September 28, 2008

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Yesterday’s vaunted matchup between the #8 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the #3 Georgia Bulldogs turned into a first half neutering of the puppies in front of a stunned blackout crowd in Athens.
Alabama scored on its first 5 possessions to take a commanding 31-0 lead at halftime. The Crimson Tide’s performance in the first half is arguably the most complete and balanced football played by any team in the entire NCAA this year.
Georgia rallied in the second half, but Alabama proved too dominating a team, putting Georgia away 41-30.
All of which adds up to the fact that Alabama is not only back, but a legitimate contender this year.
|| posted by chris under game, more cowbell, thumbs up || comments (0) ||
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September 25, 2008

There’s no doubt about it…
If you want to see the best college football game this coming weekend, then you need to dial up the Alabama vs. Georgia game this coming Saturday night.
Last year’s game went into overtime, with the Dawgs coming out on top 26–23 in Tuscaloosa. As much of a barnburner that game turned out to be, this year’s contest has already been turned up to 11.
Both teams are unbeaten so far this year.
#8 ranked Alabama is looking to prove that they are truly back, thanks to the stellar coaching of Nick Saban, Alabama’s dominating offensive and defensive lines, and the prowess of the Tide’s freshman phenoms.
Despite being the pre-season #1 ranked team in the nation, Georgia has fallen to #3 and wants to prove to the BCS championship voters that they should move back up in the rankings.
Make no mistake about it, both teams will be ready to rumble. Georgia’s planning to wear their ”secret weapon” black jerseys, and have called for their fans to execute a “blackout” in the stands.
Droves of Alabama fans have already stared making the trip to Athens to support the Tide.
This game is the epitome of SEC football.
As I’ve said before here at the Funcave, I have an enormous amount of respect for Mark Richt and what he’s accomplished in rebuilding the storied Georgia progam back to national prominence. A lot of other people in the Tide Nation feel the same way.
So, win or lose, I expect it will be a game marked by a lot of hard play, but a lot of respect and class at the end.
The only thing that would make this weekend better? If I could score some tickets and attend the game in person.
|| posted by chris under game, shoutout, thumbs up || comments (4) ||
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September 25, 2008

If you liked the video below with HP’s smokingly badass customized c3000 ROK edition AKA “Shorty,” you’ll love this!
HP, Microsoft, and AMD are sponsoring an official Pimp My Infrastructure contest.
Full details at the link above, but there are 2 prizes, one built around SBS ($16K value) and another built around EBS ($36K value). Winners have their business pimped out with a slew of new HP gear.
HP resellers get props too. The referred resellers of the prize winners each get $5K in HP stuffs.

All this info came from The Man himself, Mr. Greg “Hyper-G” Starks.
He’ll be at a certain IT show in Seattle next week. If you’re planning to attend, be sure and stop by the HP booth to say “Heya” to the Hype Man. Better yet, find a karaoke machine and turn him loose on it.
Whatever you do, be sure to tell him The Funcave sent ya!
|| posted by chris under freebie, hardware, mid-market it, migration, thumbs up || comments (0) ||
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September 25, 2008
Pimp My Infrastructure
Time to bring tha bling playa.
When y’all want the best for your custom server whip, ya gots to get with E to the B to the S
Awwwwwww yea-UH!
Only way this video could been any better? If they had included the hellaciously awesome vocal stylings of Greg “Hyper-G” Starks.
|| posted by chris under hardware, it pro, media || comments (1) ||
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September 18, 2008
Just saw today that SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 will both be included in the Action Pack shipment for October. Which means the whole Windows Essentials family becomes available for what amounts to pocket change for Partners.
That rocks harder than Led Zeppelin (or Paige Boesen, seen below) for a couple of reasons.

First and foremost, the fact that EBS made the cut leaves me pleasantly surprised and even a little shocked. I wasn’t sure how MS was gonna go on that decision, but I’m glad to see their commitment to SMB fully include the M. In my experience, there is a very healthy contingent of Partners who serve mid-market companies that reside in the Action Pack space, below Certified Partner level.
Second, I’m stoked to see that Partners will be receiving both of these releases well in advance of their general availability to the public, even Software Assurance customers. Making sure Partners receive access to new products so they can discuss these releases with their customers is crucial for both Partners and MS.
Of course, I’m already seeing a smattering of whines about the fact that both the SBS and EBS versions slated to be included in the Action Pack are Standard, not Premium.
That’s a stupid complaint. The Premium editions of SBS and EBS include the following extras…
- Windows Server 2008 Standard
- SQL Server 2008 Standard
- Premium CALs (SQL 2008 CALs, really)
That’s it.
And guess what? The Action Pack already includes that same licensing, just as standalone pieces.
Since the installation routines for SBS and EBS treat the Premium technologies as standalone installations anyway, there’s really no difference. In other words, what will be included in Action Pack is as good as Premium editions, if not better.
OK OK…the purists in the audience would like me to point out that the number of SMLs for System Center Essentials included with EBS Standard is only 12, as opposed to the 15 included with EBS Premium. If you’re whining about a stinking 3 SML difference, you’re missing the jaw-dropping value of an EBS Standard license being included in the sickeningly low price of the Action Pack.
And if you’re missing that…you are the wrong line of work, my friend.
|| posted by chris under mid-market it || comments (3) ||
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