Alex Scoble's IT Notes - An Information Technology Blog

I get to learn to be a hacker: Moving to Portland, Oregon

If you do one thing with your time in the near future, start a blog. And don't just start it and do nothing with it, start it and keep blogging.

I know from personal and observed experience that it really does pay off.

For example, my brother got his job largely based on his blogging work. He has met many interesting people because of his blogging.

I now know what my nephew is doing in school because he blogs about it where you can't get him to say more than two or three words about how he's doing in school when you ask him in person.

Based on my blogging, I now get paid to blog by Computerworld and that extra money comes in handy. I've gotten back in touch with friends that I hadn't spoken to in a long time because of my blog.

But more recently, and more importantly, I got a job because of my blogging, or depending on how you look at it, because of cat litter.

Way back in May of 2005, Greg Hughes wrote this piece on Fresh Step Crystals cat litter.

We had a bit of a conversation because of that and also from his post the next day which had a picture of the back of his RIM Blackberry 7290. That started a conversation about reception and cell phones and ways to overcome poor reception in buildings and residences.

Those conversations blossomed into still more conversations on our blogs and through MSN Instant Messenger which eventually led to me interviewing for a Security Operations Engineer position at Corillian, the company where he works. Well, I landed the job and start on December 5th. Already have a rental house lined up and everything.

I can't think of many reasons for blogging more rewarding than friendship, but a more advanced position at higher pay in a lower cost area sure comes close.

So the next time you think you are too busy to give up an hour or two a week to blog, think of all the opportunities, both financial and social, that you are missing because you didn't find the time.

People play the lottery with zero chance of winning for those moments of hope at having a better life.

You can start a blog with the same investment in time and money and be guaranteed to get back returns many times that of what you put in.

See also this post on why you should blog.

Next version of Exchange to be 64 bit only

If you recently upgraded your server hardware and software to Exchange 2003, you probably aren't going to like this announcement.

Microsoft announced today that Exchange 12, the upcoming version, will be compatible with the 64 bit versions of Windows Server only.

I'm sure Intel is loving this announcement, but all those companies out there running Exchange on 2.5 to 3ghz boxes aren't going to like it one bit, particularly if they are using Software Assurance licenses.

You can read more about it on my Computerworld blog.