I’ve started a weightloss program and will be updating my progress in real time on http://weightloss.larmeir.com/
No worries though, I’ll continue posting my regular content here!
- Dustin
Larmeir.com
Talking Tech & Sharing Thoughts Since 2006
Thoughts On Teamwork
It’s easy to be a team member, but it’s best to be a team player. Mentoring, supporting, and nurturing those who work with you can result in a amazing team environment. In reverse you can learn a lot of your team, develop new skills, and discover ideas you may not have thought of before.
We’re all different for a reason and I think it’s because by nature we need to be to survive. The same is true in business and you need many different talents, personalities, and ways of thinking to help propel creative thinking and innovation.
Why did I post these thoughts? It’s because my career is fulfilling and each day I operate in a environment that fosters team building and do my best to have a active role in it. When I retire I want my reflections to be of those that I positively impacted and how I was able to make a difference.
I have many people to thank for where I am today and they have already built a legacy. You know who you are 
Posted in Thoughts
2013 – A Year Of Change
2013 is going to be a year of change for me. There’s more I want to accomplish in my life and I’m getting fired up to go after it on multiple levels.
The mission is personal, professional, spiritual, and physical. Goals have been set, milestones will be achieved, and tenacity will make me steadfast.
A wise man named Thomas Jefferson once said “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”
I plan on doing just that – I use the founding fathers as an example of how simple ideas can turn into something great.
I look forward to the growth I’ll achieve this year and I think Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
To this statement I unequivocally agree and will strive to live my life each day in this way.
2013 will be a year to remember.
- Dustin
Posted in Thoughts
Windows 8 – Follow up post
Well, it only took one day to break!
My system got stuck in a boot of a reboot cycle for a while with this message LOL
Posted in Windows
Windows 8 – My Thoughts
I recently bought a new PC and was really reluctant to upgrade to Windows 8 via the Microsoft upgrade program as I was not a fan of the metro interface. It reminded me of the tacky Unity interface that Ubuntu has adopted and that was the main reason I ditched Ubuntu as my primary OS in the first place and opted for Mac. I eventually just gritted my teeth and installed it anyway since their was no point in fighting inevitability. My system specifications are shown below:
When I first completed the installation I was a little taken back by the fact a MSN account is needed for your local login. This sorta made me feel like my computer is now partially owned by Microsoft but I figured what the heck and used my existing MSN account. I know that you can use a local account on Windows 8 but I believe that functionality is extremely impacted by not doing so ( I.e. Store does not work, cloud options are not there, etc. ).
So, I played around with the store a little bit and installed several apps to play around with to get a feel of how it all works.
Here’s a quick screen shot of a populated metro interface:
It’s pretty, fast, and functional – Just a little awkward for a typical desktop computer.
Digging into Windows 8 further I found that Windows experience ranking had changed from a maximum of 7.9 to 9.9:
Sadly my primary hard drive keeps my ranking low. I’ll invest in a SSD soon to straighten that up
The task manager is also much prettier now:
I like the cleanliness of the interface.
So what’s the biggest complaint about Windows 8? The missing start button – But, there’s a solution for that!
Shown above is Classic Shell ( http://classicshell.sourceforge.net ) which is a open source and free menu program. It brings that good ole’ start button back and makes the adjustment to Windows 8 a little less harsh. The good part is that you can switch back to Metro anytime by simple moving your mouse to the right of the screen and launching “Start.”
I guess my final feelings and thoughts on Windows 8 are mixed. I do like how fast and responsive it is, the apps it has, and that it is a major change from the same old boring Windows UI. On the flip side, I think some of the changes will really annoy power users, frustrate end users, and cause a nightmare for helpdesk and system administrators. I think Microsoft should listen more to the masses when making major OS changes like this.
- Dustin
Posted in Windows
