Chris Pirillo » snow

No frost on the window panes, but plenty of snow on the ground. our presents this year are virtual. What does your Christmas Tree look like this year?

My stocking is hung by the fireplace with care, but it’s not likely to be filled with anything but air.

C’est la vie when you don’t receive a wish list from your spouse, or if you’re tired of playing the gift-guessing game – knowing full well that gift certificates are sometimes seen as lame.

At least the weather is cooperating, and the roads seem relatively well managed. I’ll venture out once more tomorrow to see if I can discover any simple surprises.

When people already have what they want, and can get what they need, what else can you do?

Are You Having a White Christmas, too?

Chris — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:48:42 +0000

Are You Having a White Christmas, too? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I was once told that it doesn’t snow that often in the Seattle area. Judging from how everything shuts down at the first sign of frozen flakes. Today is certainly no exception! We’ve been “snowed in” for a day or so, and I can’t say that I mind it too much.

We’re just a few days away from the happiest of winter holidays (for some), and it seems we’re going to have ourselves a very White Christmas. I’m hoping all of our Christmas shopping deliveries will be made on time! Yes, 100% of my holiday shopping was done online this year (thank goodness).

Baby, it’s cold outside!

Of course, I grew up in Iowa – where it snowed throughout winter. I’ve yet to go outside too far – to shovel the walk, to shovel the drive. We were caught in a heavy storm last year, and all I had was a garden spade at that point. A few months ago, I picked up one of those snow pushers (which is far easier on the arms and back). I don’t think we have the need for a snow blower, mind you.

I decided to record the moment for posterity. Not me shoveling anything, but the view from our deck. While I used one of my portable “HD” video cameras to shoot this, I was also using the digital zoom – so if details appear muddy, that’s why. Oh, and it was really THIS grey today:

Beautiful, as opposed to this Christmas Carol I squeezed out last night:

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Chris — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:16:30 +0000

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is as close as it gets to receiving a Christmas / Holiday card from me. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that… my handwriting has gone downhill in the past decade, and everybody already knows what happens with me throughout the year – so it’s relatively pointless to do once-a-year recaps.

I’ve been listening to Christmas music non-stop (almost) since the channels came online not long before Thanksgiving. Today, we’re going out to pick up a fresh-cut Christmas tree down the street – then likely trim it with decorations and lights at some point this evening. I’ll splurge and have another half cup of lite Nog (which still weighs in at 140 calories). Last night, Ponzi decided to throw our inflatable Grinch onto the back porch, then we officially welcomed the season by watching both the classic Grinch cartoon as well as “A Christmas Story.”

Oh, and I finally found a gingerbread house kit that didn’t come with ANY hydrogenated ingredients. That’s a first! The makeshift munch-worthy domicile remains under construction for the moment. Actually, it’s still in the box – I’m afraid to open it. Those poor gumdrops will never make it to the frosting! Maybe we’ll put ‘er together in front of the live stream tomorrow night, considering we’re likely to be snowed in. It’s going to be very cold tomorrow.

Typically, only higher elevations in the Seattle area have White Christmases. Maybe I’ll just forego using shampoo and conditioner for a week, then scratch my head a few times on the front porch. I might be able to cover it!

There’s no stopping Christmas now. Even Wicket and Pixie are getting in on the action:

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Tips for Safe Winter Driving

Chris — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:12:47 +0000

Tips for Safe Winter Driving is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is Carol Foltz’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

My motto for driving is: I drive like an old lady so I can be one. I don’t mean the drive-45-in-a-55-mph-zone old lady, just that I take reasonable care, I don’t speed and I’m more careful when weather conditions negatively impact driving conditions.

Winter driving seems to baffle some drivers, even though winter keeps returning every year. When the snow flies, common sense flies out the window. Therefore, I present “Carol’s Rules For Safe Winter Driving.”

Make sure you need to go out. If you don’t need to go out, then don’t. If you must go out, make sure you know where you are going and why. Don’t make extra trips.
Realize that the roads are slick and you can’t stop on a dime. Give yourself leeway by slowing down before you get to the intersection. Also, you can’t just start driving. Ease into it a little bit, or you will fishtail. If there is a car next to you, you could hit it if you aren’t careful.
Be careful and assume that everyone else on the road isn’t careful. Act like they are either first-time drivers who don’t know what they are doing or that they are actively trying to kill you with their cars. Stay away from the other drivers. WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!
If you are driving when it’s still snowing, drive slowly with wipers going and your lights on, even if it’s daytime. Having your lights on helps other drivers see you and hopefully avoid you.
If you are driving and get stuck, stay with your car unless it’s falling into a river or something. Don’t get out and start walking to your destination, especially if you are in the country. Don’t make law enforcement start looking for you “between Moorland and Rockwell City,” for example. (Those two towns are about 20 miles apart.)
The usual: Have a winter survival kit in your car, including a shovel. When a bad winter storm hit Iowa in February 2007, I prepared by bringing a suitcase of clothes and things I would need into town when I came to work, with plans to stay at my mom’s apartment until it was safe to go home. I left our only shovel at home, thinking that maybe my family might need it. I could always go to Wal-Mart and get one before going to stay the night at Mom’s, right? Wrong. They closed Wal-Mart. They closed Wal-Mart.
In winter, snow happens. It rarely happens without warning, however. Keep up to date with the weather on a daily basis so you can be prepared. In that memorable storm of 2007, the weather warnings had been in place for days ahead. I had time to think about my plans, pack a suitcase, do extra shopping and so on. I even came into work the night the storm hit, even though I wasn’t scheduled to work that night, so I wouldn’t be driving during the heavy part of the storm. If I had not, I would have been stuck at home for four days because travel was prohibited.
If school is out and businesses are closing, don’t get into your little two-door car and head for the mall. Stay home. (See rule No. 1.) When authorities say that travel is prohibited, take them seriously. As I mentioned before, weather reports can give you an idea ahead of time when the bad storms are coming. If on Saturday, you hear that a bad storm is expected to hit your area on Wednesday, and that warning is repeated on a daily basis, maybe you should do your emergency grocery shopping on Saturday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Don’t try to go out Wednesday night after the blizzard hits because you are out of groceries.
Have a cell phone handy. In these days of prepaid cell phones, everyone can afford one. Have a cell phone even if you only use it when you have an emergency in your car. Keep your cell phone charged. Like a spare tire that you have to check periodically to make sure it’s not flat, a cell phone is only good if it’s charged. Be familiar with the basic functions of your cell phone. Which leads to No. 10…
Know where you are. If you absolutely must travel in bad winter weather, have a good idea where you are in case something happens and you have to call 911. It will be easier for law enforcement to find you if you can say you are two miles west of Moorland rather than “somewhere between Moorland and Rockwell City” (see rule No. 5).

Some of these tips are specific to winter driving in climates where snow is the norm. Some of these tips are good year-round no matter where you live. I can’t stress too much the importance of wearing a seatbelt. There have been several accidents in my area this past year with preventable fatalities: the people involved didn’t wear seatbelts and were thrown from their vehicles. Some of these accidents had survivors who could have avoided serious injuries by wearing seatbelts. All of these accidents involved people in their teens and early 20s.

Above all, be careful. Drive like an old geek so you can be one.

Snow in Seattle – a White Christmas!

Chris — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 05:34:12 +0000

Snow in Seattle – a White Christmas! is a post from Chris Pirillo

I can’t believe I’m looking out our front window and seeing snow on the ground. Usually, it falls and melts instantly – like it did yesterday. This evening, just as Ponzi and I were headed out to do a little offline shopping, snow started to fall in Seattle. We could barely see traffic on I-90, so I knew this wasn’t the time to venture out and brave the snowy roads (and likely inexperienced California ~~kamikazes~~ drivers).

I couldn’t help but run out and make snow angels in the middle of the street. Can you even remember the last time you made a snow angel?! It “never” snows in Seattle. The city simply isn’t equipped to handle the load. Of course, Wicket and Pixie had a total blast in the sky powder.

I think it’s going to be a White Christmas after all (which Robert Goulet happens to be singing right now on Music Choice channel 940)!

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.