For those of you unaware of the toolkit release, the WhatsUp Gold Engineer’s toolkit, valued at $995, is now available for free. You can now simplify many common network management tasks like configuration, credentials, design, diagnostics, discovery, and verification of Cisco devices. If you weren’t lucky enough to make it to Vegas for the show, the toolkit is still available for download on our website.

To see pictures of the show, visit our facebook page.

In other news, WhatsUp Gold v14.3 is now available! Check it out now with a free 30 day evaluation.

Did you know that while the online video giant’s official birthday is February 14, 2005, it was exactly five years ago today that the very first video was uploaded? Well if you didn’t, now you do.

The video was titled “Me at the Zoo,” shot by Yakov Lapitsky. It was just 19 seconds long and featured one of YouTube’s founders, Jawed Karim, at the San Diego Zoo . . . and it marked the beginning of a new way to share and view video online.

As a business, Ipswitch, Inc. has come to rely heavily on YouTube to help distribute content – from tutorial videos to viral videos – about our WhatsUp Gold product.

If you haven’t already, check out our library of video on the IpswitchWhatsUpGold Channel. You’ll find an extensive list of tutorial videos walking you through nearly every aspect of our product.

As always, we rely on your feedback to make all aspects of WhatsUp Gold the best IT management solution  we can – so if you have an opinion, don’t hold back and comment here!

If you’re like me, your first reaction was something like “Really Google? That’s all you got? Topeka? Come on . . .”

Disappointing given Google’s past April Fool’s jokes, like Google Paper and that year they championed the existence of time travel.

Well, in honor of all the creative, well-executed April Fool’s jokes out there this year, we at WhatsUp Gold would like to share with you the top 10 April Fool’s jokes of all time. Well, the top 10 April Fool’s jokes according to the Museum of Hoaxes, anyway. I mean, they’ve got to know what their talking about, right?

Enjoy!

1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”

1985: Sports Illustrated published a story about a new rookie pitcher who planned to play for the Mets. His name was Sidd Finch, and he could reportedly throw a baseball at 168 mph with pinpoint accuracy. This was 65 mph faster than the previous record. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never even played the game before. Instead, he had mastered the “art of the pitch” in a Tibetan monastery under the guidance of the “great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa.” Mets fans celebrated their teams’ amazing luck at having found such a gifted player, and Sports Illustrated was flooded with requests for more information. In reality this legendary player only existed in the imagination of the author of the article, George Plimpton.

1962: In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

1977: The British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement devoted to San Serriffe, a small republic said to consist of several semi-colon-shaped islands located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this obscure nation. Its two main islands were named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Its capital was Bodoni, and its leader was General Pica. The Guardian’s phones rang all day as readers sought more information about the idyllic holiday spot. Only a few noticed that everything about the island was named after printer’s terminology. The success of this hoax is widely credited with launching the enthusiasm for April Foolery that gripped the British tabloids in subsequent decades.

1992: National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech. Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was impersonated by comedian Rich Little.

1998: The April 1998 issue of the New Mexicans for Science and Reason newsletter contained an article claiming that the Alabama state legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi from 3.14159 to the ‘Biblical value’ of 3.0. Soon the article made its way onto the internet, and then it rapidly spread around the world, forwarded by email. It only became apparent how far the article had spread when the Alabama legislature began receiving hundreds of calls from people protesting the legislation. The original article, which was intended as a parody of legislative attempts to circumscribe the teaching of evolution, was written by physicist Mark Boslough.

1998: Burger King published a full page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a “Left-Handed Whopper” specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously, according to the press release, “many others requested their own ‘right handed’ version.”

1995: Discover Magazine reported that the highly respected wildlife biologist Dr. Aprile Pazzo had found a new species in Antarctica: the hotheaded naked ice borer. These fascinating creatures had bony plates on their heads that, fed by numerous blood vessels, could become burning hot, allowing the animals to bore through ice at high speeds. They used this ability to hunt penguins, melting the ice beneath the penguins and causing them to sink downwards into the resulting slush where the hotheads consumed them. After much research, Dr. Pazzo theorized that the hotheads might have been responsible for the mysterious disappearance of noted Antarctic explorer Philippe Poisson in 1837. “To the ice borers, he would have looked like a penguin,” the article quoted her as saying. Discover received more mail in response to this article than they had received for any other article in their history.

1976: The British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that at 9:47 AM a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that listeners could experience in their very own homes. The planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment that would counteract and lessen the Earth’s own gravity. Moore told his listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment that this planetary alignment occurred, they would experience a strange floating sensation. When 9:47 AM arrived, BBC2 began to receive hundreds of phone calls from listeners claiming to have felt the sensation. One woman even reported that she and her eleven friends had risen from their chairs and floated around the room.

This trip was a great opportunity to visit our partners at their offices.  It is always exciting to visit with partners and hear from their customers; it helps achieve our mutual success. This was a great trip and we look forward to future visits!

It’s official folks. Being a geek is, without a doubt, chic. Even Barbie’s doing it!

Mattel announced last week that Barbie’s 125th career would be that of a computer engineer. Girl’s come a long way since her days as a secretary hasn’t she?

Barbie’s latest foray into the working world was determined by an online vote – Mattel’s first. A profession in high tech beat out equally progessive occupations such as Architect, Environmentalist, news anchor and surgeon.

Imagine that. After all the years tech enthusiasts have logged being pegged as “computer nerds” and a busty blonde plastic mold comes along and makes it trendy.

I wonder if her “Interests” would include long walks in the server room and magic gatherings. But I digress . . .

Samsung DualViews Cameras

This fall, Samsung introduced its DualView TL225 ($349.99) and DualView TL220 ($299.99) digital cameras featuring two LCD screens to simplify photo taking.  Activating the front LCD screen is as simple as tapping the front of the camera. Then, you are easily able to use it yourself for self portraits and group shots. No more asking nearby strangers to take your picture.  The front LCD screen can also be used to display an attention-grabbing cartoon for kids or begin the countdown for the self-timer feature.  Aside from simplifying the process, these cameras boast nice specs including including 27mm wide-angle Schneider-Kreuznach lenses, dual optical and digital image stabilization, 12-megapixel CCD sensors, and 720p HD video recording in H.264 format at 30 frames per second.

Backflip Kickstand iPhone Case

Although most phone cases offer the same benefit of protecting your phone through everyday life, they offer little benefit otherwise and are often bulky and frustrating.  However, the Backflip iPhone case provides an additional benefit by creating a stand for your iPhone to easily rest at a 45 degree angle, which is great for viewing photos, videos, or using as an alarm clock.  Although it is pricey for a silicon case at $29.95, the Backflip case proves to be much more useful than others.

Cirago TV Mini

The CiragoTV Mini is a portable device that allows you to instantly view photos, videos, and music on your TV by simply connecting to your TV and plugging in a USB device or memory card.  The CiragoTV Mini is a 3-inch square and only .7 inches thick.  It can be plugged into the TV via an HDMI or standard AAV out cable.  As it is only slightly larger than an older-generation iPod, it can easily be transported allowing you to easily share your media.

YoGen Mobile Charger

Wouldn’t your loved one just love to have on-the-go tool to recharge your mobile device without an outlet?  Well, that’s exactly what the YoGen Mobile Charger ($40) is.  This little device comes with mini-USB and iPod tips and is activated by pulling the ripcord.  Now it won’t provide a very large battery boost, but when you’re in a bind, those few emergency minutes are definitely essential.

Trolley Scooter

Now, if your holiday plans includes travel, this might be something of interest to you.  The Trolley Scooter is a rolling suitcase that converts into a scooter for easier travelling and it includes a netbook compartment.  It would definitely be a way to speed up moving from one point to another . . . although I would hate to be in the way of that traveler.

Hard at work...

Here at Ipswitch, the employees make a conscious effort to give back to the community whenever they possibly can. Director of HR, Michelle Hayes, has made contributing to charity events a very real possibility for any employee within the company by setting up the iCare at Ipswitch program. By helping to set up events, as well as facilitating and assisting employees with charity events that they would like to initiate on their own, the program really adds to the great atmosphere we already have here within the office.

I had the opportunity to represent the WhatsUp Gold team and participate in one of these fantastic iCare events back on March 23rd, as I joined a group of fellow Ipswitch employees on a quest to make a difference in someone elses life. I know, sounds a bit dramatic, but it truly is refreshing to know that just by donating a couple hours of your time, you will help to make the life of someone less fortunate even just a little bit easier. I am definitely glad that I decided to attend this charity event and donate some of my time, so I thought I’d share my experience with you, our faithful DNM readers.

Our adventure took us into the heart of Boston, to a non-profit organization called Room to Grow. Founded in 1998, Room to Grow originated in New York City, but has thrived enough to allow them to open a second branch here in Boston. The Boston chapter of this organization is headed by Saskia Epstein, sister-in-law of Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, and is located on Berkley Street in Boston’s Back Bay. Taken from their website, “The mission of Room to Grow is to enrich the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development.”  This program provides parents raising their babies in poverty with one-on-one parenting support and essential baby items throughout their child/children’s critical first three years of life. These resources are ones that would be otherwise unavailable to these parents, but at the same time so important in allowing a child to adjust properly early on.

So clearly, this organization really does a lot of great things for many people who truly need the services they have to offer. This made the decision for myself, as I’m sure it did for the rest of our group, to go into their facility and lend a helping hand that much easier. Overall the experience was phenomenal from start to finish. We were graciously welcomed by two members of the Room to Grow staff, as well as by Saskia Epstein. After a quick tour, and a detailed description of what they do on a daily basis, we got to work sorting and folding spring baby clothes as Room to Grow was transitioning from winter to spring. The mood was upbeat as we had the radio on, conversations were flowing, and our hosts from Room to Grow continued to fill us in on the specifics of the organization. We took a short break to enjoy some pizza for dinner before finishing up our work and saying goodbye to the wonderful people at Room to Grow.

A thank you certainly has to go out to the Room to Grow staff for allowing us to come in and make a little bit of a difference in the world. Also, to the great crew of Ipswitch employees who joined me in this fantastic event, you should all be very proud of yourselves.

The whole Ipswitch crew.

Today we are able to celebrate the life of English scientist Walter Norman Haworth, the former Noble Prize winner for being the first to synthetically produce a vitamin. Ironically March 19th is the day that Haworth was born, in 1883, and also the day that he passed away, in 1950. Born in Chorley, Lancashire, England, Haworth finished grade school at the age of 14 and then went to work in a linoleum factory with his father. He was thoroughly unhappy with this line of work, and decided at the age of 20 to attend University, despite his parents’ displeasure. In just 7 years, he was able to gain the first of his two doctorates.

Haworth spent the bulk of his early career researching carbohydrates, during which he was able to figure out the structure of carbohydrate molecules. His methods are still commonly used today. His methods were responsible for allowing him to figure out the molecular structure of hexuronic acid, or what is more commonly known as vitamin C. This marks the first time in history that anyone was able to artificially make a vitamin, and earned Mr. Haworth the Nobel Prize.

Today we celebrate the life and accomplishments of John Frederic Daniell, a decorated British scientist in the fields of chemistry and meteorology. Yesterday we celebrated his birthday in London in 1790. Today is the anniversary of Daniell’s death, as he suddenly passed away just one day after his 55th birthday while attending a meeting at the prestigious Royal Society.

The British scholar was responsible for a number of successes and contributions to the world of science. He developed a new process for generating gas from resin and turpentine. He also invented a new hygrometer (device for measuring humidity) and a new pyrometer (thermometer for measuring very high temperatures). Both of these inventions became widely used in the meteorology community. However, Daniell is most renowned for inventing the first working electric battery.

Today we also are able to celebrate the birth of Joseph Priestley, the man responsible for inventing carbonation. Joseph turns 270 today, and ironically enough I had a difficult time fitting all of those candles on his cake. Priestly spent some time living near a brewery in Leads, England, and out of curiosity  began studying the clouds produced during the fermenting process. He soon discovered that the gas in these clouds was carbon dioxide, and that he was able to dissolve this gas with water, resulting in a bubbly beverage that we commonly refer to today as soda water.

You can also meet our own resident geek, the WhatsUp Gold Guru.