Remember all the hysteria about Y2K? As business owners we had to have documented plans as how to house and feed employees if there was a Y2K disaster. Well the media is stirring up similar hysteria about H1N1 also known as swine flu, well at least that is my opinion. Matt Drudge is leading his web page with “Prepare to get sick”. Homeland Security advisor Janet Napolitano is predicting “a big influx” of swine flu and telling us all to be prepared.  It seems a bit mysterious to me why Homeland Security is talking about the flu-shouldn’t it be the CDC or the acting Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H.? I am of the opinion that since we aren’t under terrorist attack-this is the most current, splashiest topic the media could come up with to increase ratings. First off, be educated

Thursday August 6 2009 Twitter and Facebook were simultaneously interrupted by a “denial of service attack”.   Max Kelly, chief security officer at Facebook, claims the attack was directed at one blogger, Cyxymu. Cyxymu is also the name of a town in the Republic Of Georgia-this is an English translation of Cyxymu’s Live Nation blog site. Here is some of the text on the blog site that is apparently a letter to the President of the Republic of Georgia: “Уважаемый Дмитрий Анатольевич!

And I have proof. I ran across a blog the other day entitled “Geeks are Sexy”. I ran across this blog a few days ago and it has topics ranging from scientists writing about a cure for cancer to book reviews. Several of the books on their “10 must read books for Geeks” sound very interesting so I thought I would also share them with my readers. So here we go: iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It Authors: Steve Wozniak, Gina Smith Publisher: W. W. Norton 288 pages Book

Children are being exposed to technology at a very early age. When a 9 year old can take a class at the University of Washington and create a video game and website of their own, it begs the question is it time to re-evaluate what is important to teach them in school. Reading is of course essential, you can’t embrace technical ideas if you can’t read so reading should still be high on the list. Rithmatic (arithmetic)?  Well since computer technology is based on binary number systems, math is going to remain at the top of the list too. But what about Riting (writing)? This blogger is going to say no not so much-I don’t think writing is very important and here is why:

1. I would venture a guess that 90% of people type and email or text a message rather than write a letter.
2. By the time a 9 year old enters the work force, technology is only going to have advanced and for all we know computers will work on voice command which will make even a

We love all our employees at Connectzone.com. Each one plays an integral part in our business and we simply couldn’t survive without them. Employee reviews are a little bit like getting your report card and can create anxiety for both the reviewer and the reviewee. Connectzone.com uses a common tool in reviews where not only does the supervisor review the employee but they also must review themselves and describe how they have increased their value to the company over the time period under review. Here are some helpful tips and ideas to keep in mind during a review: Negotiating Salary: From most employers’ standpoint, if an employee is deserving of a salary increase it is because they have added value to the company, not because a calendar page has turned. There are many ways an employee can add value:

1. Consistently increase your skill set with independent continuing education.
2. Seek out certifications

Guest Blogger, Cable Geek

When ConnectZone decided to exhibit at the 2009 Interop show this year, we knew it was going to be a big deal. How big, we had no idea. One thing you can say about things in Las Vegas: they will never leave you disappointed. It may leave you broke, or feeling like your soul needs a shower, but there is no such thing in Vegas as “going halfway”. The 2009 Interop show was no exception. This is one of the bigger shows of its type. From their website: “Interop is the leading global technology event, with the most comprehensive IT Conference and Exhibition available. Business and technology leaders attend Interop to get the most up to date information available on key technologies, learn about the latest trends and meet with leading vendors.” Like ConnectZone, for instance. 

There are so many things to worry about owning a business: inventory, accounting, human resources-the list goes on and on. Being stewards not just of our businesses but our planet too-the responsible and ethical thing to do is do everything we can to “Go Green.” In our industry it may seem like there isn’t much we can do. We don’t use much in the way of chemicals; in fact our local waste service doesn’t even offer business service recycling. Then there is always the question of cost-even if it’s the right thing to do-there can be a substantial cost to recycle batteries and printer cartridges. Well here are some ideas that will cost you little or nothing to help stop global warming. Email. Go as paper free as you can. Connectzone.com emails invoices, purchase orders and even     credit card receipts. This saves paper, postage and human resources to stuff envelopes. Set up

By Guest Blogger Sammy

My name is Sammy-I also go by Sam. I am a 5 year old Border Collie mix. I was rescued from a dumpster in Yakima by an organization called Lil’ Waif Puppy Rescue. I came to the rescue with something they called “failure to thrive”. They were really nice to me though; I got snuggled in a rocking chair a lot and got better. I used to stand in my water dish all the time and the nice lady who rescued me made sure I was adopted into a home that would involve water. Sure enough I got my own pond now and lots of friendly neighbor dogs that come over to play.

My favorite neighbor is a Chihuahua named Harley, he doesn’t seem to notice how much bigger I am than him. One of my other best friends is a Schnauzer named Zeke-I met him when we were both really young and I taught

It doesn’t matter what you are talking about in life, panicking will only make things worse. At home, at work, during a true bloodletting emergency, fear and panic will not help you. The only solution I have ever found is to tell myself, often loudly “it is only (fill in the blank)”. The “blank” could be blood, pain, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of public speaking, dying in a plane crash, failing a test, losing your job, stock market crash or being eaten by a shark while swimming. Taking a firm and confident mental position will help you, here are some thoughts.

At one point in my life I was a trained “first responder” as well as certified to teach Red Cross first aid and CPR. Rule #1, secure yourself and your situation, one disaster is bad enough-don’t make it two disasters. So if you stop to help at a car accident, make sure your car is blocking traffic from hitting

By Guest Blogger, Dann the Cable Man

In 1980 I was 16 years old, driving a ’67 Camaro (weren’t we all?), Inflation was high and unemployment was even higher. Interest rates were hovering around 20%. The previous year Iranians kidnapped US Embassy staff and were holding them hostage (remember Nightline “day 287 of the Iranian Hostage Crisis”). The 2^nd Oil embargo was in effect, Gas stations had to switch from selling by the gallon to the liter just so they could charge above $1.00 per gallon. The Cold war was still very hot, the soviets had just invaded Afghanistan and we all know what that gave birth too-yeah, a tall guy in a turban who lives in a cave somewhere. In Washington State we had the WHOOPS Fiasco. It was a bad time, a really really bad time. Any student of history knows that when a country is downtrodden and has lost faith with itself it is also very vulnerable, recall Germany post