Ken Reiss' Blog

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Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:06:00 -0400

Check out my new blog at: www.BlinkerClick.com

Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:41:00 -0400

I just stumbled across this poem. It truly seems to be a message I needed today. Maybe for you, too... http://www.kellyperdew.com/personal/inspiration/ Ken.

Blog Spam!

Wed, 07 May 2008 22:52:00 -0400

Due to the enormous amount of blog spam, I have temporarily turned off commenting for all entries in this blog. It really amazes me that people actually take the time to enter comments into a blog (especially my blog) just to get their website to have links to it in the search engines! But, just like spam, I have to believe it works or people wouldn't be doing it. Anyway, when I get some time, I'll upgrade BlogCFC to the new version which allows comment moderation. I just have done so much tweaking to this version that it will take some time to replicate all of them. Ken.

Plesk 8.3 incompatibility with Symantec AntiVirus 10.2 (and a rant about Parallels!)

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:38:00 -0400

I'm just posting this to hopefully save someone else some time. I have spend over 40 hours figuring out this conflict! When running Plesk 8.3 (Windows) with Symantec AntiVirus (SAV) 10.2 (on Windows 2003 R2 SP2), you will receive the following error message whenever you delete a domain: "Error: Unable to remove domains: Problems occured while removing domains: Unable to remove hosting: Unable to delete system user: SysUser->systemRemove() failed: usermng failed: Unable to open process token: (5) Access is denied." The solution is to disable process-level tamper protection in SAV by: Start > All Programs > Symantec Client Security > Symantec Antivirus > expand Configure > Tamper Protection > Uncheck Protection: Processes. Hopefully someone else won't need to waste as much time as I did fully reinstalling the server using an iterative process to find this solution. On a side note, Parallels (company that makes Plesk) was entirely UNHELPFUL and UNCOOPERATIVE! After waiting 3 days for a response, I was told that my Windows was corrupt and to wipe it and start over. Only after my own diagnosis was I able to identify this issue. I don't know who to blame here because SAV shouldn't have been so aggressive toward Plesk's code, but Plesk should have ensured SAV didn't identify their code as an attack. But I do know that Parallels could have treated me MUCH better and been much more helpful. I tried to identify a competitive product to buy instead, after this experience, but it appears Parallels has bought the entire market! Amazing! One final note: If you're thinking of using Ensim Pro (as we were), don't bother. It is truly an old and inferior product as compared to Plesk. There have been no real updates to it in 5 years! While they market it as a single-server version, it is not even close. My sales person at Parallels, Terry Henretty, even told me that they never sell Ensim Pro, that they just keep it around for the current users and that everyone ends up buying Plesk. But for 134% MORE money, I'd call it bait-and-switch. When I contacted three Parallels executives, Jack Zubarev, Serguei Beloussov, and Kurt Daniel about this tactic, I received no reply whatsoever. Be warned!

RAID 6 vs. RAID 5

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:33:00 -0400

I'm working on datacenter upgrades now and am considering using RAID 6 instead of RAID 5 for a new mail server. RAID 6 provides 2 parity drives, so any 2 drives can fail simultaneously without taking down the array/server. I used to run RAID 5 with a hot spare, so this is sort of like having a live hot-spare. With a 5-drive RAID 6 array, you get 3x the space of one drive and can take 2 hits. Reports I read recently indicate that much more common is double drive failure in RAID 5, because the drives are now so large that it takes a long time to rebuild the array (sometimes 12-24 hrs!) and because during this time the other drives are so heavily taxed that a waring drive might fail during the rebuild of the array. In addition, I have heard that while RAID 5 costs approx 7-12% write overhead, RAID 6 can cost 15-30% write overhead. Of course, reading has no overhead performance cost. I'm wondering if anyone has used RAID 6 and can share their experience, specifically using a PERC 6/i w/ 256 MB RAID controller. Thanks! Ken.

How to keep hydrated

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:44:00 -0400

I joined Weight Watchers back in May and have really enjoyed it. Best of all, I'm loosing weight I never thought I would/could. One of the key components of the program is to drink a lot of water. To ensure I do this, I set up 2 rules for myself:

As soon as I get in to the office, I completely fill up a mug with water and keep it in front of me. By doing this, I find myself just picking it up and drinking. I even seem to be more aware of my thirst than ever before.
Whenever I have to go to the bathroom (which happens more when drinking water!) I must first completely finish and fill my mug again. Usually, there's only a bit left, so drinking it down is no problem. By going to the water cooler first and putting the mug back on my desk, before using the restroom, it's always there again for me.

By using these rules, I often drink 6-12 mugs of water a day, with each mug being about 1.5 cups! This is really amazing for me, because I often wouldn't even drink anything during my work day. By doing this, I feel better, think more clearly, have more energy, and support my weight loss by actively engaging in the Weight Watcher's water drinking component of the program. Hope this helps someone. Please let me know if you find these rules helpful for you!

Installing ColdFusion 8 Help Files into Homesite+

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:24:00 -0400

Yes, I still use homesite+ for CF coding! It still just works and is not nearly as bloated or cumbersome as Dreamweaver, when doing ColdFusion coding. The new CF8 Help Files (homeSiteForcf8.zip) don't properly install. Here's what I did to make them work: Install as per directions, except in step 2 of Adobe's directions DON'T install into the "homesite-root" directory (which is your homesite's main install location). INSTEAD install into the Help folder which is inside homesite's root folder. Hope this helps someone else out who is struggling with them.

The fruits of a collaborative work environment

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:44:00 -0400

A truly collaborative environment gives all members a voice and the right to be heard, but ensures that no individual's needs are given a higher priority than the needs of the team itself. To ensure this happens all the team members must be wholeheartedly vested and focused on the outcome of the team as a whole. Since this is highly unique and rare, most organizations choose a leader, whose primary role is to represent the interest of the organization at large. Sometimes, this person must use an authoritative approach, especially in cases where there is an emergency, large risk, extreme situation, or when the collaborative approach is not producing any tangible benefit to the team. This truly ensures that all the members are served. A team which is overly collaborative will often not get to making a decision, because it is so busy discussing each others points of view. In extreme cases, individuals feel so strongly about their point of view that they have to work to defend it or fight for it. Both of these then become political environments, where the benefit of the group has become secondary to the need of an individual. Often this is called the individual's right, but it really isn't because nobody on a team has the right to put their needs above the team's. When this happens, the team or its leader must ensure that the team itself is given the priority and refocus everyone's thinking into what is in the best interest of the organization. We ensure a healthy balance between the collaborative and authoritative approaches. This allow a truly creative and healthy dialog to occur between people with a common goal, yet unique or different experiences, skills, thinking styles, and roles. This seemingly oppositional environment, when properly structured, provides for an amazingly productive give-and-take, yielding some of the most brilliant ideas in history. Each member of the team knows that they are there for the team's benefit, which will indirectly benefit himself. By putting the team first and knowing that someone will ensure this fairness among all members, each team member can free himself from defensive or territorial thinking and explore new insights from others. When a group of people are free to do this together, amazing things happen.

The owner role of an entrepreneur

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:00:00 -0400

There is often much confusion regarding the three roles an entrepreneur plays in his business. Nearly all of his is spent as president, executing the plans of the company and making decisions in the company's best interest. This is a very hands-on role. Sometimes he is in the CEO role where he works to create strategy and systems for the company's growth and future benefit. This role is much less hands-on, but critically necessary for the long-term success of any organization. The Owner Role However, the role of owner is often most confusing to everyone, including the entrepreneur himself. Unlike President and CEO, the owner of a business is not an employee and therefore has a different role. The owner must make a financial investment in the company, which is often used to fund its startup and growth initiatives. In return for this investment, the owner receives shares of the company. Since owners are not employees, they are not paid a salary, but instead receive dividends. In addition to their investments in the business, owners are usually required to personally guarantee the responsibilities of the business. This puts owners at significant financial risk and exposure. As such, successful owners will ensure that their businesses are properly cared for to ensure healthy growth. This oversight includes ensuring successful strategies/systems, proper financial management, effective leadership, strong teams, and valuable products/services. In small businesses, most owners are also employees when they serve other roles in the company. By defining and providing clarity to these roles, both the entrepreneur and all those around him will benefit. Many times in business, the roles get blurred. This can cause enormous confusion in a business. Once these roles are defined, it is best to state which role the entrepreneur is playing, when communicating with others.

Internet Safety for Kids

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:55:00 -0400

Note: January 31, 2008: Video is now available at: http://www.kenreiss.com/InternetSafety_KReiss/InternetSafety_KReiss.html

Following are the notes from my interview with Dr. George Curry last week. The program was video recorded and will be airing on local cable networks in central CT in the next few days. Please comment on this blog entry, if you saw the program or want to discuss the topic further.


Internet Safety

Ken Reiss


Part I: The Problem

Why isn't the Internet Safe?
- Access
- Anonymity
- Allure
- Assumptions
- Avoidance

1 out of 5 kids have been solicited sexually online. 1 out of 17 kids have been harassed, threatened, or bullied online. One third of kids have been contacted by a stranger and half of these were considered inappropriate. Most kids will not report inappropriate Internet contact to their parents because they are afraid of losing Internet privileges. 9 out of 10 parents will never know that any inappropriate contact has occurred.


Problem #1: Access

- Access to the Internet is easy
- Prevalent: The Internet today is as much a part of every-day life for children as food, shelter, and clothing
- Kids are nonchalant about using the Internet - it has been around as long as they can remember!
- Children can very easily be exposed to inappropriate written content/images, bad behavior, unsuitable friends, and Internet predators online

There is a paradigm gap between today's children and their parents perception of the Internet. 70 MILLION children go ONLINE EVERY DAY! 1 out of 4 are solicited in some way!!


Problem #2: Anonymity

- Children think their actions on the Internet are safe
- Predators know that kids often are not monitored and trusting
- People think that what they do on the Internet isn't real
- Some Internet culture actually encourages deception and alter-egos


Problem #3: Allure

- The Internet is exciting to kids
- Peer pressure
- Kids want to join and be part of a group
- Most online social networks are dangerous and deceptive and encourage dishonest, untrustworthy, and risky behavior

Kids WANT TO BE PART OF SOMETHING, especially 12-16 yrs old. Examples of typical social networks: Family, Church, School, and Clubs (boy scouts, girl scouts, etc.) What do we value in a social network: Honesty, Openness, Trust, Safety, and Nourishing. Many Online Social Networks (i.e. MySpace, etc) violate these values by requiring kids to lie to join, sharing who you are, you put yourself at risk, can't build trust when you can't really know who you're talking to Story after story of kids hurt by people they met at these sites Visit: www.TheDeadKidsOfMySpace.com if you don't think this is an issue!!! Read some of the writeups on there! After reading this site for 20 minutes, you'll completely understand the risk and feel compelled to do something about it!! Webkins!


Problem #4: Assumptions

- Parents assume that the Internet is safe and benign
- Easily assumed that everything on the internet is legal, moral, or ethical
- People assume that the person they are talking to on the Internet is who they say they are
- Many people assume the Internet is monitored in some way

Using the Internet, the most heinous criminal is effectively closer to your children than the person sitting next to them now! And they are available to them 24/7!


Problem #5: Avoidance

- It is easily assumed that bad things only happen to other people
- Often parents don't know as much about computers or the Internet, so they defer to their children
- Having a discussion with your child may be uncomfortable
- It takes time and responsibility to understand and address this problem


Part II: The SOLUTION!

- Parental Involvement
- Awareness
- Control Access
- Monitor Usage
- Become the Solution


SOLUTION #1: Parental Involvement

- Get involved in your child's life
- Commit to helping your child stay safe online
- Move all computers to central, open locations
- Insist on being aware of your child's online activities
- Require your child to read and sign an Internet Usage Agreement, such as the one found at www.komando.com/kids/

Parents are still parents, when their children are online! You wouldn't allow your child to walk alone down the streets of new york city at night - Why would you allow them to wander around the Internet? Be willing to ban certain areas of the internet, including chat rooms, social networks, and peer-to-peer services. Parents: Get yourself your OWN MySpace.com account - See with your own eyes the things your child(ren) are being exposed to! Get your children involved in local clubs, where you can meet those involved fact-to-face.


SOLUTION #2: Awareness

- Dedicate time to learn about technology
- Learn about the online dangers and discuss them with your children
- Help your children understand the very real and extreme dangers and risks
- Read and discuss some true stories regarding Internet dangers with your children
- Insist on moral and ethical behavior online

TRUST! Work together as a family!


SOLUTION #3: Control Access

- Use an ISP that offers some form of parental controls
- Install software that blocks access, like CYBERsitter ($39.95)
- Meet all your child's friends in person and don't allow your child to spend time with any strangers either online or in-person
- Don't allow any peer-to-peer software on your child's computer

You wouldn't leave your front door wide open with a sign saying "Come on in"? That's what you're doing when you're in the Internet without following these suggestions


SOLUTION #4: Monitor Usage

- Install a stealth monitoring program, like Spector Pro ($99.95)
- - It watches every email, chat, IM, website and keystroke
- - It sends this information to your Email address and even includes screenshots
- - It is undetectable by the computer user
- Randomly review the content of you're the computer your child uses, including Email, chat logs, and downloads

Tell your kids that you will be reviewing their content, per the agreement they signed


SOLUTION #5: Become the Solution

- If you suspect any online dangers to your children, contact your local police or the FBI immediately!
- Talk about this issue of Internet safety with family, friends, co-workers, teachers, and the parents of your children's friends
- Join an online safety organization, like www.WiredSafety.org
- Encourage your children to join an online safety organization, like www.TeenAngels.org
- Encourage all child-centric organizations you know to discuss and educate parents on this issue


Summary

- The Internet is a powerful tool, but it be just as easily used for evil as it can for good
- It's up to YOU to decide what you'll allow into your home
- Take the time understand and address the problem TODAY, while you can!
- It's easier than you think!

Fix for firefox requiring users to right-click and select "Spell check this field"

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 23:40:00 -0400

Starting with a recent version of firefox, rich-text or WYSIWYG text editors no longer cause firefox to automatically spell check. Users needed to right click and select "Spell check this field" every time they went to a page with this type of editor. The solution is to add the following line of code into the text editor: gecko_spellcheck : true For example, in tinyMCE, the code block might look like:

In looking for this solution, I found MANY people with the same problem I had. If this helps you, please post a comment in my blog. Ken.

Unique business gifts

Wed, 16 May 2007 23:24:00 -0400

Need to give someone a unique gift? Have an employee, co-worker, or client you want to recognize? Tired of not knowing what to give? Not sure what to give for that upcoming special event, like a wedding, anniversary, or graduation? Check out Order My Gift! You can choose a gift catalog ranging from $25 to $750. Once you purchase and receive the gift catalog, you then give it to the recipient, who them simply selects the item of their choice from the catalog using a simple online process. It will be delivered, postpaid, directly to them at no cost whatsoever. There is even a 180-day exchange policy during which the recipient can exchange the item for another, should they not be satisfied with their gift. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions for more details. If you try it, let me know what you think. Ken.

The Success Training Network (TSTN)

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 22:22:00 -0400

I recently was referred to The Success Training Network (TSTN), a really unique concept which I'm really enjoying. It's loaded with 30-minute and 1-hour long presentations from some of today's top business people. I especially enjoyed the "Relationship Selling" series by Jim Cathcart. It is really in-line with our company's business approach. Bob Proctor's "Paradigm Shift" was excellent, too! The list of "faculty" includes Zig Ziglar, Dr. Denis Waitley, Brian Tracy, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones, Tom Hopkins, Dr. John Gray, Dr. Stephen Covey, and many, many more. Check it out at www.tstn.com and let me know what you think!

The Future of the Internet: Acres of Diamonds

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 23:05:00 -0400

I recently reread a fascinating little book, which I had originally read 15 years ago, called Acres of Diamonds. It is a written copy of a speech given by Dr. Russell H. Conwell in approximately 1910. Reading this insightful book really helped me recently. Dr. Conwell works diligently throughout his speech to explain that there are an unlimited number of opportunities sitting right in front of each of us, just waiting to be noticed and implemented. All one needs to do is look at what is needed and do something about filling the need. He talks about MANY people who started simply filling a simple need, such as the poor man out of work in Hingham, MA who whittled children's toys out of his firewood and eventually is rumored to have become the richest man in Massachusetts selling his amazing toys. Or a woman in New Britain, CT who invented the snapping button because her regular button had gotten stuck in the hole one time. He tells a funny story about a man from PA who wanted so badly to work for his cousin in the oil business (and get rich) that he studied hard, sold his farm for $833.00, and moved to Canada to work in the oil business. Amazingly, the man who bought his farm found that the previous owner had put a plank across a brook of scum to cross. It turns out that the scum was actually oil and the farm produced over $1 billion over its lifetime!! He also does a great job of explaining how making money is a good thing and is in no way something to be ashamed of or bashful about. What's this go to do with the Internet?!? Well, just before I read this book, I had been thinking recently that it seems the Internet opportunity of the past had dried up. It felt to me that every great idea had already been taken and fully exploited, and that any worthwhile venture would take an enormous amount of money to accomplish because the Internet standards and expectations had been raised so high. However, after reading this little book, it became clear to me that at ANY TIME IN LIFE, especially RIGHT NOW, there are opportunities sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF US just waiting for us to pick them up and take advantage of them. Often these opportunities are hidden because they're SO close that we don't even see them. So, this book really changed my outlook and shifted my paradigm such that I'm starting to see new and interesting things already right in front of me. Like most successes, these things I'm seeing are not at first earth-shattering or monumental, but little things I can do (and am doing) to fill a need or make something better in what I already do. Amazingly, in the past 2 weeks, I'm already noticing improved results beginning to appear in an exponential way - small at first, but almost growing as if they have a life of their own. I'm really interested in your ideas regarding the INTERNET Acres of Diamonds sitting right in front of us. Please read this little story and let me know if it changes your insight, as it did mine. I'd enjoy reading your comments.

The Four Agreements: Chapter 6

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:55:00 -0400

The first few times I read "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz, I didn't pay much attention to Chapter 6, entitled "The Toltec Path to Freedom." I figured I knew what the 4 agreements were, so what else could I need from the book. My recent assignment by my business coach was to re-read chapter 6 and note insights. As I re-read the chapter there were several things that I found important: - While we think we are free, we aren't really as long as we are bound by our fears, a byproduct of the domestication process. - Freedom is honoring and embracing that little child inside us, who appears when we're having fun, playing, or doing anything that makes us happy. Freedom is being and expressing ourselves. - Nobody is to blame for this. Everyone has done their best with what they knew, including us! - The first step, as is always true, is the Mastery of Awareness. This awareness allows us to see who we really are with all our possibilities. Once aware, you can make a decision to continue or change. This decision to change causes us to become warriors against all that attempts to destroy our future. - The second step is the Mastery of Transformation. This the ways we will change, to become free. - The third step is the Mastery of Intent. This is the energy that allows us to change. - The Judge, the Victim, and the belief system are like a 1000-headed parasite, each one a fear within us, which slowly sucks energy and dreams (our future) from us, giving nothing useful in return. - We can destroy the parasite by (listed in order of difficulty): - (a) attacking each fear one at a time by practicing the 4 agreements: (a) Be impeccable with your word, (b) Don't take anything personally, (c) Don't make assumptions, (d) Always do your best. - (b) starving it by gaining control over our emotions and disciplining our own behavior. Forgive everyone with whom you have an emotional reaction, out of compassion for ourselves. This destroys our denial system, so we can't lie to ourselves and instead develop a healthy self. Learn how to hold emotions and express them at the right moment, not sooner or later. - (c) killing it all at once. We never know when we're going to die and we can choose to make each moment happy one. Treat everyone around you the way you would if you knew it was going to be the last day of your life (it may!). By doing this you rewrite your life, killing the old dream as well as the parasite. - By having the freedom of the child along with wisdom, instead of innocence, we break our domestication and become free again!