attached to a 4 port manifold.  It was probably one of my crowning achievements in sprinkler system installations.  I have installed a few, but this one I was particularly proud of.

I installed the sprinkler valves to endure the test of time.  They were securely fixed in the ground, attached to a 4 port manifold.  When you install sprinklers you don’t usually think about failure, you think about how wonderful it is that it works and everything is automated.

Point of Failure

Pictured here is the point of Failure.  The Valve Lid became weak over its many years of service; It was such a reliable valve.  Apparently, over 10 years of beating sun took its toll on the lid, it just couldn’t take the pressure any more.

Fortunately, the problem resolution was relatively painless.  They don’t sell valve lids at my local hardware store. However, they do sell manual Anti-Siphon valves that happen to be the same make, model, and size that I used when I first installed them all those years ago.  I purchased a new valve for parts, then replaced the Lid and guts.

I have seen some pretty spectacular FAILS in my lifetime.  Most of these failures were a result of wear and tear, or exposure, over time.

Note to self:  Make sure plastic parts are properly covered from the elements.

Design for failure is a post from: Words of Wisdom by MrWes thank you for reading my blog.

If both computers are on a network you can do file sharing.  Of course if the operating systems are different you may encounter challenges to get the computers to play nice with each other.

You might copy files between computers by using a USB drive.  Depending on the drive limitations you might have to repeat a cycle of upload files to USB drive, download files from USB drive. then make space on USB drive for next set of files.

What if your computer doesn’t have a network connection or you don’t have a cross over cable.  How are you going to share those files?

I recently purchased a device that works with Macs and PCs.

When you plug it in, it looks like a multi-function USB device.

It’s a keyboard.  It’s a mouse.  It’s a USB drive.

When I first purchased the wormhole I thought each PC was going to appear as a drive on the other desktop.

There is a drive that shows up on each computer, but the drive provides software to enable the file copying interface.

The keyboard & mouse on either computer controls its own computer until the mouse is moved to the remote computer screen.  Once the mouse is moved over to the other side, the mouse & keyboard now control the other computer.  This is pretty interesting.  This could be used during a tutoring session, where you want to teach someone how to do something without invading their personal space.

Transferring Files and folders:

File and folder transfer is a breeze.  It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

From your computer to the other computer.

1. Navigate mouse to the file or folder you want to copy.  (Either on your local computer or remote computer)

2. Click on file or folder you want to copy.

3. Drag file or folder to the destination computer.  (Either your local computer or remote computer)

Transferring Text via clipboard:

Transferring  text between computers is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

In my test, I had Microsoft Word launched on my Macbook Pro running Mac OS X and my Compaq Presario running Windows XP Pro.

I did the following to copy the text back and forth.

1. Select text & copy on the source computer.

2. Move cursor to destination computer.

3. Select paste.

That’s it, pretty simple.

Imagine the Possibilities:

Have you ever run across a situation where a computer program was stuck?  It wouldn’t allow you to save the file because of some weird error.

What if you could just connect a special USB connector between the two computers and magically copy the information from one platform to another?

This is just one example of how the J5create wormhole switch might save the day.

J5create wormhole switch JUC400 is a post from: Words of Wisdom by MrWes thank you for reading my blog.

AAA is American Automobile Association. Backblaze is an automatic online backup system.

Fortunately, AAA is available to help you resolve simple issues like Locked Keys, Out of Gas, Jump Start, replace Tires, local towing, etc.  I have only one key for my car & I accidentally locked it in my car.  Of course it wasn’t smart to do that.  I don’t know what I would do if AAA wasn’t around to help.  At least the problem was easy to resolve and help me get back to being productive.

A few months ago, I started using Backblaze.com for backups.  I have been recommending it to my family, friends, and clients.  It is a reasonable service at $5/month for unlimited data storage.  Actually pretty affordable when compared to other services.

One client has Backblaze software installed on several Windows 7 computers.  It has been operating for a few months and nothing to report good or bad.  Backblaze has been quietly backing up  data without any issues.  It wasn’t until recently we discovered that her computer was infected by an email virus that wiped out her documents and email data.

Fortunately for her, Backblaze had been backing up her data before the computer was infected.  After retrieving the lost data her computer was back up & running in no time.

Just like AAA, Backblaze is there when you have an emergency.  The only problem is you need to start using them before you have an issue that needs to be resolved.

AAA and Backblaze save the day is a post from: Words of Wisdom by MrWes thank you for reading my blog.

Some people think all you have to do is post frequent status updates on Facebook in order to develop your web presence.  While it may be possible to use Facebook to get onto page one of your search engine results for a brand name or a unique name, that doesn’t mean you’re going to compete for other categories in your industry.  In order to develop your Web Presence you need to spend more time sharing information on other Social Media.

There’s more than Facebook:

• LinkedIn (Sharing with your professional networks)
• Twitter (Sharing in 140 chars or less)
• Social Bookmarking (Sharing websites or pages you really like)
  • StumbleUpon
  • Delicious
  • Digg
• Blogs – (Share useful information or insights with others)
• Comments on Blogs – (Having an opinion helps others know who you are)
• Flickr – (Sharing your pictures)
• YouTube – (Sharing Videos)
• Collaboration on Projects

Do you agree or disagree?

Start today, make a comment.

Focus on more than Facebook to build Web Presence is a post from: Words of Wisdom by MrWes thank you for reading my blog.

Their business uses a trust based point system using various trust criteria such as verification of email, phone, website, background checks, customer recommendations to name a few.

They also provide a platform for  businesses to share about their services and what differentiates them from other businesses providing the same service.

I was so impressed by their service that I decided to list my business with them.  The service is virtually free.  However, there are a few background checks that cost a few dollars for the company being listed.

MrWes Consulting is listed under Personal Computer Repair.

Business search using Thumbtack.com is a post from: Words of Wisdom by MrWes thank you for reading my blog.