*Update – Be sure to check out the free Training Courses for 70-652! *

5 Free Virtualization Training Courses for the Holidays! (HyperV)

and

How much does Free Microsoft Learning Cost? (Hint: Free!)

Now continue to this old post :)

You’re signed up, you’re in the beta! with 12 days left to take the test!
You get out there, study study study… wait, what am I supposed to study?

Well, first of all you decide to check out that Microsoft E-Learning I mentioned before here:
https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/courseDetail.aspx?courseId=92459

And let me tell you, this E-learning is very useful, if you’ve never touched ESX, XenServer, or Hyper-V.
If you’ve played with Hyper-V at all, and read the help file you will find it isn’t ALL that useful.
I’m not saying don’t give it a whirl, give it a try… But do NOT expect that to be your keys to the kingdom. You’ll be lucky if it can be used as a dowsing rod to find the moat!
(Wait, do castles even have keys?!)

Okay, so what do I do now?

Here is the first and most important thing you should do.
Read this: Test Information and Support

If ever there was a time in your life to read something like this, read it, look at it, read it again.
Go line by line, if there is something you do not understand (WTF? winrm?!) Learn about it, read about it, study it. Because that little bit of guidance there is one of the first things you ought to do, as you’ll be on a tough road without it.

Now it is pertinent that you get face time, hardcore time spent playing with the following:

That’s right! New Mastery in the form of a “Master” Cert.
It is rumoured to be above the current MCITP, and equally above the old-school MCSE, yet below (and a pre-requisite) of the MCA (Architect).

It will be offered in 3 varieties.

It is covered at an EXTREMELY high-level here at Microsoft Certified Master Program
And also is briefly mentioned here on Trika’s Blog

There is a little bit of depth to be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/master/products/default.mspx

However, outside of these high-level ideas of it, and its very narrow focus on a set of core technologies (Hey, where is my MOSS Mastery?!)

It appears to be just another Certification to join the pile – definitely a precursor to the MCA with these requirements:

To achieve Master certification, candidates must fulfill the following training requirements:

And if history has shown us anything, when you have ‘class attendance requirements’ that usually translates into “This is going to cost you some serious $$$” Not only from ‘attendance’ but also from your inability to be producing revenue or working as you’re going to classes.

Perhaps this is trying to go the way of the “Masters” programs available within the ‘Educational’ community, but today you can phone that in, and the technology and extreme depth this is looking to promote is not something earned in the classroom – It’s earned in the trenches.

Who knows how this will be implemented, we’ll certainly find out as time moves on – Adoption is key though – Look at the CCIE Program for Cisco…

Shoes are in! Technology is out?! Wait, lets ‘smoosh’ that a bit. Technology is in shoes?!!

This weekend, with a visit to Hanig’s, I picked up some shoes with inherent technology.

The first of these shoes, is the Earth Shoe “Lazer-K”

While on the surface it looks like a regular shoe, it has some interesting technology components.
The primary of which is the ‘negative heel technology’ forcing you into a 3.7degree angle at all times.

Why is the angle 3.7 degrees?

Designed by a Danish yoga master, the 3.7 degrees of Kalso® Negative Heel Technology™ simulates the angle of one’s feet during the Tadasana pose performed in yoga. At this angle, one’s toes are positioned higher than one’s heels, directing primary cushioning to the most weight-bearing part of the foot – the heel pad. This angle further shifts one’s body weight back over the heels, moving you into a more natural, empowered position. This becomes the proper body position to trigger an array of whole-body benefits. It’s a rather small change that makes a sizable difference.

So, what exactly does this mean for the average person? If you don’t get a regular work out, but you do walk from place to place, this will force you into a better posture, give you’re lower back a bit of a workout and your calves. … And whatever else the picture says, but from my perspective… my calves hurt like I’ve been working them out! So I win all around.

Oh, did I mention these are vegan shoes? whoa! :)

They’re extremely comfortable, very easy to work with, slip on and off – and they do get you into a better posture which I’m sure most of us (especially in technology) suffer from.

Once you’re feeling good walking up hills, now it’s time to get out into the wild and run free with our barefoot self!

I am now the proud owner of the Sprint and the KSO!

These “shoes” created and sold by Vibram are the “Vibram FiveFingers” line, which are ideal for getting extremely close to being barefoot without your fears of glass, gravel, feces and other things getting in the way.

The first of these two shoes, the Sprint:

This is a very comfortable shoe, with amazing grip and great ground sensitivity. After putting this on, I had the freedom to run around as I would while barefoot but not having the same restrictions my currently sensitive feet have (stepping on gravel not a problem, woodchips didn’t phase me, etc) and at the same time I could chase after my son in a jungle gym/park with such speed and grace that he didn’t like my shoes giving me that ability! Once I hit the bars, I could climb up with such traction and ability I wasn’t even phased by the activity!

These shoes are particularly cool as they’re open-top and have an adjustable heel section so I can fit it as needed whether I’m out running or chasing my son or dogs!

However, taking this a step further is my other cool shoe the KSO:

This shoe is called the “KSO” or “Keep Stuff Out” for a very obvious reason. It shares all of the benefits of the previous shoe but happens to give you a more ‘shoe like’ look and feel in that it does keep things out. Yet at the same time it is not taking away from your grip, traction and feet upon the surfaces you step upon. First night we got these, I went out for a run. I didn’t run very far or very long, but I did run very fast and very free, and that was one of the first signs of good things to come.

Personally I enjoy going around barefoot, it’s freeing, liberating, requires less shoes, fairly easy to be done; yet there are real risks out there which often times are difficult to overcome. Perhaps over time these risks of glass, gravel and other types of things can be easier to step upon but until that time comes, these shoes give you some of that value, benefit and structure without sacraficing much.

These are as comfortable as a slipper, or well – As comfortable as being barefoot with a hint of knowing protection!

In the case of both of these shoes, I didn’t just happen to stumble upon them and go “Whoa, wow?!” No, like most things, I did extensive research, peer review and a number of activities to ensure that this was something which would be beneficial, useful, and something I can use long-term.

Between working to correct my posture with the Earth shoes, and providing me the ability to get reliable feedback and luxury of being able to move as-close-to-barefoot as possible. These shoes will definitely be used!

Looks like it is upgrade time for Windows Home Server enthusiasts! (With appropriate backup ofcourse!)

The Windows Home Server team is proud to announce the availability of a Power Pack 1 Release Candidate for public beta testing. The update package can now be downloaded from https://connect.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver in the downloads section.

Please be sure to review the release documentation contained within the download package for Power Pack 1.
Please also be sure to check out the Windows Home Server forums for important support information, an up to date list of known issues and some great test ideas. They can be found at the link below.
http://forums.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver/default.aspx?siteid=50

Below is a set of instructions to prepare a home server for testing the beta of Power Pack 1:

Please turn on the Customer Experience Improvement for your home server. The information provided to the team through this program is invaluable in helping us understand how we are doing against our testing goals.

Please ensure that you have a backup of all of your files and data. If your data set is large (the larger the better for testing purposes) this will take a while, so you might want to get started now!
The Windows Home Server team

E-mail: whsbeta@microsoft.com

So, you’re saying “Man, I don’t want to take a test for something I’m not prepared for… I don’t care that it is free!?” After you get past that little story, wait, a free beta exam AND a free voucher for Microsoft E-Learning? Where do I sign up!??!

Just visit this site: Get your skills up with Official Microsoft E-Learning!
This offer is good until June 30th, so act fast!

And after acting (fast) take another action in your benefit and go sign up for the:
Hyper-V E-Learning training!

At this point, you’ll be on the way to success in preparing yourself in ways you otherwise didn’t even think possible! After which point you’ll be on the road to success to becoming an MCTS in Microsoft Hyper-V Virtualization!