Training Intelligence

Oh boy.

Here I'm going to ask for what is probably impossible.

I am hoping that I live long enough to see us as IT folks to train intelligence to our end users.

Why? Because it is in there best interests.

As a electronics geek, I've always had a bit of a bleeding edge, excuse me, leading edge leaning. So I have a number of email accounts, including Gmail.

I noticed enough attempts actually getting through to my inbox to join some Google Group, asking me to verify my account request, not just saying, no such group.

It got to a point where I am going, WTF?

I got the answer, and it is here.

Damn!

I get things change. I have learned to roll with that.

And clearly, we are not going to stop spam by a single great idea, like Sender Policy Framework (SPF).

The 'final' answer is to make Spam unattractive from a reward standpoint. That will only happen when we as IT geeks educate our people to not buy stuff sold in spam. AND to not accept "baiting" that something was taken from them. AND to not follow links to "racy" topics.

This is a high bar. Probably impossible. Maybe we can train our users (and ourselves) to a point where spam is a less attractive business, thereby reducing spam.

It's a sad day when CAPCHA has been "had" by the black hats. Again, this isn't theory. I'm seeing it myself in my own inbox. For the readers that want the "how data", here you go.
http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/Blogs/2919.aspx

I have faith that the Googlers can control this.
I have hope that we who care of, the end users, make all this not worth while by not responding. Get rid of the demand and the supply will dry up. Simple math. Hard solution.

Tcat

Hello Boys! I'm Back!

I do believe that is one of the great lines from the Si-Fi movie, Independence Day.

My co-author Gudrun sold me that it is time to look @ IT Training Today.

Obviously the most comments came from my FL thoughts. To answer a few questions I saw...

I was the lead on Exam Prep i-Net+. Matt and L.A. certainly killed themselves along with me getting that out the door in a couple weeks (yes, weeks). Matt did fantastic graphics.

Someone else suggested Sunbelt should sue me for my thoughts. I suspect Stu is pretty happy I at least spelled the name of the company right ;-) And, yes there are great folks in the Sunshine state.

So what has been going on out there?

I'm getting a number of reports that IT Training (and testing) is on the rise. Well we always seem to do better when the "R" word is tied to the economy.

CompTIA wants a 'super cert' if you got A+, Network+, Security+ and Server+. I was promoting a Triple Crown (no Server+) years ago. It appears CompTIA is reversing course after 'drinking the Kool-Aid'.

Cisco and Microsoft are really starting to play hard ball with the illegal brain dump sites. Yes, some folks call guidance 'a brain dump'. Maybe that is a marketing thing. Illegal is posting actual questions or having someone take the test for you!

MS-Vista just isn't taking the world by storm. It never will. The DRM stuff takes so many cycles making sure you didn't stick electronic probe to suck a movie off the video card, Vista will join MS-Me and MS-BOB. However if your studying Windows 2008 Server, you are probably surprised at the power and features!

The Electronic Industry Association International ( http://www.eta-i.org ) has taken CompTIA rollovers back in house. I *finally* got my Master status, taking and passing all the RESI (Residential Electronic Systems Integrator) exams. And as a Master, I'm done for life.

Gudrun and I have finally gotten moving in the direction we we're looking at for http://effectivegeek.com

Only we really haven't done IT there! We have teamed up with Harry from http://www.SMBNation.com/

The first offering (fast becoming a series) is Certification Success
http://www.amazon.com/Certification-Success-success-anything-getting/dp/0977094979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208176626&sr=8-1

Since our work is *really* about the fantastic organic computer located between the ears, our new effort can be applied to any 'high bar' endeavorer. We're working on a "Project Mgt." book, taking on the weird ways of being human.

Folks that have known me since almost forever have been surprised that I had pretty much stopped beating the drum for subliminal learning the past couple years. Beyond experiments I conducted on myself, http://TcatU.net really laid to rest (for me) that subliminal study is a great aid. How great depends on you preferred learning style in the first 20% of Dale's Cone of Experience. And even if hearing or seeing (as opposed to reading) is on the bottom of your brain preferences, anything extra is, well extra.

So finally, a study was done that pretty well goes against the opinion that subliminal learning cannot work.

Quoting from:
http://www.technoccult.com/archives/2008/03/30/subliminal-exposure-to-corporate-logos-effect-how-people-think-study-says

“This is the first clear evidence that subliminal brand exposures can cause people to act in very specific ways,” said Gráinne Fitzsimons. “We’ve performed tests where we’ve offered people $100 to tell us what logo was being flashed on screen, and none of them could do it. But even this imperceptible exposure is enough to spark changes in behavior.”

The blog from the Wall Street Journal:
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/03/20/think-apple-it-boosts-creativity/ says:

"Scientists have long debated whether subliminal messages, the idea that subconscious exposure can shape behavior, really work. In recent years, the consensus opinion has tended towards no. But most studies measured if subliminal messages caused people to buy products. Fitzsimons and his colleagues wondered if the exposure resulted in behavioral changes that don't show up on the balance sheet."

I am *so* glad both Gudrun and Harry had the courage to grant me the mini-rant on subliminal learning, as well as allowing me to offer my research on the best (Windows) program for subliminal delivery to the computer screen (the program is free of adware, spyware or even cost), in the Certification Success book. Thank you to both of you!

The two of us are releasing some of our training material for Certified Technical Trainer through http://www.TotalRecallPress.com shortly. Yeah, I know it has a + sign now. And I earned my CTT years before CompTIA had it, so I'm proud to say I'm sans +.

If you met me about oh, 40 years or more years ago, you correctly assumed I slept with a camera. (Freelance photographers don't make $ when you don't have a camera). I pretty much gave up the idea of photography when I had to do it for a living, for Uncle Sam, wearing a green suit. Me shooting silver while the other side is shooting pieces of lead back sorta turned me off to the idea.

Well my polite yet firm friend and co-author finally sold me on picking up a camera again, in 2008. I started with Berlin Germany and found taking pictures was fun again. So I'm putting up cities as I fancy @ http://photos.Travel4RoadWarriors.com/

My choice of shots is not what you would normally think of. My Philadelphia stuff has no liberty bell, for example.

Looking not too far out, it appears the 3rd MS-Windows will be out soon. (The 1st was DOS Windows, the 2nd, NT Windows). Don't believe me, do a Start-Run and enter CMD (return). You see the NT Version # and final build #.

Hardware is getting pretty exciting too. The same folks that gave us the 3.5" 'DeathStar' HD (now a Hitachi product), have RaceTrack Memory coming.
http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn13648-ibm-creates-working-racetrack-memory-device.html?feedId=online-news_rss20

1/2 million MP3's, (or 3,500 movies) stored while using less power could mean a heck of a lot of subliminal learning.

I'm going to experiment with allowing comments. Certainly, you Don't have to agree with me, or even like me. All I ask is to keep in mind your word choices might be read by minors.

Best,
Tcat

Go Ahead, Bite the Apple

As I said before, I’m not posting for the sake of posting.

Now that Apple has Boot Camp with a corporate offering of an unofficial way to load Microsoft XP, it is time to talk Apple. I got the 20” I-Mac the day the driver contest was done. Ok. The next morning (Saturday) because I didn’t hear the news the contest was over till Friday evening.

2 weeks later Apple posts Boot Camp.

So I got to admit, I am pretty impressed with the hardware and software that is native to Apple. I haven’t looked @ them since I was burned with the Lisa.

Even so impressed, I’m going to take my Apple Certification tests and get the functional equal to the MCSE. --- There you go: I said it publicly, so now I have to do it.

Should you wish to dig further, try http://train.apple.com/certification/
Best, Tcat

Boycott The State Of Florida

Any one who knows me knows I've been around the block a few decades.

I could never understand why all the crooks and thieves live in FL. Well I know now. It is because there laws for proving a person committed a "white collar" crime like stealing my work, (and my name, reputation) etc.... is not something Law Enforcement will touch in their own back yard!
I know. A good man contacted me this week about http://www.ExamSaver.com

He already had purchased work I created for http://www.totalrecallpress.com and http://www.studyexam4less.com via ExamSaver.

The Clearwater, Fl based ExamSavers owned by Jason Bortz, is Out Right Lying via telemarketers that they have brand new material I created just for them! I had never heard of them before! Nor have I contracted or endorsed any work for them.

Well a little digging I discovered two things:
1) Jason and ExamSaver have judgments entered in court for failing to pay as agreed and collection agencies are after this outfit.
2) I spoke with no less than 3 government agencies in FL who bottom line said, we cannot help you. It is a civil matter to file in WA state. I guess FL thinks, as long as the money is coming to FL we don't care if its legal money earned or not. At least that it seems how the law works in Florida.

As I have said in this blog before. Bitching won't fix it. Action will.

I am asking you to boycott firms that are Florida based. Not just the criminals like Jason and ExamSaver who stealing from me my work and also affect my reputation with false and fraudulent assertions.

I want you to deny a dollar to the GOOD firms like SunBeltTools.com too. Stu from SunBelt has the power and the moxy to make FL lawmakers tighten up the scam haven they are running down there.

Sorry Stu. You’re a good man with a good operation. And you got the clout to fix your home state. That is the cross you have to bear. Leave FL or fix it. In the meantime, while I thank you for saving Kerio firewall and keeping it free to home users, I'm going to tell the world to take your free gifts and not give you a dime until you make FL fix itself or move. May I suggest Huntsville, AL ? Nice people, lots of tech folks due to the Goddard Space Center, low cost of living. Trade up buddy!

Tcat