I've always loved this company.  I've only worked here two years, but the love affair began long, long ago (although it was in this galaxy).  I remember, back in the 80s, thinking how Microsoft had changed the world of software forever. ...

If you haven't heard by now, then I will tell you -- last week, Microsoft laid off 1,400 employees . I was one of those 1,400. I'm not telling you this because I am looking for sympathy, but rather because I want to extend my sincere appreciation. While...

Wondering where I have been and what I have been up to?  Well, a LOT of my free time has been poured into this project.  (And I do mean a LOT.)  I know I usually keep this blog on point with tech talk, but I figure a glimpse here and there...

I got home from San Francisco on Friday afternoon.  I had one thing in mind (this is going to be very telling about me, by the way) -- get Hyper-V Server installed.  (See?  VERY telling.  I was on the road for a week (a couple days...

What does the iPod have going for it?  It is ubiquitous.  It was out before the Zune and, frankly, more people own an iPod than own a Zune.  What does the Zune have going for it?  EVERYTHING else.  :)   This is a post that...

This is going to be different from my usual blog post.  I'm going back to my roots as an English major to craft something I don't get to write very often (anymore): an essay.  This isn't a post about how a product or technology can help you...

Last week, I started a series of posts outlining the great new features in Vista as a list of reasons you might want to upgrade.  Today brings us another great new feature included with Windows Vista -- one I use all the time in the creation of these...

There's no question that virtualization is a hot topic right now.  At its simplest level, virtualization is nothing more than removing the link between physical and logical.  The easiest-to-understand example is also the most common form of...

I am the first to admit -- all of the items in this series are not stand-alone reasons to upgrade to Vista.  It is, for instance, hard for me to imagine some business setting where the volume mixer would be the be-all and end-all solution that has...

Chances are, you've never heard of Windows Meeting Space.  It doesn't get a lot of attention.  In fact, in the best traditions of keeping cool new features quiet, we've been so quiet about this one that most people don't even know it is there...

While iSCSI might have the little "i" so common in Apple's naming schemes, it has nothing to do with Mr. Jobs.  In this case, the "i" stands for "Internet."  SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is an interface...

Today begins the first in a series of posts about the value in upgrading to Windows Vista.  I've decided to start out with a tough one, too.  I'm going to write about one of the most oft-maligned features in Windows Vista -- User Account Control...

I spent the weekend trying to think up some great business value scenarios for using Windows Media Center.  The truth is, I couldn't come up with many, though I did manage a couple: News -- you can watch headline news stories from NBC Nightly News...

First of all, if you missed out on the whole digital pet revolution, a Tamagotchi is a virtual pet.  It comes in a small computer (usually attached to a keychain) and requires attention to keep it from dying.  It needs to be fed, played with...

In honor of the Blue Monster (and keeping true to the reason I started this blog), I want to talk about Windows Mojave today.  You might not know what that is.  I didn't.  I read about it online .  What is it?  Is it the latest...

In yesterday's post , I talked about Virtual PC .  While this product absolutely has a place in most organizations, it's not always the ideal choice for your virtual machine needs.  It is, as I said, a great end-user tool.  It's good for...

I had set a goal with my manager earlier in the year to achieve at least one more certification before the end of the year.  I'm happy to say I accomplished my goal with (in his words) hours to spare.  I headed down to Springfield on New Year...

Have you ever wondered?  Truth is, I never have.  And, as hard as I think about it, I don't ever remember seeing a president furiously punching keys as he types a text or an e-mail.  Turns out, there's a reason for that:  Bill Clinton...

You've probably already seen it, but if not, feel free to check out the second commercial in the Seinfeld/Gates saga. You can see all of them online here . I laughed pretty hard at this one the first time I saw it. And it's worth the time spent watching...

At the inauguration, Microsoft is going to help make history.  If you saw my earlier posts about Photosynth, you know it has been featured in CSI.  In that episode, the police used it to reconstruct a murder scene from cell phone pictures taken...

"The Last and Final Chapter" -- that sounds ominous, doesn't it?  Maybe "Windows Vista and the Deathly Hallows" would've been better, but I think a cease and desist letter would be in the mail tomorrow.  ;)  At any rate...

You may have noticed I haven't made a posting here for a couple days. You, like many others, were probably sitting on the edge of your seat salivating for the next "Why Vista?" post only to be denied not once, but twice! What in the world was I thinking...

Hopefully, I'm not the only one who remembers that Mike and the Mechanics song, The Living Years.   If Microsoft were going to re-write that song for the new Zune, the lyrics would need to change to "Every generation builds on the one before...

It be that time of year again.... time to be talkin' like a pirate .  Arrrr......  I be havin' a blog post waitin' in the aft, but after I be seein' the new "I Be a PC" ad, I be changin' my post to talk about this great, grand ad! ...

The much anticipated beta version of Windows 7 is now available for download.  You can find the link here.   It's a limited-release beta, so get it before it's gone.  (Actually, I just found out that the Windows Team has decided to allow...