Activate Ipad Itunes without a credit card

I set up a new Ipad 2 for a friend who insisted on not using his credit card.  This is how i got it to work:

1. Buy an Itunes gift card - any amount.
2. Download itunes to your computer and setup an itunes account.
3. Then when it asks for billing option - do not fill out the credit card info (even though it insists you do) and simply punch the authorization number of the itunes gift card in the second section.  
4. Wait for it to process and when complete you will get the same screen, but you no longer need to provide credit card info - just the billing address at the bottom.

Hope that helps someone.

Tampa Bay Lightning Trap

Much is being made of last nights NHL game between the Flyers and Bolts.  People are already calling for rule changesr to 'fix' what happened last night.  I for one commend Laviolette for making his Flyers do what they did.  And here's what i think of last nights 'travesty'.

1. I think this got everyone talking and has elevated the education level of hockey fans.  I don't believe a majority of fans realized what a 'trap' truly meant and what a 'system' really meant.  TSN, Sportsnet and others did  a great job at displaying this with their smart boards and video freeze frame.
    
2. I am not a Flyers fan.  But i do think there was some brilliance to Laviotte's strategy to address the trap.  He did this in Tampa which took the crowd out of the game.  It got the attention of everyone watching it on Tv and on recaps.  It exposed the 'trap' and embarrassed the Bolts.  St. Louis had to ask the coach 'what do i do now'?
   
   
3. There is no need to 'fix' anything.  This may happen again with other teams facing the Bolts and i implore them to use the same strategy.  The Bolts will get frustrated and eventually break down and engage the puck carrier - thus breaking down the this particular trap formation.
   
   
4. The Bolts are the ones that will have to change their system. Their home fans won't tolerate a 'soccer' style game and pressure from "Stevie" and owners will make sure the coach changes strategy.  It may be a 'winning' system but the fans won't buy it if they continually get embarrassed and bored to death.
   

So let this play out.  It will resolve itself.  We'll all have a good laugh a decade from now when we talk about that 'crazy Philly game against the Bolts' where the Flyers tried to 'ruin' hockey.

These are a few of my favourite drinks...

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we have no place to go - let it snow let it snow let it snow."     There's something about this time of year that just begs for a drink for any visit before and during the holidays.  Here is my list of drinks, wines and beers that i like to stock during this festive time:

1. Shlog 'n nog:  
   New twist on an old favourite that I found during my time in Muskoka.  Eggnog and Goldschlager.  Just try it - you'll thank me.
   
   
2. Scotch/Whiskey:
   Jameson.  Nice and neat.  Not to overpowering - perfect with some ice.
   
   
3. Red Wine: Union Red Wine.
   Just a nice everyday table red.
   
   
4. Red Wine: The Wolftrap.
   Just a bit more flavour than Union. Again - good every day table with a little extra flavour.
   
   
5. Red Wine:
   Casilero Del Dialblo Shiraz.  Powerful and Spicy Red.  Offer this if you want to get them talking. About the wine or anything else
   
   
6. White Wine:
   Union White Wine.  Nice and mellow - not to sweet.  For the Ladies.
   
   
7. White Wine:
   Bogogne. Great with cheese.
   
   
8. Beer:
   Sleeman's Cream Ale.  Its crisp. Its clean tasting. It's Canadian.  The Indian Pale Ale is also very good.

New Server- Same Old Problems - Registry Corruption

Well it happened.  Registry changed caused major issue with server 2008.  Newer server platform - same old problem and same resolution as windows 98.

Quick Fix:

Boot to install CD.
Get to command prompt.

1. Rename the affected registry (this case 'system'.)
C:\windows\system32\config\ren system  systemold

2.  Copy backup from regbak
c:\windows\system32\config\copy c:\windows\system32\config\regbak\system

Reboot.
Cross your fingers.

Italian Soccer and Fixtures Explained

Serie A is once again in full swing. Here's a quick explanation of how soccer isn't just a league trophy and a playoff, but rather a chance for many teams to compete for 'something'.

I'll start off with something your no doubt aware of - NHL hockey. This should illustrate why Italian Soccer is so much more than just the "Stanley Cup of or Bust" mentality.

NHL hockey basically works like this:

30 teams play 82 regular season games.

Top team is President's Cup winner.

The top 8 teams in each conference qualify for playoffs and chance to win Stanley Cup.

Winner of Eastern Conference plays winner of Western Conference for Stanley Cup.

The End.

That makes for a long season if your team isn't in contention. If you aren't fortunate to live in 1 of the 30 cities you don't have a local connection to the team. There is no penalty for being a bad team - just the promise of 'next year' and the bonus of a high draft pick.

Italian Soccer differs greatly in a number of ways.

Lets break it down fixtures (trophies):

• Serie A League winner
• Italian Cup
• SupperCup
• Champions League
• UEFA Cup

Any given season your favourite team could be in contention to win up 5 possible trophies. Qualifications for each fixture differ, so lets break it down some more:

Serie A:

20 clubs compete in a regular season schedule. The team with the most points wins the 'scudetto'. This has a lot more importance in soccer than winning the President's cup in the NHL. This is the goal of all teams. It is similar in meaning as the Stanley Cup.

Italian Cup:

Quick background - there are no 'semi-pro' leagues in Italian soccer. Just 3 tiers of professional soccer. A, B and C with 'A' being the best and 'C' being the worst. The Italian Cup is a contest that all 60 teams in A,B and C play for. Very rare that a team from A doesn't win this, but its a highlight for many cities to host a 'big club' team to play against. Picture the Pitsburgh Penguins playing against the Hershey Bears.

SuperCup:

Here's where it gets interesting. This game is the kick off to the Serie A with some flare. The winner of last season's league winner plays a game against last season's Italian Cup winner. A comparison would be a winner of some NHL/AHL teams tourney last season vs the Vancouver Canucks (Presdident's Cup winner) to kick off the new season.

Champions League:

Here's where things really start to matter with regards to winning the league. If your team is in the top 4 than you are then participants in the Champions' League. This is a giant tournament that takes place throughout the year where the top 4 teams of every other soccer league in Europe plays each other. This when you see AC Millan play Manchester United for example. As the regular season plays on, these top 4 teams eliminate each other until there's one winner. So your team might be out of league contention, but you could still be playing for something.

UEFA Cup:
One mass tournament involving 194 club teams across Europe. Again, just another trophy to play for.

So this is why Soccer is more exciting through out the year and not the 'drag' of NHL that hockey becomes in February. Your team could be playing for a number of different 'fixtures' not just trying to make top 8 at the end of a gruelling season to play a 'second season' of hockey to win the Stanley Cup.

FootNote: RELEGATION!!!
Possibly the most interesting aspect to Italian soccer.  If you are the last place team or the second last team  you will get dropped from your tier and the top 2 teams in the tier below you will be promoted in your place.  So if you are in Serie A - you have to play every game to its best outcome or you risk getting demoted.  This is financial suicide as your team will then play in a lower class with less fans and less money.  There is no 'bonus' of draft picks here.  Just the stark realization that your team is dreadful and doesn't deserve to play with the likes of the other super stars.

If you are in Serie B or C  and you play your butts off and end up in first or second - you get to go up into the next level and have your stadium filled with superstars.  Its a great reward system.

Search AD for email aliases

There's no gui tool to easily find an email aliases in Active Directory

Found this and it works!

Right Click

1. Open AD and right click 'find' on the domain
2. Custom Search
3. Advanced tab and choose LDAP Query
4. Add the following line to the field: proxyaddresses=smtp:username@domainname.com
5. you can you use wildcards which is helpful - especially if you host multiple domains (something*@*.com) will yield results :)

Leafs 7th or Better

Leafs are 2-0. They look dangerous now. Sure they're disorganized, but hey we have a lot of new faces. The key is - we're better. Reimer bailed us out when needed, and when our key players got opportunities - we capitalized. Phaneuf on the drop pass blast, kessel with a hat trick, Grabo the point a game man. This team once it gels going - is only going to get better. The train is gaining speed with Leafs Nations in tow. GO LEAFS!