David Sheeks

Cloud computing is to this decade what the World Wide Web was to the 1990's.  A new and unknown giant, cloud computing is growing exponentially to provide services to thousands of companies worldwide.  An estimated 80% of companies will be in the cloud in the next few years, and approximately 20% of those will own zero digital assets--all of their servers and storage being in the cloud instead. So what is the cloud?  We've all seen the "To the cloud!" commercials where someone uses their laptop to access a video from their computer half a country away.  While that represents one form of cloud computing, it is a little more complicated than that.  And that complication is where the problems come in. Put simply, cloud computing focuses on using multiple servers and computers to store data online in one of many locations, so that it can be accessed by users worldwide.  But instead of companies renting a certain number of servers, they instead subscribe to ...

After weeks of hard work, the arcade machine project is finally complete.  The display is installed, the trim is painted, the locks are secured, and everything is finally working at 100%. I have provided pictures of the final project below: The controller board is now surrounded with durable wood trim to prevent rough edges, and the door contains two locks to prevent unauthorized entry.  This machine is ready to go, ready to play, and ready to do almost anything you want it to. It is fully compatible and pre-configured to work with Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, over a dozen game systems, over 5000 arcade games, and more.  Included are a wireless keyboard and mouse that can be locked in the machine if the machine is put in a commercial environment. Interested in one for yourself?  This machine is currently on sale for $1200--a steal when similar machines cost over $2000 and make you supply the computer and monitor.  If you are interested, give me a call and l...

Today's mini-blog is going to be focused on LinkedIn.  A type of social networking site, LinkedIn allows professionals to connect in a way that is similar to Facebook or Myspace, but for business. LinkedIn is used by many in the IT, engineering, teaching and technical industries, and allows professionals to meet and reconnect with those in their chosen career field.  Friends on LinkedIn can post job openings, give references to others, and help each other with job searches. To join LinkedIn, simply go to their website, www.linkedin.com.  You will be asked to give some information about yourself, your work history, and your experience.  This information will be displayed on your profile page so that potential employers and friends can get a better idea of your relevance in the workforce. LinkedIn is not guaranteed to find you a job.  However it does give you an easily-accessible online presence that employers and business leaders can look at.  People y...

I'm taking a small deviation from the current series on employment to show you guys a little trick I've recently come across for Windows 7.  By creating one little desktop folder, you can unlock a "god mode" for your Windows 7 PC.  Special thanks to Doug for the tip. Now this tool doesn't give you any extra power than you already had.  Instead it's all about convenience.  It takes every control panel option and variation and puts them in a categorized list.  No need to sit there thinking, "Now where the heck did Microsoft hide the settings for that program in *this* version of windows?"  Simply double click your god mode icon, and save yourself a LOT of time. To activate this feature for windows: Create a new folder. It can be placed anywhere, but we used the desktop for the sake of convenience. Name the folder "GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}" (without quotes) Hit enter. The folder should now look something like th...

The next article in my current series on employment is all about organization.  When you want a job in the professional field, you may be applying to a dozen or more positions.  While it may be easy at first, keeping track of all those employers can eventually get overwhelming, especially if your job search drones on in the slow market. To increase productivity and prevent lost time, consider an employment worksheet.  It doesn't have to be anything special, just an organized spreadsheet to keep track of who you applied to, when you applied, what info you sent, and whether or not they have contacted you back. As you can see, it isn't an overly complicated document. But it helps you keep track of the people you have contacted, and can avoid an embarrassing situation (such as you emailing your resume to the same person multiple times because you forgot who you had already contacted).  It only takes a few minutes to set up a job search worksheet, and the benefit can...

A vast percentage of laptops produced today are based on the Intel 945 chipset.  If your laptop uses a GMA900 or 950 graphics accelerator (hint: if your laptop says Pentium, Celeron, or Intel anywhere on it, and you didn't shell out an extra $200 or so for upgraded graphics, it probably does), you absolutely need to get the GMA Booster program. What is GMA booster?  Put simply, it changes the clock speed of your graphics processor in your laptop. It isn't "overclocking," it is making it run at the speed it is built for.  The Intel 9xx chipset underclocks its graphics processor to 166mhz, while it is natively built to run at 400mhz.  The general idea is to squeeze every bit of battery life out of your laptop as possible, but this two to three percent power change sucks more than half of your graphics ability. To put it more simply, imagine if you had a brand new Mustang, but could only run it in first gear.  Anyone who saw you would think, "Wow, that isn't...

As I will be getting back into the job market in the next couple weeks (after I graduate on May 7th), I decided it would be a good idea to post a few tips and tricks for those wanting to become more relevant in the job market.  Today, I am focusing on certifications. In the IT industry, certifications often require no specific education, and can be obtained by anyone from high-schoolers to college graduates.  Instead of requiring attendance at an institute of higher learning, applicants must generally pass a difficult examination to become certified. Recently I acquired my COMPTIA A+ certification.  This particular certification requires one to take two tests (the 220-701 Essentials and the 220-702 Practical Examination).  A score of 675 or higher on the first test and 700 or higher on the second merits certification through COMPTIA. While being able to pass these tests comes easy for some who have worked in the field for years, not all of us have such an advantag...