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Sunday marks the arrival of Daylight Saving Time in the US and Canada

Clip art from Office OnlineSo if March 3, 2009, was square root day, is today international sum day? (030609, or 3+6=9)

Sorry, you’ll have to excuse me… it’s that time again.

That’s right: it’s the start of daylight saving time in much of Canada and the US this weekend, as noted in approximately 200 news articles today, one-tenth of what the hubbub was last year at this time.

"Huh?  It’s not for a couple of more weeks," a surprised exec exclaimed this week.

"Nope, it’s this weekend… we now update our products according to a semi-annual release schedule," I said. "You’re PC at home has likely been updated."

This year, DST in much of the US and Canada begins on March 8 in 2009, several weeks earlier than in years prior to 2007. As you may recall, in 2007 the US and Canada "sprang forward" a few weeks earlier than in past years in accordance with the US Department of Energy’s Energy Policy Act of 2005 that was passed into law. In 2009, DST will end on the first Sunday of November (in 2009, November 1); more details on the new DST start and end times can be found here). This results in a new DST period that is approximately three to four weeks longer than in previous years.

The Windows group established an annual update schedule for daylight saving time (DST) and time zone (TZ) releases. Most Windows-based applications (and some services) reference the underlying operating system for DST/TZ information, but some applications and services do not. Hence many of our product teams also follow an annual product update cadence such a Windows, with provisions for semi-annual cumulative updates as needed. For each update release, Microsoft accepts change requests up to a few months (generally four to six) prior to the release date. The Windows Release schedule provides a regular cadence for other product groups to follow.

So what should you do to make sure that your computers are ready for the change?  If you use Microsoft Update on your PC at home, chances are you’re already covered.  The 2008 Cumulative Time Zone Update for Windows was released in November to the Microsoft Download Center for currently supported Windows Operating Systems (including Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista). This update can be found in KB article 942763.

This Cumulative Update for Windows should already be installed on your PC.  If you’re not sure, visit Microsoft Windows Update to check your PC and install important updates.  At work, if an IT Pro (aka ‘hero’) manages your network, chances are good that the needed updates have already been installed on your computers and devices automagically.

We’ve also updated our page on Microsoft’s Policy in Response to DST/TZ Requests, providing recommendations in order to achieve more seamless transitions to new DST and time zones policies. We suggest that governments should provide the following when considering changing DST or making adjustments to time zones:

  1. Ample advance notice (1 year or more) of the planned change.
  2. Official published confirmation of planned changes to DST or time zones.
  3. Concentrated efforts on promoting the change to the affected citizens.

If you manage servers and a host of Microsoft software, visit http://www.microsoft.com/time for more details.  And visit the support web sites of any other software companies to see if you need to apply any updates – it’s not just Microsoft software that may require updates.  Keep in mind that it’s not just the US and Canada that made changes to DST and time zones: we have an upcoming change in Australia and others noted on the DST and Time Zone Hot Topics page.

In most cases, customer will find that these changes have been addressed when the latest cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems was applied.  Some of the updates are not specific to the Australia Eastern and Central changes and can be applied immediately; other products (for example Office Groove) require manual adjustment after application of the time zone update to the host Windows operating system.

And remember: time is a precious thing. Never waste it.

Me? I’ll be sleeping in Sunday. I plan to change the clocks when I get up.

 

Tags: Microsoft, Daylight Saving Time, Daylight Savings Time, DST. 64,600,000 (up 62 million from last year); 6,950,000; 649,000+

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Note: updated links to KB955839 – thanks, Corrine!

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Kindle books on your iPhone? Sure, but the library is so much cheaper.

Today I noted that Amazon unveiled the Kindle Application for iPhone (also available via http://tinyurl.com/ikindle). Whither a version for Windows Mobile? None expected soon is my guess. Amazon is smart to follow the iPhone – although I’d guess that folks with a Windows Mobile device maybe more likely to own a Kindle.

OK, so given the economy I have a hard time shelling out for the Kindle or the iphone… a quick post on http://dingalings.com/ as I noted on Twitter…

image

 

Tags: what I write, humor, humour.

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Going to the MVP Summit in Seattle? Here are a few travel tips and local suggestions

Microsoft will host the 2009 MVP Global Summit this week, March 1-4, 2009, at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, and at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond. Hosted by two of my associates, the irrepressible Rich Kaplan and the multi-talented Toby Richards (known in the past for a mean saxophone), I’m looking forward to meeting MVPs this week on main campus and at some of the events in Seattle.

My friend Lawrence Liu alerted me to the use of the #MVP09 on Twitter, so you can see all the Tweets WRT the Summit via this Twitter search.

My hat is off to the many folks visiting us this week. 

(BTW: Have your own addition or suggestion for this page? Send me a Tweet on Twiiter.)

I was asked today for a couple of restaurant recommendations, so here are a few tips for those brave and dedicated souls in Seattle this week for the event:

Flight and Hotel: If you don’t already have either of these, there’s always next year. If you didn’t make it to Seattle, follow the Tweets.

But if you must go, try booking online, going stand-by, or fly and drive from another major city.  As for hotels, call a well-connected travel agent or try to find a room in town. A quick scan of Expedia shows rooms available.

First time to Seattle? Check out the very well designed Seattle Visitor’s Guide courtesy of the City of Seattle.

Pack light.  Keep in mind that it is still quite cool in Seattle this time of year: we just had a couple inches of snow last week.  It will be cool at night and up in the low 50’s during the day this time of year (or about 10 degrees for my friends outside the States).  Check the weather report for Seattle here.  Standard dress is casual and business casual: I get along most days with includes khaki, nice jeans or dark pants, jumpers or pull-overs (dress in layers) and a light weatherproof rain jacket.  See also a few travel recommendations from Colin Cowie on packing.

For the evenings, just spruce up with a nice shirt – please, refrain from gratuitous logos.

Wear great, comfortable shoes.  As per past recommendations, don’t bring the stylish shoes, go for comfort.  Even though you’ll be sitting through sessions, there’s still plenty of walking around and standing.  Many smart folks are often seen roaming the floors walking to and from sessions in walking shoes or sneakers.  My pick: nice walking shoes from anything from Ecco, Rockport or New Balance, which all have nice shoes in black. You won’t need snow shoes or mukluks this time of year, but ensure that the shoes are generally water resistant or waterproof: chances are good you encounter a shower at some point, and puddles abound, even indoors at times.   

Bring your favourite snack food. Not.  See below on booking restaurants early (call before you fly) and be sure to enjoy your favourite portable snack foods at the event – there is sure to be plenty around. I expect that there will be plenty to eat and drink at the event starting with the events on Sunday nite. But for travel, I find that Odwalla bars travel well, particularly the C Monster and Berries GoMega.  

Getting from the airport to anywhere: Assuming that you are like much of the civilized world, you’ll be arriving by plane at SEATAC airport. Remember, if you need to get a taxi cab at SEATAC airport, you’ll find plenty on the main floor across the street from the arrivals and baggage claim.

If you arrive into Seattle with other folks on the same flight, consider getting a large van or a limo if you’re going to roughly the same hotel downtown: that way you’ll pay one fee.  Last, unless you plan on traveling off the beaten path, you don’t really need to rent a car (take a cab): there will be plenty of busses and taxis available. More info available at Sea-Tac Airport: Shuttle Bus, and this courtesy of the Seattle Visitor’s Guide site:

When I commuted to Redmond a few years ago, I found that public transit stopped less than a block from my hotel and whisked me right to the Overlake Transit Center, adjacent the main Microsoft campus. 

Travel to and from your hotel to the WSCTC.  Getting to the Washington State Convention & Trade Center is easy – many hotels are in walking distance or are a short cab ride away.  As always, I suggest comfortable walking shoes.  Get to your sessions early as many are filled to capacity, especially the keynotes.

As noted in the Visiting Seattle you find a great Seattle 101, A Guide for Travelers and Tourists online.

Say hello your new best friend: the hotel concierge.  Introduce yourself and hand them a business card.  That one move may come in hand later more than you know.  See ‘dinner’ and ‘getting to the airport’ for starters.  If you plan on doing a lot of schmoozing around town, call them and introduce yourself now to let them know you will be staying at the hotel. 

As Cowie notes, "ask your concierge to make some reservations for you now at top restaurants so you don’t find that you can’t get in when you arrive there in peak season. Tip the concierge the moment you arrive…"  See, you can learn helpful travel hints from a man that you thought only had great party design sense. 😉

There’s always something to eat in Seattle: This city has more restaurants than you’ll ever have time to visit. But there are a few duds amongst the diamonds, so be sure to check out the recommendations at http://www.seattlemag.com/0t12p5/eat-drink/ and http://www.seattlemet.com/. There you’ll find more info on local restaurants and bars, along with more suggestions in Seattle Magazine’s Best of 2008, which includes reviews and information on some of the best places around. Also see the suggestions on Seattle Metro’s eat-and-drink restaurant reviews. In addition, look to stand-bys such as Gayot.com and Frommers.com for more reviews and suggestions.

Some of my local favourites are…

Also of interest when you have free time: Pike Place Market: The Holy Grail of Cheap Eats, "your guide to the best, most affordable handheld (or close to it) meals at the holy grail of cheap eats." A full list of cheap eats from the December issue is available here.

A note on booking tables… Consider booking your table online or through your hotel concierge as noted above: if you haven’t called them in advance, ask for their help in booking a table (tip, please) and get their business card with their phone number after you check in… and give them a tip if they offer a direct dial number.  A good concierge may be able to score a reservation to a hard-to-book place: I have found that your best bet is a well-connected hotel concierge if a direct call to the restaurant doesn’t pan out.  In some dire situations, your credit card company may offer a concierge service to help you book tables or flights.

My favourite: book a table at OpenTable.com. Many of the restaurants still show availability on OpenTable.com as of today, so book early.

Of course, my favourite local chain sandwiches are found via the many local locations of Quiznos and Subway. But again, you’ll be eating well enough that I doubt you’ll need to visit these during the day.

Getting to the airport.  The smart MVP books a car or cab in advance of their departure. So until our new train is up an running to SEATAC, arrange a car in advance through your concierge for more than one traveler.  Or that concierge you tipped earlier just may have arranged a shuttle for a small group that has an opening. 

Additional links from the Port of Seattle: Sea-Tac Airport where you can find more information on flights, transportation and more.

Tags: Microsoft, MVP, travel tips.

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Solved: Word Completion on the AT&T Fuze

I recently solved the Word Completion problem I was having on my AT&T Fuze (HTC Diamond).


I received a new phone from AT&T in late December and found that Word Completion was not working, even when selected in Settings>Input. I found that the phone is configured out of the box with Word Completion ‘off’ which I found annoying. The AT&T reps on campus and in Redmond had no idea what was wrong and swapped out my unit for a new phone as they were unable to fix the setting.  Same problem on that one, too.


But thanks to the wonder of Twitter and Live Search, I received an answer, and posting it here if any others are missing this ability, courtesy of http://www.htcwiki.com/thread/1720237/Word+Completion+Fix+for+6.1+ROM+Update?t=anon:



* After confirming that you have the box checked for “Suggest words when entering text” in the Word Completion tab found in Settings>Input.


* Open up a new email or text message.


* Go to the bottom of the screen and change your letter input method to Full QWERTY (using the down arrow next to the “pencil”, “keyboard” , etc. icon).


* In the bottom left hand corner of this Full QWERTY keyboard, just to the right of CAPS/shift button, is a button to toggle between T9 and ABC.


* Click the button and make sure that T9 appears below ABC. Apparently the opposite appears as a default setting.


* Switch back to Block Recognizer, Keyboard or Letter Recognizer and Word Completion should be active for you!


https://twitter.com/HTC, please explain: why doesn’t word completion or auto spell correction work out of the box on my AT&T HTC Diamond?


Tags: Windows Mobile, HTC, blogs, Customer service.


 



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Being foolish about customer and partner satisfaction at Microsoft

I recalled tonight an old quote: Fortuna favet fatuis.  If you know me, you’ll likely understand my personal, off-hours affinity for such a quote and my penchant for Monty Python humour.

Clip art from Microsoft Office Online But in all seriousness, I’m reminded of a past post in which I noted that fools may find fault with ease. It takes the persistent to note that the customer experience isn’t a commodity, and to course correct when we find fault…

Benjamin Franklin and Dale Carnegie both said that “any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do.” But if you listen to the criticism and respond to it — take the criticism and do something positive with it — then you can course correct and improve the customer experience.

So, what the heck does this have to do with anything?

These days, I hear many people at the office talking about how they’re working to keep Customer and Partner Experience (CPE) a top priority, especially important now more than ever.  That’s a positive.  Steve Ballmer said previously that Microsoft has more work to do to please our customers and partners, noting that “we’ve only begun to tap the real potential of computers to help you communicate, find answers, solve problems and be more productive.”

When you’re thinking about new products and services, one of the pieces of advice I offer is to think about course correcting wherever needed and whenever you should. Question the wisdom of others when it’s particularly foolish. Thinking for a moment of the Motley Fool’s description for where they came up with the namesake…

“The Motley Fool’s name comes directly from the beginning of Act II, scene vii of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. In the days when Shakespeare was writing about kings, Fools were the merry fellows paid to entertain the king and queen, using self-effacing humor that instructed as it amused. In fact, Fools were the only members of their societies who could tell the truth to the king or queen without having their heads rather abruptly removed from their shoulders.

“In Fooldom, readers like you are the royalty.”

Taking the Motley Fool’s advice to heart, your customers and partners are the royalty, and it’s your job to do our best to find answers, solve problems, tell the truth, and don’t settle for anything less than what your customers and partners deserve. And…

“… use whatever you may learn for good rather than evil, and that you pass your Foolishness on to others who may need help. If a fellow Fool is stumped by a question you know you can answer, we hope you’ll consider lending them a hand.”

If you think that something doesn’t make sense from their perspective, fix it.

Be foolish. (But respectful, of course. 😉

Tags: articles, what I read, blogs, Customer service.

 

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