This generated a fair amount of e-mails and a few posted replies, both agreeing and disagreeing with my analysis. One of the most interesting posts, in my opinion, was from "Joe from Washington, D.C."

Joe's suggestion was that not only should each attempt be recorded, but each attempt should be more difficult:

"How about raising the passing score for subsequent attempts at the same certification? If passing is getting three out of four questions correct on the first try, the second try should require four out of five correct. I also wholeheartedly agree about having the number of certification attempts (along with the dates) available to anyone who wants to verify an individual's certification."

The more I thought about this idea, the more I liked it. When my daughter does horribly on an exam, the teacher allows her to correct her work and get half-credit for each amended answer. She doesn't get full credit, simply because she doesn't deserve to have the same score as the person who got it right the first time around.

What are your thoughts on this proposal? Let me know by posting your comments below.

Technology Pioneer: Scott Jones
Add this name to the list of those who've contributed to technology's evolution: Scott A. Jones. In 1986, Jones started a company called Boston Technology and created what we now call voicemail. Fueled by the success of that company, Jones went on to become a serial entrepreneur, starting numerous other ventures that were often on the cutting-edge of technology.

His newest venture is search engine ChaCha ("cha" translates to "search" in Chinese). ChaCha, still in beta as of this writing, plans to combine a database with live "guides" who can help you find exactly what you're looking for more quickly and efficiently than if you did it alone. While you can choose to do your own search at www.chacha.com, what sets it apart from Google and other similar engines is the ability to hire someone to help you with your research.

More information about Scott Jones and his current endeavors can be found at www.scottajones.com.

Book of the Week: 'MCSA/MCSE 70-291 Exam Cram'
Versions of Windows Server seem to have a way of hanging around for a few years, and Windows Server 2003 is no exception. Even after the long-anticipated replacement for it is released, it's a pretty safe bet that many companies will delay migration and that Windows Server 2003 will be in need of support for some time to come.

Currently, the 70-291 exam is the core requirement for MCSE and MCSA on Windows Server 2003 certifications, as well as for the MCDBA on Microsoft SQL Server certification. MCSA/MCSE 70-291 Exam Cram: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure, Second Edition by Diana Huggins is a great book for exam preparation. While one could never mistake it for a reference or tutorial, it doesn't fail to address all of the exam's objectives, help you judge your readiness for the test and prepare you to take it.