Last year, Microsoft teamed up with the FTC in the “Don’t Get Tricked on Halloween” campaign to crack down on illegal methods used by spammers to distribute unsolicited e-mail. As October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month , only fitting that...

If you haven't seen it on the http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/ , Jim Allchin (Co-President of the Platform and Services Division) is blogging now . From Jim: "Welcome to the new and improved Windows Vista blog. A few months back, I pushed our...

A sunny then rainy weekend, filled with costume making and Halloween prep. Here are a few articles from the reading file and ones I re-read during the commute last week. Thankfully, most are available for download, making it easy to save for later reading...

I was asked this week: "What is IPv6 and what do I have to do to my PC now to support it?" So first, what is it? In the simplest terms, Internet Protocol version 4 an 6 (IPv4 and IPv6) are the Internet network standards that are and will be used...

Email this afternoon on my Smartphone: "I am thinking about switching providers. Which of the new Smartphones should I get: the Dash of the Q?" OK, last Dash post until we get one: we decided this weekend that this is the phone for my wife. As noted...

I was asked via email this week a couple of times for my opinion on whether consumers should upgrade their Windows XP computers to the upcoming Windows Vista . Today in the Seattle Times, there's a question from a reader of the Personal Technology Q&A...

Here's a blast: in 2002, Jerry Honeycutt wrote that he was putting together the kitchen computer that he'd been dreaming of. "I want to build one that fits unobtrusively next to the mixer until I call it into service to browse the Internet, check...

Yesterday I recommended the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor in my post "How can I find out if my PC is compatible with Windows Vista?" A reader commented that he having difficulty using the application, getting an error msg that he "didn't have an internet...

John C. Dvorak wrote in his Inside Track column (v25n10) about the Best Camera for the Money Dept . Now, this was from May when he noted that at a keynote address at one of the largest users groups still operating that "every other member was shooting...

The New York TimesTechnology section has an article online today "On the Horizon: A Vista Upgrade." In it, the author provides some answers to the question: How can I find out if my current computer hardware (including my scanner and printer) will be...

Today, MSN Tech takes you on a tour of the Microsoft Home. "A shining steel, geodesic structure where food appears upon command, robots handle all manual chores and families in unisex jumpsuits gather around the hologram station before tucking themselves...

AP reported yesterday that "people who buy certain Windows personal computers this holiday season will be offered free or heavily discounted coupons to upgrade to Microsoft Corp.'s new operating system, Windows Vista, under a program designed to spur...

From the news: "Parents everywhere are concerned with children's access to inappropriate media content. Microsoft, along with our friends at Best Buy and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, is leading an education campaign to provide parents with tools...

At BMW, "Risk-taking is part of the job." But rick-taking can also hit your customer's perception of your quality, and potentially their overall satisfaction. In the recent issue of BusinessWeek, there's a brief look at BMW in " BMW's Dream Factory...

In Fast Company, there is a good article (quick read) from the July issue, Talk to Our Customers? Are You Crazy? by Ian Wylie. The author looks at how Credit Suisse is working to "think different" about its customers. "Stephan Kubler spends each...

From the wonder of the onion today ... "Ginger, a four-year-old golden retriever, saved the life of her owner Megan Walsh, 37, Monday by quickly and efficiently filling out Walsh’s copious emergency-room paperwork.... Ginger could not be reached...

Apparently Dr. Who isn't the only one capable of controlling time. As noted in support article 910268 this week, there's a code defect when you use "Collaborative Data Objects (CDO) to create meetings programmatically in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003...

Here are a few articles I've just re-read during the commute to the office this week. (Not by car but via mass transit, a great alternative especially in wet weather.) Thankfully, most are available for download, making it easy to save for later reading...

This weekend I blogged that when it comes to security on your computer -- whether it's a Mac or a PC -- it pays to be prepared no matter what platform you use . I received feedback in comments and via email on the post. Today I received a link in the...

As noted on their new Slam blog site , the team annouced the first release of Slam... as covered on Gizmodo and Tom's HW Guide ... "Slam is your Windows Mobile social software client and service. Slam allows users to make and manage social groups right...

Of interest is this article from Mark Sullivan of Light Reading , featuring a look at the Microsoft TV usability lab in Silicon Valley. It's an interesting read (complete with photos of the facility) that goes into a customer's digital TV experience,...

A cloudy day in Washington and the kids are at a birthday party. So once I've cleaned up the kitchen, here's a couple of articles that I'm re-reading: BusinessWeek The Apple Calendar Conundrum - OCTOBER 12, 2006 By Arik Hesseldahl - There's no easy...

In a comment I received to a recent blog posting on being careful when it comes to viruses , I wanted to mention something when it comes to computer security: whether you have a PC or a Mac, you will have to be concerned about security and protect yourself...

Flash to a conversation overheard in a checkout line: when one person asks another why they hadn't responded to an email, the resopnse comes: "there was an attachment in your last email, and I heard that attachments could be bad... so I didn't open it...

As noted earlier in the week, the new T-Mobile Dash Smartphone is coming soon. This info is in the official Dash press release : The T-Mobile Dash will be available exclusively to T-Mobile customers beginning Oct. 25 at T-Mobile retail stores and...