Monday, May 18, 2009
Microsoft Learning has just launched three free eLearning Clinics that you may be interested in. These Clinics are geared towards three different audiences, and focus on introducing new features and functionality to those interested in simply learning more about the OS or those that are already considering deploying in the near future.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sometimes I work from home where I put my laptop actually on my lap. Putting my Dell Latitude D820 on my lap when working is like setting a hot piece of coal on your lap for 8hrs a day. I found the XB1004 (http://tinyurl.com/ckchox looking for something to make life better for working under these conditions. This little investement has been amazing. It's basically plastic with some rubbery corner pieces to keep things from sliding around. It's not necessarily a piece of art. However, it is perfect for what it does. He keeps the laptop off your legs, vents it for cooling, and has a nice flip out shelf for the mouse. I've heard people complain that they with the mouse shelf had a lip or something to keep the mouse from falling. I use a Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 and have had no issues with the mouse falling. In fact if there was a lip it would be in the way when I got to the edge of the shelf. I paid list price for the XB and do not regret the purchase. Amazon has it on sale for less than $20. Well worth the money. ) when
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I know this isn't techie, but quite frankly I didn't know where else to share it. I was watching the Bay Hill invitational with my son Christopher today. It was the final round, with Tiger Woods down 1 shot with 3 to play. Christopher was fulfilling one of my daddy dreams. He was excited to watch the ending as much as I was. I told him during the telecast that we needed to be quiet when they hit, because that's good manners in golf. Each time Tiger went to hit and I was talking to my wife or other son, Christopher would say "Daddy...quiet..quiet..they are about to hit the ball". Too cute.
But it was the final put that gave me that moment. We both had the same look on our face. Glued to the screen watching every frame as if it was the mona lisa (Okay...like it was Dora the explorer). I told Christopher, "Tiger has to make this putt to win the tournament." Christopher said, "Quiet Daddy, he's about to putt." Then just as crazy as it was at the course, Christopher and I both jumped up cheering when it went in. I looked at my 3 (almost 4) year old and saw a genuine look of joy on his face. He understood what was happening and was excited to see Tiger win. We cheered and high fived. It was the first time that we shared that "winning moment". It sounds sappy, but I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.
Later on Christopher just wanted to keep living the moement. "Daddy, my name is Tiger now...not Christopher." he said. He must have pretended to hit the putt, make it, do the Tiger fist pump, and then run to me for a hug like Tiger did to his caddy after hitting winner. Man...what a Sunday.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Am I the only one that doesn't see the "Add to Favorites" button on the tool bar anymore? I see that can "Add to the Favorites" tool bar, but that isn't what I want to do. I can right click on the page and click on "Add to Favorites", but that's not what i want to do either. Hmm..
Thursday, March 12, 2009
One of our developers going to TechEd today received a bad news, good news email from Microsoft (CRG Events) about TechEd 2009 in Los Angeles. It said:
"We have made a change to previously published agendas. The attendee party will no longer take place, however we are planning an alternative social gathering which will continue to provide a great opportunity for attendees to network with each other in a fun social setting. Additionally this year you will receive a full copy of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 when released to market as part of registration."
At first disappointed, this developer was then excited to see he was getting a full license of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 some time in the future. Although, I'm not sure if that is better than the usual 2 hours of endless beer and usually bad theme park food. I guess that depends on how much he likes the new peek feature.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
If you read my post about being a hero, I went on about how you don't always get what you want and that you need to be a good role model..etc.
Well...Christopher got his cookie..and I got this.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Last night while attending a writing class our company is offering as part of "Excella University", the instructor Daniel Graham mentioned setting the default cut and paste options in Word as a way to keep formatting consistent. By setting it to Match Desitionation or Text Only, you are more likely to stay true to the destination document's formatting. I thought that I blogged how to make that change in Word 2007, but checked and realized that I had not. Here is how to change the setting:
1. Click on the Office Button.
2. Click on the "Word Options" button at the bottom of the menu box.
3. Click on the "Advanced" option.
4. Change the "Cut and Paste" options to whatever you would prefer the default to be.
I hope that helps!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
[UPDATE - I am sorry to dissapoint everyone who may have read this post, but I actually ended up buying the car. After a second look at all the variables, the opportunity to buy the Challenger was just too good to pass up. I don't think I have to justify this to anyone really, but I thought it would be appropriate for me to update this post.]
Over the last few months I have been struggling with a decision. Not a life or death decision, in fact a somewhat greedy decision. I was trying to decide if I should buy a 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T. This not one of those simple, "just go buy it" choices, especially in these times. I was researching, analyzing, justifying, and rationalizing this decision. I got to a point where I had decided I am going to buy this car. I don't care how much it costs. I can afford the payment and I deserve it. Good job to me.
Then I took a moment to show my wife on my little budget spreadsheet just how affordable this 32K purchase was. "Look, we can afford the payment no problem." Then I walked through the impact it had on our financial life for the next five years - not a pretty picture. In fact, after verbalizing it to her it was clear that it is the wrong decision. The wrong choice for my family.
Earlier that day I was working with my 3 1/2 year old son on how the choices he makes affect his life. This is not a simple discussion. Trying to get him to realize that screaming "I want it! I want it!" is not going to end with him getting that cookie is a tough task. He loves cookies. But slowly he gets it. It takes a couple of times of not getting the cookie for him to realize that if he behaves and makes good choices, he will in time get the treat.
Good Choices
How can I explain to my son the value of making good choices when I was considering making a terrible choice simply because - I wanted one? Do the right thing - That's ultimately the lesson everyone should follow. It's so easy to get that instant gratification, whether it’s a cookie or a 30K muscle car. The consequences of that choice can be hard to see, often a touch lesson to learn. However, making a good choice - teaching a child, inspiring someone in a positive way all lead to those "Good Choice" moments. Maybe they chose not to get into a car with someone who has been drinking. Maybe they decide to spend one more hour reading instead of playing Wii. Every choice has a consequence.
Be a Hero
Doing the right thing or making the "good choice" may not be what we want to do. So inspired by things like "25 things" and other social networking polls, I would challenge you to do another. Finish this statement:
"I am going to be a hero today by..."
In my case I may say "I am going to be a hero today by teaching my son about good choices". Others may say "I am going to be a hero today by reading a book to my daughter". You get the idea. Be creative. Do something that will teach and inspire...be a hero.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Ah...of couse. How silly of me...how intuitive.
Symptoms
You want to insert text from another document into the document that you are working on, but you can't find the Insert File command.
Cause
The Insert File command has been renamed Text from File and moved to the Object menu on the Insert tab in Microsoft Office Word 2007.
Resolution
Use the Insert tab to access the Text from File command.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I had a chance to learn a bit about F# last night at the Caparea.net Users Group meeting. Not really knowing anything about functional programming or F# going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Matthew Podwysocki delivered a clear and sometimes deep dive into what functional programming all about, what F# is about, and where functional programming is going. He recommended two books:
1. Programming in Haskell
2. Expert F#
One of the coolest things that he showed last night was how easy it was to program Asynchronous and Parallel functions. The MSDN examples show 3 pages of code and classes. He was able to do it in about a dozen lines of F# code. Very cool.