Thursday, January 07, 2010

Thursday, December 31, 2009

2010 New Years' Resolution

This really happened to me.

My home office PC had an automated backup program running that saved my data to a USB connected external hard drive.  I figured everything was A-OK and there was nothing to worry about.  In truth, I hadn't been careful enoough in selecting software that reported via email/popup/siren/flashinglights when something went wrong.

The external drive failed and I didn't notice.  A couple of months later the local electrical utility company was doing some work about 2 miles from me.  A truck backed into a pole holding a transformer... knocking out power in the area... and breaking my main hard drive in my PC.  The one I thought was safely copying data to the external drive.

Emails, bookmarks, software, data, music files, photos, work, play, family tree data, contracts, etc, etc -- all gone.

Oops!

$1,500 later I had my data recovered to a new boot drive.

I also learned two things:
  1. Be careful about selecting my backup software
  2. Check to make sure it is running
A couple of months later I read about an online backup solution.  Secure, automatic, remote, reliable, simple to set up and affordable.  In fact, you can back up 2 GB of data at no cost if you want to try it out.  When you need your data it is right there on the Internet.  You can even restore using just a browser!

All of my valuable emails, pictures, scanned images & documents, genealogy databases and reports were gone... without warning.  And it cost me a bundle of $ and some frayed nerves before I got lucky enoough to get them recovered.  I don't want to do it again.

For 2010... promise yourself to visit http://nolimitsuccess.info/mozy.html and when you forget about making backups you can sleep peacefully knowing your computer is looking after things for you. It will be a resolution that is easy to keep!


Happy New Year!

P.S. Did I ever tell you the one about the stolen laptop?  I'll save that for next year!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Lighthouse - One Fine Morning ***LIVE***

This is my all-time favourite Canadian band... they rocked and they swung and they are still awesome today! Check them out "live"...



Now, go and buy their new greatest hits CD/DVD package: 40 Years of Sunny Days...

In the US:




In Canada:

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Good cause Oakville ON Silent Auction with online bidding

An online charity auction has begun at Incarnation Christmas Market Silent Auction and I encourage you to check it out and bid freely on some great stuff.

More donations will be added over the next few days... so please bookmark it and return.

Bidding ends on November 13 at midnight Oakville time for online bidders.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Toro Adventures - Safaris and Tours through Southern Africa

Toro Adventures - Safaris and Tours through Southern Africa

My friend Johan Marais introduced me to his travel adventure site: Toro Adventures. If you have ever dreamed of an adventure vacation in South Africa, you should visit their site and check out their exciting offers:

- guided or sef driven safaris
- camping or lodges
- day tours
- 4x4 day trips
- cheeta rehabilitation centre
- night out under the stars
- river rafting
- quad biking
- hiking
- game viewing

Give them a visit, and tell them Paul sent you!

Thursday, July 02, 2009

New Neil Diamond DVD & TV Special

A new concert DVD and a TV Special tied to the release... all on August 14 from 8-9 PM on CBS-TV in the US.

Here is the press release...

A NEW NEIL DIAMOND CONCERT SPECIAL, "NEIL DIAMOND - HOT AUGUST NIGHT: NYC," TO BE BROADCAST FRIDAY, AUG. 14 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK


This Television Event Celebrates the DVD Release of "Hot August Night/NYC: Live From Madison Square Garden"


NEIL DIAMOND - HOT AUGUST NIGHT: NYC, a new concert special featuring highlights from one of Neil Diamond's most memorable recent concerts, will be broadcast Friday, Aug. 14 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

The special features electrifying performances from Diamond's latest sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York. Diamond sings several of his classic and beloved Top Ten hits including "America," "Cracklin' Rosie," "I Am...I Said," "Cherry, Cherry" and the world's greatest sing-along song, "Sweet Caroline." In addition, Diamond reflects on a recent visit to his hometown, as he takes the audience on his journey from Brooklyn to Madison Square Garden, in an intimate look at the man behind the music.


The NEIL DIAMOND - HOT AUGUST NIGHT: NYC broadcast celebrates the simultaneous DVD release from Sony Music of the complete show recorded during Neil Diamond's historic four-night run at Madison Square Garden. Featuring over two hours of live music and 25 career-spanning hits, the DVD captures the dynamic energy that has epitomized Neil Diamond's live performances for over four decades and includes "Song Sung Blue," "Holly Holy," and the very first live release of "Pretty Amazing Grace" from his most recent #1 album, Home Before Dark. Also included is additional footage of the exclusive bonus feature "Welcome Home Neil," a behind-the-scenes look at Diamond's pilgrimage to his childhood home in Brooklyn. The DVD with bonus CD is available exclusively at all Wal-Mart locations and online at Walmart.com (www.walmart.com) beginning Friday, Aug. 14.

Neil Diamond's eclectic and universally beloved songs - as well as his charismatic and openhearted performances of them - continue to make him an international force both as a record maker and a live entertainer. In an impressive musical career that has spanned nearly five decades, he has released dozens of albums and sold more than 125 million records worldwide, with a remarkable track record of 15 Top Ten albums and 37 Top Ten singles. His songs such as "Sweet Caroline," "I Am...I Said," "Cracklin' Rosie," "America," "Song Sung Blue" and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," and the rest of his vast catalog of hits, are the reason that this Grammy-winning artist was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame and received the same organization's prestigious Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. Among Diamond's many other notable honors, he has to date received a Golden Globe Award and 12 Grammy nominations and, in February, was named the 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year. His latest release, the critically acclaimed Home Before Dark, his first ever #1 debut, marked one of his most successful worldwide tours ever, solidifying his status as one of the most dynamic performers of our time.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

A Meal To Die For

A classic Bill Geist - CBS Sunday Morning - report on the Heart Attack Grill in Chandler Arizona. You'll gain a pound just watching....



P.S.
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbKRSYAuSNg if you can't see the embedded video!