I always thought the advice to “live life like there’s no tomorrow” to be a bit odd. I guess people say it to convince others to take risks and try for things they might be scared to do, but I don’t get that from it.
Taking life on.
Hoping for Feedback, So Far Getting Static
This photo is not relevant to the rest of this post. Cute though huh?
One of the biggest problems I face when I contribute anywhere on the internet is feedback. Often there just isn’t any.
Whether it’s Twitter, this website, Firstwaves.org, Reader, Buzz, Fizz, Flickr, Facebook, Shittr, whatever, I just don’t get much feedback at all.
It’s partly because I’m a self obsessed narcissist that this bothers me so, but mostly because I just want to know what I can do better. What I’d like to know is if people find the things I share or write about are interesting, well written, useful, or pertinent so I can adjust my focus accordingly.
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Folder Redirection for Unusual Paths [Group Policy]
As part of my Group Policy Rewrite I’m attempting to make use of Folder Redirection which lets you specify where common important Windows folders reside on the network.
Normally when you first log on, Windows makes a few folders under your user document folder for things such as Music, Favourites, Downloads etc. On a standalone machine these are usually stored under your user profile folder (C:\Users\{username}\Downloads in Win 7 for example) but they can be moved when you’re on a network.
In Group Policy, expand User Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Folder Redirection. Right click on one of the folders listed and select “Properties”. Documents is a good place to start, as I’ll show you how all the others can hang off that.
A Standing Challenge
About 6 months ago I read a Lifehacker article that advocated standing at your office desk to stay healthier. I thought it was a neat idea at the time but didn’t try very hard to make it happen. Then Lifehacker again linked to an article in the NY Times about standing at work, and this time I decided to do something about it.
Introducing my standing deskOK Go’s new clip for This Too Shall Pass — a giant two storey Rube Goldberg Machine
I can’t think of a way they can possibly top this clip. Brilliantly shot in High Def, beautifully choreographed, and perfectly synchronised. If you liked their treadmill clip (symbolically shattered half way through) you’ll love how clever this is. It also knowingly nods to the Internet and Youtube crowd (did I see the mars rover? Something like the water bird that Homer uses to press the “any” key when he works from home? An OK Go concert rendered in Lego?).
What a joyful and exciting clip from a band that knows how to engage their audience. Bravo!
My Wife — a _______ Story
As I hit publish on my last silly post, I realised I could use the same template for a number of things. Namely:
My wife is _______. She _____________ _______. When I _______ and it dawned on me ________, I wanted to marry her all over again.
Thus:
My wife is amazing. She carried and gave birth to my daughter Amelynne. When I first saw my little girl and it dawned on me that I now have my own clone, I wanted to marry her all over again.
See how that works?
Deploy Printers with Group Policy without using Local Loopback
I’ve been sorting through our group policies and rewriting them ready for a switch over to Windows 7. During my thorough investigation it turns out our current policies overlap a fair bit, and it’s no wonder we have trouble tracking down why something we’re sure we’ve set in GP turns up unset on logon.
So my big project has been going through our settings one by one, and deciding which of these categories they fall into:
- Common Computer settings — all the computers should get these as they are vital to the function of the network, or are likely to break something if they aren’t explicitly set for our staff and students.
- Common User settings — everything else that just can’t be set in the Computer policy.
- Staff Settings
- Student Settings
- Printers
The interesting trick I’ve learned about the printer GPs though is how to apply printers based on the computer’s OU without using local loopback!
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