What is IT?
What is IT? Volume 1, Issue 3 January 2007
Why it just works ~ T o n y I a m u r r i ~
This is third in a series of articles that will focus on the IT department and what we do. The Man Behind The Network
This is very different than other organizations that ignore the email capabilities of the AS400 and purchase expensive commercially available email packages that require expensive equip ment to run and are often affected by viruses.
Like the Wizard of Oz, Boris Shubin does most of his work be hind the scenes. Unlike the Wizard of Oz, we should pay attention to the man behind the "curtain"; for the man behind the curtain is responsible for supporting and maintaining the central nervous system of the MADCP.
Any time we communicate through a PC, lap top, wireless device or Blackberry, whether at work or at home it is because Boris is busy be hind the scenes making sure all of our servers are up and running and all of the connections are there. Have you also noticed that we very rarely experience an interruption in service or a virus attack on our network?
In his 4 years with the DCP, Boris has created a stateoftheart facility with network access to every area of the building including the bathrooms. His planning and foresight have allowed us to grow without major infrastruc ture changes. Doing this with highend equip ment is an accomplishment in itself but Boris did it with a limited budget and resources, of ten using recycled equipment. For example, he took advantage of software that came with the AS400 to provide us with the most stable, reliable and virus resistant email functionality.
He may have a strange sense of humor and at times be difficult to understand but he is one of the smartest network administrators I have ever met. He cares for this organization and takes pride in his work. We are fortunate to have such talent in our organization. So when you see him in the hall try to remember that the man behind the network keeps the information flow ing and makes your job easier. Even though he may act and think like a robot he is part hu man…for now.
Tech Gadget of the Month ~ S t e v e n D e s s i n ~
For the people on your list with stars in their eyes, Celestron's SkyScout may be the perfect gift. This handheld device, the size of a small camcorder, uses GPS technology to identify stars, planets and constellations, and provides their history and mythology. Point the handheld at a specific target in the sky, and SkyScout will identify it. Or, choose a star or planet from the database, and
This Issue Why IT Just Works
1
Gadget of the month
1
The DCP Intranet
2
Yahoo! Answers??
2
Email Etiquette
3
Software free for All
3
Quotes of the month In some ways, the whole planning process is not really about the final document you create, but about the mental alignment you build in your leadership team by working together. ~Tom Perrine~ You have to be focused on the bullseye of your strategic plan: Are we creating value for the company?
SkyScout will help you find it. ~David Wagner~ Using arrows on the viewfinder (much like a GPS mapping system), SkyScout can direct you to your celestial destination. The SkyScout runs on two AA batteries. $399 Learn More at www.celestron.com
PAGE 2
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
The DCP intranet C o m i n g s o o n ~ S t e v e n D e s s i n ~
The DCP Intranet is coming. I have been putting a lot of work and time in getting this system up and running for all of us. I am constantly looking for more addon products to make the site more functional. I have changed the look of this site to make it cleaner and easier to read.
To say that this system has potential would be an understate ment. There are over five hundred addons to this system available for download for free with more coming every day. Plone, the system our intranet is built with, has a very large and active user base that contribute new and upgraded products almost daily. With this kind of support there is bound to be bigger and better things coming for us all.
We are shooting for a February 5th start up date. With this in mind I have begun the documentation for the Book ing center and have been working to get all of our contacts information put into the new address book that will be online for all to use.
I am very excited to see how this site has grown over the last several months and can not wait to unveil it to all of you.
There will be a documentation section More to come next month... where internal documents will be held DCP Intranet If you’d like to read the documenta for use by the employees. Also in the tion for the booking center click on works is an area for departmental the attachment tab on the left hand side of this document newsletters. Although this will probably not be ready for the and then double click the Booking Center Document. February 5th launch date.
Ya h o o ! A n s w e r s ? ? ~Kin Lor~
Yahoo! has recently put out a new service called “Yahoo! Answers.” Just like it sounds, it is a place for questions and answers, a place where knowledge is shared. The way it works is very easy, imagine you have a question and need help finding the answer. Besides just asking the people that you know, you can now actually ask the whole wide world. All you need to do is simply go to http://answers.yahoo.com/ and sign up for a Yahoo! account or use your existing account.
each day. The limit of questions depends on your point level. In order to gain points and move up your level, you will have to share your knowledge by answering other people’s questions. If your answer receives a vote for the best answer, you will earn points. If your answer is voted the best, you will receive more points. If someone answers a question very rudely or inappropriately, there is a “report abuse” link available, and the content will be deleted if it violates the Community Guidelines. This way you won’t have to worry about your kids using it.
To ask a question, click on “Ask,” and it will prompt for your user id and password. After that, just type in the subject and details of the question If you are not interested in Q&A, then how and then choose the category that the question about discovering? Find your interest and see falls under to and then submit. It sounds very what people ask about it. You may find easy because it is! The best thing about “Yahoo! people asking questions that you would never Answers” is that you usually get different thought of, or people answering things that answers from different people in a very short you didn’t know about. Keep in mind; people amount of time. I asked a question once, and Yahoo! Answers Main Page do not all think the same. Just remember to within 30 minutes, I got 5 different answers. keep an open mind. After the fourday response period closes, Yahoo! users now have a twoday voting period to vote for “Yahoo! Answers” is very easy to use and it’s a place where the best answer. This way you have a better chance of getting we all can learn by asking and answering; a great place to find accurate information. out what you don’t know or share your knowledge with others. “It’s the one place where the world shares what they There is a limit to the number of questions that you could ask know to help each other out. And it’s all for free.” – Yahoo!
PAGE 3
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
E m a i l E t i qu e t t e ~ e x c e r p t f r o m E m a i l E t i q u e t t e o n w w w . i w i l l f o l l o w . c o m ~
If You Send It From the Office, It Comes From The Office Personal emails sent from the office are regarded as official company communications regardless of content and could possibly expose you and your company to unnecessary risk. Scary, huh? Privacy, Are You Kidding? There is no such thing as a private email. I don't care what anybody says, states, swears or whatever, there is just no such thing as private email. The reason? Keep reading. First with some email systems, the email administrator has the ability to read any and all email messages and some companies monitor employee email. Second Email software is like all software in that occasionally things go wrong. If this happens, you may end up receiving email meant for another person or your email may get sent to the wrong person. Either way, what you thought was private is not private anymore. Third somewhere in the world there is a person (usually a hacker) who is able to read your email if he/she tries hard enough. So where does this leave us. First, let me reiterate the initial statement: there is no such thing as a private email. Got it? Second, don't send anything by email that you would not want posted on the company bulletin board. If it's safe enough for the bulletin board, it's safe enough for email. Finally, if you are debating whether or not to send something personal by email, either deliver it by hand or send it by snail mail. Reply To All The 'Reply to All' button is just a button, but it can generate tons of unnecessary emails. For example, if I send a dozen people an email asking if they are available at a certain time for a meeting I should get a dozen replies and that's it. How ever, if each person hits the "Reply to All' button not only do I get a dozen replies, but so does everyone else for a total of 144 messages! I'm not saying the 'Reply to All' button should not be used. I'm saying that it should be used with care.
To, Cc and Bcc With only three choices for addressing an email, i.e. the 'To', 'Cc' and 'Bcc' fields, you would think addressing would be trouble free. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Here's a rough guide on how to populate the address fields: The addresses in the 'To' are for the people you are directly addressing. The addresses in the 'Cc' are for the people you are indirectly ad dressing. They are the FYIers or CYAers. Don't over do it here. Copy only those who need to be copied; not your entire universe of contacts. The addresses in the 'Bcc' are like 'Cc' except that the addresses in 'To' and 'Cc' do not know that the addresses in the 'Bcc' are included in the conversation. The 'To' and 'Cc' addresses are blind to the 'Bcc' addresses. As you can imagine, use of the 'Bcc' is somewhat unethical and there fore its use is discouraged. Formatting Is Not Everything Formatting can be everything, but not here. Plain text is it. Period. End of sentence. Using HTML, or heaven forbid the Microsquish Rich Text Format, to format messages so that they have fancy fonts, colors or whatever is asking for trou ble. There are lots of email clients (and some servers) which cannot handle messages in these formats. The message will come in as utter gibberish or in the worst case, crash the e mail client. I've seen it happen. If you absolutely, positively feel that it's good karma to use HTML email, stick with the default fonts and simple formatting. Leave the colorful back grounds, scripty fonts and animated images for your personal web site.
If you’d like to read the full documentation on this article click on the attachment tab on the left hand side of this document and then double click the Email Etiquette story.
S o f t w a r e f r e e f o r a l l ~Steven Dessin~
OpenOffice is an office productivity suite similar to Microsoft Office. It includes the key desktop applications with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites. Sophis ticated and flexible, OpenOffice also works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office. OpenOffice runs stably and natively on Linux, Windows, Mac OS X (X11), and numerous other platforms. OpenOffice includes the following software.
or sizzling graphics. Impress – the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations. Draw – lets you produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations. Base – lets you manipulate databases seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports.
Writer – a word processor you can use for anything from writ ing a quick letter to producing an entire book.
Math – lets you create mathematical equations with a graphic user interface or by directly typing your formulas into the equation editor.
Calc – a powerful spreadsheet with all the tools you need to calculate, analyze, and present your data in numerical reports
Oh, and did I mention IT’s FREE!! Goto www.openoffice.org to learn more
Why it just works ~ T o n y I a m u r r i ~
This is third in a series of articles that will focus on the IT department and what we do. The Man Behind The Network
This is very different than other organizations that ignore the email capabilities of the AS400 and purchase expensive commercially available email packages that require expensive equip ment to run and are often affected by viruses.
Like the Wizard of Oz, Boris Shubin does most of his work be hind the scenes. Unlike the Wizard of Oz, we should pay attention to the man behind the "curtain"; for the man behind the curtain is responsible for supporting and maintaining the central nervous system of the MADCP.
Any time we communicate through a PC, lap top, wireless device or Blackberry, whether at work or at home it is because Boris is busy be hind the scenes making sure all of our servers are up and running and all of the connections are there. Have you also noticed that we very rarely experience an interruption in service or a virus attack on our network?
In his 4 years with the DCP, Boris has created a stateoftheart facility with network access to every area of the building including the bathrooms. His planning and foresight have allowed us to grow without major infrastruc ture changes. Doing this with highend equip ment is an accomplishment in itself but Boris did it with a limited budget and resources, of ten using recycled equipment. For example, he took advantage of software that came with the AS400 to provide us with the most stable, reliable and virus resistant email functionality.
He may have a strange sense of humor and at times be difficult to understand but he is one of the smartest network administrators I have ever met. He cares for this organization and takes pride in his work. We are fortunate to have such talent in our organization. So when you see him in the hall try to remember that the man behind the network keeps the information flow ing and makes your job easier. Even though he may act and think like a robot he is part hu man…for now.
Tech Gadget of the Month ~ S t e v e n D e s s i n ~
For the people on your list with stars in their eyes, Celestron's SkyScout may be the perfect gift. This handheld device, the size of a small camcorder, uses GPS technology to identify stars, planets and constellations, and provides their history and mythology. Point the handheld at a specific target in the sky, and SkyScout will identify it. Or, choose a star or planet from the database, and
This Issue Why IT Just Works
1
Gadget of the month
1
The DCP Intranet
2
Yahoo! Answers??
2
Email Etiquette
3
Software free for All
3
Quotes of the month In some ways, the whole planning process is not really about the final document you create, but about the mental alignment you build in your leadership team by working together. ~Tom Perrine~ You have to be focused on the bullseye of your strategic plan: Are we creating value for the company?
SkyScout will help you find it. ~David Wagner~ Using arrows on the viewfinder (much like a GPS mapping system), SkyScout can direct you to your celestial destination. The SkyScout runs on two AA batteries. $399 Learn More at www.celestron.com
PAGE 2
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
The DCP intranet C o m i n g s o o n ~ S t e v e n D e s s i n ~
The DCP Intranet is coming. I have been putting a lot of work and time in getting this system up and running for all of us. I am constantly looking for more addon products to make the site more functional. I have changed the look of this site to make it cleaner and easier to read.
To say that this system has potential would be an understate ment. There are over five hundred addons to this system available for download for free with more coming every day. Plone, the system our intranet is built with, has a very large and active user base that contribute new and upgraded products almost daily. With this kind of support there is bound to be bigger and better things coming for us all.
We are shooting for a February 5th start up date. With this in mind I have begun the documentation for the Book ing center and have been working to get all of our contacts information put into the new address book that will be online for all to use.
I am very excited to see how this site has grown over the last several months and can not wait to unveil it to all of you.
There will be a documentation section More to come next month... where internal documents will be held DCP Intranet If you’d like to read the documenta for use by the employees. Also in the tion for the booking center click on works is an area for departmental the attachment tab on the left hand side of this document newsletters. Although this will probably not be ready for the and then double click the Booking Center Document. February 5th launch date.
Ya h o o ! A n s w e r s ? ? ~Kin Lor~
Yahoo! has recently put out a new service called “Yahoo! Answers.” Just like it sounds, it is a place for questions and answers, a place where knowledge is shared. The way it works is very easy, imagine you have a question and need help finding the answer. Besides just asking the people that you know, you can now actually ask the whole wide world. All you need to do is simply go to http://answers.yahoo.com/ and sign up for a Yahoo! account or use your existing account.
each day. The limit of questions depends on your point level. In order to gain points and move up your level, you will have to share your knowledge by answering other people’s questions. If your answer receives a vote for the best answer, you will earn points. If your answer is voted the best, you will receive more points. If someone answers a question very rudely or inappropriately, there is a “report abuse” link available, and the content will be deleted if it violates the Community Guidelines. This way you won’t have to worry about your kids using it.
To ask a question, click on “Ask,” and it will prompt for your user id and password. After that, just type in the subject and details of the question If you are not interested in Q&A, then how and then choose the category that the question about discovering? Find your interest and see falls under to and then submit. It sounds very what people ask about it. You may find easy because it is! The best thing about “Yahoo! people asking questions that you would never Answers” is that you usually get different thought of, or people answering things that answers from different people in a very short you didn’t know about. Keep in mind; people amount of time. I asked a question once, and Yahoo! Answers Main Page do not all think the same. Just remember to within 30 minutes, I got 5 different answers. keep an open mind. After the fourday response period closes, Yahoo! users now have a twoday voting period to vote for “Yahoo! Answers” is very easy to use and it’s a place where the best answer. This way you have a better chance of getting we all can learn by asking and answering; a great place to find accurate information. out what you don’t know or share your knowledge with others. “It’s the one place where the world shares what they There is a limit to the number of questions that you could ask know to help each other out. And it’s all for free.” – Yahoo!
PAGE 3
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3
E m a i l E t i qu e t t e ~ e x c e r p t f r o m E m a i l E t i q u e t t e o n w w w . i w i l l f o l l o w . c o m ~
If You Send It From the Office, It Comes From The Office Personal emails sent from the office are regarded as official company communications regardless of content and could possibly expose you and your company to unnecessary risk. Scary, huh? Privacy, Are You Kidding? There is no such thing as a private email. I don't care what anybody says, states, swears or whatever, there is just no such thing as private email. The reason? Keep reading. First with some email systems, the email administrator has the ability to read any and all email messages and some companies monitor employee email. Second Email software is like all software in that occasionally things go wrong. If this happens, you may end up receiving email meant for another person or your email may get sent to the wrong person. Either way, what you thought was private is not private anymore. Third somewhere in the world there is a person (usually a hacker) who is able to read your email if he/she tries hard enough. So where does this leave us. First, let me reiterate the initial statement: there is no such thing as a private email. Got it? Second, don't send anything by email that you would not want posted on the company bulletin board. If it's safe enough for the bulletin board, it's safe enough for email. Finally, if you are debating whether or not to send something personal by email, either deliver it by hand or send it by snail mail. Reply To All The 'Reply to All' button is just a button, but it can generate tons of unnecessary emails. For example, if I send a dozen people an email asking if they are available at a certain time for a meeting I should get a dozen replies and that's it. How ever, if each person hits the "Reply to All' button not only do I get a dozen replies, but so does everyone else for a total of 144 messages! I'm not saying the 'Reply to All' button should not be used. I'm saying that it should be used with care.
To, Cc and Bcc With only three choices for addressing an email, i.e. the 'To', 'Cc' and 'Bcc' fields, you would think addressing would be trouble free. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Here's a rough guide on how to populate the address fields: The addresses in the 'To' are for the people you are directly addressing. The addresses in the 'Cc' are for the people you are indirectly ad dressing. They are the FYIers or CYAers. Don't over do it here. Copy only those who need to be copied; not your entire universe of contacts. The addresses in the 'Bcc' are like 'Cc' except that the addresses in 'To' and 'Cc' do not know that the addresses in the 'Bcc' are included in the conversation. The 'To' and 'Cc' addresses are blind to the 'Bcc' addresses. As you can imagine, use of the 'Bcc' is somewhat unethical and there fore its use is discouraged. Formatting Is Not Everything Formatting can be everything, but not here. Plain text is it. Period. End of sentence. Using HTML, or heaven forbid the Microsquish Rich Text Format, to format messages so that they have fancy fonts, colors or whatever is asking for trou ble. There are lots of email clients (and some servers) which cannot handle messages in these formats. The message will come in as utter gibberish or in the worst case, crash the e mail client. I've seen it happen. If you absolutely, positively feel that it's good karma to use HTML email, stick with the default fonts and simple formatting. Leave the colorful back grounds, scripty fonts and animated images for your personal web site.
If you’d like to read the full documentation on this article click on the attachment tab on the left hand side of this document and then double click the Email Etiquette story.
S o f t w a r e f r e e f o r a l l ~Steven Dessin~
OpenOffice is an office productivity suite similar to Microsoft Office. It includes the key desktop applications with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites. Sophis ticated and flexible, OpenOffice also works transparently with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office. OpenOffice runs stably and natively on Linux, Windows, Mac OS X (X11), and numerous other platforms. OpenOffice includes the following software.
or sizzling graphics. Impress – the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations. Draw – lets you produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations. Base – lets you manipulate databases seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports.
Writer – a word processor you can use for anything from writ ing a quick letter to producing an entire book.
Math – lets you create mathematical equations with a graphic user interface or by directly typing your formulas into the equation editor.
Calc – a powerful spreadsheet with all the tools you need to calculate, analyze, and present your data in numerical reports
Oh, and did I mention IT’s FREE!! Goto www.openoffice.org to learn more
