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We tried to top off our last episode and almost made it. We cover some interesting topics including iPhone controlled cars, universal phone chargers, the open internet, LastPass, cloud computing, and Ubuntu 9.10 + MORE!Dennis Houseknecht
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This episode is all about the number 7. We have 7 people on the team, talk about the Windows 7 release, and it's episode 27. What do you know.
But that's not the only thing. We also talk about Apple's new Mac Mini Server, Token Security versus End-to-end encryption, and more!
Hi Everyone!
Just a quick update on our expansion to the moon... it's not looking promising... at least not yet.
I went there this summer to check some things out for myself (in hindsight I think that autumn would have been a better time to visit)... Here's what I found.
PROS: (in no particular order) NO competition. Lots of free parking. Potential clients include NASA!
CONS: A round trip costs 27,000,000,000 dollars (Canadian). Laptop and cell phone batteries drain faster on the moon (weird eh?). No Internet access. No Oxygen (see photo) NerdMobiles with moon roofs would need to be retrofitted with earth roofs.
At this point, Nerds On Site is going to 'hold off' on our lunar expansion efforts for at least 6 months at which time we will re-evaluate.
It's great to be back!
John
A Nerd and Clients Benefit Greatly from a Dale Carnegie Course
Tim Frayne is a Nerd and proud of it! He joined Nerds On Site in October 2008 and recently took part in a 12 week Dale Carnegie Course® focused on enhancing communication, speaking and relationship building skills. This Dale Carnegie Course® is available to all Nerds On Site Nerds – it’s highly recommended and the cost is covered by Nerds On Site.
David and John, the founders of Nerds On Site, are both Dale Carnegie Graduates. They found that the principles and practices of Dale Carnegie Training® helped immensely with the human engineering challenges of growing a business. In addition, the skills taught have become key elements of successful local, regional and international growth.
In the blog below, Tim describes his experiences.
I'M A DALE CARNEGIE GRADUATE!
The last 12 weeks have been an amazing experience. I've transformed from being shy and self conscious to speaking easily in front of a group of over 30 people. By using principles taught and practiced throughout the course I have created relationships with my clients, instead of just fixing their computers. I have been able to help grow the businesses of my clients, and expand my services to them.
I learned to listen to others and talk about their interests. In my work it’s very easy to focus solely on the computer problem, when what really matters are the people in front of the computer. By sitting down and talking over their needs I can give them options and work towards improving their overall technology experience.
As an example, one of my newest clients is a Law Office, a new start-up firm in Yorkville. They were having a lot of issues with their internet connection which was negatively impacting their productivity and their customers. I realized that it was a faulty modem, and arranged for the internet provider to come and replace it. During a follow-up visit I brought a NerdCare expert to talk with them about the services that would be of great benefit to them. Since then I’ve installed PCLaw on their systems and I now visit once a month to maintain their systems through the NerdCare program that they signed up for. Building this relationship is ongoing – because I have taken a genuine interest in them and their business, an associate was recently surprised and happy that I remembered to ask her about her trip to Paris!
I am now in the habit of asking all my clients about themselves and their business. It helps me build and keep a strong relationship with them and gives me insight into areas of their business that could be improved with technology. That helps me build my Nerd business too – a true win-win situation for me and my clients.
…Another benefit - I met many great people during the 12 weeks. During our 1 on 1 practice sessions it was great to hear positive feedback about things that had never come to mind before, this helped me build self-confidence. I plan to keep in touch with the other Dale Carnegie Graduates and I’m looking forward to our monthly gatherings. In the next few weeks I will be working with Ivan (a fellow Dale Carnegie graduate) to offer his new backup solution to Nerds On Site clients, all because of a casual conversation during one of the classes. From networking opportunities, to confidence and relationship-building, to communicating with clients to determine the best solution – the Dale Carnegie course was one of the best professional experiences I have ever had.