Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

  • Climbing the rock: Rocher de Roquebrune

    I have passed by the Rocher de Roquebrune frequently ever since my first trip to the South of France in 1981. The Rocher (literally “large rock”) is located close to the village of Roquebrune-sur-Argens in the department of the Var. The A8 autoroute passes by the hulking bulk of the rock…

  • February 2012 articles posted on WindowsITPro.com

    Understanding the bug fix for OAB downloads in Exchange 2010 SP2 RU1 (February 28): This is a fun article that pokes a gentle amount of fun at the wonderful turn of phrase exhibited by Greg Taylor when he explained a bug fix to improve OAB downloads in an article posted…

  • Twitter Spam: Or why having lots of followers isn’t much good after all

    One of the interesting (but banal) things that I have picked up as I have attended technical conferences over the last year or so is the fascination that some people have with the number of “followers” that they’ve attracted through Twitter. Some delight in sites such as TwitterCounter.com, where they…

  • Microsoft Exchange 2010 Inside Out heads for another printing

    O’Reilly Media, who look after printing activities for Microsoft Press, contacted me yesterday to give the good news that Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Inside Out is now almost out of print. They plan to print a new run of the book early next month. Because most things associated with the publishing…

  • Snow in the Var

    The French Riviera is usually associated with pictures such as the gentle swaying of palm trees framing the glittering Mediterranean in 30 degrees warmth, with of course those who are deemed to be movers and shakers busily quaffing champagne and telling each other just how wonderful they look. Fortunately, outside Cannes Film…

  • Best of Show award for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Inside Out

    Following along from January’s “Distinguished Award” for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Inside Out, I received news today that the book won the “Best of Show” award for “Informational Materials” at the 2011 Puget Sound Society for Technical Communications competition. It’s obviously pleasing to hear about such an award. I think…

  • Analyzing what’s in the Exchange 2010 SP2 RU1 update

    Microsoft released Exchange 2010 SP2 RU1 (roll-up update 1 for Exchange 2010 Service Pack 2, or version 14.2.283.3) on Monday, February 13, 2012. As you probably know, a roll-up update provides a complete set of fixes for a software product and once applied, brings a product as up-to-date in terms…

  • Snowy rugby weekend in Rome

    Last weekend, I was in Rome for the Six Nations clash between Italy and England. An uneventful flight from Dublin to Rome’s Fiumicino airport (FCO) was marred only by the slow baggage delivery. FCO took 50 minutes to get bags from the plane to the conveyor belts – I can’t…

  • An increase in web site quality from at least one site – Hurrah!

    I was delighted to read the story in Kerry Lauerman’s blog (editor-in-chief of Salon.com) describing the trauma Salon.com experienced in its attempts to drive web page views followed by the success that the site has gained by reversing course to focus on quality again. In brief, Salon.com went from the “me too”…

  • The trials and tribulations of writing and reviews

    I guess an author wouldn’t be human if they didn’t check out the reviews of their books that are posted on major book-buying sites like Amazon.com. I do this on an irregular basis, mostly because other tasks get in the way. Often, I learn from the reviews and appreciate the…