The Time is Now...

Studying for an IT industry certification is not as fun as it may seem.  Many of my friends have certifications (and some don't but should) and they always talk about it like it was cake.

I picked up my first certification manual for CompTIA A+ in 2000.  I will take the tests for this certification next Monday, about 7 years after I began studying.  Since the beginning of this journey, CompTIA has changed the objectives twice.  Once in 2003, and last year.  It's time I bit the bullet and got certified, don't you think?

That's the reason I haven't been blogging lately.  I scheduled these exams last Friday and put my brain to work in a 600-page book that covers the following exam objectives:

A+ Essentials (Exam 640-201):

1. Personal Computer Components
   
2. Laptops and Portable Devices
3. Operating Systems
4. Printers and Scanners
5. Networks
6. Security
7. Safety and Environmental Issues
8. Professionalism and Communication

A+ IT Technician (Exam 640-202):

1. Personal Computer Components
   
2. Laptops and Portable Devices
3. Operating Systems
4. Printers and Scanners
5. Networks
6. Security
7. Safety and Environmental Issues
8. Professionalism and Communication

The overall objectives of both exams are the same, but I'm sure the IT Technician exam is a bit more technically in-depth and focused on actual field support than the Essentials exam.  For instance, the IT Technician exam objectives include performing preventive maintenance on printers and scanners while the Essentials exam stops short of that.

After one certification with CompTIA (they have many, including Network+, Security+, Linux+ and more) I can use the CompTIA logo on my business card and resume.  In college I learned that it sometimes helps to just put a logo on there.  Same for Microsoft, Cisco, and Novell certifications.  Catches their eye.  Although now most large corporations run your resume through a computer to find matches.  Logos don't help when you're being selected by an Intel Processor and a Perl script.

I'll be busy until Monday afternoon.


                

Quality

Harbor Freight Tools is an awesome place if you need tools that don't require precision. However, I must change my mind about a wooden-handled hammer I bought several years ago there:
I can't really say much since it has been a long time since I bought the hammer. I can complain, though, about the situation I'm in today. I do not have another hammer, and will be gone all week. I need to finish my project. I'm sure you care. In the near future I will acquire something like this. Good day.

Educate Yourself (and stop clutching your purse!)

Okay, if you've kept up with the topic with some devoted interest, and don't watch the news (that's me) you should know that the word 'hacker' does not mean anything negative. However, the media like to say "hackers broke in to..." and "...was brought down by a hacker group...," scaring you into thinking that anyone who calls himself/herself a hacker is immediately deemed evil.

Frankly, that's un-American. You shouldn't assume. If one would look into the word a bit more, they would find that hackers are absolutely everywhere. I hack computers. That doesn't mean I can get into your bank account if you visit my blog; it only means that I pound away at the keyboard in search of knowledge. I want to know so much more about computer systems and how networks work, so I just hack away at it.

I also hack construction. I'm currently finishing up my shed project, my first experience with wood foundations, framing, windows, trusses, and roofing, without the use of a book. With my "well, it makes sense" approach to building, coupled with my father's experience, we hacked out a pretty good storage building/workshop that should add a good bit of value to my home.

How does a lumberjack cut through a tree with an axe? He just hacks away at it until the job is done. Mind you, it's not as pretty as if it were done with a chainsaw, but the mission was accomplished with the tools at hand. That's what hacking is about.

I've got to go to work now, but I encourage you all to re-think your terminology for malicious computer criminals and virus writers. I'm not one of them.

My New Thing: The Rehberg Polytechnic Institute

Oh, never mind.  I shouldn't be blogging - I need to study.  Bye.

                

Nobody Cares, That's Why.

I've read Dvorak on and off for years now. I'm still not sure if I like him, but I read an article today about the media dumbing stuff down for its readers. I get his point, and I readily agree, but there is something missing: reader interest.

John fusses about a New York Times article dumbing down the term "hexadecimal" and continues to talk about how people might should be bombarded with computer related terms and acronyms. He says that if they want to know, they'll summon a dictionary or Google for a bit of learning. He asks

I just wonder when exactly The Times stopped calling automobiles horseless carriages. And when did it stop using velocipede for bicycle? The Times story reflects a much larger issue: Exactly how much jargon should be incorporated into the general lexicon? We're not in 1850 anymore.

I must submit my own two cents: Sure, we now call the horseless carriage an automobile, but the average driver does not know what the EGR valve is or does. I doubt they care. My father just had his EGR valve replaced for around $400, and still has no idea what it is. All he knows is that his truck runs smoother now. Stay with me - there is a point.

In the same light, everybody knows, generally, what a computer is. They just don't know everything about it. Or how it works. Nor do they care, just as long as it keeps working. My mother doesn't care one bit about the fact that I run Fedora Core 5 in runlevel 3 and with that machine I am able to keep up with my home IP address via a Google Gadget. It also runs home automation tasks with some open soure software called Heyu. As long as my mother can play solitare just as she has for the past ten years, she can't give a hoot about how much RAM she has, or that it's DDR. I might note that she is not mechanically enclined, either.

There is nothing wrong with that. I can understand operating systems and set up networks, but I can't read music or sell insurance. I don't know what an F-stop is or how to use it (adjust it?). I can change my own oil and manage my finances, but I don't know that I could provide in-home care for the elderly or disabled. We all have our specialties and don't have the time or interest to learn others, John C. Dvorak included.

Um, You Forgot Something

I am just about this (||) close to trashing Vista now. One more feature I need tonight was standard in XP but is now only included in Vista Business and Ultimate. I need to talk to the government, and damn me if I don't have to fax something. I don't (like many others) have a facsimile at home. Why would I ever need one if I have a computer, right? Ha! If I had one it would be out in the shed, and I'd have to go dig it out about once every two years. I found my workaround in XP when I started using the Windows Fax Wizard. Why wouldn't it be in Vista?

I guess it's in the Business and Ultimate editions because those folks, after buying their new software licenses, can't afford a damn fax machine anymore. The fortunate kids who saved a couple of hundred on a good cheap laptop with Home Premium will have to forgo the fax and buy another clunky piece of junk to use once per American marriage.

I'm now going to use CutePDF to get a portable document and e-mail those deprecated people at the State Department of Revenue.