Part of being an IT services company means that a portion of your work is assisting companies in their capital expenditures whether it’s replacing something small like a few workstations or whether it’s something a bit bigger like outfitting a whole datacenter with blade servers.

One thing I’ve learned over the last 15 years in the business is that supply chains are not hard and fast – sometimes you can get better concessions from the guy next door rather than dealing with the supplier direct or the majors like Ingram Micro or Tech Data. This means that every time we go through the exercise, we truly do shop several sources – the bonus is pure profit – we’re sometimes able to shave 2%, 5% maybe even 15% off the top.

At the same time, we like to see what pops up on the radar so we regularly check out Microsoft, HP and other company resellers to see who’s up, who we haven’t worked with in the past and who’s new.

On this one occasion, after checking out an HP reference on the Microsoft site (HERE) we decided to shop a company called Sudden Service. What transpired thereafter was totally shocking!

Original message:

From: Rajesh.Taneja
To: Sales / Marketing
Sent: Wed Oct 31 00:25:30 2007
Subject: Please quote

Hi – can I get a quote on below? Also, I need a media kit for Microsoft P73-00295 both x32 and x64 version, please. It corresponds with Microsoft license # XXXXXX. Thanks!

… message truncated

Initial reply:

From: Roger Parmar
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 7:27 AM
To: Rajesh Taneja
Subject: Re: Please quote

Quit sending me these

I’m thinking to myself, holy freaking abrasive, batman! Needless to say and although the message was routed via Sudden Service Technologies’ Sales/Marketing email contact as the recipient, poor Mr. Parmar seems to have forgotten that he is representing the company…. or perhaps he was just towing the company line.

[read more…]

Announcement

LOVERBOY returns full-force with the in-your-face new CD release JUST GETTING STARTED, the band’s first studio album in more than a decade. RockSTAR Music Corp. www.rockstarmusiccorp.com Loverboy’s label completed the exclusive deal with Wal-Mart for United States national hard copy distribution for the November 6 release. The CD will be available on all major online retailers.

Below is the link to the Loverboy-Wal-Mart EPK for the upcoming November 6 release of THE FIRST STUDIO.

http://video.clipstream.com/…

Please forward this to your friends

Michael

Michael Hektoen
RockSTAR Music Corp
Direct Line: 604.960.9880
MHektoen@RockSTARMusicCorp.com

www.rockstarmusiccorp.com
www.myspace.com/rockstarmusiccorp
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www.loverboyband.com
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www.myspace.com/liveonarrivalband

Last week, I decided to head to the Italian Kitchen on Alberni Street to check out two varieties of the same steak side by side.

What type of nut would eat two 16 ounce steaks in one sitting? A frame of reference to help you understand, might help..

CrossFit Vancouver, the gym of champions, featuring a workout geared to total overall fitness looks at all aspects – exercise, sleep and diet. Members of the gym, given the intense and ever-changing training regimen, gradually become animalistic in their tendencies. Imagine, you’re a ravenous jungle beast and no one steak can satiate you. Well, that’s essentially I felt like that night especially after having restrained myself from eating the finger foods at an AceTech event earlier in the evening.

Rather than gnawing on the bumper of someone’s car.. you feed the beast… order two steaks, the 40 day aged rib steak and the regular rib steak.

What’s the big deal about a slab of meat that’s been sitting in the cooler for 40 days?

A 40 day aged rib steak contracts over it’s course in the cooler and it becomes denser and drier. More flavour but more meat to make a steak, too. So, it’s more costly, leaner, flavourful and complex. Most restaurants that carry this type of product have to plan well ahead to ensure they have enough quantities for their customers – if they run out, it can take days to get another batch prepared.

The 40 day aged steak is darker whereas the other steak is certainly pinker – the 40 day steak was a slight bit more tender too!

So what’s the verdict?

Overall, this process isn’t suited to a fatty steak like the rib eye but works wonderfully for the steaks like the strip loin or New York steak. So there will have to be another installment of the Steak vs. Steak sometime soon.

Next time you’re in at Italian Kitchen, definitely check it out!

Italian Kitchen
1037 Alberni Street,
Vancouver BC V6E 1A1

TEL: 604-687-2858
WEB: www.glowbalgroup.com

For September’s issue of INFAMOUS Magazine, with Missy Peregrym from the hit TV series Heroes on the cover, I couldn’t get a hard copy of the magazine – it literally flew off the shelves!

Click on the image below to download the magazine in PDF format.

Click on the image below to download my article, ‘Social Shot’ in PDF format.

This month, my favourite photo appeared on the second page of my article – the Earls Restaurant hostesses all dressed in white at the Hot Summer Nights event. The photo was shot ‘Malcolm Parry’ or Magpie style and came out phenomenally.

Another great set of shots was with Supermodel Noot Seear who put on the Be Bare Naughty Fashion Show at the Commodore. The staff at the Commodore can be downright unprofessional and difficult to work with which makes it a tough venue to cover but I persevered on the night of the event and spent most of the evening backstage chatting away with the models and getting a ton of exclusive shots with Ms Seear. She’s super sweet too – check out the photos starting HERE.

You can check INFAMOUS Magazine out online at infamousmagazine.net or grab it in Downtown Vancouver.