Kitkatninja

Agreed, hopefully next time it'll be at either Aroma or Mandarin

Hey, we're not that evil... Ok, yes we are.

I'm getting vehicle envy, I've had my Focus (2.0 TDCi Ghia, 55 plate) now for just under 2 years, have to wait another 2-3 years minimum before I can even look at another car

This is what I was going to type

Congrats, nothing beats that feeling

AHHHHH... Again a good paying job outside my area of travel

I only tried the upgrade exam for the MCSA once (the free beta - 71-648) and failed that. I passed the MCSE upgrade exam on my 3rd attempt, however one of the attempts was the free beta (and like any other beta exam, it's released before any study materials are out even on technet it was a bit slim back then). The upgrade exam itself is split into different parts (depending on how many exams the upgrade exam replaces will dictate how many part the exam will be in) and the overall score will be the lowest score of the different parts. For example on the 649 I took, I got on one part: 737 (pass), part 2: 760 (pass), part 3: 350 (fail) so my overal score for the exam was 350.

I've met the Corrs, the manager of the Crash Test Dummies and heavy metal band Biohazard in the 90's. They stayed at a hotel where I use to work I've met others however them being casts at Panto's, I guess don't count.

If it was closer to home, I would have loved to apply for it. -Ken

If this was closer to home, would love to apply for it.

You could see how much a Ford Focus 1.8/1.9/2.0 TDCi is and see about getting it chipped (with eg Bluefin), then insuring it with an insurance company that is mod friendly (eg Adrian Flux has been recommended to me by a mate when I was thinking about modding my car). It may not have as much PS/BHP as an ST, but a chipped TDCi is nothing to be sniffed it either -Ken

Personally, I wouldn't let the fact that it's a CAT C vechicle put me off - as long as the car has been checked out (unless I implicitly trusted that person to repair/mod cars) and that I fully inform my insurance company that it is a CAT C car. What would put me off though is the running costs of: 1. Insurance 2. Road tax & 3. The increase of the fuel bill. -Ken

Like it's been said already, keep on applying. Apart from that, have a word with your manager about gaining extra responsibilities and succession management. Look into certain qualifications like ITIL, FITS, Prince2 and/or management certs (eg ILM, NVQ, etc) to give you some underpinning knowledge to support your lack of (or development of your) experience. -Ken

That's right, some changes are earmarked for this summer, but you know clogs and how slow they turn -Ken

Congrats on the pass mate -Ken

The difference between the EA and SA, has nothing to do with managing small or large networks and there is value in gaining the SA if you have the EA (and vice versa). The Enterprise Admin track and the Server Admin track share some of the same exams, however this is where those two are different: The Enterprise Admin is 80% design and overall management (eg. evaluating & recommending, creating best practices, policy development, etc) and 20% actual hands on & day to day management (eg. creating builds, supporting projects & change management, monitoring server health, the implementation of policies, etc). The Server Admin is the other way around, it's 20% design and overall management and 80% actual hands on & day to day management. It really is geared up to job roles, unlike the old MS certs where the MCSE was higher than the MCSA. @dgardner - so it really does depends on your new job role, in most cases the server admin would suit, in some cases the EA would suit. In my job role (as IT manager) both actually suit (and there are alot of IT/Network managers who are in the same boat), however I have only done the EA route. I would have also done the SA route (and may still do at some point in the future), however at this moment in time I'm sick of MS exams -Ken

The PTLLS award is a very good qualification to have (I gained my in two weeks in June this year), and I recommend anyone who is considering lecturing, training or even teaching to gain it with the possibility of the MCT as well However currently it is not the minimum qualification needed to do any form of teaching at any level. The PTLLS award is the minimum qualification needed to gain your threshold to teach (minimum teaching qualification) in the life-long education sector (this is the post 16 - further education sector) as per the Further Education and Training Colleges Act, 2006 and the Institute for Learning. The PTLLS qualification can be used as a stepping stone to the CTLLS and the DTLLS, which you can then gain the ATLS (Associate Teacher Learning and Skills) and QTLS (Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills) status which is the FE version of QTS in primary/secondary schools, however it is not currently recognised in them. There are plans to change this and the law regarding this, however it hasn't happened yet. To my knowledge there is no set requirements to be an unqualified teacher (eg teaching assistant or cover supervisor), however to gain HTLA status you have to go through an assessment process. -Ken

I know that we can't get replacement Sahara Projector bulbs without returning the old ones... -Ken

When I use to live out there (in the Phillipines for 4 years back in the 90's), Calamine lotion was an excellent treatment for it. BTW, it is a common thing. -Ken

That's right, the mega guides are great for cramming after you've studied the exam material as a whole. -ken

Hi All, Got an exam today stating that Preplogic was offering their exam manuals from $1. See here. A great resource to use for your next exam (even if you have already taken advantage of the offered CPD package if you're a school based IT Tech in Northants) -Ken

A few IT positions at the OU are being advertised: Computing Helpdesk Operations Coordinator (2 positions) Computing Helpdesk Adviser (4 positions) Both types of positions sound good, but they are part-time. -Ken

I updated/upgraded yesterday and to be honest, I haven't actually seen any difference???? Maybe it's more dependant on the sites? -Ken

I used to have a diesel Mondeo (now a Focus). One thing that I like about the Mondeo (not sure about the petrol version, but I believe it's the same) is that they don't use a Cam-belt, rather they use a "Cam Chain" - they're normally good to (and over) 100,000 miles -ken

It's down to you: 1. What you have access to 2. Your preferred learning style There are pro's and con's to both (self-study and class based). What may suit one person, may not suit another. -Ken