BRUCEB NEWS
Microsoft 365 & Subscription Angst
Microsoft has changed the name of “Office 365.” Were you getting used to it? There are Microsoft execs who giggle with glee when they change names to confuse us. Okay, I don’t know if that’s true but it’s the simplest explanation. I think it’s the same execs who...
THE SHRINKING OF THE LONG TAIL
A full-scale war is brewing between Amazon and Wal-Mart and it’s not completely obvious that consumers will be the winners. Prices are not the only thing that matters; we will...
Black Friday
Have you noticed how the Thanksgiving shopping experience has changed in the last few years? Until recently, merchants tried to build excitement by keeping the Friday sale prices...
CHANGING THE START MENU POWER BUTTON
It’s one of those little things that nagged at me. When you click on the Start button in Vista and Windows 7, there’s a power button next to the search bar. Everybody has a...
ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH TOOLS
Lawyers will be paying subscription fees to Lexis-Nexis and West for years to come, but there are some signs that legal information also wants to be free. Last week Google...
GOOGLE TESTS SEARCH OPTIONS
Google built its reputation on its streamlined, minimalist home page and search results, but it may change that design to add more information soon. A small number of people will...
THE CONTINUING BATTLE WITH MALWARE
Two weeks ago my son clicked OK on a message about some security problem. He called out and asked me about it after he clicked. By the time I walked in and unplugged the network...
OLD-STYLE GAMING WITH MACHINARIUM
Machinarium is a stunningly beautiful game with hand-drawn characters and backgrounds that are packed with detail and personality. Better yet, it’s an adventure game in the old...
NOT YET FOR NETBOOKS
Don’t buy a netbook yet. It’s taking longer than I expected for the next generation of netbooks to become available. There’s no shortage of the very small devices with 10”...
J RIVER MEDIA CENTER 14
What software do you use to listen to music on a computer? Most people use iTunes. A few lonely folks have gotten the new Zune HD and use its software. Still others use Windows...
ST. ANTHONY
Everywhere I went today the same question came up – who was the stylish figure in the picture of the dual monitors yesterday? Actually, if you want to be hyper-technical, I...
DUAL MONITORS
I gave in to the allure of dual monitors. Maybe you should too. If your computer runs Vista or Windows 7, it probably can run dual monitors without any fuss. Look in the back of...
FREE GUIDES THAT TEACH USEFUL STUFF
There is no shortage of how-to guides online, but loyal reader Stan Beck pointed out a particularly nice collection of free manuals – each one short enough to be appealing but...
LEXISNEXIS KILLS BILLING MATTERS
Billing Matters, the LexisNexis law office billing and accounting program, was killed last week. This was circulated Thursday and appeared in the TechnoLawyer newsletter....
WINDOWS 7 UAC AND DIALOG BLINDNESS
User Account Control (UAC) was introduced in Vista to make it harder for bad guys to write software that could take over your computer. By default, its volume has been turned...
MICROSOFT ONLINE SERVICES LOWERS PRICES
Microsoft Online Services has unexpectedly become more affordable and a more compelling choice for small businesses. I want all law firms and businesses with five or more...