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March Madness is Here!
March
is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. However,
this year the groundhog may have been right and we got off the hook easy
this year. I know my snowplower is happy as he won the snowplow bet
this year... I will get him back next year.
As we enter the last
month of the first quarter things are really getting into the swing of
things. And just when it seems that we don't have any distractions, here
comes March Madness. For those of you who don't have office pools or a
common knowledge of sports, March Madness is the NCAA men's basketball
tournament that usually starts around St. Patrick's day and goes for a
few weekends until the national championship. The first weekend of the
tourney is the most fun as the field gets narrowed from 64 (technically
68 with play ins) to 16. If you are not in a bracket, get in one - it
will make the tourney more interesting even if you hate basketball.
Countless
websites offer enormous grand prizes for anyone able to fill out a
perfect bracket. The reasoning behind such large, attention grabbing
sums of money is because the odds are an astronomical
9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 1. Written out, that is 9 Quintillion 223
Quadrillion 372 Trillion 36 Billion 854 Million 775 Thousand 808. And
this does not include the play in games.
To
take this in comparison, the odds of hitting the Mega Millions Jackpot
are "only" 1 in 258,890,850(258 million) and the odds of hitting the
Power Ball are slightly lower at 175,223,510. Heck, the odds of getting
struck by lightning in any given year are only 1 in 700,000. Needless to
say there has yet to be a recordable perfect bracket.
TURNkey HAS A NEW WEBSITE! Check it out at turnkey.pro
This
month we celebrate National Potato Chip Day (14th), St. Patrick's Day
(17th), National Joe Day (call everyone you know named Joe on March 27),
and Waffle Day (25th).
And
now for a new
keyhole picture above...I am CHANGING IT UP TO INCLUDE famous people,
landmarks, television shows, movie sets and other notable things- Can
you guess where or what the picture is?
"Jimmy
Burrows says this is a place where everybody knows your name. Coach
used to work there until he died a sudden death and a jock named Sam
often flirted with the ladies."
Last month, Mayra Flores made the fastest guess of Mexico City, Mexico "It's in Mexico City and it's called "El
Angel de La Independencia". Now what did I win??? Maybe season tickets to
the CUBS games" which is correct. However, the tickets have not arrived yet and keep your fingers crossed for a game or two... Congrats!
Correct answers will be given recognition but half the fun is trying to figure
it out. The correct answer will be revealed in the subsequent
issue. Good luck and have fun.
If you like this newsletter, forward it to someone else or sign them up HERE.
As always, send any items you think are newsworthy, interesting or just plain
odd to news@turnkey.pro
Mexico City, MX- Keyhole Answer
"This city, founded in 1521 at an elevation of 7340
ft., has an average temperature of 64 F and has a metropolitan
population north of 20 million people. This place can be dangerous if
you don't know where you are going, so cuidado!"Mexico
City, Mexico is one of the most European cities in North America. It
has an old-world feel and is the country's largest and most important
political, cultural and financial center. The Mexico City greater
metropolitan area is home to some 20 million people and is responsible
for over 15% of Mexico's GDP (gross domestic product).
One of the best Denzel Washington movies of all time, named Man on Fire,
was filmed here in Mexico City. It was based on a true story and a
movie I would recommend to anyone who likes action, adventure and
redemption.
Mexico City has a
reputation for crime, pollution and chaos and isn’t thought of as a
premier travel destination. This is a shame. Let me tell you why.
1. Mexico City is Very Safe (if you don't act like a stupid gringo).
I
realize this goes against almost everything you may think about Mexico
City, but it is true. With the exception of Jerusalem, I have never seen
such a strong police presence in a city. In the city center – the part
of Mexico City you will want to visit – police officers are as
ubiquitous as tortillas. It seems that every intersection has a cluster
of heavily armed cops and patrol cars can be seen all around. Everywhere
you go, even late into the night, there are families, children and
people out and about in the streets.
I
realize that outside the city center and tourist zones, things are
rougher, but who is visiting the barrios in Mexico City anyway?
Everywhere a traveler will want to go is very secure and safe. In fact,
the murder rate in Mexico City, which is 8 per 100,000, is about 1/4
that of Washington D.C. and nearly the same as that of Orlando, Florida.
2. People and People Watching
The
streets, parks and plazas of Mexico City are filled with interesting
people. Mexico City is in many ways the New York of Latin America, and
all the latest fashions and styles are on display. Mexico City has a
diverse population – men in suits sit next to punks with green hair on
the subway, women in indigenous dress pass tourists in tiny shorts, and
ladies with impossibly high heels pass young Chilangos on roller blades.
In
addition, the people are surprisingly nice and friendly for such a huge
city. We met lots of friendly locals and anytime we needed anything,
they were always helpful and courteous.
3. Colonial Buildings
I
love colonial architecture, and Mexico City doesn’t disappoint. The
city center is littered with imposing cathedrals, many of which are all
cattywampus. Mexico City is built on a lake bed, as you remember from
history class, and the heavy stone buildings are sinking into the
ground, making bell towers go all askew and walls look like something
from a Picasso painting. Many are abandoned and have trees growing out
of steeples or balconies.
4. Mexico City is Great Value
For
a clean, safe and comfortable hotel two blocks from Alameda Park it
costs about 25 USD. Museum entrance fees are about 4 USD and food and
drinks cost about what they cost anywhere else in Mexico – which is
about 1/3 the price of those in the USA. A taxi from the TAPO bus
station to downtown was 100 pesos, or 6 USD. A song from a mariachi in
Plaza Garibaldi only costs about 8 USD!
5. Cultural Museums
An Aztec carving at the Templo Mayor Museum
Mexico City features two world class museums, both dealing with the rich history of the country.
The Templo Mayor Museum,
next to the Zocalo and Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, sits on the
ruins from a towering pyramid that was dismantled by the Spanish after
the sack of the city 500 years ago, and the surviving artifacts are
truly stunning. The art rivals anything from Egypt or Rome, and
visiting, I felt a profound sadness for all that was lost.
The Museum of Anthropology
gives an overview of Mexico’s diverse native cultures. Many of these
cultures still remain, as Spanish is a non-native language for millions
of residents and the brightly colored clothes and pre-Columbian
traditions remain in many places. It is a great introduction to the
country, and an eye-opening look at the cultures of the Americas.
6. It is an easy city to navigate
The city is easy to navigate, but evidently this person had some issues with the bike lanes.
The
metro is clean, safe, very efficient and goes almost anywhere you will
want to visit. One-way rides on the subway cost 5 pesos (about 30 cents
US!). The entire city center is walkable and although there are throngs
of people on the street during rush hour, that is part of the fun.
Traffic is pretty horrible when you leave or arrive by bus, but while
you are exploring, it is surprisingly easy to visit.
7. Tenochtitlan
Because this:
Beautiful Mexico City (video)
Amazing places on the planet (video)Tenochtitlan (The Impossible City) (video)
Trip Advisor
TURNkey IT EARNS SMB Champions Club Honor
Eligible
US Partners are invited to enroll into the Microsoft US SMB Champions
Club program, based on sales in the US SMB commercial segment and
Microsoft Partner Network status.
We are quite happy to be part of Microsoft's top tier of their "ecosphere".
Baseball Predictions for 2016!
Well if you are a Cubs OR White Sox fan, you should be happy with the USA Today Sports Section.
Hospital pays $17k for Ransomware Crypto key (aka You are not the only one to get Cryptolocker)
Hollywood Presbyterian says systems were restored after 10-day lockout.
The first signs of trouble at HPMC came on February 5, when hospital
employees reported being unable to get onto the hospital's network. "Our
IT department began an immediate investigation and determined we had
been subject to a malware attack," Stefanek wrote. "The malware locked
access to certain computer systems and prevented us from sharing
communications electronically."
"Law enforcement was immediately notified. Computer experts
immediately began assisting us in determining the outside source of the
issue and bringing our systems back online," the statement said.
The hospital staff was forced to move back to paper and transmit
information to doctors and others by fax machine while the IT team and
outside consultants struggled to restore the network. Eventually,
hospital executives decided that "the quickest and most efficient way to
restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom
and obtain the decryption key," Stefanek explained. "In the best
interest of restoring normal operations, we did this."
NOTE:
TURNkey IT makes it a practice NOT to pay ransoms unless proper backups
are not complete and restore times are greater than reasonably
acceptable. AT NO TIME has one of our customers paid a ransom. We have
removed the threat, restored the data and network.
The
moral of the story is to always use caution when executing, downloading
or surfing the web. If it look suspicious, treat it like it is and stay
away. Stay far away.
Just in time for Spring - Chubbies.
 This
is kind of a misnomer as the brand is not really for chubby men - it is
more about a comfortable pair of shorts over a stuffy pair of khakis.
Once
again, it is about marketing and these guys think their shorts are
better than everyone else's. I do not have any but they look shockingly
similar to every other pair of shorts I have seen - past, present and
future...just better marketing.
websiteChubbies raises $9M in funding
Cone Shaming
Cloud IT Infrastructure Market
As
our data suggests (and the small business market is no exception),
companies are embracing the cloud and still using traditional IT. We
see this trend continuing as more and more people embrace Office 365 and
online versions of software being made available as software as a
service (SaaS).
Google Gets a Patent for an Autonomous Delivery Truck
The 18 pages of Google’s recent US patent
for an “autonomous delivery platform” aren’t as boring or as deeply
technical as most patents—if you’re the kind of person who likes to read
patents. If you’re not that kind of person, here’s the highlights of
what the as-yet-to-be-built driverless delivery vehicle could do.
First, though, here’s what the patent doesn’t cover: the driverless
technology itself. That technology is nearly old hat for Google, now
that it’s got test cars that have totaled nearly 2 million miles of
driverless driving.
This new patent covers everything else, from the kinds of vehicles
that could deliver packages autonomously (cargo vans, minivans, panel
vans, platform trucks, refrigerated trucks, and more) to the propulsion
systems they might use (gasoline, electric, hybrid)...
complete article
This Is the Fastest Way to Slice and Dice Vegetables
Whether you’re preparing a salad
or a four-course meal, knife skills are a hallmark of good chef. Good
knife skills allow you to slice and dice ingredients with ease and saves
prep time. But if you’re not chopping vegetables properly, you can end
up with mangled onions and carrots, a mess on your kitchen counter, and —
gasp— bloody fingertips.
With this “Tipline,”
you can master the art of the knife in just a few minutes to make
slicing and dicing vegetables a breeze. Before long you will be dicing
onions, chopping greens, and cutting apples and bell peppers like it’s
your job.
You’ll cut even-portioned veggies every time. And, pay attention to see why you should have a candle handy when chopping onions.
These
easy kitchen techniques will make cooking prep a snap, cut down on
cooking time and —hopefully — prevent those accidental fingertip knicks
and scrapes.
Ferris Fest
2016 marks the 30th anniversary of FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, released in theatres on June 11, 1986.
And
to celebrate this milestone in the same city where Ferris, Sloane and
Cameron ditched school and decided to live a little couldn't be any more
choice!
Miniature World (fascinating German engineering)
This
is the most amazing model that has ever been created. The above
picture is not real life but rather a model in this artificial and
miniature world. Imagination knows no bounds...
Video
Make money off your selfies with this new app
Users earn rewards points for uploading images to the app or for
shopping another user's look. These commissions can be as high as 20
percent of the sale, depending on the retailer's relationship with
Stylinity, and can be redeemed for cash, products or other perks.
Stylinity is working with 180 retailers, including Barneys New York, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom and Ann Taylor.
"What we're doing ... is removing friction from path to purchase," said Tadd Spering, founder and CEO of Stylinity.
complete article
Classic Male Logic
Woman:
Do you drink beer?
Man: Yes
Woman:
How many beers a day?
Man:
Usually about 3
Woman:
How much do you pay per beer?
Man: $5.00 which includes a tip
(This is where it gets scary!)
Woman:
And how long have you been drinking?
Man:
About 20 years, I suppose
Woman:
So
a beer costs $5 and you have 3 beers a day which puts your spending
each month at $450. In one year, it would be approximately $5400
correct?
Man:
Correct
Woman:
If in 1 year you spend $5400, not accounting for inflation, the past
20 years puts your spending at $108,000, correct?
Man:
Correct
Woman:
Do
you know that if you didn't drink so much beer, that money could have
been put in a step-up interest savings account and after accounting
for compound interest for the past 20 years, you could have now bought a Lamborghini?
Man:
Do you drink beer?
Woman:
No!
Man:
Where's your Lamborghini?
Ice Storm Creates Perfect Cast of Speed Limit Sign
Quotable
"Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success."
Henry Ford
Irish Stew (Corned Beef is more American than Irish for St. Patrick's Day)
Celebrate St Patrick's Day with Irish stew - it's big
on flavor, even bigger if you make it ahead and quite literally, let
it stew...
Ingredients
3 pounds lamb shoulder cut in 2-inch chunks (or use thick shoulder chops)
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds onions (about 6 medium), cut in wedges
1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), cut in 3-inch lengths
4 cups chicken, veal or beef broth (or water)
1 large sprig thyme
3 pounds russet potatoes (about 12 small), peeled and halved, or cut in 2-inch thick slices
Preparation
Pat lamb dry and season well with salt and pepper. Put oil in a
heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat on all sides,
working in batches.
Set meat aside and add onions and carrots
to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Cook vegetables, stirring, until
lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Return meat to pot, add broth and bring to a simmer. Put in thyme sprig
and arrange potatoes on top (it’s fine if potatoes are not completely
submerged). Season potatoes, cover pot and transfer to oven.
Bake for about 1 hour, until lamb is quite tender when probed with a
skewer or paring knife. Remove fat from top of broth. Ladle stew into
shallow bowls and serve.
Serve with cold beer (a little green food coloring added is always fun on St. Patty's day).
Cheers
to Hackneys who we always miss this time of year. We can still go to
Glenview but it's not nearly the same as being next door...
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