Zotero

Thanks to Tim Lauer's blog, I ran across Zotero, which is an extension for Firefox 2.0. This extension not only is a notetaking manager but also is a reference manager, which will export to all major bibliographic styles. It is free of course and works really well with the online databases that I use (EBSCOhost, Sage Publications, MSU).

Finished...

Well, I finally completed the terminal degree. Defended on Friday the 13th of last month... My choice to tempt fate... Pretty much the reason why no writing took place here and migrated to finishing rewrites of the paper. But, I have passed it onto the library now for the last hoop before December graduation. This has really been a test of endurance and patience.

Quote of the Day

"Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment."

Robert Benchley

And really, think about it... you see it all the time in your work environment. People deviated from deadline, scheduled tasks to do tons of work that has little to no impact on their job or their company's bottom line.

Del.icio.us : quote, work

Norwood Highlights

Jerious Norwood should be a sleeper on anyone's NFL fantasy team. With the departure of Duckett and his performance in preseason, I think Norwood will get plenty of opportunities to provide you with 100+ yds of total offense and at least one TD on average.

Dell Latitude Video Quality Issues - Revisited

OK, so I posted the other day that there were some video quality (really crispness with fonts) issues in the Dell Latitudes. OK, that is true. However, when I wrote the post, I implied re-imaging was the only and best solution. Really, the best solution was pointed out on the Dell Community Forums, which btw is great resource. It can be solved by a simple change in the registry. The change is a simple one.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
UseHR= dword:00000001

The full steps can be found at Microsoft's Help and Support site. Now, I thought this was a Dell erroneous setting. This is where I was mistaken. Big thanks to Neil at Round Rock at the Dell HQ for pointing out to me via email that most manufacturers turn this registry setting on, and it is an issue with Windows 2000 and XP. He actually even pointed me to an app Dell has that can help users out with the scaling issues without touching the registry. It can be located here.

Talk about service... I was really meaning that all of the Latitudes I was using recently were having this issue, which was the only minor complaint. Personally, I have bought more than my fair share of Latitudes in the last couple of years. So far, I have had hardware issues with about 5 out of approximately 1000 in 5 years. But, all items were fixed within 24 hours. Not too shabby of a record... I guess here is my long-winded point. Dell (and all other manufacturers) should turn the setting on to fix this glitch with Windows XP systems before shipping. Because from what I have seen from other educators and non-techies, they don't have a clue why things don't "appear" crisp. They think it is a flaw in the computer's display. I never knew something was wrong until one of them pointed it out to me. Good thing was thanks to the Dell forum, the fix was found in under 30 minutes.

Interesting WebAdmin tool

Here is a not yet released tool that may be of interest to some web admins. It looks like it will help pinpoint what portions of your pages on your Web site are accessed frequently.

http://www.crazyegg.com/

Dell Laptop Battery Recall

I am sure most of you have heard the explosive news by now. But, if you havent, Dell is in the midst of a battery recall. If you personally own a Dell laptop or your school does, follow this link, http://segatech.us/archives/1465, to read about how you can check if you have an offending battery. BTW, please check it. These batteries dont just go bad... they can potentially explode.

Rolling Rock is Dead...

One of my favorite American beverages was Rolling Rock made by Latrobe Brewing Co. Definitely a favorite back in the day at U of M... The St. Louis A-B boys have bought them out and are closing the plant in Penn. Sad day... some times, or most times, mergers are not good things... Here is an article outlining the event.

Game of the Year

By now, this should be the worst kept secret around. But, Rasterwerks has produced a Quake-like game entirely written in Director. The most amazing thing about it is the deathmatch component, and the fact the environment is all based on coordinates and not a 3D-model. One thing to note is that it seems to work better in Internet Explorer. Check it out. Here is a screenshot as well.

Del.icio.us : game rasterwerks director deathmatch

The Dirty Coast

Here is a link to some cats in Nola doing their thing with some pretty cool Ts. Too bad we don't have some industrious MS Gulf Coastian doing the same thing and kicking some of the change to a relief fund.

http://www.dirtycoast.com/home.php

Del.icio.us : t-shirts design shopping nola

Dell Latitude Video Quality Issues

For those of you who have gotten Latitudes in the last 2 years in the D series, you may have noticed that the video quality/sharpness left a lot to be desired, regardless of the type of video card. Well, I finally found somebody that pointed out it is a registry issue turned on by Dell. This further supports a credo that BigJim and I both share in common... wipe all Dell computers and reinstall to ensure optimum performance. Anyway, here is the link to the simple registry fix. And yes, I have used the fix on a D610 and D510, and it works.

Mid-Week Matinee

So Jackson and I are going to the mid-week matinee to see Barnyard. I do have to say I am a little worried after seeing the reviews. He watched Ant Bully the day before, which I hear is excellent. And apparently it was to him, because he was willing to see it again instead of Barnyard. You have to think for small kids with their 30s memories that a redo in movieland by a 4-year old is no small feat for a movie to pull off. I think it is no coincidence that Tom Hanks is on the list of filmmakers after seeing his effort in Polar Express.

Red Beans and Rice

Longing for the days growing up in South Mississippi and hanging out in the Big Easy as a kid (my birthplace), I ran across an old post by Danno at Nola Cuisine for RB & Rice. So, we figured lets give it a shot. I know weird... heat index 105+... But, I remember doing that eating lunch on Thursdays in a restaurant on Jackson right off the square in Oxford all the time hooking up with the dish. Anyway... outstanding... here is the link to the post at Nola. And here is his picture to get you there.

Katrina Revisited

It had been awhile since I have been down to either work/help after the Katrina visit to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Let me tell you folks... If you think things are better for most, you would be mistaken. It is the understatement of the century to say that Hurricane Katrina was the disaster of the modern era. Things are getting better down there but it is all relative. Casinos are back, but homes are not. The beach is back, but campers are present. I think you get the drift. The only 2 places that had rooms available in a number you could count on your fingers were the Palace Casino in Biloxi and Best Western in Slidell. Man, to see it again... to grow up in the area... it really tears you apart. Here a couple of pics taken with my cellphone to get the point across.

Free Software - WinRAR

WinRAR is giving out free download of their WinRAR 3.51 software in celebration of the software's acheivements and longetivity. Go here to get it.

Office 2007 Beta Review

Well, I have been using the Beta 2 since it has been out. Microsoft has finally produced the first worthwhile upgrade since 97 to 2000. This product suite depending on what is added or culled is great release. I have primarily been using Word, Excel and Outlook in this Beta. Here is what it feels like... It feels like all the crap we have been complaining about in past versions has been added in this product. Here is a brief run-down of the likes and dislikes so far:
Pros:

• Word is more report/design oriented with better cover pages, headers and footers.


• Styles in Word are more accessible and easier to use.


• Excel has a better filtering, range naming, sorting, and conditional formatting functionality.


• Access rocks now!!! I have always been able to use it, but it is more user-friendly.


• RSS feeds in Outlook


• A better calendar in Outlook


• New default fonts that work well with ClearType.

Cons:

• A new default filetype for all the products that isn't compatible with past versions (WTF!!!)


• PowerPoint creates presentations even if saved in 97-2003 format that are entirely editable. That sucks...


• The suite is going to cost everybody big time.


• Microsoft should have released half of these new features years ago.


• New default fonts that all the other Office users do not have.

Go check out the beta. It is a 440MB download with a couple hoops relative to getting an installation key. It won't expire until February 2007.

Back from NECC 2006

Well, I got back from San Diego around 8 yesterday. That conference was well worth the trip. Everything was great. It seemed like open-source and Web 2.0 were the software trends. There was not really anything hardware-wise I haven't see already. But, the exhibit booths were still worth the effort. It was interesting to see Lenovo there. I think from previewing all the new Tablet PCs. Their product was the best due to its long batter life and 2.5 lbs weight. This is a link to the IBM products. They don't actually have the model I looked at on the floor. The tablets in the link are IBM-rebranded.

The main thought I have is that Moodle is finally here in the US. It has taken awhile, but the competitors better take notice. They need just a couple of added features and more compatibility with vendors that sell auxilary products and it is over. The main things they need (in my mind) are:

1. Enhanced SCORM capability (detailed scoring)


2. Custom grade report creation


3. Embedded whiteboard


4. Universal chat system that works with Windows and non-Windows OSes

Again, they are still better that most. And, I have been using them from Day 1 of their operation and will continue to do so. Moral of this story... Educators cannot afford to miss NECC, regardless of the cost. You can learn too much and expand your field of view (eigenview) over night... See what I mean...

NECC Bound

Well, I guess I am spending my 4th of July on a plane to San Diego, CA. I have to present on Wednesday morning out there so I figured my options were pretty slim. The conference I am attending, the National Educational Computing Conference, is really great though. Typically there are in excess of 20000 attendees annually. Wish me luck. I'll report back some of the new tech trends on showcase next week.

Office 2007 Beta 2

Well, I have been previewing the latest beta from the MS boys in Redmond. And, I hate to admit it, but I think this might be Microsoft's first worthwhile update for their Office suite since XP. So far, there have been quite a few moments that can be summarized by... thank God... I was waiting for them to finally do that. And, none of the programs have crashed on me in the last 5 days. Here are some of the things I like:

• the ribbon


• expedited function requests (changing margins, styles, and so forth)


• improved filtering in Excel


• record counting of filters


• removal of personalized menus and toolbars


• RSS feeds in Outlook


• tighter integration of tasks in Outlook

Check it out... it is only a 440MB download for the Office 2007 Enterprise Beta.

Ruminations

I finally have a comedian that is in my frame of mind lately, Aaron Karo. You have to check out his newsletters to see what I am talking about. NSFU40...

Windows Live Outlook Plugin

I was reading an entry from my buddy Jimmy talking about the recent enhancements Microsoft has done for Windows Live Local. And, it really does seem better than Google Maps/Google Local. That is one thing that you have to give Gates and Microsoft. They are the masters of taking a marketable, great idea that cannot be copyrighted and tweaking/spinning the heck out of the thing into an awesome, money-making product. And Jimmy is right... they might just have something here.

Regardless, I noticed after browsing the Windows Live Local site that there is an Outlook plugin. I just downloaded the free beta plugin to try it out. Who knows what kind of damage may ensue on my computer? But hey, it can't be any worse than what IE7 Beta 2 did to the OS. It has rendered the IE functionality useless even upon the safe uninstall. It even does a neat trick where I can type in URLs into my original IE6 and the Web sites will open in Firefox, which is not set to be my default browser. Sounds great, huh? I'll run down the report after a couple of days.

Podcasting Thoughts

By previewing the NECC 2006 workshop sessions online the other day, it didn't take a rocket scientist to notice some distinct trends in presentation topics. Of course there are your standards like professional development, blogging and the like. But, one that really stuck out to me is podcasting. Yeah, big shocker... now this technology is not new by any means. But, the money/funding does seem to be flowing like the Mississippi River into the Gulf for research projects investigating the cost/benefit to implementing iPods into the curriculum. It is happening at the K-12 and Higher Education level. If you do any kind of surface level investigation, one can notice that everybody is for it, and nobody wants to be realistic and play the devil's advocate. So, I am ready to...

1. Podcasting is an awesome tool if used correctly. That means equipping end-users with some software client that subscribes to RSS feeds. The point being that the process needs to be simplified in a manner to be non-exclusionary by default for all technology skills.


2. Users need training. But, the process (see point 1) should contain no more steps that we have fingers on one hand.


1. Download and install a podcast client.


2. Subscribe to the RSS feed which syncs on a schedule.


3. Plug in the portable audio/video podcast player.


4. Sync the player with the software client.


5. Listen to the podcasts downloaded to the player.


3. Content creation, editing, and production needs to be an organized process. This is crucial. This tenet relates to all forms of media - print, TV, etc. I really think that this is where programs will fail.

Bottom line is this... Implementing a podcasting project of any scale takes a detailed, organized plan. Anything less will render the project into the bin of federal or state-funded projects that have good intentions but never meet project goals.

Presenting at NECC 2006

Well I found out last week that I am presenting with a panel of other national organizations on the topic of student technology support programs. This topic is a continuation of a presentation done at NECC 2004 in New Orleans. This year the presentation will be in San Diego, CA at NECC 2006. It will be interesting to hear how other organizations are progressing with introducing students in K-12 districts as a viable technical support resource for technology. The panel's session starts at 8:30am on Wednesday, July 5, 2006. Some of the things I have found that can facilitate/hinder the introduction of such a program into a school district:

• Administrative Support


• Organized Mentor that teaches the group on a regular basis


• Training Curriculum that is adjustable for students of different ages/skills


• Approval from the Technology Department of the school district


• Established/Approved Help Desk/Work Order System

These are just a couple of the major points that I have seen when trying to implement such a program around the state of Mississippi with the CREATE for Mississippi project. Anyway, the conference will be great, as always. And, San Diego should be nice as well.

Philips DVD Player

I just got the Philips DVD Player about a week ago from BestBuy. At that brief snapshot in time, BestBuy had the lowest price if you picked it up in the store. I just happened to be swinging through Jacktown the upcoming weekend. So, I purchased the player online and picked it up at the Flowood store. Relatively painless...

The player does play DIVX encoded movies rather nicely. I had seen quite a few reviews providing mixed results when handling such files. But, so far I have had no problems. I really like this player b/c I can take my son's DVDs and convert them to DIVX movies on CD-R. He can then handle them, smudge them, and eventually detroy them without the original product being damaged.

You can pickup the player for 49.99 here, http://tinyurl.com/kgpvm.

Flashcards Online

I ran across this free educational resource browsing through my Bloglines account. It is called Flashcards. There are more than 3.9 million flashcard units already developed. Registered users can get a subset of features that are so long it is amazing. To get full functionality, you only have to pay 20 bucks once. I can see the benefit of this resource automatically. Reluctant tech users can stick to the creating and printing flashcards. Moderate tech users can let their students interact with the flashcards online or via SmartBoard/Interactive Whiteboard to get the bodily/kinesthetic thing going on... You ought to check it out.

LMS Tweaks

I have been using Moodle for my department pretty much since it was developed. There are quite a few things that I liked about the LMS. But, here are a couple of reasons why I chose to use Moodle over WebCT or Blackboard (which have now merged):

1. It is free (open-source).
2. It is more user-friendly than the top 2 LMS products (check out Blackboard vs. Moodle).
3. It has worldwide forum support. I have used this in the past and had no problem.
4. It is tweakable/hackable if you know how to write code.
5. Did I mention it is free?

Anyway, I do realize some organizations and businesses will not care for this product b/c it doesn't cost 100K per year. That decision will be couched under the guise of support and training. However, there are Moodle partners that will provide 24/7 for a fee much less than 100K. There are training partners as well that will do the same thing. There is really no excuse to continue paying for something like this. I have used all 3 products and there is no comparison in my mind. Oh well, at least I can podcast and use Flash video from my LMS without any 3rd party products that cost even more money.

Quote of the Day

Finally... a quote validates my generalist behavior...

"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something."
Thomas Huxley

MT2 2006

Well, I just got back Saturday night from the Mississippi Technology Teens (MT2) Conference. It was in Decatur, MS at East Central Community College. This was its fourth year in existence, and the response has been as great as ever. Hopefully, next year will be the best yet. We hope to change some things up relative to chapter organization and pre-conference happenings to attract more students. It is so awesome watching kids come in from all over the state and learn topics like Audacity, Google Earth, Flash, and Photoshop Elements, to name a few. I think all the presenters and volunteers involved show in just a small way why they chose in the beginning to become educators by choosing to participate in such a worthwhile conference.

Louis L'Amour Quote

'Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content.'"

Louis L'Amour

This quote struck me as so true in my worldview currently. I read quite a few books of his when I was younger since my grandfather had about a gillion of his paperbacks. He was always reading them when he had a spare moment.

Being exposed to others in the government and educational setting, it seems to me those type of people (settling or being content) are in the majority. Then the decision-makers / policy-makers wonder why the schools or local governments are failing. Because... people are content to show up, draw the check, do minimal work, and have no repercussions of their actions. Look around... I may be wrong, but I will need it pointed out to me. B/c in the end, I am a guy.

Quote of the Day

Your life, as you know it... is gone. Never to return. But they learn how to walk, and they learn how to talk... and you want to be with them. And they turn out to be the most delightful people you will ever meet in your life.

Bill Murray in Lost in Tranlsation (2003)

Home Wireless Networks

Lifehacker linked to someone's blog nice enough to give a step-by step tutorial on setting up a wireless network at home. Windows users will have to run that stupid CD if you purchase a Linksys WAP or wireless router (Thanks CISCO for nothing!!!). There were a couple of things I noticed though with the instructions.

• They will get a user's network operational.


• They suggest WEP instead of WPA (big no-no for the last couple of years).


• They did discuss immediately changing SSIDs (good!).


• They did not discuss possibly having to change Wireless Channels due to interference.

But, all in all, pretty good for most things... Lord knows it is not easy to find a simple tutorial a couple of years ago on this stuff. Most tutorials got clouded down into some kind of argument over standards relative to WiFI or security and lost sight of the goal. Getting the network operational... I would remember step 4. This will definitely come into play if there is a fair amount of "overspray" from other wireless networks nearby. Happened to a buddy of mine running a private one on Lakeland Drive in Jackson, MS...

Evaluating Technology Plans

One of the major tasks I have is evaluating the technology plan of a large school district in Mississippi. This district has 17 schools, 500 teachers, and 7500 students. It has been a large undertaking to properly evaluate the state of technology in the district as it pertains to the district's technology plan. Think it sounds too deeply embedded in programmatic, research jargon??? Try having to lay hands on every piece of technology as it pertains to the instructional process in the district. Why? In order to ascertain the accessibility of technology to students you have to evaluate each piece objectively. Here is a good resource that explains a general overview of the evaluative process.

AJAX, Alienware, Dell, Oh My...

Well, I ran across an online app somehow this morning that showcased a really cool usage of AJAX. Yes, dragging maps around is nice. Yes, keeping search histories of multiple session ids is nice. But, hey, we could live without them too. Anyway, this group has created an online word processor that is under 400K in size. No registration required... The interface feels like an earlier version of OpenOffice's word processor. But, really cool... Think of kids that have to write papers but don't have a decent app and have only a modem connection that gets half the full rate. Here you go... You can test it for yourself at http://www.ajaxwrite.com.

Well, a buddy of mine and I were wondering how long Michael Dell would stand by and let Alienware consistently make a better product, let consumers choose specs down to the motherboard and memory level of their computer, and kick his tail in all the benchmarking reviews (ala PC Mag and the like). Well, Dell took the Gatesian way of handling it. If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em. Hey, I like Dell. I have spec'd, evaluated, and bought over 1000 of those things in the last 5 years and only about 10 have had to be serviced. Pretty good ratio... But, I just hope the buyout will benefit the customers in the form of Dell actually making a better product in their homeline. Hey, I won't buy most Dimensions and Inspirons they sell. But, I may get a call from somebody wanting me to help them out with their super-cheap, POS Mobo, Dell Dimension. And, I hate to say it... But ads work... And, what do they do? Make people like me handle calls from friends and family asking why their 299 Celeron is running "slow"... Whatever. Make better products... Stop selling crap in part of your product lines... I hope they do.

Maintaining Labs

I spent the day yesterday in Charleston, MS at Charleston Middle School .


Map That school is one our Core Schools that is partnering with the CREATE for Mississippi project. They are a part of East Tallahatchie School District.

Anyway, they got a 30 desktop lab this year through grant funding. They have been able to utilize all of their enrichment, remediation, and progress monitoring programs for students at this school. However, with the good, there is also bad. The heavy use by student in the lab also indirectly leads to quite a few alterations in each computer's look, feel and performance. And, this is one time creativity is bad. As an educator or trainer, having 30 computers that look and act different can be a nightmare. So, I spent a fair amount of the day cleaning up things. I have done this before, but I think the Gateway system recovery (a link of the freakin' Start menu) got me. I think kids got board whether in afterschool programs or whatever, and clicked the link. Which basically undid everything I did in the Fall... No, I didn't have a ghost image b/c they don't have the license. So, I can't "provide" that service for them. So, I redid everything.

• Change Windows Update to Microsoft Update
• Remove all Acrobat Readers (3 versions) and update to 7.07
• Update from MS AntiSpyware to Windows Defender
• Remove Norton AV 2005 90-day trial and install ClamWin AV (Prefer AVG-but free for only personal use)
• Install and Config a stealth IE Privacy Keeper
• Configure Windows for the least amount of damage (Game removal, Sys Recovery removal, etc.)
  

So, it took awhile. It gets a little old. It had some sick, cool factor back when I prepped labs in '98. But, now, considering what I do most times with technology, it gets pretty old. I am trying to convince the district to get some kind of lockdown software. B/c in my experience I figure they have a couple of options.

• Novell rights mgmt
• Windows rights mgmt
• Pushing weekly images from the server level to the clients
• Using a program like DeepFreeze, Fortres, or CleanSlate

My opinion based on looking at the network. I would take an image of the computers and burn them to a bootable DVD. Then, I would install something like DeepFreeze and lock EVERY COMPUTER down. I hate it... I still have problems with progs like that... Does it constrict teachers and students' feeling they have some sort of ownership in the school's technology??? I don't know. But, I do know that computer up-time is one of the primary barriers to technology integration, which defeats my main mission in the school. So, lock 'er down and let's get to business.

ThinkFree Office Revisited

I am developing a handout for a training we are doing via videoconference in about a month. The topic is going to encompass Diigo and thinkfreeOffice Online. Both are really good products as I have stated before. I like the fact that Diigo can post to your blog. Another nice feature is to port out your highlighted areas of selected bookmarks to another page. I could really see the use of this when writing research papers, journal articles or dissertations (like I am finishing).

ThinkfreeOffice Online is getting there. It would take awhile to load up the required Java files for operating the online application. However, it really will be worth the wait. Unlike other open-source applications, I like the fact that its applications Write, Calc and Show's toolbars and interface mimic the MS Office environment. Again, both products are well worth the look. I am not sure why you would buy MS Office again. And, I use it daily.

A Dark Day in Baseball

Well, I guess it was fitting for this travesty to happen in March coinciding with March Madness. Team USA was knocked out last night by Mexico 2-1 in the WBC. The Rocket even got pinned with the big L. I just never thought that I would see the day where an all-star baseball team from the United States would not be crowned champion. Reasons for this failure will abound... ala lack of preparedness of the players, a group of all-stars do not make a team, and so forth. But, none of these things will work for me. Baseball was invented HERE!! I am thinking Alexander Cartwright is turning over as we speak. Chalk this up to another sport where we can claim we are the best, but history is showing possibly not...

Blogger Hacks

OK, so I think the real reason there is such a thing called Blogger Hacks is for people like me. Personally, I have tested most of the major installable apps for my department's project, CREATE for Mississippi. I used to have a self-created news portal, which was ok, but pales in comparison to the most recent rendition of WordPress. Anyway, I like it a lot more than Blogger. Sure, they are both blog apps, but I just like the whole open-source development and support movement behind WordPress.
Regardless, I do like the site at FreshBlog, which outlines a myriad of Blogger Hacks that are actually useful. The one I like best is the drop-down menu for recent posts.

Gmail for Your Domain

Google has initiated a beta test on offering Gmail for users' domains. It looks like a really good deal. Think about it... you don't have to purchase a mail server, server software, or install anything. The main catch... you have to get your clients to get comfortable with the "Google" way of email web clients.

Social Tools

It seems like in the past few months more programs are coming to the forefront (and getting utilized) that promote online creation and sharing of ideas/products on the Internet with others. A few that our office has been looking at are Del.icio.us, Diigo, and Writely.

Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking tool that I personally use. I have always had trouble keeping track of my archived bookmarks from work and home. This stops that problem completely. I also like the fact that posts are cross-referenced with other users, which allows you to find other similar sites if you browse their lists. The main reason I like this tool for educators is that it helps teachers get students on the same page by pointing them to a common site that includes the bookmarks for the day. This is great in a lab environment for a on-site support person to facilitate the process, as well.

Diigo is a social annotation tool. It works hand in with social bookmarking tools like Del.icio.us. By combining social bookmarking, clippings, in situ annotation, tagging, full-text search of everything, easy sharing and interactions, Diigo provides one powerful personal tool and a rich social platform. Ok- in ed speak - it allows teachers to post sticky notes on Web sites to guide students through the learning process. Way cool!!!

Writely is an online word processor. The best thing about it is that it looks like MS Word, but is online. No software needed... Google liked it so much they bought them out recently.

So, Gates was right a few years back when he discussed placing the Office suite online. I think we are almost there whether we like it or not. For him, the only problem there are other companies that are placing their open-source products online NOW not later like ThinkFree Office Online. I am just not sure how long people will continue to buy MS Office if you can accomplish the same tasks for FREE. As generations shift, more people thinking in that mindset will appear.

A Minimalist Approach...

Ok... I am tired of web publication. I have taught the techniques of web design, web site creation, blogging, and so forth. And, I have really missed the most important point in any of these concepts. Content is KING!

So, I am ditching the idea of maintaining multiple pages in personal web site. I do that all the time with my FT job and freelance work. So, it is quite obvious I can not maintain anything personally except in this type of format. So, here is a minimalist approach. Let us see in the upcoming months if this folds as well.