I went back to Winnipeg last weekend for a visit so that my brother and I could watch Metallica in concert. I was right in front of the cage, three feet away from the band members (well, except for Ulrich), and only moderately squished by the thousand pounds of crowd behind me. However, it was nostalgic and it stroked another band off my list of “bands to see in concert before I die”. Unfortunately, Lamb Of God opened for them, and I haven’t listened to any of their music before save for Redneck (thanks to my brother), so it was somewhat difficult to enjoy the music from a band I had never heard. Nevertheless, it was “full throttle”, as my brother describes it. So, once I got home, I got back into the swing of things and while doing deliveries for the restaurant this weekend, I decided to give Lamb Of God a listen. It was… uhh… interesting. However, instead of motivating me to deliver Chinese food, I felt like killing people instead.
Really, don’t kill people.
Anybody who’s anybody in the IT game has heard of remote administration tools such as RealVNC, Remote Desktop, and Altiris Carbon Copy. However, they may or may not have heard of LogMeIn. Aside from having several professional and enterprise uses for securely managing workstations/servers from remote locations over the Internet without requiring client-side encrypted protocols and layers aside from the simple browser plugin, you might want to take note of the most important feature of all – it’s also free. That is, if you don’t need any fancy features such as file sharing, remote sound, and remote printing.
So what is LogMeIn exactly?
LogMeIn is a tool that runs in your web browser and allows you to connect to any computer in the world and remote control it as if you were sitting in front of it. However, instead of installing software and configuring multiple network settings to allows you to do this, LogMeIn just needs a small client program installed on each computer you wish to administer, and a browser plugin that allows your remote computer to establish the remote session. Encryption and security is performed by LogMeIn’s hard working servers, so no matter what capability your computer is, you’ll be able to perform tasks, manage data, or access applications on the remote computer that are only on that computer, without the risk of compromising security on the computer you are viewing it on.
What’s the buzz then?
It looks like LogMeIn has been busy as a bee recently. Just last week, they launched a complete overhaul of their website with a brand new design, as well as the client application to match. The new color scheme is beautiful, but sacrifices a bit of bandwidth to replace their previous minimalistic design. The result is a stylized feel that gives current and/or returning users a refreshing new look. However, the design is not the only thing they’ve unveiled.
LogMeIn Central is the new product offered that enhances LogMeIn Free, Pro, and Hamachi. Judging from what I’ve read about Central, it serves as a client-side application that not only allows you to make multiple remote connections simultaneously, but also allows background remote sessions for those who don’t wish to interrupt active users but still perform maintenance tasks that would otherwise take time away from the daily workload. Furthermore, you get reporting and inventory benefits as well.
Who should be using this?
Anybody could, especially if they have IT experience. It could be the guru in the family who doesn’t want to make a 2 hour drive to Mom and Dad’s just to fix their e-mail settings. It could be for the tech who helps out his raid members across the world with configuring firewall port settings for World Of WarCraft. However, it’s also useful for the office accountant who forgot to bring a spreadsheet from home, wants to access an application from home that isn’t sanctioned for use at work, or just wants to surf the Internet during some downtime without compromising work security and policies.
Should I sign up for this?
Sure, why not? You have nothing to lose, and it’s free! In addition, they occasionally offer free trials of their paid services, but you can opt out and continue to use the free service only.
Do you work for LogMeIn?
No, but I sure wish I do. They wouldn’t hire me because I don’t have formal education anyway; but I think education is overrated.
Well, things didn’t work out as I planned. I didn’t find a job with a decent wage, I never broke into my career like I wanted, I missed my family and friends, and, most importantly, I ran out of savings. So, I packed up all my belongings and came back to Thompson last week (on Thursday, to be exact). However, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to return to Winnipeg. In fact, this is just Attempt #1 of x (where x < ∞).
I officially got my job back with Compugen yesterday after a conference call with my boss. However, ever since I got back to Thompson, I got myself involved with a few things, keeping in mind that since I’m back in Thompson, I should take advantage of the opportunities I have.
The first thing is stock market investments. My Dad has been gaining experience with the stock market, so he’s loaning me some start-up cash and I setup a trading account at the bank. Making quick money will be the key to erasing my debt fast and saving up for a condo or house down south, as well as maximizing my investments portfolio and savings.
The second thing is property. My parents still own our old house, and we recently lost our tenant. However, the house is a mess from cigarette smoke, paint, and physical damage, so I volunteered to help fix up the house and take up landlord-like residence there, though I will officially be staying at home. I already started with painting, but we’ll be working on carpeting, flooring, fencing, and other small projects around the house. This will give me some hands-on experience with doing bad property flips and managing tenancies, since I plan to own and rent out property in the city for extra income.
The third thing is business. Colin and I discussed some business opportunities, and we plan to open up a storefront next year. I don’t want to say too much, but it will be something that Thompson could use, and there will be multiple services available. This is something I want to do for fun, plus the business management experience will look good on my resume.
Finally, I was so broke in Winnipeg that I couldn’t buy anything, but every time I needed something, I had to cough up the money out of my savings. So, I made a list of toys, tools, and supplies I will need for my next move out, now that I’ll be making good coin again. Better to buy now than cough up budgeted money later.
I try not to mention anything about my personal life here, but I recently went through a whirlwind romance that got me thinking about the future. I’m nearly 31 and I have nothing to show for my experience and age, least of all a significant other. If I want to have a girlfriend or wife, I’d better be well off enough that I can support her financially, or even manage the costs of having a relationship (especially since I don’t plan to date anybody in Thompson if I can help it).
In a nutshell, I’m back in Thompson, but I don’t plan on staying very long. I’m kicking ass, taking names, and getting paid. That’s all there is to it. As for my web design career, it’s being put on hold. Maybe after all is said and done, I’ll take some of those savings I hope to accumulate and go take a design course or something.
That is, if I don’t overdo it with the comic book collecting. 
I mentioned Aion, an upcoming MMO from NCsoft, a while back when it was announced, and it looked promising at the time. Well, since then, I haven’t kept up with any updates until this morning, when I decided to check it out on a whim.
In short, it looks frakking amazing now. The game has so far lived up to what I was expecting. Interviews, gameplay videos, and more importantly – a full game manual in the form of a wiki has been posted and updated on the official site. Ladies and gentlemen, we have lift off. I’m just going to read the wiki a bit before I decide to preorder this cash vampire.
In between work, I checked out the wiki and went to EBGames, but they were all out of beta keys. So, I bought it online. No physical game packaging, but we need less physical media these days to conserve on packaging material that clutters landfills if not recycled properly. I’m downloading the game client at the moment, so hopefully, I’ll have time to play tonight. I hope to post a beta review shortly on DigitalBytes North (website pending).
After finding out that I was one day late for the most recent beta event, there will be no beta review until another beta event is scheduled. I hope they don’t stay quiet until launch. That would be foolish on their part.
When I’m working on a task like web design or blogging, I always turn to music to provide inspiration for creativity. The genres I find myself turning to depend on what kind of work I’m producing.
For example, I turn to hard rock or heavy metal when I’m working on something edgy. I immerse myself in action movie scores when I need to set a tone of epic proportions. Pop music for hip and modern, electronica for futuristic and experimental, and the list goes on.
I’m into a number of artists, but most recently, I’ve gotten into the latest from Michael Giacchino (who composed the score for the new Star Trek movie), Halestorm, Lacuna Coil, Linkin Park’s New Divide, and the Battlefield single from Jordin Sparks. Even though they’re not as recent, Bullet For My Valentine’s Scream Aim Fire and In This Moment’s The Dream still rotate in my playlists.
Do you also use music as inspiration? If so, who do you usually listen to? If not, what do you use?