Tech in the Trenches

[Forest Hills Audio Book Month Display](https://www.flickr.com/photos/mysapl/3616239063)

Get 3 months of Audible for $6

On June 20, 2014

I love Audible. On the way back from Bonnaroo my wife and I enjoyed Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison. Having seen both seasons of the Netflix show, I enjoyed the book. It was interesting to see what liberties were taken with the show. It was fun to see some of the memorable parts from Season 1 show up in the book. It was equally interesting to see who and what were completely made for TV.

Road trips commutes are made for audiobooks. No matter how much music I have I eventually get tired of it. Podcasts are great too, but eventually I wanted something longer I could really get into. Our 12 hour drive was perfect for listening to Orange is the new Black.

When I can lose myself for hours in a book, read by a professional, it can enhance an already great story. When read by the author, it can bring a story to life with the voice and inflections which gave birth to the story.

There are often deals for new customers. However, Audible is running a deal for new and expired members.

Tell me more about this deal!

The deal is a discount from the $14.95/month price to $1.95 for three months. That’s three books, one per month, for $6.00.

Go here to get the deal.
Enter the code TZ2014

Now you’ll enjoy Audible for $1.95 a month for the next three months. The membership will give you one credit to use each month. The credit is good for any book on the service. The deal expires June 30, 2014 so you’ve got a couple of weeks to use it.

Membership comes with some other perks.

30% off all purchases.
Member-only deals and sales
Free audio subscriptions to The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times
Freely exchange any book that doesn’t meet your expectations. No questions asked.

I returned a book with the reason I did not like this book. I got a refund of the price I paid for the book, no questions asked. I haven’t had an active membership in a few months and I had no trouble redeeming the deal with my expired membership.

Be sure to set a calendar reminder to cancel your account after three months. Otherwise, you’ll be charged $14.95 per month after that.

Photo credit: Forest Hills Audio Book Month Display

Windows Quick Tip – How to hide desktop icons

By Carl

On June 20, 2014

In Observations

I first learned Windows could hide desktop icons after answering Help Desk tickets. I would get calls and emails from people saying, ALL OF MY FILES ARE GONE!!! When I would get to their desk, sure enough, their desktop would be empty. Completely empty.

Now there are some people who keep a clean desktop, but even they have a couple of icons there. A folder or shortcut to something they often use. Or they’ve got a shortcut they’re unable to remove due to the lack of admin rights.

There are also uses for hiding the desktop’s icons. When I want to record a screen cast or capture screenshots without the clutter of my desktop, I will hide the icons to give it a much cleaner look.

Whether you’re trying to answer a help desk ticket, or simply want a clean desktop, it’s very simple to hide them.

Right click on your Desktop.
Select View
Under the drop down menu, uncheck Show desktop icons
Enjoy an empty desktop.

To bring them back, repeat the first two steps and click Show desktop icons so there is a check mark next to them.

And now you know how to hide Windows desktop icons.

Roominations – The Story of Nashville

By Carl

On June 19, 2014

In Observations

I went to see a showing of the film For the Love of Music: The Story of Nashville. Upon arriving we were all handed a ham biscuit. Which was a great treat for getting up for a 10:30am showing.

There was a Q&A Session with musicians Brett James and Amy Stroup hosted by Butch Spyron who also created the film. It was interesting to get a bit of insight into the film and the parts which weren’t included.

After watching it, I want to move to Nashville. So it must have worked! There were two lines I wrote down because they stood out to me.

My style’s a product of my limitation. – EmmyLou Harris

So true of any creative activity. We’re all products of our own limitations.

“I think genres are dead.” There’s good music. There’s bad music. And I think the cool thing about Nashville is it is at the epicenter of that kind of thinking. I’m a country music artist in Nashville, but Nashville is way, way, way bigger than country music.” – Eric Church

I would not normally have gone to this film, but one of the people I went to Bonnaroo with loves country music and used to live in Nashville so we all decided to go. An air-conditioned movie tent was an appealing start to a long, hot concert-going day. I am really glad I went.

I want to move to Nashville now. There’s so much music being made everywhere in the city, it seems like a magical place. Like Los Angeles for movies, Nashville is where music comes from.

When we first got into Nashville, we stopped for a gas, restroom, drink break. Going into the restroom, I was in there with a guy on his cell phone.

Overhearing the conversation, he was talking about recording vocals track and mixing down audio. I joked to my wife, we hadn’t been in Nashville even an hour and I’d already run into someone working in the music business.

The town seems to have music in its soul. If you enjoy tapping a toe, bobbing your head or getting up and dancing to a tune, For the Love of Music: The Story of Nashville is worth your time.

I’m not very musical but it made me want to dust off my vocals chords and try to learn an instrument. Then of course move to Nashville.

‘Roominations is a series of posts that came from my trip to Bonnaroo 2014. Four nomadic musical days in Tennessee where I was up before 9am and awake until 4am with random naps in between.

Bonnaroo 2014

By Carl

On June 18, 2014

In Observations

Today is Tuesday.

I sit at my desk.
I delete email.
I reply to a few.
I turn my fan on.
It’s hot in the office.
It’s always hot in the office.

I feel the exhaustion.
The weariness in my bones.
My eyes sag. My head bobs.

Everything is so fast.
The Internet is talking about a millions things at once.
Iraq. Soccer. Technology. TV. Movies. Comic books.
Who said what terrible thing and why I should hate something else.

Today is Tuesday.
Monday I was in a car for 12 hours.
Last Wednesday night into Thursday morning was the same.
Driving/riding/sleeping towards Tennessee for Bonnaroo.

Starting Thursday afternoon with The Preatures and ending Monday night with Elton John, I was a nomad.

After arriving at Bonnaroo, getting assigned to our patch of grass, erecting our tent (home for the next four days), it was time for music.

There were four of us. Myself, my wife, her sister and her husband. We setup and headed out to Centeroo. Where the music began.

Over the course of the weekend I saw all or some of the following bands.

Thursday
– The Preatures
– The Wild Feathers
– Foreign Fields

Friday
– Greensky Bluegrass
– Sam Smith
– Andrew Bird & The Hands of Glory
– The Head and the Heart
– Neutral Milk Hotel
– Kanye West
– Skrillex
– Die Antwoord

Saturday
– Seasick Steve
– Cake
– Drive-By Truckers
– Damon Albarn
– Lionel Richie
– Ms. Lauryn Hill
– Jack White
– Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
– Frank Ocean
– The Glitch Mob

Sunday
– Caroline Chocolate Drops
– Sarah Jarosz
– City and Colour
– The Avett Brothers
– Amos Lee
– The Bluegrass Situation Superjam
– Elton John

It was awesome! I had never heard of much of the music at the festival this year. But after having gone, I didn’t need to. My wife had her list of must-sees. I had my couple (unfortunately, most of them starting after 1am!) Her sister and husband had their lists.

So we stuck together as a foursome most of the weekend, roaming from stage to tent to food and back again. It was wonderful to be exposed to so much great music played live.

Not bad for having a list consisting of The Glitch Mob, Skrillex, Die Antwoord and a few others I didn’t make it to. Unfortunately, many of the bands we wanted to see played in the same time slot. At one point there were four bands playing offset by 15 minutes.

It was a wonderful experience. My first festival and I am glad I started in my 30s. Because older, wiser Carl has a smart well-prepared wife who did a ton of research. She scoured forums for tips and advice about what to bring and what not to.

We packed for everything from sweltering heat (which we melted under by day) to cold (hello night-time!) and even rain. We drove through torrential downpours but we weren’t ever threatened by more than a light sprinkle. But we were ready.

I would absolutely go again, but I’d want there to be more bands I really wanted to see play. It’s expensive for sure, and we spent another couple hundred dollars in gas driving the 1500 miles roundtrip.

But it was a blast. I returned home exhausted but happy. Not sunburned or overheated. Tired and happy to be back in my bed. With a list of new music to check out.

‘Roominations is a series of posts that came from my trip to Bonnaroo 2014. Four nomadic musical days in Tennessee where I was up before 9am and awake until 4am with random naps in between.

How do you spend your workday?

By Carl

On June 17, 2014

In Observations

As much as I like what I do, there are still days I’d really prefer not to be anywhere near a user’s computer, my computer or be responsible for their operation.

I dream sometime of what it would be like to have another job, a “normal” job. I really don’t know what that would even mean. I don’t know what people do that isn’t IT-related in some way. Ever since I got out of school I’ve worked in IT Support with the exception of my one Electronic Printing Manager job I had at AlphaGraphics.

I really don’t know what people do for a living. I don’t know what most people do for 8 hours a day in their offices and laboratories. So, I am curious. What do you do all day?