I've been running a couple of FON Wi-Fi Hotspots for a few months now with mixed success.

The idea behind FON is that you share your home or work Broadband connection wirelessly so that passers by who are members of the FON network (either paying for a subscription, or sharing their own broadband and thus getting access for free as a reward) have thousands of hotspots worldwide they can casually use. The connection is securely kept apart from your own LAN and you can determine how much bandwidth the end users can receive.

Since installation, the hotspot here at Tubb Towers in Birmingham has received a sum total of... 1 visitor. This is unsurprising, as Weoley Castle is not exactly known as a high tech hub and I don't live on a Main Road where many casual web-browsers may drive by.

The hotspot at my house in Lowton near Warrington is a different matter though. I fitted it with a high-gain antennae pointing at the busy crossroads at a main road, with a nearby pub and a local hotel that doesn't have it's own Wireless signal in it's sights - so the signal is strong and the chances of casual users noticing the signal is higher. Since installation last year I've received between 5 and 10 users a month connecting to it - hardly massive traffic, but hopefully the signal has been useful to more than a few people who are travelling.

FON have taken two steps to try and encourage more users to it's service. The first is allowing non-FON members up to 15 minutes free usage of any hotspot. More than ample to quickly grab your e-mails and do a quick search and I've seen a few of these types of users connecting to my hotspots each month.

The other more recently announced initiative is allowing any users to browse Google services (such as GMail and Google Maps) free at any FON hotspot. That's not a bad way to encourage people to try the service out and comes as a direct result of Google's investment in FON.

If you're interested in becoming a FON user, you can read more here or check out my last blog talking about Community Wi-Fi here.

I've been participating in a lot of Conference Calls hosted in the United States lately - and whilst many of the companies who host these calls realise (or should I say, realize...) they are facing a worldwide audience and thus publish GMT and other time zone information about the Calls - many simply publish American time zones in PST, etc.

So how do you work out when your call is in local time?

Try the Time Zone Converter - it makes finding out what that PST is in GMT easy!

I happened to be on a client site where one of the staff was trying to find out what time it was in Azerbaijan the other day so she could organise a telephone meeting. I pointed her at Time Zone Converter and it solved the problem! Not bad eh? :-)

Being a Technology geek and trying to live an environmentally friendly and ethically responsible life often seem mutually exclusive. For instance, I recycle heavily, I have two compost bins, two water butts, I buy environmentally friendly products, I run low energy light-bulbs in every room at home, I use Solar Powered chargers to give new life to rechargeable batteries, I get my electricity from a Green provider, I run an Electrisave to monitor my electricity usage, and annoyingly to seemingly everyone I meet - I wander around turning off room lights, monitors and printers I see left switched on un-necessarily. But on the other hand, I run a bunch of servers rammed with power-hungry Hard Disk Drives 24/7, and a whole heap of gadgets, media equipment and mobile devices that gobble up electricity like it's going out of fashion.

So researching into how to save energy whilst still being a heavy user of technology is something of a passion of mine (and a really good subject for impressing ladies during conversation, trust me...)

I use rechargeable batteries in just about every gadget I own as this is an effective way of powering them without continuously buying new batteries and discarding to landfill your used batteries, and so found this blog article by Jeff Atwood on how to use rechargeable batteries effectively fascinating. It explains the differences between the different types of rechargeable batteries out there, how they really work, and how you can get the most life from them.

And before you say, yes, I'm fully appreciative of how geeky everything I've just written reads - but I'm completely and absolutely unashamed of that fact. :-)

Ok - the headline above is a total and utter fabrication, but take a look at what our Microsoft Small Business Specialist cousins in the United States now have working for them to promote the "blue badge" to their client base!

Microsoft Small Business and SBSC in NASCAR - Sponsorship opens doors for Microsoft Small Business Specialists

As a Microsoft Small Business Specialist myself, the majority of potential clients I meet here in the UK don't know what a Microsoft Small Business Specialist is, and up until recently, actually being able to point them to an official Microsoft UK web-site explaining it to them was virtually impossible.

Of course, I do my best to educate them, but you can be sure if they saw the "blue badge" branding out in the big wide world more often then it would go some way towards making that job a lot easier.

So I'll admit I'm just a wee bit jealous of the methods our U.S counterparts have to promote their credentials, but Microsoft UK sponsoring a small Premiership Football team - let's say Chelsea FC with the SBS "blue badge" on their shirts - would definitely go someone to resolving that issue for me. :-)

I feel as though I've barely had time to slow down this week, as every day has been very very long in nature but good fun in it's own way.

Monday was spent bringing a new client on board - always an exciting but challenging time as you document the infrastructure you have inherited, start getting a feel for what needs to be done to improve things and begin building new relationships with the employees at your new client. Immediately having to deal with BT cutting through some cables and taking down all your new clients Telephone and Broadband Internet connections always makes life more challenging too!

Tuesday night was spent in Birmingham's Brindley Place debating the Backup Exec line of products their approach to the UK Small Business market with a couple of former Veritas (who Symantec bought out a while back) employees who now work at Symantec and who were in town for the next days big Microsoft bash. This meet-up naturally involved impressive volumes of alcohol, lots of typical vendor bashing from the SBSC corner and repeated use of the familiar phrase "Don't blog this" from the Symantechies when talking to us about certain sensitive subjects we drew them on. Thanks to the guys involved for an enjoyable evening. There were definitely some fuzzy heads all around the next day.

Wednesday was the day of Microsoft's UK 2008 Launch party entitled "Heroes happen here" at Birmingham's International Convention Centre. This was a huge event, much bigger than I anticipated, and I'd guess there were easily a couple of thousand people in attendance including many friends from the Small Business Specialist Community, Vendors and even one or two clients of mine. Microsoft laid on five different and very large conference rooms each offering a number of hour-long seminars covering various IT Pro and Developer topics - including some really interest talks on Security and Virtualisation from Microsofties such as Steve Lamb and Matt McSpirit. The day was interspersed with some games, question and answer sessions, swag giveaways and a ton of complimentary food and beer. I was then soundly thrashed 9-0 by Andy Parkes at FIFA 2008 on the XBox 360. Andy is a really nice guy, so I let him win, obviously... 

If you weren't in attendance on the day itself, then Vijay has blogged about how you can view the "Virtual Launch" site over at his blog.

Once we'd all been kicked out of the ICC, we joined organiser Zi and the good people from Geek Dinners who had put together a sit down meal at a nearby restaurant. It was good fun to meet so many IT professionals from around the country over a pizza and a drink, and members of the AMITPRO, NXTGen and VBUG user groups were all in attendance. Many new friends and contacts were made. There are some regular Geek Dinners across the UK, but sadly none in the Midlands - anybody interested in making it a regular event?

The hardcore amongst the group then carried the party on within Birmingham's Broad Street's pubs and clubs and that's when things started to get a little hazy for me. A select (and foolish) few didn't finish until around 5am. Guess how we were all feeling the next day?

Finally, Thursday saw a big goodbye to UKSMBgirl, Susanne Dansey, who is moving on to pastures new in exciting far flung destinations. In the short time I've been a part of the UK SBS Community, Susanne has been one of the most knowledgeable and helpful community leaders I've met - I know she'll be sorely missed by everyone who knows her but welcomed with open arms by her new colleagues the other side of the world! Good luck Susanne!

So, a busy but eventful week. The partying and subsequent hangovers will mean I'm doing some catching up on work over this Bank Holiday weekend, but I think it was worth it (even if my liver and sleep-deprived body says otherwise).

I was hesitant to blog about this new project from Microsoft, as when I and some other partners were invited to participate earlier this year it was only in the early stages of testing and probably not ready to accept a flood of Microsoft Partners signing up! I've since spoken to outgoing SBSC Channel Marketing Manager Jen Brinton (bye Jen, we'll miss you!) and Judith Wilson-Brown at Microsoft, and have been given permission to "blab away" (as Judith so nicely put it).

I've also seen some other blogs mentioning this new Community site going from alpha testing to "public ready" recently, so if you're a Microsoft Partner and haven't heard about it already - it's worth taking a look.

Judith also mentions that partners are looking, but not contributing on the site. Now knowing the Partner Community as I do, I've never known my peers to be a quiet bunch - rather completely the opposite - so don't hesitate to get stuck in guys and girls! :-)

***

Your Invitation to join the Partner Sales and Marketing online Community

I would like to invite you to join a new Sales and Marketing online Partner network. The Sales and Marketing network aims to provide a virtual community for Microsoft's Partners to engage and work collaboratively to increase their success.

It’s really easy to access and participate in this new online network, simply:

1. Go to the Partner Community home page

2. Sign-in using your Windows Live ID that you use to access other partner programme benefits

3. Access the Sales and Marketing network from the list on the left hand side

4. Click ‘Join’ in the top right hand side of the Sales and Marketing home area

Once you’ve accessed and joined the network please add your views to the online discussions, share documents with other members, and read the latest announcements. You can even create your own blog! When you’ve created your profile don’t forget to add your picture - it’s really important in social networking I’ve learnt!

If you have problems accessing the site please email Jude Wilson-Brown or Daniel Langton. You can find Windows Live ID information to help you here. If you need further support and information on the Partner Community – visit the ‘On-site’ help and support community.

What is the Partner Community?

The Partner Community is a group of networks set up and managed by individuals, partner organisations, and Microsoft employees. The Community enables members to communicate, share documents, and connect with others members and with Microsoft. The goal is to help us all do business more effectively and efficiently.

It's no secret I was/am a big fan of 80's Pop Star Rick Astley. My interpretation of the "Rick-Roll" on the dance floor is indeed a sight to behold.

So when this joke about the great man that is Astley floated around various corporate e-mail inboxes this week, I got forwarded a copy by more than one person saying "Saw this and thought of you".

I'm flattered - I think... :-)

In my role as British Computer Society YPG (Young Persons Group) Representative, I'm due to give a presentation at Ninestiles School in Birmingham today on "A Career in IT".

I'm sure the day will teach me as much about what future school-leavers think about IT as a career option as I can tell them about my own career and experiences in IT, so it should be a useful opportunity!

With my environmentally friendly "green" hat on, I've decided not to print any literature to take with me, rather I'll point the students towards this blog entry for the links they need. Paperless office anyone? :-)

I'll talk a little bit about my own background and career in IT as I hope it contains some good examples of the opportunities that you can find based on the decisions you make.

I'm now 31 years old and I work for myself as a self-employed IT Consultant and my company, Netlink IT, has been running since 1999. Netlink is a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, meaning we are a Microsoft partner who specialises in helping small businesses tackle their business challenges with the best use of IT. Typically my clients are Small Businesses with between 3 and 50 employees who don't have their own IT department and so turn to companies like Netlink for help with their Technology requirements. These clients come from a range of industries - including Education, Finance, Recruitment, Engineering, Retail and Charities.

The sorts of work I get involved with on a day-to-day basis might include setting up new servers and PC's, troubleshooting Windows Desktop problems, delivering training, installing cabling for networks, using Wireless technologies, dealing with security issues, liasing with suppliers, and helping decision makers within businesses plan strategies for their IT use.

That's the technical stuff! My role as a small business owner also involves me having to deal with Invoices, Bills and Accounts, Marketing, ongoing training and many other day to day issues. Also, if I take a day off sick, I don't get paid! That said, working for yourself gives you the freedom to make your own decisions and control your own direction, and I enjoy a quality of life that allows me to avoid commuting, work with people I like, and occasionally enjoy sitting with my laptop in the sun. :-)

I'd always had an interest in computers from an early age when my parents bought me a 2nd hand Atari 8-bit computer. As a little geek I learnt how to program it, upgrade it and connect it to the outside world.

I started my professional career in IT at 17 having left Sixth-Form early. I didn't want to go to University as I had a desire to get out into the real world and start working! I joined a business that sold and repaired computers. This allowed me to learn more about how computers work on the inside - and I found myself becoming familiar with Motherboards, Memory, Hard Disks and Processors. I also learned the hard way that electricity really stings if you don't treat it with respect!

Moving on, I joined a Pharmaceutical company who developed software used in Doctors Surgeries. This gave me experience of writing computer software, and debugging long pieces of code. I joined another company as a computer programmer after that, but started to realise that the aspect of the job I enjoyed the most wasn't writing code - it was helping people solve their problems.

Thus I moved into IT Support, and took a Helpdesk job with an IT company who provided support via the telephone to various other types of companies. Working on a Helpdesk is a difficult job, as you often have to deal with irate people the other end of a 'phone, but it teaches you a great deal about remaining calm, being organised and on how to deal with different types of people. It was a very valuable time in my career that prepared me for the future.

It was during this time that I started taking vocational training, sometimes paid for by my employer, sometimes by myself, with the goal of passing exams that would provide me with IT industry recognised qualifications. I started off by passing my A+ qualification, which teaches you about general Hardware and Software. I'd highly recommend this qualification as a starting point if you are considering a career in IT Support. I then took an interest in Networking, and passed my Network+ and other exams. I then moved on to become a Microsoft Certified Professional, and eventually a Microsoft Certified System Engineer. I also took exams with Compaq, Novell and other large industry vendors. All these qualifications were very valuable on my CV and showed potential employers that I had both a desire and an aptitude for learning.

When looking for a job, especially an entry level job such as working on a Helpdesk, I'd strongly recommend you make sure there are clear opportunities for training and self-development. If there isn't, you may end up in a low-paid dead-end job - so don't settle for less!

After 18 months working on a Helpdesk, I moved into a Desktop Support role in a large Financial company - which basically meant I went from being on the telephone, to helping people out at their desks in person. I really enjoyed this work as meeting people and helping them with their problems face-to-face can be very rewarding. I found myself learning a lot about setting people's expectations, scheduling work effectively, and most of all - listening to people properly.

I was then offered an opportunity to work as an IT Trainer, delivering classroom based training to employees. Standing up in front of a classroom full of people is very nerve-wracking, but I learnt a lot about presentation and how to explain complex solutions to technical problems to people in simple to understand ways.

I eventually moved back into another Desktop Support role, but after a while found that a lot of my former employers were asking me if I could undertake small projects for them on a piecemeal basis. I eventually took the plunge and started working for myself, which leads me to where I am today!

Lots of people told me that working for yourself was "taking a risk", as the flow of work could dry up at any time or your clients may not pay your invoices. I never saw it that way, as even if you are employed by a big company - you could be made redundant at any time, or your employer could go bust. I love working for myself and couldn't imagine being an employee of a company again, but I realise without the experience I gained from being an employee in those various jobs, I wouldn't be in a position to work for myself now.

So I've mentioned working as a Computer Programmer, on a Helpdesk, Desktop Support, IT Trainer and finally IT Consultant. That's just the tip of the iceberg for working in IT though, as Technology can literally be found in every industry anywhere in the world. You might want to write computer games, become a web-site designer, a network specialist, work with telecommunications, repair printer hardware, develop and program robotics, Artificial Intelligence (but please don't go creating any Terminators) or any number of other opportunities.

The British Computer Society provides a number of very helpful downloadable leaflets and advice on choosing a career in IT - they can be found at http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=nav.7874. The BCS also have a number of schemes that can help members develop their careers on an ongoing basis.

My final pieces of advice if you are considering any sort of career in IT would be:-

• Read, Read, Read and Read some-more! Absorb all the information you can both on the history of IT, and current trends in the industry. This doesn't have to cost anything - the World Wide Web is full of free information and your local library will have a surprising amount of technical information available.
• Listen to both your peers and respected industry experts. Read blogs, subscribe to magazines such as "PC Pro" which have monthly articles by highly respected experienced IT Professionals, and attend seminars and presentations when given the opportunity. Again, many of these are free!
• Get some vocational qualifications. Passing, for instance, a Microsoft exam will open up a lot of opportunities to further yourself at little or no cost. Microsoft will be keen to offer you more free training on their other products once you've proved yourself capable. Vocational qualifications can also show potential employers that you have knowledge of real-world issues.
• Make it happen! If you want to be a Programmer, start writing some code today! If you have an interest in Web-Design, put together your own web-page or blog. If you're interested in a career in IT Hardware, beg, scrounge or borrow a PC - take it apart, learn how to put it back together - but remember that Electricity stings... :-)

Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help and advice on how to achieve your goals. If you look, there is a whole world full of people that are easily reachable by e-mail, Instant Messenger, Voice-over-IP and even old fashioned postal mail! I'm one of them, so feel free to get in touch or leave a comment with your questions. You'll be surprised how many people are happy to help you!

***

EDIT:- As promised, a quick feedback report on my trip to Ninestiles School in Birmingham today to give presentations on “A career in IT”.

The organiser, Jayne Talbot, was very welcoming and as well as myself there were around half a dozen other speakers from different areas within Industry.

We were given eight slots of 10 minutes to present to different classrooms, and despite my greatest fears I didn’t have any bad experiences. The most repeated questions asked of me were "What qualifications do you recommend", "What do you get paid", "What's the best/worst part of working for yourself".

The worst that happened was some of the kids didn't get my jokes - but then, most grown-ups don't anyway...

That said, it was still terrifying experience and I’d prefer to present to Boardrooms than children any day of the week! Talk about going outside your comfort zone! :-p

If you're interested in presenting to a school in your area, drop me a line and I'll put you in touch with a BCS rep who can help organise it.

I've been a member of the British Computer Society (BCS) for a few years now, and regularly attend their events in the West Midlands. I've even made it onto the Birmingham Branch Committee as their Young Persons Group (YPG) representative in recent months - those poor  people! :-)

I recently started a Facebook group for the Birmingham Branch members to network and chat between events - it's a closed group joined by invitation only, so if you're a BCS member then drop me an e-mail for an invite.

There's still a few BCS Birmingham Branch events upcoming before the end of the 2007-2008 Calendar, the earliest of which is tomorrow night in Edgbaston:-

Tuesday 11th March, 2008 - 18:00 for 18:30

Trophy Suite, Tally Ho Sports & Conference Centre, Pershore Road, Birmingham B5 7RN

Wide Area Data Services - How to achieve LAN speeds over the WAN.

Given the importance of anytime, anywhere application access, IT departments are turning to wide-area data services to improve and accelerate application performance across the wide area network (WAN). Using Wide Area Data Services (WDS), IT managers can provide LAN-like access to data and applications anywhere throughout the enterprise network, enabling real-time collaboration as well as effective IT consolidation.

Using WDS, enterprises can improve application performance across the network typically by 5 to 50 times and in some cases up to 100 times, and can reduce WAN bandwidth utilization by 65 to 95%, simultaneously. These dramatic results allow businesses to take advantage of their networks, infrastructure, and applications in ways that they had never imagined possible.”

A free buffet will available from 6pm. Please contact Walter Milner (w.w.milner@bham.ac.uk)  if you intend to be present, so we can plan the amount of food and drink for the buffet.

Tuesday April 22nd 2008 - 18.00 for 18.30

Trophy Suite, Tally Ho Sports & Conference Centre, Pershore Road, Birmingham B5 7RN

James Patterson, Technology Support Manager (English Regions), BBC

The Nation is changing it's TV services from Analogue to Digital - but just what does this mean for the re-engineering of the transmitter networks in the UK? This talk aims to take you through the planning and implementation process for the switchover of the BBC's transmitter networks and services from an analogue provision on 80 masts to digital provision on 1150 masts.

It will talk about the work required on a combined aerial mast like Sutton Coldfield and which factors determine the success or otherwise of a changeover. How will it affect you, how long does it take and who will see what on screen in the run up to DSO, and who will miss the boat? It will also touch on the BBC's commitment to a free to air satellite service in the UK which will be launching in April 2008.

A free buffet will available from 6pm. Please contact Chris Green (chrisgreen430@hotmail.com)  if you intend to be present, so we can plan the amount of food and drink for the buffet.

***

If you've never been to a BCS Event before, then Guests are very welcome. If you'd like to come along, drop me an e-mail and I'm happy to be a friendly face (or ugly mug...) for you to meet when you arrive so you don't have to walk into the event not knowing anyone.

As YPG Rep, I'm due to give a Presentation on a "Career in IT" to some classrooms of 13-14 year olds tomorrow - let's hope I don't put them off!

You are also spoiled for choice for events to attend tomorrow night, as the Midlands Microsoft Small Business Specialist User Group AMITPRO will be meeting at the Arden Hotel in Solihull. See Vijay's blog for all the details!

BBC's Click Online show (available to view again on-line) this week reports on a study out of Australia that shows that just 2 months of regular blogging leaves you feeling less depressed and less isolated than before.

I recall a similar report from CNET emerging a couple of years ago in which nearly half of 600 bloggers surveyed said that blogging was a form of "therapy" for them.

For myself having blogged for 3 years or more now, I find blogging a useful habit - something that regularly helps focus my attention on a single topic and thus gain some clarity when my mind is whirring with a dozen different things. Oh, and it occasionally provides me with an easy way of venting my rage too! Not at all dissimilar from the practice of keeping a written diary, I guess, but rather less personal!

I regularly receive feedback on my blog by e-mail and comment, and it often serves as a useful tool to keep friends and colleagues posted on what I've been up-to. But most of all blogging has been a very useful tool to help connect me with dozens of different people across the world that I may never have had the opportunity to communicate with otherwise. Being a "people person" I also still get a buzz when strangers walk up to me at events and introduce themselves with "I read your blog" - ego stroke or not, it works for me. :-)

The flip-side of blogging can be the simple fact that by putting your opinion or thoughts out there in a public forum, you're bound to piss somebody off - which sometimes results in you receiving less than welcome and none too constructive feedback. I've experienced this personally, but on the whole my opinion is rarely controversial and my blog not read far and wide. Somebody like Vlad, who often puts his sharp opinion out there on his very popular blog Vladville, seems to comfortably deal with any negative flack he receives as a result of being thick skinned and very assured of his own opinion I guess - something I could learn from!

That said, others find enough is enough. I was sad to hear of the end of one of my favourite blogs this week, that written by Microsoft's own Dare Obasanjo - aka Carnage4Life. I'm sure Dare has his reasons for ending his blog writing, in fact he toyed with doing so a couple of years ago, but it's still sad to know that you'll not hear anymore from that person.

So there you have it, like everything in life blogging has it's plusses and negatives. For the moment at least, I'm going to continue to put my opinion out there through Tubblog - but please do be kind with your feedback.... I'm a very sensitive soul. ;-)

I briefly mentioned the OpenDNS service in the second part of my series of posts looking at Windows Mobile Applications recently. When used on a Mobile device, I've found the service can speed up mobile Web-Browsing quite a bit - just change your existing Mobile ISP settings to use OpenDNS servers instead and see the speed increase immediately - quick and simple!

But what is OpenDNS and indeed, what is DNS?

DNS (or Domain Name System) serves as a "phone book" for many computer networks, including the Internet. It enables us dumb humans to type simple easily remembered names into our computers and so not have to remember lots and lots of sets of numbers instead.

For instance, when you type the address www.netlink-it.com into your web-browser, what the web-browser actually does is check with it's designated DNS Server (which may either be on your local network if you're in a office based company, or if you're using the Internet at home it's more likely at your Internet Service Provider) to see where that web-site can be found. In this instance, the DNS server would check it's own records for www.netlink-it.com and if it couldn't find the details in it's own records then it would check with another DNS server to query it and find the correct details. Once this process is complete and your DNS Server has the correct details, it passes them back to your computer. Your computer then knows where to look to find the web-site.

In this case, what you type as www.netlink-it.com, the DNS server translates into something your computer can understand and your computer actually uses the number (or "IP address") 82.165.124.9. Now, which would you prefer to remember - the www bit or the 82.165.124.9 bit? :-)

So what is OpenDNS? Well it's a freely provided service that is similar to the standard DNS Servers you will find in your company or ISP, but with some extra features thrown in. We've already established it seems to do those DNS lookups a lot faster, especially on Mobile devices, but OpenDNS also adds a welcome level of security. OpenDNS blocks phishing sites, gives you the power to filter out adult sites and provides the ability to block individual domains. What this means in simple terms is that by simply changing your existing DNS settings to use OpenDNS instead - you'll have much greater protection against accidentally going to dodgy sites trying to steal your Credit Card details, your employees won't be able to find adult sites as easily, and if you wanted to block "Facebook" or "MySpace" for all employees then that would be easier to do too.

Not too shabby for a free service!

If you're a client of Netlink IT then you're already using this service so you can feel safer already!

You can find out more about OpenDNS at it's web-site, www.opendns.org (or 208.67.219.99 for those computers reading this...)

Noted DataCenter p0rn addict aficionado Andy Parkes drew my attention to the above sensational headline published on the Green Data Centre blog yesterday, giving details of a Church being demolished to make way for a new Google Data Center in Iowa.

Hold on! What about Google's motto - "Do No Evil". Doesn't wrestling The Almighty in his own backyard and then razing his house in an act of spite count as evil?

Well thankfully Rich Miller dug a little deeper to find the actual facts of the story.

"The church actually sold the property years ago to a local developer, who in turn sold to the local economic development corporation - all before Google was in the picture".

Phew!

What with the near End of the World happening last week, and the "if it's true, it must be one of the signs of the Apocalypse" fact of my team Aston Villa being in the top six of the Premiership, I was beginning to worry that Darth Google smashing Churches beneath it's Imperial boot may have just prompted the Almighty to press CTRL-ALT-DEL on us all. ;-)

Netlink IT's favoured Anti-Virus product, AVG, was updated to version 8 late last week.

Key Highlights are:-

• Safe Search – AVG scans Google™, Yahoo® and MSN® search results in real-time
• Safe Surf – AVG scans each and every web site and web link before you open them
• Safe Link Scan – AVG scans every web link you come across, whether in e-mails, documents or Instant Messaging
• Safe Favourites & Bookmark Scan – AVG scans all your favourite and bookmarked sites before you open them
• Safe URL Scan – Type your favourite URL into your browser, AVG will scan contents of the site before you open it
• Safe Download Scan - Scan all new applications you want to install ensuring they are safe before you download
• Safety Ratings – Site specific safety details are display by simply hovering over the safety icons

To download a comprehensive overview of the features and benefits AVG 8.0 please click here.

Interesting to note that AVG now includes similar features to McAfee's free Site Advisor product I mentioned earlier this year. A welcome addition to help cut down on the number of click-thru's to dodgy sites.

There is also a Reseller Tour booked, with dates in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Exeter, Bristol, Cambridge and London. You can book here. I'll be at the Birmingham event, so if you're going along - say hello!

I stumbled across a really neat Plug-In for Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer called "PicLens" created by CoolIris.

Once downloaded and installed, the Plug-In enables a 3D slideshow of photographs displayed from a number of supported web-sites including Google Images, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace and others.

It really is a great way to view images!

Don't believe me? Check out the demo or simply go and install the Plug-In for free and then do a search on Google Images!

Very cool eh? :-)

Just a quick one to draw any fellow SMB Consultant's attention to Karl Palachuk's excellent Conference Call, a number of which have already taken place at 1700 GMT each Wednesday for the past few weeks.

You can listen to some of the previous calls by visiting Karl's Great Little Books site. Specifically, I highly recommend listening to Matt Makowicz's call if you're considering or already offering Managed IT Services to your clients.

The next Conference Call is this Wednesday and features Jeff Middleton, Microsoft MVP and SBS Migration expert. At only 1p/minute International rate, I've found Skype an ideal way to dial into to the U.S.A. to listen in to these calls - which are proving very informative and worth an hour of my time each week.

Continued thanks to Karl and his guests for their offerings!