The new FastServers.Net (A Layered Technologies Company) is hard at work with many different projects relating to integration. One of these is the promotion and open invitation to FastServers.Net, to join the new team in Las Vegas during the 3rd annual LT Pact.

Hello FastServers.net Community,

We have just received notice that our billing software provider will be performing maintenance and updates on one of their servers tomorrow morning. This will not affect the servers/services you lease through FastServers, however it could potentially affect you ability to log into or perform tasks in your Pentagon account while the maintenance is being performed.

The maintenance is scheduled for tomorrow - Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 - from 8:00 AM EDT (12:00 UTC) to 9:00 AM EDT (13:00 UTC). Efforts will be made to minimize downtime during this maintenance window.

If you have an emergency based support request and are unable to log into your Pentagon account to submit a support ticket during the scheduled maintenance time please call our support team at 1-866-753-3278. If you have non-emergency questions/issues during the scheduled maintenance time and cannot log into your Pentagon account please try logging in again after 9:00 AM EDT.

Thank you for your time.

So what do you do with a passing listing or comment about your company in the public domain? Good or Bad? In my opinion, leave well enough alone.

Back in the day when Elvis could enter the building without turning sideways, coating himself with WD40 and wriggling in, there was a saying, “500,000,000 Elvis fans can’t be wrong” (based on disputable record sales). Totally valid or not, it’s hard to argue with those types of numbers. The big “E” has sold a ton of vinyl, tape, and digital media…and still does…from that Heartbreak Hotel in the sky (or spaceship or secret room on the top floor of Graceland if you believe the conspiracy theories.)

Everyone here at FastServers.Net knows that I have an affinity of New Orleans…the music, the food, the atmosphere, and of course, the Abita beer. So it’s pretty obvious that I’d do a little somethin’ somethin’ (or should I say lagniappe) for Fat Tuesday here at the office.

As winter is in full effect there is one sure sign that spring is just around the corner… Pitchers and catchers report in less than one week! Not only does this mean that there is an end in sight to the bitterly cold and snowy winter but it also means opening day for the 2008 Major League Baseball season is almost here. Every team and every player has a fresh start: Even the Devil Rays technically have a chance to win the World Series and Alfonso Soriano could conceivably hit a curve ball. Pot holes will eventually get filled and your favorite ball parks will eventually reopen to thousands of screaming fans and all the good things that come along with America’s pastime; beer, hot dogs, bench clearing brawls, home runs, double steals and great entertainment.

The FastServers’ team has great camaraderie but the baseball season definitely makes FastServers’ employees choose sides… FastServers’ President Ian Andrusyk and VP of HR Jara Andrusyk root for the Minnesota Twins, Chief Technical Officer Travis Schaffner is a Cardinals fan, Director of Business Development Mark Luptak is a Blue Jays fan, Account Rep Mo Kabre and Tech Team Member Nick Shredders are KC Royals fans, Director of Inside Sales Steven Anderson and Tech Team Member Greg Kuiper root for Chicago's south side White Sox. As for myself, I root for the 1907 – 1908, back to back World Series champion, Chicago Cubs. Although other Chicago teams haven’t fared well this year, could this be the year that Cubs return to the World Series? Not likely as most sports books have them at 12/1 but what the hell do they know, the New York Giants were 12 point underdogs.

The last time I wrote a blog post I predicted that the Chicago Bears would win the Super Bowl (we all know how that turned out) so I won’t go that far for the Cubs but I will say that they will win the National League Central. Other prognostications include the following playoff teams…

National League:
West - Diamondbacks
Central - Cubs
East - Mets
Wild Card – Dodgers

American League:
West - Mariners
Central - Tigers
East –Red Sox
Wild Card - Indians

I apologize to those FastServers employees whose teams aren’t listed, better luck next year.

In any event, enjoy the last few weeks of winter because baseball season is just around the corner. Get your office fantasy team started and get ready for another great season!

One of my good friends works for a major marketing firm specializing in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Well “works for” sounds like he grabs people who know what they are doing coffee. No, this guy more or less runs the SEO division of his company and is in constant high demand. (Parents take note: if your college kids are marketing majors and you want to do them the greatest favor of their lives, steer them in the direction of SEO.) Well onto my point. “Gilbert,” as we’ll refer to this guy, showed me this diamond in the rough which, well for lack of my ability to use certain less than FCC approved words, caught his goad.

Behold: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22504312/

Now Gilbert is a somewhat opinionated guy when it comes to this stuff. Somewhat in the way Rush Limbaugh is opinionated when the name “Clinton” is brought up. For entertainment purposes I’ve copied and pasted a post from his personal blog with about 30 edits to bring it up to FCC standards, Enjoy!