Must-See Video–The Wisdom of Will Smith

Thanks to Frank Kern who thanks David Miz for finding this video.

I believe I’ll start being more unreasonable. Tell me your thoughts in the comments.

FREE! New Seth Godin ebook: What Matters Now

Chilling out in my RSS feeds this morning was a link to Seth Godin’s new ebook, What Matters Now.

You need to read it. Seriously.It’s short. It’s awesome. It has 70 different authors. Read it right here. Download it. Print it. Re-read it. Pass it on to your friends, your family, your neighbors, your enemies, and those that fall into multiple categories. Here it is in it’s entirety:

What Matters Now

Train Signal Named The Best Training & Certification Product | Train Signal Training

YOWZA!

Train Signal Named The Best Training & Certification Product

Posted on November 19th, 2009 by Scott Skinger

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Along with the entire Train Signal team, I want to thank you for your support.

A couple of months ago we asked for your votes in the 2009 Community Choice Awards hosted by Windows IT Pro and SQL Server Magazine.

Today I want to thank you for taking the time to vote for our products.

Train Signal Wins the Gold in the 2009 Community Choice Awards

Train Signal Wins the Gold in the 2009 Community Choice Awards

We are honored to be named the gold medal winner of the 2009 Community Choice Awards for Best Training & Certification Product — we could not have done it without you!

We were also named the silver medal winner of the 2009 Editor’s Best Awards by Windows IT Pro and SQL Server Magazine.

I cannot express how grateful I am for your incredible support.

From everyone here at Train Signal, I want to send a huge thank you. You are what makes this company great!

Sincerely,

Scott Skinger

President & Founder

via Train Signal Named The Best Training & Certification Product | Train Signal Training – Free Computer Training Videos.

And yes, I work at Train Signal. Just in case you didn’t know.

Geeks Dancing. Need I say more?

I’m all about dancing. As a matter of fact, I deeply believe that dancing is one of the greatest celebrations of life. So when the crew at one of the newly launched Microsoft stores break out in a semi-spontaneous exposition of the Electric Slide, my heart rejoices.

Microsoft Openly Challenges VMWare In New Ad | I’m Just Being Manan

Let the virtualization ad wars begin! Click the picture of the new Microsoft super hero, Casual Man!, to go watch this nifty little video where MS takes on VMWare. Thanks goes out to Manan for posting this!

Microsoft Takes on VMWare in the beginnings of an ad war!

via Microsoft Openly Challenges VMWare In New Ad | I’m Just Being Manan.

Lookit lookit lookit! Windows Server 2008 R2 #1 Seller! (Sort of)

Also, Server 2008 Admin Bundle is #7--it has three of my courses in it!

So at 10 AM this morning, I checked to see if any of my Train Signal courses were anywhere in the Top 7 Best Selling Courses, and yep, sure enough, Windows Server 2008 R2 is #1!

Now, it’s only proper that I tell the secret for full disclosure: the course is actually FREE with every order. But still, you have to admit, it’s still way cool to see it at the top of the list.

At #7, the MCITP (Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional) Enterprise Package is still hanging in strong. That particular bundle has 3 of my courses in it, which is still way cool.

So yeah, this is kind of a self-congratulating post, but I’m feeling pretty good about it, and I don’t care who knows it.

Imaginary Jesus: An Acid Trip Through The Mindscape of Christendom

So my colleague Matt Mikalatos wrote this book, right, and went and got a book deal with BarnaBooks for it.  He sent me an advance copy of it, because, you know, we’re cool like that.

Now, I already knew that Matt was a great writer, after having published a story of his in the Jesus Vs. Cthulhu edition of Coach’s Midnight Diner, and talked him into giving me a hand with the Back From the Dead Edition as well.

But I didn’t expect the utter brilliance that is Imaginary Jesus. I started laughing out loud on page 5, and only stopped laughing when I was hit with the poignancy of where he was going with the book. And then I started laughing again. And then I stopped and thought. And so on, and so on.

Now, it’s not out yet, but when it hits the streets, you will want to read it. You can click here to pre-order it, so you can be the first kid on your block to experience this fantastic book.

I’ll post a more in-depth review of it closer to street date. But for the time being, just take in the cover picture.

The Best Shows You’re Not Watching | Fringe

After the “The X-Files” finished the course, I was sad. But the new show “Fringe” is welcome and refreshing. Try it out yourself right here:

Breaking News: Crasher Squirrel Endorses Zune HD!

Apple fanboys are groaning everywhere, as Microsoft finally busts out a solid Zune. I don’t know what the hell they were thinking with the last batch, but this latest model–awesome. Even Crasher Squirrel likes it.

Yes, I bought in. My MP3 player has seen better days, and I have to say, I’ve never bought into the iPod phenomenon because I’ve always found them to be…a little feminine. That’s great for the girls, but the Zune HD, now here’s a man’s player. Do you think that Crasher Squirrel would endorse anything else?

The interface is beautiful, smooth, and makes so much more sense to me than the iPod. The video capability is startling, and the wireless sync –nuff said.

Here’s a fun article that points to a growing popularity.

Zune HD Quickly Selling Out at Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy and More

By Dan Nosowitz, 3:15 PM on Sat Sep 19 2009

Here’s a statement I never thought I’d write: The newest Zune is selling out everywhere. Congrats to this underdog manufacturer “Micro-Soft” for finally hitting the big time!

Of course, as commenters have pointed out, it’s possible, if not probable, that Microsoft is using the time-tested tactic of short supply to make sure it sells out everywhere. Until we get some hard numbers, there’s no way to tell. In the meantime, here’s how it shakes down notice Microsoft’s online store seems to have plenty of units:

Amazon has both the 16GB and 32GB versions backordered, as does Best Buy, while Newegg and Buy.com both have only the 32GB left and it probably won’t last too long. Looks like the place to get it is Microsoft’s online store, where both versions are available and you can get those sweet Zune Originals engravings. Great to see the Zune HD getting the attention it deserves. Maybe.

via Zune HD Quickly Selling Out at Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy and More – Zune hd sold out – Gizmodo.

From the Relief Crew | What ELSE Can Relief Do For You?

A fun re-post from the ReliefJournal.com crew :

After reading the title of this blog, you’re probably thinking, But Relief does so much already!  What else could they possibly be up to as they look out for me, a reader/writer?!

To answer your question simply: We are presenting you with additional uses for your copy of Relief.

How?

By amusing you.  The video below is the first installment of a series we’re calling: “What to do with your old Relief Journal.”

Why?

To ask for your support.  Whether it’s through buying a copy (here), ordering a subscription (here), or donating (here), we really could use your help.  Don’t get us wrong, we love putting on a parade to showcase our humor and creativity (as well as that of Drury Studio), but we also need to keep ourselves going as a Non-Profit Organization.

So help us if you can (small donations are more than welcome), check out the video featuring our own Jon Cieslinski, and enjoy!