For all you ‘softies a reminder: please watch what you tweet and share in the social mediashpere about meetings or any Microsoft event.
I posted this about tweeting: remember to be thoughtful.
And did this one over the summer…
Always nice to catch up on industry news from good folks like Mary Jo Foley, just don’t be the news. 😉
Tags: Microsoft, travel tips.
Also available at http://bit.ly/mXyk8H
Want to see posts from the Windows 8 team? Follow their new blog, Building Windows 8, aka "B8", starting today.. https://t.co/FlEh2yk
This from Steven…
"For the Windows team, this blog is an important part of developing Windows 8, as was our blog for Windows 7. Blogging allows us to have a two-way dialog with you about design choices, real-world data and usage, and new opportunities that are part of Windows 8. Together, we will start the unique adventure of bringing a major product to market. We’re genuinely excited to talk about the development of Windows 8 and to engage thoughtfully with the community of passionate end-users, developers, and information professionals."
Hmmm. B8? Hope they don’t apply for a Google name… 
Tags: articles, blogs, Windows 8, Microsoft, Win8
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As noted in my posts Surviving TechReady 11 in Seattle and from MGX Atlanta 2010…
‘Nuff said:
Credit goes to hongkiat for the blue bird image.
Tags: Microsoft, Atlanta, MGX, travel tips.
Also available at http://bit.ly/a3oVXH
This week John C. Maxwell offered this famous QOTD:
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. – Thomas Edison
To end the work week, Dominic Carr offers his own suggestions for weekend reading on the Microsoft Blog
It’s Friday afternoon again, and time to wrap up some of the interesting things that happened this week that you might not have seen. It is Super Bowl weekend here in the US and so it only seems fair to start with something sports related.
Jordan Brand taps Microsoft technologies: The Jordan Brand turns 25 this year, and Microsoft technologies are helping with the celebration in partnership with Wirestone. First up is a social mosaic called Mosaic 23/25.The Mosaic uses Silverlight 3 and Deep Zoom to create a huge mosaic of the man himself, all built from hundreds of individual pictures uploaded by fans. And Windows Azure, Microsoft’s cloud operating system helped to make it possible. There is more to come with Microsoft Surface and Windows 7. If you are interested in more details on how the technology works, then read the Silverlight team blog and the Windows Azure blog.
Internet Explorer 8 is very popular: This week NetApplications released their browser market share report and it showed that Internet Explorer 8 is the most popular browser, just less than a year after launch. Brandon LeBlanc has more details on the benefits of IE8, and on reasons to upgrade from older browsers in his post over on the Windows Blog.
Using technology to help the planet: BBC Radio covered the European Environment Agency’s Eye on Earth project, a partnership with Microsoft and based on Microsoft technology such as Bing maps, Windows Azure and SQL Azure. The project aims to combine inputs from citizens with scientific data to provide a better understanding of air and water quality in a given location. You can listen to the the BBC Radio story with the Eye on Earth project starting at 6:45mins.
SharePoint Gets Social: This week seven startups from around the world (all participants in Microsoft’s BizSpark program) came together at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley campus for SharePoint 2010 SocialFest. The goal; see how each team could take advantage of some of the new features in SharePoint 2010 to extend their social networking applications. Each team worked closely with the SharePoint team over 4 days and showed off their work to a panel of judges. The Brits won, and you can read more, and watch the videos in this Microsoft News Center article or in Techcrunch.
Microsoft Tag: You may not yet have heard of Microsoft Tag, but the band We the Kings certainly has and is putting it to good use. Microsoft Tag lets you snap a picture of a “Tag” and get access to more information online about the particular person, product or service. You don’t need to rememeber a URL or text a short code. Just take a picture. We the Kings has teamed up with Microsoft Tag to give away free concert tickets.
Well Done Bill: Microsoft Research Principal Researcher Bill Buxton has been recognized by Business Week as one of the world’s most influential designers. Congrats, Bill. You can read more about Bill and his work on things like Natural User Interface and Microsoft Surface in the News Center article, or this video.
And finally just when we thought we could go home the Bing team announced enhanced cooperation with Facebook on search. This will give users a more complete search experience with access to some great Bing features, and expands the Bing-Facebook search integration beyond the US so that the more than 400 million people who use Facebook around the world will see the fruits of the partnership
And here are a few of my favourites found on Twitter during the week:
isdixon: Controlling Windows Media Center with an iPhone: http://goo.gl/fb/Mciy
nytimesbits: In an effort to compete with Google and Apple, Nokia makes its mobile phone software free of charge. http://bit.ly/dyHWgT
PCMag – How to Buy the Right Netbook http://bit.ly/2cFkAX [If you’re not thinking about getting a powerful, cheap netbook, you should be.]
Pogue – My email column today: Why home videos matter. It’s a good one! http://bit.ly/a9CG42
andreaplattdyal – Measuring Microsoft’s Work by Its Broad Impact: http://bit.ly/9DFFeg
MSFT_IT – White paper on the benefits of Office 2010 + SharePoint 2010 (something to look forward to!) http://ow.ly/13Z38
Microsoft – Nat’l Sci Foundation & Microsoft team on cloud. Huge info cache requires both desktop computers & cloud http://bit.ly/aZ0BVD
techxav – Amazon Said to Buy Touch Start-Up http://bit.ly/ab5898
billcox – Some good stats showing why IE8 is doing well at http://bit.ly/anbYSO. Thanks brandonleblanc!
JohnFontana – MSFT-funded CodePlex Foundation gets first FT employee, executive director Paula Hunter http://bit.ly/dxInSg
Microsoft_Gov – Microsoft Education (@TeachTec) launched a K-12 ebook – Digital Storytelling in the Classroom – http://bit.ly/ajiwzN
neilblecherman – Students invent/distribute soccer ball that generates electricity, bringing clean power to developing countries http://bit.ly/9OTts1
edbott – My latest at ZDNet: Will your new Windows 7 PC support XP Mode? It’s still too hard to find out: http://bit.ly/9ZC7Q3
MSFT_IT – See how Microsoft does IT, in this great post by BuckWoody http://ow.ly/13vy5
PCMag – The ever-divisive John C. Dvorak calls the Apple iPad "good for nothing." http://bit.ly/byzSjg
slashdot – ARM Exec Says 90% of PC Market Could Be Netbooks http://bit.ly/dBOWnG
thurrott – What’s New in Windows Mobile 6.5.3: http://bit.ly/ay1J0b
Cisco_Mobile – A Peek at Apple’s Plan to Re-invent Textbooks http://tinyurl.com/yk9h3zd
Cisco_Mobile How the #enterprise is going #social http://tinyurl.com/yc3m6pc – thanks, susiewee for this Very interesting read.
stevecla – Microserfs at Microsoft UK http://bit.ly/ajpahP
MSWindows – Set up an energy-efficient home with these tips from @MicrosoftCanada – http://bit.ly/dsr7F2
comcastcares – New Personal Blog Post "The Customer, not the Company Defines How Products are Used" http://www.timetobefrank.com
MSWindows – Here’s a list of devices that work w/ Remote Media Streaming in Windows Media Center for you – http://bit.ly/cO5DRy
teedubya – Watching TV Without Cable: Series Part 1 – Netflix Solution http://digg.com/d31Haib
MSWindows – Stream your Windows Media Library to devices around the house w/ Remote Media Streaming – http://bit.ly/56KtWM
WSJ – Medical journal retracts study linking vaccines to autism: http://on.wsj.com/dghEEY More autism research: http://on.wsj.com/bVRtW9
LanceUlanoff – Why Chrome Will be Your Next Browser http://bit.ly/auhb4m #Google‘s browser is about to make the leap from upstart to leader of the pack.
njeaton – NYTimes reports that Google is planning a business-app store to boost Google Apps. http://bit.ly/c7PhII
Carnage4Life is impressed at how Google has made enemies. Apple and Firefox are the biggest surprises. See http://tcrn.ch/96JiLW & http://bit.ly/aibGyk
volkerw – Windows XP to Windows 7 Migration workflow for the IT Pro on TechNet http://bit.ly/bxL4Eu
warrenellis – Still can’t buy Tor books by writers like @cmpriest or @doctorow on Amazon? @Scalzi brings science: http://bit.ly/9dQvki
toddbishop – New push for data-center tax breaks in Washington state, with support from Microsoft and others: http://bit.ly/bU29tT
ForbesTech – The Growing Malware Problem [Article by Charlotte Dunlap] http://cptlst.com/0ueh
thurrott – Apple Entry into Market Means Higher eBook Prices http://bit.ly/au7Xcf
mike_elgan retweeted this from ScotFinnie: Why Apple chose the iPad’s screen format http://bit.ly/bpeczx. Resident smart guy LanceUlanoff says he’s right.
JVascellaro – Google to Launch Store for Online Business Software. http://bit.ly/dsQ3b1
MSWindows 4 steps to keeping your computer protected – http://bit.ly/aHgstb
EverythingMS – Syncing Windows Home Server, Zune and Windows Media Center! http://bit.ly/a9QCZl
dancosta – 42 Reasons Why Netbooks Are Better Than the Apple iPad http://bit.ly/96dzjC [Dan suggests that perhaps "Different" would be a better word.]
exectweets – Manage your company’s software with Windows 7 AppLocker (from our sponsor Microsoft): http://bit.ly/4xnTGJ
edbott – My latest at ZDNet: Can Microsoft close the ‘app gap’ with Apple’s iPad? http://bit.ly/bJIvvw
Microsoft: Windows Azure & SQL Azure now available in 21 countries [Microsoft Blog] http://bit.ly/9XHIqe
valleywag – Googlers Fire Back at Steve Jobs ‘Bullshit’ Jab http://gawker.com/5461539/ #nerdfight #stevejobs
joewilcox – Dalrymple’s beard speaks about "iPad and crazy people": http://tinyurl.com/ycgpetg
joewilcox – Apple US retail unit share is 90% for PCs selling above $1,000; doubled YoY in $500-$1,000 segment: http://tinyurl.com/y943uv3
maryjofoley – Microsoft to target SMB users with new ‘BPOS Lite’ cloud service: http://bit.ly/9En6Dc
And this from BillGates – A quick post to Gates Notes – "why vaccines matter" – http://bit.ly/bxeXTM
Have a good weekend!
Tags: Friday Link, humour, Santa Claus, Christmas , Windows, Microsoft
Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, how-to, Windows 7, Windows Vista.
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Jenn asks today…
"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.
Here are the top recent posts from my blog in the last couple of weeks. Seems that the most popular are the historical pieces on daylight saving time, with one of the most popular in the last couple of months my post on "Microsoft Windows August 2009 Updates to Daylight Saving Time and Time Zones" with details on Microsoft KnowledgeBase Article 970653, "August 2009 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems". (Note that details on the December 2009 cumulative time zone update will be posted next week.)
One of the most popular posts in the last quarter was "Be careful: Why getting Windows 7 "RTM" today can be like a box of chocolates" advising our customers to "be careful and don’t download something from a less than trusted source. As noted in my post here on the Windows 7 Release Candidate, please don’t use torrents or P2P to get Windows 7 bits, as has been noted in the in the news. (Also available via http://bit.ly/L9PaO.)So many people eager to get Windows 7 but may subject themselves to malware."
On the content side, the top post in the last year ((and still popular today) is the collection of articles titled "Halloween, Daylight Saving Time, Bill Gates’ new company and other mysterious things I’ve read this week" – "Here’s a blast from the past (December 2006): What do candy, Microsoft products and Congress have in common? You can read more about this in the latest news on the subject. If you thought tracking the machinations of various daylight saving time and time zone changes around the world was tough, Paul Tennant of the Eagle-Tribune reports that in Haverhill (MA), trick-or-treating is Saturday night this (and every) year rather than on Friday, October 31."
If the connection here is Bill Gates Halloween Masks, then you really want to read the article in Forbes (click the link on this link to the Halloween Masks article) from Matthew Herper back in 2003 (masks designed by Nina Gould)…
"He created a monster. In his younger days, Bill Gates was accused of being a monopolist. Microsoft is maturing, and now pays a dividend. The world’s richest man is trying to remake himself as a philanthropist who uses his vast fortune to fight the scourge of AIDS in Africa. Which is the real Gates? Ask FrankenBill." Click on image for mask.
One of the all time most popular posts is this one on Your questions: ‘If we installed the December 2007 Microsoft daylight saving time updates, are we covered for the changes this Fall?’
Recently, I received a question similar to one I answered last year on daylight saving time and time zone updates to Windows:
"We updated our systems earlier this year for daylight saving time [the rules for the US and Canada]. Is there anything we need to do? Should we also update our systems with the last DST update? [referring to the August 2008 cumulative update]
Generally, the answer is yes. As I noted earlier here, it depends.
Next, on the top list of posts is this how-to covering one of the most popular questions: "How do I make Internet Explorer my default web browser?"
As I work in the Windows division, a letter made its way to my office: a customer mail sent to one of our senior leaders that asked…
"How do I set up Internet Explorer to be my default web browser?"
Simple question you may say, but unfortunately in this case, the customer noted that they were unable to find the information on our web sites or using online help. So, after first apologizing for the difficulty the customer had in locating the information, I then provided the following steps on how to configure your PC to use Internet Explorer your default web browser.
But I digress…
Here are a few of the most popular posts from the blog in the last month or so. Seems that most of the info I share is via my feed on twitter, which I update a few times a day.
Your questions: "How did you collect cool items for the Microsoft Giving Campaign Auction?" I just asked. – More than almost any item on the blog save my articles on daylight saving time and more recently the arrival of my Windows 7 Party Pack is the interest in the items I provided to benefit the Microsoft Giving Campaign this year. I received more email this week on these posts than any other post this month." Also see the related post "A couple of choice items benefitting the Microsoft Giving Campaign this year" and "Wonder what’s up at the Microsoft Giving Campaign? Here’s a look at few auction items generating interest". In all, these items added several thousand dollars to the total Giving Campaign auction.
My Windows 7 Party Pack Arrives – "The package may’ve been a little rough, but the contents are all intact, including the copy of Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition, various party favours and decorations and instructions on how to throw a successful house party. (We’re throwing ours to friends with kids to look at the family safety features and home applications, along with plenty of pop and pizza, ‘though I’d love to show some of the more advanced management features.)"
Also see the related post "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."Last but not least, I’m not sure why, but my humourous post "Apologies for my ode on the Day Before Christmas" (http://tinyurl.com/64uu5f) remains one of the top posts in the last year. My guess is that pictures of snow and kids always get folks online.
Tags: shopping, RSS, Microsoft, New PC, articles, blogs, Microsoft, Windows 7, what I read, twitter, FAQ, your questions.
Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, Windows Vista, Windows 7, computers, hardware, how-to
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