New IRC server

I have added an IRC Server to go along with the web site primarily for forum members. There is currently one channel available (#forums) for the public. As the need arises I will add new topic dependant channels as requested. I have also added a web client for the IRC channel in case you are traveling or on a guest system and do not have an IRC client installed. You can get to the web client by clicking on the “IRC Chat” button on the menu bar above. The address for the new IRC Server is irc.pc-doc.com.

I am currently testing the server software and it is currently limited at 10 concurrent users. If all goes well it will be upgraded to 100.

Enjoy.

Forums Back Online!

The forums have been completely redone. I have decided to go with a commercial product rather than phpBB. This was done to add more functionality and flexibility to forums. Also being able to call someone for support is an added plus. If you were a member before you will have to re-register. Sorry for any inconvenience this switch over may have caused.

Ground Zero Three Years Later

After dinner in the city I decided to take a cab ride down to ground zero. They were commemorating all those that lost their lives there that fateful day three years ago. They had the towers of light on that evening to symbolize the Twin Towers. It was a very somber experience to step out of the taxi and see all the people that came down to view the lights and look at the placards of the names of all those who lost their lives and the items that were left behind in memorial. There are no words to express the feeling of sorrow I have to this day of the events of that day. My prayers go out to the families of those that lost loved ones that day. My prayers also go with those in the armed services who risk their lives everyday abroad to insure that something of this magnitude never happens again on our soil.
I have posted pictures in my Photo Album section.

A Taste of Germany in NYC

Zum SchneiderAfter visiting one of my clients in New York City yesterday I decided to take my wife to a German Beer Garden down in the East Village called Zum Schneider. The restaurant is located on 7th St & Avenue C. We have gone there before and really enjoy the restaurant. I had on of the best Weinerschnietzel I have ever had, period! My second best now, was in a Beer Garden in Vienna, Austria. I also kept nibbling on a Brotzeitteller which basically a cold platter with various cold cuts and cheeses served with a basket of bread. This was all washed down with numerous liters of Hofbrau beer. The place has a friendly atmosphere, you are seated at communal picnic tables which invoke random conversations with strangers. All in all we had a great evening. If you are in that part of town you have to give the place a try.

Windows XP SP2 Force Fed!

We’ll the good news is that you can disable Windows XP Service Pack2 from being automatically installed on your system for the time being. This is a very good in the midst of a lot of end users complaining of problems encountered after the upgrade. I had to issue warnings to all my clients because Service Pack 2 breaks PPTP (VPN) protocols and there is not a fix for it. The bad news is whether you like it or not after 240 days from August 16th 2004, your system will be forced to install it. I guess that’s a good thing if you look at all the end users that don’™t install security patches and their machines become zombies in Internet attacks. However as I have written in the past it’s a step forward for Microsoft shutting down holes for Trojans but it is only a tiny step. I feel most users will get a false sense of security with all the hype behind this service pack. Truth be told I had a lot of applications that had free run of the Internet without Microsoft’s built in firewall batting an eye let alone asking if I wanted to let the application have internet access. If you would like to read more on about this issue, I have included a link below to Microsoft’s article.

Temporarily Disabling Delivery of Windows XP Service Pack 2

The Screensavers Are Back!

We’ll the Screensavers are back on the air live. This time their being shot in Los Angeles with their new Co-Host Alex Albrecht. The show was alright nothing special with a stumble here and trip up there. It’s a new set and a new Co-Host it will take a while for things become harmonious. At first I was like where did they find this guy, he just didn’t hit me right. Then after the first thirty minutes or so I started to warm over and I’ll be damned if I don’t think he might be able to pull it off. Only time will tell. Also Kevin gave away 4000 Gmail invites. I have to tell you within the first minute all the invitations were taken. It took a minute or so for his Typepad page to come up from all the massive hits it was taking. I wonder how happy they were?

Photo Album Done

We’ll took my down time this weekend to code the photo album for my site. So give it a try and let me know what you think. You can get to the Photo Album portion by clicking on the link on the menu.