More About XP

XP is going away on June 30th of this year. This is still the latest statement from Microsoft. What does this mean for most schools and businesses? Probably not too much other than a slight increase in the price of your operating system. Here is what is happening in the business world as of February of this year.

Businesses satisfaction and intended purchase rates for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Mac OS X Leopard, based on information from ChangeWave collected in February 2008

Most companies and schools are sticking with XP for the foreseeable future.

What can you do?

Keep using Windows XP. On new computer builds you can request Vista Business or Vista Ultimate and initate the downgrade rights for XP. This keeps you in compliance and allows you to use the programs and hardware you are used to. Downgrade rights are only available for Vista Business and Vista Ultimate.

In the meantime, I have lots of computers available with XP-Professional on the shelf and ready to ship.

So what else is interesting about the above chart? Corporate users who have machines running Leopard have the highest satisfaction. I'm not sure what is behind that.

2.33GHz Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor E8400

2GB Dual Channel DDR2 Memory

160GB SATA HDD

DVD+/-RW Optical Drive

Integrated Intel GMA 3100 Graphics

Windows® XP-Professional

Keyboard and Mouse

3 Year Warranty Included

$849

Check out the complete line of stock and custom computers at NW Computer

Dave Niehaus Autographed Ball

Recently I mentioned that I

was able to get Hall of Fame announcer Dave Hiehaus' autograph while at Spring Training. I am just getting around to posting the picture. The Mariners need to pick up the pace right now. Too many close games and they don't seem to be able to win any of them. It's still early in the season but not too early to be discouraged. I'm heading for the game tonight. This could be the start of a turnaround.

David Ortiz Jersey Update

As most of you know by now, the David Ortiz jersey that had been buried in the new Yankee Stadium sold on E-bay for over $175,000. The good news for the buyer is that shipping was included.

David Ortiz Jersey

Many of you have been following the saga of the Red Sox fan construction worker who put a David Ortiz jersey in the concrete of the new Yankee stadium as a curse. After they dug up the jersey it was put up for sale on Ebay. The last I looked, it was over $72,000! Check out the bidding.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120248650648

Are Computer Keyboards Dishwasher Safe?

We had a discussion around the office about how to clean your keyboard. I mentioned that I put my Microsoft ergo keyboard in the dishwasher and let it air dry for a few days. It came out spotless and it is still working fine almost a year later. I can't say you won't have any trouble, but if it's either throw it away or try something desperate, this might be your thing.
Here is an article from NPR talking about the same subject.

by Nell Greenfieldboyce
Morning Edition, June 14, 2007 ·

Studies show that computer keyboards have more bacteria than toilet seats.
But it's hard to clean all those keys. So some people advocate an extreme
solution: Throw your keyboard in your dishwasher.

At first glance, this seems insane. But the computer-keyboard-in-the-dishwasher advice is all over the Internet. And don't we wish it were true? My keyboard is an old Hewlett Packard that's encrusted with a kind of mysterious black grime. I thought, "Well, why not try my KitchenAid?'" I ran the experiment one night. I put the keyboard on the top rack, cord and all, key-side down. I used a little soap, and hit "normal wash." (I didn't want to pots 'n' pans it.) I was encouraged to do this by Scott Moschella a computer guy who runs a blog called Plastic Bugs.

According to Microsoft's Sean Butterworth, I had just made a big mistake. "We do not recommend putting our keyboards, or any keyboards for that matter, in the
dishwasher," he says. "What will cause the problems first, is the short-circuiting in the wiring." Butterworth should know. At Microsoft's hardware division, people check out every possible thing that might harm a keyboard. "We test with everything from cracker crumbs, salt and pepper, hair," he explains. "We even create a special solution we call artificial sweat." They have also submerged keyboards in plain water. "And that gets you relatively close to what it would be like if you put it through the dishwasher," Butterworth says. "And typically that makes most keyboards lose functionality."

Other major manufacturers have the same party line. Robert Gulino, with
Logitech, told me I could wipe the surface gently with a damp cloth. Or, blow
out dust with a little can of compressed air. "But, you know, in terms of
washing it, we certainly don't recommend that," Gulino says. "If you did want to
be able to do that, it would have to be a very different keyboard. The
electrical components inside would have to be encased in membranes. But we just
don't do that."

I was just hoping my keyboard wouldn't have to be replaced.
After its ordeal in the dishwasher, I let it air dry for a week. Then I plugged it in and started to type. I tested the space bar, the return key, all the numbers and letters. It seemed perfect.

Here is the complete story: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11029793

Book Review-The Man Who Made Lists

Last week I picked up The Man Who Made Lists, by Joshua Kendall. This is a book about Peter Roget who is best known for his thesaurus. I read a book by Kendall a couple of years ago about one of the main contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary. I found that book quite interesting and looked forward to this new book. Roget was born in the late 18th century and lived until 1862. This was the height of the English Enlightenment. There were many middle class Englishmen who had the leisure to study and experiment with ideas and science. Roget was trained as physician but wasn't social enough to have a successful medical practice. He was obsessed with lists from his youth. He took refuge in lists of words. There were other accomplishments throughout his life like the development of the slide rule and his Bridgewater Treatise contribution which was a mammoth series of books detailing how the Bible was scientifically possible. Roget is known for his thesaurus though. Unfortunately, the book doesn't have much suspense. It is very dry. Just describing what happened day to day in his life was pretty boring. Roget might be of interest. This book didn't bring that out.

Enjoy!

How to Use Your Projector

Giving Your First Public Presentation

Your boss just told you that you will be speaking next week at a luncheon meeting of the local professional marketing association. She said your topic should relate to the award-winning marketing campaign you just completed, but she didn't elaborate on details. You are excited but very nervous. You have never given a presentation before a large group and you don't know where to start. Have no fear! The following checklist should help you get the background information you need to develop an effective presentation.

General Information
1. Who will be attending?
2. How does your topic relate to the attendees?
3. Does this group understand the technical/industry language you may use in your presentation?
4. How long do you need to speak?
5. What is the preferred style to present?
6. Will there be Q&A?
7. What is the name of the sponsoring organization and key contact information?

Audience Information
1. What is the audience size?
2. What are the basic demographics of the audience (age, gender, race, religion, education level, socioeconomic level, etc.)?
3. What are some of the related interests of the audience?
4. What will the audience be wearing (audience attire)?
5. What will be the disposition of the audience (friendly, supportive, neutral, hostile)?
6. What is the knowledge level of the audience regarding your presentation topic?

Once you have the basic information about your audience, you need to get more information about the logistics of your presentation. This information is critical. You don't want to get caught preparing an hour-long presentation to later find you were to appear on an expert panel for Q&A.

Venue Information
1. When is the presentation (time/date/location)?
2. What information exists regarding the event?
3. What is the venue for the presentation?
4. What is the room setup?
5. If you need A/V equipment, can the staff supply the equipment you need?
6. Will there be other speakers? In what order will they speak? What are their topics?
7. Will someone introduce you? What is his/her contact information?
8. Will there be press coverage?
9. Who is responsible for travel and hotel arrangements/expenses?