Here are some of the unexplainable things…

Why do software problems just work when I do the same thing that others have done to fix it? I see things fixed in many ways by many people, but sometimes things just seem to fix themselves. Has this happened to you? I claim no magic, no horse whisperer kind of connection, no electromagnetic fields. But sometimes things just work when try to get them running by doing what others have tried (or at least they said they tried it).

Why do things work when I just walk over to someones desk? This is akin to the one before only this time I don’t even touch anything. I just get close and things work.

Why are there others like me that I see these same things happen to also? I see it happen when some others do the same things I do (usually those who seem to be very adept at using the software). They may not know how it happens either.

Why can’t I apply this same effect when I need to fix my leaking faucet or a sprinkler pipe? When I touch anything mechanical, it becomes worse. If I try to fix a leaking faucet, the handle snaps off the water valve and it gushes water all over the floor before I even touch the faucet to start fixing that. Now I have two problems to fix.

There are just some strange things that happen which I cannot explain… does this happen to you? Can you explain it?

I am always impressed that people read my blog.  I have posted over 700 times (this is #706) and there are a lot more to come.

Here are some stats at the time of this posting.

Total Hits -  1,002,647

Average monthly hits – 16,172

First post – Dec. 14, 2004

Passed 600,000 hits – May 26th, 2008

Highest Pageview day – 4836 visitors on April 29, 2008 – a post of mine was included in the Bentley Newsletter – How to keep your job

Most hits on a single blog post – AutoCAD Keyboard Shortcuts – 20,864 hits

Highest referring site – caddigest.com

Browser/OS Stats

1. Internet Explorer / Windows    63.50%
2. Firefox / Windows         27.03%
3. Chrome / Windows          3.15%
4. Opera / Windows        1.95%
5. Safari / Macintosh         1.61%
6. Firefox / Macintosh         0.93%
7. Firefox / Linux         0.53%
8. Safari / Windows          0.42%
9. Mozilla / Linux         0.18%
10. Safari / iPhone        0.14%

Akismet stats - 34,211 spams caught, 592 legitimate comments, and an overall accuracy rate of 99.885%.

Recent hits came from:

Thank you to all my readers. It is gratifying to me to see you embrace my efforts.

Have a joyous Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Mark

Here is how…

I use Outlook so I get a trail of messages because it puts a copy of the message in my “sent” folder. All you need to know is the wireless carrier and the cell phone number. that is what you use as the email address.

When they reply – you get it as an email.

Here is the info you need…

AT&T
[10-digit phone number]@txt.att.net
Example: 1234567890@txt.att.net

Nextel (now Sprint Nextel)
[10-digit telephone number]@messaging.nextel.com
Example: 1234567890@messaging.nextel.com

Sprint PCS (now Sprint Nextel)
[10-digit phone number]@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Example: 1234567890@messaging.sprintpcs.com

T-Mobile
[10-digit phone number]@tmomail.net
Example: 1234567890@tmomail.net

US Cellular
[10-digit phone number]email.uscc.net (SMS)
Example: 1234567890@email.uscc.net

Verizon
[10-digit phone number]@vtext.com
Example: 1234567890@vtext.com

You can follow me on twitter

Nearly one-quarter of U.S. employees (24%) would fire their boss if given the chance. And as many as 51% of actively disengaged workers would get rid of their leader if they could.

These findings were gleaned from a Gallup Management Journal ( GMJ) survey of U.S. employees. Gallup researchers studied employee responses to see which factors differed most strongly among engaged employees (26% of respondents) and those who were not engaged (56%) or actively disengaged (18%).

Read the article

On the personal side… I would not fire my boss.

This review will focus on free file sharing only.

The settings for these services change all the time.  There may be all kinds of limits and restrictions on these free accounts. They may send you emails that you do not want. I have not used them enough to know some of the negative issues yet. For review purposes, all I was looking for was a quick, free sharing of files. You can try these out also and see what you think.

Most provide free accounts, but some are for limited times. Most provide download links that can be cut and pasted to email.

Here are the results of my searches and my quick testing.  In no specific order at all.

BigUpload - Free account. Ease of use was good. Interface was simple and easy to understand. Upload and download speeds were good. Upload limit = 50 MB.

MegaUpload - Free account – Very easy to use. Interface was very nice. Upload and download speeds were good. Had a little trouble figuring out what page allowed uploading. It is separate from their File Manager. Had to click on the home page graphic to get back to uploading. This one has a file manager download that can be installed. I did not do that. It also has integration with your browser – again another install. I did not want to do that either. 1 Gig upload limit. WARNING – Mega ads also, and pop-ups.

Uploading - Free account. Very simple interface but effective. 1 Gig limit on uploads. Upload and download speeds were acceptable. Has a 30 second delay before you can start a free download.

FileFactory - Free account. 300MB upload limit. 100 Gig of storage. Has an easy “email the link” button. Easy File Manager screen. Nice interface all around. Downloads are filled with pop-up ads and banner – too hard to get past them.

Box.net – Free account. 25MB upload limit. Easy signup. Wanted my phone number, but I did not put it in and it still allowed me to register. Has a JAVA applet drag and drop (install needed – did not do it – do you see a pattern here ) This one has a preview on the download so you could look at your file before downloading.

ShareFile - free – but it was a 30 day trial – did not sign up.

Drop.io – Free account. 100 MB uploads. You create a “Drop” site and place files in it. You then have a URL to that unique site. Upload is straightforward. It has a preview function like Box.net, which is cool. The download interface on this is really easy to use.

MediaFire – Free account. 200MB uploads. Unlimited storage. Looked really good – but my upload never worked.

SendSpace - no account needed. Free account offered. Upload and get the download link instantly. Ad driven site. Offers ad free service – for a price.

NOTES:

DropBox - I use this for file sync and backup but not for file sharing with others.

Yousendit - 14 day Free account. 100 MB upload limit.  I have used this before and it works very weel.  It does not fit my review category of free account because it has a limited time duration

This list is in no way exhaustive. The more I searched – the more I found. I think that this industry is expanding at a rapid rate. Checking the most current ones from time to time may pay off.

Team Autodesk

Autodesk believes in being a responsive community partner. Through our products, values and actions we strive to build and foster healthy, sustainable communities. Our mission is to improve and enrich the lives of those in need by supporting vital community programs. We care. It’s what we do.

The number of people living with multiple sclerosis increases every hour of every day. This astonishing rate is not going to diminish, nor will it stop, until we’ve found a cure. Research has made some incredible advances recently, but the world can still only offer disease management drugs and therapies to the 400,000 people living with MS in America.

Help Team Autodesk in the Fight Against MS!

This is the third consecutive year we’ve formed a team for the MS Bike Tour. Join our team as a cyclist or a volunteer! Make a donation online! Send in a check! Talk to your employer about becoming a sponsor of the MS Bike Tour! There are so many ways to make a difference in the fight against MS, and it all begins right here.

This is especially close to my heart.  My sister-in-law suffers from MS.  If you are financial able – please consider sponsoring this team in their efforts to raise money to find a cure.

137 posts on CAD Management

84 posts on CAD Standards

40 posts on Tips

57 Issues of the CAD Manager Journal – starting in 2004

832,651 hits since I opened the doors

And some recent locations that have hit the site.

Thanks so much for reading…