A new Band update went out this week. Android users with Cortana can now integrate the two with Band.
http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-and-wireless/microsoft-band-2-update-offers-android-support-for-cortana/d/d-id/1325792

Also, a neat article that compares a lot of the fitness trackers out there.
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2016/06/the-best-fitness-trackers-fitbit-blaze-microsoft-band-2-moov-now-and-more/

One of the features I'll be using later today on the treadmill is Heart Rate Zones.
http://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-band-2-grabs-new-heart-rate-zones-feature-latest-update

Anyway, just wanted to throw some new information out there for this thread. The Band gets updated about every 3 weeks with a new feature. I have a Google alert setting to email me on Fridays about anything Band related so I can stay apprised of the happenings on my wrist, be it a future feature or something that's just happened (I already knew about the Cortana integration since I've updated already).

I installed Firefox Portable and removed standard FireFox. Something between v32 and v42 changed the way that profiles are handled and they can't deal with data that's copied/imaged in the way that Personas/View handles %appdata%.

Maybe SendThisFile would work? I think the main problem with outside services is the lack of control on the data. While SLAs are a great thing, lots of companies are averse to using a 3rd party to handle data transmission, especially if there's sensitive material or HIPAA requirements. Part of being a secure service means controlling where the bits are stored, not just the transmission of said bytes. Unfortunately, @wrx7m, you haven't said anything about the kind of security you need and as a result, OwnCloud is a top choice for cost and control. Otherwise, you could set up a simple Linux VM with sftp and just be done with it in under an hour. Some simple cron jobs would enable the FTP directories to be migrated to an internal CIFS share for users to access easily and subsequently destroy the contents of the incoming/outgoing directory as needed. Of course, user management would come in to play. This is one of the reasons OwnCloud works so well since you can send a link to a file in an email and the customer can download the material, or send it in.

SFTP, Owncloud.

@travisdh1 I've done that. It made things worse.

@travisdh1 It's similar to, but not actually a roaming profile. https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/view/VMware-View-Persona-Management-Deployment-Guide.pdf

@scottalanmiller said in Disaster During Scales Webinar:

Now we have to deal with giant hornets. Like over two inch long bodies!! It's scary.

What is this place that I need to put on my never travel list?

A couple of my users on a VDI (VMWare) environment are trying to use Firefox and the application loads, and is visible from the task manager (Win7), however the GUI never displays and there's no crash report. Attempting to start in safe mode using the CLI switch results in a similar behavior, though the crash is prefaced with a GUI warning about running in safe mode.

I think I've narrowed it down to a profile problem as I can login on my new profile; the VDI uses the VMWare roaming profiles configuration which is a mix of redirected folders with specific GPOs from VMWare. If I use the command firefox -P then I get the GUI to delete and create new profiles. This tool throws an error/crash report, at least, though it's nothing useful since the 'technical details' says that the crash information will be sent to Mozilla. The profile tool crashes when any action is attempted, so I can't delete the default profile, create a new one or anything meaningful.

I've also determined that if I login once with a blank profile (entirely deleted from the persona server prior to login on the VDI), Firefox will load once without problems. It's any subsequent attempt after logging out of the VDI that causes it to fail to open.

Has anyone run across something similar? My searches have turned up directions that always point to troubleshooting from within the application. Since I can't load the application, I've got to do things manually.

I saw that Steam has Tron/RUN on sale and I'm a huge fan of TRON; it sparked my interest in computers at a young age. I'm unsure if I want to get RUN, though. It looks like it has a lot of multiplayer stuff and I'm pretty invested with ARK at the moment.

@Dashrender It's not uncommon for an OEM or supplier to configure the raid if the customer specifies it prior to shipping. It would be more unusual if xByte had put a hypervisor or other OS on it unless, again, that was part of the purchase.

I always check out http://www.pcper.com/hwlb for the latest on the gaming parts for my PC upgrades. My current system is an ASUS GENE motherboard with an i7-4790, 16gb of RAM and an nVidia 970. It's not the greatest, but I can still play everything just fine. Using the pcper site, it's easy to pick and choose where to upgrade.

The monitor from HP looks nice! I wonder how it will compare to the Dell monitor (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&sku=210-ADTR)?

@scottalanmiller said in Apple Watch VENT:

I really like the look (and price) of the Band. There are several Apple Watch features that I am really interested in, though. Can the Band do the stuff like the Watch can with your airline tickets... so that you scan the Watch rather than needing the phone?

I used an iPhone, so I need the features to work with that as the device. A few things like that working and I could totally see trying out a Band rather than an Apple Watch.

They're not up to airline tickets (yet). Like most software driven devices, updates are being pushed out regularly so that feature may become available once someone determines the need. An SDK is free for download already. If the airlines are just doing a barcode scan, and not NFC, then it shouldn't be a problem to get that feature built in as an app.

One thing that MS does which I don't think Apple is doing is a 30 day trial. No risk, no obligation, buy it and if you don't like it in <=30 days, return it. This covers all of their devices, from xbox to Surface.

You could go to a MS store and try it on, see how it fits, and ask them all of your questions. I like mine. My wife got one. We compete against each other for steps in a day, calories burned and more. The health app is really cool. I paid for my starbucks today by letting them scan my band.

What an amazing day I'm having! My hours have been cut from part time (2 days/wk) to "as needed" which really means, "Shit's running so well, that you're no longer required."

I have a MS Band 2. It's a great thing. I can scan it at Starbucks to pay, get my IMs/SMS on it, track all my activity like you' expect, and it tracks my sleep. There's more updates released to it each month, and I expect that in a month or so, I'll be able to add my other barcode items, like Kroger and Ace Hardware (Windows Phone users can do this now).

Anyway, I've only experienced joy at the MS store's response when I've had a problem. They generally fix the problem or replace the hardware. I've yet to replace my Band, though I have upgraded my Surface twice through their trade-in program.

I don't think I'd ever get any Apple product. Their TOS/EULA is too long and, as South Park showed us, I don't want to agree.

@Breffni-Potter said in Shopping for hosting:

@scottalanmiller said in Shopping for hosting:

Define dedicated server hosting. I assume that you mean "a la Rackspace?" If so.... Rackspace!

Physical server which no one else uses. With a certain spec.

What other definitions are there?

Forethought.net has some good options which start with virtual machines up to co-location services. Their cheapest offerings, a web service/domain/email starts at $7/mo. Give them a call and see what's on their menu to fit your requirements. I use them for my web/email needs.

@scottalanmiller Youtube Video

@scottalanmiller If you guys are interested, I admin a G+ community for a Minecraft and ARK server owned by a friend of mine. If you want to join and get the game info, let me know.

@scottalanmiller Yes, I do. I don't know how the steam integration works for online play in that. It would be fun to try, though! Add me as a friend in steam, https://steamcommunity.com/id/KilamonKlmal/.

@Nic And will you be joining us in ARK?

I'm joining the discussion late: ARK: Survival Evolved, Minecraft, Civ5 (and I want Civ6), Ticket to Ride, and a whole bunch more. Those are my tops, and what I've played recently.

I use Forethought.net which is local to me and has amazing support.

http://forethought.net/business-services/webhosting-email/