StevenMcNutt.com

These points are based off of the instructions posted here. I did not write that procedure and do not claim to be any sort of expert on DesignJet repair (which will be apparent in a moment). I also got the HP service manual from here (should be a PDF link).

Many years ago I . . . → Read More: Carriage Belt Replacement in the DesignJet 450C

Cloud computing is the ultimate vendor lock-in strategy. Before the ‘cloud’, vendors had to rely on poorly written software that would work to extract maintenance fees from customers who were looking to make the software they had already purchased operable. Now though, vendors don’t even have to worry about that! Like a landlord over a renter who lives on the top floor and owns too much furniture, cloud tech vendors only have to wait until the customer has a sufficient block of data or resources in the off-site app and then they can put them on the treadmill of increasing ‘tech rent’. . . . → Read More: Head in the Clouds

I’d read a comment somewhere that insisted that tech pros should work to refute the claims made by shops like ‘computertraining.com’ that have been pummeling the radio. I’d long thought that no one could believe that ad on it’s face, but apparently someone does as the place is still in business. The wage claim by itself is false on it’s face. It’s true that many MCSEs may make “$50,000 or more”, but only after a bit of experience and an aptitude that goes well beyond the certification. Most people I’ve known (including myself) have gotten such certifications in order to show already obtained knowledge and (probably even more importantly) the initiative to go beyond the bare work requirements of their current job. My best guess was that if someone managed to get Microsoft’s current equivalent of the MCSE with no experience, they might find someone who is willing to take a chance on them for $10 a hour, with those that are actually talented being able to double that rather quickly (a year or two at least). Beyond that, a little Google search turns up repeated claims that the training offered by computertraining.com is around $20,000 which is, to put very mildly, an enormous sum. As a comparison the going out-of-pocket costs for the tests themselves are no more than $1000 combined, and for the extra ambitious the training can be free. Microsoft posts summaries of the content that appears on the exam and a method I’d used in the past was to download demos of the software (assuming full copies wouldn’t be available) and then learn all I could about the bullet points pertaining to the exam (with some Technet troubleshooting articles thrown in for good measure). On that note, my personal feeling would be that if you did pay computertraining.com $20,000 for your certification, I probably wouldn’t think very much of your qualifications. There’s no reason to use them, and every reason to avoid them. . . . → Read More: Those Who Can’t Do, Do Computers