App of the Month - "WeReward"

In today’s economy one thing is for sure. There is very little “free money” out there. However I have found a new “app” that does just that. Absolutely free money can be earned by doing nothing more than doing what you do – and going where you go.

Izea’s “WeReward” rewards you with 10 or 25 cents per visit to the establishments you visit. All you need to do it open the app, check in at your establishment and snap a picture of yourself at the place of business you are visiting. You can transfer your cash to your Pay Pal account and then from there you can transfer it over to your checking or savings account. That’s it. It’s that simple. I have been using this app on my iphone for about 8 months and at one point I transferred almost $50.00 to my checking account!

The “WeReward” app which is available on both Iphone and Android devices can also be linked to your social media service for status updates.

Both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times have recently recommended this app as well. Check out “WeReward” today and start earning a little free cash! You can learn more by visiting the "WeReward" website.

Danger in the Cloud?

Anyone who regularly reads my blog is aware that when it comes to the cloud services I am all in, for the most part. This past month I actually setup a SkyDrive account and moved my files off the server and onto SkyDrive. I decided to do this as a live “test” of how this type of file storage solution works on a day-to-day basis. Here are a couple of things to be aware of before moving to the cloud for file storage.

Local Caching
All of these cloud file storage providers such as Google, Dropbox and Microsoft cache (or store) copies your files on the local hard drive of your computer (or computers) as well as hosting them in the cloud. So let’s say you have SkyDrive (or any of these services) and all of your files have been moved to their “cloud”. Then you download the provider’s “app” on your home pc, office pc and laptop. That means that all of your files are “cached” at all three locations, plus in “the cloud”. Wow! Could be your first thought. Because of this scenario all of your files are “backed up” in several locations, plus the cloud. This is basically true. Your files are in more locations than ever before and you can feel fairly comfortable that you will have access to them regardless of what disaster may befall any of your computers. However, there is one little problem that could arise from this situation, but we will get to that shortly.

Why do these “Cloud” Storage services locally store copies of your files on your computer?
I believe that there a two basic reasons for this.

One. It is more efficient to work on a file “locally” as compared to a file which is streaming while in use. The application you are using to work on the file such as Word or Excel simply performs better when working on a file locally stored.

Two. If you do not have access to the internet you still may need to work on files. By keeping local copies of your files you are not dependent on internet access. Even cloud service providers are aware of this and until the internet is available 100% of the time, caching files locally is the only solution.

Be aware that this caching situation is only occurring on computers. Tablets and smartphones will stream these files while you are accessing and editing them. The files are not stored on most mobile devices.

Danger in the Cloud?
I would not say danger actually. I just liked the headline and hoped it would keep your attention on this article. However there is one real concern to be aware of and this is why it is important to be mindful of how the cloud storage and caching solution works. Here is what happens when you store and then edit files in the “cloud”.

So let’s say as an example you want to work on an excel file. You (1) open the file on one of your computers and begin working on the file. (2) When you are done working on the file, you “save” it and close the application. Then (3) the cloud provider’s application syncs the file in the cloud so that the file in the cloud is up to date with your latest changes. Finally (4) any other computer that you have the application installed also completes this very same synchronization. This is all being done within seconds and without your involvement. Very cool and normally this is exactly what you want. However here is the danger, and sadly this happened to me today.

This morning I was working on a large excel document using Excel 2013. When my work was completed I saved my file and noticed that immediately Excel was “not responding” and obviously crashed (dwat!). The application eventually restarted on its own. I tried to open my Excel file that I had just worked on and received the horrible message, “corrupt file – cannot open”. My thought was “oh well, at least I have SkyDrive installed on 2 other computers, my laptop and office pc”. I checked those computers and the damaged and corrupted file had already been synced at both locations as well as in the cloud. The corrupted file was all there was for me! Ok, don’t panic because I was able to repair the file but that is a story for another day.

The point here is to be aware that if a file is damaged, moved or deleted this will occur everywhere within moments, usually seconds. That’s the danger you must be aware of when storing your files in the cloud. Because of this situation it is remains necessary to continue having a good sound backup solution in place to protect your most critical data.

I remain a big supporter of cloud based services in most cases. However like anything else, no solution is 100% safe. The best way to protect yourself is through awareness of both the benefits and limitations of any solution you choose to use in your organization and at home.

Technology Training for August 9, 2012

A special thank you to everyone who attended today's technology training. Below is the PowerPoint presentation. I was very happy that we were able to cover much more, such as previewing Windows 8, Office 13 and touching on Microsoft Skydrive.



Please email training ideas to me for our October 2012 classes.

Cowboys, Baseball and Gas Drilling ~ Yee Haw!

Welcome to Arlington, Texas.

Truman Drilling Site 

(2 Leaseholds converging  ~Truman and Bobcat ~ totaling 1,020 acres with plans for 14 shale gas wells)

You can certainly find more information about ALL the drilling operations in Arlington, TX by clicking here and visiting Chesapeake's Arlington Neighborhood Center.  It's very user-friendly. We count 35 Chesapeake drilling sites inside the Arlington, TX city limits. Beautiful!



Based on what we've learned, and what we know about shale gas, the FRAC Pond you see in the picture (the pond in the lower left that's holding the brownish-colored water)  ~ this FRAC Pond and the accompanying drilling operations will be a fixture in the core of the Arlington, TX downtown business sector for many years to come.  [Are you reading this Dallas?]

So, bring out the Welcome Wagon.

The Truman has landed!  AMEN.

**Update:  Here's some more detail.  Just in case you aren't sure what you are seeing. We understand how it's hard to know with all of this. It's a very special and unique new neighbor.

Monster Fire and Explosion. Tulsa, Oklahoma Refinery Fire

It happened early yesterday morning (August 2, 2012). A Dallas-based company operates the refinery.

KJRH News Report

Posted: 08/02/2012 Last Updated: 21 hours and 44 minutes ago TULSA - No one was injured Thursday when the HollyFrontier Refinery caught fire in west Tulsa. Just before 2:30 a.m.,an explosion was heard coming from the refinery near 23rd and Southwest Boulevard. Flames could be seen shooting several feet into the air and the glow was seen at least 6 miles away.

Refinery officials say the fire started in the diesel hydrotreater unit at the Tulsa East refinery, which is the old Sinclair refinery. The fire was contained by the company's emergency response team. All personnel were accounted for and there were no reported injuries.

Officials say there is no risk to the surrounding community and that a full investigation is under way to determine the cause of the fire. (emphasis added.)

Microsoft Launches "Outlook.com"

Microsoft is preparing to retire it’s free email service Hotmail and replace it with a newer crisper one, simply named “Outlook.com”. Outlook.com has a very clean, simple look which is obviously a reflection of their impending move to Windows 8 and Office 2013. If you’re personal email account has been driving you crazy lately with spam and junk mail maybe it’s time to consider a new service. Also, because this service is less than a week old you may be able to get the email address you desire. For example I was able to register and obtain wmann@outlook.com. Within days I am sure that this simple email address would have been snatched up.

I recommend that if you are considering a change for your personal email check out Microsoft’s new free email service at outlook.com. Special Note to Microsoft 365 Users

If you are a current Microsoft 365 subscriber, which we are here at the Borough of West Chester you may be presented with an error message when opening the outlook.com webpage. If this happens to you, don't panic. Simply delete the browsing cache in Internet Explorer and restart the browser and try again.

Organizing Your Personal Email
If you do this, you can begin to take control & organize your personal email account by simply visiting all of the websites and services you use on a regular basis and change your email address there. This will allow you to clean up your email account and reduce the amount of spam and junk mail probably cluttering you’re inbox.

Customizing Your Outlook.com
You will see that there is some advertising on the right side of the interface, however this can be reduced greatly by adding a preview pane to the right side of your inbox. Microsoft obviously made a decision that simpler is better with their new free email service. It is because of this that the customization options are minimal. Other than reading pane location and interface color there is not much your need to learn here.

Social Media Connectivity
You can connect your social media services such as Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube to your account. This will allow you to “chat” with facebook friends and easily see “status updates” right from your email account.

Privacy Protection
Although you will notice advertisements on the right panel Microsoft states that your information is not used to display the advertisements. I am not so sure about this but time will tell.

Setting Up Outlook.com on Mobile Devices
Outlook.com can easily be setup on any mobile device using the “Hotmail” account selection. Simply enter your email address, password and you should be receiveing your email on your smartphone or tablet.

This service premiered only days ago, on July 31 so there will obviously be enhancements and improvements just around the corner. However I like what I see so far and recommend that anyone struggeling with an old junk filled personal email account give it a try.

Start of a new CC year

End of Year Picnic, Abecedarians

Hope you're enjoying your summer! Looking forward to our time together on Monday, August 20th for  our parent orientation night! We'll meet at Meadowcroft starting at 7PM. Thanks to our veteran CC families for providing some refreshments!