CutMeLoose.com

For those of you looking for a way to give to this effort, I'd encourage you to visit MAP International . I worked there as a programmer about 8 years ago.

In addition, all click through revenue on my blog will be donated to this effort. This will be in force for at least the next 6 months. See those ads to the right? Click on them!

MAP Seeks Assistance to Aid Hurricane Victims - MAP International

Another listing of organizations:

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:17 AM 0 comments

CNN.com - Unrest grows in flooded New Orleans - Aug 31, 2005

As parts of flooded New Orleans slip into chaos and Gulf Coast communities struggle to deal with the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana's governor is declaring Wednesday a day of prayer.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:02 AM 0 comments

A must-read from eweek on readjusting the outlook for Tablet PCs

Tablet PCs' Future Uncertain

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:14 PM 0 comments

Distraught resident Harvey Jackson told a local television station about losing his wife in the floodwater as they stood on their roof. (Watch the video report of a husband whose wife slipped from his grip -- 1:07 )
"I held her hand as tight as I could and she told me, 'You can't hold me.' She said 'Take care of the kids and the grandkids,' " he sobbed.

CNN.com - New Orleans shelters to be evacuated - Aug 30, 2005

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:51 PM 0 comments

What a devestating tragedy. Its’ hard to imagine that New Orleans will ever be the same city.

Governor: Refugees must leave New Orleans - Hurricane Katrina - MSNBC.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:09 PM 0 comments

I just spoke with my mom and stepdad. They live in the East Central part of Mississippi – Meridian. The entire city is without power and could be that way for another two weeks.

Thankfully, my folks are just fine. They had trees falling all around them, but none hitting the house. My brother-in-law, on the other hand, had 4 trees hit his house. My mom said that its’ the worst thing she’s ever seen hit that city – and its’soooo much worse on the coast of Mississippi.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:41 AM 3 comments

Lora Heiny points to David Courseys article Tablet PC is Stronger than Predictions Suggest and loves his statement My expectation has been, and continues to be, that Tablet PC will only sell in large numbers when it becomes a no-brainer to buy. This …

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:40 AM 0 comments

James points out that you can get the ad-free version of Opera for free today:

jkOnTheRun: You can get Opera free today

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:39 AM 0 comments

ABC News: What Does 'Back to School' Mean for Home-Schoolers?

For most, "back to school" season conjures up vivid memories: a fresh notebook, the carefully chosen first-day outfit, sizing up the teacher, seeing friends, and figuring out where you stand in the new classroom pecking order.

But what about the increasing number of children being educated at home? The U.S. Department of Education estimates there were 1.1 million home-schooled kids in 2003, and the numbers have been steadily growing.

Are these kids being deprived of a uniquely American rite of passage? Not necessarily, say many involved in the movement.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:47 AM 0 comments

Apple plans "special event" on Sep. 7 - Yahoo! News

Apple on Monday sent out invitations to select media and VIPs for a “special event” planned on September 7, 2005 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif.
ADVERTISEMENT

The e-mailed invitation shows a pair of denim jeans. At the top of the image reads a caption, “1000 songs in your pocket changed everything. Here we go again.”

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:52 AM 0 comments

Microsoft releases file system beta - vnunet.com

Microsoft has released a beta of its next generation Windows File System (WinFS).

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:12 AM 0 comments

I'm taking a week-long break from work, combined with the upcoming Labor Day weekend, to fix up my house. I will have a posting on Sept 1, so I will not be completely silent. Unfortunately for you though, I do not have an automated posting mechanism, even if it is only a line or two of XML/SOAP or whatever it is that Raymond uses.
Stay tuned for Sept 1!!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:31 PM 1 comments

CNN.com - Katrina batters roof of Superdome - Aug 29, 2005

New Orleans, braced for a catastrophic direct hit from the powerful Category 4 storm, hunkered nearly 10,000 people in its mammoth Superdome, but Ed Reams of CNN affiliate WDSU reported that the structure has begun leaking as the winds damaged the roof letting daylight and rainwater in the darkened arena.
"I can see daylight straight up from inside the Superdome," Reams reported.
National Guard troops moved people to the other side of the dome. Others were moving beneath the concrete-reinforced terrace level.
"This is only going to get bigger," he said. "We have another two hours before the worst of the storm gets to us."

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:50 AM 0 comments

This hurricane about to hit New Orleans is going to be devastating. This report from CNN will terrify you.

CNN.com - Katrina may be 'our Asian tsunami' - Aug 28, 2005

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:18 PM 0 comments

ThePodcastNetwork :: The TabletPC Show » Blog Archive » The Tablet PC Show #22

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:56 PM 0 comments

There is now an online petition regarding the OEM Recovery Disk' issue

Windows XP Tablet PC Distribution Petition

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:52 PM 0 comments

You learn something everyday. I did not know that Wacom made felt tips. I'll have to try them out.

The Student Tablet PC: Feel Better in Felt

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:01 PM 0 comments

Picked this up from Loren

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:56 PM 0 comments

Crashless posts his thoughts on his new x41 tablet pc.

Crashless Aspirations » X41 Tablet - First Impressions

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:40 PM 0 comments

I reported several weeks ago that my convertible keyboad hinge had broken. Through working with their Motion’s fine technical support engineers, they sent me a replacement even though many of their keyboards have been back ordered.

Through several conversations with them, I’ve learned that there is a pin in the hinge that is designed to break before the stubs that connect inside the tablet break the tablet itself.

Well, it happened again….this time with a keyboard only a couple of weeks old. This one will be going back this coming week.

BTW: the heat of the tablet has caused the rubber on the pen to expand, much like the TC1000 and early TC1100 pens. Tech support sent me a replacement for that pen as well.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:00 PM 1 comments

TDavid has some words for Motion on them not having batteries available for the m1400 in 2008 and beyond. That is disappointing. I can understand Motion not producing them, but they should at least get 3rd party vendors to do it beyond 2008. That would let folks feel better about the long term viability of products they purchase, especially when you spend $2K- - $3k for it.

I'd be curious about the standard policy followed by other portable OEMs.

If I know Motion the way I think I do, they won't leave their customers hanging. Hey, You can always stock up in Dec 2007. that will get you by for at least 3 more years.

Make You Go Hmm: » No more Motion M1400 batteries after 2007

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:35 PM 0 comments

Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:25 PM 0 comments

James Kendrick posts an open letter to Microsoft about Tablet PC recovery problems – I highly encourage you to read this, blog about it, and get it distributed.

jkOnTheRun: Open letter to Microsoft- re: Tablet PC recovery problems

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:38 AM 0 comments

The bottom fell out this past week, beginning on Sunday night. By Thursday, Maggie’s seizures were back with a vengeance.

We met with Maggie’s neurologist on Friday and meet with her surgeon early next week to determine was has happened.

Prior to surgery, the surgeon told us that there is a chance that her seizures could also be coming from the scar tissue and this could be a “first effort” at stopping them. He thought that it would be remote, but still a possibility. The last word we received was that removing the scar tissue was not an option due to the risk involved. As has been the case from the beginning, Maggie continues to always been the rare exception.

The disappointment that we all and Maggie have felt this past week cannot be understated. We had no choice but to become vulnerable and believe that this surgery had done its’ job completely. For Maggie to get a 2 week glimpse at normality and then yanked away, just breaks this father’s heart.

But God has still been good to Maggie. For some reason, it pleases God for Maggie and our family  to continue along this path. We have to continue to believe that God will heal Maggie and is using this for His Glory. Our challenge as we move into year 3 of this battle is to continue to be the best advocate we can for Maggie and learn to live and thrive in the midst of this.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:56 AM 3 comments

T David points us to a tablet PC friendly fitness program - Body Trans. very cool, I'm downloading it now. It appears to be Body For Life centered, which is great for me. I Love that program. Although BF centered, it can be customized for other programs as well.

Tablet features:

Thanks for the link, Warner.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:24 AM 0 comments

Locked-out CBC employees creating Internet broadcasts to stay on the air - Yahoo! News

Locked-out CBC Radio staff have started producing Internet-based audio broadcasts to fill the void left by the labour dispute at Canada's public broadcaster.

And union members say the growing collection of recorded programs - digital audio files known as podcasts - represent a small taste of what CBC listeners can expect if the lockout of the Crown corporation's 5,500 employees drags on.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:02 AM 0 comments

Some "must reading" on Eric's Toshiba issue. Get this: the rep told him to go buy the retail version of Tablet Edition to fix the problem:

Eric Mack On-Line - www.EricMackOnline.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:06 PM 0 comments

I purchased a TC4200 off of Ebay to evaluate for a customer. Its’ a great machine and in excellent shape, I just don’t have a need for an extra tablet right now. No scratches, etc. I haven’t tested out a Thinkpad tablet, but in many respects this tablet pc is a much better tablet and higher speced for the money. If I needed a convertible today, the TC4200 would be #1 on my list.

Specs:

TC4200 1.86ghz
512mb RAM
100GB harddrive
Bluetooth
802.11bg Intel
Pen and nibs and tether
Excellent condition
3 year warranty (to April 2008)

$1500 + $35 shipping / handling / insurance

email me at rob at zoeinc dot com if you are interested.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:23 PM 3 comments

Eric Mack is not a happy camper right now – and rightly so. Check out his blog for how OEM’s are leaving folks stranded with only recovery CD’s. I quickly took a look at my Motion software and found the same problem: only a recovery cd:

Shame on you Toshiba. You left me out in the cold, with nothing to write on but my pen and paper.

To my readers: The key take-away from this post is to make sure that you have "Original Setup CD-Rom" for your computer, not just the product recovery CDs.

... If The Microsoft OS wants the original disk to do a proper file repair, then that's what I expect to be provided by the vendor. An excuse about OEM licenses won't cut it.

Eric Mack On-Line - www.EricMackOnline.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:00 PM 0 comments

There have been a lot of great entries. Many of the applications I already knew about, some I’ve heard of before but never played with, and then others that I’d never heard of. I’d never even heard of Network Whiteboard before.

The person who won submitted this comment: The key phrase for me that tilted me toward this submitter was:

These four apps that what makes my Tablet PC a Tablet PC, otherwise it is a laptop.

I don’t know who you are, so you’ll need to email me at rob at zoeinc dot com to get your free copy of MathJournal.

Josh Einstein also summed it up well by saying:

The thing is, this is a tough question because the beauty of the Tablet PC is that your favorite applications still work on it. You just get unparalleled mobility and more comfortable interaction. So it's hard to find a need for too many "tablet-specific" apps.

What I saw in the comments were that a lot the  submitted apps were ones that took an existing app and made it better by ink-enabling it to take advantage of the pen interface: TEO, ActiveWords InkPad, MindManager

Then you had the tablet specific only apps like MathJournal, Network Whiteboard,  StrokeIt, etc.

So – what’s my “can’t do without” tablet app? The app reaches across my entire computing experience and it is what seperates my tablet pc from a laptop. MindManager and TEO come up right in there tied for a very close second, but there has always been one app that is continually open on my taskbar: GoBinder. Its’ the first app I install after getting reformatting and its’ the one that I’ve continued to use ever since getting a Tablet PC almost 3 years ago. The upcoming release of GoBinder 2006 will make that even more so.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:24 PM 2 comments

I picked up a used TC4200 Tablet PC off of Ebay to play with on behalf of a customer. It is really nice. Still getting the feel of it, etc.

After using it for about 5 hours yesterday and playing with it while watching 24, I’m left with the following impression: although it is a well equiped tablet (1.86ghz, 100gb harddrive, bluetooth) and having the keyboard readily available at the flip of the screen was very nice, I felt like when I switched over to using my LE1600, I was working with a whole different animal – a whole different breed of species.

I was also reminded that I will never buy another tablet pc without an extended battery. I don’t have the battery slice for the TC4200 yet, but there is a big difference 2.5 hours and 5.5 hours of battery life.The difference is not just with time, its’ with having to remember to bring the ac adapter along whenever you go mobile.

I’ll still recommend the TC4200 to my customer because of their heavy reliance on a keyboard, but its’ further proof to me that I picked the right tablet pc for how I work. I’ll likely sell the TC4200 on the Buzz and then pickup the Thinkpad to test against as well.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:21 AM 0 comments

From Onfolio:

Today we released a point release of Onfolio 2.0 and a new edition of Onfolio designed for academic and scientific research. The new edition of Onfolio is priced at $149.95, and current Onfolio 2.0 Professional customers can upgrade to this edition free of charge. There is a lot of information on our web site now about the new edition, which is called the Academic and Scientific Edition.

More Info

point release upgrade

Download for free uprade

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:45 PM 0 comments

Tracy writes a good article on why she went from convertible to slate and back to convertible. For those doing usability studies, this is a good read. For those considering a purchase, its’ definitely a resource to check out.

Some of you may know from my post on TabletPCBuzz that I ordered a Toshiba Portege M200 and I will be selling my M1300VA as soon as it gets here and I get settled in (again...). I have a couple reasons, and I thought I'd share so others who are having trouble deciding can maybe figure it out.
(I was just going to make this strictly slate v. convertible, but I'll also add in why I chose the M200).
Summary:
1. I type a LOT.
2. Over 90% of typing is done not at a table or desk.
3. I want that "normality" option.
4. Touch typing is not great on abnormal keyboards.
5. Not everyone is comfy with the TIP.
6. Wide angle viewing.
7. More bang for your buck.
8. Now, why the M200, exactly?

The Student Tablet PC: Why I'm Now a Toshiba Owner

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:50 AM 0 comments

I saw this article on TabletPCBuzz.com and thought I’d take a read. Many of the performance increases mentioned in the article I already knew about, but I didn’t know about #4 and #5. I went through the article and applied all of them – wow! My tablet was pretty fast to begin with, but it really smokes now.

Performance Boosting XP

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:05 PM 0 comments

Great post by the Tablet PC team on why you can’t write small on your Tablet PC.

When comparing pen & paper, with the Tablet PC, you will quickly realize they are not the same.
There's issues such as tactile feel, the distance between your stylus and the ink dot (the cursor) on inking surfaces, and other such differences observable at first site. But the difference that sticks out to me personally is that for some reason I end up writing bigger on a Tablet PC as compared to pen & paper. There are many factors feeding into this, of these being the fact that writing on plastic or glass just does not have the same tactile feel as writing on paper, but this blog is a tad of explanation on other factors that feed into this, notably NOISE.

Tablet PC Team Blog : Why can't my Tablet write small?

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:35 PM 0 comments

I’m baffled that hardly anyone is entering these contests at TabletPCBuzz.com . The prizes are simply awesome. 1st prize is a 2gb stick of memory!

Now…stop what you are doing and head over to Tablet PC Buzz.com  and enter these contests. Major kudos to John Hill of Allegiance Technology Partners for running the contest.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:03 AM 0 comments

This story has got legs.

The director of the Tour de France said it was a “proven scientific fact” that Lance Armstrong had a performance-boosting drug in his body during his 1999 Tour win, and that the seven-time champion owed fans an explanation

Armstrong 'fooled' us, Tour boss says - Other Sports - MSNBC.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:44 AM 1 comments

 Looks like Warner's satirical piece worked! seriously, I'm glad they came to their senses on this. Beins a longtime FSU fan, I'm very happy to see this happen.

The NCAA will allow Florida State to use its Seminoles nickname in postseason play, removing the school from a list of colleges with American Indian nicknames that were restricted by an NCAA decision earlier this month.
The NCAA said it was recognizing the relationship Florida State has long enjoyed with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which assists the university with its pageantry and celebration of its culture and supports the school's use of its name.

NCAA will allow FSU to use Seminoles nickname

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:13 PM 0 comments

Fascinating article on impacting our culture.

In the blue and gold elegance of the House speaker's private dining room, Jeremy Bouma bowed his head before eight young men and women who hope to one day lead the nation. He prayed that they might find wisdom in the Bible — and govern by its word.

"Holy Father, we thank you for providing us with guidance," said Bouma, who works for an influential televangelist. "Thank you, Lord, for these students. Build them up as your warriors and your ambassadors on Capitol Hill."
"Amen," the students murmured. Then they picked up their pens expectantly.
Nearly every Monday for six months, as many as a dozen congressional aides — many of them aspiring politicians — have gathered over takeout dinners to mine the Bible for ancient wisdom on modern policy debates about tax rates, foreign aid, education, cloning and the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Through seminars taught by conservative college professors and devout members of Congress, the students learn that serving country means first and always serving Christ.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:06 PM 0 comments

I'm with Bob Dole on this one.

Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, who ran against Robertson for the GOP presidential nomination in 1988, called the comments "stupid" and "ludicrous" and suggested Robertson apologize "very quickly."

CNN.com - U.S. dismisses call for Chavez's killing - Aug 23, 2005

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:29 PM 0 comments

Check out HPClean’s review of the X41T – more pictures than you’ve ever seen of the Thinkpad. The link is in French – use your favorite translator

TabletPC'Corner : Toute l'information des TabletPC

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:54 PM 0 comments

Gary Krakow has a write on the different laptops available and titles his article “What do you want in a laptop?”. No mention of tablet pc’s whatsoever, even though he does mention the X41, he doesn’t talk about the tablet functionalities of the X41T.

What should have been a good overview article of portable computing totally misses the boat as he leaves out one of the most exciting technologies to hit portable computing: tablet pc.

What do you want in a laptop? - Digital Life - MSNBC.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:40 AM 0 comments

Google plans instant-messaging service - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

Google Inc. is set to introduce its own instant messaging system, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday, marking the expansion by the Web search leader into text and also voice communications.

Citing unnamed sources "familiar with the service," the Los Angeles Times said that Google's Instant Messaging program would be called Google Talk and could be launched as early as Wednesday.

Google Talk goes beyond text-based instant messaging using a computer keyboard to let users hold voice conversations with other computer users, the newspaper quoted a source as saying.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:16 AM 0 comments

I've created a league for readers of my blog, total 14 teams, 13 more available.

League ID: 508377

password: tabletsrock

http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/register/joinprivateleague

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:14 PM 0 comments

Eric Rudolph's mother has a few thoughts

"I think each man is destined in life to fulfill whatever he's called to do, and some people, unfortunately, are on the dark side," Pat Rudolph, 77, said in an exclusive interview from Florida that aired Monday on CNN, her first television appearance.

Romans 9: 21–24

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:32 PM 0 comments

I’m still using the beta version of the ActiveWords InkPad beta ( hasn’t been officially released yet). I thought I’d mention the beauty of how well TEO and ActiveWords work together to bring about a total ink experience for the tablet pc.

I’ve got the InkPad configured so that the icon is floating on top of my windows and its’ a pretty small icon, transparency set high. I’ve also got TEO configured to incercept all of the create items within Outlook.

So…I’m in Word doing something (annotating a document for example) and decide that I need to create a task. I click once on the ActiveWord icon (sitting at the top of my window) and write in ink on the input panel “ task “. My TEO Task entry screen then pops up and I create my Outlook Task in Ink, storing it ink.

I didn’t touch the keyboard a single time, applications were kicked off from Ink commands, and data was stored in ink. Isn’t that so totally cool!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:42 PM 2 comments

Ethan has a very bad case of Tablet PC envy:

A friend of mine flew down for my daughter's first birthday. She's a good friend of mine from way back. I knew that she had just bought a tablet PC, and I knew that she was going to bring it with her. After Jason's and Jim's posts on tablet PCs I knew it was something I would like. But I also knew they were bloody expensive. I had a really bad experience buying an over price computer so I didn't want to get burned again. I wanted to resist it, I really didn't want to see the darn thing. I've got a very fine sketchbook after all. What do I need with a expensive gadget. She showed it to me, I stayed up tell two in the morning playing with it.

Now my only question is which one should I get?

I must reasearch.

I get you back for this Mel...

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:06 PM 0 comments

Interesting post by Marek Parlowski:

Roger Kay, a former IDC analyst and now president of his own research firm (Endpoint), has published a forecast on Tablet PCs. It contains an interesting account of how Microsoft evaluates its potential markets:

“When questioned about whether the tablet was really up to shouldering the mainstream computing needs of the broad horizontal market, Gates was unwavering in his assertion that Windows XP Tablet Edition would make it so. Microsoft’s focus group research, he said, showed that people hated the tablet the first day, grumbled about it on the second, sort of got it on the third, and so on until the 10th day, when they said they couldn’t live without it.”

If we accept Kay’s account, Microsoft’s approach can only be described as fundamentally disconnected from the reality of consumer buying habits. How many consumers do you know who are going to buy a product they hate on first sight? Unless Microsoft and its OEMs are willing to lend every potential customer a tablet until such time as they ’sort of get it’, it is hard to see how Tablet PCs are ever going to get off the ground.

Of course, this isn’t just about Tablet PCs - if this is the view held by the senior management at Microsoft, it is hardly surprising their other mobile products are still the subject of criticism.

MEX - The PMN Mobile User Experience conference - You only get one chance

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:42 AM 0 comments

A reader of mine, Philip Copeland , is seeking some input on how an instructor might benefit from wireless technology in the classroom. Here is his question. Post your answers as a comment to this post.

My department chair has asked me to come up with reasons an instructor might benefit from wireless technology in the classroom. This is a precursor to paying for it out of departmental funds. It is a good question and one that I would like help in answering.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:21 AM 5 comments

Great review by Craig Pringle.

This is a really great device. What truely excites me about the LS800 is not the device itself - as good as it is - but what it foretells. Several of the limitations of the LS800 will be addressed by technologies that are just over the horizon. For example solid state disks will reduce the heat output and extend battery life. Smaller EVDO or USMT chipsets will be embedded in the hardware, eliminating the need for a PC Card slot.

Blog:: Craig Pringle - Review of Motion LS800

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:53 PM 3 comments

As posted by John Hill:

Spencer and I talked about a contest to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the rebirth of TabletPCBuzz. He’s been too busy to iron out the details, so I’m going to post here before this momentous occasion passes.

If you haven’t read the history of the Buzz, you can do so here: http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/about/about.asp

Some of my posts have railed against the notion that the tablet is a “niche” product. With the many uses that Buzz members have found for their PCs, I hope you agree. The first contest is an essay (sound of groaning). Tell us, in 250 words or less, how you use your tablet PC for work, school or personal use.

Oh yeah, what’s a contest without prizes? In each of the two categories, first, second and third place will be awarded.

1st prize: Crucial 2Gb memory stick
2nd prize: Crucial 1Gb memory stick
3rd prize: Crucial 512Mb memory stick

Tablet PC Buzz.com - Forum

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:08 PM 0 comments

Editor attacked over ‘intelligent design’ article - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

Evolutionary biologist Richard Sternberg made a fateful decision a year ago.
As editor of the hitherto obscure Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, Sternberg decided to publish a paper making the case for "intelligent design," a controversial theory that holds that the machinery of life is so complex as to require the hand — subtle or not — of an intelligent creator.
Within hours of publication, senior scientists at the Smithsonian Institution — which has helped fund and run the journal — lashed out at Sternberg as a shoddy scientist and a closet Bible thumper.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:55 AM 5 comments

Josh is inquiring about possibility integrating TEO and Mind Manager. post your thoughts to the link below.

Hey guys. I like the idea of MindManager, but I'm really new to it and I haven't used it much just because I've been pretty busy since I installed the trial.

But I wanna know, do you think there is some potential here for integration with TEO? Can I get some feedback from some people that use it frequently?

What do you think about copying a batch of ink tasks to and from MindManager/TEO? Just throwing it out there. Please pass the word around about this thread because this board doesn't really get much traffic.

Einstein Technologies Forum - MindManager integration ideas...

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:46 AM 0 comments

The tablet team on handwriting recognition and Vista;

If you’re like me, the first time you picked up a Tablet PC you began writing in your favorite block print handwriting style. Perhaps like me, you were disappointed with the results. Personally, I found myself adjusting my handwriting to fit the computer. Three years after the Tablet PC launch (and a couple more playing with the developing technology), I’ve been broken of my block print. I still use print in note-taking, but I’ve even adopted lower-case letters (which tend to yield better recognition results).
Clearly, this is not the way to bring “natural computing” to every user. That is why I am happy to tell you about just one of several improvements on the way for Windows Vista. Some of these improvements are available in an early (and by no means final) stage in the Beta 1 TIP Download.

Tablet PC Team Blog : Do You Print?

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:53 PM 0 comments

Frist voices support for ‘intelligent design’ - Politics - MSNBC.com

Echoing similar comments from President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said "intelligent design" should be taught in public schools alongside evolution.
Frist, a Republican from Tennessee, spoke to a Rotary Club meeting Friday and told reporters afterward that students need to be exposed to different ideas, including intelligent design.
"I think today a pluralistic society should have access to a broad range of fact, of science, including faith," Frist said.

Frist, a doctor who graduated from Harvard Medical School, said exposing children to both evolution and intelligent design "doesn't force any particular theory on anyone. I think in a pluralistic society that is the fairest way to go about education and training people for the future."

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:39 PM 0 comments

For those of you who don’t know, when I’m not working in the tablet pc arena, I’m developing and designing websites. Most of the websites I develop are database driven, utilizing either ColdFusion or ASP. 

Over the past month, I’ve had the pleasure of designing and developing a website for the chemo clinic that my daughter Maggie has been attending over the past year and a half. The folks at Childhood Hematology and Oncology Associations (CHOA) are simply amazing. The love they have for these kids is very evident in how they serve and care for them. I wanted to capture that for the web. I wanted to capture the hope and passion that the nurses and doctors have for these kids. I think we did it.

Because of everything involved and attached to this project, this website has become one of my favorites.  

Check it out.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:46 PM 0 comments

Looks like some unhappiness in Two Note land.

Tablet PC Buzz.com - Forum

How does “Googgy Software” get things done??.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:36 AM 0 comments

Tracy on scanning and Acrobat:

I just finished scanning my first textbook for this semester and I thought I'd share a few things I came across.
First, I'm now convinced the method I outlined in the Acrobat article is a great way to scan books. Not only did I get great quality scans, but it was super easy and I now have a 600 page book with searchable text and bookmarks taking up a minor 17MB of space. Sweetness.

The Student Tablet PC: More Time With Acrobat

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:25 AM 0 comments

Looks like Scoble has been spending too much time at Google lately.

Scoble said in an interview that because of Microsoft's "history" -- which famously includes attempts to create proprietary implementations for standard technology -- the company wants to be careful and "do the right thing" in regards to RSS.

In one widely publicized case over the branding of an accepted technology standard, Microsoft ended up paying Sun Microsystems $1.9 billion last year to settle a seven-year lawsuit over the software giant's implementaton of Java.

"I'm fighting that [former] path," Scoble said Tuesday of Microsoft's careful consideration of how to include and name RSS in its products. "We’re just trying to be compliant with everyone here not do something evil."

Microsoft may dump proposed RSS name

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:31 PM 0 comments

For those of you interested in the new release of GoBinder 2006 (not available yet), you will be happy to know that the upgrade from GoBinder 2005 to GoBinder 2006 will be FREE! Check it out:

Tablet PC Buzz.com - Forum

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:09 PM 0 comments

Robert Scoble's book is now available for pre-order. This link is their affiliate link so they can make a little more on it.

Naked Conversations: We're on Amazon. People are Ordering!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:53 PM 1 comments

Talk about some bad out of the box experiences. The folks on the msft Tablet PCand Onenote Team need to read this blog. Thanks to Marc for the link.

Summary: Little things count. If you make a time limited test version, don't piss me of by demanding a direct internet registration to unlock the beta! Things like this will just speed up the process of me joining the lines of Open Source development - even on my beloved applications.

My first steps with Onenote

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:13 PM 1 comments

Picked this up from Warner. Good grief.

I don’t think you’d see this article about window’s based notebooks.

TimesDispatch.com | iBook sale erupts in chaos, stampede

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:23 PM 0 comments

Ok Microsoft, I’ve got one for you. Scoble?

There is a bug that develops when computers get above 1gb of RAM that causes big problems with hibernating. 9 times out of 10, an error will be displayed when attempting to hibernate that says “Insufficient System Resources Exist to complete the API”.

Supposedly this was fixed for pre-sp2, but the problem still exists for service pack 2 users and the patch only works on pre-sp2 machines. This is a major pain in the rear end because when you think that you’ve actually hibernated, the system is still on and consequently eats up your battery. Having hibernate set to go off after stand-by won’t work either because the error will appear thus stopping the system from going from standby into hibernate.

What makes it worse is that the system then turns hibernation off.

To me, this is a bigger issue then the so called memory leak problem. Since upgrading my memory to 1.5gb, I’ve essentially had to give up hibernation and stick with stand-by. Here are a few other folks talking about this problem. Hilton, who can you get to escalate this for resolution? I know this isn’t tablet pc specific, but it affects all mobile users with more than 1gb of memory.

I’m going to call MSFT and get a trouble ticket started on this, but surely this is on the radar somewhere. I’d just like to know when its’ going to get fixed.

Josh Einstein

TabletPCBuzz.com

Another Buzz thread

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:02 PM 6 comments

There are some interesting threads on http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/ about convertibles and slates, and a great post by Craig Pringle about where convertibles and slates lie on the spectrum of mobility.

I’ve been reading a lot about the Thinkpads and their lack of features, especially with the docking station. Considering the target market for the Thinkpads, the price premium shouldn’t matter; however, I’m starting see a trend where people are doing a double take and saying “you know, that TC4200 is a pretty nice machine – and I can get it now – and its’ cheaper.” The Thinkpad is thin and has a great keyboard, but is it worth a drop in 273 mhz, harddrive speed, and a price premium of almost $400? Depends on how much you really want that thinness and nice keyboard.

Choosing the right convertible tablet will always be a balance between weight, performance, and price. In my opinion, HP’s TC4200 does the best job of hitting that sweet spot. If I were tempted to get a convertible today, I’d choose the TC4200 above all the other models available. It offers the most performance for the money and is a great tablet at that. When I demoed it at Windows Anywhere earlier this year, I was very impressed with it.

Hat tip to Warner for the Craig Pringle link.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 10:27 AM 3 comments

Good news from Josh. Very wise move on his part.

Jensen Harris, the author of the excellent and very useful KnockOut utility for Outlook has agreed to let me bundle KnockOut with TEO 3.0 when it is released later this year. This is very cool because it will expose more people to the utility and TEO users will be able to easily include it in the installation to compensate for Outlook shut down issues.

KnockOut to be bundled with TEO 3.0!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:29 AM 0 comments

TabletPCBuzz.com forum member Graye has a great review of installing Vista on the LE1600 Tablet PC. A good read and a good overview of the different tiers supported.

Tablet PC Buzz.com - Forum

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:17 PM 0 comments

Warner talks about the Tablet PC OS becoming part of the Premium Edition. Just the idea that its’ in the premium puts the “every laptop with tablet os” paradigm off for quite sometime. Seems Microsoft maybe thinking the same thing. Checkout Warner’s thoughts on the same topic:

Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2: Future Tablet PC OS In Premium Editions Of Vista?

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:15 AM 0 comments

This is from Marc Orchant. Looks like the M4 is not glass-ready, either.

The Tablet PCs Weblog - tabletpcs.weblogsinc.com _

Based on some great fact checking by Lora Heiny and Robert McLaws, it turns out this post, in its original form, is almost certainly not right. The title has been edited and I’ve added this text. The M200 (and the Tecra M4) use a G-Force Go 5200 mobile video processor which will apparently not have the juice required to produce Glass effects.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 5:49 AM 1 comments

I'm going to check this out. Anything by Michael is worth reading.

The Mindjet Blog » MindManager at Microsoft

Michael Linenberger, author of Seize the Work Day: Using the Tablet PC to Take Total Control of Your Work and Meeting Day (a book about making practical use of the Tablet PC in a business setting. The book includes a lot of ideas about how to use MindManager on a Tablet PC) has just written 4 Tips for Improving Tasks at Work for the Microsoft at Work site. Check it out! Michael has some excellent tips, incuding how to use MindManager to accelerate brainstorming. "I find the software actually increases my creative output during brainstorming by helping to connect ideas," Linenberger says.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:23 PM 0 comments

I love read these posts of people customizing the tablet to fit their work needs

Tablet PC Buzz.com - Forum

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:11 PM 0 comments

God has been good to Maggie this week.

On Tuesday around 11:00 am, Maggie made a break through. She started playing basketball, doing lay-ups, and walking around the block. The WNBA style basketball activity came to halt after the surgeon found out.

Maggie met with her speech and physical therapists this week – they are astounded with what they are seeing: no more tremor activity in her muscles, fantastic processing and logic skills, and ability to hold her attention. These are things that they have been working on for months and have never seen in her before.

Her neurologist has found no neurological deficits and is about as happy as we have ever seen him. Giddy would be a good way to describe his behavior.

Kathi and I are getting very excited. Instead of tears of fear, the Lord has given us tears of joy and they are so wonderful to feel on your cheeks. Pray for us as we begin to enjoy what God has given us and enter into the delicate area of trust. Maggie and the rest of us have hope.

Enjoy your weekend.

Blessings,

Rob Bushway

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:56 PM 9 comments

Wouldn’t it be cool to see this kind of meetup for TabletPCBuzz.com – 150+ turn out!

The Engadget Reader Meetup: The Aftermath (part II, DC) - Engadget - www.engadget.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 6:52 PM 1 comments

Here is a response from Ben Thacker, Manager of the Specialized Products and Options Group at HP that I just recived today on the status of the TC1100

The HP TC1100 is available for purchase through 2005.  It is being discontinued on 12/31/05.  It has been a very successful form-factor for HP and we are pleased with its long-lived results.  It has allowed HP to reach #1 in market share during the early stages of tablet pc technology.  This discontinuation will be like any other HP notebook product.  Obviously, all HP TC1100 owned products under warranty will continue to be supported by HP.  For those outside of warranty, HP’s normal process is to carry parts for years after the discontinuation.  Our investment into tablet pc’s continues stronger than ever.  Our TC4200 is selling very well and offers mainstream performance, best-in-class battery life, and value.  We’re excited about our future products that will include tablet functionality.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 11:33 AM 0 comments

CDW is having a heck of a sale on their TC4200 – $300 rebate. Effectivity gets it down to about $1600 – ships same day. Or you could get a ThinkPad Tablet PC (lower priced) for $2400.

Product Overview

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:42 PM 0 comments

I’m now using this le100 tablet pc convertible keyboard as my desktop keyboard. I’ve looked at the new docking station, but with the power support, usb drives, and accessory port, I have no need for the docking station. Its’ basically a portable docking station built-in to the convertible keyboard.

Teaser: I just got word of something new coming that is going to totally rock. I’m really pumped about it and can’t wait for it to get out of prototype stage. More on that later.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:01 PM 0 comments

I just watched a privately distributed preview demo video of TEO 3.0

Josh is doing some great work – audio capability, importing of Journal files, lots of customization options, wider inputs, notetaking, on-the-fly support for correcting recognition – and much, much more. Some really good stuff. Can’t wait to start beta testing this when it becomes available.

If you don’t own TEO 2.0 yet, download the trial. Friends shouldn’t let friends use Outlook without TEO!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 12:11 PM 1 comments

CDW has this particular model shipping same day:

ThinkPad X41 Tablet - Pentium M 758 1.5 GHz - 12.1" TFT

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 7:02 AM 0 comments

Josh is talking about the non-whidbey support within InfiNotes. This really needs to be addressed by Microsoft and Agilix. Developers are working on product that will be based on 2.0, and in fact there are products already shipping with 2.0 support. TEO is using some of the feaures within InfiNotes, but can’t ship the product out for testing since InfiNotes isn’t Whidbey supported

Agilix needs to jump on this and get InfiNotes Whidbey ready.

Still waiting on a Whidbey-compatible Infinotes...

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 4:03 PM 0 comments

For those interested in beta testing GoBinder 2006, checkout Scott Lemon’s post:

Tablet PC Thoughts: GoBinder 2006 and the SDK are in Beta!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:49 PM 0 comments

The first trackpoint cap I’ve been using on my convertible keyboard wore out after several days. Fortunately, they sent two with the keyboard. The second has been working just fine.

However, I went online to find some replacement caps and ordered some from www.trackcap.com . They were $18.99 for 4 caps, but boy do they work much better than the stock caps that came with my convertible keyboard. These caps are a little higher and I’ve noticed that the trackpoint seems to responds a little better. The grip on the trackpoint is also better.

If you need some replacement caps for your trackpoint, check them out.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:22 PM 1 comments

From InfoWorld:

Google (Profile, Products, Articles) Inc. plans to enhance its Google News article search service on Tuesday by adding content syndication, according to executives from the Mountain View, California, company.

This is really good news ( pardon the pun ). I frequent Google News several times a day via a shortcut. Having tailored news delivered to my RSS will be a time saver. This is a feature I talked about several months ago.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:05 AM 0 comments

Chris Pratley on anticiating the beta release of Office 12.

It's a funny time of year. We're approaching our first beta of Office12 and OneNote12 in the next few months (no news here - just standard procedure). My mind is all full of this new release of software, but I am not able to speak about it publicly. That makes it pretty hard to blog on our current products since to me they are nearly prehistoric. They are of course still as great as they were when we shipped them, but now my head is filled with what is to come and I am bursting to talk about it with all the people who have been asking for updates and features and fixes to our current release.
So I thought I would share some of the pain with you all. I will tease you with the fact that I know what we are doing, and it rocks, and you won’t be able to know until later on. Nyah. OK, done. Now your expectations are sky-high and we'll never be able to meet them.
Last week we hosted a big event for a few hundred customers and partners to show them Office12 and get feedback on our plans and designs. Of course I can't talk about that event either, but a few attendees blogged a little about it despite their NDAs (non-disclosure agreements). They didn't say all that much in the blog posts, except to agree with us that Office12 will indeed rock. I heard lots of comments like "revolutionary", "amazing", "definitely interesting business value", and even "Office has finally caught up with the rest of the company" (ouch!).

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 8:25 AM 0 comments

Engadget on the Windows Mobile Treo 670

The Treo 670 is real and does run Windows Mobile - Engadget - www.engadget.com

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:20 PM 0 comments

CNN.com - Blind teen amazes with video game ability - Jul 29, 2005

Brice Mellen is a whiz at video games such as "Mortal Kombat."
In that regard, the 17-year-old isn't much different from so many others his age.
Except for one thing: He's blind.
And as he easily dispatched foes who took him on recently at a Lincoln gaming center, the affable and smiling Mellen remained humble.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:07 PM 0 comments

Good post by Marc on video requirements, Vista, and Tablet PCs

eWEEK has a revealing article about Vista’s graphics requirements that suggests, based on currently available information, that PCs using integrated graphics will probably not be able to take advantage of the most advanced UI features in the next Windows. This is of particular concern to laptop and Table PC owners as integrated graphics are extremely prevalent in portable PCs.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 2:59 PM 0 comments

check out the Microsoft Tablet PC Team Blog

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 2:46 PM 0 comments

Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2: Tablet PC And The NCAA: Users Petition NCAA To Force School Name Change

Hilarious post by Warner, poking fun at the NCAA Indian name issue.

Prompted by the NCAA's recent decision to prohibit sports teams with nicknames and mascots that are deemed "hostile and abusive" from using that imagery in post season tournaments, and forbidding those teams from hosting postseason tournament games, a collective of Tablet PC users today filed a petition to the NCAA to force similar sanctions on the Southern New Hampshire University Penmen.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 2:44 PM 0 comments

Maggie’s surgery went very well. Her right temporal lobe was removed on Friday. She has been in ICU since Friday afternoon. She is mainly feeling pain from her eye (swollen shut) and from the incision ( the right side of her head). We won’t know the success with her seizures for another week or so, but neurologically she is doing very well – a huge relief.

I really appreciate the wonderful support many of you have expressed via email.

I’m posting daily updates on Maggie’s website at www.zoeinc.com/forums

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 1:29 PM 2 comments

I’m officially on vacation this week as we work on getting doctor appointments, tests, etc setup for my daughters surgery on Friday. As such, I won’t be posting for the rest of the week.

Have a blessed week.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:50 PM 1 comments

Checkout Spencer’s review of Slate Labryinth:

While I was taking a look at Increment Software's web-site, I came across their goal for the future. This goal "is to become the leader in the currently unsaturated Tablet PC Games market. To achieve this goal, we provide top-quality products that are both innovative and addictive even to the casual gamer." Reading this made me pretty excited to check out Slate Labyrinth, as there are not really many games that have been built from the ground up with the Tablet PC in mind. (Even the new Hexic Deluxe game in the Microsoft Education Pack is an ink enabled version of a mouse game).

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 3:19 PM 0 comments

Great job by Marc and James. I really appreciate those nice comments.

As I told them via email, the convertible keyboard can be used with the extended battery – it just won’t attach to the back when not in use, when you have the extended keyboard attached as well. This makes it difficult to use your computer as a slate and still have the keyboard attached just in case you need it.

jkOnTheRun: Tablet PC Show #18 is here!

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:43 AM 0 comments

Great article by Tracy on how to PDF your books – a must read for students and non-students.

# posted by Rob Bushway @ 9:39 AM 0 comments