For all of those who are still braving the crowds to finish their holiday shopping, you’re in good company, as you’ll note at right.
I’m off this week but working on a couple of belated posts. In the mean time, here are a few to hold you through the holiday weekend, including my favourite Apologies for my ode on the Day Before Christmas 
(With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston)
And in the immortal words of Patrick Swayze: "Be nice."
Now on to the posts…
How to make an impact at Thanksgiving, even if you’re not Bill Gates In a past post, I noted my posts on being thankful, in particular this one on being thankful, where I noted the Seattle P-I newspaper’s slide show on "Words of Thanks."
Your questions: "What do people read on your blog?" Stuff about Time, Bill Gates, Kids and shopping for a new PC. Here are some of the most popular posts. Jenn asked "What do people read the most on your blog? I found your article on how to choose a new computer and found lots more stuff." Good question, Jenn. I didn’t really know until I looked today.
Your questions: Common questions about upgrading to Windows 7 Here are answers to some common questions about upgrading to Windows 7 from our Windows 7 frequently asked questions page. (And if you need more information and guidance on installing and reinstalling Windows 7, check out this page on the Windows 7 site.)
My Windows 7 Party Pack Arrives As I noted earlier today on Twitter before my important afternoon meetings, my Windows 7 house party pack arrived.
Free download: Microsoft Security Essentials suite available now Now available (US and Canada) is the new Microsoft Security Essentials suite, available for free, providing protection from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software for your PCs at home. Just installed the release version on my home PCs today. (Security Essentials will replace Windows Live OneCare, as I noted here this summer.)
More help and tips in finding that perfect laptop computer, this time from Rob Pegoraro of the Washington Post 
Over swim lessons today, I read Rob Pegoraro‘s article "Tips to boot up your laptop hunt" (which was picked up in today’s local paper) for users looking for new laptops (as I Tweeted today)…
"… many users — college students among them — still need laptops that survive away from desks and power outlets. Neither heavy "desktop replacements" nor ultralight netbooks with tiny screens and cramped keyboards work in that scenario.
"This piece is for those shoppers. What should they consider when looking for a new laptop?"
It’s nearly back to school time: here’s info on buying a new PC As I posted on Twitter today, Joel Santo Domingo over at PC Magazine has published a new article, How to Buy a Back-to-School PC. He covers what you should consider when shopping for a new PC for back to school or for you home. It’s helpful and timely information given the article I recently read from Jonathan Starkey on How to clamp down on spending for college, given how expensive tuition and housing are these days. Starkey said that "It all can add up quickly, but there are ways to stretch a family’s college budget."
Windows 7 flying high in the skies above Redmond Last week a few of the folks got together and enjoyed a cool but fun afternoon on main campus. A fun time was had by all celebrating the RTM Engineering Milestone.
And one of the signed Windows 7 flags was on display for all to see.
Tags: Friday Link, humour, Santa Claus, Christmas , Windows, Microsoft
Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, how-to, Windows 7, Windows Vista.
Also available via http://bit.ly/6lkuCN
On Monday, you’ll have a chance to learn even more in a live, interactive webcast where you will see examples of Bing and can ask the Bing team questions. This courtesy of Stefan Weitz over at Bing: