Welcome to Office Zealot Sign in | Join | Help

January 2004 - Posts

Saturday, January 31, 2004 8:20 PM

At last... Outlook Shutdown

Oh have I been waiting for this. Outlook is famous for leaving processes running, even after you think you've exited the application. Many Outlook users have become intimately familiar with the routine of calling up the Task Manager to make sure Outlook
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 31, 2004 6:09 AM

McGee says I'm a finder of "friction reducers"

Jim McGee, in his McGee's Musings blog, has picked up on a few of the cool tools I've been blogging about. He came up with a lovely phrase to describe many of these tools -- "friction reducers". Hmm... sounds like a new category for the blog. I discovered
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 31, 2004 5:42 AM

Free Grep and Tail tools for Windows

UNIX users, particularly those who work with a large number of text files (HTML, PHP, Perl, etc.) have long enjoyed the ability to do a search across many files for a string of text and replace it with another using a single "grep" command. BareGrep is
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 30, 2004 8:58 AM

KC Lemson... You Rock!

KC has written a post that makes Outlook 2003 Flags instantly accessible and meaningful ! Using her easy to follow steps, I created this toolbar in about 2 minutes. It's now lodged on my Outlook toolbar and I'm flagging items left and right... because
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 30, 2004 6:11 AM

Crabby Office Lady offers 10 tips to fight spam

I love the Crabby Office Lady! She's got such... attitude! In the new Microsoft This Week newsletter, she offers Outlook users a well-constructed list of tips to help control the deluge. Microsoft Office Assistance If you have an e-mail address, it's
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 30, 2004 6:03 AM

Microsoft Releases New Office Converter Pack

Office Converter Pack (Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit) The Microsoft® Office Converter Pack bundles together a collection of file converters and filters that can be deployed to users. The Converter Pack can be useful to organizations that use Microsoft
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 29, 2004 9:02 AM

News.com: MyDoom virus declared worst ever

MyDoom virus declared worst ever | CNET News.com By David Becker Staff Writer, CNET News.com Story last modified January 28, 2004, 5:25 PM PST It's only two days old and still growing, but at least one security firm is ready to crown the MyDoom virus
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 29, 2004 6:32 AM

Capster: run a program at startup

Here's a cool tool. Capster lets you run a program at startup, but only when the Caps Lock key is on. One of the things I've always wanted in Windows is a Startup Manager like the Mac OS offered (in Classic Mac OS 9 and earlier). This 5K program is a
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Wednesday, January 28, 2004 7:03 PM

Blogjet Update - Bugs Fixed, Features Added

BlogJet has been updated (twice in one day!) and has a tremendous number of bug fixes and a number of new features. Here's list of the changes. BlogJet 1.0.0.13 Release Notes January 27, 2004 FEATURES * Added plain Blogger and MetaWeblog APIs. BUG FIXES
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Wednesday, January 28, 2004 6:44 PM

At last! A screensaver control that works!

Saver Starter is a small freeware program that: Allows a screen saver to be started by moving the mouse over a corner of the screen. Prevents a screen saver from starting when the mouse is in a corner of a screen. Starts the current screen saver quickly.
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Wednesday, January 28, 2004 6:16 AM

SearchSecurity: Malware toolkit

David Strom at SearchSecurity.com has assembled an excellent guide to malware removal tools. The latest RPC Windows vulnerabilities, combined with the performances of August's Blaster and SoBig worm attacks, continue to haunt corporate networks. And the
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Wednesday, January 28, 2004 5:41 AM

Symantec offers a free MyDoom removal tool

Symantec Security Response - W32.Novarg.A@mm Removal Tool Symantec Security Response has developed a removal tool to clean W32.Novarg.A@mm (aka MyDoom) infections. What the tool does The W32.Novarg.A@mm Removal Tool does the following: Terminates the
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 9:12 PM

Need a reference?

Go to Bartleby.com . One of my favorite online resources offers free access to a wide range of reference tools from the mundane (dictionary and thesaurus) to the sublime (H.L. Mencken's An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States ).
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 5:49 AM

OutBack Plus - Outlook backup tool

From WUGNet - home of the Windows Shareware Hall of Fame: OutBack Plus is the original and the premier "Backup and Restore" utility for Microsoft Outlook. OutBack Plus has features not found in other Outlook backup utilities including: backup and restore
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 5:36 AM

Be Web Aware - a great resource for parents with Kids on the Net

Be Web Aware is a terrific site for parents with kids on the Net. It's linked from the Microsoft Canada web site and is also available in French, if you prefer. Excellent advice and many kid-friendly links.
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Monday, January 26, 2004 8:36 PM

ActiveWords wordbase for OneNote

Fred Zimmerman has created a OneNote ActiveWords wordbase file for ActiveWords Plus . This came about from a conversation Buzz Bruggeman of ActiveWords and I were having that we sucked Fred into. The wordbase offers a number of really helpful AW shortcuts
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Monday, January 26, 2004 11:02 AM

The toolbars war is on!

Reading a post today at Ars Technica it appears that the browser toolbar contest has begun in earnest with the beta release of Microsoft's MSN toolbar . Similar to the Google toolbar I've mentioned in previous posts, this new add-in for Internet Explorer
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Monday, January 26, 2004 10:27 AM

Seattle PI web site changes content during the day

Here's a web site that "gets it". Radio and TV have been doing this forever. Why not the web? I know from personal experience that cretaing this sort of dynamic content and layout generation on a web site is not easy but it puts the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Sunday, January 25, 2004 6:38 AM

Ten Mistakes Writers Don't See

Pat Holt , former San Francisco Chronicle Book Review Editor and Critic, offers up some good avice for anyone who writes in Ten Mistakes Writers Don't See . If you write for a living (or for a hobby), you'll only improve the quality of your work by considering
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Sunday, January 25, 2004 6:07 AM

Mark Fiore has something to say

Check these Flash cartoons out. This guy is pretty funny. His work appears in the LA Times and on Salon.com from time to time. He seems comfortable poking fun at all sides in the spirit of true editorial cartoonists and offends true believers on both
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Sunday, January 25, 2004 5:50 AM

PC World: Office 2003 Service Pack in June

PC World has a story detailing the forthcoming update to Office 2003. Service Pack 1 will apply to InfoPath 2003, OneNote 2003, Project 2003, Publisher 2003, Visio 2003 and SharePoint Portal Server and Windows SharePoint Services, as well as the core
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 24, 2004 7:58 AM

7 security tips everyone should follow

Seven Simple Computer Security Tips for Small Business and Home Computer Users consult www.nipc.gov for more information. Use strong passwords. Choose passwords that are difficult or impossible to guess. Give different passwords to all accounts. Make
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 24, 2004 7:05 AM

Yahoo does RSS

Yahoo has just released a beta module that allows you to add RSS feeds to your MyYahoo page. eWeek has a well-rounded article which, quite correctly, also mentions the recent release of NewsGator 2.0 and Newsgator Online Services ;-> Links: Yahoo RSS
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 24, 2004 6:43 AM

MPR: The Blogging of the President

This sounds like something not to be missed. A radio show featuring a number of well-known bloggers talking about the impact of blogs on the presidential campaign. The panel looks pretty impressive and I can just see the image of these guys typing away
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 23, 2004 6:20 PM

Kudos to Microsoft - Good info and advice

Microsoft takes a lot of heat but they are working hard to provide useful information and tools to their customers. I recently signed up for a number of their e-mail newsletters to get a better handle on the current state of their efforts. The "Microsoft:
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 23, 2004 5:26 AM

New WinZip 9.0 Beta adds Outlook Tool

In what may be one of the longest running beta programs ever, WinZip 9.0 (beta 3) has finally been released. While offering only modest improvements over the last beta, the exciting news is the release of a beta version of the WinZip E-Mail Attachment
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 22, 2004 5:20 PM

Sign of the times?

This greeted me this morning when I arrived at my credit union... Wow!
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 22, 2004 5:27 AM

Bloglines announces support for PDAs

Bloglines, a popular web-based RSS aggregator announced new support for connected PDAs. While it's still in beta, the service seems plenty stable and displays well on my Clie UX50 over WiFi with very fast download times. If you use a connected PDA or
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Wednesday, January 21, 2004 6:21 PM

More on Blogjet

I've spent a bit more time with the Blogjet application and here's some of what I've found. Things I like: Clean, XP-style interface : Blogjet is clean and uncluttered with a minimal toolbar. History : download existing posts from your blog into the application
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 20, 2004 5:39 AM

It comes in Windows 2020 - why wait?

This morning's cool tool comes by way of Scoble via Clarke Scott . Gotta love their slogan: "It comes with Windows 2020. But you can get it right now." BlogJet From the web site: BlogJet is a new way to blog right from Windows. With BlogJet you can post
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Monday, January 19, 2004 9:52 PM

The lesson from Iowa

Been reading posts from all over the blogosphere tonight about what took place in Iowa. I think Jeff Jarvis has it exactly right. BuzzMachine... by Jeff Jarvis Dean has not lost yet. But he got a big, loud message tonight. Now we'll see whether he can
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Monday, January 19, 2004 6:02 AM

NewsGator 2.0 - not just for Outlook anymore

NewsGator 2.0 and the new NewsGator Online Services are now available. The web site has been nicely updated and a new tabbed interface lets you switch between information about NewsGator for Outlook, the new online services and news about the company
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Sunday, January 18, 2004 7:49 AM

A fix for text-only links

How many times have you seen a URL that wasn't coded properly to be a clickable link? You have to highlight the text, copy, go to the address bar of your browser, paste, and hit Enter (or click "Go"). I just came across a neat script called BrowseTo (via
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 16, 2004 8:51 PM

More on NBOR

A few days ago, I posted about a new software environment called NBOR (No Boundaries or Rules). As promised, the developers posted a free viewer application yesterday on their site . I've just finished about 20 minutes of interaction with this new environment
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 16, 2004 7:46 AM

Scripting in ActiveWords

I continue to be impressed with how easy it is to automate stuff I do all the time with ActiveWords. Here's a script I assembled in just a couple of clicks that launches the browser, fills in my login credentials, and takes me to my main menu: [WORD:editblog][WAIT
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 15, 2004 6:15 AM

OneNote tip - always on top

I often open a SideNote when I'm on the phone or in a meeting to capture notes that I'll later file in the appropriate section in my OneNote noebook. By default, SideNotes are set to always stay on top of all open windows. This makes switching to the
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 15, 2004 5:32 AM

A tip from Lockergnome for graphics grabbers

Do you "grab graphics from the web? Chriatopher Stewart offers this tip over at Lockergnome to make it a simple click and drag operation. I love little tricks like this - they're easy to set up and use and can save a lot of time. If you are an avid Internet
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Wednesday, January 14, 2004 8:34 PM

Through Ken to Earl - another blog diversion

Ken Camp has been musing about the nature of conversations for some time. He's also a lover of words in all forms. I've truly enjoyed the meandering paths his posts have taken me. Ken and I first encountered each other ganging up on Scoble following one
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 13, 2004 7:36 AM

One less reason to touch the mouse

I recently became acquainted with ActiveWords . Since installing it, I have found literally dozens of ways to speed up the kind of repetitive activity that can make working on your PC feel like a real chore. Consider a lowly task we all perform many times
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Monday, January 12, 2004 12:00 PM

Basic laws of marketing - deli style

Church of the Customer weighs in with a tasty morsel about Zingerman's deli that illustrates some core principles all marketing folks should keep focused on: * It takes time to build a loyal customer base * Educating customers about your products is highly
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Sunday, January 11, 2004 8:17 AM

Gerry McGovern on content in '04

Have you heard of Gerry McGovern? He's one of my favorite meta-thinkers on content. His two books sit within arm's reach and are the foundation of my company's web site style. In his weekly newsletter, "New Thinking", Gerry ponders and prognosticates
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 10, 2004 11:45 AM

Calendar Update for Outlook

Here's a cool add-on for Outlook, especially if you're a sports fan. Calendar Updates offers free downloads of .pst files containing schedules for major sports, phases of the moon, and U.S. and Canadian holdays. The sports offerings include both major
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 10, 2004 6:51 AM

Ooooh... this intriguing

No Boundaries Or Rules (NBOR) is a new software "environment" coming soon. It sounds very interesting. There's a lot of text on the web site but no screen shots to really describe what NBOR will look (or work) like. In an interesting twist, a free NBOR
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 09, 2004 5:47 AM

Fix Outlook's Address Confusion

I found a great tip in the current issue of PC World magazine that solves a long-time Outlook mystery. Outlook insists on remembering e-mail addresses I don't want it to and often puts them in the To: field for me with its Auto-Complete feature. Sometimes
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 08, 2004 5:52 PM

Mac Envy?

One of the cooler features in the new Panther (10.3) release of Mac OS X is a window management function called Exposé. It allows you to use a keyboad command or move the mouse to a designated corner of the screen and do one of the following: Minimize
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 08, 2004 5:58 AM

All-in-One SecretMaker

Found this gem at LockerGnome (thanks Meryl). There are some amazing free tools available on the net to help secure your PC. I often recommend Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy on my weekly radio show. Steve Gibson also has a number of great tools
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 08, 2004 5:42 AM

Greg Reinacker interview in eWeek

A couple of choice quotes from a brief eWeek.com interview with NewsGator's Greg Reinacker : "We have a lot of customers that use Outlook at work and at home, and there was no easy way to have their subscriptions in both places," NewsGator President Greg
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Wednesday, January 07, 2004 5:32 AM

CES: NewsGator 2.0 & new services

A big announcement from NewsGator today. NewsGator Technologies will be previewing Version 2.0 and their new Online Services at the Digital Experience media event held at the Mirage in Las Vegas tonight. NewsGator Online Services is a powerful set of
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2004 7:46 AM

A better way to find files

TaskTracker is an awesome piece of freeware! How many times have you begun searching for a file of a certain type but could not, for love or money, remember where you'd filed it? Hey, it happens -- even to the most organized among us. Yesterday, I wasted
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2004 6:12 AM

D'oh! I forgot to mention OneNote

D'oh! I can't believe I forgot to mention OneNote in yesterday's post about collection tools. If you're at your computer or carrying your TabletPC, OneNote is a terrific way to quickly capture a thought (or sketch out a quick mind map or diagram). Just
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Monday, January 05, 2004 9:07 PM

Collection devices - get one

Curt Rosengren has a post today that provides a great list of options for one of the basic tools every productive person must have - a collection device. It doesn't matter if you're an analog (paper) person or a gadget freak, one of the critical skills
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Sunday, January 04, 2004 11:45 AM

One more meta post

One more post about blogging and then I'll get back on task and get some productivity tips and cool tools reviews going... promise! In my last post, I described the debate about how/why we read blogs going on between Robert Scoble and Ken Camp. Great
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 03, 2004 9:00 PM

Debate - how to read blogs

An interesting debate on how and why we read blogs. Scoble reads and posts a lot. In a post today he said: Why do I say that? Because if you read my blog via an RSS News Aggregator, it's at least 10 times faster to read there than to read via a Web browser.
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Saturday, January 03, 2004 6:55 AM

A better PDA news aggregator!

One of the things I really like about blogs is the great ideas and cool tools you find from other readers. Last night, while reading Chris Meirick's blog , I noticed he referenced my post about Bloglines . In a comment to his post, another guy named "Marc"
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Friday, January 02, 2004 6:53 AM

Google Zeitgeist

Google has published their Zeitgeist for 2003. Interesting to see the differences in what folks are searching for around the global village. For example, the number one Popular Queries around the world include: USA: Britney Spears UK: Prince Charles France:
Posted by marc | 0 Comments
Thursday, January 01, 2004 10:15 AM

Read your favorite blogs anywhere

I'm a very satisfied NewsGator user. But there are times when I don't have access to my laptop and Outlook but can get online (travelling, net cafe, etc.). If I have some time on my hands, I can check the latest posts to my favorite blogs using Bloglines
Posted by marc | 0 Comments