Book Reviews and More: April 2009

Thursday, 30 April 2009

Inner Geek – Updated April 2009

This week I achieved MCSE and wrote 2 exams in 14 days to do so. Exam 70-294 and 70-298. I am going to try and do one a month for the next 3 months to use up the last of my exam vouchers from school. Then one every other month to do the upgrades I want, and then we will look at what to study after that. It feels great to have completed MCSE is is a milestone. I have made a small chart of some of the numbers of MCP's By The Numbers, that I got from Microsoft's site, the blue are one's I have and the black are one's I plan on achieving.

So here are my current designations:
CompTIA IT PRO, A+ ITT, A+ DT, A+ RST, Network+
Microsoft MCSE, MCSA, MCP, MCTS Business Desktop Deployment, MCTS Vista Configuration, MCITP Enterprise Support, MCITP Consumer Support, MOS

The logo's are:

Exams Taken:

Security 2003 Server - Exam 70-298
Active Directory 2003 - Exam 70-294Maintaining Server 2003 - Exam 70-293
Server 2003 Infrastructure - Exam 70-291
Server 2003 - Exam 70-290
MCTS Deploying & Maintaining Vista Client Office System - Exam 070-624
MCITP Desktop Support Consumer Support - 070-623
CompTIA Network+ 2007 - JK0-012 JK0-010
MCTS Windows Vista Client Configuaration - Exam 072-622 070-622
MCITP Desktop Support - Exam 072-622 070-622
CompTIA A+ Depot Technician - Exam 220-602
CompTIA A+ Remote Support Technician - Exam 220-603
CompTIA A+ IT Technician - Exam JK0-601 220-602
CompTIA A+ Essentials - Exam JK0-601
Microsoft PowerPoint - Exam 810
Microsoft Outlook - Exam 813
Microsoft Access - Exam 807
Microsoft Excel - Exam 804
Microsoft Word - Exam 801

Articles in this Series:

Unleashing the Inner Geek
MOS Microsoft Office Specialist
Playing with Multi-OS's
Inner Geek - Validated
Inner Geek - On My Way
Inner Geek - Validated February 2008
Inner Geek - Validated September 2008
The Changing face of BRAM
Inner Geek - Updated February 2009
Windows 7 Beta Review
Inner Geek - Updated April 2009
Inner Geek - Updated July 2009
Inner Geek - Updated November 2009

Inner Geek - Updated December 2010

Mac VS PC an It Guys Perspective
Inner Geek - Updated June 2011Inner Geek - Updated December 2011
Inner Geek - Updated December 2012

These exams were written either at a Prometric Testing Center or at a Certiport Testing Center for the Office exams. The Exams names that have links link to reviews of the books I used to prepare for those exams. These exams are a mix of CompTIA exams and Microsoft Exams.

Monday, 27 April 2009

Please Consider Donating - Ride for Rob.

This is a worthy Cause to Consider:

We are proud to announce the first annual "Ride for Rob"

A simple morning ride on October 5, 2008 would change Rob’s life forever. An over the bars incident that shouldn’t have been anything more than a laugh - broke his spine at vertebrae T11, leaving him without feeling from the top of his abdominals down. It's amazing how quickly a spinal cord injury can happen to anyone.

Rob and Sabrina

One positive outcome has been the rallying of family and friends. A few things quickly became apparent as the weeks passed. First, that Rob would be facing an expensive challenge: financially, emotionally and physically. Second, that however horrible it may be, he was actually one of the lucky ones. He still has the use of his upper body and he doesn’t have to retrain for a new job.
The “Ride for Rob” intends to do two things this year.

1.Raise money for the Canadian Paraplegic Association
2.Provide a facility for those close to Rob to help him financially.

THE RIDE: The Ride for Rob is an event within an event. Riders will race the Chico Racing 24 Hour Summer Solstice, or the Squamish Test of Metal. Please take a moment to view our list of riders and sponsor your rider(s) of choice. All riders have committed to complete a gruelling mountain bike endurance race that will certainly test each and every rider. The riders are making a big commitment and we hope you will too. Please donate generously.

DONORS: At the time of pledging you will have an option to give your entire donation to the Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA) or to split your donation 50/50 between the CPA and Rob. Please be aware that you will only receive a charitable tax receipt for the funds received by CPA.

RIDERS: If you’d like to join us, feel free to register using the link above. Note that it is your responsibility to register yourself and your team with Chico Racing. You can do so online at http://www.chicoracing.com/. Unfortunately the Test of Metal is sold out, so participation will be limited to those already registered.

FAST FACT: There are 350 - 400 new spinal cord injuries every year in Ontario (approx. one per day).

Rodney Buike is a Microsoft Professional I have encountered on a few occasions at different events. Please consider supporting him as he Riders for Rob!

Saturday, 25 April 2009

MCSE Guide to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, Enhanced Exam #70-294 by Michael Aubert

MCSE Guide to Windows Server 2003 Active Directory, Enhanced Exam #70-294
Michael Aubert
Thomson
ISBN 9780619217556

This was the second book I used to prepare for this exam. I left my school program early to take a good job, and this is one of the courses I have done completely through self-study. This book was a great resource. It had a lot of exercises and practice material at the end of each section. Depending on your comfort level and experience, you can either rip through a chapter then skim the questions at the end, or as was the case with some sections for me, it was all new and I took my time and worked through every exercise.

Michael Aubert's writing style and the design of this training manual was extremely easy to use, and to read. The review questions, case studies and activities help to solidify new concepts in a real and concrete way. This book is an excellent certification manual. The other book I used for this course was the MOAC by Wendy Corbin.

Friday, 24 April 2009

Exam 70-294 Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure by Wendy Corbin

Exam 70-294 Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure
Wendy Corbin
Microsoft Press
ISBN 9780735620285

Again I used two different books to prepare for this certification exam. This one is the series my school used and issued, and I also used the Enhanced MCSE book from Thomson. Wendy Corbin's book was clear, concise and what you would expect from a MOAC textbook from Microsoft Press. This book is best for a classroom setting or someone who works with it daily and wants to learn the Microsoft way of dealing with the material.

Corbin writes in an easy to follow manner, the book is well laid out and designed, and the supplemental resources on the CD are a great asset.

Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Catholic Carnival - Sunday Snippets

Friday, 17 April 2009

Meme - A fun book meme

This book meme has shown up a lot lately, the first three I read were Catholic Fire, Anchoress and Happy Catholic. A fun book meme, include up to 3 answers each if you like. We won’t tell.

1. Most treasured childhood book(s)?
I really did not read as a child, I could not because of my dyslexia. The earliest I remember reading and enjoying are: A Separate Peace - John Knowles, Cue for Treason - Geoffrey Trease, Piers Anthony - Bio Of A Space Tyrant, Steven Brust Jhereg. But once I got to university and took a children's lit I now read a few children's and teen books a year. Current favorite children's books: Narnia - C.S. Lewis, anything by Madelein L'Engle, Patrick Carman, Kenneth Oppel and Arthur Slade .

2. Classic(s) you are embarrassed to admit you’ve never read?
Don't know.

3. Classics you read, but hated?

4. Favorite genre(s)?
A read pretty much everything.

5. Favorite light reading?
Adrian Plass, Christopher Moore, Fred Seacombe, Noah ben Shea.

6. Favorite heavy reading?
Francis Fernandez, Federico Suarez, Jacques Philippe, Sven Lindqvist, Terry Tempest Williams, Scott Hahn.

7. Last book(s) you finished?
Exam 70-294 Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure - Wendy Corbin.
100 Cupboards - N.D. Wilson
The Sword Thief - 39 Clues Book 3 - Peter Lerangis

8. Last book(s) you bailed on?
I don't remember.

9. Three (only three!) books on your nightstand?
The Princess Plot - Kirsten Boie
70-298 Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network - Tony Northrup
Terra Nullis - Sven Lindqvist

10. Book(s) you’ve read more than once, twice or three times?
Singer Trilogy - Calvin Miller
God Rides a Yamaha - Kathy Shaidle
The Way, Furrow, Forge - Josemaria Escriva
Jacob The Baker - Noah benShea
and so many more you can see my whole reading list since 1995 here.

11. The book(s) that meant the most to you when you were younger (ie, college/young adult)?
Favorite Books by year, Favorite authors by year.

12. Book(s) that changed the way you looked at life?
The Way, Furrow, The Forge - St. Josemaria Escriva
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
Ishmael - Daniel Quinn
Bench Press - Sven Linqvist
Jacon the Baker - Noah benShea
As you Think - James Allen
Infected Christianity - Alan Davies
The Skull Measurer's Mistake - Sven Lindqvist
Dead Man Walking - Sr. Helen Prejean
Waking the Dead - John Eldredge
Life After God - Douglas Coupland
Anam Cara - John O'Donohue

13. Book(s) some would be surprised to know you’ve read?
Marquis de Sade

14. Book(s) You Mean to Read this Year?
I have 3 shelfs of review copy books to work through.

15. Desert Island Book?
Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Watership Down - Richard Adams
The Reckoning - James Bryon Huggins
Jhereg - Steven Brust
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
The Final Planet - Andrew M. Geeley
God Game - Andrew M. Greeley
The Singer Trilogy - Calvin Miller
An Alien at Saint Wilfrids - Adrian Plass
Chronicles of a Curate - Fred Secombe
Falling Sideway - Tom Holt

BONUS! Desert Island Book for Your Worst Enemy?
Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei - Robert Hutchison
Man's Seacrh for Meaning - Viktor Emil Frankl
The Sea Within - Peter Kreeft

If you want to play along post your answers and link back or post a comment.

Monday, 13 April 2009

The Snow Bear by Moss and kneen

The Snow Bear
Miriam Moss (Author)
Maggie Kneen (Illustrator)
Scholastic
ISBN 043938589X

This is a wonderful little book! It is the story of a little bear who is lost in the woods. He decides to make a snow bear to comfort him until his mother can find him. Soon all kinds of different animals are coming out of the woods and foliage to help little bear. It is a great story with absolutely wonderful illustrations. It is a pleasure to read and look at.

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Favorite Desktop Backgrounds - Backyardigans

Here's the Backyardigans backgrounds I created cause I love watching the show with my daughter.

This is part of a series of posts on my favourite desktop backgrounds from the last 3 decades. You can read see the rest here: I wrote about my current one's on Day 1-Morbid Backgrounds and some of my favourites from the past on Day 2-Favorites, Day 3-Sci-Fi, Day 4-SciFi Part2, Day 5-Babylon5, Day 6-My Dad's Artwork, Day 7-Misc, Day 8-B5 Pt. 2. and Day 9B5-Pt. 3, The IT Crowd, Backyardigans, and Glee.

Thursday, 9 April 2009

Niagara Falls, or Does it? Hank Zipzer Book1 by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

Niagara Falls, or Does it?
Hank Zipzer Book1
Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Penguin Canada
ISBN 9780448431628

I read the first six books in this series back in 2004 and was completely blown away by them. Having a dual form of dyslexia, reading these books was like a flashback to childhood and my own early school struggles. Henry Winkler in an interview talks about

his own struggles with dyslexia. The books tout Hank as the world's best underachiever. These books capture the essence of struggling with a learning disability. Almost all my report cards up to high school say "does not live up to potential" or "marks do not reflect ability". It was always hard, being considered dumb, or having to leave class for special education. That is what happens in this book.

Hank must write a report on his summer vacation, yet he lacks the skills to do this in the required way, so he comes up with the

creative solution of building a model of Niagara Falls and showing his class his vacation. Yet like so many other good intentions this too goes awry, and Hank once again ends up in trouble at school and at home.

These books are great for anyone who struggles with a learning disability to know that they are not alone. It is also good for parents of such a person so they can understand

better. Or for educators who in this day and age are dealing with more and more students with diagnosed learning disabilities. Or just an awesome book to read with some younger people in your life.

Books by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Hank Zipzer Books:
1. Niagara Falls, or Does It?
2. I Got a "D" in Salami
3. Day of the Iguana
4. Zippety Zinger
5. The Night I Flunked My Field Trip
6. Holy Enchilada!
7. Help! Somebody Get me out of Fourth Grade!
8. Summer School? What Genius thought That Up?
9. My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard
10. My Dog's a Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Tail
11. The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Went Down
12. Barfing in the Backseat: How I Survived My Family Road Trip
13. Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me!
14. Life of Me
15. A Tail of Two Tails
16. Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I'm On My Way, Mom!
17. A Brand-New Me!

Ghost Buddy Books:
1. Zero to Hero
2. Mind If I Read Your Mind?
3. How to Scare the Pants off Your Pets

Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Favorite Desktop Backgrounds - The IT Crowd

Last year I wrote a series of posts on my favorite desktop backgrounds. I wanted to update it. I have been using a variety over the last year. In this post and the next few I will be sharing the backgrounds I have used over the last year. This first grouping is from the IT Crowd, I have these as backgrounds on my Laptop, it's two external monitors, my tablet, my desktop and it's two monitors and even made smaller versions for my blackberry. Enjoy.