unable to use DRAC 4 because Java version is too new

The other day, I was working on a server that had stopped during POST and needed me to hit F1 to continue, but I was remote.  I attempted over and over from multiple computers to use the console redirection, but I kept getting the error that my currently installed version of JVM is not supported.  After some research, I came across this excellent blog post that said I needed to download the older version of JVM from the Java web site and disable the newer version in the JVM applet in the control panel.

This excellent post is here:
http://blog.tjitjing.com/index.php/2012/08/drac-console-java-virtual-machine-jvm-not-supported.html#comment-104093

link for getting application specific passwords for gmail 2 factor (2 step) authentication

Gmail 2 step authentication is a security measure that greatly reduces the hackability of your gmail account.  But it's also a but of a pain as several items (like the password you enter in your iphone) are no longer your password, but an "application specific password" that google creates for you.

In order to get your application specific password, you need to log on to your google account and go here:
https://www.google.com/accounts/IssuedAuthSubTokens

From there, you'll be able to get your application specific password for entering into different locations that need your gmail password after you've enabled 2 step authentication.

PowerPoint 2010 will not play mp4 files - need to install Quicktime

Out of the box, PowerPoint 2010 will not play mp4 files or even files that have been converted to AVI that may still contain MP4 codecs.  The relatively simple solution is to install Apple Quicktime.  Even though you're able to play MP4 videos through Windows Media Player (without Quicktime installed), PowerPoint still won't play the videos.  After installing Quicktime (which no longer installs with iTunes), the videos played normally.

As per Microsoft, the best format for inserting videos into PowerpPoint 2010 is WMV.