December « 2008 « The “E” Zone

Install AsteriskNow on Virtual Machine http://www.asterisknow.org/downloads
Another: Trixbox community edition using Asterisk(also has FreePBX web interface included, has vmware image) http://www.trixbox.org/downloads/

Misc asterisk recommendations:
http://blogs.theshanks.net/index.php/2008/01/25/whim-discovery-my-experience-with-asterisk/
http://blogs.theshanks.net/index.php/2008/02/04/call-forwarding-with-asterisk/
http://blogs.theshanks.net/index.php/2008/05/29/asterisk-still-rocks/
http://blog.carrel.org/2005/07/calling-features-with-asterisk.html

FXO PCI Card $30 http://x100p.com/products/FXO.php

Hardware and Software Requirements for 64 bit Guest OS’s http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1901

Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 SP1 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=28C97D22-6EB8-4A09-A7F7-F6C7A1F000B5&displaylang=en

VMWare Workstation http://forumw.org/viewtopic.php?t=600244&highlight=vmware

Mobile Photo Enhancer http://www.vicman.net/mobilephotoenhancer/

10 things you might not know about your credit card http://consumerist.com/5023643/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-your-credit-card

Bulk Convert old documents to Office 2007 Format http://www.labnol.org/software/bulk-convert-office-documents-in-2007-format/4291/

Asterisk Quicker install guide – PBX in a flash; VMWare image exists http://nerdvittles.com/index.php?p=217 and http://pbxinaflash.net/
Guidelines:
Don’t forget that if you setup an ‘Auto Attendant’ with a brief welcome message before ringing the interior phones that most telemarketing interpret this as an answering machine and hangup. Use in conjunction with the DNC list and you will never get another marketing call. You can go one step further and create an extension that rings all phones in the house and keep the auto-attendant in a loop requesting an extension, you would tell people the extention to ring the whole house or unique room extensions. Yes, it has on hold music, you can easily create your own as well.

Run PBX from 1Gb Flash Card http://pbxinaflash.net/

Set UP Asterisk fast http://nerdvittles.com/

How much power does each component drain? http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3413&p=1

Increase Privacy with DIY Windows Frosting http://lifehacker.com/399731/increase-your-privacy-with-16-diy-window-frosting

When Air Fares are cheaper http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-07/pb_airfares

Set up cheap ambient lighting with rope light http://lifehacker.com/397415/set-up-cheap-ambient-lighting-with-rope-lights

Create inventory of stuff at home http://www.knowyourstuff.org/

Best US Cities to Live, Work and Play http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105190/Best-Cities-to-Live,-Work-and-Play

Wiring Guide http://lifehacker.com/software/workspaces/hack-attack-the-cordless-workspace-sort-of-179911.php

How to get office clean http://lifehacker.com/396692/extreme-lifehacker-home-office-makeover
http://lifehacker.com/software/home-office/getting-to-done-the-ultimate-home-office-168526.php
and

Freeware PDF Unlocker http://www.freewarefiles.com/downloads_counter.php?programid=27137

How to Nap http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/naps/

Alternative Income Ideas http://www.moolanomy.com/462/30-alternative-income-ideas-and-resources/

Find Out How Much Your Car Repair Should Cost http://repairpal.com/

The Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,1205,l%253D230657%2526a%253D230658%2526po%253D38,00.asp?

Is Google Making us Stupid? http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google

Think Twice Before Paying for Credit Protection http://lifehacker.com/395911/think-twice-before-paying-for-credit-protection

Find Your Manuals Online for Free http://safemanuals.com/

Pay as You Go Hosting https://www.nearlyfreespeech.net/

Global Crossing(Internet Backbone) Network Tools http://www.globalcrossing.com/network/network_looking_glass.aspx

Five Best Job Search Sites http://lifehacker.com/5114814/five-best-online-job-search-sites?skyline=true&s=x

Add privacy and Ad Blocing to Google Chrome http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_news.php

Power User Guide to Google Chrome http://lifehacker.com/5045904/the-power-users-guide-to-google-chrome

WhoCrashed Help You Analyze Dump File http://lifehacker.com/5112027/whocrashed-helps-you-analyze-windows-dump-files

Most Popular of Linux Downloads 2008 http://lifehacker.com/5111764/most-popular-linux-downloads-of-2008

Backup your GMail Drive http://www.gmail-backup.com/

One CEO’s 12 Laws of Life http://nlpco.com/news/2008/12/11/toms-twelve-laws-of-life/

New York City in Photorealistic 3D http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2008/12/new_york_city_in_photorealistic_3d.html

Five Best Sites for Finding Deals Online http://lifehacker.com/5111468/hive-five-winner-for-best-site-for-finding-deals-online-slickdeals

Most Popular Windows Downloads of 2008 http://lifehacker.com/5110552/most-popular-free-windows-downloads-of-2008

Shut Down your Computer when it’s inactive http://lifehacker.com/5110195/alloff-shuts-down-your-computer-when-its-inactive
http://lifehacker.com/software/featured-windows-download/schedule-windows-shutdowns-with-winoff-289768.php

Sample Powerpoint 2007 Slide Effects with Instructions http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT103366151033.aspx

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17

Dec/08

FXO vs FXS Telephone Equipment

by admin under Professional

A difference between two technologies is described here:

An FXS interface provides power (battery) to FXO equipment and generates ring signals
(e.g. The phone jack on the wall)

An FXO interface receives power (battery) and receives ring signals
(e.g. The phone line port on a telephone set)

Always check the sense of the device whether it is labeled FXS or FXO, as some vendors get it backwards and your device will provide battery when you expect it to behave as a station and receive battery. Be careful!

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12

Dec/08

Comparatives of Antivirus Software

by admin under Computer Stuff

http://www.av-comparatives.org

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11

Dec/08

by admin under Leisure

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10

Dec/08

Protected: Amazon Self Help Bestsellers to download (pass: my ferret’s name)

by admin under Book Summaries

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10

Dec/08

Canadian Area Codes

by admin under Professional

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7

Dec/08

Excellent tool to cut mp3 files

by admin under Leisure

http://mpesch3.de1.cc/mp3dc.html

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4

Dec/08

Einstein’s Famous Quotations

by admin under Wisdom

Образование — это то, что остается после того, когда забываешь все, чему учили в школе

Человек, который никогда не ошибался, никогда не пробовал сделать что-нибудь новое.

Секрет творчества состоит в умении скрывать источники своего вдохновения.

Ценность человека должна определяться тем, что он дает, а не тем, чего он способен добиться. Старайтесь стать не успешным, а ценным человеком.

Есть два способа жить: вы можете жить так, как будто чудес не бывает и вы можете жить так, как будто все в этом мире является чудом.

Когда я изучаю себя и свой способ думать, я прихожу к выводу, что дар воображения и фантазии значил для меня больше, чем любые способности к абстрактному мышлению.
Мечты обо всем, чего бы вы могли добиться в жизни, — это важный элемент позитивной жизни. Позвольте вашему воображению свободно блуждать и создавать мир, в котором вы бы хотели жить.

Чтобы стать безупречным членом стада овец, нужно в первую очередь быть овцой.

Нужно выучить правила игры. А затем, нужно начать играть лучше всех.

Очень важно не перестать задавать вопросы. Любопытство не случайно дано человеку.

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3

Dec/08

Review of John Kotter’s “Leading Change”

by admin under Book Summaries

“Over the past decade,” John P. Kotter writes, “I have watched more than a hundred companies try to remake themselves into significantly better competitors. They have included large organizations (Ford) and small ones (Landmark Communications), companies based in United States (General Motors) and elsewhere (British Airways), corporations that were on their knees (Eastern Airlines), and companies that were earning good money (Bristol-Myers Squibb). Their efforts have gone under many banners: total quality management, reengineering, right-sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnaround. But in almost every case the basic goal has been the same: to make fundamental changes in how business is conducted in order to help cope with a new, more challenging market environment. A few of these corporate change efforts have been very successful. A few have been utter failures. Most fall somewhere in between, with a distinct tilt toward the lower end of the scale. The lessons that can be drawn are interesting and will probably be relevant to even more organizations in the increasingly competitive business environment of the coming decade.”

In this context, John P. Kotter lists the most general lessons to be learned from both (I) the more successful cases and (II) the critical mistakes as follows:

I. Lessons from the more successful cases:

1. Establishing a sense of urgency

* Examining market and competitive realities

* Identifying and discursing crises, potential crises, or major opportunities

2. Forming a powerful guiding coalition

* Assembling a group with enough power to lead the change effort

* Encouraging the group to work together as a team

3. Creating a vision

* Creating a vision to help direct the change effort

* Developing strategies for achieving that vision

4. Communicating vision

* Using every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and strategies

* Teaching new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition

5. Empowering others to act on the vision

* Getting rid of obstancles to change

* Changing systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision

* Encouraging risk taking and nontraditional ideas, activities, and actions

6. Planning for and creating short-term wins

* Planning for visible performance improvements

* Creating those improvements

* Recognizing and rewarding employees involved in the improvements

7. Consolidating improvements and producing still more change

* Using increased credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that don’t fit the vision

* Hiring, promoting, and developing employees who can implement the vision

* Reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes, and change agents

8.Institutionalizing new approaches

* Articulating the connections between the new behaviors and corporate success

* Developing the means to ensure leadership development and succession

II. Lessons from the critical mistakes:

1. Not establishing enough sense of urgency – A transformation program requires the aggressive cooperation of many individuals. Without motivation, people won’t help and the effort goes nowhere.

2. Not creating a powerful guiding coalition – Companies that fail in this phase usually underestimate the difficulties of producing change and thus the importance of a powerful quiding coalition.

3. Lacking a vision – Without a sensible vision, a transformation effort can easily dissolve into a list of confusing and incompatible projects that can take the organization in the wrong direction or nowhere at all.

4. Undercommunicating the vision – Transformation is impossible unless hundreds or thousands of people are willing to help, often to the point of making short-term sacrifices.

5. Not removing obstacles to the new vision – Sometimes the obstacle is the organizational structure: narrow job categories can seriously undermine efforts to increase productivity or make it very difficult even to think about customers. Sometimes compensation or performance-appraisal systems make people choose between the new vision and their own self-interest. Perhaps worst of all are bosses who refuse to change and who make demands that are inconsistent with the overall effort.

6. Not systematically planning and creating short-term wins – Creating short-term wins is different from hoping for short-term wins. The latter is passive, the former active. In a successful transformation, managers actively look for ways to obtain clear performance improvements, establish goals in the yearly planning system, achieve the objectives, and reward the people involved with recognition, promotions, and even money.

7. Declaring victory too soon – Instead of declaring victory, leaders of successful efforts use the credibility afforded by short-term wins to tackle even bigger problems.

8. Not anchoring changes in the corporation’s culture – Change sticks when it becomes “the way we do things around here,” when it seeps into the bloodstream of the corporate body. Until new behaviors are rooted in social norms and shared values, they are subject to degradation as soon as the pressure for change is removed.

Finally, John P. Kotter writes, “There are still more mistakes that people make, but these eight are the big ones. In reality, even successful change efforts are messy and full of surprises. But just as a relatively simple vision is needed to guide people through a major change, so a vision of the change process can reduce the error rate. And fewer errors can spell the difference between success and failure.”

Highly recommended.

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3

Dec/08

Some more books to read – Advice of Change Management Guru

by admin under Professional

John Carter “Leading Change”

William Bridges “Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change”

Henry Mintzberg – various books

Peter Block “Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used”

The Blog of David Maister

Also consider grandfathering provision for CMC certification

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The “E” Zone

Personal and Professional Blog of Eugen Spivak

Archive for December, 2008

Best of the Web in 2008

FXO vs FXS Telephone Equipment

Comparatives of Antivirus Software

Protected: Amazon Self Help Bestsellers to download (pass: my ferret’s name)

Canadian Area Codes

Excellent tool to cut mp3 files

Einstein’s Famous Quotations

Review of John Kotter’s “Leading Change”

Some more books to read – Advice of Change Management Guru

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