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Are you going through withdrawal without your monthly dose of Tech Support Guy news? It's more likely you started twitching Saturday night, when TSG went down for a huge server move. Read more in the article below!
With the holidays fast approaching, I wanted to send out this quick newsletter to give you some updates just in case things get delayed again for the regular issue at the end of the month.
As always, we really need articles, reviews, or ideas for articles! Please email me at mike@techguy.org
Happy Holidays,
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The Server Move The Tech Support Guy web site is powered by half a dozen servers. Since around 2000, these servers have been located in a small datacenter in Carlisle, PA (about 30 minutes north of my home in Chambersburg, PA). Unfortunately, we were notified last month that the datacenter is closing and the servers had to find a new home. Dan McCarthy (aka linuxphile) and I toured a few datacenters in the Frederick and Washington DC area, and finally settled on a very nice place in Silver Spring, MD. Unfortunately, it's about a two hour drive from my home -- and even longer if it's rush hour!
We wanted the move to affect as few people as possible, so we planned the downtime in the middle of the night. Dan and I left Chambersburg, PA around 6:30 PM on Saturday... and returned around 11:00 AM on Sunday. It was a lot of work, but the site came back online faster than we expected. We did a few DNS tricks to ensure that visitors would find the site at it's new location quickly, and it looks like that paid off.
The new datacenter is a big step up for us, and this forced move might have been a blessing in disguise. While over twice the cost of our old location, our new home in Silver Spring offers multiple connections to the Internet, providing far faster connections for those visiting us from the West coast or overseas. We also have a much faster connection and more rack space so that we can add more servers and continue to grow.
Thanks to everyone for your patience during this upgrade, and a special thanks to Dan McCarthy and Matthew Datcher for their assistance in the move. I couldn't have done it without them!
Give the Gift of TSG As you shop for those last-minute gifts, don't forget about your friends at TSG. As we did last year, we're once again allowing you to make gift donations. It's very simple -- you just tell us who you'd like to receive your gift, and make a donation of $20. On Christmas day, I'll send a message to your recipient and they'll receive one year of Premium Membership (and will see no ads while visiting the site)! What better way to say "thank you" to your TSG friends while supporting the site... and our new bandwidth bills! =)
To find out more, visit http://www.techguy.org/donate.html | |||
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Short Videos Worth Watching Like many other families, Heather and I look forward to decorating the house every year. We're not using the most electric in the neighborhood, but at least we're doing our part to keep passing motorists in a festive mood, distracted, and with their eyes safely focused on the house instead of on the road.
I have a lot of great memories of my parents taking us out for a drive to look at Christmas lights. I thought I'd seen it all... until I started seeing videos of homes with Christmas lights that flash in time with music. The music being broadcasted on an FM radio station that you can listen to from your car while watching the lights move and flash. There seem to be a number of videos on Google. Check it out. If someone knows how they're programmed, let me know. I want to see how much it will annoy my neighbors. =) Also, whether you're a fan of Jib Jab or have never heard of them, be sure to check out their Year In Review. It's very funny, but might not appropriate for the kids. Also, if you missed it, last year's "2-0-5" is definitely worth a watch. TechGuy on Computer America Mike (aka TechGuy) will be appearing on the Computer America radio show on Wednesday, December 20th beginning at 10:00 PM Eastern.
Computer America is America's longest-running nationally syndicated radio talk show about computers. It airs every weeknight at 10:00 PM Eastern (7PM Pacific -- you figure it out if you're overseas. =) It's an entertaining program about technology hosted by Craig Crossman and Carey Holzman. Mike Cermak (TechGuy) appears on the show very month to argue... or discuss... whatever computer topics might be in the news. You can listen live at www.computeramerica.com. Mike will be in their chat room during the program. | |||
TSG Gets into the Holiday Spirit If you haven't noticed, we have a new holiday logo, and this time I didn't make it! A good friend and graphic designer, Sarah Camp, created this year's holiday logo... it's been a big hit, even at other forums! =)
Read more at Great Christmas Logo. New Community Moderators Coming Soon After a very long discussion concerning the possible split-up of Random Discussion and Civilized Debate from TSG, we've decided to try cracking down on language and rudeness in those forums by convincing a handful of crazy... I mean, wonderful volunteers to become Moderators for those particular forums. These new "Community Moderators" will be appearing very soon to keep an eye on those forums and try to maintain the friendly spirit of the site, thus ending this once controversial subject once and for all. =)
Holiday Threads If you're cooking something good for friends and family this holiday season, you might want to check out some recipes and cooking tips. This time of year, everyone seems to be in the giving mood. Will you donate to a charity at Christmas? Also, in case you missed it, there was a pretty scary announcement the other day...
Happy Holidays, everyone! Stay safe!
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Copyright © Michael J. Cermak, Jr. All rights reserved.. | |||
