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SideTrax is a bunch of mini, tid-bit articles and/or links that are important or fun and worthy of sharing.
Table of Contents
The Dog Whisperer
The Office Jerk
Apple Does Windows
The Eyes Have It?
Ironing Out Anthrax
Chicago Goes All Out on Wireless
Job Hunting Mistakes
The Support Nightmare!
Free Tech Support!
Online Videos
Painting With Your Face
The Dog Whisperer
If you own a dog and have not heard of Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, you're in for an education. His new book is a MUST READ for all dog owners!
Cesar has a dog rehabilitation TV show on the National Geographic's Channel (NGC) called The Dog Whisperer. I first learned about him about 1.5 yrs ago during his first season. Greg always watches NGC and one night he pointed out to me that there was "a dog guy" on TV. At the time, I was having some doggie issues with Lexi. Cesar's show that night just happened to be about a woman with a powerful dog that went nutso when he saw other dogs. Listen up, Lexi! Walking her had turned into an adventure as she hit her terrible twos. Like walking a "bee on a string" as Greg put it, she had gotten out of control. The very next day I took Lexi out and incorporated Cesar's calm-assertive techniques for being a pack leader with Lexi.
  I was BLOWN AWAY!
Using Cesar's common sense way of understanding a dog's nature and not fighting it, along with a calm-assertive energy, we were barely once around the park before Lexi began acting like the perfectly behaved dog I knew she could be again. No, she did not change over night...but with consistency on my part over the last year, the entire Barker Gang has become a pack of calm[er]-[more]submissive dogs (yes, we still have work to do!) who [much more often] follow their pack leader...me. Lexi did immediately begin walking by my side and stopping/sitting when I stopped walking. I can even now run with her...gently following at my side rather than trying to drag me down the street or rip my arm out (she's 90 pounds of solid "Lab" muscle!). I was hooked. Hail Cesar!
I began to absorb everything Cesar. I've lived with numerous dogs all my life and trained a pile of them from pups. I've had some wonderful dogs who learned to do wonderful things. Yet I've learned more about dogs in the last year by watching The Dog Whisperer show, viewing Cesar's People Training DVD and now just finishing reading his Cesar's Way book...than I learned in a lifetime of being with them all the time!
Not to mention that seeing him actually jogging along the California hills with a pack of 30-40 powerful dogs...calmly trotting along side/behind him...in perfect control, off leash...is amazing! A true testament to his powerful understanding of our furry friends!
Watch the show! Read the book! Your dog will love you for it! And you will enter a whole new relationship of cooperation with your canine buddy! I did! Thank you Cesar!
Today Show: Got pooch problems? This new book can help. Author and "Dog Whisperer" host Cesar Millan offers help for desperate dog owners in his new book, "Cesar's Way." Here's an excerpt.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12155790/
The Office Jerk
Every office has at least one. I worked for one (no, NOT Monty...he was one of the best bosses!). But working for this other guy even made me go out and get the book mentioned in the article below...How to Work for an Idiot. No, I didn't read it at the office...but was tempted to, just before I quit, in the hopes that I'd get the point across to help the other staff survive!<lol> Check out the link below to try to help yourself learn to deal with the idiots in your life. And if you don't think your office has any jerks, the reason might be because you are it! So check out the listing below to see if anyone sounds intimately familiar.
Forbes.com: How to handle the office jerk Unfortunately, there's no shortage of jerks. These maddening creatures, including some with real talent, are everywhere. The essence of a jerk is immutable, or so it seems, raising a basic question: How do you deal with the office ninny, jackass or schmuck?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12133529/
Apple Does Windows
Apple unveils software to let Macs run Windows. Apple Computer Inc. on Wednesday rolled out a software patch that enables its Intel-based Macintosh computers to install and run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP operating system.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12166580/
The Eyes Have It?
You may have started seeing the new Thumb Readers at your local grocery store. They have them at mine. You register with the store via their computer and then you can pay your bill by simply pressing your thumb on the reader at the checkout. Holy George Jetson, Batman!
Will you someday be sticking your eyes in readers? I doubt it will be that strange. But it looks like eye scanners will be more the norm in the future than even using your thumb. Identity from your eyeball? Hum...that puts a whole new spin on identity theft!
New biometric devices promise better ID
Forget fingerprints. New biometric devices promise better ways to eyeball
your identity.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11523709/
Ironing Out Anthrax
Remember your lame school science projects? Heck...hire this kid for homeland security!
Student to publish anthrax science project. A high school student who showed in a science fair project that using a clothes iron on mail can kill anthrax-like spores inside.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11473217/
Chicago Goes All Out on Wireless
The Windy City gears up to be Wireless. The City of Chicago is launching an effort to offer wireless broadband, city officials said Friday, in what would be the biggest such system yet.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11415704/
Job Hunting Mistakes
Catastrophic job hunting flubs. When hunting for a job, avoid these ten catastrophic job hunting flubs.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11043614/
The Support Nightmare!
Okay, this one is for all of us who provide tech support to others. If you've been doing it for awhile, you know the stories. There are the sweet folks who just take forever to get it. There are the wonderful folks who make a point to thank you. And there are the jerks who either tell you that you are wrong or demand that you continue to fix their screw-ups and never say thanks.
The story below is an email I received. The names have been changed to protect everyone. But I'm sure some of you can appreciate this rant. HA!
So there's this woman in the office that is absolutely allergic to technology. She starts freaking out and getting crazy whenever anyone even mentions email, websites, Internet, or whatever. She just doesn't WANT to learn about any of it! She's stuck on this idea that she doesn't need it and won't ever use it. So she has me do everything for her. I don't mind helping people; but when I try to show her, she just gets frantic and ends up giving me $20 to do it myself. Which hey, that's fine. But it makes me angry that she doesn't even try to learn.
She has me type up letters when she could be practicing them herself. She says she doesn't know how to type...the letters are labeled on the damn keyboard, everyone knows how to type! It just takes practice to get faster. But instead, she just sits on her cellphone and gabs to her friends - not even clients!
So anyway, the boss finally got fed up with it and had me set up a gmail account for her. Today she was in and I said I'd work with her for a bit and show her. I think we were doing that for like an hour...just email. She doesn't even know how to use a mouse or what a cursor is, what the scroll bar is, how to click and drag...noooothiiiinng! It was so frustrating, but at least she was now actually trying to learn...and I think she did!
She wrote it all down so she can go back and practice. We went over sending, replying, checking your inbox, what new email looks like and what old email looks like. I had to explain how to use the shift key to get the @ sign. I swear...I had to come up with more examples than I ever thought possible. I compared email addresses with home addresses, email with snail mail. Then she asked me "So if I want to send an email to my friend in California, will it cost for long distance?" <banging my head on the desk>
I said "No, its just like sending a letter in the mail...if you want to send it to someone in California - it costs the same as it does if you're sending it next door. Except this is free, there are no stamps involved! Free!"
She said "You know this was invented like what 10 years ago or something? This should've been invented before the telephone so that when the telephone was invented people could go 'oh wow this is so easy! I'm so glad I don't have to fool with all that email stuff anymore."
OH-MY-GAWD!<lol>
So I explained "It's more convenient in the sense that if you're up working at 2am and you want to tell someone something, but you don't want to bother them and wake them up on the telephone, you can just send them an email so they can check it at their own convenience. So people feel more inclined to contact you through email than the phone, because you don't feel like you're interrupting the person."
I think once people realize they aren't going to set off a bomb by clicking the wrong button, they realize it's something that could be fun to learn and will experiment with it.
My god, I have SUCH a headache.
I don't know how you tech support people survive!
Free Tech Support!
If you are still sitting on the phone, wasting time and spending a fortune trying to get help from some geek who may or may not have any idea about your problem...why? Did you know there are gobs of free support groups available to you on the Internet? Microsoft has one of the biggest and best forums on the Internet and has had this available to you for over 10 years. It's staffed by Microsoft personnel and Microsoft MVPs who specialize in the problems you're having, as well as your peers who are doing what you're doing.
So don't play Russian Roulette by calling some support line and hoping the person you get has any idea about what you're doing...when you can post your question to a free group where hundreds and thousands of people...who have already done what you are trying to do or who have already fixed what you just screwed up...volunteer their time to help you out.
And if you're good at providing support, jump in and help others. It's a great way to get better at your craft because you challenge yourself by trying to solve problems that you may never be confronted with in your own daily life. From dog or cat issues, to photography, to cars, to computer tech support...you can find a group for everything on the web.
I list a handful of groups sponsored by MouseTrax.com and others where I help provide support when I have time on this page:
http://www.mousetrax.com/resources.html
And check out this article for more details about how to find other groups.
Get Help
http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=124
Online Videos
There are some great ways to waste time on the web and one of them is watching funny and amazing videos that are now stored all over the web. Check out the resources and articles below for more info.
Amateur video sharing grows online Thanks to faster Internet connections and better online video technology, amateur photographers are sharing videos on online sites.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10987960/
Google Video
This video search service enables users to discover all kinds of interesting videos produced by professionals and enthusiasts. Within Google Video lies the Google Video store, the first open video marketplace where viewers can buy and rent a wide range of video content from major television networks, cable programmers, independent producers, filmmakers and individual creators. This content is viewable using the Google video player.
Google Video Reviewer's Guide (PDF - 3.3MB)
Google Video store
Our Google Video uploader program has encouraged the submission of
thousands of clips from videomakers of all kinds. Now Google Video is
enhanced with a store where you can buy or rent current and classic
episodes of thousands of hours of video, including CBS programs, games
from the NBA, music videos - even entire movies - and watch them
using the new Google Video player. Special bonus: Watch a webcast (or
read the transcript) of our co-founder Larry Page's keynote at the
Consumer Electronics Show, where he unveiled the new Google Video.
http://video.google.com
http://www.google.com/press/podium.html (January 6)
Painting With Your Face
Okay, this is truly amazing.
"I/O Brush looks like a regular physical paintbrush but has a small video camera with lights and touch sensors embedded inside. Outside of the drawing canvas, the brush can pick up color, texture, and movement of a brushed surface. On the canvas, artists can draw with the special "ink" they just picked up from their immediate environment."
 In other words, you can point the brush to your face and then paint with an image of your face. Creepy, eh? Or how 'bout dog noses! HA!
It even paints with motion. In the image here, they captured a kid's eye blinking and then painted it...with the eye still blinking. Aggkkk! Run away! Too spooky!
Check it out here: http://web.media.mit.edu/~kimiko/iobrush
But to truly understand the possibilities, be sure to check out this video!
http://web.media.mit.edu/~kimiko/iobrush/iobrush_quicktime_medium.mov
Thanks to Stacy Chesney for passing this info along.
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