Archive for Technology
The Digital Pack-rat: I Don’t Have A Portable Hard Drive, Now What?
Posted by: | CommentsOkay,
So you have read my first entry and realized that we save a lot of data but you cannot afford an external drive or are still saving for one what do you do in the mean time. Here is what I used to do before I had an external drive
1. I would always keep my data sorted in to folders and make sure that I knew where everything is from documents to music to my videos I knew where all my stuff was. That was always the first step
2. I would get some blank CDS/DVDS and would make sure that I was able to make a backup to some sort of blank media. In the days of zip drives I would store all of my data on to blank zip discs that were 100 megs each. This would include all of my drivers, program installers and of course music and documents. But now that we are in the DVD era it is time to move forward
3. Once everything was backed up and labled I would put everything in a safe location and make sure I knew where it was when it came time to access the data when I needed to recover a file or re-do my computer
When you want to backup your data make sure you have a good program that will burn data cds for PC I recommend Nero and for the Mac I recommend Roxio’s Toast but any program that can burn data cds will do well. Nero even has an BurnLite version of the their program that will burn data dvds without having to buy the full program
But this is not always a safe option I am finding DVDs that I made 2 years ago and the data is not being read. Always make sure that you have an alternate way to get the data that you need to save. I find that certain brands of dvds don’t last as well.
I have used LG, Sony, Memorex, Maxell and even Verbatim and found that the best brand is Sony they even after 4 years still run the best I can still get my data and never had a disc go down unless I scratched it. All the others I did not know from disc to disc what to do. It is crazy to see that from brand to brand how they last over the years. So be careful and watch out
When ever you backup your data weather to a cd, dvd or portable hard drive you always run the risk of loosing data, I have learned that nothing lasts forever and some times I even find discs and I think to myself “when did I save this” But always remember backups are good for the recovery of the data when you need it.
Backup and Backup Often!
An Update
Posted by: | CommentsHello,
Here I am sitting at the church listing to Lorna play after just having been done at the Dr’s office and really just thinking to myself.. what an amazing 4 weeks I have never been more excited about life then in a long long time. I recently started dating the most amazing women in the world. I never thought that I would ever date her in a million years. We met when we were 10 and well from time to time we lost track of each other and in the last few months have been connecting.
When I love about her most is how she is so independent.. how she takes charge of what she wants and goes for it. When she knows what she wants there is no stopping her. She is so amazing a person inside and out.. We talk about everything.. there is almost nothing that I don’t tell her. Late night chats on the phone.. time apart so I can do my church thing and then we catch up. She is so supportive of what I do here at the church. She is all around the perfect women (at least in my eyes)
What else is been going on.. well not much… I am turning 31 on Saturday and going from there. I am going to be visiting with a friend of mine who is also having a birthday on the same day. So it should be an exciting weekend. This weekend is also fathers day and my mothers birthday all in the same day.. How fun is that. So this should be a very exciting week.
As for the church we just finished up the online store and its products. take a look at www.theembassyofgod.com/store/ Pastor Matt and Ron Prestage did an awesome job on the covers for the cds and boxes and I worked hard on getting the sermons in order and edited for sale. We together were as Ron said a machine in getting the website done and running. WordPress is the most awesome tool in the world for this stuff. We are going to unveil it to the church this Sunday
What else has been going on.. well just doing my stuff for my self.. I am working on getting all of my movies and tv shows on to my portable hard drive and into my Itunes so that I can watch them on the computer at anytime I want.. I have my MacBook setup to run off the TV . I can in my Itunes watch anything I want from movies to tv to listing to music It Rocks! Plus I am still doing all of the church stuff that I normally do.
Really working hard at the church these days.. The store took up most of our time.. but I am still doing sound and media work.. Joined the intercessor team for the Worship team and working hard on my proverbs study. My gal is now doing it along side me. She is always challenging me to go higher in the things of the Lord and I love her for that. She wants to make sure that we have put God first before anything else in our relationship and that has always been my primary goal with this relationship is to put him first. She is awesome!
Not much more then that is going on. I really don’t have much to say. So I will close for now.
Till Next Entry
The Digital Pack-rat: Organizing Data Between Computers
Posted by: | CommentsHello,
In the age of every thing is on the computer or lets look it up on the internet most of us would tend to have one or more computer in our homes, work places and even schools. But how do you keep all of your files organized and what is the best way to do this?
I have found this to be a difficult answer. This week I had the pleasure of being given a MacBook and it is one of the best things I have ever received and as I began to put all of my files on the Mac from my Windows XP Desktop & Laptop I realized how much duplication I had and how much useless data I was saving.
Now I know you are wondering what kind of PCs do I have? So hear is the run down.
My Desktop
AMD equivalent P3 Processor
512 Megs of Ram
60 Gig Primary Hard Drive
80 Gig Secondary Hard Drive
CD/DVD Burner
CD Burner
ATI Dual Screen Video Card (Standard Monitor/RCA)
Acer Wide Screen Monitor (I Think 24″)
Windows XP Professional
My Laptop
Pentium 4 Processor
256 Megs of Ram
30 gig Primary Hard Drive
CD/DVD Burner (Needs Repair)
Dual Screen Display (Standard Monitor/S-Video)
Windows XP Home
Now that you know what kind of PCs I had here is what the problem was in now having a Mac. I have two external hard drives
Acromdata
500 Gig
formated FAT32
Western Digital
1 tb (tera-byte)
formated NTFS
Now saving data to them on a Windows XP Computer is not a problem. Both drives read and write just fine. But here is the problem, the FAT32 formated drive reads and writes fine on my MacBook but the NTFS drive is read only as Mac does not support the Microsoft owned NTFS file format. So what to do?
Well the first thought was keep the first drive as is. The second drive was more of a problem, I began to think what if I split the drive in to two partitions half for Reading and Writing on a Windows PC and half for reading and writing on a Mac computer/laptop? Easy? No!
First problem where to put over 490+ gigs of data off as a backup before I do this. Well this was a no go I decided I would try and split the drive and risk loosing my data. That failed the free program I was using stopped at 9% of the total process. CRAP! Tried with another demo program it was going to take 12+ days to get this done. Okay not a solution as I was 1hr from leaving to go to the church
Get to the church and talked with my friend who is a Mac expert and well that was not a dead end but was he showed me was going to wipe out the entire drive. Loose all my data no freakin’ way. What is my option?
I started to sort out all of the files on both drives and my Macs internal hard drive. Here is when I realized something. “I have 3 copies of my music” “I have saved how much in videos?” So quick take my NTFS drive on a windows computer found out I have 380.5 gigs of just videos, now what to do?
I know what I want out of the drive but how to accomplish that? Do I really want to loose all of my stuff? Do I buy another drive and format it for my Mac? This might be a good option but who has $119.00 to throw away? My NTFS drive is less then half full. Crap Again!
This is where I sit.. Stucker then Stuck! I know I can save my data like Optimist Club of Oshawa and my IHOP stuff no problem on my other drive. I did move all my personal documents to the Fat32 drive and am getting rid of all my music on the NTFS one but again what do I do?
Well here are some tips I have learned in only day and a half.
1. External Hard Drives are great for backup
don’t backup the same data ex Music/MP3 files on more then one drive this only confuses you. You begin to ask your self “What copy is the current and correct one?”
I find now that I have 3 copies of my music (both external drives and MacBook) I am going to have to try to amalgamate everything into one copy on my MacBook with a backup on one of the two external drives. Hopefully I don’t loose any important songs.
2. External Drives are great to use as primary storage for all documents and digital media
I am finding with my Windows PCs getting full so fast that rather then save to those computers “my documents” folders I just save direct to the secondary or external hard drive this way if the computer crashes all you loose if your desktop stuff (anything you saved on the desktop), Windows and Programs.. not a huge loss but some loss none the less.
This will also save you from having to keep making backups but in some cases your external drive could crash or get damaged before the computer you are using so use this option at your own risk. I do
3. If you have more then one computer make sure you know what data goes where
I find now with having two laptops and one desktop it is hard to know what data is for what and is it for Mac or PC. Is the file I created on my pc able to be opened on my Mac? Is the program I used Mac or PC only?
Always know the files that go to what computer! Make sure that you have access to the programs you need to open those files. IE Microsoft Office, Itunes, Ilife etc.. and when using Mac and PC becareful what fonts you use.
Although PC Fonts can be installed in your Mac, Mac Fonts cannot be installed on your PC and to find the font from the Mac for use on a PC can cost you big.
4. Last but not least Keep your data organized!
Make sure you know what belongs where and make sure you know where everything is stored. It does not matter weather PC or Mac you must keep your files in order. Keeping your files in order helps you to save time trying to figure out where you saved that pesky file.
I like to organize things in to folders with lots of sub-folders here are three examples
A. Music –> Christian –> Artist/Disc –> MP3 File
Music –> Christian –> Artist/Disc –> CD Name –> Mp3 File
B. Church –> Church Department –> Stuff For Department –> File
C. Documents –> Item –> File
Example A: I have the root of my external drive (or documents folder on my desktop/laptop) Music in there is a sub-folder called Christian and then in the sub-folder Christian is a folder marked with the Artist or CD Name then a folder under that with the CD/Album Title and then the MP3 file. Some times if I don’t know the cd/album I will just put the MP3 file in the Artist Folder
Example B: This how I would store all of my church related work/data the root folder is called church then a sub-folder for each department (Sunday, Student Ministries, House of Prayer) and then a sub-folder for each item I am working on for that department (recordings, bible study etc) and then you will find the actual file
Example C: This for if you are using a folder for personal data that is not related to work or volunteering. The root folder is for documents or my documents then a sub folder for the item you are working on (health, finances etc) and then in that sub-folder you will find the file
These are three of the many folders that I have on my computer and external hard drives. I at times have been called the folder king but I know where all my data is and anyone can find what they need in a snap.
I encourage you to keep your data organized like me. But I have learned from helping many people or all ages and generations that we all have our own way of doing things. Some like my mother are like me and some like one senior I help out don’t care where the files go and in turn is always is opening the wrong file and messing it up. So I can show people the way but in the end it is up to you.
My hope is that you get your data in an order that works for.
Till Next Entry
An Update: I am Still Here!
Posted by: | CommentsHello,
I always say this but… It has been some time since I posted any of my thoughts and or writings and that is because I have not really had anything to say or share. I mostly wanted to share the fact that The International House of Prayer was going to have there live prayer room now as a free web stream rather then paid subscription etc..
But.. now I am ready to share some things with you. Lets start off first saying I cannot believe that I have not posted since November and cannot believe that I have had nothing to say just share. Things have really changed in my life. I am now on a very strict ministry schedule and will be taking more time to spend with the Lord in prayer, studies, and meditation and really be holding to this. Yes I know things can change and that from time to time but for the most part this schedule is set in stone. (click here )
I have been really working hard on my studies in the book proverbs and really understanding so much about what proverbs is saying not only about God’s lessons but about how is applies to my life and how much I really did not know. It is amazing how God can reveal things through the various translations and version of the word. I find it interesting how one translation can word something as compared to another. I just got for Christmas The Jimmy Swaggart Expositor Study Bible in the 1611 King James version with modified words for the modern english and even that is an interesting change.
I really love the New American Standard Bible as my primary translation, but will use this closely as the secondary translation. It has so much to offer in the way of commentary and insight. Another good translation for the most part is The Message.. a modern day english translation of God’s Word. At times it translates things and you go “What The Hell” but it is in such plain english that you at times can step back and Go Dude I get it.
In all my life I have never taken more notes and written down more things about the bible. I am really finding a lot of insight about what God is saying in his word and for my life. All of my notes have been placed in a members only website that I hope some day to put out there for everyone to read. But right now this is a season for me to keep in the hidden place and let other come into their glory.
Speaking of that.. The hidden place.. what a lonely place this can be.. what a hard season this is for me to let other come into their glory or to let others do things that you know you can do but even if is is not as well as others. Web Site design is one of those things that I have trouble letting others help me with unless I want it. I some times forget that I have to sit back and let others come into their glory. I love media, web, and just general technology that I tend to want to take it all for myself. This is one of many things that the Lord has been working on changing in me.
Ministry: Most times when I get into a ministry and really start pouring myself into it and things I know I am good at and when portions of it get taken away I am easily hurt. All my life I never really had a place that I belonged to, even in high school the people that I hung out with were called the Nerd Herd and have become, were and are my closest friends.
So when something is taken away I can easily get hurt by it. This happened to me this week and I will say no more about that subject. It has happened in a few places that I am currently volunteering in. I am not looking for sympathy just another of those things the Lord is working on dealing with me.
I really enjoy what I do and when you are like me with my disabilities and all you tend to have a hard time letting people into your space and when you do find a place that you think you finally belong to you tend to hold on to it, some times way to tight. Now this could be me or it could be just us Geeks 4 God. Who knows, I just know me and who I am.
Over the last 3 years I have been privledged to work with some of the best people I have ever met. 2 years ago I had the pleasure of coming along side the Durham House of Prayer and well it was the best thing thats ever happend to me. In these last 3 years I met my mentor and friend, learned lots about ministry and learn more about prayer then I would have if I had never come along side the DHOP team. God has been good to me! I just sometimes forget it and focus on the rotten side of life.
But my personal life? What is going on there? Well not a whole lot. I have been sick off and on the last two weeks and therefore missed my last two specialist appointments. I ended up with a Chest cold that knocked me flat plus my Fibromyalgia flair ups and all the medications I am on don’t help the situation. I think that is part of the reason that things this week went the way they did.
I have also been working on getting this website’s pages finished and up and running. It’s the blog portion of the site that will be on going. I am learning alot about WordPress but if anyone knows how to take the menu and use external links to things like twitter, facebook etc.. that would be awesome. I added a great page with all of the Social Media I am connected to.. I did not realized that I am in so many places on the internet using names like matthewdykstra, mjsd, geek4god etc.. I really gotta get things together into one place and lead you out to the others. When I really sat down and looked it all over I thought to myself I am on the internet way to much and in way to many places.
This is why soon this url will be eliminated and I will be adding a domain to the mix. With its own e-mail. I just gotta find a good host for it. I just recently bought dhop.ca for the Durham House of Prayer which also owns durhamhop.com I am not totally sure how we are going to use it but I did not want to see that get taken. So I have enlisted the opinion of my friends and technical buddies to help me pick a domain for this site. I even asked them to help me pick what type of domain I am doing to use. So far 2 for .com and 1 for .ca but the name I currently want is avail in .com, .net, .org and .ca. I won’t tell you what I am looking for until I get the name that I want.
If you want to suggest a domain name for the site that would be awesome just click on the e-mail button under contact and let me know what you think.
Other then that and getting distracted I really have nothing else to chat about. If I keep going I will ramble. So I will stop here.
Till Next Entry
Mike Bickle.org: Lead Diligently: Taking Initiative to Minister to Others
Posted by: | CommentsHere is a great sermon for those of us in Ministry/Leadership and those of us considering starting a Ministry or Getting Into Leadership
Click here to watch video in a separate window.
Date:September 26, 2009
Author:Mike Bickle
Series:Part 6 of the series Sacred Charge: Seven Commitments of a Forerunner
Notes (PDF)Play Audio Download MP3 Download Video (High) (Low)
IHOP Prayer Room
Posted by: | CommentsTrouble viewing? Call 816.285.9370 or email ihopwebstream@gmail.com .
Click here for Archives: Low Quality Video | Medium Quality Video | High Quality Video
Windows Media Links: Medium Quality Video | Low Quality Video | Audio Only
IHOPU Student Awakening
Posted by: | CommentsFrom IHOP.ORG : As a result of a move of the Holy Spirit and student awakening at International House of Prayer University we are continuing our nightly awakening services in 2010 for as long as the Lord leads us. We are meeting at our FSM building from 6:00pm–midnight (CST) or 7:00pm – 1:00am (EST), Wednesday–Sunday each week; hence, the Global Prayer Room will be closed during these times.
Call 816.285.9370 or email webstream@ihop.org.
Windows Media Links: High Quality Video | Medium Quality Video | Low Quality Video | Audio Only
Serving The Lord, Serving With The Right Heart
Posted by: | CommentsHello,
It has been some time since I wrote and you all must be wondering where did he go?. I am still here and Still serving the Lord but I am in a interesting season right now and I hope some day to tell you more about it.. But I got to thinking today…. so here we go…
It is Monday November 23, 2009 and I just got off a major conference with Larry Randolph and Bob Jones and I was put en-charged of over seeing the editing and duplication of all the audio/cd sermons (as well as an mp3 disc) and well I began to think
1. We just produced over 600+ cds
2. We had a great team of people who were serving with the right heart
3. Boy I need a rest LOL
But in all of that I began to think what is really serving with the right heart. I have been in ministry now for over 3 years and really it is a question that we should ask our selves on a daily basis. What is serving with the right heart.
Lately I have been pondering that in my own ministry. I have been going through a rough period and really just had to sit back and re-evaluate why I am still serving (or volunteering) in God’s House? and what are my motives? Are they personal, or selfish or self-serving or even just because my church (or place I volunteer at) needs help?. Well if you have been following my journal/blog/diary then you will know that is not the case. But in all things we must re-evaluate what we are doing.
I believe that serving (or volunteering) with the right heart looks like this
1. We want to serve Jesus/God/Christ not serve the Pastor, Preacher, Evangelist etc.. If we are just there because (put name here) needs help then we are not serving God.. We have to first want to serve God before we serve anyone else..
You see I have a great set of mentors one from embassy | this generation and one from Durham House of Prayer and both are teaching me things and both do need my help but like I stated above if I only want to help my two mentors and submit only to what they want and not what the Lord is telling me to do (both in my private time and through them) then what good am I to the Kingdom.
2. We want to further the kingdom of God on the earth.. “…On Earth as it is in Heaven Matthew 6:10 (NASB)” Everything we do should be for the greater good of furthering Gods work on the earth.
I believe that in this day and age we should have no problems with this like it says in Mark 16:14 “..Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all… (MSG)”
As a person who loves technology this is one of the best ways to Go into all the world and preach the good news. I just created a site with all of the young adult sermons in an easy to find and organized manner. So as to get the good news of what God is doing out to the nations. With the media and technology these days we can be in some remote part of the world or some small town like Bowmanville , Ontario, Canada and get the news out there.
Look at www.god.tv and see what they are doing with Media and Technology. Even look at International House of Prayer with a live 24hr prayer room feed you can at any time of the night put on the prayer room and join in with Kansas City USA right in your part of the world in Prayer.
It brings to mind a verse from Revelations 11:9 (from The Message Bible) that says “…For three and a half days they’ll be there—exposed, prevented from getting a decent burial, stared at by the curious from all over the world…” now how in this day in age will that happen.. The Media meaning internet, digital TV and satellite and many forms that we have not even seen or heard of yet.
3. What is our motives for serving the kingdom are we doing it to help (put name here) or are we doing it to get the rewards that come with serving (lunches, use of equipment we don’t have, free entry into a conference or something to do because we are disabled or have no job right now) or are we doing it because we want to serve The Kingdom..
This reminds me of a verse out of Matthew 6:5-6 Jesus was teaching his deciples how to pray he went on to say to them about doing things in public and that we should go to the secret place.. well I believe that we should be serving in the secret place meaning that first we cannot be doing our serving to be seen by man (or everyone) and to say look at me I am serving the kingdom praise me praise me.. we should just go about doing our duties and if we are never seen by man God sees us and will reward us. The portions of the verse I found went like this.. here is two versions of that verse (same portions)
New American Standard Version (NASB)
V5 “…so that they may be seen by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full…”
V6 “…go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you…”
The Message (MSG)
V5 “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?”
V6 “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”
Yes it is nice once and a while to know that we are doing a good job by those who God placed over us such as mentors , friends, family, etc.. but really in the end it is what God thinks that totally matters. We must keep our motive pure and serve in the right heart.
What are your motives? Here are mine
Mine are simple.. Yes, I have a disability that keeps me from having a job that wants me to work a 40 hr a week. Yes I know that being in ministry is my destiny and calling .. but really it is simple.. I want to take the giftings that the Lord has blessed me with and using them to bless others. IE sermons.embassyonline.ca .
I want to get the message of Jesus/God/Christ out there for all who are not saved to know the Love and Grace that I have found. I want others to live with Joy. I want to teach others that there is more to life then just problems and the day to day stuff that we must go through. There is a God who loves us, cares for us and just wants to have a one on one relationship and help us to be in the place that he has destined for each of us.
My prayer for you all is that when you are serving or volunteering in the kingdom weather at the church, nursing home, or even going that extra un-paid mile at your work that you do. Do it with the heart of God and as a good friend always says “Do It Unto The Lord”
But remember this much.. If I have to check myself after 3 years of ministry and volunteering.. make sure you check your motives once and a while too. You would be amazed at what you find and what needs to be cleaned out.. Get rid of all those roots not just the bad fruit.. but that is an entry for another day LOL
Be Blessed!
Times and Seasons
Posted by: | CommentsHello,
As I sit here I am amazed at how much I got done to day at the church it is now 3:56 in the afternoon and as I write this entry listing to Kimberly and Alberto Rivera and prepare for tonight’s This Generation service I begin to ask myself.. What am I doing here? I have a stronghold that has taken the best of me this week and I really don’t feel like I should even be here today. All I want to do is hide.
But I am reminded that when we hide the Lord still sees what we are doing. I just re-read a comment on a post that is now private by a faithful reader and it inspires me to go on and fight the good fight. I have always wanted this blog to be an inspiration to others and to help someone out there in the land we call Cyber Space to know that there is someone who struggles too.
For the longest time I did not blog. This may well be my fourth or fith time at having a blog that speaks to others. I was on the beginning stages of livejournal.com and then moved to blogger when I found that it allowed me to post my blog via my own hosting space rather then at a host with a long name. which is kinda funny where I host now. But then after blogger and two domain names I just stopped. I let my domain mattitude.ca go and then one night while I was in prayer over what to do with my domain mjsd.ca (my birth initials) the Lord told me to let that domain go. I was holding on to something with a lot of baggage behind it.
I remember I was in the last stages of what did not start out but became an all night prayer. I was asking him what to call my new site, what to do with my old domain and should I even keep it. I remember him telling me.. Let go of your past, remove the baggage from your life. Let this domain go and I will help you out with your next site. Well I began to run with it.
I first started out calling it Geeks 4 God and ran with the idea of a Tech blog that would be about using technology for the Kingdom but that did not sit well with me and my mentor I found that I was getting to wrapped up in the whole identity of being the Geek who was for God and who loved his technology.
As my late friend and I went though some a time of diggin’up roots that had not been delt with I began to find out that I was so wrapped up in Geek 4 God that even the people around me only saw me as that. I did not know what to do I was torn. So I developed this site and ran the two together.
I still did not think I would have any impact on anyone with the blog I just trusted that the Lord would do his thing. I still hope to put a domain on it and I still hope to reach more people. But this is a faith thing. This is something that will be in the Lords time.
I remember a sermon by Pastor Derek Schneider called Understanding Times and Seasons and this really helped me to understand why we go though short seasons, why some seasons are long and why the Lord does things the way he does them. Sometimes I think the seasons are too long, sometimes I wonder that was quick. I really think the Lord is grieved by me right now. I really think that sometimes he is mad at me. I just know right now that he is grieved with me.
I have learned that are strong holds get the most of us when we are alone weather in the bedroom, or as a single person living on his own it always gets you most when you are alone, tired and at your weakest point. That is when we have to be most on guard. That is when the devil can get in and take us down. WE CANNOT LET HIM.
We are governed by Times and Seasons my Pastor would say but we in that season can do things that will change what happens in the next. A Pastor who recently resigned his post to move on to other ministry opportunities taught on transitional prayer. This is a type of prayer that a person can do so that he does not take any baggage over to the next season.
You see we can have roots or bad fruit that can be carried in from one season to the next and if we are not careful we can actually in my opinion damage the season we are moving into. Each season will come with its own baggage but don’t ever bring the old baggage into the new season or it will get harder and harder (in my opinion) to get rid of.
Well I am rambling again but if you would like to know more on the topic of times and seasons I encourage you to listen to the sermon by Pastor Derek Schneider listed/linked above and to watch out in your moments of weakness and not let the devil ruin this season or the next.
Be Blessed!
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10 Things Your IT Guy Wants To Know
Posted by: | CommentsI found this blog entry I thought it was perfect for all of us who ever needed tech help and did not know much about computers or for us who think we know computers well. You can read the entry at http://awurl.com/ztcrst16918 or here below
Enjoy
Matthew
- If you ask me technical questions please don’t argue with me because you don’t like my answer. If you think you know more about the topic, why ask? And if I’m arguing with you…it’s because I am positive that I am correct, otherwise I’d just say “I don’t know” or give you some tips on where to look it up, I don’t have the time to just argue for the sake of it.
- Starting a conversation by insulting yourself (i.e. “I’m such an idiot”) will not make me laugh, or feel sorry for you; all it will do is remind me that yes, you are an idiot and that I am going to hate having to talk to you. Trust me; you don’t want to start a call that way.
- I am ok with you making mistakes, fixing them is my job. I am not ok with you lying to me about a mistake you made. It makes it much harder to resolve and thus makes my job more difficult. Be honest and we can get the problem resolved and continue on with our business.
- There is no magic “Fix it” button. Everything takes some amount of work to fix, and not everything is worth fixing or even possible to fix. If I say that you just need to re-do a document that you accidentally deleted 2 months ago, please don’t get mad at me. I’m not ignoring your problem, and it’s not that I don’t like you, I just can’t always fix everything.
- Not everything you ask me to do is “urgent”. In fact, by marking things as “urgent” every time, you almost ensure that I treat none of it as a priority.
- You are not the only one who needs help, and you usually don’t have the most urgent issue. Give me some time to get to your problem, it will get fixed.
- Emailing me several times about the same issue in the same day is not only unnecessary, it’s highly annoying. Emails will stay until I delete them, I won’t delete them until I’m done with them. I will typically respond as soon as I have a useful update. If it is an urgent issue, let me know (see number 5).
- Yes, I prefer email over telephone calls. It has nothing to do with being friendly, it’s about efficiency. It is much faster and easier for me to list out a set of questions that I need you to answer than it is for me to call and ask you them one by one. You can find the answers at your leisure and while I’m waiting I can work on other problems.
- Yes, I seem blunt and rude. It’s not that I mean to, I just don’t have the time to sugar coat things for you. I assume we are both adults and can handle the reality of a problem. If you did something wrong, I will tell you. I don’t care that it was a mistake, because it really makes no difference to me. Don’t take it personal, I just don’t want it to happen again.
- And finally, yes, I can read your email, I can see what web pages you look at while you are at work, yes, I can access every file on your work computer, and I can tell if you are chatting with people on an instant messenger or chat room (and can also read what you are typing). But no, I don’t do it. It’s unethical, I’m busy, and in all reality you aren’t all that interesting. So unless I am instructed to specifically monitor or investigate your actions, I don’t. There really are much more interesting things on the internet than you.
