Our office upgraded to Microsoft Office 2007 this week. Mom upgraded several weeks ago. So today Mom said that the place she takes her newletter to for printing couldn’t read the file she had made in Publisher 2007. I said can’t you just save it as an earlier version. She eventually found a place where she could save it as a Publisher 2000 file (why not 2003, the next most recent version?). I went to Microsoft for help. I tried Help that was installed with Office first. Whoops. I don’t guess Help was installed with Office (I have no idea why this would even be an option). So I switched to online help and the internet.
Category: Computers
Y2K All Over Again
The media and computer people made a big deal about the switch to Daylight Savings Time (also known as Daylight Saving Time, either is correct; not sure where the “s” ever came from). I didn’t see why it would be an issue and that Microsoft sends out so many patches that this should just be fixed without any effort on my part. Yesterday, after the time change, my computer at home knew the correct time automatically. I did install a fix on my Palm, but didn’t realize that for it to work I actually had to run the program once. But I did that and it made the adjustment. So far so good.
Perfect Jump Drive
The first portable USB memory drive I had was made by Lexar. It held 64 MB, which was a lot at the time. It was great for moving files around from work or home. It was translucent purple with a cap that went over the USB connector, but didn’t snap. 
After a few close calls, I finally lost the purple cap, but it always worked. The loop that held it to my keychain cracked but I was able to drill a hole through the case, missing the circuit board, and kept it for a while longer.
Then I got a good deal on a Memorex 128 MB drive, so I upgraded. The Memorex was black and had a blue LED (as opposed to the Lexar’s green one) to indicate files were being transferred. It worked fine, but was a little longer (albeit skinnier). The problem with that was it was usually attached to all of my keys and it kind of hung on the USB port on my computer when it was attached. Also the cap on it didn’t snap either and I lost it a month or two ago, probably when I took it off to move some files.
Yesterday Fry’s had a special ($7.99; I never paid more than $10 after rebate for any of these) on the Lexar 512 MB Firefly drive and it is the best one yet. It is the smallest of the three and the top snaps firmly in place. Better yet, the cap is the part that connects to your key ring, so when I connect the drive, I can keep my keys in my pocket. It is called the Firefly because it has a blue light on the back end that lights up while it is moving data.
Remote Control Computer
A while back I was trying to convert an old Powerbook to a digital picture frame. After I burned a delicate cable, I pretty much gave up. Plus the price of thin monitors was coming way down, to the point that I could get a 17-inch monitor supporting millions of colors (vs. the Powerbook’s 12-inch screen supporting thousands of colors) for only $150. The other part of that was that when I bought my desktop computer I had gotten a card that supported dual monitors, so I could also use it for that if I wanted. (I have two monitors at work and love it, but I tried two monitors at home and just didn’t feel like it was all that beneficial. I have more applications open at once at work.)
Idea for Apple
Apple has been very successful with iTunes and the iPod. Maybe it has even helped them sell more iMacs. But clearly it is time for them to move on. I don’t just mean little tweaks like the rumored iPod phone or full-screen video player (which I hope comes out in July and will be cheap enough that I can pay for it with AdSense and Amazon money). And I was thinking about the nano today and how easy it would be to bend or break it while it is in your pocket and I thought a good idea would be to put a hinge in it like a small cell phone.
Actually I’m thinking that Apple could really beef up iTunes, maybe calling it iHome or something and really make a big play on home automation and controlling home entertainment systems. I think they could put all the ingredients together by using wireless networks to stream programming to home stereos and TV’s. They could record HDTV programming from cable, satellite, or broadcast signals (like Tivo), along with letting you download music and video either to own or rent. Maybe they could find a way to combine DRM and let you rip your own DVD’s to store on a giant hard drive. And it would all be served by an Apple computer. You could surf the net too and do it via a remote control (which could be a Blackberry or iPod). If a TV incorporated Airport you could completely eliminate all the wires connecting to it except for power.