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The best kitchen PC… a laptop?

Here’s a blast: in 2002, Jerry Honeycutt wrote that he was putting together the kitchen computer that he’d been dreaming of.



Kitchen PC, circa 2002“I want to build one that fits unobtrusively next to the mixer until I call it into service to browse the Internet, check mail, and chat with friends.”


“For all my effort to make this computer as tiny as possible, I feel like it’s too big for my kitchen. It doesn’t just sit next to my mixer; it actually replaces the mixer and all of the space around it. If your kitchen is small, you might want to buy a laptop to use in that room. However, this project cost around $1000, and that’s not much to spend for a good laptop. On a final note, protect any computer that you set up in your kitchen with a surge protector. Considering the appliances with which the computer shares its circuitry, this is a smart idea.”


Fast forward to 2006 and the article in PC Magazine on The Kitchen PC:



The Kitchen PC“Our Kitchen PC is all you will need to bring your kitchen into the digital age. This PC is more than an updated recipe box, of course: It has features designed for the special needs of the kitchen, and it solves all the problems of heat, size, and communications.” 


In our house, we find that the best kitchen PC — which is also a family computer — is a laptop. It allows for th emost flexible movement from the prep area to the kitchen table, it works when the power fluctuates and accesses the home network remotely.


Also of interest: The Digital Home: The Kitchen (from Nov ’04)

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Of interest: Dvorak on the best digital SLR camera for the money

John C. Dvorak wrote in his Inside Track column (v25n10) about the Best Camera for the Money Dept. Now, this was from May when he noted that at a keynote address at one of the largest users groups still operating that “every other member was shooting photos, and all of them were using the same camera: the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30.”


“This camera does a lot right. Although it has a fixed-mount lens, it looks like a hot digital SLR, both stylish and professional. Its 12X Leica zoom lens, combined with an 8-megapixel sensor and image stabilization with in-camera image processors, is pretty much all you need short of professional gear.


“The camera is underappreciated because Panasonic still shows zero marketing prowess. If these guys ever wake up, they will dominate the industry along with Sony, another company that fell asleep at the wheel. I visited with both companies at the Photo Marketing Association show, and Panasonic still talks a big game and Sony is still arrogant. I see no changes. It’s now getting funny.”


More info:



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“How can I find out if my PC is compatible with Windows Vista?”

The New York TimesTechnology section has an article online today “On the Horizon: A Vista Upgrade.” In it, the author provides some answers to the question: How can I find out if my current computer hardware (including my scanner and printer) will be compatible with the coming Windows Vista system? Will this be as simple as merely downloading new drivers?


From the article…



“If you are holding off on any hardware purchases until after your Vista upgrade, Microsoft recently announced that about 250 hardware and software products for sale this holiday season will be labeled “Works with Windows Vista” or “Certified for Windows Vista.” Products with the “Works” label will work fine with Vista, but “certified” products (including some graphics cards), will be able to take better advantage of certain Vista features.


If you are planning on installing Windows Vista on your current computer, you can check to see if your hardware can handle Vista’s system requirements at www.windowsvista.com/getready.”  


Many PC OEMs (like Dell, HP, IBM, Gateway, Toshiba, Sony…), third party manufacturers and software makers are beginning to list the products that are compatible with Windows Vista. To check your current PC, you can evaluate your current PC with the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.

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A look inside the Microsoft Home

Today, MSN Tech takes you on a tour of the Microsoft Home.


“A shining steel, geodesic structure where food appears upon command, robots handle all manual chores and families in unisex jumpsuits gather around the hologram station before tucking themselves into their sterile sleeping pods for the night. Does this fit your general vision of the home of the future? Blame that on Hollywood. What might the average American home look like in the next few years? This big question floats around the Microsoft Home, situated within a building on the company’s main corporate campus in Redmond, Wash. The home’s mission: To explore ways technology could improve our daily lives in the near future.”


Per the web page on our corp site, “Located on Microsoft Corp.’s Redmond, Wash. campus, the Microsoft® Home is a concept facility that models technology that might enhance life at home five to 10 years from now. Microsoft uses the facility to research and test future consumer technology concepts and explore how people use technology in the home. The Microsoft Home is housed within Microsoft’s Executive Briefing Center. Although it’s not a stand-alone house, the Microsoft Home simulates a domestic environment including a front door, entry/foyer, kitchen, family room, dining room, entertainment room and bedroom.”


More information:



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Articles I’ve read this week, 10.19.06

Here are a few articles I’ve just re-read during the commute to the office this week. (Not by car but via mass transit, a great alternative especially in wet weather.) Thankfully, most are available for download, making it easy to save for later reading on mobile devices.


Steve Clayton’s blog (MS), on Wired’s article Microsoft: where are we going tomorrow?


Speed Demons – BusinessWeek’s look at how smart companies are creating new products — and whole new businesses — almost overnight. Also of interest is the subsection on 37signals: Programming At Warp Speed: “The lesson: Create a simple product as fast as you can, then get feedback from customers and make it better.” By Steve Hamm, with Ian Rowley in Tokyo – March 27, 2006


Don’t Hand Me That Gu Ge – Forbes, August 14, 2006 – Google is searching for a winning strategy in China. Also see Schmidt Defends Google’s Cooperation With China from April 2006. 


Staying Cool At Nokia, By Jack Ewing, with Moon Ihlwan in Seoul – July 17, 2006 – BusinessWeek looks at “how new design chief Alastair Curtis keeps the hot handsets coming.”


Fast Company on Integrity Matters – “So say the folks who took our latest survey, by a huge margin. Too bad they find it in such short supply among today’s leaders.” From: Issue 98 | September 2005 | Page 52


The Elements Get Some Style – Wired, Issue 13.10 – October 2005. Philip Stewart, an Oxford ecology professor, has his improvement on the table of the elements, modeled after the Andromeda galaxy.


Meet Marvell – Forbes, August 14, 2006 – “It has quietly and ruthlessly become the superhero of the chip industry, thriving in every market it has entered and making its founders billionaires.”


Just Don’t Call It Retirement – By Sarah Lacy – March 06, 2006. A look at Carol Bartz’ retirement from Autodesk. I worked in the mid 90’s at Autodesk, in Carl Bass’ division, with Carol Bartz in the CEO slot.


BusinessWeek on The Plot To Hijack Your Computer – By Ben Elgin, with Brian Grow – July 17, 2006 – “They watch you surf the Web. They plague you with pop-up ads. Then they cripple your hard drive.” See Also Spyware Underground


PC Magazine’s The Worst Products of Q3 2006 – “Here’s a list of the worst products we saw in the third quarter of this year.”


Play By Play In Podcast – BusinessWeek, by Mark Hyman – March 13, 2006 – “First it was blogs. Now podcast mania is catching on quickly in the sports world. The PGA Tour has a podcast … sports talk fix. They can be found at the Web sites listed or at podcast clearinghouses podcastalley.com, podcast.net, and itunes.com.”


BW’ s Stephen H. Wildstrom on discussion on Net Neutrality in The War For The Net’s Future – July 17, 2006. Also Wildstrom’s podcast on Net Neutrality: “… phone and cable companies on one hand and big Internet players like Google and Microsoft on the other, want you to believe this is about freedom and innovation.”


How To Win at Everything – Secrets and advice from Americas biggest winners from Men’s Journal (August 2005). Of interest: the general positives that Lance Armstrong cites. In the same issue is an informative article on the “The Great American Checkup” by Chip Brown, which covers the exec checkup at the WellMax Centre for Preventative Medicine in California.


Here’s an excitinig job: Fortune on the Corporate bank robber (05.17.2006) – “It’s a fantasy job to rob a bank. It’s the greatest. I get hired by banks around the country to help tighten security policies.”


BW on Going Global For An MBA – Info on studying abroad, at international B-schools. By Jack Ewing, with Kerry Capell in London and Andrea Zammert in Frankfurt – March 13, 2006


Cleaning Up Boeing – Can outsider Jim McNerney rid the scandal-plagued aerospace giant of its rot? He’s off to a strong start. By Stanley Holmes – BW, March 13, 2006


Space: The Digital Frontier – Stephen H. Wildstrom looks at PC storage solutions. BW, MARCH 2, 2006


Fortune’s Real Estate Survival Guide – “Hear that sound? There’s an ill wind blowing through the housing market. Here’s what the end of the boom means for home values, the economy, and you.” By Shawn Tully, FORTUNE Magazine Senior Writer, May 11, 2006


BW’s Annual Tech Buying Guide Slide Show (November 7, 2005). It’s from a year ago, but an interesting list. Also see Dive Into HDTV, Music, Lights, Action With One Click, The House That iPod Built, The Call Of The Web Phone and High Tech For The Road.


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In the same issue of BW is “Mosh Pits” Of Creativity – Innovation labs are sparking teamwork — and breakthrough products. By Joseph Weber in Chicago, with Stanley Holmes in Seattle and Christopher Palmeri in Los Angeles – November 07, 2005. See right for their “best practice ideas.”


PC Magazine on Windows Vista and your games – 07.12.06 – They “dedicated hours of playtime to the latest prerelease version. Here’s the scoop.”


In “Attention Technology Shoppers!” Jeremy Kaplan asks if you can buy good gear at big box stores, and takes a look at the deals and the chaff.


And from Business 2.0 Magazine…


The Business Traveler’s MacGyver Kit – “It’s cheap, compact, and filled with everything you need when things go wrong on the road. Pack it up, put it in your suitcase, and forget about it–until disaster strikes.”


How to build a bulletproof startup – Michael V. Copeland and Om Malik present their 16-step guide to help you turn a great idea into a great company. May 24, 2006


The Art of Shaving’s strategy: A cut above  – (06.22.2006) An article on the Art of Shaving’s flagship store in NYC.


Freedom of the Press – “Lulu.com founder Bob Young wants to liberate authors from the tyranny of the book-publishing industry.” By John Heilemann – May 18, 2006


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