Vicissitudes

Popularity: 1% [?]

Todd M. Paterek – To view my resume please click here.
E-mail: todd@paterek.net

Networking Profile

Information Technology Manager with 15 years of successful experience building, supporting and improving multisite networks, telecommunications, and office systems. Results-orientated project manager that aligns technology to strategic objectives.  Using concepts in the ITIL and Poka Yoke models I have consistently improved processes & implemented targeted technology that increased user productivity while keeping costs down.

Technical Expertise

• IT Infrastructure Planning & Development
• Network Security Best Practices
• Virtualization: Xen, Windows, VMWare
• Microsoft, Linux & Mac Server & Desktop OS
• TCP/IP / LAN / WAN / VPN / DHCP / DNS
• Multi-site Configuration/Administration
• Microsoft IIS, ISA, and WSUS
• Microsoft SQL & Exchange Server
• Risk/Disaster Avoidance & Recovery
• Windows Mobile / Blackberry / iPhone
• Microsoft Active Directory
• VoIP/PBX Phone Systems and Wiring

Management Expertise

• Team Builder & Effective Leader
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library
• Risk/Disaster Analysis & Avoidance
• Strategic Planning of critical systems
• Flexible to Work in Any Industry
• Continual Improvement & Change Management
• Budgeting, ROI & TOC
• Network Security Best Practices
• Innovative, Analytical, & Problem Solving
• Creates Technology Vision

Career Highlights

• Working as the Project Lead for the Wilson Farms divestiture with a team of 10 professionals I successfully united all resources for a zero fault go-live date.  Performed extensive research, and planning to successfully align technology to “hand off” all business functions from Tops headquarters to the new Wilson Farms headquarters.  Developed business relationships with several technology vendors ensuring the right services and hardware were implemented.
• As the Lead Technology Consultant for the Wilson Farms divestiture I successfully built a Microsoft Windows AD Network supporting 200 + Stores and over 3000 employees.  Implemented all necessary services through internal support and external vendor integration.
• Serving as the IT Manager at TVGA Consultants I planned, coordinated, directed and designed all IT related tasks, projects, and daily IT activities. Installed, monitored, maintained, supported, and optimized all network hardware, software, and communication for HQ and branch locations. Maintained a technology budget, ensuring spending supported the business goals of the company.

Targeted Positions

• Director of Information Technology
• Information Technology Manager
• Project Manager
• IT / Technical Business Analyst

Popularity: 5% [?]

Popularity: 1% [?]

At 1:00pm EST Apple and AT&T released the carrier software necessary for all AT&T iPhones to finally send and receive MMS messages.  I just updated my iPhone, rebooted and sent my first iPhone MMS photo.  It was a photo of me to my brother.  Rather uneventful but It looks like it worked!

To update make sure your iPhone is plugged into your computer then go to:

iTunes / your iPhone.
Click the ‘Check for Update’ button.
Let it download for about two second and sync to your phone.
Be sure to power off your iPhone by holding down the top button.  Then turn it back on the same way.

When you go into Messages and either create a new message or click on an existing conversation you will see a camera on the bottom left.  Click that and enjoy!  I am sure many will be upgrading their text messaging plans to unlimited soon.

Let’s see how long it will take to stress AT&T’s network.

Popularity: 10% [?]

I mentioned before about the WordPress Mobile Pack Plugin by assembla, since then I found a new mobile plug-in that for my use is better.  Since I have an iPhone and the growing popularity of the iPhone I decided to install the WPtouch Mobile Plug-in by Brave New Code instead.  Fast and clean this mobile plug-in makes your WordPress Blog look like an iPhone App.  The mobile theme is viewable by any mobile device so those who do not have an iPhone can still enjoy the view.

Popularity: 10% [?]

I found a very interesting plug-in for WordPress today called WordPress Mobile Pack by assembla.  It automatically adjusts your WordPress site to look great on any web enabled smart phone.  I have an iPhone and even though the normal site looks great, this is far more efficient, quicker, and streamlined when viewing.  You can see from the screenshot I took how nice it really is.  The sidebar to the right is moved to the bottom and some widget are eliminated for space and speed (allowed up to 5 widget – I suggest keeping it basic).  I noticed that when viewing a post with many NextGen Gallery by Alex Rabe, photos it sorts them vertically.  I need to modify my posts to not have so many photos.  Other than that small adjustment (which I wanted to do anyway) I see no issues.

You can also login to the admin area and make a new post, edit posts, comments, and adjust setting of your blog.  By far one of the most useful plug-ins I am using.

<edit> I found one major issue.  When using Yet Another PhotoBlog plugin the layout is rearranged where the photo goes after all of the text.  I have not yet dug into the code so I am not sure where the issue lies.  So for now I deactivated YAPB and inserted the photos the old way.

<edit again> Funny thing is; my other blogs with the same plugins do not have this issue.  Maybe I should try a fresh install of Wordpress and start over, some other funny things are happening.

<final edit> It was something with the install of WordPress.  I created a new folder on the server, uploaded all the files.  Connected / replaced the new wp-conf.php with the old one and everything worked.  I then uploaded all the plug-ins again and activated them (checking the site after each activation).  I then activated the mobile pack, tested perfectly on both iPhone and computer.

Popularity: 10% [?]

I’m a big cellphone user, email, text messages, the works on my VX6800.  I have friend who died at 38 from a cancerous brain tumor last year.  He like me used a cellphone since the early days of analog.  I use more email and text these days and less and less of actual chatting on the phone.  This might be hype again or paranoia an yes, everything can kill us these days.  But maybe we can move to face to face meetings and less phone chatter in our high-tech linked-in world.  <–  I never thought I would ever say anything like that.  I must be getting old.

All essentially the same article but good to see it on a few different fronts and fonts.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hwzQ6Jsq3cSWa721yR84l99_pnlAD923S7T82

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=5439074

http://www.financetechnews.com/top-cancer-doc-cautions-cellphone-users/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/prominent-cancer-doctor-warns-about-cellphones/

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E1D61438F930A35755C0A96E9C8B63

Popularity: 2% [?]

I found this network utility that has become a daily tool for me at work. It is a free download at www.spiceworks.com.

“You want a network you can manage, not a network that manages you! You wish you could have it… without spending a fortune. Your wish is granted.”

The features include:

PC, Printer, router, switch, software and more discovery and inventory – It even tells you when one of your printers will need ink soon.
IT asset reporting
Network Monitoring and troubleshooting
IT help desk – with email integration, ticket submission, tech responsibility

It also offers a community of 250,000 users to help with your daily issues in any IT related subject. There is advertizing but it is in the form of reviews, comments, and each ad I saw I was interested in to some degree.

I installed this on my server and ran it as a service. Setup took maybe five minutes, my network discovery took about one hour. I know when a toner is about to run dry, I know when hard drives are running out of space, it even integrates your remote access. I setup the help desk but just to see what it can do and it is just as good as anything I used back in my early days of tech support.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I haven’t thought of my early days in Tech Support running Netscape because it was so much better than IE at the time (Way back in 1995 ish).  Over the years I switched to IE only because I didn’t really care about what browser I used, as long as I could get the information I needed.  Recently I switched to firefox it just feels better.  Yet it still doesn’t support all the function on many of the sites I visit (Microsoft.com and my Company’s Exchange Web Mail), I will still load IE for them.

Anyway enough nostalgia.  Soon anyone left using the Netscape browser will have to make a decision to switch because as of February  1, 2008 there will be no more updates and the current version will no longer be supported.  The main reasons stated are; the lack of resources available for the application and an inability to regain any of the desktop IE has taken over.  Read the full blog entry on Netscape’s blog here: http://blog.netscape.com/2007/12/28/end-of-support-for-netscape-web-browsers/

I cannot say I am disappointed or upset.  I haven’t seen or heard of Netscape since the mid 90’s when grunge was taking over and Slick Willy saxed up the world.  And it doesn’t bother me that IE just chewed up another competitor.  The web will go on.

This might be a grand opportunity to switch to Firefox! And if you must, you can get the Netscape theme.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Okay, not officially back on XP but I am running full screen Windows XP through a virtual machine. My Vista has been randomly rebooting after the nVidia driver update MS suggested. Not to bash MS too much I went to the nVidia site and downloaded the latest driver and still getting reboots. I have to admit Vista does get everything running again.

I’ve been reading more about Macs and am convincing myself that MAC’s are the way to go. Their simplicity, the limited amount of needed wires in the iMac. Now the new Mac book Air (WoW!). I just realize I never installed firefox on this XP Machine so I now have to spell check this post…

Anyway, I guess just file this under junk or on my mind but I’m done for now. bah! forget the spell check!

Popularity: 1% [?]