System Center Overview
System Center solutions help IT pros manage the physical and virtual information technology (IT) environments across data centers, client computers, and devices. Using these integrated and automated management solutions, IT organizations can be more productive service providers to their businesses.
The Goal: Dynamic IT Management
Dynamic IT is Microsoft’s long-term strategy for providing critical technologies that enable IT and development organizations to become more strategic to their businesses. A dynamic infrastructure is Microsoft’s vision for what an agile business looks like—a business in which IT works closely with business to meet the demands of a rapidly changing and adaptable environment. Dynamic IT is Microsoft’s technology strategy for products and solutions that help businesses enhance the dynamic capability of their people, processes, and IT infrastructures.
The Role of System Center in Dynamic IT
Microsoft System Center solutions play a central role in Microsoft’s vision for helping IT organizations benefit from self-managing, dynamic systems. System Center solutions capture and aggregate knowledge about the infrastructure, policies, processes, and best practices so that IT pros can optimize IT structures to reduce costs, improve application availability, and enhance service delivery.
These integrated and automated management solutions enable IT organizations to be a more productive service providers to their businesses. Aiming to enable self-managing, dynamic systems, System Center solutions close the gap between development, operations, and IT—connecting people, processes, and tools—by evaluating dependencies and optimizing business process performance from deep inside the operating system, applications, and composite services and workflows.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Dazed and Confused - Accurate Portrayal?
The film takes place on May 28, 1976, the last day of school at Lee High School in a small town near Austin, Texas. The seniors are preparing for the annual hazing of incoming freshmen by building paddles and buying cooking supplies; meanwhile, Randall "Pink" Floyd, the school's star football player, is asked to sign a school pledge, promising not to take drugs or do anything else that could "jeopardize the goal of a championship season in '76". When classes end, the freshman boys are hunted down by the senior boys for paddling while the freshman girls are rounded up in a parking lot, covered in condiments, forced to propose to senior boys, and taken through a car wash. During this time, freshman Sabrina strikes a chord with senior Tony.
A major evening plan is ruined when Pickford's parents discover that he is planning to host a keg party that night. Meanwhile, freshman Mitch is violently paddled by the seniors, most of all by O'Bannion, the nastiest and dumbest of the class. Mitch gets a ride home with Pink, who is shown to be sympathetic and offers to take Mitch riding with the others that night. Meanwhile, Tony drives around with his friends Cynthia and Mike, who is uncertain about what to do after high school. Mitch rides with Pink and Wooderson, who graduated years ago but still hangs out with high schoolers.
The three of them stop at the Emporium, a popular pool hall. Mitch is introduced to sophomore Julie, and they seem to be mutually attracted to each other. Mitch goes driving again with some of the seniors. They play mailbox baseball and pretend to steal beer, but an owner of one of the mailboxes catches them and threatens them with a gun before they escape. They return to the Emporium, where Mitch meets up with his freshmen friends. They come up with a plan to get revenge on O'Bannion and dump paint on him in front of everybody else.
A new keg party is planned at one of the Austin Moontowers, which attracts essentially the entire senior class and several of the freshmen. Mike has a confrontation with tough guy Clint while Tony meets up with Sabrina again and Cynthia exchanges phone numbers with Wooderson. Ben confronts Pink about his refusal to sign the pledge but he is still unsure, believing it violates students' privacy and lifestyles. Sabrina stands up to the bossy Darla Marks. Mike picks a fight with Clint but ends up getting beaten-up and humiliated. Mitch runs into Julie and they hit it off again, and are later shown making out. Tony offers Sabrina a ride home, and kisses her when he drops her off at her house.
As night turns to dawn, Pink, Wooderson, Don, Slater, Simone and Shavonne smoke on the school football field, which the police soon notice. The school football coach is called and tells Pink that his friends are part of a bad crowd. Pink throws the pledge at the coach and leaves with his friends to get tickets to an Aerosmith concert. Meanwhile, Mitch arrives home at sunrise but his mother decides to go easy on him. The film ends with Pink and his friends driving on a highway to Houston to buy the concert tickets.
A major evening plan is ruined when Pickford's parents discover that he is planning to host a keg party that night. Meanwhile, freshman Mitch is violently paddled by the seniors, most of all by O'Bannion, the nastiest and dumbest of the class. Mitch gets a ride home with Pink, who is shown to be sympathetic and offers to take Mitch riding with the others that night. Meanwhile, Tony drives around with his friends Cynthia and Mike, who is uncertain about what to do after high school. Mitch rides with Pink and Wooderson, who graduated years ago but still hangs out with high schoolers.
The three of them stop at the Emporium, a popular pool hall. Mitch is introduced to sophomore Julie, and they seem to be mutually attracted to each other. Mitch goes driving again with some of the seniors. They play mailbox baseball and pretend to steal beer, but an owner of one of the mailboxes catches them and threatens them with a gun before they escape. They return to the Emporium, where Mitch meets up with his freshmen friends. They come up with a plan to get revenge on O'Bannion and dump paint on him in front of everybody else.
A new keg party is planned at one of the Austin Moontowers, which attracts essentially the entire senior class and several of the freshmen. Mike has a confrontation with tough guy Clint while Tony meets up with Sabrina again and Cynthia exchanges phone numbers with Wooderson. Ben confronts Pink about his refusal to sign the pledge but he is still unsure, believing it violates students' privacy and lifestyles. Sabrina stands up to the bossy Darla Marks. Mike picks a fight with Clint but ends up getting beaten-up and humiliated. Mitch runs into Julie and they hit it off again, and are later shown making out. Tony offers Sabrina a ride home, and kisses her when he drops her off at her house.
As night turns to dawn, Pink, Wooderson, Don, Slater, Simone and Shavonne smoke on the school football field, which the police soon notice. The school football coach is called and tells Pink that his friends are part of a bad crowd. Pink throws the pledge at the coach and leaves with his friends to get tickets to an Aerosmith concert. Meanwhile, Mitch arrives home at sunrise but his mother decides to go easy on him. The film ends with Pink and his friends driving on a highway to Houston to buy the concert tickets.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Monster Cookie Metric Century Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Monster Cookie Metric Century Bicycle Ride is open to all bicyclists who agree to ride safely and lawfully. Law enforcement officers will patrol the route and may issue citations for traffic violations. The Monster Cookie is not a race and will proceed rain or shine.
The pre-registration fee is $14.00. Pre-registrations by mail must be postmarked by April 18. Riders pre-registering may also order a box lunch for $6.00. Short sleeve T-shirts of high-quality, 100% cotton will be available for $14.00 if ordered in advance. Shirts also may be ordered on the day of the ride at a cost of $17.00. Shirts ordered after April 14 will be mailed approximately four to six weeks after the ride.
Participants may either register online or by downloading and mailing a registration form . Packet pickup and day-of-ride registration will open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 a.m. Riders' packets will be at the registration table for those who have pre-registered. Registration confirmations will not be mailed prior to the ride.
The ride will start at the mall on the north side of the State Capitol Building. From I-5, take the Market St. exit (#256). Go west 1.7 miles to Summer St. Turn left and go 0.5 mile to the Capitol Mall. Parking is available in any of the state parking lots -- the Green Lot at Summer and Union Streets, the Yellow Lot at Summer and Marion Streets, and the Red Lot at Center and Capitol Streets. In addition, on-street parking is available in the area.
The route will take riders over back roads to Champoeg State Park and back to Salem. is generally flat with a few short hills. The map and elevation profile of the route offers a preview of the ride. Snacks, fruit, refreshments, and toilet facilities will be available at a rest stop and at Champoeg State Park. The route will close at 4:00 p.m. Riders should pace themselves to ensure that they have completed the ride by that time. A sagwagon will sweep the course at the end of the day. Mechanical problems are the responsibility of each rider.
Choose clothing for all possible weather conditions. Also bring a spare tube(s), patch kit, pump, at least one water bottle and tools for on-the-road repairs. An A.N.S.I. or SNELL approved helmet is required.
The Salem Bicycle Club will donate $1.00 of each registration fee to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Participants may also join the BTA at a special introductory rate of $15.00 when registering for the Monster Cookie.
The first Monster Cookie Metric Century was held in 1977. To learn about that inaugural ride, read Monster Cookie Nostalgia. More than 1,400 cyclists registered for the 31st annual Monster Cookie Metric Century held on April 29, 2007.
For more information, contact Mary Schmidgall.
The pre-registration fee is $14.00. Pre-registrations by mail must be postmarked by April 18. Riders pre-registering may also order a box lunch for $6.00. Short sleeve T-shirts of high-quality, 100% cotton will be available for $14.00 if ordered in advance. Shirts also may be ordered on the day of the ride at a cost of $17.00. Shirts ordered after April 14 will be mailed approximately four to six weeks after the ride.
Participants may either register online or by downloading and mailing a registration form . Packet pickup and day-of-ride registration will open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 10:00 a.m. Riders' packets will be at the registration table for those who have pre-registered. Registration confirmations will not be mailed prior to the ride.
The ride will start at the mall on the north side of the State Capitol Building. From I-5, take the Market St. exit (#256). Go west 1.7 miles to Summer St. Turn left and go 0.5 mile to the Capitol Mall. Parking is available in any of the state parking lots -- the Green Lot at Summer and Union Streets, the Yellow Lot at Summer and Marion Streets, and the Red Lot at Center and Capitol Streets. In addition, on-street parking is available in the area.
The route will take riders over back roads to Champoeg State Park and back to Salem. is generally flat with a few short hills. The map and elevation profile of the route offers a preview of the ride. Snacks, fruit, refreshments, and toilet facilities will be available at a rest stop and at Champoeg State Park. The route will close at 4:00 p.m. Riders should pace themselves to ensure that they have completed the ride by that time. A sagwagon will sweep the course at the end of the day. Mechanical problems are the responsibility of each rider.
Choose clothing for all possible weather conditions. Also bring a spare tube(s), patch kit, pump, at least one water bottle and tools for on-the-road repairs. An A.N.S.I. or SNELL approved helmet is required.
The Salem Bicycle Club will donate $1.00 of each registration fee to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Participants may also join the BTA at a special introductory rate of $15.00 when registering for the Monster Cookie.
The first Monster Cookie Metric Century was held in 1977. To learn about that inaugural ride, read Monster Cookie Nostalgia. More than 1,400 cyclists registered for the 31st annual Monster Cookie Metric Century held on April 29, 2007.
For more information, contact Mary Schmidgall.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Death Race 2000
DEATH RACE 2000 -
Copyright 1978 New World Pictures
The Characters:
Copyright 1978 New World Pictures
The Characters:
Frankenstein - David Carradine! Dark and brooding racer, he is believed to be a myriad of replaced limbs.
Machine Gun Joe - Sylvester Stallone! Racer with a classic gangster motif, except he stresses. A lot. Him and his ulcer say hi to a grenade.
Annie Paine - Daughter of the rebel leader who is out to capture or kill Frankenstein, she falls in love with him instead.
Myra - Joe's amazingly blonde navigator, helps him welcome the grenade.
Calamity Jane - Crazed female driver, her car looks like a steer until it runs over a land mine.
Matilda the Hun - Aryan poster girl, drives off a cliff.
Nero the Hero - Hits an explosive baby, points zero.
Junior Bruce - Hyper reporter, he won't stop campaigning for the race until Frankenstein runs him over.
Grace Parker - Heavy female reporter, she's the kind who is everybody's "dear friend."
Thomasina Paine - Leader of the resistance, Betsy Ross' daughter or something.
The President - Emperor of America who loves us all. Run down by Frankenstein.
The Plot:
David Carradine running around in a leather jumpsuit, what else could you want? Well, maybe somebody other than David Carradine in the jumpsuit, but then Stallone wouldn't have anyone to stress about.
In 2000 America has been rebuilt by one man, the President has become an emperor. With this power he created the Race. Every year violent role-playing psychopaths are placed behind the wheels of high performance killing machines and sent across the country. Their goal? Finish alive with the most points from running down as many pedestrians as possible and it's all perfectly legal. See a line of doctors and nurses on the sidewalk? Thump, thump, thump: 110 points.
Lucky for us there are rebels who believe in safe highways; led by Thomasina Paine they decide to fight back. You have to feel sorry for Nero, he makes to run over what seems to be a cute little toddler and it turns out to be a doll full of explosives. The rebels really want to get Frankenstein though, he's favored to win the race and a personal friend of the President.
Having planted Annie as Frankenstein's navigator they try to capture or kill him to no avail; he is a man on a mission. His right hand was removed, in the real thing's place is an artificial one with a grenade embedded in it. (Believe it or not, Carradine makes the "hand grenade" joke - I didn't even get a chance.) Frankenstein hates the President and his race more than anyone else and he knows the winner gets to shake hands.
Okay, the entertainment value of this movie should be obvious. People are getting churned into road mush left and right with sports reporters acting like it's the Super Bowl.
Things I Learned From This Movie:
In the future marching bands suck.
David Carradine is a little skinny to be the imposing evil guy.
Every generation has one person who speaks like Howard Cosell.
Don't try to play matador with a car.
Blondes are not dumb; they are hard of hearing.
If you love someone set them free, if they come back turn them into road kill.
Stallone hates fly fishermen.
People do not make effective speed bumps.
David Carradine can kick Sylvester Stallone's ass.
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