Tech Newsletters

What Tech newsletters do you read?

I have a few favourites and where they offer it, I also subscribe to them. In most cases the writing, research and running of these newsletters is a one man business and I have to say I am mildly jealous of their success. It is something I have had an itching to do for a while, but every time I look around there is already a better one for the market I'm considering out there.

Is this to say I am not as good or can't be as good (even better) than the current ones I read or is it just that I don't want to swim uphill against the tide? I guess it is probably a little of both, but a lot of it includes the fact that I simply can't dedicate the time I need to make it a success to the project. Initially, like all my favourite newsletters it would be a free only edition with those wishing to subscribe able to do so. If it became popular, then like the ones I read I'd have to make a business decision to either close it or turn it into a business and therefore give up my day to day job. Maybe more of this anon.

For now, I want to list the ones I read and maybe one or two I have given up reading for various reasons.

My all time fave used to be Fred Langa's The Langa List. He was a one man band that had grown up and Fred is someone who has enormous respect for his length of service in IT as well as his depth of knowledge - these coupled with a friendly and approachable writing style as well as the ability to give multiple possible causes (and their answers) to problems made his newsletter very popular indeed. He offered the newsletter in various formats as well as a free and paid for version - with the paid for version getting extra snippets on top.

However, Fred has now merged with WindowsSecrets and, purely in my opinion, I don't think this was the best thing for his readership, himself or even me if I'm being honest.

I should add that I also read WindowsSecrets and have a paid for subscription to it. However, their approach is very much more formal, less friendly (less Fred can I say) and has multiple writers. This last aspect is probably a good thing, as it means you will get in-depth experience from those that know. The downside is that since the merger the actual content of the combined newsletters is very much reduced when you consider that both Fred's and WS's used to put out at least 3 times the amount they do now separately. Fred has gone from 14 to 20 items, 4 times a month to every other week with maybe 2 or 3 items. WS has just added Fred's bit in and reduced the length of theirs. It is monthly published newsletter.

Replacing Fred as my favourite is Ian "Gizmo" Richards's Tech Support Alert. I like this because he doesn't shy away from complicated issues and in his monthly editorial will usually give some extremely sound advice on a subject dear to his heart. For the last 6 or more months he has spent time and effort researching and testing the best combination of freeware products to protect your PC from all the various nasties out there. Aside from the, one would hope by now, obvious strategy of not getting infected in the first place he gives clear, precise reasoning as to why he advocates what he does.

I can heartily recommend this one. Again a variety of formats as well as paid or not versions are available and in the next month or so he is upgrading his subscription model to make it easier for all of us subbers. This is also published monthly.

The next one I like is Scot Finnie's self named Scot's Newsletter. Scot. like Fred, has spent a lot of time in the business and has been a professional writer for a fair while giving his newsletter that extra advantage. He tends to have one main topic of interest for the month and will spend a chunck of the newsletter going into great depth. Like Gizmo, he does most of his own testing and this can be seen by the thoroughness of his conclusions. As an example of his writing, a recent in-depth research over several issues was trying to determine which was the best AV for him (it was FSecure if you are interested). Scot makes it 100% clear that his results are for him, but that if his investigations help you then great and he also, unlike the others, sticks mainly to paid for apps and issues to do with broadband and OSes - however, he will cover hot topics and has recently introduced a Mac section much to his wife's delight.

Scot's newsletter is 100% free but he happily accepts donations. In line with the other two I sub to, I have also donated to Scot's an amount similar to the annual fees of the others.

Now, here's one I used to sub to but have opted out recently. This one is Marc Liron's XPUpdate. Marc's newsletter used to be a regular, minimum, once a month affair with lots of interesting snippets along with some excellent freebies for those new to the XP OS. What made it interesting and the reason I found it initially, is that Marc is an MVP in Digital Media and I was trying to track something down to do with codecs. The other thing I liked about Marc is that he is British and to date was the only British based newsletter I subbed to.

However, all this has gone by the by and before I say why I should add that Marc's newsletter has always been free. I have fallen out with Marc's approach because he now exclusively uses his newsletter as a vehicle for selling his latest video or latest marketing scheme for (as a current example) "MySpace Marketing Secrets". Secondly his entire approach on his websites (yes, plural) is to very much follow the pattern of the Americans. Long single page websites with lots of text emboldened or highlighted and at least 3 or 4 attempts per page to get you to "secure your copy now". Next, despite being British all of his sales spiel is very Americanised to the extent that the quoted prices are all in dolars.

Sorry Marc, you lost me when you stopped being about "Making Windows XP a little easier". It would have been nice for a British author to stay British and what's more he is a Christian so I had a lot of time for him.


And that folks is about it. There are lots of software, hardware or subject specific stuff I read as well but on the whole none that match the quality of the first 3 or 4 I mentioned. I'll just finish with this.

If you are someone who reads a newsletter on a regular basis and think I should review it - then please drop me a line and I'll look it up. Secondly, if you do read it regular then do you also support it in terms of cold hard cash? If it was your business, how would you feel if nobody bothered to say thanks? One other reason I like all of these newsletters .... they don't generate any other spam for you having signed up and if you want to drop out, then your eMail address is removed promptly and without fuss.

All in all, for all the magazines I sub to or support we are talking a few £10's of pounds for the lot.

5Q's - Chris Sanders

Another hit from another of the blogs I read - this time it's Chris Sanders from the blog of the same name - http://www.chrissanders.org/

1. What are you reading now or what did you last read?
I haven't really had a chance to read a whole lot with all I have hadgoing on lately but I try to make an honest attempt to read my bible every day. Aside from that, I did manage to read "Scripting Microsoft Virtual Server 2005" by Anil Desai a few months ago. It was a pretty good read.

2. What's your best bit of advice?
Working in education I can't stress enough how important it is. I had an opportunity very early to skip college and start at a very popular up and rising IT firm in a lead consulting position, but rather than doing so I chose to tough it out and go the college route. Because of this, I was able to greatly develop my writing skills and now I am more successful than I could have ever been had I not made that decision. If you are going to be very successful I believe you have to constantly educate yourself and put that education first and foremost.

3. Half-full or half-empty?
Always half full.

4. What's your alternative career choice?
This is something I have actually thought about quite a bit. I'd say if I had to choose it would either be a doctor or a special education teacher. I have always had an affinity for trying to help people and make a big difference and there really isn't two other careers where that is any more possible. Every now and then I will get frustrated with a project I am working on and will swear up and down that I am going to go to med school instead.

5.Who would you get to play you in a movie?
I'm gonna have to go with George Clooney. I don't really have a good reason why...other than that I was always a big fan of his character in the early day of "ER". I love that show.

My thanks to Chris.

Blogs I Read - 2

In an effort to keep content moving on here I'm making a concerted effort to post on as regular a basis as I can.

http://www.chrissanders.org - this blog first came to my attention because I was looking for some very specific info on packet sniffing, and whilst at the time of my initial look this blog didn't answer my query it did pique my interest enough for me to bookmark it.

Specifically the 5 part series on using WireShark (aka EtherReal) to analyse packets. I have read and digested them all and have learnt from them and I heartily recommend it. Pop on over to Chris's blog and scroll down the right hand side until you find the "Packet Analysis" link for teh series. I note he's also written a book which I just may have to dig out some cash and purchase.

One of the reasons I've stuck with reading his blog is that his professional interests seem to mirror mine fairly closely but I'll admit he seems a far better web designer than ever I'll be. So, give Chris's blog a go, I know I'll be continuing to read.

5Q's - Alexander Kjerulf

Another hit ... yeah, this is going better than I imagined. Sugegstions for those you'd like to hear from are always welcome.

This episode of 5Q is from Alexander Kjerulf or PositiveSharing.com

1. What are you reading now or what did you last read?
I'm currently reading an advance copy of The No Asshole Rule by Bob Sutton. That is one excellent book, and it once and for all ends the myth that we need to tolerate jerks and assholes at work. I'm also reading a fantasy book called Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb - it's excellent, if you like that kind of thing :o)

2. What's your best bit of advice?
Be happy at work. Do not settle for a job that is "OK" or "nice" or "not too bad". Make sure that you love your job - or leave and find a job that you can love. If you do, you will find that you become much more productive, more creative, you'll enjoy work more AND you will enjoy life more!

3. Half-full or half-empty?
There is no glass.

4. What's your alternative career choice?
A chef. Or the guy who runs your friendly neighborhood café - the one with the nice employees and the great coffee.

5. Who would you get to play you in a movie?
I'm thinking Zach Braff. He ain't that good-looking either :o)


You've read my email, now read my book - it's even *better* :o)
It's called "Happy Hour is 9 to 5" and you can buy it on paper, as a pdf or read it free online!
Learn more at http://positivesharing.com/happyhouris9to5/

Blogs I Read

I admit, I'm a very small time blogger and I'm not really here to make money out of this - despite my recent addition of some adverts (just joining the bandwagon) - but this is the first in a series of posts detailing what blogs I read on a regular basis and why.

So the first I'll tell you about is:

The self-styled Chief Happines Officer and in particular one post that really resonates with me. This site is all about the belief that we can be happy at work and I for one applaud that. I'm frequently (at least once a week) accused of being "far too happy" to be in work or some other similar phrase.

Had I not found this site then perhaps I could have taken up this sort of blog, but I do enjoy a moan or two so this is probably not me. The man behind it, Alexander Kjerulf, strikes me as being of Nordic descent and maybe he's even Danish. The only reason I raise that is scientists have recently discovered why Danes are the happiest nation in the world and it is all due to their low expectations. Because they never shoot for the moon, they never fail and thus when the proverbial happens it is always a bonus - and we all know a bonus makes most folks happy.

So, why do I like the post I mentioned above? It's about the simple things in life. The things we should all do and it is the lack of these which are ultimately responsible for most of the world's ills today. The first two are "thank you" and "I'm sorry" - neither of which are hard to say and we all make a song and dance when somebody doesn't do them to us ... but what of when we need to say thanks or I'm sorry? Do we do it straight off without struggle or do we resist like a surly teen?

I have 3 children - the eldest at 17 still struggles with the simple concept that when he's done something wrong then the quickest way to calm me or his mother is to say sorry. However, his 4yr old brother know the magic of a lightning fast 'sowry daddy' .....

The next in the list of four is knowing when to ask for help or better yet when to accept an offer of help. I was taught by a very wise old egg when I first started in computing that (within reason and dependant on the specific job) "one should never go more than 45mins without questioning whether you need to enlist help" - thanks Ian if you're reading this from your eternal resting place. Let me clarify ... the intention of this advice was that if you are stuck at the same point for 45m then you really ought to seek help.

Finally, he says the words - Yes, And - when used in response to a suggestion are better than No or Yes, but. Rather than attempting to rewrite his words, go and have a read yourself and whilst there have a good nosey around. It's all good stuff.

5 Q's - Robert Young

Here are Robert Young's, currently of GigaOm residence, answers.

1. What are you reading now or what did you last read?
I'm very partial to biographies. Just finished "When Hollywood Had a King" authored by Connie Bruck... about Lew Wasserman & MCA (now known as Universal Studios). Prior to that, I read "In All His Glory" authored by Sally Bedell Smith... about William Paley & CBS.

2. What's your best bit of advice?
For Internet entrepreneurs... view markets in a counterintuitive way. It will often show a path to disruptive innovation.

3. Half-full or half-empty?
Right now... half-full. We are at the cusp of another cycle of extreme wealth generation.

4. What's your alternative career choice?
TV producer... I admire producers who are intelligent & complex, morally-conscious, sentimental, and visionary, like Aaron Sorkin ("West Wing", "Studio 60", etc.).

5. Who would you get to play you in a movie?
Hate to say this, but probably Rob Lowe.

Thanks Robert.

5 Q's - Randall Munroe

Another hit - this time Randall Munroe of xkcd fame.

1. What are you reading now or what did you last read?
The Starship and the Canoe, by Kenneth Brower.

2. What's your best bit of advice?
Talk to strangers, even if you're shy. It's where 90% of the good things in life come from.

3. Half-full or half-empty?
Half full. Possibly even nine-sixteenths full, because there's always measurement error to hope for!

4. What's your alternative career choice?
Doing a webcomic IS my alternative career choice. I used to be a roboticist.

5. Who would you get to play you in a movie?
This is hard. I'd love to hear all my lines spoken by Jeremy Irons. Also Don LaFontaine. But I guess I'd pick Jim Carrey. But like in Eternal Sunshine, not Ace Ventura. I've always been convinced he was a good actor, even before he started doing serious things. What about Janeane Garofalo? But I don't know; I'm so boring in real
life. I can't imagine any of those people just sitting at a computer and giggling occasionally. It would be such a waste.

Thanks Randall.

Goal Setting

I've been reading a lot recently about goal setting - and this is not linked to the fact that we've just had a new year and traditionally folks make (and then break) resolutions.

There are a few things I've been wanting to achieve and I've decided the best way to go about this is to set myself goals. I've never really been into this aspect of life and if anything actively avoid it. However, I have finally accepted that my active avoidance has converted itself into helping me not achieve things I've wanted to do - and this has been backed up by numeroud articles and books I have been reading.

So today, I started my first goals list and this one specifically is to do with weight loss or more accurately restoring my health and my body shape to something more closely resembling what it was when I was in my early 20's.

The main things I've learnt about goal setting are:

1. Write then down
2. Make them current tense even though you haven't achieved it *
3. Read them at least once a day if prefereably twice**
4. Split the goals up into daily, weekly, 3 month, yearly and long term***
5. Constant update and adaption
   

* Apparantly this is one of those things that causes your subconcious mind to reprogram itself from interpreting negative comments even though you may be stating positive ones. If you state "I am happy I am now 180lbs in weight and look fabulous" is far better than saying "I want to be 180lbs and look better" - the mind then can create this mental picture that sees itself as you want to be and not as you are.

** It takes 21 days to change a habit I'm told, so constant repetition of the positive goal(s) is the one to aim for

*** Look at it this way - if you just had a long term goal of weight loss then you can easily put it off for another day or two ... or three and, well you get the picture. By having daily goals you pick immediate and easy things you can do such as "I have reduced my intake of sugar".

The weekly goals are similar but would contain stuff that isn't a daily aspect such as exercising for example and you might phrase this such as "I am happt to have achieved 3 x 20m cardio sessions this week"

Monthly goals would include "I have lost 1lb in weight" or "I have dropped an inch from my waist"

The big one, I've read, is the 3 month goal as this is near enough that the mind and body needs to react now but far enough away as to make objectives achievable. Here you could list stuff such as (keeping to the weight loss theme) "I am ecstatic to have lost 14lbs" or whatever you pick as your target(s).

There, enough to get you started at least I guess and as for me - well I can already tick several of my boxes including rduction in sugar; starting cardio workouts (only acheived 10mins but it's a start) and have read my goals twice today.

Money Earning

I'm sure, like most people, I'm always on the lookout for ways to make a few more pennies.

In my time I've tried all the usual stuff such as gambling (not really but it is an option), MLM, Pyramid schemes, sign up for surveys (only to find you never meet their criteria), and various other ways. I've read loads of postings about how to make money but the problem with most of them is they are anti-Europe or specifically anti-UK.

I guess that is probably a little harsh butthe reality is that most of these PTR (Pay To Read) sites and their ilk and based on you beign in America or one of its chosen subsidiaries.

Therefore I'm on a bit of a mission, once more, to genuinely see if I can find site/s that will pay out, without too much hooplah and without too much brain ache on how I actually earn from them. Shoudl I find success then I will report back here ....