About a month ago I was contacted by Microsoft to see if I would be interested in doing some PR for them. They were promoting their MVP program, which of course I am a huge fan, so I said yes. They wanted coverage from local papers so a few days later the Baltimore Business Journal contacted me for an interview. It was published today in a segment they call "Two and a half minutes with…".
They also sent out a photographer to take some photos around the house. Yes, that's me stylin' an Microsoft MVP shirt and (it's a shame that you can't see it better) a WHS "Vail" t-shirt under that. I have a cigar in one hand and holding my latest creation, the Home Servidor™ in my other hand.
Creative segue to introduce the Home Servidor
What's a Home Servidor? I'm glad you asked. :) I've partnered with a woodworking friend to form a small startup business. We manufacture and sell Windows Home Servers that are built into the body of a humidor. We call it the Home Servidor.
The top of the humidor (insolated from the bottom for heat and airflow) holds a tray with capacity for up to 12 of your finest cigars. Disguised in the bottom is an Intel Atom dual code Windows Home Server with support for two internal drives. Yes that is a fully functional Windows Home Server in the picture above. I'll write up a detail review with photos in the coming weeks.
MSRP for a a single drive Home Servidor is $799. Not exactly the cheapest WHS in the world, but they're all hand made and our cost is pretty high (we don't have HP's buying power). Then again, we don't expect to sell that many, at least at first. Our market? Remember those guys at AIG who got multi-million dollar bonuses after the bailout? :)
Category: Microsoft promotion
Sub-category: Shameless self promotion
*** Update ***
Scanned PDF article "Two and a half minutes with Donavon West" is on my Skydrive
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9 comments:
Aren't the optimal conditions for a server (dry, warm) and for a humidor (humid, cool) not a good mix?
Congratulations Donavon!
I wanted to point out that on your Home Servidor™ order website page under the "Custom" Tab, the word retirement is misspelled.
@kipbowes - You are correct. However, we took great care to isolate the two compartments and providing plenty of airflow below. I also think this would be a "novelty" humidor more than anything. Most cigar aficionado would have a much larger humidor for their main stash (as I do) and us this primarily in the office for only a few cigars with high cigar turnover.
@Tadesse - Thx. I'll get that corrected.
@Tadesse - Wow, not only was it misspelled, it was REALLY misspelled . :)
Donavon,
As a wooden box maker and computer builder I love the convergence - great idea.
P.S. Retirement is still mispelled - "Returement"
Regards - MichaelO
@MichaelO - thx. I had changed it on the TEST site and not the production site.
That's a fine piece of computer equipment, Donavon. What motherboard did you use with the Atom processor?
would buy one if you threw in some cigars with it...
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