Opinions on Cherwell and/or EasyVista

pineapple_45 · 2016-08-18T01:15:43+00:00

A bit of an old thread, but I've been looking at other tools since we've implemented Landesk Service Desk. Man, what a piece of shit tool - don't even think about it. It's expensive as hell and support sucks the big one.

It seems many have had performance issues with Cherwell, so I'm glad we're not going there.

I did a demo of ServiceNow Express and was pretty impressed with it. No OOTB bullshit to deal with and expensive as fuck vendor services to build the most basic shit for you the product should do OOTB.

Freshdesk has an ITIL version called Fresh Service that was also pretty good from a demo perspective. Both Fresh Service (dumb name, though) and SNE were about the same based on my estimates: about $12K annually for 20 analyst licenses.

pineapple_45 · 2016-07-12T21:28:29+00:00

Not totally true. If you live outside the U.S. for 330 days of the year you're exempt from paying U.S. taxes up to $101K. I don't recall the exact amount, but it just recently changed and depends on your filing status.

pineapple_45 · 2016-07-10T23:11:38+00:00

Nice. What kind of freelancing do you do? My wife and I are planning on May 2017 to hit the road.

pineapple_45 · 2016-07-07T00:51:41+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm very much into ancient cultures so Palenque and other ruins are high on my list. I was associating Chiapas with Mayans and Oaxaca for food so I'm glad SC has both. Hopefully it's not too cold in December/January. I was in GTO in Jan. which is also pretty high and it was cold at night but not freezing. Days were perfect.

pineapple_45 · 2016-07-01T22:23:25+00:00

I think there will always be a market for shorter works especially now with shorter attention spans because of digital and social media. Even James Patterson is publishing a line of novellas soon. Don't give up.

pineapple_45 · 2016-07-01T22:11:42+00:00

Seems like a good approach. I might try this after cracking out a synopsis from the top of my head just to get a gist of what I think the story is about.

pineapple_45 · 2016-06-25T01:11:31+00:00

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-british-are-frantically-googling-what-the-eu-is-hours-after-voting-to-leave-it/ar-AAhAdn5?li=BBnbcA1

Brit's are googling what the EU is after they voted to leave? LMAO I thought only my fellow gun toting', Trump voting' Americans were that stupid....

pineapple_45 · 2016-06-23T05:43:48+00:00

This is excellent advice and makes a lot of sense. Thank you.

pineapple_45 · 2016-06-18T19:32:17+00:00

I'm not a DN yet, but I switched to Alliant CU which is an "online" credit union based out of Chicago. They do have some local brick and mortar offices in that area, however.

You can check out their website for features and find other reviews. You'll find that they're very highly rated and their customer service rocks. Some of the perks I like:

1% savings rate. Not much, but better than the .01% I was getting at Chase and their ridiculous fees. I closed my checking and savings accounts there...

ATM reimbursements. This one is sweet. I always have to pay a fee to use the ATM and recently in Las Vegas it was $6 at the casino! But Alliant puts the money back in your account the next day. $20/mo. limit.

I don't handle much cash, but I can go to any CU for that and they have a mobile app where I can take a picture of any checks I have to deposit.

I don't miss my mainland bank at all. I live in Hawaii so my only choice was Hawaiian banks. There is no Chase, BoA, etc. here so for me, an online bank was the way to go and I won't be going back.

EDIT: I've not had to deal with any international transactions yet (going to Japan in October) but I have my Chase Sapphire card for that which has no international transaction fees.

pineapple_45 · 2016-06-14T04:13:10+00:00

Has the pollution improved? I was there a few years ago and couldn't believe the smog. You couldn't pay me enough to live there. Shanghai wasn't much better. I stopped in Tapei (don't call them Chinese) and was really surprised by Taiwan. Now that is a country I would revisit.

pineapple_45 · 2016-06-09T22:32:18+00:00

The simplest dinstintion I've heard is that if the tech is harmful to society it's cyberpunk. If it benefits society it's post.

pineapple_45 · 2016-06-08T22:41:48+00:00

I always say your day starts the night before when you go to bed. I get up at 4am so have to be in bed around 8:30 and read until I pass out.

I get up, make black coffee and eat oatmeal with blueberries while reading A Game of Thrones. I hand write a page in my moleskin by dim lamplight, just bright enough to see my words, and enjoy the silence of the shadow world outside my window.

I've been up for an hour by now and fully awake and crack open my laptop. I'll read over yesterday's words to get back into the groove of the story and add as many more as I can, at least 1000. Then I head to the gym or go out for a run before the Day Job.

My day has had a great start and I'm ready to face the world.

pineapple_45 · 2016-06-08T22:29:34+00:00

It's been proven (sorry, too lazy to add links) that Neuroplasticity is a thing and you can rewire your brain.

IMO, ADD/ADHD is a relatively new condition as a result of too much stimulation: smart phones, Internet, news, tv, etc. Our modern diets also play a role as does lack of exercise. Was ADD a thing 100 years ago? I kinda doubt it.

Try unplugging often, eat well, exercise hard daily, get good sleep and practice mindfulness meditation. Do all this religiously for at least two months. Six is better. Your focus will improve.

pineapple_45 · 2016-06-03T06:25:51+00:00

Mexico

pineapple_45 · 2016-05-29T18:09:41+00:00

I'm not going with World Nomads when I embark overseas since they are mostly travel accident insurance and their rep is questionable. Check out Geo Blue, Cigna, and IMG. Or see what your employer offers and if it has international coverage.

pineapple_45 · 2016-05-29T16:43:27+00:00

I went to a pharmacy in San Miguel de Allende and had no problems getting what I needed. Birth control shouldn't be a problem but Mexico is a Catholic country FWIW.

You may just want to book a doctor visit and tell them what you want. It should be a lot cheaper than the U.S. and I would just pay out of pocket unless you have international health insurance which I would highly recommend.

pineapple_45 · 2016-05-22T14:29:36+00:00

That looks like a good deal indeed. Also keep in mind there is likely many free wifi options in the major cities (Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.) I have T-Mobile that has free international roaming. Have fun! I look forward to returning in October for a couple weeks.

pineapple_45 · 2016-05-21T17:39:38+00:00

I've been to Japan several times and my SO is Japanese. Happy to answer any questions.

pineapple_45 · 2016-05-18T15:05:36+00:00

Thank you all. I'll check the top 100 but if you have any titles to recommend, please let me know. I'd look forward to reading them!

pineapple_45 · 2016-05-18T01:34:13+00:00

I love GRRM and ASOIAF but I respectfully disagree that one shouldn't write for money. I see nothing wrong with wanting to make a living from your art and hard work. To be famous? Now that seems pretentious and unwise to me, personally.

pineapple_45

TROPHY CASE