Cloud 101

Check out my "Cloud 101" presentation from the Microsoft 365 2 Day event in Harrisburg PA, October 27-29, 2011.

Cloud computing 102711 - ccap

View more presentations from William Mann

Managing Your Microsoft Online Password

There is no doubt. Passwords can be a big pain for everyone. However without passwords our information is not secure. This short training video will demonstrate how to manage and change your Microsoft Online password and what happens if you allow your password to expire (after 90 days).

Finding Your "Lost Track-It"

One of the things I often hear from my co-workers is that "I can't find Track-It" or my personal favorite "Somebody deleted Track-It from my computer!". Track-It is not installed on anyone's PC. It is simply a URL linking your account to the Track-It Server. Here I demonstrate how to access Track-It, even if someone has "deleted it from your computer".

Ulysses S. Grant. Your story is remarkable. From a modest background you struggled to make a living until the Mexican War started. You enlisted and served in that war with distinction. After the war you served in peacetime and because you missed your wife so badly and children so much you left the service. Loose from the service you struggled to support you growing family failing at the many things you tried. Another war erupted this time, this time it was the North vs. the South. You joined President Lincoln's cause and moved up the ranks and finally became the president's trusted general and eventually earned command of the entire army. You of course went on to defeat the rebellion and help Lincoln end slavery.

After the war you were thrust into the presidency where you tried your best to follow Lincoln's reconstruction plan. For the record you were truly the only president to walk where Lincoln walked. You even made peace with the Indians. The only president by the way to do this.

After your presidency the south would not see truly enjoy peace again until the civil rights movement, almost 100 years later in the 1960's.

After your presidency you and your wife toured the world.

As you turned 62 financial and medical tragedy struck. This is where this story takes the reader.

Hopefully I have grabbed your attention and you check this excellent book out which covers the final last year of a true American hero.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

The overarching theme for National Cyber Security Awareness Month is “Our Shared Responsibility,” which reflects the interconnectedness of the modern world and the message that all computer users have a role in securing cyberspace.

Through a series of events and initiatives across the country, Awareness Month engages public and private sector partners to raise awareness and educate Americans about cybersecurity, and increase the resiliency of the Nation and its cyber infrastructure.

Americans can follow a few simple steps to keep themselves, their personal assets, and private information safe online. This year, we will also prominently feature a different critical cybersecurity issue each week in October.

Week One:
Stop.Think.Connect
Emphasizes general cybersecurity awareness with events highlighting the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign

Week Two:
Education / Workforce
Showcases the urgent need to develop cyber education programs to train the next generation cyber workforce

Week Three:
Cyber Crime
Focuses on national and local efforts to prevent identity theft and other cyber crimes

Week Four:
Small Business
Highlights strategies small- and medium-sized business owners can use to bolster their own cybersecurity defenses


Do Your Part
Here are a few simple things businesses, schools, and home users can do to practice cybersecurity during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and throughout the year:

•Find or register a local National Cyber Security Awareness Month event on our official calendar.

•Show your organization's commitment to cybersecurity by signing the online endorsement form and becoming a National Cyber Security Awareness Month Champion.

•Download tip sheets on how to stay safe in a variety of online settings: on social networking sites, on gaming sites, on your mobile device, and distribute them within your community.

•Participate in the NCSA's Cyber Security Awareness Volunteer Education (C-SAVE) Program and help educate elementary, middle, and high school students about Internet safety and security.

•Add a signature block to your e-mail: "October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Stay Safe Online!

The Murder of James Garfield

I know that this is a technology blog and I do often find myself reading great science and technology books, however I believe it is equally important to never forget the past. There are countless stories to be explored that I never grow tired of looking into our past and I highly recommend you give it a try. I actually I have found that learning about people and events from the past can have a calming and centering effect. As we all seem to be in perpetual motion these days, stopping and gleaming the past can actually have a de-stressing effect. So give it a try, maybe with the book I discuss here.

James Garfield. Do you know who he is? If you posses an average knowledge of history you will probably respond with something like this. “Was he a president or something?” That’s it. Not much more is probably known about Garfield and that is pretty distressing. In Candice Millard’s recent book, “Destiny of the Republic – A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President” she attempts to right this wrong.

This is a fascinating true story of an American who broke the chains of poverty through hard and honest work. Garfield went on to start a family build a home of a farm after saving his money, and continued to better hilself with self-education and would eventually leave a profound mark on this nation. Garfield loved his family and he loved his books. One reporter remarked after interviewing Garfield in his home during the 1880 presidential election, “wherever you looked you were presented with a book”. When the Civil War erupted in 1861 Garfield left his family and served the Union and rose through the ranks to General. Towards the end of the war Garfield was elected to Congress without campaigning or asking for the office. His reputation was so strong the office came to him. After entering Congress everyone around him could see that Garfield was honest, fair and open minded in everything he did. Eventually he found himself tangled in the tumultuous presidential election of 1880. Running for the Republican Nomination was Ulysses S. Grant (third term), James G. Blaine and John Sherman. The nomination process went on for 2 days, ballot after ballot failed to claim a winner. Although Garfield, who had just won an Ohio Senate seat was working hard to get Sherman the nomination support slowing ebbed in his direction. Garfield did not want the nomination and worked hard to oppose it. However everyone was tired of the “party politics” at that point and Garfield’s reputation was un-like anyone running. Garfield was nominated against his wishes and at the end of the second day was awarded the nomination. As was his work ethic, Garfield who was very uncomfortable with the nomination worked hard for his country and went on to defeat another Civil War hero for the presidency in 1880, Democrat Winfield Scott.

Evil lurks all around us. At the same time Garfield was succeeding at everything he tried Charles E. Guiteau was failing. Guiteau attempted it seems everything. From obtaining entrance into college, law work, writing, theology, politics and even marriage he failed miserably in all of them. Guiteau most likely failed at everything because he was insane. During the 1880 election standing on a street corner Guiteau reportedly made a corner speech supporting Garfield. Because of this, Guiteau believed he was “owed” a political job from Garfield. After the election Guiteau haunted the White House and even met the president once, which was not unusual at the time. An office job was refused of course which led to Garfield’s murder at Guiteau’s hand only 2 months after the election.

There is so much more to this excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to escape into the past for a brief time and learn something about our 20th president, James A. Garfield.

OH, I Almost Forgot
If you take the time to read this book you will be angered and upsept that Garfield should have survived the gunshot he sustained. The doctors so botched the work he suffered in misery and slowly died. A tragic fate he surely did not deserve. Just wait until you learn about that!