Just a quick post to anybody thinking about buying/upgrading to Office 2007.  In my opinion, it is not worth the cost at this point.  The say this for a few reasons.

1. Performance - I think this version of Office 2007 is much slower than its 2003 counterpart.  I have absolutely no hard evidence of this though.  I also have to admit that I only run it in the office and that box is not going to win any speed awards.
2. Usability - This should change over time if you believe the MS marketing machine however it is much harder for me to find things that I could quickly locate before.  If you aren't a keyboard cowboy, then you may find yourself actually clicking more than you had to in 2003.
3. Stability - I've had issues with the three main applications that I've used regularly: Word, Excel, and Outlook.  They will all generate random program faults.  I've kept up-to-date on the service packs but stability has not improved.

Just my two cents so take it for what it is worth.

Posted @ 2/06/2007 04:39:00 PM | 1 comments

A quick beer review before I forget.  Third Eye Pale Ale is a beer that I've never had before until I purchased a sixer of it recently.  I will give it a thumbs up as I like pale ales and this is a decent to good one as pale ales go.  It definitely has an interesting label too.  It is made by the Steamworks Brewing Co. in Durango, Colorado.

Posted @ 2/02/2007 07:22:00 PM | 0 comments

Several years back, maybe 2002 or 2003, I received a HP iPaq 3760 for my birthday from Suzanne.  It was definitely a wish list item and I have used it a lot.  However, over the past 12 to 18 months, I have not used it nearly as much.  The main reason for this was because the battery would not hold a charge for more than half an hour.  If I did not charge it every day, it would loose all charge and die completely.  It the past, I had read that batteries were expensive and difficult to replace.  Well, I didn't want to invest in a new PDA as this one has all the functionality I want and besides the battery, there were no real issues with the unit.  Last week, I got online and started searching for batteries.  To my surprise, they were widely available for a wide range of prices.  I ended up going with BatteryShip.com because they had a decent price but more importantly, they also included the tools (T6 torx screwdriver and case separator) necessary for the repair.  I had checked three separate places for a torx screwdriver small enough and couldn't find one that was individually package so I would have ended up paying for a set of them and them just to get a better price on the battery.  They shipped the battery, tools, AND instructions very quickly.  The repair was quick and simple and gave new life to my PDA.  They advertise that the replacement battery has 60% more power than the original battery.  I have definitely gone back to using it much more.  The other issue I had with my PDA, which I confirmed was very common, was the latch which holds the stylus into the PDA.  It had worn out (pretty quickly, probably less than a year) and would not hold the stylus in any longer.  I guess the materials they originally used were not very durable.  After a quick search, I found the replacement part on eBay for just a few bucks so I ordered it.  It came today and I was able to install it (thanks to the tools I got with the battery!) in just a couple of minutes and it works like a charm.  The new latch should be much more durable but I will have to let you know how it is doing in a year or so.  I do have to recommend the seller I found on eBay as the he communicated very well, shipped the product super fast, and it was exactly as he advertised.  You can find him at FixYourPDA.com or on eBay as well.

Posted @ 2/02/2007 06:16:00 PM | 0 comments

My wife was giving me a hard time yesterday because I have not posted anything on my blog lately.  Basically I've been busy and haven't had much to share.  I try to only post if I think it is something really good or something that I have a lot to say about.  I haven't had much of either so I haven't posted.  However, to make my wife happy, here a few notes.

• I am celebrating two three year anniversaries.  The first is how long that I've been (chewing) tobacco free and the second is how long I've been publishing Guitar & Pen (my blog).
• Exxon Mobil sets US profit record: Tell me why they were charging us $3/gallon again?
• Russian shock at 'gagged' babies: It is stories like this that make me want to give up on the human race.
• Ad campaign causes Boston alert:  Peoples stupidity never ceases to amaze me.  Hmm, let's put a bunch of unidentified packages with flashing lights on them around a major city for an ad campaign.  At least they have arrested the two idiots responsible.

Am I off the hook honey?

Posted @ 2/01/2007 03:07:00 PM | 0 comments