Microsoft Office

Courtesy of Nancy BuchananKnow the recipient
Chances are that if you are making a gift for a friend or loved one, you already know their favorite colors, hobbies, pets, and other interests. It is important to think through what it is that they like or don’t like before you dig into your gift idea. For my project, I wanted to put together several gifts for each of my 10 year old daughters. The gifts for my daughter Julia are shown above. They all incorporate her love of the color green, animals, and bright and cheerful images. Younger children might like to see more pictures of them, teenagers might want more humorous or irreverent gifts, and adults might want gifts that relate directly to their hobbies.

Create custom note cards
I always have a few boxes of blank note cards for my printer on hand. You can buy them at your local office supply store in a variety of colors and sizes. A stack of pre-made cards with designs the recipient loves can be an easy, inexpensive, and considerate gift.

Start at the Template Gallery on Office Online
Most note cards made for printing have a model number or template number on the package. I usually search for the template number on Office Online first to see if there are any templates already available for my note cards. For my daughter I used the Friendship Card. I printed the cards on blank note cards I purchased from Office Max.
Note If a template isn’t available specifically for the note card you have, look for one that is the same size. You can also look on the Web site for the maker of the note cards; they usually have templates for Microsoft Word available for download.

The template opens in the program for which it was created, such as Word.

Produce padded notepads
Padded notepads use special glue called padding compound to stick a stack of pages together on one edge. You can purchase padding compound at most office supply stores. For this project you can print sheets with a decorative heading on the top, then stack the pages up and apply padding compound on one end to bind the paper together yet make it easy to tear a sheet off. Here is how I created 4 pads of paper, each with 40 sheets:

In Word, start with a blank document and then change the orientation to be Landscape, the margins to be narrow, and to use 2 columns. You can download the document I created in Word 2007 for my daughters here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC300035581033.aspx.
: There are a few times in life when buying a gift at a store just won’t do, especially if it’s too late to get to a store. And it’s definitely time to make a gift at home when the gift recipient is important enough to create something truly unique and personal. Whatever your motives, here are a few ideas how you can create these unique gifts at home: custom note cards, padded notepads, stickers, and tee shirts.

Print 40 sheets of the document on your printer. You can use plain printer paper.
Note This can also be a great way to use recycled paper. Instead of printing on new paper, just print your design on the blank side of recycled paper.

Cut each sheet of paper into 4 equal pieces. For example, cut the paper in the middle lengthwise and then again widthwise. Now you have 160 smaller pieces of paper.
• Divide the pieces of paper into 4 stacks of 40 pieces and then follow the padding compound’s instructions to pad one edge of the pieces of paper. I purchased padding compound from GreenLightOffice.com.
Note My padding compound’s instructions said to use a vice to hold the pages together while you paint on the compound. I didn’t have a vice handy so just stacked the pages between books with the end being padded sticking out far enough for me to paint it.

Today’s author, Scott Ruble, a Program Manager on the Excel team, is seeking feedback on a new prototype for building charts.

When Office 2007 was released, one of the strong pieces of feedback was Excel needs to do a better job guiding users in the proper selection of charts to effectively communicate their data. Though it wasn’t our intent, some of the new formatting options such as glow and legacy 3D charts can be used inappropriately, which obscure the meaning of a chart. Some people felt that these features contributed to creating more “chart junk.” In an effort to improve this situation, we have created a prototype called the Chart Advisor. The Chart Advisor intelligently suggests different chart types based on an analysis of your data in Excel 2007. Depending on the feedback we get on Chart Advisor, we may incorporate this as a native Excel feature in a future release. For a quick tour of Chart Advisor, please check out the video or read the steps below and give it a try.

Background
Chart Advisor was developed by Office Labs which is a new organization within Office that focuses on concept validation and incubation. Over the course of several months, we compiled a set of well defined heuristics such as when to use a line chart versus a column chart. These heuristics were incorporated into an advanced rules engine which scans your data and scores all of the relevant chart types. Top scoring charts are presented for previewing, tweaking, and inserting into your Excel worksheet. The rules used for scoring can be complex and we know that some rules are missing or need fine tuning. Given the breadth of possible chart types and data sets this will probably always be the case - even for a fully functional shipping version of Chart Advisor. To address this, the rules were separated from the rules engine into an XML file which can be modified by you to meet your individual business needs. Other notable features of the Chart Advisor are shown below.

Automatic pivoting to generate more useful charts
Hidden rows and columns are ignored in the spreadsheet
Totals for columns or rows are ignored in the charts so as not to skew the data plotted
Ability to quickly change the data displayed in the chart through the Modify chart pane
Ability to filter data
Intelligent mapping of data to the axes
Scoring of charts to show the best charts first
Chart formatting (legend on/off/location, chart style) is rules-based - e.g., no legend if only one value series
The vision for Chart Advisor was for it to address four different areas of recommendation:

Chart type (e.g., column, line, scatter, etc.)
Formatting (e.g., fill, color, effects, etc.)
Chart element (e.g., legend, trendline, error bars, etc.)
Aggregations and pivots
The Chart Advisor is a proof of concept. As such, it doesn’t address all aspects of our vision just yet. Currently it focuses on providing chart type suggestions and to a more limited extent formatting, chart element, aggregation, and pivot suggestions. However, I’d love to get your feedback on other ways you think the Chart Advisor could add value.

Open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in the file formats new to Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007.

Overview
Users of the Microsoft Office XP and 2003 programs Word, Excel, or PowerPoint—please install all High-Priority updates from Microsoft Update before downloading the Compatibility Pack.

By installing the Compatibility Pack in addition to Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003, you will be able to open, edit, and save files using the file formats new to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. The Compatibility Pack can also be used in conjunction with the Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003, Excel Viewer 2003, and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view files saved in these new formats. For more information about the Compatibility Pack, see Knowledge Base article 924074.

Note: If you use Microsoft Word 2000 or Microsoft Word 2002 to read or write documents containing complex scripts, please see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925451 for information to enable Word 2007 documents to be displayed correctly in your version of Word.

Administrators: The administrative template for the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint converters contained within the Compatibility Pack is available for download.

System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000 Service Pack 4; Windows Server 2003; Windows Vista; Windows XP Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 2
Recommended Microsoft Office programs:

Microsoft Word 2000 with Service Pack 3, Microsoft Excel 2000 with Service Pack 3, and Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 with Service Pack 3

Microsoft Word 2002 with Service Pack 3, Microsoft Excel 2002 with Service Pack 3, and Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 with Service Pack 3

Microsoft Office Word 2003 with at least Service Pack 1, Microsoft Office Excel 2003 with at least Service Pack 1, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 with at least Service Pack 1

Microsoft Office Word Viewer 2003

Microsoft Office Excel Viewer 2003

Microsoft Office PowerPoint Viewer 2003

Instructions
To install this download:

Ensure your system is up to date by installing all High-Priority/Required updates on Microsoft Update (required for Microsoft Office XP and 2003 users).

After installing all High-Priority/Required updates with Microsoft Update, download the Compatibility Pack by clicking the Download button above and saving the file to your hard disk.

Double-click the FileFormatConverters.exe program file on your hard disk to start the setup program.

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

To remove this download:

On the Windows Start menu, click Control Panel.

Select Add/Remove Programs.

In the list of currently installed programs, select Compatibility Pack for the 2007 Office system and then click Remove or Add/Remove. If a dialog box appears, follow the instructions to remove the program.

Click Yes or OK to confirm that you want to remove the program.

Office Groove 2007 is a collaboration software program that helps teams work together dynamically and effectively, even if team members work for different organizations, work remotely, or work offline.

Working in Groove workspaces saves time, increases productivity, and strengthens the quality of team deliverables. Office Groove 2007 is just one example of how the 2007 Microsoft Office system helps teams and organizations collaborate more effectively.

Work together dynamically
Keep your team, tools, files, and information in one place.

Create a Groove workspace right on your computer with two clicks.
Invite your colleagues, partners, and customers without worrying about networks or servers.
Add tools to support your team’s evolving needs: file-sharing, discussions, meetings, business forms, and more.

Stay productive anywhere, online or offline
Update team information in the office, at a customer site, on the road, and from home.

All Groove workspaces, tools, and information are stored right on your computer.
Work productively anywhere you’ve got your laptop, whether you’re connected to a network or not.
Automatic synchronization keeps you and your team members up to date.

Streamline content creation
Share, revise, and publish files all from a single workspace.

Exchange document changes with your team members easily and efficiently.
Use integrated alerts and contextual communication tools to shorten review cycles.
Publish completed documents to SharePoint document libraries with one click for workflow, storage, and retrieval.

Out-of-the-box integration with other Microsoft Programs
Tap into Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007, and Microsoft Office Communicator to enhance team collaboration.

Synchronize an Office SharePoint Server 2007 or Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 document library with Office Groove 2007. Collaborate on files in Office Groove 2007 and publish to Office SharePoint Server 2007 or Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 when you’re done.
Import your InfoPath forms into Office Groove 2007. Collect and track structured data in your team workspace, and export or synchronize results with enterprise systems.
Make a phone call or start an instant messaging session from a Groove workspace using the 2005 or 2007 versions of Office Communicator.

How do you Groove?

Check out Living Without Meat”.

Do you have the latest Microsoft Security Updates for August? Click to get started.

How about Microsoft Accounting 2008? Use it for personal use or your small home business. What it’s about:

Office Accounting Express Overview
Microsoft® Office Accounting Express is an easy to use accounting package that works with other Office applications you already know.

Save time on everyday tasks
Get started in minutes with a step by step interview wizard
Create invoices, track time and expenses and bank online
Enter data once and share it seamlessly with other Microsoft Office system programs
Manage payroll and accept credit cards with affordable add-on services that save you time and money
Get a complete view of your business
See customer, vendor, employee and financial data in one place
Get business insights with customizable reports
Easily share your books with your accountant through Office Live
Grow your business onlineList items on eBay, manage sales and download transactions
Email invoices and get paid faster with PayPal
Process credit card payments directly in Office Accounting

Want to start a small home business? Start here on Microsoft Office Live for Small Business:

Everything you need to grow your business online

Get Online

Take your business online with a FREE Web site and e-mail, plus low-cost e-commerce
Attract Customers
Promote your business and generate sales with easy-to-use, affordable e-mail marketing and search marketing products
Manage Your Business
Manage sales opportunities, projects, documents, and more with FREE online business applications

Here’s a quite directly from the site:

“…Office Live Small Business gives the nation’s 25 million small businesses a chance to use the same online tools as the big boys. Nobody else offers a complete one-stop self-contained unified Internet toolkit for small businesses — especially not at these prices.” David Pogue, New York Times,
February 2008

Done with work? Browse Toy Bender and read about the Robocop toy.

Brace your self for a service pack for Microsoft Office 2007. As per this blog post, it is scheduled for December 11, 2007. That’s next Tuesday.

The 2007 Microsoft® Office System Service Pack 1 (SP1) reflects unceasing efforts by the Microsoft Office System team to address customer concerns. Nearly all of the improvements included in the 2007 Office System SP1 are in response to direct feedback from power users at large organizations or indirect feedback from home and office users through the Dr. Watson bug-reporting system.

By tapping these extensive customer-feedback channels, the Microsoft Office System team has targeted the issues that customers care about most. As a result, the 2007 Office System SP1 will deliver significant stability and performance improvements to the applications that home and office workers rely on every day. 

The 2007 Office System SP1 will be critical service pack for a variety of reasons.  It will eliminate many deployment barriers to deployment you may have in your environment, it will provide support for Windows Server 2008, and will provide critical fixes to products such as Project and Project Server.
The use of Automatic Update (AU) Deployment has been a concern we have heard from many customers in recent months.  Because of this, the 2007 Office System SP1 will not be released to AU immediately.   Instead, the Microsoft Office System team will provide guidance as to a date at which we will begin throttling up so that you have time to educate yourself on what is in SP1 and determine the best method for you to deploy it in your environment. 

Related Reading:

Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1: Upgrade for Microsoft Office 2007 file formats

Get Vista Style Drive Icons in Windows XP

Critical Update for Office 2003 (KB943452) addresses an issue in Office 2003 where uninstall and repair of Office behave unexpectedly after Service Pack 3 has been installed.

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