DropBox

DropBox is one of my favorite Web 2.0 applications. It's free (up to 2 GB) and is a remarkably simple to use application. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets snapped up by Google as it is Mac and Windows friendly, automatically synchronizes files across computers without sucking up all of your bandwidth, and is nearly flawless in operation. Everyone I've invited to use it and tried it loves it.

TUAW has an article about it going into public beta now.

Aron

People Who Need People

This is an interesting story but it makes sense. This is in reference to a service that lets people list work that needs to be done and bid on work to do.

People Who Need People: "A new, free, Web service connects people who have chores to people who are seeking odd jobs."

(Via Clippings.)

Another Useful but Overlooked Windows Utility

With Windows you can schedule jobs to take place, much like Linux/UNIX/Mac's cron jobs.

It's under Accessories/System Tools/Scheduled Tasks. You will need to know the command line equivalent for many programs as well as any necessary switches. This blog does a nice job documenting the options. TechRepublic's forum was his resource for it.

When Windows Update won't update

When Windows Update won't update: "

Windows Update occasionally gets a bee under its bonnet and simply refuses to work. Really, should that surprise anyone?

Unfortunately, unlike some other Windows problems, this one seldom goes away on its own. You have to fix it. And the exact cause isnt always easy to diagnose and fix.

[ Get the analysis and insights that only Randall C. Kennedy can provide on PC tech in InfoWorlds Enterprise Desktop blog. And download our free Windows performance-monitoring tool. ]

Ill start with some solutions to a very specific, very common, XP-specific Windows Update problem. Then Ill tell you where to go for additional advise.

If youre running Windows XP, and Windows Update tells you that one or more updates couldnt successfully install, try my handy-dandy repair batch file. Actually, Ive written two batch files; one for the 32-bit version of XP, and another for the 64-bit version. Simply download and run the appropriate one.

Unfortunately, when you try to download a batch file in Firefox, it displays the contents of the file (plain, ASCII text) rather than actually downloading it. The easiest workaround (other than using Internet Explorer) is to copy the text to Notepad and save it as a file with the .bat extension rather than the default .txt.

When you run the batch file and it displays a message box, click OK.

If the batch file doesnt work, try the Windows Update Agent. You can download versions for the 32-bit version of XP, the 64-bit version, and the Itanium. Once youve downloaded the file:

1. Click Start, then Run, then the Browse button.

2. Locate and double-click the file you just downloaded. Doing so will insert the path and file name into the run box.

3. Enter the text /wuforce (be sure to enter a space before the slash) after the file name. Press ENTER and follow the wizard.

If your not using XP, or if neither of those fixes work, you might try downloading the problematic update manually, then installing it off of your hard drive. I doubt it will work, but its worth a try. In Internet Explorer (not Firefox), go to the Microsoft Update Catalog to find and download the problem updates.

Finally, theres the Windows Update Troubleshooter, where you stand a good chance there of finding the cause of and solution for your particular problem. Once again, this Web page really doesnt like any browser except Internet Explorer.

Theres a separate Vista Troubleshooter. Amazingly, this one works just fine in Firefox.

Email your technology questions to me at answer@pcworld.com, or post them to a community of helpful folks on the PCW Answer Line forum.

PC World is an InfoWorld affiliate.

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(Via Clippings.)

Finding a Balance: Work / Life and Remote Access / Productivity

This is a neat Cisco posting about the general direction I believe will be a reality of the future work environment. I believe there will be a shift toward more home office environments as audio-video connectivity and faster residential broadband connections. I think we'll also see a resurgence of mid-sized towns, likely 30 - 100,000 people gaining greater momentum as becoming towns unto themselves with fewer commuters. I also suspect there will be a degree of continuing falling real estate values in bedroom communities around the country as fuel prices and increasing value on personal time and work-life balance continues to shift.

The Cisco post touches on some elements of this but does go to show that it's becoming increasingly easy for people to carry out their job responsibilities from remote locations.

Finding a Balance: Work / Life and Remote Access / Productivity: "

Posted by: Molly Ford, PR

Imagine a life with no morning rush-hour traffic on the way to work, having time to coach your daughter’s soccer game in the evenings and crossing more things off of that despised ‘to-do’ list. Today, Cisco introduced Cisco Virtual Office solution, aimed at providing a secure and collaborative environment for the remote or distributed workforce.'

The Cisco Virtual Office has helped a countless number of employees obtain a satisfying work life balance, while helping the company to consistently rank in the top ten on Fortune Magazine’s ‘Best Places to Work’ list.

Before this product was launched to Cisco customers, it was used internally for year, we like to refer to this as sipping our won champagne.' Currently, Cisco has 12,000 remote workers in 70 different countries using the Cisco Virtual Office solution to enhance productivity by accessing the same communication and collaboration technologies available to their office-based counterparts.

Employees who use the Cisco Virtual Office solution, typically work three full days at home, and say they are 47% more productive working at home, rather than at an office. The average employee also gains almost three hours each week, in the past spent stuck in traffic, or relying on public transportation.

View some inspiring stories from Cisco employees that have achieved a truly satisfying work life balance by having the flexibility to work remotely.

"

(Via Clippings.)

Terminal Tips: Force Safari to open all links in new tab

Terminal Tips: Force Safari to open all links in new tab: "

Filed under: Terminal Tips

Firefox users have been able to open all links clicked within Firefox in a new tab for a while now, but what about us poor Safari users? Well, sure, you could always hold down command while clicking a link, but that's not fun, now is it? With this simple Terminal hack, you will be surfing like a pro!

Just open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/) and type in the following command:

defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClicksCreateTabs -bool true

Once you restart Safari, all clicked links will open in a new tab. If you want to reverse the command for some reason, just replace 'true' with 'false.'


Want more tips and tricks like this? Visit TUAW's Mac 101 and Terminal Tips sections.

Read'|'Permalink'|'Email this'|'Comments

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(Via Clippings.)

Microsoft Profiles

Microsoft has a little known but highly effective utility for moving user profiles.  The 'CopyProfile' tool is a command line application that correctly copies one user profile to another.  The syntax is a little funky but makes sense once you've done it.  With this I was even able to correctly copy over one user mail settings even so that upon first launch of the mail with the newly copied profile, everything worked out of the gate, very nice!

Why your project management practices are failing

This is a really well put article about Project Management in IT. There is certainly a place for balance in the workplace between creative project implementation and formalized methodology with managed expectations. My first exposure to truly formalized PM happened when about 9 years ago. The individual came from HP I believe and our IT projects quit being as much fun and constant interviews and reports were generated. Granted, we knew exactly where we were but we were also expending far more effort and going more slowly than we would have without it. At the same time, there was added value, in that we did a better job of keeping users involved in the status, we knew where we were, and we overlooked fewer things.

I think for many IT projects, there is a happy medium. By incorporating elements of formal PM, you can be more thorough and fill in more of the blanks and better anticipate problems without suffering death by Gantt chart and still be innovative and responsive.

Why your project management practices are failing: "

IT project management practices are stuck in the mud, and theyre hindering IT departments ability to deliver projects successfully. Thats the conclusion of a recent Forrester report, 'Stretching Your Project Management Muscles,' which was published in July.

Mary Gerush, author of the report (and a former IT project manager herself), notes that the project management discipline has not kept up with the pace of change in business or in IT.

[ Get sage advice on IT careers and management from Bob Lewis in InfoWorlds Advice Line blog and newsletter. ]

Gerush writes that while IT departments have adopted service oriented architecture (SOA) and Agile software development practices to become more responsive to business needs, the project management discipline has remained largely focused on methodology. And traditional project management methodologies are proving to be too rigid, cumbersome and bureaucratic for todays mercurial and competitive business environment. In fact, Gerush notes, these methodologies can work against IT departments.

'Traditional project management practices, which are designed to improve the likelihood of project success, often have the opposite effect in a dynamic, rapidly changing environment,' writes Gerush in her report.

The reason traditional project management methodologies can backfire on IT departments is because they require so much rigor. For example, says Gerush, project managers have to follow scores of pre-defined processes and steps, and they have to deliver reams of documentation at each phase of the project-all of which dramatically and often unnecessarily protracts projects.

'Theres so much rigor and normally so much documentation and so many processes you have to go through to follow a methodology that it weighs you down and that you cant move as quickly as the business needs you to move or as quickly as technology enables you to move,' she says.

The Remedy: Flexible Project Management

To keep pace with the business and with the rest of IT, project management offices need to make their project management practices more flexible. Gerush offers five measures project management teams can employ to improve their responsiveness.

1. Adopt a framework. A framework is a collection of various pieces of project management 'functionality,' says Gerush. When projects come in, the project management office can choose which pieces of the framework to use to provide just the right amount of oversight necessary for the project, as opposed to following every step of a methodology.

2. Figure out which deliverables you really need.'For projects of short duration, an informal e-mail status report may be more appropriate than a formal document, and formally documented use cases and design specifications may be overkill for some projects,' writes Gerush. Thats why she advises project managers to customize project deliverables according to each projects needs.

3. Incent project managers differently. Project managers are usually rewarded for delivering projects on time and on budget, and of course, they rely on their methodologies to accomplish those goals. But if you want project managers to become more flexible, you have to encourage that behavior, writes Gerush. So reward them when they adapt easily and quickly to changing business needs, even if their maneuvers impact timelines and budgets ever so slightly.

4. Train project managers to be leaders rather than control freaks. Left-brained project managers can over-rely on their analytical skills to complete projects on time and on budget. 'But flexible project management is not a left-brain, black-and-white endeavor,' writes Gerush. 'It requires the full brain and touches on all shades of gray, requiring understanding and exercise of adaptive leadership versus command and control.'

5. Keep improving your project management practices. Your approach to project management should evolve alongside the business and IT. Solicit project stakeholders and business partners for their ideas on how you can make your project management practices more responsive.

CIO.com is an InfoWorld affiliate.

"

(Via Clippings.)

For Mac Users wanting iPhone/iPod Touch Access to LAN Resources

I wanted to watch a video on my computer on my iPhone. Turns out there's an elegant way to do it after all. I found mention of it on this blog and the Project is here, also very interesting that it's a part of Google! Very cool, I really like the skunk works stuff they're doing these days!

Migrating to Exchange 2007 from Legacy, Part II

Had another little frustration today in finalizing the details of this weekend's client Exchange 2007 migration.

The new MAPI connections to EX2K7 worked great with Outlook but a single user had a weird thing with OWA.

Here's an bit of what OWA returned after logging in:

Exception
Exception type: Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Storage.StoragePermanentException
Exception message: There was a problem accessing Active Directory.

Call stack

Microsoft.Exchange.Data.Storage.ExchangePrincipal.Save()
Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa.Core.RequestDispatcher.DispatchLanguagePostLocally(OwaContext
owaContext, OwaIdentity logonIdentity, CultureInfo culture, String
timeZoneKeyName, Boolean isOptimized)
Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa.Core.RequestDispatcher.DispatchLanguagePostRequest(OwaContext
owaContext)
Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa.Core.RequestDispatcher.PrepareRequestWithoutSession(OwaContext
owaContext, UserContextCookie userContextCookie)
Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa.Core.RequestDispatcher.InternalDispatchRequest(OwaContext
owaContext)
Microsoft.Exchange.Clients.Owa.Core.RequestDispatcher.DispatchRequest(OwaContext
owaContext)
System.Web.HttpApplication.SyncEventExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute()
System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean&
completedSynchronously)

To resolve it, I did this and it fixed it immediately!

1) Open ADUC
2) Enable Advance features from the View Menu
3) Find the user and click Properties, go to the Security Tab
4) Click the Advanced button
5) Check the box next to "Inherit from parent. . . "
6) Click Apply and OK 2x

Once everything syncs the user should be good to go.